We're all in the dance

While I was recalling myself about the movie Paris, Je T'aim via youtube, this song in English version hooked me on the part "Partners of Lost and Found". Weirdly love it. Yeah.. life is just like a dance.. I used to do all solo, partner, group dance since when I was in kindergarten but what I like the most is the one with partner, especially social dance. And it taught me a life lesson.. a good dancer makes one's partner look good and makes the dance even more beautiful :)



We're all in the dance by Feist
(ost :: Paris Je T'aime ::)

Life's a dance, we all have to do
What does the music require ?
People are moving together
Close as the flames in a fire

Feel the beat; music and rhyme
While there is time

We all go 'round and 'round
Partners of lost and found
Looking for one more chance

All I know is,
We're all in the dance

Night and Day, the music plays on
We are all part of the show
While we can hold on to someone
Even though life won't let us go

Feel the beat, music and rhyme
While there is time

We all go round and round
Partners of lost and found
Looking for one more chance

All I know is,
We're all in the dance
We're all in the dance

Animal Carnival '09

Designs for my beloved Pink Shop client, for the night that all sweet girls will be gone wild!

Fate is in the wind :)

Came across this advertisement on a magazine and kinda love its concept and copywriting!

Said Every piece tells a story..

"Fate is a wind that stole my hat and swept it into the path of a stranger who stole my heart"

Mmm.. Do you believe in this? I do..

My Little Sanctuaries for 2010

Giving myself a little escape this New Year season, we're going up to the mountain in Northern Thailand to celebrate our good time of the year. Already made booking for these places and now counting down the day! :)

Bulun Buri Resort


Angkhang Villa

Sugary inspirations

If most of fairy tales begin with 'Once upon the time..', my much loved Spoonful of Sugar also has its dawn of encouragements(actually there are lots more but i picked some for now):

:{ Mary Poppins! }:



:{ Positive thinking }:

* A "cheery" disposition.
A smile can open a thousand doors. Being cheery and kind to people can truly make a difference. People feel the difference.

* Be positive.
Even when it's about doing boring and fastidious chores, stuff we don't wanna do, being positive turns the whole situation upside down.Stop thinking about what would you do if you didn't have to, and stop wasting time and energy complaining. Turn things around. Make it more fun. Put some music on, or challenge yourself on doing something, or how to do it.

Always remember: "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down..."

* Be kind and witty.
Take an interest on learning things. Develop your mind. It doesn't have to be maths and physics, but try to enhance your mind by reading or learning interesting things. Whatever you like, fashion, history, famous quotes, gardening, cupcakes, or just random stuff.
And be kind. As great as you might be (and I know you all are), as smart, as beautiful, and talented...always be kind to others.

* Never be cross or cruel.
If you are cross, well then, take a deep breath. Be proactive. You can't change the situation, but you can change how you react. If you're all stressed out and grumpy and someone says something to you that just makes you explode, press pause! Don't be snappy or cruel. Just ignore it. You'll see you feel so much better, and you'll feel good with yourself for controlling your impulse.

* Be sweet and pretty.
One of a girl's most charming features is being sweet and leave all the rest for your positive thoughts to make you look pretty from inside out :)

Many thanks M.B. Whimsical!

:{ Tim Walker esp. on Vogue Magazine }:

Stylish, elegant, magical, dreamlike.. Well, Have a look!

and.. my most important inspiration

:{ A simple question }:

If my lover asks me how much I love him, I will just reply "Sweetie, it's a spoonful of sugar"

Reasons?

*It's sweet.. yea of course.. it's sugar
*It's visible.. well may be it seems so little in a teaspoon but..
*It's uncountable.. and..
*It's spoonful.. means 'as much as a spoon(this case it refers to something else!) can hold'

Spoonful of Elements

I just can't go to bed tonight without finishing these designs haha. More vote!

Silhouette of The Dream :)

Rough designs for Spoonful of Sugar®'s logo! Personally, I love the first ones of both angles and a bit of the fourth on top. What do you think my product designers and partners?? Welcome for all comments :)

xoxo

Spoonful of Sugar®...Coming soon!

After I've been designing for other people's business for almost 8 years, been collecting supplier contacts and went on biz trips for 2.5 years, think it's time for me to start up my own business.

The feeling like 'Just do it!' motivates me same as once I wanted to visit the US, I just asked my dad for his sponsorship then just go! Haha life is that simple if only you believe that any obstracle is just a lesson, which makes you grow stronger and stronger.

"Spoonful of Sugar®" is a designation for my 'ready to share' pleasure. Think all my friends can guess the brand image and tone haha as when I sent them my references people said there was my name everywhere! Best of all, I'm really happy that all my beloved ones always remember me.. the way I am :)))

Here are some references for ideas and products that I'm about to sell in my online store.


