Design & Cupcakes

I like this website because it talks about details and gives plans, materials, etc.

But the architect had to taste-test?

Woodhouse, who dislikes chocolate, gravitated toward some of More Cupcakes’ unusual offerings—of which BLT, foie gras, and lemon meringue are only a few.

30 is the new 20...

And who is the next one to join me in the club?! ;)

Can't wait to see my ladies!!!

Vote Now!

The best dressed of the decade! It's actually interesting to look back per year...

The cookies

SATC 2 Trailer!!!

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/satc-video-20092312


It looks... hmmm... it could go both ways

A little different from Metis

Singapore is going all out!

Designs have just been released for Bay South, an incredible botanical preserve topped with super-tall solar trees that is set to be Singapore’s largest garden project. Conceived by Grant Associates, the 101-hectare expanse of lush green space will be situated right next to the Marina Bay resort and will feature two botanical biospheres and a series of towering tree structures that double as vertical gardens.

At first I thought the tree were also structural (as support for a roof), it would have been reminiscing of the Singapore airport (or is it Kuala Lumpur?) with the tree columns.

Icons of the 00's

guardian article here

Most annoying business jargon

as i'm not in a corporate office or business, these words didn't envoke frustration, however here they are...

"Learning" (the made-up, annoying noun version)

Like most educated people, Michael Travis, principal of Executive Search for Life Sciences, a headhunting firm, knows how to conjugate a verb. That's why he cringes when his colleagues use the word "learning" as a noun. As in: "I had a critical learning from that project," or "We documented the team's learnings." Whatever happened to simply saying: "I learned a lesson from that project?" Says Travis: "Aspiring managers would do well to remember that if you can't express your idea without buzzwords, there may not be an idea there at all."

"Full Service"

You don't work at a gas station from the 1980s, so why borrow the cliche? "If I hear one more professional describe their business as full service, I'm going to scream," says Deborah Shames, co-author of Own The Room: Business Presentations that Engage, Persuade and Get Results. "Does this mean your investment firm drops off dry cleaning and provides babysitters?"

more at Forbes

More Zaha

Does the woman ever SLEEP?

Dramatic and bold, the avant-guard Zaha Cutlery transforms common eating utensils into sculptural free-flowing forms that demand attention. With these irregular sweeping utensils, eating takes that bit more concentration, turning a normal dinner into a new dining experience. Created by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid the Zaha Cutlery celebrates fluid organic shapes and shrugs off traditional convention. Beautifully crafted from high quality stainless steel, the Zaha has a firm weight and presence. Sensual and engaging, the new Zaha Cutlery range from WMF makes fine dining an exploration of beauty, form and taste.

New Music Monday

I blame Coco - featuring Robyn

Crazy cow!

A cow on the roof..

Click Here

Dressing up the Danish Embassador's Party

Dream job!

Inspiring story... Both in how they landed the gig and the resulting design.

Interesting Magazine Covers

I'm not sure if I would qualify them as the best (maybe the top 10 American magazine covers for 2009), but some interesting work.

Snickerdoodle inspired delights!

Snickerdooddle inspired cupcakes. mini of course, i'm obsessed at the moment.
which are Vegan and ergo egg-less!

sans-frosting

avec frosting

Recipe via Grouprecipes

Ingredients

1 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. Mix together soymilk and vinegar and set aside for 1-5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white sugar.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil.
5. Add remaining oil and the orange and vanilla extracts to the soured soymilk. Stir together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a smooth batter. Pour into the lined cupcake pan, filling each cup no more than 2/3 full.
6. Spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon full of the cinnamon mixture into each cupcake. Make a zigzag or spiral in the cupcake batter with a bamboo stick or toothpick.
7. Bake for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool and frost with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
9. Frosting Notes: I rarely measure when I make vanilla frosting. I just take 1/2 cup of softened Earth Balance and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat it with enough sifted powdered sugar to get the right consistency and taste. If it gets too thick I thin it with a little soy milk.

NOTE: I added maybe ... 1/8th cup flour to the batter, it was too liquidy before putting in greased cupcake tins.

What kind of cheese am I?

apparently blue....
i'm quite surprised

"You are a soft, crumbly white blue-streaked cheese. You are very cool and mellow. You are very knowledgeable and wise and people come to you for advice and help.

