THE HANSEL BLOG

A game of hide and seek.

2012-01-27T10:03:00.001+08:00

Spot the kid.

The amazing thing was that he was the LAST one to be found so he won the game!
Such brilliance in a mind so young.

The Barbie doll that caught my eye.

2012-01-24T11:58:00.002+08:00

I always seem to be fascinated by children's things. This is another 4 year old girl's Barbie ballerina doll. I was just holding this doll up, then realized that there were two "buttons" sort of disguised into the sides of her pink leotard. I pressed...

And UP sprang her arms and legs!
ON POINTE!!!
(It gave me a little shock actually...)

Check out how her feet were designed. Placed on a surface and she appears to be standing normal.

Lift her up and INSTANT ON POINTE!!!

Ballerina Barbie also needed a manicure.
Her fingers were SO badly chewed.

The magic of rainbows!

2012-01-23T16:57:00.001+08:00

After a crazy storm, a complete pair of rainbows appear in the sky. (Wished I was in an open space so I could have snapped the complete arch!) Rainbows feel so magical.

Photoshoot for Reebonz.

2012-01-20T10:46:00.006+08:00

OK so I'm not allowed to reveal the purpose of this photoshoot just yet, but here are some behind-the-scenes snaps of the shoot that Wong Weiling (MD at Tuber Productions, the publisher of CATALOG magazine) and I did for Reebonz, a members-only online shop for discount luxury brands. The shoot location was the Reebonz Space on the 7th floor of Clifford House, right in the heart of the financial district of Raffles Place. Check out all that space!!!

The very tall and elegant Weiling and me in between shots - my Havaianas are the mode of transport in between sky-high Louboutins and Miu Mius!

Weiling helped to pull the accessories to complement my hansel dresses. I liked the mustard yellow dress look the best!

Weiling sporting our new hello hansel knit dress from our Spring/Summer 2012 collection (due to launch Feb 2012, by the way1)

Going through the clothes that Reebonz had on offer was like going through a luxury label walk-in wardrobe!

Oh, Louboutins or Prada? Miu Miu or Gucci?

Decisions, decisions!

First shot - Weiling perches on a "staircase" laden with Chanel bags while the straps of my wedge heels are being tied and untied to achieve the perfect bow.

I thought I might as well help out the photographer's assistant and help hold up the reflective screen!

2nd shot - hold that bag very very still, please!!!

3rd shot - yes, you can go ahead and zoom in on my Louboutins.

Here's a sneak peek at what the 3 shots look like!

One more post on my adventures in Australia! This one's dedicated to COLOURS!

2012-01-19T18:08:00.007+08:00

A tomato farm sets up a self-service retail cart at its farm entrance alongside the highway to Flinders, Mornington Peninsula.

It's based on a trust system - you put your money into the sealed box...

...and pick up your bag of tomatoes! They are SO SWEET! And just look at that beautiful Tomato Red!

Then there's freshly picked cherries from the farm too - nice Cherry Red...

And of course, fresh strawberries from Sunny Ridge strawberry farm plus their absolutely to-die-for strawberry ice cream. Strawberry Red!

Down by the beach at Mornington, pops of colors on their traditional beach boxes and an old fashioned style striped beach umbrella!

Spotted in a friend's backyard - a Faded Blue/Green succulent plant with contrasting Pink/Purple/Yellow flowers! So pretty!

Last but not least, accidental cool color combinations in a snapshot of my Lilac disposable plastic cup, my Mustard Yellow dress and Green slippers.

I love the effect that these cheery colours have on me - it's definitely colour therapy. :-)

Singapore Art Museum.

2012-01-17T16:08:00.005+08:00

SAM's got two great art shows on right now:

1. The Singapore Show: Future Proof features 25 young Singaporean artsts' works. This show is at SAM at 8Q and runs through 15 April 2012.

2. The Collectors Show: Chimera features art from 21 private collections around the world! See them at SAM itself. This show runs through to 25 March 2012.

I went along to the show opening and spent a few hours absorbing all the theories, questions and statements posed in the works. Here's a few snaps.

My artist friend Charles Lim's photos of buoys that mark the imaginary border line around Singapore. He photographed the view from inside Singapore waters and the view from outside.

This is a sight to behold! Crystals grown on loaves of bread!

A miniature "city" made entirely from various glass containers. This is by another artist friend Donna Ong.

This laser installation in the old chapel at SAM (the SAM building was originally St Joseph's Institution - an all-boys Catholic school) was breathtaking. I think these photos do no justice to the feeling of being in that room!

I hope you have the chance to go see the shows before they're gone!

Messy Msxi's breakfast barter.

2012-01-16T10:54:00.002+08:00

At dim sum yesterday, I took up Messy Msxi's breakfast barter challenge and drew what I ate on her charming printed table setting templates. It feels good to start drawing outside of work.

Clockwise from top: One steamed custard bun, two stalks of vegetables and one siew mai. Naturally, all drawn from bird's eye view to suit the angle of the template.

Then I exchanged my drawing...

...for one of Messy Msxi's photo cards!
I chose one showing McDonald's Big Breakfast on a polka-dot table mat.

Happy trading!

Girly fun!

2012-01-15T09:50:00.002+08:00

Back to my Melbourne posts!

I particularly like this set of photos of Amelia (the lucky 4 year old girl whose backpacks I had posted earlier) blowing bubbles in the backyard.

She was focusing on creating the biggest bubble possible!

And she has a doll house!
I have always wanted a doll house!
Sometimes when I walk past real houses that are similarly shaped, I imagine being able to open a wall and see all the occupants inside all the different rooms in the house.

I always like to imagine what it's like to be the same size as the dolls and be inside the doll house itself. I guess she had the same thoughts!

It's still Christmas!

2012-01-13T17:11:00.002+08:00

I returned to my studio from lunch to find this sitting on my desk!

Ooooh it's a Christmas present from kikki.K! Yaay!
(I later learnt that I had missed a proper Christmas delivery because I was away in Melbourne.)

There's something fascinating with striped string - it conjures prettiness, sweetness, childlikeness and when I actually open that present, very possibly happiness too! :-)

And happiness is a bright red diary!!!

Hmmm... someone must have been telling kikki.K that I'm an old school girl who likes to write her schedule down on paper. Great! Time to throw out the dull one I picked up at the airport departure lounge and get going with my very very pretty red one.

Oooh a sweet ice cream printed pen to go with the diary too!
Thank you so much, kikki.K! Thank you for the lurve! :-)

A theatre night out in Melbourne!

2012-01-12T15:57:00.005+08:00

We were terribly lucky to snag great seats for Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at the Melbourne Theatre Company. Just 4 rows away from the stage, we were completely enthralled by Geoffrey Rush and the other members of the fantastic cast as they acted out this age-old play against one of the most awesome stage set designs I have ever seen!

A HUGE pop-up book featuring artwork from Aubrey Beardsley - each turn of a page indicates a change in the acts.

Everything was FANTASTIC - the stage design, the costumes, the actors, the lines - simply put, THE PLAY WAS AMAZING. See more photos here on The Herald Sun's review.

We were so speechless after the play that we needed to chill out! We headed over to The Melbourne Supper Club on Spring Street.

Located on the second floor with a large window facing the street, you could easily miss its entrance if you didn't pay attention!

Here's the entrance - a single wooden door with a sliver of a sign!

Despite the nondescript entrance, it is warm and cosy inside!

Check out all those bottles on the bar! They serve a CRAZY FANTASTIC sticky date pudding which was SO GOOD I forgot to take photos of it and just gobbled it all down!

On the rooftop is Siglo bar. They have the same menu as The Melbourne Supper Club, but for some reason, it's called a different name.

Charlie Sublet.

2012-01-11T11:51:00.004+08:00

I mentioned in my previous post that I was at Abbotsford Convent to visit an artist friend who had a studio there. He is Charlie Sublet. He is a photographer and we bought some works from him while we were at his studio. One of them was this intriguing art-in-a-matchbox concept - inside this iconic Redheads matchbox...

....are a set of 10 miniature "polaroids"!

The photos are also available in big "normal" sizes, but I thought that these super tiny ones had their own unique charm. I can't wait to frame them up individually - gotta find super duper tiny picture frames!

Spotted in Charlie's studio were packs of the Redheads matchboxes. I LOVE the eye-catching graphic packaging!

This is the view from Charlie's studio window of the central courtyard - his studio is one of a row of rooms on the floor, and these used to be the bedrooms for the nuns who used to live and work in the convent.

Charlie's work area.

That's Charlie himself having a chat with a friend!
Be sure to visit Charlie's website and order a matchbox miniature set of photos for yourself!

Christmas in Melbourne.

2012-01-10T10:27:00.006+08:00

I spent Christmas in Spotswood, Victoria, Australia. (I learnt later that there's a film called "Spotswood" with a story based in that neighbourhood with a whole host of stars!)

Here's part of Christmas dinner. Hmmm... it appears that we might have had roasted dinosaur meat.

After dinner walk around the neighbourhood revealed some very zealous Christmas decorations.

Even the dessert was happy.

Thank you Straits Times!

2012-01-09T19:32:00.002+08:00

Great article in today's Straits Times. Read it here. (Oh my it looks like THE mustard dress is one of my faves right now!)

People & Places in Melbourne.

2012-01-09T09:27:00.006+08:00

I missed fashion blogger Lady Melbourne when she was last in Singapore, so I made sure I met her for coffee when I was in her hometown!

And THIS was the stage in Federation Square where I launched my label all those years ago in November 2003 at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week.

A hot and sunny afternoon spent at a unique pub on a balcony at Abbotsford Convent, where an artist friend had his studio. This adorable little girl was there with her daddy and their pet dog.

The dog was trying to cool down by lying on the cool cement tiles. The girl ensured that it was well protected with her own woven hat.

And then the dog decided that my lap made a cushy seat!

I met some unique characters in this book that I bought from Brunswick Street...

When you remove the paper cover...

It becomes a cool fold-out poster!

Nice!!!!

Things I liked in Melbourne. 3.

2012-01-08T21:42:00.003+08:00

For those who have been following my blog, you would know that I LOVE all things industrial. Hence, photos of oil refineries in Altona fascinate me... so practical, so no-nonsense, so functional, so big, and soooo beautiful...

OMG salmon pink refinery chimneys against a pale blue sky! So pretty!!!

And OMG a whole big STACK of containers by the side of the road!!!
These 1950s brooches that I bought are in fantastic condition, and the one in the middle actually looks "industrial" like. So post-modern. Beautiful.

Talking about flowers, here's a lovely scene at Williamstown...

And look at this lovely vintage floral painted plate!

The heart of these pretty little flowers match my dress!

This garden was in the Heide Museum of Modern Art. If you're ever in Victoria, try to make a trip there!

And.... talking about gardens, I had my first ever go at being a golf cart driver! So much fun!

Check out the golf course grass - looks more like moss.

And since we're on the sports theme, here's a shot of a tennis club at Williamstown that I like.

Things I liked in Melbourne. 2.

2012-01-06T09:04:00.006+08:00

I was smsing someone while blending in with the street art on Hosier Lane.

Tiled wall in Altona.

Supermarket shapes.

Who IS Jerry?

Branded wine glass at Cumulus.

Who took a bite out of that tree???!!!
Spotted in the suburbs: a very simple answer making sure trees don't interfere with cables.

Great textures and patterns on the jetty at Williamstown.

A 4 year old girl's 2 backpacks and 1 stuffed Miffy toy. Vivid and graphic.

Things I liked in Melbourne. 1.

2012-01-05T22:26:00.005+08:00

I just returned from a much needed break in Melbourne. Naturally, I had my camera with me everywhere I went. Much to share. Let's begin...

Signage on front window of Chinese restaurant. I liked how the colour's all patchy and uneven on the back and beautifully flat on the front.

One could NOT not notice the street art in Melbourne city. Here's a poster of a lush green forest on a brick building (and three bright orange crates that happened to be in the right place at the right time).

A nice big one.

I liked that the drawing of the girl actually makes the layers of graffiti beneath look better by giving it a focal point.

Carpark entrance. Nice graphic logo.

Mad colourful matryoshka dolls in a shop window. I always love the tiniest doll the best!

They had a Santa Claus version for the Christmas season.

Great paper mushroom sculptures in the window of a children's book shop.

Nice graphics on the box that a tin of very expensive anchovies came in.

A bike ride in Galle.

2012-01-02T11:47:00.005+08:00

Venturing outside the fort, we took to bicycling in the lush rice paddy fields...

Our guide took us to a traditional mud house for our rest stop.

A cool little horse-inspired carved wooden chair.

We also popped into a Buddhist temple.

The rotunda on the left is actually a school!

It was vacation time so all the school tables and benches were piled up in the center of the round space.

The temple buildings are pristine white on the outside...

And super technicolour beautiful on the inside!

After our bike ride, we cooled down by the beach.

That's a fisherman fishing whilst standing on a raised piece of rock amid the strong swirling currents. It was still the tail end of the monsoons so the currents was too strong to swim around in.

And this is my last posting on my Galle trip! What a beautiful place. I will definitely revisit. :-)

Galle fort part 2.

2012-01-02T11:15:00.004+08:00

The fort town is made up of a grid of narrow streets lined with heritage buildings.

That's the lighthouse on the old ramparts.

The lcoals taking a dip on a hot day.

Strolling along the ramparts with the sea on one side and the town on the other was the popular thing to do in the evenings.

Please do not use your horn here!

Turn the corner and you get a glowing pink wall...

I zoomed in on a woman with great outfit - striking blue, red and white striped shawl and pants paired with a floral tunic. VERY cool.

The tuk tuk or three wheeler that took you around for a pre-agreed price.

There was a local political rally happening on the day we arrived at the Galle fort. I notice a faint resemblance between the man in the rally poster to Barrack Obama, even down to the way he was posed.

An antique shop capitalizing on the town's heritage.

Galle fort.

2011-12-30T06:40:00.005+08:00

The Amangalla sits inside the walls of the fort town of Galle. A UNESCO world heritage site, the small town is permeated with a strong reminder of its long history everywhere you look. Some of the things that caught my eye...

A roughly made statue of school girls inside a school courtyard.

Curvilinear windows...

Some great graphics and shapes found on the architecture within the town.

My favourite was The Galle Library - a small cosy house with lots of wooden framed windows.

I liked that in keeping with the town's architecture, the YWCA sign was made from wood.

I don't know the significance of this but it looks like a large melon with a human face painted on, and strung up above a door. Would have been good to find out what it's for!

A street sign.

Arrow over the indicating lights on a truck.

A laid back lifestyle - a shop owner's pet dog snoozing on the shop floor.

The Amangalla at night.

2011-12-28T07:35:00.005+08:00

The verandah transformed into a cosy space at night - the perfect spot to pretend you're still in the romantic colonial days.

The main hall.
I liked the use of large bunches of bananas and coconuts placed atop dark wooden chests of drawers as display - unusual, modern yet down-to-earth.

The stairs that took me up to our room on the third and highest floor, and the corridor leading off to more rooms on the ground floor.

The schnazzy bar corner with its lil' stereo that pumped out big bang tunes.

Another view of the hall, looking toward the dining area.

I was constantly taking notes to record as much detail as I could, for my review.

Flipping through the guest book, I came across some drawings done by previous guests.

An elegant little sitting area.

Our butler in his pristine white attire consisting of a tunic-style shirt and sarong.

Traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry is fascinating - the curry is but one small dish amongst a plethora of dishes, from vegetables to sambals to pickles.

Polished silver cigar holder and ash tray. That cigar's not mine as I do not smoke. It belonged to Mr Smith. ;-)

Our room at nigh. I bought that boat miniature off an old man on the beach. It's a replica of a traditional Sri Lankan fishing boat. I LOVE boats and sailing. :- )

Again, another shot of the room at night. Pretty nice, eh?

In our room, I was flipping through this book of old drawings and paintings of Sri Lanka's flora and fauna...

And found these paintings fascinating because they were drawn by the artist while he was sitting in one of these....

:-)

The Amangalla, Galle, Sri Lanka.

2011-12-27T12:41:00.006+08:00

Some months ago, I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to anonymously review the amazing Amangalla hotel in Galle, Sri Lanka, for Mr & Mrs Smith. Here are my snaps ( I must have taken literally hundreds of photos.). . .

The shaded front verandah where we had our meals.

My favourite breakfast of ruhuna (buffalo milk yoghurt) and palm sugar syrup! Yum!

I love how the local newspaper is called The Island - very apt!

One of my childhood favourites - putu mayam - small pancakes made from rice vermicelli. I used to consume lots of these with dessicated coconut and brown sugar. Mmm...

My eye notices that my denim skirt matches the blue tiles on the verandah floor...

Newly weds in traditional wedding clothes pose for photos in the park in front of the Amangalla.

The tranquil pool in the hotel grounds.

A hotel staff member in a refreshing white saree with a navy striped border.

The Amangalla used to be the New Oriental Hotel - in the library, artifacts from the old hotel sit alongside design books and magazines.

Absolutely elegant old fashioned navy umbrellas line up on the umbrella rack.

I couldn't resist a pose.

Marvel at the detail.
The Balcony right outside my hotel room overlooks...

THIS breath-taking view.

The room has a dining/study area with large windows.

Local Sri Lankan magoes all ripe and ready on a side table.

Back to elegant basics - Amangalla's note papers come inside a silver box next to a jar of sharpened pencils.

MORE photos in my next post!

Let's go Lego!

2011-12-22T13:04:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the silence. I am in Melbourne right now for Christmas and have been ferreting around visiting friends and family.

I have been longing to tell you all about this so I'd better blog about it now before I forget!

How cool is this? .... How often do people MAKE gifts for others anymore? Hardly ever.
So how fantastically touching and heart warming was it to receive not one but THREE gifts from Serene on the first birthday party of my shop at Mandarin Gallery!

That's Serene and me, with me holding up the sweet Lego duck pendant necklace that she'd made for me. I put it on straight away and my team couldn't stop telling me how cute it was! I later asked Serene if she'd consider making some to sell on consignment in my shop. Let's see if she'd say yes. . .

Here's the adorable lil' duck pendant necklace...

A simple little brooch with 3 Lego bricks...

And last but not least, a Lego brick keyring on a cute lil' zipped pouch.
I say, Lego on!

Last day in the village.

2011-12-15T10:05:00.006+08:00

While the ladies were busy finishing up the last bits of weaving...

I took some pictures of the interesting things that were stuck on the wall of the mini-hall...
A simple map of the village.
Each arrowhead represents a house. You can see a football field at the top of the map (that's actually the far end of the village) and a big road at the bottom of the map (that's the highway).

I also saw some curious signs...

I made this sweet little girl a pair of dangly earrings with tiny dried leaf rosettes and then we were BFF! :-)

She can play and sing a little with the guitar.

And together with her friend, she's quite a cheeky little monkey!

As a group, the weavers made a box with a lid, a hat, a clutch bag, a brooch and 30 bangles. I decided to bring the 30 bangles back to Singapore to sell on their behalf in my shop. I'm putting them on display in my shop tomorrow morning!

This is how the bangles look just before the excess ends are trimmed off. Quite avant-garde!

The only male weaver amongst the group, this "Uncle" (that's how we addressed him) sits with the bamboo bangle that he'd woven entirely by hand.

As I watch him being interviewed for the Channel News Asia programme. . .

I notice that the sticker indicating the lens degree was still on his glasses!

The talented Nor Ek strikes a pose with her woven hat for my camera before being called upon to pose for the Channel News Asia camera...

Here she is with the clutch bag that she made too. The bag prototype still needed a bit of work and we felt it was not ready to be sold in the shop yet, so along with the lidded box, we later passed them to Xixili in KL for them to consider the possibilities of working with the village weavers. I had proposed to Xixili that perhaps they could work with the weavers to develop gift boxes (or other products) which Xixili could buy from the weavers on a long term basis, thus providing them with a viable source of income. I hope it comes through!

One by one, the rest of the women weavers posed for the camera too...

Back in the village.

2011-12-14T10:52:00.004+08:00

We arrive at a different small hall built near the entrance of the village to check on the progress of the women's weaving. . .
Nor Ek, the leader of the weaving group, was busy weaving a cool geometric pattern for a clutch bag prototype.

The unfinished clutch bag.

This was Nor Ek's first attempt to weave a box with a lid. I thought it was nice to capture a photograph before the extra lengths were trimmed off.

