11 Excitingly Random Links You Won’t Want To Miss

Tags

carolinesmode, Dinosaurs you can overpower, DIY necklace, Natalie Tran, random links, The Beauty Department, zooey deschanel

Other than immersing myself in the pages of a fashion magazine (wow Minty, you’ve got some really deep interests) there really is nothing I love more than trolling the Internet for things that induce giggling or swooning.

And not necessarily in that order, either.

So. Filtered, for your viewing pleasure:
How common is your birthday? Mine’s in the ‘most common’ bracket! ..And here I thought I was special (also, I can’t seem to spell deulsional – see what I did there?).

Delicious outfit inspirations. Very self-explanatory.

DIY Geometric Necklace. I love Meg Allan Cole! Such an amazing Youtuber.

Dog lovers, take heed: 10 Deceptively Dangerous Dogs. …Call me stubborn (or whatever), but I basically ignored everything between the number “10” and “Dogs”.

Crazy neon Navajo nails by Chronicles of Her that make my day so much brighter.

Eat your Kimchi. This blog has given me countless hours of entertainment. (Time badly or well-spent? You decide.)

As has Nat Tran.

Head on over to The Beauty Department for all your hair and beauty needs.

Hands down, a list of the most disturbing children’s books nobody should ever have to be subjected to.

Look guys, I’m not going to lie. This is going to be a little strange. I’m a huge fan of Zooey Deschanel, but I’m not sure how comfortable I feel about knowing that there are people out there creating Facebook fan pages for a set of eyeballs… (Tho to be COMPLETELY FAIR, a fan page dedicated to eyeballs is way classier than one dedicated to someone’s arse).

Also, a good guide to have if you ever find yourself lost in Jurassic Park: 7 Dinosaurs you could take in a fight.

You’re welcome.

xo, Minty

Yellow For Change! Chronicles Of A First-Timer

Tags

BERSIH 3.0, demonstrations, freedom of speech, H&M, how to wear yellow, New Look, People Movements, rallies, yellow outfit

Last weekend over Twitter, I said that I would be joining fellow Malaysians and supporters in Newcastle for a meaningful and peaceful demonstration.

• WHAT’S IT CALLED: BERSIH 3.0 [‘Bersih’ means ‘clean’ in the Malay language, and the 3.0 stands for the 3rd time the demonstration is happening]
• BY WHOM: It is a genuine people’s movement
• PURPOSE: For FREE and FAIR elections in Malaysia
• LOCATION: Primarily in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Malaysians around the whole hold the same demos in support
• DATE: 28th April 2012
• COLOUR: Supporters wear YELLOW

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk about this on the blog, but maybe it would give our readers some insight about what has been happening across the ocean in South East Asia. Most of our readers come from the USA and Europe and a lot of things that come out of Malaysia isn’t always the full picture.

I wanted to support the demo that was happening in Newcastle, because numbers mean everything. In fact, when I went along with some of my Malaysian friends who are also doing the Bar with me – it was a great feeling. There was a patriotic, determined and brave feeling in the air where we stood at the steps of Monument. We stood and sang our national song, we gave our salutes, and we cheered a lot. Passerbys stopped to look, smiling at our enthusiasm, and taking pictures of (and with) us.

There were approximately 130 of us there that day, small in comparison to the >80,000 that filled the streets of Kuala Lumpur:

Though here in Newcastle we were small in number, we had strength.

Different races coming together to make it worthwhile. This is what our generation wants. This is for our future. As citizens of Malaysia, one has a right to make an informed decision on who to vote as their right to vote is a basic right.

Here are some pictures from the day in Newcastle:

BERSIH 3.0 demonstration at Monument in Newcastle, UK

The 8 demands:

• #2: Currently only overseas students, Government servants working overseas, and military serving overseas are allowed postal voting. A majority of overseas Malaysians (working adults) actually fall out of the limited criteria and would have to FLY back to Malaysia just to vote. Reason being: One is not patriotic if they are working OUTSIDE Malaysia.
• #3: There have been cases where vote slips are tampered with while in transit.
• #4: If I am not mistaken, the maximum campaign period is 10 days. This is simply NOT enough for campaigners to campaign, nor does it give enough time to voters to make an informed decision.

And oh, because this is a *ahem* fashion blog… I dugged deep into my drawers to find something yellow and came up with this:

Shorts: H&M; Yellow shirt with cut out sleeves: New Look

Back home, demonstrations started out peacefully but it became violent with people getting tear gassed and watter cannon-ed by the police. A few of my friends who were in the rally recount their tales of being tear gassed.

For me, the official press release by The Malaysian Bar is the least biased. Read it here in which they state that the police response during the BERSIH 3.0 rally was disproportionate and excessive.

