Ups & Downs

Looking Back

2011-10-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

After this Jan
I had not wrote anything in this blog
Not because all nightmares had ended
But simply because I was too buzy

With regards to the wild imagination of resigning
Well, I had made it a reality
Submitted a cheque, a hand-written resignation letter with tears messing with every single word
Returned the keys to the empty office that I love the most
Left a lot of tears marks on my desk and thats all

For details about why resigning
I need not to write down
Simply because I will never forget
And thats really all - for the first half of the story
The second part is that we had long chat in a park with Jane & Stephen
And I stayed

After that, it was the Chinese New Year
Realizing that I need to let go of the sales figures
Because it was my boss who said I shoudl leave the available stock to the website team
- They have margin, let them sell, its not a tough decision at all
On the first day of 2011 ( Chinese Calendar), USD1500 is what I got

After the 3-day holiday
Returned, felt different
After a week, got caught by Stephen
Had a serious chat in the corridor
"Can you start selling without the items being replenished?"
"The cash flow is tight"
Hes really worry, I can tell
I never know how to read much facial expressions
But this time I know
Becasue he is finally having ebay team in his mind

Instead of feeling shock
I had a bliss of happiness
e bay team is finally in his mind

Start pushing sales
After a few days
Received a mail from Stepehn
He CC to Calvin as well
I will never forget
How he said that he did not know if the company can surve March
Also the crazy sales target he passed me
Reach USD7000 on / before 7th March
Or reach USD90000 on / before the end of March
My first thought was - our sales was not even that high in the peak season
My seconf thought was - I need to make this work
My third thought was - I could not do both the FYP & this task well, I would withdrawn my FYP for the company's sake
Again, thats all

I had start my days
Following my instincts to do the best that I could
I knew that the 2 girls in SZ could not help me
They could not reach my standard
I knew Janet in HK could not help me
She was out of fuel
I only had myself and my sleeping hours
Leaving SZ office at arounf 8pm
Returned HK at around 9.30pm
Take a shower, had a quick meal
Turn on my notebook at 10pm sharp
Sleep at around 2-3am had become my shedule in the coming months

On 7th March, I could not reached the USD 7000 target
And on the end of March, I could not reach USD 9000
But with no help I had made a huge improvement
This is one of the times in life that I am not insecure

And one Sat morning
I woke up early working
Sent out the Sales Summary
Stephen replied immediately
Asking me to revise the table in order to show the shipping as well
I did it immediately
I had exceeded USD6000
I bursted into tears in bed
That was the middle of March

And then, Ken had more and more influences in the company
The mighty general manager
Hosting awful long meeting every fucking Wed
The only aim of the meeting is to stab each others back?
Or maybe directly slap each others face
Either way - "Dont waste my time on this, I still have a whole bunch of listing to tune"
That was my only thought

And then, Janet reisgned

And and then, Calvin held her for another 3 months

And and and then, Ken hosted the 3-month incentive program

And and and and then, the program made me sick

And and and and and then, I escaped to Phuket, a nice trip alone that I will never forget

And and and and and and then, I had reached USD10000 per day

And and and and and and and then, Janet was finally gone

And and and and and and and and then, Ryan was gone too

And and and and and and and and and then, Peggy was gone as well

And and and and and and and and and and now, the 2011 peak season had just began

And finally, I will be the next to go
After the peak season

I love my work
But the more I love it
The more it becomes the main source of my pain, my insecurity, my fountain of tears
I want to put an end to all these
I do not want to make tearing up my greatest talent

My Sick Addiction

2011-01-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Yeah
Too late
I cant keep chasing em
Taking my life like that
Caught in a change
25 to life

[verse 1]
I dont think she understands the sacrifices that I made
Maybe if this bitch had acted right I wouldve stayed
But ive already wasted over half of my life I wouldve laid
Down and died for you I no longer cry for you
No more pain bitch you
Took me for granted took my heart and ran it straight into the planet
Into the dirt I can no longer stand it
Now my respect I demand it
Imma take control of this relationship
Command it, and imma be the boss of you now goddamnit
And what I mean is that I will no longer let you control me
So you better hear me out this much you owe me
I gave up my life for you, totally devoted to you while ive stayed
Paved for all the way this is how I fucking get repaid
Look at how I dress fucking baggy sweats, go to work a mess
Always in a rush to get back to you I aint heard you yet
Not even once say you apreciate me I deserve respect
I've done my best to give you nothing less than perfectness
And I know that if I end this I'll no longer have nothing left
But you keep treating me like a staircase its time to fucking step
And I wont be coming back so dont hold your fucking breath
You know what youve done no need to go in depth
I told you, youd be sorry if I fucking left
Id laugh while you wept
Hows it feel now, yeah, funny aint it, you neglected me
Did me a favor though my spirit free you've set
But a special place for you in my heart I have kept
It's unfortunate but its,

[chorus]
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a chase
25 to life

[verse 2]
I feel like when I bend over backwards for you all you do is laugh
Cause that aint good enough you expect me to fold myself in half
Till I snap
Dont think im loyal
All I do is rap
I can not moonlight on the side
I have no life outside of that
Dont I give you enough of my time
You dont think so do you
Jealous when I spend time with the girls
Why im married to you still man I dont know
But tonight im serving you with papers
Im divoricing you
Go marry someone else and make em famous
And take away there freedom like you did to me
Treat em like you dont need them and they aint worthy of you
Feed em the same shit you made me eat
Im moving on forget you oh,
Now im special, ha I felt special when I was with you
All I ever felt was this
Helplessness
Imprisoned by a selfish bitch
Chew me up and spit me out
I fell for this so many times
Its ridiculus
And still I stick with this
Im sick of this but in my sickness aint addiction
Your addictiveness take it
Evil as they come vindictive as they make em
My friends keep asking why I cant just walk away
Im addicted
To the pain, the stress, the drama
Im drownin so I guess imma mess
Cursed and blessed
But this time imma
Aint changing my mind
I'm climbing out this abiss
You screaming as I walk out that ill be missed
But when you spoke to people who meant the most to you
You left me off your list
Fuck you hip-hop
Im leaving you, my life sentence is served bitch
And its just

[chorus]
Too late for the other side
Caught in a change
25 to life
Too late for the other side
Caught in a change
25 to life
Too late
Caught in a change
25 to life

To me
Maybe,just maybe
I should change this to 23/24 to life
Feel so much from hearing this song
Of course I never experienced such betrayal like Eminem
But I do feel something similar
From my work

Don't mistaken all these
I love my work - Still
But negative things are striking everyday
How long can I stand?

What is the difference between
Quitting & Letting go?
I am in between both types I guess
But no matter which type I eventually "into"
The results are just the same
Resignation

Stephen asked me about my big plans today
In the morning when he asked me to accompany him to the bank
I said my plans
He had not response
I asked him "Really no comments?"
He said he could not think of any at the moment
I doubted

Before he left today
I asked him again
He said he actually had comments
He believed that I had plans
But he could not get what I were targeting for in the end
Therefore before giving an answer
I needed a question
And he said he would gave me that examination question

In the corridor
He said he wanted 4 things before 31st May 2011
1. USD12000 sales per day
2. HKD7500 net profit per day
3. 1 account will account for USD5000 sales per day
4. 1 Top-rated US account

He said it again
做完一大舊野都吾知為左咩
He said I had no targets
I defended myself
I said my targets out
In fact on 05th Jan
When I took a sudden annual leave
I asked myself to plan from the targets
I thought I made it right this time
Because I did stop myself from thinking about the details of the plans
I only asked myself the targets, the goals that I would like to achieve
I did make it right this time
With all the cigrettes & coffee in Langham place

And his comments were
I did not have any targets?
This was the very few times that I felt angry
Angry is good
At least its better than depression

I immediately defended myself
I mentioned by targets
Before 16th Feb
1. USD1000 net profit per day
2. 200 more items per day
16th Feb 2011 would be my 2nd year here

He did not response to my targets
Continued mentioning about his
And at last
Repeated again
That I did not have targets
I think maybe he did not hear?
Or
He simply ignored?
I got sparky
"Didn't tell you doesn't mean I have none"

Cried for 4 times (I think)
On the bus when travelling home
Keep thinking about resignation after 31st May 2011
Or shall I say imagining
I can never get my brain off imagining sad things
Since young
Never know why
Just like wazz
The image repeats on and on

A night piror
I will return this notebook
After everyone was gone
I will leave them a hand written resignation letter
Put a cheque in
And I will close the door
Put the key in the mail box
And I will vanish
As if I had never existed in this company

I like this place
Everytime imagining about my resignation
I cry
Just like now
But how many times of failure can I accept?
Not that I cannot accept failure
But for how long
Do I still need to keep my head down
Feel bad everyday
Without a grasp of satisfaction?

My work is my life
Its the sign of me living
It shows my existance
I can't feel much about my life
As if my hands were frozen in winter
But I have feelings towards my work
And I want to change it my career

Back home
Think again
Has Meg ever missed Stephen or Calvin' s targets?
How would she cope?
Will she set a deadline and leave afterwards?
Or maybe she had never failed?

I was then stuck to thinking about the differences
Bewteen quitting & letting go

This work is too important to quit or to let go
At least it is ranks a really heavy position now in my heart
Don't know when I cannot stand the pain
And decide to leave
I am not asking myself to set a deadline now
And I am not asking myself to commit to all Stephen' s 4 targets
Honestly, I value net sales more than sales
And being top-rated honestly means nothing to me
So I will keep my focus mainly on netsales

Need to settle down my team for this
Keep Jeana staying is a key
She wants comission, but how to measure?
Still thinking
Need to hire one extra
But the current 2 girls are not yet ready
CS is ok
Product...if Stephen is not taking Phoebe away
Its ok too

What else?

As always I work my best
But I can never guatantee
And I still cry like a kid
With a cigrette hanging on my lips

Suspension Tokyo.dragonext

2010-12-28T07:30:00.001-08:00

So many years have passed
The dew is still on the roses
I left my childhood
In the garden of green

Come in the garden
And look at the tress
I used to play there when I was a child
Squirrels & birds
Little fairies
Settled down there long ago

A song from the movie Arrietty
The lyrics made me feeling very lonely

Had another awful day
I think the coming year will also be awful

I was hopeful last night
But could not help it
When returned to office
Knowing that ebay had suspended Tokyo
Without warning us previously

Really
What were I doing in the past 6 months
No, 7 months indeed
From the end of May to now
Almost January

Stephen's words was haunting me again
For the hard work in the past half year
You achieved almost nothing
Have you ever doubted
That you had actually walked the wrong path
Heading the Wrong direction?
I think I will remember this question forever

Had a phone conversation with him
Another awful one
Felt so bad
Felt useless & retard

Feelings are something honest
You felt hurt
Then the problem did exist
That the problem did haunt you

Hated it this way
Why were I feeling disgusted
When listening to his speech
I shouldn't should
Because honestly
You are achieving almost nothing
With the resources you were given
Your boss
Any boss
Would have every right to feel displeased
And you are not "happy" when hearing his comments
That he needed to say
"Though you may not like it, I would like to speak it this way..."
Honestly
How dare you
With the trash work that you had done
Who give you the right to be unhappy?

