Children's Day Celebration

We were lucky to see a good offer for Hard Rock Hotel so decided to bring the kids for a staycation. Mil came along too. It was good that Hard Rock Hotel's hotel room has double beds and a pull out bed so it was big enough for 5 of ua.

We had lots of fun. This time we did not go the RWS attractions since no free tickets were included. Instead we tried the Luge and Mdm Trussards' Wax museum. The Luge was fun, $51 for all 5 of us. RL is below 6 so her ticket is only $3. Mdm Tussard's wax museum is really expensive though, 5 tickets costs $178. Almost enough for a staycation at a Far East hotel. Faint!

It included a 40 mins play about History of Singapore that is only in English using real actors but speaking in Singlish. Kids and MIL were bored. Some parts were even scary as the kids have to cross a dark forest with sounds of roaring tigers. Wish they skip the part and just sold us the wax museum part. We took many pics but yes, once is enough.

We took so long at Mdm Trussards that we are half an hour late to check out. Luckily, the hotel gave us 1 more hour and extended our checkout to 130pm. Which is a good thing because I promised to let RL swim again before we leave the hotel. :)

Outdoor play at Pasir Ris Park

RL didn't have her usual LC class last Sat so very happy that we had a free day on the weekend. That has not happened for a long time. Initially we were thinking of camping at ECP but that still felt a bit too ambitious because we didn't know if the gals can sleep on the cold hard bumpy ground without their bolsters and soft bedding. lol. Luckily we didn't do it cos it poured from the wee hours of Sat morning. We would have been drenched if we were out in the open on Fri night.

So instead we went to Pasir Ris Park. We brought the gals' skate scooters along intending to skate scoot at the park but got stuck at Ehub for a long time.

Had breakfast at a Taiwanese eatery run by non Taiwanese. Can tell immediately from their accent. Lol. Then we went to Downtown East and spied the Megabounce that the gals are really into. They tried it for the first time at Sentosa during June hols when we went to watch the Peppa Pig musical. Then again at Bali WaterBom water park so they were very happy to see it at downtown east.

Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet so we walked to the beach instead. Let the gals skate scoot. Tried to find a playground and we ended up walking all the way to the playground near Elias Road. Really far.

Got tired out so after the gals had a go at the swings, we walk to the nearby "5 Drunken Rabbits" for a waffle and fried chix wings. The wings were really good. Super crispy. Even nicer than Ikea's.

We walked back to Downtown East at 3+pm and luckily the Megabounce was opened. The gals jumped on the Megabounce as well as the normal Trampoline. It was $8 per jump for NTUC members. Then after that we went back to E hub to buy takeaway pizza for dinner and the gals got to go on the motorised animal rides just outside Explorerkidz. We finally reached home at 5+pm.

March Holidays - Night Safari and Ice skating at Jcube

March holidays are coming to an end. We didn't do much this time because of RA's piano exam and because hubby has many block test scripts to finish marking. So I only took 2 days leave.

16 March

We went to Night Safari on Monday night. Got the free corporate passes through balloting. Finally got lucky. We encountered the famous woodlands to Causeway jam at around 545pm so yes, next time better go very early or very late. :P

Reached the Night Safari at 620pm. Time to grab dinner. Missed the 645pm fire show as there were no seats left at Bongo burger. We ate at the food court instead. Food is v exp there. $18 for roast duck/chicken noodles set with some veg. Bongo burger was better value. At least it's western food even if the prices are similar.

We went straight for the Creatures of the Night show at 730pm. First time watching it. RA likes it cos there are funny games and antics for this show. By the time we finished the show. Night has fallen so it was very dark. Roads are wet cos it rained in the afternoon. So we decided to take the tram ride.

The 40 mins tram ride took us to see the lions, tiger, flamingoes, elephants, Tapir and lots n lots of different deers. By the time we finished, it was 845pm. So we decided to just go to Bongo burger for a snack and wait for the 9pm fire show. A family of 4 including a very inconsiderate mother decided to just pull chairs from all around and sit right in front of our table to watch the fire show. And no, they did not order anything from the restaurant at all. Even put their pram right in front, blocking our view. Super buay zi dong idiots!

Anyway, by the time the fire show and we finished our supper, it was 930pm. We went to look around at the gift shop and left the place at 10pm. Had to fight hard against the zzz monster who was knocking RL out in the car. She was very grumpy when I kept trying to wake her up but she was the one who refused to nap in the afternoon. Grrr....

