River Hongbao Show 2016: Dazzling Fireworks

Just want to share this year dazzling fireworks featured during this year River Hongbao show held during the Chinese New Year period. The organisers had done a great job this year and I really like this year fireworks! Thank you so much and I hope next year we get to see such awesome fireworks again!

For my previous post on this year River Hongbao show, you can visit this link.

 Sun Wu Kong

Sia- Chandelier

This is my favourite song at the moment. A really soulful rendition with beautiful melody.

Lovely Switzerland!

Switzerland is one beautiful country I long to travel. It has many beautiful pristine lakes and majestic mountains I want to hike. Not that I can't afford, but my dream is to travel to Switzerland with my future spouse for honeymoon. I travelled alone to New York to see beautiful arts in New York arts and design museums and enjoyed musical by top talents in 2011. Still they are beautiful arts created by humans. I want to see beautiful natures with my one and only one. In my opinion, I think Switzerland is the most beautiful country blessed with temperate temperature too. Its definitely on my bucket list. 

Nevertheless, I need to be realistic. If I'm still single by 38 years old, I probably travel to Switzerland alone. I was excited to see travel exhibition set up by Switzerland tourism last Friday at Raffles City Shopping Mall (Cityhall MRT). Wow, I was so excited and collected many useful and informative brochures and booklets on Switzerland. These will come in handy when I plan for Switzerland trip even though I already brought Switzerland Lonely planet book two years ago. 

Switzerland is well-known for their efficient train and specialist skills in engineering and transport system.

Gigantic map of Switzerland on the floor.

Performance by Swiss

I want to travel to Switzerland! 

Are You Ready for Singapore Design Week?

Are you Ready for Singapore Design Week? Yes, starting tomorrow, many events and programmes will be launched!

 National Design Centre

Kwan Im Thong Hood Temple at Waterloo Street Singapore

Since last year December, I decided to pray at Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple near Bugis MRT every week, either on Friday or Saturday. Last Friday, after work, I was surprised to see so many devotees praying at one of Singapore most popular temples. After reading from internet, I realised last Friday was 26th of 1st Lunar month, which is the Opening of Wealth Vault day (开财库). I took four red packets which were filled with 20cents coin ( I think so as I haven't open yet). I wanted to give to my family but my father took for all of us instead. Maybe I just keep it first.

Anyway after praying to Goddess of Mercy, I will always walk to Raffles City shopping mall (at Cityhall MRT) to eat at Soup Spoon Union, buy almond bread and then read at a bookshop in Raffles City shopping mall basement. If I feel like eating yogurt, I'll walk to Marina square mall to eat Llao Llao yogurt. Yeah, its actually a routine that I enjoy. After praying to the benevolent Guan Yin, I read the latest magazines or books at a bookshop in Raffles city shopping mall basement (Cityhall MRT). 

 Barricades are set up to maintain order. My father told me the temple was packed with people who want to  receive the blessing hongbao (red packet). My mum told me that those who receive must return next year.

From http://www.beokeng.com/disptemple.php?temple=kwan-im-thong-hood-cho-temple

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple (guanyin tang fozu miao) is more commonly known as Shi Ma Lu Guanyin Temple or Waterloo Street Guanyin Temple. Based on the wall inscriptions, the temple's founder was 'Master Li Nan Shan', who hailed from Guangdong, China. In 1884 he received a piece of land from a firm known as 'Chen Liang Cheng', and built the temple betweem 1884 and 1886. The temple was refurbished in 1895 and rebuilt into the one we see today in 1984. 

Travel Revolution at Marina Bay Sands

Last month, I went to Travel Revolution, a travel fair at Marina Bay Sands to gather more information about Melbourne Australia, that I plan to visit this year. I collected many brochures and travel guide to Melbourne and I'm happy as I don't have to buy travel guide books.

When am I visiting Melbourne? Maybe in June or late November to December. But I have started to plan and research on Melbourne via forum, tripadvisor and Melbourne travel books. I derive great pleasure in researching and planning my Melbourne trip. Actually I wanted to go to Sydney, but my aunty and colleagues strongly recommended Melbourne instead. Also for the first time, its not expensive to change to Australian dollars. I better change SGD$ to AUD$ since its quite cheap now. 

