Temp Hiatus

Hello,

Recently (or maybe not so recently), Blogger has been having some problems. Some people's blogs are disappearing, there are bugs, and/or something is broken within the blog template / page elements.

I know it's a free service...but well, I've my standards :P

I think I'll be moving all four of my blogs onto their own hosting and domain. This will take some time.

If I work really fast, this could mean 2 weeks. However, I'd like to take my time finding a nice WordPress theme, and things like that. Oh yippee, more cutting and pasting with HTML and .php!

I'll post a note when everything is settled. Thank you for your patience.

Jess.

Geek Gifts

Here are hi-tech gifts that are functional and look great too. The products are from Fractalspin -- geekcessories galore!

1. Microcontroller Cufflinks & Tie Tack



The set of black cufflinks (and a tie tack in black and silver, shown above) are made from real microcontrollers. The tie tack costs $35.00 (~ € 25.41).

Microcontrollers are tiny, self-sufficient microprocessors that take up little space. The Basic Stamp controller is the most well known. It contains the memory and interfaces needed for simple applications.

2. Duct Tape Hybrid BiFold Wallet



A clean, minimalistic wallet that's super strong, being made of Duct Tape. The Ducti wallet uses Super Duct Tape so it won't peel or leak adhesive -- which can be a problem with traditional duct tape. There's room for credit/debit cards, cash, and there's a picture window for the owner's ID.

3. Odin’s Rage Watch



This LED watch (LED=light-emitting diode) substitutes a large inner dot for the hour hand position, and a small outer dot for the minute hand position. Uber funky.

The four small LEDs at the center represent the minutes between each five-minute increment, and the two small dots in the bottom center represent AM or PM. There are instructions on how to read the watch too.

Reference: Six Valentine’s Day nerdy guy gifts that aren’t lame

Heart Necklaces

Whimsical Heart Necklace

This is a simple and elegantly designed heart-shaped necklace from MuseumShop.com.

The contemporary design was created exclusively for Museum Shop by Kathleen Scott, a Rhode Island jewelry designer. The necklace comes in gold-tone or silver-tone, each measuring 1" in diameter (2.54 cm). The pendant comes with a matching 17" (43.2 cm) chain. The item is made in the USA.



"Piece of My Heart" Necklace

This is the (rather literal) Piece of My Heart Necklace. It comes in a set of two silver-plated pendants -- a circle etched with the word "Love," and a heart with the word "Always." Each comes with its own chain, so you can keep one for yourself and give the other to your sweetheart. Alternatively, you could also wear both pendants together on one chain. This originally cost $16.95, but is now going for $12.95.



Shona Standing Couple

Museum Shop also has sculptures such as the Shona Standing Couple. This is handmade in Zimbabwe and fair-trade imported. The Shona tribes of Zimbabwe, literally translated as "the house of stone," are renowned for their fine sculpting technique.

International shipping is available for these items. MuseumShop.com donates a portion of every purchase, at no extra cost to customers, to support First Book. The latter is an organization that provides arts education and supplies to children who do not have ready access to such services.

Love-ly Cookies

Jungle Love Colossal Cookie

Wow, that's really a huge, tempting, sweet-looking cookie. The cookie weighs more than one pound (450 grams), and is hand decorated. Nice way to bring out one's wild side ;)

The giant cookie costs $34.95, and costs $48.95 if you include 12 additional mixed cookies.



Love Notes

Yes, these love note cookie cards are edible. They cost $14.95. Each fresh baked sugar cookie is covered in white chocolate, with a card design and border of candy hearts and sprinkles.

What's nice about this one is that there is an Edible Food Writer included to personalize your own special cookie card message. The gift box is tied with coordinating sheer chiffon ribbon. An optional, personalized (non-edible) gift card is included with the purchase.

Order early -- shipping prices start at $9.99, for 0-3 lbs gift items. You can check the shipping rates on each individual gift page before checkout as well.

Coincidentally, Presentville Gifts was established on Valentine’s Day 2005. Shipping is currently available in the USA only.

I'll look out for stores which have international shipping in the next few posts.

Glass Bear in a Box

1. Tiny Glass Angel Bear

Here's the first feature for Valentine's Day 2008.

These products were added to the catalogue of The Gift Haven in October 2007 -- so they're pretty new additions!

The glass bear above sits inside a ruby-red velvet box. The "My Sweet Heart" poem is viewable by clicking on the image above (a larger image will appear). The item stands at 2.25 inches (5.7cm) high, and is just $7.95.



2. A Rose from the Heart

In this rose & heart glass gift, two eternal symbols of love are brought together. It stands at 4.75 inches (12cm) high, and costs $24.95.

Many other items at The Gift Haven can be gotten below $20. They have a Valentine's Day category too. Shopping at the store and finding the right items are a breeze.

All gift prices are 20% or more below the suggested retail price. Shipping costs are not inflated, which means the cost is not reflected back onto customers.

Holiday: Valentine's Day, 2008

5

Last year, I missed out on gifts by holidays/seasons. In the next few weeks, I'll be looking for V-Day related products. Hopefully I'll be able to find what I want, heh.

I don't think I'll be tagging each post according to the holiday though. There's something about a too-long list of categories that I find a little irritating.

