Teachers’ Day Gift Ideas to Express Your Gratitude

Guest Post

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination and instill a love of learning" 

- Brad Henry Love

Many of us may have been fortunate enough to experience the influence of a good teacher in our lives and know how that influence can be everlasting. 

Teachers’ Day in Singapore (Friday 4th September in 2020) is an annual event when students honor these selfless individuals for their hard work and commitment. After all, it takes a big heart to shape little minds.

Teacher's day presents an opportunity to appreciate our teachers, shower them with unique gifts and express gratitude for their valuable life lessons. Are you looking for Teacher’s Day gifts in Singapore that they’ll actually enjoy? 

Handmade cards, flowers and confectioneries are always a safe bet but sometimes it would be nice to go that extra mile for the dedicated individuals who invest so much time and energy in shaping an entire generation of young people. And this year has been particularly challenging to teachers all over the world to continue their work despite the uncertain and troubling circumstances. 

We’ve got some unique and creative gift ideas to make your life easier and help you say a big "thank you" to your teachers for educating, inspiring and encouraging. Keep in mind that it would be an even more thoughtful gesture to choose gifts according to the taste and preference of your teachers.

3D Greeting Card

Nothing shows your love and respect for your teachers more than a thoughtful greeting card. Pick a lovely 3D greeting card for your favourite teacher from Klosh and surprise them as they open the card and it pops up on their face. The smile on their face and joy in their eyes will be worth the effort.

Klosh is a famous online website that offers a wide variety of quirky 3D greeting cards for all occasions.

Buying Tip: Find a variety of Teacher’s Day 3D Greeting Cards online at KLOSH

Personalized Gifts

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Show your feelings of affection and regard for your teachers with the unique gifting idea of personalized items. These are the gifts of memory that can be customized with the name and picture of your teacher. It will always stay close to their heart.

Ferns N Petals offers a plethora of Teacher’s day personalized gifts, such as mugs, cushions, pens, photo frames, watches, stationery items and much more that you can select according to the personality of your teachers.

Buying Tip: Find plethora of Teacher’s day personalized gifts online at Ferns N Petals

Edible Gifts

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An edible gift hamper is a great idea to show your teachers that you care. A basket filled with delicious treats like muffins, chocolates, cookies, dry cakes, candies, chips is perfect for adding a personal touch to your gift. 

Bee Cheng Hiang is a popular Singapore brand that offers Chinese-style food items, especially centered around Singapore cuisine. You can order your teacher’s favourite treats from Bee Cheng Hiang and allow them to take a break from their disciplined schedule and indulge in some yummy delicacies. Seeing the efforts you’ve put in can brighten up their day.

Buying Tip: Find specialties of Singapore cuisine online at Bee Cheng Hiang

Notebooks and Journals

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Teachers and notebooks have a lifelong relationship. Teachers always need something to make notes, plan schedule or jot down ideas. 

The colourful notebook and journal options from Typo are perfect to greet your mentors on Teachers’ Day and put a smile on their faces. If your teacher is a stationery addict, then you can also purchase some cool and functional stationery items from Typo to add to their collection.

Buying Tip: Find useful stationary gifts for Teacher’s Day online at COTTON:ON

The Gift of Art

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Finding gifts for creative teachers can be tricky. After all, you need something that matches their taste and grabs their attention. 

How about some quirky vintage Singapore posters from eck&art designs? Their posters are colourful and classy and would make a perfect home décor item for teachers who love to deck up their personal space with art-inspired items.

Buying Tip: Find creative Teacher’s Day gifts online at eck&art designs

So that is a round-up of gifts to suit every budget. We hope you find what you’re looking for and make the day memorable for your teachers.

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Happy Teachers' Day in advance...

Image credits: Images are taken from the respective gift idea websites for illustrative purposes

Disclaimer: This post has been submitted to me as a guest post. I have not accepted any kind of compensation in return for publishing this post.  

