Brandt: In-Home Product Demonstration

I do not know about you, but I always feel that whenever we buy any new equipment, be it a new laptop or household appliance, we will get used to the few basic functions and then just assume that that's all the equipment does. User usually does that without reading the instruction menu in the first place too, well, at least that's me.

That's just one very regular daily load.

To be absolutely honest, this is the first time I have heard of a company offering in-home product demonstration after sales. Usually it would be in-store demonstrations before one makes any purchases right? But theses days online shopping are so prevalent, that even buying expensive household appliances by simply relying on online descriptions or reviews is also commonplace now.

Patiently going through the functions of the dryer with the wife and Steffi.

We were informed of the complimentary product demonstration by Brandt when we got our appliances from them. Apparent it is free when you buy any ovens, washers / dryers, coffee machines or dishwashers, but you must make the arrangement within 6 months after having them delivered. We got a very friendly and patient staff by the name of Dennis.

Next up, learning more about our new induction hob.

We had arranged for an evening appointment and he was absolutely professional from the moment he stepped into our place. As patient as a teacher, he went about explaining the different functions of our washer and dryer, as well as going through the steps of maintaining the machines so that they will last longer! Being first time users of a dryer, my wife surely grilled him on the functionalities! 

Was also taught how to wash the filters.

We were also shown the many safety features of our induction hob as well as how to clean the filter panels of our hood. Of course, we were also taught how to fire up to clear the grease in the oven thoroughly once a while and how the different programmed buttons of the microwave work for different purposes such as thawing or cooking! 

The microwave had a lot of preloaded buttons for different type of food and purposes.

Good to know that Brandt provides such a great after sales service. Makes sense for them too, as consumers feel valued and not forsaken after deal is sealed and proper usage and maintenance of their appliances will also lead to lesser complains and product failures mah, correct boh? Works both ways!

Learning how to take out the glass of the oven for a thorough cleaning if required.

This post is a review collaboration between The "Perfect" Father & Brandt but all photos and views belongs solely ours. 

Brandt Pyrolytic Oven and Combi Microwave 

Brandt Front Load Washing Machine and Front Load Dryer
Brandt Induction Hob
Brandt Built-In Extractor Hood 

Under Armour for Youth!

The name Under Armour only evoked images of adult sportswear in my mind, as I had seen them worn by athletes at many sporting events we attended. The brand is well-known and its logo is readily recognizable, but we were recently introduced to its Youth collection quite recently. Oh by the way you should check out their HOVR Collection if you are an avid runner who tracks your run data like speed, distance, cadence, and stride length. 

Leroy the Spider Boy on top of the unmistakable Under Armour logo.

My kiddos are not really particular about the clothes they wear and many a times it is yours truly who asks them to change into something else instead because they kept wearing the same attire every time we go out for events! They pick whatever they fancy and feel comfortable in!

I love their poses in their new hoodies and pants! Look really cool right?

My little models!

In any case, we hopped over to Under Armour's online shop to browse through their Youth collection and found some pretty nice clothings for the kiddos. It is only a pity that there wasn't really much meant for Louie as the collection is really meant for 8 - 11 year olds.

Louie with Leroy's hoodie looking a little too big for him for now.

The kiddos were ecstatic when they tried on their clothes and looked pretty much the part of cool little rappers as they struck their awesome poses for me. I must also add that the kiddos complimented that they felt really comfortable and confident in their new clothes, except that Steffi mentioned there were quite a lot of labels inside though. 

New tees for the girl's sporting events!

I am really honest here, kid's clothings can be pretty expensive when you compare them to adult's and their Youth collection can really lighten one's wallet, especially when one has multiple kiddos! But the quality more then make up for it and I am pretty confident that they will last from my first child to my fifth without any problems, unlike your pasar malam clothes lah!

Check it out! 

It will soon be our Japan winter trip come December and their new clothings will definitely come in really handy, keeping the kiddos warm while looking cool at the same time! Thank you for sending these awesome clothing for the kiddos Under Armour Singapore!

Fighting Haze with Dyson Pure Cool

The Facebook feed of the average Singaporean is once again inundated with photos of blurry skylines with the keys words "haze", "Sumatra Fire" and "PSI". All of a sudden, it was like we were back in Genting, albeit minus the cool air but bundled with extra smoky flavour instead. It is so true that one often never appreciate what is available until it is gone. Wherefore art thou fresh air?

