On Courage

Being an ex-school educator, Teachers' Day has a very special meaning for me. While I am still in the line of moulding the characters of our young, even more so now that our circus arts programmes are geared towards character development, I am no longer on the receiving end of the pretty little gifts. Now I am proud to be part of the giving end - by helping our circus arts programme's students put up a performance for their teachers on Teachers' Day this year!

I think I learn to appreciate the students' efforts more now.

From not daring to perform, to trying to put together a routine, and swallowing the lumps of fear in their throats while making sure that they remember their moves, our students grew... My proudest moment was when a few of them told our instructor, "We think we are not doing enough tricks for our segment. We choreographed a longer routine yesterday."  Were these the same kids who had told us a couple weeks before that they dared not perform and would not turn up on the actual day??

We hope the teachers who had seen the performance saw past the smiles the kids plastered on their faces, through their screaming pounding hearts, to the sheer determination (they even asked to borrow the props home to practise) and bravery inside.

Succeed or not, it really doesn't matter. What's important is that you try. Our students hear this from us all the time. This is the one most important thing we hope they take away at the end of the programme. We like to think that those students who performed come out a little bit more courageous, a little bit stronger.

Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures of the actual performance
because we were sweating with them backstage.
Well, they were perfect anyway!

On Durians and Students

July had been a busy month for us and boy, are we glad it's August! Our Nation's 47th birthday and the upcoming Hari Raya Puasa have put us all in a festive mood!

14 July was pretty special for us as it was the first time we ever went to a RC Block Party themed "Durian Nite". That really goes to show how much this nation love this thorny, pungent, creamy and utterly delectable fruit (me like!).

Heavenly! ^^

But i digress... We were there not for durian, but to promote circus arts to the public. The residents were treated to a juggling performance by our resident juggler and had the chance to try out various juggling props. The guest-of-hounour, Mr Wong Kan Seng, even had a go and tried out flowerstick juggling!

The smiles say it all...

On a sadder note, July marked the end of a series of workshops for one of our schools. We go to different schools, we meet different teachers and students. Some days are fun, some days are more trying. This is one school where we must say we enjoyed all the sessions and the students. The fast learners are self-motivated to pick up advanced skills while the slower ones are amazing as they simply do not give up!

We definitely hope to see this bunch of kids again!

Thank you for the memories! See you again at the next juggling workshop!

EP Day and World Juggling day 2012 (Singapore)

We were at Bishan CC (again!) last Saturday, 16 June 2012 for 2 special reasons. First, Bishan CC had their Emergency Preparedness day cum Racial Harmony Day cum Family Day (yup, all rolled into one) carnival and we were part of this very meaningful event.

We were there to introduce juggling to the public and to invite people to our circus arts interest group at Bishan CC. The joyous smiles on the children's and adults' faces when they finally manged to spin a plate, or to spin the diabolo, are what makes our day. And we were so happy when some of them came back to find us and to learn juggling at our weekly interest group practice session yesterday!

  

Later in the afternoon, World Juggling Day and NERF Shootout was on! We had a whale of a time as jugglers and non-jugglers came down to meet up, practise and exchange tips and knowledge! It was especially interesting to see participants crossing over from one side of the hall to the other, to try out NERF or to try juggling.

The event was filled with games, passion and fun galore! Check out the following video and photos to see what we mean!

3 Clubs Gladiator

More videos and photos are available on our Facebook page!

Well, while everyone had fun that day, we believe that such gatherings need not be a once-a-year affair! It should occur more frequently! Do join us at Child's Play Juggling Interest Group every Tuesday, 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Bishan CC!

World Juggling Day 2012 (Singapore)

World Juggling Day 2012 (Singapore)
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NERF Shootout

To help spread the fun of juggling and to bring jugglers together all over the world, the International Jugglers' Association (IJA) presents World Juggling Day (WJD) on June 16, 2012. 


This is an annual event that was started to honor the founding of the International Jugglers' Association in June 1947, with the IJA annually declaring a Saturday in June as "World Juggling Day." 


This year, Child's Play Entertainment is joining in the celebration. In collaboration with Bishan YEC, we are organising a WJD x NERF Shootout at Bishan CC (yup, same venue as Child's Play PAssion Juggling Festival 2012) and we are inviting all jugglers in town to come down and have fun juggling together!

Non-jugglers are welcomed to come down too because what better way is there for you to learn juggling and participate in NERF at the same time for free??

More details are available on our Facebook event page. Hope to see you there!

Child's Play PAssion Juggling Festival 2012

Wow...Oh wow...

We just had the most memorable weekend of our lives... Were you there?

26 and 27 May 2012 marked the first ever international juggling festival to be held in Singapore - Child's Play PAssion Juggling Festival 2012. We were honoured and privileged to have been able to invite some of the best performers in the world to attend the festival. Okotanpe (Master of Contact Juggling from Japan and registered performer with Cirque du Soleil), Tetsunori Saito (Diaboloist from Japan) and Jason Chang 张耀文 (Diaboloist from Taiwan), all winners at IJA (International Jugglers' Association) were present at the festival. Joining them on our star-studded list of performers were Dan Parkin ( Ball and Club Juggler - Japan), Satoshi Kanayama (Flower Stick - Japan), Yusuke Inaba (Cigar Box - Japan), MyD Team (Diabolo Team - Malaysia), Jonasun (Master of Manipulation - Japan), Romi Yacop (Poi and Contact Staff Guru - Singapore), and Marcus Koh and Lim Aik Hwee (Yo-yo Champions - Singapore).

(From Left) Satoshi Kanayama, Yusuke Inaba and Dan Parkin

The two-day event was tiring but totally worth it. Jam-packed with workshops, our participants had a fabulous time polishing their skills and picking up new tricks from our guest instructors. We like to think that everyone had learnt something over the two days!

These are some shots taken during the workshops. More professional-looking ones will be uploaded to our Facebook page at a later date!

Animation Dance Workshop by Jonasun

Ball Juggling Workshop by Dan Parkin

Cigar Box Workshop by Yusuke Inaba

Contact Juggling Workshop by Okotanpe

Flowerstick Workshop by Satoshi Kanayama

Hoop Manipulation Workshop by Jonasun

Unicycling Workshop by Team Unicycle

To end off the festival, our performers put up a very exciting show at the Gala Show on Sunday evening! All of us were moved and inspired by the performers' awesome performances. They were simply wonderful... You got to be there to understand how it was like, watching such great people on stage!

Our fantastic audience!

Finale!

After the show is over

The festival is over, but we are not going to stop juggling! We hope that all our participants have been inspired by this festival and keep on improving. That is what this festival is all about. Learning and sharing and spreading the passion of juggling.

Again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our performers (we love you all!!!), vendors, participants, sponsors, volunteers and all who have been involved in this project of ours...THANK YOU! It would not have been possible to turn our dream into reality if not for you all!!

We will see all of you again next year! :)

Our very own juggling festival!

Hi guys!

We did mention in our previous post that we are working on something that is very close to our hearts.

As juggling enthusiasts, we hope to introduce more people to this very fun, addictive, artistic sports that we call 'Juggling'. Having taught circus arts workshops in schools, we have seen first-hand for ourselves how youths can benefit from learning to juggle, in terms of focus, concentration, perseverance, hand-eye coordination, and even academic results. We sincerely hope more youths are exposed to this non-competitive and self-challenging physical activity.

At the same time, juggling is simply good for everybody. We envision a Singapore where almost anyone can pick up 3 balls and start juggling. How many of you have experiences with overseas friends from America, Britain, Japan, Taiwan, European countries (just to name a few) who can juggle a little? We have, many times. Most of the time, they tell us "Oh, it's just a hobby" or "I learnt it in school when I was young". Wow, how cool is that?!

