Thursday, April 29, 2010

hasta luego!

i am leaving in a haze, just dreaming about the visions below. spring, architecture, white hotel, sangria, cheese...

talk to ya later!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

gnome rider.

i am often referred to as the elf by my sweetie and the reason is quite self-evident: i walk hunched over and in long, flexible paces that make me look much shorter than i actually am, i am constantly preoccupied and look a little lost and my beanies are always either pointing towards the sky or just way too deep down my forehead. hence, not yer coolest street strider.

as an example of my less than credible fashionista being, last weekend i took some time to clean and tend to my bicycle and, obviously, had a bonafide elf-look going on.

cashmere beanie by cos, scarf by bernhard willhelm, sweater by uniqlo, pants by gina tricot, sneakers by converse.

the fact that i get preoccupied with things makes me rather clumsy – i tend to fall just walking to places which is either funny or not depending on your point of view –, and i am no better behind a wheel or on some. during the years i've lived in helsinki i have not dared to ride my bike. narrow streets with cars, buses and trams is not my idea of a fun challenge and despite considering myself adventurous, i do not nestle any sort of a death wish.

however, i am about to face my fears and get on the road with my trusted old "glide deluxe". the problem is that i have no safety gear and, quite honestly, i need some. i had a fairly cool helmet some years ago – 'cool' meaning space balls lookalike – but i lost it during one of my latest moves.

i tried shopping online, but have not really lucked out. thus, i'm asking you to help this sprite get her wheels going: do you own or have you stumbled across any decent-looking bicycle helmets lately? let me know, please.

p.s. the creep that stole the skull-shaped caps from my valves, just want to tell you that you can return them by emailing me in the above-right address. thank you.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

dirtee or clean?

although organic produce is something finnish grocery stores cannot boast carrying in vast amounts, we're gradually improving towards a less industrialized agricultural value-matrix. i wrote about the troubles adhering to buying organic in finland before and am not going to repeat myself here. i just wanted to tell you about a little cutesy helper that can solve the problem between skimping and splurging at the grocers.

heidi kenney creates cotton candy cute crafts that celebrate our anthropomorphic tendencies as if disney never existed. regardless of whether you'd consider her work art or not – can art be über dainty? –  her handy little pocket guide to the dirty dozen of veggies helps you decide whether buying organic instead of regular is really worth the extra cost or effort.



it will not solve all the other important aspects of ecological consumption or nutritional questions, but i still think it's pretty usable if avoiding unnecessary pesticides seems like a good idea to you.

the cheat sheet in pocket size, printable form is downloadable here.

Monday, April 26, 2010

digg sigg.

carrying a bottle of water with you was a fad some years back even in finland. i remember worrying over the amount of needless waste in a country where the water supply is not only clean but abundant and available and distances between places are short and the weather hardly overwhelmingly hot. people sipping from plastic bottles made me uncomfortable especially because they seemed to do it out of habit rather than need.

disclaimer: not saying that i knew whether they actually did need their water or that there weren't or aren't worse habits than drinking water. just to make that clear.

obviously there are times when a bottle of water is essential, such as sports and hiking and other such activities. my friends in nyc have raved about their sigg bottles for some years now, and although i see their relevance in a city that is hot like an inferno during summer and where you might be stuck in the subway for hours during rush hour, i never considered getting one myself. i just thought they were a little too outdoorsy to my taste.

the aluminum bottle is molded out of a single piece and has the benefit of holding the fresh taste of water considerably better than plastic – i'm sure you all know the foul taste that forms quite soon in a plastic bottle. aluminum is lightweight and durable – siggs have been deemed the toughest water bottles around. moreover, the bottles are 100% recyclable.

the brand has promoted different causes and designers in the past years and new temporary models and designs appear yearly. they have become collectable quite paradoxically for a product that's supposed to overcome the need for several items performing the same task, and have been made part of moma's permanent collection. you can even design your own at siggskins.

there are two reasons i am particularly excited about sigg right now. first, one of their most recent collaborations happens to be with finlandia vodka who are launching a charity water bottle with designs from klaus haapaniemi. quite exquisite and what great promotion of a finnish talent and brand, right?



the finlandia charity bottles will be available on 3 may 2010 from here (the site is still inactive but should be up by that date).

