Hello dear reader! I just wanted to tell you that I created and migrated to a new blog. From now on, I will be posting at connoisseurchristian.blogspot.com

Thank you very much and see you there!

TTFN

My Halloween Costume

Autumn/Winter 2012: OLIVE

Photos mainly from Dior Homme and Burberry A/W'12 fashion show
Photo: fashionbeans.com

H&M Autumn/Winter 2012

Are you ready to layer? H&M has collaborated with GQ UK to show the highlights from their collection for the coming season. Initially there are 8 photos/looks, but I was able to narrow it down to my top three favorite looks. Usually fall or winter is about the neutrals for menswear, however I noticed that a small pop of bright colors can look very chic. In fact, a lot of menswear designers  have moved from neutrals to some colors.

LOOK 1
Navy blazer
Colour-block roll neck
JeansBurgundy shoes,

LOOK 2
Green wool cardigan
Camel roll neck jumper

LOOK 3
Orange overcoat

Photos: H&M/GQ

TTFN

Happy Birthday to me. 18 already?

Great News! Follow my tumblr blog.

www.guystyleguide.com 

As an amateur part-time blogger who blogs about menswear and style, I definitely have a list of my favorite blogs/sites that I admire and visit on a daily basis. These blogs inspire and influence my point of view about men's fashion, and keep me updated about various kinds of men styles, trends and rules. Most importantly, they help me broaden my knowledge about men's fashion and build my taste/preferences that is classy, timeless and modern.

One of my favorite sites that is dedicated to everyday male fashion is www.guystyleguide.com. This site  also has a tumblr account. As I was checking my tumblr dashboard, I saw a post of GSG with a gif "83 Incredible Male Style Tumblrs For 2012". I was so happy because that would be 83 new blogs that I'm going to follow. When I scrolled downwards and followed blog after blog, I reached number 70 and saw the name of my blog. I was shocked! 

Time to celebrate!

I'm going to continue to work hard and learn. After all, its my hobby and passion. Hope this kind of things will happen again in the future. Time to Celebrate!

TTFN

Summer Destination: Philippines

I've been to the PH four times already, but I haven't visited any major sites or landmarks. Since the country tries its best to promote its tourism, with a motto "It's more fun in the Philippines" I decided to ask my cousins to help me visit some interesting sites in Manila.

I travelled about eight hours to reach Manila from Ilocos Sur. It has been a long and tiring trip, but definitely worth it. The picture above was taken at Fort Santiago, Intramuros. It is one of the oldest Hispanic stone fortresses in the country. I heard that it was originally the site of Rajah Soliman's fort, and was used by the Spaniards under various governor generals who continued to modernise it.

To be honest, I did not expect a lot from this fort. This is mainly due to the fact that I grew up in Greece where ruins and ancient buildings can be found almost everywhere. However, I was fascinated by it, not because of the architecture but rather due to its aura. It looks very old, but preserved. The carvings at the front reminded me of the ruins built by the Mayans in South America.

As you can see it was raining during my visit and it was completely empty. I was so glad that we had the whole area for ourselves.

TTFN

Asian Dictator of Taste: Look Book

After two months of sleepless nights and endless studying, Spring break has finally come.

I'm looking forward to add more things on my blog.

TTFN

Asian Dictator's review of SNSD's "TIME MACHINE"

Two days ago, when I was reviewing for my midterms I came across this new video clip of SNSD or Girl's Generation "Time Machine". Initially, I was shocked that they decided to release a video clip of a song which was released last year from their repackaged Japanese album "The Boys".
As much as I want to review the whole music video from 0:01 second to its very end, I prefer to write about specific matters that I stood out.
The first thing that reminded me of this video was the commercial they shot for "Christian Dior" whitening products, which is my all time favorite commercial they have done so far. By the way, the picture above is the scene that reminded me of the commercial.  It is also my favorite part of the video because it is so serene and breathtaking. My love ones look so beautiful.

Things I liked:
1.) The song is so good. The girls didn't scream or belt any 10 octave note. Instead, they all sang with emotions.
2.) Every member was in a different location.
3.) There were non-SNSD members in the MV! (Yoona's scenes) This is way better than the "The Boys MV" where all the girl were dancing in SM boxes.
4.) Their expressions. Although I still prefer them being cute, this is a more mature side of SNSD.

In random order,
5.) Yoona looks exquisite.
6.) Jessica looks exquisite.
7.) Seohyun looks exquisite.
8.) Yuri looks exquisite.
9.)Taeyon looks exquisite.
10.) Tiffany looks exquisite.
11.) Hyoyeon looks exquisite.
12.) Sunny looks exquisite.
13.) Sooyong looks exquisite.

