iPhone Repair

I decided to repair my cracked iPhone instead of buying a new one. These guys are way cool. Get a shop space at a nondescript location which is centrally located but not expensive, start a simple webpage which shows up whenever people google "iphone repair singapore" and forget about having a shop name or a signboard. Genius how they took a single product and cornered the niche market.


Other than the initial wait in the queue, these guys were efficient and professional. I wonder how they got the lobang for original iphone parts. They do a whole spectrum of repairs, from cracked screens to water damage to jailbreaking the phones. Impressed!

Address: 261 Waterloo Street, Waterloo Centre, #02-21. Take circle line alight at Bras Basah MRT. Exit Queens Street, Walk straight 100meters, Waterloo Centre is on your left. You can call Jeffrey at 9245 6545 before you go.

Tips
1. I paid $90 to replace the screen for my 3GS. I think it's more expensive for the iPhone 4 because the LCD and screen needs to be replaced together.
2. Bring cash. They don't accept cards.
3. Bring a friend or something to entertain you while you wait in queue. I was there on a Sunday afternoon and waiting time was about 45 minutes.

Ion Sky Bar and Bobby Chinn

I attended the launch party for Discovery's TLC channel on Thursday at Ion Sky. TLC is a lifestyle channel which will replace Discovery Travel & Living and it promises to be "bigger, better and bolder"… featuring new faces, new genres and new places. "TLC celebrates everyday life and special occasions by offering both new perspectives and shared experiences from real-life people in remarkable circumstances."



Ion Sky is located on levels 55 and 56 of the Orchard Residences, the highest point in Orchard Road. The view was fantastic indeed! It was kinda surreal, looking out at the night view, sipping the freely flowing bubbly and eating the delicious canapes (I am so coming back to the Salt Grill for dinner). The highlight of the evening was taking a picture with celebrity chef Bobby Chinn! Justin Quek was there too :)


I thought the event was well planned - the turnout was good and guests were kept well entertained with activities such as a lash bar, caricature drawing and tarot card readings. K and I dressed up and had our photos taken for personalized luggage tags. Lovely freebie evening!

My Sweet Family Life

So i'm again participating in the new " Sweet Life " meme brought to you by the gorgeous Melissa over at Suger Coat It. Basically Melissa wants us to celebrate the good things in life, the stuff that makes our lives worth living, and loving. This week, she wants to know about our sweet families...


 Those are my beautiful boys, who make me laugh, smile and burst with love everyday. Sometimes they make me cry  and want to tear at my hair, but isnt that part of being a family? And i've always been a believer that the bad/sad/frusturating times are there to help us appreciate all the good stuff even more. But its not just my fiance and my son that make my life sweet. No, i have to count my extended family in that aswell, with a special mention to my mum and dad... or Grandma and Poppy as they are now more frequently called.
Thats Flynn and my mum at Mayfield Gardens a few weeks ago. I think having grandkids keeps my mum young, because she spends so much time playing chasies in the garden or building block towers that she doesnt have time to ponder any " ah, i'm getting older! " thoughts. And she's always willing to help me out - whether its coming round for a visit, or taking Flynn for the afternoon so i can do something on my own, or whatever. She is one sweet Grandma. But the real sweet star in the family?

Pop. Flynn is in love with Pop, Mick admits to having a man crush on him, and i've always been a Daddys girl. My dad is the most giving person i know, whether it be time, or money, or advice... the man does it all. All the help he gives us - we, a young family, just trying to find its feet - is what helps make my life sweet. I think, without my dad especially, my life would be vastly, vastly different....

Evronians for All Seasons, part 1

Here it is: The PKalender part one.

I haven't gotten around to translating the small text on the side yet - any readers who can help me out with those?







iSheep

My current iPhone 3 is old and battered, a relic compared to the shiny iPhone 4s my friends carry around. But it has sentimental value. Unfortunately, I dropped my phone last night and the screen cracked. So much for waiting till August (iPhone 5 rumored to be released then). This warrants me to go buy a new iPhone 4 later. And to soothe my pain in losing the old phone, I decided to also buy myself the new iPad 2. Present to myself for my 三十三大寿 haha. White 32gb wifi + 3G with red leather cover - chios!



So in a matter of a few clicks I will now suddenly be the owner of both the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2. Baa...

Royal Wedding

With the Singapore election fever raging, it's no surprise anyone is hardly talking about the Royal Wedding. Personally, other than an interest in how the wedding dress looks like, I'm not too psyched about the union of Prince William and Kate Middleton either.

But I suppose there are some amongst us who are keen to watch the proceedings. BBC is showing its coverage through Starhub to viewers here in Singapore. If you want more buzz by watching it public, you can check out the following places:

1. The British Club : These guys are celebrating the event in a big way - ten days of happenings up to the event. Tomorrow they do a live screening, followed by dinner. You can choose to splurge on a 4 course dinner in the ballroom (wedding style, no less, $198+ for members, $218+ for non-members, with wine, beer and a special souvenir) OR for poorer peasants, a buffet dinner at the cafe ($68 for members, $78 for non-members). K is going for option 1 on company account, lucky him.


2. Cricket Club: From 5pm to 9pm, feast on drinks and food while watching the live broadcast. $70 for members, $100 for non-members.

