Review of TinyRabbitHole Amigurumi Workshop at NAIISE

Leave a Comment

I’ve always admired TinyRabbbitHole‘s Amigurumi (crocheted stuffed doll’ in Japanese) on their Instagram, which never fail to make me squeal like a 3-year old girl. Have you seen their awfully cute creatures like the Rainbow Unicorn and Chibi Pikachu? Those are just WAY. TOO. CUTE.

And although I’m into all sorts of crafts like sewing, needle-felting etc, I have never tried crocheting as I never got the chance to explore the art. To me, crocheting required a different set of skills and knowledge behind it that simply elude me.

Hence I was overjoyed when I was invited to join one of TinyRabbitHole’s workshops at NAIISE. Finally I get to try my hands at crocheting and make one of ’em cute amigurumi!

Amigurumi workshop at NAIISE

The workshop was held on a Sunday afternoon 1pm-6pm at NAIISE Orchard Gateway. Not surprisingly, the turnout was good!

Adorable amigurumi on display. :)

Can you spot Rilakkuma, Bad Badtz Maru, and Psyduck? These gave me a glimpse of the possible designs that can be made. Besides being able to crochet your favourite cartoon characters, you can also come up with entirely new creatures.

Crocheting my own Dango Amigurumi!

The starter kit that TinyRabbitHole provides included:

  1. Instructions manual
  2. A 2.2mm crocheting hook
  3. Felting needle
  4. Plastic toy eyes
  5. Plastic safety pins
  6. Pins and a sewing needle
  7. Accessories to make your own keychain

Pretty much everything that I need. Can’t wait to start! :D

The very first loop.

And that was the start of counting of loops, and making sure that none were missed. Haha. I never knew that there were so much calculations involved!

After following the step-by-step instructions and demonstrations, my Dango slowly took shape. Here I am stuffing the toy with acrylic wool. It gives my plushie a soft yet firm feel.

I love it!!

My very first Amigurumi inspired from Japanese dango, a sweet dumpling made from mochi that are skewered on bamboo sticks! Adding eyes and antenna really adds character to the mochi. Other participants added a small mouth, spectacles, and even made theirs into a necklace! So creative! :)

Thank you TinyRabbitHole for a fun-filled afternoon!

 Everyone went home with their very own hand-made plushie. It was absolutely satisfying to have created something out of just yarn. Going through the entire process of crocheting teaches perseverance and concentration, because you have to keep track of the number of loops you have already done. And it also puts your fingers’ dexterity to the test. But at the end, it was worthed it!

Thank you Angie, Yew Tong, and Terrix for having me! :)

Here are some of my favourite amigurumi from TinyRabbitHole

Lazy Rainbow Unicorn Amigurumi | Crochet Pattern

The popular Rainbow Unicorn that has stolen lots of hearts!

Chibi Pikachu Amigurumi | Crochet Pattern

The Chibi Pikachu has got to be my favourite! <3

 About TinyRabbitHole

Once upon a time, deep in the woods, bottom of a tree, there’s a hole to another dimension, where imagination runs beneath the earth and beyond the skies. It’s a secret little place where we handmade magical creatures with yarns and needles. Once in a while, humans (instead of bunnies) accidentally found our hole, we teach them about the art of Amigurumi.

Besides crocheting these creatures, we also organize workshops in Singapore to impart wannabe crocheters the skill to unlock these magical creatures and get them out of their virtual captivity by transforming them into crochet stuffed creatures. We are happy to tailor magical creatures specially for you even if we have not come across them in the seven seas. Simply drop us a message on our Facebook / Instagram / Contact Us. and let us know where they are locked at.

Sign up for Amigurumi workshops here! https://tinyrabbithole.com/collections/amigurumi-workshop

Stay creative, lovelies! :)

(Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the workshop, and opinions are my own)

 Untitled-1

Review of Juggernaut Fight Club’s all-women boxing class

Leave a Comment

Hi girls,

I have always been small-sized my entire life, and obviously I’ve never as so much gotten into a fight before. The closest contact sport that I can think of was having participated in inter-class rugby competition in secondary school, but even so, everyone was still quite gentle. Because, girls’ school. Haha. So when Juggernaut Fight Club (JFC) invited me down for a trial beginners’ class in boxing, I was super hesitant to pick it up.

My thought process went something like, “Omg, boxing? Don’t want lah, so violent…..” while breaking out in cold sweat. Lol.

After much encouragement from Eliz, who is very active in dance sports like pole and aerial silk/hoop, I decided to JUST GIVE IT A TRY. Haha. Little did I know that I did not regret my decision to go after all!

Train with the best at Juggernaut Fight Club

Photo courtesy of Juggernaut Fight Club.

I knew I was in good hands when I found out that the coach for the lesson was going to be Nurshahidah ‘The Sniper’ Rosli, who is Singapore’s first professional female boxer and champion. She represented Singapore in SEA Games from 2009 till 2015, and was then hand-picked by her coach, Arvind Lalwani, to train and debut as a professional boxer.

Shortly after in 2016, Nurshahidah clinched the Universal Boxing Organisation’s Intercontinental Super Featherweight Title belt by defeating Thailand’s Wondergirl Sithsaithong in two rounds via a technical knockout!

Watch a video of the exciting match over at Juggernautfightclub.com.

Photo courtesy of JFC.

And guess what? National boxing and kickboxing coach, Arvind Lalwani, is the owner and head-coach of JFC! He is also the president of Singapore Fighting Championships, and coaches many Singapore’s best fighters. So imagine, when you train at JFC, you’re literally training with the best. There’s no doubt about that.

The number of belts and trophies tell it all – from humble beginnings in 2011 to producing champions in 2017.

Their new premises at Syed Alwi Road features state-of-the-art facilities like an MMA cage, a competition-sized boxing ring, Dollamur mats, and 20 punching bag stations, as well as a monkey bar and designated strength and conditioning area.

Besides the gym, there is also a members-only air-conditioned space with sofas and a 50-inch television for resting and bonding for the members.

Our experience at the brand new All-Women Boxing Class

The 1 hour lesson covered basic stance, footwork (moving left, right, front, back), throwing left and right hand punches, interactive sparring with a partner, and cool-down exercises. It was a really good cardio workout as we bounced continuously from left to right and back.

You’ll discover a lot about your body and coordination, like how you must ALWAYS keep your chin down (to protect the neck) while still keeping an eye on your opponent at all times. There’s also the foot twist – threatening to throw you off balance – that you must perform in a swift motion when punching with your non-dominant hand.

Nope, we did not get to try punching these huge bags, but it’s still fun to throw air punches at them. Lol.

Haha my main problem was that I was unable to keep my chin down, as my opponents are all taller than me during our friendly sparring! But Nurshahidah encouraged me, and offered the insight that taller opponents may actually have more tendencies to leave their bodies open to attacks, while shorter fighters are more compact and protected. I felt a lot less conscious about my small frame and height after that. :) All hope is not lost for short people!!

Eliz realised that different groups of muscles were utilised for boxing as compared to pole or aerial dances. It was a good workout and coordination training session for her! Thank you for coming along with me! :)

Everything pink personalised fighting gear!!

From the way the lesson was conducted, I think Nurshahidah has the ability to put her students at ease, and to guide them to the right mindset needed for such a high-intensity sport. She is also able to put herself in the student’s perspective and offer the right advice. There are no airs to her – even though she’s a champion! – and she comes across as affable and down-to-earth. It was a real privilege to be coached by her! <3

One thing is that, although the class is called an all-women class, it is likely that males will be present in the gym as well while the class goes on. They are usually doing self-training or private lessons. It’s not exactly girls-exclusive. So girls who mind that, do take note!

Lastly, click to watch how we throw our punches! Also, you can see how small I am…

Thank you JFC for the invite, and thank you Nurshahidah for showing us a glimpse into the world of boxing! :)

About Juggernaut Fight Club

Established in 2011, Juggernaut Fight Club (JFC) is a premier fight gym that embraces fight sports as an alternative way of fitness as well as producing some of the best fighters in Singapore and South-east Asia. Led by our Director and Head Coach, Arvind ‘The Juggernaut’ Lalwani, our international team of specialist trainers, bring with them a lifetime of experience and knowledge in technical guidance and physical training. The 6 martial disciplines of Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Dutch kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on offer will allow trainees endless cross-training possibilities as they work on technical skills and physical conditioning. Our tailored programs will dish out a training menu that will work you physically the way a fighter does.

For more information on classes, please visit:

www.juggernautfightclub.com, www.facebook.com/JuggernautFightClub/

(Disclaimer: Eliz and I were invited to attend the class, but all thoughts are our own.)Untitled-1