Fun Places and Activities Archives - Page 2 of 16

Cosentino in Singapore – Highly Entertaining Magic Show!

When I told my kids that we were going to watch Cosentino, they gave out a scream of joy! Whoa! I probably could not have made them so happy if I told them we were watching any other shows. To my No. 2, he is a great fan of magic and has always wanted to learn a few magic tricks to perform for anyone to see. This show, I was 100% sure, will have him glued with full attention from start till end!

The moment the curtains were unveiled, I found myself moving my body forward to ensure my eyes would not miss any possible magic tricks. While we were watching the captivating magician, Paul Cosentino, the Australian illusionist and escapologist, perform his magic, our minds were full of questions and attempts to see if there were any loopholes in the tricks! Were the good dance moves by Cosentino and his pretty assistants distractions to divert attention from possible hideaways? Was there shadows behind the cloth? Was there a secret side to the wooden box that allow the magician to escape? True to the title of International Magician of the Year, there was no loopholes that our eyes could catch!

He performed a few classic illusions, street magic and thrilling death-defying escapes. One of which impressed me the most is the speed at which he switched bodies with his assistant trapped in the wooden box. That was really amazing!

A good performer really requires engagement with the audience which Cosentino did perfectly well. He engaged a good mix of audience, men, women, couple, and even a young boy. I must say the young boy is a lucky chap whom I am sure my elder son was secretly wishing he was the one on stage. The boy had a chance to ride a helicopter and won himself a magic trick set from Cosentino. I guess I am revealing a little too much! You really have to watch the show yourself to be as impressed as we were!

The last part of his performance was an escape from underwater through unlocking chains, shackles and handcuffs. It was breathless watching his attempt to break free and holding his breath for minutes. The audience was quiet when he took some moments to get ready his state of mind before he went underwater. Everyone applauded the moment he broke out of the tank! He had previously performed live in the Melbourne aquarium, sunk into the bottom of the main tank, surrounded by rays and sharks. The dare-devil indeed challenge himself to limits to bring entertainment to everyone!

While writing this post, I had done some research online and read that he has a autobiography that is really motivating and inspiring for him to get to where he is today. I saw the book in the shop after the show and if I had known, I would have bought a copy! Nevertheless, my son, like many children that night, asked if he could have a magic trick set. Almost without hesitation, I knew I would agree and the Dad paid for it without a second word 🙂

Cosentino is currently showing at Mastercards Theatres at Marina Bay Sands from 17 Aug till 27 Aug 2017. There are only 8 shows, and we were lucky to catch the Saturday 8pm show. The show is suitable for all ages and children above 3 will need a ticket.

Cosentino: Anything is Possible
Season: From 17 August 2017
Venue: Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands
Performance Times:
Thursday, 17 & 24 August – 8PM
Friday, 18 & 24 August – 8PM
Saturday, 19 & 26 August – 2PM & 8PM
Sunday, 20 & 27 August – 1PM & 6:30PM

Ticket Prices:
Cat 1, VIP – SGD145
Cat 2, A Reserve – SGD150
Cat 3, B Reserve – SGD95
Cat 4, C Reserve – SGD75
Cat 5, D Reserve – SGD45
*Excludes booking fee of SGD4 per ticket
For bookings via:
Internet: www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing or www.sistic.com.sg
Phone: +65 6688 8826
In-person at: Marina Bay Sands Box Office (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 Lobby).
For more information please log onto: www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing

Disclaimer: Thanks to Base Entertainment Asia for the kind invitation to watch the amazing performance. We truly enjoy ourselves! If you are thinking of bringing your kids to watch a performance, Cosentino is highly recommended, especially, with verdict from my kids! Cosentino Photos with courtesy by Base Entertainment Asia.

Yishun Park Playground – Family Fitness with Skechers

We have never thought of giving up our family weekend outings even if exams are nearing. We enjoy outdoor play. It refreshes the mind and lift up mood. While our kids are still keen on going out as a family, we will treasure every single opportunity to bring them to nature, parks and playgrounds. Last weekend, we visited Yishun Park Playground and yes, we wore our Skechers shoes along to test out the comfort!

