A State of Design

Fed Square :: Level 3 Carpark

One thing I love about Melbourne is there is always something on. Last weekend, the annual State of Design Festival just started and will go on for about a month. During this month, there will be (design related) conferences, shows, workshops, exhibitions and artistic installations across city of Melbourne. One of the highlights of this year's State of Design is Look.Stop.Shop.

Look.Stop.Shop is a round-the-clock, program using design to promote a safe, vibrant and inclusive city as it moves from day to night. Walk a trail that will take you through Melbourne’s city centre to experience a series of inspiring installations by design-minded businesses.

This selected group of retailers has created unique window displays and in-store installations around this years’ Festival theme, Design that Moves. Participants include a broad range of traders from small independent boutiques, designer-owned and operated spaces and pop-up shops to department stores carrying everything from fashion, books, and lighting to objects. With many installations located in street-level stores, this diverse retail landscape provides 24 hour viewing.

Over the weekend, I managed to pop into the city and checked out the Design Trade Show. It seems like there are more exhibitors this year. I couldn't help but to take notes on some of the products on sale here. The idea on those products are very interesting. I was thinking of how I could manipulate those ideas to make them work with furniture or artwork which is more my style. Who knows, maybe I might start designing furniture. I do need furniture for the new house anyway so why not design it myself.

Apart from the Trade Show, I managed to also check out the Design:Market at Fed Square. Even though it was raining outside, this place was packed with, ermm, designers, posers... whatever you wanna call it. I prefer posers. People seem to have a different attitude in this space (myself included) don't know why. Some of them are alright though.

Stuff here are predominantly made by local designers. Hand made scarfs, beanies, jewellery etc. Typical over priced stuff if you ask me. However, some of them are pretty interesting. I didn't really spend too much money here, only a few hundred.

Not much, only $390 for a pair of  Duckfeet

Posers?

I couldn't help myself - I bought the dark (army) green. Tempted to get the red one too... 

Check out Tie-Ups

BYO Coffee cups

Week one.

It has been one week since I started at CHE. I didn't get off to a good start though. I was down with a throat infection and have to call in sick, on my first day. Normally, it would be fairly awkward to call in sick on your first day but my boss has been very understanding and said I should have a couple of days rest.

I showed up at work the following day (Tuesday) and it has been fairly smooth sailing for me work wise since then. It will take me a week or two to learn the ropes, the style guides of each account I have to work on but so far, it has been easy. Maybe my boss is being gentle cos I'm new.

It is good to know that the agency is fairly flexible. There's no one looking over your shoulder or checking how long you were away from your desk, bitching about being on the internet etc. We come in, we get the job done, we go home. The work culture here is just like what you find at a healthy agency. Staff joke around, play around, music playing... most of the guys here stay till late not because they have to, because they want to. They treat each other like friends whom you hang out with rather than colleagues you have to put up with. This is how a successful productive team should be.

Lunch - we get our own cafe with the daily menu emailed to us at about 10.30am. See sample...

Good Morning! 


Our specials for today are:
Cauliflower and pumpkin soup:    7.50 
Battered flathead and chips with salad:    10.50 
Baked chicken and pesto thigh fillets on steamed rice and salad:    10.50 
Beef mince pita pockets with salad:    10.50 
Bacon, tomato and spring onion penne pasta:    10.00 
Spinach and feta tart:    with one salad - 8.00 with two salads - 9.50

Our sandwich fillings for today are:
Chicken, bocconcini, tomato, mayo, lettuce Beef, spinach, gherkin, tomato, tomato relish, seeded mustard mayo Falafel, tzatziki, roast pumpkin, red capsicum, lettuce, tasty cheese Ham, tomato, tasty cheese, lettuce, seeded mustard mayo 

See you at lunch time :-)



Because today is Friday, at about 4.30pm, 2 nominated staff pushes a trolley with grog around the joint, stopping at each desk asking what we want for drinks. Wine, beer etc... I can get used to this.

Although all these are good things and I really do enjoy working here, I miss my minions back at Airport West. I miss people laughing at my lame arse jokes. I miss having my minions buying me lunch. I miss eBay. I miss giving Pete a hard time. I miss telling people to get fucked and get away with it.

Revisiting Aaron Lewis

2 of my favourite songs...

Hello. Thank You. Good Bye.

The day has come for me to say good bye to The Good Guys. It has been a pretty smooth ride and honestly, it has been a great joy working with them. Well, most of them anyway.

Like any establishment, there are always dickheads that spoil it for everyone. But all in all, it was good. Am I sad to go? Yes, very much so. But, I think it is time to move on. I felt that I need room to grow, creatively. I want more responsibilities. I want to move up in the corporate ladder.

