Sponsored Review

In the earlier part of this year, I blogged about this website I've been introduced to - www.roomorama.com, which basically offers alternative accommodation options to frequent travellers. For many people including myself, who prefer to stay at an apartment during overseas vacations, this website gives you many available options out there. I prefer apartments to hotels simply because they are usually bigger in size and some come with useful facilities such as kitchenette, washing machine etc. Especially when I travel with my kids, this is a very important consideration for me.

Roomorama has kindly provided a sponsorship for my accommodation at Tokyo, Japan. Hubby and I will be travelling there in early October to celebrate our 10th year wedding anniversary. :) I am especially excited for this trip because it's been a year since hubby and I travelled alone! And it's going to be a 5-day vacation in a country we've never been to before. After the kids came along, private time with hubby is always precious, and we are both really looking forward to it. :)

Just a brief introduction about Roomorama - they have property options in more than 3765 destinations, and you can easily find something that fits your budget because they have really economical ones on one end of the spectrum to really huge and luxurious ones as well on the other end. On the front page, just key your destination and search. Then you will see a listing of all available accommodation options during your period of travel.

On the left hand side, you will notice that you can do a more advanced search if you like. You can adjust the price range, indicate the number of bedrooms you require, property type (bedroom, apartment or house), and check off amenities that are mandatory in the properties. You can also do a map view to see where the properties are located and select from there. Very user-friendly, I say.

Another good thing about Roomorama is that all the hosts offer special rates for long-term rentals. So for those people who are going for a longer vacation, or plan to stay at a place for a month or more, they will be offered a special monthly rate that's cheaper. This option is definitely a cheaper one than staying in a hotel.

After you have looked through the various options and shortlisted to a few options, you can send an inquiry to the host, who will then get back to you on the availability and total cost. Replies from the hosts can be seen on this summary page, as well as in your email inbox. Should the hosts take longer to get back to you, Roomorama will send them reminders, as well as send you a proposed list of alternative accommodation that you can consider. Nice service. :)

Once the host gets back about availability of the property, you can finalize the booking by making payment online. Confirmed bookings are shown in a different tab on the Roomorama webpage under your account. And this is the accommodation that I booked for my Tokyo trip! :)

Loft bed 1 Room Studio
Decided to choose this because it has a loft! Haha..  And it's quite near to major shopping areas like Shinjuku and Harujuku.

The host for this apartment has been so helpful! Once the booking was done, she sent me an email with more photos of the apartment, as well as information on how to get there from the airport (very detailed instructions of bus/train to take, and her contact numbers!). She also sent me information on nearby places to eat and tour, and I was very excited to hear that there is a Geisha House near to where we stay! =D Would be interesting if I can spot them in the neighbourhood!

The apartment looks not bad! The bed's on the loft, and there is even a small balcony. I can imitate the Japanese in drama serials and have my meals on the small wooden table in the middle of the living room! LOL!

My Tokyo's trip is in a month's time, and I seriously can't wait! My host has kindly agreed to let me check in early at no extra cost because my flight arrives in Tokyo bright & early at 6am! =D

GIVEAWAY!

Roomorama will be giving away a US$50 e-voucher to one reader of The J Babies! All you have to do is to complete the following simple steps, and you can be the winner of this giveaway. The voucher can be used on any destination in the world covered by Roomorama!

1. Like The J Babies fanpage
2. Share this blog post by clicking on 'Like' button below the post, and leave me a comment on which place are you planning to visit should you be the winner of the voucher! You can either leave me a comment on this blog post or email me at . Please use your Facebook name when leaving your comment.

Closing date of submission: Fri, 14 Sep 2012. Winner will be announced thereafter.

I wonder how many of you have had this problem as a kid: For years, the comments written by my Form Teacher on my report book had always been along those lines, "Pleasant girl, but can afford to be less talkative.", "Tends to be talkative.", "Has shown improvement in her work, but still talkative in class."

Definitely not my most glorious past, but it was a huge part of my growing-up years and I reckon it was nothing to be ashamed of. My girls have obviously inherited this wonderful gene from me, and I am not sure whether that's good or bad. Many friends have remarked that my girls are very smart and can speak very well for their age, so that's definitely a good by-product of a talkative nature. Practice makes perfect, it seems. But of course, when the chattering gets incessantly unbearable, I crave for peace and don't get it most of the time.

