Last Hurrah

This post is going to be a flagrant violation of my adversity to self-praise but here we go. I will try to keep this short and sweet but since when was that possible when self-adulation and grades were concerned? This will nevertheless be an attempt at braving the odds.

1) Typically, my proudest moment of blogging isn't my soundest. It happened when I taught myself how to embed swf videos into a blog post- which isn't exactly rocket science but still an accomplishment for my usual 'only Youtube' style. Also I should think there is no greater pride than finding out something for oneself, is there?

2) I've also discovered the wonders of StumbleUpon which has dismayed many a prof who have found me stifling giggles during classes. Very naughty of me but oh, how it has fed my unexplained predilection for funny cat videos, pandas and strange sex stories. On a less inappropriate note it has hopefully contributed to my readership here as I have audaciously StumbleUpon-ed myself on my main page and on several individual posts. I consider that another of my finest moments as a blogger.

3) Twitter has been another outlet for this newly embraced exhibitionist side of me. I am one of those who for no rhyme or reason, records insignificant nuggets of information about my life every other hour. To be honest, while Twitter may be a great tool for sharing information, it's also extremely functional for casual bloggers who have contracted Facebook's 'what are you thinking' bug. Moreover I believe my friends would be more interested in tweets on last night's shenanigans than practical newscasts. But to each his own! Twitter serves the masses. Despite my fandom, I must point out that the most recent anti-Twitter viral video is brilliant. Watch this mockumentary by SlateV: Flutter.



Sorry to interrupt my flowing prose, but I couldn't resist posting that.

4) Readership is over 600 after less than 3 months of blogging, averaging 12 per day. Well, according to Blogcounter at least. Here's some evidence for the unbelieving reader. I didn't fake the numbers - I don't know how to!

5) Finally, I think I've managed to complete this requirement by fulfilling my penchant for less traditional talking-points, stimulating some conversation, doing some creative writing that isn't for once, confined to a Word document or an online forum and airing my views while at it. I've always been techy to some extent- learning the ins and outs of html was tedious but fed my OCD when it came to centralizing a webpage, so this was fun. I'm glad I learned along the way, whether the lessons had to do with my topic of choice or with social media in general. It has been an interesting ride, from weird food/animals to hyper breast implants and getting publicity from my World Wide Rave post. Hopefully I haven't offended anyone too seriously with the occasional raunchy and snarky undertones in my posts but even if I have, thanks for contributing to the numbers anyway. For those who found this entertaining, good on you for your sense of humour and passion for e-curios.

NHS wins coolest health care system award.

I've been writing or rather, trying to write a paper on the politics of health care provision. In so doing I've come across this great video by the NHS on the 'essential use of condom wear'. Titled 'beer goggles', the message I'm getting is that too much alcohol blurs your vision, thus leading to casual sex with unattractive women... thus one should use condoms just in case this leads to undesirable genetics? You know, the more I blog, the more I realize how viral ads might not actually be the best form of conveying a message as I anticipated it to be, in terms of message richness and 'readability' in corp comms talkspeak. Here's the fun ad! I'm not sure why it struck me as bizarre but it might have been the facial acrobatics the fat lady is attempting.



Admittedly this ad does add value to NHS nonetheless! Apart from disparaging its distribution system (my money=bum on the bench's medical benefits), it makes me think of it more fondly. Naturally this is no comparison at all to the MOH's advertising methods... wait, are there any?

By the way ripping off the Youtube embed link for an SWF video upload into blogger is way more efficient- and I must say, smarter, than copying it into Photobucket or Google pages (that by the way is pretty much defunct) that I'm-all-that techies have been writing about all over the Internet. Yes, I am shamelessly showcasing my indubitable talent for amateur blogging, so sue me.

Doctor, doctor.

Wow this is weird. An ad by Treximet which is the equivalent of our Panadol:


I don't think 'holding my head in my hands' has ever been so literally illustrated before. Don't think this ad would soothe any headache I had.

