I have a big fan of Sudio and had reviewed many Sudio wireless earphones so I swear by it. It was Sudio that first introduced me to the world of wireless earphones. In fact every one in my family owns a pair as Sudio manufactures the best wireless earphones, we use it for work, study, play, entertainment, multi purpose really. Of them all, my favourite thus far is my pink Sudio ETT in terms of sound quality, battery life and I am biased it is in pink , but now the latest Sudio flagship model Sudio E2 is the latest generation of the best selling Sudio ETT model and is the most advanced earphone to date. 

At first sight

With 4 unique colours – Sand, Electric Grey, Black and Jade, I chose Electric Grey so its uniqueness of its colour, think so far the pantone has not been featured on Sudio earphones as yet.  I was also very attracted by the distinct purple hue on the touch button truly unique ( The other 3 colours did not feature this unique colour on their touch button) , so the combination of grey and purple really truly a class combination. 

The charging case isn’t the most compact, slimmer than most but it is longer also but what is packed is  the smallest I the power to charge under 10 minutes for 2 hours.

Using it

What is so outstanding is sound quality for music and calls, deeply immersive Dirac Spatial Audio and Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) combined with VividVoice technology for clearer calls. 

Spatial audio simply means the played sound seemingly comes from a pair of premium stereo speakers in front of you instead of inside your head. So I did try to toggle between its predecessor Sudio ETT and Sudio E2, to hear the difference, truly a different class in soundstage (thereafter I realise you can actually switch on/off the spatial audio in this new set to tell the difference too)  Together with DIRAC Spatial Audio, the Hybrid ANC give you the most complete noise cancellation possible. And for work calls , TEAM meetings, the VividVoice technology can isolate your voice and filter out the rest making it easier for the other party to hear you for clearer voice calls. 

Sudio E2 supports wireless charging and check this out 10 minutes fast charging for 2 hours use and supporting a total play time of 30 hours. In fact, I only need to charge it like a once a week as I use a few hours a day! For every purchase during launch, you will get a free Sudio Wireless charging pad if you prefer wireless charging.

Loving it

Being the latest flagship product, the selling point is definitely in the amazing sound quality, even better than its predecessor Sudio ETT all thanks to its collaboration with Dirac another Swedish company which specialises in audio solution . Even though I am not an audiophile, I can definitely tell that Sudio E2‘s sound is a class of its own. As  I experimented by toggling with and without Dirac Spatial Audio, the spatial audio give more dimension and depth at all angles, quite easily discernible.

The audio quality of Sudio products has always been its selling point and they have truly outdone themselves with this levelling up of audio quality and of course its nifty and contemporary design –  fashionable and functional! You have to own a pair to truly appreciate Sudio at its best. 

As always with all Sudio products, it comes with free worldwide shipping, 3 years international warranty and 30 days no questions asked return policy. All you have to do is to wait for 3rd March when it is live, choose 1 of the 4 colours  –  Sand, Electric Grey, Black and Jade (don’t be influence by me as each colour is pretty on its own), quote mypreciouzkids for 15% ,retailing at SGD189. Free wireless charging pad Ladd + with every purchase of Sudio E2. 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

Big J has had myopia since P1, partly genetic and lack of outdoor time. It doesn’t help that past 2 years, there has been an increase in digital time due to HBL and online lessons. As I suspected, I brought him for an eye check in the middle of this year and it went up by more than 100 degrees to over 500 degrees! A regular pair of spectacles will only help him to see but not manage the progression of myopia, so I need to look into myopia management control for him. 

Many have asked why did I choose this form of myopia control ie Ortho K night lens over the rest of the possible myopia management options as listed below. 

1. Atropine medicated eye drop – Big J actually did consider this however there are a few side effects (sensitive to light, need to wear transition lens). 

 2. Myopia management glasses –  I know for a fact that the effectiveness is lower than that of Ortho-K night lens given there is still a distance from the eyes to the lens for effective myopia management. But you may consider if your child is not suitable for night lenses as these specialty glasses are more effective compared to the traditional normal glasses out in the market 

 3. Ortho-K night lens – Scientifically it is proven to have the highest success rate in terms of myopia management. What better as my close friends’ kids have used them for the past 2 to 3 years, and vouched that there is a minimal progression in myopia.  I have tried to outline some key questions and answers about Ortho K at the end of this blog. 

