all about specs…

It is no secret that I am blind.  No seriously.  Myopic to the max.  Squinting (and not just because I’m Asian) since the age of 7.  Everyone in my family wears glasses.  So does D and his signature German investment banker specs.  I just can’t get away from it!  Except on days and evenings out – when I swear by my contact lenses.  Glasses tend to get in the way – don’t ya think? But then again – I also think that specs on guys are kinda sexy. Especially the right pair.

And so, spectacles have always been part of my life.  And very recently – I realized I have never EVER bought a pair on my own.  Sure I’ve paid for them on my own.  But selecting a pair of frames independently? Nope.  How weird is that? I’m 27 and I’ve always had my mom kinda steering me to the right pair.  She does have great taste though.  But this also explains why I’ve been delaying the decision to get a pair on my own very recently.  I’ve tired of the current pair.  They’re about 2 years old.  They’re seriously scratched, probably a little wonky.  It can’t be good for my already poor eyes.  And I probably should have dove in and gotten a pair while I was in stylish Deutschland.  But no – of course, I kept delaying and now find myself having to navigate the slightly sketchy land of optics here in Phnom Penh.  Non-scratch, ultra-thin lenses (usually from Nikon) for the seriously myopic and the right pair of frames….wish me luck!

But in the meantime – I’m getting inspiration on the right type of frames.  I can’t wear little ones or else I won’t be able to get a full range of vision.  And should I splurge on black frames? Or will I look too sharp and intense?  There’s also my face shape…and what’s in at the moment, but cool enough to last a couple of years because the lenses for these babies will be $$$ (or £££!).  So many things to consider.  And the glasses you wear can help define you and your outfit.  Unfortunately for me – I can really only own 1 pair of current-prescription glasses at a time because they can be so expensive – so I need to be a careful shopper.

Thankfully I’ve found some inspiration and some tips!  I’m also loving this awesome blog dedicated to cool crazy specs.  And have you heard of Warby Parker?  Their frames are just amazeballs.  Just wish they could ship across the Pacific.  Oh well – we’ll just see what I come up with here!

Love these signature cat eyes that Keiko Lynn always has. Wonder if I could pull them off.

My top Warby Parker picks – the Beckett Striped Chestnut and Huxley Whiskey Tortoise.

Ugh – so many decisions! Photo by Garance Doré.

I very much like these.  Cute and serious – but too big for my face? Photo by London-based Carrie at WishWishWish.

And I really love this pair – Photo by Chris Heads.

Love the specs that Woody Allen’s ladies wear! Poster by Brandon Schaefer.

Like I said.  It’s so hard to make a decision with all the possibilities out there!

PS – If you ever ask to try on my glasses…you will see how myopic I am and realise that I do truly need them to see!

the weekend….she is here!

I have never been so excited about a weekend.  The opportunity to sleep in and just stay in bed doing absolutely nothing.  Well, not absolutely nothing.  I do have to do some work today.

But man oh man oh man – I knew this new consultancy gig would be busy – it really consumed me this week.  I couldn’t even find time to write here! With politics, diplomacy and all those interests involved.  But I am happy to be back at it.  Doing this kind of work truly excites me.

However -  today, or this morning at least, I’m happy to stay at home, enjoy my coffee and this lovely rare breeze while wearing something really comfy, read some really cool long essays, listen to some chilled out tunes, scroll through some rad tumblrs and just catching up on everything I’ve been wanting to write and share about.  And being really grateful that there is some very useful advice on freelancing from bri and katie over here.

Photo by Cynthia Henebry.

truly an amazing new album….

I meant week’s posts to be all about the work life.  Then work took over life.  But fortunately – some amazing tunes saved the day.  So of course – I just had to make some time for this post.

Remember that little big movie, Garden State?  It was 2004 and I was in my second year of university at the time.  My friends and I were all pretty much in love with Zach Braff.  We saw Garden State on the day it opened.  But moreover – we discovered The Shins, with their ethereal indie rock sounds, that amazing voice of James Mercer.  It wasn’t emo (thank goodness – I hated emo back then).  It was perfect dreamy indie.  They became the soundtrack to those years back at UofT.  Even Mercer’s side projects like Broken Bells (with Danger Mouse) have been just as amazing.

