Keat-In-Space: 2015

Saturday, October 3, 2015

#1's Month-On-Month

A photo of Bay every month since birth.

Thank you to all the aunties and uncles who love to take photos of him.

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

#2's Month-On-Month

A photo of Meimei every month since birth.

Thank you to all the aunties and uncles who love to take photos of her.

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

2015 Singapore F1 Grand Prix Night Race - Date night with #1

I heard about the F1 tickets promotion on radio in May and when I went to Sistic counter to get it some weeks later, the Zone 4 Walkabout tickets are still available. I had always wanted Kiiron to experience a F1 race live, so I grabbed the tickets. This is the first time we are watching the Singapore Grand Prix live since its first race here in 2008. I bought 2 tickets so either Mark or me will bring him. As things turn out, Papa M wont be back in Singapore on the day and it will be me dating our first-born!

Finally we are going to experience the F1 live
Zone 4 Walkabout tickets, 2 for $81
Good enough for us as we are not exactly F1 fans

On race day, I picked the kids up earlier from school and I had prepared a little surprise for Meimei as I was guilty for leaving her at home for too many a time this week. Luckily doting grandparents and 姨妈 had agreed to babysit her, so I know she will be in good care.

Then we are on our way to date night with son! Traffic was smooth and I decided to park the car at Raffles City for convenience sake. But later regretted it big time because I found out that the parking there is cut-throat during F1 days only when I exited the carpark. Charges are a whooping $41.60 for about 7 hrs from 5:45pm!

After a nice dinner, we thought we are finally going in for the race when the little episode of Murphy's Law unfolds! Yes, one of the ticket is missing! I don't know how but it is missing from the lanyard! I shouldn't have ignore that little voice in my head when I took the tickets out from the wrapper in the car. Oh man! I can tell you that standing right outside the race area with a lost ticket while listening to all the cars zooming past... that feeling sucks!

Darn you, Murphy!

We walked back to the car but still couldn't find that ticket so I decided to proceed to the entry gate and pretended that we didn't know about the lost ticket and hopefully, they will let the cute boy through.

Oh! the organizers are quite professional and the cute little boy didn't do the trick. Apparently, there must be enough people who lost their ticket and there is a lost ticket procedure in place. We were directed to the ticketing booth to get a replacement ticket.

There were some crowd in the ticketing booth with people queuing to buy a ticket on the spot. After standing for a while in the queue, I thought that there must be a special queue for ticket replacement or something... I cant be queuing like a goondu wasting our precise race time. So, I asked Bay to remain in the line while I go to the information to check. Luckily I did that because they helped me reprint the lost ticket immediately (with a $20 replacement fee) at the information counter. (fortunately, I didn't delete my email to prove of purchase!)

When I went back to the ticket queue to look for Bay, 姨姨 and her friend were also there and had found Bay in the queue sobbing while I was gone. Geez... I must have been gone for like only 10 mins! He needs to be more tough. Still... poor thing lah.

FINALLY, we are really going in for the race! Last 10 minutes of the first practice session left before a 2 hours break.

Highlight of the day: Pharrell Williams Concert @ Padang till 12:30am!
(The Padang was so packed that we could only watched from the side)
Late night out for the boy but it's worth it to watch one of his favourite singer
It's a pity that mama's phone was out of battery when his favourite "Happy" song came on at the end

Overall, we had a blast at the race and we get to see a different face of Singapore. In my honest opinion, I felt that it is fun to bring young children to the race (remember to bring ear protection) but it is not exactly good influence to expose them to the happening around the F1 village and the after-race concert (read: cigarettes and alcohol). I do have to explain to Kiiron that smoking is bad (yes, people were smoking everywhere at the concert) and why people were rowdy after the influence of alcohol. Nevertheless, I will still consider bringing the kids for future races (provided we get cheap tickets) as I believe that it is better than I explain things to them now rather than they get exposed later without proper guidance.

