Unleashed!

Unleashing the side we are not fearful of to show to the world...

I proudly present *with that dramatic drum roll* the professors in the making of the unofficial SOAS: Not School of Oriental and African Studies but, School of Otaku and Anime Studies!

Left to right: Anthea-sama, Jeanne, me, Eran, and Kash

 Yeah, this is school stuff we're doing ^

Shojo.

Whilst everyone else is enjoying their Christmas and New Year's break here I am scrummaging time to complete my 5K analysis on the Japanese movie Kamikaze Girls, which I found it so stimulating, profoundly the most Japanese in the 21st century, arguably to give a different view how people might see it as a very Westernised product (it is but it is still Japanese through shoka). Then as I'm still struggling to write my essay I even had take the time off to share this interesting tidbits of 'did you know' and 'who knew' through my research! Procrastinating at its finest.

While still professing my new love over the heroines of the movie, Momoko and Ichiko, especially a new light to Anna Tsuchiya because I thought she was a singer but she acts so well as a yankii?! She clearly embodies that haafu personality which the director did share how Tsuchiya emulated the character in new ways out of the script.

So much research is going on to this paper and I'm having the time of my life going through my bookstack it's not even funny as there's no holiday.

To underline what I found about the relations of shojo (girls, teenage girls, adolescent girls in the global view) and pink, aka the colour for girls, and drawn into the movie, here's a visual teaser:

THE CELEBRATION OF SHOJO (GIRLS) AND PINK AT ITS FINEST

Could you believe it, this 'scary woman' has a pink, vespa?

Pink is so prevalent in the movie, and Ichiko as the antihesis of Momoko the pinky girl wears, obviously, the genderized color blue against pink.

I suddenly remember Para Kissu (Paradise Kiss) and pink as it's also a very shojo story: 

Off I went to Wikipedia and Answers to really get into the real answer why pink is for girls and always is associated by it, girl power... although I can't find the English text of Eva Heller's Psychology Book of Colours because she said that

"The golden age of the color pink was the Rococo Period (1720–1777) in the 18th century"

   I've found Natalie Wolchover added to my bibliography as it has answered another great relation from the Kamikaze Girls story itself - I mean, take a look:

As for why one color-gender pairing came to dominate over the opposite pairing, Paoletti argues that the rule we use today may reflect the influence of French fashion. Traditional French culture paired pink with girls and blue with boys (while Belgian and Catholic German culture used the opposite), and because France set the fashion in the 20th century, their tradition held sway.

"This happened during a time when mass marketing was appearing," Cohen told Life's Little Mysteries. "Being 'gender normal' is very important to us, and as a marketing technique, if retailers can convince you that being gender normal means you need to buy a certain product — cosmetics, plastic surgery, blue or pink clothing, etc. — it just makes sense from a production or mass marketing perspective     - Source

Well, the five elements I chose that contributed the success of the movie as a transnational cinema, includes fashion and the new market of girls, the teenage boom. It was ridiculously appealing for production and consumption and within Japan especially, was the nonstop destination of affluent purchasing of luxury goods in the 90s, even for Western brand to establish exclusive 'labels' only available in the country. Moreover, Lolita fashion is about Rococo and our main star in the movie professes her soul to have lived within the Rococo era.

Mind-blowned at the moment to have discovered this integral aspect - thanks to my oddly curious thought to why Ichiko's vespa has to be pink out of all colors because she's... tough.

What a feat to find the red line between all this, the girl market has never been so dynamic, fragmented yet one brings it altogether, one here is by just the color.

Back to the essay now, clearly having new lights and materials to manifest the thoughts.

  

I really can't focus now. Braindrained. Tsuchiya so apt. Should stop going to Tumblr. *sigh

OH, YOU FANCY

You'll never hear me ask once and for all to go out at midnight all the way to a club.
You'd give me an incredulous look in a second, blink in disbelief, but go 'hurrah!' on the next.

Well, that was only one night, for only one reason - to see fancyHIM and THE Peli spin for the night all the way from TOKYO! Omaigotto, when else?

And since N.thanael Shaf Stefan and the usual hood are there to do some dance moves as said...

So here it was - and I love the design of the poster/flyer/image here!

Back to topic, they're pals with MLLE YULIA too, so they're the heart of the Tokyo clubbing scene. And the fashion part for sure which I was aiming for.

It's a mask ball, and from its description, a mask is a must. I was stucked for a bit but luckily I had a mask somewhere safe kept since a couple years back.

