I’ve noticed during the course of my … er, stay here in the Philippines is that a lot of the spreads, layouts and ads now are referencing at least one of these things:
1) Upper-class preppy schoolkid - no doubt thanks to Gossip Girls, a show I’m actually not keen on. (Wow, I must be the only kitty I know who doesn’t enjoy watching that show, but it must be because I studied in a private school. >w< While I miss being in a more XX-laden school, I do NOT miss the cattiness that came with it.)
2) Gyaru - yes I am seeing this a LOT more now. The make-up is such that everyone looks tanned or au naturel, even if you see soon enough that they use bronzers and tanners and nude shades of lip, eye and cheek products. The hairdos are also more varied in terms of colours, cuts and styles. And of course the clothes are right at home with the local weather. Still not a lot of manba going on yet though, but we’ll see in a few.
3) Ulzzang - this has actually been around a bit longer thanks to the proliferation of so many Korean drama series on TV (and around the neighbourhood ;P). It looks to have also paved the way for gyaru’s entry into the country, thanks to the similarities between himegyaru and ulzzang style. Would I be right in saying that the only difference between the two is that ulzzang prefer to stay pale?
4) Crazy street style - not just Japanese in nature, this is anything and everything that most of the fashionable people back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s would never be caught dead wearing. Some mix pyjamas and outerwear, while others parade their innerwear outdoors. There are a daring few whose style is simply indescribable and undefineable.
5) Geek chic - Not quite preppy, but definitely tech-driven, this marriage of tech and style makes me all sorts of happy. It’s nice to be able to carry a smart and stylish look literally, instead of being dowdy with clunky computers and cellular phones (now thankfully and more appropriately renamed mobile phones). ♥

Of course, toned-down European haute couture is not going to go away anytime soon, and neither will the super-casual styles that are on a lot of American fashion magazines. All I’m saying is that a lot of Filipinas and even Filipinos are a bit more adventurous in dressing up - and honestly, I’m very happy about this, because, hey, at least the modern fashion staple known as jeans now come in many other different (and mostly bright) colours! ;P

Also, to Filipina fans of female Japanese talents, buy this month’s (March 2009) issue of MEGA. There’s a spread inside for Coffret D’ Or by Kanebo, featuirng Kou Shibashiki, Miki Nakatani, and Keiko Kitagawa. ;P (And it’s got passable Engrish too! :P) I really wish the local office of Kanebo would bring in the ads for the Kate line, as Mika Nakashima is their model. >w<

I’d love to live a literally jet-setting lifestyle, to be honest. Especially because this age is the perfect time of one’s life to see the world - any older and you’d be too tired or too busy, any younger and you would never be as appreciative (not to mention you’d be an absolute pain for other jet-setters to deal with). I’m a city girl so this would mostly be an urban post, but knowing how I am I’m going to find one quiet piece of land to retreat into and recharge.

If I could, I’d live in these places:
~ Japan - but of course! XD
~ Hongkong - if I can’t get into Japan, I would love to stay here and explore more, especially now that I’ve heard that they’re tearing down a lot of the old buildings to make way for “progress.” D: I’ve always loved going to the former British colony and not just for the shopping, though that’s definitely a plus. XD I haven’t explored the northern outskirts yet darnit! XP
~ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - I’m not as familiar with Hanoi, so I’d rather be here. Its vibe is like Metro Manila’s, only it’s more colourful, less crowded, and a walking and motorbiking city. Not to mention that I heard that international companies based in the area are looking to employ English-proficient staff who can and are willing to learn Vietnamese, and I must admit I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit…
~ Rizal, Laguna, Philippines - It’s a great place to get away from the rest of the world, since it’s so close to Mt. Banahaw (via San Pablo City), cultural treasure Nagcarlan, the refreshing Lake Caliraya, and of course the shoe heaven of Liliw. The atmosphere is relaxed, and I’m sure to not be so lonely - in fact, I’m very sure I’d always have company, for worse XD;;; {nervous laughter} because the residents of that town are VERY nosy.

