DadsForLife Point, Click, Connect! Dads & Kids Contest

Dads For Life Singapore has launched a cyber-wellness themed contest on their Facebook page - "Point, Click, Connect!"

There are cybergames that Dads can play with their children, and a contest to win prizes.

So do check it out!

Who knows? Maybe you can win some prizes?

 

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One day more to our Royal Caribbean Cruise!

Gosh, I am so excited! Tomorrow is the day where we will go for our cruise vacation. I will be taking TONS of photos and be quite the shutter happy geek out there. In fact, we just went out for the past few days and upgraded our stuff for the cruise trip. Well, actually not really for the cruise trip. It will be useful for us in future but the trip was kinda of a catalyst for us.

First, we upgraded the "baby backpack". The previous backpack that we bought just one month ago was kinda of an impulse buy for me. I did keep telling Hazel that we should get a bag with more compartments so that we can segregate and store Jayden's stuff properly. In the end, just because we saw a bag by Tagger that features removable/changable front panels, I ate my own words and got that bag. It has always been a regret for me. By fate, we were shopping yesterday at Nike for some new sneakers and I chanced upon another bag and it fits what I always wanted to get as a baby backpack.

Tada! This will be our foreseeable bag for the near future. It also has a internal compartment that can hold up to 15" laptop. Perfect for me to bring along either my Macbook Air 11" or the iPad.

And then, being the crazy photographer I am, we spotted another bag by Crumpler and I think it looks really nice and cool.

Needless to say, I bought the bag. This is a limited edition six million dollar home by Crumpler. I love the design. I have two five million dollar home and they have been my companion for quite some time. However, the five million dollar home can only hold my Canon 60D with 17-55 attached and another lens or flash. But with the six million dollar home, I can carry my 60D with 17-55 attached, a flash, a 10-22 lens and a 18-200 lens. Woah. It will be my first time since years that I am carrying such a big camera bag.

And since we were at Vivocity, I thought we could get a glimpse of "The legend of the seas" cruise vessel that we will be boarding tomorrow. But no luck.

We only managed to see Star Cruise Virgo which has left when I took the photo and this Crystal Serenity. No sign of our cruise ship.

But it is ok! We will be seeing it and on board it for the next five days!

Stay tuned for our experiences and photos on board the Royal Caribbean, Legend of the Seas when we return.

Ciaoz!~

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Mealtimes Outside with Baby Jayden

Mealtimes with Jayden has always been quite stressful for us. It is ok when he is at home since there is no one around. But we cannot be feeding him all this meals at home! We need to go out have fun and we do not have a maid to help us. Jayden is not your typical snack crazy baby or a baby that sits there nice and quiet for you to feed him. Whenever we see another couple with a baby at the same age as ours and sitting there nice and eating his food, we stare with envy. He always needs something to keep him entertained during meal times. And when we are outside, we will look for alternative items to keep him entertained. For example….

A wet tissue, either one that we have or those that they provide in the restaurants (At Desaru)

A snack biscuit that he could take and sit there eating happily. Provided he does not throw the biscuit on the floor. Oh, that he does most of the time. Especially these long biscuits. (At Sushi Tei)

Now we prefer to feed him smaller snacks. Those that he can just pop into his mouth to prevent him from throwing the reminder on the floor. (At Din Tai Fung Marina Bay Link Mall)

His water bottle that can entertain him for like…..30 seconds? (At Marina Square Thai Restaurant)

Wet tissue cover? Hmmm this one kept him happy for like 25 seconds. (At Sushi Tei Vivocity)

Same. Wet tissue cover. Haha. Oh, he was quite happy with this particular cover. (At Bukit Timah Frog Porridge)

Or bitting the table? Ok. We stopped him after I took the shot. So this was like for 5 seconds? (At Barcelons Vivocity)

This one works pretty well. Getting the staff to bring us a kids bowl and spoon. And he can pretty much play with it for quite some time when Hazel feeds him. (At Paragon Ramen Place)

When all else fails, we whipped out the ultimate weapon, the iPad! Ok. We used the iPad outside like only once. Most of the time, videos on our iPhones work the best in keep his attention and voice down in restaurants. (At Nandos Katong Mall)

Having said that, Jayden can be a very very sweet and cute boy when we feed him.

