MPO Family Fun Day Fairytales in Music

It's been ages since hubby and I attended any concert by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. When we were dating, we attended a handful of concerts inclusive of Family Fun Day ones even though we didn't have any kids at that time.

We decided to bring the kids for their first ever orchestra performance this year! Kids of all ages are allowed in for the Family Fun Day concerts. The concert was titled : Fairytales in Music... and the conductor was a clown - Melvin Tix!

I purchased the tickets online at the MPO's website. Then collected the tickets on the day of the show at the box office. The performance was hilarious and very educational too! Melvin Tix started off by introducing the various instruments of the orchestra and the different type of sounds they produce. He then went on to tell a story about a King with 3 daughters and a prince..... and the instruments of the orchestra provided special effects. Melvin Tix went on to conduct 6 pieces of music including Sleigh Ride, a waltz from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky and another ballet piece by Shostakovich.

After the show, the kids had the golden opportunity to take a pic with the clownductor and also have him autograph the concert program book. We will definitely be going to the orchestra again soon!

Speech & Drama Class

The kids started on their Speech & Drama classes at Hobby Hop In last Thursday. The teacher is from Blubricks - and they follow the Trinity Guildhall syllabus with optional exams. The class is for kids from 4-7 years old. However, they do have classes for older kids aged 7-12 on Wednesdays.

Hobby Hop In is located at one of the function rooms at Bayu Angkasa Condo, Bukit Bandaraya. They offer various classes e.g. Musikgarten on Tuesdays and Art & Craft on Fri-Sun. Speech & Drama classes cost RM380 per term of 10 lessons.

Scooting Around

The kids had fun scooting at the badminton courts in our condo! We bought 2nd hand scooters and brand new protective gear which could be used when they graduate to bicycles in the future.

Marissa with her 3-wheel Mickey Mouse Clubhouse scooter! 

Barbie helmet, knee & elbow pads from Toys 'r' us.

Evan with his Hot Wheels 2-wheel scooter. 

Helmet, knee & elbow pads and wrist protector from Toys 'r' us as well.

Happily scooting around! And just because they have knee pads, they had to pretend to fall down to make use of it!

The White Bat

The first time I stepped into Istana Budaya was with my son - who was equally excited about the Sunday matinee ballet show..... The White Bat. Yeah! It's our first time viewing a LIVE ballet performance! All these while, only watching on the TV screen.

I bought tickets online via Ticket2U. Big mistake - had to pay ticketing and credit card charges. I also did not get my 10% early bird discount price despite buying before 10th December 2011. When I realised what happened, I called up Istana Budaya but was told nothing can be done i.e. they can't refund me and they can't even upgrade my tickets. Note to self -  just drop by the Istana Budaya box office next time to purchase the tickets. Anyway, I printed out the online purchase statement and presented it to the box office on the event day itself and collected the tickets.

The White Bat was presented by Danceworks Production with choreography by Jie Choong Wan-Chin. Since 1998, Danceworks has staged five major productions, including Carmen, Paquita, Don Quixote & the International Ballet Gala 2010, raising money for various charities.

Part of the proceeds from The White Bat will go to Hospis Malaysia, Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation, SPCA..... among other charities. 

Program books were given out by donation only of RM10 each. DVDs of last year's Don Quixote was selling at RM30, 'Just Dance' magazines were selling at RM10 for 3 copies (old issues) and the latest issue is RM10. All proceeds go to charity.

Smart Casual wear - no shorts, no slippers, no round neck or v-neck tee, no torn jeans, no babies, no cameras, no handphones, no food and drinks allowed in the auditorium.

We were seated at Upper Circle - cos that's the cheapest ticket price at RM50 only. Premium seats command RM220! Evan's ballet teacher said we should have taken the better seats i.e. RM100 or RM140 ones..... but it was OK - we could see the dancers but can't see their facial expressions. Again - note to self - buy seats in the Grand Circle next time. The entire performance was about 2 hours with a 20-minute intermission.

 The stage

view from my seating position

The main roles were danced by 3 Japanese : Hironao Takahashi (from Northern Ballet Theatre, Britain), Ena Hirose (Ena Ballet Studio Company, Japan) and Nobuo Fujino (formerly from Hong Kong Ballet). Music by Johann Strauss II -  an opera - Die Fledermaus. Overall the performance was enthralling. Costumes were beautiful, the set was very well-done and the neo-classical ballet - so creative!

I will definitely be back to Istana Budaya again for the International Ballet Gala 2012 in July this year.

YuKids Island Play Gym

YuKids Island just opened its doors on 15th Dec 2011 on 2nd Floor of The Curve - with free entry for 4 days! After that, entry fee is chargeable at half the price. This promotion ends on New Year's Day. 

RM20 per entry on weekdays and RM30 for weekends/public hols. You can opt to purchase a multiple entry card for RM100 - valid for 5 visits on any day.

Most of the equpiment are similar to Kids E World. Both of the kids really enjoyed themselves!

Almost everything here is an inflatable or is padded.

A big hit among the kids - balloon area where the balloons are blown about in the enclosure.

Birthday party packages available too. Very convenient for parents! No need to plan games/activities - and no mess to clean up after all the kids have gone home!

Lockers & shoe racks provided. No need to wear socks in this gym. No toilets here too.

Bar counter for snacking. No cafe here so bring your own food/drinks. Lots of sitting area inside as well.

Looks like play gyms are good business!