Hello, hello!
I’m starting this year off with a clean slate. I’m working on the ‘about’ page of this site… it’s a work in progress, so please bare with me. Actually, I wanted to get Creative Wanderings up and running earlier, but somehow real-life always gets in the way. But here I am, launched and ready to go for 2010! If not for January 2010, at least for Chinese New Year

I’ve decided to start this new blog as a broader way to document my interests, while including inspiration, experiences, and anything else that I find notable. For now, I may occasionally update my Posterous blog, but have left Dine. Travel. Design behind. Don’t worry, you can still access the blogs and my previous posts at their respective locations, both listed on the side panel under “previous blogs”.

Now, it’s finally official! I quite my full-time job of 2+ years just two weeks ago and I’ve been getting things here in Boston organized so that I can tackle the next big adventure. I know, I know.. Am I crazy?! When everyone is thankful to have a job and the economy is only beginning to reshape itself, I’m making an incredible move. Nonetheless, I’m not yet packed, but more than ready to go!

In about a week, I’ll be leaving my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts for Beijing, China (via a 7-day pitstop in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics atmosphere)! I have no idea what to expect; and I’m both nervous and extremely excited for the change that I’ve been needing since graduating college. I’m ready! At least as ready as can be. It won’t be completely foreign to me, having spent a summer in Shanghai 4 1/2 years ago, and visiting grandparents in Hong Kong each year, but this is not just a trip, we shall see what happens. I’ll be going to the other side of the world on a student visa to take an intensive Chinese language class at a respectable university in Beijing. I look forward to the culture shock, new environment, people, and experiences. More importantly, I’m very excited to have the time to work on some personal projects, take more photographs, tackle some freelance design and contract work, while documenting my design (and other) insights here!

Visa: check. Plane ticket: check. As soon as I pack, I’m off and ready to go!

Please come back for a visit to the site again soon for more updates. Or subscribe via RSS at the top right corner. Cheers!

Hi people! Please check out my new blog :) And follow my adventures and other curiosities.

aaah.. deliverer of ideas I am :)

Happens all too often.
Ideas need time to be massaged and allowed to percolate to become great. Blue sky thinking is where great ideas come from.. not living w/in restraints :P

The government of the city of Puebla, Mexico have recently launched a women-only taxi service called Pink Taxi.

The vehicles are driven by women only, and are designed to make women feel safer and protected against sexual harassment and robberies. Each car include a beauty kit, GPS and a stolen vehicle recovery system. It is also an innovative idea to employ housewives, as it will generate 105 jobs in the city .

Hmm.. but are there smarter ways to equip and educate women on being safe?

Odd. Interesting...
I suppose there's a need everywhere and product solutions as well..

The photos show custom male pleasuring device heads featuring the vaginas and anuses (or should that be ani, anii?) of a number of female porn stars. The future perfect link in all of this is: in mainstream societies today what body parts are by default measured? And why? And as technology becomes increasingly wearable what other body part measurements are we likely to see mainstreamed? What value added services might the known measurement of celebrities, porn or otherwise then enable?

For example when will custom molded ear pieces become mainstream? And in turn how will this affect usage behaviour in particular device sharing?

On a similar note: CNN Health says that sex is good for you.

1. A longer life 

2. A healthier heart

3. Lower blood pressure

4. Lower risk of breast cancer

5. Lower risk of prostate cancer

6. Pain relief

7. A slimmer physique

8. Better testosterone levels

9. Fewer menopause symptoms

10. Healthier semen

"You can even see the a beating heart brain and other organs because the scales and skin have no pigments" Yutaka Tamaru said, an associate professor at Mie University. "As this goldfish grows bigger, you can watch its whole life," Tamaru said.

Perhaps an interesting way to teach science to the youngsters..? Or just an awesome novelty pet. Dude, that eye looks so blackkk, it's insane!

THE Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

I see clockwise... What do you see??

The Zen principles of Aesthetics are derived from the Buddhism beliefs of Anicca or Impermanence where “everything, without exception, is constantly in flux, even planets, stars and gods”. (Wikipedia)

THE PRINCIPLES:

FUKINSEI (imbalanced)
Asymmetry, odd numbers, irregularity, unevenness, imbalance is used as a denial of perfection as perfection and symmetry does not occur in nature.

KANSO (simple)
Elimination of ornate and things of simplicity by nature expresses their truthfulness. Neat, frank and uncomplicated.

KOKOU (austere)
Basic, weathered bare essentials that are aged and unsensuous. Evokes sternness, forbiddance, maturity and weight.

SHIZEN (natural)
Raw, natural and unforced creativity without pretence. True naturalness is to negate the naive and accidental.

YUGEN (subtle profound)
Suggest and not reveal layers of meaning hidden within. Invisible to the casual eye and avoiding the obvious.

DATSUZOKU (unworldly)
Transcendence of conventional and traditional. Free from the bondage of laws and restrictions. True creativity.

SEIJAKU (calm)
Silence and tranquility, blissful solitude. Absence of disturbance and noise from one’s mind, body and surroundings.

Source: Aen Direct

(via Thinkingalaud)

A great piece of work that marries photography/art, engineering, and social impact.

Once Bigshot is put together, it functions like any other digital camera — even better than many, in that it features multiple lenses situated on a wheel. The wheel rotates to produce not only a standard perspective but also panoramic views via a wide-angle lens, and 3D images via a stereo lens. The website teaches photographic techniques, from traditional rules of composition (dividing the image field into thirds) to stitching together multiple pictures into David Hockneyesque collages. Energy produced by turning the hand crank powers the camera when its battery runs out of charge, and Bigshot’s single-LED flash can be used to each semiconductor technology.

Nayar has field-tested prototypes in New York, Bangalore and Vung Tau City, Vietnam, leading day-long workshops in which children build cameras in the morning, learn about photography techniques in the afternoon and present their images in the evening. (He is currently testing Bigshot in Japan and is planning forays into the Middle East and Africa.) Soon, he hopes, more of these exchanges will occur virtually, by way of his website. “Bringing down walls, visually transporting yourself to see how your eight-year-old peer in Israel, the West Bank or Africa lives,” he said. “That has great value.”

It's simply beautiful in all respects, by making an impact on young lives through hands-on education and exploration.

Lately I've been reminded of and realizing the importance of true craftsmanship and materials exploration. And manufacturing knowledge. Aaahh ...EAMES :)

Taiwan’s EVA Airways now has two Hello Kitty branded Airbus A330-200 for domestic flights. Wow, they're really pushing the Sanrio cuteness with themed food, bath products, and other graphics like boarding pass and menu. I wonder if flight attendants and pilots dress in Hello Kitty uniforms for these short, domestic flights...?

I recently flew EVA Air from HKG to TPE. The short 2 hour flight was a comfortable, seamless experience :)

I just received an email newsletter from ArtBistro. I thought it was more spam and that my email had somehow gotten handed over.
Anyways, only some quick clicking around on the site, but seems like Monster is trying to compete and catch up to sites like Behance.net and Coroflot.com. I haven't heard of ArtBistro before; it apparently has been a branch of Monster since 2008. There's certainly a lot of sharing of information going on.. but I wonder how the creative community will support the site and if it will highlight any user driven content. Wonder if I'll ever come back to check it out too... Only time will tell :P