When the time comes

“A person should be buried only half a meter, or two feet, below the surface. Then a tree should be planted there. He should be buried in a coffin that decays so that when you plant a tree on top the tree will take something out of his substance and change it into tree-substance. When you visit the grave you don’t visit a dead man, you visit a living being who was just transformed into a tree. You say, “This is my grandfather, the tree is growing well, fantastic.” You can develop a beautiful forest that will be more beautiful than a normal forest because the trees will have their roots in graves. It will be a park, a place for pleasure, a place to live, even a place to hunt.”

-Friedensreich Hundertwasser http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/94/holy-shit.html

I think I have just found a meaning to life.

I highly recommend you take a look at Adbusters. I really agree with the sentiment of the magazine: “Adbusters is a not-for-profit, reader-supported, 120,000-circulation magazine concerned about the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces…

We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society…

Our aim is to topple existing power structures and form a major shift in the way we live in the 21st century.“

Eye for Detail is an echo of these thoughts. Fashion is seldom not seen in a light that portrays it as a useless industry, something only the wealthy can afford and have a care about. But I don’t see it like this. To me, fashion is just another form of art. I don’t think fashion is about the materialism, the constant “I want this, I want that.” Haven’t you noticed how after a long day at the mall, everything starts to look the same? Honestly, it saddens me when I go shopping. When I step into a commercial mall, all I see are the racks beyond racks of clothing produced. Is there enough of us to want to buy all of that? Do we need this? And for what? So everyone can have a copy of the same style? So we can perform as an amorphous blob, a society without individuality? We can adorn ourselves with as much as we want, but it will eventually become poison to our own bodies and to the Earth. At the end of the day, who really cares if someone has the new “it” product? Who’s dreams are filled with comparisons of dresses and shoes? I embrace the fashion that evolves, the fashion that is not a product to be sold, but a feeling to be carried. I don’t support the mass consumption of whats hots or cool. I don’t see the point of buying clothes and throwing them away, and buying a very, very similar piece ten years later. After all, trends recycle. But creativity, innovation and individuality is what keeps it alive.

It just makes one wonder, when is it all going to run out?

An empire state of mind

Call me excessive, but I just love snapping those shutters. As I say, a camera around one’s neck is the best accessory one can have! So behold, all 1982642300 bazillion photos I took during my short stay in the city that never sleeps. I kid you, you can handle 38, no?

I present to you: New York City! (A.k.a. probably the most overrated city in pop culture.)

Yeah, yeah. We’ve all seen Times Square…which-is-actually-a-triangle-(!)-but-math-is-not-our-forté. I landed in New York in the evening so naturally, Times Square would be our first stop.

We then watched the Broadway production, “Memphis”- a story about the struggles of biracial relationships during the civil rights movement era illustrated in music.

Lemme tell ya, those musical scores were so incredibly energetic and the plot moved so fast that you forgot all the sleep- deprived nights you had travelling on the go!

Our next stop was at the United Nations headquarters. I learned that raised flags meant a meeting was in session. This was proved by the fact that when we went to Times Square again, later that day, a news report flashed regarding the UN’s security related- decisions on the Libya crisis.

At the gift shop, I was moved by this proverb. It took me a while to fully understand, but once I did, I was struck by how relatable the quote was.

That evening we went to:

…where I became enormously frustrated by my camera’s slow shutter speed without flash. GOSHDARNIT.

That was the best nightscape I could manage.

You know how the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller is called “Top of the Rock”? Well, the interior designers took the “rock” part seriously:

There were crystals embedded in walls and hanging from ceilings for the sole reason of teasing you to jump up and pull one.

Next up, the giant Toys R Us store in Times Square! Needless to say, I felt like a kid again.

If I were actually a kid, I would’ve shat my pants looking at this (no seriously, I probably would’ve seeing how I cried at robot “dinosaurs” at a kid’s museum once):

~RAWRRRRR~

Toys R Us even recreated the edible garden in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

With actual candy inside magical mushrooms. Notice how bright it is outside the windows. It would be fascinating to discover how much energy Times Square consumes in an hour. You know you’re in New York when you step outside at midnight and think it’s twelve noon! Oh, America…

I couldn’t stop reliving my little kiddie days so we went to the M&M Factory store!

