Lego Out Loud! It's A New Certified Store!

So the Saturday that just past was probably one of the more exciting ones my husband has had the whole year.

Why you ask? Because LEGO has finally opened its first certified store in Singapore! Needless to say when we got an invite to the occasion, the husband said yes immediately. Even when I pointed out that we had to arrive before 9am. And guess what, for the first time in, hmm, as long as I can remember, I woke up on Saturday morning and found my husband already awake, and cheerful too! That's the power of LEGO!

We managed to rock up nice and early to the LEGO store at level 3 of Suntec City, Tower 3 (#03-364/365) for a piece of the action. Upon arriving, the kids immediately made a beeline for the LEGO play area. Ok, maybe someone was more interested in the cupcakes.

Then again, who needs to build when you've got Daddy, right?

We were welcomed to the event by Mr George Papasolomontos, the managing director of Bricks World as well as Ms Dan Luo, the managing director of LEGO Singapore. We were then issued a very special challenge by Ms Luo: to build a duck from a packet of 6 LEGO bricks of our own design. We did, and when we held them up for comparison, I started smiling because so many of the ducks were different, yet ducks they still were, each a creation of a different imagination. That is the beauty of LEGO, isn't it? There isn't a right or wrong answer, just a different solutions to the same problem, and it's fun too. 

Her Excellency, Berit Basse, Ambassador of Denmark to Singapore arrived and conducted the official ribbon cutting ceremony. And with that, Singapore's first LEGO certified store is open! 

If you're wondering what a LEGO certified store is and how it's different from the LEGO stores we already have around the island, here's what it is (and isn't):

• The LEGO certified store is NOT owned by the LEGO group or LEGO SIngapore. This Singapore store is managed and operated by Bricks World.
• The LEGO certified store is however designed by the LEGO Group and adheres to all the store fit-out and experience guidelines laid down by the LEGO Group. This includes furniture and fixtures specially designed by the LEGO Group.
• What is most significant about having a LEGO certified store is its unique features, namely:
• The Pick-A-Brick Wall, a section where you can buy loose LEGO elements by the cup from clear plastic canisters -- a LEGO fan's dream! In Singapore, the small cup is $19.90 and the big cup $34.90.
• Access to exclusive LEGO sets, which will be made available here in Singapore (from January 2015), at the same time they are released in the US and Europe.
  (Obviously these two features are the most important to my husband!)
• Fully assembled LEGO sets around the circumference of the store to inspire children and LEGO fans
• An interactive play area -- "The Living Room" -- to give children a hands-on experience with LEGO bricks.

After the ceremony, we were invited in to have first pick at the Pick-A-Brick wall, to the delight of the kids. We also oohed and ahhed around, and got first sight of the highly exclusive LEGO Brand Retail Store (#3300003) set, which is not for sale, but is given away at new store openings to a limited number of customers. Here in Singapore, it was the first 50 customers. It was for this and the special offer of 50 sets of the LEGO DC Comics Batman ™: Akham Asylum Breakout for $199.90 (U.P. $299.90) that LEGO fans had been queuing for! When we arrived at 9am, there was already a looong line! I wonder what time they came! The husband was a bit regretful that he was not able to make any purchases but I guess it was only fair to those who had been waiting patiently.

 

Something tells me we're going to be spending a lot more time at Suntec City from now on!

Tennis Action at the WTA Finals

The WTA Finals are in town this week and since we recently got Noey started on tennis, I thought it might be fun to bring him bring him down to catch a match or two. I figured watching a match live, by court side, being played by some of the best players in the world might give him a better appreciation of the game and maybe inspire him a little.

And ok, I wanted to watch some matches! It isn't everyday that THE BEST female tennis players in the world stroll into our neck of the woods to play top level sport. I'm not a huge tennis fan but I watched enough television sports with my Dad to know the rules and enjoy most sports. (Just don't ask me about cricket.) So I don't do any sports any more but watching, that's still fun.

After identifying affordable tickets -- the day tickets for the round-robin matches -- I persuaded my dear ol' Dad to join me with the children for an afternoon of tennis action. On the schedule were Maria Sharapova v Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki v Petra Kvitova. I was excited.

