Dreams, Illusions, Bubbles, Shadows

Post Grudge

i threw a temper because it felt stuffy
i snubbed J because i felt it was justified
fact is i was being a stupid arse.

posted by Michelle at 1:03 AM | 0 comment(s)

Comic satire

posted by Michelle at 5:18 PM | 2 comment(s)

In case you've noticed or wondered why...

My blog has gone through a mad skin-changing frenzy over the past few days. The reason is simple: I don't know what I want either. I thought the previous Jimmy Liao template in its glaring pink glory was the perfect fit for my blog for me until I realise it was a disastrous misfit.

The design is simply too cheerful and kiddish to reflect my true character. I'd be doing Xiaoyu (the designer) a great disservice if I persist in using the pink template. I need a more mature look for my blog with clean lines, soothing colours and simplistic layout. And tha-la!

I might tweak the template and play around with the html when I get too bored with my professional calling. But changes will be minimal and minor. The future of my tagboard is tentatively unknown. This design is set to last for a substantial time. Blog renovation is simply too tiring and tedious a task for daily pursuing.

posted by Michelle at 1:12 AM | 1 comment(s)

Starry Night Ad by Soo Kee Jewellery

You probably have seen this lovely ad on TV. It's a personal fav of mine at the moment. The retelling a dream as a child and a grown-up is possibly one the oldest tricks in the world but it works on me, unfortunately. Love the intensity in the eyes. I wonder if the star will fall onto my palm as an unpolished diamond in its spectacular raw beauty - a gift from heaven - if I stare long enough at the solitary star.

Pictures courtesy of sookee.com

posted by Michelle at 1:08 AM | 0 comment(s)

When reality gets too near for comfort

Fresh from Nike news vault: "Have a big butt, thunder thighs & tomboy knees? You are real."

Inspired by Dove's highly successful 'real women, real beauty, real brand' marketing compaign, youth-obsessed Nike who has made a tennis catwalk queen out of Serena Williams with glaring designer gear that sizzles and blings, decides to push the limits of convention and get real, for once.

Tennis Court-ure

Devilish in a denin mini and knee-length boots

Serena Williams' answer to Wimbledon's wear 'almost entirely white or risk disqualification' rule.

Though Venus Williams is Reebok's tennis glamour queen, I simply got to feature the white corset-style tennis dress she co-designed with American designer, Diane von Furstenberg in 2003.


We all love fashion fresh from the runway but frankly, not many can carry off a Dior number with as much glam as Heidi Klum.

And Nike thinks I've a fabulous point here.

What Story Does Your Body Tell?

Big Butt

Thunder Thighs

Tomboy Knees

The ads are undeniably punchy with an irresistable sense of defiance and individualism. It's just an inch away from oozing with coolness. The downside is the butt looks really toned and nice. Girls usually avoid running because of the possible trade-off of bigger, muscular thighs for flabby thighs. But it's such a shame to shun off running altogether because of that.

It's no surprise that atheletic women tend to have more developed muscles than the average woman. That however, doesn't make them less beautiful. There're varied definitions of beauty besides the prevailing universal beauty ideal (slim + youth = beauty) which is unreasonably narrow and rigid.

I'll rather have larger, healthy women than bone-skinny, anorexic girls. At least I know the former will have a happier and longer life-span. In the USA, 25 million women and 1 million men are fighting a life-and-death battle with eating disorders - an unnessary ordeal that can be avoided if the media giants are more realistic and socially responsible.

"My butt is big, so's my mother's butt, my grandmother's butt, and my grandmother's mother's butt. It's in the genes. So I joined a gym, and my butt got really toned. From what I understand it is secretly worshipped by the girls who hang around the butt machine..." Just do it. While it's unclear whether this 'real woman' wave marks a shift in societal mindset or a mere clever marketing fab, expect more big companies to jump on the bandwagon.

However, I have deep reservations about Dove's latest "Campaign for Real Beauty" stunt. The 'real' women they chose look explicitly freckled but undeniably cute, greying but looking incredible for her age, flat-chested but very, very attractive - in short, these women are not representative of the lesser-blessed female population! I'll bite my own toe if these 'real women' did not have a glamour treatment. Besides it's hopelessly ironic that Dove is telling women that they should revel in their own natural beauty and selling thigh-firming creams and anti-ageing solutions at the same time. Under the superfluous, clever taglines, the ultimate message is all but "Buy Dove to redeem your natural beauty".

Campaign for Real Beauty

The billboard ad that got us staring. Real women have real curves.

A breathtakingly glamourous, albeit, older woman.

The first thought that comes to mind when I saw this ad is "She looks really hip and charming!" "Boyish" never strike home. I was not far from the truth, this captivating Thai Dove model is the proud owner of a bar in Thailand.


You can't have it all in life. Look at Stefanie Sun.

The American Dove girl for "Flawed? Flawless?"

Though I don't buy Dove's 'real beauty' campaign wholeheartedly, it's nonetheless a positive cultural shift in societal perception. However, a person whether fat or slim, pretty or ugly, clever or dull, rich or impoverished, have a right to aspire. Many of us are guilty of declaring "We hate those unjustified photoshopped ads", "What's XX thinking of when they get 20-year-old girls peddling anti-wrinkle cream to us?!" But look at what we spend on and how much goes into these "unjustified" expenditure.

I don't like Gisele Bundchen but I want to be like her. I don't like Amber Chia but it won't hurt to have a body as streamlined as hers. Subconsciously, these conflicting thoughts trade blows inside our 'black box'. We are inherently irrational. We make impulsive and emotional purchases. Reality ads assuage our grievances with its honesty but does it leave enough freedom for us to dream?

