Ryanair, a European budget airline, is in talks about whether to charge passengers for toilet use during flights. M~ and I took this airline last summer and it was relatively comfortable and hassle-free. First come first serve seats (which we learned by trial and error), extra charge for check in - the usual budget air deal. However, Ryanair peeps are looking again to install coin-slot devices onto the bathroom stalls on board, theoretically so that you spend money now to keep future flights cheap. How terrible! I think they should just stick to their ridiculously-overpriced-but-still decent-tasting menu foods. But hey, anything to keep from going out of business these days. Still the Batchelors soup that M~ and I found is so fantastically named. [Read more at BBC News.] Copywriter Greg Rutter compiled a list of 99 things on the interwebs that you should have educated yourself on by now. It includes the classic Numa Numa, Spaghetti Cat, Grape Stomping Woman, and the lesser known but still crazy "I Like Turtles" zombie kid and a feel good, family friendly fake trailer to Stephen King's Shining. Check how many you've seen. [Source: Media Bistro] One of the 99 is the classic (and personal favorite) Asian Backstreet Boys.
Currently listening to: Call Me - Tae Goon ft Jaejoong
Cool quote from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that pertains to (but is not the origin of) the title of this blog.
"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on."
Great (fake) FB page for Aeneid. My epic poem knowledge only extends as far as the Odyssey and parts of the Illiad but I still got a kick out of this. Go here and click image to magnify. [Source: NotCot > Eternally Cool] More Harry Potter movie news. The first part of Book 7 (Deathly Hallows) will be released in November 2010, with Part 2 following in July the next year. [Source: BBC News]
M~ blogged about 5 gum yesterday, and today I found out about Haagen-Dazs' new line of ice cream, 5. The sweet treat, which comes in seven flavors, is aptly named for its number of ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and flavor (e.g. passion fruit). [Source: The Dieline]
Currently listening to: The Riddle - Five for Fighting (old memories)
It's FFF day! Today's victim is the dragonfruit (火龍果). My parents say it's like a Chinese kiwi, so hopefully that gives you an idea of the texture and edible seed surplus. Peel back the green tipped "leaves" to get to the white-gray flesh inside. There is also a kind that is pink inside. [Photo source: EZ Fun] Today is also GPOYW but I will spare you from another ridiculous photo of me.
Currently listening to: The Double - We Fell to Earth
I wonder if it is really true that God closes one door and opens another. As if life was like a series of hallways, one after the other, with one exit and one entrance on either end.
Or perhaps it is actually a circular room and there are many doors that are wide open, but we cannot see them because we are heading blindly towards that one door we think is right. It is only when God pushes it shut that we take the time to blink, look up, and survey the vast amount of opportunities around us that were there all along.
New sneak peak at Harry Potter 6. I am rereading the book in anticipation for the film and can't wait!
Currently listening to: The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen
Today's post is going to be super short. I'm listening to a bunch of bubblegum pop and 90's boy band songs. If you know me well, you know what that means.
Hope you guys got to check out the Oscars. I am very happy that Kate Winslet got the nod, and Hugh Jackman was a surprisingly refreshing host. Yay that Heath and Slumdog Millionaire got recognition. Although I was not totally enamored by Slumdog, I still enjoyed it and am happy it grabbed so many little gold men. It definitely deserved Best Score, Song, and Film Editing.
A sample of American photographer Art Wolfe. He shoots a wide range of subjects - portraiture, nature, landscape - but I like his animal photography the best.
I think these are a little overindulgent, but then again I don't have kids who are picky eaters. Check out construction utensils from Flying Peas. Now all they need is a cargo airplane set. [Source: Notcot > Squeaky Stroller]
(Actually, the problem here is this meal only consists of broccoli and peas mixed in plain rice. Poor kid.)
I am learning about aphids today, or perhaps more fondly called plant lice. Lovely. I will say that their symbiotic relationship with ants is pretty amazing though. Some ant species will gather and tend aphids like cattle to get the sugary "honeydew" substance they secrete. Antje Schulte gives a great photo editorial documenting an ant vs. ladybug showdown after the latter attempts to carry off an aphid for its meal.
Soap and its freezing point came up as a topic of conversation today and I decided to investigate. Check out these beautiful photos from freezebubbles. Really makes me want to try it myself but it is unfortunately (or fortunately) not cold enough here. [Source: Boing Boing] Was able to watch Penelopeagain tonight. Cute spin on the classic fairytale, but I'm pretty sure real life doesn't work out so peachy keen. Or perhaps I've grown cynical. Christina Ricci is adorable (plus what a great wardrobe and bedroom!) in the film and you all know I'm a fan of James McAvoy, so it was a fun flick to rewatch. [Photo source: Tribute]
To promote their Creamy Dips, Lay's has churned out Made For Each Other. Jump on the lovey dovey site to play games or help mates find true love. Charming design but it's a bit too saccharine for me right now. [Source: Advertka] Think twice before you play with the sound controls again. Choir visualization for Loewe by Scholz & Friends. Definitely made me chuckle. [Source: Advertka]
Today is Hug Someone You Love Day! Not really, but I'm declaring it unofficially. I highly doubt you can ever give or get too many hugs. And if nobody is in the immediate vicinity, give yourself a hug cuz you're pretty amazing too.
