We are excited to announce that
we are Ambassadors
for Rise & Shine.
Rise & Shine
is a community initiative started by a group of mothers
and Nanyang Technological University students.
The mission of this initiative
is to provide parents and educators
an opportunity to learn,
share and identify holistic approaches
in raising healthier and happier children.
The Shocking Truth
1 in 3 kids in Singapore skip breakfast at least once week.
And 46% said that there wasn't enough time to eat.
As a child grow older,
he/she is even more likely to skip breakfast.
"Eat breakfast like a king,
lunch like a prince,
and dinner like a pauper."
Why is breakfast so Important?
According to research,
Children who skips breakfast;
- Tends to be listless and loses concentration in class.
- Are more likely to be moody and temperamental.
- Are at a higher risk of weight problems in later years.
We review it so that you can save your calories for better food.
Buddy Hoagies Cafe & Grill
1 Pasir Ris Close
#02-126 Downtown East
Tel: 65821477Fax: 65827076
The ambiance of the restaurant was warm and cozy.
A perfect place for catching up over beers.
Mushroom Soup that came with the Set Meal
Nothing fancy, tasted just like those you could get right out of a can.
New York Steak
Sides: Mac&Cheese & Baked Potato
It does look really promising,
but, it has failed the taste test.
For the price paid,
I would say Aston would be a better dinning choice in comparative to Buddy Hoagies.
Food was edible, but not enjoyable.
Service staff were nonchalant.
Will return for a beer,
but never a meal!
Asli Satay Club
Stall 19, Asli Village
#01-03, 1 Pasir Ris Close,
Downtown East.
I love people who make a difference in the work they do.
Other than the conventional satays, which they call Original satays.
They had a choice of tender satays as well.
I was told that other than being more tender than the original satays,
tender satays were less sweet as well.
The aroma of satays whet my appetite!
Many other "exotic" satay choices includes;
Duck, Babat, Paru, Hati, Chicken Hot n Spicy, Mushroom.
They even had BBQ Prawn & Baby Octopus
Both kids were polishing up their satays in lighting speed.
The only setback was the satay sauce.
what a pity, if they had better sauce,
I am sure this satay experience would be out of this world!
We were almost filled to our very brim.
But, since the kids said they were still hungry,
we hunted for more yummy food to entice our taste buds.
We stumbled upon Yam's Kitchen
1 Pasir Ris Close
#04-101 Downtown East
Tel:
65845884
Fried Fish Skin
Oh Gawd!
Tasted like crunchy hot koropok.
Instant hit with the kids!!
Prawn Rolls
I didn't care much for the prawn rolls.
It's same old same old with the ones I had elsewhere.
But the sauce for the Prawn Roll was good.
Very balanced in tasting. I like!
Friend Pumpkins with Salted Eggs
They call this the Chinese French fries.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ONE!
Bean Curd with Hashima
Sophia polished up all the good stuffs.
She's a real foodie!
Azzura Gelati Ice Cream
These ice cream are imported from Australia.
And the owners are selling them really close to cost price,
We even get to meet the chef and owner; Mr Yam
Thank you for the great food!
Will definitely make another trip for main courses!
I don't know where Hiroshi gets all his fancy vacation ideas from.
But, Germany is one of the MUST go places in his list.
We were actually apprehensive about this trip to Munich.
Mainly because Franklin is barely 3 month old,
He has never taken an airplane, let alone a 13 hours one!
He has also never been anywhere colder than 25 degrees Celsius.
Our decision to hop on the airplane only came a day before departure.
Yes, I am living it up to my reputation as the Queen of Impromptu!
Well, it looks like we've totally underestimated our 3 month old!
Our 13 hours flight was a bliss!!
Westin Hotels
Bed fit for a King
I love the woody interior.
So warm and Inviting.
Day 1
Have you ever seen a dog chasing after its' own tail?
Day 1 feels exactly like that!!!
All the hype,
but we ended up in no where
all thanks to a faulty vehicle by Europcar!!!
*cursing under my breath*
The drive soon became very stressful
because our wiper refuse to dispense de-icing liquid,
causing visibility to be close to zero.
We had to pull over at the nearest petrol station to get some de-icing liquid,
even so that wasn't the end of our woes!
Despite our best efforts,
we couldn't figure out how to open the car hood.
We simply splash the de-icing liquid on our windshield,
press on for a couple of miles before the same problem comes up again!!!
Had to stop at the slip road to rectify the problem.
Thankfully, another lady who had also stopped by the slip road came to help us
figure out our hood problem.
So we thought that was the end it,
but hell no!
The wiper refuses to dispense and de-icing liquid!
We had to press on.
Drive to the nearest petrol station to seek help.
We managed to get 2 kind souls who were helpful enough
to help us figure out our problem at the petrol station.
It seems like the tube that connects to
the dispenser of the de-icing liquid is KAPUT,
as how they would say it in German.
We drove to a mechanics in hopes
that they would be able to solve the "easy" problem.
But, we were advice to go to the nearest Euprocar outlet
to get the problem fixed since it was a rental car.
We drove around looking for THE Europcar outlet.
When we finally found it,
there was no mechanics,
and we were advised to drive to the nearest Renault outlet
to get the problem fixed!
Mad rush to the nearest Renault outlet to get the problem resolve.
