Titans of the Past storms the Science Centre

Media Invite

(Daddy roars)

If you have a budding paleontologist in your family, here is a great year-end school holidays to-do activity: Head down to the Science Centre Singapore and watch plenty of Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals roam its premise from now until 23 February 2014.

Titans of the Past features two international travelling dinosaur exhibitions, "The Growth and Behaviour of Dinosaurs" which is co-produced by the Museum of the Rockies, US Montana and Kokoro Co., Ltd Japan, and "Ice Age, The Exhibition" from Aurea Exhibitions, Argentina.

The first segment of the exhibition features the work of Dr Jack Horner, one of the world’s leading palaeontologists and consultant for the famed Jurassic Park films, and his research team. What set this exhibition apart from the rest of the other Dinosaurs exhibitions that we have visited is that it is the first exhibition in the world to explore the concept of ontogeny - the development of an animal through its life and its implications for the science of paleontology.

So while kids and families will be able to view real fossils really up close, there is a different take to the exhibition that is highly intriguing.

Dr Jack Horner and his research team had discovered that more than one-third of all dinosaur species from the Cretaceous Period may actually have been juveniles and not different species as mistakenly determined by paleontologists for the past century. Just like this collection of Triceratops skulls - from Grandparent to Baby stages.

I have to say this was one of the many portions of the exhibition that greatly captivated both Ash and Ayd. For once, they were not just looking at the main exhibits but also reading the information panels that came with it!

For the younger kids like Ale though, there was also a mini-theatre to explain the concept of the exhibit which even came complete with cute baby Triceratops.

Oh, and there is also activity trail booklets to be picked up too which come in 2 versions - one for primary school-going children and up while the other is for children below 7 years of age.

Besides fossils, there were plenty of Dinosaur animatronics to keep any dinosaur-loving kid fascinated as well.

And with kids being notorious for their itchy fingers, rest assured there are plenty interactive hands-on stations for them to work their fingers on as well... like this booth where they learnt how different dinosaurs sounded at various stages of their life.

The biggie of the first segment of the Titans of the Past exhibition has got to be the one that involved Ash's fave dinosaur of all time - the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

This particular section showcased the largest T-Rex skull ever found. And yes, it is a REAL fossil and valued at more than US$1.5 million at that.

What's a T-Rex without some chomping action as well?

There were quite a handful of T-Rex animatronics which told the story of how the T-Rex hunt for its prey and I half-expected Ale to be terrified of all these sights and sounds. Surprisingly enough, she didn't cover her eyes throughout this exhibition. In fact, she was much more horrified and traumatized by the Mega Bugs exhibition a few months back!

We even got to see some actual teeth puncture marks made by a T-Rex on a fossil of its prey.

The second segment of the exhibition features life-sized dinosaur skeletal casts of the Argentinosaurus - the largest Sauropod ever found - which measures a majestic 36m in length and 7m in height and a Giganotosaurus, one fo the largest terrestrial carnivores in the late Cretaceous period.

And it was here where we spent the longest time too, all thanks to the large sand pit where children got to put their hands to work and find some dinosaur bones of their own.

Besides being able to make one's own dinosaur hat, there are plenty of other interactive exhibits in this segment too.

The final segment brought us to the era of Ice Age where mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers once roamed the earth's surface.

Featuring 10 animatronics Ice Age animals in scenes depicting their habitats, the monkies learnt how they lived during that period and how they compare to their current counterparts. Definitely an eye-opener for them.

I thought the Titans of the Past exhibition was a very refreshing change to the conventional Dinosaurs exhibition where either giant fossils or animatronics would be the main stars. For this exhibition, there is a central theme which is to show how dinosaurs were in many ways similar to humans. In fact, based on the research conducted by Dr Jack Horner and his team, they found that dinosaurs grew very differently from other reptiles and showed a strong resemblance to human growth and behavior.

Now that explains why my monkies display certain prehistoric traits from time to time then.

Useful Information

Titans of the Past - Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals

Dates: 25 October 2013 - 23 February 2014

Time: 10am - 6pm daily

Venue: Annexe, Science Centre Singapore

Admission Fees: Adult $20 | Child (3-12 yrs) $16 | Family Package (2A&2C) $68

*Other packages with entry to Science Centre Singapore available as well. Check website link below.

Typical time required: 1.5 to 2 hours

Website: www.science.edu.sg/exhibitions/Pages/titansofthepast.aspx

Celebrating Three

(Daddy blogs)

Dear Ale,

You did it. Even though I explicitly told you not to.

