transition

why do people love counting down?
why do people need a reason/ excuse to justify a party?
why do people get so excited about a new year?

sorry i've never understood any of these since young.
it's anything but a transition, which can countdown every month, if not every day.
i feel only obliged to greet people a 'happy new year', which i'm treaded to say when not meaning whole-heartedly

perhaps we'll soon greet people 'happy feb' 'happy march' 'happy april' 'happy 2 o'clock'

anyways i thank you for all the blessings i had for the noughties, esp 2009.

Random

- Van der Sar's granted indefinite compassionate leave to stay with his wife who suffered from hemorrhage just before christmas. fergie's kind and reminds me of redknapp. thats the difference set between a true leader and a mere (machinery, low-class) manager.

- 've seen a new trend of bank's (Lloyds, RBS, etc) ads directing its audience to their specialist manager with a vibe of fun, understanding and professionalism.

- I'd mixed feelings towards Kate Silverton. intriguing enough i'm talking about a news anchor. hmm, she stands out more than just a presenter, right? ok i've never liked her superficial big smile. she defo polishes herself as someone who always gets what she wants. perhaps that's to do with her slender legs, too. i simply couldn't help feeling the rising tension in the room, should i ever have the chance to be in the same room with her. her aggressiveness could kill you in milisecond. YET neither could you stop admiring her wittiness, vivacious and intelligence. she's just toooooooooo attractive, in particular in the brutal, ruthless, male dominating journal industry / BBC.

- addicted to Modern Family and Better Off Ted. i love comediessss :) please, save your invite on Avatar.

- have always enjoyed Audi's tvc. the latest *efficient* ad is amazing!

- with noughties's curtains drawn to a close, what have I achieved in the past 10 years?

- i find the prolonged exposure to inhumane cold is the reason of my dampened mood/ being a hermit.

- really wanna showcase my cooking skills on f words.

wahaha. thats it for now.

a not so christmasy christmas

twelve months've flown by without much notice. this time last year we were watching Planet Earth/ Sister Acts (as per my request), cuddling to shield from the cold and clinking glasses of wine (oyster bay, no?).

so much've happened since, that i've almost forgotten what actually happened. doom and gloom. somehow it's a good sign that you keep moving on in your life. in retrospect, i terribly regret my first few years spent in this country not opening up myself to know the world, yet luckily enough to know you to know more (as well as befriending with my best mate Google!). and i've been living up to my motto, recently digesting a lot more through interview preps and interviewers. Floating storey, Prince Charles's victorian village (does it mean he's gonna scout Heston to cook him those grosssss victorian feast?), David Tepper's lucrative/ speculative bets, Erdem the new piping hot star on fashion runways, the market gaps of search, Prince Philips's dramatic life and so on.

curiosity's in my blood / family. I must've inherited this from my marm. hehe. it's a good thing though, isn't it? i simply can't contain the excitement to be stimulated. It hurts to be ignorant, to not know what's going on around you. and finally i've got time today, on X'mas eve, to be prickled!

first stop at selfridges. oh my oh my. you just can't help falling in love with this dept store. from cutleries to home accessories, from fashion items to little gadgets. alessi's been on top of my list, but today i saw this skantum (sth like that?) tablewares. the organic form's stunning! and i've never ever seen knives in that shapes. tho i wudn't wanna carve my beef with that. next comes the news catch-up. read through the guardian and some other sites. the best parts are The Office, nonetheless my uncertainty of showing this on X'mas eve. It's way tooooo sad :( and finally Louis Theroux's documentary! i admit my disagreement with some of his views/ beliefs/ approaches. but he's one daring journalist. gosh. i wudn't be able to bring myself to ask those long-faced gamblers in Vegas 'are you winning?'.. in case i'll go onto the front cover the next day with a pic of my throat being slitted open....

indeed, i'm very contented, however not festive this sounds, and shall continue some reading tonight before i retreat to bed.

and hereby i wish everyone a merry x'mas.

and i miss you.

carol service

it's been so long since i attended a carol service. even i'm not religious, i simply love and enjoy that peaceful christmasy atmosphere under which everyone would just chant together.

speaking of which i haven't played the piano for years either. it's such a shame to abandon this hobby. i've never been a pro nor do i have that musical gene in my blood. yet it did make me realise 'practice makes perfect'. otherwise i wudn't have achieved that distinction in gr.5. okay i hate theory. i bloody hate theory. those french and italian words are, and always will be, aliens to me. but i do thank you my family for letting me learn the piano and violin, while they never ever pressured me to become a master (okay apart from passing grade 8)

how terrific it'd be to sit down together after a dinner, mom stringing a harp (i found this a super feminine instrument and should only be played by a sophisticated lady with elongated fingers), dad blowing the trumpet, son pulling through the violin, and daughter treading on the piano. an orchestral night to unite and relieve everyone from the daily mundane bits and bobs would be my ideal dessert.

and now i shall insert my dvorak CD once again to feel the vibe :P

Perfect Match

This Penhaligon pendant's been on my wish list for months.
And finally, i've found the perfect couple for this -

New Comers?

Sleeper has never been on my usual shelf checklist (way tooo commercial), but anyhow, it succeeded in stealing my attention the other day.

