Chanel has jumped on the sneaker wagon and came up with these creations for their Spring Summer 2011 collection.

This year, Belgian menswear designer Raf Simons celebrates his 15th fabulous years in the fashion trade.

Still relevant and cutting-edge without tiring or slowing down, the contemporary, innovative and respected maverick is without a doubt one of the foremost names in fashion today, and is still expected of many great things to come from his creative mind.

Here are 15 quick facts you should acquaint yourself with The Great Raf:

1. Born in January 12, 1968.

2. Raf is a Capricorn.

3. His musical inspirations, while growing up, were Joy Division, Kraftwerk and David Bowie, but the first LP he bought was by Bob Marley.

4. The first break came when Raf interned with Walter Van Beirendonck (of WALT - Wild & Lethal Trash).

5. Raf has also worked in fragrance, merchandising design, photography, lecturing and is a keen art collector.

6. Raf's father worked in the army and his mother was a cleaner - these influenced and shaped his focus on uniforms.

7. As a self-professed futurist, Raf describes the future as the "most romantic thing in the world".

8. On his MySpace page, Raf proudly play host to 3,855 friends, including Sonic Youth, i-D and Ladytron.

9. Sneaker enthusiast Kanye West has been spotted wearing Raf Simons on several occasions, most recently in Raf's AW 2010 red & navy navy high tops.

10. Usher and the Jonas Brothers are his other fans, regularly toting up in his designs.

11. Raf is known for his awesome and conceptual catwalk shows. For example, he sent models down to the catwalk from a massive escalator in his spring summer 2005 Paris showing "History Of My World".

12. Pierre Debusschere's film "Lost In Time" features Raf's spring summer 2010 collection.

13. Raf's show "Woe Onto Those Who Spit On The Fear Generation... The Wind Will Blow It Back" created a lot of talk and attention with its theme on terrorism, months before 9/11.

14. Raf is known to shirk the pretensions and frivolities of the fashion trade. In 2005, at a New York Times interview, he served his reporter guests Doritos and Coke from a convenience store plastic bag.

15. Raf is an advent champion of individuality.

Info source: i-D

We like this handsome two-tone canvas shopper for men that blends military chic with everyday pragmatism. Sturdy  and spacious, it's the perfect go-everywhere carry-all for all your stuffs.

Best thing (or worst depending how you see it), this is not available in the shops. You have to get this through the magazine.

You might have caught the TV advertisement for Gucci Guilty, the brand's latest fragrance for ladies. In the MTV-like clip, the heroine zips through a futuristic city to the soundtrack of 80s classic hit Strangelove.

Here are some fast facts on the production you might find interesting:

1. Gucci's Creative Director Frida Giannini roped in Sin City's Frank Miller to direct the short film, which explains the overall graphic novel and film noir effect we experience in the ad.

2. The soundtrack, originally a huge hit for Depeche Mode, is performed by Friendly Fire in the ad.

3. The ad stars Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans and was filmed in Rome's Cinecitta Studios.

4. The shoot took 4 days to complete.

5. The concept continues the portrayal of the Gucci woman as someone independent, and almost defiant. 

6. There is also a male version starring Chris, showing him riding round on a motorbike. Evan drives around in a car in the Guilty ad. By the way, the car is a classic Jaguar.

7. The cityscape was created by the same team of designers behind The Spirit.

This viral video created by uber-luxe label Hermes proves that it doesn't hurt to have a little street credibility in this day and age. Will we see the new generation toting Birkins and Kellys on the street soon? Who knows.

Watch the YouTube video here while we ponder...

With the wet season coming, you'd be wise to invest in a good pair of brolly.

The stylish team at London Undercover let's you stay dry and look good with their offering of wet weather accessories, designed by some of the biggest names in fashion. The Bamdazzle series feature a collaboration with ultra-hip Maharishi, where print patterns are inspired by the Navy fleet of World War 1.

Also check out the Manolo Blahnik's design which is available from the London Undercover and Liberty websites.

