How you celebrate the mooncake festival this year?

For me, I got chance to celebrate mini minor festival with my couleages and relatives. Yesterday was Chinese Mooncake Festival day. In office, we spent tea break time savoured variety of mooncakes with chinese tea. After work, few of us had dinner together at steamboat buffet restaurant. After finished dinner, I went back home. I can see few houses hanging colourful, shapes and patterns of lanterns. Lanterns always facsinates me. During Chinese Mooncake Festival, I only got chance to comes out and play lanterns with my cousins. I went to meet up my cousins at the playground. Colourful lanterns with candles already hanging around the playground. Me and my brothers prefer the traditional type of lanterns. Make us thought of our childhood. The neighbourhood kids would gather around to play lanterns. As adults will watch them play with their lanterns and candles. I believe some people enjoyed replacing the candles each time the wind blows off. It's like a task given to us to take care of our lanterns. I also like to decorate the shapes by putting colourfull candles on the floor or on the sand. Children play with lanterns and a joyous time is had by all. As soon as I sat down. One of the neightbour's lantern got burn into frames. Things will happen when children play lanterns with candles. I look at the sky search for the moon. Ya! The moon is the fullest and brightest! But the cold wind keep blowing all the lanterns and candles. Lots lanterns falls down. Look like it going to rain soon. We decided to pack up all the lanterns and belongings ready to leave the playground. Our celebration was end by that moment we leave.

My Snow Skin Mooncake 我的冰皮月饼

每年中秋佳节来临之际，很多商家，酒家，饼家，住家都炮制出多款口味月饼。一直都会品尝月饼的我，最多只吃一小块块。因为觉得太甜了，吃多很腻。为了让自己可以体验自己亲手做月饼的喜悦，我选择制冰皮月饼。这种月饼只适合低温保存，不用烤箱的，比较容易做，自己动手又能控制油和糖等分量，比外面买得更合口味。馅料就用自制的红豆蓉和奶黄馅。所谓“自制月饼，健康好味”。在网上找了个方子试验了一把。结果第一次做了这种月饼并不理想，表皮太硬了，很干燥。可能方子用料不准确。

The mooncake festival or mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept 25 this year which is also the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese Calendar. Already, stalls offering mooncake have been set up in shopping malls and major Chinese restaurants, hotel, bakeries offer a range of mooncakes to suit all tastes. Some people prefer made own mooncake at home. I do like mooncake. But a quater, maybe half of one once a year is just about right. Mooncakes are high in sugar and fat content, so I try to eat them in moderation. I've never made mooncakes in my life. So this year I made up my mind to make own (Snow skin/Chilled) mooncake. Snow skin mooncakes are usuallly eated chilled. It's also much easier to make than the baked ones. For the filling I use red bean paste and custard paste. All ingredients and moulds can get it any baking supply stores or supermarkets. I try to make my first snowskin moncake but unsuccesfully. I learned and found some problems in making the snow skin mooncakes. Never try never know.


左图：制作月饼剪报

Left Photo: Newspaper cutting about mooncake recipe

最后决定参照近日报章上（星洲日报-大都会副刊2007年9月16日）一篇有关手工制月饼的方子。觉得做出来的效果还可以接受。我都会把做好的月饼给同事吃，告诉我这些月饼需要改进的地方。多数用料和模具都在超市或专售店可买到。只是现成糕粉在我家附近无法买到。从网上得知，糕粉是指熟的糯米粉，入模前滚一点糕粉是为了防粘。要制出糕粉就是将糯米粉放进烤炉用160度烘烤大约25-30分钟至颜色发黄盛出，或下白锅干炒（中火）至呈微金黄色即成，或蒸15分钟，或使用微波炉高火加热2分钟，再过筛即可。

The second batch snow skin mooncake was made on next day where the new recipe that I refer from a Chinese Press "SIN CHEW DAILY" (星洲日报) Metro Edition segment(大都会) article was dated 16 September 2007 and it featured a housewive who made various type mooncake annually using their own recipe. Practice makes perfect and I am over-joyed that I've finally managed to make them second time! I bring few pcs sharing with my couleages to taste. They love it and give some comments. I very satistified and will try to improve more for the next time. I have problem finding "Koh fun" where I stay but I came across a recipe for making it at home. "Koh fun" - commercialised cooked glutinous rice flour. It can help prevent sticky on hands while roll the dough and to ease releasing the mooncake from the mould. Making of "Koh fun": Put glutinous rice flour on a tray and bake it in the oven at 160c for 25-30 minutes, stirring the flour every 10 minutes./to dry fry the glutinous rice flour under low heat and then sieve it./ Steam the regular glutinous rice flour for 15 minutes. /Microwave it in 2 minutes with high heat till it is slightly brown. Let it cool and use as directed in recipe.



左图: 香浓的冰皮月饼！（有红豆馅和奶黄馅）
Photo: My snow skin mooncakes with red bean paste and custard paste. Yammy!

