Tulip manic @ Tulipmania

If you are reading this, it means you are interested in Tulipmania and wondering whether it is worth going.


We just went yesterday, and my opinion? Yes it is!

We had planned to go last Friday, but changed plans as friends who went said that the tulips had just been replanted and were still in their buds. Going yesterday was a good decision, as almost all the tulips were in bloom, except for a select few.

We felt like we were in flower land. It's really awesome to be in a single space with more than 20,000 tulips and other flowers. Flowers here, flowers there, flowers everywhere. Flowers of so many colours, shapes and sizes. There is also the unmistakable scent of the flowers, so fragrant and aromatic. Absolutely refreshing!






We even spotted an orange tree!


EV had a tremendous time feasting her eyes on the kaleidoscope of colours - red, pink, yellow, purple and white.


She had an even better time taking photos of mummy and grandmummy. Her camera skills aren't too bad either, taking her time to make sure that the camera is in the right position before pressing the shutter. Often though, her subjects aka mummy and grandmummy would end up feeling tired because of frozen smiles.




Our adventure in the land of tulips ended with a nice evening stroll around the outdoor gardens, on the way to Bayfront MRT station. We only visited the Flower Dome, where the tulips are, but we are already planning to return soon and visit the other dome, Cloud Forest.

Want to bask in the land of flowers? There's still time. Tulipmania ends next Monday, but we reckon you should go these few days, while the tulips are still in their blooming glory.

Tulipmania @ Gardens by the Bay, Flower Dome

29 April - 20 May 2013

9am - 9pm

Special ticket prices for local residents (available only at on-site ticketing counters)

Adults: $10 per ticket (Usual price $12)

Senior Citizens & Children: $7 per ticket (Usual price $8)

Salt play

It is always a challenge to keep the very inquisitive EV busy & occupied. I consciously try to limit her screen (aka TV, iPad etc) time because I want her to engage with the world in a multimodal way using her various senses. But like I mentioned, it is a challenge and whenever an off-screen activity keeps EV engaged, smiling and having loads of fun, it is an extremely satisfying feeling.

What have I got up my sleeves this time? Salt! A word of caution though: things can get quite messy, so it is good to line the play area with newspaper.

Here's what you need:
- salt
- tray or basin to put the tray in

To up the notch of this messy play a little, I combined it with some letters from Jolly Phonics, written on coloured paper. I put the paper under heaps of salt, and then EV had to slowly move the salt to reveal the letters. Then I ask her what the letter and the sound is. Good reflection activity.

There's a lot of sensory play and motor skills training involved too. After a while, I let EV do her own thing, and she got creative making finger circles, building little salt 'hills', squeezing the salt with her fists and just throwing the salt all over.

Yes, it was messy, but just look at the 'flow' she's in. Makes the cleaning up after all the more worthwhile.

Have you done any messy play with your kids recently? What other fun play and learning activities have you done? Do link up and share! :)

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Dedicated to my mummy

Mummy with EV and AA

My mummy. She's the greatest. She had me when she was 25, just three months after migrating to Singapore with my daddy. He didn't dare carry me, so mum single-handedly looked after me during her confinement month, with no one to brew special tonics for her. That took a toll on her health for a while, and when she had my brother, the grandparents insisted that she return to Hong Kong to have him. One month after he was born, we came back here.

She decided very early on that she would be a SAHM. She lived apart from her own mother till she was in her teens, and she was determined that her own kids won't have to go through that.

Every year she would single-handedly bring my brother and me to Hong Kong for holidays and visit relatives. I loved those trips, but for mum, it must have been quite stressful. I didn't understand just how hard it was to travel with two young kids. I know now mum. It was not easy to pack the luggage, and it's a mad house trying to get everyone ready in the mornings. Packing for the return trip was even harder, I know. I remember luggages full of toys from the grandparents.

She always made me memorize every text in the Chinese text book. I remember standing at the end of her bed reciting the texts to her. Yes, it was a chore, but I am grateful. I can still speak and read Chinese rather well, at least in my opinion. Some writing too, which is not at all perfect. These days, she's still my 'live' translator, and I still go to her when I don't understand something. 

We had our tensed moments during my growing up years. As I started work, we became closer and we would have our very own mummy-daughter outings. Now that I have my family, we're even closer. Every day we'd have our morning chat. Brief, snappy conversations that assure each of us that everything is ok on either side. A morning without these chats makes me feel funny. We still have our tensed moments, but we usually get over it very quickly.

When AA got admitted to hospital recently, and I stayed over with him, my mum offered to stay over to accompany me, without hesitation. Having her there somehow made everything easier to bear. 

This is my mummy, and I love her very much.

Happy mother's day, mummy!

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Review: 3M Polarizing Light LED6000

{Sponsored Review}

Remember a previous interview conducted with Dr Lee Sao Bing during which he shared eye care tips? One of his tips was to read under good light to avoid straining our eyes due to light flicker and glare. Recently, I made a discovery that meets this.

I'm talking about the 3M Polarizing Light LED6000. Yes, I admit. I've been hoarding this new device myself and not sharing with the kids. Hey, there are mum's stuff and there are kids' stuff and for the moment, this light is mine, mine, all mine!!!!

Ok, so back to the task at hand. The LED6000. Why does it produce good light? How does it reduce light flicker and glare? Firstly, LED light does not flash or flicker, and does not emit any ultraviolet rays. There's also this feature called Air Guiding Technology.

No, it is not really guiding air. Rather is is a light engine that works with built-in reflector and brightness enhancement films to create an internal light recycling system. What the LED6000 is able to do is to make sure that all light rays, including LED light from the device itself and all other light rays from the surrounding environment, is used optimally. The light rays are reflected hundreds and thousands of times, bad light is reflected away, and what you get is light that has less glare, flicker and is gentle on the eyes. 

The position of the LED lights in the device also play a part. They are at the edges, meaning that when light is thrown on a source, shadows are minimized and the lighted area is as large as possible. 

Here, you can see just how even lighted the reading area is, with no shadows. The text is bright, clear and easy to read. Easy on the eyes too if one is to read for hours.

And hours is how long this light can go, almost like it is running a 8-hour marathon. Which is often the case when I have to catch up on readings or finish my assignments and work late into the night when the kids are in la-la-land. The LED6000 has a unique ventilation design that dissipates heat. Ventilation holes lets heat and cool air flow in and out of the light housing. I don't have to worry about it over heating. I would not dare play Survivor with the LED6000; at 50,000 hours of usage, it can last almost 2083 days, or 6 years! Yes, that's impressive!

What I''m really impressed with is just how flexible the LED6000 is. Left, right, up, down. You have to see it to believe it.

See? Just awesome. So though I'm usually the one using this light, it is so mobile that I can move it anytime for the kids or hubby to use. But then they may just end up playing with the touch dimmer with five brightness levels, or move the light left, right, up, down… No, I think the light is safer in my hands. For now.

3M Polarizing Light LED6000
Pros
Produces light with no flicker or glare.
Highly flexible body.

Cons
Illuminated touch dimmer is hard to see once the light is on.
Lack of clip-on option, for small spaces.

My verdict
Design *****
Ease of use ****
Performance ****

Price
$269

Disclaimer: The 3M Polarizing Light LED6000 was sponsored by 3M. No monetary compensation was received for this review, and all opinions and images are my own.