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). 

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).

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.

Merdeka Day like no other (part 2)

We had to say goodbye to Malchik who had to catch his flight to Kuala Terengganu. Not sure where to go next, I randomly suggested that we have a look at Coliseum Café (and hotel, though I'm not really sure where the hotel exactly is, as the second floor looks suspiciously uninhabited). So right to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman we went. It was our first time there and we didn't know what to expect. But I do know that this place has been there since the British colonial years, and it is one of the few buildings along Jalan TAR strip that did not bow down to the pressure of surrounding modernisation.

Merdeka Day like no other

When it comes to annual Merdeka (Independence) Day celebration I think I've seen it all - from the childhood/adolescent memory of attending the annual parade at Merdeka Square, watching Yasmin Ahmad's heart-wrenching Petronas merdeka adverts, to just lazing on the sofa listening to repetitive, pseudo-patriotic commentaries by TV presenters on TV1. But this time around there was something else in the book. I wasn't in Merdeka rut anymore, if you will.

That's the Spirit!

Sleepy fisherman town of Kuala Kurau, Perak

I just got back home yesterday from Perak and my travel was filled with photos of Syawal celebration. The obligatory food porn, familiar faces and typical typography abound in this post naturally. What ever it is, I came back with a full stomach and a pleasant memory. Until next Aidilfitri!  

Syawal in Melaka

Eid Mubarak is now in its full-blown open-house visiting, face-stuffing, and sometimes smile-faking mode as I'm writing this quick post. It's already third of Syawal and I just got back from my dad's hometown in the sleepy and clean town of Alor Gajah in Malacca. Raya this year is slightly different as my uncle decided to organise a small 'kenduri' to pay homage to the family members who passed on, combined with a mini open house, naturally.

Fashion in Bangkok

Gaysorn Plaza, one of the luxury landmarks in Bangkok.

It's safe to say that when it comes to fashion Thailand is quite a prominent industry player in South East Asia region. Reading about Thai's retail prowess in the blogs all these years has made a personal impression on me. I must say the recent trip to Bangkok has given the perfect chance for me to delve, if only ever so superficially, into the burgeoning fashion atmosphere of Siam. Reading Business of Fashion's article about how uncertain Thailand's future of retail industry due to political turmoil is just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is, indeed, undeniably bleak but as the only Asian country that is never colonised, some local experts take an optimistic view of the scenario. No matter how shaky the situation is, at least I feel grateful to witness a booming Asian fashion empire that harbours both global luxury companies and local designers, all within a close vicinity.

Cameraderie: Bangkok - Sights and the People

Spending four days and three nights in Bangkok is definitely a short trip and I’d say I can’t get enough of the bustling city. The friendly people (the endless smile and the quintessentially Thai gentle intonation draws me closer to the city), the sights and smell, and of course, the rather different style of outfits Bangkok-ites don are all new experience to me. Not to mention everything seems a little bit cheaper than in KL (one of the highlights is the storewide discount at Uniqlo!), so I guess that’s the biggest plus for travellers on a budget comme moi.

We stayed in a ‘studio suite’ building at the Silom area (famous for its red-light district - which also has given a new perspective on sexuality to me) and needless to say going about the area is convenient with the nearby BTS station (like an LRT in KL). From having morning jog at the ex-royal Lumpini Park which is just a stone’s throw away from our lodging, to hopping on the BTS train to Bangkok’s typical tourist attractions and then shopping, everything was done without a glitch.

Hi. I'm back! (And I just came back from Bangkok)

The sunny Thailand (photo taken at IMPACT Exhibition Centre)

Four months since I've penned down something in Dunia Fashyon. FOUR MONTHS! What was I thinking? The truth is, it takes much more than stringing sentences together to produce an appealing blog. And I feel that the energy required for maintaining DF has taken its toll on me.
Or maybe I'm just the biggest procrastinator in the world - whenever there's an urge to post something for the blog, that will be exactly the time where an evil voice speaks to me, pulling me away from my keyboard.

In a paltry attempt to revive Dunia Fashyon (and hopefully my online presence), I present to you my recent travel to Bangkok, Thailand. And for the time being, I'll keep it short and simple for anyone who are still following DF (thanks so much for the supportive comments from my previous post - never did I know that I have 'real' readers all this while).

Destination Asia: Hong Kong

Overcast Hong Kong sky

It's a rare occasion for me to travel to Asian countries. Not to toot my own horn but as far as globetrotting is concerned I've been to more European countries than Asia (so far Singapore and Vietnam are the only Asian destinations that I've been to). When my sister asked me and the whole family (including my two cousins) (!) about travelling to Hong Kong, I jumped at the opportunity to explore the world-famous city. Being in Hong Kong feels like a trip to a fluctuating time machine. It is a complicated metropolis with a mixed cultural/socio-economical landscape where East meets West, the old is gradually replaced by the new, the poor and the rich walk side by side on the pavement, run down government housing flats sandwiched in between sleek luxury condos and office. To be honest there's not much sight-seeing to be done in Hong Kong - being a small, overly populated island almost every inch of habitable land is occupied with the latest construction site/projects, be it a new MTR (their version of subway) station or another state-of-the-art skyscraper. Thus our trip focused on exploring in and around Kowloon (the mainland) and Hong Kong island, mostly at the periphery of its shores, as that's where most of tourist attractions are...

Hong Kong filler

As you could probably see from my Instagram account I'm in Hong Kong for a vacation with my family. Hong Kong is a very packed island and to be honest I've never been to such a crowded place before! Nevertheless it's still a lovely experience, though we didn't manage to explore and discover some things that we were looking forward to (i.e. outlet shopping!). The first two days have been drizzly and our trip was slightly hampered by the rain and misty view, that basically obscures the sight of Victoria peak (boo...in addition we were ripped off by the travel agent who overcharged us for that particular Victoria peak experience!). We're heading back to Malaysia today and I'm planning to post about the trip in detail. But for now I hope an outfit filler will suffice...

CAMERAderie: Aidilfitri in Taiping

It seems like a post on the festivity of Aidilfitri (Eid Mubarak) is in order! I celebrated at both mum's and dad's hometown in Taiping, Perak and Melaka respectively. Surely I had fun, but to be honest growing older means that the joy and enthusiasm to celebrate wanes down quicker every year. I do miss my childhood experience celebrating Hari Raya with my cousins (who are mostly already married nowadays and consequently celebrate Raya at their spouses' places). Anyhow I put on my amateur photographer cap and happily snapped the images, taken on the eve of Syawal around the rustic town of Taiping and on the big day itself...

Art of Writing at Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton opened the doors of its first Cabinet d'Ecriture in the Saint-Germain District of Paris and started a new journey into the world of writing. We had the opportunity to visit the pop-up store in the historic area during last winter's Paris Men's Fashion Week.

Welcome to Jose and Deli

It was a packed three-day conference that I had to attend recently and the very hotel that held the event was fully booked. Initially I was bummed out foreseeing that I had to choose a place away from all the geeky medical action, but after going through online and booking French Hotel Ipoh, things worked out for the best. Never mind the inevitably cheesy-sounding name but let me assure you the small, boutique-ish hotel is nothing short of affordable luxury.

I enjoyed my three-night stay there not just because the hotel is relatively new - being opened somewhere in 2012 so its amenities and surrounding still look fresh - I also liked the great ambience the ground floor café had to offer. Jose and Deli Eatery appeared so inviting and I could never imagine there's a place in Ipoh with such rustic yet modern sophistication (this is quite a snobbish statement coming from a rather introvert KL-ite though!).