lightbulb moments.

it's inspiring to see how art and science can be incorporated into product design for everyday life. bonus points for still looking so good while achieving all of the above too! check out this living kitchen and read more about it here.

flow 2

this is but one of the many uber cool products from studio gorm, a collaboration between john arndt and wonhee jeong. the designers met while studying in the netherlands (yay!) but are now based in oregon. a few other products which i really like are the laptop bag, bicycle bag and construction quilt.

on the same note, my dear friend R has embarked on SUPRSCH, creating a range of brilliant paper card cases out of recycled advertising material. that's just the first of many other awesome ideas to come, so stay tuned and keep a lookout for this hidden talent! =)

        

the best scone in my world.

i had drawn up a long list of cafes and restaurants to check out when i was in scotland, turned out i didn't even have the chance to try any! i spent the first day finding my bearings around edinburgh city and was on the road most of the time while in the highlands, eating only at random pit stops.

fortunately, the friendly hostel receptionist recommended a supposedly good cafe called the Edinburgh Larder right opposite where i stayed. feeling mildly depressed that my foodie escapade in edinburgh didn't quite turn out the way i wanted to, i swore to have breakfast at the cafe on my last morning there.

the edinburgh larder, stocked full of goodness

warm and cosy interiors of the cafe

and so i did. and had the.most.awesome.scone.ever.

freshly baked scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam

fresh out of the oven, it was warm and crusty on the outside, yet soft and fluffy on the inside. together with some jam and clotted cream, i felt like i'd just gone straight to heaven.

ok... granted i barely got to try the other scones around and didn't quite have a fair comparison, still it was the best i've ever eaten at least. it made those which i've tried in singapore taste really bad.

i spent nearly 2 hours in the cafe that morning, sitting alone by the window with my scone, tea and magazine in hand. it was one of the best experiences ever. guess what, thousands of miles away from home and i still managed to bump into 2 singaporean dudes on exchange! one of them also ordered the scone and he couldn't help but to exclaim that it was awesome too. so there you go, i swear i wasn't exaggerating.

this is how every morning should begin

i shall go to bed tonight dreaming of all the sandwiches, salads, soup, pasta, brownies, scones, cookies and muffins i could have tried in scotland, and wake up hungry for a perfect scone. =)

the edinburgh larder
15 blackfriars street
edinburgh
http://www.edinburghlarder.co.uk/

when everything else in the world can wait.

wish i could be back again!

farewell.

it's been a week of goodbyes on many levels.

1) i bade goodbye to my grandma who lived to a ripe old age of 97. for all the love you've given in your own ways, thank you.

2) my stint with the F1 team came to a close. it's been such a great experience, with every one in the team being no less than wonderful. i will never exchange the past few months for anything else.

3) it was a short but sweet story with J as the few more minutes finally expired. absolutely no regrets.

overwhelming, but comforted by Your love.

i know everything will work for my good. =)

hauntingly beautiful, this is one of my all time favourite song which never fails to lift me up each time.

a leap of faith. =)

same place, different reasons.

je ne sais quoi.

went for a french cooking class with jols a few weeks back and it was really fun! we've been looking around for classes to attend for the longest time and finally decided on the french menu by cookyn with mervyn, a husband and wife outfit at novena gardens. definitely money well spent, can't wait to do it again!

le menu

mini hotcakes with smoked salmon and sourcream

seafood bouillabaise

roasted duck breast with tangerine wedges

pistachio and cointreau cake with stewed strawberries

fashionably geeky!

kate spade has introduced with a series of clutches inspired by classic penguin covers... totally cool stuff! 

would be a nice luxury to have one! =)

when upsizing is a good thing. =p

a power packed daily devotional for today, i hope it blesses you as much as it blesses me! 

have an awesome day ahead everyone! =)

Much Better Than Before

Isaiah 61:7
7Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

God says in His Word that you will receive double for your trouble. If the devil has given you one trouble, then for that one trouble you can expect to receive a double-portion blessing! And if that trouble has caused you to experience shame, God’s promise to you is this: “Instead of your shame you shall have double honor”. God wants to give you a double-portionblessing for every trouble you go through!

And don’t think that God is behind your troubles. The devil is the real culprit. Sometimes, it could be the one you see in the mirror every morning! But the moment you respond to God in faith, He gets involved in your restoration. And He does not restore to you the same amount that you have lost. You always get more than before, if not in quantity, then in quality. You will be at a higher place than before. You will be stronger, healthier, wealthier, wiser or more at peace!

