With the party out of the way, I can now look forward to a relaxing Sunday. While the kids were having their own breakfast and watching PlayHouse Disney with our domestic helper, TT and I sneaked away for a quick breakfast at Alexandra Village food centre. We both had the Depot Road Claypot laksa, which was delicious with all the harmful "harm" (cockles)! Unhealthy and yummy!
Then it was off to Botanic Gardens, our favourite park, with the kids... Weather was pretty good - cloudy and not too sunny. Still, it was hot and humid. We did our favourite activity, which was to feed the fishes and turtles with all the leftover bread "donated" by my sister. Thereafter TT played badminton with Cheryl, while Isaac played with his ball. I took the opportunity to exercise our new Canon IXUS 800is camera, taking macro shots of flowers and insects and also closeup shots of the kids.
Back home in the afternoon, while Isaac was taking a nap, I finally found some time to patch the grouting of our floor, and Cheryl even helped me for a while. But somehow the colour of the grouting appears lighter... I dunno, got a feeling it'll start to disintegrate soon, if Isaac and Cheryl continues scouring the house with the trike and scooter. (Update 1 week later: As expected, grouting has all come off already)
Isaac woke up in the late afternoon, and he had an early dinner of porridge. Then we set off to the National Library to return the books we borrowed three weeks earlier, but decided to have our dinner first instead. We ended up at a restauarant called Mint Cafe, along Seah Street which was situated at the basement of the Mint Museum of Toys. I had mushroom penne in cream sauce while TT had seafood ariabiata, and Cheryl had kid's spaggetti. Food was good (even Cheryl said so), serving staff was very friendly and the place was very cosy, though I don't know how they can survive with so little tables. I figured the place must be pretty new, because Isaac was the first baby to use their brand new Mothercare high chair! The kids had lots of fun at the large cosy lounging area with comfy designer sofas and also clammering up and down the white stairs leading up to the street level. They also provided activity sheets and crayons for the kids (but probably should invest in better crayons).
After dinner we walked back to the Library. We had less than an hour before closing time at 9pm. It was Cheryl's third time there, but Isaac's first, and he loved the open spaces and the children's area. He played hide and seek with the rows of bookshelves and it was really difficult to control his delighted giggles and laughter. On the other hand, Cheryl was the model library goer, reading a Madeline book with Daddy. They had designer plastic chairs (called Troili designed by Eero Aarnio) which TT thought was really ingenious. You can use the chair at 2 heights and also use it as a rocking toy. I wish I had brought my camera to take pictures, but you can see them here anyway. It costs ₤95 each! We borrowed a couple of Madeline, Eric Carle and other books. We couldn't find any Harold and the Purple Crayon books which we had returned earlier (thinking we could find them again later... without paying renewal charges of 50cents... cheapskate right?).
Personal Favourites
FOOD
(All 3 stalls mentioned below are located at the outermost column nearer to DBS Bank at Alexandra Food Centre)
Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa.
Mee Pok (1st corner stall facing Bt Merah Rd). TT likes this stall.
Teng Yu Chee Cheong Fun. I like this stall's handmade chee cheong fun with fillings of prawns or char siew. Sauce and chilli is also unique. May need to wait sometimes because it is made only when ordered.
PLACES TO GO
Botanic Gardens. Shady and cool even on sunny days because of all the big trees in the park. Lots of fishes and turtles to feed. Bring lots of leftover bread. Some people even bring fresh loaves though I think it's rather wasteful. Parking at the visitor centre can be a nightmare.
National Library. I love the open spaces there, though the central borrowing area at B1 is a little crammed when crowded. Children's area is pretty cosy but lack non-fiction & information books compared to say, Queenstown
Library (the other library I frequent). Or maybe I just haven't got time to explore the place, having to keep an eye on Isaac most of the time. I haven't really explored the rest of National Library yet but anything new is nice! Love the clean toilets too!
BOOKS (Children)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson)
Magic Beach (Crockett Johnson)
Madeline Books (Ludwig Bemelmans)
Where are you Going? To See My Friend! (Eric Carle and Kazuo Iwamura)
Draw Me a Star (Eric Carle)
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