To be honest, I'm sure there will be other places screening the event live without charging a fixed fee. I'm really not too fussed about where to go. It's likely I'll just watch the re-run on Saturday. So much easier when there's the option to fast forward!

Polly Dolly - Royal Wedding Bells

Ok, so its time again for the Polly Dolly challenge, brought to you by the lovely Dani at Danimezza. A few weeks ago our Pollys got married, and we created a beautiful set for our beautiful Polly brides. This time our Polly is a....
Polly Dolly - Royal Wedding Bells

I thought yellow was an appropriate colour for what should be a nice, spring wedding - but i also think yellow is quite a "casual " colour, so i've tied in the dark purple shoes and fascinator to keep everything appropriately formal for a royal wedding. I've kept the jewellery quite simple so as to not overshadowed either the dress or the fascinator, so i've gone with simple shapes in silver and amethyst. Soft make up and a classic French manicure keep everything polished. So i've got my wedding outfit - please invite me Will and Kate!

30 Days of Music - Days 11 + 12

These music posts dont seem to be getting too many comments so i feel like i'm doing them mainly for myself but anyhoo, i'll carry on... if only to prove that i can keep a theme challenge going for the required amount of time! So day 11...
Day 11 - For you, what song defines the 80's ?
Do i even have to explain this one? Title song from the biggest selling album of all time, geniusly talented ( if somewhat personally dubious ) artist....yada, yada, yada.

Day 12 - For you, what song defines the 90's ?
Because the 90's the decade i grew up, the one where i really started to love and appreciate music, where i started out a 6 yr old listening to teeny bopper pop and finished up a cranky 16 yr old girl rocking out to the Foo Fighters, Live and Silverchair.... i've had a tough time answering this one. However, i thought really hard and came up with this -

I think " All The Small Things " by Blink 182 sums the decade up for me because its kind of a middle ground between the boy band pop that i started with and the grunge/metal/rock boys i ended up with. Plus its a funny song and one that everyone at my school loved when we were in Yr 10. It might have been released in 1999 so it only just makes the 90's, but its the song that defines the decade for me...

Moo-oose

Not sure if you heard but Abercrombie & Fitch is coming to Singapore!


The brand's second Asian store (after Japan) will be at Knightsbridge (for the suaku amongst us that's the new building in Orchard opposite to Mandarin Gallery) where Topshop's largest flagship store also sits. Personally I love their cute tees and little towel dresses. Shopaholics had better walk down Orchard Road at their own risk haha. Around the corner at Orchard Building, there's also the H&M's flagship store so bring (or don't) your plastic!

Coming soon: Evronians for all seasons

Hey, guys. As you may have noticed, there wasn't any update on the 22nd, and I didn't even get around to putting a message up. Sorry about that.

I'm currently working on getting some scans done (Who knew - it's a lot more work when you have to do it yourself (and don't have easy access to a quality scanner)) for one of my prized possesions, which I've never seen scanned before.

It's an illustrated, Italian calender (or PKalendario, as it's called) featuring the Evronians all year round, with all-original art. Ever wanted to know how an Evronian celebrates Halloween? Well, you're about to find out.

Rather than hurrying to get the first part ready here and now, I'll just make sure to have the art for the first 6 months ready by Friday. (I was originally planning to do it 4 months at a time, so it evens out.

But first: Here's a sneak peek of the calender with the first month's piece of art.

I Wanna Get Naked With Gok Wan!

Ok, maybe not literally naked ( although i sure could use a makeover ). So what am i on about? The gorgeous Dani over at Danimezza was lucky enough to not only meet but interview the fabulous Mr Wan, and she wants to share a special part of that with her readers - by giving away a copy Gok's latest book, " Through Thick and Thin ". To enter Dani's competition, we need to make a " positive body image " kind of post, and share our favourite body part with the world... and for me that part is this:
Yep, those are my shoulders right there. I have to say looking at them in a plain old photo they dont really look anything special but i really do like them. My shoulders and upper arms are quite toned, and have stayed that way even through pregnancy and weight ups and downs. As you can see, i have two small crows tattooed on my shoulders, and though some people think tattoos on women look cheap and nasty, i think mine only add to my shoulder-love. The tattoos, being crows ( who in various mythologies carry or protect the souls of the dead ) represent two people i have lost in my life, and i think they add a sexiness to my already nice shape. Its the same thing with my upper arms:
I love how toned they look in strapless dresses or singlets ( thanks a great weights routine pre-baby, and lugging said baby around since... ) and i love this tattoo. Its Chinese script and it roughly translates to " have faith in yourself ". Its there as an everyday reminder to never fall back into the black hole of depression, and to trust that i can do whatever i put my mind to.
So, to summarise ... Toned + Meaningful Tatoos = Sexy = Body Lovin'!

30 Days of Music - Day 10

Ok - todays prompt for the 30 Days of Music challenge is kind of hard.
Day 10 - For you, what song defines the 70's ?
Well, for someone who wasnt born until 1984 its kind of difficult to judge what defines an era i didnt live through. I really only have my parents album collection and the soundtrack of movies set in that decade to go off ( and, you know, what i know of history and what not ). So, with all that in mind, i'm going with this song...
Oh yea - " Rock and Roll All Nite " by Kiss!  There were so many genres of music prominent in the 70's so i went with Kiss because they were a little bit glam, a great big chunk of rock and had those amazing costumes that incorporated 70's fashion. I also think this song defines the decade where the focus moved away ( a little ) from the protesting of the late 60's/early 70's and onto more of a crumbling of those stifling societal expectations. You know, less of the traditions of the 50's and 60's and more of the " me, me, me! " attitude that would filter on into the 80's...
Ok, yep, kind of deep for a music post, but there you go. Thats my song. Play the video, turn your speakers up all the way, and rock on people!

