Do you remember the old-school books – Choose Your Own Adventure or The Usbourne Puzzle Adventure or the kind of books that lets you choose your own ending?

I used to love them! (Actually I still do, hurhur!)

In fact, whilst preparing for a Post Exam Activity on Quirky Games (yes, kids nowadays are having all the fun), we found the books!

(Got it from a second hand bookstore!)

& this is my all-time favourite!

These books are quite tough to find now & I guess kids nowadays just won’t know the joy of these books. But they’ve got something better – Interactive Videos on Youtube!

I totally fell in love with the videos! There’s plenty to choose from (just search for Interactive games on Youtube). Some are really really good! I especially love the Pizza+Zombie series from Hells Pizza (meant as a marketing gimmick but still super cool). You literally choose where you want to go!

It’s an adventure without you having to go anywhere!

Fun to play with the kids & as a group too. And if you’re really really into these adventures, here’s an idea: Start your own!

Adventures are Awesome!

Yeay to the weekend!

Ok-Go Sidekick,
Nadd

I’ve been fortunate enough to go to such nice events these past months & just be part of the audience (instead of the usual people planning). F1, the usual free concerts, theatre & gallery previews, our usual unconventional adventures & free festivals around Singapore have been really beneficial & super fun at the same time.

But planners will always be planners & whilst I did make it a point to just let my hair down & not be so analytical (not that we’re such veterans anyway – we’re all permanent learners!), there are some lessons & great tips on small little details, that I did learn along the way – Event Take-Aways!

Like…

1. When going to a huge whole day event (like F1- my maiden trip!), bring along a kit (an Adventure Kit!) that can fit all your needs (i.e. fans, water bottle, camera, plasters, sweets etc). Better yet, carry it in a small sling bag so that your hands are free! In F1′s case, they were selling Survival Kits – consisting of a poncho, map + ear plugs . Very apt & very useful!

You can even customise your own Survival Kits / Adventure Kits small or huge events (like a big family gathering at the beach).

2. Bring Extra batteries, especially if you’re trigger happy! Halfway through my F1 adventure, the camera battery ran out! Why? Because in our enthusiasm we couldn’t stop snapping & we didn’t realise that we took so many pictures. Lucky the friend had an Iphone! We spent the rest of the night clicking away.

Oh, & when you do bring extra batteries, make sure that they are fully charged too!

3. Never be afraid to ask! Going to an event can be chaotic. There’s so many people milling around, so many things happening at the same time then when you arrive, you won’t know what to do or where to go (unless you come fully prepared of course!).  So as event-goers, don’t be afraid to ask.

I often see so many people around the area, cautious to step in because of the lack of usherers or helpers around the event to (sort of) welcome them in. From a planner’s view, there’s two things you can do: 1) Make sure there are plenty of posters / pamphlets around so that when people come to your event, they know what’s going on. 2) Deploy more friendly usherers around the area to mingle around with the crowd & inform them of what’s currently happening. Everybody wins!

4. Be clear! Someone told me ‘Clarity is Power!’ . There was an event that happened recently that had conflicting timings & even confusing instructions to event-goers – the timing & description given differs from what the information on their website stated. Needless to say, many people who turned up at the event got turned away & was of course disappointed at not being able to be a part of it.

On the upside, there was plenty of information regarding the events & activities. On the downside, what the information was saying did not sync with what the ushers / helpers/ volunteers were doing & ultimately, the people attending are as confused as them!

It’s alright if a mistake was made, as long as it was rectified in time at the same time & everyone goes home satisfied. Right?

—

Like I said, we’re all permanent students in the classroom of life (phwoarrr!) & as much as I’m glad for all the fun, I’m also grateful to learn from others! I have plenty more to share but I guess we’ll put that for another day.

Here’s to many more events, wooohoo!

Your Is-it-Tuesday-already? Sidekick,
Nadd

Ahh… the month of October. When we were much younger we loved October because of all the goodies we’ll get from adults on Children’s Day & we’ll always look forward to the end of school term in the same month.

Now that we’re adults, we look forward to different events in October – 2 months to the end of year – end of year bonus, Halloween parties, discounted holidays, Christmas sales, weddings (if you’re into those things) & other monumental events (like birthdays, for me!).

Well, you can relax more this October? Why?