19 Mar

We drove down to Jcube cos I had promised to bring the gals ice skating ever since some of my friends went and posted pics. We didn't know there were scheduled slots. We reached at 11+am so was too late for the first session at 1030am. So we went for brunch at a nearby Taiwanese restaurant which overlooked the skating rink. Tickets and rental of boots, skating aids etc were not cheap. Gloves cost $2 each. In total, we paid $99. Luckily we already saved money from the Night safari admission tickets on Monday. If not I will really feel the pinch.

Ice skating was really difficult. We rented 2 skating aids for the gals but I realised I need one for myself. haha. We only lasted 1.5 hours though we paid for the 2 hr session. Hb and RA both had blisters so it was painful to continue. Blame the ill fitting skating boots and our inexperience. My arms ached after that cos I was holding to RL's penguin for dear life and it was way too short for me. After that, we walked over to Westgate where they had a good free playground at level 4. It was nice but RL jumped around too recklessly and cut her lips. Sheesh, 3 injuries in 1 day. What an accident prone family we are. So it was time to head home and rest. :P

Yet another staycation

We did another staycation with the gals over Xmas weekend. This time at Changi Village Hotel. We were supposed to join the CC's KL Kidzania tour but that got cancelled due to poor response. Since it was the Xmas boxing day weekend, it is difficult to make alternative travel plans without paying super inflated rates so we decided on another staycation again. Our 3rd one in this last quarter. But the last time we stayed at Changi village hotel was in 2010 during our photoshoot with the gals with Bambini. Our maid was still around back then. A lot of changes at the hotel now. The Retreat spa has moved so they are taken over by Stella Wellness Centre. Really not as good. Rooms are refurbished but I can't really tell the difference.

It rained the whole of Day 1. So we ended up taking the free hourly shuttle to the airport for some respite. The gals did the Mickey Clubhouse Bouncy castle so they were happy. Day 2, the weather was good so hb brought the gals to the roof top pool while I got to enjoy a 45mins massage. We went cycling after that since we were given free 1 hr bike rental. But it started raining after just half a hour. zzz.


Day 3 we brought the gals to the pool again. Then showered and had lunch before checking out at 3pm. This time we tried a lot of eateries that I have been wanting to try. Jacobs café, our old favourite, Chock full of beans and The Coastal Settlement. :)

First time to POLW, Sentosa - Review

We have a playdate with the Jan08 mummies today at POLW, Sentosa. Been quite long since I joined them since starting to work part time 1 yr ago. The weather forecast said rain and thunder in the late morning but it turns out to be a bright and very sunny day. Since we have never been to POLW before, I was so glad we didn't have to change plans. :)

The nearest carpark to get to POLW is Beach station carpark. We parked nearer to Palawan beach side so it was about 5 mins walk. Though it is a school holiday today, the place was not very crowded. But too bad the usual Passion 10% discount did not apply. So we paid for 2 kids, $15 each but adults' admission was free. Each kid was given a passport and paper curio coins so that the kids can join in the activities eg. bubble fun, rainbow loom, sandart, Paint splash etc.

After changing, the gals zoomed straight to the water play area. The slides were good, max was about 2 storeys high so the gals could play on their own. Hubby and I did not need to get into the water at all. But for kids 3 yrs or below, the occasional downpour of water from the oversized big bucket above can be quite scary because there is no alarm or bell ringing unlike the water play at the zoo and wild wild wet. One 3-yr-old gal in our group fell down due to the force of water n cried due to the shock.

The kids played from 1030am to 2pm when it got too hot. We would have left earlier but POLW has fringe activities so it was good at keeping the kids occupied. The gals tried the bubble foam pool and RA tried rainbow loom in between.

Will we go back again? Definitely!

Horse riding at Changi City Point

We went to CCP cos wanted to get a pair of Nike shoes for RA using the voucher I got 2 months ago. But in the end, it was Daddy who bought shoes cos they have a very limited kids shoes section. If we wanted to buy something for RA and RL, they had essentially one and only design to choose from cos they were only left with mainly baby sizes for toddlers 1 yr old.

But at least CCP had a horse riding promotion with Gallop Stables. It was just a 2 mins ride cos we redeemed the Free Horse ride with min $38 receipt but it was good. Cos RL didn't dare to ride on the horse when she was almost 2 years old in Sept 11 when we went to Gallop Stables at Pasir Ris. Now she was not scared of the horse at all. They got to feed the horses with hay and even had free photo taking. Kudos to CCP!

