Saturday, November 16, 2013

Kidz Amaze at SAFRA Toa Payoh




 
We are not a fan of indoor playground.  Kidz Amaze at SAFRA Toa Payoh was on my list to check out because it was comparatively cheaper than other indoor playgrounds.  Moreover, it has been raining nowadays.  Hence, this would be one of the place for some fun and actions for my boy.  We preferred Science center and Changi Airport which ranked high on our list for the wet season.
 
The indoor playground was brightly lit and interestingly divided into 3 custom themed zones; The City, Tree Tops and The Cave.  In each theme, there were tangram people, birds and animals for kids to explore and seek.  Unfortunately, the novice was soon began to wear off for the little man.  He found new friends and ran 'wild'!  I made myself comfortable on one of the bean bags around, reading a book.  It was a Thursday afternoon and the start of year end school holiday.  Hence, it was not crowded with adults and children.  The locker was available for use for a dollar which comes in handy since no water bottles and bags were allowed to bring inside the playground. Another unusual and bizarre thing I discovered was, most parent did not enter together with their kids.  They just dropped them off and collected their kids later at the reception which the counter staff would broadcast the name of the child through a PA (public address) system.
 
One thing good about the place was the infant and toddler play zone were partitioned far away from the main playground.  It was a brilliant concept and safer for the younger ones to play without parents worrying the older kids would accidentally knock the small feet off the ground.


My boy had a blast and wanted to come back again.

 
 







Halloween with a difference

Towards the end of October was quite an eventful for our family which was why bento-ing has also taken a back seat for now.  It all happened that Papa has a meniscus tear on his left knee after hours of window shopping in Bangkok during his business trip. Sound ridiculous maybe but it was indeed a fact for the man!   He was scheduled for a keyhole surgery at Mount Elizabeth hospital.  Prior to surgery, he had to do what he must do (as a filial son) i.e. to visit my mother-in-law in Malaysia and brought her for medical check/follow up. Due to some unexpected family matters, it has almost become a monthly affair for him to travel back to Malaysia.

On Sunday, 27 October 2013, we went to the not-so-creepy Halloween at Science Center and even got to see the exhibits of Titans of the Past.  The exhibit was amazing.  However, my timid boy was too afraid of the moving dinosaurs except for the ice age mammals. Be it appeared ferocious or not, I was being dragged from one exhibits to another swiftly. Nevertheless, we went in twice inside the exhibits since the ticket allowed multiple entries as we had to catch the 'World W conference' science show mid way.  Actually, this was the highlight of the outing because my boy dressed up as batman which I DIY the costumes and for the records, we celebrated Halloween for the first time! It was a pity Papa could not join us for the fun.  We spotted little red devil, buzz lightyear, superheros, ghost..etc.  The science shows worked around the Halloween theme with a wizard and witch appearance performing magic potion that set the stage alive with colours, explosive, fire and sound effects (even the Gangnam style music come into play!).  At the end of the show, we took a picture with the hosts below for remembrance.  And I was relief that we drove home just before the downpour. 



Science Center not-so-creepy Halloween
A wizard, batman and a witch
Little batman

A few days later (29 October 2013, Tuesday),  we reached Mount Elizabeth hospital at 7am and Papa was pushed into the Operating Theatre at about 8am.  He was out and conscious by 12.30pm after the keyhole surgery.  Papa was given general anesthesia (GA) and the first thing  he told me was that he had such a good sleep and glad that everything was over!  Afterwhich, we had a few visits from Auntie Lilian, Auntie Wai Leng, Uncle Chin Wen, my mum and nephew, Dexter.  It was a long day and I was truly grateful to Auntie Lilian who kept me company for almost the whole day and when my husband discharged the next day.  For the little boy, I have sent him to my Mum's place for a two days one night stay (sounds like holiday to him) for a peace of mind, else he would feel restless and boring at the hospital.  Mommy was tired from shuttering between home, hospital and school on top of her housework and cooking routines.  Papa has recuperated well at home   Stiches was removed and the wound has healed nicely.  Still on crutches and hopefully, his orthopaedic doctor, Dr Leon Foo advised that Papa should be off the crutches by the end of this year.