30 Days of Music - Days 8 + 9

Another combination post, because yesterday being Easter Sunday i was a bit busy doing other stuff, and i just couldnt bothered trawling through YouTube when i finally did get a chance to sit down. But i digress - where am i up to? Oh yea, days 8 and 9 of the 30 Days of Music challenge. So wheres the music?
Day 8 - Whats the last song you listened to?
Thanks to Mick, the last song i listened to was " Need You Now " by Lady Antebellum. He was playing it on his phone while i ate my breakfast. If it weren't for him i would have had to have found a video for Josh Groban's version of " Crying " ( originally by Roy Orbison ) because thats the last thing i heard on the radio. I dont mind Josh Groban but i didnt like his interpretation, so i'm glad i got to go with Lady Antebellum instead!

Day 9 - Whats the earliest song you can remember from your childhood?
When i try and think back to music in my early childhood i remember roadtrips to the beach at Nelson Bay, around 4 and half hrs drive away - which means we needed a lot of music to get us through the trip. It was the late 80's but my mum and dad were teenagers in the 70's so we got a bit of AC/DC, a dose of Dr Hook...and a lot of The Eagles. And the one Eagles song that sticks out in my mind?
Oh yea, " Hotel California " - how many times i did hear this song on family holidays? Luckily its a fantastic song that i really enjoy, even to this day. If it comes on the radio while i'm in the car, i'll turn it up and sing along to the words i know. The Eagles rock!

Kallang - Tanjong Rhu Run

Watching reruns of American Idol on the hamster mill are fine on weekdays but weekends, I like to run outdoors. I read this article a while ago and have been meaning to check out the recommended routes.

I'd normally just head to the old Kallang track to jog whilst watching cute caucasian kids attend overpriced soccer classes but today, I decided to try something different. The recommended Kallang - Tanjong Rhu route is literally in my backyard lor.

Weather was excellent and it was a nice run, with scenic views of the river and families having picnics (go figure) and flying kites. I simply walked from home to the Macs near the stadium and started running along Kampong Arang road, Tanjong Rhu Road, turning into Tanjong Rhu Place, going further out to the riverside and making a loop right beside the river. Thankfully they cleaned up the river, no bad smells! 5km was just nice as my muscles were still aching from the workout yesterday.

Happy Easter everyone!

My Sweet Life

So ... the wonderful Melissa over at Suger Coat It has decided that being postive and positively loving your life is the way to go. Your sweet life, as it were. And what she wants us to do is start celebrating our sweet lives ( if thats what we have ) by sharing with each other something that shows how sweet life is, or can be. So, in the spirit of joining in ....

He's slightly blurry cos he's running... go Flynny go!
That right there - thats a good summation of my sweet life at the moment ( minus my lovely fiance ). Thats sunshine, and the outdoors and my sweet little boy-monster. Flynn and I went on a little day trip with my parents to a 6 hectare garden two weekends ago, and although he looks rugged up in the photo ( dont you love his little jacket? ) it was a beautiful day. We strolled around in the sunshine, enjoyed the impressive manicured gardens, marvelled at the enormous house which made me feel like we were visiting Pemberley ( cue the " Pride and Prejudice " discussion... ) and laughing at Flynns crazy toddler antics.
Family, laughs and sunshine? Couldnt be sweeter than that....

Black Sheep Cafe

I wish I had taken K somewhere else for the celebratory dinner.

Food was just satisfactory and the service was really quite jialat (I'm sorry but the two indian waiters didn't seem to understand English). The only redeeming point was that the limited wine list (only 5 whites and 5 reds) was reasonably priced. Overall for a bill of $115 nett for 2 pax, I normally would not complain.

But wait. This was the highly raved about place I tried to book 3 weekends in a row and failed to get a reservation. Sheesh, we went all the way out for this? Pardon me, but it was a waste of my time.

The baked brie cheese appetizer was nice but it was salty and it took them 20 minutes to get us serving of bread. By that time we had already finished the cheese out of sheer hunger, but we gobbled the bread down anyway. We then asked for 2 more servings of bread to while the next 30 minutes away before our mains came.

Duck confit was sheer disappointment. It was dry and unflavored. The crispy pork cheeks K ordered was a tad better but it was very fatty, sigh, so much for my long gym session in the afternoon. I wanted to try the souffle but it was sold out when I ordered it at 7.30pm (?!!).

Oh well, it wouldn't have been worth the calories anyway.

30 Days of Music - Day 7

Wow - cant believe i've made it a whole week! fair enough, i've combined two days prompts a time or two but the point is i've stuck with the whole challenge thing for a week. Yay for me and my consistency! Anyhoo...
Day 7 - What song do you listen to when chilling out?

