Durian Buffet @ 231 East Coast Road

My colleagues and I have been planning for a durian trip for some weeks. In the end, we decided to abandon the idea of making a trip to Malaysia and try out this durian buffet deal ($25 per pax) at East Coast Road, which was given a good review from one of our friends recently.

This durian buffet deal is offered by a make-shift stall located at 231 East Coast Road (near Ampang Niang Tou Fu)

View Larger Map

Eight of us sat comfortably with tables and chairs, by the roadside and were served with a variety of durians, one kind at a time; ranging from D11, D15, Hong Xia (meaning "red prawn"), XO, Mao Shan Wang ("Cat Mountain King"), etc. Although I was told that the "XO" and "Mao Shan Wang" durians were the better and more expensive durians, I have to say that all the durians served were tasty as each type has its own unique taste and texture. It was also an educational tour for us as the store owners shared insights about each type of durian and how to pick a good one.

It was indeed a good durian party for us as we thoroughly enjoyed the durians and the time spent chit-chatting away. The store owners also provided us with mineral water, mangosteen as well as water point for washing of hands.

If you are keen to pop by for the durian buffet, it is advisable to give the stall owners a call in advance (Ah Loon/Ah Teck - 97514828) as the seating capacity is limited and the durian variety may vary from time to time. 

Counting Toes

Aileen and Joann were walking home one evening. Aileen was wearing her sandals while Jo was wearing her school shoes... 

Aileen: Jo, what's 6 + 7? 

Jo ( paused for a while) : Easy. It's 13.. 

Aileen: Well done! How did you do that? 

Jo: I've got 10 fingers. Then, I used toes..

Aileen (eeks): but you are wearing your shoes so how did you use your toes? 

Jo (wide-eyed, innocently) : I used YOUR toes...

 

Fun Games for Family

As parents, Aileen and I believe that play time as a family is a great way to build bonds with our children as well as letting them learn as they play. In this post, I will share two of our favourite indoor games - Monopoly Junior and Jenga. 

The Monopoly Junior is a simplified version of the popular board game, Monopoly, aimed at children. It has a smaller, rectangular board and instead of being based on street names, it is based on fun fair to make it more child-friendly. While the rules of the game remain unchanged, the game is simpler e.g. the currency is in denominations of $1, $2, $3, $4 and $5, each house is called a ticket booth, the chance cards are worded with simple English that a 5 years old could read, etc. 

The Monopoly Junior is a great game for the children as they learn to count the dollar notes, the number of steps to take based on their dice throw, read the chance cards by themselves as well as learning to be gracious when lost in a game.

Another game that the children love, is Jenga. Jenga is a game that tests one's physical and mental skills. During the game, each player takes turn to remove a block from the tower and balance it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure as the game progresses. The loser is the person who makes the tower collapse. 

At home, we play a simpler variant i.e. taking out a block at a time without toppling the tower. In this game, the children get to train their motor skills as well as finding creative ways to remove the blocks e.g. by tapping with finger nails, using a block to push out another, etc. You can devise your own variants of the game such as removing only specific color blocks, removing two different color blocks at one time, etc. After each game, the children get to count the number of blocks that they collected. It is a simple way to let them practise their math too.

These are fun games that you can buy from major toy stores. I am currently scouting around for more fun board games in Singapore and online. Will update this post with more recommendations. Have a great time bonding with your children!

Cheeky Jayden

Joann & Jayden were bickering non-stop in the bedroom just before bedtime... Aileen (my wife): If you don't stop your nonsense, I'm going to drive you out of the room! Jayden (eyes opened wide): But you don't have a car!! (then with a smirk look) You sure you can drive?? Aileen: Arrghhhhhhhh...

Universal Studio Singapore (6 Apr 2010)

Aileen and I took the children to the Universal Studio Singapore (USS) today. The children had been excited about this trip for the last 1 week. We decided to take leave on a weekday in order to avoid the weekend crowd at the newly opened USS. The journey to USS in Sentosa from Hougang is straighforward - we took a MRT from Kovan to Harbourfront Station and thereafter, took a designated SMRT bus (RWS 8) from a bus stop just outside Vivocity.

The USS is currently at its 'soft opening' period and its one-day pass is priced at S$66 for an adult and S$48 for a child (between 4 - 12 years old). As such, for a family of 2 adults and 2 children, we paid S$228 in total. Good news for keen visitors - If you hold a DBS/POSB Credit Card, you can make a over-the-counter purchase of tickets to get savings of S$6 off for the one-day Adult Pass & S$4 off for the one-day Child Pass. Offer is valid from 5 to 30 April 2010. During this 'soft opening' period, the USS is also giving away a free S$10 food voucher and $5 gift voucher for every entry ticket purchased (redeemable at a counter near the entrance). At present, the opening hours are from 9am to 6pm.

