~*Architecture*~ Wednesday, Apr 30 2008 

Art and Culture , , fablala 2:00 pm

The Great Wall of China is considered one of the world’s medieval wonders along with the Stonehenge, Colosseum, Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, Hagia Sophia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

There are more wonders, which include the Taj Mahal, Cairo Citadel, Ely Cathedral and Cluny Abbey.

I have never been to the Great Wall of China yet. It’s definitely on my list of things to see! It is one of the largest constructions ever done.  

The Great Wall was built around 2000 years ago and stretches just over 6,700 km long, which is about 4,163 miles. It stretches across the mountains of the northern part of China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. 

The Wall was built in the Spring, Autumn and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states, which were Yan, Zhao and Qin. It was first built as independent walls until the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin Shihuang joined the walls together. Only then was the wall called “Great”. 

The Great Wall has been often included in Chinese mythology. 

Even if you won’t manage to walk along the entire wall, it’s been said that it’s spectacular to even just experience one part of the wall. 

It appears to be a fantastic tourist attraction! The part of the Wall that lies north-east of Beijing is still in it’s original state. It is recommended to see that if you can’t decide which area of the Wall you want to see.  

It sure has attracted me!

 

~*Culture Part II: Art*~ Friday, Apr 25 2008 

Art and Culture fablala 5:59 pm

Two words: Terracotta Army. 

One of the most fascinating things anyone could ever see. I considered this army as art because in a way, it is. 

In 1974 farmers discovered these terra cotta figures, which dated back all the way to 210 BCE. They were found near Xi’an, Shaanxi province. 

The figures differ in height, but they are in between 184 cm and 197 cm (6ft – 6ft 5in). They are pretty tall. They are taller than me! 

In the Terracotta Army you can find following figures: warriors, horses, officials, chariots, strongmen, musicians and acrobats. 

The Terracotta Army was buried with Emperor of Qin in 209-210 BC. The purpose of the Army was to help rule another empire with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Others think they were simply built for protection. 

Local craftsmen and government labourers created these figures. The body parts, head, arms, legs and torso were made separately and then put together. According to studies, eight face moulds were used. Clay was added to give them individual facial features.

The Terracotta Army lies in four pits. They are 1.5km east of the burial mound and are approximately 5 metres deep. In a way they act as guards to protect the tomb from an attack from the east (where all the conquered states were). The walls around them and ground layers are as hard as concrete. Sadly some figures are damaged and decaying. 

Outside of China, museums have had exhibitions about the Army. In Britain, for example, the British Museum hosted an exhibition called “The First Emperor – China’s Terracotta Army“. The exhibition lasted from 13 September 2007 until 6 April 2008.  

 

~*Nail Design*~ Wednesday, Apr 23 2008 

Art and Fashion fablala 5:01 pm

Okay. The French own the “French manicure”. It’s their thing. Everyone loves them! I’m a fan of them too.

I find that they make your nails look more ‘Posh’. The good thing is, you can get a french manicure set to help you by following simple steps. 

A French manicure sure seems a lot easier to do by yourself than for example, nail designs you can get done with flower or animal patterns, or actual animals, stars, hearts – anything! You can even get Hello Kitty nails if you’re a fan of those! 

Below you can see a range of different designs that you can get in a typical nail beauty store in South East Asia.


It’s interesting how not only can you put diamonds onto handphones or earphones but on nails too. It’s a fashion trend that seems to continue to spread all over the world. It started off with simple body glitter tattoos that you can stick on. Maybe in a few years time we’ll find out where else you can wear small diamonds. 

A manicure contest was held in BeautyAsia in Singapore last year in 2007. It’s amazing with the unique creations these ladies have come up with. When I saw these pictures I was stunned. I didn’t know that anything like – what you’ll see – was even possible to do on nails.

Pretty good though, isn’t it? I’d call creating something that another talent. We all know there’s singing, acting and dancing. But this – wow – this takes a lot of time and patience as well. Creativity especially! 

 

~*Make Up*~ Wednesday, Apr 23 2008 

Art and Fashion fablala 10:05 am

In relation to my earlier blog, I thought I’d give a quick overview or a few tips about what kind of make up is best for the Chinese skin colour.

It’s important to have colours that work with each other and not contradict each other.

Also it depends whether you want it as an everyday make up or going out at night make up.

For the everyday, I’d stick to simple eyeliner. Doesn’t matter if it’s liquid or pencil. Liquid is definitely becoming trendier though.

Many like to wear a flick at the end of the eye. Like this:

You can put on a light bronze – brownish colour to give you a natural look.

At night, feel free to experiment. I find the smoky eye a classic. It looks elegant and stylish. Works with pretty much anything you wear as well.

I personally also like blue. It’s not too bright like pink or green. Green might actually look nice as well but I think it depends on what your personality is as well. It might suit some and others not.

I find that purple can be quite nice too! Be careful how to apply it though, because otherwise it can look like someone gave you a punch. Mix it with gold, that’ll look very glamourous!