Malacca: part 2

(Canon AE-1, Kodak Tri-X 400)

Oops, it's been almost three weeks since my last post. I like to think that this indicates that I've been spending more time offline recently, meeting friends and actually doing things.

Just a few more photos from my trip to Malacca (see part 1 here).

I'm off to do a bit of travelling and won't be posting for the next few weeks. See you in October, friends!

Malacca: part 1

(Canon AE-1, Kodak Tri-X 400, shot at 200)

About a month ago, my family and I drove up to Malacca for the weekend. In addition to eating what seemed like an endless array of Really Good Food (I will never forget those durians, they were good AND cheap), we stumbled onto a Mini Cooper convention, explored the quaint little shops along Jonker Street and admired the Fort A Famosa.

Click through for details about each photo. More to follow!

I still have much to learn about shooting with black & white film, but I like how these photos have way more contrast than the ones from the last roll I shot.

46 years old

There's one day each year on which Singaporeans take a break from complaining about our country and praise it instead, and that's National Day! Happy birthday, Singapore!

Links for the one-day holiday:

My favourite NDP song, even after all these years

Can't wait to see the rest of this collection

Manic namecards

She knows how to work those pants

Hey, that font looks familiar!

What typography is really all about

Wordplay

Yet another reason why the Korean language fascinates me: the addition of a single stroke (in this case, 'ㄴ') can change the meaning of a whole phrase.

Why couldn't I have been this enthusiastic towards learning Mandarin during my school days? Oh, right - because it was compulsory and I didn't see the need for it at that point. Motivation changes everything.

(잘못이 있으면 좀 알려 주세요!)

Word.

Loving these AWESOME bible-inspired posters by Jim LePage, from his project Word. In my mind there's often a dichotomy between 'God stuff' and 'design stuff', but this proves that there needn't be such a distinction. These are just a few of my favourites; check out his portfolio for more designs and tongue-in-cheek explanations about the inspiration behind each image.

(All images belong to Jim LePage. Found via Abduzeedo)

Local tourist: Ann Siang Hill

Inspired by the guide that Emily from Paper Tiger Press wrote for Design*Sponge, and Notabilia's Singapore Shopaholic posts, my friend Elly and I decided to be local tourists for a day. So, a few weeks back, we took a trip to Ann Siang Hill, a curious area full of refurbished shop-houses.




Many have been converted to bars... (I love the bright red windows on this one)


...while others have been preserved in their original state. This shop-house looks as though it's been around since the early 1900s!


Jewel stickers from The Little Dröm Store - I used to wear these as earrings when I was a kid. They've got many other little knick knacks that used to be common in the past but are hardly sold anywhere else now.


Upon entering Woods in the Books, we were greeted by a jovial tree with legs. After I snapped this shot, the owners told us that photography wasn't allowed, oops!


We stopped for a tea break at the cosy little Flor Patisserie. I recommend their ice cheese tart, which comes in many flavours. Next time, I have to try the matcha-flavoured one.



All in all, it's a great area to explore. I really felt like a tourist that day. I think it's all about how you look at your surroundings, about expecting to see the new, interesting things that are there, instead of just what's old, tired and everyday. I can't wait to be a local tourist again!

If you know of a special spot in Singapore, a place you've had fun exploring, I'd love to hear about it!

Love lives here and now

The weekend is almost upon us! I would like to present a few interesting links that you can distract yourself with 'til it gets here:

Have you ever seen fireflies in a jar?

Angular, beautiful jewellery

That Kate takes such lovely photos

A really diverse collection of poster & flyer design

CSS explained in plain english

What a magical woodland might look like in spring (via Sherm)

The history of the English language in 10 minutes (via Najiah)

(Amazing photo + hand-lettering by Kateryna)

Friday Film Fav: Tomojiro

Wow, it's been a while since my last FFF post. These photos were taken by Tomojiro, who describes herself as "a Japanese woman who loves cameras". Her photos have a peaceful, thoughtful quality and she shoots with a lovely range of different film cameras (so envious!).

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Flying not falling

Natsumi, the creator of the Yowayowa Camera Woman Diary, takes photos of herself in many different settings, with one constant - she's always in mid-air. Unlike most levitation self-portraits, her photos don't create the illusion that she is floating, but instead capture a sense of motion.

There's something about these photos that makes them look like stills from a film and they remind me of the Japanese animated movie The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I love her creativity and admire her willingness to do what it takes to get the shot she wants.

(Found via Jayhan, all images by Natsumi)

May days in Seoul #3: Seoraeseom

Seoraeseom (서래섬), a mini-island found along the Han river, had fields full of yellow rape flowers in full bloom when we were there in May. We chose a really grey, overcast day to visit, which might explain why all the photos are underexposed, but the flowers were so bright and cheery that the weather didn't matter. For some strange reason, there were also white statue-people and random mascot characters who wandered along the dirt paths, giving visitors heart attacks (statue-people) and posing for photographs (both).

Illustrated stories

In 2010, Anne Ulku and Van Horgen created & illustrated a six word story each day, inspired by Ernest Hemmingway. This year, they started Six Word Story Every Day, and invited creatives to contribute their own illustrated stories.

It was so hard to pick just six, because there's so much good stuff there. I love how the transformation from text to image adds yet another layer of meaning to these pithy phrases.

Anyone can send them a story, so if you're feeling artsy, why not have a go at creating one!

(Found via design work life, all images from SWSED)

May days in Seoul #2: Myeongdong

Canon AE-1, Fuji Superia 400

It's these little things that make Myeongdong endearing, despite its crazy crowds and duplicate cosmetic shops. (The fact that I love shopping doesn't hurt either.)

Happy Monday, friends!