GRAFFITI: Jaba & The Ultra Boys

I had the pleasure of meeting Jaba at Mimolette's wicked cool Reggae Night called "Jammin" with DJs JNR, Nomsta, Tomo and Roger C. It happens monthly. Anyways, Jaba is from the UltraBoys outfit which is a collective of graff writers from Belgium, France, Spain and Germany. They represent one of purist elements of hip hop, relatively untouched by commercialism, mass media and the Black Eyed Peas... I'm talking about the visual the art form of Graffiti. And these cats are old skool.

I'm definitely gonna try to get him some commissioned work. Maybe he can help me design my tattoo?

http://webringjustice.wordpress.com/
http://www.jabaone.com

LISTEN: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Counting down to Yeah Yea Yeahs in Singapore next month I've decided to posted one of my fav remixes of their song "Heads will Roll". This A-trak mix was played on the Annie Mac radio show on BBC radio one a while back and i was completely hooked! Really good club tune i reckon the crowd would go nutty after! Anyways, a catchy prelude to their show!

RIP: Larry Sultan (1946-2009)

Once again it's time for the world to say goodbye to another wonderful artist. Influential photographer, Larry Sultan died this week in San Francisco. He was 63 years old. I came to know the photographic work of Larry Sultan when I was living in London years ago. His work represented to me the physical manifestation of a some surreal version of the American dream. His style, characterized by a blend of photo documentary and conceptualism always evokes a feeling of something beneath the surface-- beyond the vibrant colors and mundane reality. I especially appreciated his highly personal series from the 1980's where he photographed his parents in their Suburban home. They depicted this uncanny relationship between photographer and subject, parent and child that was very unique for the time and was the series that made him famous. Each of his photographs embody a vast spectrum of human emotion leaving us with a lot to think about. Larry Sultan, You will be missed.


http://www.wallpaper.com/art/larry-sultan-1946-2009/4172

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/arts/14sultan.html

COVET THIS: Eley Kishimoto Women S/S 2010 Footwear

One Xmas wish down, the next one is something from this collection dear Santa. Mark and Wakako have done it again. Filling our heads with whims, fancies and longing for their delectable creations. The new footwear collection is a success with leather color blocks and sandals and thick strapped Mary Janes. The colors remind you of a faded vintage summer memory. Leaving me with hopes that my true love will bring me 12 pairs of shoes for my 12 days of xmas!!!


http://www.highsnobette.com/news/2009/12/16/eley-kishimoto-woman-springsummer-2010-footwear/

SHOP: Ambush

Change and progress are beautiful things. One of my favorite stores in town, Ambush, has always been about that. With ears on to the ground and all four fingers on the pulse, Big Al, the owner really knows how to put the cred into the street. This week, Ambush opens its doors to its latest haunt at the Mandarin Gallery and no doubt my pockets will need major mending after my visit. Ambush is responsible for introducing us to Original Fake, Jeremy Scott, Ktz, Henrik Vibskov to name a few…the new store will be full of surprises!!! Just gotta pop down to check it out…Word on the street mentioned something about "Opening Ceremony!!!" My Xmas wish is granted!! Yippee!!


http://www.ambushstore.com/

Ambush is 3rd Floor of Mandarin Gallery 333A Orchard Road

ART: Michael Johansson Sculptures

The end of the year means a many things to different people. To me, it marks a time for packing, organizing, year-end overhauls! For the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to play down my hoarding ways and embrace a life as a more organized individual. I haven't quite succeeded though i did stumble on these rather inspiring sculptures by Swedish artist, Michael Johansson that aptly reflects my current state of mind. This work reads like household Tetris or the art of a garang guni genius. in any case, I like it a lot and may consider taking cue from him by submitting a collection of my belongings to the SAM archives when the new year rolls around.

WEBSITE LINK

FILM: Invictus

There are a couple of directors whose films I look forward to with great enthusiasm. Clint Eastwood is one of them. His new film, Invictus has him teaming up again with Morgan Freeman who plays Nelson Mandela during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the South African team captain. Eastwood films are never ostentatious. His quiet consideration always results in meticulously simplistic depictions of the complexity of the human condition. I am certain that this one will be no different.

LOOK:

Pirelli Calendar 2010 by Terry Richardson

The Pirelli Calendar has over the years become sort of universally legendary. It is the wonderful annual union of scantily clad super models x beautiful photography x exotic settings that culminates in an eye and mouth watering work of art that can be enjoyed all year round. For the 2010 calendar we have Terry Richardson helming the ship on route to Bahia, Brazil with his genetically gifted entourage in tow -think Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Catherine McNeil…and the list goes on.

The Calendar launched last month and I'm scouring the web, trying to get a hold of one for an xmas prezzie to die for!

