Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by conchpearls

Does anyone know where to find this shoe?

conchpearls — Sat, 28 May 2016 21:38:58 +0800

So, I remember seeing this shoe before in Marks and Spencer but I didn't buy it and I didn't want to until I found out that I really need it for a certain clothing ensemble that I thought up. However, I couldn't find them in Marks and Spencer anymore or any other clothing shop that I go to. They kind of look like this:

If anyone knows where to find it now, please inform me where, thank you!

Does the PILN still exist?

conchpearls — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 21:48:27 +0800

Hi there, I'm about to finish my A-Levels this May/June and I've gotten some offers to study Pharmacy in the UK(I've applied through UCAS). I have heard rumours that the PILN has been removed for pre-u leavers and only available for bursary students now but I'm not sure if that is true, especially for this year. Is there any other equivalent scholarship available if PILN really isn't accessible for me anymore?

Also, I am an SPM 2012 student but took a gap year and then took the A-Levels by 2014. Am I still eligible for the PILN(if it's still available)?

A Levels college decision dilemma

conchpearls — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 17:38:26 +0800

Hi there, I'm going to take up A Levels next year, but I've already pinpointed two colleges. The problem is that I'm not too sure about which one to join. I would get a 40% scholarship waiver in KDU for their default achievers scholarship and a 50% scholarship waiver for Methodist(but I have to do 10 hours community service) with my current results(9As). The fees in Methodist seem reasonable(around RM11000+ after waiver) but I don't know the fees for KDU(it's not provided on their site). I intend to take Maths, Biology, Chemistry and English Literature*(I've found out that Eng Lit is only available for March Intake in KDU so if I choose it I may change to Physics or wait it out). I can possibly get a full scholarship in either one if I take the scholarship involving an interview, but I'm rather shy about those and I would have to keep my grades extremely high if the 100% waiver is to be valid.

I'm not too sure about the quality of the education in both(are the lecturers good? the conduciveness to studying?) but I have heard that both are pastoral style colleges compared to the ultra-commercialised ones(like Taylors) but while I've heard good things about MCKL along the grapevine(and have seen some smart students opting for it), I've never heard anything about KDU's A Level program but I have seen it having a big booth in an educational fair(which makes me have reservations, tbh). MCKL seems like that one exclusive college where all the smart people who have the secret info about it go ahahaha but I may be romanticising it too much .

Regarding transport: KDU is really near my neighbourhood(I live in the Taman SEA area) and my parents can just drive a 5 minute distance there. MCKL can be accessed through the Kelana Jaya LRT and a short walk through Brickfields of all places(around 15-30 minutes) but I have to wake up much earlier for that.

How's the facilities and environment? Is the food sold there cheap because I don't want to end up spending a fortune on just food(I've been to Taylors once and the food is very expensive x.x but I've heard about MCKl having cheap and good food compared to other colleges). I'm trying to weigh the options here though, I'd like to hear a personal opinion regarding your experiences in those colleges.

Daiso's Bamboo Charcoal Diet Patch

conchpearls — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:14:39 +0800

I've been to Daiso's recently and found a sign which said that it sold slimming patches, I think. Do they really work? Has anyone tried them? I've attached a photo of the sign here.

Help in buying trousers(and other formal wear)?

conchpearls — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 23:16:28 +0800

Hi there! I have been predominantly wearing shorts throughout my life(outside of school though, I wear slacks in school) due to an irrational phobia of trousers(I don't know why, it makes me feel more naked than wearing trousers), and my parents want me to start wearing trousers. I guess this is true since I will have to wear them to places such as college, certain semi-formal settings and eventually when I enter the working world where this is the norm. I'm not too sure about how to buy a pair of trousers(of any sort, slacks, jeans, cargos, dress pants or anything else) and I'm not too sure about the situations where which is appropriate for(Up until now, i've been wearing T-shirts or collar shirts w/o buttons, and shorts when I go out).

My dad has recently bought some chino pants and jeans for me and also handed me a few to wear on certain occasions. I didn't like them though, as they were tight in the crotch and butt area and the pockets on jeans were tight that my hands chafed whenever I put something in them and the items protruded out and pressed on my skin uncomfortably. The rise on them were so low that I think my pubic hair was showing in some and I have a small belly protruding out uncomfortably in all of them. And even after all that, they threatened to fall to a dangerously lower level w/o a belt to hold it up. The feel around the thighs was a little tight, but manageable. I wear boxer shorts, so I had to pull and press on my tight jeans whenever they bunched up and it felt horrible.

Whenever I complained about them being too skinny or tight or low-rise, he told me that skinny styles like only exist nowadays as they are the modern style and the types that are comfortable are old and ancient and nobody sells them anymore. He offered me some of his old worn out baggy jeans if I really didn't like the ones I got. As for underwear, my dad suggested I get a brief-cut or the tanga(which is pretty eww to me, no man-panties for me please) which he enjoys wearing for the 'comfort and freedom'(he's pretty rotund, so it's NOT a pretty sight around the house) . Although there's boxer briefs to consider as well(which my dad wears too), I'm not changing my underwear type until I have a bangin' body to flatter it (and even then I don't think I'll wear a man-panty).