Of all the options, Ortho-K ranked the most effective. 

So once I have decided on Ortho K, I decided to go ahead W OPTICS as it is open daily till 930pm, similar to retail stores in any malls,  which suits my schedule as most other centers close by 5pm and not open on weekends. W OPTICS has 5 myopia centres located in Singapore and I have chosen Great World as big J’s attending centre. This suits my schedule better especially during initial fitting days where I need to bring him to check more often. 

During our first consultation, big J’s eyes were assessed for their suitability for Ortho-K as they want to ensure that this myopia management option is best suited for him to achieve the optimal myopia management result. It was a very lengthy first consultation to assess suitability before customising the lenses with the correct fit for myopia control. We waited for another 2 to 3 weeks before the customised lenses arrived and to do the actual fitting (so best for the fitting and initial 1 week to be during the school holidays for more convenience and checking).

On the actual day of fitting, the optometrist taught big J how to wear the night lenses as well how to clean and store them properly. My attending optometrist at W OPTICS was very knowledgeable and reassuring, In fact, during the fitting, big J was able to put on himself with little issue through the techniques taught by him. We had to return the day after to check the eye conditions and even more practices so that big J was confident to do it on their own. The next appointment was 1 week later where he has achieved 6/6 vision. Thereafter appointments are scheduled a month later,  3 months later and 6 months later for regular follow up. The optometrist would also ask him to bring his lenses along and the lenses would be checked to ensure they are still in good condition.

As it was first time wearing contact lenses, truth to be told he did fumble a bit at home. Even putting eye drops is not really a walk in the park as it is not easy when we putting “things” into our eyes. But with the guidance of the attending optometrist at W OPTICS during fitting, as they say practice makes perfect! 

I was so glad to say after 2 weeks of using this daily,  it was almost second nature to him. He is now very confident in inserting and removing his night lenses, especially in the morning rush hours to go to school, I was initially worried he would take forever to remove and hence needed to wake up earlier, but my worries were unfounded.  I am also assured as I have his optometrist on my whatapps so I know I have help and guidance if ever I got queries at home.

As this is only the third month since he started, it is still premature to conclude on its effectiveness based on my son’s experience (I will give an update on my IG during his 6-month checkup) but the immediate benefit has to be the immense freedom he gets from not wearing glasses, to indulge in contact sports, swim without power goggles and just not needing to search for his glasses upon waking up. Do note that your child does need to be very disciplined in wearing them every night to have effective myopia control else after 2 days if you don’t wear them at night, you will go back to the same degree that you have started and of course in the long round not achieving the myopia management that you have hoped for

In hindsight, I should have started him earlier before the sudden increase of more 100+ degree due to the Circuit breaker/HBL. As much as we can blame it on genetics and screen time due to HBL, the bare minimum we can do is for more outdoor time (recommended 2 hours a day, yes it is a tall order but some are better than none), good lighting at home and control of unnecessary screen time.

These are some burning questions that I often get from my friends with regards to Ortho K night lens.

What is Ortho-K?

Orthokeratology/Ortho-K is a non-surgical procedure using customised hard contact lenses to gently shape the curvature of the cornea to improve vision, most wearers will not need to wear glasses during the day when they are on Ortho-K night lens. Most are able to achieve 6/6 vision during the day. 

Is Ortho-K safe?

Ortho-K procedure is FDA approved. It does not permanently alter your cornea shape and is reversible once you stop wearing them. Ortho-K (cornea reshaping therapy) started over 70 years ago. Modern technology in design and production makes it a reliable and precise way of safe vision correction. Of course, with all use of contact lenses, proper maintenance and cleaning of the lenses is necessary to keep them safe and effective.

How old can a child start using Ortho-K night lenses?

