One would think when a reality competition gets closer to the finale, the blood starts to boil, the heart pumps faster and the sweat goes from beads to oil slicks.
Goodbye Gorgeous
Sadly, from 5 to 4 girls, the last episode was not so. Which is why it has taken this long for me to even say anything.
On one hand, one could say that the show is a pleasant watch. After all, what else is on TV that is in the same category that, in the very least, is competent in production standards?
On the other hand, the show is also so 'sweet' that it does not really motivate appointment viewing.
And yet, then again, the 'sweetness' is an unintended by-product that may become the calling card of the program.
From the car / moving visual challenge (just call it for what it is, a TVC / Promo paid for by the car company), to the jump around like a loon challenge, the tension in the episode was predictably absent.
The odd thing was Star World showed a repeat of a past season's America's Next Top Model right after tonight's telecast of the Asian version. And in that show, while the contestants were trying to be nice, you knew they just wanted the other to jump into a lake. Good TV right?
So So Beautiful
So just a few thoughts:
Whoever is styling the show deserves an award. Visual, textured, themed. All winners for TV.
Loved it when Daniel Boey said: "She looks like a harassed housewife." Hilarious.
Todd gave directions like a 'Director'. That is confusing. Isn't the challenge supposed to show what the girls can bring to the table with minimal guidance?
Todd's comment during judging, how one girl was boring. Hallo. I think you are talented but don't you think on TV you are just the same. The monotonous James Earl Jones wannabe voice is not as richly toned as you think.
Nadya is as usual, beautiful from any angle, especially the hair style in the latest episode.
Nadya really has come into her own. I am so happy for her. And this episode, when she announced the saved contestant, she didn't say anything. Maybe she did, and it was edited out. But not saying anything spoke volumes. That was priceless.
Really not her best.
I love Miss Nepal. And I didn't think her last shoot was as bad as all that. When you look at best photo winner Jessica's picture (above), is it really that strong? Does it not remind you of a Panadol ad? AIYOH MAAA, I GOTS HEADACHES! TAKE PANADOL.
Ms Nepal's departure...sweet and quiet, like the show.
But the fact that I can't remember Miss Nepal's name is an issue. She is beautiful but doesn't stick. Which is a shame. The show has been slammed for featuring too many Pan Asians. And with her departure, there is only one left.
No prizes for guessing that the last one will somehow be bye bye-ed soon too.
Last season, he gave us a glimpse into his holiday in the South of France. Since I am his eighth cousin twice removed, I am wondering where my invitation to the vacation went! Must have gotten lost in the mail...
I jest...
For Fall 2013, the buzz is that he is sticking to Europe, to the home of the Bolshoi Ballet, the Kremlin and Naomi Campbell's paramour (hmm are they still together??).
Yup.
Russia.
One guesses, and on February 13, all shall be revealed!
Ya know, I could have sworn Singapore had its own Vogue edition.
Huffington Post now says that Vogue Thailand is the first Vogue for South East Asia, and I am not so sure that is true.
In any case, the consumers are lapping it up. Vogue Thailand is scoring all the way to the bank.
Is it because the launch issue features a Thai model in a traditional chada designed by Philip Treacy?
It is because 70% of the content is already promised to be done in Thailand?
Is it because this is the first Vogue to have a male Editor in Chief Kullawit Laosuksri?
Khun K
Whatever it is Khun Kullawit promises that the future issues will have even more customized content, something that will set it apart from its Western counterpart.
This is part 3 in our little class about Chemicals of Interest. You have probably heard about this one in TV shows and movies. It is a potent chemical that knocks you out. But did you know that you can also find formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing preservatives in shampoos and liquid soaps? The purpose of this chemical is to prevent bacteria growth in water based products but they have also been linked to skin sensitivity and cancer.
What it does to you:
Cancer
A known human carcinogen by many expert and government bodies, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
A recent review of the literature on occupational exposures and formaldehyde shows a link between formaldehyde and leukemia.
When formaldehyde is present in personal care products, people can be exposed by inhaling the formaldehyde that is off-gassed from the product, by ingesting it or by absorbing it through the skin.
Animal studies indicate that formaldehyde can be absorbed through the skin when formaldehyde-containing personal care products, including formaldehyde releasing preservatives, are applied.
Where it is found in your home:
Nail polishes
Nail glues
Eyelash glues
Hair gels
Hair Smoothing Products
Baby Shampoo
Baby Soap
Body Wash
The European Union restricts the use of formaldehyde in personal care products, and requires that products with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-release ingredients carry the label “contains formaldehyde.” Canada also restricts the concentration of formaldehyde, and it is banned from use in cosmetics and toiletries in both Japan and Sweden.
Check the following names to see if they are in your stuff:
Quaternium-15
Dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin
Imidazolidinyl urea
Diazolidinyl urea
Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate
2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bronopol)
Formalin
Methylaldehyde
Oxymethyline
Methylene Oxude
Formic Aldehyde
Phenol Formaldehyde
Since low levels of formaldehyde can cause health concerns – at levels as low as 250 parts per million, and even lower levels in sensitized individuals – the slow release of small amounts of formaldehyde are cause for concern.
The concern is so real that Johnson and Johnson pledged to remove formaldehyde from all their products last year. While this is good news and a signal to others to move in the right direction, consumers must know that FMCG companies tend to play the name game when it comes to ingredients. While it may be true they have left out formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasing preservatives are a different story. The truth only comes out in lab tests.
