Connecting with strangers, one person at a time.

A short note about yesterday night’s POPIN Craft Studio opening party.  (yes, I am a part of the POPIN Craft Collective, it makes me feel all-important and suddenly an ‘artist’. haha!)

The party was a blast in every sense of the word. It was loud, it was crowded, there was much commotion and clamoring over limited materials (and the mysterious craft kits to be redeemed if you completed 3 workshops). No, it didn’t turn out quite as we would have expected but all the same it was an experience I wouldn’t be quick to forget. We were quite humbled by the massive response.

 

I have never been the kind of person who you would describe as a ‘social creature’. In fact, quite the opposite, I would prefer to be with a few close friends rather than thrown in the middle of a huge party of strangers. Since joining POPIN though (as well as running Momshoo) I have found myself in the midst of a lot more socialising. Yesterday alone I found myself happily chatting to senior citizens and young kids all within the span of the night. It was very interesting to hear as these strangers freely dished out little nuggets of their life stories. And while I woke up this morning feeling still tired from the night before, I still remember these little stories and I feel comforted by their sincere eagerness to share.

I am still an introvert at heart but I think I am learning to be more comfortable in social settings, all part of growing up maybe?

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Bookshops around the world.

I have blogged before that we are a book-loving family, so it will come as no surprise that one of the places we love to visit when we go traveling anywhere is a nice bookstore. really. My heart does a little flutter when I see one (just like how it goes when I see a craft supply/ fabric store overseas… but that’s another story.). Even when it is in a country to which I do not speak or read that language. Yes, I am that much of a bookstore-fanatic. I spent so much time flipping through craft books in Japan, visiting as many as 7 different bookshops within the short span of 3 weeks, ask my travel companion, she will tell you just as much.

And so I was excited to read this post by Messy Nessy Chic! Not your average book-shop is something that comes to mind when visiting these book havens listed. all too lovely, just looking at the photos! It is also nice to note that our own local bookshop, Booksactually made the list!

Oh and I have one more to add, Ampersand Cafe Bookstore in Sydney, a gem in the already bustling area of Paddington. Every time we discuss bookshops and our dream-shop, it comes up in vivid memory. With all its mismatched chairs and small rooms, it feels like you are walking into someone’s house and invited to touch all their books on the open shelves…

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Allure of the Past.

There is an allure in something familiar of the past. Why do people look back to the past for inspiration? We resonate with quotes taken out of classic literature titles. We smile at references to fairytales we remember re-reading over and over as a child. We walk past parodies of famous artworks in commercial advertisements we see daily.

 

I just watched Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ yesterday and boy was it lovely! I have a soft-spot for time-travel themed movies (think back to the future, the lake house, queen in-hyun’s man (a korean drama), scarlet heart (a chinese drama)) so it was no surprise I loved the movie! But what made the movie even more endearing for me was the characters that popped up were familiar names I read about before, artists I studied in school… Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Josephine Baker, Picasso, Dali, Man Ray, Degas, Gauguin… and even famous ‘graphic designer’ Henri de Toulouse-Lautre. so there I was going “oh, oh, oh! I know that guy and yes, that is ___, it looks exactly like him!” As though I know these famous people personally from just learning about their work, it definitely felt exciting to be seeing these historical figures come alive in the movie… that’s what a good movie does – it lets you get lost and wander between the fine line of illusion and truth. Just like the main character, the movie made me want to revisit all those old works again and introduced some famous figures I now want to learn more about…

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Everything You Didn’t Do – Jamie Cullum

after a busy day of activity, I like to spend the next day doing nothing. and just click on any site that catches my fancy. hoho.

here is a video:

one LOOONG shot.

 

and with it, the behind-the-scenes is a must-watch below.

“the idea for this video is really simple. It is kinda like filming the way a song comes together.” -Jamie Cullum

so we get to see how he starts penning a song on his own, bringing in his band, getting critiqued by the record label executives, bringing in people to sing back-up… so now you know all the work that goes into a song. I loved it.

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