Saturday, December 1, 2012

North Korea Threatens World's Remaining Unicron Population; US and South Korea Announce Joint Exercises

The Korean peninsula has been in the news on Guam for the past few weeks after a North Korean attack killed two South Korean Marines and two civilians on the island of Yeonpyeong which both nations claim to be on their side of the border.

I have found the coverage of the issue to be frustratingly simple and incomplete, following the predictable narrative of blaming North Korea for naked aggression despite the fact that the South Korean Government has admitted firing first. They claim they were not directed at North Korea, but just part of a training exercise which was simulating a possible attack on North Korea and involved 70,000 troops near the North-South border.

I traveled to South Korea earlier this year on a research trip in order to interview different communities affected by US bases there and also activists working towards the reunification of the Koreas. My entire trip was completely overshadowed by an earlier incident on the Korean peninsula, the sinking of the South Korean ship the Cheonan, killing 46 sailors. The South Korean Government was quick to assume it was North Korea, although it was never conclusively proven.


The sinking of the ship became something which allowed the conservative government to crackdown on all sorts of activities that they perceived to be weakening the national security of South Korea. The main targets became social democratic and civil society groups, primarily those who have a core precept that the two Koreas should be someday reunited. For just the week that I was in South Korea, I could see it in the eyes of so many activists, that the sinking, regardless of what the truth behind it was, would be used against them, would be something which Right wing elements could twist into turning the country into a blind nationalistic and militaristic frenzy.

They were right, various reunification groups have been threatened by both Rightist elements and the South Korean Government, and the military has been conducting regular military exercises on the border of the two countries and in direct provocation to them. One of those exercises contributed to the incident at Yeonpyeong.

One of the many frustrations that activists in South Korea regularly repeated was over this Chenoan issue, and how the US government and other around the world were too quick to side with the South Korean government in blaming North Korea. It was almost a blind knee-jerk reaction to support an ally over what might the truth. The US and the current South Korean Government are both in the throes of shifting and increasing their military power on the peninsula and so the idea of North Korea as some hulking, evil danger helps them quite a bit. Even if a report was released stating that North Korea was threatening the world's remaining unicorn population, you would find scathing news articles about it and announced new joint multi-national exercises to take place in the Asia-Pacific region in anticipation of a possible North Korean strike on Fluffy and Bobo, the world’s two last unicorns.

One of the problems with how people in the US and its territories understand the situation in the Korean Peninsula is that it is filtered through the lens of the US, which means that most attempts to understand or comprehend the current and historical situation there are filtered through US national interests and biased towards who are US allies. Despite the fact that the US has a very long history of supporting horrible regimes and toppling democratically elected ones, we still assume that whoever is an ally would always act in self-defense while their enemies must always be the aggressors. For a place such as Guam, which sits on the edge of one of the regions the US sees full of current and future hotspots, this is not an ideal way to see the world.

One joke that I heard more than once in South Korea was about missile testing and the difference between American media treatment of the two Koreas. Each time that North Korea launches a missile, when it (if ever) is successful, it is the end of the world and a threat to world peace. When it fails (which it usually does) it's a sign of North Korea and how pathetic and weak and crazy its leaders are. It dares to challenge and stand apart from the freedom-loving world, yet it can't even launch a mere missile?! The importance however is that, every single step that North Korea takes, the US media is watching and covering it through the lens I just described. The same doesn't go for South Korea, who recently had a failed missile test of their own, but was not reported in the American media in anywhere near the same way. The punchline to this is of course that if the US media is interested in reporting the threats that are out there to "world peace" then it should make a distinction between the well-funded and increasingly growing and modernizing South Korean military, which is constantly supported by the US and its attempts to strategically box in China, and that of a weak, isolated regime like that of North Korea’s.

Although everything we hear out of that region paints North Korea as the belligerent regime and South Korea as a meek victim of its aggression, if we look objectively at the situation, who is more likely to fire the first shot, the most likely to attack the other? One country which seems to sometimes struggle to feed itself, whose parent state wants less costly aggression and posturing, or the other who is flush with foreign military aid and forces, and who is urged at every step to not back down?

South Korea is an ally not to us, but to the one who holds us. To their military and their interests. South Korea is a shield in one hand to the spear-tip that we are in the other. And as I told a Time blogger last month, it is the tip of the spear which is always the first thing to get bloody. So our enemy, as a small island in the midst of superpowers is never any particular country, but always war itself. Should war ever break out in this region, especially involving the masters of both North and South Korea (China and the US), Guam would most likely lose.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Never Been Kissed

My best friends Megan Falconer and Kirstie Elizabeth Smith-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirstie-Elizabeth-Smith-Make-up-Artist/206835112689426 both needed to build up a portfolio. Megan was studying a HNC in photography at the metropolitan college and kirstie wanted to shoot her make up artist skills. The theme was to reflect the film never been kissed. Because it was done with my two friends i had so much fun working with them and felt so confident! i loved the shoot in its self, modelling in many many positions, trying new and weird positions and just working with my style, i was so lucky to be working with such talented people!




These are my favourite photo shoot photos! and hopefully ill be able to have as much fun as i did this day in every photo shoot!!! <3




Fusion Flowers

Through Tracey McDonald-Peaches, i was spotted and was asked to model for a flower magazine called fusion flowers.

