Titans of the Past @ Science Centre Singapore

Have you been to Titans of the Past? If you are interested into dinosaurs and creatures through pre-historic times, you should.

Ever since the girls hook on Dinosaur Train, I learn along with them, bit by bit. As a young child, I learnt that dinosaurs are large, scaly, dangerous lizards that went extinct millions of years ago. But I didn't really catch their names. Not until Jiejie tells me about Pteranodon, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Maiasaurus, Brachiosaurus and some other names that I need more time to grip. 

Review: De Hygienique

November is ending and it is this time of the year that I need to spring clean my house. And for one very reason, mattresses and its related items, sofa and any other upholstery would not be included to the list of things to clean. Ops!

It is cumbersomely inconvenience, see!?

So when I was approached by De Hygienique to do a sponsored post of their services, I began to think of them, mattresses and sofa... how well have them been? It has been 5 years since we moved into this house with all the furniture. I reckoned, it is the time that mattresses and sofa to be cleaned for the first time. Now that it is coming to me, perhaps I should see how exactly it helps me? Especially it mentions that there is an in-built UV light works in disinfecting the mattresses. 

I remember long time ago, younger me used to be ordered by my mother to carry the mattresses, blankets, pillows and bolsters, even sofa cushions to sun outside our house, yearly, at least. Back then, mattresses were not as bulky as now, but, it would be dreadful if Mr Sun decided a sudden shift of duty with Ms Rain.

Sounds like De Hygienique is my old pal

"De Hygienique is Singapore's leading soft furnishing cleaning service provider, specialising in cleaning and sanitising of mattress, carpet/rug and upholstery. They are the first professional cleaning service provider in Singapore to introduce soft furnishing cleaning treatment using 100% dry, or low moisture, and chemical safe cleaning technologies from Europe."

So, yes, I was curious enough to take up the offer, find out and learn about latest technology able to bring Mr Sun home to serve... me. Professionally.

Sept 2013: Turning Eight

Together with her hair triggered temper, my first born is entering into her Eight, getting very close to Tween. I decided to make her work harder on the day we celebrate her birthday.

To activate PLAY and optimum the joy level of the birthday child, we went back to The Polliwogs @ Robinson Walk.

NSW 2013: Kiama Blowhole

After half a day spent in Illawarra Fly, we headed to Kiama for trying our luck to meet the ever famous blowhole. Kiama Blowhole, apparently is the largest in the world.

In geology, a blowhole is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themsleves towards the surface, which can result in blasts of water from the top the blowholes. The smaller the opening, the larger the spray and during a high tide is when the spray can be the most powerful.

It was not high tide when we were there. But the girls were stunned by the eruption of water through the hole. Breathtakingly, the openness of the coastal was amazingly stunning, though the weather still gloomy.

Happily, the girls ran to see their very first blowhole (in life) as well as the spectacular coastal scenery.

And we had some great family time here. The girls chased after the birds. Here and there.

The daddy rolled the girls down the slope. One by one. (Good heavens! I have two only.)

No toy, no gadget, we had so much fun here. So, so much fun! We had our family photo shot done here too.

We continued our exploratory to Kiama's Little Blowhole.

Little, it is. And we called both bothholes, jiejie (big sister) and meimei (small sister).

Do you know that, Kiama Blowhole is one of the six best blowholes in Australia? It is also part of the Grand Pacific Drive, hence one of the "must go" places along the way down south from Sydney. 

On the side note, my aunt was telling me that, when she brought her sister-in-law here, it was low tide, no eruption of water and totally a disappointment to go all the way there.

However, I realised that the blowhole became secondary to us, the breathtaking scenery and the openness of the space made us stay on longer than we thought.

Getting there

Both of the Blowholes are located in Kiama, South Coast of NSW. The main Blowhole is located on Blowhole Point and the Little Blowhole is located on Marsden Head. 

It took us about 45 minutes drive from Illawarra Fly to Kiama Blowhole. We then took Princes Highway to return to Shellharbour, and home sweet home right after sun set. 

Admission and car parking: Free

But, to catch a spectacular eruptions of water through the hole, you have to avoid low tide. In addition, a blue sky kind of weather would make a joyful memory to the visit.  

NSW 2013: Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk

One of the agenda in this trip of ours was experiencing one of Australia's premier rainforest walk.

Little did I know, the treetop walk at Illawarra Fly was suspended, swaying and averagely 25 metres from the ground.

My legs were a little shaking when I walked through the elevated steel walkway. Extremely scary when I can't stop my mind popping the scenario of "what-if" those swaying cantilever arms broke and we all fell down, all the way down. Highest, 50m down, that is. 

At that point of time, I saw my self heavier than 800 wombats. Even though the signboard said the cantilevers can hold a maximum weight of 28 tonne or 800 wombats. 

