We have another new writer on board.

Welcome Jeremy Koh! 

An avid traveler and veteran journalist who has worked and file stories in many different countries, Jeremy will be contributing a lot of exciting travel stories soon. Stay tuned!

Here’s his brief profile:

Jeremy is a journalist, television producer, travel writer and anything else that seems fun to do.

In his last 10 years as a story-teller, he has worked for television, radio and print outlets in Singapore, China and India. Some of his employers include MediaCorp, Mumbai Mirror and Tianjin Plus.

As a journalist, he had gotten front row seats to some breaking news events over the past few years. These include the Nicoll Highway collapse in Singapore, the military coup in Thailand, Beijing’s preparations for the Olympics and the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines.

Jeremy is also an avid traveller, having visited more than 30 countries for work and leisure.

Some of his fondest memories include galloping across the Mongolian plains on horseback, performing in a theatre festival in Tuscany, hiking along the Himalayan foothills in Nepal, speaking to a siege survivor in Sarajevo and crossing into North Korean waters from China (shhh!).

Jeremy is a guest contributor to this blog. He can be contacted at jjimink@163.com.

Travel to infinity and beyond when you visit IKEA on 13 and 14 June as the home furnishing retailer launches their IKEA Space Camp, with fun-filled activities from 10am to 2am the next morning, on both days.

Make space for imagination with IKEA

This June school holiday, both IKEA Tampines and IKEA Alexandra stores will be transformed into a solar system each to bring to the public, a family event of astronomical proportions and make space for imagination. Be it hands-on projects for little aspiring astronauts, or galactic gastronomic delights for adults, there will be loads of space-themed activities to explore and flaunt your creativity at the two IKEA stores.

For more information, visit the official IKEA Singapore website. Participants for the IKEA Space Camp stand a chance to win a free bedroom makeover from IKEA worth S$10,000!

Last weekend, Rachel and I brought Asher to a preview of the IKEA Space Camp for family bloggers:

Introduction and briefing for the Space Camp

Rachel gets busy making the spacecraft, with help from workshop instructors

We got to make a spacecraft out of recycled material together as a family. The theme for our cardboard spacecraft was “Banana Sundae Spacecraft” since this is Asher’s favourite dessert:

Fun isn’t it?

The slots for the IKEA Space Camp have already been fully registered, however, there are many other interesting space themed activities for the whole family. Highlights include:

1. Indulge in Space Supper – there will be Dim Sum Deals at the IKEA Restaurant from 10pm to 1.30am, with each set going at just S$1
2. Get your space style picture taken with your family at the Photo Booth
3. Check out the IKEA Galaxy Backyard Sale and enjoy astronomical savings
4. Come dressed as a Martian from 10pm onwards and moonwalk home with a S$50 IKEA Gift Card

If you are thinking of where to go for a family outing with the kids, why not head on down to one of the two IKEA stores and make space for imagination?

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I have always spent a lot of time with dogs. Recently however, a number of cat lovers started popping up around me.  That made me start paying more attention to cats. Much has been said about the feline species. About how they are solitary in nature and not a species to be domesticated or controlled by a master. Phrases like ‘cat nap’ and ‘cat fight’ conjure up images in my mind.

So I set out to make my own observation of  these  nocturnal creatures in an urban environment at the Cat Cafe Neko No Niwa.  Located at 54 Boat Quay, it boasts to be the first cafe of its kind where one can bond and care for cats while enjoying their favourite desserts and drinks.

The cats resident in this cafe are adopted and not bought from breeders or pet shops.  There was ‘Little Miss Muffet’ (Maine Coon & Ragdoll cross) taking a nap and Kai Kai (Spotted ginger tabby) who could not leave Demi (American Shorthair cross) alone for a moment.

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They were very fun to watch as they went about their business, resting in their cosy baskets, getting into playful tussles and climbing over the couch to dash across the room.

It soon occurred to me that cats like to be in charge. They seem to make the choice of  who they want to get close to and what they want to do.

They had boundaries. If they did not need your belly rub or want you brushing their hair, they simply got up and walked away.

Yet, they also had a way of  making us feel special that way.  When they chose to nestle close to us and play along with us, they showed much pleasure in being touched and cared for.

There was much to admire about them, as they cleverly sniffed out food such as popcorn hidden in a knapsack and played ‘hide-and-seek’ with balls of string.

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Happy to have learnt so much about them in a short period of time, I laid back with a cuppa and enjoyed the remaining moments with them.

If you would like to spend an afternoon with the kitties like I did, you can visit their website at: http://www.catcafe.com.sg/cafe-cats/ to learn how.

Yesterday my work day ended with me watching the musical, ‘The Sound of Music’ during its Gala Premiere. It was like eating warm pancakes with maple syrup, butter and blueberries topped with whip cream for dessert. In other words, it was an extremely feel-good performance deserving of the plenty of standing ovations it received at the end.  The audience were enraptured and we were clapping almost after every scene and especially after every song.

