Oooooh your brother is brilliant indeed!! Here is the public link sweetie:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=101338&id=514984987&l=1a3b540088

Now I am off to reply the rest of the wall post! I've just posted Shanghai's chapter two awhile ago and it's nice to know that everyone who reviewed is enjoying it so far!

Oh, now that you've pointed it out...yeah, it does seem kinda silly!! Horror stories ALWAYS involve silly people who deliberately put themselves in the situation... I shuddered when I read about your haunted house though...now THAT'S REALLY CREEPY. Thank goodness you haven't met any of those unearthly inhabitants before!!

Alright, now let's see...I attended an all-girls junior high school from 2000 to 2003, and back in my school, there was a rumor saying that the bathroom near the squash and tennis courts was haunted by the spirit of a girl who had hung herself there many years ago. Personally, I've only used that bathroom once (with a HUGE group of friends in there with me) so I haven't met anything scary. You see, it is a tiny bathroom with only three cubicles. Imagine a rectangle, three cubicles along the length of it with three wash basins opposite each respective cubicle. The door is beside the wash basins at the end.

What's creepy about this bathroom is that it has NO mirrors. Strange, isn't it? I mean, which modern bathroom doesn't have mirrors? Legend has it that if one looked into the mirrors, the person would see the ghost of the dead girl behind in the cubicles. Many have seen it after her death, which was why the school decided to do away with all those mirrors. And just when everyone was starting to forget about the legend, a new girl at the school used the bathroom and after washing her hands, pulled her pocket mirror out from her pocket to check her hair. That was when she saw it - the ghost of the dead girl, suspended from the ceiling, smiling sinisterly at her. Creepy, isn't it? I used to be terrified of the bathroom.

Awwww sweetie you make me blush with how highly you think of me!! MissTeak is so very, very average and ordinary LOL I don't think of myself as being pretty, being single and all. I really should find myself a boyfriend soon LOL. 23 is not old, but neither is it young.

I ADORE THE PICTURES OF THE SHOW. OMG. It's sooooo gorgeous, glamorous and everything I've always dreamed of seeing for myself. You're sooooo lucky and talented, my dear! I bet you had a great time there...it's awesome!!

As for cosmetics, I stick to Japanese brands like Kanebo (95% of my eyeshadow palettes are Kanebo), Shiseido...though I love M.A.C. colors and Bobbi Brown foundations. Chanel lipsticks are lovely too, I have a couple of them and I think I will continue buying them because they are so moisturizing and lasting. As for products, I am a sucker for eye colors (though I have never managed to finish a palette) and gel eye liner. Both Bobbi Brown and M.A.C. are good, but M.A.C's gel liner wins because it is so much cheaper.

This is the link to my portfolio shoots!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=101338&id=514984987

Miranda Kerr is soooo beautiful, isn't she?? I totally love her~ lalala~ I am straight, I believe, but I still adore her nonetheless. LOL. I know what you mean about us seeing only the worst about ourselves...it's a tough life indeed!

And WOAH. The board hair looks...like a hat. It looks totally...IMPOSSIBLE. How do they get it up?? It's soooo cool seeing these styles because they reflect the patience and creativity of the older generation...I can never sit through a session of doing such an elaborate style.

Five brothers!? LOL to think I was complaining about having TWO younger brothers. They are noisy, smelly, annoying...

LOL sweetie! This creepy stuff might be creepy but you've gotta admit it's cool! I tried to picture the midnight hitchhiker in my mind and successfully gave myself a wave of goose bumps LOL.

And yes, apparently, the bodies were exhumed to build a school. Talk about creepy!! In all six years of elementary school, I've NEVER gone near that sand pit. I have LOADS of school horror stories to tell, actually. There's one which is really quite creepy, if you don't mind hearing about it that is.

Are you kidding me?? Of course I am proud of you dearie!!! I haven't met someone so multi-talented - you are multi-lingual, you are inquisitive (in a good way, I swear), open to different cultures, work at a dental clinic AND you do makeup professionally for ZOMG New York Fashion Week!!! I'd LOVE to see pictures of the makeup you've done if you took any. That's VERY VERY impressive. I am a total makeup junkie!! I adore all kinds of makeup and I have a pretty large stash of MWINU (makeup-which-I-never-use) sitting in my drawers. My cousin is a makeup artist and she works with a local TV station, and I've actually spent a day as her model for a portfolio! I could give you the link to my Facebook account where you can see those studio pictures if you wish to


LOL sweetie you're too kind. My hair is thin It doesn't look so because I have a few tricks up my sleeve to create some volume XD It's good to keep long hair up!! I hate the scratchy feeling when I let my hair down on really hot days. :/ It's agony, really! But I really, really love Victoria Secret hair. I totally have this girl crush on Miranda Kerr, if you know who she is. *floating hearts*

The Chongo style sounds...not very fun now. Thanks for revealing that little bit about it sweetie! It really sounds painful, like, Awwww-you-poor-roots painful. The girl in the picture is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!! I love the hairdo~ It's traditional AND elegant.

