Oct 31, 2012

Red Bull Flugtag takes off!

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(Daddy blogs)

Thanks to Red Bull Singapore, we were invited down to Siloso Beach last Sunday to witness the first-ever Red Bull Flugtag in Singapore, or in South East Asia for that matter.


Flugtag (pronounced as floog-tag) literally means "Flying Day" in German. And because Red Bull Gives You Wings, this crazy fun filled event seeks to celebrate the art of flying by having some of the craziest machines built by various participants take off from a massive 6m high ramp!


It was such an eye-opener seeing all the wacky and creative flying machines that the 38 teams have come up with. I wasn't so sure if most of them were fit to fly, but they sure looked pretty colourful and interesting. Well, I reckoned if you are going to crash into the water, it had better crash beautifully.


And in keeping with the Singapore theme, there were loads of machines that had the local flavour - from the MRT cabin and ERP gantry to the food-related ones of Chilli Crabs, Durians, Kueh Lapis and Char Siew Pows! There was even a Batmobile, and a giant Anvil... though I wasn't so sure how that could take to the skies.


Initially, the boys had no idea what Flugtag was all about. After watching a few Flugtag videos on YouTube, they got excited almost immediately and looked forward to 'seeing some real-life crashes into the water'. Or at least that was how Ayd put it.


Luckily for the boys, they didn't disappoint.


Crash after crash, they took great delight in watching the machines soar to the skies, albeit briefly, before making a huge splash (and crash) in the water below. Yes, quite morbid actually.

Photo courtesy of Red Bull Singapore
Even Superheroes couldn't save the doomed Batwing.


Of course, it was all in the name of fun and on this crazy flight day, that was all it mattered.

But prizes still mattered as well, and auto-maker MINI had sponsored a special prize for the team who recorded the longest flight distance of the day. And that team turned out to be Team Amphibious Dragonfly Drone (below photo), whose 'Dragon' flew a distance of 18.2m, earning them the experience of drving a MINI in Singapore for 18 days.


The top honours though, belonged to Team Super Sevens (below photo), who snagged the coveted trip to Salzburg, Austria where they would tour Red Bull’s Hangar-7, the home of the Flying Bulls and other amazing fleet of aeroplanes and choppers.

Photo courtesy of Red Bull Singapore

All in all, it was a fantastic family day out at the beach though it was an unbelievably HOT afternoon. That does it - for the next Flugtag, we will be attending in our swim wear and dipping in the waters as we soak in all the action!


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Oct 30, 2012

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ale!

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(Daddy blogs)

Ale turns the big two today, and already she is picking up stuff and saying things that never fail to astound me. Even though I have been through this phase before. Twice.

This tiny sweetiepie - it seemed just like thirty days ago when I was still cradling her in my arms - is changing. She is growing. She is beginning to talk, a lot and a lot. And she is well on her way to forming her own opinions about almost everything.

I first watched it happen with my Ash & Ayd. And now it’s happening with Ale too.


Inevitably, a song comes to mind as I continue to watch her grow each and every day.



Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella, a song which he wrote to remind himself to cherish the moments he had with his family, no matter how brief they might be.

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you"


The thing is, everyone will tell you this is your fate. Time will sneak up behind your ass and let out a loud BOO! And you will freeze and realize that so much of what once seemed endless is simply gone. That’s just how it goes, I guess. I can’t change it. You can’t change it. None of us can do any crap about it at all.


Soon, my baby girl will grow up all too fast for my liking and she will have her own set of adventures to seek. These treasures that we have been gifted as our children are growing up, there is a need to cherish each moment with them now for as long as the opportunities are still there.

Hold that tiny fist in your own and squeeze it for an entire minute, before they are old enough to literally bite your hand to let them go. Run your fingers through their hair while you watch a little Dora or Elmo with them and let your hand crown their little head for a moment. Hold that stinky, stomach-churning diaper up to your chin and take a deep sniff. Breathe that stuff in; appreciate the fullness and ripeness of the odour and then, gag on it.