See you in February 2010 at www.spoonfulofsugar.com.au

Note : from top to bottom : Anthropologie, Eunsukhur, D-bros

Sweet Hunter!

Been working like crazy makes me crave for sugar for my brain and vein even more haha. To me, patisserie is just like an art gallery where anonymous artists create their crafty art in busy kitchen studio. Been hopping around famous and cute decor cafe' and patisseries in town to collect these sexy shots.(Sorry for some pics that I totally forgot the names haha) You can view more via my facebook album!

Top : Mango & Coconut mousse cake Bottom : Warm chocolate fondant with homemade vanilla icecream, Vanilla Panna cotta with caramel rum sauce

Ile Flottante

Inspired by my girlie mushy mood, I'm soooo into making and baking desserts these days. Think now it's time to share, exchange and explore these recipes!

Don't know why I always fall for everything that French! It's really not my intention but I just feel right with them even I didn't know at first it's belong to France. Music, movie, language, country, fashion, brands, food and dessert!


Ile Flottante

An easy recipe for meringue lover likes me hehe.

The "floating island" is a shimmering meringue that's baked in a charlotte mold and surrounded by creamy pistachio custard. A tangle of crisp, pale-gold spun sugar is the finishing touch.


Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
• Unsalted butter, for mold and parchment
• 5 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pistachio Creme Anglaise
• Spun-Sugar Crown

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lower third. Butter a 4 1/4-cup charlotte mold; set aside. Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meringue to prepared mold. Tap it on counter to remove air pockets. Butter a round of parchment; place, buttered side down, over meringue.
2. Put mold in a medium saucepan; transfer to oven. Carefully pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the side of the mold. Bake until meringue is puffed slightly over top of mold, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mold to a wire rack; remove parchment. Let cool 30 minutes. Meringue can be refrigerated in the mold up to 1 day.
3. To serve, unmold onto a platter; drain any liquid. Spoon creme around meringue, and top with sugar crown.

MMmmm.. Yumm!

A paused moment to look back

It's started from at first sight of two strangers.. Nothing seemed to be real as this was not the first time that it happened to me. I kinda get used to with this emotional flow so I've never expected something that last. Actually, it always paid me a visit every holiday time.

And there was a moment.. when every surrounding was blurry, I thought it was just a dream. "Really? It's definitely real to me" he said. If it was the way that a person could create a first impression through a plan not one's emotion base, I think this plan is very thoughtful and incredibly influential. If you want to know how it feels.. youtube "The way you look at me" by Christian Bautista, it's what happened when we first met and for some reasons he sent me this song.

"cause there's somethin' in the way you look at me
it's as if my heart knows you're the missing piece
you make me believe that there's nothing
in this world I can't be
i never know what you see
but there's somethin' in the way you look at me

if I could freeze a moment in my mind
it'll be the second that you touch your lips to mine
i'd like to stop the clock, make time stands still
'cause, baby, this is just the way I always wanna feel"

This says pretty much enough I guess..

As they say "Time will tell" but in my case distance is also another factor for this greatest prover I've ever experienced. Miscommunication became a common issue we faced and was ended up with missing each other real bad when things were sorted out and we found another person was not around. You would never know how cold it was if you've never wanted to hug someone who was living 7 hours difference. Also, you would never experience how warm it could be if you've never cuddled somebody real tight when the one was back home after a month away. Never ever thought I could be this patient.

I've learnt so much so many.. understand the reasons why a person reacts this and that. Many times that I also felt the same but just acted different or kept quiet. He taught me, to express them was not always bad instead, it strengthened our relationship.

To live is to learn and I still have so far to go along this journey.. a very first trip that makes me feel like I don't want to change the route anymore.. which is really odd. I keep moving forward as usual in the same velocity but this time I'm not running alone. Funny how we're walking hand in hand but I always feel he's one step advance and when I pulled his hand a little to slow him down.. he gave me a comfort hug, just like I was once gave it to him while whispering in his ear.. baby I'm here.

New Label : Head vs Heart

As I'm so busy on design projects these days, I can hardly find time to update my blog. However, it doesn't mean that I stop writing yet I still write something everyday. It's kinda personal writing and I do with someone only.

Actually, I've just gone through some emotional moments and they didn't really encourage me to write a word. Now, things seem to be more settled and I slowly found something within me. I'm learning how to love somebody bit by bit, learning how to wait, how to care for him very much, how to make long distance relationship possible for the first time and how to compromise while still keep a balance.

To feel home you probably need to build a house first. It's a house that we need another person to build it together - from 2 strangers to become house owners who share the same key.

