When it comes to giving and receiving, I’m one who’s more into something personalised.

Like, instead of just buying gifts for their cousins, Anya and Vai recently made bracelets and key chains using colourful beads.

Or, instead of getting a birthday card for Anya’s friend, I’d encourage her to make one and write the words herself.

To me, it’s more meaningful this way, as the child puts more effort, thoughts and time into the making of something.

The child goes through the process of completing a ‘project’, and learns to feel the joy of giving too.

Now. The thing is, making things and giving them to others may not always be possible.

(read: Most of us in the end may end up buying a gift AND placing our hand-made card on the wrapper).

And this is when gifts like personalised music CDs come in really handy.

I really loved the personalised music CD Vai got from his little friend Rachel last year. The name ‘Levi’ was inserted into each of the many songs, and it just sounded so personal and nice.

(The idea was so good that we also got a CD for Anya and other friends’ kids after that. We specially love this and this)

This year, if you’re one of the many out there who are thinking hard about what to give as Christmas gifts, the people from 75volts.com (the ‘maker’ of these personalised music CDs) are extending special promotions, 20% DISCOUNT, especially for Our Everyday Things readers!

Something similar to what we had last year!

AND, this time round, they also have personalised music DVDs! (we watched and saw how the word ‘Anya’ was typed across the TV screen!)

(Top photo: This personalised DVD is more suitable for older kids, I feel. Like, those who are 7yo and up)

Anyway, here’s more info on the promo:

- Click HERE to read what Personalised Music CD and DVD is all about

- Click HERE to browse their personalised music CD collection, and HERE to check out their DVD collection

- Check if your name is on their list
Tips: Look for the right ‘pronunciation’, rather than the ‘correct spelling’ of the name you’re looking for, and check out their music samples with your chosen name afterwards!

- Minimum order : FOUR copies (CDs or DVDs) to enjoy the 20% discount

- Type in the promotional code “OET09″ when you’re checking out. You’d then be entitled to 20% DISCOUNT OFF!

- This special promo is valid only for ONE WEEK. From Tuesday, 1 Dec - 8 Dec.

…

Happy Shopping and Giving, everyone!

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Kids LOVE to play.

All kids do.

But do we adults see ‘play’ as beneficial and necessary for the children’s development?

The reality is, some teachers and parents (ie. adults in general) do see ‘learning’ and ‘playing’ as two separate and disconnected terms.

It’s as if a child is unlikely to ‘learn’ when he’s ‘playing’.

I personally believe play IS the education of young children.

I’d like to share with you an extract from an article by Betty Jones, ‘The Play’s the Thing’. In her write-up, she shares the following points as some of the many ways children learn through play:

= to make appropriate choices among many possibilities

= to use their imagination, to improvise, to think flexibly, and explore new options

= to be aware of their own real interests, without being distracted by other possibilities: to say “yes” and to say “no.”

= to solve problems, both with materials and with people

= to cooperate with other children in the creation of mutually satisfying projects

= to work through their feelings in creative, non-destructive ways

= to pay attention to a project until it’s done

= to use something — a dramatic action, a word, a toy, a set of blocks, a collection of marks on paper — to represent something else — a real experience

= to see themselves as competent and interesting people, with useful skills and good ideas

…

As children enter Primary school level of education, I realise that the expectation level is high (especially if they are in Singapore). They’ll be expected to perform relatively complex tasks, and do quite a bit of ‘worksheets’ at school.

In other words, with so much to learn (on top of other extra-curricular activities), little ones most likely have much less time to just … play.

Well, UNLESS, we parents remember how important it is to encourage and create some sort of a balance in a child’s life.

Because really, young children NEED to play.

And play IS good for them too.

…

More readings on playing and learning:

> Play: What it’s so important

> How children learn through play

…

What are your thoughts?

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We did some shoots for a few families last week.

Indoors. With studio lights and all.

(To be exact, Wilson was the one behind the camera, and I was the assistant, hehe)

We had both Anya and Vai in front of the camera too, of course.

And we got these.

I like.

…

Btw, if you’re interested in having such studio shoots done too, just email me: leonny[at]oureverydaythings[dot]com

And one last thing, do come and join our Reaction.Sg Facebook page too yeah! It’s where we share our work, photography-related info and news (fans are entitled to special photography rates!)

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Anya had her very first ballet exam a couple of weeks ago.

Vai and I sent her to the dance studio but we all had to wait outside during the exam (read: we couldn’t see them perform in front of the examiner)

Managed to take some shots though. Here are some of the captured moments :

Anya and Gwen, who’s also in the same Kindergarten class as her.

