Cityview Hotel Hong Kong

We’re back from a really good but tiring trip!! One of the highlights of this trip was the hotel we stayed in!

Presenting to you—Cityview Hotel!

It was SOOOO easy to get to the hotel. From the airport, we took the Airport Express to Kowloon Station. We heard that even the locals take this express train… makes you wonder how cab drivers earn their airport dollar!

At Kowloon, look for the Airport Express Shuttle Bus K5. This bus which comes every 15 min, is FREE and it sends you straight to Cityview Hotel!

Btw, we saw our first interesting signage on the bus:

It seems that you can’t talk to the bus driver – Not that we really wanted to as well! ….Our Cantonese is not that proficient :)

After we checked in, we rushed up to our rooms to see what the rooms were like… Look!

Not bad eh? It costs HK680 (S$125) per night excluding taxes. Considering we are close to peak season, this was very affordable.

ED thinks that it is very small (as compared to our room in Malacca, Malaysia)  He says that it is only slightly bigger than our hotel room in Paris.

However, the room was very clean. It had the regular Bar Fridge (empty inside), Room Safe, complimentary coffee & tea, electric kettle, and Wall-mounted LCD TV. The bathroom had only shower facilities (good water pressure, regular hot water!), and of course the usual toiletries.

We put the beds together, and our whole family slept on this makeshift Double Bed. There was enough space for our two large suitcases to be left open on the floor, and still enough for the kids to dance and prance around.

Now the most exciting bit was the LOCATION of this hotel! It is is Yau Ma Tei area, which is smacked in between two HOT shopping spots – Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok. AND AND AND, the hotel is ONE minute walk away from Yau Ma Tei MTR station.

In this ONE minute, you walk pass a 7-11 store (where you can buy food/drinks/top-up Train Ticket), and 2 other food stalls! It is also next to a school and hospital. So walking back late at night is safe as the street is brightly lit. There’s also a security check at the hotel’s main door after 11 p.m.!

 

So if you’re looking for a decent and safe place to stay in Kowloon, we strongly recommend Cityview!

Technorati Tags: Hong Kong Adventure,Good Accomodation in Hong Kong,Budget Hotel in Hong Kong,Cityview Hong Kong,Hotels near MTR,Hotels in Yau Ma Tei

Family Fun Vacation

We are flying off to Hong Kong today and we are so excited!

Mummy is a bit worried as it is the first trip off, and she is worried whether if they can sit through the 3.5 hour flight.

She is worried if she has brought enough milk…enough diapers…enough clothes!

Btw, Nathan needs 5 diapers a day (Daddy thought 2 diapers is enough – 1 in the morning, and 1 in the night). That is about 1 dollar/day for diapers.

Sigh…Going on a trip used to be so easy…I just used to chuck everything into the bag, and I was off!

In fact, the way I pack my bags – makes me feel so garung!!! Like Rambo!!! Ready to face the new world and the challenges ahead!

Things have changed!!!

Today, I had to make sure that all of mummy’s worries are dealt with. Even have to pack seedless grapes, bananas and toys for the flight over to Hong Kong  (We are not even talking about Hong Kong yet…)

I even packed Walkie Talkies! This is my 1st time doing this…Am I getting old…or am I just getting more resourceful! Please enlighten me?!?

One thing I am sure of, is that the children will enjoy the trip.

Technorati Tags: Family holiday to Hong Kong,Packing for a vacation,Family prepartion for trip,Hong Kong

Mead Johnson at the Science Centre

The kind folks at Singapore Science Centre and Mead Johnson Nutrition recently gave the Tay family, an experience of a lifetime!

The kids were all excited, and Nadine was more than ready to get her photo taken to record the moment!

In fact, Daddy has heard so much about the Omni theatre ever since he was young, and he was overjoyed that he could finally savour the OMNI experience for himself.

As we entered the Omni Theatre, we realized that Mead Johnson’s collaboration with the Science Centre underscores their commitment to provide scientific-based solutions to help in supporting the brain development and body resistance of the child while Science Centre provides the environment to nurture their learning.

