Westfields

Ran out of places to go the other day, as cafes and shops started closing around 4 or so, and I had no time to sit and draw to contentment. So I opted for the Westfields' food court. The nice one. I got coffee from the coffee, tea and all cakes known to man store. Not from Chili & Spice, which would be a lovely name for a cafe, but is instead a Indian restaurant. And which, I just noticed, I misspelt as Chill & Spice, which would still be a fairly nice name for a cafe.

The coffee nonetheless was enjoyable. However be warned. The giant oatmeal, raisin, nut cookies are not as delicious as they seem. If you are in the mood head down to the luxe cafe instead and you will be rewarded. Their cupcakes are also better. (And you can see my mural!)

Also if you are in a baklava mood do not purchase from the kebab store! The baklava is expensive, dry and not syrupy enough. It is a long walk but there is a wonderful little nuts and everything shop near the coles supermarket. They are floating in the center of the mall and have $1.50 baklava pieces that taste amazing but don't make you feel ill afterwards.

If you have any recommendations for me, for coffee or cake, please pass on the love!

Blast from the Past

While going through my stack of 'inspirationals', which amounts to a giant pile of photocopies, clippings and things I pick off the street, I stumbled across these wonderful educational children's magazines. They follow the alphabet in a general encyclopedia method and are littered with old school photographs and illustrations. How did this little gem of the 1970s find its way into my possession?

Well a few years ago one of my friend's decided to clear up her room and redecorate. In the usual high school girl fashion we all got very excited and came over sleep over style to help out. Some point during this little event, the magazines changed hands. I'm pretty sure the original owner was Jess Whiting, who's up in Brisbane now working in the management and curation side of the Arts. She had brought them over collage materials, but in the end they were spared the scissors and I convinced her to give them to me.

There are several other excerpts and delightful covers but instead of making an annoying giant post I just decided to put the rest in my flickr account. You can find them, and other scavenged, stolen and found images, here

Late Night coffee bean: thank you night shift

Late night, sooooo late night. Two or so in the morning or something ridiculous like that. The only thing more amusing is that the cafe was fairly full of people, all very happy, awake and mostly socializing. I perked up after a while and managed to use some of the ink brush pens that were starting to feel ignored. Not sure if I like how all the plants came out in the end, but definitely fond of the guy wearing a cap indoors.

Chilling late night at Starbucks

Taking advantage of operational hours in Singapore, coffee shops closing early at midnight or not at all, I decided to drive in the small hours and get some drawing done in my last days of Asia. Couldn't stay awake for a full cafe sketch, despite the coffee, but managed to get some girls who'd obviously settled in for the night with they're big display of mugs, cups and saucers. Most happy with capturing the legs of the short haired girl in front. She had olympian calves.

Free Hugs near Starbucks

Free hugs were being dispensed outside the Orchard Starbucks I usually frequent. Didn't get any myself but had spotted several shoppers sporting a red paper heart shaped badge earlier and was glad to have the mystery explained.

But there was still more to ponder. Like who organizes these free hug groups.

I always meet the idea of 'free' with suspicion and a mildly fanatic eagerness-the kind that will have you elbowing your way through minors and seniors while pumping your hand franticly in the air going ME! ME! PICK ME!.

It's odd but something you wouldn't look at twice suddenly becomes much more appealing when there is no price tag involved. It's like there is a special sheen of attractiveness coating free products, and I think just about everyone will agree that free food just tastes better.

Such is the allure of free.

There is the eagerness, but now for the suspicion. I understand free items attached to businesses, you try once and hopefully you buy later. But free hugs? First of all, who would ever come back later willing to buy a hug? And secondly, who is paying these people to offer their friendly comfort out to the public? Is it corporate owned? Government? or one of those self banding groups that decide to do fun things for the community in their spare time.

Of course all this speculation stopped the minute the Free Hugs group decided to call it a day and headed into Starbucks for a drink. Then there was regret. The kind you get when you wake up from an uncomfortable sleep on a plane and realize everyone but you has a warm towel. Or when you decide not to go to that boring office get together and find out later that there was free beer, and someone brought cake.

So here is the voice of hindsight: forgo your suspicion and give way to eagerness. When next met with free hugs, don't question, just squeeze that willing participant and bask in the happiness that is inherent in both Free and Hug.

Adrift: missed out again

Just a little something I made for Illustration Friday, but sadly I missed the deadline.

I blame the 8 hour flight from Singapore to Sydney,

and the 8 hours of sleep that followed.

Hope you all enjoy anyway.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a good time in the Year of the Tiger