The weather is really not that good today. I thought of our conversation yesterday which brought to my outbursts which I have held in these days.
The reality that you have spoke of, still rang in my ears as I slowly weighed the importance. It was still true in fact, and I can't believe that I have forgotten it. It was thanks to your reminder that I had to shut myself completely in.
We all have been hurt but I can't get mad at you. I don't understand it myself either. I am sad at myself for this. You tend to hold it in too. Because you have been hurt when you voiced out your feelings but was reprimanded childish and immature.
Someday, I do not know whether you will voice out, just a little bit. But I will know that you care.
4th May 2014 Dear M, Today as we converse online, I stood to tell you of how my friend was telling me to get into a casual meeting with a guy. As you are busy with something else, I reminded you again on how of your feelings are. You have stated on why did I not go to the casual meeting. I was slightly perturbed. Are there no feelings at all? Or is it being restrained just because I am not in Europe and you are not trying to fall even harder? You can't do anything much. That is your statement. Yes, I do agree in the end. But I didn't feel any jealousy? Am I the only one to feel this way? There is not a single time that I have not missed you. I miss you everyday and every second of my life. We didn't talk and texted much for these two days and I am already feeling the agony. Is there really nothing? I can't wait to smell your morning hair, tinted with that summery green eyes, every second of that everyday. Love, J
Monocle 65: The Business Briefing, Media Companies and the Sign Writers
The Business Briefing on Spain: Book Sales
The Spanish book sales had plummeted in about 20% for the past 3 years, while sales in Latin American countries have seen modest growth, once thought to be threat of digital and tablet formats; one independent Spanish publishing company, Hispabooks set its sights on English Language readers.
Hispabook's co-founder, Ana Perez Galvan, commented of the very traditional ways of not translating Spanish to English. Only 3% of English publications are translations from other languages. However, the small company plans to publish two English Language titles soon and distribute them to 49,000 bookshops worldwide.
http://www.hispabooks.com/
Media Companies from Niggli, Zurich
Publishing editor, Andrea Wiegelmann had been creating beautiful books on architecture, typography and art.
The main two reasons for buying design books:
Curated information for your work that we can't find on the web.
The books that inspired you.
http://andrea-wiegelmann.com/
Sign Writers
The signs that enhance our cities come in a chaotic mix of shapes and sizes. But the craft of creating clean and inspiring text across formats as diverse as glass, windows to paper lanterns falls to those with clear heads.
Lynes & Co - http://www.lynesandco.com/
Nick Garrett - http://www.nickgarrettsignwriter.com/
Monocle Issue 62: A Chef and the Power-Saving Japanese
JAPANESE'S WAY OF SAVING UP
If you think that you had done your part for Earth, think again. The japanese way of conversing energy is still by far much famous among Asians. This time round, they targeted the machines that is seen almost inn every part of the world: Vending Machines.
Fuji Electric Ltd and Coca Cola have been trialing "peak shifts" where they will 'power' up the vending machine to chill drinks where the electricity demand is low during the night and switches off during the day when demand surges. Drinks could be kept cool for up to 16 hours.
By this year, 25,000 machines across Japan will be replaced and nearly a million conventional machines by 2020.
RENE REDZEPI - The Nordic Horseman Chef in Copenhagen
Graded as one of the best chefs in the world, Rene Redzepi, is credited with putting Denmark on the culinary map. As fate may allows, in a form of bad grades at school in Denmark, leading the 15 year old then to follow his best friend and joining the chef academy in Copenhagen.
He won the competition after cooking a chicken with cashew sauce inspired by his own Macedonian ancestry, which is his own lineage.
Making his mark in some of the best kitchens around the world, he cut his teeth at the Pierre Andre restaurant in 1997 when it received its first Michelin Star, his stint at El Bulli coincided with Ferrari Adria's heyday and he learnt the ropes with Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in California.
Late 2002, he was contacted by Danish restauranteur Claus Meyer, to open their own diner named NOMA in a maritime warehouse in Christianshavn, an island neighbourhood in Copenhagen. It has two Michelin stars and recognised as the best restaurant in the world for 3 years.
Menu based on foraged and exotic ingredients from the country's backyard, his creativity attracted the attention of foodies worldwide and was appointed as the ambassador for the New Nordic food programme for his efforts in developing the Nordic food scene.
