We popped by Hougang RiverCourt for lunch today. Wanted to take advantage of the 1-for-1 deal at Takagi Ramen but wow… there was a constant long queue outside. We might actually be tempted to queue if we didn’t have a toddler with us. Hahaha! Our boss would be screaming her head off had we joined this long unmoving queue.
We ate at Lotus Cafe instead. Usually, this vegetarian eatery will be packed but thanks to Takagi Ramen, we could easily get a table here. XD We ordered a Soup of the Day (wintermelon soup), Signature Stir-fried Laksa, and King Oyster Mushroom Cutlet X.O. Fried Rice. The bill came up to $27.70 including GST. Everything was tasty, including that very small portion of soup. And my darling particularly liked the belachan taken from the condiments counter.
We got a nice booth near the full-length windows, and… our daughter decided to try climbing out of it…
OI HELLO! Are you our son or daughter ah?!
We parked outdoors and along the way we went past 121 Prawn Roll. I recalled seeing posts about this place on a Facebook Group I’m in. Apparently their prawn rolls are to-die-for.
Each box costs $17.60. We bought one to try. Will have to ask my sis to help air-fry these. XD
$17.60 for a box of frozen prawn rolls sure seems a bit steep but… you can use your CDC vouchers here. Will be back for more if we like the taste! 😀
The balloon sculptures at Marina Square never fail to impress and though today’s not Day 1 of Enchanted Tales, the balloons are still in pretty good shape actually. And they’re all so instagram-worthy! 😀 There’s even a life-size (balloon) horse-drawn carriage in which you can sit and get pictures taken – no official photographer charging for photos so just take your own with your mobile phone. XD
The princess and her minion… I think. 😀
There’s great natural lighting, so your photos are likely to turn out very well… royally well.
There are just too many balloons to count, so don’t bother. XD But definitely pop by (hur hur) by 17th March! There’s a costume section where kids can dress up as knights, princes or princesses for just $5! We figured there won’t be any in Melody’s size so we didn’t head there. In any case, she’s more of a unicorn, as you already well know. XD
We visited Bird Paradise for the very first time today! I’d won tix online and could therefore save on the entrance fee (hehehe). The parking fee itself was a hefty ten bucks. I’d done prior research and told hubby so he won’t get a shock when we’re leaving the carpark. LOL. It’s $3 for the first hour and $2 for every subsequent hour or part thereof. Thankfully there’s a cap of $10. If you were to come by after the park is closed, it’s free parking from 6pm to 12 midnight. XD Make sure you sign up for a WildPass (free digital membership) as you’ll get discounts off tix, at the F&B outlets, etc. For activities like the bird feeding, you’ll have to book and pay up in advance. Renting a wagon or trike for our kiddo would cost $18 – so, naturally, we brought Melody’s stroller. XD There are water dispensers at various locations within Bird Paradise so you can simply bring your own water bottle. My darling said a 500ml bottle of Pokka Green Tea at the Cheers convenience store cost $4.03 (GULP!). But, you know what… we’d brought our own water and isotonic drinks which we’d left in the freezer overnight so they’d slowly ‘melt’ throughout the day and we’d have icy cold beverages throughout our visit. Hehehe… smart right? 😉
I’d also noted the timings for the two presentations (I’d wanted to catch both) at the Sky Amphitheatre. We managed to catch Predators on Wings at 1030am and Wings of the World at 1230pm. It’s super important to reach Bird Paradise EARLY. They open at 9am and we reached the carpark at 9.03am. By about 11.30pm, the heat would be unbearable (so you need to have seen all the aviaries by that time!) From the entrance, we walked one round through all the aviaries and stopped by the Amphitheatre for the first show. Then once we reached the exit, we took the free shuttle back to the Amphitheatre for the second show. And since it was scorching hot by the time that ended, again, we took the shuttle and got ourselves back to the entrance. XD (Yes, there are only two stations, no other stops in-between, as it’s a short ride – you can also walk as it’s about 350m, according to signposts)
But the weather is a real killer. And we noticed that some of the birds weren’t in the mood to perform today. Either they’d refuse to move or ignore instructions / directions and do their own thing. XD
Kudos to the keepers and presenters who just kept on providing nuggets of information till the birds were ready.
