365 days later

Happy birthday to me!
Thank God I make it to this stage in life. Big thank you hug to my parents who persevere and have put up with much irritating behaviour to bring me up. A special mention to my sister, who was punchbag buddy in my younger days and a good phone buddy these days.

I ran as fast as I could to Princi last night, arriving at (what the doorman said) 4 minutes before midnight, ordered a slice of passionfruit cheesecake and gulped it down as the day turned! So that's how celebratory I was last night. I guess as I get older I think more about how to spend the day (work to do and self-errands to run) than actually cutting into a cake. Although, if we do make it to a restaurant tonight, there is bound to be some candles and group singing.
We: myself, Anne and KY.

This is, by the way, a pre-emptive message.
Thank you for your birthday wishes and have a nice day!

ululu falala

Hiya,
as promised before. The collection.


In the next six months, my homeworks are:
- personal portfolio website
- collection/show
- a particular competition
- setting up production

Busy life, eh? Or maybe not quite... I've been sleeping upwards of 10 hours a day lately. Most of the time, whenever I managed to fall asleep with the lights on, it is much more likely for me to sleep for longer. (Note to self: switch off lights, wake up earlier.)

In the past two weeks, I have been generating samples (colloquially called stuff or c*** depending on whether I liked it or not) slower than I would have liked to achieve, and pretty good (faster?) than what the tutor expects. He's a fresh breath of air, given that I had had the same design tutor for the past year ending March 31. And some contemporaries in college give me the cold shudder whilst others actually get friendlier.

Remember Rob and his educatively entertaining talk a few months back on Mongolian fashion? (Well maybe I haven't mentioned it on this blog, but anyhow.)
Today I got to confront him. That his joke on fashion in Outer Mongolia is becoming true. With this.


And the poor man wailed that nothing is sacred anymore. *pat pat*

On the essay front:
Reflective summary is due in, according to rumours, on 28 May. It has not been confirmed on the online noticeboard, nor have I consulted a member of teaching staff on the matter. Regardless, it's time to start. I'd probably do it by categories, given the fact I'm prone to covering a good few diverse topics in one post. I wonder how nitpicky the marking team will be on bibliography (references to one's diary? doesn't that count as self-promotion or bogus referencing?)

I want to post an intellectual topic on music as well, as a way of philosophical and technical progress from where I was three years ago, but I guess it'll have to wait till the near future.

Take care!

[I don't like] today

Reporting straight from within the disaster zone.

It's show time!

Well yes, it is a disaster zone. Much of it is self-inflicted. There is serious need for me to change my behaviours. Ouch. I don't like the way I handle myself up to today.

Anyhoo, for those watching, you know it's my turn when you see my name and this...


and you know it's the end of my turn with this:


(That is, if the running order is correct.)
Alright then, take care.

disregard, hoo haa!

So, seems like I've broken a self-imposed rule on post titles.

Anyhow.
Next term, the industrial placement will entail a full-time work experience at a label aptly titled "the little slut", doing who knows what... technical work and sampling. The label is not going to show on runway at the coming A/W'09 showing in February, but it will travel to Milan and Paris for buyers' appointments. Naturally, I will be nosing my way in for these appointments, so we'll see how things turn out.

The pay for above-mentioned placement is predictably nihilistic (travel expenses covered), so packed lunch and possibly biking to work options will be scrutinised. It was quite interesting, though, to discuss with the studio manager person that "I know my legal rights of being paid £5.73 per hour for full-time internships longer than four weeks in duration", "yet I know many students will be flocking to London to do an internship in order to pass their units", and "more desperate skilled people means less pay ceteris paribus". I wonder if what I said in regard to payments made them break into sweats. With what they said, and given that last time I was given £10 travel money a day, I'm looking at £50-60 per week. Not much, but better than something.

Despite FBRS and Careers Office crowing about minimum pay, many choose to flout the rules: some out of desperation, and some riding flush on others' meagre situation. I, for one, must do a ten-week placement supplemented with paperwork and a 4000-word student report by mid-March, or risk failing the module and be forced to repeat one whole year (paying extortionate fees). Don't get me wrong, it isn't personal: all others in my course must do so when their placement term comes. One place pays £140 a week - sadly I didn't get the job despite coming in earlier than everyone else. Although I do wonder, how many other students get so anal/blunt about getting remunerated on their interviews... and how talking about money rates with employers.

