Strait's Quay Marina Mall - The Night before Mid-Autumn

Location: Tanjung Tokong, Penang isle, Malaysia

Mid-Autumn Festival had come and go under a cool and windy full moon. There were a few notable differences between this year's Mid-Autumn compared to the rest of those in my memories. For one it was usually hot during this time of the year yet it had been raining for the past few days, although that failed to spoil kids' mood for carrying their brightly lit colorful lantern around. I also recalled that the moon being large and orange like a salted egg's yolk, low above the horizon but the moon last night was slightly hazed over by our polluted air and hanging small over my head.

Since my last article on Strait's Quay, I had yet to walk those corridors of that pristine white building. After a working Saturday and not sure what to do to kill time on a Sunday night, I steered myself unknowingly to this faraway place (it really is far from my rented house) to experience first hand how this establishment celebrate the traditional Chinese festival within a Western architecture.

The canopy sidewalk of Marina Mall was cleared of stalls that night, with only glittering lamps in my company.

Straits Quay Marina Mall - A Mid-Autumn Festival

Location: Tanjung Tokong, Penang isle, Malaysia

There may be more than a month before Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) comes knocking on our door, but somehow the festive mood is warming up earlier than recent years. Stalls are set, decos are set, and everyone is looking at mooncakes everywhere.

A lantern above and a hut below promotes the harmony of the Malaysian races.