Of Furry Monsters & Sunny Days

If you haven't already heard, the whole Sesame Street gang has already arrived in Universal Studios Singapore since 28 May!

Sesame Street © 2012 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.
Universal Studios Singapore ® & © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.  

That's right - brightly-coloured furry monsters like Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar, together with Big Bird, Bert, Ernie and Abby Cadabby and others have taken to the New York zone streets in USS.

Talk about sweeping the clouds away and getting to a place where the air is sweet. :)

There will be a 12-minute show titled “When  I Grow Up” show, featuring a cast of all-time Sesame Street favourites. 2 other shows are will also take place along the streets of New York - Oscar will join the line-up in “Our Favourite Things” with the other being “Dance with Bert and Ernie”. Expect to catch these characters during the daily meet and greet sessions too.

Sesame Street © 2012 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.
Universal Studios Singapore ® & © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.  

That's not all. In the third quarter of this year, a special rise-and-shine character breakfast programme will also debut, giving families ample photo opportunities with the Sesame Street characters while enjoying a sumptuous breakfast.

And even better news!  There will be a brand new Elmo indoor ride, to be launched in the second-half 

of the year. No other details regarding the ride was released though.

But we know what all that means.

A trip to USS this year is on the cards for us. And who do we have to thank?

Yup, our Elmo-crazy mei-mei.

I do suppose she reacts to this certain red monster in the same manner as how di-di & I react to transforming robots. Plus, we get the chance to go on the Transformers ride again if we do find ourselves in USS once more.

I love Elmo already! :D

Arts Fest for Kids

Have you been to the Kids Arts Village at the Singapore Arts Festival 2012 yet?

If you haven't, you should because there are quite a few of fun things just for us kids to play over at the Village. But you have to hurry though, as this Saturday (2 June) is the final day of the Festival!

Daddy & Mummy brought us 3 monkies over to the Kids Arts Village last Saturday. Thank goodness it rained before that, because it made the weather a little more bearable. Well, at least that mattered to Daddy as he is the one who usually looks like a water-soaked sponge after an outing with us.

The star attraction of the Kids Arts Village has got to be the interactive installation named Tangle.

We kids (up to 12 years of age) are given a ball of elastic ribbon, and the rest is up to us. There are numerous poles in the installation area, and we can weave in, out, up, down and all around the poles in whatever fashion we fancy.

And together with other kids, a beautiful explosion of colours was created.

Di-di & I just love to play - especially if inhibitions are cast aside - but more importantly, we love creating a colourful mess! Yes, better yet if we don't have to clean up after that.

And it was tremendous fun just having to duck down or climb over those many many colourful ribbons. In fact, it was like a gigantic maze after most of the kids had used up their ball of ribbons!

As for toddlers like mei-mei, they had their own private corner of mini poles where they could create their own tangled mess as well. And boy, did she love it too!

So yes, even babies and toddlers are welcome into the installation. But do note that entry to the installation is on a first-come-first-served basis. Play times are at 4pm, 5pm & 6.30pm daily and one would have to register first before joining the queue.

When we registered, we were put on the waiting list as the quota was full. But it didn't take long for us to be let into the area (about 10 minutes of waiting time), so do try your luck as well! :)

And once we had gotten ourselves out of the maze of ribbons, we were not done with the ribbons yet!

There is also a Craft Corner at the Village, where we could use various materials to construct our very own Festival hat.

Mei-mei was especially pleased with hers. I would be too, if I didn't have to do it by myself. Heh.

But nothing beats wearing one's own handcrafted creation I suppose. So di-di & I were really pleased with ours... and Daddy too, because it was already nightfall by the time we were satisfied with our hats.

There are other Art & Craft activities as well. To contribute to a good cause, head down to the Artspace at the Festival Village to help students from St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School to complete mural pieces which will in turn be presented to 4 Welfare Homes.

Or if love the idea of painting and monsters together in one place, then enter the UV Monster Cave at the Artspace at the Festival Village. Use UV neon glow-in-the-dark paint on the canvas-based cave to bring monsters of your imagination to life! There will also be UV Face painting sessions on 2 June (Sat).

