Singapore Chinatown: A Blooming Mid-Autumn Festival Light-up 2014

After Xinyao concert and a hearty dinner yesterday, I went to Chinatown to catch the Blooming Mid-Autumn Festival Light-up as my cousin shared that this year light-up is very stunning. The light-up in Chinatown is from now till 28 September mid-night this year.

Next Saturday,6 September, there'll be a mass lantern walk and Smith streets will be closed.

From Chinatown Festival website. Click here to read more. 
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake or Lantern Festival, is recognised as one of the most important Chinese festivals. Traditionally, it is an occasion spent with family members and friends, gathering together to indulge in tasty mooncakes and taking in the beautiful view of the moon when it is at its brightest and fullest.

This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Monday, 8 September 2014. In Singapore, the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2014 organized by Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative Committee (KA-KS CCC) (牛车水—金声区公民咨询委员会), will showcase an exciting, colourful and vibrant month-long programme from 23 August to 28 September 2014.

 Beautiful bouquet of flowers along Chinatown street.

 Really stunning light-up right?

 Just alight at Chinatown MRT near the ChinaTown Point shopping centre to see the light-up.

 There are different flowers along the street

Cute bird admiring the flowers

More flowers up above the cars

 This is orchid, Singapore national flower

明天32新摇 XinYao Concert 2014

So glad I went to the 明天32 新摇 XinYao concert at Star Vista today. XinYao 新摇 means Singapore Chinese Folk songs composed,wrote and sang by Singaporeans. Xinyao was inspired by Taiwanese college students who penned and composed Chinese folk songs in the 70s. 

I enjoyed the four hours concert thoroughly and I got to know good songs I never heard before. By the way, this is my first Xinyao concert. I love the beautiful and heartwarming Chinese lyrics with melodious music that resonate with me. The songs are so inspiring and heartwarming. 

National Junior College organised the first song-writing competition in 1981 thus sparking off 新摇 XinYao. The most well-known XinYao composer and singer is Liang Wen Foo who penned and composed many popular songs sang by himself, Singaporeans, Taiwanese and Hong Kongers. Liang Wen Foo is acknowledged by many as the principal of XinYao.

Sadly I did not get to see him in the afternoon concert. I heard that that he would attend the evening concert as he had to conduct lesson in the afternoon. Well at least I got to attend the afternoon concert as the evening concert at 7.30pm with 5000 seats was sold out. Due to popular demand, the organizer added the afternoon 2pm concert. 

Though I was born in 1981, I got to know Xinyao songs from local Chinese dramas theme songs like 青春一二三 and national day parade songs like 年轻的心 young heart。I also like the song 细水长流 by Liang Wen Foo. I'm only aware of Xinyao concert after watching the Reunion concert also organised by 弹唱人( Tang Chan Ren ), who promoted the 明天32新摇. This year Chinese newspapers like XinMin evening also promote the concert.

From this concert, I realised that there are many talented Singaporeans composers, lyricist, and singers. We should support Singapore music. Perhaps there should be a documentary and a CD compilation of great Xinyao musics like 细水长流,   我們這一班 (Our Class), 年轻的心 (Young Heart),关怀方式,你的倒影,一步一步來 and 排排坐,. Package the above songs into a beautiful album and I will definitely buy. Maybe for next year Singapore 50th birthday, release the Xinyao album with the above and other awesome Xinyao songs. How about reviving song-writing competition for secondary or junior college students in Singapore? It's also a great way to promote Speak Mandarin campaign and the beauty of Chinese language. Really love the poetic lyrics penned by fellow Singaporeans. 

My favorite segments of the concert:
1) Current students from primary to secondary school performed Xinyao songs.
2) Huang XiuLing, channel 8 newscaster sang with her elder sister.
3) Jimmy Ye finally performed after more than a decade hiatus. 
4) Humorous LiFeiHui. 
5) Eric Moo and all the singers sang 年轻的心 (Young Heart).

Hopefully next year there be at least two concerts with all the Xinyao singers performing since next year is also Singapore's 50th birthday. 

Finale at 32 新摇 XinYao 2014 concert

This concert is organised by Tang Chan Ren 弹唱人

青春123

年轻的心 Young heart

  我們這一班 by 顏黎明 Yan Li Min Our Class is a song about a mischievous class

梁文福- 细水长流

        关怀方式

麻雀衔竹枝 我们这里是新加坡

This song was banned for about 20 years in Singapore till 2011 because it include some cantonese. If you want to see Singapore from 1940s to 1990s, watch the below video sang by Liang Wen Fook. 

麻雀衔竹枝 

NATAS Fair 2014 at Singapore Expo

If you are looking for travel deals, then you must visit the NATAS fair (National Association of Travel Agents Singapore) at Singapore Expo which is just a minute walk from Expo MRT. Although the entrance fees is $4.00 per person ( free entry for children below 12 years old), you get free souvenirs and magazines from various countries tourism exhibitors. I love to take free Europe travel books with great picture quality for future references. 

