Getting my Get Glue Stickers

There was a nice surprise in the mail today. I've finally gotten my first batch of Get Glue stickers! Hooray! It took more than a month but hey at least they're here. Now we know for sure that they mail the stickers internationally.

The stickers themselves are glossy, about 38mm (1 1/2" in) in diameter and are made of thick sticker paper. They sent me the first 20 stickers I've earned plus 3 more extra ones with the Get Glue logo on it. Now where to stick them to? :D Time to earn more stickers!

Hunger Games Movie Teaser Trailer Out

Probably one of the most anticipated movies coming next year is The Hunger Games movie and after having found out about the cast and seeing how the characters are going to look like, here’s the first teaser trailer for the movie.

Outfits for Work

Currently enjoying the long weekend and while thoughts of shopping for new clothes is on my head, I created these work outfit collection sets at Polyvore.

 

Rebecca Taylor shirts blouse, $235
All Saints layered skirt, $195
Nine West heel pumps, $89
Reed Krakoff silver metallic handbag, $1,090
Cara Accessories stretch bracelet, $88
Diane Kordas 18 karat gold ring, $5,555
Oasis polka dot shirt, £35
Chloé wide leg pants, $675
Yves Saint Laurent strappy sandals, $1,240
Deux lux handbag, $105
Antik Batik resin jewelry, €64
Lucky Brand Jeans gold flower earrings, $22
CHANEL LE VERNIS NAIL COLOUR | Nordstrom, $25
Valentino Red v neck cardigan, £280
Monsoon print skirt, £45
Miu Miu mary jane platform heels, $559
Mulberry croc bag, $1,350
Bracelet
Betsey Johnson pink necklace, $55
I-Mark crumbles

Beware of the Virus in Contagion

Just looking at the stellar list of actors who we’ll get to see in the movie Contagion from Warner Bros. is enough to make me want to see this movie. The list of actors include Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (“Inception”); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (the “Bourne” films); Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”); Oscar® nominee Jude Law (“Sherlock Holmes”); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (“Iron Man”); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (“Titanic”).

Looking at the trailers, this seems to be an outbreak of some sort. Just up my alley. Something I’m very interested in. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch the trailer below:

From it we see just how fast transmission occurs and from the most ordinary of activities too. It makes you just wary of anything you’ll come in contact with. In the movie this is how the virus started to spread. I’ve never seen Gwyneth Paltrow without make-up before and seeing her infected was just really disturbing. The global pandemic in the movie leaves me curious as to why Matt Damon’s character is immune or how they’ll come up with a cure. We won’t have to wait for long, Contagion invades theaters in September.

StumbleUpon Android App

Sometimes the joy of being able to surf the Internet is finding great sites with great content geared towards your interests. That’s the use of StumbleUpon. Now it has come to the Android OS. It’s a great app especially if you want to read sites using your phone. It does require a log-in either from Facebook (via Facebook connectivity) or with your StumbleUpon account.

Stumbling is relatively easy. Just press on the globe icon on the bottom menu bar and you’ll be automatically taken to a site. The thumbs up and thumbs down buttons are there for you to review a page. The sharing icon also allows for easy sharing via social networking sites or through email.

Aside from stumbling sites, it also has a feature called App Discovery. It basically just recommends the most compatible Android apps for you.

The only downside to this app is that as soon as you connect your phone to the internet, it automatically starts and if you have unread messages in your inbox (like I do), it will appear annoyingly on the notification bar. Exiting the app doesn’t work either because trust me after 20 minutes or so, it will start up again. If you don’t mind this at all, then by all means this app could be right for you.

StumbleUpon for Android

Android Market [DOWNLOAD LINK]

Price: Free

Beat these Bad Beauty Habits

Working out with Make-up.

Best to go au naturele at the gym even though a hunk is working out close by. If you start sweating, the make-up will block the pores and the build-up of dirt and germs will make you breakout in pimples. Now that isn’t a pretty sight.

Popping pimples.

It’s tempting, yes. I’m guilty of doing this sometimes too but try to dab the pimple with Tea Tree Oil instead. It will help speed up the drying process of the pimple head. Also avoid touching the pimple with dirty fingers.