The Asian boy came on page 1, his bedtime company was Monocle. oooops!
So, apparently, this Andre Fu is a pop right now. His latest project The Upper House under Swire management shall be open soon in Admiraty, Hong Kong. Prime site. High profile clientele. Does his design meet the standard? I hope. At the very least in Honker's standard. He has overseen a few major projs over the years, from Shanghai's Jia Hotel to Agnes B's flagship store. That says something on his portfolio. And as I was browsing his website (afso.net), he's been featured on some global mags for years. a big wow. finally someone's upping the game. :)

what really interested me was bkk's new hotel/ commercial complex - Mahanakhon! OMG! It's terribly hip! Done by OMA, no wonder! he deserves everyone a sincere salute!

and came Toulouse's Etap. I had once stayed in this budget hotel in the U.K.. Not bad indeed. Yet, this new comer is taking it to the next level. You feel welcomed once stepping across the threshold. You don't feel budget there. Hospitality.

And the other day I was visiting Design Museum. Mariscal was what I most wanted to see (without student card it's asking for 12quids which I wasn't prepared to squeeze). We first went around David Chipperfield's exhibition. His models looked brilliant, but the real things were rather disappointing. In particular the BBC centre in Scotland, the interior was a mess. It looks like 40s and very communist/ nazi. The colour scheme was awful. The layout was depressing. I might not have the right to judge, but definitely I wouldn't wanna work there nor invite any guests over.

db

UTTERLY DISGUSTED!
unbelievable! i wasted a bloody hour and sacrificed BBC4's Choir to derren brown's holy fraud (mind you, it's not even dubious!). glued to the chair? you know what, my mom'd do a better trick holding a ruler (not even a whip) in front of me!!!!!

he shames those masterminds with the same initials - david blaine and dan brown. they're such hearthrobs. on top of that, what's the point of binding people to an object? i suppose the name of the show gives u some hint - control the nation (?!). it's more than obvious mr.blaine does a far better job. he makes the nation smile. he makes the poors grin. he makes the kid hopeful.

to an extent, fashion has the same discipline. yet a massive disappointment comes from the much loved (and highly praised) christopher kane's collaboration with topshop. meant to be a celebratory collection for london fashion week 09. hmmm.. ok, one shouldn't expect anything in terms of textile for high street stores. buttttt, a piece shouting 150quids on the tag, nothing but a shite, it's terribly lame! is this why we put boris johnson on the chair for the festive event?

speaking of high street fashion, we must agree on Reiss 1971's success! it's very elegant and chic. indeed, even H&M's steal's not bad this season. and yes, there's nothing fascinating at TopShop, 'cept the far cry from Nakkna. Like Wooyoungmi, the swede menswear's more delightful. girls should get boyfriends to bag them home, and add this androgynous factor to their pinky collection. It will W-O-R-K!


my H&M treasure hunt

p.s. digging into Freemason and other secret fraternities. awesome :P

Coincidence?

so recently i came across the *new collection* of Vanilla Suite in HK.
no doubts they're in the mobbed-up-trendsetters club - lets take a look:

1. Vanilla Boots vs See by Chloe Studded Leather Ankle Boots




2. Vanilla vs Christian Louboutin Plume 120 Tassel Sandels
vs Christian Louboutin Deva 120 Boots




And finally... these heels must've triggered your cerebellum. i'll leave you to ponder on the *original* :) on a lighter note, these Vanilla red shoes are defo killer - not killer heels but rather killing.


p.s. Sam Seaborn is absolutely adorable hearthrob!! i'll rate him a 100 out of 10!

A Not So Grand Opening

This shall be my third official blog. My first one should date back to a decade ago, when icq's popularity just started its penetration. It wasn't really a blog, although like any users at the time, I would update the 'info' field every once in a while. Being locked up in the boarding house, cut off any possible access to the world, I switched to xanga (and had to have it masked by an unblocked url) and up until now, I still blog there but mostly personal issues. So why this now? Perhaps I feel like venting to the world, or perhaps I hope to get my ideas across to a wider audience. Okay I admit my shallowness amongst the eggheads here. Oh well, how about treat me as a different grade of caviar on your bland blinis?
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With September on our doorstep, I finally see some light shed on the much loved Vogue and Elle(UK). The past few months the magazine had thinned to a travel guide's size. Thanks God more ads have been placed in this issue and they're lovely! Time to give your wardrobe an update, if not a face lift. The A/W 2009 seems to be an fascinating one - taking leather biker jacket to the next level, glamorous Louis Vuitton couture, tomboy Balmain, structured Jil Sander (welcome back!), and to the OL's delights - the little day dress - no more dull work suits! All these transformation are like little candies for us who had been hit by the economic frost - that shopping is no longer a therapy but a necessity. Much of the unthinkable reflex had become long hours debate and struggle, spree turned into steal. The cheaper version, aka collaboration, between big names and high street brands become our wardrobe essentials. Perhaps Escada and Lacroix should have considered establishing cheaper lines to boost their profits. It is a shame to see them drown.

While we hear the designers chant for the yellowing leaves, Wallpaper prepares us for a luxurious X'mas trip - impeccable hotels! The high note is quite a few Chinese hotels have been selected to join the elite, the low being Hong Kong has got no reps. Well, I should have got used to this, shouldn't I?

well, no doubt Tony Chi's done an extraordinary job here. but i'm not too sure about the interior. it's actually not tooooo outstanding. sadly!

Recently, under the influence of my beloved, I have once again fallen for Ricky Gervais's The Office. He and his team simply crack you up (despite my realising it won't perform in Asia, where audience has been brainwashed by the noisy American sitcoms) effortlessly. And I found this Microsoft collaboration.