It was my first time watching tennis live, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was a Friday afternoon but lots of people turned up and there was a good buzz around the stadium. I can only imagine it would be even better in the evening when I assume more people would turn up. The kids were excited too as I tried to give them a run down on the players, the game, and who the various persons standing around were (ie. the linesmen and ball boys!). Noey was also very amused by the signs being led up by supporters, in particular the one when words flashing in hot pink, asking "Maria, will you marry me?"

Sharapova serves...

Excited to join in the cheering!

Well, unfortunately (or fortunately, if our objective was to get our monies worth) the game turned out to be an epic 3-setter with a really tight first two sets! We watched Sharapova take the first set 7-5, then reel off most of the points to race to a 5-1 lead. At that point the kids started being rather restless and I told them that it was going to be over soon and we could go outside to play at the Fan Zone. Except that I was so wrong. Radwanska started returning everything and despite there being a few match points, Sharapova just couldn't finish to take the set. Radwanska staged an incredible fight back and unbelievably managed to take the set 7-6 (7-4). It was exciting for me but not so much the kiddos.

When Radwanska started pulling back the points.

Little Miss restless and tired.

Lots of good tennis but I must confess that throughout the entire period the one thought that kept running through my mind was that Women's tennis has the best outfits! I mean, with badminton, table tennis, squash (well, if anyone even plays squash any more) it's mostly shorts and tees, but tennis! Radwanska was wearing a dress with colourful butterflies on it which I couldn't help but keep staring at. It wasn't exactly my taste but I was just fascinated by the fact that they have options like that! As good a reason for me to pick up tennis as any, no?

Agnieszka Radwanska concentrates on the job at hand, unlike me -- I'm staring at her dress!

We left after the second set and didn't stay for the tie-breaker since it was already 2 hours and 20 mins of sitting still and the kids really couldn't take it any more. Naomi fell asleep near the end of the second set, so it was only Noey who had a go at the Fan Zone.

Out like a light! Luckily for me I had my Dad to help with the carrying!

If you're in the area over the weekend, I would recommend that you check out the WTA Fan Zone, which is located next to the Singapore Indoor Stadium, in the area right outside Kallang Wave Mall. It is open to all and both you and the kids can try your hand at a number of activities like trying to clock the fastest service, bouncing on a trampoline while trying to hit balls being served to you by a ball machine at a target, and hitting a tennis ball covered with paint at a wall to create art work. You can also access the social media wall and learn more about the players and their game stats, as well as see computer generated replays of the game. There are also autograph sessions with the stars at certain times.

A different kind of paint ball.

They take a photo for you and e-mail you a free soft copy.

Jump tennis!

That's the closest we get to the trophy!

We had a great time wandering around the Fan Zone, the experience enhanced by the many friendly hosts in the zone, who were lovely and helpful and very happy to talk about tennis. The Fan Zone will be open for the duration of the tournament which ends on Sunday.

Despite all the complaints, when their Papa asked them how the event was after he returned home, both children told him they enjoyed it! Hur hur. Well, since Singapore will be hosting the WTA Finals for the next 4 years, I dare say we'll be back again next year.

Hairy Maclary and Friends: Full of Rambuctious Fun!

"Out of the gate and off for a walk went
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy"

And walk he did, right on to the stage right here in Singapore!

It was with great anticipation that we went to catch the opening show of Hairy Maclary & Friends earlier this evening. My kids have been acquainted with Hairy Maclary and gang for some time now, thanks to their Godma who introduced them to Lynley Dodd's books. So they were understandably looking forward to seeing the whole crew in the flesh. I, on the other hand was most curious to see how Hairy Maclary was to be translated to the stage. Most of the charm of the stories comes from the selctively-repetitive-but-always-delightful rhythmic rhyming verse that the littlest ones love and which and encourages them to join in. Would that charm be lost in translation?

I was glad to discover that it wasn't. The production found its answer in the use of music. I knew it was going to be good when we walked in to find a keyboardist on stage playing live. Each story was told with a wonderful catchy tune, ably performed by the actors to live music. I'm still humming Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy as I type!