And btw, YES, I managed to get Anya’s hair up in a bun that day!

*YAY*

What I did:
Immediately after Anya had her shower that morning, I put some hair mousse on her half-wet fringe and let her wear a hairband (the one with ‘little spikes’ on the inside). This way, her fringe continued to look ‘combed-up’ after I took out the hairband some two hours later!

After that, I smeared some more hair mousse on her hair, comb all her hair back, tie it all neatly in a bun and spray some hairspray all over. Used some hair gel to get all her soft baby hair (right below the bun) up.

That’s it!

The two girls practiced their steps while waiting for their turn.

Anya’s ballet teacher also checked if she could do her tip-toes and balancing correctly.

The girls went in a group of four and they each were given their ‘exam paper’. They’re supposed to pass it to the examiner upon entering the dance studio (basically the paper was for the examiner to write her comments on the performance)

And this was just a few minutes before the girls entered the studio.

‘Breathe in … tummy in’, the teacher said to Anya while checking on the other girls.

The girls came out of the dance studio after some ten minutes or so inside, each with a little pink ballet badge in their hands.

Anya was all smiles and happily showed me her very first badge.

‘It’s just like the badges Russell has!!’ she told me (read: she’s referring to Russell in the movie ‘UP’ by Pixar, hehe)

Anyway.

It all went well for our happy little ballerina.

*Yay*

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Usually I rarely mention my mother and grandmother on my blog. But as today’s topic is on skincare, I know I must.

My mother is 65yo and my grandmother is 85yo, BUT despite their actual age, they have GREAT skin. I don’t think they look ‘their age’ either.

People say they both have ‘good genes’, and while I agree with that, I also think it has a lot to do with their daily routine of looking after their skin well with ‘proper’ skincare products since young!

Now.

I, on the other hand, am not quite like them (so far!) when it comes to skincare.

I sort of keep things simple and practical. I wash my face at least three times a day with some regular facial cleanser and apply some moisturiser on my face before I go to bed.

And though I’m out and about a lot under the sun, I’d usually apply some sunscreen lotion only when I know we’re going to be at the beach for a few hours.

Well.

I know I have no apparent facial skin problems right now, but I do have a strong feeling that I should probably consider caring for my skin better (for its sake some 30-40 years from today!)

The importance of proper skincare somehow just doesn’t quite register in my mind UNTIL I was invited to visit SK-II’s counter at The Centrepoint’s Robinsons and experience for myself the DIFFERENCE when their products were applied on MY skin.

(read: as opposed to just seeing some celebrities like Cate Blanchett posing next to SK-II products in magazines)

And so I went and happily spent some 1.5 hours at the SK-II counter that day (while Wilson went out with the kids)

The friendly (and smooth, porcelain-faced!) staff did some skin checks, explained to me the results and recommended suitable SK-II products to address my specific needs, without changing much of my ‘lifestyle’, ie. preference for day-to-day practical skincare approach!

It was good and insightful, AND I learned more about what my skin is like and how to avoid unnecessary damage to it!

Oh btw, have you heard about this interesting story behind SK-II and its ingredient ‘Pitera®’?

Let me share with you a bit about it.

You see, it all began at a sake brewery in Japan, where scientists noticed the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, but extraordinarily soft and youthful-looking hands.  Their hands were apparently in constant contact with the sake fermentation process.  And so after years of research, scientists managed to isolate the ingredient Pitera®, a naturally-derived liquid from the yeast fermentation process, and have it as part of their skincare products’ ingredients .

AND. You know what?

I learned too that they’re having Christmas promotions right now!

They’re offering a choice of SEVEN unique Christmas sets with discounts between 34% and 41% off the normal price!

For example, take a look at these two sets:

Set 1: SK-II Pitera® Miracle Gift Set

This set includes their most popular product, Facial Treatment Essence (which contains more than 90% of Pitera®)

- Facial Treatment Cleanser 20g
- Skin Signature 15g
- Facial Treatment Essence 30ml
- Facial Treatment Clear Lotion 40ml
- Facial Treatment Mask 1 pc

SK-II special recommended Christmas Price is $99
(worth S$133, ie. 34% discount off)

Set 2: SK-II Pitera® Discover Set

- Facial Treatment Essence 75ml
- Facial Treatment Clear Lotion 150ml
- Facial Treatment Cleanser 20g
- Facial Treatment Cleasing Gel 15g
- Skin Signature 15g

SK-II special recommended Christmas Price is $173
(worth S$237, ie. 37% discount)

…

Now, I don’t about you but I LOVE those really nice leather cases!

And other than the fact that these sets are good value for money, they’ll sure make great festive gifts for loved ones too!

Actually, not just as a gift for others, … because after a whole year of hard work, it sure is nice too to pick a set and pamper ourselves once in a while.

*smile*

…

[More Info]
There are seven different Christmas sets available! All SK-II Christmas sets above, except for the SK-II Pitera® Inspiration Set, are available at SK-II counters island-wide since mid October 2009. The SK-II Pitera® Inspiration Set is only available at SK-II counters that sell the SK-II LxP range.

Happy shopping!

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[Trying to give his biggest smile without showing any teeth!]

At 3 years old, Vai knows his alphabets (all capital letters and almost all small letters) but he’s not that enthusiastic about learning to write.

He can write simple alphabets like ‘O’, ‘I’, ‘U’, ‘V’, and ‘Q’, but when asked to sit down, hold a pencil and learn how to write simple alphabet strokes with me by his side, the whole session can be over in less than 3 minutes! (He prefers to go off, jump around, and play with his cars).

And in responding to this, I know I have at least two choices.

I can choose :

… to be angry and impatient with him for not showing better interest in learning how to write

or

… to acknowledge that every child has different strengths, interests and learning styles, and scolding him for his ‘lack of interest’ in doing worksheets won’t do him any good.

(Anyway, isn’t it supposed to be absolutely normal for 3yo kids to NOT know how to write the alphabets yet?)

So I tell myself, I should just follow his pace and play along.

[Not quite sure where he got these moves from, hehe]

Since he’s more into play than doing worksheet stuff, here’s one idea I personally implement:

- I give him a piece of paper to scribble and draw for a while, then I show him how to write a particular alphabet by holding his hand while writing it out

- For example, after writing the letter ‘C’ together a few times, I then draw some dots and ask him to join the dots himself to make the letter ‘C’ (letting him choose whichever crayons / coloured pencils he’d like to use makes writing more interesting for him)

-  Then I’ll play ‘Guess what I’m drawing’, where I’ll draw things that begin with the letter ‘C’ (eg. ‘cat’, ‘cow’, ‘comb’), ask him to guess what it is, and once he’s guessed it correctly, I’ll write the word out. If he’s keen, he can then have another go in writing out the letter ‘C’ again on the drawing paper

And if he wants to end the session and move on to something else … I let him and we continue with the alphabet session some other time (read: a day or even a week later).

…

If you ask me, I totally have no idea how things will be like for Vai when he starts his nursery school next January.

Because I know, unlike Anya, he’s not quite the type who can sit down for a long time and ‘do work’ (read: Many / most schools here in Singapore, unfortunately, put much heavier emphasis on worksheets than play)

I really do hope he enjoys his formal learning days though.

Because I believe that one learns and remembers more when one enjoys the whole process of learning itself too.

…

[Photos]
We had some shoots done at home these past couple of days. With studio lights and all. And these are some of our captured shots, as photographed by Daddy.

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The school holiday is here!

And to those who’re thinking of where to bring the kids out and about, I’m sure the info below will be useful to you, as it’ll be to me! *Thanks to a friend of ours who shared the list in an email*

There are HEAPS of events happening btw, so I’m only listing some of the shows that we ourselves are interested in watching yeah …

Have fun spending time with your family!

…

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN SINGAPORE
One Christmas One Hope
Various venues in Orchard Road area & in front of Plaza Singapura
Nightly performances featuring mimes, plays, musicals & a Floats Parade, starting from 7pm to 11pm
Click HERE for more details.

ENJOY THE SNOW SESSION IN TANGLIN MALL!
Daily:
Avalanche*: 7.30pm - 7.45pm & 8.30pm - 8.45pm
Snow*: 7.45pm - 8.00pm & 8.45pm - 9.00pm
*subject to weather conditions

Sesame Street LIVE Show
1pm, 4pm & 7pm
Yew Tee Point, 20 - 22 Nov (Meet & Greet only)
Compass Point, 24 - 29 Nov
Causeway Point, 1 - 6 Dec
Northpoint, 8 - 13 Dec
Centrepoint, 15 - 20 Dec
Meet-n-Greet for first 40, no purchase required.

The Green Sheep play
Forum the Shopping Mall
21 Nov-6 Dec (except Tue), 1pm & 5pm

Looney Tunes Musical Live!
Downtown East, Event Square
22 Nov - 25 Dec (Weekends & Public Holidays ONLY)
6pm - 6.30pm (extra show on 21 Nov at 12.30pm)
*Meet & Greet for first 50; no min. spending required.

Looney Tunes Nite Parade
Downtown East, Event Square, The Alley & E!hub
21 Nov - 27 Dec (Weekends ONLY)
8pm - 8.30pm

Care Bears Live!
Tue-Thurs: 1pm & 7pm
Fri-Sun: 1pm, 5pm & 7pm
Plaza Singapura, 1 - 6 Dec
Sembawang Shopping Centre, 8 - 13 Dec
IMM, 15 - 20 Dec
*Spend $30 to redeem a pass for Meet & Greet OR Tea Party session.

Barney’s World of Imagination
United Square
2 - 14 Dec (except Tues)
Mon-Fri: 2pm & 7pm
Sat & Sat: 2pm, 5pm & 7pm
*Meet & Greet; min. $30 required.

Hi-5 Musical
Takashimaya Square, B2
3-13 Dec*, 1pm, 4pm & 7pm
*No shows on 6 Dec, 1pm & 7 Dec

Mickey & Friends Meet & Greet
Vivo City
4 - 14 Dec (except 10 Dec)
2pm & 3.30pm at Central Court, Level 1
6pm & 7.30pm at Amphitheatre, Level 3
*Spend $100 to redeem a pass for Meet & Greet session.

Bob the Builder Live! Show
Jurong Point, JP1 Centrestage
5 - 13 Dec
Tue–Fri: 1pm & 7pm
Sat & Sun: 1pm, 4pm & 7pm

Narnia the Musical
Forum the Shopping Mall
12 - 20 Dec (except Tue), 1pm & 5pm

Santa on Sleigh Meet & Greet
Jurong Point, JP1 Centrestage
15 - 25 Dec (except Mon)
5pm & 7pm

CHRISTMAS AT CHANGI
Changi Airport
11 Nov - 4 Jan

- Big Musical Ball
Over 6 metres high, this revolving creation of wonder will play your favourite Christmas carols; Sweets and Gifts will be dispensed at the end of the musical performances from 7pm to 10pm on weekdays and from 12noon to 10pm on weekends.

*Terminal 3, Public Area, Departure Check-in Hall Level 2 (in front of Departure Immigration)
*Musical performance will be at half-hourly interval from 6am to 10pm every day – 6am, 6:30am, 7am, 7:30am, 8am, 8:30am, 9am, 9:30am, 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am, 12noon, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, 4:30pm, 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm, 8:30pm, 9pm, 9:30pm and 10pm.

- Big Snow Fantasy
Kids will love spending hours bouncing and sliding at this delightful wonderland and experience the magic of snowfall.

*Terminal 3, Public Area, Departure Check-in Hall Level 2 (Check-in Row 11)
*12pm - 10pm

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One of the things I like about Singapore is that it tries to keep on improving its attractions’ facilities, especially when it has received constructive inputs worth considering from the public.

Like when the kids and I went to Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden some time ago, we noticed how they’ve changed the ‘fountains’ at its water-play area.


[It's A-maze-ing Play area]

There used to be metal water-pumps, which may prove to be rather dangerous for tiny little fingers. And they’ve all been replaced now with much safer ones.

I spotted a new play equipment at the sand-play area, and I saw quite a few people doing some construction works at a cordoned off area too. A new feature to be added, I guess.

Anyway.

I just thought it’s great to see how the management is open-minded about the need to change some things, to make things better than before.

And I believe the same philosophy applies to us and the way we live our lives as well.

…

Here’re a few more photos of the features at Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Just in case you’re thinking of visiting it for the first time!

Admission is free and it’s a great place for the whole family!

[Suspension Bridge]

[Tree house]

[Nice big tree to climb on, by the side of the sand-play area]

[Photos]
If you notice some ‘blurriness’ at the sides of all photos, it’s due to my Canon Ixus’ broken lens *smile*

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Anya had her first ballet exam last Thursday and it was all good!

Will post more photos soon.

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As we sang this hymn today, I solemnly read every single word of the song, and I was very moved by its deep and true meanings.

And I know, I just have to share it  … with a hope that it will also encourage, uplift and inspire everyone.

The full lyrics are below, and click HERE to listen to the song (performed by St. Phillips Choir from the UK)

…

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

…

[More info]
Text: Psalm 46:10
Author: Catharine Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1855
Titled: “Stille, mein Wille”
Composer: Jean Sibelius, b. 1865, arr.

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