Coincidentally, today Sunday Times newspaper features Melbourne in the Travel Black Book and this year many local magazines feature Melbourne city. Its like higher power is pushing me to go to Melbourne this year. Or maybe its just serendipity.  I learnt that it's a city known for great coffee and street arts. Yeah, I think I will enjoy my trip in Melbourne as I love coffee, nature and arts. I will visit their arts museum and National Art Gallery of Victoria and National library which is very beautiful. I also enjoy great coffee and I must have coffee every morning. In my itinerary, I will also visit Yarra valley, Philips island to see cute penguins and maybe Great Ocean road trip with a tour. I plan to travel alone in November, just like when I travel alone to New York several years ago to watch awesome musicals and great arts in their world class arts museums.  

By the way, if you had been to Melbourne and want to share some travel tips,please do so. 

Australia booth at Travel Revolution fair at Marina Bay Sands.

Free Ice-Cream on Your Birthday at Swenson!

Did you know that you can get a free FireHouse Happy Birthday ice-cream on your birthday at any Swenson restaurant in Singapore? You don't have to be Swenson member to enjoy this promotion. Just show your identification card on your birthday and  buy one dish and you get to enjoy free ice-cream which costs $10.50! You can choose 3 flavors. Just remember to bring your IC!

I chose mint chocolate. chocolate and macadamia ice-cream. 

You can choose 3 flavors and its free! Just show your Identification card on your birthday!

 We only ordered fried mushroom!

Happy 元宵节 or Chinese Valentine Day!

Today is the fifteenth day of Chinese or Lunar New Year. My family, a traditional Teochew family had a sumptuous dinner together. I must say the dishes are so much better compared to the reunion day on Chinese New Year Eve as my brother ordered from a caterer. 

We had a lavish home-cooked dinner which include abalone,shark fins, fried tiger prawns, stir-fried chili tomato prawns prepare by my elder brother who is talented in cooking just like my mum, rich fragrant soup with many dishes like abalone, quail eggs, fish maw, fish and pork balls. Maybe its a Teochew thing. We love to eat fish and pork balls. :) 

 8 dishes prepared by my mum and elder brother.  Yummy dinner today!

 Shark fin soup with egg on top. 

 My mum's signature soup with abalone, fish maw, fish ball, pork ball, radish, quail eggs. My dad brought the ngoh hiang.

 Mum marinated the chicken wings for hours.

 Fried tiger prawns (left) prepared by mum and chili tomato tiger prawns cooked by my elder brother. One of my favourite dishes.

 Cabbage with abalone (left) and fish topped with chopped vegetable (Forgot the name but mum always ask me to eat so that I can count lots of money) 

 Tang yuan or glutinous rice balls is traditional Chinese desserts. We have it today.

 I love this rich soup filled with so much dishes like pork ball, fish ball, quail eggs, abalone, radish, vegetables and fish maw.

 One of my favourite dishes, fried crispy prawns prepared by my mum!

 Dad brought these ngoh hiang.

 Braised beancurd.

 Fried rice cooked by my mum.

 Youngest brother brought spare ribs from a zichar stall.

Youngest brother brought egg tofu with prawns from a zichar stall. 

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year to all my lovely readers! To all my Chinese readers, I wish you all a Joyous and Prosperous New Year! This festival is great time for catching up and bonding with relatives. As a single, I can still receive red packets (with $$$ inside) , as shown below. Thankfully my relatives never ask me when I'm getting married as they know I'll be unhappy. 

With all the feasting on new year goodies, I must exercise more. 

Heralding Year of Monkey in Chinatown

Yesterday after admiring flowers at Gardens by the Bay, my cousin and I headed to Chinatown to see this year Chinese New Year lighting. 

Cute monkeys and trees lanterns dazzled along Chinatown street and I must say its a very popular place with both tourists and locals. There were so many people in the street visiting Chinatown to buy lunar new year goods and taking photos of the decorations. 

This year Monkey and money $ looks almost the same and I hope its a great year for my investment.:) Already I just received some money from my fixed deposit and I feel so happy now. Time to start looking for high fixed deposit rate for my money. 

Yeah, like I mentioned previously, I don't really like Goat year as it was tough for me work wise. Thankfully its going to be year of Monkey next week! Year of Monkey is gonna be a great year for us! More wealth and happiness! 

Date: 16 January to 8 March 2016
Time: 7.00pm to 6.00am (7 & 8 Feb 2016)
          7.00pm to 2.00am (Friday & Saturday)
          7.00pm to 12.00mn (Sunday to Thursday)
Venue: Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road and Garden Bridge 

How to get there?
Alight at Chinatown MRT station

Website: http://chinatownfestivals.sg/

 Saw this beautiful decoration just outside Chinatown Point shopping mall. 

 Cute monkey and peach blossoms on the tree.