Yoon Salon Reviews: Say Hello To Lustrous Hair

To be very honest, I am not someone who pays a lot of attention to my appearance. I limit self-care to exercising (as often as I can), eating nutritious food, being organized and safeguarding my mental and emotional well-being by reading, journaling, nurturing my hobbies, spending quality time with my family and socializing with friends. My skin care and hair care regimen is virtually non-existent, I am not too fond of make-up and I'm certainly not making it to any "best dressed" lists any time soon.

But, I do realize that neglecting your skin, mane and appearance isn’t something to be proud of. No matter what anyone says, appearance does make a difference. You don’t need to think of it as being vain or superficial. Instead, think of it as an important element of self-care. Looking good can make you feel good and in turn makes you put your best foot forward. Not to mention, putting more thought into your appearance is one of the easiest ways to boost self-esteem, improve your prospects and the way people perceive you. It is a nonverbal form of communication that includes your sartorial choices, grooming, body language and etiquette.

Hair is a fundamental expression of one’s individuality. Your crowning glory is one of the first things that people notice about you. It could also be a reflection of how healthy or unhealthy your lifestyle is. Greasy, damaged, dry, brittle, limp or a lacklustre mane can make you feel terribly self-conscious. No one likes a bad hair day (I certainly don’t).

I hadn’t cut my tresses in a really long time and honestly, it was starting to resemble Hagrid’s (from Harry Potter) 😂 The humidity in Singapore does absolutely criminal things to my locks and even though their natural tendency is to be silky and wavy, over the years, the weather here has turned them incredibly dry and frizzy. The weeks spent cooped up at home during the circuit breaker added to the woeful neglect of my mane. It was turning into somewhat of an eyesore that I was desperate to address.

Experimenting with different cuts, styles and treatments can instantly transform your locks and impart that much-needed feel-good factor. Apart from taking your confidence a notch higher, it is a great opportunity to pamper yourself and reinvent your look.

Yoon Salon is a leading hair salon in Singapore with a key team that has numerous years of experience in this line. With three branches located in strategic locations and dedicated staff who are adept at styling a fresh new look or providing a satisfying treatment customised to each individual's crown needs, this salon can serve as your one-stop hair destination. Whether you are looking to combat troubling hair woes or attain your desired style goals, Yoon Salon can be your mane saviour.

The salon’s USP is that they offer a range of styling services, use only premium and gentle products, have a team of most sought-after stylists and demonstrate exceptional service and quality.

I booked an appointment at the Mid-Point Orchard branch on a weekend afternoon. I arrived on time to find a medium-sized salon that was neat, tidy and well-maintained. I was relieved to see all the precautionary measures against Covid-19 were adopted and maintained throughout the appointment. The staff were all well-informed and courteous. 

Here is the service I got plus all the additional services and treatments offered by the salon,

Premium Haircut

Some people know exactly what kind of look they want while others may not be so sure (ahem…like me). 

I opted for this service and the stylist at Yoon Salon was more than happy to give me a recommendation regarding the style that would suit the texture of my locks and face shape. I just mentioned to her that I didn’t want anything radically different, wasn't crazy about bangs and would like to retain the length of my locks as much as possible.

The stylist was friendly and very professional. She shampooed my tresses, gave me a relaxing scalp and neck massage, washed the solutions off, cut it in the manner we had agreed upon, blow-dried it and carefully styled it. She had oodles of patience, was completely focused and she seemed to me a thorough perfectionist. The whole thing took about one a half hours from start to finish.

This is what I got. Look at the before and after. I was amazed that a simple cut could improve the appearance of my locks so much. And it felt so incredibly soft and lustrous. Later, a friend even asked me if it is a Korean wave perm (not gonna pretend I know what that is 😝).

What do you think folks?

The salon provides this service for any length of locks (long or short) and for children as well. The stylists are experienced in a wide range of techniques from wedge to layered cuts. You can sit back, relax and feel confident in the realization that your crowning glory will be professionally tended to according to the desired look. 

