For a smile on your face. Courtesy of Doob.

Doob is a Beijing-based cartoonist and animator. We love watching his animation works here. Light, humorous and heartwarming. Here's one favorite, and this, and this. :) Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Better late than never.. We came back few days ago from a holiday filled with a wedding celebration, and multiple back-aching-legs-killing-fascinating journeys. :)



Sending you the warmth of this holiday season and wishing you a happy 2010!


xoxo, imelda.

The word 'normal' always scared me ... - Tim Burton

Into the mind of an imagination genius, Behind the Scenes: Tim Burton at MoMA shares Tim's creative processes and thoughts. A must watch. Enjoy!

Deadline Extended: Modern Painters RE:VISION Design Awards 2010

I've just received an email from Jasmine of Louise Blouin Foundation, announcing the new extended deadline for Modern Painters RE:VISION Design Awards 2010. Designers have until December 1 to submit their designs. Below is the brief on the design award competition.



Modern Painters is a magazine that showcases creators—artists, designers, filmmakers, architects—who are experimenting with new ways of seeing the world.

We invite emerging designers of every stripe to revisit, rethink, and reimagine how we live in our homes and to conceive an object or environment that offers a new, more enlightened lifestyle. Whether in the fields of furniture, lighting, product, interior, or environmental design, Modern Painters welcomes submissions that thoughtfully explore new ways to live, work, play, and interact at home.

The first-prize winner of RE:VISION will receive US$10,000
The two runners-up will be awarded US$2,500 each.
All three will be profiled in the May 2010 issue of Modern Painters and on ARTINFO.com.
The work of 10 semifinalists will also be featured on ARTINFO.com.

The Jurors are:

Ross Lovegrove, evolutionary designer and principal, Ross Lovegrove Studio, London
Renny Ramakers, design historian and co-founder, Droog, Amsterdam
David Revere McFadden, chief curator, Museum of Arts and Design, NYC
Rosanne Somerson, furniture maker and professor of furniture design, RISD, Providence, Rhode Island
Cristina Grajales, dealer in vintage modern and contemporary furniture, NYC

For details on rules and submissions, click here.



Good Luck! and thanks, Jasmine!

Marcel Wanders for Target

Tord Boontje told me about this. He mentioned it after I reminded him about his work for Target few years back. And look, it's up on Marcel Wanders' site.


Click here to discover the story behind the Marcel Wanders for Target holiday collection.




Bye, folks! I have a flight to catch.

His name is Boontje. Tord Boontje.

It's been a while since I last mentioned his name here, but the thrill to see his works always remains. You can imagine how excited I was when Amelia told me, we were going to meet Tord Boontje. *Thanks, gal!* It was not just seeing his works. It's the person, the designer, whose creations made my heart flutters. I turned insane momentarily after hearing the news. :)

Tord Boontje

So last friday night, as any good fan would do, I brought my Tord Boontje's book and Fairy Tail card along to get them signed. Good thing I never had the heart to use the fairy tail card, so it came handy when my two sisters demanded Boontje's signature on just about anything(!). Oh yes, we share the Boontje sista love.. :) But of course, since I only own one Fairy Tail card... it made more sense if I came up with something nicer for my bride-to-be sis... I'm sure you can guess what it is.. ;-) pssssst.... don't tell her yet, it's meant for a surprise....She's getting married in... two days! :)

HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje

It was dreamy, intimate and magical... a perfect Boontje moment.. at Bar 84, Gallery Hotel. I sat next to him and we chatted a little. He told me he's currently moving his studio from France to London. He plans to be based in London starting next year. He's in town for few days to be the guest judge in HP SPACE reality show, where he has to eliminate x number of contestants. And it'll be showcased on the first episode(!), which is tonight(!!).


It was an honor to see you, Tord, and to see other fellow bloggers, like Lester, Lay Hiang, Joe, Nicole & Darryl. Thanks to HP and Tord for an evening to remember, and... an autographed umbrella to hold on to. :-)

I ♥ emails like this:

Hi Imelda. Hope all is well with you:)

A while back you did a posting for pingg. Thank you very much:) And since I've been keeping up with your blog.

Not sure if you are interested in this sort of thing but I just got married to Lorien Gabel (the CEO of pingg) and we had an unbelievably non-traditional wedding. We told people we were having a joint 30th and 40th bday party (which was in fact the case) but in addition to that, we also got married a few weeks before, had a film crew (our best friends) meet us and filmed an amazingly sexy/romantic Oliver Stone/David Lynch type movie about it. Then at the party we showed the video which had some pics of us (going along with the bday theme) that turned into this mysterious movie that ultimately led to the finale- our actual wedding ceremony. We showed the video to 200 of our closest friends and the room was on FIRE as people started realizing what they were witnessing. Ridiculously amazing!

We are hoping some people may be interested in posting the video in order to inspire others to really find unique ways of celebrating important events in their lives, to push the mold and really do what it is they want to do, rather than go along with tradition. Our video represents that. And so did the invite we created.

Both of which are below. If you are interested in writing about us, the video, the production team (The Sibs) or pingg, of course, we'd adore and appreciate it. The feedback from friends and family we have gotten is overwhelming. I'd love to inspire more people to let their lives be their fantasies and vice versa.

The Video:

30- 40 birthday party...and a surprise wedding (full length version)
from Lorien Gabel on Vimeo.

An excerpt from the pingg blog:
Note From pingg CEO: Married in pingg Fashion

And our pingg invite below:




Warm regards,
Jessica



Thank you for sharing such intimate moment with us, Jessica. Let our lives be our fantasies, and our fantasies be our lives. Congratulations to both of you, and thank you for the inspiration.

Happy Halloween, Tim.

Photos: Tim Walker

Seen on Harper's Bazaar, in anticipation of Tim Burton's retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Photographs by Tim Walker. Who else can do Halloween fashion better than Tim Burton? ;-)

Have a fabulous Halloween, everybody!

Let's talk about reality show.. HP SPACE

HP SPACE seems to have all the right ingredients of a good reality show. Its Executive Producer, David Searl, is best known for adapting international reality programmes, such as Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader and America's Next Top Model, for local TV audiences. And has created original reality series The Arsenal Dream and M-Thailand. So we have expertise, checked.

David Searl (left), Paula Malai Ali (right)

Then, they have one of Asia's most popular TV personalities, Paula Malai Ali, to host the show. Paula, formerly a veejay for Channel[V], she is now a presenter for ESPN Star Sports. She has also been the face of many international brands such as Longines, Redken, Nescafe and cosmetics line Silky Girl. Plus, she was featured in a special episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that profiled successful women in their thirties. impressive!

For HP SPACE China and Taiwan, Channel[V] veejay Li Chen will co-host the show. So good looking hosts, checked.

Li Chen (left), Ban Yih Jheow (right)

Two judges for the show are Ban Yinh Jheow and Sean Cummins. Everybody in Singapore must've known who Ban Yinh Jheow is. To me, he is like the man who put Singapore in the global toy industry with his revolutionary STIKFAS(tm) action figure. Uhuh, remember that. And Sean Cummins is known for his "The Best Job in the World" campaign, which entitled him to 3 Grand prix and 5 Gold Lions at the Cannes Lions 2009. These two judges definitely have a say in a creativity competition like HP SPACE. Qualified judges, checked.


As for the contestants, they come from various creative fields, from graphic designers, illustrator, architect, photographer, theatre artiste, to music video directors, and all with different levels of expertise. Some have limited experiences, while others come with many years of productions in their books. A perfect imbalance of contestants, checked.

So let's see if they'd cook all the ingredients right, and dish out some good episodes for us to watch. And yes, please.. with some drama on the side, it'd be one. perfect. meal. ;-) Meals to be served on November 10. Enjoy, folks!

Asia's first original reality TV show. For Real.

It's called HP SPACE. Asia's first original reality TV show that celebrates creativity and innovation, encourages aspiring talents to discover their talents. The show received more than 2,000 digital auditions, with close to 14,000 registered users on hpspace.com.

The 16 finalists were announced today. They are Admira Pustika (Indonesia), Adrienne Vergara (Philippines), Brandon Liu (Australia, works and lives in Singapore), David Tang (Australia, works and lives in Singapore), Daniel Tran (Australia, works and lives in Vietnam), Eric Zhang Hailin (China), Kaz Chai (Singapore), Liu Ming-Chun (Taiwan), Lora Lee (China), Note Pongsuang Kunprasop (Thailand), Phan Huynh Trung (Vietnam), Rafael N. Francisco (Philippines), Rohit Ferreira (India), Sawan (India), Tan Chung Han (Malaysia), Uni Lee (Korea).

Only one winner to win the grand prize of USD 50,000 and a fully-paid job on the live-action remake of cult anime classic, Bubblegum Crisis, in Australia. *yum!*

HP SPACE will telecast as follows:

China
Channel [V], Tuesday at 10pm from 10 Nov.

India
Channel [V], Tuesday at 6pm from 10 Nov.
STAR World, Tuesday at 9pm from 10 Nov.

Malaysia
Channel [V], Tuesday at 8pm from 10 Nov.

Middle East
STAR World, Wednesday at 10pm (UAE Time) from 11 Nov.

