I guess the main cause is that COEs have been going up, and also because recently my Toyota Wish has been giving me problems.

The Toyota Wish is a real functional car, but it has grown to a bit cramp for the family. With the 2 car seats, and 1 booster seat, the car is always fully-packed when we go out. In terms of the car interiors, the kids have maximized all the compartments, and even my cup holder has been stolen by the kids. (Read about it here)

I decided to test-drive a mini MPV instead of a full size MPV(as they have better fuel consumption), and after driving Japanese all my life, I decided to test drive a European car as they offered better road handling and safety.

I was looking at 2 essential ingredients: Safety and Performance.

With these factors in mind, I looked at:

1) The Volkswagen Touran

2) Citroen Grand Picasso

Both of them are Ranked 5 star in terms to European Safety standards and in terms of Performance:

Both cars have a turbo engine, but the Volkswagen has more power and offers better fuel consumption. (I will spare you all the techie specifications, as it might be a bit boring to read if u are not a car enthusiast)

The Volkswagen also needs a smaller area to make a turn, and it is therefore more agile as compared to the Citroen Grand Picasso.

When looking at the Interior:

The Volkswagen is very simple and functional. This is German Efficiency at its best, and everything is placed with no frills and made with a “boring” efficiency.

For the French Citroen Grand Picasso:

The Driving Console was artistically done, with lots of extra compartments to put all your essentials. The car also has a “moon roof” and it has increased visibility with it’s larger than life windscreen.

In the Volkswagen Touran:

Last row seats were small, which were similar to the Citroen. However, the car seemed smaller than the Citroen, and it felt cramped when the family squeezed into the German Automobile.

Both Cars could fold their 2 and 3rd row seats down, so as to carry more luggage, and both had European simplicity in shifting the chairs.

Hmm…Which car should I choose? Power or Functionability?

Find out in the next post…

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After weeks of speculation and theorizing as to where the location of the new church building is, the answer was finally flashed in front of our very eyes…

We are shifting in March 2011 to…

SUNTEC CITY CONVENTION CENTRE

With emotions ranging from shock,  surprise, joy to euphoria…we are definitely excited about being part of history.

Who would have thought that a simple church that I joined in the Geylang Area would one day be named as Co-owners of an Iconic Convention Centre in Downtown Singapore.

The magnitude of the dream is astounding, and the delivery of the dream only shows that…

 With God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

As we watched the video presentation of the location in the service, the breakthrough and size of the breakthrough, slowly “sunk” into our hearts.

(For detailed FAQs about the church location, click here)

When the call was given to Arise and Build, the whole congregation gave a resounding “Yes” and we took a step of conviction onto a highway of uncertainty.

As we filled our Building Fund pledge cards, my family gave with tears in our eyes, but we are glad that we are sowing into something eternal and putting substance into our faith.

In closing, there may be many ways to build a church. There is the Cell Group System, the G12 system, decentralized churches, Weekday Bible Study classes…the list goes on and on…But I believe that they most important thing is that we stay faithful and focused on the dream that God has given us. All we need to do is to ONLY BELIEVE!

Suntec City – Here we Come!

Related posts:

1. Building Plan for City Harvest Church
2. New Building for City Harvest Church
3. Prayer in City Harvest Church

The church has been in negotiations for a new building, and this week the location will be announced!

Pastor Kong Hee has been talking about a Church in the Marketplace and in the CBD for a long time, and finally it is coming to past. He has also updated his blog and given the reasons for the New $310 Million facility.

(Check out his  blog and the reasons here)

Personally, we are really excited, and our 6 weeks of speculation is coming to an end.

The Speculative Locations  are:

1) Marina Bay Golf Course – I hear that a lot of golfers are praying very hard against it, as they don’t want to lose a decent golf course.

2) Marina Bay Sands Casino

Btw, Sands got this piece of land at 1.2 billion dollars from the government. Will they let us have a part of it for $310 million?

3) National Stadium

The stadium is slated to be redeveloped into a new Sports Hub, but due to the financial crisis, the developers have sort of given up on the project, due to the high construction cost.

Will City Harvest be given a National Project to redevelop?

