As design week comes to a close, but not the trip (we’ve been hostages of the volcano), i’m still sorting and posting much of the fun stuff discovered this week! Here’s a favorite photo from Milano Salone del Mobile 2010 this 4am. Staring at it ~ Leo, who’s been amazing helping explore and cover design week with me, and i joked that in a way, this image epitomized the key elements of the design week chaos…

Milan Design Week = beautiful objects + flowing libations + a sea of humanity

p.s. This is the Luce Plan Mini Mini designed by HABITS Studio.

Tags: champagne - drinks - gifts - glass - home - lighting - milan - photography - salone - shopping

The Mercedes-Benz Museum ~ you’ve seen the elevators and tornado and while the cars and exhibitions are amazing, there are so many parts of the architecture that were surreal and beautiful! From the way they play with the constant combination of sun and artificial lighting, to the way the building is constantly leading you to swirl downwards from past to present, to the engraved concrete markings to denote what section you’re in, to the horse ~ the first… pre-automobile? It’s much like a car museum meets history museum meets sweeping art gallery filled with surprising textural juxtapositions at every turn… so take a peek at the next page for a full gallery of images ~ it’s less about the cars and more about the amazing images the space creates for you.

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Tags: architecture - cars - luxury - Mercedes-Benz - museum - photography - stuttgart - travel

As you’ve noticed by now, i have been recently fascinated by the world from above ~ and not in just a google satellite view ~ but amazing views of cities and the in betweens as dramatic sunsets and sunrises hit them… So thanks to Mercedes who was incredibly kind to bring me to Stuttgart to learn more about their world (even when i needed to come from Singapore and leave to Milan)… here’s another installment of what my friend and i have been calling Operation Window Seat! Doing it backwards, on the next page you can see pics as i come in to Milan from Stuttgart… then Stuttgart on my way from Singapore… amazing how the terrain changes ~ and the lighting!

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Tags: germany - Mercedes-Benz - milan - Operation Window Seat - photography - stuttgart - travel

Just finished my last dive of the trip ~ and this whole trip has definitely reinvigorated my childhood love of nudibranchs and frogfish! Frogfish have the coolest elbows ~ and the way they walk… and eat (with their signature anglerfish family style lure!)… and the variations they come in! (So fascinating, saw about a half dozen color variations this week! And soooo many nudibranchs i haven’t seen before too. So in this last installment of fun creatures from the Lebeh Strait ~ check out frogfish, nudibranchs, and more (including a super tiny baby lion fish!) on the next page!

For the whole Kungkungan Bay Resort Lembeh Strait dive-cation series - [The dramatic moon] [First look at creatures!] [Wonderpus vs Mimic Octopus]

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Tags: animals - nature - ocean - photography - travel

I’m having one of those, sensory overload, exhausted yet giddy moments… sometimes we all need to step pretty far out of our daily lives to simultaneously reset, reflect, and find inspiration in the unexpected. For the next 5 days, i’m hiding out in the Lembeh Strait of Sulawesi, Indonesia… and they have awesome wifi, so when i’m not drop dead tired or diving exploring all the creatures around… the regularly scheduled content may be coming on vacation with me! So today was a morning flight to Manado from Singapore, followed by a 1.5 hour van ride through Bitung out to the dive spot, and now i’m curled up in my adorable cottage at Kungkungan Bay Resort. Certainly quite the contrast to the design overload i’m looking forward to in Milan in a few weeks! Although i thought about crashing after the day of travel, when i stared out at the possibly full moon with the intense clouds over the ocean… i couldn’t help taking a few pics, and i’m so in love with the view, i had to share them with you before i got some sleep! Isn’t it amazing how the palm trees and clouds look in the moonlight? See a few more pics of the night… some of the view on the flight in… and another random pic or too…

For the whole Kungkungan Bay Resort Lembeh Strait dive-cation series - [First look at creatures!] [Wonderpus vs Mimic Octopus] [Frogfish, Nudibranchs, and more creatures!]

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Tags: hotels - Operation Window Seat - photography - travel

On random saturday night inspiration ~ while hanging out at a friend’s i got mesmerized by the way the wicks were burning… and the crystal clear reflections of them in the melted wax… and then i couldn’t help taking a bunch of pics!