Not wearing sunscreen.

Try to wear foundation with sufficient SPF protection. This way you can protect your face from the harsh effects of the sun especially now that with the climate changes make being under the sun even hotter.

Overheating your hair.

Sometimes it’s just best to dry your hair naturally or in front of a fan. Blow dryers, curlers and irons do really dry out your hair. If it can be helped, avoid using them. If you can’t, treat your hair to a moisturizing hair mask once a week.

Using dirty brushes, puffs or sponges.

It’s just bad practice not to clean brushes and sponges. Remember you are putting them on your face so they’d better be clean if you don’t want an uncontrollable breakout in your hands.

Going to bed with make-up on.

No matter how tired you are, take a few minutes to clean your face first before heading off to dreamland. The makeup will just rub onto your pillow and the pillow will in turn further rub the make-up onto your skin too. You can choose to wash with a facial wash or use a make-up remover.

Remove eye makeup.

Unless you want to risk eye infection. Make sure to remove all traces of eye liner and eye shadows on your lids before going to bed too. I’ve been told that good old J&J baby wash is a good inexpensive eye make-up remover.

Don’t overdo cleansing and exfoliating.

Don’t be too obsessed with cleaning your face because you might end up rubbing your skin raw. Especially if you have sensitive skin, all that rubbing might cause your skin to breakout in small whiteheads that may be hard to remove.

Having loads of fun with Pinterest

Other than finding myself pre-occupied these days with playing Sims Social on Facebook, I’m also now completely engrossed with Pinterest. I think it’s going to be my go-to now for image aggregation.

Uses of Pinterest

The site is very easy on the eyes and is very easy to navigate. It’s kinda like Tumblr but you see “pins” from everyone organized into a grid on the screen. This is where you can get good ideas from everyone who has pinned them on their boards. The good thing is you can also share your finding with friends who follow you too.

It’s easy to use and you can make and rename as many boards as you want. You can use tags and categories so that you can organize your sets and collections. It’s also pretty nifty that I’ve found an extension in Chrome called “Pin It” that I can just click whenever I see something worthy to pin on my Pinterest boards.

Sims Social on Facebook Tips & Tricks

After years of safely getting over my addiction for any Sims games, here I am again finding myself in a quick sand. This time, the Sims invade Facebook. Yes, as if you'll need another cause for your decline in productivity at work. Here comes The Sims Social on Facebook and I'm joining the millions of players who are currently addicted to it since it came out of beta last week.

This game is relatively similar to the original Sims game on PC but with subtle differences and enhancements with social gameplay. You start off with creating your Sim by choosing its gender and how it looks like. This is also the point where you assign character traits to your Sim. You can change these later on but you would need to spend some cash (Simoleons) for it.

Your Sim won't have a job, so this time you'll concentrate on expanding and beautifying your house, working on goals and creating relationships with other Sims. Your house starts off with the most basic equipments and needs. You can improve on this when you gather enough cash and some requirements.

What I like most about Sims Social are the goals that you need to accomplish in order to progress your Sims level. They can range from you accomplishing tasks alone or seeking the help of you neighbors to finish it. TIP: Don't forget to add your friends as neighbors, otherwise you won't be able to visit their homes. Every first visit gains you energy which you can use to perform tasks.
TIP: Try to hold out on visiting friends until you are almost out of energy, this way the energy level won't be maxed out and precious free energy won't go to waste.

Basically, the day to day routine of your Sim will be to accomplish goals, decorate and/or build (building does require extra components and the help of your friends) and visiting your neighbors to create friendships.
TIP: Work on getting your Sim "inspired". You get bonus cash from tasks if you gain this status. Being "inspired" means all your Sim's need are met and are at the highest level.
TIP: Don't forget to click on the reward icons that are dropped after each task especially the green happy icons. Your mood meter won't imporve until these are clicked.

If you have the game well under-way, don't forget to improve on your character's traits. These can be bought with Lifetime points. The Lifetime points are then gathered from reaching a completed skill level.
TIP: The best traits to max out are Ninja and Great Kisser. The Ninja trait can make you go from one spot to another faster while the Great Kisser trait lets you kiss in the relationship even before dating status. The other traits are mainly useless and are there for amusement purposes.

