The Mooncake Festival

This past weekend we attended the Moon Cake Festival also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the lunar calendar it falls on the 15th day of the eighth month, which on the solar calendar was September 14. It happens on that day because it is when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the year. The day is as much about the celebration of the harvest as it is about the Chinese philosophy of man being one with nature and achieving perfect harmony.

There are many legends for which the moon cake festival is based. The most famous, according to the Chinese, is the moon cakes role in Chinese history. The Chinese used moon cakes to plan their rebellion against the Mongols in the 13th Century. Moon cakes were distributed to the citizens with a hidden message telling them when to revolt. They were instructed not to eat the cakes until the moon festival, which is when the rebellion occurred. The Emperor took the city and moon cakes became more famous. It is the Chinese version of the Trojan Horse, it is unknown whether this legend is truth or fable.

Another legend, Allison's favorite, is about the "lady living in the moon". The Emperor ordered an archer to shoot down nine extra suns that appeared in the sky. The archer was rewarded with an immortality pill, however his wife took the pill and was banished to the moon. The legend says her beauty shines the brightest on the day of the Moon festival.

Moon cakes themselves are cakes about the size of a human palm. They are very filling as the interior is a paste which comes in many different flavors. Some flavors are lotus seed paste, mango, green tea, & durian. Some have a cooked egg yolk on the inside representing the full moon. They are an acquired taste and it is quite a business as we found out. There are numerous vendors that make the moon cakes, and you have an opportunity to sample them. Each comes in a box, some quite beautiful, which is as much (if not more) of the prize than the moon cake itself. Each moon cake is imprinted with Chinese writing and a design.

We enjoyed partaking in this tradition and trying the different moon cake flavors. The moon cakes are sold throughout Singapore for about 1 month prior to the Festival at different hotels and shops . It was fun to taste, watch them make the cakes and see an important part of the culture. We did get to see the full moon on our walk home and the circle of brightness around it was brighter than we had been aware of in the past. It was quite breathtaking. It gave us a new perspective when viewing the moon and the significance it has to many cultures.

Fun and interesting things about Singapore

Now that we have been here for 6 weeks, I thought I would share some fun and interesting tidbits about Singapore :

Driving:

* Everyone backs in to parking spaces. We are getting quite good at this! You even do it in the car park!

*When you enter into mall garages there is signage that tells you how many spots are available on each floor, so you know which floor you should park on.

* The mall garage lots have ramps that are circular and narrow, there is a lot of car paint on the walls from people not navigating correctly.

* The cost of a new vehicle in Singapore ranges from $90,000- 180,000 Sing Dollars.
($63,658-$127,325 US dollars)

* gas costs approximately $8 a gallon

* They drive on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the right.

*people in Singapore J walk more than any other place I have ever seen - and it is suppose to be against the law

Housing/apartments:

* Anything over 15 years old is considered old and could possibly go "en bloc" meaning it will be torn down and rebuilt. Many high rise condo complexes have had this occur and your lease does not hold up.

*The average rent for a Singapore apartment for an ex-pat ranges from $8,000-20,000 Sing per month (6,000-14,000 US)

* Each bathroom in the apartment has its own water heater, which must be switched on before taking a shower/bath for about 15 minutes or you won't have hot water.

*There are no outlets in the bathrooms due to the 240 voltage that is used here. Makes it fun to dry your hair!

*There is no disposal in the kitchen sink

* All appliances have a wall switch which must be turned on for them to operate (the dishwasher, the oven, the microwave etc...)

*The oven is in degrees Celsius not Fahrenheit so I constantly am converting to cook at the right temperature!

* There is no central air conditioning - each room has its own air conditioning unit that is individually controlled.

*An average electric bill is about $800 Sing a month (565 US)

*Realtors work in a whole different way. If you are a renter and have a problem, you call your realtor. Who then calls the landlords realtor (who then call the landlord). So if you have an issue, it does not get taken off quickly as there are so many people involved!!

* When you call the exterminator, a gentleman will first come by who is dressed in a shirt and tie to "assess" the situation. Then in a few days they will come spray.

* The plumber and the electrician are the same person!

