the little drom store is an independent publisher / gallery shop recently opened on Ann Siang Road, joining our BooksActually + Polymath & Crust and Woods in the Books friends. the Ann Siang/Club Street neighbourhood is quickly turning into the hippest hidden little alleyway in Singapore!

some images of the drom store from their flickr stream:





in their store, you should be able to find everything from vintage fashion, independently published art books, tote bags, cameras to other too-cute-to-be-true knick knacks. go visit them today!

do head on over to the blog of our new project, SUPER YOUTH, and keep a lookout for our upcoming projects!

* www.superyouth.org/paper

one of my favourite stores in Hong Kong is Kapok. recently it opened a new branch on Sun Street, and while the flagship store focuses on fashion, this new branch will be featuring a lot more on beauty, stationery and music.






can't wait to visit it the next time i go to Hong Kong!

Hisao Suzuki is one of my favourite architectural photographers.

it's always amazing to look at the creative process from another angle, especially when it involves one of the great masters.

itis edition is one of our favourite store-galleries in taiwan. its latest shop update looks awesome. step into this serene space (run by a photographer-illustrator couple) and you will find vintage design books, quirky tableware and stationery, as well as exhibitions by artist friends.

i'm happy to see more and more of such stores popping up all over Asia. i guess it just means that we're more and more willing to realize our little fantasies....

* itis edition blog
* itis edition online store

itis edition is only open from wed - sat, 12pm - 7pm. if you're in the Taipei area, you can visit it at No. 293-1 Jiaxing Street 1st floor.

(i've actually introduced his work before but i can't help but do it again!)

kazutaka yagi, with his film cameras, produces quiet, solid work. through his eyes, the world is a burst of warm light as the sun envelops the city. sometimes the blue permeates his photographs, and we think of nice, easy, comforting days, and certain things cease to matter.

no matter whether it is through a polaroid camera or an old SLR or a PENTACON six TL, the world is a dreamy blur of possibilities through the lens of kazutaka yagi.

and we wish we could see the dreamy blur of possibilities ourselves too.

* bluenote photograph

from next wednesday onwards, casual poet will be going live on air ;)

i will be doing a little radio segment with ah dong on 100.3, and will be sharing about music and books and movies and anything that inspires.

i'm not sure how regular this is going to be, but will definitely let you guys know when i do!

remember to tune in and let me know your comments :)

从下个星期三起，随意诗人将会不定期的出现在100.3的空中。

我将与阿栋聊天，和大家分享一些最初的感动。

可能是一首歌，或一本书，或一部电影，或一个眼神。。。我们将尝试抓住一些瞬间的感动，再通过空中与大家分享我们的感受。

记得收听喔 ！

shimokitazawa's 2-day-only makeshift / pop-up bookstore in Taipei, in celebration of their 2nd birthday:



how enticing!

> www.shimokitazawa-books.com

wood/glass work by crystal (korean designer) for the interior deco of the new Post Poetics (a bookstore in korea specializing in independent publications).







i like how airy the space feels and how the light streams into the store in a quiet, understated fashion. it reminds me of the morning breeziness of Sundays - relaxed, peaceful, and calm. now all we need is a cup of hot coffee, and the day is perfect.

> www.crystallike.org
> www.postpoetics.org

Taiwan-based design company and brand, Booday, has just launched their cute winter collection, all pastel colors and comfortable lines. You can always count on Booday to make you feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

The new batch of Booday t-shirts are now 100% organic cotton.



Their t-shirts, bags and zines will be available on our online store shortly (yes, THE online store that we have promised for the last year or so.....)!

Oh, how I love Mark Weaver.









This is what happens when you merge inspired typography with a unique sense of art and proportion - also add in a strange nostalgia for the future - and there you have it, whimsical, magical, heartstoppingly-pretty collages.

Perhaps these psychedelic visions of the future mixed with the past are exactly where we are now: somewhere in the middle of time, somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Mark Weaver, a designer & illustrator by day, is also working on a Make Something Cool Everyday Project, the results of which you can view on his personal website here.

> Mark Weaver on Cargo
> Mark Weaver on flickr

How does anyone not fall in love with a bookstore?





What adds to the allure of Minotaur Book Sellers is that they're not only peddlers of books, they also sell a tempting selection of things - from sneakers to bags to a line of self-produced t-shirts and hoodies.

It's this kind of indistinction & quirkiness that draws us to places like this: we are prepared to be constantly surprised, knowing that it is only perfectly understandable to stumble upon a pair of finely-made pants while browsing through the well-stocked collection of books.

Minotaur Book Sellers has several branches across Japan, including Tokyo & Hiroshima.

> http://www.maround.com

i am currently a huge Aaron Nieh fan, just got his new book "Signature Work Yet to Come", and in it he says "I really smoke too much / Even when I don't have cigarettes with me / I am still bound by the habit / breathing with my mouth open the way I would when smoking."

(柯宁＋CROWD LU)

对，其实卢广仲先生来过我们的店，
在这里吃过早餐，
还唱过最现场的《Rock & Roll的Style》。
（我也有和卢广仲先生合照，可是因为我在照片里面，为了不要吓到大家还是不要放出来好了）

OH YEAH!

*

其实是在柯宁的blog上面看到这张照片的。

原来她在那里写了一篇有关我们短短的文章，
我看后，有些感动。

谢谢你 :)

《Casual Poet, 我会想念你的》

Dear folks,

due to some issues, our last day of operation will be on Wednesday, 18 November 2009.

again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your crazy support. we will be back one day!

for the long story, click here.

i stood at the back of the car, seizing the moment.

the night was just beginning.

and i had you with me.

我喜欢这里的人情味。
我觉得我们都是真实的，
至少在这里。

要怎么形容那种感觉呢？
我真的不会。

不知道为什么，
开始感动起来，
就因为今天。

*

我们不算是认识很深的好朋友，
都是在这里认识的。
或许一个星期见一次面，
或许一个月一次。

我们不是每一次都有机会聊天，
可是有时候，
就是会一起度过一些微妙的时光。

譬如，
如果店刚好没有人，
而你在这个时候走进来。

我们就会开始聊天。。。
很随意地聊。
没有压力地聊。

我喜欢这种感觉。

我知道我关心他们，
他们也关心我。
这种感觉。。。。很好。

如果没有开这间店的话，
我一定没有办法经历这种很真实很真实的。。。。
人际关系？

真的不知道要怎么说才好。

朋友们，
谢谢你们！

tokyo soon, possibly.

dear folks, we will be closed today thursday 12/08.

see you on friday!

kathryn, singing in our store.