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Planning: Taiwan - April 2015 Spring Trip

Travel period: 29th April 2015 - 5th May 2015 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

We decided to switch our travel plan to Taiwan when we had to cancel our Gold Coast trip. Our 1st trip to Taiwan was more like a business trip and only stayed in Taipei, which we didnt really like. This time, we are planning to venture out of the capital and hopefully get to enjoy the beautiful parts of Taiwan.

Geography

Taiwan main island is about 50 times the area of Singapore.
We are covering the north-western and central counties of Taiwan during this trip
Taoyuan (桃园), Miaoli (苗栗), Nantou (南投) and Taipei (台北)

There are so many counties in Taiwan and so little time. We are basically very chill travellers and prefers to go at very slow pace. We decided to cover 3 areas during our 7 days trip. Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport. We will head south to Miaoli (苗栗) - Flying Cow Ranch, Nantou (南投) - Green Green Grasslands, before heading back north and conclude our trip at Taipei (台北).

Our area of coverage during this trip

Air Tickets - Tigerair

Just 2 weeks before our departure, I managed to find reasonable air fares via Tigerair to Taipei. As flight timings are span across lunch times, we top-up to get the combo fares which include seat selection (a must for me!) and hot meals for all four of us and bought 30 kg of luggage outbound and 50 kg of luggage inbound. I paid in total S$1,409.44 (Average of S$352.36 each). I was quite happy with the price.

THEN guessed what, 12 hours before we board the plane, Papa M told me that he needed to be back by 5 pm on 5th May to attend a project meeting! So its either he changed his flight and come back few hours earlier alone or we pay for the amendments for everyone and fly back together. Exact words from the irritant: "I suggest we pay for the flight change for everyone and save you half the agony of flying with 2 kids." (Excuse me while I slam his head on the table).

So, with S$70 amendment each, fares difference and admin charges. we had to pay an additional of S$400 to change to an earlier flight back. Oh crap!

Travel Visa

No visa needed for tourist visiting Taiwan.

Car Rental

Singaporeans with driving license will need to apply for an International Driving Permit in order to drive in Taiwan. It's not too difficult to get one.

Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport, Terminal 1. From what I gathered from friends and blog pages, the only rental company that has collection directly in the airport terminal is Ching Bing (庆宾租车). However, they were fully sold when I contacted them. I had to go with my 2nd alternative, Easy Rent (和运租车). Easy Rent does not have collection points in the airport. However, they are about 10 mins drive away. We called them after we got our luggages and the prepaid SIM card and the staff came to pick us up within 30 mins.

Most rental companies provide GPS and child seat free of charge but you need to inform them when you make the reservation. The best advise given to me regarding self driving in Taiwan is that it is essential to get prepaid data SIM and Google Maps is more accurate than any stand alone GPS.

Websites that are helpful for me

How to get an International Driving Permit (parkablogs.com)
Car Rental in Taoyuan International Airport (taiwanese-secrets.com)

Most of the car models that we wanted were reserved and we had to take whatever is available, which is a Nissan Livina 1.6. The staff was pretty efficient and provided the car registration number with the confirmation. (no deposit was needed). We paid NT7,140 (S$317.33) for 3 days of rental which includes 1 GPS and 1 child seat. (we brought a booster seat from Singapore for Bay). They allow us to collect near to the Taoyuan airport and return at Taipei Main Station, which is near to our hotel

Information provided with the reservation confirmation.
The car allocated to us was almost brand new with a milage of 5610 km!

Accommodation

It is not so straight forward when it comes to booking for accommodation in Taiwan. Most of the more established hotels can be booked through Hotel.com. Minsu (民宿), which basically means bed and breakfast run by a local family, can be booked through Agoda.com. For the rest, one will still need to call (yes, IDD charges!) or email them to make a reservation and do a bank transfer to them (bank charge applies!) or provide credit card details to them for a deposit.