Captain Von Trapp and Maria Rainer

It would have been impossible for anyone to have been mentally present in 2014 once the show started as the stage design, sets, costume and scenes  transported us back to the pre-world war two period in Austria. Nothing was left to the imagination. Stage sets had been created for the rolling green and brown hills, a hanging statue of Mother Mary and baby Jesus, a classic chandelier and there were even bright streaks of lightning as special effects!

Lead actress Bethany Dickson (Maria Rainer), Janelle Visagie (Mother Abbess) and the youngest of the children, Chloe Choo (Gretl) stood out among the performers as they seemed to me to be most in –character performing without missing a beat or cue.

Some too-good-to miss scenes include Maria Rainer expertly teaching the seven children the ‘Do-Re-Mi’ song and choreography while the children are running around the stage and over the furniture; the children’s military-like marching down the stairs to the tune of the whistle by their fathers for their self-introduction to Maria and the concert where the Von Trapp family performs under the rule of the Third Reich.

The children’s military-like marching to their father’s whistle

The Von Trapp family performing under the Third Reich

Scene at the end – off to Switzerland!

Beautifully performed songs include Mother Abbess’s passionate delivery of the songs ‘My Favourite Things’ and ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ , the children saying goodnight to everyone through “So Long, Farewell” acting as parts of a cuckoo clock and of course the undeniably sweet ‘Sound of Music’ by Maria Rainer.

I was a tad disappointed that the dressing of the characters did not stand out as much as the décor on stage. In fact in one scene, Maria actually wears a dress which is stitched from the curtain used in one of the scenes. That is how good the stage décor looks.

All in all, the show is a must-catch! But look who we caught on the red carpet before the performance began!

Chua En Lai at the Gala Premiere of ‘The Sound of Music’

The musical is running till 10 August 2014. Here are more details: Show Dates: 11 July – 10 August 2014

• Tuesday – Friday: 8pm
• Saturday: 2pm & 8pm
• Sunday: 12pm & 6pm

Venue: Grand Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands Online tickets:http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/sound0814 Phone: +65 6688 8826 In person at: Marina Bay Sands Box Offices (Museum, Theatres, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Hotel Tower 1 Lobby)

In celebration of the International Year of the Family (IYF) 2014, the NDP 2014 committee and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) are organising a fun, simple caption #IYFsg contest whereby winners will walk away with 4 x NDP 2014 tickets!

From 4 to 24 July, a different NDP Family Photo will be posted up each week for 3 weeks on the MSF’s FamilyMatters Facebook Page. Put on your thinking caps and come up with creative captions for the photos.

Each week, the top 3 winners will take away a set of 4 x NDP actual day tickets each, while 2 lucky participants will be picked from a random draw to win a set of 4 x preview tickets each. More details are available on the Facebook Page. 

I already submitted a post for week 2:

I am sure you can be more creative than me and come up with even more interesting #IYFsg captions! Do send in your entries ASAP to win NDP tickets!

About International Year of the Family 2014

Singapore will be celebrating families in 2014 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF). Singaporeans can look forward to numerous engaging family-oriented events, activities and special deals, as the Ministry of Social and Family Development works with like-minded partners to celebrate and promote family bonding in joyful and heart-warming ways.

IYF was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994 to celebrate the importance of the family. IYF is officially celebrated once in ten years and 2014 is its twentieth anniversary. The core values underpinning IYF 2014 are love and respect, commitment and big-heartedness. These values help strengthen the foundation for a strong and closely knit family.

MegaZip Adventure Park

Suspended about three stories above the ground, my friend took a deep breath before she ran forward and jumped across metre-long gap between two narrow wooden planks.

No, she wasn’t making a daring escape.

Neither was she running for her life.

Instead, we were at MegaZip Adventure Park in Sentosa.

Selfie before tackling the course

MegaZip Adventure Park

Making good progress

Though the attraction is named after the MegaZip, a 450 metre zip- line which takes you from the top of Imbiah Hill across the jungle, beach, sea and finally an island off Siloso Beach, I was more interested in ClimbMax.

And that’s where my friend had to make the leap of faith (with a safety harness, of course).

Dangling in the air

ClimbMax is a three-level high aerial ropes obstacles course, of which you can attempt two levels.

We opted for the two highest levels and I loved it (don’t know about my two friends who did not complete the course though :p).

Three levels above ground

MegaZip Adventure Park

Over the course, we had to cross wobbly bridges, balance on swaying tightropes and scramble along cargo nets high above the ground.

Some obstacles were relatively easy, while others require quite a bit of arm power and determination.

Overlooking Siloso Beach

I have a slight quibble though.

I first tried MegaZip back in 2011, and three years on, the obstacles have remained the same.

It would have been nice if there were new obstacles to tackle, or if they increase the height of the obstacles (one can only wish).

Taking a breather before attempting the next challenge

In the meantime, though, it’s still a great place to hang out with your friends when you feel like getting your adrenaline pumping.

Click here for more information.

Enjoying a round of beach volleyball after tackling the course

End off the day by watching the sun set off Siloso Beach

Skype video call with my son in Singapore while I am in Nanjing

Happy 49th birthday Singapore!

Living in Nanjing, China for the past two months, the duration is not long enough for me to feel homesick, but neither so short that I do not miss my home country completely.