After lunch
Got another msn from Stephen
He said that he would like to have Phoebe
To dedicate completely into the web editor position
And report directly to him
For this reason
Phoebe would not be able to work for product specifications any more
So I might have to hired another person

I asked him the deadline for his
He said 15 Jan 2011
I said ok
And immediately posted an ad online
Hiring a replacement
With tears all over my face

I sort of thought product team was on track
So I could shift my attention to another area
I thought product team could run on its own

I sort of thought HK CS team was on track
So I could stress my attention on SZ CS
I thought HK CS could run on its own

Now Phoebe needed to go
I needed to do things all over again
When I first worked in mainland
Taking care of the descriptions

Now Jess was having problem with Dragonext emails
I needed to monitor her
As if I was monitoring the SZ CS team
Taking care of mail quality & quantity

I realized that I was back to step number 1
Nothing was finished, completed or done
All cases were unclosed, unsettled
I couldn't help feeling tried
Well, I did feel tried
How rare

My work, my job, my career
Are the only things that give me a sense of existence
Only with them
I feel actual & strong
They give me the pride that I need
But now
I felt inferior
And vague

With regards to Phoebe's case
I said nothing
Well, with such bad results
Who gives you the right to say anything
Furthermore
She was hired as a web editor
You knew this long ago
Why even feel sad?

For the results that you had achieved
What you had was what you deserve
No one was being unfair to you
It's just business
It's nothing personal
Result oriented - that's all

When you are doing such lousy job
You are what you have done
So, please do not obstruct the others
Your bosses have plans
You could not fulfill
Then at least do not obstruct

You know that people like Phoebe is hard to be hired in SZ
Then, please do not obstruct Stephen's decision
Please do not say a word
Please do not say no
Please do not suggest
This is the most that you can do

Christmas

2010-12-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

This Christmas is a nice one
I feel ok
Because my family is around this year

I love to cook for my loved ones

This Christmas
Well - Not bad
At least I did not think much about my work today
(Though I still filter mails for tomorrow xdxd)
(Better teach Helen on Wed)

The blog for today is really positive

Never The Best Christmas, Never The Wost

2010-12-24T08:54:00.001-08:00

Hate Christmas
Simply because of bad mood

Extremely depressed today
Did not even know what I was doing at work
Definitely fooling around
Interrupted
Distrubed
Sat down to see the clock ticking
Did not know what to do

Stop myself from hands-on tasks?
Then what should I do
I do not really have much big plans or strategies recently
If I stopped myself from hands-on tasks
I should turn off the computer
And take a nap

Kept thinking the whole day
Kind of asking myself when would I quit the job
Never intended to quit my job
Questioned myself simply because of depression

Lnnch
Arranged a small party
I showed no energy
Did not really want to join
I did not have much facial expression
Nor did I talked much
Ate little too
Well, simply because there were not much to eat

The protion I prepared were too little for
5 men & 8 girls
I noticed in the morning
I could have fixed it
But simply because of feeling moody
I did not even feel like picking up the phone to order pizza

When I was depressed
I was fully charged by negativity
I did not inatiate anything this morning
I mean I had ordered the food
Prepared them at home
Took a taxi to carry them back
With no one helpping
(except for maggie who helped me to buy wasabi, soya etc)
Felt heavy
And tried
(Yes, I felt tried)
Started to think
If no one was helpping
When should I

Arrived office
Discovered that there were not enough food
Need to resolve this problem...
With no one helpping
I almost gave up
Lost all my energy
Even asked myself why arranging such event
Kind of thought
If food were not enough
Let it be
Who cares?
Yea, I was depressed and angry

I want everyone to be happy
I want to feel positivity
Like we used to be
So I arranged this
I paid it all
Well, sharing is good
I just hope everyone can be happy
But except me
How pathetic

Stephen came into contact with me
I did not want to stay in the same space with him
The humiliation accuminated recently were drowning me
He spoke to me for several times
I did not want to answer
Showed him a more relaxed face later
Simply because I knew I was looking dead
I did not want people to ask why

After lunch
Stephen questioned CS members for a parcel of his
Surprisingly
His order was actually a cat toy for me
Though defective
Becasue we thought it was some wrong items returned by our customers
I was grateful to have it
But felt terrible at the moment
I did not want to be reminded of any recent unhappiness
I could not regulate or cordinate myself
To suffer the humiliation on one day
And feel the joy on the next
Its not my bosses or anyone's problem
It just mind

I hate Christmas
The recent ones just bring me to tears
This year
Its of course not the best one
But turns out thyat its not the worst one
I realised that I have not enjoyed Christmas with my parents for
7 years I supose

I think abot more than I forget, I forgot more than I remember

2010-12-23T08:57:00.001-08:00

I am crying quite a lot recently
Crying when travelling on a bus
Crying when walk on the street
Crying when dining with my friends in a Christmas Dinner
Today was a bad day
But I am pretty sure that tomorrow will be worse
Because tomorrow is the Christmas Eve
Mom & dad will be home
I will not even have room to cry
How pathetic

If the incident did not occur
Today should be a flat day
Stephen & Calvin did not come to me
Peggy did not come to me
Spent most of my time doing something "hands-on"
Ordered a lunch box that tasted really bad
Passed it to Peggy & Jess
Well, these were the earlier part of today

After lunch, Matt came into my room
He talked about his concerns towards wholesale
All of his concerns were
Well, out of my control
There was nothing I could do for him
Nor could I explain to him the reason why
Simply because I was ordered not to get into wholesale tasks again
Spoke to Ryan for some advise
No conclusions were drawn

Later, Stephen entered my room
Asked what I were doing in a really flat way
When I say flat, I actually mean "dead"
He spoke to me in 1 tone
With no facial expression what so ever
Well he is not a clown
Why necessary to cheer me up

I told him I was enriching HK's titles
He looked even "dead"
I knew he was trying to see how "hands-on" I was
Whether I had "changed" or "improved" the way he requested last Wed
He did told me that if I stuck to doing "hands-on" tasks
He would directly ask me to report to him
In front of my subordinates
Of course I remember, that was only last Wed

I further explained to him about what I were doing
I also told him that the 2 girls in mainland were listing new items
And they would send reports to me & Janet everyday before 4pm
He then went back to asking me what I were doing
Plus the key question - why couldn't these be passed to the 2 girls?
He asked me - couldn't they be taught?
I said that they could not handle these at the moment
Furthermore, they had to list new items
"That's all" He said
then he turned around and walked out of my room
I asked him - just to stop his steps
"Do you have something to say or ask?"
He said no and went away

What now?!
Was he too "disappointed" that he did not even like to speak an extra word?
He definitely had something to say
He just chose not to say it

Later after 5pm
Got a call from ebay HK
Replying us about London's restriction
Something that had been haunting us for the entire week
They said that we were restricted
Because some of our listings were priced at USD10000
But we sold some really simple, ordinary items
For this reason,
The US Trust & Safety regarded us as a suspicious seller
They suspected that we were money laundering with their platform
I simply replied ebay HK that we were suggested to do so by Wilson
Also a staff of ebay HK
They then told me to remove those listing asap
But London was restricted
How can I revise those?
I wrote an email to Stiffany
To ask for her help
And then I reported this to Stephen & Calvin

At that time, I felt that ebay was really a messed up corporation
Their HK office & US office were not coordinating with one another
I was still positive and I considered that a rather unfortunate incident
Instead of my mistake
But apparently
Stephen was not on my side
Which broke me down totally
I do not want to mention this clearly
Or I will have to type Chinese

Anyway
I felt humiliated
Humiliated by myself
As if I had slapped my face hard
I could not look more bad
When Meg also came to me motioning about the iPhone replacement screen landing page
Asking me for new specifications, products etc.
Wow, the other's team is making a huge success
Girl what are you doing?

I felt humiliated because I could find so many reasonable excuses
For the failure of my ebay business
But at the same time
I could not allow myself to "use" any of these reasons
To make myself feeling better

I started to think about Stephen's 0-10 theory
I doubted myself - maybe I am not meant to be a successful sales person?
I struggled
Because at the same time
I would not accept or admit
That I were weak in that area
Meg can do it
Why cant I

I started to feel where my pressure comes from
From my own fear
Fear about being de-graded by the others
Fear about being considered inferior
But in fact
I were the one
Who considered myself inferior
Its my insecurity that was haunting me

I tried to clear all these negative thoughts out of my mind
Because I had to attend a Christmas dinner in an hour
And I could cry at any point
But I thought more than I forgot
I in fact brought out more than I had expected

I think about more than I forget
I forgot more than I remember
Meaningless negativity is kept in my mind
While all positivity are forgone

Life Coaching Lesson 2

2010-12-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

"With every breath you breathe in
You take in energy
With every breath you breathe out
You let you"

Started the 2nd lesson today
Much different from the previous lesson
Allows me to know what coaching really is

This time
We focused on something new
Originally
We were meant to focus on the relationship aspect
Or the something about my work & career
But later
We started to talk about the fragmentation of one self

This happened all the time
And I gave 2 significant examples to Miika

Example 1
When Oscar was not performing up to my expectation
& HK colleagues kept complaining to me
I feel stressful, tried, disappointed & lose-face
And later ran into the angry stage
Eventually, into depression

I struggled
Because the 2 personalities inside are fighting against one another
For the subjective self
I understood how many difficulties Oscar was facing
For that reason
I did not think I should push him extremely hard
In fact
I never thought scolding, punishing
or making him felt bad would be the way out
And I was disappointed when the rest HK colleagues
Were unable to understand the difficult situation
And saw what I saw
For the objective self
I asked myself if I were being too lenient
If I were not tough enough to remedy the problem
I understood that I should not give excuses
To Oscar & myself
And I felt disgraceful & lose-face
When the other point out my team's mistakes
That made me feeling inferior

Example 2
In the case of Rice, Ping & I
Our friendship faded out since 2010
I felt betrayed, disappointed, heart-breaking, disrespected,
Depressed & angry

My subjective self asked myself
Not to blame anyone
Including myself
And I need not to ask why
Or find the reason for this fading relationship
However
For my objective side
I kept asking if I had done anything wrong
If I really were the one to be blamed
And if I were being too self-centered
So that I was not able to realize the problem of myself
As a whole

The 2 "me" are battling against each other
If one said that sth
The other will immediately challenge
And my heart as a whole
Is restless
I feel tried
And depression is always the final stage
Because my brain just does not want to function anymore
I therefore head towards escaping

With a whole session
Sitting in different chairs
Miika discussed my 2nd example with me
She would like to bring up more information from me
I did not trust in the beginning
But in the end of the session
It worked
Miika really let me know what coaching is about
You think you already understand yourself?
No - She brings out more from within
And the best thing about Miika's coaching is that
She never gives you the answer
That you are looking for
She will not even comment about rights or wrongs
All decisions are left for your own self
Which makes life coaching less like consoling to me
And now, I do believe that life coaching is crucial

Anyway
I have now realize that
The fragmentation of myself is for my own protection
I need this kind of protection because
I am insecure
And because
I do not trust

The subjective self comes up naturally
But as I do not trust even myself
The objective self is formed
To capture more concrete information
In order to back up the subjective part
Yet, in order to be "accurate"
The objective self is "only" looking for "concrete" information
Therefore, there is only Black & White
Instead of Grey
Since then, the subjective part also felt clueless
Therefore the 2 fragmented parts
Keep struggling on and on and on

This is what I have to accept
But at the same time
What I have to resolve
This whole system would work perfect as a whole
The key is as always
To strike a balance

I love my complexity
But I also long for simplicity in myself
What will my future be like?

