Shopee Top Reviewer

On days like this, I do feel a little like a braggart. But it is a proud moment and I thought I would share it here as well. My review was picked and featured by Shopee! Just in case you missed by brag of the year - I was also named a Shopee Top Affiliate (Read here). But this accolade this time does mean that my ability to write succinctly - short reviews that are straight to the point is finally being recognised! I do feel like my reviews here are pretty long and detailed, so I don't have as much practice on concise writing. Hurray to me for managing to refine my writing:) 

Family Friendly Buffets: Edge

Parents do ask me if buffets are suitable for toddlers and my answer is "yes, but it depends on which buffet". A children-friendly buffet usually would need to have good options. I need food which they can self-feed. So this would usually mean pizza, steamed fish/ meats, flavored rice, fruits, pasta, porridge. The last 4 being a bit more messy.  For this options, I would also need some variety because of the different cooking method, my children being a little picky may reject the food. 

The options would also need to satisfy the adults! My husband and I just can't eat baby food. We are not people who eat a lot but we are quite particular on the quality. We are just at a age we no longer can absorb bad calories. For me, the meat and seafood is really important. Buffet is an option when we cannot come to terms on what to eat. So you eat yours and I eat mine. LOL!

Back to food, Edge has an amazing selection. I never thought I would ever get lost in a maze of food, but for Edge I did. I kept finding new areas with new selection of food! I did somehow got tempted so I ate more than I usually would, haha. But it is a good problem because the quality of the food here is pretty high and maintained its standard since I last tried it (read about it here). 

For me, the must try here is the oysters. They are the best-est I ever had. I don't usually do second helpings but I did for this. The grilled lobster was also fantastic but it does run out fast. Good thing our table was stationed right in front of it, so we had the first dips when the fresh batch arrived. Another favorite of mine was the Lobster Eggs Benedict.

What we went was for the Sunday Escapade and I was rather blown away when I realise there was even live music. My toddlers were bobbing along to the tunes they serenaded and the experience was really pleasant. It is quite different from background music. So what's great about this is that the kids (who are both below 6 years old) ate free!!! If your family structure is like mine, your total damage would be $138 * 2 = $276 for the 2 adults (if you don't take the alcohol package).

And for $138, it comes with chilled juices and soft drinks so you don't have to trouble yourself with add-ons. If you haven't got any plans line up for Easter yet, you should also check out their Easter Sunday Brunch on 31 Mar, because it comes with largest Chocolate Easter Egg, filled with

an assortment of candies. And there will also be additional activities such as Balloon Sculpting and Easter Egg Painting. The icing of the cake...Easter Bunny mascot. Good food, good fun to entertain the day, that day is going to be perfect because the parents will finally get a good break and focus on the food. 

Gem Find: Seletar Aerospace

 

I was joking to the husband that the children were ready for their overseas trip and so he decided to bring them on a "plane ride".  We love this place because apart from its themed playground, the enclave was within black-and-white colonial house and it had lots of interesting food choices around. Most interestingly, there was even the Seletar airport nearby where you can view the take-off and landing of the planes nearby. Unfortunately, no photos allowed on the planes. 

I would have loved to take photos of my colonial houses too, just that they were really run down and my husband scare me by saying they could be haunted. To enjoy a day out there, do remember to bring lots of sunblock and water to hydrate yourself. There is not much shelter and even though there are cafe options, there is only that much sweetened water I can take. The mozzies would slowly arrive in the evening, so mozzie patches are good to have too!

The children really loved this place. They had rounds and rounds of fun. We even brought our own bubble wand. So, there was also some form of variations in what they do. Children being children, they imagined themselved being pilots steering the plane, and then proceeded to play catching. The beauty of this place was also the presence of 2 playgrounds - 1 that was better suited for the older children and the other for the toddlers.

It was quite a safe environment so parents could "eye power" from the side. The place overall had interesting florals which we could also use to engage and educate the children. The public toilet were also extremely clean and there were changing rooms for the diaper change! You may call me bias, but I love this place to bits and will definitely come back in future!