OK… here’s another pro tip: see the huge-ass fans below? I’m not referring to the people. But just get yourself seated at the back row, right in front of those fans. Super shiok! Anywhere else is just going to be (too) warm…
We saw lots of birds (obviously) today and my favourite has to be the blue-winged kookaburra. (You know how to sign the song? :D)
This lil cutie!
And we also bought the Penguin Bao! Remember I told you at the start of this blogpost that you should get a WildPass? Yup, there’s 10% discount for the bao if you have the WildPass (just flash the email sent to you). Each bao costs $3.90+GST (no discount even if you get 4 of them) and you pay an additional $2+GST if you want them in a box. If you get a takeaway instead of dining in, you save on the 10% service charge.
The buns have a red bean filling. Not bad. And SO cute!
Between the various aviaries will be lovely areas which act as sort of a reprieve from the intense heat. The air-conditioning is so strong in those areas, and all the seats look different. Some places have benches, some have swings, and others have beanbags…
You can tell just how much we love these spaces.
And at this particular panel… hubby says to me that we should be in this photo together, instead of Melody. Cos… Melody Makers… geddit? XD
Another thing we did (correctly) was to let Melody bring her own stuffed toys. Muahaha. As you can see in the final pic, she wasn’t even interested in what her Papa was showing her as she had her favourite Penguin with her already. I can only say the stuffed animals in Bird Paradise are quite pricey. The small grey penguin which fit into my hand costs $15. (@_@) Great souvenir for the tourists though. XD
All in all, we had a wonderful time at the Bird Paradise. It truly exceeded all our expectations. *The diaper change/nursing rooms and toilets were all super clean and dry, like our airport toilets. There were even complimentary wet wipes at the diaper change area – consider me uber impressed! We’d definitely love to be back again once Melody is a little older and can walk all around on her own. XD Then she’ll be better able to enjoy the playgrounds and water play areas here.
And oh… food options near where we parked:
Not as crazy expensive as we’d expected them to be. Could be great dining spots for those who live nearby and can take advantage of the free parking after 6pm. Do check the operating hours for these F&B joints first though. 🙂
Melody has a really FUN dad… and I’m so glad she does. He’s the sort who will take her on (sometimes scary) slides and jump right into the ball pit with her. XD Meanwhile I’m like “Watch her legs! Careful! Don’t break her legs coming down the slide!” Perhaps it’s because I’m the mom of a girl so…
What an apt expression on M. XD
Anyyyyhow… Smigy has a new outlet at Forum shopping mall. Parking is *cough* not cheap here (We played at Smigy for an hour, walked through toys’r’us a bit and exited the carpark with a $5+ bill. For Smigy itself… it’s $23 for 1 hour (1 parent + 1 child) and $10 for an additional adult. So much cheaper over in JB… I know… but the lure of a brand new playground is near impossible to resist.
They provide lockers and shoe cabinets too…
And there’s a quite chio area for birthday parties and the like…
We were right there beside Melody while she played. So the older boys and girls couldn’t get close. Haha! We don’t want anyone tripping over her or accidentally hitting her with a toy, do we? But this Papa’s a kid magnet, I tell you. And when one boy came over to chat and started coughing (OMG WHY Y’ALL BRING A SICK KID TO THE PLAYGROUND AH?!!!), I quickly placed Melody further away from the kid. Papa… even better – he just carried her right out. Hahaha!
Smigy also has a pretty large LEGO wall. OK wait… I’m not actually sure it’s lego or something similar but we didn’t play here…
I think this place was open by around 10.30am that day? But we arrived only past noon ‘cos Melody needed a nap first and it was a most unholy mess by then… hahahaha
And some toys were also broken. This one has a sharp axle that if it were pointing upwards and a child happened to fall onto it… the kid would have been impaled on it so we moved it out of the play area.
And ya… I think the cash register got robbed or something.