Since we only planned this trip 2 weeks before our departure, searching and booking for accommodation is my nightmare. Most of the websites are in traditional chinese and gives me a headache when I try to read them and I could only guess 50% of the contend. Fortunately, there are alot of bloggers sharing their valuable experience and it really helped me a lot

Hsinchu (新竹)

This is the first accommodation that I booked as it is located 47 km south of the Taoyuan International Airport (45 minutes drive) and I thought it would be a good place to relax from our flight before chionging the itineraries. End up cancelling this booking as I saw the availability of The Old England Manor in Cingjing and would rather spend my budget on that instead. Moreover, we just went to feed the giraffes in the Singapore zoo and this place seems similar. Cancelled through Hotel.com with exchange rate loss of S$6.98

Leofoo Resort, Guanxi - Cancelled!
Conga Sky Room, 2 double beds, Max 4 pax
S$440 per night
(pictures from Internet)

Miaoli (苗栗)

I didnt search for other accommodations in Miaoli. The only reason why we decided to go to Miaoli is for The Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場)

Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場), 60 rooms available
Standard Quadruple Room (標準雙床), 2 double beds, Max 4 pax
NT3,230 (S$145) per night, inclusive of breakfast, coupons to exchange for free fresh milk and night baking DIY
(pictures from Internet)

Nantou, Cingjing (南投, 清境)

There are so many minsu (民宿) in Cingjing. Actually, the area should be called Ren-ai (仁愛) when you try to search for accommodation, but most people know it as Cingjing named after the famous Cingjing Farm (清境农场).

Websites that are helpful for me

Recommended minsu in Cingjing (travelclassroom.net)

I'm not kidding when I said that alot of minsu in my preference list is all fully booked. I had contacted so many! We will be there during the Labour Day long weekend. By some stroke of luck, I saw on Hotel.com one last room is available for the best minsu in Cingjing and I grabbed it immediately! I heard usually one will need to make reservation months ahead.

The Old England Manor (老英格蘭莊園), 19 rooms available
Superior Quadruple Room, 2 double beds, Max 4 pax
S$500 including taxes for room
(Pictures from internet)

We splurged S$492.78 (ouch! and its after a 8% discount code) for our 1st night stay in the most expensive and most highly rated hotel in Cingjing, The Old England Hotel Manor, (老英格蘭莊園). We top up S$200 for set dinner and breakfast buffet (with free in-room mini bar and red wine) during check-in (豁出去了啦!). All the decor are supposedly imported from Europe and fitted with some super branded sound system that costed a bomb. Also they provided Hermes and Bvlgari toiletries! Surprisingly, they were very tolerant to kids. Definitely will stay there again!

Yunwu B&B (雲舞樓民宿), 16 rooms available
Deluxe Family, 3 double beds, Max 6 pax
S$260 including taxes with breakfast

For our 2nd night Cingjing, we will move back to Earth and booked Yunwu B&B (清境雲舞樓民宿) minsu. This is the best (positive reviews) out of what is available in Agoda.com in the earthling price range and within 10 minutes walk from the little town area of Cingjing.

Taipei (台北)

A friend highly recommended that we stay at Taipei Main Station (iTaipei Service Apartment or Master Inn), especially if we are using Taipei as a base and doing day trips to places like Jiufen, Shifen, Beitou, etc.

iTaipei Service Apartment (京站一館)
Specialty Suite (1 living room, 2 bedrooms - 1 double bed and 1 single bed, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom), Max 3 pax
S$280 per night including taxes. No breakfast

It was shown as fully booked on reservation websites but when I emailed (itaipei@mail.jsl.com.tw) to them, there is a suite still available for us. iTaipei is conveniently located above the Main Station and Qsquare mall.

