NOTPOP.CO.UK

Been busy... so here's another irresponsibly-squeezed-between-breaktime post.

Has anyone of you been to WWW.NOTPOP.CO.UK?

No? Well then, what are you waiting for?

Warning: Only for discerning music lovers who absolutely hate the kind of music played on the radio.

According to the blog itself, Not Pop "is designed to give you the heads up on artists that I come across that maybe you haven’t heard of".

Means it's all about alternative music, people. None of all that Jordin Sparks and Panic in the Disco crap.

Out of the hundred over artists in their archive, I only know about 20.

Let us see how many YOU know... heehee...

Just a sec

Been busy these days, so this is just a quickie.

DALLOYAU

Means HIT ASS in Cantonese.

I don't read French, so the whole thing just tells me this:

PUKUL BUNTUT
PARIS

No cookies for the lucky one who guesses correctly the place this photo was shot.

Will be posting about Australia soon.

Tagged by Aliza

Rules:
*1. Those who get tagged must answer the question about themselves.
*2. At the end of the post, tag 10 people except the person who tagged you (tagger).
*3. Continue this game by sending to other people. (refer to rule No. 2)

Time: 10.02 pm
Name: Lee Yen Peng
Age/Birthday: 23.01.92
School: SMK Sultan Abdul Samad, PJ
Elder Sister: Lee Yen Leng
Younger Sister: Me
Elder Brother: Elek

Younger Brother: Elek
Favourite Liquids [Drinks]: Water, coke, iced lemon tea, teh-o-ais, kukpo tea, cappucino, milo ais, teh cina ais, barley water, Beck's
Favourite Consumables [Food]:
Favourite Place To Sleep: A nice hotel bed
Flying: Overrated but nonetheless, an awesome experience
Swimming/Diving: Not my forte?
How Much Friends In MSN: Not bothered
Couple: Who? What? Where? Huh?
Loved Ones: Family
Get Kicked On The Butt? Ouch.
Allergic?: To arrogant people
Gastric?: Happens rarely, cuz I eat (hear that, Nicole Richie?)
Whole Fortune?: Less than Donald Trump's
Age Of Marriage: Marriage is not on my cards
Children Wanted: Refer to above

Age Of Death: Ideally, 70

Animals In House: Geckos?

Longest Fingernail Ever Kept: 7 mm, then I bit it off

Wanted Birthday Present: iPod Classic (and I got it, yay!!!!)

Q: In your dream, God tells you you are a billionaire in your dream world and gives you a wish. What would you wish for?
A. An insuppressible sense of self confidence


10 people to tag:
Jane
Amal
Munira
Sean
Shok Chang
Juli
Alia
Lauren
Hui Jan
Fareen

Preview: Gold Coast, Australia

I'm
BAAAAAAACK!!!!

Can't wait to tell y'all about the kick-ass stuff I did in Gold Coast, Australia.

Major
AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Horror

I hate horror movies. Period. I don't get the concept of paying so much money just to scare yourself silly.

The same goes for stupid ghost-themed thrill rides and rumah hantu mazes. First I'll be screaming my head off at every corner. Then at night I'll spend three hours counting sheep cuz sleep will be almost impossible.

The next day I'll be down with sore throat. So horror movies, not a good idea.


Look, even my Pinocchio is scared silly.

Ms Erica

I know it's a little too late now, but better late than never kan?

This post is a tribute to Miss Erica Toh, a trainee teacher posted to our school one time. After 2 or 3 terrific months under her guidance, she had to leave us for Malacca to get hitched. She was fun, always making us do different (silly) stuff to get us to learn. She wasted a lot of mahjongg paper though. Hopefully she gave them to Ming Hui to recycle. Her sessions are always enjoyable because she was always:

a) getting bullied by Wye Hong
b) being flirted with by Wye Hong
c) receiving bullshit from Wye Hong

She was the only teacher to BUY BIRTHDAY CAKES for the birthday girls and guys in our class! Now why did my mum and dad get it on in January? They should have waited until August or something.

And if that was not selfless enough, she even personally handmade souvenirs for each and every one of us in my class. Not just cincai boncai bantai punya souvenir, but angelically dainty little gift boxes with a personal note and candies inside.




If she's not a saint then I don't know who is.

How Polite

I shot this photograph in Barcelona Zoo. It is an incredibly cute picture. Look closely. What do you see?


A statue...yes, yes... but look closer...hmmm...ahh yes... a bird, good... what else... what?...oh... white stuff...

Somebody needs shampoo, I think.

Scent-sational

My all-time fave perfume: Paco Rabanne Black XS.

I hate it whenever salesgirls corner me with overenthusiastic smiles, hoping that I'll buy a truckload of the perfume I have so gingerly checked out.

