Condom-like stationery called "Thimblette" ;p

Remember the cute condom-shaped thimblettes with ribs and dots?

Chanced upon the "improved versions" of the originals;p

Snapshots of Auckland is proud to present the

2009/2010 Winter Collection of condoms thimblettes, I mean

1) Light blue ribbed and dotted thimblette with holes

2) There are even some colourful breast pouches to go along with the condoms ;p

3) the transparent & ultra-thin versions...
Oh, they glow in the dark too ;) hehe

Bigger sizes

Errm... these ones look like they've been used before... :P

Thimblettes' other name - Finger Sack
(errm...can someone please come up with a better name? Finger Sack is sooo unromantic)

My personal trainer's blog :) - aprilsiow.net

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce all of you to my favourite personal trainer - April

- and to congratulate her on the official launch of  Aprilsiow.net

She's the epitome of a modern woman - smart (Economics grad), adventurous, healthy, independent, steroid-free... etc (I can go on & on)

Oh, she has climbed Mount Kinabalu too!
(Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in South East Asia)

What I like most is that she achieved her toned body through "real" and "realistic" workout regimes
- not with the aide of performance enhancement drugs and freakish Hollywood-like fitness obsessions (ie, Demi Moore & Victoria Beckham)
- no bulimia, no anorexia, no bygarexia

Omg...I wish I can jump like that too...

I don't choose my fitness role model based on the size of their muscles
I don't see The Rock (Dwayne Johnston) as a fitness role model

I see Tom Welling (Smallville actor) as a better male fitness role model

(Source:www.starswelove.com)

I also don't see Pamela Anderson as a healthy role model

I don't even see her as a sex symbol

Gosh, if I were a guy I'd much rather squeeze some smaller boobs as long as they're real & I won't have to worry that the implants are gonna burst

(Source:http://themexbox360.craveonline.com/albums/userpics/10022/normal_Pamela%20Anderson%205.jpg)

I prefer April's holistic approach to health & fitness
& body too
(no fake boobs, fake pecs, bicep implants & whatnot)

To her, health & fitness is not a fad
It's not an obsession
It's just...a lifestyle
& a very good one :)

Mobile phone radiation 'protects' against Alzheimer's??

(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8443541.stm)

After all the concern over possible damage to health from using mobile phones, scientists have found a potential benefit from radiation.
Their work has been carried out on mice, but it suggests mobiles might protect against Alzheimer's.

Florida scientists found that phone radiation actually protected the memories of mice programmed to get Alzheimer's disease.

They are now testing more frequencies to see if they can get better results.

The study by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Genetically altered mice

It involved 96 mice, most of which had been genetically altered to develop beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, which are a marker of Alzheimer's disease, as they aged.

The rest of the mice were non-demented.

All the mice were exposed to the electro-magnetic field generated by a standard phone for two one-hour periods each day for seven to nine months.


Memory benefits

The memory benefits of phone exposure took months to show up, suggesting that a similar effect in humans would take years.

The researchers conclude that electro-magnetic field exposure could be an effective, non-invasive and drug-free way to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in humans.

They are currently testing whether different sets of frequencies and strengths might produce a more rapid and greater cognitive benefit.
Chuanhai Cao, another author of the study, said: "Since production and aggregation of beta-amyloid occurs in traumatic brain injury, particularly in soldiers during war, the therapeutic impact of our findings may extend beyond Alzheimer's disease."

The authors say previous studies have linked a possible increased risk of Alzheimer's with "low-frequency" electro-magnetic exposure like the energy waves generated by power and telephone lines.

They say mobile phones emit "high frequency" electro-magnetic waves that are very different because they can have beneficial effects on brain function, such as increasing brain cell activity.

Good sauce, but... "obituary-style' packaging

Remember the yummy Whittaker's chocolates and J.H. Whittaker's mugshot? :)

Well, here's one of my favourite chilli sauce brand- "Lao Gan Ma" (Old Step Mum) which also has a similar obituary-style packaging


Most of the products with obituary-style packaging seem to be good, eh?
What an eerie coincidence!;p

Where to get FREE INTERNET in Auckland City

In Auckland, free internet is non-existent.

Not even at Starbucks or McDonald's

At most, you can get 1-hour free wi-fi at Esquires Coffee outlets

But even then, it's not entirely free

You only get 1 hour internet usage with every purchase

So, I was really happy when I chanced upon a secret hideout that offers 15 minutes free internet ;)

(Well, 15 minutes is better than nothing, eh?)

It's a shop called "Queen's Digital World" - located on Queen Street, of course :)

Lot No. 25...

Dear Aucklanders, ...enjoy a bit of free web surfing while it lasts ;) hehe

What you'll get for taking photos of charred Starbucks scones;p

Remember the charred cheese bacon and herb scone? ;p

Well, Starbucks caught me making fun of the scone and ...err...sent me two coupons

- but it's gonna be really awkward for me to use them in the same outlet :p

really really awkward

Why?
Because the coupon has these wordings:
"We apologize that your Starbucks experience was anything but wonderful..."
Gosh...I wouldn't want the barista to know that I made fun of the blackened sandwich

Starbucks, couldn't you have sent me a gift card of some sort instead of a "complainant's coupon"?

I grew up with Muslims & Christians...

I don't understand the uproar & the Molotov cocktail bomb attacks in Taiping following the court ruling pertaining to the use of the word "Allah".

I don't know who these terrorists are.
They are totally unlike my Muslim friends.

