I think the game would be really fun on the XBox 360.  Imagine singing to the tunes of all their popular hits like “”I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “Day Tripper”, etc, and strumming on the replicas of the exact instruments they use.  Although I am not that old and of that “generation”, but I have grown up listening to their music too. 

The Beatles Rockband package includes:

• The Beatles: Rock Band software for Xbox 360
• The exclusive Höfner bass controller (Sir Paul McCartney’s trademark)
• The Beatles branded Rock Band drums (I think I will love this most)
• A microphone (for the singer in you) and a microphone stand

The gameplay venues will also look familiar to you as they are where the Beatles have actually performed!  Don’t you remember the famous Ed Sullivan Theatre, Cavern Club, Shea Stadium, etc?

Isn’t this game really cool?  It would be great fun for the whole family or among like-minded friends who love the Beatles.  I think it would make an awesome gift idea for Mum or Dad’s birthday as well.  Get them to rock and roll to their favorite tunes and re-live the days when they were young again.  How nice!

Then you probably feel the same way like I do.

I remember how shocked I was the day I learnt that Michael Jackson had passed on  It was just like any usual morning where I was checking my Yahoo mail and a news headline caught my eye “Michael Jackson dies at 50″.

What?  My heart was racing faster than normal. Although I am not a crazy MJ fan, but it hit me like a brick.  I felt an immediate sense of loss, just like how one would probably feel when a childhood playmate moves away to another town.  Hubby messaged me about the news not long after and was equally caught by surprise.

I don’t know why I feel that way though as I am not a die-hard Michael Jackson fan.  I have never watched his concerts in Singapore, but I grew up listening to Michael on radio.  His most famous hits like “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Black or White”, “Heal The World”, “You are not alone”, etc, were my favorite songs of that time too.  Even till now, whenever these songs come up on radio, I just find myself humming to it naturally.  They have accompanied me through my teenage years, and have unknowingly become part of me.

Although MJ has been the object of scrutiny among many over his cosmetic surgery, his marriage and his kids, he is still well loved by many.  Actually to me, I didn’t even care about what gossip and criticisms the world is saying about him.  How he looks does not matter to me at all.  I just love the music he has been doing over the years and of course his talented dancing.  Who can forget about his trademark moonwalk right?

Everything has come to an end now.  But Michael has left a music legacy and his songs will live forever in our hearts.  To me, he is still the greatest king of pop of our time.

We worked the lighting in our home towards our first decision of having cove lighting in our living room.  This means that with a false ceiling, we also need point-down lights around to light up the TV and platform area.  We decided on white light bulbs for the platform area as this is where we lounge and read our papers and do some work on our laptops.  On the other hand, we created a warm lighting effect for the TV area so that it feels more cosy.  It was a good idea because when we have to switch on all the lights, our living area does not look so “industrial” white.

For the kitchen, toilets, bedrooms and study, we stuck to conventional white ceiling lights as it is more practical and easier to replace.  We added a small chandelier light though to our short corridor walkway for a special touch.

Planning the light switches is also interesting.  For our false ceiling lights, we decide on having two lights controlled by one switch so that we have the flexibility of illuminating different part of the living area.  Usually there is no need to switch on everything and we can save electricity in the long run. And for our chandelier light, we had a double switch that works both ways.  This means we can flick on the light at one end of the walkway and switch it off when we reach the end of it, which is near the main door.  This is very useful actually as I can switch it off just before leaving the house.  Cool huh?

Do discuss with your renovation designer on how you want your lighting planned so that you can customise it to your convenience.  You will be glad that you did it right the first time!

But as the years go by, we all got busier and lazier, so we started sending each other digital Christmas cards.  Somehow it just doesn’t feel the same anymore.  A digital card is a lot more convenient, but one can broadcast the same card to a group of people with a generic greeting message.  It lacks the personal touch and warmth a real card brings.  Agree?

There are certain events in life that I still think a real card makes a difference.  For instance, if you give out physical wedding invitations, baby announcements, baptism cards, it would give the receiver the impression that you are more sincere.  It also looks more polite and the card serves as a good reminder for your invited guests too.  To me, sending emails and digital invitations would be more acceptable in more casual events like birthday parties, graduation parties, where it is more about having fun.

Well, this is just what I think.  To make another difference to your invitation, instead of typing or printing the guest name and message, write them by hand.  You will be surprised how a simple note can bring a smile to someone’s face.  It’s well worth the time, try it the next time!

I like how simple and straightforward it looks, only a search box and no other distracting ads or news.  But if you notice, sometimes the page can look really interesting too, especially during “festive” periods.

The most recent has got to be Mother’s Day, where the Google logo was not in its usual colors, but in pink!

It looks a little weird though, but I like the creative and personal touch.  I remembered they had the logo decorated too during holidays like Christmas and other commemorative occasions.

The best idea I ever saw them put up has got to be this one.

When I first saw it, I thought for a second that my browser was hacked or something.  Haha.  I bet many of you thought so as well.  Then I realised it was actually Morse code!  How innovative!  It was a shocking but interesting discovery.

I think I am stuck to Google as for now, because whenever I tell someone to search for something, I say “google this, google that”.  LOL.  I don’t say “yahoo this, yahoo that or msn this, msn that”.  I wonder if they will ever be able to catch up to big brother G?  What do you think?

Gadgets and related stuff?  Yup that’s right, just go for their “toys”.  Anything that looks cool, sleek and stylish would most likely make your guy smile.  You won’t go wrong with these!

