Caffeine anyone?

In my opinion,the inaugural Singapore Coffee Festival 2016 was a blast. It was so packed with coffee and people in the business of coffee, I had to visit the festival twice. But I must admit that I was there to sketch...  but of course. The visits on Friday and Sunday also gave me time to have a bird's eye view of. what is happening out there in the local coffee scene. 

I've been cafe hopping since I arrived Singapore 2 months back. Given how modern the island is, many coffee shops go for the vintage nostalgic look. We crave for what we don't have or miss. There are others that have this industrial feel to it. Easier to execute and maintain. And there those with there own unique theme to it like the Hello Kitty themed cafe at Terminal 3. I am impressed with the 3rd wave of coffee movement in Singapore and look forward to seeing how it evolved in the very near future. 

Below are some of the sketches I did from the recent Singapore Coffee Festival. 

 The Costal Settlement

 The Costal Settlement

  The Costal Settlement

  The Costal Settlement

  The Costal Settlement

  The Costal Settlement

 The Costal Settlement

 The Costal Settlement

Wheely's Tmpelapse: 

https://youtu.be/3b5T0YhMw2U

Rise of the Machines

(Great post title by Kenny "Frankenstein" Leck.)

Amazing job to Kenny and the team at BooksActually for pulling this off! The first book vending machine in Singapore. The first of these monsters was rolled out at the National Museum of Singapore this morning. If you love books and vending machines, this one's for you.  I remember the day I briefly mentioned this to Kenny. I'd seen to many street book vendors (click her for video) in Italy where I used to reside, and I wondered if BooksActually was going to go mobile one day... .  And done with style!! I love it when technology meets art. So Pixar! :) Come and see this piece of art for yourself.  Better yet, purchase a book and see the magic happen!!

Cool! A digital screen that keeps you informed of the books inside. 

I am always intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes. So that's how they work!

 Close-up: There's Cake making sure all the finances are in place.

  There is even a top view of what goes on inside the machine. 

Just so you know, there's a back view too! 

More on the machines:

 http://weekender.com.sg/w/time-singapore-got-first-vending-machine-books/

Write up for this particular machine:

Lights... camera... action! These words are the inspiration behind the design for this vending machine. I remember vividly during a time before I could even spell Chewbacca when I was flipping through the latest Starlog magazine at the newsstand just outside the entrance of Katong’s Ikea. There it was, a page with the great Stay Puft marshmallow man on a New York street set with a larger-than-life man in jeans and tee at the back of the street holding a set of remote controls. WOW! That must be a fun thing to do! From laser swords to flying cars, every magic that I see leaves me in awe and I always wonder, “how did they do it?” This fundamental question sparked the core of my design. Featuring the cats of BooksActually, I hope to bring a little bit of that magic to the lives of people who come to pay homage to this book shrine. 

 - Alvin Mark Tan

If you got this far down the post, here's a little video clip about why I'm doubly stoked... : )