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JJ at The Bicentennial Experience – From Singapore to Singaporean

JJ at The Bicentennial Experience – From Singapore to Singaporean

Mummy J signed us up some months back for the Bicentennial Experience. Good thing she did that.

When we first heard it however, we went like “What? Are we going to a new shopping mall?” and never thought back anything about it until last week when Mummy gets a reminder on her trusty iPhone calendar and off we go to the Fort Canning Centre (located at 5 Cox Terrace, Singapore 179620) [Park at F0022].

Note: what we’re attempting to describe below is based solely on our collective experience and will definitely not do justice to the amount of work the production team has put in over the past years – there has clearly been an incredible amount of effort and investment that has gone into making this show, experience, exhibit or whatever-you-call-it a reality.

This is ‘an-admission-by-ticket-only’ event and FREE tickets can be booked online here. Be sure thought to secure your tickets ASAP to immerse yourself in an educational experience that showcases defining events in Singapore’s 700-year history!

The following is an excerpt from the Bicentennial Experience guidebook which succinctly captures what the experience is all about:

The Bicentennial Experience commemorates the 200th anniversary of Raffles’ landing in Singapore. The Bicentennial Experience reflectively unfolds the story of our country’s evolution – stretching beyond the British arrival in 1819 to explore the preceding 500 years. As the centrepiece event of the Singapore Bicentennial, this multimedia sensory experience will take visitors back in time to witness key moments in Singapore’s transformation. The Bicentennial Experience has 2 main sections:

  1. The Time Traveller which takes place indoors, bringing visitors on an epic experiential journey through Singapore’s key historical moments.
  2. The Pathfinder which is an outdoor experience, with a series of pavilions designed for visitors to explore a diverse range of ideas and themes that show how Singapore’s connections with the rest of the world have spanned 700 years.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Time Traveller experience, comprising 5 different acts, preceded by the Atrium experience where we were taken thru a summary audio documentary of the rise and fall of civilisations and cities with a digital rotunda table of the visuals and map of the story, culminating with an awe-inspiring visual of the reverse-rain effect (rain drops rise from bottoms up)!

Act 1:  Beginnings – Live performers and a moving travelator add drama and dynamism to some of the most colourful exploits that unfolded in early Singapura. The synchronised performance of the actors with the music and audio recap were choreographed perfectly and added drama and suspense! This was our favourite part of the entire experience.

Act 2: Arrival – We board “The Indiana”, the ship that brought Raffles to Singapore in 1819. The digital screen and animation were simply astounding, and left us awe-struck. [JJ Tip] Sit at the back rows if you are prone to motion sickness!

Act 3: Connectivity – Still in the same room, the circular surround screens now move and seats rotate to provide an all-immersive show experience.  The JJ Tip of sitting at the back pews still apply since Mummy J had her eyes shut at some point to prevent her getting dizzy!

Act 4: Occupation – We disembark from the ‘vessel’ and are herded into a small darkened room to simulate refuge within an underground bomb shelter. The sirens and alarms blare signifying the Japanese occupation of Syonan during World War 2 (1942-1945). The audio broadcast of happenings around are vivid reminders of the very significant yet painful WW2 era in the history of Singapore. When we exit the room, we talk into a tunnel with supposed cracks in the wall through which we see glimpses of historical events during this time, culminating with an audio+visual account of a Sook Ching survivor (a Chinese term depicting the purging or cleansing or eliminating or individuals resisting the occupation).

Act 5: Destiny – Prior to entering the next room, we were handed brollies which we promptly opened before a gust of rain hovered across and started pouring cats and dogs.

Soon the weather fined up and we were ushered into a new dawn. A new era of Singapore, our Singapore today.

View our videos below in 2 parts [Caution on the 2nd video which may require parental guidance]

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JJ at V-Dining

JJ at V-Dining by V-Zug.

Turns out Mummy J lands us some dining vouchers, courtesy of our friends at Class 95 after winning them off the ‘I’m NOT stupid’ segment of Muttons in the Morning ! Daddy J is a closet fan of the Muttons, and some say thats why Jon’s nickname evolved to Mutton over time… (Jonathan->Tern Tern->Natern->Mutton).

FYI the crew with the Muttons at one of the previous Class95 roadshows at Nex!

So with our reservation in place, Daddy and Mummy J pack the kiddos and head out for lunch at V-Dining @ Scotts Square. It was a very quiet afternoon…

Very cozy ambience with an open kitchen concept and vantage views of Scotts Road.

