I always appreciate the one-week school holidays we have in March and September that allows us to take a break from the hustle and bustle and have some family bonding time.
The irony is that we usually fill up that one week with so many activities that it becomes so packed that we hardly have any time to rest at all. That said, the kids are usually happy because the activities are fun, interesting and engaging. So well, I'm happy to be running around all day long and accompanying them for one event after another, as long as they are happy too.
In this post of "Happiness is", it's all about being a happy, busy bee.
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Since Easter was near, we had the opportunity to visit Easter Egg-travaganza in Bird Paradise where the kids had fun finding and counting Easter eggs, playing interactive games and answering trivia questions.
We appreciate and cherish every chance we get to visit our wildlife parks and watching animals up close is something they can never get tired of.
That said, while the new Bird Paradise is modern and well-designed, we miss the old Jurong Bird Park in many ways, especially the huge dry and wet playgrounds which delighted the kids every single time.
March 2025 was the first time we tried out a 5-day camp with Newtonshow Camp. Even though it's a camp, we don't stay overnight but instead report for activities from 9am to 4pm each day.
The boys tried the Multi-activity Camp where they had the chance to do some simple cooking, did Science experiments, daddled with art, learnt about Robotics and went East Coast Park for an outdoor day of fun.
Yes, it was a hectic one-week but we did so many activities, tried out new experiences and brought home many happy memories. And the camp wasn't the only thing we did, we did so much more! Let's see.
While media invites are getting far and few, we appreciate each one we get that interests the kids. We visited Vroom Town in Marina Square where the kids got to drive an electric car, pretend to pump petrol, collect candies and play in an indoor playground. The boys were over the moon!
You know, we should be very tired after a day of camp that spanned seven hours but adrenaline fueled us and we still went out in the evenings to have fun. Mid week during the camp, we took the MRT to Clarke Quay after dismissal and met the two jiejies there.
Where were we going? Well, we were going to Nekoland - a cat cafe that combines with an indoor playground which is previously The Polliwogs. The kids have a penchant for cats and were happy to meet so many of them, but we did wish they were more active or that there was a feeding opportunity for them to interact more with these cats.
We also hopped by Marina Square to check out the balloons displays and some of them were humongous! Seeing these happy multi-hued balloons just cheers your day up, doesn't it?
Then, after another day of camp, we made our way to Downtown East to meet the sisters once more and this time, we tried out pole dance because it was what the eldest said she wanted to try since early this year. Well, many people still think of pole dance as exotic or even sleazy, but actually, it takes lots of arm and core strength to do even the simple tricks or hang in place and we had quite a lot of fun in this introductory, family-friendly lesson.
We don't always dress up for events but when we do, we make sure we do it to the best of our ability. So there was this pirate-themed Splashtopia event at Sentosa and there was a staycation prize for the best dressed family, so we thought, why not try? I gathered as many props as I could from our house and also made my way to Spotlight to get outfits for the kids. Presenting.... our final outfits, TA-DAH!
Not bad, right? I think we looked pretty good! Well, we didn't win eventually but it was worth a shot after all. This was a memory worth keeping and it was quite a miracle that I managed to persuade all of the kids to dress up too, though Ansel was probably the only one who was enthusiastic and keen to be Captain Hook for a day and even asked for a beard and moustache.
Well, after all the photo-taking, it was down to let down our hair, get wet, slide and have a splashing good time! We always enjoy water activities and some of the slides were really tall, fast and exhilarating which gave us a good laugh too.
There was a period when we used to frequently visit nature reserves and go hiking. I remember we would check out many different places to see which one we liked best, and I even did videos of some of them too. Then everyone became busy with life and that took a hiatus. Still, even if these trips are rarer now, I still cherish each and every one of them because it gives us a chance to walk together as a family, connect with nature, take a break from city life and even come up close with wildlife too.
One sad thing that happened this month was the passing of our dear hamster, Chip. This hit me the hardest because Chip was special to me and I've been taking care of him in the last few weeks when he was sick and had no appetite. Yup, I would give him special treatment, blend his food into a puree and use a syringe to feed him bit by bit. He had some neurological issue and was unable to stand up, but he was still hungry and eating and I thought maybe with a stroke of luck, he could get well. But nope, even a trip to the vet didn't help to solve his issue and he had no choice but to leave us. Hope you are free from pain now, Chip, and please know that we love you very, very much.
So yes, life isn't always a bed of roses and there are as many downs in my life as there are ups too. Even if I don't always write about my troubles and struggles on social media, please know that life can be hard for each and every one of us and we are own secretly fighting our own battles each day. The most important thing is to stay positive, to never give up and to always have faith that things will get better and tomorrow will bring about new hope, new beginnings and new opportunities to try again.
乌云背后总有一线光明，要相信自己，懂吗?
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