Children from age 5, but it also depends on the maturity of the child to be able to putting in and removal of the Ortho-K night lenses as no one will be able to help with that. As for the cleaning, parents can help them in that aspect. That said, the child would need to go for an evaluation assessment to determine his/her suitable for the Ortho-K night lenses.

What are the benefits?

The key benefit would be managing myopia  progression in child. I would want to arrest the increase of his degree or slow down the rate of deterioration, and I would not want it to go to 1000 degree of short sightedness. High degree of myopia will also put them at risk at eye diseases later on in life. A myopia of 500 is consider high myopia and it can put them at higher risk to eye diseases in their later life.  However, this can also be proved in the long run at least within 3 to 6 months of usage.

The most immediate and tangible benefit to the wearer is definitely the life changing freedom of not wearing spectacles in the day. This is especially prominent for active and sporty kids like big J as he plays sports, sometimes contact sports or when he goes swimming. With such freedom, it is had to be a bespectacled boy again. In fact, after wearing for 3 months, as his mum I have forgotten how he looks like pre Ortho-K days. 

How long do you have to continue with the Ortho-K treatment for?

The wearers need to wear the lenses almost every night to maintain the required shape for optimal effect. Each pair of night lenses may last up to 1 year and differs individually due to handling and aftercare. It is recommended that for effective myopia management in children, the child continues with the Ortho-K treatment till he is in his teens, aroudn 18 years old, when myopia would typically stabilised. Thereafter, you can continue wearing it purely for freedom in the day or opt for corrective laser surgery like LASIK. 

How much does Ortho-K treatment cost?

At W OPTICS, Ortho-K treatment starts from $2,500 and it also depends on the complexity of each case and the degree of myopia sought to be corrected. This treatment cost covers the lenses, first set of cleaners and also a series of regular check-ups over the course of 12 months  to ensure that myopia control is achieved. To find out more, you can book your child for a first assessment on suitability and price quote.

Ortho-K night lens is available at selected W OPTICS Myopia Centres. Videre is now part of W OPTICS Group.

W OPTICS @ Great World (6733 5665)
W OPTICS @ Suntec City (6736 1303)

Videre @ The Centrepoint (6219 3656)
Videre @ Forum The Shopping Mall (6369 0041)
Videre @ Marina Square (6250 0328).

Open daily till 930pm (most other centres close by 5pm and not open on weekends) This suits busy families better especially during initial fitting days where I need to bring him to check more often. 

W OPTICS
Great World City #02-22 Singapore

Website: https://woptics.sg
Store locator: https://bit.ly/wStores
Download W OPTICS mobile app to book an appointment today. Available on both Apple App and Google Play store.

One of the BEST things that was introduced to my household was LUMOS RAY , and believe me when I said that I have not stepped into the cinema even since this amazing home device came to us. So instead of patronising the cinema, I have only to pay for the monthly subscription of Disney+ and Netflix (which is approximately equivalent to 2 movie tickets’ price) and  that serve for communal and private entertainment. And then my husband came up with a brilliant idea to recreate an outdoor movie experience just like the drive in cinema concept in our back yard. Making using of an old roller blind as a screen, we have been enjoying our movie sessions on weekends this way. 

And when I thought this little nifty home projector could get any smaller (LUMOS RAY was the one of the most portable projector in the market), they outdone themselves by a mile to introduce LUMOS NANO which is comparable to the size of a COKE can, what sorcery! A clear outright advantage of LUMOS NANO over LUMOS RAY is the portability- you can bring it practically any where, for staycation, for business presentation, anything you can think of coz it is just so small and no cable require as it has a inbuilt battery which can last for 2 hours. 

At First Sight

LUMOS NANO  doesn’t even look like a projector, probably easily passed as a bluetooth speaker (you can actually use it as a bluetooth speaker but this clearly undermine its full potential). This is not a technical review but from a technical noob who just want to plug and play and be entertained. That said, some basic specs and comparison vs the LUMOS RAY will be mentioned to give some perspective in terms of comparison.

400g and at 10cm, say what, what sorcery! If you thought LUMOS NANO was small, think again. I shall leave you with this comparison photo. In this 400g, there is also an inbuilt battery and built in speakers too. 