Blue cheese is a white cheese with blue veins and a sometimes crumbly interior. This cheese usually has tangy, piquant, spicy and peppery flavor. Use in salad dressings with cream cheese for spreads. [Texture: hard, semi-soft ] "


Cheese Test: What type of cheese are you?

 

Uh Oh.

Ouch. It happens. It's too bad, I thought they were a great firm. I love the "another Ivy-league school, Harvard" line.

We MUST get into this market segment

Dessert Architecture!

Musical Nose

"Can you guess what it is? It is NOT an accessory, but a INSTRUMENT!!

It's known as HUMAN TONE or a nose flute. You blow into it from your nose and adjust tunes by moving your tongue and lips. Of course you can play proper songs"

A nose flute! I suggest Paper Girl start practicing.

It's this time of the year again...

R E S O L U T I O N S !!!

I've done poorly on last year's, but here's some advice for our 2010 resolutions:

1. Be realistic
   The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to never eat your favorite food again because it bothers your IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) could be a bad choice. Strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.
2. Plan ahead
   Don't make your resolution on New Year's Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.
3. Outline your plan
   Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have one more cigarette. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your bad habit affects your IBD.
4. Make a "pro" and "con" list
   It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.
5. Talk about it
   Don't keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year's resolution and motivate each other.
6. Reward yourself
   This doesn't mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution. If you've been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, perhaps your reward could be going to a movie with a friend.
7. Track your progress
   Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, say, focus on losing that first 5. Keeping a food diary or a symptom journal may help you stay on track.
8. Don't beat yourself up
   Obsessing over the occasional slip won't help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.
9. Stick to it
   Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time.
10. Keep trying
    If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don't despair. Start over again! There's no reason you can't make a "New Year's resolution" any time of year.

Cookie of the Week - Snickerdoodle

I suddenly feel the need to bake!

"A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar and rolled in cinnamon sugar. It is characterized by a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on preference. In modern recipes, the leavening agent is usually baking powder.^{[citation needed]}
Some people mistakenly refer to snickerdoodles as "sugar cookies". The difference between the two comes from the use of cinnamon, which is balanced with cream of tartar to give the cookies their sweet, spicy flavor

will report on progress later!

House of the rising tomato

via epicute

Face B

New French Architecture magazine

Face B

First butter now historic used toothpicks!

i don't know about this...

" NEW YORK - An ivory and gold toothpick once owned by Charles Dickens has sold at a New York City auction for $9,150.

It was being offered by heirs to the Barnes&Noble family and was up for sale Tuesday at Bonhams New York. The pre-sale estimate was $3,000 to $5,000. The auction house says the buyer did not want to be identified."
cont here

What? A healthy cookie obsession is not good?

Santa is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle of overeating, drinking and lack of exercise, says an Australian academic.

Historic Butter ... needs historic scones

Century-old butter found in Scott's Antarctic hut

WELLINGTON (AFP) - Two blocks of butter have been found intact after nearly a century in an Antarctic hut used by British explorer Robert Falcon Scott on his doomed 1910-12 expedition, a report said.

more here

The Guardians' Fashion Awards

Top trends of the year...

Gallery (11 pictures): The trends, labels and celebrities that rocked the style world this year, from Dannii v Cheryl to zips and bold shoulders

 

Top 10 cultural trends of the decade.

CBC posted this video on a list of the 10 top cultural trends of the decade.
They are quite spot on, I think. 

1. Reality TV
2. Viral Video
3. Celebrity gossip websites
4. iPod
5. Newpapers declining
6. Auto-tune
7. Twitter, Facebook
8. US cable dramas
9. Guitar hero, etc
10. Rise of "fake news" shows like Colbert, Jon Stewart

As a second thing, i'm posting the "where the hell is matt?" video. Which the cbc uses for the viral video post.  I saw this a while back, but this version is more polished I think, or I just forgot about it. Drboy and I got all weepy watching it, especially when all the kids start dancing. I needed 3 kleenexes. We're saps.
Montreal is at 3:52

Old Music Monday on Tuesday

a great piece.

""Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally a 1945 French song "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves") with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, the American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947. Jo Stafford was among the first to perform this version. Autumn Leaves became a pop standard and a jazz standard in both languages, both as an instrumental and with a singer. Yves Montand introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in 1946 for the film Les Portes de la Nuit."

here performed by Bill Evans. Check out his live performances, such a nerd!

i love the bass walking and then with the song breaks out at 2:02. mmmMMMmm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE6AFQqUhhA&feature=related

Brandon thinks I'm a Star

Thank you Brandon,

Your song is a bit creepy though...

Hidding behind art

Architect uses art to transform a parking structure into a new office building in Brisbane.

See Article on WAN.

But this is the Real Sonia Rykiel for H&M

Recession?

It's over.

Lavish, over the top shows are back!

Check out the video, I mean... A fleet?

It's like Sonia Rykiel for H&M

I'm not usually a fan of glass doors, but this article and website caught my attention.

I haven't been able to find anything on the Rona website, but I raise my glass to all designers working to make good design affordable to anyone.

pile up!

the road from jet set to clem and paper was dangerous this am

Tuesday Dress Porn (on Monday)

Beautiful little number by Marc Jacobs...

PDA's...

Do you guys still hold hands?

From the Guardian

Couleurs Séparées

Cute:

http://www.couleursseparees.com/

A bit scary but so beautiful...

Alice by the Cocteau Twins

Music Boy for Jet Set

from Ottawa!

Listen to Just Because Your Beautiful
http://www.myspace.com/keekmusic

jet set is beautiful and can laugh and can definitely cry! ha!
(listen to the lyrics)

buildings buildings buildings

http://www.archdaily.com/

Interesting Concept

A new take on the architect's office. I can see how it might be intimidating to call up and architect, not knowing what it will cost, etc. It would be amazing to run a furniture store and use it as a hub.

What Shapes Careers?

Hmm... Our thirties will be pivotal.

"both men and women say the single most pivotal event in their careers occurred when they were around the age of 30, after they had spent about eight years in the workforce. Nearly 40 percent say that an outcome of this event was taking a new job in a new industry"

Ruins emerge out of nowhere when DrBoy and I go out on dates too

the Met is running an exhibition entitled American stories: paintings of everyday life 1765-1915
"American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765–1915 presents tales artists told about their times and examines how their accounts reflect shifting professional standards, opportunities for study, foreign prototypes, venues for display, and viewers' expectations. Excluding images based on history, myth, or literature, the exhibition emphasizes instead those derived from artists' firsthand observation, documentation, and interaction with clients. These paintings are analogous to original—not adapted—screenplays. Recurring themes such as childhood, marriage, family, and community; the notion of citizenship; attitudes toward race; the frontier as reality and myth; and the process and meaning of making art illuminate the evolution of American artists' approach to narrative."

i find this one quite interesting for many reasons....

Lilly Martin Spencer (American, 1822–1902)
Reading the Legend, 1852
Oil on canvas; 50 3/8 x 38 in. (128 x 96.5 cm)
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, Gift of Adeline Flint Wing, class of 1898, and Caroline Roberta Wing, class of 1896 (SC 1954:69)

In a tribute to the power and popularity of American literature at mid-century, Spencer portrays a young couple whose romance is nourished by the novels they share. Their tender reverie is so intense that the specter of a Gothic castle ruin emerges out of the misty landscape. The age of chivalry has materialized and love blossoms most easily in nature—with the assistance of prose.

Is there a snow hotline too?

We have a "bureau stratégique - neige"!

I think i'm going to rename my kitchen the bureau stratégique - biscuits.

Microsleep and Sleep debt

2 new terms we should have learned in archi school

microsleep:
"A microsleep is an episode of sleep which may last for a fraction of a second or up to thirty seconds.^[1] Often, it is the result of sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, sleep apnea, hypoxia, narcolepsy, or hypersomnia. Microsleeps can occur at any time, typically without significant warning.
Microsleeps (or microsleep episodes) become extremely dangerous when occurring during situations which demand continual alertness, such as driving a motor vehicle or working with heavy machinery. People who experience microsleeps usually remain unaware of them, instead believing themselves to have been awake the whole time or to have temporarily lost focus.
wiki here
(i thought that was just daydreaming)

sleep debt:
"Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. A large sleep debt may lead to mental and/or physical fatigue.
There are presumed to be two kinds of sleep debt, caused by partial sleep deprivation or total sleep deprivation. Partial sleep deprivation occurs when a person or a lab animal sleeps too little for many days or weeks. Total sleep deprivation means being kept awake for days or weeks.^[1] There is debate in the scientific community over the specifics of sleep debt, and it is not considered to be a disorder."
wiki here

so long as you're not sitting on a fence you're going somewhere...