This was the case with Job. Satan was behind Job’s troubles, but when Job responded in faith, God took it upon Himself to restore to Job all that he had lost. The Bible tells us that Job received double in terms of quantity — from 7,000 sheep to 14,000 sheep, 3,000 camels to 6,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen to 1,000 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys to 1,000 female donkeys. And for the children he had lost, God restored in terms of quality — his daughters were the fairest in all the land. (Job 1:2–3, 13–19; 42:12–15)

If Job, who was not under the new covenant, could be blessed with double for his troubles, how much more we who are under the new covenant! In fact, God will not only restore double but triple, fivefold or even sevenfold! Such was the restoration experienced by one of our pastors, who was cheated of some money. In the end, he received a sevenfold restoration!

My friend, for everything that you have lost, get ready for God’s restoration. Expect to receive double and even more for every trouble!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved. 
No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced,
distributed and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise)
without express written consent of the copyright holder.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Source

constantly amazed at God's love.

He seems to derive great pleasure at outdoing Himself each time He pours forth blessing after blessing, each greater than the previous. went to universal studios yesterday and had my sister's 21st birthday brunch today, and for both days the weather couldn't have been more perfect. having rained for almost the whole of last week, the sun shone crazily yesterday! as if that wasn't good enough, today's super cool and windy weather made the outdoorsy brunch extremely enjoyable. swap the two days around and it could have been a total disaster. tell me, how not to feel Loved? =)

temporary perfection.

jim denevan uses sand, earth and ice as his canvas to create some amazing art pieces! seems like a big pity that they get erased with the weather, though that "fleeting moment" idea does seem to add to its beauty!

from black eiffel

art food, food art.

we've got tons of ice cream shops in singapore, from the $1 ice cream bread sold by uncles on their motorbikes to the more expensive gelato shops. however, we've yet to see ice cream shops selling only popsicles! popbar in new york has taken the old-school popsicle to a whole new level. 

pistachio

vanilla splash

coconut chocolate

they look tooooo good to be eaten, i just want to stand in front of the shop and stare at the rows of popbars all day!

cute!

had a fantastic weekend with the loveliest people, hope yours was great too! here's something sweet to end this week and to welcome another blessed week ahead. =)

Graffiti Proposal from PR!MO on Vimeo.

a merry heart does good like medicine.

hi everyone,

here's a funny yet meaningful read to start the weekend!

Christian funnyman Michael Jr. has performed on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the Comedy Central network. Inspired by God to not just "go out there to get laughter from people, (but to) go out there and give them an opportunity to laugh", he took his jokes to unlikely venues - prisons, homeless shelters and safehouses for the abused and HIV patients. During his interview with charisma magazine, he recounted:


In an adult prison, I'm sitting there praying: "(God), I need a joke right up front, so I can be funny - immediately." I was going to say, "You guys are a captive audience!" But because I was afraid, I didn't do that one. 


But there was an old white guy right up front (in the audience) named Moses. He had a white beard, so I looked at him and said, "Moses, when I read about you in the Bible, you were doing better than this. What happened?"


I said, "Moses, this is what I want you to say, 'Let my people go.'" 
The whole room burst out laughing, and we had a fabulous time from that point on... 


... In the Samaritan House a guy approached me and said, "I want you to know I haven't laughed like this in over 20 years, since I was diagnosed with AIDs." It was at that moment that I knew this thing was bigger than just going and telling jokes to people.

(adapted from "laughter in the dark", charisma, june 2010 magazine, read the full interview here)

have an awesome blessed weekend everyone! =)

a smile for the road! =)

from swissmiss.

take my breath away.

an absolutely breath-taking house to live in!

from seesaw, read more on buzz-beast.

guess who i'll be supporting this world cup!

hmm...

not sure if i'm ready to catch shrek 4 on the big screen.

happiness is...

i love this shot, it spells h-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s in my dictionary. =)

from a cup of jo

great tea + great design.

the guys from gryphon tea launched an initiative to promote singapore's history and provide a platform for our local artists to showcase their talents. the artists were commissioned to provide their own interpretation of singapore's heritage, and their art work was transformed into gryphon's tea packages. yeah i know it's a marketing thing, but i think it's a great idea nonetheless, and the designs are really beautiful! =)

see camemberu's blog post on it here.

have a break, have some soul food.

i returned and saw under the sun that - 

the race is not to the swift,

nor the battle to the strong,

nor bread to the wise,

nor riches to men of understanding.

nor favour to men of skill;

but time and chance happen to them all.

