Love Letters: My Day Was Like Sweet Dessert

 

Swimming At Hillview

My parents have moved out of the semi-d and into a condo just down the road. The kids no longer get to play in the garden but instead they can now go there for swimming. And the kids just loved it. Normally they only get to go for lessons on Wednesday but never a chance for leisure play. I expect that the kids will now ask to come to visit Ah Gong Ah Ma every week haha.

Elixir Haul #16

 

Little Tissue Monster #3

Caught in the act. Pulling tissues out of a pack just feels so good that every kid has to do it.

Over-Packing For A Lunch

P3 does not start till Wednesday so we brought 萱萱 out for lunch today. We asked her to pack but didn't QC her bag before we left. When we got to the restaurant, she whipped out several packs of tissues. She was very gleeful that she brought all these stuff but Meimei and I were quietly trying to get her to keep them out of slight embarrassment haha.

Kid's Pic & Talk Dec 2023

Another year of laughter, fun and amazement. Thankful for Meimei, 萱萱 and 阳阳 and the rest of the family giving me a wonderful time always.

The sauce is not enough. Let me test it. Do you know how I test? 

If I blow it and it has a hole that means it’s not enough

Quick Zip Through The Zoo

Yeeyee had corporate adult tickets for the Singapore Zoo so we only had to pay for the kids' access. It was drizzling a little on our way there so we were kinda expecting to just stay awhile. We also preempt the kids that we are not going to the water play area. So the goal was to see some animals, take some photos and then call it a day early.

They moved the Kidzworld to a new area but I find it very cluttered and noisy. And with so many people here it was hard to move around without bumping into people.

It was the first time we took the tram. I always thought you had to pay extra for it till Meimei figured it out that we didn't. The long queue doesn't help though and it took awhile to get on one. And then you have to wait at each station so it took some time before we got to the station we wanted to alight.

I'm happy for the photos, very nice ones and totally worth the trip to get them.

Christmas 2023

We didn't put up the Christmas tree this year and the kids were a little disappointed. But we just don't have the space to do so. Meimei came up with a brilliant idea and executed it to perfection. She made a pyramid  using the boxes of presents and then the decorations to make an impromptu Christmas 'Tree'.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Elixir Haul #15

 

Family Staycation At Pan Pacific Singapore

Since the Hong Kong trip earlier this year we have been itching to go for another holiday. But we didn't think we were ready for another overseas trip especially if we want Nyong Nyama YeeYee and Xinyu to come along. So we went for a staycation in Singapore instead.

Yeeyee found a kids friendly suite promotion at Pan Pacific. Unfortunately there was no availability for the suite theme rooms on the dates we wanted. Nonetheless they managed to secure 2 family theme connecting room packages so that worked out well too ... and at a cheaper price!

It's my first time staying at a Pan Pacific hotel and there were a couple of misgivings about the place even if the rooms were nice. 

First the check-in could have been smoother and faster. Meimei probably spend 2-3 hours at the counter ... and that's not even an exaggeration. Check-in was at 3pm but they couldn't get us a room till 4.30pm. Then the other set of connecting rooms wasn't available till 7pm.

Second ... their service recovery for giving us the 2nd room at 7pm was a sham. They offered us 24 hour access to a "lounge" that is nothing more than a space with a coffee machine and some chilled drinks in the cooler. Nyong and Meimei were so excited at first about getting "lounge" access but it all came crashing down when we visited it. It left a very bitter sour taste in all our mouths that we were conned to accept this as the compensation for the late availability of the room. The utter disappointment on their faces were haunting.

Third, I had left our luggages at the concierge for them to bring up to the rooms. I gave them a $10 tip when I handed them the bags so I can go park the car again. It didn't come for a long time and the it came close to 6pm I gave up waiting. I went down to the concierge and demanded for my bags. One of the staff insisted on helping me and so the two of us pulled 5 suitcases and 2 bags up to the room. And then I had to tip him another $10. I don't mind tipping the service staff but this is just sloppy service efficiency.