came across this intro paragraph while writing an essay:

There is an old story in which a couple of tourists, driving on an English country road and hopelessly lost, stop to ask directions from a local inhabitant who happens to be sitting on a fence by the road. “Excuse me”, they ask “What’s the best way to get to Canterbury?”.  He thinks for a while. “Well” he finally says, “if I were you, I wouldn’t start from here.” Those who sit on fences may imagine otherwise, but the directions we take unavoidably begin where we are, and in relation to where we have been.
-Burgin, Victor; In/different spaces: place and memory in visual culture.

Dylan X-mas

i can hardly believe my ears.
bob... dylan... a christmas album?

yet here it is. and not terrible.
this song at least,
its a polky, catchy, doesn't make me sick first single.


this critic gives it 4/5 stars
"Bob Dylan and carols is a cocktail that really shouldn't work – especially not in Latin. But Richard Williams finds himself seduced by a punk-Dickensian Santa"

Aliens greet Obama

earlier in the week people in Norway noticed strange lights in the night sky, swirly lights, blue lights...
made by who?
there were lots of ideas! including aliens.
but it looks like it may just have been russians.

 

I can't decide if this is encouraging or stupid

http://www.di.net/articles/archive/3202/

Are there any facts in this article? How is it instructing me on how to kick-start my design career? This is the kind of articles you can get by subscribing to the magazine? A magazine about INFORMATION?

New Sade

a new single in almost a decade, apparently
"Moody, vibesome (my new non-existing favourite word) and darkly rejuvinating – Sade has just tipped me over the edge with anticipation of her forthcoming 2010 album, Soldier Of Love (out February 8th, 2010). Judging by this first single, she is about to ‘do a Maxwell’ and flip the f***ing script. (But even more so – and universally). I hope the rumours of them working together are true… but either way, this album release will clearly be an event."
(guardian music blog)

great beat...


and the classic:

Charlotte (and Beck)

funny we were just talking about the Gainsbourgs...

"If you were to draw a line from Serge Gainsbourg to Lars Von Trier to Beck, it would have to pass through Charlotte Gainsbourg.

At 38, the daughter of the legendary French crooner has been sketching out an impressive artistic existence for herself, without ever considering herself an artist.

She won best actress at Cannes this year for her role in Von Trier's controversial new film Antichrist. This Tuesday, she releases her third album, IRM, (MRI in French) the result of a two-year collaboration with Beck."

more here

i quite like this one:

Song for a snowy day

its not really a snow song, i just feel like this song today, especially being the first snow storm of the season.
sondre lerche from the dan in real life soundtrack.

this was the best version of the song on youtube, is there a way to embed a track in blogger without a video? or a playlist?

An end to the Tavern on the Green

i'm shocked, its closing its doors on Dec 31st.
"Next month, the bankrupt restaurant Tavern on the Green’s famous treasures will be up for sale to the highest bidder."

more of the slide show of treasures from the site, on New York Times, here

"Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Tavern on the Green LP, operator of the 75-year-old restaurant in New York’s Central Park, sought bankruptcy protection after losing its lease on the city property to a higher bidder a month ago.
The restaurant’s name, valued at $19 million and in place since its founding by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in 1934, now will be sold to the highest bidder in bankruptcy court, according to Keith Costa, a lawyer for the bankrupt partnership.
The lease for Tavern on the Green, the second-highest- grossing restaurant in the U.S. last year, had been held since 1974 by the family of Warner LeRoy, which owns the Tavern on the Green name. The city last month awarded the lease for 20 years starting at the end of Dec. 31 to restaurateur Dean Poll, who runs the Central Park Boathouse Restaurant."
rest of this article here


i'm surprised they are being allowed to dismantle it, that its not a heritage site for the city of NY, etc.

pulling a 'Tiger'

this has fast become the celeb story of the year, with jokes, skits and now a catchphrase...

the author of this funny post received the following email:
"5 Ways to Use Technology to Catch Your 'Tiger' in His Tracks"
(via Salon.com)

in class today people where telling me its up to 10 women now. but i don't know their sources.