Oh dearie you're welcomed on those reviews!! You totally deserved them! I can't wait for Kagome to see Sesshoumaru again, and I most definitely cannot wait for the lemon!! I can only wait~ lalala~

The horror stories gave me the chills!!! *shudders and peers around room* there are offering placed everywhere around the neighborhood for the hungry spirits, and it's creeping me out!! but I am safely at home, so it should be fine. The hitchhiker you were talking about sounds absolutely creepy, and so is the dead sailor. Did he really have to leave bits of seaweed behind?! *gives incredulous look* you must be really brave to be staying at the most haunted place!

Hi dearie! LOL I’m sorry I got you creeped out by the spooky stories!! You got me laughing at the part about Japanese being bad swimmers…LOL! You should definitely send me some stories…I am a sucker for horror and I love being spooked, as masochistic as it sounds.

As for the offerings, yes, the ghosts simply take the essence. But it’s not as if I’d really know, because there’s no way I’m ever going to bite into any of those offerings. *shudders* There are many other stories though, and I’ll just tell you a quick one.

It is said that during this month, it is best to try to get home as early as possible. If one has to stay out till late for whatever reasons, there are a few precautions to be taken. Firstly, do not whistle or make unnecessary noises while walking home – whistling or the sounds of tinkling bells (from key chains and so on) would attract the spirits. When walking home, do not turn around even if someone calls your name from the back, because the person might be someone from the other world. And if you really, really have to turn around, you must turn around fully such that you’re looking at the ‘person’ directly. This is because a person’s yang force (Yang is often associated with the living, while yin, the dead) is able to provide some form of defense against the yin forces of the spirits. If a person were to simply look over his/her shoulder, he or she would feel a strong force not unlike a slap, and would lose consciousness only to wake up in some strange, unknown place.

Speaking of the beach resort…LOL Singapore is terribly tiny, which is why every bit of land we have is used to its fullest potential. Many schools and housing estates used to be cemeteries and they had to exhume those bodies to make room for modern infrastructure. Sounds creepy, I know!! *shudders* I used to avoid the sandpit in my elementary school because my friends told me it used to be a cemetery.

Awww sweetie you’re really humble! I am sure the adulthood ceremony had not been easy, and I am so proud of you!

LOL you should be proud of having long, thick hair!! You have no idea how many Asian girls would love to have thick beautiful hair~ Just look at mine, it’s so thin and flat!! LOL. Me wants Victoria Secrets hair~ *eyes sparkle* It’ll be so cool to see a real Chongo, even if it might be very straining on the wearer’s head. Does it take very long to create the hairdo?

Yes, I fully agree with you! The guy who wrote Memoirs totally destroyed the culture and came up with a lot of his own fancy ideas, which is sad, really! But thankfully, there are some lovely books such as the biography of Iwasaki Mineko, who was a real geisha from Gion. Her book is a very accurate account

And YAY I see a new chapter of Haki!! That makes me very very happy!! Plot bunnies can be so vicious, but I must be more vicious because I get happy when they bite my Siki! I just means I get MORE to read~ lalala~

The Yang forces are not exactly masculine per se, but they are usually linked to males because males are favored in Chinese society. So it’s a good thing Yin is often associated with creepy stuff~ *shudders*

And WOW!! Makeup artist??? You have my respect, my dear!! I love makeup and appreciate those dramatic artistic styles which play around with strong colors and things like false eyelashes, glitter and feathers.

Much love to you!

-Jasmine

Hahaha, not unpleasant. More like 'hurry-up-and-spell-before-the pronounciation-in-my-head-goes-away' kind of thing

I split the message up into two because it was getting too long! I am sorry for being so long-winded!

I think I get what you mean about finding one's wyakin; it's just a natural thing that comes to you. Sadly, the Chinese don't have anything like that, and neither do we have a adulthood ceremony.

Awww you're too kind, my dear! The rabbits are definitely gentle and kind but I don't know if I can say that for myself LOL. You made me laugh again with the 'consistent rabbits FTW'! I am sure they are the same everywhere; the only vicious ones are plot bunnies.