"Miss, now we have promotion. Buy 100ml free this, free that one and free from body odour."
"Whoa, chill. I just took a scent stick, not struck the lottery."

But looking back, I'm actually very grateful that one particular salesgirl had so persistently poured her sales pitch at me. So charming and annoying she was, I bought the perfume. It took her 25 minutes to convert my interest into cold, hard cash.


I should have made life harder for her by standing there longer. But then it would be really brutal of me, because my slippers were so snugly and she was wearing high heels.

So I doled out my mum's hard-earned money in exchange for what would become my most treasured bottle of perfume. The first few moments as the heart notes swarm the sense, its floral scent is dark and intense. As it progresses, the intensity eases off - its sharp rose-tinged, fruity smell still strong but not overpowering. It then slowly fades out, a sweet light trace of vanilla lingering on the skin.

Other scents I love:
Calvin Klein CK IN2U for her
Ralph Lauren Romance
Burberry Brit for her
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Dior Midnight Poison
Armani Code for her
YSL Elle
Hugo Boss XX (not XY)
Ralph Lauren Style

Mr President

We all know that the next US president is none other than Barack Obama, and I'm utterly happy that he won the elections. Cheers to Obama!!! Cheers to CHANGE!!!

I swear if they were sold here in KL, I would get myself one of these:


My dad would be drinking Nescafe out of this.


And I would force him to wear this. He would look so good in it.


Now that nobody wants to look at John McCain anymore (except for his mannequin-like wife), what will happen to those McCain goods? Donated to charity? Dumped in the bin? Reused and recycled? Put up on ebay for sale? (Will anyone even buy?)


I don't think so, mister.

A week off!

I won't be back until the 16th December! Or 17th, I think. I'll be in Australia for a week. It doesn't mean this blog won't be updated. I've set aside a lot of scheduled posts to fill in during my absence! Enjoy and happy holidays!!!!

Voices and Accents

You may have a sexy voice, but that alone is not enough. An accent can be alluring or inhibiting, intriguing or dismal. I generally find British, Irish and Australian accents sexy, even if that means having my eyes glued to the subtitles when the speech gets too thick!

So here's my LIST, in no particular order and regardless of gender, of celebrities who have been blessed with THE VOICE and THE ACCENT. They speak so good, they make me drool without even looking.

Gerard Butler
Scottish accent, raspy voice. i don't need to go further. Seen him in PS, I Love You? Then you'll agree with me.

Elaine Cassidy
She has a unique voice - low, sweet, slightly gravelly. When paired with an Irish accent, the words come out of her mouth like music.

Kate McKinnon
I like American accent, as the pronunciation is much clearer and discernible. So Kate McKinnon here not only has a lovely American accent, she has this pleasant medium-pitched voice that makes it easy for me to forgive her continuous rambling.


Naomi Campbell
Seriously, this woman has got to stop exhibiting her temper, an act which is clearly overshadowing the fact that she has such a low, elegant voice that compliments her British accent.


Antonio Banderas
English peppered with Spanish slang... and his voice inflections are insanely delightful to the ears.


Cate Blanchett
She's Australian, but she speaks like a British dame. I just love watching her interviews. She can go on and on about making potato salad but I won't budge from the speakers. Can't explain it. Just Youtube her, won't you?


Carmine Giovinazzo
This dude from CSI:NY has this rugged accent which has sparked many lovers and haters. Count me as a member of the former.

Let there be LIGHT (again)!

Study the ceiling lamp below.


I took this picture in Caixa Forum, Barcelona and if you've happened to visit Yazmin's stylish home before, you will see the exact ceiling light hanging above her dining table.


A close-up for you.


Yazmin's house truly deserves a feature in interior magazines. Undoubtedly one of the finest homes I have ever visited. So chic!

Fanta-zzzz

ABC walks into Aussino, a shop specialising in home textile products and sets about finding the ideal pillowcase for his new home. A salesgirl (SG) approaches him with a hi-how-can-I-help-you air.

SG: Hi, how can I help you?
ABC: I'm finding for pillowcases.
SG: Oh sir, you have come to the right place then. At Aussino, we have pillowcases of supreme quality imported from all over the world and are available in a myriad of colours and patterns...

ABC presses the 'forward' button and SG babbles on incoherently due to the hastened pace of speech.

SG: ... blablabla... the pillowcases are located there, sir.
ABC: Thank you.

ABC sidles over to a corner where a rack of mammoth proportions displays all types of pillowcases. His eyes strain to pick out the best from among the motherload. Red, green, white, floral-patterned, polka dots, curls and swirls, Ben Ten, Marilyn Monroe and... is that The Joker?

