There's something about One Holland Village (OHV) that we really like when it comes to our family gathering time and that is how the whole mall is designed to be pet-friendly with specially designated pet lift, water dispenser for pets and spots for pet owners to leave their pets leashed outside the shops. The whole OHV is modern, with wide outdoor spaces and I just love the vibes of being there. It's different from the usual shopping malls in Singapore. Some of the shops also allow pets to enter so we've decided to meet at One Holland Village to celebrate Mom's birthday.
First stop was Wushiland Boba to grab my bubble tea. I got the Strawberry Ice Cream Red Tea which I redeemed using my points. I love how there are seats with power socket here. Sometimes I do my work here too.
For dinner, we had already decided and I made a reservation at Lo Hey, a Hong Kong seafood restaurant that has the option for pet-friendly alfresco dining.
Hami Melon Sea Conch Chicken Soup - $58
This was my favourite, I'm so glad we ordered this soup that comes with Hami melon, dried sea conch, scallops, pork ribs and ginseng. Drinking this just warmed my heart and tummy. The meat was tender and the soup has a sweetness to it.
Sweet and Sour Pork (Large) - $28.80
The crispy pork balances sweet and tangy flavours and cooked with capsicums, onions and pineapples.
Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Tai O Shrimp Paste - $16.80
My daughter's favourite. The crispy skin of the wings complement the flavour of the shrimp paste.
Stir Fried Live Prawns with Superior Soy Sauce - $55
Another of my favourite. Love that they've already removed the prawns head and is partially deshelled.
Sizzling Choy Sum in Claypot with Tai O Shrimp Paste - $18.80
A good balance with all the other meat dishes.
Scrambled Egg with Tomatoes - $12.80
Mom's favourite. A simple yet delicious dish that is packed with flavour.
Creme Brulee Beancurd - $10 and Mango Sago with Pomelo - $6.80
We ended off the meal with some cold desserts! The Creme Brulee Beancurd is so good I wanted to have a second bowl but looking at the price, I think one is enough.
It was a great meal overall though a bit pricey. Happy that everyone enjoyed the food and time together since we don’t meet up often due to everyone’s busy schedule. Check out my TikTok video too.
Learnt about the Hello! Pokémon Mezastar free trial event (from @thewanderingshe and @jjloves86 IG), where we could get a first-hand experience to try out the new Pokémon Mezastar game machine which will be rolled out gradually in Singapore from 1st April 2025. When we reached United Square, we were shocked by the long queue waiting to join the game. It went around the whole atrium in a big loop and we waited for almost 1 hour and 30 minutes before we even reached the front of the queue.
While waiting and passing time, I finally caught Tapu Koko in a raid. I'm left with Tapu Lele to complete the whole Tapu Series in Pokémon Go!
Freebies at the event include Pikachu, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly sun visors and a craft sheet that when assembled turns into a miniature Pokémon MEZASTAR machine!
We also received the Pikachu Special Meza Tag, a user data storage medium to be used in Pokémon Mezastar after the launch in April, and a Starter Guide just before entering the game area.
Finally, it's our turn to play! I recall the times when my hubby and daughter would play Pokémon Ga-Olé at JCube, collecting a stash of Ga-Olé Disks. Now, Pokémon Mezastar will be replacing the Ga-Olé machines. A key highlight of Pokémon Mezastar is the widescreen format, enabling 2 players to team up and fight against powerful Pokémon together and now each player can summon up to three Pokémon. When two players play together, a Special Tag Battle may occur, and both players can receive the same Meza Tag if they successfully catch the Pokémon. Another exciting feature is the chance to Dynamax your Pokémon in battle. We had the opportunity to test out the Pokémon Dynamax Band, which will increase the Pokémon's chance of Dynamaxing in the gameplay. Check out some of the videos for the gameplay and the process of Dynamaxing.
Trying out the Pokémon Mezastar amusement machine
Dynamax Flygon!
Dynamax Lucario and battling!
Unfortunately, the Dynamax Band was sold out at the event, for those who are interested to buy your own Dynamax Band, please refer to this IG POST. I think it cost about $19 for a box and comes with the Dynamax Pikachu Meza Tag.
A memory for the Ga-Olé Disks we've collected. Not sure what to do with them since most likely will not be able to use them anymore.
