Bearing gifts

What words are there to describe a friend who brings to your publication dinner, as a celebratory gift, a pair of Prada shoes? Which fit.

Fit to wear Judy Garland's ruby slippers is what I would say about that friend

To the shops

The Guardian today has an extract from the imminently about to be published The Thoughtful Dresser - book:

My mother, who died at the age of 81 from a condition called vascular dementia, could not remember the beginning of a short sentence by the time she was approaching its conclusion, which more or less eliminated from her diminishing world the pleasures of conversation. In the last weeks of her life, the part of her brain that controlled language began to malfunction and she started to speak in weird phrases which, if you listened to them carefully enough, were made up of words and syllables from both English and Yiddish, her first language, which during the long years of her illness she appeared to have completely forgotten.

Her last full, coherent, grammatically intact message to the world was uttered to my sister: "I like your earrings." Her last words to me as mother to daughter, the person she knew to be her daughter and not merely someone she knew she knew, had been stated a few months earlier: "I don't like your hair."

But before she became immobilised by incontinence and other terrible afflictions, the one activity in which my mother was still capable of participating, heart and soul, with a fully functioning mind, was shopping for clothes. She would wander along the street crying and moaning, with me gripping her arm for fear she would fall into the traffic. Her own fate was terrible to her, and she knew it. Then we would get to the small clothing section of the Upper Street [Islington] branch of Marks & Spencer and her identity re-formed; she was a human being once again, capable of assessing the quality of knits and whether this season's hemlines were flattering on her small frame. The shopper's soul-shout, "I want!", raced through her bloodstream. Once, I pointed out that M&S had introduced a delivery service for certain postcodes. "Oh, yeah?" she said. "And you'll pay through the nose for it." But a second or two later she was grasping my arm and asking had I seen the sign that announced that M&S now delivered to certain postcodes.

I took her to buy an outfit for my sister's wedding. As soon as she had ascended the escalator she seized on a Ralph Lauren skirt and Jaeger blouse. She scurried around the store holding fabrics together, "because I've got to match the navy". She cried and stamped her foot when the blouse was too big in the collar, revealing her ruined neck. I understood for the first time that she always wore a little scarf not because her old bones were cold, but because she understood the feminine arts of concealment, how to cover and flatter. She had no intention of being mutton dressed as lamb.

The outfit, which I paid for, cost a bomb. In the taxi back to the home where my sister and I had incarcerated her against her will when she was considered no longer able to function alone, she held her shopping bags with a radiant face, looked at me, eyes milky with innocence and bewilderment. "How are we related?" she asked.

My mother shopped because shopping was what she did and what she was good at. She had an unerring capacity to enter any store and pick out the most expensive item in it; she had a fantastic eye. Even though she almost never had the money to buy the best thing in the shop, she knew what the best thing was, and following on from that, the calculations you needed to make in order to get as close to it as possible: such as when the sales started, or where you could get really good copies, or which secondhand shops had the kind of stock she was looking for.

She had, in other words, taste. And she learned her taste from a variety of sources, such as reading magazines and listening to friends' recommendations, but above all, she spent a great deal of time actually in the shops, looking at things and learning how to discern the good, the bad and the very best. Friends queued up to go shopping with her, for they knew she would take them to the right places and make them try on the things that she knew would suit them.

Poor her, running headlong into the 1960s and a daughter who deliberately frayed the hems of her jeans and wore a handbag made out of a bit of old carpet, instead of Young Jaeger. But, of course, all daughters eventually turn into their mothers, and she had encoded herself inside me already.

Most hostile responses to shopping see it as an act of acquisition, of avarice and greed for things that we do not need but advertising and marketing have made us think we want, a condition that Marx called "false consciousness". We are dupes, and only the strong individualist can hold out against mass consumption. And there are others, of course, who truthfully say that they have no political objection to shopping but they just can't stand it as an activity and regard it as a waste of time.

Against whom I would set those of us who regard it as a pleasure. What does this pleasure consist of, and why do others not experience it; why do they feel, instead, a sense of panic, overwhelmed by what they describe as "too much choice"? Why do I like looking at other people's gardens, while content to allow my own to degenerate into a badly designed, overgrown jungle of strangled plants and rapacious weeds? Because I can't be bothered going out there to do the work of making it bloom. I watch the flowers wither and die from lack of water, and mourn them. But if I wake up and know, at the moment of the mind streaming back from dark into light and consciousness, that what a new navy linen jacket needs is a scarf with a bit of red in it, then I will have ants in my pants until I can get to the shops to find that scarf.

