Road Signs Don’t Tell All

A feast for the eyes. Soothing to the soul. Breathtakingly beautiful.
 

Navigating this area feels like driving through the scenic countryside of Australia. Unknown to many, nestled in a quiet, unnoticeable part of Bukit Timah, the Bukit Timah Saddle Club offers the perfect getaway from the hectic bustle of city life right here in Singapore.

I have driven past this road almost daily on my way home but the dingy-looking road sign gives no hint of the almost-paradise town that lies deep inside. After discovering this place last week, I came up with my own version to the old adage “never judge a book by its cover” - “road signs don’t tell all”!

With lush greenery …

Old fashioned road signs …

Horses grazing …

Cantering …

Standing …     
Or guzzling 100 Plus (saw it with my own eyes!) …

You feel transported right into a different world.

Have a lazy breakfast or spend an idle afternoon in any one of the quaint eateries. With picturesque surroundings and an occasional horse trotting by …

You are guaranteed to leave feeling refreshed. Revitalized.

The Great Discovery

I caught the Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery DVD a couple of weeks back at a friend’s place and it was simply awesome! In this all-new movie narrated by Pierce Brosnan, Sodor Day is coming and all the engines are busy preparing. When Thomas gets lost in the mountains, he discovers the old town of Great Waterton and very soon, the whole island is restoring the town in time for the big day. Complete with catchy songs and suspense-filled adventures, this episode also features a new engine friend named Stanley!

After watching it, Julian was so enthralled by the thrills of the movie that he “begged” me to buy him the latest Thomas set that was featured on the back cover of the DVD. I could not help thinking this was a really smart advertising move by Hit Toys Company!

After much sourcing around, I realized it was not available locally and had to buy it online from Amazon.com and shipped it in using Citibank Globeshopper. It was relatively hassle-free with reasonable shipping charges and the item arrived within a week! Top this off with secure payment via Paypal, it is no small wonder many parents are going online to shop for toys these days especially since the range carried by local toy distributors is so limited. Once started, online shopping can be addictive!

Here’s a preview of what we bought.

RC Racing

Julian has been bugging us over the last few weeks to bring him to watch what he calls “dirt track racing” so finally on Saturday (July 25, 2009), we decided to make the trip.

He was really excited and armed with a pair of binoculars, we set out to the only RC racing circuit I know at Turf City! However, there was no “dirt track racing” that day and he settled for “street racing” instead.

 Trekking towards the destination

“Street track” 

  RC cars running on gasoline

Racing stand

Mommy taking a turn

Watching like a pro!

 Lemme see the action!

Bridging the Generation Gap

I have seen on so many blogs postings of visits to the zoo but seriously, how can we ever underestimate the importance of the Singapore Zoo as one of the “pathetically few” key attractions of our nation (!), and as a great place for friendship building and bridging the generation gap (even for a couple of hours) as people - young and old – come together, in fascination at encountering the creatures of nature up close and personal.

For our family, we had one such opportunity on a beautiful, breezy Saturday morning, where 6 of us – Ye Ye, Nai Nai, Daddy, Mommy, Julian & Nana – headed for Mandai and had a time of our lives!

Arrival at Destination

 Posing at Zoo Entrance

 Heading for Adventure

Directions

Jules: “I like trams more than animals!”

Getting Started!
  The Primates

  More Animals

Miscellaneous Shots

Jules’ and Mommy’s Favorite Animal!

Jules: “I really like jeeps too!!!”

 Wait for Me!

 Catching the Ferry Ride

 

 Children’s Zoo

Just Strolling / Running …

 Expressions

“Happy Face” Bread

A good friend just passed me a box of very cute “Happy Face” bread she bought for Julian and I simply could not resist posting some shots of it here! I am sure Jules will absolutely love it!

She told me she specially selected one with a boy & a girl!

Tomica Town

Being a lover of Tomica toys myself, I persuaded TY to help construct a Tomica Town for Julian since I had recently redeemed some Isetan vouchers. It was really fun as the both of us put it together while Jules was asleep. When we showed him the completed set the following morning, he went “waaaaaahhh” and was silent for almost a full minute, looking at it with mixed admiration and disbelief, before starting to play with it!

It is truly a beautiful set that will make any little boy’s day! His Daddy even made roads for him out of cutout cardboard including realistic-looking white markings on it! My favorite is the Nissan Showroom, complete with car and revolving car display turntable. Check it out!

Car Service Center

Garage & Road Crossing

Police Post

Nissan Showroom with Revolving Turntable!

Petrol Kiosk & Carwash
 Our Tomica Town