Controversy at Puteri Indonesia 2010

I am one of the people who believe that the questions and answers session at events such as miss pageant are already prepared, and I knew I was right.
The 15th Annual Puteri Indonesia Beauty Pageant finally brings the proof when one of the contestants answers the question she randomly chooses.
The hint of controversy comes out from its shell when the contestant from Jakarta 4, Nadine, takes her turn on the first round of Q&A sessions.

Host: ....blah..blah... (sorry..I don't remember words by words but it's about).....what to do to with the children as the next generation...for their future....

Nadine: (she looks very confident at first, by beginning her answer with a specific term)...there is an enzyme....called....telomerase....this enzyme...err...telomerase....(suddenly her confidence free fall from the sky to the ground...she just can't continue what is the term she's just saying)

Until the short time for answering the question elapses, she's stuck in her bewilderment of getting the next words to complete her answer. The two hosts also join the awkwardness, lost in translation for some seconds :-D

However, despite the fact that she can't complete the answer, she gets away to the next round.
By that time I knew that this girl would win the Puteri Indonesia 2010.
I was cocksure because she dares to use that specific word, Telomese, but fails to continue.

The next answers by her on the following Q&A sessions are no better than on the first session.
Pity that the organiser of Puteri Indonesia still don't learn the lesson, Nadine Alexandra wins the title as Puteri Indonesia 2010.

photo credit Putri Indonesia website
I hope this time they train her better :-P
Just don't let people laugh in ironic, like when they're watching our Puteri Indonesia 2009 Qory Sandioririva saying "when you down, woman can make you up". Enough Nadine Candrawinata who thought that Indonesia is a city. We need someone like Artika Sari Devi or Zivanna Latisha Siregar.

Bear with Me

Bear with me cause I've been slacking off here :)
Bear is with me, cause for the first time I'm joining Caardvarks challenge, and I'm using clear stamp of the cute little bear with little bird that was sent by a kind new friend in England.

This is the first time I really use this little bear for a card project. I can say it makes a cute card, right? ;-)

Oh, forgot to mention, that the challenge is to make a monochromatic card.
I hope my card is monochromatic enough :-D
I use some shades of purple.
Why purple? Cause I found out I have some spares of purple and purple-like papers, and because the little bear wears a crown, and purple is majestic.

Here's what I use for this card:
- Forever Friends clear stamps, Hallmark Cards PLC
- Violet flowery paper from DCWV
- Light purple paper is unknown  brand
- Textured purple paper is unknown brand
- Blank cardstock
- Coloured with Berol Karisma coloured pencils
- Sparkled with Glitter glue
- Button punch from Martha Stewart
- Floral vine punch from Martha Stewart

Whatever you think, bear with me, I'll improve my card-making skills :-D

Shiny Charlotte

Who is Charlotte?
Oh, she's just an imaginary friend. I was hooked by her deranged look since the first time I saw her.
Nah, don't get misled, I'm talking about Charlotte the cute rubber stamp image from Kraftin' Kimmie that I bought last month.

Didn't have a clue what would I do with it, until I read a challenge on Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Sparkle, Baby!!" Challenge, and I really really want the prize!!! Josephine!!! She's so gorgeous!! I hope my Charlotte card can lure Josephine to me :-))

So here is it, the deranged but cute look of Charlotte from Kraftin' Kimmie, I use all of the two stamps from the set. I put the other doll on the inside of the card and make a window which is covered with a mica to enable the doll seen from the outside. Click the pics to get a clearer look of all the sparkles.

and below you can see a bit clearer where the other doll is.

 Here's what I use for the project:

Stamps:
- Charlotte by Kraftin' Kimmie
- CL140 thinking of you Heroarts

Papers:
- Basic Grey - Lime Rickey: Tutti Frutti
- Fancy Pants Designs
- CuttleBug: snowflakes

Others:
- Orange Ribbon: ScrapKing
- Lace Ribbon
- GlitterGlue: Amos
- Mica
- Copic markers
- Berol Karisma Coloured pencils
- Clear AquaLip gel pen from Sakura
- Blings

Thanks for looking!! and wish me luck please :)

You Gotta See This Now

You Gotta See This Now is a project run by Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO), a global leader in laser vision correction. The project seems to act as part of AMO commitment to listen to the public, especially those who have experienced laser vision correction, on how better vision could or/ and has improved people's lives.