However, there are some specific things I didn't like.

1.) SM please give Hyoyeon some parts. Please!! And her outfit wasn't great.
2.) Sunny looks so cute, but the way she moved was a bit awkward.
3. I'm not sure about the details of Yoona's outfit when they were all together. (picture above)
4.) The plot was confusing and a bit funny if you try to connect of all of them into a whole story.
5.) In addition, the intro was so long. In my opinion, the ending should've been long instead to clear up some things.

Overall I'll rate this video a 8 Sones out of 9. My review might be very subjective so I understand if you disagree.

SNSD Saranghae!

Asian Dictator
TTFN

Christmas in Greece (7 Days before Christmas)

Tis the season to be jolly!

It's December once again and 2011 is approaching its near end. Finally, I'm done with final exams and also I'm so excited for our Christmas trip with my family. One of my favorite aspects of Christmas is the fact that we go to many shops and get something to give to our loved ones. In other words, the theme of "Sharing and Giving". Christmas shopping in Athens started this week and will continue until the end of the year. This means that starting today, the shops are open from 9am to pm during week days and from 10am to 6pm every Sunday, of course with the exception of major holidays such as Christmas (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year.
This morning, me and my mum went to bring my sister to her Sunday classes before we roam around the shops and do our Christmas shopping. It was really fun and the atmosphere was really festive. Although winter sales in Athens officially start during the second week of January, many shops start to offer weekly discounts and sales.

Have fun!

TTFN

Photo of the Week

When apple meets Apple.

Note of the Day

I just came back from a long and tiring day. To be honest, it really took me a long time to decide whether I should post something as an update for my blog. Today, was as usual, but with an unexpected twist. As I was returning home from the campus, Syntagma Square was so quiet and beautiful, but at the same time I felt an emptiness as if a war just ceased. There were lights, lights that gave you a feeling of melancholy as well as fear. As I continued to walk, my eyes started to be watery and my throat and nose began to hurt. Why is there an autumn breeze carrying a toxic substance? I realized that this was all from all the Molotov thrown hours earlier by rioters. I just remembered a terrible event that took place about three years ago.

As you may have already read at the news, Greek rioters and the police clashed once again to mark the 3rd year anniversary of Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was about 15 years old when he was shot and killed by a police officer in December 2008.The country has seen the worst riots during that time. Every rioter destroyed the whole square and the center looked chaotic. Syntagma square was beautifully decorated for the holidays during that year with a huge Christmas Tree at the center. However, the Christmas mood was swept in just a matter of hours, after the whole incident. Everything was burnt, shops were destroyed and robbed, garbage bins burnt, pieces of glasses everywhere and many others.

Earlier today, this scene was once again brought to reality and has stirred a lot of mixed emotions and opinions. But for the citizens this event became an every day scene since the riots during the past months and the economic and political turmoil made everyone immune to all of this. 

I just had a conversation earlier with a psychology major friend discussing how the country is so beautiful with Acropolis just in front of us. This country is about to be thrown in the garbage. Can you imagine? This country was the birth of democracy and the cradle of Western Civilization, how could this be possibly happening? The government is not doing any justice for this lovely country. This also affects the tourism and the image of the country. What or who has caused this?

With all of the this events happening, I feel an unexplainable pity for this country.

My thoughts and deepest sympathy is with the family of the victim. May you find comfort with God’s presence during this hard times. God Bless.

What are your thoughts?

TTFN

Photo taken at sheikyermami.com

Happy Pepero/ Millenium Day! 11/11/11 11:11am

"For those who do not know what is Pepero day, it is the Korean version of Valentines Day. If you are wondering why is it called that way, Pepero (빼빼로) is derived from a Korean chocolate stick snack.  It is celebrated during November 2011 because it resembles 11/11 four sticks of Pepero.  Korean couples and students celebrate this day by exchanging pepero snack boxes and probably other gifts to each other.

Talking about luck, 11/11/11 11:11:11 is celebrated once every Millennium. I guess we are lucky; but think about it, calendars are human made therefore innaccurate ^^

Btw, I took this screen shot today. I waited for it. I guess i’m mental. "

TTFN

The screen-shot and the paragraph above was posted on my tumblr blog a while ago. I thought of re-posting it here for others who do not have a tumblr account. 

Today is my Birthday! I just turned 17

Hmmm....

ouf.......

Sigh......