As for the more mundane side of things:

Visa for the Antwerp trip got approved on Wednesday, and it was for... one entrance, five days only? Good customer service at VFS Belgium though; I got my passport back within less than two weeks, with mild e-mail pestering. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing with the Italian VFS.
(Note: VFS is an intermediary company that supposedly 'helps' embassies deal with high-volume visa application paperworks.)

I'm flying out to Melbourne tomorrow, and will get there in... a few days? :))
I'm not going back to Jakarta. Despite being relatively close to Melbourne (it takes me at least 24 hours to take to that side of the world anyway), the stopover option is significantly more expensive. Moreover, I don't think I can physically tackle a side trip to Jakarta, remembering that many would demand me to "do the rounds". So, for my health, sanity and financial well-being, Jakarta this Christmas is out of question. Thank you.

So, now it's time to pack... have a good day, everyone! ^__^

There are a few changes due to be made to this blog.

One of my fervent readers acerbically pointed out that the quality of writing "has been in decline" for the past few weeks. (It happened as I cynicized, sugar-coated and rose-tinted my perspectives as the words were typed down.)

I would like to point out this is the depth of response that I have been looking for: responses that are beyond courtesy and initial self-interest. They are few and far between, but hey, it might be you who's lucky/dedicated enough to come up with *these* few and far between responses!

Other types of responses that have been were "it's good but the English is too difficult", "don't write about me", or simply... a lack of responses: "I read your blog now and then," "so what do you think?" "OK" [or, "you write so much", period.]

..........

"OK" is not descriptive enough a response. It's a response that gives the impression one has forgotten and is doing mere lip service. (If that's the true intention, then I'll take it as is.) I dislike doing monologue to a brick wall.

I wonder about what your responses would be if I talk about the sociology of clothes. (I'm serious.)

I also considered about posting a few of my essays up here for the world to see. Plagiarism is one thing I'm taking into consideration, though... I don't like my essays to be copied without reference. Why? Because it took me hours to formulate my arguments and write them down, and it takes at least ten times the writing time to read and research relevant articles!
So there you go: if there aren't enough responses (through blog/emails/chats/actual talk/other communication methods) on whether you'd like to read it, then it would be very unlikely to see how Marsha is the odd/weird/original/think-outside-the-box Marsha that she is :))

On a tangent, I'm looking forward to my cultural studies seminars for the next fortnight. I want to see who would choose the way of wishful thinking....... and how. Muhehehehehe.

I am waiting for active responses. Now! Get typing ;))

(UU Pornografi)

Can someone get me a full unabriged copy of it, please?

Thank you.

Flight of the Bumble Bee

In a few hours, the trek to Equator will start.

Almost all the things I need to bring home are packed (save the portfolio and tools). I run out of boxes, too - at this time! There are a few books I need to sort out. There are bagged rubbish to throw away: it's amazing how many things can go into 'junk' pile when the brain is on survival mode. To compare the irritation and mild tension as a buzzing bee...

With this post I have fulfilled what I said I would do.
Hence, I owe no further notification :))

Thank you! Have a nice day ^__^

(missing person notice)

Okay, maybe I should've done this over eight years ago, or maybe I should've laid it to rest. However... I don't think writing a person off is something I would like others do onto me. Plus, the randomness that may arise out of the effort could be interesting to look into.
Hence, here's the notice.

I'm looking for Tomoaki Ishii (石井友明).
That is, surname: Ishii (石井). Given name: Tomoaki (友明).
Age: just turned 30 recently (if I weren't mistaken)

There are a few possible speculations of how his name could've been written out. Personally, I'd rather have a friend whose name translates to "Mr. Friend-Light Wellstone" over anything else. Oh, he told me his surname meant 'good stone'.

The right missing person would be able to verify he owes me a few million yen his birthday and a few other bits of non-intrusive personal information.

...and I hope he's narcissistic enough to Google his name occasionally (and find this post.) (And respond to it.)

(dA reactivated)

After neglecting it for a few years, I'm back on dA with a [pseudo-]vengeance.

Needless to say, the link is listed on the usual spot... so enjoy :D

(declaring myself)

Recently, I received a note from a well-wisher.

There were only a few who knew the details of my current trip/holiday to Melbourne. However, I sensed that gossips have run wild and consequently I need to say something myself to give substance to what is really happening.

I'm in Melbourne for a school break
Having said that, it implies that this trip takes place during my Easter break. Yes, it's a four week-long recess from academic activities. No, I do not miss any classes in order to go to Melbourne. Yes, I intend to go back to London at the end of this trip.

