Great Singapore Sale

I have to admit it…I think I am a shopaholic!

When I saw the advertisement in the newspaper…I quickly called my wife!

It says limit 2 per customer! I told myself that I must get everyone down to the shop so that I can BUY MORE!

What was it?

No…it’s not Louis Vuitoon…

It’s not Prada….

But it’s milk powder!

I could not resist it.

NTUC was having a promotion on Friso 4 milk powder.

This milk powder for kids, 3 years and above, would normally cost $60 dollars.

Now… they are letting it go at $29.95. 1 can of 400g milk at $5!

That is a whopping 50% discount

How many cans should I buy?

Hee…hee…What a wonderful mountain of milk cans! (You can read about previous promotions here!)

For the uneducated – U may think that he would probably take a year to finish so much milk!

Well, I think 4 year old Nicole can probably finish all the milk in 3 months!

That’s how expensive it is to have children….and especially children who love to drink milk!

If your wife is still breast feeding – Start Praising the Lord!

Btw, you can still buy the milk powder at NTUC Fairprice. It is while stocks last!

Technorati Tags: baby milk powder,baby powder milk,ntuc fairprice,cheap baby powder

Commercial Advertising – It’s Krrunch Time

Recently, I stumbled upon some commercials produced locally.

Nuffnang together with Pringles Potato Chips had a Contest to assist Pringles in advertising their potato chips. Btw, Nicole has her views on her favourite food as well…u can check out her video here!

I took a look at one of the entries for the contest, and I was impressed by their creativity!

Bearing in mind that we are nowhere near Hollywood standards, but considering the fact that the producers of this commercial look like students – I think they guys did a very good job.

The results are not out yet, but I think this commercial gets my vote!

 

Technorati Tags: Pringles Competition,It's Krrunch Time,Nuffnang Commpetition,Nuffnang Pringles Competition,Commercials in Singapore

Child Development Milestones

Nicole has just crossed a milestone! :)

Milestones are important in the children’s lives, and recently our oldest girl just crossed one. The most recent Milestone was crossed by 1 year old Nadine.

Singapore is filled with food courts, and our 4 year old suddenly had the courage to order food by herself.

It’s a little complicated over here in Asia, as most of the hawkers speak a local dialect or would rather converse in Mandarin.

On that fateful day, we armed Nicole with $5 and she willingly went up to the Hawker to order her own food! (We were so proud of her! Even Grandpa who was there, was smiling in approval!)

Well, she ordered “economic rice” (rice with dishes), and this is what she ordered:

Mum is extremely happy with the order. She says it is all “greens”, and very healthy!

Daddy did not even realize this revelation, until she pointed it out!

 

Parenting Tip – Do record your children’s milestones, as they make great reading, and also subtle reminders about how far they have gone!

Technorati Tags: early child development milestones,milestones in child development,childhood devlelopment

Best Chicken Satay: Food Review

If you are looking for good satay, u have got to try out Chuan Kee Satay at Old Airport Road.

The Old Airport Road Hawker Centre is a favourite food haunt for the family, and the kids go there very often. (Check out the children’s views on Old Airport Road here)

Located in the second row of stalls from the front, this satay has got to be the best that I have ever tasted!

Actually, there are quite a few satay stalls at Old Airport Road, but as I was walking past this stall. I noticed the Makan Sutra Ratings on the stall window!

Yes…This is one of the signs that I look out for, when I go to the hawker centre or to restaurants.

Knowing that this stall must produce food of a certain quality, I decided to order a few sticks!

My Verdict….

The Satay is delicious! It comes very well marinated and it is good enough to eat on its own. The sauce that comes with a pineapple mix, adds to the satay, and this stall is a “die-die must try!” Forget about Satay Club or East Coast Hawker Centre, the satay here is the real deal!

When u reach the hawker centre, head for the stall first. The stall is always crowded, and it takes about half an hour during peak hour.

However, the auntie has a great memory. I went back the next day to order some satay for my family…She remembered me, and even told me my table number from the day before! I thought that was amazing memory!

Technorati Tags: Food Review,Chicken Satay,Pork Satay,Mutton Satay,Hawker Food in Singapore,Old Airport Road Hawker Centre,Makansutra

Cheapest Petrol In Singapore

Calling all drivers!

Get your cheapest petrol this Saturday on 25 Oct 2009.

Just got this story from Asia1. (So this is definitely not a hoax!)

From Asia 1:

“This Saturday (22 Oct) , Shell will launch its biggest fuel promotion in a decade.

The oil giant has announced it will retail its new fuel economy formula, Shell FuelSave, 95- and 98-octane petrol at $1 per litre.

