娃娃屋

最近我常在一户人家的房子拍戏。那是一间挺古老的房子，坐落在市区附近。主人的其中一间房的玻璃柜里摆了很多小小的收藏品，都是”迷你“型的，比如有点心、碗碟、工具等。后来我才发现原来这些都是娃娃屋的道具。

我想她一定是从很久以前就开始收藏这些玩意儿，要不然也不会摆的满满的。真的是一个蛮有趣的嗜好！尽管如此，我相信这样的收藏不只需要时间，花费也不少，而且也需要有空间展示出来。如果用很实际的角度去看，这个嗜好又占位，又难清理，而且也不实用。但我想这也不一定，因为有些古老娃娃屋的道具现在可能也不容易找了。

One of our filming locations was a house located off Chancery Road. The owner is a fond collector of miniatures. I noticed that her glass cabinets were full of miniature items ranging from food to crockery to kitchen utensils, appliances and many more. They were actually meant to be dollhouse accessories except that there wasn’t a dollhouse.

To accumulate such a vast collection, she must have started this hobby since a long time ago. It looks like a tedious (and expensive) hobby because not only would she need space for display, she would need to also design the way the items are placed. From a practical point of view, this hobby is not only time consuming, but it’s difficult to maintain as well. Imagine cleaning the cabinets and moving the small items one by one! But then again, what seems like child play could have its value in the vintage collectibles, such as the item in the picture below.

这样的道具也该有它的收藏价值吧！

那我们不说单单收集道具好了，如果要创造一个完整的娃娃屋，没有一点创意，耐心，和对建筑和室内设计有一定的了解，那是不容易成功的。

所以虽然看上去不怎么实用，却又是另一门学问哦！

Building a dollhouse is a skill that requires patience, creativity as well as knowledge of architecture and interior design. So while it doesn’t have any practical value, its value really lies in its completion.

The dollhouse of Queen Mary. In the 1920's, master crafstmen built the doll house for Queen Mary. It is built to a scale of 1:12 and everything in the house is built to perfection, including the miniature lights. The palace includes paintings, state rooms, servants quarters and a garage. Stated to be the most famous doll house in the world.

多精致啊！Imagine the time spent! There are even mini clothes (bottom right hand section) hanging from the open closet!

我很喜欢这样的房间设计！I love the lace and wired furniture in this dollhouse bedroom.

小厨房。Dollhouse kitchen.

还有早餐呢！多用心的布置！Breakfast included! Such dedicated design, truly impressive!

有多少人是在茶几上用电脑的？和现实生活中差不远吧。The placement of items on the coffee table is so realistically messy! 🙂

Dollhouse flower gazebo.

就连垃圾桶里得垃圾也少不了！Notice the trash in the trashbin!

小凳子和肥皂都是很贴心的设计！This one even has the non-slip bathroom mat!

娃娃屋有很多种。我在这里和大家分享的比较多是属于西式的设计。日本也蛮流行娃娃屋哦！

Dollhouses come in all sizes, some are good to be placed on the table, while some can be as tall as a child. The pictures I shared over here are mainly derived from Western designs. Check out the Japanese-style dollhouses!

小型的娃娃屋。Example of a wooden dollhouse.

不是每一间娃娃屋都要象一间房子，比如这个书柜娃娃屋。A bookshelf dollhouse is simpler in design and probably easier to create.

模型日式娃娃屋。A model structure of a Japanese dollhouse.

日式娃娃屋。Japanese dollhouse interior.

课室也有哦！A Japanese classroom.

Kawaii!!!

日本的道具琳琅满目！The Japanese has made a huge range of miniature items, there is no end to the collection!!

假戏真情

今天拍了一整天被强奸的戏，整个人哭到快垮了。虽然戏是假的，但情绪是真的，所以还是需要让心平静下来。真的累了，改天在跟大家分享吧！

晚安。

I Love Vintage!

对不起，好久没跟大家联络, 一直抽不出时间发表，让你们久等了！《小娘惹》的拍摄还在进行中，所以好忙哦！在这里不方便跟大家分享关于拍摄的情况，因为不能透露太多，希望大家明白。

可能是拍因为拍《小娘惹》的关系，突然对古老的东西特别感兴趣。我发现以前的东西都比较精致，设计在现代来说虽然简单，但是似乎多了一分”心意“和”诚恳“。我也不知道这么说会不会很离谱，反正就是觉得每一样东西的制作都是经过时间的考验和人类的巧思妙手，每一样产品的出售都不是轻而易举的摆了就算。所以喜欢这些东西，觉得现在更有收藏价值。在网上收集一些照片，跟大家分享我喜欢的东西。先声明这些物品不是我的个人收藏哦！

It’s been a while since I updated the blog, sorry peeps! I have been living in the era of 1950s as the drama “Little Nonya” continues in production. It’s not appropriate to post any production photographs at this point, so I’m afraid I can’t share with you much about my filming experience. Truth be told, I haven’t had much opportunity to snap pictures too because filming pace is quite incredible! Nonetheless, I thought I’d like to share with you some things which are of interest to me.

Recently I’ve taken a strong liking for all things vintage. Back in those days, a lot of items tend to have rounder finishings and more details. Take a look at what I’ve compiled below and you’ll know what I mean.

Vintage Umbrella。This is a very pretty umbrella, perhaps good to keep away the rain rather than block UV rays. Most people probably treat umbrellas as practical items more than fashion accessories so a lot of umbrella-users tend to carry plain umbrellas. 撑一把这样的伞就很有味道咯！我发现大多数在街上撑伞的人比较实际，伞的设计都没有什么花样，注重它的功能而不是把它当作服装配搭的装饰之一。

Vintage Teacups/Crockery。These teacups and plates add character to the interior design of the home. If it's hand-painted, it means that even though designs are the same, no two sets would be exactly so and that greatly adds value to the collection. 我很喜欢有花案的杯和碟子，尤其是如果他们是手工画的，那更是独一无二。就算是同样的图案也不可能一模一样，那就更有纪念价值了！

Vintage French Handpainted Telephone。I love the intricate hand painted design. But more than the floral pattern, the way the receiver perches daintily on the body of the telephone makes it a delicate piece of household good that breeds patience. Instead of being able to punch in numbers quickly, the slower dialing process and in fact, existence of household goods that weren't so "quick and advanced", would mean that the people back then led a slower pace of life. 这种款式的电话很精致，在播电话时也不能太急。或许因为旧式的电器启动都比较慢，所以生活节奏也不象现在这么快。我想做事慢条斯理比较不容易因为急躁而失误吧！

Vintage 1969 Mercedes 300SL。I think vintage cars are a lot "friendlier" in their outlook. I love this model because the curves give it a muscular appeal without the fierce, menacing sleek design of modern sports cars. It's strong and sturdy without looking cold and aggressive. Haha, you wonder if I'm describing a car or a man! 我特别喜欢这款的”老爷车“，因为它的曲线很诱人。它看起来很“强壮”，但又不会象现在的跑车这么“可怕”。怎么说呢？总觉得现在跑车的设计都比较“凶猛”，扁扁尖尖的曲线让它看起来很时髦，很有“杀伤力“，所以我就觉得可怕！哈哈！

Vintage Kitchen Stove。I have never seen this type of kitchen stove. Looks very much like toy kitchen for children. Seems fuss-free though! 我没看过这样的火炉，有点象玩具哦？设计简单，不知道是不是需要很长的时间来煮东西？

Vintage No. 28 Singer Sewing Machine 1927。Although sewing machines have evolved over the years, with computerised ones today, old-school tailors probably still prefer the flat base design of the vintage ones. 现在有电脑的缝纫机，可以有更多功能，把制作一些绣工的时间缩短。可是旧式的缝纫机有平面，让布料可以平平的摆放，缝起来比较顺手。

Vintage Lace。It takes a long time to make lace like that because the crochet technique is extremely tedious. With such thin yarn and small hook, I salute the people who spent hours creating crochet lace. No wonder lace is always expensive! 这样用钩针编织的雷丝真的是考功夫。因为钩针很小，线很细，不只需要很好的眼力，也需要耐心和意志力。所以可想像这是多么珍贵！

Vintage Wedding Dress. If I get married, I want a wedding dress like that! Although the design is simple, it really flatters the feminine figure without revealing too much. Sometimes less is more. 象这样的婚纱，虽然款式不是很特别，而且也似乎把新娘“包”的很密，可是却有古典的性感和妩媚。有时候，不露胸露背反而更迷人。以后我结婚也要这样的婚纱！

Vintage CheongSam/Qipao。Inspired by In the Mood for Love, I realise how beautiful the cheongsam can be when made with the right fabric. It's a pity that unlike the Malays, Indians and Peranakans, Chinese don't normally don the cheongsam when they go out. 我最近爱上旗袍。觉得很可惜，怎么华人都很少穿旗袍出门，不象马来、印度同胞们，或是土生华人，他们都经常穿自己的服装亮相。难道旗袍就只能是中餐馆侍应生的制服吗？

Vintage Necklace。I think vintage jewellery makes great family heirlooms. I love the engravings on this one, because it doesn't try too hard to look fancy. Engravings beautify the item without too much colour or distracting additions, which makes it simple, no frills and pretty in itself. 我想开始收集首饰，好以后可以传给孙子当全家之宝！哈哈！特别喜欢刻上去的花纹，因为那使项链增添了精致的美感，却又不会太夸张或造作。间单对我来说就是美。

08.08.08

今天是如此特别的日子,让我有股冲动，必发表文章不可。 可是拍了一整天发疯的戏之后又去跑步，现在快不能动了，脑筋更是已经睡着了。只好在这么lucky的一天祝大家快乐，健康。

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, (Itsuo Inouye/The Associated Press)

I feel somewhat obliged to leave a note on this special day, because I guess it happens only once in a lifetime, yet I can’t think of anything introspective to write about. Perhaps I’m worn out after a day of acting like a “mad woman” for my upcoming drama “Little Nonya”, or perhaps it’s the run I did after a day of being “mad”. Nonetheless, I’m all ready to crash and would like to hereby wish all good health and great happiness.

Pushing Daisies

不知道大家有没有看在 Channel 5 每逢星期天晚上 10.30pm 播映的 “Pushing Daisies”。这部电视剧的故事与众不同，或许是个很“女生“的剧吧，看了很温馨，好像进入了美丽的幻想世界。我觉得画面很美，男女主角好像是童话故事里跑出来的，而且有很多利用电脑效果来形成的镜头加强了内容的感染力。我特别介绍这部剧因为它帮我解除压力，让我可以暂时陶醉在另一个世界，回到童年看 Enid Blyton’s 故事书的那种感受。

Promotional Poster 宣传海报

I love “Pushing Daisies” for its whimsical, fairy-tale-like structure and pretty set-up. It’s my “comfort food” because it reminds me of my childhood days where I used to lose myself in Enid Blyton’s “Faraway Tree” series. I love the whole idea of a magical tree with magical people who are nice and kind and the adventures the children get into in the “lands” found at the top of the tree. Those of you who have read the series would know what I mean! “Pushing Daisies” isn’t exactly a magical flower story, but it follows the idea of a make-belief world. It may not be the most exciting thriller, but to me, sometimes all it takes is a “feel-good” movie to provide some solace from the cold harsh reality grinding our minds and bodies everyday.