He likes to share food with us and has no problem feeding us whenever we ask him to share his snacks.

He does silly smiles like this. We were spinning the fork on the table and he went laughing happily. (At Kenny Rogers Novena Velocity)

Cheekily giving us smiles. (At Sushi Tei)

And going shy over me insisting on taking his photographs.

And here he comes.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……..

Ok. No more photos.

 

And oh, one last thing.

There was a time when his hair was pretty long and thick. He was rather annoyed by it and the hot weather didn't help. And so, this happened. ^_^

Be sure to check out more photos. I have uploaded much more into our Facebook Page.

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Booked our Shore Excursions!

I still think the way Royal Caribbean handles the booking of the entire cruise is excellent. Everything can be done online and if you have problems, just drop a email to their customer service and they will reply promptly. And with all cruises, you will get the chance to disembark to the shore for some excursions.

With the help on some online searches and posts from local bloggers that were lucky to have gone for the OMY Royal Caribbean trip, we managed to book and decide on our shore excursions before the cruise trip starts.

So for our KL destination, we chose the "Batu Caves and City Experience". It cost SGD $114.75 per adult and children above 2 cost SGD$76.25. We were interested in the Batu caves part and for me, I have never been to this place where I have heard like a thousand times. The only problem is the 272 steps that is needed to be climbed to reach the top. With Jayden, this is no easy feat. (And hence, the decision to invest in a backpack type of baby carrier) I did check out Darren's post on his adventure and it helped us a lot. I will take note of the monkeys!

And for our Phuket destination, we chose the "Elephant Riding Adventure". It cost SGD$63.25 per adult and SGD$45.25 for children. I am really excited to see Jayden's reaction to seeing an elephant up close and personal. Check out Eunice post on her elephant trip.

Daddy NiVleK's Tips:

• Do your online check in early. You can do the online check it and has to be completed 3 days before the departure. This will save you the hassle of having to do all the nitty gritty paper work when you are at the cruise center. You will need to fill up your credit card details for easier charging of expenses occurred on board.

• Print your set sail pass. Choose your boarding time. We decided to head there early and enjoy our time on board first before the ship leaves Singapore waters. We will board at approximately 1130hrs. You can choose to board anytime but it has to be no later than 2 hours prior to sail away time.

• We will bring along a small bag with necessities for the day so that we will not need to wait for our luggage to reach the cabin before we start to enjoy the cruise! And I guess the first place we will head to will be FOOD!

• I am bringing along my Macbook Air and lets hope that there is internet connection and time for me to do some posts onboard. Else, my MBA will be a backup for my photograph storage and also to jot down interesting experiences before I miss them out! Getting old la!

I am getting more and more excited about the trip!

 

 

 

 

 

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Baby Carrier - Manduca

We need to get a new baby carrier for our upcoming cruise trip. We are not really fans of bringing a stroller up to any overseas trip but I guess that will have to happen soon. While we are still searching for a new lightweight umbrella type folding stroller, we have found our new baby carrier, versatile in carrying in front, side or back positions. The Manduca Baby Carrier. More on it later. We have the Baby Bjorn baby carrier, (Babybjorn Baby Carrier Synergy) which will hold a baby that weights up to 12kg. Baby Bjorn served us quite well though it was rather underused and we know why. The Baby Bjorn series is rather bulky to bring around and also quite complicated to use. I also did not use the baby bjorn at all to bring Jayden out because that will mean that I have to adjust the already adjusted straps and it will be really troublesome to adjust it again for Hazel. And one more thing, we didn't realize that there are actually carriers that can use in the piggy back style!

And so, we went in search of a new baby carrier. Jayden is almost 12kg and he is oversized for the baby bjorn carrier. We need another one and now, we want one that is more compact, and able to carry him in a variety of positions. And I did a search on the net and saw this shop - Baby Sling & Carriers. They have quite the number and variety of slings and carriers and so, I checked out their range of carriers on the net and shortlisted two carriers - The Boba Baby Carrier and the Manduca Baby Carrier. And if you have a 1 year old baby capable of walking around, you will know that there are times you just want him to be securely carried or fastened in a stroller. Some places are just not suitable for him to be freely roaming around. And carrying a baby for extended long periods of time on your arms is just OMG tiring and back/arm breaking.

