one little journey

a day of dickens

2012-02-17T17:05:00.003+08:00

Spent Tuesday at The Arts House with a friend helping out to test out DVDs. Basically it means watching movies all the way through to make sure that the discs are working fine before their weekend public screenings. It was quite cool having the whole screening room all to ourselves. So much fun discussing and laughing out loud at scenes without having to worry about disturbing others. Looking forward to another session next week :)

raining teardrops

2012-02-16T18:35:00.005+08:00

Some stories are just too sad.

Maybe one day, i’ll live in one of these patterned buildings.

i dream of these.

l.o.v.e tuesday

2012-02-14T14:03:00.004+08:00

To all my fellow single friends: happy tuesday! i love you!

a few pretty (cute) things

2012-02-13T14:10:00.003+08:00

Finally replaced my broken ipod shuffle.

Ahh... how much i’ve missed listening to music during long walks and jogs late at night.

Storing up christmas edition packaging sleeping mask because it’s so pretty!

Cookies for my coffee breaks. My niece was max excited seeing these.

Some of the smaller size plates that i use for my daily 3 p.m. breaks.

(... i do miss Paris)

art meets cafe

2012-02-10T11:51:00.008+08:00

Checking out another new (art) cafe, The Orange Thimble, in my neighbourhood. i love the old school interior... reminds me of The Pigeonhole but prettier. The cafe is a lot bigger than what you see here, these pictures only shown the front section of the place. We had a good latte and a delicious lava cake with strawberry ice cream. My niece asked when are we going back the moment we stepped out of the cafe :)

watch your step, don’t fall into the ground

2012-02-09T17:36:00.004+08:00

Let’s see how well can you balance :)

All Aboard! by Joe Hill

8 to 19 February 2012

Bugis Junction

still counting

2012-02-07T16:47:00.005+08:00

i’ve had 644 3 p.m. breaks till date. Pretty insane.

hello?

2012-01-30T18:18:00.007+08:00

Below are three separate conversations that i had over text messages.

Message 1 (from an unfamiliar number)

A: U know this program called fontographer or anything similar. That is a program that u

can use to create fonts. Have u use something like that before? Because i remember u major

in typo. (i was into typography in college but i didn’t major)

Me: i know this software but haven’t use it b4. May i know who is this?

A: A, your XX schoolmate. Have you use any software that create fonts before?

Me: Oh hi! No, not yet. But will prolly use fontographer if need to

A: Do u know anyone from Sg that knows how to use? i just needed to find out research.

Me: No, sorry

END OF MESSAGE

Message 2 (a stranger that i exchanged business card with at the museum)

B: Hi, nice meeting u at 8Q. free 4 thu dinner with us? My friend is marketing head in XX.

Good food & potential client, maybe :-D

Me: Hi was nice meeting you too. And thanks for asking but i already have dinner appt.

It’s the holiday season, quite a few dinner plans. Prolly another time :)

END OF MESSAGE

Message 3 (An old friend, we usually catch up once or the most twice a year)

C: Free for dinner tonight? We found a Japanese restaurant at XX. Will try there.

Me: I already have appt tonight. U guys go ahead

END OF MESSAGE

All three messages ended abruptly. To me, it’s almost like hanging up the phone without

saying goodbye. Do you think that this is impolite? Or is this the usual way of virtual

communication these days?

something different

2012-01-22T13:41:00.005+08:00

Life is becoming stagnent and i’m getting real bored. i wanna do something different this year... be it
work or anything. But before that, wish me luck for good health, i need lots of it. Lots.

enjoy loneliness

2012-01-19T15:10:00.005+08:00

“Only those with a free spirit know how to enjoy moment of loneliness.”

So true, isn’t it?

Original text: “寂寞只有自由的靈魂才懂得享受 ” – 大S

art stage in pictures

2012-01-17T21:07:00.009+08:00

It took me about 6 hrs to finish walking the three halls, skipping a few galleries here and

there. Very tired at the end of the day but definitely a Sunday well-spent.

Art Stage Singapore

12 – 15 January 2012

Marine Bay Sands

future proof

2012-01-17T13:32:00.008+08:00

A contemporary art exhibition showcasing artworks of young artists from Singapore.

Hall of Mirrors by Bruce Quek. Upon exiting, i was given a printed receipt showing the number of different deaths during the time while i was at the exhibition. i stepped out of the room with a heavy heart and i don’t like it at all. Why forced feed me with this death statistic?

The Need of an Alteration, video by Andree Weschler. i guess my stomach was not strong enough, i couldn’t watch the whole thing.

Eccentric City: Rise and Fall by :phunk & Keiichi Tanaam. As you walked round the structures, the colour was reduced to black & white and back to colour again. Eccentric (city) or not, there are always different facets in life that we face.

Ka-Khé, stairwell murals by Speak Cryptic

i missed out the name of this artist. The installation was a long narrow room filled with crumpled printed papers on all walls and ceiling with total darkness seen at the end of the tunnel.

The Human Condition by Joel Yuen. i took this picture because it reminded me of my left hand that still hurts.

Thirty-One Kinds of Wonderful by Dawn Ng. Probably my favourite, simple message so straight to the point.

Missed out on the artist name again. i was contemplating whether to go into this room. It was so dark i felt a bit scare*. i managed to brave myself and stayed inside for probably 30 seconds or less.

If A Tree Falls in the Forest by Robert Zhao

Crystal City by Donna Ong.

Inside Outside by Charles Lim. Love the message behind it. A good reminder that applies to everyone.

“...While the boundaries of a country are often taken to be its shoreline, the truth is that this border is in fact an imaginary line that lies far out at sea; a imaginary line that we materialise with sea markers. The sea markers lie still while the water moves freely beneath it. There the artist suggests that perhaps these borders we have draw for ourselves over the years are not as static and unyielding as we make them out to be.”

The Singapore Show: Future Proof

14 January – 15 April 2012

Singapore Art Museum at 8Q

*It’s embarrassing to admit and very silly but i am afraid of the dark. This is one problem i have when visiting museums on my own... especially at 8Q, it is always so quiet and there’s not a single soul around, sometimes not even the museum attendant.

chimera

2012-01-16T15:10:00.012+08:00

Saturday was spent at this great exhibition that housed some really interesting pieces.

