Bottled Sky

Bona Fide Bungee Jumper

Nikki Brion — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:36:22 +0000

If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you probably know how obsessed I am with bungee jumping. I’d been aching to try it ever since I saw a TV feature on it more than a decade ago but hadn’t yet been given the chance — until this month.

You read it right, I finally bungee jumped! I flew all the way to Macau just to leap 233 meters off the Macau Tower, which is currently the world’s highest bungee jump. I loved it so much that as soon as I touched down, I ran back up and did it again. Look at the sheer glee on my face! It’s the most addicting thrill.

Here’s a video of my two jumps. First I did a classic swan dive, albeit a not-so-pretty one, then a back dive, which I found even more exciting.

Afterwards I met up with my travel buddies, so we could tour the rest of Macau before taking a ferry to Hong Kong for the second leg of our trip (a story for another blog post). I was so hopped up on adrenaline that at one point one of them asked me why I was grinning like an idiot. Wouldn’t you, if you’d been in my shoes?

Guess who else had a blast in Macau? The Traveling Book, of course!

I loved strolling down Senado Square. With its candy colored buildings and wavy cobblestone, it couldn’t have been more charming.

Jacq, Chris and I struck our best tourist poses at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, as Gab took our photo. You would never guess from the smiles on our faces that we were about three seconds away from melting onto the sun-baked pavement.

Goodbye, historic ruins. Hello, glittering casinos. While I chose to gamble with my life by bungee jumping, my friends thought it would be less risky to gamble with their money at the slot machines. Sadly no beginner’s luck for them.

How extravagantly decorated were those casinos? Well, live jellyfish served as wall art at the Wynn lobby. You be the judge.

I’ll definitely visit Macau again in the future, if only to enjoy the perks of being a card-carrying bungee jumper. My third jump at nearly half price and my fourth one for free? Now that’s an offer I simply can’t refuse.

My Dad, the Original Hipster

Nikki Brion — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:02:59 +0000

I intended to post these photos over Father’s Day weekend, but I happened to be sans my Mac, checked in at some hotel for our company retreat. I spent Father’s Day eve in a karaoke bar, belting out a badass rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart and dancing to the Wonder Girls with my colleagues, board of directors included. Long story.

Anyway, better late than never! Here are some snapshots of my dad in all his charming, offbeat glory. My mom took these pictures back when they were still dating in 1982. Who knew that nearly three decades later hipsters everywhere would be rocking this exact same look?

Mad About Melbourne

Nikki Brion — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:18:04 +0000

Of all the places I got to visit because of my job thus far, Melbourne is my hands-down favorite. I was there several weeks ago with two other colleagues to attend agIdeas 2010. Highlights of my trip included being equally star-struck by Theo Jansen and by the Twelve Apostles, losing one of my travel buddies while trying to board a sardine can of a tram, and simply basking in the brisk autumn air.

One thing I learned during my week in Melbourne… was that a week in Melbourne simply wasn’t enough. I guess I’ll just have to go back sometime.

Accidental color coordination equals instant photo op.

We walked a lot, and I mean A LOT. Thank heavens for comfortable boots.

These art deco colors caught my eye while shopping on Brunswick Street.

One of these things is not like the others…

Did you think I would leave the Traveling Book behind?

Bubbling Up in Brunei

Nikki Brion — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:16:45 +0000

Bubbling Up, my second Tumblr theme, made it to the Theme Garden not more than a week after I blogged about my newfound love of Tumblr and its bevy of hipster puppies. What do you think? I personally prefer this theme over my first one.

On a totally related note (you’ll see how at the end), I recently went on a business trip to Brunei, where my coworkers and I were lucky enough to stay at the swanky Empire Hotel under a sky this blue:

You know you’re staying in a five-star hotel room when the bathroom is as big as your bedroom at home, when you can walk barefoot on the carpet without fear of contracting a flesh-eating disease, and when the bed is so luxuriously comfortable that you want to marry it and have its babies.