You turn three years old today. THREE!

This is also known as 1,095 days, or 26,280 hours, or 1,576,800 minutes. And I remember every one of them. Uhm okay, so I don't really remember all of them, just mostly the good ones. Which to be honest, comprise most of those days, hours and minutes.

Memory is a funny thing. I so vividly remember that day three years ago when I first met you and just looking back on all those sweet moments with you since then inadvertently brings a smile to my face. But then again, all those minutes also seems to have gone by so quickly. Far far too quickly..

It seemed like just fifteen minutes ago you were my bright-eyed one year old. You loved Pocoyo and Barney, sucking on your tiny fingers and playing with your two older brothers.

And now, fifteen minutes later, you are three. You still love playing with your two brothers, but Pocoyo is "for babies" and you have traded in your teething toy for my iPad. And I find myself looking at you often and thinking to myself - oh my word. It is happening. You are growing up.

Even though I am a bit reluctant to see you grow further away from being a little toddler girl, I am excited to continue to see you grow into the incredible person you are becoming. That's the great thing about parenting isn't it? You are still the sweetest little person imaginable. You love singing and it clearly shows when you take every chance you have to work those vocal chords. But no, wailing at the top of your lungs doesn't count.

I could go on and on about you Ale but I'll save the rest for when you turn four. Which I know will sneak up on me altogether too quickly just like age three did.  But I'm so incredibly grateful. Grateful for your smile and your laughter and your love. Grateful that such an amazing little person is my daughter. Grateful for all the years (and counting) I get to spend with you - my sunshine.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ale! I love you to bits!


Always a die-hard fan of yours,

Daddy

Lamma Island - A different side of Hong Kong

(Daddy treks)

During our trip to Hong Kong Disneyland back in September, we extended our stay in Hong Kong for another 2 days and besides the usual yummy food trail that the wifey and I were craving to cover, we decided to subject the monkies to something different on one of those days. Something to work off those calories from the days of feasting in Hong Kong.

I have read a lot about the laid-back vibe that Lamma Island has to offer, along with a relatively easy hiking trail that most families could tackle.

Situated 3km off the south west coast of Hong Kong Island, Lamma Island is Hong Kong's third largest and has a population of around 5,000 of which the vast majority live in its two main villages, Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan.

Getting to Lamma Island is relatively straightforward - the ferries depart from Central Pier 4 (a 10-minute walk from Central MTR Station) and one can choose to arrive at Yung Shue Wan or Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island. The journey time is approximately 25 minutes to Yung Shue Wan and 30-35 minutes to Sok Kwu Wan. Click HERE for the ferry timetable to Yung Shue Wan and HERE for the ferry timetable to Sok Kwu Wan.

We decided to start our trail-bashing journey at Yung Shue Wan, make our way down to Sok Kwu Wan and then return to Hong Kong Island via the ferry from there. Sok Kwu Wan is also famous for its many seafood restaurants so we figured it would be most apt to reward ourselves with a sumptuous seafood lunch after the exercise!

And when the boys first caught sight of the trail that we will be undertaking on the map, I think they nearly fainted.

The Family Trail links the two largest villages, Yung Shue Wan in the north and Sok Kwu Wan in the south and is about 3km long. There are slopes to climb along the way but the entire trail is along concrete paths so it makes the walking a tad easier. Theoretically, the trail would take us about 90 minutes to complete without rest stops. But we were not on Lamma Island to set any new records, so we took the opportunity to really soak in all the sights and sounds as we trekked to explore the island's marvelous scenery.

Yung Shue Wan was where we started, and it is a simple tiny village with one main street that is lined with cafes, food stalls and other small shops. Oh, and affordable accommodation too if you are thinking of putting up on Lamma Island.

When the wifey and I walked through the street of Yung Shue Wan, we fell in love with the place immediately. It exuded a old-world charm and has a very relaxed feel all throughout with a seemingly slower pace of life for its residents. And this was made even more so with its eclectic mix of shops in the village.

There would be quaint cafes like the one in the photo above and right beside it would be one shop such as this.

How diverse can one get? And if you are there, be sure to take a bite from the many buns and pastries at this confectionery in the village. I didn't take note of its name but you cannot miss it if you follow the trail.

At first, I bought just one polo bun to try but the entire bun was ravaged by the three monkies in the end. Yes it was that good! So I ended up having to buy more which was a lucky thing, as I discovered that the chicken pie was heavenly as well. Heh.