One thing that wasnt mentioned clearly in any reviews was the checking in. iTaipei Service Apartment is not a hotel and you will not find the normal hotel lobby. Check-in is done at a shop on the outer circumference of the Qsquare mall. Within 5 mins walk from metro Main Station Y3 exit. It took us quite a while (driving in circles in the carpark) and calling the counter staff numerous times before finding the check-in shop

Check-in shop for iTaipei Service Apartment
Turn left from metro Main Station Y3 exit, walk along the building outer circumference, passed the carpark entrance
It will be quite troublesome if it is raining as there wasnt any drop-off point near the shop (you could stop by the roadside)
(pictures from Internet)

Itinerary

Day 1: 29th April 2015, Wednesday

Singapore - Taiwan

take off at 8.55 am in Singapore Changi Airport - Terminal 2
touch down at 1.45 pm in Taoyuan International Airport - Terminal 1
collect luggage, buy pre-paid 3G card
call for free pickup service to collect rental car

Taoyuan - Miaoli, Flying Cow Ranch

drive to Miaoli (120 km, 1 hr 30 mins)
check-in to Flying Cow Ranch
stroll around the ranch
dinner in ranch - Milk base steamboat
8pm - DIY activities

Useful tips from websites:

Farm activities, must try milk base steam boat (ajugglingmom.com)
taxi ride from Taoyuan International Airport is about NT2,000
airport pickup service arrangement by Flying Cow Ranch is NT2,900
Car rental per day NT2,380

Day 2: 30th April 2015, Thursday

Miaoli, Flying Cow Ranch

ranch activities
breakfast in ranch
ranch activities / DIY activities
check-out from Flying Cow Ranch
lunch in ranch

Miaoli - Nantou, Cingjing

drive to Cingjing (140 km, 2 hrs 30 mins)
check-in to Old England Manor
stroll around the manor
dinner

Day 3: 1st May 2015, Friday (Labour Day Public Holiday)

Nantou, Cingjing

breakfast in manor
relax in room
check-out from Old England Manor
drive to Yunwu B&B
lunch
free minsu shuttle to Cingjing Farm
walk downhill from Cingjing Farm to 7-11 area
dinner
walk back to minsu

Useful tips from websites:

to hire driver from Miaoli - Cingjing (NT3,000, papa23tw@yahoo.com.tw)
Car rental per day NT2,380
Get to Cingjing from Taichung HSR station (alectravelguide.com)
Get to Cingjing from Taoyuan Airport, Old England Manor high tea, international wifi box (missuschewy.com)
Dine at Carton King to get free entry to Little Swiss Garden (ajugglingmom.com)
Green Green Grassland, honey + pollen and shopping tips (cavinteo.blogspot.sg)
Park car in minsu and catch shuttle up to Cingjing Farm (to avoid walking uphill back to car)

Day 4: 2nd May 2015, Saturday

Nantou, Cingjing

breakfast in minsu
check-out from Yunwu B&B
Little Swiss Garden (get free entry tickets from dining at Carton King)
lunch in Cingjing

Nantou - Taipei

drive to Taipei (270 km, 3 hrs 30 mins)
check-in to iTaipei Service Apartment
return rental car
dinner
night market

Day 5: 3rd Mar 2015, Sunday

Taipei

Cant decide what to do, tentative plans:
Maokong
National Palace Museum / Chiang Kai‑shek Memorial Hall / National Concert Hall / etc
Taipei 101
Babyboss
鬍鬚張魯肉飯 (Formosa Chang)
Hello Kitty Cafe
night market

Day 6: 4th Mar 2015, Monday

Taipei - Jiufen / Shifen

Take train from Taipei Station (台北火車站) to Rui Fang (瑞芳)
Reach Rui Fang, about 30 mins with Express train or 1 hour with normal train
transfer to bus or taxi to reach Jiufen (about 20 mins)
lunch
back to Rui Fang to transfer to Shifen (Pingxi Line)
or taxi from Jiufen to Shifen
dinner
sky lanterns at Pingxi
train back to Taipei

Note to self:
Forget about returning the car for future trips. End up, covering less than 30% of the places planned for Day 5 and 6, totally skipping Jiufen and Shifen. We are lazy travellers who cannot drag ourselves around without a car. Self driving itinerary works best for us!

