In Culture

Is it possible to prove you are not ‘crazy’ in a mental asylum?



Imagine the scenario: you were invited to tour a psychiatric hospital by a friend/an association. You signed your name on the guest list, received the guest badge and stored your personal belongings in a locker. Soon after you entered the hospital, your guest badge was stolen. The guard didn’t believe you were actually a guest, even though you were dressed in non-institutional clothes. He refused to check the guest list for you and didn’t trust a word you said. So what would you do to prove you were ‘sane’?

Would you keep claiming you are not insane? Play dumb and agree with everything the doctors said? OR act crazy, undergo their course of treatment and gradually pretend to get better? OR tell them they are not making you better – the environment is just making you worse?

The truth is, no matter which option you choose, you won’t be able to get out unless you have friends and family who can stand by you and testify that you are not mentally ill. However, before you get to that stage, the very oppressive, hopeless environment inside the asylum will most likely lead to your becoming more and more emotionally unstable. Eventually, you would start doubting yourself mentally and turn into one of the patients.

The question of what is sane and what insane is illustrated in the Stark Raving Dad episode in The Simpsons Season 3.  Homer was accidentally admitted to the mental hospital, because he wore a pink shirt while all the others were wearing white. This action was seen as a threat and he was described as a ‘free-thinking anarchist’.
Homer: This isn’t fair! How can you tell who’s sane and who’s insane?
Doctor: Well we have a very simple method.
*Doctor stamps Homer’s hand: ‘INSANE’
Doctor: Whoever has that stamp on his hand is insane.

The writer and philosopher Criss Jami once said, ‘When you are the only sane person, you look like the only insane person’. Insanity and sanity are a matter of perspective; they are relative terms that change throughout history and culture. What was defined as ‘mental’ in the old days may be something that we accept nowadays. One obvious example is homosexuality. It is still very embarrassing to remember that it was less than half a century ago that being gay was defined as a mental illness. It’s commonly known that homosexuality was listed as a ‘sociopathic personality disorder’ from 1952 until 1973. Doctors were paid to treat it; scientists to research its causes and cures. Gay people had to undergo countless therapies, including electric shocks, years on the couch, behaviour modification and surrogate sex. Apart from displaying affection towards those of the same gender, some of the ‘symptoms’ of homosexuality included depression, anxiety and suicide attempts. The declassification of it as a mental illness proved that all those ‘symptoms’ were just the result of society’s judgement and hostility, rather than the sexual orientation itself. To be fair, the anxiety and distress that often accompany a mental disorder are usually the consequence of being misunderstood and labelled as some kind of dangerous creature by the majority.

When everyone around you thinks you are crazy, even if you think differently, it doesn’t really matter, does it? Imagine the whole world’s population is against you; it would be almost impossible to prove to a majority that they are wrong if you don’t have a few strong allies to stand up for you. Even though you may know that you aren’t insane, over time, as people keep telling you that you are crazy and treating you like someone threatening, you are going to start doubting whether you were ever normal. Maybe everyone else is right: you are ill, and treatment is needed.

This is how labelling ruins people’s life. Those who act a bit outside the norm, or just not like everyone else tend to be called ‘weird’. The burdens they have to carry are so heavy that most of them cannot mentally withstand them and will eventually crash into a mental breakdown, which turns them into real psychotics. We need to talk to people before we judge them. After all, psychotics were just like us.

In fact, most of us could be diagnosed with something, such as OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), bipolarity or histrionic personality disorder. I myself am self-centred, stubborn and arrogant; I am not always emotionally stable, have problems taking orders and sometimes I may even think of hurting or killing someone. I am sure everyone experiences that moment at some point in their lives. So, who is normal anyway?

In any case, why fit in, when you were born to stand out?






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In ASMR Culture

🍥 ASMR - Singing Softly ~ When You Wish Upon A Star


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In Fashion

Press release | Escape of the Nightingale SS17


MENG


A romantic tone embodies the MENG Spring Summer 2017 Escape of the Nightingale collection with delicate yet playful patterns. Unique pieces exuding intimateness and elegant style stand-out against the winter palette of grey, black and white colour-blocks broken up with flashes of blue, purple and pink.   

Our collection – Escape of the Nightingale describes the story of an Eastern princess, who sings the most powerful and beautiful song in expressing her desire of being independent. She is the strong princess that everyone knew would make it through the worst; the fearless lady who would dare to do anything; and the energetic girl who can dance all night.

Offering a fresh perspective on dressing the traditional ethnic wear in a modern and cosy approach. The line features 18 exquisites’ styles, from the lightest silk kaftan, night-time glamour kimono, enduring robe, flowy cover dress to classic pyjamas set. This collection’s colour palette tells a majestic tale with mystery hues like violet and royal blue against the refreshing mint and bright white mixed with sweet hues like candy pink and soft blue flowers with bird patterns for the romantic touch. 