-ecclesiastes 9:11

saw this verse scribbled on one of the papers i pinned up against my desk wall. it's been there for so long i kind of forgot it exists, but it sure serves as a great form of encouragement each time i notice it again.

it's never about how hard i should work, how smart i am, or whose good boots i should get into - it's simply about working restfully through His grace, wisdom and favour to find myself being placed at the right place at the right time, to say the right things to the right people and be blessed as a result! =)

what's for lunch?

ultra cool lunch box by dutch designers van eijk and van der lubbe, love the wooden finish and leather strap combination! (from blackeiffel)

big in japan.

it's an amazing city, don't wanna leave just yet! =)

hummus love. =)

and heineken does it yet again!

gotta love the dutch. =)

happily ever after... maybe not.

a brilliant take on a parody of fairy tales combined with current day issues, you have to check out this series of photographs by dina goldstein. thanks for the link rama! =)

dina goldstein's fallen princesses

restaurant week 2010: lunch at garibaldi italian resturant & bar

and so.. the much anticipated lunch date at garibaldi came and went. thanks to restaurant week, jols and i had the opportunity of dining at one of the top italian restaurants in singapore yesterday!

lunch menu

insalata di gamberi, avocado e aranicia

poached prawns salad with avocado & orange

-----

tagliolini neri al granchio

homemade black in thin noodle with crab meat in vodka sauce

or

saltinbocca alla romana

veal "scaloppini" with parma ham, sage & marsala wine sauce

-----

tiramisu all 'amaretto e scaglie di cioccolato

homemade tiramisu with amaretto flavor and shaved chocolate

-----

coffee/tea

the restaurant had a minimalistic design, with a bar area and a large wine cellar upon entering. the main dining area was further in, and the tables were spaced out far enough from one another such that there was sufficient privacy, yet you'd still be able to catch bits and pieces of the other tables' conversations. it might sound weird, but i really liked the toilet, which was very nicely done up with marble tiles and fresh hand towels by the basin.

the dishes were well executed, of which the veal with parma ham and tiramisu were winners. the bread served throughout the meal was the most perfectly warmed bread i've ever, ever had, and should be the benchmark for any excellent restaurant.

a portion of my noodles were clumped together, perhaps due to the production process of the noodles, so i had it sent back. the service staff took it back with no questions asked. he had a disturbed look on his face, obviously annoyed that i had been served food that was not up to their usual quality. a fresh batch of noodles came back the second time around, with a significantly larger portion, and our next course was personally served by the manager of the restaurant. it was quite amusing to be given that much attention because i was obviously too happy to be bothered by that little glitch in the meal.

food wise, the dishes were definitely top quality and well executed, though i personally feel that the "wow" factor seems to be somewhat missing in the meal.

nevertheless, the service at garibaldi's was absolutely excellent! the service staff were attentive but not intrusive, though they were a little slow in refilling our glasses once the lunch crowd came in. knowing that jols and i wanted to share both the mains, the service staff offered to divide them into two individual portions. they also enquired if we were doing alright throughout the courses, which was a nice touch to the already exceptional service provided.

on the overall, it was a fantastic experience being able to finally dine in one of the finest restaurants around. excellent food, service and setting, not to forget awesome company, it was one of the best lunches i've had in a long while.

can't wait for restaurant week 2011! =)

today's devotional.

the daily devotional's always a great way to start the morning. =)

See God As A Good Father

Luke 15:31
31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

Faith is believing that we have a good God, and that He protects and provides for those who trust in Him. Remember the parable of the prodigal son? (Luke 15:11–32) Jesus shared it to illustrate how good our heavenly Father is. The wayward son had squandered his father’s inheritance before he decided to go home to ask his father to make him a hired servant.

But before he could reach home, his father saw him from afar, ran toward him and embraced him. And instead of making him a hired servant, the father turned to his servants and said, “Bring out the best robe! Get a ring and sandals for my son! Let’s kill the fatted calf and celebrate!”

Now, when the older son returned from work and heard about the celebration, he became angry and refused to enter the house. When his father came out to ask him what was wrong, the older son complained, “Look, I’ve served you all these years. Yet, you never gave me a calf to celebrate with my friends. But as soon as this prodigal son of yours comes home, you kill the fatted calf for him!”

Notice what his father told him: “Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. We should celebrate because your brother was dead but is alive again. He was lost but is now found.”

Can you see how the older brother perceived his father? He saw his father as a hard and stingy man. He believed that he had to work to get something good from his father. He didn’t realize that he already had an inheritance! He could have killed the fatted calf any time for a celebration!

Like the father in the parable, God has already given you an inheritance in Christ. Don’t fail to enjoy it by doubting God’s goodness or by believing that you must work for it. See your Father’s heart of love and goodness toward you, and celebrate your inheritance today!

