Snow

Lovely, lovely snow.

Small flakes falling slowly.

Small balls falling rapidly.

Flakes in my mouth, my nose and my eyes.

I love it!!!

Except when it turns to sludge.=(

Officially on Holiday!

Okay, so it should've happened last Friday but since I wasn't able to finish the shirt for textile and had to hand it in this morning at 10.30, my holiday officially starts now! Yey!

I'm taking one month to sort my brain, get some, scratch that, lots of inspiration for next year's signature collection. I bought myself a notebook and some jelly pens from this new stationery store at DFO for a start. Well, not really, it's supposed to be a travel journal but who knows, I might be inspired. =)

End of School Year

Yey!

Finally finished the last project for the year. I was supposed to hand it in last Thursday but the fabric paint hadn't dried yet. I don't like the outcome but right now, I'm so over it, I don't want to change it anymore. The good news is that the school is planning to offer a workshop of sorts to those taking the Advance Diploma course. Textiles, I mean. Students would be allowed to experiment on the techniques they want while S, the lecturer, would be supervising. I don't know when that will be implemented but it's one thing to look forward to.

***

The Bias Gown project ended last Wednesday. There were great ones and simple ones. Mine was simple. It looked like a child's dress, no, more like a child-bride's dress. lol.

Here are some of what I thought were the really good ones.

Anu's dress

Hayley's dress

2 Major Projects Done

Still recovering from lack of sleep. I didn't sleep a wink the entire night before the Fashion Design 2 presentation on Tuesday and was quite proud of myself.

Unfortunately, not many were able to finish. It was, in my opinion, the worst presentation ever. In our class, there were only 3 of us who presented. Many didn't show up. The bad thing was, the others were given opportunity to present this coming Tuesday and would only be deducted 5% off the total mark instead of getting deducted 5% each day as was the rule. It was unfair for us who finished our stuff to meet the deadline.  So...two so far have expressed their intention of writing to the school to complain about this. Don't know if the school would do anything since they normally don't. 

Today, I finished my CAD homework using the materials I for Fashion Design 2. Cam was fairly happy, I think, since I used illustrator in almost all of my work.

Next week, the Textiles Folio is due as well as the Bias Gown.

Tomorrow, off the buy fabrics. Hopefully I get a good pile to be used for next year since I'm looking at lean months soon.

Sigh

Still not done smocking. Yes, you read it right. Smocking. No. Not Smoking. Smocking. The old world way of embellishing clothes by running seams through it. 

I'll post a photo when done.

Fabric Hunting...

...resulted in me spending nearly 500AUD. I was looking for a particular fabric, silk crepe, but didn't want to spend a lot on it after spending over 500AUD on my ball gown. Then, miracle of miracles, Steve, the school technician, said he had fabrics over at his shop. A bit skeptical but still hoping to look for good deals, I was amazed at the range of fabrics he had. They weren't on a roll but remnants but still! They were sooooo soft. I loved the silk, silk cotton, cotton voile! I was literally turning things over just looking for fabrics. 

And the prices? Hah! I bought his taffeta for 25AUD per metre when they retail about 80AUD at Tyler's. I decided to buy as much as my budget could afford in order to prepare for next year. 

Here are some of the fabrics I bought. You can't really tell the quality based on the photos but trust me, they are amazing!

And here are the Ball gowns

Ballgown presentation was yesterday. The principal, Miriam, was there to observe.

Me and my electric blue fish tail gown

Kathy's barbie style gown. Btw, she's amazing! She gave birth 3 or was it 4 months ago and has 3 other kids and she still manages to do great work.

Hayley's crazy design. 

Zoe's appliqued dress and bow.

Below is Jade's gown

I never thought I'd say this

but I'm loving Adobe Illustrator!

Yes, yes. I'm a terrible terrible late bloomer when it comes to Illustrator and even to Photoshop. It's amazing what one can do and I've only scratched the surface. 

Wheee!!!

Fashion+Aid

Last night was fuuuuuun! Tiring but fun. I volunteered to be one of the dressers so I could put more experience in my resume. =) 

First off, we (those who volunteered) had to take Crown's Occupational Health and Safety Test 3 weeks before the event. No big deal but it was interesting to learn about what's supposed to happen in case of emergency. 

Then we got our schedule in our emails. We had to be at the Palladium by 12NN and will be leaving by 10.30PM. Thought to self: Hmm...must get a good night's sleep the night before.

