Fantasy of fear

I know this is old news to some, but hey, I hate liars. Human lives were lost in an instant and my fellow Muslims were branded 'terrorist' because of nothing. Plus now I can't bring an innocent bottle of mineral water past the scanner at the airport. Whose fault is that?

Such is the power of fear spread through an inflated lie, exaggerated and manipulated to some people's own ends. Conjuring imaginary fear to the extent of unnecessary paranoia, a laughable one at that (watch the videos). What a waste of emotions and loads of money nonetheless. I'm not sure what those liars gain in return, other than enemies and haters. Guilty until proven otherwise, I say.

And what's with 21.12.12 being the end of the world? I hope that lie was not deliberate...

Spring 2013 is (almost) here

It's still autumn/winter 2012/13 and what is to come next season is already upon us.. and it's sure is refreshing. Fun hues to perk up your day and those twists on old classics are a nice touch! So let's see what's big this spring/summer 2013, shall we...

Bright colours (e.g. white, orange, purplish pink, mint) on a background of the usual pastels. White shirts are abound, and those lime green loafers at Hackett's first ever runway show sure look nice.

Metallic and shiny fabrics. Designers at Daks made it a point to make some pieces shiny for spring/summer 2012/13, while those sexy butterfly-inspired things at Roberto Cavalli are nothing but. Burberry next season opts for all things metallic - maybe too intimidating for some.

Cummerbunds. Les Hommes and Daks are proponents of the thing but definitely not me. Where would I wear it to?

White leather shoes and gladiator sandals. Spring/summer always ensures things are light and breezy. People at Louis Vuitton and Gucci sure love their white leather shoes. If you want to go overboard with your gladiator sandals (and other ancient Roman stuff) you can head straight to Versace, but Corneliani and Givenchy offer some nice leather sandals as well. I'm so needing a pair right now :)

Wayfarer sunglasses. Big at Louis Vuitton. Nice change for my aviators.

Hmm.. I've probably been using the words 'nice' and 'things' way too many times now.. But coming back to the point I was going to say, contrary to the Mayan calendar's prediction of impending Armageddon, the world of fashion certainly is not ending in December 2012!

Converting to the new convertibles

Cold nights of the monsoon rain and a good sleep go hand in hand. Zzz...

Mid November equals mid monsoon season of often gloomy afternoon rain in tropical Malaysia - not really good news for the year-end school holidaymakers (good luck, kids).

But fear not, sitting quietly in your living room may just be as exciting as globetrotting on your holidays too, you know. Especially with the coming of Windows 8 into the global market this month and a new breed of portable computers taking advantage of it aptly called ultrabook convertibles or simply hybrids. When I was smaller (well, younger) I used to dream of something of the sort - a tablet thingy with the capabilities of a real computer. And voila, now it's a dream come true!

Adieu iPads and the likes and say hello to the new convertibles. As they say in the advert, suddenly everything else seems old-fashioned. Got to have my hands on one soon. Yay!

To be demode

"The only reason I do not wear skirts is because I would look like my mother." U betcha.

... is an undesirable state for one to be in according to the fashion authority of the here and now, Karl Lagerfeld. Imported from the French démodé and used since 1873, the word simply means out-of-date, no more fashionable, or passé (yet another French word). Mr Lagerfeld, in his personal blog which liberally features the word, has memorably called Louis Vuitton fashion's McDonald's - it's now too popular to an extent it seems to be losing its exclusivity. And in a recent remark, the luxury brand admitted to that claim being the truth and it is the reason behind its made-to-order offerings.

While flaunting an LV monogram bag is your idea of proclaiming to others of your financial prowess in a highly fashionable manner, you might have noticed more than a few other ladies are toting bags of the same design - fake or not fake being irrelevant. By following the herd, it inadvertently tells me that yes, you may have the money but no, you don't have the fashion sense (especially if the rest of what you're wearing do not complement the luxury that bag exudes). Apparently, the same fate of becoming demode is threatening the highly coveted Hermes Birkin bag - our luxury-laden first lady Rosmah Mansor be warned ;)

Personally, I prefer if people complement, ask about, or turn to admire what I am wearing without recognizing the item's brand from 100 feet away. That way, I can never be demode.

