Bird Park Trippin'

A philanthropic neighhour passed Mummy a NDP discount coupon booklet and was I grateful to her for that because I found some practical discounts and offers in it. Amongst them, I was attracted to a 30% discount off admission rate for Jurong Bird Park. Daddy has ever casually mentioned about visiting JBP as he has not been there ever before. This discount spurs us. We decided to jio San Yi too as the discount coupon allows purchase of a max of 5 tickets.

After a heartily scrumptious meal at bongo burgers, we proceeded to the pools amphitheatre, which was just a stone's throw away from the entrance, for the must-watch Birds 'n Buddies Show. The weather took a turn and started to drizzle at noon, but that did not dampen our mood. We carried out with our excursion under protection of caps and umbrellas. Rynae exhibited small pinch of valiance when she courageously fed free-flying hungry lorys in the lory loft and came up close with the emus. We made a last stop at Fuji Hawk Walk to catch the Birds of Prey Show before bidding farewell to the park. All of us, especially Rynae were dog-tired at the end of the trip. Our little tourist had missed her nap and she went into slumberland soon after reaching home. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

Funny Jelly

Does it look like some yucky specimen? Any idea what it is? It's Rynae's jelly! Her teacher had a home economics lesson with the students today and they were taught how to make jellies. Our dear friend was so proud of her jelly that she insisted carrying it all the way home herself. The best thing is, she did not walk. She ran. There goes her jelly. By the time we reached home, it has changed into foamy water and mummy has to sorrowfully wash it away. Truely an effort down the drain...

Racial Harmony Day

Today is Racial Harmony Day and Rynae has to dress up in an ethnic costume for school. She was in disbelieve when I tried changing her into a dress, instead of her uniform this morning. She refused to cooperate and I had to coax and hoax her into getting into it by explaining to her the meaning of racial harmony day. Not at all easy trying to simplify it for a 3 year old. Puff.

Polliwalks

OMG! Not again! Another crocs inspired clogs! I scrunch up with disgust when I saw polliwalks on sales in Kiddy Palace. They look as if they can bite! Project Runway's fashion mentor, Tim Gunn had ever commented that crocs is appalling and is a fashion disaster. Now, I wonder what he's gonna say about polliwalks. Given a choice, I'd rather top up the slight monetary difference to get Rynae a pair of perennial crocs than these weird animal-looking footwear.

New Bikini

It has been a while since Rynae went for a dip in a swimming pool. After a passing shower in the early afternoon, we brought our little tyke to Woodlands swimming complex today. Rynae tried on her new bikini and it fitted her perfectly! Auntie Vivian from Hong Kong bought it long ago when my girl was just a month old! Gosh! Aren't she a sexy kitten?

NLB Book Sale

Books galore! NLB is organising its yearly books sale at Expo and I went down today in hope of picking up some good books at unbelievable discounted price of $2 each. I expected a queue outside hall 4A but surprisingly there wasn't. Crowd size was comfortable enough to allow each visitor to dig for desired books in the wagons.

You have to really count on your lucky stars because it is by pure luck that you manage to scoop up a good book as they were only segregated according to languages for adult and young; not categories like travelling, cookery, business etc. Not used to buying second hand books, I was gobsmacked by the state of the books. Most were smeared with scribblings, dog-eared and have torn and even missing pages! Shame on the vandalisers. I managed to grab 10 relatively good books in acceptable conditions for Rynae. Well, after they go under the knife for some nip and tucks, they'll look as good as new! Ok, almost lah!

DIY Tambourine

I was particularly interested in a tambourine craft in Nick Jr's website and decided to give it a try in making one. The materials aren't complicated and I do have them readily. Though Rynae's contribution wasn't much, I do have to give her credit mention, for she did help to put the pasta onto the paper plate, thread the bells and cut (weird) shapes as decoration! Done! She's ready to create a ruckus and bring the house down!

Perceptive Play Review

I had been wanting to take a peek at Perceptive Play! since its launch last year but patiently, I waited for almost a year before bringing a borrowed copy home. Kudos to NLB for requisiting for it.

