wordless wednesday: through the looking glass

PARKROYAL on Pickering, recipient of the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award

This shot was taken with my iPhone while on the way to office one day. It was raining very heavily, my cab stopped in front of the hotel while waiting for the traffic light.

in search of ellie

It all started when I was looking for new book titles for YH. I wanted stories that are not about princesses, fairies and boarding schools, stories that YH can relate to. Then a fellow mum blogger recommended Ellie Belly, a series of titles based on a local 7 year old girl very much like my own YH. What’s more, it is written by a local author Eliza Teoh.

So I went in search of Ellie Belly without much luck (ok, I admit, I wasn’t actively looking). Then one day, YH came home from school and passed a leaflet to me. Apparently, Eliza Teoh visited her school to promote Ellie Belly with an autographing session. YH informed me that a book vendor will be at her school the next day and insisted that I gave her some money to buy Ellie Belly. And so we got our first Ellie Belly: Huffy Puffy Panda. I love the simple storyline in a local set up which YH can relate to (hey, Huffy Puffy is about a Panda in Singapore Zoo, you can’t get more local than that). I love the simple English with occasional BIG words thrown in. I love how the BIG words are highlighted in bold and explained in easy-to-understand English in a call out box (knowing very well that most children will not be bothered to check out those words in the dictionary). I love how the author included real diary entries submitted by children (some entries are really funny).

We have since added two more titles to our Ellie collection and we heard that the sixth book has just been launched, awesome! Meet Eliza Teoh at the launch party on 10 Nov, 10am at SMU. There will be titles by other local authors as well. Find out the details on Ellie Belly fans page here. Hope we are able to get an autographed copy this time, see you at the party!

Big words are explained in call out boxes

Sample page of a diary entry

wordless wednesday: tree

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

junior is in

Recently, YH has taken to going to office with me on her no-school days. Yesterday was her third visit. So what does she do for the few hours that she’s there? Nothing much really... she reads her book and doodle on our used paper, but most of the time she’s playing games on my iPhone. On one of her earlier visits, one of the bosses actually offered her the spare laptop on seeing her playing on my iPhone. It seems quite boring to me being stuck in the office doing nothing much, so I asked her why does she like to follow me to office? In her words “I get to play iPhone whole day, eat Happy Meal and potatoes chips.” Yeah, games and junk food always work for kids. We have a mini pantry that is stocked with packs of potatoes chips and cheezels which she helps herself to, picking out her favorite flavour.

Just this morning, I asked her whether there’s school tomorrow. She happily replied “No, and I am going to your office.” Then she breaks into her cheeky grin.

it's an enchanted day

During the school term break in June, we made a trip to the Art Garden @ Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Returning for the 4th year, it is our annual go-to event. This year, Art Garden 2013 features exciting new commissions, mesmerizing artworks and short films by talented artists. Spread across various rooms, each with it’s own delightful theme.

1. LANDscape in the Box: Created by students from NUS Architecture, this exhibits explore the beauty of Singapore landscapes using recycled materials assembled in 134 boxes.
2. ~ 5. The Enchanted Garden City: The most popular room in the Art Garden, this whimsical room is filled with larger than life scenes from our familiar fairy tales.
6. ~ 7. Around the Day in Eighty Worlds: Enter this fascinating world of familiar objects transforming into extraordinary displays.
8. Stellar Cave II: Marvel at the beauty of the glowing constellation of stars made entirely of screws and thread.
9. ~ 10. Les rêves engloutis – Glossy Dreams in Depths: A room filled with fantasy and dreams. Discover peculiar objects, 3D drawings and holograms located at dim corners of the room.
11. LOVE. Revolve the World: A collaborative work between Singaporean sculptor Sun Yu-li and 750 students from different schools. A impressive artwork which represents the connections that exist in the universe.

If you have not brought your little one, there’s still time to make a trip down. Art Garden ends on 1 September 2013.

I want to fly

After being cooped up at home for two days due to hazardous haze level, we took the chance to venture outdoor when the haze level went down to acceptable level last night.

We made a trip to nearby Downtown East for dinner and had planned to catch a movie. Unfortunately, the good seats are taken. Then my girl, YH, spied the Mega Bounce and wanted to have a go. This is the first time that she’s on a bouncer, did she enjoy it? Here’s what she said:

Me: “Did you have fun?”
YH: “Yes!”
Me: “Why didn’t you jump very high?”
YH: “Because it is very scary, can I do it AGAIn??”

The conversation reminds me once again her love for adventure. When she was about 3 yrs old, we brought the kids to Universal Studios as a special treat for her brother’s 5th birthday. We went up the Junior Roller Coaster Ride, first time for both kids. After the ride, her brother was on the verge of tears and mummy dearest was feeling woozy, but she’s all charged up and ready for another ride up on the coaster. Thereafter, she practically wanted to try every single rides in the themed park.

My little Daredevil......