As a person who once got affected by a sight problem which caused my right eye half-blind for some weeks back then between May and late June, I could understand how sad it is to lose the ability to see. Thank God that my sight finally came back, and now I could see almost without any problem and I don't need glasses at all.
So I could imagine the joyfulness that someone gets when the person get new improved vision.

AMO wants them who are lucky enough to get their improved vision through lasik to share their experience to others so many people who have sight problems can learn from genuine direct sources. AMO also gives chance to those who wish to have a improved vision by ilasik to express their hopes through their videos.

What's the catch for those who submit their videos?
AMO provides $5000 USD as Grand Prize!!!

Here's a brief thing regarding the contest and its PRIZES:

1. Submit your video based on one of the categories mentioned in iLASIK Video Contest site.
2. Tell Friends To Vote, this is one of key factors of winning.
3. Have a chance to win:
• One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 — selected from all submitted videos
• Three First Prize winners will win an HDTV package(a $2,500 value) — one per video category
• Three Second Prize winners will win the Flip UltraHD camcorder (a $199.99 value) — one per video category

Good luck!

Happy...happy as a clam cos I won!!

My card "un biglietto per mia Mamma" has been pronounced as the winner!!
I'm so happy, what else could I say :)) I am very happy because my Mom loves it, because Fika and her husband Widya -who made this competition as part of their wedding Anniversary celebration- like my card design.
I can't hide my feeling that I feel proud, because I'm still very new to this card thing and this will sure make me want to explore the world of card making more, I'm starting to really enjoy it now.

I am very excited to see and touch the prize in real now.

Here again another look of my winning card :))

Un biglietto per mia mamma

I made this card as a requirement for Fika's "MINI JUICY CONTEST". The contest theme is about making a card or a scrapbook for someone very special and with some bit story why the person is special.
By default parents are normally always special someones to their children, my Dad is also a special someone for me, but my Mom needs some encouragement because she really had some troubling moments since October last year that made her have to be in and out some hospitals, and from January til early May she almost spent the whole months lay in the hospital bed.

Glad that she made it through, but during that period of time I came to realise how much I missed her and how much it stressed me to see her in that painful situation. Painful as literally being cut without anaesthetic, this was because Mom is very sensitive to anaesthetic agent. Previously in January, she almost lost her life after her bad-toe amputation operation, the operation went well, but after she was back in her room for just about 30 minutes, she started to pant and gasp like she could no longer have power to inhale. She even told us that she couldn't make it anymore, there was only me, my auntie -my Mom's elder sister and my uncle-my Mom's younger brother in the room, all the other have gone home. My auntie and uncle then tried to calm her  and to keep her conscious while I nervously ran for help since the bell wouldn't get the nurses' attention as fast as we want and because the nurse station was just in front of my Mom's room. So in that one day she came out from the operation and landed at the ICU. It was because of that later when she needed another surgery for her sole of foot in March, the doctor that operated her seemed reluctant to do it, it seemed that Mom would be in big risk for that 'small' operation because of Mom's susceptibility to anaesthetic. The chief doctor of the team who's also my Mom's Internist Endocrinologist then took over the operation procedure by himself but without anaesthetic. I don't want to tell the horror here cause it's not nice at all, but just imagine the pain  every time some muscles being cut.

I'm just happy Jesus gave Mom strength  and power during that time, and that her healing process goes so well. I thank also to my friends who prayed for her health, especially to Michele who lit a candle at Church for her cure. I'm happy with this contest too.