We know the general advisory for all of us when the haze gets bad, is to stay indoors. By saying that, it means one will also have to keep all the windows and doors pretty much closed to prevent the particulates in the air from getting into the house. That also meant you would probably rely on the fan or air-conditioning to stay sane. The filters in the fan coil units are really just meant to prevent too much dust from getting into the fan coils and does not remove particulates from the air!

The condition of the air may seem to be better indoors as compared to the open, but I am suspecting that it could simply mean human lungs are already filtering the particulates instead, if there isn't any air purifiers in the house! So the obvious thing one can do to improve the situation indoors, would be getting an air purifier to filter out the contaminants within the house. For that, we were lucky to have our latest addition in the house, our new Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04!

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Ease Of Installation

I had only recently started using the Dyson Pure Cool a few days ago and it was all because of the hazy situation here in Singapore but here’s my take on this very intelligent piece of equipment after my few days of usage.

The Glass HEPA Filter.

The Inner Carbon Filter.

Simply put them together and fix it to the body. 

Came with a small remote control, but I had been using the app to control the unit since day 1 though.

First and foremost, it was really easy to fix up and I only referred to the printed manual after fixing up the different parts, just to double confirm. It is almost intuitive to install, only requiring user to fix the filter parts and outer casing, and without any need for screws etc. Everything just fits in perfectly.

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Dyson Link App

All electronics these days are SMART and often required WiFi connection and this is no difference. The real-time monitoring and remote access control ability when it is connected to my home WiFi was really cool. The app is able to report the temperature, humidity and the contaminants present in the house, in real time, wherever I may be.

This is how the control looks like in the app.

These days, knowing how bad the air is in my house, I will switch it on remotely so that by the time we get home from work, the air would become much cleaner in our room. While this is great, but knowing the exact level of particulate matter (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the house can take its toll on health freaks by stressing them out!

The air quality can be pretty bad even though it is indoors. You can slowly see how it improves when the unit is switched on and we can sleep peacefully in the green zone.

But I am loving how the app also have the step-by-step instructions on how to use the machine, do simple maintenance or replacements and even shows you when you needed to change the filters!

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Performance

While I have no doubts on its ability to detect and remove  air contaminants effectively in the room, one can be a little disappointed with the strength of the air flow if one expects the same feel from your conventional bladed fans.

Sleek modern look that most would appreciate.

It definitely cools but it certainly does not blow me (or my hair) away with its breeze, and can even get a little noisy when turned on at the highest power. Having said that I would still choose this over any of my current fans anytime for its air purification and safety, after having caught my youngest Starri trying to poke her fingers through my old fan cover more than once!

Bladeless and thus very safe indeed.

I do have an air-purifier at home but it is just a basic branded model that one just turns on and just assume it to be working. It doesn’t give me the type of control nor provide me with the detailed data that the Dyson Link app does, for me to have the peace of mind that I am providing the best for the kiddos and for the family.

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Our Verdict

We had been living with repeated haze situations for the longest time and are generally quite foolhardy. It is almost like what we don't know, won't hurt us. But I really cannot say the same for the little ones whose lungs are not even fully developed or those with compromised health due to illnesses.

There are many brands of air purifiers in the market of varying prices, but if cost is not a concern, this would be the recommended product for any house. It is afterall a premium product (as if any product from Dyson isn't?) and having checked out the functionalities myself, is price-justified as well.

I just checked out their online store and found out that you can get $300 off when you purchase the bundle of 2 x Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04 which seems like a pretty good deal especially when one unit is not enough for the family anyway! You should check out on the deal here.

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Disclosure: We received a unit of Dyson Pure Cool Purifying Tower Fan TP04 for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received and all views and images remains ours.

Toy-Catching: My Addiction

The purpose of this entry is really my own rationalization for my addiction and something to remind myself on the need to exercise more self-control. A note to self. You would have noticed a proliferation of claw machines popping up everywhere these days. From single machines at neighbourhood shophouses, to rows of colourful blinking lights along walkways beckoning one to try, and now we have a few operators becoming anchor tenants at the shopping malls! So what is happening here?

Just a quick snap of a small portion of my few months of playing.

