It's a mad world

Such unnecessary violence is just sad. Over this past weekend, a suicide bomb attack in Damascus, the capital of my country Syria, killed 17 innocent people and left many injured. That is the deadliest attack in Syria since 1986.

Just because someone decided to kill as many as he can on his way to 'heaven'...

We live in such a mad world...

+ read more: 1 , 2, 3, 4

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Playing With Emotions

Even though shockvertising is being overused these days, I still like this ad for the Catalonian National Theatre which uses scare tactics to entice you to buy tickets and attend the shows. A visually disturbing image of a heart being played with is shown along the tagline, "Let us play with your emotions."

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Nice work!

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The ad was photographed by David Ruano for TBWA, Barcelona, with the creative team of Ramon Sala, Miquel Sales, and art director Fer Garcia.

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Love/Hate by Steven Klein

Eyepatches seem to be the favorite fashion accessory these days. At least that's what Steven Klein seems to think. Following his extraordinary Future Couture shoot for Vogue Italia (see it here) which incorporates blinged eyepatches, Klein has went all out in the Love/Hate editorial for the October issue of W Magazine. The shoot features models Linda Evangelista and Tyson Ballo.

It almost makes me wish I have to wear an eyepatch...

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Music :: Deceiver

I first heard Chris Thile in some songs of his band Nickel Creek and his voice and amazing mandoline skills captured my interest. I was even more impressed when I checked out his 2004 solo album, Deceiver.

Deceiver is one of these albums that defy categories and generes. It is a mix of country, pop, rock, and folk. Chris Thile plays ALL 39 instruments on the album, which include violin, mandolin, mandola, bass guitar, electric guitar, and many percussion instruments.

Check out some of my favorites off the album.

SONGS

>> The Believer

>> Ready For Anything

>> On Ice

>> Somebody More Like You

>> I'm Nowhere And You're Everything

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The First Taste >> Never is a Promise

Fiona Apple's debut album, Tidal, came out back in 1996 just when I started to develop my own taste of music beyond the popular top 40. I was fresh out of highschool and it was during that time that I started listening to Tori Amos, Bjork and the alt rock scene.

It was two years later, sometime in 1998 when I was living in Jordan, that a friend and music lover (hola Tarek, wherever you ended up!) made me this mix tape (yeah it was when tapes where still used, I am THAT ancient) which contained a collection of brilliant songs. Two of the songs on that mix tape were from Apple's debut album, The First Taste, and Never is a Promise. And as corny as it might sound, I fell in love with Fiona Apple from the first taste.

Even though the songs are 12 years old, they are still my favorite Apple songs, the melody and lyrics are just brilliant. Give them a listen and let me know what you think.


SONGS

>> Fiona Apple - The First Taste

I lie in an early bed thinking late thoughts :: Waiting for the black to replace my blue :: I do not struggle in your web, because it was my aim to get caught :: But daddy longlegs, I feel that I'm finally growing weary of waiting to be consumed by you :: Give me the first taste :: Let it begin, heaven cannot wait forever :: Darling just start the chase :: I'll let you win, but you must make the endeavor

>> Fiona Apple - Never is a Promise

You'll never see the courage I know :: Its colors' richness won't appear within your view :: I'll never glow the way that you glow :: Your presence dominates the judgements made on you :: But as the scenery grows I see in different lights :: The shades and shadows undulate in my perception :: My feelings swell and stretch, I see from greater heights :: I understand what I am still too proud to mention, to you :: You'll say you understand, But you don't understand :: You'll say you'll never give up seeing eye to eye :: But never is a promise, and you can't afford to lie.
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PS3 :: Human Matroska Dolls

A pretty cool Sony Playstation 3 ad which communicates that you can change your identity as easily as going through Russian Matroska dolls.

A bit creepy to see humans as Russian dolls cut in half with the shells of the used 'characters' thrown around, but a pretty solid and cool idea.

The ad was created by TBWA Madrid with creative directors Juan Sánchez, Guillermo Ginés, Montse Pastor, art director Fran López, and Illustrator / Photographer Gonzalo Puertas.

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If you liked this, check out a SlideShow cluster of 15 Sony campaigns I created at Trend Hunter magazine.

And for more creative ads, check out this slide show of 21 hidden & surprising ads.

Finally, for the animal in you, check out this cluster of 40 Animalistic Ads.

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Michael Phelps is Dr. McSwimmy

Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps starred in a hilarious parody clip for the Jimmy Kimmel pre Emmy Awards show. The clip shows Michael Phelps as Dr/ McSwimmy, the newst addition to the Grey's Anatomy cast. It's damn funny. See the video below.

