New year resolution & what have I done this year?

How’s your 2019 going so far? 2018 is a transitional year for me that my whole life, social circle and environment have been changed and it’s like I’m starting the game over. Like it or not, I have to remind myself to keep adjusting to the changing environment and anything new.

I still remembered when I turned to 20 years old, I told myself, “Wow days after 20 are gonna be super exciting and fun.” Well, now I am nearly 24 and I admit that adulthood has indeed brought me more independence and excitement, however, it’s hard to have those simple thrilling feelings again like what I used to have at teen-age.  I started to think about the down side of every new opportunity and yeah, it’s just harder to be simply “happy” and not to worry about any other things behind it:)

But still, when I look back my 2018, there are some significant changes or experiences I wanna mark down to conclude my 23rd year on this crazy planet:

1. I started my postgraduate study, and this time, I work really hard (LOL)

To be honest, I rarely considered about master degree when I was doing my bachelor, back then I was still enjoying my college life and did not have much plan after my future, plus, I can definitely tell you that my GPA in college is just so average as I did not pay much attention on my coursework  (so what was I doing back then? ummm). I still remember it all started from a call of my dad and he asked, “Hey, since you said you don’t like the life in Hong Kong, how about just leave Hong Kong and have a new start in Melbourne?”

So basically that’s how I jumped on the boat of masters. After I arrived in Melbourne, I just spent most of my time on food, shopping, swing dance classes until I got freaked-out by the workload on my first day of school. I was definitely not a hard-working person when I was doing my bachelor degree but now I realised that if you don’t get prepared weeks ago you may not be able to finish those crazy papers and placements in just 3 months!

 

2. I stayed in Singapore purposeless for a month

I LOVE Singapore and I’ve just spent my December there. I’d never think that I would get a chance to stay in this tropical paradise for a month and without any purpose or stress (since I’m on holiday). It’s always good to go back and meet some old friends and make new friends there 🙂 And it’s a little bit shocked for me to see everyone here is so hardworking  with ambition towards their career goal, that makes me feel ashamed sometimes. But overall Singapore still treated me so well again and I just LOVE the food LOVE the bars (and I have to mention Tanjong Pagar! always my favourite place in SG!) and most importantly LOVE the energetic people here!

The only down side of this trip is… doing nothing sometimes can be really boring. Then I decided to fly back to Melbourne and started to look for something that I can do! haha

Always a big fan of hawker centre and little India! woo-hoo!

 

3. I did lots of self-reflections, and realised that no one can be responsible for my own life

I used to give things up when there are obstacles, then over these years I realised that the more I gave up at the beginning, the fewer options I can choose later on. I gave up most of my hobbies/work opportunities after six to twelve months. Back then I always told myself, “OK, you have experienced quite a lot in this field and obviously you are not that into it, then how about to try something else?” or “This is a good opportunity but obviously you are not well-equipped for it/ you are too exhausted to do it.”

The result is, I was still confused and anxious about what I should do at 23 while lots of people at my age have already started their journey with clear goal. I still put my expectation on other people and when things didn’t work, I was just unnecessarily frustrated and wasted my time. However, I think I am still lucky that I have met some people this year and they made me start to think about my future and to take action:) I started to adopt a totally different way to live and work and treat myself in the past month and so far even though not everything worked that well but I have reached to something that I wouldn’t expect to try before.

So, what is your New Year resolution? Let me know! (@Fashionmimo)

 

 

 

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OOTD: Before November Ends

Sometimes when I look back of my outfit styles in these years, it is clear that I paid more attention on details and my style transits from teen to more mature/simple feelings. “You are what you wear”, probably my the change of my outfits also reflects the transition of my mindset as well: When I was at my teen-age, I was so amazed by the female figures appeared on American Apparel’s posters (LOL), but soon then I realized how tired it could be to wear a crop top and tight pencil skirt all the time. After turning to 21, my preference changed to more comfortable textures and simple designs, I think it might be a sign of getting old? I started to pay more attention on those not-that-famous designer brands providing unique philosophy and design, I also love to find out those unique “hidden treasure” in vintage shops. It is fun to see the transition along these years and my blog also witnesses the changes 🙂

Vintage Parisian fashion, greatly inspired by @janebirkindaily @dennielias and of course @rouje simple but comfortable 🙂 (@Fashionmimo)

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Simple laid-back outfits are also my favourite 🙂

OOTD: Springtime minimalism

The weather is getting much warmer these days in Melbourne, so I was planning to shoot an OOTD series about my springtime fashion.

