Dropping in to post a few layouts I did some time back before continuing with my work.

These were some cute pics of my grans taken at a recent family dinner. Put my new chrysanthemum punch to work for the background and I like how quick it was to put together this  layout.

My memories of Seville is abit clouded by the wet and blustery weather. The day we visited the Alcazar was no different. I cannot say how much I love studying the clean yet intricate Moorish designs of the palaces and cathedrals found all over Southern Spain. The Islamic influence in a predominantly Catholic country is fascinating and I think the architecture in the region reflects this phenomenon more clearly than anything.

Florence conjures to the mind art and history and beautiful sculptures. These are all true. But one of my favourites spot in this Renaissance city is not the Uffizi museums but the splendid view from Piazzale Michelangelo. I've been there when it was sunny and swarming with tourists, when it was rainy and deserted and so delightfully peaceful and this time, I managed to catch a glimpse of a Florentine sunset from this rather underrated place.

 

 

I'm not lying when I say I cannot get enough of Cinque Terre. They're probably my favourite pics to scrapbook cos it has everything that makes a good picture - sunlight but not too harsh, blue skies, greenery, colourful houses, hills and the sea. Notwithstanding how much I love that place. It turned out to be a happy misfortune when we had to hike the more challenging Sentiero Rosso when parts of Sentiero Azzurro was closed due to a landslide.

 

Finally.

I was surprised, excited, delighted, absolutely excited when I chanced upon a copy of Nylon at the 7-Eleven near my house. Not any Nylon but Nylon SINGAPORE!! Woohoo, we're finally getting there! Never thought we would be cool enough to join the Nylon gang. I love it that the style and typeset of the magazine remains the same (lots of graphics and drawings) as its US sister but the content is more relevant now since the references are local. Here's a rather unglam pic of me holding the inaugural issue:



Had another kind of heart-pumping-blood-rushing surprise last week when I saw the cover page of MyPaper announcing that Tokyo ramen stall Menya Musahi has opened a branch in Raffles City. Sounds familiar...sounds familiar... then it struck that it was the one and only ramen stall that I visited in Tokyo at the recommendation of my colleague! Finally tried the original of something before it got transplanted here though we took almost an hour and lots of guesswork before locating the stall (even then, we were unsure that it was the stall until a kind Jap guy confirmed it haha).







Was reminded how brilliant the Artemis Fowl series are and how much I like it when I borrowed the latest book from my cousin. I have all the books except the latest one, having stubbornly refused to buy it at a whopping price of $30 for a paperback. Eoin Colfer is underrated I feel, his writing is sharp, witty and humourous - I'm not even sure kids will actually get some of his jibes. I would even go so far to say that Artemis Fowl is a perhaps a little more thrilling and imaginative than Harry Potter. Both involve magic, one is charming, the other mind-blowing. Highly recommended, I love his writing style.

Am glad to have snatches of time to update my blog again.