Daddy and Mummy have the 5 course lunch set with wine, while Jo helps decide on our order of Salmon+Spinach as main course and Apple Cinnamon+Camomile ice-cream with home filtered water, and swiftly burrows her head in a Lego Ninjago book while the kind crew begins to whip up lunch.

Snacks and starters…

Tartar Lamb and fingerlime.

Laksa mousse with taupok (fried beancurd) cubes, laksa leaves.

Brown butter cabbage with langoustine.

 

Carrot soup with kohlrabi and leek.

Chicken with pumpkin and coconut curry for the grown-ups and salmon with spinach for the kids.

 

Desserts! Apple cinnamon with camomile and Yoghurt with berries and meringue…

Mummy was happy at the end… sipping Prosecco while kids worked on folding napkins to pay off their meal *burps*, and she can now confidently tell the Muttons – “I’M NOT STUPID!” 

Thank you Class 95! 🙂

  

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Toy Story 4!

It is the final week of our school holidays and Daddy J suggests we head out the to Gardens by the Bay coinciding with the Children’s Festival happening from 15th Jun – 30th Jun 2019! While we had previously been there on our kindy’s field trip, it would be our first visit as a family to the gardens! Yay!

The toys are back! Tucked amidst the lush foliage of the Supertree Grove area are pop-up carnival games stalls and special missions to be completed. We team up with our favourite characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Bo Peep to complete the tasks, meet new and old friends along the way while having a blast of a time!

With our trail book in hand and following the signs to the carnival!

 

Can someone please let us know what fruit tree this is? Sure looks like Daddy J’s favourite pomelo, right in the middle of the garden!

Greeted by Woody & Jessie at the Bullseye Games…

Woody’s Coaster Rescue, which was by far one of the most (if not THE most) popular stall of the day judging by the queue…

Jessie’s Ring Capture and Bulleye Rescue…

Flag off at the Buzz’s Star Adventurer! Jon seems a tad too big for the littl’ red swivel car by now…

Meeting Bo and her sheep (Billy, Goat and Gruff!) at Bo Peep’s adventure!

Mr Duke Caboom and our new friend Forky the Spork…

 

At the end of the day, we had a BLAST of a time!

Best part of it, says Daddy “It was FREE”…

Free stickers for completing at least 3 of the challenges, styro planes (we caught a red and blue each during the frenzy of the Ball Drop), the awesome lazer, lights and sound display (from 7pm), and LOTSA fun together with Daddy and Mummy J!

And what’s a visit to the Toy Story 4 Carnival without actually making it to the movies for the actual movie itself?

That very same week we hit the box office…

It was a very good story with a good mix of old and new toys. Of the new cast, we liked (what Daddy called ‘separated at birth) the twins… Ducky and Bunny (the yellow and blue guys) the most…

At the end Mummy stepped out teary eyed and said it was OK to cry… we think she sobbed buckets by the end of the movie, not sure if it was because it was funny, scary or sad. We guess it was a bit of it all 🙂

 

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JJ at Legoland Hotel JB

Well it happens JJ’s favourite aunt – Gugu J manages to book out The elusive Ninjago Lloyd (aka Green Ninja) room on a mid-week Wednesday, so what d’ya know we pack our bags and head to the Legoland Malaysia Resort! BIG HURRAY for the HUGE Ninjago fans JJ are.

We have had the annual passes for some years but never actually utilised the discounted rates on Legoland Hotel so this was an opportune time to leverage the 20% discount on rooms.

Turns out we would be coming straight from KL the day before so when we got to the Legoland Hotel we were just yearning to stay in and rest. Alas while we really did just hibernate in the room, rest was elusive as there was just so much fanfare and excitement – the oohs and aahs from JJ the moment we stepped into the room, admiring the tastefully done Ninjago-themed decor (what else would you expect!), Legoland toiletries and amenities (!) , to getting thru the treasure hunt and eventually unlocking to secret chest to uncover our treasure!

Legoland Resort Malaysia Johor Bahru undergoing a facade face-lift.

Lobby/check-in with Lego Knights Castle (akin to Daddy J’s Black Knights Castle) and Pirate’s Ship play area!

The usual disco lights and music play go on when the elevator doors close – “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team (by Tegan and Sara)”… different elevators have different themes ranging from Adventure, Pirates, Kingdom…

*Elevator dings* we’re at Level 5 and greeted by none other than Master Wu. Ninjago rooms share the same level as Pirates-themed rooms, which is also the same floor as the hotel pool.

Getting into our Lloyd-themed room…

Treasure hunt instructions laid out on the bed.

[Spoiler alert] Click here for the answers to unlock the treasure chest!

Lego-styled toiletries! Literally everything is AWESOME!

