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All posts by The Hidden Thimble Team
Moving to Japan: A Day of Triumph
Captain’s Log: Day 31
Hello Brave New World! Ironically in this modern day and age where technology has made even “instant” a hashtag, getting the internet hooked up in my apartment in Tokyo took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.
Going 3 weeks without proper internet is much like Tom Hanks with no Wilson, hopelessly casted away from modern comforts and with no buddy to call on. During which I survived one 5 level earthquake, had my stress levels tested repeatedly dealing with starting from absolute “zero” and mastered being a one-dish wonder for the past month. Needless to say, I’m feeling pretty satisfied with myself and my urban survival skills and I hope that the next few months will be a lot more smoother without the cookie trail of language-barrier mess I have been making along the way to perfect my Japanese at Waseda University.
Backtracking to last month’s adventure since my absence, here’s a few highlights from my travels in Seoul.
Location: Hongdae Free Market
After a failed first attempt due to bad weather I finally had the chance to go to the Hongdae Free Market!
It’s a small arts and crafts market very close to Hongik University driven to support local talent and the art community. If you drop by, I highly recommend you get your self portrait drawn by one of the few artists who have set up shop for the day. You won’t regret it!
Courtesy of Sungho. He’s very talented, I love it!
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Location: Bills, Jamsil
I wanted to take the Unnie out for some birthday brunch and found that Bills had opened a restaurant in Jamsil.
What a perfect choice! It was like a little slice of home-away-from-home.
Bills’ Banana and Ricotta Pancakes are so popular, they even have a special take away sign especially for it!
Flowers for the Unnie.
Thank God Bills also has a restaurant here in Tokyo. I need more of this in my life!
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Location: Wicked Snow, Garosugil
Granted, this is a chain patbingsu cafe but no other place could offer you this view of people watching by an opened window while eating shaved ice right?
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Location: Edae
I unfortunately forgot the name of this sweet little coffee shop that is near Edae University that had a nice collection of art zines and books to keep you occupied while you relax. I like how they roast their own beans and appear more like an indie coffee supply shop.
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Looking forward, I hope to do some traveling inside Japan during my time here especially since autumn is here!
There are still some things that make me very uneasy to fully enjoy my time here at the moment (no matter how I look at it, I am technically, unemployed) but I am hopeful I am able to overlook this soon to share with you some amazing sights in Japan!
If you have any questions about Japan or about Waseda, do let me know!
Until Next Time!
Xx
Siree
Alone in The Bay – San Francisco
The last entry in my solo trip before heading to Hawaii to meet my sister for my birthday. My time in SF was cut short to only two days and I only wished I had found a local’s guide to the slope hills of The Bay like Soothing Sista’s awesome list to better navigate myself. For the city that was the backdrop to my favourites Mrs Doubtfire and freakin Charmed, I found the city that everyone seemed to gush over was just not AS exciting as I thought it would be. I dunno for some reason I could not figure out where to go and what to do on my own. Like I was on Valencia and just didn’t know what to do with myself… The Mission = Boring? That would be seriously whack in any local’s mind I bet!
There were 3 thoughts that ran though my mind when observing the scene in San Francisco:
First, is this animal or human shit/piss I’m seeing/smelling on the streets?
Second, why are there so many homeless/hustlers in the city area?
Lastly, why are the shops closed at 7pm and train station closed until 9am on the weekends?
Nevertheless, I was able to enjoy a couple of sights, eating spots and lots and I mean lots of walking (like from the beginning of the Financial District to the Golden Gate Bridge along The Embarcadero and Marina by foot – you do the math) to explore the major parts of the city.
By pure coincidence I happened to land on Fleet Day so everything along The Embarcadero was in full military and navy celebration with plane shows and military personnel in uniform, as well as lots of food stalls. Damn them BBQ turkey legs were huge and smelt good! But I wanted something a little more than just grilled protein while I was there.
Since I wasn’t able to make it to the South, there was no way I could not stop at Brenda’s French Soul Food to try my first taste of Southern food. Beating the crowd I was lucky to get the bar table since I was a solo diner but was worried they might have sold out on all the goods. Lucky for me that wasn’t the case! Gumbo and signature beignets mmm, the breakfast for a hungry traveler.
