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!

under here, under there, under-where?

men and their underwear

i always like to start writing from the basics and what better way to begin the discussion on men's fashion than with underwear, the most intimate garment of them all. so how many types of underwear can you name or are you one who calls your undergarments, underwear? what's the difference between a boxer and a brief? is there such a thing as a boxer brief? your questions and more, answered... right now!

1) briefs

Briefs by Andrew Christian

traditional briefs are marked by a prominent elastic waistband that sits at the waist, a y-shaped front fly, about four inches of fabric that covers everything from the waist to the upper thighs, and full coverage of the butt.

mid-rise briefs are the same in every way, but they sit two inches below the waist at the belly button. low-rise briefs rest about three inches below the waist. both of these styles are great with low-rise jeans.

all briefs provide great support for the genitals. they're a solid choice for jobs that require sitting down all day (briefs are less likely to ride up than other types of underwear) or for physical activities. most full-cut briefs are white cotton and inexpensive. low-rise and mid-rise cuts can be found in many different colors and better fabrics such as silk.

2) boxers

Boxers

in many ways, and for many people, boxer shorts are the 'classic' men's underwear. boxers are the loosest -- and arguably the most comfortable -- of all styles. the shorts have straight-cut leg openings and cover part of the thighs and the entire butt; the length can vary from eight to 16 inches. and last, but certainly not least, boxers almost always have a working front fly.

tapered boxers are similar in nearly every way to their traditional cousins, with the exception that the leg openings are fit to the thigh, with side vents providing more freedom of movement. fly fronts are not standard on tapered boxers, but a front cup panel provides some support. boxers work under suits or loose-fitting pants like khakis. interestingly, boxers are the only type of underwear that can be tailored.

they do have a tendency to bunch up, however, and they offer precious little genital support. boxers are a poor choice for physical activities. the good news, however, is that boxers are renowned for their patterns and design versatility. plaids, solids and themed styles are all available in fabrics like cotton and wool.

3) boxer briefs

Boxer briefs by Naked

here's a popular type of men's underwear - especially with women, who tend to find them sexy. as the name implies, boxer briefs are the middle ground between boxer and brief. the underwear is cut like tapered boxers, but it fits tightly like briefs.

boxer briefs have the big advantage of providing support and coverage in a way that also sculpts the lower trunk. the underwear works under all types of clothes, but is especially valuable under tighter pants and during athletic activities. dark-colored boxer briefs look especially good if you have a little extra weight to hide; the dark hues supplement the shorts' slimming abilities.

good boxer briefs can be found in spandex or cotton. if you're willing to pay a little more, however, go for those made from a tencel and spandex blend; they will fit better and last longer.

4) bikinis

male athletic bikini

all right, now we're getting into the more risky types of men's underwear. bikini briefs sit well below the belly button; approximately four inches below to be exact. the sides of the waistband measure only about two inches. bikini briefs do not sport a fly.

with string bikinis, the waistband is about a ½-inch thick, leaving the entire thigh exposed. the bikini's seat still covers the butt entirely, however. bikinis work best with low-rise jeans and tighter trousers, and on men with well-muscled bodies (you don't see many bodybuilders posing in boxers, do you?). go with bold colors to make the underwear stand out.

ironically, such a little garment can cost a bit more than briefs and boxers, as it's usually made from spandex or nylon.

5) thongs

it's hard to believe, but thongs do exist for men and they're even smaller than bikini underwear. 

cast of Magic Mike

with a thong, the genitals sit in a small pouch, while a string serves as the waistband, and another goes up between the butt cheeks. let's be honest: thongs are extraordinarily uncommon among men. not only that, but you need an incredible body to pull them off. proceed with caution; many women are turned off by this type of underwear. that said, if you're going thong shopping, look for nylon and spandex blends, and stick with solid, bright colors.

fash'on... BAM!

in bad blood

Fountain of Youth

one of four hong kong women hospitalized for septic shock after a cosmetic treatment typically administered to terminal cancer patients has died, prompting hong kong's health department to reexamine the currently lax laws that make it difficult for women to tell the difference between legit medical procedures and risky/improbable rip-offs.

a forty-six year old woman died one week after receiving dc-cik therapy from hong kong's dr beauty centre. she and three other dr patients were taken to hospitals after suffering headaches and diarrhea that turned out to be symptoms of septic shock, an often deadly blood infection. needless to say, that was not what they paid for.

True Blood?

what is dc-cik therapy, you ask? according to the hong kong health department, it's a risky procedure involving the 'concentration and processing of blood taken from the person and subsequent infusion of the mixture back into the patient' that is usually administered to patients with metastatic cancer who have few other options left. 

according to china daily:

components of blood

based upon a claim that 'growth factors' can be released from blood platelets through laboratory procedures, clients had their blood extracted, treated and reinjected into the skin to reduce wrinkles and ostensibly to encourage revitalization. the plasma was also said to be available for home use, in the form of 'essence oil'.

a stem cell treatment was also offered promising benefits beyond 'better-looking skin'. the founder of dr group, stephen chow heung-wing, said in a video interview that stem cells, cultivated from the same person's fat tissues, could increase overall vitality if infused through intravenous injection.

guess vitality didn't increase after all.

fash'on... BAM! 

four legs good, two legs bad

taken from the popular novel, animal farm (george orwell), the notion of four legs good and two legs bad expressed the unhappiness that the animals had with the humans. if animals could speak our language, what exactly would they say? in another famous quote, ghandi remarked that 'the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'

hence this week, on The Online Edition, we are going to put the two together: animals and fashion. the inspirations for this week's theme are my friends who are serious animal lovers. the big question on many of your minds would be if i like animals. i would be honest. i am not an animal lover. if you put a puppy near me, it would take a lot of money for me to cuddle it in my arms. as an events host, i break out in cold sweat when i know that there are animals involved. however, much as i am not a huge fan of animals, i recognise that animals (and pets) form an integral part of society and more importantly, fashion thus it is only fair that we pay attention to our animal friends.

with that said, whether you are an animal lover, hater or neutral, i hope that you will return daily to inform yourself about the interconnectivity between animals and the fashion industry.

now for the totally unrelated half-naked bodies, have fun salivating!

the Carlson twins

ladies from the US Lingerie Football League

fash'on... BAM!

hello-win

halloween is not till the next weekend. so why is the online edition covering this theme so early? well, i believe in preparation and also i don't fancy being the last on the bandwagon to cover the material... haha.

anyway, if you are one of those who 'liked' my facebook page, you would know that i was on sentosa last thursday for the media preview of sentosa spooktacular. my guess is by now, you would also have read up on the media reports by the mainstream media and multiple bloggers. expecting me to not cover the event is like giving me cash and telling me to not spend it. hence, expect coverage on the event here as well but it is your choice whether or not to attend. 

like mentioned by sherlyn, i plan my material way ahead thus i would encourage / plead / beg / bribe / coerce / threaten / (insert your own word) that you come back daily to look at my coverage of halloween. i'm not going to give any more content away because i want you to surprise of the quirky posts and weird angles that i will come up with over this week. 

after all, halloween is when all hell breaks loose and i can lift the reins off my creativity to let it run amok. 

in closing, here's a link from my good friend, wikipedia, on halloween and pictures of scantily-clad chiseled bodies that i did (and will be) putting on every week's opening post just to shamelessly drive up blog traffic.

the Pussycat Dolls celebrate Halloween

courtesy of JustinTimberlake.com

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!