Note: The demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia did NOT amount to rioting.

Overall Experience: I found the demonstration in Newcastle peaceful, and to be honest, fun. It was my first time doing something like this :D

Most importantly, if you are a Malaysian and eligible – have YOU registered to be a voter? Know your rights and register at your nearest post office!

Have you ever, in your younger years (or not) taken part in a good cause? Let me know your experience I’d love to know!

♥ P E A C H E S

Bing Bang’s Abracadabra Cuff

Tags

abracadabra cuff, bing bang, jewellery with messages on them, jewellery with personality, simple bangles, simple cuffs

SAY HELLO TO my latest obsession (I feel like I say this way too often): Bing Bang’s Abracadabra cuff.

Exercise your right to stalk it immediately by clicking HERE.

I think I kind of relish the fact that it’s got letters on it (you know, the kinds of letters that don’t spell the name of the designer; come come now, Marc by Marc Jacobs.. I’m looking at you) that may or may not imply that I am distantly related to the idea of quirky fabulousness.

Is that a term, “quirky fabulousness”?

(Hahaa… It is now. Feel free to drop it wily-nily in normal conversations, guys! Extra cool-kid points if you get it in at work. TO YOUR BOSS.)

So, keeping in line with my newfound predilection for discussions: What do you guys think of bangles like this? Do you prefer your jewellery to speak, or no?

Weigh in, my lovelies!

xo, Minty

Compassion

Tags

Dalai Lama quotes, inspirations

“Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.”

“All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.”

“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.”
- Dalai Lama

“Before we can generate compassion and love, it is important to have a clear
understanding of what we understand compassion and love to be.  In simple terms, compassion and love can be defined as positive thoughts and feelings that give rise to such essential things in life as hope, courage, determination, and inner strength.  In the Buddhist tradition, compassion and love are seen as two aspects of the same thing:  Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness.”

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from “The Compassionate Life

“With the realization of ones own potential and self-confidence in ones ability, one can build a better world.  According to my own experience, self-confidence is very important.  That sort of confidence is not a blind one; it is an awareness of ones own potential.  On that basis, human beings can transform themselves by increasing the good qualities and reducing the negative qualities.”

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from ‘The Dalai Lama’s Book of Wisdom’

 

Even if we come from different religions, I truly think that the Dalai Lama is a wonderful man who possesses an extraordinary mind.

I enjoy reading the work he has written on his religion of compassion, and I hope you did too.

xo, minty

Life as Minty Knows It

Tags

asymmetrical skirt, bags, jewellery

Life’s been more or less monotonous lately.

In between bouts of finger-wrenching, hand-bending, curse-inducing drama between me and a couple of wayward jump rings, nothing’s really been up.

I think I find a lot less to think about when I keep myself occupied, and jewellery-making is as occupied as one can get on a gloomy day around these parts.

I promise I’ll show you the fruits of my labour as soon as I’m happy with them.

On that note, am pretty sure my fingers are developing Samson-esque strength at an alarming rate. Pretty soon these babies will be able to lift some serious weightage.

Like a car.

… One can dream.

But just because it wouldn’t be a Minty post without lots more wishy-washyness, here’s a current rundown of what I’ve managed to brainwash myself into needing.

 Asymmetrical Porter Grey skirt

Potty-mouth’s dream: “Not to be F*cked With” rings by Anna Sheffield via bleachblack

Phillip Lim Abichi bag

xo, minty

Truth, in Black & White

Tags

black and white outfits, black and white photography, inspirations

“I think you could fall in love with anyone if you saw the parts of them that no one else gets to see. Like if you followed them around invisibly for a day and you saw them crying in their bed at night or singing to themselves as they make a sandwich or even just walking along the street and even if they were really weird and had no friends at school, I think after seeing them at their most vulnerable you wouldn’t be able to help falling in love with them.”
- sadweirdgirlnobodyreallylikes

via tumblr

And isn’t that just the dang truth?

xo, minty

Untitled

“Missing someone gets easier every day because even though it’s one day further from the last time you saw each other, it’s one day closer to the next time you will.”
- Anonymous

2012 is shaping up to be a stupidly morose affair.

Finding hilarity in every single, minute thing has become almost a life mission of mine, which may or may not speak to a deeper struggle with the emotional sandstorm that’s been building up inside my chest since last week.

But that’s okay, guys, really!

In fact, I think it’s almost preferable.

Flouncing around in monochromatic colours reminds me of a simpler time, though if I allow myself to stick my feet into the freezing waters of reality it quickly reverts to its original purpose as the traditional colour palette of the bereaved.

And really, as a general rule, I try to steer clear of immersing any limbs in cold water.

As you do.