My 1st Card Making Experience

Finally, my first card creation :-) and it's all because of copic markers! I've never tried one, but I've seen the results are amazing. One of my contacts who have some beautiful card creations told me that copics really give great result even though she told me that she's actually not good at colouring. Probably she's just playing humble, but I would be happy if it were true, since I don't have a good colouring technique at all, so I really need copic!! :))

Too bad it's very expensive. I think 72 colours cost almost US$500 here in my country, that's why I'm very happy to find Blog Candy from CharmedCrafts. However, the participant must do other thing than just link the blog candy badge. All participants must present one of their card creations, and I have never made even one card!! :-\

Anyway I'm trying it, and am glad that an inspiration for my first card came in smoothly :))
Thanks also to some card-makers who include step-by-step card-making instructions of of their creations on their blogs, they really help me to start.
I don't know if my card is eligible, because it's not a stamped one nor it's used downloaded image. I create the images by myself, with the persons' images inspired by some illustrations from my Dad's old English lesson book, eheh..I've loved those big nosed cartoon characters there since the first time I lied my eyes :-P.


Back to my card making process, after I created the sketch, I scanned it, made some correction and beautified it with Photoshop programme. Some parts of the images, I coloured them in photoshop.
All the images then were glued to the card, more or less resembling what I've designed on the sketch. Green coloured light cardboard is for the card base. Image backgrounds and frames use two double-sided Korean origami papers. Fancy ribbon is used to highlight and contras the images from the paper. I punched the leftovers of the cardboard and origami papers to make flowers embellishment. Glued some bling bling here and there.


I'm so absorbed with the front side of the card and almost forgot that I hadn't done the inside. Kinda had a bit problem finding the right material that I would use as the cable connection. I was very happy when I found a nice narrow lace ribbon from Scrapking, to me it looks like a cable that would be used in fairyland :-)))


At first I would like to draw a world globe, but the it would make the design too noisy so a simple but powerful one word would do the magic. I then wrote the word love with the lace, and, probably because this is my first time experience, I always felt something-must-be-added. I continued by making a sketch of a bird with the thought that probably the bird could add some cuteness there ;-P. After the bird, suddenly I called up a story about a bird who likes to steal jewelery and thought it would be nice to see a bird brings something with its beak.

Finally, this is the inside..........

Smell it, Squeez it, but don't...

Yes...don't eat any of the above donuts, no matter scrumptiously they look. They are only of benefit when you want to stress-free yourself, like when you want to punch someone but you know fighting is no good, just grab the donut and squeeze it then smell it...hmm...it'll be completely overpowering your agitation. Really? Heheh, maybe.

Anyway, you don't have to be first stressed to get any of those donuts. I think if I can have it I will tease my friends with it cause it looks so real, at least from the photo, and moreover as the maker said they smell like ones too.

How to get these special donuts?
According to webdesignerwall, just pick one of the donuts and tell the reason why it's picked and write it on the comment box of Breadou Donut Giveaways posting. No need to make post about it, I do it cause currently I don't have things to put here and cause the donuts are cute :-D
In boca al lupo, it's an Italian's way to say good luck! to me and to everyone.
Enjoy the stress-free Saturday.

Blog Candy

What kind of candy that I want these days?
Blog candy!! I chanced upon it when I searched the internet about clear stamps.

Yes, recently I've been dabbling in craft things. Started from kurumie -a Japanese washi paper craft-, puncher and now clear stamps.

At first I was reluctant to buy clear stamps, I felt those images are just simple ones, and that I am able to draw those kind of things. However, having seen some creative clear stamps creations on the internet, I begin to understand that stamps thing is not about drawing, but about making nice and fun creations. Am I right?? :-P

Right now, since I'm just currently 'aware' of these things, I only have a set of clear stamps that I bought online almost a month ago. Maybe I'm lack of information or maybe because clear stamps are still fresh in my country, I only find one shop in my city that sells clear stamps, and the choices are limited too.

That's why I'm very happy when I find blog candy!! Well yes, I need the good luck factor to get any of the blog candies, nevertheless it's still a joy matter to me and from now on this blog will have some candies around.
I shall wish myself good luck from now on! :-D

Two Cool Templates and A Contest

It appears that my current layout is not paid post friendly. Probably my blog subscribers notice that my previous post is suddenly gone. I have to take it off, after the ad marketing agent told me that the post is obstructed from full view on the homepage that I must allow at least two of my recent posts to be fully visible.

I'm in like with my current template very much, so I can't be bother to change it right now. Though this means that I won't be able to do paid post while this template is alive, and though I'm not sure if this template is SEO friendly, it's always satisfying to wear the outfit that you really want, right.

What else?
Still about template, I finally made my purchase from themeforest. Remember that last time I became one of the lucky 2500 PSDTUTS readers who receives $US10.
There are so many templates there, and because I also have wordpress blog, it took me months before I can decide which template to buy. I chose to buy the blogger one, because there are more free wordpress templates out there than blogger ones.
Gamediary-templates is the name of a template that I purchased. It has a nice colour schemes and good insertion of ad placements. Also, unlike the usual left side blog post, this template has the post section on its right.
Take a peek on how it looks.

What else?
While I was on themforest, I read about this awesome "Win $3500 to Spend on the ULTIMATE Creative Setup!". Enter just by creating a free account on any of Envato market places, including themeforest, and start compiling a public collection.
This is a snip that I quote from the site on how to create a public collection after you join:

1. Decide on the theme of your collection (e.g. Best Vector Illustrations, Killer WordPress Themes)
2. At the top of the page where your username is, click the Bookmarks link
3. Name your new collection in the Create a New Collection box
4. Add an awesome image to represent your collection
5. Add a description for your collection
6. Make it publicly viewable (this is important!), then click Create.

Good luck!!

Prizes from the Blog World

Photo by Tim Caynes

This post contains some scrumptious chances that I found on the net and also is about the prizes that I have got from there up til now during 2008. I don't get many prizes but these prizes are still something that's rejoice-able ;-D

It started back in April, I was confused when I received mysterious 100 EC in my Entrecard account, but then the mystery revealed in a short time :)).

In August, without pretension I entered Win a Free Italian Lesson from Edufire, and I won. I haven't used the voucher, but I have checked that I can claim the prize whenever I want.

Keep reading to see some things that I luckily acquired from the net, and oh, you probably can also get your own luck! ;)
In November, I received email from www.hordit.com informing me that they are sending me t-shirt for helping spread the word about hordit. I'm still waiting for the t-shirt now :)

This December, as I already expected, I won $10 from PSDTUTS for buying a template. At first, I was very sure that I would buy the very cute Playful Planet template from Amanda, but then I saw Gamediary template which I think unique. I think I better don't rush, after all I don't yet need the template and I have a year before the prize is expired.

The most recent thing that I won from the net is the Holiday Special from Slamblogger. I won a month text-link ad there. I like this blog when it slams things, for instance those exclusively payperpost blogs, and currently it slams in-text ads. Harsh, but quite funny :))

I think that's all. Now I'm crossing my fingers for this $6000 contest that will end on 24 December and will be drawn on 27 December. I also feel very excited for HP Computer Giveaway contest from Labnol that will end pretty soon, i.e today!!
So hurry if you're interested to win yummy prizes. Try your luck just by answering a short survey. I have entered it some days ago, but I found out just now that this contest is actually just one of The HP Magic Giveaway contests!! But sadly many of them are ended already, though there's still chances until 22 Dec for tekkie people here.
Good luck! ;)

Hurry!! Giveaway worth $25,000 for the first 2500 PSDTUTS readers

How long will 2500 available posts last?
Hmm...let's see, I at least have saved my place yesterday, and since the contest started 9th December,I think I am definitely going to receive one of $10 for 2500 lucky PSDTUTS readers.

I forgot to share here when I read good news on my iGoogle yesterday, it's a bountiful giveaway of total $25,000 from PSDTUTS for its 2500 lucky readers. Yes I have been a subscriber to www.psdtuts.com since I don't remember when.

There are many nice professional look templates on Themeforest.com and $10 is sure enough for buying one. Since I'm a blogger user and I'm a bit used with template from Amanda, I chose one of Amanda's designs there.

One final note, in order to join PSDTUTS contest, you have to sign up for free an account on ThemeForest -ugh..sorry for the referral thingy, that's an option ;). I didn't know that I actually have already joined Themeforest.net, because long ago I've joined Flashden.net, I just realised that they both are on the same boat.

