Hello Kitty McDonald's

This collaboration between McDonald's and Hello Kitty is very Taiwanese and I think it's rather cute - I haven't had Mcdo in quite some time - but I totally wish I knew where this one was when I visited Taipei back in June!


Images: BryanBoy

Takashi Murakami at Versailles

Preview of the exhibit

There are a million reason I would want to go to Paris, especially since I found out that on September 12, Japanese provocateur Takashi Murakami (most known for his Louis Vuitton collaborations) unleashes his ebullient paintings and large-scale sculptures on Chateau de Versailles. Murakami will be the third contemporary artist to do a retrospective exhibit after Jeff Koons and Xavier Veilhan. http://en.chateauversailles.fr./homepage

Wish List... Moschino Dress

 I love the print of this Moschino Dress ... if only I had 798 clams to spare...

today's motto

In my head, I hear 엄마 (Omma) saying, "Try! Just try!"...

I love...hello kitty

How awesome is this bouquet?

Yes, I may be 2(3) - but I still have a hello kitty shaped spot in my heart for (most) things hello kitty...a recent obsession is the hello kitty airplane:

my life would be incomplete without flying on the hello kitty airplane! 

....just kidding

....not really.

cairo time

After seeing the trailer for this film I knew I wanted to watch it. 'Cairo Time' (2009) is a Canadian gem that has a lot of things I like most in films: a beautiful setting (egypt), great acting, and -of course -romance. Imdb describes it as such:

"In Cairo on her own as she waits for her husband, Juliette finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with his friend Tareq, a retired cop. As Tareq escorts Juliette around the city, they find themselves in the middle of a brief affair that catches them both unawares."

My opinion is that this is an enjoyable albiet slow paced journey. Credit for the charm is due to the lead actors  Patricia Clarkson (who was great in films like 'Vicky Christina Barcelona') and Alexander Siddig who take their sweet time and share some real on screen chemistry - not the sizzling kind, but rather they were able to show two people sharing a genuine connection. Cairo itself is the other main star, this movie is part travelogue as well as audiences are treated to different views of the city and we get to see the juxtaposition of the new (highways, modern skylines) and the old (souks and majestic pyramids). 

Although the film is not terribly original and some parts seemed to stereotype Egyptians (i.e. men always starring at Juliette when she ventures out alone with a very exposed décolletage in an conservative Islamic society) or the main plot line of a married woman who travels to a foreign exotic country and finds her 'soul mate' but is torn about staying with her spouse who is completely in the dark/not present (which bears similarity to movies such as 'Bridges of Madison County' where our heroine chooses to remain faithful but we see her inner turmoil played out with a facial close up in a car) and the random wedding celebration for marginal characters for the sake of having a wedding celebration which over emphasizes the marriage/commitment dilema - there are still more positives than negatives. What saves the film are the stunning visuals and great acting. My favorite scenes included one of the couple sharing the experience of an amazing sunset at the ancient pyramids and the other scene was a good night scene where the characters accidentally share a kiss and Juliette says 'oh my!' . This movie is for anyone who enjoys traveling and solid acting.

Images

Oyster dress

"Oyster" dress by Alexander McQueen, British, from his spring 2003 collection. This dress is simply magnifique, it "seems to be poetic rendering of a disaster at sea," the "sand-colored organza recalls the mille-feuille ridging on the surface of a shell" and  it is a pearl encased in a "deconstructing oyster." To me, this is fashion as poetry, fashion as beauty and nature, that is all.

I love...tea time

teatime at lauduree with macarons

traditional tea time with scones and jams and clotted cream

If this blog is about all the things I love, then certainly tea time must be on the list! I adore the elegant or comfy settings, delicate floral print china, warm scones, fragrant tea, and of course time for unhurried conversations with friends! I can still remember the first English afternoon tea I went to in Salisbury - I was in England at the beginning of my first tour of Europe - there were tiny cucumber and watercress sandwiches and I had my first authentic scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Since then I've had many delightful tea time experiences although I wouldn't mind making it a more frequent occasion!

Cupcake competition

On Monday, I help my friend make 'Pomegranmarnier Cosmo' cupcakes (lime cupcakes with pomegranate/cranberry, grand marnier and vodka frosting). They were delicious, I knew because we kept 'taste-testing' as we went along. They were for the Iron Cupcake competition held at the Alliance Francais in SF - more photos and info. here - where bakers of all sorts create cupcakes based on a theme (this month's theme was ALCOHOL *wink*wink) everyone is put into groups of 4 and receive one cupcake of each kind (there were 25 entrants this month) and after tasting the cupcakes you get to rate them on taste, appearance, and creativity. As cupcake #25, there was no way we would place (by cupcake #12 it feels like too much already) - but it was fun to see how creative people could get. Margarita won, and Irish Carbomb placed, someone even attempted a Dark and Stormy (it's much better as a drink), Sex on the Beach, Sangria, the Hangover, etc. all in all a fun time.

Henna

It's paul the octopus!

namaste.

Last night at my friend's birthday party (yes, it's birthday month!) we had food, wine, and henna!
It was a lot of fun doing henna tatoos and waiting (impatiently) for the results. I did a paisley and flower blossom design on my forearm and also a little octopus on my pinkie finger. If that took several hours I can only imagine how long it takes to do the traditional henna for Indian brides! Tip: if you want the henna to last longer, wait for it to partially dry, then squeeze on some lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar and wait for it to dry again before removing the henna.
Next time we do henna I suggest popping in a hindi movie :)

today's motto

I love...

In no particular order:

wedgwood fine bone china

fabulous shoes

baby animals

champagne + macarons

french bulldogs

Paris in springtime

pretty makeup

bows, bows, bows

fabulous fashion ads

j.crew

beach vacations
most of all: being fabulous!