Yesterday, I woke up early and left for the city. I arrived one hour early, as usual, and wandered about to while away the hour. Ruby arrived and we waited for a bit at the foot of the escalator where we were supposed to meet the other girls. Didn't see anyone. We went up to the foyer of the Palladium and saw Xen and Simon of Trumpet events, who were handling the event. Nice people.

We were told to chill out while waiting for the others. More girls arrived. Everyone except for Cara, who was from Boxhill TAFE, were from the school. Eventually, Mils arrived, she was in charge of the dressers, and brought us to the room where the dresses were. I was surprised to discover that the models would only be wearing two outfits. Then again, there were 16 models and only a few labels participated in the event.

Then we went to the security office where we had to get a contractor's pass. That's where I met a bit of a roadblock and intensified my feeling that people who don't drive get discriminated against. Bohooo. We had to show an ID and since I don't have a driver's license, I just brought along my school ID. Apparently, school IDs are no longer accepted and the only accepted IDs were driver's license and passport. Dude, who brings along their passport when they live in that country? And I don't gamble so I wouldn't have known to bring my passport along. So, the other girls had their contractor's pass and I had to call V and ask him to bring my passport. He wasn't too pleased about it but he obliged.

While waiting for the passport, I went back to the palladium and met my model, Lucy. She was a lovely girl although she looked beat. There was no problem with the clothes and accessories except for the shoes. The pair she was supposed to wear for the first outfit was too big for her. They couldn't find another Tony Bianco pair so we ended up just letting her wear the other pair of shoes which fit her.

Then my passport arrived and I had to run to the security office, when I write run, I mean run down the escalator, past the food court, up the escalator, through the cinema, down two flights of stairs, and to the parking lot where the security office was located. Then I had to find my way through the maze of hallways to get to the palladium. I had to keep asking people how to get there. They probably thought I was an outsider who had infiltrated their inner sanctum. lol

We didn't get to do much since the choreographer was such a perfectionist, he had to keep making the models do the same stuff over and over. Dude, you should have rehearsed that yesterday and final rehearsal on the day. Instead, he wasted about an hour just going over and over the sequence of their walk. The good thing was we had lunch/dinner break early. I must say, Crown takes care of its employees really well. The cafeteria was set up like a canteen but people just swipe their card to get in and just eat as much as they want. They had all sort of food to cater to people. They had different kinds of bread, bread rolls, sandwich fillings, viands, and desserts. They even had several vending machines for coffee, tea, juice and even ice cream. How cool was that?!?

After linner (lunch/dinner), we went back and they were still rehearsing the darn sequence. So we did other stuff like carry out, lay out and masking tape in place the carpet; put up the media wall and place show bags onto seats. Then we ran out of things to do so we just watched the rehearsal. And I managed to talk to a cute model AND see Jason (producer of So You Think You Can Dance Australia) choreograph and dance. Yep, he can dance. His group Ministry of Dance did a number.

After waiting and waiting and waiting, we were told to go to the Hair and Make up room where the models were and just chill. Napoleon Perdis Academy was doing the Hair and Make Up. They were good although one hair dresser didn't seem to know how to do the hair properly. I finally got to talk to Airdrie who was providing the accessories for April Marie. She did all the beads and pearl necklaces and earrings and they were amazing. I asked for her business card.=)

Then it was time. We put the models into their first outfit. They had their hair and make up touched up. Then off they were to the catwalk. Second outfit, my model's necklace got broken so Mils just attached it just to get it on. Off they went again. Then for the finale, they had to go back to their first outfit. Airdrie changed the accessories for my model. So instead of the crystal beads, she wore strands of pearls. It was amazing. 

Then it was all over. We had to take all the racks out of the back stage and into the Garden Room. We had to do a bit of dash and wait since the foyer was still full of beautiful people. I even saw Matthew Newton (Bert Newton's son) and Camilla (the I-select Girl). How's that for people watching. Then we had to dismantle the racks, wrap them in plastic,  and tape them. The other girls had to count the number of shoes, the fans, and the umbrella. They had to run backstage and after models to check if they were still wearing the shoes or had the umbrella with them. Clothes had to be put back into their label's garment bags along with the shoes, counted and taped together. Finally, near 11 pm, we were able to leave. 

It was a great experience. The Trumpet people were so nice. No yelling, no panicking. Everything was in order. We got to see the moneyed set in their beautiful clothes being interviewed and photographed. They had fun. We had fun. And it was all for charity. Nice, huh?