So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone 

Because before we know it, that fleeting moment will be going, going, gone from us. Forever.

Happy Birthday, my dear Princess. 

For as long as you need me, you can always count on me to be here together with you.


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Oct 29, 2012

Ashputtel: The Story of Cinderella

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(Daddy reviews)

You know how some things never change... like how Ash produced a vehement 'NOooo!' when he realised we were off to catch Ashputtel: The Story of Cinderella over the long weekend. Like almost all boys, he had long associated that fabled character with girls and deemed it to be un-boy to be caught watching it.

I said almost all boys because luckily, Ayd was rather enthusiastic upon learning about our little outing.


Either way, it had been quite a long while since we had last caught a kids production. So thanks to I Theatre, we got the chance to learn more about this girl called Ashputtel.

Ashputtel. A name that definitely sounded foreign to me when I first heard it. I soon learnt that Ashputtel was one of the many stories compiled by the Grimm Brothers. It is a traditional Kindermärchen or Hausmärchen - Children's tale or household tale. Subsequently, Charles Perrault took Asputtel as his inspiration for Cinderella, a classic fairy tale that has enchanted all young girls (and some adults too) all around the world.


So the all-familiar ingredients of the story are still the same - the poor girl who has lost her mother since young, an evil stepmother, two wicked stepsisters, a Prince Charming, and a magical influence.


But there are differences between the two stories as well and with lovely songs, dance and comedy woven into the musical, I have to say even the wifey and I enjoyed it!


And the boys?

Ayd definitely loved the musical, especially the parts when the the two stepsisters were trying on Ashputtel's shoe. As for Ash, he begrudgingly mumbled about something that he enjoyed it as well. I caught him laughing out loud at many intervals during the show so it must have been all good! Heh.


Show Details:

Dates: 25 Oct - 17 Nov 2012
Showtimes: 
Tue & Fri, 9.30am & 11.30am
Wed, 11.30am & 2.30pm
Thu, 9.30am, 11.30am & 2.30pm
Sat, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Sun, 11.30am & 5pm
Duration: 55 minutes, with no interval
Venue: Alliance Française Theatre, 1 Sarkies Road Singapore 258130
Tickets: $28, or S$106.40 for Family Package of 4 or S$126 for Family Package of 5
For more details on other types of discounts available, please visit the SISTIC website HERE.
Recommended for ages 3 to 103


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Oct 27, 2012

Laughing & Learning with Fisher-Price

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(Daddy blogs)

Ale got an early Birthday surprise from Fisher-Price and boy, was she absolutely delighted with it.


Just don't ask me where she had learnt her posing from. I am totally clueless as well. And as if that was not enough, she had another 'emo look' pose in her repertoire too!


The Laugh & Learn Learning Table is a erm, a learning table with two interactive play modes that teach A-B-C’s, 1-2-3’s, colours, textures, first words, music and more. Well, that was all and good but what Ale really wanted was for the table to be removed from its box instantaneously!


Assembly of the toy is extremely easy - you only need to snap four of the legs into the bottom.

The Laugh and Learn Learning Table has a food theme and has different kinds of food spread out on the table with a spinning bowl of alphabet soup in the centre.


The Learning Table is a tad too short for Ale though, but I reckon it will be perfect for toddlers who have just learnt to stand up. In fact, remove the legs and a younger baby can enjoy it too.

I like the dual content feature - one option for singing and music, and another option for learning that teaches the alphabet, colours, shapes, and so on. With lots of colourful and cute make-believe foods like pizza, a cookie and fruits, it kept Ale preoccupied for a substantial period of time. Well, long enough for me to complete this blog entry anyway.


Another favourite of Ale is the spoon rattle that can be removed from the table and the alphabet letters that float in the water sealed in the bowl that move around when the bowl spins. And when it starts spinning, the music starts and on Ale goes as she dances like a maniac.


The construction of the Learning Table is sturdy, and the colours are bright and engaging. More importantly though, we parents all know how some toddler toys can emit annoyingly irritating music - especially if it is being played non-stop! - but luckily, the music for this learning toy is actually quite pleasant. Heh.