First time to Gardens by the Bay and Children's Garden

Today is childcare holiday since CNY chu2 falls on a Sat. Decided to take leave since it is also a school holiday for hubby. Let RA choose between LEGOLAND and Gardens by the bay and surprisingly, she chose GBTB. Maybe it's because she has never been there before. Bought tics from an online seller at a discount in advance. But I was so busy trying to teach RA her spelling that we left the house almost 11am.

Then the GPS didn't know about MCE and directed us the wrong way so by the time we reached GBTB, it was almost 12noon. Luckily one of my friends directed me to park at Satay by the Bay. The nearest carpark from the new Children's garden playground. So we had lunch first. A lot of stalls were not open due to CNY hols so we had toast bread and bak ku teh.

Then we had a hard time trying to find Children's garden cos we had no map and the signages were incomplete at a fork so we didn't know which direction to take. It was 1+pm by the time we found the children's playground. Much too warm for the kids to play in the midday sun so we decided to head to the observatories to cool off in the air con first.

We went to the Cloud Dome first then the Flower Dome. Lots of walking for the kids but they were energized in the cool mist and didn't complain much. There were lots of 年花 to be seen at Flower Dome so MIL enjoyed it. Maybe it was CNY period but food selection was really bad. We wanted to go to Pollen café at Flower Dome but we stood there for a good 5 mins before the waitress told us they were full unless we had reservations. Well, they should have at least put up a signage then. Zzz...

By 315pm, RL was restless and kept asking to go to the kiddy playground. So, we walked back to the Children's garden. The sky was a bit cloudy by then, so the sun played hide and seek. The children cafe also had no food. Just drinks cos they said their food supplies will not resume until Wed or Thurs.

The gals spent about 15 mins at the mini playground. Only two swings (1 small and the other so small and close to the ground that it was a joke) and a very small slide. Not big enough for a crowd so kids kept on queuing for and jumping queue for the only 'taller' swings. But even the taller swing were so low that their feet brushed the floor when they were swinging. The playground is meant for kids aged 1-5 years old and RL is only 4 yrs old and about 96cm tall. So they definitely builts slides and swings meant for 1-3 yrs old.

I was getting tired of watching the stiff competition at the dry playground so I decided to let the gals go to the waterplay area. We are resisting the idea initially since RL just got better from their cough/cold. It was a big waterplay area but the set up was very basic. No slides, no water shooting guns, so trickling tiered drains like those found at the zoo. Maybe it's because it was sponsored by Far East. But it was fun for the gals who were busy trying to catch some water.

But by 4pm, RA complained that she was very hungry and her eyes are painful from the strong sun. Since there was no food sold at the Children's cafe, we rinsed them off quickly at the kids open shower area and headed back to Satay by the Bay for an early dinner. At 5pm. Lol! The kids were starving by then so they ate the yummy fried noodles, fried bee hoon by Marina View BBQ Seafood at record time. The city satay was good too. Though expensive at $0.70 per stick. MIL ordered rojak and kueh pie ti so we really had a feast.

We spent about 5 hrs at GBTB and parking was $8+. Better than expected. It was a much smoother ride from MCE all the way to KPE (TPE) then back to Tampines. On the way back, RL tried hard to keep her eyes open. Blasting frozen songs all the way helped cos they were singing to the tunes.

All in all, GBTB was fun for a first timer. The air con observatories were a nice touch and there were many varieties of flowers for nature lovers. But with pre-primary kids, the children's playground and waterplay is too small for us to revisit anytime soon.

River Safari, finally...

I think we are one of the most suaku family with two young kids below 6 years old who have not been to see Jia Jia and Kai Kai before. The two pandas have already celebrated their 1 year anniversaries here. At first, we were waiting for the crowds to go off b4 visiting then wanted to go to River Safari on Raelynn's 4th birthday on 2 Dec since admission is free. But I was sick and RaeAnne was sick so in the end, we went to see the doctor and gave it a miss.

Two days ago, I asked the gals to choose where she wants to go on New Year's Day. Multiple choice question actually. 1) River Safari 2) Gardens by the Bay 3) Picnic. Initally, RA chose RS and RL chose GBTB. But in the end, both decided to visit the pandas.

We set off from home around 10am. Not very early haha. It's a public holiday after all and I stayed up late for SBS drama awards show and countdown last night. Did not go to the Punggol fireworks countdown party in the end since it was a rainy night.

When we reached around 1045am, we were informed that the complimentary 15 mins boat ride is already full. River Safari opens at 9am, imagine the crowds that were here before us. 1 hour 45 mins and they are already full for the day? They are definitely not ready for full steam capacity, or maybe because the boat ride is complimentary and not chargeable yet.

