Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 Shopping Part 4

This will be my final posting on shopping in Chinatown for Chinese New Year 2010. This year I did not take much photo of the food, etc cause it would be a repeat of last year's photos.

These little oriental dresses are so cute. This year, my friends and I are wearing something oriental too. Mine will be a mix of chinese/japanese, a kind of kimono blouse with chinese buttons. :)



These cushion covers are so cheap but I prefer those sold in Robinsons, the designs are prettier.

Flowers and plants are favourties during Chinese New Year.

Durians for chinese new year? Nah, they seems to be around all year through.

Pomelo are also favourites with the chinese because Pomelo in chinese sounds like "to have".

My World Tuesday - Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 - Long Queue at Bak Kwa Store

Bakkwa, or rougan is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky, made in the form of flat thin sheets. It is normally made from pork. (You can read more about it from wikipedia.

It is a very popular snack especially during Chinese New Year. People can queue for hours just to buy them. It dont come cheap and can cost from S$45 per kg. Although it is a snack, people do eat them with rice and even pizza now comes with BakKwa toppings.

Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa Stall is very popular, every year during Chinese New Year, queues are formed and they can numbered more than 50 people. Lim Chee Guan Bak Kwa has a long history since 1938. My late mother in law is a loyal customer of his stall ever since the stall started...lol.

I have no idea why people would queue at the head office of the bak kwa stall. Lim Chee Guan has two other outlets, one opposite this head office i.e. People's Park Complex #01-25 (Chinatown MRT Exit C) - that's where I got my bak kwa without queuing. The other outlet is at ION Orchard #B4-37 (Orchard MRT).

You can visit his website.

A short video of the queue. Those at the front of the queue seems so happy that their turn is coming soon to purchase the Bak Kwa...hahaha.



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Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 Shopping Part 3

A must for the chinese family is a candied box/tray where we placed all sorts of candies with auspicious names. The candied box/tray consists of eight compartments and the tray meaning togetherness.

Melon Seeds (best is the red melon seeds) which mean the more melon seeds you eat, you will have more children .

This is the green tea melon seeds which is not so popular.

Sweetened lotus roots symbolising abundance, sweetened lotus seeds symbolising fertility, and all kinds of candies symbolising long-term sweetness.

Chinatown - Chinese New Year 2010 Shopping Part 2

Every year this company would set up stalls selling waxed ducks, chinese sausages , etc. There's even preserved pig trotters on sale.

I dont mind the chinese sausages and waxed ducks but not the pig trotters.

This year there are not many stalls selling the famous taiwanese muah chee. When it was first introduced in Singapore, almost every stalls sold the muah chee.

Cookies for chinese new year selling for four jars for $5. Come Chinese New Year's Eve, the price will be slashed to about fifty cents per jar. I am baking some cookies for chinese new year.

Chinatown - Chinese New Year Shopping 2010

At last, I did some shopping for Chinese New Year. It is only one week away from Chinese New Year. I wonder why this year I am so late for my CNY shopping.

I love the way this shop decorated its shop. I think they should get a prize for best decorated shop.

These are all the favourites for Chinese New Year Shopping. Red is a favourite with all chinese. These chun lians/couplets are also favourites with the chinese. Chun Lians are couplets written with well and good luck messages. Duilians are couplets written with a pair of messages/verses normally found pasted on the front of the doors. Duilians are permanent while chun lians are temporary decorations.



Lots of red in here with some artificial fire crackers as decorations.

This being the Year of the Tiger, so tiger stuff toys and decorations are plentiful in Chinatown.

I never like tigers and am fearful of them. I used to dream of tigers (those with orange and black stripes).

Oh I love these chinese paper cuttings. Did you know that paper was invented by Cai Lun in China? So paper cutting is of course originated from China too.

You can read the history of paper cuttings from wikipedia

Skywatch Friday - Chinese New year Decoration in Chinatown Singapore

At last, I did some shopping in Chinatown and get to take some photos of the decorations.

God of Fortune holding the gold ingot.

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Chinese New Year Decorations - Marina Square

I saw these beautiful Chinese New Year Decorations in Marina Square.

Lots of sales in here.

Chinese New Year Ang Pows (Red Packet)

Wow time passes fast, next weekend will be Chinese New Year. We will be welcoming the Year of the Tiger.

I got these free ang pows (Red packets) from hotels, restaurants, banks, etc. But I do buy some nice ang pows if I come across. The ang pows are used to contain money as gifts to our family and friends who are not married. We also give to the elders as a respect. The amount of the money depends on how close you are to the recipients. The closer you are, the amount gets bigger. They must be in even numbers, example $2, $6 , $8, etc. The most popular amount is $8 which means prosper. For immediate family members(big family), I gave them in double digits...(now I know why I am broke after the CNY...lol).

I have yet done my Chinese New Year Shopping. I guess it is time to head to Chinatown for the festive moods.

Sentosa - Segway

The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle. Users lean forward to go forward, lean back to go backward, and turn by using a "Lean Steer" handlebar, leaning it left or right. You can read more about the vehicle from wikipedia.

A short video showing users using the vehicle in Sentosa.

