50th percentile

We weighed our little gal yesterday and all her 3 growth indicators: - weight, height and head circumference finally hit the 50th percentile for her age. This is such a great relief to us cos since she was born, she was mostly on the 10-20th percentile. We were quite worried about her not growing well previously so this is really a milestone. :)

Shichida Review Part 2

I had attended the Shichida lesson for almost 2 months at Junction 10 centre (Check out my first review). Well, I have mixed feelings about the lessons.

BB had attended once when I was sick and he don't have any good comments about the Shichida lesson. I shall not share his views and comments here as it's better he share it himself in the blog if he wants to.

Here's my part 2 review.

The good

1. Development progress
   Little gal showed some progress on memory linking but results not consistent. She seems to develop very fast during these 2 months in terms of recognising things and increasing her vocabulary. But not sure if this is part of the growing development phrase or due to Shichida.
   
2. New ways of learning & teaching the child
   I got to expose to different types of learning/teaching the child to develop right brain. A lot of tools were used during the class to keep the child stimulated and interested (except for the flash card). 

The bad

1. Pace of lesson too fast
   I still think the pace of the lesson is too fast. Each activity took about 1-2mins and the child just barely touch the tool given and have to return it and go for the next activity.
   
   I'm not sure if the child able to absorb it and is effective. Therefore it relied a lot on home teaching. To be honest, I also forgotten some of the tactics after the class as things are done too fast.
   
2. Flash card session
   The flash card session really was done in a flash. The cards were flashed so fast that it seems to be rushing it through with no engagement with the kids. It was the most boring activity and the kids in the class were losing attention, fidgeting or climbing around.
   
   If the purpose of flashing the cards is to stimulate the right brain, I'm not sure if it is effective as it does not capture the kids attention and if it was done in the correct way.
   
3. Little gal doesn't seems to like attending the class
   In the recent lessons, she cried when going into the classroom. Previously she was running into the classroom and saying hi to everyone.

Next month, we will be transferring to another centre near to our house. It was a great relieve, the travelling to J10 was really a nightmare. I regretted signing up the lesson at J10. I should have waited for the enrollment in Oct14 with the centre near my house. Oh well, when it matters to the child, I become irrational. 

I still have another 3 months to go for the classes. I don't wish to have any verdict yet. I hope to try out at the other centre if it is better. 

Legoland

We went LEGOLAND on the next day (Check out our trip here). We were actually debating whether to buy the annual pass or just day pass. We decided to buy the day pass first and if it is fun we can always upgrade to annual pass.

When we reached LEGOLAND around 11.30am, the weather was so hot and sunny. It is true with most reviews that there were lack of shade and shelter. We decided to take the train first to go around the LEGOLAND to hide from the heat.

After taking the train ride, our little gal needs to take her noon nap, so we retreated into the Market restaurant to take a rest from the heat and for our gal to nap in her stroller. Unfortunately it started to rain, so we were confined in the restaurant, hoping that the rain will stop. The weather was so unpredictable, one moment it was scorching hot, the next moment it was raining. By the time our gal waked up, it was around 2.30pm and after feeding her lunch, it was 3pm already but it was still raining. We then decided to explore around the park with our umbrella.

We went to the  Dunlop Playtown @ Imagination Land. It was a sheltered indoor playground for little kids, so it's suitable for our little gal to play with.

We also went to watch a 4D show at the Legostudio, took an indoor fun ride at the Adventure Land Lost kingdom and ride a boat at the Boating school when the rain stops. The Boating school was fun and we were able to paddle the boat together as a family and we took the ride twice. Boovie had a blast of riding the roller coaster too.

Conclusion, we only managed to do limited number of rides due to the weather and also some of the rides were not suitable for 18 month old. The queue to the rides were quite manageable at about 5-10mins waiting. We went on a Monday.

We made the right choice - we do not need annual pass cos we won't be visiting it in near future. Visiting LEGOLAND needs to take note of weather as raining will dampen the spirit and limit the number of rides.

Comparing LEGOLAND to Hello Kitty town & Little Big Club, I prefer the latter. LEGOLAND is more for older kids maybe above 6 years old to be able to enjoy most of the rides.

