South Africa has been my dream holiday destination for as long as I can remember. I was extremely determined to make it to South Africa some day after I 'discovered' The Cape of Good Hope on the world map at six years old. Even though I have finally visited the country in May, I am still reluctant to strike it off my to-go-list and bucket list because I am waiting for another opportunity to be back in South Africa.
My love for South Africa grew leaps and bounds after we subscribed to cable TV at home. Every weekend, my dad and I would binge watch countless of documentaries on the National Geographic channel and marvel at the beauty of God's creation. When we finally get tired from watching the telly, we would often take a drive to a nearby nature park to bird watch, spot monkeys and listen to the sounds of nature. Such good memories! Cape Town, I can't wait to be back!
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Sunday Stickies is a column where we reflect on the past week and pen those thoughts down on sticky pads. Expect notes to ourselves and others, advice, reminders for the week ahead, quotes, and anything random actually. There is nothing better than working in a space that is spanking clean, neat, and orderly. Frustrated with the accumulating mess and overjoyed with the fact that our shipment of furniture had finally reached our studio, we started work at the insane hour of 6am on Thursday to dive headfirst into a packing frenzy. A little more than four hours later, along with cartons and cartons of rubbish, we finally had a clean and organised studio space again! Phew, we are so in love with it and we hope that this state of neatness will last for a very long time. It must be the conducive space working its magic but we had a super productive week filled with fresh ideas, completion of projects, and positive client meetings. It is going to be a hectic end half of the year for us as we start to accept bigger responsibilities and larger-scaled projects, all while juggling more events and a wider retail product line. Ahhhh, we are a little nervous and a whole lot of excited. Wish us all the best, yeah? Min: Woah. Just when the post-Africa-full-body-rash is healing nicely, my face decided to go crazy on me. My skin was so irritated after a facial appointment on Monday and for some strange reason, I decided that slapping my face would make it feel better. So slapping and scratching I did. In a couple of minutes, my face was completely red, blotchy and bumpy. Thankfully, Jia's idea of patting my face with a cold towel worked almost immediately. The irritation stopped after some anti-histamine and Jia's cold towel therapy. Sigh. When will my skin ever look good? Going vegetarian for lunch for the rest of the year could really work out for us as we make a joint and conscious effort to eat better and healthier. Perhaps our bodies will really thank us for eating right by giving us radiant and clear skin. Or perhaps, it's time for a full detox. Shall we do it next week Jia? Jia: I am not fluent in Mandarin at all. I am terrible at reading and writing it, which is why I have shied away from Taobao for the longest time. Even when my friends were gushing about how cheap everything was, I was doubtful and hesitant. I tried looking through the website once and all I got from it was a massive headache. However, as always, things change.
My always fabulous and effectively bilingual partner, Min decided to take the plunge to order some stuff from Taobao a few months ago and holy cow, was it a pretty awesome decision. After learning that a couple of our friends had furnished their entire homes with Taobao with great results, we ordered some drawers and cabinets for our studio. The furniture came in this week. Let's just say that I am a convert. Where can I sign up for a lifetime membership? Or rather, where can Min sign me up for a lifetime membership? - Tell us - how was your week? With Love, Min+Jia. The creative community is a very small one. Recently, there have been stirrings amongst our designer/creative friends about the growing number of copycats within the community. There is a fine line between being inspired and taking someone's ideas as yours. With an increase of creatives in the field these days and paired with the abundance of gorgeous designs throughout history, it is pretty difficult to come up with a completely 100% original idea. That is why it is very important to be able to infuse your own personality and style into your work as it makes the work you do truly yours. After conversations with our friends about imitators and the possibilities of someone copying us and in turn, us copying someone unintentionally, we decided to reflect on our business and design voices. How do we stay true to ourselves, and most importantly, how does it reflect in our work? About honey&gazelle Design Studio's business voice Min: Rome was not built in a day. Before honey&gazelle Design Studio became reality, Jia and I were deep in our knees in the corporate world. I was managing a school and Jia was in marketing and corporate