It isn’t everyday that you get to wear Lego on your head, but if you’re going to do it, I guess it’d better be for a special occasion. In this case, it was the Singapore Blog Awards 2014!
(Ok, it wasn’t really Lego but nanoblocks that made their way into my headpiece but you get the drift!)
It all started when the petite travellers received the honour of being one of the finalists for the Best New Blog at this year’s blog awards. The event had a derby theme, so we knew there were going to be hats all around. But we also wanted to incorporate our travel theme, with a look that was distinct yet cohesive amongst the few of us attending.
With that in mind, we brainstormed over many days as we considered hats with city skylines, hats with 3D cardboard structures and hats with our emblematic red suitcase on them. We even when as far as considering wearing the red suitcase as a hat! Time was ticking down and we had no workable idea. Then, just three days before the ceremony, Jas came across a 3D cardboard structure that she thought might work, except that we were not sure we were going to be able to find five more different cardboard structures. But while I was fiddling with a 3D puzzle set of Sydney Harbour Bridge to see if it could be used, an image of nanoblock landmarks suddenly came into my head, and I thought: maybe we should use nanoblocks?
As we discussed it, it sounded more and more plausible. It helped that the structures looked good and were not heavy, and best of all, were readily available. As my husband and son told me when I asked, you can buy nanoblocks “everywhere”. We got some sets and settled on a fascinator style, which Jas, Corsage and Pam proceeded to test out. And when they sent us some pics, I knew: This was it. Just in the nick of time too!
It was hard work putting the structures together — nano bricks are so tiny! Our biggest fear was that the brick structures will coming crashing down as we wore them (and mine did, many times during construction), so GLUE was essential. Each stress point was tested then UHU-ed in place.
You would think my Lego-loving husband would have been supportive, but he just gave me incredulous looks when I told him that the Eiffel tower structure he was admiring was going to go on my head. “It’s just so… impractical!” he said repeatedly.
But whaddya know, the nanoblocks held together and collectively, I thought the group of us looked great. There’s nothing like doing something kooky with friends! It would have been more awesome if all nine of us could have attended!
The different landmarks we wore, clockwise from top left: Big Ben (London), Eiffel Tower (Paris), The Great Pyramid (Egypt), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), and St Basil’s Cathedral (Russia).
We didn’t win the Best New Blog award by the way, in case you were wondering. I personally didn’t expect us to, since we were up against some strong contenders. So the award ceremony was really a time to check out the scene, put some faces to names I’d only seen online and hang out with friends. We were familiar with the mummy-blogger crowd of course, many of whom were nominees for Best Parenting Blog, and it was great to have the opportunity to catch up.
Five of us from petite travellers with the lovely mums from Growing with the Tans, PruneNurture, A Pancake Princess, MummyWee, The Gingerbread Mum, and A Juggling Mom!
I think we were all running on adrenaline because I was so tired at the end of it, and ready to crash! Didn’t help that it was a standing event and the first time I was wearing closed-toe pumps in months!
The whole process of starting petite travellers, entering the Singapore Blog Awards, qualifying as a finalist, and attending the award ceremony was quite an experience, made all the better by the fact that I was doing it, and going through it all with friends. Blogging, writing, even being a Mummy can be very lonely pursuits, and it helps to have folks you can call on for support, to ask for advice, for prayers, to share in your joys, to bounce ideas off, and yes, to wear nanoblocks together. I thought I was past the age where one makes meaningful friendships but you know what? I was wrong and God has served up a blessing in these lovely ladies. And I sure am grateful for that!
(P.S. Click here to read the petite travellers’ account of the event!)
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