Friday, January 29, 2010
Painting Rides
I dont know about the rest of the world, but I think my artistic skills are pretty insane (read: so insane you'll never understand me). But I suppose there are always people who are far more artistically gifted than I am.
There's a car design contest going on at the moment if you're inclined to that sort of thing. Its the "Paint My Ride" contest [link].
Yeap, you read right. This contest is to design an outer skin for the very sweet ride that is the Lamborghini Gallardo. Think you can do better than a plain white canvas? Go for it!
The prizes are pretty darn sweet.
Yeap, you read it right again. Winners will get cash prizes and the awesome opportunity to drive the Lamborghini Gallardo! That's enough fodder for a mass hyperventilation-session! Plus, the winning designs will be showcased on an actual Lamborghini Gallardo and displayed in some major shopping malls (totally guaranteed to get you a date).
Not only are the prizes great, all the money raised from this contest will go to charity via the NAPOOREE - Poverty Reduction Initiative [link]. The contest ends 31st March 2010. Plenty of time to get cracking!
If you're not interested in this, maybe you know a friend who is a genius at designing. Get him/her to win the prize for you instead! =P
Full details at the "Paint My Ride" contest website.
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Friday, January 22, 2010
Killing My Dreams!
[source]
WHY KILLERS??? WHY??????
22 January 2010, Singapore:
It is with great regret that The Killers have been forced to cancel their upcoming appearances in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo and Seoul due to unforeseen circumstances.
The band deeply apologizes to their fans and hopes to reschedule their shows in these cities soon."
Seriously man, I am absolutely gutted!! How long I've waited to watch The Killers in concert and buying the tickets immediately once they were available. I've been eating bread and water since then coz it was so expensive (well, to me at least).
Plus, I was planning to fly down so now I have a redundant return flight ticket to Singapore and accomodation all settled too. I'm more disappointed than angry now at the waste of money already spent.
Sigh. I suppose a holiday to Singapore has been imposed upon me.
Sigh. Been excitedly telling anyone who would listen about how awesome the concert is going to be.
Sigh. Was about to spend a happy Friday night picking out what to wear too.
Emo.
And I just changed a whole wad of cash to SGD last night too =(
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A few weeks ago, I mentioned Chris Brown's latest album "Graffiti" that was coming up for release. Well, released it has been and I've managed to snag a copy for myself to finally check out what all the hype was about!
The album cover for Graffiti. Got me a little confused there. Is that a moon? A gong to announce his new album? Or the pending Gold status his album might achieve?
With an impressive list of 13 songs (the deluxe edition has an additional 5 or 6 tracks if I'm not mistaken), Chris Brown's 3rd album effort comes right in the wake of his not-so-little incident with (now ex-girlfriend) Rihanna. Aimed as an announcement to the world and those who have judgement power over his future career (aka "his fans") that he is doing his best to put it all behind him and show us what he's learnt from it, will Graffiti do him justice?
As I've mentioned before, the album is a wide mix of musical genres and influences. It's been put together and contributed to by several producers and featured artists (Lil Wayne, anyone?) so expect abit of an audio rollercoaster ride as the CD goes from fast, to slow, to even some synth-y rock beats too.
Personally, I like the more up tempo and fast "clubb-y" tracks best because I'm not too big a fan of R&B ballads (only a rare few). So some gems on this album for me would be "I Can Transform Ya" which is kinda robotic and futuristic sounding, "I.Y.A." which has synth effects banging on your eardrums, "What I Do" (feat. Plies) which sounds like a typical hip-hop song about all the things a superstar needs and "Pass Out" (feat. Eva Simmons) which will have you head-bopping without any shame.
These songs were made with awesome music videos of Chris Brown's dancing in mind.
One of the songs, "Take My Time", has an African drum beat going on and sounds like a rather retro R&B song. Or as I like to call it "baby-making songs" =P
Lest we forget, this album is also Chris Brown's soapbox to inform us all of his regret and moving on from what he's done.
Or maybe not.
Take the song "Famous Girl" for example.
I was wrong for writing 'Disturbia'
But I meant it in 'Forever'
We were supposed to be together
And I can't let you go"
Err.. Yea. We know the certain "Famous Girl" he's talking about. It gives off the vibe of watching a couple have a very public argument (via the radio haha) and you can't believe he's saying it. Definitely had me going "Whoa.." for a minute there. It starts out like a sorry, and ends up being a little different. What is going on with these kids?? But if gossip and stories flying around will sell an album, this one definitely makes it.
