Mr. Bean and Supermama (Two Singaporean Favourites)

Posted on January 26, 2012 by tracey

While retail therapy is often perfectly partnered with travel to new and exotic destinations, on our recent Singaporean sojourn the Mr and I didn’t do much at all.  But of course, in between taking about a gazillion photos, we did indulge a little …

It was while we were wandering around trying to find our way back to the hotel from the nearby MRT station, that we chanced upon a tiny little food store called ‘Mr. Bean‘ – a delightful place filled with soft serve soy ice-cream treats and other soy-based sweets like cakes and biscuits. For a soy milk lover like me, this was a match made in heaven. Since enjoying that first delicious soft serve, I then kept my eyes open for other Mr.Bean outlets (as I doubted we’d be able to find the first one again). I happily indulged quite a few more times, and even came away with a few cute Mr. Bean goodies on my last visit … just look at how happy he is!

It's Mr Bean ... full of soy bean goodness!

Wandering back to our hotel on a different day, we discovered the entrance had been blocked off by maintenance staff while they were cleaning up the footpath (it was covered in leaves … how shocking!). So rather than rest our weary feet, we had little choice but to wander a bit further down the road and kill some time. It was then that we noticed a cute little sign which lead us up several flights of stairs to the most beautiful of stores. Now, as a general rule I don’t go into stores that require me to walk up or down stairs to some unknown destination (hey, I’m complicated!), but I’m glad I made an exception here. Supermama is a wonderful retail experience – warm and welcoming, it is a space filled to the brim with all sorts of well-designed goodies.

The Supermama entrance

The beautiful indoor garden at Supermama

We found it impossible to leave empty-handed, and so I came away with a mustard yellow bag handmade by ‘StitchandSew‘ (a Japanese label), not to mention the coolest watch ever (an old-school black Casio). The Mr was quite taken with the musical stylings of Lullatone (a super sweet pyjama-pop duo), and so we indulged in a CD from them as well.

One bag from each of two favourite stores

So here are my two favourites shown side-by-side … as represented in bag form. I hope they get to accompany me on many future travels, where wonderful new memories will be created. It’s nice how the places you’re meant to see, and the things you’re supposed to own, find a way to come into your life. In this case it seems like a case of ‘bag serendipity’ was at play …  Do you think you’re serendipitous by nature too? xx

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Starting the year on the write note

Posted on January 24, 2012 by tracey

I’ve spoken before about this year being THE year for me to get serious about my writing, and so I thought it’d be timely to give you a little update on my progress so far. Here’s hoping that you’ll all be able to keep me accountable if I ever look like I’m slacking off …  perhaps you’ve got a project that you need some encouragement with too? If so, I’m here to help with some positive barracking from the sideline or a helping hand where needed. After all, sharers are carers.

A few weeks ago I started easing back into the writing groove by setting myself a modest daily word count. From there I’ve increased my word count goal and shifted my focus towards ensuring I spend a certain amount of time writing each day (provided the baseline word count is still met), and it’s been working well for me. I want to treat writing more like a ‘job’ – so I need to make sure I turn up every day and put in a reasonable amount of time and effort. Most of the daily word count is going towards one main piece of fiction, but I’m also keeping my eye on a few other non-fiction side projects. However, rather than get too caught up with all the big picture stuff, I also want to make sure I take creative breaks from time to time … and that’s where I’m hoping the fortnightly Sparkapolooza briefs will help.

A line of deer

The first brief for the year was ‘Beyond the Square’, and if you’re interested you can find my (very) short story, ‘Lines of Nature’ over here. There are also lots of other wonderful submissions to the brief, and you can have a look at those here. I like the idea of using these briefs as a writing exercise – with the intention of just doing and not being too concerned with over-polishing. I’ve never been much of a fan of diamonds anyway! Haha! :)

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A few travel highlights – Singapore and Penang

Posted on January 20, 2012 by tracey

Well, it’s only taken me about two months to get organised enough to put together a post about my travels last November … to be honest I think I was just dreading having to sort through all my photos. As some of you already know, I spent a couple of weeks split between Singapore and Penang (but spent most of that time in Singapore). It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but it was lots of fun.

