theAsianparent SG, Malaysia

EZ-Link announced on 11 December on their Facebook page that they will be releasing a Harry Potter collection this festive season. The card retails for S$12 and will come with a S$7 pre-loaded value. It can be purchased from any TransitLink Ticket Offices. Get yours for the kids before stocks run out!

A 44 year old Singaporean man who was working in Taiwan as an English teacher in a primary school committed suicide after allegedly receiving complaints from parents. According to Chinatimes, the man jumped off the 15th floor of the building he lived in at around 12.33am on December 8. He landed on a white car and was found trapped between the driver’s seat and the dented roof with multiple fractures and blood all over his body. Though he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, he was pronounced dead at 3am. The incident took place at Gushan District, Kaohsiung, a port city in Taiwan. While reports initially stated that he had been dismissed from his teaching position due to parents complaining about the way he handled his students, the school clarified that they although they had received complaints about him, he had not been let go. According to Yahoo Taiwan, the man had sent a final message to his Taiwanese wife that said “愛你一生一世” which roughly translates to “I will love you forever”. They had been married for several years and had moved to Kaohsiung from Singapore just a few months ago.

From now until 22 December, Seletar Mall welcomes families to enjoy its fun-filled carnival event, which includes a bouncy castle, carousel and slides! All you have to do is spend a minimum of $30 in a single receipt and you’ll get a coupon to access the event. Play carnival games as a family, let the kids enjoy the rides and usher in the festive season with plenty of prizes to be won. There's also free cotton candy to be redeemed (limited to the first 270 for the day). And take part in their lucky draw to stand a chance to win awesome prizes worth S$10,000! From now until 31 Dec, spend a minimum of $150 ($180 if you include FairPrice Finest Receipts) and you can take part in their Christmas lucky draw. Prices include: First Prize: OSIM uDiva Star ($3,299) + $800 SPH Malls Vouchers Second Prize: Ogawa OMKnee Therapee ($1,388) + $700 SPH Malls Vouchers Third Prize: 3-month Amore Fitness Membership ($683) + $400 SPH Malls Vouchers Fourth Prize: $300 Lao Huo Tang Restaurant Voucher + $400 SPH Malls Vouchers Fifth & Sixth Prize: Sasa Teology Green Tea Set ($150.90) + $250 SPH Malls Vouchers Seventh & Eighth Prize: OSIM uCozy 3D ($199) + $100 Soi Thai Soi Nice Voucher + $100 SPH Malls Vouchers Ninth & Tenth Prize: $150 Levi’s Voucher + $100 Ramen Hitoyoshi Voucher + $50 SPH Mall Vouchers

Any LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort fans here? We're sure it's one of your kids' favourite spots to head to over long weekends and during the school holidays. If they are obsessed with LEGO and the Christmas season, then you will want to make a trip to LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort this December! The theme park will be transformed into a snowy Brick-Tacular Winter Wonderland with exciting and exclusive surprises lined up every day during the festive month. This year, the park’s Winter Wonderland experience will also be bringing real snowfall to the theme park happening every half hour in front of Big Shop. Guests will be welcomed by an arctic LEGO® experience throughout the park including Malaysia’s first igloo ice-cream bar, where they can enjoy a cold treat and hang around with LEGO® reindeers and elves. They will also be giving away SGD32,700 worth of prizes as part of the daily LEGO® Advent Calendar Draw to a lucky guest and a Nissan Almera (worth almost SGD24,000) to a lucky Annual Pass holder* on the 25th of December. Here are some of the other highlights to look forward to: - Festive LEGO® Building Activities – Kids can learn to build their own LEGO® snowman and Christmas tree decorations. The decorations that they designed will be hung on the trees around the park. - LEGO® Santa’s Grotto – At Santa’s Grotto, there will be a meet and greet session with Santa. On top of that, kids can submit a letter to share their Christmas wish list with hi,. - Jingle Bell Ball – Guests are invited to join the LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort Jingle Bell Ball where they can party and dance with all the elves! There may even be a special appearance from beloved characters such as Rudolf, Ollie The Dragon and the LEGO® Toy Soldier. To end the holiday celebration and welcome the New Year, the park skies will be lit up with a spectacular 3D LEGO® fireworks where guests will experience fireworks with a twist – of LEGO® bricks falling from the skies. Don’t forget to check out these spectacular promotions:- 1. Buy 2 Tickets FREE 1 (Booking Period: 12 Nov – 5 Dec 2018) 2. Buy two (2) adult ticket and get one (1) child ticket for FREE exclusively at http://legoland.my 3. Get 15% off the best available room rate on http://legoland.my 4. Get a FREE LEGO® Christmas Gift Playset with a minimum purchase of SGD$147 while stocks last.

One of the things that many Asian parents ban in their households is sugary drinks or soft drinks. None of that fizzy cola drinks or cordial drinks that our kids love to binge drink when we're not looking. But is banning it nationwide too drastic a move? The Ministry of Health (MOH) is contemplating in its efforts to cut the high sugar intake of Singaporeans, as it is a major factor for obesity and diabetes. First, they want to hear from the public. Do we agree or disagree with this ban? The MOH and the Health Promotion Board have presented four measures to cut sugar intake from drinks, which include 3-in-1 mixes, cordials, yogurt drinks, fruit juices and soda drinks. These four measures are: - Total ban on pre-packed high-sugar drinks - Single or tiered tax on high-sugar drinks - Mandatory front-of-pack labelling on sugar/nutrition content - Ban on advertisements on all platforms for high-sugar drinks, including social media and on buses DID YOU KNOW? One in four sugar-sweetened beverages contains 5.5 teaspoons of sugar or more. Singapore already does not allow the sale of high-sugar drinks in schools and on government premises. Many companies also refrain from advertising high-sugar drinks during the hours when children are more likely to be watching television. The public can give feedback on this proposal at www.reach.gov.sg/sugarydrinks or e-mail [email protected] from now till Jan 25 next year.

The festive season is here. Many of us have our year-end holidays planned to our favourite destinations. But don't forget that there are guidelines for prohibited and controlled items, including food products! Here's what you can and cannot bring back into Singapore 1. CAN -. Food products for personal consumption if the type of food product is allowed by AVA, and within reasonable allowance. - A maximum of 5kg of seafood products, out of which a maximum of only 2kg of frozen cooked crabmeat and frozen cooked prawn meat is allowed. - Fresh fruit and vegetables from all countries can be brought into Singapore if they are in "small, reasonable quantities" and "hand-carried for personal consumption". - Snacks like processed food, such as pineapple tarts, limited to 5kg, or $100 per person. - Cleaned dried bird's nest, maximum of 1kg. 2. CANNOT - Chewing gum (except dental and medicated gum), chewing tobacco and imitation tobacco products (such as, electronic cigarettes) - Cigarette lighters in the shape of a pistol or revolver - Firecrackers - Pirated publication and CDs - Bak Kwa and eggs from Malaysia. And will you have to pay GST? YES, if you buy items above $150 in value and have only been overseas for less than 48 hours. YES, if you buy items above $600 in value and have been overseas for more than 48 hours. What is your favourite thing to buy from overseas? Will you be buying any of that this year-end?

I just found out today. ???