The promotion will take place on Saturday, Oct 24 and will run from 10am - 6pm at all Shell stations, excluding Pasir Panjang 328, Sing Ming ad Upper Bukit Timah PIE.

The discount means motorists will save almost 45 per cent off the discounted pump price.

Currently, a litre of Shell's 95- and 98-octane retails at $1.767 and $1.900 respectively before discount.”

I will definitely be filling up my petrol tank this weekend.

Technorati Tags: cheap petrol,shell promotion,buy cheap petrol

Baking cakes & cookies with the kids

We are constantly looking for new things to do with the kids, and with the success of the last bake out with the kids, we decided to something along those lines again.

The picture is really enticing – and the moment I picked it off the shelves at the supermarket, Nicole was super-duper excited! She was jumping up and down the trolley!

Upon reaching home, the kids were more than ready to bake their Oreo Cake.

Advice for parents

The kids actually love getting involved in the whole process of getting the cake done.

Here are some pictures of the kids getting the cake done:

Little Nadine was fighting to get involved as well. U can see her peeping from the the bottom of the table top! :)

At the end of the day, making the cake was more fun than eating it…as we did not even manage to finish eating the cake.

But mummy and the kids certainly had fun in the kitchen!

Technorati Tags: Advice for Parenting,Cake Baking,Children in the kitchen,Cooking with the Kids,Baking with the Kids

Pram Jogger: Baby falls onto train tracks

I saw a really scary video today.

CNN reported this incident in Melbourne Australia, where a lady had her baby fall onto the train tracks, right in front of an approaching train!

Well, it seems that the brakes on the pram were not engaged, and this therefore created the problem of the stroller rolling off the platform.

Thankfully, the baby survived!

I thought this video was really alarming, considering the fact that Singapore has recently seen an increase in the number of people falling or “jumping” onto the tracks.

After watching the video, I don’t really know what I would have done I was there, or worse….If I was the parent.

Who would have thought that….just one moment of adjusting your pants, would have such consequences! This is just one those “freak” accidents where a moment of carelessness will change your life forever.

I guess its true – “Details do determine your destiny!”

Technorati Tags: Baby falling onto train tracks,pram jogger,fall onto train tracks,train running over baby

Restore Deleted Photos

Just recently I accidentally deleted some of my photos in my hard disk.

What happens if the photos cannot be found in the recycle bin?

Can you still retrieve those precious baby photos? Can you restore deleted Photos?

Before you panic, there is good news for all you parents out there!

Pictures speak a thousand words, and I can’t imagine losing photos like these!

Please don’t fret, as anything is possible in this computer world.

Well, I went to download.com and I found this program called Pandora Recovery

This program is highly rated by the CNET editors as well as users alike (Gets a near 5 star rating)

Best of all, this program is TOTALLY FREE!

It can not only retrieve photos from your hard disk, but also from your SD/CF cards as well. Therefore, even if you overwrite your photos in your SD card, you can still retrieve them!

Just how powerful is this program?

Currently, I use a company notebook. When I took over the notebook a year ago, I deleted away the previous users photos.

Guess what?

After using the program, I saw the previous user’s photos and any photos before that as well.

What’s more – you don’t need to be a computer genius to use this program. The interface is simple and easy to use.

So no need to key in any codes, or interface with any funny and weird symbols :)

It is no wonder that the computer geeks can retrieve anything from your notebook.

Remember the series “Prison Break”, the FBI was still able to retrieve information from Scofield’s Hard Disk, despite the fact that he had thrown it in the river!

Well, the good side is that – don’t despair!

We may make mistakes, but the photos are still retrievable.

Technorati Tags: Restore deleted photos,Retrieve photos from SD card,Photo Recover,Retrieve Lost data

Avent Sterilizer and Milk Bottles

Frankly life as a new parent for me did not start that long ago.

Recently, my good friend just had the privilege of being a new father and I had to buy him a sterilizer.

Why an Avent Sterilizer?

Hmm…I think people are very affected by their peers. When we were 1st introduced to the world of Parenting, all our friends were using Avent Products.

I think they have quite an established base in Singapore, and all the parents I “know” use their products.

With its successful branding and wide neck bottles, these Avent bottles are easy to clean and are also supposed to help reduce colic in newborns.

Ok..Don’t worry, this is not an advertorial (How I wish that they will pay me to do this…I don’t mind some Free Avent Products :P)

To cut the long story short… As Avent Milk bottles were the way to go, we naturally used an Avent Sterilizer! (much thanks to Ed Tan!)

Well, Avent seems to have a lot of sterilizers on the market, and they seem to have put in a bit of their Philips technology into their sterilizers.

