Happiness...

is seeing Liberty of London for Target collection. Available from March 14. And yes, yes, yes... at Target prices, these gorgeousness certainly won't last for long... Have I mentioned it's Liberty of London? ;-) Get your dose of happiness here.


Seen at happy mundane.

Surrealist Laser-Cut Handbags

Never heard of them before. Never thought such things even existed until I saw these images from James Piatt in my inbox. As James mentioned, all handbags are beautifully crafted, detailed, and do not contain any stitching. Tabs and slots are laser cut in the leather which allows each piece of leather to interlock together. It's a combination of old-world craftsmanship and high technology. Hm.. yes, I have to agree with him. A clever combination.



Looove the Pursuader™, but I wonder if it could pass through the airport security without lengthy, repetitive screenings and checks, yes? no? Well, I'd say, if you had this bag with you, you'd definitely turn many heads, and perhaps, have some onlookers gasping, or.. screaming (excitedly, or frantically), or simply have ppl being so wonderfully generous, friendly, then run away from you. Aah fun, just by imagining it. :) Pursuader™ comes in Copper Mirror (as shown on top), Blue Alligator, Black, and Natural Skin. I'd go for the Copper Mirror. It's shiny, it's reflective. :) Click here to see more of James Piatt handbags.


Thanks, James!

Shiny Reflective Objects

My mind has been hooked on shiny reflective objects lately.. A total distraction. In a much desirable way, of course. :)



(top) Digit Chandelier by Emmanuel Babled, Daisy Marc Jacobs (Silver).
(middle) River Island's Chainmail Slouch Bag, Ted Noten's Lady K Bag 6/7.
(bottom) Day Goose by Day Birger et Mikkelsen.

Keraton Yogyakarta, Indonesia

We went to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, last December, mainly to see Biennale Jogja X. And while we were there, we thought it'd be great to let the kids see other cultural tourism spots as well, like the Borobudur and Keraton Yogyakarta.




Keraton Yogyakarta, built in 1755 by Sultan Hamengku Buwono I, is currently the palace of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the Sultan of Yogyakarta and the Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta). Above are some pics I took of Keraton Yogyakarta. I was in awe to see a ceiling with layers of intricately carved moldings like that. Love it. Click here to see more pictures. Enjoy!

LEICA M7 Limited Edition Hermès

Silver chrome LEICA M7 camera with exquisite Hermès Swift calfskin leather. Only 200 in the world; 100 each of available leather colours, étoupe and orange. Wanna see the price tag? take a long deep breath, then click here. :)

Pink Octopus Chandeliers by Adam Wallacavage

These are the pink octopus chandeliers made by Adam Wallacavage for Tarina Tarantino's NYC Sephora launch party. One word. Gorgeousness.


(via Arrested Motion, images by Adam Wallacavage)

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!

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.

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)

PawPaws Urban Retreat, Australia

This would be my second post on hospitality industry, with this being the first. Well, as the name suggested, this time is about an accommodation. for. dogs. A fabulous one to be exact.




PawPaws is the premium dog boarding and dog daycare in inner Sydney, just opened last December. It's founded by Mandy Richards, assisted by her lovely Siberian Husky, Kishka. Above are some images taken from their photo gallery. Seriously, with great pictures like those, even a non pet-owner like myself would loooove to visit and see them in person. Plus(!)... they have other services, such as Puppy Preschool, and guess what... Puppy Parties. Right on. fabulous.ness.

Orla Kiely™ for Target

A friend of mine told me about the good news this morning. Yes, I know... I've been away from the blogland waaaay too long. ;-) Target® introduces Orla Kiely™ for Target, an exclusive home décor collection.The assortment will be available February 1st for a limited time at Target stores with select items available on Target.com. Please read its press releases here.



A recent check on Target.com however, mentioned the collection is coming on February 15th. So I guess, you just have to try your luck and set your eyes on this page or the Target store near you, if you don't want to miss them. Happy hunting!



Thanks, Venina!

Playing Princess for a Day in Japan

It sure sounds like a smart(!) business to me. Banking on fun. Please read the complete story here.

Lonely Tiger by IVANAhelsinki

IVANAhelsinki will show their Lonely Tiger Collection this Saturday, September 27, 3 pm at the SHOWCASE under the Bridge, Port des Champs Elysées, Pont Alexandre III, 75008 Paris. Be there!



Thanks, Pirjo!

Envirosax for Kids

Goodness does come in kids sizes. :) They are available here in Singapore.


Thanks, Olivia!

IVANAhelsinki Fall/Winter 08/09

If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you'd know IVANAhelsinki is my personal favorite. :) Here are some pics from IVANAhelsinki Fall/Winter 08/09 "BirdRing" collection. Its catwalk show will be held on this coming Saturday, February 23, 7.30 pm at Hotel Westin, Salon Concorde, 3 rue de Castiglione , 75001 PARIS. There will be a live performance by Au Revoir Simone (New York) followed with IVANAhelsinki after party with the live gig of Au Revoir Simone. Click on the invitation below for more details.
Plus, IVANAhelsinki will present the "BirdRing" collection at W-Workshop, Hotel Regina (Rue du Rivoli 192, PARIS) from February 27 to March 2, 2008. Click here to find out more.

pssst, you must see the video of IVANAhelsinki Spring/Summer 2008 catwalk show posted on their site. Must!!


Thanks, Pirjo!