Philippines
STAR World, Wednesday at 9pm from 11 Nov.

Southeast Asia and Hong Kong
Channel[V], Tuesday at 7pm (HK Time) from 10 Nov.
STAR World, Wednesday at 10pm (HK Time) from 11 Nov.

South Korea
www.naver.co.kr, Wednesday at 9pm from 10 Nov.

Taiwan
Channel[V], Thursday at 7pm from 12 Nov.





I've uploaded some pics from HP SPACE press conference to my flickr, you can see them here. I'll talk more about the show tomorrow. Stay tuned. ;-)

HP TouchSmart 600 PC

I've never really talked about any technology products before, and most likely, I would rarely do so. But there's always a place in this blog for the good looking ones, like HP TouchSmart 600 PC. ;-)


I won't go into its technical specs and reviews, which you can easily find them here, or here. Remember, it's always important to read the specs and(!) reviews to find which PC suits your requirements and lifestyle. As for me, it's equally important to acknowledge products with good and smart(!) design. HP TouchSmart 600 PC is one them. And yes, it's a PC with touch screen technology. Changing the way you interact with your PC. Smart, huh?


Thanks, Amelia!

LAUDesign, China

I stumbled upon Kian Lau's blog, LAUDesign, where he shares his product designs along with their analogies. So I emailed him for permission to blog about his Tissues House. And he said yes! :) *thanks, Lau!* But how could you just blog about one great item, while he has plenty good stuffs to show?? Oh btw, his blog is in Chinese. You could use Google translator here.




Forkmen, Tissues House, Bookshelf-annotation, and Dish Time are among my favorites. But the one that really caught me off guard is his Psychologic Design on chocolates. It plays with our mind and emotions by incorporating fearful objects, like bullets and nails, into delicacies, like chocolates. Fear vs. Craving. Would you, or would you not.. indulge?? :) I think I'd scream first if I saw my daughter biting on any "nails/bullets"-shaped objects, like the boy pictured above. Anyhow, I loved it. Perfect for those little vampires knocking on the door. Trick or Treat? Well, these chocolates are both.

Kenya Hara Lecture: Nothing, Yet Everything

Kenya Hara is Japan’s most respected thinker and prolific designer. As the Art Director in communication and Board Member of MUJI, Kenya Hara is synonymous with its acclaimed art direction. He is devoted to developing design deeply rooted in Japanese culture and philosophy.

Come spend a day with Kenya Hara and all his greatest works: HAPTIC, SENSEWARE, MUJI, and Emptiness, in his inaugural lecture in Singapore.

Venue : The Singapore Airlines Theatre, LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally Street, Singapore 187940

Date : 12 Nov 2009

Time : 9am

Ticketing by SISTIC

Info at www.autumnschool.asia

Contact at contact@autumnschool.asia



I'd say, save the date, book the event, and plan your travel dates early. Drop everything else. This is MUJI speaking.

And pssst.., there'll be book signing by Kenya Hara. Books by Kenya Hara: Designing Design, Haptic, White, MUJI etc, will be on sale on site at special promotional prices in conjunction with this Lecture. ;-)



Thanks, Adrian!

The British Design Awards 2009

Benjamin Hubert emailed me about his desk light has been shortlisted for The British Design Awards 2009 by Elle Decoration. Click here to cast your vote!




Thanks, Benjamin! All the best for you!

BIG

stands for Bjarke Ingels Group, a Copenhagen-based group of 85 architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development, headed by a danish architect, Bjarke Ingels.


At only 34 yrs of age, Bjarke Ingels has done numerous award-winning projects. Above picture is BIG's one-million-square-metre Zira Island city project, currently ongoing off the Caspian Sea coast of Azerbaijan. My jaw dropped the moment I saw it. This is seriously BIG. It's an insane architectural genius.

Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture (Hardcover)

by Valerie Viscardi (Editor), Jill Gasparina (Contributor), Glenn O'Brien (Contributor), Taro Igarashi (Contributor). Release date: September 22, 2009. Available for pre-order at Amazon.

TSANG Kin-Wah, Hong Kong

Saw his works before in magazines, then stumbled upon it in September last year. It was an unexpected pleasant surprise to find his work in the ladies washroom of MOCA Shanghai.

Above is TSANG Kin-Wah's commission work for a private collector in Hong Kong, Wallpaper "I Love U" red on white. *love it*

Melting Cup and Sweet Tear

by Joon&Jung, designteller. Originally from South Korea, Joon and Jung are conceptual product designers based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Thank you

Now that the long weekend of Singapore's National Day celebration is over, I could share thanks to these few people.

Holly of decor8
I was invited to visit Holly's blog while she's moving to Germany, to share few of my favorite things on decor8. So of course, I said yes. I love her blog! Holly posted my favorite things last Saturday, you could view them here. Don't miss other guest bloggers' favorite things on decor8, too! For those who came from decor8, welcome to my blog. :)



Thanks, Holly!


HP's City of Dreams
When Amelia first asked me to join Hewlett Packard's City of Dreams event, I almost thought it was a bogus email, until I checked her corporate website. Can't really blame my 'motherly' intuition, can you? ;-)


City of Dreams is a digital arts and animation festival celebrating creative talent and Singapore's 44th National Day, featuring creative showcases, fun workshops and activities in partnership with ION Orchard, supported by ACM Siggraph Singapore, ITE College Central and Objectifs (Centre for Photography and Filmmaking). Happening on August 7 -13, at ION Orchard. Click here for details.

I was glad to be part of City of Dreams' blogosphere event last friday, and got a chance to know few other bloggers like Joanne of Beru Betto, Dorothy, Lester, Lay Hiang, and Alvin. And oh, both of my daughters received HP's Monsters vs. Aliens pillows, one courtesy of HP, one courtesy of Lester. I swear I didn't mug him, he's just a man with a kind soul. Thanks, Lester! :)


Thanks HP, Amelia, Jael and Calvin!

Hellooow... Mr. Pink!!

You are welcome anytime. anyday. in my house. Come on over to sunny Singapore, Mr. Pink. ;-) It's a Diana F+ camera, Mr. Pink is your ultimate analogue new man. This site says so.

Colorful Noodles, anybody?

They sure look pretty. I wonder if they'd taste as yummy. The noodles seem to use all natural colors, as mentioned in this Google translated page. One pack comes in 5 different colors. Available at Story Shop, Korea.

Re-bag by DUEMIO, Korea

Using materials like net and tent, Re-bag was created to improve condition of living and help providing enjoyable and hygienic recycling environment. Visit DUEMIO's blog here to find out more. Mostly in Korean, btw. But there are some short description in english, here.



(via Designers Party)

Mass Studies, Korea

Seoul Commune 2026 (top), Pixel House (middle) and Ann Demeulemeester shop (bottom) are just a few of Mass Studies's stunning architectural projects. You should(!) see the rest here. They're bringing future to present. And oh yes. I can live with future, indeed.

Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009

Registration for Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009 is now open internationally for illustrators, visual artists, graphic designers, animators, book artists, as well as students and apprentices.

As mentioned on earlier post, the shortlisted nominees of the Swatch Young Illustrators Award will be invited to Berlin and get the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Illustrative 09 in Berlin. One winner will also be invited to design a Swatch watch. Click here for more info on the prizes.

Illustrative artworks, art projects with graphic influences, animations, and book art objects are qualified for submission. Please read the registration and artwork submission details here, and(!) here. Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009.


Good Luck! :)

Illustrative 09, Berlin

A note from Katharina of Illustrative was received yesterday, telling me about the Illustrative festival happening in Berlin this coming October. I felt like I had seen that festival logo before, but I couldn't recall exactly when and where. Anyhow, if you're just as confused as I am on what the festival is about, Katharina was kind enough to share some information.


Illustrative is an annual international festival for contemporary illustration and graphic arts, founded in Berlin, in 2006. After great success of Illustrative' past festivals in Paris and Zurich, the festival will return to Berlin this year for 17 days, commencing on October 15.


With 600 works from more than 80 artists, Illustrative 09 showcases an inspiring density of contemporary illustrative art and graphics, selected by a curatorial committee lead by Berlin-based curator Pascal Johanssen. The show will be supplemented by an exhibition of the winners of the Swatch Young Illustrators Award 2009 (more details on next post).

So mark your calendar people, it's October 15 for Illustrative 09!

(images are from past Illustrative events)



Thanks, Katharina!

The W* House

Kay of Wallpaper has just told me about Wallpaper's newly launched interactive catalog, The W* House. It aims to document a selection of Wallpaper favorites pieces of design from around the globe, room by room. The catalog will be updated with new favorites from time to time, building it into an archive for as long as the pieces are for sale.

Here are my top favorites from The W* House.





(top) Sideboard by Abdul Ghafoor / Kursi
(middle left) Wired King Lamp by Autoban
(middle right) EUro Lantern by Moooi
(bottom) Brio Chairs by Mikiya Kobayashi

Click here to see the rest of The W* House. Bookmark it if you don't want to miss out on their future additions. Have fun in the house! :)



Thanks, Kay!

The Highgate Hill Residence by Richard Kirk Architects

Oh my. This is what I called fabulous.ness. By Richard Kirk Architects. More pictures here.


(via Contemporist)