And how could I pass up on the chance to eat seafood! Though everyone says that you need to eat seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf, looking online I found Swan Oyster Depot on Polk St and it was the best experience of eating seafood I have ever had so far! The staff were super friendly and prepared everything so nicely and the selection was so fresh you just wanted to eat everything – sashimi style of course unless it’s the chowder. There were some things that I wasn’t able to find on the menu that was available like the sea urchin so being friendly with your waiter is the trick to see what they can whip up for you if you want something fancy.
If you can only stay in San Francisco like me for a couple of days, definitely check out the Walt Disney Family Museum near the Presidio area to appreciate the work and life of the man behind the mouse. If you are an animator, art student or just a very devoted Disney fan there is nothing that beats seeing the painted cell drawings in person or enjoy reading Disney’s personal menu and miniature toy collection. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing these drawings on display, especially since I took my Film major seriously when I was in university as I wanted to be an animator but it was exciting to be able to be up close to see the paint work of each line and the sketch scratches on each draft of a character’s face. For me that was a really exciting moment while being there.
I think I would give San Francisco another chance in the future. Perhaps on a bike, with a friend and another beignet on the go.
Until next time!
Xx
Siree
The Hidden Thimble x Clearasil – Skin and the Sun (Giveaway)
Advertorial
Self-conscious. Embarrassed. Gross.
Those harsh and unfortunate words haunt any adolescent’s thoughts and are all too familiar growing up with blemished skin.
I must admit, I didn’t really care for my skin much when I was a teenager, or ideas for “healthy” habits that could help improve skin appearance. My personal treatment of teenage skin was to tackle my facial problems using a facial wash, mainly a gel or a scrub and medical acne treatments. Things like toners, serums, and moisturizing (a very important step always left forgotten) were not in my routine vocabulary and my knowledge of “proper” skincare was still in infancy until I reached past my 20’s. All the effort made since then has dramatically improved the condition of my skin’s appearance by creating a more thoughtful and complex routine for the results I wanted to achieve – and it’s worth it!
As everybody’s body is idiosyncratic, this guide to perfecting a skincare regime is the foundation to exploring your own skin story. Whether you are fighting against hormonal or stressful once off breakouts, there are products out there to help you in balancing your skin’s changing stages from the inside out and fight those annoying little red dots!
A Guide to a Perfect Skin Care Routine
– Cleanse –
First off you want to remove any make-up, dead skin cells and pollutants that might clog your pores. I like to use a facial cleanser sponge to make sure I get into the corners as much as possible. There are a few forms of cleansers such as gel washes (Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash), which are great for easy face rinsing to cream types (Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash) which can also double as a mask to penetrate deeper.
– Scrub Off –
Exfoliators stimulate cell renewal and improve skin texture and appearance. As this product can be harsh to use every day on your skin, limit this to only once every other week or once a month. Choose a scrub that has natural ingredients like Clearasil’s DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub which has Vitamin E and Antioxidants from Avocado and Pomegranate to help keep skin healthy and nourished.
– Tone It –
After stripping away all that natural oil from your face, toners are your best friend to rehydrate and restore the pH level of your skin, avoiding excess oil production and also to shrink your pores.
– Hit the Right Spot –
This is for those miracle working product treatments that come in concentrated forms such as essences, creams, serums, ampoules, boosters – the list goes on! This is where you target the areas of concern so if you have sore acne spots that you want to reduce and can’t pop just yet, use a specially formulated product like Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream to spot treat problem pimples.
– Sunscreen –
The sun is not the kindest to our skin so make sure you stay sun smart if you are doing your skin regime and going out for the day.
– Lock It In –
Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize! It’s the key for youthful skin when you are older so do it!
Want to know what products are best suited for you? Check out Clearasil’s Customised Skin Care Guide.
I want to highlight one of the most underrated steps in a person’s skincare regime: prevention from the sun. Let’s face it, how many of you actually include sunscreen into your daily facial regime? I bet not many! Now I could go on about the scientific facts concerning why it’s so important to slip, slop and slap, but all you really need is some hard cold evidence.
You know all that money you spend on formulas with anti-aging? What if I told you that majority of the anti-aging formula secret is sunscreen. Yep that’s right, the skins biggest enemy is sun damage! Think of how much money you could save by just adding sunscreen to your regime!
And for those of you who like the science: ultraviolet light (and in Australia this is even more pronounced due to a giant hole right above us in the ozone layer) breaks down the elastin and collagen in your skin. This causes discolouration, roughness, skin thinning, dilated blood vessels and the most dreaded…wrinkles!
