Mooncake Festival

Today is the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar calendar. For the Chinese, it is mid-Autumn. Many in Singapore refer to it as the Mooncake Festival. Someone once commented that in Singapore, many Chinese Festivals are referred to by the associated food, and we sure are a nation of foodies. The mind-boggling variety of mooncakes available goes wilder with each passing year. Besides Christmas and Chinese New Year, I think this is possibly the other period of bounty for many food businesses.

I was delighted to receive a homebaked one from Song Imm. Looks good ya?

This is also the time when children have a good time lighting up lanterns. As a child, I remember this to be a time for "legitimate" play with fire - candles, matches and all. Watching coloured flames dance along the wall as we walk around the darker corners of the neighbourhood with our lanterns. Then there is the trauma of seeing your lantern go up in flames. And the concentrated effort in deftly trying to patch up a small burnt hole with cellophane.

Even though most children are given battery operated lanterns these days, I have seen spots in the estate that are covered with wax. I guess some of them still get to enjoy the same thrill. This must be quite a headache for the cleaners though.



I came across this fun little thing called Sketchcast and coincidentally saw this entry about the Mid-autumn Festival. It is a fun alternative to an overly wordy blog (like this entry).

Talking about sketching, I love this idea of a a human flipbook. What a clever, and not so expensive, advertising idea. You can see both the advert and the process of making it.

Why Must I Know

If you are a regular reader of My Paper, have you noticed the news highlight that appears on the 2nd page everyday? In English, it is called "Why Must I Know?" and in Chinese "I Read the News".

It comes with a sub-heading that says "This is not a "What Must I Know" world but a "Why Must I Know" era." Each day, an editor would lay out the key news of the day giving each a snappy title that is carefully crafted to start with the same word.

I had wanted to translate a sample of these titles but found it difficult. Perhaps, it is an aspect of the beauty of the Chinese language which I find hard to translate.

There is almost poetry in these titles. I like the creativity, and sometimes humour, in this. I do wonder how many readers appreciate the thoughtfulness behind this.

A few young people that I know have difficulty learning their Mother Tongue. Besides mugging for the exams, they do not seem to have much reasons for picking up the language at all. Perhaps, this is a good case of the importance of the "why must I know" versus just the mere "what"?



On a different note, if you missed the last ATC live trade session, we are going to share about ATC at the Art Market @ Fort Canning on 30 Sep (Sunday) from 1 to 2 pm at the Cox Studio.

A-Live!

I traded 3 cards and each one so different from the other and all so stunningly beautiful.

Our first-ever ATC live trade session was a simple and wonderful evening. 8 of us were there to learn more about ATC, see each other's wonderful creation and listen to each other's story. We all had fun.



The next few sessions would get even more exciting. Join us at Pauseability every 2nd Thursday of the month from 7 to 9 pm.

Visual Appeal

When I first saw this series of T-shirts in My Paper, I was instantly drawn to them. I love the simple artwork from shi-ki-sa-i. As I took a closer look, then I noticed the funny little parts on each design. The shoes come with laces, the blinds with a string to pull, the drainhole and stopper with a chain, and so on. Very clever I think.

The Japanese are known to have an eye for visual appeal. Their meals are a feast for the eyes too. On Sunday, we lunched at the Sun with Moon Restaurant at Central to send-off a friend who is going to UK to pursue her studies. Great company, lovely food and not too pricey either.


In preparing for the first ever ATC live session on 13 Sep, I have been creating quite a few ATCs.

I started this one thinking about penguins. Then I thought it would be funny if the penguin ate ice cream, like the time we were all feeling freezing cold in New Zealand when a New Zealander jogged past in shorts and eating ice-cream. But as the drawing took shape, it looked rather sad that the ice cream is melting.

I had just come across many reports about the alarming rate at which the ice caps are melting, which may explain why I drew it this way. Global warming is truly a concern. And I learnt recently that in fact this warming process started soon after the big flood that Noah went through.

Social Networking

Received an unexpected mention in Straits Times yesterday. It was a nice personal piece from Mui Hoong who paused by on Thursday last week. I am glad that she enjoyed the time spent.

This is one of the great things about having set up shop - meeting people, especially those that are quite different from my usual circle. Better yet, we have often had a chance to have some good conversations too.



Lately, I have started trying out social networking on the internet too. Facebook is a new arena to me. Still groping my way around but am thankful for new friends like Betsy who showed me some of the neat stuff.

If you see the right side of this blog, you will also notice 2 other communities that I have just joined - Indiepublic and atcards (for artist trading cards enthusiasts).

Sure gives a new spin to the idea of 6 degrees of separation.

Quirky

Just to share some interesting finds from the net.



I like the look and feel of the illustrations at Russ Street. Doesn't the sight of these horses make you just want to take a closer look?



Butt Biting Bugs! What a whimsical idea.

Now, to something less quirky.



A word of thanks to Leonard for his blog entry about Pauseability. If you like to know more about Jumping Clay, do contact him.

It's 1st September and I would like to say Happy Teachers' Day to all my hardworking / heartworking friends out there doing a wonderful job making a difference for the younger ones.