4 things I do not miss about Singapore:

1. Overcrowding. Singapore is severely overcrowded and our public infrastructures are strained to the maximum. I really cannot imagine a 6.9 million population living on such a tiny space.

2. IPPT/IPT/RT/ICT. Anything to do with SAF or MINDEF, especially when they are threats to charge me for the smallest thing like forgetting to submit the overseas notification when travelling.

3. Formal office wear. Why do men need to wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers in a tropical country that is hot all year round? In worse instances, ties and suits are standard requirement. Here in Nanjing, I can switch to short-sleeved shirts, even t-shirts and shorts to beat the summer heat.

4. High cost of living. Singapore has recently been crowned as the most expensive city in the world. Enough said.

Here are 9 things I miss about Singapore:

1. Clear sky and fresh air. I cannot emphasise how important the latter is for a high quality of life. Hopefully, the passing of the transboundary haze law in Parliament recently will be able to combat the haze issue caused by errant businesses in Indonesia.

2. Cleanliness. After travelling to many cities and countries around the world, Singapore is still one of the cleanest cities and countries in the world. Not that Singaporeans are not prone to littering, but our sanitation workers and cleaners work hard. They definitely deserve the recent pay increments and even more. Salute.

3.  Orderliness. There is a system and standard procedure for everything. You know where a queue starts and civil servants will always respond to your queries (even if the replies are sometime templated or half-hearted). Things work and glitches are communicated and explained properly. Cars abide traffic regulations and stop at traffic lights and zebra crossings.

4. Cosmopolitan. There are people from all over the world living and working in Singapore. You can experience many different cultures in one small island. Foreign diaspora include Golden Mile Complex for Thais, Lucky Plaza for Filipinos, Liang Court for Japanese, Clarke Quay for Europeans, among many others.

5. Food. Singaporeans are obsessed with food and I miss my laksa, char kway teow, carrot cake and other Singapore hawker favourites. There are also quality international cuisines from around the world in Singapore, something not so easily available in Nanjing.

6. Free internet. The Great Firewall of China is painful.

7. Proximity. Everything is near and accessible in Singapore, no matter where you live. A lot of my colleagues in Nanjing prefer to do their shopping online here due to distance and inaccessibility.

8. Quality healthcare and hygiene. Food are always safe for consumption, even street food. Healthcare is expensive, but at least readily available.

9. My family and friends. This cannot be replaced anywhere.

Me (Right) and my colleague, Rodolphe Destombes (Left) from Canada

I arrived in Nanjing two months ago in June. Although this is not my first time in China, it was my first time visiting the city of Nanjing as well as residing and working here.

Together with me are a group of foreigners (lao wai) from different countries like France, Canada, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary and the United Kingdom. We are all working for the Nanjing Youth Olympic Organising Committee (NYOGOC). All of the foreigners I hang out with are non-Asians. I am the only Chinese in the group who can pass off as a local, by virtue of my race and also because my spoken Chinese is fairly decent, having been brought up in a bilingual environment in Singapore.

At an Indian restaurant in Nanjing with the lao wais

Some of the lao wais have been in China previously, having worked on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, while most of the others are here for the first time. Nonetheless, all of them are equally curious about living and working in Nanjing, discovering something new each day, much like playful children.

Chinese strangers taking pictures with the lao wais

On our off-days and after work hours, we visited various attractions in Nanjing like the Sun Yat-sen mausoleum and the shopping belt at Xinjiekou. There are not many lao wais in Nanjing. When you are traveling in a large group of eight or more lao wais, it is hard not to stick out like a sore thumb.

Chines strangers toasting to the lao wais at a Chinese restaurant at Hunan Road

Nonetheless, I am pleasantly surprised at the lack of tourist touts or scammers at attractions in Nanjing, commonplace in most tourist spots, including in other cities in China. Thus far, we have not encountered any and the locals have been more than accommodating, friendly and helpful when dealing with my foreign friends.

Rodolphe getting the celebrity treatment from Chinese kids during a press event

Once, I queued for freshly baked duck oil biscuits together with a few lao wais. We were attracted to the stall by the aroma and the long snaking queue. An elderly Chinese couple ahead of us in the queue started a conversation with us out of curiosity. With me as the translator, the couple gave us an introduction to some must-try snacks and delicacies in Nanjing, including the duck oil biscuits. When it came to their turn in the queue, there were just a few biscuits left that were fresh out of the oven. The next batch will only be ready in another 15 to 20 minutes. Graciously, the couple invited us to order first. They insisted it was only right as they are the hosts while we are the guests in Nanjing. My friends and I were really touched.

Bérangère Chevallier from France enjoying her duck oil biscuit

When we ask for directions, even if the locals do not speak English, they will often try their best to help us out. On public transport like the metro trains and buses, I observed that locals are quick to offer their seats to the elderly.

The city feels safe and when my wife visited me a few weeks back, she was able to tour the city on her own. A local colleague shared with me that Nanjing is one of the safest city in China with one of the lowest crime rate.