I intend to pursue my chosen career
...which implies, in absence of a substantial industry internship offer, continuation of current studies in London. I am not keen on adding another year onto my studies by simply transferring to another country.

It's possible for me to finish my studies on time
Subject failure is not a prerequisite for me to be concerned over my academic performance, no?

Nothing funny is going on
For those who think that I'm pregnant/on drugs/.......... (insert extremely unacceptable social situation here), with all due respect this subject regretfully informs that thou art gravely mistaken.
Know me, doh.

Well, I guess that's all for now...
This afternoon I went to paint some ceramic - I might come back and do more as I find it fun and liberating. The ceramic bowl is now being baked, and I will post its pictures once I have picked it up next week.

Be well! ^__^

Again I say rejoice

Early mornings are wonderful.

Anyway, have a Good Friday and happy Easter! Whether you go for a church service or consume easter eggs, there's no denying Jesus's death (even if you don't believe so) gives you a few days off at the very least... or so I hope xD

Have a great weekend!

(18 months)

I had a good time talking to my parents over the phone in the past two days. Here are some excerpts from the talks...

Dad (B): Thank you for calling, be wise with your spending, don't burn your money... [herein referring to mobile and calling card spending]
M: Don't worry dad, the money's already burnt, I'm just using the ash.
B: (laughs)

I went to see Bora Aksu's show in Natural History Museum this morning. I never knew the designer's actually a Caucasian-looking guy!! I've always been under the impression that the designer is a she with African heritage. Never mind the confusion, my head's probably just not quite right. Also, timeliness and being early are very important things in fashion - having a ticket doesn't mean the guards will guarantee your entry into the tent. That is the case, unless you're Suzy Menkes or some other uber-important personality in the industry (even then, I'm not too sure the guards will remember your face... excuse my skepticism.)

Ah... no, I didn't pay for the ticket. The standing ticket got me in and I somehow managed to sit myself on the third row (out of four.) It was a good show with lots of nice floaty dresses and leather bodices. Question is, with the show being held to showcase designs available for autumn/winter merchandise, where are the coats?

Another thing I'd like to post is 2008-09's term dates.
Pathfinding Week --- 29 Sep - 3 Oct 2008
Autumn Term --- 6 Oct - 12 Dec 2008
Spring Term --- 12 Jan - 20 Mar 2009
Summer Term --- 20 Apr - 26 Jun 2009
Looks like next year starts and ends later than usual :))
Alright, that gives me 18 months of preparation time to start of third year. I have somewhat narrowed down my subject choices to about 4 (from ten). I still need to arrange which disciplines I'll be taking in short courses, which, given what's been jotted down my calendar so far, doesn't leave me with much time to faff around.

Compulsory working experience term, although not yet disclosed by college, is possibly going to take place on the spring term for my group. So, I'll be happy to work between mid-December and mid-April, save the off week or two for Christmas and Easter.

Alright... I guess that's all for now! Take care and wish me (and help me to get) all the best ^__^

(define 'home')

Hi people out there!

This is to let you know I'm back home... wherever 'home' is. I'll be around for approximately four hectic weeks before going back to London.

Small bits of update about life:
- London flat is somewhat deserted as three out of five head for the Far East
- not happy with how I handled my project last term
- not too happy either to have my scissors and awl confiscated by airport security - yes, they are sharp... and so does everyone wears clothes (doh.) Getting new fabric scissors in the near future.
- I find my bedroom to be unusually comfortable and roomy
- traffic in Jakarta is still, well... as per usual. :))

Alright then, have a good day folks! ^__^

(WHAT?!)

I didn't even know I won a competition. Geez, thank God!

I'm not too sure whether I have blogged about my trip to the graduate fashion show back in June, or about the colour-matching competition I did. I am fussy about colours (there are too many solid reds and blacks to mention), hence doing the competition seemed to be a good option for queue time-killing. SDC did send me an email about this competition, but as far as I could remember I didn't see much of it... or I wasn't too aware of what I was reading. It was only when I Googled my name did the article come up.

Anyway, I'm glad I have another title under my belt ^__^

Sagittarius

Humans are transient, yet the works of their hands are a legacy that lasts longer than their mortal existence.

With the death of Taufik Savalas, the Indonesian blogging community went into mourning. Many were saddened by his sudden departure, some more critical on how how his death overshadowed another transport disaster. As for myself, I am affected by his loss but at the same time I'm unfortunate enough to have not watched much of his now-infamous impersonations of public personalities (hence the lack of overpowering grief.) I hope his surviving family would have enough support to see through the future... somewhere along the way the Irwins have done after their loss of Steve, a.k.a. the Croc Hunter.

