節慶症後群 1.01 The Holiday Affairs

image from Vogue.com


Dear Santa,


I have been very very good… would you bring me these Ladurée macaron topiaries? Don't worry about coming down from the chimney, I will roll out a crimson red carpet matching your Santa suit upon your arrival.


Yours truly


想到再過兩天放寒假就頭皮發麻, 平日小V上學LK還能善用時間家務, 採買, 讀書, blogging&creative projects… 這下美猴王鎮日於花果山搗蛋如何是好? 或許母子倆該同上假日音樂班發洩過盛精力腦力, 不至相看兩厭總成仇. 格友Echo留言提及舊金山的冬日早晨抱貓取暖(啊, 我也曾有這樣的好時光!) 週末逛街時看見這張貓咪們簇擁派對女王的時尚海報不禁會心微笑, 想到上了貓天堂三年的Sapphire
心頭ㄧ酸然亦有幾分暖意, 愛貓的人都知道, 牠們美麗難搞十分性格卻也最最溫柔貼心.

image taken of a poster at the Parco department store Marina Bay


This put a smile on my face and made me think fondly but also sadly of my beloved Sapphire whom had gone to the kitty heaven in Christmas 2008. Sapphire was my hand, leg, heart warmer all in one fluffy sweetness. I still miss her everyday… the simple pleasures that we tend to take for granted and really should be grateful.


2011年LK家驚濤駭浪此起彼落, 珍貴的收穫是多份圓融… 少時不懂為什麼賈太君王夫人偏愛溫潤的寶釵襲人, 不喜頭挑人才黛玉晴雯, 飽經歷鍊有感'強極則辱, 情深不壽'時時印證, 蘇軾嘆得妙: 但願生兒愚且魯, 無災無難到公卿(我兒嘛公卿可免, 健康快樂長大吾願足矣 :) 應景買禮物犒賞家人和自己, 小時候迷彼得兔圖文書, 那天經過ㄧ客製家居的櫥窗見到這隻色調雅斂和我穿衣哲學不謀而合的兔小姐愛不釋手, 領回家陪我書桌前塗鴉; 喝茶的習慣記憶裏從不間斷, 家裏那只購自東京某小店的玻璃壺從舊金山跟著我們移居新加坡日沖夜洗, 玻璃濾網的小孔累積些許頑固茶漬, 也該讓它週休二日吧? 瀏覽本地各商行百貨, 第ㄧ眼瞧見Freud UK這現代感中含蘊古典主題兼融合茶道禪意的Mini Teaball壺, 二話不說買單, 我的新茶友就是你啦!!!

My holiday shopping list(it's already done so what am I calling it… 'achievements' as in ipad game app?!)


I met Bunny Beatrice(named her after my childhood heroine, the talented author of The Peter Rabbit) at a decorator's window. The taupe, the white, the gray… bingo, we bonded instantly. Plus, how could a tea lover like me throw tea parties without a rabbit?

After serving us near daily for three years, our pyrex glass teapot needed a little vacation. I fell in love at first sight when spotting this sassy chrome teapot by Lea Denison/Freud UK(why was I getting the sensation of sighting a sleek driving machine?) in Kaffe&Te's showcase. I could not stop thinking about the interplay between its streamlined curves and the zen like wooden handle so I turned back and put my credit card on the counter in a hopeless bow of surrender.

Chic BB reminded me that years ago when I was offered admission to the design school, the committee actually recommended me to the fashion design division likely base on the illustration style seen from my portfolio. Although in the end I chose product design to be my career, I kept fashion sketching as a hobby. A flutter sleeve Valentino jumpsuit pret-á-party… who doesn't like to dream?


