Murakami, Mommy and Me

Can I tell you about...my day with Murakami and Mom. When I got back from Asia, David and I invited Mom to spend the day with us to go to Brooklyn to see Takashi Murakami's exhibit. I've been a fan ever since I saw his work in Tokyo and even more so when he collaborated with Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. Talk about a match made in retail heaven! They must have sold millions of those bags and were knocked off to death. His anime' inspired work is full of optimism and even when he has a dark subject, he somehow makes you smile. There is a tongue in chic quality to what he does and how he sees life.The show of had some limited edition Vuitton accessories (mais ouis bien sur) that were made just for the exhibit so if you wanted a piece of Murakami, you could buy a bag or wallet instead. Now that's art to wear, right?You must be wondering why we have photos when photos are strictly forbidden in the museum. This leads me to the 2nd part of the story. My Mom, like me, likes to take photographs of everything...literally EVERYTHING! I think it's a Filipino thing. As soon as we entered the exhibit, there were "no photography" signs all over. Well, let's just say my Mom likes to throw caution to the wind and if she wants something, she finds a way to get it.I'm convinced I owe my entrepreneurial hutzpah and daring to her. Growing up, she always had these side businesses on top of managing my grandfather's business which was her main occupation. Why, because...why not? Mom always had a 'can do' attitude with life and in her dealings with people.She's the eternal optimist. Nothing is impossible as far as she was concerned. She loved the exhibit and had a great time taking photos under the noses of the security guards. She was all giddy when we left the museum. She wanted these photos...et voila! Go Mommy, go Mommy!
Do you have a good Mommy story to share with me?

Goreng once, Goreng twice

Can I tell you...about Jakarta. I flew over the next day after David and Amanda's wedding. I was meeting buyers and press while checking out the scene. The first day I met with Daisy Musin, the buyer of Masari, one of the best specialty stores that carry me in Jakarta. They just opened an accessory only shop in a new upscale mall called Plaza Indonesia. Incidentally they also own the franchise to Hermes and Lanvin. They scheduled a marathon press day for me from 11am to 4pm for fashion & lifestyle magazines back to back.There could have been more interviews but they were worried that I would be exhausted. Um…yeah! In fact, I could barely speak after all that schmoozing. To perk me up, the girls took me to Alun-Alun, a one stop shop for all things Indonesian from crafts, home accessories and fashion. Retail therapy has miraculous rejuvinating powers. I wanted some Batik shirts that I saw all these guys wearing. I’m a self confessed printaholic so I was like a kid in a candy store. To unwind, we had tea and I got to try some local delicacies like Kolak Pisang (banana with coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaves) and this refreshing drink called Sekoteng (ginger, peanuts, jelly, red beans and milk). And if that wasn’t enough, that evening we had dinner at this amazing restaurant Lara DjongGrang, famous for serving Imperial Indonesian cuisine and set in a reclaimed 300 year old temple from East Java. I had Nasi goreng again, deluxe version.On the second day, I had breakfast with Widiyana Sudirman, senior marketing manager of Harvey Nichols Jakarta. They are set to open in September and we discussed a special project I would do just for their store opening. They’re inviting me to come back in November with a possible side trip to the Bulgari Resort Hotel in Bali. Very tempting!After breakfast, my friend Annette del Rosario picked me up to go sightseeing & shopping. Annette is a Filipina who has lived in Jakarta for 7 years and speaks Bahasa fluently so she was the perfect chaperone du jour to spend the day with. First stop, Jalan Surabaya, Jakarta’s famous flea market.We dove right in looking at more hand-woven Ikat fabrics, Batik sarongs from Timor and Lombok as well as imperial hair pieces that I thought my friend Zani Gugelmann would absolutely die for. Annette bargained like a pro and I got everything I wanted and then some.All that shopping made us hungry so we headed over to Café Batavia for lunch. It’s a grand 200 year old structure from the Dutch colonial period and it is one of Jakarta’s most famous restaurants in the historical Kota area. This very chic establishment is also conveniently open 24 hours like a Korean deli!That afternoon we went to the Kemang district to check out the latest mini mall concept called the Papilion. It has a restaurant with a roof deck lounge, a bridal store that would make Vera green with envy, a multi brand shop by Club 21 and a tea room by Dutch chocolatier Huize van Wely.

The profiteroles were a dream! We checked out the neighboring stores as well for contemporary batik clothing from several different designers. Think Dries and Marni but for much less and more authentic.
Then it was on to dinner and drinks at the super chic boutique hotel Dharmawangsa for my last meal in Jakarta. They serve the best Lychee martini in town. I can’t wait to come back.

Bali High

Can I tell you...about Bali. When you get invited to a wedding in Bali, you don’t think twice about it…you go. That’s exactly what I did when my friends David Jacob and Amanda Griffin asked me to join them, their family and friends for a weekend in this magical and mystical island.I stayed in Seminyak by the beach along with other friends. This area has cool shops and really good restaurants. I enjoyed a really tasty “nasi-goreng” for lunch with the boys at Made’s Warung then hit some of the fabric stores in the afternoon. I was desperate for some handwoven “ikat” scarves and some “batik” sarongs.Fortunately, the word for expensive “mahal” and inexpensive “mura” in Indonesian are the same in Filipino. I'm a quick study and haggling is something I do very well. As you can imagine I walked home with quite a handful of scarves and sarongs.Sunset at Ku De Ta is legendary and rightfully so. This is Bali’s answer to Café del Mar in Ibiza. Cute Euro, Aussie and Asian crowd, groovy chill sounds by a DJ and potent cocktails equals a really good party. I was there practically every night...it was that fabulous.On the 2nd day,I hired a driver for the day to head over to Ubud to check out the rice terraces, the hotels and then some. On the way, I took photos of village women preparing for a ceremony and men in their sarongs. All that mix of pattern and color is so inspiring.I had lunch at the famous hole in the wall Ibu Oka restaurant. Anthony Bourdain swears by their “babi-guling” suckling pig dish. In the Philippines we have something similar called “lechon” but I have to admit, their version takes the prize. I’m so relieved this restaurant is thousands of miles away.I went to visit their Monkey Forest where hundreds of monkeys roam freely and interact with tourists. If you buy bananas outside, they get up close and personal. Not for me! I was happy to take photos from a distance. I've been bit by a monkey when I was young and that was traumatic.I had a Balinese massage at the Four Seasons and stayed for a sunset snack. Bumped into friends from the wedding doing Ubud for the day like me. This hotel has the best bar ever with panoramic views overlooking a river and mountains. Seating is arranged so everybody has a view. Breathtaking!In the evening I caught a “Kecak” dance performance held inside a torch lit Balinese temple.I love folk dances and especially this one. It was so dramatic and hypnotic. You get a real sense of their culture, traditions and religion with this dance. This is another thing you don’t want to miss.At the end of the day I head over to Kudeta one last time. Have you ever been to a place where just being there was a natural high? Yeah, I'll admit it, I'm on a Bali High.