4) Padang

This iconic field has been the host of National Day Parades, Numerous Sports Events, and this is also where the British accepted the Japanese Surrender in 1945.

The Rumour is that we will develop the field, and have a auditorium was a glass ceiling, so that when the congregation looks up, they can see the stars!

Where do u guys feel the building will be at? Anything stories that are really mind-boggling?!? Do Share…

Well, for the rest of us, we are waiting for twitter to give us the location, when the 1st service kicks off in Jurong West in 24 hours time…

It’s coming soon….(excited anticipation!)

Related posts:

1. Building Plan for City Harvest Church
2. New Location for City Harvest Church
3. Prayer in City Harvest Church

I realised I’m not alone in remembering Fairy Tales!

Well, I really like music, and singing and reciting nursery rhymes are always fun for kids. They love the tunes and they love the repetition in rhyming words.

BUT, I can’t remember exact words! I usually remember the 1st few lines and after that it is Lah lah lah lah lah…

Furthermore, sometimes the rhymes just don’t make any sense at all!

I am just so bad at it! Do u guys have similar problems?!?

For Example,

1. 3 Blind Mice

We usually remember this part:

3 Blind Mice, 3 Blind Mice, see how they run, see how they run,

But after that, It is really very patchy…

They lah lah lah lah lah lah lah lah, lah lah lah lah lah lah lah lah

And we end with:

3 Blind Mice…

2. Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle went to town, to fetch a pail of water (opps…isn’t that Jack and Jill)

3. I’m a little teapot

I’m a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my sprout.

When the lah lah lah lah (Mummy can’t remember), pour me out, tip me over, and pour me out.

4. This Old Man

This old man, he plays one (?!?!), he plays knick knack on my thumb, lah lah lah lah lah lah (I remember can’t remember a lot of this rhyme)… paddy whack, this old man came rolling home

Oh my… I really need to brush up and read more AND commit them to memory.

And most importantly, I’ve got to pray hard the kids don’t ask me what these rhymes mean! Some obviously have none!

I’ll leave you with video of This Old Man: (the lyrics were an eye-opener!)

Related posts:

1. Children’s Fairy Tale

Making its debut in Singapore, this animated film is by Japanese Anime Studio Madhouse.

Directed by Japanese animator Rintaro, director of Metropolis, Yona Yona Penguin is a Japanese animated movie with English subtitles about the amazing adventures of Coco, a small girl with a penguin coat, as she journeys through a world of fantasy and magic to save her friends from the Emperor of the Dark.

What’s fun about this event is that it was screened outdoors at the Pools Amphitheatre and it was a special one-evening only preview.

Nicole was all excited about her outing to the Bird Park. Previously when we were here, it was also for an OMY’s event, when we won a Canon Camera and Canon Selphy Photo Printer. (Check out the contest entry here)

The excitement rubbed off on Nadine as well, and the 2 girls were all giggly as they entered the park with their tickets.

The Park’s Amphitheatre was crowded by the time we got in, as many families were there with their Potato Chips and Burgers and having a quick bite before the movie started.

The whole outdoor ambience actually reminded me of my younger days, when Dad and Mum brought me to the Jurong Drive-In Cinema, except that this time, we were not in our cars. It felt “rustic” but certainly a different experience for the kids and the parents.

We sat near the projectors, so that the kids could catch a glimpse of these big machines working.

At 745pm, the show started promptly and the projectionist got the machines into action!

Sorry, but got no pictures of the movie, as we were not allowed to take any pictures when the show started.

Synopsis: The show is about Coco. A rather adorable and fearless child, Coco lives alone with her mother not soon after the death of her father. Being a young girl in love with Penguins,  Coco spends many a night frolicking through the streets wearing her favorite outfit — a penguin costume — trusting that one night she might magically take flight to see her late father again. Critics will says that Coco’s youthful naivete is the film’s centerpiece.

The movie lasted for 88 mins, and the girls were ready to go home after the event.

Thanks once again to OMY, for making it a special Saturday for the family.

Btw, today was an ALL Girl’s event for the family.

Nathan got a virus, and he was at home resting with Popo.