V by Li Hui. Fascinating light visuals experience within the chapel space, definitely my favourite piece of the exhibition.

“... V takes its name from the shape of the laser beams that sculpt the space, as they beamed down from a laser board and reflected off an angled mirror, coalescing into pinpoints of red light in a cloud of smoke. The smoke and ethereal cluster of light recall depictions of the Ascension, and as visitors walk into the path of the beams, their bodies dissolve into pinpoints of light...”

Midnight Sea by Tabaimo. This video installation on mirror panels can be quite addictive to view, i can’t help but keep staring at the moving waves.

“The sea has long held many in fascination with what lies benath its mysterious depths. The sea at night is an even more unfathomable mystery, with the darkness of night further cloaking its impenetrable depths, inspiring emotions of wonder, fear, uncertainty and even contemplation...”

Winged Pilgrims: A Chronicle From Asia by Sheba Chhachhi. Eerie but beautiful at the same time.

“... a critical perspective on how rapid modernisation and urbanisation in many developing cities today has been at the expense of the delicate balance between Man and his environment.”

Statue of Venus (Obliterted By Infinity Nets 2/10) by Yayoi Kusama. Covered with patterns all over, this is another piece that is difficult not to stare.

“... In the 1950s, her works were a startling counter-statement to the then-prevalent Minimalist style in America where she lived and worked. Her ‘all-over’ patterned surfaces revisited the ambitious and grandiose gestures of Abstracted Expressionism, but with a hallucinatory quality...”

Just a random photo showing an almost empty space... be it weekdays or weekends, the museum is always so quiet.

Seeing Shadow No. 39 by Lin Tianmiao. Can you see the barely-there stone lion sculptures?

“... composed from photographs of Beijing’s traditional classical courtyards and alleyways (hutong), which in recent years have been demolished to make way for redevelopment. Their ghosts are captured on Lin’s shadowy canvases, on which one can just make out their fading shapes and structures...”

The Sixth Day by Donna Ong. A familiar setting but yet it seems so unreal.

“... everyday objects are transformed into a miseen-scene of otherworldly beauty, an invitation to their audiences to enter, imagine, and create narratives of their own...”

Don’t miss the opportunity to view these private collections from around the world. What i have here is only about a fraction of the exhibition.

The collectors show: Chimera

14 January – 25 March 2012

Singapore Art Museum

go away, restlessness

2012-01-13T17:47:00.003+08:00

Things have been moving rather slowly these two weeks... nothing eventful, everything
seems dull and i have no energy or interest for anything.

Restlessness has creeped in and i think it’s going to stay on for a while.

missing bits, 2011

2012-01-12T15:13:00.008+08:00

View from my window. The grey skies (and rain) was here almost everyday for the whole
of November and December and many people was complaining about it. But i thought it was
nice since we hardly have any cool weather here.

Checking out new cafe in my neighbourhood

A short walk at the neighbourhood just before the rain.

On the way to work meetings

Japanese snacks and packaging rocks!

Christmas pressies for mum and dad

Deceiving gift packaging that i wrapped. The content has no relation to Paris at all :p

Fooling around with my niece... which i foresee will continue in 2012 :)

Christmas dinner at home

Niece, dad and me

Gifts i received

New coat of paint for my block

Once in a while grocery shopping

stroke

2012-01-11T17:51:00.005+08:00

Bold strokes calligraphy/art that are quite therapeutic to look at.

1 & 2 by Kathy Xiao, 3 & 4 by Kanya Chareonsupkul

Hilton Gallery

of bells, raindrops and snow flakes

2012-01-10T14:03:00.004+08:00

Ribbon design for Kids 21 Christmas 2011

the burning gaze

2011-12-27T15:48:00.005+08:00

A well spent day at the Singapore Art Museum on Christmas day. This was one of the best

exhibitions i’ve seen this year, so glad i managed to make it on the last day. For those

who’ve missed it, do check out the interview of the artist and footage of the exhibition here.

“...With Kang’s paintings, it is not the surface that matters, but the way the dramatic

images overwhelm and evoke emotional responses in the viewer through their large

scale, saturated colouring and frequent distortions of perspective...”

– excerpt from Singapore Art Museum website

The Burning Gaze by Hung Koo Kang

Singapore Art Museum

14 October to 25 December 2011

a date (down orchard road) on christmas day

2011-12-23T16:27:00.008+08:00

These pictures were taken in mind for a christmas card that i planned to make for a friend.

Since my friend wasn’t around for christmas this year, i thought it would be a good idea to

show him what orchard road looks like. But i’ve been falling ill so much these two months

and didn’t get to finish shooting till few days ago. Then work started coming in (two new

projects this week) and there just wasn’t time for me to make the card... maybe next year...

To all my dear friends, Merry Christmas and happy holidays! xx

stepped into nostalgia

2011-12-15T15:26:00.008+08:00

Followed my friends to JB last Saturday to visit Roost Juice + Bar, a cafe that she

discovered during her previous trip. Once inside, it’s as though we’ve stepped back

into times.

Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 10 Dec 2011

oh my fingers

2011-12-11T15:30:00.008+08:00

i’ve been reading up a lot on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome lately because my fingers are giving
me problems again – every night, i can feel pins and needles in them. One of the articles i
came across wrote that people with smaller wrists have higher risk of getting CTS... i hardly
came across anyone who has smaller wrists than me.

My poor fingers!

weekend coffee. movies. rain. walks. eat

2011-11-29T14:07:00.010+08:00

A rather busy weekend. Watched two movies – Breaking Dawn (i went into the cinema
with no expectation so wasn’t surprised that i yawned many times), Already Famous (quite

entertaining, the guy sitting next to me was laughing non-stop). And also lots of coffee,
dim sum, sashimi, rain, walks and catching up with friends.

Monday came too soon.

holiday giveaway: a little surprise every day

2011-11-24T18:01:00.012+08:00

The second holiday giveaway: ‘A little surprise everyday’ notebook

“It is a little more than pages of plain paper with white lines, a little more than a notebook with pretty cover. It’s the perfect gift for someone who wants a little surprise, a break away from a mundane life.”

For a chance to win this notebook, check out the book preview and leave a comment here. One winner will be chosen at random next Wednesday, 30 November 2011. Good luck!

