A Coup waiting to happen

The Kia Cerato Koup

The stylish four-door is called the Forte ( gotit? ) . And it's flying off the show room floors like hot cakes.

This coupe version , out soon, its called a Koup ( getit?) . Oh btw, its called a 'Koooooo... '. A coup; like a riot waiting to happen.

Very impressive.

For those who think the Honda Type R coupe too blatant, the Alfa Romeo Mito too raw, Volvo C30 or the VW Scirocco too expensive, this is it.

Very gorgeous, me thinks.

Taut. Angular. Aggressive. Ready to pounce.

This car will officially rise Kia to first world motoring at its best.

It has arrived .

Q .... Bring on the Koup!!!

$erena

The Biggest earning female athlete in History ~ Serena Williams

Serena Williams was facetiously given the media name of $erena earlier this month after breaking Annika Sorenstam's record for the highest career prize money earned by a female athlete.


This might become $erena William$ if she does well at the Dubai Open starting on Sunday.

The Barclays-sponsored dollar fest pays appearance fees which are widely regarded as the biggest on the WTA Tour. That is in addition to two million dollars prize money which alone is equal to any women's tournament outside of the four Grand Slams.

The younger Williams sister reached 23.5 million pounds prize fund earnings in her 14years of professional tennis after winning her tenth Grand Slam title last month -

and at the age of 27 it would be surprising if Serena did not occasionally look at the best earning opportunities available to her.
~MSN News


Q ... Play hard. It could earn you more than Work.

Going Gaga over her?

Not really.



Her music is electro pop ; like an updated 80's track record.

Formaliac. Great sounding but ultimately, lacking in emotion and connection.

More pop than grind.

Don't get me wrong , she's not bad a singer and producer and her Fame album, is really quite the self-indulgent streak as it is.

It keeps my mood up but does little to make me excited, just to say.

Her image? You do wonder what all the hype is about. She's the next stylista since Madonna , apparently.

Ok , seriously, my take is that she's kinda trashy. Strange. And certainly, not pretty or easy on the eyes.

She's all over the place.

Much like street-walker gone wrong.

More in the hood than from the hoodlum.

So no, I'm not hatin this new girl on the block, she's good in her own kinky way, but no, I'm not going GaGa.

Q

Small and Ready to Rule the World

Ratan Tata, founder and CEO of Tata Motors, India's biggest Automaker, had a vision.



He wanted to expand further his market share of India's booming automotive industry.

He figured that it's good business sense to go the way of Ford, Mini and Volkswagen.

To Reach the masses.

He came up with a rather amazing product in the name of the Tata Nano.

Touted to soon be the Cheapest set of wheels in the world.

But he's wise. Cheap shouldn't be nasty or else a big ambition is but thwarted.

So the Tata Nano is a shining example of sound engineering, great packaging and design.

With emphasis on space, drivability, durability and desirability to attract boomers who would other wise have gravitated to bikes or other budget car brands, the Tata Nano looks a resounding success garnering international acclaim.

Cheap can be chic too.

Of course, what's sold to the masses in India will be bare-basic with no power steering and stuff we often take for granted.

For the rest of the world where the Nano certainly shows potential in doing just as well, we'll likely get air-conditioning, power steering, air bags, decent sound system, better seat fabrics , sports rims and a lusher paint job etc. which will hike up the price a bit more but still bang-for-buck.

This is my second post for this amazing little wonder who's set to set the automotive world alight. That's how good it is.

Q...

Short is Hot

Long flowing tresses have always been the most desirable. The wind-in-the-hair effect does wonders to flatter and has built many a career into superstar-dom.

Just ask Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Pamela Anderson, Gisele Bundchen and Tyra Banks.

But there are those who's edginess is un-inhindered. They whose faces are so strong, structured and distinctive that defying the convention, they still look absolutely stunning rather than butch.


Just look at the following sirens of entertainment:

R&B princess Rihanna : Her career popped when she went short and edgy and stopped being yet another Mariah/Beyonce clone.



Iconic virtual news anchor, Ananova : she's been big (and remains so) since exploding onto the News world back in the late 90's. If she looked like a country girl-next-door with locks instead of her famed edgy-androgyny, where would she be today?


From being a member of arguably the most successful and influential girl group in pop history, The Spice Girls, to the world's most famous current-day fashion icon, Victoria Beckham achieved it all by having short hair that only got shorter and edgier over the years. Now that's fierce.

Mary J Blige's career always hinged on the fact that she's such an amazing crowd stirrer with that raw soulful voice. Her career became real Fine (Wooo!) when she went short and fabulous.


Hers was an image that Mariah Carey had to shun in order to carve out her own niche. So, it's easy to see why Whitney's hair do has always been short and edgy even before the world caught on to the formula. Being one of the biggest selling artiste of all time, Whitney remains the Pop Superstar that she is; different and outstanding.

So indeed, a short crop is cool for the wearer but red hot for everyone else who notices.

Q.... swooning.

Models are Air-heads

(Need no) Introducing...

The world's Slimmest lappie The Apple MacBook Air.

The Size-Zero of the Notebook world.

.. tilt it on its side and it almost disappears.

Gorgeous model.

Yes, but it's also likely one of its most impractical.

So ridiculous is it's lack of basic amenities due to Apple's obsession with the waif est possible.

Imagine a single USB port. Imagine not being able to play a CD or a CD-ROM. Imagine needing another external hard drive from another Mac just to be able to download anything.

Just like a human model not being able to eat even an ounce more.

But looking absolutely STUNNING. ^^

Q...If you want to be seen with one... you WANT one.

Wink.

The V-V-V-ery-Stylish Di-V-V-V-as

Vanessa Willams, Victoria Beckham and Vera Wang.

The 3 di-V-as of style on Ugly Betty.

