Activity: Farmart Centre

On National Day, we decided that we would spend some time outside. We didn't really know where to go but since we were in CCK area visiting a friend, I suggested going to some of the farms nearby.

We haven't been to Farmart Centre before but we have heard of it. For us, we are only interested in the Mini Animal Corner, just to let Irfan see some animals. It's great that they are open on Public Holidays as well, from 9am - 6.30pm.

A big entrance welcomed us. We saw that the eatery was quite happening with some singing by some aunties and uncles. Haha. 

We headed down the steps and walked to a path at the end which leads to the Animal Corner.

We didn't expect it but the Animal Corner really had quite a number of cages of animals, from rabbits to guinea pigs, fish, frogs, birds and 2 mountain goats! Hahah the goats were the main stars of the show because they are very cute and friendly.

We purchased $5 worth of animal food : some leafy veggie, carrots, sunflower seeds and pellet food.

Irfan fed the goats and seem confused. Why these animals taking my veggie and carrots?? (Cos usually we are the ones feeding him, he hasn't learn to offer us food yet)

Anyway, in the end it seems that I am enjoying the trip much more than my baby hahaha. i loveeeee the goats and birds especially. there is a grey parrot (googled : Congo Grey Parrot / African Grey Parrot) who said hello and bye bye to me! Of course he deserved extra sunflower seeds from me <3

Watch the video on my YouTube:

Overall, we didn't expect to have that much fun as it was unplanned. But we're really glad that we did explore the Lim Chu Kang area (we also drove around to some plant nurseries). LOVE TO BE AWAY FROM THE BUSY CITY LIFE DEFINITELY.

And happy 53rd birthday Singapore!

Farmart Centre 

67 Sungei Tengah Road, S(699008)

Mini Animal Corner

Weekdays: 9.00am – 1.00pm

Weekends & Public Holidays: 9.00am – 6.30pm

School Holidays: 9.00am – 4.00pm

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Exploration: Jurong River

Highlights of our trip

Hi everyone! It's another Exploration post - we will share a place which requires you to get up on your feet and jump right in into an adventure :D

This time round, we're bringing you to Jurong River. Located in between Singapore Straits and Jurong Lake Park, the Jurong River can also be seen from AYE.

The star indicates the 'entrance' from which we entered from.

Walking to the entrance is not a hassle from my home in Teban Gardens, so it will be as easy if you're here in the neighbourhood.

The entrance

With my family, so excited!

Be prepared to walk through some tall grass and soft, muddy ground.

The path was better maintained than I last remembered.

Do remember to use your CALAMINE LOTION if you're worried about mosquitoes.

My auntie and cousins were already there when we reached and they have set up a fire to chase off the mosquitoes away + to cook whatever catch we managed to get.

Setting up the fire

When we reached at around 2.30pm,it was high tide so we couldn't go further in to dig for clams. You can always check out the high/low tide timings HERE.

The tide information for that day. H indicates High Tide and L indicates Low Tide.

High Tide - Suitable for fly-fishing or netting.

My mum and brother tried their hand at netting. Me too actually, but I was totally noob about it. lol

The surprising thing was that my cousins found some oysters. These shellfish can be found clinging to rocks and you can pry them off slowly. The important thing is to watch out for those barnacles (!!) those things are horrible and they can easily cut your hands.

Of course these are not the best grade of oysters and the only way I would suggest to eat them is by really making sure they are fully cooked. I managed to find one oyster of my own and it was the smallest! (Bottom right pic)

Shucking and cooking the oysters.

Playing in the water

After a few hours, we could see that the tide was slowly going back down. We managed to find some clams which most we cooked straight and ate over there. :D

Lol. My mum posing, this is possible during low tide.

Low tide: Best for digging for clams, finding oysters and netting. My sister found the biggest clam!

These clams are also known as lala and they have a slight sweet taste.

The yellow canoe is good for resting.
Also, as written on the tree: Please Keep This Area Clean :)

It was close to 6pm so we made our way back home. Us siblings would have loved to stay longer as we started to find more clams since the tide was getting lower. The netting didn't go so well so it probably would be better in low tide as well.

The journey back home was as beautiful (From top left clockwise: Flowers creeping on fences, Containers and machineries on both sides, Spot the bird!, Going back where we came from)

Into the dustbin they go.