By the way, I do own an adorable red velvet Louis Vuitton neck tie which I bought from their flagship store in Paris and a silk one in deep purple I bought here in KL, among other things. So I don't really dislike LV, you know, just as long as it's not 'monogrammatic'.

Bye-bye summer aubergine

Bye-bye mustard and aubergine, hello reddish brown and teal! That's how I feel about this season's sentiment. Happier hues of blue, purple and tawny brown are here as well. My gut feeling for Burberry last season was spot on - high street stores like Topshop, H&M and Uniqlo are cashing in like mad from clearly Burberry-inspired designs. And the trend is going strong this season. The warm optimistic colours of spring/summer inevitably give way to more sombre tones but the autumn/winter 2012/2013 collection brings with it a more interesting (i.e. not boring) splashes of colour in addition to the ever-so-often recycled black, grey and dark brown (yawn). Something to brighten up the not-so-bright economic outlook, I guess.

Apart from the staple leather items, fabric this season is soft and comforting in the form of velvet and wool. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I ran my fingers through a washable merino wool cardigan in a high street store just last week. Merino wool, washable - can you believe it?

Other notable items include umbrellas with mallard head handles by Burberry and Louis Vuitton's uber-luxurious kimono-style silk shirts (reputedly the Japanese silk factory where they come from makes only 20 centimetres of the fabric per day). Unfortunately, I hardly see them in the stores here in Malaysia, huhu...

This time around also welcomes a wave of change in the fashion world as new designers are taking over the helm of some notable companies. Paul Surridge at Zegna and Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton are doing well and I hope the coming of Hedi Slimane (my fashion hero) to YSL for spring/summer 2013 is nothing but good news.

As rumours of the European fashion industry facing a gloomy forecast fly around, fashion houses are turning to the Asian market for salvation. This can only bring good tidings to us Asians since I can now see 'Asian Cut' shirts in Zara stores and smaller sized pants in some other. Thank God for those size 28 pants :)

Curiously, they are now also selling chunky woolen sweaters here in hot and sunny Malaysia. Err.. why exactly?

Love at first light

Sunrise at sunset cabana, Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia.

The first light of the day offers one of the best lighting conditions for photography, in my humble non-professional opinion. Good contrast, mildly mysterious and quite dramatic. The air is less dusty too. Probably most of my best loved shots were taken around this golden hour. Take my recent self-portrait (taken with timer) above for example, hehe - I like...

Morning climb up the hills of Tasi-tolu, Dili, Timor Leste.

But I have to wake up early, which can be a problem ;) Even more so after I bought my oh-so-soft Tencel bedsheets.. feels like silk, only machine washable.

Just before sunrise also offers dramatic lighting. Secluded beach at Terrapuri Resort, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Waking up happy.. only happens on holidays, right?

Rolling mist in the wee hours over Borobudur, Indonesia.

With a matching black heart

The three black ducks of Danu Bratan, Bali. Birds of a feather do flock together!

Today I woke up late and arrived late for work, because yesterday my flat had no water and I had to wait for the water tanker to arrive at 1 in the morning. I felt so bad :(

Haven't you heard? Rumour has it that the next election is just around the corner. The propaganda of a certain political party flying around is that the party running a particular state fails to provide enough water to the people, and voila, last night I came home only to find out that our whole block of houses (which to my knowledge is very rarely struck by the misfortune of water shortage) has no water! An unlucky coincident, you might say. But wait, while the bunch of us grumbling citizens - with buckets and whatnot - were waiting out in the street for the water tanker to come to our rescue, two friendly figures in T-shirts bearing the logo of the accusing party showed up just in time when the water tankers arrived. I smell a rat...

We Malays have a saying: rambut sama hitam, hati lain-lain (we may have the same black hair, but our hearts are never the same). We can never be 100% certain of what the person next to us is thinking about, or what his/her political leanings may be. To the political parties concerned, I urge you guys be as transparent as you can be (could be quite difficult in politics, I guess), as I truly hate liars and pretenders. Or else you might just be another black haired person with a matching black heart (who may or may not get my vote).

And oh, happy 55th birthday, Malaysia. You'll always be a part of me wherever I may be!

