Hipster Fashionista

Hipster Fashionista

           

Everyone, especially the young people nowadays seem comfort with the hipster style and always try to up-to-date with hipster latest fashion and trend. Hipster trend is not somehing new but actually this subculture already began since 1940s and evolved over time to leave us with the hipster of today. However, hipster on that time was not merely about appearances or interest but it was more than that. The hipster group in the 1940s was known as the group that against any sign of normalcy. They did not believe in the traditional cycle of job, family life, social life or anything else done by majority.

Although the concept of hipster today and 1940s still same but the modern hipster is heavily focused on fashion and appearances rather than community building. Hipster is defined as the people who enjoy clothing, music, food and activities that considered being outside of the social and culture mainstream. Usually hipsters seamlessly mix and match different clothing pieces from vintage shops, thrift stores, or up-and-coming designers as well as make their own pieces to express their own individual fashion sense and style.

I found a few tips from wikiHow website about how to be in hipster fashion.

1.    Dress like hipster (the way you dressing up are different from others and avoid buying labeled gear. Instead look for independent retailers as far as you can.)

2.    Wear skinny jeans, especially of bright colors or patterns

3.    Wear glasses

4.    Dress vintage

5.    Find suitable footwear

6.    Accessorize

7.    Mismatch and laye

                           

I believe that fashion is part of art and identity too. Everybody has different idea and interest. The concept of beauty also not same for everyone. Some people would think hipster style looks nice while some other might think otherwise. It doesn’t matter what style do you prefer as long as you feel comfort and that style looks nice on you. Don’t be afraid to express yourself through fashion because your appearances are patterned by your creativity. It is no wrong to be a fashionista but don’t let yourself carried away by fashion and become a fashion victim.

“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.”

                                                                  - Gianni Versace

Hipster fashion cycle, designed by Emily Miethner 

Romeo and Juliet: A tragic love story

Romeo and Juliet: A Tragic Love Story

            If Eiffel Tower is associated with the symbol of love, then the most prominent love story in the literary goes to Romeo and Juliet. Love is the most dominant and important theme in Romeo and Juliet. However, Romeo and Juliet is not so called a “happy ever after” love story but indeed a tragic one. In the beginning, the love between Romeo and Juliet was portrayed explicitly beautiful and love can strike anyone but the ending betrayed most of our expectation. It is just too realistic and tragic. The ending is parallel with the other side of love facts. Love can be the most sweetest thing ever and at the same time it can be the the most cruelsome thing.

            Love can be described as pure, beautiful and at same time people also associate love with blindness and madness. It is hard to explain love itself but I believe that love is beautiful but the way we deal with love that makes it looks amoral. Although I do not like the ending of Romeo and Juliet but I know that double suicide tragedy is a consequence from the impulse decision earlier. If Capulet did not decide to marry off Juliet with Paris, I guess Juliet would not make a haste decision to drink the death faker potion. If Romeo think and act a little bit calmer in the first place, this catastrophic event could be evaded. However, what more I can say since people could act strangely and will be out of mind when passionate in love.

            When we love someone we always think that our love story will end according to our plan and goes smoothly. But we must remember that the reality does not offer a blast of perfect day always. Sometimes love needs a sacrifice for a better future ahead. In Romeo and Juliet, we could see that the death of Romeo and Juliet ended the dispute between Capulet-Montague. In spite of we see that the sacrifice Romeo and Juliet made was to preserve and defense their love but at same time it lead up to a new day for Capulet and Montague family.

            There is no doubt that love is beautiful and at times love is brutal. Love in Romeo and Juliet is portrayed too powerful to the eternity yet chaotic. People could love or hate someone in any minutes but the way we deal with our emotions shows us how sensible and crazy we can be. There is no wrong being in love but to the some extent we must know to distinguish between the reality and fantasy. Indeed love is complex and yet mysterious. I love the quotes from Ed Sheeran song, Thinking Out Loud, “People fall in love in a mysterious way.” Since love is mysterious and hard to be described, absolutely people can fall in love in mysterious way. What I can say lastly, love is not to be understood but to be felt.

Blog about fashion

　I want to introduce “gaucho pants”. It looks like the wide-leg, cropped pants. It is very popular in Japan now. And gaucho is actually the South American equivalent to the American cowboy. It hangs like a skirt but splits like pants.
 I am apprehensive to try this trend because I am not like occidental people who has long legs.
But I want to try this trend so I will step out in a pair of heels with the cropped pants first, I think it looks elegant the silhouette looks.

Romeo and Juliet

I really enjoyed this movie. I alrady knew the story of Romeo and Juliet, so the movie was easy to understand. I thought it was irrational that nobody called the ambulance when people were dying. In Shakespeare’s original it is ok, but in this time it is best to call the hospital. Especially, I liked the final scene because the church had many candles and Juliet’s dress was very beautiful.

Romeo and Juliet

 
The only things I knew about the story was tragety before watching this movie.


