KEEP CALM no more, it's the weekend!

ever wondered how and why the "KEEP CALM" posters suddenly began popping up all over the place in recent years, and what's the real story/origin behind its widespread popularity?

now here it is, and a very interesting one too :)
the keep calm-o-matic

and while at it, you can create your own personalised "KEEP CALM" posters too!
enjoy!

security threat by the numbers

did you know:

• online ads are 182 times more likely to deliver malicious content than pornography sites?
• ... and that online shopping is 21 times riskier than counterfeit software sites?

just some interesting snippets :)

watch Olympics 2012 sporting events - LEGO style! ;)

don't miss these amazing stop-motion videos of the Olympics 2012 events by designer Fabian Moritz... love them all! :) commissioned by The Guardian.

"animated reconstructions of the best moments of the global sport event taking place in the UK from 27 july to 12 august 2012."

women's gymnastics final

men's swimming 200 individual medley final

they even included a funny bit about Michael Phelps' 12,000 calorie diet! lol!

Usain Bolt wins gold in 100m run final

click here for the complete series (more videos).

happycall pan can bake!

yes it's true, and it works! the happycall pressure-pan bakes too, how cool! :) referencing recipes from experienced food bloggers, i made some tweaks and adjustments of my own and pulled this off...

 

 

 

 

 

the texture of the cake turned out, as the other bakers had also noticed, dryer and somewhat crumbly compared to regular oven-baked ones, but the fact that happycall can be used for baking opens up new possibilities for fun experiments in the kitchen :)

so the above was my first happycall bake - a mango upside-down cake with nuts and chocolate chips - totally random and unorthodox, but go ahead have some fun, do it whichever way you wish ;)

some inspiring recipes:

• Ellena Guan: cuisine paradise
• Sherie: maameemoomoo

just gotta love Google Olympics Doodle...

this mashable article says it all.... hehe... all you had wanted to do was to perform a simple Google search, but ended up spending much more time than you had intended, trying to get a better score! LOL. genius.

so, what is your hi-score at the Google Olympics Doodle today? ;)

 

simply brilliant!

amazing things happen every day, no doubt about that... what makes the difference is whether we slow down enough to discover and appreciate them.

stumbled upon this very simple and ordinary little idea, so impressed with it that i just have to pass it on.

an everyday object most people would have access to, with just a few clever little touches, becomes a super practical piece of storage tool :)

keeps your snacks and loose packets of chips fresh and within reach. so easy to DIY, i'd say turn it into a little weekend project with your kids.

recycling efforts don't have to be on a big scale. you can start today, right at home :) have fun... and do leave a comment with a picture of your very own "bottle cap sealer"!

jingle bells...

i love the harajuku lovers fragrances, have always loved them since i first set eyes on the original collection at a Macy's store in Seattle :) and of course, that's also the beginnings of my (evil) little collection of those cute little fragrance dolls... hehehe.

confession: after all these years, i must have a total of 6 or 8 bottles to date (a few of which were gifts) - selected ones from every single collection, as well as the special edition "Gwen-only" ones :)

yay! there's a new release from HJL, its latest but also the very last fragrance from the line. *sob sob* such a pity because it's been fun looking forward to each new release, but also a BIG sigh of relief, after all no one can go on collecting them forever, can they? ;)

i am definitely getting the 10ml (S$38) for this festive "jingle gwen" fragrance doll. i've heard from colleagues that Robinsons Singapore already has this in store, so get yours early whilst stocks last!

related posts:

• harajuku lovers - G of the sea
• Harajuku Lovers are wicked ;)
• harajuku lovers - solid perfume coffret
• i want the Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies gift set! :)

tokidoki Barbie - finally got my hands on her! :)

i finally picked this up from the post office today! thanks to a gf a. who helped facilitate the pre-order and have it re-directed all the way from the USA to me. yay! :) the official release is scheduled for a week or two later, so i'm actually one of the lucky folks who managed to get this much earlier than most other fans <3 <3 <3

tada!! my very own, limited edition, collector's tokidoki Barbie doll!!!

i just knew i wanted this the very first time i set eyes on her... what a unique piece of tokidoki art! and now it's finally in my hands, feels almost unreal, love it!

see how it all started in this earlier post.

pictures say so much more than words, so i shan't say anymore... enjoy the photos:

 

isn't she a beauty? :) i feel like a 5-year-old all over again! hehehe...

check out all those intricate little details and accessories, the super tokidoki-fied touches and Barbie's oh-so-sexy sultry look ;) aren't they amazing?

news release on tokidoki website.

absolutely tokidoki-fied! :)

i was at the STGCC (Singapore comic con) over the weekend, and so thrilled to be able to meet my idol Simone Legno again (4th year in a row!) - got his autographs on a couple more of my tokidoki items, and of course, a photograph together :) my friends said i looked like a starstruck teenager with a schoolgirl crush in my photo... LOL.. well, i have to admit i did feel quite like a 16 year old that day... hehehe.

so for the comic con, my colleague - who's well aware of my love for all things tokidoki, promised to make me some tokidoki cupcakes (one-of-a-kind) specially to commemorate the event! they turned out super duper adorable! i kept the Timidina cactus pup and the chilli ones (because i love all things spicy!) and gave the cute Adios and Ciao Ciao pair to Simone Legno when i met him at the autograph session *grin*.

so yeah.. i did the schoolgirl crush thing. LOL! ;P

 

all this tokidoki excitement has gotten me catching up on the recent tokidoki news and happenings, and... OMG! i found something that i am sooooooo definitely getting! (perhaps as an early birthday gift for myself) :)

check out the next blog entry (above) for more...

ps: while at this, be marvelled by the way awesome tokidoki art installation at K11 mall (hong kong)! how i wish i was going there sometime soon...

would you like to own a petite lap giraffe?

this is not exactly new but i've only come across a picture of the oh-so-adorable petite lap giraffe (PLG) on Facebook over the weekend via a friend of a friend's profile picture.

 

the utter cuteness and intriguing (tiny) size of the giraffe made me stop and instantly google for answers... i just had to find out for myself, whether a giraffe that tiny really exists in this world.

and here's my answer - the petite lap giraffe - nothing but another make-believe story spun off as the anchor of a viral marketing effort of DirecTV.

here are the two TV commericals that started it all (courtesy of directv on youtube):

read all about it here - Petite Lap Giraffe Story Controversy - and visit the website to see how unsuspecting audiences worldwide fell in love with the cutest little fictional creature, and fell into the marketeers' trap :) even more remarkably, there is a 24/7 live feed of the farm on the homepage, if you're lucky, you might even spot the PLG strutting around right in front of your eyes!

in today's buzzling world of social media and citizen journalism, it is getting increasingly difficult for one to differentiate between real vs. fiction. there is often controversy around such tactics and the unorthodox engagement of social media marketing. but if you asked for my take on it, i'd say that's the beauty and power of the social media today. it's the flexibility, the possibility of creating anything out-of-the-box, things so bizarre and unbelievable, and actually making it convincing and viral. the onus is on you and i, to have an open mind, to question and investigate, to understand what's real and what's not, and while at it, take time to enjoy the ride, and appreciate some of these "how does anyone come up with something like this" kind of strange ideas and marvels :)

enjoy! and perhaps indulge in the thought that somewhere out there, in some far far away land, there could really be a colony of petite lap giraffes, yet unknown to the rest of the world...

if you don't have a basketball court near you...

... just bring one right into your office! :)
simply no better way to practise your three-pointer shoots without even having to move your bum.. LOL.

btw, if you remember this older post...
now that we have upgraded to a new office, surely the old 'basketball court' needs an upgrade too, right? ;)

mille crepes cake - mini teddy bear version :)

i made a mille crepes cake over the long weekend again.

i was quite pleased with my first attempt at making the cake but there's definitely room for improvement, so this time i just wanted to make the crepes thinner and try the blow torch caramalised-sugar top.

the cake turned out pretty decent looking, it's still chilling in the fridge right now, so i can't quite comment on the taste yet (though i suspect the pastry cream was better the first time because i didn't whip the cream long enough this round so the consistency is a tad bit runnier)... oh well, that leaves room for a third attempt in the near future ;)

anyway, because i had made such a conscious effort to keep each and every crepe real thin and even this time, i actually ended up with some leftover batter after painstakingly completing 20 pieces of crepes (notable improvement considering i only made it to 17 layers the previous time before my batter ran out.. hehehe).

so, what good would some remaining 4 - 5 spoonfuls of crepe batter make?

i pondered for a moment... and this was what became of it *smile*..

tada! meet my special edition teddy bear mille crepes mini! :D

so cute, isn't it? hehehe.

i was able to use the last drops of batter to create 3 full-size crepes, then carefully etched out 20 identical teddy bears with the cookie cutter, and sandwiched each between a layer of the vanilla-baileys pastry cream, topped with sugar and blow torched (like creme brulee). small as it is, this sure is a complete mille crepes cake on its own too, not even a single layer short ;)

i'm not sure if i will go all out to make plenty of minis the next time, it's simply too time-consuming and exhausting. but i might have fun with a few other different cookie cutters if i have some leftover batter again the next time. so stay tuned...

my office became a 'crime scene' this morning...

lol.

oh my, i so love the crazy bunch sometimes. i mean, where else would you find people who play pranks like these on... their boss? (he actually thought it's very cool and even posed as CSI Horatio with a 'live victim' lol).

my colleagues are really good with 'art installations' around the office... hehe ;)
take a look at what they had done to me sometime back.

see the world through Barbie's eyes (or chest) :P

toys nowadays are really changing so quickly to catch up with the times. meet VideoGirl, this very cool Barbie doll released earlier in July this year - she's a doll and a video camera at the same time! makes me wonder what's the age of the youngest film-maker on youtube now :)

anyway, as with all things, with the good stuff.. comes some bad stuff too.
check this out too: FBI warns Barbie doll could be used for child porn

next stop - mega zip @ sentosa singapore

people who know me usually wouldn't associate me with the outdoor, adventurous kind, and they're right. i'm quite conservative and am generally happy staying within my comfort zone most of the time. but that doesn't mean i don't like to try new things, i do! and i also enjoy an adventure or two every now and then - be it new food, explore a new place / city, attempt a new activity or a new experience... i guess it depends on who i'm doing all that with :)

two weekends ago, i tried the forest adventure @ bedok reservoir park and enjoyed myself more than i'd expected. it was not entirely an easy breezy course for me, but i guess that makes it all the more exciting. and now that i've tried my first 'flying fox' adventure here in singapore, i'm actually craving for more *smile* - so this is what i would love to do next...

(courtesy of MegaZipAdventurePark on youtube)

check out the megazip adventure park @ sentosa singapore.
i've heard of this when we're planning for the forest adventure earlier, but haven't actually checked out the site until i received an email mailer two days ago. whoa! this looks like a lot more challenging and exciting than forest adventure. there seems to be only one 'flying fox' (they call it the MegaZip) but from the pictures, it looks much higher (75m high), steeper and further (450m long) than the one at the bedok reservoir park! it goes across the Imbiah Walk, pass the Siloso Beach, all the way over the water, finally landing on an offshore smaller isle. so cool!

the forest adventure @ bedok is a complete outward-bound-type course that incorporates 3 - 4 'flying fox' rides within it, like a combination of activities that you can find at megazip. whereas the MegaZip @ sentosa is one single ride on a longer and probably more exhilarating 'flying fox' journey across the zip wire. they do have other activities such as the ClimbMax, ParaJump, NorthFace but can be done as a combo package or separately on its own. everything looks really fun and hugely challenging (at least to me), i'm sure this will be a big hit with extreme sports lovers. i've experience something similar to the ParaJump at the forest adventure, and it sure was the most dreadful part for me. lol... i hate the part where you step off the platform and just jump into thin air, but it's also the part where i felt the most accomplished after :) so i'm very certain ParaJump will be a 'killer' activity for me, one that will so tempt me and yet repulse me at the same time.

i haven't actually set a date or make plans to do this yet... still looking for the right friends to try it together. but this is a definite to-do on my list. if not everything (i'm not sure if i'm fit enough to conquer NorthFace), at least MegaZip and ParaJump, and perhaps ClimbMax too, if i feel confident enough *adrenaline rush*... woohoo!

• what: megazip adventure park
  
• where: imbiah bill, sentosa
  
• prices:
  - (MegaZip) S$29 per flight
  - (ClimbMax) S$24 per circuit
  - (ParaJump) S$12 per suicide jump
  - (NorthFace) S$20 per climb
  - (Combos) S$49 - S$69 for combination of activities
  
• URL: www.megazip.com.sg
  
• see what you're in for (virtual tour)
  

CSI: the experience @ singapore science centre

ooh.. i'm really keen on going for this one.
anyone else interested in being a CSI agent for a day? ;)


what: 'CSI: the experience' exhibition
where: science centre singapore - 15 science centre road, singapore 609081
when: (from 16 october 2010) tuesdays to sundays, 10am - 6pm, closed on mondays and public holidays
URL: http://singapore.csiexhibit.com

mila's daydreams..

once in a while, you come across a blog that you really like.
and then once in a while, you come across a blog that you simply love.
THIS is one of them :)

i super uber adore this blog - Mila's daydreams. reading it makes me smile.

"This is my maternity leave hobby. While my baby is taking her nap, I try to imagine her dream and capture it." ~ Adele Enersen

such creativity, beauty and sheer ingenuity... a very special and sweet activity between a mum and a newborn daughter; a cute, meaningful way to document the baby's growth through the days/months as well. i'm sure this would make a lovely keepsake for everyone in the family for many years to come, even for Mila herself when she grows up.

i wonder if Mila sleeps soundly through it all as her mum goes about building 'dreams' around her *smile*.

thanks to Davis who shared this in email - her eldest daughter happens to be named Mila too :)

coca-cola on the go...

i'm not a coke fan, but i know many friends who are. i'm like an old auntie.. hehe, my favourite drink is hot milk tea, and i seldom or almost never take cold drinks, especially the carbonated ones. nonetheless, that didn't stop me from bagging a set of these coca-cola cuties the moment i saw them at the store! ok, i don't use 4 lip balms/gloss at the same time - the regular coke set is a surprise gift for a gf, mine's the vanilla lip balm *slurp.. yummy* (it smells and even tastes a little like the real thing!)

i've always read of lip smacker and their wide range of very interesting co-branded and food/drink-flavoured lip products online, but sadly they're just hardly available here in Singapore. in recent years, thanks to globalisation, expanding retail giants and even the more enterprising smaller blogshops, we're now beginning to find more exciting, cutesy merchandises on our tiny little island too :) besides the regular coca-cola and vanilla coke flavours, i also spotted sprite, fanta - strawberry, orange & grape too! such lovely collectibles.. hurry, go grab yours today before they're all gone!

available at Guardian Pharmacy at the following prices:

• regular lip balm (S$4.90)
• clear lip gloss (S$6.90)
• roller-ball lip gloss (S$7.90)
• packaged set of all 3 lip items (S$15.90)

i hope they'll bring in the lip smacker paul frank lip balms set too.. way toooooooo adorable! (don't ask me how i'll ever get to finish my lip balms) :P

this July, be pretty in Paris with Chelsea and stila!

following up on my post in June about stila's 'wish you were here' U.S.A. road trip... here's the second part of the road trip - this time to romantic Paris, with virtual girl Chelsea! ooh la la...
this looks so pretty too! i simply love the packaging (haha.. yes, you know me) :P and what's there to resist when each adorable palette goes for only US$10.00! eeks! why oh why don't they sell this in Singapore too? *sob*

i soooooo sooooo wanna collect the ENTIRE collection of 5.
if they still have all in stocks by the time the 5th palette is released, i will so do a spree for myself ;)

next up on the road trip map in mid-August is kawaii Tokyo (Japan)! take a sneak peek here:

btw ladies, the Borderlinx Singapore 15% off shipping is still valid, all the way till 31 jul 2010. so if you like what you see, there's still time ;) simple apply discount code 440067 or 804062.

would you smile for an ice-cream? ;)

i would! :)

check out this really cool smile-activated vending machine - Share Happy Ice-Cream Machine, commissioned by Unilever.

(courtesy of LionsDailyNews2010 on youtube)

it's a very cute idea, though i doubt it'll continue to give our free ice-cream forever...
i certainly wouldn't mind smiling for a free cone or creamy scoop on a hot summer afternoon, though i'm not so sure about the uploading to Facebook part, but i guess it'll be quite funny seeing photos of grown-up men and women trying to smile as big as possible to pass the detector. lol.. cute.

also check out: Coca-Cola Happiness Machine (both developed by SapientNitro)