You can read more about Fashion+Aid here. Compared to last year, which was the first Fashion+Aid, this year seemed a bit more toned down. I supposed it was due to the recession.

The only regret I had that night was that I wasn't able to bring my camera so the photos I took from my mobile aren't that nice. 

The show bags

The rehearsal, models under the umbrella, trying to feel cold and lonely

One of the items being auctioned off

Jason Coleman of So You Think You Can Dance directing his dancers, Ministry of Dance. He's the one in blue clothing and a cap. I thought he would be taller. =P

Lucy, my model, from Chadwick Modelling Agency, wearing her first outfit.

Above are the photos of my knitwear project worn by my classmates, Jade and Aleona. The first two were taken by Jade's photographer friend in his studio. It was for free but I had to photoshop the photos since the angles were wrong and my vision wasn't realised. I should have talked to him and clearly stated what I wanted since he didn't know what I wanted. Next time, will make it clear. And it was for free, too, so I shouldn't really complain.

The bottom two were taken using Aleona's video cam. Bad move since the images came up blurry. Truth be told, I liked being the photographing since I knew what angle and what look I wanted. Maybe I should take up photography again?

I chose Christian Cota as the designer I wanted to do a collection for hence the tag. 

Next project - childrenswear. I want to do a formal look for the kids so I can combine tailoring with embellishment. Hope it works. =)

Sad

...to hear about friendships breaking up due to small stuff that escalated over time. Awkward, too, especially if those two people are relatively close to you.�

Hope they manage to sort things out.

***

Happy

to finally be able to sleep earlier than 11 pm. I shouldn't really but since I've decided on what to do with my life, I don't feel as stressed as before. I'm enjoying learning more now despite the deadlines.

***

Excited

for my classmates who'll be presenting their own creations tonight at the pre-screening of the movie "The September Issue" I didn't sign up for it since I knew I wouldn't be able to finish my garments on time.

Told them to take lots of photos!!!!!!

Knitwear Presentation

Yesterday was really fun. We had our presentation for the knitwear and lingerie/swimwear. This time, we did knitwear while the other class did lingerie/swimwear. Most of us agreed that we did way better this time compare to the last. Quality of work has vastly improved especially in the knitwear department.

It was just sad that our class had  a lot of missing people. It gave a bad image as the same thing happened during the first presentation. While most of the class were there, a lot were half-finished or weren't finished at all. 

Anyway, here are a few of the works that I really like.

Amy's cougarish bedroom wear

Alysha's dominatrix lingerie 

crinoline

Ashley's swimwear

Ruby's knitwear

My Knitwear

This time, I'm relatively happy with the results of my knitwear. It didn't quite go as planned due to miscalculation and lack of foresight but still the end result looked passable enough to be part of the range of the designer I've chosen.

Surprisingly, I found it easier to 

knit although I stuck to a very simple silhouette. The knitting machine I appropriated for myself also helped since it didn't stuff 

up as much as the first knitting machine I got hold of did.

I still haven't finished the range book but I've already scheduled a photo shoot with A this Saturday. We wouldn't be able to use the photographer s

he knows but I get to use her for my model which is great. 

Here's the pre-photo shoot photos. I'm excited to see how they'll look on a person. 

The first one I made. Originally, the flap shouldn't have been there but I knitted too much, thus the flap.

The black and green top with scarf

(that's wool felted on the fabric....hmm..doesn't look good on the photo)

One project done

Jacket is done and I got a 90 for it, too. Whohoo. First time I got something over 9 this year, and in styling and couture class at that. The skirt was not up to par though. 

Still dyeing my silk. I've discarded 3 already since I wasn't satisfied with the outcome. Right now, I'm waiting for the last one to dry before painting on it. I even bought a 40"x40" canvass to use a silk canvass. 

I haven't done anything for Design Class which isn't good. I have to finish the range plan because that always takes me awhile to finish. In class, I need to do my knitting. M wanted me to do fully-fashioned garments so I had to do a bit of calculations. And recalculations. Makes me want to buy a knitting machine but that's just way out of the budget right now, especially since I have to spend a whole lot on the upcoming project in styling and couture class.

Yep, it's the dreaded ballgown. We have to present 3 designs to a panel this Wednesday. The designs have to be backed by research and must contain either a corset or petticoat or both and must have embellishments. I've already calculated how much it would cost me and it would reach about AUD500 or AUD 600 just for the main fabric. That still does not include the tulle or the other materials (i.e. boning, lining, trims, etc). Sigh.

