Nicole Seah sparkles at her first election rally, gains more fans

Ladies and gentlemen, Nicole Seah!!! This 24 year old lady has balls! Tells everyone not to be afraid of PAP, asks PM Lee who's paying his salary, whose money is he using for upgrading, etc. And of course, the audience (not only the ahpeks ok) loves her! I'm a fan. Too bad she's not in Aljunied GRC.

Also read:
PAP? NSP? WP? SDP? Which maid agency to choose?
It's Nomination Day in S'pore and I'm on Channel News Asia!
Celebrity Deathmatch: Nicole Seah vs Tin Pei Ling

PAP? NSP? WP? SDP? Which maid agency to choose?

The following is written by Ming Lee Lim on Facebook. It's so cleverly written and funny, I had to reproduce it here:

"I need your urgent advice about employing a maid. As a busy mother, I need someone reliable to help out at home.

My maid is from Profits Agency Pte (PAP) and she has worked for me for a long time. Her mother worked for my parents and did an excellent job, so I had faith in her. For several years her performance has been very good, but recently she has become arrogant and insensitive, and is making lots of mistakes.

For example:

1) She flooded my kitchen – she told me that the drain pipe has blocked (she was supposed to clear it once a month but didn’t). Then she assured me that it is very rare and won’t happen again in the near future. Guess what? It flooded again within a year!

2) She didn’t close a window and my terrier dog escaped. I was so worried cos he is dangerous and could bite lots of people. After the incident, she didn’t apologise and just shrugged her shoulders saying “What to do, it has happened.” Fortunately my neighbor found the dog and we locked it up again.

3) Without consulting me, she has been bringing in strangers for my house's maintenance work. She says they charge low wages and keep costs down, but they eat my food, make a lot of noise and rest on my bed. I think they even tried to seduce my husband. It stopped feeling like my home, more like a cheap hotel, and I don’t always want to come back at the end of the day.

4) When she first came to work for me, I instructed her to clean the different parts of the house at least once a week. But for some time she has stopped taking care of the bedrooms of PP and H; they are now dirty and messy. I asked why and she told me that the kids had been disobedient, so she was neglecting their bedrooms as a punishment (she has forgotten that she is paid to clean all the rooms).

Even though my maid has worked for me for many years and I value what she has done in the past, I think she is now getting complacent. Her attitude is imperious and dismissive. She ignores my comments and basically treats my feedback as "noise". I wrote to the agency about her behavior; they assured me that they are the best agency around and all their maids are “Commited to Serve” – but I think it is just rhetoric and I don’t see that in her actions. Her salary is much higher than maids in other countries, but the agency say this is to keep her honest and stop her moving to another employer. They say there is a limited supply of maids, and Singapore isn’t big enough for more than one good maid agency, so I should not trust their competitors.

I have to decide whether to renew my maid’s 5-year employment contract. When we discussed this she said that she is now part of a team, and if I want her I must also accept her friends doing part-time work for me. One friend is very inexperienced, can't do basic tasks or explain what she intends to do. I suspect that she is actually underage. When interviewed, she only seemed interested in her days-off and visiting Universal Studios. When she couldn't answer my questions she stomped her foot and exclaimed, "I don't know what to say!" But I am still expected to pay her a high salary.

Now there happen to be a few other maid agencies - Workhard Pte (WP), New Solutions Pte (NSP), Super Personnel Pte (SPP) and Star Domestica Pte (SDP) - that offered me some helpers who seem sincere, genuine and intelligent. They are keen to work, willing to assist me and have a good attitude. I know that they may take a bit of time to learn how everything works, but frankly I am inclined to give them a chance.

People say that the devil you know is better than one you don’t. But I feel that I can’t tahan my current maid anymore. Do you think I should sack my current maid and try out a new one? Appreciate your advice.

Footnote: I live in Tanjong Pagar GRC and it seems like I have no choice about my maid agency afterall - I will have to stick with my current maid. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a choice, celebrate your blessed privilege and exercise your choice wisely. My best wishes to you."

Also read:
It's Nomination Day in S'pore and I'm on Channel News Asia!
Celebrity Deathmatch: Nicole Seah vs Tin Pei Ling

It's Nomination Day in S'pore and I'm on Channel News Asia!

My tweet: "PAP not returned to government. Let the battle begin!" was on national TV just a few minutes ago thanks to Channel News Asia! The tweet was in response to news that majority of the seats at this year's General Election will be contested by opposition parties.

