Artist/ Designer of the month!~

I have decided to put in a special section in my blog especially dedicated to designers and artists that I find to have very inspirational artworks and unique designs~ Initially, I planned of doing it as a weekly instead of a monthly basis, but seeing that my finals are just around the corner, monthly picks are the safest bet for now :)

And so~ Who is my very first artist/designer of the year 2012????~~~~ dugu dugu dugu (drum noise)~~~~

It's none other than my favourite Japanese designer Aya Kato~!

Aya Kato specializes in graphic designs but her works are just simply amazing! She has done collabrations with Hitachi and Gelaskins as well as designing t-shirts known as the Beautiful Decay line.Aya Kato X Beautiful Decay T-Shirts

Gelaskin For Iphone

Aya Kato's speciality or should I say talent, lies in her ability to mix colours very well. Some critics have mentioned that her works are just too colourful for some while some critics have hailed her as a goddess of colour structures~ Aside from being a very colour-driven artist, Aya's art is also very unique in a sense that she stays true to her Asian Japanese roots. Her patterns are a mixture of traditional Japanese designs as well as modern ones. Samurais, Okamis, japanese city landscapes, floral designs are a few of her favourite choices.

Amaterasu Omikami

I am

Some of her more recent works (2010-2011) sees a fusion of the East and West.

The Water World - inspired by the Lemuria civilisation

Dress of Soul- Cinderella

So what do you think of her art and talent?? If you're interested to see more of her designs and to know a little bit more about Aya Kato, please visit ayakato.net. (^^)

Sungei Wang Plaza- a place where your money flies

Greetings from Sungei Wang Plaza Kuala Lumpur

9 hours in a mall~ A mall where shopping junkies like me can go CRAZYYY!

Sg. Wang Plaza is one of those places where you can spend spend spend and SPEND and never go tired... The place is filled with bargains and discounts (This is probably due to the recent CHinese New Year celebrations) and the best part is, you can buy loads of things for less than RM100~ T-shirts are priced as low as RM10 and good quality pants (denim and stretchable too) would only cost about RM 45~ No kidding~ This place is shopping heaven~

Sg. Wang is known to be the Harajuku of Malaysia (Harajuku being one of the famous shopping streets in Japan) and the shops have a variety of different fashion styles available; from Korean to Japanese fashion, Chinese traditional outfits, Japanese Cosplay costumes and even traditional Malay attires. The one problem with this place is that it is a gigantic MAZE~! (and the directory is no help at all... hmpph...)
Aside from that, most of the salespeople converse in chinese or basic malay language (and probably a hint of English as well) so some foreigners may have difficulty conversing when trying to buy something... I may not be a foreigner, but I too still face some confusion when trying to purchase some goods there (Okay that makes it 2 problems already...)

Scenario 1:
Foreign dude: Excuse me, do you have ipad covers?
Salesperson 1: Kite tak jual ipad bro (We don't sell ipads bro)
Foreign dude: Ummm.... ipad covers... don't have???
Salesperson 1: I dah cakap, kite tak jual ipad. (I already said we don't sell ipads)
Foreign dude: Then what's this??? *points to an ipad cover on the shelves*
Salesperson: Itu... *takes a look at the ipad cover box* ipad sleeves... (That's.... ipad sleeves)
Foreign dude: That is what i'm looking for!
Salesperson: U tak cakap Ipad sleeve, u cakap Ipad cover~ (YOu didn't say ipad sleeve, you said ipad cover)

To put it very simply, the salesperson has no idea what an ipad cover means... First he mistakes an ipad cover for just an ipad and he converses with the foreign dude in Malay! (Hey salesperson! Not everyone can speak Malay okay!!!) ... and when the foregin dude shows him the ipad cover box, all the salesperson ever does is just read what is on the box without actually knowing what it is as well... Thus, a miscommunication between a buyer and seller takes place~ And this is no common scenario in Sg. wang.... Sometimes when I ask for something in English/Malay, the salesperson talks back in super fast Mandarin.. Haiyooo....

