Neatly done by Groovisions for MAFF.
(Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
This is an infomercial about ensuring the future of food in Japan.
Perhaps it would be good for all of us to take note of this as well. :o)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Flippin great!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Interesting finds of the week!
1. Kiwano
I stumbled upon these weird looking fruits quite some time ago whilst reading up on veges for my Veggie Patch! Apparently they taste like a mixture of "bananas, cucumbers, limes, and passionfruit" according to Wiki (of course!) :P Kiwanos come from the Kalahari desert originally but now you can find them growing in California & New Zealand. grin* Never attempt to squeeze them though, not good for juicing! :P
Picture Link: http://www.gugge.dk/
2. Buddha's Hand fruit
Another odd looking fruit :) Surprisingly its part of the citrus family! Wiki again mentions that "The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless.
The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. According to tradition, Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer." (I didn't know that!)
Picture Link: www.edibleeden.com
3. Giraffe Weevil
Isn't just so adorable? :P Madagascar sure is lucky! Wiki has it that the giraffe weevil is endemic to Madagascar. It derives its name from an extended neck much like that of the common giraffe. The total body length of the males is just under an inch (2.5cm).
The extended neck is an adaptation that assists in nest building. When it comes time to breed the father-to-be will roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, at which point the female will lay a single egg within the tube.
Picture Link: Pete Oxford / Minden / Getty / TIME
4. Ribbon eel
Amazingly these eels are color-coded for life!
Juveniles and sub-adults are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin, while females are yellow with a black anal fin with white margins on the fins. The adult male are blue with a yellow dorsal fin. As the eel grows and gets older, it changes sex from a male to a female. The ribbon eel also changes its colour from blue to yellow when it becomes fully mature (& female).
Like many eels, the ribbon eel is sometimes thought to be angry or aggressive, because its mouth is often open, appearing ready to strike. In reality, the eel is simply breathing. In the wild, the ribbon eel buries itself in sand or hides in rocks or reefs, dashing out to feed on small fishes. The ribbon eel is known as one of the most sociable and peaceful of all moray eels, and does not bother humans or get easily irritated.
Picture Link: Gary Bell / zefa / Corbis / TIME
5. Feather
Neither edible nor living, this is very pretty nonetheless.
A beautiful feather brooch studded with white and fancy vivid yellow diamonds, rubies and amethysts. Designed by Michelle Ong for Carnet. More on her jewellery range here. (if your pockets are deeeeeeeep enough)
Picture Link: Carnet | TIME
I stumbled upon these weird looking fruits quite some time ago whilst reading up on veges for my Veggie Patch! Apparently they taste like a mixture of "bananas, cucumbers, limes, and passionfruit" according to Wiki (of course!) :P Kiwanos come from the Kalahari desert originally but now you can find them growing in California & New Zealand. grin* Never attempt to squeeze them though, not good for juicing! :P
Picture Link: http://www.gugge.dk/
2. Buddha's Hand fruit
Another odd looking fruit :) Surprisingly its part of the citrus family! Wiki again mentions that "The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless.
The fruit may be given as a religious offering in Buddhist temples. According to tradition, Buddha prefers the "fingers" of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed rather than open hand, as closed hands symbolize to Buddha the act of prayer." (I didn't know that!)
Picture Link: www.edibleeden.com
3. Giraffe Weevil
Isn't just so adorable? :P Madagascar sure is lucky! Wiki has it that the giraffe weevil is endemic to Madagascar. It derives its name from an extended neck much like that of the common giraffe. The total body length of the males is just under an inch (2.5cm).
The extended neck is an adaptation that assists in nest building. When it comes time to breed the father-to-be will roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, at which point the female will lay a single egg within the tube.
Picture Link: Pete Oxford / Minden / Getty / TIME
4. Ribbon eel
Amazingly these eels are color-coded for life!
Juveniles and sub-adults are jet black with a yellow dorsal fin, while females are yellow with a black anal fin with white margins on the fins. The adult male are blue with a yellow dorsal fin. As the eel grows and gets older, it changes sex from a male to a female. The ribbon eel also changes its colour from blue to yellow when it becomes fully mature (& female).
Like many eels, the ribbon eel is sometimes thought to be angry or aggressive, because its mouth is often open, appearing ready to strike. In reality, the eel is simply breathing. In the wild, the ribbon eel buries itself in sand or hides in rocks or reefs, dashing out to feed on small fishes. The ribbon eel is known as one of the most sociable and peaceful of all moray eels, and does not bother humans or get easily irritated.
Picture Link: Gary Bell / zefa / Corbis / TIME
5. Feather
Neither edible nor living, this is very pretty nonetheless.
A beautiful feather brooch studded with white and fancy vivid yellow diamonds, rubies and amethysts. Designed by Michelle Ong for Carnet. More on her jewellery range here. (if your pockets are deeeeeeeep enough)
Picture Link: Carnet | TIME
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Head in the clouds
This is not a picture of me dreaming nor have I turned into a rokurokubi!