…

Anyway, just a note to God’s recent stock acquisition (clearly, ‘eerily life-like robot’ is a big part of my personality profile) – and because he always understood it better in his native tongue, Google translate had to do the job for me… which, by my own rudimentary skills tells me it is probably 70% grammatically incorrect.

爷爷，我每天都想念你。我们都很好，希望你好好休息。直到我们再次见面，也许上帝让你在他的手臂永远。

xo, minty

Minty and Her 2012 Resolution (finally)

Tags

resolutions

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

I really hate it when people tell me what to do.

Like, I really, really hate it. A lot.

So much so, in fact, that I completely lost my mind in ’02 when my parents unceremoniously told me to pack all my shit up and move 3,952 miles south, against my will.

… I didn’t manage to regain a sense of normalcy again until the day I graduated.

On that note, it’s been a long-standing point of contention for me how people have systematically enjoyed ordering me around like some sort of human puppy. They don’t even try to hide it.

Stupid Dictator 1: SIT.

Minty:  Sure! Where? (I hate you.)

Even worse is the fact that I have, for the most part, been begrudgingly functioning as a human doormat, completely ripe for self-righteous bi-peds to prance into my life and order me around as they please (although this doesn’t necessarily become clear until a moment of retrospection arises, which happens only as often as it takes for my patience to crumble).

Stupid Dictator 2: EW. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

Minty: …Uh. Durno. Should I change? (What are YOU wearing, you ridiculous FOOL.) What about this top? Better? Yes, no? (JUST DIE!!!)

I blame my conformist, Asian upbringing, I really do.

I also hate how in the end, it really is just all my own fault for being such an unintentionally spineless pushover.

Stupid Dictator 3: DON’T (insert verb here)!!

Minty: (STAYING SILENT. There is no appropriate response I can ever hope to formulate that will not hurt your feelings.)

BEYOND APPALLING.

Well, that’s it, I’ve had enough. After a quarter of a century I am finally throwing in the towel, and kneeing my patience in the back FOREVER.

Yes, that is correct, you heard me!

TODAY, I HAVE FINALLY HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CRUEL, JUDGMENTAL, AUTHORITARIAN WORLD I LIVE IN!!

Guess what?

If I want to dress like a clown princess on crack, I’M GOING TO DRESS LIKE A CLOWN PRINCESS ON CRACK.

You there, with your yappy flap: Silence! I’m fabulous.

If I want to paint my face like a nut-job, I’M GOING TO PAINT MY FACE LIKE A NUT-JOB.

It’s my face, and I’ll draw on it if I want to.

If I want to wear a pizza on my head, I AM GOING TO COMMIT TO WEARING A PIZZA ON MY HEAD.

What can I say? I love pizza, and it functions as a hat better than you’d ever have imagined.

If I want to buy that $10,000 dust bunny in the shape of Johnny Depp’s silhouette, YOU BEST BELIEVE I WILL OWN THAT SEVERELY OVERPRICED BALL OF DEAD HUMAN SKIN ART, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!!

Durno. Could be anybody.

I feel liberated already.

Here’s to 2012!

xo, Minty

Chinese New Year: The Breakdown

Tags

Chinese New Year

Hello, friends!!

How have you been? I trust you have all been keeping well in my absence?

I, myself, have been having an incredible fortnight celebrating the Chinese New Year which lasts a whopping 15 days – a reasonably big deal for my people, particularly since you don’t really get too many real (read: long) holidays in Chinese culture… but also because a large percentage of Chinese people would probably make a career out of gambling and eating … if they could.

HA HA.

Okay fine, I used the verb ‘celebrating‘ pretty loosely up there but what I really mean is ‘lazing around‘ – a hobby that none of my elders can seem to fathom. Pretty sure they think Generation Y is a total bust.

There. I said it. It’s all out in the open now!!

But I’m digressing.

For 15 days, (most) people of Chinese descent are consumed by a serious whirlwind of superstition, tradition, and activity, which you start preparing for weeks in advance.

I mean it.

This whirlwind ain’t shittin’ around, there are actual lists of things to do, and more importantly: what NOT to do, and everybody’s expected to follow a general formula of decorum.

On that note, I can only assume this speaks to an ingrained, cultural inability to relax.

I can’t lie – it’s a pretty full on experience, even if it tends to vary from province of origin, i.e. a person from the Fujien province will likely observe slightly different traditions than a person from the Jiangxi province, but it really is generally the same across the board.

… You know, just to confuse other races even more.

You can read the entire play-by-play here, if you’re interested.

It’s a lot to get through.

And try to control your emotions… I have to go through most of the motions annually.

xo, Minty

It Never Gets Old…

Tags

cute animals, red pandas

I feel the disconcerting urge to vomit rainbows, peace and sunshine every single time.

xo, minty