For our break time, we enjoyed some nice cooling beverages and ice cream at Wild Seed Cafe. It was also a place where I refilled our empty water bottles. Our orders was really satisfying and the price is very reasonable. I do want to come back to try other items on their menu with other groups of friends in future. It has a very small area for the kids to play with. Somehow the kids seem very entertain with the minute amount of toys. 

Our dinner place is very unique. It is within a hangar - Hangar 66 Cafe. No photos allowed because it is a private hangar after all. The food was surprisingly delicious and reasonable for a novelty place. One good thing was that it is somewhat within walking distance from the playground area. Go for the dinner slot because the hangar is beautiful when it lights up at night. Again? Of course.

Starbucks Gold: Nothing Special

 

I drank/ ate so much Starbucks that I finally became a Gold (first time in my life). And I don't know what is so special about it. To be honest, I did aspire to one day reach the Gold Level because I was curious and humans generally aspire upwards. But now that I have achieved the Gold Level, I just feel it is nothing fancy. Thank god I didn't purposely spend to achieve the Gold tier. 

And regarding the voucher packs, you just buy and end up spending more. Not that I am complaining because it gives me quite good discounts (since I would naturally still spend on the items I bought). So here's a post for Starbucks Fan like me who always wondered about the Gold Level, NOTHING SPECIAL LA!

Our Early Easter: Featuring our pinata egg

So here's what we got at the bakery - Shophouse! We thought the pinata was really cute and affordable ($68.65), so we decided to bring one home. It was love at first sight for us. In fact, we even rack our brains to find a worthy celebration to justify the purchase. To be fair, we don't usually behave this way. So you can figure how much we love these little chocolate eggs. 

These eggs are fully made of chocolate and not fondue, which means that it was easier (and healthier) for the kids and us to consume it. Each piñata came with an expiry date, which means that you could buy ahead of time. The only problem is storage - you would need to either keep it in the fridge or an air-con room. Because of its size, you would need some space if you intend to buy ahead. 

Initially, we wanted to save for Easter, but the kids couldn't wait. And the fridge didn't have as much space as expected. The joy in the whole experience was watching the explosion of an assortment of sweet treats for the children and the adults. There was also a bit of nice bonding as we broke the pieces and chomp on the sweets. It was quite a bit of a novelty experience and I think this would have been a nice feature cake for any children or kidult party!

I have to admit I laughed out loud literally when my children went to lick the colourful sprinkles. Tips to handle the mess, lay a plastic or baking paper below before exploding the piñata. It was really fun and now we are thinking of the next occasion to get the other cuter designs. :P Great for Easter if you haven't got your chocolate eggs! 

Shangri La: Inspire Inclusion High Tea Review

It is international Woman's Day and it is no better time to celebrate my mother (and myself). After becoming a mother myself, I have learnt to appreciate my own mother more. My Mum never stops mothering. Even now as a grandmother, she will be seen "mothering" my children so that I can take a breather, achieve career goals and basically stay sane. 

This Woman's Day, we brought her to the Inspire Inclusion High Tea for Two Persons at Shangri La. The portion is definitely good for 2, but we brought along 2 more mini humans because their company bring more joy to my Mum than me. LOL. 

One of the other reason why I was confident enough to bring 2 kids on my own to meet my mother there is because Shangri La is quite a spacious hotel and has plenty of room for my kids to roam about. Also, I know the hotel well enough to find scenic spots to entertain my children (even without Buds) and the toilets locations for emergency diaper changes :D

The Inspire Inclusion High Tea was held at the Lobby Lounge and the high ceiling diffuse the loud voices of my children. (No discreet stares from others.) The High Tea itself ranks high on my list. It was not surfeiting and it was easy on the palette. We finished every single morsel. We also appreciate the effort the chef made to make most items in the shade of purple, in line with the colour of their partnering non-profit organisation United Women Singapore (UWS).