If the self-pity card he's trying to play is his grand plan, it really comes full circle in "Lucky Me", which could be the weak link in the album that might turn people off. With lyrics like..
Even when my world's falling down I still wear a smile
Lucky me, even though I'm so damaged
Gotta pick myself up and perform for the crowd"
Kinda makes people feel a little hard to feel sorry for Chris Brown who sounds like he's telling us we will never understand what it feels like to be a celebrity. Not the most mature thing to do for an album that's supposed to highlight his growth as an artist.
But I suppose the epic ballad "Crawl" that's been playing on the radio will probably help keep the album afloat because it really is a pretty inspirational song that serves to remind us that Chris Brown is human afterall.
I'd say "Graffiti" would be a must-buy album for Chris Brown fans and fans of hip-hop in general. It's a great album with a few songs that it could have done without, but dont let that ruin the overall vibe for you. It's got enough songs for all moods and occassions to make up for it.
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Friday, January 15, 2010
NYX Round Two!
It seems I cant quite get enough of NYX and their ridiculously cheap, yet disgustingly moisturising lipsticks!
So a few weeks ago, I caved and ordered another batch of NYX lip stuff (read about my first batch here). I cannot explain how addictive it is. The rush of trying to find the perfect lip colour has gotten me hooked! And judging by the fact that 2 out of 3 lipsticks in my 2nd NYX haul is almost the exact same colour as some Maybelline lipsticks I already have, looks like I'll be ordering more hehe (already have).
Alright, on to my NYX Round Lipstick and Jumbo Lip Pencil swatches! All bought from Cherry Culture via sgDrugstore on Lowyat.
This time, I ordered 3 NYX Round Lipsticks in Doll, Black Cherry and Heredes.
Note of warning: The colour swatches on the NYX and Cherry Culture websites are so unreliable, its apalling and most of them look almost nothing like the real thing! Your best bet is to Google for some lipstick swatches and reviews with real-life pictures and examples so you can get a better gauge of the colours. This blog, Shimmer Kisser, has one of the most comprehensive NYX Round Lipstick swatches ever, so it's a good place to start. But she does have a lighter skintone, so please pandai2 estimate how it'll look like on you.
In natural sunlight. Still not a great picture of the true colours.
Oddly enough, when I changed the white balance in my camera to some fluorescent lighting setting, it gave me the best true-colour picture of the lipsticks!
L-R: Doll, Black Cherry, Heredes. Seriously, Black Cherry is that dark and Doll is that pink.
Anyway as earlier mentioned, both Doll and Heredes are very similar to some Maybelline lipsticks that I already have, which is quite a bummer. Surprisingly, the NYX lipsticks are more moisturising than the Maybelline one (which costs 3 times more and is some moisturising type).
Doll is a nice rosy pink that is not too dark, but not too light either (I am horrible at colour descriptions). It's a little too pink for me though, but still use-able. Heredes is a more brown shade that's a little on the orange side. As for Black Cherry, I love it! It's a dark crimson wine/berry shade. It's pretty dark and dramatic, so for night use mostly I guess. Really, the stain colour you get on your lips after you've eaten a lot of berries.
But I wouldnt know because I hate berries like a fat kid hates carrots.
NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Soft Fuschia.
I fell in love with the Jumbo Lip Pencil when I bought it in Plush Red the last time, so I decided to try it again with a more neutral shade. Soft Fuschia is sort of a pale pink/almost lilac colour that looks a tad pale on my lips, but works I guess if that's what you're going for. Again, it's really moisturising and the colour stays on quite well.
L-R: NYX Round Lipstick swatches in Doll, Black Cherry and Heredes. NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil swatch in Soft Fushcia.
Oh, anoter note: NYX Round Lipsticks have a strong waxy sort of smell about them. Might be off-putting for some, but I'm not too fussy. But why would you be going around sniffing your lipsticks anyway? Hor!
I will not rest until I have found the perfect NYX Round Lipstick colour for me!! Seems that it's much easier to fall in love with the more unique colours (e.g. solid red, crimson, etc) than finding the perfect "everyday colour" lipstick. Wish me luck!