And of course, there were the dogs. The kids squealed in delight as Hairy Maclary and each of his canine friends bounded their way onto the stage. Even if you were not familiar with the characters at the start of the show, I'm sure you will be at the end of it as the audience was encouraged to shout out their names, point out their pictures and join to perform the individual actions for each dog. Just in case you need an introduction, here's the crew:

The show was highly interactive from the start, which was something that my children absolutely enjoyed. Miss Plum and Samuel Stone did a great job getting the audience to shout, point clap and stamp along. I also enjoyed not having to shush them, though I did have to make Noey sit down at one point when he got too excited and stood on his seat. Definitely good fun for kids 2+ and up!

I think the only thing that we were disappointed about was that there wasn't a chance to get up close with Hairy and his friends at the end of the show. I had to stop Mei a couple of times in her attempts to climb over the seats in front of us because she wanted to "pat the doggies, Mummy!" Folks in the front row did manage to pat Hairy just before he disappeared off stage so that's something you might want to think about when choosing seats! 

There are only 6 more shows left for Hairy Maclary and Friends this weekend, so do get your tickets soon if you haven't!

Ticketing and Show Information

Season: 10 to 12 October 2014
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Building
Perfomance Times: Friday 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am, 2pm, 4.30pm
Ticket Prices: $62 (Cat 1), $52 (Cat 2), $42 (Cat 3), $35 (Cat 4) (Quote ABA2014 and get 10% off all tickets!)
Booking: Sistic at sistic.com.sg or calling 63485555

Do check out www.hairymaclary.com to learn more about Hairy Maclary and friends. You might also like to check out the Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd, in particular these ones, which the tales in this performance were based: 

• Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
• Schnitzel von Krum's Basketwork
• Hairy Maclary's Bone
• Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks
• Scarface Claw 
• Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack 

There are also plenty of readings of Hariy Maclary which can be found on Youtube if you need some help getting acquainted! (Or if you would like someone else to read a book to your kids for a change!) 

Enjoy! 

*We were invited to watch this show for review purposes, which we did so gladly as we love Hairy Maclary! All opinions remain authentically our own.

The 9-Step Guide to Enjoying the Skyline Luge Sentosa {Giveaway}

It's the school holidays! Time to get out and play!

We'll be headed out of town this term break, but if we were in Singapore, I know we would definitely be paying a visit to Sentosa. Ever since they got their first taste it earlier this year, the kids have repeatedly asked to go back to the Skyline Luge Sentosa for another turn at whizzing down the hill. So during the June holidays we did just that to satisfy their need for speed, as well as check out Skyline Luge Sentosa's newly upgraded facilities.

If you're planning your own Luge ride, here is our step-by-step guide to having an enjoyable time:

STEP 1: BUY YOUR TICKETS

Tickets please! If you find the choice of tickets at the counter slightly mind-boggling, you are not alone! We certainly felt that way when we first visited. The first thing to figure out if you're riding with children is whether they will be riding solo or in tandem with you. To do so, do keep in mind the height and age restrictions for solo riders.

Skyride:

• Min. height 85cm to ride the Skyride with an adult
• Min. height 135cm to ride the Skyride alone

Luge:

• 6 years and min. height 110cm to ride Luge alone
• Children under the age of 6 years can ride tandem with an adult

If your child is riding tandem with you, you can purchase a "child doubling" top up for an additional $3 per skyride-luge ride. This child will therefore not count to the headcount for the rides. 

There are a variety of individual and family tickets available, with the multiple ride passes being more value for money. You should plump for multi-ride passes anyway because as their slogan says, once is never enough! We certainly know this from experience.

Individual tickets start at a single $17 for a Luge and Skyride combo while family tickets (for families with children under 16 years of age) start at $39 for a four-ride family pass. Get more information on ticket prices here.

STEP 2: HOP ON TO THE SKYRIDE

The entrance to the Skyride is just behind the ticketing counter. Join the queue and hop on to the skyride, which is a continuous non-stop ride. The friendly staff will line you up (max 4 persons) and off you go!

This being an open chair lift that rises high above the ground, it can be a bit unnerving the first time round. Doubly so if you're riding with kids! I'm also always wondering if my slippers will slip off my feet on-route, so wear shoes with straps for peace of mind! Then sit back, relax and enjoy the view, which can be pretty spectacular, especially on a clear day. It isn't everyday that you get to look out to the horizon, even if we do live on an island!