On a deeper note, I went to the Heart Exhibition in Euston. I was a bit surprised to find my visual studies tutor gazing at an exhibit case... finding your ex-tutor outside school premises and during vacation counts in as a nice surprise. The exhibit ranges from the cute, the religous to the scientific and the gruesome. It's an exhibition I wished Anne could see, for all the things she finds interesting.

I steeled myself to watch a heart transplant operation recording, casting a glance with my right eye when the scenes got a bit too stomach-churning. Why I used my right eye to have a peek is because the right eye is linked to the brain's left side, which handles logical work... my nerves would be too squeamish to hook up the gory images into my brain's right side. An opened-up chest cavity does have that beef rib layer look, and putting in the donor organ turned out to involve more work than removing the failing organ. I was somehow amused to learn how surgeons tack the inner chest cavity and blind stitch the skin... there are so much similarity shared with my current line of study. I simply have the luxury of being able to undo a faulty stitch with relative ease and little damage to the fabric structure; these surgeons can't do a wrong stitch at all!

All those tubes, machines and liquids were so needed to sustain the existence of a person. The human body is an amazing piece of living machinery in its own right. Medics devote so much time to learn about bodily functions that seem to happen as simple and assuring as how the sun rises from the east. Attempted mistreatement to the body is simply unthinkable o__o

I took down so much notes last night.

Finally, on the issue of how the heart is perceived as the centre of humanity. We have those moments when our hearts seem to have skipped a bit when that important, much-treasured name is mentioned (the other possibility is when the heart seems to calm down when that name is mentioned.) This diagram largely outlines my train of thought...


How do you think we relate to each other in a social setting?

It does make me think that the physical body is a vessel for our consciousness. The consciousness creates humanity, and in turn the humanity it creates gets passed down to the following generation. We are more than just DNA coding and bits of stardust floating around the universe; we are surely more complex and fine-tuned than that ^__^

Humans don't just exist because of a blip or due to some divine whim... there is a greater purpose in our existence, and it has much to do with sharing our lives with others around us.

I really get carried away with this post... I'm really satisfied ^__^ Also, I managed to get the MP3 file for this song - yippee! :D The song is important not only because it's freshly procured or it's in Japanese, but because the lyrics share a lot with the rambles I have in mind.

Well then, just got a call from my friends, so I better meet them and go watch Harry Potter... that is, if I can procure tickets for tonight's session :))

Zutto mabushii koe de
Kitto eien ni aru
Furueteta mune wo tomeru
Natsu no kizumi tsuzuite

Sotto kimi wo kanjiteru
Fuu to nagareru gensou wa
Nami mo kamo koko kara
Saratteku yoyuu de shizuka ni

Kasanari atte tojita me mitsumeru kokoro wo
Wasurenai de, wasurenai de

Aoi namida no kazu, hoshi no kazu
Musunda sora ni
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
Itsuka kiete yuku
Tsukamu hikari hitotsu, hitotsu dake
Egaita yume wo
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Nagamete iru

Motto hohaba otoshite
Yatto yoko naranda rizumu
Mayonaka no odayaka na
Nami ni osare tabi suru

Ima kasanari atte tojita me ga mitsumeru kokoro wo
Wasurenai de, wasurenai de

Hajimete no sekai ni kono basho ni
Kinou no kage wa
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
Katachi ushinatta
Mimimoto de sasayaita ima tsubuyaita
Kimi no kotoba wa
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Asu ni nageta

Wasurenai sa, wasurenai sa

Aoi namida no kazu hoshi no kazu
Musunda sora ni
Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
Itsuka kiete yuku
Tsukamu hikari hitotsu, hitotsu dake
Egaita yume wo
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Nagameru futari
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Kono kimochi goto
Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere
Wasurenai de...

(who is the fairest of all?)

If anyone has got the interests and dosh to attend this year's Miss Universe finals night in Mexico City, the tickets are available on sale from Ticketmasters. Tickets are also available for, surprisingly, the presentation show and dress rehearsal. I shouldn't really be surprised (having been through one), but for dress rehearsal... I guess there is always a market for seeing an army of beauties strutting their stuff on the catwalk, even if it's only for dress rehearsal.