Unconditional love, unyielding friendship

The fasting month of Ramadan is here yet again and whoever calls him/herself a Muslim should feel truly blessed at this very moment because Ramadan doesn't just brings with it God's command for us not to eat and drink during daylight for a month (which to no surprise is a brilliantly cheap and effective way to lose weight), but also the discipline of abstaining ourselves from doing blatantly bad things and doing more good thing instead. Yes, the no eating, no drinking part is quite a challenge, I admit, but it takes practice from young - if my cute 6 year-old nephew can do it, why can't I, right?

On another note, whoever has watched Malaysian television for the past decade or so would notice that this month also ushers in a handful of TV commercials-cum-festive-greetings for the upcoming Hari Raya (Eid), among others things. Unlike other commercial ads, I always look forward to watching them, as they are usually the best local TV commercials, conjuring a myriad of emotions from the viewers and reminding them of the good values in life - festive joy, melancholy, local humour, selflessness, humility, interracial respect and appreciation, et cetera.

Heart warming festive commercials have been a relatively unique trend to Malaysia thanks to the late Yasmin Ahmad, a great film director whose magical touch had given birth to a series of well-loved TV ads for Eid and Independence Day celebrations over the years. Since her 'untimely' death a few years back, I don't really expect anything superb to come along anytime soon.

But hey presto, this ad by the national rice authority BERNAS has swept me off my feet and touched the hearts of many this year; I'd find it very odd if it didn't touch yours too. And to you people who clicked the 'dislike' button: exactly, why?

"Two special children build a beautiful relationship based on genuine care and understanding. On the eve of Hari Raya, these orphans, Ahmad and Fizi embark on a journey and encounter many challenges along the way. Through their perseverance and determination, they overcome all odds to fulfil their obligation of unconditional love."

Before I forget, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslims out there Eid Mubarak (or Selamat Hari Raya as we say it in Malaysia)!

The art of bullshitting

Hill-climbing bulls in Timor-Leste. Don't worry, I'm not referring to your droppings, it's just figurative speech :)

"We are well taught in the art of bullshitting," said my friend who had gone through med school with me one fine day. It was during a morning coffee break I wasn't supposed to have (I told my colleague I was going to the loo, but really, it was time for my caffeine fix) and it was an accidental meeting with her at the open-air cafe. She was asking me how my first few weeks in Radiology was and I replied that the Ultrasound posting I was in was not well received by my stomach, dreading that I won't do well in the upcoming exam next year. Obviously some level of bullshitting is needed in any exam according to her, and I concur ;)

Well taught bullshitters - really? Well, maybe not me, not at med school at least. In med school we were repeatedly taught to be well versed in the art of showmanship - to act like we know about things when we actually don't know much about them :)

Bullshitting came later during my housemanship, the first year of being a proper medical officer. A senior colleague tutored me on how to lie to the radiologists to get their approval for an urgent CT or MRI scan. But then again I usually get their approval just by telling the truth most of the time.

I once got acquainted with a conman (actually he got himself acquainted with me to get to my money, of course) when I was window-shopping in a market. Being a rather professional conman, he bluffed his way to the wallets of too-many-to-mention army personnel by telling them he's a doctor in the army - he even had an army officer's uniform with a name tag bearing his name to make everyone believe him!
Even worse, he's gay and not only he got his way to their wallets but into their beds as well. Wow, now that requires another special set of skills!

Luckily I figured out his true form in time (thank God I'm not his 'taste', haha) because of his shady qualifications and apparently dismal command of the English language. But before disclosing that fact to him I managed to tease out from him the ways by which he makes people believe his every word and persuasion. Yes people, I learnt from the best (sorry Whitney, no pun intended).

It was quite a long time ago and I don't intend to bump into another conman anytime soon, or ever. So guys, don't trust a stranger straightaway, have your suspicions checked, and don't be oblivious to potential danger before it is too late - just like the old Malay saying sudah terhantuk baru terngadah (literal translation: you look up only after your head has hit something). Trust me, or would you trust a conman instead?

