Jelly; Dec 2010 picks

OHAI! Just got back from Seoul on Monday night, at around 1am.

Photos will have to come later cause i've got 675 of them to sift through. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I EVEN MANAGED TO TAKE 675 PHOTOS.

Autumn colours are terribly dreary, hopefully winter brings in some cute fluffy colours. Then again, i was looking at Jelly, not Popteen. Popteen picks should be coming along soon!

Recently i've been drawn into more understated styles. Might be the influence of korean street fashion, which is, judging from what i've seen, ladylike, semi-formal, and subtle. It really depends on what you're looking at though. I did pick up this sweater in ghastly shades of purple and green. Purple and green happen to go quite well together, for some inexplicable reason.

But, i digress, beige, camel, brown, grey, black, khaki and tartan seem to be recurring colour palettes in this issue. As well as fur, in the form of legwarmers, vests, coats, scarves, or bags. Pants range from denim shorts to skinny jeans, boyfriend cuts, and slacks.

Red seems to be one of the more heavily featured vibrant colour in makeup now. Classic colour, goes with the season's muted tones, but tends to be a little tricky when it comes to picking a shade of red. Some are too orange, some are too pink, you might get it on your teeth and that's all kinds of awkward. One of my favourite lip colours is Chanel's Rouge Allure in excessive. Should've gotten it in the airport ugh, i'm such an indecisive shopper.

I'd suggest taking the advice of pairing red lippie with natural eye makeup. Heavy eye makeup and red lips as a set can be rather volatile; it either makes you look like a Harlot, Tranny, or well, to be honest i don't see any good coming out of overly dramatic eyes and red lipstick cause there's gonna be too much drama going on all over that face.

Some recurring shoe trends i've observed would be the laced up ankle boots, lots of suede, and fur. Though it seems like ankle boots are more popular than thigh highs or knee highs this season. Okay no i'm biased cause i just bought a pair of laced ankle boots from Korea. Yes, there'll be a mega haul post sometime soon.

One of my favourite pieces this autumn? The knitted socks. Lovelovelovelove them so much. My horrendous thunder thighs make it impossible for me to wear them cause, hello, muffin top. Also, would someone be so kind as to inform me where i can obtain sock glue? Because my thigh high socks keep slithering downwards. It's ridiculous.
Also, just a little note for the scarf under belt style in the top right hand side of the picture. Try using a scarf with less elasticity, then it's not as likely that you'll stretch it out of shape.

Lastly, one of my favourite coordinates in this issue. It also happens to be unwearable in Singapore. Tragic.

Short snippet on korea:

It was incredibly fun, there was touristy stuff as well as a whole lot of shopping. Cosmetics, mostly. Clothes need to be washed before keeping them away, so i'll get photos of the stuff i bought sometime later, maybe in a week or so. Either way, there'll be a haul post and general tourist photos to look forward to. Hopefully soon. 8DD

I'll see if i remember enough of Dongdaemun to point anyone who needs information in the right direction, in terms of shopping for clothes.

Till then, 안녕~!

Atelier Royale; AFAX part 3.

Atelier Royale was one of the experience zones for AFAX, as well as the first Butler Cafe in Singapore.

My first experience of a Butler Cafe (執事喫茶), and its here. From the person who's skeptical about the autheticity of manifestations of such Japanese pop culture in Singapore, saying that i quite enjoyed it would be odd, but yes, i did.

While i'm not too fond of the idea of paying to be treated well, objectification works just as well for both genders, and i thought i'd pop in for the experience of being part of hoity toity high society.

I mean, come on, butlers, BUTLERS.

To say that it wouldn't be right to evaluate them based on my meagre experience in Butler Cafes is an understatement, so reviewing them based on the original criteria isn't going to work cause I've never actually been to one.

What i can say though, is that, despite the insane queue (that wasn't as long as the one for MMK, thank god), and rather pricey food, it was worth it.