Shopping. A gerund that did not exist before the middle of the 18th century because it did not exist in the way we understand it now. It involved the single revolutionary and emancipatory act of middle-class women with disposable income being able to leave the house. Before this, the goods, or the people who made them, came to the house, either the tailors and seamstresses or the pedlars who sold door-to-door to the poor.

read on

Wedding Dresses Style

When shopping for your wedding dress, you should first consider which gown style you prefer. When selecting your wedding gown style, consider the silhouette, sleeves, neckline, bodice and train. Following is guide to the basic terminology of popular wedding gown styles.

The Silhouette

* A-line - The A-line or princess dress has no marked waist and the vertical seams flow from the shoulders down to a flared skirt, creating a "A" shape.
* Ball Gowns - These gowns normally quite formal, reminding you of Cinderella. The bodice is fitted with a very full skirt.
* Empire - Empire gowns have a raised waistline that starts right under the bust, flowing to a slim (but not body-hugging) skirt.
* Mermaid - As the name indicates, the mermaid dress is contoured against the body then the gown flows out beginning around the knees. This is the sexiest of the styles.
* Sheath - The sheath or column dress has a slim shape that follows close to the line of the body. The straight design is form-fitting and doesn't allow for many body flaws.

The Sleeves

* 3/4 sleeves - end between the elbow and wrist.
* Bell - long sleeves, flare out toward the wrist creating a bell shape.
* Cap - rounded sleeves, just covering shoulders.
* Fitted point - long, fitted sleeves that come to a point over the hand.
* Juliet - long, fitted sleeves with puffy shoulders.
* Long sleeves - long sleeves that are normally form-fitting.
* Off-the-shoulder Sleeves - cover the upper part of the arm but leave the tops of shoulders exposed.
* Poet - long sleeves, fitted to the elbow then flared.
* Pouf - short sleeves, gathered to create a poufy look.
* Short sleeves - about the length of T-shirt sleeves.
* Sleeveless - strapless with no sleeves.
* Spaghetti straps - thin spaghetti straps with no sleeves.

The Neckline

* Bateau - close to straight across from the tip of the shoulder. Gives plenty of coverage.
* Halter - wraps around the back of the neck to create deep armholes. Often also a backless style, which is very sexy.
* High - covers most of the neck. Creates a formal, somewhat stiff look.
* Jewel - similar to that of a T-shirt. Creates a bustier look.
* Off-The-Shoulder - as the name indicates, the top of the shoulders are bare. Showcases your collarbone and shoulders.
* Portrait - a very wide scoop from the tip of one shoulder to the tip of the other.
* Scoop - classic U-shaped neckline. Can be cut low for a more sexy look.
* Square - squared neckline, often associated with empire gowns.
* Strapless - normally straight across. Not recommended for women with small busts.
* Sweetheart - shaped like the top half of a heart. Emphasizes the cleavage.
* V-Neck - dips in the front into a V-shape. Can be very deep.

The Bodice
The bodice refers to the portion of the dress between the neckline and skirt.

* Corset - a form fitting bodice with boning and lace-up closures.
* Halter - sleeveless bodice that wraps around you neck, normally backless.
* Midriff - fits very closely around the mid-section, accentuating your waist.
* Surplice - sections of fabric cross wrap in the front or back.
* Tank - sleeveless with wide armholes like tank top.

The Train

* Sweep - 8" to 12" in length, just a few inches longer than the gown.
* Court - extends about 3 feet from the waist.
* Chapel - extends about 4 feet from the waist.
* Cathedral - extends about 6 to 9 feet from the waist.
* Royal - extends more than 9 feet from the waist.

The Veil

* Birdcage - falls right below the chin, usually attached to a headpiece.
* Flyaway - ends at the shoulder.
* Blusher - worn over your face, about 28" long.
* Elbow Length - ends at the elbow or waist.
* Fingertip - ends at the finger tips or just below the waist.
* Ballet - ends at the ankles.
* Chapel - ends slightly longer than dress length.
* Cathedral - 9 feet or longer.

source : http://id.88db.com/id/Knowledge/Knowledge_Detail.page?kid=10212

The Wedding Gown Basic

Wedding gowns come in multiple styles and fabrics, and you should choose one that represents both the ceremony style (formal, semi-formal, or informal) as well as your personal tastes.

