Avian Chic Roundup

I was sitting out in the backyard earlier and noticed that my neighbour had set up a bird-feeder by her backyard. There were a couple of robins hanging out by the feeder and it was a really nice scene set in the late afternoon sun. Now all my neighbour ought to install is a bird bath to complement the feeder. :P Coincidentally, I received the new Company Store catalogue earlier today and was grabbed visually by the little porcelain bird on the cover right away. However, it was just a decor item and not sold in the catalogue. :(


Cover image, The Company Store catalogue.

This brings me to my fondness of bird silhouettes; "Avian Chic" I believe the trend is called. The symbolism of a bird is quite sweet really.... fragility, flight and freedom, that sorta thing. I think the associated references to birdcages and broken wings are heartbreakingly beautiful too. From a visual standpoint, I love how simple yet instantly recognizable the shape of a bird is. Very pleasing graphically (especially if the bird is chubby) as well as gender-neutral (is it not?). Following this theme, I've collected some of my favourites on the web.



1. Pink and Brown Bedding from delia*s (which I happen to own, heh).
2. Several of these Bird Sculptures from Alena Hennessy grouped together will look pretty.
3. Kissing Robins Cushion from Anorak.



1. I hope my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, but I think this is the same Porcelain Bird that was featured on the cover image. Yes? No? From BROOKLYNrehab. I WANT!!! I WANT!!! I WANT!!!
2. Wool Silhouette of Bird on Green Linen Pillow by Swell Dame.
3. Wallpaper by designwall.



1. Love Birds Wall Sticker from Rose & Grey.
2. Birds On A Wire Wall Decal from Rose & Grey.
3. Birdcage Cushion from Rose & Grey.



1. Porcelain Bird Yum plate by laurawallstaylor.
2. Stainless steel "La La" Pendant (which I own and one of my favourite necklaces ever).
3. Birdies on a Wire stainless silver charm on an antiqued silver coin.



1. I am absolutely in love with these Porcelain Birds from Coe + Waito.
2. A pair of Bird Bowls, also from Coe + Waito.
3. Handmade White Bird Totebag from rainbowswirlz, comes in different colors.

Oh, I *heart* Avian Chic. :)))

PS: I really want the Porcelain Bird.

A day of Chicken Curry.

I decided on a whim to make chicken curry today, because I've been keeping late hours lately and getting hungry at the oddest times. So I reckon making a big pot of something that will sustain me for several meals is the way to go. And in case you haven't heard, curry helps fight cancer. So if you are a fan of spicy curry, good for you!

Read more here: http://www.thedietchannel.com/Cancer-and-Diet-Can-Curry-Prevent-Cancer.htm

Zip Drive backup attempt.

So I said I was gonna write about my backup attempt of my Zip discs. I tried doing this last week actually, but for some reason the Zip drive was not working and I was online with an Iomega customer service rep for a good hour doing troubleshooting. In the end, the drive still did not budge so I was asked to send it back in, and they replaced it for me. FOR FREE. 0_0 I had the drive for about ten years now and oddly enough, my warranty wasn't dead yet. In case you're wondering, the only reason why I'm doing this is because I have about 50+ Zip discs containing my design files from the dinosaur years and I must extract them so that I can bring them to the 21st century and file them safely into my external drive.



The goods. Almost like the Jaz drive setup, but I have 50+ discs to get to with this one!



Inserted the first disc and YES!!!! it worked beautifully. Plug and play, baby.

The thing with my Zip discs is that they contained a lot of old personal stuff. The very first digital photos that I took using one of those Sony Mavicas (which had a floppy disk drive built-in to save your images onto!!!) had been backed up into these discs around Y2K. But the critical data which I really wanted to get to was the project files of my very first websites, dating from 1995. Boy, they look like chit compared to today's standard! Wow, the internet is already over ten years old? I can still remember very clearly when it was the new thing and we were all taught how to code HTML 1.0 during our senior year of design school. My, what a long way we've come. Talk to me about CSS or XHTML now and I'll have a blank look on my face. I am a senior netizen with half a foot into the grave already.

