NEX - FOOD REPUBLIC

I like the decoration of this Food Republic food court at Nex. It gives a homely feeling and is adorned with plants and a book on butterflies. 


That aside, I ended up ordering and eating the tomato and braised meat noodles on two separate occasions from one of the stalls with cooks from China. They were just alright for me but I like their soupy 小笼包 (steamed bun).

1911

This is Jackie Chan's 100th movie and marks a century since the Xinhai revolution in 1911 that forever changed the course of China's sovereign history and shaped it into what it is today as the People's Republic of China.

Produced and directed by Jackie Chan himself, I must admit I did not catch the movie because of the man himself. Instead, I was drawn by the historical events, including the downfall of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and felt I could have a piece of my ancestry through this short two hours movie charting the events that occurred back in 1911 and 1912.

Starring a stellar cast including Jackie Chan, Winston Chao, Joan Chen, Li Bingbing, Jackie's son Jaycee Chan, Hu Ge, the movie started with the execution of the legendary revolutionary heroine Qiu Jin, who sacrificed her life to help the suppressed and long suffering commoners stand up against the corrupted Qing empire and feudalistic society.

The revolution, led by the famous Sun Yat-sen, Huang Xing etc staged numerous uprisings to put an end to a long reign of Emperors, who ruled over the land and lived a life of luxury behind forbidden palaces as the commoners tolled and sweated their life away in poverty. Empress Dowager Longyu was coerced by Yuan Shikai and the new government to sign the abdication of the throne of her son Puyi, the last Emperor of China, that reduced them to citizens of the new republic and ended the imperial rule.


This event was a critical milestone in the history of China and the republic would not be what it is today without the few revolutionary leaders who believed in dedicating their entire lives to fight for its people to overcome poverty, inequality etc.


I must admit that we are very fortunate not to have been born during that era where there were rampant wars, uprisings, revolutions etc that resulted in countless deaths of innocent lives. We must count our lucky stars that there is a lot more political stability all over the world and be grateful for what we have in this day and age. Not everyone, especially those from the past, can have a life as good as ours.

NEX BUNNIES

Who knew the nex bunnies were so prolific and they could be seen everywhere in the mall. It was our equivalent of spring time in the mall, although there was no snow.

Based on some recent newspaper articles, it seems that the weather patterns have changed so much globally. In China, certain parts should already have started snowing during the CNY season but yet by now, not a speck of snow have fallen from the sky. It was a completely different CNY for the townsfolk.

HOSTA

This interesting plant was planted at HortPark by one of our industry partners Dow Flora. According to them, they brought it in from China. That was my first encounter of this plant in Singapore.

Before that, I have only come across Hosta in calendars and books, where you see a whole range of beautiful clusters of their variegated leaves. And I have not even mentioned the flowers.

Then at SGF 08, this japanese stall (I cannot remember the name but it was not a plant stall) carried a few pots of it. As usual, my sharp-eyed colleague spotted it and bought 2 of the best pots. In the end, I managed to buy 2 pots of it too.

After months of growing it, it flourished and there were a few rosettes of leaves but frankly, they never looked as large a clump as those in books etc. But the leaves were definitely a sight with its parallel veins and striking variegation and it is not difficult to understand why this plant was grown predominantly for its amazingly handsome leaves.

Apparently, there is a whole variety of cultivars bred by horticulturists out there, as evident from the never-ending range shown in books. In fact, during my Thailand trip in Jan 09, I purchased a book on Hostas from Chatuchak Market.

On the other hand, the more obscure 5-8 light lilac-white flowers opened in succession and emitted a light fragrance. I have not yet seen 2 opened flowers at the same time. Though non-lasting, the flowers do add an air of elegance to this plant.

However, this plant went into decline after I neglected it for some time and eventually succumbed to scales and mealy bugs a few months ago. It was such a pity and I didn't quite realize what I lost until I looked at these photos.

If I come across this plant in our local nurseries, I would definitely buy it and give it more attention as it is really a plant that is hard to come by.

By the way, the top photo was taken on 27 Nov 08 and the latter 2 photos on 2 Dec 08.