On the Road: Merry Christmas & Kuopio Kalakukko in Jyväskylä 2015!!

December 23-27, 2015

Happy Christmas! Christmas means to me is lovely family, snow white, good food, holiday vibe and warm greetings. I have never stopped missing Korean hot pot, Vietnamese spring rolls, Taiwanese steaming buns or Cantonese dim sum, nevertheless, I am also a big fan of fatty ham with honey mustard. During the black Christmas days, at dining time we experience ‘fish bread’, a traditional treat from northern Finland, Kuopio.

Called kalakukko in Finnish, (literally translated as ‘fish cock’ in English) is prepared with rye flour (ruisleipä) and seasoned with salt; the filling consists of kalakukko, which is either vendace (muikku), or European perch/cisco (ahven). Salmon is also used for some occasions.

Traditionally, in southern Savonia, the vendace is advocated as the only fish for the true kalakukko. Kalakukko can be either eaten cold or reheated in an oven. It takes about one hour in 130 °C for the size about 1 kilogram. The appropriate drink to accompany kalakukko is buttermiilk or piimä.

The derivation of Kalakukko is due to the easy-preservation and high-nutrition for the farmers or workers away from home. Kalakukko can be kept for a long time when is unopened. Our kalakukko is a Christmas gift from the neighbours, I am so fond of the taste of vendace, but the rye bread is too dry to chew.

With fruit and beetroot salad, the Christmas season is fatty yet deliciously healthy. I am loving it!

Special Thanks: Perhe Heikkinen

Magazine Madness: Bond Bombshell--Léa Seydoux By Craig McDean

VOGUE UK November 2015

From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, Bond movies to me are adventurous, exotic, action-packed and literary justice, not until I began my literary criticism did I realize that Bond episodes are highly Daedalus complex and absolute sexism. And indeed, Interviewer Giles Coren toward the idea to a Bond girl, is ‘so loaded with sex and submissiveness and double-entendre.

Through fashion photographer Craig McDean’s observation, Léa Seydoux on fashion campaign pages of VOGUE UK November 2015 issue, with Jitrois black stretch leather jumpsuit, looks like Scarlett Johansson but with that Vanessa Paradis gap between front teeth. Seydoux’s eyes are able to communicate with, conveying her either a lethal sex kitten or an innocent girl-next-door, within a second. Photographer McDean does not apply soft-focus this time on Seydoux as he tried on Emma Stone in Interview May 2015, instead, on ‘bond girl’ image a monotone, and Max Mara and Christopher Kane skirts he adapts pinky spring atmosphere to contrast the ‘black leather jumpsuit’ fatal feel. The stripe setting of the monotone images, Seydoux’s disarmingly alluring pose is as if she is ‘getting wet’ with the devastatingly fitted suit. Seydoux ‘s wearing of peachy pink Prada jersey coat makes her as sweet as ‘Florale’ (Seydoux is also the face of Prada Candy parfum), but her voices, as Coren describes, is so softly, and giggles often during the 2-hour chat.

Born as Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne, her family is well known in France: her grandfather, Jérôme Seydoux, is the chairman of Pathé and her father is CEO of the French wireless company Parrot. Despite her interest, Seydoux family didn’t aid Léa to gain her acting career. The reason of her being an actress, is because ‘people can take care of me. To be an actress is a refuge. You are taken everywhere, stay in wonderful hotels, everyone looks after you, buys you clothes and food…’ (219). But for the Bond girl, she points out that ‘most women love a Bond girl. They don’t care about the politics. They like how she looks, what she wears’ (222). I do care about the feminism at Bond series, but I have to admit that I am in love with Léa Seydoux’s wearing ivory white crepe suit and Chloé suede sac that Spectre scene filming in Morocco.

New spokeswoman of Louis Vuitton, a professional doctor Madeleine Swann in Sam Mendes’ Spectre, and winner of Palme d’Or for Blue Is the Warmest Colour, this unlikely Bond girl’s job is not just to get wet, get frisky and get killed. And I am anticipating Seydoux’s silhouette appearing on some covers of fashion magazine soon.

Works Cited & Photography:

www.vogue.co.uk

For more Photography from Craig McDean, please visit:

http://www.artandcommerce.com/artists/photographers/craig-mcdean

Accessories Accede: What’s in My Chanel Makeup Sac?

