really hosts

another integral part of reality television are often the hosts. many times, they play the role of the protective older sibling or the parent that is cheering on their children from the sidelines. this is especially so when it comes to talent searches. at other times, hosts play guardian to the game rules and guard the 'integrity' of the programme. whatever the case may be, let's look at the hosts in reality.

1) the x-factor usa: mario lopez

mario lopez tops the list because he was mentioned over a couple of drinks. that's the fun part of being a blogger i guess. whatever is talked about will somehow end up in the writing. anyway, here's a look at mario lopez then and now.

big change, don't you agree. if i may even boldly claim, he looks like an older version of taylor lautner.

all these pictures, hopefully, inspire you to stick to your gym routines and strict diets.

2) so you think you can dance: cat deeley

i like her for her personality. for those unfamiliar with who cat deeley is, here are some quick details: catherine elizabeth 'cat' deeley is a british television presenter, actress, singer and model. since 2006, deeley has been the host of so you think you can dance in the united states. she is now host of fox's celebrity dating game show the choice. this is cat on and off-screen.

can't tell the difference? neither can i. at times, we like to think that a full face of make-up is what turns heads but the natural look can be pretty alluring as well. as for her style, cat plays the classic card. she hardly experiments with her style and her clothes often are a reflection of her personality.

3) survivor: jeff probst

i am a huge survivor fan for the drama it provides. politics are always fun to watch. as an added incentive, a goodlooking face fronting the series would help as well. growing up, it was always survivor or the amazing race for me but strangely, jeff probst never seems to age.

by the way, he was voted as one of the sexiest men alive in 2005. time for all of us to sign up for some 'island therapy'.

fash'on... BAM!

really fashion

a holiday and a weekend off training later, the mind (and body) is much better rested and i'm back for another week of writing. i've had a lot of time to think in the past week. typical topics would be the blog numbers, the direction and style of my writing, where i want to take this blog. couple of things are apparent: numbers have dipped and my material is no longer original. hence, this week shall be a re-journey to discover the 'edge' that i used to have. (read: feisty writing like this and this!)

after much deliberation and arrangements, this week's posts will revolve around real fashion, but what is real fashion? well, you know that The Online Edition always has a twist to the content that i put out. so this week's 'real fashion' is actually a look at the fashion featured on reality television. from the ultra-chic and glamourous to the theatrical and dramatic, if it was showcased on a reality television series, it might just earn a spot on this week's The Online Edition. all i can say about this week: it's all real.

now, for the irrelevant bikini babes and half-naked male bodies (with a bonus).

Miss Universe New Zealand 2012

8 Days Shirtless Guys 2012

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the best and the worst: week 13

so we made it pass the three-month mark! applause, hugs and pats all round. thank you for all your support. if you are reading this post, it shows that you still believe in the potential of The Online Edition, even though i may not. this has been a bad week for readership. i'm not even going to try to mask things. i first thought that the slump during jennifer week was acceptable because it was not fully fashion in its nature and it was more of a week to take minds of the hardcore fashion material.

i really expected a much better showing this week with vintage fashion but the truth is, page views were dismal. i can get through a good part of the day without any hits on the blog at all. very disheartening i must say. with such poor figures, it always dampens the mood and then i fall into the cycle of asking if i should continue blogging. 

well, let's just observe things till the end of the year and if i don't recover from the reader recession, i'll probably need to re-invent The Online Edition.

anyhow, your readership still matters because it determines who gets a second feature at the end of the week. this week, your hits decided the following:

the best: taking ad-vintage

as always, the opening post is a crowd favourite because most like to know about the week ahead. what direction i am taking for the rest of the week and a glimpse into the material that i would cover. or simply, they just like the half-naked hunks and bikini babes at the end of the post. either way, it doesn't matter. if it keeps people reading The Online Edition, it has to be something good.

the worst: vintage icons: audrey hepburn

this post really burnt. i am not afraid to reveal the number of individual hits it garnered - nine. this has to be one of the lowest 'single-post' readership so far. either the subject of 'audrey hepburn' has been done to death or it's just not captivating enough.

in conclusion, we now bid farewell to the past and look forward to a new week! meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend.

fash'on... BAM!

ps: i'm not sure if The Online Edition will recover from the dip but if you care about this blog, do pick your all-time favourite post and share it via facebook or twitter.