Anyway, my stuff that's been around for over ten years are still pretty intact (well, almost; I have many Director files— *.dcr format, which I am not able to open anymore). They are of no use to anyone including myself, but I am very relieved I was able to access these files because no matter what they are my legacy as a designer.

While we're on this subject of technological evolution, I came across these last week and I really got quite a kick out of these two articles:

Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die
http://tech.msn.com/howto/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=19017036&gt1=40000

Then and Now: A Fast-Forward Tour of Gadget History
http://technologizer.com/2009/02/24/then-and-now-a-fast-forward-tour-of-gadget-history/

CONCLUSION: Data extraction from Zip drive = SUCCESS!!! *yay*

It didn't take me as long doing this (as compared to my papershredding adventure). I started around 5pm and finished by midnight. Not bad at all. Now, let's not take over ten years again before I compile and backup my backup. ;)

MB ♥ Peonies.

I've been dying to get these for the last two weeks but did not have time to visit my wholesaler until yesterday morning. It makes me happy to wake up to the fragrance that permeates the entire apartment, and oh those grand ruffly petals. ♥ ♥ ♥ !!! :) I'm so in love. I introduce to you: The Paeonia Monsieur Jules Elie.







Let's get lost together in a sea of pink waves.

Shred-happy.

Over the weekend, I obtained a paper shredder from my friend Ruby since I had tons of paper which I needed to toss out. You know I've never used one of these things before? And I had accumulated so much chit over the years, now is a good time to do a mega-major spring cleaning around the house. I'm presently on a mission to be out with the old, to allow for the new (which also explains all that data archiving which I'd written about in other posts). Without further ado, on with the pulverization!!!



Fresh out of the box. It's smaller and less masculine than I thought. Oooooh, come to Momma!



First thing I did was, like a typical Chinese, line the wastebasket with a plastic bag. Hehehe! Pop the top in place, plugged the power in, and.... Hello?!?!!? This thing wasn't working? 0_0 What the hell was going on?



So I flipped through the instruction manual and OHHHHHH!!! Lining the wastebasket with a plastic bag turned out to be a big NO-NO. I guess the manufacturer had anticipated that I would do something like that. D'oh.



I reluctantly proceeded to remove the plastic bag and got ready to work. Everything in and on top of the storage bins must go!



This tall stack of CDs would be fed through the shredder as well.



Lookie! Beautiful diamond-shaped crosscut shreds! Someone should use this to make modern art or something. I totally would, if i have the talent. :X



The CDs, however, did not shred as prettily. In fact, the sharp edges looked rather menacing. The tiny specks of silver foil also kinda dirtied the wastebasket. This was why lining it with a plastic bag would have made the job so much cleaner!

Pppphhhrrrrrrrrr. Ppppppphhhrrrrrrr. Pppppphhhhrrrrrr. Just shredding away happily until at one point, the shredder's motor got overheated and the whole thing jammed. I freaked out a little bit, but then decided to give myself and it a break. While the motor was cooling down, I resorted to my Plan B:



Caveman-style. Oh yeah!



Let there be fire! Burn, baby, burn! }:)))) It was a windy evening though and the smoke soon got into my eyes. So I went back indoors and resumed shredding.



This was what I ended up with. Two giant garbage bags filled with shredded paper. (The CDs went into a separate plastic bag.)

Why hadn't anyone tell me how kick-ass the feeling of shredding paper is????? I totally love it. I was saying a silent prayer with each handful of paper that I fed through this monster. "Goodbye, Bridezilla A. Hasta la vista, Bridezilla B" and so on. (I was shredding design quotation documents at the time.) In spite of continuous shredding from 3pm until way past midnight, I was totally shred-happy that day and went to bed with a backache + a smile.

Heh!

CONCLUSION: Using the paper shredder for the first time and ridding myself of unnecessary documents = SUCCESS!!! *cheers*

A note from the Universe.

