GBTB: Alpine Adventure

One of my favourite event hall is the Flower Fields Hall at Gardens by the Bay. You may not know, but attendees are always given free entrance to visit the Floral Dome. I like the Floral Dome because they do update the theme very frequently and I will get to enjoy a new scene. Although I have to admit, I do walk through them pretty fast, especially if I am there too frequently (which I may be this year)...at least 4 times there already!

During my visit there, it was Alpine Adventure and I got to enjoy the view of Zurich/ Switzerland (a place I have never been to) so I can't vouch how authentic the designs were. There was a fake cable car and alpine at the entrance. There were so many people that day, I couldn't even score a proper scenery shot, let alone a selfie. 

Usually, I don't come to the Floral Dome in the evening/ night. My phone could definitely capture better shots in the day. The view was a little different with the lights and all, but I would still recommend the day view. So funny story, because I have been here one time too many, I realised they recycled the props. Haha. The cow is definitely a repeat!

For those who are curious the Flower Fields Hall, I am not sure there they get their catered food from. Generally, it is ok, not fantastic. But with the lights hanging on their high ceilings, it gives a very magical vibe. I prefer their light bites over their sit-down events. Acoustic in the hall is terrible, I always can't make a proper conversation because of the deafening performances on stage. 

Floral Dome - Alpine Adventure: https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/127-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/

** 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.

Jurassic World - The Experience

A few of my friends and some of my new overseas counterparts went for Jurassic Part - The Experience and were raving about it. Since the children has been reading about dinosaurs, we decided we should be there. We went for Avatar: The Experience before (you can read about out post here), so I knew how suitable the Cloud Forest was for movies like this. And I am glad to say it sure didn't disappoint. 

To provide some context, I know the Cloud Forest pretty well like the back of my hand, given how many times I have been there. It would be quite difficult to keen me excited and anticipating. Also, I even went to watch a video tour on this. Still it kept me spellbound and I spent around 1.5hrs inside. 

Everything was hyper realistic. It was almost as good as Walking with Dinosaurs. The T-rex especially when it roared just made everything all so worth it. Not all were figurines and some could move, bringing some realism. A portion of the tour areas was made into labs etc. and the immersion felt surreal with some role-playing involved. One of the dinosaurs at the lab spat at the children, driving them wild with fear and some excitement. 

There was also photo-taking opportunities which allowed you to pet a baby dinosaur. The children were extremely excited and couldn't keep their eyes off it (I petted it twice too). Tips: the digital copies are way cheaper it fits different backdrop to it. You can print at home at a way cheaper price! S$20 for 10 digital photos and videos with 2 different poses. Plus the photopass card is pretty and can be kept for a souvenir. 

(Psst, I think the price was adjusted upwards from S$10. WTF!)

Crystal Mountain - the most underappreciated exhibit at Cloud Forest was finally transformed into something interactive. The children had a lot of fun with it. Honestly, even though the crystals were so much more informative, it just couldn't engage anyone. Even I felt it was boring in the past and would quickly stroll past it. Not sure whether this is a permanent feature but is still better being sidelined. 

For this exhibition, I think the day view and the evening view would do more justice to it. Such a must go, don't miss it. Jurassic World - The Experience will be here until 31 December 2025. The souvenirs though really cute, were darn expensive. The cheapest if you want to get something decent would be the magnets or the collectible pins!

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Jurassic World The Experience: https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/127-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/

** 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.

Garden By The Bay - Tulipmania

Back at GBTB again because the kiddo school organised a bonding day out. Despite my last disappointment, I have not lost faith in the exhibitions. I was pretty excited to be checking out the Tulipmania. I was definitely so blown away this time round to the extent I wanted to fly to Holland. LOL! Or maybe I am just more of a Tulip girl. I do apologise for posting this so close to its tail end, but do catch it if you love what you see in my photos!

The collages this time round doesn't have much of our faces because I don't want to post images of his classmates for privacy reasons. The photos are not edited so the vibrancy of the flowers are as pretty as it looks. If you are bringing a toddler to this and want to take decent photos with tulips in your background, it will be a really tall task. LOL!

I expected this to be one of my most relaxing trip but it was quite the contrary. The kid took bonding really seriously and I spent half the time trying to explain natural phenomenon which I have never really thought of...haha. Not complaining, because the kids make me look at things and life very differently. I have become more observant of my surroundings and appreciative of nature. 

I concluded that I don't really enjoy sceneries which I am familiar with, hence I disliked the last exhibition (you can read about it here). LOL! This was definitely a feast for the eyes. I really wanted to stay longer and photograph more but when it is not a personal trip, you just needa follow the pack. 100% recommend this! Don't miss it!