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Top from Zara, bottom from an online shop in China and chain bag from Gucci (@Fashionmimo)

 

Forget about post cards: embrace the crazy yet “grounded” gallery souvenirs era

It is not surprising to see galleries and museums today start putting more effort in the promotion/marketing of their gift shops. Forget about those souvenir shops where you bought a boring post card or a notebook after visiting a museum during the school field trip, souvenirs today have already become an important source of income to most of the public-running galleries. Museums/galleries nowadays are also trying to build up their own brands with iconic products from their gift shops: even sometimes those designs would be bold or hilarious. The one impressed me the most recent years is  the “Emperor memes” stickers launched by the Forbidden City Museum at the gift shop and it became so popular on China’s Internet. You may argue that it’s a sign of our society’s fall into the trap of consumerism,  but those intriguing gift shops did bring old museums tremendous media exposure because of the more “grounded” products, and their design teams also offered young people opportunities to be creative on those historical art pieces.

Since I’m living in Melbourne, it’s quite common for me to visit the gift shop of NGV (National Gallery of Victoria)  frequently. As one of the most influencing galleries in Australia, NGV has a design team specialised in gift shop product design based on the exhibition and art pieces they are showcasing. For this winter, the biggest show is the MoMA X NGV exhibition which has brought the work of Vincent van Gough, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and other great artists to Melbourne. There is a pop-up gift shop at the end of the exhibition hall and I strongly recommend you to check out those crazy designs. I personally LOVE the emoji tote bags a lot and I will definitely shoot an OOTD with it! You can also check them out online: https://store.ngv.vic.gov.au/

NGV launched a series of events along with the MoMA exhibition, from the exhibition to the creative gift shop, and after the visit you can still enjoy the Friday Night event with wine and Jazz. (@Fashionmimo)

Embedding the content of exhibition into the design of the products. (@Fashionmimo)

Trends This Summer: Unique Wooden Watches by JORD

Hey! Hope you are still enjoying your summer time! (In Melbourne we are still suffering from the wind tho) This time I shot my OOTD in a 60s American restaurant in Melbourne called Soda Rock Diner. Can’t tell how much I love the retro vibe there and it totally matches with my outfit! What is more, this time I am holding a GIVEAWAY collaborating with JORD watches. Their minimalist while classic design is such a perfect match of my retro outfit, and the wooden material also bring up the summer mood! Let’s see how it works!

The watch I am wearing is from the CASSIA series, I chose the Walnut & Vintage Rose color as it brings more vintage feelings while the wooden texture kind of reminds me of sandalwood: one of my favourite scent 🙂 The full Roman numeral concave dial in the is beautifully reflected in the domed sapphire glass. The metal and wood link interlaced band integrates seamlessly into the rounded case. What is more, JORD provides engraving service for every watch sold, they are just trying best to make your watch unique 🙂

OK, and now is how to enter this giveaway campaign:

1. Click this link: https://www.woodwatches.com/g/mimogram21
2. Select the watch you like and leave your name & email, you will receive a 10% off code immediately
3. Win the $100 gift code when the event finishes!

If you want to know more about this amazing brand, go & check them out! Get yourself a unique timepiece to make your summer classy & retro!!

Ladies watches

Men’s watches

Watch engraving

Cheers!

xx

Wooden Wrist Watch

Memories on Film: Japan X Hong Kong

Film photography is a field that I always want to try but find it too hard technically. Losing focus is one of my biggest issues when shooting with film camera. Inspired by a friend occasionally, I tried to use disposable camera to do my film photography: yes, I am talking about those cameras with plastic shell and you can get them from convenient store. As the shutter speed, aperture and lens focus are normally fixed, all you need to do when playing with disposable camera is: 1. decide to turn on the flash or not 2. remember to roll the film until it is fixed before you press the shutter button.