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Tags: candles - photography

I’m not the kind of girl who peruses bridal magazines, wedding dresses dresses, planning websites… i don’t dream about that moment in my life… but somewhere along the way i fell for Max Wanger’s unique style of photographing love ~ for weddings, for engagements, just because. There’s a way he sees the world and the lovers in it… and a way he shares it with all of us that is just irresistibly nostalgic, romantic, and joyful ~ all while feeling like a work of art… you step into the techni-colored dream where only that couple resides… AND, he’s taken it one step further. Now the portrayals of Max Wanger’s most iconic moments of hipster love are translated into t-shirts! Currently there are coming out in limited his and hers editions monthly (available to anyone!)… but imagine doing your engagement shoot, and using that imagery throughout your invitations, your table settings, and then giving away tshirts to your guests or wedding party?

First came the silhouette of the couple with a balloon… Then hands spelling out LOVE… the WISH tickets blowing in the wind… the lone seagull blowing a heart… and freshly launched for March: Giraffe! He’s found a way to capture the essence of a romantic shoot into versatile tshirt designs… as symbolic or literal as you decide to interpret them! See the collection thus far on the next page…

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Tags: art - gifts - photography - shirts - shopping

I passed out as soon as i sat down on the plane from SLC to LAX ~ i barely remember take off ~ and then suddenly when turbulence jolted me awake somewhere in between, all i saw out the window were surreal and stunningly dramatic shadows on snowy mountains… and i was so mesmerized, then something kicked in, and i half awakenly grabbed my camera, and felt like i was dream shooting all the way back to LA. So fun to see the world from that view ~ such a nice perspective shift from what’s felt like a very conceptually nazel gazing last few days. I love the way the snow transitioned into dessert… and into cities… and the way roads are carved into the snowy tree filled mountainside… the way the city glowed with the hollywood sign and downtown popping out as we landed… Take a look on the next page!

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Tags: airplane - los angeles - Operation Window Seat - photography - travel

I had one of my “wow, i love LA” moments as i was flying in from NY the other night… after not sleeping the night before, i crashed hard in a strange and contorted position for 5 hours on my JetBlue flight home, and as my eyes started to open, i was disoriented and fascinated by the sparkles of the city below me. It was such a clear night. and the colors felt different… i couldn’t help but wonder if it was the increase of things like LED billboards that are so blindingly bright when i’m on the ground changing the landscape of lights from above. They felt brighter and sharper ~ twinkling as we approached… and of course, i couldn’t help but snap a few pics to share with you. Also, nice placement of your URL, JetBlue, it’s as if you knew people would be taking pics out of the window… or just looking out of the window constantly…

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Tags: airplane - los angeles - Operation Window Seat - photography

You know my favorite parts to show you from CES aren’t the products (we can all read press releases everywhere), but the bizarre exhibition design details that are so strange and fascinating? Well camera booths (by booth i mean humongous expo spaces you can lose a friend in within seconds) ~ always have these random setups for you to try their cameras on… sometimes it is a wintery toy train set up going round and round or some women wrestling in the center of the pit or a toy rollercoaster… well Canon’s was like Mr. Wizard… and friend… in this crazy colorful, tv show styled science lab! (i say tv show, because while it feels classroom, it feels staged classroon with the giant foot and ear as well as lots of HUGE beakers with colorful liquids that all look gorgeous.) None the less, it was too cute a set up, and since it was there just for taking pictures, i couldn’t resist. Check out more pics on the next page!

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Tags: camera - ces - photography - science - technology

One team of the Puma Penguin Army stands guard in my house, roaming between the hallway and office, to the media center and fireplace… a second team has gone on an adventure with the amazing Birds of a Feather photo-blog photographers Lou Mora and Sarah Yates. Where they will go and what they will get up to is in their hands now! First i got a mysterious messaged that they were getting carded by security… next i get these pictures. Somewhere on their roadtrip between LA and San Diego they seem to have stopped off outside the refineries near El Segundo… See the super fun pics on the next page!

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Tags: animals - birds - nature - penguin - photography

What a beautiful Sunday it is! On random inspiration (and i know, i've been a bit all over the place finding - or searching - for visual inspiration and feeding my insatiable curiosity just about anywhere lately - thanks for coming along for the ride as i figure things out while posting)... i never thought i'd be posting images from an early 70's exercise book here! But as i was checking out the pdf of the now out of print (but ebook available) Lotte Berk Method: Exercises for a Vital Body by Lydia Bach, i just couldn't get over how beautiful and artistic the imagery was ~ from the photography to the illustrations of the muscles... So naturally i had to share!