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Tulipmania: https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/127-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/

** 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.

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". :'(

Dahlias and Dragons: https://www.klook.com/en-SG/activity/127-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/

** 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.

Avatar: The Experience

I have been a huge fan of Avatar so this was a must-go for me. Also, I have seen quite a bit of impressive photos taken by my friends on social media. Avatar: The Experience was my first ever night experience at any of the Garden by the Bay's domes. I was so blown away how beautiful the place was with its strobe light. (Note: Please DO NOT go in the day, it is not worth it. The gorgeous part lies in the display of lights!)

But what was fun for Mummy was not necessarily fun for baby. Baby held on to me really tightly throughout and at some point, she asked to go back. One thing for sure, the exhibition was highly realistic. If you have watched avatar before, you would know how tribal and dinosaur-looking some of the creatures are. So I guess it could be quite terrifying if you were a baby. 

In the end, I managed to convince the little one to stay on and she started to enjoy it. She started to feel a little more at ease when I let her touch a few florals. What really spook was when the creatures moved. If you haven't went for it, you really must go because it is truly a feast for the eyes and the side exhibitions look very put together. This used to my less favourite dome cos it was so boring but this exhibition really changed my perspective. 

Our journey was about 2h. I think I would have definitely stayed longer if it wasn't for the kids. We added the day with the free light show at 7.45pm and the baby appreciated it a lot more now that she was used to strobe lights. :) Here's all my unedited photos I took for that day. I have a lot more hehe, but I shall not overwhelm you with them. 

** 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.

Floral Fantasy

I have been seeing a lot of reviews on this and ever since we walked past it last year, I was sucked into its beauty sort of wanted to go. Finally, I decided to just take a day off and jio-ed my Mum along with my son. There was a promo going on and it only cost us $15 to pop by for a visit for us 3. 

A lot of things happened at home lately, which led me to this thought to create more memories for my kid with his grandparents so that one day he can look back and remember those days. The same for us too. I want to look back without regrets and stop being stingy with my off days. 

My son is a true flower lover. But somehow with his grandma, he was more excitable than usual. It was really hard taking nice shots of him that day. Most of the time, he was bouncing around, making sure I was not sitting / skiving and gently carassing the variety of flowers. T_T He even had a hearty poop and needed a change at the diaper room.

There is also a water feature within the exhibit (which is not huge by the way) and my son was absolutely obsessed with it. He spent a good deal of his time (believe it or not we spent nearly 2 hours in the nice air-conditioned space) staring at the flow of the waters.  

I managed to get some good shots myself (with occasional photobombs not that I am complaining) mainly through selfies and my Mum. Now I understand why family pay for their helper to join, so that they can get proper family photos. Maybe it is high time I invest in a tripod, just that I don't have a professional camera and is too impatient to use one.

Overall, I really love our day out. My Mum and I had somewhat proper bonding time and 1 photo together. By the way, you can take off your mask for photography which we didn't know initially so we were totally masked up. And we all had fun together, the 3 of us. We had high tea before that too so it was like half-day of chillaxing. 

The only grouse was that my son refused to take his afternoon nap. He probably didn't want to miss out any fun. And by the end of the day, my Mum and I were desperate for my husband to take over. I needed a break/ seat cos my son refused to let me sit down. He also wanted my Mum to carry him most of the time, instead of sitting in a stroller. So we were quite physically drained. 

We tried taking a stroll around GBTB to knock him out, but no luck. I actually enjoyed the stroll because the garden is really quite beautiful and the weather wasn't as bad. I am decked in one of my fav nursing pieces by the way from Mothers en Vogue. It is very versatile and you can wear it even after pregnancy. <3

Jemaime.co: I am now wearing skirts

I have always wondered why mothers wear sportswear when they are going out. After embracing motherhood, I finally understand why! It is because it is comfy, protects your modesty and still let you look casually chic. Apart from that, a nice fitting activewear will encourage you to get back in groove (by that I mean exercising) Hehe. 

I came across Jemaime.co, an activewear brand with more options for bigger sized women. I am definitely a lot meatier than before pregnancy. And disappointingly, I am struggling with that last 5kg (which sort of attached itself on me after I stop breastfeeding) Grrr. 

This is me in my skirt. :) It has been a good 1 year (?) since I wore a skirt outdoors with my baby in the tow. It is quite hard to wear skirts because there is bound to be a lot of squatting action when you are dealing with a baby/ kid and the seamless everyday shorts ($39.90) underneath my skirt made it possible. Additional perk: it holds up the tummy too. 