Its just that I've been sick for the past 4 days, with a persistent fever which visits me every evening+night and stays till noon. On the 2nd day, I awoke with this image in my head.
Oddly enough, its a spot-on image of how I've been feeling when the fever strikes.
With clouds in my head & my body swathed in heavy fog.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Happy 1st Birthday Jinjerup!
Jinjerup is 1 year & 3 months young!
I would love to have been able to post it on Jinjerup's birthday, 3months earlier but I got caught up in a couple of other projects with very near, tight timelines!
^ -^ Oh well, better late than never! It's an exciting time for Jinjerup as I've stepped out of my comfort zone & am experimenting with new styles!
8 New Patterns & great new wallpapers!
Plus a cute Birthday Giftbox designed with Jinjerup's first do in mind!
HUG! <3
Monday, October 6, 2008
Illustration Friday: Sugary
Gosh! My previous illo for IF was in June!
Its time I picked it up again, here's my take on this week's theme.
When I was much much younger, we had a young pup who absolutely loved all matters sugary. No amount of chasing or chiding would turn her away, she'd sit under our chairs just lickity-licking (cleaning) up our mess of crumbs or drips of cookies, ice creams or chocs we'd try hard not to drop. (grin* kids can't help being messy eaters :P ) She'd follow us around waiting for a treat.
Even though its not healthy for the chumps, its hard not to give in to those puppy dog eyes so we loved sneaking her a chomp or two!
Its time I picked it up again, here's my take on this week's theme.
When I was much much younger, we had a young pup who absolutely loved all matters sugary. No amount of chasing or chiding would turn her away, she'd sit under our chairs just lickity-licking (cleaning) up our mess of crumbs or drips of cookies, ice creams or chocs we'd try hard not to drop. (grin* kids can't help being messy eaters :P ) She'd follow us around waiting for a treat.
Even though its not healthy for the chumps, its hard not to give in to those puppy dog eyes so we loved sneaking her a chomp or two!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Glimpses of another life
Sleepy towns, cats thriving on small jetties & blasting heat welcomed us to the region of Negeri Sembilan. We drove from Lukut to Linggi which bordered historical state of Malacca. A half day road trip which brought back many, many fond memories of my childhood.
Late morning snooze on the new Linggi River jetty.
Fishing boats underneath Linggi River bridge.
More fishing boats.
A young mudskipper sunbathing on a rusty, unused ladder.
The young ones turn into this big one, about 6 inches in length! Skimming the water in short dashes, they were as quick as lightning! (This is my first time seeing such huge ones!)
Rare small fishing huts still intact. Too hot to fish, the fishermen were sitting in the forefront, porch area mending their nets.
One of the many fishing boats tethered to the jetty area.
Rickety old wooden jetty, abandoned in favour of the new cement one we were standing on.
Another cat on another jetty. (Hutan Lipur jetty) It seems like there is a thriving community of solo cats on lonely jetties.
Fishing hut on stilts in the middle of the sea. It would've been interesting to hitch a ride to one of them but that's another experience for another time.
Chicken bred in coops.
Old arched corridors frame an old shop owner having his forty winks.
Faded but still ever so lovely tiles from the exterior of a shophouse.
Another view of the pretty tiles, peacock motif one this time.
chuckle* After getting back & showing the pix to my dad, I found out that I am related to the owners of this shophouse! What a small world it is indeed!
Blue-eyed siesta under a rusty old scooter.
I did not notice kitty's friends in the background till much later :P
Time for me to enjoy the rest of my Sunday!
Until next time!
XOXO
Late morning snooze on the new Linggi River jetty.
Fishing boats underneath Linggi River bridge.
More fishing boats.
A young mudskipper sunbathing on a rusty, unused ladder.
The young ones turn into this big one, about 6 inches in length! Skimming the water in short dashes, they were as quick as lightning! (This is my first time seeing such huge ones!)
Rare small fishing huts still intact. Too hot to fish, the fishermen were sitting in the forefront, porch area mending their nets.
One of the many fishing boats tethered to the jetty area.
Rickety old wooden jetty, abandoned in favour of the new cement one we were standing on.
Another cat on another jetty. (Hutan Lipur jetty) It seems like there is a thriving community of solo cats on lonely jetties.
Fishing hut on stilts in the middle of the sea. It would've been interesting to hitch a ride to one of them but that's another experience for another time.
Chicken bred in coops.
Old arched corridors frame an old shop owner having his forty winks.
Faded but still ever so lovely tiles from the exterior of a shophouse.
Another view of the pretty tiles, peacock motif one this time.
chuckle* After getting back & showing the pix to my dad, I found out that I am related to the owners of this shophouse! What a small world it is indeed!
Blue-eyed siesta under a rusty old scooter.
I did not notice kitty's friends in the background till much later :P
Time for me to enjoy the rest of my Sunday!
Until next time!
XOXO
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