Letoile

 My hot chocolate...my time...and my space

 From a little corner of the cafe...

The cafe also sells products from Japan.

Mark recommended this little cafe, Letoile, located at a corner of Owen Road. It was a Saturday afternoon when I popped by the cafe. Hmm, I sensed and felt simplicity the moment I stepped in. I chose a quiet corner in the cafe and a nicely handwritten menu was placed on my table by a friendly staff. The little drinks menu at the side of the table was also handwritten...adding on a personal touch to the whole experience I guess. I was kinda hungry so I ordered hot chocolate and a scone. Loved the music playing in the background as I worked on some stuff on my lappy. Well, a good place to idle, read or just catch up with friends. Spent almost two hours there and realised that I had not explored the second floor of the cafe! Silly me! Well, will be back, hopefully a weekday...have always this mentality that all cafes are crowded during weekends. As I was looking at stuff in the cafe and the staff busy at work, I also wondered about the hard work that one needs to put in to set up and operate a cafe. But I guess the little joys that a lovely cafe can offer to its patrons can also be real satisfying to the cafe owners.  

My very good friend, steamboat and shopping

 We asked for healthy chicken soup...rich (the real stuff!) and we didn't feel we had spoonfuls of MSG after the meal. The ingredients were so fresh that the slices of fish could literally melt in our mouths. 

We were kinda awed by the selection of sauces placed in front of us. My personal favourite mix...chilli padi, minced garlic, Chinese parsley, spring onion and light soya sauce. 

I cannot tell you how great it felt to be able to have a good dinner after work on a weekday...away from the crowd and putting aside work and tiredness of the day. Most of all, meeting up with my very good friend :) We finally decided what to eat after walking at Level 4 of ION Orchard for a few times. We settled for Imperial Treasure Steamboat, a restaurant that both of us had not tried. It was a good dinner and I must say we had a wonderful time catching up and shopping. Sure gonna look forward to meeting up again! My dearest friend, hope that your special day was a great one with your loved ones and may there be many more lovely moments ahead :)

The little girl and her little voice

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl...well, yup, she's back again to tell a story. That evening, she was sitting beneath that willow tree - one of her favourites in the park. She took out her pink sketch book from her bag and started doodling on a fresh new page of the book...feeling a gush of excitement, all ready to 'paint her life' the way she wanted it to be. It did not matter to her that other people might not be able to understand what she was doodling...maybe she's used to it, maybe she's used to not being understood most of the times, maybe she had always lived in a world...to be precise, in her own world. 

As the lines, curves and shapes are formed and transformed on that blank page of her sketch book, she thought about what happened that morning at school. Her teacher, Mrs A, came over to her, for the second time that day, urging her to go for a nationwide drawing competition. Mrs A felt that she should give the competition a go as she does exhibit talent in the area of art. The little girl was hesitant about the competition. She started feeling nervous just thinking of it. She remembered taking part in an art competition two years ago and when the participants were told to draw on the spot, for the first fifteen minutes, she could not feel her pencil even though she was holding on to it. For that moment, she felt her heart was not connected to her hand...that compulsion to produce something, to achieve something seemed too overwhelming for her. She knew she was not enjoying the process, she knew she hated to be in the limelight...she knew she liked and treasured her private space to do what she really loved to do. Life's expectations could in a way crippled her...maybe it's just her.

The little girl looked at what she had doodled...ha, another piece of creation (never mind if it's not understood and not the norm)...another precious piece of her own space (never mind about the expectations, definitions or the competitions). The sunset that evening was so comforting that she could literally feel the warmth of it cushioning her anxiety for the day...slowly alleviating her fear and worries. She hugged her sketch book close to her as a couple of the leaves of the willow tree slowly waltzed their way down to the ground. The little girl managed a little smile on her face... 

Love you, Mummy

 The cake came in a nicely wrapped box...

 Glad that Mummy enjoyed the cake :)

Well, wanted to try earl grey chocolate from Flor so bought a slice of it...hmm, near divine :)

Mummy dearest, I miss going to the wet market with you early in the morning last year...I miss how we would have breakfast and lunch together...I miss how we would spend our weekday afternoons doing grocery shopping at the supermarket before going for some afternoon tea...I miss telling you that I would cook dinner for us and I miss cooking for you. Although I have been busy at work the past months this year, you never fail to take good care of me like what you always do...your words of encouragement, your love, your care and your homecooked food. Many times, I am not sure if the two words "thank you" will ever be enough to show my appreciation and how blessed I am to be your daughter...

Snoopy Snoop...It's her birthday!

 Look at what she's capable of producing...such a sweet sweet smile :) Happy Birthday dear...may that smile always stays with you coz you cannot imagine how beautiful that is.

 A snapshot of the birthday gal at Parco Caffe - indeed a nice and quiet place for brunch. 

 Hmm, I thought calamari wasn't really that fantastic. 

 I love my Benny! Benny, oh Benny, how I adore you! :)

 Was it me who said that I could prepare this kinda brunch at home too? Heh, silly gal!

 Photography can be real serious business for some :P ...Pizza was delicious, fresh ingredients and with the right crisp for the crust.

 Very tender! Meat lovers will love this.

I must say that Kat had ordered a real artistic one as her main...the creative use of chicken and spinach :P

The light that goes through

Thinking...

MRK Studio - Tea + Dinner

 Brought home more homemade scones packed in boxes with labels designed by the chef...someone who looks into the finer details of a good dining experience I must say :)

 Whoever says tea and pastries must be served only in the afternoon...I say we can have them whenever we like it. It's not so much the time, it's always about the moment.