Pirelli Calendar Website
Featured at Fashionologie

COVET THIS: Dita Lanciers

Land + Sea + Air

Dita Lanciers
Last week, my good friend Tommy O' Gara came from Tokyo for a quick visit en route to his mini trunk show in KL and Bangkok. He brought down all the latest Dita frames for the season and just for kicks, proceeded to dangle them in front of me while i salivated with desire. Tommy cracked open a case to show me the his Lanciers (the latest from Dita Eye wear) and i was about . The Lancier collection consists of 3 designs in 3 colours with changeable stems. Only 450 pairs were produced and word on the street is that local store Surrender will be stocking a few sets.

NICE SHORTS: Cannes Lions Winner For Short Film

A simple short film about communication.
Created by Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia
Director: Patrick Hughes
http://www.patrickhughes.com.au

MOVIE TO WATCH: Where The Wild Things Are

SPIKE JONZE adapts a very short children's story into an feature length epic adventure for all ages to enjoy. The film retains everything inspiring about the book by Maurice Sendak, perfectly capturing its portrayal of childhood wonder, with the realism created by using actors in suits rather than CGI-ing everything to death making it all the more marvellous.

Summary by Huggo:
An adolescent named Max has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don't go along with what he wants. Max, following an incident with Claire (his sister) and her friends, and following a tantrum which he throws as a result of his Mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him - runs away from home. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.

DJ PARTY: Misty Rabbit Vs TrustFun

It's all about the Prada connection today. My next topic is on this lady, Miss Mimi Xu aka Misty Rabbit - she's a staple at Prada parties (helming the deck at the Prada Transformers in Souel earlier this year and The Prada Book launch in London just last week). No stranger to the music industry, by day Mimi used to work at Modular Records and Kitsune and now runs record label Kuskus - they are responsible for the hippest runway music for fashion week. When night falls she is resident at notorious Parisian nightclubs such as Regine, Le Baron, Social Club to name a few. Her electro-disco-tech sets never fails to get the crowd rocking. This we look forward to witnessing as she will be playing in Singapore this Friday 27th December at the White Rabbit! The party, organized by the local party collective, Trustfun is sure to be a hit with the vivacious party crowd about town. Can't Wait!

Misty's Myspace
Hear her mix!
More Press
Get on the guestlist!

BOOK

PRADA

Last week or so, the cream of the social crops the world over, donned their best garbs and in their respective cities they gathered to celebrate the fruition of a wonderful work of art. It was the launch of The Prada Book - a beautiful anthology of the illustrious history of the label. I was fortunate to be invited to join the Singapore contingent of Prada-philes down at the namesake's brand new store at Ion Orchard. Catch-up with old friends, new friends, canapes and bubbly and best of all, I acquired a copy of the BOOK! Slick! All I have left to say is PRADA I HEART YOU!

Link To Book
Link To Article

FLICK

NOWHERE BOY

Ever wonder how legends come to be? Before legends become legendary?? Get ready to watch and learn. Nowhere boy, the new film by artist, Sam Taylor-Wood (wife of Jay Jopling, White Cube) is a chronicle of John Lennon's childhood. The film, based on the book "Imagine This: Growing Up with My Brother John Lennon" by Lennon's half sister, Julia Baird marks Taylor-Wood's full-length directorial debut. Futhermore, the scoring of the film is done by the British electronica duo Goldfrapp (Whom we adore). The film premiered at London film festival back in October and will be on general release in the UK this December. Fingers crossed we get to see it this side of the world!

Movie Review

Trailer

SHOP

K.I.N. IS BACK

"Same time, Same People, Different Store"

One of my favorite stores in Singapore is back and better. They recently took a hiatus for a quick facelift by local architects and friends, Fuur Associates. Now its all dressed up and ready to go. Not only do they stock the dopest labels from the US, Japan and Europe, such as P.A.M., Engineered Garments and WoodWood to name a few, this year, the boys of K.I.N launched their very own in house label Sifr, a line of ingenious basics slated to become a staple of any discerning guy's (or girls) wardrobe.


K.I.N. Blogspot
K.I.N. Website

COVET THIS:

Hermes x Leica camera Round 2

I've got two words for this and it shall be said over and over again….I WANT I WANT I WANT!!!! We've got the best of both worlds here…need I say more??


http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2009/11/16/leica-m7-hermes-edition/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+highsnobiety%2Frss+%28Highsnobiety.com+-+Online+Streetwear+Magazine%29

COOL MAGAZINE: 31 Rue Cambon

Olivier Zahm together with Karl Lagerfeld have produced the inaugural issue of 31 Rue Cambon, the first ever Chanel Magazine. Salivating while typing, not a very attractive sight but nothing makes me happier than print matter.


http://www.purple-diary.com/post/245029646/31-rue-cambon-1-this-is-the-first-issue-of-31

BOOK: To India with Love

To India with Love

Been waiting a long time for this book to come out. I've always been a fan of Waris Ahluwalia and his jewelry label, House of Waris. His creations have this kind of off-beat intricate hand made appeal to them that is simply something special. This time around, Waris and crew have put together this 'scrap book' that explores the alluring and inspiring beauty of India. I think after seeing Wes Anderson's Darjeeling limited, i needed my periodic India fix and I do believe that this book will really do the trick!!!