Yes, it is Nomination Day today in Singapore. Biggest news has to be Worker's Party sending their Dream Team to Aljunied GRC to battle it out with PAP. I can't wait for the battle royale. Welcome to my GRC, Worker's Party Dream Team! And to my fellow residents at Aljunied GRC, vote wisely!

Also read:
PAP? NSP? WP? Which maid agency to choose?
Celebrity Deathmatch: Nicole Seah vs Tin Pei Ling

Star Wars figures redone as medieval fantasy characters

Master custom figure maker Siloff creates a line of medieval Star Wars figures. He writes: "Long Ago & Far Away is a line of custom figures that continues my experiment of breaking down the many influences of Star Wars and emphasizing them individually." He has given the Star Wars characters a cowboy and western film remake too!

Death Star Planetarium transforms your room into Star Wars galaxy or boring Earth night sky

Death Star Planetarium is a tabletop planetarium that looks like the infamous Death Star from the Star Wars movies. It projects the Star Wars galaxy and planet names or if you prefer, the Earth's night sky and comes with a fun and informative learning guide. Pretty useful when you're in your spaceship and you're lost somewhere in the Star Wars galaxy.

Bumblebee Helmet Birthday Cake is edible but not wearable

Nina Suriatmojo bakes cakes for a living in Indonesia. Her latest cake creation is this kickass Bumblebee Helmet cake that she made for birthday boy Nathan. Lucky fella. That's some birthday cake! But how do you eat something like this? I'll keep it in the fridge forever! Check out Nina's other cakes on Flickr or head over to her blog.

Made in Japan Portable Fire Extinguisher is also Throwable

The Japanese have invented a new form of fire extinguisher that is highly portable and very easy to use. Throw the Sat 119 into a fire and like magic, the fire disappears once the canister breaks and releases the fire fighting ingredients. Video of the Sat 119 in action here.

Cinemagraphs are Animated Gifs that are better than 3D

Photographer Jamie Beck and motion graphics artist Kevin Burg have elevated the animated GIF to a level approaching fine art. They call their animated GIF art, Cinemagraphs which involve several hours of manual editing before each image comes to life.

(Thanks Shy)

76 year old man repairs old photos using Photoshop for free

Baojun Yuan learned how to use Photoshop when he was 60 years old and for the past 9 years, he has been repairing old photos for residents for free! So far he has repaired some 2000 old photos. Residents give him their old photos, he scans them, and then does his magic on Photohop.

(Thanks Rickie)

Amazon’s $23,698,655.93 book about flies

Michael Eisen, an evolutionary biologist spots The Making of a Fly, a book about genetics of animal design, on Amazon selling for US$23,698,655.93! He has an explanation: "I learned that Amazon retailers are increasingly using algorithmic pricing with a number of companies offering pricing algorithms/services to retailers." I think they have taken down the listings but I did find one that costs US$976.98.

De Vorm's Plastiskop Camera Press Kit is delightfully fun

Notcot picks up a Plastiskop camera which doubles as a press kit by furniture maker De Vorm and takes it apart: "I totally wore this silly little toy camera alongside my real one… and inside it? Viewmaster catalog/press kit of sorts! Delightfully fun idea… so simple, so fun, definitely put a smile on my face."

All engines running for Lego Metal Storm Mecha

I came across Cole Blaq, an avid Lego builder on Flickr. His Lego Metal Storm mecha is his longest Lego project ever and the largest mecha that he has ever built using Lego. It fits a minifig mecha pilot. Metal Storm is an old video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Shirt 2 Pillow Transformer transforms your t-shirt into a pillow

This is pretty neat! The Shirt 2 Pillow Transformer transforms any t-shirt into a pillow. Just put a cushion inside the t-shirt, fold arms and bottom back, wrap the Shirt 2 Pillow Transformer which acts as a cover onto the cushion and your cool t-shirt design is enshrined forever on a pillow.

iPhone and iPad Stencil Kits for Information Architects

These stencil kits by UI Stencils are designed to quickly sketch user interface, user flows, and ideas for how your app might work. Use the the kit to quickly mock-up application ideas for the Apple iPad, iPhone or the Android.

(Thanks Gary L)

Celebrity Deathmatch: Nicole Seah vs Tin Pei Ling

Mr Miyagi in his blog post suggested that Nicole Seah from NSP and Tin Pei Ling from PAP should fight each other. I thought that's a brilliant idea so I decided to put these two young ladies in a Celebrity Deathmatch like you see on MTV. That's Pei Ling on top of Nicole. I know they shouldn't be smiling when they are fighting but girls being girls, they said they want to smile for the camera. BTW, Nicole is 24 years old - 3 years younger than Pei Ling. See! PAP is not the only party that has sweet young things for the General Election. Polling Day takes place on May 7. Let the battle begin.