In addition, Blurb is also giving out some holiday savings.

1. Save 25% when you order two or more books by 28 Nov 2011.

Enter promo code HURRY at checkout.

2. Receive $10.00 off product totals with minimum purchase of USD$29.95 by 30 Nov 2011.

Enter promo code BIGTEN at checkout.

Thank you Jasmin for playing, the notebook is ready to be shipped, do drop me an email with your address.

And also a big THANK YOU for those who has purchased the notebook online :)

dreaming of short hair

2011-11-24T14:22:00.010+08:00

Tsumori Chisato Cats series is so cute

It’s been a while since we get such good weather :)

Short hairstyle is so cool. i wonder if i’ll ever have the courage to cut my hair this short

Pretty colour food

My niece performing during her last day in school... well not exactly school, it’s only a
2-hr playgroup thingy for 3 year-old

Planning for the next holiday giveaway :)

Delicious corn and crab chowder with walnut toast for tea break

Awesome typewriters on this month Smith Journal cover

Did i mention before that i love love love the blueberry muffin from Starbucks

Sudden downpour, stuck in the library

i am not against chinese nationals staying in Singapore, but there are more and more incidents that i encountered that really annoys me – they squeezed and elbowed people on the bus and mrt just to get seats; they ignored there is a queue; they talked so loudly, we at the next table can hardly hold our own conversation; they asked for directions and left without a simple word of thanks; they walked in a row occupying the whole lane across, chatting happily, oblivious to the fact that people are trying to walk/jog pass them even after we said “excuse me”; they don’t make an effort to learn and speak basic english even though they’re working in the service line. i hate it that i can’t speak my own language in my country, they should be the one trying to learn our language instead of the other way round. When i travel in China, i try my best to speak their language too. Can’t they at least put in some effort to fit into our culture? Sometimes they give me the feeling that they’re trying to turn Singapore into China.

Of course, not all chinese nationals are guilty of the above, there are also plenty of rude singaporeans around. i do welcome foreigners to stay in singapore, but let us all put in some effort and try to live in harmony on this tiny island.

let’s walk lamma island

2011-11-17T15:11:00.012+08:00

The moment i stepped out of the ferry, i knew i was going to love this charming little
island – laid back, simple and surrounded by natural scenery. There was no need to look
out for fast traffic as you strolled along the streets, the only means of transport was by
foot or bicycle.

Small grocery stores and shops that sell all kinds of foods, necessities and handicrafts

Various kind of eatery choices

Low-rise houses. Buildings higher than three storeys high are prohibited (info from wiki)

Tin Hau Temple

Not too sure what this was, but it looked like a storage area

Beautiful feather-like leaves

The famous Ah-Por beancurd pudding, we love it!

The walk to the beach wasn’t far, but the weather that day was at a high 33ºC, which
made it a bit of a torture to walk under the scorching heat

Walking back to the town for late seafood lunch

A few more shots of the awesome scenery before heading back to the pier

On our way back and enjoying cool sea breeze on the upper deck of the ferry

This was the only place that i managed to visit while in Hong Kong before i fell really ill.
i spent the rest of the trip sleeping and watching telly on the hotel bed. Oh well, there’s
always another time...

Lamma Island, Hong Kong, 5 November 2011

holiday giveaway: 3 p.m. breaks calendar

2011-11-16T18:58:00.008+08:00

The first holiday giveaway this year is this set of tea and coffee breaks calendar! Each month features an original photograph taken for my 3 p.m. breaks blog.

For a chance to win, please check out the calendar here and leave a comment below – tell us what’s your favourite tea and coffee snack, favourite month, or anything :) One winner will be chosen at random next Wednesday, 23 November 2011. Good luck!

There will be more holiday giveaways in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to check back here xx

Update: Bean Sprout's Cafe is our winner. Thanks for playing!

p.s. Please drop me an email with your address, the calendar is ready to be shipped :)

things and me

2011-11-14T14:34:00.005+08:00

Tiny things on my desk

Ticket stubs from design film festivals on Saturday. Out of the four, i only enjoyed
Yohji Yamamoto and Steidl

Bought Bazaar to browse on the flight (to HK) and Spring for the gift that comes with it
(see below)

A passport holder. i was looking for one so this came at the right time

Bought this cute triangular shaped cd album for a friend

Me with my favourite ginger spice tea from Arteastiq

111111

2011-11-11T18:54:00.008+08:00

The rain continues in November

A friend got me this interesting set of In the Forest scent from Beijing – firefly, linden,
giant sequoia, lily of the valley, dirt, snow, rain, dandelion and grass

Finally starting reading 1Q84, so far so good

Coffee breaks

Love hawker food

Patterns in front of traffic light crossing

Packing for Hong Kong trip... for which i am already back

1. waiting (in Singapore) for my sis to pick me up to the airport

2. low fat brunch on SQ (sg to hk), the sweet potato mash was quite good
3. low fat dinner on SQ (hk to sg), i only had some of the fruits
4. waiting (in hong kong) for airport transfer

The plane that flew me to Hong Kong

i didn’t realise today’s date is 11.11.11 till a friend forwarded me one of those mass
wishing messages just a while ago. To me, today is just another day, the number thingy
doesn’t mean anything special to me.

a week in pictures

2011-10-31T23:37:00.006+08:00

Raining most of the time with occasionally fine weather for a few hours

1. my niece’s green bean plant 2. yellow in the kitchen

3. the complete maple paper series 4. colouring circle

New sleepwear

Friday dinner

Daily coffee

Saturday with Jean – National Museum » TCC » Singapore Art Museum » Chinatown

Can’t stop smiling today... and i’m not telling why :)

a day in 2008

2011-10-28T13:45:00.005+08:00

This scenario resurfaced when i was lying in bed last night:

It was some time back in 2008, i walked into the agency wearing this blouse.

Charlene: Oh i have this same blouse!

Me: Really?! But the shop assistant said they only have one piece for each design.

Charlene: That’s what she told me too when i couldn’t make up my mind.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Each in our own ways, you will always be remembered.

Rest in peace, my friend.

spreading happiness

2011-10-24T22:28:00.010+08:00

i can really feel the happiness in these awesome photographs by photographer Lim Kok
Wee. Bhutan has now moved to one of the top countries that i really want to visit. Only
two more days before the exhibition closes, check out now!

