Paris, je t'aime

hello from the most beautiful city in the world!



the weather is a smidge nippy but i think it won't be Paris if it wasn't.

more photos to come....

London Calling

Greetings from London! my brothers and i joined our parents for the second leg of our holiday. here are a few snapshots:





peculiar buildings aren't they? the one on further away is nicknamed "the Gherkin" but who are they kidding? it looks more like a feminine appliance. but maybe its just me.



at the Tower of London, sunnies are a must while viewing all those serious blingage within.

we were itching for a spot of tea, but Lizzie wasn't home.




couldn't take a decent photo of Harrods because the "SALE" sign was beckoning me to come in...




London has a museum for anything and everything. but the Tate Modern is my fave:



and of course, a mini pilgrimage to the two main LV boutiques:

Sloane St.




and New Bond St.




we'll be crossing the channel soon ;-)

LV Men's Autumn/Winter 2008 Collection

here's what's in store next season: they'll be launching a new Damier Graphite collection:








i really love this new dark Damier. i've been wishing for something black and grey for a while now. and these are just perfect!



seems like Bequia leather is making its fourth appearance:








seems like this leather is a favourite of LV menswear designer Paul Helbers and i guess its proven successful with the clientele as well.



Bequia wasn't the only one making a comeback. it appears that Damier Vernis will be crossing over to the men's collection next season:








i quite like the duffle-tote on the lower left. that and the Damier Graphite reporter with the black leather trim are my top picks this coming season.

beauty in sadness II

yes, here's another sad movie i finally had the opportunity to watch just recently. "Nobody Knows" (誰も知らない/Dare mo shiranai) is a film by Hirokazu Koreeda based on a true story that happened in Japan during the late 80's dubbed as the "Affair of the four abandoned children of Sugamo". although the movie version paints a less grim depiction of the horrid event, it is still very poignant and and extremely moving. here's the synopsis from IMDB:

"Four siblings live happily with their mother in a small apartment in Tokyo. The children all have different fathers and have never been to school. The very existence of three of them has been hidden from the landlord. One day, the mother leaves behind a little money and a note, charging her oldest boy to look after the others. And so begins the children's odyssey, a journey nobody knows. Though engulfed by the cruel fate of abandonment, the four children do their best to survive in their own little world, devising and following their own set of rules. When they are forced to engage with the world outside their cocooned universe, the fragile balance that has sustained them collapses. Their innocent longing for their mother, their wary fascination toward the outside world, their anxiety over their increasingly desperate situation, their inarticulate cries, their kindness to each other, their determination to survive on wits and courage." (Written by Sujit R. Varma)

i've also found this video montage with scenes taken from the movie:




although it lost the Palme d'Or to Fahrenheit 9/11 at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, 14 y/o Yuya Yagira - he played the eldest son Akira - won best actor... and most deservedly so.


have you ever been strongly moved lately? i've never cried watching a movie since probably Life is Beautiful or The Passion. it will forever be with me.

the Zephyrs did it!

like i said in my previous post, im generally not a sneaker wearing kind of guy. not until i got me those Zephyrs. it was like i caught a minor sneaker bug or something. here's what it produced so far.

i've always prefered Jack Purcells over Chuck Taylors. i like that they're a bit more old school prep than the more popular and slightly grungy Chucks. my current pair are black canvas slip-ons by John Varvatos. they're my "roughing it", dressed down shoes and i love them to bits. then came these:




i've been hunting down these rather elusive metallic leather Purcells for quite some time now. i was about to give up when i spotted them by accident here in Canberra. they're pretty understated (the gold actually looks beige or brown from afar) and go best with a pair of khakis and retro Ban-Lon knit shirts. if they hadn't run out in my size, i would've bought the silver ones too.



i also got me a pair of Boss Orange "Quinn" trainers:





they're probably my most sporty looking casual shoes short of buying actual sport shoes. if you pointed them out to me 6 months ago i'd say they're very nice, but back then i'd think it won't get much use. maybe its the raw white linen body or the racy red and blue suede trim, i just had to have them.



as for LV footwear, i've got my eye on this new Elan sneaker:





yes, it looks very similar to Chucks. but what im really digging are the contrasting sage green trims and the promise of the vachetta leather (which makes up about 50% of the shoe) gaining that rich honey-caramel colour in time. definitely on my must-see and try list the next time im at an LV boutique. for now, im still on the hunt for those silver Jack Purcells. seen one in a size 9 in your neck of the woods?

once more, with feeling:

here we go again...

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

i hope 2007 was a great year for you too. here's wishing everyone all the best in 2008. oh and by the way, my little blog will be turning two years old this month. YAY!