Hair-llo! (Get it?)

Hair-llo Dashionistas!

Well, as you may have read T's previous post about her lovely vacation in Malaysia, my summer vacation kicked off with a *bang* as well!

You know, dancing and floor-work and all that.

I was thinking about what I should post this week as the cycle is on a little break and I thought to myself: "Oh why not! Hair!"

It's not much, to be honest - it just occurred to me that it is summer time now (well, Hong Kong is boiling hot now anyways!) and the few hair styles that I randomly conjured up during dance could be quite Dashion-y! (Get it? lol)

Oh! I will also be ending this post with a video - it's a new, little, personal dance project of mine and... I loved the skirt I used in it - AND it would be a nice summer piece as well! (Dashion! Hurray!)

So first off, the hair-dos... (Please note, it is just very common hair-dos, but I like to give it names!)

As you can see, my hair is fairly long and extremely thick. It can be very bothersome at times, especially during the summer as my hair acts as a 'scarf' (and wool-like, that is) which makes it VERY, VERY hot for me. Also, I can't really dance properly with my hair down - I will always have to flip it, or find some way to move it. Really...

A) "The Dancer's Rose" - My most common do when I'm dancing, simply because I've always naturally tied it this way (especially since my hair is really long and tying it in a ponytail can sometimes become quite a task, especially when I'm sweating from dancing!) Also, it does not sway about when moving/dancing!

A worthy summer do and could fit casual to evening events!

B) "The Dynasty" - Well, the name actually was inspired by my dance teacher. I tied it this way during class (subconsciously) and it was actually higher up at the crown of my head. My teacher then commented that I looked like those ladies from the ancient dynasties. For the rest of the class, he called me by one of the maiden's names.

This is perfect for a day out, casual, but spiking it with a little difference! A shopping trip or even beach-fun!

C) "The Doorknob-tail" - This hairdo was actually a result of not having enough time to finish tying my full ponytail, prior to a 'run-through' of a choreography. I ended up really liking it very much and is one of my favourite hairdo selection for my dance videos! (One of them is coming up, soon...)

A cheeky and different look - it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but a good cup of summer tea nonetheless! ;) It holds better than a ponytail and, if you have long hair like me, since it does not sway as much, it would not stick to you (if you live in a hot, humid place like I do) as much!

D) "The Helicoponytail" - There is a reason I called my ponytail that. It started off when I was in England and I was also working as a dancer then. My hair was actually even longer at the time and I could not let it down and dance (thick and long = can't see!) So I started tying my ponytail on the crown of my head, allowing for the length to be shortened. Soon, I started using it as one of my dancing tools whereby I swing it like a helicopter rotor!

Despite it being fussy at times, it remains to be my favourite 'performing' hairdo!

E) "The Anchor" - Quite a bold name for a delicate-looking hairdo right? But besides this hairdo reminding me of an anchor, it does work as an anchor as well! (lol) It is one of my 'dainty'-like styles and I do use it at times. As you may have realised, the above few hairdos are all taut and tight - which isn't good for our hairline in the long run! So this hairdo (which by far, is the quickest to do during dance rehearsals!) comes in handy... and to save my hairline.

Perfect if you are looking to have a more feminine look, yet not want to put your hair down as the heat might melt you. It could become quite flayed at times, and can be quite immovable if you tie it too tight - but since it's so easy to re-tie, it's very convenient!

F) "The Maiden" - I have actually used this hairdo the least, especially in dancing - only because the rose/bun at the nape of my neck can become quite bothersome when I'm doing floorwork! However, it is a very nice style to use for summer - again, it saves the hairline from being tugged at constantly and I love how the shorter bits of hair would naturally fall out (which won't happen when you tie it high up and taut!)

This could act as a more matured, lady-like look as well. Maybe for a summer date? Or when touring around during your summer vacation trip? ;)

So after all those hairdos, here is the video! :) Ironically, my hair is down here. (Ha!) I wanted to create a paranormal/haunting effect. I hope you enjoy this video! Thank you for reading my blog this week!

"A Haunted Heart" - J. J'ng

An experimental, digital project of contemporary dance and improvisational movement.

P.S. Wardrobe essential!

