teehee

D said I give him this look a lot.

[Photo from t e l e s p h o r e]

secondhand chic

Curbly recently released their second issue of the Make It! series entitled Make It! Secondhand Chic. This second issue is filled with ideas on how to spruce up thrift store finds, transforming them into functional and fun one-of-a-kind home decors.

 If you have the passion and patience for DIY projects, this one's for you. Order the book or download the pdf version. I know I want one so I can make these:

A filing cabinet kitchen cart!

...which I think I need in our teeny tiny kitchen.

A cork board table!

What can I say? The possibilities are endless!

[Photos from Curbly]

5 things

Five pretty things I recently unearthed from the vast world of the internet.

1. Adorn your hair with new stuff from ban.do.

2. Lovely graphic dresses from Milk From A Thistle.

3. A wallpaper-covered fridge. Yes, you read it right. A refrigerator.

4. A card for someone you love from near modern disaster.

5. Funny plate art from Apartment Therapy.

i have shoe envy

Other people's shoes that I want for myself.

Ballerina flats that ROARRR!

Spotted via Garance Dore

 Add a little height with these Kors cork wedges.

Spotted via Elle Shoe Diary

These studded Louboutin flats mean business.
Spotted via Garance Dore

I want these clogs.

Spotted via Style Scrapbook

How adorably quirky are these Miu Miu sparrow print pumps?

Spotted via Sterling Style

Ok I better stop. I think some serious shoe shopping is in order.

a Bret Easton Ellis marathon

During the recent Songkran holiday, D and I opted to stay in and celebrate the Thai New Year cooped up in the house, ordering fast food delivery and watching movies we've long downloaded but never had the time to watch. Among the movies we watched during the 3-day stay-cation were Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction, which if you didn't know by now, were movie adaptations of Bret Easton Ellis novels.


Rules of Attraction
Directed by Roger Avary

I remember hearing a rumor in highschool that James Van Der Beek was gay. The reason? Because of a kissing scene he did for the movie, Rules of Attraction. I can now say for certain that the said rumor is completely false. But at that time, it was hard to even bring up the topic. Because back in the day, most girls wanted to marry Dawson Leery and secretly wanted to be/to kill Joey Potter.

I found Rules of Attraction... interesting. To be honest, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I found myself confused and almost in disbelief that this depicted what most American students would consider a typical college experience. It also didn't help that the story began in mid-sentence, which caught me completely off guard.

But after discussing the movie with D (because we're geeks and that's what geeks do), it shed some light on the point that Bret Easton Ellis (and to some extent Roger Avary) was trying to prove -- and that is, there's no point.

 There's an interesting review on iMDb by this guy that goes by the name DeviousMrBlonde, and I feel that he said it all. In his review, he said: "This certainly will not be everybody's 'cup of coffee' so to speak. Too many people like their movies to wrap everything up at the end and have everything explained to them and for Lassie to save the day. If you are one of these people then don't bother. On the other hand if you like a movie to challenge you then I am sure you will find ROA superb."

He then adds, "Take some morally corrupt but beautiful people and show how much of a waste they are. Nobody ever listens to one another and everybody is out for number one...These people and their actions are the perfect allegory for our ME culture."

He also mentioned that the reason some people don't get this film (or book) is because of an apparent culture gap. That's how I felt. I couldn't relate to it because I didn't have that kind of college experience and so I found it hard to wrap my head around the somewhat appalling and offensive attitude and actions of these college kids. Nonetheless, it was interesting in a way that it challenges you to become open-minded and encourages you to open your eyes to other people's realities, and ultimately encourages you to not be confined to society's moral standards. 


Less Than Zero
Directed by Marek Kanievska

 I remember watching this movie on HBO when I was kid and thinking what "give good head" meant. I thought, "Does that mean he has a good head on his shoulders? or maybe he gives good advice?" I never got over that scene in my head. Years later, I found out that "to give good head" has nothing to do with your ability to give good advice or being smart.