Hands-On

2010-12-17T08:06:00.007-08:00

"Honestly, I can manage poeple
Just that I cannot manage myself."
This was what Stephen told me this Wed
Well, he was not really trying to say that he could not manage himself
What he was trying to say was that I could not manage people
That I was too hands-on a specific task
He always means MORE than what his lines verbally meant
Yea, this is Stephen, my boss

I did seriously thought about what to do after that Wed dreadful lunch meeting
To boost sales
There are only few ways out
1. New items (a lot of new items)
2. Price tuning (+ succcessful cost bargining, or price tuning may mean nothing)
3. Keywords/Listing enrichment (Need to do in bulk)

Sadly
1. New items
-->Ryan previous said that logistics did not have such capacity
2. Price tuning
-->Cost bargining are never that successful
3. Keyword/Listing enrichment
-->A massive, crazy task

Returned to HK office on Thu afternoon
Because I did not want to travel to SZ
(Staying there is just tough
Always feeling grim +
Hard to concentrate because people keep asking you things)
Also because I took a half day sick leave
Escaping half day from reality is again
Though wrong & childish
Its reasonable

Back to HK
Had a chat with Fun
Good things started to happen
There were in fact A LOT OF so call "new items" available to be listed in the stock room!!!
Those items were originally meant to be FOR website only
Strange enough, website items should never be stocked
Anyway, I now had over 74 existing "new items"
And I was glad
At least I was not totally stuck

Just 1 problem
There were no photos & HTM for those "new items"
Plus the camera was not even in HK office
Therefore I stayed in HK again on Friday (which is today)
I brought my own DC camera
I took photos all day long
Definitely THE MOST hands-on tasks evaaaarrrrr

Yet this time
I think I had a point
If there were no photos
Nothing could be listed
My entire artwork team was in SZ
It would be impossible if I assigned this to anyone
So I DO IT MYSELF

I am not delegating jobs to the others again
But this time
I think I am right
And
I hope I am right

2010-12-17T08:06:00.006-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.005-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.004-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.003-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.002-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.001-08:00

2010-12-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

最初是知而不行, 現在是什麼都不知

2010-12-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Last night was terrible
Pretty sure that I went back to my old track
People never change, right?

Today, its even worse
Had a lunch meeting with Stephen
As always, there was sth that he would like to say
Which brought out my tears in the most shameful way

I know that I am never the type of cold, tough girl
I know I often cry
But are you crying too much recently
That you cannot even control yourself in the public + in front of your boss???!!!
Girl, you are making me sick
How old are you?
Crying is ok
But in front of your BOSS???!!!
You must be nuts
The worst part is that you hate to look bad in front of this man
So now I am feeling shameful, silly & childish
I also feel humiliated
But I am the one who have humiliated myself
Bravo~Give yourself a clap
Because you just made things even worse
This is one of the most disgraceful day in my career life
Though I do admit that you cannot find any relationship between yourself & "Grace"

Felt grim yesterday
Felt busy, tried but pointless
Kind of don't know what to do
I seldom lose my direction
But yesterday, I did
And I even would like to leave the office as early as possible
Which is so "Not Me"

Still fooling around this morning
Don't know what the fuck I was doing
Don't even know why I were here
What I were meant for
Probably too busy & tried
Had my vision only focusing in an extremely narrow scope
Needed reminder
(I hate to admit)
And my lovely boss of course gave me the kind of reminder he liked

This is the least helpful type of assistant that I need
I admit that I need reminders
But I hate to felt like the one "In Need For Help"
Again, Girl, How Old Are You?
You need your boss to babysit you???

The whole talk was constructive
But devastating
Breaks me down totally
I honestly don't like to receive help
Because of my pride?
But what sort of pride does an inconfident girl like you have?
I do believe that
My extremely ironical character is pulling me apart

All of a sudden
I would like to escape
Sth that I would not allow
But would hope to do so
To escape to a space
Where there is no time
Where there is no people
Where there does not even have my existence
So That I can calm down a bit

Stephen said that I was tense
I denied
He said I was
Especially when I worked also on Sat & Sun
He told me to do sth that I liked
I broke down immediately
What he said was like sprinkling salt onto my wounds
Huge grains of sea salts

I Know I have problems
I know what my problems are
I need no one to remind me of my personally, internal problems
If you would like to remind me of my work
Please feel free to
Though I would not like to listen
I would appreciate such reminders
BUT don't send me reminders
Reminding me of my personal problems
Not that I am being too rude or eager
I just do not have guts to bring these topics to the front

I appreciate his attention
His sharing & experience
But that is not going to help me
It will just make me crumble
In public
In front of him
Which make me hate myself after all

Stephen suggested me to do sth I like on holidays
That was the part that got into my nerves
I cried out like a damn (fuckingly insane) baby
And said "I did not even know what to do on holidays."
WoWoWo~ Yea, he brought out the worst part
A problem that had been troubling me
A problem that I would like to solve by seeing a life coach
He then shared with me that
A successful life does not mean a happy life
I told him that I knew and I understood
And honestly
I understood this since I studied in primary
I asked myself what was the point of studying and getting good grades
My answer was to get a well paid job
Because a well paid job could bring me stability
But NOT happiness
Seems that my ironical character had been with me since young
Even myself was amazed to know that
I had developed critical thinking that young
For this reason
My life is meant to be hard
Because my thoughts are just too complicated

And my answer to Stephen's theory was
"知而不行"
Now I suffer more
Because I do not even know what I "knew" in the past

最初是知而不行, 現在是什麼都不知

It is hard
For I even need to look for that long lost answer
That answer was once with me
I chose to ignore it
And now,
It's not with me again
As if I were losing my instinct
All I have are a bunch of questions
Accompanied with a lot of question marks

The more you understand, the more you dont understand

2010-12-14T05:27:00.000-08:00

"For every breath you breathe in

You gain more energy

For every breath you breathe out

You let go"

This is the relaxation exercise my life coach did with me in the 1st lesson

But I found myself sinking more and more in

With every breath i breathe in and out

Life has been a struggle

But fate had allowed me to take a short break

In the past 5 years

In year 2010

Life is like the way it was

Back to the tearful, desperate track

I invest in myself

Joining the life coach course

Because I am so sick of my life

After 5 years living in ease

I cannot go back to that painful track

I know that joining life coaching is not the solution

The life coach herself is not the solution

Me myself is the solution

However, the more I dig into myself

The more I feel grim

I always understand myself

But in my case

The more I understand myself

The more I cannot see the key to my problems

Let say -

How can I feel connected?

How can I avoid feeling lonely in or after happy moments

How can I stop crying alone...

The more I dig deep into myself

I more I don't understand

Am I making a fuss?

Are these problems really happening

Or its just me getting crazy

And creating all these "unreal" problems

What if these are not even problems

What if everyone has gone through this stage...

Feelings are however - always honest

You felt sad, desperate, depressed and you want to tear up etc

I can deny a lot of things

Even the problems that I am facing

But not these feelings

I thought my job can save me

From all these unhappiness

But it seems that I am not making any progress as well

Feeling disconnected from almost everything

What should be the next step?

I hope I am angry

Anger is a more positive energy comparing to being depressed

When I feel depressed

I am like stuck

As if I could not breathe

That there is such a strong force over my chest

And I cannot breathe deeply

For more and more often

I want to retreat

From everything that I am doing

I want to escape

This is the worst available option

I just want to stop

Stop everything

But I know that the world will never stop for me

So I cannot stop as well

Wholesale - Forever Gone, Forever Yours

2010-11-16T07:45:00.001-08:00

Worked in mainland today
Had chat with Stephen about wholesale during lunch
A chat that a long for
But also a chat that kills me

The first question he asked was
"Why would u like to stick to doing wholesale?"
I gave him the most straight forward answer ever
情意結
The 3 words are a short but powerful answer to myself
Well yes, I have started handling wholesale tasks
Since the fist week I worked in this company
It's the only thing that makes me feeling like a pioneer in my career

The second question he asked was
"What brings u the enjoyment?
Taking care of the VIP customers
Or the enjoyment of making a deal?"
Well...I forgot my exact answer
(Because that was nothing close to what I feel)
But I did mention that I taking care of wholesale customers is not the key to my satisfaction

I was then asked about my views towards wholesale
& what wholesale is
I expressed my thoughts
& he expressed his
Though I found our believes quite similar
He disagreed & mentioned about the gap between our ideas

After that, I could not remember clearly
Because I was crying
In front of my boss in Pizza Hut
Just the same as this moment when I am typing this diary
I mentioned that I would like to work more as a front line staff
Instead of a back office staff
I said I would like to be part of the sales team
He said that he again shared different views
Because he would like me to be the "corrector" of various departments
He saw more quality as a "corrector"in me
Than as a sales person

What a dreadful answer
Killed me totally
I was kind of emotional
& I did said something true about myself
I said I would like to be a front line sales
Because I was not doing good enough in this area
So I would like to work more on it

He listened wrongly I suppose
He said he was not kicking me out because of the poor sales results in the wholesale division
Oh great - another dreadful answer
He was not satisfied with my performance in wholesale
Well, he did mentioned about this in the last appraisal
I can still remember

He kept saying things
I was not actually listening
And I realised that I really want to stick to managing wholesale team
Which makes me even said

Didn't know when
He asked again
Questioning why I insist to do wholesale
I did not answer
I even told him that I would not answer
2 reasons
1. Ownership - greedy enough, I would just like to own the team
2. Stephen's 1-10 ability theory

To me, if I were the 9-10 type
I would like to work hard in order to become a 1-6
And eventually, also a 0-1
I want to be well-round
I want to be 0-10
I want no weaknesses
Particular of the fact that this is how Stephen sees me

The conclusion of the whole lunch chat was no good
Heart-breaking & devastating
Last but not the least
He "suggested" or shall I say "notified"me
That I should not talk about the problems of my subordinates
With the other colleagues

I knew what he was talking about
Definitely about yesterday
When I was screaming about Helen & Maggie's work
I knew what I did is wrong
Which made me feel even bad
Somehow, being professional means that you can not even express your disappointment & anger
For this reason, I cannot help myself from feeling shameful of my rackless behaviour yesterday
Feeling just as bad as last time when he "helped" me with the DHL case

Yes and just like last time
I kind of make the problem work
Is feeling shameful a motivation of mine?
How sick...I just do not want to lose
Especially not in front of him

Sat & worked next to Helen
Made 3 new items today ahead of normal schedule
Hope tomorrow will not be another sluggish day
I just hate to feel the shame again
In front of Meg
For she has always been the frontline sales person

Friends

2010-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning
Felt as dreadful as last night
Still wep when thinking about the case
Sent Peggy & Ryan a short message
Mentioned that I would like to quit
Got Peggy's call immediately
She suggested me to confront my thoughts with Stephen
All of a sudden she became my coach
So thankful to have a friend like this
She was a colleague of mine
But she is also a good, caring friend

