Goodbye grey skies, hello blue!

Cardigan: Ark

Shoes: Primark

Floral shorts: ASOS.com

Heart-shaped sunnies: H&M

Vintage style floral box bag: Primark

If you're a regular follower of UK blogs, you would have probably seen tons of posts on the glorious weather that has been bestowed upon us. It has indeed been really sunny and warm for the past 2 weeks. Not wanting to lose out, I grabbed this rare opportunity with one hand and pulled out my spring gear with the other. The result? Lots of happy clappy colours!

Spring is my favourite season of all because the dreary winter is behind, but it's not quite sweltering summer, yet. To be very honest, I'm not a fan of summer at all. Growing up in Malaysia, I've had enough heat to last me 10 lifetimes thankyouverymuch.

I was acting silly in the last picture when the boyf took that picture mid-blink. I thought I'd put it in because ah well, we all need to be a little bit silly in spring, yes? Spring makes me happy and joyful! Whee...

International Cultural Evening '11

Hi, beautiful people!
I just want to quickly thank everyone for your kind comments in my previous post. I always enjoy reading what you have to say and really appreciate everyone who took the time to actually read my post. You guys are the bestest!!

Today's post will be about something that I'm quite passionate about; cultural diversity.

Bulgarian Society

I have always been rather proud of my University in terms of its diversity and passion in promoting cultural awareness. It offers so many opportunities for us to learn about different cultures; it's not uncommon to see 2 people from different countries having a language exchange session during lunch time. It's a truly diversed place and in my time here, I've gotten to know so many wonderful people from all over the world.

Mexican Society

We have the International Students' Committee (ISC) (of which I'm a part of) and every academic year, we organize 4 major international events amongst other smaller projects. We're not a charity, but we're run entirely by volunteers from the student population. We have student reps from all sorts of nationalities from Malaysians *ahem* to Nigerians to Germans to Columbians.

Chinese Society

I hope this doesn't sound like some political manifesto, but the ISC is run by international students, for international students. Our aim is to create a home away from home experience for all. Yes, intergration with local students are also one of our agendas, but we believe that we have to also put in effort to make international students feel as if they're home, sometimes, and that they'll always have someone to turn to.

If you've ever packed your bags and traveled 6500 miles alone to a foreign country to pursue your education, you'd know what I mean. If you've ever fallen ill and craved for that homemade national dish, but it's too late to call home (due to the time difference) nor can your local friends help you because they've never heard of said dish, you'd know what a lonely feeling that is :)

Malaysian Society

The ISC has done so much for me, although it hasn't always been obvious. Looking back, without all the ISC socials, I wouldn't know half the people I know now. Without ISC, I would most likely just stick with my little clique (although, I love my little clique, don't get me wrong) without actually meeting all these wonderful people.

Although I'm no longer as active as I used to be during my Undergraduate years, I still help out occassionally and I try to attend all their events.

The International Cultural Evening was held last weekend, where 20 national societies showcased their talents to compete for glory...and a trophy. It was a night full of national costumes, cultural performances and national pride.

Indian Society

All the photos you see above were taken on the night. I apologize for the crappy photos. Lately, I've been getting increasingly annoyed with the quality it produces. Sighhh...

This is my International Business textbook speaking, but if you aren't aware, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. Globalization is inevitable and more and more countries are opening up their borders for trade. I think that what ever line you go into in the future, there will be some form of internationalization involved and you'll get the chance to work with people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, I truly believe it's very important to start networking now, not just for business purposes, but for the opportunity to learn something new.

I am not sure how it is in your University or how well-received international students are, but I wonder, do you ever take the time to try to get to know someone of a different nationality? :)

Japan Day Pt. 2

If you're curious to know what this is about, read my first post on Japan Day here*click* :)

 

The fortune-telling booth.

 

My friend, Shiho-san, practising calligraphy.

An assortment of Japanese beverages on sale. I love the ubiquitous drink vending machines in Tokyo, by the way! So many colours, so many flavours! <--- slogan haha!

Yummy Japanese snacks!

This little girl is so kawaii! I asked her Dad for permission to snap a photo with her and she happily obliged.

Maid Cafe. A wee bit dissapointed that the maids didn't role-play at all. Not that I've been to a real Maid Cafe, but from what I've heard, the ones in Japan really act all cutesy and speak in high-pitched voices, make you sing songs and have excellent customer service. I definitely want to visit one if I ever go to Japan again, just because it's so out of this world!

Oh, by the way, only after we left did I notice a sign that said, No photography allowed. Please respect the maids. Woopsie...