We had our late lunch at 101 Pot Noodles, thanks Jessie for the recommendation. Hubby had the Braised Beef Brisket with U-Mian, Cucumber Salad and Pickled Bamboo Shoots while my daughter and I had the Braised Chicken Drumstick Noodle. The Braised Beef Brisket was too spicy and I had to trade mine with my hubby.
Splashtopia was back from 7 to 31 March and was held at Palawan Green, Sentosa with a Pirate themed. Thanks Pink for arranging this outing for the girls to go play and have fun. We went for the earliest session to avoid the crowd and we took a cab down.
We arrived slightly too early and the admission hadn't started yet. I was also quite worried as dark clouds were hovering in the sky and it felt like it would rain heavily anytime soon.
Some photos and videos I took during the first part, after a while I kept my phone and just joined in to play with them. This round, my girl was still unwilling to try the long slide. Hopefully, next time she have the courage to do it.
About one hour before our session ends, it started to rain so we went into the tentage area to rest and redeemed some freebies.
I'm a Sentosa Islander member and got to redeem a S$5 Splashtopia voucher when I logged into the app. The staff were also going around to inform and guide us on how to redeem the voucher too. I used it to buy lunch for my girl. The rain didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon, so after eating we left Sentosa.
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We went grocery shopping at FairPrice Xtra, VivoCity while waiting for hubby to join us for dinner. Shopping with hubby takes about 5 minutes but shopping with my girl takes hours. Yes, we spent hours just inside FairPrice Xtra. We also came across the M&M roadshow, which was perfect since I wanted to buy some chocolates for my girl's birthday goodie bags. We redeemed 2 tokens for the claw machine and won a $5 NTUC voucher. We also bought some other chocolate which later I won a prize from the contest too. We had dinner at Belle Ville Pancake & Coffee before heading home. It was one of the weekends where we were out from morning to night.
Together with my girl, we visited the Canadian International School (CIS) STEAM Fair and spent a fun time exploring the campus and participating in various engaging activities. For those who might be wondering, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. The campus was huge and there were many activities going on. For younger kids, there were carnival games booths, bouncy castles and crafts stations on the first floor. For older kids, there were exciting activities like robot programming, virtual reality exploration, hologram design, drone and aeroplane flight simulation. My girl enjoyed the various Science experiments booths at the school hall, particularly the Oobleck booth, where she spent a long time there. Didn't managed to take many photos as was busy with the activities but here are two booths that I found pretty interesting.
Experimenting with static electricity that made one's hair stand on end. My girl refused to try this at first, but after much persuasion, she gave it a go, although she didn't complete the part that would show the sparks.
My girl had actually known about Oobleck, having watched videos about it before. By simply mixing cornstarch with water, the outcome turns out to be a non-Newtonian fluid that can behave like both a solid and a liquid, which is so amazing. Applying sudden force with fast movement makes it turn into a solid form, but if you gentle press it or let it drip, it behaves like a liquid.
Overall, the event was well-organized and a great opportunity to encourage STEAM learning, creativity in a fun and interactive way. This might just be one of their biggest annual event held. It would definitely be a great experience to study there. The difference in the teaching approach is pretty significant to local schools as I felt they made it more interesting and well-rounded. Classes typically start at 8.30am, which is one hour later than local schools. For me, the most dreaded part of school days is having to wake up super early. I can no longer hang out late at night without feeling tired the next day. The timetable of a typical school day in CIS can be found at this link.
Brought my MIL along to have dinner at Mr Grumpy Nasi Ayam. This was our first time trying this Malay-style chicken rice, and we all loved it so much. The fried chicken was served with extra crispy crumbs and the meat was super tender and juicy. What made it most 'shiok' was the sambal chili. It wasn't too spicy so even my hubby who can't eat spicy food, enjoyed it. The portion was big and very satisfying. I was super full after finishing the meal. The soup tasted like Mee Soto soup with options to add sides like sambal quail eggs, hotdogs and bergedil.
The recent increase in immersive exhibitions and installations is revolutionizing the way we experience art and has proved to be a trend here and around the world. Having previously been mesmerized by the immersive Claude Monet exhibition, I had the opportunity to step into the world of Gustav Klimt in an immersive exhibition with my family.