The set cost S$98+ and for every set purchased, S$5 goes to UWS and support their causes. The Inspire Inclusion High Tea will be available till 31 Mar 2024. Personally, I think this is a tea set that gets both our tummies and heart and is an awesome place to bring a woman that inspires you to. Just to break the notion that kids are not welcome at tea time. Here's a place which you can embrace your children should you bring to bring them along. 

The savory items on the tea menu is less suitable for the children, but they are bound to love the sweet stuff and scones. Top it up with some fruit juice, their day is made. We even drop by the bakery to get something special, but we will save that for our next post :P

Kidsfest 2024: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

At a sheer 15 months old, we are proud to say our #2 has sat through her first theatre productions. If you are keen to bring your kid to his/ her first theatre show, you can follow our journey here. Given that we have went through the process with 2 kids, I have concluded that the child will never sit through the first show. But they will be ready at the 2nd show you bring them to. 

I guess many parents are just scarred by the experience at the first show...and hence they will never give the kid a second chance at theatre shows until years later. If you are very calculative, I would advise to not invest in the best seats during the first show (since there is high likelihood you will be standing outside viewing through the TV). But for subsequents shows, please invest in the best seats so that your child can enjoy the full and best experience. 

The choice of production that you bring your kids to is very important. Personally, we are huge fans of ABA Productions. Even for its children productions, it maintains professional standards and the sound and light quality is outstanding. Our 4th production and it always never fail to impress and blow our minds. Our #2 clapped through 15 minutes of "10 Little Rubber Ducks" and it is well deserving of all the applause she gave. 

Also wanted to take the opportunity to highlight on Kidsfest (since many people DM me on suitable productions on my IG). The productions are very suitable for children. There is no need to be "paiseh" when you interact with your kids during the production or if you need to bring your kids on a toilet break because the attendees are all parents and they understand the needs of fellow parents. It takes away a lot of pressure and the whole family can enjoy the show. :) 

And this time round, we finally managed to get a nice family shot at the photobooth!

Best Buy: Toyomi Spot and Stain Deep Cleaner

My kids love plushies and it is such a headache for me. Especially when they spill beverages/puke/sneeze on their toys, it is extremely difficult to clean up. I have tried throwing some toys into the washing machine. But maybe because I am not that great a homemaker, most of their toys never survived the wash. They would come out distorted. :'(

The husband came across the Toyomi Spot and Stain Deep Cleaner and I have to say this is one life changer which I would encourage every household to have. Basically it works like those deep cleaner firms that charge exorbitantly. Just that you can do it yourself at home. 

We really love this because it is quite portable and does what it promises. Just using water alone, we managed to suck out so much gunk. We used it on our sofa, mattresses as well. It is quite therapeutic working the machine so my husband has gotten addicted to cleaning all things fabric in our house! Great for me. :)

My only grouse is that the machine can be quite noisy when it is activated. But it can be overcome, my husband puts on noise cancelling headbuds when using the machine. I would either bring the kids out or keep them in the room. So far, I have read the reviews and most users share my opinion as me too. :)

New Personality Test - Cake Resume

Honestly, this personality test didn't take off like the last personality test I shared. It is definitely not as interesting in its questions and the outcome were pretty limited. But it is still fun to share around and compare accuracy. It is related to career preferences and working styles so I think there is a tendency for the boomers to get the same result. 

Link is here. I am a lazy roll cake who does not believe in working outside working hours. :P

Garden by the Bay - Dahlias and Dragons

Usually, Garden by the Bay domes has always been a highlight for me. But this time round, the Dahlias  and Dragons exhibition is quite a disappointment. If there was one thing I left with, it was tons of photos of my little ones' unimpressed face. In photos, the place does look pretty impressive. But I credit this to my photography skills (unedited by the way) and the vibrant pop of colours that does most of the work. 

It doesn't help that my child (a toddler by the way) was told off by a staff for standing too close to the flowers. Mind you, she was just harmlessly staring at some flowers, not plucking. It wasn't even that crowded too so I don't really know what the staff's problem was. 