Parenting Advice

Go for the simplest sterilizers. There’s no need for sophisticated technology for this. Don’t forget to our parents, the Sterilizer is a fancy gadget! They just put bottles in boiled water!

Now you can find some models with digital screens, electronic countdown and sound alerts. Forget about those! Get the simple ones with a lever that u just depress. I have been using that since 2005, and they work fine. Really!

Technorati Tags: Avent Sterilizer,Avent Milk Bottles,Baby Milk Bottles

Blog Feature: Harvest Times

The kind people of “Harvest Times”, a Christian Publication has featured ED Unloaded in their current issue!

Harvest Times is a free online Christian Publication, so you can check out the magazine and it’s past issues on this link.

The 4 page feature (page 68-71) highlights past blog posts covered in the children’s lives and covers some of the best stories I blogged about in the last 2 years. (Yes! it has been about 2 years since the blog started…how time flies!)

Personally, I enjoyed reading the articles, as it was like a review of my life as a parent, and I have even forgotten about some of their adventures.

Being a Daddy Blogger, it has truly been a real blessing being part of the children’s lives, and having an opportunity to record their experiences.

I don’t really know how this Parenting Adventure will unravel itself, but I am pretty sure that I will enjoy every part of this Daddy Parenting Adventure.

Technorati Tags: Parenting Adventure,Daddy Blogger,Daddy Parenting,Blog Feature

Building Strong Families

What makes a family?

I believe a family is a unit that spends time together.

The children are a real blessing and we really had a fun time together as a family in Melaka.

Auntie Weng (Our Domestic Helper) has gone for about 2 weeks, but the children are getting used to having her not around. We just spent loads of time with them after she left. It just proves that we really need to spend time with the kids, as they do not seem to have very long memories when they are young (Aside: it is no wonder how young Christians seem to forget God very easily).

But this extra time with the family seems to have gone a long way with little Nadine!

Just a couple of days ago, my 1year 6 month old daughter allowed Daddy to bring her out alone, and we went to visit a friend together. (In the past, we noticed that she didn’t like to be carried by Daddy!) What a change in our relationship! She was very easy and did not make much of a fuss, when we spent some time together.

The most difficult part about having 3 kids, is that you need to spend personal time with each of them. This is something that I am still learning today!

Before I go, here are also some interesting places that you can see in Melaka:

There is an Observatory Tower that gives you a picturesque view of the old Melaka city.

At just $20 ringget/adult, you will get a real good view of the city.

The Pirate Ship pictured above is also a museum which the kids can visit. Inside, there are various exhibits which will give you a history of Malacca.

Malacca also has it’s own version of the Singapore Flyer.

It is called the “Eye on Malaysia”

This gigantic ferris wheel is much smaller than the one found in Singapore, and at $20 ringget, you will get to go about 4 rounds on this big ferris wheel.

The capsules are much smaller than the ones found in Singapore, and it actually feels as spacious as a Sentosa Cable car.

The ferris wheel actually goes quite fast, so don’t expect the slow rides that u get on the “Singapore Flyer” or on the “London Eye”.

If I have money for just 1 ride, which ride would I go for?

The Observatory tower wins hands down!

Firstly, it is higher than the “Eye on Malaysia” and it also offers a better view. The “Eye” is located too far away from the main city to give a good view of city!

One sad thing that I noticed was that – the machines were not well maintained. Despite being less than 2 years old, the parts were already rusting! I’m not sure if these machines can last long at this rate! 

However, the kids enjoyed every moment of the ride!

Technorati Tags: Building strong families,Quality time with the family,Melaka Observation Tower,Eye on Malaysia,Things to do in Melaka

Peranakan Food in Melaka

Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya (traditional Chinese: 峇峇娘惹; Hokkien: Bā-bā Niû-liá) are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations.

One of the best things about Malacca is the Nyonya food, and as all Singaporeans love eating – Malacca is quite a food paradise!

On our first night there, we had dinner at Nyonya Makko. We figured it looked authentic (check out the shop front and the interior deco!)

Nadine was excited about eating at the restaurant!

When we asked. “Who is hungry?”

Nadine was the first to lift up her hands!

We had the regular Baba favourites – Ayam Buah Keluak, Itek Tim, Chap Chye, Omelette, Fried Chicken. (Notice all the dishes were non-spicy!)

The food was authentic, and we liked the Chap Chye especially! It was stewed to bring out all the flavours in the dish. BUT, Jiahui & I felt it was good, but not GREAT. Surely, in a town like this, we can find a place which would get us longing for more!

So on the second night, we went for the famous Ole Sayang restaurant. (they were closed on the first night when we drove passed!)

This is the restaurant that I frequently visit whenever I’m in Melaka. It also seems to be a favourite with many Singaporeans!

