Hands up the Real McCoy - Meiji Chocolate Bars

We all know that the Japanese are fantastic with food replicas. Other than to entice (yes, it works), they also play a very practical function. Foreigners who are not conversant in the Japanese language are thankful for them. Point to a replica that beckons your name and soon after, the real thing is placed in front of you. You won't want to play Charades when you are carrying a hungry stomach.

So, yes I do know how real these replicas are. But I recall that I was still pleasantly surprised when I saw these "Meiji Chocolate bars" when I was in Japan.

"What? You think we haven't seen Meiji Chocolates?" Patience my dear, look on.

Meiji Chocolate Bar Puzzle! Isn't it cool? The packaging is exactly like the real McCoy! And if you are more concerned about the puzzle than being overwhelmed by how cool this is, here's how to play: scramble the pieces and then attempt to re-create the chocolate bar. There are 2,339 ways to solve it. 

To add on to the cool factor, the puzzle comes in white, milk and dark chocolate representing the difficulty level-- easy, beginner and expert.

Another chocolate bar?

These are making me crave chocolates now. Are you feeling the same? But if you do get your hands on the puzzle and solve it, there's every reason to get a real bar to treat yourself!

[images from Strapya World]

Gorgeous and Cheery Home - Debi Treloar

Most local interior design/home decor magazines feature photo after photo of minimalist apartments. Otherwise, they'll be resort-themed. It's as if these are the only 2 ways to decorate one's abode. Seriously, go to the appropriate section on the magazine rack, close your eyes and pick a copy of any interior magazine and chances are you will be greeted with either of these styles. I do appreciate the clean and sleek look (I am proud to be a neat freak). And I was once into the whole resort thing as well. Afterall,despite being a city of skyscrapers and high-rise dwellers, we are a sunny tropical island. But these were just flings, infatuation. I have found my love - eclectic designs.

So I enjoyed a moment of thrill when I spotted this apartment in Style:Living magazine. It's the apartment of the wonderful photographer Debi Treloar, her husband Colin Holding and their 3 children! A 3-storey Victorian house that was previously not showered with the love it so deserved, Treloar and her family transformed it into a gorgeous cheery home. White-painted wooden floorboards and walls thrown to life with bright colourful furniture and decor. It says alot when one is able to create harmony through the use of various recycled or vintage pieces. Additionally, I really like that they simply let their creative juices flow with the brave use of colours and patchwork wallpaper. If I have a mental image of a dream interior, this would be it! I really should just let the pictures do the talking.

[click to enlarge images]

Definitely also check out Treloar's portfolio over here. I won't spoil the surprise by posting any photos here. I promise you won't be disappointed. They'll totally perk you up.

Beautiful Design + Chocolate = Askinosie

I spotted Askinosie Chocolate in a magazine I was browsing lazily last Saturday. It was one of those days where you go through the motion of flipping the pages because everything in the magazine seem dull. What a lousy issue you say to yourself but you continue because you are secretly hoping there will be some hidden gems in the pages to come. So you turn one more page….and then you spot it! Your eyes widen and your heart beat a faster. Ooooh! I This was exactly what happened. I zoomed in to read the text and it was only then that I found out it’s chocolates and it’s called “Askinosie”. It may well have been any other product and I would still have been captured by it. Yes, it’s the packaging. How can I resist? I’m exaggerating? Take a look and judge for yourself. By the way, I hereby shamelessly declare that I make decisions/choices based on aesthetics.

Obviously, I had to go online to learn more about this wonderful find and I realized there’s a lot more to these bean-to-bar chocolates. Unlike large industrial chocolate manufacturers, Shawn Askinosie (yes, that’s the founder’s last name) supports poor farmers in Mexico and Ecuador by hiring them to grow small batches of beans. The packaging was designed to honour these farmers. The distressed brown parchment paper wrapper is printed with a photo of the lead farmer, his name, the bean’s origin, the variety of bean. Also clearly indicated are the cocoa content, the process used, a “choc-o-lot” number and the Web address (askinosie.com). Enter the choc-o-lot number online and you can retrace the journey. Askinosie chocolates contain just 3 ingredients: cacao beans, cocoa butter and pure cane sugar.

I would be overjoyed to receive these as gifts. They’re too cute! Chalk-kate Box (left) which comes with a chalkboard top for my sender to scribble messages on and Month's Supply of Dark Chocolate (right) so that I don’t over-indulge.

They carry other chocolate-related products as well. Check out their website for more.

I also enjoyed reading about Shawn Askinosie’s story. He was actually a criminal defense lawyer for close to 20 years before finding his passion in chocolates. You HAVE to visit their cool website to read more about his story and to feast your eyes further.

