Personally, I like to have a lot of handy gadgets with me whenever I move around, and Targus seems to fit the bill. Targus created the laptop bag 25 years ago and it continues to advance the mobile accessories category with innovative and relevant solutions for today’s mobile lifestyle.

In fact, I have been using Targus backpacks for the last 5 years, and I am a big fan. 

Why?

Well, a good backpack for your notebook is not exactly an inexpensive item, but my experiences with Targus has been a good one. A major plus point is their warranty.

With its Limited Lifetime Warranty  (Limited to as long as the bag is still in production), I managed to get a One-4-One replacement for my notebook bag when it was damaged through use. Their FREE-Free exchange policy is definitely a major reason why I continue to use their backpacks. (Read more about my experience here)

The Good News about this post – is that Targus is having a Giveaway on ED Unloaded!  

Yes! That’s right the Targus Cobra Backpack which is a perfect fit for the sporty businessman is available for this Giveaway!

The backpack is able to protect up to 14 inch W laptops and it has a dual compartment layout to accommodate laptop equipment and personal items. The back is also water resistant and made up of super light weight polyester.

But wait there is more…even if you don’t win the backpack, check out the other lifestyle products that are available to the other lucky winners!

Yes! In total, I have a total  of 4 Targus products to Giveaway (Including the Backpack), so if you like getting things FOC, this is the contest for you!

In order to win, all you need to do is:

1. Comment on this blog and tell us why you like Targus products?

2. Join the ED Unloaded Facebook Page (if you have not done so).

3. Share this blog page on your Facebook Wall (For those new to this process, you can do this by sharing the link from the ED Unloaded Facebook Page, and pasting it on your FB Wall. Do help me by TAGGING me as well, so that I know that you have done it.)

Contest ends on the 12 Feb 2012 2359hrs.

Winners will be selected by an Internet Random Generator.

Situated at Great World City, the place offers great fun for the family. Equipped with a Cafe, this place offers a comfortable place for you to sit down and relax, while you let your kids run loose for 2 hours  

The only drawback, is that the playground is on the pricier side. Prices range from $30 for Non members, and $25 for member. Obviously, this is a place that you cannot bring your kids to very often…

They also have additional activities like Putters (Miniature Gold that glows in the dark) and Spaceball (Shoot Balls that glow in the dark with Air Canons) which require additional payment. Personally, those secondary activities did not look so fun, and they are also a  bit pricey as well. (For Pricing Information, you can go to their website) 

If you are looking to throw a party, Amazonia is also equipped with Party Rooms, and this place is definitely adequately spaced for your parties.

This place definitely gets a thumbs up in terms of space, but it rates low in terms of affordability.

Amazonia is located at

GREAT WORLD CITY MALL
Level 3 Unit #03-08,
1 Kim Seng Promenade,
Singapore 237994

There is a New Art School in town,  and they are offering a Free Art Class for ED Unloaded readers.

The class is open to kids aged from 3 to 12yo, Art Sense’s program is inspired by Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence which focuses on spatial, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence.

Children will be asked to experiment with 3D Art which will expand the child’s creativity and imagination but also builds dexterity and motor functions. Parents will also be glad to know that children  will mainly use mainly recyclable items, so that they can  learn to recreate from the environment around them. This urges the children to use their imagination and at the same time educates the children on respecting our environment.

They are having an Open House on

Date: 12th of February 2012, Sunday

Venue: ArtSense Studio – 318 Tanglin Road, Blk B, #01-37. (Phoenix Park)

Timing: 1pm to 2pm / 2pm to 3pm / 3pm to 4pm

* Per session – 6 children – per age group

* 3 to 5yrs / 6 to 8yrs / 9 to 12yrs

I have 5 Free Slots to Giveaway, so please kindly do the following to qualify:

1. Join the Art Sense  and ED Unloaded Facebook Page (if you have not done so).

2. Share this blog page on your Facebook Wall (For those new to this process, you can do this by sharing the link from the ED Unloaded Facebook Page, and pasting it on your FB Wall. Do help me by TAGGING me as well, so that I know that you have done it.)

3. Comment on this Blog Post and let me know that you have done all the above!

Contest ends on the 4 Feb 2012 2359hrs.

I will choose 5 lucky winners to join us, so please do be available on the 12 Feb Sunday, as there are NO alternative dates.

In Singapore, we always praise our kids for being “So Smart” “So Clever”, or just simply saying “Good Job!” However, studies have shown that we should praise kids for making the effort rather than just their intelligence.

Children who don’t attempt things they won’t be successful at, may come from misguided praise. In fact, giving kids the label of “smart” does not prevent them from under-performing. It might actually be causing it!

Psychologist have found that “When we praise children for their intelligence,”  “we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart, don’t risk making mistakes.” And that’s what the fifth-graders had done: They’d chosen to look smart and avoid the risk of being embarrassed.

A few years ago Carol Dweck, a top psychologist, took 400 students and gave them a simple puzzle.

Afterwards, the students were given six words of praise.

Half were Praised for intelligence: "Wow, you must be really smart!"

The other half were Praised for effort: "Wow, you must be hard working!"

Dweck was testing whether these simple words could alter the students’ mindsets. The results were remarkable.

After the first test, the students were given a choice of whether to take a hard or an easy test.

Two thirds of the students praised for intelligence chose the easy task – they did not want to risk losing their "smart" label.

But 90 per cent of the effort-praised group chose the tough test – they wanted to prove how hard-working they were. Then, the experiment came full circle, giving students a chance to take a test of equal difficulty to the first.

The group praised for intelligence dropped 20 per cent compared with the first test, though it was no harder. But the effort-praised group improved by 30 per cent. Failure had actually spurred them on.

"These were some of the clearest findings I’ve seen," Dweck said.

"Praising children’s intelligence harms motivation and it harms performance."

The reason is simple: Praising intelligence nudges children towards the fixed mindset – it suggests that intelligence is of primary importance rather than the effort through which intelligence can be transformed.

This reveals a radical new approach – we should praise effort, not talent and we should teach kids to see challenges as learning opportunities rather than threats.

When parents and teachers adopt this approach, and stick to it, the results are remarkable. Kids will just keep trying and trying…till the task is complete. I would love that more than ‘so clever’ kids, don’t you?

Tip 1: Prioritize according to importance and urgency
Time is running out and you still have much to accomplish before the festivities begin. Prioritize
what needs to be done according to importance and urgency, and keep asking yourself the
following questions:
“Do I have to do this now before Chinese New Year?”
“Do I have to do it myself, or can I delegate it to a family member or get an outsourced supplier?”
“How can I make the best use of my time and achieve maximum results for a well-planned Chinese New Year?”

Tip 2: Organize your day
Use a checklist to organize your day and to ensure that you remember all that needs to be done. This simple and effective tool also helps you track your progress and provides a sense of accomplishment, which will fuel your motivation to complete the tasks at hand. Take advantage of the natural highs and lows in your energy and motivation levels as well by tackling high-intensity tasks in the morning, to allow you to scale back in the evening to re-charge your built-in batteries.

Tip 3: Use time-saving household appliances
Employ gadgets and appliances in your home to help you accomplish tasks and save precious time in the process. Washing up after dinners – especially a large one like the reunion dinner – can be time-consuming due to the amount of dishes you have to wash.

Consider using an automatic dishwasher rather than washing your dishes by hand. Not only does it save you up to 3 weeks of time compared to washing dishes by hand over the course of one year, it also uses water temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius, effectively killing 99.9% of harmful germs and bacteria.

This allows you to spend more time with your family, ensure that your kitchen is more hygienic and
provides much needed rest to prepare for the festivities.

Tip 4: Delegate
When time is limited, admit that you are not able to do everything yourself and get help. Turn to relatives or friends for help, or consider involving family members in the preparations. For example, split up the rooms in the house and assign each family member a room to spring clean.