Q&A After Working Hours in Helsinki

What are your working essentials in Chanel Makeup sac? 

IPhone 5C and ID are my everyday necessities. 

How cute of this SS15 Chanel Makeup sac! Tell us about your choice. 

The PVC material was at first not my priority, but black zipper with Chanel interlocked logo give this pochette more of a fun touch, plus it’s the freebie while purchased over 50 EUR at Emotions SOKOS, so I grab it without any hesitation. Surprisingly the PVC material is a great protection of my IPhone 5C, and its lightweight is easy to carry on at work. 

✔Chanel caviar cowhide leather cardholder is my best ID keeper. I plan to insert a piece of lovely Fuji Instax photo soon after Christmas. 

✔Japanese handmade wooden comb is a proud find during my 2014 Japan business stay. This sophisticated work of art with beautiful floral sculpture on hilt,つげcarved at the back, neat teeth along with sandalwood scent (樁油仕上) accompanied with Nishijin weaving cover (西陣織), is my windy-day remedy and beauty must-have. 

✔Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream lip balm is my all-time protection. Its stickiness is perfectly suitable for windy days in Helsinki. 

✔Chanel Le Lift eye cream 3ml and Chanel mascara #10 noir are from the Chanel beauty freebie, are already ready at Makeup sac! 

✔KÄMP Hotel dark chocolate is the freebie while ordering at teatime at bar area. 

✔Viktor & Rolf FLOWERBOMB Body Cream 15ml is one of the freebies from 30ml eau de parfum. With a sense of floral and opulent with intensive sweet jasmine, seductive rose, freesia and orchid, while its milky and powdery notes gently fondle my skin. This ‘Bomblicious’ lait pour le corps is also an immediate perfume for my quick adjustment at work. 

✔This customized wooden name charm is one of the cutest gifts from my Japanese friends. Hand-cut from Ricordo Studio (リコルド, literally means ‘memory’ in Italian), Okayamaken (岡山県), this unique ‘hinoki’ material is carved ‘Mindy’ in hiragana! What a lovely way to think of my lovely Japanese amici!!!

Accessories Accede: What’s in My Marc by Marc Jacobs Luna Sac?

Q&A After Sushi Dinner

Tell us the reason why you are in favour of Marc By Marc Jacobs Luna shoulder sac.

Luna is the third from my Marc By Marc Jacobs shoulder sac collection. Not falling in love at the first sight, but later I found this width 16 cm, height 17 cm and depth 7 cm leather bag indeed functional—its flap clasp is either fashionable if fasten on or not, the reserved half-moon shape is funky, the teal colour is matching my winter apparels and the space is perfect enough to keep my 2 pouches, a pair of sunglasses and some daily essentials for city walking.

Why do you always have ‘bag-in-bag’ in your sac?

Because it’s much easier to organize all my small items, and ‘bag-in-bag’ prevents the damages from such as mirror, lipstick, and earrings the mutual metallic friction. While switching different bag due to the various occasions or outfits, nothing can easily be missing, and finally, ‘bag-in-bag’ organizing idea gives me a super good reason to collect more lovely small leather sacs!

✔Dolce & Gabbana acetate sunglasses owns 100% UV protection black lenses and gold plaque, that is a great bargain from outnet.com during the winter sale. The cat-eye shape just suits me fine.

✔Louis Vuitton multicolor pochette cles is my new favourite in November. Murakami Takashi’s design with 33 colours giving a jive touch of monotone monogram logo, but after 12-year collaboration, LVMH group decided to calling off the manufacturing of multicolor collection in July, 2015. My personal taste prefers a shining mini leather products to a huge shoulder bag (to me it looks like a traffic lights at night), so a small pochette is good for my bank cards and coupons on the go.

What’s in My Destination Unknown Dirty Girl Bag?

✔Marc By Marc Jacobs Plastic Housed ear buds are the ultimate music accessories on the go. The sound quality is more suitable for pop genre rather than rock or classical music.  

✔Vivienne Westwood Orb rhodium earrings are my lifetime collection. I would like to add one more pair soon after this 2007 special edition.

✔Japanese Sofi daily sanitary pad is my savor all around, also my black hair bands and pins, they make the life much easier to go on. Watson’s in Taiwan provide these lovely goods at super bargain prices, such as a bag of hair bands costs around 30 cents only.  