For all modern ladies who wish to live in a fantasyland yet to be independent, these effortless statement pieces in our Nightingale collection will easily transcend through the spring and summer season.


All the 18 styles in this collection and other 14 collections are available online and partially in store all around the world.


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In Fashion

The silky instrument that brings together an artsy journey and a lavish lifestyle.


MENG
A stylish legacy

The silky instrument that brings together an artsy journey and a lavish lifestyle.

The bright and colourful world of MENG is a paradise for visual storytellers. Their prints contain motifs from nature, art, culture, fashion, interiors and architecture. Those bold exotic prints are the most instantly noticeable signature for MENG. They may give impression of being mainstream Chinese drawing paints, but in fact they are a unique blend of folkloric and contemporary design inspirations. It immerses authentic traditional oriental prints in cuttings of a modern style.

MENG was founded in 2003. The director of the brand, Meng Zhang has an impressive CV with the experience of having an executive role in Chanel, being the former Head Buyer at Lane Crawford and the Buying Director at the Inditex Group. Being the founder of an international fashion business is not easy for Meng, but she is well equipped with an MBA from London Business School, an MA from London College of Fashion and art studies at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art.

MENG’s debut collection included a variety of styles in womenswear, accessories and homeware. Loungewear is actually just the start of things for Meng, whose stunning ready-to-wear, beachwear, kimono and kaftans have also received great applauds. What make them really stand out from the other brands in the market are their glamorous silk and colourful prints. These excite all the fashion enthusiasts and Meng dazzled the loungewear industry with a wearable work of art, rather than delivering just another collection under the classic categories of  ‘cosy cashmere’ or ‘sexy and lacy’.

Check out their latest – the Escape of the Nightingale - a refreshing collection about a fearless Eastern princess who wishes to be free and lush after her own beauty. Most of Meng’s amazing collections are now stocked in major department stores internationally and are available at Harrods, Selfridges, Fenwick Bond Street, Neiman Marcus, Tsum and Steffl.

Don’t panic if the shops run out of stock, as Meng has also launched an e-boutique shop: https://meng.co.uk/




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In ASMR Culture Photography

Photoshooting | ASMR project




 

 

 

 

 

Model: Millie McFarlane
Photographer: Sampson Wu
Director: Shanike Chan
Location: White Room Studio

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In ASMR Culture

How to film an ASMR video - my YouTube channel



Starting your channel can be an overwhelming task. Especially as many of the content providers out there seem to have tonnes of equipment, advanced editing skills and be ultra confident. One thing to remember though is that most people you see have been running their channel for a long time and not all of the skills and equipment were there at the start. ASMR is not all about equipment and editing, it is very straightforward and simple, it is about you!

I have started my ASMR channel on YouTube two months ago. I felt hesitant at first because I didn’t even have a microphone and I have no idea how to do video editing. All I had was an iPhone 6, a very basic tripod from Amazon and my MacBook. I looked around my room and saw some snacks on the table, that’s it! I decided to do a crinkling food package video as my first ASMR YouTube video. I tidied up my room, set up the tripod, the phone and closed the window, just to make sure my room was in a complete silence. So then it began…  Until now I have uploaded five videos on my YouTube channel: TinglyTingling. I do not have a lot of subscribers and views but it is very satisfying receiving supportive comments, saying how relaxing the videos make them feel like, some of them would also leave me some video requests.

For anyone who would love to film an ASMR video, first step is to get the suitable camera obviously, and preferably 720pHD or above. Usually a phone with a back camera on it will be more than sufficient, but remember to get a camera with similar or higher resolution than that of iPhone 5s. Bare in mind the front facing camera is not ideal, as it does not film at HD. I understand that many of you want to look at yourself while filming and my little advice is to put a mirror behind your phone, such that you can still see yourself when using the back camera.
Next step is to get a tripod for your phone or camera, and set it up horizontally. About the audio part, the microphone of an iPhone is definitely sufficient, but of course if you are really devoted in making ASMR videos and you have a budget, the best microphone you can get is the Binaural Microphone. This excellent microphone allows you to record the most realistic and stereoscopic sound.

Now that you have set up all the equipment and you can start filming.
Find and set up at the good lighting area. Natural lighting is always better, however if waking up early is not ideal for you, then you can purchase studio lights, or just a LED desk lamp can do if you are filming on a table. The good thing about morning light is that it brings out a nice warm colour, but after about 11am, the lighting tends to turn the object greyer. Now everything is set up and you can start filming your first video!


Before starting your Channel, take some time to think about what makes you start doing ASMR video. Never forget how modest and simple ASMR is and see the beauty in every day life. Bring this to every video you make and remember to stick to who you are.  Try not to get caught up in how many subscribers or views you have compared to anyone else, just concentrate on your content. Be proud of it and let it be a reflection of who you are. In life, there will always be someone better than you but no-one does you better.

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