Tuesday Dress Porn - Dec 8

Not my favorite but an interesting combination of red and pink... Something surprising.

oh the drama.....

this afternoon Micio tried to help me with my essay on the validity of heritage making

but we had a disagreement

moslty over the ownership of my yogurt

micio maintained it was his for the licking. he resorted to immature behaviour

and now we are no longer speaking to each other

i'm not saying sorry first. pssht. so there!

Archi - Ruined - Funky Altar

very unique piece and structure.
-click on the image to see it bigger

(via Picture This)

Doc Pop

Came across this blog for a dude named Doc Pop, this is his description:

"Doctor Popular is a game designer, illustrator, tailor, rapper, and super nerd who lives in San Francisco's Mission District."

not quite sure what he does, seems to do a bit of everything, including product design and a self professed yoyo professional:



you see the tricks better here. and its Tom Jones...doing Portishead! this cover is bold.


i took yoyo classes at summer camp.
i am a nerd.

Reflections

I was reflecting on what to do with the commercial space at the bottom of our maybe future building... and I was debating if it could be my office/cafe/gallery/store (gallery curated by Maudet 5).

Then I read this article. And all dreams of cafe/gallery were shot.

New Music Monday

a hypnotic catchy dubstep track from producer Emalkay, who, surprisingly isn't from London! like all the other dubsters....
but not too far away Birmingham.

bbc radio's Zane Lowe, the guardian and pitchfork named it track of the week.

New Favorite Door by Matharoo Associates

For a diamond merchant in India.

For other pictures, see article here.

One hit wonder of the decade

picked by Billboard - via yahoo news

i thought i had read that his live shows were actually pretty good.

Petrol State? Us?

well its coming to that....
Guardian article which describes how we have become one of the biggest obstacles in climate change advancement, which is not only to our own detriment but to the rest of the world too...

"When you think of Canada, which qualities come to mind? The world's peacekeeper, the friendly nation, a liberal counterweight to the harsher pieties of its southern neighbour, decent, civilised, fair, well-governed? Think again. This country's government is now behaving with all the sophistication of a chimpanzee's tea party. So amazingly destructive has Canada become, and so insistent have my Canadian friends been that I weigh into this fight, that I've broken my self-imposed ban on flying and come to Toronto.
So here I am, watching the astonishing spectacle of a beautiful, cultured nation turning itself into a corrupt petro-state. Canada is slipping down the development ladder, retreating from a complex, diverse economy towards dependence on a single primary resource, which happens to be the dirtiest commodity known to man. The price of this transition is the brutalisation of the country, and a government campaign against multilateralism as savage as any waged by George Bush."

the rest here

New Look, New Start

House of Tripod changed its look. Let's look at some other transformations: cities before and after.

There's even a Corbusier city plan for Dr Owen. Le Corbu would have destroyed Paris! Just like he would have destroyed the Ghetto.

Interestingly, I didn't know the Barbican in London was built on a war ravaged site.

Results

mini cupcake success!

the soldiers

on its way to my tummy

Kickstart

I had read about this before or maybe we talked about it but at the time I don't think the site was up yet.

"Kickstarter aims to let creative people of all kinds -- journalists, artists, musicians, game developers, entrepreneurs, bloggers -- raise money for their projects by connecting directly with fans, who receive exclusive access and rewards in exchange for their patronage. Like Josh Freese and Jill Sobule, the site allows creators to have multiple tiers of rewards (e.g. $20 for the book, $50 for signed copy) with optional limits for each.

The model is simple: a project creator sets a fundraising goal, deadline, and an optional set of rewards for backers. If the goal's reached by the deadline, then everyone's charged via Amazon Payments and the backers get their goodies. If the goal's not reached, nobody's charged. It's all or nothing."
(via MP and Waxy)

(new) Favorite Door Handle

Oh Zaha...

The Cheese song!!!

Simple, right to the point, the "Fromage" song makes anyone crave a little piece of cheese.

Tuesday Dress Porn (on Saturday)

It's never too late for dress porn. Today's selection comes from Vogue Paris. Our theme: "DRAPÉ"!

For the fashionista construction worker??!!

I saw the clothes, I find them ultra tacky... construction gloves that look like they have red nail polish?!! Seriously?!

http://www.piloteetfilles.com/

And Posh

(I'm feeling very cultural)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2008/dec/18/victoria-beckham-style-fashion