Too much has been said about how tough it is being a mum. How about the dads?

I think it’s really, really tough being a dad. At least being my kids’ dad.

I have proof.

He gets ridden on.

He gets strangled.

He gets sat on.

Poor dad.

Thankfully, the kids always remember he is Papa, and will heap lots of love on him at the end.

Three cheers for Papa Isaiah! =D

And so, as I was mentioning just two days ago, my kids and I had a great day out at the Jurong Bird Park over the weekend. It was especially awesome because my last visit to the Bird Park has got to be when I was in Primary Three. That means about 9 years ago. (The last I checked, I am still 18 this year.)

There are many reasons why we enjoyed the Jurong Bird Park so much. But here’s five of the things we love best about the Park:

1) We met Mr & Mrs Penguin

My kids and I nearly went crazy when we arrived and realised that there was a Giant Penguin exhibition going on. Penguins are already enough to make us goo-goo-ga-ga, what’s more giant ones?!

The moment we stepped in, we saw this:

OK, I know they don’t look too real, but trust me, they are. There’s got to be hundreds of them inside, oh my gosh. All standing tall with chins up, and staring proudly back at us humans.

And then, we met them.

Mr & Mrs Penguin were standing on their own just staring….. at their own reflections. Yes, that’s a large piece of mirror there on the right, and they just stood there… staring. I mean, I can totally understand how they probably haven’t seen their own reflections before, but still. Too self-centred, buddies. No matter how many star jumps my kids tried to do to catch their attention, they didn’t care a thing about us. But we already felt very honoured to meet them, so we didn’t pursue the matter further. We were happy to make do with taking photographs with the fake ones standing outside. Yes, we’re that nice.

And then just outside near to the Origami Village, we saw this! Such a happy sight! =D

I feel so suaku though. Aren’t penguins scared of heat? Apparently not then! They were swimming and sunbathing happily!

2) The Flaming Flamingos

Flamingos are Joey’s favourite birds. It was also one of the first few three-syllable words she said. It’s no wonder – They were beautiful!

I could just stand there and stare at them standing on one-leg all day long.

Along the way, we also saw more flamingos-look-alike and storks and cranes. All looked so awesome (and some really fake-looking that we almost thought they were decorations).

This was voted by my kids to be the ‘Most Fake-Looking Bird’ in the whole park. We literally stood there for one full minute just to see if it was real or fake. It finally moved its face a little before we moved off.

 

3) The Peculiar Owl

One of the reasons why we loved this section was that it was air-conditioned, and we were all drenched in our own sweat from walking through the park on a hot day, and a cool place was very much appreciated. ok, I was joking. We really liked the owls. They were huge and very wise-looking indeed.

We stepped into a very dark and quiet place, and the owls were just standing on branches. The whole place was so super quiet, so I guess owls don’t really like noise. But I was having a great time because it gave me a legitimate reason to ask the kids not to talk the entire time. So therapeutic for that ten minutes. LOL!

4) We Made Friends With the Blue Birds With Crowns

Although most birds are caged up in the Park, there were some areas which allowed people to walk in and go up, close & personal with the birds. We walked right into one of such area.

These were the Royal Rambles – Crowned Pigeons.

They were so beautifully blue with a pretty crown, and totally not scared of humans. In fact, I think they like us pretty much. Before we stepped in, they were all on the other side of the barricades. But the moment we stepped in, they all started walking out to meet us!

I admit though, at some point, I got a little nervous because these pigeons were walking towards us from the front and the back. It was an interesting experience, but I dared not let my girls stay inside for too long. Who knows what the birds would do? Haha..

5) Feeding The Birds At Lory Loft

We had the most fun at this place because it was there the girls could feed the birds!

The loft was a huge open area where birds flew freely in the same space as humans. It should be quite a scary place for people who are afraid of birds, but for the kids, it’s like a piece of heaven!

Paid $3 for a cup of cloudy water with bits of something in it. =P But it brought much fun to the kids!

