Bunga kantan (or torch ginger bud- named so because it looks like a flaming torch)  is a vital ingredient in Malaysian cooking. A tropical flower that grows wild in South East Asia, this pretty bud packs a punch in flavour and scent! In full bloom, it makes an excellent flower. The petals from the flower can also be added to a Thai condiment, nam prik and eaten raw.

Bunga kantan adds floral notes to some of my favourite dishes. I have yet to find this ingredient in the Asian grocery shops in Chinatown and as such have never tried making Asam Fish or Asam Laksa. These dishes somehow seem incomplete without the scent and fragrance imparted by this beautiful bud. Look at just how beautiful it is! Just look at the colour!

I watched The Taste of Tea (one of my favourite films) again yesterday and something about this beautiful track made me think of blossoms falling gently to the ground. Kuala Lumpur may be tropical but this track is also perfect for the stillness after a thunderstorm.

They give me hope!

“I am stunned by the power of nature, the vastness of the damage and the feebleness of humanity. I urge us, everyone, to take this as a moment to recognise our arrogance in thinking that we can control nature.” Ryuichi Sakamoto.

With Spring in full bloom, and now being the time for hanami, I can’t help but think about the people of Japan. With his words to ponder upon, here’s that beautiful track from Ryuichi Sakamoto.

This one is for the trips we didn’t make this year.

And this guy’s for my friend Chris, who is half man/half panda

Ok, that was the last of the paper pets, I promise! On to a new theme!

Remember when you were in school and there was nothing like nice stationery to make you a happy chappy? In the world of the working adult, a similar kind of happiness is achieved from nice pens and post-it notes/memo pads.

How fresh and delicious do these sushi memo pads look? Thanks to Guy for sharing these.

Dress (your desk) fresh!

I have a crazy mad love for pop-up books. My roommate has a How-To book in the bookshelf for making your own pop-up…one of these days I’m going take a serious crack at it. I swear.

Spotted while on my retail tour of São Paulo was the shop front of Galeria Melissa, home of the famous Brazilian rubber shoes. This super-cool installation was made entirely of post-it notes! This fluorescent display put a smile on many faces and if inclined to write on the post-its, customers are welcome to leave a note or reminder to self.

I’m totally blown away by these intricately beautiful works by Brian Dettmer, a Chicago-born, Atlanta-based artist. Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, he dissects one page at a time, not relocating or implanting anything from inside the out-of-date encyclopedias, medical journals, illustration books, and dictionaries, only removing pieces.

“My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception,” Dettmer explains.

I remember the paper dolls I played with as a little girl. I loved how dressing up was so simple- all you had to do was fold down the tabs and voila! A new outfit!

These 1960s paper dolls are great- they look groovy and they look like they are having too much fun and I am inspired to dress up like these paper dolls.

I also love the vintage Japanese ones. They sit somewhat incongruously with the 1960s ladies but, I love the look of them too much not to include them.