I must admit, I do have doubts. Doubt if I made the right choice of moving on. Life here at The Good Guys was pretty good. 15 minutes to work. 15 minutes to work. Ample of parking. The people (most) I work with are good people. Pete Brown, the Brand Manager (the person whom I work with most of the time) was a great boss (I was asked once who do I work for, PMP or Pete Brown? I said Pete Brown). There is nothing off limits. We talk to each other like mates. We argue, we disagree, but the end of the day, we got things done and we were a good team. We know how each other works.

The coordinators were a bunch of goofers too. Lots of bantering between us and at the end of the day, its all for laughs. There's no hard feelings. Not that I'm aware of anyway. Most of them do have a special kind of relationship with me. They would come around and ask if I want lunch whenever they go out for lunch. Only me. Hahahahahaha.......

Anna, Yen, Faye & Tam. Girl Power, thanks for wearing RED (as for Anna, thanks for wearing Fluro!) Fleur Loden, I forgive you for touching my screen and no, YOU ARE NOT A FOOL :). Padma Palani, please, no more swearing in Hokkien. Someday, it'll get you in trouble. Daniel Young, my poster boy. Your support of my tattoo business will always be remembered. Now you carry my brand with you for life, peace brother! :)

And finally, the PMP boys and girls. Especially those who sits on the 'Bourke Street Mall". We've had plenty of laughs. I love the witty remarks. Mick Smith, don't forget the whale song when you are stressed. Joe Torres, Kor Nu Ti... or tell her to get back to her shell if she gives you the shits! Daryl, no more jokes about dickheads :(. Brad, you won't suffer from my intricate design for catalogues anymore. Touche, I'm ready for your next tattoo when you are :) Bron, no more bantering, :(. Katie, be nice to the boys will ya? I still owe you lunch. Johan, keep fighting for the rights (of everyone) within the company. Dave, hope you recovered from the operation of your pimple and sorry if I stuff up your plans for early retirement. Matt, now that I'm gone, no one will compete with you on the Plunger or the Brown Nose Award. Jacinta, shame you are not here for my last day here. I'm sure we will catch up soon.

That's it from me I think. That's all I can think of. That's all I've got to say. Like a true prince, I say PISS OFF AND GET BACK TO WORK!

Miss Chang - Chinese Man feat Taiwan MC & Cyph4 - Clip Officiel

Chinese Man - I've Got That Tune

Turntable Soul

Chinese Man is a very underrated French DJ collective. Think Portishead. ON ACID. One of the group I normally play when I'm working, in need of background music, chill out, cruising and especially when I'm tattooing.

Their main influences are hip hop and jazzy electro, with samples coming from movies or old asian records. Somewhere between Birdy Nam Nam, Bonobo, Dj Shadow, or Le Peuple De L'Herbe.

Chinese Man - The Groove Sessions Vol 1 - Rapidshare Download here.. 

If you like them, you might also like...

• Gramophonedzie   [click to listen]

• Belleruche [click to listen]

Mark Guardiani - Quoting Henry David Thoreau

Ink + Design :: WORKbyERIC

NIKEiD

I was looking for a pair of vintage Nike Dunk and came across this site - NIKEiD. I'm not sure when this campaign was launched, all I know - I'm gonna be broke for the next few months.

In this site, you can choose your base design of your Nike. Predominantly Dunks, you can also choose to have a High or Low. I have not explore the site fully (I couldn't even get pass Dunks), I think you can custom Air Max as well.

Choose the different materials for your Dunk. From leather to Suede to Canvas. Choose your own colour combination. Stitching, the Swoosh, lace, outsole etc...customise everything. When you finish, you can even insert your Signature or ID.

Best part of it all, it's cheap. Well cheaper than you think anyway. It's USD$110 for a Dunk-Low or USD$135 for Hi-Dunk. You can't even get a good pair of mass produced NIKE for that price.

 

I'm experiencing goosebumps.

Signature

Pencil Tip Micro Sculptures By Dalton Ghetti

Brazilian born, Connecticut based, Dalton Ghetti carefully crafts the tips of pencils into amazing micro sculptures. These miniature masterpieces are a side project for the professional carpenter, who has been perfecting this art for the last 25 years.

Dalton uses a razor blade, sewing needle, a sculpting knife, a steady hand and lots of patience to meticulously carve the graphite which can take anywhere between a few months to a few years. Over time he has broken many works in progress and keeps them in what he calls the cemetery collection.

One of the most fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, only given away to friends as gifts.

via telegraph.co.uk