On the day of shoot i walked into a freezing cold building full of award winning florists! After getting ready i was rushed to the set made up at the back of the building. i was featured right through the magazine and was on the front cover! i deffinately learned that no matter how cold it is you have to smile....or not if thats what the photographer is asking!!!




In the shoot i was rushed off to the Lake of Menteith to be shot in the actual lake! the whole shoot was amazing! despite the temperature i had such a good time, learning my hand actions and coping with conditions & meeting and seeing all the florists creations!

Diabetes Catwalk

G2E events glasgow, organised a charity fashion show for diatberes called "inspire the attire" hosted in the Garage, in Glasgow City Centre on the 3rd of may!

Glasgow based designers : Sarah Laird, Riptinka -http://www.riptinka-accessories.com/ , Izara Maria, Jennie Lööf, Zoe Waters, David Black, *Tea at Aunties Nicci.n.,  Lilly Wiggler, Kevin Mdanga, Jenivieve Berlin.

Make up artists from The Academy of Make Up Scotland.http://www.theacademyofmakeup.com/

Before & After



The designers i modelled for on the night were:

 Sarah Laird- modelling a bikini and accessory cage.


Riptinka Accessories- modelling a necklace and headpiece.



Tea at aunties-modelling a black dress.


Nicci.n.- modelling leather leggings and a top.


& Last but not least Lilly Wiggler- modelling a white dress.



This is a snapshot of me and some of the other models on the day! All looking fantastic !!!


I met so many good contact through this event. Adele Robertson & Becky tait organisers of the event and G2E events! Sara Hill an amazing make up artist who teaches at The academy of make up scotland and all the designers who i hope to see in the future!

The whole experience was amazing! I met loads of models who worked for agencies and had been modelling for years! they gave me a lot of tips and we had a lot of fun behind the scenes! This is one of the most amazing days of my life ive ever had, so much fun and so much experience <3 

Live modelling

So my next challange was live modelling!

It sounds easier than it is...I was taken to a venue, in god knows where!? but it hosted a wedding event. in this event i was a model for a make up artist, a photographer and of course for Tracey Mcdonald's dresses.

once my hair and make up was done it was time to act like a bride....There's a big difference to live modelling and a catwalk! i had to try on different dresses selected by the to be brides and strutt my stuff around the room. when nobody had selected their dress i had to model the dresses that hadn't been chosen as if it was totally normal. at first i felt awkward because i knew people were looking and wondering what i was doing, but after a while i just clicked and started having fun!!

loved it loved it loved it <3

My First Photoshoot!

During my catwalk i was spotted by a photographer! Marie from Kingdom Photography, http://www.kingdomphotos.co.uk/ .Marie and Tracey from peaches set up a photo shoot for Strathblane Country House to advertise their weddings.http://www.strathblanecountryhouse.co.uk/

So i went to Tracey's studio as she took all my measurements and made a mock dress within half an hour!! this was a dress being made to fit me!! and it was my first ever wedding dress! i was so excited to see what the final outcome was!... it was this gorgeous spotted, strapless, A-line, ivory dress. As soon as i put on the dress i just felt so sparkly and couldn't wait for the photoshoot!

On the day i walk into the country house and there is two fully grown men there! i was told just to wait in the reception area to wait for the other model and the make up artist! The make up artist arrived and took me upstairs, having a giggle she asked me if i fancied my husband....i couldn't believe i was standing in the same room as the male models and didn't even relise! Once i had my hair and make done the photographer came in and just told me to jump onto the bed, as soon as i did the photos began, i didn't relise that we had actually started the shoot that quickly. i quickly snapped into it and instantly i felt like a different person, almost a cocky and confident person! i loved it! we then moved downstairs into the reception where i sat on the stairs, then looked into the mirror too look as if i was reflecting. After this the fun began, time to model with my "husband"! My husband was considerably older than me..and at the time i was only 15, so the mention of a wedding kiss took me by shock! moving on swiftly onto cutting the cake and usual wedding photo's the day was over!





This was my first shoot? and it felt like i had been doing it forever, i knew after this i really wanted to become model and started doing my tyra banks "smiling with your eyes" in the mirrors and watching victoria's secrets shows!


My First Adventure

I was scouted by both a modelling agency and a wedding dress company at the age of 15. Despite the agency telling me to wait a few years till i matured i kept on making my contacts and started to freelance model!

I was approached by a company called Peaches, owned and run by Tracey McDonald! This was the start to my modelling adventure! My first ever mission was the finale at a charity catwalk for the strathcarron hospice wearing the the most luxurious and glamorous dress i've seen and worn before! Between the size of the dress and the first time i had ever worn heels, this was deffinately  the scariest thing i had ever done! 

After having my hair and make up done (feeling like a princess) we had catwalk practice! walking down the stage felt so natural to me and having the backstage crew tell me they would never of known i had never done a catwalk let alone never worn heels!!! i was deffinately hyped up for the night!!


So this was it my first ever catwalk!.....walking down the stage for real, everyone looking at me, it felt amazing! i knew from this moment i was addicted and couldn't wait for more <3