Serena Mitnik Miller

I'm nearing the end of my watercolor class and I must admit the last two sessions had been brutal for me. I'm pretty much dragging my feet to class these days. I dunno how I got there, but I definitely got stuck. How do I say this? Let's say the medium kicked my ass and I was having technical difficulty producing or creating what I want. What I painted on paper was either too pigmented or too faint, too wet or too dry. :( All in all, I SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *ggrrr*

And then of course, bad feelings naturally surfaced within me. The demon reared its head and next thing I knew, I wanted to gag whenever I looked at my half-finished paintings. Sigh. Welcome to my world of creative blockage. I have successfully managed to imprison myself mentally and I know I must break free of this shit before it manifests into permanent negative vibes.

Anyhoo I wasn't deliberately searching for answers or anything, but as luck would have it I stumbled upon this watercolor artist by accident and I just have to share this delightful discovery on my blog.



Serena Mitnik Miller is an artist living and working in San Francisco. I love how her paintings are made up of simple elements and basic shapes. True to medium, the colors come alive via delicate layers and controlled application.







Frankly I think this basic elemental approach will work out better for me and I really should lay off trying to paint realistic flowers, fruits or whatnot. Realistic renditions have never been my game (never have, never will) and there is no way I will be able to paint a pretty banana ever. Abstract graphic shapes and typography, now THAT is my game. (Yes, yes, I'm the one art student who can't draw realistically to save her own life - but I've never been ashamed of it.)

Taking the cue from Serena Mitnik Miller's work, I probably should go back to the drawing table and start all over again from the basics, like making the paintbrushes my friend and not feel intimidated by pigmentation. Befriend and own the medium! Most importantly, I need to rid my head of expectations - I think that's how I got tripped. Ah well, cést la vie. :]

Tim Walker

I'm sure you have seen the image before, or something like it. It's been copied over and over by many photographers before. The original was captured by Tim Walker in India. Tim Walker's fashion photography is bursting with original concepts and the video below gives us a glimpse of his creative process. I love love love his collection of sketchbooks. *drools*











Seeing how others get their creative inspiration and produce something visually impactful never fails to give me butterflies.

Tastes Orangey

One of life's little indulgences for me has gotta be stirring awake on a cloudy weekend morning, tucked under a soft comforter, and in the arms of my man. These original paintings by Clare Elsaesser at Tastes Orangey depict that so beautifully.







Cuddle heaven. Mmmmmm, bliss. :")

Going, going, gone. SOLD!

I'm hardly a novice when it comes to online shopping, firstly because I've been around since the dot-com boom (and subsequently bust, and then re-boom), secondly because creating e-commerce sites used to be part of my bread and butter, and thirdly because I'm a lazy mofo who don't like crowd or long queues in malls. :p For many years now I've been pretty much doing all of my shopping through the clicks of my mouse and I will drag my bummy ass to the mall only if I reeeeallllyyyy need to. I like shopping online for several reasons:

• Online stores are open 24/7 and I can shop in my pyjamas. Or during my lunch time, without leaving my desk.
• I can browse freely without having annoying sales assistants hovering around.
• I get to evaluate my intended purchases by reading reviews beforehand, and then click on a direct link that brings me to the product page.
• WISHLIST, WISHLIST, WISHLIST - When I'm not ready to purchase something right away, I can add it to my wishlist and revisit later.
• Best of all, the internet allows me to compare prices using price aggregator sites and nail the best bargain (including how I can save on shipping or taxes etc.).

Recently I was introduced to an online auction website, Sold.SG and at first I thought "Online auction? Been there, done that." (I am an active eBay-er, sold and bought stuff there plenty of times). Turned out that the shopping experience on Sold.SG is very different to what I'm used to! It had me sitting at the edge of my seat the whole time I was bidding for something on the site.



Firstly, you need TOKENS before you are able to bid on an item. 1 token = 1 bid. And when you bid, the item price increases by 15¢ (or whatever increments it's been set to, some are 1¢...). Interestingly, every bid adds an additional 20 seconds to the auction time. It becomes literally a LIVE ACTION auction because of the added time increase factor so you have to really be on the game and watch the monitor closely particularly when an auction is about to end and then put in a bid (say, when the countdown timer starts ticking down to 5 seconds).



As shown in the instructional leaflet above (Step 4), when the auction timer runs out and you are the last bidder, YOU WIN! *throws confetti in the air, hurrahhh!*



The above is a screenshot of the Sold.SG website, showing some of the items that were being auctioned when I visited the website. Every day there are several new items added to the auction table so if you didn't win that Altec Lansing speaker system the first time around, don't fret because it probably will come up again on a different day.

How much do the tokens cost, you ask? Here's the price list of how to purchase tokens so that you can start bidding. For noob bidders, Sold.SG also has auction items that are free - meaning you don't need to use tokens to put in a bid. Treat this as a warmup session to get the hang of this bidding process and once you're confident enough, you can start doing serious bidding on big ticket items.



Now.... speaking of big ticket items, I was on the site today and a brand new Apple iMac in the auction table caught my eye. The starting price was really low and it was a 1¢-increment auction so I figured it'd take a while before it reaches that magic number (usually a price point that deters those "just browsing and trying their luck" folks from bidding and only the serious ones who want the item very very badly will stick around, bidding neck to neck at the very last minute; this is my personal observation through studying the behaviors of online bidders).

BUT OH MY FRIGGIN' GAWD!!!!!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE IMAC FINALLY SOLD FOR...



O_O?!?

WHUATTT.

HOW COULD THIS BE REAL???? BRAND NEW IMAC WITH LION OSX FOR UNDER $10!!!!!!?!?!?!?!!?!!?!?!

W.T.F.

O_O?!?!?!?!?!

Like I said before, I was gonna join the iMac auction but wait until when the bidding price hits maybe around $35 or something like that. And I would have capped my bids to a maximum of $50, coz I don't really need a new iMac (the one I'm using currently is working fine) but hey, an extra iMac lying around the house which I get for $50 couldn't be a bad deal, right?

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE AUCTION ENDED AT JUST $7.49!!!!!

*blink, blink*

O_O

Had I known I could have gotten a brand new iMac for under ten bucks, hellz.... I'd have jumped right in with the rest of the bidders too the moment I saw it! Instead I was focusing my attention on the Phillips Living Colors lamp auction which I happen to have been coveting for months.



The auction was actively going at about $3 and I used some tokens to bid a few times. When the price went up to $6.60 I decided to kick back and chill out for a bit, observe the action passively without unnecessarily using my tokens. I even went to take a shower in between, came back to my monitor to check the progress etc.



When I got out of the shower, the price had gone up to $27.90. WHOA! So fast. You see, when an auction price goes up really quickly in a very short time that means there are several active bidders watching this item and they're crazy outbidding one another. I usually observe until I can find an opportunity to slip my bid in there and steal the item right under their noses. You have to kinda watch the action really closely and try to figure out what the other bidders are doing, and what strategy they are using. Exciting, right?

The auction of the Phillips Living Colors lamp finally ended at $40.95. Definitely a bargain compared to its original retail price of $139.00.

But come on, this lamp cost so much more than the iMac!?!! I was totally putting my attention on the wrong item! The point I'm trying to make here is, this is unbelievably bizzare but it is a FAIR GAME for everyone. You bid smart, you win smart. And it is really very very thrilling. :) :) :) Of course the main thing is you gotta be a bidder for a chance to get these high-ticket items at insanely low prices.


With Sold.SG director, Angeline - who incidentally graduated from Stern (the business school of NYU). Word.


With Sold.SG director, Qiuyan. These gals left their full-time jobs and made their entrepreneurial dream come true by starting up Sold.SG. *impressed*


With Sold.SG staff, Daryll.


With fellow blogger, Tardyqueen. This lucky girl is one of the winners of my Bling Bear giveaway!


With fellow bloggers, the twins aka Jayley and Hayley. They're the cutest twins ever. ^^



These are just some of the items that are being auctioned on the site. If you ask me though, I think seeing less electronics and MORE household appliances or female-oriented items on the auction will be kinda nice and I can see many gal pals being enticed to get on the site. Hey, we girls are biiiiggg on shopping (it's in our DNA) and more of us need to get on the online shopping bandwagon!