John Chow and XR $6000 Christmas Contest

Photo by ©arrie

We should always endorse a goodwill right? That's why now I'm extending John Chow's Contest by joining and blogging it. Besides that's the only way to have a chance to win $US 6000 prize!!

What makes this contest special is because this contest has a spirit of Christmas, ie. the spirit of Love. John wants the winner of the contest to share $5000 for any charity of the winner's choice, and the winner can have the rest $1000 for anything.

If I can be the winner then I will be happy to let Worldvision.org to have that $5K to help building a better world for Children, and I will do something interesting but harmless with my $1K ;) But, that is IF.

This wonderful idea is being sponsored by XR.com, this Extreme Redirects free service shrinks any long url into customizable tiny url, and it even provides hit statistic for each link shrunk there. Sign up for an account and check it out.

Quirky Tag and Haiku Contest

Photo by TikTik
I know I'm not quirky because I had a hard time to list four unspectacular quirks of mine !!thank to Monica :))!!. Anyhow, here they are:

1. I never order coffee but chocolate drink when I go to Starbucks, and I always top my choco drink with cinnamon, vanilla and choco powders.
2. I don’t like drinking coffee, but I love ice cream with coffee flavour, and I like the smell of coffee.
3. Chicken –dead or alive, and also raw flesh of chicken makes me queasy, but I love cooked chicken, breast only though, I don't eat other parts :)
4. I use my index finger knuckle to push the light switch and the elevator button

Now, I want Leet and TheSuccess tell the blogsphere of their quirkiness.

That's all for quirky business, and let's get on to Haiku Twitter writing contest 2 made by Coppyblogger, worth the MacBook Air for the first winner.


It will end tomorrow, and I have already sent mine the very morning of today, but I did a mistake.
Oh well...still I doubt I will win even without the mistake.
It's my first try making a haiku, and there are a lot people compete in the contest. I have known Haiku, but I didn't know the anatomical of it, not until I read the Rules of the competition.
The skeleton of Haiku is this:
Phrase one (5 syllables) / phrase two (7 syllables) / phrase three (5 syllables)

Here is my initial Haiku:

Haiku makes me mad/
I start to count syl-la-ble!/
Hope it’s worth a mac

But there are too many people twittering "Mac" or "MacBook Air" already, and there are too many people "counting" too, so I sent this:

Twelve a.m is here/
No one else but me alone/
My thought swings to you

The small mistake is that "a.m". It was meant to be "p.m", since the idea came exactly at midnight time. Anyway, as I said earlier, that really doesn't matter, I've noted at least two witty haikus that I favour to win, especially the first one, here they are:

John J Savo:
Haiku! God bless you/
nothing but a sneeze of thought/
and no handkerchief

Michael:
Losing all my hair/
so I need a macbook air/
to research baldness

Cool and witty right :))
If you think you can beat them, then waste time no more.
Post yours before Nov 16'08 here, that of course if you are a twitter citizen.

When your Thoughts count

Love or Happiness, what do you prefer?
Have you made true friends on the internet? do you believe it is possible?

Those are just two questions that I found on http://www.thoughts.com/ survey feature. Interesting. I thought www.thoughts.com was just another free blog, but it's apparently more than that.
This free blog has a strong community bond, at least that's an impression that I got from browsing some blog postings there. The members are generous enough to give their opinions and supports to other members in needs, and it's done either by leaving comments on blog postings or on the Community Forum.

The mainpage of www.thoughts.com looks clean, simple yet populated with sufficient information. The interface really provides an easy navigation, especially for new visitor to browse and learn the system. Clicking "take a tour" will take visitor to have a quick look about features from www.thoughts.com such as photo, video, podcast, feedback and of course its unlimited bandwidth blog with its ability to make posts private, public or available only for friends.

Thoughts also has language filter feature. Since the topics and blog users are assorted, everyone who don't want to come across explicit words can enable Language filter feature. You gotta love this feature, this filter is even working without login first.

