very grape

sunshine, freckles, copenhagen

2011-04-27T11:07:00.000+08:00

Nothing like staying at home...

2011-04-01T23:25:00.045+08:00

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.
Jane Austen

Funeral Blues

2011-02-25T04:35:00.007+08:00

I have been thinking how far it is from remembering to forgetting.
It's strange.
It's utterly strange
to say goodbye
for one last time.

"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come."

good morning, twenty ten

2010-01-01T01:01:00.001+08:00

Fresh starts. Thanks to the calendar, they happen every year.
Just set your watch to January.
Put your past behind you and start over.
It’s hard to resist the chance of a new beginning. A chance to put the problems of last year to bed.
Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins?
It’s not a day on a calendar. Not a birthday, not a new year.
It’s an event, big or small, something that changes us. Ideally it gives us hope.
A new way of living and looking at the world.
Letting go of old habits, old memories.
What’s important is that we never stop believing that we can have a new beginning.
But it’s also important to remember that amid all the crap are a few things really worth holding on to.
(From Grey's Anatomy)

Christmas Time

2009-12-04T22:54:00.008+08:00

It's Christmas time, picked some pinecones from the woods to make ornaments.

knead and bake

curl up and read

the creative habit

2009-05-06T23:58:00.011+08:00

Do something everyday, regardless. Nothing will happen unless you first initiate a process of cause and effect. This starts with an action. Reawaken the possibility of possibility. Reawaken it with play. - David Horvitz
I will say create something everyday, regardless.

So I keep reading. I read Obit, An alphabet for Gourments, The Stranger, How to be an Explorer of the World, The Creative Habit, Design as Art... I read What Should I Do with my Life? even. Eventally, I found the most inspirational messages from Moominpappa at Sea.

"I'm going to get some sleep. Problems often solve themselves while one sleeps. The brain works better if one leaves it in peace." - Moominpapa

"You have to be angry sometimes. Every little creep has a right to be angry. But he's angry in the wrong way. He's not letting it out. Just shutting it up inside him." - Little My

iamsterdam

2009-04-14T23:20:00.013+08:00

Day 1 5.45 Schipol Airport
Arrived early in the morning, I decided to go to Utrecht to meet Miffy first. Following the Oudegracht canal, I found the Dick Bruna Huis and the Centraal Museum without getting lost.

Dick Bruna Huis is a wonderland. If I were 5, I would run crazily around like other kids. Matisse and Gerrit Rietveld are the biggest influences of Dick Bruna. The Centraal Museum possesses the largest collection of Rietveld designs in the world.

Wandered around Lijnmarkt & Oudegracht in the afternoon. There are many fun little shops like Prod's and Primes which has a rich collection of Barbapapaitems.

Dille Kamille is a beautiful shop for accessories of kitchen and garden.

Prinses op de Erwt has kid stuff of brands like club geluk, kik kid, kids case and room seven.

Leaving Utrecht, I went back to Amsterdam by train. It took me a while to get the bearing right. Still I managed to find the hostel at last. Accommodation in Amsterdam is not cheap. I just booked a shared room. I do not expect anything fancy but this one is really... one word, daggy.

Day 2

Got an iamsterdam card from the tourist office in the morning. The card gave me access to around 20 museums in 2 days. Van Gogh Museum is famous for its long line. Waited for almost half an hour to get in. The audio tour of Van Gogh Museum is one of the best in the world. It's like taking an art appreciation class. I always think Van Gogh tells us practice could make perfect. In the creative world, talent may help a lot. but if you are really committed to create, it's possible to accomplish something extraordinary.

After visiting the Van Gogh Museum, I went to Overtoom to check out marqt. marqt is a high-end supermarket with cool design. Down to Ten Katestraat, it's a market that sells vegetables and fruits.

The rest of the day is all about photography. First I visited Huis Marseille, the museum of photography. The current exhibition is portraits of families in the Netherlands by Taco Anema.

I'm totally into the exhibition of Richard Avedon at foam.

"There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." Richard Avedon

Day 3

I started the day at Hortus Botanicus, the botanic garden. Over 4,000 species of plants are growing in this garden.

Joods Historisch Museum (Jewish Museum) is a total surprise. I was drawn to the museum by its logo. It turns out the design of the museum is even better. The children's museum is soooooo cool. It helps kids to learn about the Jewish culture and history through cooking, drawing and music.

Next stop is science center NEMO. The architecture is by Renzo Piano.

Then I checked out the Stedelijk Museum in De Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church). It's an exhibition about "Holy Inspiration, religion and spirituality in modern art". I can tell for sure I don't like contemporary art.

