MIDWEEK MAKINGS.

 60s music listening + excessive tea drinking + pattern painting = Good Wednesday!

HOME / AWAY.

We're back from an awesome 10 days in northern Vietnam. We had a blast, but I have to admit, it's nice to be "home" where the water is potable and my bed is not the top bunk inside a convulsing train car. Before we moved here, a number of people told me how much I would appreciate having Singapore as a home base here in SE Asia. It's true! Seriously, it pretty much always feels like summatime and the livin' is super easy. Thanks, Bradley.

But while easy livin' is good and all, sometimes you just want an adventure. And when you do, may I suggest Vietnam? It's easily one of the best places I've ever been.

If you go...

Wake up early and visit the parks in Hanoi. You will witness some seriously awesome dancing, intense badminton games and the cutest old ladies doing tai chi.

Hang out at a Bia Hoi where one dollar = one beer and the seating is a cluster of teeny plastic chairs spilling out into the street.

Join the locals for a game of đá cầu. It's like hacky sack except instead of kicking around some Rastafarian bean bag you use a little weighted shuttlecock. It has feathers! It's cute! And we were terrible at it.

Take the night train to Sapa! All the jiggling around on the bumpy ride there is worth it. The village ladies selling their goods are the sweetest, best-dressed and definitely the most relentless group of sales people I've ever met. And, duh, the views in Sapa are breathtaking.

Visit magical Halong Bay. The beauty is seriously unreal! There are around 2,000 gorgeous islets dotting the waters there. Islets. Isn't that a cute word? Really sounds like what it means: very small island.

And even if you do none of the above, just walking around Hanoi is a an adventure itself. Crossing the road will either make you feel like a badass or scare you into circling the block all day.

It was a great trip. And I have one million photos to prove it (and to sort through) and can't wait to share an edited selection this week!

P.S. you can click on the photos to make them bigger if you're feeling squinty.

(Photo of đá cầu via)

OFF TO VIETNAM.

I'll be on a plane to Vietnam in just a few hours! See you again at the end of February. 

DEAR VALENTINE: a video!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stuart and I made a deal to only give handmade cards this year. And although we both cheated a little bit, adding small presents to the mix, we did make some really fun cards for each other. The best was thinking that Stuart had kinda forgot about the whole pact and then being totally surprised by his card today. And I'm pretty sure I surprised him, too.

Dear Valentine... from aly aga on Vimeo.

I think he liked it. Hope you did too! Feel free to send it along to the Valentine in your life.

Thanks to one of my favorite artists, Sandra Juto, for sparking the idea with a great word cut-out technique. And another big thanks to the fantastic duo, Tiger in a Jar, for inspiring me with their d.i.y. video from last year.

WAY BACK WHEN IN BANGKOK...

It's been over a month since we were in Thailand. And that is just crazy. Time is flying right by on this adventure! I finally got some of my favorite shots together from our time in Bangkok and this week seems like the perfect time to share, as we will be heading off to Vietnam on Thursday and I can't have photos from two trips just sitting in the bank... So without further ado, I hope you enjoy some snippets from our time in BKK!

We spent Christmas in Bangkok and more specifically at Chatuchak market, seen above. There's no way for me to capture the scope of this market on my camera... So I just went with roaming rooster and succulents. Both are adorable. In addition to birds, and the awesome plant life for sale at dirt cheap prices (exercising self control in the face of tiny cacti - yep, I'm awesome), one could buy anything from vintage Levi's to handmade baskets, and even a Husky puppy! We settled on a frozen chocolate-dipped banana.

One morning, I got up mega early, jumped on the sky train and just started wandering around. This was a few days into the trip and at this point, poor Stu had been bed (and bathroom) ridden for days, sicker than a dog with food poisoning. Poor guy managed to get sick after only our first full day in Bangkok. At least we had already ticked "get two hour Thai massage" off our list! Yay! Anyway, after hanging around the hotel for well over 36 hours and when I could safely assume this illness wasn't going to claim him (it was kinda scary, people), I had to have an adventure. I took the sky train to one of the stops we'd gone to on Christmas, figuring I could safely navigate the area, when not 3 blocks into my wandering did I find a beautiful "wat", temple, in the middle of the city. Wat Pathum Wanaram was completely empty. The sun hadn't even come up by the time I arrived. It was such a peaceful experience to take in this Buddist temple at dawn, when everything was so still and empty.

A day or two after my excursion, and with Stu feeling worlds better, We wandered around finding art museums (look at that view down from the top floor!), more crazy markets, more wats, and just enjoying being in such a different setting.

We wandered through neighborhoods, met a million stray kitties, took a thrilling boat taxi ride, and went for a night stroll through one of the largest and oldest parks in Bangkok.

I read somewhere that the couple that takes a ride together in one of these adorable swan boats will break up after they return to shore. Maybe that was just for a particular pond in Japan, but we played it safe and kept our distance... Plus, they were closed.

Our hostel, shown above, was really something I can only describe as "Swiss Family Robinson"' meets "Hook ". Part tree house, part wooden pirate ship cabin. Sounds awesome right? It was.

We can't wait for our next trip. Vietnam here we come!

Have a great week.

SKETCHBOOK: Lion City

I love my bright red Magma Sketchbook. I received it from my amazing, and very thoughtful, team at work as a bon voyage gift (along with a load of other awesome goodies - handmade jewelry and pillows, homemade baked goods, a marvelous tart, a boppy beach-party-themed mix cd -- yeah, they're the best!) and although I haven't always been a big one to sketch (I have no patience), I'm getting there!

If you're looking for a new sketchbook, this one is pretty great. First of all, there's a handy pocket in the back for tucking away your goodies and bookmarks to keep your place. Second, I love the design of the simple calendar, rulers on the inside cover, and average human proportions on the back cover. Hello, figure drawing! Third, the paper is delicious, pages are numbered, and there's sprinkling of graph paper throughout. Lastly, it just looks nice! And that makes me want to take it around with me. Ok. I kinda snuck in a few more than four points. Can you tell I like it?

In case you're wondering, Singapore is Malay for Singapura, meaning Lion City. Although, I've yet to see any maned cats pawing around town, lions are what the city's founder claims he saw upon arriving here so many years ago. I like it!

MIDWEEK MAKINGS.

Ahh, yes. Who doesn't want a fresh new start? I made the collage above a few weeks ago in honor of Chinese New Year. We were just getting settled in to our new place here in Singapore and I didn't have much in the way of art supplies at the time, but needed to make something. Oh, hey stack of magazines from 22 hours worth of flying! Chop, chop, glue... and there you have it! Normally not much of a "collager", but this turned out to be really refreshing and just plain fun. Before committing to any particular arrangement I moved my bits and pieces around and snapped photos. This was both good and bad for my I-just-want-it-all, ever-indecisive self. But, alas, mountain range and ray of light won out.

My eating habits influencing my color choices. Little smiley moon photobombing my shots. Hi sleeping Stu!

Today seems like a good day to post something boasting a fresh new start... This morning, I took an online class taught by the very smart and pretty, Liz from Say Yes to Hoboken. What a cool way to connect! And it was just what I needed to get my rear in gear for a little site clean-up. It's still in progress, so please pardon the look as I continue to develop her! Interested in taking a class? You can register over at WorldFunction if you think you might want to get in on this whole "fresh new start" stuff, too.

And new friends from class, nice to meet you! Can't wait to check out everyone's blog!

THE FUTURE.

Valentine's Day came early! This morning I found a heart shaped coupon under my 

pillow good for some DQ treats and an at-home screening of Miranda July's The Future. 

Yes, dipped cones and movies with little bandaged kitties are the way to my heart.

ROSY WEEKEND.

Valentine's Day found its way into my camera. Pinks and reds and raspberries galore. I just mailed off a bundle 

of v-day cards today. Yippee! It's only a week away!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend, too.