Monthly Archives: October 2014

Old School Cakes Baking Workshop

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I’m so behind on my blogging that it’s just easier to blog about the most recent event first. On Sunday, I attended a baking workshop with fellow mummy blogger Missus Tay and I’m pleased to say that our cakes actually looked presentable and were yummy.

We were taught to bake three old school cakes: a strawberry sponge cake, a chocolate swiss roll (coated with chocolate rice) and a coffee swiss roll (coated with peanuts). My favourite is the strawberry sponge cake because of the cream and ‘jelly’ on top. It brings back so many memories for me! When I was a kid, I would be so happy when some relative got married and sent over a box of cakes and I would zoom in on the one with the most ‘jelly’.

All the ingredients were prepared for us and we worked in pairs. C and I were obviously the most inexperienced bakers there and we were constantly a few steps behind every other pair. When it came to tasting the cakes made by the expert however, we were first in line!

putting together the strawberry sponge cake

pouring the mixture in

waiting to go into the oven

working on the Swiss rolls

trying to be precise

soon-to-be coffee and chocolate Swiss rolls

our strawberry sponge

lots of cream

wasting time taking photos

final product!

you’ve gotta roll with it…

tada!

The Polliwogs at Suntec City

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We’ve been to The Polliwogs at Suntec City a couple of times and the kids always have lots of fun there. It’s their newest and largest play centre and is located on Level 2 of Tower 4, diagonally across MacDonalds and left of Cold Storage.

There’s so much to do and it’s really hard to get them to leave once we unleash them. I like the toddler area for the under-3s but it’s so tempting that the older ones always try to invade the place. The kids like the roller slide and Anya’s current favourite is the laser room!

toddler area

bigger ones can’t resist it

David likes the squishy surface

sitting on a giraffe

the start to the rest of the playground

for those above 3

wheee, roller slide!

shooting foam balls

they can spend a lot of time up here

watch out below!

meeting some of the Polliwogs characters

giving Bobby a hug

they love Larry’s donut swimming ring

a photo with Larry

spinning around

hanging out with their baby bro (and surrounding him with foam bricks)

fun on the slides

Bobby telling us about the Monster Mystery Show

The Polliwogians, Rocky, Larry, Poco and Bobby, will be live on stage on 22 November at the Drama Centre of the National Library Building. Join the quirky and lovable characters as they band their wits and talents together to solve The Monster Mystery in Gleeful Town, where the township has lost its Glee due to a strange Monster terrorizing its townsfolk. The helpless Mayor then calls in our four Fun Experts to bring Gleeful Town back to its former glory.

Help The Polliwogians unravel the truth and save the day, in this thigh-slapping comedy packed with interactive experiences and oodles of roaring good fun! This production is recommended for kids aged 3 and above.

Performance Showtimes:
22 November 2014, Saturday
11 am and 3pm
Drama Centre of the National Library Building, Level 3
Tickets: $30 to $48 (excluding Booking fee) from SISTIC

Simply key in the code “Polliblogs2014″ to enjoy a 10% discount from the SISTIC website under discounts at http://bit.ly/1tEsXTO

inside the laser room

with the print-out of her points

The Polliwogs at Suntec City
3 Temasek Blvd, Tower 4
#02-724, Suntec City Mall
Tel: 68874860

Operating Hours:
Sun – Thur: 10am – 8.30pm
Fri – Sat: 10am – 9pm

The Forgotten Keppel Hill Reservoir

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When I saw the news article about the hidden reservoir dating back to 1905 that had been rediscovered by NHB, I knew I had to make a trip there to see it for myself. I signed up for a guided walking tour and was delighted to get slots for Adrian and myself. Charles Goh, the founder of Asia Paranormal Investigators (API), was our guide for the walking tour. I visited the reservoir again the next day, but more on that in another post.

Keppel Hill reservoir was one of three reservoirs in that area and was later used as a swimming pool. You can still see remnants of a diving board and a bathing area at the reservoir. According to the news article, two soldiers and a boy drowned in two separate incidents in 1936 and 1948.

Charles shared with us the history of the place including why the roads were named that way. We also learnt quite a bit about the New Harbour Dock company. I had envisioned bashing through the forest to get to the reservoir but it was a very manageable 10-minute walk in from Wishart Rd where we had started.

It would be somewhat of a stretch to say that the reservoir is forgotten because it clearly shows signs of use with pipes leading from it, maybe to the nearby nursery. According to Charles, the people in the area knew about the body of water but it was only recently that the history of the place as a reservoir, and later a swimming pool, was rediscovered.

16 Morse Rd where we gathered

where the reservoir drains to

the mysterious 11 Keppel Hill

what lies behind these trees?

first look at Keppel Hill reservoir

steps leading to what used to hold a diving board

left behind

Adrian

abandoned steps taken over by roots

a glimpse of the wall beyond

steps leading down to the water

another view of the reservoir

for overflow

nature has taken over

I love visiting places in Singapore that are off the beaten track. Being able to see Keppel Hill reservoir was quite an experience and it was truly an interesting guided walking tour. I learnt so much about the area and the history of the place from our guide. I’m now extremely curious about the huge (and slightly creepy) house on 11 Keppel Hill and I’m dying to know what’s in store for the building and the land it stands on.

All in the Family

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It’s amazing how different kids can be, even siblings within a family. Anya, Adam and David all have very distinct personalities and habits. Anya is confident, with a domineering personality. She likes things to be done her way and she bosses Adam around. She’s also very friendly and always makes at least one new friend whenever she’s out at the playground. Adam, on the other hand, is a sweet and sensitive boy who is happy to follow along in his sister’s schemes. He is terribly cheeky and mischievous but has the tendency to look out for others. David is a different story altogether but seems to take after his sister more!

FOX FOX FOX

It’s really interesting to observe their different quirks and characters and how they interact with each other. As parents, it’s also a challenge because discipline-wise, what works with one kid may not have any effect whatsoever on another! The kids sort of remind me of Bart, Lisa and Maggie of The Simpsons (except the genders are reversed). I can’t believe I have been watching that show since I was a kid! I used to look out for the things that Bart would write on the blackboard and the funny way the entire family would sit on the sofa right at the end of the intro.

This year is the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons (yes, it’s been THAT long) and Fox Fashion has a special ‘The Simpsons’ collection out in stores and you can see some of the products available on their Facebook page. It’s also a great time to start shopping for what you need for the holidays.

Disclaimer: All clothing sponsored by Fox Fashion Singapore.

Coast and Company

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The older kids were at a drop-off birthday party one Sunday (I love drop-off parties!!) so we went to Coast and Company a few minutes away to grab a bite and a drink. Now my main grouse about the cafes popping up all over the place these days is that many of them don’t serve proper food! They look really nice and you can get a decent cup of coffee, but you have to eat cakes, muffins, sandwiches or something that has been hastily assembled/ microwaved.

Coast and Company is much the same. The whole bicycle thing going on definitely makes it more interesting than your usual cafe (especially if you do cycle) but the menu is limited, the food is so-so and everything is pretty expensive.

bicycles out front

Coast and Company

bicycle inside

the crowd

on the glass

bicycles at the back

bicycle art

more bicycle stuff

everybody needs some time to coast

coffee

Mexican Coke (yes, it DOES taste better!)

beef rendang hotdog

outside

Peanut Butter Jelly Rice Cereal Bars – Skippy Yippee Media Day

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Haven’t been updating the blog because I’m busy looming for Club Rainbow, but just a short post with some pictures of Anya making peanut butter & jelly rice cereal bars during a Skippy Yippee Media Day event we attended some time ago (when she still had her beautiful long hair). Looking at the pictures is making me hungry. I think I need some peanut butter!

helping herself to some food

starting with some Skippy peanut butter

adding marshmallows

eating while preparing food

mixing it all up after it’s been microwaved

stirring in the rice cereal

getting her hands dirty

pressing the peanut butter, marshmallows and rice cereal mixture into a tray

pressing the Skippy peanut butter, marshmallows and rice cereal mixture into a tray

adding some jam

tada! Skippy peanut butter & jelly rice cereal bars!

making off with a big bunch of balloons

The Rainbow Connection – Looming for Club Rainbow

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Some friends and I are selling our Rainbow Loom creations to raise funds for Club Rainbow (Singapore). Club Rainbow is a registered charity committed to helping children and youths suffering from a range of chronic and potentially life-threatening illnesses. The charity currently supports more than 600 children, youths and their families.

All proceeds from the sale of Rainbow Loom creations will go to Club Rainbow. On our part, we are giving our time and effort, as well as paying for postage and the cost of the bands. We are using only original Rainbow Loom bands so you can be sure that there are no safety issues with our loom creations! I’m happy to share that some of the Rainbow Loom bands that we are using have been sponsored by Rainbow Loom Singapore, and some by Twelve by Elly.

I will be taking orders (Singapore only) on my Facebook page from now until 31 October so please place your orders there. It will be $10 for princesses and rainbows and $20 for name bands (maximum of 5 alphabets). These are some of the loom creations you can order: