A Tribute to our Popo, our heroine

No words can describe the pain our family is feeling now and for the past 11 months. Our grandmother, resilient till her very last breath, left us on 17 April 2012, leaving us feeling empty, helpless and abandoned. 

Many times, we tell ourselves while looking at her frail tiny body, 'She has to go. She is suffering too much.' Our grandmother reached a stage where she stared blankly at the ceiling, reaching out her weak left arm to any friendly hand from any visitor passing by her bed. As she talked lesser to us, we could feel her leaving us, like a shadow disappearing with every passing of a minute. It is indeed heart-wrenching to see someone who cared for us so unselfishly fade into darkness, eventually becoming just a shadow of her old self. As she slept more and more, we felt that she could sense her end was near. She often told us to go home quickly and we could feel that she did not want to leave us, as much as we did not want to leave her. The cruelty of it all was that her body kept breaking down, and with each step we took her forward in spirit, the body falls two steps behind. Eventually she succumbed, albeit peacefully, in her sleep. We wish her well, as she now looks over us in heaven, continuing to be our guardian angel, as she was in life, as in death. 

My brother said, 'You know, there is a little Popo in all of us.'

We would also want take this opportunity to thank all relatives and friends for their generous donations and kind words during our recent bereavement. 

This tribute goes out to the team of dedicated doctors and nurses, health care workers from Dover Park Hospice, HCA, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Bright Vision Hospital and the SCDF. Without the patience, timely care and professionalism of Dr Allyn Hum, Dr Bong, Dr Farid, Nurse Christopher Tan, Shelby (Physiotherapist) and all nurses who took special care of our granny, she would never have come so far in her journey with us and eventually passed away with dignity and peace.  

Humptydump digs Tilda Swinton

At 51, Tilda Swinton continues to exude ethereality, reminiscent of a heavenly being who had fallen to earth accidentally. The multi-hypenated thespian has been lauded in many of her performances. We at Humptydump first caught sight of the enigmatic actress in The Chronicles of Narnia and were struck by how Tilda portrayed the ice queen with just the right tinge of iciness that scared the goose pimples out of us.

Fashion-wise, Tilda has been pursued by various fashion houses who can't enough of the timeless features of this actress from London.

She can almost make anything look amazing, or rather, other-worldly.

Screen shot of 'I am Love.' Now we know what to wear with yellow pants. Attitude and laissez faire.

Screen shot of 'I am Love'. Wardrobe created exclusively by Raf Simons for JIL SANDER

Source: W Magazine

Above and below: Screen shots of 'I am love.' Love the wardrobe created exclusively by Raf Simons for Jil Sander

Add caption

Source: The Telegraph UK

Source: StyleguideCT

Source: MODUS
Tilda for Pringle of Scotland AW12

Dolls made from children's drawings

We at Humptydump love relishing the past, especially our carefree childhood days. what better way to do this than looking at children's drawings and admiring the simple and timeless qualities of these works, done through untainted minds.

Send your drawings now to twopolkadots@gmail.com, Humptydump's toy manufacturing 'arm', and we promise to make your doodles come true!

A search through Google reveals childsownstudio, a site that actually reworks drawings into plush toys. That's like our dream job come true!

A look here at what else we discovered:

Source: childsownstudio
So this is how my cat would look like

Source: Child's Own Studio
We are sure many of us drew something like that during our childhood days

Source: Stuff Your Doodles

Source: While She Naps

Source: Unknown (Owner please email us as we lost the link)

Source: SISTUR AMINAL dolls

Panna Cotta Recipe made easy - thanks to The Straits Times Food Page

Humptydump made this Italian dessert in a jiffy, thanks to Hsueh Yun, food editor from The Straits Times.

