(19) Earcandy overload

Random shot at Laneway Festival - thanks Denise for the polaroids!

It's the start of February and I apologize for the lack of updates! I've been crazy busy and stoned, sorting a lot of stuff out for myself before I head down to school. Just hoping I can settle all of it and celebrate the Lunar New Year without a worry. Still working on a new theme (definitely) and I know it hasn't been exactly concrete throughout but I'm thinking it's worth a try, yes?

So I caught two festivals - Laneway Festival (happened 26 Jan) and Big Night Out (30 Jan) within the span of five days and wanted to explode as I bombarded myself with a whole lot of new music and saw the new boundaries being made and pushed (for my ears and the audience).

Major disclaimer is that I apologize for the lackluster Instagramin' and ok don't hate on me (if I haven't hit on the right kind of music that oughts to be given a million stars to) but I haven't exposed myself enough and definitely am not considering as any review of some sort so there goes. I was just kinda amazed by most of the acts I caught despite some of them being new to me. I didn't capture every single moment because I was so absorbed (and yes dying from exhaustion at Laneway especially) but anyway, there are a few not too decent, but acceptable ones.

Kings of Convenience at Laneway Festival

I think I liked Kings of Convenience (one of the best for me actually) a lot because it was my first time catching them live (missed too many of their shows in Singapore dayum). You can't not love Erland for his kooky moves (TOO CUTE) and Eirik's mesmerizing smile throughout the set. The energy really exploded when their full band came on, it just really expanded the sound that the usual Kings had on record. It seriously just, got / out / of / hand. I kept squealing and laughing because it was too cute to resist (I know I might be biased but I'm a girl anyway). I'd rather dance, any day, yes? Hah.

There were so many awesome acts in just one day (12 hours is quite crazy, really) and I couldn't decide which was the best but I really thought Of Monsters and Men were quite the crowd getter and I quite liked Nicolas Jarr and Alt J as well.

Tame Impala at Laneway via ST

Tame Impala really left me in awe though. They really sounded like a revised John Lennon to me in a good way. Feels like I'm going backwards again... HAH.

But, my absolute favourite was still Kimbra! I loved she brought the whole house down (!!!) Some serious girl power happening right there. I CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF. Fine, extreme bias over here but I love everything about her - from her quirky dress and explosive personality to her crazy energetic set. Check out this vid of her rocking out her breakout single, Settle Down and mashing it up with Daft Punk magic.

And I'm definitely not missing out on giving Gotye due credit for the music he makes. To be honest, I wasn't a real fan of Gotye's and didn't really give him much of a listen. As it goes, I only knew that one song everyone else knew (it was Somebody That You Used To Know). But Gotye really surprised me and got me dropping my jaws at some songs because he was just like a male version of Kimbra, equally creative, has great vocals and never sold out on the kind of music he wanted to make at the end. I think my respect for him (beyond that one song) has grown a lot more after Laneway!

Kimbra and Gotye at Laneway via Her World Plus

And ok, I already kinda guessed this Kimbra actually singing with Gotye this time round is going to happen, and it did hah.

Big Night Out was great too! I went to catch Vampire Weekend, also for my first time. I apologize I'm not over enthusiastic about Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Band of Horses but I have to admit that they really were in control and knew what they were doing - in an absolutely good way of course. I really danced and had a lot of squealing moments hahah but yeah, it was one of those moments were I could see almost the whole crowd indulged in the wonderful music.

My abstract Instag shot of (a very mini) Vampire Weekend on stage

I really loved them and just screamed at every intro of the songs they played man! It's amazing how they reproduce every single bit of what they do on record, live! Diplomat's Son was probably one of my favourite songs for the night... or maybe just everything hahah.

And on an absolutely random note, The Strokes have announced a new album and you can check more via their site for their brand new single, One Way Trigger here.

Anyway, I would love to hear what's your favourite and if you've got any specific song that you might wanna highlight if you have. I'm absolutely open! And here's me ending off with a random #instacollage (???) of my friends and I at Laneway and BNO (if that is how it's supposed to roll in the first place). 

Thanks for reading if you do, and have a great day ahead! (;

(18) Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes #nowplaying

It's been a busy weekend rushing off to work, trying to spend quality time because it's finally starting to hit quite badly that it's officially going to be a month before I leave home. So many things are coming in place, and yet I feel this sense of relief with another level of tension and loss stuck like a ball of gum in my throat, I can't seem to really explain it.

Either way, this song seems to come in place and fit into my absolutely random mood well. Came across Flying Lotus randomly and I actually started to like it so I decided to put it up here.

In case you didn't know, Flying Lotus is the stage name of Steven Ellison, an experimental multi-genre music producer, laptop musician and rapper from LA, California. He also raps under another persona, Captain Murphy. His songs have this odd holding vibe which I really like, and very trippy as well. I'm sure most of you who have a few DJs you love can add this onto your list.

This one above is actually a short film for Until The Quiet Comes. I think this really relates with the life for people with more undesirable family backgrounds. It's seriously well-shot though and focuses also on how fragile life is, as well as some coverage on how rampant violence is.

You may check out more of Flying Lotus here and give a listen to all his four studio albums (definitely worth it) and let me know what you think of it!


Anyway before I go, a HUGE THANK YOU for joining and supporting this collaboration between POCKETTO and PLUS MINUS! Thanks for reading about the PLUS MINUS story and letting us know about how you love us, and areas for us to improve on. Winners of A WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY are now out!

Congratulations to:

Atiqah Zulkifli for winning yourself a copy of oh comely magazine (issue 12) and

Tasneem Petrova for winning yourself a POKETO x Furni watch!

Do drop me a PM on Facebook or an e-mail at astrylnaut@gmail.com to confirm your personal details.

Have a great week ahead!

Things: ECOSHOP + Scrapshop

Images grabbed from ECOSHOP

Am finally back from my holidays and I must say I had a lot of fun exploring the city of Bangkok. I didn't take a lot of pictures that were overly pretty so I'll spare out the details. But it was basically a lot of shopping (and probably a lack of motivation to take down some wonderful landscapes). All I could say is I don't get sick of being there because everything is awesome, from the food, to accommodation and even the people. Despite being there umpteen times, it was my first in Khao San and back in Chatuchak after a long while. Everything was great, except for the heat. Apart from the random information, I wanted to share about this interesting discovery that I came across during my trip, called ECOSHOP.

ECOSHOP was set up by local (Thai) television host, Top Pipat (who might have just scored a few more brownie points for a store like this because of his dashing looks hahah) in 2008. The store concept revolves around saving the Earth through sustainability and understanding how much further we can maximize resources. Other than merely just selling environmental-friendly products, Pipat's main aim is ultimately to help aspiring designers who have ideas that they want to develop by providing them a platform to showcase their work.

Ultimately, Pipat explains that the aim of the store is not just to make profit but to give people something to think about and consider saving the Earth more seriously than what we already know of it as. What can a plastic bag do for you then? What could paper achieve for us? 

Top Pipat (from the site on left, and a picture with his store on right; all images from site)

The idea to set up an environmental friendly store definitely isn't a new one, but this was pretty fresh to the people in Thailand. Plus, people were really warming up to the store quickly because of Pipat's consistent efforts in spreading the message he has always wanted to deliver. ECOSHOP was gaining ground and some interest and even managed to stock environmental-friendly and sustainable products designed by students from Thai universities as well.

Images grabbed from ECOSHOP

So as mentioned, I was browsing through the store (the one in Digital Gateway, Siam square area), and had a few of the products catch my eye (loving the tote on the left). Of which, was the ones by Scrapshop, designed and produced by the students of Kasetsart University Architecture. This was an eco-venture launched in 2010 and to help promote awareness on the environment through products made from reusable waste materials. The key idea is not only to motivate young designers to create just products, but for them to research on how discarded materials can be used effectively for functional, yet help create aesthetically pleasing designs.

It's interesting to see something grow so much and help make wonderful things happen. I admire Pipat's efforts, though not on an international level yet, he really tries to change mindsets instead of commercializing something and making it a fad. In order to prove his sincerity towards the cause, Pipat has been living a greener lifestyle as possible, giving talks, telling the story of how simple things we use can always be recycled for a greater cause.

Pipat keeps his belief in keeping prices low so this lifestyle may be accessible to many more and arouse people's curiosity. He also explains the key differences in reusing and recycling and how we can go about it. I think it's good to understand these terms so we don't abuse them too much.

Find out more via his site by clicking here.

And, we can start with a good reusable, yes? I've got my trusty Baggu reusables to start with!

Baggu it! Via Mindful Momma

Anyway, more on Baggu in the near future. I'm sure you guys would probably already have known about these tough and long-lasting reusables.

Hope you're having a wonderful week! There's more to come and I'm working hard to get it all up! Holla over if you've got something (;

Spotlight on: Plus Minus

Images courtesy of Plus Minus

Enter Plus Minus - An independent store based in Singapore that is all things design; where every new brand that launches in their store surprises and excites us, and even makes us want, no crave for a piece of it. It's a tiny heaven, a portal for all the brands and stuff you don't have access to in physical stores in Singapore.

Against all odds, Plus Minus opened their virtual doors and created a portal for so many wonderful brands that has not been made available to Singaporeans (in physical stores). The idea was to bring in well-designed stuff, along with good quality and at an affordable price.

So who makes Plus Minus? How do they do it?

Plus Minus was actually co-founded just less than two months ago in early November (2012) by lovebirds at present, Ira and Fauzi, along with a friend of theirs who has since dropped out of the venture. Despite vast differences in interests; Ira into design and checking out new brands (Ira was a graphic design graduate from NAFA) and Fauzi with his love for motorbikes and racing sorts, they share a common love for food and built Plus Minus together.

Ira and Fauzi, and Ira on interview with me at 8Q Street

The whole thing was an absolutely casual idea that took off and started growing at an amazing rate. It all began when Ira wanted to realize her dream of having her very own shop, "It runs in my family. My Dad runs a furniture business and my sister has her own online store as well. Plus I love surfing the net and sourcing for new brands and items and I just wanted to share it with everyone." On why the name Plus Minus, Ira shared that it was a completely random name that hit her in a five minute brainstorming session and it was so easy to catch on.

More prominent brands under Plus Minus - Tattly and Hype

Despite the challenges and competition in the online store business, Ira saw potential in running her very own store and kept a generally positive outlook. "So many brands are unnoticed, and most of the brands we currently bring in at Plus Minus are not available in Singapore or even Asia." Only 20 this year, Ira and Fauzi were both new and raw to running a business and coming up with an enormous captial. It was then decided that Plus Minus was to start out on its Facebook page to gain experience in running their very own business before moving on with bigger plans. Within a few days of putting everything in place, the store made its first pre-order available in early November.

"I didn't expect it to become so big and it's actually very hard to manage because I'm doing almost everything now, from marketing to responding to queries and posting the stuff out. It's basically like a one-man show and Fauzi does the accounting side of things." said Ira, when asked about what were their expectations on opening the store. But the folks at Plus Minus see it as merely a (good) start for them, and are looking to make things bigger and better than ever.

Other brands featured under Plus Minus, such as Mister bracelets

Plus Minus has since started up The General Store, which is a concept they are still working on before an actual debut, "The General Store is an actual store front I want for Plus Minus. This was created so we can put out two extreme sides - the minimalist and the expressive (louder side) to present to people and I hope to target as many people from different age groups and tastes."

In the (near) future, Plus Minus is hoping to have an actual web site (which they are working on) and set up a physical store and spread the love to more people, "That's the challenging part. I've always (wanting to build a store) in mind, and I even went to search for rental prices. It's insane over here but I hope I can slowly build this up and have a store."

Stay tuned for more (awesome!) brand launches and be surprised. You may check out Plus Minus here via their Facebook page.


Apart from all that, Plus Minus has kindly collaborated (and sponsored) with Pocketto to have A WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY! We're giving out a Poketo x Furni (coincidentally, and no pun intended) watch and an issue (12) of oh comely magazine.

If you haven't heard, Poketo is a US-based store/label founded by couple, Ted Vadaan and Angie Myung who believes in "art for your everyday" and strives to integrate real art into everyday wear and things that can be around you. These watches are part of a collaboration between Furni (Montreal based design company) and Poketo.

And if you're thinking that oh comely falls short of being a real magazine, you might want to think again. oh comely is one that brings real stories to us, from real people. With adventures to capture the feeling of being free, stories from people with tales to tell, recipes to warm your heart and craft you can make. It embraces imperfection and simple things we do in life and is delivered through beautiful words, illustration and photography.

Find Poketo and oh comely by clicking on their respective names.

Two lucky winners will be selected for this giveaway! All you have to do is:
1. Like POKOPOCKETTO and PLUS MINUS on Facebook
2. Like and share A WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY on pokopocketto (click here for the post to like and  share)
3. Comment on the post with anything (with a suggestion, things you want to see, a brand you love or just professing your love to us etc.)

This giveaway closes on 20th Jan, Sunday and winners of the giveaway will be announced by 22nd Jan.

Once again, here's a BIG thank you to Plus Minus, and a HUGE THANK YOUUU for reading pokopocketto! Cheers (from both Ira and I) and have a good day (:

(17) What fires us?

Here's a good thought to welcome and fire up the new year: What makes us? What fires us up and gets us going?

This is one overrated topic, yet underrated I think. Because we don't ever address the main issue. Or we just don't realize how we need to alter certain parts of a resolution or thought or even plan we make for the year as we move along.

But I think what really makes us changes from time to time. As much as we all make plans, we still do live in the moment. I hardly think about life and what could come but sometimes I make these plans, plans I want to partake and make happen but I realize they aren't exactly in reach until the moment comes in place no matter how fast time passes. At some point in life, we just need to learn how to embrace these moments in life and understand that we can never have the exact same moment back, ever again.

For myself, at this very point, is leaving the place I call home starting anew in another one. I'm going to Melbourne, Australia to complete my studies for about nearly a year or so. 2013 is going to be a year of extreme exploration and discovery (I do learn new things about myself and people, and life in general every single year as I grow but) because of a literal new environment. Feelings of excitement, fear, happiness and actually, readiness to embrace a brand new lifestyle are all curled up in a ball of emotions within me. I feel lost, but whole, like I can kick 2013 in its face and feel like I'm about to finish up with school and start something else when I get back, just as I got inspired to start Pocketto in 2012.

I do talk about my life in this space. But when I do, I try to tear it down into bits and pieces but that doesn't mean I'm writing for the sake of looking a certain way, I just choose to write a little more sensibly and remember the good parts or of things to remind myself. I think that makes you a little more aware of things in life. It's like understanding yourself after breaking something down thoroughly. I just think a lot more than I have and opened up my eyes to so many other things and issues, and just life itself.

So what makes you then? What's up this 2013?

I'd love to hear if you've got something.