Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

I thought I should share this trip with you, just in case you’re thinking of visiting Hong Kong Science Museum too the next time you’re in Hong Kong!

I’ve heard of the Space Museum (near Avenue of Stars), but I was told that HK science Museum would be a ‘better place to visit’ if you’re bringing along kids, because there’s so much to see, touch, explore and learn there.

I was even told that we would need more than a day to explore ‘every corner’ of the Museum.

And so we went online to get more info. And we found out that entrance to the museum is FREE every wednesday!

GREAT!

Because we WERE thinking of going on wednesday!

[Click to find out more about its OPENING HOURS and TICKET INFO]

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We took Bus no. 110 from Hing Fat Street (3 mins walk from Tin Hau MTR Station, just in front of the swimming complex), and it took us all the way to HK Science Museum.

I mean, right in front of it!

Very convenient! (at least for us who live near Tin Hau MTR Station!)

As for the rest of the visit, well … we spent about 4 hours there (and had to go back home for dinner with the family), and 4 hours was NOT enough!

We probably only managed to check out 40% of the main museum area.

There are at least 3 floors in there, and exactly as I was told before the trip, there were so many things to see, learn and explore.

I’ll share with you some tips at the end of the post.

For now, here are some photos of our visit.

[Checking out the ‘Energy’ area. Interactive and even Vai found it very engaging]

[The gallery on Ground level. Spacious. And it’s where we watched a live demonstration on Liquid Nitrogen too!]

[Waiting for the live demo to start. Not many seats available. Anya and Vai managed to sit on the back row, which was great, because I then stood right behind them and explained what we know about Liquid Nitrogen. Errr … we tried to decipher what the presenter’s doing too. She spoke in Cantonese!]

[I personally liked the ‘Mirror’ area. Fun stuff. And I love these mirror effects too!]

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TIPS:

– Make sure you check out its opening hours and days before you go there.

– If you’re thinking of going to the museum, I recommend that you go on wednesday. Free admission and it’s open from 1pm.

[An interactive exhibit where the kids pressed different buttons to find out the corresponding body parts of a pig]

– When you’re there, check out the timings of their live demonstrations! Be there at least 10-15 mins before the demo starts. I hope you get a seat! =)

– When we’re about to leave the Museum (going towards the road side), we could NOT conveniently find escalators / lifts.  
So, do be prepared to go down the stairs like we did (ie. Not convenient if you’re bringing along prams / people who’re wheelchair-bound)

– I know this one is an obvious one, but I must say it : Show genuine interest in the exhibits, … in learning more about science, life and all other things that we may not be familiar with BEFORE the trip. Because little ones will ADOPT our interest (or disinterest!) naturally. Also, relate the exhibits to our daily life as much as possible, to help little ones remember the details better.

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Anyway, Anya and Vai enjoyed the visit a lot.

Vai, who’s only 4yo, especially remembers until today the different tips shared on how we can save energy, and not waste electricity, etc (We spent quite a bit of time observing and exploring the ‘energy saving tips’ exhibits, and related them to our home and lifestyle in Singapore).

One of the places you can definitely visit when you’re in Hong Kong with your little ones, if you ask me!

Hi everyone!

So it’s the first day of the year!

*ALREADY!*

Did you make any new year resolutions? If you did, … are they different from last year’s, or are they the same ones?

[Btw, one website caught my attention as it stated, ‘… many Americans seem to make the same New year resolutions each year! Sounds familiar to many of us, I say]

Anyway, today I’d like to share with you this article, a well-written one, by a friend of ours, Audy Santoso.

And my hope is for it to be an inspirational food for thought for everyone (as it has been for me), as we all begin our very first day this year.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Every genesis of the year, we make promises to ourselves that we would be better and do better in our lives, towards ourselves, towards our families, towards our friends, towards others, and of course towards God.

Well… every janus of the year is truly like a self-conscious path that we all take before speeding forward to another janus.

Why do we make marks in time?

One of the likely reasons would be to affirm our existential consciousness that is simply unwilling to be pushed aside and locked in the closet of time. Irrespective of whether we are a social or an isolate kind of person, we are consciously aware of our existence here and now, especially in the ne/o(w) year.

In neo year, we want to be a neo person. Alas! We fail to acknowledge our flaws even as we have repeatedly stumbled upon the same rock of mistake. Is it our stubbornness or resoluteness that we continuously dare to re-challenge ourselves to re-live our lives? There’s a thin line between stupidity and bravery.

If life is so bleak, what’s the point of all these?

My friend, the answer is not in the resolution as in the gracesolution.

We break promises as soon as we made them. We are born a liar, that’s what makes us so in despair if we truly dare to uncover the repressed memory of our inner self. Resolution would just put a make-up in already a decaying corpse.

How long can we deceive ourselves? There’s no true transformation than the grace formation. Grace (is the) solution, not ‘re’.

Where can this grace be found then? This grace can only be found outside of us but works only when it’s applied inside of us.

Who can find it then and who can apply it to us? It’s not of our works that we can find it, but it is God’s grace that seeks us and grips us. Only the Spirit of a gracious God can apply it to us. Truly, truly, unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the neo year of God.

Do you have gracesolution?

I was told that most people who visit Hong Kong for some 3-4 days probably don’t get to visit this beach called Stanley Main Beach.

And even if they do go towards the beach areas, they probably go to the most popular one, ie. Repulse Bay (also known for being an upmarket residential area).

[Click HERE to find out more about the beaches on Hong Kong Island]

As we’re spending quite a bit of time here in Hong Kong this time round, we managed to check out Stanley Market and Stanley Main Beach the other day (Thanks to our friends and their two little ones who showed us around!)

I saw lots of tourists at Stanley Market, and I kind of expected to see shops selling stuff at ‘tourist prices’. To my surprise, their prices are reasonable. I even came across kids’ swimsuits (pretty good quality too!) being put on sale at only HK$79 (about S$13 only!)

After checking out the market, we walked towards the beach.

We checked out the ‘rocky’ parts first, then we went on to Stanley Main Beach where the kids had heaps of sand-play fun!

The weather has been EXCELLENT throughout our Hong Kong stay, btw.

Sunny. Breezy. Often hazy. Cold with moderate winds.

But, no rain whatsoever. Which basically allows us to explore different parts of Hong Kong conveniently.

We feel so blessed.

[I love how we get to see mountains by the beach. The view is simply very refreshing! A really nice change to the crowded Hong Kong city we see everyday here during the trip]

Anyway.

The kids had fun playing with dry sand at the beach.

(No, we didn’t allow them to get wet since we didn’t bring any spare clothes, and especially NOT when it’s 15 degree celsius!)

And as you can see, the kids had a blast there!

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[Info]

– We took a double decker bus no. 260 from the bus stop in front of the Immigration Tower (at Wan Chai MTR Station). It conveniently took us all the way to Stanley Market!

– Restrooms by the beach are clean and they come with areas for you to wash up after a good sand-play

– There’s a Pacific Coffee branch some 5 mins walk away from Stanley Main Beach. We had yummy hot chocolate there afterwards!

– I googled more ‘How to Get to Stanley Main Beach’, and this is what I get:

> Bus 6,6A,6X or 260 from Central Exchange Square (about 50 mins journey).
> Bus 973 from Tsim Sha Tsui East Bus Station (Science Museum Road inside Concordia Plaza – about 90 mins journey).
> Bus 63 (Mon-Sat) or Bus 65 (Sundays and public holidays) from North Point Ferry Piers and Causeway Bay (about 55 mins journey).

I used to hear my parents and grandparents often mention the name ‘Petak Sembilan’ in Hong Kong, whenever they refer to a place where they sell LOTS and LOTS of knick knacks and all sorts of ‘cheap stuff’.

And it was only during this trip to Hong Kong that I realise how they’ve all been referring to the Ladies Market all along!

It’s at Mong Kok area, and I was told that it’s almost always packed with people!

Especially, during the weekends and holidays!

We took the train to Mong Kok MTR Station, and went out via exit D2.

Basically the men (ie. my Dad and Wilson) wanted to check out some gadgets and Mong Kok is THE place for such things too when you’re in Hong Kong (ie. heaps of shops along the streets and inside a few buildings selling computers, cameras and mobile phones!)

Anyway.

Here’s one quick reminder from me: If you happen to visit Mong Kok areas,  please do pay extra attention to your wallets AND your little ones! The crowd can be a little overwhelming.

Anya’s been scribbling, drawing and writing all sorts of things during our Hong Kong trip.

Like, how she saw an eagle fly right above our Ferry (as we went from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui). Or how she watched an old man fishing by the pier and catching two small fishes there.

And.

Here’s what I found the other day.

A little note, on a tissue paper.