secondly, i wanted one of those until a couple of weeks ago when i was offered a bottle that came accompanied with the magical combo of words "vivienne" and "westwood". as it turns out, i impressed a representative of the bottles with my dj'ing and he wanted to give me one of the limited edition bottles. they will be distributed backstage at westwood shows to promote awareness of more ecological ways to consume water and sold in limited numbers at westwood stores and online. now i've got my own with distinctive westwood slogans.

in case you thought blogging was a productive method to get tons of freebies, i beg to differ to the extent that i am constantly amazed how gracious and generous people are when stumbled upon randomly irl.

thus, although i adore the haapaniemi prints, i lucked out in getting my political fashionista version of the product. picnic time, i'm ready!

do you carry a water bottle with you? what kind?

knight in shining armor.

i rarely do make-up postings. i am too low-maintenance to get excited about new make-up, and i still own a minuscule collection of products.

but the main reason is that i find them utterly useless since people are so different and our needs vary. i also have extremely problematic skin: super sensitive, oily and acne prone – talk about a combo – and i experiment very little due to my troubles. thus, i pretty much skip all magazine articles and blog posts dealing with cosmetics.

nevertheless, last week i did something extremely unexpected. my mascara had dried out completely and i had no time to run to a store. after rummaging through my bathroom drawers i stumbled into a tigi mascara. it was a gift from mv, who graciously offered me a goodie bag at our breakfast meeting before i dj'd at their tigi photo awards, and because i was bald at the time, he had collected a bunch of make-up i could use.

since i fear how my skin reacts to new products i was hesitant about using my present. i also have a strange conviction that brands are best off sticking to one field of specialty – i don't buy fashion label watches, for example – and felt slightly iffy about make-up from a hair specialist. thus, i only experimented with their soft eye-liner pencil after losing my trusted old mac kohl and the store having none left. (i also like the tigi pencil although it is a little too soft for my oily lids and requires a ton of powder on top to stay put...)

the silver tube appeared like my knight in shining armor for instant rescue, and after a brief contemplation over whether i could deal with red eyes or smudged black lids if it did not work for me, i rolled it open for the first time.

all my fears were unfounded. no irritation followed. not only does the mascara stay put – 99% of mascaras i have tried bleed into my lids after a couple of hours – it stays firmly in place all day. i love the thick texture that adds volume easily and instantly and because i like my lashes a little messy and clumpy, the thickness works to my advantage. nonetheless, the color can be just as easily brushed on more gently for a more finesse result.

my eyes love it, so i definitely recommend trying.

p.s. mv is holding a competition in his blog to celebrate his ten-year career with tigi. congrats to him! you, however, can win a bag full of tigi hair products...

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

into the blue.

novelty is not an important factor to me when i choose what to wear or verbalize my style. i have actively shopped for years, no doubt about it, but also remember when buying something new became so commonplace it wasn't remarkable anymore. that is, i still recall a time when getting new clothes was an event, and have tried to steer myself towards the sort of consumption that reflects those feelings of before.

related to the consumer frenzy apparent in fashion blogs, sari challenged bloggers to post the oldest piece of clothing they still wear, and i felt up to the challenge. although my age is on my side compared to many other bloggers – it was two decades ago when i started junior high (or yläkoulu, as they nowadays call it in finland) – i still believe i've done a pretty great job with holding on to oldies but goodies.

it took me a while to locate the piece i had in mind. i attempted to drag my winter gear to the attic almost two weeks ago, but managed to fix a slot into my schedule only at the beginning of this week. it meant carrying down a dozen large storage boxes filled with clothes, shoes and purses. i have more than anyone needs, but am not keen on giving up on most of them.

the habit of going through all of my clothes in storage biannually is probably quite healthy, because sometimes i realize that storing certain rags is really not worth the effort. nowadays i always hope to accumulate the fleamarket pile, but my scrutiny leads to rare discarded items. either i am down to my super special gems or this hamster likes to store stuff. prolly the latter...

nonetheless, my spring shopping spree inside my own closet is full of refreshing surprises. although i am quite well aware of what i own, there are always some pieces that have slipped my mind. like my glorious lauren moffatt jacket.

a strange carpety texture that's slightly too warm for the length of the sleeves and the gold buttons have made sure that i haven't worn the beauty too often since i bought it in nyc in 2005. but that's not nearly old enough to make the grade motivating this post.

thus, to the oldie. earlier this year i remember thinking whether my favorite shirt of olden days was still somewhere. i bought it in 1994 from a vintage store on iso-roba, the one that was to become a part of union 5. they imported vintage americana and the store was styled in the mode of an old saloon. if i am not completely off, it was called something like "the old railroad store".

i called this particular item my "trophy shirt", because people always asked me where i got it from and i enjoyed making up stories about poor little boys and an evil vixen – i guess i was abusing cougar humor before my time and had exactly as dirty a mind as an 18-year-old would have...

and here it is, the oldest piece of clothing i still wear: a vintage "boy scouts of america" shirt as part of a bluesy ensemble.

shirt vintage, cardigan by comme des garçons, bracelet by h&m men, jeans by crocker, boots by dr martens, beanie by cos, jacket by lauren moffatt.


i have not (and still don't) always gone monochromatic stylewise and as far as humorous clothing goes, this is as far as i'll entertain with text. the shirt still makes me giggle and i really like the fit although the sleeves require rolling up because they're too short.

despite this particular item being the oldest of my still-in-circulation clothes, there are plenty of others from the not so distant years to follow. holding on is sometimes an excellent thing.

anyone else up for the challenge?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

projections.

dystopian imagery is more common these days than optimism about progress towards utopia. we're one cynical lot judging by our popular culture and contemporary art. sometimes i wonder whether lethargy is the only serious alternative to despair...

amongst all this negativity and fear a project like itvs's futurestates, where 11 renowned and up-and-coming filmmakers were asked to describe in film their view of the prospects of us society, is welcome and fresh. their efforts created amazing short films of various themes, speculative and complex, and, depending on their personal attitude, either pessimistic or optimistic.

the film below, by ramin bahrani with the voice of werner herzog and music by sigur rós, deals with the immortality struggles of a plastic bag. the outcome is thought-provoking and beautiful.

Monday, April 19, 2010

day'n'night.

not long ago i told you about how sometimes a perfectly decent outfit can make me feel out of place. it's a fairly strange phenomenon that is entirely dependent on my personal nature as an expressive dresser.

and yes, despite my monochromatic, simple and tediously ordinary looks, i sense the little details of my outfits in a way that's probably inconceivable to anyone else. thus, my style reflects my nature as a nitpicker...

whilst i can totally miss the mark with an outfit choice i am comforted by the fact that there are certain looks i feel comfortable in regardless of the situation and time of day. the one below is one of them. a clever black dress, tights and comfy shoes.

dress by zara, tights by wolford, booties by prada, bracelet by jimmy choo for h&m.

i got the dress at least three years ago from zara – i cannot remember exactly when because i've worn it so much that i lose track of time. incredibly for me, i also have no recollection of the first time i wore it. only once have i doubted the suitability of it: my mother's funeral did not taint my relationship with the lbd although i feared i could never wear it again. the dress has become a staple i cannot imagine what i'd do without...

here are the perks: the shape works whether i am feeling fat or fine with my frame. the length is short enough to never feel too heavy but not too short to appear risque. the thin wool adjusts to almost every season from early fall to late spring. because it's a merge between sleeveless and cap-sleeved, it feels formal enough at night, but not too bare for day. the fluttery sleeve-fronts add a girlish detail while the collar adds credibility and design attuned feel. moreover, there are pockets for when i'm feeling nervous.

the only downside is that it is made of wool and summer wear is out of the question. oh, and that i cannot wear it every day because it needs to be washed from time to time. for someone else it might feel too dressy, but i've hardly felt ott with it. thus, the perfect dress.

do you have a works-every-time outfit of your own?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

no joking matter.

a representative of the british government calls the icelandic prime minister.

- what's up with all this ash coming our way?
- why, isn't that what you asked for?!
- NO, we asked for cash. C-a-s-h.
- whoops, our bad. we don't have the letter 'c' in our alphabet...

i feel for all friends unable to travel to or back from wherever they were going or coming back from. this sucks big time.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

the benefits of looking up.

i'm sure you have gathered without additional extravagant clarification that i am quite a snob when it comes to products and services. from the amount i like to rant here it may actually seem that 'amateurish' is something i loathe deeply, but there is, nevertheless, another side to my appreciation of things.

i also would like to think that i am not half as negative as i sometimes seem here, but that may be self-delusion.

i have a minute, barely detectable soft spot for idealism and cuteness when they come in unexpected forms. such as small publishing house books that sell alongside cynical novels about contemporary cubicle life at the office.

