Author Archives: delphine

Follow that Rainbow

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at Rochor Centre. We would get our groceries from the NTUC Fairprice there and my sister and I loved going up to Oriental Emporium to look at the toys. I also have fond memories of riding on battery-powered vehicles at the open area.

But like many of my childhood places, Rochor Centre will be gone soon. Come September, these rainbow blocks will have to make way for the North South Expressway. I guess that’s the price we pay for living in Singapore, a tiny island where people can’t bear the thought of slowing down and are always in a rush to get somewhere else. We dropped by earlier today to say goodbye and to take some photos.

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the boys

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chasing pigeons

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getting in some exercise while we’re there

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looking for pigeons

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goodbye, rainbow

Future World at ArtScience Museum

We visited Future World: Where Art Meets Science at ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands on Good Friday and it blew our minds!

Our visit didn’t start off so well. The queue to get tickets was horrendously long and after queuing for some time to get the tickets, we were told that we had to proceed downstairs and queue again to enter the exhibition! Good thing the kids were able to entertain themselves by chasing each other around the premises. After we managed to get in however, any irritation that had accumulated from the wait outside dissipated quickly.

Future World is the new permanent exhibition at ArtScience Museum with 15 spectacular art installations that evolve in real-time through visitor presence and participation. Future World is a collaboration with teamLab, an award-winning Tokyo-based art collective of “ultra-technologists” that includes artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, architects and designers.

NATURE

An interactive world of flora and fauna that invites you to reflect on our intricate relationship with the environment. In Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – A Whole Year per Year | Ever Blossoming Life II – A Whole Year per Year; Dark | Flutter of Butterflies Beyond Borders, a combination of three different artworks, we walked through a field of luminous flowers where the flowers either blossom or fade away. The installation is supposed to evolve throughout the year with the four different seasons, so no two visits will ever be the same.

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can you see Adrian and David?

Next, we got a glimpse into the future wrought by climate change in 100 Years Sea Animation Diorama, which is based on scientific data from WWF, and we were reminded to reflect on the long-term environmental effects of the world’s rising sea levels due to climate change

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100 Years Sea Animation Diorama

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wheee!

TOWN

Connecting! Train Block gave the kids (and Adrian) a chance to design their own transportation network by using physical wooden blocks to design and connect an evolving system of roads, rivers and railways to keep the ever-increasing traffic flowing smoothly.

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Connecting! Train Block

Our favourite installation was definitely Sketch Town! The kids created their own town landmarks by colouring in paper drawings of buildings and vehicles and then scanning them so that they appeared on the wall as 3D animated objects. You can even interact with the objects by touching them and making them move. Adam was so unbelievably excited when the truck he had coloured appeared on the wall and started making its way around the town. Sketch Town Paper Craft then turns the 3D digital drawings into physical paper craft models.

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Sketch Town

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Adam posing with his truck

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making her building jump into the air

We created playful and vibrant structures from stacking blocks that glow and change colour when connected together in Media Block Chair. The high-tech blocks communicate information to each other when they are connected, changing colour with every addition or subtraction.

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Media Block Chair

PARK

Park was all about PLAY! In Create! Hopscotch for Geniuses the kids got to design their own customised hopscotch game by arranging circles, triangles and squares on an electronic tablet, which are then projected onto the floor. When you land on the same shapes in succession, beautiful colours and sounds are triggered.

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Create! Hopscotch for Geniuses

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they did this over and over!

Light Ball Orchestra consists of beachball-sized globes of multicoloured light and sound. Touch any ball to change the colour and sound of the balls around it. The kids were screaming so happily as they rolled the balls all over the place that I couldn’t hear any particular sounds coming from the balls! There’s a little section with smaller balls that is set apart for younger children who may get bowled over by the bigger kids in the main orchestra pit!

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Light Ball Orchestra

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so much fun

Sketch Aquarium follows the same concept as Sketch Town. The installation allows you to create drawings of sea creatures and watch them come to life in a virtual ocean after you scan them. The busy sea creatures swim around and interact with each other and you can even feed them by touching fish food bags on the screen!

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Sketch Aquarium

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looking for his fish

I liked Story of the Time When Gods Were Everywhere but didn’t get to spend much time there. You can create your own environment by touching hieroglyphic characters and watch them transform into natural elements such as wind, rain, trees and mountains. The enthralling story of creation begins when you touch the characters, and the movement of your body further changes and evolves the world around you.

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Story of the Time When Gods Were Everywhere

SPACE

We could not take our eyes off the more than 170,000 LED lights in Crystal Universe. This stunning artwork gives the illusion of stars moving in space. The light and body of the installation responds to your mass and motion. You can change the fabric of the universe itself by ‘swiping’ planets and stars from smart devices within the installation, and watch them become part of the dazzling environment around you. Simply breathtaking.

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Crystal Universe

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David lost in the lights

ADVISORY ON ADMISSION TIMES

Please note that timed-entry has been introduced since 1 April. Admission times are: 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm, 4 pm and 5.30 pm. I recommend getting your tickets online before heading down so that you can save some time to your visit. Apart from ArtScience Museum’s Box Office, tickets are also available at the MasterCard Theatres Box Office (B1, Marina Bay Sands).