This is the skirt I was talking about! It has been with me for YEARS now! From bellydance, to contemporary dance! 

It is light, floaty, summer-y and versatile! Like the saying of how every girl should have at least one little, black dress in their wardrobe - well, we all should have at least one skirt of this kind as well! *wink* 

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - J x

Kinaparadise

I apologize for the delay update of this post, I have been sick the whole week and actually currently sound like a man as well. One of my best friends called me today and her exact  words: "Can you whatsapp me instead? Your voice is scaring me." What lovely friends I have!

This week we are going to take a break from a cycles since I went on a short getaway last week with my boyfriend. Remember last cycle in "It's a girl thing" how I went mad shopping just for this trip? Well I really did try to make some use of it.... Of course when a girl packs, she ends up using a lot of other clothes she didn't expect to.

I'll try not to overload you with too much to read this week while I tell you about my trip, but I will most definitely bombard you with a series of amazing photos I took in Kota Kinabalu. The sunset there is absolutely breathtaking! The first day we arrived, I thought the whole trip was going to be ruined cause it was pouring! We checked the weather forecast and it said it would be pouring for the next four days. Great timing eh? Miraculously, the sky cleared up for a beautiful sunset that just put me in awe. We stayed at the Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort and they have a beautiful sunset bar that stretches out towards the sea. It was the perfect spot to do a little cocktail drinking while absorbing the beauty of the sunset before dinner.

 

All I felt when I was watching the sun go down was awe and peacefulness.  Seeing how calm the water is just eases your mind and the sky painted in different colours because of the sunset. I was in complete serenity. 

 

The next day, thank heavens, turns out to be a beautiful blue sky sunny day. We went to the orangutan sanctuary first thing in Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort which was about a 45 min ride away from our resort. We got to see this little cutie after walking up this trail to the feeding station where it gets fed every morning. I personally think the "feeding station" is just feeding us to the mosquitos.  

After the orangutan we had some time before the bus came to pick us up so we spent the rest of the morning at the private beach just chilling and relaxing.



We went back to our hotel and guess what, we just laid by the pool. The infinity pool is absolutely beautiful. Yup it's my kind of holiday!

Around 6pm, (my favourite time of the day while I was there) the sun began to set and I thought yesterday's sunset was beautiful, but today proved me wrong! Yesterday I would not have been able to imagine a more amazing sunset but there it is, today just showed me. I have to say, the money is completely worth spent even if it's just to go stare at that sunset every single day.

The sky was so many different colours and it just got more vibrant as the sun gets closer to the horizon. And right before it sets, it is THE most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  And right where the hut is in the photo above is where the sunset bar is.

On our third day, the weather was kind to us again and we had another amazing sunny day.  Today we took a boat and did a little island hopping. I love being on boats when it goes fast, even if it makes me look like Medusa.

When I stepped out on to the first island, it was like incredible.  The beach is exactly how your imagination would picture a perfect beach; blue sky, white sand, sectioned light green sea water. It was gorgeous!

 

Throughout the day we did some snorkelling and then we did parasailing. Personally I am mad afraid of heights and have a phobia of swimming in the deep ocean so parasailing was absolutely terrifying for me but I am proud to say I have done it!

 

Unfortunately it started drizzling in the late afternoon, so we did not get that perfect sunset we saw the night before, though I still manage to take a picture of a scenery that was like a painting. Still beautiful.

 

That day was also my 13th month anniversary with my boyfriend so he took me to the lovely restaurant at the hotel for dinner :). This entire trip was actually post-poned celebration of our one year anniversary last month, it was worth the wait.

 

We really did not want to leave on our last day to come back to the horrible weather that Hong Kong has been having, but on our way home, we were extremely lucky cause we caught one last amazing view of the sunset in the sky. That was the perfect ending to our little vacation.