Mead Johnson’s tie-up with the Science Centre will definitely give children an excellent environment, as the many fun activities will help nurture their learning processes.

One of the many facilities that the Science Centre offers is the Omni Theatre.

The Omni Theatre is actually quite big, and has a seating capacity of 276 seats.

The hall was also filled with children, as Mead Johnson also invited guests from Grace home for the event. This was definitely a nice gesture by the company.

With each seat reclined to get a panoramic view of the large 5 storey screen, the kids were all excited and climbing over each other.

The short movie entitled “Under the Sea” was a real eye-opener, as the screen managed to help us see the sea creatures up close and personal.

We were captivated, as the screen gives you an impression, that you really are in the ocean swimming with the sea creatures. The kids were so intrigued by the effects of the theatre, that Nicole was exclaiming, “The fish are swimming under my feet!”

At the end of the movie, the feeling from the kids were mutual! They loved the experience!

Before we left, Mead Johnson completed the events by giving us a complimentary can of Enfagrow A+, which has more than 4X DHA and coupled with the new Triple Protection Guard.

The 4X DHA is super important as it helps the children’s brain cells to establish and strengthen the children’s ability to learn!

Daddy and Mummy were really elated with the milk

as we knew that Enfagrow is a quality product that we can definitely depend on!

Overall, it was a great experience and many thanks to the Science Centre and Mead Johnson for inviting us for the event!

Also, Check out this great deal:

Mead Johnson will be giving a FREE Science Centre Ticket (Child) with every purchase of Enfagrow A+, Enfakid A+ and EnfaSchool A+ (Promotion start from 5 - 30 November and it’s Only available at all NTUC Fairprice outlets).

Technorati Tags: Singapore Science Centre,Mead Johnson formula,Mead Johnson Milk Powder,Enfagrow Milk Powder

Ideas for Halloween Party

Last Saturday Night, the Adults in ETzone gathered for our 1st Costume party.

Joy made the backdrop for the party! Don’t you think she did a great job…She only had 3 hours, and she managed to decorate the whole function room with just simple black paper!

It was fun, as all of us really enjoyed dressing up, and playing silly characters. These are a few of the colorful characters on display that night…

 

Nicole had fun as well…She enjoyed putting on makeup!

In fact, thanks to may, all of us had a free makeover to look the part like the character that we were playing.

Besides the normal party food, we had games to help break the ice as well!

We started with “People Bingo”

 

Everyone just really let their hair down, and it was really fun, as we mingled around.

Next up, was team games and we had to make up own “Mummy”.

The guys were really sporting, and they let us doll them up with toilet paper

  

One of the fun things that we did at the party, was that we gave away free photos. Everyone who had their photo taken at the party, could take a “Kodak moment” back with them! These are some of the photos that we pasted on the door.

We also voted for the best dressed costume…

Find out the winners in the next post…

Technorati Tags: Themes for party,Halloween Party

Fun Halloween Costumes

Halloween has been catching on in Singapore, and this year we decided to organize our 1st Halloween Party.

Basically, it was just a fun event for us to play “Dress Up” and have a party!

We also had fun dressing up the kids in a Fun Halloween Costume!

Nathan was dressed in a Thomas the Train character called James! We had a hard time getting him into the costume, as he was very reluctant to put on the fun costume we got from him. Mummy saw it at “Toys R Us”, and she could not resist getting one for him

Nicole was a Angel! We got her the “Wings”, while the magic wand and headgear was from her playthings! She loved the idea of being an angel, and especially when she was allowed to put on makeup. She was in heaven!

Nadine was a little Pumpkin! Once again from “Toys R Us”! She was simply adorable and she was the centre of attention at the party.

And Daddy went as a Pirate!

We had a great time at the party…Will update the details in the next post!

Technorati Tags: Popular Halloween Costumes,Boy halloween Costumes,Party Planning Tips,Pirate Costume,Thomas the Train Costume

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

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