Getting Testy with Age

Age changes a person. When once you were quick on the move and energetic, these days your movements are much slower. Doing things seem to take a longer time. Those of you who are older will know this, right? We change not only physically but also mentally. I find myself no exception.

On the flight back I got rather annoyed with the passenger in the next seat whose arm and elbow kept crowding my already limited space. Aircraft seats are notoriously narrow and placed much too close together these days in order to squeeze in more passengers.

I dislike being in close contact albeit an arm on the armrest separating the seats. I waited to see if the person was sensitive enough to realise that his arm was continuously brushing against mine because his elbow had intruded into my space. I was getting uncomfortable by then as I couldn't concentrate on my reading.

Not wanting this situation to last throughout the duration of the flight, I told him not to crowd my space and pointed out that his arm should not cross the middle of the arm rest.

I think that shocked him and he quickly moved his arm and kept it on his lap.He promptly closed his eyes and went to sleep. As for me, I was able to relax in my little bit of space for the rest of the flight.

Some people feel that it isn't "nice" to tell people even if it means having to put up with your own discomfort. But hey, you are equally entitled to your comfort and you don't have to put up with any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. We need to speak up at times. We shouldn't have to feel that we must be "nice" all the time.

Mid-Autumn Festival

On Sept 22nd, the mid-autumn festival will be celebrated with mooncakes and lanterns. People will join those of Chinese descent to enjoy the mooncakes while watching the moon and the children will be playing with lighted lanterns of different shapes and designs. That night the moon will be at its largest and prettiest.

Many legends surround this festival but the main one (narrated by my grandma) is that of Chang Er who flew away to the moon after stealing and swallowing the pill of immortality, to prevent the wicked emperor from consuming it so that he would not be able to oppress his people for eternity.

The traditional mooncakes were usually lotus paste with single or double salted egg yolk and red bean paste (tausa). Children were given mooncake biscuits put in small mini replicas of pig cages.
In the olden days, couples found guilty of adultery were sentenced by village elders to drown in pig cages. These biscuits can take different shapes. Today we saw some in the shape of piglets but these were not put into the mini pig cages.


Nowadays the mooncakes are of countless varieties, ranging from the traditional cakes with lotus paste filling and salted egg yolks to modern ones filled with liquer, and others with pastes made from different fruit and vegetables.
There are also green tea and herbal mooncakes, tiramisu and cheese and chocolate mooncakes as well! Fortunately they also have sugarless mooncakes now so that diabetics can also enjoy them.
Then there are the snowskin mooncakes. The skin is not baked but the paste filling is cooked. These snowskin mooncakes also come in many varieties
The durian snowskin mooncakes which we were given as a gift were absolutely delicious. The durian flesh was very aromatic and the mooncake skin was very thin unlike others which were thicker.

Chinatown has its own decorations to welcome the event. This year there are lanterns of different colors.

At Clarke Quay, along the Singapore River, there are lantern floats on the river,

and along the banks are lanterns made to represent the different zodiac signs.

There are many stalls on the bank, showcasing Taiwanese food but they are only open in the evening into the late night when the place will come alive with lights and tourists. There is an on-going promotion of Taiwan at the moment to encourage tourists to visit it.
Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur there will also be events staged to celebrate the festival and lanterns will also be featured.

Happy Autumn Festival, everyone!

Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

It was a quick ride on the packed Sentosa Express from Harbour Front to Sentosa Island where the Resorts World Sentosa is. This is the view from VivoCity, a shopping mall at Harbour Front which is opposite Sentosa Island.


The first stop was Water Front where the integrated resorts are built. The structures that greet you once you step out of the train stop are very modern and pleasing to the eye and there is ample space for moving around so that you will not feel cramped and crowded-in even if there are many people.



There are different levels which make the place more interesting. The Lake of Dreams, actually pools of water, has fountains and sculptures with a picturesque background.


There are six hotels, I think, in this integrated resort and a casino that draws both locals and foreigners. In the lobby there is a huge sculpture of Adam and Eve.

Leading off the lobby is the gallery that houses branded boutiques selling watches, bags, jewellery, etc. catering to the well-heeled.


There is the Forum which is a long walk with restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops on both sides and on two levels. People were thronging this area and many were seated on the benches placed here and there for the feet-weary.


Outside the Forum are candy trees that draw attention to the shops that offer these tempting candies.
Tickets for Universal Studios were sold out and many disappointed people had to content themselves taking photographs outside the entrance.

Other attractions were available and queues could be seen at the ticketing booths. Popular restaurants also had queues waiting for tables.

After our feet’s long ignored protests and with energy levels flagging, we decided to call it a day and took the express back to the mainland where it was another hassle boarding the tightly packed MRT back to where our son stays.

At Last, the Rambutan Kelapa

This morning I managed to get the rambutan kelapa which I had been unable to find during the last couple of weeks. This rambutan is bigger than usual, with longer, green-tipped curly hair on its skin. The fruit inside is crispy and comes off easily from the seed. It is sweet but not cloyingly sweet.

The other species of rambutan which I also bought is the rambutan laichi. This rambutan is slightly smaller than the rambutan kelapa and it is harder to peel. The fruit is sweeter and also comes off the seed easily. The two types of rambutan are quite easy to differentiate when you look at the skin.

This week is the last time we will get the duku langsat as it is going out of season. This fruit is sweet and the fruit segments are sweet. It is advisable to select the medium-sized fruit so that you won't get big seeds in the fruit segments after you have peeled the skin off. Its skin is slightly thicker than the langsat skin.

The langsat costs more this week as it is also going out of season. The same holds for the langsat when you buy it. Choose the medium-sized ones. They can be sweet or sour. Of course the sweet ones taste better.

The fruit vendors will encourage you to try the fruit before you buy from them. This practice is common in Asian countries. However, it is always polite to ask if one may try out the fruit before actually doing so. The vendor will never refuse your request.

I also managed to get three durians, each of different species and of course different prices. Durians here are usually more expensive than those on the mainland and the variety here is also limited. Nevertheless, the whiff of the aromatic durian is too much temptation and I would normally buy at least two. I had one whole fruit for lunch!! The segments were large and very filling. It was durian tembaga. That's what the vendor said. Vendors here do not do what the vendors on the mainland do. There they will open the durian for you, let you look at the fruit and if you like the look of it, he will then pack it in a plastic container for you.

This makes it lighter and easier to carry home whereas here, I had to lug the three fruits which were a total of 6.5 kg!! Sunday is usually Fruit marketing day, buying whatever fruits are in season.