Also, don't forget to look out the photo point along the way and flash your biggest smile! This is one of the photo points along the entire ride. There's another along the luge trail, before you reach the end point. 

STEP 3: CHECK OUT YOUR PICTURES

After smiling for the camera, don't forget to check out how the pictures turned out. These can be viewed and selected at the photo counters conveniently situated at the top of the hill right after you get off the Skyride. These have been recently renovated to add four more counters for a quicker and better experience. If you're going on multiple rides, you can ask the counter staff to hold your pictures so that you can subsequently select the best one.

STEP 4: GET IN THE LINE FOR FIRST-TIMERS

If it is your first ride of the day, get in the correct line for 1st time Luge riders. They will be able to identify you by the fact that you do not have a Luge stamp on your hand so don't get in the wrong line! The line for first-timers is typically quite long and the wait can be about 30 mins during peak periods, but be patient. The queue takes a bit of time as the staff will take each group of riders through a quick safety briefing and check that they can manage their Luge before letting them continue down the ride. If you are loathe to wait, do try to visit during off-peak hours. If you're going on second or subsequent ride, you can join the 2nd time riders queue which is much shorter and quicker.

STEP 5: GRAB A HELMET

Don't forget those helmets! The helmets are conveniently colour coded according to size: Green (XXS), Red (XS), Yellow (S), Blue (M), Orange (L). You can pick one up in the helmet bin situated along the queue path. 

STEP 6: SAFETY BRIEFING

Nearly there! While queuing, you would probably have noticed the instructional safety videos playing on screens overhead. These will give you an idea of what is coming up. When it's your turn, hop into a Luge and you'll be given a safety briefing and instructions on how to manoeuvre the vehicle. Simply place your feet on the foot rests and pull back hard on the handles. Release the tension on the handlebars by pushing them away from your body and you will feel the Luge start to roll forward. Pull hard to brake and turn the handlebars left and right like you would on a bicycle to turn. That's it!

Once they have ascertained that you are able to understand the basic workings of the Luge, you are allowed to roll forward to the brake test point for a final check. 

STEP 7: JUNGLE TRAIL OR DRAGON TRAIL?

Just one final decision: do you sped down the left and take the shorter and somewhat straighter 628m Jungle Trail, or the longer and more twisty 688m Dragon Trail? I personally prefer the Dragon Trail which I find more exciting with its many twists and turns, but Noey prefers the Jungle Trail, which allows him to go faster down the straights. I say, make sure you do both!

STEP 8: HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!

The moment you've been waiting for: it's time to speed down the hill! Have fun! Watch out for folks around you and don't forget to smile at the camera towards the end!

STEP 9: DO IT AGAIN!

Inevitably, when we reach the bottom, the kids would be clamouring to do it again. Like they say, once is never enough!

EXTRA: DAY OR NIGHT? 

If you've ridden on the Luge before, I'm guessing that you, like us, rode in the day. But did you know that you can ride the Luge at night? The Skyline Luge Sentosa opens daily from 10am to 9.30pm, and according to my friends who have done it, offers a different and more thrilling experience in the cool night air as you navigate the turns on a track specially lit with RGB LED lighting. You can read more about night luging over at Owls Well, A Juggling Mom and Princess Dana Diaries.

You can also try it yourself for we have a special GIVEAWAY! That's right, we have THREE SETS OF 4-RIDE FAMILY PASSES (worth $39 each) to give away! All family deals include the Skyride to the top of the tracks and mulitple luge rides to share are applicable for families with children below 16 years of age. Children under 6 years or shorter than the required 110cm to ride alone may ride the Luge in tandem with a full paying adult.

To join this giveaway you have to complete the following steps:

1. Like the Skyline Luge Sentosa Facebook Page.

2. Like the Life is in the Small Things Facebook Page

3. Like and Comment on this Facebook photo, telling me what you like best about the Skyline Luge Sentosa!

You have to complete all 3 steps to qualify so don't miss any out! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to indicate that you've done the above. You can also get additional chances by completing the rest of the steps.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on Wed 3 Sept 2014, 11.59pm and is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be contacted by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn. All incomplete entries will be disqualified. All entries will be verified before the winners are announced. To be fair to our sponsors, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (eg. accounts set up purely to take part in contests with no or very few real friends) will also be ineligible to win.