The following is kind of irrelevant but I should think, interesting, for those into branding, semiotics, social networks etc.- which was what really got me interested in advertising and subsequently my internship last summer, in the first place. Anyway for those who want to , check it out.

Culture Networks (Lecture)

View more presentations from Tim Stock.

All the above is from Brandnoise.

Tech tip for the freak

I've always hated the 'man vs. machine' theme that began with 1984, and 'man = machine' doesn't sit well with me either.

Recently Jerry Jalava from Finland lost a finger in an accident. Being a computer programmer I guess he was being opportunistic when he replaced it with an prosthetic finger that had a USB drive attached. He 'uses the 2GB memory stick, accessed by peeling back the "nail", to store photos, movies and programmes'. While that might make most SMU students drool, it really does not turn me on!

Read more about the 'finger drive' here.

Two scoops please!

Am flailing in an essay cesspool, so I decided to go looking for an e-pick-me-up by researching something that is representative of all things beautiful. Ice Cream! Except that throwing in 'weird' before the phrase kind of skews thing a little.



Photo Credit: Who Sucks

The Japs have come up with ice-cream in Fish, Octopus, Squid and Ox Tongue flavours (including horsemeat and many more). How about that to whet your tastebuds?

Sheepvertising

Check out Samsung advertising their LED technology with LED-lit sheep!

"More than a million internet users have watched the viral video in the four days since it was released online.

The 200 second ad also sees the creatures manoeuvred into position to create a giant sheep and even has them creating the Mona Lisa with the various coloured LEDs on their back." - Telegraph UK

What are they going to make animals do next?!?! But yes, pretty cool.

That's not very nice!

Gizmodo: How to shame one into going to the gym.

If SBS did this, they'd lose money, considering how weight-conscious Singaporeans are. Wouldn't this encourage anorexia and lower national self-esteem? Although this would probably make for a successful business collaboration between Slim 10 and the public transport system.

This is what it's like to be different.

This is the shih-tzu poodle and a Black Lab-Daschshund.



Forget about them, though. Check out the long-haired donkey and the unnamed... thing.



From F*** You Penguin (excuse my french- not my fault!)

Vamp it down!

First there was Dracula, then there was Buffy the sexy vampire. I vaguely remember reading Christopher Pike's series, The Last Vampire, in between- slightly sordid and disturbingly salacious children's fiction that I gobbled up with naughty pubescent curiosity. Then came the unstoppable proliferation of vampires from movies like Blade to recent tv series True Blood, and then Twilight came along. The books are shit, the movie's average, and now it's just become plain obnoxious as it takes over jewellery lines and fashion shows with comicon-lookalikes, turning fashion shows into total bloodbaths.

Picture credits: Trendhunter

Ad-dict

Advertising tools of today: the dead, or the KAWAII!!!

Apparently advertisers are sick of sex scandals, druggies and wifebeaters (i.e. Chris Brown) tarnishing their ad campaigns, and have decided to turn to the dead. After all, “You’re not going to catch Elvis in a sex scandal, or Albert Einstein’s not going to hit his girlfriend.” -Trendhunter

In my opinion, however, that might not work so well with everyone- as Anna Nicole Smith exemplifies.

A safer bet would be the KAWAII. It's been found that people turn to The Cute during hard times. This phenomenon has also been digitalized through the Internet, as the increasing number of websites like Cute Overload have evidenced. Check out this tv ad and the Michelin Baby:

Trends via TrendHunter.com.

From Trendhunter

I genuinely think he looks way more appealing that that freaky tyre dude they usually employ. Although is that a 'he'? Hmmm. Well, you can't go wrong with fat babies and rodents/household pets I guess.

Hungry?

This space has been pretty quiet the past week, as it's been inundated with paper after paper that has drained me, spent me and shot my stress level to hell. And there is only more to look forward to! But before I'm rained down by another essay avalanche here's what people have been getting up to.