While the ladies weave on, we visit some villagers at their homes.
If this isn't the classic idyllic kampung scene, then I don't know what is!

Some of the villagers keep small monkeys as pets.

Monkey with its owner.

We also visited a nearby timber factory where many of the villagers worked.

I learnt that a young girl whose job was to move cut timber around earns just RM18 per day!!!

Striking old fashioned truck outside the factory.

Two boys from the village had been trailing the Channel News Asia cameraman and soundman all day, and decided to become a film crew as well! The "camera" made from an empty tissue box and a cut-up mineral water bottle. The "boom" was simply a long branch with a soft drink bottle stuck on top!

The real cameraman was so impressed with their creativity he had to snap a photo.
(Oh the "soundman" was carrying the camera too because the "cameraman" had gone to the washroom.)

Checking into a hotel in the nearby town of Temerloh. Interesting decor... pretty feminine PEACH wallpaper with BLUE doors.

The pattern could make a pretty print for a blouse....

The YWCA VTOC.

2011-12-13T17:34:00.007+08:00

After the graduation ceremony, we went round to look at the graduates' works.

We enter into the Sewing And Tailoring school's very feminine classroom with all the things that they'd sewn on display.

Charming hand-drawn and very handicraft style displays of the different tools of the trade adorn their classroom walls.

This I LOVED the most! A naive-style drawing of a woman on styrofoam board to demonstrate the various measurement points on the body.

I LOVE this face!!! What a beautiful portrait!!!

A curious 3D papier mache model of sewing machine sits in a corner of the classroom with miniature versions of sewing tools stuck to its side.

Fabulous magazine and fabric collage!!!

This was over in the Hairdressing school.
This display was so scary, I simply HAD to snap a picture!

Hmmm....

Look at these whimsical proposals for nail art!

Vivid colours to be found in the Culinary school!

My version of a "cup noodle".
(The canteen ran out of plates.)

We took Hanizah and her sister to the huge Pavilion mall to visit the retail shop of Hanizah's future-employer, Xixili lingerie, and did more filming there.
Hanizah LOVES the colour purple hence the main reason for taking this photo.

"Wow....." The sisters admiring the Christmas display in the mall. They stood there for a few minutes taking it all in before we had to pack back into the van to head back to their home village.

KL - graduation day at the YWCA.

2011-12-12T10:29:00.002+08:00

I awoke to a glorious day in KL.

And snapped a picture of the buildings that I liked.
I like the jigsaw-style Cubism going on here in this building.

Naturally, I like the graphic lines on this one.

It is Hanizah's graduation day at the YWCA Vocational Training Opportunity Centre on Jalan Hang Hebat in KL. She's the girl whom I had selected about 10 months ago on the first episode of Channel News Asia's "Once Upon A Village" programme to embark on a course in Tailoring and Sewing. Hanizah is the girl seated second from right, holding onto her graduation programme. She sits with her new-found friends and they are all excited and emotional at this milestone of their lives.

The hall was full of families seated on one side and graduates seated on the other.

Here's the photo of the graduating batch for 2011 - you can see Hanizah's fair face peaking out from behind another girl, right in the center of this snap shot.

After sitting through almost an hour of speeches, the giving out of certificates begins and here's Hanizah proudly holding onto hers. (And here's my cheesy teeth-blaring smile)

After everyone clears out of the hall, the cameraman captures some last moments that Hanizah shares with her friends...

KL traffic jam.

2011-12-11T16:07:00.004+08:00

We headed back to Kuala Lumpur after Temerloh, and got stuck in an evening jam!
Oh well, nothing else to do but observe the environment and snap some pics!

One of my favourite shots! The accidental beauty found in industrial design - all on the highway! Wow! LOVE the honeycomb pattern and the striking chevron markings!

The hansel Shop MG's FIRST birthday party

2011-12-09T13:53:00.002+08:00

is on TODAY from 5pm to 9pm at the shop itself (of course).
02-14 Mandarin Gallery.

See you there!

The town of Temerloh, Pahang.

2011-12-09T10:11:00.005+08:00

Before hopping in the car for another two hour drive back to KL, we stopped for a quick lunch at the nearby town of Temerloh. It's nasi campur time!!!

I gave the meats a miss and headed straight for the vegetables. Yum!

Frothing cups of teh tarik.

Wei Koon the sound man and Zixin the programme producer fueling up.

Red and white polka dotted telephone booths!!!

And of course, not forgetting my favourite snaps of vividly coloured industrial things, such as this close up of a free-standing covered electrical board.

Kampung Paya Mengkuang Part 2.

2011-12-08T20:47:00.008+08:00

WOW what an adventure!

I have just returned from spending 5 days in KL and Pahang in Malaysia. In the state of Pahang, I spent my days working with women weavers from a small Orang Asli village called Kampung Paya Mengkuang. For those who have been following my blog, you'd know that I was there about 10 months ago this year for the filming of the first "Once Upon A Village" programme. I have plenty of photos from the trip so let me begin...

This is our cheeky driver, Shankar, who drove us all over the place! This was our pit stop at a McDonald's for a quick breakfast on our way from the KL airport to the village.

This is our ingenious sound man's device for taking a snooze during our long journeys on the road. All you need is a hoodie, a hip pouch and a small pillow.

One our first day in the village, we worked in a multi-purpose hall located near the entrance to the village...

...that had some cheery lights strung by the windows...

...and a quirky patchwork floor pattern formed by the use of various different patterned mats and vinyl coverings...

...and a minimally furnished interior...

The village children kept Shankar busy while the women worked on the weaving in the far corner. Our first day was to take a look at what they'd managed to make from the photos of woven products that I had sent before our arrival. The lady in the yellow top is Joanne from Xixili, the lingerie company that my protege from the first episode has now found a job with. More about Xixili's role in this project in my later posts.

This elderly gentleman works with woven bamboo products. (He is apparently also the village's "witch doctor"!) That's a handmade sieve.

This sweet boy wove an little straw ring for me...

Awwww!!!

Once I saw what they'd made so far, I set some clear directions for the women to achieve. They then set about to make some improvements and amendments.

Rohayu working hard on the hat.

:-)

2011-12-02T22:03:00.002+08:00

In March this year, I went to an Orang Asli village in Pahang, Malaysia, to work on a social work-type show called "Once Upon A Village" with Channel News Asia. Here's one of the previous blog posts that I did on that trip: "Kampung Paya Mengkuang"

Well!

Tonight I fly back to the same village to film Part 2 with Channel News Asia! We're working on some new projects this time with the villagers' traditional weaving craft. I am soooo looking forward to working with them again. I will be back with lots of pictures I'm sure!!!

My shop turns ONE!

2011-12-01T13:42:00.004+08:00

WOW, time flies when you're busy! And time seems to have gone by in a mere wink!

Technically, my Mandarin Gallery shop turns 1 this Saturday 3 Dec 2011. But we organized the party for next Friday 9 Dec as it was a better date for us and our partners.

As a tribute to Hansel's (the dog, not the label) humble beginnings as a stray puppy wandering around the industrial estates in Kranji, our party is also a fundraiser for Gentle Paws and Friends (GPF) - a non-profit organization that aspires to shelter and find new homes for abandoned and stray dogs. From 9 Dec - 11 Dec 2011, we are donating 10% of our sales to GPF. Modern office furniture systems brand, Haworth, has very generously offered to match our donation dollar-for-dollar. Thank you, Haworth!

So, you're welcome to join me for an ice cold beer in an iconic green bottle, courtesy of Henineken.

I hope to see you there. Come up and say hi when you pop by! :-)

Musings from the Ghim Moh hawker centre.

2011-11-19T17:10:00.003+08:00

When stuck in a hawker center in an old neighbourhood in a downpour, look at your surroundings with new eyes...

Ghim Moh Hawker Centre. Composition No. 1.

Colour-coded electric tape wrapped around cup handles to identify which drinks stall they belong to. A simple, ingenious and economic solution.

Ghim Moh Hawker Centre. Composition No. 2.

The random placement of signs, wire casing, a fire hydrant and a clock forms an urban art wall.

The red alcove in The Istana.

2011-11-16T18:22:00.001+08:00

I attended the President's Design Award at The Istana and saw this great alcove.
Anybody knows what they use it for???

Golden Swans logo.

2011-11-13T13:33:00.000+08:00

It's kikki.K Day!

2011-11-11T19:58:00.006+08:00

It's ALWAYS great to receive surprise presents and I got a package today out of the blue, from Swedish stationery brand, kikki.K! Yaay!

Ooooh!

Aaahh!!!

SO sweet of them. :-)

Who told them I was Miss Checklist???
People who know me well would know that I 'checklist' EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY.

Testing out my new pen.
Yep, I hold my pen like a primary school kid.
Sorry, I GRIP my pen like a primary school kid.

Check out the graphic stylized trees - well, at least that's what I think they are!

A fabric covered notebook for my daily notes! Yaay!

You can find kikki.K here in Singapore at Tampines Mall, ION Orchard and Changi Airport.

Starting my work day with my little friends.

2011-11-10T09:08:00.001+08:00

8.40am

St Jermone's Laneway Festival 2012 - I AM GOING!!!!!!

2011-11-09T21:45:00.002+08:00

Cos Feist IS COMING!!!!

I had such a great time at the 2011 Laneway Festival and the line up's looking looking pretty good at the 2012 Laneway Festival so I'm going to round up my friends and get our tickets on SISTIC now!

Industrial Pop Art in Geylang.

2011-11-07T13:07:00.000+08:00

Shoe prints on escalators.

2011-11-06T18:58:00.002+08:00

I would love to hear from the people who designed the prints on why they created them. Are they REALLY necessary? WHO are they meant for? Why are they only on alternate steps?

Regardless, it's still fun to stand precisely on the prints and "follow instructions" like I didn't know how to use the escalator. :-)

Spotted at Clifford Centre in Raffles Place.

A mini-retrospective of Air France's stewardess uniforms.

2011-11-03T13:42:00.004+08:00

It's a really small display (about 5 or 6 outfits) in the lobby of the Alliance Francaise Singapore, but wow, I'm besotted with the Air France uniform designed by Balenciaga in 1969! See below...
A pale pink skirt suit with a navy cap and bow.

And look at how their badge was embroidered on a pale pink fabric base to match the outfit!

I love that scarf!

And check out that colourful striped hanky tucked into the pocket!

What I also noticed was that the uniforms did not have to stick to the corporate colours of Air France, which made each new design that much more refreshing!

Oh the little things that excite me. . . :-)

Great textures at 83.

2011-11-01T17:38:00.001+08:00

That's a REALLY great wooden floor at the new 83 bar on 83 Club Street.

And look at that metallic wall.

Cappuccino for a Cause, Part 2.

2011-10-31T15:13:00.003+08:00

The charity event at Gloria Jean's Coffees at Plaza Singapura was something fun and different to do on a Saturday afternoon!

We donned these "Cappuccino for a Cause" tees when we started working behind the counter.

My weapons of the day - cocoa powder and chocolate sauce.

I seem obsessed with polka dots and circles that day as I decorated the foam tops on mugs of cappuccinos. I did a few with graphic cocoa powder polka-dots but didn't snap a photo of what I made. Doh! If anyone out there has a shot, please email it to me at jo.soh@ilovehansel.com Thanks!!!

Voila!

That's model/host Linda Black decorating a cappuccino while actor Adrian Pang looks on.

While we shake our cocoa powder, the gorgeous Dawn Ho gets the crowd to shake their booties with her sultry voice and infectious rhythm (while wearing our "hello hansel" dress, of course).

I hope we raised good money for Grace Haven that Saturday! :-)

Cappuccino for a Cause

2011-10-28T14:36:00.003+08:00

I'm trying my barista skills tomorrow at Gloria Jean's Coffees' new cafe (Plaza Singapura Level 5) for a good cause. I also donated some of my drawings for a silent auction - these 4 pieces were done while working as a children art teacher many many years ago!

The entire day's proceeds go to Grace Haven - a charity home for youths. Happening from 12pm to 7pm on Sat 29 Oct 2011.

The hansel Shop is hiring.

2011-10-27T14:40:00.001+08:00

We are hiring full time and part time retail staff for my shop! Email resumes to jo.soh@ilovehansel.com Hear from you soon!

Charles The Happy Vacuum Cleaner.

2011-10-26T19:41:00.002+08:00

How to humanize almost anything.

Especially charming in the back of a messy pick up truck, Charles is from the UK company, Numatic.

Heineken Green Room sessions - REDUX

2011-10-24T09:57:00.003+08:00

Last Friday night, in big warehouses that used to house second hand car dealerships next to Singapore's first airport at Kallang, I downed bottles of Heineken while shuffling my feet to Ikonika's super BIG tunes.

Break time snap shot.

2011-10-23T14:55:00.000+08:00

Money, money, money...

2011-10-19T20:35:00.002+08:00

This money lender's namecard landed in my letterbox today.
Hey those look familiar - is he giving away the money bags from my shop display???

28 BLACK

2011-10-18T19:52:00.002+08:00

This case contains 28 cans of 28 Black and these arrived at just the right time because I have been clocking in the hours at the studio. It's a nice surprise gift that was delivered out of the blue in the middle of my work day. . .

A sleek black box...

A thoughtful display of the signature matt black tin cans when you open the box. . .

A pretty daring claim!

I was sitting at my desk doing desk work when I tried it the first time, so what I got was this BUZZ zipping through my veins with my hairs standing on their ends while my mind feels like it's about to take off like a super sonic jet.

The second time I tried it, I was running around the studio getting things, measuring things, scanning things, getting up and sitting down - that's when I realized how I should be tapping its POWER. Down one of these before a workout and you will WORK OUT! I can see it could potentially be a huge hit as a mixer to concoct a drink that would keep you dancing ALL NIGHT.

Personally, I would need 48 hours in a day, while everyone else gets 24. Could they concoct a drink that could make that happen just for me? :-)

Thank you, 28 Black.

Thai Airways corsage pin made from fresh flowers.

2011-10-07T12:28:00.002+08:00

A rare sight these days.

Nikki Muller and her gift of turrones.

2011-10-01T16:12:00.007+08:00

Bubbly host Nikki Muller came for a fitting session at my shop last week for her upcoming Channel News Asia programme called TRENDSPOTTING. She'll be wearing hansel while hosting the new show! Yaay!

Also yaay! to the little gift she'd brought from Spain. (So sweet & thoughtful of her!)
I was immediately intrigued by the packaging!

Look at this!
Individual threads stuck together, side by side, forming a thin ribbon. What are the origins of this? Why was it made like this? Why not just loose threads? Why painstakingly stuck together, yet able to be pulled apart?

I love the texture that the individual threads created. It was a rustic feel compared to smooth satin ribbons. Quite befitting the traditional hand-made dessert that's inside the packaging!

Look at that! It's like a big slab of butter! Even the wrapping foil looks like the foil used to wrap butter with.

Planelles Donat appears to be very famous in Barcelona for producing traditional sweets.

Look at the hand-drawn pictures of people (presumably) shopping at the original Planelles Donat shop!

And this is a slab of turrones - the Xixona Granulat to be precise.

Made of almonds, honey and sugar, it is oily, it is nutty, it is sweet, it has a crumbly texture and it melts in your mouth! It is an INTENSE dessert and can only be consumed in small amounts each time.

Fascinating. :-)
Thank you, Nikki!

Baby piano toy.

2011-09-30T11:00:00.002+08:00

I visited a friend's new chocolate shop called Wimbly Lu and saw this cute little thing in their children's play area. I was there to celebrate my friend Charles' recent win at the 68th Venice Film Festival, and I didn't get a chance to try their hand-made chocolates and desserts, so I'm going back to Wimbly Lu to try some! If you get there before I do, let me know what you think!

LV Island Maison, Singapore.

2011-09-27T12:53:00.004+08:00

The lady in the light blue dress is my film-maker friend, Wee Li Lin, wore what I would call vintage hansel to the opening party of the LV Island Maison at Marina Bay Sands. It's from hansel's 4th collection - AW06 "Nice Try!".

Her husband and my ex-Central St. Martins schoolmate (the tall guy in the blue shirt!), Charles Lim, had his works displayed in LV Island Maison's curated art space. Charles also recently won the Special Mention Award at the prestigious 68th Venice Film Festival!

Photo by Koon Foo.

SMRT Circle Line corporate party.

2011-09-23T20:32:00.009+08:00

I contributed my message of congratulations to SMRT on the completion of the Circle Line in a video that was played during the corporate celebrations held inside the new Botanic Gardens MRT train station.
Go on, call me a nerd, but I was really thrilled when I was invited to attend the party!
(Hang on, with my glasses, I AM a nerd!) 8-)

WOW! It would be wonderful if all MRT train stations looked like this!

I received my HOT PINK card detailing the afternoon's events plus a sparkly sparkly sparkly EZ Link card! Yaaaay! I'm going to put this one inside a clear plastic protective case. Hee hee hee...

Passers-by were really intrigued by the Flogos machine that was churning out SMRT logo-shaped foam pieces that floated away in the air.

Ooooh! There's one coming out now!

And up it goes! Hey guys, look up!

Hey look at that - if you rotate that SMRT logo, the shape looks like a currency sign.

I had arrived fashionably late for the party so I was up on the mezzanine overlooking the stairs leading down to the train platform where most of the other guests were. So this is the shot from the back of the performance area...

And this is how it looks on the several TV screens that were positioned around the mezzanine floor.

Hmm... kinda reminds me of Glee...

This is the train platform post-party.

Oh my! For the first time in my life I saw a free flow Tiger beer bar inside a MRT station!

I simply HAD to pose with the SMRT staff near the Tiger beer barman to remember this absolutely rare occurrence!

Where's everyone RUSHING to???

I also HAD to go "vogue" in the brand new utterly clean washroom - hey why not??!! :-)

Here's me mimicking (and overly dramatizing, of course) the ugly commuters who blatantly ignore queues and the people who are trying to get OFF the train in order to get in first!

Here I am, being completely relaxed in the train that took us to One North MRT station.
Another shot that I knew I would never have the chance again to snap, so I SNAPPED! ;-)

Oooooh......

Aaaaahhhh....
I love all things industrial so this is absolutely fascinating for me!

Wow that was possibly the first time I had so much FUN inside an MRT station! Woohoo! :-)

We are hiring.

2011-09-23T09:14:00.002+08:00

We are looking to hire another Full Time Retail Assistant for my shop at Mandarin Gallery. Any recommendations or applications? Please write to delly.andriani@ilovehansel.com Thank you!

The new www.ilovehansel.com

2011-09-22T11:07:00.002+08:00

The revamped hansel website is finally up!

Please let me know what you think!

Fascinating gates with horses in BKK.

2011-09-21T13:51:00.001+08:00

Vintage coloured pencils from 1984.

2011-09-20T10:31:00.004+08:00

These belonged to my brother when he was in primary school. But being the "artist" in the family, I naturally inherited them from him.

Staedtler is still making these - look at their website. Interestingly, they are classified under "Toys". Look at how their front sailing scene artwork has changed since 1984.

Appears that Brown and White were popular colours with my bro.

Ooooh tips on colour mixing and shading in the back of the box.

And a place to clearly mark your property.

The side of the box shows an outline of a pencil and indicates which end of the box to open to get to the pencil tips! Hmmm so well thought out.

Logo.

2011-09-19T10:01:00.002+08:00

A croc with a naval style anchor tattoo single-handedly balances a container on one shoulder while sitting inside a red ring like a park swing. Oh and he looks surprised too, like we caught him red handed while doing something that he shouldn't.

Maybelline media launch.

2011-09-18T22:37:00.004+08:00

My team and I had a really fun time at Maybelline's media launch last Friday. A New York loft style space - inspired by Pop Art - was created on the entire floor of the Nomu private residential apartments.

hansel's first "wall"! Cool!
The "fashion styling room" - where hansel's collection and Steve Madden shoes were all ready for the press to play fashion stylists with their allocated models. (LOVE the red/white striped wall!)

I love this shot. Hee hee :-) That's Shengjuan - she handles hansel's sales & marketing.

Model Azuza (on the left) is from Melbourne. Here the models wait backstage while the press is being briefed on what they have to do.

Australian model Olivia hails from Byron Bay. Lucky girl!
Azuza and Olivia are both from Mannequin.

After the press moved on to the hair and makeup "rooms", we checked that the models' outfits were labeled with the models' names to avoid a mix up.

