Charity

Took this photo in earlier September and I forgot all about it.

It was a charity for needy students. The girl played very well with the chinese instruments.

A very short video, I was in a hurry so did not capture the full music.

Formula 1 winner

Took this photo from the television, the race was broadcast live on TV.

He is the winner of Formula 1 first night race right here in Singapore. Congratulations.

Spain's Fernando Alonso was first followed by Germany's Nico Rosberg in a Williams and Britain's world championship leader Lewis Hamilton who came in third.

And I thought I wont watch the race, it was quite exciting and dramatic especially when Ferrari's Massa who was leading the race at first but made a mistake at the pit stop dragging the fuel hose...omg...a dearly mistake and he came in 13th.

Formula 1

Saw this beautiful Formula 1 racing car on display outside Tangs Shopping Mall. Of course, I cant resist taking photos of it. The Formula 1 race will be on tomorrow and it would be a first night race for F1. For more information, you can view its website.

Just a short video showing people posing with the car taking pictures jut like me...lol

Skywatch-birdnest

This photo of bird nest was taken during my South Korea's trip earlier this year.
Can you spot the bird that made the nest?

For other sky watchers, you can go to Skywatch blog.

Race Car

I saw this racing car at Novena Square, it looked so lovely.

There will be a Formula 1 night race on Sunday night. It would be the first night race for Formula 1. For more beautiful photos, you could view keropokman's blog.

Birthday Cake

Ok I did not get to eat the little pretty cake in my previous post, I do get to eat this blackforest...lol It was yummy.

My son celebrated his birthday over a four days period with different group of friends and sunday was with family....lol. He is popular.

My son's 19th birthday

Hahaha, this morning when I opened my fridge, I saw these two cute little cakes sitting there starring at me and asking me to eat them...lol. But the little note did not give me the permission to eat.

It was written by my youngest son who will turned 19 today. These cakes must be brought home by him last night and I guess must be given to him by someone he fancy or like...lol

Hmmm....cake cake, you looked so pretty and delicious....lol

Creepy Crawlies

It was just one of those days that the rain had forced some insects to run into my home..lol

A very common house beetle. It was actually quite small but I zoom to make it looked bigger and I cant made it turn around to smile at the camera...lol. It just flew away when I tried to take a photo of its front.

This house spider was crawling on my cupboard. It looked fierce...lol. It was only after I loaded this photo into my computer, that I realise the spider had lost two legs (there are four legs on one side and two legs on the other side). Poor spider. Of course it jump quick and ran away from me.

A short video of spider who looked so fierce....lol. I wondered what happened to its missing two legs.

Skywatch-The moon during mid autumn festival

As a lunar month is about 29.531 days long, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month in those calendars that start the month on the new moon. In any event, the period between full moons can be either 29 or 30 days.

So every mid autumn festival (which falls on the 15th day of the chinese eight lunar month), the moon is always full.

This photo was taken two days before the mid autumn festival so the moon was almost full.

For other sky watchers, you can go to Skywatch blog.

Flats in Chinatown

These few blocks of flats in chinatown are one of the few earlier old housing estates. The owners have since grown old, so majority of them are old folks. The youngs prefer to buy flats in newer housing estates.

Mid-Autumn Festival Variety Show

An outdoor stage. It was part of the mid autumn celebration in Chinatown. Most of the audience are senior citizens as the housing estate in here are mostly occupied by old folks.

Chang Er and the Rabbit

This is Chang Er and the Rabbit. They both lived in the moon.

Chang Er on lanterns.

Story of Chang Er (I am posting this story again so you dont have to look for them in my previous post)

Legend of Chang Er

Hou Yi and Chang-E
An archer, Hou Yi, saved the earth from scorching when he shot nine suns that originally circled the earth. As a reward, Hou Yi obtained the Elixir of life but he became so tyrannical that his wife, Chang-E, stole the Elixir and drank it. Chang-E found herself ascending to the moon and thereafter was escalated to status of Moon Goddess. Hou Yi in turn was given a cake by the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise (Xi Wangmu). He could withstand heat upon eating the cake and was sent to remain in the sun. With a special talisman he was able to visit his wife Chang-E on the 15th of every month. Thus the moon's brightness on this day. This legend is believed to have been started during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) although some believe it may have started earlier, tracing it to the rule of Emperor Yuan (2346 BC).

Rabbit in the moon

Buddha had disguised himself as a hungry, old man and approached three animals; a fox, a monkey and a rabbit, for help. The fox caught a fish for him, the monkey brought some fruits but the rabbit offered its own body as meat by throwing itself into the fire. In gratitude, Buddha resurrected the rabbit and sent it to the moon to be venerated.

(Source: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_804_2005-01-13.html)

Moon Cake Festival Decorations in Chinatown

These beautiful decorations were found around the beautiful temple in chinatown. You can see the photos of the temple in my earlier post.

I love these little chicks they can move.

Streets along chinatown were decorated with beautiful lights at night.

Lanterns

More lanterns for sale in chinatown. These photos were taken at night.

Which lanterns do you like?

These lanterns are decorated and designed by children in a lantern making contest.