Is that true? I haven't worn an actual comfortable pair of trousers since I was, 10, I think? Sure, I didn't like wearing them then, but I remembered that they weren't as unreasonable as the ones I'm wearing now. Are trousers of all types supposed feel like that now when they're fitting you perfectly?

I decided to go shopping for my own trousers, but I was spoilt for choice and I think I made some wrong decisions. Most of the trousers I bought were too baggy and long and I didn't know which ones I needed. One of them didn't have a zipper(but it had an elastic, which deceived me into getting it for comfort. and that made bathroom breaks difficult.

How do I buy a pair of trousers? I know some of you guys who wear trousers almost all the time must have some invisible guidelines in your head when you go buy them. And what kinds do you buy depending on situation? I might also need some help on picking out a suit, or more importantly, knowing how to choose a button-up shirt(what's up with those cuffs, right?). Until then, I think I'll wear my school slacks to college as they fit comfortably(although they're rather baggy) and the school tailor helped alter it to my tastes when I bought it back then haha so I have no idea how to buy ready-made ones from stores. Speaking of which, what are your tried-and-trusted brands. Nothing too expensive, I get most of my clothes from AEON.

I'm around 163 cm and 60kg. I'm short, and I'm a boxy, somewhat rectangular kind of slender. I have a small belly(a long shallow bump on my torso) which bloats noticeably if I eat too much food or drink too much fluids. I need a men's fashion sensei as my dad only knows how to buy clothes for himself and well, my mum, she said that tight jeans in the crotch area are perfectly fine because her trousers are like that (I'm not sure if she's completely aware that men and women are built differently).

English Literature Cambridge A-Levels 2014

conchpearls — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 11:39:51 +0800

Hi there! I'm interested in taking English Literature as a Cambridge A-Level subject for the year 2014. Is the syllabus the same every year, or rather the subject matter? Is it fixed or do they change on a random cyclical basis or are they different depending on year or place? I'm interested in studying in advance as I would like a headstart and I am rather worried that I might not have time to read up on the required works of literature.

P.S.: If they do depend on time and/or place, I'm going for the MCKL January 2014 Intake.

What A-Level subjects should I choose?

conchpearls — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:53:49 +0800

Hi there, I'm in kind of a rough spot right now; I started A-Levels earlier in the year with 4 Arts subjects(Maths, Economics, Accounts and English Literature). I switched to a Design Foundation at an art school soon after as I got the acceptance letter late because I liked to draw. However, I don't feel that the art school I'm going to suits me and I don't think I want to pursue art as a career but rather pursue it as a hobby.

I've been really indecisive lately and I really think that my previous decision to dropout of my A-Levels must have been due to poor subject choice rather than the wrong vocation. So, I've made the decision to go back to A-Levels, but I really am not quite sure of what to do in the future. I am Malaysian, so I've finished my SPM(equivalent to O-Levels) last year. I've gotten a B+ in Malay Language, an A in English, an A in Moral Studies, an A+ in History, an A+ in Mathematics, an A+ in Visual Arts, an A in Physics, an A+ in Chemistry and an A+ in Biology.
I am a Dreamy Idealist from this personality test and I feel this describes me more accurately than the Myers-Briggs one): http://www.ipersonic.com/type/DI.html

Anyways, I was thinking of taking some Science subjects this time around because, when I ruminated on my Arts subjects choices and my future, I remembered that I have a phobia for trousers, and I feel more insecure and naked in them than in shorts(I can wear trousers with certain long-sleeved shirts I suppose). Also, my dad works in a marketing position, and has to deal with lots of people everyday (which is a big no-no for me, but he never bothers to listen anyway) and when he was touting how he liked those Arts subjects I picked, I didn't feel so good. I don't exactly look up to my dad and the choices he makes for me and I don't want to end up in his shadow and turn out into his clone or something. I want to become as opposite of him as possible and i'm convinced he has a conspiracy or something planned against me so he can live his life vicariously through mine. I may or may not pick an Arts career, like somewhere in writing, but I want to keep my options open as I'm still indecisive.

The A-Level subject available at the colleges around where I live are: Maths, Economics, Accounts, Law, Psychology, English Literature, Biology, Physics and Chemistry. I’m definitely not going to choose Law and Physics( I don’t want to become a lawyer or an engineer), while I’m not so keen on Accounts, but I've heard that it’s an easy A. I would like to take Chemistry but I have a skin disease(mild eczema, I have scabs and scars dotted around here and there) and this is why my parents are not so keen on me taking a Chemistry-related career(especially Chemical Engineering). My skin is also a sort of barrier which prevents me from taking certain kinds of work(manual, outdoor, anywhere with too much dust or harmful chemicals) without it aggravating it somehow and disfiguring it. I wonder if there's a site where I can have a taste of what each of the subjects above are like in A-Levels.

