Bottled Sky

Color Me Surprised

Nikki — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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.

Little Miss Antisocial

Nikki — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:00:46 +0000

When I was seven, my homeroom teacher called my parents for a meeting to discuss my apparent lack of sociability. Here’s a random scan from my doodle journal that shows exactly what I think about that:

Final Five: Shoes

Nikki — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:48:31 +0000

I was walking to the train station with my colleague Jacq after work last week when she shared that she had only five pairs of shoes. FIVE. PAIRS. OF. SHOES. The shoe fiend in me was stunned. After picking up my jaw from the pavement and confirming several times that I had not misheard her — “Five, Jacq? Really? Really?!” — I jumped right into convincing her to expand her footwear collection. She has since bought a new pair of heels and is now thinking of buying more. I am that good.

As I walked the same route with Christina, another work buddy, a few days later, I told her about Jacq’s impressive resistance to shoe lust. She reacted with comically familiar shock and disbelief — “Five? Really? Really?!”

It led us to ponder, if we had to give up all but five pairs of our beloved shoes, which would we pick? (Specialized footwear for athletic or artistic activities don’t count. I also have to note that Singapore is a tropical country so we don’t need to worry about dressing for winter.) It was a tough call, but I managed to narrow down my choices to these final five:

Black perforated suede ankle-wrap sandals, Rubi. Laid-back without being sloppy, these are the most comfortable sandals I have ever owned.

Black round-toe slingback heels, Charles & Keith. Sensible office shoes with the right amount of detailing to save them from being boring.

Jeweled t-strap snakeskin wedges, Charles & Keith. Dressy enough for a night out but still appropriate for day.

Navy & white striped sneakers, Urban Outfitters. Nothing like crisp navy and white stripes to bring a humble pair of lace-up sneakers from so-so to super cute.

Black t-strap Mary Jane flats, Marks & Spencer. I like to think of these as grown-up Mary Janes, whimsical but elegant and just darling with tights.

What types of shoes would you pick to be your final five?

Wardrobe Workout: Week 1

Nikki — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:19:07 +0000

Dresses are for lazy people. I should know — I have a closet full of them. With dresses I don’t have to think too hard about putting together an outfit. I just roll out of bed (after hitting snooze approximately 23 times), throw on a dress, and I’m ready for the office.

During a recent closet cleanup I realized that because of my love affair with the snooze button, a lot of my clothes are going to waste. Right then and there I decided to give my wardrobe a much needed workout. That means planning at least five outfits during the weekend, so I can keep my usual morning routine without ending up in the same dresses week in and week out.

It’s been going quite well so far. Just for kicks, here are the outfits I wore last week — not a single snooze-button dress in sight. (Also, holy awkward poses, Batman!)

Vintage Monday. These clothes basically came from other people’s closets.

Ruffled floral-print top – made from a vintage dress that I had altered into a top and a skirt
Purple skirt – hand-me-down from my mom who wore it in the early 90s
Rust leather belt – vintage Esprit from my mom’s attic
Cosmic latte (yes, it’s an official color!) peep-toe slingbacks – Vincci
Purple chiffon flower hair clip – Montip

Preppy Tuesday. I may have stolen this look from Cameron on House.

Gray puff-sleeved polo shirt – Uniqlo
Black lace-back vest – Express
Dark gray slim-fit pants – Marks & Spencer
Red t-strap heels – LeDonne
Red and silver plastic hairbands – Montip

Corporate-ish Wednesday. This is as corporate as I’m going to get without suiting up.

Black stretch button-down shirt – I’ve had it for years and I can’t remember where I got it
Ruched purple pencil skirt – Forever 21
Black skinny belt – Daiso
Snakeskin t-strap wedges – Charles & Keith
Cream felt rose hair tie – Bugis Street

Urban Thursday. Skinny jeans aren’t just for skinny people, you know.

Gray soft knit blazer – Urban Outfitters
Gray henley camisole – Uniqlo
Dark denim skinny jeans – Unarosa
Black suede slingback ankle boots – Janylin
Silver plastic hairband – Montip

Casual Friday. Our dress code is pretty lax, though, so I can wear this even if it’s not Friday.

Coral red cardigan – Veeko
White tank top – Old Navy
Black & white printed miniskirt – Forever 21
Black bandage wedges – Image Turn
Black bow hairband – Montip

Brunch with Bimbos

Nikki — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:13:57 +0000

I’m crazy about breakfast food. I could live on it alone — heck, I practically do, considering that the extent of my cooking skills involves boiling eggs and pouring cereal into a bowl — so any restaurant that serves breakfast all day is all right in my book.

One such restaurant is the newly opened Wild Honey at Mandarin Gallery on Orchard Road. I met up there with a few friends on the morning of New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of 2009 with the Yummiest Brunch in the History of Brunches™.

Fine, it wasn’t the yummiest, but it was still pretty darn good. I have the pictures to prove it:

Every bite I took of this bagel made my eyes roll back into my head in sheer bliss. I tried my best not to make too many obscene noises out of consideration for all the other people trying to eat their own breakfast in peace.

This is Gabe humoring me by posing patiently with his Eggs Benedict.

This is Gabe two seconds later.

Jacq ordered an icy concoction that rose four inches above the rim of the glass. I forgot what the drink was called, so for the purposes of this blog entry let’s just call it Super Awesome. (Photo by Jacq)

This is Christina giving her Banoffee Brulee a look that clearly says, “Enjoy your last few minutes, you evil son of banana and espresso. I don’t care how many calories you hold. You’re going down.”

You see these faces? These are the faces of people who have just finished spending the last morning of 2009 having gastronomic orgasms.

Amid all the face stuffing, we managed to squeeze in some light chit chat. (Yes, we talked with our mouths full. We’re REBELS.) I told them about my new eyeglasses, explaining that since I had LASIK eye surgery in 2002, my main purposes for buying them were to protect my eyes from computer glare and to make me appear smarter during meetings with clients.

I didn’t bring the eyewear in question with me that day, but I had in my bag a felt flower hair tie that just so happened to be the exact same shade of magenta. I fished out the hair tie from my purse, so they could better picture how fabulous my new glasses were.

As Christina and Jacq squealed their approval, Gabe deadpanned in wonder, “Wow. I’m having brunch with a bunch of bimbos.”