Traditional wedding gown styles include Ball Gown, Empire, Basque, and A-Line. A Ball gown resembles "Cinderella's" dress with a big poofy skirt. The Empire has a high waist (cropped just under the bust line) with a flared skirt. The Basque comes in both the "U" or the "V" shape, with the waist just below the natural waistline. And, the A-Line resembles the shape of an "A," slimmer up top and widening as you go further down.

Some of the more popular fabrics include satin, velvet, lace, tissue taffeta, chiffon, and linen. Satin is wonderful for fall and winter, but may be too hot and heavy for summer months, especially in warmer climates. Chiffon and linen, on the other hand, are great light summer fabrics. Lace and tissue taffeta are very popular for spring while the rich feel of velvet is appropriate for fall and winter.

Source : http://id.88db.com/id/Knowledge/Knowledge_Detail.page/Wedding/?kid=11371

Catherine Hill: The clothes on her back

BBC Radio Four Woman's Hour today ran an interview with Catherine Hill, the chief interviewee in The Thoughtful Dresser (the book). You can listen to it online here

Catherine W. Hill is the doyenne of Canadian style. She set up and ran the influential boutique Chez Catherine in Toronto where she championed many Italian designers like Armani, Versace and Ferre at the beginning of their careers in the 70’s. Having survived Auschwitz and been amongst thousands of naked shivering women, Catherine has a deep understanding of our need to be clothed and our need for beauty. She believes her own desire to look pretty helped her survive the Holocaust. Jenni talks to her about the connections between her love of fashion and the concentration camp, and the therapeutic value of clothes in her life and the lives of women everywhere.
Linda Grant’s “The Thoughtful Dresser” which features Catherine’s story, is published by Virago on March 5th price £11.99, ISBN 9781844085569.

tie dyed life

sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think,I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside remembering all the times you've felt that way, and you walk to the bathroom, do your toilet, see that face in the mirror, oh my oh my oh my, but you comb your hair anyway,get into your street clothes, feed the cat and get it on.

42 dresses with sleeves

At the Ossie Clark show yesterday morning. Sleeves. Sleeves. Yet more sleeves. Thank you.

Last night's Jaeger show

I managed to have quite a long talk with Karen Boyd, the Jaeger London designer, at the after-party last night, but such were the strength of the lychee and vodka cocktails, I can't really remember anything about it.

I imagine in the Autumn I'll be wearing this

Makan Selagi Boleh!!!

hihi...yesterday kami satu family pegi la dinner kt Flamming Buffet Steamboat sebelah Sunway Pyramid je!!! dh banyak kali kitorang mkn kt situ,bukannye ape sbb sekali bayar makan la kau puas2 sampai juling mata.  so sampai2 je dh amik tempat duduk masing2(mcm sekolah la pulak) maka sesi paling digemari oleh keluarga En. Fuad pun bermula lah(sesi makan lerr). macam ribut gayanye masing2 mengambil pinggan sorang satu lepas pilih lah yg mana suka dlm peti sejuk yg tersedia tu. 

as usual aku and nina da gemoks amik la kerang+la la(my favourite)! segala ball2(fish ball la,ketam ball la,prawn ball la) semua kami rembat!! dh amik semua dh penh pinggan,zaaapppp masuk la segalanye dlm steamboat!! dh masak semua nganga la mulut utk makan sampai x ingat dunia.. hehehh,keluarga En.fuad ni klu bab makan mmg paling beradab la..makan x pandang kiri kanan, senyap x bercakap!!! 

haaa,tgk je la pic ni tp skit ni pun lepas makan sbb time makan lupa jap nk amik gambar sbb beradab punye pasal!!!huhuhh...

kebetulan ada cermin la pulak kt table kitorang so apalagi snap lerrr...

papa and ashraf yang kalau amik gambar mesti ada je pic yg buat aku tersenyum sbb gelagat diorang 2 beranak ni...
ehh,sempat lagi amik gambar selepas selesai sesi paling digemari....

nina da gemoks and mama mok lepas abis makan!!! laaa,sampai tinggal setengah je soup dlm steamboat tu!!!

dh selesai makan semua pun mata dh ala2 juling itik kami pun gerak la walaupun perot dh full tank rasa cam dh x bley bangun lagi!!! as for daddy, dia still lagi dok teguk air mangga yg penuh ngan ais satu gelas walaupun kitorang semua dh bangun nk balik ke umah.

ok lahhh.. chowww...