The entrance

Lost Kingdom adventure. Indoor adventure game. Suitable for 18 months too.

S'pore Flyer - The miniland made of lego bricks.

Boovie enjoying the roller coaster ride

Little Big Club

We went to Little Big Club after lunch around 3pm. Little Big Club consists of 2 levels, the first level were indoor playground, arcade games and Angelina Ballerina. The 2nd level consists of indoor kiddy rides. There were also shows and programs in the themepark too.

There were more actions at the Little Big Club and our gal could participate more into the activities.

She dressed like a little ballerina and danced with the mouse Angelina Ballerina. We had a good laugh seeing her bouncing around the studio. The kiddy rides were fun and adults could ride too. The rides were unlimited inclusive in the ticket price. With aircon, the experience was good as we were shield from the heat and yet could enjoy all the rides at the fastest time cos no queue. We took about 3 hours to complete Little Big Club.   

In summary, we had a great time at the Little Big Club. Highly recommended to visit it together with Hello Kitty Town with young little kids (Check out our trip here)

At the first level

Arcade Game - So kiddish

Arcade game

Angelina Ballerina teaching her little students how to dance. Our little gal bouncing along :)

Kiddy ride

Little ferris wheel

Helicopter ride

Hello Kitty Town

We visited the Sanrio Hello Kitty Town on the first day (Check out our trip here). We went there around 10.30am. It wasn't very crowded considering it was a Sunday.

We were able to try out some activities while our little gal was sleeping in her stroller. It was a good thing that we brought along her stroller so she could take her nap and rest when needed.

We bought the 1 day pass for Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club, visiting 2 theme parks. It cost 110RM per person. You can get a 10% discount for NTUC member.

Overall, it was a fun experience. We got to do some cute activities like making the Hello Kitty and Badtz Maru souvenir, decorated the biscuit with jam which we could eat too, doing up the Hello Kitty badge which we could bring home too (but I lost it :( ), play the rescue Hello Kitty game, watch Hello Kitty shows and teacup rides. We also managed to catch the Hello Kitty parade at the end of the day which was fun. All the cute characters will dance with the little kids like a parade and greet the audience goodbye. 

It took us about 3 hrs to tour the Hello Kitty Town, then we went for lunch before going to Little Big Club. We can actually go out of the Hello Kitty Town and come in again with the ticket so no issue.

Hello Kitty Town is more suitable for very young kids above 3 yrs old where they could appreciate doing handicraft activities. Our gal who was 18 months had a blast too as she could play at the playground, ride on the teacup rides, watched the shows and parade.

It's a activity room

It's a mini playground

Activities schedule

Making souvenir

We made these! Took us 20mins :)

Photo taking with cute characters costume. But you need to pay for the photos.

Biscuit making - Before and after. The biscuits were yummy!

Badge making

Hello Kitty escape game

Little teacup rides

The end day parade

Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel

We stayed in Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel during our 3 days 2 nites trip to Hello Kitty Town, Little Big Club and Legoland. Check out my sharing of the trip here.

The hotel exceeds our expectations and this is the great choice that we made over the Legoland hotel. The hotel rate is cheaper, new and good facilities with convenient location and excellent service.

Here's my review of the hotel.

Location
The hotel is located at the Little Red Cube building and within a short walk (2-3mins) to Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club. They also provide complimentary shuttle bus service to Legoland every half hour. The distance from the hotel to Legoland takes about 10-15mins drive. However as the seats are limited, need to book in advance at the concierge at ground floor.

Hotel Check-in Process
The hotel check in process is fast and efficient. However as we reached there in the early morning around 9am and it was a Sunday, therefore our room was not available untill late afternoon. But then it is ok for us since we are planning to go out for the whole day too. We left our luggage at the concerige and wandered off to have our breakfast and theme parks exploration. When we came back to the hotel around 5.30pm, the hotel room was ready and our luggage already in our hotel room which was a thoughtful gesture.

Room
The room was new, modern, spacious and clean. It had a sofa couch, writing desk and ample space to place the baby cot bed. They provided the baby cot bed and baby bath tub as the toilet do not have a bathtub.  Just need to request for baby cot bed during the booking and remind them again when check in. However they were not too responsive to the baby cot request. We had to repeatedly remind them about the cot bed request before they brought in. When it comes to requesting for baby facilities, Berjaya Langkawi still the best in class.  