Also, my jogging shoes were totally gone by the time I reached home! Okay these were quite old (at least 5 years old) so there wasn't any hard feelings for me to part with them. Also, do wear old clothings which you wouldn't mind getting a bit dirty.

One last wefie before we head back home

It was really a fun and fruitful experience and great for family bonding. My parents have already started planning on their next visit and I would also love to go again when it is low tide. 

Hope you liked this post. Thank you to my family, my auntie and cousins for being there. Wouldn;t be possible without you all! :)

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Activity: Singapore Night Festival 2015

The Anooki Celebrate Singapore

By now everyone would probably have known about the currently ongoing yearly night festival. This is the 8th time this event of arts is held in Singapore.The Night Fest will be held for 2 consecutive weekends - 21st & 22nd Aug and the week after, 28th and 29th August.

The guides and pamphlets provide detailed information on the art installments plus lets you know what's going on for the night!

Grab your handy dandy guide books/pamphlets because they're super useful! You can also view or print the online version via their website HERE.

We tried out Momolato's Australian Mango sorbet popsicle. Refreshing!

I brought my sisters for the first week's exhibitions. We did arrive quite late into the night (9++pm) at Bras Basah MRT Station and by then, a throng of crowd had already gathered to watch some performance in front of the Singapore Art Museum. We gave it a pass since there were too many people.

Mirror bombs - So bling bling

The first arts showcase we went to was at the Chapel in SAM. The place was so mesmerising. Lots of people were taking selfies under these lights and from my pic, you could see that most of them were mesmerised by them. LOL

Project Dreamcatchers 2015 illustrates what it's like to live with chronic illness.

The entrance to Project Dreamcatchers was lovely and different as we were guided by a trail of blue paper planes.

Wall of paper planes with was popular for selfies.

Secret Message

We Are Family.

My favourite installment from The Learning Gallery - Once Upon This Island was The Hidden Dimension II. It's a video/animation of a family going about their daily habits until they were interrupted by something which made them all stop at the same time in different parts of the house. You gotta catch the dad taking potato chips out of his mouth as the video loops backwards. XD

Some of my favourite scenes from 'Cabinet'

Titled 'Cabinet', this is one of my favourites. There were these rows of what seem like lockers with holes and light in them. Upon a peek into these holes, there were very detailed scenes. Everyone of them shows an entirely different world. 

'No More Tears Mr Lee' was made with 8000 plastic bottle shampoo caps, a nice play of Johnson's baby products.

Love the handcut design [HDB Corridor - Faster apply for your pie in the sky]

We surrrender! Kidding.

One of the most instagram-ed photo/video are of The Anooki! - these hyper Inuits running across our National Museum. I managed to get my instagram-worthy video as well :p

Our exploration was limited to SAM as we wanted to catch the last train home :) It was something new for my sisters 

Don't worry if you missed it last week. You can drop by again this Friday or Saturday for Week 2's performances. Click here to check out Week 2 highlights!

The museums are also open till late (up till 1am for most) so it will be something different than your usual late night hangouts :) There are also activities, light installations, shows and concerts! For me, I'll definitely be coming again this weekend as I still havent finish exploring and seeing everything. Heh :D

See you all there!

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Smove Car Sharing

Cheap car rentals?
Only need a car for a few short specific hours for errands?
Fast & Easy registration?
Look no further!! This company Smove has the answer for you.

To why we prefer renting from Smove to other rental companies are:

• Why need a car for 24hours? I need my beauty sleep -.-
• Awesome millage. One tank can hit 700+km? 
• Spacious interior. I was surprised it is very roomy
• Don't have to wash the car
• Don't have to fuel the car
• Keyless entry. Your Ez-link card (chosen during registration) is your key
• Environmental Friendly. Yes, its a hybrid.

Ok, that are the few reasons why we prefer Smove than other rental companies. Its simple, fast and of course, the service is reliable. It only took 1-2 working days for the sign up and yes, everything is done online. No need to physically sign or meet anyone.

What about the car collection? Select your preferred location (there's a few while currently most are located in the West). Use your Ez-link. Tap on the reader and POOP!, the door unlocks and you're ready to go. Keyless feature!