Unfortunately because of this, which is possibly the most ironic photo in this post, i didn't manage to get photos of the food, or the interior. Obviously this photo was taken outside.

The butlers were impeccably dressed, the food was decent, and service was, well, butler-ly, as far as i can tell, which isn't really saying anything.

We ordered two strawberry shortcake sets, and one dark chocolate mousse set. Definitely expensive, for about 18SGD. Each set that came with a reasonably large slice of cake, mini fruit tart, some berries on the side, a drizzle of sauce, and a cup of tea. Taste-wise, everything was average, or slightly above that i guess.

Wasn't expecting too much of the food, since it was a mobile event and all, but i did expect prettier tableware. Tableware provided were of the standard all-white plain type, and i'd wanted Royal Albert imitations/lookalikes at least.

Also, the ambience was absolutely destroyed by Mr. "Emcee-with-horrendous-singlish-accent" on the mini stage a short walk away. I'd make comments on the interior design, but a mobile cafe's a mobile cafe. Perhaps if/when they open a physical one, classic polished wood furniture could be considered, as well as pretty tea sets; the ambience and atmosphere makes a huge difference.

There were a set of house rules stuck outside the makeshift walls of the cafe that i found amusing, especially this point:

"Please refrain from any physical contact with the butlers, including during photograph-taking."

It just conjured up images of rabid fangirls flailing and frothing at the mouth. Thinking back, that image sounds a lot more like a zombie apocalypse than anything else. hahah. Then again, if girls go to butler cafes to be princesses for the day, it would be counter productive to behave like an escapee from bedlam, no?

Everything else were generic "no phototaking", and time limit rules (45 minutes per table). People couldn't choose which butler they wanted to serve them, but they could choose which butler they wanted to take photos with, at the price of 5 SGD, and an additional 2 SGD for every extra butler.

Now for the fun part; Butlers.

Firstly, i need to say that i've never had much faith in the appearance of Singaporean boys. Call this a generalisation, but at least 99.99999% of them smell like used locker rooms and look more like a hot mess than actually being hot as in sexy hot. (idk what i'm saying anymore. hahah) 

So i was especially skeptical about, y'know local male specimens in an occupation specifically requiring good looking men. All i can say is, they've proved me wrong, though i still do believe that 99.99999% of local men are just undesirable. Despite the fact that i'm probably part of the 99.99999% of women who men think go "DO NOT WANT" at.

Our butler for the day was Hiroshi, though Akira did hang around our table to chat for a bit. I thought the atmosphere would be a lot more aaaaaaaawkward, cause i'd expected a small army of Sebastians (Kuroshitsuji). But they weren't polite to a fault, and it was fun to just sit around, talk, and try not to burst into giggling fits. Both of them being exceptionally friendly was also a plus point on the ratings board. The bells on the tables were a curious touch of authenticity, though i never needed to use it. A true testament to their expertise in pre-empting their customers' requirements; very impressive.

At this point, it should be said that, evaluating people is very strange. Back to the butlers, i know going down on one knee all the time would probably have hurt a bit, since there seemed to be a neverending stream of customers, but thank goodness for that cause even with heels, i need to look up to speak to them. Proof of how tall they were and my deplorable height. OTL.

My friend and sister did express that it was rather uncomfortable to be addressed "Ojou-sama". This is extremely subjective, because i didn't have any problem with it.

I like to think that, once you're in an establishment as such, the best thing to do would be letting go of all predisposed expectations of waiters and waitresses. Instead, play pretend. If anything, it's good for a short break from school/coursework/life as a whole. That's the main idea of Butler Cafes, or Maid Cafes, it would seem. Bridging the gap between reality and fantasy, and bringing a little of that fantasy to life.

In short, the ambience was subpar, but i suppose it couldn't be helped, the food was pretty okay, and the Butlers exceeded expectations, which is great, considering this was their debut appearance and all. It seemed like they were well received by patrons.

Though the event is over, if you're interested, feel free to head over to the official AFAX page for Atelier Royale or their facebook page.

disclaimer: blogger has not proofread this, also, feel free to correct any inaccuracies by dropping a comment below.

I'll leave you with a badly taken photo of myself and the furtail i cannot stop molesting.

Flying off to Korea tomorrow morning!

Will try to blog over there, but i'm not bringing my laptop, so new blogposts are highly unlikely.

Till next time!~

AFAX part 2.

This is just an extension of the previous post, with increased otaku levels. Not that i was ever interested enough to get anywhere near otaku level. hahah.

Kay, so we bought 15SGD tickets that gave us entry to the main stage for performances, guest appearances and such. Sadly, by the time we realised the stage existed (after our stint at the Butler cafe and rolling all over the place), most of the events were over, and we only managed to catch the end of the angela, SCANDAL, and May'n appearance. SORROW, UNRIVALED. OTL. Ended up missing the Suzumiya Haruhi movie screening, and the Regional Cosplay Championship too. Time management fail.

Though we didn't attend the I Love Anisong side B concert, we managed to catch the end of Kaname and Aira's panel. Actually, cool story, cause we walked in as he was taking off his shirt. REGRETS? WHAT REGRETS? (at not buying cheaper tickets since we barely entered the main stage area, that is.)

 Where i stood was too far from the stage to get a decent photo, but hey, a crappy photo of the screen is better than none. No decent photos of Aira, even ones of the screen, she was moving around too much and her BRS wig was just flipping EVERYWHERE. No big loss, cause, KANAMEEEEE. i am so disgustingly biased.

More photos of his Lavi cosplay, just cause.

STRIKE~! <3

The girl with the mic is Yoshimi from Moe Moe Kyun maid cafe. Pity i didn't manage to go to both the maid and the butler cafes. One is better than none i guess.

More random snaps! I love Hetalia but sometimes it gets hard to follow cause canon and fandom are largely meshed. Maybe i'm just not looking in the right places.

KKNM, the lovely booth where i discovered that Hakuoki boys are incredibly hot for 2D males. Time to scout out DVDs or download links.

And to close this post; a Nendroid photo spam!

Vocaloid Rin Kagamine

Vocaloid Ren/Len Kagamine

Vocaloid Hatsune Miku

 

Vocaloid Kaito

K-on Nendroids!!

I woke up today regretting not buying any. *tears of blood*

Hirasawa Yui

 

Tainaka Ritsu

Kotobuki Tsumugi

Apparently, i resemble Tsumugi. Do i, really?

OTL

Completely random, but everytime i type OTL, í think of OTZOTZOTL. no prizes. The Human Centipede is possibly the weirdest movie i've ever watched.

That's all for now!~

Will try to write a Butler Cafe review later, or at least soonish, cause i'll be flying out to Seoul early tomorrow morning. JETSETTING LIFESTYLE MAXXXX.

Anime Festival Asia! outfit/hair/makeup spam post

This post is dedicated entirely to my incessant need to selca, as well as some AFAX stuff.
AFAX is basically a mega anime bonanza with booths selling merchandise (SO MANY, WTF), cosplay competitions (regional), and guest star appearances. Other features include a Maid cafe (Moe Moe Kyun) and Butler cafe (Atelier Royale), as well as several spaces for art, karaoke, anime dubbing, travel, and japanese culture. I think they've made it an annual event after seeing last year's success, and in comparison (i.e. what i could garner from pictures, since i wasn't there), it seems that this year's was held on a significantly grander scale.

Stumbled over in my trusty wedges at around noon, and yes, that's the minimaos furtail keychain again. I'm so obsessed with that thing it's fluffy, squishy, and i cannot stop touching it.

Autumn colours ahoy! Cause khaki, faded denim, and brown, in the right shades, are an infallible combination.

Here, have a badly taken full body shot.