Here are just a few ideas if you are too lazy to even think.  Haha.  iPods and digital cameras are quite popular for most guys.  Video consoles like xbox 360, playstation 3, nintendo wii, paired up with his favorite game will make a gamer guy really happy.  If your pockets are deeper, you could probably get him an intelligent GPS car system, a cool cellphone or even a nice-looking laptop.

Most guys do love their “toys”.  And they will be really happy to add another one to their stable.  The more the merrier!

Stamping has always been a fun thing to do for me.  When I was very young, the first stamp that I got was a pre-inked star-shaped stamp.  I would pester my mum or tutor to use the stamp to grade my assignments whenever I complete them.  And of course the more stars they gave me, the bigger the grin on my face. It was such a simple form of reward, but I felt really encouraged to do well always.

When I was in my teens, I got myself a Piglet stamp with a lavender ink pad.  I would sign off with it on letters I write to my good friends.  Yes, it sounds crazy to write when we see each other in school most of the time.  We would even go into lengths to buy pretty paper for our letters!  Haha.  Fortunately, SMS did not exist then, otherwise I would not even have my dusty collection of old letters that I can read and laugh over again and again now.

A few years back, I relieved the fun of stamping again because I had a small brick and mortar business of my own.  I had to make custom rubber stamps that had my business name and details, so that I can stamp all invoices and delivery receipts.  I had not done much stamping for a long time and I realized that I still enjoy it very much.  Yes, it sounds silly at my age, but I think it will stay a part of me forever.  Haha…

Yes!  I can’t believe what I have just heard.  Her singing is not only powerful, but it is really beautiful and touching.  If I close my eyes, I would probably think she is someone from Les Miserables, no doubt.

Looking at her frumpy image, with her curly hair and thick eyebrows, frankly she would not be someone the audience would think highly of.  As what the lady judge said, most of them were feeling rather cynical when she said she wanted to be a professional singer.  Until she opened her mouth and sang!

I think we should be ashamed of ourselves if we were thinking that way initially, as we humans are often guilty of judging others based on appearances .  In fact I feel she is a very genuine lady, somewhat adorable too with her unpretentious responses to the judges’ questions and comments.  I think she has become an icon of hope for everyone out there who sees themselves as a plain jane like her.  At 47, if she has the courage to step out and make a difference to her life, what is stopping you at 27 or 37?

If you have dreams, pursue them no matter what other people might think of you.  If you have the talent, you will be recognized someday.  I am really glad she went on the show and is on her way of making her dream come true.  This is what I hope to say to her…

“Dear Susan, our paths will never have crossed in this lifetime if you have not gone on the show and I have not watched your performance.  You really touched my heart and I wish you the best!  Life will never be the same again for you after this show.  May your dreams come true!”

Well, just had to share this with you my dear friends.  Watch it and let me know if it gives you the goosebumps too.

It’s a cross between the two houses that were featured in the episode “World’s Greenest Homes”.

The first was owned by a couple and their pet.  Yes, two people in such a HUGE house!  I can’t help feeling awed as the TV host walked and explored every part of their house.  The living area was already the size of my current HDB flat I think.  Their bathroom looks like the size of my bedroom.  They also have an entertainment room at the attic with matching home theater furniture which will probably take up all the space in my kitchen if placed side by side.  Haha.  Looking at the house, it makes me feel that I am staying in a “pigeon-hole”.  The sense of claustrophobia overwhelms me.  Ouch…

The second house is located at Whistler, British Columbia, famous for the Whistler mountain and ski slopes.  Although it looks a bit smaller than the first house, but the view from the inside is absolutely stunning.  The interesting thing about this house is their bedrooms are on the first level and the kitchen and living area are located on the second level where the windows let in natural sunlight and warm the place in the day.  Imagine having breakfast every morning with such a breathtaking view!  I guess I will wake up with a smile in my face everyday.

It would be perfect if the two houses complement each other.  The first house with it’s beautiful interior design and relaxing patio built with the window concept of the second house.  And of course at it’s location too.

Hmm. I know I am dreaming now, but who knows what happens in the future?

Well, dreams keeps one going, so don’t stop dreaming…

That day when I visited my 4 year old niece, she was busy playing with her cooking set.  It brought me down memory lane and I thought of the times when I was young where I often played masak masak with my cousins of the same age too.  It was very fun as we will “cook” a feast with our toy pots and pans and serve them to our dolls.  And it’s scary to think how long that was ago!  One cousin of mine has even become a mother.  I guess she is also seeing herself in her daugher now.  Haha.

Playing is also a time where we see a kid’s creativity unleashed.  I laughed when my niece suddenly got up and walked towards the coffee table, placing her hands below the table with an action that look like she is washing her hands.  She also peeled a piece of tissue paper and rolled them into small balls and pretend to cook these “dumplings.  We the “customers” will pretend that we want to buy the “dumplings” and she will use her toy hair-dryer and treat it as a barcode scanner, going “Beep, $2 please”.  LOL.

Sometimes, I wonder if she watched too much TV.  Haha.  But she is a smart little girl and I guess she picked these up from her outings to the supermarkets and shopping malls with her parents.

Somehow, my spirits lifted after I see her having so much fun.  She also surprised me with little details in her game that I never expect a 4 year old kid would have thought of.  I certainly look forward to the next time I see her play again.