If you are feeling extremely brave, you might want to stay on til 9pm on 2 June where kids will be the ones sharing spooky stories to all those interested. Erm, think di-di & I will pass on that. :p

As for the adults, you can check out the Event Listing HERE. There is always shopping at the Public Garden flea market under the Esplanade Bridge if nothing catches your fancy.

Or enjoying coffee and ice cream atop the cafe, overlooking the Singapore River. Shiok or what?

Already been there, done that? Then click HERE for our full listing of June School Holidays Activities for Kids!

Useful Information

What? Kids Arts Village (part of Singapore Arts Festival)
When? 18 May - 2 June; 4pm to 10pm
Where? Esplanade Park
More info? http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/2012-festival/kids-arts-village/

Another day, Another vote!

(Daddy answers)

Okay, so apparently all Finalists of the Singapore Blog Awards 2012 have to answer a set of e-interview questions through a blog post.

And quite frankly, I didn't know about it for a good 3 days after the results of the finalists were announced 7 days back. The reason? The email omy.sg had sent me went straight into my spam folder. It was a good thing I check my spam folder once every week then... and an even better thing that I had previously done up a post about our blog making it as one of the 10 Finalists for the Best Family Blog category.

So I can just cut and paste. Or not.

How do you feel about being one of finalists in Singapore Blog Awards 2012?

I was absolutely bowled over when I got the news. Even more bowled over when the first thing my wifey asked was if I would sponsor her a new dress for the ceremony.


When did you start blogging and what drew you to it? Where do you get inspiration for your blog content?

You can read all about there is to know about me HERE. But to cut to the chase, my wife Sharon started this blog in early 2005 to document the growing years of our child. Yes, child. Singular. At that time, we were sure we would stop at one. Stop laughing. 

I took over the reins in April 2005 when her maternity leave ended, and I have been chronicling my Fatherhood journey for a good 7 years now.

I get my inspiration from - where else - the perspiration I accumulate when I bring my monkies out or when I run after them. So there is always something waiting to be blogged from my reservoir of experiences.


How do you feel about the other Finalists in your category this year? How do you think you will fare compared to them?

I'll be lying if I say I am not in it to win it. But having said that, I do recognise that there is really awesome competition in the Best Family Blog category.

3 of the Finalists are repeat Finalists and they are the ones who I had actually learned so much from during my early blogging days. The other 6 are, like me, first-time Finalists and I am sure all of them must have done something right in the past year to receive this accolade.

So honestly, I'm already chuffed to be in such great company.


Give a reason why readers should visit your blog and vote for you?

Only a reason? Then it has got to be those eyes.

Oops. Sorry, wrong picture.

This one is more palatable.

Alright... in all seriousness, we really love exploring all kids-related activities in Singapore! Yes, that will be both outdoor and indoor FUN stuff. I did a series on the 100 Holiday Activities for kids for last year's December School Holidays, as well as my much-loved (or so I would like to think) annual Christmas Shows at the Malls list. Oh, and my recent Kids Activities for the June School Holidays 2012 too!

We love travelling too, and are always on the lookout for those off-the-beaten-road kind of travel experiences to share on our blog. Our more memorable travel logs include our Cebu jaunt, Sydney to Brisbane East Coast Road trip, as well as our recent Farm Stay in Johor.

To showcase my elmo emo side, I talk about parenting-related issues that have shaped me to be the Dad I am today. I think my 2-parter on the 36 things that I had learned since becoming a Dad was my most emo state yet.

I hope the above posts provide a good enough snapshot of what our blog entails. And also, a better understanding into why I am so fiercely dedicated to being the best Dad that I can be to my 3 monkies.


You are so awesome, can I get your autograph?
Oh stop, you’re embarrassing me. But if we ever meet, just ask away. I’ll sign anything for adoring fans.


Are you sure that these are the real questions asked by omy.sg?
YEP! In any case, I get people asking me these types of questions ALL THE TIME!


REALLY?
No… not really. I was just making the last 2 questions up actually. But, if you do have a real question, feel free to leave it in the comments section!

Lastly, on behalf of Sharon, Ash, Ayd & Ale, I would like to to thank all of you for accompanying us on this amazing Parenting journey thus far. Our humble blog would never make it this far if it wasn't for you.

