Love in the time of Facebook

I don’t know about you but I tend to make the distinction of keeping my romantic relationships separate from the online world. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I still view relationships as the source of sanctuary from the predatory world.

But for people like ourselves today, whose personal lives are so intricately intertwined with the social media – how do we really make that distinction? For one, Facebook allows its users to conveniently add or drop lovers on their profile page. The ubiquity of micro-blogging allows us to vent our frustrations as the result of a lover’s spat, that we would otherwise not be able to do so traditionally as quickly with our friends. The result of such online display of commitment to a lover also means a commitment to your lover’s network and acquaintances, and creating new rules of digital etiquette for both lovers and their network of friends.

For couples who happily in love, this overlap of information in the physical and digital world doesn’t pose much concern – BUT the trouble begins brewing when couples hit a rough patch and break up eventually. As friends, whose sides do we take now? Will you de-friend your ex on Facebook? You don’t want to look like a secondary school kid but it is also painfully difficult to swallow news of your ex, especially in the early stages of breakup.

As for now, I’m staying away from publicly airing my dirty linen when it comes to personal relationships but one day, you might just be amongst the first to hear of my break-up on this blog. After all, there is nothing quite as cathartic as blogging about a break-up.

The Sartorial Hegemony of Britannia

Today I want to talk about the British – yes, the people from the land of the Union Jack. Though not everyone wears the flag as proudly as Geri Halliwell did, the British certainly didn’t need a dress to know that their country was a major influence not only in politics and economies but also in societies and cultures. From D. H. Lawrence to Winston Churchill to Alexander McQueen, these British figures have all cut lasting impressions even in the smallest stitch of the world today.

Well, taking from Martin Luther King’s often-quoted phrase, “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice”, if I can spin a twist out of that line, it would sound something like, “the clutch of the British is far and wide but it bends towards chaos.” Really, if we take a closer look at the aftermath of the British Empire i.e. how the Commonwealth nations are doing today – it is mostly a state of shambles. In South Africa, the country is still reeling in from the monstrosity of the apartheid regime and in Singapore, it is a crime for gay couples to conjugate without closing their doors, while their English counterparts are allowed to merrily engage in PDAs. Honestly, the world would be a less tiresome place without all the mess.

But if there is anything that history has taught us, it is that there is nothing we can do to change it. Let’s face it – the British are never going to disappear from the face of the Earth. The day they do, you know the rest of the world is going down as well. So, why not, in the meantime, take a leaf out of their book and steal some tips on how to dress well. After all, if there is only one thing well that they didn’t mess up, it is dressing up. With time-tested sartorial institutions like Savile Row and and Central Saint Martins, it is mightily difficult to go wrong.

So from Camilla Parker Bowles to Lily Allen, Elton John to Robert Pattinson, there is something for the young and old, gay and straight from the land of the Union Jack. You only need to know to pluck from the right shrubbery to enjoy the bountiful fruits of the grand Britannia – after all, for her to be as old as she is only deserves at the very least, our respect.

Flower Power

Ditch the runway baby. From drab to fab, FratPerry puts the original style back in your sartorial consciousness.

You’ve seen it on Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City The Movie. And you’ve also seen Justin wearing all varieties of it on the Colin and Justin’s Home Heist show. Yes – the sweet-smelling efflorescence is the must-have accessory in your wardrobe to go with your top. Here’s the good news for the gents – it’s an incredibly versatile piece of adornment that can go with your jacket, vest or even your polo tee.

You’ve seen almost every bridegroom adorn his jacket with an understated rose on his wedding day. But that is SO 1960s baby. So heterosexual men, there is no excuse now to think that flowers are off-limits for you. Rid that male chauvinism and start embracing a softer touch – that will surely make you a favourite amongst the ladies (think: Sensitive New Age Guy reincarnated). Put on that Hibiscus, Lily, Carnation or even Chrysanthemum – whatever gets you in the mood.

And for the homosexual men out there, it is time to drop that white loafers/ belt look and set an adventurous example to your straight counterparts of just what you are capable of.  If Justin Ryan is proudly parading his posies, there is no reason for you to not already be adorning it. If you like it loud, wear a larger flower or better yet, arrange it with a fern. Be bold. Variety is the spice of life – so if you are tired of that one or two flowers, cluster florets of threes – whoever said three’s a crowd?

It’s really not too difficult to choose a flower that suits you. Think of the flower as an additional accessory to your outfit – so if you are wearing a pink-striped tie with a vest, a fitting match would be an Oriental Lily. So go ahead, have fun and experiment. The rules of colour selection apply as would you would select a fabric – for fair-skinned Asians, opt for warmer hues and the swarthy tanned guys, opt for cooler hues.

If subtlety is what you like best, you don’t necessarily have to always get the flower petals to match your top. The black seeds in many blooming flowers serve as the ultimate master of subtlety that goes with that black t-shirt layered over with your jacket.

So from Oxford Street to Orchard Road, go on and strut the stuff of flowers and let them do the talking today. Here’s a video of Colin and Justin – Showstopping!