as i was ordering joshua ferris's novel then we came to the end, amazon recommended two books from partners and spade, a lower manhattan duo who participate in all sorts of creative efforts. at $8.50 apiece i thought they seemed interesting enough and added them to the basket.

the first one, the benefits of looking up is a collection of photos consisting of balloons stuck or flying freely in the sky. some are depressingly deflated, some vigorously aiming towards the stars. the book ends with a sentence explaining "in a city where everyone looks down, we decided to look up." which might seem strange to a tourist visiting nyc, but for residents makes perfect sense...

the second one consists of photos of plants growing from urban constructs. its title i think i can, i think i can echoes naive optimism, something my cynical being usually sneers at, but the photos are amateurishly adorable. really. the explanation at the end claims "we always root for the little guy."

sigh. how cute.

the proper sign of spring are seeds developing into plants that i will grow at the garden cottage during summer. here are our basil, pepper and chilli plants, just getting ready.

we think we can, we think we can, too.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

to rule over them all.

monarchy started anonymous, keeping everyone expectant until the beginning of this year. their first single "gold in the fire" had people speculating whether they were starsmith or a part of hot chip, but the mystery is yet to be solved at least to my knowledge. nonetheless, the couple from london are busy producers creating ear candy for us electro-pop loving dancers.

their new single, "the phoenix alive", is out 19 april.



this and other little specialties on offer at blanko next friday. come dance.

black!

pics from here.

although my spring trip is planned and paid for, another reason to leave the country again before 8 august appeared to lure me into the depths of blackness.

i'm sure you've noted i wear black. i love meself some black every day. black works for me in ways other (non)colors never can.

i also have a fondness for the minimalism of belgian fashion. i find the folds and drapes of antwerp educated designers superior to most others. their immersion into ancient costume study shows in impeccable ways regardless of their personal style of expression.

the city that celebrates fashion design obviously has a museum dedicated to this art, and they are holding an exhibition titled black – a fitting theme for a city known for its history for dyeing fabric. the theme is approached through painting, historic costume, contemporary fashion and the expressive variety of different materials.

i guess it's time to visit belgium.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

can't you enhance it?

a friend of mine recently linked this site to facebook. it is miraculous how much these examples resonate to me – even given the short period of time i've worked solely in digital media and design – and how i felt like weeping in addition to laughing as i read through them. undoubtedly, new software improves many things, but it does not turn us into harry potter nor do programs actually do the job of a designer or coder for them.

although the multiple examples of clients asking you to alter a jpeg for them in the style of "i want to see the face of that person, can you just rotate their head to face the front?" are incredibly hilarious and saddening, one of my ultimate favorites is this prime example of client bargaining:

Client: “[Indian outsourcer] says he can do this site for $200. Why should I go with you?”

Me: “Has he done any work for you in the past?”

Client: Yeah! He did [Other Site] for me.

[I load the other site]

Me: “The entire site’s done in Flash.”

Client: “Huh?”

Me: “It’s a site for iPhone users.”

Client: “I know. Cool, huh?”

Me: “It’s a site for iPhone users… none of whom can see it…”

Client: “Huh?”

Me: “The iPhone doesn’t support Flash.”

Client: “Well it looks fine on my PC!”

Me: “Do you have an iPhone?”

Client: “No.”

Me: “…”

Client: “Tell you what, I’m just gonna go with [Indian outsourcer]. He seems like he knows what he’s doing and I’m not sure you do.”

Me: “Have fun.”

to remain fair, it is not unusual that regular people are not familiar with the technical details and possibilities of the internets, but thanks to popular television series and movies, it seems there is a widespread belief in the omnipotence of photoshop. for anyone dealing with images for a living these days, this particular phenomenon is a source of constant hell.



thank you, csi, for providing us with unlimited enhancing requirements.

i'm sure many other professionals of different fields can relate – do you have any examples?