A note from the Universe:
My wish for you, Moonberry, is that you succeed beyond your wildest imagination. That you find love in places that astound you. And that you have friends who call you "just because." I dream that you go barefoot more than you wear shoes. That you play as hard as you work. And that you laugh more than you cry. I want you to set the bar high, but not too high. To reach for the stars, but with your toes on the ground. And to never, ever stop dreaming. But most of all, MB, I wish for your happiness.
Besos,
The Universe

Jaz Drive backup attempt.

I found a bag of old school gadgets in the basement this week which contained an Iomega Jaz drive (*gasps*) along with some peripherals, such as a couple of discs, and a USB-to-SCSI converter. Ahhh, SCSI. I haven't seen that word in a verrryyy long time. "Scuzzy", I always thought it's cute the way it's pronounced. So I started taking everything out of the bag and began hooking up the cables in an effort to get to the data in those discs. I believe they contain old design project files, which I definitely must extract and back up to my external HD.



The goods.



The converter packaging sports a tiny graphic at lower right corner that says it is compatible with iMac. Given that it is the first generation iMac and all, while I'm using the 21st century version now... Should be okay, I think. I hope. I pray!



According to the instruction manual: "Plug the male HD50 SCSI-2 connector of USB XpressSCSI directly to the female HD50 SCSI-2 connector at the rear of SCSI device."

*WTF?* o_0



Er, okay. Took me several tries to figure out how to hook up the male and the female, but I got it. (The female was kinda rigid.)



SCSI connected? Check!
Power source on? Check!
USB connected? Check!



Inserted the Jaz disc, held my breath, counted One Missisipi, Two Missisipis, Three Missisipis while the drive made churning spining spitting noises. But hmm... Eight Missisipis later, nothing showed up the desktop. NOTHING. Went to System Profiler and found that this device was not even showing up under the USB tab.This totally bombed and did not work at all! #*^@*&^#$*@&^%#!!! }:\

I went on to Iomega website to look for support. It says MacOSX 1.4 onwards does not require a driver to connect these drives. No further documentation on Jaz drives. Went onto Microtech website and it was defunct with broken links and non-loading graphics. No support page or anything whatsoever. Tried to install the driver that came with the CD anyway, but it wouldn't even let me because the driver was running on OS9. D'oh!!!! *SCREAAMMMMS*

CONCLUSION: Data extraction from extinct Jaz drive = FAILED!!! *curses*

So what should I do with this Jaz drive? Sell? Toss? Donate? -__-"

Coming soon: Backing up data with my Iomega Zip drive. Hur hur hur. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one, I have a whole stack of Zip discs I need to get to.

Brunch

A simple quick brunch of Tempeh, Chicken Apple Sausage,
Portobello w/ Balsamic Vinegar, and Organic Sprouts.
Washed down with Ginger Tea.

Yum. :)

Here kitty, kitty.

There are some truly beautifully-designed stuff for cats on the market these days. I've found that they are better designed than the ones for dogs! :X The cat-specific furniture look sleeker, cooler, sexier, snootier... kinda like a cat's personality, eh? I've been seeing some of these cool items featured from time to time in my design/lifestyle magazines and so I am collecting them here for reference. I WANT! I WANT! I WANT! But they aren't cheap and I'll be super pissed if my kitty Mel doesn't use any of these stuff after I buy them. :] Here are the stuff which I like:

Cat Beds



1. Cat Interiors Rondo Bed and Stand is a gorgeous addition to any room in the house. Available in felt and leather.
2. The Pod is a playfully asymmetric bed hand crafted from wool, bamboo and organic cotton.
3. Hepper's curved bowl-like bed is aptly called the Nest Bed and I can totally see my Mel curling up inside.
4. The Sleepypod is a pet carrier which doubles as a bed. This is one fancy pet carrier, it has a separate warming pad for cold winter nights as well as an Air Mesh Hammock attachment for summer months.

Cat Scratchers



1. I fell head over heels in love when I first saw the Cocoon in a design magazine a few years back. I really wanted to get it for Mel but balked at the price tag. (I am still balking.)
2. Mel likes to hide beneath chairs and tables. I can see her chilling out underneath this Claw scratcher.
3. Sweet Lounge is a recliner and scratcher in one!
4. This Wall Flower Scratcher can be mounted on the wall if there's limited floor space.