Immediately when we entered the place, we all felt excited about the food. It was crowded with large groups of 8-10 people having either friends/colleagues having a after-work meal or family gatherings.

The menu here is similar to the one found at “Makko”, it is just as authentic, but the food here is much tastier! (it was so good, we forgot to take pictures!!)

Overall food verdict:

Go for Ole Sayang! Eating at the restaurant is about S$10 per head.

Generally, Melaka offers cheap food at very affordable prices. A friend of mine recommended Seri Nyonya which is located inside Equatorial Hotel Melaka. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to try out the restaurant. Maybe the next time round!

Technorati Tags: Peranakan Food,Nynonya food,Food Review,Malacca food,Food in Melaka,Equatorial Hotel Melaka,Ole Sayang,Makko Restuarant

Hotel Equatorial Melaka Review– Family Vacation Destination

Malacca is proving to be a very interesting place to visit with the family and it’s a great family vacation destination as well!

Sited by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the town is now a charming place with lots of traditional eateries and buildings to boast of.

As usual, good accommodation is the 1st thing that a parent looks for! The 1st question on everyone’s mind is:

Do you know of any good hotels for a family vacation in Malacca?

I have stayed in two hotels in Malacca, Renaissance Melaka Hotel, which is managed by the Marriot Group and Hotel Equatorial. Both are in the 5 Star Category, so they both have generally acceptable levels of service.

For Hotel Equatorial, the hotel room is not very big, but rather adequately sized. The picture is rather deceiving, so imagine the room smaller than what is pictured below.

Parenting Tip for Melaka

A real plus for Equatorial Melaka is it’s location. Located just next to the biggest mall in Melaka, it is also within walking distance of the Peranakan restaurants & other cafes.

This is really advantageous when you don’t have a car, and Jonker Street (Famous tourist attraction) is also not too far away.

I definitely prefer the Equatorial compared to Hotel Renaissance Melaka, which is a bit further away from the city centre.

They even have a 3D2N Getaway specials where rooms are less than Singapore $150/ night and they come with unlimited internet access.

Sounds great right! Unfortunately bad things do happen to good people! :(

Although i paid for this package, I had the unfortunate timing of going to the hotel when their internet access is down. In fact, I am writing this post from a cafe which has internet access. (Malacca has lots of internet hotspots in their cafe and restaurants-this little town is really quite wired).

How are the kids enjoying their stay?

Well, the kids have been thoroughly enjoying their stay in Malacca.

Here are some pictures of them “goofing around” in the room and also pictures of them before going for their swim

The kids are really enjoying their holiday…

Technorati Tags: Hotel Equatorial Malacca,Hotel Renaissance Melaka,Visit Malacca,Visit Melaka,Good Hotel in Malacca,Parenting Tip

Driving Trip: Visit Malacca

The kids were excited! We were going as a family on our 1st road trip to Malacca.

We were all packed into our little Toyota Wish and were ready for the drive up to Malaysia. Setting off at about 11am, and we reach Malacca at 130pm.

Upon reaching Malacca, we were very hungry, and the kids were excited about trying out the Chicken Rice Balls that are served in Malacca.

Rice in Singapore and in most parts of Asia is just served in a bowl practically.

However, Malacca is filled with shops that serve Chicken Rice Balls, instead of the normal manner. You can see the difference in the rice served by checking out my earlier post on a recommended chicken rice stall in Singapore.

The thing that I like about this restaurant is that it is air-conditioned and behind the Hotel Renaissance Melaka (This was a hotel that I stayed in previously). This made it easy for me to find my way there.

 

We ordered roasted chicken and steamed chicken, just to see which was better.

However, we were disappointed with the chicken, as it was rather “boney” and “dry”.

The rice balls were a hit with Nathan, as he has been a bit fussy with his food lately. He had only been eating fish balls at meal time…and therefore when he saw the rice balls, he instantly took a liking for them.

Daddy’s thoughts about the food?

I think the rice balls are a bit over rated! There were quite dry, and u had to break them up to add with the rice. Normal chicken rice seems to be more fragrant.

Malacca seems to be filled with these chicken rice stalls at the moment, and the original hawker who sells the rice balls, still sells them in a dingy little coffee shop near Jonker Street.

Parenting Advice:

I might not bring the kids to the original stall, as the coffee shop is a bit cramp, especially when i have 3 kids and a stroller to worry about. 

However, Chicken Rice Balls are a must-try when you go to Malacca. It’s just like when you go to New York, U have got to go up the Empire State building, regardless of what u hear about it!

Technorati Tags: Driving Trip,Fun activities with the family,Chicken Rice Balls,Visit Malacca,Visit Malaysia,Hotel Renaissance Melaka