The VERY attractive press kit that was given out!

The new Maybelline Pure BB Mousse, Falsies Mascara and EIGHT lipsticks! We joked about dividing our lips into 8 sections and applying a different colour to each section so we could wear all the colours at once!

A planner for the new year...

And printed tee!

Thank you Maybelline!

Model castings at my shop.

2011-09-15T16:10:00.006+08:00

Snaps from model castings at my shop last night for a Maybelline New York media launch tomorrow. It's always amazing how a wearer breathes life into something that I have focused on in the past months as a drawing, or a printed fabric swatch or a sample hanging on a rack.

These models are from Mannequin. The long dark haired beauty is Azusa and that's Veronika with her happy, bouncy curls! They are both wearing pieces from our AW11 Flyaway Donkey collection.

Faded Paper Figures - Invent It All Again

2011-09-07T18:18:00.000+08:00

My feel good tune of the month!

The making of The hansel Shop decor for AW11 Flyaway Donkey.

2011-09-04T15:44:00.006+08:00

Have you seen this season's shop decor at The hansel Shop? Guests who attended the AW11 collection launch were transported straight into Ali Baba's treasure cave!

The hansel team worked very hard till 3 in the morning to set up the shop for the new collection and here's my chance to publicly THANK each and every one of them for sweating and toiling that night. :-) I am very lucky to have such a team behind hansel!

So here's what went into the shop decor...

We wanted to bring the cartoon-like treasure chest to life, so my Production Merchandiser chipped in to help make the shop decorations by first making a very small paper model.

Which then developed into a life-sized version made from recycled cardboard. (The brochure photo shows how we want our end product to look like.)

Cartoon diamonds were also brought into the 3D realm, again, with recycled cardboard which were then covered with white paper...

... and all the edges carefully drawn in by hand.

Voila! We got diamonds!

Small foam-bead "money bags" with hand-cut felt dollar signs. We stained the fabric in Chinese tea overnight to get the age-worn look.

Paper gem mobiles all ready for the shop ceiling.

I used two different tones of metallic gold paint for the clouds.

The donkey on the flying carpet was drawn in afterwards.

Then I thought a moon was a good detail to draw in too.

Here's the team working away at the shop late at night!

Plastic animals from my personal collection.

The treasure chest also acts as a lucky draw box...

...Lift the lid to find it "filled" with 2D gems and a hole to stick your hand in and search for that one marked ping pong ball that'll give you that hansel voucher that you've been eyeing on...

The set up on the main table when we left at 3am. The next day, I got boxes of gold chocolate coins and scattered them all over the table. Lately, I have noticed that the number of chocolate coins seem to be getting less and less.

Who's been eating my decorations??? :-)

AW11 lazy Sunday launch party from noon to 6pm today.

2011-08-21T08:26:00.002+08:00

We're having a lazy Sunday party at my shop today, from noon to 6pm. ONLY between noon to 6pm, we're taking 20% off the new collection. We've also got a lucky dip in our very own treasure chest!

I bought champagne, wine and asked a very talented friend of mine who's a very creative chef to prepare Arabian-themed canapes for today's party. Can't wait! It'd be so nice to have party food home cooked with LURVE served at the party.

Anyway, it's 8.30am and time to get going to the shop! I'm going to release the custom designed jewellery featured below, with Woonhung and INEZ, on our treasure-themed main display table, and make sure everything's all set for the party. I hope to see you there!

hansel and hello hansel's AW11 lookbook.

2011-08-20T23:25:00.004+08:00

I think this has to be my favourite lookbook photoshoot to date. (You can see all the pics here on The hansel FB Page.) hansel and hello hansel's AW11 collection finds them in the land of the Arabian Nights, of Alladin, magical flying carpets, faithful donkeys, Ali Baba and The 40 Thieves and other tales that held me enchanted when I was little.

My art director cousin Ginny and I worked together to determine the creative direction of this shoot. We both really wanted to feature more of my artwork that is what makes hansel so distinctive. The day before the shoot, I drew the backdrop of stars and sand dunes, plus lots and lots of props.

My personal favourite prop was the boa constrictor - that was Ginny's idea!

We shot in photographer Chase's studio in Little India.

The model Devon from Mannequin Models was great to work with! For several of the shots, she got it on the first try! It was literally "click" and "OK! We got it! Next outfit!"

Oh that sand... the photographer Chase very kindly helped us pick up some sand from the beach at midnight the night before the shoot. . .

I'm off camera, pulling on a transparent nylon fishing line to keep the donkey's nose up.

Genie, genie, on the sand. . .

One of the final shots.

Mugic at Kinki Bar, Customs House, Sat 13 Aug.

2011-08-16T09:31:00.003+08:00

After the sad lost of a great venue at Nite & Day Bar, the boys at MUGIC have found a new sweet spot - the Kinki Bar on the rooftop of the Customs House. The bar is NOT slick (which I LOVE), it is open air (Hey, I'm a non-smoker. Plus, you can actually listen to music, dance AND talk at a normal-ish volume with other people), it has an impressive view of the bay with the showy casino on the other bank, it's got pretty red lights strung up to a mini tower, plus music from my favourite boys from MUGIC. I look forward to next month's MUGIC by Moonlight!

The hansel logo.

2011-08-15T16:31:00.002+08:00

I found the original ink/watercolour painting I did of Hansel the god, ooops, I mean, dog, for my label's logo. I did the painting based on a photo I took him - I followed him around the house with my camera till he developed a phobia of cameras. (Anytime someone pulled out a camera and put it up to his face, he'd run for the door.) If you take a look at the last picture comparing original photo and final logo image, you might notice that I had to erase a something-something in order to make the logo, more family friendly. ;-)

Primary colour girl.

2011-08-11T20:39:00.002+08:00

I did a random portrait as I was working on next season's fabric print.
Is that supposed to be me (sans glasses)?

The endless possibilities of powerful branding.

2011-08-07T23:15:00.001+08:00

It's an iPod docking station.

2 year old Julian...

2011-08-06T14:45:00.000+08:00

& the picture that his mommy drew.

There's something very Dr. Seuss about these houses...

2011-08-06T14:40:00.001+08:00

Who's Dr. Seuss? Here's Dr. Seuss!

Warpaint gig at St James on 2 Aug.

2011-08-04T15:22:00.000+08:00

Warpaint at The hansel Shop.

2011-08-04T13:17:00.004+08:00

An excited all-girl hansel team met the celebrated all-girl band Warpaint at The hansel Shop on Tues 2 Aug. The Warpaint girls were lovely and down-to-earth and spent about an hour and a half trying on clothes and styling each other.

Warpaint girls and hansel girls!

I really liked how Theresa Wayman gave the sweet, prim-and-proper Tiered Skirted Dress a rebellious edge with her tousled hair, fishnet stockings and (you can't see it in this shot) turquoise socks with black canvas high tops!