Perceptive Play!, a light-hearted book that provides 52 activities of fun for children and parents, is penned by Wong Li Lin, an all-rounder but first time author.

Reading the book was a breeze as description of each activity is short and paragraphs are generously laid out. Each activity is accompanied by a photo illustration thus by looking at the image alone, one can already know what ideas she has up her sleeves. Most of the activities needed no elaborated materials and can be done anytime, anywhere. It's not necessary to go the whole nine yards in coming up with one. In fact, the environment is and can be the classroom!

After reading her book, I thought both Li Lin and I share similar views on parenting: to let children learn through play. Her tenet is to let children be children, let them play, have fun and let them have an unhurried childhood instead of hothousing and drilling them for academic exellence. Since children loves playing, having fun will make them more interested hence they will be more driven to learn and become more thirsty learners. Parents should help them by playing perceptively, with discernment and insight.

I read that she'll be coming up with a second book but it all very much depends on the sale of her maiden product! For all I know, NLB alone has bought close to 50 books from her! Of course this is not much of a boost but it is also sold at USD$16.50 over in Amazon and SGD$26.75 in Kinokuniya, which means her books cross national boundaries! I couldn't help being curious how the sales figure went so far. Ya lor.. I'm plain KPO!

Pick Me Up

Rynae has been emulating our chopsticks holding skills whenever we dine out hence in a bid to help her brush up her motor skills, Mummy came up with a gratifying home-made kit. Materials are simple. Remember the soft clays that I bought from Daiso? Knead them into several small marsh mallow like cylinders and dump these cylinders into a clean container. After these cylinders harden, I passed tools like tongs, chopsticks and spoons, one at a time to Rynae and encouraged her to try picking up the cylinders and transfering them out. Adroitly, I worked in mathematical concepts by asking her to group the yellow and white cylinders accordingly, count how many white and yellow cylinders there are respectively and how many in total. It's a recycling project we're talking about here too!

Snip Snip

Rynae was passed a real scissors for the first time to practise her cutting skills. Well, she does have a kiddy scissors but that's so blunt that whenever she used it, she was so frustrated. It simply cannot cut anything decently. Under my close supervision, I handed her a pair of scissors and a few pieces of used trace and colour worksheets that I had printed online, for her to snip away. She did a pretty good job but with lots of jagged lines lah! Since then, she's been pestering me to let her 'play cutting'....

Dora the Explorer Dominoes

Alrite. So mum's at it again. However, this time there's no brain juice required. Just some manual work. I surfed Nick Jr's website and found it rather useful, with not only games but lots of craft ideas. There were even food recipes! I shortlisted Dora the Explorer Dominoes eventually as it looks fun and easy to produce. Furthermore, Daddy has played Dominoes with Rynae before hence she knows the rules of the game. Save my breath of explaining too! Haha. She took on my challenge and beat me twice on it! The best I did was a tie! Gosh! What a loose of face for me...

Observation Skills Drilling

Mummy always has something up her sleeves and this time, I invented some card games to drill Rynae on her observation skills. Not having prior similar exercises with her, I have no idea of her comfort level hence I started her off at elementary level. These games require sharp observation skills and focus on helping children develop the skills they need to recognize and understand patterns and shapes. This is how I conceptualised the game (copyright by me one hor):

• Make 2 sets of cards - one set for 'student' and one set for 'teacher'. Make sure you have indication on the back of the cards which is for who.
• Make each card in each set slightly different from one another by having different colours, words, numbers etc.
• Give 1 set to your child and keep the other.
• Take turns and play 'match the card' with your child. The 'winner' may keep the correctly-matched cards.

I tested the elementary cards on Rynae one fine day and was quite surprised that they were child's play to her! She could match the cards almost instantaneously and I had actually underestimated her! I sat down on my computer, cracked my brains hard and came up with 4 new sets of cards the very next day. I printed, cut and laminated 3 of the sets (the last set is in colour and my printer is almost out of ink).