Scenario 2:
Me: Kak, how much is this??
Kak (salesperson) : Ada kat price tag tu (It is on the price tag)
Me: Ummm price tag takde (There is no price tag)
Kak: Ade la check la dulu! (It is there, check first!)
Me: Oh...umm.. okayy.....

Some of the sellers here have really bad attitudes and can be really rude to costumers. Some even tend to raise their voices and roll their eyes when they are talking.... Imagine.... such bad manners~ tsk tsk tsk~ (Oh another problem... okay this shall be prob num 3)

Despite all the negative comments and scenarios that I am giving, Sg Wang is still a great place to shop. There are friendly sales people around and some can be so overly friendly that you just have no choice but to buy what they are selling because of the good service they have given you. Plus, there are amazing choices of clothes, shoes, and bags in Sg. Wang!!! Just check out these pictures below~One of the bag shops on Level 6... There are plenty more shops where that one came from... Some bag shops are even bigger and have even more variety!
Cosplay outfits at Comic Paradise. There are a few other Cosplay shops nearby....


The new Fashion Street which specializes in Korean fashion


Super cool heels on the 6th floor (Asian Street)

Hello Kitty pouch/bag that can fit a whole A4 file!!! Comes super handy when I have classes~ I can stash my stationaries, calculators, notepads and some notes inside~ It only costs Rm18~ Bought it at some random shop selling Hello Kitty merchandises
A stunning military badge in one of the mini Korean boutiques. They had a lot more choices of badges with different patterns and designs.

The special floor tiles in a shop~ Pretty right???!

Overall, I had an amazing shopping experience in Sg. wang today~ This is probably the 20th time I've been there~ Despites it's downside, the place is a freaking awesome shopping paradise! Nearby the place is also Berjaya Times Square which also happens to be my favourite shopping centre~ Maybe next time I'll do a post of Berjaya Times Square~ hehe~ So dear shoppers, whenever you drop by Sungei wang Plaza, please do not forget your cash!!! This shopping expereince is worth every dollar and at affordable prices too~~~~

Greeting the year of the Dragon with a ROar~!

Gong Hei Fatt Choi!
It's that time of the year again where Chinese people pass around the red packets (ang pao), visit their family members, relatives and friends, have family dinners with yee sang etc..etc.....~

With every occassion that pops up, the need to style up is a must do in many people's CHinese New Year lists in order to greet the great Dragon of 2012~ So what a better place to look up for these styles in my mini blog entry specially dedicated for those of you out there wanting to find some inspiring looks for the new year or even just getting some bits and pieces of advice to look your best for this prosperous celebration~

The year of the Dragon: Time to get flowy garments on! The dragon king of the sea is said to rule this year, so wearing clothes that are lose and flowy like the sea currents is a good idea :)

In the picture above, you can see that I have on me a very lose fitting white top (added with a flower pattern muscle back on the inside). I wore red pants as red is the colour that brightens the celebration of Chinese New Year and is a very symbolic colour for the Chinese in particular...

If you are not a fan of girly looks, what about taking a more cool style such as the one up here~ The biker leather jacket looks amazing with flowy tops. The top in the pic above has a few layers on the outside, giving it a very scaly appearance which suits well with the dragon theme of 2012~ I am aware that black is a big NO NO on new years so try wearing a less dark jacket if you have any~

Ah yes accessories play an important role in the setting up of your New Year wardrobes! Mini accessories such as hair clips, necklaces, bracelets and earrings can give your outfit a more dazzling look~ (This is provided that you do not go overboard with the amount of accessories that you wear and that you do choose the right ones that match the outfit's colour scheme). Clips with oriental patterns and crystal/jade bracelets are popular accessories to wear during this festive season.