So of course, I had to prepare. As geeky as I'd get for all things Nippon, here's what I did to plan beforehand:

•uh, yeah, that's supposed to be me in a big bun on top, with whatever drawing and the additional last minute change from necklace to hair piece of my baskin robbins spoon 'cessary... and the mask.•

When I was re-reading for a gazillionth time after the night of N'TH (click on the picture to support em! I love love love this free, yes freeeeeee magazine in SG) and saw Peli on their Droptokyo street style, I was even more overwhelmed. That's why she was even more familiarly refreshed on my head! *And I like that girl on her left with her colorful skirt*

Yeah, to cut things short, I prepared just as I drew on the above for the tee. I've been keeping this tee for some time - it's and old tee of my dad's used for soaking up the last bits of dye I did during the summer (POST WILL COME NOT ANYTIME SOON HA) and after contemplating plus watching the latest SHINee Juliette video which put me to fashiongasmic of its styling and the toy masks, I tried to cut like le wife's pink tee turn something liddat on left here.

•snap away and cut cut cut with full on accessories on the night•

With a few changes from knee-high black socks to leopard prints and being the earthy-theme'd helped by Miss President Director of BS Corporation Damian Shirley I was ready to rumble and to be looked at weirdly. Yeah, you be the judge. ;)

The theme for me was all out and the night where I felt like I was supposed to be in 原宿(Harajuku).　ふわふわふわ〜


•When it becomes a necklace, and the fancyHIM goodie in my bag~

•wearing unbranded colorful tee (inside), DIY black-dyed self die-cut tee, Batik Semar dress as jacket, old navy brown wool shorts, leopard stockings, unbranded yellow sandal wedgeswearing all most of my chunky bracelets gotten from Turkey, Diva metal ring, small crotchet bag from Yunan, Glo-in-dark rosary, DIY Spoon haircessory and the mask•

Got little goodies perfect for my pin collection and next DIY-ing, and the best memory however blurred. Mission accomplished at 3AM, which is what I wanted to do and the ONLY thing I wanted to do is to snap, and pass. Won't dish anymore to keep the wish far safe. 11:11!

She was great - she suddenly high fived me for "great mask!" whilst re-Q-ing back to the party. It was a good choice to re-enter. It paid off.

Well, be the judge again for below.

Butter Factory's best MISSMATCH yet - and boy was I BLOWN AWAY - the songs they spin and the taste SUITED ME WELL. I am the hometown kiddo of Japan afterall. AND PELI SPINS MAD. WDF AWESOME MAD. Love her DJ style hands down period .

Kirameki*!

*: happy

Two things why we should again make Japan be our role-model and to make us forever happy.

Recently, I went to a presentation by getting the usual Japan Creative Centre Singapore (JCC) newsletter and invitation for exhibitions. Now a confession: I only did a forward to my editor of Whiteboard without looking or reading what's it about - I only thought it would be another art exhibition which they usually hold. But I was quite taken by surprise to what I saw when I ran late and thought I was pretty lucky on being part of the audience of this group of NUS Japanese Studies and other few faq. students to visit Japan and learn from their PechaKucha presentation.

What's this all about? You can read the synopsis of my report for 'Role-modeling Japan's Green Movement" to click onwards below to the page...

which it was cut to a big extent. So I'll dish here for the whole report which is worth a good 500-word essay back in school for a post field trip report. Because, I am this impressed.

Hi 'Shoes', or yes however you pronounce your moniker, it is stuck in my head still. Good nickname!

Under the direction of Professor Doctor Philip McMorran from the National University of Singapore (NUS), 12 final year students were brought to the southern area of Japan for a trip of discovery and research. With the focus of studying on their ecological friendly methods, for 7 days they were enriched with the nature Japan has naturally hold and of what they have man-made to make things look natural.

 

What fascinate them overall is how Japanese are so exquisitely neat, initiative and its discipline dedication to maintain the situation. From the naked eye, the theme park garden Huis Ten Bosch isn’t just your usual theme park – powered by the water beneath its massive windmills and rivers and teddy bear museum, huge pipes all around are transporting and chugs water over and over to recycle.

Man made scenery at Kurokawa Onsen doesn’t look artificial at all. It has grown along with nature and the main mission of it is to present Japan’s nature close by with its guests relaxing while they bathe.

Kumamoto City Green Carpet movement is also part of the agenda, but what’s to note is the unbelievable action of city to categorize their waste into 24 different types, where we commonly see only 3, for better recycling methods and to preserve the future.

Read more of the field trip on Professor McMorran’s blog. Quite envious of him to have stayed about 4.5 years in Japan to actually learn about the country. That is my dream! More than ever that well, my driver's son gets a SCHOLARSHIP to study in Japan and now WORKING THERE as well as wanting to be a high school kokosei which I'll never be but forever in secret in wanting to wear the uniform, which Eliora did...(OK STOP OUT OF TOPIC ALREADY SORRY)

I sincerely congratulate the success of the final-year students of NUS for embarking the journey to make the first step of change.