It was written on the very night she arrived in Hong Kong.

The tissue paper’s probably in the bin somewhere by now.

But I’m glad I managed to take a shot of it first. Like I usually do.

As it’s one of those simple everyday things that I treasure a lot.

We’re very fortunate to have been able to visit Hong Kong twice in two months.

And I thought I should share with you some ‘Places to Visit in Hong Kong’ ideas. You know, just in case they become handy for you in the future!

Okay. Now here’s one of the places you can check out when you’re here.

It’s called Avenue of Stars.

It’s where you can enjoy the beautiful views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong skyline, while checking out the many plaques and handprints of Hong Kong movie celebrities.

[You can really tell which celebrities are MORE popular, ie. by spotting the ‘dirtier’ handprints, like Andy Lau’s handprints in the photo above, hehe]

Kids are totally not familiar with the names (unless they’re Mickey Mouse’s or Buzz Lightyear’s!), but they had fun comparing their palm sizes against those on the ground!

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TIPS and INFO:

– We were there between 12.30pm – 2pm, which actually was NOT such a good idea, because it was VERY glary. It’s tougher to take nice photos at this time of the day, and you’ll be squinting in most of the shots!

Recommended:

Be there much earlier in the morning or better, later in the afternoon. Enjoy the view (and photo sessions!) when there’s still a bit of the afternoon sun and stay back to capture the panoramic night view AND watch ‘A Symphony of Lights‘!

– Click HERE to view the Location Map

– HK Space Museum, HK Cultural Centre, HK Museum of Art are located nearby. About 10 mins walk from Avenue of Stars.

–  If you’re taking the train, stop at East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, go to Exit J, and follow the signs. They’re everywhere and it should be easy for you to find your way there!

Have fun!

Click on the image above to view a larger-sized image.

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Isaiah 9:6

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Some three weeks ago I casually mentioned to Anya that we’d be making some Christmas cards to give to her friends.

Upon hearing this idea, she asked, ‘Why do we need to make cards to give to others when we’ve received none from other people?’

She then continued, ‘If people don’t give us anything, then why should we give anything to them?’

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My conversation with 6.5yo Anya reminded me how the concept of giving (without expecting anything in return) is something that’s increasingly … forgotten. Amongst children and adults.

Especially, in today’s society where the focus is very much on me, myself and I.

I’ll give, I’ll share and I’ll help … if I get acknowledged.

Or, if I receive something in return.

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The Bible teaches us something completely different though.

It’s written in Acts 20:35 that ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.‘

We give and share with others NOT so that we can receive something in return afterwards, BUT because we’ve in fact been given so much to begin with.

Romans 5:8 said, ‘But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

While we’re still enemy of God, unworthy of His mercy, we’ve firstly been given His great love and forgiveness.

We have received so much from above that we should learn to give and share with others, without expecting anything back from them.

Indeed, THIS concept of giving may not be common these days.

But it definitely is something that needs to continually be learned.

And exercised.

And, passed on to the younger generation.

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As for my conversation with Anya earlier, this is how it went, more or less:

Mom : Do Mommy and Daddy care for you every day since you were born?

Anya : *nodded*

Mom : And have you given us something in return?

Anya : *paused* I give you notes and cards …

Mom : *smiled* Well, do you think you’ve given us as much as we’ve given to you? You live in a home with us, you have food to eat, you go to school, you have swimming classes, you have toys, etc.

Anya : *shook head and listened*

Mom : We continue to give and share although you’re not able to give as much, right? God has given us so much blessings as well. Countless. Remember how the Bible says, it’s more blessed to give than to receive ?

Anya : Yes

Mom : It’s better to give, and share. We’ll feel the joy too when others are blessed through what we give. I learn about giving from others as well, who give and share many things with us.

(We then talked about a few instances / examples that she knew, ie. when our friends shared and gave us things in the past)

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Anyway.

If you ask me, I’ll say it’ll take a lifetime for little Anya, for me, for anyone, to learn about sharing and giving.

Because, … we’re naturally selfish people.

As parents, I’m constantly reminded that we need to walk our talk too. We need to be living examples to the little ones, every day.

It really is not easy though, since we’re far from perfect ourselves.

But, with God’s help, it’s not impossible.

Especially, when we are reminded again of how much God has demonstrated His great love to us when He sent His one and only Son to this world, on a day we all celebrate as … CHRISTmas.

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May you all have a blessed Christmas!