taking ad-vintage

this week is dedicated to a dear friend who was first featured here. she is into all things vintage and retro. often, i would joke with her that i am bringing my trash over so that she can rummage through it and keep whatever she likes. however, jokes aside, i thought that as the end of the year draws closer and most of us start getting into reflection and recollection mode, it will be good to look at fashion from the vintage and retro point-of-view.

before we go into the fashion proper, we need to understand the terms. there will be a couple more during the week but let's just get the biggest one out of the way first. 

vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. the phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, for instance, 'vintage clothing store'. generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1960s is considered vintage. retro, short for retrospective, or 'vintage style' usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. reproduction, or repro, clothing is a newly-made, copy of an older garment. clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion.

as with traditions, here are a couple of topless and shirtless male models with female swimwear models who have zero relation to the rest of the post.

Shirtless Beefcake Hunks for sale?

Maxim Girls: April Rose, Amanda Mertz, Kaitlynn Carter, Melanie Iglesias

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i am jennifer

how many jennifers do you know? jennifer is surprisingly a common name hence i was shocked that i didn't come up with this week's theme much earlier. well you all know how technology is very helpful and each time you type in a word, there will be suggestions. this is exactly what happened to me when i was writing earlier posts. each time i typed in 'jennifer', the suggested matches are pretty lengthy and varied. that got me thinking, how many famous 'jennifers' are there around the world?

therefore this week, we are going to look at all the various 'jennifers' and do an evaluation of their styles. i'm certain that you have your list of 'jennifers' by now hence if i am unable to feature the jennifer of your heart, i beg for your understanding. if you are truly passionate about your own 'jennifer', you can always put up a post on my facebook page as well to share with the various readers of The Online Edition. so whether its jennifer, jen, jenny or just j, we are going to feature well-known 'jennifers' in the week ahead.

but before you get an overdose of 'jennifer', here are some random shirtless dudes and babes.

Manhunt International contestants

Miss World 2012

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men and boobs

the fashion world can be unforgiving at times. whilst we like to embrace differences, this diversity must fall within a range of sizes, usually it's size zero to 0.5. but seriously, when it comes to men's fashion, while the sizes get bigger and bigger, the form and fit does not seem to have evolve much over the years. we seem to have a pretty fixated sense of what makes a nice looking chest.

Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Chaske Spencer

over 50% of men will develop the condition of 'man boobs'. well in some, it persists and in others, it goes away yet fashion never really caters to this problem. i am not about to invent a bra for me but what i can offer is an understanding of the condition. if you feel your 'man boobs' or 'moobs' make you uncomfortable, you can do something about them.

there are two main reasons guys get man boobs. the first comes from simply being overweight. man boobs are composed of fatty tissue stored over the pectoral muscles. a common myth is that you can spot reduce your man boobs but unfortunately, you can't pick and choose where your body is going to shed its fat, so you will just have to lower it overall. in order to remove fat deposits from your body, you have to adhere to a cardio and strength-training workout program and follow a proper diet. you must create a caloric deficit in order to lose weight. this means either increasing the number of calories you expend through exercise or reducing the number of calories you take in by changing your diet. if you are smart, you will do both. 

Man Boobs or 'moobs'

the second reason guys get man boobs is due to a medical condition called gynecomastia. this is a hormonal condition in which the body produces an increased amount of estrogen and a decreased amount of testosterone. gynecomastia can often happen as the result of taking certain medications that influence the body’s hormonal levels. it can also occur if someone is suffering from a testicular tumor, which causes estrogen production to significantly increase. to treat this problem, medical advice should be sought. most often, the patient will be taken off the particular medication or will be given antiestrogen treatment. Surgery may be necessary if the problem does not improve.

for prevention of man boobs

1) cardio will enable you to burn a significant amount of calories over a set period of time, helping you to achieve the caloric deficit that is necessary to win the man boob battle.

a) interval training - interval training is your best option because it will kick your metabolism into high gear. since it is so intense, your body will expend a great deal of calories - even after you are finished working out - in order to repair and rebuild the muscle tissues that have been damaged. your interval training session should be done for about 20 to 25 minutes, during which time you work out at a ratio of 1:3 in regards to hard vs. easy. ideally, aim for 20 to 30 seconds of hard training and 1 to 2 minutes of easy cardio, and repeat this ratio 8 to 15 times.

b) running - generally, the best mode of cardiovascular exercise to do for fat loss is running; however, if you have joint problems or just really hate running, there are several other methods that can be substituted.

c) rowing - good option is to use a rowing machine or to actually go rowing outside. rowing is a great form of exercise for fighting man boobs since it encompasses all your upper body muscles, allowing you to sculpt your chest while you burn fat.