Deadlines...

are looming. 

I thought I'd be able to finish my jacket today but my jacket had other ideas. I had to spend the entire day just trying to match up my collars so that the pointy bits are matched properly. Then when I finally managed to sew them onto the neck, their heights aren't the same. When that one got solved, one end decided it wanted to have puckers and them puckers are so stubborn. 10 minutes before the end of class, I decided to shift my attention to my sleeves. Of course, this time, they decided they want puckers as well. Haaarggh. 

Seriously!

And I so wanted to start on my kilt already. I've already sent out the registration form to the Wool Awards, not that I'm expecting to win. Initially, I wanted a wrap around skirt to go with it, but T said not to bother and just send a pair of tights. Then I re-read the rules of the contest and it stated that entries should be a complete outfit. Now I can wear a double-breasted coat and just pair it with boots and tights but since the event isn't exactly run by young fashion forward people who can appreciate the look I just described, a matching skirt had to go with it. 

So, I went back to my original idea of a wrap around skirt with a button. T said just use a waistband and have it tied on one side. I didn't like it since the jacket is fitted. Any bulge would show. Pencil style skirts? Simple but I have problems attaching invisible zips. Finally, we settled on a kilt. I still have about a metre and  a half of the wool I bought from Georgette so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that would be enough. Time to google "how to make pleats".

On other subjects, my silk painting was not happening. The water based gutta just won't play nice with them. I had to redo an entire drawing. Second one was so-so. I might have to redo it as well. Deadline, two weeks from now.

Colour matters final assignment. Who ever invented a software that won't allow you to go back several steps  is one seriously mean person. Once you get the hang of undoing everything each time, it's a bit easier but still it's such a hassle. And always framing the work before saving? Somebody tell the person, persons, or company to make their software more user friendly, please! It's a good software especially when it comes to tonal changes, draping and colour separation but these two things are it's biggest drawbacks. It takes tremendous amounts of patience to finish one project in class. If it weren't for the deadline, it would be hilarious. I've been laughing myself silly and mumbling to myself too much to cope with it. My classmates have gotten used to it and are no longer scared I could be psychotic. hehehe

To get away from it all for a bit, I'm going to watch Noche Flamenco this friday with people who are not from school. 

 

Silk Painting

I looove how the colours just bleed!

Still on the experimental phase. Will see how it goes.

Updates on Knitwear and Tailored Jacket

Soo...in knitwear, we're using knitting machines from the 1970s. The ones where you move your hand right to left while the yarn gets knitted. First time I used it, all my knitting was soo bad. 2nd time, I had awesome results even when I used the punch cards. Then when someone else started using the machine, their knitting got wrecked. Temperamental machines. At least, we're not doing any hand knitting.

Things I learned in knitting. In doing the toile, think in terms of rectangles. Don't force the fabric to work like woven fabrics because it won't do. Let the fabric drape as it wants. Learn what types of ply and yarns there are before buying any yarns. The last one is for me to remember since we'll be buying our yarns next week. I don't really like merino wool. I prefer yarns that are soft like cashmere. I'll have to watch my budget though. Note to self: do not waste wool.

For the tailored jacket. I finished my toile. I finished cutting my fabrics. Done with the fusing as well. Learned another valuable lesson: Think before cutting the fabric. Sigh. Not only did I cut the wrong side but I also ran out of fabric and Clegs doesn't sell the red wool I wanted anymore. A boink in the head for me.

Wasn't exactly a disaster since T, my teacher, told me to just use the reverse of the cut fabric. So, that's that. 

Oh, and must deal with the different shades of my wool. I burnt the wool on my back panels so T said we'll have to burn the other panels as well for consistency. But that's for when I've finished everything and would just be doing the final press. Sigh. Continue pad stitching...

Fabric Buying

Spent a lot buying fabrics. I already bought about a metre and a half of black Italian wool but I wasn't sure it would be enough. Also, there were patches where the wool was "damaged" in some way. Since it was a remnant of a private collection and it was being sold dirt cheap, literally, at AUD10.00 per metre, it wasn't a bad bargain. In the end, I got the remaining roll for AUD5.00.