Catnip Toys!!! :) :) :)

I am a very stingy kitty-mommy. Mel has so many toys that are still brand new, because I do not allow her to play with all of them at once. She has a short attention span, so I ration her toys. So far she has taken a consistent liking to just one item, a Red Chili Pepper toy filled with catnip from Petco. But I thought the ones below are also adorable and will go quite well as a collective food-themed toys for her.



1. Mel pushes my face over when I'm eating a donut, so she can have her own handmade felt Catnip Donuts.
2. One unconscious fish, a bottle of milk and a little red birdie make up this Kitty Grocery Pack.
3. This life-sized Plush Bird is more than a toy, it's a decoration item which I'd love to have for myself.
4. Sushi Handroll. Super cute! But of course, do not serve with wasabi.
5. Mel luuurrrrvvvsss whipped cream. She really has a sweet tooth, this one! I thought this colorful Keylime Pie will be fun for her.
6. Matatabi is the Japanese word for catnip and these are Organic Matatabi Logs imported from Japan.
7. I know these Kitty Boomerangs are going to send Mel into a bunnykicking frenzy!
8. I read online that fresh catnip repels mosquitoes and roaches, so at some point I want to try growing my own catnip using this Kitty's Garden Edible Grass Kit.

Cat Accessories



1. I think I'm going to upgrade Mel's porcelain bowls to this Wood Feeder soon. She's a messy eater, so maybe this will help her eat in a more ladylike fashion?
2. How mod is this pair of Twin Feeding Bowls? So Cute.
3. Moldable plastic Litter Pod with faux wood finish.
4. Velvet Flower Harness meant for little pups but who says it doesn't look cute on a cat too?


With that, I now leave you with a photo of my furdoll who wants to know.....

A gift in the mail!

I received something cute in the mail today from my birthday twin, AhMui (we share the same birthday, but I don't remember us being born in the same year though). I thought it was weird when she asked me for my mailing address recently. Turned out she bought a bookmark when she was in Hong Kong and she wanted to send that over to me.

There is a small little legend at the back of the bookmark explaining the illustrations shown on the front. The Chinese brush paintings in my bookmark illustrate a Butterfly (meaning Freedom), a Heart (meaning Love) and a Turtle Coin (meaning Lucky). Cool. :D By the way, my Chinese name is not what was drawn/written in the bookmark. It's just a phonetic translation, but I still like the bookmark anyway.

This bookmark is perfect for me at the moment, as I'm trying (with difficulty) to finish reading Stephanie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn". I finished reading the first book in the Twilight series within a day, but somehow the momentum slowed down considerably as I picked up books #2 and #3. Especially book #3, "Eclipse" which felt like pulling teeth for me. I couldn't get into the book because I was very irritated when I turned the pages. Bella is soooooooooo frickin' annoying. Like, you have two great guys in love with you, what more do you want!!!??? Sort your feelings and stop dropping all these mixed signals already! Garh. I can't stand it when there is an undecisive girl caught between two wonderful guys (kinda like in "Meteor Garden" too; the whole time I watched it, I was cursing the lead female character. Hahahahaha).

Sorry I totally went off on a tangent there.

Thank you, AhMui, for the little gift and for thinking of me while you were traveling. :) *muah*

Ask me what a 'moonberry' is again...

moonberry: attempting to achieve an extraordinary existence in this unordinary time and space we refer to as life.

The above is a tagline which I've been using for more than ten years ago. I am certainly no copywriter and can't remember how I came up with it, but it was in context of an email reply to a fellow creative. You see, I have been using the word 'moonberry' as my online identity/username/nickname for a really long-ass time. From irc to cuseemee to Asian Avenue to ICQ (and a long list of online forums/social networks that follow afterwards), that was how I've been identified.