Talkativeness brings with it a whole set of problems. For a start, I've received many complaints from the school bus Auntie that Joey talks too much on the school bus. She is usually the first to spark off a topic of discussion, which leads to loud and uncontrollable conversations by all the kids on the bus. I would think that it's unreasonable to expect a kid to keep mum and quiet throughout an almost one-hour journey to school, but according to the Auntie, the noise level is usually beyond what the driver could bear, and before he gets into any kind of road accidents, she had felt the need to convey the dire situation to me.

I totally understand. I often feel the urge to buy a sound level meter for my home, just to check whether they are too much for my ears to take.

And so, I've sat Joey down for prep talk many times and some of these prep talk sessions had become serious warning sessions when the previous ones didn't seem to work. Now, it's gotten better, but I can imagine it's really not easy for her. The problem with my girl is that she has got a naturally loud voice. She usually needs to make special effort to whisper in order to keep her volume similar to our normal speaking voice. =X To ask her to cease all forms of communications on the school bus, is really asking a lot from her.

And it doesn't help that the school doesn't allow the kids to bring their own storybooks to school (they don't want the kids to be distracted during class if they bring out their own books to read), so I can't let Joey bring storybooks onto the bus to do her own quiet reading. With nothing to do on the bus, I can sympathize really. For a really active girl like Joey, it must be torturous.

Then again, rules are rules, and for the safety of everyone on the bus, Joey has to learn the art of keeping quiet. Better to learn it now than later. But whether my girl is talkative or not, I still love her to bits. :)

I foresee lots of similar comments on her report book when she starts Primary School next year. =X

A little girl feels the safest in the arms of her daddy.

Snapped this photo of hubby & Jayne over the weekend, and I suddenly remembered something that my mum always says. She says that my girls are very blessed because they are loved by so many people - They have their parents to love them, their grandparents from both sides to dote on them, and they have Uncles and Aunties who plays with them. I totally agree - My kids are very blessed indeed. :)

One set of toys that's been most frequently utilised in my house is the cooking set.

We've got several sets of those over the years from various birthdays, and we usually store them all in one big box. We also have a toy kitchen which the girls sometimes cook on, but mostly, they just throw the whole box of toys on the floor and assemble their meals from there.

I'm totally cool about them playing cooking and feasting because they are girls, and it's nice that they're cultivating the love for cooking from young. I personally know of many friends whose sons love playing cooking as well, and that's fine too, because the famous chefs in the world are all men. Cooking is the most universal game that all kids play, whether girls or boys.

Another reason why I love it when they play cooking is because once they start, they will play for at least an hour, and that basically means I have one hour to do my own stuffs in peace. Plus, these girls of mine love to play 'fine dining' version of cooking - They pretend to be great chefs, serving rich customers in high-class restaurants, so they have the cutest conversations that go like this:

Joey: "Excuse me, Mdm, may I know what would you like to have today?"
Jayne: "I would like to have some soup, please."
Joey: "Sure, Mdm. Coming right away!"

I say it's a totally cool way to practise proper conversational English, and a much-needed break from their usual Singlish-dominated ones.

Interestingly though, I've observed that the one who usually cooks is Joey, and the customer is always Jayne. Both are perfectly happy with this arrangement - Joey loves cooking, and Jayne is just interested in the role-playing as a customer. Compared to cooking, Jayne is way more interested in make-up instead. She has a set of toy cosmetics, as well as some empty compact cases and lipstick casings that her grandmother gave to her to play with. Joey, on the other hand, doesn't play with cosmetics. Both are girls, but their likes and preferences are so different! God indeed made every one of us unique and special.

When I am old, I'd have a daughter who cooks for me, and another who'd do makeup for me before I go on dates with hubby. God is so good to me. =D

Becoming a parent has a tremendous and irreversible effect on your social life.

For one, if you are just married without any kids, you still have lots of freedom to go out with your friends and hang out with them till the wee hours, or visit places like pubs, discos and the cinemas. But the moment you become a mum or dad, either you leave your kids with your parents or maid all the time, or more likely than not, your social life takes a drastic cut-back.

Firstly of course, bringing kids out requires much planning and preparation work. That alone makes many parents dread the going out, so some gave up trying altogether. Then, there are other considerations like whether the place you are going to is conducive for kids (too noisy, too dirty or too crammed?), and whether those people you are going out with actually enjoy the presence of your kids. Many of my friends are singles or married without kids, so for a relaxing night out with my buddies, I sometimes don't bring my kids so that no one needs to entertain them the whole night.

By and by, I've got a new-found love for play-dates. That typically happens when parents hang out together, and the kids go along as well. The adults would chit-chat and fellowship over meals and the kids would play together. Both the adults and the kids get to enjoy their social life without getting on each others' nerves. Perfect and awesome. All you have to do is to find a suitable venue that is preferably kids-friendly, set up a date and time, and you have a fun day waiting for you.

Among a group of buddies I hang out with, there is a couple who has a kid around the same age as Jayne. His name is Justin and you would have noticed that he appeared several times on this blog, simply because he is one of my kids' favourite friends, and some of our gatherings or dinners turned into play dates of some sort. I totally love it, because the kids entertain each other, and I can usually enjoy the time with my own friends, without having to watch over them every minute.

This was one such play dates which happened last week. We met at Ben & Jerry's for ice-cream. Turned out, the kids were not that interested in the ice-cream. The adults finished up everything, and the kids played IPAD games together. Haha!

Then over the weekend, we spent six hours at a friend's house and the kids played together the entire time!

We had a lovely poolside BBQ, and the kids had their own area for eating on the suntan beds while the adults feasted at the dining table. I thought it was a really nice arrangement. Yes, I admit that having kids cause some setback to our social life inevitably, but our social life does not need to disappear altogether! In fact, social life is important to us parents because it gives us the balance that we so badly need. This is especially so for stay-at-home-mums - I can imagine if I am one myself, I probably can't wait to dash out once Saturday comes, and pack my every waking hour with fun outings with my friends! I would crave for adult conversations to balance out the overdose of baby-talk throughout the week!

Play-dates are fun, and so good for the soul. Plan one soon? =)

Recently, the news that has caused much discussion and stir especially among the parent community is the case of teacher snipping off the hair of her student right before his PSLE Oral. The haircut apparently left the boy crying and possibly emotionally disturbed before an important examination. The student's mother lodged a police report and that was how it all came to public knowledge.

The general vibe I get from parents who heard about the news is mostly one of disapproval - Disapproval at the teacher for cutting off the student's hair, and disapproval at the mother for going so far as to make a police report.

I asked myself honestly how I would have dealt with the situation if I were the mother involved. I believe I will be very upset that my kid's hair had been cut without my knowledge, that's for sure, but would I lodge a police report for something like that? I seriously don't think I will.

A warning letter was issued by the school to the mother two days before the incident took place, and the mother claimed that she didn't get the letter because the son was dyslexic and naturally forgetful, so he forgot to show the letter to her. I guess perhaps the teacher thought she had fulfilled all righteousness by first issuing a verbal warning, then a written one, so she had all the rights to administer the punishment. But seriously, couldn't a phone call be made directly to the mother should the issue be that critical? That would have ensured that the mother was informed of the seriousness of the issue at hand, and it would then be the mother's responsibility to ensure that it's taken care of. Issuing a letter barely two days before the absolute deadline is likened to putting a first-aid band on an open wound of oozing blood and hoping that the bleeding will stop immediately.

Putting that aside though, if we talk about whether the teacher had the rights to cut off the student's hair, from the viewpoint of a mum, I don't think so. But if I put myself in the shoes of the teacher, I probably feel I had the right to, simply because all kinds of warnings had been issued and none heeded. After all, the school is an institution that instils discipline, and anyone who refuses to abide by the rules ought to be disciplined.

But while everyone's emotions are high because of the actions of the teacher and the mother, what continues to bug me are the ripple effects of this incident. I may be thinking a little too much here.