Thus far, all of us have been very much overwhelmed by the hospitality showered on us by our local colleagues and the common folks in Nanjing.

Logan Zheng and Fiona Fang, our local counterparts for French and English respectively

Granted there are still pockets of rough behaviours like the ubiquitous loud clearing of throat and loud talking, overall, the experience is still pretty pleasant for me.

The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games opened on Saturday, August 16. Over 60,000 spectators attended the opening ceremony at the Nanjing Olympic Stadium, including Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission and Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Athletes, sports officials and spectators from over 205 nations flew into Nanjing to participate in the Games.

I hope all the foreigners will enjoy Nanjing as much as I did.

Welcome to Nanjing – 南京欢迎你！

What happens when two intelligent young men get together and brainstorm about how a group of animal lovers like themselves can keep in touch online while looking after the welfare of animals offline?

Answer: They invent Petfie Petfie is a new and unique social networking, photo sharing and community application. It allows users to create profiles for animals, for example, cats in the neighbourhood area, so that people can follow the lives and activities of these animals!

Care and help for the animals is available in an instant!

So, how does one go about using this app (available on iOS platform only currently) which works on the concept of geotagging?

Step 1: Download the Petfie application from the Apple App Store for iOS (Petfie for Android will be made available in December 2014)

Step 2: Upload a photo of your pet, animal/cat in the community and save information such the location, breed, age and other features

Step 3: Follow the development and life of other cats/animals in the community while posting comments, tips and updates

Jerome Chan, 26, SMU post-grad (Masters of Science and Innovation) and co-founder of the app said that it has been a tiring but fruitful one-year journey for him and his team of five. As someone who feeds and cares for stray cats,  Jerome desired to create an animal centric platform which would allow  similar minded people to likewise  share their love and care.

Since its launch, Petfie has successfully registered 100 users of the app. The app is also a good way for residents in a neighbourhood to get to know each other and bond over their community pets and animals. Petfie has also partnered Cat Welfare Society to help in the latter’s sterilisation efforts. Users of Petfie can create animal profiles for unsterilised cats and tag it with the ‘Sterilisation Needed’ status and anyone can bring the unsterilised community cats to specific vets for free sterilisation.  This effort comes under the ‘Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme’ (SCSP) and more information can be found at http://www.catwelfare.org/catsnip

Did your sister step over your cat today thinking that she was a part of your home decor? Or has your rabbit been circling around you for your attention while your eyes have been glued to your iphone, ipad and the tv?

If so, it is time to refresh your ideas about responsibility and commitment to your pets. And you can do so at the World Animal Day 2014.

Themed, “Caring for Your Pet!”, the event’s focus is on  pet owners and their responsibility in caring for their pets and being committed to them for life. The organisers are the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Singapore (SPCA) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

Caption: SPCA’s mascot Max

Highlights at the event

a) A ‘showroom style’ living room with different ‘learning zone’ for visitors. Visitors can  fill in an activity sheet as they go around the set-up, get tips on grooming and exercising pets, and receive a goody bag at the end

b) Adoption drive for SPCA’s cats,  dogs, hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs. A Hill’s Science Diet goody bag will be given with each adoption.

c) Speaking with the animal ambassadors there about care for your pets

d) Taking photos with SPCA’s mascot, Max, getting a Henna tatoo or a SPCA merchandise or two!

Bring your children, family and friends there! Here are the event details:

Dates: 27 (Sat) and 28 (Sun) September 2014

Time: 11am – 8pm

Venue: United Square Shopping Mall (Basement Atrium, near Watsons)

Important note: Due to the shopping centre’s policies, unfortunately pets will not be allowed at the event.   But don’t worry, SPCA will certainly plan other events with your pets in mind  

Thanks to my three-year-old son Asher, I am now very familiar with a little black dog called Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy. He goes “yap yap yap”, and has a bunch of doggie friends with names like Bottomley Potts (covered in spots), Muffin Mclay (like a bundle of hay) and Hercules Morse (as big as a horse).

Last Friday, Asher caught the opening performance of HAIRY MACLARY AND FRIENDS with his mum and grandma. The show is the official stage adaptation of the much-loved Hairy Maclary children’s books by Lynley Dodd. It came direct from a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013 and was a hit at the Sydney Opera House Christmas season 2012.

Asher and my mum at the Drama Theatre

Asher enjoyed the show tremendously. When I met Asher after work, he could not stop recounting the tales of Hairy Maclary and his friends over dinner. So much so that we headed to the library the next day to borrow a whole series of Hairy Maclary books to read to him.

Asher could not stop talking about Hairy Maclary after the show

I like that the stories are written in limerick verse. Watching the show captivated Asher’s attention and he took the initiative to memorise all the names of the characters in the book, while practising on his enunciation. Wonderful! I have been having a hard time trying to get him to work on this, but Hairy Maclary came and saved the day!

The Hairy Maclary show in Singapore is brought in by ABA Productions, an international theatre production company dedicated to creating and promoting a wide variety of performance styles from all corners of the world, particularly kids’ shows. In early 2012, ABA Productions launched the inaugural KidsFest: a three-week festival of world-class theatre for young people. Asher caught the Gruffalo’s Child last year and enjoyed it very much too.