We have never thought of giving up our family weekend outings even if exams are nearing. We enjoy outdoor play. It refreshes the mind and lifts up mood. While our kids are still keen on going out as a family, we will treasure every single opportunity to bring them to nature, parks and playgrounds. Last weekend, we visited Yishun Park Playground and yes, we wore our Skechers shoes along to test out the comfort!

We hardly venture Yishun for playgrounds as it is not known for huge playgrounds and parks like Pasir Ris Park Playground and West Coast Park Playground. But the hub has been driving past this Yishun Park and has seen that the playground facilities look very fun, hence, he suggested to make a visit here.

A Merry-Go-Round Spider Web Structure

A Bigger Spider Web Climbing Structure

Mini-obstacle Playground with Slide

Mini Rock Climbing with 2 Slides on each side

Balancing Rope Obstacle and Suspension Bridge

Playground with Long Tubular Slide

Rock Climbing on an Inverted V Rubber Mat

Isn’t this park awesome? There are jogging tracks beside the playground. Me and hub were able to jog while the kids play. But as usual, the kids sighted us and ran up to jog alongside with us when we really thought we had the luck to have some couple time on a weekend! Fat hope! Well, we enjoy exercising together as a family. Couple time can be arranged on other days.

Family fitness at Yishun Park — Look who outran us?!

Have you noticed the bright and cheerful Skechers Shoes on our feet? We have tested the shoes’ performance on the Yishun Park jogging tracks, the grip on climbing ropes and obstacles and the responsiveness on various grounds of sand, pavement, and even wet floors when we continued our weekend play to Safra Yishun Swimming Pool.

Our family is very new to Skechers shoes and my first pair was only recently bought from my US trip. I loved the GoWalk series to bits when I wore them to walk up and down 5th Avenue for hours without feeling tired. We heard lots of fave about Skechers shoes being extremely light weight and comfortable. And true enough, that was exactly our experience with the shoes! My hub’s first exclamation upon trying out the GOrun 5 in red/orange was: “They’re so LIGHT!”

Indeed, being light weight is a big advantage for attaining speed in running and responsiveness to avoid injuries. Both my hub and I love the GOrun 5 series especially when approaching towards the end of a long run, we did not feel that we had to drag our feet. GOrun 5 is the 5th generation of the GOrun series and its innovative technologies provide excellent cushioning and impact protection. Missy, being almost an adult has her first adult size sport shoes with the same Skechers GOrun 5 in purple. We chose the same colour so that we can go twinning on the same shoes! Isn’t that’s what having a daughter is all about?!

Both the boys are wearing Skechers Flex Advantage 2.0 shoes with Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole. They, too, are enjoying the amazingly light weight footwear so that they can run fast! The Skech-Knit Mesh one piece fabric also allows breath-ability, hopefully cutting down the sweaty stench that the boys tend to have. They have chosen the bright blue colour which is an easy match to most clothes.

With the good grip and high comfort level, I have a piece of mind when the kids wear Skechers shoes for sports and play. You bet that from now on, Skechers would be our top favourite for comfort shoes. And we are going to wear them to our next family run event, Shape Run 2017!

Back to Yishun Park Playground, here is the address if you are wondering how to reach here:

Address – Yishun Central, Yishun Avenue 11, 769027

Yishun Park is a 14-hectare park in Yishun, Singapore bounded by Yishun Ave 4, Yishun Central, Yishun Ave 11 and Yishun Ring Road. It is within the vicinity of Northland Primary School and Safra Yishun Country Club.

Disclaimer: We were sponsored Skechers shoes for a review on our experience. I am certainly a Skechers convert for comfort shoes after this review!

Safra Yishun Pool Reopens with Kids Play Pool and Slides!

Safra Yishun Swimming Pool is one of our most favourite pools! It was one of the earliest Safra pools that have kids’ slides. We love that the pool is nested among trees, beautiful landscaping, greenery, clear blue skies and lovely 90’s music playing in the background. You can’t see other buildings or HDB flats from the pool. I always feel like I have escaped to some beautiful resort away from the hustle and bustle of our busy city. Come dusk, the pool’s soft lights give the whole swimming pool a romantic feel. And it is also the very reason why our whole family are Safra members!

The reopening of Safra Yishun Pool is what our family is looking forward to for the longest time! We were honoured to be invited to the Aloha Pool Party to check out the newly refurbished pool. It has many improvements!