I love the Guinness World Records- it AMAZES me. Here's an update on Uribe, the fattest man in the world.

He's spent 6 years lying in bed, immobile. Finally getting tired of his sedentary lifestyle, he hollered out for some new wheels so he could see the world. Now, he's gotten custom fixtures added to his van to support his record-breaking weight, converting it into some kind of 'an open-air, flatbed pickup of sorts', so he can finally roll out and lounge outside of his 'remodeled garage that now include(s) a forklift to help raise his regular bed up to the level of his car bed, allowing him to switch locations from time to time'. Isn't that inspiring!!! He should totally get an episode on Pimp my ride!

Time recently posted an article that might appeal to you, if you're into weird aesthetics when it comes to food. The following images are of the Modern Toilet, an increasingly popular taiwanese food chain, where they have installed poop-shaped lights and dish covers and the curry on toilet-shaped plates in their restaurants. Personally I can think of one person - my friend M, who might appreciate this!



photo credits: Fun fever and Time

Though hardly as gross as Japan's newest shit-for-food fad (could only find a forum conversation- guess it advertises by word of mouth!), it still makes me wonder how these places actually gain popularity. Have people really run out of ideas, to the extent where they have to resort to such disturbing business innovations? I'm pretty old school myself, I like my plates and food-shaped food!

Uggs-factor

The Internet keeps churning out weirder and weirder stuff. At the rate I'm finding stuff like this, I'm starting to worry more and more about the global state of the normalcy.

Either I am utterly incompetent at identifying state-of-the-art footwear that I ought to be willing to sell my life for, or this is just... YUCK. Via Jak&Jill

In my search for the latest trends, this is what I find. I repeat... WORRYING.


Via Style and Movement

Is Ugly the new Beautiful? Somewhat unsurprisingly, there's a burgeoning industry for Ugly Models. Check it out if you need some pocket money.

The following post is dedicated to J, who I know will appreciate it best. Although I also hope it will not inspire an experiment in her maternal future.

And this is just hilarious. 1) BAD PARENTING! Ever heard of a potty? 2) What's this doing on the Internet when said bad parent should be hauling the kid out instead of snapping this kodak moment? 3) I hope nobody tried flushing. Via Dave's Daily

?!!?!

This is bizarre. My blog's blanked on me!

Yetis and microwaves

What is up with people and shaving?

Get some action here at Shave My Yeti!

No, I do not google 'shaving' on a regular basis. I don't have to find them- they find me!

And here's a semi rip-off of Mythbusters. Ever wonder what happens if you microwave ketchup packets? Or a football? They show you!

Don't try it at home.

OMNOMNOM!

Night-time hunger inspired the virtual hunt for some vicarious satisfaction. As usual, online expeditions are hardly ever predictable, as I found This Is Why You're Fat.

This is some extreme food blogging goin' on!


Meet the Hamdog and the Brick of Cheese


The Waffle Couch and the Mega Double Stuffed Oreo.

Now, I normally have a pretty high tolerance for gross food. Instead of nauseating me, Super Size Me made me crave McDonald's. Unlike typical Singaporean Twiggy extremists, I embrace the latest Mega Mac additions to the menu. Those cheapskates really should have 50 instead of 20-piece nugget sets! Even when I'm full, I consider finishing a Carl's Jr burger my sacred duty. Buffets? Hallelujah! But I have met my match. This is gross.

There's no aesthetic beauty to it! There is such a thing as quantity-control. And (I can't believe I'm saying this, oh sacrilege!) but that is just way too much cheese.

Ads these days!!!

Trends via TrendHunter.com.

For the uninitiated, the above is an ad by Durex. It contains three delightful bunnies painted in orange, blue and sweet pink, doing it like they do it on the discovery channel. Well, in slightly more variation perhaps.