Upcoming shows include The Gruffalo and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, both based on award-winning children’s books. Visit the official KidsFest website and facebook page to get the latest updates.

Italian restaurant Ricciotti blew out its Riverwalk outlet’s ten-year-old anniversary  candle recently.

Recognising the need to continue standing out among the diverse and competitive Singapore’s market of more than 400 Italian restaurants,  the outlet has been refurbished with Italian oak chairs and tables, lamps, alcohol drinks and more under the guidance of a designer from Italy.

There is also more premium offerings on  its menu:  Spaghetti alla Marinara al Cartoccio (rich flavors of seafood wrapped in a parcel), Mixed Grill Platter ( selection of perfectly grilled meats served with mash potatoes, mixed salad and truffle jus), Risotto ai Frutti di Mare (soft rice that retains a little bite, paired with exceptionally fresh seafood)

Patrons also have a chance to do good via the charity, Crozz Borderz!

Ricciotti donates a fixed percentage of daily sales for specific charity projects in Crozz Borderz.

Patrons can indicate their preference for the charity project and also qualify for Ricciotti vouchers by registering their receipt details.

If you thought that taking a tram ride and watching the Creatures of the Night Show is all you can do at the Night Safari, think again.

The awesome Creatures of the Night show at Night Safari is always a crowd-pleaser, but there’s more to do

The Night Safari, a park managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, is larger in size than the Singapore Zoo and is home to more than 2,500 animals, all of which are nocturnal or cathemeral (active both night and day).

Information panels and brochures at the Night Safari don’t tell you everything there is to see and can be difficult to make out in the darkness. If you want a more in-depth experience of the Night Safari, you might want a private guide with a zoology or naturalist background – and the Night Safari offers just that when you sign up for the award-winning Safari Adventurer Tour at $132 per adult. For an additional $60, you’ll get a buffet dinner and a chance to feed the elephants! (See details below.)

The private tram for the tour

Alvin, Asher and I had the chance to try out the Classic Safari Adventurer Tour on a rainy Sunday evening with our guide Walter, who is a veterinarian by profession. Only three guides are available for booking – the other two guides work in the day zoo’s education department.

Our guide, Walter on the right with the duty manager at Night Safari

Walter explains that the tour is highly customised according to the customers’ requests and the weather. Usually, he would bring his group (no more than seven as that’s the maximum capacity of the buggy) to watch the earliest Creatures of the Night Show to get it out of the way. Then, he would bring them on a tour of the park. He may start with a walking trail – the Fishing Cat Trail is nearest to the entrance and brings one to native animals such as the civet cat and otters. Or he may herd the group onto his buggy and take them on the tram route to the East Lodge Trail, where all will disembark and walk to see the leopards and servals. Many animal enclosures are only accessible on foot and not by tram. The whole excursion will take about four hours.

That night, as the earliest timing of the Creatures of the Night Show was disrupted due to rain, we trundled off in the buggy to tour the park first. The perks of such an exclusive tour became apparent once Walter started sharing his intimate knowledge of animal behaviour with us. We got to stop at every animal exhibit to observe what the animals were doing, and even listen to the sounds they made.

We could stop the tram for as long as we want to wait for the lions to yawn at us

We had time to stop and catch the tigers yawn too

Some interesting facts we learned during Walter’s tour:

• There are two different breeds of lions at the Night Safari: the Asian Lion and the White Lion. We were told that the White Lions were a gift from China, to commemorate the park’s 20^th anniversary this year. Both are endangered. The male white lion has a fuller, shaggier mane than its Asian counterpart.
• Chawang, the older of two male elephants at the Night Safari, can be rather temperamental. He’s probably got a trick or two up his sleeve if you see him flapping his ears and swaying side to side.

The tram was quiet and comfortable enough for Asher to nap for a while before he woke up to enjoy the experience

What are the differences between touring the Night Safari on your own and participating in the Safari Adventurer Tour?

Mainly, the Safari Adventurer Tour allowed a personalised narrative and intimate sharing of animal and zoo trivia. Our guide Walter’s passion for animals was evident as he pointed out to us details about the enclosures and the animals’ behaviour, even faint sounds we would usually dismiss as natural background noise. The calling of the spotted hyena, the soft growl of the lions and the grunting of the babirusa would all have been lost to us if not for Walter. He also explained how the animals’ qualities and habits helped them survive in their natural habitats.

Love this picture of the white lions with the lights shining on them

Other advantages include:

• Being able to skip the queue for the 35-minute tram ride and go on a private buggy tour lasting more than an hour
• The buggy can stop at every animal exhibit and for any duration while the tram ride only stops at certain stations for fixed durations
• If you take the Premium Safari Adventure Tour package, you will even get up close to feed the elephants!

Chawang the wild adult male elephant at Night Safari

Last year, the Night Safari was also a finalist of the “Best Learning & Travel Experience” at the Singapore Experience Awards for their Safari Adventurer Tour. The Awards honour outstanding experiences offered by individuals and organisations that have demonstrated the delivery of an exceptional customer experience in Singapore’s dynamic tourism sector.