communications. We were both climbing fast and furious on the corporate ladder but eventually gave it up to chase our dreams and follow the path that God had planned for us. Truth be told, it was definitely not an easy decision to make. We would not have started our studio without God being the centre of our friendship and business. With Him in control, we know we are in the best care. One good reason for success, other than pure hard work, is to have the ability to see to the needs of a growing company. Though leading companies boast of their successful business strategies and models, there is no cookie cutter business model. Reading business related books and articles have taught us a lot but creating a structure that is truly unique to our company was our main goal. We planned for an steady and organic growth for honey&gazelle Design Studio simply because we are not keen on creating an explosive business boom that is merely here today and gone tomorrow. We are here for the long haul and we are not going to pit ourselves against others just to prove a point. The past year has taught us a lot and we are determined to stay true to our beliefs while we work towards moulding honey&gazelle Design Studio to be a complete dream come true. About honey&gazelle Design Studio's design voice
Jia: Min and I have very different personal styles when it comes to design. She loves the refined, clean, and sleek aesthetic while I am obsessive over details and textures, and sometimes my taste borders on bombastic and tacky. Min would be totally overjoyed with a simple minuscule zen dot on a huge white blank space but I would be dying to splash some paint all over it. And maybe bomb the canvas with glitter and feathers. What can I say? It is always a party with me! If you ever meet us in person, just look at our nails. The designs on our nails say it all. Deciding on the style of honey&gazelle Design Studio’s products took a pretty long and difficult time. It was, and still is a challenge to blend two differing views and personalities into a seamless piece of work that authentically felt like us. But, we did it, love it, and are proud of our work. On a whole, our designs are generally pretty clean and flanked with meticulous details. It is a perfect blend of Min and I. With that being said, our design preferences are always evolving because we actively learn, read, and explore. We believe in experimenting and taking a leap out of our comfort zone. If we were to stick to one style forever, we would just become a one-trick pony and that would not do at all. If you are currently confused over which direction to take or are overly influenced by trends or your favourite designer, I would urge you to research and explore beyond the popular. You will find your own personal voice eventually! - Do you think it is important to stand out from the crowd? With Love, Min+Jia. Here is my confession: I am my dad's biggest fan. In my eyes, my dad is flawless and faultless. My mum returned to work shortly after giving birth to me and since there was no one to care for me, my dad chose to work the nightshift just so he could be my primary caregiver during the day. Although I do not remember much, I will always remember his smell. Is this how babies know who their parents are? I was very attached to my dad when I was growing up and I loved every minute of it. Though he appears to be stern, he is extremely gentle with me. I know for sure, that he has my back all the time. When my car breaks down, I have no fear because my dad has taught me well. I can change a car tyre and I know what to do when my car overheats. He taught me how to cycle, how to bathe a dog, and he stood up for me when I got bullied in school. He carries my very first passport photo in his wallet and he looks at it whenever his day gets rough. Below are some awesome Father’s Day gifts that I rounded up for the different kinds of dads out there. Personally, I can’t wait to fire up a grill with my old man and well, just enjoy each other's company. 1 // For the dad who loves the outdoors and want to look and feel good at the same time: Nike Dri-FIT Golf Polo T-shirt - A Dri-FIT T-shirt is perfect for hot and sunny Singapore, as it is lightweight and sweat-absorbent. Keep daddy feeling cool and smart-looking with this white Nike Men's Modern Fit Golf Polo tee. 2 // For the daddy with innate musical talents: Handstamped Guitar Pick Keyring with Leather Case - Remind daddy of your love for him with this aluminium guitar pick encased in a leather case holder. He can easily attach his keys to the keyring and carry this wherever he goes. This way, dad will never be without a guitar pick and best of all, he will be constantly reminded of you! 3 // For the fun-loving father who loves word-building games: Bananagrams - This is a portable word-building game with a twist. Instead of waiting for your turn, each player gets the same number of tiles at the start to build a crossword style arrangement. The fun begins when a player runs out of words to build! If your family enjoys games like Scrabble and Boggle, you may enjoy Bananagrams as well! Don't you just love how fun the packaging is too? 4 // For the minimalist and stylish dad: Kisetsu Natsu Minimalist Card Holder Wallet in Crazy Horse Leather - This compact card holder is a good choice for the dad who values style and functionality. The Natsu can hold 4 - 6 cards comfortably and comes with RFID protection that prevents your dad's card information from being stolen. I'm pretty sure most dads will like a sleek wallet! 5 // For the daddy who loves to start a fire in the backyard:
Ember-grilled Steak with Bay Leaf Browned Butter Recipe - My family loves the grill. We used to own a charcoal grill and it served us very well for many years. When it finally broke, we never got around to replace it. Instead, we got an electric grill and the family grill tradition is still in place. This Father's Day, fire up the grill and have a cookout with dad. Family bonding over food and beer is the best, in my opinion! 6 // For the father with a good sense of humour: Favourite Child Ceramic Mug - I adore this mug! If I had siblings, I am pretty sure I will buy this for my dad. Imagine the smile on your father's face when he sees this mug! Let's make it easier for dad because we all know how hard it is for daddy to declare who his favourite child is, right? 7 // For the father who works way too hard: honey&gazelle Backache Throw Pillow - Remind daddy with this pillow cushion that "All Work and No Play Makes You A Bad Daddy". Backache is very real. Especially for the dad who works way too hard and way too long hours. Besides this cushion, I recommend throwing in a good shoulder and back massage for daddy! 8 // For the dad who needs a getaway: Staycation at Amara Sanctuary Sentosa - Sometimes, all our parents need is some quiet time together. After many years of marriage, it would be nice for our parents to indulge in a getaway to enjoy each other's company without the kids. Plan a staycation for dad and mum at a local hotel, and let them have a day off or two from being parents. - How's your Father's Day preparations coming along? Hope you have a good one with daddy dearest! x Min Sunday Stickies is a column where we reflect on the past week and pen those thoughts down on sticky pads. Expect notes to ourselves and others, advice, reminders for the week ahead, quotes, and anything random actually. Hello, June! Woah, it is June already? How did six months zip pass us just like that? Time sure has a way of creeping up on us and then slipping quickly through our fingers. We hope the past half year has been extremely fruitful for you as it has been for us! Otherwise, there's another six months to go to make 2016 the best year yet. We are embarking on project Vegetarian Lunch in June! If you have read any of our earlier Sunday Stickies in 2015, you may remember that we love our veggies and would occasionally be totally vegetarian for lunch. Well, it has been a good half year and we are finally bringing Vegetarian Lunch back. Cheers to better health in the second half of 2016! Min: After the previous hectic week, I am so thankful for a relatively slow week in the office and the chance to clear my huge stack of finance reports. It feels so good to cross a thousand and one things off my to-do-list. There is always something more urgent that needs to be done. And that is how I have accumulated a huge pile in my 'in' tray. I wish I was more efficient so I can get things done at light speed. Zoom zoom. I am not very good with numbers and neither am I an expert at Excel. So I took a real long time to finish my accounts. All that =SUM =MINUS =MULTIPLY and data variations made my eyes wonky and my brain was so fried that I kept spelling 'multiply' as 'mulitply'. Excel/accounting experts, if you have any special or secret formula to make accounting life easier, kindly share them with me! I will love you to the moon and back. <3 Jia: I'm starting to feel really old now that we have made it to June so darn quickly. Doesn't it feel like time slips by faster the older you get? It is like you can feel wrinkles forming and your skin sagging as the clock ticks away. I was staring at my face under the intense glare of the sun today (at the DBS Marina Regatta) and was totally horrified by my deepening fine lines. Cue sad weepy emoji. Sun protection is important, my friends. Remember to carry your sunscreen with you everywhere!
I am also super happy that Min and I are embarking on our vegetarian lunch campaign again as my skin really needs more greens and water for radiance. Getting old is tough and ageing gracefully is an even tougher uphill battle. Ah, the trials and tribulations of life. - Here is a round-up of May's Sunday Stickies: 1 May 2016 // 8 May 2016 // 15 May 2016 // 22 May 2016 // 29 May 2016 - Do you have any fun plans for June? Tell us about it! With Love, Min+Jia. |
Min+JiaThe humans behind honey&gazelle Design Studio. When we are not frantically working, we share our mishmash of thoughts on design, life, and love here. Grab a cuppa and stay for a bit! Categories
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