Similarly surrounding this small projector,  there are a total of 3 ports  –  HDMI, USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, which are compatible with many devices such as laptop, tv set up box, headphone (if you want to watch into the wee hours), game console like your Nintendo and PS. They have thrown in free HDMI cable based on current promo deal.

Using it

Unlike the LUMOS RAY which came with a SMART and regular version , LUMOS NANO has only the SMART version for plug and play ability with its inbuilt andriod apps – NetFlix, Youtube, Google Play Store, Airplay, EShare (Disney+ you need to download a file and load in but just one time setup required) and an Android9.0 Operating system just like the SMART TV that we all owned nowadays. 

Built for small spaces and also bedroom of HDB and condo, all you need is a minimum distance of 50cm to project up to 15 inch and it will go up to 100 inch at 3m distance (pretty similar in terms of projection with LUMOS RAY). They have even included a mini tripod so that it can sit nicely on any surface or else you can just put it all as surface too. Alternatively, if you enjoy watching movie lying down, place the LUMOS NANO down horizontally, this transform your ceiling into your movie screen (more on that later).

Using DLP light technology, which is the most premium form of light display technology for the most superior colours, uniformity, brightness and sharpness and at 1500 Lumens (measure of brightness), to my naked eyes there is no big difference vs LUMOS RAY at 3000 Lumens. Here are some sample photos of what I can get from LUMOS NANO. At 1080P, as the screen size that I am blasting at around 100 inches, I have no complain over the sharpness and movie quality, as good as it gets frankly. I will gladly watch this vs the inconvenience of going to the cinema (more so now with cases every where, hitting home and I am even in isolation as I was blogging this) .

The other unique selling point of LUMOS NANO is the projection on the screen thanks to its size. When you project to the ceiling at an angle, you may get a distorted rectangle. LUMOS have included the keystone correction so that you can manually adjust to the best rectangular shape (up to +/- 40 degree vertically and horizontally) while you watch it lying down. 

There is also a phone mirroring function by simply casting your phone screen to the 100 inch screen for your IG and TikTok as an added functionality. 

With inbuilt Dolby Audio speakers , I amazed this little device packed so much on top of its projection capability.  Thanks to the built in battery and bluetooth capabilty, you can even transform this into a portable speaker. Of course if you want to level up the sound quality for movie watching , you can connect to your own powerful speakers via bluetooth or cables.

Just like the LUMOS NANO , the projector comes with its own remote control to help you navigate around and they even made a mouse control on the top of this device too! For me, if I need to navigate around a bit especially during initial setup, I prefer just to attach a USB mouse. And check this out, being so compact, they even created a premium touch control on the top to make browsing easier for daily use ie searching for movie and to use the keyboard to type on screen. 

Loving it 

Its portability due to size and inbuilt battery are hands down the biggest selling point of the LUMOS NANO. With this , the places where you can do your projection are endless. In fact, we will no longer be bringing out our LUMOS RAY to the backyard, but we will use LUMOS NANO instead as it is so much more compact and cordless to be moved aroundr. Not to say that moving the old LUMOS RAY was difficult as it was also very portable and we need to pull out the power supply as well, but this is just like taking a can of COKE from the fridge instead of say a bottle of 1.8L sake perhaps if this was any comparison.

The LUMOS NANO is priced at S$599 with 1-year local warranty and free delivery.  Customers who needs an adjustable projector stand can add the RIZE Adjustable Stand for only S$55.  And for now for all every purchase of the LUMOS NANO, comes with a free HDMI cable. 

The LUMOS NANO Home Cinema Projector is now available for purchase directly from LUMOS Projector via their website at https://lumosprojector.com/mypreciouzkids

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

I have been using Gong100 range of products from kitchen, bathroom to laundry. This blog will highlight mainly on kitchen cleaning bundle from Gong100 and kitchen ware from Modori, the best combination of items you can get for your kitchen!

I have been using the Gong100 kitchen cleaning bundle which features Gong100 Grease Spot Cleaner and Gong100 Kitchenware Cleaner.