Surprisingly, the photos present very sharp colors and film-like texture (well, they ARE film actually) after they are developed. I noticed that the camera heavily depends on the daylight when you turn the flash off, if there is sufficient daylight, the outcome can be really amazing. (@Fashionmimo)

 

Idyllic summer: Kyushu

When I told my friends that I’m about to visit Japan again, none of them looks surprised, “Where is your destination this time, uh? Tokyo? Osaka or Hokkaido?” To be honest, I didn’t have any idea where I should go to this time even though I have planned this trip for a long time. I only knew that I have to go to japan and seems like it has become something ritual and routine for me hahah. At first my friends and I were planning to visit Hokkaido for the summer festival, but then after checking our schedule and the flight, we decided to visit Kyushu, the southern part of Japan which is famous for the mountains and the spectacular landscape. Due to the active volcanos, Kyushu is also renowned for the hot spring villages such as Beppu, Kurokawa and Yufuin. This time we were basically travelling around the mountains of northern Kyushu: from Fukuoka to Kumamoto, then from Aso to Yufuin.

 

Aso & The Kurokawa Hot Spring 阿蘇&黑川溫泉

The first time I noticed Kurokawa was in 2016 when I was planning my winter Japan trip. There was a local Japanese website recommending all those “secret/hidden” hot springs around the country, and Kurokawa, a small village with over 20 hot spring ryokans hidden in the mountain was highly recommended by the website. However, to those who cannot drive in Japan, those hidden hot springs are definitely not easy to get to. There are only 2 buses travelling from Kumamoto to Kurokawa a day and the journey takes 2 hours. On the way to the hot spring village, the spectacular landscape emerged with the summer green, during the whole trip we were surrounded by the endless greenery of the mountains.

The spectacular mountain view of Aso. (@Fashionmimo)

 

In the Kurokawa Onsen area, there are ryokans, restaurants and souvenir shops alongside. (@Fashionmimo)

Taking half-board stay in Ryokan Sanga with multiple hot spring options (outdoor, indoor, private & public), a hidden wonderland in the mountain. (@Fashionmimo)

Yufuin湯布院

A small town located at the Oita, here has the most fascinated & peaceful country view I have seen . Also, Yufuin takes a good balance between the flourishing tourism and local community, so it’s a common scenario here that lots of tourists walking along the street during the day time, but when it turns to the evening, the town shifts back to a local area where people chatting and drinking in the Izakaya (japanese bar).

Peaceful and idyllic, just like any Japanese village in Haruki Murakami’s book. (@Fashionmimo)

Family-style Izakaya, everything is designed to be tiny in order to fit in the space, tiny but tidy 🙂 (@Fashionmimo)

We met a lovely local lady who took us to her friend’s 60s retro-style Whisky bar, a very-tiny space where everyone sit by the counter and sing Karaoke together. (@Fashionmimo)

Vintage Shops Hunt -Melbourne Pt.2

Sorry for procrastinating again, I am supposed to post this a month ago but I was so occupied and kept working on my papers for the whole March… However, I still did some interesting research on local vintage vendors during this month and now I have plenty shops to add on for this article 😉 that is definitely the good part for procrastinating hahah.

Yesteryear

Now I can proudly tell you that I have been to all of their shops in Melbourne: which are in Northcote, Carlton and Fitzroy respectively. My opinion is these three shops have slightly different positioning: the one is Northcote is more like a warehouse store and you can see it always having sale; while the Fitzroy one and Carlton one is more like a boutique with selected brands and the pricing would also be higher.

