Apple Bazaar would like to wish you all a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!
May you have good luck and good fortune this year.
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Happy Chinese New Year!
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 by dolitaMerry Christmas 2010 & Happy New 2011
Friday, December 24th, 2010 by Apple Bazaar
Apple Bazaar would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011!
Selamat Hari Raya to All Muslims!
Thursday, September 9th, 2010 by zianHey there, tomorrow will be Hari Raya Puasa for all muslims! Hari Raya Puasa means the celebration day of fasting and it is a muslim holiday which marks the end of Ramadhan. The holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. Muslims will make their preparations for Hari Raya during Ramadhan. Preparations include house spring cleaning, buying new Baju Kurung, baking cakes/cookies, new furniture or items for the house and lots more! House spring cleaning is the most tiring though. Especially for those with big houses.
On the first day of Hari Raya, Muslims will go for a special prayer in the morning and later in the afternoon is the visiting of relatives or friends. This is the day where we will ask forgiveness from each other especially from our parents. This is an important custom for muslims. Some families will wear the same colour costumes which gives them an identity that they are a family while some will wear different colours. However, the most important thing is spending time with family on Hari Raya. Usually, the Hari Raya festive is celebrated for one month, no only with family but also with friends.
The best part of raya? Of course it’s the food! Our most popular or rather must-have is the ketupat, rendang, sambal prawns and satay and not forgetting the ‘kuehs’ or cakes that those have baked during ramadhan. The must-have kueh is of course the kueh tart which is the pineapple tart. Honestly, my tummy is growling while typing this but that’s ok because i’m fasting. 
Below are some picture of the festive food.
This is the ketupat which is the rice dumpling
On the first day of Hari Raya, most families will visit their parents house where all the other relatives gather. We will then spend time with food and relatives there. It can be the whole day or maybe for a while depending on some families as they might have other houses to visit. First day is usually the family day. After that, we will visit our friends or other relatives’ houses.
So this is a short overview post on how Muslims in Singapore celebrate Hari Raya. And it’s tomorrow! Time flies really fast though. Anyways,
Apple Bazaar would like to wish all muslims out there
Selamat Hari Raya and Enjoy Your Holidays!
Mother
Friday, May 7th, 2010 by dolita
“.. So now I see through your eyes, all that you did was love
Mama, I love you. Mama, I care
Mama, I love you. Mama, my friend. You’re my friend ..”
The lyric from Spice Girl’s Mama aptly describes who mother figure is to most of us, right? When you were younger, were you vexed when your mum nagged at you at the slightest thing? Or you could be a teen who are trying to break free from your mother’s ‘clutches’. There are times when we feel so much appreciation to have a mother but there must be times when our mother annoys us so much we just don’t want to talk to her.
It’s cliche but I believe most mothers do what they do because they love us. After all they have to endure 9 months of pregnancy woes just to give birth to us. Some mothers could be irresponsible and uncaring to their children. But it does not mean all mothers do not deserve a tribute.
So this Sunday, 9th May 2010, don’t forget to show your mother how much you appreciate and love her. It is a tiny recognition to what she has been doing for us. We got our designer to create a pretty banner with mothers written in many languages. It is our way to wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day!
April Fool’s Day
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 by Lena
Be careful on April 1 for a prank might just be played on you. All Fool’s Day is alive and kicking. As older individuals sort of “retire” from playing pranks and hoaxes, there is the younger set who is more than willing to continue the tradition.
The history of April Fool’s Day is unclear. There are various stories regarding the origin of the event and the most probable one has something to do with the hop from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. In the old Julian Calendar, New Year was celebrated starting March 25 and ended on April 1. When Pope Gregory XII ordered a new calendar in 1582, it was France’s King Charles IX who first adapted the new calendar thus New Year was moved from April 1 to January 1.
News back in the Middle Ages took “ages” to get from one place to another. More so from one country to another. It took years (centuries actually) for the rest of Europe and England to receive the news. There were some obstinate ones who refused to acknowledge the new calendar and therefore continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. Thus these obstinate fools were called April Fools. These people were ridiculed and were the butt of jokes and were sent on “fool’s errands”.