Do you think acrophobia is rational to analyse exactly how much is "28 tonne or 800 wombats"?

Making Props for Voyage of Dreams: Only Believe.

When I thought I lost the ability to play with colours,
Sarah of The Playful Parents assigned me to make some props.

Making props, by using recycled cardboards. Specifically mentioned by Sarah

I interpreted as, "Do painting with cardboard, aunty!"

Life, should call back those colours to befriend with me once again!

I took it up without much thought of my packed schedule. 

It was only two months later (like somewhere three weeks ago?), I started to paint.

Of course, how can I miss the opportunity to let the girls have some fun too?

Play. Love. Bond., below is one of their joint-effort of work.
I did the final touch-up. Little here, and little there.

Surprisingly, Little Bomber has a good sense of brushing and mixing colour.
Jiejie, on the other hand, learnt dipping her coloured brush for the first time from her mum.

All the fun was done in between time. (I don't really have time)

Layer by layer. Sign after sign.

Play. Love. Bond. One of my favourite here.

The more I do, the more I get hang of it.

Something extraordinary happened last night.

The welcome mat in MamaJ's Natural History Museum popped into my mind.

All the sudden, I had a strong urge to try out her's way of painting.

I shaped the letters with washi tape, double checked the spelling.
Then held the brush and ran wild with rainbow colours over the words.

In the end, the rainbow sign put a smile on my face.

'Cause it is very much telling myself that, the skill of playing with colour is back. 

So is the ability of stirring brain juice for new attempt!

We're the Playful Parents, inspired by MamaJ.

Coming Sunday, 13 October 2013,

come join the fun of Voyage of Dreams: Only Believe at Central Library (Bugis)
(click for more detail)

It is FREE Event.

And PLEASE, take one or two signs from the Photo Booth to snap away!
(Even if you don't like it, give some face, ok?) 

NSW 2013: Joylaine Beach House, Shellharbour

After few days of spending time in the heart of Sydney, we headed down to south, got ourselves checked-into a very cosy holiday house in Shellharbour.

Shellharbour is a tranquil city located in the Illawarra region of NSW (New South Wales). It's framed between the sparkling waters of the Tasman Sea and the magnificent Illawarra Escarpment, with Lake Illawarra to the north and the Minnamurra River to the south.

Initially I planned to staying in the city of Wollongong, but when I searched for a place to stay, Shellharbour gave more choices and impressively more family-friendly. I had never heard of Shellharbour, frankly. But the more I researched on South Coast, the better understanding I had. The location of Shellhabour is a perfect spot to base one-self while exploring the wider Illawarra area, i.e. to Kiama and Illawara Tree Top.

The house that I booked prior to our arrival was Joylaine Beach House, approximately 50 metres from the water's edge and just few streets away from Addison Street and the foreshore. Basically, we were a couple of minutes walk to restaurants, specialty shops and cafes. The price? A$450 for 2 nights of weekdays and another A$300 for a weekend night.

Aug 2013: Doctor for a Day

This is my firstborn, dressed up in scrubs, paying attention to an explanation in the "Emergency" station of one programme called "Doctor for a Day" in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. Each and every session was taken up fast. But thanks to Jean of Wee Stories' for getting extra slots for SMBs, I managed to sign her up for it in the end.

The programme is part of the hospital's community outreach effort, where children can role-play as doctor in the hospital setting, and have a taste of being a General Practitioner, a Surgeon, as well as bathe, clean and diaper a baby in a nursing room. Brilliant idea to inspire young generation to be doctor in future.

However, it didn't conjure her to be One immediately. She may consider to be a nurse though. 

Overall, she had an amazingly good time there. Once she reached home, she made Bomber a patient and they had few rounds of role-play with the stethoscope given in the goodie bag.

Looks like she learnt to be a doctor to her baby sister. 

Credits: Michelle Coleman's Lucky in Love; Sahlin Studio's Art & Soul, Wild Blueberry Ink; Studio Romy, and the paper medallions from here.

NSW 2013: Sydney, Here and There

Walking is the best mode to travel, in my opinion.

Invariably, walking in a very dense city is an interesting thing to do. Imagine every few steps of walk, there is things to see, to touch, to hear, even to smell. Evidently, my girls enjoyed very much from the very eventful stretch from The Rocks to Opera House, through Circular Quay. No second of dullness, no ground to throw a fuss.

Back to the Nature! SBWR

Do you know that there is a 130 hectares wetland site in Singapore?

Over the long weekend (due to Hari Raya Puasa and Singapore's National Day), I dragged my family to visit Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR), a home to a multitude of wetland flora and fauna. 

According to SBWR, more than 35% of the world's mangroves are already gone. In Singapore, mangrove forest cover has been reduced from an estimated 13% in the 1820's to less than 0.5% of the total land area today.

So, I thought: Must go before it's gone!