Bangkok revisited - Sept 2014 (Day 1)

We made another trip to Bangkok in September 2014. It was *sort of* a work trip for hubby, as *work* took all of a few hours- checking out a new shopping mall, Central Embassy. Haha!

We had a dinner with a friend- who also introduced us to the super yummy After You Dessert Cafe. Gosh, the Shibuya Honey Toast is to die for! Thinking of it is making me salivate.

Drat I forgot to take photos of the dessert... ah well, next time then! Meanwhile, this collage of yummy Thai food will have to do :)

Trip to Singapore - Day 3

The next day was a day full of animals- at the famous Singapore Zoo! It really is an iconic tourist attraction, and all of us had so much fun. It was very hot and humid of course, and thank God my brother came along with us. The extra pair of hands really helped. Not sure how we would have survived otherwise!

I did a great deal of research beforehand, and we managed to make full use of our time there. We started with seeing the resident polar bear Inuka, who seemed to be doing his morning exercise when we were there. He was doing this routine that involved him swimming around a rock and then towards the glass, and using his paw to push himself off from it. It was really hypnotic to watch.

Another highlight was the Fragile forest, where we got to see the animals in an open, close-up environment. It was really cool! We saw bats, sloths, and many other great animals.

We planned to end off the day at the water play area, but just as we were about to go in, the pool had to be closed because some kid pooped in the water!! Gross!

So instead of waiting, we packed up and left instead. We did manage to cool off in some water in the end, in the swimming pool hotel :)

In the evening, we made a quick trip to Gardens by the Bay to have dinner and to watch the Light and Sound show at the SuperTree Grove. However, the kids were tired and cranky, and so we left early. Ah well, another time I guess!

Trip to Singapore - Day 2

Our second day in Singapore was spent at the Science Centre, and it was AWESOME! We visited the Human Body Experience, which was an interactive journey through a big latex 'human body'. We climbed through the mouth and rode a short slide into the body and exited through the *back*... well, you get the idea! We had to squeeze and stumble out, somewhat like poo, which was quite hilarious.

It was really fun, the kids were a little frightened as first, but they were game enough to give it another go. We passed through various parts of the body- the lungs, stomach, intestines and many more. The heart was beating, the lungs were inflating/deflating- it was a really cool thing to do!

We enjoyed various other exhibits and tried to do as much as time and energy permitted.

We ended off our visit at the water play area, and the kids had a real whale of a time! Very impressed with the Singapore Science Centre- I definitely think we could go and visit again and again.

We then went over to Moonie's place, where we had dinner and hung out for a while. All in all- a really nice day!

Trip to Singapore - Day 1

The kids' first trip overseas - Singapore! We were there for my brother's convocation- or rather - we were there to take the family photo at the studio, haha.

We had a yummy seafood buffet at the W Singapore Sentosa Cove- a nice hotel in a lovely area. The hotel was located in a rather remote corner of Sentosa, but it more than made up for it by being right by the marina. Very romantic indeed!

More stories coming up!

Real Music Never Stops- Taylor Swift!!

My first ever concert!! Yay!

And what a first concert it was. Taylor Swift was awesome! She is such a great singer and entertainer. The huge screen helped even those of us who were seated far away to see her expressions and connect with her during the performance.

I had a truly great time- I sang along (where I knew how to) until my voice was hoarse.

I wasn't really a Taylor Swift fan before, but I think I have been converted.

Real Music Never Stops indeed!

An awesome racing car party!

So the boy is REALLY into cars. It seemed like a good idea to throw a theme party- so I did heaps of research and decided to DIY. It was a lot of planning and work - stressful, but the kids had a really good time.

Here are some photos of the snacks done according to the theme- quite fun to come up with!

Hubby made an awesome race track/ramp and we gave each child a plastic car to 'race'. A simple idea, but one which was a great hit with the kids! They really enjoyed it :)

And oh, check out the cool cake- made by my friend, Sugar Art Diva! Cool, eh!

Happy 5th birthday to my little boy! May God bless you always!

Going to Kindy!!

