Jules’s Favourite Comb

An unusual post? Perhaps……but still if a simple thing, like a comb can remain a favourite for over 25 years then there is something to be said about it eh?

I remember finding my first ‘Slim Jim’ comb ( KENT OF UK ) at Robinsons Mall and so named I believe, because it is only 120mm long by approx 15mm wide….Oh the comb that is!   I cannot recall exactly how much it cost me way back then, but I do remember it wasn’t cheap.  

I also recall getting very upset when my first ‘Slim Jim’ broke into two all because I had placed it together with my oversized wallet in the back pocket of my jeans and sat down! Gees!

So what is so great about this comb? Well for one thing….apart from how tiny and compact it is, it does a great job of keeping me looking neat and tidy.  Furthermore it glides through my hair without even scratching the scalp like most combs would do. 

This is the latest edition to my collection ( now two) a folding one…..

Here’s a little more as to why they’re so great!…..Well to me anyway…

About Kent Combs

“Kent’s handmade combs are saw cut, and then hand polished and buffed to create soft rounded teeth that will not damage your hair or scalp. They are made from cellulose acetate, a non-petroleum based plastic derived from plants that has been found to create less static in hair. These smooth teeth stimulate the natural oils inside the hair cuticles as your hair is combed, and it is this oil that encourages the cuticles on each hair to lie flat creating strong, healthy, shiny hair.

A non-handmade comb is known as an injection moulded comb. They have razor sharp teeth which damage the hair cuticle, and ultimately cause split ends. These combs also feature tiny ridges, known as ‘mould marks’ which scratch and snag your hair causing breakage and severe cuticle damage.”

A Little Look Into Their History

G B Kent & Sons Ltd, manufacturers of brushes since the eighteenth century is one of the oldest established companies in Great Britain.

Kent Brushes (as they are now more commonly known) was founded in 1777 by William Kent in the reign of George III. Kent holds a pre-eminent place in the history of brush making, with an unbroken record of excellence in the quality of its production which has been recognised by the granting of Royal Warrants for nine reigns.

The Kent family continued to run the company for six generations until 1932 when the last of the three Kent brothers passed away. This is when Mr Eric L.H Cosby, owner of Cosby Brushes Ltd, entered into an association with G.B Kent & Sons. A new chapter was then opened in Kent’s long history, and since that time the company has been under the creative and dynamic direction of the Cosby family.

Today, Mr Alan H.L Cosby, grandson to Eric Cosby is the Managing Director and Chairman, with his wife, son and one of his three daughters working for the business. The company headquarters moved from London to their existing factory in Apsley, Hertfordshire on the 6th February 1984, and remains there to this day.

The company continues to retain the craftsmanship and unprecedented quality that is Kent’s reputation. Even in today’s fast moving, mass-produced assembly, Kent are proud to still be manufacturing many of their original brushes by hand.

Nevertheless, Kent Brushes is committed to developing and enhancing its products with every step they take. Kent harness the latest hi-tech manufacturing processes, whilst building on the time-honoured traditional methods to create the world’s finest example of each and every brush that leaves their factory.

Blackforest Cake Treat

Yummy

Bad Taste Bears – Latest Editions TMC

TMC – To My Collection! Woo hoo!

HANNIBAL

ALF

Movie – The Proposal

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson

Director: Anne Fletcher

This is one of those romantic comedies that may not appeal to everybody.  I very much enjoyed it even though I would prefer to wait for the DVD! Why?  Because of two or more badly cut scenes here in the movies!  Not sure if was done only by the censors here in Singapore or globally but there were horribly cut scenes in the screening here at Cathay cinemas.

Sandra Bullock portrayed here character as a high powered editor very well indeed in my opinion, and Ryan Reynolds was an excellent choice as her ‘Assistant’.  It is still a little hard for me to envision the ex-star of ‘Two guys a girl and a Pizza Place’ in the role of ‘The Green Lantern” even though he has quite a nice bod.

The chemistry of the pair is lukewarm at best, but works well in this movie because of the characters they play.  It is melodramtic in parts or even downright corny in some but hey! It’s a comedy!

I will definitely keep a copy of the DVD for my collection once it’s released….for now I’m looking forward to watching ‘The Ugly Truth’ starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl next.

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson

Director: Anne Fletcher

Ms.Venezuela is Crowned Miss Universe 2009

Congratulations to Stefania Fernandez!

When all the contestants were on stage together, I thought to myself. “OH BOY! the Judges sure have a very difficult time this year!” Because there were a whole lot more gorgeous contestants out this year.  But when they narrowed it down to the fifteen, I was disappointed with some of their choices.

Stefania is gorgeous but was she the one to take the Crown?  Well that has been decided, though she certainly is not the one I’d choose.  She has a classic beauty look of the 50s which could have earned her Ms Congienialty or Ms. Photogenic. ( Even Both!)

anyhow here are a few photos of my collection….