An overview of USS - It consists of 7 themed venues namely, Hollywood, Madagascar, Far Far Away, The Lost World, Ancient Egypt, Sci-Fi City and New York. Each venue provides visitors with its own unique attractions and entertainments.

Given that this was our first trip there and was meant to be a trip for Joann and Jayden to enjoy, we scouted for attractions which were suitable for the 4 - 6 years old. In this post, I am not mentioning much about the thrilling rides for teens and adults such as 'Revenge of the Mummy', 'Battlestar Galactica', 'Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure', etc. 

In Hollywood

The children enjoyed meeting the star characters such as 'Po' from 'Kungfu Panda', Frankestein, Woody Woodpecker, etc. And of course, there are stores selling a great variety of Universal Studio themed collectibles, toys and apparel.

In Madagascar

Here, the children enjoyed the photo shots with the animal characters from Madagascar, a dance performance staged by the animal characters (only at certain time slots) as well as 'King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round' (Carousel)

 

In Far Far Away

The most majestic building in this venue is the Castle. In this castle, we enjoyed the 'Shrek 4-D Adventure' (need to wear the 3D glasses) It was fun as we experienced the '4D' effects as the film actions rolled (water sprinkled over our heads, 'winds' as well as moving seats). The children also enjoyed the 'Magic Potion Spin' which is an indoor ferris wheel. The 'Donkey LIVE' is a interactive 'Live' show where the Shrek's sidekick Donkey sang and played with the audience (the donkey was on screen and apparently could interact with the audience). However, Aileen and I felt that this show was a letdown as it was quite boring for us... We missed the 'Enchanted Airways' which is a junior coaster for a flight over the Far Far Away... It seemed fun... Sigh...

The Lost World

We did not really explore this venue thoroughly due to time. The children only managed to ride the 'Dino-Soarin' where they piloted their own Pteranodon, soaring up into the clear sky or down into cooling shadows. The 'Canopy Flyer' (for a min. height of 92cm) is a flying vehicle which gives you a bird's eye view of Jurassic Park. We gave it a miss as the queue was long... This ride seemed fun.

Ancient Egypt

The layout of this venue was very majestic. Many tourists were here, snapping away with their cameras as the tall Egyptian statues were grand. The children rode on a desert jeep through an abandoned Egyptian excavation site in the 'Treasure Hunters'. The ride was 'So-So'. Nothing interesting during the ride. 

Sci-Fi City

The most popular ride in USS is situated here - 'The Battlestar Galactica'. However, the ride is temporarily closed at the moment. For children and the not-so-daring ones, can try the 'Accelerator' which is a whirling twirling ride. 

Hollywood and New York

Thank God for a good weather today though the afternoon sun was blistering hot. Fortunately, we brought umbrella as well as managed to buy a cap for Jayden. The walk in Hollywood and New York was a relief from the hot sun as these two places were mostly semi-sheltered as well as cooled by pockets of water mist. 

As a whole, we did enjoy our first trip to USS. If you are thinking of conquering the many thrilling rides and are worried about your personal belongings, there are lockers for rental. The availability of water coolers at various locations of the park, provides relief for parents who may need water for themselves or their children. The free food and gift vouchers (only during this soft opening period) are certainly welcoming as you will definitely need lunch and probably buy some memento from the gift stores.

Looking forward to visit USS again when it is fully operational. 

See ya!!!

Noteworthy Quote

"The power to accomplish remarkable feats and live an exceptional life is not tied to an occupation but to a disposition of the heart" - John Bevere

Few Hours @ Terminal 3, Changi Airport

Decided to bring the children to Terminal 3 to chill-out this afternoon prior to church service in Singapore Expo. We had not been to T3 for some months and were pleasant to see some new play areas for children.

First, at basement 2, there is a new kid's corner where parents can let their legs take a break by letting their kids watch their favourite cartoons from Cartoon Network. This spot was great for Jayden as he was able to enjoy his favourite cartoons such as "Batman", "Ben 10", "Speed Racer", etc.

As we walked further down in basement 2, towards the food court, there were some fun hands-on exhibits, courtesy of the Asian Civilisation and Peranakan Museum. There were geometric games, puzzles and embossed printings to help visitors understand more about the Asian and Peranakan culture. Joann and Jayden enjoyed playing the puzzles and making embossed prints.

Thereafter, we proceeded to 3-Top (level 3) for some window-shopping. Just when Jayden was getting restless, we saw a little playground where he could just have some fun while I popped by next door for a Celio sale, yeah!

The few hours at T3 was sufficient for us to chill-out - the children had some fun while Aileen and I had a little shopping and coffee break. The airport is currently revamping their viewing gallery to Changi Aviation Gallery which provides a new aircraft viewing experience. If you are looking for a good place to hang-out with your kids for 2 to 3 hours, the airport is a good bet.