Just Treats

A Happy Halloween from Yahoo!

Fun Scooby Doo inspired festive banners from Google.

And from YouTube, which also hit 1 Billion subscriptions recently.

You may remember me mentioning YT's new addition Interactive Transcript a few weeks ago. Along with showing lyrics in real time, another great use is to replace subtitles for easy language translation. See it in action with this vid.
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The Halloween Thingamajig! poster designed for St. Jude and Target by Grammy-nominated US shop Invisible Creature last year. Such fun graphics! Click for more detail.

I also like their Shake Up the Season! fun holiday poster for the same client last year.
Now that Halloween has passed, we can start preparations for Christmas. At least that's what the airwaves and media keep telling me!

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With the passing of the typhoon, the weather this week was much cooler. A nice taste of Fall. And you can bet that even though it was around 63F/17C, HKers were already in scarves, boots, and coats. The mosquitoes are still out though!

Beautiful stormy beach shot by photographer Ken Seet represented by enfoca.

Small Harry Potter featurette. It's been a long ride! Deathly Hallows drops November 19th in USA/Canada and Dec 16th in Hong Kong.


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Cacti never get any love. Forever alone. By Mark Gleim from his blog a simple apology.
He shows Chicago a bit of lovin' though.

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Lovely almost-abstract macro shot of droplets on a flower by famous Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa. I also like her circus and petal swimming pool shots below. She is known for her use of bright colors (fuschia and vibrant blue especially) and goldfish shots.

Catch Me if You Ken - Male models posing as "real" life size Ken dolls help to promote the plastic icon during Fashion's Night Out. Found through JL~.


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A yeti crab, which lives in hydrothermal vents deep in the waters off of Easter Island. So cool! Photograph courtesy A. Fifis, IFREMER and from National Geographic. See more amazing photos of sea creatures here.

I also like this action shot (from the same photo set) of researcher Niel Bruce taken by Gary Cranitch, Queensland Museum.

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A little bit of truth. I like friends and I like potatoes. [Source: Beautiful Mess >> WWIAO]
Gorgeous cloudy photo of Dubai in the morning. Taken from the Burj Dubai Tower. Foggy Dubai by Dave Alexander on Flickr. Not photoshopped (and he has other references to prove it). What a view! [Source: I am His beloved]

Have a fabulous start of November, everyone!

Currently listening to: Passive Aggressive - The Lonely Hearts, City - Sara Bareilles, Beauty Will Rise - Steven Curtis Chapman, Keep It Together - Tyler Ward and The CO, and Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds to Mars

Not Too Busy to Eat

Been a long crazy week, so pushing back the weekly post to tomorrow. Apologies, but check back for full blogging power in 24 hours.

In the meantime, the random cute of the week: I has a buffet/I has a corm. Little hamster pigging out. Wish I knew the pic's original source. [Photo source: I Can Has Cheezburger]

Currently listening to: Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir, The Last Words - Ivoryline, Awake My Soul - Mumford and Sons, Waiting Outside the Lines - Greyson Chance, and Fuse - Hudson Mohawke

The Weekend Part 2

Bonus post because there were too many things to share with you guys!

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CCM: Chris Tomlin's new track I Will Follow from his upcoming album (comes out November 16th). Last month I incorrectly posted that the disc is called Expectation, but I think it will actually be called And If Our God is For Us.


Been listening to some tracks by The Afters off of their recent album Light Up the Sky released last month.
Lift Me Up

Life is Sweeter

Saving Grace


Lincoln Brewster's track Real Life from the same-titled new album released last month.


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Love or hate? [Source: moshimoshibomb >> ladyjx]

For those who watched Despicable Me, check out the Gru-gle version of Google. Made me think of TC~ and SN~. [Source: Goollery]

Also a revamp of the classic Google page, try KidRex, a kid-safe search site for kids by kids. Made me think of you teachers out there.
"KidRex searches emphasize kid-related webpages from across the entire web and are powered by Google Custom Search and use Google SafeSearch technology." [Source: Goollery]

Logos so bad that they are good by Horrible Logos. You can have one made for $5.
Check out Gearlicious and Crystal Vision.

I found this ginormous maple (?) leaf outside the other day. I'm going to pretend that it's my little piece of Fall, because I don't get to experience the leaves changing colors.

Food: Oreo cupcakes. I just like the pretty tones to this. [Source: moshimoshibomb >> Cute Chow]

Drop - A 65 foot sculptural tribute to Vancouver's rain. Designed by Inges Idee for Vancouver Convention Centre Art Project. I'd like to see this! Photo by Ted Topping. [Source: Canadian Design Resource]

Mike walks across the continental US (from San Francisco to New York and back again). Nice use of stop motion. Produced by Conscious Minds and sponsored by Levi's (nice discreet ad). See how many places you recognize!