Generally, she doesn't have much problem with this set too, but she has got to stimulate her brains more now, especially the set with the numbers.

Elementary level cards.

Secondary level cards. I try to keep colours minimal.

Indo Wedding Bells

We went back Indo recently again to attend Rynae's cousin's wedding on a Sunday. Because of this happy occasion, Rynae had to pontang school for 2 days. Oops! It was my first 'experience' attending their kampong wedding ceremony and I was full of awe and anticipation for it. Though we're all ethnically Chinese, some traditions are practiced differently between our 2 nations. For example, brides were fetch in the wee hour of 2am instead of early morning and there were no cake cutting ceremony before yam seng, during the wedding banquet. It was a 2-ish p.m. lunch wedding conducted under a marquee, in a non-airconditioned milieu. Thank god we were seated in front of a fan! Unlike formal and solemn Singapore wedding dinner, their wedding feast was kept much livelier and abuzz by queues of friends and relatives making their way one after the other onto the stage - not as stand-up comedians or to present a tearing speech, but as amateur singers in a karaoke! As for the dishes, I got to admit that presentation wasn't fantastic but the food does taste decently home-cooked. Rynae loved the sharks fin soup most. Too bad there wasn't any left, if not she would have asked for a second helping!



Traditional sedans have been modernised to cars and herein.... simplified into motorbikes!


Can't you tell she is enjoying her food?

Recycling for Good Cause

Whether it's self-driven or influenced, everyone's talking about going green nowadays. In hope of reducing my carboon footprint, besides using energy-saving light bulb, reusable shopping bag and travelling in public transport, I recycle materials as toys for Rynae too! I've always love mint chewy gums and after chomping them, there're hardy bottles that I thought could be put to better use than to fling them into rubbish bins. Rynae loves to add ingredients like salt and pepper into her 'soups' when she plays masak masak so I figured out that she could include these bottles into her 'kitchen cabinet'! As she is learning to read and recognise words now, I printed colour-coded ingredient name labels and stuck them onto the bottles so that hopefully she could identify the ingredients and use them appropriately! See? Learning need not be stressful. Children can pick up a wide range of skills and knowledge through play, in a non-threatening environment too.

Japanese Soft Clay

Mummy loves shopping in Daiso but its orientation is so cram and always full of patrons. Makes shopping a bit difficult sometimes. By sheer luck, I found some japanese soft clay there and bought 3 packs for Rynae to be played as Doh. These super-light weight clay becomes hard in natural dryness and is odourless, does not soil hands and easy to handle.

I've seen similar soft clay in Square 2 but it's selling at about $15 for just a handful of white clay. The sample models made from these clays were such sweetie pies that I wanted to buy it on impulse then. So you can guess how glad I was to have gotten hold of it at a cheaper price, coloured somemore. You've gota open your eyes big and search for them if you're interested to buy because they're chucked in a corner and the packaging looks like wet wipes! I opened up 2 colours - white and yellow for Rynae to test try. Straight away, she questioned me why it feels different this time.

She is still too young and hasn't acquired the motor skills to make realistic molds hence I helped her out. She suggested making egg, snowman and ice-cream. Surprised? So am I. Such creativity. I like the egg amongst all because the colours are just perfect!

Kungfu Family Reunion

We made it! We've got all 8 characters after gorging 8 happy meals for the past few weeks! Ya. Forget about the extra pounds. Let's rejoice with the full collection in hand! It's a pity Master Wugui (i.e. Oogway. What bad translation. Can't he remain as Wugui?) wasn't commemorated as a figurine. I don't mind exchanging the sleazy viper for him!

The ultimate 8 days movie junkie guide revealed that Sing to the Dawn, a local anime based on an award winning novel by Mingfong Ho is coming up next in October! Boy oh boy! This is so great! This is a story I love so much that I could remember the story vividly even though years had passed since I was last taught about it for literature in my secondary school days! Hip Hip Hooray!

