Photo source unknown, via Laura Makabresku's Tumblr

So it seems that I’ve fallen ill again in Phnom Penh – a situation which I absolutely abhor.  It always hits me like a truck too.  Swollen throat, muscle pain, head going to explode, fever to boot – oh the wonderful symptoms of an acute upper respiratory tract infection.  And everything I learned in school about health insurance hits me again.  Moral hazard, deductibles, co-payments – do I really need to see a doctor and what the heck did I pay that premium for?  So of course – I went local…and self-medicated.  All of these thoughts culminate in me missing my Canadian universal health care system, and thoughts about how lucky we are in countries like in Scandinavia, the UK and Canada to have quality universal health care systems which not only re-distribute health, but also wealth…to a certain extent at least.  The Strategic Framework for Health Financing in Cambodia actually has a goal of universal health care system.  I don’t mean to be a downer – but given the current health governance, funding and capacity situation, that won’t be happening for a generation or two.

Oh and did I mention that Electricité du Cambodge decided to promptly cut the power off at roughly 745am this morning? And I’ll be missing a very cool party tonight at the historic and just refurbished Phnom Penh Railway Station! I hate being sick.

But enough of the pity party.  I am equipped to survive this out!  I’m hooked on this new series called The River.  Have you seen it?  It’s amazing!  I’ve got a bunch of zombie thrillers and the Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue to read on my iPad (more about those zombie reads later)!  And a lovely textbook on Medical Statistics to while away the day.

And I found this little super inspirational video about the craft of Scott Schumann – the man behind the camera and The Sartorialist.  I just love hearing artists talk about their work!  And hopefully this inspiration will have some positive physiological feedback effects – I just want to get better!

Photo by Tony Cenicola for the NYTimes

Ahhhh – gustatory bliss!  The momo!!!  Read all about it in Julia Moskin’s delicious tell all NYtimes article about one of my favourite dumplings!  I think I might have to just head down to the local Nepalese resto for an order of steamed momos soon!

In the spirit of the fashion weeks that have descended upon New York and London, I thought I’d put a bit of a personal spin on things….why not have your own fashion week, every week?

It wouldn’t be about the glitz and the glamour, the pomp and the circumstance; but rather the spirit of personal style and strutting your stuff in your own walkable city.

And why not have a great soundtrack to go with it?  My (literally) favourite DJ collective, The Misshapes, have taken their spins out of the club and onto the runway and posted some of their runway mixes on the web!  When I was living in London, I would listen to their mixes while walking the streets or through the infinite tunnels of the Underground and it would literally put a new amazing beat to my daily commute.  I loved it!  It’s a shame that Phnom Penh isn’t necessarily a walkable city.  It’s not exactly routine to strap your iPod on and go on an absent minded walk in the dark here.

In the meantime, I can at least work to the beats of The Misshapes.  They’ve utilized the harmony and melody of string sections for some shows and some awesome hip hop beats for others to create some amazing mixes that you can personally catwalk to!  Check out some of their mixes on their soundcloud page and below!  And enjoy your personal runway! xoxox, t

The Misshapes – Viktor & Rolf Men’s Autumn/Winter Collection, 2011

The Misshapes – Zac Posen 2011, Z Spoke

Yup that's a random broken toilet we happened upon....

We got lost in the Penh this past Sunday and it was remarkable to see how a different face of the city that seems to be growing at a seriously fast pace.  And this other face was only 5 minutes from our flat, in the Boeung Trabek neighbourhood of Phnom Penh, which is said to be undergoing a massive transformation with the construction of a massive shopping plaza.  We just like it because it’s fairly quiet, fairly green and it bodes a plethora of cute traditional wooden villas all about.  On the other hand…the trees make for mosquitoes, which also makes it a bit of a dengue fever-prone area.  But no fever-delerium yet, thankfully!  You’ll probably see these posts get a little crazier then.

So to take a break from my weekend work days, D and I decided to go exploring!  And little did we know that all we needed to was drive 5 minutes down Street 105 and we’d find a completely new community that we’d never seen before.  Boeung Trabek (Boeung means lake in Khmer) most definitely has 2 faces.  There is that major shopping plaza, half of which is still empty.  But there’s also the much poorer “lakeside” area which is located at the end of street 105.  And it just so happens that one of the city’s colonial era (and stinky) sewage canals, which runs all the way down street 105, emptying into this one community.  On top of that, the Boeung Trabel (like the fate of other Phnom Penh lakes), is also getting filled up right now in the name of development.  This makes for some interesting geopolitical dynamics .  So this is where D and I found ourselves on a Sunday afternoon and I thought I’d share some pics.  This is just one of those stark reminders that development aid is still very much needed in Cambodia.  So don’t let the ritz and the glitz of Sihanouk Blvd. fool you.

now that's a lot of plastic and styrofoam......

