Festival Party at The Jade.......

Mid-Autumn Festival, 8 – 30 September 2007

This is a Chinese Festival, a celebration where families and friends gather together to enjoy mooncakes and tea while viewing the moon at its fullest and brightest. Lanterns, street lights and festive bazaars will grace Chinatown, the Singapore River and other area's for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

At The Jade Condo where we live in Bukit Batok there was a Festival Party last night - Saturday September 22. These photos will show some of the festivities.....

There were refreshments, plenty of food, pomelo peeling competition, treasure hunts, fancy dress competition, drawing competition, balloon sculpting, goodie bags, lanterns.... and lucky door prize....everyone had a great night.

It started at 6.00pm and did not finish till 11.00pm.

the architecture of Chinatown.....

a visit to Chinatown should be on everyone's agenda......for the sights, the smells, the food, the architecture, the colours and the festivities.

http://www.rgs.edu.sg/events/Chinatown/main/main1.html

here is one example of Chinatown architecture with this shopfront and shutters:


This site leads you to the Singapore Heritage Centre:

http://www.singaporeheritage.com/index.asp

Singapore is a green city, but it has a very groomed greenness. There are two small national parks. Only at the fringes of the island and on the islets is there rural life, and it is disappearing fast. Highways crisscrossing the island, the huge port on the southern tip, vast industrial areas to the west, and the airport to the east create an air of swift efficiency.

The most striking features of the landscape are the high-rise buildings. This is a distinctly modern architecture with roots in the functionalism of the 1960s. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was more diversity in building styles. The typical domicile is a small apartment off the ground. Ethnicity is not an issue in the public use of space; communal differences are clearly discernible in the layout of the interiors of homes and certain town areas.

Mid Autumn Festival in Chinatown......

Last night - Saturday September 15 - John and I ventured into Chinatown for dinner......we are now into the Mid-Autumn Festival so it was extra bright and colourful as you can see.

This first photo is of Smith Street and it is one very long street full of tables and seating and many, many food outlets and restaurants:

Chinatown and Singapore River will also be transformed with a multitude of lanterns, street lighting and festive bazaars for the Mid-Autumn Festival (8 – 30 September 2007).
The celebration is a Chinese tradition where families and friends gather for reunions, enjoying mooncakes and sipping tea while viewing the moon at its fullest and brightest. This year, Chinatown will become a magical fairyland filled with lanterns and musical fairies.

and extra info from the Singapore Tourism Website has:

Originally a full moon celebration of the harvest in ancient China, the Mid-Autumn Moon Cake Festival commemorates China's freedom from Mongolian rule. Feasting and rejoicing resonates throughout Singapore with grand parades, extravagant performances, scrumptious mooncakes and colourful lanterns to light the way. The best places to celebrate are Chinatown, Albert Mall and Orchard Road, around the Singapore River and the Chinese Garden.

Mooncakes (yuek beng) feature throughout the festival and occupy a special place in Chinese hearts. Legend has it that 14th-century Chinese patriots used mooncakes to overthrow the tyrannical Yuan Dynasty by embedding messages in the seemingly sweet delicacy and smuggling them to their allies. The opening ceremony in Chinatown is a sight to behold, with lion and dragon dances, a lantern parade, fireworks, stilt walkers, giant flag bearers and cultural dances. Children show off their paper lanterns against the night sky, adults relax with tea and yuek beng (mooncakes) while elderly Chinese look out for Chang Er and her pet rabbit who, as legend has it, reside on the moon.Along the historic Singapore River, brilliant lights and psychedelic lanterns create a lively backdrop to a lifestyle bazaar.

While soaking up the atmosphere, don't forget to check out the carnival on the river banks. Yummy goodies and novelties are on offer in the open field along Sago Lane and visitors can also enjoy nightly opera performances and daily acrobatic shows.Orchard Road is a great place to savour the delicious mooncake in all its forms. Red bean paste is the most common but new and unique flavours of this mouth-watering delicacy are on offer including preserved ducks eggs, lotus paste, melon seeds and yam.Other festive foods you might come across during the festival include pomelos, a local citrus fruit, and pastries galore. Festival altars are adorned with five dishes of round fruits - apples, peaches etc - as these symbolise the moon, as well as family unity.

We ate at a nice Chinese Restaurant and then wandered around taking in all the sights, so it was a lovely "colourful" evening . John was very tired when we arrived home at 10.30pm and he knew that he had to get up at 4.30am to catch a flight to Korea this morning....

seven nights of cruising ........

We have booked our next holiday ....... a 7 nights on the Star Cruise Liner The Gemini !!