Because:

…Which in my opinion gives you all the more options (& reasons) to plan an event ! You don’t even need any reason to have an event! It could be a ‘No-Reason-Let’s-Just-Dress-Like-Tourists-&-Have-Fun Picnic’! Sounds like a fun idea, yes?

Otherwise it’s also a great time for you to get a quick getaway for that much needed rest! The point is, let’s not waste this month, enjoy the perks of living & breathing with 5 Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays!

Have fun planning (or going to events)!

Your October-rific Sidekick,
Nadd

p.s. Stumbled upon this fact through this very cool website (Learn Something New Every Day)! Go check it out!

After Mudd’s flea-listing blog post, a girlfriend & me decided to go on a flea-hop mission to find out what exactly we can find with $20!

The plan was simple:

1. Follow SGTTDT‘s Itinerary for that day (Saturday, 25September2010).
2. Go to 3 fleas in 1 day.
3. Find out what else we can do around the flea area.
4. See what kinds of different stuffs we can find within a $20 budget each.
5. Take lots of pictures!

Some fleas are much more happening than others. But still, sometimes the most sporadic ones do have some cool (& cheap) finds too! The beauty about flea markets is – the stalls / stallholders sometimes sell the most random-est things!

Pit-Stop #1: Weekend Flea @ *SCAPE (old building)

They were just setting up but well, that didn’t stop us. Saw some cool tie-dyed stuffs & she couldn’t resist getting this cool necklace!

(Tri-colour necklace, Firsthand – $2)

(Our stomachs got the better of us at this point, hence the little pictures & an unenthusiastic fast walkthrough of the flea!)

Random Snaps!
|Just walking through is refreshing|	|     Bright colours!    |	| Es Teler’s very spicy mee! |

Other stuff you can do around the area:

* Go to Fairprice Finest (Sushi & other cool food stuffs!) / Orchard Cineleisure to grab a bite!
* Take pictures of the graffiti around the area.
* Enjoy the cool beats in front of Cineleisure & people watch!

Pit-Stop #2: WhatTheFlea @ *SCAPE (new building)

Ahh, we (being women) spent almost 2 hours here walking around the entire area just picking out & sifting through stuff for bargains! Gotta be patient when digging through the many piles of clothes!

& we did find some bargains! Like cool rings at 2 for $3.50! Dresses & tops (4 for $10!) & some very nice looking badges! In total we spent about $17 (each) here on 3 tops (2ndhand), 2 rings, 2 badges. That’s $34 for 5 tops, 4 rings & 4 badges!

Random Snaps!
| Cool off with some Ice Rockz |	| Nourphoria: A shop selling badges |	| Areas for people to chill @ *SCAPE |

Other stuff you can do around the area:

* Relax at the concave wooden seats around *SCAPE.
* Go up to the highest storey, to the balconies & enjoy the view.
* Say Hi to the DJs from 987FM (their radio booths & station are situated at *SCAPE).

Pit-Stop #3: Bazaar @ Singapore Art Museum (with Digital Nights)

Our final stop!

By this time, we could only spend about $3 (if not we’ll go overbudget!). We did get some additional good finds, like smart shirts, shoes (they were glittery & red and I could not help it!) & tees!

So we went over budget by… $5! (hehe). While we were groaning to ourselves that we didn’t complete the mission proper, we did learn something.

Moral of the Story: Whilst flea-hopping is fun, never go to more than 4 fleas in a day, especially if they’re all awesome, unless you plan to spend all your money that is! And only bring enough cash (like $20) & nothing more! We learnt our lesson!

But the best thing about having a flea at SAM is the art exhibitions of course! Digital Nights 2010 was superbly nice.

Random Snaps!
| Enjoying an art installation |	| Digital Nights 2010 |	| Especially love this one! ||

Other stuff you can do around the area:

* Walk further up to Raffles City for a late night cuppa at Starbucks.
* Walk down the Waterloo Area & drop by SAM 8Q.
* It’s just a couple of bus stops away from The Cathay / Esplanade / Substation, so go have your pick!

———-

Total Spent: $50 (2 persons)

Number of Stuffs we got: 20!

• Tops: 10 (2ndhand & 1sthand)
• Rings: 4
• Badges: 4
• Shoes: 1 pair
• Necklace: 1

With the number of flea markets happening in a weekend, it’s no wonder that you can flea-hop! Bring a couple of fun friends around & a trusty camera & you’re set for an awesome time.

