ORACLE JOURNAL

9/18/16

OLD SCHOOL

There is something about us millennials that constantly intrigues the preceding generation. Our attention span has evolved and snipped - with many thanks to the astute technology advancements (I still love my iPhone to the moon and back, really). We are constantly looking towards the latest updates in life, lest we turn out of date. Dishing out a worn-out flip phone of early 2000s in public makes us feel insecure. Wearing a hand-me-down from our grandma - that once made her the fashion icon amongst her peers in her hippie years - drives our self-consciousness up to a whole new level, especially in town. We fear being dated yet are subconsciously revisiting fashion trends of the yesteryears. In a bid to shield our tender egos, we proudly label the aforesaid as retro and vintage. Alas, no fingers pointed nor hard feelings. These are just my two cents worth. The recent years saw big design houses bringing back the 90's fashion trend. Whilst I'd love to boast with grandiloquence that old is gold, it's in fact that this 90's kid barely knows or remembers how fashion was really like back then.

Chokers. That's the only thing that I could associate with the 90's time period. In all honesty, this kid actually used black hair ties around her neck. Fast forward to 2016, this magnificent neck-restraining-piece-of-cloth has made its glamorous comeback. Ann (my sister) caved in, too. The stockpile of chokers at home are enough to fill an entire drawer. To make good use of them whenever we can, Ann has paired it with a black and white ensemble. The layering of a sleeveless top/dress over another shirt has been really a hit too. You've got to agree that the choker completes the outfit, though!

Some shameless publicity, we do have a combined Instagram for this blog ran by Ann and I so please do give a follow at @theoraclejournal / www.instagram.com/theoraclejournal

Photography by Rosemarie Yang

7/18/16

What I Ate - Healthy Pizza

Keeping to a strict diet is no easy feat especially when you are dining with your family and friends. Ann and I would always make our own meals (and our parents of course) whenever we time allows. It's over the years that we got to know and listen to our bodies better. Growing up, I've always had food related allergies now and then. Refined wheat, meat and seafood are some of the main troublemakers to my digestive system. With that said, I l-o-v-e bread, pastas, and pizzas. Apart from the fear of the expanding waistline, these foods are made with refined flour. To err is human, who could resist that sexy piping hot pizza with that crunchy base seated right in front of you? Alas, that's when bloating kicks in really bad. I still have these cheat meals once a week, but on normal days health is key. It was not long ago when I stumbled across the amazing vegan blog, Oh She Glows. The Super Power Chia bread is one of the wonderful recipes that's God sent! With the dough flattened out thinly, it could be the perfect pizza dough minus the insulin-spiking refined flour. And did I mention because it's so nutrient dense, you'd feel full at the very second slice. I didn't have the exact ingredients in hand so I switched some ingredients up.

Inspired by Oh She Glow's Super Power Chia Bread.

Pizza Crust:

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 + 1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way.

3. Add all dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well until combined. Stir in the water until combined. The mixture will be very watery and runny at first, but it will thicken up fairly quick. Scoop it into the pan and spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. You can use lightly wet hands to smooth it down if necessary. Sprinkle the bread with sea salt before going into the oven.

4. Bake at 325F for about 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy or prepare the pizza toppings!

Pizza Toppings

1/4 cup organic barbecue sauce (or pure tomato sauce works fine too)

1/3 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup mushrooms of your choice

1/4 cup vegan burger patty

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

one egg (omit if you're vegan)

These are just some of the ingredients we had in hand, you can get creative with the toppings!
We popped the topped pizza back into the oven for another 10-15 min until the toppings are golden brown.

We've also updated our Youtube channel and this time round, it's a What I Ate video, do check it out!

