I was attracted by this red brick building when I passed by Tanjong Pagar the other day. After googling about this building, I realised that this used to be Traffic Police Headquarters. Today, it is the only red dot design museum in the world outside of Germany. The museum holds the largest collection of international contemporary design in Asia.

I didn’t manage to visit the exhibition, but just a walk around the place and at the museum shop was enough to inspire me. =)

Love the products carried in the museum shop. Really pretty & contemporary!

Retro cameras!

Mini lomography cameras I was so tempted to get!!!

One of these days, I’ll go back to check out the exhibition! I really love contemporary art. =D

Red Dot Design Museum is located at 28 Maxwell Road.

Heard about this last surviving kampong in Singapore and hubby & I decided to explore the place one day. All we did was to walk around, take photographs and check out the place, but I really enjoy quiet walks like that with hubby. =)

My parents grew up in villages in Kuala Lumpur, so when I stepped into Kampong Buangkok, there was this rush of nostalgia and familiarity that swept over me immediately. Everything in that place reminded me so much of the Hakka Village my dad grew up in. In fact, I lived in the village myself as a kid from birth to 3 years old. As I was growing up, I would make yearly trips back to the village with my parents. I love the rustic feel in the place, and felt really amazed that such a place actually exists in modern Singapore!

Most of the houses in this place are made of wooden planks with zinc roofs. Very retro indeed!

Everywhere you turn, you can find some fruit trees bearing different kinds of fruits. That’s pretty symbolic of a village. =)

Lovely! Traditional red mailbox!

You can spot a lot of ‘personal touches’ in this place. Everybody built their own houses, designed their own landscapes and fences & gates etc. Every house looks different & unique!

This particular house belongs to a family of Malays, and perhaps you can’t really tell from this photo, but the door is actually a really small one, possibly only 3/4 the size of a normal-sized door. If I stand in front of the door, the ceiling is probably just 10cm above my head. I reckon the taller people who enter that house must bend to go through that door. This was one of the houses that left a deeper impression on me, as it was of a ‘different proportion’. It somehow felt like a gigantic dollhouse. =)

Outdoor kitchen. =)

This house, in particular, looks very much like the houses found in my dad’s Hakka village in KL. =)

Look at how big this whole area is. This is the front yard of one of the houses. =) I guess this family is really blessed to have built their house at the extreme end of the village, so that they can have this whole big area to themselves. =)

As advised by one of the nice residents there, we walked to this part of the kampong because it was prettily decorated. And like what the nice resident told us, I really found this area quite pretty. The residents sure made effort to beautify the place with the leaves, plants and shrubs. =)

Loved my walk back in time. =)

I’ve got way too many Weekend Snapshot posts on backlog that I decided to do a 3-Day Long Weekend Snapshot series this week!

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Several weeks ago, I managed to visit a cafe I’ve been hearing about and wanting to visit. =) The Orange Thimble is a very arty cafe. The interior decor is so pretty!

A cafe that serves ice-cream as well! Really awesome for chilling an afternoon away!

It was the Christmas season when I visited, so gingerbread boys & girls were on sale!

Lots of different kinds of coffees & teas

You’ll be spoilt for choice with so many different sandwiches, cakes, pastries on sale here!

The retro biscuits that come along with your coffee/tea. Love this touch!

Decor made out of egg trays. Looks nice doesn’t it?? =)

The cafe has different sections with different feel to it. As you take a walk through the cafe, you’ll be able to feel the different ambience the owners are trying to create in each space. I really love that!

 

This has got to be my most favourite space - The courtyard!!!

I had a really relaxing afternoon sipping my Earl Grey & eating my scone at The Orange Thimble. =) What a very awesome cafe. I LIKE!!!

Their scone was really delicious. One of the best I’ve eaten. Goes super well with my butter & strawberry jam!!!

The Orange Thimble is located at Blk 56, #01-68 Eng Hoon Street, Tiong Bahru.