Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Music Mondays # 11: Tasmin Archer – Sleeping Satellite

This tune is such a classic !!! Brings back memories from back in the early 90’s for me :) I used to listen to this track on a cassette !!! Yup – I’d just gotten my own stereo and raided my mom’s music collection and discovered this track on a cassette and fell in love with it !

Back in school – I used to sing – solos and in the choir – and for our music class – we all had to pick a solo track to perform … I chose this tune and got a fantastic ovation for it too !! I just sang right now to see if I remembered it – and I can !!! Now I just need to find the nerve to sing in front of an audience again (hmmm not quite sure when I got worried about singing in public !! but it has happened over the last decade or so)

The lyrics are haunting – I just love it ! Growing up, I always wondered about the meanings behind the song and never really quite got my finger on it.  Whilst browsing online for the song – I came across a few interpretations that I’d never really given a thought to.

What do you think about the track ? When was the first time you heard it ? Any memories that come to mind when you hear it ?

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

It’s In Our Nature

I’m not a big fan of adverts on Indian television however this particular advert really hit a nerve ! 

It could be due to the fact that I’m an animal lover and can empathize with the commercial. I’ve had the pleasure of growing up with German Shepherds and a Doberman – so I can see how the wolves have a nurturing instinct – after all dogs are a descendent of wolves !

This ad campaign along with the print campaign for the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts was directed by Bruno Aveillan for Ogilvy Asia Pacific.  I didn’t know much about the director so I went on to look him up on Wikipedia.

Bruno Aveillan was born in Toulouse, France and is one of the most distinguished and internationally sought after commercials director across the globe … And this commercial is a clear indication of WHY he is sought after by brands such as Louis Vuitton, Audi, Chanel, Nike and Nintendo.

I have seen this commercial over a dozen or so times – and it never fails in giving me goose bumps and somehow awakens my tear ducts too ! It’s heart warming and conveys a very powerful message that instantly instills the brand into the viewers’ mind.

The commercial takes the viewer through breathtaking snow covered locations to communicate that …

‘There’s no greater act of hospitality than to embrace a stranger as one’s own …

… The ethos of the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts … no doubt that’s why they are at the top of their game in the hospitality industry !

Monsieur Aveillan most definitely deserves a big round of applause for he has managed to create such a beautiful and heart warming commercial.  It is raw in nature and that’s what makes it stand out !

What do you think about the commercial ? Have you seen it before ? What comes to mind whilst watching the commercial ? I’d love to hear your thoughts :)

p.s enjoy the print ad below !

shangrila print ad

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Sexy Saturday – Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds – possibly best known for his role as ‘Van Wilder’ – gets my Sexy Saturday vote !  He’s absolutely divine ! and has a natural next door hunk sorta look to him !  Why can’t I have neighbours like that ??

ryan-reynold  ryan-reynolds-1126-00

I loved his role as ‘Berg’ in Two Guys, A Girl & A Pizza Place ! I watched that show on-and-off whilst living in London.  He’s best known for his roles in Romantic / Comedy films however he has also ventured to the dark side in The Amityville Horror.  The guy can carry off the romcom and the macho looks pretty damn well !

ryan-reynolds-shirtless ryan-reynolds 1

Reynolds was named one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive in 2008 and 2009 … He’s got my vote for 2010 as well :)  I reckon he might be able to get that too … In February 2010, he was named the new face of Hugo Boss fragrances.

Now if he was proposing to me (yup he was in The Proposal with Sandra Bullock) – I wouldn’t say no ! Alas this hunk is married to the very sexy & sultry Scarlett Johansson !!! Oh well – I can always keep looking at him !

So who gets your Sexy Saturday vote ? Any Ryan Reynolds fans out there ?

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Woman’s Rant

I normally do not rant.  It takes a lot to provoke me.  But I came across a status message on an associates’ Facebook page and was quite taken aback.

Gals : Somebody SAVE ME from their Kiddish, Irresponsible, Insensitive, Selfish and Apathetic behaviour. GOSSSHHHH... Wer r the women we grew up seeing? Supposedly, Caring, Sensitive, Soft, n Giving in nature. WHAT sucked 'WOMANHOOD' out of the Modern Woman..?? What went wrong..?? I jus don't get it. Can ONLY WISH that ...u get BACK to being a Woman soon n make us Men feel good about having u around.

Side Note : the grammar and short form writing style is another one of my pet peeves !!!

My response to the above was as follows (and this is a direct copy & paste job) …

Erm ... actually I laughed reading your status ..


You reckon women are kiddish, selfish, irresponsible and insensitive ?? What happened to the women of the past ?? Hmmm let me see - most of them got an education; went out and saw the world and realized what hypocritical self-absorbed narcissists men really are and have possibly taken a stand for themselves. And thankfully the women in India are becoming more and more independent.


A man says he wants a woman of the past - and yet he's out there f**king about with any girl he can get his hands on. When it comes down to a commitment - that's when he realizes he wants a woman who reminds him of the past - potentially a woman who will take his word as Gods own and worship the ground he walks on.


Unfortunately - if a man wants to see that nowadays - he has to try a bit harder and realize that there's room for two in the household and not just him.


A woman - no matter what generation she belongs to - is selfless - everything about the nature of a woman is to be selfless .. and there's nothing wrong with putting herself first .. so if that is considered selfish - then every woman has the right to be selfish ! Irresponsible ??? When was the last time you heard of the majority of the male population taking on domestic and child care responsibilities ? When was the last time a man took paternal leave to stay back and help take care of the new born ? When did a man give up his career so that his partner took take a step ahead ??


The modern woman has everything the previous generation has - but if she's going to show it - that person has to be worth it. One has to know the layers of a woman before judging her.

Sorry about the rant - but that's not the kind of statement one expects from a modern man.

I could add a lot more to this conversation but it was getting my blood pressure up (and considering I started my day so calmly – I’d like to maintain that)

So what do you think ? Am I over reacting to what could be a statement against a particular experience the man has had with women ? Or am I justified in what I am saying ?

Ladies – I want to hear your thoughts and opinions on this !  Guys – do any of you think like this ?? What do you think about men with such views ?

p.s my associate went on to comment on what I had to say …. and I don’t want to even get started on that !

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wordless Wednesday #8 Even Crocs Smile

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Just look at this crocodile smile !!! He has such an evil glint in his eyes; despite the fact that he’s got bulging eyes – the beady pupil makes me a bit nervous !

I met this little fellow in Pattaya a few months ago and at some point he kinda grew on me ! I have a picture of moi kissing this crazy fiend AND one of me sitting on his dad !!! OMG I was freaking out !!! But I loved every second of it !

As most of you know – I’m a camera-holic – and this picture proves my point that almost everybody - even animals -  smiles for the camera ! Have a great Wednesday everyone !

 

 

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Going Going Gone …

And if it’s not gone already – it’s gonna go very soon ! I’m referring to my Blackberry .. and ever since I have gotten that phone – it’s caused me nothing but trouble !

Note :

I’ve always been partial to Nokia – I’ve used various Nokia models over the past 15 years (except for one year where I tried the Sony T69 and dumped it after the contract was up) and despite the convenience of the BB Email service – the phone itself is just not for me. 

The Nokia literally can withstand anything – including falling in a bucket of water (and Stephanie from Steph In The City inspired me on this rant after I read her post ‘My Cell Phone Took A Plunge’ !

Seriously – how the hell is the Blackberry supposed to be a good business phone ?? One doesn’t even have the option to ‘select all’ messages (SMS or Email) to delete them !!! Nokia has that feature ! Someone said to me “but why do you need to delete the emails” … hmmm because I don’t want it using up memory on the damn phone !! Besides I have a copy on my actual email account !

My entire weekend got messed up when my phone decided to belly up and just go weird on me … My cuz NM and I were chilling at my place the other night watching the Argentina vs Germany match – when my phone rebooted itself.  Since I was engrossed in the game – I didn’t pay too much attention .. that was until half time and I had to check something ..

Next thing I know is that I can’t find A SINGLE CONTACT in my phone address book … I have over 3000 numbers on my phone (yes I know its an insane amount but I’m a networker and in events – so I need these numbers) … between having a mini panic attack and an almost epileptic fit – NM somehow ‘found’ my contacts … Only one problem (well make that a few now) … a lot of the contacts were replicated; a lot of them were missing and it appeared that the phone had developed a mind of its own.

I spent the entire next day putting in all the potentially lost contacts – only to have the phone ‘hang’ on me a handful of times .. and guess what .. every time it rebooted – the new contacts got deleted !  Talk about a bloody piss-off and a half !

Then I thought ‘ooh I can use the backup database’ … erm ya no good … still rebooted .. now what ??? I thought ‘call the BB repair guy’ (he’d actually sorted my data transfer from Nokia to BB) and when I went to look for his number on the phone … it wasn’t there !!! neither was my bank manager, my bank, my latest client, some of my vendors and even my mate NB (even though she’d just given me her number again the day before) ! Now that’s just ANNOYING !!!

nokia vs bbSo tomorrow – it looks like I’m going to have to send the phone for repairs – get the software examined / updated and put in my contacts again.  I’m just sooooo glad that I didn’t delete the contacts from my Nokia E71 (but now my mother won’t give it back to me) 

I recently read an article by BoyGeniusReport on Nokia E71 vs Blackberry Bold (mine’s a curve) and I still feel that other than the Email service from BB – the Nokia is just a MUCH BETTER phone – whether its the battery life; ease of use; key pad (fine I just hate the track ball on the BB) and functions (e.g. on the Nokia I could set up clocks for various time zones – can’t do that on the damn BB – have to do it manually every time I want to check the time in another country!)

What do you reckon ? Are you a big Blackberry fan ? Or are you a die-hard Nokia supporter ? (I feel like a traitor for even using the BB but NC might kick my ass if I rack up her phone bill with all the internal work calls made) … If you are a BB user – are you having any problems with it ? Any suggestions for me that might help me bond with the phone ? 

p.s yes I have contemplated going back to a newer Nokia – however in India – the phones are purchased offline and without plans – and the new models are over $450 which in Rupees is a hefty chunk of cash to fork out in one shot for just the phone !

Monday, July 5, 2010

Music Mondays #9 Mandalay - Beautiful

This song just brings back some amazing memories .. and whilst deciding on today’s Music Monday track I thought about my cousin NC … She’s been traveling between London and New York the past 1 month and I’ve missed her terribly (obviously I don’t admit so much to her but since she reads this blog – she’ll know about it) .. and I wanted to dedicate today’s post to her as she got back into town today !

Do any of you know this track ?  The first time I heard it was about 8 years ago in Montreal … I was involved in a group called CASA (Commerce & Administrative Student Association) and we were organizing and putting together an entire fashion show.  One of my mates MP got this track to my attention and I’m so glad we used it !

Here’s wishing you all a very Happy Monday – I hope this track acts as a reminder that each and every one of us is beautiful in our own way; and somebody out there thinks you are beautiful.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice. PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!