The Mr and I fell more than a little in love with Singapore – it’s a beautiful place to travel to, and we very much look forward to travelling there again soon. Everything is so clean, safe and well organised, it’s super easy (and cheap) to get around on public transport, the people are lovely, and there’s lots to see and do. While we saw so much while we were there, it feels like there is still so much more for us to discover. Now that we have a better idea of what the different districts offer, we’ll be much better organised on our next excursion there.

A Beautiful building on Orchard Road

Gorgeous Fort Canning Park

Shutters on the MICA Building

Huge Merlion, at Merlion Park

Arriving in Penang from Singapore was quite a contrast – it looked and felt like a very different pace of life. I feel like perhaps we didn’t get off on the right foot in Malaysia, and so we never felt quite settled there. In saying that though, we did enjoy the experience of the night markets which were right on our hotel doorstep, we had no trouble finding vegetarian food for dinner at the Hawker food centre each evening (which was such a bargain), and we spent many a relaxing hour by the pool.

Penang ... a view from behind our hotel

The bright beach chairs at Lone Pine Hotel

Seriously high density living, Penang

The gorgeous view across the pool

I won’t deny it though, we were happy to head back to Singapore for the rest of our holiday. Lots of lovely memories were made there – I celebrated my birthday, tried a Tom Collins cocktail for the first time (yum!), was sheltered from a sudden downpour under a stranger’s umbrella, and I got to see Mouse Deer for the first time! While I don’t always appreciate Brisbane as much as I should, I was grateful for being used to high temperatures and ridiculous humidity … such training proved to be very useful in Singapore and Malaysia.

So in reflecting on this past trip, I now find myself dreaming of a new adventure. I’m thinking maybe New York, London-Paris, or even Japan. Are there any special places that you’d suggest?

PS. I have one more post to come about a couple of favourite stores I found in Singapore. So I hope you’re not bored with travel stories just yet. Oh, and if you want to see more of my travel photos, you’ll find them here. xx

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A few moments in January …

Posted on January 13, 2012 by tracey

Sure, I may be a little late in welcoming in this latest year, but perhaps that’s just an indication of how nicely 2012 has been treating me. I’ve been very much enjoying the feeling of ‘space’ the new year has brought with it … space to think, dream and be. Breathing space. Do you feel it too?

With one turn of the calendar, all the rush and hurry at the close of one year is left far behind, replaced by a magical sense of possibility. Apart from it signalling the start of the tennis season, the thing I most like about January is that time slows, creating more opportunities to appreciate the little happenings. With that idea in mind, I thought I’d share a few of my recent moments.

… There’s been flower gazing and cookie baking.

Green and purple blooms

Vegan choc-chip cookies

… Lots of bright sunny days, green grass and one very happy dog … Oh, and there’s always an opportunity to take my favourite sandals out for a relaxing wander.

A doggy roll

Saltwater Sandals (in yellow of course)

But I suppose the most exciting thing about this year for me is that I’m writing again. Actual honest-to-goodness proper writing … and gosh, it feels so fantastic! I’ve pushed all the doubts, negativity and annoying self-criticism to one side (for the moment at least), and I’m trying to just let the words do what they do best.

How about you? Have you experienced any little moments which have you thinking that this year could be quite momentous? xx

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Wishing you a very happy holiday …

Posted on December 24, 2011 by tracey

Have you started reflecting on the year that was yet? Or are you more of a future gazer, and find yourself already looking forward to what 2012 will hold? In late December I always find myself doing a bit of both … trying to work out whether the year that has almost ended was on balance a good or bad one, and thinking about what I want to accomplish in the year that lies ahead.

Happy (quiet paws) Holidays!

I don’t know if it’s just me, but do you find that as the years go by you spend less time reflecting on just what you hope the next 12 months will hold, but more time thinking about what you want to also achieve in the next 5, 10 or lifetime of years? … Perhaps this is just something that happens as we get older?

