2011, Breakfast at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Life. A mere fleeting moment, where just about everything fades (in the twinkling of an eye); the days of our youth become a mere hazy memory, lost in the sea of present worries. Sitting in the garden's café and watching young, innocent minds fizzle away their energy in joyous play made me realise, I really do miss the innocence of youth, and to some degree, I yearn for a restoration of what was gone.

Perhaps, it is through such moments that God reminds us of how we were blessed, both then, and now. It is in losing what we once had that allows us to realise its value. Strangely enough, it took an escape from the strains of my routine to see this - I guess that just shows the extent of my life's monotony.

It would seem that it is only through such seemingly insignificant and trivial moments that one finds the source of joie de vivre - time spent in reflection, or with our loved ones.

I really should head to the Botanic Gardens a little more often; the last time, was too long ago.

Image Credit: ArchDaily, FG + SG

Image Credit: PAUL

Let me begin by saying, I love bread; particularly those hard crusted, baguette-esque bread rolls, and croissants. Thank God for Peck's bread; their cheese bread rolls are a great way to start the morning. And I must say, I am ecstatic to hear that Paul will be opening in Singapore (okay perhaps that is slightly hyperbolic). Honestly, I've never tried their pastries before, but from the pictures, it looks entirely promising, and I'm salivating as I'm typing this. Singapore needs good, simple bread, not the overtly toyed-with sort that one finds at BreadTalk.

1-3: Window Gardener; 4-6: Frame Faucet
Image Credit: Linda Dong

Its always interesting to see fresh, independent work from any designer - be it industrial, fashion or architect; there are no limits imposed by budget, inflexible clients, just pure, unbridled creativity.

That being said, I do have one critique for Dong's 'Window Gardener' concept - the little slit meant for water. Coming from a region prone to dengue, the notion of leaving stale water out in the open doesn't exactly appeal. Perhaps a little flap to cover that would be better, and also improve the sleekness of the product's base. Just my two cents' worth.