A work of fine art

A type of art that holds my eyes in captivity! Check Lara Merrett.

The scent of 'Emotions' in a bottle

I couldn’t believe it but I just found out that Amanda and I had the same taste for one of our perfumes. It happened when Amanda had that particular perfume on yesterday and that scent had got me thinking for the whole day about what was it that seemed/felt/smelt so familiar and when I asked her about it, BINGO, it was the same one which I had 3 yrs ago -- Petite Chérie by Annick Goutal.

It definitely brought back many memories as someone special then had purchased that for me and since, it has been pretty tough finding one that could match that almost to perfection scent: a delicious blend of vanilla, peach and musky rose.

Annick Goutal came from quite a complicated past where she met her man, had a kid, he left her, she was diagnosed with cancer and later found herself indulging into the world of fragrance and packaging. Because of what she went through, each of her fragrance is a touchstone, a reminder of someone or something important in Goutal's life.

As per Annick’s words: “Like precious bouquets, gathering the rarest and most noble of natural essences, they are composed as a symphony, note by note, in an eternal quest for balance, quality and perfect harmony" and once you have sampled the fruits of Annick Goutal you'll be a devotee.

Film: Hana and Alice

...directed by Shunji Iwai...  the film reveals the stress on friendship of 2 teenage girls, Hana (Anne Suzuki) and Alice (Yu Aoi)... bittersweet relationship struggles that they face in their lives... and manipulation. The film's pretty artsy and had some scenes which I really like... Alice with her Dad... the girls in tutu posing for the camera... Alice in the boat with Mark and especially... Ballet in 'Cups"... which you gotta love!

Smooth Groove...

... Listening to "Dance" by Clazziquai...

Fashion pitt stop-- Ruby Smallbone

Ruby Smallbones --What a unique name with a unique spell on her apparels. Her 'out of the box' concept has been welcomed by the world with opened arms. Her Forte: Parallel lines, contrasting prints, luxurious simplicity. And what I love about it is how she plays with geometrics and presents it on her work with simple + bright contrasting colors.

She started out, graduating with a diploma of fashion and embarking on a very successful fashion career since 2005. To top it off in 2007 last yr, she was responsible for designing pieces for the staff of the famous bar/nightclub/palace in SYDNEY called ‘IVY’ and I have to say that got me even more excited about her because that’s Amanda’s & my fav place for a niteout in Sydney so far. It’s the place to be and for her to be the head designer for that place is a pretty cool thing! She has an online store too but prices are a bit on the expensive side as they are designer’s rates. Anyhow, check her out!

Sweet Sounds...

currently listening to Swedish Indie Singer, Lykke Li...

wood, pencil and a brush in hand...

Gentle, Feminine, Graceful, Dreamy... 

Here are some works of Audrey Kawasaki... Her drawings of girls captures your attention and entices you back for more. With a dash of contradiction in some of her pieces, you can't help but sometimes wonder what was going through her mind while doing her thing. I've been practicing and learning to draw people and facial features for awhile now and Audrey's works are an inspiration to me. Staring into the eyes of the girls... sometimes feels as though they have a life of their own... and a story to tell.

In her interview (email correspondence) with Lifelounge, Audrey wrote about herself not doing face to face interviews... She wrote: "not a good talker in person... my brain doesn't function as quickly as most people... But on paper, or on canvas or wood, with a pencil... I can be as loud as I want!" That's something I can relate to... its nice to know someone has the same thoughts like your own... don't you think? 

I would love to have a piece of her work... unfortunately... everything on her site is sold out... and anything on ebay is worth a fortune! I'll wait... ONE DAY!!! I'll have it up hanging on the wall at home...

Hope you love her work as much as I do!

XOXO,

Amanda

Picture me Vintage!

Love that vintage romantic look created in the works of Aneta Bartos and styled by Ting Ting Lin which we found via Oh Joy!

Jewels in your possession

Bold, varied coloured jewellery, hand-made from the finest semi-precious stones, designer Nicola Gewirtz's beliefs of ‘affordable luxury', is quite simple. Her goal: To make you feel empowered with every purchase – adding colour and glamour.

Lola Rose is stocked in the best UK department stores and can also be found in leading stores around the world.

Singapore Day 2008

We know~ we've been pretty slack lately for not blogging as often as we should be... 

Here's some pictures to Singapore Day... I had a great time with the company of PCK (Phua Chu Kang) + family entertainment, good food and great Weather... and a relaxing good weekend to be in Melbourne instead of Sydney. Listening to songs played at the event  like PCK's  theme song and the Nation's favourite 'Home'  was heartwarming and refreshing... causing a 'stir' in my heart, wishing for myself to travel back to Singapore, where I still call My Home...