See this wonderful dad teaching his daughter how to comb the doll’s hair? XD
I think this playground is more suitable for older kids (say, age 4 or older) as there are lots of small items which kiddos like Melody may put into their mouths and end up choking on. Also, the costumes provided are so big. If you’re bringing a much younger child here, then watch him/her like a hawk and everyone will be fine. 🙂
Like a lot of people in SG, I’ve had some not-so-wonderful pineapple tarts this year. The higher prices aside, the quality seems to have dropped tremendously. There’s a home baker (let’s call her W) I bought pineapple balls from back in 2022, when I was pregnant and after Melody was born. Each tub cost $24.80 (450g, 30pcs) two years ago. This year, it’s $28. However, I don’t mind the pricetag… if the pineapple treat is as good as it was previously. I’d received my order on 13th January… and almost immediately sent feedback to W that the pineapple balls were much stiffer and no longer had that melt-in-the-mouth texture I remembered. She said it’s probably due to a new oven she was getting used to… and later sent 3 new tubs in exchange for 2 unopened tubs. Alas! Slightly better but nowhere near as awesome as the 2022 versions. So I’m taking her off my list of go-to bakers for pineapple tarts. Thankfully, there’s a new entrant. I spotted Crunchy Teeth’s $43 ‘Dragon Year Deluxe Pineapple Tarts’ on Facebook. You see them in the photo above. Super pretty and perfect for gifting, right? BUT limited to 1 set per customer. XD
I bought their Earl Grey Milk Cookies (200g, $16) and Orange Chocolate Chunks Cookies (200g, $12) as well since the delivery fee is $12 – might as well buy more stuff at once! (I like the earl grey ones – so tiny and addictive – while I found the orange chocolate ones REALLY crunchy LOL)
Generous pineapple filling that’s not too sweet + crumbly pastry and SUCH A FEAST FOR THE EYES!
Yes, I’d totally order this again.
KAWAII! 😀 😀 😀
And for those of you who’d baulk at the price… I did also get a slightly more wallet-friendly tub of pineapple tarts from FairPrice. It’s Glory’s 400g Round Shape Pineapple Tarts. I’d read an 8days review about them and the description was so hilarious, I just had to go get a tub and see/taste for myself:
“The plastic bottle is admittedly quite un-glam but we would still display it on our CNY table because the tarts in it are so darn good. The quirky but attractive golden tarts are adorned with another piece of pastry on top that looks like a fidget spinner and the bronzed jam looks like it was pressed on by an enthusiastic baby.” -8days.sg
$15.09 for a 400g tub! The Golden Pillow version costs $21 for 650g.Ahahaha! Look what the “enthusiastic baby” did! 😀
My darling’s horrified at the $15 pricetag – he was expecting $8 at most. Hurhur. But these pineapple tarts are good so no regrets. They taste almost… homemade. Like if you were to put them on a plate and tell me your Mom/Aunt made them, I’d totally believe you.
But all these goodies are so high in calories it’s not even funny. I went for a gym session yesterday and the high-tech stationery bike I rode let me know that I burnt only a miserable 15kcal after cycling 1km. Meanwhile, 1 pineapple tart has something like 74 calories (?!) OMG.
We were at FUNAN the other day and my darling had already done his research beforehand and he said we’ll visit a BBT cafe with a ball pit. I didn’t do any such research about the place, so when we arrived I had to go check out the menu and decide what to order. And before I knew it… the father-daughter duo had already removed their footwear and were sitting in the middle of the giant ball pit. (Try and spot them in the picture above. Haha) I can only say Melody has a very fun dad. Everyone else was just sitting around, all prim and proper, and resisting all urges to kick around in the ball pit or have any fun. XD Not these two…
I picked the Trendy Bubble Milk Tea ($4.90) and Watermelon Smoothie ($6.90) and the staff told me that if I were to scan a QR code with my hp and become a member here then the milk tea’s FOC! So I did. And I have to say that the Watermelon Smoothie is really good! Even my darling liked it. It has mint in it so it’s uber refreshing. Go try!
I thought the bubble milk tea was so-so. What I might try next time we visit is the Pineapple Perfume Lemon Ice Tea ($5.90) and the Orange Fruit Tea ($6.90)! The toppings here include your usual pearls and ice cream BUT they do also have D24 Durian (+$3) and Musang King Durian (+$6) Whoaaaaaaa!!!
We did not order dessert (though arguably BBT with toppings feels like dessert already) but the bingsu looks good. The Mangos Love Snowflake Ice costs a whopping $19.90 though. A Mango Souffle is slightly cheaper at $16.90! Or just go for the $6.90 Mango Ice with Rice Ball. This place serves waffles too!
Quite happy with the drinks already!
