Have you read about the pen guy who has a Mercedes Pens Art Car? He glued over 6,000 pens on his car.  Incredible feat!  Among things that he had created are his hard hat and mailbox decorated with pens.  Google for the pen guy from California,  Costas Schuler and his projects and you will find his amazing hobby of sticking pens all over.  He gets a lot of support and pen donations for his hobby and held talks and event appearances for gluing pens on car.  

In two weeks’ time, my daughter will be leaving for Sweden.  Now, preparation for the trip is hotting up.  I did a lot of shopping together with her, getting enough warm clothing for her to brave the cold winter that may extend till March this year.  Earlier we saw some travelpro luggage on the net and considered getting a suitable bag for her long traveling schedule.

However, we managed to borrow some items from her cousins, and that included a large luggage bag to pack all her stuff.  The luggage seem to be bursting at the seams, and we are just trying to figure out how to squeeze everything inside!    

There is a DIY craze going on in town.  Beaded Jewelry Making is not restricted to just making necklaces, bracelets, rings, bag charms and handphone accessories.  The list goes on and on while new inspiring ideas are born everyday with a little imagination.  Girls are using rhinestones and adhesive crystals to personalize their handphones, laptops, pencil cases, shoes and handbags.  At all Beads and Crystals DIY stores, you can get Swarovski crystal hot-fix transfers in very pretty colors and designs to iron-on to your T-shirt, shorts, denims, bra straps and lingerie. 

It is a very innovative way of adding value to a simple dress or jacket.   This Christmas, a range styled like eveningwear with sewn-on rhinestones. diamantes or crystal chatons flashed the scene.  Seeing them in the window dressing really lifted my spirit for the festive season.  Since it is a fashion trend, nobody would seem out of place or overdressed even when spotted wearing them as day wear.

Have you watched Moulin Rouge yet?  It was a pity I missed the show on wide screen.  But I managed to catch this heart-wrenching movie on TV recently.  I loved the songs and music in this Broadway styled Musical.  I also loved the colorful wardrobe designed for the cast.  Must say I am most conservative but I cannot help but admire the art of designing such beautiful costumes.  Blended into the natural setting of the story, you get to see beautiful and  sexy corsets worn on the stage.  Dresses, fancy headgears, gloves and corsets studded with sparkling jewels, crystal stones, rhinestones, sequins, lace, fur and feathers in vivid colors.

I am not surprised that lingerie makers became trendsetters for the new woman and their changing lifestyle after Moulin Rouge.  Now bra straps are decorated with adhesive crystals.  Interchangeable straps became a very popular trend.  Beaded straps are appearing on the scene too.  Indeed a very interesting way of accessorizing.  Even spaghetti strap tops are now adorned with beaded straps.  Beaded Jewelry can be sexy.  I believe the trend starters are from US, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.  Now with China providing a steady source of gems, pearls and beading materials at very competitive prices, it is even more attractive for DIY hobbyists in Singapore.

The place to shop for lightings is at Balestier Road, that is, if you live in Singapore long enough, you will be familiar with the scene at this specialty row.  These shops import lightings from all over the world.  The cheaper models probably come from Taiwan and other sources from the nearby Asian Pacific region.

But interior designers order direct from the US, UK and Europe by the container loads for major development projects.  The lightings selected for “showflats” are quite impressive.  I have seen some like those from Hinkley Lighting.

Wishing you “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year”! 
Happy Holidays.

I was just doing some research on the history of Mizuno golf and was very surprised to discover the rich history in the making of the golf club.  Very good video clips are available on Youtube showing the making of golf clubs and the high quality controls at the Mizuno factories. 

Mizuno made history.  The first Japanese-made golf clubs were put on sale was in 1933.  Mizuno first started selling sporting goods 100 years back in history. Wow!

Can’t find “lorry covers” on the web?  Try searching for “tonneau covers”. 
Tonneau is from a French word and is pronounced as “ta’ -no”.  It is commonly used to describe a bed cover for a pickup truck.  To get a bead which kind of tonneau cover is appropriate, check it out with the manufacturers online. 

Current users are mostly professional Landscapers, Movers and Construction companies.  They install tonneau covers on their trucks to shield their equipment from the elements of the weather and for extra protection against theft. 

Occasionally, when you shop online, offers like free shipping is a bonus for an international purchase.  If the price is right, why not?  Especially for heavy weights like fitness equipment, the savings could be substantial.  But read carefully, some offers are only valid within a country.  Online catalogs, product reviews, price comparison offers a whole new way to shop.  You don’t need to limit your choice to an outdated machine.  You will be spoilt for choice.

What is HDMI ?  Not an inkling. I do not know what is it until I watched this video.

HDMI Digital Video Home Theater Connections 

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the latest and greatest digital audio/video cable connection and can give you great HDTV resolution. Besides HDTVs, HDMI is being included in a variety of devices these days, including DVD players, cable and satellite set-top boxes, Media Center Edition PCs, and the Sony PlayStation 3 gaming console.

What’s so great about HDMI? It’s all-digital, high-bandwidth, supports all variants of HDTV and carry up to eight channels of digital audio.  HDMI is also fully backward compatible with DVI.

HDMI cables don’t have to be super-expensive. In fact, certified HDMI cables can be relatively cheap, and there are many good online sources.

If you’re shopping for a new TV, a new receiver, or a new DVD player, or choosing an HDTV set-top box or satellite receiver, go with HDMI if you can. HDMI can provide the highest quality video signal and throws your multichannel surround sound audio in on the same cable. You really can’t go wrong here.

Source:  Home Theater For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Here in Singapore, our private and government hospitals are equipped with the state-of –art medical facilities to provide best medical care.  Besides scientific equipment, as I have noticed, all wards are equipped with adjustable beds.  This type of beds are even installed at home by people who needed them to alleviate their back problems, others for the comfort and the massage functions. 

Not surprisingly, since there is a rising demand, it is visible that more and more designers are also bringing this type of adjustable equipment such as sofas, sofa beds and recliners into homes.  In grand style.