I personally liked the Lory Loft because there were many bridges and walkways. Felt like a treetop walk! =D

Awesome time we had at the Jurong Bird Park! And what a grand way to mark the last day of Joey’s school holidays. =D

The school holidays were coming to an end, and I felt bad that I haven’t really brought the girls out to play. So, 2 weeks ago, I brought the girls to East Coast Park. It’s a feat because it’s the first time ever that I brought the kids out alone, without Isaiah and without my parents. Granted, I did not have the courage to take bus or MRT, so I opted for the expensive way of travel – By cab. =P Step-by-step, you see. I need to feel more confident before I dare to take more risks.

And boy, did we have a great time at East Coast Park. We spent two hours in Polliwogs before taking a slow stroll along the beach. East Coast Park has such a happy and relaxing vibe in the air. Because it was the school holidays, the whole park was packed with families having picnic, swimming, flying kites, cycling and rollerblading. It was awesome. The smell of holidays was everywhere. What with the sound of waves and smell of seawater, it was almost perfect.

Good thing none of my girls attempted to run towards the sea. I would have freaked out there and then. They only stood there for minutes, staring at the waves and the children playing on the sand.

It was a very serene moment. Almost too peaceful. =) You must know my girls hardly had such long moments of silence. I think the waves did their soul good (and mine too, obviously).

And of course, the breeze was just awesome, with a slight aroma of BBQ food that lingered in the air.

We had a little chat while the girls pointed out interesting things around us. “Look mummy, big ships!”, “Look! There’s a Barney kite in the air!!!!” Ahh…the little joys in life. :)

Slowing down our lives some times is necessary and healthy for our souls. We don’t always have to rush here and there all the time. We don’t always need to occupy our minds with 1001 things. Most of the time, they only serve to cloud our minds and thinking.

What a great time of bonding it was to connect back to Nature and to the very original state of just enjoying each others’ company. Yes, before they sped off again. These girls of mine. =)

Sponsored Review

Thanks to Jurong Bird Park & OMY, I was invited to the ‘Save The Colour’ event at Jurong Bird Park yesterday, and my kids and I had a blast! =D

The event, titled ‘Save the Colour,’ is a hands on way in which the whole family can learn about avian conservation and the various elements that contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Most of the Penguin Coast area was turned into an ‘Origami Village’ and visitors were asked to help rebuild the village and habitats of the birds, who represent the colours of our world. As the name suggested, there were different stations for the kids to learn origami. Joey, especially, was thrilled!

Joey tried the ice-block folding first, and the staff there patiently taught her how to fold it step-by-step. It was easy to follow, and Joey had fun.

Joey completed folding her ice-block and was brought by the staff to drop her ice-block into a big container containing ice-blocks made by other kids up to till! This symbolised the ‘rebuilding’ of ice-blocks for the habitat of penguins so that they may continue to live happily in an environment they liked. =D Really meaningful and educational for the kids.

Check out the rest of the stations where kids were taught origami of different animals like fishes, frogs butterflies etc. Joey had a go at every station!

The orgami and crafts made by the kids were all displayed to form montages on the wall or standing displays. Really interesting for the kids as they could see how their little art pieces can symbolise their ‘saving the environment’. =) What a great way of inculcating the value of loving the environment!

Origami fishes made by thousands of kids! Such a pretty sight.

Origami flowers!

See the colourful butterflies on the wall? All designed and coloured by children. =)

Other fringe activities at the ‘Save The Colour’ include a postcard station where children can send a postcard for free to their friends to spread the message about loving the environment & eco-system.

For a little more fun, kids can also experience and celebrate the vibrance of feathered friends by getting free colourful air-brushed bird tattoos and face painting makeover! Baby Jayne went for a tattoo on her arm! =D

She got a pretty penguin! =D

And she was very happy about it!

Kudos to the team at Jurong Bird Park for coming up with such an interesting initiative for the kids. Most importantly, we had fun! =) Check out this video which provides a good overview of what the event is about!

The rest of our walk through the Jurong Bird Park was fun and very interesting as well. More posts coming up soon. =D

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