Bhutan: happiness is a place by Lim Kok Wee

Millennia Walk

17 – 26 October 2011

not one but two :)

2011-10-24T16:02:00.004+08:00

My two new printed books have just arrived! i’ll be sharing some pictures here soon. At the mean time, do check out the book preview:

a little surprise every day

3 p.m. notes

*Max excited* :)))

mad about coffee

2011-10-21T22:46:00.006+08:00

Updated two new items in my etsy shop today – mad about coffee series postcards and calendar 2012. The featured photographs on both items were taken over the course of several months during my coffee breaks.

Have a great weekends, fellow coffee lovers :)

sunny to rainy

2011-10-19T16:53:00.003+08:00

One moment, bright and sunny. Pouring madly the next. Welcome to Singapore.

(View from my window)

birthday weekend

2011-10-18T18:35:00.002+08:00

We celebrated dad’s birthday over the weekend.

My niece was the happiest of us all :)

looking for inspiration (part 2)

2011-10-15T12:02:00.005+08:00

Those travel tips copies were part of some old magazines. The information is outdated by
now but they are oh-so-nostalgic cool looking, i just have to keep them for a little longer.

» A guest post (part 1) for the lovely molly at specsandwings :)

our best days are ahead of us

2011-10-14T17:25:00.006+08:00

A limited edition poster (#123/500) of the President of Singapore by Mark Ong (aka
Mr Sabotage). This poster was designed to commemorate the recent presidential election
campaign. Gifted by my client, isn’t it cool?

The painted sign version

Numbering the poster

5 days

2011-10-10T22:47:00.002+08:00

A different mood each day :)

“remembering steve”

2011-10-06T15:06:00.006+08:00

i may not know him personally, but i feel sad that he is gone. His creation and his passion has always been a part of my life. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”

Last two images were screen grabs from apple.com

busy september

2011-10-04T00:32:00.005+08:00

A few pictures to round up work hard, play hard september.

In order to watch my diet, i have started using myfitnesspal, an iphone app, to record my
calories intake. Although it does seems that i eat all day, but surprisingly my daily usual
intake is only slightly over the recommended 1200 cal. At least now i know that if i don’t
exercise that day, i shouldn’t be eating high calories food like burger or instant noodle.
Let’s see if i can managed to loose some weight by end of year :)

long weekend KL

2011-09-25T15:31:00.008+08:00

Went on an impromptu short trip to KL last week with 2 friends. It was one of the most
relax trips i had in years (which was what we wanted). We have nothing specific in mind
except looking forward to eating good food ha!

i didn’t take a lot of pictures this time cos it rained everyday for a few hours. Most of the
time it was just drizzling, making the weather less hot which was actually good. We were
stuck in the rain on our way back to the hotel on the last day and i took the above pictures.
Otherwise, i would probably ended up with 90%, all food pictures in my camera.

Dinner: Sizzling black pepper sliced beef, very very tender. It was my fav dish for the night.

The rest of the spread: a big pot of rich flavour pork ribs soup, vegetable cooked with three
different kinds of eggs and silky smooth claypot beancurd with chicken.

Day 2. Making our way to brunch.

Dome cafe in Malaysia has their own local menu. Both my friends had their signature nasi
lemak which was good. The eggs benedict i had was way below average. Luckily it was the
only lousy food i had on this trip.

Oops! Caught spying.

Parkson Pavilion Department store has the weirdest pose mannequins ever... Our
favourite was Miss Neck Sprain in the first pic. We went separate ways to shop for an hour
and she was our meet up point lol

Window shopping and ice cream break at The Gardens Mall.

The dinner that we were all looking forward to: Hawker fare at Jalan Alor.

The dishes deserved a closed up pic each but that will make you really hungry, so i will
post just two here – the very tasty char kway teow with pieces of cuttlefish and super juicy
barbeque chicken wings nomomnom

Last day lunch – Malaysia famous Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh at Medan Imbi. A big pot of
steaming hot soup, perfect for rainy day :)

Bak Kut Teh is usually not my favourite choice of food as it was too meaty. But this version
with lots of vegetables and mushroom makes it really good. The vegetables, soaked in rich
herbal soup, was very tender and juicy. i chose steamed yam rice to go with it, it was such a
perfect combination that i finished the whole bowl of rice! It was really scary as i cannot
remember when was the last time i finished a whole bowl of rice... probably 10 years ago?

Time to exercise more. A lot more!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 – 18 Sep 2011

daily meals

2011-09-15T13:16:00.004+08:00

i used to take an average of 4 to 5 meals a day till these few months when i decided to stop

eating supper in order to trim my waistline (ie. if i have any).

1. breakfast – only once in a while since i usually have early lunch at around noon.

2. lunch + coffee – half a bowl of brown porridge with meat and vegetable followed by
coffee with small snacks

3. tea breaks – this looks more like the main meal of my day

4. dinner – 1/3 bowl of brown rice with meat and vegetable, sometimes with fruits

5. supper – apple, if i get really hungry... used to be biscuits, instant noodle, chips...
whatever that is available in the kitchen. Scary, isn’t it?

What about you? How many meals do you take in a day?

circus of life

2011-09-14T23:08:00.009+08:00

“Featuring real narratives based on conversations with elderly people, this puppet and video installation is the result of a four day workshop. The students developed storyboards which formed the basis for Papermoon artists’ creation of set and puppets.”

Circus of Life Exhibition

by Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Students from ITE Tampines

(Indonesia and Singapore)

Esplanade Tunnel

12 August – 25 September 2011

Maybe the primary intent of this project was to bridge the gap between youths and the older generation (read here), but i viewed it with a heavy heart. The weathered faces of the puppets reminded me how hard the elderly in Singapore has to work when they should be enjoying life at this age. It is quite scary to know that, as an average Singaporean, this is probably the same life that i’ll end up with too – In order to survive, we have to keep on working till the day we die, isn’t it ironic?

lunching at home. more

2011-09-09T19:17:00.003+08:00

the glasses

2011-09-09T18:24:00.004+08:00

Printed materials for the recent presidential election campaign – mailers, postcards with perforated bookmark, magnets and info card.

yoga. reception. italian. pigeon. ribbon

2011-09-04T22:59:00.007+08:00

29 Aug – Renewed my yoga membership. It’s been one year eight months since i started
practising yoga. How time flies.

31 Aug – Helping my niece with gift wraps. These pressies are for her playgroup teachers.

1 Sep – A thank you reception with Mr & Mrs President :)

3 Sep – Discovered a new Italian restaurant. Love the parma ham with rock melon ♡♡♡
and also the award winning tiramisu with pistachio nuts.