OUr super helpful guide giving guidance to some lost tourists at the Night Safari

So the next time you need to entertain an animal lover in town, please consider bringing him or her on this award-winning travel experience.

Here are details of the two Safari Adventurer Tour packages.

Classic Safari Adventurer Tour

Premium Safari Adventurer Tour

To make reservations:
Call (65) 6269 3411 or
Email safariadventurertour.ns@wrs.com.sg

Reservations have to be made at least 1 week before the event. More details. 

So cute to see our friend, Silver Ang, modeling for this

DBS iBanking, the bank with the largest consumer base in Singapore has recently revamped its website. I like that DBS has stated that “the future of banking is digital”. This appeals to geeks like Alvin and I who spend a lot of time online, whether on web or mobile or any other devices (by the way the new site is tablet friendly too!):

Banks going digital just makes so much sense to me. The other day when I was queuing to withdraw some fresh notes for Chinese New Year, it bothered me that I have to queue so long for this. Can’t there be a better way? Can’t things be digital?

It’s the same with iBanking. Why can’t the interface be more intuitive? Why can’t it just show me all the information I want quickly?

If you are a DBS iBanking user like us, this revamp will be a breath of fresh air as the new website is so much more user-friendly. DBS obviously did some research with some consumers before going about on a major revamp. Brownie points for effort and even more so for a pretty revamp.

Now, once you log in, you’ll see a snapshot of your account in simple graphics. A coloured bar chart will show how you have proportioned your wealth between cash and investments, loans and mortgages. Illustrative graphics make it easier for the user to make sense of figures. You can see your monthly account balance, your unit trust market value, illustrated in bar charts:

I am very lazy with my banking activities and do not like to scroll and click too much. Visual representations have made it very easy to get information quickly. Upon logging in I can quickly see my overall balance at a glance and I can log out quickly. No more multiple clickstreams just to get some small details:

My favourite feature is that the navigation menu has now been moved from the left hand side to the top, across the screen. Now, once I log in to my DBS iBanking account, I can see at a glance all the links to the information I need. The functions on the site have been organised into seven headers on the menu:

1)         My Accounts, which allows one to check balance summary

2)         Transfer, so that you can initiate fund transfers

3)         Pay, your credit card bills and such

4)         Cards, activate and manage your credit cards

5)         Invest, manage your wealth here

6)         Open, open new accounts here

7)         Request, contact the bank for services or to retrieve statements here

Now, for those of us who have more than one account with DBS and can never remember which is for what, now you can customise them with personalised names for easy management:

We did that for our son’s savings account, the purpose of which is to save up for his education in future. Asher will be a happy boy when he finds out next time:

You can also save your eight most frequently used transactions by customising your quick links. Just click on “Customise” at the bottom of the page and you can store your eight Quick links at the bottom menu:

If you are unsure about how to use this new website, there’s a short video you can watch. Here it is:

Don’t worry, your existing iBanking login details and settings will remain unchanged.

For more quick tips, go to http://go.dbs.com/sg-newibanking

12 Mar, 2015 Update: Congratulations to Adelyn Khoo Wei Ting! You are the winner for this giveaway and we will be contacting you via email on the prize collection details. 

Submitted on 2015/02/23 at 1:32 am Hi Alvinology, Interesting post! I would like to rediscover the iconic Mustafa Centre. Every time I hear of my overseas friends talking about Singapore, they would never fail to mention late-night shopping at Mustafa Centre. But I don’t like to go there much due to the large crowds, so this is a good opportunity for me to rediscover the good points of Mustafa Centre. Then, I can recommend more of my overseas friends to go there too! Liked and shared on Facebook (adelynkhoowt). #AlvinologyLenovo #ProjectRESGIcons Cheers Adelyn

Last week, I was tagged by my friend, Ai Sakura, to accept the #ProjectRESGIcons challenge. I accept the challenge and here is my attempt at documenting Singapore’s culinary heritage in a fun and educational way together with my son, Asher.

As part of the#ProjectRESGIcons challenge, the task is to look at some of the familiar icons in Singapore and see if I can create something new from it – REdiscover, REimagine and REcreate something with Singapore’s icons that has helped to make it what it is today.

For my challenge, I used the Lenovo Yoga Tablet to snap photos of culinary delights around the island and then transform them into digital sketches together with my son Asher.

Long time readers of this blog will know that I used to harbour ambitions to become a full-time artist. Check out some of my old artworks on deviantart or this other blog.

I still draw casually now and then. When the Draw Something game was trending globally, it was one of the few online games which I played fervently to show off my speed drawing skills on a digital screen.

Digital sketches are really fun. All I need is my Lenovo Yoga Tablet and my fingers. That’s it! No messy paint tubes or dirty brushes.

Here’s how to go about it, step-by-step.

1. Download a drawing app (I would recommend SketchBook by Autodesk – it’s free and pretty awesome)

2. Snap a photo of an awesome local dish

3. Import the photo into the app as the bottom layer

4. Create a new layer and draw on top of the photo

5. When drawing, start with the bottom colours first and work upwards for best effects – eg. colour the plate first before colouring the food on top of it.