Maybe I'll have a general category called "Holiday Gifts", then have a footnote at the end of each post, so if you run a search in the blog for "Valentine's Day", all the related posts will be listed. I did this on The Galeon -- Robin Hood and King Arthur etc. don't have their own labels, they all belong to one category titled "famous people".

Man, I like to spend time organizing, about organizing.

~

Before I get started on that, I’m adding this here since I was tagged by Haney. According to the person before her:

List the original link plus 5 additional links. And the 5 additional links listed need to list 5 links of their own.

Means that the links will grow exponentially 5,25,125...+ until infinity.

So here goes...

• The Strategist Notebook


• Link Addiction


• Ardour of the Heart


• When Life Becomes a Book


• The Malaysian Life


• Yogatta.com


• What goes under the sun


• Ubuntu For Malaysian


• Arsenal Malaysia


• Malaysian Computer Technical Blog


• TeqEdge


• Qubix Blog


• Silent Blogger


• Senyuman Sedekah


• Teranung.blogspot


• Aku tetap aku


• Taszara.com


• Selfobliged [D]ot [C]om


• Oonique!

The ones I tag...

• Anyone reading -- consider yourself tagged.

I always do this when "tagged" :P.

badge review

The above design is the Kindergarten Tattoo six-piece button set, by YackFou.

I never would have come across this, were it not for badge review -- a blog that features nothing but art and design button badges. I know there are plenty of badges all over the place, but Sven Palmowski (who owns the blog):

1) has a really good eye for design, and
2) really knows button badges!

Stores and studios from around the world are featured -- USA, UK, Mexico City, Australia, Berlin, Ireland. And that's just on the current blog homepage. I guess inspiration can indeed be "found on a 1 inch (2.5cm) diameter".

Sven is a freelance illustrator from Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. His own designs and illustrations are showcased on his website, Sven Palmowski.

Website No. 7

Well, apparently I have quite a bunch of things to say/write about webhosts and webhosting, and related subjects. I was initially planning on just leaving the articles on this blog, but I think they should have their own spot.

And so they do, at:

WebHost Monkeys [http://webhostmonkeys.com]

It's very new, and there's not much material on yet. I don't know how often I'll be posting there, because I have a lot of learning to do myself. We'll see.

Man, I never thought I'd have more than 2 websites...

Unique Japanese Gift

A nice way to discover the exotic world of Japanese cuisine (sake in this particular case), is with this seven-piece sake set. The bottle measures about 7 inches (17.7cm) tall, and the cups are 2.25 inches (5.7cm) tall. The set is handcrafted in Japan.

AsianArtMall.com deals exclusively in Asian Arts and Crafts. Most of the products are directly acquired from the artists or production houses. This allows AsianArtMall to offer their items at affordable prices, without compromising on quality control. Some of the products are even custom made for the company, and only available on their website.

They have a special "For Her" section too, which features jewellery imported from Thailand, Bali, Japan, and China. Each piece is hand selected for its uniqueness.

AsianArtMall has full-time buyers which are located throughout Asia. If there's a product somewhere out there, they'll be able to find it.

PS: Sake Bar Hakkaisan is a place where you can read more about the art of drinking/appreciating SAKE.

Violin Table Lamp

Here's something a music lover would find gorgeous!

This is one of AbsoluteHome's current Featured Products -- a violin table lamp priced at $46.40.

The authorized dealer is Trend Lighting. Trend Lighting specialises in creating attractive, unique products. They cover many styles too, from urban contemporary to classic traditional. High quality workmanship and innovation is always a superlative combination.

This is a warm light fixture that would illuminate any home, and make it that much more inviting and cozy.

* Height: 12 1/2" (31.75 cm)
* Width: 4" (10.16 cm)
* Lamping: 1 - 15 watt candle
* Finish: antique brass

AbsoluteHome is a huge website, that proudly states being the online source for everything in the home. They offer a large selection of luxury brands, totaling over 500,000 products in various categories such as Kitchen, Bath, Lighting, Appliances, etc.

Fender: Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty Fenders

I've always liked Fender. I'm not the biggest Hello Kitty fan on the planet, but this famous kitty logo has been around for ages and has come a long way, and it looks neat. I was delighted when I first knew about these guitars and bass guitars (currently the bass is the Badtz-Maru brand) a couple of years back.

The Hello Kitty Fenders come in pink or black. Those two colours always make a cool and rocking combination. These are some of the specs of the Hello Kitty Stratocaster --

* script Hello Kitty logo artwork on back of pink body
* collage Hello Kitty logo artwork on back of black body
* white knob on pink guitar
* black knob on black guitar
* pink dot position inlays on pink guitar (a tiny but sassy detail)

The site also has a "Fender Players Club", where you can learn the basics of guitar playing. There's a lesson on playing the riffs from "Just a Girl" by No Doubt, and "What's My Age Again?" by Blink-182 for bass players.

Sidenote: Now I know Gwen Stefani is a fashion icon and all, but I really miss her during the No Doubt days, and if you or anyone you know thinks that Blink-182 is what real punk is about, please listen to The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, to get started ;).

The website also has wallpapers -- including a gorgeous closeup of the back of the Hello Kitty black guitar.