look mum, i'm on youtube!

when i launched The Online Edition slightly over half a year ago, there was much question from everyone around me as to what my aims were in becoming a blogger. well, i established it pretty early on that all i wanted to do was write. whether it was taking a more controversial stance on certain fashion trends or just to share with everyone how to wear clothes, my intention was to share my thoughts with you in words.

six months on and i am pretty psyched about a couple of new projects that i am involved in. i'll be sharing with you more about the second one in due time but this post is to tell you what's been going on over the last couple of weeks (and what is going to take place over the next month).

i am no stranger to tiong bahru plaza. if you follow my facebook page, instagram or twitter account, you will know that i host multiple events for the mall. other than presenting the various events and deals, it is one mall that i actually shop at. from the cinema to the supermarket, i pretty much have visited every store, in the capacity of event host or shopper. before i go off tangent and start telling you about my shopping habits at tiong bahru plaza, i'm going to share with you something fun happening for the month ahead.

this mother's day, tiong bahru plaza is running a campaign to bring everyone 'a fashionable mother's day'. now before you groan and moan about how it's just another gimmick to get people to shop at the mall, you should read on and be a part of the movement. 

screen capture from episode one!

i was paired up with thomas, the senior design consultant from textile & fashion industry training centre, for a series of online videos. what we did was to go into each store and pick out a trend or style for the mothers. i won't tell you exactly what we picked out (that would be for a later post) BUT here's what i would encourage you to do. first, check the youtube channel of tiong bahru plaza regularly because there are eleven stores we visited. next, make sure you set aside 2pm - 5pm on these following dates: 4th, 5th, 12th and 13th may. it's an event that i wish i could personally participate because there is a good deal. do swing by The Online Edition in a couple of days and i'll tell you more about what's happening at 'A Fashionable Mother's Day'! till then, enjoy episode one of the online series.

fash'on... BAM!

update... i've added the first of 11 stores that we visited to bring you some fashion tips!

a-MEN-ments

change, they say, is the only constant. well, after three months of blogging, it's time to seriously look at what works on The Online Edition and what doesn't. after that, i should make change. people come, people go. here, features come and features go. i have decided to discontinue two of my regular features from this week onwards. the victims are '@dd it' and 'fl@me or fr@me'.

the main reason for the cut is the proximity to the other posts. for '@dd it', it goes live an hour and a half before the week's best and worst hence before one has time for the post to breathe, a weekly favourite competes with the post for attention. as for 'fl@me or fr@me', the reasoning is the same. it goes live at midnight when most readers (at least on my side of the world) are asleep. by the time they wake up, the monday opening post greets them. hence, there is no real reason for me to hold on to the two features when they are not getting the kind of attention that i would like them to have.

in addition, for the past few weeks, the content (in my honest opinion) has been less than stellar which then translates into weak readership and interest. in short, if i find it boring, you probably yawned while reading it.

thus, there will no longer be a 10.30pm (singapore time) post on fridays. instead, the third friday post will just be the weekly best and worst post.

so i apologise to those who have become fans of those two segments, they are gone but not forever. occasionally, these segments will still feature on The Online Edition but as specials. that said, i hope you will return regularly as i churn out more material within and without the world of fashion.

fash'on... BAM!

five things you should know

it's monday morning again... another week begins... how is it going to turn out? no one knows but we go on anyway... 

after an entire week of children, this week i invite you to join me on a journey of learning, going back to fundamentals and basics. for the next five days, as i continue my growth, we shall learn some terms and jargons together... for those who have prior knowledge, good for you... but for the rest of us who don't, you are welcome...

so to kickstart the entire week... here are five things you should know about this blog and me...

1) the online edition is not merely a fashion blog. i will do fashion writing. i will tell you about certain trends that are going on. i will tear outfits apart (not literally... at least not everyone's, not every soul looks good naked) but the online edition is more than that. it is an avenue for me to be a writer and explore the world through the medium of fashion. certain posts are going to make you go 'huh, what is he thinking?'. that's the idea... i am expressing thought...

2) compliment, critique, comment, challenge... i invite everything... one of the main reasons why i create this blog is not just to air my thoughts but to have avenues for conversation. fashion is a big concept to digest but if we see it as a constant dialogue, one day we will all understand... i hope to be a participant and not just a bystander. honesty is the best policy, so please give me your frank opinion (just be ready for a discussion if we disagree.) hence, i will tear you apart if i can, you can also return the favour. 

3) numbers matter... more than once, i asked myself why the obsession with page views. first up, it is not because of the advertisements and the possible income. ask yourself, if you are a chef but serve up food to zero patrons, are you still a chef? similarly, for a writer with no readers, i constantly ask myself what wrong did i make that readers don't return... so now you know, i have my insecurities too and the numbers keep me going...

4) i am a techno idiot... everything you see on the blog is my own work. i would love to have fanciful layouts and trench coats twirling around but until i learn how to do it, you have to live with my dull layout. of course, if you would like to help me with the layout, i never turn down help (as of now, i have no budget!)... don't come here and expect perfect shots of my daily outfits... anyway, most of the time, i am rushing to get out of my house and moving around for engagements, i hardly have the energy to stop and pose for the cameras (oops, did i just offend more bloggers?)

