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)