Streamlined and Compartmentalized

I really like the newly revamped MTR (subway) website. The flash is very streamlined and easy to operate. One of the best subway systems in the world. And yes, I'm probably biased, but I am also probably right.

An old vid but wanted to post anyways. 12 month old's cool sign language skills. "Knowing what your baby wants before s/he is old enough to be able to talk" - pretty ingenious concept. I have much respect for anyone who knows sign language as it is. Props to a smart thinking mom and dad for teaching their daughter from the start.

As a precaution against H1N1, communion at church came in handy little compartmentalized cups. Reminds me of the prepackaged one that I experienced a couple months ago.
Top part for the bread.
Use the hinge in the back (near my fingers in the first pic) to get to the "wine" compartment.

Currently listening to: Lie to Me - 12 Stones, I'll Be There (Michael Jackson cover) - Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo, and Here We Go Again - Demi Lovato (newly dropped)

Hit in the Head

I really like the animation art direction for Team Fortress 2. It somehow reminds me of Monkey Island. Check out this "Meet the Sniper" vid. Boom, headshot.


Being nice is overrated. As far as I know, it never got anyone anywhere. Not only are you unappreciated, but most often you're taken advantage of.

Currently listening to: The Climb (Miley Cyrus cover) - David Sides and Ahmir, The Royal We - Silversun Pickups, and The Dance 1973 - Gino Lispi (beat by Nujabes + Fat Jon - Aruarian Dance)

Sweet Aftertaste

(post for Saturday)
What a day. I'm thankful it ended up better (yay for J-drama and Skype).
Same goes with yesterday. Hanging out with old friends with Indian food is hard to beat.

(Awww, N~!)

(We are sometimes awkward.)

I like that YT has changed its end video flip to a sleeker look.

Currently listening to: To Tell You - April Smith, Criminal - Ringside, and 16, Maybe Less - Iron and Wine and Calexico

Fish and Snails

Ponyo on the Cliff By the Sea is coming to the US (August 14) - title shortened to Ponyo. And what better way to make a creepy fish girl more appealing than dubbing into English (although points for using Cate Blanchett and Liam Neeson, among others). It's interesting to see how "Americanized" the trailer is, especially with the fade in/outs and the dramatic Disney-movie voiceover. Compare it with the Japanese trailer.
US Trailer


Japanese Trailer


At least the US trailer does not have the annoying theme song!

FFFF of the week: Longgan (龍眼)

A few weeks ago I mentioned lychee's sister, the longgan. She's finally here! And off to a late start, I might add. Longgan usually is in season by May.

I much prefer the longgan. It is chewier, has a smoother shell, and is less juicy (a good thing, IMO). Although quite sweet, the longgan has less of the syrupy quality of the lychee.
Lychee vs Longgan (respective) comparison
Rambutan, longgan, lychee

I remember having a "cultural" day in school. Students were all asked to bring some kind of ethnic food in a sort of world potluck style. The longgan being one of my favorite fruits, I decided to take a canned, de-shelled variety (still very good, mind you) as my contribution. I was mortified when all the other kids ran away thinking they were snails. Really? Come on. It was one of those scarring moments though that left me furious and a little bit embarrassed.

Currently listening to: Night 夜 - Milk@Coffee 牛奶@咖啡, Battle for the Sun - Placebo, and Manos Al Aire - Nelly Furtado (recently released)

Flour-y Goodness

Got to spend some time with T~ tonight, and we found these cool wholewheat man tou (steamed buns). Definitely a new twist on a classic. Photo taken by T~'s lovely camera.
More bread! Cute of the week - turtle bun. Perhaps this section should be renamed "cute turtle of the week," seeing as that is what it ends up becoming. [Source: ReRe on Flickr]
Super cool compilation by Hongkiat of the history and evolution of Photoshop. If you use the program, definitely check it out!

Currently listening to: The Atheist - Stanley Huang 黄立行 (sad lyrics but kickbutt song), Romeo - Sunrise Avenue (woot Finnish group!), and Save a Place - 1969

Aren't We Clever

Fun logos (some that are work-in-progress) from LogoPond.
PunchQuotes by felro
HandsUp by Houston-we
Cloudburst by Fogra
IronMan by Bcreative
Hello LED by firebrand
Shift by madebyshift
guava plaza by lundeja
Apparently, tinyurl is so 2008, so check out cowurl. Also allows you to shorten lengthy urls but with a much cuter mascot. However, the best part is that you can personalize the url. Cowurl will check availability and churn it out as a proper link. Sweet!
My jaw dropped at this gorgeous photo of Hong Kong by VJ Spectra. [Source: Hongkiat > VJ Spectra on Flickr]
JibJab's take on Obama.