Have fun exploring!

Your Flea-Jumping Sidekick,
Nadd

p.s. You can view the full album HERE! Oh & don’t forget to check SGThingsToDoToday to find out when another flea is happening!

Besides ‘Selamat Hari Raya’, the 3 next most “favourite” word that you would hear very very often is ‘Bila Nak Kahwin?’ (or ‘When’s your turn’?). I think all of you have been asked at least once, right?

And the funny thing is, it doesn’t have to be in relation to any topic. At all. It can just pop up anywhere (kind of like an irritating pimple… but that’s another story). It’s so strange but that phrase is one of those things that can just be asked at any time.

Like, if your aunt is talking about where she bought her gold from (tingkat dua, tepi tangga), she can just turn to you (& without missing a breath) ask, ‘Awak bila nak kahwin?’ ['When are you getting married?]. Sometimes (& most times) it’s not even blended into a conversation.

‘Selamat Hari Raya! Jemputlah masuk! Wah, dah besar anak Usop eh! Bila nak kahwin?’

You know it’s coming but it still catches you off guard for abit. It’s the head-on collision that you can’t miss. Every year, my escape route has always been to give a sheepish smile & move on to the next person.

This year, I thought I should come up with new ways to give a non-answer.  I figured since I can’t give them what they want to hear, at least I’ll keep them curiously amused!

Here are some lines you can use if someone asks you: Bila Nak Kahwin? [When's Your Turn?]

[Disclaimer: Usage of these words are very much allowed although positive responses from the makciks & pakciks are not guaranteed.  There is no intention to be rude or sarcastic, merely having a little fun with an unchangeable reality. The trick is to always say it with a big smile. ]

1. Ask them back, ‘When was yours?’ (with a very sweet smile).

2. ‘Ish, selagi cik tanya, selagi itu lah saya tak kahwin-kahwin.’ ['The more you ask, the longer it'll take for me to get married.']

3. ‘Saya tengah save, tapi sedia terima segala sedikit derma.’ (make a ‘muka-kesian’ face here) ['I'm saving up, but I accept donations.']

4. ‘Oh, saya tengah tunggu anak cik kahwin dulu!’ (I have heard someone use this before) ['Oh, I'm waiting for your children to get married first!']

5. ‘Lagi 4 bulan! Tapi kalau cik tak dapat kad, tak jadi lah tu’. (hurhur) ['In 4 months time! But if you don't get the invite, it means we cancelled'.]

6. Distract them with a lot of nonstop talking. ‘Wah your house is lovely! Where are the kids? How are the cats? So many kuihs, which one did you make? Did you know they’re playing Cicakman 2 on Hari Raya…’

7. Push it to someone else. ‘Jangan tanya saya cik! Tu abang saya belum lagi, tanya lah dia!’ (Quite efficient too, I must say). [ 'Don't ask me! Ask my brother, he's not married yet too!']

8. ‘Tak lama lagi tu agaknyer.’ (Say it with a straight face & in that serious tone. It’s the same phrase that we use for when someone does something out of the norm, hurhur).

9. ‘Tengah tunggu emak jodohkan.’ ['Waiting for my mom to arrange for me.']

10. ‘Oh, I haven’t look through the applicants yet. Anak cik nak fill in application form?’

11. ‘Hmmm, what an interesting question. Interesting sekali.’ (… & slowly walk away in ponder)

12. & this one is my most favourite: ‘I’m waiting for sponsors, would you like to be mine?’

——-

If you can’t beat them, then the only thing left to do is entertain them!

Thankfully, there are plenty of other wonderful things about the Eid celebrations that will keep you well on your toes too (in a good way of course)!

On that note, Have a Happy Hari Raya everyone! May this holiday fill you with lots of love, wealth, great great food, wonderful catch-ups & fulfilling events.

Don’t stop laughing!

Your Sidekicks,
Mudd & Nadd

P.s. Share with us, what other lines do you use on your relatives?

If you haven’t heard the news yet, we’ve migrated!

Nope, not away from this little ambitious red dot, but migrated from one platform to another! What am I talking about?

Mudd & Nadd have moved to a Facebook Page (instead of our much-loved Group)!