The coolest feature amongst all is of course its yearly writing contest that gives very desirable
prize. Last year, http://www.thoughts.com/ sent the winner to Las Vegas, and this year the contest that will end on Wednesday April 30th, 2008 would like "to treat you and a guest to a little weekend getaway not too far from your home" for 2 nights and 3 days.

So if you live near a gorgeous resort or you want a free vacation, then be prepared to write an original essay with 300-500 words starting with the words..."Hey, I just had a crazy thought, what if..." on www.thoughts.com. If you think there's no enough time for this year, then there's always next year. Good luck.

Lucky Oliver Color Lovers Contest

Everyone who love colours should join this contest because it's really fun.
First of all of course we have to be a member of Colorlovers in order to join it, but you don't have to join LuckyOliver.
As colorlovers, you don't have to pay anything but a big love of colours, cos you're going to see or discover all shades of colours there.

Ok, back to the contest.
In brief, contestants have to pick inspirational photo from LuckyOliver, then extract five colours from that photo, creates new colors palette on your colorlovers, post it and leave comment to Colorlovers blog.

Browse LuckyOliver great photo collections now, I'm having fun already with some of photos there and this palette is one of my entries which is inspired by this photo.


Contest will end on March 17th, and the winners will be selected based on the best palettes that captured the spirit/mood of the inspiration photo.

Here are the prizes:
1st prize: 8GB iPod Touch or $300 + 50 LuckyOliver tokens
2nd prize: 1 x iPod Shuffle or $79 + 50 LuckyOliver tokens
3rd prize: 1 x iTunes Gift Card or $25 + 25 LuckyOliver tokens

Giveaway: Laptop

I'm sure whoever gets The Thinking Blog 1st Anniversary giveaway will be like having a jolly Christmas present because the winner will be announced exactly on December 25th 2007.

Just look at Ruff PC laptop pictures: water and mud is all over it yet it's alive.
It's because Ruff PCs are designed to expect rough –or even the harshest, like its site mentions- environmental condition such as -20°C and 55°C temperatures, as well as shock, vibration, humidity, drop, grease, water and fire.
It is indeed a rugged computer which does not only make its notebooks as spill proof notebook, but maybe –as seen on the picture- shower proof notebook too
This giveaway is valid worldwide, so I'm trying my luck by posting this good news and crossing my fingers now.

I am curious about the fire thing, too bad the video about its toughness is not yet on.

etc ♥ emoticon : moargh
               ndesign-studio

Six-words Memoir Contest

Don't we like competition?
Even if we couldn't win, the waiting, the wishing, and the feeling is somewhat exciting and worth to experience. I learnt this from Leet.

So here it is....
Smithmag has team up with Twitter and set up something juicy.
They're waiting for short story comprising 6 words.
Yes SIX words only, so don't waste your fingers energy.
If they find your words top all the contestants' words, then wash your hands, clean your ears, and prepare yourself for a new iPod !

Here's the email I received from Twitter this morning:

Hello Twitter-ers!
This email comes with a special treat from Twitter and Smith
Magazine: The Six-Word Memoir Challenge! Twitter your own memoir
in exactly six words and you could win a free iPod!
HOW TO ENTER
1. Make smithmag a friend: http://twitter.com/smithmag
2. Preface your six-word entry with "smithmag" like this:
smithmag He wore dresses. This caused messes.

ABOUT THE SIX-WORD MEMOIR CHALLENGE
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a
story in six words. The result was "For sale: baby shoes, never
used." More recently, Wired Magazine revived the challenge and
author Margaret Atwood came up with this short but funny beauty:
"Longed for him. Got him. Shit."

We realize November is National Novel Writing Month but 50,000
words in 30 days? That seems heavy considering genius may surface
in just six words. The folks over at Smith Magazine think everyone
has a story and they want to reward you for yours.
For more information visit: Smithmag

Here are some witty 6-Words stories for ideas:

Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.
- William Shatner
Longed for him. Got him. Shit.
- Margaret Atwood
Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.
- Steven Meretzky
We kissed. She melted. Mop please!
- James Patrick Kelly

Too bad I'm not the one who invented them!
Go..go..twitter for an iPod --> is it qualified?? :-D