Rome: They Got Gorgeous People

 

It’s a known fact, what else is new, Rome is a beautiful city. What surprised me though and what caught me off guard was – wow, they got gorgeous people there! I mean seriously. Navigating my way from Trastevere to around the city, they were everywhere. Popping up unexpectedly from across the alley, appearing when I turn my head in the restaurant or from behind me in the store, they were everywhere! Beautiful men and beautiful women. The men were tall and lean and well-dressed. And the women. The women sometimes shocking because they looked as though straight out of a fashion shoot. I mean, the elder women, wearing God knows how much those furs and get-up cost, and they had this flawless make-up. Very chic. What was cool was that in reality these women were just straight out of their house/office. These beautiful people made the city of Rome even more beautiful than it already was.
Now, does it sound like I am more excited seeing the beautiful Romans than the ancient ruins? Ah, yea!!! These people are the sons and daughters of an ancient advanced civilization that seemingly continued on to advance their taste. Even the Roman police force were stunning to look at. According to our friend, a Jesuit priest in Rome, the police force are carefully chosen for their “looks” as well.  And what with their Versace-designed uniforms. Eye candy material. Please take note when you are there.

 

 

Uniformed Eye Candy in Rome

 

 
Next time I am in Rome, I sure will take photos galore of the beautiful Romans. I didn’t the last time because 1) common decency :) and 2) I was truly taken by surprise. I remember walking towards the Piazza del Popolo when I couldn’t help but do a double take. This GQ esque guy was sitting in front of his computer inside his office on the first floor of the building. So yes, I did stop to check him out. And yes, the guy in front of his computer was truly gorgeous (sigh). And ooohh yes, he caught me looking too! Yikess! He leaned forward from his computer to look what was going on.  He looked, and I looked, and he looked. Awkward! But in a cute way. Like I have to work in Rome now. Seriously.

 

 

Piazza del Popolo
00187 Roma Italy
06 0608

 

 

 

by Posted on March 20, 2012
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On a Deeper Note: Beauty as a Compass to Knowing

 

The first time I heard Terence McKenna spoke of this, I agreed so much I almost fall off  my chair. He was a philosopher who spun thoughts and ideas so eloquently. He loved big words. Big words that kept him on the intellectual realm and not the subversive.  This particular part of his lecture resonated with me so much. I took note of it and now I am sharing with you. Beauty, he conjectured, was an elegant way to get larger concepts and bigger truths.

 

The real hard choice that you are being pushed toward is actually intellectual responsibility, freedom, and a devotion to what the scientists call – elegance of thought. How can you tell one theory from another? Is science better than religion? After a lot of arm-waving it should be conceded that the final call is aesthetic. Because we are so far from God we can not set knowing the truth as the standard for  choosing among the models we produce. We must set our aesthetic compass towards the more true. What Lichtenstein called the true enough. How do you recognize that? Well this is a rich field of human study called philosophy of science or epistemology and  ontology. How do we know what is real? But Plato who all the rest of philosophy is a footnote upon said that the key lay in the concepts: the good, the true, the beautiful.

 

The good what is it? Tricky, tricky, tricky.
The  true what is it? Trickier, even trickier.
The beautiful, what is it? Easy to discern.

 

The beautiful is easy to discern  You are going to be condemned to live out the consequences of your taste.  And if you have no taste, God help you. Because you are self condemned to an appalling nightmare. You won’t be getting it. All the subtle stuff will go by you. While your head is filled with nonsense, foolishness. So that’s the way to set the compass. Not toward truth, not toward the good, not because these aren’t fine things but because these are slippery, but toward beauty. And with that in place, to my mind, hope follows as a natural consequence.

 

 

- Terence McKenna
an excerpt from the lecture “Dreaming Awake at the End of Time”

 

 

by Posted on March 20, 2012
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Best Bespoke Tailors in Hong Kong

 

Last week, I went shopping with Donald, he was disappointed with the fit of most suits he tried that he wanted to pass by Hong Kong on his upcoming trip to Asia in April. Donald worked in Hong Kong in 1995 and in spite of being absent in the country all these years, his opinion of Hong Kong tailored suits has remained favorable.

