JAN BARTELSMAN x HYPERACTIVE

On Friday, my dear friend, celebrity chef Jaakko Sorsa, popped by the office to chat about an upcoming book that we might be collaborating on.

"Have you seen this yet?" Jaakko asked, pulling a heavy, gray volume out of his bag. It was a copy of renowned photographer Jan Bertelsman's "Hong Kong & Macau Magic."

Hong Kong & Macau Magic

I was Marketing & PR Manager at FINDS when Jan Bartelsman's business partner approached us early 2011 about Jan's first project in Asia, a bilingual spin-off of his popular "Magic" brain trust.

Jan, a towering but unassuming Dutchman, came to Hong Kong and Macau a few months later to photograph the book. He gave me copies of two of his earlier books:

"Le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti" cover

Aged wine bottles in "Le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti"

Le Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is a serious volume about one of the world's most celebrated and coveted wines in existence. In my reckoning, the girnormous book weighs more than the centuries-old Holy Bible at the alter of Sts. Peter and Paul Metropolitan Cathedral in Tuguegarao. The book is so beautifully photographed, I want to drink nothing but snobbish red wine. Forever and ever.

My copy of "Dining in New York City" with Jean-Georges Vongerichten on the cover

Chef Anita Lo and GM/Sommelier Jennifer Scism of Annisa

Jan's second present was Dining in New York City, a petite volume showcasing 40 of the city's best chefs and their eateries. Amongst the line-up are Thomas Keller's Per Se, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his eponymous restaurant, Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin, and my favourite chef Anita Lo's Annisa.

A Jan Bartelsman print entitled "Champagne Mercier: Petit Matin de Grande Fête"

Jan also gave me a print of his fabulously moody photo, "Champagne Mercier: Petit Matin de Grande Fête," which makes me want to forget about snobbish red wine in lieu of fabulous bubbly.

My FINDS family: Jaakko, Anna and Michael

...what's that in the background...?

Together with Jan's local writing partner, Rebecca Lo, I developed the text for the feature on FINDS in "Hong Kong & Macau Magic." I also coordinated the shoot. If you look closely, you'll see that there's an image of Finnish men in a sauna behind the bar. I'm The Hyperactive Gay Boy™, natch!

I was unfortunately stuck in the purgatory of deportation when "Hong Kong & Macau Magic" was eventually published. That's why it was all the more special that Jaakko brought an autographed and dedicated copy for me.

Big thanks to Jan, dear Jaakko and my FINDS family! I can't wait to start our next project!