My visit to a unique kind of ship

A dredger is an amazing ship. When canals and smaller water bodies get filled with sand, ships get stuck in them. Dredgers are large ships that clear out the sand, making it easy for ships to pass through.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to explore a real dredger! So here’s what my experience was like.

When we arrived at the Tuas port, Captain Venkat gave my mom, dad and me our passes. We also got some helmets as we were going to be climbing around the dredger.

Once we were ready, we went across the port and towards the dredger. On the way, I was thrilled to see a large ship docked on land. You could see the bottom of the ship, which was like a colossal red float. Captain Venkat told us how the ship was brought onto the dock.

Below the floor of the dock are huge floats that are filled with air. First, the sailors fill those with water to make them sink. The floor moves down and seawater automatically floods in. The ship can now sail in. Then, the water is pumped out of the floats and air pumped in. and the floor moves up. The ship is now on dry land!

I thought it was really cool how they got the ship onto dry land.

Finally, we reached the dredger. It was pure white with Volvox Asia printed in on one side.

When we first boarded the dredger, we went to the bridge. The bridge is basically the control room. Captain Venkat showed us the different buttons and levers used to move forward, backward and turn the ship around.

Once we were done at the bridge, we went to the mess, which is where the sailors eat, just like in stories!

Next, we went to the gym. As the sailors don’t have much exercise on the ship, they need a gym. The gym was actually pretty large and had a lot of training facilities.

Finally, we saw the most important part of any dredger. The hopper! The hopper is a gigantic tank connected to many long pipes. 

Like I said before, dredgers clear sand from water bodies. The pipes scoop up the sand, which enters the hopper and is stored there. When the dredger reaches a larger water body, the hopper is opened and the sand is dumped there. It all sounded so incredible!

I had an amazing experience at the dredger, and hope that I can visit a ship again someday. 

Merlin's Underpants! A Harry Potter cafe in Singapore?!

Are you a total Potterhead? Do you have your own account on Pottermore? Have you been sorted into a Hogwarts house?

If you answered yes to all these questions, you have got to visit the Harry Potter café – Platform 1094 – on Serangoon Road (No. 1094 of course). I had an amazing experience!

The café looked exactly as I imagined the Leaky Cauldron to be. The walls are made of ancient-looking bricks and are covered with posters – a cool recipe for a magic potion, a flyer for Dorothy’s missing shoes and a page from the Platform Weekly (similar to the Daily Prophet).

As I entered the café, I saw a counter right in front of me with numerous wands stacked up on it, along with a furry toy owl (Hedwig!) and a few pairs of round black spectacles that looked exactly like Harry’s. There were also some dusty books with Gryffindor and Slytherin written on them. When I opened them, I realised they were house journals.

At the back of the café was a coat rack, in the corner, and it was thrilling to see so many Hogwarts robes and scarves hanging there, along with wizard hats. You can dress up as characters from Harry Potter’s world! I immediately became Hermione Granger in a Gryffindor robe (though I am actually a Ravenclaw), a hat, and Hermione’s wand.

My grandfather enjoyed dressing up as Professor Dumbledore, complete with purple robes and a sparkly hat.

When we sat down to eat we discovered that the water cups were golden and shaped just like Butterbeer mugs! ‘Siriusly’ amazing!

The menu cards had lots of magic-themed food – Mr. Lich’s Flaming Brew (which catches  fire like the Goblet of Fire), Giant’s Breakfast, a dessert called Bloodberry and other strange, enchanted meals. My mum and I shared a portion of fries served in a cauldron. I saw a chocolate cake topped with an edible snitch, and other magical desserts.

It was a lot of fun checking out the Harry Potter café. I definitely would like to go back again.

This blog first appeared on Singapore for Kids.

5 fun things kids can do in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Are you going to visit Cambodia soon? Are you a kid or a parent?

If you’re a parent, here’s a list of things you can do with kids in Siem Reap so you can have a fun trip without them getting bored.

