Nuffnang

Sunday, September 19, 2010

~ Kite Festival - The Promontory @ Marina Bay~



Yesterday, we took the children down to The Promontory @ Marina Bay for the Kite Festival by NTUC Income and act3 International. It was a huge crowd! We saw families bringing their own mats and food for picnic and many brought their own kites or purchase one on the spot.

It is a sunny afternoon and there are so many kites of different colours, shapes and sizes in the clear, blue sky.



One can really get lost in this crowd. Although there are free goodie bags, kites and balloons, plus kite-making workshops, it is always accompany with a super long queue everywhere. You really need to be patient to wait half hour or more just to get to your turn.

The live performances with music and songs fills the air and it is just as enjoyable to immerse in the crowd looking at the kites.

The main highlight is the showcase of the bigger kites flew by the kite masters. There was suppose to be a candy drop from the big kites so that the children can grab the candies. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough wind and probably due to the limited space by the surrounding crowd, the kite masters had difficulty flying the kite high. Still it has been an eye opener and a great attempt.




Daddy queued at least half hour to get a balloon for Gladys. We may not get to fly our kites this time, but it has been a very pretty sight to see.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

~ Hougang Swimming Complex ~

Denver has been taking his swimming lessons at the Hougang Swimming Complex. It is located within the heartlands and during the weekends, the competition & teaching pool will be crowded with children learning from their coaches. Many parents are seen seating around, chit-chatting, swimming or reading the papers.

Hougang Swimming Complex
Address: 95 Hougang Ave 4 (538830)
1 Competition Pool, 1 Teaching pool, 1 Wading pool

There is a small slide at the wading pool and this is the young children's corner where they too can have fun. Hougang Stadium & Sports Hall is also located near the swimming complex where public can use the facilities.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

~ Mid-Autumn Festival by the River 2010 ~

It will be Mid-Autumn Festival in another week time. From now till 22nd Sept (from 5pm nightly), there will be floating lantern pieces depicting the Chinese legends (三国, 西游记, 水浒传 etc) and big lanterns on the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals display near Clark Quay and on the Singapore River.


At the same time, there is also a Taiwanese Food Fair by the River with many stalls selling yummy, authentic Taiwanese food & snacks near and on the bridge. (e,g, "Smelly" toufu, Zhuangyuan Gao, Fried chicken, 蚵仔煎, 擔仔麵 etc). There are also booths selling clothing, handifcrafts and offering massage services. 

Stage performances with music and 相声 is also near the Central Mall and it will be nice to bring the family down for dinner, have a little walk and immerse in the Mid-autumn festival by the Singapore River.

Friday, September 10, 2010

~ Singapore Expo ~

The Singapore Expo (新加坡博览中心) is Singapore's largest Convention & Exhibition Centre. There are 10 large multi-purpose halls where many meetings, trade fairs, exhibitions, concerts etc are held. It is located in the eastern side of Singapore and is easily accessible. The nearest MRT station is @ Expo.

Singapore Expo
1 Expo Drive, #01-01
Singapore 486150

For those who are driving, there is an open carpark in front and behind the Expo. However, in major exhibitions or sales events, it will be challenging to find a parking lot.

We often visit the Singapore Expo whenever there are fairs like Metro, John Little, Robinson, IT (Sitex, Comex), Electronics and Food fair etc. There are many events held throughout the year and it is usually crowded during the weekends especially if there are sales. Food fair is one of our favourite as we can eat and drink the samples from different stalls.

Outside the convention halls, there are resturants and foodcourt where public can grab a bite, have a drink and take a rest. Check out the event calendar to see what are the on-coming sales before making a trip down to the Singapore Expo.

Friday, September 3, 2010

~ Takashimaya @ Ngee Ann City ~

Orchard Road is very well known as the shopper's haven in Singapore. There are various iconic shopping malls occupying both sides of the one way street which draws a lot of tourists as well as the locals. Due to the crowd (especially during weekends) and more expensive parking, we only go to Orchard Road once in a very blue moon.


One of our favourite hide-out is the Takashimaya Department Store (retail giant in Japan) at Ngee Ann City. The 7 storeys (B2-L5) store is filled with Ladies', Men's and Children's Fashion, Beauty & Cosmetics, Sports, Toys, Books, Electrical, Home & Interior, Food outlets and many more.

The children's favourite is the Toys section at Level 3 while Hubby & I will occasionally look around to look at the clothing or the Home & Interior area at B1. Basement 2 is where the supermarket and the various food outlets are located. If you are thirsty or want to grab something to eat, this is where you should go. Alternatively, KFC and McDonald is just located a level up at B1 but seatings are limited. :)


Besides the various promotions at the "Talking Hall" event at B1, there are always sales events/fairs (e.g. Toy fair, Fashion, Home & Interior, Sports etc) held at the 1000sqm Takashimaya Square at B2. Since Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner, there are many stalls from different hotels, restaurants setup at the square promoting sales of their mooncakes. From the traditional White Lotus, Snow skin to Durian, Yam, Champagne, Ice-cream flavoured mooncakes. There are so many to choose from and you just cannot stop sampling them. Hahaha

There are many more shops around Ngee Ann City and if love to shop, it'll take you sometime to complete your shopping. :)


Outside Ngee Ann City is the Civic Plaza. It is a big open area where many roadshows, concerts, events are held. There is a water fountain in front of the Civic Plaza and Gladys will not miss the chance to take some photos here. :) She loves to see the fountains and play with the water.

Anyone in a shopping mood? :D

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

~ PA Holiday Flats @ Pasir Ris ~

We were invited by Uncle's family to go for a BBQ session at the People's Association Holiday Flats located at Pasir Ris.

It is my first visit to the PA Chalet and it is pretty neat and quiet. :)


The chalet has a living room, kitchen, toilet and bathing area as well as 2 bedrooms. Those rooms located at level 1 are more favourable as each has a balcony area and it is more accessible to the BBQ pits.

Just outside the chalet is an open field and playground where children can run around freely and have fun while parents can still keep a watchful eyes at them sitting from a distance. :) BBQ pits are located further down and there are seatings around each pit.

The chalets are facing the beach and families or friends can gather to BBQ, cycle, watch the sunrise and sunset or just simply have some gathering together.

For more information on booking of the chalet, please visit http://one.pa.gov.sg/.