We sort of skipped lunch so we had an early dinner at Seoul Yummy, Kallang Wave Mall. We ordered the Daebak Combo for two to share. For the two mains, we chose Hotstone Cheesy Kimchi Fried Rice and Korean Glass Noodle. For the soup, we chose Seafood Beancurd Soup, and Soy Garlic Chicken as the appetizer. This combo also comes with two Iced Lemon Teas (with pulps inside) and we added on a Seaweed Fish Roe Rice. We love the food and free flow banchan here. The total damage was $61.99 after an $8 member discount.
After our satisfying meal, we walked over to the Gustav Klimt - Falling in Gold exhibition. Featuring the works of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, this is an immersive experience that transforms the Sports Hub Library into a multidimensional art space. With the use of 360° breathtaking projections, AI and VR-powered interactions, the artist's iconic masterpieces are brought to life.
01. RECEPTION
The exhibition sprawls across 1,400 square meters, occupying two storeys and seven interactive rooms, each showcasing Gustav Klimt's renowned artworks. Here is where we complete our registration at the front desk counter, receive a special UV-stamped chop at the back of our hand which marks the start of this unique experience.
02. PHOTOBOOTH
Right at the entrance is Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, also known as The Lady in Gold. The portrait is an oil painting on canvas with gold leaf and is the final and most fully representative work of Klimt's golden phase.
After the registration, we took the stairs up to level 2, mid-way, we spotted this artwork "Hygeia", the Greek goddess created by Gustav Klimt between 1900 and 1907. A predominant feature is the golden snake coiling around her arm, which is a traditional symbol of medical and healing, echoing the staff of Asclepius.
03. WALK OF FAME
A timeline and summary of the works of Gustav Klimt as an artist and some of his famous sayings.
04. SUNSET
We took lots of photos and videos here. It's like a mini stage for us. Check out the video for a little 'snake' dance that my girl did!
05. BEETHOVEN FRIEZE
We walked through this hallway with dangling cut-ups of geometric shapes and patterns leading us to a reimagined version of The Kiss at the end.
06. THE KISS
This stunning recreation of The Kiss is made of hundreds of intricately arranged, moveable wooden blocks - akin to puzzle pieces carefully fitted together. We couldn't resist interacting with the artwork, gentle pushing the blocks to create a wave like effect. Check out the short video above. The Kiss represent the union between men and women with the universe, conveying that love is the fundamental force that binds everything together.
07. ART GALLERY
The art gallery is filled with real paintings by Gustav Klimt. It is worth noting that Gustav Klimt's artwork frequently features the female figure as a central theme and some of paintings depict women in various states of nudity. As such, viewer discretion is advised.
08. INFINICUBE
The use of mirrors and and light creating an infinite regression of reflections.
09. A.I. PHOTOBOOTH
Using artificial intelligence technology that analyzes Klimt's use of colours and techniques, this innovative installation generates a personalized portrait of you, reimagined through the artistic lens of Gustav Klimt, simply by standing in front of the screen.
10. IMMERSIVE
We returned to the first floor and went into a breathtaking immersive room surrounded by 360° projections of Gustav Klimt's artwork. The walls came alive with dynamic displays and the scattered seating areas invited us to linger and soak in this beautiful and mesmerizing vibes. Feel free to claim your favourite spot and indulge for as long as you like.
11. TREE OF LIFE
The entire tree from its leaves to its stem is covered in gold and lit up by fairy lights. Another nice photo-taking spot.
12. VR
Step into a wonderful VR experience at this station, put on the VR headset placed at each swivel chair and enter a vibrant world inspired by Gustav Klimt's masterpieces. Spend approximately 8 minutes immersed in this environment, feel free to rotate 360 degrees on the swivel chair and marvel as the artworks come to life around you. My girl even wanted to re-watch it the second time.
13. MERCHANDISE
There's a wide range of exclusive merchandise inspired by Gustav Klimt's artwork.
14. CAFE
The cafe just closed when we reached so we only took a photo here for memory.
We took about one and a half hour to complete the whole exhibition. Personally, I believe that immersive art exhibitions like this one make art more engaging, interactive and accessible to a broader audience, including casual art viewers like my family and me. I actually learnt a lot more about the artist and the artwork in this kind of setting as compared to the traditional setting.
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