Weekly Scraps

Puffing Billy in Victoria Australia - This was a special treat for Bryan, for his birthday. In the years that I was in Melbourne, I've not taken this train ride either. So it's something new for everyone. I like the vintage look that Prima Londonerry papers give, which complements the vintage steam engine. The cardboard cutouts are from Prima Printery. I also used October Afternoon Boarding Pass Miscellany train tickets and other train related stuff.

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Razor Thin

So the results of the Presidential elections in Singapore are officially out. After a recount and a nail biting finish. Dr Tony Tan won by a razor thin margin. Only 7000 plus votes. After more than 2 millions votes were cast. That's about 0.38% only. And he only got the votes of 37% of the people of Singapore.

I was disappointed. Very disappointed. I felt that Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who came in a close second was a clear winner. He spoke from the heart and he would be a people's president. And he would unite Singapore under one president. I didn't think Dr Tony Tan would be able to achieve that given that there are a lot of Singaporeans who are still anti-PAP. And everyone knows Dr TT is the unofficial PAP candidate.

I hope the ruling party gets the message. I hope they realise that even in their own party, the people are split. It will be a long 5 years for them. They need to start listening to the ground instead of living on their own high horse. And finding better PAP candidates to represent the people.

Weekly Scraps

I've finally caught up to the photos in June. And the major event in June is the family trip we had to Melbourne, Australia. It's a trip long time in coming. It's been years since me and hubbie have been back since we graduated. So it was nice to go back and reminisce. It's going to be in a whole album by itself. And probably going to take me a couple of months.

The newly released October Afternoon Boarding Pass arrived just in time. It's perfect for the travel theme. I also used items from their Miscellany pack. The Together stamp is from Unity Stamps.








It wasn't just us during this trip. My in-laws came along and a couple close to us also came along. It was a small party of 6 adults and 3 children. But made the trip much more fun and enjoyable. There was lots of time to sit and chat as well. We rented 2 cars so we could go at our own pace. The children enjoyed each other's company too.

These 2 pages were done with Prima's previous collection. The earthy, natural colours matched the weather in Melbourne at the time. I liked the yellow to brown leaves and blue skies. Prima's flowers and jewels complemented the papers very well.

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The Presidential Elections

This Saturday is the Presidential Elections for Singapore. This follows a rather interesting General Elections earlier in the year. And this time there are 4 candidates. Previously there haven't been as many (or even just one). So it's going to be very interesting. Even if I'm just going to be sitting on the sidelines.

For one thing, in this elections, only the post of President is up. And in Singapore, the post of the president is very different from the president of other countries. The President of Singapore doesn't have as many executive roles. As far as I know, he has the final say on the use of the country's reserve. He doesn't have any political clout on any other government policies. But he is an important figure to Singapore as he represents Singapore to other countries.

For the 4 candidates in the elections, this is important. There is no use campaigning about being the voice of the people or wanting to institute change. I think most of Singapore is also aware. And the elected president will also have to be able to conduct himself properly in the international scene. I don't think Singaporeans want someone to stir up more trouble with the government itself.

That being said, since the president is supposed to safeguard the reserves, he should also be one to stand his ground if he feels the government is using the reserves unnecessarily. So he needs to be someone who doesn't just agree with everything that the government does. Most of the candidates at the moment are trying hard to show that they have their own mind. But in the end, whoever Singapore ends up voting, has to be someone that the whole of Singapore can stand behind.

Weekly Scrap

31st - A rare pink feminine layout. All about me using Websters Celebration line. I also took the opportunity to use up my pink flowers. We celebrated my birthday in Marina Mandarin. It's a nice getaway for the weekend.

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Weekly Scraps

It's interesting how just one line, Campfire from October Afternoon can have two so different looks. One is about a recent trip to the zoo where the kids managed to feed the giraffe. I used the reds and yellow to brighten up the green and brown. And the other layout is about a sleepover in a hotel. I used more of the deep blues and stars in the layout. I quite like the chipboard accents as well. The flowers are from Prima (as always) and alphabet Thickers are from American Craft.

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46th National Day

Happy 46th National Day Singapore! It's been a very busy day for Singapore and for us too. All of us working people have a day off which is great. So our boys spent the morning with the cousins in the club. It was looking to be a very hot day. And we spent the morning cooling off in the pool. The kids were on the slides. The younger ones on the small wide slide at the baby pool and the older ones on the bigger slide. I think they had a lot of fun. Even the babies had fun.

Later, it was really getting to be very hot. So we adjourned to the bowling alley just upstairs. We booked 2 whole lanes for ourselves. The younger kids had buffers so the bowling ball wouldn't keep falling into the gutters. The older kids tried without. The rest of us enjoyed the air-con and the snacks. It was nice to spend time together out of the house for a change.

I could tell Gabriel was very tired by lunchtime. He was a bit moody. But still wanted to walk and play with the fishes. Literally. He wanted to step into the pond. We also discovered that Seletar Club was home to a turtle! Flippers and all.

The very hot day evolved into a very warm evening. And that meant it wasn't going to rain at the Parade. This year, it's at the Floating Platform. There were the usual marches and all. And then there were the hilarious 'big pao' floats. I liked how the parade incorporated elements from the Singapore River as well.

But the whole parade also told a story. About the Singapore Spirit. About perseverance and hard work together. Which is what made Singapore an economic hub in just 46 short years. I think it's a good message to the younger generation. Sometimes, we forget how far we've come in such a short period of time. It's thanks to the older generations.

Wavehouse

We were invited to a birthday party at the Wavehouse at Sentosa on Saturday. There is actually a big flow machine where you could learn to surf or bodyboard. Bryan gave it a go and he was quite good at it. It did look like a lot of fun. Although it would be more for the bigger kids. There is an option to book some of the smaller wave pools for a party like today.




If you turned around, you would see the beach behind. It could look really gorgeous in the evening with the sunset in the background. After the party, the kids headed out to the beach to swim in the sea. Gabriel, too young and small to join in the fun had to contend with splashing at the edge and mucking around in the sand. Still he had fun and was super exhausted at the end of the day.


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Boys...

Why do boys like to play with guns and join the army? Why can't they just sit on my lap and read a book?

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Weekly Scraps

The kids had their Kindergarten open house in May. We all went to look at their artwork and classrooms. They were all nicely decorated depending on the theme of their lessons.




October Afternoon Schoolhouse was perfect for all their school related photos. I also used LYB clear stickers. This layout has Bryan's school projects. I especially like the little 'Angry Birds' that his class made. It's supposed to be a stress ball. It's incredibly cute.




While this layout has Gabriel in his classroom. He showed me how good he is at sitting down and doing some work. He also played along with the games in his classroom. Sometimes, he mentions his teacher, Miss Ong at home too. I think he likes her.

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