I couldn't believe it, but we found a dim sum restaurant very near to our Church that sells char siew buns that look like those from Tim Ho Wan! So after church service last weekend, we made our way there to try the food. The restaurant's really quite small, but thankfully there was a table for us when we reached.

The kids are always hungry after church service. Hehe. Apart from the usual dim sum offerings, Dim Dim also has noodles and porridge on its menu, very similar to that offered at Crystal Jade Kitchen. Of course, the prices are slightly cheaper here.

We ordered quite a lot of food for two adults and 2 kids. In total, we paid $50+ for our lunch. For dim sum, I thought that was still quite alright. Food quality was not bad, though I wouldn't say it's fantastic.

Glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf

Braised chicken feet

Love that their drinks are served in jars. Soya bean milk for the little ones.

Peanut & cuttlefish porridge

Chee Cheong Fun with fresh prawns

Fried carrot cake with 'lup chiong' (preserved sausages)

"Har Gaw" (Prawn dumplings)

Prawn noodles soup

Milk Tea is a must from any Hong Kong cafes.

Deep fried beancurd skin

The THW-lookalike char siew buns. They tasted pretty good but I still prefers the ones from THW.

All in all, a very satisfying lunch because I haven't had dim sum for a while! Worth a try. :)

Dim Dim The Hong Kong Pantry
Marina Square
6 Raffles Boulevard, #B1-16

Linking up:

P/S: In today's post, The J Babies are dressed by their clothes sponsor - Pumpkin Patch.

Have you been up to ION Sky before?

Because of a media event, I went to ION Sky some time back, and fell in love with that place immediately. Located on Level 56 of ION Building, ION Sky is home to Salt Grill & Sky Bar, as well as a huge function hall where events are held at. Apart from the really beautiful views from way up there, what I love about the space is how peaceful it is.

Image from inside.capitaland.com

Simple post today - Just sharing some views of Orchard Road that can be seen from ION Sky. These are shot through the windows, so some reflections can be seen. :)

And so, Teacher's Day is coming up next week and since it is Joey's first year in Primary School, when gift-giving on Teacher's Day becomes an official thing, I thought it would be nice and cheap to make our own gifts. Since the girls love doodling and crafting, why not turn it into an art & craft session as well? I give myself a pat on my back for coming up with such a brilliant idea - The whole activity occupied the kids for two solid hours, and at the end of it all, we were all smiles at what we've created together.

Found these notebooks at $2 for a pack of two. It was the plainest I could find so that we can minimize cover-up jobs and concentrate on decorating. The girls came up with a list of 14 teachers all in all (Thank goodness I opted for DIY - 14 gifts would not be cheap at all, hallelujah.)

The kids couldn't wait to get started.  I was glad - I couldn't deal with two grouchy and unwilling kids, and having to finish up all their 14 notebooks for them.

I decided to use washi tapes and stickers to decorate the notebooks. I have supplies of washi tapes and fabric tapes at home which I cannot find any decent use for, except to take them out from time to time to admire and grin at. Plus, washi tape is very manageable - Even four-year-old Jayne could decorate her notebooks all by herself, with me assisting with some cutting by the side.

To help the kids understand what was the look I was going for, I did a 'mock-up' for them. They took one glance and proceeded with their own creations. Gotta love the kids for their confidence and creativity. :)

The kids had so much fun crafting and decorating notebooks with specific teachers in mind. Joey only has one male teacher who teachers her PE, so she made sure she didn't use any pink washi tapes for his notebook because according to her, he wouldn't be too happy to be caught using a girly book. :P

And these are the fruits of our two hours of labour. :) I contributed by giving some ideas and tips, and also writing the 'Happy Teacher's Day' text on the front cover. Otherwise, the kids did all the work. I am so mightily proud of them! =D

I'm going to get the kids to write personalised notes to their teachers on the inside cover so that it's more meaningful. More than just giving gifts to their teachers, I want the kids to understand and realise the importance of being grateful to people who have helped them. It is possibly one of the most important life lessons I can ever teach them. Gratefulness evokes happiness, and I want them to stay happy all their lives. :)

Last weekend, the kids were invited by Sarah of The Playful Parents for a preview of a programme happening at the Esplanade on 5 October. This programme is entitled 'Take A Walk With Me', so I'm sure you can guess that lots of walking is involved.