This is my last posting for the series on Sentosa. The next time I visit Sentosa, hopefully I could take photos of the Universal Studio which should be open by then.


Please visit "That's my World" for other parts of the world.

Sentosa - Fort Siloso - Peacocks

Besides wild monkeys, we could also see a lot of peacocks/peahens moving freely in Sentosa.

Sentosa - Fort Siloso - Wild Monkeys

As Fort Siloso is surrounded with many trees, it is not surprising we could spot many wild monkeys. It is illegal to feed these monkeys cause feeding will make them rely on humans for food. There are plenty of food in the forest and the monkeys can fend for themselves. So please dont feed them.

A very short video showing two monkeys fighting. The video is so short because I was afraid the monkeys would snatched my camera...lol.

Sentosa - Fort Siloso Part 5 - Surrender Chambers

There's a museum above the souvenir shop at Fort Siloso. It showcase the history of both the surrenders of the British to the Japanese and then the Japanese to the British during World War II.

When the Japanese invaded Singapore, they moved their headquarters from Malaysia to Ford Factory in Singapore. It is in this Board Room where the surrender documents were signed. The Board Room remains intact in Ford Factory but the table at which both the British and Japanese delegations sat is now in the Australian War Museum in Canberra, Australia. The seven teak chairs were moved to the Surrender Chambers in Sentosa where a replica of the event is displayed.

The above and below photos are wax figures which show the Japanese surrending to the British when they lost the war.

You can read more about the history of the surrenders from infopedia and mindef.

Skywatch Friday - Sentosa - Fort Siloso Part 4

Oooo, look who is greeting me at the end of the tunnel. It's not real just a wax figure of a British Soldier.

As they anticipated the Japanese would attack Singapore from the Sea during WW2, all the guns were facing the sea. So this command post was very important as they could spot the enemy from afar.

The guns were never used as the enemies came from the North (via Malaysia through the thick jungle) instead of the South from the sea. So sad, and they occupied us for about three years till they surrendered when America dropped an Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. You might like to read more about the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This is the peaceful sea now that the guns were facing. I was standing there all alone now admiring the beautiful peaceful sea.

A short video of the surrounding. Hahaha, you can see that I walked very fast while videoing cause it is so scary to be all alone out there...lol . Am afraid cause there are many wild monkeys in this forested area too. (Will show you photos of the wild monkeys in later post.)

A bit shaky here and there in this video but after staying out here for a while, I am not so afraid anymore. But on the way out, I ran all the way up the stairs of the dark tunnel to catch up with my tired relatives...hahaha

Thinking back of the incident, really made me laugh again, it's kind of funny. I think I should not have brought my tired Cambodian Relatives to visit this Fort. They have just recovered from a war and there's a lot of war museums in their country. I should have plan better.

Above another short video showing the peaceful sea.

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Sentosa - Fort Siloso Part 3 - There's Light at the End of the Tunnel

It is true about the proverb. There's light at the end of the tunnel. So when everything dont seem to be going smoothly for you, dont despair, something good might come up one day and slowly your problem will go away one by one.
Sometimes we need to walk the tunnel alone to see the light (meaning ...at times, we need to solve our own problem alone)....I found this so true cause noone wanted to follow me walked through this tunnel to view more exhibits...lol. My relatives were all too tired to continue the walk. So when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, it was a delight to me.


I wanted to take photos of the exhibits to share with my cyber friends, so bravely I went in the tunnel and am so happy when I saw the light...lol. It was like a horror movie, I was so worried something or someone in the tunnel, will suddenly touch or appear before me...yikes!

You have to visit tomorrow to see what is at the end of the tunnel.


A short video of me walking in the tunnel. I cant even see my camera or my hand....hahaha. As I was so afraid, I made a lot of noises as I made my way down the stairs. You can also heard the echo of my relatives talking in the background, they were sitting in one of the bunks resting and waiting for me.

Sentosa - Fort Siloso Part 2

Continued from yesterday post on Fort Siloso, there are so many things to be seen in here.

The best part was going into the bunks and fort to visit. There are wax figures to show us the history of the fort.

There's a small museum too. I spotted a samurai sword in the museum.


More photos coming in later posts.

My World Tuesday - Sentosa - Fort Siloso Part 1

Today, I will begin my new series on Fort Siloso on Sentosa Island.

Fort Siloso is a coastal artillery battery and one of twelve coastal artillery batteries which made up ‘Fortress Singapore ’ at the start of World War Two. Although there are remains of other batteries to be found on Singapore, Fort Siloso is the sole restored battery. ‘Siloso’ is a Philippine word meaning ‘Jealous Person’. You can read more about the history of Fort Siloso from its official website.

Fort Siloso was heavily armed in anticipation that the Japanese would attack Singapore via the south from the Sea during World War II but the Japanese soldiers came via our backdoor i.e. from the North of Singapore via Malaysia. So the guns in Fort Siloso was never used for the fighting during WW2.

So sad that we lost the war and was under Japanese Occupation for about three years. I was not born then but my parents did suffered during the war.

A short video taken when I was on the tram going up the Fort. The tram ride was about 5 minutes ride and sadly we need to do most of the walking in the hot sun.....lol.

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More photos of Fort Siloso coming up in the later posts.