But Daddy was happy to be surrounded by all his favourite women in the world!

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1. Canon Ixus 95 & Canon Selphy 780
2. Chinese New Year Performance
3. Baking cakes & cookies with the kids

Just this week, I was having a flu, and I went to the Pharmacy to get some Clarinase (If u have a cold, take Clarinase and your cold will disappear in 24 hours).

I went in the middle of the afternoon,  believing that the Pharmacy will be quieter. True enough, it was so quiet, that the Pharmacist went out for lunch!

Thinking that I would need to come back later, as Clarinase needs to be administered by the Pharmacist: the staff at Guardian did not refuse my request.

Instead she started typing busily into her PC, and was busy clicking at the icons on her screen.

Suddenly, she turned her monitor around, and she ushered me to talk to the Pharmacist.

(I was thinking like where…and then I saw a Pharmacist starring at me, from the webcam monitor in her PC)

I was shocked…Wa…(In Singlish: Now go pharmacy, so advance one!)

The Pharmacist proceeded to ask me (via the webcam and computer speakers) whether I had any allergies to the drug, and began to give me directions on how to use the drug.

It was quite a different experience, but overall I was quite happy that I could get my medication, despite the fact that the resident Pharmacist had gone for lunch.

I chatted with the Guardian Pharmacy staff, and she began to tell me that the Pharmacy has been using this webcam technology for the last few months.

I told me that it was really helpful and best of all: I got the medication that I wanted!

This technology is only available in selected outlets, and I managed to experience this new service at the one in Suntec City.

Have u guys had a similar experience?!? Let me know what u think about this new technology.

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As usual, Nicole was “pumped up” for her performance.

However, this year, the performance was going to carry a deeper meaning for the family: As it was also….drum roll…Nathan’s 1st Public Performance.

Nathan has been attending Pre-School for only 1 Month, and naturally this was going to be a BIG time of adjustment in his life.

Naturally, Nathan was not at his  ***cough*** cough *** “VERY BEST”

Just look at him and his friends…I think the anticipation is killing them…check out the “NOT Happy face”

Nathan has not “broken out of his shell” yet, so he does like the public attention.

Check out him and our friends daughter in comparison:

Yes…That is him crying…despite the fact that Daddy was standing in front of him.

When the music started, the kids were supposed to pick up their tambourines and do some simple dance steps.

This is what the situation was like 1 min into the music…

Yes…All the kids in the back row had stage fright…and were basically stoic throughout the performance. (I think the “not-so-good” performers are all put behind!)

Don’t worry, he was alright…and Daddy gave him a big hug after the performance. My boy will definitely do better next year!

Meanwhile, Nicole was looking forward to her performance…

It was a Chinese Ribbon Dance and she performed well!

Overall, the kids enjoyed the whole outing, as the school organized a mini carnival after the event, and the kids enjoyed themselves with the food and the games!

MeiMei was there as well and she loves playing with the drums!

Here’s a picture with the 2 girls and their teacher wishing everybody a Happy CNY!

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Do you send a children to a Pediatrician?

Well, we do and we believe he is a good doctor, and he has been doing a great job with the kids when they are sick.

Anyway, in a classic horror story from hell, a Pediatrician in a American town  was charged recently for rape, molestation and other charges…

And it’s not just 1 patient!!!

He has been serving patients in the town for at least 15 years, and the victims are numerous!

To attract the kids, he has a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round to make a visit to the doc’s a real outing!

Sounds like I would have sent my children there as well! Isn’t that scary!

Read the full story here!

I watched the video and I was shocked by what parents were saying….

They just left the children with the doctor for a few minutes and the “deed” was done.

I hope that nothing like this ever happens in Singapore!

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How many of you remember your Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales?

As a parent of 3 pre-schoolers, I’ve to tell stories, sing songs and recite nursery rhymes often.

On good days, I’ve the luxury of having a book to rely on. That’s when I can confidently role play, change my voice, do silly actions and make strange faces to illustrate my point. (think of the BIG BAD wolf speaking in a low rumbly voice, and how Humpty Dumpty’s face would look like when he fell!)