This scene was reminiscent of what happened more than a decade ago, when some HDB shophouses were rented solely to house claw machines for customers to play and they were doing a really bustling business "selling" cheap China-made soft toys at prices way beyond what any normal person would reasonably pay for at the retail shops. But people were still happy to patronize, maybe because some operators were really friendly or the lure of the next catch was strong but most importantly, the excitement when one is playing. There is a also a slim chance of you getting it cheaper than what the toy is actually worth. In other words, it is a gamble and the thrill is deadly.

I was already addicted once back in 2008 when Steffi was barely a few months old but stopped after a year or two and that was followed by the decline in toy-catching craze and the closure of many small operators. So what we are seeing now in year 2019, is a resurgence and they are back in full force. Some operators go the mass market way of cheap non-licensed items that are easily caught while others go the premium route of having authentic products but with harder game plays that cost much more.

From my own experience, it is usually the case whereby one is lulled into easy wins at the pasar malam stores before progressing to the "expert" levels. All being equal, having prior experience with the same setup, thinking out of the box at times, plus knowing your physics does give one an advantage. But you need to know the hard truth is, whether one is able to catch anything from the machines, really lies in the hand of the one who sets up the machines. To many, I may seem like an "expert" toy-catcher but I must quantify that I only play more than most people, and am totally not an expert at all, because the real expert knows when to stop, especially on days when the set up is for players to fail due to earlier payouts.

I am really a miser when it comes to spending money for anything and would calculate and ensure the best value for money before making any purchases. And yet I am such a loser now, paying so much for some of the toys that one can buy cheaper off the racks just for the thrill at the moment. The feeling is so much akin to playing those jackpot machines. I know, because I was once very much addicted to gambling at the casinos. I console myself that when I lose at the casino, I lose everything but for toy-catching, I would at least bring back some toys. 

However I find it really alarming that I am spending way too much money these days on these machines and feels very ashamed now, hence this post. I know I needed to stop but the excitement and adrenaline rush when playing the machines kept me going back for more. The worst thing is, there are even toy-catching apps for the days I cannot be out physically. I needed to stop. Period. 

It is all fine and dandy if one only passes by these machines occasionally and spends a few dollars just for the fun of it. However when one reaches my level of addiction and is always thinking about playing, then help is needed. So please stop me if you happen to see me at the arcades and tell me off in my face! But if you are just as addicted as me, always thinking of playing but yet not knowing what to do with all the toys, and often feel sad when tallying up all the money spent, let's do it together and stop! Toy-catching is really not as innocent as it may seem. 

The Mermicornos Returns To River Safari

[Media Invite + Giveaway]

We visited River Safari yesterday morning to check out the Mermicornos for all you tokidoki fans first and I tell you hor, visiting the river inhabitants had never been more rewarding! During the first tokidoki x River Safari event last year, we managed to collect the full set of Mermicorno pins over 5 weeks and this year, there are even more pins to collect over an extended 8 weeks. And guess what? Some of the resident animals in River Safari are forever immortalized as "tokidoki-fied" mascots onto these collectible pins!

Huge backdrop for your group photos!

So when you are visiting the River Safari this September or October weekends, remember to grab and complete the River Gem Trail activity sheet (one per guest and conditions apply) to collect your limited edition pin for that weekend! Those with annual pass must definitely make full use lor while those without can really consider getting a Friend of Wildlife membership at 10% off with promo code [FOWSEP19] when you sign up before 30 Sep 2019 ends. 

The September pins!

October pins!

The first 4 September pins + ez-link card!

So let me fill you in on the additional stuff (besides the pins!) you can find when you visit the River Safari this coming 8 weekends. There will lots and lots of tokidoki stuff all over the place, with many huge tokidoki sculptures for you to take photographs and be rewarded for it as well when you post them onto your Instagram account publicly! Stand to win Manatee Mania tour + River Safari tickets (2 adult + 2 children) + exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link cards worth a total of over $500 when you post the photo carousel of all the new 7 tokidoki x River Safari animals sculptures around the park! So be creative and win!

Then you can also find mermaids swimming alongside the original "mermaids" in the Amazon Flooded Forest over the selected weekends in their 20 mins shows. Only threes shows daily, at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm only. If the heats get to you, Udders will save your day too, as they will be selling their very delicious ice-cream cups at the Giant Panda Courtyard. The tokidoki fan in you will not be able to resist the cute exclusive merchandise at the gift shops too!

Graceful mermaid swimming amongst the manatees!

One of the original "mermaids"!

Check out the exclusive cuties!

Yummy Udders ice-cream sold at Giant Panda Courtyard on weekends!