Elliptical Machine

d) elliptical machine - while biking is a good cardiovascular workout, it focuses more specifically on your lower body. many people turn to the elliptical machine for their cardio sessions. this machine is a great calorie burner since it uses both arms and legs, and it is easy on the joints. 

e) playing sports - don't forget about sports. activities such as tennis, basketball, hockey, and soccer are great cardiovascular workouts, as they typically involve all-out bursts of movement accompanied by shorter periods of rest. playing sports goes a long way in helping you burn stubborn body fat, thus, preventing the development of man boobs. 

2) strength training exercises will not burn a great deal of calories while you are performing them, but they will help to increase your lean muscle mass, which is responsible for determining how many calories you burn on a daily basis. weight training will also promote the development of strong and shapely chest muscles, so when the fat does come off, you are going to look significantly more attractive.

Chest press with free weights

a) seated chest press - sit with your back flat against the machine and slowly push the weights straight out in a horizontal motion, then return to the starting position. keep your breathing controlled and the movement steady. perform four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

b) cable crossovers - attach the handles to either side of a pulley station and stand with your arms extended at shoulder level, your elbows slightly bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. slowly bring your hands together in front of you and cross them. return to the starting position and repeat. concentrate on using your pectoral muscles to generate the power needed to perform this action. do four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

c) incline flyes - sitting on an incline bench at about a 45 degree angle with the dumbbells held above you, lower your hands out to the sides (but not lower than your shoulders), then bring your hands back together above you, mimicking a hugging action. perform four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. 

d) bench press - lie with your back against the bench and slowly press the barbell directly upward. make sure that your back does not rise off the bench, and that you are breathing out on the upward movement and inhaling on the downward action. perform four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

Push-ups

e) push-ups - push-ups are an excellent workout for your upper body and can be done anywhere. place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart, and lower yourself so that your nose is almost touching the ground. pause for a second, then rise up again. for an extra challenge, try doing clap push-ups. after the lowering motion is complete, drive yourself up with enough force to clap your hands before resuming the push-up position. perform four sets of as many as you can.

fash'on... BAM!

it's raining men!

like finally! after long last and much postponement, i am going to do features on men's fashion (and no, the inspiration is not from last night's 'fl@me or fr@me'). so yes, for the rest of the week, no corsets, stilettos or dresses! over the week, i'll be breaking down the finer details of men's fashion for you so whether you are reading it for yourself or someone else, you will have notes and pointers to share.

so gentlemen, start your engines as we soldier through a full week of men's fashion, fashion's men, men in fashion and the list continues. 

and here is your highly unrelated half-naked pictures of the week!

Miss Universe contestants

Mister International Top 5

ps: for those into lengthy articles, this is not going to be your week. like their shopping habits, most men want a quick read hence The Online Edition shall attempt to cater to that too!

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barely there...

for those who are familiar with broadway, you would have heard about broadway bares. nope, not my opening post. anyway, broadway bares is the 'inspiration' for this week's theme actually. i know, it's ironic that for a fashion blog, the idea to feature the clothes of musical theatre came from a production that hardly has any clothes on. therefore yes, not every theatre production creates grandeur through costumes and fashion, some are memorable from the lack of clothes.

Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS

well, broadway bares is part of a greater movement called broadway cares / equity fights aids. broadway cares / equity fights aids is an american non-profit organization, headquartered in new york city, new york. it is the theatre community's response to the aids crisis. by drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on broadway, off-broadway and across the country, the organization raises funds for aids-related causes across the united states. since its founding in 1988, it has raised over $175 million for critically needed services for people with aids, hiv or hiv-related illnesses.

broadway bares is an annual burlesque show fundraiser for the organization, founded by jerry mitchell in 1992. broadway dancers and actors perform striptease dances for the audience at the roseland ballroom in new york city for two shows only in June. it combines the naughtiness of burlesque and the razzle-dazzle of broadway. the broadway bares events had raised $5.5 million as of 2010.