Trip to Singapore Science Centre

I had planned to bring Rynae to the Singapore Science Centre during the school holidays but couldn't find an opportunity to. Before the holi season ends, we decided to bring her there on a (peak) Saturday afternoon. Both McDonalds and SSC were so packed that we had to spend precious time queuing for both food and tickets. SSC hasn't had much of a make-over from the last time I went during the SARS saga but they did have a new feature - the water works which is a scientific water theme interactive playground. Rynae fell ill the last time we went to IMM's water playground, hence we forbade her participation in it this time as the sun was up high then. The centre was hugh and after spending 3 hours inside, we still couldn't really finish all the exhibitions and experimentations. A pity though.

Left: Waterworks. Can you feel the noon heat?

Right: Pressing on a button to turn on the light so as to activate the solar powered discs.

Left: What's for dinner? Rynae's head!

Right: Da Vinci wanna-be scribbling on palm top similar drawing board.

McPlayPlace

I passed by Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West and was attracted by its seemingly fun McDonalds outlet and decided to pay it a visit one of these days. We were pretty lucky the day was cloudy because the walk from AMK MRT to the park was rather long. Cannot image walking under the scorching afternoon sun. The place was nicely done up with choice of air-conditioned or alfresco dining. Lunching there was very tranquil, felt like in a spa. With the lush surroundings and water features, may I suggest to corner up an area to make into treatment suits for massages! Talking about the playground, it looks more like a hamster cage than a playground to me. The whole play place, made up of 2 levels of tunnels is non-ventilated (I could smell a stench inside) and sweaty kids crawl in and out like cute little hamsters. Nobody's on guard at the play area so parents, please mind your own kids.

Zoori Weave Love

Mummy's always been big on handmade practicalities hence upon getting news of Zoori Weave Love workshop while reading Junior n U's June issue, I knew I had to sign up for it. At a reasonable price of $38, Mummy was taught how to plait her own pair of Zoori slippers (Japanese flat thonged sandals made of straw or leather that are worn only on special occasions as part of a formal kimono ensemble) with strips of cloth and while Mum's at the workshop, Rynae was kept occupied in Frisk 'n' Romp with all sorts of activities. Wonderful Daddy helped to keep an eye on the little musketeer. Some of the pictures attached herein were actually supplied by him. That's why to please him, the play experts there gave Rynae a Father's day card to colour, to be given to him!






It's a sin not to go to the East Coast Beach after travelling all the way there and the close proximity to the Beach hence we made a stop at the seaside. Rynae also rode on an electronically charged motorbike. It was daylight robbery. The 5 min ride costed us $2! That means in an hour, they can make $24!

Magical Day at Disney Naturally

It's heard of.. it's spoken of and now mum wants to see for herself the much talked about Disney Naturally - the mimic of Disneyland restaurant, located at Anchorpoint Shopping Centre. The eatery's not too big hence I reckon diners would have to wait to be seated during the peak hours. Good thing we went on a Monday. The staffs there were carefree but I wouldn't say their service was praise worthy. Nobody seated us when we waited at the door that has a sign 'Please wait to be seated'. I walked in myself eventually and got busy reading the menu thereafter. No attendant came to take order so I figured out that I actually have to go to the counter to order my meal. Can't complain because they don't charge service charge. The desserts, fruit blends, pizzas, burgers and pastas are all fascinatingly named and I ordered a Mickey's Classic (Pizza), Nemo's Adventure (Soup of the day) and Banana Moo Moo Milk Shake. Rynae sped to the computer terminal upon arrival and needless to say, hogged it while I took this opportunity to stuff the food into her mouth. What a magical afternoon.

Left: Striking a pose with Disney icons

Left: Restaurant facade

Right: Restaurant interior

Left and Right: Front and back menu

Left: Hacking Disney website

Right: Our lunch. Notice the shape of the pizza and the bread that accompanies the soup?

Kung Fu Fighter!