5) finally, laugh lots... life is too short and this post is way too serious... there can never be too much laughter in your life. if you have problems laughing, just turn to the person next to you and be glad that you are not him / her... unless the person is God then the joke's on you...

now that you have faithfully completed reading the post... here's are some half-naked bodies and victoria's secret girls to spice up the post... (hey i need to justify the freaking labels right? i would love to have 2000 hits on one single post... haha... did i just insult a fellow blogger? ouch!)

image of A&F models, courtesy of inside retail asia

image courtesy of iamcatwalk.com

want more? google it yourself... haha... 

fash'on... BAM!

opinion poll

i don't have regular posts on weekends... as you can see, hear, experience from the silence on the blog... but i received an email with some comments about my blog so i'm really curious about what the rest of you think...

i know how you may not like to write me lengthy emails so i've created a question on my facebook page! please vote... thank you!

fash'on... BAM!

breaking: fl@me or fr@me?

all right... so the buzz has been going on for the last couple of days about this new weekly feature that i am ambitiously going to include in my line-up of posts... 

right now, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you would know that i have three daily posts which follow a weekly theme... i hope you notice also that some of them are pre-written because i do have a lot on hand; being the overachiever that i strive to be... ha! so that means i have about fourteen posts to research and put together (okay, thirteen if you want to be picky and exclude the 'opening post of the week')...

then there is the @dd it post... this is the trending post that i release on a friday a couple of hours before the next weekly best and worst of the week... yes, this is another pre-written post but i must say that by 6pm on friday... the best and worst of the week are almost determined...

looking at it... i have a total of sixteen posts that i have to write on a weekly basis... this is crazy BUT i am going to include a new feature... of course, down the road, the postings will be adjusted accordingly but if you like a certain feature on The Online Edition... just write to me, comment on my facebook page or drop me a tweet...

SO what is this new feature that i will be adding? 

first, it's called, 'flame or frame'... flame would be the idea of burning and frame, notions of preservation... so each week, i would either be destroying or uplifting... the subject matter? fellow fashion blogs... yup, flame and frame is going to be brutal... 

while i may not be an authority in fashion blogging yet, i think that for the amount of time and effort i invest in fashion blogging, i should get a chance to air my two cents worth about other fashion blogs... 

when will 'fl@me or fr@me' go live? the first one will go live once we cross the 2,500 page views... so that's about another 150 views to go... subsequent posts will be on sundays at 11.59pm (singapore time)... just a minute before the monday blues hit all of us... why that timing? well, if we are going to experience the blues, might as well drag someone else along (for those who get flamed) or make someone's day a better one (for those framed)... 

in addition to the fashion blogs that i come across, if you (YES, YOU!) come across other fashion blogs that you would like me to feature... just write, comment or tweet!

all in all, The Online Edition is going to get exciting... fash'on... BAM!

ps: if you would like to flame or frame me, you are most welcomed to do so... do inform me about it though so that i can learn from your criticism / comments (and of course, return the favour!)

going global, staying local

good monday morning... hope you slept well last night... i did! much early than my usual bedtime because i was utterly worn out by dragonboat training and work. a heavy dinner after that helped too... so i'm feeling refreshed for a new week (not as gloomy as the week before... evidence here!)

so i'm starting the week with a question: if you have a voice... make an impact... say what you want... what would your message be? 

for the entire past week, i was attempting to find my voice as a blogger... this week, i am still on the search... i am, after all, an infant when it comes to blogging... of course, when i feel down, i hear of encouraging words from friends and a friend of mine even wrote a post to you! (yup, it's for you, my virtual friend reading this post!) all these kept me going for another week...

in addition, The Online Edition has gone 'global' in the past week with views from Austria, Malaysia, Germany, United Kingdom, Costa Rica and the United States. a big shout out to everyone reading from Singapore... 

last week we went back to basics... from black and white... ran a full day of posts featuring Chanel (post 1, post 2, post 3!) to trending the hoodie (a basic must-have...)

this week, i'm digging further than before... i'm going to tap on my asian voice... i am asian (proud to be one) and singaporean (proud to be one) and chinese (also proud to be one)... it's going to be a great week on The Online Edition so don't miss out on the fun... fash' on, BAM!

ps: if you don't want to miss out on any of the posts that i put out, follow me on twitter or just key your email address into the email updates box and let technology do the rest!

the best and the worst: week 01

so i finally wrapped up a full week of blogging... it's been a challenge learning about the world of blogging... writing the posts are one thing, getting people to read them is another... of course i became a shameless opportunist, getting my friends on facebook and twitter to visit my blog often just for the spike in numbers...

of course there were hits and misses this week... i'm not expecting everyone to love everything i put out but i'm learning so bear with me...

well these are the best and worst posts of the week... (much like the best and worst dressed!)

BEST: you have it so flaunt it!

my thoughts: pretty surprised this made tops... i'm not certain if it was due to the Jessica Simpson label, or maybe it was the male model... of course, i'm trying to convince myself that people were genuinely interested in their set of pearlie whites... anyhow, this one took the top spot.

WORST: Faces and Looks of Chanel

my thoughts: i must admit that this is a shocker given the (shameless) labels i had. perhaps you don't want just pictures... even my silly announcement that i'm on twitter (speaking of which, do follow me @TOnlineEditor) and my *yawn* post about household bleach got more unique views ... this was a tribute to Chanel for crying out loud... so i am still in shock... well, what's done cannot be undone...

ps: the numbers are compiled based on the individual hits on the posts... also i did roughly monitor the spike in page views for the entire duration of the post...