Sold.SG is really cool because they can read my mind. Heh! :) There is a section on the website where you can suggest items and products which you'd like to see on the auction table and they'll do their bestest to offer these items as long as there is a real interest amongst potential bidders. Attention "mommy-friends": If you want to get that designer baby stroller cheaply, join the site and request for it to be auctioned. (Don't underestimate the power of mommy online shopping.) My personal suggestions below... ;)


1. Phillips Air Fryer 2. Glass Dome Cake Stand 3. Porcelain Cake Stands 4. Clarisonic Cleanser 5. Canon Selphy Printer 6. Le Creuset Set 7. Roomba 8. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer 9. Sephora Gift Certificate

Omigod, there will definitely be a collective spasm if one of us gals successfully wins a KA mixer for less than $10, won't there? :) I think online auctioning is a fun way to shop online, so check out the website and start bidding on Sold.SG!

And if you're going to join, please follow this link so that I can get two free tokens from the referral. Uh huh, you'll be helping me win the friggin' lamp. I really want that lamp gawddammit. Thanks. :p

✎ Question for readers: What products do you want to see being auctioned on Sold.SG?

[Giveaway] Perry Amber

There's a new blogshop in town! Perry Amber is the latest gal on the block and I find their first collection to be girlish and playful at the same time. Couple of my personal picks from the collection and my ideas on how to wear them below:


Outfit 1: Orange Lines Outer Vest with Cross-Back Inner Top


Wedge heels, Yves saint laurent bag, Oasis bangle bracelet, Gold jewelry, Just Female Acces gold necklace, Forever21 fedora hat, Retro sunglasses, stila cosmetics - long wear liquid lip color, O.P.I Shatter Nail Lacquer

Outfit 2: Loose Sheer Top in Bluish Green


TopShop capri pants, Zebra print pumps, Envelope clutch bag, H M cuffs jewelry, Zoe Morgan geometric jewelry, MAC 'Semi Precious' Mineralize Eyeshadow Mineral Mode (F) One Size, Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint, stila cosmetics - sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner
Monsoon Vanilla Lip Balm

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Ok, now I have a couple of goodies to share with y'all.

The first being that Perry Amber has generously offered a 10% discount for all my blog readers. Enter this code PAMOONBERRYSG10 when you place your order. Happy shopping! ^^


And that's not all.

*** GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY ***


Guess what? To get you started on shopping at the Perry Amber website, I also have a S$50 VOUCHER TO GIVE AWAY to my blog readers. Simply go to my FB page and leave a comment so I know who you are. That's it. One comment per person and one lucky recipient will be drawn randomly to get the S$50 shopping voucher. Last day to post a FB comment is on Sunday, September 4th. Don't wait until last minute please. Good luck! :)

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PERRY AMBER | Facebook http://www.facebook.com/shop.perryamber | Twitter http://twitter.com/perryamber | Website http://www.perryamber.com

Vichy Spa Water

The application of water spray micromist, as far I know, doesn't seem to be a regular step in daily skincare routine for women in America. I personally don't incorporate the use of a spray mist except during the summer when I would mist my face once in a while to rehydrate and cool off after baking in the sun. A light mist of pure spring water gently blanketing my face feels so good especially when my pores are flaring open from the heat. But it was never part of my regular skincare routine so I experienced quite an eye-opening treat at the Vichy workshop I attended recently.



Created in 1931 in France by a skin physician, Vichy Laboratories offers unique allergy-tested skin care products combining Vichy Thermal Spa Water with the latest innovations stemming from dermatological research. The name Vichy itself originates from a region in France, a beautiful area surrounded by mountains and springs (good feng shui, hehehe). Vichy's fields of skin expertise range from skin aging to dry skin care, dehydrated skin, acne prone skin, dull complexion. Today, Vichy Laboratories is the leading skincare brand in European pharmacies. All Vichy products are formulated with Vichy Thermal Spa Water (water from Lucas Spring), which is particularly tailored to the needs of sensitive skin. This water is one of the most mineral-concentrated waters in France and is superior to nearly all other thermal waters.



