Exporing Kranji II

A rather late post following the Kranji exploration last Deepavali. Things had been hectic ... and now my daughter is sick (the elder one this time). As if it is not enough, the little one and myself got the cough and the flu as well. Is it the season to be sick? 

Anyway, since it is school holiday season (for those with kids in school) I want to share the Kranji Countryside experience that I had. It is a nice area to explore, it would be good if you have your own transport though, as the places of interest are rather apart from each other. However, they do have a shuttle service for certain places. So, please check before you go there alright.

We wanted to stop and look around at Bollywood Veggies, however, since it was raining, we couldn't get around in the rain and muddy grounds ... so we drove off to another place. I heard the food at their bistro "Poison Ivy" is good ... and healthy too!

Checking out their map, we decided to do some shopping (a girl can't pass out  any 'shopping' opportunity aye!)  ... since we are already around the area. We checked out Kok Fah Technology Pte Ltd. They have a Weekend Farm where they sell fresh produce. Check out the pictures below for more info. Beware that the market only opens on Weekends!

Bitter gourds! These are the darker green range .. which my mom said 'very bitter'

Bitter gourds ... these are the lighter green ones ... not so bitter I guess?

Their Aloe Vera source!! 

Weekend Farm @ Kok Fah

The veggies are FRESH!

Just near the entrance, there are some tables and chairs where you can sit around. There is a Koi fish pond and an aquarium where you can see a 'huge' 

Koi Pond

I bought quite a lot of vegetables during my visit there. There are quite a variety of vegetables, although sad to say, I am not familiar with the names ha ha!  Don't forget to get their fresh Aloe Vera if you like them. They sell it fresh $3 for a small round container. I chose to buy their Aloe Vera Honey drink $2 per bottle, which was not too bad. I would not buy the Mango pudding with Aloe Vera again though ... I found the pudding was too sweet and tasted powdery (not much of mango taste too!)

Next, Farmart! More shopping!! Yayy!! I went there once a few years ago during an assignment trip with my group mate. The place didn't change much except for the addition of the EPS parking gate (the parking used to be FREE!). Our parking charges turned out to be S$1 which was not too bad. 

I remember that they have a small animal corner where you can buy food and feed the animals. 

Feeding the rabbits

You can feed other animals too, other than rabbits, there are frogs, fishes, goats, hamsters etc. 

Oh, before you reached the Animal Farm area, you will find a pond where you can do prawning. I was not interested in prawning there, I rather go to the fish market and buy the lot!

If you come early to Farmart, you can get buy quail eggs ... apparently they sold out quite fast (gone by 11 am according to the uncle). We arrived there at about 2 pm ish .. of course they are already long gone! But I bought a tray of large eggs for S$5 (which is quite a good deal I think).

Do browse around the shops there, it is quite a mix and match of shops there. You can find a pet cum grooming shop, party balloon shop (you can customise the balloons too!), a live seafood market, Uncle William's shop (where you can get the quail eggs), water features shop, etc.

By the time we were done from Farmart, the girls were tired ... Oh well, I was bloody tired too.. We were all tired! We made our way back home, leaving the greeneries behind but with fond memories in our mind (and lots of fresh veggies n eggs!)

Exploring Kranji I

Today is a public holiday!! Happy Deepavali everyone!!

It is a rare occasion where my in-laws are off too today because my mother in law works on shifts throughout the month, she usually has to work over the weekend and public holidays too.

Today we decided to go out with the 2 girls. Started off with a brunch at Victory Restaurant at North Bridge Road. Famous for their Briyani and Murtabak. Beware, their portion is HUGE ... No, I am not kidding! It is really huge! I had a hard time finishing it .... luckily my dear husband helped out despite that Briyani is not in his favourite food list (he said it reminded him of his NS days, where they always had Briyani).

So, after the 'heavy' meal, we decided to do Longkang Fishing, have you heard of that before? There are quite a few places that you can go for Longkang Fishing, e.g. Pasir Ris Kids Kampong,  Bottle Tree Park, Haussman Marketing Aquarium, etc. However, today I chose to go to Haussman Marketing Aquarium at Kranji. I chose Kranji Countryside area because I know other than the aquarium, I can still explore the area for other stuff... like plant nurseries, or vegetable gardens etc.