PIRATE THEMED PLAY AREA (WADING POOL)

The Wading Pool is now a Pirate themed play area suitable for 4-8 years old. There are slides out of treasure chest box, pirate hat and ship. There are several water play jets which are designed to only eject water spray within the pool so that those onlookers at the side do not get sprayed on. These are also common play features in all Safra kids’ pools.

I like that the water safety rules are big and visible too.

TRAINING POOL

Beside the Pirate themed play area is the Training Pool of 1.0m water level. This pool can be closed for FINS Swim School swimming class during the weekends in the morning and evening. They have kept the 2 pools connected by a shallow pool walkway. My kids always love to lie on their backs and tummies with their bodies partially submerged in water.

KIDS PLAY POOL WITH RAINBOW SLIDES

The 3rd pool is the Kids Play Pool with rainbow slides. There are two slides with a big waterfall in the middle. One slide has a gentle slope for younger kids. It is common to see young toddlers or babies accompanied by adults to slide down together. If not, there is always an adult to catch the young one when he/she slides down.

For older kids and adults, there is another slide which is steeper and longer. This slide is FAST! Parents, do take note to keep clear of the exit of this slide to prevent your kids or yourself being crashed into by the slide user!

The waterfall area is a hit too as many love to have the water come down hard on them.

OLYMPIC-SIZE LAP POOL

Similarly, the kids play pool with slides is connected by a shallow pool walkway to the Olympic-Size Lap Pool. Hence, parents need to be extra watchful for little kids wandering into the deep pool.

POOL CONNECTING TO JACUZZI POOL

The 5th pool area is another 1.0m pool connected to a Jacuzzi Pool. There are benches at the sides here to relax and watch your kids at the same time. During weekends, there will be some complimentary floats for the kids to play with too. Look at all these pizza floats, watermelon floats, lobsters, and even the coconut tree is sailing on the waters!

SHOWER ROOMS AND FACILITIES

The first thing that caught my attention is that there are many mirrors in the ladies. I am not too sure about gents though, but we ladies surely need more mirrors to check ourselves before and after swim!

WASHING AREA

Can you see the big mirror on the left of the photo? There is a washing basin for little ones too.

Here is a vanity area with hairdryer and hooks for bags by the side. There are more hairdryers outside the changing cubicles.

CHANGING CUBICLES

There is a changing area with 2 cubicles that have curtains, stools and mirrors, yes mirrors again LOL! I remember the previous changing room did not have curtains and I really hate to change in the toilet cubicle or the wet shower room. Hence, I am happy to see this improvement.

TOILET CUBICLES

There are several toilet cubicles, a kid urinal and a baby changing station.

SHOWER ROOMS

There are more shower rooms than before and a central area with hooks to cater for hanging of bags and clothes without wetting the seats when parents help their young children to change after bath. I think this is very considerate!

One thing we love about swimming in Safra pools is the rain shower head and water temperature control! We can bathe in warm water! But, the down side of this shower cubicle is that it does not have a lock. We wonder why? So, you had better leave your shoes outside the cubicle or hang a towel over the door to alert others that the shower cubicle is occupied, if you do not wish to have a rude shock of others pushing the door open!

LOCKERS

Outside the shower rooms, there is a water cooler and many lockers with a token of just $0.40 to keep your valuables and bags safe. The locker is big enough to put in a bag and shoes.

More information:

Safra Yishun

Address: 60 Yishun Avenue 4, Singapore 769027
Tel: 6852 8200
Website: Safra Yishun Pool

Operating Hours

Mon*	11am – 9.30pm
Tue – Fri	7am – 9.30pm
Sat, Sun, PH	8am – 9.30pm

* On Mondays, pools will resume normal operations after pool maintenance.

Swimming Pool Rates

Mon – Fri	$1.15 (Concession) $2.20 (Normal)
Sat, Sun & Public Holidays	$1.70 (Concession) $3.30 (Normal)

Terms & Conditions

SAFRA members enjoy FREE entry into the pools daily.
Guests would need to be signed in by a SAFRA member.
Each SAFRA member is only allowed to bring along a maximum of three accompanying paying guests per day to the swimming pools at all SAFRA clubs.
Children below the age of 5 enjoy FREE entry into the pools.
Concession rate applies to children above the age of 5 who are below the height of 140cm.
Anyone above 140cm in height will have to pay Normal Guest rate.