Anyway, I am not really disappointed since the Amazonia boat ride has a minimum height limit of 106cm. RL wouldn't qualify and RA as usual is not keen. She is basically apprehensive about all adventure rides especially one that promises to get her wet. So, we walked towards the Panda reserve passing by numerous fish tanks along the way. For a moment, we thought we were at SEA aquarium at Resorts World. Lol.

The queue to see the Pandas was so super duper long (all the way to the fish tanks) that I gave up immediately and decided to bring the gals for early lunch, brunch for me. There is only 1 eatery inside RS, Mama Panda café so needless to say, the queue stretched outside the entrance. I waited 45 mins in all before we could all sit down and eat and with people hovering over us waiting to take our table once we finished. The panda buns were over rated. The new flavour, chocolate custard filling tasted not bad but it is too watery so RL got it all over her dress and I got it all over my fingers. Grr...

After lunch, around 1pm, we went to the Panda Enclosure again. This time, we were lucky. The queue was so much shorter. It started just slightly off the wooden platform. We queued for just 10-15 mins and got to see the pandas.

Kai Kai was fast asleep and it twitches and chews while asleep. So cute. Jia Jia who was supposed to be the more shy panda was in good mood today. She walked around and around and even ate quite a few stalks of bamboo shoots in front of us. We are quite lucky. If Kai Kai is asleep and Jia Jia is hiding in the cave, we would have really come to RS in vain. Haha.

After about 15 mins at the enclosure, we walked back towards the entrance, looping the other way. All in all, besides the pandas, only the catfishes, dugong, crocodile and squirrel monkeys really caught the gals' attention. Compared to the Zoo, RS's exhibits seem quite static cos there are no feeding times, petting area, waterplay or animal shows etc. Food choices was very limited. So, I don't think we will be back in a while unless the gals miss JJ and KK, of course.

I forgot to bring along a camera but the professional 'blue screen' ones were exp. $25 per photo or $50 package price. Not worth it since RL refused to smile at the photographer so I used the app to create my own instead. The magic of smart phone technology. Haha.

Hari Raya Haji - SEA Aquarium

I had 2 adult tickets to SEA aquarium after signing up for RWS Invites earlier this year and I thought I had 1 more Adult and 1 more child tickets from Friso promotion too and they were expiring on 27 Oct so decided to bring MIL there with the gals since it was PH today.

It was a rainy morning, thunderstorm since early morning so by the time we reached USS it was already 1030am. Had some snacks at the Fish and crab shack while the gals enjoyed watching the Zheng Ho show again and again. RL was frightened by the roaring Pixiu dragon head initially though. haha.

As we walked in, RL was fascinated by the henna tattoo so she had a beautiful motif done on her left hand. That costs $8 but strangely RA didn't want one. The crowd was building up by the time she finished. Glad I had the RWS invites card to jump queue. But due to my booboo, the friso tickets had already been used on 16 June, hubby and RA had to go buy the tickets again before we can enter the aquarium.

It was our third time to SEA aquarium so the gals aren't exactly thrilled but they enjoyed looking at the big round column of circling fish, sea jellies, dolphins and touching the sea stars (not star fish as the staff corrected us sagely. "You don't call turtles turtle fish, do you?" Err.... turtles have 4 legs or flippers so of course they don't look like fish right?), and of course 'picnic' in front of the oceanarium pool.

RL was tired of walking rather early cos both she and RA insisted on wearing heels. Ended up carrying her very often at SEA aquarium. Note to self: must insist they wear comfortable walking shoes next time. We wanted to have high tea buffet at Starz restaurant but for some strange reason, it was not available. Only lunch buffet which ends at 2.30pm. It was already 2.10pm by then so it was pointless. Went to Coca restaurant instead since I had RWS invites rebates dollars to redeem.

The gals whined and fussed when we walked past the Hard Rock pool cos they wanted to play in the pool. Had to pacify them that we will come again. I have already booked Equarius hotel for end Nov for 3d2n staycation so that we can go to USS again before RL turns 4 years old. Admission is free for kids below 4 years old. Haha.

Legoland for the third time

It was a busy weekend for us. Last Sat afternoon after our PV duties, we joined our neighbours to go to LEGOLAND again. Glad to go again since we already signed up for the annual pass. As long as we go there twice, it will be worth it. It was all clear at Sg customs but JB's side we had to wait about 1 hour. Luckily, we had already fixed our car air con ($1500 flew away) so at least it was a cool n comfortable wait. RL ko before we reached SG customs so she had a nice 1 hr nap until we reached LEGOLAND.

This time, we went straight to Lego city as we didn't cover the last time we went. The gals tried the Junior Driving school car drive meant for 3-5 years old. They were quite bad cos they don't know how to straighten their wheels so they kept going around in circles. I think even the instructor gave up as they kept banging onto the curbs and getting stuck. Haha.

Then we went to watch the magic show before going for the big train ride. All 3 kids sit in 1 carriage so the adults got to relax and enjoy the ride. haha. RL really wanted to go to the slides at the Shipyard playground so I brought her there while Daddy accompanied RA and followed Lijia's family to the Fire engine station. After that, we queued up for the boat ride. RA was equally bad at steering the boat so we kept bumping onto the barricades as well. We even got sprayed with water by one of the 'ambush' spray jets. Daddy and RL gloated away cos they were in front of us and thus safe and dry. So mean. :/

After that, hubby tried his hands at the basketball game again but failed to win the blue, square angry bird that RA wanted. Think they set the standards higher since we last went in Dec 12 when he won 2 birds. We took a few rounds at the dizzying aeroplane ride cos RL really liked it.

Went for the 4d Chima show and joined Lijia's family there. Got sprayed by water again. Geesh... I should start wearing a poncho to LEGOLAND. But luckily the gals enjoyed it though RL's 3d goggles kept slipping off. We went to the Duplo playground again and the kids took the mini train ride themselves. RL sat in one carriage all by herself while RA shared one with Lijia cos all 3 kids only wanted the red carriages and there were only two red ones in the whole train.

Walked past the mini city, then a short stop at the gift shop before we went for dinner at Secret Recipe. The lamb shank was cold inside so I had to ask them to reheat. But other than that food was good. It was already 1015pm when we left and we were the last 4 cars remaining. Luckily, there were 2 security guards there but I wonder if we were making them work OT if they can only knock off after all cars leave. :P

Got Lijia's Daddy help to update our Garmin GPS so hopefully next time we can try going to LEGOLAND on our own and maybe we can visit the new LEGOLAND water park soon. ;)

Legoland again...

We finally drove to LEGOLAND in our own car last Sat. Must really thank our neighbours Lijia's parents for patiently showing us the way. Previously, we took the coach bus and hired our own van driver. Although the drive to Tuas is quite long, both gals napped in the car as we left Tampines around 2pm after their music classes. But we cleared both sides customs quite quickly, RA woke up at Tuas checkpoint and RL woke up at Malaysia checkpoint.

When we reached LEGOLAND, it was around 3+pm. There was hardly any queues so we went for the rides that we did not try previously. When we went in Dec last yr, we only tried the boat ride, the train and mini land cos the queues were too long.

This time, the first ride we tried was Technic twister ride (like those teacups). Only RA got to try it though. RL is only 96cm tall so she couldn't meet the height limit for quite a few rides. She did not meet the height limit of 110cm so she could not play the Technic twister so I accompanied her. Both gals wanted to play the Aqua zone waveracer ride but RL did not meet the 100cm height limit. By then, I bought them a single scoop of rainbow ice cream to cool off. So they were quite happy with their ice cream and did not feel disappointed.

Lijia and his Daddy went for the dragon roller coaster. No amount of persuasion could convince RA to try the junior roller coaster ride. So both of them ran to Forestman hideout, and enjoyed themselves at the multilevel playground. RL had a bit of abrasion on her thighs sliding down the metallic enclosed slide though. Next time, must remember to wear pants for her. We managed to watch one 4d movie on car racing though we missed Cheema cos there was a technical fault for the 515pm show. The air con was a welcome respite from the heat. We tried the Observation Tower ride this time too.

RL couldn't do the Kids Power station rope pulley ride either but RA enjoyed it doing it with Mummy, the slow n steady way and with Daddy, the fast and furious climb up. Both gals tried the Royal Joust ride, the beetle bounce, Lost kingdom laser gun game. Hubby and I even went for the Dinosaur island water slide ride. RA wanted to try the water slide ride too but failed the min 120cm, 6 yr old limit. She was very disappointed and sulked but I think it is too thrilling a ride for her. The height drop from 2-3 storeys was scary for me. RA even panicked on the gentle beetle bouncer so I think she could not have handled it.

We decided to upgrade to an Annual pass since we had already paid full price for our tickets RM140 for adults and RM110 for kids. Just needed to come twice and it will be worth it for the RM275 adult annual pass and RM210 kids pass. As long as Lijia's family is coming again, we can tag along. Haha.

