Tokyo Drift

here are photos from Tokyo - the final leg of our family holiday.



a view of the Sumida River from our hotel room window during the day:







and at night:







here's the famous intersection near the Shibuya train station:







the world's busiest intersection taken from the warm and familiar comfort of reputedly the world's busiest of Starbucks coffee outlet. so busy, they only have half the standard selection and offer one size for drinks - grande.



we were told that it rarely snows in the city, but it did on the second day we were there. here's a photo of men shovelling snow in front of the main shrine at the Meiji-Jingu Shinto Temple.







welcoming party at Paul Smith, Harajuku:







nice touch. very Paul Smith. we really wanted to take photos of the famous girls of Harajuku, but i guess the snow kept them all indoors.



here's a photo of the market stalls on the approach to the Asakusa Kannon Buddhist Temple







the Japanese people have certain characteristics that are polar opposites: ultra conservative on one side and a seriously whacky streak on the other. here's a fine example of this whackyness i found at the Asakusa markets:







don't ask. i didn't have the guts to enquire what they are. all i can tell you is that they're from this stall that sold candy and snacks:







so i'd assume they're edible and probably sweet. hehehehe...



here is one of my favourite buildings in Tokyo:







its the Asahi Beer Hall, designed by Philippe Starck. more info about this building can be found here.



this is me taken from one of the glass floors up the Tokyo Tower:







if Paris is the home of Louis Vuitton, Tokyo is the land of LV. you'd see lots of men, women and even children carrying or wearing something from Vuitton. in Tokyo, there are 11 LV boutiques - both free-standing and stalls within department stores - compared to the 5 in Paris. of the 11, i was only able to go to 4:



LV Omotesando:






i believe this is the one that started the trend for mega-designer/brand name-stores-as-architectural-destinations all over Tokyo.



LV Namiki-Dori, Ginza:






the pale squares of the façade glow at night. its even got a public street sign:






LV Matsuya Ginza:






located in Tokyo's premiere shopping street, this LV boutique is by far the busiest. it was as if they were having an end-of season sale! this is the only one that carried the newest pieces such as the new Monogram Limelight clutches in gold PM and noir GM:






and the very first Richard Prince for LV bag i've seen - the Monogram Pulp Weekender PM (a.k.a. Spongebob):






there were a few more, but i already got caught using my mobile phone camera.



LV at the Seibu Department Store in Shibuya:






that's a wrap! family holiday is now over. back to the normal routine, which one kinda misses after a while.



previously: Roman Holiday, Paris partie deux, London Calling, Postcards from Shanghai.

Roman Holiday

more snaps from our recent trip....

our first port of call whenever we visit the Eternal City is the Sta. Maria di Aracoeli Church:



we always say hello to the Bambino enshrined in a little chapel just to the side of this grand altar. for more info about this image of the Child Jesus click here.

emerging from this centuries-old church perched at the highest point of the Capitoline Hill, one is greeted by this view:



"Benvenuto a Roma!"

obelisks taken as war booty from Egypt's ancient pagan temples are scattered everywhere in Rome. with such abundance, one tends to pick a favourite. here's mine:



nicknamed the Elephantino, this little obelisk surmounted on a baby elephant by Bernini can be found in front of the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church just behind the Pantheon.

not everything is ancient or baroque in Rome. contemporary art can also be found here. but not as widespread of course. here's a modern interpretation of St John the Baptist's martyrdom found in a small chapel inside the old St. Mary of the Angels & Martyrs basilica:



a wee bit disconcerting at first, but one eventually succumbs to this powerful image.

like any Catholic, a visit to Rome won't be complete without a visit to the Vatican. no matter if one's been before:



which is still in Christmas mode too. just like the Notre Dame in Paris.

likewise with any LV fanatic, a visit to the local LV boutique is a must. if i recall correctly the current boutique in Via Condotti used to be Valentino. the last time i was here the LV store was smaller and on the other side of the street.



here's a photo of the other crowd-drawing staircase around Piazza Spagna:



designed by Peter Marino, these plasma screen steps are a stairway to heaven indeed!

and here's the lesser known San Lorenzo in Lucina boutique just a few blocks away:



that's all from Rome and Europe. we headed east next. stay tuned!

Paris partie deux

sorry for the late post. but as promised here more photos from our Paris visit:

here's an obligatory shot of the Louvre:




... and Notre Dame still in Christmas mode:



and no trip will be complete without going up the Eiffel Tower. no matter if you've already been before. can't be helped. here's a shot of the queue from above:



the Tower was so far up it was snowing! here's my youngest brother challenging us to a show fight (he lost):



here i am incognito at the foot of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre:




and yes, i did visit the Mothership:



it was heaven! 5 storeys of LV goodness. the first time i went (yes i visited more than once) i was in such a high i didn't really remember much.

this is what it looked like the last time we were in Paris:




and guess what we saw right across the original Goyard Maison in rue Saint Honoré:



not so original huh?

and here are the Mothership's two slightly smaller satellites in Ave Montaigne:




and Place Saint-Germain-des-Pres:



still the best place to shop for LV if you're feeling slightly agoraphobic. come in around 10am or 3pm.

next door to the Ave Montaigne boutique is the LVMH headquarters. guarding either side of the entry are two large Murakami pieces:



oh to have just one! still more photos from our trip to come...

how many LV bags did you see?

in a very rare move for a high-end luxury brand, Louis Vuitton is releasing a television advertisement centered around a travel theme. scheduled to be released worldwide on 15 February, here is an advanced screening:



so, what do you recon? i think its is very well-made, classy and awesome in a very understated way. extremely effective in my opinion. i only spotted 2 LV bags in the whole 90 second ad which is a good thing.

more info about the advert can be found HERE

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!