A dream is a wish your heart makes...

With the Olympics going on, you see all these athletes who have trained so hard to get to where they are.  Part intense training, part natural talent, and part being able to be in the right place at the right time and meeting the right people.  Certainly blessed.

A major hindrance in attaining such dreams in Canada?  The typical Asian life:  you work hard in school to get good grades so you can get into a good university where you can either study to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant, or a teacher.  I know I fall under that category.  And even now, I see parents pushing their kids to take physics and biology and chemistry and anything that doesn't fall under those academic courses are considered useless for their future.  Well, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Oftentimes, Asian parents pigeon-hole their kids into very specific careers that are limited to only a small population. The moment they don't do well in these subjects, tutors are hired, pressuring these kids to cram into their minds what is naturally difficult for them, while the skills they may have remain hidden and unseen.  Kids start to think "I'm stupid."  Well, do these kids have any dreams of their own?  Do they know what their passion is?  When they're in class, are they motivated to learn or just motivated by marks?  Are their careers and futures their own decisions or their parents?  Would they ever learn to make their own life decisions?  Hmmm...that's a thinker.

On a different note,  I was also thinking, wouldn't it be great if we can take a baby and through analysis of their brains and body, we can determine what their are naturally built for?  Such as a body that is ideal to learn dance, or a mind that is ideal to learn math.  Wouldn't it be great if everyone was able to start from what their good at rather than so much trial and error?  Some people may never realize their skills because they've just never been given the opportunity to use them and hone them.  Isn't it a waste?  Jay brought up a good point - it wouldn't be much fun if everyone was good at everything.  There would be to proteges because everyone would be one.  I do agree with that on many levels.  I suppose that just came from my own regrets on not being able to follow my own dreams.

I wanted to learn wushu, my parents put me in piano because it was more feminine.  When given the opportunity to learn wushu in a secondary school extracurricular club, I took it.  But eventually the class size dropped and I was the few people left, then class disappeared all together.  Oh well, kicking-butt-super-woman dream was gone.

I wanted to be a fashion designer, my parents wanted me to go into university because fashion design was not 'practical' and there would be 'no jobs' for me.  So, I go through my relatively mundane university life while watching others around me living the dreams that I originally wanted.  I remembered ever since I was in elementary school, I created my own fashion booklets and designed dresses.  I adored beautiful clothing and I would copy what I saw.  Come to think of it, how many kids already knew what they wanted to be at that age?  Even with my small amount of training, I was told by my textiles sponsor teacher that I had the best skills of any other student teacher she's had, and that I would go far if my skills were more developed.  This coming from an extremely skilled lady with extremely high expectations, who have seen and brought up many talented designers.  Receiving a compliment from someone I admired so much, I was happy at that moment but my heart also dropped.  I had that passion and the skill and I let it slip away because of my pigeon-holed lifestyle.  Unfortunately, I would not be able to drop all my responsibilities right now to pursue that dream. 

Am I totally hating my life right now?  No.  Am I blessed?  Yes.  Would I be who I am right now without having lived through my 'mundane' life?  Nope.  Do I dislike my parents for not supporting my dreams?  Definitely not.  I understand that they come from a much more underprivileged background and came here so that I could live a better life.  And in their eyes, it means getting a university education and a safe, steady job.

In general, each person has a path and I don't know how things would have turned out if I had followed my dreams, but that's not important anymore.  I am happy with the many blessings that I have been given.  The take-home message that I learned from these experiences is what I can do with it.   To all the students I'm teaching and eventually when I have a children,  I want to be a person who is supportive of their dreams.  I want to be able to pick up on what they love and point that out to them.  I want to be the one to open their eyes to the hundreds of careers out there that would utilize what they CAN do and not force them to fit a mold of what others feel is acceptable.  Parents should hire tutors to help kids get further ahead on what they love, rather than hiring a tutor to push them into studying more of what they hate.  God has given each person talents/gifts, so use them for His glory!  The kids will be happier and the world would benefit from their skills.

