Sponsored Review

FAB has been a popular choice of washing detergent in many households in Singapore for many years. And now, they’ve introduced a new 'smell’ – Lavender!

My mother-in-law tells me that Fab is well known for its ability to clean very thoroughly, and of course, the laundry comes out smelling really, really good! When she tried the new FAB Lavender, she was so pleased with how good-smelling the clothes came out that she said we should just switch to this in future. =P

I mean, who doesn’t love fresh & good-smelling laundry??

Speaking of which, we’re having an on-going contest on Facebook – Fab Lovender Moments where you can join in discussions with 3 mummy bloggers (one of which is yours truly!).

If you’re the most active person on the discussion board, you could walk away with a trip for family of four to Australia (worth US$2,000) to see the lavender fields!! I’m sure you’d want to see these with your own eyes. =D

 

The discussions have been going on for a while now, and many of us have become virtual friends! Pretty fun, I would say. =) Join us!

Updated with video clip at end of post!

My 1st sight of Darwin City!

We landed in Darwin past one o’clock local time and as it was the inaugural flight, the plane went through a water ceremony to symbolise prosperity and lots of profits for future flights. It was my first time experiencing this simple ceremony - Interesting!

After all the media members had captured the group shots, we were brought to the hotel where we’ll be staying for the first night – Medina Grand Darwin Waterfront & Vibe Hotel Darwin/

. The hotel’s located right in the Darwin City Centre. I like the hotel – It’s got a boutique hotel feel, and I love the simple no-frills decor of the rooms.

The lobby was elegant and spacious. I like it that it’s quiet, peaceful and not crowded at all. Very therapeutic for the soul, and that’s so very important on a holiday.

The rooms are big too with a king-sized bed, lounge sofa, writing table, mini kitchenette and bathtub etc. The facilities provided in the room were fantastic too – There was a fridge, toaster, hot water flask, iron & ironing board, etc. There’s complimentary coffee and tea (my favourite Earl Grey!), and room service is 24/7.

A signature feature of this hotel is its wave pool, which looks very fun indeed! Periodically, there were be strong waves set off in the swimming pool, and guests can get floats to lie in or try to surf along with the waves! I love the colourful umbrellas – Makes for a really pretty photo, don’t you think?? =)

Fluffy white clouds in the sky, with temperatures soaring to 36 degrees celsius! It was swelteringly hot! Perfect for a dip, for sure.

Hubby had lots of fun surfing the waves! I was just happy basking in the sun and taking shots of my happy man. =D

He just did a surf on the waves. Just look at the glee on his face. Keke..

Watch this video to see the wave pool for yourself! =D

Will show you more of Darwin City Centre in my next post! =)

This post was drafted on board Silkair’s inaugural flight to Darwin, Australia, Airbus A320 on 26 Mar.

I’ve always loved Australia as a holiday destination, which was why hubby and I decided to have our honeymoon in Melbourne & Sydney some 10 years ago. I love the country for its relax-ness, laid back culture and very vibrant cafe & restaurant scene. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I got news that I was one of the five winners of the Silkair Facebook contest, and I won for myself a fully-paid 3D2N trip to Darwin! The next thing I knew, a Silkair personnel called and said that they would be very happy to sponsor airfare as well as accommodation for my husband as well! It was almost too good to be true!

Received the itinerary a few days before the trip, and saw that it is a rather packed trip. Nevertheless, I am excited that we are going to visit the landmark places in Darwin. I believe it’s going to be a very fruitful and interesting trip.

Just before we boarded the aircraft, we were each given a souvenir notebook to commemorate the inaugural flight to Darwin, and also a certificate to prove that I was one of the passengers onboard the inaugural flight. My co-travellers joked that it was our first certificate received from an airline! =P

So, here I am on my flight to Darwin and I am even more excited because it’s my first trip there. I saw photographs of the country from the internet and was mesmerized by how beautiful the place is. I am really looking forward to stepping on Darwin soil soon. =)

The flight time is 4 hours and 45 minutes and Darwin is 1.5 hours ahead of Singapore. The flight has been very smooth and comfortable so far. The air stewardesses are polite and attentive. Inflight entertainment, though not individual, has been quite entertaining with episodes of Mr Bean, Just For Laughs etc. We were served orange juice & water once the aircraft took off, and breakfast was served shortly. I enjoyed my scrambled eggs with chicken sausage and mushrooms. It tasted very good and nothing like shabby airline meals at all. It was a pity that by the time the stewardess reached me, they had run out of the alternative selection of fish with noodles. Nonetheless, the overall experience has been very pleasant.

The skies were gorgeous as I looked out of my window. =) Such a pretty intense shade of blue. Love it.

I could totally stare at it for the entire flight, except I woke up at unearthly 5am to go to the airport this morning, so I’m zonked out by now. Taking a nap now!

Sponsored Review

EASTER is just round the corner!! And it’s especially meaningful this year because Easter Sunday happens to fall on Joey’s birthday – 8 April! =D

I was very happy to receive an invitation from Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel to go for their Easter Brunch Special on 8 April. Think hot cross buns and lots of EGGS!! =D

From April 6 to 8, you can celebrate Easter with a family centred eggs-travavaganza at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport! To celebrate this happy occasion, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is offering many special rates for families, especially. During this period, they are running an Easter Promotion which includes an attractive rate for rooms and Easter Brunch at Azur (for a family of four - 2 adults and 2 children below the age of six).

