Kooka Cafe

Before the MT Everyday Exhibition & Craft, we were across the street at Kooka Cafe. An Australian cafe, the decor were charmingly mis-matched and full of eclectic little touches. I liked my salad enough but it wasn't a dish to remember. And perhaps because we were sitting at the tables near the open-plan kitchen and counter, the kitchen left an unpleasant souvenir on our clothes for the rest of the day. :( However, I did enjoy the quiet and peace of the space, not many places in the city can boast that kind of serenity.

MT Everyday Exhibition & Craft

Please forgive me but for the next few posts, the words "sometime last year" will probably be tossed around quite a lot as I finally get around to sharing the places I went around last year.

This one is of the MT EVERYDAY - Exhibition & Craft 2012 organised by The Little Happyshop and held at the National Library Building. The event bills itself as the inaugural official mt tape event in Singapore and as an mt tape fan with a teeny-tiny collection (I have seen some humongous ones out there), I had to check it out. Although the space was small, I think it managed to show how mt tape can be used in various creative ways. There were also crafting tables with mounds of tapes for you to get started immediately on crafting projects. And let's not forget the mt tapes that were available for sale (specially discounted for the occasion). I picked up a couple of designs and also managed to entice my friend who tagged along with me to pick up a couple of rolls. Always glad to spread some mt tape love around. :)

Now, onto the film. Nope, this is not redscale film but Kodak E100G cross-processed. I was rather taken aback when I saw the results. I had used it a few times previously and was expecting green/yellow hues. But it seems like this film is a rather unpredictable creature because I just checked and another set turned up blue/purple hues. I remember that to compensate for the indoor lighting, I pushed the film to either ISO200 or 400 which probably caused the crazy redshift. It does tend to give one a headache but I don't think there is anyone else who has photos of this exhibition like mine.

Fremantle Snaps, Perth 2013

I will forever associate Perth with the colour blue. Those blue skies and blue seas. I have never seen anything like them anywhere else. A lot of people say that Perth is boring and slow, and to that I say, what's wrong with that? We all need a bit of boring and slow in our lives, especially when it comes in that wonderful blue package. I am already looking forward to another Down Under escapade. As far as I am concerned, it can't come soon enough.

Taylor's, Perth 2013

Before driving back to Fremantle, we decided that our last stop in Swan Valley should be at Taylor's Art and Coffee House for a cup of joe to sustain ourselves for the drive home. I didn't know what I was expecting but I certainly wasn't expecting to be greeted by what seems like an ancient steam turbine at the front.

Taylor's is the most eclectic coffee house / art gallery that I have ever seen. It seems to be part coffee house, part your grandmother's house, part metal scrapyard, part antique shop, part dusty garage. The cafe part seems normal enough, with your usual chalkboards, cakes display and espresso machine, albeit one with an umbrella shielding it from the sun. The coffee cups and plates are of varying shapes, sizes, designs, all stacked higgledy piggledy around.

Everything is this space feels like it has been done by hand. The furnishings looked like they were slowly added on one by one rather than being styled all at once. It's a great place to spend an afternoon, leafing through magazines or if you need a quiet space to do some work.

After exploring the insides, we went out to have a poke around the outdoor area. 

I can't quite decide if the spiderwebs are real but I think they must be. I have never seen such a complete spiderweb ever.

Oh, and the coffee's great too! So if you need some fuel for the ride home, remember to stop by Taylor's before it closes for the day.

Swan Valley, Perth 2013

Perth Journal Day 06

Initially, we planned to drive to the Margaret River wineries but after finding out how exactly how far away it was, we decided to keep it simple with a drive to the closer Swan Valley region. Before entering the Valley, we stopped off at the Swan Valley Visitor Centre in the town of Guildford. There, the lovely guides introduced us to the various establishments in the Valley and recommended the places we should visit or have lunch. I highly recommend you do that if you are a first-time visitor because they are so many choices in the Valley, it can get overwhelming.

It was a truly beautiful day to drive around the Swan Valley, blue skies and white clouds. We couldn't have asked for a better last day in Perth. Armed with the map and recommendations, we took an easy drive through the valley, stopping at places we thought would be interesting or were recommended by the Visitor's Centre. We stopped in at Sandalford Wines and Houghton Winery. Sandalford had on display some heritage vines that were planted in 1890 and are still producing grapes (second image in this set)!

For lunch, we decided on Mash Brewery & Restaurant. I really like that cheeky gorilla and garage feel they have going on in that place. So many hilarious ape and beer puns all over too! Both the food and the beer was really good. We had the fish & chips and buffalo wings, accompanied by a glass of Crush beer. Perfect holiday food.

After that yummy lunch, we stopped for a scoop of ice cream at the delightfully old-fashioned Oggie's Ice Cream Cafe. Seems like many others had the same idea too. I ordered a scoop of whiskey (yes, whiskey!) ice cream. While enjoying my ice cream, I poked around the shop and discovered they stocked tins upon tins of old-fashioned candy. I imagine many of the older customers must love re-discovering all their favourite childhood candies and buying up truckloads to reminisce about yesteryear.