But woe to me, if I’ve to do any of the above when I don’t have the book with me. You see, I’m not so sure of all the stories! I do know the basic story line. Alas, the actual words, or the actual ending? hmmm…like what ever happened to the wolf in the 3 little Pigs?

Here’s my struggles. This is Part 1—Fairy Tales:

1. Red Riding Hood

There was a little girl, (who wore red, had a red hood, red dress, blah blah blah). She went to visit her grandma who lived in the woods. When she reached the house, grandma was replaced by the wolf.

Sigh… that’s when I realised I forgot to tell the part about her meeting the wolf on her way there. So I back track. Then, I got stuck, when did they meet? How did the woodcutter (or was it a hunter) come into the picture?

Ohhh! and was grandma eaten up? Or was she tied up in the cupboard? And how did it end? did the wolf die? or it ran away?

2. Three Little Pigs

There were once three little pigs who each built a house (one straw, one wood, one bricks… blah blah blah)

I thought this was an easy story. But I found it rather incredulous that each pig had enough time to RUN to the next house while the wolf blew the house down.

Then came the ending. The pigs boiled a big cauldron of water, and wolf fell in from the roof. And then??

Nicole said, the pigs ate the wolf. Some friends told me the wolf screamed in pain and ran away. Some said that’s it, the end. So what happened?!?

3. Beauty & the Beast

Long ago, there was a girl who… uh oh… why did she go to the Beast’s house?

Oh yes, her daddy went there. erm.. but why?

Anyway, she went there and the Beast didn’t let her go (can’t remember why?!?!) and she made friends with the pots and pans and forks and spoons. (Cue for me to sing Shall We Dance here).

And her daddy (now back at home?!) was sick, so she left. Then the Beast got sick, and she went back, and they kissed and they lived happily ever after.

Gee what a terrible memory I have! I hope all of you have a better idea of these fairy tales! I’ve not dared to tell The Shoemaker and the Elves, Rumplestilskin, Princess & the Pea etc…

Tune in for Part 2 of my struggles—Nursery Rhymes!

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Recently, Nicole surprised us with a really cool song from school. Check out how she remembers the planets in our solar system:

(Sing this to the tune of “She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes”)

There are eight planets going round the sun

There are eight planets going round the sun

Mercury Venus Ear-th

Mars Ju-pi-ter and Saturn

Uranus Neptune going round the sun

When I first heard it, I actually clapped in pure astonishment. It was a fantastic song, and she knew the names of the planets and all in order! (cos I didn’t know!)

Well, we asked her questions about the solar system, and she was really quite a little expert at it! Things she learnt (and we learnt too):

1. Pluto is the furthest away from the sun. And it is so so far away, we can’t really see it. So it is not really a planet.

2. Mars is red, only Earth has water

3. The earth moves around the sun, and it also rotates itself

4. We all live in a solar system called Milky Way

5. She could identify the planets based on pictures we shown her!

Oooohhh aren’t you impressed? She’s four-and-a-half, and knows so much!

That’s not all! Out of this *deep* interest in planets, she requested the following for her birthday present this year:

1. A telescope that we can put in the house, so that she can see all the planets! (haha…I’m not even sure if our Science Centre has that powerful a telescope!)

2. A BIG book on planets. She says our current ladybird one is too small, she can’t see all the pictures of the planets.

Request 1 was easy to settle. We told her, we need to find such a good telescope. We don’t think it’s sold in Singapore! As for Request 2, my initial reaction was, ok. I’ll get it for you.

I felt really guilty after a week of persistent asking. I mean, my daughter is asking for a BOOK, and a EDUCATIONAL one… why am I so hesitant to get her that? I can save that for requests for PSP, iphones, toys, chocolates, ice creams etc…!!

So this week, we brought her to Borders to choose her Big Book on planets. This is what she chose! And I really like it too! Not too wordy, easy to understand, nothing overly scientific!

She is one happy Planetary Scientist!

Tips for Parents:

Songs make learning really easy! The tunes have to be catchy so they pick it up real fast. So it does help for us parents to up our repertoire!

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1. Parenting: Science at home!
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