In essence, both the Boba baby Carrier and the Manduca Baby Carrier is similar. They are both utilizing a similar shape in a backpack style but the Boba carrier is only for babies above 1 yrs old unless you get the 3G version. The other difference is that the Manduca Baby Carrier offers a deeper pocket and an extendable back panel that can be unzipped as your child grows bigger. Both have the almost similar hip belt design and size that will not obstruct the wearer from sitting down comfortably. And then comes the major difference. Price. Boba baby carrier retails for $189.90 while the Mancuda Baby Carrier retails for $249.90. A $60 difference. And as I said, we chose the Manduca Baby Carrier in the end.

Why?

First of all, we or rather I wanted to get one more versatile baby carrier. I kinda like the extendable back panel feature of the Manduca Baby Carrier. Manduca Baby Carrier claims that you can use it in a variety of ways, including side carrying. While we might not carry Jayden this way, who knows for our second one that we are planning? Secondly, I like the fact that when I tried the Manduca and Boba with Jayden sitting inside, the Manduca feels better. I also think the Jayden sits better in the Manduca than in the Boba. Most importantly, I like the texture and the feel of the Manduca Baby Carrier more. Interestingly, @PruneNuture was also recommending me the Manduca carrier!  $60 more is ok I guess.

I should also mention that the staff at Baby Slings and Carriers are a nice bunch. They look like a husband and wife tag team and they were very helpful in answering our questions and helping both Hazel and myself to try on the carriers at different positions. Kudos to them. Excellent service.

And red was the color we choose. Nice eh? I really like the ability to just roll it up and tuck it inside a bag or somewhere. Something I cannot do with the Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier.

Simple box packaging and design. By the way, Manduca Baby Carrier won the Singapore Mother and Baby Award 2011 for Best Baby and Toddler Carrier.

Jayden saw me taking photographs of the box and he cheekily snatch it away and ran out of the room. Caught up with him and you see his expression. LOL. Priceless.

Told him to stand properly and pose for me to take a nice photo. And he did! WOW. GOOD BOY!

With this new gadget, it will follow us to our Royal Caribbean Cruise and more! Hope it serves us well for the trips ahead of us!

Stay Tuned for more photos and experience in using the Manduca Baby Carrier.

I strongly recommend going over to Baby Slings and Carrier shop if you like to check out more stuff.

They are at Square 2, #01-56/57, 10 Sinaran Drive, Singapore 307506. Business hours are 12 pm to 8pm Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 6pm on Sunday (except New Year's day & Chinese New Year).

PS: This is not a sponsored post by any companies mentioned above.

 

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Some changes and challenges ahead

My lovely wifey has recently just handed in her resignation to the company she has been in for the last five years. She will be moving to another job in a few weeks time. Five years, wow. She was also surprised that she stayed so long in her current position.

Well, with this there are changes to is bound to happen. We previously worked very close in proximity to each other. She will send Jayden to the infant-care center (just across the road) while I walk to the car and drive over to pick her up once she has settled Jayden inside. It is also great for us since Jayden is usually very happy to go to the school unlike one of his friends inside who will scream out her lungs every morning. Seperation anxiety. Then I will zoom to her workplace and then zip back to my own workplace. It is kinda rush since we both start work at 0730hrs and the infant care center only opens at 0700hrs. 30 minutes is just barely making it and a very tight squeeze for me to make it on time to my own workplace.

Her new company is even further than the current one. And I will not be able to send her to work as I used to. Hazel will still send our darling son to the infant care but it looks like I will most likely be the parent that picks him up from the infant care center. This and other responsibilities that has worked for us ever since Jayden's birth will now change.