And now, we are also very happy to partner River Safari in hosting a giveaway of one set of admission tickets to River Safari (2 adults + 2 children) + the exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link card to 2 lucky families on Facebook! Complete the following steps before Fri, 06 Sept 2019 and keep your fingers crossed!

1) Like and follow Wildlife Reserves Singapore FB page;
2) Like and follow The "Perfect" Father FB page;
3) Like and share this FB giveaway post publicly with the captions "Win River Safari admission tickets for 4 + an exclusive tokidoki x River Safari ez-link card"; and
4) Comment once done and share why you should win the giveaway!

Go check out Wildlife Reserves Singapore's official webpage on this special September / October event! In case you are wondering on how to get the super cute ez-link cards, there are only 3 ways that I am aware. One is to sign up for the Friend of Wildlife membership, or you can sign up for the Manatee Mania Tour, and lastly, take part in our giveaway!

Holiday Inn Resort Batam - A Great Family Weekend Getaway

It really isn't an easy decision for us when it comes to finding a suitable place for a family vacation when we have to take into account our family size. We got to cater for transport for 7 pax and usually have to end up paying for 2 hotel rooms. With all these costs, a short holiday anywhere, even to neighbouring countries, can still add up a fair bit.

The kiddos were pretty excited to be going for their first family trip for the year!

Then again, booking a local chalet or having a staycation doesn't cut it too. The cost of hotel room or chalet can still be substantial, but somehow because we are still on local soil, it just doesn't seem like a proper break. No feel lor. Do you feel the same way too? Maybe it would be okay after taking into consideration the convenience lah but we would prefer somewhere further if possible for sure!

Felt like a holiday the moment we arrived at the resort!

It wasn't too long when we visited Holiday Inn Resorts Batam for a short getaway and now the school holiday beckons again. So what is it about the resort that we liked? Well for one, it is really just an under an hour ferry ride away from the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal and totally convenient! Absolutely no worries about the horrendous queues at the CIQ that you are almost bound to encounter when going up north during the holidays.

The resort provided free 2-way shuttle services from the ferry terminals to the resort and all we needed to do was look out for the resort staff and their company minivan at the pick-up point at the entrance of the ferry terminal. You can either arrange to alight at either Sekupang or Waterfront ferry terminal. You would have more choices for the ferry timings for the former but is about a 20-30 minutes ride away from the resort, while the latter is just a stone's throw away!

Our room card!

I just love how it felt when we first arrived at the resort. I just felt like leaving all the worries and work behind, and looking forward to create beautiful memories with the family in the wonderful resort setting in the 2 nights we will be there. We were definitely happy with our 2-bedroom Family Suite on the ground level with direct access to the pools through our balcony!

Can walk through the balcony door to the pools!

The spacious "pantry" area as I would call it.

The view from our balcony!

The entrance to the common toilet on the left and master bedroom on the right.

All the kiddos get a welcome gift with coloring book an pencils.

The common toilet was big and spacious!

The main bedroom with attached bathroom.

The kiddos loved the bathtub for sure!

This is the second bedroom fully decorated with the kiddos in mind!

What To Do There?

Well this is definitely not a resort where you pay through your noses for every conceivable activities to be included as part of the premium package, which you may or may not utilize ultimately also. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to do at Holiday Inn Resort Batam!

Relax at one corner and watch other guest swim.

This is how everyone ended in one room!

Two types of pillows for you to choose!

Ok they are quite family-centric and do have activities planned for the kiddos when we were there the last time. My kiddos enjoyed cookie-making and henna hand-painting as part of their Little Junior Enrichment program. Then of course, they also have the Panda Kid's Club where the little one can play or catch a movie indoors, in a safe and air-conditioned environment.

There are kids' activities for your little ones to take part. Just enquire at the reception!

We had a cookie-making session with the Executive Chef  Tonny no less!

All had fun making cookies in their favourite shapes!

The final photo before sending them into the ovens!

Never expected to meet such a talented henna artist amongst the staff! Ms Eka!

The kiddos' favourite staff, Ms Eka who took care of them at the Panda Kids Club!

Then of course there are swimming pools aplenty! There is one lazy-river styled waterplay area with a slide, a children wading pool, a free-form resort pool with a gradient slope and a lap pool behind the chinese restaurant for your exercise needs too! I was told there there are also bicycles for free usage but never had the time to try though.