There were also some game stalls, several performances and a haunted house. The haunted house was pitch black and I was so scared even though I went in with the boyf. I hate it when the actors touch me; they tapped my back and grabbed my ankles wtf. I think I screamed several times haha. My boyfriend, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed himself and even patted a "ghost" on its head and said, "Good job!" <---  -_-"

Yukata! I picked this gorgeous navy blue one with white, pink, red and blue sakura prints and a pink obi (sash) to go with it. I've never worn a yukata in my entire life, so that was a pretty exciting experience.

The yukata is SO pretty; I desperately wanted to run away with it, but I refrained because I'm chicken shit like that. Oh, in my previous blog post about Japan Day*click*, I forgot to show you the pretty floral earrings I wore that day, so here they are.

Now I'm sure I had at least 5 different studio shots taken by the photographer because all my poses were directed by him, so I was very aware of what my body was doing and thus, the amount of shots taken.

After the event, I waited for weeks for the photos to be uploaded. Finally, I received an email to say the photos were ready. I clicked on the link and sifted through hundreds of pictures of other people and very nearly missed mine...because there was only one shot of me -.-

For some reason known only to the photographer, he decided not to upload the rest of my photos. I'm quite disapointed with this photo because:
a) This doesn't even show the entire yukata
b) I'm doing this silly-looking pose suggested by the photographer
and
c) I waited frigging forever for the photos so I can do this post and now all I have is this one shot. Bah!

If I'd known, I would have blogged about this much, much earlier. Sorry to keep you waiting, guys!

Acoustic Night

 Sheer maxi skirt: Ark

Peep-toe wedge boots: New Look

Cropped top (bought a larger size to wear it off-shouldered): Topshop

Double-finger cross ring: ASOS.com

Studded rings: H&M

Shield ring: Primark

A group of my coursemates organized a series of events to raise funds for a local creative charity, Bloc Projects. I attended two of the events which were held at a local bar, just across the street from my place. The first one was a Date Auction Night. Basically, the organizers got their most eligible guy and girl friends to volunteer to be "sold off" as dates. One by one, they would be introduced by the DJ, get asked a couple of questions and then, the bidding begins. Bidding usually starts at around £5, raising pound by pound to what ever the highest bid is, depending on the "quality" of the guy/girl hehe. The winner will have to fork out the amount before the deal is sealed and all the money goes to charity.

I hope this doesn't sound odd, but I "won" a date with a girl! Haha...nah, she's actually my friend and I was trying to up the bids, but ended up winning instead. Luckily I had enough cash on me, so I paid up and now she owes me a date :P

The other event I attended was the Acoustic Night. This time round, they got friends and friends of friends to play some live music. Donations were in the form of entrance fees and if you wanted to make a song request, you can pop some money into the donation jar, too. Pretty neat, huh?

I didn't get a picture of what I wore to the Date Auction Night, but this was what I wore to the Acoustic Night. The sheer maxi skirt is so comfy and I love the way it flows when I walk. I was kinda dissapointed people were more interested in my rings, than my sheer maxi skirt, though...only joking. I got so many compliments for the shield ring. I would proudly tell them I got it from Primark, then see the look of surprise on their faces. Primark has definitely upped their game.

My first ekiLove purchase

Something really pretty arrived in the post today!

When I saw the little pink parcel with the ekiLove stamp on it, I had to refrain myself from tearing into it like a little kid on Christmas morning. Instead, I took some photos and slowly admired it. Then, I opened it carefully, layer by layer. I knew Eki's *click for Eki's blog* creations were made with lots of love, but I didn't know that the parcel itself would be lovingly wrapped, too!

'Twas my first time ordering from ekiLove *click to go to the store* and I was really impressed with the packaging! The pretty pink parcel arrived in a bubble envelope. After unwrapping the polka-dotted plastic bag and the pink tissue paper, a little box with a pink ribbon around it is revealed. Alongside it is a handwritten note from Eki and a FREE 3D nail sticker pack. After carefully removing the ribbon, I opened the box to finally see the actual item inside a little clear ziplock bag inside a little velvet bag.

Not only was it extremely secure, the whole parcel was just super kawaii!

I know Eki must be inundated with orders, but I received my order just under 2 weeks, which is very fast considering she is posting from the States.

[Pic credit: ekiLove]

These are the earrings I ordered. My lousy point and shoot camera does it no justice, so I had to ask Eki's permission to use the above photo. It already looks really pretty on screen, but I assure you that it's 10 times better in real life!! It's gorgeous and the swarovski is uber shiny! Eki really put a lot of love and effort into it and it shows as the craftsmanship is excellent and the earrings are of high quality.

When I read that 75% of the store's proceeds will be donated to the victims of the Japan tsunami/earthquake, I knew that I had to support Eki's cause. She has many handmade items on her store like necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair accessories et cetera. I settled on these earrings because I fell in love with the crown and the colour of the swarovski stone is just too pretty. It's so girly, I love it! I would definitely be ordering more in the future.

Go support ekiLove!