Special ingredients are needed to accomplish certain tasks and to build items. Some are easy to get and some are not. The Fury ingredient is one item that is hard to come by for example.
TIP: Get the Fury item from making enemies out of friends. Just keep on clicking the insult option until a fury item comes out in the rewards. Don't worry you can just apologize and re-gain the friendship status.
TIP: If you're wary about making enemies out of your neighbors, just use Bella.

Another fun factor for me when playing Sims Social is the challenge of building rooms and things. You need the help of your friends with this. One option is to ask a friend directly or you can paste the request on your Facebook wall.
TIP: Once you've completed an item and you're feeling generous, post it on your wall so that friends who play Sims Social can get bling from your accomplishment.

When you're decorating your house, make sure your Sim can get to an item freely. When the path is obstructed, you won't be able to interact with the object and you can't collect the rewards either.  By buying stuff and expanding your house, you raise your home's property value.
TIP: Raising property value can earn you house levels.

You can't play with your Sim all day though because you consume energy as you perform tasks. You get bonus energy when visiting friends and from using freebie energy packs which you can get as gifts from friends.
TIP: Try to sign in each day for rewards. You can also ask friends for extra energy by posting on your wall. You can also hold out on accepting game requests from friends which give you free energy so that you can use them when you're depleted.

***
I'm happy that the Sims has come to Facebook despite the fact the it eats up hours of your day. Some say that the days of Cityville and Farmville as top games are numbered now that the Sims have arrived. I couldn't agree more.

UPDATE (August 27,2011):

TIP: Rummage around in your neighbor’s trash cans when you visit them, you’ll never know what you might find in there.

TIP: A small icon on the bottom right side of your friends’ pictures indicate the level of relationship you have with them. Two people with a question mark in between would probably mean that you haven’t visited that house and you’ll get to earn bonus energy points.

Look Stylish in these Cute Hostess Aprons

I've always loved to cook and luckily, I seem to have inherited my dad's cooking gene (as I call it). Everyone who has tasted my dishes so far have no complaints. Sadly though, I don't recall ever owning for myself an apron. Even the plain white one, I don't have that.

When I saw these lovely aprons however, then I feel inclined to go hunting for aprons too. This will probably renew my passion for cooking.

You’ll find these gorgeous aprons and more at Jessie Steel’s Site.

Dogs are Extremely Loyal

When I saw this on Yahoo frontpage, it just clutched at my heart. It shows the photo of a dog named Hawkeye, lying down beside his master – a fallen Navy Seal who was killed in Afghanistan. Jon Tumilson must have been a very brave and honorable man. At his service, his cousin shot a photo of the loyal dog, a black Labrador retriever. This just goes to show the blind loyalty dogs have for their masters.

Read the full article HERE.

Teaser stills for How I Met Your Mother Season 7

It was a cliff-hanger ending as we’re left guessing who Barney’s mystery bride will be. In the last few scenes we saw Barney re-new his friendship with Nora while Robin looks solemnly on. I can only venture a guess that Nora is the bride that we’ll see in Season 7 but wait…

Why are Barney and Robin sharing a steamy dance together? Hmmmm….could this mean that they’ll also be re-kindling their romance. They were great together weren’t they? Until they became fat and sloppy that is.

This is at Punchy’s wedding, where the gang is all present. Is the wedding motif white and orange? Feels like a Halloween bash to me.

Photos courtesy of CBS.com

Site Feature: Scandybars

If there was one page that left me craving for Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and Mars bars, it would be this one. Scandybars is a totally unique Tumblr site which features what else but candies. However, each candy is presented like this: sliced and then scanned. What results is a unique look at how our favorite sweet tooth cravings look like in section.

Jerrod Maruyama’s Pop Culture Illustrations

We’ve seen the pop culture characters that Jerrod Maruyama re-interprets into his own style of illustration but I can’t help but be mesmerized by the cuteness of his works. Some people might even view his renditions as better versions. I wouldn’t argue with that.

Here are some examples:

Ursula and The Little Mermaid

Disney Pixar’s Up

Woody and Buzz from Toy Story

Calvin and Hobbes

You can view the rest of his illustrations via his WEBSITE.