Unless you are into a designer like Rick Owens or a label like Theater, chances are your fashion options are permutations of the pant, shirt, vest, blazer, suit, tux, t-shirt, jeans, belt and so on. Sure the cut may change a little, and the fabrics will change with the season, but overall menswear doesn't sell well when it gets too fashion forward.
Luxury brands don't necessarily mean better design or quality.
So here we are with LV, that appears to be trying to be different, while keeping to what the market will buy.
The recent showing of FW 2013/2014 Men's RTW had its followers flying to distant mountains in the Himalayas. LV's men's style director Kim Jones apparently went there to get some inspiration and came back with ponchos and parkas and mountain climbing accessories and details, all stamped with the LV logo for good measure (and price point).
Comparing the last collection from the same season, the pattern is similar. Muted tones. Oversized proportions. Jackets and coats belted at the waist.
Looking at the positives:
The collection has sharp contrasts between faux ruggedness and full on luxe. On one hand you get a sense of function in the clothes, and on the other hand, there are pieces which seem to belong in a gentleman's club.
Function
Gentleman's Club
This season has LV incorporating animal prints into its menswear, though not in a Cavalli sort of way. It is more subtle and subdued. (+) The collection also features an Asian-esque print, that either got its inspiration from a Buddhist temple, or some Chinese New Year greeting card. (-)
Meow.
Louis Vuitton really wants to remind everyone that the season of exchanging oranges is upon us. I suppose in the West, it is acceptable to wear something that borders on costume. Indeed, even customers of Hong Kong luxury brand Shanghai Tang tend to be foreigners. Asians would not dream of wearing something that screams old ethnic heritage.
Still, this may be LV's self-justified nod to Asian consumers. Or it may be a move to give Westerners this feeling of empowerment that they can pick up a piece of Asia in a bag or a housecoat. Or perhaps it is meant to strengthen the message that LV is all about voyage voyage.
Chinoiserie Chic in Small Doses
Whatever it may be, in small doses the look may still be somewhat acceptable. But even a non-fashion insider who watches Project Runway will know, 'matchy matchy' is just SO Cannot Cannot.
Too Much Lah.
And when 'matchy matchy' goes over the top...to toe, it becomes an eyesore than not even the LV logo can save. (Where is the logo anyway? Can you find it in the print?) Someone in the design room did not tell the powers that be that too much of a good thing is just Gong Xi Fa Cai on steroids.
Really?
Don't get me wrong. I respect Louis Vuitton's history and power position in the industry. I just think that if I wanted to rough it out in the mountains in the Himalayas, I would get a real poncho for a fraction of the cost and I wouldn't mind if it rips during the journey. And if I wanted a belt made of cord and a utility toggle, I would go get the latter from Japanese discount store Daiso for SG$2 and the former from an army supply store. Ta da! A belt like LV's. And if I really wanted to carry a bag that looks like it's made from a carpet with a Chinoi print (AND) wear a matching coat with that, well....mmmm I wouldn't really want to. Moot point.
Maybe LV's loyalists will see this collection as novel and rush out to buy the seriously expensive pieces. I will however venture to guess that once the season is over, they wouldn't be caught dead carrying these key looks. Then again, if they can afford to buy them to begin with, they wouldn't care!
He is a kampung boy made good in the Big Apple. In a world where people become rich and famous because they are famous and/or rich, his success is well deserved for his gift for glamour and staying power. Over twenty years of hard work, the dream is still alive.
I believe in the Law of Attraction so I am putting it out there that it would be an honor to interview him, and perhaps on my return to New York, visit his atelier and who knows, his gorgeous Upper East Side home. I will bring Satay and my own Thai Green Curry!
In the meantime, he will be featured in Harper's Bazaar Malaysia's 10th Anniversary Edition. It is incredibly nice that he still supports home town media. And if the initial pictures popping up on twitter are anything to go by, that anniversary issue will be da bomb!
I have always said: I want my blog to be a positive thing. Even if on the surface, it doesn't look like it. I believe you can always learn through every experience. You know, don't judge a coat by its lapels, look at the label and it could be Burberry.
So, Anti-Gay Pastor Lawrence Khong from Faith Community Baptist Church in Singapore is dressing up for his crusade. Anyone who has kept with the news knows that he raised a ruckus by involving a senior Singaporean politician in his tirades against gay people.
Basically, he wants the Government not to repeal an ancient law inherited from British colonial times that criminalizes sex between men. This law was raised during the Human Rights Commission inquiry into Singapore's human rights ranking. Singapore has denied enforcing it, but has also refused to repeal it.
Thanks to haters like the Pastor.
I do not want to publicize his words of hate, but it is important to place things in their proper context. You can read his statements here: WTF
Well, he is of course entitled to his opinions. Even though, as a man of God, it is love he should be expressing, and not encourage his flock to hate. That is my opinion.
It is also my opinion that I think he is offensive on another level. His fashion sense totally hurts my eyes. He needs a makeover and I am sure I can help him out with that.
Tolong Lah Mister. Leather? Bondage? Really? You sure you are not 'family'?
What he looks like. But without the muscles and the good looks.
Seriously, Mr Khong. The Mad Max look is not only unbecoming for a pastor, it is also SOOOOOO 80's.
Why don't you learn from the ex-CEO of the SMRT who was carried into a party by a few hunks, dressed as Cleopatra? Aiyoh mister, pictures online live FOREVER laaaaaahhhhh. Roll eyeballs.