And if you are worried about getting lost along the trail, fret not as there are ample signage along the way. Just keep a lookout for Sok Kwu Wan and you will be fine.

At this point, the monkies were still pumped up and full of energy, no doubt fueled by the devouring of the polo bun and packets of chrysanthemum.

As we trooped along, the built-up area of Yung Shue Wan slowly disappeared as views of green fields and vegetation greeted us.

I am thankful for the many useful information panels about the various trees and plants found on the island, which served as a great distraction for the boys as they soldiered on.

And not the mention the many critters that we were able to spot throughout our walk too!

Another portion of the trail which I was extremely thankful was this little food stall we stumbled onto! 建興亞婆豆腐花 sells only soya bean curd and it was simply awesome!

Okay, perhaps the fatigue did play a part in enhancing our tastebuds but you know how powdery some soya bean curd can be, especially when it is cold? We ordered the cold version here and my word, it just melted in our mouths!

After the short recharge, we continued with our walk and passed the Lamma Police Post before descending to Hung Shing Ye Beach.

Hung Shing Ye is a sandy beach that partially sheltered by trees and as far as I could tell, it is a favourite haunt of foreign tourists. The sand is not the finest around but at least it is clean. There is a beach café overlooking the beach and barbecue area with ample shower and changing rooms.

Faced with such a beautiful landscape, it would be criminal if I didn't allow the monkies to stop and frolic in the cool water.

I kind of regretted not bringing the monkies' swimwear along but at least they had fun just splashing around knee-deep in the water and picking up seashells.

Hung Shing Ye Beach was the around the halfway point of the Family Trail and after all the revelry that we enjoyed, it was time when the trail started to get a tad tougher. I thought that this portion of the trail was the most exhausting, no thanks to its steep slopes as we had to ascend a portion of the mountain to get to the other side where the seafood restaurants of Sok Kwu Wan were waiting for us.

But as tiring as the climb was, the view was simply worth it.

It was during this part of the trail that they really pushed themselves to the limit. It was both physically and mentally draining for sure, as Ayd would tell you.

But kudos to the boys, they just kept going without any complaints. For Ale, she had the luxury of being hoisted by either the wifey or me along the way... so yes, I am pretty proud of the both of us too! And you can probably guess how happy all of us were when we finally reached the designated resting point near the top-most portion of the trail.

We spent quite some time here replenishing fluids and giving our poor legs a break, while soaking in the breathtaking views at the same time.

Simply astounding, that's what it was. And coupled with the cool breeze, I think both Ash and Ayd were feeling all proud of their climbing achievement!

Of course, there was still the small issue of continuing on with our journey but at least, the remaining portion was considerably less strenuous as the slopes were descending with the village of Sok Kwu Wan coming into full view.

We passed by some caves which were termed as Kamikaze Grottos. During World War II, the occupying Japanese troops were reputed to have hidden speedboats in the caves which would launch a suicidal attack on the Allied Forces warships if they passed  by.

Ash wanted to go in for a closer look but I could hear my seafood calling for me. Actually, the real reason was the cave was partially flooded (luckily for me).

Finally, we reached Sok Kwu Wan!

At the entrance to Sok Kwu Wan lies Tin Hau Temple, which was built in 1826. It's worth stepping in to take a look, especially since it houses a super long fish skeleton that some fishermen caught off the waters at Lamma Island many years back.

Eventually, we took close to 3 hours in completing the Family Trail and this included all the rest stops we had along the way. So it was fitting that we rewarded ourselves with a seafood lunch at Sok Kwu Wan!

Sok Kwu Wan’s main street is lined with numerous waterside seafood restaurants of which the most famous is Rainbow Seafood Restaurant. We were too tired and thirsty to choose so we just settled on Rainbow.

We orderd the set lunch which had the usual suspects of crab, prawns and clams. To be honest, it was pretty tasty but nothing too spectacular. But the view while tucking into one's meal was.

We finished our lunch just in time for the next ferry departure back to Hong Kong Island. Would we do it again? Definitely! Although there were certain parts of the trail that were rather taxing, I have to say it offered us a different side of Hong Kong that we rarely see... or even in Singapore. Even the boys who were nursing aching calves the next day echoed in unison that they would love to head back to Lamma Island again, with their swimwear!

Only thing is... the next time we go back, I have to make sure Ale walks on her own.