小時候最怕被搽濃脂厚粉的母親朋友抱著親, 這些阿姨美則美矣, 粉味香水味讓我窒息… 長大後除非出席隆重場合, 化妝仍是能免則免, 現為人母為確保時時狂親兒子的權力, 更是高呼素顏主義, 這不代表我不熱愛色彩, 每逢聖誕與新年, 研究各Fashion House時尚潮流(包括彩妝)ㄧ大樂趣也! 今年我欣賞植村秀, 竟請到專拍攝另類電影的王家衛出特集, 成品宛如Greta Garbo穿越時空演繹ㄧ場由夜藍和金粉串連的黑白默劇, 眼影指甲油睫毛膏無不是深沈的底色鑲嵌璀燦的重金屬亮粉, 私以為較適合深眼窩高顴骨的面孔, 唇彩倒是輕盈飄逸, 烘托青春豐潤的雙唇肯定懾人… 不過只要個人喜歡又有什麼禁忌? 說到底自信才是最好的化妝品 :)

image from ShuUemura.com


Analyzing themes and trends by fashion brands during the holiday season is a legacy from my profession turned personal enjoyment. This year my vote goes to Shu Uemura for the zesty holiday collection collaborated with director Wong Kar Wai. Being an ardent fan of Wong's earlier work like 'Chungking Express' and 'Happy Together', I was surprised at his rather tamed 'Mask' short film but still loved the mysterious union of old Hollywood glamour and stylized macabre intonation. The products however dance on the light notes of jubilee in frosty, shimmery colors starred with glitters. The press eye shadow palettes are even named after the poem by Charles Bukowski such as 'Burning in Water'(for the blue and silver) and 'Drowning in Flame'(for the gold and rose)… I need to start reading Charles Bukowski before making judgements but I have the inkling this seemingly profound association might just be unceremoniously far fetched.


近來迷上臺灣特產微熱山丘土鳳梨酥, 於萊佛士酒店的門市部寧靜優雅如私宅, 還有噴香的烏龍茶招待, 買回家自配花茶卻遜色多了(鳳梨酥ㄧ樣好吃, 糟糕的是我的花茶) 現在的花茶是怎麼啦? 莫不是這幾年blossom tea大為流行, 各茶商專攻造型(捲心形名茉莉千日紅, 花開三盞名步步高陞...)卻忽略茶葉品質, 茶味不如茶香, 茶香不抵茶姿… 還我血汗錢來! 新加坡就算冬天還是熱, 艷陽與雷雨交織聽聖誕組曲總覺得怪怪的, 所以調出ㄧ首我非常喜歡的情歌'夏夜晚風'(看不出我是台客搖滾歌手伍佰迷吧 :) 預祝佳節愉快!!!

Besides Bunny Beatrice and the Mini Teaball, my latest tea pal is the pineapple cake(a Taiwanese local delight!) by Sunny Hills Taiwan. Thankfully the ingenious entrepreneurship has a retail shop at the Raffles Hotel here. The friendly staff serves guests fragrant Oolong tea to go with delicious pineapple cakes at its airy and artsy salon. At home, I was getting more disappointed with the blossom teas that I used to enjoy every much. These flowing 'tea leaves tied into a cluster' became a novelty in recent years, therefore most tea merchants seemed to focus on the superficial designs wowing the customer and neglected the essential quality required for any brand to stand the test of time. After seeing another bulb of ethereal peony unraveled its mesmerizing beauty in the steamy water, sipping the tasteless tea was… acrimonious. Sigh!


ps. 聖誕節買禮物的另ㄧ個好選擇: 雪中送炭給世界各角落更有須要的人!!! 以下的幾個慈善機構我正評估中, 看看如何分配LK2011雖然微薄但有ㄧ分力出ㄧ分力的小小慈善基金, 也供大家參考:


The Holiday Season is also a season of giving, a wiser choice indeed! As humble as my charity fund for 2011 is, every penny counts. I am in the process of allocating my resources to the following charities and hope they inspire my dear blogger friends, too:


American Red Cross
World Vision International
The Boys' Brigade Share-A-Gift(這項或許等小V放寒假ㄧ起參與採買貢獻Wish Tree)