Someone’s a big girl now. The first time we put her into the ball pit at a BBT store in Woodleigh Mall, she was almost ‘drowning’ in the sea of balls and did not quite enjoy herself. Now she looks so at home here…
And no… that’s not a school uniform. It’s Melody’s Sailormoon costume. Ahahaha!
Smile Dessert is located at #02-03 of Funan. Do pop by if you’re in the area! 😀
I found out about this roadshow via instagram and we made our way to Vivocity today. Actually, if not for the fear of contracting COVID again, I would have loved to take Melody to Jewel Changi Airport previously when they had their Super Mario theme. With so many travelers at our airport, I believe it’ll be super easy to catch a bug or two – and not even the travel bug kind. 😛
Vivocity seems safe enough. And we went there early today. XD
In the very first picture above, actually I only paid for the 95g pack of fish skin. The other smaller packs were all prizes won from the roadshow. I also got a $3 voucher there, which was just nice to offset the price of the Super Mario tote ($3 with any purchase) 😀
Melody hates wearing caps so she’s not scratching her head here – she’s just trying to get the cap off. LOL
And that black ball she’s holding? Eagle-eyed you! She CAUGHT that from the IRVINS claw machine. There were large yellow and red capsules which people are supposed to try to catch but on her first attempt, the claw went all the way down… and came up with the small black ball. *GASP* Even the staff were impressed because they tried, and failed, to get the black ball when they were clawing. XD (And yes… we returned the ball)
Because the $3 voucher we received at the roadshow could not be redeemed there, we had to go up to their (permanent) store at level 2. Oh well… more photo ops:
Hehehe!
Recently, my darling looked at the photo album which I’ve been diligently updating and he commented that Melody has different outfits in all those photos – hardly any repeats!
Haha!
My wardrobe is 75% her clothes, 25% mine. And she has many new outfits she has yet to wear too! And I’m constantly buying more.
The rationale is… I’m stopping at one (child) so let’s just pretend I would have had 5 children otherwise, and I have the fashion budget for 5 to spend on this one kiddo. So there we go. Boomz. My wardrobe is bursting.
And wouldn’t it be fun for her to grow up, and look through those albums, and see that she had such a cool childhood playing dress-up as Santarina, a unicorn (!), Totoro, a rabbit, Snow White, a watermelon, dinosaur hunter, a McDonald’s employee, Superbaby, etc? People who wish to tell me to buy fewer clothes for Melody… should just zip it. I’m spending my own money and this makes me real happy. And she’s so adorable. I’m just gonna keep at it. LOL!
I really should post more often (thank you, Samy, for the reminder today XD) but you know… mom duties. And more often than not, I do a blogpost if I want to have a reminder of how awesome a meal was OR how bad one was (so we don’t forget and then return to the same place XD). So those that are so-so don’t get featured. Hehehe! Now, this one’s really good. My darling booked this place for a late lunch via Eatigo. There was 50% discount, plus he had a $10 Eatigo voucher from an earlier booking, so this meal for two cost less than $22!
Chunky Lobsters is located at level 1 of Orchard Gateway, just opposite the Under Armour store. We had the Mentaiko Lobster Roll ($24) + fries ($2.50), Seafood Rose Carbonara ($16.90) and the Fried Mushrooms ($5). My Lavender Earl Grey Tea cost $4 before the 50% Eatigo discount. *Yes, the discount applies to drinks too, at least when we were there!
I remember this being a wonderful meal and a great day out. Melody was at her Grandma’s and we could enjoy a meal together… in peace… and then do a spot of shopping at Uniqlo (apparently it’s their “global flagship store” according to some in-store advert)… then grab some yummies from Don Don Donki for Melody + dinner for my Mom.
Absolutely delectable. But just one prawn. XD
Our order was placed at 3.15pm, and I think the staff were off for their break around 3.30pm? Even then, the food was delicious! And the service was good too. (OK the reason I need to emphasize this is because of the next blogpost – totally different place, and totally different experience).
If you wish to have a look at the menu, here it is:
Without any sort of discount, it does seem like one’s wallet will take a hit. But with 50% off… it was really SHIOK AH! And at around 3pm on a weekday, the entire place was “ours”.
