Family fun: blowing bubbles using balloon kits in Singapore

Singapore shops stock a bubble or 'balloon' blowing kit at a low price. For under 3 dollars you can buy a set of about 100 teeny gum dispensers which look like miniature toothpaste dispensers. Each one comes with small short straw.

How To Blow Bubbles
You cut the end of the dispenser. Squeeze out a blob of glue. Insert the teeny straw into the goo and blow air into it to create a bubble. Keep blowing. You can blow it up to the size of a small balloon.

Rena demonstrates blowing a bubble.

It is a bit mis-shapen. But enormous fun. The balloons are transparent but if they catch the light right you get an attractive rainbow effect.

One person from London, England, looked at it and commented: "It looks like inedible bubblegum."

I was shown it at the Focus club, a Toastmasters International group. Speaker Rena told us how she had visited an orphanage in Bhutan and took along the balloon kits to entertain the children. She said the balloon blowing was a great success.

I tried attaching the balloons to my hair as decoration but they did not last long. They made an amusing photo.

Here I am with two balloons.

The brand was Bestman.
Where to buy the balloon blowing kits? A stationery shop or toy shop in Singapore and other cuntries.

The set I found online was only four pieces for about ten dollars which seemed expensive. One user's feedback said you could buy them cheaper in  US store called Family Dollar.

Amazon had a pack of eight party favors, but each person receives only one tube of goo and one straw.

Ebay sold sets of 30 pc for about 20 US dollars. Another supplier on ebay had 60 pieces for the same price. But check postage to your country, if available.

I finally tracked down the brand, Bestman, and found them on Shopee for only 3 Sing dollars.

Useful websites
https://shopee.sg/Bestman-Balloon-Old-school-Classic-bubble

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30pcs-PLASTIC-BALLOONS-bubble-toys-blow-up-toy-Tube-Party-Fillers-Fun-Toys-Kids/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/60Pcs-New-bubbles-BALLOONS-TUBES-blow-up-toy-balloon-novelty-toy-bubble-blower/

https://www.familydollar.com/products-services/products

https://www.amazon.com/BLoonies-Piece-included-Straws-Colors/

To buy bubble balloons - about 10 sing dollars for 15 pieces
https://www.qoo10.sg/item/15PCS-BUBBLE-GUM-TOY-BLOWING-GLUE-CHILDHOOD-REMINISCENCE-TOYS/550620665

How to blow up a bubble balloon - demo with three children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsdjuDCBAqM

Infomation on history of US suppliers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Elastic_Bubble_Plastic

Travel to Singapore
singaporeair.com
visitsingapore.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Recording Travel Expenses For Employers + Tax Returns: New (Tax) Year's Resolution

Problem
Oops - I've completely lost track!

Answers
Do it every week, same time of day, Friday afternoon or night, Saturday morning, Sunday night.

Here are some of the things for which you might need to claim or keep records. Even if you are not claiming, you might want to check. Where did the petty cash go? Why have I spent so much? Have I been robbed, or did I spend the money? Was my free lunch worthwhile if I had to take a taxi?

Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly Outgoings
It helps to anticipate when the big bills will come in. I got a shock when I saw I was due for a three-figure sum for quarterly maintenance on a flat. How could I pay that out of monthly income!

Then I realised that although the quarterly sum was total was provided for information; I was actually paying monthly. So a third of that sum was due to be paid.

Car Miles And Petrol
Keep a notebook in the car for mileage.
Mark number of miles per journey; reason for journey, mileage on clock at start, mileage at end.
Receipts for petrol can be stapled into the book.
Alternatively, the allowance for depreciation on the car used for business can be allowed. (In the UK not for going to and from work but other excursions.) New Tyres, air, petrol, annual service, car wash?
Check what is currently allowed with your accountant / tax consultant / the tax collector. (NB rules in the USA for the IRA will be different, and tax is different for every state as well as the USA as a whole.)

Alternatively, use the AA (Automile Association) or tax allowance calculator.

Subsistence - food
When I last looked it was something like a certain allowance if you were so many miles from your home / office.
Keep all receipts, both as evidence if you are challenged by the tax office, and to remind yourself.

Next year I shall be much better organized! Didn't I say that last year?

Stationery
Box files, paper, printing, postage stamps.

Insurance.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

National Stationery Week: April-May 2016. Competitions. Xmas gifts.

National Stationery Week is back again next year; proving that picking up a pen is important and that writing matters!