Cardigan: nicked it off my sister

Top: Uniqlo (i think)

Shorts: Cotton On (For Gyaru on a budget. Also try Bershka, Zara and New look for autumny trends.New Look's cheaper though.)

Furtail: Minimaos

Bag: Longchamp

Shoes: Schu

Pig trotter legs, all my own, the flat hair as well, but no amount of hairspray will make that hair stay up in this humid weather. It just deflates once i step out of the house. OTL

Make-up and hair for the day, can you see it deflating already?  The waves remained, but volume only stuck around for an incredible couple of minutes. Joy and rapture.

Closer look at the eye make-up. After seeing it in some makeup tutorials, i decided to try out the black-eyeliner-in-middle-of-water-line method to see if it'd make my eyes bigger. It's probably cause the line's fading that i can't see much of a difference, but i suppose theoratically it makes sense.

Also, there ought to be a subject "how to glue on false lower lashes" because obviously they were designed for geniuses. Nearly gave myself an aneurysm trying to make them stick and stay.

More gratuitous selca! Sunlight makes everyones skin fair and smooth. CAMWHORE/SELCA IN SUNLIGHT AND STOP BITCHIN ABOUT YOUR COMPLEXIONS. HOHOHO.

ANYWAY, the venue was crowded like nobody's business, and trying to squeeze past the crazed mobs could only be equivalent to attempting to force an egg back up the hen's vent.

Not to mention, due to severe indecision and the sheer number of nendroids (vocaloid Miku, specifically), i not only could not decide on which to buy, but ended up leaving empty handed. GOOD JOB SELF.

It was a toss up between K-On's Azusa, and Tsumugi, if anyone wanted to know. *sob*

There were various anime printed cushions on sale at SGD19 each, and i was under the impression that the stall was selling body cushions, so i intended to head over, purchase a Sebastian (Kuroshitsuji) and SLEEP WITH HIM EVERY NIGHT. HURR. But they were just generic cushions, that were kinda overpriced to boot.

Apparently, all attempts to keep up appearances on this blog have been channeled into the digital removal of eyebags. Subtlety has been thrown into the wind (more like a hurricane).

The Domo-kun in the above picture is totally related. Domo plushies were for sale at the same store, as well as a pile of miscellaneous Domo merchandise. I honestly thing they've capitalized a little too much on it, cause people seem to be losing interest; judging from the piles of Domo things that were sitting around, and the sellers trying to hawk them out at discounted prices.

We basically spent a lot of time walking arond looking for stuff to buy, and bitching at seriously half-assed cosplay. Oh, also complaining about bad singers at the karaoke booth, and looking for Kaname.

I suppose the highlight of this event, for myself at least, would be the Butler cafe. But i'll have to dedicate an entire blogpost to that.

Till next time then~!

My life is as exciting as a krispy kreme glazed doughnut.

Title unrelated.

Back in Singapore!!

After reading reports on the A380 aircraft problems and engine explosion, i was even more jittery than i usually am when flying.

Could barely sleep the night before from the nerves, so i spent the first hour of the flight falling asleep on the person next to me.

Might i just mention that it's indiscribably awkward to eat meat next to a vegetarian. GUILT TRIP MAXXXX.

Also, my flight was filled with crying toddlers, i'm pretty sure i've been traumatised for life.

Moving on,

upon reaching home and cuddling my dog for a good long while, my sister procured Ageha 11/10. *gleeful*

We went to Orchard Ion today to grab some food today. Left my camera at home by accident. My brilliance is astounding. No outfit snaps, because of above reason, but here's a photo of the bag i nicked off my mum.

It appears that Longchamp colours go very well with autumn trends and the furtail keychain i bought from Minimaos.

I think they're probably sold out by now, and they only ship to Singapore and within Malaysia, but i'd still like to plug this online store. I ordered a brown one, and my sister ordered a grey one, the furtail keychains, that is, but when the package arrived, the brown one was broken. Perhaps it was originally faulty or the customs were a little too violent, nonetheless, i sent them an e-mail with photos of the damage, and they immediately replied to say that they'd send out a replacement, no questions asked. I'd expected a lengthy e-mail exchange with "no-exchange or refund" policies brought in, so their response was a pleasant surprise.

