Four x Six & Words

DQ Blizzard Commercial

2009-04-13T21:22:00.003-04:00

Since my teenage years when my high school used to sell DQ Blizzards, I've had a liking for ice cream with chewy fillings. Plain ice cream is just not good enough. I especially enjoyed ice cream with Skor Bar inside. Yum. Tonight, during 24, my boyfriend saw a new commercial for DQ Blizzards. Ironically, I always pointed out the fact that my boyfriend often lifts his pinky when holding an object, like a cup. The commercial is fun, although potentially a bit racially problematic. I kind of miss having Blizzards, but my new love is Marble Slab. I just had one two nights ago and their delicious three-scoop ice creams was so wonderful. If you ever visit one, try our choices: caramel (flavour) with marshmallows (mixin) and maple (flavour) with Skor bar (mixin).

How-To: Fold a T-Shirt in 2 Seconds

2009-04-02T23:59:00.004-04:00

Since maybe four months ago, Apartment Therapy became one of my favourite websites. If there's one thing I love, it's pouring over innovative, spunky furniture and visualizing all of them in my dream loft. If only! There are so many helpful tutorials and great ideas on the site. Homeowners all over the world share house tours and put their homes on display. There are some really snazzy houses and apartments full of personality!

Anyway, now that I'm done raving about AT, I wanted to share a how-to post that Laure from LA posted on AT. Do you ever avoid doing laundry because of the folding process that you just can't escape after the wash? (Actually, I love folding clothes because I have an addiction with folding everything, even a napkin I'm about to dispose. My least favourite part of doing laundry is the walk from my suite to the laundry room!) Imagine folding your t-shirt in two seconds! Don't believe me? Check out the following video to see it in action!

Fast Folding: How To Fold A T-Shirt In 2 Seconds

In just six easy steps, you can fold your t-shirt in two seconds! Too quick? Don't get it? I know... here's a video explaining the process, breaking it down for us laundry laymen. Happy folding!

An Abundance of Cute

2009-03-30T02:04:00.002-04:00

My boyfriend is fabulously resourceful and always finds great websites to share with me. For the past few months, I have been addicted to adorable pet photos and would always awe and squirm over their cuteness. I haven't had a pet of my own in a while and would love to call one mine. The fact that I have been receiving links to so many little furry creatures is adding to my pet fever! Here are two from Cute Overload that I just had to share:

THIS JUST IN: Panda 'Tocks
I have always found something fascinating about pandas, especially given their black and white extreme fur shade contrast. One thing I never knew about pandas though is the weird positions in which they place themselves. They are full of curiosity and love to climb, so much so that they end up upside down on hanging over branches sometimes!

Secrets of Pocket Pet Photo Shoots
Look at its big eyes! Other photos in the series include the hamster playing a trumpet, drinking from an empty milk bottle, posing near a miniature slide, and more. Some of these seem to be a little forced and that makes me uncomfortable, but the cute factor is on overload no doubt.

World Builder

2009-03-26T04:00:00.007-04:00

Maybe it's far too late at night—or early in the morning—or maybe I just can't bear the thought of losing a loved one. Whatever the reason may be, the 9 minutes and 15 seconds World Builder brought tears to my eyes. This brilliant work of art was created by filmmaker Bruce Branit. Does his name ring a bell? It might, because you've probably seen his work before on your television set or the big screen. The visual effects section of his resume includes hit television shows Pushing Daisies and Lost, the 21st century King Kong film (2005), the film rendition of Sin City (2005), and so many more. In Branit's words, the touching short film is a story where "a strange man uses holographic tools to build a world for the woman he loves." The video is also available in high quality.

Additional link: World Builder on Facebook

What Age to Get Married?

2009-03-11T01:25:00.007-04:00

Listening to Chum FM's Roger, Darren and Marilyn podcast today, I realized the strangest thing about the discussion of marriage and age. A lot of people make plans when they are young about at what age they wish to meet certain life goals. These life goals are usually that of graduating, buying an apartment/a house, buying a car, getting married, having a kid, etc. Society seems to have also imposed a standard ages for these specific life goals.