Narcissm yes I see me. Tee hee~

Photos courtesy of JCC . Support 'em!

                    Now back to my space to talk whatever I want. I was blown away on how this professor was doing his job. And really, doing doing an extra effort to an extent to help his students to get a job in this opportunity. So you saw the photo above where I was sitting. I was sitting among these people that were from various industries and companies and etc.

                    PLUS POINT was that there was a lot of Japanese companies and reps from the JCC/Embassy, like the rep for the transport authority in Japan itself or how I perceive on how the MC introduced him. And man, for the professor who introduced each and every student with their specialist abilities and their interests and reminding everyone who were present to "please get in touch with them, contact them if you have an Earth to save" because a student wanted to save the Earth.

                    I don't think my lecturers will even lower their ego for some peanuts like us. Hmmm. I do feel that this kind of exposure needs to happen and a WOW for NUS. Good thing that there's JCC present to utilize in Singapore. It is a good city for creating opportunities - lots of things are popping up and you gotta grab it ya'll!

Cheers to Prof. McMorran there, I wish you were my lecturer. I got high respects for ya, fist bump!

Another thing is this cute thing from Lomography - the KIRAMEKI series! This was like back in May or I forgot since I've put the post to draft but aren't these a little zen darling (the middle one).

So there was a contest to win this kawaii chiisai darling. So I entered. I was late by a day but they immediately accepted by blur hazy geisha photo for the competition entry - only 20 people were chosen OMONA! But I didn't win.

Well I couldn't win because...

The event was held at GI Indonesia (at the time being I was still in Singapore) and my parents are viciously unsupportive by not attending (but then it was a city to city trip for a camera hmmm) , via LOMOGRAPHY album!

I couldn't get retrieve my photo anywhere, anyhow it was taken by Minhwan!

Now can we toast for Japan's everlasting forever zettai soba ni iru in my heart?

Oh dear whatever the point is that I love Japan berry berry much. MUCH!!!

Written on my 13 days left of holiday before returning for (hopefully) KMW2011!!!!

Over and out!

Handycam Heroes.

I shall need to add another additional H in front there,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEE and AWWWWWWWWWWWW

section. Let's bring on the little to the same-age-plus-plus inspirators (finally after promising in so long ago previous posts!) in the V-Logging* world!

 *this will be explained by Ryan Higa of Nigahiga down below

•extreme GUSHHHHINNNGGGGGGG•

 

Awh Little Nina (my cute little virtual daughter and for real I would like to kidnap you someday and make you my own unless like Kevjumba says, "could I have an interracial marriage" in order to make a Nina xD) you left me speechless! I totally salute you for being a down-to-earth and honest girl by just the mere age of 4! These days kids and teens and I guess they grow up being a stuck-up kid.
Like, comparing to Nina who looks alike to Suri Cruise but without the princess chessiness because of Suri's parents' spoil her too much. TOO MUCH.

Adopt me Cruises OR Beckhams you don't have to work so hard to get a daughter? Tee hee!

Also in reviewing my Japanese skills - getting rustier than ever!
Cute chubby Nina when she was much younger, ZOMG that super chubbyness.

Which reminds me that the examination results should be out this month! =X 

だめだめだめだめ！（｀３｀）

Little Nina makes me fall in love all over again and again and again and again... Less than three so much! :D

Within the topic, here are entertaining/ghastly boring, how you would rate it so if you are interested in the Japan way of life or not, are crackling dry humor at some point but hella yeah, creativity for them never cease.

Let's stop about Nippon! It's time for the people who are my heroes of stand-up (or here, it's more of a Sit-Down Comedy and start gibbering yada-yada-yacking nonsense infront of a handycam/webcam/mobile phone camera) comedy, which I just found out about a month ago. Kudos to Ryan: Nigahiga, Kevin: Kevjumba on my life in Tube, Youtube!

It's what you do most of the time, ding dong! XD

•I give up talking•

•damn hot mister Ryan! Super hawt with your abs and ... boobs whore•

Next is the partner in Crime KevJumba and his hilarious dad - which reminds me of my own but not as open and as, say, quite in the 2NE1's century brained? Tee-hee!

•smacked down-right to the fact!•

And my ultimate favorite! His dad reminds me of my grandmere singing Jinggombel, Jinggombel, Jinggombal gombel...

A Kev Jumba and Happy Slip collaboration! (Sorry I don' think most Happy Slips are funny but yes, STILL 'DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR HAPPI SURRRIP!')