You know I'm big on putting adequate amount of hydration on my face, especially since I don't take very well to the year-round summer in Singapore (read: shiny face). My skin has gone totally crazy in this climate and it goes from DRY ☞ SKIN OVERCOMPENSATES BY BECOMING SEBACEOUS (ie. oily) ☞ BLOT AWAY OIL ☞ DRY ☞ SKIN OVERCOMPENSATES AGAIN BY SECRETING OIL ☞ BLOT ☞ DRY ☞ OIL ☞ BLOT ☞ DRY ☞ .... and so on and so forth. This cycle is maddening! *GGGRRRRR*



I think I have found my answer in the Vichy Thermal Spa Water (yah, that's the name of the product) spray mist. Or in French, it is Eau Thermale. Thanks to the Vichy workshop during which I got re-edumacated on skin hydration methods, I have been micromisting guilt-free at the end of my skincare routine this past week using the Vichy Thermal Spa Water. I really like how it forms a veil of hydration packed with oh-so-good minerals and my skin looks dewy afterwards (I pat it away with a soft sponge). The Spa Water mist also maintains a stable alkalinity on my face before I pat on other products like eye-cream, moisturizers, etc. In other words, the mist maintains a balanced pH-level on my face. I didn't know this prior to attending the workshop but apparently when one's skin pH-level is out of balance, that's when all kinds of wacky skin issues start popping up. Acne, redness, sensitivity, irritation, allergies... all that whole basket of nasty unwelcome conditions. :| The Vichy Thermal Spa Water solves all these by offering three main benefits:

1. SOOTHING
The therapeutic properties of the water is anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant.

2. FORTIFYING
With continued use, it strengthens and protects skin tissue against ageing.

3. REGENERATING
It stimulates cell renewal and improves skin's natural defense.



This product is so gentle with multiple benefits that, as shown in the illustration above, it can be used in many ways beyond daily skincare routine! It is pure enough to be used on a baby even. I say if it's good enough for a baby's skin, it's gotta be good for my skin too. :) This product is most suitable for those with sensitive skin.



I like this spray mist very much and I'm definitely planning to grab a couple more (full-sized ones; I've been told that this year, being Vichy's 80th anniversary, the Eau Thermale is available in limited edition packaging - you should be able to recognize them with the cute illustrations on the spray bottle). I think it is essential for this perpetual summer in Singapore. It is so humid all the time that after I get out of the shower, I perspire even more. WTH?!? And I really really dislike that pores-flaring-open feeling, as though they are all screaming "I'm so paaaaaarrrrrccccchhheddddd, quench my thirst!".

*SSSSPPPPRRAAAAYYYY LIBERALLY to make them open pores STFU*



Because the Vichy Thermal Spa Water is packed with so much natural goodness, Vichy has added this "living" water into all of their products. There is one particular product line, AQUALIA THERMAL, which is effective for hydrating sensitive skin. I used the Aqualia Thermal Masque this week, followed by the Aqualia Thermal Aqua-Gel as moisturizer and they are both very nice. The fragrance is a tad too musky and flowery for me though, to be honest, but I guess that's the smell that Europeans love or something. :X

Oh, by the way there is an on-going video contest in which you can win an iPad 2 (16Gb) by showing how you use your Vichy Spa Water. Deadline is 30 September 2011, and video entries are judged by 40% Creativity, 40% Originality and 20% Relevance. So put on your creativity cap and produce the winning video!!! *FUN-NESS* :D :D :D




More product info and video contest details on Vichy Facebook Fanpage. JOIN JOIN JOIN! And win yourself an iPad 2. *Whoohoooo*

Gelish Nails

So the latest craze it seems, when it comes to manicure, is Gelish. Well, okay I don't think it's suuuper latest because I had my first Gelish manicure done back in January and fell in love with it. But I see that more and more people are going for it now so I thought I'd write to share how wonderful it is.