When I first read it I thought it was this week. On re-reading I found it's next year.

The event will runs from 25^th April – 1^st May 2016 and has announced the 2016 theme of ‘Why Writing Matters.’ 

I thought I would share with you the highlights of the email I received from the amusingly named 

'Captain

"We at National Stationery Week, and especially myself who had to earn his handwriting licence at the age of 7, believe that the pen and paper are brilliant and can be close friends with the stylus and screen. We champion the written word and were disappointed to see that Iceland and parts of the United States are phasing out handwriting all together!

"On our website, nationalstationeryweek.com, we have a huge array of resources including lesson plans, ideas and competitions that can be interwoven with any subject for primary and secondary school children. It’ll get them exciting in writing and teach them the importance of the pen! Maybe some will be inspired to be the next Lennon and McCartney, J.K. Rowling or John Cooper Clarke. 

"Alongside this, the Cambridge University Press have launched their 2016 handwriting competition to find the neatest and fanciest handwriting in the United Kingdom.

"If you’d like to get involved with the campaign; please let me know, it’d be superb for fantastic professionals like yourselves to be involved in this brilliant national campaign triumphing stationery and championing the pen!

"Please find below a fantastic opportunity for the education sector, in conjunction with National Stationery Week and Cambridge University Press. 

"By the way, Did you know that 97% of people write their own name when they test out a new pen? Or that U.S. President James Garfield could write Greek and Latin simultaneously?"

***

An Italic pen and calligraphy set? If you already have a calligraphy set, time to use it to make a DIY Xmas card or New Year card including photos of the year and your hand-written message.See my next post on Xmas gifts.

PS Stationery with an e, letters. Stationary with an a is cars. (I have another blog on spelling.)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, tutor, author and speaker.

Packing List For Summer Courses

If you take a summer course, writing, songwriting, painting, sports, etc you may wish to make a packing list.

PASSPORT/ID/driving licence
MONEY/local currency for taxi?
Taxi and hotel address.
Friend/relative/conference organiser phone number and email.
Check family or friends have not moved since your last visit.
Hotel at destination open 24 hours where you could go in case of overbooking, or arriving delayed, in the night.

Address checks
Check local hospitals in case you have to be taken to hospital for minor injury and have a preferred hospital, or whether you'd prefer to drive home.
Check address and opening hours of local pharmacy (US name is drugstore).
Check address of local stationery shop/bookstore.
Check address of nearest coffee shop/restaurant for a break or entertaining hosts or entertaining networking contacts.
Take addresses of family, colleagues, businesses you could visit nearby if staying longer.

TICKETS
for train, plane. Take printed copy even if it's online in case computer breaks down.
Check time changes - are you arriving a day later? Check tickets match. Check day of week travelling.

I once flew home from a trip to the Isle of Man on Saturday, expecting to set off on a Monday to meet a group - but on Monday found they had left on the Sunday. I missed a trip to Venice to stay at the famous hotel. PR was so angry she refused to let me pay for myself for another flight and join them a day late.

On another occasion we flew to Asia, having given our hosts our departure date instead of arrival date. They cooked us a special local dinner prepared by a local lady on Saturday night, but we arrived on Sunday.)

Packing List For A Short 2-7 day educational summer course

For a songwriting course
Book on songwriting
Laptop with online songwriting course
Your songs filed alphabetically
Packet notepad for ideas
Pens
Folder
Business cards
Smartphone or device for recording song ideas
File of websites/addresses to share with new contacts
C.V.

For a writing course
A4 pad
Pen
Pencil
Pencil sharpener
Stapler filled with enough staples
Paperclips
Rubber bands
Loose leaf file
A5 or A4 box file
Briefcase or paper holdall or tote bag
Luggage tag (to distinguish your conference bag from other people's)
Dictionary
Draft of your book
Poem to read at open microphone night
Plot book or poem outlines
Flyers adverting your books
Business cards
List of your published books in date order
List of your favourite authors and books
Not of books you already own so you don't buy duplicates

Speakers /Authors giving readings
Address cards
Copies of your book
Copies of previous books to hold up during talk
post-its placed in passages you wish to read.
(Or large print photocopies of the section you wish to read as bookmarks)
Speeches and poems with highlights for important words.
Mark pauses for laughter.
Printed copy of your speech, hard copy and on line, so if you fall ill or are delayed somebody else can read out your speech and give the audience your shared advice and website.

