Saturday, December 31, 2011

Vintage plastic wares

A vintage butter dish reminiscent of the one I broke when I was a kid

A pretty three tier plastic ware made in Japan in the late 70s

A vintage Chinese New Year candy tray with compartments for different sweets and melon seeds

Well designed vintage ceramics and plastic ware from Europe and America are doing a thriving business on ebay today. There are also beautifully designed Japanese and Hong Kong vintage plastics of the 70s and 80s which were popular household items in Asia back in those days. Some of these early plastic wares such as the Chinese New Year candy trays from Hong Kong were very durable and had a nice "crystal cut" finishing which made them such beautiful collectibles. Also found a vintage butter dish which was similar to my mum's back in the 70s. I remember dropping and breaking it when I was a clumsy kid.  Don't you think this vintage butter dish makes a lovely jewellery box ? It certainly has a unique star cut design which was the trend back then. 

Friday, December 30, 2011

Cafe culture in Singapore


Above and below : L'etoile cafe at Owen Road



Above : Sticky chocolate cake from Old School Delights .
Below : Cute chalkboard menu


New cafes seemed to have mushroomed all over Singapore in the most unexpected places. Hidden in an old shophouse off Race Course Road is L'etoile, a French Japanese inspired cafe that has a beautiful space on the second level. Vintage furniture such as an old dresser, a sewing machine table, antique looking clocks and comfy armchairs complete the look with nice, flowy lace curtains. I went there with my friends for lunch on a weekday but I wished that the menu had more to offer besides sandwiches plus coffee and tea. Had the smoked smoked duck on ciabatta and for someone not particularly crazy about bread, it was really fresh and good. Highly recommended though by a friend is their weekend brunch where French crepes with butter and sugar are available including a most delicious strawberry shortcake. Maybe on a weekend the next time.

L'etoile
160 Owen Road near Farrer Park MRT Station (closed on Monday)

And for a place closer to my home is Old School Delights, off Upper Thomson Road. It had a very familiar classroom environment complete with chalkboards as well as vintage toys and card games from the 70s and 80s. Remember Old Maid, Happy Family and Donkey ? Old School Delights ' signature dish is definitely the mee siam made with a special family rempah recipe. Love the menu handwritten in chalk especially the dinosaur drinking from a straw. There are 3 versions of Singapore dinosaur drinks available here - everyone's favourite Milo dinosaur including the Horlicks dinosaur and Bandung dinosaur. I couldn't resist the sticky chocolate cake though I do recommend sharing it with a friend as it is decadently rich.

Old School Delights
215M Upper Thomson Road

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

What is friction ?





Love the decorative book shelf panels at a recent book fair at Suntec City, Singapore. They highlighted quotes on friction by famous authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Paul Therouse, Dorothy Allison and Virginia Woolf.


"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she were to write friction." This quote by Virginia Woolf reflected the status of the women of her time in 1929. Taken from her extended essay A Room of One's Own , it reflected a feminist point of view and a push for freedom for women writers in a literary world dominated by men. 


Love another quote of hers that I can relate very well to.
" One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. "