Recipe adapted from The Straits Times

Serves: Approximately 4-6 cups

Time required (excluding refrigeration): 30 minutes

Ingredients:
750 ml whipping cream (not whipped cream)
3 teaspoons unflavoured powdered gelatine
80 g brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries for serving

Method
1. Measure out 250 ml of the cream into a medium saucepan.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let sit 5 minutes.
3. Place pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to break the gelatin up. You need to do this until the gelatin dissolves, at least 5 minutes.
4. Place the rest of the cream (500 ml), the sugar and the vanilla extract into the saucepan. Continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer (we used a flour sifter) to trap the clots.
6. Divide the mixture among pudding cups/any porcelain cups.
7. Let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
8. Cover the tops with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight (for best results and for the pudding to harden till it 'boings')
9. Rinse the strawberries, raspberries and blue berries.
10. Pour boiling water into a medium saucepan. Dip the cup of pannacotta into the hot water for a few seconds.
11. Remove, invert it into a small serving plate and slide the pudding out.
12. Scatter the berries, add a tinge of maple syrup and viola, a yummy dessert perfect for a humid afternoon!

Adonde Vases in Singapore

Adonde vessels work like modular systems. Now how's that for a vase? We love its clean, simple lines and utterly modern color combinations. Too bad it costs quite a bomb, like the beauties below start at 145 Euro, which is almost SGD$300, which is a jaw-dropping price to pay but if money's not the issue, this is one conversation starter worth saving pennies for. Measuring 29 cm in height and 10 cm in diameter, it looks pretty smart and well-designed.

Locally, it is stocked at the SPACE furniture store. Worth visiting even if you are not buying a single thing. SPACE furniture is at 77 Bencoolen Street Singapore; Opening hours: 1030- 2030 (Mon-Sun); tel: +65 6415 0000

Source: ADONDE

Source: ADONDE

NANAMICA - Cycling Bags - To Die For - Even though we are klutzes at cycling

Humptydump chanced upon NANAMICA at Surrender and were so taken in by the bags featured in the SS12/13 collection.

Founded in 2003 and based in Tokyo, the brand combines sports and utility tastefully, never over-the-top. Pop by Surrender at Raffles Hotel and see it for yourself.

NANAMICA can be found at SURRENDER. Raffles Hotel Arcade. #02-31 Singapore.
+65 6733 2130

A little excerpt from the NANAMICA site:

'The brand nanamica takes “utility” and “sports” as key words, bringing together experts in casual and sports wear and import items, seeking to bring products that makes our everyday lives happy, comfortable, and stylish. Our limited edition products created in collaboration with authentic sports brands and select items selected according to our ideal of what sports and work style should be, embodies our aim to bring to you unique and special items that are beyond trends and that can be used for a very long time. We work everyday in order amaze people with a great collection of wonderful items!'

Source: NANAMICA

Source: NANAMICA
Some of the bags we saw at Surrender. Refer to the ones at the back row. 

Peplum fever hits Singapore! Thanks to a constant stream of buys from H&M by HumptyDump

Peplums, once an accent to adorn women's hips to indicate fertility, are now flooding runways. To think we had a good laugh when a friend put one on back in 2010, insinuating that this look was meant for jobs in the circus. We actually have to eat our own words now. What drives this? And is it for everyone? We girls feel that in general, this look seems to suit the long and mean but who care about fashion rules anymore. For an in-depth look at the evolution of peplums, look no further than Emerson Fashion Society. 

Here's our take on what looks good (sorry missies, only classy outfits. No trash please)

Source: Emerson Fashion Society

Source: Harper's Bazaar

Source: Unknown

Source: ASOS

Source: ASOS

Source: ASOS

Source: White Bison via Emerson Fashion Society

Dieter Rams x 10 Principles of Good Design

We are loving timeless classics, especially in products. Here we pay tribute to Dieter Rams and his 10 principles of good design.

Good Design is Innovative
Good Design makes a Product Useful
Good Design is Aesthetic
Good Design makes a Product Understandable
Good Design is Unobtrusive
Good Design is Honest
Good Design is Long-Lasting
Good Design is Thorough, down to the last detail
Good Design is Environmentally Friendly
Good Design is as little Design as possible

Source: Vitsoe

Source: Vitsoe

Source: Vitsoe