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Sarah Palin Glasses - The Political Fashion Phenomena

The Sarah Palin eyeglasses phenomena has me quite puzzled. Ever since Sarah Palin's glasses made their debut on her acceptance speech, the Kawasaki 704 glasses by Japanese designer Kazuo Kawasaki have been all the rage.

I understand the fascination and interest in Palin, she is after all the first ever republican female VP candidate who could become the VP and quite possibly the President of the United States. What surprises me is the insane amount of attention these glasses have garnered. How can we blame Palin for not having much political knowledge if all we talk about is her eyeglasses and hair style?

My frenemie at Trend Hunter Magazine, Going Like Sixty was one of the first people on the blogosphere to write about these Sarah Palin eyeglasses. His article has quickly penetrated the magazine's top 10 of all time and it even got the magazine mentioned on CNN and featured on Fox Business News.

So what about the much celebrated glasses? Well, they are a rimless design that comes in five colors (Gold, Silver, Gray, Brown, Dark Gray Blue) and sell for about $350. See the official site here.

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James Bond Under Fire

Check out a very cool James Bond inspired fashion shoot titled "Under Fire" by photographer Bell Soto in Kult Magazine here. 

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The Honorable Daphne Guinness by Steven Klein

Wow. I haven't been so floored and fascinated by a fashion shoot for quite some time.

 

The brilliant Steven Klein shot this extraordinary editorial titled "The Honorable Guinness", in the "Future Couture" supplement of the latest issue of Vogue Italia.

The editorial features Daphne Guinness, the socialite and heiress of the Guinness family, in futuristic fashion (styled by Patty Wilson) and dramatic art direction. And let me tell you, she ain't no paris hilton. Miss Guiness held her own as the best of them.

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Think it makes you pretty?

Well, think again sweetie.

Ads by BBDO Moscow

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21 Creatively Hidden and Surprising Ads

Check out this awesome slideshow of 21 Creatively Hidden and Surprising Ads that showcases the creativity of unique ad campaigns that catch you off guard and surprise you.

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Stupid Ads >> Get intimate with Stalin & Marx

So let's see what we have here. These Museum of Communism ads believe that they can entice you to visit the museum by showing you that you can ‘Get intimate with history.’

Well, if their idea of intimacy is watching Karl Marx clip his toe nails and peeking at Stalin all hot and bothered with two young females, then I am not sure I want to get THAT intimate with history...

The unfortunate campaign was created by EURO RSCG NEW EUROPE ad agency.

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Meeting Paris Hilton >> Hot Hot Sex

A song that calls Paris Hilton a "bitch" more than 25 times? Count me in!!! 

Even though the word almost sounds like "beat" in a few positions.

The band (CSS) even took a picture with Paris Hilton. At least we can't say she has no sense of humor...

I threw in their popular song (thanks to the Apple iPod Touch commercial), Music is My Hot Hot Sex.

SONGS 

>> CSS - Meeting Paris Hilton

>> CSS - Music is My Hot Hot Sex

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Music :: Pass This On >> Heartbeats

The Knife is a brilliant band from Sweden that consists of two siblings (a brother and a sister). The Knife are most known for their amazing song, heartbeats. If you do not know the song, check it out below. It's BRILLIANT.  Also check out the strange yet captivating video for their equally good song, Pass This On. By the way, the drag queen is not from the band, she/he is lip synching. The video gets really interesting half way, when everyone joins in dancing.

>> The Knife - Pass This On

>> The Knife - Heartbeats

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Cairo by Philip Lorca DiCorcia

Cairo is an amazing fashion photography series by brilliant photographer Philip Lorca DiCorcia that also serves as a fashion spread in the latest issue of W Magazine. 

The Cairo series shows the hippest fashion designs and accessories (from Dolce & Gabbana to Chanel and Georgio Armani) modeled by real everyday Egyptians in Cairo.

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Music :: Brothers On a Hotel Bed

I haven't been posting much music lately, because I am quite busy writing at Trend Hunter Magazine whenever I have free time, so I haven't been exploring or discovering any worthy new music. 

I decided to start featuring some of my favorite songs, even if they are a few years old. These are songs that I will forever love and appreciate. Give them a listen, they might not be the popular ones, but they have something special to them.

