Green Wonders at Hort Park

A few weeks back, we went to Hort Park off Alexandra Road.

This is one of Singapore’s newest parks, and quite unlike the others. The idea is for it to be a “gardening lifestyle hub” that “bring[s] together gardening-related recreational, educational, research and retail activities under one roof in a park setting.”

To be honest, I wasn’t too excited when I first saw it. It felt like a gardening showroom, and was more about marketing landscaping companies than giving us room to run around and explore nature.

But as we walked further in,

Pilgrim Discovery: The Animal Resort!

A couple of weekends back, Pilgrim Dad was in an adventurous mood so we piled the family into the truck and headed north with no destination in mind – really!

We found ourselves in the Seletar area, and flipping open the street directory, our curiosity was piqued by a box marked “The Animal Resort”. So we drove over and – lo and behold! – found hidden treasure.

The Animal Resort, located at Seletar West Farmway 5, is a mini-hub of pet services. You can buy, board, groom and train your pet there, and also find most of what you’d need to care for Fluffy.

But what was most charming for us was

Train Spotting

Athos was invited to a birthday party at McDonalds King Albert Park. It’s not a place we go to frequently, but I remember that the KTM (Malaysian railway) tracks pass near there. So after dropping Athos off, I decided to take Porthos and Aramis on a little adventure to look at train tracks.

Pilgrim Parent delicious discovery: the Bukit Timah signal station! If you’re going along Bukit Timah Road towards Woodlands, you’ll find a small road just before King Albert Park. It’s easy to miss because it has no name and is not properly paved. But it’s just past the overhead trackbridge, and before the McDonald’s HQ at the junction. And if you turn into the road, you’ll find a world set apart – train tracks at street level, with a platform running alongside, as well as a signal station and office belonging to Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railway, or KTM for short).

Serendipitously, the friendly signalman Mr Abdul Ghani told us that a train would be passing by in 15 minutes! Porthos was particularly excited. In the meantime, Mr Abdul Ghani let us follow him around on his duties.

Rediscovering Singapore

The past few days at work have been extremely challenging, and I have not felt this stressed and anxious in a long time. But there were some wonderful highlights. One of which was the opportunity to bring a group of international visitors on a tour of Singapore.

The tour was organised by Journeys, a Singapore travel agency which does the Original Singapore Walks. I was thrilled when I found out, because I’ve been wanting to do one of their walks for a long time and have never found the time. Journeys is strongly history-based, which means their tours are stuffed with as much information as the knowledge-hungry tourist (and curious local) could possible want.

We started our journey at

National Taps

As part of work this week, I had the very great pleasure of visiting the NEWater Visitor Centre. I hadn’t realised that the facility was open to the general public, and that it has even won tourism awards! The place is open from 9am to 5:30pm daily except Mondays, and admission is free. The tour was truly enlightening, suitable even for very young children (I’d say at least 4-5 years old) and I highly recommend it.

I was telling Athos and Porthos about the visit at bedtime tonight. I explained to them that NEWater was part of Singapore ‘s strategy of Four National Taps to ensure enough water for Singapore well into the future – the other three being imported water, rainwater and desalinated water.

Here’s what they had to say:

Porthos: If there are four National Taps, does that mean there are also four National Pipes?

Pilgrim Mom: Well, yes, I guess so!

Athos: And doesn’t that mean there are also four National Toilets?

PM: [laughs uncontrollably]

Athos: … and four National Poo-Poos and Wee-Wees too!

I wonder what the good people at our Public Utilities Board think about that!

You Are Special

Thanks to a cousin, we got free tickets to I Theatre’s production “You Are Special“.

Based on best-selling author Max Lucado’s book of the same name, it features an original script, original music, and a cast that is on the whole very strong. All the actors/actresses were unknown to me so I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the ensemble. They adopted standard American/British pronunciation and the accent didn’t slip at any point (not obviously anyway), which is rare for a mostly-local cast. There was some slapstick and melodrama, but none of the awkwardness that sometimes accompanies inexperience. Although a few of the songs weren’t especially melodious, they were well-sung. I was especially taken by the strong vocals of Dwayne Lau (Punch) and Juliet Pang (Lucia). Dwayne in particular had excellent stage presence and carried the show. Candice de Rozario was delightful as the colourful and comical Mayoress. The message of the story is the production’s strongest selling point – that all of us are special because we are loved.

Athos and Porthos enjoyed it, and there were points when Athos guffawed so loudly that those in the neighbouring seats turned to look. The actors also came out to mingle with the audience after the show which was quite a thrill for the boys.

The show is running at the Drama Centre and ends on 18 Nov. Tickets range from $23 to $38. Catch it if you can!

VivoCity Sky Park

We discovered the VivoCity Sky Park!

In response to my earlier post on the VivoCity playground, Kumquat commented that one floor above it, there was a cool wading pool. We finally had the opportunity to check it out for ourselves and it is just marvellous. It’s an open-air deck overlooking Sentosa and the sea, with a wading pool that doesn’t go beyond knee-deep, an amphitheatre, and lots of space for running about without getting in anyone’s way. Just adjacent to the Sky Park is a food court (the excellent Food Republic), as well as the Sentosa Express station.