* Singapore does little to no recycling.

Food/Shopping/Dining

* You have to put in a $1 coin into the grocery cart to use one. when you are finished you get your dollar back. It forces people to put the carts back where they belong!!

*All fish in the supermarket comes with the head intact, some chickens come with the feet and head!!

* 1 pint of Haagen Daaz ice cream costs $12.50 ($8.84), if you get it on special you can get 2 for $23.90($16.90)

*When you eat at the food courts which are mainly Asian foods, you never can find napkins and almost never get a knife. Food is primarily eaten with a fork and spoon when not using chopsticks(which you really don't see as much as you think you would). Even in fine restaurants you do not get a knife.

Helpers:
Helpers are also known as amahs. They come primarily from the Philippines and Indonesia. The majority of helpers live with their employers in a room that is just slightly larger than a single bed. They have their own small bathroom, which does not necessarily have to have hot water. (at least they do not check upon inspections to see if that bath has hot water). They work 6 days a week and have Sunday's off. They make anywhere between $350-700 dollars a month.
When you have a helper you need to have only 2-3 pairs of anything because the minute you take it off, it is washed and back in your drawer again!!

There are probably 100 more things that are different and interesting but this is what is fresh in my mind today.

Transportation

Singapore is a very well planned out urban design, and it public transportation is no exception. I have become quite a user of the public transportation for two main reasons - one, we only have one car in which we share, something we are very unaccustomed to, and two, I am still working out the driving on the wrong side of the road! I am actually making progress and now it really comes down to knowing where I am going. Jim has mastered driving and is getting more familiar with road ways. These facts have forced me to be a user of the wonderful public transit system they have here.

The train system is called the MRT (mass rapid transit)and has 4 main lines that run all over the island. It is an underground system and is amazingly efficient and clean. With the use of a card called an EZ-link you can ride the MRT for a very reasonable price. The card also allows you to use the bus system which is equally clean and efficient. I have given up my cab days to use the public system. The girls are getting used to it and quite enjoy it and I feel it is a great opportunity to enlighten them on the use and ease of public transportation.

When you have a need to cross streets in the main part of the city, you don't have to do it at street level. They have incorporated into many MRT stations, crosswalks that take you underneath the road, so you are not confronted with cars etc... It is quite a system that in the main part of the city can lead you to any four corners of a very congested street area. There are the usual musicians playing for money as well as shops (Singaporeans love to shop so why sacrifice valuable space) that you pass by while moving from one area to the next. The trick of course is figuring out which exit to emerge from which only comes with time and familiarity. I have more than once gotten to the street level, only to find that the location I have come upon was not my planned destination!! One thing I have yet to work out, like driving, is do you stay to the left when walking or the right which is very much habit for me. These are the little things that no one informs you!

On another transportation note, they have a very interesting system for parking. There are no parking meters in Singapore. Instead, there are signs posted as to .50 or $1.00 parking. They have a very unique system where you purchase tickets in increments of .50 and $1.00 and after punching out a number of chads (thought I would use that term since it is an election year!) on it such as date and the time you arrived, you leave it on the dashboard of your car. It is based on an honor system that you have entered the correct time that you arrived. The tickets can be purchased at none other than 7-11 stores! It is also one of those things that you happen upon someone telling you but find no mention of it in any book or other information source. We have parked many a time without any knowledge of the system and were fortunate not to get a ticket.

I find the more I am out and about that Singapore is a very easy country/city to navigate. The trick is knowing which MRT stop has what and which exit to use. But it is an enjoyable experience and an easy way to travel around.

The packing, the airplane and the luggage!

I am a little out of order but I have our sea shipment on my mind so I thought I would share this with all of you.

Just thought I would include some visuals for everyone with regard our house being packed up into a box and shipped across the world! This is a 20 x 20 storage container that gets loaded onto a barge (we saw them this past weekend and it is amazing how many come into port). Included is a view of our stuff loaded into it - we are still waiting for it to arrive! Packing occurred in the beginning of July! It is due to arrive on August 7 (originally due July 29) with delivery to us about a week later.

In the car is the stuff that didn't get packed but what we needed with us - all 500 pounds!!

