Mid-Autumn Festive Celebration 2013 - Mooncakes Decadence @ Takashimaya Square Basement 2 [Singapore]

I was thinking of giving the annual mooncake fest at Takashimaya a miss this year as i doubt i have sufficient time to cover even a small section! In addition, i am quite sure the selection would not deviate much from last year.

However, mom has coincidentally scheduled an X-ray session in Orchard and being the filial son i tried my best to be, the decision was made to wake up earlier on Saturday to accompany her (and my sisters) after the X-ray.

It was a Saturday that didn't appear to be a Saturday; the crowd was pretty thin and unlike previous years, i could walk leisurely to each and every stall to sample as much as i desire! 

Big brands, as usual, took up the prime spots facing the main entrance. TWG was once again showcasing its tea-infused mooncakes; many of which continued to have yucky colours that do little to whet my appetite.

See what i meant? The name Illumination should have evoked romantic images of a glowing moon yet sitting in front of me were humongous charcoal pill lookalikes that could have resolved any severe diarrhea!

Presentation is incredibly important in marketing! Look at the above mooncakes under Home's Favourite; they screamed of rich opulence with that adoring golden powder shine!

Anyway, the true essence of the mid-autumn festival was to promote family togetherness and bonding. In the older days, they were easily achieved since there weren't much night activities and family nucleus was bigger. Now, it would likely be a challenge to get your child away from the computer / laptop / iphone etc just to admire the full moon and share a mooncake.

Awwww... memories of the piglets in bamboo cage! Actually, i am quite curious on how they came to be associated with the mid-autumn festival.

Frankly, these cute piglets were often displayed in my house as items offered to the ancestors and deities; strangely enough, my siblings and myself have never enjoyed the taste!

In a way, it was money saved for the family as mom simply bought lesser and lesser as time goes by! For the same price i would have paid for the fake piglets, I could have a luxurious plate of char siew made of real pork.

I was commenting to my colleagues the other day that my preference for the type of mooncakes changes with age; when i was younger, the obvious choice would be snowskin mooncakes.

Progressively, i came to the realisation that traditional mooncakes with their lotus paste filling and salted egg yolks are still the most delicious! Furthermore, they are cheaper!

Once again, please leave chocolates out of the picture! I don't recollect any stories where chocolates are part and parcel of the mooncake festival!

Look like pralines but these snowskin D24 durian minis are definitely not.

Packaging tea with mooncakes? In my opinion, the idea was to have tea with mooncakes which would help to dilute the sinful guilt of ingesting too much calories! For those who are unaware, a typical sized mooncake contains a whooping 1,000 calories! 

Such a healthy initiative could not be overlooked by profit making companies in health conscious Singapore; hence, i found a few vendors selling teapots, tea leaves alongside or together with mooncakes. Don't remember seeing that last year.

Teochew mooncake - i still could not get over the fact that a mooncake can appear to be so flaky and dry! 

Not even if you add an adorable teddy bear next to them! Well, i should not speak too fast; this kind of mooncakes could be my favourite another ten years down the road. 

Tai Chong Kok (大中国) mooncakes - the most famous mooncake bakery in Singapore with a history spanning over seventy five years! Those interested to know the prices can click, save and view the picture with more clarity.

Checking out the different types of mooncakes using innovative flavourings is not as fascinating as seeing the varied packaging from each vendor. Business students would understand that in many products, the packaging can constitute a substantial percentage of the cost price. 

Sadly, there was barely any excitement this year. 

Most useful would have to be the above packaging that acts as a cosmetic box with a photo frame. I am not so sure about you but in my family, we often recycle the boxes as storage for small items. 

Fish-shaped mooncakes; too adorable to be eaten!

Do feel free to sample! For the sake of my tummy and the promise to show my abs to my colleagues in two months time, i had to refrain myself!!!!

Nutritious mooncakes from Hua Ting - said to be rich in protein, fibre, anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids! Interesting although people who know me well would know i am not those consumers who are easily taken in by healthy messages. 