Glamourous.

That's what you get when you put an iconic-beauty queen-turned-singer-cum-actress, an iconic socialite-cum-singer-cum-fashionista and an iconic wedding gown designer together on the set of an award winning show like UB.

The Powder-ful Power Puff Girls :)

Q

> Indeed, re-runs are not all bad. ^^

O Dial O My...

As any typical guy, you wanna have as little baggage as possible.


So it's a no-no for bulky phones and what other e-devices have you. Or for me at least. (The rest of the world drive trailers , I know)

But there comes a time when something like that expensive PDA or digi-cam that needs the extra padding to shock-resist them due to our rugged bumps and grinds (what ever hot action that means 4u) .

All the leather casings out there are too pretentious and would smell at the lightest touch of sweat.
And every cloth pouch out there is but pointless.

So when I stumbled across the Crocs Jibbitz O-Dials, I was bawled over.

Okay, even after so many years, Crocs footwear still has the jury out on whether they really are shoes or clown-rejects .

And any fashion savvy person wouldn't be caught dead in a pair. (Although they'd be happy to be alive in one)

Lucky for Crocs, it's subsidiary accessories division, Jibbitz, has got designers who are little more sane than those in the shoe department and came out with these exciting pouch-holders .

(That US$20 million buy-over was money well spent in retrospect.)

> Looks and feel just like the Iconic Crocs. (Functionality; need I day more?)
> Is Jibbitz Charms-ready. (Customization galore... all you tacky freaks out there.)

Yes, highly functional. Very light and water proof and sure as hell be able to ensure your digi-cam survives that fall off that elephant ride you're on (well you shouldn't anyway).


Cool. ^^

Q

> Caution: Jibbitz accessories can be Choking hazards. or diabetic-inducing :)

Black is the Nu-White

See.... I told you Black is GORGEOUS !!!

(Black has a 'feeling of clean'.And who are we to argue)

"Black is back in Japan, with everyday household items and health goods taking on a darker tone to show casual luxury and sophistication."

so says Japan's Trend Shop.

Indeed, anything that looks cheap should have no place in your designer-living rooms. :-P

And that includes that hooker you picked up round the street corner.

And guys... using these to clean up you , ahem, spunk , may not be such a great idea 'cos it's a little too obvious isnt it?

haha

LMAO.

Q

Blow out the Candle in the Wind

Above, the late International Style Icon and famed editor, Isabella Blow.

Below, a model at a tribute fashion show by Treacy and McQueen for the late Icon.

Famed Magazine Editor and International Style Icon Isabella Blow died of an over dose of Paraquat on 6th May 2007.

She was only 48.

Despite being born into a well-off Knighted family with a reported wealth of over 4 million pounds, she was largely estranged from her family and had personal humble beginnings that had nothing to do with fashion or let alone remotely glamorous.

"I've done the most peculiar jobs. I was working in a scone shop for years, selling apricot-studded scones. I was a cleaner in London for two years. I wore a handkerchief with knots on the side, and my cousin saw me in the post office and said, What are you doing? I said, What do you think I look like I'm doing? I'm a cleaner!"

But her intense love of fashion, a sharp eye for talent and beauty and her ability to mingle with the creme De la creme of the fashion world, soon made her world famous and iconic.

Photographer Mario Testino told Vanity Fair in September 2007,

"She was brilliant at finding new things and could always find new ways of looking at things."

Why will she be missed?

> She discovered and backed world-famous fashion designer Alexander McQueen and his fashion house.

> She discovered Supermodels Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl.

> She discovered, backed the career of and is a muse to world famous #1 milliner Philip Treacy. In fact, his wonderous creations had become a trade-mark for Blow; famously being seen in public with his fanciful hats.

> She was responsible for the resurgence of the crystal-rhinestone firm Swarovski after convincing her designer friends to use the company's products in their fashions and accessories.

> Personal friend and former flat mate to actress Catherine Oxenberg.

> Best friend to Daphne Guinness, socialite and heiress to the Guinness empire.

> Personal friend and muse to Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

> Worked for famous French fashion designer Guy Laroche .

> A former assistant and Personal friend to Andre Leon Talley, U.S. Vogue's editor-at-large

> Was a former assistant and personal friend to fashion director of U.S. Vogue, Anna Wintour.

> Was the Editor and fashion director for Tatler and the Sunday Times Style magazine

> Was a head Consultant to DuPont Lycra, Lacoste, and Swarovski.


Leading an international , jet-set life as an icon and socialite by being an Industry heavy weight, it was all but a sheen over a troubled personal life.

> Blow was disinherited by her father in 1994, and recieved only a token sum of money out of the multi-million dollar family fortune.

> A. McQueen didn't take her along when he sold his brand to Gucci. She discovered and supported him but being a muse, it was 'just hard to put a price on her worth.'

> Blow and her husband, Detmar Blow, had unsuccessfully tried in vitro fertilization eight times.

"We were like a pair of exotic fruits that could not breed when placed together",

she said.

> Acute money problems with her mother-in-law, a disagreement with over which member of the family would inherit her husband's ancestral home

> Detmar had an affair with Stephanie Theobald, a bisexual who was the society editor of British Harper's Bazaar

> Severe depression eventually resulted in her being Bipolar.

She became seriously depressed and reportedly was anguished over her inability to

"find a home in a world she influenced"

Indeed, towards the end of her life, she was betrayed both personally and professionally; people whom she raised to great success but put her down to leave her with nothing.

Her position in high society was in jeopardy.

Indeed, being a founder, icon and muse, it's just 'hard to put a price on it'.


Blow introduced to the world master Milliner ,Philip Treacy, whom created this (among a myriad of others) just for her. A shining example of the kind of Talents that Blow was capable of discovering and grooming.

The passing of A Legend.