Definitely a place to come back to, and three cheers to VivoCity for building such a generous play area into their facility. Pictures follow

Wildness And Wet On St John’s Island

Last week, my work department went for some team bonding at St John’s Island. Many of us hadn’t been there in a long while, and for me, it was a sheer delight to be out of the office and in the wild on a workday afternoon.

The only way to the island is by ferry from Marina South Pier – $15 for adults, $12 for kids (which includes island admission). Click here for the schedule. If the group is large enough, it’s possible to charter a ferry. I didn’t realise this but there is even a holiday bungalow and campgrounds – read more here. If you do intend to go though, please note that there are no shops of any sort on the island, so you’ll need to bring your own food and water.

Here’s our boat approaching the island:

A Parade for the People

Despite the downpour earlier in the afternoon, the Pilgrim family decided to go ahead with our plan to watch the National Day Parade.

I remember attempts in previous years to watch the parade from the periphery. It was always fun, but I felt distinctly outside the real event, part of the Ticketless Masses.

But oh the wonders of having it on the bay this year!

Viva VivoCity Playground!

I’m not big on bringing kids to a mall as a way of passing time. But I have to say, the open-air playground at VivoCity is quite something. The space is huge, the equipment unique, and there are sheltered seats for weary parents like me. There’s also a nifty water feature that kids would love running through, great for the typical sweltering Singapore day.

Some pictures for anyone who’s curious

Labrador Park: Where Nature Meets History

Over the weekend, a friend who works for the National Parks Board arranged a walking tour of Labrador Nature Reserve with a nature guide.

It’s been a while since I’ve been there, and I must say I had some reservations. The sky looked threatening, we are still in dengue season, we would have three kids in tow, and the walk would last about 2 hours.

As it turned out, I absolutely LOVED it.

Botanic Gardens: Lushness!

I had a rare morning off work today. So after dropping the boys off at school, Aramis and I had a little date at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Now gung-ho as I was, I thought it would be wiser to attempt this only after having some caffeine in my system. (Despite my earlier bravado about weaning, I am, I’m sorry to say, still nursing at night. We don’t call him Suckzilla for nothing….)

And here is where I start my rave about the newly renovated Botanic Gardens.

Breakfast of Champions

Most mornings, breakfast is a simple matter of cereals or breads and spreads.

But once in a while, we head out for a change, and the kids get to pick where to go. And very often, the food of choice is prata. This Indian dish, more accurately called paratha, was brought to Singapore by immigrants and has been adapted in so many amazing ways that you cannot but believe in the innate creativity of Singapore (at least when it comes to food!)

The perennial favourite for Athos and Porthos is tissue prata (aka paper prata), with a glass of iced Milo. It’s prata stretched really thin, drizzled with butter and sugar, and wrapped around into the shape of a hat. Mmmm… and look out for that sugar rush!

Here’s the one from Niqqi’s The Cheese Prata Shop near NUS.

More On The Nature Deficit Disorder

I last posted on the nature deficit disorder here. While catching up on blog-reading, I found this link to a Washington Post story via Whymommy over at Toddler Planet. The article expresses concerns over nature’s diminishing presence in the lives of our children, and it’s worth a read.

It’s sad but true that unless we make a special effort, the next generation of children will experience less of nature than us. My father talked of catching guppies in drains and fighting spiders as a child. Today, we have to go somewhere before we can be surrounded by nature, and ahead of that douse ourselves head-to-toe with insect repellent so we don’t get dengue. And here in Singapore, it’s hot, it’s sweaty, and it’s so much easier to go to a mall or just stay home watching TV and playing videogames.

But let’s not be lured by what’s easy, nor put off by what’s hard. Is being outdoors amid nature a good thing? If yes, for the sake of our children, let’s just do it.

Need ideas? Try the Places to Go link above.

Here’s more if you’re interested in the topic:

• Salon.com – “Do today’s kids have nature deficit disorder”
• Chicago Tribune – “Go outside!”
  
• “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv.

Incidentally, Whymommy, whose blog I read regularly, has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has two boys aged 2.5 years and 5 months. Would you drop by her blog and give her some encouragement?

Rasa Sentosa – A Little Piece of Paradise

The Pilgrim family finally cleared our schedules and took off to Sentosa for the last few days of the June school holidays.

Granted, it’s not the most exotic of destinations for the Singaporean family. No need for airplanes nor passports, malaria pills nor winter wear. But with three boys, of whom one is just learning to walk, we thought it was the most sensible option.

And as it turned out, a wonderful value-for-money choice too. We found out that Rasa Sentosa, Singapore’s one and only beachfront resort, offers a great school holiday deal. For about SGD$500 (USD$320) a night, we got:

Blissful in Bintan

Last weekend, the Pilgrim family went to Bintan for a holiday. It was our first trip out of Singapore since Aramis was born, and it was delightful!

