the perfect pattern...

i've always loved this japanese-style wave pattern (apparently it has a name, but i can't find it) but i lusted after batik silks painted with this pattern in bali, and while we were in singapore i bought two bowls for rice that look JUST like the one in the top left. i can't get enough of it's simplicity and fluidity. it just seems like the perfect zen pattern, right?

if i could find a duvet just like this one from crate & barrel that was grey and white for our bedroom i would just keel over and die.

images from here, here, here, and here, here.

the beach...

saw the singaporean coast yesterday...we'd promised two of the nieces we'd go swimming in a nearby pool, so we didn't get to see AS MUCH of the beach as we'd liked when they had a meltdown about it. oooohhhhh well. ;)
either way, we loved being with them and seeing the sand, blue water, and line of tankers and boats waiting to enter the harbor.

house hunting (sort of)...

so, in case you didn't know.. singapore is a REALLY new city in the whole scheme of things. honestly, in the mid-1900s (i think) the city planners destroyed most of the classic architecture to make way for "modern" buildings... sky scrapers, high rises, the MRT, etc. boone and i went on an adventure slash treasure hunt to find some of the older styled buildings.. and we FOUND some in what's called the Arab Quarter. beautiful, right?







and here's the view outside carrie and scott's bedroom into the alley... their house is so open like a tropical townhouse ought to be. the best part for the girls is the alley just behind the courtyards.


here's the alley...it's just PERFECT for playing and riding bikes.

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

carrie, boone and i went to explore singapore's largest buddhist monastery this week. we were just in time to be a part of prayer..i didn't know the rituals, but i loved observing from the sidelines and listening to the chanting. as we walked around i was completely mesmerized by the elaborate carvings of dragons on the rooftops, the various statues of the Buddha in each temple and the painted lotus blossoms on the ceilings. in one spot i had time to do some walking meditation and breathe in the incense filling the air...which was really peaceful.

it was a HUGE complex...so i tried to take photos of the different temples..
here's the building with 10,000 buddhas...which, by the way, is A LOT of buddhas.

and a walkway between the temples...

and inside one temple where a woman was stroking the body of a Chinese Buddha statue.





shoes of the sangha outside the library...




it was a wonderful morning... if you're looking for something to explore in singapore, the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery should be on your list. so, this is what WE'VE been doing. what about you?

travel update...singapore and beyond.

we've had some really good family time this week (see above for our digs)...we've eaten great food, seen a hawker centre, been swimming, seen the skyline from the marina, and visited the botanic gardens.

last night we got out on the town with some tfa friends of mine who've been in myanmar for the past three years. it was great to see them, and today we're hitting chinatown with them to shop and eat. it's a little drizzly, but honestly, that's preferable to the complete and total sticky heat. i've NEVER been this hot in my life..and i grew up with Mississippi summers. ;)

the one hiccup we've been facing is my total inability to make a decision about our side trip... two minutes ago it LOOKED like we were going to phuket and krabi in thailand...beautiful beaches, jungles, and thai food.. what else could we want?

but then, the stupid interweb kept keeping us from booking our flights and we realized that there was probably going to be a LOT of rain. So, we picked BALI.

it was a tough decision since Borneo sounds so cool and so does Thailand. Anna and Jared (my tfa friends) suggested Luang Prabang in Laos LAST NIGHT...and it sounds like heaven. but on such short notice for such a short trip the cost is absolutely prohibitive. we'll just have to come back so we can see it. then we thought about Hanoi, except it takes 5-7 days to get a visa. again, we'll just have to come back!

anyway, we're going with a beach and volcano vacay this time... which WILL NOT be bad. in fact, i bet it will be FANTASTIC. :) i'll take photos so you can see it.