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Sunday, September 07, 2014

Mummy's Birthday 2014

Last Sunday was my dearest Mummy's big Six-O birthday. She looked nowhere near 60 at all!




We had an advanced birthday celebration for my mum two Sundays ago. It began with a walk at Gardens by the Bay and ended off with Chinese dinner at 漁 Yú Cuisine where the rest of my family joined us.




My parents are quite the gardener and have lots of beautiful potted plants growing outside their flat. The plants outside the flat are so beautiful that on countless occasions, plant parts were plucked, cut and stolen from them by God knows which inconsiderate neigbours or passers-by.




Since my parents had never been to Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) before and August was the period of the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF), kh and I decided to take them there. It was coincidental that the SGF was held in GBTB this year.




It was the last day of the SGF on the day we were there. Prior to that, it was raining heavily and all the carpark around the gardens had long snaking queues that weren't moving. A dead snake would be the perfect metaphor to describe the queues. We had no choice but to park at MBS.




Grey clouds loomed over the ashen sky. Fortunately, the rain had fizzled to a drizzle with the long walk from MBS to GBTB.




Many people often liken the iconic Supertree Grove to a scene from the movie Avatar. I was snapping a scene of Avatar when kh photobombed.




The tickets for the Singapore Garden Festival included entry into the Flower Dome. It was the last day of the SGF but looking at the time and the distance to walk from the ticketing booth at the Flower Dome and the area of the gardens where the SGF was held, we decided to forgo the SGF and enjoyed ourselves in the cool air-conditioned comfort of the Flower Dome. Creatures of comfort!




Many people would very much enjoy the cool comfort in the Flower Dome too as evident here!




We merely walked a few steps and my parents were completely awed by the flowers all around. They stopped at every few steps to take photos. I felt like a tourist in my own country.




The Flower Dome replicates the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions like South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy. Home to a collection of plants from deserts all over the world, it showcases the adaptations of plants to arid environments.




The world of plants is really mysterious. We stumbled upon many curious-looking plants.




We were first greeted by a giant phallus, complete with a head and balls.




Then, we spotted alien-like plants whereby their mouths opened to reveal another mouth and another mouth and another mouth. See, some even had tongues!




There were other species of alien-like plants with tentacles too!




There were plants that had quills as sharp as a porcupine's.




There were plants that looked like stones.




Elephant in the middle of nowhere. Can you spot the elephant?




The Baobab tree which is better known as bottle tree in Singapore didn't appear as curious-looking as the other plants mentioned earlier on.




Clusters of flowers and that spiral branch.




Finally, we came across some normal plants that felt as soft as carpet. Oops... perhaps we weren't supposed to touch the plants.




Kh accidentally activated a mode on my mum's phone which showed the person behind the camera in a heart-shape, together on the same photo. I thought this was quite cute.




There is always something beautiful about lone single flowers.




When we reached the orchids exhibition area, we were shocked at the queue. Seriously, a queue to look at these exhibits? My mum didn't want to queue and thought we were quite smart taking photos from the outside.




Orchids out of the exhibition area had loads of people waiting to take photos too. It was so difficult to cut people away from these shots.




Orchid... possibly my parents' favourite flower since they grow them too.




Before we left the Flower Dome, we had to take a wefie coz we didn't have a 4 of us shot. Some of you might have already seen this on Instagram. There were no flowers in the background coz we had no selfie stick and my arms are short. I probably wouldn't laugh at people for using selfie stick and looking silly anymore.




We walked back to MBS for Chinese dinner at 漁 Yú Cuisine where the rest of my family joined us. Kh and I dined there once as a chance discovery (post here) and were awed by their food.




The stark EXIT sign spoilt the whole photo.




We ordered the set menu for 6 which was more than sufficient than the whole family since my parents do not eat a lot. The roast meat platter with mustard sauce was the favourite.




And because I did not take a photo of the menu, I could not remember exactly what we ordered.