My firstborn is off to a 'big' school! Can't believe how time has flown by. I hope he can cope- I can't imagine him managing toilet trips, etc all by himself. But I guess it's all part of growing up. He will manage, I am sure. I hope I will, too! Haha!

The first day of school was interesting. All the parents were hovering around their kids - taking photos and videos. I have one video of the kids lining up and walking to the toilet like a row of ants (can't believe I actually recorded that)! Thankfully he didn't cry- there were a few kids wailing the first few days.

All the best to my baby. Such a big boy already!

Langkawi - Dec 2013

We planned a last minute trip to Langkawi and had to pay a pretty penny for accommodation. We stayed at the Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa- which wasn't really that great, but was still ok for our needs nevertheless.

We took the cable car ride up on the mountain (we paid a LOT for the express pass!) and really had a great time at the top of the mountain- enjoying the cool air, strong winds and the spectacular view! The kids were singing Hi-5 songs and dancing in the sun; it was really memorable. There wasn't much to eat at the top, so we ordered cup noodles- which was quite fun, as the strong wind threatened to blow the cups away- and the cool weather made eating a hot cup of noodles very satisfying!

We also dined at the famous floating restaurant cum fish farm called Hole in the Wall (we were the only customers that evening)- which was a short boat ride out. We got to feed fishes and even a sting ray at the restaurant/fish farm, which was pretty cool. Coming back in the dark was quite an experience as well- it was definitely a bit scary; and when we got to our car it wouldn't start! Yikes. Fortunately it finally did in the end; otherwise it would have been awful- we were pretty out there in the wilderness of the mangrove forest.

Another highlight was visiting the Underwater World, which is always a great destination for kids!

There was some beach time fun of course- but not quite enough, I reckon. Our helper caught a jellyfish in the bucket- which was really neat! It was so cool to see it up close.

Goodbye Langkawi- we will definitely see you again!

Work trip to South Africa - Part 3

The next part of the trip involved us attending a Discovery conference in Sun City, which is about 2 hours from Johannesburg. We stayed at Kwa Maritane, situated inside the Pilanesberg National Park. The room I stayed in had quite an interesting layout- I had to descend a small flight of stairs to get to the sleeping area, which made it feel a little like a dungeon.

After we got through all the work stuff- meetings, discussions, it was then time for some fun! We went for 2 game drives- one early in the morning, and another later in the afternoon. It was an incredible experience! It was really fun trying to spot the different animals. We did not manage to see the 'Big Five' (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard)- we did see the first 3 in that list, though, which was great. 

We had a really great guide, and the experience with the lions was truly spectacular. There were FIVE of them, and we got up close and personal as we 'stalked' them, while they sauntered up and down and looked at us (with disdain, I might add). Sitting in an open top jeep with them so close by was slightly nerve-wracking, but we never felt that we were in any kind of danger. The guide did tell us to stay quiet and keep our limbs inside the jeep, which was probably good advice. At one point we saw the female lions' ears prick up, as they looked across the vast open field- and we held our breath, hoping that we might witness a kill. Alas, that was not to be- apparently it is incredibly rare to see a kill on a game drive. All the same, it was a really amazing experience! We had the lions to ourselves for a long time, before our guide had to 'call it in'- i.e. tell the other guides about the lion sighting (for the other park visitors).

We saw lots of other animals- gnu, a majestic giraffe, zebras, rhinos and may more. At one point we nearly missed spotting a few elephants, which were grazing quietly nearby. How could one miss something so big? Strange, but true. Animals in their natural habitat are a lot harder to spot than in the zoo, where there is an enclosure and a signboard to boot! Talk about camouflage...

 Goodbye South Africa! I hope to visit you again someday! :)

Work trip to South Africa - Part 2

This photo says it all, really. A really eye-opening experience for me. Such an interesting company- with a culture that truly breeds innovation.

The Protea- the national flower of South Africa

Our hosts treated us to a lovely dinner at the fabulously posh Saxon, where BMWs chaffeur guests from the main entrance of the establishment, right up to the front door of the restaurant. I can't recall now how long the drive was, but it was a pretty dark drive, and the whole experience made it all rather mysterious and exclusive. And the food - well.. fine dining, of course!