In Art We Live

K11 at Tsim Sha Tsui is the very first Art Shopping Mall. I was fascinated by the art pieces displayed on different parts of the mall. It feels like I'm in a museum but surrounded by retail shops. It's a good idea to encourage art appreciation in the community. 

1. Home Sweet Home by Kenny Li Koon Yin

Medium: Corrugated paper, cloth and wood

This is my favorite piece. This was the first artwork that caught my attention. I loved the patterns he used for the pillows and how he incorporated it with recycled materials. This will make any plain room stand out. 

2. Sweet Delight Mona Lisa by Maurice Bennett

Medium: Canvas, flame and toast

From afar, you would think that this is a painting, but if you would look closely, it's entirely made of toast.

Isn't that fascinating? This was created by the "The Toastman" who has a massive collection of art pieces made out of toast. Over 6000 pieces of toast were used to create this piece. He used flame as his paintbrush in order to create different shadows and skin highlights. Very creative indeed =)

3. Installation: Suitman Travels to Brobdingnag & Lilliput by Young Kim

This is the main feature at K11 Piazza. This installation is a gigantic sixteen feet tall Suitman inflatable with his mini versions. This is the first art installation of the Public Fair No. 1 art collection. I believe Suitman is a replica of its creator because they look alike =) The story of the Suitman is quite interesting because he ensembles the travelling life of Young Kim.

 4. Meet Me in the Shade by Eileen Wong

Material: Aluminum, stainless steel and acrylic sheets

I first saw at the basement level thinking that it's the mall's design. I took a picture of it because I found it really pretty not knowing it was a featured artwork. This reminded me of the woods as described in fairy tales where the trees and plants feel like they are in harmony with the chirping birds.

 5. Weeping of the Sea by Zhang Hua

Medium: Resin, enamel paint

The artist used complicated and intricate folds to depict the sea's emotions. From what I could see it is full of waves and it seems like it had faces that wanted to say something. 

6. Captain by Deborah Butterfield

Medium: Metal

The artist is very fond of horses having her own ranch. Actually one of her horses is named Captain.

Her work most;y involves horse sculptures made out of different materials like wood and metal. With her exposure at her ranch, she was able to master the solid form of a horse.

7. The Reading Room by Jane Dyer

Medium: Pine wood and particle board shelves with books

With my love for books, this installation caught my eye. This was created by an Australian artist based in Beijing. According to an interview, she likes her work to provoke questions rather than give answers. I'm sure she loves books and I like how it was 'messily' arranged.

8. Duo Color Double Polyhedron Lamp by Olafur Aliasson

Medium: Stainless steel, Color-effect filter glass, LED lights

This looks like a big piece of crystal. It's brilliance makes it look elegant and very classy. The artist emphasized on tricks of light and refraction. The mirror-like surface creates an illusion as it reflects its location. You won't hardly recognize the LED lights because you would think it's sparkling from the outside.

9. Flying Leaves by Danny Lee

Medium: Copper

This remind of how dried leaves fall from the tree during fall. The sculptor was able to portray the drama and movement of the leaves as they slowly fall to the ground as they are carried by the wind.

10. Ken Ken by Zhang Hua

Medium: Resin, enamel paint

It's like a man melting. The layers of distortion creates a strong impact on the audience arising curiosity and uncertainty.

11. Shadow by Kum Chi Keung

Medium: Polyurethane with stainless steel structure

It looks like they are made of lego but they are not. In my interpretation, it's message is about freedom and travelling. For me when you travel, you carry the bag of knowledge and experience and that stays with you wherever you go. 

12. Sand Rippled by Tide by Mok Yat Sun

Medium: Stainless Steel, Brass and Wood

Camouflaged as benches, these cloud-like sculptures conveys vitality and imagination. It's like inviting the audience to stop and relax.  