To have a rest, I took the 75-minute boat tour to have a good look at the city along the canal. Last, I finished the day by visiting the Rijksmuseum. As the museum is undergoing a major restoration, only a small part of the museum is open to public.

Day 4

It's my second last day at Amsterdam. First I went to Albert Cuyp market. What interested me most is the shops on Gerard Doustraat.

Blond Amsterdam has a wide collection of fun lifestyle products.

Kinderfeestwinkel has everything for kids.

Duikelman offers professional cooking tools.

Following the Amsterdam Design Guide made by Danielle from the Style Files, I checked out shops at Negen straatjes. Of course, droog design, frozen fountain and kitsch kitchen are too good to be missed.

Day 5

On my last day at amsterdam, I went to De Oude Kerk (Old Church) to have a glimpse of sunday service in dutch. Then I went to the Piet Heinkade region to check out all the modern architecture. I guess my camera knew its the end of my journey. It decided to take a break. So, I could only let the pictures stayed in my mind.

simplylife

2009-03-08T22:09:00.005+08:00

round & round

2009-02-27T22:58:00.001+08:00

flea market found

2009-01-27T23:18:00.001+08:00

free running

2009-01-25T11:19:00.001+08:00

How wonderful it is when pain gives me a break and let me run freely! I like jogging in winter morning.

Good Morning 2009

2009-01-01T09:06:00.002+08:00

@ hollywood road

2008-12-27T22:42:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T19:12:00.003+08:00

Winter Songs

2008-12-18T22:26:00.001+08:00

Winter Songs, written by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Simply beautiful!

Reprise

2008-12-14T22:43:00.003+08:00

Reprise, we are supposed to read, write and get really lost.

carrie chau @ timesquare

2008-11-16T23:42:00.002+08:00

Travels With Obama

2008-11-13T23:08:00.008+08:00

Four years ago Time photographer Callie Shell met Barack Obama backstage when she was covering presidential candidate John Kerry. She sent her editor more photographs of Obama than Kerry. When asked why, she said, "I do not know. I just have a feeling about him. I think he will be important down the road." Her first photo essay on Obama was two and half years ago. She has stuck with him ever since. -- Dirck Halstead

From the photo journal of Callie Shell

Waiting: Obama listens from a back stairwell as he is introduced in Muscatine, Iowa. It was his second or third speech of the day. Unlike many of the politicians I have photographed in the past, I find it is easy to get a photograph of Obama alone. He lets his staff do their jobs and not fuss over him. Nov. 7, 2007.

I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn't have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I've encountered. Nov. 7, 2007.

It was primary morning in New Hampshire. Barack and Michelle Obama had been campaigning separately all week. In the first few months of 2008 their private time seemed to consist of a few crossover moments in back hallways before rallies. This moment was rare and you could tell they just loved being able to sit together. Jan. 8, 2008.

kool

2008-10-30T22:43:00.000+08:00

crewcut, kool

?!!

2008-10-04T23:28:00.000+08:00

The idea of RAID-5 is that no single-disk failure can destroy all your data. It is supposed to be able to rebuild the data on the failed drive. Well, it turns out you could lose every single files in one crash. Just like the Lehman Brothers, all is gone overnight. Every single design I did in this company is gone. I don't really know what to do. I wonder if it is a "RE" sign to "RE"set, "RE"boot or "RE"create...

nuri

2008-08-22T22:41:00.003+08:00

I did some sketches and baking when nuri's around.

standing very still

2008-07-04T23:31:00.010+08:00

I was trapped in the lobby with a cockroach, the flying one, the vicious kind. The elevator was on the twenty first floor, come on. What should I do? standing still? humming? yelling? fighting back?

hanna konola

I stood still in the corner for good 5 minutes praying the cockroach will leave me alone. The elevator came to my rescue at last.

When it comes to inner fear...sense of restlessness, uncertainty, I did the same... standing still, standing very still praying it will leave me alone. the problem of this strategy is until you can overcome your fear, it will keep haunting you from time to time.

' | .' | .' | .' .

2008-06-13T23:33:00.001+08:00

looking at the rain drops racing down the window, I asked myself how much is too much. do we really want to know what's beyond the limit or do we ever know we are pushing the limit? felt a bit of lightheadedness again. Its time to stop thinking. The design of our body is just too clever. It always knows enough is enough.

From Dominique Browning's Around the House and in the Garden:

"Home is the place where we have the final word about what goes where, what stays, what feels comfortable, what is life-enhancing. Home is the place into which we invite love and from which love prospers and emanates. There is always room for more."

I will say my home always has room for something green. Hold Örtkruka Trio is on my wish list.

i i i

2008-04-26T23:44:00.002+08:00

happy bday brother! hope u like to have Clocky running around your new home.

Clocky is a runaway alarm clock. Gauri Nanda designed it when she was a student at the MIT Media Lab.

: )

2008-04-13T23:29:00.000+08:00

sometimes when you look really closely, the world is smiling.

Drifting Thoughts @ Goethe-Galerie

2008-04-12T22:48:00.000+08:00

Drifting Thoughts, Sculpture & Installation by Kacey Wong

jimmy's never ending stories @ timesquare

2008-04-04T23:09:00.000+08:00

verysunday

2008-03-09T23:21:00.000+08:00

verybaking

2008-02-24T23:21:00.019+08:00

almond milo biscotti

once gather to find the diving bell

2008-02-06T23:43:00.000+08:00

hunting and gathering

once

the diving bell and the butterfly

obsession

2008-01-04T23:25:00.000+08:00

I am obsessively reading MONOCLE lately. Created by Tyler Brûlé, the founder of Wallpaper* and Winkreative, MONOCLE is a mix between the Economist and Vanity Fair covering the fresh focus on global affairs, business, culture and design.

masters. italian design

2007-12-29T23:08:00.000+08:00

masters. italian design @ InnoCentre

inspired by nature

2007-12-26T22:46:00.000+08:00

IKEA Mula building beakers for kids

pots for my plants

100% Design Tokyo

2007-11-18T23:49:00.000+08:00

Day 1
Hong Kong > Narita Airport > Shinjuku > "Water" @ 21_21 Design Sight > Tokyo Midtown > "coats! MaxMara, 55 Years of Italian Fashion" @ Mori Art Museum > Tokyo City View, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower > Tsutaya Tokyo Roppongi > Foo:DMagazine > Shinjuku

Arrived at 2:30pm, I got a suica card and took the NEX to Shinjuku. After checking in the hotel, I started my journey at 21_21 Design Sight. Directed by Taku Satoh, "water" exhibition lets you experience water in molecular form. It turns out 'water molecules don't do solitude. they live to flirt'. Leaving Tokyo Midtown, I went to Mori Art Museum. The museum is now showing the work of 36 japanese contemporary artists. On the observation deck of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, it gives you a magnificant view of Tokyo. Before going back to the hotel, I dropped by the TSUTAYA bookstore and grabbed something to eat at foo:dmagazine.

Day 2
Shinjuku > Philadelphia! Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art @ Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum > Edvard Munch, The Decorative Projects @ The National Museum of Westerm Art > Marc Chagall "Colorful Fantasy" @ The Ueno Royal Museum > International Library of Children's Literature > Tokyo Design Centre > Shibuya > Shijuku

What's better than beginning a brand new day with a coffee and a muffin. With my full stomach, I got on JR train to Ueno. Tokyo National Museum, Orient Museum, National Science Museum, Shitamachi Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Fine Art Gallery and International Library of Children's Literature can all be found at Ueno. Chairs inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum are in bold red, orange, blue and green, very Dick Bruna. Looking at the portriat of Amedeo Modigliani, you just can't help leaning your head the whole time.

This year is the 120th anniversary of the birth of Marc Chagall. It's such a bliss to look at his paintings. They are full of fantasy, love and happiness.

The International Library of Children's Literature is like a candy shop. Thousands of beautiful children's books from all over the world are right there for you to read and touch. The library was built in 1906 and redesinged by Tadao Ando in 2002.

Day 3
Shinjuku > Kichijoji > Shibuya > Shijuku

Day 4
Shinjuku > Kinokuniya Bookstore > Actus Interior > InTheRoom > Narita Airport > Hong Kong

verywhite

2007-10-21T18:18:00.000+08:00

I have been thinking about doing this for quite a while. Finally I got it done over the long weekend.

drop by verywhite

a walk to mw

2007-10-20T23:15:00.000+08:00

macau in shade of choco

2007-10-11T23:04:00.000+08:00

macau in shade of white

2007-10-06T23:05:00.000+08:00

dream job

2007-09-24T23:17:00.000+08:00

cover of the Holy Bible designed by crush

Gallery by the Harbour

2007-09-23T13:46:00.000+08:00

black sheep by carrie chau

2007-09-15T23:20:00.000+08:00

frenzoo@cupmagazine

2007-09-15T23:17:00.000+08:00

verysummer readings

2007-09-02T19:54:00.001+08:00

Travels, Michael Crichton
"There's a natural human resistance to change. We all fall into patterns and habits that eventually constrict our lives, which we have difficultly breaking anyway. Rilke described the problem in this simple way -
Whoever you are: some evening take a step
out of your house, which you know so well.
Enormous space is near..."

