Fun at Universal Studios

Yesterday was a day of fun at the Universal Studios of Singapore. We brought along Juliana, of course and stepped in to the streets of Hollywood...
We immediately spotted Kung Fu Panda and got a nice pose, except for the balloon in Juliana's face!

J&J with Frankenstein...

The Madagascar show, which Juliana loved and danced along to!

Next up was the Merry-Go-Round. At first, she was a little scared, but daddy stood with her and mommy and Nana got on seats in front of her to show her it was okay and safe!

Outside Shrek's castle in Far Far Away Land. The 4D Shrek show was quite a surprise! Juliana did not like the blasts of water, but the rest of it was a blast!

Hanging out with Donkey...

After Madagascar and Shrek, we went to Jurassic Park. My mom, Jacob and Juliana went on the Dino ride... Chilling out with the dino bones...

Compared to Juliana, that's one big dino!!!

Next up was Ancient Egpyt, which was definitely the most beautiful parts of Universal. The statues and buidlings were beautiful... Jacob and I rode the mummy roller coaster. Short and sweet, but it was good...

My mom and Juliana enjoyed the other ride...

Phew, time was flying and the sun was very strong! We stopped for lunch at Oasis and the food was delicious. Juliana was acting like a goofball as usual...

Most of Sci-Fi City was still not up and running, but we enjoyed what we could. Juliana was fascinated by these women...

We rode the "Accelerator," which surprisingly, Juliana enjoyed. She kept saying, "I like the circles!!"

The streets of New York as portrayed from a Singaporean point of view. Very interesting...

Beetlejuice crept up on my mom and caught her by surprise!

I used to love this movie when I was younger and the "actor" played the role very well!

Juliana dancing in the streets of "New York City"

Jacob and my mom went to a sci-fi show, so Juliana and I headed to the costume shop. She tried on a ton of sunglasses and hats and we had a blast!! My favorite was the green alien eyes!

Downtown in New York, with a great view of Madagascar in the background...

Outside Mel's Diner with a nice classic Chevy!

Hanging out with Woody Woodpecker...Juliana even gave him a huge hug!

All of us with the Madagascar crew...

Then the precious little girl had to pose all on her own...

This was the set for the "Waterworld" show, which was great! Lots of special effects, splashing and acting. Juliana was a bit scared of the loud noises (gunshots, blasts, etc.), but it was enjoyable...

Juliana was amazing after a long day, nearly 8 hours of fun in the park. She was still so well behaved and happy right before we left and headed for some dinner...

On our way out, we got a good shot of the globe since this is probably the only time we'll be visiting the park...

All in all, it was a great day and Juliana was so well-behaved. She surprised me, especially after 8 hours in the sun and a lot of activity! I'm so glad we got to share the experience with my mom while she was here too!

Go fly a kite!

This morning, we headed to Marina Barrage with Sue Lynn and the girls for some kite flying. First, it was important to fill our tummies. Juliana got her first oreo from the girls. I think she'd make a good campaign!
It was really, really hot, but we managed to spend a bit of time up top. Here are the girls with their kite, before it got tangled...

This was Juliana's first experience with kite flying, so she had no idea what to do. She was more fascinated with tangling herself in the rope!! My mom, Jacob and Juliana in the background after getting some height!

Haha, my mom setting the kite free...

Lots of colors to fascinate her...

After many failed attempts at keeping the kite in the sky, it was time for Juliana to enjoy the water fountains... Awesome picture!! She kept putting her face really close to the holes when the water was off and then the water would coming flying out.

We had a great afternoon and stopped to eat some gelato on the way home. Juliana's exhausted, having skipped her nap, but it was well worth it!

Model time

Juliana's modeling session!!

She really is a little diva! This morning, she got some reading in with Nana before breakfast...

Peace, tranquility, acceptance

I love Thom Rutledge's work and he has so much wisdom and knowledge. He's an inspiration and these are just a few of the "nutshells" I looked at today. Very fitting for my life at the moment. For this first one, it's about taking chances in life, despite what the consequences may be. Don't sit on the sidelines, but play the game of life and feel all of the emotions.

Loving yourself can be one of the most challenging things to do in a society that encourages change, dieting, perfectionism, staying young, plastic surgery, etc. Part of self-love is learning to put yourself first, even if it means that other people won't accept it. I'm learning this more and more, because the person that I am may not be the person other people want me to be and that's just too bad for them. They can take me AS I AM or leave me out of their lives. I have to accept it and find peace in knowing that I am being true to myself and to the person God reated. The biggest part of this is being able to no only love and respect yourself, but to know that it's OKAY!
I've always loved the saying, "The Calm Before The Storm," but this is a twist on that. How many times have you gotten "stuck" in a storm? Especially in Singapore!! Maybe the storms should be embraced, both physically and figuratively. It's natures way of expressing itself, possibly nature's anger, frustration or pain. Next time there's a storm on the horizon, I will embrace it, sit back and allow myself to learn from the rain, thunder and lightning. Storms are always going on inside of us, so why not use nature to help us learn from them?

Below is a handmade piece of jewelery made by Karin Collin, owner of Spoonfed Art. She uses spoons to create art pendants by filling them with all things glittery, shiny and bright. The spoon pendants evolved out of her collage work, which she started as a means of artistic therapy. They are all unique and colorful and echo the "power to heal." One review stated: They are staggeringly beautiful pendants with a soul.

They are rather expensive though, so I guess I'll have to save up. Hope you enjoyed my little inspirational entry. Blessings!

Lots of fun and music too!

She looks adorable in this picture, so I had to share and she's still so proud of her basket of eggs from Easter. Look at that big smile...
Loving her tent from Nana...

Playing peek-a-boo with the flap and enjoying some quiet time for her and her Mr. and Mrs. Pooh!

More art time with Nana. We have all kinds of projects now around the place: photo frames, pictures, a plate, etc..

Tuesday is Juliana's music class and she was the only student to show up for the day, so my mom got to enjoy class with her!

Playing the big drum...Fun with the gigantic elastic band...

And a beautiful view with Sentosa in the background from Vivo. The weather was beautiful this morning!

I admit, sometimes I just wish my mom could live with us or close by us, because she makes Juliana so happy (and me too of course)! Juliana is loving all of the extra attention and definitely getting all of us wrapped around her little finger!

There's nothing quite like family, so hold on for dear life and don't let little arguments, hard feelings or pride get in the way. Life is too short to waste it away on being bitter, mad and frustrated. Fortunately, my family has always been close and never let those "little things" get in the way, or the big ones for that matter. But it happens and it's so sad when it does. Things can always be different, better, when people learn to humble themselves, swallow their pride and just put their arms out for that embrace. Sadly, I speak from some experience, so just let me tell you, it's not worth it!!! Jump in to life with both feet, no net and have faith. God will catch you and he will guide you.

Lots of love to my amazing family back home. You are inspirational, loving and you support me unconditionally which means the world to me, considering the last several years. God bless you all.