Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok - a city like no other. It's crazy, hustle bustle, dirty, unbearably hot and humid, insane traffic and hookers. That aside, it's famous for its tuk tuks, food, massages - although I'm trying to remember the last time I went for a Thai massage in Bangkok without being asked if I wanted a happy ending despite my efforts of only looking for establishments with clear signage of "no extra service" which has clearly proved to be a waste of time. 

 My colleagues and I went to their cooking school to learn how to cook their signature Tom Yum dish. I was surprised to learn that it's actually quite easy - well, provided you have the right ingredients.

 I  prepped this. 

 

End result - restaurant quality, right?

View from our restaurant of the temple. 

Head Porter

I have been looking around for a backpack for the longest time - my Bill Amberg Hunter Ruck Sack, unfortunately was a huge disappointment and the strap broke off after 4 months of usage. After a few angry emails to Bill Amberg to their Mayfair store, I managed to get a refund. The bag was too small to fit a laptop and just a nuisance. The compartment had no closure so things can easily fall out when you stuff your bag in our overhead compartment in a plane.


Anyway, I've always loved anything Japanese-made and when I came across this backpack from Porter, I'm immediately sold and the colour - blue is my favourite! Thank God for their international shipping and I've placed my order - YEN34,000. You know when you see something at first sight and something you gotta have - this bag did that to me.

The strap looks hardwearing and comfy for travels too, which is a big plus. 

Photos from Head Porter

Rolex Black Limited Edition

Photos from: Ssense

Wow!!! I've been longing for a metal watch to compliment my leather Panerai watch and this watch is just perfection. Rolex is commercial but the limited edition of 50, black PVD adds character and edginess. USD$20,000.. 

India

I have to admit India was never in my bucket list of places to visit - but don't you love it when you get to visit a place you never thought of visiting? The spontaneousity brings all the excitement in life.

I get to stay at The Leela Kempinski - Gurgaon in Delhi and I have to say it is the best hotel I've stayed in. The staff were meticulously groomed and interior handsome and chic. The Leela has hosted numerous notable guests such as Julia Roberts, David Cameron to Dalai Lama.

Love the geometric marble floor

The shower is quite spectacular - the rain shower is indeed a proper rain shower - it pours like a storm. 

The Hotel is home for one of the best Italian restaurant in Delhi, heck I live in Melbourne where Italian culture is plentiful but India is the place where I had my best Italian meal. 

 Entrance to the Taj

 Seeing Taj Mahal in person is quite a surreal experience, even though you have seen this image a thousand times in brochures, TV or magazine, nothing can prepare you as you see the building in person. It's true architectural genius work - a splendid piece of art, and a well-deserved title as the wonder of the world. It's attention to detail and perfect symmetric and its white marble against the serene sky line just makes the whole thing - perfection.   What makes it more amazing was in the midst of poverty and chaos in Agra - lies this majestic mausoleum.

India in its nature is very design centric and to imagine the entire thing was built and carved out of white marble is just amazing.

 Agra Fort is a landmark not to missed as well - It's pretty spectacular and is just 20+km from the Taj. I have not seen anything quite like it.

Nudie Jeans

I'm on a Nudie craze lately - I've been a long-time Nudie fan, I own half of dozens of Nudie Jeans, for God's sake I wanted to go to Gothenburg's because Nudie was founded there.

I added 4 Nudie pieces to my wardrobe this week:

Denim jacket - I think Denim Jackets are making a comeback, they never went out of style but I think they are coming back in trend. 

Tube Kelly White Jeans - I'm feeling adventurous lately and I think we all should be a more daring and expected sometimes. Wear a pair of White Jeans for something totally unexpected. I have to say this is my first  pair and I just had to have it. 

Here are some tips on how to wear white:

If anyone knows how to make a great fitting pants - it's Nudie. I'm not a khaki wearer because I think they get dirty easier, baggy, not a good fit but not Nudie's. I got one in smoky blue and I'm thinking of adding more to my collection. 

High Kai 

Why I need another pair of indigo Nudie jeans I don't know - it's a new cut - High Kai so I just had to have it. 

Suits TV Show

I bought Suits Season 1 DVD months ago and finally had the time to catch up with my TV Show marathon during my Christmas break. Sounds quite sad to how I spent most of my holiday break but I could not remember the last time I did one of these marathons. I'm now on Season 2 and the show did not disappoint. What's not to love? Attractive, well-dressed casting, sleek office interior and intelligent story line, I'm sold. 

Harvey Spencer shows how three-piece suit should be worn.

Harvey's office - sleek, modern, leather, chrome and a hint of personal collections of sign baseballs, basketballs and his record collection.

Sitting area. When was the last time you entered an office and it looked as cool as this? Our imagination of definition of "cool office" is corrupted by tech companies in Silicon Valley who make us believe that high-IQ adults working in the office wants a child-playground with crazy accent coloured walls, pool/fusbal table and bean bag chairs. This is what professional office environment should be and I guarantee increased productivity.

Tasteful art 

Art punctuated sleek grey/blue office walls

Japan 2012

I was in Japan & Korea three weeks ago, it's no secret Japan is my favourite country in the world. No other country in the world where I've travelled gave me the same feeling as Japan. In Japan, everything is perfection - their attention to detail and desire to make anything ceremonious is truly admirable. Every time I arrive in Japan, my first must-do spot is Ginza!

Only in Japan, you find artisan dedicated their lives to making perfect shoes and shoes selling for $700-900 a pop. 

Window display at Barney's New York at Ginza. 

Roof top cafe break. Yums! 

My favourite department store at Ginza- Matsuya Ginza had a fair with a disco twist with Hermes scarves.

Over the top but tasteful decor Bvlgari at Ginza

Hiroshima is one of the cities on my must-visit list and I've been fortunate enough to travel there this time around for work. I asked the taxi driver to stop by the Hiroshima Memorial Dome on the way to dinner and had a walk around. This structure was left as it is after the first ever atomic bomb was dropped on human mankind. The feeling was eerie and you can't help but reflect on the devastation it has caused to the people then and to this day.