[Review] Pop Art - heART Studio Sg

POP ART made its debut in the 1950s and has remained a prominent artistic movement. It is an art in which daily objects around us were used as a subject matter. It can be dots, road signs, comic strips, soup cans, food, flowers or even patterns, the list goes on. It meant to be cool, bold, fun, young where you see bright colours. A popular art for all and does not limit. 

Vera was introduced to Artist Takashi Murami and was guided to draaw a portrait of this artist.

Under the POP ART Series, she was also asked to work on this cute puppy painting with a preference of painting it on 3 grids with bright colours by her choice. 

Step by step, guided painting

I love this painting totally with its vibrant colours and her pup! Same same but different. She even add on lashes for it. 

Vera was from Little Picasso (Suitable for 6-8 yo) and there are the programmes for various age group:

Little Botero (3- 4.5yo)

Little Dali (4.5 - 6yo)

Young Van Gogh (8 yo and above)

Portfolio Building Programme (For DSA)

heART Studio Singapore

1 Charlton Road

#01-04

Singapore 539631

 Tel: 65547653

Read on our previous lessons: 

1st Review on heART Studio Sg

My very own clay tiles

For more infomation, you can visit them on Facebook | Instagram | Website

[Media Invite] Let's Go Tour << A long long time ago: Villages to High Rises >>

It has been 8 years, I have always wanted to bring Xav and Vera to visit Kampung Lorong Buangkok 【罗弄万国淳村】but I did not as it is considered a private land and I thought it was not nice to trespass into the private property.

Finally, my wish came true because of our very own local award-winning tour agency Let's Go Tour Singapore has curated this guided tour  << A Long Long Time Ago: Villages to High Rises >> to be part of the 10 immersive and experiential walking tours in the new launch of 'This Is Home' Local Edu-Tainment Tour Series. 

With the current pandemic which has totally affected everyone's desire to globe-trot again, why not take this opportunity and rediscover Singapore, our very own little red dot. 

The Surau, Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Designed to be family-friendly as well, families can bond through these tours as we could learn more about our local heritage, culture as well as the untouched nature! The feeling when I had when I stepped foot into the kampong was totally different, I felt so carefree and relaxed to be surrounded by the greens and tranquillity, the sound of the raindrops hitting the zinc roofs can be quite therapeutic. 

The only place left with a 4 digit postal code in Singapore

water level indicator 

Though it was raining the whole morning, that did not dampen our mood to explore Mdm Sng's guesthouse and learnt more about kampong life was back then in the pre-80s, through the knowledgeable guide. 

Met the owner, Mdm Sng who shared with us the kampong stories and how the residents in the village are closely knitted with one another. You would probably not be able to guess how much the monthly rental of per house. It is really based on friendship price! Where can we find a place with rental that is only ranging from as low as $4.50 - $30 per month and this rental fee has never changed since 1970s!

With land owner,  Mdm Sng Mui Hong

A typical kampong house, Mdm Sng's guesthouse

Spot those appliances at the background? It's a good exposure to let them take a look at the appliances of the past and make Xavier think about how technology had improved the lives of people. 

Big barrel to hold rainwater for other usages 

They were shared about the games of yesteryears where gadgets like Ipad and smartphone were not in existence. I remembered my childhood days, playing catching and zero-point was part of the activities we played during recess. 

Games of yesteryears

Five stones

Pick up Sticks

Taught the kids how to make the rubber rope for Zero-point

Testing of the fine motor skills. 

Zero point! 

Do you also know that beside Lorong Buangkok, this kampong is also known as Kampong Selak Kain? The frequent flash floods in the vicinity made the villagers "Selak" their sarongs higher so as to prevent themselves from getting wet. As Colin explained, he also showed us how to wear a sarong correctly. 

Those were the days when there was no ice-cream nor gelato. Sng Bao (Flavoured ice packs) was popular and very welcome on hot weather days. Here in the kampong, one of the village residents made them exactly the way it was in the past, using real fruits. 

Sng bao should be open in this way.  

Vera's 1st time

A very retro-looking background

No brolly, use a leaf!

Expect a walk around the village and you get to see pretty lots of interesting plants! We even got to try Chinese Chestnuts (not the ones sold in pasar malam) 

Do you know that banana is actually from the ginger family?

Cocoa fruit

Though we are missing Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto but we can find one bamboo forest within Lorong Kampong!

Kampong Lorong Buangkok is built in 1956 and is the last surviving kampong in Singapore. I hope it will never be on the URA Masterplan and the conservation of the kampong to stay permanent. This space represents the transition of Singapore's housing system. 

Duration of tour: 2 hours

Cost: $200 (2-3 pax) / $250 (4-5 pax)

Psssst, you can use your tourism credits given by our Ah Gong with effect from 1 December 2020! 

Website: https://www.letsgotoursingapore.com/ 

Facebook: Letsgotoursg

Instagram: Letsgotoursingapore

This is one of the many Let's Go experiences. We have gone for the following: 

Trails of Tan Ah Huat

Let's Go Cook Singapore

You also read more about it on The Straits Time article dated 12 Sep 2020

Thanks for having us AT Marketing Consultancy and Let's Go Tour Singapore! 

[Review] COSMOS PRIME Air Purifier

Air purifier is a much needed appliance in my household especially during hazy season as Xav used to have very sensitive airways that caused him to wheeze. Both the kids have one each in their room and COSMOS PRIME is our new addition! 