We finally decided that it's time to turn our vision into reality. If other countries can have juggling festivals and conventions that attract thousands of participants each year, so can Singapore. Well, maybe not thousands, yet.

After weeeeeks of planning, meetings, fighting...discussion I mean, we are now very proud and excited to announce that we are bringing to you the first juggling festival in Singapore!

Child's Play PAssion Juggling Festival 2012 will be happening from 26 to 27 May 2012, Saturday and Sunday, at Bishan CC.

Child's Play PAssion Juggling Festival 2012

It is gonna be two fun-filled days of juggling, learning, and socialising.

If you are a juggler, this is your chance to meet other jugglers. Not only will you get to meet jugglers based in Singapore, you also get to meet jugglers from Japan and ...We can't announce yet, please follow us on Facebook for the latest news!

For non-jugglers and beginners, you simply have to come! This is your chance to learn from other jugglers! Do not worry, jugglers are a friendly lot!

There will be a variety of workshops for different props, catered to different skill levels. Again, do keep up with  our updates on Facebook for more information about the workshops.

A juggling festival is incomplete without performances. We are really excited about our Gala Show on Sunday evening as some of our favourite performers will be here!

We look forward to seeing you at our event. Your support will help us to realise our vision of a Singapore with a strong juggling culture. Log on to our event website for details on how you can participate.

See you there!

Glitter Tattoo Fun!

We recently received a new batch of stencils. Lots of cool designs for children and adults!

Aren't they adorable??

Cool tribal stencils for adults

As usual, we could not resist but to have some fun glitter tattooing...

Sweetheart

Butterfly stream (small)

Cupid

Superman!

And in case you are wondering, glitter tattoos can last from 3-5 days, even for a week, under normal conditions. You can bathe and swim as usual! They can also be easily removed with baby oil or alcohol wipes. 

This is what my tattoo looks like after 1 day (2 showers).

Just a bit of damage on the top two stars.
Other than that, as good as new!

Contact us if you would like to have fun with glitter tattoos at your parties too! :)

Fun Retreat

Today is a very special day. It is the 29th of February which only comes by once every 4 years!

Happy Leap Year everyone!

Well, the team at Child's Play Entertainment has been busy. After weeks of preparation,we conducted our first school circus arts workshop for the year. Everything went well, thanks to the help of the school and the cooperation of the students. We are definitely looking forward to the next session with them.

On another totally trivial but fun note, the team went on a company retreat to Kuala Lumpur / Genting Highlands / Malacca last weekend, and we had a blast! In case you are wondering, nope, no teambuilding activities, bonding sessions for us. Does anyone really go on a retreat and anticipates the forthcoming teambuilding activities???

Eating and shopping is what we like away from work! We bond plenty during these activities. :)

We must say, life is never boring here with us. 

First, our rental car broke down on the highway to KL. Coincidentally, our another rental car's windscreen broke on our previous trip to Penang. Hmm.... Know any good fortune teller anyone?

On the bright side, we got to experience our first tow car trip!

Our saviour who towed us all the way to Puchong!

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to a friend of our team-mate, we enjoyed the best ever Yong Tau Fu in our lives! Do try them out the next time you end in Puchong.

Warning: These Yong Tau Fus do not come with noodles. Choice of rice or chee cheong fun is available.

You select the items that you want, like crabstick, you tiao,
bitter gourd and beancurd. Only then the staff will stuff the fresh
fish paste in and fry or boil them. Fantastic!

Our journey took us to KL and Genting Highlands where we spreed our time away eating, shopping, eating, shopping... and ahem, a tinny wee bit of gambling. Well, you get the idea.

We discovered Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in KL! We heart
the heart-shaped ones!

Adorable! The stall owner added the pandas
for decoration purposes. We like!