This setup by Swatow seafood restaurant was so classic! For better effect, the vendor should have the salespeople dressed in traditional Chinese costumes! 

Even though there's nothing outstanding from Kooi Kei's (鉅記) design, the image was reminiscent of those often used in advertising and propagandizing before the 80s.

Wing Wah (榮華), popular for their wives cake in Hong Kong, is once again back in Singapore for the mooncake fest. My gut feeling tells me it is only a matter of time before they set up an official branch in Singapore. 

Initially, i thought this was such a good deal; every one came in individual box and yet the price was tagged at only S$7! Upon a closer look, i realised they were all MINI mooncakes...

As a practical person, i find mini mooncakes very uneconomical! Freshness is an issue as i can always put them in the fridge. Hygiene is not an issue for normal sized moonkcakes too since i can always cut them into small pieces before passing them around. 

Egg custard mooncake! I took a teeny-weeny sample and found them to taste similar to custard buns (奶黄包). There's a major difference though; 奶黄包 normally costs less than S$1.50.

Walnut lotus with yolk? The diversification from non mooncake-related products is expected to continue with increased competition and pickier customers.

Last photograph for the day! 

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Location

Takashimaya Square, Basement 2 of 

Takashimaya Shopping Centre [Orchard]

List of Participating Vendors

As above

Duration

Till 19 September 2013

White-crested Laughingthrush - A Daring Bird Species @ Telok Blangah Hill Park

On the way from Henderson Waves to the carpark at Telok Blangah Hill Park, my parents and I decided to take another route via the quiet exercise corner. 

It was relatively quiet till we heard a flurry of activity coming from the surrounding trees! Looking up, we saw no less than seven birds having a heated animated discussion that also involved jumping from one tree to another! 

Most of the times, i would stay silent in order to truly appreciate the sound of nature. But, i cannot stop my dad from mimicking their unique chirps!!! In a split second, the birds stopped their chatter and turned towards my dad.

Some of them even flew down to take a closer look! They must be wondering in their pea-sized brains why this "big bird" managed to sound like them. 

Unlike most birds i know, these White-crested Laughingthrush were daring yet apprehensive enough to hop closer to my dad, who was enjoying all the attention! 

Kazan Japanese Cuisine - Lip Smacking Good Teriyaki Chicken Set @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre [Singapore]

In the short three months that i worked for the Agency for Integrated Care at Tanjong Pagar, the cuisine i often had was Japanese and it came from an unassuming hawker stall located in Chinatown Complex! 

Kazan Japanese Cuisine - besides the ice cold Cheng Tng i previously mentioned, this was the other stall that enticed me to make the 10-minute walk to Chinatown under the hot sun at least twice a week (my record was four times in one week)! 

With over two hundred stalls in the food center (many of them reputable with a history older than me), it was literally fate that brought me to Kazan; the media write-ups attracted my attention after spending over ten minutes deciding what to have to satisfy my tummy. 

Faced with sixteen different selection of bento sets, i chose the one i am most comfortable with since young; the strongly recommended Teriyaki Chicken. In fact, if my memory didn't fail me, Teriyaki Chicken was actually my very first Japanese dish!

I practically love everything, except for maybe the raw vegetables. Even the pickles, which i usually left untouched, were great additions to the white Japanese rice topped with sprinklers of sesame seeds!

Key was obviously the teriyaki chicken itself; unlike the conventional grilled / broiled version, this was deep fried and way more delicious! The crispy crunch of the skin coupled with the fresh, tender chicken meat and the sweet teriyaki sauce were simply too good to be true!

I believe in saving the best for the last. 

A sinful indulgence of the chicken skin! 

Damn Yummy!

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Location

Block 335, Smith Street, #02-001, 

Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Opening Hours

Mondays to Fridays : 11.30am to 8.30pm

Sundays : 11am to 6pm

Closed on Saturdays

Price

Teriyaki Chicken Set - S$5.00

Menu (Partial)

As above. 

