Day 2 : Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week 2014 (Backstage)

Hi all! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading Day 1 of my backstage experience!

Here's the link if you haven't read it yet : Day 1

_____________________________________________________

Day 2 – Fittings (19 Oct 2014)

With only 5 and a half hour of sleep, here comes Day 2 at Menara Matrade. 

Today, you will get to see more pictures because I a bit more kam cheng with the backstage manager already and I've asked his permission if I can take some pictures and post online. He said OK, as long as no nude photos of the models.

(Sorry, guys. LOL)

 Also, I only dared to ask when it was quite late already so yea... Don't get your hopes up. LOL

^ This is Menara Matrade. I'm pretty sure you've seen this building before but never knew its name! It's nearby Publika.

We have to be there at 8:30AM. NOBODY from my class turned up but some seniors from INTI were around today though. 

The doors to the hall were still locked because the person-in-charge for the building was still sleeping (Probably because it was a Sunday but seriously??). Maryam was pissed because most models and some designers have arrived and it was very unprofessional to keep them waiting and some even sat down on the floor. Eventually, some security personnel eventually came up and unlocked the door at around 9:30AM (Finallyyyyyy).

My duty for the day was to ensure the designers have their models fitted, confirm the sequence of the garments for each show, note down any special requests such as what shoes to be brought by models for the fashion show the following days (Yes, most models are required to bring their own shoes for fashion shows, mostly basic styles such as black or nude pumps, because most designers only designed clothes), and other ad-hoc requests.  I was so glad to be given this role (I'm the only one BTW. *super happy*) because I got to see and even touch the garments first-hand, talk to the designers, and witnessed how they arranged the sequence for the show.

^ Shoes by Albert Andrada

It was a more relaxed day as each designer was allocated about 30 minutes for fitting. Some models didn’t turn up because they were booked for other events. Another thing I’ve learnt was that the comp cards for models (basically a paper containing the models' measurements) were not always accurate because they were not updated regularly. Therefore, some designers have trouble fitting models into their pants.  

^ Fitting session

Highlight of the day was when a model named Lais (she's my favourite) decided to strut topless with a long pleated skirt by Pleatation (Singapore) and joked about how she will finally get to be married with a rich Dato’ if she did it like that on the runway. 

(ps, you will get to see her picture on Day 3!)

My favourite designer throughout the fitting was Albert Andrada from Philippines (All the photos here are from his collection). He used pastel colours, drapes, sheer and flowy fabrics, which created an ethereal collection. 

^ Cassandra posing in Albert Andrada's design

^ Kateryna and Ekaterina in Albert Andrada's design

(Urgh, aren't they pretty?? I love love love both the models and their outfits!)

^ Tanya in Albert Andrada's design for the Gala Night

Most designers just took picture of the models wearing the garments and then forgot the models’ names. I had to ask for Maroush, the person-in-charge for the models for help to identify the models' names for the runway sequence. However, Albert Andrada’s team was the smartest one because they wrote the models’ names on a piece of paper and then asked the models to hold it while they took picture of them with the garment.

^ Yup, just like a mugshot. LOL 

This was Robert Downey Jr., arrested for dug possession many years ago, for real. 

We ended earlier than expected at about 6:30PM. YAY!

(Day 3 to be continued)

My 1st Backstage Experience - Day 1 : Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week 2014

I had a subject called 'Introduction to Fashion Design' last semester and one of the assignments was to keep this thing called a 'Personal Journal' where I can write / sketch any crap I want related to fashion design. This was one of my favourite entry in my journal which was my 1st backstage experience!


^ I made the entire cover!
ps, I accidentally tore the bottom left frame and used another pink paper to cover that shit. LOL

Due to my OCD-ness, I have actually typed everything out in Powerpoint before I started writing on the book. So, I can spare you from reading from my scribbles. LOL

I have edited some parts here and made it a lot less formal because this blog is not an assignment. LOL

_____________________________________________________

Introduction

The Mercedes Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week is the first ever Asia wide collaboration of top emerging designers in the one media event, taking place once a year in each Asian host city. The event is a collaboration of 12 official fashion associations across Asia, with the likes of China, Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, showcasing their best designers in one central location. 

(I copied the paragraph above from here : http://mbstyloafw.com/about/)

To summarize, it's basically quite a big deal of a fashion show. If you have watched Project Runway or followed the fashion news, you would know that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York is a big thing and this is the Asia's version.

Thanks to arrangements by INTI and one of our lecturers, Ms. Laura, I have had the privilege to join this event as a backstage volunteer (means I don't get paid at all *sobs*). The fashion week actually ran from 17th to 22nd October 2014 but due to assignments etc., I joined for only 3 days. I chose the Opening Bash (18th), Fitting (19th), & Closing (22nd) so that I can see the entire process of the fashion week. 

_____________________________________________________

Day 1 – Opening Bash (18 Oct 2014)

The opening bash was held in Sultan Lounge, Mandarin Oriental Hotel. 

A handful of people in my class actually signed up for this but in the end, only 2 turned up (surprise, surprise) - Lily and I. Upon our arrival at 7PM, we met Maryam, the volunteer recruiter, and was passed to Jimmy, the backstage manager.

Disclaimer : Due to this is my 1st time in the backstage, I takut nak ambik gambar so please don't expect much. LOL

^ Casbah, a bar area which is connected to the Sultan Lounge. This was basically the backstage. 

^ My first backstage pass!

Our 1st task was to steam iron some clothing. Both of us did not know how... HAHAHAHA! Yes, I do not know how to iron clothes because I'm a spoilt child. (I love you, mom!)

Anyway, no choice so I have to simply be honest and ask for guidance. Honestly, I was expecting some rolling eyeballs but Jimmy patiently taught us how. When we were ironing a blazer by Bon Zainal, the designer himself saw us doing it wrongly at the sleeves part and taught us how. He was very nice and patient as well. (Where's all the bitchy people you see in reality TV?!)

There were 18 looks to be shown that night, 3 looks each from 6 designers. However, there were only 12 models (FYI, it's a normal thing to repeat models for the same show). We get to see how the models were arranged – who wear what, sequence, who has to repeat garment, and more.

^ Finale rehearsal

There were some fittings issues due to some shorts and pants were too tight and a dress was too short but the models would just have to squeeze themselves in those tight shorts and wear leggings for the short dress. (Yes, not just us mortal beings have problems with our tight pants. The short dress would have fitted average people in the correct length though.)

Then, the make up artists and hair stylists worked on the models’ hair. There was a slight drama whereby all models had their make up on except 1, Alina, because one of the make up artist, let’s just call her ABC, thought she wasn’t a model. Alina started questioning ABC things like, “Do I not look like a model? Is there something wrong with my face?” and proceeded to scold things in Russian to her other model friends. Meanwhile, ABC spoke in Mandarin to her other make up artists and put on make up for Alina.  

The event was supposed to start at 10PM but we waited until about 10:30PM for more guests to arrive (Malaysian's timing?). Apparently, it is a norm for an event to start late but not for an event to be scheduled this late at night. While waiting, we sat down with some of the Russian models and one of them had trouble with slippery heels. A simple trick that they did was to stick some adhesive tape with a more rough surface on the base to provide a better grip (Mindblasted! I can't believe that I've never thought of this!).

^ Photo from xojane.com

The models were only asked to start dressing about 15 minutes before the show starts. I assume it was to prevent wrinkles on the garments as the models were not seen to be seated down anymore after they’re dressed. Our role was also to help the models to dress and undress throughout the fashion show. (Yes, we managed to see many half-naked girl models with perfect bums that night.)

Working on backstage really mean you will be on the backstage only. We did not manage to see the runway show AT ALL because we were busy helping the models.

All the photos below were taken from smallnhot.com.

^ One of my favourites of the night by Khoon Hooi

^ Alina wearing Radzuan Radzwill’s design

^ Fairuz Ramdan’s design, with a legging

After the finale walk and most models have already taken off their garments, there was a sudden announcement that the models have to change back their clothes for some photo op session. Jimmy threw a fit (and rightly so) because the announcements were so last minute and it was unfair for the models. Nevertheless, the models did it anyway.  

When everything was finally done, we have to arrange the garments on the correct hangers and vacuum bags given by the designers and wait for them to collect it, unscrew the racks, pack the additional hangers, and call it a night. We left at about 12:30AM.

(Day 2 & Day 3 to be continued)

Hello, I'm back!

I just want to say that I absolutely love the new look of my own blog!

My old template was something like this (I've forgotten to print-screen before I changed!!) :

I personally think this is a vast improvement.

(Self-praise is STILL praise OK?! LOL)

This is after days and days of searching for a nice and customize-friendly template and I had to re-learn how to edit the little details in the HTML part again.

So, I think I definitely deserved a pat on the back! LOL

I've stopped writing for a few years now due to rise of other blogging platforms such as Tumblr and Pinterest
(here are my other babies : Hear Me Crap (quite dead) and Elaine's Pins (quite alive)),
but those are more like reblogging / pinning rather than my original thoughts.

As I'm on my journey to become a fashion designer, I think this would be a great platform for me to record my experiences so that I can reflect back in the future and probably laugh at myself 

(like how I just did by reading my old posts. I've hid some of them because they just can't make it and I don't know what was I thinking. LOL)

Also, I just got my very 1st sewing machine today!

Super excited about days to come! =)

Toilet Part 2

Remember my toilet post some time ago?

link

Now that I'm working in an office building, I realised that a clean toilet can really be achieved via education.

You know why?

The toilets here are so clean cuz all the people working here are educated so no 1 is stupid enough to step on the seated toilets or poop on the floor.

It's even cleaner than the ones in university.

In school, we have Pendidikan Moral telling us about... (okay, I don't remember) but they should have started with basic things such as

"DON'T STEP ON THE TOILET SEATS, DUMBASS!"

- Ke$ha -

I'm so particular about toilet because I go toilet all time, winning me the title "Toilet Inspector". LOL

Oh btw, I wrote this sometime ago in my Facebook status :

"Everybody shits, the difference is whether u flush it or not!"

(Okay, I was gonna put a picture of toilet full of shit here but when I was searching for the pic, it was so disgusting so I'll save you guys all that details. You know how shits look like.)

Yeah, I'm disgusting to post statuses like that.

Or write posts like this. XP

Til' the next post,

xx

Durian

I'm pretty sure everyone noticed by now (in Malaysia), it is the durian season.

My mom always tell me that we should never mix durian with alcohol or Coke.

Now, how true is that?

I've decided to do some research in the internet to check whether this is just another myth or indeed a fact.

A study by John Maninang and Hiroshi Gemma from the University of Tsukuba, Japan proved that this Asian folklore could be true.

The durian's high sulphur content actually impairs alcohol breakdown because it turned off the activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (an enzyme that clears toxic breakdown products) by up to 70%.

Source : New Scientist

While it doesn't say much here, I think it probably meant that it prevents the proper digestion of alcohol?

Even in Wikipedia, it was stated that some said you can't even consume durian with coffee.

Probably this is related to Coke because both contains caffeine.

I was able to find that mixing caffeine and alcohol is deadly but nothing about mixing with durian. Haha.

"A new research suggests that drinking more than 10 alcoholic drinks a week or 4 cups of strong coffee each day can increase the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat.

2 studies presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona found that alcohol and caffeine intake can affect the chances of developing an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation."

Source : India Times

On top of that, too much of durian can also cause death.

A Thai died after eating four durian in close succession.

The Thailand's Ministry of Public Health even issued a warning against excessive durian consumption.

While durians are delicious, it is high in calories.

For 100 grammes of long-stemmed durians, it is 181 calories,

129 calories for kradum durians and 340 calories for candied durians.

A 2-kg mon thong durian, once peeled, weighs 600 grammes with a total of 978 calories.

The Thai ate 4 of these and get an instant energy burst of 4,000 calories, twice the daily requirement for an average person.

People with overweight/obese problem, together with high blood pressure, heart conditions and diabetes should be even more caution when it comes to eating durians.

Source : Give it to Me Raw

Some people even experimented on themselves to check the truth of these beliefs :

Suicide by Durian and Whiskey

There's nothing much to be seen in the video except a few men drinking Whisky and eating durians.