The Freedom Writers Diary, the Freedom Writers with Erin Grunwell
"They say I am brown
I say
I am proud

They say I'm not the future of this nation
I say
Stop giving me discrimination
Instead
I'm gonna use my eduction
to help build the human nation"

"We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but we have to earn it. And that is something you can't achieve by taking the easy ways out. Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy - Ann Frank, 1944"

Once While Travelling -
the Loney Planet Story, Tony & Maureen Wheeler
What's truly fascinating is that you can learn about the history of priniting through this book. Some of the interesting facts:
"Since the memory of the IBM Composer was live only as long as the power on, you won't be able to keep a soft copy of the book you wrote. Once you'd output your page of text and started on a new page, the old page was gone. If, later on, you found a spelling mistake, the only way to fix it was to retype the line in question, cut it out and glue it on the old line.

The Composer only handled text up to about 12 point. For bigger text for a chapter heading, you would have it photoset."

Another interesting bit
It was always the guys in the warehouse, not the editor nor the desinger, who picked up spelling mistakes on the cover of the books.

Oh the Glory of it All, Sean Wilsey
I still don't know why I can't remember the title of this book????

The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seirstad
"This is how first-year Afahani schoolchildren learn the alphabet: J is for Jihand, our aim in life, I is for Isreal, our enemy, K is for Kalashnikov, we will overcome, M is for Mujahedeen, out heroes, T is for Taliban...

War was the central theme in maths books too. Schoolboys did not calculate in apples and cakes, but in bullets and Kalashnikovs. Something like 'Little Omar has a Kalashnikov with three magazines. There are 20 bullets in each magazine. He uses two thirds of the bullets and kills sixty infidles. How many infidles does he kill with each bullet?'"

verysummer @ IFC

2007-09-01T23:03:00.000+08:00

verysummer shoes

2007-08-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

xxxxxxxxx

2007-08-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

verysummer movie タイヨウのうた

2007-07-26T00:02:00.001+08:00

taiyo no uta

verysummer

2007-07-22T23:02:00.000+08:00

cashback

2007-06-23T01:10:00.000+08:00

i drift between imagination and reality...
if you don't stop for a minute, you might miss it...

6ix said

2007-06-16T11:43:00.001+08:00

sleep bugs bite

2007-06-15T23:00:00.000+08:00

long for a good sleep zzzzzzz

Depression Glass @ HK Heritage Museum

2007-04-09T11:08:00.000+08:00

BKK 2007

2007-04-09T11:05:00.000+08:00

good morning

2007-04-08T11:15:00.000+08:00

czech onion

2007-03-02T23:23:00.000+08:00

nieu baguettes

hugo kaagman is the master of dutch tile design. his work can be seen at Central Station Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Japan, France and Russia.

polarnopyret.se

2007-02-02T23:52:00.000+08:00

breakfast at the garden

2007-01-20T22:40:00.000+08:00

the bear goes to paris

2007-01-19T23:06:00.000+08:00

the bear also goes to Helsinki. Photos by Witold Riedel.

one man's humble quest

2007-01-18T23:56:00.000+08:00

talking about mission, AJ Jacobs sets for himself an almost impossible quest to read the encyclopaedia britannica from a to z, hoping to become the smartest person in the world. he finished what he had started. he came to realize his mission may not neccessary make him the smartest but he did learn some inspiring facts like oysters can change their sex, opossums have thirteen nipples, the weird connection between french philosophers and crossed eyes, and most importantly one shall always say yes to adventures or you'll lead a very dull life.

A post A day

2007-01-17T23:29:00.000+08:00

a rainy day, a brand new day, i need a mission. i told myself. a post a day, i thought. yes this is it. if an apple a day can keep the doctor away, what a post a day can lead to? i'm going to find it out.

9 crimes

2007-01-15T23:38:00.000+08:00

a beautiful piece created by damien rice. can't (don't want to) get it out of my head.

happy new year

2007-01-01T10:49:00.000+08:00

hello new year!

dear heavenly father, you just need to keep it simple -- a nice cup of coffee, a bowl of museli and a lot of sunshine. i'll be very happy!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T09:42:00.000+08:00

coffee break

2006-12-02T03:03:00.000+08:00

coffee or pain. study has it that we have no memory of (physical) pain. so just suck it up, get through it, then i will be fine.

helvetica

2006-11-11T23:00:00.000+08:00

i am responsible

diary

2006-10-08T14:52:00.000+08:00

what it says is "I visited ee today. we had breakfast at mcdonald. we're not busy. we played at the beach. we're busy. we watched dvd. we're not so busy...

orchid wanna be

2006-09-29T22:57:00.000+08:00

It happens a lot to me - having trouble to get an idea out of my head. So, I have an orchid in my mind, I made something like a mixture of an orchid and a hibiscus instead. never mind!

the art of travel

2006-09-12T23:14:00.000+08:00

"When feeling sad at home, I have often boarded a train or airport bus and gone to Heathrow where, from an observation gallery in Terminal 2 or from the top floor of the Renaissance Hotel along the north runway, I have drawn comfort from the sight of the ceaseless landing and take-off of aircraft.

Nowhere is the appeal of the airport more concentrated than in the television screens which hang in rows from terminal ceilings. The screens bear all the poetic resonance of the last line of James Joyce’s Ulysses: at once a record of where the novel was written and, no less importantly, a symbol of the cosmopolitan spirit behind its composition: ‘Trieste, Zurich, Paris.’ The constant calls of the screens, some accompanied by the impatient pulsing of a cursor, suggest with what ease our seemingly entrenched lives might be altered, were we to walk down a corridor and on to a craft that in a few hours would land us in a place of which we had no memories and where no one knew our names. How pleasant to hold in mind, through the crevasses of our moods, at three in the afternoon when lassitude and despair threaten, that there is always a plane taking off for somewhere, Baudelaire’s ‘Anywhere! Anywhere!’: Trieste, Zurich, Paris."

The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton

busy bees

2006-09-04T22:24:00.000+08:00

If I did not get stung by a bee, I won't realize some busy bees are trying to build their home at mine. I paid the price of regaining sovereignty of my homeland with my face swollen like a pumkin, luckily, for just a day.

illustration by Yamauchi Kazuaki

home improvement

2006-08-29T23:15:00.000+08:00

Finally, I unpacked my boxes of books and put them on shelf.

I like my new shower curtain.

moon 7 n a half

2006-08-12T23:26:00.000+08:00

Moon 7 1/2 is a children's musical for "grown-ups".
do we all grow into monsters?

The stage design is AWESOME!

megARTstore

2006-08-11T12:10:00.000+08:00

visual identity designed by tommy li

YES!

2006-07-13T07:05:00.000+08:00

Yes Man, Danny Wallace

"My downward spiral, this strange sense of mid-twenties crisis, this happened when I'd lacked direction. It was a shock to the system; a body blow that had really changed things. I did three years of growing up in two weeks. I returned to the world of freelance employment as a radio producer at BBC. I got a mortgage. And a pension. I started to shop at Habitat and IKEA. I experimented with new and exciting pastas. I bought a colander, and some air freshener, and a fountain pen. I even bought a plant. But soon without my knowing, I became the man who could spot an invitation coming a mile off and head it off at the pass. The man who'd send an email instead of attend a birthday. Who'd text instead of call, and call instead of visit. I became the man who'd whitelie. The man who always say no."

For some reason or no reason, we get lost. We may stay there for a while or quite a while. We may do something or nothing. Sometimes we think it's meant to be, sometimes it's our call to make a turn. Danny Wallace chooses to "Say Yes". You never know the butterfly effect this simple world can bring. Maybe we just need a change, however big or small. Maybe you will smile again when u take a good look at the blue blue sky.

a bit of everything

2006-07-01T08:35:00.000+08:00

a black coffee, yummy breakfast, a cup of tea

got a package from the RMM people

"RMM is a concept based publication of free-flow content covering details in living and creation process of creators."

"Some kind of Wonderful" by Kapok

Kapok is a design and music store. It showcases brands that combine craftsmanship and creativity.

a 3-leg coffee table + a broken mug

in memory of my aunt

2006-06-21T22:38:00.000+08:00

happy father's day

2006-06-18T23:20:00.000+08:00

Nice dinner with my sister at the garden.

WHITE is the color for this father's day.

FREAKONOMICS

2006-06-14T23:49:00.000+08:00

Malcolm Gladwell starts blogging.

If you want to know: Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? Does it matter if you name your child Winner or Loser? Can people resist the temptation of evil when someone leave bagels and a money box in the office? Why does KKK membership lose its charm? Which is a whiter name for a girl, Sarah or Sally? Check out FREAKONOMICS.

yellow pencils

2006-06-05T22:56:00.000+08:00

I went to get some drawing supplies the other day. Looked all over the shop, I couldn't find my favorite yellow pencils. I asked the sales lady. She told me venus pencils are "out of production". Looking at my one and only yellow pencil left, I wondered if I should use it or keep it.

After a meeting this afternoon, I saw a stationery shop around the corner of an alley on my way back to the office. I kept my fingers crossed and stepped into the shop. Instantly, I spotted a box of venus pencils. Awesome!

since when?

2006-05-21T07:31:00.000+08:00

It has been a month since my last update. It has been two weeks since my sister and hin hin got back from Manchester. It has been a week since Mother's Day. Work has been busy since Easter. Still, I have dragon boating, the performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat and the Art of Mark Rothko to spice up my schedule.

