A new year

For this year, I'm hoping to:

• Exercise more often
• Spend more time with my family
• Get a new job
• Try out new cafes and vegetarian restaurants
• Read more
• Shoot more

And of course, get my own house.

Coffee or Tea. 27 Dec 10

A cup of Cappuccino, just perfect for an afternoon coffee session with my secondary school mate

Coffee or Tea. 25 Dec 10

Coffee & Tea gifts I received this Christmas

Coffee or Tea. 22 Dec 10

a simple local affair of coffee with condensed milk and toast

thick slice of butter between with a thin layer of kaya and crispy white bread

the journey

took this while on way up to Mt Fuji.

Paris vs New York

via Design Sponge

So cool, been to NY and shot the escape staircase (see earlier post here). Hope I could make a trip to Paris too.

Get the posters from Studio 6.

Arched windows

Love the corner created at the arched window, the cushion seats, striking curtains and patterned floor... I could just imagine myself lazing by the window with a cup of tea and some nice cookies...

Some time ago, I happened to see a house with arched window and thought the design is rather special. However, a friend warned me that it will be expensive to custom make curtain frame for such a window. Looks like this design has the simple solution, just do a straight frame across and pull the curtains when required!

Fabulous looking room from December 2010 | Lonnymag.com

Say good bye

My Christmas Wishlist

A collection of Paris photos to adorn the wall.

Some candles to fill the house with pine fragrance
A handmade terrarium

A soothing poster

A new camera (neckacle)

To Love or to be vunerable

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.
If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one,
not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries;
avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.
But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.
It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
To love is to be vulnerable."

by C.S. Lewis

Study Room

Beautiful images from Paris

Wish I'm in Paris. Image from Little Brown Pen.

A room to work in

ROOM OF THE WEEK 8.12 from coco+kelley

nice little room. not the conventional study to work in, the desk is probably a bit too small for my preference too, but I'm pretty certain it fills one with inspiration working in a room like this.

How about a Chandelier in the bedroom?

I've never really fancy having a chandelier in the living room. Perhaps it has become too common, too glam, not for me. But the idea of having a chanderlier in the bedroom feels different. A little romantic, a little classy...
Love this from Apartment Therapy, house tour of Harriet Zaretsky

My version:

Street scenes of Shanghai

to a tourist, even the wires are intriguing.

Where is the traffic police to direct the traffic when he is most needed?

Old photos shot in year 2004.

The zigzag staircase

photo by Chien-Chi Chang

Saw this photo in a magazine many years ago. Shot in New York Chinatown, I thought this must have been taken 20 years ago. (I've not been to New York before seeing this image.)

I was taken by surprise when I next see this photo again. This time it was as a huge poster in front of National Museum of Singapore. I never did forget this image after many years! Chien-Chi Chang is the great photographer, belonging to the prestigious Magnum group. I think the works of all great masters leave you with a deep impression, whether or not you know his name in the first place. See more of his works here.

See the zigzag staircase in the background of Chang's photo? For those who are not familiar, these are actually fire escape emergency exits. The main subject in Chang's image is also sitting on one of these.

The strangest thing is that the moment I see these zigzag staircases in my recent trip to New York, I thought of Chang's image again. No foreign workers eating at the staircase this time, but I must shoot one of these staircases as my own interpretation of New York old cityscape, especially when I thought these old structure no longer exist in modern Mahanttan.

Love the lighting when I was shooting this.

Here's another image of an emergency staircase, a very different style.

photo from Rear Window

A nice substitute?

I may not be able to afford a designer chair, but isn't this a nice substitute? 3 chairs for the price of 1 rug. Get the rug here.

Bringing nature into the house

What a nice grassy patch. Design by Lotta Agaton. See more here.

More nice rugs, spring and summer inspired:top row from left: unknown source, Pjatteryd Ikea, butterfly rug, Sex and the City rug
second row from left: Swing rug by Patrick Norguet, Martha Stewart coconut rug, Zebra in Green Hooked Rug

A few Japanese houses

April 2009, it was my first trip in Japan. Expecting Japanese houses to be more of high rise apartments, I was proven completely wrong. I see many low rise apartments, probably 5 to 7 storeys high in Tokyo. Moving up north and along the train journey, I see more landed properties. Mostly 2 storeys, modern and in neutral shades.




All shot in Aomori. Just walking along the road by these houses gives me a sense of peace and joy.

Some nice chairs

Top row from left: Blue Eames Rocker, White Eames Rocker, Green and Oak Finish Winsor Chairs
Bottom row from left: Organic Chair by Alphaville Design, Agen Chair from Ikea, Vintage French Round Side Chair, Malaro Ikea Chair

3 Fabulous Looking Bathrooms

Only for the big bathroom. sweet and simple. Via Apartment Therapy.
Personally, I would add another mirror in front of the table so as to apply make up.

A very different style. Love the marble top that makes it feel grand while the lights add a soft and pretty touch. via Coco+Kelley.

Yet another very different style.

Does this remind you of Japanese designs?
Nope, this is from the Axor-Bouroullec bathroom collection.

So many lovely ideas, but I can only pick one.

Dreaming of an ideal location for the bed

Perhaps I could sleep better if my bed is in a place as inviting as this...

Or maybe I could go sailing on this and fall asleep as and when I feel like.

or placing my bed in a desert, which should be an absolutely quiet place.
I'm going crazy with the lack of sleep...

Imaginative photos by Stella Nicolaisen. See more of her works here.

Blue and white inspiration

My favourite colour combination. Must have one of those Eames rocker for my living room.

An Amazing Tiny Apartment

A Tiny Apartment Transforms Into 24 Rooms

Less is more?

A Retro Living Room

Contemporary style is definitely not for me.

Created this to enter the Olioboard Retro Challenge. Vote for me here.