Update: It's confirmed! Nicole Seah and Tin Pei Ling will do battle in Marine Parade GRC on Polling Day!

Update: Video of Nicole Seah in her first ever election rally: "PM Lee, who is paying your salary?!"

Update: Video of Nicole Seah speaking to voters in Tampines: "Tampines is my homeground! I've stayed here for the past 12 years."

Update: He loves me. He loves me not! Does Tin Pei Ling really know? Or does she not? Watch music video here.

Also read:
PAP? NSP? WP? Which maid agency to choose?
It's Nomination Day in S'pore and I'm on Channel News Asia!
Straits Times puts photo of Tin Pei Ling's hair on its front page
Tin Pei Ling announces on Facebook she's going to stand on top of moving MRT train!
Tin Pei Ling's Twitter account before she made it private

How to make your own geeky Lego Minifigures

ComicsAlliance has a 19-page preview of BrickJournal's Minifigure Customization, a handy guide to create your own minifigs with step-by-step guides on sculpting and creating decals. Digital format of the book costs US$$3.95. I've always wondered how they make customised Lego minifigs. Now I know.

(Thanks eggyf36)

Angry Birds Star Wars Mash-Up is so cool, they should make a game!

Steven writes about his Angry Birds Star Wars mash-up (part 1 and part 2): "A long time ago, on an app far, far away… The Imperial Pigs have stolen the Rebellion’s eggs, so the Rebellion struck back by stealing the plans for the Death Pig (many Bothans died in the process)." His glorious images are available on T-shirts too! I'm waiting for the official game. Please make one!

Jenga meets Donkey Kong

Two legends of 80s gameplay, Jenga and Donkey Kong are now one thanks to Donkey Kong Jenga! In this rendition of the game, the Jenga towers are called girders which have small holes in them for inserting the Mario game pieces. The first player to reach the top of the tower without knocking it over will save Pauline and win the game.

Lanyard Bag is a bag made of lots and lots of lanyards

Here's a good use for all those lanyards that you collect from conferences that you attend. You can use them to make a bag! Evil Mad Scientist shows you how: "Breakaway lanyards can be used for the vertical webbing, woven in and out of the continuous lanyards until they reach the top again."

Shopping Cart has a Pop-Up Camper for you to live in

Kevin's project Camper Kart, investigates habitats and housing; recycling and ecology; exploration and mobility. It is a pop-up camper constructed out of a shopping cart. If living in a camper on top of a kart isn't your thing maybe you can try out his Camper Bike instead.

Paper Record Player is a Wedding Invitation that plays music

Kelly created this awesome wedding invitation for her friends Karen and Mike. It is a paper record player which houses and plays a flexi disc pressed with their original song, inviting guests to the wedding. Sweet!

(Thanks Hazel Goh)

Epic life-size statue of Batman made of Lego

Someone spotted this life-size statue of Batman made of Lego in a Lego store in Tysons Corner Center in Virginia. The statue comes with a leather cape. I guess making a cape out of Lego is nearly impossible. Now all it needs a life-size statue of Robin the Boy Wonder in Lego.

(Thanks Sam)

Cat Levitator & other Old Anti Gravity Cruisers of New Zealand

According to this awesome Flickr photoset, Old Anti Gravity Cruisers of New Zealand, New Zealand has been using anti gravity since the 19th century! This is the Karlsson Cat Levitator invented by Swedish immigrant Per Karlsson in the early 50s for pet owners who love to see their cats hover in mid-air. Someone should go ahead and remake this!

World's Biggest Pac-Man loves IE 9, hates Firefox

World's Biggest Pac-Man is a game collaboration between Microsoft and Pac-Man to show off the capabilities of the fast new Internet Explorer 9. Use exits to enter adjoining mazes at any time. When maze is complete, exit the maze to start a new one. Flash game doesn't work on Firefox but it works ok on Chrome and IE of course.

The End of AT-AT for America no thanks to Lucasfilm

Mike wants to make America awesome again by building an AT-AT from Star Wars. He has received donations for this momentous task, 2000 fans on Facebook and hundreds of volunteers including mechanical engineers and builders. But all this is coming to an end because Lucasfilm doesn't think this is proper. Boo!