Personally, I have always believed that PLAY is still the best way to help children with brain development and learning. And research has shown that it actually sets the stage for success later in learning, building relationships and also in daily living skills.

With this in mind, Fisher-Price has launched an early learning fund aimed at helping parents give their children a head-start in life.


From now til December 2012, the Early Learning Fund campaign gives parents the chance to win S$10,000 cash scholarship when they purchase Fisher-Price toys. In addition, 12 winners of a weekly draw will each receive a Fisher-Price Learning Hamper worth S$1,000.

Taking part in the Early Learning Fund Campaign is easy. Simply spend $20 on any Mattel Fisher-Price products, excluding Thomas & Friends products. Submit the contest form with the purchase receipt by post or email, or upload a photo of the purchased item together with receipt on the Fisher-Price (Singapore) Facebook Page to qualify.

For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/FisherPriceSingapore.



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Oct 26, 2012

Ale's early Birthday Celebration

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Mei-mei's 2nd birthday isn't due until 4 days later but since it was the start of a long weekend, Daddy & Mummy figured it was a great time to gather some of our closest buddies at our place to celebrate her birthday.


No prizes for guessing what is mei-mei's current fave cartoon character of the moment then.


It was just a simple gathering, and also a great excuse for us kids to get together after all the year-end Primary School exams and tests.


Happy Birthday dear mei-mei! Hope you enjoyed the cake and company... because uhm, di-di & I sure did! Heh.




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Oct 24, 2012

A Visit to Raffles Lighthouse

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(Daddy explores)

Okay, so this is a long overdue post. Somehow, the draft of this blog entry has sat unnoticed for the past few months and today, I finally remembered to blog about my day trip to one of Singapore's lighthouse on Pulau Satumu.

Pulau Satumu, which loosely translates to One Tree Island, lies about an hour of boat ride from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal. It has the distinction of being the southernmost island of Singapore, and hence the southernmost point in Singapore as well. Pulau Satumu houses the Raffles Lighthouse which was built in 1855.


The Raffles Lighthouse is one of four offshore lighthouses operated by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), with the others being on Sultan Shoal, Pedra Branca and Pulau Pisang which is on Malaysian territory.


As part of a learning journey organised by the MPA, I was overjoyed to have been given the chance to be able to step onto one of the 'protected' islands in Singapore. The only drawback? My monkies were not able to tag along. But no matter, I promised them that I would take loads of photos!


The first thing that struck me when the boat was nearing the island, was the crystal clear waters surrounding the island.


And my jaws dropped even further when I finally set foot on the island. The turquoise water, coupled with idyllic coconut trees dotting the coastline, made it seem as if I was on some resort getaway island!


But as our guide mentioned, there will be plenty of time for sun-tanning later. First, we had to climb a long flight of stairs - all 107 steps - to reach the top of the lighthouse.


Given the confined space at the top of the lighthouse, we had to be broken up into groups to ascend the stairs.


And believe me, the climbing was hard work! But I soon reached the apex.


And the astounding view more than made up for the breathlessness!


Who could have thought that one could find such a paradise in Singapore?

I learnt that there are two lighthouse keepers on duty at any given time, with each keeping an alternating 12-hour shift for 10 days. They then return to the mainland for 10 off days, and the whole cycle repeats again. Hmmm... I wonder how they keep themselves busy. The last I checked, there wasn't any 3G signal.


As we descended the lighthouse, I took the chance to explore the island. There was even a Lighthouse Museum, which housed many related apparatus that were used many years ago.


But what I was really interested in was the incredible panoramic view that surrounded the tiny island.


But just like a vacation that always seem to end all too soon, it was time to head back to our boat and bid this beautiful island farewell.


One interesting information tidbit that I learnt was that there are holiday chalets within the lighthouse compound that are reserved for Ministers to take a short getaway on the island. Pity we didn't bump into any during our time on the island. Heh.

Special thanks to the kind people at MPA for organizing such a wonderful learning journey, especially to a place which we don't usually get a chance to see. Hopefully, there will be more of such unique trips on the horizon and better yet, perhaps my monkies can tag along too!