Did FYP in school
Finished researching
Left the library to call Chanice
To thank her to suggest me to use a better database for research
Mentioned to her about my drawback in work
She suggested me to confront to my boss
And not to accept things that I were uncomfortable with
She was also a coach of mine
So thankful to have a friend like this
She was a classmate of mine
We seldom see each other
But she is really a good, caring friend

Confronted to Stephen via text message
He has not yet replied
(instead of not replying i hope)
I have done what I should
And now I wait for his feedback
No matter if it was a good or bad one
I would not consider resignation
As long as he responds in a week
I think I feel much stronger
And I think I am being mature & professional this time
At least I have stepped up to express myself
Instead of tolerenting everything

Waited for Jane for dinner & movie
Talked with her about the case as well
Actually she knew already
But she is willing to listen for so many times
She gave me suggestions as well
As me not to think too much
And let go of the negative feelings
So thankful to have a friend like this
She is a colleague of mine
But also a good, caring friend

Read a passage from Kam Yuk on facebook
Quite a nice passage:

我們不能時時在身邊

好像電話簡訊也沒有了

我們不能第一時間分享彼此的快樂與不快樂

好像變的冷漠沉默了

我們不能再一起去吃飯一起說說笑笑

好像走出彼此的世界了

我們不能一起考試一起努力一起奮鬥

好像現在已經完全脫離過去了

我們不再有小矛盾也不再笑的那麼肆無忌憚

好像身邊少了一些什麼但也不那麼重要了

我們不能一起犯錯一起哭

好像那只屬於過去的不成熟

好像青蔥歲月只留下斑駁的記憶

我們都有了新的生活

新的環境新的朋友

我們都在面對新的事

新的人陪在我們身邊

分享著我們的喜怒哀樂

有時候也會想起

想起曾經的我們

有時候一個小物品就會勾起一大串一大串的回憶

關於你

關於我們

甚至連那一句話都記得清楚

當時的笑當時的鬧

時間改變了什麼

其實什麼都沒有

時間讓我們從過去到現在

沖淡的是回憶帶不走的也是回憶

親愛的你們

感激遇到你

陪我走過那一段長長的路

那時的我

幼稚不成熟

那時的我

遇到一個又一個坎

是你們陪我成長

沒有丟下我

如今

大家都在不同的地方

不同的環境

漸漸地

漸漸地

不再聯繫

但網誌的每一次更新

相簿的每一次更改

狀態的每一個變動

都牽動著彼此的心

因為這樣

我就知道

遠方的你們

好或不好

快樂或不快樂

原諒

不能時刻陪伴

原諒

那份感情不再濃烈

原諒

或許偶爾想起會感覺孤單

如果有一天

我們再遇見

朋友們

好哥們

好姐們

同桌的你

那當初的一切不會變

Feeling similar to the situation between Rice, Pinky & I?
NO, DEFINITELY NOT
Our situation cannot be describe in such a beautiful manner
It is distroted
They were my best friends
We were so close before
We meet each other everyweek
For more than once
But when friendship fades
They are nothing
Just 2 oridinary people in life
I dont hate them
They are just making their choices
But I cannot devote into the relationship any more
Simply because it hurts

People like Chanice, Carrie, Emily
Though they are not really close with me
Though we will not see each other once a week
They care about me
They bear me in their minds

As for my closest best friends?
They abandone me
I will not hear from them
Not until they post photos of they & my other friends finishing an activity
No calls, no messages, no msn from them
And even if I tried to contact
They would not respond

Though Ms Life Coach is a good one
She was wrong about 1 thing
She asked me how many time am I willing to devote on my friends when I am so into working
She assumed that I were not devoted
But in reality
It was my best friends
whol had chosen not to devote into the friendship any more
I am not the one who quit
They are
I quit now
Just because it hurts too much

I do not know if one day Ryan, Peggy, Jane Chanice, Carrie & Emily would fade away from my life
I am happy to have them in my life
But anyone can fade away from the others life
We will never know until the point of no turing back has been passed

Friday

2010-11-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

To me, Friday is the best day in a week

Not even Sat & Sun can compare with Friday

I always love Friday

But I have cried for the last 3 Fridays

Friday is no longer the way it was

Or

It s just me who had changed

Friday

For the past 3 Fridays, i have cried

Not at home in bed

Not at home during the shower

I cried in the office when most people were gone

And the craziest thing today is - I have been weeping before people were off

I cried on the first Friday

Because Stephen asked me to share a new staff that I had with Meg

Not share to be exact

But to allocate to her

I cried on the second Friday

Because, well also because of Stephen

Who had started a rather headaching topic without ending it

Gone himself, leaving me behind with a troubled mind

I cried on today, on the third Friday

Because , again of Stephen

Who had kicked me out of the wholesale team

And allocated me to handle new items as product team

The wholesale business or sector

Was developed by me

Not to be proud, I was just the one who came across to set up the team

It was in July 2009 when I hired my second staff -Donald Wong

He was not given the opportunity to handle wholesale order until March 2010

Now in Nov 2010

The Peak Season of the year

I was officially kicked out of the team and Donald would be in charge

When I first read Donald's resume, I thought - HE IS THE ONE

His performance was not bad, but never perfect of course

He has good academic background

I suppose both my bosses kind of like him

When he was first hired

He had the perfect title - Associate Account Manager

While I - his supervisor was - Customer Service Specialist

When I first handled / set up the wholesale team

There were nothing

Not even extra resources

I once did the packing of a 1000-piece on my own

Now, there is an incentive program

And I was being kicked out

I was not happy

Kind of angry to be honest

Well, maybe soon or later, Donald will be paid more than me

He has the incentive program

And he can expand his sales by hiring more staff

All sharing commission

I was unhappy

Not because of $$

But why kicking me out from sth I set up on my own

I gave birth to the team

I still believe

I always want to be a sales person

Because I had fear & doubts

That boosting sales might be a weakness of mine

So I longed for such opportunity

And would like to prove myself wrong

The sales results of ebay proved that I could not really boost sales

And now

Wholesale is also gone

What's left? - I still have Product Development

Something that I never intend to head towards

I suppose I was not under Meg

But keep being pushed by her for new items

Its not her problem

Its just not what I like to do

Remember the time when Stephen first asked / assigned / pushed / forced me to do product development

I ran away from the office in the afternoon

Being so reasonably childish

But it turns out that I am doing product development now

I do not always want to do "tidy up" tasks all the time

I had been in Customer Service Team,

Something similar to the so call "Quality Assurance Team"

Now Product Team

Responsible for activating new items and inactivating old items

I want to develop myself to become the "starter" or "pioneer" too...

Instead of tidying up the other's mess...

When will my dreadful Fridays end?

I admit it (thought i would hate to)

2010-11-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

The reason that people are addicted to work are because of several reasons
They need money
They need recognition
They look for status
They hate to cope with loneliness
Well yes, Ms Life Coach, you have pin pointed almost everything
I will not be finanically sufficient to be a student of yours at the moment
But one day, I will

I started to realize that I have fears
Fears that I did not even recognized
Fears that I had never paid attention to
And maybe its time I face them

Start to feel some "hope" or so call "light" in my recent days
Good?
Can be better~
And I still have a peak season to rock~

Back

2010-11-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Returned to write this really old blog again

My first feeling is - time fades

When I first started this blog

It was all about doing homework

The subject was Forecasting Colors & Trends (I suppose)

At that time, I was like studying full time

So devoted & so into what I was doing

I mean, from time to time, I was "into something"

And now, what am I i"into"?

Into my work

A rather narrow scope I think

Why is the scope narrow?

Well, because I am limiting my growth

To sum up, I have been probably "too devoted" or "too into" my work in the past year

Being "too focused", I started to lose my friends, my family & my interest in life

I felt great when I was working

Energetic & powerful during Monday to Friday

I felt depressed when I was on holiday

Depressed & tried during Saturday & Sunday

For this reason, I worked also on Saturdays & Sundays

Gave me a relieve for a short while

But dragged me even deeper into the mud pit

I started to think that maybe I am "too focused" again

Though I always believe that there is nothing so call "too focused" when it comes to working & career

You reap what you sow

So I am totally finw with being "too focused" at the same time

Anyway, just like any investment,

Yout scope cannot be too narrow

Or it will be risky

I know that I need to turn around the situation

I need to love my work the way I am and at the same time love the rest part of my life

I had a lot of hobbies in the past

Knitting, cooking, drawing, reading, doing hand crafts etc (any sort of time consuming activities)

Yet now, I cannot get myself into any of them

Therefore THE question pops

What do I love?

The answer... well I am still finding

Everything has its pros & cons

I seldom truely "hate" a task/hobby/activity (just something)

But at the same time, I seldom really "love"

Its not easy to get my devotion

(My work seems to be an exception though)

Therefore eventually, the problem is - I am not devoted in life, I am not LIVING it

I am just making my life FLAT

We always need to ask the right questions to get the right answers

I think I have the right question now

As for the answer, I will give myself more time

Its something life long I suppose

The answer will be enriched from time to time

I do want to have some reference from the people around

(But these things will hardly be understood, I would be grateful if someone was willing to listen)

Yet I do not think I have good references around

Are they thinking too little or am I thinking too much? Whatever...

Anyway, my friends are mostly not caring, my families are not the peopl I look up to

Therefore I think I will head towards external help

How about life coaches?

Expansive, but worth a try

"I free myself not by trying to be free but by simply noticing how I am imprisoning myself" (Zen theory of change)

屎面王

2009-05-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Friendly Mr White

2009-04-28T07:51:00.001-07:00

藍綠眼美男尋家

2009-03-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

姓名：??

年齡：3歲

健康狀況：已絕育

性格：嗲嗲, 文靜

毛色 : 銀白虎紋

領養費：$0

求有責任心的主人

朋友4月就不要他了, 我說什麼都沒用

只求有責任心的主人

不要再遺棄這小朋友

給他有愛的家

他性格很好溫馴, 文靜, 嗲嗲

試問誰這般忍心拋棄他?

我已有2貓, 有考慮養他, 但實在沒能力

如果你有意領養他, 請跟本人聯絡 ting9586@yahoo.com.hk

請於電郵中提供閣下的姓名、聯絡電話

有養貓者優先

1) 領養者必須年滿十八歲, 如未滿十八歲，須由同住的父母或監護人代為申請。

2) 領養者必須向本會承諾為動物提供一個合適的居所及盡其所能給予動物最好的照顧。　

3) 在領養獲得批准前，領養者必須出示其住址證明，進行家訪，以確保領養者家居環境適合飼養貓隻。　

4) 本人保留拒絕領養申請之權利，若領養條款及領養費有所更改，恕不另行通知。　

The Wizard of OZ

2008-12-18T00:59:00.000-08:00

Dorothy (故事的女主角)被龍捲風吹到空中
掉落到一個奇異的世界
她要找回到原來世界的方法
便要沿著黃磚路到翡翠城去見巫師OZ
途中Dorothy遇到稻草人, 機器人和獅子
他們各有所求
(稻草人希望能得到聰明的頭腦)
(機器人希望能得到善良的心)
(獅子希望能得到勇氣)
便和Dorothy一起找OZ
但OZ不是真的巫師
他欺騙了所有人
不但帶不了Dorothy回家
亦沒有給稻草人聰明的頭腦
只在它頭裡塞滿稻草
然後說"you now have many branis"
事實上稻草人還是滿腦稻草
什麼智慧也沒有
倒是機器人和獅子得到善良的心和勇氣
因為善良和勇氣是不假外求的
-----------------------------------------------------
滿腦稻草的稻草人從此佯裝成有學問的人
到處為愚蠢的自己討面子
是以稻草人總容易被火扇動
因為它沒有獨立思考的能力
只能依賴權威-OZ
稻草人自以為聰明
其實是耍小聰明
哀哉愚民!
-----------------------------------------------------
社會上有太多稻草人了
網路上尤其多
機器人和獅子都到往哪裡跑了?