Panda Almightly! We heard about Breadtalk's Peace Panda and to add on to the panda craze, there's gonna be a plus-sized Kung Fu Panda movie! Upon getting news of the screening, Mummy is determined to bring Rynae to watch it. However, to enjoy the Cathay Mum 'n' Tots benefit, I have to walk in to purchase the tickets on the day itself. So, today, 6 June the debut day, I got up at 7.30am to check Cathay's online movie ticket website. I fell off my chair when I found out that the 10.30am, 11.30am and the 12.35pm seats were all fully booked. And so were many other timings! The weirdest thing is that I surfed their website the night before and it is near impossible that the tickets would be sold out completely in a few hours! With a grey light of hope, we proceeded with our plan to try to get hold of the tickets over the counter. Well, worse come to worse, if they're really sold out, we'll watch it another day!

It was the first thing in my life that I ever got to a ticket counter before it opens. In fact, we're so early that we've got time to go to Ya Kun prior, for a quick breakfast! At 10.15am, the shutter was lifted and together with me were crowds of early birds queueing for their preferred seat and time slot. I got my tickets (it's Rynae's 1st movie and she's going for the 1st screening on the 1st day) and Rynae got her pop-con. If I were to give my after-views of the movie, I'd say that the plot's ordinary but the animations' expressions were humourously, realistically human-like!

Last but not least, a word of wisdom for you internet savvy cosmopolitans... sometimes internet purchase might not give you the leading edge over the others. I've learnt mine. Hope you too.

Blocking

For quite sometime, I've planned to buy a set of Lego or Mega Blocks for Rynae but have not done so till todate. The pricy Legos aren't worth it and the Mega Blocks (as it is called) are too hugh and clumsy to construct anything realistic. Unintentionally while out for lunch one afternoon, I bought back a box of $5 blocks. As I cannot see the contents inside (product shot on the packaging cannot be trusted), I treated this buy as a gamble to win Rynae's favour. Awfully spendthrift, it's only $5 if she doesn't like it. Keke. Thankfully, the blocks turned out to be quite fun to play with. The creations are only limited by your own imagination! So.. just let your imagination run wild!

Einstein In The Making

Mummy felt that fables and fairy tales are like traditions passed down and forms part of a child's childhood hence by my little ways, I started introducing these famous stories one at a time. Recently, I bought a chinese book with 2 titles that came with a VCD at $3.50 only. On the front cover, it read 'the crow that drank water'. On the back cover, it read 'turtle and rabbit race'. After reading and playing the VCD numerous times to Rynae, I pondered if she really understands why the water level rises after stones are added, in the story of 'the crow that drank water'. Children at this age has zero concept of Science and the last thing I want is for her to memorise the effect. I'd rather she understands it, thereby remembering it. Quick-witted, I dug into my cupboard for an empty mineral water and took out some glass marbles to be used as 'stones', for her to physically try out. Right before her eyes, she saw the water level rises. I also reinforced the story by well... acting like the thristy crow and constantly making references to the story. Tough job!

Computer Lesson

It's the school holiday now and Mummy has gotten hold of 2 CD ROMs to keep the little monster entertained. The 2 titles are Blue's Room Preschool and Dr. Seuss Preschool. Rynae has watched Blue's Clue's DVD so I supposed she would be interested in its CD ROM too. But alas! Am I wrong to think so.. She couldn't stay on the programme long enough to complete all the checklist, which includes places around the neighbourhood to visit! I was with her throughout and deduced that her loss of interest was due to the retarded responses from Blue and other characters in the programme. Rynae had to wait till the cow comes home before an instruction or a reply came. On the contrary, Dr Seuss CD ROM was better but most of the basic letter recognition and counting exercises were a little easy going for her. Then again, she did have fun on the computer!

Kawaii Prezzies

Da Yi went to Japan recently and bought back some nice Gap clothes for Rynae. The flowery top is a little over-sized though and needs to wait for 1 to 2 years before the little one can put it on. However, the trousers fitted Rynae perfectly! I was wondering why I couldn't find such nice clothes in Singapore's Gap boutique. Can the local buyers do a better job and bring in nicer designs? I don't fancy the Gap ranges here!