Then he sees it. The perfect pillowcase. Embellished with fanciful illustrations amidst a white backdrop. This is it. This is the ONE pillowcase he has waited for so long. SG comes back to ABC's side. Upon looking at the chosen pillowcase, she nods her head in approval. She proceeds to assure ABC that he has splendid taste.

SG: This is a very nice pillowcase, sir.


ABC: Yes, it is indeed.
SG: Very lovely design. As imaginative as you are, sir. Look at this one, very cute.


ABC: That's me and my wife.
SG: You must be very fond of her. (Beams brightly) Aren't these just adorable?


ABC: I love flowers!
SG: How wonderful! And these horses look so real.


ABC: Ah, that would be my teenage son and the 3-year old kid my wife adopted from Laos. Love the young man, regret flying the kiddo home with us though.
SG: You two must be terrific parents! Do you love music, sir? Because these music notes can help you sleep.


ABC: Splendid! I don't really get those funny characters with jelly hats though.
SG: Haven't you heard? Mushrooms are good for health!
ABC: Mushrooms? Ain't like nothing but retards to me.
SG: Oh sir, you're so funny! Here, even Mr. Broomstick Slave from Disney Fantasia makes a cameo appearance too!


ABC: No wonder he looks familiar. God bless Disney.
SG: And Mickey Mouse too. Such a dear...
ABC: I say, this young stud here looks dashing! Won't want my wife dearie to get all high on it.


SG: Need not worry, sir. She'll get high on you....
ABC: I'll get high on it!
SG: AHAHAHAHA!! Well sir, this IS what wet dreams are made of!!!
ABC: Hahahaha... I'll take it, miss! I swear if I don't take this I'll have a heart attack.

End of story.

Actually, the silly pillowcase belongs to my mum. Like it?

Missy Higgins

Missy Higgins is HUGE in Australia, but here she's nobody. Barely a mention at all, save for her Malaysian fans. I can't even find her CDs here. Which is really sad actually, as Missy Higgins is a great musician.


Her music is a nice balance of mainstream and alternative, possessing adequate commercial appeal but never attempting to sell itself out. Taking the popular singer-songwriter route, she distinguishes herself from among the sea of artistes out there with her soulful voice that has this sharp, crisp quality when hitting the high notes, and is soothingly dreamy when singing at lower tones. Multifaceted? I believe so.



The song is Secret, in which she so deftly handles the high and low notes. She has won 7 ARIA Awards (Australia's equivalent of the Grammy Awards) to date and even had her single, Where I Stood appearing in Grey's Anatomy.

And that Australian accent she sings in? Irresistibly sexy.

Let there be LIGHT!

I don't know where we picked this up but isn't it the most exquisite candle holder you've ever seen?


Cinnamon? Impressive. I find it tastefully exotic. And with a lit candle tucked inside, the whole room simply plunges into a mood of enchantment.


The flame of the candle enhances the brown tones of the cinnamon. Just marvellous.


Notice the gleaming silhouette of the sun on the metal piece?


The subtle shades of light cast upon the floor. When you look at it from the top, it's even more impressive.


Almost like the sun, eh? For once, my floor looked expensive. I felt like I had just stepped into a Balinese spa.

Yummy!

Okay, I confess. I'm a lousy cook.

Somebody should slap the nitwit who said that french toast is easy to make. I once tried my hand at making them and this was what I got:


Looks not bad huh? Yeah, wait till you put it in your mouth. My dad straight away failed me, my sis looked at it sympathetically and my mum? Flat out laughed at it.

Of course I know what went wrong! Which idiot uses whole meal bread to make french toast! So anybody out there, please be reminded to use only SANDWICH bread for french toast. Please ladies, there is always another day for Atkins diet.

Frankie Magazine

The introductory line on its website says it all:
"frankie magazine is a national bi-monthly based in Australia, aimed at 20-something women (and men) looking for a magazine that’s as smart, funny, sarcastic, friendly, cute, rude, arty, curious and caring as they are."

If that didn't catch your attention then I guess you go for more action, less suggestion.


I first picked up this magazine in Popular bookstore in August, and I've been addicted ever since. It is so unlike any other magazines I have read before.

Its focus is on music, arts and craft, fashion, books, social events - basically a lifestyle magazine at the core. But with a twist.

You see, frankie is not like any other magazine. A perfunctory flip through its high-quality, creamy-white pages will give you an impression that it is bland. A closer look will slap you in the face for thinking that. No fancy boxes enclosing sub-articles, for there aren't any sub-articles to box up. Sans serif fonts. Squarish layouts. A picture on the left page, an article on the right. All this screams "PLAIN" in theory, but it is far from that.