What's important was in the description, it was written that the video was taken in 2006 but only uploaded in 2008

(This probably meant they survived. LOL).

Others also tried Durian + Wine and survived.

Since all these studies, news, and experiments may not be 100% proven due to lack of studies done

(probably because this fruit is not very popular in the West),

*See what they said about it?*

I think whatever it is that you're eating, it's best to just take it in moderation. =)

Fun Fact :

Some Indonesian activist introduced durian-flavoured condoms as a hot new item to fight Aids.

150,000 pieces were sold in a month.

Yummy eh? The bedroom sure smell damn good and appetizing...

HAHA!

Eat safe, play safe!!

Anti Robert Pattinson Part 3

I just read this amazing article on why Twilight is so famous :

link

It is so true!

I read the book and to me, Edward Cullen was supposed to be the most handsome/perfect/best/whatever your fantasies are kind of guy.

That is why I REFUSE to watch the movie because Robert Burger Patty is so damn FUGLY!!!!

And like what this article pointed out, due to the fact that Bella's character is so empty, it could be anyone.

It could even be YOU, up to your imagination.

The article is terrific, you've gotta read it.

(if you hate Twilight like me. XP)

If you don't like reading, they've got a video too but the voice in the video is really monotone, dull and boring.

Haha.

Oh, just so you know, I've received hate messages and comments last time for posting these articles up. Haha.

It was hilarious to see the extend of their imagination and obsession including putting Cullen as their last name in Facebook and things like this :

Have a nice day!

For part 1 : link

ps, All pictures are taken from Tumblr

Inception : Conclusion

"What's the most resilient parasite?

- An idea."

So, I watched Inception a few days back.

It was... mind-fucking!

I must say, this is the BEST movie I have ever watched.

I didn't even realize it was a 148-minutes movie.

It left me wanting MORE.

I couldn't take my mind off the movie even after I left the cinema and even accidently went into the male's toilet.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

*WARNING : Spoilers ahead!"

You wouldn't understand what I will be talking about if you didn't watch the movie anyway. LOL!

The ending of the movie was unclear whether Dom Cobbs (Leonardo DiCaprio) was still dreaming or in a reality because the spinning top did not stop.

I wished that he was in reality because I've always liked happy endings.

Hehe.

Anyway, I researched about it and I don't think the director did published the ending anywhere.

The movie ended in such a way so that we can end it the way we wanted.

Based on many opinions in the web,

these are a few points that needs consideration before making a conclusion :

1. The spinning top is not his, it's Mal's.

In Mal's dream the spinning top never fell, but it could be different for Cobb.

Cobb first touched the totem in a dream world also.

Besides that, remember Arthur (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) told Ariadne (Ellen Page) that you cannot let other people touch your totem because you should be the only one who knows its weight etc?

The older version of Saito (Ken Watanabe) and his security guards also touched Cobb's totem when they captured him.

2. The children did not seemed to age BUT in the credits, there are 2 people hired for both characters :

Claire Geare - Philipa (3 years)

Magnus Nolan - James (20 months)

Taylor Geare - Philipa (5 years)

Johnathan Geare - James (3 years)

However, I didn't see any difference about the kids including their hairstyle and clothes and they were at the exact same position.

BUT, the movie did not specify how long he left his home, maybe it was just a month or so, that is why there were no changes?

I read a comment somewhere saying that the children on the beach looked smaller, maybe that is why they have 2 sets of casts (not sure).

It could also be because the kids in the telephone are different.

3. It wasn't shown whether Saito killed Cobb and himself, 'kicking' both of them into "reality".

4. There are many debates on whether the ENTIRE film was just a dream after all.

Cobb is performing inception on himself.

He is the architect of the dream but he used another architect inside his dream.

Besides that, in the dream phase 1, hitting the water was supposed to be the kick to bring them back to the plane ("reality") and yet we saw them swimming out of the van, sitting on the side of the water and talked some crap.

Not only so, the unstoppable projection army that is just above them on the bridge is letting them be.

