3-in-1

When I was in Standard Six, my parents finally let me go roller skating with my school friends at

Spinning Wheels in Sungai Wang. I recall my parents (and those of my friends) thinking it was an unsavoury sort of place that bred bad behaviour like swearing, boyfriends and smoking. My god, looking back now it was so wholesome compared to what seems to be goin g on these days! It was totally harmless. Galaxy (or was it Galactica?) in Kota Raya was equally as harmless except for the perilous journey getting there. It involved maneuvering between buses and motorcycles and not to mention the crazy old flasher who was stationed at the pedestrian bridge. I wonder if he is still alive and still preying on young school girls. Anyway, I was never great it. I never did quite learn to stop without slamming into somebody or the railing. A few years later, ice skating in Perth was no better. By the time rollerblading came about, I had decided that these feet are meant for walking period. So it was with much dread when I found out that we were going ice skating at Sunway Pyramid for our staff party.

I didn't realise how much they had extended Sunway Pyramid. Its even bigger than before! We parked in the new wing without realising it and found ourselves weaving through unfamiliar shops and restaurants. How exciting! Okay, I used to think it was a hell hole but now I have to eat my words. Its actually quite pleasant. Mind you, this was a week day at 10am in the morning. Anyway, we had such a great time!!! We had a fantastic coach who gave us very good pointers. It was fun because out of the 40 people, only 2 could skate. So all of us just had a good time laughing at each other. I was doing quite well until someone knocked me over. My god that was quite a shock! I felt the impact of the fall from my hip, up the sides and all the way to up to my head. Now that is definitely a sign of age! We had lunch at Ichiban Ramen. They must have thanked their lucky stars when 40 people walked in for lunch. Although it took a while for them to take our orders, the food arrived fairly swiftly. I am amazed at how fast and efficient the kitchen was. The only thing slow was the drinks. It arrived after we finished our meals. Thats the problem when 40 people order slushies. I think they only have one blender!

The friendly staff assured us that no msg is used in their cooking. I have to say that this must be true because YY is highly allergic and usually starts scratching and looking harassed but she was perfectly fine. My sapporo ramen was a blend of miso broth and spicy fermented bean paste. It has slivers of chicken char siu (wawot!), corn kernels and seaweed. It was pretty good for what it was. Simple, hearty, fast, what more could you ask for at lunch right? Sis' chicken katsudon was pretty tasty. The bits of crab stick added colour and tackiness. Essentials for fast food dining I reckon! The chicken gyozas were rather sad looking and deflated when it arrived. The taste reflected the presentation perfectly. Meow!

After lunch we went back to skate some more and played some games on the ice. I'm proud to say I got quite far on the individuals limbo rock contest. After all that hard work, I was quite peckish by 5pm. A few of us went to Toastbox for coffee and a snack. Hainan bread and kaya are one of the many things I love about Malaysia! Its just so divine! They are simply made for each other, like Adam and Eve, root beer and vanilla ice cream, pork and me... The kaya toast comes with a generous slab of butter that flows onto the plate like a golden river when you squeeze the toast together. Disgustingly delicious! I prefer the brown toast version at Old Town thought and the kaya they have there is nicer too. Still, this was exactly what I needed. Washed down by, what tasted like, instant coffee. I didn't know Toastbox was a spin off from Bread Story. Makes sense I suppose. The one here at Sunway Pyramid is situated at a cosy corner just as you enter "Marrakesh" from the old wing.

I didn't think I could eat anymore but for the sake of research, I would plough on. After all, it was dinner at Tony Roma's. I have never been, ever. I'm not a big meat eater which is why I would DIE if I went on the Atkin's diet. We had asked for a buffet menu and they gave us a nice spot at the back which looks into Sunway Lagoon and the hotel. Unfortunately I didn't get to take any good photos here. The barbecue beef ribs were very tasty and tender. Although some bits were a little dry. The scary looking red things were chicken strips basted in barbecue sauce. It was quite nice. It reminded me of sweet and sour pork. I'm sure kids would love it because it just taste of sauce and nothing else! The grilled lamb chops were disappointing. Overcooked, dry and tasteless. Still all the other things made up for it I reckon. The salad was cool, crisp and dressed lightly with a citrus dressing. I also liked the coleslaw despite the shards of celery, yuck. I didn't bother trying the "pacific cod" (another fancy name for butter fish to fool people with. The other name would be "white tuna") as it looked terribly dry and unappealing sitting in the shafing dish like a white pyramid. I was glad when dinner was over. I just wanted to lie down. And you know what, it was only 830pm! By the time I got home and had a shower, I could feel my legs getting sore. I went to bed thinking what a great time I had and how I never want to eat so much again!