COSMOS PRIME Air Purifier is designed in Germany, I fell in love with the minimalist and clean design the moment I unboxed it. Measuring at 49.7 cm (H), 27 cm (W), 30.3 cm (L) and it comes with a different colour indicator for its lighting:

Blue light - Clean Air 

Yellow light - Average 

Red light - Poor

I can operate on the smart touch panel or by an app and monitor via the smart monitoring system on my phone, it is pretty cool! And if you are worried about the curious fingers from the little ones, you can actually child-lock it to prevent them from playing with the smart touch panel. There is also a 3-speed setting I can choose from and be prompted when the filter needs a replacement. 

With a lited indicator, I got to see clearly the indicator, how clean was the air. I have the most sensitive nose, with it being so sensitive to dust, dust mite, pollens and even temperature change to name a few. Unfortunately, you name it, I have it. However, the sensitivity of my nose has been greatly improved and I no longer wakes with a stuffy nose. 

COSMO's SilentMotor- VX Technology enables it to run very silently, at 20 decibels. Especially when I chose sleep mode, I can choose to leave the lights on as night light or to simply switch it off for complete darkness.

COSMOS PRIME air purifier's filter is made of H13 medical-grade HEPA filter could remove 99.97% of particles down to 0.1 microns and best of it is, it emits anions to wipe out germs! This is so important with the current covid situation and on top of that, anions have shown to improve our mood, promote better quality sleep, strengthen our immune system and neutralise harmful free radicals.  

Apart from the usual pollutants like pollen, dust, mould, bacteria and dust mites, it can also remove pollutants that come from some of our common household products that contain harmful chemicals especially so from some common household cleaning products and paints. 

In times of Covid situation like this, it is necessary and utmost importance to clean the air of any possible virus and bacterial lurking in the air, pollen from flowers, spores that creates mould which is naked to the eye, fur from the fur pets or odour from pets, dust mites as well as the dead skin we shed daily. 

Some additional you may need to know when you are considering to purchase this:

- filter is recommended to change between 6-12 months, the proprietory filter costs $130. 

- COSMOS PRIME Air Purifier is retailing at $399 (26% discount from the usual price $538), this also includes a full refund after the 20 days trial if you are not satisfied with the product. 

- Covered under 5 years warranty (with terms and conditions)

Be it you are working from home or in an office where you get to interact with different people. This is the most value for money medical-grade air purifier in the market. 

You can visit Facebook | Instagram | Website for more information. Should you be looking around for recommendations, do check out the Best 12 Air Purifiers in Singapore by Best in Singapore to help assist you in your search. 

[Review] Preserved Flower Dome - One Hour Florist

Between fresh flowers and preserved flower dome, which one do you prefer? My personal preference, I love preserved flower dome more. To be honest, I am unsure how long it can last, I would probably update here if the flowers in the dome 'rot' one day. 

This lovely flower dome was ordered from One Hour Florist  , I was asked to choose the age of the receiver, relationship and for what occasion. From the input, One Hour Florist will personalize a dome that suits the occasion. 

It arrived in less than 24 hours after I placed my order, pretty efficient! The dome was packed in a solid cylindrical holder. A bow was tied on top of the dome ( I lost that photo) and looked really on perfect for gifting. 

It actually makes a very nice prop! I like to open up and take photos of it together with some of the product reviews. Cover up with the glass dome and allow it to take a place on my shelf as a home decor. 

One Hour Florist sells fresh flowers too! Get your bouquet today and get it delivered within an hour! 

For product updates and promotions, do visit: https://onehourflorist.com/

Instagram: One Hour Florist

Facebook: One Hour Florist 

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[Review] A-Grade Premium DIY Terrarrium Kit

It is always great to be able to pot a plant or DIY your own terrarium and use as a deco for the house. During the period when we were preparing for Prelims and PSLE, we took a break off the revision and DIY a terrarium but with succulents this time, with thanks to Mason Home Decor. 

It was totally hassel-free with this A-Grade Premium DIY Terrarium Kit . I am totally a noob when comes to gardening. The one who came up with this kit was really thoughtful to have everything ready for you to get started. It totally saved me the effort of going to hunt for the correct type of soil to use and what I loved most was, material waste was zero as the portion packed for each material was just nice to fill.  There would not be any leftover to waste.  

The kit consists of the following: 

- 1 glass bowl

- 1 set of gardening tools

- 1 bag of mixed soil

- 3 pots of succulents

- 3 bags of decorative pebbles

- 1 drip bottle

- 1 pack of decorative figurines

A-Grade Premium DIY Terrarium Kit

I tasked the siblings to set up the terrarium as a team. Vera carried out the more basic and straight forward tasks

while Xav took on the more challenging steps such as repotting. 

It was pretty challenging for the repotting of cactus especially.

Xav took the chance to share his knowledge to Vera on how succulents make food, especially the thorny cactus. Do you know that cactus makes food just like any other plants? The thorns/spines are actually leaves, hence, the stem contains chlorophyll and photosynthesis will take place at the stem. 

I loved how it turned out to be and of course their por por loved it dearly when the duo gifted it to her.

 

This DIY Terrarium kit was one great activity to get the old and young engaged. Get yours if you love succulents. It was pretty fast free to maintain as you do not need to water them daily, just once a week! 

To purchase, do cart in at: www.mason.com.sg. 

For other product and promotion updates: Instagram | Facebook 

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