 Sunny Baby pacing up and down, always eyeing what was served on the table, silly Baby :P

 Homemade banana scones!

My dining experience...I felt as if I had my tea and dinner in a nice cafe cum bistro.

Ha, I must say I was really surprised when homemade scones and tea were served when I was invited over for dinner. You know, you simply wish you could enjoy more of those moments, sipping nicely brewed tea and enjoying a pastry or a slice of cake...with soothing music playing in the background. It was a lovely day :)

I call him Birthday Boy

We celebrated Mark's birthday with a simple dinner and a kinda get-together after dinner at my place. Gosh, realised that this is the tenth year that I have known him...real worthy of mention and sure deserves a big celebration indeed, ha! Ordered a strawberry shortcake (Berry Berries) for him from Flor Patisserie. Was trying to search for a cake that's not too sweet and rich and I think I must really thank PY for her suggestion. I personally feel that Flor Patisserie has done it well and the way I have expected it to be...light, fluffy and not too sweet. I thought the blue ribbon was a nice and sweet accessory for the cake, well, it kinda made me smile when I first saw the cake. Hmm, I must admit that little details never fail to bring a smile on my face.  Glad that the birthday boy liked the cake too :) Would certainly love to go back for the green tea cake one of these days. Hmm, I am someone who feels that birthday should not only be celebrated once a year. Every day is a gift...keep enjoying the gifts that you receive daily, Birthday Boy :)  

Work refusal but still thinking...and blogging

I cannot believe I only had one post in my blog for the month of April. Goodness, what happened?? Good question, a very good question to ask silly me indeed. How have I spent the past few months of my 2012? I am not sure if I know clearly...and I am not sure if they have been well-spent. I just remember they were packed with numerous agendas and things to do at work, almost every hour and minute. Is it me or is it what I do? Have also been thinking about ideals, realities and expectations...most of the times, trying very hard to find that equilibrium amidst them. I was sharing with Angeline that maybe what I do is something for me think about and reflect upon at the end of the year. Anyway, I am currently at a "work refusal" state, trying to ignore my list of things to do. Sometimes, that list and those responsibilities are like a kinda stalker, so irritating and simply annoying in my life! Pardon all my grouses but as much as there is a child in every one of us, I also feel that I have a real naughty and rebellious gal in me. The rebel is in town to cause some necessary chaos. Heh, not that goody and nicey gal all the time :P

I seem to like to read reflection written by Ignatius Low in the Sunday Times. He shared about travelling solo in his column today. I do agree that solitude can be a real good companion at times. One just needs that space to be immerse oneself in loneliness and this could be moments that could lead to self discovery, to get in touch with that inner peace and to rethink about one's life. 

"For I may not always know for sure if I have taken the right path in life. But I do know that I have to wander off it to appreciate the distance I have covered."

~ Ignatius Low, "Travelling Solo", The Sunday Times (6 May 2012)

Remembering Emma Yong

When I heard of her passing two days ago, I really could not believe that she's gone. I remember reading about how positive and strong she was about her illness last year. She was such a fighter but I believe she fought till the very end. I was still so happy for her and her special one for their marriage despite challenges...truly the immense power of love even before the vow of "in health and in sickness, to love and cherish". Having watched her perform before, I think she's a pretty talented theatre actress, someone whom I believe was very passionate about her work - her love... I couldn't help but to remind myself that life can be so unpredictable once again. For Emma, it all seemed to happen within a year, seemed so sudden... Hmm, both of us were born in the same year but she had to leave this world first. The thought of this does sadden me a little. Not exactly sure why or how I should organise my thoughts...

Through my eyes

Sometimes, we keep looking for that picture within our frame of life and a few times, we lose that picture maybe coz we are blinded by other distractions or priorities that come along. Where is our focus? 

Perspectives...how apt! Sometimes, it's kinda interesting how frames can help or hinder how you look at and view things...or well, maybe life. At times, we don't see beyond that frame and we are missing out a whole lot of beauty out there. However, at times, we feel safer seeing things within our protected frame, too afraid to step beyond boundaries. I guess grappling with this dilemma is life.

Art, like language and music, is a form of expression. Through art, artists 'verbalise' and express their deepest feelings and emotions...which at times, can be difficult to express in words. But is art a form of language that can be understood by all? Is it meant to be understood or it shall just remain as a form of expression?

A mother's love is the greatest, so powerful that it moves, challenges and inspires. I must say I was really touched by this piece of installation art. I actually blinked back tears when I heard about the story. May those cranes bring much love, hope and strength to the artist and her daughter always.  

I was at an installation art exhibition probably about two weeks ago. It's a showcase of all the pieces of art created by Mark and his cohort of coursemates from his programme. I was sharing with Mark how I really love to check out installation art at times. To me, I am always curious to know the meaning or story behind that piece of creation...the thoughts, the ideas and how they're conceived, the feelings, the emotions... To me, that's connection, a form of connection between the artist and myself. That connection allows me to appreciate that piece of art better and allows me a space in the world of that artist. In appreciating a piece of art, it also provides me an opportunity to express how I feel about what is felt or what's expressed by the artist. The above would be my thoughts about those pieces of work. Hmm, you know, I always hold on to my belief that there is never an ugly piece of art...it's not about beauty, never, it's probably more of that attempt and willingness to make that connection...and I think it all boils down to one's heart and mind. Open your mind and heart...and you will never see an ugly piece of art. ...To all who have shared their pieces of creation, great job! And I just wanna thank you for allowing me to enter your world and for giving me this opportunity to also think about my world.