3 Sep – Finally at The Pigeonhole Cafe that i’ve read several times on different blogs.

It’s a very casual and relax space to be in.

4 Sep – Work Sunday: Designing christmas ribbon for a boutique.

There goes my week!

autumn memories

2011-08-27T23:56:00.005+08:00

Club 21 A/W Windows, 2011

Junk or antiques, you decide :)

autumn/winter in progress

2011-08-25T13:58:00.004+08:00

Window display setup in progress.

By far the most time consuming window display projects i’ve ever done. Check out the

visual printouts in the last picture... i spent so much time on the design, planning, layout,
colour coordination etc... but yet the contractor said ‘it was too much work and

not possible to follow 100%’. What the hell!

i spotted so many ‘mistakes’, but as long as you don’t scrutinise, i think overall the windows
still look good :)

saturday more

2011-08-23T00:27:00.007+08:00

Unlikely berries(?) found by the roadside.

Pretty fresh coat of paint pattern at the entrance of a construction site.

Crawly plants. All on Mount Sophia.

Project 37 by photographer, Chow Chee Yong. An exhibition documenting the last moments of National Stadium. It was quite sad seeing these images, it felt as though a part of our history was gone along with the demolition.

Interesting collages tucked at the back of the gallery @ Old School.

flea market saturday

2011-08-22T10:54:00.008+08:00

A small but interesting (and busy) flea market at Old School organised by Public Garden.

Love these travel series postcards.

MessyMsxi has a great barter trade offer – draw a breakfast for her and get one of hers.

What a great way to exchange ideas :)

For the vintage lovers.

Aww childhood memories from the little drömstore.

The two cute shopkeepers flee out of their chairs when they saw me taking pictures ha!

Two more shots of the wonderful zines from casual poet.

My friend hearts these rings from Cat Socrates.

If only there were some fans around the venue, it was so so hot... especially for those who went up Mount Sophia via the long stairway. But overall, it’s still a well-spent Saturday afternoon :)

paper.pattern.print

2011-08-18T20:02:00.004+08:00

Went for the exhibition opening day for Paper. Pattern. Print last night at LaSalle.

This is such a beautiful campus as compared to the previous one at Mountbatten. If only i was born a few years later, it would have been my campus too. ha!

Some of the prints that i like... especially the green one on the bottom right.

i was tasked to guess the prints designed by my friend, it was a lot more difficult than i thought. But i did manage to guess one which turned out to be...

... my favourite print of the night! (it was placed quite high up, with my limited skill, this is the best i could captured)

My very talented friend :)

Paper. Pattern. Print

Brother Joseph McNally Gallery, LaSalle

18 August – 4 September 2011

the august sky

2011-08-14T13:50:00.005+08:00

i never get tired of trees and sky, do i :)

Looking forward to watching Cooling off Day this evening. It’s been a while since my last
play... i think it was December Rain, but couldn’t remember when was that.

raindrops. bridesmaids. latte

2011-08-07T13:17:00.008+08:00

Saturday was spent having pasta lunch, followed by the hilarious movie–bridesmaids, and
coffee. Raindrops is a cosy tiny cafe with bossa nova music playing softly in the background.
We had the whole place to ourselves for almost an hour before other patrons started coming
in at almost 2pm. Let’s hope future visits will be as enjoyable :)

Skinny latte at Robert Timms. i didn’t managed to fall asleep till almost 6am this morning
and i suspect the culprit is this innocent-looking-but-really-strong latte. Hopefully i can still
get some decent work done today, am already behind schedule.

things that make me happy

2011-08-02T23:26:00.010+08:00

Blue sky

The smell of rain

My postcards travelling to different parts of the world. (Thank you!)

Pretty fruits

Old school coffee shops

Small cafes

Skinny latte

Lovely friends

Desserts (... and i promise to clean up my desktop very soon)

Pretty food & drinks setting

Fooling around with my niece

...and many more.

shanghai photos revisits

2011-08-02T20:55:00.008+08:00

Beautiful walk along the bund.

Chickens wondering outside 1933.

Inside 1933.

‘Coffee stains’ art.

Staring cat at Yuyuan Garden

Shanghai, 2008

i want this room!

2011-08-02T17:57:00.011+08:00

It says on its website: The first graphic design exhibition in Singapore dedicated to the art of print.

So, there is no way i will miss it :)

i want this Eley Kishimoto fabric cover book!

ANNI Kwan. i can’t help but imagining how my name would look like with wooden pegs too.

Frida on the cover. Love this books on books idea with exposing spine.

Best thing about the exhibition? You get to browse and touch all the printed materials. How awesome is that?

i have a room with everything

Night & Day Gallery

23 July – 5 August 2011

gone

2011-07-31T20:11:00.008+08:00

i was so looking forward to July before... now that it’s suddenly the last day of the month,

i feel a little lost and helpless. i should have got out of the house today instead of sitting in

front of the laptop, trying to think of answers that i might never find out.

Well, who knows, maybe the month that i should be looking forward to might turn out to

be August instead.

lunching at home

2011-07-31T15:00:00.005+08:00

Mostly mum’s cooking.

Bliss :)

right to left

2011-07-31T14:54:00.003+08:00

i just realised that my hair parting has gone from right to left without me knowing.

How weird is that?

oh! coffee

2011-07-25T23:49:00.009+08:00

A coffee (or two... sometimes three) a day, keeps the sleepiness away :)

It’s been such a busy period recently... and super stressful too. i spotted a few strand of
white hair just now. How???

beijing photos revisit

2011-07-13T18:12:00.010+08:00

Lama Temple. Beautiful architecture surrounded by air of peacefulness

Stalls outside the temple

Wall surrounding Forbidden City (view from outside)

Tiananmen Square. i couldn’t help but be reminded of the June 4th massacre :(

Forbidden City – the world’s largest surviving palace complex.

