Gripevine

Since I started actively blogging not too long ago, I have also done a fair bit of blogwalking. The more I explored, the more hooked I got. For the adventurous and curious, the stuff to be found on the blogosphere is truly awesome! The best blogs are written by people who are passionate about their field of interest and who write entertaining, creative and useful posts that provide much reading pleasure for their followers. In fact some blogs have such a powerful impact that they have changed the way people think, live, eat and even dress! Food for thought not? OK I better stop rambling and get to the point of this post. In no particular order, these are the blogs that have made it to my "Reading List". Here's why: 1. awaken . your . wander . lust [ http://awakenyourwanderlust.com/ ] There are tonnes of travel blogs out there, but this blog stood out because it appeals to me as an aspiring solo traveler. It is written by Katia, a 21 year old travel and foo...

It's been many years since she passed on, but when one says the name Diana, the one that immediately comes to mind is Diana Princess of Wales, the tall blonde goddess with the deep blue eyes. Ah but this post is not about her, the people's princess who held dying children in her arms and oozed compassion. The Diana I'm writing about might be literally unknown in this part of the world, even those who work in the local fashion publishing industry go "Who........?" when I mention her name. Kinda ironic considering that many aspects of today's fashion magazines has her stamp on it. Let me give you an example, those fashion spreads shot in exotic locations - model lounges on sun-drenched beach in Bali, clad in bright peacock coloured sundress......... it all started with her. Before she came along, such photo shoots were literally unheard of. OK enough of the suspense already. Her name is Diana Vreeland. Ring a bell? You know what she's all about? If...

Pic courtesy of coolchaser.com  If I gained a Ringgit each time I hear the phrase "Hot Mama", I would be rich, so freaking rich. Thanks to the advent of social media, this has become the most over used and overrated phrase each time a woman with kids posts a pic of herself in which she looks um just OK. Yeah I get it, your friend has just posted a pic of herself sans kids at a party or at some holiday destination. So you wanna be nice, friendly, or just comment for the heck of it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this to belittle those mums who posted the photos. Some of them look great, some of them look OK, some of them look like how they have always looked, even before they had kids. Nothing wrong with these gals, great that they have a life outside of motherhood. But what irritates me is the almost flagrant use of the term. If they are hot, why can't it be: "Hei you look hot!" Why add the "mama". She's hot coz she...

Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus should consider hiring Aaron Wood and Brian Winfield Moore for future advertising campaigns. These two savvy illustrators have taken branding and imagery to a new level with their brilliant retro inspired posters of these three social media giants. Aaron an illustrator drew inspiration for his posters from wartime propaganda. So yeah, if there was such a thing as social media during "The Blitz", the Allied Forces and Axis Powers might have reached out to people with powerful symbolism like these. Brian a media designer, derived the idea for his posters from the 2009 Iran election protest, activism, censorship and citizen journalism. Aaron's posters Brian's posters Aaron's posters can be purchased from Etsy while Brian's is available at: http://store.briiiiian.com/

I watched a documentary sometime ago on channel E! titled "Women Who Kill". It featured several high-profile cases of grisly crimes committed by women. But the story that gripped me the most was the Sandra Cantu case. Pic courtesy of mirror.co.uk The kidnap, rape, and murder of 8-year old Sandra Cantu is old news. It happened way back in March 2009. But what shocked me the most was that the person who was found guilty of Sandra's rape and murder was a woman and not a man! And not just any woman off the street. Melissa Huckaby, 28, was a Sunday school teacher and single mother. Sandra was her daughter's playmate. Huckaby in court The gist of the crime Sandra was last seen on surveillance video skipping down the street near her home at the Orchard Estates mobile home park in Tracy, California on March 27, 2009. Her body was eventually found stuffed in a suitcase  and floating in an irrigation pond on April 6. Four days later police arrested Huckaby and ...

Just because the Salvo's don't want it, doesn't mean you have to keep wearing those clothes. I'm talking about 80s fashion folks. The era that fashion forgot and also the era that some people can't seem to get enough of! Which of course is the subject of my rant. I was a kid in the 80s, so I'm blessed that I will never have to look at old pics of myself and cringe, which I know many people do, even renowned fashionistas. Hence it buggers me that some people still insist on clinging slavishly to their 80s wardrobe. Yes, I have had the misfortune of being surrounded by "Self Proclaimed Fashion Divas" who love to prance about in high-waisted neon and tweed pants, carrot cut jeans with the acid-wash effect, huge shoulder pads that are visible beneath their business jackets, big frizzy perms and even bigger "jambuls". The cast of Dynasty. Pic courtesy of jesad.com As I'm writing this, I can almost hear the theme song of Dynasty an...