Happy Friday! As this week comes to a close, I thought it the perfect time to sit back and contemplate how far we've come, especially as the last couple of days have been quite hectic at work.

Practicing my gouache rendering every day for the past 2 weeks has really paid off, and I'm starting to learn the tips and tricks to really make the designs pop off the page. There are still some things that elude me - particularly the way the light hits and reflects back from the different gemstones - but this is something I'll figure out over time as I work with more and more precious gemstones.

My current obsession are these opal jewellery renderings that I completed last week, especially the ones with the Lightning Ridge black opal from Australia. We purchased these from one of our gemstone suppliers, Chris Price, and the blue and green fire in these opals are absolutely stunning. The way it diffracts the light and lends almost a luminescent glow... can you believe this is purely from Mother Nature herself?

I cannot wait to see these designs come to life!

It seems to be a growing trend now for me... a long weekend means another impulsive and last-minuted planned trip to another part of Southeast Asia that I hadn't explored yet. This time around, we were off to Hanoi for 4 days!

If there was one place where Paris meets Chinatown in the chaotically organised way possible, this was it. The colonial European architecture of the buildings with its terraced patios and trellis-walled foliage set the scene, only to be filled with bowls of pho, crazy traffic that only Asians are able to achieve, and humidity out the wazoo. 

We bounced back and forth between the two extremes; from brunch at the chic Sofitel-Legend Hotel Metropole Hanoi (where we were greeted with a demure "bonjour!") to Vietnamese coffee and condensed milk at a road-and-lakeside stall, from browsing a made-to-order French perfumery, to walking the grounds of the Temple of Literature. 

But my goodness... the food? I'll let the photos do the talking!

Another random evening out and about in the city of Bangkok at the chic, speakeasy-esque Maggie Choo's in Silom.

Its unique 1930's Shanghainese decor, complete with cheongsam-clad, fan-fluttering models posing on swings, and great live music, makes it the perfect place for Ladies Night... though as the evening went on, our group expanded exponentially as friends and friends-of-friends joined in. How we all managed to fit in the intimate, separated vault-turn-lounge room is beyond me!

The design team was given the amazing opportunity to organise a weekend trip to explore the east and west coast of Bali, areas that have not been overpopulated with tourists and that still maintain a large part of its heritage and culture relatively intact. 

We jam-packed as many places to go, things to see (and most importantly, food to eat!) as we could in the span of 3 days. Needless to say, we were completely exhausted by the end of the trip, but it was an experience that we would not trade for anything... except maybe to go back again!

Because every queen bee deserves a tiara. Especially one as regal and fluffly as French feline Poddle McPoddleton, whom I first met while in Bonnieux last month.

This gouache rendering is for you... miss you, Podface!

We're already well into designing for Spring 2015, so here's a little snippet of what's to come... stay tuned!

The last time I picked up a watercolour brush to render jewellery by hand was 5 years ago. It's amazing how terrified I was of getting back into it. This was a traditional technique that only couture jewellery houses such as Cartier, Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels still uphold... most jewellery companies now have already switched to using CAD. And because of that, there was such a high expectation for the rendering to be a work of art - rendered to the point that the jewels could almost be picked up right off the page. 

My first complete rendering attempt (and I'm not even counting the 3 times I had to restart) took me the better part of the day to complete, my nose practically touching the paper as I captured every sparkle and facet of the diamond pavé. But like any skill, practice makes perfect, right?  

It is a running joke amongst my friends, colleagues and fellow designers that the space in which I inhabit - whether it is to work, sleep, play or live in - is called the panda cave. I've come to realise the reason for my nickname lies in my lifestyle... and it has nothing to do with me being Asian (I think).

Working in Bangkok has been an eye-opening experience. Today marks my one year anniversary of being with this company. I've learnt so much, but at the same time, I'm already itching to begin another new adventure. Though I cannot know what the future holds for me, what matters most is the journey... the people I meet along the way, the experiences, and the things I do to make sure I get to where I want.

So in one year from now, where will I be? Better yet, where will you be?

Work aside, my brother and sister-in-law are now living in HK with their hyperactive maltese, Caesar, and I was able to spend a couple of days over the weekend couch surfing at their apartment, much to Caesar's delight. Getting together in the Kee family always involves eating, eating and well, more eating, and this was no different. From Peking duck, to good ol' fashioned Dim Sum, to Napoli-syle pizza, to fro-yo... it is probably a good thing I don't live in the same country as my brother or we would have a serious problem.

To top it all off, a Seattle friend that I used to work at Taphandles coincidentally was in Hong Kong that same weekend as me. Ryan was en route to China to visit a factory, and through a friend of his, Christian, who works in Hong Kong, we somehow ended up on a junkboat, spending a lazy Sunday afternoon out on the waters by the island. Pure bliss~

I caught the red-eye flight back to Bangkok on Sunday night; arrived Monday at 2am, crashed for 4 hours before heading to work... seems like the best times to be had are always associated with lack of sleep! 

While Bali gave us a collection embodying very detailed, intricate scrollwork, the ancient kingdom of Thailand, Sukhothai, inspired us to create a concept that was classically timeless in its appeal, sculpted in silver with accents of 18K gold.

Sukhothai literally translates to the "dawn of happiness" and was considered to be the golden age of Thai culture. Rather fitting for a collection with a bolder look for the modern professional women, no?

I was wandering around the streets of Bangkok the other day when I almost walked into a lamp-post... and crazily enough, the base of the post had the same twisted rope look that is iconic of our new collection! Incredulous, I still can't believe how coincidental my clumsiness became a moment of clarity - seems like we are moving in the right direction with this new collection!