Why? Pages have much more features & will allow for better interaction between you & us! & that would mean faster information dissemination, wooohoo!

We have plenty of exciting stuff coming up in these months to come just for you! Plus, the page is full of our past & behind the scene pictures.

We’re raring to go! We hope you are too!

(Just click on the picture & you’ll be re-directed to our FB Page, then click ‘LIKE’!)

We look forward to ‘seeing you’ on our Page!

Here’s to a smashin’ September!

- Nadd

p.s. SG Things To Do Today went on a slight revamp too! Go spot the difference!

The Internet is a fun (but scary) place isn’t it?

Anyone can just google your name and find out what you’ve been up to, which restaurant you’ve just eaten at, who are your best friends, what kind of blog writer you are – and all this thanks to Facebook!

No one’s to blame for all this personal information out there. There is an undeniable a tinge of narcissism in all of us that delights in exhibiting ourselves & telling others how fantastic our lives are!

If you don’t believe me, let me just ask you this: What’s on your current profile picture? (I’m guessing it’s a fantabulous picture of yourself!)

There’s nothing wrong though – all of us are doing it anyway, hur hur!

I especially love reading peoples’ statuses. It’s so mish-meshed & personal that sometimes I cannot help but to read every one of them before erm, moving on to other serious stuff.

Also, one of the best features I feel, is the Events Pages. I mean, come on, aren’t you glad that you have so many options & places to go to every weekend? & not to mention the people you get to know who share the same interests as you! Building communities & cliques are easy too.

Especially for us planners! If you need people to come to your event – just invite! Need other sidekicks to help you out -  send a message! If  you need to tell others about what your event will have – share a picture!

This is extremely useful for us tech-savvy people who are on the Net 24-7. Recently, even teachers have sought out Facebook to reconnect with their students. Which is so cool – I wished I had that when I was schooling!

Today, what I really love about Facebook is – we can get on the spot YOG updates! From everyone! If your friends are volunteers, then you’ll get their perspectives! If you have friends who are teachers, then you get to see live updates of what’s going on behind the scenes!

If you’re in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 Page, then you’ll get live updates of what games are starting & what else is happening around town for YOG! Super Exciting!

Hey, it’s not everyday that this little red dot is suddenly open to worldwide attention & it’s not everyday that there’s so many things happening during these 2 weeks! More fun for us!

& of course, if you want to find out what else is happening for YOG, you definitely know where you can go!

On that note, here’s to more live updates, great profile pictures, Fab Facebook moments and re-connecting with more faces!

Happy Monday!

Surfing Sidekick,
Nadd

SO what is up with Singapore this month?

Besides the fact that YOG is 58 DAYS AWAY!

And the World Cup 2010 created such buzz & hype before it actually happened (all because of $$ or the lack of – what’s new!).

And that Town is once again filled with roaming scenesters & not-so-cool hipster kids because of the School Holidays.

And maybe that Singapore Arts Festival was so lovely, when it ended, there was not much artsy stuff that filled our nights. 

Oh & the yummy Botak Jones have introduced new halal stalls called Botak’s Favourites  (we thought it would never happen).

The Great Singapore Sale is also here this month and that’s another reason to go walking, I feel! Except that nothing made for more exciting news then the one that happened on 16 June - Orcard Road was filled with  Teh-Tarik like concoction of all things yucky and turned into Orchard River for a day. Yes, it looks as horrible as it sounds.

That, while very exciting for us swakoo generation who have never experienced any kind of flood before (besides the longkang), is not exactly the highlight of my June.

Right now, at the top of my list  – one of the coolest highlight of this month is… Springing a Birthday Celebration Surprise on Mudd! (okay so it’s a half surprise but a surprise none-the-less). 

But still, to trick / surprise another planner is such an achievement. To trick Mudd (who believe me can sometimes do a Jedi Mind trick and read your mind) is even better!!   The thrill of planning & having a reunion of old friends and then seeing the happy contented faces of the birthday people is just priceless!  (and of course food & lots of chicken is such a blessing!).

And of course, what’s new with June is we have more Events Sidekicks Youths this month, yey!  June has gotten me all hyped up for the remaining days of the month!

& what about your month? Tell me how awesome this June has been, yes?

Friday for Fun!

