This piece was recreated using Sylvanian Families' Pleasure Boat set. I didn't have the complete set as it was 'donated' ...
August seems to be a celebratory month, we have National Day, National Dog Day and on August 30 we have International Whale Shark Day - a day to celebrate, educate and promote whale sharks' conservation.
Some interesting facts about whale sharks:
- Whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet. An adult can grow up to 14m - the size of a double decker bus.
- While the name confuses many, whale sharks are actually sharks and not whales.
- They are filter feeders and feed mainly on plankton, krill and small fish.
- They have tiny 6mm long teeths.
- Each whale shark has a unique skin pattern, which make it easy for researchers to track them.
- It is still unknown how whale sharks reproduce which pose serious extinction concerns.
Back in 2013, we had our own personal encounters with these gentle giants in the beautiful Philippines island, Cebu. This is something I have in my bucket list ever since I saw it on a travel documentary. The experience is just so amazing, I would never imagine having a chance to get so close up with these beautiful creatures. Whale shark tourism has always been controversial, please do it responsibly and make sure you do not harm them in any way.
On the other hand, the whale shark tourism has also contributed tremendously to Oslob's income (around 1000 peso/pax for a 20 mins swim). In the past, fishermen detest these polka dots creatures as they eat up their bait or scare away the fishes they have been trying to catch. Now, they are compassionate to them and learn to live and 'work' with them. We even heard stories about how local fishermen protect them from illegal hunters.
If you do want to swim with these gentle giants, do remember the dos and donts. And if possible, avoid going on a weekend.
August seems to be a celebratory month, we have National Day, National Dog Day and on August 30 we have International Whale Shark Day - a...
This is a fairly easy to make artificial terrarium. You can also try using real moss, personally all my real terrariums died after a few months so I prefer to use artificial ones - low cost and low maintenance!
So for the materials:
1. Artificial flowers - plucked them from an old pot of flowers table display
2. Glass bowl - recycled this from my dead terrarium
3. Artificial Wreath - $2 from Daiso (it's a Japanese thrift shop)
4. Glass marbles - recycled them from my fish tank decor. It's probably only a few bucks from your local craft shop.
5. Animals and mushroom mini toys - mostly from my dead terrarium, i think the deer was from last year Christmas log cake :)
To build your mini Wonderland:
1. Simply fill up the bowl with blue marbles or blue sand
2. Place the wreath above the marbles
3. Pluck in your mini toys decor
4. And it's done!
This is a fairly easy to make artificial terrarium. You can also try using real moss, personally all my real terrariums died after a few...
It’s been a few crazy months at work and I really need a
good break! It’s also K’s early birthday celebration so we’ve decided to do a
staycation since both of us are unable to go away due to work commitment. We know what we were looking for - a hotel that is centrally
located so we can easily get there after work. And one with a pool (the weather
is extremely hot these days!) with an awesome city view. We finally settled down for Hotel Jen Orchardgateway because
of the reasonable price (S$270) in a central location. In addition to that, it
is a fairly new hotel – i.e we expect the facilities to be quite new too.
1. Room with a City View
We stayed one night in the Superior King Room with City View. The room was very comfortable in every way. It’s not a very big room but it is still considered quite spacious for a room in town (27 m²). My favorite spot is the window seating area – the perfect nook to read a book, sit back and enjoy the skyscraper view. We also had a good night sleep in the king size bed with a firm mattress and soft pillow.
2. Personalized Guest Experience
The unique thing about this hotel is how the Shangri-la Group has personified the hotel into a character. ‘Jen’ is a virtual persona who presents herself as the hotel manager and speaks to us as a first person. It almost feels like we are staying in someone else apartment – making the experience more ‘homely’.
Credit:
www.hoteljen.com
3. High-Tech Gym Equipment
I love the gym equipment, they are so new and high tech with tv channels, music stations… I like how we can cycle into a virtual journey through scenic routes with beautiful landscapes. Best part is there’s hardly anyone using the gym! And also not forgetting the awesome view while we exercise.
4. Central Location
Hotel Jen is situated right beside Somerset mrt – right above Singapore’s shopping paradise. It is a short walk to almost everywhere. We chose not to have our meals in the hotel as there are so many more dining choices in 313, Central, Ion, Centrepoint, Cuppage….
I love the gym equipment, they are so new and high tech with tv channels, music stations… I like how we can cycle into a virtual journey through scenic routes with beautiful landscapes. Best part is there’s hardly anyone using the gym! And also not forgetting the awesome view while we exercise.
4. Central Location
Hotel Jen is situated right beside Somerset mrt – right above Singapore’s shopping paradise. It is a short walk to almost everywhere. We chose not to have our meals in the hotel as there are so many more dining choices in 313, Central, Ion, Centrepoint, Cuppage….
The photos of the roof top swimming pool on their website sealed our decision to stay in Hotel Jen for our staycation. And indeed it didn’t disappoint us. We are not very good swimmers but we enjoy the jacuzzi and just dipping in the cool water and relaxing in the infinity pool. The view is so great that I really do not want to leave the pool if not for the after breakfast crowd. The view at night is quite awesome too – you can see Marina Bay Sand beautifully lit up during their nightly light show at 8pm.
It’s been a few crazy months at work and I really need a good break! It’s also K’s early birthday celebration so we’ve decided to do a s...
