Mid-Autumn Festival @ Chinatown

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.

It is a celebration of reunion, when families gather to admire the full moon and sample Mooncakes - a traditional Chinese pastry, over a cup of unsweetened tea.

I missed the official light-up and opening ceremony at Chinatown last weekend but I managed to make a trip down to immerse myself in the festivities this week.

Other than the celebrations at Chinatown, there are also floats over at nearby Clarke Quay which you must not miss!

Video: The Lorax OST - Thneedville

This is another song I like from The Lorax.

It is the opening song and if you listen to the lyrics carefully, it pretty much explains the situation in Thneedville which gives you a better understanding of the later developments in the movie.

Enjoy!

Video: The Lorax OST - Let It Grow

I especially like this quote and soundtrack from the movie, The Lorax because it is a gentle reminder to the environmental issue that we have on hand.

Everyone plays a vital role in protecting this planet we call home and it is up to us to fight for it's well-being because we do not have an alternative planet to move on to should this one fails.

Please do not have that "but I'm just one person; it does not make any difference" mindset. If you think you are too small to make a difference, be reminded tha tthe ocean is made up of many drops of water!

No effort is too insignificant because everything adds up.

Many a little makes a mickle.

It is never too late to start caring for your environment today.

Delays On SMRT Train Services

After the series of major train breakdowns that inconvenienced thousands of commuters, I noticed that SMRT has taken to social media to disseminate news of any breakdowns or delays. 

I think that is a good move as we could then plan our journey accordingly.

I am not sure if that is a tactic to alleviate rising tensions against the transport company but from what I see, the tweets are getting more "personalised".

Graffiti

Graffiti at Teck Lim Road (behind Tong Ah Coffeeshop)

Happy Birthday, Kai Kai!

Kai Kai, the male Giant Panda who is here on a 10 year conservation program celebrates his 5th birthday today. He's seen here enjoying a special birthday cake made of carrots, apples and high-fibre biscuits all frozen in ice.

Kai Kai and his female counterpart, Jia Jia, are currently undergoing quarantine at the River Safari.

Movie: The Lorax

This movie is adapted from a children's book of the same title written by Dr. Seuss which was first published in 1972.

Perhaps it might be a little late to write a review for this animation now but I only got to watch it on cable last weekend and I must say I could totally relate to the storyline which brings forth a very strong message about the crisis that we are facing right at the moment.

The story revolves around twelve-year old Ted (Zach Efron), an ordinary boy living in the walled-up town of Thneedville where everything is artificial.

In this climate-controlled town, the air is not clean and the townsfolk had to buy bottled oxygen from Mr. O'Hare, the greedy proprietor of a bottled oxygen company and who's also the mayor of Thneedville. 

Trees had long been extinct and the only trees and flowers they had were all made of plastics.

When Audrey (Taylor Swift), the girl whom Ted is carrying a torch for wished nothing more than just to see a real, living tree, he spared no effort to sneak out of town in search of the legendary Once-ler (Ed Helms) who knows what exactly happened to the trees and most importantly, where to find one.

Giant Pandas Kai Kai And Jia Jia Arrives In Singapore

After much anticipation, two VIPs - Very Important Pandas - have finally landed in Singapore on a Boeing 747 cargo freighter. 

They were here on a ten-year loan from China with the objective of promoting Giant Panda conservation and raising public awareness of this critically endangered species.

There to receive them at the JetQuay Terminal at the Changi Airport were 60 guests including Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State (Trade & Industry), chairman of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) Claire Chiang, former President S.R. Nathan and the chairman of CapitaLand Hope Foundation, who is the sponsor and conservation donor of the Giant Panda collaborative programme,.

Happy 40th Birthday, Sentosa!

It was Sentosa's 40th Birthday last Saturday (1 September) and entry to the island via the Boardwalk and Sentosa Express were free.

I took the chance to visit the Nature Walk which is something that I have been wanting to do but was unable to as I could not find it's entrance.

I know it is located somewhere on Mount Imbiah but I just could not find it during my previous visits.

And it's no wonder because the entrance was really secluded and hidden out of sight. (Who would have guessed that the entrance was just a little further down from the restroom?)

I was only able to find it after checking with a friend who used to work there.

Keep Calm And Jiak Tau Huay

Mango and Strawberry flavored Tau Huey (Beancurd)

Tonight is the proposed date of the highly controversial Diner En Blanc (The White Dinner). 

While some Singaporeans have called for the boycott of the event, others have taken a step further by planning similar events on the same day.

One such event is Makan Day, motioned by Singapore's very own Blogfather, Mr Brown.

Makan Day is a own-time-own-target event governed by no rules (as opposed to the unforgiving rules of Diner En Blanc) whereby participants could eat anything they desire anywhere, anytime and with anyone they like.

According to him, participants could bring and share food of any colour because our tastes are diverse.  

Fast food also can, slow food also can. Tau Huay also can!

Hashtag for the event: #MakanDay

Facebook page.

Video: Man-Powered Ferris Wheel

In a country where electricity is inconsistent, carnival operators in India has found an alternative way of operating their ferris wheel.