Off we go to Kranji!! It was a long journey ... but the girls were excited! The area is really out of Singapore I would say. You don't see tall buildings or many cars, but all you can see around the area are green grasses and trees! Finally we arrived at our destination ... the skies were kind of dark when we arrived, but luckily the Longkang Fishing" area is covered. I scout the area for fishes... there was not much ... the area is quite small, but I guess it is enough for children.

Trying to catch some fishes!

The "Longkang Fishing" packages at Haussman are S$4 for Catch & Release (for 30 mins), and S$7 for Goldfish package. The uncle was kind enough to explain to me that the children are given a net and a bucket each and they can try to catch the fishes at the 'longkang'. If they really like fishes and would like to 'bring' back home, you can top up another S$3 and you will get a 180mm plastic tank, a packet of fish food, and 2 goldfishes back. You won't get the fishes that you catch at the 'longkang' itself. Reason being, he said, these fishes that are being caught at the 'longkang' are 'scared' after being chased around, so they will shed their skin and in summary, would not last long if you bring them home. So, they will give you few fishes from the aquarium to bring back if you buy the "Goldfish Package".

After hearing the explanation, I feel kind of sad for these fish and as I helped my daughter to catch them, I saw quite a number of those little fish that are already dead ...

Now when I think about it again, I think I would rather not do Longkang Fishing anymore if it is hurting these little fish. I saw on someone's blog about the Bottle Tree Longkang fishing, which they actually bring back the fish that they caught. Maybe that is better, rather than being caught and released again just to be caught again by other kids. The fish must be very scared and stressed!!

We did caught quite a number of fishes which then released back to the longkang. I opted to top-up S$3 so that we can bring back some fish for the girls. It was written that you will get 2 goldfish in the brochure, but we got 3 goldfish! My daughter is very happy and she can't wait to feed them!

Our goldfish!

An instruction was attached to the tank and it said that you should fill the tank up to 80% of the capacity. Leave it for 2 hours before transferring the fish; and only to feed them 4 pellets of fish food after 2 days. My daughter, of course, could not wait that long! I was very upset because we have not left the tap water for 2 hours yet (only about 1 hr) and my daughter asked my maid to put the fish into the tank! Then, she fed them not 4 but maybe 15 pellets at one time! My maid had to hide the fish food just in case she will take it and feed them again! I tried to explain to her that the fishes should not overeat or they might die... she got scared and now said that she didn't want the fish anymore and asked me to throw them away!

Poor fish! I think I am going to use this opportunity tomorrow to teach her about not to abandon pets and teach her how to take care of pets. If she still does not want to take care of the fish, I would  give it away to someone who would appreciate them more or I would release the fish to the canal near our house.

07.11.2012 - she's 14 months old!

07.11.12  

I just read on the Today newspaper, that it is 7-11 day (get it? I mean the stores 7-11). I was smiling because of that in the morning... Today is also the 3rd day of observation... and her 14th month birthday! My little girls seems better today. She managed to give few smiles throughout the day and her eyes looked bigger. She even managed to scold her sister ... Yes it is not a good thing to scold the older sister for all the small little things she did, but .... it is a good sign that she is regaining her 'old' self!

I still hear bits of nasty coughs here and there, but she is more chatty today ... more livelier and even tried to walk on her own. She turns 14 months today, but she doesn't dare to walk on her own yet unless on a 'soft' surface. I am not too worried for now about that ... I am more worried that when she starts walking (or running) she can't stop! (which is always the case isn't it!). I am now enjoying the time, where she would need me to sashay her here and there around the house ... or even just to move from the sofa to the coffee table! Other mothers out there ... enjoy this moment!!! When they are able to walk on their own ... you will miss this phase...

It is now 5.30 pm Singapore time ... just another 6 hours plus to go, and I can take a huge deep breath!

ps: today is also the day where Mr. Obama got re-elected as the President again... YAY!!! I could do a celebration for all the good things that happens today!

Thinking positive ...

It has been days since I last posted here.... It has been a busy week... the two girls fell sick one after the other, with the little one having fever (up to 39.8 degrees Celsius) for a week!

It was a horrible weekend ... Although the Halloween Play Date went well... well that is another story (will post the photos later on).

Being a mother of two now, I thought I would get pass that period where I would react too much over small things that happened to the girls. I used to bring my first daughter every time she was sick. With the second girl ... I am more relax and 'lenient'. A bit of runny nose and cough for a few days does not worry me too much; or low grade fever for 2 days doesn't worry me much too as long as the children are still happy and active.

So, when the little one fell sick, I was still thinking ... arrghh nothing serious, just a few dose of paracetamol and she will be alright. The little one never had high fever before in her entire 13 months of existence. I know one day she would have high fever ... It will happen and I know it, however, I never thought it would come now!  On the 2nd day, her fever just goes up and up... 3rd day which was last Friday, I decided to bring her to the clinic. Doc gave antibiotics, some other stuff for her phlegm. Fever still high even on the 5th day which was Sunday. At first I wanted to wait till Monday, to bring her to the doctor again ... but seeing the little one getting weaker by the hour. I decided to bring her to KKH.

KKH is like the last resort (in my mind). I had bad experiences there ... long waiting time, crying babies and kids running around. You don't see happy faces there because everyone is just 'tense'. However, they do have all the equipment specialised for young children. The head doctor is very experienced... (very).

When we brought my daughter on Sunday night (around 8pm), there wasn't many people at the registration area ... I thought ... hmmm the lot of the people are already inside which is usually the case. Our number was called within a minute or two. When temperature was taken, the fever has gone up to 39.8 C. I was shocked ... she just had her temp checked an hour earlier and took medicines and antibiotics too. My heart just sank... The nurse told us to register and go straight to counter 11.

I know the horrible experiences before (with the 1st one), this time we had to use the nebuliser on her since she is having difficulty breathing. Then, we had to do some tests.... seeing your darling daughter's face when her finger was pricked for blood test ... Urrgghh... made me want to cry too. Then there is the chest X-ray, where I have to hold her limbs against the seat so that they can take the x-ray ... I am just glad that it is all over. Doctor said the blood test only shows viral infections... the x-ray confirmed of the infection in the chest.  It was written as 'pneumonia' but a mild to moderate one. Just to be on the safe side, she has to go for another X-ray next month at a polyclinic.

I am still monitoring her health now, because the Doctor said if she still has fever after 3 days, I got to come back again since it might be something else. Today is the 2nd day ... and she is recovering slowly, but I can still see she is still weak, but more active ... I can see a bit of smile.

One more day .... I hope she recovers well.

Long Weekend! Woohoo!

It's Hari Raya Haji long weekend! Woohoo!!

Alright, it does not really apply to me since I am currently in between jobs ... but I can see the excitement all around including my daughter!

I told her yesterday that we are going to Nyang's (grandma's mom in Malay) house for dinner. She would be cooking her favourite Sayur Lodeh (I think the locals called it 'Sayur Lemak', which is really 'lemak' or 'fat' ... so true rite...) and Serondeng (stir fried spiced shredded coconut?)

I loveeee and absolutely love the dishes that my husband's grandmother cooks... Traditional home cooked Malay dishes! I used to think her dishes are too sweet to my 'Indo' tongue ... (so picky rite!) However, these days I think she adjusted it that it would suited my 'spicy n savoury' Indo tongue more. We never fail to bring back at least 3-4 containers every time we go to her house for dinner.

Although I would feel guilty after that fulfilling meal ... Hey, it's only a few times a year that I can taste these dishes ... Hari Raya, Hari Raya Haji, Oh, well.... there are also those days when we have weddings in the family, and family chalets .. and birthday celebrations ... picnics... Hmm... I guess there are 'much' more than just a few times in a year! Whoops!

Anyway, I am looking forward to tonight's meal .... Yummm.... will take pictures and post photos later on.

Ciao!

Review - Star Vista

Yesterday, I went to check out Star Vista @ Buona Vista .... It is a new establishment just around Buona Vista MRT. You will notice the odd-looking, rock-y kinda shape architecture.  I actually live quite nearby (a few MRT stops away), but I guess just like what they say ... the nearer you stay, the lesser (lazier) you will be. I always have this thought every time I go out and thinking of places to go: "Oh, it is so near, I can always visit it anytime I want." So, I always ended up going to other places (much further) than going to places near my area e.g. Star Vista, or Clementi Mall and instead, I visited J-Cube, Changi City Point, I12 Katong, etc.

View from 1st floor looking at the atrium & water fountain

Back to Star Vista, a friend who lived nearby (really near), said that it has lots of restaurants ... if we go there to eat, there are quite a variety of food choices. She never mention other things.... Just food. I guess that is why I am kind of put off going there on the weekend with my family, as I would have no other things to do there other than 'eating' (not that I don't like eating ..!). However, if I go to Changi City Point for example, it is a family friendly mall that I like. Not only I can walk and shop around ... the atrium is a fave with my 2 girls walking and running around; then I can do some grocery shopping, I can choose to eat at the different food establishments or even food courts (they have Koufu and Bagus), and a plus point is that they have family entertainment area ... there are indoor playground, then just behind Koufu, there is that fantastic and did I mention 'FREE' water play area called the 3House! 

View of the water fountain

What I love about Star Vista is that it is an open air mall. It is not stuffy as other malls, it has a huge open space in the middle, where you can see this two huge pillars and a water fountain which responds to music beat. (although somehow the music sounds a bit weird to me yesterday, it was like they are playing the 'karaoke' version which only has the music and the beats minus all the singing)

Just as what my friend said, it has lots of food establishments ranging from Japanese food, Cantonese food, Mexican, American ... u name it, Coco Ichibanya, Canton Paradise, Boston Shack, Itacho Sushi, Nando's Chicken, Senór Taco, etc etc .... Not much of Halal options though other than The Manhattan Fish Market, Texas Fried Chicken (opening soon). Since I am not in the mood for restaurant dining today, and the restaurants seems quite crowded too (lunch hour rush); I opt for their food court (easy on the wallet) on 2nd level which is called The Kitchen. 

Food Court "The Kitchen" on 2nd floor

The Kitchen which is under Koufu, is almost like any other new food court in Singapore. It has that warm environment, which was achieved by the use of wood laminates all around and the yellow warm lighting. One thing I like here is that it has indoor and outdoor dining option, and I personally prefer outdoor because my clothes won't be so smelly, but when the weather is hot one can opt for indoor seats where it has air conditioning. I would say The Kitchen is quite a typical food court where you have your Asian food varieties such as Japanese food stall, teppanyaki stall, Korean stall, roasted meat stall, vegetarian food stall, nasi padang stall etc. From the looks of the food, they all look great (or was it just me who is hungry!).

After the meal, I strolled down to the 1st floor (3rd floor is off limits) and walked around the shops. Since it is an open air mall, the shops here has glass doors. Somehow it made the shops look unfriendly but I do understand why they installed doors there, so that the air-con would not be wasted. Nothing much to see, so I went down to Basement 1 and again ... nothing much to see or shop since most are restaurants and other stuff that I don't need or I can find everywhere like Watsons. Oh, if you need some last minute grocery shopping before you go off, there is Cold Storage and J-Mart on Basement 1 level. 

Then down to the basement 2 car park, and off we go .... home. So that was it! My whole experience at Star Vista was a brief one ... I don't hate it, but I don't really love it either. 

I would say, go for it when you have free time (1-2 hour is enough if you don't plan to shop). Not really a family friendly mall I would say... the kids are probably can only be entertained with the water fountain. I would come again if I am dining out around the area with some friends, but to specifically go there to eat ... Hmm, I don't think so.. 

Information about Star Vista

Address:  1 Vista Exchange Green
                      Singapore 138617

MRT : CC22/EW21 Buona Vista Station

Opening hours : 10:00am to 10:00pm Daily

Mounting bills!

