inspiredkids

19.9.11 - Lego vehicles

Once we arrived back home after our Singapore trip, S made these vehicles using the new lego wheels.

This has a cover that can be opened and closed.

We went to visit the Nex Mall in Singapore. As usual, parking was a challenge. The shopping centre had an automated system to temporarily stop cars from going in if there car park is full and the car that wants to enter has to wait behind the boom gate until a car leaves its parking lot. Since the car park was full, we had to wait in our car, while waiting for the boom gate to open. There was another lane with a boom gate beside us, and we we noticed that we were kept waiting, whereas the boom gate at the lane next to us, kept opening and letting in several other cars. Finally, we figured that something must be wrong and pressed the intercom. A car park attendant came and let us in. Perhaps the boom gate didn't open because it doesn't recognise our Malaysian car number plate.

After our experience at the packed food court the day before, we decided to go for lunch earlier, at 11.30 am. Fortunately there were still places to sit at the food court. As I was ordering food, an elderly woman started banging the table with her fork and spoon and 'chased' away everyone who was sitting at her table. Everyone turned to look at her. The occupants at her table left for another table. She was left alone, but not for long. Along came several others who sat at her table and she created a commotion and they promptly left her table. Fortunately, I was not at that table, and continued my meal, and enjoyed the delicious lontong meal from a stall selling Indonesian food. The Indonesian nasi lemak had green rice. However, I forgot to take a picture of it.

S made what he called 'a human'

There was a waterplay area at the rooftop

After lunch, we visited the Serangoon Public Library which was located at the rooftop of Nex Mall. It looked like a bookstore and was full of people. The children section was very impressive. The books were new and there were so many varieties of books and authors that I have never heard of. There were several parents reading to their their young children. There were also many people self-checking out books.

Reading at the library

18.9.11 - Fort Canning Park

We went to Fort Canning Park in the morning. It was situated on a hill, and is a reminder of Singapore's colonial past. There is a cemetery in the grounds just behind this structure.

It was very breezy up on the hill

We walked on the tiled path and came up to an archaeological excavation site. Some items found at the site were coins, broken china pieces, etc.

This Keramat is believed to be the tomb of Singapore's last king, Sultan Iskandar Syah

There were lots of saga seeds on the ground

Walking through the big Fort Canning gate. The boys look so small in comparison, like walking into a giant's house.

View from the front

An ancient cannon

More info and download guides about Fort Canning Park at their website.

17.9.11 - Sandcastles @ East Coast Park

At 4.30 pm, we went to East Coast Park in Singapore as we heard about the sandcastle making in conjunction with Parks Festival 2011. When we arrived there, there was a sandcastle making competition in progress and many people had already completed their sandcastles and we oooh and aaah at them.

There is a secret to making these beautiful and professional-looking sandcastles. You need to have the sandcastle making kit. The organisers had so much sale at their booth, that all their kits were sold out before the event was over. They said that they were there every Saturday and Sunday and the kits would be available there. This is a superb way to promote their kits - organise a competition and let the public see these kits in action. These kits are also used as tools in team building - interesting! I don't see these kits in Malaysia though. I was tempted to get the kit, but then again, we live 2.5 hours away from the nearest beach, so it might end up lying in the store room.

A friend brought her kit along and shared it with us. S acted like a architect and designed his own sandcastle. I helped him with the steps. He wanted the width of the steps a certain width, not too wide. He proceeded to decorate the sandcastle with shells.

17.9.11 - Lego Wheels

We headed to Bricksworld at Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road, to get a box of Lego Wheels which I had been eyeing for several months. I searched for it in Malaysia and Jakarta, but there weren't any. Only Singapore had these various Lego basic sets. I wonder why.

We drove 3 rounds in the rain, trying to find the obscure entrance to Ngee Ann City. The car park was also full and we were lucky to have been able to find a parking space there.

After getting the Lego Wheels, we went to the food court for lunch, but to our amazement, there were so many people in the food court and insufficient chairs and tables. We lingered around for around 20 minutes, but to no avail. I noticed that some people didn't even want to leave even after they had finished their meals, whilst others were standing beside them, waiting for a space to sit. We felt that finding a place to sit during lunch in a Singapore food court in a popular shopping centre was quite a stressful thing. Finally, we just bought some buns and ate in the car.

17.9.11 - Jacob Ballas Children Garden

After the Evolution Tour, we walked on to find the Jacob Ballas Children Garden which we heard so much about. It is situated inside Singapore Botanical Gardens, which is a vast place. We walked and walked and walked. Fortunately the weather was very good.

Finally we reached the entrance. Entrance to the garden was free. There was a nice wooden tree sculpture outside the entrance. It claimed to have 500 figurines on it. I tried counting, but lost count halfway.

It was also a huge area inside the garden. A group of children were playing with water and sand under the scorching sun.

Walking the maze

The boys were so light, the wooden hanging bridge didn't sway one bit

To our disappointment, the tree house playground was closed for renovations.

2 kids were playing inside this tree.

I've never heard of this tree before.

Calabash tree

Can you spot the squirrel?

After the garden, we walked and walked, all the way back to the car park, which took around 20 minutes. It started to rain the moment we entered our car. We were lucky!

17.9.11 - Evolution Tour @ Singapore Botanical Gardens

We joined in the Evolution Tour at Singapore Botanical Gardens, held in conjunction with Singapore's inaugural Parks Festival. Our tour was conducted by an elderly man. He had a lot of enthusiasm. I was impressed that Singapore engages its senior citizens to interact with the public as park guides. I wish we had some sort of volunteer system for senior citizens in Malaysia too. When I visited Adelaide two years ago, I was also impressed to see senior citizens working as tourist ambassadors at the airport, visitor centre, and even our bus coach was a senior citizen.

Wow, the tree even has lightning protection system installed.

Fig seed

No dogs allowed

This tree didn't look or feel like a tree. It felt like stone.

According to the sign, when trees are buried in mud, ash or other material, they sometimes become soaked in mineral-rich groundwater. Over time, the minerals, particularly silica can crystalise, slowly turning the wood to stone. Fossils such as these are used to study the history of life on Earth.