...and that's a jaunty jaunty bridge....

I also love getting lost on the web.  Like all consumed by some great website or article.  Some people call that flow – I call it having all my time sucked away.  And some of my favourite places to get lost are on tumblrs.  You know – that massive web platform phenomenon that has managed to eat away the productivity of many.  You can read more about the trend here.  Tumblr owners tend to be just as addicted to their craft and might even be someone in their industry – posting just about anything they produce on their own or find on the web that is consumes them.  They make some of the best trend setters that way.  So in the name of lazy Sundays and getting lost… here are some of my favourite tumblrs!

Photo by unknown via A well traveled woman

A Well Traveled Woman – globe trotting hipster stylist and lifestyle trender.  A very cool website to get inspired from.

Broome Street. Photo by Downtown From Behind

Downtown from Behind – A photographic series that captures subjects biking through downtown NYC from behind…and a story that comes with each photo too.  A very cool snapshot of life….kinda wish someone could do that here in the Penh.

god bless the popped collar. Photo via The Pursuit Aesthetic

The Pursuit Aesthetic – More of a men’s style blog coming from the keen eye of Brennan Woods; who finds himself trending on all things the aesthete would.

Love love love baked eggs. Photo by designlovefest via squaremeal

Square Meal - There once was FoodPornDaily….now there’s Square Meal.  I’m a huge fan of their tumblr that is all about food and the love of all things culinary!

Alexa's got style. Photo via sorakeem

SoraKeem – Love this chick’s style!  Isn’t it just convenient when someone, who shares the same style you love, captures it all for you?  All the effort you need to give is just a goods scroll!

Photo by Leroy Grannis via Tomboy Style

Tomboy Style – Not a tumblr technically – but I have to mention it.  Lizzie Garrett’s style blog is all about living with confidence, rebelliousness and adventure.  The photos she curates captures just that.  And as a self-described tomboy – it’s the perfect place to stomp around.

Photo via Enternatinment Weekly

Whitney Houston is being laid to rest this weekend and as a tribute to the woman behind the great hits, a plethora of mash-ups have popped up this week.  They’re great post-millennial tributes to the great voice and Stereogum decided to share them and I thought I’d pass them on since they were on repeat for our Sunday morning mix today.  Enjoy!

Zooash – Dancing in Houston (Whitney Houston vs. Robyn)

DJ P Dee Jay – Stevie Wonder vs. Whitney Houston

Original photo by John Florea for Life Magazine

Happy Friday!  We’ve made it!  It was a long week wasn’t it?  For the first time in AGES, I understood what a Wednesday afternoon felt like.  But I’m still grateful to temporarily be back in an office.

So without further delay – some awesome indie tunes, mash-ups, and a tribute to Whitney I’ve been listening to this week!  enjoy!

Porcelain Raft – Shapeless & Gone – sounds like 90s smooth and soulful tambourine-y rock

The Hood Internet – Whitney Houston vs. Chromeo – a subdued mash-up tribute to the diva herself, you hardly notice the Chromeo but know they’re around

The Hood Internet – Nightchain (Wale vs. Kavinsky) – awesome take on that amazing track from the Drive soundtrack

Mausi – Sol - love this dancey sunny track

Magic Wands – Space – a lil’ darker, but this tune’s got a catchy beat!

And to top it all off…something a bit lighter – Chinese Man – I’ve Got That Tune

Infamous Jackie Kennedy paparrazzo, John Gallella - via The American Project

I’m a fan of snapshots of a way life may be lived – real or fictional.  Films like cold weather or those by Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson.  Glimpses into how an individual goes about things.  Low key and understated.  Often such films illuminate the creative class, but I think it would be incredibly cool to spotlight a different niche communities in the same kind of creative light.  Nudge nudge, hint hint.

Anyhoo – here a couple of cool ones that sprung up on the web the past month. Enjoy!

The Selby usually captures all of this on jpg, but this time he’s taken it to youtube.  With clothing line, Zara, he captures the life of artist and gallery owner, Lucy Chadwick.  It’s sumptuous without being sumptuous.  I just want to dive in and join her on a rainy day at her barn-cottage A-framed sanctuary.

