Just thought that I'd share a mixtape that I made for Irina.
The thing is, life get's tough sometimes. However, you never have to face it alone because there are always people who care for you. And when you feel like the world seems just about to swallow you whole, I hope this mixtape will replenish the strength in your heart.
P.S I took like 3 hours to figure out how to embed this mixtape. It loads, trust me. Just give it awhile.
P.P.S It doesn't load on Chrome but does in Safari (both on the Mac & iPhone). Shame on you, Google.
Update: It works on Chrome, but golly damn it's slow.
Update: The public link has been suspended for generating excessive traffic. Irina will share it again some other time!
- Yi Ming
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Update from Irina:
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P.P.S It doesn't load on Chrome but does in Safari (both on the Mac & iPhone). Shame on you, Google.
Update: It works on Chrome, but golly damn it's slow.
Update: The public link has been suspended for generating excessive traffic. Irina will share it again some other time!
- Yi Ming
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Update from Irina:
Heres' the playlist I'm sure able to load and play haha. Thanks, Ming.
You're the best.
Thanks babe.
-Yi Ming
Hi Irina! I commented on your blog before, but I don't think you'd remember me. Anyhow, I follow you on Insta, and I was sad to read that you went to the Hermes exhibition, and that you recommended the brand in good light. Do you know what it takes to produce the so called fine leather that they use for their bags? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xLIlituBCs this video might shed some light for you. I sincerely hope that you can use your influence to discourage such brands!
ReplyDeleteHey L! Oh no, that's terrible. Actually I had a feeling about that when I was there..... They put leathers on display for us to touch and they are of course REAL leather. My friend told me that Hermes actually released a press release about not abusing any animals. They took over the dead animals from another farm for their skin? I mean, idk how true is that but thanks for sharing! Rly appreciate it :-)
DeleteI've just watched the video. To be honest, a lot of things in this world bother me but I can't do much about it because I've yet to garner strength to be vegan. I truly admire those who really stand by their principles against animal cruelty. The only one I really practice is anti-shark fin. Animals related issues... is a little sensitive cause even KFC practices animal cruelty. They boil the chickens alive to defeather them. I don't think I will own any of these bags anytime soon definitely. As much as I would love to make a stand about such issue, like hey, dyou know these bags are made with the practice of animal cruelty? People will be like, "but u eat meat thats cruelty too." It's really hard to justify. To make myself feel better, because my head is really just spinning now. I'm gonna email Hermes and ask ok? Maybe they'll churn out a PR answer or maybe A REAL EXPLANATION. The thing is something even though they say "HEY NO ANIMAL CRUELTY" if someone decided to sabotage the brand, it is very likely such video tape can be leaked without us knowing the context. So let's investigate ok? Nonetheless, thanks for this.
DeleteHey L, this is the reply from Hermes.
Delete"Hi Irina,
We're so sorry you've had to encounter that, thank you so much for letting us know. It means a lot that you can share this feedback with us. We respect everyone's right to an opinion.
Like you, we were deeply shocked by the video of crocodiles being slaughtered in Texas which had been circulating earlier this year. Some of the images were very difficult to watch, not just because Hermes has always had a profound respect for nature, but also because we as individuals feel compassion towards animals.
Following the video, Hermes released this statement with updated findings, which you're welcome to share with your readers, as other news outlets have done: http://www.hermes.com/preciousleatherpractices/
The cliffs notes? "Hermès in agreement with [Jane Birkin] reiterates its firm commitment in the ethical treatment of crocodiles in its partner farms... Hermès stresses that the video content circulating on the internet purporting to be from a Zimbabwe crocodile farm was recorded before any partnership between Hermès and the farm was established. Furthermore, the footage shown was not all captured at that establishment. Following the inspection of the farm in question, a report, published by the ZNSPCA, (Zimbabwe National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), affiliated with the American SPCA, concluded that farming and slaughter best practices were respected at the site."
Thanks and we're very sorry again. Hope this helps, please don't hesitate to give me a buzz if you have any questions."
Thanks for raising this question! Really appreciate it :-)
Hi Irina! I'm sorry I didn't realize you had already replied me on the day itself. I get what you mean by the vegan thing, it's something I struggle with too. But baby steps is better than none, and personally for me, I'm steering clear of brands that do animal testing now, and of course not buying bags that are made of real leather. Ultimately for me, these makeup/skincare/leather goods are things that I can do without, and yet a lifestyle with or without meat is still debatable on the benefit to humans since we are born omnivorous. I'm not adept at materializing the thoughts in my head, but I do hope that you know I'm not trying to preach. I just hope to raise awareness when I can, and thank you for taking me seriously. With regards to the Hermes reply, I respect their brand and all, but I certainly will not be purchasing from them. But that did clear up some airs. Thank you Irina, no matter what your stand is on this, I'm glad that you are anti shark fin - that's a step! And thanks for going to the trouble just for an anonymous comment. I didn't want to comment on your instagram because I was afraid that it might cause even more perpetrators on the issue, and hence I seeked out your opinion on the wonderful blogpost that Yiming did for you, hope I didn't spoil the post for you!
ReplyDeleteHey L! Thanks for your reply!
DeleteTo be honest, I'm just really glad that you're not those typical social justice warrior. Otherwise, this interaction would be so draining and hard to resolve. I appreciate that you took the time out to raise awareness about something and at the same, took my stand into consideration. You came across as really nice, and was not rude about it at all; which in fact, made this whole thing a lot more bearable and easier to process.
Anyway, back to the topic, yes, I've known of activists who can't stay true to some causes because they end up having leather seats in their cars. It's really..... idk, so much gray area to such situations. Animals that were used for shows or trained for entertainment purposes, I don't agree with some of the methods too. Singapore, for the sake of Sea Aquarium, killed x amount of dolphins in the process. What I meant in my Instagram post when I said I was amazed and impressed, was to the expertise of the craftsman that I witnessed that day.
Nonetheless, I appreciate your considerate thoughts in letting me know through an appropriate medium :-)
hi irina im so sorry for bothering you... may i ask where you got your denim shorts (from previous instagram posts) from? I'm super super sorry to bother you and thank you should you reply :)
ReplyDeleteHello Cheryl!!!!! Don't be silly with the apologies. You've nothing to be sorry about. Which denim shorts are you referring to? Dyou mind providing me the link? Thanks!
DeleteHey Irina! What happened to you! You seemed to have vanish off the world of social media!
ReplyDelete^ Agreed, we miss you Irina!
ReplyDeleteHi Irina, I would just like to say how much I appreciate the content you share here :-) some of it is so real, relatable and down-to-earth, which can be incredibly inspiring and uplifting to read. So thank you!!
ReplyDeleteGlad I came across your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this mixtape! Made a nice ending to my Christmas night so here's 4 hearts for the both of you: <3<3<3<3
You guys are the cutest xx
ReplyDelete