Virgin Firefly Flight

Long story short, I was in a desperate need for a flight back from Klang. The nearest airport for me was Subang and I really loathe jams, so I decided to avoid the international airport. Scoot only runs one flight back from Subang so I decided to settle on Firefly. For those who don't know (like me), Firefly is a budget airline run by Malaysia airline for short flights. 

Budget flights aren't exactly a cause of concern for me. Here's the fun fact - Firefly uses propeller planes which are smaller in built. They can't fly as high an altitude and is more susceptible to turbulent. Some of my co-workers took it before so I was quite excited to try it. But other co-workers thought I was absolutely nuts. Their only words of comfort was "no accident to date".

After experiencing it myself - I absolutely love it! I didn't take off and land at the international airports so the onboarding and offboarding process was super fast. I didn't have to wait very long to embark and disembark the flight because the passengers are a lot lesser given its small statue. There were barely any jams on the road on my way to the airport since I am going in a different direction from everyone else! The whole trip felt more productive. 

There was quite a bit to see at the window during take-off and landing. I think I only took a short 15 minutes nap when we were in the clouds. The flight reminds me a lot when I was taking Ryan Air as a student. For interest, their flights are actually not dirt cheap and was a fully laden flight. I landed at Seletar Airport and there was pretty much nothing there. Not even duty-free. :'(

No on-flight entertainment but there was refreshments. Wow. Nothing to complain about really, given that this was just a short 1 hour flight. I would actually take it again for short flights. The only thing to note that my flight was delayed by 2 hours, not sure if this is a norm. But because they informed me way ahead of time (more than 12 hours ahead), I could rearrange my schedule and do some sight-seeing which was a blessing in disguise. :P Will save that for another post!

Wicked the Musical

For an utter lack of vocabulary, I am just a woman who is obsessed with the Wicked after watching the movie. So when I heard, Wicked musical would be in town, I immediately booked tickets to it. I managed to get pretty good seats, a little slanted from the stage but still decent view at a promotion early-bird price. 

I am definitely not the only fan because the whole theatre was packed. For me, it was inevitable that comparisons between the musical and the movie would be made. Personally, I felt the musical was a little more fast-paced (literally, the orchestra rush through some of the pieces) and there was lesser attention in terms of character/ plot development perhaps not to overrun. 

In the movie, my favourite song was "Dancing Through Life", maybe because Fiyero was so charismatic. The Fiyero in the musical was definitely less impressive. Hearing them sing life, I fell in love with "No one mourns the wicked", I couldn't stop replaying and singing along back home. The scene "Defying Gravity" hits with greater impact too. 

The paraphernalia sold for the musical was also pretty decently priced. Got myself a keychain and also a pin for a fellow coworker who was as huge as a fan as me. If you are a fan or is someone riding on the movie hype, this is a Must-Catch. Don't miss it, they are only here till Apr 27. 

Bug Sighting at Botanic Gardens

Truth be told, we have been to Botanic Gardens tons of time. But never have we been there to actually bug-spot. Just at a stretch of path, this was some of the many insects we spotted. Believe it or not, the toddlers managed to observe for nearly an hour. It was pretty fun to spot bugs other than those flying into our view.

What we did was to look though each leaf. As the kids were tiny, they managed to spot bugs that were hiding under the leaves. A lot of people might think it is dangerous, as long as you stay away from the bees, you are probably fine. Being such city dwellers, the initial keen eye was the helper but we soon caught up. 

We were supposed to continue our bug spotting journey at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, but the water playground got in the way. The kids ended up having a great, wet time there. Although there are changing areas near, the bathing area was at the entrance. A bit silly, oh well. It is complimentary and a very simple water playground. But kids don't really need sophistication to have a lot of fun. 

After the picnic, we did our all-time favourite - picnic - with food prepped from Bee's Knees. This time we picked the area closer to the "lake which was supposed to have swans". No swans, but I love this area too because it was more natural. And the chickens, monitor lizards would wander around to visit which thrilled and freaked the kids a little. 

Honestly, I didn't expect ourselves to enjoy insect spotting that much. It really does make you appreciate nature a little more and also great for bonding, especially when you tell each other about insects you sighted. To make things more fun, you can make it a competition. 

If you would like to identify the species of the insects, you can always upload your findings on inaturalist. Even after the day out, the kids continue to asked a lot of questions. Not the usual activities locals would do, but something we should all give a try. 

Chloé - House of Atelier des Fleurs

Made a trip to Chloé - House of Atelier des Fleurs and it was one of those event which I felt information could have been shared better. First of all, I have to say Mondrian Hotel is really drop dead gorgeous. I am absolutely in love with the suite and is so close to pampering myself with a night stay. The courtyard which I didn't take photos of was like a picturesque garden. 

I made a reservation ahead. Even though I came on time, there was a ridiculous queue ahead. I persevered through. It was pretty but I was a bit disappointed because it was very packed and there was not much personal space. Everyone was like jostling around. Even the hand massage queue was also really long. 

Despite my shots, I spent a quick 30 mins there max. What is not reported in many medias is that there is a whooping 15% off its items (maybe duty free may be able to beat it). On top of that, the deal is sweetened with lots of free gifts. I ended up snagging a small bottle of perfume and received a full-sized body cream as a free gift. It seems like a pretty good deal. 