The girls enjoyed the airport executive lounge and business class on the 747! They quickly got the hang of their own TV's and getting up for late night snacks!!

After 19 hours of flying we finally arrived at 11:30pm Singapore time (10:30am Chicago time) into Changi Airport to start our adventure!!

The Botanic Gardens 1

The girls and I set out on Thursday July 24 to see the highly acclaimed Botanic Gardens. The Botanic Gardens in Singapore were established in 1822, closed in 1829 and reopened by the government in 1859. Its initial purpose was to foster agriculture development. It is a 128 acre property that sits in the heart of Singapore. Right outside the walls is the city yet it is very peaceful within its boundaries. Residents and visitors use the gardens for recreational purposes and enjoy the many wonders that it offers.

The Gardens are host to the National Orchid Garden which has the largest display of orchids in the world. It houses over 1000 species of orchids, which are absolutely beautiful . They have a VIP orchid garden where orchids are named after visiting dignitaries from many countries in the world. There are many types of vegetation present - a rain forest, cactus, palms trees,rubber trees and a display of eating plants ( pitcher plants,Venus flytraps etc...). The grounds are full of waterfalls, lakes and sculptures.

The girls and I had fun exploring the gardens and seeing all of its wonders. They have an area call the Cool Mist Room that houses the plants eaters. The plants are really quite interesting in how they capture their prey. One plant called the pitcher plant was shaped like a pitcher and had nectar that would lure an insect into its well. It was lined with plant goo so that when the insect tried to get out, it would be unable to and then the plant could digest it. The great part was that Allison had learned about this in school so she was really excited to see it!We were all captivated by the beauty of the orchids - the colors and volume were unbelievable. It is a beautiful place to spend time. We will go back as there is plenty more to explore and revisit.

In search of a supermarket

Amazingly enough you think a supermarket would be easy to find. In Singapore many supermarkets are housed within malls. They are often on the 1st floor on a 5 story mall that has shops . There are some that are in "strip "type malls but not many. So it has definitely been a challenge to locate a place to purchase food as I wanted to investigate a number of them to see which had the best variety and pricing.

Pricing, all I can say is unbelievable. Today we venture into a market called Tanglin market. It was a beautifully laid out store with everything you could ask for within its walls. It has a meat market, wine area, cheeses, fresh fruits etc... So We strolled down the aisles to get a feel for what is available and what the cost would be... Nestle choc chips s$10+ a bag, salad dressings s$8+ a bottle, Spaghetti sauce s$10. raspberries were very expensive - s$8 a pint, strawberries s$7.25. A couple of steaks would cost around s$50-60. I bought chicken for s$10.20 which was not so bad. A box of cereal was s$10.85. I am not sure of anything I bought that was a "bargain" by any means. No use your card and get 2 for $1. There are a couple more stores for me to investigate but from what I hear, anything you purchase from the US will be expensive.

One of the many challenges is finding brands that are familiar. Others have told me that once you find a certain product, it may disappear for months. Food is packaged differently as well. Cereal and many other items come in smaller portion sizes. One reason for this is that food here spoils more quickly due to the heat and humidity. Fresh fruit, like cantaloupe or strawberries, last for a couple of days. You can not find what we refer to as a stick of butter. They come in blocks, some small, some large. They also are measure in 50 grams increments (as opposed to our butter measured in Tablespoons) which makes it especially challenging when an American recipe calls for a stick of butter!! I have taken to ordering my cold cuts by the slice (I will have 6 slices) because, as I yet, I have no idea how many grams of meat I would order!! All these things make what would be a 10-15 minute trip to the supermarket about double the time. I am slowly getting more familiar and will soon be a metric shopper!!

Another option that I need to investigate are the wet markets. Wet markets are like big farmer's market except they include fresh meats, seafood etc.. as well as fruits and vegetables. Our helper, Zeny is very familiar with the wet markets. She says it is a great place to buy fresh fruits, veggies and meats at more reasonable prices. There is a lot of bargaining going on at the markets, so I will have to go with Zeny to know that best way to shop there.



note s$ denotes sing for Singapore money. The exchange rate is about $1 American = s$1.33 Sing