The trip we have chosen is the Straits Adventurer (7-Night)

Singapore / Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) / Penang / Krabi / Phuket Island / Langkawi Island /Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) / Singapore

in the advertizing it says:

Cruise with marvellous SuperStar Gemini in the ocean of Singapore. Nothing less than a floating hotel, the cruise carries you forward to a journey of relaxation, rejuvenation and rediscovery. The tourists enjoy to the hilt the time of their life, cruising around the idyllic islands, on ships laden with luxury and repose. Do remember that the SuperStar Gemini is created just for you, with all necessary ingredients of complete entertainment.

Guests can expect a new and exciting onboard experience in terms of dining and recreation facilities and a varied entertainment programme with new classical and contemporary acts is also among the highlights specially arranged.

Apart from its 400 cabins, the cruise vessel is also equipped with six restaurants and bars, a swimming pool, hair salon, spa, karaoke rooms, and much more.

October 14 here we come.........wahooooooo !!!!!!!

Songs of the Sea !!!!!

What a spectacular show......and not just for the kids in the audience, but for everyone!!

We went on Friday night and as we have a Sentosa Island Pass the cost was only $4.00........no-where can you be entertained like this for $4.00 and that is Sing dollars!!!! If you don't have a Sentosa Island Pass, then the cost is a whopping $6.00. In Australian dollar terms that would be around $5.50.

Photographically the photos are not of any quality, they are here purely to give you an idea of what it was about....and even then, it really is nothing as spectacular as it was in "real life":



Songs of the Sea is a multi-sensory spectacular with dramatic effects, engaging music, pyrotechnics and a live cast..

Songs of the Sea is a stellar combination of technology, imaging and live characters. Lights, lasers, fire effects and water jets create a stunning visual feast together with striking computer images projected on giant water screens. The attraction is unique because there are no barriers between the show and the natural elements.

The centerpiece of the show is a specially built 120m long kelong (fishing village in Malay) structure. The structure itself is a work of art wherein it truly resembles original Asian fishing village huts. Using modern inflammable materials, it is built to withstand roughest of weather conditions including strong winds, waves and high tides.

The different technological elements of Songs of the Sea that make it a not-to-be-missed extravaganza include a 40m high giant water screen flanked by two slightly smaller water screens, 69 water jets reaching as high as 40m, flames leaping up to 20m and lasers using the latest diode technology. The most remarkable logistics aspect of the show, however, is the daily display of pyrotechnics. The attraction runs two shows every night, 365 days a year. The open-air styled viewing gallery can comfortably seat 2,500 visitors. Each show lasts 25 minutes.

Sentosa Island website is here:

http://www.sentosa.com.sg/index.html

Mary Hannah Hudson EVANS

Mary Hannah Hudson EVANS
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

Remembering "Nana Norman" on her birthday, 14th September.

Mary Hannah Hudson EVANS, Mary was known as "Hannah" within the family.

She was born on September 14 1878, at Costerfield in Victoria, Australia.... ( 129 years ago today !!! )

her parents were: Thomas EVANS + Elizabeth Jane RICHARDS

Hannah married on February 9 1898 to:
James Arthur Edward NORMAN and they five children:

Alice, May, Elizabeth, Hazel + James.

Mary Hannah Hudson Evans was my great grandmother and I knew her as: Nana Norman.

she died at St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia on 26 September 1969.

I have a facination for anything to do with family history and genealogy. I have been researching the NORMAN, ROBERTS, WHITE and PETERSON families since 1980 and have a long way to go still. :-)

If anyone has an interest in these families that lived in Victoria, Australia ....... I would be very happy to hear from you.

I can be contacted at: leonefabre AT gmail DOT com

Hump Day !!!!!

you don't know what Hump Day is?????

Shame on you!


....'tis Wednesday...... you know, the middle of the week..... yep, up and over the hump and it is down hill all the way to the weekend!!!!


Yayyyyyy. :-)))


Though this weekend will not be so brilliant ( for selfish ole me ) as John is off to Korea for a few days ....... leaves at 6.00am on Sunday and due back the following Thursday!!


So FOUR sleeps without him. :-(


Yesterday I got out my old Sony Cybershot camera that has served me well over the past few years and has always been a brilliant little camera ..... but no, it has decided to kick up it's heels in disgust!!


Personally I think it is just jealous of my nice new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8. :-))


But, I did think John might like to take the Sony with him to Korea...... now it has decided to jam solid on me I need to take it to a Sony Service Centre. It will have to be today otherwise I might not get it back in time for the weekend......so am off for a few hours to IMM a very large shopping Mall in the next suburb to us here in Bukit Batok, as there is a Service Centre there.


Have already done my 150 laps in the pool....sorry, no swimming, not that energetic, just walking crossways in the pool and then 200 "cycles" ....... takes 1/2 an hour then back upstairs for breakfast, a shower and then the dogs need their next walk for the day...... phew..!!!


Here are two photos of our pool.....one taken from our balcony on the 18th floor and one last night at about 10.30pm.