The pool which was virtually empty when we got there in the morning after brekkie. But then again, who would need a pool when you have the Legoland Water Park right at your doorstep! *Splash!*

We did head out eventually to the Legoland Theme Park for our regular dose of Ninjago ride (note Jon beat his record of 204,750 with full bragging rights to it!), dragon roller-coaster (Jo) and for dinner at the Medini Mall (we walked past the newly-opened Sealife aquarium)

There are nightly activities at the Lobby, ranging from movie nights to kids playing in the lego pits and running through the pirates ship deck or knight’s castle. That night we were there though, we enjoyed a little Hari Raya magic show! Kids were all in their PJs, literally wayyy past their bedtime!

The next day we just took it easy – having extended breakfast at the Bricks Family Restaurant (sprawling with KIDS!), playing video games at the Games console room and watching tele in the room before checking out at noon (note the hotel’s official check-in and checkout timings are 4pm/11am respectively).

 

After checkout we were deliberating between going into Legoland again or checking out the latest attraction (Sealife) – given it was sweltering hot then with the noon day sun blazing, it really did make more sense to do a look-see at the air-conditioned Sealife.

Sealife Malaysia officially opened its doors in May 2019 after almost a year in making since groundbreaking in August 2018. Legoland regulars would remember the works-in-progress through this time, the dust and temporary walkways from the open air carpark to the park entrance… but alas, this is all now behind us! Owned and operated by the UK-based Merlin Entertainment Group, the fresh-faced Sealife Malaysia joins a network of >50 other such aquariums/oceanariums around the world (Merlin is also synonymous with Madam Tussauds, Sydney Wildlife Zoo, among others).

In all, we spend slightly more than an hour, zipping* through the various exhibits but spent disproportionately most time at the life-sized aquarium screen – similar to whats now super popular at kids’ play areas and entertainment centers, the one at Sealife Malaysia though has individual screens (not just paper you colour on and snapshot with the digital projector) where kids (and adults too!) design their own sea-life and spawn them into the vast underwater world…. Daddy J himself gets creative with his zebra inspired starfish.

Kids to Daddy: How do you tell the difference between a zebra-striped Daddy and Mummy star fish?

Daddy J: Daddy starfishes are black with white stripes, but Mummy starfishes are white with black stripes

JJ: 🙂

 

*Note: the layout is cleverly designed over 3 levels of exhibits intertwined and accessed by steps (there were lotsa climbing up and down steps to the different floors. Not to worry though as there are also elevators to make accessibility easier!

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Grandpa J’s Birthday High Tea @ The Fullerton (Town Restaurant)

Last week we celebrated Yeh Yeh (Grandpa J)’s 70th!

Considering it was Wesak Day holiday on Monday, 20th May we decided to have local* high tea at The Town Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel.

*local since there is also the option of English afternoon tea at the beautiful sunlit atrium Courtyard at the Fullerton.

Nonetheless for the purpose of the lunch celebration we decided on the local offering at The Town.

Literally the Best Chicken Rice in “Town”. 
Thumbs up for the chilli and ginger sauce as great compliment to the chicken, Sio Bak (roasted pork belly) and duck!

  

Another famed local specialty – Laksa and Satay (chicken, lamb and beef variants on offer)… Mutton boy obviously going for the chicken!

 

Quinoa salad and more salads (Achar!)…

 

And finally… sweets & dessert! Cendol, Kueh Kueh (or Kuih Muih!), AKK (Ang Ku Kueh), Kuih Lapis, Ondeh-Ondeh and Portuguese Egg Tart! Works well with a glass of cincau, bandung or soya bean milk…

  

Watered down with some Longan and Almond Tofu and Ice-Cream!

  

The nice folks at The Town took some pix and made it into a nice Birthday Card for Grandpa J – Awww, what a nice surprise!

And the final verdict from the JJ Twins?

Thumbs Up for The Town!

   

After a hearty lunch (or high tea!) we decide to take a stroll to the nearby Merlion Park, do the touristy stuff and soak in the picturesque sights of beautiful Singapore! Kids posing with the baby Merlion, with Mummy Merlion doing what she does best.

 

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Happy Mothers’ Day 2019!!!

Happy Mothers’ Day 2019!

Dear Mummy, I love you. Thank you for caring for us.
Dear Daddy, I love you. Thank you for loving us.
From Joanna

Dear Mummy, thank you for loving and caring for me.
Dear Daddy, thank you for buying me toys and books.
From Jonathan 

   

Aww… it was definitely a surprise for both Daddy and Mummy to be receiving this from JJ.