Also, Chunky Lobsters was smart enough to put a stamp on our receipt that allows us to return with it and get 30% off our next meal. SO tempting. Now I’m looking forward to what we’ll have when Melody’s at her Grandma’s again. 🙂
I made my way to SGH’s Academia building this morning to find out how Pearlie White’s new Defenze mouth rinse was developed and its effectiveness in targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in our saliva and oral cavities. If scientific facts boggle your mind, then just know that this mouth rinse contains 3 key ingredients: CPC, zinc and xylitol, which can lead to a reduction of 99.99% of the virus within a matter of minutes. Do note that it’s not a “cure” for COVID. Its main purpose is to prevent the transmission of the virus via oral means – e.g. if I suay suay kena COVID again, I want to ensure I don’t spread it to Melody again via my saliva droplets, but I’ll still have to keep my mask on to ensure the virus doesn’t spread via nasal means.
I’ll be the first parent to admit that if not for my young child at home, I would be totally unafraid of getting COVID. Now what I am afraid of is her suffering – the fever, the tears, the sleepless nights, the inability to communicate with us how she is feeling and what we can do to make her feel better.
Just a couple of months ago, hubz and I both came down with COVID (we tested positive via ART) and shortly after, Melody displayed the exact same symptoms so we didn’t bother getting her tested. Thankfully, my Mom cared for her while us parents were in isolation and in utter agony (I really hate the sore throat!)
So now here’s one way of ensuring we don’t spread the COVID virus to Melody if we get infected again. We’ll just have to use the mouthwash for 60 seconds after we brush our teeth. *Kids under the age of 6 should not use the mouthwash unless recommended to do so by a dentist.
Actually I’m a big fan of the brand. Bet they didn’t know that before inviting me to the media event. Ha! I’ve been using only Pearlie White toothpaste unless another brand is offering Hello Kitty gifts-with-purchase then I switch brands for a few months! XD
Pearlie White had a booth at Academia today so I bought 10 tubes of toothpaste ($2 each only) and paid another 10 bucks for a tooth whitener and stain remover product (received one in our media goodie bag for me to use but I wanted to get 1 more for hubz).
I’ve watched the price go up and up in FairPrice Finest so when it’s $2, I’m definitely stocking up. XD
I first started using Pearlie White’s toothpaste a few years ago when I spotted it in FairPrice Finest. The packaging caught my eye. The then-low pricepoint seemed affordable and it was to #SupportLocal. Then I fell in love with the product – not minty like so many other toothpastes and there’s no strange aftertaste or scent.
And honestly, I was blown away by the range of oral healthcare items offered by Pearlie White at their booth today. Never knew there was such an extensive range. So far I’ve only tried their toothpaste and mouth rinse and can vouch for both. No funky aftertaste, which is great.
Where to buy Defenze: you can ask your dentist for it, or visit pharmacies. You can also get it online on Pearlie White’s official website or via Shopee / Lazada, etc. Black Friday sale happening soon! XD
Thank you for the goodie bag! I love the cool purple mouth rinse XD But it’s so minty that I’ll take a while to get used to it (my toothpaste isn’t the minty kind after all). Hehehe.
We went to Rivervale Plaza for dinner just now and on the way there it started raining HEAVILY. So I guess that’s why we wanted to eat something soupy and steaming hot. Hahaha! Found this entirely deserted eatery called Boat Noodle Express and we ordered #4 Beef Special Soup Noodle ($6.50) and #6 Beef Tomyum Noodle (Soup) for $7.50…
Well, we liked that there’s a somewhat generous serving of kangkong but the beef balls were a little hard to locate. Eventually, we found three beef ball halves in each bowl. Tak shiok. Like prawns sliced thinly for prawn noodles. And they were out of glass noodles too (my darling was so disappointed) and we opted for tang hoon.
And he said he spotted a giant beef ball in their cauldron(?) of soup. So we joked that we’d probably have to pay $10 for that one beef ball. Oh well. Inflation inflation inflation.
And there’s a Munchi Pancakes stall at the kopitiam upstairs. I went for the green tea red bean pancake… but it was rather cold so I didn’t enjoy it much.
He wanted to try their seasonal special… some bandung cheese pancake, which just sounded strange to me. But he loves weird combinations like that. Maybe Milo Wasabi or Red Bean Salted Egg is next? Muahaha
So he had to wait like ten minutes for his pancake to be prepared and he was expecting to get a nice warm treat… but it ended up cold like mine. So I don’t know what’s going on here but we’ll just stick to the outlet at Fernvale CC Hawker Centre. XD
Working With Grace 
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