But I believe and I have also been strongly advising her that this change will be the better for her. Her new job will most definitely provide much more exposure and good experience. Maybe it will get a little tough on both of us, trying to juggle the timing part of rushing to pick him, feed him, etc. But hey, that is what being a parent will require you to do. Juggling things around and still making things work. And for that I have always admired my wife. You know what? As a gadget and technology crazed guy, I think I am quite ashamed to say that I dunno how my washing machine works. Really. I have never used it without her help. I think I maybe able to use it but nah, I am not messing it up. LOL

Hazel has been supporting the family and helping in the everyday things, cooking, feeding, washing, packing Jayden's school bag, etc. I think she is a supermom.  And even more so now as I struggle to write my thesis and rush for submission, she tries to give me more alone time to concentrate on my work. (For the record, writing a blog post is MUCH more easier and relaxing than cracking my head to write one paragraph in my thesis paper. I procrastinate too much when it comes to writing my thesis.)

The next coming months will be a real challenge but  we will still enjoy the times together happily. We have already planned for the zoo trip, bird park trip and disney on ice! And once I have finished with my thesis, perhaps it is time to consider a second one? Hmmmm..

Here's me signing off, wishing her all the best ahead for her new job! Stay strong and happy!

"V"ictory to you to my love.

 

 

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Travelling with Baby Jayden - Our Checklist

Countdown to our Royal Caribbean Cruise trip - 10 days more to go. It is getting close and boy, we have not really started packing. Unlike the Desaru trip that we went not long ago, this trip is much longer, lasting for 5 days and 4 nights. You can check out our Desaru trip posts here. There are more things to prepare for and there is a big game changer -  Jayden is much more mobile now. Fortunately for us, this coming trip is a cruise where we will have the luxury of our cabin available to us most of the time and I will not be stressed over thinking of settling him in a plane. I am not too sure about you guys, but for us, we like to do things slow and steady, not rushing into air travel immediately. :)



Since we are also doing up our checklist for what to bring for this cruise trip, let me share with you on our list.

First things first, safety first.

1) Emergency / First Aid Kit

• Ibruprofen / Paracetamol for baby. The former in case of high fever above 38.5 degress celcius and the latter for low grade fevers. If you need to bring just one medicine, this is the one I will bring.
• Digital Thermometer. I think nothing causes more worry than not being able to ascertain whether your baby is really having a fever or how high is his fever. A little bulky, but important.
• Insect repellent - We bought one and there is still one more capsule for the second use.
• Other medicine that your baby is prone to falling sick to.
• Normal plasters for small cuts or bites
• Remember his allergies, if any to certain medications

2) Sun Screen - Baby skin is delicate and if your trip like ours has quite a substantial outdoor time, bring along a good lotion for the sun and UV protection, at least a SPF 20 protection with UVA and UVB.

3) Food and snacks

• Tons of milk powder. OK. We are a little kiasu here but Jayden is quite picky on what he eats and the only way to continue getting nutrients to him if he insist on refusing food is formula milk powder.
• Milk bottles x 2 for feeding. One for standby.
• Milk dispenser. Small containers that you scoop the correct amount into.
• Thermo flask. It might be difficult to get clean hot water outside. Just fill up your themoflask before you leave the cabin/hotel room
• Water bottle. Important to prevent him from being dehydrated!
• Spoon, fork and bowl - You never know when you will need it
• Bib for feeding times. It always get messy - especially if I am the one feeding. ^_^
• Baby snacks, biscuits, etc. Bring a variety of them to keep him entertained or not too grouchy.

4) Travel gear

• Baby Carrier - We are in search for a new carrier. The baby bjorn carrier is good but only for front carrying and up to 12kg. Jayden is steadily increasing his weight and is almost 12 kg now. A piggy back type of backpack carrier will be more suitable for us. Also, we are climbing up many steps in our travel itinerary, so carrying him constantly on our arms will most probably lead to a VERY VERY sore arm. More on this when I get our new carrier.
• Strollers/Push Chairs - For us, we decided not to bring one on this trip but we are still constantly on the look out for another stroller that is more lightweight and compact when collasped. Perhaps you have some suggestions for us?
• Backpack - We will bring along a backpack to carry all the essential baby items required, like milk and diapers.
• Resealable plastic bags or disposable plastic bags. You never know when some accident might happen and his poo/pee leaks out. So you need a bag to contain the soiled clothes. A disposable plastic bag is good to have to keep soiled diapers after changing since not everywhere has a rubbish bin within reach.
• Changing mat - Good to have for placing your baby on to do his diaper changes. Especially when you are not changing his soiled diapers in a proper baby/parent room with nice cushions

