30 Jun 2019 - Algodoo project: Mario Marble Race

I have been checking on Javier's Scratch projects all this while but today, I decided to check on his Youtube channel.  To my surprise, he had created so many new videos.  The latest video (below) is named Mario Marble Race.
The video states that this was his first Algodoo project.  I had no idea what that is and so I decided to do some googling.  Algodoo is a unique 2D-simulation software that allows one the opportunity to play with physics.  Algodoo encourages creativity, ability and motivation to construct knowledge while having fun. It is a perfect aid for children to learn and practice physics at home.

According to Javier, he learns how to use this software through watching demos on youtube.  He's a real techie now and his best teachers are Google and Youtube.  :-)

29 Jun 2019 - BBO Classical Ballet Grade 4 Exam Result

Jerlene got her result for BBO classical ballet grade 4 exam today.  She had achieved a Merit and narrowly missed the Distinction by 1 mark.  Jerlene, continue to work hard and more importantly is to enjoy the process.  Well done!

29 Jun 2019 - Taking tuition for the very first time

Jerlene has not gone for any tuition so far.  However, since PSLE is just round the corner, we decided to give her a final push for her two weaker subjects, which are English and Chinese.  We signed her up for English class at Mind Stretcher and Chinese class at Wang Learning Centre @ Hougang One.  Hopefully these classes can help to boost her languages to achieve better results.

Actually, Javier was the one who requested for Chinese tuition since his term 2 Chinese result was unsatisfactory.  After signing Javier up for the tuition, we felt that Jerlene will probably need it as well.

28 Jun 2019 - Byblis Flowers

Our carnivorous Byblis has finally flowered.  The five-petaled flowers are generally purple to pale violet.  The flowers of Byblis usually start to bloom in early spring and last until late summer.  However I guess in Singapore, it probably will bloom all year round.

Fertilized flowers mature to form an egg shaped, two-parted seed capsule. As the seed capsule dries out it cracks open, dropping the seed on the ground.  The black seeds are generally round and often bear webbed surface markings.

27 Jun 2019 - Kidz Treehouse Eco Camp at Sentosa

Javier attended Kidz Treehouse Student Care Centre's Eco Camp at Sentosa.  Jerlene could not attend as her P6 class was having remedial lessons.  This year's theme was "Be A Hero, Lets Go Zero".  Students from all Kidz Treehouse branches in Singapore gathered at Sentosa early in the morning.

The Eco Camp was filled with fun and excitement and the students cheered their way through the camp.  They also learnt about the health and environment impacts of poorly disposed waste and the different ways to manage them.

Another highlight of the Eco Camp was the sandcastle competition,

The camp had successfully achieved its aim of not using single-use items as well as zero waste!  Well done to all the kids and thanks to the teachers who organized the event which ended Term 2 on a high note.

8 Jun 2019 - Seoul Day 8: Flying home on the new A350-900

Our flight home was on the new Airbus A350-900.  The entire flight experience was great except that we did not really like the way the seat belt was strapped across our body which was similar to that of a normal passenger car.  Especially for the kids, it looks quite uncomfortable for them.

This was our second time to occupy the entire cabin section all to ourselves. 😊

Following were our dinner about 2 hours before the flight touched down at Changi Airport.

We managed to catch the beautiful sunset on board.

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8 Jun 2019 - Seoul Day 8: AREX Express Train to Incheon Airport

After checking out of our hotel, we walked to Seoul Station to take a train to Incheon airport.

When we arrived at Seoul Station, we saw a group of people wearing traditional Korean costumes performing by the road side.

There are several different ways to travel between Incheon International Airport and downtown Seoul. One way is to take the Airport Railroad Express (AREX), which runs directly from Seoul Station to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, with no stops along the way.

We were the only ones in this section of the cabin.  The seats were pretty comfortable.

The entire journey took about 45 minutes.

We then went to the food court to have our lunch.

And followed by Bingsu, which is a traditional Korean cold dessert, at Twosome Place restaurant.

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8 Jun 2019 - Seoul Day 8: Last minute Seoul shopping

From our hotel Courtyard by Marriott, we walked towards Myeongdong via Namdaemun street.

The Namdaemun underground shopping center is right outside of our hotel.

The morning will not be complete without a nice cup of coffee.

Below is Gyeongsuso (a guard post), the place where the patrolmen affiliated with Jwasuncheong (左巡厅) and Wusuncheong (右巡厅) used to stay in order to defend against thieves, and prevent a fire in and out of the castle town during the period of the Joseon Dynasty.

We bought lots of nuts with different flavours from this store in Myeongdong.  We were here over the past few nights trying out all the different flavours.

It's time to return to our hotel and pack up.  This marks the end of our 8 days Busan and Seoul Trip.

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8 Jun 2019 - Seoul Day 8: Sungnyemun Gate (崇礼门)

Before we checked out of our hotel, we still had time in the morning to do some nearby sightseeing and last minute shopping.  When we first arrived at Seoul from Busan few days back, we saw an ancient gate while walking towards our hotel.  We simply passed by it that day so we decided to walk over to have a better look of the gate.

Sungnyemun Gate is Korea’s National Treasure No. 1, and its unofficial name is Namdaemun Gate. It is the oldest and largest castle gate stone structure with an arched entrance in the middle. There’s a column on top of a platform, raising the roof, distinguishing the upper stories and lower stories of the building. Passageways for traffic are located at the east and west ends of the gate. Different from the other gates, Sungnyemun Gate’s tablet has its name written vertically. 

On February 10, 2008, Sungnyemun Gate became the subject of an arson attack, which resulted in severe damage to its structure including destruction of the entire second-floor roof.  The incident was promptly followed by restoration efforts that took over five years to complete, and it was restored closest to its original form.  The gate was re-opened to the public again as of May 4, 2013.

The gate was guarded by four guards who were wearing traditional uniform.  Javier took the opportunity to take a photo with them.

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7 Jun 2019 - Seoul Day 7: Back to Myeongdong for street food and dinner

In the evening, we were back at our favourite place, Myeongdong, to "hunt" street food and ginseng chicken soup

This time we ordered one black and one white ginseng chicken soups.

After dinner, we shopped around Myeongdong area to get some souvenirs as it's our last night in Korea.

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