My shortest stay ever because this little toddler was absolutely unimpressed. I tried to do a second round so that I could enjoy the aircon longer, but she was adamant to leave. Many has asked me what is wrong, I guess maybe we are Chinese. So the layout of lots of "Chinese elements" deco is possibly just an everyday affair in our brains already. 

In comparison, my #2 isn't much of a nature person when it comes to curated gardens. Twice, we have been to GBTB, and she doesn't feel it as much as the Botanic Gardens - sweat and flora go better for her. Tried to snag home a flower band souvenir, but my kids said "No". :'(

Food Tour 42: More food reviews

It is not just date nights. My line of work also allow me to enjoy good food, so I thought why not do a review on them as well. I hate bad calories and I definitely do not want anyone of you to have to go through those. Ewwww. Some of the food places we go to is definitely because it is more interesting, but sometimes interesting doesn't mean good. :'(

1. Ms. Durian

This place for me was truly disappointing. I googled on the place before going and I was so impressed with the exterior and interior of the place. Plus the fusion durians treats did look impressive. I even set aside money to buy extra sets home for my family and friends. I believe what I had that day was the afternoon tea set ($39 for 2 pax). 

The snacks were not nice at all even though the display sure was pretty. I left the place without buying anything extra. Maybe they are more famous for their durian cakes and I was just there for the wrong thing. Or perhaps my expectations were set too high. In any case, I probably won't be going back again. There is just that much heartbreak I can take when it comes to the king of fruits. 

2. Cou Cou

I did quite a bit of research on this one and it had rather good reviews. Just a caveat, I have no idea how Swiss food is supposed to taste like. We literally went there because we were extremely curious. This was the set meal and it is not cheap. To be honest, I don't like the food at all. It just taste odd and doesn't go well with my Singaporean taste buds. Is Swiss food an acquired taste? I can tell they use pretty exquisite ingredients and did not shortchange it that aspect.

3. Elemen

I thought I will take the opportunity to talk about my favourite Vegetarian restaurant yet again. (You can read my other review on them here.) But this time round, I wanted to highlight their special menu. I sign up as a member so I can get them at a preferential rate. Generally, if any friends or colleagues is open to vegetarian food, I will bring them there because it is served on a course basis and each dish is so exquisitely executed. You won't even feel like you are taking a Vegetarian meal. 

In my photos, this was the the 6-Course Peranakan Set ($38.80). It includes:

• Trio Peranakan Appetiser 娘惹开胃三拼
• Winged Bean Salad 四棱豆沙拉
• Shroom Ball Soup 菌菇丸子汤
• Golden Ngoh Hiang 金黄五香
• Curry Rendang Monkey Head Mushroom w/ Turmeric Rice 咖喱猴头菇姜黄饭
• Classic Chendol 经典煎蕊

As usual, it was super satisfying. 

Food Tour 41: Date night with Hubby

I know people don't think much of date nights after the kids arrive. But we do try to keep the spark in the marriage. Ideally, you should arrange a date night once a week. Given our busy work schedules, every time we have a slight break from work, we will throw the kids with my parents and arrange a date out. It doesn't have to be very special. We either go shopping, catch a movie or grab a meal...and there is where I get my food photos HAHAHA.

1. BBQ Box

To some extent, I feel this is a secret hideout for me and my husband. I am not sure if you share the same thoughts but our parents gen doesn't share the same love as us for Authentic Chinese food. So every time, we have together time, we will opt for Chinese food. And I loveeeee the skewers here. They do have sides too and it is really yummy. It is not my first time there so I do have tons of photos and have generally tried the more exotic items on the menu. 

