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See the new link on the right panel? Yes, I'm finally on the wagon! Still trying to figure my way around. Hopefully, no boo boos from me (gosh, I sound like an old lady)! I'm looking foward to having more fun with you. So, you're welcome to follow me and let me follow you! :)

Weekend through the eyes of my iphone

Welcome back everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was laidback but fun. I'm recapping with the help of my iphone.

If you were to ask me what’s my favourite day of the week, I’ll say “Friday”. Because that’s when I have the entire weekend ahead of me! Friday nights are best for chilling out after a long busy week. I love sitting on the bar stool and enjoying the conversation so much that everything else fades out. Perhaps that feeling is what they mean when they say to exist in the moment.

We visited a Chin Mee Chin for brunch on Saturday. This place is like an institution, having been around for ages. It still looks the way it looked-- tiled flooring and walls, marble table tops and wooden chairs. It’s boldly simple and I love it.

It still serves the food it served— local-style mini cup cakes, kaya (coconut-jam) toasts, half-boiled eggs…

When I was a kid, I had tea every morning. Because it was always so hot, Grandma taught me to pour in into the saucer and drink it from there. The tea in Chin Mee Chin came in the same type of cup and saucer. It tasted of nostalgia.

We never tire of bookshops. This weekend, we focused on the travel section. We were supposed to be planning for our honeymoon, remember?

I have a terribly sweet tooth. He comes pretty close. And sweet treats always delights us. We had this conversation--
Me: Chocolates or ice-cream?
He: Chocolates
Me: (after a moment) ice-cream
He hence concluded that he needn’t share his chocolate stash with me in future.

The idea of a flea market really excites me. Those over here are nothing compared to those abroad but I’ll gladly make do.

Since I was already in the area, I HAD to make a trip to Soon Lee. Saw a gorgeous dress and the image of it has been resurfacing in my mind ever since.

Pretty in Pink

Like many young girls, I was crazy about the colour pink when I was little. I wanted pink this and pink that. For me, I don’t think it was prescribed socially. The colour just had a natural allure for me. As I grew older though, I detested being associated with the colour. I thought it was so uncool. What’s cool? Black was (and still is). But in the recent years, I've started appreciating pink again. It’s warm, pretty, girly and cozy. What’s not to like? It’s as if I’ve come one full circle. But it’s a different liking now. One that’s more mature with the awareness that pink encompasses a colour and its entire spectrum of shades. I’m sensitive to the associated qualities and the feelings the colour and its shades evoke.

Have a sweeeeeeet weekend!

[click on image to enlarge. Images clockwise from top left: simple stardust Flickr, Yvette Inufio Flickr, tatielle, We heart it, Phoebe Howard, Audrey Hepburn Complex, We heart it, skrockodile Flickr, bohemea, Novel Eats]

Simple & Beautiful - Ruiz+Company

If you’ve followed my little blog for a while, you’ll know that I have a thing for packaging designs. I enjoy visiting upmarket superpermakets. Of course I love food, but my real interest lies in browsing the packaging of the items at these supermarkets which stock imported goods. It’s akin to window-shopping for clothes! When I enter and see the shelves full of well-dressed items, it's happiness! For me, packaging is at its best when it's simple. I’ll look at the item and wonder: the design makes so much sense. Why didn’t anyone else think of it before? It takes my breath away.

It’s this exact feeling I experienced when I saw these products from Womo, designed by Spain’s Ruiz+Company. Simple design, simple copy. Head over heels….

[images: Ruiz+Company]

Sweet treats - S.britt illustrations

Yoo hoo! Any lovers of vintage illustration out there? Quick, drop that cookie you’re having and come have a look at this! Here’s a morsel of what I’ve been lapping up all morning:

That was worth forgoing your cookie, wasn’t it? These are as good as sweet treats! Love the colours and how contemporary subject matters are dealt with through retro illustrations. The creative soul behind these eye-candies is Portland-based illustrator, S.britt. Check out his cute website which is designed to resemble an old board game and have fun clicking around! I’m going back to it!

[images: S.britt.com]

Japanese School Sports Day

Ever experienced school sports day in a little Japanese village? Come, I’ll show you.

Set against a backdrop of the majestic mountains, basked in the morning sun.

Because it was a small,

the 3 schools in the village had a combined sports day—the junior high school, the elementary school,

and the kindergarten.

This meant that everyone was going to have fun. The older kids helped ensure so.

The elementary school’s special item

The junior high school’s special item

The best part? At the end of everything, everyone (including the parents who cheered energetically from the sides throughout) participated in a village dance. The entire village was there. Photo? Oh, there’s none because I joined in and was reveling in the moment.

One Thursday in August, four years ago.

Summer slipping through my fingers

We’re already into late August. Wishing you could grab hold of summer and prevent it from slipping through your fingers?

[from top, left to right: 1,2,3 Thayer Allyson Gowdy, 4 .laurie. Flickr]

[all from Thayer Allyson Gowdy, except bottom image from peace&love Flickr]

[all from Olaf Szczepaniak]

Autumn’s gorgeous too, isn’t it?

The World as I see it

I’ve always been interested in photography. It captures the world the way I see it and prompts me to explore looking at things from different perspectives. Over the years though, being precoccupied with "daily practical stuff" meant less and less time for this hobby of mine. Occasionally, when I see a beautiful photograph, that interest gets refueled. Sadly, most of the time, it gets snuffed out after a while. There were always “more important things” to see to. Maybe these camera-related images (which I all ADORE and COVET, by the way) will renew that interest of mine once again.

I’m signing off for the weekend. Hopefully during this weekend, my fiancé and I will decide on where to go for our honeymoon (see previous post). So, if you have any wonderful suggestions, please toss them over here. I hope you'll have a great weekend too and I’ll see you next week!

[images from top, left to right: Appareils photo anciens, h. wren Flickr, catbishop Flickr, wickedhalo, /\ustin Flickr, We heart it, Twine via Black*Eiffel, Shanalogic, We heart it, bananagranola Flickr, Desire to Inspire]

Dream vacation

We’re already approaching the end of August. Can you believe it?! My fiancé and I are now forced to confront the fact that we have better start planning for our honeymoon (which will be in early Jan 2010), or at least know where we want to go! Otherwise, we’ll be spending our honeymoon on homeshore or that teeny weeny island south of us called Sentosa.

He likes the idea of Barcelona. I have no problems with it, especially since I haven’t had the chance to visit Spain. At the same time, a few images surfaced in my mind as I thought about honeymoon locations this morning.

Firstly, I am absolutely charmed by these photos of countryside France. I can’t believe places like these exist! Don’t you find them only in movie sets?

Then I thought about the movies I’ve watched. Did you catch Under the Tuscan Sun? I loved it but even if you beg to differ, you’ll have to concur that the scenery was stunning! That’s Positano (1st) and that’s (3rd) "Bramasole”, the house that was restored in the movie.

I know this was a real chick flick and there wasn’t much in the movie to salvage it. Except for the house. From Nights in Rodanthe:

Ok, have I got you back here in reality? Do you have any suggestions for honeymoon locations? Or tell me about where you went. I’m in great need of ideas and would love to hear from you!

[images from top:1-3 Stephmodo, 4 The Flick Chicks, 5 kathandarn webshots, 6 Thyme Goes By, 7 Grace Thru Faith]

Utopia Found - APAK

I love surfing around because it’s indeed “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. The thrill I get when I come across something that catches my eye is absolutely delightful! Writing Cookie Cutter allows me to do just that and to share these wonderful finds with you. Everyday I get to go on a little adventure, wandering out into the enchanted cyber forest! And hearing that you also love what I share is the icing on the cake for me :).

Today I'm going to share about APAK. APAK is a husband and wife team (Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland) from the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Their work largely features cute little beings, animals and nature. To say that I’m smitten by how cute they are is an understatement! What makes them even more special to me is their fantastical quality and portrayal of utopia. Enjoy and be transported to another world:

Sculptures:

Kokeshi (traditional Japanese wooden) dolls :

[images: APAK on etsy]