Look at the white slide at the back!

Another play area where toddlers can enjoy too!

There are also floats available for free use at the free-form pool.

Hee hee... the wading pools looked really clean and inviting lor!

Having some sibling fun!

There is a KTV on level 2 of the main building if you feel like singing some songs and that is also where the kiddos discovered the game room on the same level where they can play playstation, practice their table soccer or have a game of pool too.

Steffi's first try with playing pool.

Leroy playing games with new friend.

You can also take up the KTV packages, but just do not expect posh setting ok?

But for those who cannot stay still and die die must do some shopping in the town area, the resort also provides free shuttle services to bring you to Grand Batam or Nagoya Hill for shopping or massages and back, albeit only at specific timings.

Must check out the timing for the shuttle services if you wanna go shopping!

Or you can also hire your own driver to take you to other places.

We ending up going to Grand Batam to look see and play the claw-machines!

Of course one definitely must go for massage while in Batam mah, and you can go for a totally relaxing and luxurious one right in the resort at Tea Tree Spa. Very Bali-resort feel and very pampering. The prices is cheaper than similar ones we can find in Singapore, but more expensive than other dingy ones in Batam though. I totally recommend it, and you can leave your kiddos at the nearby Panda Kid's Club while you relax!

What To Eat?

I had never really requested for Indonesian food back in Singapore but since we were there, trying their local food was a must. And I was definitely wowed by the first lunch we had, which consisted of delicious Indonesian staples like beef rendang, scrambled eggs and potato cakes. Yummy! The kids had their safe options of western food though.

Grilled chicken and the potato cakes. Chicken was tender and sweet despite the looks.

Beef Redang was how I imagined it to be.

This tastes a little like our rojak. A little spicy but a great appetizer!

This egg is delish!

Very oriental desserts indeed.

The kiddos selected from the kids menu though.

How their fish and chips looked!

For those who crave dim sum, you should check out the Dragon Inn Chinese Restaurant within the resort that serves up quite a wide range of food at reasonable pricing. Quite authentic I would say, especially the fried stuff which were pretty good, but their congee could be better though.

I think we had to order extra portions of the fried wantons!

Har Gow was not bad!

Dumpling in soup.

Char Siew Bao were fluffy and nice too.

Ok I am gonna be honest here, the international buffet at Terrace Cafe was definitely acceptable to us but nothing great to shout about too. You can find the usual spread such as cereals, eggs, waffles and sausages for breakfast. Beyond that, nothing spectacular and I hope they had better drinks other than the fruit-flavoured syrup water. Coffee was okay though! They do have special BBQ nights on Saturdays too with satays and grilled meat that added to the variety and great when fresh off the outdoor grills!

It was nice to have a cuppa and just relax by the Terrace Cafe.

The most memorable food we had at the resort, would have to be the teppanyaki dinner we had at Akatonbo Teppanyaki Restaurant. The seafood was fantastic and beef cooked to perfection. My kiddos loves udon and so I ordered two portions for them but they were disappointed when the chef prepared the udon in front of them.

The kiddo were waiting for the performance to start!

We thought it was just simple udon in soup, but the ones we ordered turned out to be fried udon instead. And guess what, they tried and loved the fried versions too and I ended having to order another portion as they gobbled them down, vegetables and all! The lobsters were absolutely delightful and I can still imagine the crunch of the super fresh meat in my mouth!

This plate of Fried Udon was the first we ever tried and the kiddos requested for more!

Missing the very flavourful beef lor!

This is truly heavenly! Very fresh and succulent lobster chunks in garlic butter!

Our Verdict

My family enjoyed our stay at Holiday Inn Resort Batam very much, as the kiddos were very much entertained by the various free facilities on site, while the wife relished the wonderful massage sessions at the spa. Oh, kids also get to eat for free to at the restaurants. For me, it was a great break from work and a good chance for me to unwind!

Starri wasn't too happy to be going back to Singapore!

Well, we all weren't too actually!

Had to take a shot at the place where the kiddos enjoyed over 2 nights!

One thing about the resort however, is that there are signs of wear and tear throughout which is not really unexpected for a property of its age. Seeing past that, it is definitely worth a visit for the family. I was told that they do have special promotions (that are not shown on their websites) at times , targeting Singaporean families . So my tip for you is to drop them an email to check if they have any ongoing deals first!

The resort lobby sure looked grand and we wish to be back again soon!