The magazine relies heavily on pictures to have that "Huh?"-at-first-sight appeal. Other than that, the clean, crisp look offers nothing else visually. The very white palette, though drab, works really well in complimenting the cute, quirky, offbeat and sometimes kitschy pictures. The minimalistic approach of frankie is what makes it all the more attractive.

You can have a sneak peek of the mag at its website at http://www.frankie.com.au.

Popular (the bookstore) doesn't really like customers reading their magazines, so I haven't really had the chance to devour the ENTIRE thing. The most recent thing I read in it was about a dude stripping butt-naked to participate in the onsen, the popular Japanese tradition of communal baths.

Lane 6 was reserved for the for the physically compromised: the girl with childhood arthritis; the rotund, androgynous blob with inverted nipples; and me. None of us could swim 25 metres without clutching the side desperately, the way drowning people hold onto the floating debris of a sinking ship.

What?!!

As much as I want to have it, I can't bring it home. A quick look at the price tag reveals its exorbitant price: RM30.00.

That's as expensive as Vogue US!!


I swore to God that that was the last time I spend RM30 on a magazine after purchasing Vogue US September 2007 (a Herculean 840-page volume) with a useless Sienna Miller on the cover. And 70% of it were ads!!

Walls will fall if my mum ever sells it off to the newspaper dude.

God save the queen

I took this picture in Green Park on my way back from Buckingham Palace after catching the overly hyped-up changing of guards.


This was taken on a sunny, well-behaved day.


This photo, on the other hand, revealed how frigid typical London weather can be.

The changing of guards only takes place on alternate days, something we were initially not aware of. It took us THREE visits to finally witness the ever popular attraction!


They were playing their instruments to the tune of evergreen oldies like Abba's Dancing Queen and then some. You must be thinking, "Oh bollocks!!! Dancing Queen? Seriously?!!"

I KNOW.

Queen Elizabeth ll... DANCING?!

I Hate Prop 8

So it was approved.


Propositon 8 received a 52.1% 'yes' vote. Rejoice and mourn, whichever side you are. Me? I resign to the fact that "CHANGE!" has not arrived yet.

I was on a forum when I stumbled upon this. It's a satirical piece by Tyler Oakley on why some straight people insist that marriage be a privilege exclusive only to heterosexual couples.

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms, just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

I find the dark humour here to be bitter. I love its sarcasm, its way of scoffing at the idea that marriage should only be entitled to straight people.

I don't get it. WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT GETTING MARRIED? There's not gonna be fireworks exploding from the roof of your house every night after tying the knot. Nobody's gonna treat you with revered admiration at the sight of your wedding ring. And weddings? They're such a bore to attend. What do you get from a marriage? Apart from the stability and rowdy kids, marriage makes you mellower and fatter.


But I have an idea.

We should ban criminals from marrying criminals. Applying the general misconception that gay people are gonna produce gay children to this scenario, these criminals are just gonna produce juvenile delinquents after all. More rapists, robbers and killers.

And we don't need another Osama bin Laden on the loose, people. We need peace.

I'm a Jean-ius!

I went shopping for jeans the other day. Just jeans. Nothing else. Being so cheapskate, I generally have a hard time buying clothes because

1. They're too pricey
2. They're always an inch too small

Yeah I know, big is beautiful, but damn... it's hard. I'm too small to fit into plus-sized clothes, but then I'm too big to wear those barbie outfits they're selling everywhere these days. So that leaves me in limbo.

That's why I'm always in effing jeans and t-shirt.

Aaaah, God bless them t-shirts!!!! What on earth am I gonna wear if t-shirts never came around?


Never mind. I'm supposed to talk about jeans, anyway.

What startled me was the LENGTH of the jeans. Please, you expect every Asian girl to be 5'10" or what? Pffft... I'm Malaysian and truly Asian and let me tell you what, I'm at least 9 inches shorter than that. AND I'M NOT SHORT okay (stop laughing). I'm just petite. Heehee.

So in one or two days' time the jeans will make their way to the tailor's in Old Town, and have a few inches of cloth lopped off. No way I'm gonna pull a Katie and start folding them.


Yeah yeah I know, the look has been seen on Rachel Bilson, Reese Witherspoon and Lindsay Lohan, but I don't follow trends. NEVER. That's why I'm always in effing jeans and t-shirt.

But I DID go and get myself a pair of boyfriend jeans. Baggy, oversized, long, rugged - the epitome of men's sloppiness. Someone once said, every girl should have a pair of boyfriend jeans, just like how everyone should have brains.

Wow.... that means I must be having some brains.

If so, then I can't wait for Jessica Simpson to get herself a pair too.