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Oct 23, 2012

Our Printed Scrapbook

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(Daddy blogs)

Remember the 'Home Without Walls' Scrapbook initiative by SingTel that I have blogged about 2 weeks back?

Together as a family, we had lots of fun putting our very own digital scrapbook. And as a bonus, SingTel had kindly printed out a copy of our scrapbook for us to keep!


The moment the brown envelope came off, ALL three monkies immediately clamoured to see the fruits of their labour.


For Ale in particular, I reckoned she must have thought that the photobook was a story book so she was utterly surprised to find herself appearing in almost every page of the photobook.


Needless to say, she derived great pleasure in pointing out all the familiar faces in the photobook.

And if you want to win your very own photobook, today (23 Oct) is the LAST day to do so! Just head to www.homewithoutwalls.com/scrapbook to create your digital scrapbook. Please note that you would have to be logged into your Facebook account in order to use this app.


The TOP 10 scrapbook submissions will win for themselves a printed copy of the scrapbook!

So hurry, complete your scrapbook soonest, and all the best! :)


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Oct 22, 2012

This Fast Food is No Junk Food

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(Daddy munches)

The Grandstand, formerly known as Turf City, is now home to many new restaurants. And since both my boys have weekly classes there during weekends, it gives us the perfect opportunity, or opportunities, to suss out a different dining option each week!

One such dining place was Vegan Burg, a wholly vegan - including NO eggs or dairy products - fast food joint which sells mainly burgers. For all of us, it would be our first vegan meal. No, those vegetarian bee-hoon at hawker centres do not count.

The wifey and I do not know exactly how the monkies would take to a vegan meal. And in true honesty, we probably wouldn't have walked in if not for this.


An entire dine and play area devoted to kids.

I have to admit, I am a sucker for this kind of things. And I mean by having a separate dining area for parents and kids, where the kids can dine away from their parents at their kids-sized table and chairs while still being under the watchful eyes of their parents.


That was what made me rave about Seb's Bistro & The Playhouse @Rochester, and I do think that kids somehow are more well-behaved if they are seated away from adults. Or perhaps that is only applicable to my monkies.


So in any case, both monkies and parents alike were rather happy with the seating arrangement. And even more overjoyed when the food finally came.


The boys each had the VeganKidz, which consisted of a mini-burger - a non-GMO soya patty sandwiched in an organic mini-wholemeal bun - and accompanied by franks, fries and apple currant juice.

And I have to give a special mention to the Vegan Franks. I don't know how they do it, but the franks tasted exactly like real hotdogs! They are made of tofu, and you should have seen my 3 monkies fighting over the franks. In the end, I had no choice but to order a separate portion of franks to placate everyone.



The franks had definitely found a new fan in Ale.



The wifey and I shared the Creamy Pepper Shrooms burger. It had a crispy yet juicy vegan patty on a bed of fresh lettuce, topped with fresh button mushrooms and oozing with creamy home-made sauce. All these goodness stuffed in an organic whole wheat ciabatta bun.


And it was awesomely good. I love my meats, but this burger is just so delicious that it pained me to share it with the wifey. But in the end, I decided that I valued my matrimonial life more.

As for the boys, they each walloped the entire burger and polished off their share of the franks. And it was only then I told them that the meal was entirely made up of plants. Their reaction?


Ash & Ayd were utterly amazed by the revelation, and they were even open to another visit! Or maybe they just had their eyes set on the play area. Either way, I have already decided on my next burger to try. Whoever said all fast food are junk food? :)

---

List of Vegan Burg Restaurants


VEGANBURG FOUNDING RESTAURANT
44 Jalan Eunos, Singapore 419502

GOLDEN SHOE
50 Market Street #01-28D
Golden Shoe Carpark, Singapore 048940

MARINA BOULEVARD
12 Marina Boulevard #02-05
Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3, Singapore 018981

THE GRANDSTAND
200 Turf Club Road #01-32, Singapore 287994


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