From only seven cooks to a strong 50 staff, Redzepi still thinks that there's a long road for Noma, their producers, and other gastronomical innovators in the region, and they won't remain static.
I had been to the Giger Bar at Gruyeres as part of my backpacking trip to Switzerland on Apr 2012. It was a really exciting moment for us as we have been travelling by train and in turn, one of our goals to find this fantastic bar by one of my all time fav surreal artists.
Imagine the excitement, upon finding the train directions to go to Gruyeres, having a little walk upon the lush, white snowy mountains, with the morning fresh air.
After the visit to the museum, we quickly made our way to the famous bar, ordered a few beers, swearing on myself, staring at the beautiful surreal ceilings of the bar. In wonder, I am in the belly of a beast. I really do hope so.
Because that is one of the darkest fantasy. Except that, I am drinking beers on this lighter note of humor. I sat on one of the bar chairs, satisfied. Why? Because I have dreaming since many years ago on visiting this place, and HERE I AM.
On Europe's Domination of Art Book Printing Companies
It was another issue to start up with January 2013. Another year of another unpredictable way to living. Grabbing up the latest Monocle issue, I started to find out more on creative ideas on how the people is coping and hope that I could really find something out there.
On some interesting facts due to art book producers in Berlin, Phaidon and Thames & Hudson in the UK, I always thought that the Köln-based Taschen is the dominator. But I am wrong about this. Germany, yes, Germany tends to dominate the art book market and simply part of German Bildungsburger to have good books.
They had individual businesses, in order to cultivate up the promotion of artistes having art installations, display of artifacts at art museums. The most important that I always thought about, was about the good quality of a good art book to start off with.
In all countries, including America (the so-called high production of quality and paper products.) are surprised at the quality of the paper that Germany produces. And the remark of "Wow, your paper! Your printing!" surprises me. Raw materials were said to be cheaper there as printing costs in Germany have halved in the past 10 years (as remarked at Monocle), making it a good time for the art of print. I am always in awe of EU's way of creativity in printing products, thus creating a lot of great companies that I had came across.
When I turned the page to another report, I read it twice. Because from a film business as big as FujiFilm turning to skincare, named Astalift. I have heard of beverage companies such as Meiji, putting up the idea of skincare products such as their collagen powders to boost up the beauty within. But not anyone could imagine this coming around the corner.
Boasting sales domination taken over Asian countries and Europe, Astalift had been launched last March, having sales in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Russia. Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea and Bangladesh had followed suit.
Fifteen years ago (15!), their main subject was not skincare definitely. Kodak had always been their main rival but as camera film sales dropped, I bet that FujiFilm had been finding all ways to having that back-up plan. And so, Kodak failed in that point, unable to match up to FujiFilm's out-of-the-box stance.
Astaxanthin is their element for their success, for their baffling nanoscience and of course, the high price tag. Now that I know that 50 per cent of film emulsion came from collagen. gasp. They do know how to experiment good looking skin as they had been studying light absorption and reflection on skin for years, as explained by their GM, Yojiro Yamashita.
Quite an achievement on having a break though in having selling Astalift in 2,000 shops within 6 months and also TV commercials!
Open Views on Britain's Optimism
Is Britain's slowly opening up to job-openings? As stated, Brits are always known for tolerance, generosity and sense of fair play, as so they claimed. I thought that they welcomed outsiders and generally better than Aussies. But as I read, over the past two decades, reputation had been gradually eroded. Attitudes towards migrants have hardened.
Brits had been lacking the drive from before and so far, the former editor of the Financial Times and ex-head of the Confederation of British Industry, Richard Lambert stated that: "Immigrants, almost by definition, are going to be ambitious and hard-working." Brits are leaving their home for a better prospect outside. Or are they going to experience just for once, before going back?
It's a little bit similar to Singapore. Bred locally myself, everyone tends to have that little bit of adventure in going out to experience something. It's like, we are just plain sick or bored of the government ways here. And we will know exactly on how they response and behave, much less to the culture here, which features more people complaining and not doing much on their lives, when this little island, is very much going to be aimed to a higher population of...6 million? (the government aims for that here)
Stating on their explanation of saying that 'Brits can seem cold, uninviting, and suspicious of outsiders.' It is sure, another great place to be exposed so as to diminish the racist remarks.
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