On the radio today, a woman mentioned that she has several weddings to attend this summer and the weddings are of engaged couples in their mid-20s. They then said that it's a good age for people to get married. Women should get married mid- to late-20s and men in their early 30s. Does that not imply that men and women should have an age difference of about five years?

It's confusing. Get married whatever age you feel comfortable. Get married not because you have to but because you are in love. Get married when you are financially secured and content both independently and together.

To me, it's absolutely crazy that people get divorced. Get married with the intention of staying with the person forever.

How-To: Keep Them Necks Warm

2009-03-05T03:57:00.012-05:00

It's true, I still wear v-necks in the winter. Don't dismiss the idea though; it's all about layers for me. Jackets over v-necks are just fine, but who zips up their hoodie all the way up to the neck? Not me. How do I keep the cold wind from chilling my bare neck? Scarfs!

I adore scarfs. I have a large collection of scarfs. That's as comprehensive as my clothing "collection" gets. I don't collect other accessory items, just scarfs. There are so many ways to wear them and I'm bored of my lazy, simple wrap-arounds or loops. Time to try something new! Here's a cool article from Time Out Chicago that includes a video of how-to.

via Time Out Chicago

And another site I literally just found that is super useful as well, Texere Silk's Scarf Tying Guide. They've got some beautiful sketches for instructions.

I'll do more How-To blogs in the future. There are just so many simple and fun things to learn and to do! Keep warm!

3/3/09

2009-03-03T15:29:00.006-05:00

Thanks to my boyfriend's tweet on Twitter, I have discovered that today is Square Root Day.

3/3/09

Did any of you know this? Did my boyfriend make this up? Apparently it's on Wikipedia; I knew he didn't think of it himself! (Or maybe I should give him more credit!)

Happy Square Root Day!

February, Thursday 14 . 1884.

2009-03-02T22:51:00.005-05:00

On Valentine's Day 125 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt lost his loved one. His wife Alice died on their fourth anniversary of their engagement from Bright's disease. After her death, T.R. never spoke of her again, even omitting her from his autobiography. She was only 22. This is a page from his diary that very clearly expresses his grief.

via Jordan Ferney's Oh Happy Day!

Serena Williams Namedrops on Ellen

2009-03-01T23:07:00.007-05:00

I am a huge fan of the Ellen DeGeneres and her weekday talk show. Since I'm in university and have bizarre afternoon and evening classes, I keep myself updated by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes. Last Tuesday, Serena Williams, currently the #1 tennis player in the world, was on Ellen and cleverly gave her sponsor a free mention. She is a damn good celebrity endorser!

Ellen asked Serena about the Australian Open tennis tournament that took place in January. It was scorching hot for the entire two weeks of the matches and many players experienced exhaustion from the heat. Serena said, "Oh my God, it was so hot. At one point it was, like, um, I think they said it was 125 degrees (Fahrenheit) on the court. And it was just like, literally, I was running and like thinking this is almost not worth it. Is this worth it?"

And the conversation continues with...
E: How are your shoes not melting on the court?
S: Well, I mean, Nike makes the best shoes, so absolutely... [laughs].
E: Good answer, you should buy them with American Express cards!
E: And when you're done playing, put on CoverGirl makeup!

You can watch the whole interview on YouTube here!

Weekendtime!

2009-02-27T21:50:00.012-05:00

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!

Say "Om" and mediate.
Make a great iPod mix.
Hit the sack early—or take a nap.
Sip some black tea.
Hang out with a funny friend.
Schedule a massage.
Do something spiritual.
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

2009-02-27T18:36:00.010-05:00

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

2009-02-27T17:56:00.009-05:00

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

2009-02-27T00:54:00.015-05:00

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

2009-02-26T19:32:00.004-05:00

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.