Yes, you are born in the year of the dragon! That's really cool! Just so you'd know, your element is wood and your polarity is 'yang'. You know, yin and yang? I got this part below off wikipedia...

"Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, or tranquil; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime.

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, or aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime"

The Rabbit is yin, and the Dragon is yang.

Oooh I am glad you liked the trailers! The costumes were awesome, weren't they? I loved the makeup in there too, especially the one of the primary antagonist, who was also one of the two female leads. She played a vicious, scheming concubine. (The girl on the right in the picture below)

http://img.b.tvb.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/tvbi/files/2010/01/e5aeaee5bf83e8a888dvd_cover.jpg

The emperor is the one with funky looking hat~ It's what Tang dynasty emperors wore. The females were definitely scary, and they did portray a lot of emotions with their eyes.

Hi sweetie!! LOL I have no life actually, being freshly graduated and jobless at the moment But it's okay, I am pretty much enjoying being in the state for now. Having studied for so many years justifies this break. *self assures*

Yeah...the Hungry Ghosts' Festival is really quite creepy...*shudders and looks around room* I am now playing Maroon 5 on loop on iTunes so there's no chance of me coming across a slow creepy song if you get what I mean. LOL. Anyway, I totally agree. One month is too long!! As for offerings, usually it is set up with candles, incense sticks and offerings of fruit and various foods. Paper money (or Hell bank notes as we call them sometimes) are burned for the ancestors who have passed away. We don't really have a restriction as to what sort of food you should put out, but one would usually see oranges, apples, roasted meats and so on being put out for the hungry ghosts. It is said that food that has been put out for these ghosts would taste very bland if you dare to take a bite out of it that is. It is because they draw the flavor and the essence out of the food, hence 'eating' it.

Taboos like not being allowed to swim come from the fact that there might be water ghosts lurking in the water. I don't know how true this is, but there is a popular island resort off Singapore's shores where drowning incidents take place occasionally during the 7th month. You see, the beach resort area used to be used by the Japanese soldiers during the World War to execute the Chinese captives whom they suspected to be spies by live firing. So after they gunned the poor captives down, the bodies are either dumped into the sea or thrown into large trenches where they are then buried. It is said that the vengeful spirits of these people still exist because they can't find peace, and they are looking for people to join them down there in the water. You might think it is merely a legend like I thought it was, but somehow, those who have drowned in the waters there include a large percentage of Japanese tourists. Strange, isn't it? Of all people who visit the beach, why is it that the Japanese tourists are the ones who drowned? Coincidence might be the reason, but some say the water ghosts are taking revenge.

I am so sorry if I scared you with this dearie!!! *huggles* Trust me, that was not my intention though I have many, many more stories to tell.

Maybe it is because I've been leading a sheltered city life, but I actually find the adulthood ceremony really tough! For children at the age of 11 - 13, completing those tasks/challenges is really no mean feat! You have my respect, my dear! It must have been way more difficult than you've put it! I LOL-ed at the 'Poof!' part.

LOL the squash-blossom whorls look funny indeed! But it must have been really hard to create, so I am very impressed. The chongo style looks really exquisite though! I wonder how the ladies who did that hairstyle managed to keep it up the entire day. Super hard styling spray?? I remember Pocahontas' friend! (I love that show, BTW) But I never knew her hair was not right, so I've learned something new from you Siki!! It's like memoirs of a geisha, really. Everyone seems to be under the impression that MissTeak wrote Wisteria and it must have been inspired by Memoirs. But it's not true; I didn't watch that movie because I refused to. I know the characters from movie reviews and so on, like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi. And they are all Chinese actresses for goodness' sake. I am not against my own kind (Like DUH) but a lot of what they portrayed in there is not very accurate. The hairdo, for one, is totally wrong. The costumes as well. *Le Sigh*

Dearie!! I am finally free to sit in front of the computer to reply messages and wall posts!! LOL I was so busy today, because today happens to be the first day of the 7th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The entire 7th month is otherwise known as the Hungry Ghosts' Festival, and I was out with my parents putting out offerings and praying. Legend has it that the gates of Hell would open up on this day and the spirits of the departed would return to the world of the living. So for this month, we will avoid saying words like 'death' and also avoid swimming and staying out late. Of course, there are more practices and beliefs which I can tell you if you are keen to know them.

And oooh adulthood ceremony seems rather early. I was thinking along the lines of say, 16 or 18. Is it a ceremony that one undergoes individually or in a big group?

Anyway, yes, now that you've said it, it is a shame that those lovely hairstyles are no longer in use! I would love to try them for myself, but gone are those days. Everyone in Asian countries seems to like trendy Japanese hairstyles these days!