Also you can buy I magazine at $5.00 with many free goodies. The magazine itself is $2.00 so I just pay extra $3.00 for extra magazines like Discovery Channel magazine and Chinese health magazine, two bottles of drinks, BBQ sauce, yellow noodles, AVEDA hair samples, sunblock and a big bar of chocolate. 

NATAS Fair will end on this Sunday at 9.30pm. 

 Taiwan Tourism

 Hong Kong Tourism 

China Tour

New Dishes from Bakerzin

Bakerzin is a western casual restaurant that is known for their delicious cakes. However, their new menu serves really good pasta dishes too. I am delighted with their aglio olio which allows you to add side dish like prawns, bratwurst, ham and bacon or mushrooms at additional cost from $3.00 to $7.00. 

Besides warm chocolate cake with a molten chocolate lava, caesar salad is also another dish I like to order as it comes with half boiled egg and parmesan cheese. After blogging this, I feel like eating their aglio olio this weekend again. 

To look at their revamped menu, you can click here
                   I like the Smoked Salmon Penne but the smoked salmon is too salty.

 The caesar salad ($10.90) is a must order for me.

 A plate of aglio olio costs $9.90 but I add prawns which cost an additional $7.00. I guess I be visiting Bakerzin more often for their al dente aglio olio.

 Cookies and cream cheesecake is served with fresh berries and it taste quite good.

 This is definitely my favorite dessert but the warm chocolate cake costs $11.50

 You can also request for chocolate ice-cream

Molten chocolate lava oozing out

Orchid Extravaganza Floral Display at Gardens by the Bay

The biennial Singapore Garden Festival is held in Gardens by the Bay for the first time and the festival end on this Sunday night.I visited yesterday afternoon and thought that I could explore both Flower Dome and Garden Festival, but due to time constraint, I only went to Flower Dome for the Orchid Extravaganza Floral Display.  At Flower Dome you get to see award-winning orchids on display. It's like a beauty pageant for the many varieties of orchids. By the way, the national flower of Singapore is Vanda Miss Joaquim,the first hybrid orchid registered in Singapore. By the way, did you know Singapore is the only nation to use a hybrid for a national flower?

If you want to catch Singapore Gardens Festival and Flower Dome, the last day is tomorrow. For more information, visit Gardens by the Bay website
at http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/home.html

How to get there?
Just alight at BayFront MRT station

 

From National Environment Agency

History

This orchid, a hybrid between Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres is hardy and free flowering. It was described by the first director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens Mr H.N. Ridley in 1893, who named it after Agnes Joaquim. Ridley wrote that the plant was the results of a cross made by Miss Joaquim.
 

Features Of Vanda Miss Joaquim

A strong inflorescence of Vanda Miss Joaquim may carry up to 12 buds, usually with four flowers open at a time. Each flower is about 5 cm across and 6 cm tall, and as is the case with its parents, the petals are twisted around so that the back surface faces front. The two petals and the top sepal are rosy-violet, and the lateral sepals are a pale mauve. The lip is very large and broad and the middle lobe extends out like a fan. It is coloured violet-rose, merging into a contrasting fiery orange at the centre. Over the orange patch, the lip is finely spotted with dark purple. It is free-flowering.

Overview of Flower Dome 

As usual, I like to explore the cactus and succulents area first

Went to see my favourite succulents and see how they are doing

Lovely flower sprouting from succulent 

Not sure what is the name, but I love the pinkish colour

Orchids, orchids everywhere 

 Award-winning orchids. Congratulations for winning the Gold medal.

Climbing Orchids 

 This orchid is also known as Lady's slippers simply because the pouch at the centre of the flower looks like dainty lady's slippers.

Dendrobium is the largest hybridised group of orchids in Singapore as most are suitable to our hot climate.

 Rare purple colour orchid

 Love this bouquet of orchids

 This orchid looks like butterfly right?

Like this purple blue flowers

 Looking up at the orchid circular structure.

The wall of circular structure is decorated with many variety of orchids

Our National Flower

Singapore Night Festival 2014

If you are visiting Singapore in August, you are in luck as there are many exciting events and festivals celebration in Singapore. This week and next week Friday and Saturday, you get to see many free performances, dazzling light installations and National Museum of Singapore and Art Museum of Singapore facade be transformed to a screen where videos are projected in the annual Singapore Night Festival. 

Tomorrow at Chinatown, there will be the official opening and street Light-up ceremony for the Mid-Autumn Festival light. Abundance of beautiful flower lantern will light up the streets in Chinatown from 24 August to 28 September this year. I will blog more about the Chinatown Mid-Autumn next week and share beautiful photos.

To find out more about Singapore Night Festival, click here.

Image from http://www.brasbasahbugis.sg/SNFPortal/

Divine Tree Image from google.com