Our journey started with a 55-minute catamaran ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. The vessel was airconditioned and comfortable, and the kids liked looking out the window and watching the world pass by. (I did, however, wish there was an open-air deck for passengers to take in the sea breeze – that’s one of my abiding memories from childhood boat rides.)

At Bintan, a bus came to bring us to the resort. Bintan has a huge variety – check them out here – and we stayed at Bintan Lagoon Resort, which is where the Aviva Bintan Triathlon was being held (yes Pilgrim Dad is a triathlete, or as he might put it – a “try-athlete”!). The hotel seemed to be fully booked, yet there was still a sense of tranquillity and space about the resort.

Our room was a ground-floor sea-facing unit, just a few minutes stroll from the pool and beach. The room had a king-sized bed (which the boys loved to bounce on), as well as a bay window with a large day bed, more than enough room for all of us.

The highlight for us was the beach. The water was clear, the sand was fine, and the sea sloped in so gently that you could walk in for many metres and still find yourself only waist-deep in water. There was a rocky outcrop at one end of the beach where we found many crabholes (though only a few crabs) and tiny fishes swimming in and out with the waves. The boys loved it, and even little Aramis took a shine to the surf.

The funny thing was: we were halfway to the ferry terminal when we realised we’d forgotten to bring our camera! Our first family vacation too! Yet somehow I didn’t regret it. I find that modern technology sometimes gets me so wrapped up in capturing the moment that I forgot to be in the moment. And without our camera, we could be all there. Touching, smelling, seeing, and remembering it forever in our hearts.

Reconnecting With Nature At West Coast Park

Yesterday evening, in a bid to redress the Pilgrim family’s nature deficit disorder, we brought the kids cycling at West Coast Park. This is one of the bigger parks in Singapore, and at its western end features a huge playground with all sorts of funky equipment that kids of all ages love. (Yes, the one with the inevitable McDonalds.)

The quieter sections are around Carparks 1 and 2. These are where you will find the runners, walkers, couples on a date, and once in a while, a boisterous family (ahem) puncturing the peace.

Now Singapore’s parks aren’t exactly a walk on the wild side. There are footpaths and bicycle paths, all prominently labelled. Fallen leaves are swept up, bushes are trimmed, and there are toilets and rubbish bins at regular intervals. Still, amid the manicured look, there is real fauna to be found. In the half hour we were there we saw:

• An army of large red ants marching in neat rows
• Another army of small black ants hauling home a dead wasp
• Two snails, a big one with a conch-shaped shell and a small one with a spiral-shaped shell
• A lizard (possibly iguana?) with his body nicely camouflaged against a bed of leaves
• A perfectly-formed spiderweb with its owner sitting calmly in the middle awaiting his dinner

The kids were especially thrilled by Messrs. Snail and Spider (hurrah for all things slimy and creepy). I think the cool factor of West Coast Park went up several notches just on that score!

Overcoming the Nature Deficit Disorder

Someone sent me this at work – the World Future Society’s annual top 10 forecasts. It’s a short, punchy and provocative piece, well worth a read.

As a parent, I was particularly struck by #4:

“Children’s ‘nature deficit disorder’ will grow as a health threat. Children today are spending less time in direct contact with nature than did previous generations. The impacts are showing up not only in their lack of physical fitness, but also in the growing prevalence of hyperactivity and attention deficit. Studies show that immersing children in outdoor settings – away from television and video games – fosters more creative mental activity and concentration.”

Living in a city-state like Singapore, we face a double whammy. TV and video games aside, most of us live in apartments and are surrounded by more buildings than trees.

Nature isn’t second nature, but we can make it so. We still have enough parks and open spaces to call our own. It’s just a matter of overcoming the mental hurdle that it’s easier to just stay indoors. So get a ball, a frisbee, a picnic basket, and venture outside!

SAFRA Kids Adventure: Sweating It Out

The boys were invited to a birthday party at SAFRA Kids Adventure. It’s a children’s indoor gym at SAFRA Toa Payoh, fully airconditioned and slightly larger than the one at Downtown East’s Explorerkid. This was their third time there and they enjoyed it thoroughly, running, climbing, yelling, sliding and just being boys. The structures are reasonably well-maintained and the place is well-padded so I could pretty much chill out and talk to other moms and dads at the party. VERY LOUDLY, I might add, seeing as we were fighting to be heard above the din of the party.

The prices are reasonable, even for non-members ($5 for peak, $3 for non-peak). And I hadn’t realised that they also have birthday packages, with rooms on the second level and catering by Mouth Restaurant. Check out the Kids Adventure website for fuller details. A reminder to anyone intending to visit the place: socks are required to enter the play area. Some pictures below:

Pasir Ris Park: Tranquillity on a Weekday

Last week, Porthos’ kindergarten went on an excursion to Pasir Ris Park. Organised by Club Kangaroo, the kids played carnival games, interacted with wildlife (two pythons and an iguana), and picked seashells on the beach. I was impressed by how smoothly everything went, and how well the team managed the kids and kept them engaged.

But what left the deepest impression on me was