Nursery schools: Is it necessary?

She's turning four this year. She's supposed to be in nursery school (or N2*), according to all Singaporean mothers, grandmothers and aunties I met.

Here she is, still not enrolled in any nursery. The one question that I encountered from all these people was, 'WHY?'.

I may not be an expert, but here's my two cents worth of reasoning as a mother.

I'm a stay at home mom or SAHM as they call it. I know of many SAHM who send their toddlers (yes, as young as 18 months old) and children to pre-nurseries and nurseries. It seem like a 'must-do' here. I am not against nurseries, but for me, I don't feel there's a need to hurry them off to a classroom yet.

Seriously, do you really think the teachers have time to monitor emotional outbursts of your child, whether it is due to real frustration or merely attention seeking? How do the teachers teach empathy to your child in a class environment? Even with a good 1:5 teacher-students ratio, I doubt the teachers are able to give full attention to all five of the children's needs. Just imagine yourself taking care of five children, all age 3 at the same time. How effective can you correct mistakes, impart knowledge and making sure all five understand at the same time?

Kids their age, need parents to teach them day-to-day, basic skills. Skills such as being cooperative, helpful and obedient. Learning to feel for others like empathy, sympathy and apologetic. Learning to express negative feelings such as frustration and anger. They need to learn to love others (besides their family members) and feeling secure and confident about themselves. When all the correct basics are mastered, good manners come automatically.

Once they're ready for their kindergartens, they should have all that the above mentioned, instilled deep in their minds and hearts. Then, the education of alphabets and numbers amongst others may begin.

*Note:
In Singapore...
N1 = Nursery 1: For children aged 3.
N2 = Nursery 2: For children aged 4.
K1 = Kindergarten 1: For children aged 5.
K2 = Kindergarten 2: For children aged 6.

Equarius Hotel @ Resort World Sentosa, Singapore

On our wedding anniversary, dear hubby booked us into one of the hotels in Resort World Sentosa. Equarius Hotel has impressively large 51 sqm deluxe rooms with a touch of modern luxury decor. The price was rather reasonable, slightly below SG$300 including tax for a 51sqm deluxe room. It was on offer with huge discounts on olotels.com. On any other weekends, the same room with breakfast is going to cost at least SG$500.

The hotel offers free shuttle connecting all other hotels in Resort World, thus it's rather convenient. Hop on and get off at Michael Hotel to go to Universal Studio or get off at Hard Rock Hotel for some boozes and live band at night. The free shuttle operates from 10am till 10pm (extended till 12am for weekends), with every 15 minutes intervals.

The impression was good until we checked in. The front desk staff at the reception was a chinese lady. She wasn't smiling and she was rather harsh in her tone when asking dear hubby for his I.D. Since it was only 5 minutes to 11 in the morning but the hotel standard check-in time is at 3pm, we left our luggage at the concierge and wandered off to Universal Studio.

When we returned to the hotel (close to 6pm) to collect the room keys and our luggage, the reception couldn't find our room that we have checked in earlier. And she wasn't apologetic at all. We waited about 15 minutes throughout the process of 'finding us a room' and there wasn't a single apology from the staff. Coincidentally, another hotel guest who was checking-in at the next counter, was also facing the same problem. Apparently, she had checked in earlier in the morning, and she has been allocated 2 rooms right next to each other as per her request. When she returned to the hotel to collect the rooms keys, the reception gave her 2 different rooms located on different floors, separating her room from her family's. The last sentence I heard from her to the hotel staff was "This is the beginning of my holiday and you sure know how to ruin it!"

The next morning, we went for the complimentary breakfast and I found that the restaurant staff wasn't well trained. I was having my first serving of toasts halfway when I decided to get myself some juice. Upon returning to the table, everything on my table was cleared, including the cutlery! I went over to get more food and asked the staff for another set of cutlery. The staff, who was a middle aged chinese lady, replied me in Singlish (Singaporean English), "Your table don't have knife and fork ar? Where you sit??"
I pointed at my table and upon seeing the empty table, she continued, "Wait, wait... I take for you." It was kind of funny to hear it coming from a 5 star hotel staff. I wasn't feeling mad or anything but unfortunately, the few incidents are telling me that Equarius Hotel is not up to the 5 stars standard in terms of service level.