Better Book Titles is great for lazy book readers like me

Dan Wilbur on his blog Better Book Titles: "I will cut through all the cryptic crap, and give you the meat of the story in one condensed image. Now you can read the greatest literary works of all time in mere seconds!" This is his title remake of one of my favourite books of all time, The Little Prince, "Dating A Flower Feels Very One-Sided". Brilliantly summarised Dan!

Vintage Superheroes Wedding

Megan loves Marvel comics so for her wedding, she decided it has to have a vintage superheroes theme: "I wore a custom designed dress by designer-turned-friend Eva Brzáková in Prague with a splash of red, cream and chocolate polka-dot detail, the bridesmaids wore vibrant aqua dresses with red hand-knit boleros and red canvas TOMS shoes."

Make your own Han Solo in Ice, Choc, Jelly Carbonite

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo was captured by Boba Fett and was frozen in carbonite for delivery to Jabba the Hutt. This Han Solo in Carbonite Silicon Tray lets you relive that moment in cinematic history by letting you make ice, chocolate or jelly in the familiar shape of Jabba's prized possession.

Mr Pear and Friends

GH Yeoh is the founder and creative director of Super Nature Design, a Shanghai based multi-discipline design company. It specialises in interactive design, visual communication and media technology. This is his Flickr photoset featuring characters he calls Mr Pear and Friends.

Super ridiculous special effects galore Indian movie to be shown on Singapore national TV tonight

Stop whatever you are doing tonight at 9pm and tune in to Vasantham to catch the Singapore TV premiere of Endhiran, a 2010 Tamil science fiction film which took nearly a decade of pre-production work and two years to shoot! Don't understand Tamil? It's ok! Just check out the clip above. My friends at Boing Boing calls it the most astonishingly violent and demented action-scene in cinematic history. You have to agree. It's badass! So super ridiculous that you have to watch it on Vasantham tonight.

Mini Microscope for iPhone gives you extreme close-ups

Mini Microscope for iPhone is a compact 60x microscope that is compatible with iPhone 4 only. It comes complete with three LEDs to illuminate your close-ups. The Mini Microscope for iPhone will not replace your real microscope but it sure is fun to have when you're outside and you need to get really close to a bug or a leaf.

Vintage Airline Fashion Collection with Space Bubble Hat now on Ebay

This ridiculous looking outfit is actually a flight attendant uniform created by Emilio Pucci in 1965. It is part of a collection of airline uniforms, matching shoes, handbags, luggage and other accessories amassed by a former Braniff flight attendant who flew with the airline for 20 years. Her collection is now available on eBay.

(Thanks Paul Niner)

Chinese made Transformers scrap metal sculptures are more than meets the eye

Some Chinese dudes have created sculptures of the robot characters from the Transformers movies using nothing but scrap metal! They have built Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and even Starscream! The details on these sculptures are incredible and I think even Michael Bay would be highly impressed.

(Thanks Shy)

Marvel vs. DC Battle Mural inspired by Where's Waldo

The folks from ComicsAlliance have commissioned a massive mural to commemorate the upcoming 15th anniversary of the Marvel vs. DC crossover. The mural features Marvel and DC characters in the midst of an epic battle packed with hidden characters and items for you to find. It's like Where's Waldo! How many can you find?

Artist covers entire room in crochet for her solo show

Knitting is for Pus**** is Polish-born, New York-based artist Olek's first solo show featuring an entire room completely covered in crochet! She says: "My use of crochet can be interpreted as a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of the body, its systems and psychology, and, in a broader sense, it can represent humanity itself."

World War II Inspired Star Wars Insignias

Dave Mott made these delightful World War II inspired Star Wars insignia sketches: "Lately I’ve been inspired by the work Disney did during World War II. Disney designed/painted 1200 of these insignias. I thought about the Star Wars series and what if they painted insignias on their vehicles what would they look like? " Please do more, Dave!

Retro Arcade Cake Mould for all die hard Space Invaders fans

The microwave-safe Retro Arcade Cake Moulds are designed to hit the sweet tooth of all die-hard gamers of old, those of us who spent all our pocket money on Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Pac Man. So put down your muffin trays and get down to making some space age sponge cake!

5/8th scale mini Leica M3 replica fits in your tiny hands

Minox has made a teeny replica of the Leica M3 with finely-detailed miniature moving parts, 5.1 megapixel resolution, one button function for photos or videos and a high-quality German-engineered glass lens with 4x digital zoom. The camera takes SHDC memory card slot and has 128MB internal memory.