But at an early age, I knew I liked it. Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Julian, fascinated me. I guess you can say that's when my fascination with broken people started. Like Blair, I wanted to help Julian and look after him as he goes through withdrawal. I wanted to be Clay, Andrew McCarthy's character, and be the best friend you can rely on. Like them, I too wanted to party like there's no tomorrow and live a life of excess. I wanted to be one of them.

 It's refreshing to watch the movie now that I have a better understanding of what "give good head" or "want a bump" means. I still like it. In fact, more so now than before (and I want to read the book!). If you haven't watched it yet, maybe you should.

D and I have yet to watch American Psycho. That's definitely next on our list.

[Photos from iMDb]

showing some love for Morgane Le Fay

While admiring this lovely wedding at 100 Layer Cake, the bride's dress caught my eye. So simple yet so elegant.

I found out that the gown was by Morgane Le Fay, a New York City-based fashion house founded in 1982 and designed by Liliana Casabal. I wasted no time in finding more of their beautiful, ethereal creations. Here's some that I love:

They don't just have white dresses. I've just been drawn to white dresses lately. But this particular white dress, I am completely in-love with.

 I can imagine wearing this to our er...uh... BBQ party next year.

What do you think? Yay or nay?

[Photos from Morgane Le Fay]

vintage love

My fascination with vintage started when I inherited my Mom's bead necklaces, clutch bags, and clothes from the 70s and 80s. Since then, I've been obsessed with hoarding vintage stuff. Luckily for me, Bangkok is a vintage minefield. Walk around the city and you'll chance upon a flea market or a store that sells nostalgia in the form of trinkets from the past decades.

But if the city you live in lacks vintage hot spots, don't fret! There's always the internet. One of the sites I love is Etsy and here are just some of the awesome things you'll find there:

Skeleton Keys (comes in 3s)

String it on a chain and you've got a one-of-a-kind necklace.

 Original 707 Travel Bar by Everwear

This is perfect for picnics at the park.

 Suitcase and Train Case Luggage 

I'm loving the rich olive green color!

 French Dresser

This was probably originally red but faded to a beautiful pink shade. And get this: it still has its original hardware!

...and of course, vintage cameras!

Vintage Polaroid Land Camera 101 Automatic 

It even comes with a user manual.

Vintage Yashica G Electro 35

This baby is said to be in perfect condition!

Vintage Kodak Jiffy Series II Camera

This beauty came out in 1937.

More vintage cameras at F Stop Blues.

[Photos from Etsy]

steep street awesomeness

If I lived in the US and I were to get my engagement photos taken, I would love to have it taken by a talented photographer that goes by the name of Kelty Luber, the genius behind Steep Street. She takes wonderful, wonderful pictures. Here are some of my favorites in her awesome gallery:

Did I tell you that she also does web design, print work and customized art? Seriously, this girl is bursting with creativity! I. Am. Jealous.

Want to see more of her purty pictures? Click here.


[Photos by Kelty Luber]

living in a shoebox

Before I moved in with D, I was living in a 40 square meter apartment at The Lotus Condo located in Sathorn, Bangkok's financial district. But don't dismiss The Lotus as your typical condominium with shoebox units. It's actually a pretty awesome living space, if you ask me. It sure is teeny tiny. But the interior designer who designed the units made real good use of the space.

I took the showroom unit. Not bad, eh?

As much as I'm enjoying the space that I live in now, I still miss living in that apartment. I missed it even more when I chanced upon Re-Nest's Small Spaces and Teeny Tiny Homes Round-Up. I love how it inspires you to think out of the box when faced with the challenge of living in pint-size rooms. Just look at how these creative homeowners took on ingenious ways to make good use of their small space.

 A kitchen under your bed? Why not!

It sure is a clever idea from The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan.

Check out Tanille's kick-ass trailer home.

The Banyan Tree House brought luxury in tree house living.

More tiny home inspirations here and here.

[Photos from Apartment Therapy and Apartment Therapy Re-Nest]

meet the t.shelf

While browsing through Design for Mankind, I stumbled upon the T.Shelf and fell hopelessly, madly in love.