Skyline Luge Sentosa
45 Siloso Beach Walk
Sentosa, Singapore 
Tel: +65 6274 0472 

Find out more at www.skylineluge.com or at their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/skylinelugesentosa.

While you're at Sentosa, don't forget to check out the Sentosa Buskers Festival which is on this week from 6 to 14 Sep 2014! We had a lot of fun at the festival last year. (Click for last year's pictures!) In fact, when we saw the banners on a recent visit to Sentosa, Noey excitedly started recounting the acts he'd watched last year. Unfortunately he was a bit under the weather in the weekend so we were not able to go down and will be leaving on holiday later this week so I think we will be missing this year's edition. But if you're in town, do check it out. It is a lot of fun for the family!

* We thank Skyline Luge Sentosa for the media invitation and sponsorship of the giveaway passes. All opinions are, as always, authentically our own.

Getting Into the Frame at Alive Museum Singapore

Here's something you might not know about my kids: they actually don't really like taking photographs.

What, did I fool you with those photos of their gorgeous smiles? Despite the fact that their mummy blogs and their daddy loves cameras and photography, the truth is, for every great picture where they are (1) in focus and (2) actually looking at the camera (obviously my standard of what makes a great picture is not very high), I have tons of NG shots of blurry children facing me but with their eyes focused somewhere else. If there was a sound reel, you'd hear me going "stand here for just ONE SECOND, please", and "stop jumping!" and "face mummy!" and "eyes here!" very very often.

Noey is a bigger culprit of this than Mei, who is generally more obliging. But when plans were made for us to go to Alive Museum Singapore for a night out, I knew that the tables were about to be turned. And I was right. Ok, I still had to use "face mummy!" and "eyes here!", but more often than not, they were the ones calling after me, posing without being asked, and smiling for the camera. Nice.

Alive Museum Singapore is the biggest 3D illusionary museum in Singapore, with over 80 exhibits that you can touch and feel, and best of all, be a part of by jumping into the frame. Most of this is achieved through the use of special painting techniques, where such trick art fool the eyes and stimulate your mind, warping reality. 

We got a taste of playing with trick art when we encountered some at Westgate during the June holidays. After seeing all the fun the kids had with the giant teacup, I figured they were really going to enjoy being part of the picture. Still they totally surprised me by really getting in the act! Noey in particular was really keen and came up with a lot of his own poses, which I found very rather amusing! 

One of the unique features of Alive Museum Singapore is the fact that there are a number of locally themed pieces, incorporating scenes and landmarks of Singapore. Alive Museum Singapore is also currently involved in the Singapore 50 project, engaging local communities to create artworks that define the essence of Singapore. 20 artworks will be created and showcased together with the regular exhibits by year-end, bringing the total number of exhibits to 100.

I must admit the kids weren't the only ones to get into the action - us parents had a lot of fun doing so too.

It is best to bring with you a healthy sense of humour and be prepared to really get in the act for some photo fun. That's all you really need since you don't need any special equipment. Good pictures can be taken with just your mobile phone. There are pictures on the wall demonstrating the various poses to help you along, and photo point arrows on the ground to show you the best angle. Aside from that however, it is really up to you to make your pictures memorable by coming up with your own poses.

Definitely fun for the whole family! Thanks Alive Museum Singapore for an entertaining evening and some pretty memorable pictures that I foresee us laughing over in years to come!

Alive Museum Singapore is located at Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 and 4). Tickets are priced at $25 (adults) and $20 (children between 3-12 years). Operating hours are between 10am to 10pm daily, with last admission at 9pm. Book your tickets online and save 20% on ticket prices with the use of the code "ALIVEOPEN"! Visit www.alivemuseum.sg for more information. 

Current promotion: Like Alive Museum on Facebook and get a free meal at Burger King Suntec just next door, with the purchase of a full-priced ticket. See here for more details: http://alivemuseum.sg/news-events/promotions.

*We received a pair of tickets to Alive Museum Singapore for the purpose of this review. All opinions, fun and crazy pictures are strictly own own.