We went for dinner with the other 3 families (Lijia, Benjamin and Shi Heng Kai, all from Elfa CC) at Absolute Thai at 8pm. Left LEGOLAND at 915pm and we were the last few cars there. Went to top up petrol at Shell station near checkpoint and reached home sweet home around 10+pm.

Slide at T3

We have not been to the airport for a very long time cos we did not bring the gals on any flights this year. Mostly short trips to Malaysia. Today, we went with the gals to T3. Wanted to let them try the T3 slide because RA's swim mates said it was very fun but we never knew where it was. Quite paiseh to be so 'suaku' since we stay in Tampines, so near to the airport.

After a quick dinner at Ramen champions, we went straight to look for the slide. Had to refer to floor plan n turns out we were at the opposite side since we parked at 3A. After walking over to the slide, I realised why we never noticed it. From far, it just looked like queue posts leading to a lift. N the slide was just a metal tubular enclosed slide with narrow curvature. Quite compact, no bright colours n furthermore, the slide view is partially blocked by the revolving gantry gates.

The slide was two storeys high and meant for kids 5 yrs n above with a minimum height of 110cm. There was a much higher one to be taken from level 3 or 4. Even though RA fit the minimum height but it took me a very long time to convince her to ride on her own. She was scared n the 2 storey slide with its gantry gates looked quite forbidding.

But once she overcame her fear n went down on her own, she was ok. We saw younger kids riding the slide so decided to bring Mei mei along for the second time. The fearless gal went down the slide lying on her tummy though it was her first time. She went down 2 more times after that but I get RA to accompany her cos she has problems pushing the exit button n opening the gantry gate.

They still wanted to slide but we convinced them to go to the viewing gallery after that. But I must say T2's viewing gallery is much better cos we are closer to the runway n planes. We could not see any planes taking off or landing at the T3 aviation gallery at all. The gals were quite disappointed but at least they had fun eating their mini dunkin donuts, climbing n sliding down the displays. After today, I think they will start asking to go to the airport more often. haha.

Hari Raya Puasa and NDP Long weekend - ECP

We have a 4 day break due to the two PHs. But did not jet off anywhere since air tickets were very exp and hb needs to mark. So yesterday, we spent the afternoon at Kidzgo, the indoor playground at Tampines1 because RL loves it there.

RL is coughing a little so I am not keen to bring here to air con places again. Decided to go ECP for a picnic since we have not done that for a long time. Also wanted to try out the new 6 men tent we bought early this yr.

At first, RL was not keen and she insisted on wearing a dress to the beach. She does not seem to be an outdoor kind of gal. Always into pretty dresses and high heel shoes. Faint! Finally persuaded her to wear a short skirt instead so that she can do sand play without getting all wet.

Packed ham and cheese sandwiches and a salad but the food they liked most was the strawberry n milk popcorn I bought from Daiso yesterday. My gals have a sweet tooth or rather sweet teeth.

Weather is very good. Cloudy so it was not hot and the weather stayed that way except in the afternoon there was a constant slight drizzle. We hid in our tent thinking the rain will get heavier but it never did. The gals had a happy time rolling and wrestling in the tent with Daddy. But when the sun come out, I was feeling v hungry so we had a late lunch at Brussel Sprouts. Yummy mussels but lousy wait staff except for a guy with tattoos. The rest of the staff were impatient and can't be bothered with questions or recommendations. The guy with tattoos was the friendliest and respond the fastest. After a v heavy tea, we went cycling to burn calories. Me, not the kids. -_-

Along the ride, we saw a jetty so we stopped for a while. RA was fascinated to see the anglers. One of them caught a small mud crab and a flower crab in that short 5-10 mins we were there. But by 7pm, can tell that their energy levels were v low with no afternoon nap today. I suggested having dinner there so that we can watch the fireworks from the jetty but they were not keen. Guess they had enough fireworks since last week. They wanted to go Nai nai house instead so we ended watching the rest of the NDP on tv. haha.

First NDP fireworks show

The initial plan was to book 1 night at Marina Bay Sands on National Day so that we can enjoy the fireworks close up while watching the National Day Parade on tv in the comfort of our hotel room. But that plan did not come to fruition because there is a minimum 2 night booking for National Day and 1 night was $599++ for MBS. So two nights would have easily cost $1300? Faint! If I have that kind of budget, I might as well bring the girls on a short holiday.