After watching videos on youtube I checked the time and it was already 1:02am. This meant that I'm no longer 16. Happy Birthday to me! Time flies so fast. It's just like yesterday when I just turned 16. First of all, I would like to thank God for this 17 years of my existence. I'm aware that I am not active in any church, but I'm faithful in him. Last year, during my birthday I remember being excited and at the same time scared going to college. Being 16 had been one of the most memorable years of my life. I was no longer a high school student and it was the time to decide what kind of career I want to pursue in the future. Although I still haven't decided which specific path to choose, I progressed a lot compared to the previous year. It wasn't an easy year to be honest. Unlike the previous years of my childhood and adolescence, I faced new challenges in life and also learned many aspects of myself. Today, all those mixed emotions has been cleared out. I survived the first year of college and i'm willing to succeed during the next years.  Good Luck to me!

TTFN

Fashion Quote of the day

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is an instant language.”
- Miuccia Prada 

Asian Dictator Prepares for F/W 2011

Asian Dictator of Taste prepares for the next season (Fall/Winter 2011).

New Haven Math Club - GANT Rugger Pre-fall 2011

     I do find this fashion campaign by GANT really chic. However, people should know the difference between looking smart and being smart. This type of fashion which is called the nerdy, geek or smart fashion is really wearable nowadays, especially for young teenagers and men. Their appearances really shout "Models" (but not in a bad way, although I believe they could have used less obvious-looking models). Anyway this is a big clothing line, their the experts and they know what is best for the brand.

3.1 Phillip Lim "Weavers" Men's FW 11 Collection

     This is what i call fashion as art, and not as money making. I particularly like this collection for the Fall and Winter, because it is indeed giving a definition of the season's harsh weather, through the clothes' texture. The fact that the film tries to highlight the relationship between the architecture of the streets or road is what i find the most impressive. (Probably these collection was inspired by it) Finally, i like the mood of the film because it is calm, not to mention the music used. 

The Benaki Museum in Athens

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the Benaki Museum in Athens

  
     The Benaki Museum was founded in 1930 by Antonis Benakis whom it took its very name. The museum was initially Benakis’ paternal home which was converted into the first private museum in Greece. According to the museum’s pamphlet, Antonis Benakis started collecting the collections in the museum when he was still in Egypt and donated them to the Greek State in 1926, when he settled in Athens permanently. The Benaki Museum houses important artifacts that reflect Greek history through the ages, beginning from the Pre Historic Ages until the declaration of the Greek Independence or the modern times. Benaki’s initiative brought immediate response by the public. The constant increase of benefactors and donors led to the increase of important collections or works of art which filled the gaps and made it easier for the visitor to further understand Greek culture and history.

The interior of the museum is marvelous and it is no doubt one of the most sophisticated neoclassical buildings in Athens. The museum is a three-floor building that is divided in to thirty- six galleries. Every gallery represents a particular period of time and as the visitor ascends into the floor building, the more he or she goes closer to the modern times. This mainly contributes to the overall organization of the museum. With this wide range of time it is evident that the Greek culture and history is rich.The galleries that can be found at the ground floor introduces the visitor to the early times of Greek History from the Neolithic period (6500 – 3200 B.C.), the Bronze Age, the Geometric period, the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Period until the Roman and Byzantine Period. The first floor on the other hand is interesting since it differs from the ground floor. If pots, marbles, primitive tools jewelries and other forms of artifacts that were excavated can be seen at the ground floor, one can see Greece’s secular art during the period of foreign occupation, costumes, embroideries, jewelries, ceramics, wood carvings and paintings at the first floor. This is really interesting because every visitor can see the culture in different parts of Greece through the costumes and many other objects that reflect their daily lives. Moreover, one can see the influences that the foreign occupation brought to Greece from the 17^th to 19^th centuries. The S. & E. Kostopolos Gallery can be found in the second floor. Although this floor mainly does not have the same importance for the understanding of Greek history, this gallery exhibits Greek important artists. Moving up to the third floor, one is introduced to the modern times in which the Greeks struggled for independence and the formation of the Modern Greek state. In this floor, every visitor will be able to learn about the important Greek figures that contributed to the Modern Greek thinking and those who contributed to the formation of the Modern Greek State. Generally, I enjoyed visiting this museum because it really encompasses the whole history of Greece throughout the ages.  

Asian Dictator's Collection of the Day 01

 These pair of shoes are brilliant. The synthesis of high fashion and street fashion is what I am looking for. Pictured here are six pairs of the Vans Slip-On styled by Robert Verdi with designs from six different silk Hermès ties. The main question is, how much a pair costs?

Who is generous enough to give me pair? My birthday is approaching.

This is Breathtaking.

I personally like this one. It gives a definition of class and street at the same time. I'm going to spend the whole week finding this in Athens.  