Your Sidekick,
Nadd (is voting for June.)

 p.s. So many ways for you to tell me! Email me (nadd@muddnadd.com), tag our FB Wall, or comment to this post!

So there we were, wondering what adventures Saturday will bring us and decided, let’s go back to one of the attractions that Singapore has to offer: Little India!

(Mudd was unfortunately, not able to join in that day, so I had another Sidekick with me: Dilly!)

Granted, the place has been covered so many times! We know that it’s famous for Mustafa Centre, Indian sweets & treats and Sarees! But there’s some stuffs that you can do & find at and along Little India – all under $18!

What you’ll Find #1: Good Food – Masala Thosai, Naan & curries!

Have your pick – there’s plenty of stalls to choose from. Do it the Singaporean way:  go to the stall with the most number of people!

I had a sudden thosai craving & so was scouring the area for some good ol’ chow.  Indian food is always great for the cold rainy weather.

$$$:
Masala Thosai: $3.50
Home-made Ice Lemon Tea: $1.00

What You’ll Find #2: Cheap (but good) Stuff!

Sunglasses, fans, bags, jeans, jackets, dresses, skirts, vintage tops – & I’m not even talking about Mustafa Centre! Plenty of great finds & retro stuff available along the street shops & alleys.

Among those things that caught my eyes were this really old-school huge framed shades in all sorts of patterns & colours. Vintage is in, yes?

Plus, it’s only here do you truly get to immerse in all things modernly traditional.

Oh, the pictures could go on & on!

$$$:
Sunglasses: $1.90 (adults), $1.00 (children)
Bangles: 1 for $3, 4 for $10
Flowers: Varies – $2-$10

While exploring, we had a minor crisis – our explorer bag tore! Pretty lucky to tear while we’re there too, because now we have a reason to try out one of the most unique things about Little India..!

What You’ll Find #3: …Roadside Tailor!

Yes, you read right. Tailors situated right by the roadside, armed with their trusty scissors & measuring tapes. They sit there, while people queue up to alter their clothes, suits, pants…anything!

Mr. Tailor could not speak English & was quite shy. (Check out his huge scissors!). But he did an amazing job in fixing the bag, in just 5 minutes! Fast, efficient & cheap. In fact, we saw so many people bringing in multiple things to alter that Mr. Tailor just finished off in less than 15 minutes!

$$$:
Sewing Bag + Zipper: $3.oo

What You’ll Find #4: Sungei Road (walking distance from Little India)

This is my most favourite part!

Before there was such a thing as Flea Markets, there was Sungei Road’s Scavenger’s Market. Over time, they still remain strong & is the place to find some lost treasures.

Trinkets, one-off items. Some new, some pre-loved. Digital watches. Vintage rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces. Obscure & quirky items (like picnic basket, paintings from 1900s, childhood toys).

Couldn’t take many pictures of this obscure place (didn’t want to offend the stallholders). Got myself a shoe (first-hand) for $3.00!

$$$:
Shoe: $3.00

—-

And the setting sun marked out little trip. We got everything all in one on that day too – Food, culture, roadside ingenuity, colourful items and an old slice of Singapore.

Total amount spent on our Little India Adventures (including transport): $14.40!

Who says you have to spend much to explore!

Stay tuned for many more of our random exploring adventures! If you wanna join us, even better! You know where to reach us!

Hooked to Exploring,
Nadd

p.s: Check out more pictures HERE!

We’ve been out of the house before the sun even rises! Yes you read right!

For the past 2 weeks, I watched the sun slowly rising from the comfort of an MRT window. Wonderful, I tell you! & if not for the cranky unfriendly commuters, I would have snapped many pictures of it!

What’s great is the fact that we get to enjoy the peacefulness of Singapore  – because everyone else is still asleep.

(bridge at Robertson Quay)

You might be wondering why we’re up so early when we could have been in our snug beds snoring away.

Well, nothing can get us out of bed that early – except for work of course! & we so don’t mind!   We’re running a couple of workshop for youths.  Let’s just say seeing the smiles on our youth sidekicks’ faces are worth it.

Plus a little morning sun won’t hurt!

The best thing is, we have another session in the afternoon, how fun is that!

Most people laments how Mondays bring the blues. We’re glad our Mondays chase any blues away! Have a smashing week!

Go Monday!

Nadd