But I was still worried it wouldn't be enough for my tailored jacket so I went with E, V and R to check out this wool place in Richmond. Talk about "Whoah!". The place had so much wool to choose from. And they allow students to purchase even though they were a wholesale business (from what I gathered). Anyway, I bought 3 metres of wool/cashmere (80% wool and 20% cashmere). I wanted the 97% cashmere/ 3% wool combination but at AUD89.00 per metre, it was way out of my budget. Sigh. 

I just love fabric places especially those with lovely natural fibre fabrics. They're just so great to be in. 

Done!

Yey! Presentation was yesterday. I liked the knitwear. They were so cool.

I didn't like mine. It was just not good enough for me. I'm hoping to do better in knitwear.

I did like my ad boards. They were the only ones I was proud of. heheheh

Here are some that I liked.

Some of the knits

Viviana's macrame swimwear

Ruki's lounging around the pool swimwear

Lingerie Project Update

It's 1:26 in the morning. I'm taking a break from  drawing since my hands were getting tired and stiff from all that drawing.

I finished sewing the garments, but I still need to do a bit of cleaning up. However, half of the requirement is done. Now, I just need to finish the range book. This should've been done loooong ago when I was still relaxed and didn't have much to do. Unfortunately, I was plain lazy and now am suffering the consequences.

For the past two weeks of what was supposed to be a school holiday, I, along with a small group have been going to school as early as 9 in the morning and leaving at 8.30 in the evening sewing, overlocking, babylocking, threading overlockers. By the second week, too many late nights have caught up with us and we started belting out old (Tom Jones old) songs just to amuse ourselves.

Seriously, too many late nights are not good for my skin. I easily get dark circles under my eyes and I tend to resemble a raccoon minus the fur. I don't have break outs yet but I'm not looking forward to having them. 

Okay, break over. Back to work.

Aaarrrrgggghhh

It's supposed to be a two-week break but there's no break for me and those who are still not done with the lingerie/swimwear project. After weeks of draping and correcting patterns, I have not yet perfected a single pattern. I tried to wing it by not doing a sample but that ended in disaster. Lesson learned: don't wing it.

After a private class with V, I think I'm on the right track. I hope to at least finish two things this week so I could concentrate on other things, dyeing for textiles and doing the catalogue for the designs.  Sigh. 

Tomorrow's another day in school. 

On to the next project

After the corset comes the jacket. I've finished the design and I'm liking it. Kind of. If I manage to make it good, I'd probably even enter it into the wool awards. Must look for red wool and red cashmere. 

For the lingerie project, I'm feeling a bit frustrated since I don't think I'm making headways in my bra pattern. Such a tiny thing but it just makes me scream. I've revised the patterns 6 times already and it's still nowhere near fitting as I want it to be. sigh.

Corsets! Corsets! Corsets!

We handed in our corsets today. I was glad to finish my mine, just the binding actually, at 12.45 in the morning. That gave me 5 hours of shut eye. My classmates weren't so fortunate. Due to the intricate designs they've made, some had to keep working at their corsets until past the due time which was at 2 in the afternoon. T, our lecturer, wasn't bothered by it. He was happy at the work done by the class and he was even complimented by M, the principal of the school. She said the works this year was much better than last year. Yey!

So here are the corsets. Forgot to bring my camera so had to do with my mobile phone.

My corset inner layer

My corset with outer layer

Eileen's corset. She stitched all those designs herself, to get the effect she saw at Clegs.

I think this is Kirsty's

Viviana's corset

In class

Thought I might sneek in a bit of blogging since we're not doing much in CAD class. I've done my marking (placing the patterns on fabric via StyleCAD to get the best possible yield) and still thinking about what borders to use on my fashion design research journal.

Corset is coming along nicely, fingers crossed. Still haven't posted the photos though I promised I would. It was a bit of a learning curve though. First, I learned the hard way not to use patterned fabrics if I don't have the patience to match them, second, using silk satin is haaaard, unless you use backing paper (or baking paper as a classmate suggested) to hold the fabric in place, third, there are always solutions to the problems especially when your lecturer is keeping a close tab on your progress. Solution for the first? Change the fabric to silk dupion. Expensive but less time consuming.

For fashion design, we need to do production notes for 12 designs so I'll be doing that over the weekend.