6/12/16

YOUR KOREAN INSPIRED SPRING OUTFITS

I guess every now and then we'd see girls staring hard and a tad obsessed at their reflections. Not sure if it's self-obsessed or just-checking-if-my-hair-is-alright kind of justification, we all been there. Growing up, my sister and I (p.s if you do not already know, Ann is my sister. And yes I know we don't really look alike) would be bombarded with criticisms about our stature. Whilst we were faced with mean peers in school, it did no help when relatives joined in the game of image-bullying. Alas, we grew out of overly self-consciousness. Well, not quite entirely but definitely progressing along with time. From time to time, we still do get strange looks from passerby. Instead of marinating in self-shame and inferiority complex, we have many more productive things to ponder over. This blog and our Youtube channel became our source of creative outlet. Fashion is intriguing yet captivating; there is not hard-and-fast rule out there. Unlike the academia, there are no nerve-wrecking benchmarks for the creatives. Competitions and mean comments are here to stay but sieving through them is of paramount importance. In this era where keyboard warriors thrive in, the fine line between productive and demeaning remarks has became almost murky and confusing. It took me years before realising sometimes those that jeered at me actually hoped that I'd stoop as low as them - character wise. Being comfortable in your one skin and clothes beats every other social factors hands down. You could love wearing monochromes but a third party would pass your wardrobe choice as total thrash. In fact, the monochrome was an absolute 'in' thing and culture in my school. Arts school, is that it? Of course, there were also the ones who felt indifferent and scorned that black-and-white culture. Coming from a neutral viewpoint, I feel that it's perfectly okay to wear whatever that floats their boat. Conforming to the norms seems so yesterday and jeering at someone else's wardrobe choice just comes out as childish. (well, at least for me)

And for you visual creatures, catch this mini lookbook film:

Ann Is Wearing:

Shirt Dress by Warehouse

Bag by Vivienne Westwood

Shoes by New Balance

Rose Is Wearing:

Pastel Blue Blouse by Topshop

White Rayon Shirt by Uniqlo

Shorts by British India

Shoes by Topshop

5/17/16

SPRING AFFAIR

There's this saying that goes along the lines of, 'always wake up with a goal in mind; if you don't, go back to bed.' As cliche as it might seem, the once skeptical me came to realisation soon after. Humans, we are. Blood streams through every vessel and vein. The heart painstakingly beats every second to keep the body functioning. Bruises and cuts surface every now and then. We feel the pain and then the unpleasant sensation gradually fades away along with time. Vulnerable. Most of use chose to numb pain (physical and emotional) by deceiving the brain. Some learnt to let it go whilst others chose to be sadists. And a fraction of them chose to be sociopaths.

I'd say they haven't found themselves. Not to brag that I ever did, at least every minute effort factors in. There are just too many (at least around me) that are too busy poking their noses into the life progresses of others that they've became senseless to their own lives. Isn't it counter-productive to disrupt others while not knowing that they're road to becoming a better person is being halted by their own doings?

Those are just my two-cents in the recent weeks. Sincerity is a gem to me and will always be.

In other news, I finally made more time to photography another studio-themed shoot. I don't have the habit of disclosing any camera settings on my social media platforms is due to the very believe that every photograph is different. The environment you are photographing in very much determines your camera settings - that is if you're shooting in Manual mode. On a similar note, I find it amusing how people would say 'your camera takes good photos'. It is disheartening to know how people these days access a photographer based on his or her camera model instead of skills. Alas, I should be a stop to my rant here, lest my words come off as offensive in any way.

For the curious, Ann is wearing a silk top from Zara!

4/15/16

Favorite Things

Whilst little earthlings chase after the merciless tickling of the minute hand, here I am writing the very second post for Oracle Journal. Priorities. Did I get them wrong? Let it end there, period. In retrospect, I was busy clicking the shutter button and putting my photography port together. No, not the kind of portfolio where one would frantically put together in a ridiculous span of few days to a week and having fingers crossed that he or she would be accepted into college. The latter unfortunately repeats itself in this cruel world. I once learnt from a respected senior that art, per se, has been highly ridiculed and graded. How is it even possible -for a piece of art- to be judged against the checkboxes of criterion that are highly skewed to the academics?