The pop-up is only from 21st to 23rd March and my impression is always that such pop-ups offer pretty good discounts and deals. But I didn't see any complimentary mini floral watercolour artwork momento. I just felt the experience was not very consistent for the attendees. If you are a fan of Chloé , it is worth making a trip there. I am more of a convert but it is not because of the pop-up but because the floral scent is just up my alley and the hand cream had a really moisturizing effect on my housework-abused hands. 

MCM's Beach Club Juice Van

A quick shout out for the MCM's Beach Club Juice Van, it will be at 270 Orchard Road starting at 11.30am (Outside Adidas). You can get a nice bottle of juice to quench your thirst and also get your hands on this pretty red-white striped tote bag. Do go there on time, I went just 1 hour after the start time and everything ran out. The rules are pretty simple: 

For a bottle of cold-press Orange or Cranberry Juice

• Join the MCM database
• Follow @MCMWorldwide Instagram

 

To stand a chance to claim an exclusive MCM Beach Tote

• Join the MCM database
• Follow @MCMWorldwide Instagram
• Post a story of post of the MCM Beach Club Juice Van on Instagram
• Present the Instagram post or story at either of the following locations:
• On 13 March at MCM MBS (Marina Bay Sands, Hotel Tower 3, Unit 01-13)
• On 15 March at MCM Paragon (Paragon, Unit 01-26) or MCM Takashimaya (Takashimaya Department Store, level 2)

This is part of their series of regional public activities to launch MCM latest Spring Summer Collections. Inspired by "Under the Sea", Beach Club is a bold theme to celebrate coastal living. So expect to sun-drenched hues and nautical accents - think lush palm trees, vibrant coral reefs. Maybe all I crave is a vacation right now, becase all this is sounding so appealing to me! :P

Food Tour 55: Delicious Finds

Some great new finds which I always walk past but never really give a try. Always try and you will ever miss out. Hehe. 

1. Le's Banh Mi

This is truly one of those restaurants we have walked past countless times, but never bothered to try. The husband was commenting that it survived pretty long along the Raffles Link while many of the other restaurants (some being chain restaurants) have fallen. Surely, there must be something special about it. And so, we decided we must find out four ourselves. 

The food is actually very outstanding and the price was ridiculously reasonable. I just don't understand why it doesn't have the crowd it deserves. Because it is usually so empty when I walk past it, I felt it didn't deserved a meal stop. Really, that was my loss. I am so going to be back!

2. Omote

Extremely frivolous, we were attracted to it because it had a cute polar bear for a mascot. Also, we didn't have time to queue for Koji. Best decision ever, cos the food was really good. The menu is huge (which sometimes means the restaurant serve sub-par food due to the lack of variety, but it wasn't the case for this) so there is good variety if you are looking for dining options for a huge group of picky eaters. 

The design and the name is not intuitive Jap. But their ramen, dons were delicious and adequately priced. I had such a good meal, I will definitely be sharing this place with my group of friends.

3. Alice Boulangerie

This is a place I really like to take away sweet treats from. I used to observe it but not step in because it looked so posh and the desserts were so delicate-looking. It felt expensive. Apart from selling pretty treats, it is also full-fledged restaurant. I have came to really enjoy the food there. And it is actually pretty value for money given the taste, ambience etc. So don't get cheated by feelings sometimes, otherwise you miss great places like this just by not stepping in <3 No photos on its full meal because it was not an appropriate setting for me to snap photos.

Review: Smigy Playground (United Square)

By now, we have went to so many indoor playgrounds, I am starting to know what the format is like. This time round, we went to Smigy. Smigy has a few outlets in Singapore, but because they were not as conveniently located for us, we never really got about to going to any of their playgrounds, let alone buying their packages. (If you live near their outlets, the package would be more worth it.)

We finally made our way to one (United Square) which will soon be moving to a a new space. Personally, I felt it was very similar to Wan To Play (You can read our reviews here). Smigy generally had a bigger compound and some of the activities - such as the sticky wall, bouncy areas, tire slides were pretty unique. It was a little worn, but given that they will be reburnishing soon, this is not much of a concern.  

We bought the 2 hours package, but by the 1.5 hours mark, the kids were utterly drained and fussing to leave. To be quite frank, my kids didn't play every station. My #2 was either "driving" around in the car or sliding into a pit. She was so thrilled, she was hopping around so fast. There were a few times I totally lost sight of her. Thank god this place has been fully kids-proof.

My #1 stayed in the Hinoki pit most of the time. And I noticed that was basically where all the older boys spent their time. This was one of my most chill day out with 2 kids because there were quite a lot of seating areas around (compared to Wan to Play). Definitely won't mind coming back another around to visit the new indoor playground if the family is within the vicinity. 

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Toy Story: Starbucks Claw Machine

 

Starting March with an exciting toy for myself, totally need to clarify this because a lot of people thought I got it for my kids. Believe it or not, I actually camped for this because I was not sure if there were others as interested as me. For me, I like Starbucks and claw machines. So when something like this which is a 2-in-1 is launched, I am ALL OVER IT!

It was nearly a $100+ including delivery fees and some free drinks. My friends were split between "Team Overpriced" and "Team Cool". When I received it, I thought it was worth every penny (even though I didn't get the golden star and 100 free drinks) because it was really well made and extremely fun. My children were in love with it and so am I. Moral of the story: The only person who genuinely wants you to be happy is yourself, so indulge in yourself once in a while!

If you want to see videos of it, check out my IGS!