Why it's a good time to consider buying a PS3 now

For me, the best console out there is the Playstation 3, I just wish that there were more colors available that are geared towards girls. With the recent price drop, I'm sure a lot of people are considering to buy one for their home. It will be a really good purchase, I can guarantee you that. Here are the reasons why:

• Aside from letting you play games, the fact that it has a Bluray player assures you of great movie nights ahead. You'll get to enjoy watching your favorite movies that have been published in Bluray format.
• It syncs your other gadgets pretty easily. You can have it "be-friend" your PSP or even your smartphone via an application. This makes it a breeze to access files/games in-between gadgets.
• It lets you play an arsenal of really graat and award-winning PS3 games. At the top of my head I can name a few that you may have also heard because they've been making waves in the gaming business, these are Uncharted, Bioshock, Battlefield and God of War just to name a few.
• Lastly, its online capabilities lets you have exclusive access to the Playstation store which almost always have exclusive content for its users. It also allows you to enjoy playing games with friends, even if they're in another continent.

Most of the PS3 console owners I know are very happy campers. I've never met anyone who've regretted their purchase.

Penguin Books Tattoo Covered Classics

I really love the way Penguin Books is revolutionizing book cover art. Just recently they’ve released a new limited edition of published classics with new covers done by Tattoo artists. I may have seen some of these books while browsing through the bookstores in Singapore. The tattoo artists commissioned to make the book covers are Duncan X, Lynn Akura, Han van de Sluys, Russ Abbott, Judd Ripley and Valerie Vargas.

Here are some of the books:

View the rest of the collection HERE.

Papa’s Taco Mia

Here’s another game from the Reader’s Digest Fun and Free Games section. This caught my eye because it was in the list of featured games.

You have the freedom to select between two employees, either one doesn’t have a bearing on the gameplay. This is how the taco restaurant looks like outside. Each time you start a level, this shows up on the game screen and how many days into the game you are.

First, take the order from your customer by clicking on the button on their talk balloon.

The customer’s orders are reflected in the order tab which shows up on the right side corner of the screen, this is also the order of how the ingredients will be assembled on the taco shell.

Each order tab has to be placed on the string dangling above the store. Each order tab is numbered so you’ll know which order to cook first. The bottom row shows the three sections of the game you can flip to while cooking the taco orders.

This is the grill section. The stove shows which meat ingredient you’re cooking. The rims of the pan shows how long the meat is cooking and the colored spots signify the next cooking action you have to do. In order to see the tab up close, you can pin it to the upper right side of the screen.

The build section is where you assemble the taco in the right order as indicated. Move the ingredient containers left and right so that they can be spread evenly.

Once the taco is finished, place the ticket order on the placeholder on the tray and this will automatically be brought to the customer and the cashier.

The customers will grade the taco you’ve just prepared and give you a corresponding tip. The more tips you get, the more funds you’ll have to upgrade your restaurant.

That’s it, the object of the game is pretty simple. Aim to make the best tacos for the best ratings and tips and pretty soon your taco restaurant will be the talk of the town.

[PLAY THE GAME]

Hawaiian Vacation: A Toy Story Short

As a treat to their fans for winning the Oscar for Best Animation, Pixar offers a 3d animation short of Woody and the gang entitled Hawaiian Vacation.

The story continues with the toys being happy in the care of Bonnie. At the news of Bonnie’s family going to Hawaii, the toys were also looking forward to having a relaxed time themselves in Bonnie’s room. Then they find that Barbie and Ken had stowed away in Bonnie’s backpack in the hopes that they could hitch a vacation to Hawaii. Sadly they were left behind. In an effort to cheer Ken up (he was the one who planned the vacation for Barbie), Woody and the rest of the toys recreate Hawaii in Bonnie’s room.

You can catch this Toy Story short just before the showing of Cars 2. Read about my review here. Don’t forget that it’s in cinemas on August 24.