This crab in the tank was HUMONGOUS. I cannot stand its mouth. Like some Sci Fi movie.




Photos of people finally!




CHEESE-y!




On my mum's actual birthday last Sunday, she prepared steamboat for dinner. There was an overflow of food like fishballs, meatballs, shabu shabu pork, pork liver, beef, prawns, cockles, abalone, sea cucumbers and green vegetables. The soup base was so yummy that I sat there and drank soup the whole evening. The next favourite activity was to blanch the hum (cockles) and eating them before everyone else since the hum wer right in front of me. We also enjoyed delectable pies from Little Britain Food Co. which is set up by my dear friend Cyn and her British hubby. It was quite a feast!




Every year, kh and I would buy a box of traditional mooncakes and snowskin mooncakes each for both sides of the family. For traditional mooncakes this year, we bought 美心 Mei-Xin. The SA told me that it has been the Number 1 bestselling mooncakes in Hong Kong for the past few years. There is even a unique product code on each box of mooncakes (botton left pic) for proof of authenticity since factories in China have started producing counterfeit Mei-Xin. Fake branded mooncakes!




For snowskin mooncakes, we bought from Fairmont. The box doubles up as a drawer and photo frame. Mooncakes packaging nowadays... I would look at the packaging and then sample the mooncakes before I decide to buy them and not the other way round.




This time, we also bought durian mooncakes separately. We could not resist the pure flesh of Mao Shan Wang durian in Four Seasons durian mooncake. Even after discount, it was $88 for a box of 4. We might as well be eating actual Mao Shan Wang durians!




Ending off this post with my new pair of sandals. It costs only $19.90 from TANGS and is soooooooooooo comfortable. It looks like those pretty but uncomfy shoes that cost thrice the price at Nine West, Aldo and the likes. Plus, it matches my current gelish turqouise nail polish. My left toes look scrunched coz my sprained ankle from weeks back is still hurting. If you notice, my left foot and calf are a lot thicker than my right now.




~

I would get back to replying your comments in the previous post and popping by your blogs soon!

41 comments:

  1. Hello from your newest follower! You have a lovely blog here, I look forward to reading more. :)

    - Sneha | http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12830603 | www.snehakadaba.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hello Sneha. Thanx for the follow. I would check out your blog soon. Hope to have a meaningful engagement with you.

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  2. aweee Happy Birthday to your sweet mom! she does not look 60 at all! I love seeing all the pictures of the Plant show, I didn't know of all the type of plants that are out there! My favorite were the alien look ones and the huge cactus that looked like a you know what! haha I showed it my husband - he laughed :) I also loved the pictures of all of you, the one with picture taker in a heart was so adorable! i wish my phone had that ability too :) Also the food looks delicious, I can tell you guys had a great time and your mom got the celebration she deserved!

    Before I forget, I nominated you for some blogger awards in my blog! I just wanted to let you know I really enjoy visiting your blog and you deserve all these awards!

    XOXO

    Milu
    www.hellolupi.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Milu. You're always so sweet. Hehehe... I think that you-know-what plant is put there on purpose for everyone to gasp at it. And my mum's phone with the heart function is a Samsung but I can't remember what model. Thank you for the nomination. I feel very honoured and I would definitely check it out and see what I'm supposed to do. Have a good weekend! =)

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  3. Aside from the weather and such like, it looks like you had a marvellous time. Your Mum really does not look a day over 40! I bet you get lots of comments under this post saying how young she looks and then you can show her them all and put a smile on her face for the rest of the week. My Mum is a keen gardener too. She once cried and ran next door to a neighbouring gardener when the workmen working on our house got the wrong memo and cut down her favourite tree. Haha. I'm not sure what mooncakes are but they kind of look like French macaroons! Rosemary X

    rosemaryofelephants.blogspot.com

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    1. Hey Rosemary. Yes, you're right about the slew of comments about how young my mum looks. Haha... Oh dear, I cannot imagine how upset your mum felt about how her favourite tree was cut. I would have been angry and upset too. Was she compensated for the worker's blunder? Ooh mooncakes isn't like macaroons at all but what an interesting observation! They are much softer.