唔~~~我要訓

2008-12-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

文明社會的愚昧無知

2008-12-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

看了這段短片
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=nUhSb-z1i98&NR=1
我感到很悲傷
一面為狗狗受到的殘酷對待悲傷
另一方面為香港這個"文明"的城市悲傷

惻隱之心,人皆有之
負責捉狗的漁護署員工的惻隱之心都到哪了?
把受傷的狗在冰冷的水泥地上拖行
動作粗野得離譜
彷彿是要拖一袋垃圾往垃圾場去丟掉

為什麼?為什麼!
是因為他們討厭這工作嗎?
還是他們的心都麻目了嗎?
怎樣也好,狗的悽苦都觸動不了那兩顆冷硬的心
也對
漁護署的"護"不是指"保護"
是"護理"而已
而這就是他們"護理"的方法

最令我感到悲傷的是 youtube 的一些留言

"當一隻流浪狗受驚時,好容易會咬人,為咗自身全,我覺得佢地捉狗方法好確. "
"人地漁農署黎救隻狗,咁你又屌,一陣佢唔黎救,你又肯定屌ga啦 !!!你講到人地救得咁殘忍,你又唔落去用你果啲人道既方法去救佢!!每日咁多雞俾人好殘忍咁殺,又唔見你去救佢地!你地班愛心撚個個都張d貓狗都睇高一層!其他動物就話之佢死呀,我本人就唔係咁鐘意動物,但如果我見到好似咁既情況,我都係會叫漁農署黎! 你地班愛心撚正on9! "

我無法想像狗的悽苦,不但觸動不了捕狗者的心
原來也觸動不了這些人的心

第一個留言反映了城市人的自私
也罷

第二個留言則反映了所謂"文明人"的愚昧無知
那人會打這麼長的留言, 總上過學
然而, 連最基本辨別是非黑白的智慧也沒有

漁護署"救"狗?
任人都知道漁護署捉狗後四天就有權殺死狗兒
"救"是指用粗暴的手段捕狗
跟著在以後的三天要狗兒在饑餓, 恐懼中看著其他"到期"的動物被處死
到第四天, 就與死神擁抱
成為無情的針筒下的亡魂
死在被扭曲的"正義"和"人道"的美名中

寫畢這篇文章
愛護動物人仕所走的路還真難行
義工們的路更為寂寞
流浪動物的生路尤其崎嶇

再開張

2008-12-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

Li 個 Blog 係我之前交功課開 Ge
由於係強迫寫 Ge
所以係我寫得最長 Ge 網誌
咁我就嘗試繼續寫落去 La
我好怕打中文字 Gar
選宇 Ge 時候字太細
睇得好辛苦
希望今次會寫得耐 D La

CLASS EXERCISES 1

2008-11-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

- from the left to the right
#1Triad:
-colors at 120 degree within the color wheel
-eye catching effect
-the style may be soften by increasing the value & decreasing the chorma

#2Analogous:
-in aggressive colors (Red, Orange & Yellow)
-harmonious colors

#3the principle of familiarity
-colors of the nature
-harmonious effect

#4the principle of novelty
-complementary colors
-all colors stand out
-may look exaggerating if the value & chroma is not toned

#5Mono cgromatic:
-in recending colors (Sky Blue & Dark Blue)
-harmonious
-easy to match
-because the colors are of the same hue

#6Achromatic
-in Black & Grey

My Donna Karan x 47pcs

2008-11-24T22:52:00.000-08:00

2008-11-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

-according to my observation, Donna Karan seldom put more than 3 colors in a set of clothes

-therefore i cannot really show a lot of color use in the designs

-so i intended to do it with the accessories

-accessories can be matched with the outfit of the same color (Mono chromatic)

-in order to achieve a harmonious feeling

-but the outcome may be boring

-therefore it would be more interesting if we inter-match the accessories with outfits of different colors

-the Red handbags can be matched with the purple gowns

-achieve Analogous color matching scheme

-the Purple Blue handbag can match with the Orange short dress (complementary colors)

-but such use of colors is not common in Donna Karan' sdesigns

My Donna Karan Collection-Style

2008-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

-i aim at showing the independance of strong careeer women

-while enhancing the softness of female at the same time

-this is coherent to Donna Karan's principles

-and is the style for the brand's target customers

-i have included 3-4 pieces of formal wears

-which are highly wearable

-for the rest pieces are evening gowns

-i have included Donna Karan's wrap dress

-and have demonstrated her draps

-these are the common pieces in Donna Karan's collection

-i picked 3 formal wears & 6 evenig wears

-as the common proportion of Donna Karna's collection last year

-------------------------------------------------

-the collection showns a smooth transformation of color & style

-it transform from the most simple piece of suit into a formal wear with trench coat

-then to a more grand suit with heavy fury

------------------------------------------------

-to evolve from formal wears to evening wears

-an evening gown with features of trench coat is shown

-afterall, i demonstrated the more casual short dress in orange to tone down the grandness of the gowns a bit

-and then the Brown classic gown is featured

-the value has been increased since the display of the 1st gown

-and the chroma has been decrease as well

-becasue the colors of the gowns have to be toned down

-else the collection will be exaggerating

-and would be different from Donna Karan's previous collections

-------------------------------------------------

-after the gown in Brwon is featured, the color shifts to the purple tone

-a nice wrape dress & drap dress are shown

-both dress show the same hue but the later one has an even higher value & lower chroma

-because the last piece is in Black

-toning down the 2nd last piece will faciliate the smoothness in transforming colors

2008-11-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

My Donna Karan

2008-11-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

My Donna Karan-FW2009

~High & low value
~Generally high chroma
~3 major color combinations
# Combo 1: Black, Grey
# Combo 2: Brown, Brownish Orange, Soily yellow

# Combo 3: Purple

~Black is used to accessorize the designs

~Black is applied to the Gloves, Hats, Scarf & Shoes

---------------------------------------------------

-in order to match the common practice of Donna Karan's

-there are no more than 3 color combinations in my collection

-and there are no more than 3 colors in a single outfit

---------------------------------------------------

-i have picked the colors commonly seen in Donna Karan's fall winter collection

-Black & Grey are usually used as the main colors (Achromatic)

-Brown & Reddish purple are also picked to give a sense of warmth

---------------------------------------------------

-i have took reference from the color used in fall winter 08

-decided to keep using Black & Grey this year

-because they are a "must" for Donna Karan's fall winter collections

-Purple is used again this year

-but it looks less reddish comparing to the last season

-besides, i have also shifted the importance of the red to earth tone colors

-earth tone colors: Chocolate Brwon, Orange Brown & Soily Yellow

-the earth tone colors look great with Purple (Analogous)

-attention should be paied to these 3 colors

-because they are different from the earth tones used before

---------------------------------------------------

-in the previous fall winter collections, earthy colors usually bring a burgundy tone

-which is sometimes similar to Red or even Purple Red

-therefore the earthy colors in the past give a sense of romance

---------------------------------------------------

-this season, the earthy colors look less Reddish

-it consists of Chocolate Brown

-that looks more black & dim

-as well as Brownish Orange & Soily yellow

-which look closer to Ornage & Yellow

---------------------------------------------------

-these 3 colors are inspired by the dried leaves, petals & trees

-common in autumn & winter

-a very cosy, warm, natural winter is created by using such color combo

-these 2 tones show great energy in the collection

-such new tones can also interest the target audiences

---------------------------------------------------

-in past seasons, the variation between the color combos are small

-this season, there are great variations between the 3 combos

-they have very different values

-Black & Chocolate Brown has the highest value

-while Soily Yellow has the lowest

-so they can be show great contrast

---------------------------------------------------

-to conclude:

-i have continue using Black, Grey & Purple of the previous season

-and add new colors

-Chocolate Brwon, Brownish Orange & Soily Yellow to the color family

---------------------------------------------------

-i try to keep the color use as flexible as possible

-Black + Grey (Achromatic)

-Brown + Brownish Orange (Mono chromatic)

-Brown + Brownish Orange + Soily yellow (Analogous)

-Brown + Purple (Analogous)

-all 3 color schemes are applied

---------------------------------------------------

-there is a smooth transformationof colors

-from Black to Grey

-the color shifts from high value to low value

-Purple is transformed into Chocolate Brown

-by increasing the Red & Black proportion

-Chocolate Brown is transformed into to Brownish Orange

-by increasing the proportion of Yellow

-eventually, it is changed into Soily yellow

-as it continuses to rotate in a clockwise direction

-the colors' values are decreased

-they shift from the 12 o'clock direction to the 4 o'clock direction

-by spinning the color wheel in clockwise direction
-a whole set of color in similar value & chroma can be found
-therefore the colors in the collection can mix & match with each other
-but still causing no eyesore effect

MONO CHROMATIC - PURPLE

2008-11-21T22:05:00.000-08:00

-mono chromatic scheme

-in the Purple tone, including

-PMS255: Grape (higher chroma)

-PMS242: Burgundy (higher chroma)

-PMS5135: Dim Lilac (lower chroma)

-PMS5125: Plum (lower chroma)

-the value is generally high

-purple is picked because it is commonly seen in Donna Karan's fall winter collection

-the color gives a warm & romantic feeling

-in the last season, the purple used is similar to Burgundy

-which looks more reddish

-------------------------------------------------

-this season, i would like to emphasis more on the Dim Lilac & Plum

-because these 2 purple colors look a bit grey

-the chroma & intensity are toned down

-so the colors look softer

-the grey tone also gives the 2 purple colors a vintage feeling

-which matches with the classic evening gowns of Donna Karans'

-the colors of these 2 dresses also go well with the accessories in the collection

-the Dark Violet handbag will be a match

-because of the similar hue (Mono chromatic)

-the Red clutch bag & the Burgandy handbag will be great choices (Analogous)
-------------------------------------------------

-Donna Karan is famous for her wrape dress

-as well as the way she drapes soft fabrics like chiffon

-this helps to enhances the softness of female

-such features can be shown in these 2 evening dresses

ANALOGOUS-EARTHIY

2008-11-21T22:02:00.000-08:00

-analogous color matching scheme

-in the earth tones, including

-PMS4625: Chocolate Brown (high value)

-PMS159: Dirty Ornage (higher chroma)

-PMS465: Beige (lower chroma)

-PMS1525: Brownish Orange (higher chroma)

-PMS131: Soily Yellow (higher chroma)

-the value is generally low except Chocolate Brown
-------------------------------------------------
-earth tone colors are picked because they are common in Donna Karan's collections

-the colors give a warm & natural feeling (the principle of familiarity)