P.S. The only reason I keep buying only lip stuff is because I dont know how to put on eye makeup at all! I only know how to use eyeliner, and that's it (badly at that)! So personally, lip colours are easier for me to use. That, and because I'm too lazy to learn how to put on eyeshadow and all that. Any volunteer teachers? =D
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Monday, January 11, 2010
Nokia X6 Is Music To My Ears
Ok, so I dont do this sort of thing often, but how much longer can I refrain myself from shouting from the rooftops how awesome Nokia is? =D
When they gave me the brand new Nokia X6-00 (32GB) Comes With Music edition!
About a week ago, I was one of the very privileged few to attend a special session (thanks Text 100) where they explained to us how Nokia's latest music platform, the Nokia Ovi Player, works.
I'm terrible at explaining tech-y stuff, but basically "Comes With Music" means that the X6 gives the user a special code that allows them unlimited music downloads, for FREE, for 12 months from the Nokia Music Store in its 32GB internal memory capacity! An all-you-can-eat song buffet for an entire year. All completely legal, so you can sleep soundly at night knowing that Adam Lambert is now able to afford more eyeliner thanks to you.
They've got all the major music labels like Sony Music, Universal and even some indie labels. Also there are a ton of genres from Rock, Pop, Children and ye olde fave - Bollywood *jingle*
Very excited about getting this new phone (even more so when I just *coughs* won *coughs* an N97 Mini just over a month ago).
Front & back of the box, for people who like to know this sort of thing.
The Nokia X6 in my hand. Hehe.
Its pretty light, feels kinda plastic-y but not too flimsy, and is easy on the eye. Its a full touch-screen (scratch-resistant glass) phone that responds pretty well. But its the sort where.. How do I explain this.. You have to use your finger pad to touch and slide around. It wont respond to your fingernail (ala iPhone and my N97 Mini), hence a stylus wont work on this phone either.
Some display specs:
There is also a dedicated Media key at the top right of the screen (next to the NOKIA word) which has convenient shortcuts to my Music, Gallery, Share Online feature, Video Centre and Web Browser. So no need to go poking around the menu and waste precious music time.
Other than reporting that the touch-screen works, that's about it for this bit.
Back of the Nokia X6.
Now where the front part is all shine and gloss, the back part of the X6 is a plastic casing (in my model, white) with the 5MP camera (Carl Zeiss optics yo) sitting at the usual spot.
Those 2 small lines/gaps at the side of the phone are the stereo speakers (this is a music phone afterall). Sound quality is pretty good as expected, though it of course also depends on the quality of the music you're listening to (i.e. Miley Cyrus will still sound like a dying pack of hyenas).
The Nokia X6 also comes with some extra goodies that are pretty nifty.
Like this sexy black cloth pouch!!
Which of course encased within is..
A Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-500). Phwoar.
Which unfolds to this! Sweet.
Also, the X6 came with this adorable handphone-accessory guitar in blue and pink stripes (which seem to be a common factor in their music phones).
The downside about "Comes With Music" is that the songs you download are only limited to 1 device, that can only be switched once every 3 months. Not exactly too sure what the term is, but if you move the songs to another MP3 player or something, you wont be able to listen to it. Bummer. But, the X6 is a pretty good phone, so I dont think people will be changing it too often anyway.
Still cant believe I have a new handphone =P
Apparently everyone else who received the phone is on a massive downloading spree. Cant wait to do the same!
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Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Resolution Shop-Lifter
Because like any good Stepford Wife knows, flowers are the secret to brightening up dull, dreary places.
Ahoy there 2010! I feel like a bit of an underachieving loser for not having a lot (or if any) new year resolutions. I dont think I made any last year, and I'm pretty glad I didnt (though it does reek of lack of ambition, low expectations, general laziness and all that positive attitude babble) because I wasnt too disappointed with how the year turned out anyway.
Anyway, reading everyone else's resolutions and do's for 2010 is pretty darn intimidating, which is enough to put me off the idea of making my own resolutions because it totally pales in comparison with world domination or saving a third-world nation from a plague of lions or something.
So I've been doing 2010 new year resolutions shopping by hopping around various blogs and picking off bits and pieces of other people's resolutions that I like (and was too lazy to come up with), looking over their public shoulder of goals and committing them to memory for my own personal achievement. Yes, quite exciting and sad at the same time because a lot of people seem to be able to come up with things I never would have thought of.
To those whom I have stolen resolutions from, thank you for doing my grunt work. If one day you wake up to find that I have achieved something from your last post of 2009/first post of 2010, well, then now you'll know why ;)
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