events

Pigeons and Cookies and Trash

May 25, 2012

Those aren’t really my favorite things but they happen to be the favorite things of Bert, Cookie Monster and Oscar. And I know this because those guys just sang a really cute song about it during the press conference at Universal Studios Singapore yesterday.

Here, I even managed to catch it on video for you guys.

You know what this means right?

Uh huh. Sesame Street has landed in USS.

Starting next Monday, the characters from Sesame Street will be performing live shows like these along the streets of New York in USS. On top of that, there will also be character breakfasts as well as meet and greets so you can get up close with your favorite character.

During the preview breakfast yesterday, we got to meet Oscar, Cookie, Bert and Ernie.

This looks like a picture of calm but it took several tries to get it because the first time we attempted to take a group photo, Kirsten went ballistic when Oscar reached out to hug her. In between shrieks, she was all “I DON’T LIKE THE GREEN ONE, HE’S VERY DIRTY…” And we were like “Um yeah, that’s kind of the appeal. He is living in a trash can, sweetheart.”

On that note, I have to say that the costumes are done really well. I mean, Oscar (who’s my favorite, btw) even has a real trash can attached to his legs so he can park and hide in it whenever he’s tired. That’s just brilliant.

And a couple more shots of the breakfast. Yes, cake does count as breakfast.

In other news, there will also be a Sesame Street ride that will be unveiled towards the end of the year, so stay tuned for that.

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motherhood, stuff best described as not safe for parents

Bedtime, not again

May 24, 2012

With toddlers, bedtime can be the best of times or the worst of times.

Sometimes, like last night, it can be a little bit of both.

Time check: 10.20. It was 45 minutes since I attempted to put Kirsten to bed and she was still a bundle of energy, climbing everywhere in the complete darkness of her room. Stories had been read, songs had been sung, kisses exchanged and I was starting to get a little edgy thinking of all the work I had to do after she falls asleep.

“Lie down and close your eyes, princess.”

“Momma…” she whispered.

It was turning out to be one of those nights. I could just feel it.

“No more talking. One more sound from you and I’m going out, daddy will come take over.”

“Momma…” she whispered again, this time even softer.

“WHAT, baby? You’ve already peed, pooped, drank milk, drank water and peed again. What else could you possibly want that’s so urgent?”

She was quiet for a moment, unsure of whether to go on.

“I love you, momma. G’night.” With that, she planted a light peck on my cheek and climbed back into bed.

Motherhood. Makes you feel like a complete arse sometimes.

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giveaways reviews ads

Let There Be Light

May 22, 2012

Advertorial

When I was a kid, I didn’t really pay much attention to protecting my eyes. I always figured that they’d be fine and the worst thing that could happen was myopia, which sort of wasn’t a big deal because we have things called spectacles and contact lenses these days.

Looking back, I broke practically every eye-protecting rule in the book. I would hide under the covers with a torch to read late into the night, have the book far too close to my eyes and watch TV excessively. My mom used to tell me to read under a proper reading light but I hated it because the glare would be too distracting, so I’d end up reading in a variety of positions and under all kinds of bad lighting.

Which pretty much explains why I’m now practically blind without my glasses. This one time I broke my specs when Kirsten was a month old and I had to jab contact lenses into my eyes several times throughout the night to get through the night feeds.

After discovering first hand how annoying it is to have bad eyesight, I’m doing what I can to not abuse my eyes further.

And with my own kids, I find myself becoming very particular about protecting their eyes, just so that they don’t become as myopic as I am. I’m now like an Eye Nazi, barking orders like “no watching the iPad while lying down” and “turn on the reading light guys, you’re going to go blind”.

So I was actually quite pleased to find out that 3M now has a range of 3MTM Polarizing Lights and even more pleased that they sent over a set to try.

What’s a Polarizing Light, you say?

It’s basically a reading light with a Polarizing Filter that illuminates better, reduces the glare and absorbs UV rays, thereby protecting the eyes. It got a very cool On/Off touch pad instead of a regular switch and it swivels easily so I can change reading positions and swivel the light accordingly. I know that’s a lot of geek talk but my inner geek is feeling a lot of love for it.

The kids are also taking very well to it, so much so that they’ve staked claim to it for their reading corner.

3M is now giving away 5 pieces of 3M Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp) worth $189 each. To join the contest, all you need to do is tell us in 100 words or less, why you need a 3M Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp). Send your answer, name, I/C number, mobile and email address with the title “3M Polarizing Light Contest – Mother, Inc” to officebiz@mmm.com by 17 June 2012 and winners will be announced on 29 Jun 2012.

*Open to Singapore citizens and PRs only.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of 3M. All opinions and text are my own.

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