So when I received an email on the NTUC U family 'Baby Day Out' on 3 Aug to watch the fireworks for NDP Preview, I quickly registered. The event was free anyway. We set off late cos after Yamaha music class and lunch, we were tired out and had a nap. We did not drive as there were road closures plus we weren't sure where exactly was The Lawn. Unfortunately, the taxi driver we engaged was equally clueless. When we finally reached the lawn, it was already almost 6pm. The place was crowded and no good spots were left for a picnic. So, in the end, we registered, got our goody bag and left.

We went back to Marina bay link mall, had dinner at Swiss bake. Then we bought water and chips at 7-11 and crossed the underpass back to the bayfront where we had seen some families with picnic mats when we were trying to locate The Lawn. The picnic mat included in the NTUC goody bag was very useful so we settled down nicely at around 7pm waiting for the fireworks.

Forgot that this year's NDP was extra long so instead of fireworks at the usual 8pm, it only started around 820pm. The gals were busy munching on their cookies and posing for pics at first. But when the sky grew dark with no fireworks in sight, they started to bombard me with the same question: "Mummy, why no fireworks?" Duh...




When the fireworks finally started, they went oohhh and ahhhh cos it was so beautiful to see them on close up. This is their first time. Since we did not ballot successfully for NDP tickets again this year, this is a cheap and good way for them to enjoy the fireworks. We had to walk more than 10 mins back to Raffles Place mrt station to take the mrt back but the gals didn't mind. They were thrilled that we were taking mrt train because we hardly take the train plus their favourite double decker bus.

Wish we discovered this way of watching NDP fireworks earlier. But better late than never, maybe we can go back again next Fri or next year. ;)

Staycation at Hard Rock Hotel & Adventure Cove

I wanted to surprise hubby with a staycation on Father's day but RaeAnne let the cat out of the bag. Since hubby had tuition on sunday morning, I took both gals with me planning to go to SEA Aquarium first before he joins us. When we reached at 11am, I was shocked. There was a super duper long queue snaking from the entrance for at least 30 metres. The queue post said the queue was 30-45 mins long. I seriously doubted it. So I told RA we should come back on Monday since we are staying at the hotel tonight. But she whined and refused. She wanted to queue. I asked about the priority queue but the bouncers said I need to buy separate priority tickets.

It was a super frustrating long queue. 2.5 hrs later, after queuing upstairs and downstairs, we finally entered to see the fishes. Our main aim were the dolphins which we missed on the last visit and RL's favourite sharks. 2.5 hrs wait for 45 mins visit cos hubby has already arrived and waited for us. What a waste of time. Worse! I found that that RWS invites card members had priority entrance but the bouncers did not know. Super poor communication on the ground. Duh...

We checked into Hard Rock Hotel only at 430pm after our high tea buffet at Starz restaurant. I reviewed the hotel at Tripadvisor. First day, we went to the hotel pool during evening time. Hard rock pool as usual is good with sand play and water play. RL doesn't enjoy the sand though. haha.

On the second day, we went to Adventure cove around 12noon after a late brunch at Toast box. We didn't have much time so the gals ony tried the meandering river and the wave pool. No time for Ray bay and Coral reef. Actually I find that Adventure Cove is more for older kids. For RL, there are only 3 rides that she can do - meandering river, wave pool and treehouse water play area. For RA, she gets 2 more rides Ray Bay and Coral Reef but she must be accompanied by an adult. All other rides needs a height limit of 122cm which both my gals don't meet.

All in all, it was a good stay minus the long queue. But next time, I will choose Festive hotel cos of the bath tub and for its family friendly touches. :)

Flying without wings....

Ever wonder why Singapore Flyer is called Singapore Flyer? The thought came to me as I brought the gals there with my mum and mil to Singapore Flyer today. Maybe it is because it is 165m tall? Tall enough to be the biggest observation wheel in 2008 but still exaggerated if you call that flying. But still, there will never be flight turbulence at the Flyer, which is what I always hate about real flying.

We didn't get to bring Raelynn to the Flyer before she turned 3 when it was still free entry for her. Tickets are $33 for adult, $24 for senior citizen, $21 for child above 3 yrs old. Not cheap. So when our nearest CC organised the trip at discounted flat rate of $21 per pax including two way transport, I grabbed the chance since both Raelynn and my mum have never been there. Hubby couldn't make it cos he had Parents Meet Teachers session whole day.