Hotel room

With Cot bed

Bathroom

Breakfast
The breakfast had a nice spread of fruits, porridge, noodles, nasi lemak, dessert and many others, but most of it were not as tasty as I would expect. Quite disappointing.

Facilities
The hotel facilities are excellent. We took turns to enjoy the steam bath in the evening as we need to take care of our gal. It was great after a long day out at the themeparks. Boovie also tried out the gym even though he did not brought his sports shoes. Come to think of it we should have brought our sports shoes. The steam bath is located inside the health club toilet. There was no one else so I can enjoy the steam bath by myself which was a very shiok feeling.

The last day morning we went for a swim at the hotel rooftop infinity pool. The view was great, overlooking the Puteri Harbour. It has the Jacuzzi pool, adult and kids pool. We had a great and fun time swimming, enjoying the views.

The Steam room

Swimming pool

Infinity pool at rooftop. A great idea!

Service
I forgot to bring along my iphone charger and the reception/room service staff was so kind to lend to me. Exceptional service with staff willing to go the extra mile!

Conclusion
Staying in Traders Puteri Harbour is a great choice and I would strongly recommend for a short stay to visit the theme parks.

Hello Kitty Town, Little Big Club & Legoland Trip (24-26Aug14)

We just came back from JB after 3 days 2 nites trip to Hello Kitty Town, Little Big Club & Legoland. It was a fun trip and we really enjoy the time spent together as a family.

Staying in LEGOLAND hotel was one of our option initially, however the hotel rate was too steep about S$300-500 per nite. After doing some research, staying at the Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel seems to be the best choice. It is just next to Hello Kitty Town with complimentary shuttle bus service to LEGOLAND which only takes 10mins drive. The room rate is cheaper than LEGOLAND hotel and very new as well. The Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel turns out to exceed our expectations. I shall post my review of the hotel on a separate post.

The travelling to Puteri Harbour is surprisingly not as straight forward considering it is so near to SG. The best option is to drive. But we do not have a car, therefore our choices are limited.

One of the options is to take a coach by WTS travel from Singapore Flyer. However the timing is not so ideal to us as the earliest departure timing is at 8.30am. By the time it reach Puteri Harbour will be around 10-11am. After time spent in checking in to hotel and other miscellaneous stuff like having breakfast, feeding baby and etc, half day gone. We intend to go to both Hello Kitty Town and Little Big club on the first day so the timing quite tight.

The other option which we took was the public bus. The timing is earlier and we could reach Puteri Harbour by 9.30am which is just nice to catch the Theme Park opening hour at 10am.

First, we need to take the Causeway link bus CW3/4 at Jurong East Bus Interchange. Now, the travelling from my house to JE is like East end to West end. As we need to catch the bus at 7.30am, we took a taxi to JE. We reached JE bus interchange around 7.05am and the queue for the CW bus was already quite long. We were carrying our baby stroller with a big backpack, hence we were quite worry that we might not get a seat on the bus plus carrying all the barangs.

The bus came at 7.15am and the fare was S$4 per adult (Just to reach the 2nd link CIQ at JB side). Infant is FOC. We were lucky to be able to get seats on the bus although the bus was quite crowded. Therefore the tip is to reach the bus interchange earlier and queue to guarantee a seat if you are bringing a baby or children along.

The bus departed at 7.20am sharp and reached Tuas 2nd link (SG side) at around 7.40am. We need to alight with all our stuff to clear the custom first before boarding the same bus by showing the bus ticket. However as we need to clear the custom at the counter due to having infant instead of the automated machine, the time taken to clear the custom took longer. Although the clearance was done in 5mins but the CW3 bus which we took earlier already left. We thought we were stuck and have to wait for another 20mins for the next CW3 bus to come. Luckily there was another CW4 bus came along in the next few minutes and we were able to board the bus with the bus ticket.

