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Hot shot young lawyer Bill Holden and his wife Becca move with their four year old daughter to the booming, gold–rush city of Shanghai, a place of enormous wealth and crushing poverty, of opportunity and temptation, where fortunes are made and foreign marriages come apart in spectacular fashion. Bill"s law firm houses the Holden family in Paradise Mansions – a luxury apartment block in Shanghai"s Gubei New Area, where in a curious revival of the concubine system newly rich Chinese men install their second wives – fabulous young beauties like JinJin Li, ex–school teacher, crossword addict, would–be TV presenter, dedicated roller skater and the Holdens" glamorous neighbour. After Becca witnesses a tragedy that awakens her to the reality of life beyond the bright lights and glitzy surface of the city, she despairs of life as a Shanghailander and returns temporarily to London with Holly – and Bill and JinJin are thrown together. But can a western lawyer steal a Chinese millionaire"s mistress? Will he give her the love she deserves? How does a man give up his wife when she is also his best friend? And how can a loving father ever walk out on his child? My Favourite Wife is about the men and women of our time – their struggles, their joys and their secret longings. Above all it is a book about where sex, romance and obsession ends – and where true love begins.

Coldplay is BACK!!!

To receive your free copy of their new single, Violet Hill, just submit your email and postal code at their website.

何润东 - 我只在乎你...

拉著你的手！我用力握紧，
我有些不冷静，因为我知道要失去你。

时间不留情，，岁月不饶你
你说青春已用尽，现在该选择放弃，

你曾说另一个人，比我用心，比我体贴，更懂温柔，你也想要有人更爱你，
后悔当时没有，及时反应，你的不安，拥抱著你，把你给我的也给你，
为何总要等到，最后一刻，无法挽留，我才明白，最宝贵的是你的真心
原来爱不是前世注定，原来爱也需要回应。

(所以我求求你，别让我离开你，除了你我不能感到一丝丝情意)

望著你背影，看不见表情
我知道有些话，现在只能感动自已

心甘不情愿，因为伤心出卖了，自已
眼泪不会说谎，全世界我只在乎你
任时光匆匆留去，我只在乎你

Peter, Bjorn and John

Peter Morén from Dalarna in the North of Sweden and Björn Yttling from Västerbotten - even further to the North - had been playing music together for 8 years when they in 1999 met John - from Norrbotten - which would you believe it is yet even further to the North!

The following year they started a band and simply called it Peter, Bjorn and John - not due to lack of better names - but because it felt right. Band names are often ridiculous - so why not just go for your own name? First they thought that they would recruit a bass player but after the well known saying "3 is a crowd" thus more than enough - the keyboard player Björn began playing bass. Live the band have learned to use the little format to its advantage and in the studio well let's just say they have been known to do overdubs...!

Initially all the press they got had to do with Björn's production CV and the members different guest appearances on other more well known bands and artists records. But soon that would change.

In 2002 the home recorded self titled debut album was released and received comments from the press regarding "superior sound beds" and "upcoming classics" while songs like "Matchmaker" and "People They Know" became favourites with the indie pop crowd. Rough Trade in London even penned "nothing else sounds as good in Swedish pop right now" and were probably not completely mistaken.

2004 saw the follow up with the more complete, mature and darker "Falling Out". "It beats me everytime" became a Swedish radio hit and the album was released Stateside the following year to press acclaim. Allmusic.com gave the album 4,5 stars and wrote: "very close to the best indie rock -- no, just plain music -- being made in 2005. More punk than the Concretes, less frantic than Shout Out Louds, as catchy as the most tuneful of the UK post-post-post-punk merchants. Falling Out firmly established Peter, Bjorn and John as a group to watch out for. Strike that. They are a band that has arrived in all senses of the word".

Now in 2006 PBJ embark on the second phase of their careers. The new album "Writer's Block" (recorded in Björn's studio in Hornstull,Stockholm) is the first to showcase all three members as songwriters and taking on lead vocalist duties and sees the band take on a new musical direction.

Check out the video for 'Young Folks' on Youtube. Cool.

If Santa Really Exists...

I have been looking around for a men's dress watch for some time. Of course, the usual brands that pops up in my mind do not interest me. Recently, i was flipping through a local fashion mag, and a picture caught my eye...

OMG! IWC Portugieser Automatic. It fits what i was looking for. Simplicity and sleek design, no big or obvious logos, trusted brand. (Now, why didnt i think of it?).

If Santa really exists, I have been very good this year...LOL.

X'mas gifts - Toys

You know X'mas is just around the corner, when u receive brochures/promotional leaflets in your mail like those shown below...

Do kids still play with such toys? From what i know, my nieces and nephews are playing PC games, online games, Playstations, Nintendos, PSP. Either that, or they are glued to the tele the whole day. Lol.

Disclaimer: No toys were hurt, or destroyed in the writing of this post. The blogger has nothing against kids who play with such toys :p

If you happen to be in Tokyo, Japan...

Sweden's Nudie Jeans Co produce the best denim this side of Japan. So it is fitting that they have decided to open their second flagship store (and the first outside of Sweden) in Harajuku, Tokyo. Apparently the location was chosen because it embodies the same values as Nudie, namely "passion, anti-fashion and design".

P.S. The above is an excerpt from Denimology.