Tuesday 23 October 2012

And so we went to Carpenter & Cook

Entrance to a cosy hangout space
Colourful, patterned tiles against cement screed flooring + sewing machine base
Enamel cups and glass saucers that my grandparents would still have. 
Was that plate melamine? I forgot. 
Weighing scales from past eras where things didn't break down so easily 
Passionfruit meringue...and the green table (you're still on my mind)



Over the weekend, we needed a break from home (yes, that happens when you work from home) and so decided to check out the cafe Carpenter & Cook. It's pretty far from our place, but it was well worth the trip. Step past the lovely frontage, and inside, it's such a cute little cafe! Love the interior filled with vintage pieces, old weighing scales, mismatched furniture and fabric bunting hanging from the ceiling. 

It's got a great vibe, and the cafe was filled with youngish, trendy people. Since we had a heavy lunch, we had a cappuccino each (hello, enamel cups) and shared dessert. It was certainly good to see that business was brisk there on a weekend. Although that also meant that we couldn't stay longer than we had wanted to. I left quite reluctantly. 

I like too that although it was located near the busy roads at Upper Bukit Timah, it's tucked away on a quiet stretch of old shops. Accessible, yet not that accessible. I bet if we were to live much nearer to the cafe, it would be a nice place to just relax on a weekday afternoon (that too happens when you work from home), and listen to music from Ingrid Michaelson and, heck, even Bobby McFerrin or the Beatles. That'd make it all complete. 

For the past few years, I've been getting my vintage styling fix from the Australian magazine Inside Out, so it's been heartening to see it catching on here. And, of course, the greenie in me approves totally; why throw out stuff that are so good and getting harder to find? 

Needless to say, going to such spaces like Carpenter & Cook got me itching to do something to my apartment again. Had a very strong urge to cart home the green table. I couldn't get enough of the distressed look and texture, and the antique sewing machine base. 

I'm still thinking about the table...




Monday 22 October 2012

Looking beyond "Good for you"



Just the other day, I was feeling peckish in between writing paragraphs, and I found this small packet of  dried cranberries that's been sitting on the kitchen counter for a while. I think it was given by a friend. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so something like this tends to get overlooked pretty long. 

So, why did this make it here? A weight of 28.4g, and total carbohydrates of 23g of which 18g are sugars, and dietary fibre of 2g. Okay, we're not getting a breakdown of how much of that are natural sugars or not – sugar is by the way second on the ingredients list – so it's really hard to tell. 

This all looks pretty questionable to me; can anyone explain it to me?

But this is why when I buy something new, I tend to spend quite a bit of time comparing the nutritional info. If you'd like to do the same, I suggest looking at the far right column, which usually indicates the nutritional breakdown per 100g. It's less confusing that way than to look at the amount per serving, which by the way is highly unrepresentative of most people's serving sizes. If you have a thing for potato chips, have a look at the serving size on the bags – who eats 8 to 10 chips and stop there? I hardly do. 

The more I looked at the ingredients and nutritional info on the packaging, I found that, over time, the I naturally moved away from processed and packaged foods. These days, I head straight down to the fresh foods section. As consumers, we really should always, always look beyond any simple claims like "Good for you", "Natural" and, get this, "No chelosterol"– and go straight down to the tiny, and sometimes, confusing numbers on the back of the packaging. 

Tuesday 16 October 2012

100% Design Singapore 2012


Last week, I attended the first 100% Design Singapore at Marina Bay Sands SECC. If you're not too familiar with it, 100% Design first started in London, and has since been one of the largest and well-known design trade shows in the world. You'll also find 100% Design in Japan and Shanghai, and it's now made its way to our Singapore shores. In the past five years, Singapore is not short of design events. There's a new one added into the mix every year.

This show touted itself as the first and only curated design exhibition in Singapore. So if you're talking about curated design exhibitions, then I do think that 100% Design Singapore is a pretty curated one, when compared to the other exhibitions so far. But what I like is that although there's a smattering of designs from around the world, the Singapore brand takes the spotlight here. Designs by some of our homegrown designers are literally placed in the middle of the exhibition venue, so you can't miss them. And that's a nice thing to see.


In addition to that, there are also showcases of international designs, such as this selection of furniture designs available at furniture retailer Space. I like that the furniture are elevated on wooden pallets. I particularly like the B&B Italia Terminal 1 chaise longue. 

The 100% Materials by Chris Lefteri Design, along with the designs by university students that played with magnets and movements, were fascinating. I find it fascinating to have a look at the technology and research that drive design, and see how they could be applied. Didn't manage to capture shots of the students' works.

The show was a tad too small, though and, for the casual visitor, it really wouldn't take long to make the rounds. But it would be interesting to see how the show grows over the years. Design is still such so young here.  It's far from coming into its own. Even though the emphasis on design has spiked recently, I think it's a process that cannot be rushed. Gotta leave it to time to do its work.

Friday 12 October 2012

Life lately #02



 




Okay, technically these were taken over two weeks. I've been busy with projects, interviews, deadline, meet-ups and deadlines..oh wait, I said that already. 

Taken from my instagram and on iPhone

Top row: 
~ As I stood around watching the little train go by, I heard it being called mini train and choo choo train by different adults. I guess these trains are always a welcome sight for both young and old. 
~ I love the typography of the logo of these golf clubs we have at home. I think the little nicks and scratches come through beautifully in black and white.

Second row: 
~ Found my go-to place for thunder tea rice! Such a satisfying meal.
~ Cute idea for dried herbs and spices at Dean and Deluca. Pricey though. 

