Trace back down the memory lane

I am sorry for the lacking of blogging. I have been pretty busy with my part-time retail job. Recently, I went to Hong Kong. It was great but it is definitely an expensive country.

 

 

 

There is a particular place that I love in Hong Kong is Yu Chau Street, The Fabric World. It was my first time going to another country, entering their fabric world. Yu Chau Street was a paradise for me. You can find different fabrics there. There are studs, genuine leather shops, beads, ribbon etc. Most shop provides fabric cards for you order but the minimum quantity is 5 yards which is quite massive. The order takes about 2 working days as it is transported from China. If you want to have reasonable price fabric, you can head down to those shops and slowly find the right one for you! I didn’t have alot of time to shop there as I was with my friends and they are hardly any fans of fabric. But I was glad to be able to purchase about 5 types of fabric. One day, I will return to Hong Kong  but only for the fabrics.

And if you are big fan of sneakers or skaters shoes, you can head down to their sneaker streets. All the shoe shops sell roughly the same designs and the prices are about the same. But compared to Singapore’s pricing, the shoes there are definitely cheaper. I got my converse for 44 SGD which was a good buy. In all, Hong Kong treated me well.

HOWEVER, time to get back into reality.

Well, I am pretty much jobless right now, waiting for my diploma certificate while I work part-time in retail sales. I am lost and confused which I don’t know if it is okay. I am bombarded with so many questions about my future. But the future that I truly wanted is to do fashion design.

Why I love designing? I love to go through research, to brainstorm on fashion stuff in terms of the cuts, details etc. The part when you can do design for people and when people appreciate your design, it is a great feeling. You spend hours and days doing one design but it is the thought process, the concept behind every design makes it one of a kind. As a designer, you design for the people but yet, there is a part of you in the work. It is an identity of your work which people can identify you.

After 3 years of experiencing design, I love the whole journey. When I first started in the Experience and Product Design in Singapore Polytechnic, I dislike it. It was a torturous journey. I always had my downs. It was bad but it keeps me thinking; trying to solve problems for people. It just make me feel good and make me stay up at night to work hard to complete the task. It just keep me going.

On Monday, I will be heading into my dream, turning my dream into reality. I can’t wait to start this journey. Anyone that is reading this will accompany me to work towards my dream.

Till then.

 

Overseas Trip : Danang, Vietnam I

I just came back from one of my most amazing getaway; Danang, Vietnam.

My Hotel Room

A drink at the Balcony 

The view at the Balcony

 The Marble Mountain

The hotel I stayed in was great; an ocean view at the balcony, a huge bathtub for me to soak in and enjoy the view at the same time and a comfortable bed for me to cuddle in. The hotel is just beside the Marble Mountain and it is 1o-15 minutes walk away! The weather there was cold, temperature was always at 18/19 degrees. Day 1 was nothing much as the hotel I am in is far from Danang City and located beside the beach. Furthermore, I arrived around 5 plus and the sky was starting to turn dark. The sun sets faster in Danang. By 6 pm, it is already pitch black. The hotel is more for relaxation and I was practically a pig; eat, shop and eat again. The food in Danang is never ending. I ended by Day 1 with rose wine at the balcony! A great view!

Day 2 : Hoi An

Breakfast 

I love hotel’s breakfast buffet; omelette, pancakes, loaves of bread and jams, yogurt, fruits, salad and cornflakes. I can never stop eating! But the negative point about this hotel is the breakfast buffet is always the same; only minimum changes which is only 1-3 types so after awhile, I kind of get sick of it or feel lost as I don’t know what I wanna eat! But as long as there are eggs, salad, fruits and bread, it seems good to me! Most of the resort near the China Beach have shuttle buses to Hoi An; a town in Danang where you can buy local delicacies and tailor your clothes or make your own shoes. However, be warned that it is pricey doing your own clothes and shoes. A leather bag can cost about 125 USD. Trust me, it ain’t worth it. But I do see quite a few Caucasians tailoring their own clothes or making their shoes. It is up to you honestly if you want to splurge or save! 

Street of Hoi An

 

Temples in Hoi An

When I enter Hoi An through a small alley, I had a bad experience. There was this ticketing counter and that lady was forcing us to buy tickets to visit the temple or else she won’t let us go through but there were people walking past us so I asked her why they do not need to buy the tickets? Then she start catching people but they were Asians. She did not catch the Caucasians. Not even one. She was biased. Seriously, what era are we in now? She should treat everyone equally. I was so mad but at that point, my family and I were clueless so we just bought the tickets. It was to visit the temples which was nothing much to see. It was such a scam as it was about 8-9 SGD dollars per adult which I felt not worth the money. Nevertheless, it was a great experience! Hoi An is a food paradise. I am just eating away in restaurant as the restaurant food are worth the money and much cheaper than Singapore. Street Food are mainly their fried dough. You can see a wider variety of street food in the late afternoon as more people are coming out selling their food!

 

An Artist

I don’t know which word is a right definition of this man’s job but he is one meticulous painter. He was painting this big wall which was craved and polished smoothly in a temple. He took his time and paint a man’s face; adjusting the color tone to give a realistic effect. All these small little details of how the tone of the different facial areas is one tough job. Kudos to him. A man was craving in another wall and he was using all sorts of handy machines for cutting, shaving and sanding. It is fascinating to just watch him do this work. Well, it is better than an office job.

                                                           

Beautiful Streets of Hoi An

Life in Hoi An 

Vietnamese love to play chess. It is part of their lifestyle. There was a restaurant that was dedicated for chess player; men sitting in low stools and having their tea/coffee and playing chess. Other men will crowd around and look at their game. And it is a common sight seen in Danang. We do see old men in Singapore playing chess but it is a rare sight. While the men play their chess, women were making lanterns. I saw many shops making the lanterns; using thin bamboo streaks to make the skeleton of the lantern before gluing the rice paper on it. If I can speak Vietnamese language, I will definitely ask those ladies how long they spend their time doing. To me, using wire is already tough by making the skeleton of the body but bamboo? It is a skill that takes time to master. A dedicated job!

Small little details

The picture on the right which has many face images and name card was found in a shop. I find it interesting as there was faces from all around the world. It feels like an investigation; thinking who are these people and what do they do. Somehow, I feel like Sherlock Homes; finding the common point among one person to another.

Night Vs Day

 

Night of Hoi An

The night lights in Hoi An is gorgeous and memorizing. The beautiful lanterns lighted up, hanging from one end to another. It did not feel like Chinatown. It is just a statement of Hoi An. When the night comes, it is becomes a place of relaxation; for tourist to relax, chill and take a break from the buzzing city.

Local Delights ( Spring Roll, White Rose, Wanton )

My family was walking to a small street and we saw this local shop that has a few tourist so we decided to settle our lunch there. The owners were humble and a joy to talk to. Even though we had communication problem, they will try to communicate with us and ask about the meal. After our meal, they gave us banana. I love banana so when they give, I just take and munch it down quickly. I love the white rose but you have to eat it when it is hot as when it turns cold, the rice paper becomes hard to chew down. The wanton was delicious; crispy and tasty!

Comes to the end of Part I. I will upload part II soon & I will try to update more often!