http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/all-star-caste-to-india-with-love/

http://www.style.com/stylefile/2009/11/waris-and-co-send-their-love/

http://www.assouline.com/books-assouline/To%20India%20with%20Love_732-comingsoon.html

MUSIC: Black Cab Sessions

A friend of mine sent me this link because he felt it reminded him of our drunken Taxi cab jam sessions our friends would always have over here in SG ( ours was more minus the instruments and the melodic harmony). I instantly thought the concept was brilliant - Like Taxi Cab Confession meets Live at Abbey Road!! And the viewer was the sole audience. The idea of a Jam session in a taxi cab means that each musician has to really parr down their performances to the basics…really just the essence of what music is all about. Moreover, the proximity due to the space constraint really added to the intimacy…Really feels like just hanging out on a day off!


Check out Black Cab Sessions with Lykke Li and all the rest of them!
http://www.blackcabsessions.com/sessions.php?id=1208986544
http://www.blackcabsessions.com

Can you believe this skate park is in Singapore?

Believe it or not, this skate park is in the East Coast and is put up by National Parks Singapore. If you don't believe me, click here for more info.

I guess you can tell that the Singapore Government put this up, because at the time of these photos, there's no graffiti up yet. I'm curious to see what it looks like now as these photos were taken in February (2009). I'm gonna make my way out there and try to get some recent snaps. I have a hunch that if there's any graffiti there, it's commissioned or you have to apply to "get up".

The entire skate park occupies an area of 1.4 ha (the size of about 2.5 football fields) and comprises a combo bowl, a vertical bowl and a streetcourse covering 0.4 ha. Constructing the skate park cost $7.6 million, which is co-shared by NParks and MCYS. It is catered to both beginners and professionals, who will be able to find features that suit their skill levels:



Streetcourse - The Streetcourse caters to all riders. It provides elements for both intermediate and advanced skaters and bikers. The Streetcourse consists of a mix of street obstacles, including stairs, handrails, ledges and gaps to enable progression from lower level ramps to more advanced areas.



Combo Bowl - The Combo Bowl section is an intermediate to advanced level bowl with different depths, hips, corners, a spine, sub box and bank wall. The layout enables riders to travel continuously around the sections of the bowl and transfer from one area to another.



Vertical Bowl - The 3.6-metre Vertical Bowl area is for advanced skaters/bikers and consists of a channel with different corners. This is a challenging bowl that will ensure progression for skate park users to enable them to enter competitions.

That Justice Track gets the Hollywood Treatment

Thanks to favorite bloggers TheMahoganyBlog and CircleSquareTriangleBlog, I found this cool remix of Justice's "We Are Your Friends". Its by LA duo / band called the Animalistics (http://www.myspace.com/animalisticsband) and it's called "Hollywood". Check it out, as I've linked the media player from Mahogany below:

Starting to see 4Fingers Everywhere!

I was down at Haji Lane in Singapore looking at some of the cool shops that they have down there. And as I was about to walk into this store that had some cool vintage clothes in the window, I noticed this bastard chair sitting near the entrance.

Pretty close match wouldn't you say?

Dave Chappelle in Singapore's newest Fast Food Outlet at ION?

Celebrity Sighting? I swear he's in town I don't know if it's the real thing. A friend ran into him in NYC and said that he doesn't like taking photos so maybe it's an impersonator? Or maybe he really likes the chicken? By the way, anyone try the chicken wings at (prepare for shameless plug), ehem... 4Fingers Bonchon Crispy Chicken? It's a new "must try" phenomenon. Trust me, I don't blog for anyone you know.

PS. at least the chicken at 4Fingers is the real thing!

Dance Music is not Dead!

French disco warrior Vitalic takes a break from inventing the future to deliver his second long-playing masterpiece this decade, and the results are nothing short of astonishing. Anyone interested in the possibilities of electronic music, or anyone who feels the genre is stuck in a rut, should investigate Flashmob to hear how Pascal Arbez-Nicolas, a vastly improved musician, blends styles—disco and techno, chiefly—with such bravura that you fear for his peers. A hymn to the imagination that you can dance your face off to, this record has grace (“Poison Lips”), muscle (“Flashmob”), beauty (“Still”), elegance (“See the Sea (Blue)”), ecstasy (“Second Lives”), disco (“Your Disco Song”), and a track about a chicken lady (“Chicken Lady”). It’s pretty much perfect.



Review by SUBURBAN DWIGHT (Dazed Digital Music)

COOL REMIX: phoenix vs passion pit - 1901 (bo flex'd remix)

nothing like two cool groups like passion pit and phoenix working in music harmony! 4 fingers to this for sure!

COOL POSTER: Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are trailer

Can't wait to see this Spike Jonze opus! and then buy the tshirt!

Hot Designer: Lucila Iotti

Lucila Iotti

damn these shoes are sick! though i'm not a girl, i can still give 4 fingers for the design!