It got a squished in the parcel, so some strands are a little curled, but they should straighten out soon. The fur feels a little plasticky, but it looks fine, so i guess it doesn't really matter.  Haven't ordered anything else from them, though that's probably only a matter of time, cause they're quite updated in terms of trends. On another note, EVERYONE SHOULD GET A LONGCHAMP BAG. They're so easy to match and everything fits inside. EVERYTHING.

Completely unrelated, but i've been using this face v-line roller obsessively.

Apparently fat gathers around the chin and face because there's less blood circulation there, so the massage should increase blood circulation and somehow reduce the fats that have taken up permanent residence there.

Right now i probably sound unnecessarily paranoid about my weight, and er, this is really superficial but the one thing i do not want to leave Singapore with, next year, is that 5 kg that i lost. Plan to start hitting the gym every alternate day and hopefully not gain any weight, with the food i'll be eating. OTL.

In more positive news, AFAX is tomorrow!! Heading over with my sister in the afternoon cause we bought tickets online, as an unabashed graduate(not quite yet) from the school of otaku, i'm hoping to catch a glimpse of Kaname, have some tea at the maid cafe, pop by the butler cafe,  and maybe pick up a nendroid before leaving.

For once, when i say my life is so exciting, i mean it.

  



I'm Back!

University year 1 has officially ended.

Somehow, i feel inexplicably old. The uncomfortable reality that everything's temporal and ends sooner or later is one that, i guess no one wants to get used to.

Enough babble.

Okay, so, i don't have any good outfit snaps, unless Gal style suddenly trends hoodies and sports shorts, cause i've been rolling around wearing every hoodie i have throughout the essay period.

So glamorous, i know.

But i did pick up a pair of leopard print boots in town today.

I called them leopard print boots, cause they're blatant Ugg ripoffs. OBVIOUSLY DESTINED TO FUFILL THE KHAKI AND LEOPARD PREENZ trend. (overused Ris Low joke is overused).

Is it disturbing to anyone else that the year after she mentions khaki, leopard preenz and rad (red), they all appear in this season's trends?! Military Khaki; Animal prints; and darker lip colours?

Now the only thing i've established is that i have strange epiphanies.

Anyway, I get where the Ugg haters come from sometimes. Wear these things too much and they start resembling misshapen lumps of cloth.

Then there're the odd coloured ones.



Seriously, what the hell is that.

They look like shoes to be worn while bouncing on the moon. The only good point i see in this is the possibility that it reflects laser beams--from hypothetical laser gun toting outlaws.

I have nothing against Silver, or Uggs, but 

just. no.

You'll have to bear with me communicating with pictures throughout this post cause i've just written about 9000 words worth in assignments and my brain is short circuiting.

So, if it's almost summer in Melbourne, and Ridiculously hot in Singapore, why have i made this seemingly ill-advised purchase?

-insert suspenseful music-

First snow has descended in Seoul. All my autumn dreams have been cruelly slaughtered, as well as the coordinates i originally planned. Uggs happen to be extraordinarily warm in winter. (please wear socks with them. I've seen people wearing Uggs sockless and it's really disgusting cause, uggs are soft and fluffy inside. imagine what happens if the wearer has sweaty feet.). Enjoy that thought.

I've been repacking my luggage to bring home this friday, as well as my entire house, cause i'll be moving into another apartment next year.

Here, have your daily dose of chaos meter OVER 9000.

Right now i'm in a bit of a tizzy cause there's so much stuff that i never realised i'd amassed and I NEED TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER BY THURSDAY AKSJDKADJAL.

On a completely random note, I'll be at AFAX this sunday. CANNOT. WAIT.

k, time waster post will end here, i'll post up something more substantial soon.