It's my first time attending an event of such a nature. There was no elaborate setup or equipment. All Sarah had was her enthusiasm, eloquence and lots of passion, and that captivated the kids throughout the two-hour programme. In a nutshell, she took the kids and parents on a walk around Esplanade and stopped at various spots where she did different activities such as encouraging the kids to explore their surroundings, touch and feel sculptures and asked them questions to provoke their thinking and creativity. Kids being kids, they have limitless imagination and it was great seeing many of them participate in the discussions actively.

See what Joey was doing? The kids were told to observe a sculpture from a distance, and then answer questions posed to them. In Sarah's words, she told the kids to take a photo of the sculpture in their minds, and that was exactly what Joey was trying to do. =P

One thing I really like about the programme is how interactive it was. It was certainly not a one-way lecture because the kids were asked questions constantly, and to share their thoughts and ideas openly. She asked many questions close to the hearts of the kids such as, "What do you enjoy doing with your daddy & mummy?" The kids had so much to say!

I also like it that the kids were encouraged to be observant about the things around them. In our fast-paced society, we are sometimes so busy that we fail to notice many things happening around us.

At the outdoor theatre, Sarah brought in the topic of the heritage and history of Singapore by talking about the Singapore River, Merlion and the early immigrants of Singapore. I was very impressed when she told her original story weaving in historical facts of Singapore and with the use of origami. It was so creative!

 

Joey was pretty engaged and interested throughout the programme, which was a good thing. Jayne was less interested because she was a little too young for the programme and so she could not understand many of the things shared. This programme is after all meant for kids between 6 to 9 years old. Overall, I think this is a pretty educational programme for the kids, and a good opportunity for some parent-child bonding time. Kids are encouraged to think out of the box, be creative and be unafraid to share their ideas. Joey was also given a file with questions she could attempt to answer, which was a good way for her to retain the learning points from the programme.

Thanks Sarah for your invitation! You are indeed a playful parent! =D

I took video snippets of the programme - Hopefully it can give you a better idea of how the programme was conducted. If you are interested, you can book your tickets at the link provided below. :)

Esplanade Parentalk – Take a Walk With Me

Oct 5th, 2013
10.30am & 4.30pm
(1hr 30mins, no intermission)
Various locations around Esplanade
Recommended for children aged 6 – 9

$25 per parent-child pair
Package of 3: $30 (Bring your husband!)
Book here on SISTIC

Last Monday, hubby and I went to Sentosa and had a really soulful time there. The kids were in school, and it's been a long time since I had an off day when I didn't have  to run any errands. The husband wanted to suntan on the beach, so we decided to head to Tanjung Beach which was typically quieter. It was a perfect decision - on a Monday, the beach was so peaceful and beautiful. Just the kind of quietness I needed.

And nope, I did not suntan like hubby did. He loves sun tanning, but I am quite the opposite from him. I sought refuge in a pavilion and caught up with my Korean drama while watching the sea waves and feeling the breeze on my face. Now and then, I would take up my camera and snap pictures of the beach. It was such a therapeutic few hours for me.

And then I took a dip in the sea with hubby and just chatted about everything while enjoying the warmth of the sun rays and the cold sea water. I can't remember the last time I swam in the sea. Almost forgot how wonderful it was.

Soul time is what every mum needs to get back the sanity and take a reprieve from life's stress. This is even more so for SAHMs who usually have to face the kids 24/7, mostly on their own. I've realised that I get grouchy and easily irritated when I don't get enough soul time or time I can recharge myself. I become very unhappy.

Have you gotten your soul time recently? :)

Advertorial

Despite talks about how tiring it is to be a mom of two hyperactive kids, deep down I know how blessed I am to be able to conceive easily and have kids when I plan to have them. I know it's not something I should take for granted, and I know it well because I've got many friends around me who have difficulties conceiving and I've seen how many of them struggle through it with much heartaches and distress.

While declining birth rates is a hot topic of concern in many countries, the impact of it is felt the greatest in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore, we have measures in place to encourage couples to give birth to more children by providing Baby Bonus, subsidies for childcare facilities and medical services, etc. It is obviously a growing and worrying problem.

Yet, I personally think that a more worrying problem would be that couples who face infertility problems (Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve a successful pregnancy after twelve months or more of regular unprotected intercourse) are not seeking helping or treatment. There are many factors for this, of course. For one, there is a social stigma associated with infertility and seeking external help for such a problem. Asians, especially, have this fear of 'losing face' if they admit they have a problem. Because of that, many couples delay in seeking treatment or choose to live in regrets for the rest of their lives. Another main reason is that as our society becomes more and more affluent, both men and women are offered increasingly-attractive career options, and that affects the age that people get married, and thereafter try to conceive. Everyone knows that the conception chances decrease as the couple gets older. With more and more people choosing to get married at an older age, the conception rates decrease as a result. After 35 years old, chances decrease dramatically for women.