I had better head off with the camera as the stores open anywhere between 10.30 and 11.00am... stay tuned for the next installment...... !!!!

We will always remember 11th of September

We will always remember September 11
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

In the Depths of the Cool Quiet Forest

In the depths of the cool quiet forest,
I wandered thro’ sun-dappled glades.
I rested midst whispering grasses
And heard the sweet sighing of trees,
As they lifted their arms towards Heaven
Singing their hymns of praise.

My spirit lifted within me,
To see all this beauty He gave,
And a peace and stillness filled me,
In place of my sadness and grief.
For the love in this quiet forest,
Had restored my faith and belief

(Elizabeth Anderson 1963)

Photo taken at Singapore Botanical Gardens, Sunday September 9.

Orchids at the Singapore Botanical Gardens

Orchids at the Singapore Botanical Gardens
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

When I took this photo at the Botanical Gardens yesterday, I thought of my friend Sue........this one is for her!!

www.flickr.com/photos/suehashim/
She lives life to the full...... you really do need to visit her photostream, her joy of life is reflected in all her photography.

These Orchids remind me of the beauty that is within Sue.

Lizard at Singapore Botanical Gardens

Lizard at Singapore Botanical Gardens
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

Mmmmm........should put this little fellow on the blog too!!!

John and I were sitting on the seat bench reading at the Botanical Gardens, when I looked in the garden behind me and saw this little lizard enjoying the sunshine on the dead leaf.

I don't have a macro lens, but do have a zoom setting on the camera ....... so was lucky enough to be able to capture him.

The Cats Whiskers !!!!!!

Black Orchid
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

John and I wanted to go to Chinese Garden yesterday.......not far from where we live. Usually it is free admission, but for the month of September there is a fee of $12.00pp which we did not know about!!

It is because it is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

There is a lot on of an evening and well worth paying the $12.00 to go in after 5.00pm....but all we wanted to do was walk around and maybe find a nice quiet place to sit and read...... and we didn't want to pay the $24.00 for both of us to to do that. :-)

We got back on the train to Jurong, changed trains to go to Bukit Batok, then went to the bus interchange and caught number 106 which drops us off right outside the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

We spent about 4 hours wandering around and it was just another beautiful day that we could spend together. Here is a photo taken of an orchid inside the Orchid Garden section.......I cannot find any reference to this being a "Black Orchid", but would like to know more about it...... will have to keep hunting!!!

Pretty in Pink.

Pretty in Pink.
Originally uploaded by mikerees.seven.

had to show you this brilliant piece of photography........a "Flickr Friend" from Wales uploaded this today and it certainly is worth sharing with you.

To view it larger, click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7503563@N05/1339876331/

....and while you are about it, check Mikes other photos, they are all beautiful.

(please note all Mikes photos are copywrited)

ho hum - another day in.......

Paradise? Singapore? Bukit Batok?

Yes, here it is Monday September 3 2007 and the time is 9.45am. John and I were up at 6.00am to take Pokey and Oscar for a walk, then back for me to get some washing done while John had breakfast, shower and then get ready for another long day at work......
me? oh well, I went down the elevator with John and I hopped into the pool as he walked out the gate to catch the train to work..... had a nice 3/4 of an hour in the water before going back upstairs for a shower and breakfast.

Answered a few emails, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen....added this entry to the blog ..... and now to get ready to go by train to Woodlands. This is a station, suburb and shopping mall a bit further north than we are here, never been there, but it does need investigating!!!

so that's my Monday morning so far... now out for a bit of investigating...

Fathers Day - September 2nd 2007

Fathers Day - September 2nd 2007
Originally uploaded by Leone Fabre.

Today - Sunday September 2 2007 - is Fathers Day, well it is in Australia and probably New Zealand as well. :-)

But this poem is a tribute to the dad I once had, he died in Western Australia in October 1988.

But today we should be thinking of all the dad's, daddy's, grandads, grandfathers, fathers, Papa's, Pop's and Poppy's that are anywhere in the world, be it Fathers Day or not...... for they are all very special people in our lives.

Photos from 2001 .......

..........'twas going thru some photos over the past few days and came across three of them that were taken of me just a couple of weeks before I was diagnosed with cancer. Looking back I can see how devastating this disease is on the body. Yes, there are many that do not survive - and many that die young. But I am forever grateful that with the love and support of John, my family, my friends and especially my work colleagues at the Genetic Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital I was one of the lucky ones that did survive.

I had stage 2 breast cancer with secondaries in the lymph glands diagnosed on June 22 2001, I underwent surgery 7 days later, then 6 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiotherapy.

These photos were taken in May of 2001 when we went to visit Janine (our daughter) in Brisbane.

So as I sit here in Singapore 6 years later looking at these photos ....... I do realise how lucky I am to have my health and the love of friends and family.