Disclaimer: Thank you Safra for inviting us to preview the reopening of Safra Yishun Pool and the awesome Aloha Pool Party! We certainly enjoyed ourselves to the fullest for 4 full hours checking out our favourite pool!

Cold Storage Kids Run 2017 – 10th Year Running!

Cold Storage Kids Run 2017 is celebrating their 10th Anniversary this year! It has become one of our must-go run every year. Now, for every run, there is a goal or cause to it (Please don’t just run for the sake of the goodie bag!). For Cold Storage Kids Run, it is aimed at promoting the goals of healthy eating, active living and spending quality family time through running together. This is so in line with what our family does, especially in bonding together!

Poster Mummy and Boy! That’s Us!

Do you spot who are on the advertising poster this year? It is amazing to see ourselves on it! Many readers told me that they “see” me everywhere! Friends and relatives saw the poster splashing across The Straits Times and message me to ask if that mummy was me! So, yes, the mummy and toddler in hand are ME and my Master 5! This picture was taken on our first Cold Storage Kids Run in 2015. I can still remember the cameraman flashed his camera at us non-stop the moment we crossed the starting line! We are so honoured to be chosen as the Poster Mummy and Boy very much to our surprise!

2 Adults can join family run!

Cold Storage Kids Run remains to be our favourite kids run event. Why is that so? You can read it all here in this post! Best of all, the organisers hear participants’ feedback and this year they allow 2 Adults to join their kid in the family fun run! In previous years, only 1 Adult can join the child and it was only me running with my youngest and I would have love for the Daddy to join as well! I am so glad that this year they made this change!

This year is also the last year that my Missy 12 can participate with us as she will not be qualified as a “child” next year. So, this run is really very special to us to be able to participate together as a family. It is also the first time that all 5 of us will get a Cold Storage Kids Run running tee each! The categories that we sign up for are Speedy Orange, Sporty Apple and AIA Vitality Family Fun Run.

Where’s the venue?

If you do not already know from the poster, this run is held at Palawan Green, Sentosa on 28 May 2017, which is a fresh change from the usual venue of Gardens by the Bay. Expect to breathe the sea air, and enjoy the sun and sand (hopefully not too hot!). Flag time has also been pushed back slightly to 715am to minimise rush and congestion for a better run experience.

What are the Categories?

Here are the Categories available in Cold Storage Kids Run 2017:

Runner Entitlements (child):

Limited Edition Cold Storage Kids Run 10th Anniversary Running Tee
Limited Edition Cold Storage Kids Run Bag
Exclusive Cold Storage Kids Run Finisher’s Medal
Limited Edition Cold Storage Kids Run Fan
Limited Edition Cold Storage Kids Run Water Bottle
Finisher Race Certificate*
Fantastic Sentosa Offers and Vouchers
Free Admission Into Sentosa

For more information and to look at the pictures of what is in the goodie bag, click here.

Discount Code!!

Do use our discount code in the poster above OR below to register and you will get 10% off! This code is valid from now till 10 April 2017.

KRSREF17

Race Day Details
Date: 28 May 2017 (Sunday)
Location: Palawan Green, Sentosa Island (next to Beach Station)
Time: 715am – 12pm
Registration period: Now – 10 April 2017 at www.kidsrun.com.sg
Activities include a family carnival, and lots of fun activities (to be updated)!
Don’t forget to check out their facebook page for updates once you have registered.

Hope to see you there! 🙂

Charity Work For Families – Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift Project

Every Christmas is a period of giving and sharing. It has been my wish to do volunteering work for the longest time. There are plenty of volunteering work out there to choose to do. But taking time on weekends on my own will deprive my family time with the kids. Till the day my kids are older when I will have more free time to do my own stuff, I will need to find one charity work that includes the family and suitable for the kids for now.

Some volunteer work need long term commitment which I cannot commit. Some needs older kids to do. Some, like orphanage, are sensitive to visit as a family (we learnt that through inquiries). It was not easy to find one that 2 adults, 2 kids and 1 toddler can volunteer together. And that is when I learnt about the Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift project.

Share-A-Gift is an easy thing to do and it can involve the whole family including my 4yo toddler. In short, it is on food hamper delivery to needy families.