-in the last season, the earth tones used looks more reddish

-this season, i have increase the intensity of Orange & Yellow

-which give rises to Dirty Ornage, Brownish Orange & Soily Yellow
-------------------------------------------------
-the variations of the earth tones are great

-interests the audiences' eyes

-allows the color use to be more flexible

-also enhances differnt styles & feelings

-the formal wear shows great difference in the value of the jacket & the value of the skirt

-in order to match the psychological belief of audiences

-the darker (heavier) Chocolate Brown decends to the bottom part of the outfit

-while the lighter Beige & Creamy White are applied to the jacket

-the evening gown (on the left) shows features of formal wears

-Soily Yellow is applied to the dress

-but in order to tone down the color a bit

-Brownish Ornage & Dirty Orange are applied to it

-thus it is more wearable
-------------------------------------------------
-for the rest 2 dresses

-their major colors are Dirty Orange & Brownish Orange

-but the shorter one has a higher chroma

-so it looks much orange thus sharper than the lengthy one

-the strong color shows great energy

-which matches with the spirit of the short dress

-on the other hand, the length gown has a lower chroma

-the color therefoe looks less strong

-the softer color also matches with the elegance of the dress
-------------------------------------------------
-though all 4 designs are in the earthy colors

-but different value & chroma contribute to a different style & feeling

-the suit in Chocolate Brown & Beige looks the most strong

-because of the contrasting value

-the Gown with formal wear features looks the most eye catching

-because of its unique color-Soily Yellow

ACHROMATIC-SMOKY QUARTZ

2008-11-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

-achromatic scheme

-in the Black tone, including

-Black (highest value)

-PMS424: Dove Grey (low chroma)

-PMS429: Light Grey (low chroma)

-PMS425: Charcoal Grey (low chroma)

-the value is generally high except the Light Grey

-Black & Grey are picked because they are a "must" in Donna Karan's fall winter collections

-the color gives a elegant feeling

-because psychologically, Black & Grey are motionless, calming colors

-they reminds people of the elegance & grace of female

-but they do give people a cold feeling

-----------------------------------------------

-because of this these 2 colors are great for formal business wear

-i have choosen Dove Grey for the suit

-matched with a belt in Charcoal Grey

-simple prints in Black color also add interets to the outfit

-making the formal suit less boring & stiff

-i have also choosen Charcoal Grey for the other suit that has a trench coat

-to make it more interesting

-its collars, pocket flaps & belts are in Brownish Orange

-for the evening gown, Black & Light Grey are picked

-the 2 colors have a contrasting value

-which adds interest to the viewers' eyes

-------------------------------------------------

-accessories such as shoes & scarf are also in black, Grey & White colors (Achromatic)

-they can match with any of the above designs

-because they are of similar hues

-this shows fexibile use of colors

-and encourages mix & match as what Donna Karan wishes

The Overall Color Family

2008-11-20T02:40:00.000-08:00

In Donna Karan's collection
-Balck & White are the most commonly used
-they are the most significant theme colors
-since Black & White are worn by most career comen
-who are Donna Karan's target customers
-Black & White are calming, classy colors
-because they enhance the elegance of women
-----------------------------------------------------
-Black & White enhance elegance of women
-because they are calming & motionless colors
-they give people an expensive & classy image
-----------------------------------------------------
-White is an important color in Donna Karan's collections
-because the color simbolizes some of the designers' point of view
-in the early 90's Donna Karan created a collection consisting of only White color
-that was the beginning of the 90's health-caring life style
-White also symbolizes purity
-relates to Donna Karan's care towards environmental protection
-----------------------------------------------------
-Black & White colors are not only used alone
-they are also used to accessorize the designs
-emphasisng the special features of the outfit or
-toning down the style/color of the pieces
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-since Donna Karan pays great attention towards environmental protection
-Brown & Beige plays important roles in her designs
-because earth tone colors are the most common natural colors
-these 2 colors can be seen almost every year
-in spring summer, Beige is emphasized more
-because Beige is a kind of nude color
-it gives people a refreshing feeling during the hot summer
-in fall winter, Brown plays a more important role
-because it gives a warm cozy feeling
-Brown & Beige also matches well with one another (Analogous)
-creating a sense of harmony
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-Red & Purple are also 2 major colors in Donna Karan's designs
-these 2 colors helps to show the softness of independent women
-because Red & Purple are feminine colors
-they are colors traditionly made for women
-in Donna Karan's collection, Red & Purple commonly have high intensity
-the color is usually rich
-making the designs more glamorous
-there are many types of Red in Donna Karan's collections
-she uses Reddish orange, Crimson & Reddish purple etc
-Reddish orange tends to look more natural & primitive
-Crimson looks flaming & strong
-Reddish purple contributes to a sense of sexiness & romance
-Purple is also more common than Violet
-because Purple matches with Red better than Violet
-Purple is closer to Red comparing to Violet on the color wheel
-Purple & Red also matches well with one another (Analogous)
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-Purple & Red also matches well with Brown & Beige as well (Analogous)]
-it is obvious that Donna Karan use of colors flexibly
-these 4 major colors can inter-match with each other
-Purple & Red, Brown & Beige + Black & White
-Monochromatic, Analogous & Achromatic schemes are applied

Color Pattern

2008-11-20T00:12:00.000-08:00

-Donna Karan's designs show a strong Metropolitan style
-New York city gives Donns Karan a lot of inspirations
-Donna Karan also foucs a lot on the global environment
-therefore Donna Karan's collections show features of the New York City & the nature
-usually, the New York features are shown in the fall winter collections
-while the spring summer collections features designs related to the natural environment
-she commonly applies the principle of familiarity
-showing natural colors & features in her collection
-these designs are popular among successful career women
-because they also pays attention to the decaying environment
-------------------------------------------------
-generally, there are no more than 3 color combinations in a single collection
-and there are no more than 3 colors in a single outfit
-except the Graffiti prints in SS06
-------------------------------------------------
-in fall winter seasons, Black & Grey are usually used as the main colors (Achromatic)
-in order to interest audiences' eyes, Black & Grey are shown in different textures
-Brown, Red or Purple is usually added to the Black/Grey pieces
-Brown, Red & Purple are the most common "Mistress Color"
-the 3 colors are applied to give a sense of warmth in the winter collections
-they also matches well with each other (Analogous)
-in FW07 Blue is added to the collection
-making the scene even cooler
-still Purple & Burgundy is applied
-------------------------------------------------
-usually, 1-3 pieces of designs showing colors outside the color family are featured
-eg the Shimmering Yellow one-piece in FW07
-eg the Lime dress in SS04
-using colors outside the color family may
-interests audiences' eyes
-tests market response
-responses to the trends
-differentiates Donna Karan from similar competitors (eg Kelvin Clein)
-------------------------------------------------
-in order to match the audiences' belief
-dark colors weight heavier
-dark colors are usually placed at the lower part of the designs
-eg pants, leggings, skirts

Spring Summer 04-from Amazon to Urban

2008-11-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS04

~High chroma

~3 major color combos

# Combo 1: Soily orange, Reddish Brown

# Combo 2: Khaki, Mold Yellow, Beige

# Combo 3: Smoky brown
- patterns & prints are used

------------------------------------------------

# Combo 1: Soily orange, Reddish Brown

-give people a very hot feeling

-together with the tan of the models' skins & make-up

-reminds people of the extremely hot & wet Amazon rain forest

-the colors shows excitment

-coherent to the theme

-because it is all about the journey in Amazon

# Combo 2: Khaki, Mold Yellow, Beige

-commonly seen in Donna Karan's spring summer collection

-give a softer feeling comparing to combo 1
# Combo 3: Smoky brown

-used to match with Beige in order to form patterns

------------------------------------------------

-clothes in the colors of combo 2 & 3 tend to look more formal

-because the color of combo 1 id too strong for formal wears

Spring Summer 05

2008-11-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS05

~Low value

~2 major sets of colors

# Set 1: Dark/Light grey, Minty green, Off white

# Set 2: Biege
~Black color is not common in this collection
--------------------------------------------------------
# Set 1: Dark/Light grey, Minty green, Off white

-cool colors imply a cool summer

-Donna Karan shows concerns the green house effect that makes the summer hotter & hotter

-reflective, shinny materials are used for the Dark grey color

-gives an even frosty, chilly feeling

# Set 2: Biege

-apperas again in this collection

-apart from black & white, beige is used the most frequently

-bei0-ge=nude colors

-the most natural color

-since has similar tones as our skin
--------------------------------------------------------

-three sharp, iconic colors are shown

-the Reflective blue & Pink

-give a strong presence

-since the entire collection is pale & plain

-2 strong colors are given to create great contrast

-provide an alternative option for the target customers

-can also test market response regarding the new color

--------------------------------------------------------

-the blue is used in the fall winter collection of the same year

-however in a much higher value

-to suit the dim & dark fall winter collection

Spring Summer 06-Harlem

2008-11-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS06
~Used the most colors

~3 major color combinations

# Combo 1: Black, White
+ Yellow, Red( Low value, High chroma)

# Combo 2: Black, Navy
# Combo 3: Brown, Beige

~Black can be found in almost every piece as an ornamental color
-----------------------------------------------

-since Donna Karan receives inspirations from Harlem (New York)

-she would like to capture the spirit of the Graffiti in the Harlem area

-therefore the most colors are used in this collection

-all 3 primary colors are used

-because they are the basic colors for drawing (Graffiti)

-----------------------------------------------

# Combo 1: Black, White

# Combo 2: Black, Navy

# Combo 3: Brown, Beige

-Formal wears' colors

+ Yellow, Red( Low value, High chroma)

-interests audiences' eyes

-by forming patterns

-the patterns are inspired by Graffiti

-but the patterns are toned down

-in order to look more graceful

-and suits the needs for office wears

Spring Summer 07-the creaked earth

2008-11-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS07

~Low chroma

~2 major sets of colors

# Combo 1: Military Green, Khaki, Beige

# Combo 2: Grey, Light grey, Off white
-------------------------------------------

-Donna Karan shows concern towards the decaying earth

-the collection give people a very dry impression
# Combo 1: Military Green, Khaki, Beige

-shows the colors of dying plantations

Spring Summer 08-Urban Safari

2008-11-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS08

~Generally low value

~3 major sets of colors

# Set 1: Silvery white, Grey

# Set 2: Brown, Beige, Red

# Set 3: Black, White

------------------------------------------

# Set 2: Brown, Beige, Red

-reminds people of journeys in Africa

-incorporate with formal colors

# Set 1: Silvery white, Grey
# Set 3: Black, White

-collaborating the safari colors with formal colors

------------------------------------------
-the bodice shows features of formal wears

-tailored collars, belts

-but the bottom shows features of outfits wearing in safari

-the collaboration of the 2 styles interest audiences eyes
# Set 3: Black, White

Spring Summer 09-the resort

2008-11-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan SS09

~Generally low value

~2 major sets of colors

# Set 1: Beige, Khaki
# Set 2: Grey, Light grey, Minty grey
------------------------------------------------

-shows features of resort styles

-the mint colors contribute to a more playful style

-this is the latest advertisement of Donna Karan's SS09 collection

-it is different from all other advertisements in the previous seasons

-becasue of economic down turn

-the SS09 collection will not shoot an advertiseing campaign

-will advertise with a campaign that consists of images from the runway show

-advertising is influenced by the global economic factor

-------------------------------------------------

-such advertisement with no theme & story have a weak connection with the target audiences