Traditional Chinese Costumes~

I personally love traditional Chinese outfits especially the cheongsam and women samfus! They come in many colours and designs! Floral patterns are popular choices among the chinese as it gives of that feminine vibe, but in the year of the great Dragon it is preferable if you choose outfits with dragon designs or swirly patterns on them. A more bold and daring look is something that you should consider this year :)

Picture: Top from Mori Pin (Bangsar) , Floral design shoes from Aldo (Bangsar Village)

So what are you waiting for!? Go wow the crowd with your roaring fashions of the dragon year and pick the best styles that suit you best~ If you have any other fashion advices to give or questions to ask, please feel free to email me at juainiarina@gmail.com :)

HAppy Chinese New Year buddies and have a wonderful time celebrating this joyous celebration!~

Give your hats a NEW look (0.0)

Don't we always wish to have new looks at the beginning of the year??? New haircuts, new wardrobes, new shoes... the list goes on.... But then what happens to all your old stuff??? Yea there would be some clothes that you still tend to wear, some shoes that you cannot and would not part with, and hats that you just love for the sake of... umm love itself....

But what about giving your things a new look instead of just your physical selves? Here in my latest blog entry, I'll be showing you some ways of actually making your old stuff look different to match your everyday styles without having to buy new things~ In this example: I'll be using hats~ My ultimate fav hair accessories (Are hats accessories?? Oh well.... They shall be accessories for now until I find out the proper terms for them hehehe)

Getting started:

Step 1) First pick a hat~ In my case I picked my favourite grey fedora~ Grey; the basic colour which matches easily with any colour~2) Now that you've picked a hat, how do you create a new look?




In this mini pic above, you can see that I've used a short-lenghted scarf and tied it to my fedora's outer base. I would recommend using scarves with brighter colours for dark coloured hats just like this example~ The scarf can be tied in any way you like of course~ Creativity has no limits when it comes to fashion! I did a simple bow, which was very easy and took very little time to get done~

3) Go crazy with other accessories!Brooches and pins are great accessories that go well with hats! The most common of brooches and pins are the ones with floral patterns. These floral brooches come in many colours! You can create a mini garden right on your hats with them!

Pins are also becoming favourite trends in Asian fashion especially those that have that antique vibes to them. The pin I used has that vintage feel to it because of its bronze-ish colour and metal-like appearance.

4) What next??? It's all up to you! My final example is a mixture of many things! Feathers, laces, and ribbons all mashed into one!So give your old stuff a new look in 2012 ~ You just never know what the outcomes might be~ It's time to be creative and also budget savvy fashionistas~ What is most important of course is to have FUN!
Au revoir~

Back to the days of blogging~

It's 1.44am in the morning and I'm blogging after nearly 6 months of a blogger's hiatus. Hello everyone~! It's good to be back~
It's 2012~ A new year, where new resolutions are made (but not always followed ;p) and where new stories are told!~
Currently listening to Sunny Hill's 'The Grasshopper Song'~ Kpop?! Definitely~ Lately I've been pretty much indulging myself into this Kpop BOOM. At first I was rather skeptical of this Kpop craze, but now that it has bitten me I feel the fun of K-INDULGENCE~

What's NEW: I've enrolled into Multimedia University Cyberjaya, Malaysia~ Spent 2 months there and I'm happy with the place despite its ups and downs (HEy no place is perfect! So why complain?!)
Now majoring in Analytical Economics~ People who know me may find this funny as I initially was inclined to become a lawyer... Looks like my lawyer days are behind me~ Hello ECONOMICS!
I still look the same; fun-sized (if you know what I mean ;p ), no make up .... but OH I finally decided to keep long hair this year~ (trumpet noise) I usually cut my hair once it reaches a certain length but surprisingly this year (and the end of last year) I took the decision to keep it longer than its usual length, below the shoulders and beyond~ Having long hair in MAlaysian weather can be quite a hassle sometimes but oh well, new looks need new preserverence haha!

I'm planning to blog more on Fashion this year... I used to blog about life and its mysteries but that idea seemed way to dull now once I look back at it... In fact my old blog was rather dull, SO I've decided to hype it up with many more new things this year! YIppeee! (This of course is part of my 2012 new year resolutions)

So ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new me! My name is Rin is finally operational and ready to kick off! Let's hope this enthusiasm to blog maintains itself ~ Sigh~ :)