First we had to sign up at http://www.bbshare.sg/ for a time slot that works for us. On that day, we appeared at BB’s Headquarters, and had the BB Boys load 10 big food hampers into our car. We also received 5 acknowledgement slips with 5 addresses to deliver the food hampers to. The 5 addresses are within blocks away from each other or within the same block. Then we were on our way as delivery boys and girls!

Initially we thought it was as simple as going up to the beneficiary units, and passed the hampers to them with a friendly smile of Hello, Merry Christmas and Bye. And if we were lucky, chat with the families as well. But it turned out to be a little tougher than just that.

With happy smiles and enthusiasm, each of us carried a heavy hamper and went up to the first unit. But there was no one at home after knocking on the door. So, we moved on to the second unit, hoping we had better luck, then, it was again no answer. We moved on to the third unit, refusing to believe that we would hit an empty unit for the third time. Again no answer! Even the toddler started to call out “Hello! Hello!” and knocking on the door loudly. By this time, the kids were getting disappointed and were tired of lugging the heavy hampers around. Can you believe our bad luck? None of the 5 beneficiaries was at home!

While we thought this was it, I decided to call the recipients and finally one uncle, who was at the coffeeshop downstairs, came home after picking up my call. This was our first successful delivery after an hour or so!

As we were doing this project with 4 family friends, one of them did not have any luck too. And they went back to the BB Headquarters to report and were given new beneficiary addresses. This saved us a trip back and we drove to the next address to deliver the remaining 4 sets of food hampers. This time, we were smarter. We called up the recipients before we delivered the hampers to them. In this round, we managed to deliver another 3 sets of food hampers! The kids were delighted and one of our family friends helped to send back all our remaining hampers back to BB Headquarters together with the acknowledgement slips.

All in all, we spent 2 hours of a Sunday afternoon, breaking our Sunday family routine, to do a simple but meaningful work for those in need! Seeing their smiles upon receiving the hampers gave us a feeling of contentment and happiness. I hope this small start of volunteering will enable the kids to appreciate simple things in life and learn to share and give 🙂

After that, the 4 families went for a playdate together at Marine Cove playground and had great fun at the East Coast Beach.

Perhaps, if you wish to do volunteering work with your kids or friends, you should really check this out. It is certainly a good start to teach the kids to share and give. It need not be all monetary gifts, it can be a gift of time and I find this even more meaningful!

Do check out http://www.bbshare.sg/ and register a slot from now till 31 December (Except for 24, 25 and 26 Dec).

More information:

For 29 years, since 1988, The Boys’ Brigade has been seeking to bring cheer to the less fortunate by collecting food items and fulfilling Christmas wishes of the beneficiaries through The Boys’ Brigade Share-a-Gift (BBSG) project.

Beneficiaries include elderly, kids and needy families.Each food hamper consists of 25 items, put together by the BBSG, from donations gathered from the public.

Each hamper is estimated to last the beneficiaries for four months or more. Common items are Rice, Biscuits, Cooking Oil, Instant Noodles, Canned food, seasonings, etc.

There are 3 things you can choose to do for this Share-A-Gift Project:

1) Donations of food items:From 25 November till 19 December 2016, gifts donated will be collected through the Gift Boxes (for General Wishes) and Wish Trees (for Specific Wishes) at various FairPrice outlets island-wide from 11am to 9pm daily. The public would be able to deposit their general food and household items in the Gift Boxes, and fulfill specific wishes of the beneficiaries that are placed on tags on the Wish Trees.

Donors can also contribute by purchasing general food and household hampers valued at $20, $30, and $50 via NTUC FairPrice’s online portal (www.fairprice.com.sg) or donate cash at any AXS station.

2) Adopt a Wish (Specific Wishes Project)Adopt a wish or wishes from any of the Boys’ Brigade Share-A-Gift Wish Trees in Singapore.Pick up a wish tag and get the item on the wish tag. Place the gift at the location where you pick up the wish tag. The Wish Trees are located at various NTUC outlets. More information can be found on the “donation location” here.

3) Deliver Food Hampers like what we do!

Let this season be the start of a regular volunteering work with your kids and families 🙂

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. We got to be part of this meaningful project when I learnt through media and PR who are promoting volunteering and sharing during this holiday period. It could not have come at a better time when I was coincidentally looking up for doing volunteering work with my kids 🙂