Raya Remixed

Raya is getting into its second week of celebration and this time around it's slightly tweaked for me and family. We opted to celebrate Eid Mubarak near our home and performed the prayers at Masjid Wilayah KL (a definite first for us). There were so many people including foreign workers. But the view inside was amazing! Had only managed to snap using my trusty, fell-for-the-nth-time iPhone 5.

CAMERAderie: The Faces of Seoul

Travelling is a great way to indulge in local culture and to get to know the locals (from the peeping nature of my camera lenses, that is). It's no longer news that I'm a socially awkward person and sometimes I have to 'force' myself to interact with strangers. If need be I would communicate, (asking for directions, for example) but as last resort I would use my camera as an excuse to converse, or introduce myself and ask permission to take pictures of random people on the street. Such is the creepily voyeuristic personality that I possess haha.

In this case, I have snapped photos of Seoulites throughout my travel. Is it just me or the ladies are incredibly camera shy? Nevertheless it was a good experience, an inevitably awkward one I might add, to photograph a passersby portrait. What do you think of the images? I know they're horrendous as I have zilch knowledge to learn photogs skillz (sorry Filzah I might've let you down, come be my personal photog forevaaa), but if you ask me there's no more room for new cognitive function and skills in my brain other than my medical ones. If I had more free time (which is quite impossible given my current working status) I'd make photographing people's faces with accompanying commentaries a regular addition to Dunia Fashyon, but we'll see...

Seoul shopping

My travel itinerary is not complete without a particular segment for window shopping/wallet-damaging session. In Seoul everything looks particularly expensive (not just clothes necessarily), especially the usual international fast fashion chains like H&M or Uniqlo. My tips is to go to the high streets of Myeongdong or Shinsadong (in Gangnam area) rife with Korean high-street brands (still a tad expensive but they have the quintessential K-Pop sleekness if that's what you're after), and needless to say cosmetics/skincare retailers like Nature Republic, Innisfree, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Missha are in abundance and priced better compared to the Malaysian counterparts. But for those who incline towards 'rarer' designer items, head on to the Dongdaemun area for cool and relatively affordable young Korean designer labels all housed in one modern complex called Doota. And certain neighbourhood like Itaewon boasts a slew of indie shops offering interesting curiosities that might not be available back home. 

Seoul searching

Anyeonghaseyo!

Focusing my recent travels on destinations that are famous for its nature has made me miss the moments of city hopping, subway riding and clothes shopping at major towns of Europe during the good old student days. Needless to say when Yat masterminded the trip to Seoul, Korea, I obligingly followed his lead but yet, simultaneously devised my own plan to discover the exciting shops of Seoul (which at some point are already expected by my travel mates). 

CAMERAderie: Jovian Mandagie x Zalora Raya Collection 2015

The guests for the collection launch event is a usual mix of media, celebrities and fashion industries notables. Among familiar guests were Siti Nurhaliza and Sasha Saidin (and her ethereal braids). There are select personal styles that I like (loving to see people go all-out with a bevvy of textures, prints and embellishments - wonder if they are all from Jovian?) I was not physically there but from the looks of it the performance prior to the show was something different (an artistic performance with Luna Maya's appearance) and the setting is a dark undertone as I've mentioned in the previous post. The venue (DPAC) was, needless to say, a perfect place to showcase all the theatrics...

Avillion revisited

I just came back from Seoul a few days ago and jumped right into working mode afterwards. It might seem that I spend much time traveling but rest assured, this is rather an much delayed entry. Nevertheless I appreciate the rare opportunity for a short getaway (the Seoul post I will obligingly post soon, hopefully).

CAMERAderie: Zalora Fashion Festival event

The international online retailer collaboration with four Malaysian designers showcased collections for Raya 2015 recently at Pullman Bangsar's Grand Ballroom. The attendees were a healthy mix of prominent names of local fashion industry, the aficionados and of course, the much loved celebs. Looking at the scale of the almost award show-like celebrity attendance list (from Siti Saleha to Sharifah Sakinah to Sasha Saidin to Cristina Suzanne Stockstill and some prominent royal figures), Zalora has definitely put much investment in the marketing and thus, event/brand awareness. My guts tell me it's going to be an exceptionally well-received collection!

Krabi - the guilt after elephant riding experience...

The next leg of the journey in Krabi continued with activities away from the sea. It involved a jaunt to the night market, a short swim in a natural pool, with a soak in spectacular Hot Spring, and ended with an elephant ride that begs an ethical question...

Krabi island-hopping experience

Our long-tail boat

I've always been fascinated by the enchanting beauty and paradise-like portrayal of the islands of Thailand. The notion is propagated further more by Hollywood motion pictures bombarding us with the fantasy of 'come to Thailand, it's much more than sex trade haven and polite people'. Case in point: the movie The Beach where Leonardo DiCaprio was one of the main acting roles (although the film didn't fare well critically, there were lots of praises in regards to its beautiful cinematography, which was shot mainly in Krabi's Ko Phi Phi. That, alongside with super affordable flight tickets booked a year in advance (Air Asia's tagline Now Everybody Can Fly could never resonate better in this case), were among the reasons I chose Krabi as my next destination to explore.