Last, we couldn't get a table at their in-house buffet restaurant Edge on Monday. I thought hotels usually reserve some tables for their in-house guest. So we had to go to Marina Square and have Putien instead. And then Meimei had to rush back halfway through dinner to get the keys to the other room so Nyaong, Nyama, Yeeyee and Xinyu can settle down in their rooms early.

All these on a first day cemented my view of the Pan Pacific brand. I tried to keep my disdain of the place down in the next few days so I don't spoil anyone's mood. But it would be very difficult to entice me to come back to a Pan Pacific hotel after the bad first day and everything else that came later just seems to be playing catchup but never meeting anywhere close to the mark. As the saying goes, first impressions are always one of the most important factors.

As for the rest of the staycation it was ok, nothing spectacular that makes you want to come back.

The family connecting rooms had a themed children amenities and bed covers and pillows. They also served afternoon treats for the kids which they happily gobbled before dinner. A nice touch but we got to the rooms so late it doesn't feel like a welcome treat.

We brought them to a kids play area by the pool. It was nothing special but at least it kept the kids entertained for the afternoon. I reckon they would have had just as much fun at the neighbourhood playgrounds.

Next morning we had breakfast at the Edge. They gave us a spot at a big square table for 8 which is nice.

After breakfast brought the kids to Kidztopia. It's Xinyu's first time there and mainly played at the sand pit and toddler area.

Dinner was at the Edge, this time I had purposefully reserved a table for 8 during breakfast. Unfortunately Mama, YeeYee and Xinyu couldn't join us. What was special on this meal was that Papa and I took the alcohol package so we had free flow of wine. This is a first for me so I was pretty excited. I drank too much and was snoozing in my seat before we made our way back to the room.

It's really a short holiday. We lose most part of Monday waiting for the room. Tuesday is a full day but we didn't really go anywhere other than Kidztopia. Wednesday is just having breakfast and getting ready to leave before noon.

Work Travels: Towel 'Art'

It seems towel animals is a thing at the Bengaluru hotels. I never got one till this trip when a towel bear of sorts showed up one evening when I got back to the hotel.

The other guys get these pretty often, sometimes up to 10 different animals in a trip. I find it freakish though and would never leave them as is. The cleaning staff probably saw that I dismantled the bear and so stopped making more. Which is exactly what I wanted. 

Work Travels: Right Beside The Lounge

This trip I purposefully asked for a room on the 15th floor. Since I like to sit in the lounge instead of being in the room. Being on the same floor also makes it more convenient to get a coffee or drinks when I like them. I also started having breakfast in the lounge since it was just by my room.

There was a limited selection of breakfast spread but I could always ask the lounge manager to get whatever I want from the restaurant. Nothing though beats the proximity to the room. I'm surely going to ask for a room on this floor every time I travel here.

Work Travels: Remembering Our Preferences

At Marriott Bengaluru again for a 2 week workshop. I didn't manage to complete the 15 nights stay for the special program so got dropped to Gold. But no biggie, I quoted Martin's room and entered as his guest. Plus the lounge manager remembered me from before and treated me as though I had access already on my membership status.

He and his team's service was great the last time and they went one up this time by remembering our preferences. After the first two nights they had a list of drinks we take with the alcohol and prepared them beforehand on the regular tables we were sitting.

And I think they noticed that we had our preferred spots on the table and the next night they placed the drinks exactly where we would be sitting. Awesome! Now that's what I call Service!

 

Riding His Own Zoomoov

This is the first time 阳阳 rode a Zoomoov ride on his own. Jewel was very crowded so I had to keep a close watch on him. He was very patient and had good control of the ride so there were no mishaps. Glad that he is able to ride on his own now.

阳阳 School Trip: Gallop Stables

阳阳 went on a school trip to Gallop Stables yesterday. He had so much fun he was telling me all about it during the ride home. Like the Science Center, he asked that we bring him there again. I checked it and it seems to be located in the Tampines/SengKang area so it's not that far. I can see us bringing the kids to have fun there on a weekend.