January 2, 2010

Visit to Bodyworlds at Singapore Science Centre

Dominique Thoughts

Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life

Singapore Science Centre

On till the 6th March 2010

Admission Charges: Science Centre + Bodyworlds

Adult: $21 Child $13 ( 3-16yrs old)

* 18% discount if you produce your Passion Card when you purchase your tickets.

On Boxing Day we brought the kids to the Science Centre to view the exhibitions at Body Worlds.  This exhibition has been in Singapore since October.

Body Worlds  had received quite a controversial review due to the fact that they use real human bodies as exhibits. It can be  a rather gruesome site for some and admission to the exhibition did come with a  disclaimer that it may be unsuitable for young kids. Nevertheless we felt that it would be educational for the boys to view these exhibits.

Ryan has been interested in the various parts of the body and had been asking me to borrow more books about the human body from the library.

This was a chance for him to see first hand for himself the various parts of the body and the different systems that made up the body. He kept asking me about how each part of the body interact with the other parts.

Roy too was interested  in seeing the various bones. The giraffe and horse exhibit were the most impressive  to him. He kept on pointing to these two animals and pulling me over to stand next to him at the exhibits. It must have taken years to create these pieces of art as each piece was painstakingly preserved and carved out to represent the various human body systems.

I personally was interested to see the conception of a baby. The showed how the baby looked at 3 weeks , 12 weeks, 4mths, 6mth and 8mths in the womb.  I had a clearer idea on how a baby develops in the mother’s womb and how Ryan and Roy must have looked at those various stages.  It definitely  gives one a much clearer view how the baby develops than through the ultra scan pictures that one views at the gynae.

Here is a short clip which I found on You Tube explaining how the exhibits are made.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAVt7h0zdxs&w=434&h=264]

January 2, 2010

Weekend Reflections- Crossing into the New Year

Dominique Thoughts

As I enter into 2010 I have been reading a lot on resolutions made by my blogging buddies and friends. I also have written my resolutions down for this year.

For Dominique’s Desk

I am working towards increasing my readership and making this blog more informative and interesting for my readers.

I’m aiming for more eye catching and in depth posts with more interaction with my readers.

I also hope to generate more revenue from my online ventures so that we will be able to have a  more comfortable lifestyle and build up our education fund for the kids.

Financial Planning

With the current rate of inflation it is expected that it may cost about  SGD$500K to send a kid for higher education in time to come. It sounds like a monstrous amount in comparison to the average  household income of  SGD $70-80K/yr.

1 Child = $500K

2 Children = $1M

It’s no wonder young couples get deterred from settling down and having kids. The figures and calculations are mind boggling.  Besides having to consider their college fund as parents we still need to consider the following

1. Daily living expenditure
2. Medical/Hospitalisation Fees
3. Pre-school education costs/Transportation

It does add up to quite a big sum especially with the rising cost of medical  fees. A trip to a PD can easily one back by a few hundred dollars.

Keeping the kids happy and healthy is the best way for me to curb hefty medical bills. I hope that I will be able to do that this 2010.

We aim to set aside a comfortable sum of money for  daily living and moving towards being totally debt free  by 2030

2010 is the time to start to put in extra effort to grow our funds and move towards financial security.

Family & Marriage

Taken at a Studio in 2007

There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.- Homer

Having a family and being married is one of the best decisions that I have made to date.  No doubt the past year as a couple has been one of the more challenging years we had but we have managed to learn a lot about ourselves and grown as a couple.

Only by understanding the needs and thinking of each other we are able to communicate efficiently with one another.  Also through communicating with each other can one be able to learn how to communicate with the children and have a united front in parenting.

This year I will be scheduling more time to spend more one-to-one with hubby. This will allow us to grow in our relationship and help us to be better parents.

If you have blogged about your resolutions for 2010 feel free to add your link to your post in the linky below.