Especially for the massive cleaning during CNY, Gong100 Grease Spot Cleaner is super handy as it sprays high density foam for effective oil stain removal –  for the most stubborn oil stain at the stove top. In the past, I need to use a scrubber but not with this grease spot cleaner, you just need to wait for 5 to 10 minutes and the stain can be wiped off easily. You got to try to believe this!

The other amazing product in this bundle is the Kitchenware Cleaner, to clean scorched pans , stain on ceramic wares, this is the answer for all your cleaning woes. No scrubbing required to remove oil stains and burn marks, only need pour hot water with the kitchenware cleaner and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes and you can have clean kitchen ware without scrubbing . What happens is that the strong micro bubble infiltrate and clean all the nook and cranny that our hand cannot reach.

Another hack is to use Kitchenware Cleaner on the bathroom sink and even to wash white-coloured clothes by just added 20g with the laundry detergent , and you will notice the difference. There is no better time than now to cart their amazing range as they have just adjusted some product prices of our kitchen line and some other top sellers too. With such effective cleaners, now you need to have good kitchenware in your home too! 

Check out the latest from Modori as well. Its latest range Modori Goodle collection is not just stylish (love the black kitchen ware with wood handle) but super functional too. I have gotten 28cm wok and 24cm frying pan with lid and they came just in time for my hubby to use and showcase his cooking for CNY.

What makes Modori unique is the great heat retention which has the same heat retention effect as cast iron, mirroring traditional Korean cast iron cookware but with a modern design for modern household. In fact, that was what my hubby noticed when he first used it,  it has amazing heat retention hence every thing cooks in a jiffy. Another much have feature is the patented oil road method which makes its non stick ability really quite extraordinary.

 Modori uses safe and non toxic material with long last coating for this range. The coating is known as Inoble coating that will not crack as it is 7 times thicker than ordinary coating. This coating has passed millions of tests so ensure this is super long lasting. 

Modori pans also sport no rivets hence more hygienic and easier to clean. Even the handle is made from the wood of Korean Somei Yoshino cherry tree, so it is comfortable to hold, easy to grasp and with no harmful substance. 

This range is suitable for gas stove, induction cooker, ceramic cooker and heating plate too! The 24cm frying pan thanks to its depth is perfect for steak, dry noodle dishes like pasta, fried fish as the entire fish can go in while the 28cm wok has a bigger size and depth for bigger portion like my family of 6 one pot meals like pasta, fried rice etc and for stir frying dishes. Did I also mentioned that these are lighter than regular wok and frying pan too and they are super very affordable given that this range is non stick, easy to clean and maintain, light, amazing heat retention , check out the entire Goodle collection at Modori.

The range also include the super functional square egg pan and 18cm saucepan with lid which will complete my collection of Modori Goodle range. With awesome products from Gong100 and Modori, you now have the best kitchen combination for your home, kitchenware and cleaner! Check out their individual website site to cart out. 

For GONG100: https://bit.ly/3HytgaG ( Free shipping on orders over $99, except Sodam Cookware Sets, if the order includes Sodam Cookware Sets, it will cost $5 per set)
For MODORI: https://bit.ly/3HEUI6P  (Free shipping on orders over $49)

Now that small C is in primary 1 , this is a big year of change in his life. So in order to let him have a more gradual transition, I do want to keep some of his classes that he has been attending during his preschool years, one of which is his art enrichment classes at Heart Studio so that he can still feel a sense of familiarity and that not everything is new to him.

He was over the moon when he went back for the first term of the new year and it was a continuation of a home work project that he brought home last year. The kids needed to learn about 2 very famous artists but with very different style – Vincent Van Gogh vs Romero Britto. Teacher Jay will explain the salient difference between their style of painting and it is up to the kids to choose the style of their liking for their art work.

With a main figure drawn with inspiration of a soccer player, he chose Van Gogh style over Britto. The first week was more for exploration of the 2 different styles of painting and to decide what main character to be drawn. The actual drawing and painting is done from week 2 onwards and little by little fine details such as Van Gogh’s famous short strokes  are added into their creative artwork. 