6. That’s it! Even a little boy like Asher can learn to do this and have fun learning about our culinary heritage along the way!

At first, the sketches may look like this:

It will take a while to get the the hang of it, but once you start, you can’t stop because it is really fun and easy-to-do. So easy you can do it together with your little ones.

Here are four dishes found in Singapore which I did quick sketches (no more than 5 minute per sketch) on:

Can you guess what they are?

Here are the original photos:

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 is perfect for digital drawing on-the-go. The shape is built to allow us to use it in four different ways – Stand, Tilt, Hold and Hang. Find the angle most comfortable to you for drawing. I like to Tilt it this way:

The battery life is really awesome, lasting up to 18 hours without charging. You can sit by the sea for the whole day to draw the scenery and not be worried about the battery going flat!

The camera feature is pretty nifty as you can see from the shots above. There is also a rear camera, which boasts an f2.2 wide-aperture lens, advanced glare-reducing glass, and a BSI 2 sensor.

Just like my friend Ai Sakura, I had so much fun using the tablet for my #ProjectRESGIcons challenge that just for my readers and friends, I’ve ONE Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 10″ {Android} worth S$599 to giveaway! For full product information, visit the Lenovo Singapore website.

1. Be a Lenovo Singapore Facbook page fan

2. Be a Alvinology Facebook page fan

3. Like & Share this post with the hashtags, #AlvinologyLenovo and#ProjectRESGIcons on Facebook and tag a friend. Make sure your post is public so I can find it!

4. Leave me a blog comment telling me which Singapore icon you want to rediscover & why + FB name you used to like the pages.

Details:
* Open to Singapore residents only.
* Ends Sunday, 22 Feb 2015 2359hrs {Singapore time} 
* Incomplete or inappropriate entries will be deemed invalid and will not be included.
* Winner will be notified via email with further instructions on how to collect prize. Winner have 2 days to reply, or the prize will be redrawn.
* Alvinology is not responsible for any prizes lost, damaged or misplaced in delivery.

One of the performer for The Magic Ocean

As part of the Huayi Festival (华艺节) this year, Esplanade presents The Magic Ocean (奇幻海洋) – a local theatre production for children aged 2 to 4, directed by Ian Loy and with music by Stan x Soap.

Our family went to catch the afternoon show at 2pm today.

Asher checking out the program sheet

Unlike usual theatre performances where kids are expected to sit still and participate from their seats, for The Magic Ocean, kids are allowed to roam about and interact directly with the performers and props:

Swimming fishes

Play with lights

Kids get to participate in the performance directly

This whale is very popular

So were the jellyfish

Dance and sing along

Stingray

The kids love this too because of the wind it generates

Shark appears

Hop!

I find this perfect for kids in the target age group who will get restless if they can’t move around. Asher had a lot of fun and so were all the other kids who attended. In fact, many did not want to leave the performance hall when the show ended!

Trailer:

The Magic Ocean is now showing at the Esplanade and tickets are available for sale. There are 3 more shows tomorrow (1 Mar) at 11am, 2pm and 4pm. Hurry and book your tickets before they are sold out. 

Synopsis:

Come on an underwater adventure down below at The Magic Ocean.

Swim with fishes great and small or crawl sideways with the friendly crab and starfish. Hide and play peek-a-boo in a large clam shell or peacefully glide through the sea with turtles. Get ready to ride the rolling waves or flee far, far away from the fearsome shark.

In this theatrical experience specially designed for 2 – 4 year olds, children will discover a magical world through a visual and aural spectacle that combines shadow play, music as well as interaction.

So sit along the seabed among the bright and colourful corals and watch the wonders of the sea come alive in The Magic Ocean.

An original production by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, presented as part of PLAYtime! in 2010.

Advisory: Recommended for children aged 2–4 years old. Tickets are required for all (including infants-in-arm). Audience will be seated on the floor.

Duration:
40mins, no intermission

Language:
Performed in Mandarin

Ticket Price:
S$18
Package of 4: S$64

Asher loves the show very much

Interestingly, Rachel and I noticed there were many caucasian parents who brought their kids to enjoy a Chinese performance:

It will be great if more Chinese parents do the same too and embrace our own language heritage. There are many awesome shows every year for the Huayi Festival. Do check out the programs via the official website for the wide variety of shows catered for all audiences. 

The Singapore Restaurant Week themed “Something Old, Something New- A Modern Take on Comfort Favourites”(14 Mar – 22 Mar 2015) is here! Enjoy special dining deals this week and tuck into delectable international cuisine.

Participating restaurants will offer exclusive three-course menus for both lunch and dinner priced at $25 ++ and $35++ respectively. Dining City Star-Awarded restaurants will charge a supplement of $15++ for lunch and $20++ for dinner. Visit www.restaurantweek.sg now to make your online reservations.

During DiningCity.com‘s launch of Singapore Restaurant Week, there was a showcase of the creations of five talented chefs!

Jean-Philippe Patruno from UNA: Octopus Gilician – smoky tender slow-grilled octopus served on a bed of ratte potatoes with paprika and capers; Pluma Iberica – Grilled to perfection with a smoky sweet marinade, served on a bed of silky mashed potatoes.