 

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - T

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Be strong, Juliet

“Dear Claire, "What" and "If" are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if? I don't know how your story ended but if what you felt then was true love, then it's never too late. If it was true then, why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart. I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like - love to leave loved ones for, love to cross oceans for but I'd like to believe if I ever were to feel it, that I will have the courage to seize it. And, Claire, if you didn't, I hope one day that you will. All my love, Juliet"

 

I love the above quote from the movie “Letters to Juliet”, I think it is beautiful and the words are so inspiring. Everybody is afraid, no one likes to take a risk. When it comes to love, we are all afraid. Who wants to be rejected? The truth is, if you don’t make that first step, you will never find out “what might’ve been” and live with the regret forever. It is risk that NEEDS to be taken, it's not good for your heart to keep something like that to yourself. The weight just keeps growing and then one day, you want to burst; kick yourself for not saying anything and now it's too late.

 

Nobody likes to be rejected but loving someone is nothing to be ashamed of. There comes a time when we need to learn that we don't need a partner to feel good about ourselves. We have to learn about self-love and boost our own confidence. Be comfortable in your own skin, love yourself, learn to enjoy the time spent alone.

Juliets, move on from a guy who rejects you. I know you hear it all the time but it really is his loss. Think about this: All you lost is someone who doesn't love you, yet he lost someone who does loves him.

 

It may sound cliché, but before and above all, we have to learn to love ourselves. It is a vital component in the grand scheme of things/life - whether you are in a relationship or not.

Think of it in this sense (again, throwing in some mathematics!): let's just take the example of the saying that 'a romantic bond is the joining of two halves' ...

∴

You = 1/2
Your love = 1/2
1/2 (You) + 1/2 (Your love)= 1 <-- Uh, 'to become whole'

But if you don't learn to love yourself...

0 + 1/2 (your love)= 1/2 <-- it still isn't complete.

  

Of course, it isn't as simple as 1-2-3, but the point here is, when one is in love, we become another's foundation as well as they become ours; it is a 'fulfilling' mechanism - whereby by having our self-love, we fulfill the one-half of the relationship to give to our partners. Personally, I differentiate slightly between self-love and confidence: being confident does not necessarily mean self-loving; but to self-love is to also be confident.

Believe it or not, the way to this is to find your passion. Be it fashion, dancing, jogging, graphic designing, knitting, gardening, baking, etc. - when you find your passion and set your mind to it, you will find that you've opened up another world for yourself: one where you would learn to grow, develop and love yourself, for yourself, by yourself. It is such a great feeling of individuality. When this individuality comes in, your self naturally radiates self-love, self-respect and confidence; of course you would, when you have something of your own, so dear to you, that you would lose if you don't take care of yourself!

Yet, every person wants to be loved, not just in the way your significant other would love you, family and friends provide us with the love we need and deserve. Family and Friends love you differently than how a girlfriend/boyfriend would love you: When you have a girlfriend /boyfriend, you love them, care for them, you think that they are your entire world; but when you break up, then what? You stop loving them, you stop caring for them, you think that they are a waste of time. Love from family and friends are entirely different, they will always be there for you no matter what, they are the ones you can count on.

 

We cannot go through life alone as it would be impossible, which is why we are surrounded by family and friends.  They are the most important people in your life. They are the ones who support you, and take every step with you along the way. They are there for you when you have your ups and downs. Even if you’re angry at them, no matter how hard you try to push them away, they will always stay with you and go through the toughest things in life.

 

Let us take a closer look what each one of us are wearing for Valentine's day.  

T has matched her no brand pink dress with leopard prints to make it more interesting and sassy.  The handbag is from Staccato and the wedges are from Steve Madden. T's hairdo is a ribbon made of her hair to add elegance as well.

The eye shadow and eyeliner are from MAC cosmetics.

 



 J's look is sexy and fun with leopard prints and the bold use of red. Her top is from Tkmaxx, red jeans from river island and red tube top is from Primark. Her shiny wedges are from Steven Madden.

J's makeup is simple and focused on her red lips (Maxfactor red lip tint). Puckerup for Valentine's day!

 

Last but not least, K's outfit is simple but fun with the mix and match of colours. Though her dress from Forever 21 is pink, she has matched it with her blue wedges, also from Forever 21.  That is afterall, her trademark: mismatch, but it works great!

This is the end of our first cycle, we hope you liked it, enjoyed it and got inspired by it! We wish you had a wonderful Valentine's day, whether you spent it alone, with your significant other, family or friends :)

♥ "It's all about how you put it together" - T, J & K.