As always, there is little hand holding so that the children can learn to develop their motor skills , focus and concentration as layers of colours are added into the final art work. Not only small C got to know 2 famous artists, he had so much fun drawing his soccer player with a Van Gogh inspired back ground too! 

Do check out  Heart Studio fun art class for kids as young as 3 and even to older kids who are building their art portfolio for DSA.

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Heart Studio

1 Charlton Lane #01-04, Singapore 5396

(65) 6554 7563

info@heartstudiosg.com

Wed-Fri: 10:00am to 8:30pm, Sat: 9:30am to 6:00pm, Sunday: 9:30am to 4:30pm

With just more 1 month to Chinese New  Year, it is time to stock on new year goodies and of course CNY cookies and snacks. With more relaxation on house visits, I hope to be able to host more and bigger groups and hence with so little time, I will be stocking up CNY cookies and snacks from their website CNY Goodies Singapore.

Voted number 1 by many food connoisseurs and loved by many, Wang Lai Bakery’s goodies are all handmade and homemade, using only the best quality ingredients. Preserving the recipes brought down from generations, you will definitely taste their authentic traditional flavours! 

Wang Lai Bakery, established in 1968, has been a popular confectionary booth located in Chinatown that specialises in traditional Chinese goodies. Preserving the recipes passed down for 4 generations, the family recipe is constantly tweak to be as close as perfection. Voted number 1 by many food connoisseurs and loved by many, Wang Lai Bakery’s goodies are all handmade and homemade, using only the best quality ingredients. 

I ordered large CNY bundle deal  consisting 8 different snacks and cookies at a bundle price for more savings.

As I am a pineapple tart lovers, I ordered 3 types of pineapple tarts – Melt in your Mouth –  Pineapple Tarts, Cheese and open face. In fact I realised they also have the  premium Cranberry Pineapple Tarts which I have never tried before so I added 1 more tub into my large CNY bundle deal. Seriously addictive, just the right amount of sweetness for the pineapple paste and ratio of paste to tart. The regular tart is not like those golf ball size, this is perfect sizing, just 1 mouthful. 

For the more traditional folks, the normal and open face is really good, and if you want to impress your guests , bring out special like the cheese or cranberry pineapple tarts too! 

Another favourite has to be the Melt in your Mouth Nutella Tarts  it is a guaranteed favourite among the little ones. Another must have for me as I love green peas is the Melt in your Mouth Green Peas Cookies I just love their sizing. Just 1 mouthful for each tart, no crumbs on the table or floor too! And this is so addictive, impossible to stop at 1. In fact before i started writing my review, I have already finished half a tub, as it is my favourite and so addictive, definitely wont last to CNY, so I will need to stock up more.

For less sweet tooth guests, CNY snacks like the  Premium Spicy Chicken Floss Love Letter Rolls  , Premium Salted Egg Fried Prawn Stick and Premium Prawn Rolls  It may be a tad spicy for kids, but it is really addicitive, you cant stop at 1! It is super fresh and not oily or with heavy oil smell.  

There are many bakeries out there but I can attest this is fresh from the oven and homemade just like the ones my mum used to bake for me growing up. And they don’t skimp on their cookies as they are filled to the brim of the bottle and no missing spaces.

What I have ordered is probably just 20% of the variety of CNY cookies and snacks they offer! Their range is huge  –  love letters, snacks like fish skin, arrow roots, crab sticks, the only happy problem I have is too many I want to order and try. 

I am happy that I am a tad readier for the fast and furious CNY this year just hoping, I don’t finish it all before the festivities begin. There is free delivery for order above SGD 100 and before 31 Dec, there is 30% early bird promo, do stock up early as before you know it is CNY already! 

To order here and for tasting, head down to their office at 20 Sin Ming Lane, Midview City, #03-58, S573968 for sampling (open daily from 10am – 7pm).

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.  No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

The season of gifting is right around the corner. Have you already thought of what presents to give your loved ones? If you have no idea where to begin, you can consider Floral Garage Singapore, one of the best florists providing flower delivery for free in Singapore.