This song, Brothers On A Hotel Bed, might be a bit hard to instantly love. The actual singing starts only after 1:20 minutes of insturemental, and it's quite a melancholy and depressed song, but it is so delicate and nice. The song is from the 2005 album "Plans" by Death Cab For Cutie.

"And I have learned that even landlocked lovers yearn for the sea like navy men. 'Cause now we say goodnight from our own separate sides... Like brothers on a hotel bed" 

SONG >> Death Cab For Cutie - Brothers On A Hotel Bed (4:31 minutes)

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Tina Fey as Sarah Palin in SNL Skit

I love this new Saturday Night Live skit which has Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Damn funny!

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Horse Head Pillow

The Horse Head Pillow is surely nothing to wake up next to. 

Based on the famous scene from the iconic movie, The Godfather, the Horse Head Pillow is one morbid pillow that can be a great way to scare away your friend or girlfriend in the morning.

>> Get it here

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Size Matters :: is 13 inches big enough?

Hi everyone! Sorry for not updating the blog much recently. I have been practically without a PC for a few days.

The display of my notebook of almost three years (Toshiba Satellite) died. Since the notebook is not under warranty anymore, replacing it with a new display turned out to cost almost half as much as the price of a decent new notebook these days. So I decided to buy a new notebook and then either find a used display for my old Toshiba or just get an LCD and hook it up. 

I went back and forth between getting another 15 inch notebook, like my old one, or getting a smaller more compact one. Since my notebook is my only machine, having a big screen is desirable for both work and entertainment. But because I move around and travel pretty often, I finally opted for a 13 inch Dell Vostro which weighs just 2 kilos. I think the portability is more important, and if I find that the small screen is just not enough, I will most likely get a nice LCD screen to hook it up at my place.

The Dell Vostro is not the coolest kid on the block. It is actually far from it when it comes to the looks. However, being a business class notebook, it's performance is solid and its price was right for my budget.

I will be getting it after a few days, so be patient with the scarce updates, and I promise you to have lots of nice posts up after I get the new notebook.

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Sit on Art : 50 Outlandish Chairs

Check out a very cool cluster of 50 outlandish chair designs that I have compiled at Trend Hunter Magazine. Click on the images for the cluster slideshow.

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USM Granted Apex Status

Congratulations to USM (University of Science Malaysia), where I am currently doing my PhD, for beating all other Malaysian universities and being granted the APEX status.

Apex (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) is an effort by the Malaysian government to drive the selected university to compete with the best universities in the world of education. This includes hundreds of millions and various other support programs.

By giving USM the Apex status, it is projected to break into the world’s top 100 universities ranking in 5 years, and top 50 by 2020.

+ read more

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Bye Bye Snowman:: No More Seasons

French fashion house Marithé + François Girbaud kill and bury snowman in their latest ad campaign, "No more seasons." 

I love the sinister vibe of the ads, even though the look on the little boy's face (below) is kinda creepy. The campaign was photographed by Steve Hiett for La chose ad agency, France.

Come to think of it, if global warming keeps at the current rate, there really will be no more seasons....

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Malaysia Today : Blocked

I don't like to go much into politics, but the blocking of Malaysia Today,  a political news portal, by the Malaysian government is a step backwards that I didn't think a forward-thinking country like Malaysia would resort to.

I always hated censorship, and as a blogger, I hate it even more now. People should have the right to share their opinions and points of views. I hope the government realizes how badly this action has affected Malaysia's reputation as a free country and amends it soon.

Blocking Freedom of Speech - Malaysia Today Blocked by Malaysian Government (GALLERY)

As Malaysia celebrated its 51st anniversary of independence this past weekend, news has emerged of the government blocking Malaysia Today, a very popular and controversial political news site. Malaysia… [More] Continue reading this post...

Google Chrome

Bring it on Google! Out of nowhere Google Chrome has emerged as an exciting option in the web browser game. And you do not have to wait to download it, Google Chrome is launching as a beta version on September 2 in more than 100 countries.

I am very excited about this. I was never happy with either Microsoft's IE or with Firefox, so I hope that Google Chrome will be the one.

Check out a screenshot of Google Chrome below, and a cool set of comics explaining the need for Google Chrome by Google itself below here .

UPDATE: you can now download it here.

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50 Stylish Sofas & Benches

A very nice collection of 50 sofas and benches, check them out.

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Brilliant Quiksilver Denim Fish

These are incredibly artistic Quiksilver ads by Saatchi & Saatchi, Copenhagen. The ads promote the deep blue Quiksilver jeans by creating fish using the jeans itself. Brilliant...


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