Since I am a fan of Donald since 1993, and amazingly favorable to him to this date  :)  I like to help him. So I research and research. I am designing suits and jackets for him and would like to have the best tailors tackle the rest of the project for me. I scoured websites, forums, and reviews to get a better feel of the bespoke tailoring scene in Hong Kong today and my research yielded the following pointers:

 

1)  The 24-hour turn around is not good. If we’re talking quality output,  2 or 3 fittings are necessary. This would translate to at least 2, realistically 3 or more nights of stay in Hong Kong to sort out measurement and all subsequent fittings not 24 hours.

2) The tailors carry fabrics in their shop or you can opt to bring your own.

3) You get what you pay for. Most of the time.

 

My research yielded 3 tiers of tailors. High, mid, and low. Top-tier Hong Kong tailors are high cost, high quality.  $1,000 per pair of suit, give or take, is common. Mid-tier is mid-cost, mid quality at $600 per pair give or take. Of course, the tailors within each tiers are not created equal. Top-tier tailors differentiate themselves as well. Some top-tier are top-tier because of their popularity and longevity in the business.They command high price although quality may be spotty.  Apparently, there are tailors  high up there expensive (top tier) but grossly inconsistent because they play favorites to rich and famous clients.  There are tailors too that do guerilla marketing, to put it slightly,  posing as third party to advertise themselves with stellar recommendations in forums, giving the impression that they are better than they probably actually are, so be aware of these posts.  These are the tailors both high and mid tier to be wary about. A great tailor is a great tailor. Their work can stand on its own and does not need to resort to this kind of tactics.

I suppose the locals would have their favorite tailors…  Wouldn’t it be nice to know what they know, to have access to the young still relatively unknown great tailors in Hong Kong?  But to those of us not local and would want smooth transaction and highly satisfactory results, I would say put the money on expensive but consistent producers. To me, a high quality, great-fitting, and best of all long lasting suit will be worth the extra expense. So if it is high-tier go to the high-tier consistent high quality tailor. This would be good. No heart aches why the suit crinkles here or  there or heart aches because there is an an unused suit hiding in the closet. Just happiness all the way.

 

The tailors I shortlisted for Donald’s suit trip:

 

W.W. Chan & Sons Tailor
A2, 2/F Burlington House
94 Nathan Rd., Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel.  (852) 2366.9738,  2366.2634
Email:  sales@wwchan.com
Business Hours: Mon to Sat 9 AM to 6 PM

 

A-Man Hing Cheong Co., Ltd.
Shop M2, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Central, Hong Kong
Tel. (852) 2522.3336
Business Hours: Mon to Sat 9:30 AM to 7 PM;
Sun 9:30 AM to 6 PM

 

 

by Posted on February 24, 2012
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Where to Buy Perfume in Paris

 

Among the first things I researched before coming to Paris last December were boutiques where I could buy perfume. I am such a big fan of perfume that coming to Paris was such an opportunity for me to indulge this passion. However, having only 3 days, I was only able to go to the  Chanel boutique in Rue Cambon. I have ran out of Allure Sensuelle and figured I would be coming to Paris so what better excuse to visit Chanel’s first ever boutique than to buy my favorite floriental there.  I ended up buying one bottle of eau de parfum and one bottle of pure parfum. The price I paid would be about the same buying it in the U.S. I just like the fact that the bottles I purchased were so so fresh. Actually, buying perfume in the airport tax free would also be a good idea. The purchase I made in Chanel, because the total was a few dollars short of EU250, was not eligible for tax reimbursement. But I loved that I got the chance to trek to Chanel’s first ever boutique, delighted by the thought that Chanel herself once lived and held office there.

 

My next trip to Paris, I would make sure that I have more time to explore other perfume boutiques. This was my original list of boutiques/ perfume boutiques to visit in Paris.This is now on the top of my next visit’s itinerary:

Chanel on 31 Rue Cambon, Paris
Coco Chanel's First Boutique. 31 Rue Cambon, Paris

 

Chanel
31, Rue Cambon
75001 Paris
Tel. 01 44 50 66 00

 

Guerlain Boutique
68 Ave. des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris
Tel. 01 45 62 52 57

 

Frederic Malle
37 Rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris
Tel. 01 42 22 76 40

 

Happy shopping!!

 

 

 

by Posted on February 8, 2012
Posted in Fashion, Travel | 2 Comments