How to use Smove:

The ultimate reason of why Smove and not other company. Its CHEAP! For $40*** bucks INCLUSIVE of petrol, you can drive all night long from 6.30pm - 830am the next day. WHAT!??? Best of all, you need not top up petrol. Its a hybrid for goodness sake. Fuel consumption is awesome.

***WEF From 1st August 2015, Smove has revised their pricing :(

Given that its a hybrid, I was surprise it that the ride turns out really good. It has cruise control!! GPS! Bluetooth Audio Connection! Cool features!! ok thats it. haha..

Also, since Hari Raya is around the corner and sometimes we need to buy lots of goodies or run errands, Smove is a cheap way to make the whole trip comfortable.

Read up on our previous post >> Tai Sun Potato Chips at Warehouse Prices!

Well, if you're a car enthusiast like me, you'll enjoy the ride. Here are some shots of the car.

It's a 2015 Toyata Prius. 1.5Litre Electrical-Variable Engine.
Combine them, you'll have an impressive punch and not to forget, fuel economy! (But it's not like you have to fuel the car)

Just look out for this sign board and you know the car is there.

Impressive cockpit! 

Use Smove car service for easy transportation / cheap car rental!

Only $5 per 15minutes or rent for a day for as cheap as $40.

Use the following link to receive $20 credit for your first ride :)

smove.sg/invite/amsyar33467

Registration is free, first payment will only be deducted after your first drive so register today!

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Recipe: Mandarin Orange Cookies

Happy Chinese New Year to all our Chinese friends and readers!!

It's a long weekend, what are you guys doing to enjoy these few days? Probably collecting hong baos right? :D If you're like Mr @amsyarstifler, he's currently at work. Time doesn't stop for our Singaporean heroes like him ;) Well as for me... I had a lazy morning and then baked some goodies for tea! 

In the spirit of CNY what best to celebrate it with other than Mandarin Orange Cookies!

Orange butter cookies

You can use any butter cookies recipe. Scroll down if you're interested to use the recipe I used. To get the orangey flavour, I added about a tablespoon or two of grated orange peel and half the juice from a mandarin orange.

After that, the dough is chilled in the freezer for about half an hour while I preheat the oven and prepare the frosting.

Into the oven they go

Place the cookies on a cooling rack once they're out of the oven

The orange frosting recipe is very simple, the recipe is provided below but I didn't do any exact measurements. I kept my frosting very thin (it's almost like a glaze) and not too sweet. The orange flavour is intense and the smell is really wonderful!! I love this frosting so much, I will probably drizzle it on cakes next time :)

Remember to place a sheet of plastic below to catch the excess drips!

I would recommend to add a bit of cinnamon powder, it really does wonders!

Hehe. My cute orange cookie!

...and half of it! :D yumms

Mandarin Orange Cookies Recipe:

Serves 5-6 45 minutes Butter Cookie mix
250g unsalted butter (softened)
220g sugar
1 egg
Squeezed juice from 1/2 of mandarin orange
2 tablespoons of grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
300g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt

Combine butter, sugar and egg in a bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add orange juice, orange peel and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Add flour and baking powder, beat at low speed until everything's combined together.

Divide dough into thirds and shape each third into a ball. Cover each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate (by right, it's supposed to be for 2-3 hours but I couldn't wait that long). For the last third, add green food colouring. (this will be for the leaves). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Roll out one ball of dough on lightly floured surface. Keep it at about 1/2cm thick and use cookie cutters to cut it into round shapes. Place about 3cm apart on baking sheets and bake for 8-11 minutes, or until corners appear slightly golden brown. Once done, remove to a cooling rack immediately. Cool completely and apply frosting.

Frosting
Powdered sugar ~80g
Butter ~20g
Juice from the other half of the mandarin orange (Add lesser for thicker consistency)
1 tablespoon of grated orange peel
Red and yellow food colouring = Orange!
Cinnamon powder

Mix everything except the cinnamon powder and it's done!
Frost cookies and sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon powder.

There you did it! Your very own mandarin orange cookies!

*applause*

Best enjoyed with a mug of homemade Ice Lemon Tea!

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it :D

Happy holidays everyone!
And happy baking ;)

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