Motivate everyone with a “family competition” and offer small awards for the “cleanest” and “most improved” rooms.

Tip 5: Prepare what you can ahead of time
If organizing and cooking for large family meals and gatherings tend to wear you out, consider what can be done ahead of time to help reduce stress levels. Prepare ingredients and store them in the refrigerator, rely on recipes that you’ve tried before so that you are more confident, and buy snacks in advance and store them in airtight containers.

Tip 6: Multi-tasking and Chunking
Make the best use of your time multi-tasking and chunking. Multi-tasking involves identifying low interaction tasks that can be done together, such as planning what you intend to cook for dinner while commuting or doing your daily exercise. This allows you to maximize the use of your spare time.
Chunking on the other hand, is also beneficial – set aside chunks of time to complete specific tasks, such as doing all the cleaning on one day then moving on to decorating or cooking on the next, rather than alternating between tasks and requiring more “start-up” time to pick up from where you left off.

Tip 7: Stress management during Chinese New Year
Stress can have a negative impact on your health and your mood during Chinese New Year. The effects of stress include irritability, anxiety, insomnia and headaches, which will impair your ability to fully enjoy the festivities

• At the end of each day, prepare a checklist for the following day so that you feel in control and ready to face the day.
• A main cause of stress is lack of rest, which can affect your ability to function efficiently. Build in time to unwind in the evenings, so that you’re calm and relaxed when it’s time for bed.
• Set aside time to exercise every day to keep yourself strong and help improve your overall wellness.
• When tasks during the day become overwhelming, try slow deep breathing exercises to clear your mind and re-charge.

Tip 8: Remembering what’s important
Try to stay focused on the true spirit of the Chinese New Year – spending time with family and friends, enjoying the reunion and each other’s company. This festive season only happens once a year, so take the time to enjoy it.

And most importantly! Stay off the Bak Kwa…As 2 Slices of Bak Kwa is equal to  the number of calories found in a place of Chicken Rice!

As shared by:

Finish: http://www.rb.com/Media-investors/Category-performance/Dishwashing

Bosch: http://www.bosch-home.com/sg/products/dishwashers.html

I have heard that some of the “Ang Pow” designs this year are nothing to SHOUT about, but if you are looking for some great Ang Pow designs which will sit well with the kids – You can check out the Ang Pows offered by Disney Junior.

Besides offering Party Memorabilia that you can print out at home, you can also print out these great Ang Pows and other CNY decorations in the comfort of your home.

From Wall Decors, Fortune Cookies, Firecrackers, Scrolls to a bag for your oranges, the choices are endless – and they all come with DIY instructions.

For the CNY, Disney has also offered to give 2 packets of theses specially printed Mickey Mouse Ang Pows to 5 lucky Winners.

All you need to do is:

1. Comment on this blog and Name 3 Lunar New Year decorations which you can create from Disney Junior’s "For Grown Ups" microsite.

2. Join the ED Unloaded Facebook Page (if you have not done so).

3. Share this blog page on your Facebook Wall (For those new to this process, you can do this by sharing the link from the ED Unloaded Facebook Page, and pasting it on your FB Wall. Do help me by TAGGING me as well, so that I know that you have done it.)

Contest ends on the 18 Jan 2012 2359hrs.

Disney will courier the Ang Pows out to you, so that you can use the Ang Pows this CNY

___________________________________________________

Congratulations to these Winners of the ED Unloaded “Giveaway”.

1. Jess Koh

2. Keith Tan

3. Jaime Chan

4. Yvonne Oh

5. Jade Lim

I will contact you shortly for your details! Thanks once again for everyone’s participation!

Can you believe it…Every recess, she has been spending $1 dollar…and it is all spent on…………..

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Can you imagine it!

She has been eating Spaghetti from Monday to Friday! …

That’s right! Australia’s best selling swaddle has reached the sunny shores of Singapore.

What’s great about this new revolutionary swaddle is that it promotes better sleep for both you and the child.