And if you have enjoyed reading our blog all these while, please support us a teeny weeny bit more by VOTING for us as the Best Family Blog HERE! Thanks a million! :)

Flavours of Parenting

(Daddy tastes)

Just like how we receive tastes through our tongue, parents do experience the sensation of flavours through our children as well. 

One moment they can be all bitter with a face as sour as a prune, complete with a free-flow of salty tears... and the next moment, all can be easily forgotten when they creep up to you with a heart-melting sweet smile, and a hug as savory (or umami) as a bowl of gout-inducing bak kut teh.

A classic example would be the one involving her royal highness. Only she is capable of offering us the full course of flavours in one sitting.

It began innocently enough. All 3 monkies were on the bed, winding down in front of the iPad just before bedtime.

I wasn't in the room at that time, but what happened next had me sprinting into the room so fast that it would have put Usain Bolt to shame. Ok, so I exaggerate but you get the idea.

Ayd's painful screams piercing the peaceful night was what made me bolt into the room, and the first sight that greeted me was Ayd clutching his nose in pain. Ash immediately exclaimed that Ale had bitten Ayd on the nose and quite frankly, given the extent of Ayd's screams, I half-expected to find his bloodied nose lying on the floor somewhere.

And when the screams subsided somewhat, I surveyed the extent of damage.

It may just have been 2 tiny teeth marks, but they were enough to cause Ayd extreme distress.

After some interrogation, it emerged that Ayd was so mesmerized by an e-book app on the iPad that he inched forward, blocking Ale's view in the process. And so, she turned rottweiler and gave a good bite on Ayd's nose. This one I tell you - her bite is definitely worse than her bark.

And so what did the diva do? She immediately implemented damage control measures.

She broke into tears.

The wifey and I had her apologise to the brother, which she duly complied. But immediately after that, she lunged forward to her victim and gave him a big hug. Like that how to stay angry for long?

Anyway, all was forgotten the next day. Ayd was healed physically within the next few days and mentally, it didn't upset him anymore a single - pardon the pun - bit.

On a sweeter note, Ash came back from school last week with a surprise in his bag.

Earrings - which he bought it from a charity fair with all his recess money.

And the lucky recipient? His dear Mummy of course! He said it was a belated Birthday present from him to her, and you should have seen the beaming smile on the wifey's face when she saw the gift. Yah, something like the Joker's but only less sinister and much more beautiful of course. :)

So yes, parenting comes with its fair share of ups and downs. It can be demanding, distressing and downright stressful at times, but the rewards can be immense and also come at a time when one least expects it. And these are what make parenting such an appetizing prospect.

Army Open House 2012

The Army Open House is happening this weekend at the F1 Pit Building and we cheekiemonkies were given a sneak preview on Tuesday. Faced with the prospect of coming face to face with tanks, helicopters and all things cool, di-di & I gladly reluctantly skipped school.

And it seemed that we were not the only ones who skipped school. Heh.

Hello Sengkang Babies! We were glad for their company, because 4 boys mean more havoc created! See the stretch of walkway behind us in the photo above? It's called the Army Avenue - stunning displays of our Full Spectrum 3rd Generation Army, featuring SAF's latest gadgets, weapon systems and of course all the fighting machines that kids love!

And as an added bonus, most of the vehicles along the Army Avenue allow the public to climb onboard for a closer look!

We could even get a first-hand experience of what it feels like to be seated in such a military vehicle.

But the one which really delighted di-di & I was the Super Puma helicopter.

Can you tell how happy I was to be in the cockpit? Hee.

There were also many other vehicles that we kids loved climbing in and out of - just don't ask us if we remember their names.

But they did open our eyes to the many different battle machines that our Army has, and simply put, we were happy enough just to be able to get so close to them.

And if adrenaline is more your kind of thing, there is the Adventure Soldier zone, where one can partake in Rock climbing, Rappelling, Firing a rifle, Paintball sessions... all of which we didn't have time to try.

We didn't have enough time because di-di spotted something in the sky.

Red parachutes dotting the skyline!

It was time for the 30-minute Dynamic Defence Demonstration (or D3, for short) at the Dynamic Show Arena, where the Red Lions had marked as their landing pad.