Useful tips from websites:

Get to Jiufen by train (misstamchiak.com)
Get to Jiufen by bus (felicianeo.com)
Get to Shifen by train (lynnechua.blogspot.sg)
Streets in Jiufen are narrow, steep, bumpy and full of staircases. Hard to use stroller
Food is shifen is expensive. Eat in Jiufen
Must try in Jiufen: 九份張記傳統魚丸, 賴阿婆芋圓, 阿柑姨芋圓 and ice cream popiah
Must try in Shifen: Golden Waterfall, Shifen Waterfall (十分瀑布), light the sky lanterns (天燈) at Pingxi (平溪), Jing An bridge

Day 7: 5th Mar 2015, Tuesday

7.30 am check-out from iTaipei Service Apartment
taxi to airport (NT1,000)
take off at 10.20 am in Taoyuan International Airport - Terminal 1
touch down at 3.05 pm in Singapore Changi Airport - Terminal 2

Expenditure

Items	Expenditure (S$)	Remarks
Flight	1,410 400 -------------------- Total: 1,810	www.tigerair.com Flight changes
Car Rental	320 40 -------------------- Total: 360	Easy Rent (和运租车), NT7,140 for 3 days NT840 for excess of 3 hours
Accommodation	7 146 497 200 260 850 -------------------- Total: 1,954	Cancellation of Leofoo Resort, Guanshi Flying Cow Ranch, NT3,230, inclusive of breakfast The Old England Manor, room only The Old England Manor, top up for dinner and breakfast Yunwu B&B, inclusive of breakfast iTaipei Service Apartment, NT16,800, 3 nights, rooms only
Misc spending	1800	Exchange NT (cash spending on food, transport and shopping)
Total	5924	Excluding expenses using credit card for food and shopping

Packing List When Travelling Wiith Kids

People said that it is like packing to move house when travelling with kids. It is like that for us every time. This is the extensive list of things that I ever packed for one or many of our trips. Adjust according to the needs and age of the child and the climate of the destination.

Cabin Carry-on Bag

Documents

passport
visa
photocopy of passport
air tickets
hotel reservation
car rental reservation
travel insurance
itinerary
list of contact numbers

Change of clothes

diaper (x3) - possible to request extra on the plane, depending on airline
wet wipes (travel pack)
diaper cream
disposable waterproof changing sheet
extra clothes
hankies
nursing cover (double up as blanket)
beanie
jacket
plastic bags (small ones for soiled diapers or packed food, big ones to catch puke)

Feeding

water bottle filled with water
thermal flask filled with hot water
milk powder in dispenser (or get travel small sample packs)
milk bottle or straw cup
cereal mix / jar food (depending on airline)
feeding cup / bowl
fork and spoon
bib
Pacifier and chain clip

Note: We never had much problem bringing our own water on board with the security checks. Most of the time they let us through without any questions. At some airport, they will ask us to take a drink from the bottle to prove that its real water or they will open the bottle to sniff inside.

Entertainment

toys
tibits
pencils, colour pencils and book/paper
story books
electronic gadgets (preload with shows and games)
kid's camera

Others

stroller (check-in at the gate)
lip balm
moisturizer
essential oils (lavender, peppermint, thieves, breath again roll-on)
antiseptic spray (thieves spray)
first aid plasters
baby carrier / sling

Check-in Lugguge

Health Care

medication (usual prescription, creams, nasal spray, standby for fever and allergy)
vitamins (multivits, vitamin C, fish oil, etc)
eye drops
face cream
body lotion
thermometer
cotton buds
mosqitoes repellant patch
sun block
nail cutter
more essential oils (RC, Eucalyptus, lemon, etc)
small diffuser

