If I Can Make it There, I'll Make it Anywhere?

At a local jazz bar, the band would perform Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' but have the lyrics changed to 'Mongkok'.
A major area in Hong Kong that is so famous for its extremely high population density that it's on the Guinness World Record.

Despite how much the words fit, Mongkok never has the glitz & glam that New York does.
For some reason, I have got a chance to see the not-so-known and not-the-best side of the area.
The streets are packed, 24/7. Literally, no matter what time you are there, it is packed.
Streets are not only packed with people, but also shops after shops, buildings after buildings.
Some buildings are so old & torn that once you enter a building, usually walking up the stairs, you travel a few decades back in time. Historical (not sure if it's in the good way or bad way though).

Once you are in the building, you almost entered another world.
A 10-storey historical building that is not well-maintained. No lift, just stairs. And public areas without light.
Just complete darkness.
And occasional pink/yellow lights or even neon lights that signal: This is the place for prostitution.
And sounds of leaking pipes dripping, TV inside apartments, people yelling foul languages, barking dogs.
Oh, and prostitutes too, of course.

So, what is worth writing about this lousy messy place?
Despite the fact that we have encountered extraordinary people from all walks of life and have such an interesting experience, it is just another old city area.
You're right, it's just like any other old city area of any other cosmopolitan/developed city.
Old, crowded, busy, dirty place.

Tonight I saw how hard people strive to live and it saddens me.
People squeezing themselves into areas so small that it's inhumane to live in.
People of all ages & background doing filthy jobs just to make ends meet.
People building illegal structures in most extraordinary places so that they have a shelter.
Could they really enjoy the fruit of their labor or is it just a never-ending cycle of hardship?
I don't know.

Do you wanna wake up in this particular area of city that never sleeps?
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere? Seriously?

Love,
N

Bad Boy/Girl Crush

Getting a tattoo is something that I would NEVER ever do. Never.
But seeing these cool tattoos, people sharing the stories behind their tattoos & having watched Miami Ink, some part of me is tempted.

Currently in love with these clever tattoos from Tattly
They are really designy. And the best thing?
They are temporary.

Love,
N

Justin Timberlake & Mila Kunis Cover Elle August 2011

Don't really care if they got chemistry. The editorial is all about sex appeal. 

After all those gropes & grabs, need I say more? Sex sells.

Killer eyes

Somehow the editorial didn't do them justice. Their charm didn't fully translate into these photos.

Best ones:

Love,
N

Lindsay Lohan On Vanity Fair Italia July 2011

This editorial is taken when she's under house arrest at her place in Venus.
Um...don't really like it.
She looks much older than she really is. And that heavy makeup makes her look even worse.

Love the eyeliner

The only photo I like in the editorial:

I miss her kind-of-innocent & oh-so-cheerful smile. :]

I used to watch a lot of her movies. Parent Trap, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, anyone?

My all-time favourite: The Parent Trap
How adorable she looks! Even with freckles.
Love how the movie can always brighten up my day. Always.

The soundtrack of the movie is probably one of the reasons I fell in love with jazz & big-band swing.
Glenn Miller's In the Mood, Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E, Natalie Cole's This Will be, just to name a few.

Love,
N

Help! Cinemagraphs Not Moving!

Just found out the cinemagraphs I uploaded earlier don't move!
What's wrong with it?
They are d-e-a-d : (

Hope someone could see this & teach me how to fix it.
(Never thought uploading could be a challenge too, haha : P)

Love,
N

Cinemagraphs

Cinemagraphs are captivating as if they have a life on their own.

Wish someone could teach me how to make that.

Awesome sites for cinemagraphs:
1. Cinemagraphs.com by Jamie Beck & Kevin Burg
    (Jamie Beck's photography blog From Me to You is great too)

2. Kelly Framel's  The Glamourai

Just back from a late lunch at the Central. The heat is suffocating.
Love crispy thin pizzas.The Peking duck pizza is surprisingly good.
Who would have thought that Peking roasted duck & pizza actually match?

Love,
N

Fashion ≠ Industry

Reblogged from Etsy's Deutscher Blog

Fashion ≠ Industry'Instant noodle soup, burgers and potato chips are not part of your everyday life? Why fast fashion?

The fashion industry today produces new trends every six weeks. Great for the bottom lines of the companies, but what social and ecological price do we truly pay? What do we really gain from having sewers sweat night and day, earning pennies, to make us clothes we will only wear for a few months?

And what does it say about us? Do we really define our personal style by wearing mass-produced clothes that are available in chain stores around the world?

Perhaps it’s time to rethink our lust for fast fashion?...'

Love,
N

Nowness

Nowness is an online independent editorial on luxury & lifestyle, from fashion to travel, gastronomy to art.
An online magazine that is.

Being a brand of LVMH, it's hard not to be about luxury.
Many say that it's an innovative portal for promotion.

But the best thing about it is not the luxury part.
It's able to have interesting & sometimes inspiring features without being too promotional.

Today's marketing is more like evangelism; storytelling, selling you an experience rather than a product and getting you to want a particular lifestyle or idea.
Nowness is all about evangelism as well.
It's meant to be tailored to one's interest, a journey-like experience and hopefully an inspiring discovering process.

Well, I'd say the content is great but I don't feel that it's that personal or tailored.

In general, it's worth checking out.

Awesome video named Natural Beauty
365 layers of makeup in 1 day

Lernert & Sander: Natural Beauty on Nowness.com.

Something random:
Somehow, the word Nowness makes me think of Carpe Diem, which is horrible.

Love,
N

Kate Moss is Married

In the fashion & modelling world where you could be in today and out tomorrow, being a supermodel & the muse for designers for years is nothing easy (especially with those news on drug-abuse).
Not my favorite supermodel but I've got to admit the fact that she's a legend.
Famous for her heroin chic look, she's the icon of Decadent Glamour (not sure if this term exists).

Her wedding in suburb Cotswolds was magical.
Her wedding gown by John Galliano doesn't make me wow.
But overall, I love simple, elegant and vintaged-inspired it is.
Those delicate, beautiful lace!And properly-used sequins!
And the bridesmaids! Look like they come straight out of fairy tales, gorgeous.

 Love these Bridesmaids!!

Love,
N

Love Your Neighbours as Yourself

I got a reply from the Civic Centre, but it's not very likely that I could do anything such large-scale like they are doing, all by myself.
So, I'm just gonna make it a little project with photographs and see how it goes.


The past couple days were rough; mainly filled with disappointment.
Then this quote just popped into my head:


'If you can think of times in your life that you’ve treated people with extraordinary decency and love, and pure uninterested concern, just because they were valuable as human beings. The ability to do that with ourselves. To treat ourselves the way we would treat a really good, precious friend. Or a tiny child of ours that we absolutely loved more than life itself. And I think it’s probably possible to achieve that. I think part of the job we’re here for is to learn how to do it'  ----David Foster Wallace


Have I been treating myself the way I treat who I thought to be precious?
Um...not really.


Inspirations:
1. Before I Die I want to treat people with extraordinary decency and love, and pure uninterested concern, just because they were valuable as human beings.
2. Before I Die I want to treat myself exactly the way I mentioned above.


Love & bisous (since I'm taking up French again :P),
N