The bus picked us up at 3pm and brought us to the Flyer at 340pm. It dawned on me that the last time we were there was 5 years ago. RaeAnne's maiden 'flight' was in Dec 08 when she was 11 mths old. That was also the year that the flyer first opened for business. Seemed like so long ago. And the flyer definitely looks different. We had time to walk around though it is very warm today, the gals fed the fishes at the new walk-through garden with mini waterfalls. alfresco asian street fare with lots of hawker stalls. There is aslo exhibition area before reaching the departure point but the kids were not really keen.

The highlight of the day for them was definitely a ride on the Ferris Wheel, as Raelynn calls it. Ah Mah was a bit nervous entering the capsule that kept on moving but once we entered the capsule, everyone except RaeAnne relaxed cos it was so slow moving. Raelynn had no fear at all and ran from point to point.

RaeAnne, however, sat glued to the bench refusing to move. I had to pull her up, hold her hand and walked her to the other bench with a better view. Then she realised that it is not so scary. She and Raelynn had fun walking around and climbing on the side rails, taking silly photos of each other and everyone else, even taking their shoes off at times. Embarrassing moments, luckily there was only 1 chinese family of 3 and a family of 3 caucasian tourists in the same capsule as us.

The ride ended at 5.15pm, we went to the gift shop. RaeAnne was pestering me to buy snacks and sweets. But I refused to buy Hello panda or sweets at super inflated prices. Though I did pay for 6 flyer photos at super inflated prices $60. But my logic is at least those can't be bought at NTUC and most importantly, everyone is in the shot and looking at the camera, plus there are 6 different backgrounds and I get the soft copies too. 6 photos divide by 3 households means 2 photos each. Not so bad right? haha.

We walked around and went to the fish pond one more time before we took the bus back at 6pm. Reached CC at 630pm. The gals were tired out esp RA who dozed off for 5-10 mins on the bus ride back. I think it will probably be a long time before we go to the flyer again. Another 5 years? Haha.

Prawning and fishing at Big splash

I bought groupons so we went prawning and fishing with the gals on Wed morning. Decided to let the gals 'ponten' school since we were going for cruise at night. The prawn catching was really slow but I finally got the hook of it. Caught only 2 prawns though.

We caught a lot of longkang fish but we returned to a very smelly tank with dead fish when we came home after the cruise. This is despite us putting them into a tank with an air pump, and aquatic plants for food/oxygen. Morale of the story, next time, don't bring back the fish cos they are not hardy... :P

National Day celebration at ECP

Decided to bring the gals to a picnic since I woke up very early due to my night cough. Prepared my newly created baby octopus, crabstick japanese salad, baked cod fish fingers and the usual fishball, sausage skewers that RaeAnne loves and a flask of hot milo. This time, I used the taiwanese pork sausages for variety. By the time, I prepared all the food, it was 9am but hubby, and the gals were still sleeping. They took their own sweet time to wake up and get ready so it was 1020am when we finally left the house. So much for trying an early start so that we can have a cool morning picnic. Hmpff!

When we reach ECP, most of the good spots were taken. but we found a partially shaded area with no red ants and the gals got started on the food immediately. Mei Mei loves the baby octopus and fish fingers while RA is contented with her fish ball and sausage skewers. She keeps trying to pick out the cucumber though. After tucking into some food, RA went off to build sand castles, the sun was hot by then as it was almost midday. i tried to help her but my sand castles keep collapsing. Arrowed the task to hubby instead and he did a much better job than me. haha. After that, I tried to take a nap inside the tent cos I was drowsy from my morning cough syrup. But it was too hot to sleep as the sun was shining through the top and window of the tent by then. So, we decided to pack up around 1pm and we went to rent a quad cycle. Always see small groups of people on the quad bike, it looks fun but we have not tried before. It's not cheap, $28 for 1 hr. Progress was slow and both hubby and me need to pedal quite hard but at least the gals were entertained. Maybe next time, we can get 2 bikes with child seats, progress will be faster and price lower too.

We left ECP around 215pm and finished the remaining picnic food in the car. The gals were hot and sticky so had to shower them. By the time, they took their afternoon naps, it was already close to 4pm. The whole family knocked out till 6+pm. Then hubby went to tapow dinner and we watched the NDP together. Really glad to see LKY cos heard some rumours of him recently. At 8pm, we went up to the 16th floor of our block to see the fireworks but it was really small. I think next year, I should book a hotel room and get a good view of the fireworks since the gals are older. Maybe in 2014, when RA is 6.5 years old and RL is 4.5 years old, I can consider bringing the girls to NDP provided we get tickets through ballot of course. ;)