Throughout the late nineteen nineties, I kept getting asked, "What is a moonberry?". Yah, some of you have asked me this question before, admit it. ;) So I had to explain once again for the umpteenth time what I imagine a 'moonberry' is, if there was ever such a fruit, and why I came up with it, bla bla bla. I even had to answer this question in a design interview. My website (currently work in progress) was also written up in a news article circa 1998, during a time when my design work and the website itself were all plagiarized. This word has become such a representation of me that people in real life have called me 'moonberry' in my face socially. In fact, I believe many people do not associate me with my real name as much as the online nickname. Geez, that goes to show which social matrix I've been living in. :P

Now being an avid net-crawler that I am, I get really damn annoyed whenever I go to some website to create a user account, pick my default username and then I get an error message that reads, "Username already exists". GAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never thought of the word 'moonberry' as common and I swear I made it up all by myself one fine morning in Spring 1996 when I was walking to work along 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Nineteen-ninety-frickin'-six, mind you. And just to set the record straight, there is no such fruit as a 'moonberry'. Duh.

Recently, I had a lengthy consultation with my attorney about claiming ownership of the word 'moonberry'. Over the years, the word has evolved into a personal brand and I want it to continue representing me in many ways. I want to make it legit now. Filed, registered and everything. So upon discussing its areas of usage, my attorney and I have decided to proceed with submitting a registration. There is going to be a lot of digging into the archives involved, to collect various specimens of its former and current applications. But wish me luck, by hook or by crook, I must claim ownership!

In the meantime, here is a new version to describe 'moonberry'. I am giving it a little bit more definition in this iteration and it lists out the things that i have evolved into. I like number 9 the best. Being a 'Taitai' In-Training ROCKS. Hahahaha! :D I am not really a Taitai, of course... I only imagine myself to be one.

moonberry™ — /noun/: 1. Creative Mafia. 2. Art Director. 3. Photographer. 4. Floral Designer. 5. Domestic Diva. 6. Net Geek. 7. Pretty Maker. 8. Foodie. 9. 'Taitai' In-Training. [Inspiring You, You and You. Since 1996]

Peace out.

xoxo,
-MB

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PS: What the word 'Taitai' means:

1. A term used in Chinese circles for supreme wife (implying a situation where a man is wealthy enough to have several "wives") but no longer strictly interpreted. Term now applies to citizens of the world with an Asian viewpoint who have bounds of time and money. A Tai Tai is a privileged lady of means. To qualify as a Tai Tai, one has to have lots of leisure time, lots of money to spend and lots of gossip to exchange.

2. Supreme of the Supreme is its literal translation. The term implies respect.

Cool. I want to be the first Net-Taitai... whatever the heck that means, but watch me define it and bring it to the 21st century. Heh! }:P

Wedding attire style crisis!

WEDDING ATTIRE STYLE CRISIS!

With most of my friends already hitched and on to procreation, I thought I'm pretty much done when it comes to receiving wedding invitations. Truth be told, I have never quite liked going to weddings and the main reason for it is: I have no idea what to wear to such a function! This problem is comprised of several layers, which I shall break down one by one for you.

1. I find most formal dresses fugly.
..... Plain, plain, plain. Strapless, spaghetti-straps, usually black, above the knee or floor-skimming. Predictable and boring. As for the ones that have prints, the print itself usually looks so tacky. And I don't know if it's the models in the catalogue photos or what, but the short/cocktail-length and figure-hugging dresses they model look, uhm how shall I put it delicately, hoochie.

Is it me or... well, okay it definitely must be me, because recently someone pointed out that I wear "loose and shapeless" clothings. D'oh! I call it funky, he calls it shapeless. *rolls eyes*

2. I try my hardest to avoid wearing heels.
High arch, resulting in severe shin cramps every time I wear any type of heels. That oh-so-feminine-and-sexy-look doesn't look as alluring anymore when I'm wincing in a corner, barefeet, cursing silently and wishing to amputate my legs so that I can ease the gripping pain. The extreme discomfort is not worth my while, thus I stick to flats and sneakers exclusively whenever I can. I envy you gals whose legs appear to go on for miles when you're wearing heels. Sigh.