Instead if swaddling with the baby’s arms down, the “Love to Swaddle UP” swaddles the baby’s arms close to its head, providing access to its hands while asleep.

I think all babies will love the “Swaddle UP”, as the womb-like fit of the Swaddle, gives a greater sense of security and an ease of arm movement.

Made if 360-degree stretch fabric and superior quality cotton elastane, the material is lightweight and breathable, keeping baby cool.

This design is one of the safest swaddles in  the world and follows the “SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)  and Kids” safe sleep guidelines.

This swaddle retails at $49.90 , but as an ED UNloaded reader, I am giving away 2 swaddles (size small: which is for 3 to 6kg).

All you need to  do is:

1. Comment on this blog and tell us why you like the “Swaddle UP”

2. Join the ED Unloaded Facebook Page (if you have not done so).

3. Share this blog page on your Facebook Wall (For those new to this process, you can do this by sharing the link from the ED Unloaded Facebook Page, and pasting it on your FB Wall. Do help me by TAGGING me as well, so that I know that you have done it.)

Contest ends on the 14 January 2012 2359hrs.

___________________________________________________

Our Giveaway is now CLOSED and the Winners are:

1. Jerb

2. Kat

Congratulations to the 2 Winners. The owners of Swaddle Up will be contacting you shortly to arrange the collection of your prizes!

Thank you everyone for your participation!

One of the Primary Worries of Every Parent who has a kid in Primary 1 is; how much Pocket Money to give, and how to give it!

Mummy decided that Nicole will only go to School with $1 and a small lunchbox.

Technically, it is only 90 cents, as she has to tithe 10 cents to God.

Unfortunately, with the effects of inflation, Mummy realized that 90 Cents can only go “so far”, as it costs Nicole 80 Cents to eat her Chicken Rice and horrors… $1 for Nasi Lemak! 

On her 1st day, she even overspent! She walked up and down the Canteen surveying the food (as if she was at the shopping mall), and after deciding on a Fish Cake (50 cents), she wanted to WangWang (20 cents) and another packet of biscuits (30 cents). The Snack uncle gave her a discount for the biscuits as she looked helpless and hungry holding on to her remaining coins. (Mummy notes: she totally ignored the packed lunchbox…claimed it didn’t look nice")

As a result, she got a raise in  her pocket money on Day 2, and currently it stands at $1.20, before her tithe . Mummy also improved the lunchbox with dried stuff she likes like Cereal, Biscuit etc.

Oh Yes! The Pill Box above – is where she is supposed to collect her pocket money from every morning. If she forgets to take out the money for the day, she is supposed to just go without any recess money for the day.

The Sunday box is for Tithe. The Saturday box is for Savings. And Mon-Fri for each respective day. On Day 3, she saved a total of 10 cents and she was ecstatic … until she realised she couldn’t find anything to buy at the supermarket. She wised up and told Mummy on Day 4, to pack more in the lunchbox, so she just ate chicken rice and saved the rest.

We are still testing out theory at the moment, as hopefully it will teach her the discipline of a daily routine, tithing and the ability to save as well.

We are still in the preliminary stages of  testing out the theory, and we are hopeful that it works out!

Primary 1 means that from now onwards, 1 Parent has to wake up at 530am to prepare her for school. Both of us never thought that we will need to wake up so early anymore after Secondary School. Just typing about the early hours, is making me Zzzz.

But the consolation about waking up so early, is realizing that we are NOT Alone. The Roads outside were really crowded, and it looked like every parent in Singapore was fetching their kids to school.

Some of the funny moments of this day was that, when Nicole was asked to fill up a questionnaire regarding her details, one of the questions that “stumped” her was that:

“What are some things that you want your teacher to know about you?”

She replied, “At home, I am known as N1!”

And she quickly added, “Can I add that I don’t want them to know, that I drink from the Milk Bottle!”  

N1 was totally funny, and she even thought of what she wants to have for recess time. She wants Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak!

All this in 1 morning….it is no wonder that her proposed $1 pocket money may not be enough for her!