Personally for me 2011 was a year of change – adding a cat to the family, taking an extended leave of absence from my job, travelling to Singapore and Malaysia (which I WILL tell you about soon), joining a gym, growing my hair, and discovering the joy of wearing Saltwater Sandals. I feel there are many more changes to come yet … and so long as they’re positive, that’s A-OK with me!

Was 2011 a year of change for you too? Or perhaps it was a welcome dose of stability? Either way, I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons (however, whatever and wherever you’ll be celebrating). Remember, even if 2011 wasn’t everything you hoped it would be, there’s always 2012 to set things straight! xx

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You say hello, and I say goodbye

Posted on December 20, 2011 by tracey

Have you noticed there’s been a lot of that happening here lately? You very kindly stop by here to say hello, and before you know it I’m either bidding you a swift goodbye, or excusing yet another of my extended absences. Such conversations skirt around the edges of being one-sided, and there’s nothing too enjoyable about that.

Whenever I’m reflecting on hellos and goodbyes, I always think about the wedding speech made by my husband’s best man all those years ago (hello Andrew!), where he spoke about how he and the Mr maintain their friendship, even though they don’t see all that much of each other. I can’t recall his exact words, but I remember them as something like … ‘our hellos always start with the first words before goodbye’ … It always struck me as a beautifully eloquent statement.

I often think the words that stick in our minds stay there for a specific reason … most likely because one day they’ll fall into place at exactly the right moment (like now).

Hello, goodbye ... the perfect matching pair.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that your visits are always appreciated, and so in the future I shall try to repay your kindness by not disappearing every five minutes (no promises though … ha!). I shall also try my very best to not say hello right before I say goodbye …

To keep these hellos and goodbyes on their toes, I thought it best to sign off here with a hello rather than a goodbye. Hello!! What’s new in your world? Any plans for the holidays?

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It’s been eleven years …

Posted on December 16, 2011 by tracey

… since the Mr and I got ourselves ‘hitched’. Gosh, time flies when you’re having fun.

We shall celebrate in the very finest of traditions with a sumptuous feast of homemade Halloumi burgers, followed by gourmet tubs of Maggie Beer ice-cream (Burnt Fig, Honeycomb & Caramel for me, and Strawberries & Cream for the Mr).

It's my eleven year wedding anniversary!

Oh, and eating giant chocolate No. 1 freckles of course … Have yourself a great weekend lovelies! I hope there’s tasty chocolate, great food and wonderful times in store for you too. xx

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Flaking and other f-words

Posted on October 24, 2011 by tracey

So … obviously I haven’t been online all that much lately. In some ways I’ve missed it (mainly because I don’t get to catch up with the lovely people I know here), and yet in so many other ways I haven’t missed it at all. Aside from neglecting the blog, I seem to have become increasingly disenchanted with other online places too. Perhaps this phase will pass, maybe it won’t … either way, I’ve been thinking about some possible reasons for my current flakiness … (please excuse my use of all these f-words … ha ha).

On being a flake ...

  1. Fiction. I’ve been reading more, especially on the daily commute to and from work. Whereas in the past I’d spend time reading emails or checking twitter, I now seem to turn straight to my kindle.
  2. Film. A month or so ago I watched ‘The Cove’, a documentary about the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. There are some things you just can’t unsee, and this is a documentary that really got to me. Most days I find myself reflecting on it.
  3. Fight. Flight. Freeze. I’ve often thought about how I apply the ‘Fight’ or ‘Flight’ response in different situations, but it wasn’t until recently that the ‘Freeze’ option has made itself known. Oh science, sometimes I really miss you.
  4. Family & Friends. I want more time to get annoyed at the people that are most important to me. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But there is a logic. I spend too much time being irritated by people that ultimately matter very little – people like shop assistants, distant acquaintances and work colleagues. It would be nice to spend more of my time with people that really matter.
  5. Full-time. Working a day job is really exhausting, and I think this has been catching up with me more than usual.
  6. Freedom. In about 3 weeks, I’ll be taking a very long time off from my day job … I’m talking months, and months, and months. This has been a long time coming, and I am so looking forward to having more time for me.
  7. Focus. I’ve just had none recently, but I’ve been trying to do something each and every day to progress some writing projects that I’ve had hanging around for far too long. I figure doing a little bit each day is better than doing nothing at all.
  8. Fatigue. Aside from my usual problem of not getting enough sleep, I’ve just been feeling fatigued by the online world. Sometimes it feels like there’s too much noise and no volume control. That can wear a person down.
  9. Fitness. Going to the gym at lunch has been fantastic, and while it’s no doubt contributed to my tiredness, it’s a satisfying kind of exhaustion. It’s great to feel strong and fit again.
  10. Future. While I’ve got an overall idea of how the next year or so will unfold, the details are much more vague … but I figure that’s all part of the fun and adventure.

