Man With A Child
There are a number of factors that affect a child’s evolution into a Man (or Woman). Sometimes that transformation is rushed and forced upon you. How so? How about being the eldest son from an Asian culture (which means having the responsibility to care for the younger brothers, house, and family name, amongst many others, are trusted onto you as soon as your sibling is born) then thrown into unfamiliar lands on the other side of the world…say France? Wait – are we talking about me? Yes, yes I am (who else would I be talking about on my own blog). It’s not that I’m complaining, mind you. There are many perks to being the eldest like having more freedom and space than the other siblings.
This is not a rant about the life of the eldest sibling. It’s much sexier than that (I hope). It’s about having fun in the playground; being kids again with your friends; and forgetting, even for a short while, the responsibilities we must shoulder for our family, our future and ourselves. This is not about having kids (though I’m sure they’re brilliant and I’d like some when I meet the love of my life when I’m older) but it’s about letting that inner child loose onto this rule-abiding world with its expectations and adult responsibilities.
When was the last time you played at a playground? And if you’re an adult that thinks playing in the sandbox is for kids, even though it is, then when was the last time you went to, the “adult playground,” Disneyland or the biggest sandbox on the block, the beach?
If you’re living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then the playground to be in is the one in KLCC Park. If you do, in fact, live here and wanted to play at said park and you’re no longer a teen then the chances of you playing at the playground would be slim. You know you’d have fun dancing like no one’s watching or laughing a witch’s cackle…if it were not for the security blowing their whistles to prevent giants (us) from breaking the toys.
Ok, so at least they’re doing their job… I’ll give them that but how can I let my inner child loose into the sandbox? Easy. Find the blind spots and start shaking your tooshie. Hey, Adults have different ways of dealing things. If it’s to let “my child” go out and play then a Man’s gotta do what a Man’s gotta do. Put down those game consoles, holster those credit cards, and stop swiping left & right for a while (you know what I’m talking about) and go have some fun at a playground! It’s a playground…how much harm can one do (actually, don’t answer that – I don’t need to know what teenagers and twenty year-olds do when the kids go home).
Man with a Child is not a story about child rearing or the relationship between a father and his child, it is about our entrances into adulthood and how we interact with the child we’re holding close in our hearts. Within each man and woman is a child with dreams of the unicorn and nightmares of the Boogey Man but your inner child is more than that; it’s about being comfortable with how you look and what you wear without fear of judgment by the Fashion Police, and it’s about keeping our promises when we pinky swear. Ok…I guess I do miss those days of childlike innocence but even if that bright innocence have been smeared with the ugliness of reality we should at least try to have fun while living!
Within each Adult is a Child. Indulge in the finer things in life that only an adult can have but when the stresses of adulthood becomes heavy then let loose your inner child. Have fun but keep a close eye on your child (we don’t need a kissing monster making out with everyone at a club…in front of your lover. Yikes!).
Geek Chic with The Class
This shoot was inspired by three things: the stresses of institutionalised creative thinking; my new purchase from The Basic House collection, The Class; and my friend, Mel, who came from Australia for the holidays. The main reason, really, is this new shirt I bought from a Korean clothing store, The Class. For those who have yet to visit our beautiful country (or the closest H&M store that is akin to a Starbucks in that it's in every single mall here) there is one thing you should know about the fashion sense here: street style is everywhere! And by street style I do really mean the K-Pop variety so just as Americanization has ran rampant throughout the world, a K-Pop Wave is crashing down like a Tsunami across Asia (and elsewhere). Unlike my youngest brother who has found his "style," I don't fancy the K-Pop street style. It's just not me but The Class is different.
For one thing, it is not necessarily Street Style with its black & white, long tees, and zippers abound but it has a more classy look to it. Inspired by "Geek Chic" many of its clothes mesh together the classic shapes and pieces with elements of the modern Geek. Their tagline for the brand, The Class, states that The Class Geek Chic fashion is based on the concept of Geek Chic on the move where the young generations with so many ideas and opinions to voice are moving fast to open up their own paths and build their future. Let's Geek Out with The Class!
In This Shoot
Shirt: Short sleeve t-shirt by The Class; Shorts: The 6 Point Short, Chambray by Ball and Buck; Shoes: ZeroGrand Chukka by Cole Haan; Socks: Big Dot Socks By Happy Socks; Shades: Blue Mirrored By 24:01 (bought from Zalora); Accessory: Abalone Pendant by My SunNice.