Taiwan's Love

Taken at Taroko Gorge

 Holiday has been beautiful, extremely beautiful. 

As much as it was only a month long semester break, it was a productive and inspiring one. Even before the last submission, my family and I left for the perfect (A.C) weather in Hong Kong. It was good wandering back and forth streets from day to night, stopping by small dessert shops for a drink and a snack or two only because our feet were begging for a break. All we really do in Hong Kong was basically eat and shop. Even when we were in ocean park or victoria peak, we snacked from the hair raiser roller coaster ride to the crazy galleon, from watching couples do their wedding shoots to admiring the sparkling skyscrapers. 

But the eating was only a warm up for the Taiwan trip.

You see, the family prefers Taiwan cuisine to Hong Kong's. We like almost everything that was along the street market including the smelly tofu. In fact, that is my favorite Taiwan dish. It's almost like, four squares of smelly tofu for everyday keeps the doctor (and everyone) away. Similar. We ate from day to night, starting the day with the best oyster noodles(蚵仔麵線) hidden in a corner near Taipei 101, and ending the night with a bowl of hot dessert. Of course, along our way while traveling, sightseeing and visiting, we saw food carts which we always stopped to do something we consider as "tasting" before we continued. I mean, don't you agree that mountains are greener and skies are more blue with a snack in the hand. Double happiness!

Taken at the (unknown) Lake

Definitely the trip was not only about eating throughout the day. 

It was about the wonders of the Greatest's creations and blessings which were showered on us through the locals. The other half of the trip was spent in Hualien and there we received so much love, care and knowledge about the tribes and cultures there. At the home which we stayed by the pacific ocean was almost perfect. The host and staffs treated us as though their own family and it felt more sincere and homely than ever in another country. We had steamboat and fellowship when they shared with us about the history and culture of their tribes. The Truku tribe(太魯閣族) reminded me of the Maoris where facial tattooing is/was an important cultural practice. However, both differs in the significance and design of the tattoos. To the Truku tribe it symbolizes adulthood, eligibility for marriage and is a pass for them to join the ancestral spirits after death. Whereas, the tattoos on the Maori tells the story of the wearer's family and tribal affiliations, and their social status.

These cultures never bore me and i guess it is what intrigues me most about traveling. 

Till May,

xoxo

p.s. Thank You, Dad & Mom<3

CHEERS(;

RACER LISA

Mood board(left), Inspiration board(right)

The concept between modernization and traditional, with time, was derived while wandering in Chinatown. Despite of the fact that Singapore is only a dot on the globe, there is always so many things to look at, get curious about and draw inspiration from. The thought to make a pair of shoe that was considered as a wearable art struck as soon as I spotted a pair of Chinese clogs lying in the shelves of a lifeless provision shop. It mainly sells traditional kitchenware and some other necessary provision, which are rarely used by today households. However, that was the trigger to the simple concept of the work of time.  

Below the layer of crackle silver paint is patched work using three different fabrics stitched onto the flip side of an old denim+canvas sneaker from Reebok. The rubber in front of the original pair of sneaker was detached and attached onto the clogs with the strap. Thankfully for many helpful, kind and loving people in my life, I was able to get the size and pattern of the clogs altered with the sawing tools at S's factory. Materials (such as nails, glue and rubber) and techniques to put the shoe together was taught and given by the best cobbler of Chinatown. He would let me sit at the corner at his tent for more than 4 hours for a few days, to watch him mend shoes, ask questions and listen to my idea. My dearest family, always supporting me in any and every way with the little things to help me save some time, effort and energy. Also, always (and forever) my model for projects. Without any help and advises, I would not have been able to complete these in three days. Thank God!

Finally, the paint will peel, revealing the patch work and reds of the beneath layer. As seen from above, on the bottom of the inspiration board, unrevealing the traditions that has been instilled…

Model: Alicia Lim

CHEERS(;

Greatest Gift

 Alicia Lim

Very inspired by her imaginations of the mystical mermaids in the deep seas, she has a lacey mermaid skirt with a bralet and a light piece of sheer top. As she strolls along the beach and rest upon the big stones close to the shore, her light clothing not only keeps her warm from the sea breeze. It also allows her to take everything else real in this world out of her mind and dwell into the mystical realm of mermaids, unicorns and horsemen.

“Dressing up is a form of expression”

 Soh Li

In our Garden city, we have a youthful and adorable looking woman that is in her early 40s in a layered style that gives off the vibes of Japanese. Especially at a proudly and wonderfully man-made garden, how could one simply believe that this was not taken in any rural district with the most natural greens, with the different shades of reds and almost washed out looking denim that fits in comfortably with the breezy blues in the environment.

“让我回想年少时的天真可爱”

“Reminds me the innocence of my childhood”

 Dara Lim

Bright and Beautiful, all she wanted was to play. With her grandmother’s old dress from the art deco period and a vintage floral head piece. To her most comfortable converse high cuts to skate around in her yellow penny.

With anything, to everywhere.

“I don’t care, I just want to play with fashion”

This family-my greatest blessing from above.

CHEESE(;

Lomo Baby.

I could never comprehend how a little camera, which is approx. half the size of my already very small hand, could be so impressive. It looks so tiny that i would not take it seriously at all and if i had no knowledge about the different kind of effects the camera were capable of capturing, i would just pick it up and start pressing the button for the "cheeeeeechik" noise that gives my restless self some sort of pleasure.

So, i was at the La Sardina Wardrobe Exhibition Opening Party yesterday and i browsed through a couple of lookbooks in the store because i thought i would better understand pictures and words more than the devices on the shelves. Thankfully, from those pictures and words, i was able to appreciate the tiny devices more than i did. But then again, i think i would never truly understand it until i get my hands on it. Until then, I shall wait for my sissy to invest in one since she told me that she has been drooling over the little cameras ever since i don't know when.

That's not the point.

Anyway, there were 11 unique and customized La Sardina Cameras which shoots regular 35mm film, has a wide-angle lens and a rewind dial to turn back frames whenever. Artists, OJOKO, Eric Foenander, Monster Gallery, Yong, Kitt Santos, David Chan, Astralrae, MASH-UP, Clare Marie Ryan, Speak Cryptic and Bradley Foisset, all DIY-ed their cameras with their limitless creativity and below are a couple of favourite things i saw in the store, located at 295 South Bridge Road #01-01.

Please, o please, if you haven been there, you have to go down, step into the store and look. It is one of the most colourful, eye opening and creative space along South Bridge Road.

The last three best pictures are taken by mustard John

CHEESE(;