Religion has never been a big issue throughout my life...
My Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist friends get along perfectly well with each other
- In Malaysia, this sense of oneness regardless of ethnicity & religion is known as "Muhibbah" (Arabic)

I went to a "Convent" girls school in Brickfields (an Indian town in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), where 80% of the students were Muslims
- we played and eat together
I ate pork, they ate beef
I attended their religious classes out of curiosity
They taught me how to pronounce the word "Allah" correctly
They also taught me simple Arabic

We remain good friends up till today...

At our Malay friend's wedding... :)

We even wore the same navy blue dress back in school :) :)

So, who are those terrorists who bomb innocent people?

What's Taliban? Who are they?

They are definitely not the same kind of Muslims my friends are.

Funny looking Monkfish @ Sydney Fish Market

Monkfish is the "cutest" fish specie that I've ever seen...

yes, "cute"
(Cute: ugly but adorable [Oxford dictionary]) ;p
I wonder what it tastes like...

Huge upturned mouth...
- it has this perpetual "sad" look
but to me, that's what makes the monkfish so endearing
you see, it has such an unhappy-looking face that I almost felt obligated to cuddle it in my arms

There are at least 5 seafood retailers @ Sydney Fish Market
- but the biggest & busiest one is probably Claudio's

Apart from monkfish, you can find the more usual types of seafood like.. umm, Salmon heads...hehe:)
(at least, these are my favourites)

Moreton Bay bugs... (they taste somewhat like lobsters)

Abalones...

and of course, the famous New Zealand mussels :) :) :)

There's a vege/fruit shop in the building that sells pumpkins for 99 cents each

& a few cafes/restaurants that offers outdoor dining (famous for Fish n Chips), where you can eat alongside the greedy seagulls ;p

There's also a gourmet shop (Blackwattle Deli) that sells cheese, wine, organic pasta, homemade sauce... etc etc

"Sydney Fish Market was established by the NSW Government in 1945.

SFM is the largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the world's second largest seafood market in terms of variety outside of Japan, SFM auctions over 100 species daily.

Sourcing product both nationally and internationally, SFM trades over 13,000 tonnes of seafood annually."

(Source: www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au)

A very expressive seagull :)

Bird oh bird...

what have I done wrong? :p

why are you scowling at me?

How I ALMOST ate DOG FOOD (Chocolates) ;p

By now you probably know that I love chocolates, especially dark ones;p

So, it's perhaps not a very surprising revelation that I almost ate Home Brand's "Choc Drops" for dogs.

Hey, it's not that I'm dumb...but the Choc Drops were placed at the mini shelves near the cashier, where you'd normally find food items FOR HUMAN like "chocolates", mint, chewing gums...

Hence, when I was waiting for my turn to pay for grocery items while shopping in Foodtown (now taken over by Countdown), Quay St (Auckland) I almost picked up a box of these...

...until I spotted the other items besides the Home Brand Choc Drops

So... I really am not that dumb... ;p
Or at least I refuse to believe it

I mean, Home Brand is a brand that I'd normally associate with "human food items" like butter...

cheddar cheese

self-raising flour

but not dog food!!!

Ok... Home Brand, I'm overreacting ;p
You are most entitled to carry any types of products you wish - be it for human, cats or dogs...

But FoodTown or Countdown really shouldn't put that stuff here! LOL :)

....especially above Watties' stuff

A bar named THE CLINIC :) (but it looks more like a hospital)

(Source:  www.singapore.com)
"Clinic’s unique alfresco is easily identified by its hospital whites, colourful pills, syringes, drips, test-tubes and paraphernalia in all manner of the clinical, all in tribute to the tongue-in-cheek pop art of Damien Hirst.

The mood is at once controversial and conspiratorial. If you’re in on the joke, the ironic pharma-kitsch décor will appeal to you.

The diverse space allows a crowd with varied tastes to enjoy their own brand of entertainment."

If you wish, you can even opt to be drip-fed

(Just kidding ;p)

Location: Block 3C River Valley Road,

#01-03 The Cannery,

Clarke Quay

Tel: +65 6887 3733

Open: 17:30 - late

Honey, I SHRUNK McD's burgers !

Alamak!!
McD's Fillet-o-Fish Burger looks so pathetic that I almost had to cry when I looked at it.

McD darling, have some common sense, pleeez...

How can the burger's diameter be smaller than the diameter of the already-very-tiny plastic cup? aiyoyo...

Fair enough, I understand that you got into a lot of trouble because of unflattering revelations in the film "Super Size Me", but you don't have to start Mini-Me-ing your burgers, do you?

(Source: Wikipedia)

"Super Size Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker.

Spurlock's film follows a 30-day time period (February to beginning of March 2003) during which he eats only McDonald's food.

The film documents this lifestyle's drastic effects on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being, and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.

Spurlock dined at McDonald's restaurants three times per day, eating every item on the chain's menu. He also always "super-sized" his meal if given the option—but only if it was offered.

Spurlock consumed an average of 20.92 megajoules or 5,000 kcal (the equivalent of 9.26 Big Macs) per day during the experiment.

As a result, the then-32-year-old Spurlock gained 24½ lbs. (11.1 kg), a 13% body mass increase, a cholesterol level of 230, and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and fat accumulation to his liver."

Coffee + Mini-Me burger + hash brown = 9 bucks

*shakes head*

I wouldn't be complaining if you hadn't shrunk the size of the burger to half its original size...