We reached the JB custom (2nd link CIQ) at 8am. We need to catch the earliest JPO2 bus departing at 8.30am, so we were on time. The bus station is located at the JB custom just a few steps walk after clearing the custom. The bus fare cost about 2RM per adult. The JPO2 bus departed on the dot at 8.30am and reached the Puteri Harbour bus stop at 9am.

The bus journey was smooth and the Causeway link buses run like clockwork, very efficient. I was expecting to reach by 9.30am but we managed to reach earlier.

The Puteri Harbour bus stop is located at the Little Red Cube building and right next to the Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel. It is just less than 3mins walking distance. The hotel location is very convenient, with all the restaurants right outside the hotel.



Restaurants & shops in Little Red Cube

Little Red Cube - Water Fountain

Hotel Lobby

We tried to check in but the room was not available yet due to weekend. So we left our backpack at the hotel concierge and tried to find some restaurant to have our breakfast. We realized that most of the restaurants opened at 10am except for Lat's Place which opened at 9am on weekend. So we have our breakfast at Lat's Place. Quite a fanciful restaurant with all the animation. It kept our little baby engaged by looking at the animation on the TV. The food was average only. 

Lat's Place

Inside Lat's Place

Our Breakfast

After breakfast we visited Hello Kitty Town & Little Big club. Both Theme parks are very kiddish and vey suitable for young children. Surprisingly as adults, we enjoyed both theme parks very much too. Check out my review on the theme parks.



Hello Kitty Town & Little Big Club - Ticketing booth

The next day we visited LEGOLAND. However LEGOLAND was not as enjoyable as Hello Kitty & Little Big Club cos it was very hot in the morning (with little shelter) and in the afternoon, it rained. So it sort of dampen our mood. But when the rain stopped in the late afternoon, we managed to enjoy some of the rides and we had a good time as the weather was more cooling and not so crowded. I shall review our LEGOLAND experience separately.

Legoland

In summary, we enjoyed our trip very much. The journey was smooth, hotel stay was fantastic, the theme parks were relaxing and some of the rides are enjoyable. Most importantly it is not very expensive and very near to SG. However I don't think we want to visit the theme parks again in the near future. Perhaps when our gal is older, we may bring her back again.

Here's our itinerary:

Day 1: SG to JB / Puteri Harbour / Hello Kitty Town / Little Big Club

• Took CW3 Causeway link bus at JE Bus interchange to 2nd link CIQ at 7.20am. S$4/Adult, Infant FOC.
• Took JPO2 Causeway link bus at 2nd link CIQ to Puteri Harbour at 8.30am. RM2/Adult, Infant FOC.
• Check in Puteri Harbour Traders Hotel at 9am. 
• Breakfast at Lat's Place.
• Visited Hello Kitty Town. RM 110 per adult for 2 theme parks (Hello Kitty Town & Little Big Club). 10% discount for NTUC member.
• After lunch visited Little Big Club
• Call it a day at 5.30pm
• Tabao food back to hotel and took turns to enjoy hotel facilities - gym & steam bath (very shiok)

Day 2: LEGOLAND

• Breakfast at hotel
• Took complimentary shuttle bus from hotel to LEGOLAND.
• Tour LEGOLAND. RM140 per adult.
• Call it a day at 6.30pm
• Took turns to enjoy hotel facilities again after dinner.

Day 3: Back to SG

• Swimming at the gorgeous infinity pool on the hotel rooftop
• Breakfast at hotel
• Check out from hotel at 12pm
• Took JPO2 bus back to CIQ 2nd link at 1.50pm. Paid RM4 / adult which also includes CW3/4 bus back to JE bus interchange (Just need to show the ticket).
• Tip: While waiting for the CW3/4 bus at CIQ 2nd link, the bus CW6 came first. Although CW6 goes to Boon Lay but it still needs to alight us at the 2nd link SG custom. Based on our 1st day experience, it is better to reach 2nd link SG custom earlier for clearance as the bus will leave very quickly. Therefore we boarded the CW6 bus to reach the SG custom first. Our reasoning paid off. We managed to catch the CW3 bus right after we cleared the SG custom.
• Reach JE bus interchange at 3.30pm
• Took MRT from JE back home. Reach home at 4.45pm.
• Journey ended.