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Sunday, March 30, 2014

~ 冰变 - An Affair with Ice @ Millenia Walk ~

After a night out at Earth Hour, we needed to quench our thirst and rest our feet. Walking back to Millenia Walk (where we parked our car), we settled down for desserts at 冰变 - an affair with ice.


冰变 - is a Taiwanese shaved ice dessert place. I am intrigued with the presentation of their desserts on the menu. They have hot and cold desserts for selection and all looked so tasty. 

It took me awhile to pick one among their Deluxe, Yuyuan and Fruit series. I wished I can try them all. It was hubby who decided to go for his favourite Mango Ice Set.

Mango Ice Set (SGD 5.90) - I love their toppings! Lots of mango chunks, almond flakes and mango pops on top of the shaved ice. It's refreshing and not not too sweet. Every mouthful is so heavenly and I could go for another cup! Did I forget to mention how I love the sensation of the mango pops popping inside my mouth?

Would I be back here again for more dessert? YES! I am continuing my affair with ice and trying out their other series when I'm in town.

冰变 Bing Bian - An Affair with Ice
Address: 9 Raffles Boulevard #01-105 Millenia Walk, S039596


~ Earth Hour 2014 with Spider-Man as Superhero Ambassador ~


5th year into our participation of the Earth Hour and this is the biggest turn-out I have ever seen at the Float. Thanks to Spider-Man - Earth Hour's first Superhero Ambassador, the cast of Amazing Spider-Man 2 joined WWF supporting and celebrating the annual global movement event!

Apart from being mindful of the global warning issues and put in our efforts to save our Plant earth, Earth Hour has also gradually become a family day out for us.


It was a beautiful evening and the view along Marina Bay was gorgeous! 
The light display from i Light 2014

There was a huge crowd on the floating platform and we decided not to venture in further. We met up with Johnny and his family and stayed comfortably underneath the Helix bridge.The best view where we can catch a glimpse of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) was on the big screen. "Steady La" seems to be one of the phrase our Spidey was learnt during his visit.


Apart from Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and director Marc webb have also arrived to grace the event


Countdown starts to switch off the lights - marking Earth Hour Blue...
Lights OFF!


It's back to serenity after the lights off. 


(Photo credit : Johnny Tan)

So what were the children doing all this while? 
They were enjoying the company of their friends (Johnny's kiddos). Our feisty, young chaps ended up running and playing with the bubbles.

Although we did not get to the floating platform and get up close with Spidey due to the crowd, it was an enjoyable night. Earth Hour 2014 was Awesome and we look forward to Earth Hour 2015.


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

~ Sketches - Wonders you can do with shading ~

I love to doodle and I just can't stop when I start working on a piece of picture. While I'm not good with using paints, I started doing a lot of shading and working on black and white drawings which attract me just as well.

Black and white sketches always gives me a very nostalgic yet classy feel. The entire picture stands out in its simplicity with the different intensity of the pencil strokes.


Recently, I did a sketch of Elsa and Anna in their childhood. The effects of shading truly enhance your drawing and giving it a 3D look. Either versions are great as colouring pages and I ended making copies of it.


I also participated in the Project Jewel Contest - An Art Project where participants can submit photos or drawings which draws upon your imagination. Here's what I perceived in my mind as I closes my eyes and visualize.

Sketches may look dull initially, but with creativity and more effort, it can bring you wonders that you can never imagine.

Monday, March 24, 2014

~ Sun Pavilion - New Prickly Attraction at Gardens by the Bay ~

Recently, Gardens by the Bay has a new prickly addition that will spike your interest. Sun Pavilion, home of over 1000 dessert plants, open its door to the public on 25th February 2014.


The 800 square meter outdoor cactus garden has one of the largest cacti and succulent collections in Southeast Asia. Although there's also a succulent section within the Flower Dome, Sun Pavilion offers much more variety. The glass ceiling not only provide shelter but it's main purpose is to prevent the cacti from taking in too much rain water.  

Take a little walk around the garden and you will be marveled by the cacti displays. The kids found the Brain Cactus most intriguing because of its unique form. Setting a quiz here would be a lovely activity we can do with our kiddos as they explore and learn more about the cacti family.


I have a soft spot for cactus. Although they are spiky on the outside, there's so much beauty within that they blossom naturally among the floral. Take a closer look and you will find each cactus has its unique feature. 

(Turk's Cap)





Well, it's not always spiky thorns that you will expect to see at the Sun Pavilion, there's also some soft touch that adds colour and flavour to the landscape.




Feeling tired? There's always a resting spot where you can take a breather.

Sun Pavilion is located near the Far East Organization Children's Garden. It opens daily and admission is free.

Friday, March 21, 2014

~ Garden photo walkway at Bayfront ~

Normally we will drive in to Gardens by the Bay or walk over to the gardens from Marina Bay Sands. With Hubby missing in action (due to his work commitment), the kids and I took the train down to Bayfront MRT instead. 

