15 Nov 2020 - Baking Cookies and Blending Smoothies

We actually planned to spend our evening today to go for a walk in a park but due to the wet weather, there was a change of plan.  Instead, the kids decided to put on their chef's hat whereby Jerlene tried to bake some cookies while Javier tried to make watermelon smoothies.

The first batch of cookies were a bit burnt and learning from the mistakes, the second batch of cookies were much better.

Baking in progress.....

Finally it's a job well done, Jerlene!

As for Javier, he found a watermelon smoothie's recipe from the internet and decided to try it out.  I prepared the watermelon (below) for him and he took over from there.

Firstly, he threw in a few pieces of watermelon and a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the blender.

Then he poured some milk into the blender before starting the blending process.

He was very satisfied with his effort as the end product turned out very well.  I tried it and it's really not bad.  Good job, Javier!

14 Nov 2020 - Javier's Eyebrow has grown back!

About two months ago, I posted that Javier had lost a patch of his eyebrow above both eyes.  You may refer to the post here.  Today, I'm relieved to share that his eyebrow has grown back.  We are still clueless about the root cause but we guessed it could be due to the exam stress that he had exerted onto himself.  Anyway, glad that his "look" is back!  :-)

Just for comparison, below is the photo that I posted 2 months ago.

13 Nov 2020 - Javier achieved Gold (Honours) for the Roszania! Imagine Cup

If you had followed my blog postings, you would know that Javier participated in the Roszania! Imagine Cup, which is an annual hackathon competition, sometimes in September.  The results are out and I'm glad to share that Javier had achieved Gold (Honours) award for the Senior Category.

All the Gold (Honours) entries are posted here.  I have viewed through all the projects but I must say Javier's project really stood out among all.  It's the only project that is interactive.  He even coded features such as input validation, which even experienced developers may sometimes "ignore".  So WELL DONE, Javier!

This is Challenge Circuit 1 and there will be a Challenge Circuit 2 soon.  Hopefully Javier can continue to produce more creative and innovative projects.  加油!

8 Nov 2020 - Lunch at Tsui Wah (翠华) @ Clarke Quay

We had our lunch at Tsui Wah (翠华) - Clarke Quay today.  It has been quite a while since we last ate here.  Jerlene and Javier have been asking about this place recently and so here we were.

Jerlene and Javier enjoying their favourite savoury French Toast Bites served with Vanilla Ice Cream after our main meals.

After lunch, we decided to stroll along Singapore River to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere.  However, the sky suddenly turned dark and we quickly return to our car before it started raining.

30 Oct 2020 - Jerlene's Secondary 1 Results

Jerlene went back to school today to collect her report book.  Overall, her results were pretty ok except for her Higher Chinese which she just managed to get a pass as expected.  Considering that she did not put in much effort in preparing for this exam, I think she had done quite well.  If she is willing to put in more effort, I am very sure she can achieve much better results.

For now, just enjoy your school holiday, Jerlene!  :-)

25 Oct 2020 - Hampstead Wetlands Park

Hampstead Wetlands Park is Singapore's first wetlands sanctuary in an industrial park.  Tracy and I decided to explore this park which is a pretty short drive from our place early this morning while Jerlene and Javier were still sleeping.  We parked our car around The Oval and took a short stroll to the park entrance.

Key features of the Hampstead Wetlands Park include nature trails, boardwalks, and view decks for park visitors to enjoy the treasure trove of biodiversity.

At the main viewing deck along the boardwalk, there were many photography hobbyists standing by and waiting for the right moment to snap some amazing photos.

This 3.23 hectare park provides a conducive environment for plants, birds and other wildlife that inhabit freshwater ecosystems.

We saw many catfishes in the main pond and some of them were really huge.

As we strolled along the scenic boardwalk, we got to enjoy nature up close at the viewing decks and look out for a variety of interesting flora and fauna.

After exploring Hampstead Wetlands Park, we strolled back to The Oval and on our way, we saw hundreds, if not thousands, of small little centipedes and millipedes all over the pavement.  It's really a LOT and we found it extremely difficult to navigate through the path without accidentally stepping on one or two......  :-P

The Oval, a lifestyle destination housed in 32 colonial black-and-white bungalows that were former residences of British officers and their families, is just next to Hampstead Wetlands Park.  There is actually another boardwalk at The Oval that is set against a backdrop of Seletar Airport runways and aircraft hangars, providing views of jets landing and taking off.  We only saw a few private jets taking off as not many commercial flights are operating now during the ongoing pandemic.

It was a nice morning exploration to one of the newest park around.

18 Oct 2020 - Free Lobster at The Boiler....Again!

We were back at The Boiler again.  It's a yearly affair for us to come here during Tracy's birthday month where we will order a Boiler’s Bombdiggity Bag that comes with a free lobster for the birthday celebrant.

As Javier does not like seafood, we ordered other meals for him.

The Bombdiggity Bag comes with a huge Dungeness Crab, lots of prawns, mussels, clams, smoked

sausages, sweet pearl corns & buns.

And of course, below is the free lobster for our birthday girl!  :-)

14 Oct 2020 - A full day of Celebration!

Today is Tracy's birthday and I had planned a whole day full of food and activities.  First, we went to Suntec City for a Soufflé Pancakes brunch.  The cafe is called Fluff Stack, located at basement 1 of Suntec City Mall.

The texture of the soufflé pancakes was extremely soft, fluffy and airy.  The presentation was nice as well.

We ordered a Classic Soufflé Pancake (above) and a Mango Passion Fruit Soufflé Pancake (below).  They were really good!

After we were done with the amazing Soufflé Pancake, we proceeded to the cinema to watch a movie "Vanguard" starring Jackie Chan.  This movie was supposed to release early this year but due to the ongoing pandemic, it only starts screening now.

Our next program was to have a game of "Escape Room".  I had booked a game room "Azkaban (Season 3)" which requires a minimum of 3 players.  As such, we invited a friend of ours to join in the fun.  The game duration is 75 mins.  You may think it's too long but once you are in the game, you will start thinking why time passes by so fast.  Though we did not manage to escape the room in time, we had lots of fun trying to solve all the challenging puzzles.  A must try to all Harry Potter's fan.

By the time we finished the game, it was about dinner time.  We went to a restaurant called Ma Maison at Bugis Junction to have our dinner.  Initially we thought it's a weekday night so the restaurant should not be too crowded.  However, we were wrong as the restaurant was full when we reached.  Fortunately we did not have to wait for too long before getting a seat.

I like the cozy home-like ambience inside the restaurant.

The Baked Escargot with Garlic Butter was superb.  It was so good that after we finished one plate, we immediately ordered another one.  :-)

And we both shared a Seafood Paella (below).

Happy Birthday, Dear!  Hope you had an enjoyable day!  :-)