By the 18th century, the tradition spread to England and Scotland and then much later, to the Colonies, including the United States. April Fool’s Day spread and developed into an international day for fun, jokes and hoaxes.
People try to outdo themselves each year. The joke could be simple pranks or elaborate hoaxes. Even the media have had their field day in regarding April Fool’s Day. One of the best pranks ever was done by the highly respected BBC in 1957. The news had something to do with the good harvest of spaghetti by Swiss farmers due to the elimination of the harmful spaghetti weevil. The news was accompanied by footage of Swiss farmers pulling spaghetti strands from the trees. A large number of viewers were reeled in by the hoax and many actually called the station and asked how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. BBC had an answer and it was “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.” It was not documented if any fool actually followed the instructions.
What about Google? This powerful company has been “hoaxing” many internet denizens since 2000. Its first hoax was the GoogleMentalPlex. The “technology” claimed that there would be no need for a Google user to type what he wanted to search as it can read the user’s mind. A user had to look into a moving two-color pinwheel with these instructions:
- Remove hat and glasses.
- Peer into MentalPlex circle. DO NOT MOVE YOUR HEAD.
- Project mental image of what you want to find.
- Click or visualize clicking within the MentalPlex circle.
You bet! There were some very gullible ones who were pranked!
Anyway, please be informed that you are reader # 458 and you have just won an iPod Nano5. Don’t contact us. We’ll contact you!
International Women’s Day, History and Significance
Sunday, March 7th, 2010 by Lena
The youth of today have so many powerful women to look up to such as US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, US First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. The current chancellor of Germany and the presidents of Chile, Argentina, Liberia, Finland, Philippines and Ireland are all women. Many women hold positions in top management of global corporations like Pepsi, Kraft, Avon, AIG, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Johnson & Johnson. The women of today are educated, vocal and strong.
As we all know, women did not always enjoy the liberties that they do nowadays. In fact, many women are still being oppressed and treated like second-class citizens in some parts of the world. (more…)
Unusual sports in the Winter Olympics
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 by LenaThe recently concluded Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada has been one of the most publicized ones to date. Because of high-speed internet and many new sports cable channel options, parts of the world that do not get the winter season can witness the winter games. Winter sports such as skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, bobsledding, luge and snowboarding are getting more exposure now more than ever. Some unusual sports have also piqued the interest of many new viewers of the Winter Olympics such as curling and skeleton.
Curling and skeleton are two of the most unusual Winter Olympic games to watch. Read on to learn more about how these sports are played and the scoring details. (more…)
Valentine Gifts Ideas for Him
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 by LenaThe best Valentine gifts for him would definitely be anything in the line of electronics and gadgets. From the latest cell phones to power tools, 4×4 sports utility vehicle with V8 super power engine to 12 megapixel digital SLR camera, men love their gadgets. The list goes on and on as every man has at least one gadget obsession. Why the obsession, anyway?
Men’s gadgets are the extension of his manhood. What they lack in certain areas, they make up for it with things and worldly possessions. They collect as many toys and as many gadgets and electronics as they possibly can. They think that the latest ultra light graphite golf clubs or even the top of the line Grill Pro grill utilities are way too cool. They are just so amazed with technology. (more…)
Valentine Gifts Ideas for Her
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 by Lena
Valentine is really for the ladies. That’s what women tell themselves when they feel Valentine has lost its magic. As shallow as it sounds, it is quite difficult to summon up the excitement felt about Valentine back when we thought love would really last forever. For many couples, Valentine is weighed down by obligations, foremost of which is to give chocolates and roses for your partner in life or attend a dinner show.
Traditional Chinese New Year Food Part 2
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 by Lena
various chinese new year cookies
February 14, 2010 is not just Valentine’s Day but also Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. For the Chinese all the world over, the New Year is the time to sweep out the “old” and usher in the “new”. As typical of any Chinese event, the celebration of New Year is marked by a lot of food and desserts. Part one of this series focused on traditional Chinese New Year main dishes. For part two, focus will be on desserts – cakes, cookies and fruits. (more…)
