PART 1: 2013 Penang Yosakoi Parade

 (●⌒∇⌒●)／I was in Japan a couple of days ago!

awkward solo pose (≥A≤)

Yeah right, how I wish! (¬_¬) Apologize for being lame...

The background's actually some of the huge printed banner with sceneries around Japan hung around Esplanade in Penang last Saturday. I was there with mom that evening to check out the Yosakoi Parade which is the first time ever held in Penang.

Weather's so cloudy. I'm so glad it didn't rain.

I wonder if anyone hung teru teru bozu the night before 'cuz I forgot to do so. If you did, thank you. It worked!!

Some stalls around the carnival~

One stall displayed orchid-sth mantises. Pretty!

Little girls playing. Not to mess around with the one on the far left. ROFL!

Haunted house! I wanted to go in and check it out but my mom didn't want to and I'm too scared to go alone. I'd probably freak myself out first before the peeps in ayakashi costumes does.

Putting the blame onto my Japanese-event-anything kaki for coming just before the parade that I couldn't go in and see.

More pretty banner~

A carnival can never be complete without the food stalls! *drool*

Hokkaido cake with marshmallow　かわいい〜！

Also there were several stage performances going on. This one was the choir performance by the Japanese Women Choir.

I happened to meet a friend there~

And here's my friend's friend _who's now my friend LOL_ who's the owner of an online accessories boutique. She opened a stall there in the carnival~

Got myself some bracelets to add into my ever growing bracelet/bangles collection. I actually hoped to find get some nice kanzashi or Japanese anything accessories but there were none(,=A=,)

Me again standing in front of the torii gate prop~

There's actually some rows of Japanese lanterns at both sides but I forgot to snap photo (,=A=,)

Got tired from checking all the stalls and performances we went strolling around to kill time before the parade.

A view overlooking Padang Kota Lama~

One of the few trishaws around the area~

Photos of the parade that night will be posted in Part 2 of this post. My photos were quite blur so I'm trying to edit them first.

camwhoringXmakeup

Camwhoring today~ Trying on my new matsuge. Found an awesome way of putting on falsies using toothpick and tweezers.I finally am able to put them on but they didn't quite turn out evenly on both eyes (,TAT,)

 

camwhoring~

Makeup for the shoot:

 

メイク~!

ヾ(//v//) ﾉ What do you think? This is before I put on the falsies~I use my new Majolica Majorca eyeliner in Jewel Green as an eyeshadow. Turns out pretty awesome ♡ I'm also using Pretige Let Loose! Shimmering Shadow Dust in 15 Planet in the inner corner of my eyes and Loreal Open Eyes Pro darkest shade brown in the outer corner.

I wanted to snap a photo of all the stuff I'm using for the eye makeup but my memory card reader just broke down.I still need it for tomorrow's camwhoring. FML. Consoling myself nao with the new Ray Malaysia magazine I bought yesterday. I'l have to wait till tomorrow to look for a replacement (,T~T,)

 

Ray Malaysia September issue

Tokyo Street: 1st Anniversary Celebration

Finally I have some time off for myself today. Things been such a whack of late I find myself drained on most days (,TAT,) So after my final(thankfully, something settled) class today, I decided to drop by Pavilion KL to check out the 'Good Goods Japan' expo and Summer Festival organized in conjunction with the Tokyo Street 1st Anniversary celebration between 23rd till 29th July 2012.

Got to know about this event via ViVi magazine and decided I must really check it out. I'm a sucker for all things Japanese-related.

Anyway, was anticipating a livelier crowd but the place was somewhat the opposite probably because it isn't the weekend and most of the major events like the Tokyo Fashion Fiesta featuring a number of Japan fashion brands, Cosplay Fashion Showcase and even the special appearance of Ena Matsumoto are scheduled to be on this weekend :S

Gahhh!! That'll means I'll be missing out on the fashion showcase which will be held tomorrow... (>x<) Too lazy to make another trip there...

Anyway, they've got some really prettystreamers a.k.a. fukinagashi and folded origami cranes up for the Tanabata Festival. Photos below:

[caption id="attachment_2420" align="aligncenter" width="448"] from a different angle[/caption]

They're so pretty!! Making a mental note to make small fukunagashi and cranes for next year's Tanabata Festival and put it in the house. LOL.

Oooh~! And I found a stall selling Mille Crepes cake at Tokyo Street ♥ Here's some of the Mille Crepes from Arthur's

[caption id="attachment_2422" align="aligncenter" width="448"] Spotted! Durian Mille Crepe![/caption]

Got myself a slice of the original classic one for a 10%(yayy!) off its price. Promo's ending this weekend.

[caption id="attachment_2417" align="aligncenter" width="448"] Arthur's Classic Mille Crepe[/caption]

Was actually really tempted to try the Nama Roll and ichigo mochi from The Loaf but decided I shouldn't be too greedy since there isn't anyone to share them with (,T^T,)

Oh well, there's still a box of chocolates in the fridge anyway (>v<)/ Plus, I'll get to try some really awesome burger this weekend. An acquaintance of mine just opened a burger shop in Seapark in P.J. around 3 weeks ago and I'll be going there with my other friends to try them out. So can't wait 'cuz I heard they've sold out on most nights!