We were thrilled to receive this Joyous Santa Chocolate Hamper from them! It is filled with mouth-watering snacks that would make the receiver smile and reminisce their sweet childhood memories. If you are looking for something that kids will love, you can also get this Giant Rudolph Christmas Balloon that will surely make their day!

This Christmas, Floral Garage Singapore offers a range of selections of Christmas hampers, gifts, and flowers that might be what you are looking for.

Other than flower bouquets, flower gift boxes, flower arrangements, flower baskets, and flower stands, you can also get hampers, soft toys, helium foil balloons, party supplies, and more at Floral Garage! They also have different gifts and flower selections like Cake & Flower bundle, Wine Gift Box, Fruit Hamper, and many more. You can also search for other gifts based on occasions!

Getting something for your loved ones, friends, or family? Use “Mypreciouzkids” to get 8% off all products. Find them at www.floralgaragesg.com!

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I didn’t intend to write a blog of my dining experience at Ellenborough Market Cafe but I wanted to document my first time experience having a buffet dinner post Covid. Truth to be told, I have not had any buffet meals since the start of Covid as I always hold on to the notion that a proper buffet is one where you go to all the stations and pick and choose what you fancy, and that experience is not longer possible no thanks to Covid.

My perception has changed dramatically after having my first buffet festive dinner in 2 years just this week at Ellenborough Market Cafe! One thing for sure, the menu is still extensive (I didnt manage to try everything on the menu) but  instead of having to go to the various stations and sometimes needing to queue at the live cooking stations, all I had to do was to pick up a pencil and mark the food I wanted to try and the request portion -1 pax, 2 pax.

As it was just me and my husband dining, I ordered mostly 1 pax portion (as you can see in the photos below) as I wanted to try almost everything. No need to queue, no need to walk around , just sit at my table and wait to be served, I think I wouldn’t mind this relaxing dining too especially those days when I had to help the kids take their own food. I imagine if my kids were in attendance, they will happy tick off what they want to eat and be served – definitely way more relaxing that the old ways of buffet.  With this pandemic, I tend to what to see the good in the change, and I am happy to reconcile the differences and looking forward to my first family buffet experience soon too! 

Back to the Festive Menu this year end offered by Ellenborough Market Cafe, if you are familiar with their menu like me, I am sure you know of their peranakan fare and also their famous durian pengat. Adding to their main stays are festive offering like honey baked ham and turkey too from now till 2 Jan 2022. 

I started off ordering some cold and hot starters – rojak, satay, ngoh hiang , seafood platter, sashimi and special mention is the chilled soya broth noodle – so light and refreshing, perfect starter!

Then I had an array of peranakan favourite-  Ayam Buah Keluak, Blue Pea Rice, Otah Otah, Kueh Pie Tee and a mix of western offering such as grilled BBQ meat, pasta and special festive offerings such as Honey Baked Ham with caramelised pineapples and cinnamon apple sauce and Roasted Tom Turkey , braised red cabbage with port wine sauce.

I must say that for some old folks are not so much into raw food or western food, this buffet is a good choice as they will definitely enjoy the Asian offering in particular peranakan food, rice and laksa and for kids, there are pasta and kids menu too. 

Of course, the one I waited for the entire dinner – durian pengat, this dessert to me is synonymous with Ellenborough, a must have for me every time I visit and my husband was super happy with his chendol and ah baling (glutionous rice ball). And for western desserts, special mention cranberry mascarpone cream puff and Christmas fruit cake.

And these are probably just half of what is on the menu, but we didn’t have stomach space for it unfortunately. We added a bottle of house white wine at $40 which is really a steal and we also had very attentive service given there are many different small orders – an overall pleasant first buffet dining experience post Covid. 

Undauntedly one of the best dinner buffets in Singapore with a good mix of East and West so that both young and old can enjoy too ! You can check out my IGS highlight “Ellenborough”

Do check out their festive delivery menu if you wish to host at home or mingle in a bigger group in the comfort of home. 