Looking at the pile of bills that I need to settle and not forgetting to file (neatly), I need a strong coffee and a nice cheesecake to go with!

The wet weather doesn't help as well ... I wish I can go and take a nap ... I am in dire need for extra sleep since my itchy coughs at night has been waking me up (and the husband + daughter).

Hmm... I think I really have to dedicate 1 day every 2 weeks to sort all these bills and statements. What do you guys do usually? Any suggestion?

Cauldron in the making II

I was busy over the weekend, and did not have time to continue the cauldron.  However, I managed to get back on track and continue the cauldron design.

Previously, it was just a 'roundish' (sort of) shape, which then I papier maché to make it stronger. To make it to look more like a cauldron, I added the side handles, and then created a lid with a handle as well. Not forgetting, the legs at the bottom. Then Ta Daaaa....

I would say, I am quite happy with the result ... it is not perfect, but I think it will serve its purpose at the Halloween Party next month :)

Oh yeah, I decided to make a last minute big spoon out of leftover cardboard and a cardboard tube I found at home. And here is the finished product!

So, what do you think?

Cauldron in the making

I am so excited about this project but it was not an easy task!

Did my homemade glue ... and I placed it into an airtight container that I got from IKEA quite sometime ago.

To start of the project, I was trying to figure out how to make this round shape big enough for the kids to play with. I decided to base my cauldron design on a ball shape. At first I wanted to find a round shape balloon to start with, but I have none which can accommodate the size that I want.  Then I remembered a ball sewing project that I did a few months back. Although I was not sure on the result, I decided to experiment on it and hope for the best haha! I was not so sure on how to calculate the size of the curves and all, so all of these are based on a rough estimate of the base and height of the cauldron.

First, I cut 2 circles, one will serve as the base, the other as the lid. As I would have a base and a lid, I didn't cut a pointed ellipse like the ball design, instead I have a slightly inverted curve at the end, so that it can be pasted onto the base.


Then I curved the sides along the horizontal grain of the boards to help shape the cauldron


(not perfect as you can see in the photo)

Then with the help of some glue and (lots) of masking tape, I assembled the shape!

Did not turn out as round as I want it to be ... I guess it is kind of hard to shape the thick cardboard.

Then, it is time to papier mache!!


Somehow, for now, it looks more like a lantern than a cauldron ha ha ha ...

But, wait and see for it to evolve k!

Halloween project

Loving this homemade invitation card!

My daughter has been invited to a Halloween party at her classmate's place! It is so exciting as we've never been to a Halloween party before ... and of course, I would not want to miss an opportunity to get my daughter to dress up!

The invitation card is very cute ... and creative, don't you think so?

So, anyway, I asked the mother whether she needs any help in the party preparation and she said she's having some problems sourcing for the cauldron that would be use to cook a 'witch soup' at the party (how funny!!). She tried to find a plastic one, but it's not big enough ... and she wanted to make it out of papier mache, but she's not so sure how to do that.

So, I offered to make it since I love making things and after making variety of stuff using card boards and papier mache, I am actually quite confident that I am able to do it. The mom was very thankful and kept asking me whether it's taking a lot of time etc etc. I said I would be glad to help since I'm currently not working too. I thought, since she is already busy organising the party and I don't want to come empty handed and not contributing anything; I should help whatever I can to my ability right?

So... the Halloween Cauldron project has begun! I've found enough cardboard from a box I found a week ago that I can use to shape the base and the side. Next, I'm going to make enough glue (since I'm gonna need a lot, I should make it and it'll be cost efficient). Then, I"m going to start to construct the shape ... hmm it's going to be challenging as I've never made a 3D round shape object using cardboard before. I'm gonna post some photos and maybe you guys can give some comments and advice later on :)

Off to the kitchen now, to make some glue!

Family is the word!

I just celebrated my 33rd birthday yesterday... coincidentally falls on the same day as Mid Autumn Festival, I feel very blessed that I could see the full moon last night. 

