Monkey - Chicken - Monkey

There are certain times when one can feels rather nostalgic . . . I felt that tonight . . .after an amazing dinner with Nat and entourage at one of Nat's secret spots (hint, it's Japanese), I went to pay Harry Bunyaraksh (P'Harry) a visit. 

Harry was hosting one of his famous dinner parties. . . P'Harry has become like an older brother since I met him - we have so many mutual friends we find it hard to count and have so many things we enjoy and get excited by together.  He has exquisite taste, is charming and downplays his extreme intelligence. So I have grown realy quite a attached to him and I adore Brook, Plern and David.  Hamish and I sometimes camp out at Harry's (far from camping),and there are such fond memories. . . Dinner tonight had a sprinkling of familiar faces but for some reason made me think of one night which we had together . . .a joint birthday party which Harry hosted together with Me and Hamish back in March . . . it is probably because the gift which Hamish bought for Harry which sits in the drawing room for all to see that reminds me often of that night . . . seems like a lifetime ago . . .

Hamish and I are born one year and one day apart, that makes him a Pisces monkey and me Pisces chicken, Harry is also a March baby and a monkey so we decided to throw a joint bday party after I came back from Paris.  It was rather fitting that the Spring/Summer collection of nsha was called Monkey Loving . . .based on a true story where a monkey belonging to Hamish fell in love with a chicken in his backyard back when we used to be kids living in Jakarta.  The monkey took her up into a tree where they hung out for 2 days.  The monkey was so in love with her that it did not want to let her go even they could not really be together (she was fine after they decided to come down) . . . absurd and very cute, so I used this as inspiration for a print that we did for nsha . . .it was called Chickmonk . . . with a line of t-shirts too called Monkey Loving/Summer Loving . . .

So yes, a joint b-day at Harry's, even Hammie's friend Sayan even came along from bali  . . .

The night before . . .the boys feeding fish at In Love

On the night, after a day of shopping and preparation, mine and Harry's friends flocked over and celebrated with us . . .  

I should mention that also the theme of the night was Arabian nights . . . hence my version of Princess Jasmine I designed many years ago and Hamish's harem/fisherman trousers, again Chomwan circa 2003 . . .wow . . time flies . . .Martina definitely got best dressed after our ultimate host in the robe of course. . .

Natasha, Me, P'Boyy

Martina, Me, Natasha, P'Boyy, P'Brook

Pette, Hamish, Me, Harry, Powpow

all good friends :) . . . on a very long table, sprinkled with flowers

Jeremy, Pette and I

The cake . . .

 

monkey-chicken-monkey

. . . but an applied version . . .the monkey loving chicken - rather appropriate really  . .  as I do love them both.

Harry, Me and Hamish

and not to forget that Michele's bday is also the same year and a day before Hammie's, so a monkey went to her too (on a slice of Pumpkin pie which we baked earlier)  . . . 

Michele - piece unique!

Michele and Tim - gorgeous couple

So a great night that was . . . and the way fairy tales have a happy ending those moments for me felt a bit fairy tale-like . . . .it's probably because  Harry is a master at that . . .creating a fantasy in his home, the way he entertains is legendary and of another time . . . as Harvey Weinstein said last year upon visiting a party after the Shanghai wrap dinner . . .going to Harry's was like walking onto a set of his own movie . . .circa 1940 . . .so Harry is as rare as those moments are rare - very special indeed. 

It would be so wonderful to play chicken and monkey all year long and eat cake of course. Alas, perhaps it is better that fairy tales do only a last a moment and we get back to reality - it makes the them more special that way - and also a fantasy.

The ancient sculpture that sits in the drawing room