Readings:
Respect, The information of Character in an Age of Inequality, Richard Sennett
Richard Sennett illustrated the idea of respect through music. "Many musicians has the cooperative impulse, but few manage to translate it into sound." The best concert is not necessary the one that every musicians give their best. Sometimes it's all about "treating with respect the need perceived in another when acting together". "In social life as in art, people would face the problem of how to shape their worse and their best impulses. Mutuality requires expressive work. It must be enacted, performed."

It's not how Good you are, it's how Good you want to be, Paul Arden
"Present on Tuesday. Monday was too early, nothing to judge by. Wednesday and Thursday were like eating too much chocolate. Friday. Feeling sick."

WHATEVER YOU THINK KNIHT EHT ETISOPPO, Paul Arden
"When asked the secret of success, Woody Allen replied, "Turn Up."
"What is a good idea? One that happens is. If it doesn't, it isn't."

This Stop is London

2006-04-21T22:03:00.000+08:00

I took my copy of Air Babylon and boarded the plane. "All of the following is true" is how the book begins. After reading some 50 pages, a flight attendant saw me reading it. He told me nothing in that book about the airlines is true. 12 hours later, I was standing at the Heathrow airport. I remembered this scent. Close your eyes, take a deep breathe, you can tell instantly you are at London.

I went to the British Museum straight from the airport. The museum is showing the "Cradle to Grave by Pharmacopoeia" installation. It's quite a shock to see the amount of pills that we take in a life time. Stopped by the Asia Room to get ideas for the antique catalogue I'm working on. Leaving the museum, I grabbed some bagels from Sainsbury. Then I took the tube to Hendon Central to check in the bunk bed I booked at the hostel.

12 hours later, I was standing in front of Rachel Whiteread's installation, Enbankment, at TATE Modern. Winding my way through the giant white box structures, this maze of space is really amazing. TATE has a collection of 8 paintings by Mark Rothko. It's my first face-to-face encounter with his work. People say you have to stand 14.5cm away from the paintings to experience the intensity. Maybe I don't get it. All I had in my mind was a big gloomy window.

The Millennium Bridge brought me to St. Paul Cathedral. I made it to the Good Friday service at noon. The priest read "It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him."

From Big Ben, I walked down to TATE Britain. The "Create Your Own Collection" pamphlet stand at the entrance is soooooo cool. There are pamphlets like "The I'm in a hurry Collection", "The I like yellow Collection" , "The rainy day Collection"... After a quick visit of the London Eye and London Aquarium, I finished my day at the five-storey Waterstone's bookstore.

I spent the next morning at Green Park, which followed by visiting the V&A Museum and National Gallery. While I was shopping at Covent Garden, I got a sms from a mate, who was happened to be at London as well. We dined at oxford street and went to check out Norman Foster’s Swiss Re HQ and the Sunday market at East End London in the next morning. The shops at Chesire Street are so nice. I like the Scandinavian accessories at Mar Mar and Co, and the reto kitchen and garden ware at Labour & Wait.

After a long walk at Hype Park, my London holiday also came to an end.

eugeneration

2006-03-30T23:57:00.000+08:00

Got a sms from my brother. He has a blog now. We haven't met for almost a month or longer. miss him sooooooo much. He had a rough day and so did I, drrrr! Nevermind! Tomorrow will be fine.

it's not about the bike

2006-03-26T23:25:00.000+08:00

"I had learned what it means to ride the Tour De France. It's not about the bike. It's a metaphor for life, not only the longest race in the world but also the most exalting and heartbreaking and potentially tragic. It poses every conceivable element to the rider: unspeakable bad luck, unthinkable beauty, yawning senselessness and above all a great deep self-questioning.

During our lives we're faced with so many different elements as well, we experience so many set backs, and fight trying to stay upright and to have a little hope. The tour is not just a bike race, not at all. It is a test. It tests you physically. It tests you mentally, and it tests you morally."

It's not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
by Lance Armstrong, Sally Jenkins

mieow

2006-03-15T23:56:00.000+08:00

On my way home tonite, something strange happened. I walked by the bushes and heard some noises. A little tabby came out from it and stopped in front of me. Then he started saying "mieow_ mieow mieow_ mieow_ mieow mieow mieow" I wondered if he wanted to say:

A. "will u bring me home?";
B. "hey your baguette smells nice. Are u going to make salmon sandwich? May I have some?";
C. "go away or I'll…" or
D. nothing but a mieow

Every once in a while, the idea of adopting a cat will pop up in my mind. I think it is kind of nice when I open the door, a cat runs to me and welcomes me home. At dinner time, other than sharing water with the cactus, I don't mind sharing my cheese sandwich with this little kitten. But, given my history of failing to raise 3 pet tortoises, may be it's not a good idea afterall.

Had a 3-hour long meeting today. It's time to shut down the computer, as well as my mind.

antiquephobia

2006-03-13T23:21:00.000+08:00

I diagnose myself with antiquephobia. Again I dreamt about breaking my client's antique when I do a photo shoot for them. Maybe I can break the spell by actually smashing one. Well before I can afford testing this, a strong black coffee may help.

Van Gogh Museum Cafe

2006-03-04T08:32:00.000+08:00

The radio was playing Peter Gabriel Don't Give Up when I woke up this morning. In bed, I thought about my dream. I wore 2 different shoes. They look similar but certainly not a pair. My mind was blank. I was just looking at them for a very long time.

Nearly fell from my chair when I saw this Van Gogh Museum Cafe ad. a bit too good, too clever.

things to do

2006-02-25T08:16:00.000+08:00

I didn't make any resolution this year. I decided to keep a things-to-do list instead.

1. remember to lock the door before going out and take keys back before getting in (have to stop getting warning letters about home safety)
2. make a nice grocery bag and use it
3. cook at least once a week
4. jogging (stopped for almost a year because of thigh pain. should try to get back on track this year)
5. practice piano 30mins a day
6. a trip to Taman Negara
7. annual dental check
8. stop being addicted to coffee and keep being addicted to design
9. learn JSP
10. learn how to lead sunday school
11. a trip to TATE
12. Micah 6:6-8

just right

2006-02-19T22:14:00.000+08:00

Water called and we chatted a bit. She asked about my blog. This is why I am here writing.

Well, let’s start from this morning. It’s my turn to do welcoming at church today, which means handing hymn books and service sheets to people coming to the service. By the time the service began, there’s only one set of material left for me, not one more, not one less. People always say God is in every detail. It’s true, I think.

The weather was perfect for a walk. So I grabbed my cap and ipod, and headed to the reservoir. I like going there, especially on special occasions like Christmas and New Year. It’s fun to say greetings to others with a crazily big smile.

Went to the action+reaction exhibition, a graduation show of Hong Kong Art School, the other day. Beggar + Limited is my favorite. I like its sense of humor. If I had to do a graduation project, I think I will definitely do some far-out things, what about a branding campaign for potatoes?

Readings:
Iris Murdoch As I knew Her by A.N. Wilson. Hmmm…???!!!!
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon. I am not sure about the twist but I like how Mark Haddon wrote from a perspective of an autistic child, chapters are in prime numbers, lots of drawings and diagrams to illustrate ideas.
Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers. I like it a lot. It’s not just a travel log. It tells you so much about our world. Here are some interesting facts:
"Everybody in Mongolia has a digital cell phone. The nation’s nomads, crossing the country on horseback, carry them. There is a cell phone in most yurts."
"Over half the population of Iceland is under thirty years old. Iceland, demographically, is the fourth youngest country in the world. Once a Danish colony, it is still mandatory for all schoolchildren there to study Danish as a second language. There are maybe just seven million people on earth who speak Danish in today’s world." What’s the point of forcing kids to learn it?
"At Cornwall, the last person who speak Cornish died 50 years ago."
"There were queues everywhere in Russia, and they were endless. Chernobyl volunteers, who had rushed into Chernobyl to help out when the nuclear plant there blew up, are given an identification card entitling them to walk to the front of every queue."

Nice Try!

2006-02-03T23:04:00.000+08:00

From the exhibition Optical Illusion, an attempt to reconstruct illusive drawings of M.C. Escher by Lego bricks turned out to be impossible. Nice try, though!

eskimo friend

2006-01-25T23:20:00.000+08:00

and so it is, just like you said it would be... If you have seen CLOSER, you will know this song. I have no idea damien rice is this good. He's not only a musician. He's an artist.

I have his album "o" on my ipod this week. I listen to it when I am on the boat, when I am on the road. "I look to my eskimo friend when I'm down down down..."

MOLE-uh-SKEEN-uh

2006-01-16T11:40:00.000+08:00

Every gal has a black dress and every designer has a Moleskine black book, I guess. My first Moleskine is a gift from my brother.

"Everyone is probably less than six degrees of separation away from a Moleskine fan. They maintain Web sites about the books. They post their drawings. They keep track of where the books show up on TV and in movies." Moleskine on Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

I love the everlasting Moleskine mania. I love the fact we still cherish pen and paper.

To be menacing or not to be?

2006-01-08T23:35:00.000+08:00

To be menacing or not to be? This is the question most people have when looking at the paintings of Yoshitomo Nara.

