A colleague of mine who recently toured Europe bought me these cute little things from a museum in Prague. They are actually variations of one famous cartoon character called The Mole (or Krteček), created in the 50's by Czech animator, Zdeněk Miler. I'm grateful to my colleague who has introduced me to this great illustrator.

The lesser something shouts for attention, the more I am inclined to notice and grow fond of it. I think it's the same with people. I have very low tolerance for people who try very hard. I prefer taking the time to uncover what's truly interesting about something, somebody.

"Junkie's" New Find

Even though I pride myself for being a "junkie", I rarely pick up stuff from a junk pile. I would normally pay for them, like buy them off a flea market stall when I travel. But this crate was an exception; I actually picked it up from a building next to my office. See how friendly it is sitting beside everything else in the room? photos by mian

Still A "Junkie"

Guess I'll never ever stop being a "junkie". all photos by mian

Another New Toy

Something red and cheerful to brighten up the new year! This heavy wooden London bus reminds me of a sprightly old man, longstanding and ever so charming. A gift from a dear friend.

Stripe on 69th, finally.

I'm finally able to put up the animation to share with everyone who's interested. "Stripe on 69th" took almost 10 months to conceive and produce even though it is only 7 minute in length. Having watched it like a hundred times myself, I still like it and believe in it, even though there is plenty of room to make it better.

please do bear with the quality as the clip has to be seriously compressed in order to fit into youtube.

Stripe on 69th (animation short)

A very charming book about tea I picked up from a bookstore in Tokyo.

Little Stories of Nonsense

Indulgence

The Storybook

The Stamps

The Mess

It all started with an itchy pair of hands, then some erasers, then finally a good pen knife.

It's Small, yet "BIG"!

The shelf is quite petit, yet so poetically and emotionally charming.

Endless Happy Clutter

I keep adding things to this shelf. The more cluttered it looks, the happier I am looking at it.

My Favorite Children's Book Illustrators

Ali Mitgutsch, German illustrator. I've only just gotten "acquainted" with this artist after I chanced upon this book(published in 70's). I'll research more about him. His documentation of the everyday life in a raw and easy style was the first thing that caught my eye. I cannot resist illustrations that are full of details yet seem effortless.

Miroslav Sasek (popularly known as M Sasek), Czech illustrator, whose "This Is..." series of travel books captured not only the minds of children in the 60's, but also the hearts of many adults. His work is refine, sophisticated and filled with details and essence of every city he painted.


The postcard above, showing characters of a tv crew, are illustrations by French artist, Alain Gree. Very simple lines and equally effortless looking drawings, yet they make you fall in love instantly. The red book belongs in a Little Golden Book Classic series. I don't know if the artist, Margaret Wise Brown, is famous but I like the everyday context so I bought the book. The character on the right, Mr Callaway, from a classic stop-motion animation series "CamberwicK Green" is a figurine I picked up from Bath (UK) more 10 years ago. He's been a great companion since.

Jean-Jacques Sempe, is a famous French cartoonist who is born in the 30's. Like the other artists, he loves to record the everyday life with his drawings, except they are more satirical and witty. In other words, adults are the target of his humor, even though his famous series "Le Petit Nicholas" is children literature. Both books shown here are gifts from a very dear friend who knows I'm a fan. There was a note that came with the journal (right) : "I enjoy the feeling of it finding me, after all the effort I put in to find it." She meant to give me this journal when she first set out to look for a Sempe book for me. But after failing to track it down, she bought "A Little Bit of Paris" (left) in place of it. A year later, when she was in a bookstore in Taipei, this journal-book, the one and only copy left, called out to her from a hidden corner. Hence her poetic note.

The Dreamers and Their Heroes

Stripe on 69th - the animation that gave me the reason to meet so many nice and talented people and also the chance to visit France for the first time. It's a great effort by a very wonderful team - the Tiny Island-ers. They are the unsung heroes that helped transformed my drawings (seen here) to animated characters that could talk, fly and dream.

My friend made me this nice Victorian sponge cake which came with a sweet message that said:"... if only you could eat it with a cup of warm milk tea in a cafe on a rainy day in Tokyo. "

Rare Finds

It's a pity this metal calendar is not made

of stainless steel but it's still very cool to keep.

Friendly-looking measuring spoons

I also gave a set to my dear friend who loves to bake.

I picked up this tea book from Kurrku in Tokyo.

This plastic envelope is also from the same bookstore.

My friends gave me these. They are both from Tokyo.

These small little things inspire me in a subtle way. They don't necessarily immediately translate into something I do; they just sit in corners of my deepest thoughts and quietly nurture them. Which eventually affect the things I do and the way I do them
all photos by Mian

Spookily Cute!

This one's a lil spooky yet its tiny body in a matchbox also makes it very adorable.

What A Smurf

That day in a mall I saw a little tot that reminded me of Smurf. So I came home and dug this out from my collection.

photo by mian

Visual Treat

The look of these shop fronts are so everyday yet so full of character. They make me want to live in their neighborhoods. (pictures from flickr.com)

I'm never a foodie but I think I had one of the most enjoyable dinners this evening with a few old friends (Choor, Gary, Alfie and Andrew) whom I've always felt very comfortable with though we hardly have the time to hang out. It was nice chatting about our days in fashion though I'm obviously less involved and informed these days about what's happening in the industry. The bitching is less now that we're all "grown up" but the fun is still there.

Rubber Stamps

My new job has been keeping me away from my rubber stamp carving hobby for a while now.

Charming London streets

Charming London streets, originally uploaded by Tracy98.

Seeing this photo makes me miss London all over again.

First

Tried something interesting for the first time last Monday. Something I never thought I would ever do in my whole life. But it was a nice experience.

New Display

This little wooden shelf I fixed with my unskilled hands gave me a chance to display some of my favorite things I've been keeping.

This animation story is the reason for the title of this blog.

Welcome to 69th, where big-hearted and quirky characters nurse their private hopes in an unpredictable story. Some dreams are kept secret while others are made real with the help of unexpected heroes. Stripe thinks she has a simple ambition - that is, to be the world’s first flying-contortionist. She dreams about it all day. Her poor neighbors just don’t know what to do with her. Her antics are constantly keeping them on their toes. She is, in their eyes, a quintessential dreamer. Yet, Stripe’s idiosyncratic personality belies a determined soul who dares to follow her dream. Her biggest asset is her fearlessness which she puts to the test everyday with her somewhat clumsily-devised experiments and the help of a street bum, named Mr Vizwell, who stands by her while others fear for her.

“I dream, therefore I fly”, says Stripe.

Letter From New York

From my favorite book, "Letter From New York", by Helene Hanff (it is really a BBC radio talkshow, about her life in New York, compiled into a book):

1981 January

My friend Arlene is not a dog lover. Which is the least of the differences that makes us the world's unlikeliest best friends. To begin with, she's twenty years younger than I. To continue, she's been twice married and divorced, while I've been single all my life.

Like me, she presently lives alone. But I live alone in a studio apartment, consisting of a living room with functional modern furniture, and small alcove for my desk, typewriter table and bookshelves. And Arlene lives alone in an eight-room penthouse, with a bedroom suitably decorated for Marie Antoinette, and a living room positively alive with silver and china ornaments and glittering chandeliers.

To round out the picture, I am plain and mousy, while Arlene is black-haired, flamboyantly beautiful and the last word in high-fashion chic. But we're the same size. And since Arlene wouldn't dream of wearing the same wardrobe two years running, she gives me her designer suits at the end of each year and I wear them for the next eight. "


May

A couple of years ago, just before I was to leave for London, I came home one afternoon to find the phone ringing. I answered it, and Arlene said, 'Where were you all day? I've been trying to get you.' 'I was downtown buying a raincoat for London,' I said.

And her voice came wailing over the wire, 'Why didn't you tell me you needed a raincoat? I have raincoats!'

'I just thought it would be nice,' I told her, 'if I bought something I needed, for a change!'

Would you like to know what she said in a disapproving tone? With thousands of dollars' worth of clothes she'd barely worn, hanging in my closet? She said, ' You're extravagant.'

My Favorite Author

My all time favorite writer is Helene Hanff, and my most favorite book of hers has to be "Letter From New York". It's a simple and non-fancy book, the author feels like someone you know. Indeed, Helene Hanff writes like a friend, talking vivdly about the city she had lived all her life. I often find myself seeking comfort in her words and even imagine living in New York City, sitting on the steps of her apartment building with her and her neighbors' friendly dogs, talking about everything under the sun.

Helene Hanff made me love books and opened my mind to reading. Sadly, she passed away in 1997. However, thanks to her books, I remain comforted in this friend whom I have never met.

Why Is Something Nonedescript Attractive To Me?

We were filming So Simple in Tokyo. I also sat at the spot where Peifen is sitting in this picture. It was near the treehouse cafe featured in episode 7. The neighborhood was a very simple and quiet one, despite it being smack in the middle of the city. The buildings, all not more than 5 stories tall, were quietly leaning on one another, looking neighborly like old friends. The sprightly looking vending machines made passers-by stop in their tracks and take time to glance over the neighborhood as they waited for their drinks. As I sat there with a can of warm milk tea in my hand, I noticed nothing special nor nothing shouting for attention. Yet, in that state of nothingness, there was a strong feeling of peace that made me beauty that is introverted and unassumingly diginified.

Good Design Sense

I'm usually very attracted to simple architecture that looks more functional than attention grabbing. And Tokyo has a lot of those nondescript yet strong-looking buildings. Japanese are just so good at expressing good design sense in an unassuming way. Which is a trait I find very attractive.

Received this wonderful book from a dear friend. A very comforting present from someone who knows what I like. The artist, Sempe, is one of my favorites alongside M.Sasek and L.S. Lowry.