Last day of 2009. A close of a decade. I ended it wonderfully with HW~ and PY~. The only thing missing was TC~!
Happy (early) New Year's everyone! Welcome to 2010! I will be taking another blog break this long weekend. Please check back on Monday. Have fun and take care of yourself while you are out and about partying. 2009 has been quite a ride, but I am still a bit sad to see it go. Looking forward to what this new year will bring.
This vid is a year old, but I still had fun reminiscing with the cast of Sound of Music. Last year, ABC News brought Julie Andrews and the seven children back together to celebrate the 40th anniversary and DVD re-release of the film. Such a great movie! Adorable cake topper custom made to look just like the bride and groom. Check out more photos of Elise and Patrick's wedding by Jesse and Whitney from Our Labor of Love. [Source: Elizabeth Anne Designs]
DJ Earworm remixes the top 25 Billboard hits from 2009 into one crazy killer track. Nicely done. See how many songs you can recognize. United State of Pop 2009 (Blame it On the Pop)
I don't usually post kid vids, but this one is short and the little boy has some respectable hip hop skills. Certainly better than what I could ever do. May be an old vid that I missed.
Yummy Getty images. A box of Christmas cookies is always in season. Cupcakes Oh Martha Stewart food stylists. Heart marshmallows. Really?! I want to hug you. [Source: That Girl > Martha Stewart]
I had fun watching Sherlock Holmes with IL~ and PY~ this weekend. There was so much buzz about this movie that I thought it had already been out for months. Robert Downey Jr. has really made a 180 comeback. I remember his stints in and out of prison. The quick dialogue and wit was great and I think Guy Ritchie did a good job crossing into mainstream cinema (I am a big fan of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). Also Kelly Reilly, who plays Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, makes an appearance as Mary.
The trailer is a little spastic (edits different scenes together and makes them seem like one clip), but here it is:
This film made me thankful for pavement and nice roads. Rachel McAdams wears these beautiful dresses, in particular this fuschia opening number (below), but I cringed imagining the hem dragging in the mud and puddles. Ugh. Also, who knew that overcoats didn't cover the bustle at the back (or perhaps just for this movie). [Photo source: IMDb] Fun illustrations by five-man-band (based in Australia, Germany, and USA) shop Rinzen, who specially painted a room in Hotel Fox (Copenhagen). I really like the artistic style. My favorite is the fox. [Source: Graphics Alive > Rinzen] This looks a little overboard but also makes me crave pancakes. Birthday Pancakes by colleensimply on Flickr. [Source: Tiresome] Random cute of the week: Ducklings in a sink! [Source: That Girl > Daily Mail > photographer Richard Austin]
Merry Christmas everyone! [Photo source: That Girl] Exquisite vintage Listerine packaging. [Source: The Dieline > Design Muse] Yummy gingerbread house mug hangers by Megan from Not Martha. Perfect when coupled with a cup of hot chocolate. Check out the recipe and make your own! In case any of you are off to fancy parties this weekend, check out Cooking Light's article on wine etiquette. Good tips and rules of thumb. Maybe because I don't drink it, but I really don't know much about wine! Please remember to not drink and drive (and also to be wary of drunk drivers) this holiday season. Beautiful shot of a groom decked in tweed by Susan Stripling. [Source: Elizabeth Anne Designs] Monster Chalkboard - Lovely little guy by Johana Tran. "Meet Harrison. He is handmade from birch, masonite, and paint. He has a removable eraser-snout. He likes to hang out on kitchen walls and particularly likes doodles of fresh meat to fill his tummy." I am officially sick! However, I had a wonderful Cmas eve, which included yummy Vietnamese with CN~, a beautiful church service complete with a candlelit rendition of Silent Night, and a dessert of pineapple bread pudding (!) with PY~, NW~, IL~, and OC~. I will be on blog vacation/taking a break from posting this long weekend. Check back on Monday! Have a lovely Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!
Last but not least, a big happy birthday to: A very special Dec 25th baby. And Emmanuel, King of Kings, Lamb of God [Photo source: Our Home with God] I really like this Mercy Me song God with Us.
Currently listening to: Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie (not a big fan of this Cmas song but it's a fun cover by two legends), Naturally - Selena Gomez & The Scene, and Days and Days - Camera Can't Lie
Just in case your true love hasn't given you one yet, check out this lovely partridge in a pear tree Peary Partridge free downloadable wrapping paper and gift tags by Kellie Medivitz. I also like her lovely Gifts A Go-Go present wrap. Check Creature Comforts to download these beauties for yourself!
Happy 過冬 (Winter Solstice Festival) Day! This evening, all of Hong Kong was bustling about to get to family dinner engagements.
Great Lord of the Rings Facebook log. (Sidenote: I haven't seen Precious yet. It will probably never make it to Hong Kong, but I also don't know if I could sit through it. Looks like amazing acting but very difficult to watch.) [Source: Fistful of Sparklers > Brad OFarrell] Alma - Creepy undertones in this child and doll toy store short written and directed by Rodrigo Blaas (a Pixar animator). [Source: Brad OFarrell]
Lovely spiral stained glass from what looks like a ceiling. [Source: That Girl] Apparently I'm not the only one who hates the font choice for Avatar. Check out some of the tweets against Papyrus. [Source: Brad OFarrell > Gizmodo] Last Monday, people from 156 countries got together to sing the Beatles' All You Need is Love at the same time (1:30 GMT) to raise awarness about AIDS in Africa. (The country is listed at the bottom left corner of each clip.) [Source: That Girl]
tobyMac (with the help of Gabe and Shaun) freestyles on K-Love about ugly Christmas sweaters.
Currently listening to: Imagine (cover of Glee's cover of John Lennon) - Manny Garcia (been listening to him all day), Sleepyhead - Passion Pit (watch b-boys dance to the track in this HDK vid The Sleep Sweepers), and Alles kann besser werden - Xavier Naidoo ft Janet Grogan
I didn't even think they could squeeze another Shrek movie from the franchise, but apparently I was wrong. Shrek Forever After (4th movie). Comes out May 2010. In 3D, of course.
Lovely behind-the-scenes look at the Performance Capture technology in Avatar. The font used for the movie title still bugs me though! Apologies for more trailers but my brain is fried! Gonna keep this short because I may be getting sick. I've watched the How to Train Your Dragontrailer multiple times within the last 24 hours though, and that seems to make everything alright again.
Currently listening to: 40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet) - Bob Schneider, Do You Hear What I Hear - AJ (ilajil) ft Jane Lui and Gerald Ko (singingdork888), and This is My Life - Edward Maya
Lots of movie reviews recently. I must be in vacation mode!
I had a chance to see Avatar today and enjoyed it, despite going in thinking otherwise. The story is not new (Pocahontas with CGI, plus a dash of 10 Things I Hate About You and a sprinkle of Little Mermaid) but I have to give credit where credit is due - the special effects are top notch. I'm interested to see when we will be able to look back at this movie's CGI and view it as outdated, because I'm sure it, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has really pushed the envelope.
In case you haven't seen the trailer:
Technology aside, I spent most of the time watching Zoe Saldana (whom I'm a big fan of), Sigourney Weaver, and Michelle Rodriguez (also a big fan of hers, even before LOST) kick serious butt. No offense to Sam Worthington, but the female leads were the best part of the movie. Oh, and the super cute dragon-like animals of course.
Coupled with successes like Star Trek and LOST, sci-fi geeks are getting the best revenge by raking in the big bucks! Does it also feel like mainstream media is now featuring more paraplegics in main roles? (As they should.) Although Leona Lewis' movie closing track I See You was just nominated as Best Original Song for the Golden Globes, I was a little disappointed. Guess it shouldn't be compared to Celine's My Heart Will Go On, but let's revisit it, shall we?
The dragon from the new Dreamworks movie How to Train Your Dragon is adorable! Like a blue tongue skink and bearded lizard mix combined with turtle legs. How could you say no to that face? Out in March 2010. And, following the trend, it is premiering in 3D. Gerard Butler, who provides one of the movie's voices, can now add animated kids film to his resume. What a chameleon!