Seeing the calm night, with clear skies, the night lights glimmering away and to see that perfectly round moon has a calming effect on me. With everything that happened for the past few weeks, I finally feel that I could get plenty of rest and start anew.

Today, is not just another Monday to me ... yes, I do still have to wake up early, bargained with my 3 years old girl whether she needs to go to school or not, have breakfast and then run some errands ... this and that ... but today ... I start my life as a thirty-three, double three ... 33 years old woman! Gosh, I feel so old!

Looking back at my 33 years of life ... I achieved quite a lot (I guess); made mistakes (quite a number); made big decisions (hard n difficult ones); learned lots of lessons (from making many mistakes); made friends (and sadly lose some too); discovered new hobbies (and spent lots of money on it!) but .. that's life right?

I do admit, I may not have made the best decision at all times, but I am glad that my family has been there with me in good times and bad times. Through all these, one will realise how important 'Family' is ... and you should never neglect your family either. Do the best you can to help, and they will do the same to you!

So on this first day of October 2012, 'Family' is the word of the day for me! How bout you?

Homemade White Glue

Original sketch of the Dramatic corner

I stumbled upon this recipe when I was researching for a cheaper solution for my school project. I need to set up a learning environment in one of the classes at where I work at the time. Since the theme was based on the book "Jack and the Beanstalk". I decided I shall make the beanstalk as the main attraction in the dramatic corner; and to do that, I need lots of newspaper, and lots of glue!

I don't waste so much money on buying white glue, or wasting the centre's materials. I remember when I was young, my mom used to make fabric stiffener using cornstarch! Then she would save a bit for us girls to use as glue. In terms of texture, it is similar to white glue, but I am not sure about its strength and I need something strong because I need my beanstalk to last at least 1 term (3 months); not forgetting it would be placed in a class shared by twenty children! So, it has to be durable!!

I went to my good friend Mr. Google.com to search for white glue recipe. There are lots of different version of homemade glue. There are cooked ones, non-cooked ones, then there are recipes that uses milk too! I am not sure about that, and I am scared of a sour milk smell afterwards. So, after comparing a few recipes from different websites. I decided to try this recipe from the Family Education website.

This white glue recipe, can be used on its own, or what I did was, to use it as papier mache too. It works really well, and it bonds well too. Just one downside is, homemade glue does attract little critters (I found a few in my plastic containers) ... so, the website suggested that you should put citrus oil or eucalyptus oil to shoo away the bugs.

So, here's the recipe..

Ingredients:

3/4  cup   water
2     tbsp  corn syrup
1     tsp    white vinegar

1/2  cup   cornstarch
3/4  cup   water

Method:

- Mix water, syrup and vinegar in a saucepan and bring it to boil.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water, stir till dissolved.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the first mixture, and stir constantly.
- Take off from the heat, place it to your desired container (glass jar works well)
- Let it stand overnight before using.

This recipe makes about a bowl of glue. You can make it in few batches too if you want, and store in smaller containers for easier use. If you keep them in the fridge, it would last you a few weeks at least. Happy gluing!

Here are some pictures of the Jack and the Beanstalk corner that I did that year. For the beanstalk, I rolled a lot of newspapers and use masking tape to combined into shape. Then, I set it in place by the wall, and used the homemade glue, then mixed with green paint and paint it directly to rolled newspaper. After leaving it over night, the glue hardens and hold the shape. My K2 teacher was so pleased with it that she kept the beanstalk structure there till another term! She even wanted to bring it home if she could, but it was too big.

The Magic Beanstalk!

The completed Dramatic Corner

Jack's house and Daisy the cow

Tea anyone?

Welcome to Midnight Tea Break!

I'm starting this blog to share my love for teaching, arts, crafts, design and everything nice!

I'm a mother of two girls; age 3 and 1. The older girl is already a 'drama queen' at such a tender age while the younger one is (seems to be) a 'princess-in-the-making'. They both love and fight each other everyday; but then again most sisters are like that right? (or is it just my family?)

I might not be able to blog everyday, but I hope to update every few days or whenever I have anything to share. So, feel free to browse around and of course leave or share your comments okay?

Enjoy!