Tow Mater Charms Audiences in Cars 2

In Cars 1 Lightning McQueen deals with ego and humility issues with the help of the simple folk from Radiator Springs. I loved that it had cars as the main characters who have very distinct personalities, the story had great lessons to offer and the soundtrack was really good.

high-speed chases and spy action in Cars 2 will keep you glued to your seats

This time with Cars 2, my first impression was that it was much more ambitious, faster with more car races and concerned with more action. In this movie an alternative fuel company sponsors a world race where Lightning McQueen is pitted against a number one Italian race car. In the meantime, Tow Mater gets accidentally involved in a conspiracy plot along with two British spies.

I’m impressed with the attention to detail that the graphic artists at Pixar did in recreating the famous cities where the races were held. They were just awesome to look at and I love the car details that they integrated into the landscape. There’s also a lot of humor that can be seen in the various car personalities introduced into the story. There are also more cars here than in the first movie and that in itself is I think an amazing feat. I can just imagine the hours that the 3d artists had to put in to render and design each and every one of them. There’s also the message addressing the environmental concerns on fossil fuels and the call to find alternative fuel sources. I love that they’re conveying this into young minds.

cars having a blast sight-seeing in Tokyo

I was really impressed with how they portrayed Italy in this race

Cars 2 teaches us the importance of believing in ourselves. As long as we do this, no task is too daunting and too impossible to accomplish. As far as friendships go, getting into fights is part of the relationship and it’s okay as long as the friendship weighs more in importance than the fight itself.

Cars 2 is an entertaining movie geared towards not only a young audience but will delight and thrill adults as well. Don’t miss out on watching Cars 2 in cinemas starting August 24th, you won’t regret it.

McQueen and Mater are one hell of a great team

Easy Home Spa Tips

The best treat that you can probably give yourself after a very stressful week of working would be a Spa treatment. However, what if you’re in a tight pinch when it comes to your budget and an expensive spa treatment isn’t an option. Don’t fret because there are still relaxing ways that you can re-create spa treatments at home. Here are some tips that I’ve gathered from various different sources that I’d like to share with you.

• Avocado Hair Mask

Mash 1 avocado and 1 egg yolk. Apply to hair and making sure to coat it until the tips. Wrap your hair in a towel and leave on for 15 minutes. Wash your hair with cool water and use shampoo and conditioner. This will re-hydrate dull and dry hair.

• Citrus Scrub

This not only sloughs off dry skin cells, it also whitens rough spots like the heels, knees and elbows. Just slice an orange or a lemon and rub it on the problematic spot.

• Honey and Oatmeal Facial

For this you would need 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 2 tablespoons of honey. Put the oatmeal in a food processor and grind until the bits become fine. Mix honey and yogurt in a small bowl then add the oatmeal bits. Mix until you have a smooth paste consistency. Smooth over your face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

• Sugary Scrub

Mix your own in a jar by combining 1 cup of honey, 1 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of brown sugar. Make sure to store this in an air tight container and properly labeled. Apply the scrub in circles all over your body just like you would a commercially bought exfoliant. This procedure is not meant to be rushed, take your time. To catch the scrub particles, it is best to stand on a piece of mat that you can easily wash. After scrubbing, just step into the shower and rinse.

• Olive oil Foot Soak

Prepare a bowl with warm water (not scalding!) and place two teaspoons of olive oil. Add a touch of lavender, mint or citrus oil to give it a slight scent and put your feet in. Leave soaking for about 10 minutes. Rinse and towel off to dry. Put a mint lotion while lightly massaging your feet. This is best to be enjoyed after a long tiring day of walking.
Sources:
Aromatherapy at Home, Glamour Beauty, Whole Living, Corbis Images

Best Free Go Launcher Ex Themes

Go Launcher Ex is one of the best home screen replacement apps on the Android Market today. It does not only gives your more customization options for the homescreen, it also allows you to manage tasks and apps running on your phone. It really bummed me out before that there weren’t any good stock themes available for “jazzing” up the homescreens so this app was well worth the download. I’ll go into detail with reviewing Go Launcher Ex next time but for now take a look at my picks of the free themes available for it.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO GO TO THE DOWNLOAD LINK

Ink Theme

Box Robot Theme

Tron Theme

Theme Black Glass

Theme Color Glass

Cartoon Park

Sketch Theme

Dario Theme

Dark Green Theme