The National Archeological Museum

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the National Archaeological Museum

  
  
     The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is considered one of the best museums in the world. It is also the largest archaeological museum in Greece. According to the pamphlet of the museum, it was founded at the end of the 19^th century to house and protect antiquities from all over Greece. The Museum can be found at 44 Patission St. which is a bit far from Syntagma Square. The plot was first donated by Eleni Tositsa and its construction was based on the designs of the architects L. Lange and P. Kalkos. As the museum adopted changes until the 20^th century, its galleries houses and shows the evolution of ancient Greek culture. The Museum’s collections could be divided into the Prehistoric Sculpture, Vases and Minor Arts, Bronze and Egyptian Antiquities.
     The Prehistoric Collection includes objects from the Aegean during the Neolithic period and Bronze Age. It also includes objects and treasures from the royal tombs of the Mycenaean Civilization and Cycladic marble figurines. The Sculpture Collection contains some of the most exquisite Greek sculpture during the Archaic and Classical period. The most important are the series of Classical grave relief and Kouroi (male sculptures). In addition, it houses some of the largest groups of original sculptures in the world. The Collection of Vases and Minor Arts contains cases and sculpture that highlights the great quality of the Geometric Period. The Bronze collection on the other hand, is famous for its rich collection of Bronze statues of the two most important Greek Gods, Zeus and Poseidon, the jockey from Artemision and many others such as figurines and vases. Lastly, the Egyptian Collection which shows Egyptian civilization from the early Pre-dynastic period until the time of the Roman Empire is one of the most famous in the world. Among the objects that can be found in this particular gallery are pots, statues, jewelries, mummies, sarcophagi and many other fascinating Egyptian objects.

Visiting the museum thrilled me a lot. Since high school I always loved history and archaeology. It is really interesting to learn the people of the past and how they lived. Since I had high expectations from this museum I really raised the standards of what I think were the essential criteria for a museum to be successful. I believe that other than the artifacts, pots, jewelries, vases, sculpture etc. the organization and the way they explain each and every thing in a clear way are important. And to be honest at some point I got confused and disappointed. The museum was huge with really high ceilings, wide spaces and it gives you a feeling of emptiness. However, when I saw certain sculptures and objects which I longed and desired to see in person, my mind ignored every bit of details that bothered me. This was no other than the Mask of Agamemnon which can be found in the Mycenaean gallery and the huge bronze statue of Zeus and Poseidon.

The Acropolis Museum

Asian Dictator of Taste Visits the New Acropolis Museum

  
  
    Of all the museums in Athens, the Acropolis Museum is definitely one of the most important and breathtaking museums, due to its architectural location, organization, design and of course the magnificent collections that it houses.

    The Museum is located in the historic Makryianni district situated 300 meters south of the Acropolis. It is conveniently located next to the Acropolis Metro Station which makes it easily accessible by tourists. According to its pamphlet, the museum was founded to exhibit all the significant finds from the Sacred Rock and its foothills. It was designed by architect Bernard Tschumi with Michael Photiadis. One can say that the museum is still new and modern since it was inaugurated in the summer of 2009. It covers a total area of 25,000 square meters in which over 14,000 square meters is exhibition space. Through the transparent glass outer walls of the museum, one can have the visual link between the collections exhibited in the Museum and the monument from which they once originated. Located on the ground floor is the Gallery of the slopes of Acropolis. Moving to the first floor is the nine meter high “Archaic Gallery” which hosts magnificent sculptures such as the beautiful archaic korai (female sculptures). Another interesting architectural feature of the museum can be found at the third floor. This is also known as the Parthenon Gallery. It is a rectangular, solid concrete core that was built to the exact dimensions and orientation as the Parthenon. It was especially designed to receive and display the entire temple frieze. After the Parthenon Gallery, a visitor can return back to the first floor and continue the journey and see works from the Propylaia, the temple of Athena Niki and the Erechtheion. Finally, one can notice that the floors are mostly made of glass which matches the transparency of its walls. The very base of the museum also is transparent, making it appear as if the museum was floating. As the museum’s pamphlet notes, it is supported by more than 100 concrete pillars which provide an impressive shelter for the site’s archaeological excavation.

     Compared to the other museums I visited here in Athens, I found this particular museum the most organized. Every corner of the museum is filled with workers who are really strict on regulating the museum’s rules and regulation. Although the museum is large, a lot of useful maps and signs guide every visitor to follow the right track until the very exit. This helps every visitor to understand and appreciate the collections better in an organized way. Lastly, I think the Greek government or the official in charge of this museum did a remarkable job since they were able to portray the grandeur of the Acropolis to the whole world. Who knows? The museum might earn back the other pieces from other museums world wide, such as the very well known Elgin Marbles.