Oh and for some quick background on how i ended up at this at 3am on a saturday night... well you know how exercise fads come and go... and for some time now both the Exhale and Bar Method classes have been spreading quickly! Toning and strengthening your core and improving flexibility ~ making grown men and women twitch and weep while doing the tiniest of motions ~ giving you long lean muscles through low impact exercises mixing everything from modern ballet to yoga to orthopedic exercises... the Lotte Berk book even focuses on pelvic movements of sex as an influence on core strengthening. So while i was researching these various trends (a friend was recently working on me to come to Exhale classes, and i tried a few Bar Method classes a few years back) - i turns out that many of these "new" method all evolved directly from the Lotte Berk Method from the 70s ~ which was originated by Lotte Berk, a german dancer and teacher who developed the series of exercises to help her own recovery, and continued refining and teaching them in her studio in the UK, where Lydia Bach (author of the book) discovered her, loved her methods and licensed her name and methods, bringing them to the US. The internet says that the Exhale and Bar Method founder even came from running/teaching at Lotte Berk studios, so its no surprise that they are evolutions of the same methods from the 70s. Anyhow, that was my little random research last night ~ take a peek at the images on the next page!

p.s.
loving the workouts to slip into workaholic days with too much time spent at the computers...

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Tags: books - gifts - photography - shopping

As i clean through many ICFF pics ~ i snapped a few as we were coming in to LAX, and it was such a foggy day the sunset was absolutely stunning, and caused some crazy lens flare with awesome orange blobs i'm quite liking tonight... and the colors... if you haven't been able to tell by now sunsets/sunrises/incredible views are just so inspiring and entrancing to me! So here's a random weekend post of the glowing orbs my camera found... you can watch the sun disappear on the next page...

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Tags: airplane - los angeles - Operation Window Seat - photography - sunset

So, you may have heard Mark Hoppus (yes, of Blink 182) ~ loves him some Octopus... it's even his personal logo that a family friend (Sacha, screen writer by day, artist by... amusement?) made for him... and its quickly spreading to stickers, shirts, vinyl toys, and now a limited edition laser engraved USB key. Actually only 100 USB keys... and on even more amazing things, apparently Mark is a long time NOTCOT reader, and was kind enough to toss one my way to give away to one of you!!! (Also he is an avid twitterer, and those who follow me may have noticed when i found out he was a reader.)

As for this limited edition USB key ~ 100 were made by Mojo Laboratories to promote the Mark Hoppus remix of Fall Out Boy's "America's Sweethearts". On the keys are the remix mp3, music video, a special Hoppus/Octopus pic, and a behind the photoshoot video... and a special code to get a Tshirt!

THE GIVEAWAY: Here's the deal ~ to win the key ~ leave a comment with your favorite Blink 182 or Fall Out Boy lyrics and which song they are from. And Friday midnight 5/15 EST (i'll be in NY) ~ i'll pick a random winner from the comments!

Now, if you're ready, head to the next page to see the tons of pics and Octopus info and closeups of the tiny adorable drive (yes, i'm having a hard time giving it up!) and sneak peeks at some of the contents you'll find on the drive...

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Tags: animals - giveaway - music - octopus - photography - technology - USB - video

I'm back to real life now ~ 18 hour direct flight was surprisingly less painful than expected... also the all business class flight with lay flat beds certainly didn't hurt... 4-5 movies and like a 10 hour nap... and i am home! (You can take a peek at some of the pics on the LAX-Singapore flight here) Took off at 4:15pm landed in LA at 5:00...

It was a good trip, putting in some family time to pay my respects to my grandmother and help with family affairs... nice chance to step out of my NOTCOT life for a few days... but of course i couldn't help myself and i have a little pile that just jumped out of my suitcase waiting to be photographed and shared! With the perfect timing on the flights this trip back the views were so gorgeous i couldn't help taking a few snapshots and mini videos with the point and shoot... so check it out on the next page! Also some fun details of Changi airport... i love the backlit walls of hanging plants and the giant robotic flower fan!

(ok videos are taking forever on Vimeo ~ will add those when they are up!)