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The drawings and writing of Allie Brosh on her blog Hyperbole and a Half (found through IA~) had me laughing really obnoxiously. Warning: blog has a little bit of language.
A small excerpt from the post Things That Can Make You Feel Like an Idiot Almost Instantly
Getting in an Argument While Wearing a Costume (cow made me think of NW~)

(Please also see the Holding Other People's Babies section from the above post. (This is why I don't hold babies.))

Also check out The Four Levels of Social Entrapment about the difficulties of getting out of an unwanted conversation with someone. Relevant post is relevant.

Or her argument about how pie is better than cake (although I disagree). Made me think of SC~.

Plus even her copyright disclaimer kinda rocks.

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Hope you all have the most wonderful week!

Currently listening to: Baby's Romance - Chris Garneau, Strip Me - Natasha Bedingfield, Parachute (Cheryl Cole cover) - Selena Gomez (live), Illuminated - HURTS, and Confessions (without Faith) - Sevendust

The Weekend

The moon has been gorgeous lately! Hope you have had a chance to check it out.

HK was supposed to be hit by a record-breaking strong typhoon this weekend but thankfully it shifted northeastward. Instead, today was absolutely gorgeous. The only thing better would have been a clearer sky. But unfortunately Taiwan is getting hit pretty hard, so please keep the people there in your prayers.

This mustache wax concept packaging for Dapper Chap by Chelsea Hendrickson made me smile. So fun! I'm not sure how much guys will like it, particularly the color scheme, but the metallic and the warm hues and of course the diecut packaging is a win for me. [Source: The DieLine]

The King's Speech trailer, featuring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush. The movie tells the story of King George VI (Elizabeth II's father) and the need to overcome his stammer as he rises to power. Won Toronto International Film Festival's People Choice Award this year. Drops November 26th in the US and December 10th in Canada.


Food: Pancakes! Nom nom. [Source: Turkish Delight > anthonyyyy]

Fun concept idea Google Envelopes literally shows sender and receiver addresses using Google Maps. By Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik from Syracuse University. [Source: Goollery > Yanko Design]

Beautifully colored Carmine Bee Eater. [Photo source: Oregon Zoo]

I'm usually all Adidas and futbol, but this time I want to feature Nike's sweet football (American/Canadian) program Head2Head. Lets you compare your stats against rivals or even pro players and gives you video tips in areas that you might want to improve on. Pretty sweet. Done by digital agency R/GA and won a bunch of interactive awards last year (I'm so late in posting). Wish they had it for more sports. Check out the brief intro video here.

oops by Chris Beckman. Winner of the Best Experimental Video at the Vimeo Awards. Great concept. Warning: some language. [Found through SD~]


Beautiful lighting in this photo taken at the Vatican by Cuba Gallery (Andrew) on Flickr. Found through WL~.

I also like his photo of the landscape in Canterbury (New Zealand). Such lovely colors. Found through JW~.

Random cute of the week: Puppies!
1) Sleeping puppy having a vivid dream. Not a fan of that little doll in a bear costume, but this is too cute.

2) Boo (a Chow Chow?) has some licking to do. [Found through JP~]

3) Nanook plays dead. This totally made me laugh! Thought AC~ would like this. [Source: Quamila >> Cute Overload]

Currently listening to: My Happy - Lindsay Katt, Prayin - Plan B, Symphonie - Silbermond, DJ Got Us Falling in Love (Usher cover) - KurtHugoSchneider, and Hearts - Blair

Bump

I interrupt the regular going-ons of your day with this mini middle of the week post (for those who are still diligently checking daily).

Brit duo HURTS' new mv for Stay dropped recently and it has been on repeat for me.

This isn't new, but I've also been enjoying Joy Williams' Charmed Life.

Last Minutes with ODEN - Directed by Eliot Rausch. This won Best Video from the Vimeo Festival + Awards. Jason Wood comes to grips with having to put down his faithful dog, Oden, who was suffering from cancer. Very sad but unveils a lot of truth about God, love, and serving others. [Found through FC~]

The song from the short is Big Red Machine by Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner.

Nokia's small scale TVC Dot by agency Wieden & Kennedy. Shot with Nokia technology CellScope. A little bit eerie but cool art direction. The end made me think of SC~.


Futbol: Golden boy Thomas Muller and the legend Gerd Muller team up in this just-dropped TVC for Müller Milk. So full of win!

Translation (from FY Mannschaft)
Mooooo.
Thomas: Hands off my Müllermilch!
???: Yeah, yeah…
Thomas: Hey, it especially says my name on it!
Gerd: But it also says mine.
Thomas: Ugh Gerd…

Currently listening to: Believer - Freemasons ft. Wynter Gordon (recently dropped), Paper Heart - Tyler Ward, and Next to You - Asia Whiteacre

Fresh Start

Hope everyone had a great end of the work week! I've missed you guys.

Today is 重陽節 (Chung Yeung Festival), on which people go to pay respect to their deceased loved ones/ancestors. Google even changed to a themed logo!

The weather in Hong Kong has been wonderful recently. The sky has been a bit hazy, but the moderate temperature and humidity makes me remember why fall in HK is so nice.

This seems so cool visually. But the more I think about it, I wonder if it would induce claustrophobia or many middle of the night bathroom trips. Probably perfect for a one night hotel stay. Wish I knew the original source and more information on this. [Source: moshimoshibomb > overuseiloveyouu]

I got to see the beautiful power couple JC~ and TC~ this week! Such a short but definitely sweet visit. Congratulations you two! Just seeing you together makes me smile. Excuse for a mini reunion! Just wish PY~, TC~, SN~, HW~ and JH~ were here too.

Since you guys seem to love my LOST posts (oh yes), thought I'd put this one in. Even if you don't watch the show you've probably heard of the polar bear. Best unintentional LOST reference. From professorgreenshoes for FY Lost.

It's incredible that all the Chilean miners survived for so long underground and that they were all rescued. Praise God!

Fun newspaper-like conceptual packaging by Ryan Romero for the Original Rubber Boot. [Source: Canadian Design Resource]

Out of Sight - A nice animation about a girl and her imagination. Made by students from the National Taiwan University of Arts. Found through AH~.

Sushi - Old TVC for Oregon Powerball by agency Borders Perrin Norrander (Portland).

Another lottery TVC but with a different feel: (Australia) Lottery West's ad Jars

ICYMI, Iceland is the #1 country for gender equality for the second year in a row. BBC reports that the US leapt from 31st to 19th on the list due to more women in President Obama's administration and a narrowed gap between gender salaries.

Random cute of the week: Buzzfeed's compilation of cats who actually say "om nom nom nom" (or "yum yum yum") while eating. I've posted the second clip, but check out the whole list here.

Futbol: Germany won 3-0 against Kazakhstan on Tuesday - Klose, Gomez, Podolski scoring in the second half. The Kazakhstan National Team played really well actually. Great defense. Man of the match for me was Sami Khedira. He never gets enough credit.
Gomez scored a hat trick for Bayern Munich today against Hannover 96.
I found out that Germany will play Sweden in a friendly (match) next month. Woot woot!

Until we meet again, sleep and good food is required for you.

Currently listening to: Back to December - Taylor Swift (recently dropped), Without You - Shawn Hlookoff, Automatic - Tokio Hotel, She Could Be You - Shawn Hlookoff, Save the Day - David Archuleta, and Umm Oh Yeah (Dearest) - Buddy Holly

I Shouldn't Be Here, But...

Wow. You guys really know how to hit straight to my heart. Thank you for the special blog. I almost got teary eyed (even though you guys know I maintain that I am not a cry-er). I was trying to figure out how to properly thank all of you and realized I had to break my own restrictions and post here. Thanks so much for the love. I'm still trying to figure out how you guys got together to do it from all different time zones. You are amazing. Half of the time I always thought I was blogging and yammering to myself but in reality you were all following so faithfully daily. I'm really lucky to have you guys.

Still in that blog kick and just saw this and needed to post it. Sesame Street's Old Spice parody: Grover in Smell Like A Monster. [Source: Just Jared > Popeater]


What am I doing? This is horrible! I am not supposed to be blogging. Habits die hard, eh? Okay. See you guys on Saturday for real this time.

Currently listening to (and dedicated to you guys): Thank You for Being a Friend (live) - Andrew Gold

See You in Another Life, Blog-a

(post for Monday)
Hi dear readers,
It is really hard to go cold turkey, and I am horrible at goodbyes. So I have decided that, while I may not be posting daily anymore, I will still be blogging, but this time once a week - every Saturday - at least for two more months until December 11th. That way I can keep in touch (indirectly) with you guys and still keep my health intact at the same time. Think of it sort of as a run down of the week's events.

A non-daily blog may be less easy to follow routinely so I understand and no hard feelings if you stop reading. But hopefully this weekly posting will help me wean off slowly.

Thank you again, dear readers, for your support and readership over these years. It really means a lot to me! You guys rock!

See you on Saturday.

Life and Death

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone!

End of the world and expiry dates. [Source: O we trust >> Lumos Maxima]
Disconnect to Connect TVC for Dtac (Thai wireless telecommunication service) [Source: Buzzfeed]

Great until you get to the logo and branding. To me it's slightly contradictory that a telephone company is telling people to use their phones/text less, but heartwarming nonetheless and a good message that I agree with.

Kids who dress better than me: Look at these stylish kids all ready for fall/winter. Gap's Bleecker Collection.

Stop Looking at My Moms by The Astronomical Kid, about a kid chiding guys for oogling his mom. So great! [Source: Buzz Feed]


Random cute of the week: 1) Fluffy white bunny [Source: O we trust >> That Mat] and
2) Black and white photo of Toothpaste Frosting's (Catrina Dulay) cat. Queen of the House.
Futbol: The boys play Kazakhstan tomorrow. Woot! After that I'll have to wait till the end of March (when they play Kazakhstan again) to see another game.

Currently listening to: World in Front of Me - Kina Grannis and Nicht Allein - Thomas Godoj