And one special Happy Slip, slipped between all this. It's cliche but it works! Fan behind! Hahahahahaha!

I just just JUST discovered this channel, mychonny, and he's also one person to watch out for. Wow, we Asians are making progress in the realm made by Westerns!

Oh, I do loike yoo accent, it's very charming indeed. ;D

It's getting warm I tell you, it's getting warm. There soon and about but not as gibberish fun as the pioneers, shall I label them so?

All of these are actually my style of dialogue, but I've written it down (hence the long tedious ranting posts in my blog) so I was wondering then... shall I start doing my own videos which are much easier to see (but sorry, my own country, our internet connection still does suck, can't handle Youtube hotness) with slow buffering (which gives me writing option instead).

Look out for it somewhere in the summer - I'm dragging Just High and Remember the Bla-bla-whut? author to come and join - I've got one topic to talk and rant like Nigahiga!


A Happy Sunday!

昼休み。。。*

 How long have I been missing in your window screens?

  I have no idea. Fashion studies has taken control my time.

But I'm now alive again, right after submissions. SATURDAY 28th I CANNOT WAAAAAITTTT TO REACH HOME AND STUFF MYSELF AGAIN (to satisfy the dragon inside my stomach currently) safely and sound and list all the things I gotta do...

1st week: Nihon Noryoku Shiken motto benkyou!

2nd week: (hope to get in the exhibition) LOMONESIA exhibitionist

3-4th week: Off to Japan and hope to roam around Tokyo city for a day like a lost puppy

5-6th week: My teeth operation?And send myself back to Singapore.

To prep things up for the 3-4th week...

Absolute research on the Japanese street style scene, confessing that I'm trying over exceedingly dress to impress at least for this travel's photos (very ambitious, thank you)

All images were taken from the best Japanese street style bible at Fashion Snap complete with detailed zoom accessories, fully sided. I can't get enough of them tbqh.

                                                                                                                                      full length shots

                                                                                                                                                  details

DIY tights color mixing inspiration! Only at We Love Colors...

(I really want the basic patterned tights and thigh-high striped in a variety which totals about US $70 when I checked out. Oh dear. Rp 700,000 for 7 tights. Yikes!

あのタイツわとひざうえといろーいろ色ひざうえline patterned わかいたい！)

oh ooh oooh (well believe it or not I've typed this out 3-4 times due to sudden Mozilla crash and other stupid technological reasons I've clicked save as draft but pictures appear but not this writing was totally peeved and is still) the patterns, textures, solid color clashing, and drapery...

DIY on the accessories (bracelet, necklace, trinkets, badges, anything to add the party!), Japanese fabric small vest plan, more Japanese fabric hunting, more pattern drafting cutting and sewing, tie-dye the white socks (planned since that summer project) and get more secondhand treasures!

aand wa-wa-wa-wa-iit are those audio-technica? I'm in need of big headphones to rock on the Harajuku streets and it was told that even in Akihabara electronics are still exp, better to get it here//ALSO looking at audio-chi's black-purple/pink dotted...
i wanted a all white headphone, circle, that covers the whole ear totally outside (usually the upside down egg shape would suit best but it doesn't look as nice as circle) or those 2NE1/G-D headphones...

 but, I'll leave the decision to you guys PPMIS you guys choose it's your late late gift for my 17th year on earth celebration... :D

(it's gettin' late here i wannit before christmas trip! XD)

I spent $300 on this whim. It was a given.

I've totally forgotten about this high street store so much better than Topshop and its likes due to high demand in Desigual and since this year's collection had been a bore (where high street copies the runway) so we're now left with die-hard sharp shoulders or shoulder-innovations fad however something me like too... sigh...

]

 

 

 *Leather slouch bag, the moment I had rested its bag on my shoulders, I couldn't let it go, it drops just nice. TOO nice. MOOMMMM please bring this to the bag maker now! Hope it would have the same quality durability :)*

even more in my list: grey long-sleeved puffy dress (reminds me of my lecturer), Go Jane cheap boots, and whatever I'll see downtown tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . -whoooops-

                                                                                                                                           popularbeats



 BoA's new look of a shorter hair cut and an awesome stylist, reminds me of Mia's all-geometric black-white getup dressup. Anyhow this bump bump bump music is absolutely ringing my ears, and Crystal Kay and m-flo and Utada Hikaru and Becca should keep me company throughout the journey.

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2PM tribute for its style, the former hubby look-a-like Junho in one August live performance, with the fad trend of focusing embellishments of sharp cuts in a garment : the shoulders.
Chains and studs and shiny still follows along