My advice is to order the mains first and add on the skewers. If you are only taking skewers only, it will add up to be quite an expensive meal. If you are hesistant to try the more exotic flavors, these few should go down well with our Singaporean's tastebuds:

• Sichuan Spicy Noodles ($7.80)
• Orginal Cumin Lamb Skewers ($1.80)
• Tinfoil Clam ($12.80)
• Vinegar Jellyfish Head ($9.80)

2. Dochi Dochi

I was curious about Dochi Dochi because I saw it at a pop-up near my workplace. That time, I had bought too much food to bring back so I didn't get them. I remember being pretty quite won over by their cute aesthetics and interesting flavours. Tried it at their shop and it was rather disappointing. The mochis were pretty small, though flavourful. It is quite expensive. Overall, I wouldn't think it is value for money. The drinks were quite average. MEH for me. 

3. Jakata Ropang Project

This might be my proudest food gem found to date because it was an "anyhow walk, anyhow find" kinda thing. Similarly, I have been there so many times with different groups of friends that I can already tell you what you need to try:

• Pempek Palembang - must try but always out of stock
• Nasi Bali - the squids are my favourite
• Sop Bakso - if you can only choose one, pick the nasi
• Tahu Gejrot - if you space for more
• Es Teler 77 - none of their desserts beat this

Don't give this place a miss cos I think it is worth dropping by. Plus, I love how relaxing the ambience is and you can take nice IG photos!

Flavours of Tomorrow Festival

Possibly the best festival ever, we went to the first alternative festival - Flavours of Tomorrow. Located at Teletech Park within Science Centre 2, it was a slight walk from the nearest MRT station - Haw Paw Villa. We braved the rain and finally reached our destination. And boy, no regrets at all. 

It was super family friendly. The kids were first welcomed by 2 bouncy castles on the top level. Kids being kids were undeterred by the wet bouncy castles and he ran off to slide and bounce as we explored the place. Innate Montessori coincidentally had their open house that day so children could opt to do some craft activities indoors. My kid was in the mood to expend his energy so we allowed him to play in the slight drizzle as we had some spare clothes. 

The food was definitely the highlight because we got to try alternative form of proteins and food that are produced more sustainably. Most of us probably have the opinion that such food would taste awful or odd. But that's not true. In fact, we enjoyed the food so much we will be adding some into our diet. The food variety was extremely wide and we could find more than enough options for the children. 

The ambience was also delightful with busking and there was even free balloon sculpturing for the children. There were also artisan booths set indoors which I didn't have enough time to explore (and spend money). So much things going on, there is just something for everyone!

Quick shoutout to some of the food that blew our minds away:

• Wow Noodles: This is a starchless protein noodles made from spent barley grain suitable for diabetics. I wished I had known about this when I had GD when I was expecting. This would have been life-changing and satisfied any noodle cravings I had. Texture-wise it was similar to Soba. 


• Prataboy: A F&B start up from Ngee Ann Poly, their praffles blew me away. It was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I am not exaggerating, but this is really the best prata I ever had. 


• Kobashi: This bakery had the highest takeaway rate and I am not surprised. Beacuse their sourdough was so on point even when cold. I think I single-handledly wipe out a good 70% of what we bought. No shame in being selfish here. Haha. \

Oatside, which I presume many of you should be aware was fantastic as usual. They even had ice cream served that day. As you can tell, I am probably so bought over I can't wait for the next rendition <3

Madagascar: The Musical

 

Madagascar The Musical is our 3rd productions with ABA Productions and I have to say each production outdo the last. I am not sure how they keep impressing. For Madagascar, the visuals were stunning with the amount of details they put on the costumes and backdrop. The dedication put in by the actors and puppeteers were also pretty commendable. King Julien literally kneeled throughout the show so as to depict the height difference. And the actor even managed to capture the voice and accent. Wow!

For the tinier animals i.e. the penguins, Mort and Maurice, they were all controlled by puppeteers. The puppeteers were equally expressive and communicated through their facials. I think there were a few new numbers but my kid was thrilled and was grooving throughout. We danced so hard to "Move it Move it" my limbs were sore by the end of it. 

Although Madagascar The Musical was marketed for the children, it was of "adult-standards". The children sure was very lucky to able to experience such a quality production. For those who are wondering, yes we brought out #2 along this round. But no, we were not the lucky few which the younger sibling is emboldened by the presence of the older sibling. We went though the whole process again (you can read more about it here!)