Restaurant Azur

kick back with a well-deserved weekend stay complete with a sumptuous Easter Brunch at award-winning buffet and ala carte restaurant, Azur, and a host of attractive perks from $308++. Feel free to sit back and indulge in the delectable brunch spread while they keep our young ones entertained with egg-citing activities on Easter Sunday. This holiday buffet brunch is also available as a dining promotion at $52++ per person.

Now, you may be wondering what’s available on the Easter Brunch??! Just to whet your appetite by mentioning a few dishes, the buffet consists of Devil’s Egg in Chicken Curry, Classic Shepherd’s Pie and Thyme Rubbed Prime Rib-eye served with Roasted Garlic Mushroom Jus, Shucked Oysters, Boston Lobsters, Australian Kinkawooka Mussels and of course, a full range of desserts such as Hot Cross Buns, Chocolate Easter Eggs and waffles!!! Doesn’t that sound like a spread fit for a KING??! (And how apt - Easter Sunday celebrates the rising of the Savior King, Jesus Christ! =D)

(Photo credit: missuschewy.com)

If you have kids like me, there are lots of fun & exciting activities lined up just for them from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on Easter Sunday! Take part in an array of enjoyable activities held at bar ’75 and Lobby Lounge such as Cartoon Screenings, Easter Face Painting, Best Dressed Bunny Photo Contest or Kids Easter Egg Hunt. You can also win a 2D1N stay at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport by taking part in their Best Dressed Bunny Photo Contest and getting the most ‘likes’ for your photo on their Facebook Page. =D

With their fun-filled Easter Sunday activities and proximity to Changi Airport, Crowne Plaza is the perfect place for a weekend of bonding with your loved ones. Bookings must be made by 5 April 2012 with room stays from 6 to 8 April 2012.

For just $308++/room/night. the Easter Weekend Package includes:
• One or two night Deluxe Room stay
• Easter Brunch at Azur for up to 2 adults (worth $52++ per pax) and 2
children under the age of six.
o Top up $26++ per child under the age of 12
• Entertaining activities for children from 1.30pm – 3.30pm on Easter Sunday
• Guaranteed late check out at 5pm

Special Privileges for 3D2N Easter Weekend Package
3D2N bookings also include:
• Additional complimentary breakfast for a family of four (up to 2 adults and
2 children under the age of 6)
• $20 off the room rate per day

Book yourself an Easter Weekend stay at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport online:
http://tinyurl.com/cpcaeaster
Alternatively, make your reservation by calling 6823 5388 or emailing:

Keep up to date on our latest promotions and happenings by “liking” us on
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cpchangi

I’ll be back with my reviews about my dining experience at their Easter Brunch. I’m sooooo looking forward to the feasting! =D

Sponsored Review

Whether we like it or not, UV rays are part & parcel of our lives. They are everywhere, whether you are indoors or out in the sun! Protecting our skin from the harmful rays has thus become such an important part of our daily facial care routine – There’s SPF protection in every product that we put onto our faces! Believe it or not, my preschool girls are already concerned about their skin. They especially love putting lotions onto their skin.

Cetaphil sent me a bottle of their latest product - NEW Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15, and it is so gentle you can use it everyday without worries.

The NEW Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15 is a product that nourishes, hydrates and protects all skin types from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. It is a lightweight and fragrance-free lotion, formulated to be cosmetically elegant and non-comedogenic.

I tried the moisturizer, and am pleasantly surprised that it is easily absorbed and long-lasting, leaving no greasy feeling on the skin. Best of all, it is completely fragrance-free! Don’t we LOVE fragrance-free cosmetics & skincare products?? The effective, light and silky smooth characteristics also make it suitable for use as a base before applying makeup. I love gentle products that do not irritate my skin! =)

I say, skincare starts from young, and no one is too young to start taking care of their skin. =) Try Cetaphil today!

In less than 24 hours, we’ll be on our way to Darwin on Silkair’s inaugural flight to Darwin, Australia. =) Very grateful to Silkair and Tourism Northern Territories for this fully sponsored trip and for extending the offer to partially sponsor my hubby as well. It’s exciting simply because I’ve never been to Darwin, hubby will be going with me (without kids!), and I have friends who’re on the same trip as us! Since I knew about the trip, I’ve been googling photos of the places that we will be going to, and I’m really looking forward to actually being there!

These are some of the places that we will be visiting!

Crocosaurus Cove

Batji Walking Tour to learn about the heritage and culture of Darwin

Litchfield National Park

And these are the places I’ll be staying at! I hope the actual place will look just like the photos on the internet! Haha!

Medina Grand Darwin Waterfont. Room with sea view?! I pray so!!

Wildman Wilderness Lodge

If I can get free wifi, I’ll post updates about my trip along the way. If not, I’ll be back on Thursday! =) Have a great week, peeps!

We passed by this Potting Garden within Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. I thought it’s a perfect place for kids’ birthday parties! If only the Garden allows. But I remember the last time I checked, they didn’t allow for that. =(

Can you see it’s such a perfect venue for a tea party?? It would be so fun to let the kids play games and have finger foods in this space. Too bad.

Coming to the Garden is a feast for the eyes. Everything is green and pretty.

We spotted forget-me-nots and we stopped to ‘touch and close’ them. =P Forget-me-nots always fascinate kids. =D

I love it that Joey likes nature and usually enjoys such field trips. =) Way better than sitting infront of the TV anytime.

And the part the kids were really looking forward to was the WATER PLAY!

The weather was so scorching hot I wished I could jump in myself. The cold water will be very welcome! But for fear of ruining my public image, I curbed myself.

And that marks the end of our visit to Jacob Ballas. We had nuggets and fries at the cafe before we all left for home for our naps. =) Lovely.