Yearly Archives

2012

travel

Theme Park Tuesday

It’s day 4 in Gold Coast and we covered 2 theme parks – Movie World and Wet ‘n’ Wild Waterpark.

By now, we’ve acclimatized to the point that we’re able to run around in swimwear. To be fair, we had really nice sunny weather yesterday so we decided to hit the waterpark to check it out first. If it was too cold, we’d abort mission and head to Movie World instead.

Upon arriving and looking at the crowd in Wet ‘n’ Wild, I almost thought that it’s in the middle of summer. The place was packed with kids in their swimwear and it’s like these guys don’t feel cold at all.

There’s this super fun water play area that looks suspiciously similar to the one at Port of Lost Wonder at Sentosa.

And this insane water ride that the husband and my sister went on. They put you in a vertical chamber and the floor opens from under your feet so you plunge all the way down. And then it shoots you back up the side for a second drop.

I couldn’t ride anything but it was fun just sitting there looking at the faces of all the people who came out from the ride looking completely shellshocked.

Kirsten lasted 40 minutes in the icy cold water before she started shivering violently. Even then, she persisted  in playing some more until she finally gave up, shuffled to the husband and said she was c-c-c-cold.

So we wrapped her up in two towels and I held her under the sun to warm up a little.

We were done with the waterpark in less than 3 hours so we dried off and headed to Movie World, which was located just next door.

Movie World is an interesting mix of Warner Brothers characters, DC superheroes and even a Harry Potter shop. If I have to compare theme parks, I’s say it’s most like Universal Studios, but with a different bunch of characters.

The headliner rides are Batwing Spaceshot, Arkham Asylum as well as the Superman Escape and Green Lantern roller coasters – all of which are too intense for me even in my non-pregnant state.

The kids couldn’t go on most of the thrilling rides either so they spent their time with me at the kids area, which had all the tamer rides like the carousel, spinning cups and bumper cars.

This was the first thrilling ride Kirsten made the height limit for. It basically goes up and down vertically, but in a very slow and gentle manner. Just enough to feel a slight drop drop but really not scary at all.

Even though she looked terrified during the entire ride, when she got off, she was all “I’m so brave, I wasn’t scared you know!” But when we asked her if she wanted to go again, she thought for a moment and said “No need, because when I sit too many times, I will get a tummy ache.” Yeah, right.

The park was more crowded than I expected but there’s something about the cool weather that makes everyone more patient and friendly. I’m so not looking forward to the blazing heat back home.

travel

I guess that’s why they call it the Gold Coast

Hello from Down Under!

I’m seriously loving the weather in Gold Coast. When we first arrived, all of us were wrapped up in 3 layers of clothes and still shivering while all the Aussies were strolling around in their t-shirts and shorts. It took us about a day to acclimatize and by the second day, we are equally badass. Ok, maybe not shorts but down to just one layer.

Given that I only had 2 hours to search for accommodation, it was quite a miracle that we got a really nice lodge at Ashmore Palms Holiday Village for like A$110 per night. The service was brilliant – they let us check in early at 9am and gave us a complimentary upgrade to a 2-bedroom unit.

It’s very kid-friendly, with 2 huge playgrounds, a pool and a whole bunch of kids activities like balloon sculpting and macaw meet and greets.

We usually drive when we’re in Australia but this time we thought we’d skip the car rental and try the public Surfside buses instead. That turned out to be a terrible idea. Each bus trip cost like $15 (for 3 adults) and it went round the suburbs so a trip that would usually take 15 minutes by car took about an hour by bus. Plus we had to walk almost 1km out to the nearest bus stop so by the time we arrived at the stop, the kids were already exhausted. Also, some stops didn’t have any shelter, which meant that we had to wait in the sun for 10-15 minutes.

After the arduous journey out, we decided to take a cab on the way back – which only cost us $20 and 15 minutes. Total facepalm. After that, we caved and rented a car for $30 a day.

When you’re in Gold Coast, one of the places you absolutely have to go to is Surfer’s Paradise.

We got there just in time to catch the golden light and OMG, the view was magnificent. The kids saw it from afar and started running towards the water, while we stood completely amazed by the view. I don’t know how else to describe it, except that it was like walking on a sheet of gold.

These pictures of the beach are almost straight out of camera, with minimal edits in Lightroom.

We’ll be at the theme parks the next couple of days. Be back with more updates!

too awesome for words, travel

The Craziest Trip Ever

Being a parent doesn’t allow much room for spontaneity. Especially when you’re a parent of two and 32 weeks pregnant. Everything has to be planned way in advance, then double-checked and re-planned to be sure.