Inspired by the art-themed trip to the mall, I collected random snapshots from my HKG trip and added some dash of color and effects. Enjoy =)

Introducing: My Artscape in HK Collection

I hope you enjoyed the artsy side of my trip to HKG as much as i did. =)

K11 is located at 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

www.k11concepts.com

A Dinner to Remember (Tony Roma's / Golden Spoon)

[Super delayed post] Dinner at Tony Roma’s Glorietta 4 to celebrate Gian and Kikai’s Birthday =)

• Good hi-protein meal.  
• Ribs and Steak were perfectly cooked.
• Not a fan of coleslaw haha
• I wasn't sure on what the sweet cinnamon flavored sauce is for

Highlight of the night: LMFAO: “neighbors complain saying turn it down”

(We should have replied “Sorry for party rocking!” with matching dance number =P)

So we brought the party to another place (where we could make more noise -- just kidding!) 
@ Golden Spoon (Glorietta 5)

 

Belgian Chocolate - Vic's choice

Cake Batter - My Choice

Strawberry - Kai's choice

It was so hard to decide because everything looked good.

But the nice thing about eating with friends is that you can taste everything haha. =P

I was happy with my cake batter but the other flavors were also yummy.
Will be back soon!=)

Choco-lovin: Ferrero Collection

The Ferrero Collection is a treasure chest of Ferrero's prime flavors: Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Garden (Coconut) and Ferrero Rondnoir.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Ferrero Rocher. 

But do you know that there are other flavors besides the common gold-covered chocolate ball?

Let's zoom in on the other 2 flavors:

Ferrero Garden (Coconut) - a half almond, surrounded by coconut cream, encased in wafer coated with coconut flakes, and topped with white chocolate icing cap (Wikipedia)

Ferrero Rondnoir - roasted hazelnut surrounded by a ball of fine dark chocolate, covered with a crisp wafer layer, topped with crunchy dark chocolate morsels. (Just by hearing the name "Rondnoir' it sounds classy and delicate.)

If I would rate the three, I would place Ferrero Rocher at the top, to be followed by Ferrero Garden and third by Ferrero Rondnoir. I'm sure dark chocolate lovers would disagree with this. I just like my chocolate to be creamy and sweet - thus my vote for milk chocolate. =P The combination of Rondnoir's texture and the crispiness of the wafer was quite good but I didn't get the sweet satisfaction, which I get from Rocher. Did I mention, my love for almonds? While Rocher is filled with it, Rondnoir had dark chocolate morsels which I'm not really fond of. On the other hand, Ferrero Garden (coconut) surprised me. At first, I thought the inner part would be made of gooey coconut filling but instead it was filled with white chocolate. I don't like chocolates with fruit flavors. From the ones I've tasted, most of them were sour and they tasted like medicine. The coconut sprinkles made a fine twist. It wasn't too strong to overpower the creaminess but it gave it a unique taste (just like the slight crunch in the end when you eat coconut macaroons).  

It is indeed a fine collection of decadent chocolates for all types of chocolate-lovers. =)

Fanatic Diaries: Gaga Over Ian Somerhalder

 Ian Somerhalder in Manila 2012

(May 19 - May 24)

Sorry for the overdue post. I'm sure a lot of fanatics have been waiting for this (feeling lang) =P

Thanks to Gian's FB post that I found out that one of the Vampire Diaries cast would be going to Manila. I think my heart skipped a beat when I found out it was Damon. (I'm a Somerholic!) I immediately 'googled' to confirm if it was true and it really wasn't a dream. He was the new endorser for Penshoppe! My FB friends were starting to share the news and gave updates of his arrival and I became even more excited. When my friend Vannie told me that updates will be on twitter, I immediately created a twitter account and followed Penshoppe, Publicity Asia and even Ian Somerhalder's account to keep me posted. On May 19, I stayed up late just to join the twitter world in welcoming him to Manila. At around 10pm, he finally touched down Manila and saw a tweet. Then I saw Gretchen Fullido's twitter pic with him at NAIA and I covered my mouth before I could even scream. From that moment, I turned on my 'stalker mode'. PublicityAsia tweeted that they were working on something for the fans and I was so thrilled because it could finally be my chance to see him. The next day, he left for Palawan to do some photoshoot so I was able to rest. May 23 when he had a press conference which I knew I couldn't go to so I just glued my eyes to my twitter account for any updates. 