[images from Askinosie]

Blogging My Way

Monday, 4 May 2009 (actually it's 5 May 2009 for me over here) marked the end of my 4-week e-blogging course, Blogging Your Way (BYW). That was my first ever e-course and it certainly set a high bar. I am so proud to say it here that our teacher is the amazingly talented yet friendly and down-to-earth Holly Becker of Decor8. I can't recall how I stumbled upon Decor8 but since that day a few years ago, it has become my daily bite. Even on days when I go on vacation, upon return, I always read the old posts and continue from where I left off. I enjoy reading Decor8 for many reasons. Its aesthetics appeal to me, I *heart* the images that Holly shares (eye candy!), she posts regularly, her style is one I identify with, I love the way she writes, she transports me to a creative world.... But most of all, I appreciate how supportive she is of small indie start-ups (which I really hope I can call myself one one day) and how she doesn't hesitate to share her knowledge and experience. 

So one fine day, when I saw Holly announced on her blog that she is starting an e-course, I leapt at the opportunity and without even knowing the course fee. This is coming from me who takes forever to make decisions eg. what shall I eat for dinner? Is the pink top better than the black? Out of 800 applicants, I am one of the lucky 207 who got into the class! From that day on, I looked to day 1 of the course with anticipation. I wasn't disappointed. I was the only one from Singapore and there I was, meeting people from all over the world! Putting myself out there and interacting with like-minded creative souls really fed my inspiration. It boosted my confidence when I tell people that I blog because I realised it's no trivial affair. Amongst the LOADS of precious lessons I'm taking away from the course, I think the most important would be the need to be authentic and true to myself, to dare to dream and chase my passion. I can't say it enough but "thanks so much, Holly!"

I was also very fortunate to be able to work with a group of wonderful bloggers who gave me constructive feedback on my blog. These folks have been really supportive. They are at:

For Your Inspiration - Mothers out there would enjoy Karen's blog which has some interesting series. 

Discover Interior Design - Kristin's blog is pretty and packed with beautiful pictures

Lolalina - Laura's blog would appeal to the girl in you

Magchunk - Maggie's character comes through in her writings and you'll enjoy reading it. 

When I Grow Up - Michelle is a life coach and you'll enjoy her unique and lively blog

Frozen Brooklyn -  For those who have ice-cream as one of their great loves

Sam's Notebook - Lots of great finds, lots of eye-candy

Sparkling Ink - Trust me, you wouldn't be able to resist the "droolingly-beautiful" food pictures on Tiina's blog and the accompanying recipes. 

So now, I am a member of the first graduating class of BYW Friends (I'm proudly displaying the logo on my main page)!

Japanese Fashion

There’s something about Japanese fashion that fascinates and intrigues me. Just like the amount of attention they pay to food presentation and packaging (think too-pretty-to-eat individually packed pasrtries), they do the same for dressing up.

The current young folks are able to put together ensembles that are so captivating, yet at the same time make it seem as though the pieces are simply thrown together effortlessly. The Japanese are great at layering. Heck, they probably invented it. I never knew one could layer so many pieces together (eg. a spaghetti top over a blouse) and look attractive. They abandoned the rules and expressed themselves their way, not the rest of the world’s. Being in Japan opened my eyes to what it means to express oneself through dressing. I recall a friend saying when we were in Japan that we could wear a skirt on our heads and no one would take a second look. We were both reveling in the sense of liberty.

[images from FrontStyle]

Design Classes Here I Come

I did something for myself today. Something which I probably should have done long ago but had all sorts of ready excuses. Something which makes me feel excited.

Which means I can tick off one item from my list (ok, I know I can strike it off officially only after I've completed the course). It's a part-time certification course in an arts school in Singapore-- Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). I've long heard of the school but never stepped foot in it. I've always responded with envy when friends or acquaintances spoke about being a student of the school. Envy because a part of me has always leaned towards fine arts. But throughout my academic years, never did I get to receive any training in it (this subject calls for a longer blog post). Today, as I navigated the school grounds, heading towards the registration office,  I had glimpses of the full-time (and hence younger) students and a feel of the school. I liked the vibes, the expressiveness. 

I? I felt like I can belong (despite the school fees having burnt a hole in my pocket). 

Classes start in end June. Wish me luck.

Lutterlagkage's inspirational home

I was sitting around wondering what to blog about today and decided to check out the cyberworld for some for inspiration. I chanced upon Lutterlagkage’s beautiful home through Flickr (what would we do without Flickr?) and was instantly drawn to it. It was eclectic, vintage, inviting and inspirational. Definitely the works of a creative soul! I love how she decorates her place with random items and is able to put them together so harmoniously. I will not be surprised to learn that each item has a story behind it. I *heart* that wooden piece hanging on the wall.

The lovely wallpaper certainly brightens one’s mood. Doesn’t it just scream “happy”?

[images from Lutterlagkage]

Her home is not just eye-candy but more importantly, I can imagine a family living it in. Check out more photos of her home and the rest of her portfolio here.

And I was right about her being a creative soul. She is an amazing crafter! She makes lots of cute stuff but primarily children’s clothing and accessories for home décor. She owns a webshop. It’s currently only in Danish but you can still snoop around and check out her works.