You might be thinking, where in my regime do I add sunscreen? Apply sunscreen after cleansing and exfoliating with a good exfoliate such as Clearasil’s Clear and Refine Daily scrub, BEFORE applying moisturiser. However if you’re anything like me and have oily skin that’s prone to break outs, you can streamline the process by using an oil free combination moisturiser with SPF 30+ or my personal choice – a CC or BB cream with SPF 30+.
For more information, check out Clearasil’s Summer Skin care tips for preventing Sun damage.
After feeding you with so much skin knowledge, guess what? We have a surprise!
We are giving away:
1x Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Wash, 1x Clearasil DailyClear Vitamins & Extracts Scrub and 1x Clearasil Rapid Action Pimple Cream, all c/o Clearasil.
Here are the details!
Good Luck!
Xx
[UPDATE]
We have a winner!
Thank you to everyone who entered! We hope to do more giveaways soon ;)
FML: White Rain
| Jumpsuit: Alice McCall | Shoes: Titty & Co | Socks and Blouse: Bagazimuri | Accessories: MadeWell/Nasty Gal/Korea |
Debuting my short bob, finally! I can’t explain the reverse Alfalfa my fringe is doing but it’s crazy, as is the faint left overs of a tan from a summer of fun-day rays, living daily in short shorts and much needed exercise.
Following from Sora’s great write up on Alice McCall’s Cruise 14 S/S collection, I couldn’t stop dreaming of owning a piece from this oh-so-fine range and settled on the super pwerdy “Over the Rainbow” playsuit. The details really speak for itself – quirky, flirty with a bold graphic liner that feathers into the cut out detailing mixed with pastel shades. Wear alone or stack some accessories, it really is a simple outfit to pull off since Pastels + Playsuit = New BFFs – the combination is just too cute!
Currently Alice McCall is having a sale so be quick if you found anything that catches your eye!
Until Next Time!
Xx
Siree
Alice McCall : Cruise 14/15 review
‘If we gave out cups at the end of Fashion Week, Alice McCall would have a hat trick: best newcomer, prettiest collection and easily the most popular in class.’
What a glowing recommendation, and by Vogue UK, no less. Make way people, the new ‘it’ brand is here! As an Australian fashion brand, still babies in the large and notorious fashion industry, we’re really stunning the world with the amazing designers we’re producing !
I have to say though, although Alice McCall’s lovely silhouettes and feminine designs have always been nice and all, they never really jumped out at me like it did when I first saw her cruise collection 14/15.
And boy, was I screaming. (Like seriously. Ohmygad. Look at that dress. THOSE SHORTS. THAT COLOUR. )
It is love at first sight. The whole collection screams perfection. I cannot get over the detail, colour palette and designs she has whipped up and thrown together with such effortlessness; it seems to have come together with that artful delicacy born out of a fairytale dream.
The simplicity of this maxi dress and the complexity of the detailed fabric and layering- what is perfection? And how effortlessly french chic are those pants?!
Alice has created an enchanted world where miniature doll-like beautiful girls wander around draped in supposedly simplistic yet artfully flattering garments, wrapped in the impervious bubble known as I-look-f*cking-amazing-right-now-and-I-know-it. (And I am totally feeling that, right now. At least, the miniature bit.. you know.. because I’m short..) The tulle, sateen and chiffon affectations on these garments capture nothing less than that dreamy, delicate and untouchably feminine side of women perfectly.
I’m loving the simple silhouette and bold lines. These looks are so straightforward yet delicate- talk about taking avante garde to a different level in today’s fashion scene.
Every girl knows that feeling. When you wear THAT dress with THOSE shoes, when your hair falls perfectly and you feel absolutely fabulous. We grace the world with our presence, we radiate confidence and inspire admiration and jealousy in others.
[ Am I being too honest here? Ha, I know you know exactly what I mean ladies ;) ]
Them pleats. Those RUFFLES. I’m crying. Look at that colour. If there was any time to be a fairy it’s now. Look how Alice has redefined the cut of these garments to flatter the figure. CUTE IS THE NEW SEXY.
And best for last- I LOVE PINK. I LOVE METALLIC. I LOVE BIG BOLD PRINTS ALICE MCCALL BLEW MY MIND THERE’S EVERYTHING I LOVE IN ONE OUTFIT KILL ME NOW I’m ok. Baby pink has never looked so edgy and YOU GO GIRL ROCK THEM SUNNIES.
Well there you have it- my favourite looks in the up coming collection that could not make me happier for the up coming season. Can you tell?
Haha !
What do you think ? Take a look for yourself !
Sora xo