Stella Mozgawa gives the outfit a whole different vibe of HER own. ;-)

I had the chance to talk Stella through my next collection while the other girls were using the fitting rooms.

You can see more photos of Warpaint's visit to my shop here on The hansel FB Page.

Kawaii biru.

2011-08-02T08:11:00.002+08:00

Having lived for 7 years in the UK since I was 18 meant developing a taste for beer and a willingness to try all kinds. (Pre-UK-days me did NOT like beer because it was too similar to the face-altering bitter ginseng soup that I was forced to down when I was a sick kid).

This Japanese beer from the Kiuchi Brewery, with its graphic label caught my eye and got curious. For me, the toasted rice-ish flavour made it distinctively Japanese, and I liked the graphics of the label on its own, but had a slight difficulty connecting an alcoholic drink with such pretty, cute and feminine labeling. That disconnection somehow marred the whole experience - making me perceive it as a novel beer rather than one that I would enjoy more often. An interesting case study of branding perhaps?

Hmm

2011-07-31T18:01:00.001+08:00

Miffy! Miffy! Miffy!

2011-07-30T15:40:00.003+08:00

I saw this pen in a supermarket in Bangkok and snapped it up. I'm not usually one for using cutesy stationery (yes, despite hansel's brand image, believe that I'm telling the truth) but I ACTUALLY FEEL HAPPY using this one! What's going on???

And WOW, check out Miffy's website!

I'm going to catch Warpaint! I'm going to catch Warpaint!

2011-07-28T16:07:00.003+08:00

I'm so excited - I loved them at the Laneway Festival held earlier this year, and I'm going to catch Warpaint again on 2nd Aug at Powerhouse @ St James Power Station. Yaaaay!!!

Balloons.

2011-07-25T10:38:00.002+08:00

I was invited to attend the birthday party of Tracy Phillips from Present Purpose, at A Curious Teepee during the weekend and started thinking about how balloons are the distinctive symbols of parties. A quick search online indicates that balloons originated from the days when court jesters would "blow up organs and manipulate their shape for the general amusement" - YIKES!

Scarf ad potential.

2011-07-19T10:20:00.003+08:00

Probably lost-and-found, but such great potential for an edgy Hermes ad! (Snapped while on a bus)

Street side food stall in Bangkok.

2011-07-18T17:32:00.002+08:00

I just returned from a work trip in Bangkok. During a quick lunch stop at a street side food stall selling pork soup noodles in Bangkok, I thought this drinks chiller had a nice old fashioned look. . .

... And I was fascinated by Pepsi's marketing outreach in even a simple, small street side food stall such as this one. Every table was covered in tablecloths emblazoned with the Pepsi logo. There were even specially made plastic containers for chopsticks and spoons that were covered with the Pepsi logo. Last but not least, the food stall (naturally) pushed Pepsi over any other drink! Of course, we ordered Pepsi. :-)

The Green Corridor in Singapore.

2011-07-14T11:46:00.003+08:00

On Sunday 10 July 2011, my friends and I joined the thousands of people who have walked along the unused railway tracks that run between the beautiful old Tanjong Pagar railway station and all the way through lush greenery to our borders with Malaysia. Take a look at The Green Corridor to learn more.
We started at the bridge at Bukit Timah Road, near Rifle Range Road.
It looked like our local version of the Laneway Festival - it was the RAILWAY Festival!

Sure.

I TOUCHED the bridge (and I have a photo to prove it)!

The bridge was built a loooong time ago.

I swear I could have seen gorillas lumbering out from amongst the bushes in the midst! Is this really Singapore???

Adorable entrepreneurial kids selling lemonade along the railway tracks to all those thirsty people.

After about 2 hours, we finally reach the bridge by the Rail Mall. Yet MORE people!

I love Warpaint's "Billie Holiday" too!

2011-07-13T13:19:00.000+08:00

I love Warpaint! Here's "Elephants"

2011-07-13T13:16:00.000+08:00

Amelia and her one-off hansel skirt.

2011-07-06T09:39:00.002+08:00

Amelia works at my shop - she grabbed this one-off sample skirt as soon as it hit the shop floor. This was a sample that never went into production and was from hansel's second collection ("Mr & Mrs Tan") so it's practically a hansel vintage. Plus, it's made from an original 1980s printed jersey so that's double vintage!

Oh that fabric brings back memories of rummaging through an old warehouse of fabrics in a dusty corner of Little India. Eventually the fabric was used for a tube dress (that sold out) but cutting the garments was a nightmare because we had to keep dodging areas that were yellowed with age and mildew - vintage fabrics are a great find but using them for bulk production is a different story altogether!

Someone cut all these leaves by hand???

2011-07-05T09:52:00.000+08:00

This is odd...

2011-07-04T13:39:00.002+08:00

...to say the least. That's the back entrance to a restaurant located in Singapore's business district, Raffles Place. Is that their good luck charm or that what they serve?!

Miniature war scene.

2011-07-03T15:58:00.002+08:00

After yanking some withered flowers out from a gift flower basket, I discovered the aftermath of a war scene (complete with bombed out hollows in barren grounds) and promptly added a mean-lookin' helicopter for a photo opportunity.

Exploring old HDB neighbourhoods in Singapore.

2011-07-02T12:29:00.001+08:00

I grew up in one of these one-bedroom HDB flats over in Block 50 Havelock Road. Five of us would share the one bedroom, with 2 on beds and the remaining 3 on thin foam mattresses that we'd roll up and store away during the day. Ah memories...

I LOVE BLACK SESAME.

2011-07-01T09:24:00.002+08:00

This was the AFTER photo.

And this was how it looked BEFORE I licked the plate clean.

I have LOVED the traditional black sesame cream dessert since I was a kid and I love it still. Shin Kushiya (I went to the VivoCity branch) did the most glorious thing by adding it to their black sesame ice cream.

It's more of a scent, but my other favourite thing is freshly laid cement. Mmmm....

Sympathy terry towel banners.

2011-06-30T21:18:00.003+08:00

I don't know the origins of this practice, but messages of sympathy on blankets and towels are a common sight at funerals here in SG. The banners would be hung up at the wake and then distributed amongst family members after wards for daily use. This long banner is made up of thin striped terry towels tacked together side by side. In fact, this banner got so long it had to be hung on the row of trees in the carpark next to the wake located at a HDB block's void deck.

You can even order these traditional funeral blankets online! This one has a GREAT tag line:
Funeral Blankets - Get your loved ones covered.

Lego-like.

2011-06-29T12:03:00.002+08:00

Bright red Lego bricks-looking table and chairs in the void deck of a HDB block in the old neighbourhood of Ghim Moh.

Nice logo, Klenco.

2011-06-28T09:54:00.003+08:00

Gives me the Mad Men vibe. Check out what Klenco really does.

Accidental duo-purpose design.

2011-06-27T10:43:00.003+08:00

My friend's bangle doubles up as the perfect personalised iPhone holder when she goes out dining!