Friday, April 9, 2010

"now everyone feels the internet is a free-for-all."

my love for the free forms of expression the interweb provides is profound. especially the manyfold nature of social media provides continuous moments of felicity and awe. the myriad of ways people digest and continue each other's contributions online feels admirable and often truly novel.

sometimes i also wonder how rigidly it is all approached: every time a blogger receives a comment that they should do something differently (improve pictures, write better, create requested content, etc.) in order to please his/her readers i am baffled by the boxes so apparent in the expressed desires. although blogs have existed for a very short time, there seems to be a inflexible set of rules which a proper blog should follow and standards which it should fulfill.

already blogging as a form of original self-expression – doing yer own thang exactly the way you wish – seems undermined.

as might be clear by now to my readers, i like to write and my photos are (intentionally) crappy.

although this sort of meta-discussion may bore those of you who do not actively create content for the web, it is a reoccurring theme in my mind's wanderings, and i am not alone. just recently, sugar kane expressed her anxiety about socializing in her blog.

for many a blogger, readers' comments are a crucial part of the blogging experience – given the attitude behind blogging is social rather than one-sided communication. undoubtedly the expectations of bloggers vary and some are happy without conversation, some even find it unpleasant especially if the tone is critical.

i take the 'social' aspect of blogging quite seriously, and find very little worthwhile about shouting out into the void. i find social media is akin to a large dinner gathering where people who know each other sit down together with others they know only superficially and some that base their knowledge on the other people present on mere hearsay. but it is a gathering.

the dynamics are tentative and careful listening is crucial. naturally, the form of interaction varies, but there is pressure in taking part. pitching in is important, but as in any social group there are bound to be individuals who never say anything. moreover, there will always be attendees at the party who cannot read the nuances of others, there will be a joker who intends to tell the same stories repeatedly no matter whether they fit into the conversation, there will be the one who drinks a few glasses too many, there will be the one who listens on the intent of gossiping everything at first chance, there will be the silent observer who shuts everyone up with a snarky remark on something touchy, etc.

blogging posits you as the one sitting at the end of the table, telling everyone a story about something you find interesting. receiving a wassail is always encouraging, but rather empty as a result. an echoing silence feels like you just made a complete fool of yourself. well, you get the idea...

the fact that blogs are still read – and often written – as collections of articles composed by wanna-be amateur journalists or photographers feels strange for someone like myself and, i presume, sugar kane, who consider blogging first and foremost as a form of interaction with actual people.

although i may repeat myself to exhaustion with this one, i want to encourage you, my readers. i adore every comment i find in the box, but often wonder the lack of questioning and critical points. it sometimes makes me think whether i could be considered the bully at the end of the table: the person who tells people at the dinner party about her thoughts and who only accepts praise for her self-assumed genius. the person i certainly do not think i am nor want to be.

examples from the blogosphere do, nevertheless, insinuate that the desire for genuine interaction and embracing the many folds of social media may not be as common for bloggers as i have assumed. it may be that people who love giving monologues are often behind blogs, but there might be something else at play here, as well.

direct comments are not the only form of commentary, but cross-linking and, as i am doing here, continuing a topic or combining a few topics at another site are common forms of internet socializing. seeking popularity is a driving force behind many bloggers, but there is also unfortunate evidence that achieving it may distort their idea about what enabled their success.

i thought i was alone in slowly disregarding the sartorialist as a prominent street style recorder; during the past year his photos have started to speak less to me and the people he shoots have become predominantly established fashion faces, not original dressers from the streets, that is, the "real people" he used to shoot. as someone commented: many of his street styles nowadays only appear on the street between the car and the entrance paved with a red carpet. in other words, it seems he stopped strolling the streets looking and expects his subjects to come to him when he posits his camera at a locale he deems worthy of fashion.

as a side note, it may also be that i find the phenomenon of recording fashion celebrities in blogs quite repulsive and boring beyond belief. as fascinating as anna dello russo is as a fashion connoisseur, seeing her picture in every imaginable style blog is nauseating mostly because it feels so unoriginal.

but back to mr sarto, scott schuman. i had inconspicuously stopped visiting his blog before reading about the sartogate. imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and, naturally, as the most recognized and applauded street style blog the sartorialist has inspired many imitation sites. unfortunately to mr. schuman's sentiments, some are ironic, such as the catorialist and some take the art beyond schuman's own vision, like the fake sartorialist.

i assume you were hardly aware of these sites before – as was i. the catorialist proves to be great parody. additionally, i find the collages at the fake sartorialist exponentially more interesting than the current photostream of the original. but mr schuman did not agree and asked the fake sartorialist to stop altering his original images, because he felt responsibility for his subjects and their presentation.

i catch his idea about respect, but i also sense an echo of arrogance over what kind of online production and commentary is respectable. publishing original photos is only one way of expressing oneself online out of a myriad of methods. some create content from combining input from others, and as long as credentials are clear and the tone isn't blasphemous (no need to diss for example perez whose idea of good taste is quite far from mine), who's to limit their expression? isn't social media about social commentary anymore?