I was going to include Seoul, South Korea, but it’s just too cold even in spring. D: I’m temperature-, weather- and climate-sensitive, and even with all my fluff I’ve learned that no amount of bundling up can keep me from being chilled to the bone. XP

And for those wondering why I didn’t include a beachfront here, I’m just not a beach person. Beaches to me are really for summer vacations; living in/around them for a long time with my very urbane lifestyle would kill them and also make me grow less appreciative of their beauty.

Somewhat NSFW…!

Sorry for the bad picture. But then when I took it I was laughing and cringing at the same time. I don’t know which is more disturbing - the fact that Mum thought it was excellent cosplay material (well, it IS, but that’s besides the point), or the fact that that Mum even had it at all. X_x

And before any of you may ask, no, there were no other pieces besides that. To put it more accurately, Mum said she was losing the other parts of the ensemble… and that if she found them, she might give them to me.
Ah well, Happy New Year…!!! XD;;;

PS Learn more

So thanks to Sugar and Honeycute who kept badgering me, I finally joined PoupeeGirl!

For those on Poupee, please add me! ;D

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks to a (male!) friend of mine for finding a Japanese website that sells shiny, lovely in-ear earphones - http://www.elecom.co.jp/pickup/ear-drops4/index.html. (Click here for a translation courtesy of Google.)

The line is called “Ear Drops,” and the earphones come in three shapes: squares, circles (round type) and hearts.

They’re very pretty and I can totally see them co-ordinated in himegyaru style. Though I personally wouldn’t buy them because I’m simply not a fan of in-ear earphones.

What happens when you cross himegyaru style with the hit multimedia series Sailormoon? v^V^v

Presenting… Pretty Gal Sailormoon!

Moon	Mars	Jupiter
Venus	Neptune	Mercury
Chibimoon	Pluto	Uranus

Strangely enough, no Saturn. Possibly because she’s just so not gyaru? XD;;;

TOTALLY loving this editorial. ♥♥♥ I want the Neptune look-alike’s hair the most, I hope it fits me! X3 Alas, Uranus isn’t very pretty-looking here, though, but then again she’d be more bosozoku (biker gang) culture, ala Anna Tsuchiya’s Ichigo in Shimotsuma Monogatari - or even possibly sentaa, LOL.

Taken from the September 2008 issue of Koakuma Ageha (scans available at Jmagazinescans@Livejournal courtesy of the wonderful ! shini_tan X3), reposted from ~miyu_puri (sadly now defunct). d^V~b

OMFG. Beijing definitely delivers. \*0*/

Kudos to Zhang Yimou and Zhang Jigang for a job well done! Li Ning’s lighting of the ENTIRE Bird’s Nest and the Olympic cauldron was a splendid finishing move! ♥

Although, LOL at Solar Entertainment. Really, next time, PLEASE time your commercial breaks so that at least the Philippines wold’ve been seen. As it was only the tail end of its contingent’s entrance was shown. XP

Finally, does anyone know which of the 2008 Olympic songs was playing during the opening ceremony?

It was epic. Epic I say. \^0^/

Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry for neglecting this blog. >.< It’s just that in between work, I’ve been resting. Crimefighting is always serious business after all. If it helps any, Honeycute and Sugar are pissed at me for not lounging around much with them anymore.

Also, in the few pockets of free time I have, I’ve been addicted to this fairly new application called Polyvore. According to its creator, 2ndfashion, it’s “a free, web-based tool for creating collages and scrapbooks,” and “also a vibrant community of creative and stylish people.” What kind of collages and scrapbooks exactly, you may ask? Well, it has everything to do with style and creativity - hence, most sets, as collages and scrapbooks are called in Polyvore, are fashion-oriented.

Basically, what you do is you choose a photo that’s hosted online that catches your fancy, then use Polyvore’s bookmarklet or Clipper to capture the photo for Polyvore usage. Once captured, you can name it, then proceed to include it into your set, where you do virtual scrapbooking, or basically just cut, paste, clone, and mix-match images as you please. Obviously I’m no good with instructions, so I’m very glad the owner of Polyvore created a short demo presentation in the Help section of the site.

I think what’s really great about it is that you can just get any image online as you please and then mix and match them. The instructions and controls are a bit difficult for first-timers, but just be patient and check out the Help section if you’re lost. ;3

Here’s a set I came up with. It’s actually very similar to what I’m wearing right now. d^v~b What do y’all think?

For those who were annoyed at the lack of the lesbian couple Haruka+Michiru/Uranus+Neptune in the Pretty Guardian Sailormoon series, enter Last Friends (ラスト・フレンズ). (PinayYuri would fangasm I’m sure, but I dunno about the other Sailormoon fans…)

Information from DramaWiki follows:

Details

* Title: ラスト・フレンズ
* Title (English): Last Friends
* Format: Renzoku
* Genre: Friendship, human drama
* Episodes: 11
* Broadcast network: Fuji TV
* Broadcast period: 2008-Apr-10 to present
* Air time: Thursday 22:00
* Theme song: Prisoner of Love by Utada Hikaru

Synopsis

Last Friends tackles issues that afflict the current generation. Michiru’s mother has brought a man back to their home and she is bullied at her workplace where she works as a beauty parlour assistant. She starts cohabiting with her boyfriend, a good young man who works at the Child Welfare Division and the only person who can give her emotional support, but ends up the victim of domestic violence and becomes fearful of love. The boyishly charming Ruka was a classmate of Michiru’s in junior high school. She has performed brilliantly as a motocross racer and aims to win the national championship, but as the story progresses, a deep worry that she can neither confide in her parents or close friends grows evident. Takeru is a hair and makeup artist acquainted with Ruka. He is a good confidant to females due to his kindness and perceptiveness, and finds himself attracted to Ruka but has a phobia of sex as a result of a past trauma. The three of them become house mates and through their associations with others, gain the capacity to be positive about life. –jade_frost

Cast

* Nagasawa Masami as Aida Michiru
* Ueno Juri as Kishimoto Ruka
* Eita as Mizushima Takeru
* Nishikido Ryo as Oikawa Sosuke
* Mizukawa Asami as Takigawa Eri
* Yamazaki Shigenori as Ogura Tomohiko
* Nishihara Aki as Hiratsuka Reina
* Ranka Rea (蘭香レア) as Sanda Sayuri
* Hirano Sayaka (平野早香) as Okabe Mayumi
* Baisho Mitsuko as Aida Chinatsu
* Nagashima Mitsuki as Kishimoto Shogo
* Shibuya Takeru as Higuchi Naoya
* Kitami Toshiyuki (北見敏之) as Endo Kenichiro
* Tanaka Tetsushi as Hayashida Kazumi
* Asaka Mayumi as Kishimoto Yoko
* Hirata Mitsuru as Kishimoto Shuji

Originally blogged by my friend here: Link

EDIT: STOP THE PRESSES! According to ~stalkerinstinct of Livejournal and Multiply, alas, the girls have very little in common with Haruka and Michiru. T________T However, I will not go cry off into a corner, I will continue to hold out precious, precious hope that Michiru finally realises Ruka is 100000000000000x better than her current boyfriend AND the male lead put together! >o

Hello everyone, I’m sorry I’ve been gone quite a while. I hope some of you would have missed me… v^~^0 I’ve been busy working (this kitty is an independent pu**y, thanks) and also taking classes in Italian on the side, as if I were not overworked and undercashed enough.

In any case, I’m going crazy spazzing over hoodie jackets and hoodie sweaters. I dunno… they just look so cute and add that right touch of mystery! Unfortunately, living where I currently live, such items of clothing are useless unless it’s December or January … and even then those months have gotten pretty warm as of late.

When I was on vacation in the USA I saw the Melody Hoodie. Read the rest of this entry »