Giving in to the tiger

Apparently the oh-too-common Tiger Cowrie has done it - I have been tempted to buy it, finally. It was probably one of those urges when I was holidaying in a beautiful place like Bali and everything I saw in the shops looked nice. Well, I bought that, a clamshell, and a sea urchin shell ;)

Bali has also tempted me to buy a woven basket-like bag, which may have fueled my recent liking for all things basketry. It must have really made an impression (which I hope is a good one) since it turned heads in the airport; a Chinese lady who doesn't speak English even asked her grandson to inquire about the price, hehe!

A tiger cowrie, a sea urchin shell, a clamshell, and all things basketry. I like!

Evidently the last few weeks have seen money flowing out of my wallet like water, thanks to my friend's wedding reception in Bali (not complaining though), moving to the capital, and the current nationwide Megasale. Just when I thought I should save some money, something always comes along and ruins it! Typical me...

Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?

Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities... or a not-so-gifted adult looking for a special book?

Brilliantly written by Trenton Lee Stewart and graced with adorable artwork by Carson Ellis (in fact, it was the illustration on the front cover that initially caught my attention), The Mysterious Benedict Society is the first children's book that I have ever read in my adult life.

The writing on the back of the book reads:
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their new-found friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

A rip-roaring tale of adventure from the get-go, four children of seemingly different backgrounds were brought together by a series of tests conjured by an enigmatic and an equally gifted Mr Benedict, only later to find themselves hanging on to each other in an unexpected mission to save the world!

For a child, the book is a reminder of the virtues of loyalty, true friendship, trust, self belief, and selflessness, among others. And for everyone else, it also delves into the deeper issues of racial tolerance, gender equality and respect for other people.

I enjoyed it so much so that I already bought the other sequels except the new one, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict (I'm waiting for the paperback to come out, hehe) for future reading. A good read indeed!

Perfectly legal brainpower boosters

Blueberry cheesecake. Eat me - you'll be smart and fat!

Come June and it's high time for me to put my thinking cap on again 'coz I'll be furthering my studies. At this age, it's perfectly alright to worry about one's probably dwindling cognitive abilities to absorb and retain tons of new information - I'm not sweet 17 anymore and so is my brain, you know ;)

Lucky for me, I did a bit of a research on how to boost my brainpower to prepare myself for times like these. As the Malay saying goes: sediakan payung sebelum hujan (literally translated as get yourself an umbrella before it rains, a.k.a. always be prepared). Love the elegant way our Malay language has of putting things into words :)

After an exhaustive study of research papers, here are some things that may actually help boost your brainpower (please consult your physician before trying them especially if you have any medical condition):

1. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - i.e. the stuff they're putting in formula milk for babies nowadays, or just take loads of fish oil ;)
2. Ginkgo biloba - not for people on aspirin or other blood-thinning medications!
3. Phosphatidylserine - only extensively tested on old people with dementia, and it's quite expensive :(
4. Ginseng - may take months to years to produce significant improvement if it really does work
5. Vitamins A, C, and E - may take several years to produce significant improvement
6. Certain types of vitamin B (e.g. choline, vitamins B1 and B6)
7. Grapes and berries (especially blueberries)

My mom used to give me a spoonful of fish oil everyday when I was small even when all these research papers didn't exist yet, and I probably owe my academically successful life to her. Thank you, mom!

Malays and their English (language)

Schoolchildren in Dili, Timor-Leste - cannot speak a word of English but I like the fancy footwear :)

11 years of studying English and cannot speak the language. That's my comment on the level of most Malaysians' grasp on the English language. And that does not include the ones who graduated from universities and still cannot speak the language confidently. OMG, so embarrassing...

It saddens me to think of my own people who wasted spent so much time studying something and gets nothing out of it. So whose fault is it? Inevitably, the big fat finger will point to the students and/or the teachers. Students for being lazy of course, and the teachers for teaching for teaching's sake. Once when I was in Form 5 at secondary school, our beloved English teacher was baffled when she found out no one in our class knew when to use an apostrophe after an s (our class was made up of students with the best marks in English, and our school was one of the top in the country). At that moment I realised that my grammar really sucked, and I had a sneaking suspicion that apostrophes were not part of our English syllabus (not sure if it's true, though). My teacher dutifully taught us about it there and then, and I remember it until now :)

I still believe a lot of the nooks and crannies of the language need to be explored by English teachers and taught to their ignorant students. Raising the standard in English doesn't necessarily means extending teaching hours and setting up more difficult exam questions, which the government is doing. It's about bettering the quality of the teaching - better syllabi, better teaching methods to make the students understand easier, et cetera. Of course I am no teacher myself, but I tutored my younger brother for his SPM (equivalent to the British O-Levels) many years ago using my unconventional technique and his English improved by 3 grades in under 2 months!