before you go into the 'there he goes again, featuring naked bodies to get a couple more hits' again, i actually find a production like broadway bares highly interesting because it is a style of theatre, though raunchy, highly entertaining. after all, the theatre is a space for our imaginations to run free and let's all admit it: sexuality and sensuality sells!

so at the end of the post, i am going to leave you with a flood of g-strings, thongs, lingerie and body paint. (not posting videos here because they are a tad too 'interesting'... but you can find most of them online.)

broadway bares xxii: happy endings

Reed Kelly as Evil Queen

broadway bares xviii: wonderland

Matthew Morrison

broadway bares xx: strip-o-poly

Snooki: Boardwalk

Vanessa Williams

hope you enjoy the tongue-in-cheek costumes of broadway bares!

fash'on... BAM!

broadway bares

it's the start of a new week. the heart is heavy because on the day i celebrate my birthday, i had to say goodbye to my third aunt from my paternal side. it was such a weird day, much of it was an attempt to stay with status quo: working and enjoying a simple birthday dinner. however, the mind was confused and i am truly thankful for the support system that my friends created. i think most didn't know how to react as well but we all made it through. it just goes to show how important good friends are.

anyway, life will have to go on. there is a responsibility that i feel towards the ardent supporters of The Online Edition hence i made the decision to continue with the blogging and the posts. this week, we are going to explore the fashion of theatre. many times, we are wowed by the music, lyrics and the plot of a play or musical but rarely do we sit up and applaud the costumes. costumes within a theatrical performance are the 'fashion' of the make-believe world. through it, the audience is given a glimpse of the life in the world of the play.

throughout the week, we shall place the clothes worn on stage and their makers under scrutiny hence i hope that through this exploration, not only will we grow a deeper understanding of stage fashion but we will develop a greater appreciation of the art of theatre.

in conclusion, the signature pictures of the opening post of the week. once again, i ask myself what they have to do with the post. the answer: nothing. they are just here so that i have sufficient reason to use the labels and have better blog traffic.

Bodypaint Swimsuits (Sports Illustrated)

Jake (right) with friend

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the best and the worst: week 09

this, by far, is one of my favourite weeks as a blogger. yes, the hectic schedule is there and trying to find every available moment to put in posts was tough but the best moments came when i introduced my blog to more friends and i see them cringe. that is the exact reaction i wanted from readers this week. the selection of content and images were meant to provoke a response. 

after the initial 'eek-ing', my prayer was that there would be conversation on the things that they saw on my blog. increasingly, i am beginning to believe that fashion is truly a conversation. the attitudes of fashion and movement of trends is a continual exchange of ideas. this week, the quest for beauty sailed to the extremes and i must admit that i am overall pleased with the results and responses.

however, i may be glad, we still have a job to do and that is to reward and demerit. here are the results:

best: ties that bind

this post was a 'painful' post to write because no matter how one tries to cushion the material and the angle, the act of feet binding is brutal. i would like to sugarcoat the ideas behind breaking the bones of young girls and limiting their movements but i just could not. there is not explanation to such cruelty. it is definitely good that this was the best post of the week. i am hoping that everyone would then pause to reflect on the modern day parallels. have we allowed ourselves to 'bind feet' just because we want to achieve a certain stereotype?

worst: hair i am...

i think the pattern is clear. the final friday post... and most of my friends agree that it is really a factor of time that the second friday post of the week garners a lot less attention even after much marketing efforts. 

overall, readership numbers are very encouraging. not sure if i have found the formula for The Online Edition yet but it's wonderful to know that whatever i am doing, you are enjoying it. thank you!

sexiest man alive: Channing Tatum

ps: i'm bending traditions a little because i want to send my congratulations to channing tatum for being named 'sexiest man alive'

fash'on... BAM!

comfort women

if you are familiar with history, the term comfort women is nothing comforting. 

this week, we explore the way fashion has created the notion of the 'comfort women'. instead of liberating the female, the society has created fashion trends and traditions that are highly uncomfortable. yet, within the time and space of that trend, it was deemed acceptable. as we look at some of these 'fashions', emotions will be stirred up and you might ever get angry that such things even exist.

however, as we journey through the entire week, i ask that you take a balanced view of the dis-comforting fashion. like joyce carol oates remarked in a recent interview with the bbc, 'not every woman is a feminist.' just because someone is born a woman does not mean that one naturally has to fight for female supremacy. while we may not agree, i ask that we do not judge. there are hosts of reasons why women chose fashion over comfort. for instance, uncomfortable as it may be, i will still wear skinny jeans just so that my legs look slimmer and give the illusion of beauty.

now, for the irrelevant tradition of girls in bikinis and men who are half-naked. 