Marriott Hotel

This is Marriott Hotel with a very beautiful chinese roof. Each time I walked along Orchard Road, it wont failed to catch my eyes. There is a shopping mall below the hotel known as CK Tang, they sell nice designer clothes and bags and shoes. Great place to shop.

Look out for their household items and the promoters in their basement. It is very interesting just to watch the promoters demonstrating their wares. Too bad, I cant take photos in there.

Thanks to Tom for hosting Sky Watch. For other sky watchers, you can go to Tom's skywatch blog.

Moon cake shopping in Chinatown

Mooncakes on sale

Pomelos - some are bought as gifts to relatives or used as offerings in addition to the mooncakes to God on mid autumn festval day. As the pomelos in chinese sounds like blessings.

Mini yams or taros are also used as offerings to God during this day. This reminds me I had four in my fridge....lol

Beautiful lanterns on sale in Chinatown. Those that are made of plastic comes with electric bulbs while those traditional lanterns are lighted by candles.

Moon Cake Fair at Takashimaya - Part 3

On the 15th day of the eight chinese lunar month, children would carry lanterns and parade down the street to celebrate the occasion.

Traditionally, the lanterns would be lighted by candles but nowadays some of the lanterns comes in plastic with electric light bulbs for safety reasons so that young children would not get hurt by the burning candles.

As a child, I would loved to carry the lantern with the lighted candle inside and swing them left and right and the result was a buring lantern and I would cry when I saw my lantern goes in flame...lol

Other Legends of the moon cake festival or mid autumn festival

Hou Yi and Chang-EAn archer, Hou Yi, saved the earth from scorching when he shot nine suns that originally circled the earth. As a reward, Hou Yi obtained the Elixir of life but he became so tyrannical that his wife, Chang-E, stole the Elixir and drank it. Chang-E found herself ascending to the moon and thereafter was escalated to status of Moon Goddess. Hou Yi in turn was given a cake by the Queen Mother of the Western Paradise (Xi Wangmu). He could withstand heat upon eating the cake and was sent to remain in the sun. With a special talisman he was able to visit his wife Chang-E on the 15th of every month. Thus the moon's brightness on this day. This legend is believed to have been started during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) although some believe it may have started earlier, tracing it to the rule of Emperor Yuan (2346 BC).


Rabbit in the moon

Buddha had disguised himself as a hungry, old man and approached three animals; a fox, a monkey and a rabbit, for help. The fox caught a fish for him, the monkey brought some fruits but the rabbit offered its own body as meat by throwing itself into the fire. In gratitude, Buddha resurrected the rabbit and sent it to the moon to be venerated.

Overthrow of the Mongols

Mooncakes played a major role in liberating Yuan China (1206 - 1341 AD) from the oppressive Mongols in the 14th century. Despite a prohibition against large gatherings, Zhu Yuan Zhang was able to instigate a rebellion by placing secret messages in mooncakes. The rebellion took place during the Mid-Autumn Festival and henceforth the celebration of the festival and the eating of mooncakes took on a different meaning.

(Source: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_804_2005-01-13.html)

Moon Cake Fair at Takashimaya - Part 2

The moon cake fair will be ending this Sunday, 14th September being the 15th day of eight chinese lunar month.

Crowds were here to get the best of the moon cakes.

Traditionally, people buy gifts for their elderly parents or in laws. Some also bought for their friends and relatives. Even businessmen bought these as gifts for their clients.

Nowadays they come in many flavour such as durians, chocolates, ice cream, etc. But I still prefer the traditional ones that comes with lotus paste.

And looking at these crowds, I give up queuing to buy and to queue to pay for them too...lol. Anyway I already had few boxes of moon cakes that were given to us by friends. I do not want to eat so much. But I am yearning for the traditonal mooncakes in chinatown. I think I will get them this weekend provided the queue is short...lol.

Mooncake Fair at B2 of Takashimaya

There was a moon cake fair at the basement of Takashimaya. Many different stores participated in the fair.

You might like to view the interesting videos on the chef making the mooncake on hand in my food blog.

Origins of Mid Autumn Festival
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival)

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival.The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar.

Origins of the mooncake

(Source: http://china-corner.com/article_list.asp?id=828)

There is this story about the moon-cake. during the Yuan dynasty (A.D. 1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to the foreign rule. and set how to coordinate the rebellion without being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon caked was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival. the rebels successfully attached and overthrew the government. Today. moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend and was called the Moon Cake.

Bus Interchange

Just one of the many bus interchanges around Singapore. This is a rather small bus interchange. The bus interchanges in other estates are bigger and some are located under shopping malls and are air conditioned.

Rain Drops

Do you like rain? I love rain and I love hearing the raindrops hitting on the window pane.

It was raining so heavily. I decided to snap at the raindrops on the window and see how the photo turn out...lol. That is what I could only do on a raining door as I cant go out in such a heavy downpour.

Patterns on skies

The sky looked so beautiful just like a piece of fabric. It was taken at different times in the evenings.

Thanks to Tom for hosting Sky Watch. For other sky watchers, you can go to Tom's skywatch blog.