Lunch time now so logging off. =)

Feeling the Fool

Not really though 3 weeks into the new school year and I'm having a bit of a self-reflection of what I've gotten myself into. So far, I've learned how to weave (wafting as a classmate calls it. From weft to right) then I've learned how to knit (repeat after me: plain and purl, plain and purl). Seriously, my fingers became stiff after a whole day of knitting. It didn't help that I was knitting the wrong way when I've finished a square piece. =P

I've also learned how easy it is to do lingerie. We've done 2 kinds already, one is a g-string which was really fun to do. The other was a normal pair of undies. Next week, we're finishing the boylet (or was it boyleg) cut. Yep, we're using lace. Amazing how you can do those itsy-bitsy little thingies and how much they charge for them at the department stores.

For styling and couture, we're doing a corset. And we've done it by draping calico over the mannequin, unlike the flat patternmaking we were doing in first year. Unfortunately, I had to redrape because after I took the calico off the mannequin and traced it on cardboard, I made all the curved lines straight. Then after I corrected my pattern, cut out the calico for fitting, sewn the panels together, I thought I might fiddle with my patterns because the panels didn't match perfectly (there were teensy weensy excesses). Of course, once I did that and re-cut the calico, the panels definitely didn't matched so I had to retrace the draped panels onto cardboard. But it's good. I'm learning what I shouldn't do. =P

Will post photos later. =)

Golden Age of Couture at Bendigo

Our styling and couture class went on an excursion to Bendigo to view the exhibit entitled the Golden Age of Couture. The exhibit were made up of exquisite clothes and magnificent photos from 1940s to 1950s from London and Paris.
The clothes apparently were donated by the clienteles of Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Fath and others. The entire collection were on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Unfortunately, photo taking was not allowed. Pity.
There were many magnificent dresses there. I was impresses by most of them. Some I didn't really like. There were miniature dolls showing the clothes and it was just amazing looking at the details. the beading on the dresses were also awe inspiring. It's sad that these kinds of high quality work is no longer as prevalent as before.

Missing Japan Already

What can I say about the trip? It was a cold, wacky, and totally inspiring experience. I knew there was a reason why I've always wanted to go to Japan, not just because it was the land of manga and animes although that's a very good reason, too.

It was strange seeing temples and shrines in the middle of the concrete jungle. It was fun watching people hurry along dressed in their business, preppy, and out-of-this-world outfits. I loved lookinga at the architectures at Omotesando and Ginza, Omotesando has edgier buildings from my point of view. Pity I wasn't able to see all the other designer buildings.



I smile as I remember the high-pitched greetings whether it was at Takashimaya or at Yoshinoya. I grimace a bit while recalling being pushed quashed inside the monorail while a polite white-gloved wearing staff pushed the crowd in. I laugh as I remember the horrified look of V when I explained to him the concept of the maid cafe. How he tried not to look embarrassed while we were being served by a very cute girl dressed in a french maid who could not speak a word of english but tried to entertain us, anyway. Maybe I was channeling my inner child, but I was so happy surrounded by cuteness. Even their commercials are cute.

I went there to be inspired, and, boy, was I inspired. Yes, the Japanese are known to have a cattle-mentality, follow the pack, so to speak, and yet, inspite of this or maybe because of this, they also have the ability to break away from the pack and do something marvelous. I'm not a fan of Rei Kawakubo's clothes but I can admire the genius behind the deconstructive clothes she makes. Neatness and cleanliness also seem to be one of the hallmarks of the culture. Whether it be in Tokyo Central or downtown Ueno or nearby Mitaka, things seem to be in order. Houses and buildings are neatly separated or stand neatly together.

That wasn't my first impression though, when we were riding the Skyliner and seeing parts of Narita. My first impmression was that it looked like Hong Kong without the haze. It was reinforced when we arrived at Ueno. Again, it looked like Hong Kong, albeit with wider streets and cleaner surroundings. When we started checking out the tourist sites, I thought, "Now it looks like Beijing but with more stylish people following the traffic/pedestrian lights."

Then we ate at tiny shops and went into department stores and finally it hit me, this is Japan. There maybe similarities but Japan, I should say Tokyo since I haven't seen the rest of Japan, has its own qualities. Its own quirks. But what I love the most is seeing beautiful people. By beautiful, I mean people who look like they like dressing up, who look great in what they're wearing and who are confident as they giggle and walk down the streets. I can also stare endlessly at the perfectly trimmed / pruned bushes, as well as at the elegant buildings.

And the food? Love their miso. Sounds weird but I seem to have developed a love for miso. =)

Can't wait till next time when we go to Kyoto and Osaka. Fingers crossed.

I wonder if they also have cute greetings like this?