The concept of Red Road sounds like a beautiful one! I like the idea of it being a path of good deeds

Thank you for the lesson on animals in your culture!! I should have known, actually. After reading what you've had to say on the eagles, I realized that yes, I do know that eagles are a very prominent part of your culture! The video was amazing; the dance was great and I really liked the elaborate costumes.

Now that you've said it, yes, the Chinese zodiac is somewhat similar to your wyakin, except that we do not discover it. It is more of a 'given' because you're simply born into it. What you've said about the rabbit is really interesting! It does sound similar to what I've read about it in the Chinese zodiac...it says I am SUPPOSED to be kind, gentle, cautious, calm yet intuitive. If you don't mind me asking, how does one discover the wyakin? I am really intrigued by the symbolic significance of animals in your culture!

And OMG just when you said you liked the dragon, dearie, you are born in the year of the dragon!!! Truth be told, the year of the dragon is the most favored year out of all. Predominantly Chinese societies like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore see a baby boom in the year of the dragon because it is believed to be the most auspicious year to have a child, and the child would lead a blessed life. Unlike the Western concept of the dragon being a creature to be slayed, it is considered a divine beast in Asian culture and in the past, people born in the year of the dragon are well-respected and seen as harbingers of good fortune. Innovative, brave, self-assured and ambitious are some of the traits of an individual born in the year of the dragon.

LOL speaking of concubines, I've been watching an amazing HongKong drama serial about the politics in the Chinese imperial harem during the Tang Dynasty, and the girls and guys there had WONDERFUL costumes which I think you'd love to see! You can try identifying the emperor, the empress dowager (his mom) and the concubines who vie for his attention!

This is one of the many trailers for the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ThziIBso0&feature=channel

and this is the theme video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9VFP5TG5G4

Wow that's definitely something impressive! So what's the age for the Adulthood ceremony?

And yes! My friend actually ordered a wedding kimono online and got it sent to her...how cool is that, really?? Japanese hairstyles are nice but rather complex to create, so usually they use wigs instead

It's okay to compare Chinese to Japanese! You'll be amazed by the amount of similarities in culture and language, actually. Traditionally, yes, we do have special hair styles and ornaments though we no longer use them. I don't know too much about the hairstyles, but what I've done is rip information off the web. Here it is!

"From the end of the Guangxu Period till the beginning of Republic of China (1908 – 1912),the popular bun types of Chinese women included luoji(spiral bun), baoji(pack bun), lianhuanji(interlinking bun), chaotianji(skyward bun), yuanbaoji(yuanbao-shaped bun; yuanbao is a shoe-shaped gold or silver ingot), baoyuji (abalone-shaped bun), xiangguaji (muskmelon-shaped bun), kongxinji (hollow bun), panbianji (bun formed by rounding the tail), mianbaoji (bread-shaped bun), yiziji (line-shaped bun), dongyangji (Oriental bun), zhuimaji (bun like a person falling off a horse), wufengji (dancing-phoenix bun), hudieji(butterfly bun) and so on.

In the case of a young woman, in addition to the bun, there was also a lock of hair covering the forehead, commonly called "qian liuhai" (front bang).The fashion of the qian liuhai varies slightly, too: the line-shaped, the hanging-silk-shaped, the swallowtail-shaped, and so on.

Around the 12th year of Republic of China (1924 A.D.), jianfa(a hairstyle formed by cutting the hair neatly) became popular. In the 1930's, perm was spread to China. After 1933, Chinese women in big cities usually followed the Western style, and some even dyed their hair into different colors such as red, yellow, brown, etc., regarding that as fashionable."

Now that was a very refreshing lesson for me as well. All I knew was that the Western permed styles became very popular in the 1930s, but had no idea about the various bun types.

What you've explained about the colors make very good sense! I can totally understand why each respective color would hold such meaning behind them. Red seems to be a great color in many cultures! How about animals then?

As for white in Chinese culture, I'm afraid it's not a good color. White is never used in Chinese wedding because as you've mentioned, it is a funeral color. Animals, on the other hand, symbolize a lot. For example, mythical creatures like the dragon and the phoenix symbolize royalty and status. It was a taboo to use dragons as prints or designs in the past because it was something only the emperor could use. The empress dowager and empress got to use the phoenix designs, though imperial concubines could not use them despite their statuses.

Speaking of animals, the Chinese zodiac is made up of twelve animals and every year is symbolized by a certain animal. I was born in 1987, which is the Year of the Rabbit. Interestingly, some people believe that a person's characteristics have something to do with the year in which he was born. Can I know the year in which you were born?