The week ahead

We're coming up to publication of The Thoughtful Dresser which you can order from Amazon (see side panel) or if you're abroad, with free delivery worldwide from The Book Depository.

There will be an extract in the Guardian to which I'll give you the heads up once they've confirmed the day. On Wednesday, the book's chief interview will be appearing on Woman's Hour. Catherine Hill was seventeen when she was transported to Auschwitz with her parents who did not survive. She arrived in Canada as a refugee after the war and from the sixties built a career as the fashion maven of Toronto, famous for her Yorkville shop, Chez Catherine. She'll be appearing with me at an event in London at Jewish Book Week chaired by Linda Kelsley, a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, (everyone welcome, even practising Wiccans). On Saturday I'll be at the Bath Festival taking about The Clothes On Their Backs. And there will be a second extract in the Guardian magazine.

The following Monday, March 2, I'll be on Start the Week and later that evening, Nightwaves. And sometime in the next few days you should actually be able to get the book.

Viral video of the week

Portfolio: an update

Yesterday I went in to Marks and Spencer's at their invitation to take a look at the Portfolio range for over 45s in the flesh, so to speak. At the Marble Arch store, there were some fabulous things: a Limited Edition tunic dress which looks as if it has missed its way en route to Net a Porter and several Autograph silk dresses and tops I loved.

But Portfolio. No. Not for me.

I looked around for the calf-length denim skirt but could not see it. And do you know why, ladies? Because it has sold out. Yes, the Portfolio range is massively popular and the denim skirt has flown off the rails. What does this tell us? It tells us that M&S is serving its customers. The one's who want affordable Marni look-alikes, and the ones who want to look like early 1980s geography teachers.

Across Britain there are tens of thousands of women who want to dress like frumps. Is this a crime? Personally, I think it should be, but I am an adamant supporter of freedom of expression, even when that freedom is the joy of beige.

I was taken upstairs to the press showroom and shown some of the next batch of stock and there were some big improvements, quite a few things I liked.

But I made the point as comprehensively as I could, that M&S like much of the rest of the high street is making far too many sleeveless dresses that rise above the knee. This will be passed on. We live in hope.

PS M&S also say that they now ship overseas.

sheer mess

i fell in love with a dress like this at nasygalvintage but as usual i was late and it was sold so i decided to search via etsy alchemy for someone who can sew one for me.and here it is.thanks raul.
and yay i can eat again.best news ever.

The new curve

I notice that whereas fat women were once called fat (and many other things, as if being fat were something the Nuremberg laws should have dealt with) they are now referred to as women with curves. 'I am proud of my curves,' I read recently, of a woman with a big bum and bosom. I wonder if the hanging part of the upper arm can now be referred to as a curve?

KENA TAGGED LA PULAK BY SIS YANTIE!!!

ermmm,tang aku lak kena tagged daaa!!! oklah xde buat ape lets check it out......

=)

1)When do you want to get married?

-ngeeee,im totally married to Shamsul bin Mahhalin on 17th november 2005 @2100hrs..

2)What do you want the most now?

-shopping new baju

-having dinner together wit hubby w/o my kids(a romantic dinner)

3)Who is the person you trust the most?

-my dear papa

-family lerr

4)Do you think you have enough confidence??

-ermmm,not really sure dowh!!!

5)If you can have a dream come true, what would it be??

-open a cyber cafe wit hubby... kumpul harta for my kids future!!! *wink* *wink*

6)Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?

-if hujan panas then percaya....huhuhuhhh...

7)What are you afraid to lose right now?

-of course my precious family....  =)

8)Do you believe in eternal love??

-i do,i do,i do.....

9) If you meet someone you love, will you confess to him/her?

-i've already met sumone i love!!!! no need to confess to him coz he's officially mine...

;) blueekkkk

10)List out 3 good points of the reason who tagged you 

-coz she's my kazen...

-sumbody i can talk to...

-story-mory sumthing that i can share wit her..

11) What are the requirement do you wish from the other half??

-da one i can talk,share some thots...

-taking care of me...

12) What type of person you hate the most?

-hipokrit, dengki sesama sendiri.... bla3x...

13)Do you cherish every friendship of yours?

-yup, surely dowh!!! =)

14) What do you think is the most important thing in your life??

-nothing but my family... 

15)Do you find the needs to have a boyfriend/gf?

-ermmmmm.... 'toot'3x!!!

16) At this point in time, would you rather be a heartbreaker or heartbroken?

-i would say i rather be heartbreaker if im not married ler!!!

*wink*2x

17) What kind of friend do you want to be in your friend's eye??

-understanding, everything that i can share with!!!!

18) Describe the person who tagged you in 6 words..

-she's cantique,seriously(w/o makeup)!!!

-kazen that i can talk to...

-she's married to a loveable hubby...

-she's da manja2 gal wit the parents...

-ermmmm... she's  photogenic klu amik pic!!!

-ekkk, nice person!!!

19) The place you wanted to go most with your loved ones?

-i really wanna see Ka'abah in front of my eyes... dun know when but insya'allah i will go there sumday!!!! 

;)

20)I'm going to tag...

-sis aku ler,NINA da GEMOKS!!!! hehehe...

whowhatwearandwhereiwas

guys, sorry for the absence.i was in budapest visiting my fam.the whole clan became sick from granny to auntie and back.what should i say, the bucket and my head are best friends now...

i wanna thank the sweets from whowhatwear.com for their mention as a myspace muse next to 5 other fierce girls.also thanks to the other fab bloggers for their interest and features.i feel honoured big times each time.yeah.

and a great chance to thank juley (bottom middle) for her heroicshoeprovidingact.big kiss for that babe,i really appreciate your effort.

love

eszter

Giorgio Armani has a blog!

Yes, it actually is him.

This morning, I was dressed in navy and ready to go at 7:40 a.m. I went straight to the store to check the L.E.D. lights that they had installed the night before over the entire exterior of the store. The lights are tiny dots that oscillate to create moving images on the surface, and I’m very pleased with the results. At 9 a.m., I headed up to 166th Street with Caroline Kennedy. It was the first time I’ve ever met her, and I found her to be very refined, with impeccable manners.Luckily she speaks French, which is my second language.
. . .
just got back from lunch at Swifty’s, where I had a plate of spaghetti carbonara, two glasses of red wine and watched all of the elegant couples dining in their nice clothes and fancy earrings. I feel much better. After lunch, I hopped back to my apartment for a 15 minute power nap. I always take a very quick nap after lunch. I think this is probably rather Italian, no?

Riveting interview with Sonia Rykiel

Dotty and very, very smart.

Throughout our interview Rykiel refers to herself in the third person as “the creator”, alongside “the author”, “the poet” and “the painter,” Often incorporating words into her designs, she once told the International Herald Tribune’s Suzy Menkes: “I feel more like a novelist than a fashion designer.”

Is there such a thing as intelligent fashion, I ask? “I don’t know,” she admits, touchingly. “All I can say is that it’s what I try to do. It doesn’t matter one damn bit whether fashion is art or not. You don’t question whether an incredible chef is an artist or not – his cakes are delicious and that’s all that matters. Fashion is there to serve a purpose.”

Just when you presume to think what Rykiel’s take on a certain subject is, she proves you wrong. When I ask whether celebrity came as an unwelcome partner to success, she shakes her head. “No, no. I wanted to be recognised – that really interested me. And as I’ve got older it means more and more to me, because celebrity is recognition of what I have achieved.

"This is an unbelievably difficult job and one I drain myself doing. They recently had a retrospective of my work here in Paris and I walked around it thinking that had it not been by me I would have been thinking: 'My God this woman is wonderful’.

Michelle Obama at New York Fashion Week

Michelle Obama's social secretary, Desiree Glapion Rogers, has been attending all the shows at fashion week, acording to Hillary Alexander.

Asked whether she was keeping an eye out for any designs which might be suitable for the First Lady, she smiled and gave me a big wink.

Ms Rogers, 49, a prominent Chicago businesswoman, is a close friend of the Obama family and was part of the campaign’s fundraising team. She was once married to the Chicago millionaire, John Rogers, and has a daughter studying at Yale.

Frustration...

Okay, so I need everyone's opinion, please! I made this handmade this dress, put it on KSL and it's NOT SELLING! TONS of people are looking at it, but I haven't gotten even one call! It's made of cotton/poly for easy cleaning, but not as wrinkly, had a zipper in back, fully lined, with cute satin flower trim. Everyone I know that's seen it just thinks it's awesome and so cute, so the only thing I can come up with is the price is too high. So tell me how much you would buy this dress for. Now, don't be too generous, that won't help if everyone says "a million dollars!" because I need your honest opinion. Please please please let me know what you think. Thanks

Between the covers

The book of The Thoughtful Dresser will be published in two weeks. You can order it from Amazon (see side panel). The US edition will not appear for another year, I'm afraid, but if you're keen you can place international orders with The Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide. They have fulfilment centres globally and it's the best way to buy outside the UK. Click the link here to pre-order.

In which I am suddenly of interest

There are only three women in senior management positions on the British High street - Belinda Earl at Jaeger, Kate Bostock at M&S and Jane Shepherdson who joined Whistles from Top Shop. Shepherdson has engineered a buy-out from the Icelandic firm Baugur which hit the iceberg of the Icelandic financial collapse.

The under 25s with jobs and no mortgages, still living at home, continue to shop like it's 2005, but the over 40s are thinking much more carefully about how we spend, and it is to us that fashion is now looking. Shepherdson says:

"It's an exciting time. For years, there hasn't been anything to separate what 18-year-olds and 40-year-olds are wearing. We've all been buying the same things. But now there's a polarisation. There are things now that girls are wearing - like wet-look leggings - I couldn't possibly think of putting on. That's great, I think. Because what it's forced us to say is, what is anyone else going to wear?"
. . .
So what does a grown woman want? "It's the same, in a way," Shepherdson insists. "We want fashion. That isn't going to go away. We want to wake up and feel there's something new we want to wear. We don't want dumbed-down stuff. Classic, basic and understated is not the way through - if you look at something like that, you think 'No, I've already got it'. What you really need is something like a new silhouette to act on."

The day after Shepherdson sealed the new deal, she did what many women do when feeling good - she went shopping, bagging two pairs of Fendi shoes in a lunchtime. In fashion, the emotional and personal is also professional opportunity. "I love this obsession with shoes," she laughs, looking down at the pointy Chloé ankle boots she's wearing under Whistles jeans. "We haven't had a chance to get into it at Whistles, but we are soon. The thing is, you can wear quite plain clothes, but all you've got to do to make it sexy and glam is put on a fierce, aggressive pair of shoes and it completely modernises it. And I think that applies at whatever age."

I think she is right about one thing. If we are going to spend we want it to be special. No duplicates, few safe classics. No half-hearted purchases. You have to feel the love.

MACAM TERSEPIT PINTU!!!

saje je tajuk cenggitu... actually tajuk tu aku teringat zaman aku sekolah dulu2!! aku ni suka sgt la colour kuku aku,lepas tu colour plak asyik black je konon nk jadik ganas and lain drpd yg lain sbb time aku sekolah dulu cuma aku je yg suka buat havoc ngan student2 lain. bila time cuti weekend je mesti kuku aku dh start bercolour hitam je!!! ada la sekali aku ni jalan2 ngan frens aku kt area kampung naik motor ramai2 tiba2 ada la sorang fren aku ni dia ternampak la kuku aku yg bercolour hitam. boleh lg dia kecohkn kt semua frens aku yg lain kata kuku aku tersepit kt pintu sampai hitam jadiknye kuku aku.. ya allah punye la ngok ngek fren aku ni sbb dia jarang tgk org colour kuku hitam!!! hahahahh...nk tergelak pun ada masa tu. until now bila aku colour kuku aku hitam je mesti aku nk tergelak betapa 'toootttt'nye kawan aku sorang ni!!!

black coloured nail....my favourite!!!

ok lahh chowww......

BILA TEKAK TERINGIN NAK MAKAN CHICKEN CHOP!!!

Dh beberapa hari gak la tekak aku ni asyik nk mkn chicken chop!! bukannye x bleh buat sendiri tp teringin nk mkn org lain buat. aku ajak hubby makan western food kt kg. baru tp blom lg sampai2 kat situ!!! so on 15th feb 08', semua satu family pegi la makan kt kelana jaya. cam biasa dh berebut amik tempat nk duduk maka bermulalah sesi meng-order makanan!!! well mom dh biasa sgt mkn mee bandung muar. mmg sedap and slurrrrppp!!! me and nina order la chicken chop and sizzling chicken chop,xde beza pun cuma satu dok dlm pinggan and the other one dok dalam hotplate.  

dan sesi makan pun berlangsung la dgn pantas mcm vacum je!!! keluarga en. Fuad ni klu part dh sampai je makanan kt depan mata mmg dh x pandang kiri kanan,tau2 je dh licin cam vacum cleaner sedut!!!! hahahhh.... ok la klu ikutkn chicken chop yg aku makan mmg x berapa sgt la klu nk dibandingkn ngan aku buat sendiri. tu yg ingat bila ada masa je ingat nk buat la chicken chop,baru puas hati aku!!! 

NOTE: pic kt bawah ni khas utk sis ku yg berada di canada sbb kt sana xde food yg cenggini rupa.. hehehehh,jgn marah ye dik!!!

mee bandung mummy suka makan sgt kt kelana jaya... sedap sbb cukup semua rasa!!!udang dlm pinggan tu dad mintak lebih..

me and nina order kerang rebus tp tgk rupa cam besar tp bila kopek,alamak isinye besar kuku jari kelingking je!! rebus lama sgt smpai kecut...

ni la rupanye akak aku makan kerang rebus...

not forget my favourite drink,watermelon juice..

ala nina, toksah la ko buat terkejut babun ko tu!! aku tau la ko yg perhabihkn semua food yg ada atas meja.

ya allah, smpai licin dibedalnye!!!

ok lahh,bila dh bedal sampai x ingat dunia mula laa muka start jadi muka toye gile+ perut dh kembang+mata dh ngantuk dh seperti rupa ular nk tido lepas kenyang bedal sekor kambing dh rupa kami ni..

so balik dan mandi siap2 la utk ke tmpat tido dimana sesi yg paling menenangkn kepala otak!!!

chowwwww....

In the bleak midwinter

It's possible to go through life in complete ignorance of what others do in the privacy of their own homes, until you pick up a newspaper which alerts you to this

Patrica Field ad nauseam

Does Patricia Field have to style every fashion film?

Ossie Clark sale preview

Cocosa has a number of Ossie Clark items on sale at really good discounts of 50 per cent and up. Here's the dress I wore to the Booker (mine was in black and blue) reduced from £750 to £299 and the iconic blouse of this past season which the designer Avsh Alom gave me, reduced from £250 to £109.

You can join Cocosa if you haven't done already using this voucher. The sale opens noon, Monday.

Korean Wedding Custom

Like the Chinese, Koreans also exchanged the "eight characters" or "four pillars" to determine if the match was suitable. When that process was over, a local fortune-teller was summoned to see if the couple could live harmoniously. Koreans call this kung-hap. This custom is still important among many older Korean Americans. As the old saying goes, straw sandals are useful only if they fit your feet.

The Engagement

Gifts are an important part of an engagement. Traditionally, gifts from the groom's side would be delivered on the eve of the wedding day. With faces blackened with dried squid's ink and in costume, friends of the groom would parade a box, or hahm, filled with gifts. As they approached the bride's house, they would chant, "Hahm for sale, buy a hahm." Her family would rush out to greet the gift-bearers, enticing them with money and food. These days, the families are likely to meet in a restaurant, but gifts--and lots of them--are a must. Some Korean American families can spend $30,000 to $40,000 on engagement gifts alone.

The Wedding Outfits

The two dresses worn by the bride were once the costume of the noble class. The simple lime-green wonsam and the more elaborate hwarrot, or "flower robe," are embroidered with flowers and butterflies. Underneath, she wears the hanbok, the doll-like traditional dress of Korea. On the bride's head is a black cap studded with gems. On her feet are white socks and embroidered shoes. Her makeup is simple, except for three red circles, yonji konji, the size of nickels. These circles, traditionally made of red peppers, but now often drawn on, are supposed to ward off evil spirits. The groom's faruotsu is also the dress of the nobility. It is made of dark green damask with auspicious symbols woven in gold. The headdress is the tall black cap of high-ranking officials made of silk. Traditional costumes can be rented in Korean dress shops or even some banquet halls starting around $150.