One of the interesting findings from the Starting Families Asia study done on 1,000 women from the Asia-Pacific region was that there are many misconceptions around fertility treatment that need to be corrected. Although there is widespread confidence in the safety and efficacy of treatment, potentially prohibitive factors such as cost and lack of information about where to find treatment need to be addressed.

The truth is there are many viable options out there for couples facing infertility issues and there are even government grants & subsidies available to couples seeking such treatments. That is what I would tell my friends who tell me they have been trying to conceive for at least a year to no avail. Around me, I've got many friends who sought timely treatment and are now leading happy and fulfilled lives with their kids. One of them even had non-identical twins! I was especially touched recently when I heard about a friend who was trying to have a second baby. Despite conceiving easily the first time round, she was having difficulties conceiving the second time and after trying for a while (this, unknown to many, is known as secondary infertility), she decided to opt for IVF immediately because she wanted to exhaust all possibilities in order to give her daughter a sibling. She is a great proactive mom in my opinion.

As much as we may not want to admit it, infertility is a common problem - It is estimated that one in ten couples face the challenges of infertility. However, the majority of couples with infertility issues remain untreated. Although effective treatments are available, only 56% of infertile couples seek and 22% receive medical care against infertility. In Asia, with persisting social and personal barriers as I mentioned earlier, low fertility awareness and limited access to treatment access the figures are even lower.

What are the available infertility treatments, you ask? There are lots of information available on this website: http://www.fertilityasia.com/. The first step is to consult a fertility specialist so that various tests and diagnosis can be done before deciding on the treatment methods. Different couples may require different types of treatment to help them to conceive, but the main thing is not to sit around and wait for an indefinite period of time, but to do something proactive about it. I personally hold the belief that as long as I've tried my best and explored all available options, there won't be any room for regrets. A couple friend of mine tried IVF for a second time even though they were very disappointed that the first treatment was unsuccessful. Because they didn't give up, they are now happy parents of a beautiful baby girl. :)

Break the Silence: Fertility Week Asia kicks start on 25 August this year. I think this is a very apt time to share all these information with those of you reading this and who may be looking to become parents. It is so very important to have the right information and knowledge on issues relating to fertility and reproduction. What a waste it would be if we failed to check out options that can help us become parents and have an experience of a lifetime. Some people may choose not to have any children, but for those who do, they will agree with me that kids are some of the best things in our lives, and they are worth every effort making it possible. If you are one of those facing infertility issues, do not hesitate anymore - Seek information today.

Do check out these sites to know more:

Fertility Asia

Singapore Government Grants pertaining to Assisted Reproduction Technology

P/S: I've been engaged by Germany-based global pharmaceutical company, Merck Serono, to promote awareness on the topic mentioned in the blog post, along with the necessary facts and statistics, but all other opinions are mine.

Sadly to say, while Bintan may have beautiful beaches for one to have a really relaxing vacation, it is not a place where you can find fantastic shopping, if any for that matter. Possibly the only market that's nearby is the Pasar Oleh Oleh. It's also the best place for you to get the touristy stuffs such as Bintan T-shirts, souvenirs, magnets, etc, or do massages. There're two restaurants there, so if you want to have cheap food rather than expensive resort & hotel fare, this is the place to check out. All resorts & hotels provide the shuttle service to Pasar Oleh Oleh at a price of $6/adult, $4/kid.

 

It looks like a small Malay village, but most shops are not open. I wouldn't say this is an exciting or fun place to visit, but everyone who visits BIntan should visit Pasar Oleh Oleh once, just for the sake of it.

There was practically no other tourists in sight when we were there. Only a few locals were sitting around enjoying a lazy afternoon. The kids were running anywhere and everywhere but I let them, just cos there were not many people around anyway.

We ordered takeaways from the Helo Helo restaurant, and they have fried rice, noodles, etc for $3.50. That's really cheap for a touristy place like Bintan. I also ordered chicken wings, which were super yummy.

Like I said, not an exceptionally interesting place, but we don't really get to see such buildings or setup in Singapore, so not bad to check the place out. :)