-the disappearance of top model/celebrities' faces will also damage Donna Karan's brand image

--------------------------------------------------

-in order to play save in the periods of economic downturns

-Donna Karan does not show the iconic Mint Green pieces in the advertisement

-instead she showed the pieces in Beige

-which is an earth tone color she has used for ages

-------------------------------------------------

-the economic factors do not only affect the scale & style of the advertisement campaign

-the content of the advertisement is also affected

Fall Winter 04-Dark Charm

2008-11-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan FW04-Dark Charm
~High value
~Low chroma
~2 color combos
# Combo 1: Plum, Burgundy, Reddish Brown
# Combo 2: Mustard Yellow, Military Green
~Black is sometimes used alone

~Black can be found in almost every piece

~usually as an ornamental color because all the leggings are in black
--------------------------------------------------------

-Set 1: Plum, Burgundy, Reddish Brown (Analogous)
-the principle of familiarity

-natural colors

-enhances a warm feeling

-create a graceful touch

-shows a high degree of femininity

-Set 2: Mustard Yellow, Military Green (Analogous)

-the principle of familiarity
-natural colors

-the colors for autumn winter

-the colors of fallen leaves

--------------------------------------------------------

-the collection shows flexible use of colors

-Monochromatic, Analogous & Achromatic schemes are applied

-shows a smooth transformation of colors

-starting from the highest value color BLACK

-BLACK is transformed into PLUM

-the colors than goes towards a warmer direction

-PLUM is transformed into BURGUNDY and than REDDISH BROWN

-the colors tend to decreased the value & increase the chroma

-after all by lowering the value, REDDISH BROWN is transformed into MUSTARD YELLOW

-finally MUSTARD YELLOW is changed into its neighbor MILITARY GREEN

-it is discovered that the collection consists of colors on the top right side of the color wheel

-from the 11 o'clock direction to 5 o'clock direction

-by spinning the color wheel in clockwise direction

-a whole set of color in similar value & chroma can be found

-therefore the colors in the collection can mix & match with each other

-but still causing no eyesore combinations

-the 2 sets of colors contribute to a sense of warmth in winter

Fall Winter 05

2008-11-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan FW05

~High value

~Low chroma

~2 major color combos

# Combo 1 : Black, Smoky grey, Ashy brown

+ Burgundy/Purple as the "Mistress color"

# Combo 2: Navy, Dim Turquoise, Purple
-------------------------------------------------

# Set 1 : Black, Smoky grey, Ashy brown + Burgundy/Purple

-Black, Smoky grey & Brown are common in the fall winter's collection

-the black & the smoky grey show a sense of grace & elegance

-since these colors reminds people a motionless feeling

-they give people of a calming impression

-therefore their subtlety remind people of a classy image

-however they give people a very cool feeling at the same time

-therefore Burgundy/Purple is used as the "mistress" color

-to accessorize the dark clothes
-give the cool colors a warmer, softer touch

# Set 2: Navy, Dim Turquoise, Purple (Analogous)

-enhance nobleness

-because purple was once the color for bishops & royalties

-enhance the classiness of the collection

-------------------------------------------------

-Navy, Dim Turquoise, Purple are also special colors in the collection

-because they are the "mistress" color for the whole collection

-their presence makes the whole collection more versatile & more interesting

Fall Winter 06

2008-11-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan FW06

~High & low value

~Generally low chroma

~2 major color combos

# Combo 1: Black, Smoky grey, Dark purple

# Combo 2: Crimson, Khaki

~Black can be found in almost every piece as an ornamental color
------------------------------------------------

# Combo 1: Black, Smoky grey, Dark purple

-Black & Smoky grey are used the most in this season

-Dark purple is used in some pieces solely

-White is used together with Black

-to soften the look

-to detailed the features

-and to brighten up the outfit because white reflect light better than black

-else there would be too many dark pieces in this collection

-in fact black and white are the strongest contrasting color

-their presence will always be eye-catching

# Combo 2: Crimson, Khaki

-Khaki can be commonly seen in the spring summer's collections

-less often in fall winter's collections

-is picked this season because it goes well with the Crimson & Chocolate brown pieces

-red is common in Donna Karan's fall winter collection

-but the red this season is different from those used in the other seasons

-Crimson is a different red

-comparing to the reds used in the rest fall winter collection, Crimson has a higher intensity of red within

-Crimson is a flaming color

-in the other fall winter collection, burgundy red is used instead of Crimson

-burgundy red gives people a romantic feeling that Crimson does not have

-yet, Crimson contributes to a very strong sense of warmth & strength

-it also goes better with Khaki comparing to burgundy red

-because burgundy red shows a slight purple tone

-it is located further from Khaki comparing to Crimson in the color wheel

-therefore Crimson & Khaki are picked

-because they can match with & support the presence of one another

------------------------------------------------

-Gold is used this season

-in an exaggerated bling bling manner

-such practice is not common in the rest seasons

-according to Donna Karan's style

-gold is used to accessorize designs & high light features

-but this season, it is used soly as the major color in a few pieces

-different from what Donna Karan usually does

-reason 1

-gold was a popular color in 2006

-introduced by color & trend forecasters

-many other brands used gold in fall winter 2006

-in order to follow the trend

-Donna Karan also needed to respond to the trend that year

**but according to my observation, Donna Karan used gold in such exaggerated manner because of another reason

-reason 2

-she launched the perfume called "Gold" that winter

-therefore her designs were also influenced

-so Gold became a major color in some of the pieces

-anyway Gold goes well with Crimson, Khaki

-because Gold has a yellowish tone

-Gold also contrasts nicely against Black, Smoky grey & Dark purple

-because Gold allow these colors to look less dim & dull

-allowing these colors to look more expensive

-the advertisement focus on emphasising the Shimmering Gold color

-therefore include no other colors but Black

-because Black has a high value

-contrast from the shimmering & reflective Gold

-enhances & enforces the shine of the Gold color

**good color using techniques

-applying only 2 colors

-but giving excellent effect

Fall Winter 07

2008-11-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan FW07

~High value

~Generally low chroma

~2 major color combinations

# Combo 1: Black, Dark grey, Charcoal grey

# Combo 2: Black, Dark grey, Charcoal grey

+Dark purple, Navy blue, Teal

~Black can be found in almost every piece as an ornamental color

**The iconic piece- The shimmering yellow one-piece

-----------------------------------------------------

-very cool colors are used in fall winter 2007

-can hardly sense any warmth from the collection

-unlike the usual fall winter collections that give a warm feeling

-coherent with the style

-looking very cool, tough & strong

-an iconic shimmering yellow one-piece is shown

-a very sharp color that stands out from the entire dim collection

-as if it is the main focus of the collection

-a new color in Donna Karan's designs
-the popularity of the shimmering yellow may be tested

-to see the market's response towards this new color

-----------------------------------------------------

-thus this shimmering piece is shown in the season's advertisement

-besides the shimmering Yellow dress

-the background is dim & black

-the high value surrounding enhances the reflection of the dress

-also shows great contrast

-allowing the dress to become the main focus

Fall Winter 08

2008-11-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

Donna Karan FW07

~High & low value

~Generally high chroma

~2 major color combinations

# Combo 1: Purple Red, Burgundy red + Black

# Combo 2: Soily yellow, Dim military green + Black
~Black can also be found in some pieces solely
--------------------------------------------------
-contrasts from the coolness of the previous season
-combo 1 consists of aggressive colors, they give a very warm feeling
-combo 2 consists of natural colors
-show the colors of fallen leaves that are common in autumn & winter
-a very cosy, warm winter is created by using the 2 color combos
--------------------------------------------------
-shows the flexible use of colors
-Purple Red + Burgundy red (Mono chromatic)
-Purple Red/Burgundy red + Soily yellow (Analogous)
-Soily yellow + Dim military green (Analogous)
-Purple Red/Burgundy red +Dim military green (Split complementary)
-Black (Achromatic)
--------------------------------------------------
-Yellow is introduced as one of the major colors
-influenced by the color use in fall winter 07
-a shimmering yellow one piece was shown in fall winter 07
-to test market response towards new colors
-probably because the sales of the yellow dress was good in the previous season
-it is introduced again in fall winter 08 as a major color
-there are more than one piece of yellow outfit in the collection
-in order to suit the brand image of Donna Karan
-the value of the yellow is increased
-the chroma of the yellow is decreased
-transforming the shimmering yellow into soily yellow
-the new yellow looks natural but still stands out from the collection
-it is coherent to the tone of the rest colors in the collection

MONO CHROMATIC-SS04-SS09

2008-11-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

SS04

SS05

SS06

SS07

SS08

SS09

MONO CHROMATIC-FW04-FW08

2008-11-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

FW04

FW05

FW06

FW07

FW08

ANALOGOUS-SS04-SS09

2008-11-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

SS04

SS06

SS07

SS08

SS09

ANALOGOUS-FW04-FW08

2008-11-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

FW04

FW05

FW06

FW07

FW08

ACHROMATIC-SS05-SS08

2008-11-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

SS05

SS06

SS07

SS08

ACHROMATIC-FW04-FW08

2008-11-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

FW04

FW05

FW06

FW07

FW08

Donna Karan- Advertisement ss01 (by Milla Jovovich)

2008-11-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

-the color used is simple, as what Donna Karan always does

-pale colors are used: Creamy beige, Cool grey & Dove grey

-creates a soft & natural feeling

-black color is used to shade the images

-since so many pale colors are used, dark color is needed

-to create contrast & sharpen the images

-white is the major color in the advertisement

-the model ,the man behind her & the fishman all wear white

-however the model stands out from all of them

-the suit contrasts from the traditional outfits worn by the rest 2 characters

-the creasing texture of the suit also pops out from the advertisment

-most importantly, the white suit has a lower value

-it stands out from the rest features

-in my opinion, it would be easier to emphasis the model by using a different color

-rather than using the same/similar hue of the background

-therefore it is obvious that Donna Karan pays great effort in planning the colors

-the same hue (white) may show great difference because of different level of value they carry

-the white in the background tends to look more dim as if it is grey

-while the white of the main focus (model) looks brighter

-this piece of advertisement shows Donna Karan's style

-she love to use the same hue (mono chromatic)

-usually soft colors

-instead of multi strong colors

-she loves to fuse all colors together

-rather than making great contrasts

-the main features in the advertisement is emphasised by using contrasting value & texture

-this practise is applied in most of Donna Karan's advertisement

-as well as her stores' interior design

Donna Karan- Catalogue book ss01 (by Milla Jovovich)

2008-11-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

-in advertisements featured by both the male & female models, the 2 characters' clothes are in contrasting colors

-even though the background is dim, the 2 of them can be seen clearly

-Donna Karan also pays great attention to the 2 models' positioning

-the male model places a significant role in highlighting the female model

-the white outfit worn by the male model contrasts with the dark dresses of the female model

-the outfit of the male model (low value) also faciliates in reflecting light

-so even if the 2 models curdle, audiences can still see the 2 outfits clearly

-therefore in the 4th advertisment, when the male model wears greater proportion of black