If you’re a kid, then here’s some stuff you will totally enjoy checking out in Siem Reap. Trust me – there are some pretty exciting ideas in this list. I have tried all of these activities and I had an awesome time.

So keep reading….

• What’s cooler than riding on a colossal bike with four wheels? Nothing, that’s what! You can do quad bike riding in Siem Reap. All you have to do is check out www.srquadbikeadventure.com for details and you can ride through large rice fields on the most spectacular bike you’ve ever seen! I loved riding on the bumpy, slushy bike route at top speed!

• The Ta Prohm temple is a beautiful temple covered in greenery, with tall tress winding around ancient sculptures. It’s so interesting to explore the old, ruined temple. I felt like I was an explorer discovering a haunted temple.

• Imagine if you could relax in a clear waterfall with clean, refreshing water. Wait, you can! At the beautiful Phnom Kulen waterfall next to the Preah Ang Thom pagoda. The water is so clean, you can actually drink it! If that still sounds boring to you, guess what? You can get into your swimsuit and paddle around in the cool water. Have fun splashing your family!

• The Phare circus is the most brilliant circus you have veer seen! It has astonishing acrobatics, marvellous music, and an awesome artist. I was amazed to see how flawlessly the acrobats performed. Their stunts astonished me so much that I was sitting at the edge of my seat.

• Finally, here are a number of other things you can do at Siem Reap: ride a tuk-tuk, put your feet in a fish tank for a tickly fish pedicure, try out some Cambodian food and go to the Siem Reap night market for some colourful clothes and trinkets.

Did you like my list? My favourite activity was the quad bike ride, but you might prefer something else. Anyway, if you do visit Cambodia, enjoy your vacay! Once you get back, leave me a comment as to what you enjoyed doing! 

Dancing on the ice: A short story

Right now, all I can see are my million fans. Flashing lights and posters everywhere. I laced up my brand-new skates and struck a pose. “This is it, Johanna,” I told myself. “You can do it. Just skate, skate, skate, and pirouette. Then twirl and leap for the twist.''

I skated on to the ice and curtsied. Loud music blared out from the speakers. I put my hands on my hips, facing the audience. The rap began.

When the rap ended, I twirled around and started dancing on the ice. I danced beautifully.

My spins were perfect and my hand movements were splendid. My footwork was delicate and graceful. Then, it was time for the final part of the show. I twirled in the air, did a 360-degree twist (a full twist), and landed on one foot, the other foot in the air.

Everyone cheered. Suddenly, I felt a pull on my leg. It hurt horribly. I had twisted my ankle, I realised, and the dance hadn’t even ended yet. That was when I woke up.

I was in my old purple bedroom with purple walls, a purple bed and a purple study table, behind which were lavender curtains.

“Time for the dance show, Ms. Johanna,” called Ms. Parker, my personal wardrobe mistress. “Your shiny blue dress is in your closet. Break a leg!”

Wonder: A review of the book

The heartfelt book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, is a delightful read. It’s so popular that someone decided to make it into a movie – but before you watch the movie, read the book!

The story is about a young boy called August, a normal 10-year old boy who does normal things all normal boys do. But one thing makes people stare at him and children run away from him. August has a disease called the Treacher Collins Syndrome. It makes him look different from other children. People call him ugly, scary-looking or weird.

And for the first time in August’s life, he has to go to school. With good friends like Jack and Summer, and mean bullies like Julian, his life in school is full of drama. Will August, who has been home-schooled so far, survive his experience at school and prove that it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover?

As I read the book, I could feel what it was like to be August. I felt anger towards Julian and affection for August’s sister and friends. I liked how realistic the story line was – it could actually happen in real life.

I recommend this book for children aged eight and above, and adults as well. It is a very touching and interesting read.

If you read only one book this month, it’s got to be Wonder.

*This review first appeared on Singapore For Kids.