Playground Revisited

We took the kids for a stroll to the public playground near our place this morning. I used to take Sophie there because there was no playground in our condo and the swing is good for very young toddlers. Sophie remembers the place well and she totally enjoyed running amok. Alfee was also happily exploring and climbing everywhere. Even though it was just half an hour, they seemed to quite satisfied.

Playground Revisited

We took the kids for a stroll to the public playground near our place this morning. I used to take Sophie there because there was no playground in our condo and the swing is good for very young toddlers. Sophie remembers the place well and she totally enjoyed running amok. Alfee was also happily exploring and climbing everywhere. Even though it was just half an hour, they seemed to quite satisfied.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Thursdays are the only days Sophie has nothing in the afternoon. It was a deliberate attempt on my part to conduct other home-based activities or attend performances. I plan to take her to at least one performance a month, if there are good performances. So far, this is the first performance for 2012 - The Tiger Who Came To Tea. It is one of the 3 theatrical performances of Kids Fest! Singapore 2012. Next month, we are going for "Stick Man", but we are skipping "We're Going On A Bear Hunt".

On the way to DBS Arts Centre, Sophie fell asleep in the cab so I had to carry her inside. We were a good 45 minutes early so I held her as she napped. It was a little awkward as everyone else was all lively and noisy. Our performance was 3 pm but I woke her up around 2.45 pm to be seated. She was a little disoriented but fortunately, not cranky.

Today's performance is based on "The Tiger Who Came To Tea" by Judith Kerr. I bought her the book a few months ago to prep her for the show. She loves it instantly because the little girl in the story is named "Sophie" as well. Here's the original story...

I was quite impressed by the whole set up and the energy level of the performers today. Despite a small audience (due to weekday), they were all geared up to make it worth our every penny. They were interactive and animated enough to keep the children entertained. The props were very good as well, almost like a magic show. Sadly, no filming is allowed so this is all I captured.

However, I did managed to find a trailer version...

The organizers also gave our colouring sheets and colour pencils to keep the children occupied while waiting for the show to start. That pacified Sophie and made it easier for me to relax a little.

On the way out, the children were given a balloon each. Sophie was overall quite happy, I think she enjoyed the performance.

I asked Sophie to draw me what she likes about the performance and this is what she drew first. She said the girl beside the tiger is her (of course!).

Sophie then drew Sophie's parents. The one on the right (wearing a tie) is her Papa and the one (with two buns on her head) is her Mama.

Last, but not least... the milkman and postman (and the bicycle)!

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Thursdays are the only days Sophie has nothing in the afternoon. It was a deliberate attempt on my part to conduct other home-based activities or attend performances. I plan to take her to at least one performance a month, if there are good performances. So far, this is the first performance for 2012 - The Tiger Who Came To Tea. It is one of the 3 theatrical performances of Kids Fest! Singapore 2012. Next month, we are going for "Stick Man", but we are skipping "We're Going On A Bear Hunt".

On the way to DBS Arts Centre, Sophie fell asleep in the cab so I had to carry her inside. We were a good 45 minutes early so I held her as she napped. It was a little awkward as everyone else was all lively and noisy. Our performance was 3 pm but I woke her up around 2.45 pm to be seated. She was a little disoriented but fortunately, not cranky.

Today's performance is based on "The Tiger Who Came To Tea" by Judith Kerr. I bought her the book a few months ago to prep her for the show. She loves it instantly because the little girl in the story is named "Sophie" as well. Here's the original story...



I was quite impressed by the whole set up and the energy level of the performers today. Despite a small audience (due to weekday), they were all geared up to make it worth our every penny. They were interactive and animated enough to keep the children entertained. The props were very good as well, almost like a magic show. Sadly, no filming is allowed so this is all I captured.

However, I did managed to find a trailer version...



The organizers also gave our colouring sheets and colour pencils to keep the children occupied while waiting for the show to start. That pacified Sophie and made it easier for me to relax a little.

On the way out, the children were given a balloon each. Sophie was overall quite happy, I think she enjoyed the performance.

I asked Sophie to draw me what she likes about the performance and this is what she drew first. She said the girl beside the tiger is her (of course!).

Sophie then drew Sophie's parents. The one on the right (wearing a tie) is her Papa and the one (with two buns on her head) is her Mama.

Last, but not least... the milkman and postman (and the bicycle)!

CNY 2012 - Day 2

Me and my bright idea! I thought it would be good if we could do something distinctively “Chinese New Year-ish” so I suggested a trip down River Hong Bao. We set off early as usual and took a leisurely walk from Raffles City to River Hong Bao. It was a little sunny but still manageable because it was early. Unfortunately (as usual), we found ourselves staring at closed gates (opened only after 12 pm) when we finally reached there. Thus, we had to do a last minute Plan B – Esplanade Mall.

By the time we were there, the kids were tired, hot and cranky, especially Alfee. I was quite exhausted myself. We settled down at a café and fed Sophie some cupcake (which pacified her immediately) and let Alfee nap a little. Then we explored the food court and got some lunch before we shopped around a little. Papa said this is the best mall we have got in Singapore and I was not too impressed. Still, it is huge and there are many shops. Anyhow, we made our way to River Hong Bao (reluctantly due to the heat) and spent a little while (15 minutes) going around the exhibits. Frankly, I am disappointed. It is not even close to what the media has portrayed it. Maybe it’s just me but I think it is not worth going at all.

Back home, I tried doing some work with Sophie while Alfee made his presence felt . He really distracted Sophie and made it hard for all of us to do work. I guess I have to wait for him to be old enough to join in the WORK!

CNY 2012 - Day 2

Me and my bright idea! I thought it would be good if we could do something distinctively “Chinese New Year-ish” so I suggested a trip down River Hong Bao. We set off early as usual and took a leisurely walk from Raffles City to River Hong Bao. It was a little sunny but still manageable because it was early. Unfortunately (as usual), we found ourselves staring at closed gates (opened only after 12 pm) when we finally reached there. Thus, we had to do a last minute Plan B – Esplanade Mall.

By the time we were there, the kids were tired, hot and cranky, especially Alfee. I was quite exhausted myself. We settled down at a café and fed Sophie some cupcake (which pacified her immediately) and let Alfee nap a little. Then we explored the food court and got some lunch before we shopped around a little. Papa said this is the best mall we have got in Singapore and I was not too impressed. Still, it is huge and there are many shops. Anyhow, we made our way to River Hong Bao (reluctantly due to the heat) and spent a little while (15 minutes) going around the exhibits. Frankly, I am disappointed. It is not even close to what the media has portrayed it. Maybe it’s just me but I think it is not worth going at all.

Back home, I tried doing some work with Sophie while Alfee made his presence felt . He really distracted Sophie and made it hard for all of us to do work. I guess I have to wait for him to be old enough to join in the WORK!