Painting for Joy is an exhibition featuring new Japaneses paintings in 1990s.

2006

2006-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hi, again!

2005, farewell

2005-12-31T01:00:00.000+08:00

In 2005, I like...

1. cristal designed by Marcel Wanders
2. chandelier designed by Courtney Skott
3. Natalie Imbruglia's counting down the days album
4. Danial Powter's bad day MV
5. blink by Malcolm Gladwell. just luff his writings more and more.
6. speech of Steve Job at Stanford
7. inspiritional article, usability experts are from Mars, graphic designers are from Venus, by Curt Cloninger
8. renewed id of bahamas + website
9. ecuador + yogurt at the tree house of Bellavista
10. batman begins directed by Christopher Nolan. it proves creativity has no limit.

All in all 2005 is a good year. Nightmare is over. I feel really blessed.
My dearest dad+mom+sis+bbhh+brother+n+w, luff u all.

So, bye bye 2005. Hola 2006. Hope u all a very healthy and crazily happy new year! Alleluia, YAY!!!

Merry X'Mas

2005-12-24T00:24:00.000+08:00

I will have hope

2005-12-16T22:54:00.000+08:00

2005 is coming to an end. I've made five resolutions when I started this blog at the beginning of the year. I've done 3 out of 5. Not too bad, huh!

In the new year's eve of 2004, Brett Yasko and his wife did an installation in Pittsburg. A 27 x 28 feet wall was covered with 2" squares of paper. Different resolutions, like "i'll follow my heart", were printed on the paper. Vistors were invited to pick a resolution. When all resolutions were pulled off, one big resolution was revealed.

ketchup

2005-12-13T23:57:00.000+08:00

Having been away from my blog for almost a month, it's time to catch up.

Seeing:
QUIDAM is surreal. What's it like to be an acrobat?
Tiffany's Christmas window display is stunning!
Boat show at Sai Kung. What a nice freelance job!
Glass is Art Exhibition: L'Anverre Exhibition at the Lee Gardens. I like Belgian waffle more.

Reading:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Dave Eggers, a graphic designer, the founder of Might and the editor of McSweeney, is certainly a genius. AHWOSG is his memoir. He lost both his parents to cancer within 5 months. Bearing his pain, he sought humor in saddness. To me, his account of getting the ashes
of his cremated mother is the most memorable and hilarious.

"I open the canister... Inside is a bag of kitty litter, tied at the top... Someone switched the ashes with kitty litter... Where is the ash, the ash like dust?... These are little rocks, pebbles, Grape-Nuts, in white and gray... I put my hand in the bag and grab a handful and it's so light!... I throw... Some spills. I should not spill. It's spilled, right there, by my left foot, about eight particles -- I'm stepping on them!... How expected, asshole! I lean over to pick up the particles but I already have a handful in the other hand and as I crouch down some of the other handful spills on my right side -- Jesus! Jesus Christ! Why can I not do this right?"

Don't miss "Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of this Book"

Oh, Play That Thing: A sequel to A Star Called Henery, which I really like. Are all sequels destined to be not good enough? Oh, it can't be written by Roddy Doyle!

Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another: Philip Ball applied the laws of physics to explain human behaviours. I got really lost. I tried to finish it but failed. It's just too hard for me.

With their Backs to the World: Asne Seierstad, the author of "The Bookseller of Kabul", wrote about changes brought by the Serbian civil war through insightful protriat of 13 Serbians, including an elderly farmer, a young priest, a pro-democracy activist, a dodgy entrepreneur, a pop star Rambo Amadeus and an exiled family of Kosovo Serbs. Can the Serbs free themselves from hatred and anger?

Got a message from joey. It reminds me I should update my blog. Thanks joey + nice to meet u!

blanc bleu baubles

2005-11-14T19:41:00.000+08:00

Start drawing baubles for clients. It means CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

mascots

2005-11-11T00:22:00.000+08:00

I think the mascots for the 2008 Olympic games rock.

The naming, concept and design is clever. The macscots named "BeiBei", "JingJing", "HuanHuan", "YingYing" and "NiNi", which together mean "Beijing welcomes you". They are colored in the five hues of the olympic rings. They represent a panda (the earth), a swallow (air), a fish (the sea), a Tibetan antelope (the forest) and the olympic flame (the fire). I really like the oriental trace in the details of the design. NICE!

hong kong harbour day

2005-11-10T12:07:00.000+08:00

I like the Hong Kong Harbour Day identity.

42 hours

2005-11-07T23:54:00.000+08:00

42 hours
2 great friends
2 black coffee
10 magazines
2 books
2 biscotti
1 exhibition
12 maki
5 bts trips
1 mask
1 apple