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at the chias

at the chias

making a home | finding beauty in the ordinary | living for things that matter

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I’m Audrey, a mom of two, living in sunny Singapore. Here, I hope to share inspiring ideas and snippets of our daily ordinary life, to spur you onward and upward.

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Bits and pieces of our adventure across southwest Bits and pieces of our adventure across southwest Western Australia — a tiny exploration of a vast state in an even larger country. Slowing down to match a child’s pace, and bending down to match a child’s perspective brings much insight. 

Follow along for more details of the places we visited, and more family adventures: both big (like this) and ordinary (most of the time).
While novelty is fun, there is quiet comfort in th While novelty is fun, there is quiet comfort in the return to the familiar. On our third trip to the Margaret River region, we visited many old favourites, connected with an old Airbnb host, and explored a few new places (with kids now grown and a new baby)! 

Here are some places in the Margaret River region we visited this time. 

📍 Sunflowers Animal Farm 🌻 
An absolute favourite of ours for the space to roam and interact with the animals. Bottle feeding of baby orphaned animals happens at fixed times and is free to participate in. 

📍 Vasse Village by Bunbury Farmers Market 🛒
Stopping by Bunbury Farmers Market to stock up on fresh produce for our meals has been a major highlight of each trip. The new outlet is near Busselton, making it even easier to get to from MR. And it has a playground!

📍 Busselton Jetty & Foreshore 🌊🌲
We’ve only taken the train onto the jetty once, but what keeps us coming back are the great food and vibes at Shelter Brewing Co (a rare lunch out for us), the large green lawn to run on, and the ship playground. This time we popped into Little Otto’s Choc Shop and got a quick tour. 

📍 Yahava KoffeeWorks ☕️
One of the old favourite places to learn about coffee and taste a few different beans. Free tastings are available daily, and we learnt a lot from this visit with the kids asking their share of questions too. The cafe is attached so you can buy a drink after bean shopping. 

📍 Jewel Cave 💎
This was our third cave exploration in the region — as the older kids are now fully able to navigate steep steps and walking in darkness on their own now, we could explore this cave (which is via guided tour). There was a moment where the guide turned off all the artificial lights to let us experience the true darkness of the cave, and the pitch darkness was eerie, almost drowning. (Other more little person friendly caves are Mammoth and Ngilgi.)

(cont in comments)
I think National Day is fast becoming my favourite I think National Day is fast becoming my favourite local holiday. 

It’s that one time in the year when we can all agree that Singapore is actually a wonderful place to live in, despite all the complaints we utter on the 364 other days of the year. (I enjoyed reading everyone’s reflections so much, thank you for sharing!)

And for a people who are losing touch with cultural traditions, I see so many families starting new traditions centred around this holiday. From picnics around Marina Bay to catch fireworks, to Singapore-themed meals at home, and of course, letting the kids stay up to watch the NDP on TV, our generation is sinking roots by creating new traditions that aren’t defined by our language or ethnicity, but by our Singaporean-ness. 

It is a rare glimmer (matching the rarity of fireworks in Singapore), but one worth highlighting. Deep inside, despite our top-tier educations and highly-efficient wiring, we still long for simple things that remind us that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. That the joy of spending time with friends and family enjoying a few minutes of fireworks is worth hours in the gruelling heat, sitting on the floor and eating picnic fare. That despite the cheesiness of old NDP songs, and our apprehension of the new, we continue to belt out the lyrics when no one’s listening (or for some of us, when others are listening). 

Traditions, old and new, remind us of what’s most important. Singapore, you are worth fighting for. 

Majulah Singapura. Onward we go, my beloved home. 🇸🇬

[We commemorate the occasion by having a meal with family, during which the kids plan activities like temporary tattoo booths and craft, then watch the parade together on a computer screen since we don’t have a TV at home.]
Some very difficult questions worth thinking about Some very difficult questions worth thinking about. 

Modernity and AI is changing the way we live, but it can’t replace is physical presence. Inefficiency. The rupture and repair that strengthens relationships. The sacred space of humans sitting in silence together. 

It cannot change time. And relationships are built on the currency of time.
When you hear @dyson_sg , what do you think of? A When you hear @dyson_sg , what do you think of? A handheld vacuum, probably?

When Dyson first launched their cordless handheld vacuums, the technology took the world by storm. Till today, the flagship product continues to impress with its usability and simplicity. The simplest little feature (the green light) could well be the most unique and valuable feature of this gadget. If you’ve tried it, do you agree? 

#DysonCollectivePlus #DysonSG #DysonHome

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