~NOM NOM NOM NOM~

….And you can drink ‘em too!

The next day, we took a boat tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

And as this is a fashion blog after all, I have to have some style-related elements in this post!

Even if they come in the form of a blonde, plastic, disproportionate doll…

No way am I buying a piece of plastic for $50!

More gift shop trinkets…

Coming up…Downtown Brooklyn graffiti! We crossed bridges between Manhatten and Brooklyn frequently.

Graffiti never ceases to amaze me. How artists gain access to the weirdest nooks and crannies are beyond me.

That day’s weather made headlines across the east coast. The warmth was beyond relieving, especially for cold Canadian tourists. It was perfect Brooklyn weather, calm and warm. The air felt like a blanket I was ready to embrace!

That night, I went to see Fuerza Bruta (ad on the lower left corner).

The audience was able to get up and personal with the dancers when the plastic sheet lowered (the boys said some obscure things!) It was frightening to imagine what would’ve happened if there was a crack on the think sheet…

The show made me want to use so many big adult words like primitive, animalistic, minimalist…but I’ll just stick to one: dream-like. The drum-beats, music, dancing, water and sweat made me feel as if I was a spirit of a human instead of a body. The strobe lights casted my spirit above and left behind a hollow body. We danced and swayed to the sounds of the music as a whole continuous body, like a pulsing animal. I was amazed and mindblown. The show had every element of a traditional show, the suspense, the wonder…but it was so much better than any show I’ve ever seen.

Finally we had to bid farewell to New York. I’ve taken another bite of the Big Apple and gathered many unforgettable memories.

This past March break embodied everything I wanted in a trip and went beyond my expectations. It was educational, personal and above all- FUN AND INCREDIBLE! I end this journey with a view of New York’s skyline from a Jersey Shore (you get it?).

Eew, low resolution. But don’t worry:

A castle-like structure

All the crazy things I did last night (and the night before and before and before), those were the best memories…

This March break was by far the best ever. I mean, it was better than all the school excursions, camps and exchange trips I’ve ever had in my lifetime. And that is not an understatement!

But first of all, I apologize for not posting for at least half a month. For the last week, I’ve been to…*cue the drumroll* Canada’s capital, Canada’s French capital and America’s economic capital. You guessed it- Ottawa, Montreal and New York City!

The following posts will be in three sections, corresponding to the cities because I have a shiatsuload of photos that will overwhelm your eyeballs if it were all in one post. And I definitely wouldn’t want y’all to fall asleep in font of the computer. Lemme tell ya, keyboards do not create the prettiest dents on your cheeks.

As with all trips we woke up bright and early. We departed by bus to Ottawa and we visited two major attractions- the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Quebec. (Ottawa is cut in half by the St. Lawrence.) Whenever we crossed the bridge over the river, us tourists were utterly confused as to which language was to be spoken- French or English!

But our first stop was lunch at the Byward market. Of course, “lunch” was just an itinerary term- we went shopping instead. The market had an array of handcrafted jewelery and there was one boutique that caught my eye.

They had crowded displays of nature- inspired accessories…

There were piles beyond piles of delicate flowery earrings and silicone coral laces.

More eye candy:

And now, real candy!

I actually laughed out loud when I saw this candy store label! This was actually exactly what I thought when comparing Smarties and M&M’s.

I also visited an Asian/ African-inspired furniture and figurine store:

I was pretty scared of knocking the stacks of giraffe statues and monkey masks over!

After lunch, we went to Parliament and I was amazed by the formality of everything.

The architecture was mostly Gothic and looked uptight and historic.

Our tour guide led us to a hall where paintings of British monarchs since Canada’s confederation were hung. A friend of mine pointed this out:

Now that is what I like to call strategic portrait placement! The painting appears to be of a young Queen Elizabeth II and there are stone columns in the background of the painting. There are also stone columns in front of the painting which makes the painting blend seamlessly into the building, if not for the frame! Creepy, isn’t it? It looks like a ghost is actually peering out from a balcony!