I was disappointed that
this has taken away precious time from our travel plans,
but yet on the other hand,
I am just thankful that the problem was fixed.
Driving was a lot less stressful after we got the wiper problem rectified!
Getting other people's problem fixed at the expense of our precious time.
Hiroshi's spirits were still high since he was awed by beautiful snow mountains.
We decided to drive back to the hotel
as it was already too late to head up to the ski resorts!
Day 2
Upon driving out of the city,
the screwdriver icon came flashing up on the car's dashboard.
Arrgh...
Enough is Enough!
We decided to turn back,
return the faulty vehicle in exchange to another one,
and hopefully a better one!
Dear Europcar,
you sucks big time!
you even charged us in FULL for the day
we drove around solving YOUR problem!!!
After the change of car,
we manage to drive to Füssen fuss free!
Kids excited to take the horse carriage
that will bring us half way up to Schloss Neuschwanstein
Being Singpaorean,
And being first in the queue,
We scramble for the best seat;
with the best view.
Oh and boy did we regret it!
Our horses were farting throughout the ride.
And we even get to watch them taking a dump it in perfect view.
By the doorsteps of Schloss Neuschwanstein.
The dreamy romantic castle
was built in the 19th century by King Ludwig II.
The castle design was ideal for a painter,
but not an architect.
Hohenschwangau Castle
This is where King Ludwig II spent his childhood years.
Day 3
Kitson had to do a Manchester turn around.
So I brought all 3 kids to a Indoor Playground on my own.
Jimmy's Fun Park
It was an adventure that I wasn't sure if I was going look back to laugh or cry at!
I google mapped the place before leaving the hotel.
Scribing directions on a piece of hotel note pad.
Feeling confident I ventured out.
Walked from the hotel to the nearest train station,
took the train to MünchenHauptbahnhof.
Had to take the interstate train to Kissing.
And from there, take a cab to Dasin.
Thank you Google Map,
you made me feel like a Supermum!
But, there was just one problem.
The cab ride from Kissing to Dasin is 30 euros!
I nearly choked to death upon hearing how exorbitant the cab fare was!
I merely had 50 euros in my pockets.
And I was already running back up plans in my brain after alighting from the cab.
Told myself to chill,
could have signed with plastic money for the entrance to the Indoor playground
and perhaps with the loose change in my wallet,
it will be enough to bring us home.
God was in a mood for some humor on that day.
Jimmy's Fun Park does not accept Visa!
And entrance was 20 odd euros.
Paid for entrance
and ran backup plans in my brain again!
While the kids were having fun running amok in the park,
I checked my wallet,
had about 15 euros worth of loose change.
And I was mentally cursing myself
for leaving all those Singapore dollars in the hotel!!
Still not enough to bring us home!
In my desperate last resort,
I sms-ed Kitson telling him to come save us!!!
Kitson has just arrived in Munich from the Manchester turn around.
I could understand that he was dead dog tired.
But, he did his best to help us get home.
Together, we ran our options through smses
Kitson suggested that I should ask
if there was a local bus/train that will bring me to Kissing station.
I went around asking the staff if they could speak english.
And thank God there was ONE that could converse in english!!
Apparently, Dasin station is 15 mins away from Jimmy's Fun Park.
And it only cost 4 Euros to get from Dasin to Kissing station!
With my mind settle on a home going solution,
I sat and watch the kids play with less angst.
Our 15mins walk to Dasin station turned into a 40 mins walk!
Against the strong winds blowing that day,
I sort of regretted my decision of bringing 3 kids out on my own in a foreign land!
We pressed on and manage to get back to Munich in 1 piece.
But, seeing how much the kids had enjoyed the park,
it has to be all worth it going through so much hassle!
(till date, the kids are still talking about the park!!)
Kitson was waiting for us at MünchenHauptbahnhof.
I can't tell you how delighted I was to see him!!
Had simple dinner at the Hauptbahnhof.
Dinner never tasted so good!
We were famished.
Visited the Christmas Market after Dinner
10 tips when traveling with Infant:
1. Always bring TRAVEL MEDICATION, no matter how "advance" you think that destination might be. My survival pack usually includes, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, cough, flu, vomiting & diarrhea medication. Other optional items includes Vicks Vaporub & 如意油 (rú yì yóu).
2. Pack baby bag. A bag that will be taken down after take off. Include some comfortable clothes for mother and baby. Also a handy plastic bag to throw trash.
3. Never be the 1st to board the aircraft.
Pacifying a baby in a space constrain environment is stressful!
4. Be familiar with the aircraft
Check out where the toilets with baby changing facilities are.
5. Nurse during take off and landing.
This will help ease pressure in the infants ear during take off and landing. If that fails, flu medication will help as suggested my my PD.
6. Swaddle baby in aircraft blanket before putting baby in bassinet.
The thick blanket keeps them warm. And they are less likely to get startled when you carry them out of the bassinet for turbulence weather.
7. Bring a sensible light weight pram
There is no place like home! Singaporean are very lucky to have ramps and sheltered walkways. In most of the countries I've visited, there are stairs aplenty to be lugging that heavy pram around!
8. Invest in a good sling or baby carrier
You still have your 2 hands if you are using either the carrier or sling. Will come in very handy holding onto other children, or carrying shopping bags.
9. Layer your kids in cold climax. Remember the chap stick and Moisturizer too!