Artwork by The Shins.

But that was in 2004.  Now what?  Well – it’s basically kinda amazing.  After complaining about a lull in quality tunes through most of March…I got hit in the head with Port of Morrow – The Shins’ new album that was just released yesterday (or today if you’re in North America).  Not only does Pitchfork love it.  I love it.  Rarely does an entire album get it so right.  Especially as a calming soundtrack to all of this freelancing/responsibility/politics and health stuff that I’ve got going on right now (more about that later).  In the meantime – check it out below and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Shins – Port of Morrow

beyond the powersuit…

Some of my favourite women of cool, confidence and humour. Jackie Kennedy in her days as an editor (photo by Ted West), Gloria Steinem and her rise in feminism (photo by Sheperd Fairey for this awesome NYTimes article) and Mary Tyler Moore as the single sexy 70s working woman.

I am a massive fan of cool women.  I’m not just talking about Joan Jett or Debbie Harry who rocked the music world back in the 70s and 80s.  I’m talking about women who embody that confidence, that force to be reckoned with, that soft (or hard) ferocity with that energy and fun that still keeps them awesome in all areas of their life.  And they are everywhere, in the worlds of science & innovation, politics & business, art & design, adventure, our friends & family.  Most of all – I love getting inspired by how these women dress.  And it’s not just about the powersuit.  Now that I feel like I’m starting to develop a career for myself – trying to get both my work and myself to be noticed in this crowded environment of global health – I find that I’m noticing more about how I carry myself through it all.  And thankfully, I’ve also had some amazing friends, bosses and mentors through the years, including my amazing and design-oriented mom, who have shown me that it is indeed possible to juggle it all and still maintain that certain edge and spirit of forward movement and most of all – magic.  So whether you are an adventurer, a thought-leader, a poet, in the fields or in the upper echelons of society, there is totally that cool and confident look for you.

Remember when I mentioned Tomboy Style?  Check out this awesome video all about it!

Who is Caroline Issa?  Well, including being absolutely a gorgeous Garance Doré regular feature (and Canadian!), she’s also a former high stakes financial and management consultant turned London-based style, culture and fashion magazine tycoon-in-the-making at Tank Magazine and BecauseLondon.com.  I love her mix of corporate power and high fashion. (Middle photo by Jacopo Raule for Vogue, the others – unknown)

Janelle Monáe is super cool – she suits up and transcends that edgy sound in her awesome tuxedo here. And she puts on a wicked awesome show! (Photo via NME).

And as usual – I love these when boldness is spoken through colour. Check out the gorgeous power pops of red in these photos of carpet and textile designer Malene Barnett and urban farmer Annie Novak by The Selby.

aren’t you glad it’s Friday?

Original artwork by August Bradley.

Seriously.  It has been a busy work week over here.  And I’m psyched that today, at least symbolically, is the end of the work week.  Along with all of this comes all sorts of happenings – so I thought I’d share some keytunes for any particular Friday mood you’re in.  Enjoy and bonne weekend! xoxox, t.

Want to party really hard? Fresh tunes from Diplo!
Diplo – Express Yourself (ft. Nicky Da B)

Wanna grab drinks down a dark lounge in Dalston/Queen St. W/Williamsburg?
Baron von Luxxury – That Disco Beat (ft. Little Boots)

Need to just…shake it out? (thanks Jo! this is perfect for me today)
Florence + the Machine – Shake it Out

Watch the sunset, sand between your toes and just chill out….
Magical Mistakes – Don’t Need Much

And this is rather embarrassing – but it’s super catchy and I’ve been kinda addicted to it even though it’s completely Bieber-esque, sung by a Canadian Idol and I would not have been caught dead listening to it at the age of 16. But hey…it’s hip to be ironic right?
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe