Jean Kee

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A typical Kee-family holiday goes something like this...

8/31/2014

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This time around it was in Penang, a place that holds a lot of our fondest childhood memories. Centred around food, it's no wonder everyone thoroughly enjoyed the weekend!
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For the Love of Pho - Hanoi, Vietnam

8/12/2014

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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. 

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Culturally, Hanoi has been greatly influenced by the French, evident, not only in their food and architecture, but also in design and crafts. During my trip, my eyes caught sight of some beautifully designed bags that uses reclaimed fabrics with patterns that are uniquely Vietnamese, developed by Valerie Cordier. Tribal seems to be the growing fashion trend now, and her bags are the epitome of that - original and bold, with plenty of spunk and story to tell!

I haven't quite figured out if they're available online yet, but I found her bags in the Tan My Design Cafe in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, and I know she also has them in boutique stores in Paris and Melbourne if you just so (luckily) happened to be living in those cities!

Upholding a largely unappreciated heritage is a passion also shared by Myriad (1A Au Co, Tay Ho, Hanoi), a fashion, home & lifestyle brand, that we stumbled upon quite by accident! They just opened their loft studio less than a month ago. Everything - the website, the unpacking, order management - is still in-progress, but for now though, if you're in Hanoi, check out their space... it is such a social, casual environment, that it feels less like shopping and more akin to going to a friend's house for a little tete-a-tete (although technically, it is their house since they live upstairs!)

"In Myriad, we collect moments, not things." As I watch their 2 precious puppies and bumbling bulldog wander around their studio, I could not agree more.
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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!
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Beach Getaway to Gili Air

7/28/2014

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Being able to work for such a global company is an opportunity that I'm very grateful for, especially in that it hasn't forced me to suppress my desire to constantly explore and travel. In fact, with John Hardy, I am encouraged to be inspired by new surroundings everyday. My business trips to Bali enable me to use the weekends to plan a get-together with friends for a mini-vacation, and this time around, we decided to go to Gili Air, a small island off the east coast of Bali, as none of us had been before. Gili Air is one of 3 islands that are car and motor free - the only way to get to the island is via boat, and around the island, by foot, bike or horse-drawn cart.

Last minute planning and booking ensued, and we embarked early on Saturday morning to Padang Bai to catch the highspeed boat. Amidst miscommunication, delays, confusion and general hullaballoo, we ended up actually missing our 9am boat ride to Gili, and were told the next one would be at 1pm. Disappointed and cranky, we marched over to the head office of the boat company we booked with to file a general complaint on lack of organisation and to our surprise, received a free brunch at a chic beach-side cafe as compensation.

Upon arrival at Gili Air, we encountered some gorgeous sailboats... and vowed that one day, somehow, we would also be on one too! And oh mamma mia, the stars that night were unbelievable. Stargazing on a sailboat out in the middle of the sea? Yes, please!

After a refreshing swim in the sea, we found out that 2 of our colleagues from John Hardy had also decided to come to Gili Air as well and since the island was so small, we bumped into them in no time. It was lovely to be able to enjoy the company of friends, toes in the sand, watching the gorgeous sunset ... definitely good times to be had by all!
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A weekend in Singaraja & Karangasem, Bali

7/21/2014

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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!
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Bopping around Europe

4/21/2014

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Having one whole week off from work mid-April was the perfect time for me to embark on a crazy jetsetting adventure of meeting up with friends scattered all across Europe. It was simple, really - buy a return flight from Bangkok to London, and then use the high-speed train to get to the different cities on my list. My insane itinerary went something along the lines of:

Bangkok >> London >> Geneva >> Milan >> Paris >> Avignon >> London >> Bangkok

Words and pictures alone cannot describe how amazing this trip was... and how utterly knackered I was once I touched back down in Bangkok on Monday morning at 6am, only to have to trudge my zombie butt to work directly after!

I couldn't help but smile as I put together this little roadmovie... I am really fortunate to have such beautiful, glorious friends - my Jayarezee, Bino, Oli & Keun Woo - thank you so much for hosting me, whether it was just for a 2-hour lunch in Paris, or a night at the house of the Elliot's, ochre boots and all !
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Zoukout Singapore

12/20/2013

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If music be the food of love, play on.