I'm not saying my English is perfect, because I don't speak it on an everyday basis or even at home. Plus, I personally know several Malaysians whose English is notably superior to mine ;) But I guess if you're a university graduate, conversing in English shouldn't be an agonizing torture you would rather avoid. Not to mention the 14 year-old relative of a Chinese patient in Penang who cannot speak Malay in spite of all the schooling... Well, that's another (sad) story.

Of miniature leviathans and not-so-fast turbos

They're seashells of course! And they're mine :) Yes, I do collect seashells as a hobby - one I naturally picked up when I set foot on Sipadan and Mabul Islands off the coast of Sabah in 2007. Located north of Borneo and sharing a maritime border with the archipelago known as the Philippines, Sabah is bursting at the seams with exotic life in and out of the sea. With Sipadan being one of the most beautiful islands in the world, it is truly nature at its best. And oh those wonderful seashells - I've never seen such lovely colours and patterns on gastropods anywhere else before, and I had to have them!

Mind you, I'm not trying to have every single species, just the prettier ones. Cowries are my favourite by default - shiny, non-fragile, and perfectly pocketable! I even have the prized Golden Cowrie, worn by Fijian village chiefs in the olden days as a symbol of rank or privilege. As I mentioned earlier, I also own a small Leviathan Cowrie with its creamy pink dorsum streaked across by darker bands of brown hiding its striking violet teeth underneath, which I happened to find at the bottom of a heap of seashells in a shop in Semporna, Sabah. Alas, somehow I refuse to buy a Tiger Cowrie - too common perhaps?

11 species of cowries and counting :)

Other highlights of my collection include a fully striped shell of the prehistoric Chambered Nautilus, the pale coloured spindle shell Fusinus (Fusinus) undatus, a couple of cute carrier shells Stellaria solaris and Xenophora pallidula, and those fist-sized turbo (marine snail) shells I bought in Kota Kinabalu, Calvi, and Bali.

Previously wrapped in old newspapers and tucked away in boxes, they are now rightfully stored in elegant glass jars, ready for public viewing :)

My glass jars brimming with seashells. Do you like them?

Spring/summer 2012 menswear is fresh!

'Tis spring 2012 and while people in Japan and Korea are anxiously awaiting their cute cherry blossoms, I'm stuck here in good 'ol Malaysia 'enjoying' the searing heat and paralysing downpours (sob, sob). But wait - the 'SALE' signs are everywhere this week (including imaginary ones) in conjunction with the Formula 1 event and I'm heading to those chic malls in the capital with a vengeance, guns and wallet ablazing!

A calm and collected fashion-conscious person like yours truly would know better than just barging in boutiques and swooping down the shelves like a hungry vulture. A quick trip to cyberspace is much advised. And voila! Amazing cheerful colours at Burberry, fresh new bag designs by Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton, not to mention the cool swagger at the Roberto Cavalli show. Apart from the flood of grey in every permutation of the colour, menswear hasn't been this exciting for years!

Alas, those lovely LV bags - they never made it to Malaysian shores, did they?

Humble barbershop versus swanky hair salon

Does that come in shocking pink as well?

Which one would you prefer, guys? I can still remember when I was a lot younger, my dad used to take my brothers and I to the town every now and then to get our hair trimmed. My dad used to be in the navy so having a long hairdo in our schooldays was a definite no-no. Sometimes to a Malay barbershop and sometimes to an Indian barbershop - they're all rather good but I find the Malay barbers a tad gentler most of the time.