Recipe of the month: Apple Coconut Burfi

I would have loved to bring you this Indian dessert in time for Ganesh Chaturthi but clearly, I wasn't able to. Never mind. Deepavali isn't too far away 😛

For those of you who follow my blog primarily for the recipes, I know an apology is in order. I am acutely aware that I have been posting more product and service reviews lately. I have just been so swamped with them that I have not had time to post anything else. I have also been concurrently working on a 20-book series review which has been taking a lot more time than I anticipated. On top of that, life on the work front has been more hectic than usual so I look forward to the weekends to do as little as possible. But once I'm done honoring my pending collaboration commitments and tackling my unfinished book review, that should (hopefully) free up some time to write about my primary love that is food 😁 So, don't give up on me fellow foodies.

Anyway, let me talk about this Indian sweet today. This is a twist on the classic coconut burfi (aka "nariyal burfi" or "kobbari mithai" as we refer to it in kannada). This fudge-like burfi incorporates grated apples into it in addition to the coconut giving it a mellow fruity taste. This version also has chopped walnuts in it and is topped with pistachio slivers so it also has a delightful nuttiness. 

With only six ingredients, this sweet treat comes together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish (excluding the cooling and chilling time). A great make-ahead dessert this one. The recipe is quite simple and idiot-proof so you pretty much cannot go wrong you guys. Take it from someone like me who does not have a flair for getting Indian sweets right most of the time. It is also vegan-friendly and gluten-free so I'd say it ticks all the boxes when it comes to dietary preferences. 

I have modified the original recipe in that I reduced the amount of sugar. I still found the burfis quite sweet for my liking but I'd say it was just about okay. Everybody else thought it was fine....my kids in fact, loved it. I used Pacific Rose apples from New Zealand because I love their flavour and texture but you can use any kind of sweet or semi-sweet apple that you can get your hands on. However, I suggest you avoid Granny Smith apples since they are quite tart. If you find that you have a lot of apples at home that you have no idea what to do with, you could just make this burfi. 

Hope you try this super easy recipe. And please leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

Channel Your Inner Picasso at Splat Paint House Singapore

Invited Review

Although I am not a Pinterest mom by any stretch of imagination, I do encourage my almost-six year old twin daughters to dabble in arts and crafts every now and then. They enjoy the process, it stimulates their creativity and it keeps them occupied (read: out of trouble) for a solid hour or more. But you know the one thing I don't like? The MESS. Especially when it comes to painting. Setting up the painting "station" as I like to call it and cleaning up later, is at least half an hour's worth of work. Not to mention, it also involves close supervision for the entire duration of the activity lest the girls mix up all the primary colors or get paint splatters all over the floor, furniture or on each other! 

So when I heard about Splat Paint House, a splatter paint studio located at Upper Thomson road that lets you play with paints minus any rules, boundaries or stress, I just KNEW that I had to take my family there so we could unleash our creativity without restrictions.

Splat Paint House offers a space that is dedicated to mess. Yes, you heard that right folks. You can paint on the walls or even yourselves. Although I'd say a better idea would be to grab a canvas, some paint and get the creative juices flowing 😄 If you find yourself feeling stressed, in need of a break or just looking for something fun to do, this is the perfect place to head to. 

All you have to do is first book a time slot. The studio follows safe distancing measures and wearing a mask is compulsory so even with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, rest assured that the environment is as safe as it can be. If you are still concerned, I suggest to head over when it is generally quieter, such as weekday evenings after 5pm. 

On entering the studio, we took our shoes off and slipped on shoe covers. It is advisable to dress in clothes that you don't mind getting spattered or else suit up in coveralls. Hair nets and safety glasses are also available if you need them. I dressed myself and the kids up in ratty old clothes and we even had the coveralls on so I was the least bit worried about messed up clothes.