We ended our visit with a trip to the Peace Tower, the tallest structure of the Parliament buildings. The view of Ottawa from the tower was amazing!

Here you go, a  typical winter day in Ontario- cold, grey and gloomy.

We were able to see the thawing St. Lawrence River from this vantage point.

This is what I wore on that day:

Wearing a scarf from Anthropologie, Nine West boots, dad’s sweater, H&M socks, a vintage cross-shoulder purse and a pair of Baleno jeans.

The next day, we went to the Canadian Museum of Civilization where I saw something with my own eyes for the first time, but have seen up to millions of copies before.

Look familiar?!

Then I headed to one of their permanent showcases where I snapped a photo of the mock- shell deposits:

There were also orange- light stencils that were projected unto the ground so that it resembled a forest floor.

Remember my obsession with shadows?

This is what I wore that day:

Jeans from the Gap, Nine West boots, an H&M scarf and a vintage cashmere green pullover.

On the way to various other destinations around the city, our tour guide told us a funny joke. At least, it was funny at that time. We passed a castle-like structure that our guide pointed out to us as the Cannaught Building. He said that some people think it’s named the Cannaught Building after one of Queen Victoria’s sons, otherwise known as “The Duke of Cannaught.” But this is not the case as the Cannaught Building is also Revenue Canada, where our federal taxes go to. The real reason behind this building’s moniker was that once you put your money in, you Cannaught get it back! Knee slapping wit right there. Why do I remember every single word from this “joke”, our tour guide was to repeat it 21 more times during the duration of our trip. And he does not suffer from Alzheimer’s contrary to what you might think.

We need to get t-shirts made. I’m not joking.

2011!

I drew something for you, my readers! But I don’t know where it flew away to…So I made something else! Here you go:

Stone necklace from the science centre on watercolour and gold nail polish

Desert Flower

Last Saturday, I watched “Desert Flower.”

The Venice Film Festival movie is based on Somalian model Waris Dirie’s autobiography of the same name.  The story follows Waris, played by Ethiopian model Liya Kebede, throughout her childhood as a desert nomad to her rise as an international model.

Waris Dirie is a human rights activist with insight into the practice of female genital mutilation. FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. Girls who are not “cut” are considered “unclean” and unsuitable for marriage as FGM is a way of ensuring premarital virginity. The operation varies, but the process revealed in the film includes removal of the clitoris and sewing together of the labia. When the girl is married, often to an older man, her husband cuts away at the seams and she is ready for sexual intercourse.

Female genital mutilation is a human rights violation according to the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund. Mutilation often leaves negative long-term psychological, physical and sexual effects. Despite all this, at least 150 million women and girls are affected by FGM globally. Waris Dirie is one of them.

Waris Dirie was mutilated at the age of three, sold into marriage at 13 and fled from her desert home after discovering her much older husband-to-be. She landed in London, England via family relations and lived with wealthy relatives for six years helping clean and cook for them. Six years later, she had a falling out with them and lived on the streets before securing a job at a burger shop. It is there that Waris meets fashion and celebrity photographer Terence Donovan, played by Timothy Spall (the same actor that portrayed Wormtail from Harry Potter!). Waris is then catapulted to walking designer runways and unto the faces of magazines. The movie ends with her speaking at a conference about her experiences and “what it means to be a woman”.

Here’s the movie trailer:

The theme song from Desert Flower’s soundtrack really enhances it’s storyline. The locations filmed were incredible as well and the acting was superb, especially from Liya Kebede! You’ve got to watch Desert Flower.

Oh but wait, the supermodel doings of Waris and Liya don’t end there! I bet you’ve seen these around:

That’s them in H&M’s Winter 2010 campaign ads with the theme “togetherness” and family. You can  see how that came through because the duo can pass off as mother and daughter!

To learn more about female genital mutilation and the works of Waris Dirie, visit The Desert Flower Foundation.