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Tags: airline - airplane - Operation Window Seat - photography - travel

Quickly, move past the fugliness, i'm really hoping that's just how it feels in the product shots, and that in your hand its smaller and less bloated seeming (4.08 x 2.63 x 1.92 in./103.6 x 66.9 x 48.8mm) .... ANYHOW, moving along, firstly, it's about time Canon has an everything-proof camera ~ the new Canon D10 waterproof to 33ft, freezeproof, and shockproof! We've had those little pentax optio waterproofs of various generations around for random adventures for some time now, but i've always preferred Canon... And thank goodness you can "customize" the casing and swap off that turquoisey faceplate... perhaps that's their brilliant way to convince most to buy the accessory kit? BUT, the real feature i wanted to show you... did you see the way the various strap options attach to the body? I'm really curious to see how that feels in person and how it works exactly... glad to see Canon branching out with the design details, with the crazy weather we seem to be having all over the world these days this sounds like the perfect "have on you at all times" camera. See the detail shots on the next page!

p.s.
Canon, why no HD video?

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Tags: camera - gifts - photography - shopping - technology - water

Wow. Well, today was quite a day. We are now in the era of President Barack Obama ~ and we're quite anxious to see what happens in this first 100 days... Currently curled up in a hotel room watching CNN, getting a peek at the many balls taking place throughout DC and the country tonight... and i'm exhausted! I can't even imagine how the Obamas must feel! Beyond the info you can get just about anywhere ~ on the next page you can get a peek at what our experience here was like today ~ from the 4am vendors setting up shop ~ to the humvee outside the window by 7am ~ to the masses of people traversing the city streets to and from the ceremony ~ to an inflated spiderman! One thing that definitely stands out today ~ i do not think i've ever been in a crowd of so many people in my life ~ and there was something incredibly moving about the energy of it ~ everyone so excited and literally from everywhere! Seeing them all come together, being in the midst of the cold for hours, and having millions sing taunting good-byes to Bush and come together with hopeful screams for what the future holds... it was quite an unforgettable day.

... and we're headed back to LA tomorrow ~ so back to regular random postings in no time!

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Tags: photography - travel

As you know by now, there is nothing standard about The Standard ~ their logo likes to be upside down, their decor unexpected, their store schwag designer... is it any surprise that their Staff Calendar this year resembles a retro yearbook? Well, a yearbook where everyone is incredibly attractive and calling out all the stereotypes... from the prom queen and the stoner to the jocks and nerds... which were you?

Well while you ponder that ~ jump over to the next page where you can watch a fun little video where all the characters unfold ~ followed by a candid "making of" the video and calendar shoot!

There are only 500 copies of this 4th annual calendar available, and while traditionally they were only sent to say thank you to their most regular guests... this year and they can be found in The Standard Shop! "Shot at on location at The Standard, Downtown LA by Michael Elins, this year's is perhaps our favorite yet. Staff flew to LA from each of the Standards' home towns after being cast for the shoot. Designed as a desktop or bookshelf calendar, it measures 7.5" tall by 3" wide when folded, and about 6" wide when assembled."

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Tags: gifts - hotels - luxury - photography - shopping - standard - video

Happy 2009!!! I must say i'm extra giddy about this year starting ~ it feels like a good one! To kick it off we decided to do some of the things we're hoping to do more of this year! So Dan, Linhchi and i started it off by sleeping in... waaaaaay in... then cooking fluffy delicious waffles, eggs, and veggie sausages that we enjoyed out on the deck... and then off to an adventure wandering on a trail in Topanga for a few hours... with our cameras, random ideas, and not much else... So now as we relax (they are playing Little Big World + i'm posting this!) ~ i think we're ready to do 2009 right! Basically my resolution is to do more of what i love, and less of what i don't. What are yours?

And as for adventures ~ check out the massive number of pics to see what we found on our wander ~ amazing sunset and fun crazy darkness pictures playing with our led flashlights... as well as closeups of teeny tiny flowers and moss... and more!

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Tags: nature - photography - travel

Ok, so you've seen the warning signs, and here are the animals of the LA Zoo! We brought the 40D and the 5D Mark II ~ so these are a mix of pics that both dan and i took while wandering around... hilarious the expressions some of these guys make... and the eyes! And the crazy shenanigans some of them try to get up to... like the orangutan that threads the swing rope through the fence to whip more plants towards itself... and the giraffe with its tongue!!! Anyhow, check out a bunch (ok, 25!) pics on the next page!

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Tags: animals - los angeles - nature - photography

Vacation time is finally setting in ~ at least in my head! Freshly back from spending the day at the LA Zoo with old friends, seriously haven't been there since i was a little kid, and from what i saw, doesn't look like its changed all that much... seems a bit dated, and perhaps because it was so cold (but luckily SUNNY! and not rainy!) was pretty quiet, but we did get to see quite a few animal feedings and packs of little kids...