Don't they always have such storylines in movies? A serial killer, after murdering many women brutally, confessed that the reason why he always chose to kill female teachers, and would cut off their hair after he murdered them, was because as a kid, a female teacher had cut off his hair and hurt his pride real bad. The incident continued to haunt him through his childhood to adulthood, and left such a deep imprint in him that he became a warped man who hated female teachers. This may sound a little too far-fetched I admit, but the point I'm trying to put across is that we never know what kind of impact our actions leave on the little minds of kids. We may feel all justified and have every right to administer a punishment at that point in time, but always bear in mind the impact we are causing to the child psychologically, mentally and emotionally. It could be a long-lasting impact that will accompany the child to adulthood, and affects all his thoughts, attitudes and personality. Kind of scary, if you ask me. And I think this incident serves as a strong reminder to me as a parent who welds this power in my hand. How I use the power will directly affect my child and what kind of person she will grow up to be eventually.

On the other hand, what signal is the mother sending to her child? That it's okay to flaunt the school rules and ignore the teacher's warnings, because at the end of the day, your mother will make a police report and send all the teachers to jail? Sure enough, the child will know he will always have his mum standing behind him, but is that really what we want to teach our kids?

I can totally understand how anguished the mother must have felt, especially when the incident had to happen just an hour before such an important examination. I would too, I am sure. But how we react and handle a situation can really determine the outcome. I can only pray that when my turn comes to handle such a delicate situation, I will have the wisdom and right frame of mind to make a right decision.

I don't think many people know about the Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum in Singapore. One main reason is because it's situated inside the Singapore Chinese Garden, and there hasn't really been any publicity on this place. I'm always looking out for new places to bring my kids because their novelty runs out fast, and I get sick of revisiting the same places all the time. New experiences enhance their learning & growth, and widen their knowledge, which is what I strive to do. I was, frankly, a little shocked at the number of different turtle species at the museum - many of which I've never even heard of before!

The museum was started by two people who are collectors of turtles and tortoises. I think it's so much more meaningful now that it's converted from a private collection to a public one. Entrance fees is $5/adult and $3/kid, and you can also purchase veggies at $2/bundle to feed the turtles & tortoises.

The first turtle that greeted us the moment we entered was this humongous tortoise of an African descent. That shell of his sure looked unbreakable.

It's kept in an enclosure because it's either rare or it bites. Anyway, I only saw one of his kind in the whole museum.

There is a garden with a lake and there are thousands of turtles swimming inside, with about 10 tortoises crawling everywhere in the garden. I trust that they are harmless since they are allowed to roam around freely. I was a little freaked out by them crawling everywhere, especially when they seem to like to navigate towards us when we approach. My kids were not scared at all, and kept wanting to touch them! My common sense screams out, 'Don't touch! It's dirty!!', but I know that's really the fun part of the learning, especially in a touch-and-feed garden like this.

It's amazing, but these tortoises would actually try to engage us. When we approach one, it will look up and stare at us in the eye! I'm not exaggerating - these creatures want to communicate with us real bad! Anyway, the one in the following picture has a rather kind-looking face, don't you think?

Lots and lots of turtles swimming in the pond, waiting for people to feed them.

We decided to check out the collection first, where different species of turtles and tortoises are kept and labelled. Be forewarned: Some look really scary!!

Girls being girls, whenever we saw a species that looked gross, we would go, 'Ekkkkkkssss! So gross!!!' in our high-pitched voices. I pray the rest of the people there were not too distressed by the three of us.

Some of the species I captured on photos, but I can't remember all the names. From their looks though, you can guess most of them I believe. :)

Pig-nosed turtle!

Snake-necked turtle! This is really gross-looking! It's like a snake trapped in a turtle shell!

Very devious-looking eh?!

Red-spotted turtle

A very flat looking turtle with sharp claws...

...and a long tail that resembles one of a komodo dragon!

Baby sitting on mama..

Stripped turtle...

A tortoise with a colourful and high shell...

A turtle with thick, flat and rough head and limps!

Just look at those scales.... it's like a crocodile's body... =X

Very smooth and round shells...

A leather-lookalike shell...

A tortoise with a camouflage shell... It took Papa Isaiah a while to spot him in the enclosure.. It looked like a big stone! =D

The girls had the most fun feeding the tortoises! These friends were really hungry!!!

Joey commented on our way out of the Singapore Chinese Garden, 'This place is so much more fun than Gardens by the Bay.' =P

We will surely be back again to visit the little shelled friends. :)