Food for thought.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today, I finally learned the origin of Valentine's Day.  Apparently, there was a priest named Valentine who was martyred for his beliefs.  However, he was filled with so much love that he continued to love those who persecuted and eventually killed him.

Most people relate this holiday to chocolates and roses and romantic feelings between couples.  Who really knew that the origin was rooted in something not so romantic, but courageous and admirable?  So...shall we say 'happy holidays' to be politically correct? ;)

Here are some photos of delicious Valentine's Day treats I taught my classes.  You can make them, too!

Quick Chocolate Cake that I made with the Grade 9/10s.  Not the best quality as I stole it from my student who took a picture of my demo cake with his camera phone.

Valentine Napoleons that I made with the Grade 11/12s.  The puff pastries were a pain to work with but the product is beautiful.

So to all people who love someone, anyone, or everyone - Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing upon a star...for these hot items!

Christmas has come and gone and whenever people ask me what I want for Christmas or on my birthdays, I really don't have anything particular in mind.  I just say....'uh...a gift card from good ol' RW&Co' or 'wait until I find something I want, then I will tell you' or 'I don't know, just get me anything'.  But throughout my day to day browsing and just seeing what's out there, there are tons of things that I really want to get my hands on!

Item #1 - Ben Nye Grand Lumiere Palette

Many people have seen this palette used by you tube makeup gurus like Michelle Phan.  I actually heard of Ben Nye products when I was at Blanche.  They are super pigmented and can be used for clown makeup.  The downside is that for someone on a budget, they are a bit pricey as one purchase.  Not that they're not a good deal.  For the size of the pigment and the number of colours, it's actually a great price!  Most places sell them for $65-75.  Bubba's Clown Supplies sell it online for $54 but with shipping, it adds up to $63 which is around the same.


Item #2 - Victorian Style Necklace

Etsy is a great site to find unique items.  Anyone who knows my taste in jewelry knows that I have a thing for antique styles.  This is a really pretty one.  It's $33 USD, not including shipping.  Will probably add up to $40 CAD. (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40319440).  But it's so pretty and it's handmade!

Item #3 - Hakuhodo Brushes

Hakuhodo is a company that produces handmade brushes made in Japan.  They can be quite expensive, but the quality is incredible.  The brush above is one from their S100 Series, which is a more of a luxury line in the company. It's the one I really want - Pointed Blush Brush made from goat hair ($76 USD not including shipping).  The handle is made of wood and colored in beautiful vermilion, a traditional Japanese color. It broadens slightly toward the tip and is designed to fit perfectly in the hand.The ferrules are made of brass-rolled 24-karat gold with clear coating.  For a makeup artist, the tools are as important as the products.  I'm SOOO disappointed that they're not listed to be at IMATS in Vancouver, but they are going to be at the one in Los Angeles and Sydney *cries*.

*Side note*  I was using a powder brush, that came as part of a set, on my model for Monday's photoshoot.  As I was applying the Mac Blot Powder, the handle came right off the ferrule.  It was ridiculous.

Item #4 - Nicole Miller: Truly, Madly, Deeply Gown

Is this gown not absolutely gorgeous?  It comes in white as well!  I wouldn't mind wearing it as a wedding dress.  This gown reminds me of a mixture between East Indian saris and beach wear.  It's so soft and pretty with intricate prints.  The only thing that would hurt me is the price - $510 USD.

Item #5 -  DSLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies

I love working with photographers and such but sometimes finding a model and photographer and coming up with a date, time, and concept that we all agree on is difficult.  And oftentimes, I have a vision of exactly what image I want in my portfolio.  Sure, I can go out and buy a DSLR like everyone is doing nowadays, and just take pictures on Auto.  But I want to learn how to do it the real way.  I think the photography part is really a talent and each individual person is going to be different.  At this point, I just want to know how to work the camera.  Anyone know of any better books?  Classes?