When my dad was posted to the HQ in Kuala Lumpur and budget was tight, he would take us to this elderly gentleman who would cut our hair at his makeshift barbershop a stone's throw away from our flat. Well, you could hardly call it a shop, more like a chair under a tree really.. Come to think of it, the outdoor experience was not so bad after all - well shaded, breezy and cheap!

Nowadays even the humblest of Malaysian barbershops have stepped up their game by including a quick neck and shoulder massage at the end of every session! But the best part for me must be the hair washing in any respectable hair salon - love it when they massage the shampoo into your hair. Give them some complements and they will massage for a bit longer, hehe ;)

Peterpan, the great Indonesian band

Starting as a small-time band playing in cafes, this band climbed up through the ranks to become one of Indonesia's most successful band to date - until their ultimate fall from grace when THE sex scandal of its lead singer blew out of proportion. Oh, can anyone resist his good looks (and bedroom skills, perhaps)?

Bedsheets aside, they have managed to churn out some memorable tunes notably Mimpi Yang Sempurna (A Perfect Dream) which was my favourite song from their 2003 album Taman Langit (Sky Garden). This reasonable success was followed-up a year later by the massive hit album Bintang Di Surga (A Star In Heaven) which was awarded MTV Asia's most sold album of the year 2005. Their stellar achievement aided by a fresh music style and Ariel's distinctive sultry voice have inspired a spawn of newer generation Indonesian pop bands of similar style since.

Nowadays, there are loads of Indonesian bands with styles reminiscent of Peterpan can be heard over the radio and listening to them back-to-back may make me want to vomit, but once in a while is fine. Or I can just put on one of Peterpan's original CDs and karaoke VCDs I bought some time ago. Now where did I put them..

The best perfume for a gentleman

Creed Feuilles Vertes - nice bottle, nice price.

When's the last time you walked into the perfume section in a departmental store and sprayed a few samples? It's been a year for me, and that seems like ages! The last perfume I bought was D&G Light Blue at the end of my thoroughly indulgent trip to Bali. But I also enjoy the scent of Very Valentino for Men - having a second bottle definitely marks it as a favourite. Easily bored by my purchases, last year I amazed myself when I managed to finish a big bottle of D&G Le Bateleur (a.k.a. The Juggler as in the first card of the Tarot). Now let's see what people say about these fragrances, shall we?

D&G Light Blue pour Homme. I like its fresh, mild and unintrusive citrus-marine-musk smell, but I think it's a little too mild for others :)

• 24% positive, 37% neutral, 39% negative out of 83 reviewers - www.basenotes.net 
• About 25% love, 55% like, 20% dislike out of 439 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

Very Valentino for Men. I adore its sophisticated-sexy, manly smell that also makes me smile. Many reviewers agree!

• 36% positive, 41% neutral, 23% negative out of 22 reviewers - www.basenotes.net
• About 30% love, 60% like, 10% dislike out of 53 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

D&G Le Bateleur. I like its romantic, clean, gentlemanly scent, almost faded but certainly addictive. Marketed as a unisex fragrance but most female reviewers say it's more on the masculine side.

•  27% positive, 55% neutral, 18% negative out of 11 reviewers - www.basenotes.net
• About 20% love, 50% like, 30% dislike out of 162 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

Not bad, considering the negative remarks by the highly regarded perfume reviewer Luca Turin. Now let's hear what's his top 10 male fragrances are:

• Azzaro pour Homme (Azzaro) – anisic lavender
• Beyond Paradise Men (Estée Lauder) – green woody
• Cool Water (Davidoff) – aromatic fougere 
• Derby (Guerlain) – smoky wood 
• Eau de Guerlain (Guerlain) – citrus verbena 
• Habit Rouge (Guerlain) – sweet dust 
• New York (Parfums de Nicolai) – orange amber 
• Ormonde Men (Ormonde Jane) – green woody 
• Pour Monsieur (Chanel) – masculine chypre 
• Timbuktu (L'Artisan Parfumeur) – woody smoky 

Tried a few of them a long time ago, didn't really work for me as they are a bit too heady. Once in a while I dab myself with some Middle Eastern attars as they don't smell of alcohol - the better ones I bought in Beirut, Istanbul and Laayoune. Oh well, in the end, it's down to personal preference. As long as you smell good, why smell like everybody else?