Umm, chilling out - whats that? No, seriously, when i do get a chance to chill out its usually with Mick and Flynn in the house aswell, and its usually with the tv on and a book/magazine/laptop. So i really didnt have any idea what to do for this one. And then i remember that time before i was partenered up and when i didnt have a small, demanding toddler running my house and i recalled that i quite often liked to put 5 discs in my cd player and let them spin. Sometimes i even did a theme day - like " The All Goo Goo Dolls Day " or " All Country Music, All The Way " or " All Movie Soundtracks, All The Time ". So, bearing that in mind, i decided to go with a song off a Broadway musical soundtrack, one that makes me happy and uplifted and that i like to play every New Years Eve -
" Seasons Of Love ", from the musical " Rent ", which i saw on Broadway in December of 2004 and have loved ever since. The video is actually the opening credits of the film version of the musical, so its a slightly different version to the one of my cd, but i love it just the same....

Election Fever

I love how everyone these days is talking Singapore politics.

Lucky for us, unlike some of our neighbours, we get a (relatively) balanced coverage in our local mainstream media. The people around me, at least, have also become less apolitical and appear to be taking a greater interest in issues.

After JB Jeyaretnam's downfall which likely contributed to the general negative perception of joining the opposition parties, it is heartening to see that in this GE, so many talented Singaporeans are stepping up to the task. I have genuine respect for these people. SDP's Tan Jay See and WP's Chen Show Mao look promising. This 24 year old bright spark from the NSP has also impressed me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Ju7q6rIYI

It will be a 3 way fight for Mountbatten and I am interested to see how the NSP's Jeannette Chong will fare against PAP's Lim Biow Chuan. Even more exciting will be the fight over in Aljunied and Sembawang GRC.

Who will have YOUR vote on May 7th?

30 Days of Music - Days 5 + 6

So...because yesterday was Polly Dolly day and by the time i finished putting together my set i was completely blogged out... i didnt do yesterdays " 30 Days of Music " prompt. So excuse me while i mash two days together and catch up a little, ok?
Day 5 - What song do you listen to when your sad?
The first song that came to mind for this one was Johnny Cash's version of " Hurt " ( originally by Nine Inch Nails ). And if i'm not sad enough before i even start to listent to this son, i end up in tears anyway because the combining of the pounding piano and the emotion in Johnnys voice just bring me undone. A brilliant cover by an absolutely brilliant and legendary artist....

Day 6 - What song do you listen to when your angry?
When i'm angry ( or upset/angry...whatever ) i like to either lock myself away in my room or go out for a drive and pump something loud, rockin' and vaguely metal-ish - which, since high school, has quite often been something by Linkin Park. " Hybrid Theory " was one of my favourite albums in Year 12 and i've enjoyed their stuff ever since ( even though some of the new stuff is a bit more tame than the older songs ). So i could have picked maybe 90% of the Linkin Park back catalogue to fit this category but i decided to go with " No More Sorrow " off their " Minutes To Midnight " album. Please enjoy.

Polly Dolly - Girls In Glasses

Yay - its Polly Dolly time again! And its all thanks to the wonderful Dani over at Danimezza. This week Dani has been shopping and, inspired by a great pair of spectacles she found, she'd like to know how our Polly would wear her....

Polly Dolly - Girls In Glasses

I was really happy to get to do this one - for those who dont know, i'm a dispensing optician by trade, so i spend everyday at work helping clients pick and choose the perfect pair of glasses for them. I really enjoy the fashion aspect of the job and i'm thrilled whenever someone comes in and wants to get something a bit funky, or a bit different to what theyve normally had. And i really, REALLY love selling people colour. So many people that wear glasses are in a bit of denial and just want something inconspicuous, or " plain black that will go with everything ". So i really enjoy having a client who isnt afraid of colour - like Miss Polly here. I've gone with a cute red Rayban frame, which though a very bright colour becomes practical for daily wear because of its classic shape. I've done a dressed up nightime look on the left - with the gorgeous Jason Wu dress and some great booties - and a paired down daytime look on the right, to show how one pair of great glasses can work with all kinds of looks. However ... i really do advocate an " eyewear wardrobe " ( which is easy for me to say, seeing as i work in the industry and own at least eight pairs of frames... ). If you can afford it, why not?

Shangri-La Hotel's Big 40

It just gets better and better. First, it was 38% discount off total bill, to celebrate their 38th anniversary. Then, it was 39% discount, to celebrate the 39th anniversary. This year is the 40 大寿 so from now till 31st July 2011, Shangri-La Hotel is offering 40% discount! It's true what they say, that life just gets better as you grow older hurhur.

The discount applies to The Line, Shang Palace, Nadaman, The Rose Veranda and BLU, for a maximum of 8 persons. Reservations can be made up to 40 days in advance and only online at http://dine.slsrewards.com.sg/.

Tips

1. I managed to snag a booking for 5 pax at the Line’s Thursday Seafood buffet last year and it was a fantastic deal. Originally $88++, each of us ended up paying only $63 nett – for copious amounts of fresh lobsters, oysters, prawns, crab (you get the idea) AND best of all, free flow of house wines, beer and juices! The free flow of booze only applies on Thursdays though so plan your reservation ahead of time.

2. My next target is to use the promotion to check out the degustation “Experience Menu” at BLU (original price $148++ per pax). I can’t wait! 6 courses left to the imagination of Chef Kevin Cherkas - previously from Lafite in KL, and stints at 3-Michelin stars Arzak and El Bulli. Woohoo – the gym can wait haha.

30 Days of Music - Day 4

Good morning and welcome to Day 4 in my participation in the 30 Days of Music challenge. On Day 4, i need to tell you:
What song do you play when your feeling happy?


As soon as i read this prompt, one song popped straight into my head - " All I Wana Do " by Sugarland. I get the feeling that some of you may never have heard of Sugarland ( who are great country music duo ) and this would be the part where i get to prattle on about eclectic my tastes are. That, however, shall remain to be seen with my future video choices. What i will say is this a sweet country/pop song thats fun and sexy and great for singing along ...all the things i want to do when i'm happy. Hell, i've even started playing this song when i want to GET happy - you know, like on Monday mornings on the way to work. And this song will definately be making the playlist for my wedding reception, simply because its so joyful and makes me want to get funky with my fella  ( as influenced by lyrics such as " I dont wana get baby, lets turn off the phone ... " ). What song gets you in the happy mood?

Armani's Face Fabric

I only know of Armani as a fashion brand and didn't even know they had, least of all thought of using their make-up range. Until Viv highly recommended and urged me to try their Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup. Since I was going to be at Hong Kong Airport and you have to buy something duty-free when you are at the airport, I figured I should check it out.
Wow I was impressed. This stuff turns from liquid to powder almost instantly on application and though it's light, it covers. Great that it comes with SPF as well. I have dry skin, but the sales girl says it also controls oil. I went 10 hours today and the make-up stayed on.

So the next time you are at HKIA, you know which counter to head for (the Kiehl's sales people were really rude btw).

Operation Slimdown - the " Wooty Woo! " Edition

Ok, i'm cutting to the chase here, no mucking around like usual - I'VE DONE IT!!!  Wooty woo! yes, i have reached my 10 kg goal. In fact, i've lost 10.3kg in 14 weeks. So in a little over 3 months i have achieved the goal which i gave myself 10 months to achieve ....and i'm kind of proud of that. Although i consistently lost weight every fortnight, it hasnt been super easy. The first two weeks were a little difficult - i had the occasional temptation ( like my BIL's birthday cake... ) but also just coming up with meal ideas ( especially for lunch at work ) that didnt involve any bread, rice, or pasta was a bit tricky.

And i have slipped and slid a little, in places. I'm constantly tempted by Portuguese tarts from the bakery near my work, and i will put both hands up and admit that i dont do enough exercise ( although my incidental exercise makes up for it ...a bit ). But i'm happy with the way i've done things and i'm happy with where i'm at. I have already said that i would like to push on from here - officially 67.5kgs - and get back down to at least 65kg. The smallest i've been in my adult life was 61kg and even though at the time i thought i had a rockin' bod ( which i did ) i look at pics now and think maybe i had a bit of Lollipop Head Syndrome going on ( for other examples please see Beckham, Victoria and Bosworth, Kate ). So 64/65kg might be a good medium for me...

Now that the official goal has been met " Operation Slimdown " will cease to exist in its current form. This means no fortnightly updates, and no fortnightly measurements with a tape measure ( although i will keep a constant eye on those damned scales... ). Thanks to all you regular readers and commenters for supporting me on the journey, and good luck to the rest of you who are still pushing on!

30 Days of Music - Day 3

Todays prompt:
What song has the highest play count on your iTunes?
Now, before we get to the clip, let me just say this - i dont have an iPod. I mean i do - i have a really old iPod Shuffle, one of the tiny square ones - but i dont use it. Havent used since i stopped goingt to the gym. Consequently i dont really have any playlists on our iTunes and most of the music is Micks. So what gets the most plays?
Naughty By Nature - " Holiday ". I know this one came out when i was in high school and its a great track to dance around the house to, but its definately more of a " Mick " song than it is an " Amy " song. Still, if i had an iPod i still might have this on my playlist, just for a bit of dance-y fun!

30 Days + Music = Challenge!

Alright, so i may be a little late jumping on this bandwagon but after discovering that the very funky Tutu Ames is doing a 50 day music challenge i thought " hey, thats something i'd like to get in on! " .... except that i dont think i could quite keep it up for 50 days, so i decided to go with the 30 Day Music Challenge thats being touted on Facebook ( search it... its got its own page ). I planned on starting yesterday except that i went roadtripping for the day with my parents and Flynn to a beautiful, HUGE, manicured garden ( pics and post to come! ) so today i'll be catching up with the prompts for days one and two of the challenge.

Day One: What is your favourite song right now?
Cue " Party Rock Anthem " by LMFAO -
I am just loving this song right now - it makes me wana dance, and the film clip is a total cack up! Its not a song where you have to think about the lyrics, you just listen to the beat and go with it. Its fun, and right now, fun is what i'm into...

Day Two: Song that was #1 when you were born?
Ok, when i Googled this i got some conflicting results for the week of my birth, so i went with the song that was #1 the year i was born...1984 -


I have to admit, seeing as this was released the year i was born, i hadnt really heard the original version until i heard - and loved - the remixed version used in Baz Luhrmans " Romeo and Juliet ". But, thanks to Baz, i love this one too - Prince is definately funky, and kind of edgy and just a little bit " What the?! " ... which are all the things which make this song great...

So, lets consider my blog a jukebox of my personal favourites for the next month. There will be other posts too, of course, and maybe more than one a day sometimes. If you feel like playing along, go check out the page on Facebook and getting your playlist happening!
*Edit* A couple of people mentioned they love " Purple Rain "...but that was the wrong link! It was supposed to be a video for " When Doves Cry " which means that my " Romeo and Juliet " reference now makes sense!

PKNA issue 11 - Bonus content

Alright guys, here's the update at last. I think we'll be sticking with just weekly updates for a while, so expect the next update on next Friday.

Mandatory
Stop

You’re at the bus stop and a thick mist just swallowed the shop where you just bought the latest Duck Avenger issue whole? A giant duck-shaped shadow armed like a spear-wielding barbarian passed by instead of the bus? And that shadow is being followed by a small but determined shadow, wrapped in a classic superhero cape? If your answer to all of the above was yes, then the worst is yet to come. Look behind you: the creature could be behind the stop sign. Stay calm: all the creature is doing in Duckburg is… depopulating. And don’t just say that’s it’s doing it because it loves passer-bys. And most importantly, do not misuse the X-Transformer: the controls are set on the bradionic paralyzer.


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HUNTER

Name: Urk

Activity: Hunter

Origin: Planet Earth, alternate universe

Body type: Enormous, but extraordinarily agile

Strength: Extremely superior to any human in our dimension

Look: Big, heavy, and apparently very mean

Vocal tone: Guttural

Intellect: He’s particularly sharp, with extraordinary deduction capacities

Characteristics: Determined, almost to the point of obsession. When he follows a trace, nothing can distract him, for any reason

Emotions: Limited. When he’s hunting he doesn’t let his instincts impede on rationality

Equipment: Energy spear

Goal: To return to his Earth. But only after neutralizing his prey

Catchphrase: “Urk doesn’t have friends!”

Weakness: He’s nostalgic of his village




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Synthetic biology

The Creatures

The battle between the Viking Empire and the Manitu’ people from the other side of the Atlantic is one that’s been going on for centuries. But now things are changing. Definitively.

The laboratories of Thor’s children have created a living synthetic entity capable of penetrating through the natives’ defenses.

It’s called the Creature. It has one goal: To survive, and to devour its only nutrient: Time.

Its victims, whose chronal energy is taken from them, age quickly and grow weak in the cocoons the Creature captures them in. It’s extremely hard to stop it. It’s invisible to electronic tracking devices, and impenetrable to x-rays. Its body can’t be defined. Cold obscurity kept together by neuronal reactions, it’s some kind of blob held by a net, in which floats a mobile brain, which is impossible to track.

It’s a lethal enemy that learns from its mistakes and adapts to each different situation it faces.

Its preys are kept in suspended animation in synthetic cocoons, connected to the mother Creature through a mental net. The psychic-probes inside the cocoons suck out the chronal energy out of the prisoners, depending on the needs of the Creature. It almost works the same way as spiders with insects.

On Urk’s Earth there are no effective weapons against the Creature. The energy spears are just restraining measures. The Bradionic Paralyzer of the X-transformer, on the other hand…


Polly Dolly - Wedding Belle

Time for this weeks Polly Dolly challenge - the brilliant fashion meme brought to you by the lovely Dani over at Danimezza. When i saw this weeks challenge i got just a little excited, because this week Dani wants to know what we'd wear to our....

Polly Dolly - Wedding Belle

So - i'm getting married in 6 and half months so i was a little bit enthusiastic to get in there and create this set. Seeing as i've already bought my beautiful wedding dress and the only one i could find that was similar wouldnt clip to Polyvore, i decided to do an alternate to what i'm actually wearing. That is, i've decided to style a set with a short, cocktail length dress ( instead of a full length gown ). ( Also, we are actually having a cocktail style reception, but i've gone traditional full length gown instead ). Anyhoo, it took me ages to settle on this Alexander McQueen dress, which mirrors my "real " choice in that it is also Grecian-inspired. The braided updo compliments the style of the dress and the natural toned makeup is flattering to the overall look. I've also stuck with the royal blue/yellow-gold theme we are using in November, hence the gorgeous t-bar shoes, sapphire jewellery and my dream bouquet. Throw in the perfume i will wear on the day and the song i hope to walk down the aisle to ( " Bless The Broken Road " by Rascal Flatts ) and there you go - my kind-of, sort-of almost-close-to-the-truth wedding set!

Baby Lovin'

Welcome to another Blog This! challenge...and yes, i know its been ages since i've participated in one but i thought, seeing as i'm a member of the writing staff over there, it was about time i put my hat in the ring in a challenge again. ( If you're an Australian blogger, and you dont know what Blog This! is, please go click on this linky right here and check us out - and sign up! ). This fortnights challenge is a photographic post - the Blog This! team want has gotten bit clucky and we want to see babies or kids - whether the pic is of you, your kids or some random children you borrowed off the street....



Aww.... look at that chubbins right there....aint she cute? ( The correct answer is " yes " ). Yep, that chubby cheeked little muffin there is me, Baby Amy, when i was about 6 months old. And yes, I am sitting in a flower basket, because it was the 80's and thats what Pixie Foto thought was cutting edge back then. Please not the awesomeness of my fluffy hair, my toasty home-knitted cardigan and my great big baby smile. Apparently my mum had this picture taken and entered me in a baby competition - which i did not win. But come on, look at Baby Me? How could you not vote for cheeks like that?

No update today

Real life (and a certain lack of management skills on my part) has gotten in the way a bit, so there won't be an update today. We'll hopefully be back on track by Friday, so we'll see you then. Sorry about the mess-up, and sorry that I couldn't tell you about it earlier. I had some trouble getting to a computer. (Travelling will do that to you.)

Wishful Thinking

I wish i was finding it easier to get past this.
I wish random little things didnt turn my mind to you.
I wish i didnt have to see your car driving around town, or worry about bumping into you somewhere.
I wish i'd never met you.
I wish, in my heart of hearts, that i really believed that.
I wish you hadnt made me feel so bitter. I want to be a better person than that.
I wish you hadnt lied, and kept up that lie, leading me on.
I wish you could see that thats exactly what you did, instead of denying it, and then giving me no chance of showing you evidence of the fact.
And i wish i hadnt found those photos. I simultaneously love and hate the way photos can call up memories. Memories i wish i didnt have.


I was cleaning out the bottom of Flynns wardrobe on Friday which, despite being his cupboard, is actually the storage spot for all of my old bills, correspondences and paperwork. There was plenty of crap in there that just went straight into the re-cycling bin but amongst it all i found a folder of photos of me and my ex-best friend. I wish i hadnt found them. For those of you who are new around here or those of you who missed it - my "best friend " dumped me late last year, saying she just didnt want to be friends with me anymore. There are, of course, more elaborate details to it than that ( me sending her a text announcing my pregnancy, her not speaking to me for a month or so and then saying i shouldnt be having a baby, "forgiving " each other, then me being ignored after she fell pregnant and gave birth to her own child and me expressing my disappointment and anger about it here on my blog... you know, just to name a few )but basically, in the end, it came down to the fact she didnt want to be friends with me anymore because, apparently, i'd changed. Not knowing how, or when, this change had come about she said she didnt really want to talk about it, but that the first time she noticed the so-called change and was annoyed by my behaviour was late 2008.

Stumped, i mulled things over. I pondered what i'd done, when i'd done it; i cried myself to sleep some nights and i cried in the shower most mornings for weeks on end; i talked things over, to myself, trying to figure things out. And then, after all that, i re-read through 2 years worth of emails.... and thats when i realised. She lied to me. Despite my angry and ill-thought-out blog post which was pretty much the beginning of the end ( and which i regret ), despite how angry she was at me for it and despite how many insults she threw at me, horrible characteristics she attributed to me.... SHE LIED. She lied to me for over a year and, in doing so, manipulated my feelings. She made me feel like the lowest being on the face of the earth for something as simple as a text message....BUT SHE LIED. She lead me on, and i have proof. I found it, with the photos. A copy of an email ( in regards to some advice i asked her for ), dated 25th March 2009, which ends in the following paragraph:
P.S. At the end of all this, I love that you value my opinion so much, but it IS your life and only you know how you feel so only you will know what's right. Either way I will be there for you no matter what happens. Mwah Mwah


LIAR. She said that, 5 months after i supposedly changed and offended her with my behaviour. 5 months after she realised she didnt really like me anymore. Why would she say that, if she didnt mean it? Why would she then still email me, the same old friendly chat, but deliberately go out of her way NOT to see me when she came home for the weekend? Why would she then, after " the text " and supposed forgivness, play happy friends with the rest of our peers but ignore me? Because she's a liar. And she lead me on, and manipulated me into thinking we were still close, and just waited til all that negligence and ignorance did my head in, and i made a mistake, so she could end the friendship but still be the " good guy ".

And, to be quite frank - thats not fucking fair.

Polly Dolly - In The Trenches

Welcome to the first week of the 2nd year of the Polly Dolly challenge - the brainchild ( and very big success! ) of the lovely Dani over at Danimezza. This time around, at the start of a brand new Polly year, Dani is thinking autumn fashion, and she's thinking our Polly's might need to invest in a .....

Polly Dolly - In The Trenches

Now, i already used a trench two weeks ago, in the " floral " challenge, so i had few other trench coat picks waiting in my saved items folder. I used a dress last time so this time i wanted to make my trench coat set a bit Audrey Hepburn inspired - slim fit jeans, mock turtleneck and cute flats, and incorporating this seasons neutrals to keep it all fresh. The trench itself is quite a classic cut but in a beautiful terracotta colour. And, just for a splash of colour, i've gone with a gorgeous baby blue tote, which i think works with or without the trench. A slick high pony and natural makeup finish the look off. I see Polly wearing this to the office on casual Friday - cute, comfortable and classic!

PKNA issue 11 - Angus Tales part 2







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Let Disney know that you want to see an official translation of Paperinik New Adventures – here’s how!


Disney has already shown an interest in the characters – Superduck comics are now available in the US, the UK, and Italy through Disney Digicomics! A growing archive of never-before-translated comics are now available. Here’s a brief explanation.


DigiComics for iPod
DigiComics for PSP
A bit of info

Friday Feast

Good morning and welcome to another Friday Feast. For those playing along at home ( or for those who want to ) Friday Feast is a fledgling link up ( which is so fledgling it doesnt even have a linky yet! ) where we each share a favourite recipe - sweet or savoury, dinner or dessert, budget or blue ribbon. It doesnt matter, as long as its delicious!

