Only-boys event

Hot sunny day, Daddy brought Yi swimming today. Wei and Kang join us after their swim classes. Daddy told Mummy that this will be a boys' event.


Our little girl is always so possessive and attention hogger. We sort of fell sorry for No3 Wen Yi. In case you have not noticed, the second youngest child is always the one who needs more attention from parents.

It is so easy to focus on the youngest one and forget the rest :(
So we must make an special effort to make up to the boys.

Look at how Yi enjoys his outing today, we can hear his laughter all over Anchorvale Swimming complex ! He sure had a fun time playing "soldier" and "crocodile" with his siblings and Daddy.

Wei and Kang were happy to have their younger bro for an afternoon dip :)




Video : Swimming Fun



Daddy must divert the kids' attention so he can go pak-toh (dating) with Mummy :p
(Yes, Daddy need more attention from Mummy too keke)

For more swim pics, do swim to our Fanpage.

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Sting Ray rice

When the weather is cool, or when you crave for some bbq cuisines. Stingray always works it's magic.

We are very happy about a new hawker stall which sells seafood dishes near our place.
And stingray rice is now our regular order.



Stingray meat is juicy and tender, when you garnish it with egg yolk and onion... ooomph heavenly :)


Just look at the delicious (potent) sambal chili ! This fabulous dish for $4.50 only !


Somehow, kids find it hard to relate their stingray rice to this graceful sea-creature :)


Fix your craving here --> Block 303 Coffeeshop Anchorvale Drive



**for more glorious food photos, pop by our yummy Fanpage :)


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Singapore River logo design

What comes across your mind when you think of Singapore River?
Pubs? Merlion? Clarke quay?



URA is inviting you to design a logo.
http://www.ura.gov.sg/singaporeriverlogo/
The winning logo will be used to brand Boat, Clarke and Robertson quay.


For Daddy and Mummy, Singapore River is where we took our wedding photos 10 years ago.
We look so young back then :)

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Candle Night @ Marina Bay

On 5th Nov, there will be a Candle-Night event near Merlion park.
This event is supposed to let us find our inner self, and take our time to
appreciate our surroundings, family, and friends.

Daddy find it too philosophical, but we know our kids will enjoy candles+lantern !
Above candle photos taken from
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candle-Night-2011-at-Marina-Bay/175736602510240?sk=wall


From 6pm onwards, kids will be invited to diy their lanterns, followed by a candle-parade between 7 to 7:30pm, then planting the candles around Merlion. Click to view photos from 2010's Candle Night event.



Since this project was initiated in Japan, some Japanese students will be participating in the event too. More updates on "Candle Night @ Marina Bay" can be found on their fanpage.


Beside the candles, we know our kids (especially Boon Xin)
loves Merlion.



Video : That does not mean we need to install a Merlion at home !



Read what happen when someone decides to turn our Merlion into a hotel.


So, if your kids love candles and Merlion, make a date with "Candle Nights @ Marina Bay" on 05th Nov.

Click for more Marina Bay night shots in our Fanpage.

**Updated 2011Nov07 - do read up the actual event !
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Picasa for photo editing

Picasa is a simple, Fast and efficient way to manage your photos.
More importantly, it is easy to learn and FREE !

Our blog is photos intensive, and you see collages everywhere. Daddy love the way SengkangBabies' adventures are presented in storyboard format.


Today, we will share why Picasa might be useful for you.

1. Crop is the single most important tool for photo editing.
Cropping can display different compositions, enlarge and focus on your subject, or remove clutter from the photo. Look what cropping can do to our Swan.


2. Collage (the one and only reason to use Picasa)
Add a few photos together to form your storyboard.
Instead of one photo, a collage can tell a story through a sequence of photos.


There is no limit to your imagination, just add, readjust, and add a Title.
Our blog header happens to be a collage of our old-playground adventures :)



3. Export and Watermark (batch processing)

- reduce image size - allows you store more photos online
- smaller image loads faster on your browser (800x600 is good enough for webpage, facebook albums etc)
- batch processing, you can export whole-album (eg downgrade image resolution to 800x600), and add in some Watermarks along the way. Batch processing saves us a lot of time and effort.



4. Special Effects, allows us to stretch our creativity.

- B&W - some photos look more mysterious and captivating in Black&White
- Soft Focus - allows you to do a lens-blur, ie blur out everything except Subject
- Focal B&W - only one portion will be colored (see red ball below)


If you got time and extra money, by all means, go for Adobe Photoshop or LightRoom.
The learning curve is steeper, but once you master, can greatly enhance your photo quality.
(you can always Youtube "photoshop tutorial" for tons of tips)
Otherwise, if you are always busy and short of time, give Picasa a try.


Video : More updates on Picasa


Above information is sorely meant for sharing, and Daddy Andy's own point of view.
If you have more tips and recommendations, we welcome you to share them with us.


A good Story = Photo + Caption

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Dads For Life's Family card game

Dads For Life is giving all Dads a deck of card.
Extracted from "Knowing Me, Knowing You" card game : Game is designed for
Dads and children to get to know each other better.



Daddy would like to share some of the quotes and questions found within.


Along the way, parents and children get a better understanding of each other


Sometimes, you get inspirational quotes from some VIP, or even a humble quote from a kid who
yearns for more attention from his papa.


It does not matter who is asking the questions, as every family member will have different perspectives.
Play "Knowing me, Knowing you" together as a family, we promise you there will be some laughters :)



Are you interested in this card game? Just email Dads For Life at "dadsforlife.sg@gmail.com"
to request for a free deck.

More information about Dads for Life can be found :
--> http://facebook.com/DadsforLife
--> http://dadsforlife.sg

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Baby girl always look for Mummy, true or not?

When little girl is sick, do they cling more to Mummy? Our Wen Xin is no exception. She is now an expert at using telephone thermometer.



Have to warn everybody that Boon Xin was scratching an itch on her foot with the thermometer... yucks.


Video : Mummy playing hide and Seek? Actually Daddy need to Convince her that Mummy is really not at home.



Ironically, Daddy always blog about Wen Xin when she is sick :(


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Punggol Waterway

**updated 2011Oct28 - do avoid going over lunchtime, as there are very little shelters. And no one seems to know about the water-feature playground's operational timings.


Yesterday, Punggol Waterway was officially opened. We saw the bouncing castle from far away, but what capture the kids' attention was the water feature playground !


If you forgot to bring swimwear, just go in with undies :)
Kids were having a ton of fun splashing around. Cool !

Families come out in force to support Punggol's "Venice".

When we arrive at 6plus, the sun has already set. But the atmosphere is still one of celebration.



Love the water bodies, canoes, boats, even a leisurely walk along the river proves relaxing. We definitely need to come back for a cycle, and explore the other sections of Punggol Waterway.


Daddy love this motion pic, the boat seems to be zipping down river at full speed.


The special lighting on the ground looks like an inferno illusion. Spectacular !

We end the evening with Fireworks


Video : Fireworks !




If you need more information about Punggol, do pop by hasayang.wordpress.com
They have an article on how to get to Punggol places of interest.


For more night shots and carnival photos, please click SengkangBabies fanpage.
Daddy did some night shots earlier.


Video : Ch8 coverage


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Swimsafer Stage 2 - Boon Kang

Last month, Boon Kang went for his Swim Safer stage 2 assessment.


Before assessment starts, Kang warms up.


The waiting period is always apprehensive, parents usually more worried than kids :p



Bob (sculling) in the water, touch the floor (recover item), most kids excel the tests easily.


Boy in "pyjamas".

With our swim coach.


Congrats Boon Kang :)





More swim photos at SengkangBabies Fanpage.

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