Electronic dance music is not for everyone, but I'm always game for any excuse to let loose and dance the night away. And with headliners like Zedd, Afrojack, Dash Berlin and NERVO gracing the stages of Zoukout in Sentosa this year, I decided to jump on a plane to Singapore for the weekend, meeting up with friends from HK there.

We didn't waste the day either - swinging by KuDeTa for matinee drinks and to soak up the amazing view, basking in the coolness of the conservatory in Gardens by the Bay, and also wandering through the coffee shops of Chinatown. Singapore may be small, but it definitely has plenty to offer!
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(An added bonus being that I'd be able to enjoy all my favourite foods at the hawker centres in Singapore as well!)
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Floating Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai

11/18/2013

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Not to sound like a pyromaniac, but a festival about sending lanterns on fire into the sky was something I did not intend to miss while living in Thailand. Known as Yi Peng in Thai, it is a Lanna (northern Thai) festival, which meant travelling up north to Chiang Mai, once the ancient capital of the former Lanna kingdom.

Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, we went on the hunt for the famous Khao Soi, a specialty of the region. It is a Burmese-influenced dish, but instead of using rice noodles, our bowl was filled with crispy egg noodles... not that I'm complaining! Appetite sated, a visit to the Doi Suthep temple was in order, before heading back downtown for an afternoon siesta - or in our case, a massage. 

When the sun set, we ventured back out into the city in time for the lantern lighting. Hordes and hordes of people (mostly tourists) filled the streets, lighting, carrying and lifting the lanterns high into the sky (or dodging them if it got astray, which was not uncommon). It was the reality version of the scene from Tangled - simply replace the romantic duet with all-rounded chaos and hullaballoo... you get the idea.

We ducked into a temple to escape from the noise and risk of getting hit by a paper lantern already ablaze, and it was as if we had stepped into another world. There were lights floating on the water, lights hanging from the trees and lights floating in the sky... it was absolutely breathtaking.
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Hong Kong - a journey of jewellery and junkboats

9/16/2013

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Every September, Hong Kong hosts one of the biggest, if not the biggest Gem & Jewellery Fair worldwide, showcasing exhibitors from all over the world... in a nutshell, floors and floors of bling. 

I couldn't be more excited to be given this amazing opportunity to attend the fair, not only to source for precious gems, but also to be inspired by the cutting edge technology and creativity that others in our industry are exploring today.

What amazes me is that despite how many exhibitors were at the Fair, the social circle is very tight-knit - people know who is supplying what for who!

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.
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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~
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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! 
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Beginning with Bali

1/18/2013

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Prior to me starting work in Bangkok, I went on a 4-day trip to Bali to visit the compound of John Hardy to better understand the company's dream, their values, and their mission as handcrafted luxury. 

Founded by John Hardy, a Canadian designer & artist, in 1975, the company applies new design concepts to Balinese artisanal techniques inspired by nature and ancient East Asian art styles and themes, creating luxurious pieces that are not only intricately made, but detailed in the story that goes behind each item.

The compound in Bali is not only the design centre, it also serves as a living and gathering space with an organic farm and low impact buildings. One of the company's biggest focus is to be environmentally and socially conscious of its carbon footprint - the ultimate goal being to become carbon neutral.

As I explored Bali, I did not realise how much it had to offer in terms of culture, heritage and tradition, and returned back to Bangkok truly inspired, ready to begin applying all that I saw into jewellery!
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Hello Seattle!

8/12/2012

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Post-graduation was a time of both relaxation and frustration as my job-hunt began, and I went through the application process of interviews and mini-projects.

But persistence paid off, and I received a job offer from Taphandles, a Seattle-based company that develops and designs brands, merchandise and yes, taphandles, for breweries worldwide. Without hesitation, I jumped on the first flight out from the east coast, to the west, and started work the very next day.

Moving out to Seattle has been a wonderful transition. The people from work are fun, easy-going and we get along well. The projects are fast-paced and keep me on my toes, which guarantees I'm never bored. The weather has been beautiful of late, although I've constantly been told it won't last long. 

And so begins a new chapter in my life! An added bonus being that I've started climbing again... blistered hands have never felt so good :)
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