5) Comfort & Entertainment

• Toys and more toys. Keep him entertained. We are going to buy more toys before we go for the cruise. And keep it and not let him have the new toys until you travel. This way will probably keep him more interested and entertained with the toy.
• For us, we will load up our iPhone with Songs and Baby TV Videos. This is always our last resort to use when all esle fails to pacifiy him. Need an app recommendation? Try GoodPlayer for iOS devices.
• Diapers, and enough of them. We "budget" for about 5 pieces per day and it should be plenty to go for.
• Diaper cream, obviously you do not want a diaper rash to break out during the trip ya?
• Swimming costume/swim diapers - Pack them along. Some playtime with water is always fun!
• Tissues and wet tissues. A must have to clean him up or any other mess that might occur.
• Clothes appropriate for the place you are going. Not too warm for hot places and not too light for cold places.
• Shower foam and shampoo. Your baby skin is delicate and we will bring along our Johnson & Johnson milk cream shower cream and then the "no tears" shampoo for Jayden. Best thing is adults can also use this shower foam!
• 
  

And oh, we still have not bought a new hard case luggage for the trip! Time's running out!

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Valentine’s Day Lunch @ JAAN

How did you guys spend your valentine’s day? I guess most people are doing dinners rather than lunches. But for us, a good peaceful lunch is the only way. We both agreed that we should not bee going to nice restaurants with Jayden in tow at night. We really do not want to disturb the romantic setting with his sudden loud talking or screaming. We are still working out on places to let Jayden stay temporarily for a couple of hours if we both need to be somewhere alone at night.

And so, both of us took half a day off from work and went to the Swissotel’s JAAN restaurant for a nice lunch. There are other more common places on my mind but I thought, “hey why not? Let’s just try some place that we have both never heard before.”

JAAN is located at the 70th level of Swissotel and the view there is quite stunning. I did not take a picture of the interior but it is actually not a very big restaurant. To call it classy and personal will be quite right. The servers inside there are well versed in the dishes that they serve, explained in great detail. And they are definitely not locals with caucasians making more than half of the staff I saw that day. Both of us went for the 5 course set lunch at $82. By the way, we later saw that the valentine's day dinner is price at $699 per couple.

The first dish was a complimentary starter from the chef. Not sure what they call this but boy, it was nice. I love the sphere shape stuff that you see. That is just so delightful.

And then came something else also not in the 5 course set lunch that we order. A wild mushroom soup. It was unlike any other mushroom soup that I ever tried. FANTASTIC.

HAND-DIVED SCALLOP & AVOCADO "MILLEFEUILLE"

And while eating the nice beautifully presented dishes, you get to enjoy more of the breathtaking view. Isn't that great?

55' SMOKED ORGANIC EGG.

I just want to say. I have never tasted an egg this good.

CONFIT ARTIC CHAR & SHELLFISH

IBERIAN BLACK PORK

Another complimentary dessert. A mango sorbet of sorts. Delicious.

Unfortunately, we were quite underdressed here in this "fine dining" restaurant. Both of us were in just jeans and a casual top. I kinda got a shock when I entered the restaurant full of people in a minimal of pants and dress shirts plus tie. Oops.

After fighting my own "paiseh"ness, I decided to just stand up and walk nearer to the glass windows to take some more shots.

VICTORIA PINEAPPLE

And when I thought that was the last dish, another complimentary after dessert sweets came up to our table.

Coupled with the double espresso I had, this was the perfect ending to a wonderful lunch.

We both loved the food, ambience and the service provided to us (even though we are not dressed "properly") and you bet we will be back here for the dinner set. Certainly one of the best restaurants that I have been to so far.

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And if you have been following my posts, check out my iPhone Photography Post.

The following photos below are taken on the iPhone, edited using the apps I mentioned in the link stated above and uploaded into my Instagram feed. So food photography with the iPhone camera! Enjoy!

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