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!

what do you call a blogger...

...when he's not blogging? 

i stopped blogging because i came to a point of burn out. i thought i could sustain the momentum of three posts a day but i over-estimated my abilities.

then i told myself that i would return once i had some rest. then i realise that rest is never enough. 

anyway, 2013 has been interested thus far. very pleased with the outfits i have presented so far. thank you armani! work has been steady. i am also chairing a new grassroots committee which is a lot of work but i'm enjoying every single email.

the main point of those who know me beyond The Online Editor and as a debates coach, i left a coaching position that i held on to for five years. i had five years but it came to a point where the good could no longer dispel the bad. it was no longer a game of light and darkness, a single beam driving away the curtain of gloom. yes i resigned. i'm still coming to terms with it but...

before i forget... here's an irrelevant half naked man and bikini-clad girl!

shamelessly ripped from another blog

fash'on... BAM!

fl@me or fr@me: his style diary

a man's face is his autobiography. a woman's face is her work of fiction.

oscar wilde

since fl@me and fr@me came into being, i ask myself every week if i want to make new friends or foes. increasingly, it is getting tough to keep up this segment simply because i am getting my feet wetter in the business of fashion blogging. each week, i go through struggles with my material and the angles that i want to adopt. there are indeed moments that i write for the sake of writing hence i know how tedious it is (after two months) to keep a blog going. in short, i am feeling blogger fatigue.

anyway, i am still thinking if i should keep 'fl@me or fr@me' going because the initial hype for this segment has fizzled out and it now seems a tad too gimmicky to keep around. till the decision is reached, this segment will still run and today, the focus is on a blog that i found a couple of weeks back. 

His Style Diary

his style diary is, as the caption suggests, a blogazine that focus on men's fashion, grooming and shopping. does it live up to its own standards? let's see:

form:

the blog has a very simple and clean layout. the colour scheme is monochromatic (in other words, black and white). no big issues with font size and type. in fact, it looks like a newspaper with its overall presentation. in addition, under the three key headings of fashion, grooming and shopping are further subsections that one can navigate to easily. kudos for the accessible form!

content:

1) honesty: i like unmasked opinions. the headline above is a demonstration of the writing that i prefer. well, i'm a picky reader when it comes to blog posts but the headline made me read the entire article because i want to hear the writer's perspective. subjectivity is the gift of bloggers and to see a fellow blogger use that razor-sharp tool is often encouraging that our existence matters.

2) frequency: on the main homepage, the posts are not dated. only when you go to the various posts or subsections does one see the dates. i'm not certain how material is generated but from a reader's point of view, it can prove a tad erratic. being creature of habits, we like to know what to expect and when. for example, fashion news is updated pretty regularly (not hard to figure out why) but the fashion tips (style guide 101) has a post only once a month. the wait can be a little too long. 

my reaction to a blog of this nature will be to visit once in a couple of months and catch up on all the new articles instead of returning regularly.

in conclusion, his style diary does exactly what it sets out to do. it fills the gap for a good site for men's fashion. the verdict is to frame this blog. however, i probably won't add it to my bookmarks yet simply because of the frequency issue. you can visit his style diary right here.

fash'on... BAM!

fl@me or fr@me: issac ritz

how exciting... the gloves are off and the claws are out! if you know me personally, you would know that i am nothing nice... i am honest, in fact, i'm brutally honest. so why the wait till now, after close to a month of blogging before i unleash the venom?

this was a gift to me from a friend =)

well, the first month was just a huge trial for me to put out material and see how my friends (and virtual readers) react to my material... like how i cannot be encouraging you to wear black daily, i cannot be tearing everyone (and everything) apart all the time and most definitely not at the beginning of a fresh start... i just love how i shamelessly market my older posts! 

here's how this feature will work... each week, i will assess the form (how it's presented) and content (what is presented) of the blog (yup, bringing in all my practical criticism skills!) then like any good student of literature, offer you my conclusion.

so who is my first pick for 'fl@me or fr@me'? i present to you...

http://www.issacritz.com/

ladies and gentlemen... this 'fashion' blog... flame on... i say burn!

'A poor original is better than a good imitation.' Ella Wheeler Wilcox

form: 

i have a HUGE issue with the large font size that he uses... there's a reason (for blogger, at least) that one of the font sizes is labelled as normal... it's a comfortable size for human beings... on my first visit to this blog, i actually moved my chair back from my screen... even from a mile away, i can still read his blog... perhaps, he is just responding to the health promotion board's good eye care habits... but that's not the worst...

content: 

i) if you call yourself a blogger passionate about blogging... then blog about something useful that readers can benefit from... telling me how you will become famous is just another self-indulgent move... by the way, gaining fame is not taking pictures with celebrities and splashing them over your page... (perhaps i should be kind and offer you backstage event passes...) 

oh, there are also a couple of posts about zac efron 'naked'... you (as in the reader, not the blogger) and me know that is just going to increase the page views... but content credibility... give us a break... 

in the flora world, this will be termed a vine...

ii) for crying out loud... don't label your blog as a 'one stop' when it's your 'own shop' for entertainment (i don't find knowing that you are tired very entertaining), gossips (yup, lots here... a ton of cutting and pasting...), fashion (like seriously?!!) and lifestyle (oh, you are in for a treat on this one...) oh, there is a flower for that too... NARCISSUS... you can read the myth here... 

iii) finally, let's talk fashion since i am trying my hand at fashion blogging too... and i will be nice(r) on this sub-point...

that's it? that's all you can say... perfect for my daily usage (first of all, you don't know what i do daily so quit playing the familiarity card here), gym (so i guess there are multiple compartments for me to store my shoes, dirty gym attire plus a water bottle? no details.) and overseas travel (yup, if i'm going across the causeway for a day trip... try packing for an overnighter with toiletries!) 

so i did you the favour... i spent two seconds googling... here's what i found! i would actually buy the bags if i was told of the variety of colours and the full range... lesson learnt: two seconds on google will give you a ton of mileage...

conclusion:

i weed the lovely garden of fashion blogs so that readers don't have to. so what happens to weeds? dry them, burn them and re-use as fertilisers... 

fash'on... BURN!

ps: those of you who actually thought that i will link you to his blog... *evil laugh*... you are stuck here forever! 

pps: if he does find out about this post and issues a reply... let me know so that i can add a link here... thanks!

Fresh Start

this must the millionth time that i'm been trying to get my blog (any blog) up and running... from writing about the state of things in singapore to ranting about life to a semi-biography... well, they all failed. i'm not certain about this one BUT i just feel this need to (a) write (b) discuss the state of things (c) just share, share, SHARE... all right, (b) and (c) are similar but this is MY blog, whatever i say, goes...

anyway, what is this fresh start going to be about? it's going to be something i love, love, love... FASHION! so i am going to attempt to write about what people are wearing... some finds that i have... basically anything that goes BAM! (also, i recently went to a 'fashion blogger's' site... like i told my friend, that's cut and paste... nothing fashion about it!)

that's enough ranting for now... if you are the lucky few who stumble upon my little fashion haven, here are a couple of treats for you...

1) emporio armani is launching their autumn/winter collection this weekend (14th - 16th sep)... spend $1000 to get a limited edition leather bracelet or a leather passport holder... got a text from the staff at the forum outlet (not sure if it applies to mandarin gallery...)

2) from now till 16th sep, receive a $50 or $100 voucher when you spend a minimum of $450 or $800 respectively at any Armani Exchange stores... (personally i recommend the vivocity outlet... much better staff there)