Will keep you posted about more stuff soon. Meanwhile, I'll just drop dead here and now. I'm beat! ,(XvX)/~~ Chao~

More about Tokyo Street 1st Anniversary Celebration in Danny Choo's post~

Tsukuri Obi: Dressing Up Tips

Countdown_Just 4 more days left before the 2012 Bon Odori festival at Shah Alam!! Here's my last minute tips for those attending the event this Saturday and the following weekend at Esplanade Penang or any other future events.

In my previous post, I shared some basic points to consider when choosing a yukata. This one is gonna be about dressing up the obi and how to actually get your pre-tied tsukuri obito fit nicely(as in not loosely on your waist).

 

my pink tsukuri obi~ ♥

Loose obi?

Here's a cheap, quick trick to fix it. Before wrapping the obi around your waist, get a clean towel or two, fold and tie them around you waist. Add more towels, making sure they're not concentrated only at one part, if you still find the obi loose.

This shall keep your obi in place!

 

use clean towels to fill in the gaps!

Plain Obi? Dress it up!

Here I'm using a lace obi I got online somewhere weeks, if not months ago for only about RM55~ Too late to get one of these? Use a scarf instead!

 

white obi with lace trimmings at both ends

This is how it looks like after putting it on. I'm just making a simple butterfly bow and had it arranged on top of my pink obi~

 

a simple bow over the tsukuri obi

Tucked a cute usagi(?!) fan my sis got for me behind my obi. Teehee~ ヾ(＠^▽^＠)ﾉ

♣

Think the front is too plain? Here's a simple idea~

 

With my floral hair clip. You can opt for larger hair clips too~!

Instead of focusing at the back of the obi, you can draw more attention to the front too.Here's something I come up with_curl one end of the lace obi into a rose! Use tape, pins or anything to secure the shape. Also, if you have a similar lace obi with lace trimmings at the end, you can fold and tuck one end of the obi at the front to reveal the lace.

 

curl and twist to form a rose~! keep twisting until the obi end or just leave the lace part clinging at the side (like a leaf)

I actually like it better this way. Looks really cute~ ♥

Anyway, you can accessorize your obi further with chain of pearls, hair braids, obi jime, or even bows~! Found a site with similar ideas. Go check the site out for more inspiration!

Have fun dressing up! ☆-(≥vO)v

Guide: Choosing a yukata

Bon Odori 2012 is just around the corner~! Or actually, it's like next weekend on the 14th at Shah Alam and on the 21st in Penang. For those who's planning to get a yukata for the event next weekend, or other future events, here's a simple guide on how to choose a yukata.

I hope you might find this guide useful especially for those who's looking into getting your first yukata ^^

 

Pretty yukata~! Love the obi, especially~ Photo from yukatayasan.com

So let's get started~!

Well, the first point to be taken into consideration is the length of the yukata.  Usually, for the adult ones, the sizes range for those under 150cm, 160cm and over 160cm(in height).

However, if you're 150cm and below AND really skinny, you can opt for children-size yukatas. Oh yes you can! Bear in mind though, the range of sizes for children yukata are 130-140cm and 140-150cm. Alternately, if you can't find the design you want, larger ones work too!

I'm short fun size, but I got this one yukata for those over 160cm. The shoulder broadness of the yukata is pretty much the same(I think!) and the length's easily adjustable. It MAY however, makes you look a lil' bulky from the folding at the waistline. It can be an advantage for some, but I think mine makes me look fat.

Too much folding (>x<)

Secondly, choosing the right obi~ As for the obi, there's the pre-tied ones and the 'original', or untied, obis. The pre-tied obi, a.k.a. the tsukuri obi, is usually shorter and all you need to do is tie it around your waist and tucked the ready-made ribbon at the back. And that's pretty much all you have to do.

Personally, I prefer the tsukuri obi ribbons since the bows are more rigid and stays in shape compared to the 'original' one which shape can get a lil' droopy, depending on the type of obi you're tying.

 

tsukuri obi photo from yukatayasan.com

  

tsukuri obi with rose ♥ photo from yukatayasan.com

The 'original' ones required a lil' folding and tucking but it really is very simple! Plus, there're just so many different ways to tie an obi so you can get creative with it~!

 

'original' obi tied into a cute bow~

photo from yukatayasan.com

Finally, choosing the right color for the yukata! ♥ A yukata's pretty informal so any color works just fine. For cases of married women and elderly women, choices of more subtle to darker tones are picked. Young, single adults have wider range of more vibrant colors and designs to choose from!

vibrant-colored yukatas for children and young adults while paler-colored choice of yukatas for married woman and older woman.photos from yukatayasan.com

All that's left now is mixing and matching your choice of yukata, obi and geta sandals together~! Accessorize further with kinchaku(drawstring bag) or small envelope clutches for a dash of modern blend! Not forgetting hair chopsticks or other floral hair clips to finish the look ☆-(≥vO)