Gelish, by Hand& Nail Harmony is a soak-off gel product that works as a polish. Gelish cures under a UV light in 2 minutes, hardens like a gel, does not peel, or chip between maintenance – ALL IN A POLISH BOTTLE! This state of the art product has the control in application of polish, can be used for nail art and design, and soaks off 3 times faster than any other gel product. via

No, Gelish is NOT an acrylic or gel extension. Think of it as a nail polish, made of gel that's painted on your nails in several steps (clear bottom coat, colored coat, shiny top coat; nothing new here). This gel comes in many different colors, just like regular nail polish. After painting it on, instead of air-drying it, it's dried under a UV or LED lamp for a couple of minutes after each step and after the final coat — voila, your manicure is set. You can now go off doing whatever without worrying that the polish will chip. Wash your hands, rub them together, touch your fingernails, etc... the manicure won't be disturbed at all.

YES YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY. Two minutes under a UV lamp for the gel to set and you're done. And the color stays fresh, vibrant and shiny for a good 3 weeks without fading or chipping!!! YIPPETY!!!!!!

*cue in the ceiling splitting up in bright magnificent light to reveal a choir of angels floating on clouds*



Gelish Color Swatch

I dunno about you but this TOTALLY works for me! I'm generally careless, or 粗鲁 rough with my hands, or plain bloody unlucky. I hate how my nails always look so good and pretty at the nail salon but as soon as I walk to the parking lot and reach for my car keys, scrattttttt--ccccccc-----hhhhhhhhhhh. -_____-" F&#^$@!!!! Or like how I don't do any heavy cooking for weeks, but of all days the day of my manicure appointment I somehow find myself in the kitchen chopping stuff up to make dinner after getting nails done. O_o And I don't need to spell out for you what that does to my fresh manicure. }:| The worst is French Manicure, which I happen to love coz it's so elegant and ladylike, but immediately hate because the white tips are always the first to get chipped and so my nails aren't perfect anymore. Ladylike, my ass! Looks more like I've been biting my nails instead (which I don't). In spite of it, I once sported French Manicure continuously for a good year and a half but they were really very difficult + frustrating to maintain.



Well, not anymore with Gelish! :) :) :) That's why the first time I got Gelish, I chose French Manicure right away and true enough, the manicure lasted me all through Chinese New Year without a single chip or scratch. *BEAMS*

A quick note on removal. Because this is not regular nail polish, you can't use regular nail polish remover. Duhhhh. Remember this is a gel so it has to be soaked off with its own Gelish remover. It's best to go back to the nail salon and let them do it. The one I went to for my first Gelish charged me for removal; the current place I go to near my apartment does it for me for free. *Yeay*



This is what my manicure and pedicure look like presently, done using Gelish. (Yah, I got Gelish applied to my toenails too.) *happy happy*

Gelish is awesome, right? :D

Next time I'm going to try Minx coz I want metallic nails. But honestly it's gonna be kinda hard to go for anything other than Gelish from this point onwards. (._.)

Linus and The Feel Good Factory

I'm totally tickled by Linus' humorous paper artwork. Linus and The Feel Good Factory creates a series of paper survival guide named Linus Knows How to guide us through certain situations we may encounter and takes a picture a day as part of his 365 project. Below are some of my faves. You gotta click the titles to read the how-to tutorials, they are really wacky, silly and funny.


040/365 How To Let Your Loved One Knows That She's Precious To You


024/365 How To Practise Ass Kicking


065/365 How To Transform Yourself Into A Crazy Ballerina From A Movie


098/365 How To Pretend That You Are Not In Touch With Your Emotions


141/365 How To Be Unfeeling


107/365 How To Kill Someone/Something Softly (With This Song)


103/365 How To Click With People


096/365 How To Avoid Jumping The Shark


092/365 How To Be More Lady-Like


186/365 How To Find Your Own Prince


081/365 How To Prevent The Growth Of A Potentially Dangerous Silly Thought


173/365 How To Dream Of Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bridge


206/365 How To Be A Gentleman's Gentleman


177/365 How To Make Use Of Your Armpit Hair (heh, I have my own take on armpit hair.)


031/365 How To Protect Yourself

Check out the rest of the series here. Linus is one funny dude. :D