This week, i thought i'd go with something sweet:

Fruit and Nut Slice ( originally found in Recipes + magazine )
395g can sweetened condensed milk
125g butter, chopped
1tsp finely grated orange zest ( omit if you arent a fan of zest )
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
250g plain biscuits ( such as Arrowroots )
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 1/2 cups dried fruit of your choice
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1 1/3 cup milk chocolate melts

1. Grease 26x16cm base baking pan and line with baking paper, leaving over-hang at edges.
2. Combine condensed milk, butter zest and juice in small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until butter melts. remove from heat.
3. Process biscuits into fine crumbs. Add biscuit, coconut,dried fruit and nuts to condensed milk mixture. Stir to combine. Press and smooth into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hr.
4. Melt chocolate in microwave on medium setting in 30 second bursts, removing and stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Spread chocolate over slice to cover evenly. Let cool for 30 minutes or until chocolate is almost set, then cut into squares to serve.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've made this slice quite a few times for my mums group meet ups or morning teas, and i gave my dad the recipe so he could make morning tea for his secretaries at work, and it always gets a great reception. Its moist and a bit chewy and nice and sweet with the fruit ( i usually use dried apricot and cranberries, but you could throw in sultanas or glace cherries aswell ) and the best thing about from the cooks perspective? Its no bake! Plus, it uses ingredients that most of us would keep in our pantries, or that we might have left over from something else. Plus, it keeps for 4-5 days in the fridge - although i'm sure it will be all gone by then!

What about you? Do you have a recipe to contribute this week ? Go, do your post, and then come back and leave a link to the post in the comments!

Basilico

One last food post before I fly off to Beijing/Hong Kong for my cheenah holiday. My hungrygowhere 50%-off-buffet-dinner-for-two voucher was expiring soon so I grabbed my reliable makan buddy NDee along for a mid-week gorge. Sorry, limited pics as I was too busy stuffing my face.


It's normally $65++ for a 3-course dinner with a choice of main course and semi-buffet of (i) cold cuts, marinated seafood, salads and cheeses and (ii) desserts and gelato. 50% off with the coupon was a freaking good deal lah.


Just like during the Sunday champagne brunch last year, the cheese and condiment spread last evening was AMAZING. I was like a kid in a candy shop, spoilt for choice! So I did the logical thing. I took some of EVERYTHING. Wet cheeses - mozzarella, buffalo ricotta, burrata. Soft cheeses - ricotta (original and truffle flavoured - love). Semi/Hard cheeses - asiago, pecorina, fontina. Nuts - almonds, pistachios. Quince paste - 2 flavours. I drizzled truffle honey, lemon honey all over my cheeses - lovely!


By the time my main course of seabass came, I was stuffed! Nonetheless, the fish was good. For desserts, the glutton in me sampled the cannoli, panna cotta, fig tart and the vanilla and expresso gelato. The gelato was the best of the lot.


Burp. I still felt full this morning when I woke up. Definitely one of the better priced and quality (thumbs up) dinner buffets around. Don't miss out on the Sunday brunch too - I don't care what they say but foie gras (station) this good has to be ethical. It's $128++, worth the splurge! I so need to hit the gym later.

PKNA issue 11 - Angus Tales part 1 / Announcement

Alright, here's the update. It's going to be a two-parter this week. Scroll down for Angus Tales. But first, an announcement of sorts.

As some of you have noticed, a lot of links on this site have been dead for a while. We've lost the first few pages of a lot of issues, and if you try to access them, you just get a dead end.

Unfortunately, it's not a problem we can easily fix, as the posts in question have been removed by BlogSpot, at the request of Disney. It's a fairly automated procedure, so I don't think we'll have lawyers breathing down our necks anytime soon, but just to be on the safe side, we are NOT going to reupload the pages in question. (BlogSpot made it clear to me, in a polite yet firm automated email, that if I simply reupload everything, they might have to shut down my account.)

Obviously, this was always a risk with what we're doing, and obviously the people at Disney are entirely within their rights. We can just hope that the fact they care, means that they might be getting around to PKNA themselves at some point.

So, what does this mean for us in the future? Well, we were always intending to take a step back from PKNA after issue #11, so it doesn't change THAT much. Still, we might slow down a little in the future - especially the very near future, as we try to figure out what to do next.

I've thought about setting up a mailing list, just in case this site suddenly gets shut down. (Hey, you never know.) We might not know what we're going to do YET, but it'd be a shame if we couldn't reach you guys when we figure it out. If you'd like to be added to that kind of list, just write to birch_PKNA@yahoo.com and write 'Mailing list' in the headline.

Any questions, just ask me in the comments. We're still figuring out how to deal with this situation, so we'll see what happens.

(But, hey, maybe this will finally get us to focus on translating the special features for the first few issues. Som maybe SOME good will come out of it.)

And now: ANGUS TALES!

(Special thanks to Murray who did the translating on this one.)

Original title: cani
Writer:
Tito Faraci
Artist:
Silvia Ziche
Translator: Murray





NEXT
Go to start of this issue
Go to archives

----------------------------------

Let Disney know that you want to see an official translation of Paperinik New Adventures – here’s how!


Disney has already shown an interest in the characters – Superduck comics are now available in the US, the UK, and Italy through Disney Digicomics! A growing archive of never-before-translated comics are now available. Here’s a brief explanation.


DigiComics for iPod
DigiComics for PSP
A bit of info