By the way, my bets are with these beautiful ladies:
Inga Skaya (Canada)
Eshan Hatem el Kirdany (Egypt)
Flaviana Matata (Tanzania)
Zaklina Sojic (Denmark)
Stephanie Winter (Antiqua & Barbuda)
Angelina Glass (Germany)
Trinere Lynes (Bahamas)
Riyo Mori (Japan)
Honey Lee (Korea)
If you asked me how I came to these conclusion, it was because I simply browsed through their interview answers. I didn't pay much attention to how they look... simply because they're guaranteed to look good anyway. Hee hee ^__^

Gosh, these people better pay me for giving a free ad. Too bad I've got school going on, otherwise I would've jetted my way to Mexico to watch...

Allegro Cantabile

After 'disappearing' for two weeks, I'm glad to say that I'm back around the perimeter of blogging once more. I had a hectic two-week portfolio preparation period, which started with my tutor's mock interview comments that she knows I "work really hard but if I want to make it then I need to work really really hard". Not exactly a relaxing commando to digest, but I did as she suggested.

At the end of the two weeks, my design portfolio tripled in size (I had interesting things but I wasn't too sure about putting them in, so I'm glad she told me to chuck in lots of fabrics and do more *wearable* designs). To be honest, size isn't everything when it comes to portfolio selection, but the amount of experimentations you do indirectly corresponds with the amount of sheets you select.


The trip to the interview itself wasn't exactly a pleasant affair, but I made it in time for the interview... and still had some time to breathe and chat and calm myself down. At the end of the interview I was impressed to see myself develop by doing more works, hence the proverb 'practice makes perfect'. I still have to find my signature, so there are still lots of room for improvement on my part... especially after being told my drawings look 'outdated' and 'are not contemporary enough' 6__6;

(What did he mean by 'contemporary' anyway?!?!)

I still have another interview to prepare for, and it's on Monday, so I still need to work... harder ^^;

Oh yeah, and one good thing about it is I am offered a BA place at LCF. Not too bad considering its graduates have been winning the graduate fashion week show for eight times in the past ten years. I hope it better be my turn in three years' time ^________^ hee hee hee hee hee.

Take care, and have a good day! :D

(mushy mode)

Despite my four-year attempt to brush off February 14 aside, I do love many things mushy... although I'm not having it this year. I'm going to hold a singletons' dinner party instead! ^^

One of my friends was talking about calling his significant other who is holidaying across the sea. He was talking about her view that [proverbially] a guy should be the first who puts his head on the chopping block. That's a nice allegory :))

Also, just wanna mention happy birthday to Celine while it's still February the 13th! There was this one time I went out to buy a red rose for her birthday since she wanted to have flowers... and red roses were what was available in store... and one stem was what a poor student's budget could allow. Celine, if you're reading this, happy birthday :D

Other than that, I'm spending tonight doing work for a mock interview session tomorrow... gotta be ready! >.< Cheers, take care, and please be productive/useful/careful today!

(so much more to see)

Just making a quick note on things. I found this message from my dad interesting. Probably it's just my sleep-deprived mind going berserk, but anyway...

Dear all,
The idea of family vacation in December has warm reception from all of us. There have been variation in destination preference; Yvonne prefers Bali, Marsha prefers Toba, Papa prefers Lombok, and Mom has not say anything but suggesting that we do not book the vacation until Marsha and Yvonne arrive in Jakarta.

Now please excuse me for having to go back to my work. Take care!

Sumber Kasih

I find myself restarting my visual life once more. I will neglect my devart account no more, I am operating on flickr (finally!), and foto.com is one trusty place for Londoners to get their digital pictures developed. The price difference is staggering; getting 47 shots printed to a 7" x 5" size and shipped to my door costs £9.22, a stark difference to the financially burdening 80-pence-apiece option offered by photo developers around here. When I am doing a photographic journal, a lot of pictures are taken, and the cost difference can quickly accumulate. I'd rather spend the extra money on decent nice food or more colours for my art kit.

Happy birthday for DW, who is turning 17 (plus 7) today. Geez, you're old!

That's all! It's time to head off to uni. I've got an outdoor photography class, so I will be taking lots of pictures on an SLR camera... and I will need to shell out some cash to get them developed. The university has darkrooms, but their use is prioritised to photography students. Since I am a fashion student, hmmm... I wonder whether my photography/styling friend will help me gain access to these rooms, or better still help me develop the prints. Tee hee :))

Take care!

Ku kan s'lalu merasa terpana dan terpesona
'Kan kuberikan semua yang aku punya
Oh, sampai waktu kan musnah
Sampai aku pun punah
'Kan kucari tahu apa artinya...

Oh, cinta
Cintamu sungguh luar biasa
Seakan diriku berbunga
Kala kita di dalamnya