"明月光，照家堂

团聚月，喜气洋

中秋节，聚一堂

乐融融，月饼尝

祝大家《中秋节快乐》！"

常说很压力的人

“压力很大”是现代人因为某人或某事感到精神上不适时，最常说的一句话。

压力如何吞噬您的健康？
人们常说“有压力才有动力”，适当的压力对人是有好处的。但是长期处于压力之下，也会给健康带来隐患。
压力大视力会变差工作压力大，可能会导致眼球内血管的水渗出到视网膜上，造成视力减退。
压力大易患抑郁症　如果你手边的工作积压得越来越多，你就可能会陷入抑郁症的泥潭。
研究人员发现，工作压力越大，患抑郁症的可能性越大，而且工作压力大的女性比男性易患抑郁症。
压力大动脉易硬化 感到工作有压力的中年人很容易发生动脉硬化症，也是心脏病和中风的危险因素。
压力大伤大脑 随着激素在身体里的急剧上升，压力会使人的大脑出现问题。压力大的人常常感到精神紧张或失眠，同时大脑无法正常运转，最终会出现剧烈的头痛、记忆力丧失等不良反应。
压力大损皮肤 压力导致的激素在通过皮肤表层释放时会引起粉刺、皮疹和发痒的斑点等现象。
压力造成免疫体系紊乱 极端和长期的压力会降低你血液中的血小板，从而使人容易受到疾病的困扰。

专家帮您轻放压力
张业祥(江西省精神病院心理科主任、江西省师大应用心理学硕导)
- 要充分考虑到自身的特点，因为每个人都有稳步发展的长处和短处，在选择目标时要注意扬长避短，充分发挥稳步发展的长处。

- 要达到目标，就像上楼一样，必须是一步一个台阶地走上去。制定计划就像设计楼梯一样，将大目标分解为多个易于达到的小目标，那么您每前进一步，达到一个小目标，都能使你体验“成功的感觉”，而这种“感觉”将强化您的自信心，并将推动您发挥稳步发展潜能去达到下一个目标。

- 有劳有逸，应该注意保证睡眠时间和饮食规律，在工作之余给自己留点时间，做些自己感兴趣的事情，如打球、钓鱼、书法、绘画、音乐、烹饪、郊游、睡懒觉等，都能使您紧张工作的大脑松弛下来，这能使您在下一个工作单元中保持较高的工作效率。长期、持续、紧张的加班工作，不但提高不了工作效率，还会影响您的身体健康。

- 如果条件不具备，通过多方面的努力仍不能达到目标，那么您应该分析一下，这个目标对于您是否合适。如果不合适，再努力下去只能是失败，就像是一楼向十楼蹦一样，再蹦下去只能是多跌几个疱(挫折、失败)，这时您可以说一句“我尽力了”，适时地退出，重新设立新的目标，就像俗话说的“别在一棵树上吊死”。

因人而异的减压处方:
1. 外企职员: 每天我都保持在天亮前起床的习惯，然后独自在寂静的街道上散步。

2. 公务员: 每天我都告诫自己不要对任何人、任何事随意地发表消极的评论。当你对别人赞扬、鼓励的时候，看到别人的笑脸，我自己的心情也会很晴朗。

3. 报社记者: 每天早上上班，我都会给自己15分钟时间来沉思，把今天要办的事罗列一下，让工作有条理。当一天工作结束，我会发现原来自己今天干了这么多事，这会觉得自己很棒！

4. 国企领导: 总是记着我的太太，因为她是一个很乐观很开朗的人，每当感到压力很大，我就会想起她，想到她会怎么解决这些难题，这样我就会看到生活的乐趣，恢复平静。

5. IT业精英: 喜欢在办公室的电脑上，家里的冰箱上，甚至是洗手间的镜子上写上我喜欢的立志的话。

6. 干部: 我喜欢一个人在家大声地唱歌。虽然我五音不全，但是全神贯注地歌唱，会使我精神状态焕然一新。

7. 私企老板: 回忆一下小时候快乐的生活，就会想到为了我的孩子过上幸福的生活，我还要努力，这样我就感觉好很多。

8. 工人:每天晚上，我总会花点时间照顾我的花草和小鱼。给它们浇水、喂食，甚至和它们说我今天的工作和糟糕的心情。这个时候，我会觉得自己是平静的，看着另一种生命状态，我会有一种幸福感。

9. 使馆人员:每天都感激一个人。这个人也许是你的上司，他没有安排你加班；也许是你的同事，他为你买回午餐；也许是你的父母，他们提醒你注意身体；甚至是公车上的售票员，她在给你找钱的时候给你一个微笑。学会用感激的心对待世界和身边的人，快乐就是这么简单。不过我有时候也做不到。

10. 主持人: 我一感到有压力，就睡觉，相信一觉醒来一切都会好的；要不我就洗澡，让自己放松在蒸汽里。不过我老公和我不一样，他好像更喜欢看书，一看书好像就很平静。

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