The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite novels.  None of the four screen adaptations have done it justice, but with Baz Lurhmann (Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet) at the helm of the Christmas 2012 version, I'm waiting with baited breath.

I can't help but feel doubtful at the casting of Carey Mulligan as Daisy though.  Daisy Buchanan is meant to be flighty, irresponsible, selfish and devastatingly beautiful.  Mulligan tends to play staid, plain and down-to-earth characters, so I just can't envision her in this role.

Although it would be difficult to find someone with the quality of a starlet like Mia Farrow.

Images: Grazia Daily, Stellar Magazine

At the K-pop Concert

I've been fully initiated into the world of K-pop, as of last week.  I went to the YG Family Concert, which is the cuddly name huge K-pop company YG Entertainment termed the show.  As one of the biggest record labels in Korea, they try to market themselves as a family business, but are really a K-pop factory; a production line churning out  bands in an industrially novel way that can be described as the human version of what Ford Motors was doing in the 1920's.

YG Entertainment are responsible for some of the best K-Pop acts in Korea.  They have Big Bang, 2NE1 and GD and T.O.P on their books, the supreme of Korean music (in my opinion).

The concert was a mash-up of artists collaborating on different projects.  I missed this cover by Big Bang (fave boyband) of a 2NE1 (fave girlband) song, but caught up with this grainy version on YouTube the next day.

Images from my friend Poppie's blog

Customellow Flea Market

When I'm not drinking my life away, I manage to make it to some cool daytime events.  Today I went to the Customellow and Fifty Seoul flea market in Hongdae, which is the arty University district of South Korea's capital.

Customellow have been running this market for a couple of months now, in association with bloggers and online clothing companies in Korea.  There was way more choice of male clothing but I still managed to pick up a cute top (above) for 5000 won (less than £3), so it wasn't a wasted journey.  

There were also some bands playing throughout the day but we didn't stick around for those because the shop was uncomfortably rammed.  Hongdae hipsters clearly like their flea markets.

Onesies

Although the most disgusting thing I've ever seen is a dummy-sucking drunk student dressed in a babygro on a night out at Oceana in Cardiff, I'm still partial to an adult onesie.  It's the ultimate in pyjamas, and looks way better than a slankie.  Although admittedly, slankies are super sexy.

OnePiece™ fueled the trend for onesies in Norway after sewing together a hoodie and joggers in a spot of morning-after DIY.  They've come far since, opening their first UK Store in Boxpark, Shoreditch yesterday (Monday 28th of November), spreading the joy of comfort, style and fun even further. Get down to their store in Boxpark and say: ‘I’m spontaneous, not too serious, not too cool. Confident with no worries, so I would like to jump in and join you!’ – and they’ll give you a £20 gift-card - If you want to get it online, type code 85237 upon checkout on www.onepiece.com and you’ll get free shipping.

You probably won't look as sickeningly fresh-faced in your OnePiece™as the models in the above video, but at least you'll be toasty warm all winter.

Vacation

Even though I've been gibbering on about Japan for ages, I've just booked a month-long trip to Thailand and Vietnam in January.  Japan is freezing after Christmas so I've taken an executive decision to get some winter sun in South East Asia instead.  

My Thailand trip will be covering old ground but Vietnam is going to be a new experience.  If anyone has any tips, let me know.  I'm flying into Hanoi and leaving from Ho Chi Minh City, and have sixteen days to spend in various places in between.  

A friend took the pictures while we were on the Thai islands in 2010.  They were taken on and around Koh Phangan, Koh Phi Phi, Ton Sai, Reilly beach, Koh Lanta and Koh Tao.

Tokyo Slo-Mode

Alex Lee's homage to his hometown manages to capture a contrapuntal, surprising and vivacious impression of Tokyo by slowing down images of a city which is generally thought of as the epitome of fast-paced.  The dream-like quality this effect achieves makes me feel like I've just rediscovered a place I've never been to.

Seeing as I'm on such a Tokyo vein at the moment the crazy-amazing effects used in this video are making me want to apparate over to the Japanese capital right now.

Korea, I think we need to talk.

Tokyo Rising

This very cool Palladium Boots documentary (trailer below) on the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake is revealing, enlightening and exciting all at once.  I'm in awe of the Japanese, from their consistently crazy pop culture to the fighting spirit they've shown after the huge tragedy of March 11th this year.

Part three is my favourite out of the entire video due to the intelligent predictions on how Japan will develop and flourish in the future, perhaps without so much of an influence from western pop culture.  It will be fascinating to see how that pans out and to see Japan appropriating their own historical culture in that creative and gloriously kitsch way they know best.

Also, how gorgeous are Trippple Nippples? I love those showgirl outfits, they remind me of the scene in Annie (which I was obsessed with as a kid: I always wanted to be adopted by a billionaire) when she goes to the cinema with Daddy Warbucks and his secretary.

I'll be cashing in my won for yen at some point next year, for sure.

Watch the entire feature at Palladium.

Image: Still from the film