I immediately had to search for updates about what happened during the presscon and I found some funny tidbits: (source from PEP)

photo from mb.com.ph

(From PEP) Because of his words about the Philippines, the media asked Ian what he would  tell his friends about our country.

He replied in jest, “Don’t go there. They will kill you with kindness.”

(From candymag.com) The fans got a bit of a thrill when Ian talked about being young and not looking his age. He said with a smirk, "Well, that's because I'm a vampire."

He talked about his stay in Palawan, his foundation and his style. He said he was the comfort-over-fashion type of guy. 

It was already quite late when I found out that he would be at the Mall of Asia on May 24 before he leaves Manila. But I told myself... THIZ IZ IT!!!!!!

Arrived at MOA 11:30am, ate lunch at Pollo Locco and went to the Atrium. I was already too late being there 4 hours before showtime. I couldn't find a spot so I went one level higher =P

 So I waited for three looong hours (all for Ian). People were already getting crazy, because they all screamed at the sight of the chairs being arranged on stage. There were a few false alarms until...

People from my back started to scream and when I saw the security guards rushing, I knew he was there.

He arrived from the back door from where I was standing and the stairs was already blocked. He's the guy wearing a black shirt and black hat and blowing kisses to his fans. Sorry it was too bright. The transparent roof of MOA didn't work with me here. I actually got a video but I accidentally (and stupidly) deleted it. =(

When he finally set his foot on stage, the crowd just went WILD!!! Sorry for the terrible handling of this video. I was busy looking at him away from the camera's viewer (and I can't help but scream =P)

I couldn't hardly hear him because of the screaming fans. So I just took photos.

He was telling everyone how happy he is to be in the Philippines. He was also kind enough to remind the fans not to push so no one would get hurt end even sat on the highest part of the chair so that everyone would be able to see him (so thoughtful). He talked about his foundation (ISF) which is an organization that helps protect the environment, animals and the youth. He said the Philippines is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and he loved his stay in Palawan. I loved the part when he said "You guys are super BONGGA!"

And of course, my winning moment... =P

While he was busy taking a twitpic with his fans, I was also busy taking his video =)

I was so envious of the fans who had a chance of taking a picture with him and hugged and kissed him but I was already happy to see him in the flesh. Too bad, he left after about 30-45 minutes to catch his flight to Europe =( And so I had a few seconds to see him leave. =( Goodbye Damon...

When he left I had to pull my hair up because I was sweating so bad after being 'sandwiched' by other screaming fans (lagkit mode) =P

The next day, he posted this in his twitter account:

 Thanks so much Penshoppe, PublicityAsia, SM Mall of Asia for bringing Ian Somerhalder to Manila.

To Ian, I hope you'll be back =) 

Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

I marked May 28, 2012 on my calendar because it was the last day of the 50% off promo on frappuccinos on Mondays at Starbucks. 

I already expected the other Starbucks fans that's why I went there before 2 pm which is the time the promo can be availed. 

When I got there, I wasn't early as I thought, the line was already loooooong.

I also bought other drinks for my officemates (green tea, caramel, strawberries and cream).

I rarely order frappes because I always prefer hot drinks than the iced ones. But since this promo rarely happens, I decided to skip my usual white chocolate mocha and try their new drink.

At my first sip, I thought I ordered chocolate chip frappe. I was looking for the light coffee-like taste of mocha but all I can taste is pure chocolate. I started stirring it with the straw to make sure I'm not sipping the concentrated part but it was really how it tasted. If you would look at the contents of the bag, every drink had white whipped cream while my drink had a dark chocolate cream on top making it unique. I quite enjoyed the top part because it wasn't filled with the usual chocolate syrup but with crushed oreo cookies which is my favorite, but it just added more chocolate taste to the drink. I'll rate it 6 out 10 stars. Chocolate lovers would probably enjoy this drink more. I actually liked the other drink (caramel frappe) which my friend ordered. Good thing I just bought it half the normal price =P