Big Bounty at Big Bad Wolf Booksale 2011

Last Saturday all of us went to the much hyped Big Bad Wolf Booksale. Needless to say , there were concerns in my mind lugging 4 kids and a huge belly to MAEPS all the way in Serdang. Is it going to be worth the drive ? Am i going to lose my mind keeping 4 kids in sight ? Am i going to find anything worth buying ? Am i going to find toilets in case Umar has to 'go' like right NOW?

And the answer to all of the above is four solid YES!



Adam, Yasmin and Aisyah selecting their choice of Horrible Sciences (RM8) series.


There was ample shuttle busses to ferry visitors from the parking lot to Hall A where the exhibition is . As soon as we enter the hall , i knew we were going to be there a while . Rows and rows of books , pallets stacked high and tables topped mountain high with books at such low prices you wonder how they can sell it at that price ! Good thing we brought our own shopping bags because although boxes are provided , its quite a hassle dragging it while you browse. I see some people bringing luggage suitcases and pasar tolleys. GENIUS. Must be veteran regulars already lor.



Hall is spacious , ample walking and browsing space , well organized , clear signage ,
air conditioned and got lotsa toilets.


Kids books were on average RM5 ( and these are books that i usually purchase for RM20+ to RM30+ at full priced book store.) Fictions were going at an almost fixed rate of RM8. Pop up kids books were going for either RM8 to RM12 ( and we know how expensive pop up books can be). Coffee table books were going for RM20 and hardcover celebrity chefs cookbooks were going for RM25! What a steal.

We wanted the kids to browse and really take their time to pick out the books that they wanted to read, so we didnt rush them other than giving them the occasional reminder of "dont buy this book for its cover aaa". Another good thing the organizers did was to shrink wrap almost all books , so they're all still in mint condition when you purchase them , knowing how itchy little fingers can be rough flipping the pages.

By the time the kids picked out everything , we were there 3.5 hours ! I didnt get a chance to browse the sections i wanted to go so i'll probably go there again by myself sans kids to get my books. Check out was a breeze with plenty of counters open , and 3 staff manning each counter. All i can say is this is a well thought out , well organized event almost equivalent to the professional trade fairs i've been overseas. And best of all , i was able to stock up our home library without burning a hole in my pocket.



Our bounty , well almost all our bounty . Got one more plastic bag lupa nak keluarkan. 35 good books for everyone in the family . Very happy.


WELL DONE BIG BAD WOLF :)

Those of you interested to go , its on until 16 October 10am to 9 pm at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. Cepat pergi !

Review : Dinos Alive at Pusat Sains Negara

I do try to take my kids to the National Science Centre as frequently as I can . Not because I am inspired to take after Que's dad's career and turn them into nuclear physics professors ( ok , maybe a little ) , but because that place is always buzzing with good science activities and interesting exhibition. Also there is nothing to shop there , so that's good for my shopping addiction.

Lucky for us this time around they're having the Dino's Alive exhibition.

The exhibition is quite well put together . There's 32 'life sized dinosours including a 16 feet Tyrannosaurus and a 23 feet Apatosaurus in the main lobby once you enter with head turning and tails swaying. And the two halls above were split between herbivors and carnivores ( neither of which Umar is willing to go into. He thinks they're alive ) Other attraction includes Dino Train , Fossil Digging , Dino Simulator and Robotic Animals. I wont post pictures because the exhibition is ongoing until 31st May 2011 and  i dont want to spoil the surprise for anyone interested in going. And the ramp up the first floor there's a huge chart explaining the evolution of dinosours from before Paleolitic sumthing ages till today . Que chuckled as i try to expertly describe the chart to the kids , and spare me maybe 5 minutes before telling me that i got the charts backwards. yes Sharmi , Dinosours dont come after mammoths .

All in all i'd highly recommend it to families with small kids. There's a huge play area for really small kids ( below 7 ) , experiments play area for bigger kids , a kindy like set up of toddler play area and a huge science park outdoor which we didnt get to explore because mummy was tired .

And how on earth I still manage to blew up almost 100 bucks at the gift shop i never know. *sigh*

Admission Charge :
Kids (4-7 years old ) RM5
Student *with student ID RM5
Adult 18 and above RM10
Family * 2 kids and 2 adults

Pusat Sains Negara
Persiaran Bukit Kiara
50662 Bukit Kiara
Kuala Lumpur
03.20921150  03.76651977

RapidKL service to Pusat Sains Negara
RapidKL bus no U83 (KL Sentral - Kompleks Kerajaan Jalan Duta route )


Businessmommy rating : **** stars .Good value for money . Can easily spend 3-4 hours exploring the entire place ( if you insist on trying all the experiments )

Review : DEMC New Paedeatric Ward

My nephew was recently admitted to DEMC ( Darul Ehsan Medical Center ) in Shah Alam. Went there yesterday to visit and was very impressed with the new hospital . It's a much bigger and complete facility than the old building in Seksyen 9 . The kids wards are all on the 4th floor . The walls and floor are nicely covered with bright , kiddish artwork.  Very nice.

Cheery Hallway



Even the lifts look cool.

My sister was starving , so i made some food and brought it over . That was before she found the room service menu. I think she's going to kill time ordering probably every hour or so , but that's ok because she's a preggy. Menu book is a far cry from the old laminated A4 sheet they used to show us in the old hospital .



But i must say , it wasn't the murals or the room service menu that amused me . It was the TOILET!
I have never seen a hospital toilet with little colored tiles covering the toilet wall and seashells decorating the resin toilet seats. ok , i am crafty , i am artistic , but this is just way to quirky for me to sit on and you-know-what.

At any rate , if your kids are sick and you have to stay a couple of days in the hospital , this is probably one of the more comfortable paediatric wards i've been to. The single room comes with a day bed by the window and a comfortable chair , so mummy can lie down and get some rest too. 

Get well soon Harris !