Yes it’s Mother’s Day today (2nd Sunday of May*), but as Father’s Day happens only next month (16th June 2019), Daddy was definitely not expecting anything, much less a card from the kids – thus a very surprising gift indeed to a Sunday morning!

* Mother’s Day happens on the 2nd Sunday of May each year
** Father’s Day coincides with the 3rd Sunday of June each year

As we had pre-celebrated MD with Grandma J last week, we spent some time with Ah Ma and Ah Gong yesterday, taking them to Bollywood Veggies!

Tucked away at the Kranji Countryside, this quaint and quintessential farm is a welcome getaway from the hustle bustle of city-life Singapore.

 
  
 
  

Sitting on a sprawling 10-acres of land, this abode also boasts a cafe, a culinary school, a museum and of course the renown fertilizer-and-pesticide-free farm.

 

While waiting for lunch (Nasi Lemak Platter and Warrior’s Thali for 2), JJ lose no time with the balls and hoop.

 
 

Free banana muffins, Bollywood Veggies eco-friendly tote and Pandan leaves!

Ample parking, and the Kranji Countryside Express bus service with pick up from Kranji MRT and plies the following route (note cost of $3/head/trip applies),

  • Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
  • Nyee Phoe (Gardenasia)
  • Gallop Kranji Farm Resort
  • Kranji Marshes
  • Bollywood Veggies
  • Thong Hup Gardens
  • Hay Dairies Goat Farm
  • Jurong Frog Farm

 
  

As an aside, jotting down some notes from Pastor Val this morning:

in this ever-competitive society, lets take time to be the intentional parents to our kids.

It doesnt need to be quantity time, but so true to ensure the time we spend with them is truly quality time, the time that truly counts.

Instead or stressing over the PSLE or O-Level scores, here’s an alternate perspective…

PSLE – Primary School Leaving Exams can otherwise be translated to:

  • Person (or Parent/s)
  • Showing
  • Love &
  • Encouragement

O-Level’s L15R Score (L1 or Main Language Paper/R5 – 5 Relevant Subjects)

L1

  • Loving relationship

R5

  • Righteous
  • Rested
  • Resilient
  • Respectful
  • Responsible

Yes, we’re definitely not undermining the basis of the education system, but definitely worth considering the other important (if not more critical) aspects to our kids’ wellbeing and development.

Here’s wishing all Moms (and Dads since this cant happen without the equal partnership of the DDs) a Blessed Mothers’ Day 2019!

Signing off from Sunday brunch @ Mackers! Pix of the JJ Twins from 6 years ago on Mothers’ Day 2013!

 

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JJ at Midvalley Southkey (Sogo @ Johor Bahru)

Midvalley Southkey (Sogo @ Johor Bahru)

Midvalley Southkey officially opened its doors on 23rd April 2019 (pretty queer considering it was a mid-week Wednesday but reckon it would have been auspicious enough a date to warrant the official opening!)

Having wanted to visit since then to get first dips (in all-things-new!), The J Team finally paid a visit on Friday.

I must say hopes were high given the known reputation of Sogo and Midvalley (if its anything like the Midvalley KL, it should be good!). There was also a certain level of standard to be had since other recent JB malls (ala Capital, Paradigm) quite frankly failed to live up to expectations.

From the outward facade, the mall does look pretty impressive, making it a point even to construct a flyover to enable south-bound visitors to exit the EDL highway conveniently as a final pitstop before hitting the Malaysian Checkpoint at BSI.

View of Midvalley Southkey on the EDL (Eastern Dispersal Link) Expressway South-bound.

North-bound view from the EDL showing exit slip road in 250m.

Entry into the carpark was seamless as there were not many people (to our surprise at least) on a Friday evening. Found out subsequently there were at least 3 other entry/exit points so thats definitely a PLUS point which helps disperse the traffic and influx of mad rushers in/out. Pleasant surprise also that Touch & Go (TNG) was accepted (seems like the default mode these days).

Inside the carpark it was apparent that the owner/management were pretty much in a hurry to open their doors, evident from the less-than-complete workmanship on the walls and lacklustre paint job. The more-than-ample parking however made up for the superficial deficit(s). Noteworthy also that there were MANY dedicated disabled-parking lots, so here’s a KUDOS shout-out to team Midvalley for being intentional social citizens! YAY!

  1. Pix of entry via TNG
  2. Pix of ample disabled-parking lots
  3. Download the mall directory via below link.

www.midvalleysouthkey.com/pdf/shop-mall-map.pdf

Overall 4 levels spanning 3 courts/wings (Centre, North and South), the remaining top 2 levels are (3F/3M) are still works in progress (no known current anticipated opening at this point).