Sleep

small blanket
small cotton (waterproof) sheet (I use this to line the bed area where the kids are sleeping on)
little boister and pillow
soft toy

Bath

head-to-toe body wash
bath towel
small basin / tub
tooth brush
tooth paste

Change of Clothes

change of clothes (according to climate, 2 sets per day + 2 sets extra)
diapers (4 pcs per day + 5 pcs extra)
under wears
wet wipes
diaper cream
disposable waterproof sheets
thermal longs or pajamas (1 set per day)
leg warmer / PP pants
socks
shoes
jackets
hankies
bibs
cap
scarf
swimming gear
bedroom slippers
comb
hair accessories (hair clips, rubber bands, etc)
sunglasses

Feeding

milk power
milk bottle or straw cup
instant cereal mix
bottled baby food
feeding bowl
fork, spoons and chopsticks
Avent storage container
Pacifier and chain clip
titbits
milo
straws and bottle topper
small plastic bags
rice grains + food (dry scallops, etc)
Tiger food jar
small knife
fruit peeler
small chopping board
scissors
travel cooker
travel kettle
breast pump and parts
detergent
dish washing sponge

Others

stroller fan
Umbrella
rain coat
chargers for electronic devices
selfie stick
picnic mat / travel play mat

I didnt even include the parents stuff yet...

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Cancelled Planning: Gold Coast - April 2015 Autumn Trip

Travel Period: 28th April 2015 - 3rd May 2015

It's hard to believe that this will be my first trip down south! Papa M had been to Australia a few times but he dont do much in planning for our trips, so its not very helpful. We decided to visit Gold Coast as we thought it will be more interesting for the kids. We are usually very free, easy and random during our trips but being the first timers in Australia, I did a little more homework than usual.

Geography

Gold Coast, Queensland (Eastern Australia)
It is slightly more than half the size of Singapore and more than 8 hours of flight from Singapore

Our area of coverage for this trip

Air Tickets - Scoot Sale

We booked the tickets way back during a Scoot sale, the first time we booked a holiday 7 months in advance! It's only S$68 per person one way, fare only. Only 3 of the sale fare is left, so I had to split our booking to book for 3 person and the 4th person paid a higher sale fare. Better than all 4 pax pay higher fare right? We do our usual top-up for 25 kg luggage outbound, 50 kg luggage inbound, seats selection (a must for us!) and food. I paid in total S$1,727.93 for 4 pax. ($379.08 per pax for Scoot Sale, $590.68 for normal sale. Average of $431.98 each)

Then guess what? Scoot change the flight timing and we had to do a stop-over instead of a direct flight. BOO! So much for planning early. End up we got to cancel this trip as Papa M has work commitments and cant accommodate to the new flight timing. Luckily we managed to change our travel to Taiwan instead.

Good thing though is that Scoot allow us to cancel the flight and gave us a full refund. (need to wait 8 weeks for the refund in voucher). On 2nd second thoughts, I should have requested to change the flights to October since we plan to do our 2nd attempt to Gold Coast then.

Travel Visa

Singaporeans will need a valid visa to enter Australia. As recommended by a friend, the easiest way
is to apply for the Tourist Visa (Electronic Travel Application) online. It is fast, easy, hassle free and I could get the Visa in PDF file within a day. The best thing about their service is that they checked that Papa M dont need the tourist visa as he has the APEC visa that allows him to enter Australia, which he didnt know he had! He checked with the authorities and found out the APEC visa he applied for was approved but no one informed him.

Each visa is $10 for a 1 year validity or until the expiry date of the passport. I know this because my passport is expiring in 7 months time. Since we got to cancel this trip, I will need to apply for another visa when I get my passport renewed. Wasted $10 here.