because what, if not social media commentary, is creating a blog that utilizes a part of a recognizable source and transforms it to something original? i hope schuman remembers what enabled him to become a somewhat respectable photojournalist: turning fashion photography into blog form.

moreover, i hope more of social media thrived on interaction of all kind where success did not imply that certain content remain sacrosanct or that only certain forms become approved of. not every blog will be your favorite, but it does not mean there's something wrong with the blog. moreover, not every comment or the form it comes in may be pleasant, but that's kind of part of taking an active role in any conversation.

now, speak your mind.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

exit through the gift shop.

this documentary is, to me, the event of the movie year. telling the story of street art – as opposed to traditional graffiti – and its major figures, it will be a film that features one of the most interesting urban phenomena of our times that made its way from the streets to galleries and museums, first smuggled and later stolen and purchased. street art, sometimes taking the form of adbusting, varies from direct political commentary to purely aesthetic challenges to electrify yer mind. truly a method of owning the urban landscape.

the film's trailers are full of promise. and there's banksy. holy s**t. yay!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

happy bday, dr. martens.

i remember my first pair. i was of the tender age of 15, the year was 1992, i listened to the smiths, suede, depeche mode and happy mondays, and the most exciting thing in my life was seeing the cure play live at the hockey stadium in helsinki. shoegazing required the right shoes. they were black, soft cap, 10-eye wonders that ripped my heels apart and created permanent calluses on my big toes. i wore them with over-the-knee socks and shorts, leggings and long loose flowery dresses. they got lost somewhere after the britpop scene evaporated in the late nineties.

my second pair, acquired soon after the first, was steel cap and i wore them to pieces. after they were found in the storage a couple of years ago it was clear they had been the object of passionate love: the inner soles were molded and bumpy and the leather was torn. they were thrown out a few months ago by my sweetie who has the ability to do things i dare not.

in my adolescence i was temporarily unfaithful and strayed towards a pair of underground boots. their toes pointed arrogantly towards the sky and there were 16 eyes to tie. my frivolous relationship didn't last and i sold them soon after to someone who felt more at home with them. i think she was a goth. gdmn.

i left my boots at home with my parents as i moved out. but like every fashion love of past, they came full circle to remind me of my youth and in 2006 i bought a new pair. it turned out too small, went unworn for a full year until i sold it to a friend and got another, metallic blue pair that has started to fit my feet like a glove. since then there has been an addition of a white pair, a serious consideration for a black, lizard print pair and a hunt for a limited edition grey version.

despite having fans merely because of trends and fads, just like tatty converse, dr. martens are classics that speak loads about their wearer. i have friends who hunt for the originals, still manufactured in england because nothing else will do – even for their children. some of my acquaintances adhere to careful tending routines to keep theirs pristine. many hold beliefs about correct lacing techniques. i still lace mine as i was taught by a teenage crush but, against the grain, let them age as they are. no polish, no oils, nothing. still they hold their grace.

this year dr martens turns 50 years. in celebration they have collaborated with 10 artists to record a version of a classic song to represent the fans of dr martens. they have, in part, collaborated with 10 directors to create videos for the songs. they will be released throughout the year, but there are already three brilliant tracks online.

here's one that speaks straight to my teenage self.



here's the full list with release dates.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

be creative.

to be completely honest i was utterly blah'd out with diesel's current campaign. although i am aware that it was designed to defy criticism (because being critical of it makes you the opposite of stupid and we all know that stupid is the thing to be, right?) which might be one of the main reasons i find it less than compelling intellectually (begging the question, anyone...), i will point out that at least to me spontaneity, creativity, courageousness, risk-taking and even bravado are all distinguishable from stupidity and definitely not synonyms to it. so no, i do not buy into being stupid, but being all the things diesel wants me to believe fall under the definition of stupid.

anyways, something great came out of the stupid brains of diesel recently, and in case you missed it, i'll post it here for your entertainment. they took digital catalogues to another level by combining a video with a still-image function where you can browse the items on the video.

they based their presentation on a film buff classic: jean-luc godard's bande a part (1964) dancing scene



but modernized it to our viewing and listening pleasure. here's the catalogue, not bad, right?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

a wind from the east.

happy holidays people! i intend to enjoy colorful foods, such as pistachio ice-cream and cleverly named chocolate eggs, and the beautiful pastel shades of tulips.