Nice and quiet to visit during winter

Eatery by the roadside

The Great Wall of China. Magnificent and beautiful!

Nanluoguxiang. Famous for its hutong and courtyards, it is a quaint little street that is

packed with bars/cafes/restaurants and souvenir shops (more pictures below).

Neighbours chatting outside their homes

Dashanzi (798) art district. Beijing contemporary art scene

Beijing, 2008

walk. around the neighbourhood

2011-07-07T22:44:00.006+08:00

Pretty pavement design

A row of freshly trimmed bushes which i’ve never noticed before

And this area is so resort-like... except there’s no beaches around here

Decided to take a short walk to de-stress myself from work earlier this evening and

discovered a lot of interesting new places. It’s a pity that i was a little too conscious with

people looking and only managed to take a few pictures. Will go for another walk soon

and hopefully with better luck next time :)

stuffs

2011-07-05T13:38:00.005+08:00

A tshirt that i bought online recently. Love the print.

Rediscovered these deflatable vases that has been hiding in the drawer for 4 years.

Cute fan from Pink Dot 2011.

Crazy amount of stuffs that i’ve been trying on my face for the past 2 months. Well except for drTung’s Smart Floss which i’ve been using for quite a while... and i can say that it is the BEST dental floss that i’ve ever used. It flosses effortlessly and leaves teeth super clean.

fish farm day

2011-06-30T18:21:00.005+08:00

a lonely stingray

funny face and more

these aren’t shadow

crowded

innocent looking

swimming bananas

poor birdie in the cage

a little break

dinner and friends

2011-06-25T15:45:00.005+08:00

Mid-week dinner at Le Bistrot – relax ambience, fine service and delicious food.

In picture: braised Wagyu beef cheek served with duck fat potatoes and mesclun salad

pink dot sky

2011-06-19T22:40:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, at Pink Dot 2011, an event to support the freedom to love.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

first, and last

2011-06-19T18:02:00.021+08:00

My first visit... and probably the last, to the nostalgic looking Bukit Timah Railway Station.

Disappearing types on the old signage.

Another first: walking and checking out details on the railway tracks.

Can you spot the station master? He was chatting with a friend on the platform.

The red bricks station building looked quite well maintained when viewed from the front and right side... however, on it’s left side, the wall looked weathered and abandoned with peeling paint .

The station office.

Entrance of the station.

The manually operated signalling room.

A small corner on the right side of the station. There was a row of death threatening looking hooks outside the window and i can’t figure out its usage. They looked like torturing weapons to me.

Heart-shaped leaf plants along the side of the tracks.

Me, pretending to wait for the train.

Finally, an approaching train that was late for almost 55 mins (yawn!). The station master was getting ready to exchange the key token.

Took a few random shots as the train passes by and caught myself in one of them. The token exchange happened in a split second and the whole train passes by in just under 5 seconds.

Shortly after, there was another approaching train... most likely for cargo as there was only one or two cabins.

Glad i made it to this station and witnessed a piece of history before it closes on 1 July 2011.

A well-spent Saturday morning :)

if. there is a tomorrow

2011-06-14T15:42:00.013+08:00

Life is so unpredictable, no one knows if there is a tomorrow waiting...

An irresponsible driver almost got me killed today... Although i have the habit of making sure that the road is safe before crossing (even if it’s the right of way for pedestrian at green light), but no matter how careful one is, accident still happens. Earlier today, i was half way crossing at a near empty road when a car appeared suddenly at high speed. Maybe the driver failed to notice the red light, or in the first place, his intention was never to stop since the road was so empty... Luckily, it did manage to brake just a few inches away from me at the last second. i have survived unscathed, but my legs still feel a bit numb as i type this... they were so closed to becoming mince meat.

i wonder if i’m lucky or unlucky, but this is my third time brushing passed death. The last one was an accident in traffic-chaotic Hangzhou when the cab behind crashed into the cab that i was in. Everything happened in a split second – loud screaming, then my head hit real hard onto the back seat. There was no immediate pain except that my head felt heavy and numb from the strong impact. Everyone in the cab would have been killed if we were travelling on high speed. It’s been more than a year since, although i’m not sure if it is the after effect of the accident, i am having headache very often as compared to before.

The first, which was the most rememberable, happened more than 10 years ago in Tioman island. i used to be a confident swimmer and being young and ignorant then, i thought it was alright not to wear a life jacket. But anything can happen when you’re out at sea. The wave was extremely strong that day, the yacht couldn’t go any nearer to the island and the other alternative was to swim there. Shortly after we jumped into the water, i realised the breathing apparatus that i was wearing turned out to be faulty and i had no choice but to remove it. The wave kept hitting on my face, making it difficult to breath normal above water. i was falling behind the rest and worse, making no progress towards the island at all. i kept threading water to stay floating but i could feel my limbs getting weaker and weaker, and till a point i told myself: this is it. i remember the scene very clearly till today – suddenly everything stood still, no more struggling, not a single sound, it was peaceful. i looked around me, panning from left to right slowly, then closed my eyes and i thought: “So, this is where i am going to die”.

A typical drowning scene in the movie does happen in real life... But of course, i didn’t die, i was saved. After that incident, i was so scared of water i stopped swimming for years.

So, you tell me, am i lucky or unlucky?

changing wall

2011-06-11T16:54:00.004+08:00

i’ve updated my wall again... now spotting a huge Paul Barnes poster that i got it from the interesting talk (on typography) yesterday.

things

2011-06-09T14:18:00.003+08:00

On the wall: inspiration and reference for a current project

Top of the book shelves: getting higher and higher

Ready to mail: wooden pencils and ruler, before and after postcard

Seeing double: camomile tea and vegetable chips afternoon break

paperdoll wardrobe

2011-06-02T11:11:00.003+08:00

The initial plan was to make paper dolls for my niece. And since she likes to mimic me a lot, i thought it would be nice to let her play with clothes from my wardrobe. However, when i started drawing, i realised i can’t be bother to trim out the edges. So instead of one doll plus few sets of clothing, now there are multiple me. Will try to colour them when i have time, but not sure how she’s going to play with these. We’ll see...

the last week of may

2011-05-28T17:09:00.014+08:00

1. Lumix & Camomile tea 2. Tatty Devine mini records earrings

3. Decorations on old iPhone by my niece 4. Trip to the Past mug

1. Orange Days dvd 2. Birthday

3. Niece trying to be photographer 4. Out for breakfast

The days are flipping by real fast nowadays and before i realised, it’s almost June. These
past five months have been quite uneventful... well, maybe not exactly... there is actually

something that i would want to remember but shall leave that to myself for the time being.

Waiting for end August to come. By then, i should have completed an on-going project and
might be able to go for a long vacation after that :)

hello beautiful monday

2011-05-23T09:56:00.007+08:00

Heart working from home

Breakfast at Home vs Agency Work Desk

Coffee from Marimekko Mug vs Styrofoam Cup

Breeze from the Window vs Air-conditioning

Out of Bed Hair vs Glamourous Hair

...ok that’s a bit far stretch since i’ve never had glamorous hairstyle before

(and of course) Blogging vs WIP Meeting

...

the list goes on

...

Working from home vs agency 1:0

saturday

2011-05-21T20:43:00.006+08:00

5.30am. Woke up with a really weird dream. Jog. Breakfast. Blog. Lunch. Work.

Online palm reading (imagine how bored i was). Tea break. Watched Orange Days dvd.

Dinner. Watched telly. Blog again (now).

Am going back to watching Orange Days right after this. What an uneventful Saturday.

earlybird and 1977

2011-05-21T10:56:00.009+08:00

These are two of my favourite filters from Instagram – earlybird and 1977. They can make even the ugliest photo turned out looking good.

More :)

a million times i miss you

2011-05-17T14:32:00.004+08:00

Alright, not yet a million... just five... but it feels like a million times on my birthday.

queen of absentminded

2011-05-16T16:12:00.010+08:00

(Last week) on the bus, i jolted out of my seat thinking that i have missed my stop only to

realise that i have alighted one stop earlier instead; (Several occasions) Out from the lift

and started walking towards the opposite direction when i was intending to go the other way;

(This morning) woke up early to go for yoga class and realised i didn’t bring my yoga pants

when i reached...so i ended up having a cup of tea and came back home.

i wonder what’s next?

My mind is too pre-occupied (or busy daydreaming?) these days i don’t know what other

silly things i might be capable of doing. Also i haven’t been sleeping well at night because

my mind just refused to stop thinking... it’s so frustrating. Arrrgghhh!

dessert makes one happy

2011-05-15T17:15:00.005+08:00

Some Anderson’s chocolate chips mint ice cream on a hot day.

Durian puree and hot tea from Ellenborough Market Café.

Strange as it sounds, it was actually quite good.

Mango pudding, Sumiyaki coffee jelly and green tea with red bean ice cream from Watami.

A pre-birthday cake from Bakerzin.

Date pudding and apple crumble from Artichoke Cafe & Bar.

Have you had your desserts today?

dreams

2011-05-12T21:45:00.003+08:00

Don’t be afraid, be daring to dream

no more walks

2011-05-11T11:51:00.007+08:00

There is this short stretch of walk from my place that leads to the nearby shops and mrt

station. i’ve mentioned it a few times here before and taken numerous pictures of it for

the past few years.

During my walks, i love looking up at the sky through the leaves; taking deep breaths;

walking on the uneven ground that is filled with huge tree roots; feeling as if i’m living

amongst the nature.

The huge trees provide shades from the scorching sun, but yet allowing bits of sunlight to

past through, kissing lightly on the skin. During certain months of the year, the ground will

be filled with dried golden leaves. Sometimes a breeze causes the leaves on the ground to stir

lightly, looking as though they were dancing in the wind.

But all these has become a memory of the past.

Now my walk has been reduced to this:

Sad max :(

They’ve chopped down all the trees (murderer!). Very soon the whole area will be filled

up with high rise buildings (yet again).

we love trees

2011-05-10T13:05:00.002+08:00

Tree sculptures design for Club 21b

♥ he met her and she met him ♥

2011-05-09T21:04:00.009+08:00

... that’s the line on the cover of the wedding invitation card. How sweet is that?

Here are some photos from the lovely wedding yesterday :)

Beautiful centre piece on every table.

Solemnisation.

Here comes the lovely couple :)

There was never a dull moment during the wedding banquet. i especially like the song that

Stef wrote and sang for Nadim (that lucky guy!), it was very touching. Well of cos, Nadim’s

Stand By Me was as touching... and entertaining too lol! It was really brave of him to sing

LIVE in front of everyone (for those who were present, you know what i mean lol).

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs van der Ros :)

sleepless nights

2011-04-29T01:47:00.005+08:00

The bad sleep days are back again. Falling asleep at wee hours but only to wake up 2 or

3 hours later... or worst woke up because of nightmares... then after much tossed and turned,

finally back to sleep again near morning :-(

hong kong photos (old & new) revisit

2011-04-29T00:46:00.009+08:00

2004. My first visit to Hong Kong... was still looking young and innocent (ha ha). 4 days

3 nights and only 4 photos that are more presentable. Just imagine how bad the rest were.

2008. Back again 4 years later with my sis and niece, this time with many photographs taken

as compared to the first. This was taken the night when we reached our pretty hotel room.

A busy alley in Central.

One of the shopfronts along the mid-levels travelator.

Arts by the roadside.

A local artist painting Obama by the harbour.

Victoria Harbour.

Meeting up with my friend and her lovely children. Miss them lots xx

Mini people checking out each other.

Tin Hau Temple.

Rows and rows of green oranges skin.

Ah-choo~

Magnificent view from The Peak.

Yummy food! And these were only a portion of what i ate.

Miss my friends, can’t wait to go back again!

Hong Kong, 2008

bangkok photos revisit

2011-04-24T11:46:00.008+08:00

Afternoon/evening fruits and papers arranged side by side at Metropolitan Bangkok –

a charming boutique hotel with excellent service.

Welcome tea.

A spacious minimal design bathroom, everything was neatly arranged.

Pebbles outside one of the cafes/restaurants, near the swimming pool.

Chinatown. Having visited Bangkok a few times and been to most of the attractions by then,

i decided to spend half of day doing something different instead of shopping.

Happy people in Chinatown.

Marinated food in massive pot at a food stall.

