Weekendtime!

Some sweet and random things found while surfing the 'net on my Friday off:

A fateful story about a man who needed a kidney as a result of congestive heart failure and his fiance who happened to be a perfect match. "In order to get him to the top of the donor list, Kelly signed up to donate hers. At first, she never dreamed she would actually be a match, but it turned out she was." Read on!

On Cloud Nine, an amazingly cute Neiman Marcus commercial for the Spring season. This is so whimsical and fluffy! Really!

via {frolic!}

And, last but not least, MSNBC's Elizabeth Svoboda writes about eight ways to reduce stress! This is a department I'm sure we could do with some tips!

1. Say "Om" and mediate.
   
2. Make a great iPod mix.
   
3. Hit the sack early—or take a nap.
   
4. Sip some black tea.
   
5. Hang out with a funny friend.
   
6. Schedule a massage.
   
7. Do something spiritual.
   
8. Chew a piece of gum.

This weekend, I will be reading Frankenstein (1818 ed.), Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, and Marvel X-Men comics to study for a midterm and to write a film review essay!

Have a great weekend!

Watchmen: Creating Dr. Manhattan

In exactly a week today, the film adaptation of the graphic novel Watchmen will be out in movie and IMAX theatres everywhere! I am beyond excited to see how the movie turns out and how Zach Snyder transformed the comics onto the big screen.

In addition to the costumes and set designs, I am most interested in the character portrayal. And out of the Watchmen characters, you know the toughest one to transform from 2D into 3D has to be Dr. Manhattan. The only one with superpowers, he's a walking glow of blue that fluctuates in height and in quantity—at one point, there will be three of him! Anyway, see for yourself some behind the scenes action with Billy Crudup!



Want more? Check out "Who’s Responsible for Dr. Manhattan?" from the Official Watchmen Blog!

And you won't believe the merchandise they're making for this film. Watchmen...condoms?

Sea of Skin

While surfing Cooliris, which many of you may have on your Firefox as a plug-in extension, I discovered a commercial by Vaseline. The commercial, titled Sea of Skin was launched in the UK in December 2006 and distributed globally in 2007. The amount of naked people in the one-minute duration is unbelievable. The concept itself is brilliant, but it does not even come close compared to the cinematography and the location choices. I was convinced the backgrounds were green-screened and CGI, but boy, was I wrong.


There is a six-minute Behind the Scenes. It showcases the week-long production process and the post-production. The scenes were filmed on-location in the Iceland (where it looked bone-chillingly cold!), Ireland and Barecelona. The commercial is at the end of the Behind the Scenes video, but if you want to jump right to the commercial, click here. It is so impressive and touching, I was on the verge of tears! I wish all advertising is this meaningful and real!

The Bird and the Bee

I just saw this fabulous video of The Bird and the Bee performing on Ellen DeGeneres yesterday. How adorable are they?



I first discovered them two years ago when Lily Allen announced her North American tour to support Alright, Still. I recall thinking the band was beyond peculiar, but I adored their whimsical tunes; the use of tambourine and synthesizers was perfect with Inara's angelic voice. In April 2007, I saw them live at the Phoenix Concert Hall in Toronto. I couldn't help but dance along, snap my fingers and clap my hands to the beat.

My favourite songs? "F*cking Boyfriend", "I'm a Broken Heart" and "Because"

Welcome

I had been considering starting fresh with a new blog for a while. I just wasn't sure when. Time and time again, I pushed away the thought and blamed the fact that I could not decide on a blog title. It isn't easy to think of a blog title—one that hasn't been taken, that is.

I am one of those people who takes note of significant dates. Resolutions should always begin on January 1st; the first of every month marks a significant new beginning. I could never start a project unless the current one has finished.

This time, I decided to take my mother's advice, the age-old advice: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. If you think of it now, do it now.

I knew I wanted to write. I wanted a new blog. So here I am. So tempted was I to wait until the 28th. To wait until the first of March. To wait. There are only a few days before the end of February, but forget it. Let's get this thing started.

Welcome to Four x Six & Words.