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  4. Happy Birthday to your mom Jo! She looks nowhere near 60! What's her beauty secret? The flowers are sooo pretty! So interested in the stones and ones that feel like carpet. Delicious food and I love your new sandals.

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    1. I've got no idea what's my mum's beauty secret too. Hahaha... She sometimes worries too much and does all the unhealthy stuff but she still looks just as young. Thank you for your kind comments as always, Kim.

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  5. Happy Belated Bday to your mom Jo! How sweet and beautiful she looks! Your parents are a great couple, you have a very lovely family, congrats! I see you and your hubby have spoiled her, what a coincidence I recently read of GBTB and is definitely a place Id love to visit soon, all the flowers and the plants are amazing, what a shame the rain! I never tasted mooncakes and snowskin mooncakes but Id be curious. Your new sandals are too cute and hope ur left ankle is better, I know sprained it could be so hurtful! xo

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    1. Hello sweetie, Lilli. Thank you for your kind comments about my family. GBTB has been featured internationally and I feel happy to read that you also know about it. If you visit Asian countries in Aug-Sep period, you would get to see lots of mooncakes and there would be free sampling at most malls having those booths. So you get to savour them!

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  6. your food always make me drooling XD Happy belated birthday to your mom ^_~

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    1. Thank you for the well wishes for my mum, Winda. =)

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  7. Hi Jo, Happy belated Birthday to your mommy! Beautiful family and those mooncakes are so good!

    xo Jo

    http://www.whiterosesandcoffee.com

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    1. Hey Jo. Haven't seen you around my blog for a loooong time. I'm glad we're still connected on IG. Thank you for the well wishes for my mum.

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  8. Plant shows are so wonderful. The variety of species is incredible. Always gives my camera a workout too. Penis cactus? Truly the definition of a prick I would think :) And shifting gears abruptly, happy late birthday to your lovely mother. Great shots dear :) xoxo

    http://downwithpants1969.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
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    1. OMIGOSH. I love that prick joke of yours! I could never be as witty as you. Thank you for the well wishes for my mum.

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  9. Happy birthday Mom!!! She looks much younger, so does your dad. You have good genes. Some of those plants are scary looking. I might use a shovel on them if they popped up in my garden. :)
    That was a good choice of restaurants. I think the dish with seasame seeds looks the tastiest.
    Is it time for mooncakes again??? Another year gone!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments about my family, Rick. And yes, those plants sure aren't garden-material. I would think them as weeds actually. But they would look very good in a mysterious forest. All the dishes were very good. I love Chinese food a lot. Yes! I happen to have the same thinking as you when it was the mooncake season and I felt that it wasn't just too long ago that I had mooncakes.

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  10. Amazing plants and flowers! Rock flower?! That's so awesome. Your parents both look so young!

    Hehe, I love the fish chandelier. Omg, those mooncakes are so colourful and intricate! The ones we have here are so boring and kind of unimpressive.

    http://sushiibear.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The mooncakes get more and more impressive each year especially their packaging. Many people were actually enticed by the packaging as many companies are beginning to come up with interesting boxes and bags. And thanx for your kind comments on my parents, dear.

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  11. Wow, lovely pics. For sure it was amazing day :D
    Greets, Nabil ;)

    Will be great if we could follow each other :D

    http://www.nabilunity.com/
    https://www.facebook.com/NabilUnity

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I love seeing newcomers around. I would usually follow back if we have enough meaningful exchanges and connections. Will drop by your blog soon. =)

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  12. This looked like such a fun time. Happy Birthday wishes to your Mom. Am happy she had a fun time and enjoyed herself, she's beautiful :)) xx

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments about my mum, Kizzy.