Car Rental

I booked through Hotel.com and I think I got a good deal for a full size car. I am rather picky as I feel a full size salon car is safer. I paid S$153.27 for a 4 day period and top-up S$39.60 for Rental Vehicle Excess Insurance. I had to cancelled the booking after 2 days and it was without much fuss but suffered S$13.13 through exchange rate via credit card. I had to email to Allianz to cancel the Rental Vehicle Excess Insurance which was promptly replied that refund will be made to my credit card.

Accommodation

I short-listed 5 accommodations which are all along Surfers Paradise Boulevard. To me, cleanliness and location are the 2 main things that I look for when booking for accommodation.

Location:

in City Centre, near to food and beach
from Gold Coast (OOL) airport - 25 km, 40 mins drive
to Sea World - 6 km, 15 mins drive
to Dream World - 25 km, 30 mins drive
to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary - 20 km, 30 mins drive
to Pacific Fair Shopping Centre - 3 km, 10 mins drive

Hilton Surfers Paradise Residence
Two Bedroom Deluxe Residence, Max 4 pax
Average S$320 including taxes
(Pictures from internet)

Hotel Grand Chancellor Surfers Paradise
Deluxe Twin Room, Max 4 pax
Average S$180 including taxes
(Pictures from internet)

Mantra Circle on Cavill
One Bedroom Ocean Spa Apartment, Max 4 pax
Average S$280 including taxes
(Pictures from internet)

Outrigger Surfers Paradise
Twin room, 4 pax
Average S$180 including taxes
(Pictures from internet)

The Towers of Chevron Renaissance
2 bedroom, Max 4 pax
Average S$280 including taxes
(Pictures from internet)

We decided to book Mantra Circle on Cavill, 1 bedroom Ocean Spa apartment as we have 2 young children in toll, they will want to stay in the same room with us, no point getting a 2 bedroom. Hotel.com has a stay 10 nights get 1 night free rewards program but I prefer cash discount. Discount codes can be easily searched on the Web. I found a 5% off code. 4 nights stay is S$1102.05 after discount.

Fortunately, I booked the accommodation using Hotel.com and they had a 2 day free cancellation policy. I managed to get 100% refund back into my credit card, but I lost S$17.48 on exchange rate. Cancellation was easy and no-fuss too. I love Hotel.com!

Itinerary

Day 1: 28th Apr 2015

Singapore - Gold Coast

Take off at 10.25 pm in Singapore Changi Airport

Day 2: 29th Apr 2015

Singapore - Gold Coast

Landing at 7.55 am in Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport
Collect rental car

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

5 km, 10 mins drive from Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport
lunch

Check in Apartment

chill on beach
shopping and dinner nearby

Day 3: 30th Apr 2015

Half Day Tamborine Mountain Tour - Morning

run by Southern Cross 4WD tours
Adult AUD$88, Child AUD$58, free for 3 years old and below
consider to upgrade to full day tour if kids are up to it

Return to City

Shopping at outlets / malls
chill on beach
shopping and dinner nearby

Day 4: 1st May 2015
Dream World

Day 5: 2nd May 2015
Sea World

Day 6: 3rd May 2015
Gold Coast - Singapore

Return rental car
Take off at 9.05 am in Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport
Landing at 3.20 pm in Singapore Changi Airport

Expenditure

Items	Expenditure (S$)	Remarks
Flight	1,727.93	Cancelled with refund in vouchers
Car Rental	153.27	Cancelled with S$13.13 exchange rate loss
Accommodation	1,102.05	Cancelled with S$17.48 exchange rate loss
Total	2,983.25	Actual Expenditure: S$30.61

Monday, March 30, 2015

K2 - Can you find my rabbit?

Bay's teachers in K2 organised a little game in conjunction with the book that that they are were reading in school.

message from the teacher

Can you find my rabbit? I could in a split second.
真不愧是我家的兔妈妈！

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Where's the white?

Today the kids went to school late. We were watching the live telecast of the funeral procession of Mr Lee Kuan Yew as his casket was moved from Sri Temasek to the Parliament House for the Lying in State. It is a sad week for us in Singapore as we mourn for our founding Prime Minister who had passed away on 23rd March 2015.