Being cute, entertaining and potentially sexual fodder for the disturbed isn't what the video's all about. It's yet another safe sex-ed ad on essential condom use. Unfortunately, its meaning didn't really sink in till I read the explanatory text that came after. And that was only until I distributed the video, laughed about it, watched it again, laughed at it again, then scrolled down to the considerably less charming chunk of a paragraph below.

Recently, discussions have been broached on the efficacy of Social Media in message communication. This case study proves that desired cogency is hardly always the end result. And isn't it sad that some people are just too stupid to understand the importance of contraception?

On a lighter note, aren't sexverts great?

Check out a Trojan ad and where it all began. In the '70s.

Harsh, much?

Finding a suitable present for someone is often a great bane. This is usually the case when you're looking for something for a favourite person, where it has to be just perfect. But what about that one person you dislike and just needs to know? Inventorspot has the ideal solution!

"Ever been so mad at someone that not giving them a gift seems to be an understatement? They might just think you forgot or couldn't afford to get them something. No, nothing says you intentionally left them out like the gift of nothing. Show them exactly how much they mean to you, give them the gift of nothing." - Inventorspot

While most of us would probably not bother at all, this is for the person who really needs to get the point across. Truly, an effective form of communication!


Get one here!

World Wide Rave, Newton Singapore

Cheryl and I took part in a World Wide Rave, a viral marketing tool that's being used by David Meerman Scott to generate global online buzz for his new book, also entitled World Wide Rave. Read more about it here!

In keeping with Singapore's famous tastebuds, we decided to bring the WWR poster to Singapore's most popular food haunt, Newton Food Centre, famed far and wide for its smorgasmic food and notorious for its tourist-poaching stall owners.

As this week marks the 15 days of Chinese New Year, our visit to Newton FC didn't just assault us with the overwhelming fragrance of local fare but also pretty much destroyed our eardrums with the loud clanging and banging of a Lion Dance troupe that gallivanted among bemused locals and enraptured tourists. Although the lion was much too frisky for us to photograph, we were able to pounce on the stately god who presided over the glorious event.

As we shoved our way through the crowds searching furtively for an empty table that wasn't 'choped' (reserved) by a pack of tissue paper, we ran into flaxen-haired Prof Menkhoff, resident professor at our beloved SMU, with a table laden heavy with local hawker fare and Tiger beer. This is testament to the nature of Singapore, where you're bound to meet familiar faces wherever you go, especially where food can be found.

After a long and tiring sojourn amidst squabbling children, pesky stall owners and vicious, shoving table-hunters, we fell upon a vacated table that sat squarely in front of one of our favourite stalls, where we posed gleefully with the 'aunty' who runs her seafood stall with an iron fist and magnificent beehive, where both known and unknown creatures reside.

We set out with the intention of grabbing a single all-encompassing photo, and returned with an entire storyboard of events! We hope this project-turned-food-adventure illustrates the hotpot of culture Singapore's so proud of.






Credits to Trina for the photos!

So wrong it's right?

I generally adore fashion that is markedly unique, but where's this hoof rage coming from? I mean, really?



Photo credits: Wornthrough and Jak&Jill

Call me old-fashioned but I'll stick to my Louboutins (when I can afford them). This is way too fierce for me.

Edit 12.02.09:

They really are taking over the world!

Just when you thought you'd seen it all

The Star reports:

A 16-year-old student went to a job interview instead of the hospital after he and a schoolmate were stabbed yesterday.

With the economic crisis and all, that's a novel way of impressing your future employer.

Either that or with these!


Model-actress (don't know what kind of actress- don't really want to know!) Sheyla Hershey wasn't satisfied after 8 surgeries and 1 gallon of silicone.

Her British ex-boyfriend started paying for her plastic surgery, but she left him after he begged her to stop.

She said: “I loved him very much but I had to leave him to follow my dream.”

Her dream? 38KKK record-breaking boobs. Don't we all feel inadequate now? Or perhaps 'frightened' would fit the bill a bit better.