Finally, happy birthday to a special someone! I feel much more comfortable celebrating this way than your senior year party.
Currently listening to: Heartless(Kanye West cover) - The Fray
Went to try my luck at a career expo today. Only later did I unfortunately find out that expo does not = fair. It was more like people trying to stuff as many leaflets and brochures into my face as possible than me handing out any myself. But thankfully the whole expedition wasn't fruitless.
T~ and I saw this at the McMug store, McQuarter, a few weeks ago but I just remembered to search for it online. This tissue box covering is fantastic. It features Fai the turtle, one of the characters from the Hong Kong comic book collection McMug. The tissues come out from the middle of his bubble bath! Visit the McMug official site to familiarize yourself with the great cast. I just found out that the actress who plays Angela in The Office (Angela Kinsey) was the real life sister-in-law to Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby (one of my favorite characters). She also grew up in Jakarta and speaks Indonesian. Very cool.
Inner message ring by Korean designer Yoon Jung Yun that indents a hidden message onto your finger. The artist's About Me section tells how she drops coins randomly to reciprocate the joy of discovering spare change. [Source: The Dame]
Currently listening to: Colors - Portugal. The Man
It's time for my (roughly) weekly favorite fruit feature (FFF)! The yummy persimmon (柿子). The hard kind is the way to go though, because the soft ones too easily become a pile of mush and don't taste as good. The hard persimmons are excellent!
(cut and peeled)
Today was a gorgeously sunny day, a first in a long while.
Today is also GPOYW (which I previously never took part in, but thought, "Why not?" this week), so here you go. Old pics of me trying to tackle a ginormous burger (shots taken by the wonderful M~). Photo evidence that me consuming food is not pretty. The Greek place we ate at was delicious though!
I don't really like the concept behind this McDonald's ad by TBWA Chile (either that or they need to tweak their line: "Invite him too - Happy Birthday in McDonald's"), but the execution is fantastic. Plus the turtle's expression is priceless. [Source: Advertka] Check out Russian short animation film Lavatory Love that is up for an Oscar. Make sure you stick it out till the last frame. At first I thought it was the fly! [Source: NotCot > Smelly Cat]
Currently listening to: Goodbye Alice in Wonderland - Jewel (As with tradition, I found myself listening to this again last week but figured I'd properly post today. I'm starting toscare myself.)
I was not a fan of the first sports celebrity laden G commercial that aired a few weeks ago. However, TBWA\Chiat\Day just put out a mini episode homage to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I am a fan of the movie and the spoof stars Kevin Garnett, so this spot gets points from me, but I am undecided if I love it yet. Here is the full version.
The news reported about man-made eggs being sold in Xiamen (China), and I'm just fascinated how something as organic as an egg could be manufactured so well. The fake ones are of course extremely harmful if swallowed, but they certainly look amazingly legit.
designboom and MACEF Milan hosted an international design award entitled Beyond Silver. The call was to put a new twist on functioning silverware, and the winners were recently announced. Here are my favorites from the competition. [Source: Advertka] Illusion spoon/fork by Kris Yoo (Korea) Silver straw by Liva Bruvere (Latvia) Twisted handle baby spoon by Sandip Paul (India) Shark tea infuser by Pablo Matteoda (Argentina)
By happy circumstance, I revisited one of my old elementary schools today. I haven't been back since I was a student there, and it was surreal walking up the now-much-shorter steps. I passed by the roof where I got socked hard in the stomach, the atrium where I made and sold Ganesh-themed boxes I designed (it was orange with three different kinds of paper and I'm still quite proud of it), the wall where we used to play handball, and the hall where I made a fool out of myself playing a musical duet and where we sang anti-American songs (about how polluted New York was) during assembly. Gotta love the British school system.
LOST just celebrated its 100th episode (woot!) and Jorge Garcia (who plays Hurley) features a fantastic themed cake by Charm City Cakes on his blog. Find more pictures and witty daily musings (hopefully self penned and not by a ghostwriter) on his site. I don't know where he finds time to post, but Jorge's just earned himself another reader. [Source: Cake Wrecks (including great commentary)] Completely random, but I've been rockin' purple nylons recently and they are fabulous!
Currently listening to: Tremble - Audio Adrenaline
HappyValentine'sDay, everyone! Or, as my brother likes to call it, Rose Killing Day. I just found out about Google Earth's killer ocean exploration function in its 5.0 version. This allows you to click on various objects, dive under water, poke around 3D shipwrecks, and get educated by the likes of NatGeo and BBC. Check out the featured YT vid to see for yourself. So cool!
Cartoonist John Campbell's work Pictures for Sad Children exhibits his great illustration style. The content is a tiny bit depressing, but I suppose you might have guessed it from the title. This strip below cracks me up. We bought tiny pineapples today. These little buggers take forever to cut and prepare but are well worth the effort. If you're willing to take the time to get past the rough shell, the sweet inside is so good. Like the road to someone's heart. (Okay, that was lame but it is the day of mush and I couldn't resist.) I found these a year ago but they're fabulous enough to belatedly post them. Last year ABC made LOST-themed Valentine's Day e-cards. The link still works so check it out if you have a few V-grams to send. There are Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty ones for those non-LOSTies out there. Spread some love and joy today!
