Holiday Inn Atrium-Melting Pot Cafe

Oh mine, it's 12.32am now, just came back from our exciting stayed over at Resort World and a day tour at Universal Studio for the past long weekend in conjuction with Singapore public holiday - Singapore National Day ( 7-9 August 2010), will try my best to blog about all the outings for the past few weeks and also Dan Dan's 2 yrs old birthday.

Another makan session gathering on 26 June! Godma suggested that we went to Holiday Inn Atrium-Melting Pot Cafe for lunch!We were indeed quite a lucky fellows that always have non-stop of eating session here and there. It was also our 1st time indulging the good buffet spread over at this Holiday Inn as we mostly had the buffet at window by the park.

East Coast Beach- Sand Play!

It was a Saturday morning on 25 June 2010. It was Daddy alternate Saturday off!! Yeah! It is part of mummy (me) most valuable moment to have Daddy stays at home with us on the beautiful Saturday. Of course it has got a lot of plus point if daddy is at home with us. 1) An extra eyes,hands and legs to look after Dan 2) A wonderful breakfast outside the house 3) A meaningful well-plan morning that I can spend with Daddy and Dan.

It was one of the morning where we spent the time together wisely at East Coast Beach. I had wanted to let Dan tried the sand play for quite sometime, we even got the sand's toys bought since few months back however only up to recently, we fulfilled what we wanted. In fact we guess Dan is more or less ready for the mess sand play at the ages of 2, to the least that he will not be putting the sand-filled little fingers into the mouth anymore...hehe.. look at the excited face that crafted in his face when we told him we were going to the beach, playing sand with all those toys that we brought along.

Look at him now, he has no fear to the wave and sea water anymore as compare to the previous beach trip which shown some resistance in him of the water. Now he can happily scoop the water with his little pail. We are so proud of him that he is willing to get his hands on to the mess (sand) and soak himself all wet in the water.

Dan Dan was enjoying his drink after the bath and we took a nice morning chill-out at the nearby Macdonald before proceed our way back home. It was such a simple morning but yet it can be one of the best moment that I hope to look back every now and then.

Home Activities

Some of you must be wondering whether do I incur any home learning for Dan Dan since most of the time, the blog shown majority of Dan Dan was actually outside the house than staying at home. In fact, we only spend a very short time a day (Evening) to at minimum carry out some home learning activities for him. The activity that is simple, easy to follow and yet beneficial in all aspect. My methodology of home learning is to inculcate the habit and passion of learning. I wanted to instill a habit in him to love learning new things, explore new experiences as well as hobby in reading and loving books.

The following videos are some home activities that mummy carried out for Dan Dan for the past few months. I have some difficulties with blogspot in uploading the videos, therefore to upload a simple video, it can takes decade. The activities were simple but importantly it is the instruction that given out to him can be fully understood and followed through. For the initial start, I normally spend 10-15min in a session so that it wont kill his passion & concentration and yet stir up the interest in him from continuing the activities. However I will trigger and push the stop button if he is showing some sign of impatience to continue.

Children Little Museum

We found a another good place to hang out!!A place that definately suits children as well as us - adults!! Thank you to daddy n mummy of little Ash & Ayd that recommended in thier blog to this place. For those of you that would like to visit this place, the address can be found at the signboard below. We went on 6 June, Sunday! What is so special about this museum, the museum displays mostly the old days's toys and stuffs. The museum is located at the 2-storey shophouse and you may feel disappointed when standing right at the main entrance because the place is not very big but it is really an eyes openner when you once step your foot into it.

It is a shop more than just a museum itself, it is a place that educate, playing & experience with the DIY toys, taking some cool vintage photos in the museum, buying old school goodies or traditional games and explore what our parent play during kampong days. Most display items from 1950s to 1970s.

We love this vintage 'little sheep" so much! Although is vintage but the owner keep a goodsake of it and have it keep clean, polish and shine under the sun light!! Guess it is one of the highlight along the bussorah street!!

Trademark of the Museum, he is just standing right outside the entrance to greet all the visitors. Danzel was just got up from his afternoon nap, he looked daze in the photo still but when we once stepped into the museum, he was back to the reality with his norm activeness!

This is how's the frontage of Museum look like!! The entrance to the Level 1 is free but to explore deeper into the meseum which is Level 2, visitors have to pay S$2 per person to access to 2nd floor.Layang-layang, chapteh, gasing and so on can be seen in the following photo.

Entrance to the 2nd floor with more small little Robotics toys can be found in the glass panel

Oh mine...Antique Phonograph and Horn. The invention of Mr Edison before turning his attention to light bulb. Edison invented the world’s first machine to record and reproduce sound in 1877. He called his invention a Phonograph. The following is one of the patented device after his first invention and now to see it, beside museum, perhaps we still can see it in the shops that selling antiques.

Classic 1950'S "ELVIS" Style Vintage Microphone

Can you see the price for the Robotic Toys as shown below, it ranges from S$400- s$600 per unit!!!

Kampong days, people used to DIY thier toys from the stuffs that can be easily found around them. For example:- Chapteh were made from nails, pieces of rubbers and feathers which they plucked from the rooster. Unlike the children that grows up in the city nowadays, which can only see the rooster in the zoo.

Any idea of the toys from below? I used to play them before when I was young...haha

Old-Time Barber Shop

ABC - Green and White Rubbers...what's a memory of this...Never thought that I am one of those old time people already, Dan Dan...mummy can be put into museum already...haha

The Oldish Pram.... it looks so english version than what we have now...I like this pram so much!! Cool stuff!!!

A special highlight is the famous street mobile cinema where the children once pay 5 cent to watch 5 yards of film. This is really beyond our time, I didn't see this before in mine time. hehe that's mean i am not that old afterall..hahha

Come come...Ice Kacang.... The old fashion Coca-Cola Bottle ..miss them~~

This is one of the good place for Uncle Cheong and Linda gugu to reminiscence as well, the milk bottles that they had once used, the milk powders that they had one drank were all displayed right in this glass panel. Million Thanks to the Children Little Museum for open up this great opportunity to us (New Generation) hmm... to know more how the good old days were like and thus appreciate and value even more with what we are having now..

Pram in 1930~~Simple but it spacious lei... haha

Danzel with Congkak~~

Antique Nickel Candlestick Telephone

Although the place was small but it definately compact.We spent about an hour plus in it and yet I felt reluctant to go... I like this place so much that I wanted to explore and experience every little stuffs that displayed in the museum..it really brought back all the old days memoirs that once we all had and of course thank you to the people that manage and maintain it existance...and I will come back again one day when Dan Dan is old enough to appreciate and interest to know more on his daddy & mummy's past!!