This is because Cobb wants to see Robert Fischer come to the decision and it can't happen in the "real" world of the airplane where Robert Fischer will think it as a dream.

On top of that, there wasn't any complete scene in the movie and it kept jumping,

like what a dream is supposed to be.

5. If the whole movie was a dream,

it means Mal jumping down the building 'kicked' her into the REAL world.

BUT, if she really did, why wouldn't she wake Cobb up?

6. The last time we saw the spinning top fall was in Paris.

MAYBE, the master of inception, Miles (Michael Caine) manipulated the whole event so that Cobb forgives himself about Mal's death.

The rest of the crew are not projections but real people probably working for Miles perform inception in Cobb's mind that he is not responsible for Mal's death.

Besides, the rest of the crew also hardly questioned Cobb's decisions although he did put them in danger in the dream.

7. Ariadne could be the movie's real extractor.

Miles hired the best extractor he knew of (better than Cobb) to perform inception on him.

Her skills was so good even in the first exercise and she was able to manipulate the streets of Paris to fold up onto themselves.

How could she be so skilled in the first round?

Because she is a professional extractor of course!

8. It was mentioned that Robert Fischer was trained to protect his sub-conscious

(with the projections of army etc).

Who trained him?

Could it be because they were in Cobb's dream all along and since Cobb is a profession extractor, he has been trained to protect his sub-conscious?

Or, Ariadne trained Robert Fischer?

9. Cobb and Mal were in the dream world for 50 years.

It was said that 5 minutes (real world) = 1 hour (Dream Phase 1).

Thus, the calculation should be :

It would be illogical that they slept for 4 years.

It is also humanly impossible that their body can be at that stage for that long without food and water.

(I don't remember what's the ratio for Dream Phase 2 though, sorry!)

That being said, this means they should be in deeper dream phases.

10. Limbo : a state of uncertainty.

Since the sedate was so high, when they die in the dream, they will not wake up but be in a Limbo instead.

Cobb died simultaneously in four dream stages

(drowned in the second, then blew up in the elevator, blew up in snow place in third, and Mal stabbed him in the fourth).

It means he was in a limbo.

11. It could be possible that Cobb never woke up from the chemist's place in Mombasa.

When Cobb "woke up" after using the new potion, he went to the toilet and tried to spin the top but Saito interrupted him and it wasn't shown whether the top fell.

This is so that Saito learnt about Cobb's plan to incept Robert Fischer and at the same time, make Cobb believe he "returned" home.

12. Cobb performed inception on himself but refuses to accept his current state as a dream because he believes it as a reality.

13. Someone also pointed out that Cobb always has his wedding ring during the dream world but never in the real world.

He did not have the ring in the last scene.

OMG. NEW DISCOVERY!!!

Cobb's wedding ring could be his totem!

Read this!

14. The top wobbled in the end and we did not get to see if it actually fell after that.

Earlier in the movie, it was shown that in the dream world, the top has a perfect spinning motion once it is up to its full momentum.

Flaws :

1. Cobb and his people incepted in Robert Fisher's (Cillian Murphy) mind that his uncle, Maurice Fisher (Pete Postlethwaite) kidnapped him.

So why did Robert still saved him from the sinking van?

Furthermore, Cobb and the gang mentioned that they were destroying one relationship but building Robert Fisher's relationship with his dad.

2. How could Robert Fisher didn't recognize Saito when they are supposingly head-to-head competitors?

3. Okay, this is not a flaw but just another question in my head :

Why was Mal at the opposite window of the hotel room?

4. Why isn't there any other projections in Mal and Cobb's world?

Conclusion :

The director, Christopher Nolan introduced rules and limitations to the story and structured itself within the same confines.

The debates about the conclusion can go on and on and on like the Penrose Staircase.

Personally, I think he was still in a dream. =(

Cobb told Ariadne not to recreate reality in dreams but in the end, he was embedded in a world of his own memories.

He was able to see his children's faces because his sub-conscious was finally free of guilt over Mal's death.

So, what do you think?

Was Cobb awake or dreaming in the end?

"You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You can't be sure where it will take you. But it doesn't matter - because we'll be together..."

Sources : 1,2,3,4,5,6