And then on the fictional side, there’s Sofia Coppola’s new commercial for H&M’s Marni Collection. Also sumptuous – but this time actually sumptuous and set in Marrakesh.  I have admired Coppola’s work since I was a teenager, and I love the feeling of the 80s-style opulence and lost youth that she captures here…and the Marni patterns too of course.

Photo by Kid Dandy Productions

PS! Check out the trailer for this trailer for O’Mast – a documentary by Gianluca Migliarotti about the culture and traditions of tailor-made suiting in Naples!  Looks really fascinating!  I just love learning about the passion, history, blood, guts and glory that go into artisanal crafts like this!  Thanks to The Pursuit Aesthetic for the recommendation!

O’MAST from Kid Dandy on Vimeo.

Over the years living here, I got a tad obsessed.  Prêt à porter was only going so far for me.  But more so – I just loved the thought of putting my own personal touches on a dress, jacket or suit, or copying that piece that fits you just right but has seen better days.  Picking the fabrics, determining the cuts, and getting it to fit just right.  The whole process can prove a bit daunting for the beginner – so I thought I’d help walk any novices through the whole thing in PP!

The fabric aisles down Russian Market! And that's Rithy's cousin Srey Mom handling my cotton ikat!

Ba-ba-ba-batik at Russian Market!

First you’ve got to find the fabric.  Sometimes finding the right pattern and texture can inspire a new piece! I do most of my fabric shopping at Psar Tuol Tom Puong (Russian Market).  They have a great selection…and I’ve got a great fabric guy named Rithy (who just had a baby!) who knows his way around textiles and is always honest with me about quality and style.  He’ll wrap a sunny pattern around me and say “that makes a great sundress!”

These are the pieces I’m getting made!  1) American Apparel (discontinued dress) in that crazy pattern, 2) Tory Burch in a mustard yellow linen, and 3) DVF Kiomo Wrap Dress in an ikat pattern!

And once you’ve picked out your fabric and the piece you want to get made (fashion mags and other people’s wardrobes help out!) – it’s off to the tailor!

My most trustworthy tailors in Phnom Penh are Monika and Srey Oun at Shocking Pink.  They are both tiny Khmer ladies who know the worth of a quality stitch and a good fit and speak English pretty darn well.  They even remembered me (and my measurements!) after more than a year away!

Monika, who is just located around the corner from Russian Market, is a busy lady.  She’s literally backlogged by all the orders coming in from the expatriate population here in Phnom Penh.  And why?  She’s got skills and can handle more delicate fabrics or complicated designs like pleats and patterned stitching.  And she always greets you with the warmest smile that makes you feel like you’re oh so welcome into her home and atélier.  I’ve always been happy with the suits, pants and dresses she’s made for me.  But this does come at a cost – she charges considerably more for her work – like $20-ish for a dress.  And there is another caveat – she is so incredibly busy that pieces might take as long as 1 month to finish!  So having an order expedited will come at an additional cost.  And a Monika tip for you all – bring your own fabric because the textiles that she offers tend to be a bit pricey!  But nonetheless – Monika is an incredibly sweet tiny lady and her finished pieces are worth the wait and cost.

On the other hand – there’s Srey Oun at Shocking Pink.  Yup – what a cute name for a tiny little tailor shop located on Street 282 and it happens to be my other little Phnom Penh secret.  Srey Oun handles simpler dresses – like the American Apparel copy that I plan to get made (again actually – the current one is on its last days).  And for a cheaper price and faster turnaround time too! About $15-20 for dresses and only 1 week for a finished product!  Huzzah!

And for you guys – D just got a great pair of dress-pants made for $26 (including fabric) at Mondiaux Tailor, across the street from Lucky Market on Sihanouk! Great shirts can be found at the Elsewhere Store on Street 278 and for a great high-quality tailored shirt, check out Ambre on Street 178.

So if you’re in PP for a bit and want to spruce up the wardrobe with some custom designs – get tailored!  And another regional tailoring tip – Vietnam is amazing for great custom pieces and incredibly fast turnaround times!  So hit up those tailors if you’re ever visiting Hanoi, Hué or Saigon for a short while.

Monika Tailor is located across the street from Wat Tuol Tom Puong on Mao Tse Tun Blvd and down an alley.  Look out for her blue sign!

Shocking Pink is located at House #27 on Street 282 (between Monivong Blvd. and Street 63).

Elsewhere, The Shop – House #2, Street 278

Ambre – House #37, Street 178

Oooh, and one more thing! What should I do with this?!?

And here is my wildcard...I just have no idea what to do with this amazing silk I found at Russian Market?! Any ideas?

All photos in this post, unless otherwise noted, by infinitiff.  Please do not reproduce or use without permission).