Started taking food pictures way back in 2003 when most people thought i was crazy.

tokyo photos revisit

2011-04-23T22:52:00.009+08:00

i was looking through my backup travel photos the other day and realised i took such bad

photos before. i am not saying that my photos are great now, but compared to those awful

photos back in 2003 (that was the year i got my first digital camera), i think i did improve

over the years.

These photos, though badly taken, brought back wonderful memories. Revisiting using the

awesome Instagram app, i’m hoping it can save these photos and give them a new life.

Tokyo, 2003

Shinjuku Station. Hello, Mr Station Staff!

A building in Shinjuku.

Coffee, and my favourite pumpkin sandwich from Pret.

The year when Kill Bill was screening.

Mount Fuji, either 5th or 6th Station. A very kind post office staff gave me two postcards

on the magnificent view of Mount Fuji.

A wedding in Meiji Shrine. The wedding couple who later posed a picture with me :-)

Meiji Shrine. Wooden plate wishes.

Totally no recollection of this photo, possibly taken in Harajuku.

Late night supper in hotel room. Half price sushi and sashimi takeaway from supermarket.

everything is so pretty

2011-04-18T18:17:00.009+08:00

Skinny latte.

Walnut brownie and gelato.

Nice and quiet on a Sunday night.

Ginger spice tea.

i visited Arteastiq Cafe again last night. Although their latte was not the best in town, but

their delicious desserts definitely made up for it. Oh did i mention the food styling and

presentation? Everything is so pretty!

The last photo was taken two months ago when i first visited. The ginger spice tea (their

signature tea) remains one of the best i’ve ever had.

say it in llama

2011-04-18T17:41:00.003+08:00

‘one little journey’ made up of cute little llamas. Check out that ‘Y’ llama, it’s too adorable!

Get yours here.

fitting room fashion

2011-04-18T15:30:00.010+08:00

After the ahem gathering yesterday, i had a bit of time till my next dinner appointment. So i

decided that shopping–with cool air-conditioning and VIP service–was the perfect way to

lift my otherwise dampened spirit.

1.5 hours. 4 boutiques. 3 reservations. 0 buys. But 100% happy.

See? Told you i am an easily contented person :-)

hot hot hot

2011-04-18T01:44:00.003+08:00

It was insanely hot this afternoon. But i think i was even more insane–was sleep deprived

but dragged myself out of my afternoon nap, stepped under the scorching sun and went for

a gathering where 3 out 5 didn’t turn up.

fries, latte, drinks and silly faces

2011-04-17T01:01:00.012+08:00

Friday night, 40 Hands Cafe. Went back with two friends to check out their dinner menu.

We were a little disappointed as there wasn’t many choices as compared to brunch. But, i

love the truffle oil fries and latte. Earlier today, i kept thinking of going back for more.

Silly N.G. shots taken at my friend’s birthday drinks at Neuva Cuba.

Happy Birthday N!

have a great weekend

2011-04-15T16:36:00.003+08:00

Plans for this weekend is all lined up. Saturday – working (because i’ve spent three

weekdays idling, so serve me right). Sunday – Spring/Summer Hansel Party (ie. if i am not

too lazy), then to the Botanic Gardens for a get together in the evening.

Have a great weekend :-)

it’s time

2011-04-14T22:31:00.010+08:00

The album that i’ve been listening to over and over again recently :-)

It’s been a really long wait, to quote what a friend said earlier: “i haven’t felt the excitement of buying a music album for the longest time!”. Love almost all the songs. Current favourites are ‘Time and Tide’, ‘Fool’s Kingdom’ and ‘It’s Time’. i said ‘almost’ because i can’t seem to have the patience to finish listening to ‘A Voice Within’, caught myself clicking the song away a few times when it was still half way through playing.

Next, the packaging! It’s no secret about my passion for types. So the moment when i opened up the pack, saw the big types within, i love it already. Also, i love the small details and design like black vanish (type) on black cover, irregular die-cut shape (to hold the disk), and different papers used within the booklet. But being a freak with serious occupational habit, i squirmed* a little (ok... a lot) when i saw the content page of the booklet.

Obviously, the designer doesn’t care about using proper typographic apostrophe and inconsistent kerning even though these are big types. Also, the numberings are too close to the spine... but no designer could have overlooked this, maybe it was done purposely? Anyway, it looked like a mistake even if it is. And i don’t understand the underscore used for ‘It’s time_yanzi’, was it meant to be a design element?

Garamond lookalike typeface: “Hello? We come in stylistic ligatures too. It’s embarrassing to be seen like this when we’re set this big.”

Hyphen: “Argh! Why am i always made to go in between these non-hyphenated words. Let En-dash do his own job instead, will you?”

Full Stop: “They’re using me in all the wrong places too!”

Word Spacing: “They stretched and squeezed me whenever they like, it’s hideous!”

Paragraph: “We prefer to be set in hanging punctuation please... if you don’t mind.”

(Maybe this is more of a personal preference, but don’t you think it looked so much neater?)

Since we’re at it, let’s take a look at the previous album... i remembered there was something about the typeface that made me uncomfortable when i first saw it too.

Check out the typeface used – Gill Sans. It is never my favourite, but don’t get me wrong, this is not the reason why i am picking on it. This album was shot in Egypt, with the famous pyramids as backdrop. The simple triangular lines of the pyramid gives it a minimal and graphical look, as if conveying a clear and definite message. Gill Sans, on the other hand, a typeface that i think works better for children’s storybooks. (Even though it’s the corporate typeface for many big brands – British Railways, BBC, Saab, MasterCard... and (tadah!) Toy Story etc...)

My version. Not the best, i’m just replacing it with Helvetica**, and i think it’s already way better than the cutesy Gill Sans.

* It happened to me all the time and there is by no means i’m picking on this particular album.

** Note to self: need to spend more time on real work, Helvetica will do.

bouquet of love

2011-04-12T23:11:00.008+08:00

After neglecting my etsy shop for the past two months (blame it on the sudden heavy workload), i’ve finally updated it with some new listings this week!

1. If you love wooden stationery like me, do check this out :-)

2. There are two new listings for handmade notebooks (this time in B6 size!)

– twin stars & types

– around the world travel series

3. Last but not least, a series of “lovely” pocket size notebooks :-)