Phuket fun part II

The next leg of my photo journey was focused on travelling in and around Phuket island, until the camera battery died on me. This included island hopping over three islands. Despite the promising brochure it felt like a pure tourist trap at the end of the day - the Khao Phing Kan island aka James Bond island (where The Man with The Golden Gun was shot) was packed with eager Chinese tourists, the halal food at the Muslim fishing village was bland, and there were endless queuing up to do at every island. Nevertheless the view was outstanding, I can't deny that.

Phuket fun

Sometime last month my I friends and I discovered the popular island town Phuket in Thailand. It was definitely a memorable trip! Everyone was so ecstatic with our budget-friendly exploration to this crowded tourist destination. I brought my DSLR along, but unfortunately the battery charger was missing so I had to rely on the existing battery. My battery power died on me on the third day despite efforts to conserve. But I definitely managed to snap a few pics for the blog.

Islamic Arts and VCR

What a nice way to ring in the new year with a visit to Kuala Lumpur, playing tourist! Our top options of sites to visit were something architecturally and photographically beautiful. So it was as a no-brainer to pick the National Mosque (photos of which are abundant on my Instagram) and the adjacent Islamic Arts Museum as our starting points...

Looking back at 2014

It seems like this year has been quite a dormant period for me blogging-wise. Of course, predictably I'd shove the blame of blogpost deficiency to the ever time-consuming work and studies. I plead guilty that all blogging effort has been 'replaced' by the quick and convenient nature of Instagram posts.

There was a moment when I was this close to stop blogging altogether. But looking at the blood, sweat and tears (almost) shed, and the experience Dunia Fashyon has brought me, I think it would be a pity to cease operation that easily. I'm grateful for the DF experience for all the enjoyable (and slightly awkward) moments as a blogger at fashion shows/presentations. Having said that, I wouldn't have another access to a different level of appreciation for photography, had I not met the super friendly budding photographer Filzah Athirah.

Quartet, Pickle and Fig

Although naturally I am not a coffee person (but I'm quite flexible though), I have been meaning to have a look at the hyped-about cafés around TTDI neighbourhood. Mostly because I love the usually quiet ambience of cafés (save for the contrived coffee chains with their dreadfully default decor, post-pubertal teens and super-sweetened roast). Luckily with a day off I recently I managed to go check out two independent cafés with coffee connoisseur Filzah in tow.

d'Next Artist Project at DPAC (season two)

I've been meaning to write a lengthy, well-cited post on artistic events like this one show that I've been to (courtesy of Filzah), but you know me too well not to don't you? Damansara Performing Arts Centre held its d'Next Artist Project (DNA) season one a while back, and judging from its rave reception, they prolonged the series into a second one (and the application for third and fourth seasons is already open).

Season two was a compendium of four new works by young Malaysian arts companies, showcasing fresh talents from the nascent world of Malaysian performing arts. New works are central to DNA’s second season on stage: the programmes included a multi-layered and visceral dance theatre experience by Lee Ren Xin's “B.E.D.”; In Three Minds Theatre was out there to question our moral conscience with “Jade”; Glowing Planet Production's “The Little Prince” was experimenting with the integration of live actors and visual projection; and a hip-hop/musical theatre on stage by the Perassath Servai Vedagiri's “Love Knows No Gender”.

The mighty medic and Brooke Roberts

Lately I've been rushing towards assignment deadlines (taking a Diplomain Family Medicine) and manning three programmes at the clinic, whilst trying my best not to practice the well-spread 'conveyor belt' medicine. On top of that, I have the audacity of joining a seemingly fast-track program for the elusive FRACGP (click here if you're keen to know what that stands for) - it's a program by MIGHTY MEDIC, hence the title, which is another pathway towards specialty in primary care besides the conventional Malaysian Masters program.

Coach fall/winter 2014, Kuala Lumpur

Coach isn't exactly under my usual artistic label focus but I am aware of its commercial success with practical and functional leather-ware. The mammoth brand's reputation has been attributed to its diverse range of handbags that fit casual and office settings (being a household name Coach bags are coveted by my sister, cousins and even my aunts). But what I can say is their previous offerings may be still not necessarily my stylistic cup of tea.

The Comyns Jazz Collection at Royal Selangor

I have never seen pewter / silverware in person so I was pretty excited to get invited by Royal Selangor, the world's leading pewter giant to their flagship store recently. It was for the showcase of their sterling silver brand Comyns, a previously British brand with a heritage spanning nearly 400 years!

Seven Cups + Filzah-philia

Finally. Almost considering that I have almost a non-existent social life until I managed to meet a long-time blog reader (can't believe I do have one!). Filzah Athirah is a photographer by trade and it's evident by her effortless attempt in configuring my DSLR settings, which has been normally set to 'auto' haha. Have a look at her beautiful photography website.

60 Years of Made in Italy

Looking back at Dunia Fashyon posts it's quite easy to see that I've been quite obsessed with the label 'Made in Italy' - to me it conjures the image of fine craftsmanship especially in leather-ware and even clothing items. Even though I know that it's quite a rarity these days to find anything genuinely 'Italian' - the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas sheds a light on the scandal of putting a premium price on all things purportedly made in Italy, when some parts of an item are actually Chinese-made and the finishing touches and labels are only then finally done in Italy. Can't help but to feel naïve and cheated somehow...