CLOTHES
Check dress hire shops for last night fancy dress party at conference/birthday party/New Year's Eve.
 Walking shoes/sandals/evening shoes/beach, gym or sports
Socks/tights

OUTERWEAR
Coats, jackets, raincoats, rainhats, umbrellas, overshoes, waterproof boots or shoes
Dresses/caftans
Skirts
Blouses
Shirts
Shorts/Bermuda shorts/cargo pants/culottes
Trousers (USA pants/cargo pants)

Underwear pants (UK - in the USA pants are what the British call trousers so for you reading in the USA pants and underpants or panties), bras, vests, slips.
1 Neutral pair co-ordinating with all outfits
2 Special evening pair or co-ordinating with special outfit
3 Spare shoes in case others get broken or dirty
Slippers for hotel
Beach shoes
Scarves, belts, and jewellery.

BITS AND PIECES
4 Picnic: plate, cutlery, lidded box, plastic bags; water bottle./ Emergency kit: tinned sardines, grapes, orange, Kendal mint cake.
5 First aid kit
6 Cosmetics
7 Toiletries: washbag; facecloth; microfibre towel/turban;Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shaver, shaving gel, shampoo, conditioner, soap, bacterial wipe, hair tint (for long trips), comb, brush, nail file, manicure scissors, tweezers, emery board, toenail clippers, nail varnish remover pads, nail varnish, moisturiser.
Pills (regularly taken with daily pill dispenser)
Emergency pills for stomach ache or colds, antibiotics, hay fever, allergies

SWIMWEAR
Swimsuit and swimhat -
Beach towel or wrap/sarong

Nightwear night clothes night dress pyjamas/wrap (even if you sleep nude, wrap helps if fire alarm
Spare bag fold-up suitcase/tote bag/carrier bag, for souvenirs/books/newspaper/wines/literature/ gifts for others/gifts you're given/certificates won
Wrapping paper for gifts and
Spare card for unexpected birthday/wedding/baby arrival/new home/local festival

Outfits for each day, with matching underwear and socks, shoes and coat and hat
(Unless your colour scheme is all black, or black and white with red or blue scarves, and ties
Belts to match all outfits

STATIONERY
Phrase book and dictionary for all destinations (If on laptop, find them and mark as favourites to find them easily and fast when needed.)
Print phrases you are likely to need at destination to please hosts
(Greetings, thanks, my name is, welcome, translation of first line and punchline of your speech to audience or thanking hosts for a meal)

SECURITY
Jacket with zipped inside pockets (or sew in pocket, or sew zips into inside pockets.
Belt with concealed pocket
Change purse

CLEANLINESS & SAFETY
Clothes washing gel/powder
Fly killer spray
Fly repellent for skin
Fly repellent clothes from specialist camping/trekking shops
UV clothes for outdoors
Sunglasses
Sunhats
Suncream
Calomine
Sting relief
Picture of local venomous snakes or wildlife so if you're bitten but can't catch it (dead!) you can point to picture or tell hospital what bit you.

Thank you card to post from destination country or leave behind with host.
Note of host's favourite chocolates, wines, authors colours, for buying gifts at airport as you depart to see them (or to send after you have left).

Make your own list in two columns for day and evening. Day of week (or date for longer than a week).
Rule a line left margin for ticks for when you pack to go, and on right for ticks for when you return.
Copy list on phone and email it to yourself/your family.
You could photograph the contents in the suitcase, and the suitcase showing brand name, in case your luggage is lost.

SELFIES
Finally photograph yourself at the doorstep as you leave.
Check when you get home you are still in the complete outfit, have not left your hat, coat, gloves on the plane or in the taxi.

LABELS
Label your clothes and your children's clothes with name tags or half tags which you can use to prove ownership at lost property without revealing to thieves where you live if your home is left empty or you don't want granny and the babysitters and dogs alarmed by burglars who were hoping the place was empty!

TURN OFF/THROW OUT
Leave 30 minutes extra for turning off heating, checking gas, fridge, waste bins, locks.
Before you go, turn off heating/air con or set on low. Set alarms.

Throw out milk and fruit or give it to neighbours. (We once were glad we had not thrown away the milk. We had a delayed flight, drove home, reclaimed the milk, made coffee. Then got a call to say come back for another flight. Gave the neighbours/family the milk a second time!)
 Leave door keys with trusted family. Tell hosts at other end you are leaving on time/delayed.

Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, travel writer, author, speaker.