Although the bed turned down my marriage proposal, the three nights we spent together will forever be among my fondest memories.

Want to make furniture look tiny? Put them beside floor-to-ceiling glass windows rising five stories high. Want to see me eat the equivalent of my body weight in cheese and chocolate? Set me loose on a scrumptious hotel buffet.

Unfortunately I soon discovered that there’s only so much yummy a tummy can take. After one of the many unscheduled toilet breaks I ended up taking throughout the trip, I had the following conversation with two of my coworkers. While we were all in business suits. In a conference room. With some of our biggest clients just out of earshot.

Me: I just took a satisfying dump.
Coworker 1: Me, too!
Coworker 2: I love it when that happens. Doesn’t it give you an extra spring in your step?
Me: I should post this conversation on Tumblr later.
Coworker 2: Here, use my iPhone!

That ends the story of how the chat entitled “Bet your workplace isn’t as awesome as mine” ended up on my tumblelog — which, by the way, is currently decked out in my Bubbling Up theme. See, I told you it was all related!

Color Me Surprised

Nikki Brion — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:14:03 +0000

I use the Pantone system to choose what color to paint my toenails and color coordinate my accessories with the precision of an eyedropper tool. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that I have perfect color vision.

Well, at least according to the FM100 Hue Test by X-Rite. I didn’t even attempt to cheat or anything. Go, me! Did you know that one in 255 women and one in 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency? That’s one new thing I learned today.

In other riveting news, I recently made my first Tumblr theme, which you can preview and install by clicking on the screenshot above. I’m kind of in love with Tumblr right now (probably because of gems like this), so I’m quite sure I’ll be designing another one soon.

The Owl & the Pussycat, Edible Edition

Nikki Brion — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 01:00:02 +0000

I love owls, cats, tin lunch boxes, storybook illustrations, and biscuits on their own. Put them all together and I start hyperventillating with joy. Literally. Oh, it was quite the scene when I first laid eyes on Artisan’s limited edition Two by Two biscuits, 16 owl- and cat-shaped organic butter biscuits stored in a tin lunch box covered in illustrations inspired by the classic Edward Lear poem, The Owl and the Pussycat. I went stupid — there’s just no other way to put it. For two whole minutes afterward all I could say was “WAAAANT”.

I bought mine from Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery in case anyone’s interested. I must admit though that, as wonderfully presented as they were, the biscuits tasted average.

When Designers Get Lazy

Nikki Brion — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:00:56 +0000

I was at the supermarket with some friends the other week, when we came across these handy reusable shopping bags shaped like various produce. We oohed at the chubby little carrots and aahed at the squish-worthy watermelons. Then we saw the cherries.

That, my friends, is what happens when designers get lazy. I can almost picture it:

Hey, how do you feel about using PANTONE 12-0643 for the color of the lemon? Or should we just stick with 13-0752? — Monday

I checked with the bag supplier, and we’re good to go on the irregular shape for the carrot. — Tuesday

I just e-mailed you the revisions for the dragonfruit design. The seed spacing wasn’t quite right on the first version. — Wednesday

Make sure that the seeds are not too evenly sized. We want the watermelon to look somewhat realistic. — Thursday

Ah, fuck it. Just slap some damn cherries on it and call it a day. Anyone up for a drink later? — Friday

MINT Museum of Toys

Nikki Brion — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:36:47 +0000

Last December my parents flew in for a two-week visit, and I got to spend Christmas with them for the first time since I moved to Singapore. We did the tourist thing for a couple of days, which is just another way of saying that we barely managed to squeeze in a couple of museum visits in between marathon shopping sessions.

You guys, my folks are adorable! I snapped this photo on our way to the MINT Museum of Toys, a thin slice of a building that houses thousands of — you guessed it — vintage toys. The admission price was on the steep side at S$15, but I thought it was worth it to see all the quirky childhood memorabilia. Toys were so much more charming in decades past. Now it’s all factory-perfect plastic and high-tech gadgetry.

Meet the original Buzz Lightyear. To infinity and beyond!

“OMG OMG OMG! SNOOOOWWWYYY!!!” was more or less how I reacted when I saw this life-size model of Tintin’s trusty canine sidekick. I calmed down long enough to snap a photo.

My dad, who was born in the year of the Monkey, was happy to see his fellow simians.

Here’s my mom doing her best impression of a crazed Beatles fan.

Fun fact: I still have the first teddy bear I ever got as a baby. Well, I don’t actually have it with me, but it’s kept safely in my parents’ attic. (Mom and Dad — I know you’re reading this post — Buddy Bear better be up there!)

Stuff on My Desk

Nikki Brion — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:00:03 +0000

The average office desk can hold all kinds of strange and awesome things. Unfortunately for those reading this post, mine is of the tamer variety. Considering that these are the more interesting items on my desk, just imagine how mundane the rest of its contents are.

Oh, Crap. I stuck a random cow-shaped clip on top of my computer, and one of my brilliant coworkers took time out of his busy schedule to complete the scene with a heaping pile of poo that he fashioned out of Blu-Tack. He even used a marker to give it a surprisingly realistic greenish brown tint. Nice.

Forced Savings. The holidays kicked my bank account in the nads then threw it down a flight of stairs, so I’ve been brown-bagging it for the first time since second grade.

Sweet Treats. The best part of having coworkers that frequently go on overseas business trips is that they always bring back food. This time it’s chocolates from Japan.

That’s Wild. These fierce colored pencils were a dirt-cheap grocery store find. They also work nicely as hair sticks in a pinch.

Wardrobe Workout: Week 2

Nikki Brion — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:00:18 +0000

People should try not to make any important decisions when they’ve just woken up. That includes deciding what to wear to work, as shown by this tweet from last year:

This wardrobe workout is turning out to have more benefits that I initially thought. Not only am I making better use of the wardrobe I already have, but I have also stopped showing up to work with day-glo underwear shining through light-colored clothes. Woot!

Here’s what I wore for week two of my little experiment:

Military Monday. I think that cardigan is so cute it deserves a salute.

Blue military-inspired cardigan – Bysi
Gray henley camisole – Uniqlo
Black skinny jeans – Freego
Black round-toe slingbacks – Charles & Keith
Black bow hairband – Montip

Laid-back Tuesday. I once wore that frog tank top while jumping off waterfalls.

Dark gray pinstripe blazer – G2000
Magenta miniskirt – tailor-made and patterned after the Forever 21 skirt I wore last Friday
Gray tank top with frog design – Esprit
Eggplant slingbacks – Covet
Sunglasses – Folded & Hung

Wonderland Wednesday. The checkerboard pattern and the mary-janes-and-tights combo strike me as very Alice in Wonderland.

Gray checkered tunic – Fab
Purple tights – Zocks
Black t-strap Mary Jane flats – Marks & Spencer
Purple chiffon flower hair clip – Montip

Nautical Thursday. I’m kind of in love with navy and white stripes.

Gray soft knit blazer – Urban Outfitters
Navy and white striped knit tank – Ness
Black skinny jeans – Freego
Navy and white striped canvas sneakers – Urban Outfitters
Silver hairband – Montip

Gleeful Friday. I realized after putting on the outfit that it looked like something Rachel Berry would wear. Did I tone it down? No, I added a pair of star earrings and totally went with it.

Navy polo shirt – Nicole
Red and white striped scarf – G2000
Gray denim miniskirt – Crissa
Red and white flats – Cartino Sonea
White bow hairband – Montip

Guess what greeted me when I walked into the office on Friday? Accidental matching outfits!

Aren’t we adorable? Nothing makes a short person look even shorter than standing in between two giants. In my defense, Christina was wearing heels, while I was in flats.