Additional Information

Every set comes with a complimentary serving of decent miso soup. 

Henderson Waves on a Sunday Morning [Part of Singapore's Southern Ridges]

Part of my recent routine to expose my parents to the many local attractions which they have yet to visit is to drag myself out of bed on most Sunday mornings! What to do, Sundays are when dad is mostly free and the brat (Jovyn) would also be in the good hands of her tiger mommy back in Sengkang.

Two Sundays ago, i brought the parents to Henderson Waves! They have seen the stunning structure while travelling along Henderson Road even though they have yet to step on it.

To reduce your carbon footprint, it would be recommended to take public transport or walk but when the persons in question (us for example) stay in Yishun, driving our 7 year-old Vios is the best option! For motorists, please park your vehicle at Telok Blangah Hill Park instead of the crowded Faber Hill.

Underbelly of the bridge as we trekked up the less-travelled vehicle route; guess some maintenance work is required to clean up the dirt. 

Residents immersed in their swordplay exercise; i assumed that such a scene would be uncommon in Singapore and i was proven wrong! Maybe i should make more attempts to wake up earlier on weekends to visit the parks. 

Walking on the highest pedestrian bridge (36 meters) in Singapore! The route was designed in a way that you would not be aware of what to expect in the beginning (except for that massive green backdrop) until you step deeper in.

Although the above photograph could not capture my parents' expression, they were actually in awe of the surroundings that opened up to them. 

On one side was the morning sun awakening from its slumber, blanketing the central business district in the far distance and the many public flats next to the park with its gentle orange hue. 

The other side was an entirely different world; mainly lush greenery with the aesthetically-unique condominium (Reflections at Keppel Bay) taking up the centrepiece role. 

Photographs of mom and dad. The reversal of roles has only just begun; in my younger days, my parents would try their best to make Sunday the family bonding day by bringing the three children brats to places like Sentosa, Sembawang Park. It's my turn now. :)

I had blogged on Henderson Waves in 2010 and it was, for a period of time, the place for the Gang of Four to chill out at night when most shops were closed for the day. A pity age is now catching up on us and night activities are frowned upon by the sleeping bugs in our bodies! 

Maybe we can consider camping on the bridge like this young man did. There is no rain shelter but it should be fun sleeping under the vast star-filled sky. 

What i hate to see is the inconsiderate actions of some of the users. Littering is unacceptable but to throw your rubbish on top of the beams is plain atrocious! How do you expect the cleaners to remove it?! Assholes!

Despite the no-smoking sign, cigarette butts were found on the timber deck. I have no issue with smokers; no matter what, it is their personal choice but it's frustrating to see such blatant displays of nonchalance!

On one hand, the use of surveillance cameras appeared ineffective while on the other hand, i have to understand that the park is public accessible 24 hours and it would not be easy to catch errant smokers and litterbugs. 

Enough of complaints! The 274-meter Henderson Waves is an important connection for the Southern Ridges; a 9-kilometer trail stretches from Mount Faber at Harbourfront to Kent Ridge, where my current workplace is. 

There is no step on the bridge, making it easier for the elderly and the handicapped to enjoy the facility and the accompanying views. 

Made of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber material found in Southeast Asia, it can be quite unnerving for visitors who are afraid of height to notice the gap in between the slabs. 

Dad checking out the height and the "skeleton" of the bridge. 

These steel 'ribs' sculpts the bridge and gives it the artistic feel of a dancing wave that bounces from one park to the other. The ribs also act as shelters for park goers. 

Henderson Road - i personally enjoy driving down this road to Sentosa just to drive under the imposing Henderson Waves. Plus, traffic is usually smoother this way. :P 

Blossoming tree.

Ending this post with the complete curves from Mount Faber side. 

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Location and Map

Along Henderson Road. Nearest MRT station is Circle Line; Telok Blangah station