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  13. Happy birthday to your mom Jo! :) oh my gosh, she doesn't look like 60! she looks younger :)
    also, hope you enjoyed your time with your family

    xoxo, rae
    http://www.raellarina.net/

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments about my mum, Rae.

      Delete
  14. A belated Happy Birthday to your beautiful Mother and many more to come!!! She looks very young and has such a sweet smile. It must have been a wonderful day surrounded by so many different plants and your lovely family. Very beautiful ones but some were very original (I don’t want to use the word “weird”). I love to celebrate the birthday of the people I love, it’s just so great to see their happiness and to know they are there for you. And the dinner looked incredibly delicious too.
    Your sandals are very pretty and I love the colour of the naipolish.
    I want to apologize for my long absence, but this year it actually felt like I had a nice and proper summer! But I’m back and ready to read and comment your posts.
    Talk to you soon. Kisses and take care.

    http://momodicted.blogspot.pt/

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment about my mum and all the other sweet stuff too, Alexandra. And yes, those plants sure are original and they would look very good in a mysterious forest. You don't have to apologise for your absence, silly darl. We all have our rest away from blogs to settle more important stuff and to relax too. Have a good weekend ahead!

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  15. Happy Birthday to your lovely Mom! She looks gorgeous <3

    big Hugs

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    1. Thank you for your well wishes to my mum, dear. =)

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  16. happy mid-autumn festival hon!!!

    wow omgosh mooncakes are so fancy in asia now.. serial number and hologrammed hahaha. what are moonskin mooncakes? what does that taste like??

    i wish i lived in asia especially during the holidays i feel like everything is cooler.. like i know you guys have like custard mooncakes and things.. that sounds so delicious!

    you and your family look so happy and you look gorgeous hon!! that pic with your husband in the heart is so cute lol.. that's such a cool feature did you figure out how you can keep doing that?

    thank you for your sweet comment on my page.. the truth is.. i was just at a point in my life where i've been wanting to simplify things and truthfully blogging for me has been more stressful then relief and i just realized it was something i needed to cut out of my life. but i'm definitely going to be posting on insta on the daily so can't get rid of me that easily lol!

    www.instagram.com/cocobella_ballerina

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hey Lisa, Glad to see you here. I hope this would not be the last comment from you or I would really miss you a lot.

      Snowskin mooncakes are those with delicate skin made of glutinous rice flour that needs to be refrigerated. They are more modern and come in flavours like durian, green tea, chocolate, champagne, Irish cream, fruit flavoured lotus paste and many more. My mum was surprised at that heart function of her phone too and I'm not sure if she figired out how to turned it off and on.

      If blogging is causing more negativity in your life then you've done the right thing to cut it outta your life. I hope that you continue to radiate with positivity and enjoy yourself on this new platform! Come visit every now and then ok?

      xoxo

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  17. Cute photos :) M&MFASHIONBITES mmfashionbites.blogspot.gr

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  18. Your parents are the cutest. I have to make this quick Jo because I'm down to 11% on my MacBook and it's prone to cutting off and annoyingly restarting the date and time when it's too low. (Blah so annoying) But I needed to comment on the phallus plant. What the actual eff? I couldn't stop laughing! OMG is that for real! Eeee! I'd be so embarrassed if my parents were with me and we saw this hahaha! That has to be the funniest plant ever.

    Sxx
    www.daringcoco.com

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    1. Hi Sonia, It's great to see you catching up with what you've missed here no matter whether it's 11% or not. Maybe when I was much younger, I would be really embarrassed to see that plant with my parents but now as an adult, we were actually having a good laugh over it. I bet they out the plant there on purpose as a conversation topic!

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  19. Happy Birthday to your mom! If I ever visit Singapore, I will definitely visit the Flower Dome.

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    1. You have to! And thank you for the well wishes to my mum.

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  20. oh my gosh your mommy looks so young!! :) Happy birthday Mama Jo :)

    Grace

    ReplyDelete

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