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Hidden treasure of London Olympic Games 2012

July 30, 2012 //

After watching China winning gold in 3m springboard synchronised diving, we were high in spirits when we stumbled upon a curious red and white pavilion. I suddenly recalled a friend telling me about the Coca Cola Beat Box- It has been built!

Unfortunately, the concept drawing looked a lot more interesting than in real life, as the mass of the core in the middle killed what was supposed to be light red and white interlocking panels (which produce special ‘beats’ when the sensors hidden in the panels are triggered). The beats are supposed to resemble that of Olympic disciplines but the narratives are too forced in my opinion. The best part of it is actually not the design of the pavilion, but what is waiting at the top……

Yes, you guessed it right! Check here to see the answer >>

Tags 2012, Beat Box, Coca Cola, Games, London, Olympic, torch

Categories architecture, Art & Design, Food & Drink

Journey to the centre of the Earth – magma chamber of an Icelandic volcano

By winkypedia

July 24, 2012 //

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I have been to the centre of the Earth! I was lucky enough to be among the first 250 tourists to visit the magma chamber of Thrihnukagigur, a volcano that last erupted 4000 years ago.

After a 50 minute hike across the lava field, I reached the base camp. Essentially it was a couple of portacabins airlifted there by helicopter. Geared up with a hard hat, headlight and harness, I was ready to walk up to the mouth of the volcano, which until June this year, was not open to the public.

It was first explored in 1974 by a guy who was adventurous enough to explore a hole the locals claimed to be ‘bottomless’. He did so by abseiling down with basic gear but I was luckier- I had a bridge and a cradle, which was set up for the National Geographic Channel to explore last year. Still, it was not for the faint- hearted. To reach the cradle, I needed to use harnesses to ensure safety.

Click here to see how far down I have gone >>

Tags cradle, Earth, Iceland, lava, magma chamber, Thrihnukagigur, tour, volcano

Categories Travel

My first fashion show- London Fashion Week 2012

By winkypedia

February 18, 2012 //

I had my little Anne Wintour moment at London Fashion Week 2012. Oh well, kind of. It was my first time attending a fashion show. I was excited.

It was surprising to see how many people bothered to wake up early on a cold winter’s day to go and see the show. I woke up even earlier than I would do in a week day! That is the magic of fashion, I suppose? Continue reading to check out the fashion show >>

Tags autumn/ winter, coat, Daks, fashion, London, show, Somerset House

Categories Art & Design, what is out there?

David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts- simply stunning!

By winkypedia

January 21, 2012 //

We went to see David Hockney‘s latest show ‘A Bigger Picture’ at Royal Academy of Arts on a cold day in mid-winter. It has been a while since I last went to the countryside as it just seems to be dull and cold most of the time.

‘Woldgate Woods, 21, 23 & 29 November 2006′, 2006. Oil on 6 canvases. 182 x 366 cm. © David Hockney. Photo credit: Richard Schmidt, from RCA website.

This show has been widely anticipated and was said to be likely to be as popular as the National Gallery’s exhibition for Leonardo De Vinci. How was it? Click here to find out >>

Tags A bigger picture, collage, David Hockney, landscape, review, Royal Academy of Arts, video, Yorkshire

Categories Art & Design, what is out there?

How to make the perfect Irish coffee?

By winkypedia

January 15, 2012 //

On a cold day like this, what could be better than having a nice and warm Irish Coffee? I found out how to make a perfect one from Daphne who works for Ballymaloe, the famous culinary destination in Cork, Ireland. Click here to check out the recipe >>

Tags brown, coffee, cream, full fat, Guinness, Irish, sugar, whiskey

Categories Food & Drink, my good book

Amazing autumn gold and red in England

By winkypedia

November 12, 2011 //

Continue to see the beautiful autumn red >>

Tags Acer, autumn, leaves, maples, orange, red, United Kingdom, Westonbirt Arboretum

Categories Art & Design, my artwork

Winkle picking and cooking on a hotel room iron

By winkypedia

November 5, 2011 //

A recent trip to a wedding in Cork, Ireland, led me to a lovely beach which has a bed of seaweed. To our delight, we discovered lots of winkles under the rocks.

We stayed in an amazing hotel called Ballymaloe, which has been run by TV chef, Rachel Allen’s family for decades. We were well fed with great food though could not stop feeling peckish looking at the freshly collected winkles.

We just HAD TO eat them!

The lady at the reception told us we could not have a kettle in the room so we could not cook them by boiling. We pretended we would like to have tea in the bedroom but were told there was no kitchen in our building- so blanching/poaching could not happen either.

Luckily, as hotel guests staying for a wedding, there was at least one allowable heat source- an iron!

Upside down iron = Hot plate for searing winkles? We decided to have an experiment…. Continue reading to see how we cooked the winkles on a hotel room iron >>

Tags beach, cooking, Cork, foraging, ireland, iron, picking, winkle

Categories Food & Drink, my food experiments

New game- a fusion between Mah Jong and Scrabble

By winkypedia

October 9, 2011 //

I love Mah Jong! It is a fun game that requires lots of thinking, so much so that some think it is a good ‘brain’ exercise that helps reducing the chances of Alzheimer!

I enjoy playing this game with my non- Chinese friends too. Our Mah Jong evening usually starts with take-away roast duck(s) from Four Season, Queensway- allegedly the best in London. (Though I have to say it is still no way as amazing as the roast geese from Yue Kee in Hong Kong.) It is a great way for them to learn Chinese!

A recent trip to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, led me to discover a new game (photo above). Continue reading to see what that is >>

Tags Beijing, China, game, Mah Jong, Scrabble, tile, Word Jong

Categories Art & Design, Travel, what is out there?

Exotic pigeon keeping

By winkypedia

September 8, 2011 //

Have you ever seen a pigeon baby? Well, you have now. (photo above)

This little one has just been fed, as you can clearly see the birdfeed through its thin skin. A little creepy! Though it is also amazing and magical that in just a few weeks, it turns into a beautiful pure white Fantail pigeon like below.

Or into a little odd but remarkable looking Frillback pigeon, which has bizarre curly feathers and ‘funky boots’, which are actually feathers on the feet! (photo below)

Or an Indian Pigeon which is full of character and pride. Continue reading to check out more funky pigeons >>

Tags aviary, baby, exotic, fantail, frillback, indian, pigeon, Russian

Categories Art & Design, what is out there?

1888- the making of an outdoor mural for London Chinatown

By winkypedia

August 18, 2011 //

1888 is an outdoor mural (8 metre by 5 metre) which I created for London, to celebrate the heritage and vibrance of its Chinatown. It was unveiled on 18.08.08 (18th August 2008). Today, it is 3 years old!

It is composed of 1888 photos which are related to Chinatown, donated by the public. ’8′ is a good figure in Chinese numerology – it symbolises fortune, so a triple eight is especially good. The number one, in Cantonese, sounds like the word for ‘every day’. When I created the mural, I wished that it would bring good fortune to Chinatown every day.

It started as an art competition, which I only discovered 6 days before the submission deadline. Even though I am an architect, I have never really entered anything like this – but I felt strongly about it and the ideas just kept coming. 1888 combined my passions (food, photography and event organising) with my attachment to Chinatown. The final idea came to me very quickly. And I won! Continue reading to see how the mural was made (video) and more >>