The D3 show pits SAF's men and machines against terrorists in a mock operation, and a word of caution - it can get really LOUD.

Perhaps too loud for one monkie? Heh.

Nah, my ears were itchy when Daddy snapped the photo.

We got a chance to go down to the arena for some photo-taking with the stars of the show.

Needless to say, di-di & I were not shy at all.

The D3 show is happening on Saturday & Sunday at 10am and 4pm. And here's a tip - get seated about 15 minutes early to catch a glimpse of the Red Lions free-falling from the sky.

There is another Military Show in the evening at 7pm on both days, and this one includes pyrotechnics!

After having our skin beaten mercilessly by the unrelenting sun, our next stop was a welcome change.

It was the NS45 Showcase... and it was air-conditioned!

The NS45 multimedia exhibition showcases the past, present and future of SAF as Singapore celebrates 45 years of National Service this year. This exhibition is based on the theme - Celebrating 45 Years of National Service: From Fathers to Sons.

Di-di & I loved the exhibition... yes, because it was air-conditioned... but also because the exhibition had  lots of hands-on stuff for us kids to try out and learn in the process.

Then it was time to head out into the sun again, but this time we were not complaining one bit. Why so? Because of this.

This is THE ONE zone which di-di & I had been looking forward to the entire morning! A ride in the  LARC V fast craft. Woot!

And while the adults went about marveling the gorgeous scenery of the Bay area as we cruised along...

... we kiddos were more focused on spotting the landmarks along the Bay.

And our verdict of the 'Wet & Wild' ride?

However, do take note that the minimum height requirement for the water rides is 1.20m. And that include the Battle Rides on land as well.

Di-di & I didn't go for the land rides as we were ushered to another zone. Daddy, however, tried out the Bionix ride as it brings its passengers over simulated terrain.

And his verdict? Very bumpy, but FUN!

Daddy only tried out one out of the 3 land rides though, due to time constraints. But if you have the time to queue, do not miss the Light Strike Vehicle (LSV).

Uncle Andy of Sengkang Babies tried it out, and it was exhilarating to say the least. But with the immense popularity of these rides, expect a long queue for both the land and water rides.

But what if kids are below 1.20m?

Fret not, because there is an entire zone of activities dedicated to younger children!

The Kidz Boot Camp has tons and tons of activities to keep us children occupied. And you know what, di-di & I didn't even have the time to complete every single one of them!

There is the mini Obstacle Course by Forest Adventure.

I liked it so much that I went on it twice.

Photo courtesy of Dawn from MINDEF Public Affairs

For the younger kids, there are kiddie rides in the form of camouflaged jeeps.

One can even role play and dress up as an Army Officer at the Army Photo Booth.

Or if you prefer to get your face dirty, you can put on some camouflage make-up... just to hide from your parents.

For the ever so hyper kids (that'll be us!), there is the bouncy maze castle. Never fails to bring out the joy in kids if you ask us.

Looking for something more challenging? Then try shooting some hoops at the bouncy basketball zone.

It isn't easy as it sounds, not when one is being secured to an elastic strap while attempting to run as near to the hoop as possible! But it was very fun!

4 hours flew past just like that, and we didn't even get to try out everything! But I don't think there is any need to ask di-di & me what we thought of the Army Open House. Heh.

Thanks to MINDEF for inviting us down for the preview. We had a blast! Oh, and a big thank you to our NSF 'minders' too - they were tasked to look after us all the time and they did such a good job, leaving our daddies to go snap photos with a piece of mind. :)

And we loved the goodie bags too!

Our final thoughts?

Useful Information:

Venue: F1 Pit Building

Dates: 26 & 27 May 2012

Time: 9am - 8pm

FREE admission. All rides and activities are FREE.

Click HERE for more information, or 'Like' Army Open House on Facebook for updates.

Map of Event area

Click HERE to download a copy of the Army Open House 2012 Brochure.

Lastly, have fun! And remember, bring your caps & sunblock and drink lots & lots of water!

Daddy took so many pictures that we can't possibly put all of them here. So head to our Cheekiemonkies Facebook page album for more photos HERE.