To love is to allow yourself to get hurt is pretty much true. Though it's not go beyond kinda 'head over heels in love', it's powerful enough to make me worry, happy, miss somebody, smile to myself, cry, feel vulnerable or be empowered. You feel like you wanna slow your clock down a little bit when you're together or want each day to run faster when he's not around. Haha funny how a person who try to be strong like me can experience things so much so many.

I used to write in this blog that I not gonna write emotional stuff but now I realised, sometimes it's not what you have to shy away from it. Being a designer is pretty much emotional base and it will have a great power when your put your feeling and your heart into your work.

I still keep question myself everyday what I'm doing now and what I want to be in future - still don't get a clear answer. I have been doing so many new things lately, everything started from scratch. I starred in a film, now about to be a business consultant for spa biz.

I'm studying Master Degree but found out that maybe it's not what I'm expecting for. It's very good really and I've learnt and been developed a lot but just it's not what I believe in. It's too real and commercial somehow.. I discovered that I prefer something more artistic and gives me chances to express myself - not rely on somebody else.

Talked with mom lately that I need half a year or one year off since I've never had that. Will travel and work around. Escape to small towns. Mom said.. why not.

She always reminded me one of my fave song by Corrine May says :

"You can fly so high
Keep your gaze upon the sky
I'll be prayin every step along the way
Even though it breaks my heart to know we'll be so far apart
I love you too much to make you stay
Baby fly away"

Quick Post

Life is short! Break the rules!

Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly!

Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably.

And never regret anything that made you smile :)

Sweeter than this?

First design of 6 light boxes for the pink shop, my client. Really enjoy working on my fave style of French Vintage Romance!

Where journeys met

“I am going away with him to an unknown country where I shall have no past and no name, and where I shall be born again with a new face and an untried heart.” -- Sidonie Gabrielle


Sometimes I just want to travel without any idea where the journey would lead me. The only things I always planned besides boring document work (visa, insurance, etc) were plane ticket and bed – the least to make sure I would get there with warm shelter waiting. All the rest, I left it in the hands of my destiny :)

Dear my Sahar,

I have a story of the moon and the sun. The moon is writing a letter to the sun telling how much she misses him though they hardly meet. Like two people who are living distance perhaps. To me, I think "Sahar" is the time when their journeys are connected.

Your Sahar

Note : Sahar in Persian means a fresh and nice time before sunrise.

Revival :)

Just back from a trip, the best little holiday ever! Had a perfect remedy for all - heart, body and soul so I'm ready for the next life battle :)

Didn't take many photos in this trip, which is very weird but I just feel like there is nothing can capture the good moment better than our eyes.. And oh, with a big smile in our heart :)

Even though I found myself can't stop working still even in this holiday, I can sense that my world spin slower so that I enjoy life more. As they say "Life is more beautiful in a slow lane".

Here come the blue salon

From the pink shop where customers can enjoy shopping for choices of their beauty treatment, La vie en Rose - the blue salon, another business of my client, offers them an express beauty service. This project is pretty much challenged so far as I have to maintain their key identity while also need to shift their image in order to separate the product for customers to experience the least repetition.

The Pink Greetings

World is never too big since communication keeps shorten distance between us. Working on a collage of self-introduction for the pink shop in Sydney, which they are going to use it to spread their words in Thailand and some hotels in the city. 40% to go as this is just the front page.

Always love the fresh ink that is crafted to be handwriting, smiling, dancing, crying or missing somebody on a postcard - a piece of breathing memories..

Or it's time to change design paradigms?

Think it's a documentary that creative people worth watching. While fashion, trends, design or style are discussed as the "drive" of society in many ways, we, designers are brainstorming on how our disciplines can change people's perception. How can we use design to find a solution? How can our messages be persuasive? How can we raise social awareness on issues around us? Can we become a leader? Can we use design to educate people? How can we use design to make the world the better place?

Art & Copy



ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “Where’s the Beef?,” “Got Milk,” “Think Different,” and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

Love the quote "What you can do is manufacture any feeling you want to manufacture" umm.. something more than just consumerism?? If you are a designer, what do you care about?

Spin me round and Slow me down

Currently into this kinda breathy songs. Perhaps, I'm very busy and really exhausted these days and sometimes I feel like I hardly breath. About to give myself a short break next week.. will travel hours away from here!

Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap



spin me round again
and rub my eyes,
this can't be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first

oily marks appear on walls
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life

The second song.. my love at first listen. Sorry the original MV is not available to be embed so I could get only this edited version. Still, beautiful and dreamy :)

Slow Me Down by Emmy Rossum



Sometimes I fear that I might dissapear
In the blur of fast forward I faulter again
Forgetting to breathe, I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere

All that I've missed I see in the reflection
Passed me while I wasn't paying attention
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart

Tell me
Oh won't you take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall