Cuisine & Culture the Chinese Family Way
After we moved from Ang Mo Kio to Bishan, I often visited Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (光明山普觉禅寺) for praying and to bring me closer to Buddhism. I choose to believe in this religion not because of the influence of my parents. Nevertheless, my dad’s plaque is now situated at Kong Meng San, I have even more reasons to visit when I am back in Singapore.
The popular Santa’s Winter Wonderland is back now at SnowDome Tamworth for its 17th year. Families can slide about in snow tubes in one of the four slides, ride along on a sledge, play in real snow, throw snowballs, join Santa and Alice in their Winter in Wonderland show, get close and personal with little animals, ride on children’s carousel and many more. If you are looking for something to do with your family, then check them out for a fun day out.
Japan is one of my favourite places to travel in the world and I have visited Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido and Kyoto. My last visit was in 2017 with my children and elder sister to Osaka and I can’t wait to go back again if I can. I love their foods, especially ramen and udon, their culture and traditions, J-pop music, manga, anime, horror movies and many more.
Recently, I decided to digitize all my old photos. Yes, it is because I wanted to get rid of two huge plastic boxes hidden in the wardrobe for years. There must have been at least 2000 printed photos in over 20 photo albums. The boxes were so heavy when I took them out.
Last month, I went back to Singapore to visit family and it had been ages since I last stepped foot in Marina Bay Sands. It must be 5 years ago when I went with my husband. A lot of my friends and family told me that I must visit Marina Bay Sands as they have so many things to eat and do. A particularly close friend of mine told me that it is her Saturday place to hang out with her family. So before we left for the UK, my sister took us there for dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine and we managed to squeeze in a few activities.
Since I moved to the UK, whenever I fly back to Singapore, my mum will remind me to give my thanks to the Goddess of the Seas Ma Zu. I always do as I’m told, but I have no idea who she is and why. This was quite embarrassing so I would like to use this opportunity to educate myself and of course, if you happened to travel to Singapore, suggest a visit to this historic temple Thian Hock Keng.
If you are a gamer and especially if you play Valorant, then you might know the Paper Rex team, who recently won the runners-up for #VALORANTMasters Copenhagen. They are a Singapore-based gaming organization built at the crossroads of entertainment, competitive esports, and merchandise.
Last week Sunday 21st August 2022, they unveiled a special commemorative mural of Paper Rex team members and their coach. This wall art was designed and painted by the talented Sam Lo, to celebrate the start of #VCT Champions Istanbul, which runs from 2nd to 18th September.
We are nearly at the end of the seventh month of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival with the last day on the 26th of August. If you are in an Asian country, do check out the list of don’t dos during this festival and the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival that I wrote a while ago.
Recently, I took my children to visit one of my childhood parks – Haw Par Villa in Singapore. The last time I went was with my third aunty and cousins 30 years ago. I still remember that every child would have to take a photo with Confucius, hoping we will show humaneness, righteousness and filial. Needless to say, my modern children did not believe in this.
Want to visit Singapore’s most quirky and instagrammable park that is filled with Asian culture, history, philosophy and religious figurines? This free admission park is Singapore’s largest outdoor art gallery built in 1937, open daily from 9 am to 8 pm (last entry is 7.30 pm), including weekends and public holidays (in the UK, we call it bank holidays).
You don’t need to wait until you are 17 before you get your first taste of proper driving. Young Driver offers your child this one to one tuition experience from a fully qualified driving instructor, to learn the basics of driving. From starting and accelerating to emergency braking, figure of 8, three-point turns and reverse parking all on a replica road system on private land. You can pay extra (+£15.99 per person) for In-Car film to save and share with your family and friends! They also get a Drive Diary to monitor their progress. All you need is to download their free Young Driver app via App Store or Google Play.
Looking for something different and special to do this holiday season with your family? Why not check out Silverstone’s Lap of Lights Christmas 2021, which runs from now till 3rd January 2022 (closed on 29, 30 November and 25 December). Don’t miss out on driving on the iconic Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit in the UK!
During the summer holidays, we were looking for places to visit within an hour from where we live and the Midland Air Museum popped up on our search. Midland Air Museum is situated outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. It is quite easy to access by car and the museum also includes the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre (named after the local aviation pioneer and inventor of the jet engine).
Thinktank is a science museum that was opened in 2001 and situated in Birmingham, not too far from Birmingham New Street station if you are taking the train. They are located within the Millennium Point complex on Curzon Street. At the moment, the complex is hosting Covid vaccinations on level 0, which is also the same entrance for Thinktank.
When I was looking for something to do in Birmingham, the Coffin Works popped up in my search. I thought it looked interesting so we went to visit them as I find the whole setting quite fascinating. Death is not something we often talk about, let alone arranging your own funeral.
It feels like it’s been closed a long time with the lockdown but finally, the National Space Centre has reopened! Now you and your family can experience the breathtaking universe documented in the UK’s largest planetarium and explore this vast resource covering the fields of space science and astronomy. We were very excited to go back to visit again!