Centre Court

South Court

Village Grocer @ North Court

Pros:

  1. Carpark payment via Touch and Go!
  2. Ample disabled parking lots
  3. Ample elevators (unlike AEON/Jusco Tebrau which is still our current fav!)
  4. Uniqlo and A&W (Akan Datang!), Texas Chicken
  5. Kid/stroller friendly and wide-enough walkways even for twin strollers!
  6. Playground inside Sogo (3F)!
  7. Starbucks inside Sogo (2F)!
  8. Free Popcorn and Cotton Candy in Sogo (3F/Kiddy section) from 3-5May!

       

   

Cons:

  1. Raw construction debris/unsightly finishing
  2. No cinema (maybe in the making)

 

  

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Lego Ninjago

JJ are HUGE fans of the Lego Ninjago Series… prolly smitten by the same Lego bug as was Daddy J in his younger days.

One fine afternoon when we were about 4, Daddy J whips out little Lego System Black Knights Castle ensemble from the closet and intrigued us. That kinda sparked our interest in these little’ bricks yet he said we were too young to fiddle around with them – instead he shoved us some Lego Duplo blocks instead *bummer*…

One of our first Lego (Duplo) sets we bought at the Lego store @ Rinku Premium Outlet in Osaka, Japan.

We will be sure to keep this in neat condition for junior JJs in future 🙂

However since embarking on our very own Ninjago journey 2 years back, there’s been no turning back.

JJ’s Lego Ninjago journey…

Kudos to the LEGO team for the very clear and intuitive instructions. JJ have had very minimal supervision building these sets. The only help Mummy and Daddy J have provided are in ensuring the pieces stick together snugly, and the very occasional re-orientation (left/right hand of the Kai Fire Mech or left/right wing of Jay’s Lightning Jet)…

Clockwise from Jon’s hands…

  • Jay’s Lightning Jet (Blue)
  • Cole’s Quake Mech (Grey/Black)
  • Garma Mecha Man (Black)
  • Kai’s Fire Mech (Red)

Clockwise from Jon’s hands

  • Firstbourne Dragon (Red)
  • Stormbringer Dragon (Blue)
  • Lloyd’s Green Dragon

  • Ultra (White) Dragon

  • Destiny’s Bounty

  • Our favourite Ninjago City!

    

  • Manta Ray Bomber

  • Ninjago Temple of the ULTIMATE Ultimate Weapon (Ninjago Joke)

  • Ninjago Temple of Resurrection

  • Miscellaneous Ninjago sets

To top it off, we were recently gifted a Legoland Ninjago Lloyd staycation @ the Legoland Malaysia Resort by our lovely Gugu J – check out our review of that stay here.

[Updated 2022] Didi’s 10th Birthday pressie thanks to Gugu…

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Birthdays!

Mommy J recounts how preemie we were – we popped in WK31 and were both in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 20 days (T1) and 21 days (T2) respectively. It was tough to say the least, as both Daddy and Mommy were not allowed to stay overnight during this time.

Good thing is we had each other’s company, and subsequently Rex’s…  🙂

 

Thus every year is precious and every birthday is worth celebrating, and a timely reminder of how blessed we are to have life, and to have each other!

Our Very 1st Birthday – Cake and Cupcakes courtesy of Aunty Luan!

 

Our 2nd Birthday – Peppa Chocolate and Koala Strawberry!

Our 3rd Birthday Cake – Bus Boy Mutton and Princess (Elsa) Nana

Our 4th Birthday Cake – something a little more mainstream for us both to share!

Birthday Kiss Jie Jie! *Muax*
Now my turn Di Di!! *Muax*

    

The boys decked out in the same prints…

What happened to our 5th?

Our 6th Birthday Bash!

This year Mummy decided to do something different by organising a Birthday Bash for us! Mummy even made her own Candy Corner, worked the decor and kids craft! Good thing we had some elves help with the food, games and goodie bags!!! Pin the unicorn was definitely a hit with the kids!

       

Behind the scenes prep…

7th in 2019… the cake gets smaller…

but, we get durian later and celebrate Mama’s 65th Birthday couple weeks later.

8th in 2020 during COVID Circuit Breaker!

Whatever happened to the other years???

10th Birthday in 2022 – pressie only… (where are the birthday pix?) adding on to Didi’s Lego collection, Optimus Prime and another Ninjago something (Ninja Ultra Combo Mech?) thanks to Gugu!

Fast forward to 2024, we celebrate our 12th Birthday!!!

12th Birthday! (30th June 2024)

The Twins all grown and ready for Secondary School!