Try to recall the sweet pleasure and the drive of powerful motivation we grow up with, dreaming of the imaginary Tiffany or the sexy Porsche. How would life have been if people told you otherwise? Stop dreaming and accept the takings from the dinner table, be it a Taka imported-from-China diamond ring or a Honda.

Personally, I would feel deprived from my rights as a person to aspire.

Every seller in the market sells a dream. Singapore Pools with their 3 million jackpot for the one-in-a-zillionth lucky chap. Osim promises a Fiona Seah abdomen with uZap. Universities try to outdo each other with claims of more superior education and state-of-the-art facilities. Pharmaceutical companies bombard us with increasingly complex and seemingly more powerful health supplements under the tag of "Our health supplements can give you extra protection and let you live happier and longer with your loved ones."

"People are living lives of desperation; they don't want to be themselves." - Gerald Celente

Pictures courtesy of nikewomen.com, style.com, USAToday.com, campaignforrealbeauty.com

posted by Michelle at 12:45 AM | 0 comment(s)

Long live King Henry

Henry stole 3 points right underneath Wigan's nose last evening at the JJB Stadium . Yeah! The full-time score was Wigan 2-3 Arsenal. All five goals were scored in the first half which gives an average of 1 goal in every 9 minutes. The goal of the match definitely has to be Henry's free-kick. It was superb. But I got to give credit to Wigan. They pull off an admirable performance.

Shame that I sneaked off to sleep at 8pm when the TV downstairs roared with action.

Other heart-pulsing matches worth mentioning:

Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle (Before you screamed blue murder, Michael Owen and Alan Shearer, sidelined with injuries, did not play in this match. Owen better recovered in time for the show-down match with Liverpool.)

Charlton 1-3 Man Utd (Just goes to show that the Roy Keane Effect had been over-exaggerated for the past 10 years. )

posted by Michelle at 3:43 PM | 3 comment(s)

Stayhome weekends

Dec 18, 2005: Arsenal (H) vs Chelsea
Give the arrogant Mourinho the humble pie, Henry! I hate to admit this, Frank Lampard is cute. (ducks under the bed)

Dec 26, 2005: Liverpool (H) vs Newcastle
This is the do or break trial for Michael Owen - to return to his childhood club as an opponent (after a lacklustre season at Real Madrid to boot). At least with Owen on board, the magpies won't have to worry losing their way in Anfield, that's provided Owen don't stumble to the Home Team dressing room instead. Fingers crossed the Kopites won't gear up a 90-minute 'boo owen' chant. Owen is a nice boy, after all.

Jan 3, 2006: Arsenal (H) vs Man Utd
Honestly, I don't get much kick from watching Man Utd nowadays. They haven't seem to find their winning strategy. Maybe it's because I don't like the foul-tempered Rooney or I find their struggling formation laughable. In any case, this fixture is still worth my attention. Because the aim of both teams is not to outbeat or out-talk each other but to charge at Chelsea. Very soon, Mourinho's face will be pasted everywhere from diapers to bowls and mugs. Yes, Mourinho would become a brand except he's not too particular about where his name is found. Guffaws

posted by Michelle at 7:04 AM | 0 comment(s)

A little something she'll love

Sinful indulgence. Touch me if you dare.

Adore me.

Personality: Agnès b. Sophisticated, eclectic, simple, funky and unmistakeably fashionable.

L'Amour is a stylish trio, standing outside of the hype of fashion. When others are flaunting their sleek figures in an arrogant swagger, L'Amour chooses to foster a feel-good factor with a nature-inspired design. The phone appeals to women's spiritual and physical senses with an embossed leather in soft colours of brown, caramel and tan. The graceful flowery designs are endearing and delightful. L'Amour embraces women with an elusive, untainted feminism. A handset definitely worth looking out for next year.

Zesty. Racy. Living on the edge.

Personality: Maria Sharapova (Who else? She's the latest celebrity spokesperson at Club MOTO.) Uber-cool, sleek and attention grabbing.

The Pink MotoRAZR is the new Black in town. It's slim and mean - the thinnest phone in the current market. And it's also exclusive. It's no coincidence that these pink handsets are touted with a 'limited edition' tag. Women love to be pampered with attention, reserved for the exclusive few. The Pink RAZR woman is a cosmopolitan, savvy woman who chases achievements with the same fervour as she has for Manolos, Miu Miu and Chanel No. 5. The loud hot pink is perfect. Who wants a boring, ubiquitous silver mobile phone anyway?

posted by Michelle at 11:26 PM | 0 comment(s)

I need...

1. Sleep.
2. Single-mindedness and a blind eye to visual distractions for (1) to materialise.
3. To organise all the stray ends
4. An alarm clock that can thunder through my head thick with sleep.
5. Nuclear batteries to enable (4).
6. Exercise. After a decadent week of public holidays, I've developed a conspicuous flab.
7. More sleep so I have the spare energy to remember pointers 2 to 6.
8. (Continued) Concealer to mask the overwhelming '100% natural' smoky eyeshadow on my eyelids.
9. Think before I act. I embarassed myself thoroughly today. Hit me.

1. Watch a serious game of football. Chelsea (finally) lost 1-0 Man Utd last night. After Everton put Chelsea straight in mid-week, Chelsea seems to be pulling off an Arsenal, starting to lose after an irrational winning streak with the backing of a billionaire owner and cocky manager. But I gotta credit Mourinho for his blinded confidence and sheer arrogance. He made Arsene Wenger and Ferguson look like docile school boys.
2. Get to school now. And finish up this list soon ( only god knows when).
3. (continued) Get out of school. Because school sucks. Oh Friday, where art thou?

posted by Michelle at 11:52 AM | 0 comment(s)