{media preview} Madagascar is coming LIVE to Singapore! 21-24 April 2016.

If you haven't heard, Madagascar is coming to meet you, out of New York Zoo and onto the STAGE!

Happening 21st April (that's TODAY) till 24th April 2016 (Sunday), at MasterCard theatre at Marina Bay Sands. 

Audiences in Singapore will get to meet Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra, and Gloria the hippopotamus, together with the plotting penguins!

Children can "move it, move it" to the lively story-telling, dance and music, and watch their favourite Madagascar characters escape from New York's Central Park Zoo.

Join in the excitement as they find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien's Madagascar, which is an island country in the Indian Ocean!

I was planning to keep this show a surprise for my kids but last night, Adam asked me what are our plans for this weekend and I blurted out that we are going to watch Madagascar LIVE and both boys got too excited to sleep >_<

EVENT DATES and TIMES:
21 April Thursday - 24 April Sunday

Thur & Fri showtime: 6.00pm;
Sat & Sun showtime: 11.00am, 2.30pm, and 6.00pm.

TICKET PRICES:
VIP Reserve : S$130
A Reserve : S$100
B Reserve : S$80
C Reserve : S$60
D Reserve : S$40
VIP Box (For 4 seats): S$520
Box Seats(For 4 seats): S$240
*excludes booking fee

Bookings: Marina Bay Sands ticketing or SISTIC, or Tel: 66888826.


VENUE:

MasterCard Theatre at Marina Bay Sands,

Basement 1/F The Shoppes.

10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956.

Nearest MRT: Bayfront.

P.S. If you're going for the Saturday 11am show, do say Hi if you see us! :)


Thank you DreamWorks Theatricals and Marina Bay Sands entertainment for this lovely collaboration. It's our honour!



{Indoor playground review} NEW Polliwogs at Eastpoint Mall.

Hubby and I love living in the Eastern part of Singapore, reasons being - the food, the late nights, the proximity to Changi Airport and East Coast park, and as if we need another reason to love being Easties, it has to be the addition of a spanking new indoor playground a stone's throw away from our home!

With the crazily hot weather these days, it is hard to leave the house, not to mention do any outdoor activities with the kids.
Luckily, Polliwogs opened a new Outer-Space themed outlet near us, just at Eastpoint Mall opposite Simei MRT!

Polliwogs Eastpoint opened its doors to public on 11 April, and for the month of April, there will be 10% discount for entrance fees and 20% discount for cafe purchases.















THE CAFE - AKA PARENTS LEPAK CORNER


Thank goodness someone came up with this cafe idea. I really liked the cafe in Cool De Sac (Suntec City), and my kids used to frequent Explorer Kids at Downtown East and there weren't any cafes for parents and caregivers to sit down, relax, and enjoy a cuppa (they recently closed and re-opened from renovation but we haven't gone back yet).


With the new Polliwogs, I can have the best of both worlds in terms of traveling distance and parents' needs!



The prices at Polliwogs are also not as expensive as the food at Cool De Sac, where the latter's prices shown are before GST!



Food & price list (not exhaustive):
Bottled water $1.80
Milo packet $2
Ribena packet $2
Bottled juices $3.50
Ice-cream (cup or popsicle) $2-$3
Hot chocolate $6
Iced chocolate $6.50
Tea and Herbal tea $2
Coffee $3
Tuna puff $4
Beef pie $7.80
* Prices subject to 20% discount for month of April.


BIRTHDAYS AND PRIVATE PARTIES
There are 2 function rooms for Birthdays, Full month showers, and special events.


Party themes available:
- The Special full moon party *NEW*
- Taekwondo party *NEW*
- Rocky's Laser tag party
- Tropical Paradise hula party
- Poco's Princess party
- Larry's Junior Chef party
- The true Polliwogian Super party
- Rocky's Fun-tastica party
- Poco's petite party


Find out more details about their party packages here.





THE MAIN PLAY AREA


A maze of obstacles for the kids to climb/ jump/ run/ dodge.






The adrenaline-rush 3-storey tall spiral slide.

















FOR THE SMALLER KIDS/ TODDLERS:















The only downside of Polliwogs at Eastpoint is that there is no toilet attached, so patrons have to exit the playground to the nearest toilet located on left-hand side of the playground.


CHARGES:
Weekdays (unlimited play hours):
Children age 2 - 12: $20/ entry
Children below 2: $13/ entry

Weekends, School holidays and PH:
Children 2 - 12 years old: $25/ 2 hours
Children below 2: $13/ 2 hours
Additional playtime: $5 / hour
**If your kids are HUGE fans of Polliwogs, you can sign up as member - $125 for 6 months, can be used between siblings, for unlimited play on weekdays and weekends.