Naturally there are many other items out there that I would love!  And as you can see, 3/5 of the items I listed are quite pricey and I would be reluctant to get them, hence I would like to receive them as gifts hehe.  For times like Christmas, it's nice to see tons of presents under the tree.  But I would honestly like to have one great gift and everyone pitched in a little, than have tons of tiny gifts that I'm probably not going to use anyways and will probably take up space because I never throw anything away.  So...what are your hot items? =D

MAC Haul

Finally after a long awaited two months since my graduation as a full-fledged pro makeup artist, I received my diploma!  Which means now I can start applying for pro discounts from Mac, MUFE, Face Atelier and other possible pro makeup companies.  The perks!!!

First thing's first, I went downtown to the MAC pro store. They have all sorts of stuff that a regular MAC store does not carry (such as blue and yellow lip colour!  Hello, fashion shoot!).  The great thing about MAC is that they honour my 40% discount on all the purchases I make on the day I hand in my application for my pro card.  So this begins my two hours of that evening. 
 

I don't know if it's necessarily true, but I personally feel that the MUA who work there have more skills than the ones in the other stores or the ones at the Bay.  First of all, I notice that most of the people who work at the pro store tend to be a bit older and generally more experienced.  Funny thing is a few months ago when I went there with Jason, he noticed that almost all the women working there were pregnant.  Just a funny side thing.  Anyways, I asked one MUA (long blonde hair tied back) for her advice on the 'must-have' items for bridal makeup.  Originally, I had asked a MUA at the Richmond store to write me a list of items that would be great for bridal and she came up with a list that seems like I have to buy out all the eyeshadows in the store (hence another reason why I say that they seem to lack experience).  So, I whipped out the list and showed it to Blondie and she was in the process of showing me all the colours and started to help me narrow down to the 'must haves', which was great!  At that point, I started feeling tremendous pain in my stomach, a little nauseous, and light headed.  I cut her off and told her I'd be right back because I was feeling sick.  I'm thinking it's food poisoning from the dimsum I had earlier.  After a good 20 minutes at Blenz Coffee (thank you!!) and Jay waiting outside for me with tea, I felt a bit better.  

Back at the store, Blondie was just leaving because her shift ended so she referred me to another MUA.  This one has been working for 15 years with vast experience.  After my many questions and trying to be decisive, she helped me narrow down to 9 colours based on who it can be used for and which can be mixed to create a different colour (shown in the palette below).  The other four colours were originally already part of my kit from school.  She was so nice in understanding that I was on a budget and was really honest with me, not trying to sell me what I didn't need.  I love all these colours and I can't wait to use them on a bride!  I've already used them quite a few times testing on myself what would look good.  

On top of the eyeshadow palette, I also picked up an orange creme colour corrector (absolutely necessary for Indian makeup), a lutre lipstick called Syrup (very natural shade for brides), and Lashes #42 (for a photoshoot).  I really wanted the Soft and Gentle Mineral Skin Finish but it was quite pricey and the MUA suggested that if I wanted to stay on a budget for now, that I could replace that with one of my eyeshadows named "All that Glitters" (yet another great suggestion!). 

In general, I was really happy with the purchases and I realized that quality does matter.  After having used these, I realized how difficult it was to use certain colours on my Coastal Scent palettes.  They just didn't adhere to the skin the same way.  I don't mean to say that I'm a MAC fanatic.  For example, I've never found a good foundation there before and seems like many people are allergic to them.  There are so many lines of makeup out there and each of them have certain things that are great, even the less expensive drugstore brands.  That ended my first MAC haul and then it was dinner at Benkei Ramen.  Delicious and satisfying!

Much love to Jason who waited for me until he fell asleep and almost fell off the chair o^_^o.  Didn't realize what time it was until I left and realized that the door was locked and it was already past 7 pm.  I must say that I would not have been so patient if he was spending 2 hours looking at toys and other things that I have no interest in.  <3  <3 <3