The primary result of the sad ending was the confrontation of the houses.
Nowadays, some European countries still have nobilities and a few of them admire it officialy.
They have a special name such as Prince and Duke in England.
Though they don't have privilege anymore, they are reqired to contribute volunteer activity a lot.
Japan had the aristocracy system until Showa era.
They had spremacy in economic, education, and politic.
However, the new constitution prohibite the system of nobilities after WWⅡ.


I have never concerned about aristocracy because it is not familiar with such a system.
I guess those people were proud of their house and it made the struggle.

What do you love about Japan???

What do you love about Japan.....???

                As most of us know, Japan is well-known with the high-tech inventions, anime and manga culture. Unfortunately, I am not an anime or manga geek at all and I only knew some of them. Besides that, the services in Japan are undeniably excellent and I like the ways Japanese treat their customers. However, what I love the most about Japan is its nature and four seasons. The breathtaking sceneries and landscapes to add up with gracefulness culture of Japan makes me love it more.

                I always love to see and hear the sound of mother nature. Watching a greenery meadow with the beautiful blue sky already make my day. It soothes my mind and makes me forget all the hustle and bustle in my life. Gratefully, there are a lot of places like that in Japan. I am not saying that my hometown does not offering such places at all but what makes Japan special is the presence of four seasons and how the culture and nature mix well together. What I mean culture here is just like tea ceremony and other traditional cultures. I don’t know why but I feel the graceful and fine culture of tea ceremony mixes so well with the beauty art of nature.

                Since I live in the north of Japan right now, I can feel the four seasons distinctively. I grown up in the tropic country and never experiencing the four seasons at all before I came to Japan and could feel the four seasons climate is one of my best memories. However, I think the spring and autumn are the best of all. Besides the scenic view, the temperature and climate on that time just nice. Speaking about seasons and spring, Japan and sakura are inseparably. Watching cherry blossom is the tradition that people must do in Japan and I love doing it too. However, rather than snap a lot of picture and messy around in the crowded I like to enjoy the view of nature more.

                The atmosphere of red yellowish fallen leaves during autumn in Japan is also charming. Maybe some people would relate the autumn with heartbroken but for me the autumn just feel like romantic mood. Besides that, autumn also can be said as harvesting season too. If watching cherry blossom is something that we must do during spring, “momijigari” which is watching fall foliage is something that we must do during fall season. I think winter scenery is beautiful too but in the end it feels like the loneliness and eerie feeling just like what was portrayed in The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie. Of course I was thrilled during my first winter experiences and I like on how the snow falling swiftly on my head but still the image of loneliness is strong in my head.

                Lost deep in the thought while watching the beauty of nature are always been my obsession. However, what makes Japan so unique is their gracefulness culture that coherent with the nature. The ways Japanese preserve and maintain the cleanliness impressively excellent and thus make the portrait of nature become more beautiful.

 

*All the pictures above are from my photo album

Do you think you are “The Ugly Duckling?”

Do you think you are “The Ugly Duckling?”

            “He felt quite glad that he had come through so much trouble and misfortune,

for now he had a fuller understanding of his own good fortune, and of beauty when he met with it…

…I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling.’’

                                                                                Hans Christian Anderson

                                                                                  The Ugly Duckling

                I bet everyone must know the story of “The Ugly Duckling” and at some point I assume everyone had felt like the Ugly Duckling at least once in our lifetime. We feel so inferior and think such a loser compared to others. Sometimes, we feel we do not comfit in any group and do not have anything to give to the others. However, it is just a matter of perception. If we think in negativity, we will react in a negative way.

                Just like the Ugly Duckling, he was rejected because he was too ugly or too different from others although he can swim. Actually the Ugly Duckling is not ugly at all but he is somewhat special. Unfortunately, the duck society perceives it differently and could not accept that rarity. That is how the duck society defines the term of beauty and how they react towards it. Humans also act in the same manner and hardly think that the differences are something special. However, we forget that if there were no unusual mind, then a new invention would not be found. Sometimes the absurdity or oddity will open up to the new discovery. But in the reality, our mind unconsciously tends to diminish that differences and try to compromise what we are.

                There would be no rainbow if the day was not raining and the caterpillars would not change into a beautiful butterfly if they were afraid of pupation. Sometimes people are afraid to be themselves and let the negative feelings, for instance inferiority and insecurity conquer their mind and behavior. Everyone dreams of the success but somehow fear of the hurdles and boundary. Actually it is our thinking that makes us afraid to grab the opportunity. We fear of the failures and mistakes, thus make us avoiding from learn and experiencing something new. For example, someone who wants to do a bungee jump but afraid of falling. They have the spirits but somehow their feeling and perception oppose them from doing it.

                I agree that everything is a matter of perspective and our actions actually come from how do we think about. As for me, I don’t think the Ugly Duckling story is about turning yourself into a blonde Barbie doll or doing some plastic surgery so that you can be beautiful, but it is about self-revelation and becoming who you are. That is how I perceive the Ugly Duckling story and it is no wrong to be different because our differences are our assets in our life. Of course there are many obstacles before we achieve the title of success, but if we look them in positivity, we would react in positive way too.

                “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.’’

                                                                                By the Emperor (Mulan movie)