Chef Nixon Low of Portico: Milo Dinosaur – A dessert variation of the Singaporean coffee shop drink, the Milo Dinosaur – made less sweet with different textures to complement; Cold Terrine of Bak Kut Teh – Presenting the Singaporean favorite Bak Kut Teh in a different style – complex in flavor with a scent of nostalgia.

Chef Matteo Boifava of Pizza Fabricca: Crostini Misti – Mixed Crostinis; Birramisu – Tiramisu prepared with coffee stout beer.

Chef Hassan de Four from Lime House: Snapper Ceviche With Spiced Eskovitch – Thin slices of snapper are marinated in a mixture of citrus juices and served with Eskovitch – Jamaican-styled pickled vegetables, spiced with chilli, cumin and paprika;

Shrimp With Tropical Fruit Salsa – a Caribbean spin on the cocktail concept – shrimp is balanced and rapidly cooled to retain its sweetness and flavor, served on a bed of salsa made of pomegranate, soursop, mango and topped with rum.

Chef Ryoichi Kano of Lewin Terrace: Ika Somen- Japanese traditional food done in french style; thinly sliced squid dipped in soya sauce or tsuyu; Buri Daik – Japanese traditional food done in french style; combination of buri (yellow tail) and daikon (white raddish) boiled together with soy sauce.

Hungry?? Bon Appétit

This year, my family and I had our reunion dinner at Hotel Re!, located at Chin Swee Road. Nestled upslope and surrounded by greenery, my parents chose Hotel Re! so as to stay away from the hustle and bustle at more mainstream venues.

Parking lots are aplenty and the reunion dinners are hosted at the banquet hall. I counted about 10 odd tables, keeping the size cosy. Prices are reasonable:

The Abundance menu comes with shark’s fins which we generally avoid ordering. We had nine pax, including Asher, so we went for the 10 pax Success menu. I signed up for the Re!Member since it’s S$50 per annum and it costs S$48 to to-up the Yu Sheng anyway.  The membership comes with discounts for room rates and dining privileges. Here are the items we tried:

Yu Sheng

Tossing for luck and prosperity in 2015

Cold dish platter

Squids, mushroom with eggs and prawn mango salad

Roast duck and fried silver fish

Crabmeat and Dried Scallop in Superior Broth

Herbal Stewed Chicken with sea-cucumber

Can you finish so much prawns?

Chestnut and Crispy Marble Goby with Mango Chilli Sauce

Mushrooms and cabbages

Seafood hokkien noodle

Comes with generous servings of mussels and other seafood items

The chef came by to greet all the guests

Verdict?

The servings were really huge and generous. I doubted we can finish everything even if we have an additional pax that day. Mind you, we are all big eaters. I saw many other tables asking to takeaway boxes of leftovers too. We ended up with a box of the noodles and a box of the desert.

The standout dish for the night was probably the fried hokkien noodle with mussels which was a unique surprise with a local touch.

The chef likes fruits very much and all the dishes are either paired or decorated with different fruits. This works well for Asher who loves fruits. The menu items were consistent and pretty much the same at all other restaurants during the busy lunar new year reunion dinner night.

Next time when you are looking for a quiet place to host your reunion dinner, consider Hotel Re!.

Head on down to Bishan park next Sunday, 12 April, from 4 -7 pm for Singapore Heart Foundation‘s first pet walkathon.

Learn about the cardiovascular benefits associated with walking, a low-impact physical activity which pet owners can easily adopt into their lifestyles.

Although the registration for the ‘Buddy Walk’ with your pets is closed, you (without your pet) can still join in the walk for free!

Watch a Fashionista parade of the 10 best dressed dogs, pet contests and educational talks.There are health screenings for  you, pet owners and their pets as well!

Event details

Date: Sun April 12, 2015

Time: 4pm – 7pm

Venue: Bishan Park, Grand Lawn I (Opposite Dog Run Area)

Guest-of-Honour: Mr Desmond Lee, Minister of State for National Development

Webpage: http://www.myheart.org.sg/event/woof-a-thon-2015/50

As Mother’s Day draws near, if you have no time to go shopping yet to grab a gift, why not order it online via Noel Gifts?

A trusted hampers, flowers and gifts company that is public listed in Singapore, Noel Gifts has been in the business for over 38 years. They have carefully curated an assortment of gifts for Mother’s Day. 

Here’s my favourite for my mother:

My mother loves perfume and it will be a pleasant surprise to receive a bottle of designer’s perfume together with a bouquet of flowers.

Here’s a preview of some of the available gifts on Noel Gifts:

When I was growing up, my parents were very busy working hard to establish my mother’s business. My mother only had a primary school education, but with hard work, determination and support from my father, she became a self-made businesswoman.

Some sacrifices were made. My parents work long hours and weekends too. As such, family time was often limited and occasions like Mother’s Day allows for the family to sit down together and enjoy a good meal.

From now till 8 May, use promo code ALMD15 to enjoy free delivery! Click here to order now!