by Hendra Permana
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Today is my last day of work for the year and then I'm off to Thailand for a holiday in the sun. Happy Holidays and see you in 2010!

getaway

most photos from here, but some from here, too

watch the sunrise

I love Volcano Choir's "Island IS" (thanks Hype Machine!) and the video is really beautiful - a series of coloured squares are projected on a wall, corresponding to the song. The white represent Justin Vernon's (of Bon Iver's) voice, while the other colours reflect certain instruments. The best (and most subtle) part? The whole video is shot during sunrise, so as it gets lighter out you become more aware of the surroundings and the squares slowly disappear.

love actually

Watch it...and then watch it again.

dial it in

I know you're probably obsessing about that other song but Dragonette's own telephone tune is pretty fun for a solo dance party and the video is super dreamy.

tiny gingerbread houses

tiny gingerbread houses found here

Um, how awesome are these tiny gingerbread houses, made to perch on the sides of steaming cups of hot chocolate? I wish I could try to bake these - although my lack of oven would provide a slight problem. That being said, I simply love all types of Christmas baking (and was the lucky recipient of a goody-filled care package just this week thanks to my very talented mother and express posting). Gingerbread is, of course, one of my very favourites (which my mother can certainly attest to). To this end, some of my best memories growing up involve visiting the Lexington General Store to stock up on carefully hand-picked house adornments (i.e. 5 cent candies) and then coming home to bake/assemble/decorate my very own gingerbread house. This would then be displayed in our back hallway as part of a scenic ginger wonderland (which would slowly deteriorate every time I passed by). Sigh. I miss having an oven.

double take

"Gallery Six is pleased to present "Every Single Where" a collection of new works by San Francisco based artist Pakayla Biehn. Miss Biehn is a California native who now calls San Francisco home. Decidedly resourceful, she creates environments of curiosity and intimacy that resonate within painting, installation, drawing, and mixed media. "Every Single Where" marks her first solo show.

Pakayla Biehn's most recent body of work concerns her congenital vision disability, called Strabimus. Her eyesight consists of mutually exclusive images trying, unsuccessfully, to bond into a cohesive impression. She uses her own embodied identity as a starting point for her paintings and installations. Her goal is to find a visual language to negotiate the intersection of imagery and create a similar perspective to give the viewer an understanding of her own optical condition."
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I wish I could see these pieces in real life. I can't believe they're paintings, not photographs - beautiful.

All I want for Christmas is...

Yeah it's true. Faux of course. Reddish fox would be preferable. And once (if) I get one I promise to become ten times more fierce than usual when wearing it.

some ecards

Remember e-cards? Why did we all stop sending them?

Who knows. But someecards is a pretty good reason to start again.

teach me to sew

photo by the selby

When I eventually make my way back to Canada, I want to a) acquire a sewing machine and b) learn to sew.

dear eloise

Well, these are rawther cute.

i'm talkin' pedicures on our toes

I know it seems like an exceedingly high percentage of my posts are about nail polish. I can't really explain it other than to say that...well, exciting things happen in the world of lacquer. Anyways, today I read that hipster haven American Apparel will soon be launching an in house line of nail polish. Like their now ubiquitous clothing the eighteen polishes will span the gamut of the entire rainbow and then some. Personally I'm looking to get my (currently un-manicured) hands on the minty green "Office" - and yes I expect all the colours to have names that don't really make sense and lack the pun-intended hilarity of OPI but at $6 a pop you don't really have to feel so bad.

ps: do any Toronto dwellers feel like the model in the above photo just might be one of the Lycra clad employees from the Yonge St. location?

say cheese

Its that time of year again when all I seem to want to do is curl up in front of the fire (newly adorned with designer stockings - thanks Mom!) and watch Christmas movies while snacking - continuously alternating between my two favourite food groups: chocolate and cheese. While i've never really thought of myself as a cheese connoisseur (just because you really like something doesn't make you an expert) you could say I'm a pretty dedicated appreciator. A recent work assignment took me to the east end neighbourhood of Leslieville (one of my favourite not-quite gentrified 'hoods with the perfect mix of upscale independent coffee shops, rough around the edges locals, and vintage antique stores) for an evening Wine and Cheese class at the Leslieville Cheese Market. While I was strictly there on business I was invited to indulge in a smorgasbord of gourmet cheeses and wines that I usually can't even contemplate purchasing as they are outside of my $7.50-$13.00 price range. The cheese night school classes, taught by resident fromage fanatic Julia Rogers, include tasty tutorials on the finer points of pairing. I would invite any foodies (or cheese loving individuals like myself) to spend an evening at the popular cheese emporium (there is also a second market in the west-end, confusingly called the Leslieville Cheese Market aswell) to partake in one of these delectable classes.

lullabies for little criminals

"Alphonse wore expensive outfits and a white angora baseball hat. He had a pair of gold pants and a shirt with goldfish that matched the pants exactly. Once I saw him out on the street corner...wearing a burgundy overcoat over some green silk pajamas with blue leather slippers and drinking out of a plastic milk container. It was then that I realized that he could never look anything but spectacular."

Have you read this yet? If not you should, I know you'd like it. I'm only half way through but so far it gets an enthusiastic thumbs up for being funny, heart-wrenching, and Canadian all in one.

take care

I love this song. So much.

treeless mountain

I really want to watch this movie, by Korean director So Yong Kim. Treeless Mountain is set in Seoul and tells the story of two (very cute) little girls who are left to fend for themselves after their mother takes off in search of their estranged father. It was shown at the Toronto Film Festival last year - you can read the review here. Have any of you seen this?

crazy little party girl

Katy Rodriguez Fancy Dress // Katy Rodriguez The Precious skirt
(both at Opening Ceremony)

mirror, mirror

Invisible Shoes by Andreia Chaves (Refinery 29)

Mimetic House by Dominic Stevens Architect (Kitsune Noir)