Reception & lobby area

Hotel bar

Blue pools and private cabanas

The Deluxe Pool Suite with direct pool access

View from our room's balcony

Brown Equarius Hotel building overlooking the Dolphin Lagoon.

We were lucky to catch the dolphin in action.

Dolphin Lagoon offers Swim with the Dolphins Package at SG$170 per pax.

Jumbo Seafood Chilli Crabs in Singapore

The famous gigantic chilli crab.

Its claw is almost the size of my palm!

Scallop partially wrapped in crunchy deep fried yam ring.

After almost 12 months living in Singapore, finally, I managed to try the famous chilli crab! One gigantic crab weighting 1.6kg shared by dear hubby and me. It was more than enough if you ask me. We were so stuffed at the end of the meal.

This whole 'must-try chilli crab' is a hoopla, in my opinion. It doesn't taste as good as people say, well at least to me. Perhaps, it's due to the fact that I was born and raised in Penang for 17 years, my Penang tastebuds are a tad too fussy. Moreover, I dislike the fact that we were allocated 75 minutes (from the moment we're seated on our table) to finish the meal, including waiting time for our orders to be served.

Nevertheless, chilli crab gravy goes well with man tao (chinese plain bun made out of flour), either fried or steamed. I prefer the fried ones. It has more flavour, and it's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

We also ordered the recommended scallop with yam as appetizer. A must try for yam lovers like me, of course. Sweet and savoury combination in a platter, a small serving comes in 6 pieces.

The bill came up to SG$146 for a 1.6kg chilli crab, 6 pieces of scallops, 6 pieces of man tao and 2 drinks. It's inexpensive for a standard seafood meal in Singapore but, if I do a currency conversion to ringgit, phew.... it's sure expensive. At that price, I can have a seafood feast back in Malaysia.

Jumbo Seafood has 5 outlets in Singapore and 1 outlet in Shanghai. The one that we dined in is at Riverside Point. Reservation is advisable, unless you love lengthy queues.

Address:

JUMBO Seafood Riverside

30 Merchant Road # 01-01/02
Riverside Point, Singapore 058282
Tel : +65 6532 3435

Lunch : 12pm – 3pm (last order at 2.15pm)
Dinner : 6pm – 12am (last order at 11.15pm)

Human vs. Robot @ Ho2T Playland, Katong V Singapore

Human vs. Robot theme playground - the entrance

More play area underneath the padded stairs

Human vs. Robot combat area! Balls for shooting are all over the place.

The 'dark room' illuminated with LED lightings to create an outer space feel for the kids while they bounce up and down.

Girly fun! Tall Barbie mansion with a rooftop jacuzzi, a baby doll and her cute lil' crib, mini kitchen and grill set complete with utensils, miniature cleaning set (mop, brush, vacuum cleaner) for domestic goddess in the making!

Books and more toys!

Parents, opt to chill with fine Italian cuppas at its Ho2T Cuppa House or choose from a variety of snacks and titbits available for purchase at the counter. If you have older kids who may be too 'grown up' for play land, head over to Ho2T Weekend (right next to the play land) for some Art, Invention or Robotic classes available from SG$ 45 - $75 per hour (non-member price).

Address:

Katong V (Ho2T is on level 3)

30, East Coast Road, #03-09/12

Singapore. 428751

Contact: 66354704 / contact@ho2t.com.sg

www.ho2t.com.sg

Entrance Fee (for non-member price): 

Weekday (3 hours play)

Above 2 years old: SG$25

0-2 years old: SG$12

Weekdays (1 hour play)

Above 2 years old: SG$18

0-2 years old: SG$8

Weekends & Public holidays (2 hours play)

Above 2 years old: SG$30

0-2 years old: SG$15

Weekends & Public holidays (1 hour play)

Above 2 years old: SG$20

0-2 years old: SG$10

Membership (7+2 play)

Above 2 years old: SG$154

0-2 years old: SG$70

Membership (5+1 play)

Above 2 years old: SG$110

0-2 years old: SG$50

x

Pros:

• Great selections of toys for different age groups.
• Well organised play areas and divided play sections.
• Chill out area for parents to enjoy drinks and snacks at an affordable price.

Cons:

• Relatively small area and cramped up space.
• Not enough space to park the strollers inside. 
• One accompanying adult to one paying child only.
• Only 1 staff handling the whole play land.

CT's rating:

Safety & cleanliness: Singapore - 1, Malaysia - 0

Sometimes I just wished my home country is as safe as Singapore, where I can allow my kids to roam free without the fear of being kidnapped if I turn away for a few seconds. I remember some time ago in Malaysia, a toddler in a stroller was carried away by a kidnapper while the mother was in the midst of a purchase. The stroller was just next to her. Luckily, the attempted kidnap failed because the mother turned her head just in time and saw the man carrying her child. She screamed and the man dropped the child before fleeing. A police report was lodged but no arrest was made. Apparently, the cctv footage was too blur to identify the kidnapper.

In Malaysia, crimes are soaring high and the police can't do anything about it. I'm not saying Singapore is totally crime free but at least I have the assurance that the police forces here are much capable of doing their job. And criminals know that! It makes a huge difference in the (actual) crime rates between these 2 neighbouring countries.

Also, most of the time, I wished my home country is as clean as Singapore, in terms of physical cleanliness and corruption wise. Both are areas that only God knows when it will happen (or it might never at all by looking at the chronological list of events that are happening currently).

Whenever we are back in Malaysia, there are a list of no-nos. Walking out is a no-no (fear of snatch theft). Bringing the kids out to the park on a sunny day is a no-no (fear of pedophile). Driving out alone at night is also a no-no (fear of mat rempits). Others include shopping in a crowded mall (fear of kidnappers), taking a cab (fear of cab driver rapist), taking a train (fear of molester), and last but not least, using a free public toilet (it's so darn dirty, you rather hold it in till you're home!). Talking about public toilets, Jakarta has the best with first class service (the cleaner will sanitize toilet seats after every usage!).

Dear hubby was offered a citizenship in Singapore but he turned it down. Why? Simple. We still love to live in Malaysia regardless. We are, afterall, Malaysians. And... where else can we find good nasi lemak bungkus at a fraction of the price found in Singapore?

Nuts about nuts

 

 

 

Honey coated almonds, garlic cashews, roasted pine nuts, coffee pecans, unsalted peanuts, cheese macadamia, plain walnuts, earl grey chunks, soy mixed, assorted mixed, dried mangoes, jumbo raisins, dried cranberries, strawberry mixed, cherry mixed, turkey figs, pitted prunes, lychee plums, olive plums, dried apricots, organic mulberries, mixed berries, dried orange peels and the list goes on. Not a fan of nuts and dried fruits? They even sell home made plum candy! 

 

If you're in the vicinity of Marine Parade, you can check out Pat's Oven in Parkway Parade mall. You got to look hard enough for this store because it's partially hidden next to a wine outlet (where the tables and chairs of the wine outlets are). This store is such a brilliant, I can get all I want to go with my breakfast cereals or some healthy snacks to munch. Nice, really nice!

 

Pat's Oven

• Parkway Parade B1-83N
• Vivocity L2-133
• Citysquare mall B1-K3

Opening Hours: 10 a.m – 10 p.m

Hi, I am Ms. Daphne from Singapore

Cab driver: Miss, you called for taxi?
Me: Yes.
Cab driver: Can I confirm your name? *his hand shielding the small screen next to him*
Me: Christine.
Cab driver: But it says a different name on my screen.
Me: Oh, Daphne issit? Yeah, that's me too.
Cab driver: You got 2 names ar? Sui! I feel Christine sounds nicer.
Me: I think so too.

x

DH registered a new postpaid Singtel line for my usage while I am in Singapore but my new line is registered under the name, Daphne. I have received several smses by unknown people addressing me as Daphne too. Looks like this Daphne is working in some hospital as a sms to her once said "Daph, your shift starts 8pm. Ward no.109. I'm going home sharp. Thanks for covering me."

I didn't bother to call up Singtel about it. Perhaps it's a recycled number although DH insisted that it is not. Or maybe DH tersilap register my name... although I don't think Daphne and Christine sound anything alike. Or probably it belongs to one of DH's sexy nurses gfs and he conveniently passed it to me, forgetting that it will show up on the cab's screen when I call for cab services?

