S.E.A. Aquarium

The last day of the year was another fantastic day out to S.E.A. Aquarium on Sentosa Island. It is the world's largest aquarium and opened recently. They've just completed the complex and are still in the process of getting more fish, sharks and dolphins (Oliver was very sad he didn't see any dolphins) so it didn't look as good as they show you on their website yet.

But we were planning to go out in the evening for the big countdown so we thought this would be a perfect place for a quick visit, a nice cool indoor adventure.



We bought an annual pass so that we can visit there again, once they have more fish :)



I guess lots of tourists were in Singapore to spend their New Years Eve and thought this was a great place to visit. It was very crowded!!

I was a bit anxious as so many people were around me but not enough fish :(

See what I mean? It doesn't look like they had lots of fish in the great big tank right?



But the kids were very happy :) Here is Mina:



And Luca:



Did you notice? We were dressed in matching black top and jeans :)



This was quite cool, a glass floor to see some sharks and stingrays:



Luca loved these floating balls - as he called them:



When we walked into this area, I finally went Woooooow!! The Open Ocean Area was huge! Even though there were so many people you don't bump into anyone and can enjoy looking at amazing creatures.



There were seats like a theatre so you can either sit there or you could get close to the glass and see them. We decided to have a little picnic there (not sure we were allowed or not but no one came to tell us off).



Can you see little fish were following a huge manta ray?









We were well charged up for the rest of the attractions, like this shark sea tunnel: 





And more tropical fish:





This little guy was my favourite - they didn't move much, looked like fake fish on a string!



I love that most of the Singapore attractions have lots of kiddy educational play areas - this time it was a huge map of South East Asia.







We spent much longer than we planned to in the end. We hadn't had lunch and it was after 2pm! We had to treat ourselves for the last lunch of the year at our favourite sushi restaurant at Vivocity.





We might have ordered a little bit too much...

I am looking forward to visiting the aquarium again in a few months time. It will be our new weekend place to go for sure!

Playtime

Great to see the kids happily playing in their pajamas!

Older pair:







And the little pair:

Panda Panda Panda!

We were all up early and ready for the day. All the kids were super excited to see the Giant Pandas at the zoo (Oliver and Luca have already seen them, but they were more excited as they knew what to expect I think).

Being on a Sunday there were so many people already lining up to get the tickets when we got there. We waited maybe 20 mins or so then got both our zoo tickets and Panda tickets (you need separate tickets to view the Pandas).

While waiting, the kids got a Panda name badge each:



And studied about Pandas:





Ready for a big day out!!



I really like the way they limit the number of people who can go into the enclosure at one time. You don't need to queue up for so long and can get a good view of these amazing animals.

We were a bit disappointed to be told at the entrance that one of the Pandas woudn't be there as she was away for some check ups (there are two, Kai Kai & Jia Jia). But it turned out she was already back by the time we got there! Lucky!

I think we picked the right timing, they were both so active, eating, walking around and playing! So adorable! They certainly look like Giant fluffy teddies!





The little ones were so into them!







They even have two Lesser Pandas in the same exhibition area, Oliver's new favourite:



We had some lunch at our new picnic spot -  the manatee and penguin area, where we can see great big manatees swimming around in the tank.

Food always tastes so good when you eat it outside!



In the afternoon we watched the elephant show, went to the snake house and saw African animals etc etc.







Even watching the fish was fascinating to them :)



We were all very tired at the end of the day, but it was certainly a great day out!

Brunke family is here!

How we were all awaiting for their arrival! Especially Oliver, he was so looking forward to having his little friend Helen stay at his new house.

They arrived on the 29th in the early afternoon. We had some exciting catch up playdates and coffee in the apartment for a while then took the kids down for a fresh swim.



It is always great to have hubbies in the water with the kids so that us wifies can enjoy proper chit chat.
Unfortunately it rained earlier in the day, the water was a bit chilly so we couldn't stay too long...



We had a BBQ ready for dinner. It is nice to be able to do so on our own balcony (we weren't sure about bringing our BBQ with us from Brunei when we moved but it turned out to be a great decision!).



The kids ate well which is always a great bonus. Mina and Luca looked so cute sitting together in their high chairs!



We spent the rest of the night just relaxing in the lounge and planning our next few days. Very busy but exciting days ahead!

A Happy New Year

We had such an amazing end of the year & New Year holiday with our close friends. We did so much and now it is time to load up all the great photos to share our wonderful holiday experiences with you!

Matthew is back from an Osaka flight, Oliver is happy at school, time for me to work on my computer!

Before I start the posts, we would like to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR !! 
May 2013 bring you more smiles and happiness!!


Luca (1&1/2), Oliver (3&1/2) 01/01/2013

It will be another exciting year for us Roses, bring it on 2013!!