-he poses on the white pillow & bed sheets

-while the female model weraing a dark brown dress continues to occupy the sandy color blanket, embedding in similar colors (Analogous)

-it is obvious that white color has played a significant role in emphasising the clothes of the female model

Milla Jovovich

-movie star

-usually plays tough & sexy roles in movies

-has the image desired by Donna Karan's target customers

-coherent to Donna Karan's brand philosophy

-showing the soft side of tough women

Advertisements-ss01

-the scene is set at the exotic Vietnam

-contrasts the primitive scene in Vietnam with the image of modern women

-creates an interesting theme

-apply few simple secondary colors

-colors: 2set > earth tone colors+grey scale colors

-Earth tone colors: Dark Brown, Coffee, Beige, Sandy orange, Camel, Sahara (Analogous)

-Earth tone colors: similar hues, high & low value, low chroma

-Grey scale colors: Black , Light grey

-Grey scale colors: contrasting value, low chroma

-the colors melt together forming a harmonious picture

-usually the model & the clothes will be highlighted

-by using a contrasting color

-by using a color brighter from the dark background

-however in Donna Karan's case, both the model & the background use similar dim colors

-the dim environment creates a mood very easily

-the model is still the main focus because it is placed in the front of the advertisement

-the model is highlighed by the light

-viewers' eyes are therefore led to focus on the model instead of the background

-the background is shadowed by the drak color and shaded by misty colors (the smoke) at the same time

-a very effective way in highlighting the main features

-the entire image looks natural because both the model & the background use common colors in similar chroma

-the scene therefore seems more down to earth & less artificial

-the advertisements may connect better to audiences

Donna Karan- Advertisement ss00

2008-10-29T01:04:00.000-07:00

-these are the advertisements of Donna Karan's in 2000

-Donna Karan showed a different apporoach in using colors 8 years from now

-she showed variations in her collections & advertisements that year

-spring summer 2000

-she showed the most pieces (72 pcs)

-all in similar styles, generally evening gowns & dresses

-she also featured the most colors

-5 major colors

-one color to two colors per piece

-the colors she used in 2000 can be commonly seen in her future collections

-ss00 advertisements

-showed variations comparing to the other advertisements after 2000

-unlike what Donna Karan usually does, she took group shots this time-showed the images of 6 models in a spread page

-all 6 of them were the focus

-all of them were equally important

-unlike what Donna Karan usually does, their level of importance were not emphasised

-did not stand out any of them by using a different color nor a different value

-did not show the use of different texture & brightness

-did not shade the models at the back

-the proportion of the models told audiences of their level of importance

-but in some shots (the red ones), it was hard to tell

-unlike what Donna Karan usually does, the theme was not clear

-there were no background in the advertisements

-only the backdrop of the studio

-fail to create a story or a setting within the advertisements

-the advertisements aimed at emphasising the colors used in the collection that year

-therefore unlike what Donna Karan usually does, the colors did not fuse into the environment

-the colors used in the advertisemens were strong

-strong colors pop out from these advertisements

-no stories were built within the advertisements, so their connection with the target audiences might be weaker

-but the sudden boost of strong color could catch the attention of the target audiences

-viweres' attention can be caught by the eye-catching colors

-therefore such styles made perfect for audiences who could only give the advertisements a fast glance

-these advertisements would be very effective when they are used in billboards in highways or outside the tunnels

-so passer-bys can have a quick glance at the advertisements

-as these people are too busy to graspe a story/feeling within the advertisements

-the fullness of strong colors in the advertisements can make these people remember about the brand

DONNA KARAN-ADVERTISING (ACCESSORIES->HANDBAGS)

2008-10-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

-Aims at selling the accessory

-Handbag>Model=The bag is more important than the model

-The handbag

-comparing to the size of the model, the handbag has a bigger proportion

-occupies half of the advertisment

-is in aggressive colors (mustard yellow)

-has a stronger ray-length

-more sharp & easy to be seen

-contrasts from the dull background (recending colors->minty-blue; black)

-(mustard yellow+minty blue=analogous )

-catches the attention of the audiences at first glance

-is shown in the left front corner as the main focus

The model

-is shown at the back as part of the background

-is shaded in the dull background

-is shown in a unclear & vague manner->less significant comparing to the handbag

**yet, if the handbag is shown solely, the image will tend to be boring

adding a model at the back with shades may interest the audiences' eyes

-facilitates in creating a moody atmosphere

-helps to build a story with the images

-the advertisement may also appear to be more classy

-target audiences can be "bounded" by the advertisement

-The handbag

-the handbag plays an important role in the advertisement

-occupies almost half the advertisement

-is in recending colors (Navy Blue)

-stands out from the plain background (dove grey)

-catches the attention of the audiences

-is shown in the front as the main focus

The model

-is shown in the upper part of the advertisement

-is shaded in the plain background

-is shown in a clear manner

-however her presence is less significant comparing to the handbag

-plays an supportive role in demonstrating the handbag

-by adding a model, the advertisement may interest the audiences' eyes

-appears to be more classy

-may creat a mood & build a story easier so target audiences can pluge into the advertisement better

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Though both advertisements focus on showing the handbags, the 2nd one is better than the 1st one

The whole image looks more natural

Both the handbag & the clothes worn by the model can be shown

When the model is clearly shown, she plays an impostant role in supporting the presence of the handbag

a story can be created within the advertisement

target audiences can substitude themselves as the character of the advertisement

they can therefore glasp a stronger feeling from the images

the advertisement can be more provocative

enhances implusive buying

DONNA KARAN-LABEL

2008-10-19T10:19:00.001-07:00

The Label of Donna Karan New York

-Simple color & Design

-Color: Black (background) & Ivory White (font)

-Font Style: Simple, Square-Like, Not Curvaceous

-Functional: Sharp, clear & Contrastive

-Perception: Professional, Strong & Classy -> Expensive

**The Ivory White makes the label special

-Reflects light

-Looks shiny

-The “Special White” makes the label unique

-Further enhances the elegance of the brand

-Ivory color also gives a feminine sense

-Helps to soften the flintiness of the font style & the dull background

-Coherent to the brand image & the needs of the target audiences>Successful Career Women

** (Simple design + Minimal use of colors)

(Good understanding of the brand +Skillful use of color & texture)

Stylish, Chic, Well-designed label of Donna Karan’s

Donna Karan - The Entrance

2008-10-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Signage

-Simple color & Design

-Color: Black (font) & Dark Ivory Marble (background)

-Font Style: Simple, Square-Like, Not Curvaceous

-Functional: Sharp, clear & Contrastive

-Perception: Professional, Strong & Classy -> Expensive

Entrance

-Dark Ivory Marble & Dark Non-Reflective Entrance

+ The height & width of the entrance

-Indicates the nobility of the store

-Gives people a professional, authoritative & flint impression

-Attracts target customers who are also strong & professional

-Repels the “non-targets”

-Helps to cull the targets from the pedestrians

DONNA KARAN - INTERIOR DESIGN

2008-10-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

New York Flagship Store

London Flagship Store

New York Flagship Store+London Flagship Store

-Similar colors & design

-Colors: 2 sets >Earth tone colors & Grey scale colors

-Earth tone colors: Natural beige+Sandy sahara+Creamy brown (Analogous)

-Warm & natural

-Can be easily accepted by the audiences

-Grey scale colors: Cool grey+Pale grey+Black (Achromatic)

-Classy & chic

-Suits the brand image

-Natural earth tone: the brand's attention towards the nature & environment

-Classy grey scale: adds to the classiness of the brand, allows the store to look more grand

**Just as Donna Karan's designs, Black is usually used to accessorized the pieces. Here, in the interior, black is also used for the same purposes.

-Black is used to high light the rather minor but important parts of the store

-eg. Staircase poles, Decorations (vases, sculptures etc)

-Earth tone colors & Grey scale colors are used almost every season in Donna Karan's collections

-The favorite colors of the brands' target customers-career women

-Earth tone colors: similar hues, high value, low chroma

-The colors melt together forming a harmonious picture

-Grey scale colors: similar hues, high & low value, low chroma

-Though using similar colors, but they are applied in different textures

-Extensive use of lightings, emphasis the color & texture's differences

-Adding interest to the viewers' eyes

**Unlike brands that try to standout their products from the interior (eg. Dolce & Garbbana), Donna Karan tends to fuse her products into the environment.

-Ivory pieces are placed next to the light grey sofa

-Creamy brown handbags and shoes are placed in shelves of the same hue in lower value

-This is to match the wants of Donna Karan's target customers

-Donna Karan's target customers are career women instead of drama queens

-They want to fit into their working environment instead of being the center of focus

-Therefore they would not prefer high profile dressing style & exaggerating outfit

**The way Donna Karan displays her collections matches the inner wants of the career women who want to look attractive but still matches the dress code of the working environment so they can fit into the working place, be professional and cause no drama.

DONNA KARAN - HISTOY OF THE BRAND

2008-10-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

Donna Karan

-strong New York Metropolitan style

-stylish & chic

-targets at strong career women

-shows a strong independent image

-but still emphasises on the softness of female

-therefore the clothes are highly wearable

-no dramatic designs

-no shocking colors

-seldom apply the principle of novelty

-seldom use the complementary colors, split complementary colors or triad

-the principle of FAMILIARITY is common

-using the natural colors from mother nature

-this color using pattern can be found in its interior design, packaging, advertising etc

-to conclude, Donna Karan is never over the top

-therefore it's collections are loved by career women

-for the clothes can be worn during office hours, cocktail parties or even at night balls

-Donna Karan is famous for her wrap dresses, drapes, baggy pants

-she pays great attention to details

-she loves using simple little patterns instead of large prints

2008-10-04T04:26:00.001-07:00

ACHROMATIC

2008-10-02T19:29:00.001-07:00

THE PRINCIPLE OF FAMILIARITY

2008-10-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

cOLORS oF mOTHER nATURE
~nATURAL
~pLEASANT
~cALMING

MONO CHROMATIC - AVARICIOUS RED

2008-10-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

PRIMARY COLOR FOR PIGMENT

2008-10-01T01:20:00.000-07:00

PRIMARY COLOR(RED+BLUE+YELLOW)+IN AN OFFICE
= WORK LOAD x 100
=OT

ANALOGOUS

2008-09-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Cat + Underwear Pants

DARK BROWN + REDDISH ORANGE
= analogous
=XDXDXD
WHITE CAT + REDDISH ORANGE UNDERWEAR PANTS
=just for fun=XDXDXD

MONO CHROMATIC

2008-09-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Cat + The Shelf

COPPER(THE EYES) + MUSTARD YELLOW(THE SHELF)
=analogous
=the nosy cute cat

MONO CHROMATIC

2008-09-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Cat + The Couch

DARK BROWN + LIGHT BROWN

=harmonious to our eyes -> mono chromatic

=the handsome cat's lazy afternoon nap

MONO CHROMATIC

2008-09-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Purple Man + Prince Edward

DARK PURPLE + LIGHT PURPLE

=harmonious to our eyes -> mono chromatic

=being scolded

COLOR WHEELS OF OUR DAILY LIVES

2008-09-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

"The grass seeks her crowd in the earth,

The tree seeks his solitude of the sky."

~By Tagore~

The eye seeks the colors of one's life.

~By Mariah~