Alas, before my two-cents are being twisted by the easily distressed, I thought I'd leave the aforesaid to be unanswered.

Shifting gears and on a lighter note, it has been quite a while since Ann and I have uploaded a new video on our Youtube channel. Granted, any seemingly convincing excuses may all deemed procrastination if you'd argue passion beats the lack of time. In all honesty, we have filmed a couple of lookbooks but only to feel dejected when we reviewed them later. Somehow, we are always dissatisfied with our work. Nevertheless, a new video is coming in the way!

I've been experimenting with beauty still-life lately. Truth is, it isn't as easy as it looks. If good lighting is in abundance, you've already won half the battle. All's left is your creativity and arm strength. If you've a tripod and plenty of space, maybe that would spare you from all the backache. I had to arch my back throughout the shoot with the heavy digital SLR. My mom thinks that I have lost my sanity. But nothing beats having a couple of good shots at the end of the day.

P.S that Clé de Peau lipstick is really awesome. That coral sheen and moisture sure is a keeper.

xRose

2/7/16

DOING LUNAR NEW YEAR RIGHT

Happy Lunar New Year, humanoids. Here I am finding myself in awe, how ridiculous time it is that time has passed so quickly. It's already a week into February 2016. Before we have barely assimilate the passage of time travels, we'd pretty much be back on the same
page. Déjà vu. Whilst we are still seating in one corner of the room, slowly but unwillingly coming to senses
that Christmas is over, Lunar New Year (LNY/ CNY) songs start to drift through the local radios.
Next on would be the sea of red that makes its grand entrance. We are bombarded by CNY themed
collaterals; tissue boxes; abalones; rice; t-shirts; you-name-it-they-got-it things. Before you get
the wrong idea, I love festive seasons. Lunar New Year sits comfortably at the top of my list.
Typical prep work for ushering the LNY includes spring-cleaning (basically, its to clean the entire house),
pussy willows, and charging towards the supermarkets to pile up on groceries. For one, its perfectly logical
to follow traditions. But what about that humanoid who is still scrubbing and wiping windows at the wee
hours... I mean, don't we all need to maintain the cleanliness of our homes all the time?
I'd be in all agreement with you if you'd tell me the act of spring cleaning is a part of the Chinese tradition.
But what about the situation where it drives one mad whilst cleaning till the unearthly hours a day
before LNY? I guess it's all about getting one's priorities right, in retrospect.
Isn't it about process of preparation for Lunar New Year that churns precious memories, after all?

1/22/16

HEARTY FRITTATA

Staying on track isn't any easy feat. especially if procrastination is somehow present in you

(or me, at the very least). When it comes to food, I tend to cave in no matter how disciplined I've trained my mind to be. Hummus and cheese are my ultimate weakness. In fact, I'm actually craving for some good ole hummus right now. I make a conscious effort to maintain a plant-based diet as much as possible for both health and ethical reasons. And I know it may sound rather self-contradicting with the aforesaid - cheeses. In all honesty, I must admit that it isn't a smooth sail for me to be fully plant-based especially with a family that eats eggs. Nevertheless, I have recently eliminated cheese from my diet. How is it possible? It's all about seeking the next best alternatives when it comes to food choices. If i'm are aware about the particular source of food as well as the way my body responds to it, it's always wise to react accordingly.

Oh yes, cheese. I was talking about that little devil. I chanced upon vegan food vlogger, Kalel on Youtube and had since been inspired by her diet routine. As much as I could remember, nut cheeses are common staples to vegan cheese lovers. All I did was to blend soaked cashews, water, nutritional yeast, some salt & pepper in a high speed blender. Cashew nuts just provide that smooth and creaminess that dairy cheeses have. Ann and I put together a What I Eat in A Day video and her Frittata was da bomb! I know there's egg in it so it's not entirely plant-based, though. But it really is a hearty make-ahead meal that keeps you from reaching out to those junk food. The entire video will be on our Youtube channel soon, so stay tuned!

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