But I’ve always been a big fan of spontaneity – to do something totally insane once in a while. Except that it’s never the right time, you know. There are always a thousand reasons not to be spontaneous.

Sometimes, you just have to make it the right time.

Me: Babe, want to go Melbourne for a short trip?

Husband: Oh sure. When?

Me: We fly tomorrow night.

Husband: WHAT? That’s crazy.

Me: Just think about it. It sounds crazy but not that crazy.

Husband: Yes, it is that crazy.

Me: Well, is it the good kind of crazy or the crazy kind?

Husband: Pretty awesome kind of crazy.

Me: Ok then, let’s do it. What the heck, let’s just leave tonight. And we’re bringing the kids.

That was like 3pm yesterday afternoon, so I got clearance from my gynae, booked all the tickets, packed our bags and got on board a 10pm flight last night.

The kids were all like “NOW?? We’re going now? YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”

Right now, we’re in Gold Coast and the weather is glorious. We’ll be here for the next couple of days, then heading to visit my sister in Melbourne.

This might just be the craziest thing we’ve done in a long time, or ever.

art attack

Back to the drawing board

Nap times used to be my favorite times of the day because much as I enjoy their company when they’re awake, the fact is that I enjoy their company a lot more when they’re asleep. It’s the only hour of peace and quiet I get every afternoon so it’s kind of like a big deal.

Recently, they seem to have outgrown their naps, which means that I not only have less time to myself, I now have to come up with ways to keep them occupied constructively.

One of those ways – develop their artistic talent. Also know as giving them a bunch of chalk and a chalkboard.

Kirsten spent like 30 seconds drawing some squiggly lines only to realize that she was more interested in posing for the camera.

I guess it’d be nice if they turn out to be child prodigy artists but I’m also ok if they end up developing other useful skills, like how to pose while holding an object, which is one of those underrated talents in life.

We’d be happy either way.

events

Drypers Little Day Out

There’s been a lot of tension around here but I’ve said what I needed to say so it’s back to regular programming today. Everyone, take a deep breath and relax!

So two weekends ago, we had a very eventful Drypers Little Day Out at Big Splash.

It was really nice of Drypers to plan everything just so that families could spend some quality time and have a bit of fun outdoors. The event was held in conjunction with the launch of the new Best Ever Drypers – Drypers Soft, Drypers Wee Wee DRY and Drypers DRYPantz, which are now available in stores. The kids have been on the new ranges for the past month and I’m looking forward to testing out the all new supersoft Drypers Soft for Finn. Speaking of, I’m giving birth in less than 2 months…OK NEED TO STOP HYPERVENTILATING.

Anyhow, all we needed to do was show up to enjoy all the rides and activities – totally my kind of event.

On a bunny trail, I have no idea where the kids learnt to do the 2-finger peace sign while taking pictures but it’s like their default picture pose these days. I’d be appalled if it wasn’t so insanely cute.

Time for a Math question: If each kid holds up 2 fingers and daddy holds up 6, how many posers are there?

Moving along, we may have found the coolest carnival game ever. This is Truett holding what looks like a real crossbow, only instead of real arrows, it was replaced with child-friendly suction arrows. Not to brag or anything but this little marksman hit a bullseye on his second try and there was like an audible cheer from the queue of parents. I wanted to give it a shot too but he kind of set the bar pretty high so I totally chickened out.

Besides the carnival booths, there were also kiddy train rides and carousel rides, which are always a hit with the kids.

And then we wrapped up the evening with an outdoor screening of Alvin and the Chipmunks-Chipwrecked under the stars, which was a really cool idea, especially for parents with kids. When the kids got restless, they could fidget and munch on snacks and ask annoying questions without getting shushed or given dirty looks by irate neighbors.

All in all, it was a splendid way to spend a Saturday with the family. Props to all the folks at Drypers who worked so hard to put it all together.

This is part 3 of a series of sponsored conversations on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions and text are my own.

seriously somewhat serious

Innocent until Proven Guilty

Ok, I’ve read your comments and I hear what you’re trying to say. I even agree with a lot of them, except those calling me awful names, obviously.

Like most of you, I believe in integrity and truth and justice and accountability.

The fundamental difference is that you’re working on the assumption that the five accused individuals are guilty. We’re not.

Pastor Kong Hee has asserted that he maintains his integrity.