Not for the faint-hearted.

Japanese culture has always been of personal interest, with its beginnings in popular fiction by authors such as Natsuo Kirino and Ryu Murakami. They tend towards darker plotlines that explore the taboo and sometimes even the grotesque. Disturbing, perhaps. But forbidden fruit is often the most exciting to plant your teeth into. Plus, my penchant for the odd and bizarre genre doesn't help.

It was of great interest then, when a recent Freudian-inspired discussion on creativity and sexuality eventually and inevitably led a group of us towards Japanese culture and the supposedly repressed - or I should say 'suppressed', sexuality of its majority population that may explain its explosion of 'sexual creativity'.

Have you heard of the Love Machine? No, it isn't the hit disco song of the '80s you might hear at Mambo Night. It really is a thinly veiled name for used panty vending machines, preferably schoolgirls', as such:



Apparently, these Love Machines were the talk of the town some time ago, the incredulity and outrageous nature of it causing people to question the truth of the matter. Naturally, this inspired investigations that were voraciously blogged, digged and youtubed where it was discovered that they do indeed exist despite the public outcry it generated upon its onset. This should come as no surprise, however, due to the 'bura-sera' industry that Japan's sex industry thrives on, which refers to the 'specific male fascination relating to that country's schoolgirls', otherwise known by the rest of the world as the Lolita Complex or plain old panty fetishism. 'Bura-sera' however, is moreso prevelant in Japan due to its deep-seated traditions where the female gender holds less regard than the superior male, being seen more as sex toys than anything else.

Will the Japanese government ever succeed in banning these vending machines? In a country that subscribes so unwaveringly in pornography and is purported to have a 'shadow economy' booming on sex and drugs, is this truly likely? I personally believe that the phenomenon of supply and demand will prevail. Nevertheless, this is some web fodder for the voyeur who thrives on my little succulent tidbits of nothing, really.

Finish your greens!

Refinery29: Green Day -- organic, clothing, organic, fashion, eco-design, eco-friendly, clothing

Two of my favourites, Lykke Li and eco-friendly fashion labels. Who says being eco-friendly can't go hand in hand with being fashion-forward - wasn't the first sliver of lingerie a leaf?

The label's into tie-dye as part of its go-green mission. “To make the grey dye, she’s using sumac leaves, iris root, and boiled carob.” Apart from that all other fabrics are organic and/or recycled.
Bodkin by the amazing Samantha Pleet and Eviana Hartman who are interviewed here.

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Shave me, mama!

I remember when we had dolls that could eat off their toy spoons, and those that had removable make-up and so on - thrilling stuff. But this is... new. A manufactured doll from China that has 'You can shave the baby' on its box cover. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, although confused would probably fit best. Is this an educational tool for embarrassed parents, whose children have reached puberty? 'Hey boy, this is you in 1 year. Watch and learn.' Apart from that, isn't it potentially MESSY? There are so many other potential hazards forming in my head right now but let's just leave it at that.

Edit: Oh Good Lord! I found more!


Upon further research, it's been realized that it's actually a modern art piece. That's quite a relief but I hardly dare ponder what the artist's inspiration could have been.

StumbleUpon- A rite of passage.

Geeksaresexy (especially when they have Jobs)

Agnosticism is like Xanax

"I'm not really doing drugs, my doctor just gave me something so I feel better about life... I don't know what's going on, but that's okay."

Socyberty

I have to admit that's something I see as an easy way out. But to each his own... PEACE! I'm off on a good start to StumbleUpon- the usual hotspots are getting wellworn. Change is needed!

Cat Naps

Never thought I was a big cat person, until today. I wouldn't mind a couple of cats if only because they're so odd!







I promise to blog more intelligently hereafter.

ABC News: Global Warming Culprits: Cars and ... Cows

With all the talk about global warming and its most active finger-pointers, here's some cud to chew on.



ABC News: Global Warming Culprits: Cars and ... Cows

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