✔Avène Nutri-redensifying day cream 5ml and M.A.C Zoom Fast Black Lash are my quick remedies for some unexpected unpleasant moments.

✔Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet #49 La PÉTILLANTE and Elizabeth Arden 8-hour lip balm are together such a perfect match. I always buy Chanel cosmetics during season sales and 8-hour lip balm at duty free.

✔Japanese-Mexican-Norwegian illustrator duo Aranzi Aronzo creates the cutest and funkiest cosmetic mirror-on-the-run ever! One of my favourite characters is Kappa (on the mirror), which was inspired from the ancient Japanese folktales. First Opened in Osaka, now Aranzi Aronzo spreads their drawing business to boutique and café, as could be enjoyed in the major cities in Taiwan and Japan.

Aranzi Aronzo

Vivienne Westwood 

On the Road: Stockholm 48-Hour Trip--Gamla Stan, NK & Silja Line

HEL-STO 31/10/2015 17:00

STO-HEL 02/11/2015 09:30

Välkommen! This is the ‘welcome’ word from the capital of Scandinavia-Stockholm. The mysterious discount Silja cruise tickets lead us to this homeland of IKEA and H&M, while our purposes are no limited to shopping, more for the culture, food and fun time.

Silja Symphony’s virgin launch was in 1991, Turku, and re-decorated in 2014. This lady is with total length 203 meters, width 31,5 meters, 13 floors, and the capacity on holding 2852 passengers in total. Our Promenade cabin is facing the shopping street, and very cozy and fully equipped. After duty-free, souvenir and sauna checked; at 19:00 Sushi & Co. feed us with high quality nigiri and maki dinner, its miso soup is all you can pour: tofu, seaweed and fresh green leak.

When the supper is over, the show time begun! We especially appreciate the dancing show, which combines both of stage drama and comedic element. The Irish bar has live bands to join, the casino is exciting, while the karaoke and disco start from twilight on the 13^th floor to the hours of dawn. 

In the early morning, at 9:30, Silja Symphony arrives at Stockholm harbor. We only have approximately 7 hours on land, so the sightseeing routes divided as three: Gamla Stan & breakfast, NK department store, street roaming & teatime. Taking metro from Gärdet station to old town only takes 8-10 minutes, since October 31st a windy Halloween, so we first enjoy hot chocolate, Belgium waffle and espresso at Café Öppet. The cashier lady is very friendly and generous (check the huge ball of chocolate ice cream she pour on the plate for me), we have full energy to walk forward. Unfortunately we are not interested in repetitive souvenir stores, so we first head to Royal Palace and Parliament House for photos, then cross the bridge and achieve NK department store to discover more.

Founded in 1902, opened in 1915, luxury department store NK (Nordiska Kompaniet, the literally Nordic Company) brings both international and local designer’s brands together, from Hermès to Acne. I enjoy the lower ground floor of how café and pastry stalls present, and the 3rd floor of beautiful books. Of course I try Acne Studios’ linen t-shirt and knit wear, after I find them not my style, then we go straight over to another shopping area, Bibloteksgatan.

 

Unlike Helsinki, where most of the design stores close on Sundays, a lot of places in Stockholm operate at least 4 hours for the quick shopping. Unfortunately Prada, Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton are closed, still Dagmar and my favourite Marc by Marc Jacobs are welcoming. With spacious store interior, MBMJ has full ready-to-wear collection on Men’s and Women’s, also the handbags and small leather goods display in playful ways. Two staff are in funky and vibe African looking, and while I take some time choosing my third MBMJ gold-plated earrings, they are very helpful, and wrapping my final choice delicately in purple silk paper, in a mini cub MBMJ shopping bag.

Satisfied and being reluctant to part the city, returning to cruise by 16:15 is our priority. Whereas there are new performances awaiting us: acrobatic professionals at hallway, dancing show at deck 7 and Michael Peña’s comedy is making people laugh. Between the shows, we also taste the juicy Angus beef, pork chop and the hot potatoes wedges at El Capitan. Though the trip takes 48 hours only, but the food, culture, entertainment and shopping experiences are overwhelming, I would like to visit Stockholm again (perhaps next year) and take more astonishing pictures for my art project.

Special Thanks: JMH

Photography taken by iphone 5C 

@visitstockholm