We stopped over at Malacca on our return trip for some Nonya goodness. A recommendation of a team-mate is Donald & Lily, a simple restuarant for some homecook Nonya fare. Our favourites are the Assam fish and Nonya Laksa. 

5 stars!!

The fun does not stop here. We are in the midst of preparing for something that is close to our hearts. More details coming up soon. Do check back with us!

Have a happy 29th Feb!

Busy Week Ahead!

The team at Child's Play Entertainment is very excited!! :)

Our website is currently under construction and will be up soon! Look out for our announcement!

We are in the midst of getting ready our props for workshops. Lots of efforts are being put into our "Russian Ball Style" juggling balls. They are to be filled with sand, unlike other homemade juggling balls which are usually filled with grains such as millet and rice. We think that we shouldn't play with our food. What do you think?

Have a happy weekend! :)

Hello!!

Juggling Balls Prototype

Spinning Plates

Diabolos

Rola-Bola for some 'danger'! 

Wedding Favours From the Heart

Soda wedding favours. Refreshing!

Weddings are very much on our minds, having recently helped to provide a pair of stilt walkers for a couple's wedding carnival in an outdoor garden location. Ah... Beautiful setting, lovely couple... Actually, what we were looking forward to the most were the wedding favours. Isn't there a tiny part of you that anticipates the moment when you sit down at your place and find a lovely surprise waiting for you or is it just us??

It's the small details, isn't it, that makes a big difference. And wedding favours, small as they are, are an integral part of a memorable wedding. We believe that wedding favours should be delightful, unique and most importantly, personal.

Alas, having attended one too many hotel-held wedding (Singapore style!), we are just a teeny weeny bit tired of bringing home the same old oriental couple shot glasses (ring any bells??), chocolates in hotel-provided favour boxes and other similarly uninspired mementos that end up collecting dust on the shelves and eventually ending up in the box marked for the Salvation Army.

Thank goodness DIY and unique wedding favours ideas abound on the internet! Here are some great ideas that we came across and would like to share with you.

1. Edible favours that go to the heart through the stomach

Sandwich cookies in
cellophane packet wrapped with
Japanese-patterned paper.

Homebaked cookies, muffins or cupcakes decorated with the couple's names are sweet and delicious!
For us who do not bake, store-bought candies, chocolates, tea leaves, honey and cocoa powder are just some examples of common items that we can make special by packing them in handmade customised packaging that matches the style and theme of your wedding.

Our favourite!
Chocolate bars rewrapped with vintage comic book pages!
What better way to ensure that your wedding favour 
does not get chucked or thrown away?! 

2. Practical favours that serve multiple functions
We just love favours that can multitask! Cookie cutters, cheese graters, homemade bath salts, handmade photo frames and matchsticks (yes!!) are some creative favours that are useful as well! An edible and practical favour is an ingredient accompanied by a matching recipe - think small pots or containers of rosemary attached with recipes for rosemary chicken. Straw fans or miniature electric fans are just wonderful for outdoor weddings.

We LOVE:

Cookie cutters are available in various shapes.
Choose shapes that symbolise marriage or
suit your theme, like heart, flower, man and
woman-shaped cutters as your wedding favour.

This is 'grate'!

Matchsticks in spice bottles. Love the pun!

3. Favours that shout out who you are!
For the more intellectual group, bookmarks printed with your names and date and stored in envelope pouches are great. For rowdier guests, custom temporary tattoos simply rock!  If you are into 'go green', seed packets or young saplings are colourful and useful and friendly to the environment.

Seed packets. Just stick your names
and a thank you note on the packets!

Custom temporary tattoos

You know what, any thing can be used as a wedding favour, as long as it says something about you, and both bride and groom as a couple. Jazz it up with a touch of creativity and lots of heart, you have yourself a unique wedding favour that will wow and delight your guests. We hope you enjoy the process of creating something from your heart for the people who have come to offer you their warmest wishes for your marriage!