In addition, the church has responded to the allegations, stating that “The S$24 million, which went to investment bonds, was returned to the church in full, with interest. We didn’t lose the S$24 million, nor did we lose another S$26.6m as alleged and no personal profit was gained by the individuals concerned.”

Yes, I know everyone is calling for evidence. There’s nothing we would like more than to present out side of the story and back it up with evidence. But as criminal charges are now before the court and will be subject to adjudication by the court, presenting our case at this point would constitute subjudice. So these five individuals are being portrayed by the media as guilty without given a chance to defend themselves.

In accordance with the law, we will be allowed to present our case and make our defence in due time, which we will.

I’m not asking for your support. Neither am I asking you to agree with everything we believe in. I’m not even going to ask you to stop calling me bad names. All I’m asking for is justice and fairness. That you consider the possibility that these five accused individuals are innocent. To give truth a chance and let the evidence speak for itself.

seriously somewhat serious

City Harvest, My Church

By now, everyone seems to have an opinion (or a few) on City Harvest Church, Pastor Kong Hee, the Crossover Project and the legion of brainwashed followers. There are a lot of allegations flying around – the main ones being greed (for the leaders) and stupidity (for the followers).

Yesterday, I walked past the newsstands and this case made the front page for every local newspaper. Last checked, we’ve also made most of the International titles and social media looks like it’s about to explode from all the updates about CHC.

That’s pretty epic.

I’m one of those hardcore followers, if you will.

I’ve been in City Harvest Church for the past 15 years and this church, the Pastors, the friends and family, they’ve changed my life. I know that sounds very cultish so let me try to break it down a little. We don’t worship Pastor Kong or any of the leaders and we have no illusions that they’re deities or saints or demigods. On some level, we’re all just a bunch of Christians who believe in a cause and are trying to make a difference in our community. None of us are perfect but we are trying our best to be better and do better for the people around us.

On that same token, having seen all that the Pastors and leaders have done for us over the past 15 years, it’s hard not to love and respect them the way we do. City Harvest Church members may seem fanatic and possibly a little crazy but if you’d just take the time to chat with them a little and hear their stories, you’d maybe understand why we’re this passionate.

There’s no way I’ll be able to summarize everything in a blog post but suffice to say that without this church and its leaders, I wouldn’t be who or where I am today. They’ve been there for me at the lowest points of my life, shown me love and support without asking for anything in return and believed in me when no one else did. For that, I’ll always be grateful and that’s the reason why we sow our lives and time and money into making a difference in someone else’s life.

Come hell or high water, I’m proud to be a City Harvest Church member.

Now, moving on to the allegations.

First of all, what I don’t understand is the vitriol and venom that’s coming from all the people who’ve never given a single cent to the church. Unlike other charities, the church has never once solicited funds from the public and all the money has come in from church members who believe in a cause and gave out of their own free will. Maybe you’re indignant that we’re dumb enough to be bamboozled into giving our money (which is hardly the case), but even if so, does it warrant this outcry from the angry mob?

I mean, I don’t come into your family and lambaste you for how you’re spending your money. If you decide to build your kids a bowling alley in your basement, that’s your right. Or if you decide to splurge on a Breitling for your dad, or a Prada bag for your second grandaunt’s cousin’s daughter, that’s entirely up to you.

Initially, I got really upset at all the inflammatory attacks and veiled derogatory digs popping up on various social media platforms, but at this point, I’m fine taking the hits. I guess if it gives you a sense of moral and intellectual superiority to post your snide remarks and mean jokes, then it’s your prerogative, post away.

Call us brainwashed, call us fools, call us whatever, that’s ok. Sticks and stones, you know.

That being said, I am incredibly encouraged by the show of solidarity and tenacity among the church members I consider my family. And don’t for one moment mistake this loyalty for blind faith. A lot of these so-called fools are some of the brightest minds I have ever met and we’ve done our due diligence by digesting all the facts and allegations. I’ve gone through the MCYS inquiry multiple times, read the news articles, and amassed as much information as I could from all sides.

Do I know every single detail? No. But I know enough to make an informed decision and here’s my take.

I have absolute trust in the fact that none of the money was embezzled for personal gain. I believe in the Crossover Project and there was certainly no intent to deceive, as had been alleged. Pastor Kong and all the other 4 individuals on trial have not breached the trust of the church members.

I make no apologies for giving every dollar that we gave and we will continue to do so knowing that the funds will not be misused.

City Harvest Church is my family. It has been for the last 15 years and I don’t think anything will ever change that.

UPDATED: City Harvest Church responds to allegations.

UPDATED x2 : Innocent Until Proven Guilty