Leggings are most mothers's favourite, but I don't really like fabric sticking to my fat calves and thighs and they are a bit warm for Singapore's weather. So I prefer shorts but shorts don't really look that good on it own. The solution - throw a skirt over it :)

I really love Jemaime.co options for the top. I always admired women who has the figure/ courage to show their midriff. I never could do so and after childbirth, I think the chance of me ever doing that might dip even lower. For activewear, most of us would think that it is either baring or shirts/ singlets (not very sexy). 

Hehe, I found something in the middle - a sexy slit at the sides or at the back, or sheer material. I am wearing the everyday tank with a slit at the back and the material at the back is slightly sheer as well. I like it for walks outdoors because it looks more put together than a t-shirt which sort of make me look like a slob. 

I am now trying to get back into my old bodyshape and will be sharing a lot more on the exercises I do (really hard to squeeze time I admit) and the tools I use to make it possible. So do stay tune if you are into light exercising :D The sport series will be rebranded as Fit Me Up cos it sounds a little more groovy than its old name, haha :P

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Note: Laptop is down, so posts won't be as frequent!

We went to the Gardens by the Bay (Covid Edition)

 

Another post which may help parents decide whether to bring their kids to Gardens by the Bay. So we went...and it was really empty. (Check out my clean shots!) It is a bit sad but a lot of our attractions are a shadow of the past. There were so little people, I don't even have much of a choice when looking for passer-by to help take a family shot. Some tips which might help your trip there. 

1. Go on a weekday: This is my general strategy to avoid the crowds. It does burn a bit of the leaves. But it is not like we have anywhere to go anyway. 


2. Split the day and night plans: We were staying in a nearby hotel. But still we decided to split the day and night plans so that the bubs can better enjoy the day. He probably could sleep in the stroller should we drag the evening into the night. But I really wanted lighter baggage LOL.


3. Children's Festival: We went to see the inflatables in the night. And hmm...my photos didn't turn up that well. I personally don't find them impressive. But my other friends went in the day (with toddlers that can walk/ run) and they seem to enjoy themselves more. Go in the day!





4. Mid-Autumn lantern sets & displays: Totally not worth seeing in my opinion. The design of the rabbits didn't appeal to me at all. LOL!


5. Flower Dome: We decided to visit one of them because it was too hot in the day and we needed aircon. We booked on the spot ($12/ adult). Thankfully, the number of people is controlled. It is quite empty while we were there too! 


6. Bring a tripod if you have one! There is really quite little people there to even stop a passer-by to help you take photos. We did take a lot of wefies but oh wells, the feeling is kinda of different.





7. Transport: We actually walked there on Day 1 evening and took the MRT there on Day 2 (nobody on the train at all!) Guess these transports are still safe!


8. What we packed: One bottle of milk, lots of snack and 1 diaper (totally not enough) His pee leaked and I did scold myself for missing this out. (The spare diaper and clothes was from our last trip). You can read our previous post on what we packed, which is a lot more comprehensive. Read it here! The changing room is really clean though, cleaner than the zoo!


9. Duration: We stayed only about 2 hours in the dome (walked around twice). Baby actually fell asleep after the first round. He was quite excited cos one of the words he could say was flower so he was pointing and repeating flower. So cute~! 

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Note: Laptop is down, so posts won't be as frequent!

SG50 Special: 5 Things to do in Singapore

Christmas is around the corner. I am sure some of my International readers will be making use of the long weekend to go for a short tour to relax. So today, I would like to share with you a little more on the sunny island I am staying on - Singapore. The weather is a little dreary lately. But of the time, this place is Hot!

The write-up will be geared towards more on the non-locals. But if you are a local and haven't been to any of my suggested interesting places, please do drop them a visit.

1. Universal Studios Singapore

You may not know but Singapore used to be a mere stopover- gateway to Asia because most tourists think that you need 1 day to explore Singapore. So in order to let our visitors extend their stay, the USS was opened! Although there are Universal Studios in other parts of the world, this is the only one in Asia.

Highly popular with students and is one of the favourites for corporate team building, Universal Studios is usually teeming with people. The rides do change and during Halloween, they would have special events to thrill the crowds to another level. To know more about this attraction, click on the link here.

2. Gardens By the Bay

This is undoubtedly the top attraction in Singapore. There is nothing like this in any part of the world. When the friends I meet overseas come to Singapore, this is one place I am sure to bring them. It is a public garden unless you want to visit the domes and in the evening, the lighted trees will dance to the rhapsody of tunes. It is a sight not to be missed.

During the evening, you may also catch locals jogging around the park. If you are visiting during the CNY, Lantern Festival period or Christmas, this place would be even more gaily decorated with light exhibitions. To find out more, click here. 

3. Haw Par Villa

This is one of my personal favorite, but most of my friends would like to give this a pass cos it is rather run-down. In the good old days, it used to be a place where families would visit. Oriental in its design, this used to be a park owned by the Haw Par brothers. Another garden like this can only be found in Hong Kong.