"THE BENEFITS OF PLAY. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through playthat children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them." - quote gotten from Google search.

World gourmet Summit Singapore 2016: Mandarin Oriental Hotel feat. Chef Manzano.

From the 28 March to 24 April 2016, the World Gourmet Summit is here in Singapore again, and to my delight, I received an email invitation from Mandarin Oriental about their collaboration with Spanish chef Nacho Manzano.

Any opportunity for good food and drinks with the heart of Singapore as backdrop with the Mr is hard to come by, and we welcomed the chance :)

At Dolce Vita restaurant, Mandarin Oriental hotel.
We have been to Melt cafe several times for their Sunday lunch buffet with free-flow champagne, but this is our first time to Dolce Vita.

The 10 course menu:

1. Ham croquette "Casa Marcial"

2. Rooster's crest

3. Lichen

4. Sea urchin with Hollandaise sauce

5. Spring

6. Fava beans with cockle

7. Cod tripe

8. A la sal (seabass with artichoke tea)

9. Marinated pigeon (medium rare)

10. Celery pannacotta

Ham croquette "Casa Marcial"

Rooster's crest (the biscuit-like item shaped like a rooster's crest) and Lichen (fried seaweed at the canopy of the little bonzai tree)

Lichen

Rooster's crest

Sea urchin with Hollandiase sauce.

Buen provecho.

Spring.

Fava beans with cockle.

Cod tripe.

Sea bass with artichoke tea.

Marinated pigeon, medium rare.

Celery pannacotta, with apple and lime sauce. Nice dish to end the meal!

With the gentlemen of the night. 2-star Michelin chef Nacho Manzano and the Hubby of course. We had a wonderful evening. Muy bien, gracias!

Thank you Mandarin Oriental hotel and Chef Manzano for the epicurean experience.

I must admit, the variety tonight is nothing like what we usually have for dinner on weekends (think:  zhi-char food).

It sure is a nice change for our tastebuds to try different textures, sauces and meat once in a while :)

{Travel Tuesday} Roadtrip to Queensland, Australia. PART 1.

PART 1: Getting from Brisbane Airport to Sunshine Coast, then to Gold Coast.

Free-and-easy road trip. 

source

In 2015, for the Jubilee long weekend in August National Day, our family flew to Queensland for a holiday.

We travelled to many places in 2015 because that is the last time we can jet off on a whim before Adam starts Primary school.

This trip is super backdated because I had made the photos into a coffee-table album and didn't have the energy to repeat another story about it!

Until now that is!

As for most flights with the kids, we took the redeye flight and landed in Brisbane in their morning.

The minute we touched down at Brisbane airport, we could feel the chilly winds on our skin and we had to quickly layer up with our parkas and bomber jackets.

Once we settled our car rental, we drove to PYO (pick-your-own) Strawberry Fields in Sunshine Coast, Qlds.

Our itinerary was to drive from Sunshine Coast to Gold Coast.

*In order not to make a wasted trip, please check out their website for the season!

PYO Strawberry Fields:133 Laxton Rd
Palmview, QLD, 4553
Exit 190 off Bruce Highway.

 It was a HUGE farm which wasn't populated. In fact, there were only a couple more families besides ours.

Lots of opportunities to pick big, juicy strawberries without bumping into others.

{sponsored review} The Rock School - vertical challenge for your kids.

Before I had sons, I never knew I would be ever getting anywhere near scooters, snot, dirt, or rocks, for the matter.

Sure, I envisioned different shades of blue, and trucks and stuff, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself needing to get down and dirty with them.

Obviously, I've come to learn this the hard way and I may have to spend the next 20 years doing stuff like that with them!

After Adam's limited exposure to the obstacle course at Forest Adventure during the March holidays, I thought of finding more outdoor activities for him.

I don't mean the run-around-your-neighbourhood kind of outdoors, I mean the stimulating, mind- and body-building structured kind of outdoor activities.

I enquired with The Rock School as recommended by my mummy friend Serene (read about their rock climbing experience here), and as luck would have it, they were happy to offer Adam a complimentary rock-climbing lesson.

I was thrilled!

Benefits of rock-climbing:

In fact, rock climbing is one of the best sports to develop your child’s psychomotor, cognitive as well as affective skills. The exciting sport intrigues their little minds and challenges their physical abilities.

It improves their motor skills, co-ordination, self-esteem and self-confidence.

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Off we go to check out The Rock School!

Located conveniently at Bedok Community Centre, it is directly across the road from Bedok Swimming Complex.

Address: Address: 850 New Upper Changi Rd, Singapore 467352.

We started off indoors, with his instructor Joy.

He told her he was a little scared of falling as he has not done this before.