Thankful 2014, Hopeful 2015

Soon 2014 will drift into history

This past one year has been generous to TheWackyDuo.com. We were blessed with the support given by our sponsors, the opportunities to share new experiences. Last but not least, we are grateful for your increasing and continuous readership.

I remember almost 3 years ago when I decided to make TheWackyDuo.com public. It was not meant to gain fame or publicity, but rather to use it as a platform to share my experiences as a Father. From observation, Fatherhood is not widely celebrated or embraced as a 'career'. With the chase for 'material happiness' that usually result in heavy workload, it had robbed time away from parenting and at times hinder the aspirations of potential Fathers-to-be. Thus to write a blog from a Daddy's perspective, I had hopes that it may encourage more fathers to be a part of active Daddyhood. That is my small contribution to society.

Writing a blog does have its perks. One of the life-changing benefits is that it guaranteed the boys a childhood that is to be different from norms of enrichment classes and shopping malls. It is one that promises to be filled with a vast range of adventures, discoveries and encounters. Along the way, I am also enriched with knowing like-minded bloggers, many whom had became trusted friends. For this I am grateful.

2014 started with a challenge as Big C embarked on his rat race, otherwise known as Primary one. With the onset of routine schoolwork and assessments, you would have thought Blog activities will take a back seat. On the contrary, we chalked up over 100 events , reviews and invites during this period. Given we are only free on weekends, it meant a whirlwind consecutive weeks of activities. I am proud to say Big C adapted quickly to Primary one. Even with the onslaught of activities and minimal enrichment classes, he did not falter in his initiation to Primary school and received a certification in recognition of his academic achievements.

I can't tell you how we did it, but we survived the year.

On a side note, given the disasters and accidents happening close to home, we are saddened by the latest loss in QZ8501. Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims and families. 

So what did we enjoyed in 2014?

If we were to rank the experiences, musicals will probably top our list. The Ant and the Grasshopper, Disney on Ice, The Nightingale, Junior Claus and Peter Pan : The Neverending story are part of the shows we had the honour to be invited to. We love the productions especially those from Singapore Repertory Theatre. SRT shows will definitely one that we will keep a lookout for in the new year ahead.

In between these musicals, we were treated to good food from Swensens, Fish & Co, District 10, Manhattan Fish Company, Azur and more. Along the way, the boys were also featured as FOX ambassadors.

Since thewackyduo.com pride ourselves as being on the forefront on the latest attractions for kids in Singapore, we are glad to be invited to the openings of Alive Museum, Singapore Garden Festivals, various Gardens By The Bay events, Trickeye Museum and Madame Tussaud's Singapore. Our review on The latest indoor playgrounds in Singapore is proving to be a fan favourite through this year too. 

The boys are not the only one enjoying the journey. Being a Daddy Blogger, who is a techie at heart, I was glad to be invited to test drive cars such as Volvo S60 and Citroen Grand Picasso. For a tech geek like me, who would say no to reviews of the latest Electric Skooter, Huawei phones, Dyson fans and even a Home Entertainment system from Pioneer.

The house also got a little love with a paint over of the children's room from Dulux as well as new shower fittings from Grohe.

If you have been following us, you will be well aware we call an ad an ad. We do not mask ads. Our list of Sponsors and Review clearly stated the sponsors we worked with. Sponsored posts are labelled as such on the top of the post to remove any doubt. With the ongoing saga between agency bloggers, we are glad that we had chosen to be independent and taken the honest route.

As an affirmation to our continuous quest to improve ourselves, The New Age Parents had identified us as one of the 5 Daddy Bloggers they love in Singapore. To add to that, we were also featured in a Father's Day Special Feature. But amongst all the posts I had written for the year, I am most proud of A Valentine Day Love letter to the wife and my Midlife confessions on turning 40. It may be mushy, but it's from the heart.

2014 was indeed a whirlwind year for us. Given that we are not managed by agencies or have an army of staff to set us up with sponsors, it was always a one-man show (along with 2 accommodating boys and a lovely wife). We are thankful for the opportunities presented to us. Our sponsors had often been repeated brands who found value in our humble blog. We do have new brands that had 'stumbled upon us', like how we blog and engaged us directly. It was a blessing that we hold dear to our hearts. We are grateful to all those who had been a part of TheWackyDuo.com family.

Thank you for being with us on this journey.

For this evening countdown, here will be no parties for us. It will be just the family spending a quiet evening cosying up on the bed and being grateful for the company of each other. With a brand new year, it will mean new challenges. Nonetheless, we are sure it will be peppered with more enriching experiences. So it is goodbye to 2014 and hello to new friends, new encounters and a brand new 2015 ahead!

Stay safe and happy.

Happy New Year!

Ps: I have been thinking of having a blog revamp. If there are any web designer who is willing to take up the challenge and sponsor a revamp, we are all ears. Drop us an email here.

* The thanks and gratitude are not limited to the above mentions. For a full list of sponsors we had worked within 2014, refer to our Sponsors and Reviews Tab. Once again, we would like to express our thanks to everyone, both sponsors and readers who have been a part of this journey in 2014