The December rain cometh, but we are covered; don't leave them in the cabs though. 

There is also a Selfridges exclusive model which you can indulge in for yourself as a Christmas treat.

You can also shop for maps, scarves and bowler hats from the website. Rain, rain, come round again soon. It'll be fun.

Nike has teamed up with Fragment Design's Hiroshi Fujiwara (hailed as the Godfather of Harajuku movement, and a highly regarded street fashion designer). The results are nothing less than remarkable!

Grab your pair for Christmas when it hit our shores, if it hits our shores.

www.fragment.jp

Vivienne Westwood is the latest creative brain to lend her creative sparks to the Chivas Regal milieu, following the last design by the late Alexander McQueen. The new edition retails at 200 Euros.

Featured on the 18 year old scotch is a textured 3D design bearing the signature of the British designing icon. We like!

Cool props for your pad. UK brand Very Good & Proper is now available in Singapore at Strangelets (87 Amoy Street). 

VG&P website.

Check out some of the cool finds you may want to fork out for...

French fashion house Louis Vuitton lets us save the $100 levy fee, and bring the IR home with us. With this limited edition Casino Trunk, you can bring the integrated resort experience into your home and spend a night in with friends.

Produced in 2009 to celebrate the LV flagship store in Macau, LV Maison Macau, at One Central.

The swanky Maison Macau is LV's 7th Maison-concept store in the world. Take a virtual tour of the store with us here.

LV fans can rejoice further with the release of a coffee table book, Louis Vuitton Art, Fashion and Architecture, showcasing the brand's many collaborations over the years with some of the world's most celebrated artists like Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince.

Conceptualised and produced by Swedish designers, Humans Since 1982, this lounger is named "Celebrating The Cross 1". Looks like a very uncomfortable house seat. Heavens forbid that there will be a version 2, or more.

Would you buy this for your new designer pad? You decide...

Here are more uneasy designs to make you ponder...

"Noose" Light by Ana-Maria Pasescu Stewart

"Lunar Rock" Edition of Mailer's Moonfire by Marc Newson

"Grenouille" Table by Hella Jongerius

Heading to Shanghai and wonder where you can stay? We recommend you check out the new and hip Waterhouse at South Bund.  

The Waterhouse at South Bund (www.waterhouseshanghai.com), is an intimate boutique hotel utterly original in design, located at Shanghai's historic Shiliupu dockyard district. Sitting on the banks of the Huangpu River and in the vicinity of the 2010 World Expo (Puxi) site, The Waterhouse at South Bund will raise the boutique hotel stakes in Shanghai with its cutting-edge design and one-of-a-kind experience.

The hotel's design philosophy is based on a blurring or an inversion of internal & external spaces, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for guests in search of something out of the ordinary. The public places allow glimpses into private rooms while the private spaces invite guests to peek into public areas. The result is a stay that both defines and distinguishes the visitor experience.

UK designer Gareth Pugh opens his first standalone store in Hong Kong (10 Ice House Street), with decor typical of the designer's lavish stylings in the avant-garde, gothic and edgy leanings. The shop uses daunting stark contrasts of black and white, shiny and matte, hard and soft and lots of textural variances.

The 658 sq.ft store has floorings swathed in imported black rubber paint and a white light ceiling. The changing rooms feature leather padded walls adding to the drama. And in place of the usual window display is a giant video screen showing off Gareth's latest creations on the runway.

The store opening puts to rest rumours that Gareth is heading over to Thierry Mugler.

Side-lines - Le Book London 2010 has commissioned Gareth Pugh to dress the latest edition with his artistry and touches. The edition was created in collaboration with creative director Daren Ellis and filmmaker Ruth Hogben.

To explore a retrospective of truly great avant-garde Japanese fashion, we suggest you head on to London's Barbican Art Gallery.

Future Beauty features stunning exhibits of Japanese designers from past and present over 30 years, including the designs of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, and the newer generation of designers like Jun Takahashi, Tao Kurihara, Fumito Ganryu, Akira Naka and Mintdesigns.

Curated by Japanese fashion historian Akiko Furai, Director of Kyoto Costume Institute, the exhibition runs from 15 October 2010 to 6 February 2011. More details here...

No more digging the ground...

What a cool concept - a straddling bus system that is not only green (powered by solar energy and comes with massive fuel savings), it will be space-saving (it replaces 40 traditional buses), and relatively fast (40km/h on a fixed route) when it is finished.

Developed by Huashi Future Parking Equipment, the train/bus hybrid is 4.5m high, 6m wide and can carry 1,200 passengers in compartments spanning 2 driving lanes. A pilot is already underway in Beijing with more Chinese cities expressing interest.

Shot in Shanghai by French photographer, Alain Delorme in 2009 & 2010, these ingenious compositions titled Totems 图腾 show us that to reach new heights, all we need is to be well-centred, have a good sense of balance and be ready with lots of tapes and harnesses.

More of Alain's works at www.alaindelorme.com

Aesop is an Australian skincare specialist that conceptualises and produces exceptional products for the hair, face, body and well-being. www.aesop.net.au

Aesop at Millenia Walk, Singapore

Aesop in London

Aesop in Melbourne

 

Aesop in Zurich, Switzerland

The cutting-edge brand was established in 1987 and has since found its way into Australia, New Zealand, Europe (France, Switzerland, UK, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Spain, The Netherlands), Asia (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea) and the USA.

The brand philosophy focuses on plant-based products with a fragrance hook, paying particular attention to antioxidants. The formulas are packaged in paint tubes and apothecary-like bottles. And their outlets are uber-cool with eye-popping designs. But what we like most about the brand - the products just work, work, work!

Here are some of Aesop's products that we at Yellobus have personally tried, tested and loved!

Amazing Face Cleanser

With Mandarin Rind, Ylang Ylang and Lavender Stem. Best for oily and open-pored skins in our humid conditions. Use with cold water. This low-foaming cleanser smells great and balances out the skin after a week of use.

 Oil Free Facial Hydrating Serum

With Aloe Vera, Ylang Ylang and D-Panthenol. An interesting alternative to regular moisturisers. An anti-oxidant daily moisturiser serum for oily and combination skins as well as sensitive skins. Boosted with vitamins B & C.

Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment

With Parsley seed, Blackcurrent Seed and Blue Chamomile. This potent anti-oxidant treatment protects, hydrates and revives all skin types. We find using 2-3 drops once weekly is sufficient for optimal results. Can be used alone, or layered with the Oil Free Facial Hydrating Serum, mixed and applied.

 Bitter Orange Astringent Toner

With Bitter Orange, Witch Hazel and Rosemary Leaf. Use daily mornings and evenings, 3 drops of this refreshing toner cleanses, tones and mattifies skin. Especially good for people with oilier skins. Boosted with Green Tea for added anti-oxidant treatment.

Primrose Facial Cleansing Masque

With Rose Geranium, Primrose Seed and Sage Leaf. A deep-cleansing anti-oxidant clay masque that smells great and works even better. Good for clarifying treatments suited to combination and oily skins. Also for sensitive and congested skins.

B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel

With D-Panthenol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Sodium Lactate. Boosted with vitamins B & C, the refreshing skin gel is the perfect anti-oxidant complement to the daily moisturising routine for post-cleansing hydration.

Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste

With Fine Quartz, Rosemary Leaf and Lactic Acid. Mild exfoliant paste effectively removes impurities and refreshes normal to combination skins. Use twice weekly or more often for superior cleansing.

Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum

With Sandalwood, Neroli Blossom and Patchouli. This low-foaming gel has extremely high slip. The refreshing scent wakes your senses while you shave, and the formula gently calms and lubricates. Boosted with skin softening Aloe Vera.

 

Body Cleansing Slab

With Ylang Ylang, Tahitian Lime and Bergamot Rind. This hard-milled cleansing bar is vegetable-based and cleanses the body with a luxurious creamy feel without drying the skin.

Ginger Flight Therapy

With Ginger Root, Lavender and Geranium. This roll-on makes a great uplifting botanical pulse point therapy for in-flight or office use. Doubles as a pleasant fragrance oil too.

Coriander Seed Body Cleanser

With Coriander Seed, Black Pepper and Patchouli. The sharp scent helps with a much-needed pick-me-up while it cleanses without stripping moisture. Contains essential oils of Coriander Seed and Black Peppercorns to warm and invigorate.

(Warning - this blog entry is a long one. Source - Wallpaper & Veuve Clicquot)

Exciting things are always happening all round the globe in the world of art, design and luxurious living. Here is a list of a calendar update on what's on and what's hot. If only we can all be globetrotters...

You would be forgiven if you think this is some fashion ad campaign at first glance.

Look again.

This is the print ad campaign by international home products maker IKEA, featuring a minimalist feel shot against a studio backdrop, and the model wearing outfits craftily and ingeniously sewn from IKEA's bed linens and pillow cases.

Advertising Agency - DDB Oslo, Norway * Art Director - Morten Foss * Photographer - Massimo Leardini

We live in a very special world with some very special animals.

Here are some of the extraordinary animals that we share our earth with.

Hope you enjoy the discovery if you already haven't!

Meet Mike the headless chicken. This is a real image and not courtesy of photoshop. After a non-lethal decapitation, this headless chicken, later nicknamed "Miracle Mike," went on to live for approximately 18 months.

Meet Kintana, an Aye-Aye from Madagascar, making his first public appearance in April 2005  at the Bristol zoo. This nocturnal primate has teeth inspired by the rodents and a long middle finger to catch and devour grubs.

This bird in the picture, although it resembles an owl, it is actually a parrot! The 11 week old Kakapo chick sits comfortably on the shoulder of New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in the year 2001, during her visit to a hatchery in Auckland. This confused looking bird is nocturnal, flightless, and distinguished by its yellow-green color.

This is the tiniest monkey in the world, known as the the Pygmy Marmoset,ranges from 5.5 to 6.3 inches long. Almost every New York rat is bigger than that. Isn’t he just so cute?

What do you call a fish that is slimy and sloppy and has a face of an oversized man with an oversized nose? Blobfish apparently. This slippery fella inhabits within the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania and is rarely ever seen by humans, due to the inaccessibility of its habitat. Thank God for that!

Meet the bloodsucker - our very friendly Tounge Eating Louse who enters a fish through the gills, and then attaches itself at the base of the fish tongue. Despite it’s name it doesn’t actually eat the tongue. It slurps blood through the claws on its front and causes less blood to reach the fish tongue. Eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood and is replaced by Mr bloodsucker. How is a fishy lifestyle like this satisfying?

Eeew ..

These cute little cuddly looking creatures are called the Jumping Spiders and are a rather charming bunch with close to 5,000 species in the world. They are however not very cuddle friendly as they measure only about 5mm long and are gifted with incredible eyesight, at least ten times better than that of the dragonflies.

Thats all for now folks! Hope you enjoyed discovering :)

Will there ever come a day when men and women can understand one another? Here are some funny scenarios just for laughs. As funny as they sound, they do reflect the relationship men and women share. Hope you enjoy the read :)

Bathrooms
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from Tesco. The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. Any man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

Eating out
When 3 men dine, they will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually ask for the change back. When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

Nicknames
When Sarah, Daphne and Liz dine out, they will call each other Sarah, Daphne and Liz
But when 3 men go out - they will affectionately refer to each other as Jackson, Parrot-face and TC [Top Cat - from the 1970's television cartoon series].

Cats
Women love cats. 
Men say they love cats too, but when the women aren't looking, men kick cats.

Future
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. 
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

Success
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

Marriage
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change & she does.

Spending
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't want.

Arguments

A woman has the last word in any argument. 
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

One short story to sum it up if you still do not get it ;

Julie didn't come home one night. When Tom asked her where she'd been she said she spent the night at a girl friend's house.

Tom was a bit suspicious she'd been "rooting around" so rang her ten closest friends, but none of them had seen her.

The following week Tom didn't come home one night. Julie asks him where he'd been. So Tom says he got a bit drunk at a mate's place and thought it was safer not to drive but crash out there.
Julie thinks he's been "rooting around" so rings his ten best mates. 
In true male style - eight of them say he spent the night there and two claim he's still there.

Moral of the story

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot & love him a little.
To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot & not try to understand her at all.

 Fridays are fantastic and Mondays are not! It is the start of an entire week of work and life seems to slowly ebb out of us – we poor beings! It is report after report and deadlines after deadlines. I believe the pointers below can change how we feel about Mondays and hopefully we beat the blues too!

1. Procrastinate feeling blue – yes we all know how Mondays can feel and the looming gloomy clouds  above our heads do not help us much. IGNORE it! Tell yourself you will deal with it later but not now.

2. Dress up! – Wear your favourite clothes or the cheeriest colour you can find in your wardrobe or your favourite lipstick colour. You will be surprised at how much your appearance and the clothes you wear affects the way you feel about yourself

3.  Start Early - Bad things happen when you are late, the stress level is high, you are in a mad rush, you cant make time for breakfast and when you get into office, work is shoved into your face. It may seem difficult to wake up earlier on a Monday but trust me, when you have enough time to organize yourself, you’ll feel in control.

4. Make a list - of why you think you are having the blues – you might be surprised that there will be things on the list that you can easily work on to make your Mondays better. If it is completing the work from the previous week, then make it a point to clear all outstanding work on Friday itself.

5. Lay out everything the day before – your clothes, files, etc. This will save you a couple of minutes in the morning and you can start out more relaxed and can concentrate on other, more important things.

6. Plan your day in little steps. Apply micro movements throughout the day. Simply divide your day into half or one hour chunks with a goal for each time unit. You will be surprised at how effective this method can be.

7. Listen to happy songs –Music definitely has and effect on our moods. Let cheery, happy songs be the soundtrack of your Monday.

8. Affirmative statements – Today is a great day. I will complete my report today. Keep positive throughout the day and stick positive messages around you!

9. Buy something new for Monday – it doesn’t have to be big or expensive – a pen, a sketchbook, fancy post-it stickers. It can even be a $1 sticker or post it – as long as it appeals to you.

10. Start working – For most of us, it’s usually not the work that troubles us, it’s the thought of getting started with work that makes us procrastinate and be unproductive. Just quit thinking about starting work and just down to work right away. Just do it!

11. Plan something special for Monday evening – Go out and meet an old friend for dinner, or rent that movie you have been dying to watch. At least that way the day will be easier since you have something to look forward to.

12. Do not get distracted - YouTube, Face Book, personal emails. Once you let yourself to be distracted you will be sucked into hours of being unproductive. If you don’t have the discipline to limit your distraction to 10 minutes, then do not attempt to do it at all. Reading blogs like this is another time-sucker so now that you’ve reached the bottom the list - how about you get started on work now?

Have a blasting Monday folks!

Most of us are grateful for the life that we live in a modern, vibrant and flourishing island such as Singapore and we all know who we owe our gratitude to. None other than Mr Lee Kuan Yew - our founding father. We cannot imagine living a life in Singapore without our racial harmony, cleanliness, beautiful amenities and most importantly the freedom, safety and security that is readily available to all of us. But Mr Lee has one person to thank for his success and strength and that is no other than the late Mrs Lee Kuan Yew.

Mrs Lee was well known for many things some of which were for being a legal luminary, as a mother of an illustrious family, and more than that for her stoic presence next to Mr Lee Kuan Yew during the trying times in the many years of his political struggle.

She was Ministor Mentor Lee’s constant companion, confidante and counsel, and most of us may never fully understand or appreciate the impact and influence she must have had in shaping Minister Mentor’s thinking and life.

Even before the year 2010 draws to a close, we have lost yet another important person who was quietly part of shaping Singapore and our lives.

A private funeral will take place on October 6 at Mandai Crematorium for Mrs Lee and members of the public who wish to pay their last respects may do so by 5pm today at Sri Temasek – The official residence of the Prime Minister located within the Istana grounds.

Rest in peace Mrs Lee.

We will miss you.

How many of us have had wierd dish. The wierdest dish I have ever had was goat's brain (eew), thinking they were scrambled eggs. Though I must admit they did taste good, the very visual of mashed up brains is way too revolting for me to try them again.

Well If I ended up as the president of America one day, me having had scrambled goat's brain will end up being the 16th useless but interesting fact you may want to know .. No?

In the meantime, here are the 15 useless but interesting fun facts -

1. Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms like fried bacon.

2. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

3. A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!

4. The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design

5. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath

6. Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.

7. You're born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.

8. Coca-Cola would be green if colouring were not added to it.

9. It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

10. Owls are the only birds that can see the colour blue.

11. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain

12. The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times

13. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise

14. After the death of Albert Einstein his brain was removed by a pathologist and put in a jar for future study

15. Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only one testicle

There you go - 15 interesting but of absolute no real good use to you information

Hope you all learnt something totally useless!

Have a great day people!

It is a beautiful Friday afternoon and the weather looks so inviting and perfect for day at the beach. Yes and even though I am at work and not exactly where I want to be right now - which is at the awful looking coasts of Singapore, its great to have Mr Weatherman in such good spirits. When he is cranky, I think we all have an idea of how terrible he can be.

I wonder what ticks him off. Maybe it is us, or he just didn't get lucky the night before. If you have actually noticed, the weather has indeed become highly unpredictable. I have had to take a cab from the MRT station to the office on numerous occasions when actually it is a short walking distance.

Do you not think this is a sign that our poor earth is calling for help?

The recent outrageous change in our climate is courtesy of our practices. And mind you, we in Singapore are the luckier lot compared to people who live in other parts of the world. The saddest part is there is not enough emphasis and highlight on this matter – which means the situation is about to get worse.

Prepare to walk around with your brains oozing out of your ears my dear fellow earthlings!
Do you believe me if I said that majority people in developing countries do not have a clue about the earth’s current plight? But it is true. Go google!

And there are people who do know about the earth’s plight but do not care enough to do something. A great example will be my folks. Each time they go the super market, the number of plastic bags they return home with gets me slapping my forehead every single time. Apparently they need plastic bags in thousands to cover our 3 bins at home!

See plastic bags are non-biodegradable – we all know that. After use, they are not easy to be rid off so they end up being burnt or buried and this in turn bores holes into the already depleting ozone layer, which contributes to higher temperature, thus invoking Mr Weatherman’s fury.
Littering at the seaside – Does anyone have any idea how many dolphins and other sea creatures die because they end up eating plastics and bottles mistaking them to be fishes. These are lives are we are talking about you know. And dolphins are such beautiful creatures.
And there are still so many angles I can yap about on this topic – But my intention is not to write a book, just a blog entry.

A friend of mine once said this to me - The earth will survive this , it is us who will not. I think it makes sense.

Here are the little things I suggest you can do;

TURN OFF THE LIGHTS

UNPLUG APPLIANCES WHEN NOT IN USE

SHOP WITH A RE-USABLE SHOPPING BAG

BUNDLE AND RECYCLE NEWSPAPERS

USE LESS WATER

SEPARATE YOUR GARBAGE AND DROP THEM OFF AT THE RESPECTIVE RECYCLING BINS

DONATE OLD CLOTHING

WALK OR RIDE A BICYCLE WHERE YOU CAN

SPREAD THE MESSAGE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

AND LASTLY, THINK FOR YOURSELF HOW ELSE YOU CAN SAVE THE EARTH.

Today I was reading an interesting article online about Singaporeans being a huge flop with manners. Ironically I recently concluded (before I read this particular online article) that Singaporeans might not be such a flop after all as I observed a huge number of people giving up their seats willingly to those who needed it more in the trains and buses.

Ok so we are gracious, at least enough to give up our seats to people who need it more than us. But how gracious are we to the people close to us? How well do we treat one another? Giving up our seats in trains and buses does not entirely make us a gracious society. Right? So I guess we are still work in progress and not a huge hit when it comes to being gracious. Mmm and yes today, we are doing this blog entry lecture style.

I see people yelling at one another all the time as if everyone has special needs and hard of hearing.
This very good book that I read sometime ago, by Daniel Goleman on Emotional Intelligence and I cant say enough on how much emphasis he placed on how we speak to another as it has the power to boost and break someone’s morale.

When we speak, I guess we are trying to communicate, put a point across and possibly achieve an objective or be understood but if we don’t talk and start yelling – We end up achieving the exact opposite. We most likely, will not have our objectives met and/ or understood. Possibly end up being misunderstood as well! or even ruffle feathers. Come on - this is common sense right?

I think communication is key to every successful relationship. Be it with our friends, peers, subordinates, family or an absolute nobody on the street but when one starts yelling and shouting, nobody hears what he or she says but rather how you say it.

I say, if it is really hard to speak kindly, at the very least we can speak nicely.

A little kindness goes a long way my friends!

Cheers!

Life has so many guilty pleasures and we have to constantly heighten our defences against all these guilty pleasures. For many ladies out there, chocolate is one fine sinful pleasure. For me, I have never felt guilty about it. And I never intend to. And here is why? Simple, because chocolates make me feel happy and chirpy.

Chocolates are associated with seratonin, which has an effect on how happy one feels. They boost your spirits and perk you up. The exact reverse of what a boyfriend can do to you.

When consumed in moderation they can also reduce one’s blood pressure. The word "chocolate" originates in Mexico's Aztec cuisine, possibly derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl. How exotic!

Here are some interesting information on chocolates;

Apparently researches show chocolates to contain healthy antioxidants. These can help lower the incidence of getting cancer and heart disease. Eating chocolate can also lower your LDL cholesterol and add beneficial iron and magnesium to your body!

Chocolates contain a chemical known as phenylethylamine. This chemical in addition to sugar, fat and caffeine which are also found in chocolates have shown to release serotonin and endorphins (two known chemicals to keeps us happy!

Many of our cosmetic products are made from chocolates. Cocoa butter, which is found in many beauty products are produced by the crushing of roasted cocoa beans. They are one of the most stable and highly concentrated natural fats and it melts at body temperature creating the perfect body cream. Imagine slathering chocolates on our skins when we are using moisturizers.

Americans consume over 50 percent of the world's chocolate.

Chocolates are believed to be an aphrodisiac. This is because chocolate contains stimulants such as caffeine, theobromine and phenyethylamine.

Chocolates are however poisonous to man’s best friend, dogs (and other domestic animals). The theobromine found in chocolate is a stimulant, and can be too much for small animals.

The Chinese, consume only one bar of chocolate for every 1,000 consumed by the British. Having said that the chocolate culture is increasing in popularity in China of recent.

So, are you still going to feel guilty the next time you want to pop a chocolate in your mouth.

I say chocolates are holy!

Ok so Lady gaga is not exactly my favourite singer but fact is she does get most of us to sit up and watch her. She sure as hell knows how to set tongues wagging and gloat in it too. It is that very attention that fuels her.

At the recent Video Music Awards, did you hear about what she wore? A dress made out of raw meat! I wonder what she must have smelled like and how the person sitting next to her must have felt. YUCK! I keep wondering what it must feel to be like her. I think she feels fabulous knowing that despite what people say or feel about her, her music still rocks the charts and she is indeed one of the most influential musicians in the music world.

She has the one of the highest fan followers on Facebook – a whopping 17,756,715 to date. As outrageous and disgusting and disrespectful as it is to actually strut around in raw meat, you just have got to give it to her for being one very talented and quirky person. Its either you love or hate her.

And to think that Ms Gaga’s ex boyfriend had actually told her to her face that she would never be a successful musician. Wonder if he found a hole to crawl into and if he did, hopefully he is wise enough not to move just yet..

I guess she lives her life on her own terms, which is great. But she could consider the huge rude waste of meat (if it was really meat) before draping them around as clothes you know.

Today I did a short quiz on what kind of superhero I was. I was hoping to be as exotic as Storm or alluring like the Cat woman but I ended up as a man – Super man! Ok yeah, he is cute and kind and all that. I grew up watching him too but I did not want to be a super man. Apparently I relate to him the most and am a fusion of many other super heroes too. How cool is that? Honestly I think I’d really rather be Sabrina the teenage witch and zap my way through stuff.

You are Superman

Superman 80% Robin 63% Green Lantern 60% Spider-Man 55% Hulk 55% Wonder Woman 53% Catwoman 50% Supergirl 48% Batman 40% The Flash 40% Iron Man 35%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Hello Everyone! I was reading a joke book on blondes (apparently they are dumb) and picked out some that I felt was fairly funny. I hope you find them funny too!

1. A young ventriloquist is touring the clubs and one night he's doing a show in a small club in a small town in Arkansas. With his dummy on his knee, he's going through his usual dumb blonde jokes when a blonde woman in the fourth row stands on her chair and starts shouting:

''I've heard enough of your stupid blonde jokes. What makes you think you can stereotype women that way? What does the color of a person's hair have to do with her worth as a human being? It's guys like you who keep women like me from being respected at work and in the community and from reaching our full potential as a person, because you and your kind continue to perpetuate discrimination against, not only blondes, but women in general...and all in the name of humor!''

The ventriloquist is embarrassed and begins to apologize, when the blonde yells,'' You stay out of this, mister! I'm talking to that little jerk on your knee!''

2. There is a brunette and a blonde hanging over the edge of a cliff off a piece of rope. They realize that the rope will break if one of them doesn't let go and they will both fall to their deaths. The brunette starts this big heartwarming speech about how she is going to sacrifice herself. At the end of the speech the blonde starts clapping.

3. A blonde, a brunette and a redhead are running from the cops. They hide on a potato farm. They crawl into some potato bags. The first cop pokes the bag with the brunette in it. She says, "Meow."

The cop confirms that it is just a cat.

The second cop pokes the bag with the redhead in it.She says, "Woof."

The cop says that it is just a dog.

The third cop pokes the bag with the blonde in it. She says in her sweetest voice, "Potato."

And finally one to show that blondes are NOT stupid

4. A blonde and a lawyer are seated next to each other on a flight from LA to NY. The lawyer asks if she would like to play a fun game? The blonde, tired, just wants to take a nap. Politely she declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists and explains that the game is easy and a lot of fun. He explains, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5.00, and vise versa." Again, she declines and tries to get some sleep.

The lawyer, now agitated, says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5.00, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500.00."

This catches the blonde's attention and, figuring there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, agrees to the game. The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out a $5.00 bill and hands it to the lawyer.

"Okay," says the lawyer," your turn." She asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?" The lawyer, puzzled, takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. No answer. He taps into the air phone with his modem and searches the Internet and the Library of Congress. No answer. Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his friends and coworkers, to no avail.

After an hour, he wakes the blonde and hands her $500.00. The blonde says, "Thank you," puts her head on the pillow and goes back to sleep. The lawyer, who is more than a little miffed, wakes the blonde and asks, "Well, what's the answer?"

Without a word, the blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5.00, and goes back to sleep

- Quote Worthy -

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb...and I also know that I'm not blonde.

- Dolly Parton

Cheers!