I’d like a career where I can write stories and draw for my personal projects in my free time. As an asexual, I intend to live the rest of my life as a single. I hope to leave my country as soon as possible for a better place, away from my family's influence, somewhere in Europe or Canada. I've had some really bad experiences here, and I feel the best thing to do is to go away and start anew. My family isn't exactly rolling in cash, and this A-Levels transfer is my last chance as my parents will have to pay quite a sum due to my indecisive transfers. I'm a diligent student who can work smart and hard for his grade, and I wish to finance my education with scholarships as I don't want to burden anyone any longer so I hope I can make a more judicious choice this time around.(I got a full ride from my previous A-Levels and my current art school but the transfers mean that those scholarships were and will be terminated respectively and fees are forfeited)

I know that I can’t possibly expect any definitive instruction manual on what I should do to remedy this problem, but it’d be really great if you could help me with some advice on this issue. I know that some of the things I have mentioned may sound selfish or I may come off as weird or misunderstood, but the thing is: you are not me, you haven’t lived through what I lived through, so all I ask is that you don’t judge me for who I am as a person , thanks.

Col-erase non photo blue pencils?

conchpearls — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:51:33 +0800

I'd like to know where I can get col-erase non photo blue pencils here in Malaysia so I can use it in my comic art. I went to Vision Art, but the blue pencil they sell is Faber Castell and it's super hard to erase stray lines and correct mistakes in a sketch. It's also a dark blue colour and not the light blue colour of the non photo blue pencil that I see other artists use. I went to Art Friend and scoured the place but to no avail. The staff there do know really know what a col-erase non photo blue pencil is x.x Could you recommend me a brand that many cartoonists use, and the place where most people get their non-photo blue pencils? ^^

EDIT: Urm, if you guys buy them online, could you give me the website? 'cause I'm scared some websites will be unreliable ^^"

Graphic Design portfolio?

conchpearls — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:19:52 +0800

I'm worried about is what to put into a portfolio for an applivant's portfolio for a Graphic Design Degree:

Do those contain generic sketches, paintings and stuff? Or do they contain mock adverts, banners, websites and stuff that professional graphic designers do(but I'm a pre-u student)?

I know how SAI paint tool and Photoshop works(I know the latter to a certain extent), but I don't know smack about Illustrator or Indesign. Do you think I can snag a place in Graphic Design by doing traditional Graphic Design, like traditionally done posters or banners? Otherwise, do you know any great tutorials for a secondary school leaver so I can spruce my portfolio up a notch?

Top 5 Private Colleges?

conchpearls — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:46:06 +0800

I've finished my SPM last year and I want to choose a private college for my Pre-U. I'd like to see what each of you consider to be the top 5 private colleges and why do you think so. Thanks!

Buying Knowledge Discovery Kids Volume 43

conchpearls — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:41:32 +0800

I am interested in buying Knowledge Discovery Kids Volume 43. The magazine's website is www.knowledgediscovery.com.my . However, when I called the offices and tried to buy it, they said that it was an old volume that they no longer publish. Is there a store which still sells those issues(or just old issues of Knowledge Discovery Kids)? If you happen to have either volume 42 or 43 and no longer need it, perhaps we can arrange a meeting so that I may purchase it from you.

Suitable art college for budding illustrator?

conchpearls — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 21:52:28 +0800

Hi there

My SPM is next year and i'm in the Science stream. I want to become a freelance illustrator that specialises in manga-art and video-game art design. I'm wondering if taking seni visual as an extra elective to my already strenous Science stream subjects would help with my qualifications(my parents have been pressuring me to take it 4 this very reason -.-) or is it a waste of time?

Moreover, I would like some recommendations of good art colleges/universities as well as suitable foundation/degree programs to help me improve myself for the above profession, both local and international institutions.

My illustration style would like to be honed in the direction of these artists(as examples) who combine graphic design techniques and drawing as well as illustration with digital art to create stunning manga/cartoon art:

Bara-chan: http://bara-chan.deviantart.com/
Omar-Dogan:http://omar-dogan.deviantart.com/
kidchan:http://kidchan.deviantart.com/
Hyung Tae Kim: google him or look for the game Blade and Soul whose art he completely designed.
Stanley Lau:http://artgerm.deviantart.com/
Tessa Stone:http://vert-is-ninja.deviantart.com/
Alessandro Barbucci:http://alessandrobarbucci.blogspot.com/

I originally was firm on furthering my studies in the One Academy with a diploma in Illustration, but my dad is pressuring me to look for other 'better' institutions becos my academic performance in school is high and that he doesn't want it to be 'wasted' on 'mediocre' institutions like that. He said that I shud be in art colleges where I can utilise my 'intelligence' better and that graphic design and architecture are better choices becos jobs related to those 'pay more'. Personally, I like graphic design and architecture, but I just like integrating them into my drawings and illustrations, not concentrating on them solely(that'd be boring 4 me ) Is my dad correct, or is he being an old coot and the One Academy the college for me? If not, pls provide some suggestions for other institutions, both local and international, I look forward to seeing them

I'm not really interested in animation, maybe as i get more skilled in manga-art, I will venture into that area, just like hyung Tae Kim

Thankies~

P.S: I live in Malaysia