Coincidentally...Lantern Festival

Lantern festival.
Mooncake festival.
Mid-autumn festival.

They all mean the same. It is the time of the year where we feast on mooncakes (traditionally, we also had massive dinner gatherings) without any excuse, whatsoever.
This festival is celebrated annually by the Chinese community on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese Calendar. With this festival being commercialised in the modern days, even the non-Chinese community are joining the feast, enjoying the creative new flavours being introduced by bakery shops.

For the past 3 years, I had not been part of the celebration and the feasting. However, this year, it is exceptional. Not only that I am back in Asia, celebrating with my family, the festival coincidentally fell on the same day as my mother's birthday. Sweet.

We had a small family dinner together, before proceeding to catch a glimpse of the mid-autumn festival celebration in Marina Bay Sands (MBS), Singapore. My sister and I were there during the day to observe if it was convenient for our wheel-chaired granny. 

Fortunately, Marina Bay Sands is relatively convenient for elderly citizens and the disables, just like any other public places in Singapore.

However, the heat during the day didn't make a day trip to MBS pleasant.

It was much better during the night. That was also when all the decorations were lit up.

 Full-blown size balloon lanterns floating on the sea in Marina Bay Sands.

 Decorative rows of lanterns lighting up the walkaways in Marina Bay Sands.

While the mooncakes found in most of the celebrating countries are similar, one that totally stands out is Indonesia. The Chinese community here has its own version of mooncake and the locals call it "Tong Jiu Pia".

Its appearance is much simpler than the usual ones and there are several flavours - chocolate, cheese, chocolate and cheese, milk, jackfruit, etc.

I somewhat like the non-greasy surface of Tong Jiu Pia, as opposed to the usual ones.

In terms of flavour and texture, Tong Jiu Pia is dryer, less sweet (perhaps the degree of sweetness depends on the pastry chefs) and lighter. It doesn't consist of salted egg yolks, which the locals find the latter an awkward blend to the lotus paste of the usual mooncakes.

Well, I am indifferent. I enjoy the goodies from the different cultures, though I must admit having too much egg yolk lotus paste mooncakes can be unpleasant. But then again, there are many other flavours and alternatives to choose from these days ;)

Hunting Wild Honey in Orchard

When I first heard of the name, I thought Wild Honey was a honey selling shop. To my surprise, it is a cafe that serves western meal.

My sister and I went to the outlet in Scott's Square, Orchard, Singapore for brunch. We didn't make any reservations. So, lucky angel must be by our side. There wasn't a need to queue for a table, like in many eatery outlets in Singapore. Especially during meal times. It can be quite daunting to stand in line, watching people eat (unintentionally, of course :p) when you are so hungry that you could eat a cow.

The indoor tables were full and we were guided to a table at the balcony, overlooking the busy street of Orchard. It wasn't too bad. There were ceiling fans and the sun hadn't shown off its power to the highest intensity.

Taking a glance at the menu, Wild Honey serves breakfast all day! And the varying options are refreshing - ranging from American, to French, to Scandinavian and European breakfast, you could one type of breakfast each time you come by. One more reason for another visit ;)

My sister told me the portion is huge. Hence, we decided to share one breakfast and some fruits.

Egg Benedict, a glass of mix fruits with vanilla scented yoghurt and a pot of Chamomile tea for sharing. The tea was served with a tiny jar of honey.

The food was good and the service was excellent. The price, though, is considered on the higher end (perhaps by Singaporean standard, it is normal). It costs about SGD35 to SGD40 in total.

Address : 333A Orchard Rd, Singapore 238897

Phone: +65 6235 3900

Living the fairy tale in Universal Studio Singapore

My sister had been raving about going to Universal Studio but she didn't want to go there alone. Fortunately, I was there to save her day.

Or that was what I would like to believe :p

I know I should have continued with the Spain trip entries but since it was already long overdue, another wait does no harm ;)

What really caused my sister to rave about going to Universal Studio again was the new Transformers 4D Ride. Her friend told her it was spectacular and delighting.

Glad to testify that the claim was true. The queue to get a ride was tremendously long and the waiting time was 1.5 hours!!

Fortunately, we had the Universal Express pass, which came along with the Universal Bundle Package - buy a pair of entry ticket to the Universal Studio Singapore at SGD75 (normal entry fare is SGD74) per person and you will be rewarded with the Express pass, SGD10 voucher for meals and merchandise purchases respectively, and an RWS Invite membership card. The latter offers you benefits and privileges for a year, such as free parking. I am not entirely sure how long this promotion lasts. We just happened to know while queuing to purchase our entry passes.

The Transformers 4D Ride is located in the Sci City zone. You couldn't possibly miss it because many people flock the entrance and you will be greeted by Bumblebee!

 

 

If you are an avid fan of Transformers or an action flick lover, this ride is highly recommended. In terms of audio, visual and sensation, it is blended perfectly into an entertaining ride.

Next in the must-try list is a show in the WaterWorld. I didn't film the show as I was too engrossed in it. The show was performed live by a group of stuntmen and stuntwoman, I believe. It was like watching an action film live, just few hundred metres before my eyes, with real explosions and flames sparked right on the "stage". I shall not disclose too much as I don't want to spoil the fun. Another fortunate event of the day - we managed to catch the last show for the day (5.30pm session).

Interesting as it may sound, one thing to note, though. It is certainly not suitable for young kids as it contains violence elements and the sound of explosions could very much startle and frighten the little ones.

About to enter the "Far Far Away" Castle.......

 

The other 4D experience offered is a short story of Shrek. Compared to Transformers, it is certainly not as spectacular but the effort worth some audience.

Although I am not a huge fan of Rock music, I was very much entertained by the performance put up by the crew of Monster Rock. The performers were very skillful in injecting some humour in between dances and singing.

As I entered into the "theatre", its interior design reminded me exactly of the musical theatre I had been in London.

It is a shame that the audio effect at the beginning of the performance was a little flawed. Especially when the performers started to sing. The flow of vocal was slightly choppy and broken. Or at least it appeared so. Nevertheless, from mid-way till the end of the performance, it got better and that mattered.

To those thriller seekers, there are roller coaster rides up for challenge. To the faint-hearted ones like myself, do not be disheartened or shameful. There are many performances worth watching. Otherwise, put up your most gleeful, sexy, and mischievous look for photography sessions with movie and cartoon characters you come across.

It was tiring to try to get a non-blurring shot of Kungfu Panda. He is one cheeky and perky fella, who just couldn't stop moving around. Hence, contributing to slightly blurry pictures.

All right, this is better.