For parents who are keen to introduce theatre to your children, you need to choose children-friendly productions as the attending audience will be more understanding to the fussing needs of the children. You will feel less "paiseh". I just want to share that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, Our #1 enjoyed his 2nd production and he was not even 3 years old then. The youngest age you can start them on this journey is probably 1.5 years old onwards. To follow our theatre journey and learn more tips, do follow the "ABA Productions" tag. In case you don't know, they have the best children's productions. 

My Dyson Holder

As mentioned in my previous post, one of my biggest grouse was the bulk box. The husband found a solution and got me this Dyson accessory holder. Before discount, it is about $29.90. I strongly recommend this because it makes the organisation neater. And maybe because the accessories are in sight, I switch them around more often. 

The attachment points are magnetic so it holds the accessories quite well in place. Most importantly, it looks really nice! You are welcome!

My First Music Concert

Maybe it was because I am brought up in a rather thrifty family, I always wondered why would people spend so much on a concert. Couldn't you just blast youtube via a speaker? It is free. LOL! After my first concert, I have to say I am a convert. 

Special thanks to my husband who did the research to ensure that I will be a "convert". No camping tips here because it was the husband that got the great seats. "Go big or go home" that's what I told him so he went big. We got CAT 3 tickets to Mayday and apparently the seats you got within the category was all luck-based. 

As an excited first-timer, the first thing I did was to snap photos of myself at the stadium. Although I have been there for runs etc., I am always struck by awe somehow when I arrive at the National Stadium. Maybe it is how ginormous the scale of the place is. It must be awesome performing there especially with the coordinated light sticks. I am posting some photos up (not because I am a spoiler) but because this is the last leg of their concert. 

One of the concern I had about choosing the concert to attend was that I am not a "Superfan" of any particular artiste and don't really know all their songs. I am just a "bathroom singer" that belts out popular k-box songs. *inserts embarrassed gaffaws* Ends up, I know a good 70% of the songs even though I kept emphasizing to my husband I only know 4. So, you don't really need to know every song to attend cos you can read the lyrics off the screen. And it doesn't really matter if A-Shin was off key most of the time, it was the ambience.

I have to admit that the awesome lighting effects can't really be fully captured from my phone. Also, the stereo effect is different. I am also very entertained by a Mayday fan who was sitting in front of us and trying to make the whole row gyrate along with her. LOL! And like I say the seats were good...I even managed to see Mayday upclose on the roving boat. I waved to them like they could see me. And I also somewhat caught my idol on screen. *faints*

Any tips? I brought along a neck fan which came in useful when it was stuffy. If you want to go on the express queue, go without a bag. Bottles of water/ food/ drinks can be bought after you cross the gantry. I xiao panicked and got locked out of the pantry. Thank god, the security managed to clear me. I also kept thinking that there is surprise guests - which now I know only Taiwan leg will have. To be honest, I am still clueless about concert etiquettes. When do you stand and when do you sit? Send help please. 

2023 Shopee Top Affiliates

I guess we are starting the new year on a pretty sweet note because we have been told that we are one of Shopee's top affiliate. We only joined them in the last quarter, so it was quite a surprising news. It is always great to infer from our accolades that our readers trust our recommendations (I like to think we have decent standards) and we just want to say we hope those products (which we also use ourselves by the way) bring convenience or joy to your life. I know I like sharing my novelty buys as well. :)

In the new year, I will be a lot more time-strapped. I need to focus on the children's development and I also want to work on the maintenance of the house. The number of posts will reduce to once a week but I don't intend to cut edges in terms of quality. 

I will still be conducting sound research on the reviews which I choose to undertake and the reviews may tend to gear to my family's interest...because my bandwidth is shorter now :'( Nonetheless, I still want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for reading through the milestones and growing together with me. <3

**If you want to join as an affiliate, you can click on this link (or use the referral code - 8PZ5CJH) and you can get $5.