Currently listening to: Africa (Toto cover) - Karl Wolf (a horrible cover but strangely addictive), When the Sun Comes Down - R.I.O., and Turn - Travis

All Cut Up

What it feels like to hear that you're getting a new sibling. Great video for Luvs Diapers by Saatchi and Saatchi. (Source: S~)

I keep forgetting to post this great Samurai Vodka design by Arthur Schreiber. [Source: The Dieline]

Currently listening to: Song to Self - Travis (revisiting this band and loving this song), Aqui estoy yo - Luis Fonsi, and Love Lockdown (Mysto and Pizzi Electro House Remix) - Kanye West (sick remix)

Marching Animals

I visited the newly opened Noah's Ark exhibit recently. It was an interesting experience - worth the trip but I probably will not go back. The area is set up like a theme park mixed with a museum - trying to be exciting but a little too formal. It had animal statues, iguanas in a terrarium, and a cool 3D film, but the rest of the games and stalls were too complicated and I lost patience and interest quickly. Perhaps it did not help that the lines were ridiculously long and it was particularly sweltering hot that day. However, I had a fun time while I was there, and it was sorta cool to see an Asian Noah for the first time!
Last but not least, happy birthday to a special someone! Wish we were all together to do a sleepover with frozen siu mai.

Currently listening to: These Days - Rascal Flatts, Gone - Lasgo, and Mango - Sascha Funke

Little Runts

Happy Father's Day, kiddos!
Speaking of kids, in a rare moment for me, today I will be featuring children! All the father-son/daughter moments that I witnessed today are enough to inspire me to blog abut kids. And no, I haven't gone soft. It's more like I'm making a special allowance for those little brats just today and letting them peacefully coexist in my personal space.

If you know me, you will know that I hate tuxedo shirts with a passion. Or those fake beach body oversized tees. Ugh. But this is the first time I've seen fake suspenders, and I think this little guy totally pulls it off. He's totally rockin' it. I half want that shirt for myself.
She was adorable. There, I said it. But seriously, she was quite the cutie. She even stood there and was a good model for the dozen or so of us who were snapping away. Plus, who wouldn't want that pig costume she's sporting?
This face painter lady was seriously hardcore. I saw some kids with a full face of paint. Takes a lot of patience and time to decorate all those mugs.
A whole swarm climbing through a rope jungle gym.

Currently listening to: No Room to Breathe - There for Tomorrow, Here Comes Goodbye - Rascal Flatts, and Always On My Mind (Brenda Lee cover) - Anoop Desai

Expel

This slow motion vid of people sneezing is both incredibly gross and incredibly fascinating at the same time. It's great that they started filming a few seconds earlier in order to capture that "sneeze look" - eyes squint, mouth starts opening - that someone gets moments before so you know what's coming. Nice promotion from the Government of South Australia for flu shots.


Baby raccoons! They were found inside the flap of a soda vending machine. Check out the video at Yahoo!
I've seen a few of these "puppet" TVCs by Wieden that feature Lebron James and Kobe Bryant for Nike but the Lil Dez spot actually cracked me up. (The little Nike basketball is so cool.)

Currently listening to: The Lost Get Found - Britt Nicole and Come Back to Me - David Cook

Gifts

I haven't had fries for the longest time and today someone bought them for me! I'm usually a very hands on type of girl when it comes to eating (please see previous GPOYW), but as I was in polite company, I tried to minimize the greasy fingers. First time I've eaten fries with chopsticks. Messiness was greatly reduced. Success!
FFFF of the week: Bell fruit (天桃)
My first recollection of this is from high school science class. Crunchy, quite juicy, and faintly sweet (as opposed to syrupy). Texture is like a crisp apple. The Chinese name literally means "heaven's peach," although it is not very peachy-y.
I got this crazy pack of Lay's from T~. They are lychee flavor! I'm kinda scared to try them. I've never had sweet fruit-flavored potato chips before.
Adorable seed pod stuffed toy from C~. Also works as a mosquito repellent. The pod even detaches from its shell. It's really hard to stay sad looking at that happy face.

Currently listening to: One Time - Justin Bieber, Don't Leave Home - Dido, and Traveling Light - Joel Hansen and Sara Groves