Third row:
~ I can't get enough of simple, relaxed styling and nice fonts.
~ Back to the old days of simple kitchens showcased at 100% Design Singapore.

Last row: 
~ Local designs taking centrestage at the first 100% Design Singapore exhibition.



Saturday 6 October 2012

Almost a year into Bikram Yoga...


And I'm still far from doing this! This, however, shall be my ultimate goal.

I have to admit that my practice hasn't been consistent. There's a story behind it, but I'll come to it later.

They say you'll always remember your first Bikram class, and, I sure did. It was hot, sweaty, tough, but exhilarating. And I actually found some of the poses easy. Hearing the Bikram dialogue for the first time was pretty entertaining. But what got me was after the class. 

I was totally wiped out and I had the mother of all migraines that lasted through the afternoon and night before I caved in and took some painkillers. A quick google later, I found out that I was most likely dehydrated. Like most people, I was chronically dehydrated, and it was a reminder that I needed and would not forget. So, now, I make sure that I load up on water the day before class, and drink more water throughout the day. 

It's been 8 months into Bikram now, and I've come to be quite familiar with it. I know at which point of the dialogue that it's time to come out of the pose (although sometimes the instructors slip in an additional few seconds). And I have my favourite spot in the torture chamber. 

So now here's the story behind the inconsistent practice. I started with going once a week in the first few months, and then decided to increase it to twice a week. I think it's not much, because some people do it every day. But then, once, while in the shower after class, I felt a strong sensation in my spine as if something shifted in there. I was quite alarmed by it. Added to that, I came across this book in the library, The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J. Broad, who himself has been practicing yoga since 1970.

The book covered the history of yoga back in India (interesting, but pretty dry). And then it went into how yoga can heal, yet it can also cause injuries if care is not taken, particularly with areas like the neck and back. That to me was particularly important, as most of the time, the information we receive about yoga tends to gloss over the injuries and risks. It was also shocking to hear that some teacher training courses can be as short as two weeks! There are even online courses for it (what?!). That being said, Bikram has one of the longest and rigorous teacher training courses, running at nine weeks full-time. 

The author finished with how there needs to be stronger checks and some kind of accreditations for yoga practitioners to teach. It was a fascinating read. Whether you agree or don't with what's in the book, I think it's a thoughtful one for those who are learning and teaching yoga.

But reading the book made me more apprehensive about yoga. I guess I shouldn't be, but I did. At the studio I go to, it is really easy to push yourself too hard during class. Some of the instructors (obviously Type A personalities) tend to adopt a military style of communicating the dialogue so as to get the students to work hard. It can be good, but with everyone else at different levels in one class, you subconsciously feel that you have to keep up with the rest of the class. For the very beginners, that sets up the possibility of going way beyond what you should.

Given that strange, pain sensation I had, I took more than a month before I dared to go back to the studio. And I also realised something this year. I have a tendency to do something in spurts, and maybe overdo things (shin splints. familiar?) beyond what my body can take. Not many people's bodies can take going all out right from the start. Obviously, mine can't. I'm bummed about it, but I'll keep going. 

So these days, I try to take it more gently in class (if I remember) and focus more on form. Funnily, I find the male instructors are less of the 'go go go!' type. I enjoy those classes more, those by teachers who weave in their personal stories and bits of information on how to get the form right, while always putting in reminders on how to avoid injury. Because ultimately avoiding injury is the most crucial thing for a long-term and uninterrupted practice, yet it's what is often being left unsaid. 

So, yes, now I look forward to doing it till I get my Standing Head to Knee pose right....even if it'll have to take me five years.

This drawing below is really funny, by the way. So true! 

Image from The Iron You



Wednesday 3 October 2012

In other news...



These pictures were taken quite some time ago, possibly last year, at the Singapore Flyer. I've forgotten what this globe, with its mishmash of recycled objects, represents. It's messy and fascinating. I'd say it's very much like what's in my head currently, a muddled goo of thoughts on deadlines looming ahead, my little project and some other stuff coming up. Messy and fascinating (at least to me).

What I've learned so far from my experience with my project is that it seems that the community of people who are interested in organic food and eco living is still pretty small in Singapore. I know so far that most of my readers are from the US, UK and other parts of Europe. I guess I haven't reached out to the local ones yet. Still, I do believe that this number is set to grow. 

We can only wait and see. 

In other news, last weekend was really lovely. A very social one by my usual standards though! Come to think of it, it all started last week with a round of seafood with friends, a great lead-up to the packed weekend recently with friends on Friday and Saturday. Then, on Sunday, I went to a housewarming for an ex-colleague and a rowdy mid-Autumn mooncakes-and-lanterns family thing. Wouldn't say that I enjoyed myself much on Sunday, but Friday and Saturday meet-ups were good times. And such a needed break from the desk. Hmm, I think I should call it a lovely month instead! 

It's true what they say; friendship, like wine, does get better with age. 


Monday 1 October 2012

Life lately #01







From my instagram

Top row: 
Catching the light and shadow near my home at 6ish in the evening on the way down to dinner. We got tired of cooking.
Golf on a Thursday afternoon. I think it's a luxury.

Second row:
Self-entertainment while waiting for friends at Badoque. Love the texture on the table.
Again, self-entertainment on the train while on the way to yoga class.

Third row: 
Indoor lanterns at Changi City Point.
Massive chunk of salmon and some unpronounceable French-style food. Oh, there's Hollandaise sauce.

Last row: 
New shoes. Keeping fingers crossed on the shin splint situation.
View of Peninsula Plaza from its 6th floor carpark – I never knew.