The T.Shelf, short for Triangle Shelf, was designed by J1 Studio, an experimental furniture design studio in L.A. According to J1 Studio, the concept behind the T.Shelf is "to create furniture for modern nomadic culture. It is easy to setup and pack flat for space saving transportation." You won't need tools to assemble or disassemble this baby.

 It only uses cables and zipties! How cool is that?

 [Photos from J1Studio]

a fresh take on playful elegance

In the recent BIFF & BIL 2010, I was able to meet and interview Pylynn Wongleecharoen, the talented fashion designer behind the young vibrant Thai brand Pyndela. Pylynn's creations draw you in with its playful elegance. I fell victim to these fun flirty dresses and now, I want to get my hands on these:

In last year's Couture Fashion Week New York, Pyndela unveiled their Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Here is an exclusive backstage coverage of the Pyndela show by host Aronado for Startup Lucky.




[Photos from Pyndela]

a sparkle of cruising energy

I think I love you, Timothy "Speed" Levitch

Last year, D introduced me to American actor, speaker, author, voice actor and tour guide extraordinaire Tim Levitch by making me watch the 1998 documentary film made by Bennett Miller, The Cruise. The attraction was almost instantaneous. His fast talking style, ease in use of high falluting words, and evident passion for NYC struck my fancy. In no time, I was reveling in a slight school girl crush on this amazingly fascinating man.

The brilliance of the film, in my opinion, is how Miller captured the equally beautiful and captivating characters of Levitch and New York City. The viewer is given a fresh new take of New York - seen through the eyes of Levitch himself whose relationship with the city is often likened to a torrid love affair. In The Cruise, New York is "a living organism" and Levitch's relationship with this living organism is "as vitriolic as a relationship between oneself and any human being."

I, personally, found the film highly stimulating - visually, emotionally and intellectually. Visually - New York has always fascinated me. It's one of the cities I'd like to explore by foot; to wander around the streets and quite possibly admire or hate the Grid plan. Emotionally - Levitch stirs up passion. His evident love for NYC makes you want to establish a love/hate relationship with a city of your own. You almost feel like he quintessentially embodies the character of the city that he lives in. Intellectually - In the first 5 minutes of the film, you can pretty much tell if you want to keep listening to what this guy has to say or cover your ears to keep that high-pitched, nasal voice from resonating in your eardrums. I'll admit that there will be a point wherein you'll stop and think: What the F is he talking about? But his quirky insights can draw you in and leave you contemplating on whether you want to appreciate the flower or let the flower appreciate you.

Here's a snippet of the film. But I highly suggest you watch it in its entirety.




After 9/11, Speed Levitch came out in another film by Richard Linklater, who you might remember as the brains behind Dazed and Confused and Waking Life. The new film is called Live From Shiva's Dance Floor, which many has claimed as The Cruise Part 2. Go watch it. 

[Photo from IMDb]

a wall of photos

My apologies for the yellow filtered pictures. 

These were taken with Lucy, my Colorsplash.

I put up this lomo wall in my first apartment in Bangkok not only to display my lomo pictures (using  fotoclips) but also to add some element of design in a rather dreary space. Ever since then, I made it a point to put up a lomo wall in every apartment I moved in to. Here's the lomo wall I put up in my apartment in Sathorn, Bangkok's Central Business District.

And when I moved in with D, it was but natural to do the same. Here's our lomo wall in our apartment. I spared the wall this time around and opted to stick them up on an A-frame bulletin board I found at an office supplies store. 

And because of this, I've always been curious of other people's photo walls and their unique ways of displaying their favorite snapshots. Here's some that I love:

I love how Jorey Hurley used 4x6 Ikea clip frames to display fave photos of her family. 

Another awesome idea from Curbly. You can do it too! Here's how.

Love these panoramic black frames at interior designer Kevin Corn's home.

How about you? How do you display your favorite pictures at home?

[Photos from Design*Sponge and Curbly]