Adult $88 ++Child $44++

Reservation
Phone: +65 6239 1847/1848
Email: dining.merchantcourt@swissotel.com

This was probably the first time small C ever deal with modelling clay for some creative funand perhaps my first time too. So you need to heat the modelling clay with hair dryer for a less than 1 or 2 minutes , after you can easily mold it into what ever shape you want. Small C used this to create the ground for the snails and also the insects and little creatures surrounding the papier-mâché snails.  What I like about modelling clay is the motor skill development as they used their little hands to mold and make minute details and figurines perfect art for 6 year olds. 

The final 2 weeks was technical drawing about environmental concerns which was also very interesting for our young ones to learn about our mother earth and the environmental damage that is ongoing now and they get to draw about these in an hour glass showing the danger/concern and what it harms – animals, sea animals, etc

Small C is indeed very sad that the regular art enrichment classes have ended for 2021, that is how much he enjoyed his Sunday art classes at Heart Studio .  From a parent’s perspective to see his growth in terms of perseverance, patience, problem solving skills, creativity and most important motor skill development (as I look back to my initial post 1.5 years ago when small C started with Heart Studio ) is truly not just learning to draw and paint or merely art class for kids but there is so much more to it.  

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Heart Studio

1 Charlton Lane #01-04, Singapore 5396

(65) 6554 7563

info@heartstudiosg.com

Wed-Fri: 10:00am to 8:30pm, Sat: 9:30am to 6:00pm, Sunday: 9:30am to 4:30pm

Ever since I moved into my current house 6 years ago, I dreamt of having a proper Christmas tree (full size filled with lights and baubles) as I have never really owned or had a Christmas tree ever in my home before. Even though I am not a Christian, there is something magical about Christmas and Christmas trees. 

Now that my kids are older and are able to help me set up a proper Christmas tree and having to spend 2 Christmases in Singapore (including last year), I think it is also fitting I have a proper Christmas tree at home so that we have something to look forward to for a change.

By which I mean a 7ft tall Wunorse Openslae Artificial Scotch Pine Christmas Tree from Christmas Tree Singapore. Looks like a real Christmas tree  – very realistic scotch pine (what you see on the website is 100% real photography) so the only difference I would say is just the smell (if it was a real tree). With its auto open branches, it is super easy to assemble and also to store. Once it opens up, my kids just have to open up the branches to make the density more uniform. With 600 tips for my 7 ft tree, it is really dense just like the real tree. So the kids were more than happy to help with the assembly and decoration (first time for them assembling and decorating a Christmas tree). I reckon this will be our annual activity from now that we have a proper 7ft Christmas tree that would actually last for many years to come. 

Besides this version, you can choose the other variety likes Bushy Evergreen, Shinny Upatree , Alabastier Snowball or Pepper Minstix and comes in 3 sizes – 5ft, 6ft and 7ft.

As this is my first ever Christmas tree and am clueless about the decor part of the Christmas tree, I order the value bundle which comes with 3 Bauble Colour of choice, 1 Christmas tree topper and 3 sets of LED light (warm or white) so that the tree can be decorated beautifully as soon as it is assembled. You also can buy extra ornaments, ribbons to make it even more magical which they also sell on their website , You can get the kids to make their own Christmas tree ornaments.  I choose a more unconventional colour which you can say more like Frozen theme – blue, silver and white light . Probably next year, I can buy another set of baubles and decors in warm colours too so that I have different look and feel for different years! 

For a more elaborate tree, you can buy and add more decors – ie to add on more baubles of different shapes and sizes, fake leaves and berries and ribbons too! 

All done and decorated and ready for Christmas, now I have another happy problem, I need to get ready the Christmas presents for the kids  that goes under our first ever Christmas tree. 

Free delivery for all orders above $100, they also have a showroom  – 22 New Industrial Road, Primax, #03-15, Singapore 536208 if you are unsure which tree or size you wish to purchase. It is less than 1 month to Christmas, time to make this Christmas an extra special one for your kids this year and make this a new annual family bonding time too! 

In the spirit of giving this Christmas, the sponsor will be giving away 1 $100 Christmas Tree Singapore  voucher to ONE winner, you can get a tree or if you already have a tree, you can also use it to buy the decorative items.