I like Singapore but not loving it

Lively colours of Singapore

It has been 10 months since I last posted something here.....ever since my grandfather passed away. Things are pretty much the same, except that we have moved to Singapore last December. Dear Hubby is a PR but my kids and I haven't apply for dependent passes. Therefore we can only stay in Singapore for up to a maximum of 30 days per entry.

There is a reason why I am not too eager to apply for a spousal visa; there is nothing much to do here! Yeah... yeah... there are tons of shopping malls, east coast park, universal studio, sentosa island, blah blah blah. You see... I don't quite like to shop, and I don't like to walk. So shopping (or even window shopping) isn't exactly the thing for me. Singapore is a good place for vacation but not permanent stay. And how different is it from Malaysia or Indonesia, you ask? Very different indeed.

K.L, Malaysia - I have my parents. They help to care after my kiddos when I need time off to do my mani and paedi, or facial, or body massage, etc. Not often, bu4t I get to indulge myself once a while. I own a car and I drive and therefore, minimal walking. I love bringing the kids to indoor playground/playland/kids gym (whatever you call it). It's affordable here and kids get to tire themselves out while I get some time to chill while they are playing. I have friends that I can yum cha and yum seng with.

Jakarta, Indonesia - Car, driver, cheap maids, affordable trained nannies, cheap ciggies and beers, nice 2000sf home, cheap hair wash and spa, VIP treatments at all times. All within reach. What more can I ask for?

Singapore - Good security, very systematic (perhaps too rigid at times), convenient public transport but everything is so darn expensive. I can't stop converting every prices to MYR, knowing that I can get the same item at a much lower price in Malaysia. DH is paying close to RM10k a month on rental for a 1100 sf condo. With that same amount of money, we will be living in a bungalow in Bangsar if we are in Malaysia. And with all the China workers, I feel more like in China than Singapore.

But since DH is going to be based here for quite some time, I may need to apply for a long term visit pass soon.

Food!

Where: Ippudo @ Mandarin Gallery
Address: As above
What to eat: Pork ramen
Price vs. Portion: Quite expensive. One bowl is definitely not enough to fill my hungry tummy. You might want to order some side dishes.
Verdict: Good to try at least once. 

Where: Space @ My Humble House
Address: 8, Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, Singapore
What to eat: Mama Leong's chicken rice. Chicken is so SO tender and juicy!
Price vs. Portion: Reasonable.
Verdict: A must try!
P.s:- For alcoholics like Dear Hubby, it might not be wise for you to order their Tiger draft beer. It cost $12 per glass (which is even more expensive than MBS theater beer price!)

Where: House @ Dempsey Road
Address: 8D, Dempsey Road, Singapore
What to eat: Shaved Pear Salad, Red Snapper & Pandan Jelly Sponge (in pic above)
Price vs. Portion: Can be quite pricey, depending on what you order. Shaved Pear Salad ($16), Red Snapper ($28), Pandan Jelly Sponge ($6).
Verdict: A great place for desserts.

Alcoholic mooncakes by Sze Chuan Court, Swissotel The Stamford

Calling all mooncake lovers (like myself!), Takashimaya Singapore is having mooncake fair till 12th September 2011. You might think what's so different with all those mooncakes on sale but they ARE different. You can find exotic varieties (think chestnut fillings, red dates fillings, Musang King durian fillings) as opposed to the common ones sold in K.L. Our favourites (more like Dear Hubby's favourite) are the alcoholic ones sold by Swissotel The Stamford. I personally find the Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle mooncake really good! Bitter sweet with a strong taste of rum.

The Lion King, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

I was in Singapore over the weekend for Lion King. It was quite a good performance, and they even incorporated some local jokes into it. Tickets can be quite expensive but you can get 30% discounts if you own the Marina Bay Sands Premier Advantage card. Application is FOC and the card application booth is just one floor down from the theater level, in front of Guardian pharmacy if I'm not mistaken. Food is strictly prohibited in the theater but bottled H2O is allowed, which can be purchased at $3. Beer and wine is going for $10 - $12 each. They also sells snacks like popcorn, chocolates and chips. I can't wait for the next one, Wicked, which will be showing from 8th December onwards.

Besides the show, this trip was all about makan-makan before my delivery in November. Obviously I'm taking advantage of eating for two and worry about my pregnancy weight later, until after delivery. Hopefully my gyne doesn't drop her jaw again when I step onto the weighing scale tomorrow.