Psss...Blog Secret #1


Sometimes I wonder if I went to the right college. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my time here, but I think it's always good to question yourself a little now and then to not get complacent/too comfortable. I have say I love my school now...after discovering that they got a campus license to Lynda. HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS THAT?! After discovering Lynda through Katrina I've always been dying to learn HTML/CSS and everything else properly since everything you see here is self-taught from Xanga days (oh how far I have come). 

In honour of my blogniversary I've decided to share a few tips of the trade I've learnt through the past two years of blogging. I know there are some VERY good sites that are already offering such coding tricks (like Katrina's Pugly Pixel) but I want to share things that are so basic you'd be hard pressed to find them easily. I learnt the hard way by digging through a lot of sites before I found the stuff I'm going to share with you guys. 

Happy 2nd Birthday



THE BLOG IS TWO NOW (as of yesterday)! Isn't this so crazy?! I believe this is the first time I've stuck with a personal project for this long. EVER. It's awesome to how the blog has developed over the years – at first I was just sharing random stuff/ thoughts about things – I never intended to actually write longer detailed pieces. What further boggles my mind is that people actually read them, let alone leave such thoughtful and insightful comments.  The blog has become a full blown creative outlet in terms of making me push my boundaries as a writer, amateur web/graphics designer, amateur photographer and most importantly, as a consumer. Maintaining the blog has at times been taxing and even grueling on top of academic responsibilities, but it feels incredibly rewarding every step of the way.

Writing about the curating process and the general economics of retail and luxury goods has fundamentally shifted my entire perspective on fashion. I pay much more attention to the 'how' and 'why' people around me shop as oppose to what they bought in the past. Similarly, it consistently surprises me to see how drastically different my shopping habits have become not only in relation to myself before but also to the people around me. Learning their motives behind their purchases and comparing it myself is utterly fascinating. It's not about how I am better than thou by accumulating less things; instead, it's more of observing and documenting the huge variety of what makes people tick, of what trickles into the mainstream subconsciousness in the realm of retail and fashion. What makes ME tick even: the constantly yapping about Uniqlo, find the perfect basics, classic pieces, the Ivy/Trad (PITA) aesthetic rah rah rah...two years later and I'm still hopelessly obsessed with all of the above. Beyond this, it's also interesting to this play out on the larger scale, in the context of modern day globalization and in terms of ecological impact.

My brain is awash with topics to add to my much neglected series of "Curating + Collecting." If only I could find enough time and energy to pen them as fast as I can! Future topics I can't wait to write about very soon: the change in the pace of consumption pre- and post-curating, mall culture in Hong Kong, basics vs. classics (or if there is a difference at all), how the womenswear industry is friendly (or unfriendly) to curating the wardrobe, whether high fashion is shifting away from regurgitating trends from the runway etc. etc. Apart from this particular series, other topics include researching and writing about Uniqlo (I have already downloaded all the relevant PDFs from their parent company Fast Retailing Co.'s corporate website), talking about Chinese luxury goods market and more. So many topics but so little time. Let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we by tackling things one at a time...starting with sharing some blog tips of the trade I've picked up over the year(s) for this week. It's my way of giving back to the blogging community and to my lovely readers ;)

Thanks to everybody who has been reading the blog, no matter how long ago or recent (that includes you mum and dad), from all over the globe. I've been slowly coming out of the blogging closet (so to speak) by sharing my blog more with people I actually know in real life, which is pretty scary but at the same time, at least now they know why I need to shut myself off from the rest of the world for hours at a time. Thanks again for the great two year run so far and let's toast to a great third round this time eh? I hear the third time's the charm!
*clink*

Stanley, Hong Kong


After yesterday's grittier post of artist studios in Hong Kong's industrial district of Fo Tan, here's one to show you the more relaxed peaceful side of HK. It's nice to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city. Due to the expensive real estate, most of the land is developed by real estate tycoons to build shopping malls after shopping malls to quickly and easily recoup their investments, even if there are WAY too many in existence already. Worst still, the malls are all filled with the same brands and in many cases, even the same restaurants. Even though it's a cosmopolitan city rich in culture, it's actually hard to find something interesting to see or do, hence our making a trek way out of the way down to the southern tip of the island.

Here you can see what was basically my uniform the whole time I was in HK: basic neutral tee + jeans + sneakers/loafers depending on location/weather/mood + Barbour jacket, which turned out to be perfect for the cool breezy winter weather. 

I'll be sure to follow up later with the a post solely dedicated to the "mall culture" of Hong Kong and the resulting homogeneity of choices because it's an interesting phenomenon that's little seen outside of Asia (where the population density is high and little land is available).