Anyway, I just wanted to drop by and say hello. I’m sure one day I won’t be as much of a flake as I currently am. More importantly though, I hope you’ve been well and that nice rather than nasty f-words are in your life too.  xx

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Home (and away) with my hobes

Posted on September 12, 2011 by tracey

Are you an online shopper? I’m sure you know by now that I certainly am. It’s so convenient to browse things at my leisure without having to deal with annoying crowds or irritating shop assistants. It’s also rather wonderful to have things arrive through the mail … now every day can feel like a special occasion, and why not I say!

With their packaging leaning nonchalantly against the wall, my new brown canvas Hobes are free to take centre stage. While they’re still a little squishy from their journey through the mail, let me just say that they fit my feet perfectly well. As someone who is a complete fusspot when it comes to shoes, that is high praise indeed!

My new brown canvas Hobes.

Because they’re lightweight and squish up to next to nothing, I’m thinking my Hobes will make an ideal travel companion … well apart from the Mr of course. I quite like the sounds of a ‘Me and My Hobes’ travel adventure … it sounds like the name of a fascinating documentary, don’t you think?

Speaking of all things travel, I will have to tell you the latest and greatest with my travelling plans … all will be revealed very, very soon. I have been doing a bit more local travel lately … sometimes it’s nice to just travel here and there, but not too far from home. Have you ever done that? I think it’s rather refreshing to see nearby places through a traveller’s eyes … you never quite know just what you’ll discover!

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Honey coloured memories

Posted on September 5, 2011 by tracey

Surely there’s no better way to start a week then by reflecting on all that was wonderful about the weekend just left behind? I have to tell you that apart from lazily enjoying my two days off work, I discovered a most delightful homemade breakfast treat. I use the term ‘homemade’ quite loosely, as it really required very little effort on my part. Nevertheless, such home-based treats remind me that not all great breakfasts happen outside the home.

I think there are a few fundamental prerequisites in the creation of a delicious breakfast. (1) A toasted item of some description should be included – whether that be bread, coconut or muesli it matters not. The focus here is something made warm, slightly golden brown, and crunchy. (2) Fresh ingredients should be used – after all, everything tastes better when it’s fresh. (3) Contrasting textures – sure it may sound a little weird, but there’s real pleasure to be found in a layering of flavours and ingredients, so that the differences can be more readily observed and savoured.

A most delightful weekend breakfast

All three of my prerequisites were included within my weekend breakfast of choice – A lightly toasted english muffin, topped with butter, honey and slices of banana (drizzled with extra honey). Mmm, mmm … it was so good on Saturday that I made an encore meal of it on Sunday morning. If only every day could start this way.

Honey is rather delightful in its own way, don’t you think? I tend to use it in different ways to its sweet cousin, Golden Syrup (which I also love). When I think of honey I am transported to other times and places … I remember having honey sandwiches as a child, made on the freshest of white breads that my dad would bring home from the bakery. I am also reminded of honey smeared across big flat bread rolls following a weekend swim at the home of a dear childhood friend … Ahh, happy times indeed.

Thanks for the memories, honey. xx

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