Source: Internet

At the Fitzroy shop. (@Fashionmimo)

Carlton: 237a Faraday Street Carlton 3053

Fitzroy: 331 Brunswick Street Fitzroy 3065

Northcote: 200 High Street Northcote 3070

 

Lost & Found

Unlike those vintage boutiques I introduced above, Lost & Found is more like a vintage flea market. It reminds me of those old markets in Europe, where you can find literally ANYTHING in the market: clothes, bags, furniture, CDs, accessories and handicrafts … it is such an ideal place to explore and to kill an afternoon 🙂

Address: 499-511 Lygon St, East Brunswick VIC 3057

American Vintage Clothing Co

Another vintage shop located at Fitzroy. I strongly recommend you to visit Fitzroy if you are a vintage/art/cafe/food/bar/music lover, this place is magical and literally have everything you want. 90s bomber jackets and American jeans are just everywhere in the shop, go check it out and there are also several interesting fashion boutiques near the shop. Overall, I LOVE FITZROY!! (@Fashionmimo)

Source:  Instagram @americanvintageclothing

Address: 133 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Vintage Shops Hunt- Melbourne Pt 1.

I am always impressed by how “old school” Melbourne can be: from the 70s disco corner to the swing dance class in a 1880s hotel.  In Tokyo I would say someone looks “sharp” when he/she is equipped with a vintage leather jacket matching with a vintage Chanel. But when I came to Melbourne, I noticed that wearing old stuff is just a norm here, vintage can be wore to school, to work or to any special occasions.

SO, I would like to introduce you some great vintage boutiques in the city, don’t miss them out when you are visiting Melb!

Vintage Sole

This can definitely be your first stop as it is just NEXT TO the famous Flinders Station, just a 3-min walk from Flinders to a small old arcade, you will see it on the ground floor. I bought a cotton sleeveless dress here with country-style floral pattern , very Aussie haha.

Address: 6/37 Swanston Street, Melbourne CBD ( They also have shops in Fitzroy and Windsor BTW)

They mainly sell male/female clothing & shoes. (@Fashionmimo)

 

Me in the coutry-style cotton dress from Vintage Sole 🙂 (@Fashionmimo)

Retro Star

It is located at the same building with Vintage Sole, so you can just climb up the stair to check it out after visiting Vintage Sole. It is really a big Vintage Market that you can find so many things here: clothing, accessories, home decorations and so many little stuff that I couldn’t tell what are they used for. It reminds me of those Flea market in Europe, the period of the goods here are quite various: there is a time I found out a formal dress that I believe it is either an old costume or it is from the early 90s.

Address: 1/F Nicholas building, 37 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Mio Tesoro

Authentic vintage& pre-loved luxury boutique located in South Yarra. The shop owner Elaine is a fashion and luxury Guru. There is a wide range of vintage luxury products: from the new season Gucci handbag to the vintage 70s Hermes watch. I always recommend my friend to pay a visit when they come to Melbourne 😉

Address: 568 Chapel Street, South Yarra 3141, VIC

 

AussVintage

OK… Here comes my online vintage shop hahahah. Basically I am collecting vintage accessories from the UK and vintage handbags from Japan. It is still on an early stage that I am making lots of mistakes everyday. But hopefully it will get better and better with your support! ;D

Follow Instagram to shop: www.instagram.com/aussvintage/

 

I am going to introduce more vintage/second-hand shops in Melb in my next post! If you know there are other interesting vintage shops in Melbourne, PLZ leave a comment and LET ME KNOW!!!! xx

 

Summer, Summer, Summer

My life in the past three months are packed with chaos, excitement, worries… good things and bad things came together and I had to make more efforts to settle and calm down than usual. I mean, it’s not my very first time moving to a new place and start a new life (actually I moved quite frequently these years), but it is the time that I came to a place with so many pressure behind me with an unknown future. I am at that awkward age that can no longer call myself a kid who has plenty of time to waste, but in a new place, there is very little I can do. 2017 is kind of an exhausting year, I realised that I become lazier to pick up the things I love such as blogging, photography and lots of other new things. Sometimes I am afraid of being a boring person but there are already so many things are taking up my time and exhausting me from the inside. I think that is the  post-graduation syndrome they called.

I am that kind of people whose emotion can easily be affected by weather, so I kept wondering if moving to Melbourne (the weather here is just like London you know) is a correct decision for me. But thinking of the silver lining: it’s still summer here, so I literally have spent my 2017 with sunshine, beaches and tropical greenery 🙂 Happy 2018 to you all and let’s have a great year ahead.