FHM Super Seven

Malaysia's Hottest Hunks 2007 / 2008

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haute, haute, haute

it's monday again. yes, i'm in a chirpy mood because it was a good weekend. i really enjoy the good times i get to spend with my dragon boat teammates. that's what life is all about, great laughs and wonderful memories!

anyway, looking back at the material that i put up for the last month, i haven't been looking at much clothes. yes, there were still fashion elements in the various weeks but it hasn't been full-on fashion so i shall repent this week. over the next five days, on The Online Edition, we are going haute! for the uninitiated, haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. yes, there shall be a study of haute couture designers and hopefully, we shall all gain some insights to the direction of the various fashion houses.

i will try to present you with some of the signature collections so that throughout the week, there will be moments that, i pray, will take your breath away... so visit often and share posts that you like! after all, caring is sharing and friendship is magic.

and now, for the best part of this post! the shirtless, topless male models and the beautiful, sensual female models. (it's true, i heard from the grapevine that readers flock to this post for the pictures.) since we are going haute, the pictures are similarly HAWT! enjoy...

shamelessly ripped from Stomp

shamelessly taken from dipity

before i end, if you have an hour to spare, do watch this video and the other parts that can be found on youtube.

fash'on... BAM!

the best and the worst: week 07

it's judgement time again. time for me to take a closer look at all the various posts that i put out during the week and evaluate how well they sat with readers. if you are wondering how i go about the decision for the best and the worst, here's how:

1) unique hits: if you were directed here from my twitter or facebook, that would score as a unique hit. blogger has a counter function so i can track exactly how many hits came via that channel.

2) spike in traffic: after a post goes live, some may not click on the link but will visit the blog via the generic web link hence each time i publish a new article, i will track the general blog traffic to see if it is a popular post.

3) facebook likes, shares and retweets: this is the last factor but it is monitored as well.

anyway, back to this week of animals. there were many struggles this week in writing about animals and fashion. the main reason was the amount of material that was planned and then later dropped. for instance, yesterday's discussion on dragons, phoenix and unicorn were really smokescreen posts. the original posts were titled, 'i've got your covered: fur / feathers / hair'. it was meant to be a discussion of the production of fur, feathers and hair but i realised that it was too difficult to direct the material towards a neutral point. hence at the eleventh hour (literally minutes before the first post went live), i pulled the plug and rushed in new content. truly, there is no lack of good reference material for the topic of animal and fashion but until, i was ready (or at least felt ready) to take a stance, which i alluded to here, i rather not deal with certain subject matter.

perhaps i would have a decision somewhere down the road but let's compile the results and give you what you came here for. 

the best: iconic creatures

i liked this article. i really do. it was a 'lightbulb' moment while planning for the week's posts that i realised that many brands and logos used animals. hence i did a little snooping around to uncover the truth behind the animal of choice. the more interesting background stories would have to be the playboy rabbit and abercrombie & fitch moose. anyway, clarence apparently has an interesting picture for abercrombie & fitch singapore so i pulled it off his blog for you... here it is!

Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore

now that you have gotten your fill of your random shirtless picture (it came two days early this week. i am such a kind soul... thank you, thank you!). i pray and plead with you to read the worst post of the week. every week's worst post never get additional hits whilst the best post always gain greater readership.

so please move your cursors over the link below!

the worst: furry's fit

for a post that has an interesting thumbnail, the hits were shockingly low. in fact, it is an all-time low. even at the time of writing, the unique views remain at a single digit. in case you are wondering who the cat was supposed to be, it's anna wintour from american vogue. maybe we need a pair of shades for the feline fatale! 

so the fates have been sealed. your best and worst posts of my seventh week as a blogger. it's going to be an exciting weekend for me. i'll be at dragonboat races!!! however, circulation of The Online Edition resumes just before the stroke of midnight on sunday with 'fl@me or fr@me'!

fash'on... BAM!