Once we were inside the spacious and paint-drenched studio, we put on some slippers that were provided and our smiling and friendly host proceeded to play a short video to introduce some art techniques for inspiration. I found this to be quite helpful. My offsprings, on the other hand, were finding it difficult to pay attention to the video as all they were interested in was getting their hands on some paint as soon as possible.

We were given a 40x50cm canvas each and a choice of 4 paint colours. 

There are lots of "tools" that you can use such as different sized paint brushes, cups, string, straws, balloons, marbles, ice-cream sticks, syringes and squirt bottles. Everything is fair game. Depending on what tools you use and how you use the colours, you can create a variety of fantastic patterns and designs. 

Remember, there is no right or wrong. Put your imagination in the driver's seat, sit back and have a blast! 

You can hang your painting straight up on the walls or else choose to use the tables or else use both. 

There's my husband dabbling in a little bit of art as well 😊

A Glorious Day at Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, Singapore

Navigating life during a full-blown global pandemic can be tough. More so when the pandemic has already been around for months, ravaging countries, hurting economies, terrorizing people and yet not showing signs of abating any time soon. 

Children are not the face of this pandemic but they risk being among its biggest victims. While they have largely been spared from the direct health effects of Covid-19 (at least to date) – the crisis is having a profound effect on their well-being. Children have an inherent need to explore, play and socialize. Being cooped up at home in a relatively sterile environment all the time can be detrimental both to their physical as well as mental health. 

In the era of Covid-19, children living in Singapore have been relatively fortunate. Yes they did face restricted movement and school closures but it was only for a short duration. Since the start of June, they have been back at school albeit with several 'new-normal' rules and regulations in place but they have been able to get back a crucial part of their lives. They also have considerable freedom to engage in outdoor activities. As a parent, I feel grateful that my children have been largely able to escape from the spell of tenebrosity cast by the pandemic.

So whenever the opportunity presents itself to take them outdoors where I can gauge the level of risk to be minimum and effectively maintain safe distancing measures, I go for it! 

Last year, we had been to the Upper Seletar Reservoir park near the Singapore Zoo for a family picnic and for the girls to get used to their new bicycles. The park was picturesque, uncrowded, quiet and we had an absolutely marvelous time there. The girls enjoyed riding their bicycles (though they still needed training wheels at the time). 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, we wanted to go out for another cycling expedition to celebrate the girls bidding adieu to their training wheels 😊

I had heard a lot about Upper and Lower Peirce Reservoir located in the Thomson area near MacRitchie Reservoir. We had been wanting to visit for a long time but just never got around to it. 

The Lower Peirce Reservoir, Singapore's second-oldest reservoir, was built by impounding the upper reaches of the Kallang River. The reservoir was named in recognition of Robert Peirce, who was the Municipal Engineer of Singapore at the start of the 20th century. It only acquired its current name in 1975, after the Upper Peirce Reservoir was built. The Lower Peirce Reservoir, together with the MacRitchie Reservoir, the Upper Peirce Reservoir and the Upper Seletar Reservoir, bound the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. 

As we got closer to the reservoir, we caught sight of plenty of monkeys along the road and dangling on trees. Even in the parking lot there were plenty of them. People planning picnics, do take note 😀

Along the reservoir you have a straight long track which is great for walking, jogging or cycling. With a verdant green carpet of grass blanketing one side and the vast reservoir on the other, it is a lovely spot to get some heart-pumping exercise or even take a leisurely stroll. There are even quaint benches if you want to just sit down, take in the panorama and savor the silence. I thought of my father-in-law fondly and kept thinking how much he would love to sit there. I made a mental note to bring him here on his next visit to Singapore 😊

I was delighted to note that there were hardly any people around and there was no sign of rain either. 

When life has recently been so strange and unsettling, the glorious deep blue sky dotted with milky white clouds, the emerald green trees, the glistening still water and the symphony of nature just transported me to another world and made me forget about the unpleasant realities for a few hours. I took the opportunity to practice mindfulness. I felt so much at peace that it can almost be described as therapeutic.