The Ceremony

Traditionally, the groom would give a live goose--a symbol of fidelity because it takes only one partner in its life--to his new mother-in-law as a sign of his faithfulness to her daughter. Today's Korean families substitute the live goose with a wooden one called a kirogi. The ceremony takes place around a table, or teresan, in an area set off by a screen with images of peonies. The highlight of the ceremony is the sharing of a special white wine called jung jong. Traditionally, this wine was poured into cups made from two halves of a gourd grown by the bride's mother. The bride and groom sip from their separate cups and then the wine is mixed together, poured once more into the gourd cups and sipped again. This is kunbere, the wedding vow. One ritual often seen at Korean American weddings is the peh beck ceremony. At this ceremony, usually only attended by family and close friends, the new wife offers her new in-laws gifts of dried dates and jujubes, symbols of children. They in turn offer her tea, a subtle but significant gift. At the ceremony's conclusion, they toss the dates and chestnuts at the bride, and she tries to catch them in her large skirt.

The Food

The Korean wedding banquet is called kook soo sang, the "noodle banquet," and can include a variety of dishes to suit the season. It begins with a toast of jung jong, a sort of Korean sake, downed quickly like a shot. The highlight is the meal's namesake, a noodle soup called kook soo. Wheat noodles are boiled and added to a clear beef broth, garnished with vegetables and eggs. Here, as in China, noodles are a wish for a long and happy life. Wedding desserts often include dok, a sticky rice cake that comes in a number of forms--sweetened, filled with bean paste, dotted with sesame seeds. Another popular dessert is yak shik, a sticky rice ball sweetened with brown sugar and speckled with chestnuts, jujubes, raisins and pine nuts, symbols of children.

Source : http://www.weddingsatwork.com/culture_customs_korean.shtml

Traditional Korean Wedding

If you are attending a wedding in Seoul in the near future, you should probably expect a very "modern" ceremony. The traditional Korean wedding ceremony is performed less frequently in today's society and it may be that the only place you can witness such an event is a folk museum. However, the traditional ceremony is worth an examination because very few rituals disappear completely from a society. They are modified and perhaps disguised, but beneath even the most contemporary of Korean weddings, traditional elements are still found.
Traditionally, since a wedding was as much about the joining of two families as it was about joining a couple, the services of a professional matchmaker may have been employed. This practice is dying out in favor of the "love match," but I know at least one woman who met her husband this way. During the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), the match would take place when a boy was quite young (the girl was typically a few years older than the bridegroom). After the match was made, an auspicious date would be chosen for the wedding.

Once the match has been made, it is time for the bridegroom to demonstrate that he and his family are worthy of the bride's family in the form of wedding gifts and a marriage letter (proposal). The bridegroom sends ha-am, a special box in which valuables such as gold, jewelry (an engagement ring, for instance) and wedding silks are held, to the bride's home. This box is to arrive by the evening before the wedding, and is usually delivered in a boisterous fashion by friends of the bridegroom. As the friends approach the bride's family home, they begin to shout, "Buy the ha-am! Buy the ha-am!" If everything is acceptable, the father of the bride accepts the box and pays the bridegroom for it. Of course, this is often a playful ritual today, but in the past, haggling over a wedding price could be very serious business.

Although now weddings will take place in a church or other more public location, traditionally, the wedding took place in the bride's home. Before the ceremony, the groom travels to the bride's house amongst a parade-like atmosphere (ch'inyoung). He brings with him the "wild goose father" who offers a goose (a wooden one today, although it used to be a live one) to the bride's mother (jeonanrye). The goose symbolizes an eternal bond, for geese mate for life.

Source : http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/korean_culture/34311

Korean Traditional Marriage

In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman represents the joining of two families, rather than the joining of two individuals. As such, the event was often called Taerye (Great Ritual), and people from all over participated. Steeped in traditional Confucian values, the ceremonies and events surrounding the actual marriage were long and elaborate, from the pairing of the couple to the rituals performed after the ceremony.

Professional matchmakers paired up likely candidates for marriage, with the new couple often meeting for the first time at their wedding! The families considered many factors in the decision, consuting with fortune tellers for predictions about the couple's future life together. During the Chosun period, people married in their early teens, with the girl often being several years older than the boy.

The groom usually traveled to the house of the bride for the ceremony, then stayed there for 3 days before taking his new bride to his family's home. The actual ceremony involved many small rituals, with many bows and symbolic gestures. The participants were expected to control their emotions and remain somber.

Although Koreans have kept several aspects of the traditional ceremony, most modern ceremonies resemble Western marriage ceremonies more than traditional Korean ones. However, many folk villages and museums across the country regularly perform ceremonies to keep the traditions alive.




Source : http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/marriage/marriage.cfm