Source

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved. 

No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced, 

distributed and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise) 

without express written consent of the copyright holder.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. 

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

move over, subway!

knew of this place some time back but haven't got to try it until recently, and damn i should have visited Quiznos a long long loooongg time ago! 

a sandwich place with a similar concept to Subway, this place puts Subway to utter shame. on my first visit i tried the Zesty Grill Steak sandwich (6" for $6.90), described as "thinly-sliced steak, mozzarella, cheddar, mushrooms, sauteed onions, honey bourbon mustard and zesty grille sauce on rosemary parmesan bread". sounds good? it sure damn was! 

the rosemary parmesan bread was warm and fluffy, unlike the ones at Subway which i never did like but had to live with. the thinly sliced steak with all its cheese, onion and shrooms friends made a delicious combination, but more importantly, the ingredients  tasted fresh. there was also a side bar with different kinds of jalepenos and pickles to choose from, and they were delish as well. 

to top it all off, they actually toasted not only the sandwich, but my cookie as well. i hope my subsequent trips won't disappoint, and as they become popular in singapore (which i'm very sure they will), that their franchise outlets will keep up the fine quality of its sandwiches. three cheers for Quiznos! =)

Quiznos Sub Shop
181 Orchard Road #03-33
Orchard Central
Tel: 6509 9833
Opens daily, 11am-11pm

viewing the world through food.

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25

Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken

view more interesting shots in what the world eats, part I

photographs by peter menzel from the book "hungry planet"
source: www.time.com

apart from the wizard talk.

jk rowling's commencement address at harvard, titled "the fringe benefits of failure, and the importance of imagination" was extremely well written and delivered. dotted with humour and personal experience, this is one video worth watching. she writes so well that almost every other sentence she spoke was capable of  printed on those inspirational quote-cards!

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

"You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default." 
- jk rowling.

a brief history of olympic sore losers.

interesting feature by time.com, enjoy!

 (picture adapted from source)

click here to view article.

tradition.

our customary mcdonald's breakfast during holidays where my dad gets a rare opportunity to wake up late and enjoy a slow brekkie. that's why the latest advertisement by macs (where the uber cute little girl wishes her dad doesn't have to work so she can have macs breakfast everyday... though that may not be a brilliant idea waist-wise) totally hit the nail in the spot. now... time to get ready for work. =/

introducing the deluxe big breakfast...

for my dad of course, i'm sticking to ma fluffy hotcakes baby!

i am tiger hear me roarrr!

saw this e-mailer from tiger airways in my inbox today, thought it was quite funny! i feel for woods though, to have almost every industry ride on his personal affairs. anyway, blessed chinese new year everyone! =)

the boy in the striped pyjamas.

caught this awesome movie on dvd today and i wondered what took me so long to finally watch it. if, like me, you haven't heard of the boy in the striped pyjamas until now, then i highly recommend that you add this to your weekend's to-do list!

synopsis from imdb: set during world war II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a jewish boy on the other side of the camp has startling and unexpected consequences.

farmers' market - a piece of europe in singapore.

a farmers' market is a common feature in europe, somewhat like our local pasar malam, where farmers will gather to sell their produce to the public. chef jane of the pantry at loewen gardens missed that little piece of home, and decided to organise a farmers' market on the first saturday of every month!

organic bread by the organic baker

absolutely devine orange cake by madz chef

when i was living in maastricht, i used to wake up early in the morning on days when the farmers' market was on, cycle to the city centre with a shopping bag and return with my loot of fresh fruits and vegetables. i still remember the comical scene where my friends and i would try to balance the heavy bags while cycling uphill. ahh.. these wonderful memories!

scones and desserts from the pantry

i was really excited upon hearing about this event and decided to forgo my precious sleep, wake up early and head down to loewen gardens with jolene. with no idea how a farmers' market in singapore will work out, we didn't really know what to expect.

olives etc. from olive grove, a supplier to hotel and restuarants

surprisingly, it was a lovely and cosy affair, with loads of imported and homemade food! it's not quite the scene where farmers sold their own produce, but i guess that's about as close as we can get in singapore.

salmon quiche from the pantry

sausage, scrambled eggs and toast from the pantry

jols and i had a lovely brunch at the pantry, and we both went home happy girls with peach cake, sicilian olives and hummus in our bags!

more details on the farmers' market on expat living.

the pantry, loewen gardens, 75 loewen road

loving this shot by lars daniel.

so old-school yet so classy and modern at the same time. beautiful!

from copenhagencyclechic.