The Flux Chair is a designer chair that folds to save space

I love the Flux Chair! It transforms from a flat package with a handle into a designer chair and back again. A folding chair not only saves valuable floor space and makes moving a breeze, more importantly it allows you to sit down wherever you like - the beach, the park, you name it!

Star Wars the High School Musical

For the first time in 15 years, you can now watch Star Wars the Musical in its entirety. Recorded on May 25th, 1996 at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, the musical was written, produced, and directed by students without any adult supervision.

(Thanks Jack72)

Paper 35mm Pinhole Hasselblad takes real photos

Kelly's 35mm Pinhole Hasselblad is a paper Hasselblad camera that you can download as an A4 sized, 8 page PDF. Print it out and follow her instructions and you'll have a functional camera that takes 35mm film and takes 12-14 images per roll. Kelly has made a screen-printed corrugated cardboard Hasselblad that accepts 120 film too!

Popular music albums as old book covers

The Record Books is a playful collection of popular musical albums re-packaged as well-worn books. This is The Man Who Sold The World, the 3rd studio album by David Bowie and it is also the title of a song in that album. I prefer Nirvana's version of the song which they did for their MTV Unplugged album which is one favourite listens of all time!

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day 2011 gives you free ice cream in exchange for some love for dyslexic kids

My favourite ice cream Ben & Jerry's is having its Free Cone Day from 12:00pm to 7:00pm today! Get a free cone with Vanilla, Strawberry Cheesecake, A Cookie Affair, Phish Food or Clusterfluff (new flavour!) at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops at VivoCity, United Square, Great World City, The Cathay, Heeren, Raffles City, Dempsey, Zoo, Bird Park & Sentosa.

Also don't forget to donate generously to Dyslexia Association of Singapore when you are there. Dyslexia Association of Singapore is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping dyslexic kids overcome their learning difficulty and achieve more in life.

Update: Here are photos of people queuing at United Square, Heeren and VivoCity for the Free Cone Day.

He-Man and Mr Villains Class of 1993

Christopher Lee created this wonderful art piece titled Mr Villains Class of 1993 for the "We'll Be Right Back...After These Messages", an art show that pays homage to the classic cartoons of the 80's and early 90's. He says, "I've been dying to do a fan piece for a while now so this was the perfect way to celebrate nostalgia."

Penguin Classics get new embroidery covers

Jillian Tamaki got a gig to design covers of classic Penguin novels using embroidery! So far she has done 3: Emma, Black Beauty and The Secret Garden. The covers wraparound and include french flaps. The books will be widely available in most major and indie bookstores come this October.

Use candy for buffet table labeling and impress your guests

Here's a simple gummy trick for those of you planning your next dessert buffet party. You can make labels for your guests using little paper flags and small straws and then stick them on gum drops so that they will stand upright. What a neat idea!

(Thanks Myra Leong)

John Karpinsky's Star Wars Tribute Prints

John Karpinsky on his beautiful Star Wars prints that he is selling on Etsy: "Star Wars was a large part of my childhood, which sadly passed long ago. This is my tribute to characters of my youth, an invitation to the celebration of that cultural phenomenon that shaped my life so long ago."

Legotron is a working 4×5 camera made of LEGO bricks

Why buy a 4×5 large format camera when you can make one using LEGO?! Cary did just that! He says about his Legotron: "The focus range is limited to roughly 3 feet to about 18 inches. It’s good for portrait, but certainly can’t focus to infinity."

(Thanks primus)

Peanuts comics with last panel removed

Charles Schulz's Peanuts comics often conceal the existential despair of their world with a closing joke at the characters' expense. With the last panel omitted, despair pervades all.

(Thanks Lydia)

Awesome Iron Man Briefcase cosplay costume requires 2 people to put on

Dude has one of the most amazing cosplay costumes that I have ever seen! He has made an Iron Man Mark V Briefcase Armour inspired by the suit seen in Iron Man 2. It transforms from a briefcase into a fully-detailed, fully-functional suit of armour. Watch the transformation video here.

Cameron's LEGO Birthday Party

For her son's 10th birthday, Victoria decided to throw a LEGO themed birthday party. She writes: "I bought a box of Lego at BigW and then bought some wheels, axles and steering wheels on eBay. Then divided them all up to make the kits. The Lego kits were used during the games and each child got to take home their kit."

Entire Star Wars toy collection from shop for sale

Dude is selling his entire Star Wars toy inventory plus other toys on eBay for US$35k. He writes: "The toys are from 1995 to present. I've been in business for about 12 years. It is a good business for those who love to do toy shows or start your own business or add to your own store inventory or collection."