3. I seldom wear jewelry.
Don't get me wrong, I love all forms of bling. The bigger, the shinier, the better! :) But I don't find enough occassions to wear them, really. Sometimes I'll pick just a bracelet that happens to be my favourite at the time, or a funky cocktail ring that happens to go with everything. I don't know, maybe I'm just too lazy/uninspired to co-ordinate.

4. Chichi party bags (ie. clutches, evening bags and the like) are way too small for me.
I need bags that can carry my wallet (the long kind, not the small foldable type), a medium-sized bunch of keys, a pack of cigarettes, lip balm and digital camera (the Canon G10, which isn't quite as small and slim as the usual pocket-sized ones). Oh, and cellfone, how can I forget that. And my Bluetooth headset. Sometimes an MP3 player too. Sunglasses when the sun's out. I don't carry the G10 everywhere, but I sure as heck will not be leaving it behind when I'm going to be at a wedding! If I can have my way, I'll carry my gargantuan DSLR camera with all its peripherals, but that will definitely *not* be a fashion statement.

With that all said, I have received not one, but THREE separate invitations to weddings this year and I am so effed. What am I going to wear? And how much am I willing to spend on for an attire that is suitable for the occassion? ACK. I decided that before I panic, then drop the thought of dressing up completely, then show up in (God forbid) an inappropriately casual-looking outfit and flat sandals (read: flipflops).

Anyway, here are three looks that I managed to put together based on my personal sense of style. Yah yah, I know... they do not look wedding-y at all, but I really do not want to end up in one of those generic-looking evening dresses and blend into a sea of guests. I am Moonberry, and Moonberry is I, yo! I shall rise to the ocassion and dress myself, my way. ;)
Check it out. What do you think?

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LOOK 1



Elsa Peretti® Bean® pendant – $195
Celestina Ebony Macassar clutch – $755
La Regale Rhinestone Trim Slim Clutch – $47
3.1 Phillip Lim Mini Dress – $525
Noir Smoky Glass Ring – $62
Matiko Vaughn Wedge – $168

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LOOK 2

Frank Gehry® Torque ring – $425
Tania Light Wood Clutch by Glorinha Paranagua – $365
Glacier Jet Hematite Ring – $260
Casadei 9481 Clutch – $615.33
Marc Bouwer Glamit! Asymmetric Stretch-Silk Dress – $430
Elsa Peretti® Round pendant – $195
Stuart Weitzman Satin-Bow Evening Pump – $298

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LOOK 3

Avanessi KNOT RING - WHITE – $220
Noir Red Bubble Ring – $75
Gala Black Evening Bag – $600
Donna Karan Collection Belted Draped Dress – $2,695
Stuart Weitzman Evening - Pipesashay Silver Sequins – $345
MICHAEL Michael Kors - Dylan Copper Leather – $73.50

Way too many baking supplies.

By golly, I have way too many baking supplies. (This is an understatement for someone like, say, my buddy Mong.) I also know my collection is really nothing compared to the one my sister has. She has an entire wall of pantry cabinets full of Wilton goods. The first time I looked through my sister's pantry, just the sheer quantity of cookie-cutters alone made me dizzy and I almost fell off the chair I was standing on. I think everything that Wilton sells, my sister owns. I believe she has the complete inventory of all baking/decorating items that Wilton has ever produced. As for me, I can't say I bake a lot (although I must've baked more than the ones shown below), but I do enjoy trying a recipe here and there, from time to time. The only problem is, who's gonna eat the cakes/cookies/pastries that I make? I like baking, but I don't want to get fat!

My 'puny' collection of baking supplies compared to my sister's.


One of the first mini-cakes I made, I think it was Yellow Cake w/ Chocolate Frosting.


Homemade Marshmallows Rolled in Coconut Flakes.


Mini cupcakes for New Year's Eve.


Green Tea Eclairs.


Pineapple Tarts.


Wedding Cake Decorating Experiment.


Wedding Cake Decorating Experiment.


Tristan's Birthday Cupcakes with Fondant Turtles.
Butter Cookies with Sugar Icing.


Macadamia and Chocolate Chip Cookies.