First post from there ~ i was so amused by the old warning signage! So here's a look at signage at the LA Zoo! See the pics on the next page!

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Tags: animals - nature - photography

Eep! It's here! I'm so so giddy right now that you'll have to excuse these sloppy pics, but i've been bouncing up and down (despite the ridiculously dreary, rainy, weather) ~ but fedex came by with the best xmas/bday present ~ Canon 5D Mark II!!! And EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens!!! Basically i'm writing this post to buy myself more time while anxiously waiting for the battery to charge... So check out unboxing pics, and side by side comparison pics with my 40D (and since these are IN the shot, they are taken with the TX1)!

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Tags: camera - gifts - photography - review - shopping - technology - unboxing

TO WIN: Leave a comment ~ with your favorite celeb! ENTER BY 12/17. WINNER: Tiffany in Houston, TX!

Just sent over for NOTCOT Giveaway #28 ~ here's beautyLIGHT ~ The work of celebrity and fashion photographer, Matthew Rolston, is gorgeous ~ his celebrity portraits are works of art, and flipping through his new book, beautyLIGHT, i often had to do double takes to figure out who it was! Amazon describes it: "Spanning a spectrum from vampish intrigue to retro glamour, celebrity and beauty photographer Matthew Rolston offers us a unique series of photographic portraits. With painterly skill, Warhol's protégé combines elements of style, staging, light and color to create indelible impressions of some of the world's most scintillating and talented people, such as Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Drew Barrymore and Salma Hayek. Rolston's photographs build a stage for his characters, imbuing them with the iconic power of vintage Hollywood at its peak. His distinctive work has been featured in such leading publications as Interview, Harper's Bazaar and Rolling Stone, among many others."

For a Liqurious tie in ~ Genius of Louis XIII, the top cognac from Remy Martin, made this book possible! "Reflecting the passion, vision and artistry that goes into making each bottle of its bottles, Louis XIII has been supporting a number of visionary artists from the world of art, design, photography and architecture. Following on from Louis Bourgeoise (art) and Dror (architecture), the 2 latest ones include a limited edition design collaboration with Christophe Pillet and launch of a book by Matthew Rolston."

Take a sneak peek into some playful portraits found within this beautiful coffee table book that is sure to strike up a conversation ~ and for a chance to win leave a comment with your favorite celeb...

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Tags: gifts - giveaway - photography - shopping

TO WIN: Leave a comment here ~ tell us an office anecdote? ENTER BY 11/27. WINNER: Weiyi in Singapore!

Genius Jones "Design For A New Generation" ~ don't be fooled, sure it may sound like a kids store at first - a fabulously playful and design kid store online... but there are so many goodies in there that i'm wanting even! So for this giveaway, Genius Jones is giving one commenter a Lomography Fisheye 2 White Edition and NY City Limits Electronic Stapler!

All we ask in return? Leave us a comment about an office anecdote? Afterall, how much fun is this fully automatic stapler with all the colorful gears and gizmos, doesn't it just brighten up and desk and basic office task? And the lomo Fisheye ~ everything looks cooler with a fisheye... any cubicle can look like its own massive WORLD seen through that lens! See more pictures of the goods and a coupon from Genius Jones on the next page!

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Tags: camera - gifts - giveaway - photography - shopping - technology - toys

BACKYARD - Pancho Tolchinsky and Catalina Estrada is coming up on Oct 29th at Galeria Ras in Barcelona. Since i can't make it out there ~ Cati was nice enough to send over a sneak preview of some of her collaborations for us to take a look at!

While her magical digital worlds have always mesmerized me, its incredible to see how well they layer on the backyard photographs of Pancho Tolchinsky. If you're in Barcelona, please mark your calendar for the 29th, and don't forget to grab your camera! See the works on the next page, with some close ups too!

The full description:
"Gardens, flowers and gnomes become small pieces of heaven constructed at human scale.
The photographer Pancho Tolchinsky takes us on a trip through his characteristic colors to visit small fragments of heaven in locations as disparate as Scotland, Venice Beach or Jerusalem. In line with his photography, Tolchinsky finds the way to connect reality with imagination, the material world of experience with the ideal world of our memories.

Backyard is the first exhibition in which Tolchinsky collaborates with hi wife, the excellent illustrator Catalina Estrada, known for creating magical worlds field with colors. This couple of artists propose a refine synergy between photography and illustration, creating an aesthetical trip that pulls the viewer from reality into wonderland"

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Tags: art - illustration - opening - photography