stuff | 90's Throwback

Awaken at 6 am by post-Thanksgiving hunger pangs, I had two callings: mashed potatoes and Pink's Behind the Music. Well I got my fixing and heard an old favorite (apparently, it was Pink's jam back in her angsty-ridden high school days).

Songs that played as I napped in the back seat coming from day care, Mama blasting the one and only Z100:



And while we're at it:

style | And They Said The Only Good Thing Out of Sweden Was ABBA

So I'm a bit ashamed, but what really had prompted this post was some indulgent eye candy:



Dancing is Polynesian reminiscent (not to mention overtly homoerotic), but Freddie Stroma can hula where ever he likes. (side note -- he plays Cormac McLaggen in the new Harry Potter movie)


Regardless of its eccentric soft core porn dance videos, Acne is a great brand. Hailing from Sweden, it's Scandinavian in every sense -- sleek, well-proportioned, and just plain beautiful. A lot of their ready-to-wear pieces drape really well and give this 1950's-Pony-Boy-meets-West-Village-Bohemian look that I love. I wish I could be more edgy.

tube | Madly in Love: Mad Men

So I know I'm late on the bandwagon -- but look yonder over the great American television horizon: Mad Men!

I spent a good amount buying the two seasons on iTunes, which I regret after realizing that I was in Asia, the center of forged DVDs. But if that means that the show will sustain a longer life because of my monetary contribution, then so be it.

I'm two seasons late and two seasons regretful: Mad Men is sheer genius. This is what America television has hope for after Hollywood lost its golden sheen and the great 90's sitcom went down the drain. Mad Men was described in the perfect manner by its New York Times review -- not overly nostalgic but still retaining a 60's romanticism.


These men are, how you say, baller (I swear I do not use this word; it just encapsulates the Don Juan Draper so well). Chiseled faced and broad shouldered, they're the raw capitalist superman, ready to pump out slogans and lure in profit. They dine at the finest establishments. They smoke every other moment. And they drink until their gray flannel suits exude flammable vapors.

And, they're oh smooth with the words. Our American James Bond.

Yet, they're so flawed -- affairs, health failure, existential loss of self, dirty pasts. It's dramatic and studio lit, but understated enough to be convincing. But before analyzing too deeply the deep discontent psyche of these men, I'll stop and just say you'll fall in love -- a sick disgusting love -- with these men and their women.

So just take a look; the first episode is online for free:

stuff | Apologies and Architecture

So a good man hasn't been found since last March, but I guess it's better now than ever to get off my lazy tv-show-laden, summer-fed ass and start writing again.

I apologize greatly to all of my eight readers that I have not written in a while. As with most things needing daily attention -- like a normal sleep cycle -- I push it off for another day. But enough with excuses: I found a great article and a great piece of architecture that really galvanized me to start writing again.

The New York Times featured Kisho Kurokawa's Nakagin Capsule Tower today and its imminent destruction. Falling into disrepair in recent years, the Tower was the physical apogee of the Japanese Metabolism Movement (no, not a sashimi filled diet, but a futuristic leaning architectural ideal). In the 70's, it was all about movement and flexibility, innovation and design in Japan's technology driven society, and Kurokawa wanted Japan's buildings like that too.


Each capsule was built in a factory and attached to the two central concrete pillars that form the foundation of the tower. Like the K'NEX set you unwrapped at Christmas, the capusle pop in and out, able to form new building configurations. But, unfortunately, like the K'NEX set you unwrapped at Christmas and eventually had your dad build because the pieces were so damn hard to snap together, Kurokawa's vision was less than practical.

Now, to be honest, I don't find most post-war architecture appealing. It's mostly the bane of the New York skyline -- gaudy buildings put out of style ten years after they've been constructed and look like they belong in Epcot rather than a city. I've always been a big advocate of architectural preservation, especially with many of New York's neo-classical pieces from the 1900's, because that's really what gives the city much of its allure and its tradition.

But, the article brought up an interesting question: How old does a building have to be in order for it to be culturally valuable? Kurokawa's piece has really charmed me; I'm in love. It's flashy, dynamic, and most importantly a cultural monument of a bygone era. It's like a living Transformer (minus Shia LeBeouf thank god), what you wish Japan would still imagine the future to be like.

Hopefully, a good man will be found more often -- I'm in Hong Kong with nothing to do and ideas in my head, so I'm guessing he will be.

style | Check Your Inven.tory

Edgy, Indie Designer Clothing. Four words many shoppers dread to hear; the phrase is basically a euphemism for apathetic service and overpriced clothing.

But on a recent weekend excursion to the ever-packed shopping district of Soho we found some refuge (oddly) in a warehouse full of Edgy Indie Designer Clothing.


Inven.tory -- a Nolita native -- just opened up their Soho warehouse branch on Lafayette. It has, appropriately, a warehouse feel without losing a botique intimacy. Racks of clothing are strategically placed throughout the store, giving it a nice flow. And, the staff is just amazing. A man in skinny jeans and a fedora commented on a pair of trousers I was looking at and told me he loved them in navy (who ever thought the fedora-donning type could be so enthusiastic!).

But, the atmosphere and friendly staff are only outshone by the price and selection of their clothing. They get Indie designer clothing wholesale, bringing it to us for 50%-90% off the original price.

That's not to say it's your new Old Navy -- but it's definitely a place where you can find some great lasting pieces. I tried on a pair of $90 Idol Radec skinny chinos (something that I've been looking for) -- apparently I'm not a size 28, though.

food | Di Best From Di Palo

Like a fearless cultural George Washington, I crossed the Hudson to oh-so wonderfully hip Brooklyn. My uncle lives in the trendy neighborhood of DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) which falls somewhere between a more desolate Meatpacking district and a bustling shantytown. It still has the beautiful block-sized, red-brick buildings and the cobblestone roads, giving it that Gangs of New York feel.

Any ways, he cooked and the food was simple but great. Classic tomato, fresh basil, and mozzarella, but his secret? Di Palo Select.



Located on 200 Grand St (nr. North St.), it has some of the best cured meat and cheeses around. The mozzarella really rounded out the simple tomatoes and Trader Joe's balsamic. The pasta wasn't bad either -- heartier than most.


But crack out the Citibank card because some of their meats -- like their Sweet Soppressata -- will set you back about 15 bucks a pound.

style | Brooklyn Aristocrat

So, I'm trying out this hipster ascot.

(cheap bandana + unbeatable tying skills = hipster ascot)




A look of surprise at this new -- or perhaps old -- discovery.