FUTURE WORLD: Where Art Meets Science
Adult : S$16
Senior Citizen (65 years & above) : S$13
Child (2-12 years) : S$9
Student (with valid student pass) : S$13

FAMILY FRIDAYS

Children go free! Every Friday, up to four children under 12 years old enter for free with every adult ticket purchased.

KidZania is coming to Singapore!

KidZania Singapore will officially open its doors on 12 April 2016! Located at Palawan Kidz City and linked to the Beach Station on Sentosa Island, the 7,600 m2 park will have a variety of role-play activities for kids to try their hand at different occupations.

We are looking forward to KidZania Singapore because Anya had such an amazing time at KidZania in Bangkok. In fact, we were there from the time they opened right up to closing time! So tiring for the adults but Anya was over the moon. She did so many jobs while we were there – green tea factory worker, doctor, firefighter, fast food server, petrol pump attendant, convenience store cashier, pilot, postal worker, car designer, construction worker, milk factory worker, and sushi chef!

Tickets for KidZania can be booked online and that will save you some precious time (and a bit of money). To find out more on how to maximise your visit, check out the KidZania guide or head on over to Life’s Tiny Miracles to read their comprehensive post on KidZania.

KidZania Singapore
Palawan Kidz City, Sentosa
31 Beach View #01-01/02
Singapore 098008

Opening Hours:
10 am to 5 pm – Sun to Thu
10 am to 8 pm – Fri, Sat, eve of Public Hols, Public Hols, School Hols

Ticket Prices:
$25 – Toddler (2-3 years old)
$58 – Kid (4-17 years old)
$35 – Adult (18-59 years old)
$25 – Senior ( 60 years old and above)

Blossom Beats Floral Display at Gardens by the Bay

It’s sakura season in Japan but we are stuck here in Singapore and it’s so HOT! So what better way to kill two birds with one stone than to escape to the refreshingly cool Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay for their Blossom Beats floral display? This beautiful display is on for a limited time only and ends this Sunday. It’s also super popular and the queues are quite daunting so go early or buy your tickets online before heading down.

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lovely photo spot

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view from above, spot the cosplayers

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Adrian and David

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close-up of some blossoms

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David was very interested in the drum

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such pretty flowers

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pointing at random flowers

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even the leaves are nice to look at!

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tulip magnolias

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cosplayers galore

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fluffy blooms

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Torii gate

 

Atlas Coffeehouse

I used to love checking out new cafes every now and then but these days I like to stick with the tried and tested. We made an exception for Atlas Coffeehouse because it’s along Bt Timah Rd and the location is rather convenient for us. Since then we’ve been back quite a few times and I find myself there at least once a week since it’s near where I work as well.

The menu is small and most of the items are pretty decent. The waffles are always a good option if you’re not sure what to order. I like the coffee but the standard varies and it can be a little too bitter sometimes. The place can get cramped especially when people insist on pushing their giant prams in instead of leaving them outside. They do have a good number of baby highchairs but no child-friendly cutlery. The food comes quite quickly, even when it’s crowded and Atlas tends to fill up after 10 am on weekends.

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Atlas Coffeehouse

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flat white

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salted caramel waffle

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big breakfast and latte

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the kids

Atlas Coffeehouse
6 Duke’s Rd
Singapore 268886

Hours: 8 am – 7 pm (Closed on Mondays)

SJCK Family Day Carnival 2016

We attended our 5th SJCK Family Day Carnival last Saturday. As usual, we checked out the food stalls before playing games and then heading to the Jumble Sale. I managed to get loads of goodies from the Jumble Sale – a vintage Pound Puppy, an Inside Out Anger toy, two pairs of Stride Rite shoes for David, and a pair of North Face boots for him as well! All for less than $30!

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SJCK Family Day Carnival

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lots of food

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munch munch

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some sliding game

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goal!

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knocking down the cans

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beanbag tic tac toe

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feeding the frog

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looking for jewels

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ring toss

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choosing his prize

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jumble sale

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my loot from the jumble sale

Gardens by the Bay Children’s Festival

After watching Disney on Ice, we rushed to Gardens by the Bay to enjoy some of their Children’s Festival activities and performances! We got there just in time to watch Rainbows in the Water, a water play performance based on the classic story of The Rainbow Fish. We were seated quite far back in the sheltered area of the Children’s Garden so we didn’t have a good view of the performance but it looked super fun and colourful from where we were.

We also managed to catch Fairy Galaxy at the Supertree Grove. This performance of Cinderella was set in the future with psychedelic costumes and the kids really enjoyed it. There were many other exciting activities and performances that we didn’t get to check out since we were in a rush but here’s the schedule for the festival that ends this weekend!

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hiding from the heat!

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time for a picnic

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water play performance: Rainbows in the Water

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the colourful cast

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with the mascot

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waiting for Fairytale Galaxy to start

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still chomping on the snacks from the picnic basket

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stepmother and one of the stepsisters

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Cinderella’s Fairy God-Robot!

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happily ever after?

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rushing to get glow sticks from the cast

For more information and some amazing photos, check out the post by Life’s Tiny Miracles and these albums by A Million Little Echoes and A Juggling Mom!