Forest Bathing Experience Review

I was so inspired by Will Smith in Pole-to-Pole doing forest-bathing and having this stark relisation of life that I decided to go on one myself. Forest Bathing basically originated in Japan which involves aimless wandering within nature. In Pole-to-Pole, it is recommended for the feet to touch the soil. It helps to alleviate symptoms of mental fatigue, helping to manage stress and boosting immunity. 

I went on a guided one with Gentle Walks because I didn't know how to start. And frankly, forest bathing isn't cheap. It is around S$60 per pax. Because it was an event hosted by Sttoke, I got it at a slight discount and goodie bag. I thought that was the most affordable it would ever be, if I ever wanted to try. 

It started off with some sharing and gentle meditation and awakening of senses. Through this, the guide "forced a slow-down to my pace" and I could feel myself hearing sounds and smelling scents I ignored - chirping of birds and earthy smell of the gardens. I could even and appreciate the breeze. When I re-opened my eyes, the world looked a lot more vibrant and beautiful. 

During the exploration, I was relaxed - no KPIs, no timeline to catch. I just let curiosity took over me. I ended up banging into my kids who were doing their own nature walk nearby. That got my cortisol pretty high again. I could feel myself speaking faster (maybe more agitated). Note: From that, I concluded it is better to go on this journey alone to enjoy a deeper self-reflection. 

The whole session lasted for 2 hours. I left feeling I would do that again (myself) cos I can't afford S$60 every time I do it. The husband said I looked happier and more radiant when I came home. The children also seemed more serene than usual. There was definitely a glow. To fully retain the therapeutic effect, you have to engage in nature frequently i.e. 20 minutes a day. 

Personally, I felt the garden you go to, matters. I doubt Garden by the Bays would have the same effect on me because it was so busy with tourist and had a lot metallic (non-natural) elements to it. Also, it was too close to my workplace, which by-association won't allow me to shake off and immerse fully. For those who are new to this, I would suggest going for a guided session first so that you would know how to start the journey and calm the mind. :)

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.

National Orchid Garden Review

As part of the school's field trip, my kid and I went to National Orchid Garden. I vaguely remember visiting it before a decade back, but don't remember it being so impressive. We both enjoyed ourselves thoroughly maybe because we both love flowers and prefer curated areas - don't thrive well with bugs and insects. The area isn't huge but it is really beautiful and I never knew orchids had so many interesting varieties. 

Photos of myself were taken by my kid who apparently has great angling skills and can take better shots than the hubby. The whole area was very instagrammable, photo lovers would dig this place. As I was with the school, time was tight and I didn't fully explore the whole place, but I would reckon myself staying for at least 2 hours if I were here on my own schedule. 

Limited photos again because I don't really want kiddo's friends faces to be exposed. But I caught some nice photos of the flowers. My favourite was the mist house because it was air-conditioned and provided nice respite from the humid environment. Also, I like that it incorporated water elements. Maybe it is just me, but flowers always look better around water features. Plus the trickling sound of water perfected the whole experience. 

Botanic Gardens is free to visit, while the National Orchid Garden charges a nominal fee. There is concession rate for Singaporeans, which make it super affordable. I think most locals may not even know about this hidden gem. But this is definitely worth a visit or more. Suitable for families with young kids too!

** 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.

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. 

Review: Picnic Buzz-kets by Bee's Knees

Back to my Novotel Staycation last quarter! So for one of the days we took the free shuttle bus out and made our way to Botanic Gardens. It was a spur of the moment decision but we ended up deciding to have a picnic there. Bee’s Knees at The Garage is one of the place we would always pop by when we are in the vicinity. I think we never ever took up their picnic basket because you needed to book 3 days ahead. This time round, we asked while we were there and we got lucky :D

It was a great experience for the children because it came with a wagon which the children could pull around as they hunt for the perfect picnic spot. For the parents it was great cos I could skip the prepping and clean-up altogether. The food was really delicious and was something I could never put together myself. 

To be rather frank, before this, I am never a huge fan of picnics in my home ground because I hate bugs and my skin tends to flare when I come in contact with grass. But somehow the grass patch near Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage was very curated really nicely. It is unnatural but it is ants-free. We actually had a great time just lazing around and the children had fun just running around. 

To get there, it was a bit of a challenge because there was no walking path so we carried our wagon and stroller down. The weather was pretty good that day because it was cloudy. We were a little worried about rain, but thank god it only rain after we were done. We paid about S$78, but I would do it again because it was just so fuss-free. I get an IG-worthy set-up along with comfy cushions. Because there is someone doing the clean up for me, I am less tense with the kids making a mess. :P

We didn't stay particularly long because the children wanted to swim after, but if you want to find out cool places to explore at Botanic Gardens, you can check my posts here! Just a note to myself, my husband was teasing me that I would things I wouldn't do in Singapore, overseas even if the conditions were way worse there. All I needed was a mindset change actually to bring the adventurous spirit in me to my homeland. Even picnics can be found, I just needed the right "ingredients"!

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.

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.

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.

Fun Day Out at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

The heat was sweltering but Botanic Gardens was a ball of fun. We have always seen similar playgrounds overseas and was envious. It was awesome to find something similar in our Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. The Children's Garden was conveniently located near the taxi bay, just a few steps and we were in. 

It was filled with greenery and not overly manicured. We love the slightly wild vibe to it. Also, there were a few playgrounds within the vicinity. The kids could play to their heart's delights. To be quite frank, I was petrified by some of the giant ants and insects we met there. My husband called me an absolute un-nature person. Perhaps he is right because a quick brush and they were off with nature again. 

As we visited during my little girl's actual birthday, we were treated to a personal tour by the gardeners. It made the whole trip so much more enriching because we got to learn more fun facts about the plants and how to grow them. Also, my little girl was allowed to pluck some of the plants. The icing was the warden singing "happy birthday" to her. 

Things to bring for this include lots of sunblock and water. We were sweating buckets and our face were flushed. There were some shaded areas but the children preferred to be out running and playing. We also met some tourists who were impressed by the layout but at the same time desperate to hide from the sun. LOL!

We spent the most time at this playground because my kids absolutely love it. It was actually quite fun to climb around even for an adult for me. We spent nearly half a day there and absolutely no regrets, would be there again a heartbeat. Will probably bring the children there again when they are older :D

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.

Nparks FamilyTrees

Parents with kids below 3 years old, you might be interested in this! Recently NParks launched a FamilyTrees initiative to give Singaporean families the opportunity to plant a tree with their little one to commemorate the child's birth. 

To qualify for tree planting under  FamilyTrees:

• Either one or both parents must be a Singapore Citizen, and;
• Families should have a child under 3 years of age, at the point of event registration, i.e., upon the birth of the child, families will have a 3-year time frame to register for a tree planting opportunity under FamilyTrees.

For those who followed us, you would know this is not the first time we have planted a tree. (You can read about it here.) We more or less knew how it would be like - sweat, potential bug bites with lots of help from the workers so don't worry about not having enough strength to dig a hole. 

The only difference was that the tree we previously planted was very far from home. We wanted a tree that could grow with the kids and had better visibility. With a stroke of good luck, we found a location pretty near our house and because it was under-subscribed, we managed to plant 2 trees - 1 for each kid. 

The perk about being closer to home is that we can invite more family members along and bring our own props (elephant watering can is our own!) :P Just so you know, the website is quite cui and you must really monitor yourself. Don't ganchiong and grab the first slot you see because when it was first launched all the locations were extremely far for me. 

I would have panic-snatch if we haven't went for the first tree planting. Transport cost and far visibility, it is not worth it. So have patience and wait, I am pretty sure this is not an one-off project. 

Lights by the Lake 2022 @ Jurong Lake Gardens

Finally, there is something more happening in the west. We decided to go a bit earlier (before dinner) to avoid the crowd on a weekday too. Good thing we did cos it was crowded and it took a while before we managed to get a parking lot. In retrospect, it seems to make more sense to cab down or just take a train down. 

It was also in good sense to go on an empty stomach because there were pasar malam booths set up serving some of my favorite delights such as the mock sharkfin, Ramly Burger (which had a long queue) and tutu kuehs! Yums! I ended up NOT buying anything because they only accept cash and I didn't bring my wallet along.

Personally, the mid-autumn festival is one of my favourite Chinese festival. I love the mooncakes, pomelo (but nobody bought any this year) lanterns and also solving riddles, also my birthday usually fall around this period. I also like gathering as a family to look at the moon. 

Lights by the Lake is definitely worth going to once (can't imagine myself going twice). There is a lot of effort put in to set up the giant lanterns and that pre-Covid crowded atmosphere there is awesome. The walk to see all the lights installations is just right, not too exhausting and there is quite a bit to see.  

There were also quite a bit of Charity Booths set up for the President Challenge. Surprisingly, the booths are selling quite reasonably priced products. We ended up buying some plants for the house (sadly my plants in the office and not our home cos the husband always neglect them.) Most people also set afloat the wishing lanterns which I thought was a fabulous charity idea.

First it looked really pretty in photos. Secondly, it was recyclable. Third, for the Buddhist, this holds special meaning. Am super stoked about the other NParks event and generally most events since Covid has locked me up for wayyy too long.

Most un-child friendly Park: Jurong Eco-Garden

We only went there because I thought it was part of Jurong Lake Gardens (you can read our review here). Turn out it was far-flung at the edge of NTU, omg. I nearly died on my trip there, it was so far in. And to enter, there were so much steps, a tiny crossing made of literal rocks and a tight bridge around a marsh. For info, we didn't push our stroller in cos baby happened to be asleep at that time. It was me...the pregnant woman who explored that place. LOL!

There was even a wild monkey which I almost trampled on cos it looked like a trash bag from my angle. I was petrified after seeing it and was a bit sian when it decided to guard the tight bridge back. After my surveying, I sort of concluded there was no way we could have made our way in with a stroller. 

If you are a person truly into nature (by that I mean you are fine with snakes and all sort of assorted insects), this is a great place to explore. With a kid and fetus, I am not sure how much of these nature I can take. The Hubs was a bit bumped that he didn't even venture much in (cos he was looking after our baby in the stroller) and had to turn back. 

I did catch sight of a lot of nature enthusiast (complete with their professional cameras) camping at the tight bridge on the marsh. I am not sure what they were trying to see and was a little too shy to ask as I was on uptight mood eyeing the wild monkey. 

Overall, it was a good exploration on my part. Proud of myself for making this journey. Maybe next time when there is less construction around the area, less snakes and when kiddos are older. 

NParks: OneMillionTree Movement

As a family, we were pretty lucky to get a slot to plant a tree under the OneMillion Tree Movement. It was our first time planting and we had no idea what we were in for. All I knew it was pretty cool to bring my toddler to experience it. Here's some tips to make your planting experience better. 

1. Bring as many people as possible. Tree planting is hard work. Initially Nparks restricted us to 2 pax. As I was expecting and had a toddler in the tow, Nparks was really accommodating on the day itself and allowed us to swap our men in the family to do the hole digging instead. You literally do all the work, this is not a for photos only sort of moment. 


2. Involve the family. I think it was a lot more meaningful because the family was there. Imagine it was me and my kiddo with the stroller. I don't think I would have made it there and we would definitely have a lot less fun.


3. Be punctual and present. There was someone who did not turn up in the end because she forgot about it. So there was this tree which was left hanging and the NParks people planted it themself. I dono whether the person was genuine in the excuse but the chance could have been given to someone who would cherish the experience more. 





4. If you bring a toddler, bring an extra pair of hands. To be honest, this is not entirely child-friendly. There were shovels and my kid watered 6 watering can of water on the grass. My Mum and I basically looked after the kid most of the time. NParks was very welcoming towards him though. He definitely had fun too. 


5. You can't tie stuff on your tree to identify it in future. I actually brought along 2 ribbons for it. Haha. In the end, I just took a photo of the nearest lamp-post and a few photos to mark our tree. We are definitely coming back to see it in 10 years time to see it tall and sturdy. 


6. Wear sports wear, covered shoes and a cap. Bring sunblock too. We were lucky the weather was pretty good that day. There were quite a bit of red ants around the grass (nature, what you expect) and my son freaked out a little. But after a while he sort of got used to it and was running wild like a Tarzan. Hehe. 

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

Day Out at the Botanic Gardens

 My poor son was placed on SHN for 5 whole days and it was awful for him really. He enjoyed going out for leisure strolls and being forced to lock indoors was terrible. Worse, it was merely a viral fever but because he didn't took the ART, he was "naturally" placed on SHN. 

For us, it was just huge change of plans. But we have a really good support network, so basically it was my parents who had to take extra days off for him haha. I just took 2 days (and 1 was merely to celebrate his release). And maybe to take a breather too, cos taking care of an irate baby who wants to vent his anger by hurting himself is no easy feat. 

By now, I have pretty much realised that weekdays are the way to go when you want to avoid the crowd. There were so many animals spotted there. We were first welcomed by a hen and her brood of chicks. I saw older kids having a lot more fun chasing after the chickens and roosters. My baby could barely walk so he was happy to cling on to us as I *pants* run after them instead.

There were also the usual squirrels, fishes, swan (only 1 spotted) and tons of monitor lizards. I think covid and the lack of human presence has allowed them to breed freely and sort of be less fearful of humans. I am on the other hand petrified by the lizards especially, now they don't demarcate boundaries. 

Botanic Gardens is one of my favourite gardens in Singapore, maybe because it is free haha or perhaps because of the memories I have with it. A lot of the photos I took with my child, my mother had the exact same photos with me. We did try to recreate some old photos with little success because my boy still can't walk very well.

Now that we ain't considering going overseas, I am feeling so much for this colonial-designed garden. Some parts of the garden let me feel like I just step out off Singapore...Nice! Generally, the garden is very child-friendly. Fresh air and a long, tiring stroll does make me feel better!

Sadly, we missed lunch that day because we thought it would be great to see all the sights - band stand photos are being held hostage in the Hub's phone. Boo! You really need to decide where you wanna have a meal because the eateries are spaced quite far apart. Best tip for you, grab a nice cold coffee at every eatery to drink on the go. Super shiok in the hot weather!

My bad decision for the day was deciding to eat a late lunch at Dempsey and all the restaurants were on their afternoon break. To be fair, most of the eateries serve pretty boring western brunch food and I was in the mood for something more exquisite. Ended up going hungry, the kid though had a ball of fun as seen in the photos!

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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!