We were delightfully surprised by the wall photos in the underground link after we made our exit. Photos of lustful green trees and colourful flowers along both sides of the walls captivated our hearts almost instantly.


The children initiated to pose besides the photo walls and we ended spending the next 30 minutes acting as models and taking fun shots! I love the vibrant colours and how Denver & Gladys were so natural posing against the different photo themes. Never did we expect the photo gallery wall to bring us so much entertainment and in a mere half hour time, we created our very own studio like photo album.

Location: Underground link (Bayfront MRT - Exit B)

Thursday, March 20, 2014

~ Exploring i Light 2014 along Marina Bay - Route A ~

Continuing our walk from the Float, we lingered on the Helix bridge, admiring the 3D projection displayed on the ArtScience Museum from where we were standing. It was a pretty sight but we have to move on to check out what's in store along the Marina Bay Sands.

A1 - Beat : Children's hotspot and probably resting spot especially after a long walk. Denver and Gladys joined the crowd and sat on the illuminated balls that comes in different sizes.


A2 - The Wishing! Tree : Will our wishes come true tonight?

A3 - ISwarm : Interesting light display that illuminate the waters of Marina Bay. iSwarm actually reacts by detecting the presence of human and generate light patterns.

A4 - Happy Croco : The 20m long light crocodile has cone backbones. Our dearest Gladys thought it looked like a Hippopotamus instead because of the big nostrils. Hmmmm...What do you see? 

A5 - Bedazzled : The umbrella shade attracted a lot of curious on-lookers checking out what inside the dome. Experience how the stars illuminate in the dark sky with animated constellations. 
My dazzling stars!

A6 - Lightscape Catcher : Blame it on my poor photography skill, I could not get a good shot of the reflection of Singapore's urban skyline.  

A7 - Mimosa : If you are familiar with the mimosa plant that curl up upon human's touch, the light flower petals will open and close in response to the visitors' hand movement.  

A8 - #WeHeartLight : Observe this light installation closely and you will realised it is not a simple heart. Through working closely with students from different schools in Singapore, #WeHeartLight is the combined efforts of 200 locals to each make a light box with personalised images and text. 

A10 - Floating Hearts : More hearts along the bay and you can illuminate it with a simple touch. 

A11 - **Insert Caption Please : This is a fun and creative light installation. The giant speech bubble displays random quotes and text that you can't help but shout out loud!

A12 - The Guardian Angels : Lovely colourful illuminated flower pots that keeps our gardens and plants lively and green. 

A14 - The Pool : Another favourite spot of the iLight event. The gigantic illuminated circular pads are attracting adults and children to hop on and be mesmerized by the swirling effects of changing colour lights.

We walked through the 28 Light installations around Marina Bay and I must say it just gets better every year! Not only can one admires the creative light creations, it is interactive, engaging and fun! 

If you have not witness the beauty of i Light - Asia's only sustainable light art festival, pop down to Marina Bay Waterfront now and be part of event. 

i Light 2014
Date : 7th - 30th March 2014
Marina Bay Waterfront
FREE ADMISSION
http://www.ilightmarinabay.sg/


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

~ Exploring i Light 2014 along Marina Bay - Route B ~

Last Sunday, I brought the kids to Marina Bay to explore the light installations at i Light 2014. It then occur to me that the last time we brought the kids to see the lights was in 2010! Its definitely great to be back here again.

We started our journey from Esplanade, crossed the Helix bridge, admired the view along Marina Bay Sands and finally ending our walk at Promenade. The entire walk took us more than 2 hours but the kids enjoyed checking out what's install at each station. 

B6 - Giant Dandelion : It was a pity that the rain kept us away from the dandelions. We can only admire it from the barricades. 

B5 - The Wheels of Industry : The faster you pedal, the brighter it shines. 

B4 - ScribbleDribbleQuibble : Graffiti on the wall time! Except this is done on the screen and projected onto the wall. Denver & Gladys had fun drawing pigs and amusing themselves. 

B3 - Tic-Tac-Toe : The biggest and brightest 3D Tic Tac Toe game. 2 players competing to win by getting 3 in a row. The games gets tougher with 27 cubes instead of 9. 

B9 - Cloud : This is one of the most popular installation. Unfortunately, it seems to stop working after the rain soaked in. With the barricades surrounding the installation, the kids and I were disappointed and can only move on to the next display. :(

B10 - 1.26 Singapore : Love the colours of the floating net against Singapore skyline. Didn't manage to get a clear shot for this one though.


B11 - Digital Wattle : 



B14 - Celebration of Life : We were mesmerized by the 3D projection on the ArtScience Museum. The show time is at every 15 minutes interval from 8:15pm till 10:45pm. 


We missed some installations but we continued moving with more fun and surprises awaits us at iLight 2014 - Route A.