This method requires no electricity nor generator but the physical power of the carnival workers who peddle along the inner bars of the Ferris Wheel (think of the hamster wheel) or propels it forward with their sheer body weight.

There is no safety harness nor protection gear of any form to safeguard them. 

It certainly would not comply with any safety guidelines by today's standards and you cannot help but worry about the workers and joyriders' safety.

Despite that, I still think it is an ingenious way of cutting carbon footprint - just imagine how much power would be saved if the Singapore Flyer does not run on electricity?

视频：便便罕有

这是一首关于儿童面对便秘的歌曲。

歌词也改的太可爱了吧？竟然还能把便秘唱得那么温馨…

简直笑翻了。

赞！

原曲是容祖儿的《世上只有》。

Tau Hway: A Nation's Pride

[via]

It takes little effort to rile up the sentiments of Singaporeans - just diss their "Tau Hway" (Soya Bean Curd) and be prepared to face the wrath of a nation.

At least that is what the local organisers for Diner en Blanc did when they commented that Tau Hway was "not on par with the image of their event". 

Diner en Blanc (The White Party) is an invite-only dinner party that descends upon a different and very public location each year. 

It was started by François Pasquier twenty-five years ago when he invited a few friends to Bois de Boulogne for a reunion after returning to Paris from years abroad. To make it easier for them to find one another, they all agreed to dress in white.

The dinner was such a success that they decided the next year, each person would invite some other friends and from then, the event grew into what it is today.

视频： 容祖儿 - 世上只有

最近在youtube发现了容祖儿的这首《世上只有》。

它是一首歌颂母亲的歌曲。我觉得非常有意義也被其歌词内容所感动。

借此分享…

Review: LG Optimus 4X HD

I just laid my hands on the LG Optimus 4X HD aka LG P880, which is the latest phone from LG.

I am not a very technical person so I will not be touching on the technical aspects.

All I know is that this model is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. 

It possessed 12GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via a external microSD card. 

As this is my very first LG phone and also my first Android phone, what I shared here are based on my own personal experience especially with the camera aspect of this phone. 

Raya Weekend To Kukup

At the Singapore Flyer

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

How was your holiday?

I had a short getaway to Kukup, Pontian with my family.

We were gathered bright and early at the Singapore Flyer car park on Saturday morning to board the coach. I thought we were early enough but there was already a crowd of chinese tourists there.

The journey is about two hours drive away and I had a good nap on the coach as I only had an hour's sleep the night before.

Movie: THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982)

I remember watching a movie on TV a long time ago when I was still very young.

I think I was of preschool age therefore I have no recollection what the title is or even know what the movie was all about.

All I remember is one scene which, for some strange reason, has etched itself in my memory.

Through the years, this scene would pop up in my mind every so often just to annoy me.

It has therefore become a quest of my own to find out what movie it is and why has it been appearing in my mind!

Happy 47th Birthday, Singapore!

Singapore celebrates her 47th Birthday with much fanfare on the floating platform at Marina Bay yesterday.

I believe that for many of us, the biggest draw of the parade this year was the attendance of Singapore's Founding Father, Lee Kwan Yew.

Just earlier this week, someone who claimed to have "highly credible source" hinted that Mr Lee has passed away and that news have been withheld till the celebrations are over.

This piece of shocking news of course caused quite a stir on social media especially when  the 47th anniversary of our Independence is merely days away!

Recipe: 腐乳蕹菜 Kang Kong With Fermented Beancurd

The Water Convolvolusas, or Kang Kong as it is more commonly known, is a very hardy plant which requires very little care. Left on it's own, it will flourish along the riverbanks and even in the canals. Due to it's prolific nature, farmers used to feed them to livestocks such as pigs. Being an aquatic vegetable, do wash them thoroughly for the presence of tiny snails especially inside the hollow stems. What I do is to soak them in concentrated salt water for at least 30 minutes. Since I will be using roughly two tablespoons of liquids from the bottle of Fermented Beancurd, I will not add more salt to the dish. You may want to sprinkle a pinch of sugar to balance the taste although that is optional. Here are some benefits of the Kang Kong: - Antioxidant  - Controls Blood Sugar - Combats Hypertension Try this out and let me know how you like it? Bon appetit!

Recipe: Sambal Petai With Ikan Bilis

As it's name suggest, the Stinkbean gives off a pungent smell not many could accept. Also known as the Petai, it is something that requires an acquired taste. It would take tremendous courage for a first timer to try it but once he did, I am sure he would fall in love with this! (think Smelly Tofu) You could eat it raw straight away but in my opinion, Petai tastes best when cooked with Sambal Chilli! My recipe today is done via the lazy way without Assam (Tamarind) or  pounding the Rempah from scratch. I am replacing the Assam with Lime Juice and the Sambal Chilli used in this recipe is ready-made bought from the wet market. If you have time, you could chop the Petai into smaller chunks. I find it tastes even better that way! Here are some benefits of the Petai: - Beats Depression - Combats Anaemia - Lowers Blood Pressure I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Bon appetit!