This attraction is currently free. If the management was better, I am very sure Haw Par Villa could be restored to its past glory. A very serene place, it is a place I would visit when I need some peace or seek solitary. On normal days, you will still see tourist buses but it is not as bustling as the rest of the attractions. You can read my post here for more information. Sadly it doesn't even have its own site, but Wikipedia does provide good information on how to get there. 

4. Pulau Ubin

I have never been on this island before, but my friends have been there. I heard it is very scenic and is a good respite from our hectic life. For nature lovers, this is a must-go. The trip there isn't too expensive but the food there is priced higher than the mainland because it is a monopoly! Not sure if that is true.

Compared to other neighbouring countries, it is definitely not as rustic. So international travelers, you may give this a pass if time isn't on your side. But if you want to do something more unconventional, going out of the mainland will show you an interesting part of Singapore!

5. Botanic Gardens

My dad insisted this had to be in the list cos they just got into the list of World Heritage Site. Between the gardens, Gardens by the Bay is more manicured, while Botanical Gardens has lesser man-made features. It is also a popular place for morning exercises :)

Apart from being a garden city, Singapore is also known for our #1 Zoo, Bird Park etc. I have friends badgering me to bring them there when they are here. For more details on our Botanical Gardens, you can check their site out. Most Singaporeans love to take their wedding outdoor shoots there, so you can imagine how pretty this flora kingdom is :)

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P.S All but 1 photo has been taken from this blog - Singaporeology. A blog on Singapore Tourist Attractions by true locals. The site has really amazing photos by William Cho. The blog is just starting out so there ain't that many posts yet. But soon, I believe I will be seeing things to do that even me, a true blue Singaporean won't know of. They are one of reading lists! So do support them as you have supported me, cos they are worth reading!

Saving Christmas

I guess it was a rather emotional post so many people were worried about my thoughts on Xmas. I still like Christmas. Presents, Lightings and opportunities to take lots of pretty photos. No reason not to continue enjoying it. Hehe. :)

Sharing some photos from Play Tent at Sentosa with its oversized inflatable balloons. Not as impressive as they promised and it was a warm day. All I had were some nice photos and a very very grumpy BF. Not really worth the trip. But I did like the photos taken. :)

The photos from the day of heartbreak. (Just 2?!? That's totally not worth it!) I know whatya thinking. There were more photos, but these was the nicer 2 granduer lightings on the outside. The others weren't fantastic. But these 2 were even though in my photos, they look rather meh. I was feeling crap and it was reflecting in my shots . :(

This X'mas week many of my friends got hitched. So it was really very busy for me. I also had a lot of gatherings. Not going to post the photos up, cos it would take too much work to blank their faces out. Haha. This is still not a personal blog after all. I try to keep it professional :P

The photos above are from Sentosa Cove, nice right? LIKE LIKE LIKE! It was so hard to find, but gorgeous scenery, so I thought I would share them with you readers. It was drizzling like mad the whole day. So sorry, can't really take much pictures :(

Yea, and my favourite - the tree all light up with presents underneath. I guess I am still bearing a grudge against my BF since I made him a snowman. Serves him right! Can't wait for 2015 already. 2014 is just a pain. Phat!

You Light up My Life: Gardens By the Bay

To prevent our romance from flickering, the BF and I are now going on dates again. :) No longer lounging at each other house, watching videos. So now, every Friday, we try to do something more interesting to spice up the relationship.

Technically, it is my BF's dad who suggested it. Sometimes I wonder if I am dating my BF's dad instead since he is always providing great ideas! So from 4-14 September, all these pretty lanterns will be for public display. And the best thing is, it is free! 

Since it was the first few days, it wasn't very crowded so I could still take really gorgeous shots without strangers in them.

One of the biggest highlight for me on Gardens By the Bay is the Garden Rhapsody. I just love how the lights dance with the music. This time, the music was a lot more cheerful and merry.

I laid down on the grass thinking it is so much more romantic and took a few photos of my BF who were sitting upright. Hehe. Whatsapp them to our mutual friend with the caption, the night sky never looked so pretty. <3

Of course, there are a lot of other things apart from the lanterns, such as a food fare and cultural performances. But they didn't really get much of my interest. I still thought the lanterns were more fascinating.

And they looked really good in photos. Unfortunately, it is a lot more difficult to capture nice shots with my face in it. Cos my phone would try to focus on the lantern and my face would look really dark :(

Lalala~~~ the last of my shots. BF starting his "real" work real soon. Guess, I will be bored and have to focus more on my exams. And maybe give a little more attention to my blog. I deserve to be stoned! :P