The kids were too young to understand our sadness. For the past week, the school teacher had told Bay that Mr Lee was very ill. After Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away, the teachers had shared with the class newspaper articles about him what he had done for Singapore. However, Bay is still very much confused while Meimei is totally clueless.

So to them, today is a day where they can play much longer before going to school while the adults glued ourselves to the TV with solemn faces.

Bay caught a glimpse of the TV while the procession stopped at the Istana.

Bay: Where's the white?
Me: ???

It took me a while to understand his question. The screen was showing the flag on top of the Istana at half mask. It was not a normal Singapore flag. It was a red flag with white crescent moon and stars, the white part of the flag was missing. I must say, Bay is very observant, I didnt notice it at all.

Flag on Istana on 25th March 2015
(Photos from Web)

He went on to questioned me about why the flag has no white part, why they used a different flag, why they didnt use the real Singapore flag, why is there different types on Singapore flag, etc... all of which I couldnt answer. I had no idea.

"Where's the white?" It is an innocent question from a 5 years and 8 months old boy, on something so obvious for him. Totally no implication of the political party (which is often referred to as the Whites) formed by Mr Lee himself. But I see the irony.

Anyone knows why the flag on the Istana is different?

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Bay @ 5 years and 8 months

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Swinging Good Time

Swinging good time when Mama was not by his side.

(he tagged along with Yima to the temple)

Swinging on this old school metal swing...
Cute boy! Always love to wear a jacket.

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Pink Scooter Girl In Action

Watch the pink scooter girl in action!!

Getting better at it with lots of pattern!

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

K2 - Fund raising for Old Folks Home

Bay's K2 Tesla class fund raising for Old Folks Home
Selling self-made pinata and Chips with Salsa dip

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Meimei's Fashion Sense

Aftermath of asking a toddler to dress herself....

She has at least 5 shirts on her and no pants!

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Can you speak Purple?

I was desperate in trying to explain to Bay that he is not an English boy even though he speaks English. I went on to tell him that a typical English has blond hair. His dark hair means that he is an Asian. He is a Chinese boy.

Fast forward many months later.

I knew I had might have gone a bit too much into hair colour and native language stereotyping.
when....

(After his weekly Yamaha class, we were in the lift with a lady who had dyed her hair totally purple.)

Bay: (whispering) Mama, purple hair people speaks what?
Me: (blur look) ???
Bay: (discreetly pointing) Purple hair people speaks what language?
Me: !!!

Fortunately, 1 second later, we exited the lift and I could explain to him that purple is not her real colour.

Can you speak Purple???

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Bay @ 5 years and 8 months

Sofia the Who?

Meimei talking about her favourite doll... Sofia the Worst!
Sofia the Who??? Well... watch the video to find out more.
She's just too cute and adorable!

(click to read full post in Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space)

Note:
Kids Diary @ Keat-In-Space is a private blog. Please contact keatinspace@gmail.com to access.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meimei @ 2 years and 5 months

Monday, March 9, 2015

3D2N "Staycation"

During Bay's routine follow-up on his sensative airways in KKH, the doctor found that his oxygen level was low and insisted on warding him! Thus, we had an impromtu staycation. Fortunately, he was discharged after 3 days when the oxygen level went up to normal. What happened was most probably due to some phlegm plugged in the lungs. Phew!!

The sister fooling around while waiting for admission.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

It's a blessing to have an elder brother

I have always wanted an elder brother. I thought a big brother should protect and dote on the little sister.

Bay is becoming a big brother that I am proud of. They have their fair share of squabbles, like all siblings do. But Bay really does love his meimei and he will think of ways to soothe and calm her down when she is cranky. At times, only Bay can stop her from those terrible two tantrums.

I really hoped that this will be a good start for them, their sibling love will continue and they will have each other to depend on long after we are gone.