Lady With The Mystic Smile

La Giocondo

Why then does the ‘Lady of the Louvre’ have such a dull, monochromatic appearance today? When exposed to light, air and humidity, pigments age and darken over time, and the mixed oil resins will yellow and loose transparency with age. Restorative efforts included overcoats of varnish that also darkened the overall tone. Subtle details such as the eyebrows and eyelashes, painted with pigments mixed from organic dyes, have faded. The vivid reds and greens of the silk and satin garments, which were achieved by layered oil glazing have darkened into tones of deep brown and greenish black.

The color of the Mona Lisa’s sleeves in da Vinci’s original were red, as shown in the verified Renaissance copy known as La Giaconda. The upper portion of the lustrous red sleeves show through the lacy mantle. The dress is a contrasting deep forest green with elaborate brocades. Included here also are the subtle patterns of the sheer lace veil that stands out from the hair at the edge of her face. Mona Lisa’s hair and eyes are depicted in rich chestnut hues with golden highlights.

A notable feature in the Mona Lisa, according to early written accounts, was the magnificent landscape of the background. Below a brilliant blue sky was a series of verdant foothills receding to lofty, snow covered peaks shrouded in mist. In this restoration we can see the atmospheric perspective that lends volumetric form to the foreground and a deep dimension to the painting as a whole. Visible also are the stone window sills, in front of which the Mona Lisa sits.

Recent commentary on other reproductions that are based on scanned imagery include a suggestion that the Mona Lisa holds a blanket that has all but faded from view. However, it is clear in the digital restoration pictured here that the left arm is resting on a plain wooden armrest with a lathed upright support. The fingers of the hand are limp and relaxed, touching the edge of the armrest, and clearly not gripping or holding anything.

Mona Lisa (Original)

 

Mona Lisa ( Original Colours )

 

Mona Lisa ( Digitally Restored )

 

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa
Men have named you
You’re so like the lady with the mystic smile
Is it only cause you’re lonely
They have blamed you
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile

Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art

Dorky? Maybe But I Love It!

It’s so cool! and I mean that literally, in fact the breeze seems to permeate through the entire Kavu hat!  Also it is wide enough that you don’t really need a pair of sunglasses unless of course you go fishing, boating etc. where the light bounces off the water into your eyes.

It is super lightweight and what I like best about it is that it is foldable hence extremely portable unlike my other favourite an Australia made Leather Hat.  This hat is suppose to protect your upper torso from the sun too but I guess my frame is just too large for that eh? *grins*

The only little thing about it which makes me a little uncomfortable is the stares I get when I put it on. 😆

Oh and if you are into the techinical specs etc. of this hat,  like I know some are…..I blogged about this purchase a few days ago or you can simply just click this LINK

cheers mates!

A Letter To The ‘Warden’

Dear Ben,

I am not too certain if that is indeed your name, because I am very much better with faces.  And so if I am at all mistaken then I sincerely apologize.  You might find it a little odd that I am writing to you, even though in all likelyhood you would never get to read this letter.  This I suppose is just my way of expressing what it is that has been gnawing at me over the last two days.

It has been over twenty five years now, and we both have changed so much that it may surprise you to know that the recent incident in Church was not our first chance meeting.  In actual fact, we were from the same Parish in Toa Payoh where you had been quite active in church activities even back then.  I might even have been your student at one time for Sunday school classes, or were you just a relief teacher then? That bit eludes me………But what I do remember clearly about you, was that apart from you being very much slimmer and trim, you were actually a very nice chap!  Humble, almost always smiling and hardworking. 

Then late last year I saw you again at a coffee shop near my home.  On that occassion you were with Father Cyril and another gentleman having breakfast.  I believe you drove them there and while in some serious discussion of sorts, you glanced my way with no recognition in your eyes.  Didn’t matter to me because we were never that close to begin with. 

So why did I react the way I did when you approached me?  Well simply because in that moment, you looked like a complete stranger!  A black faced ‘prison warden’ barking out orders!  Then the ‘escort of the prisoner’ followed by what I could have mistaken as a ‘challenge’ to step outside?  Well I’ve always known that people would change over the years but what had you changed into?  It appears that you care enough to volunteer your services to the church, but what happened to the human element? Are you not suppose to guide and help the community?  If I was in your eyes the ‘least of your brethren’ in that moment of time, was such a harsh reproach in order?

I am not proud of my own behaviour in that situation either and even though we had made our peace in Church, I am still in need of  God’s forgiveness.   And while I will continue to pray each day for personal forgiveness, I pray also that if  I am ever chosen to serve the Church in any capacity, that I will always remain it’s humble servant.

Wolfram Alpha Is Great!

 

 

Wolfram Alpha has been available since May 2009 though I didn’t quite know how great it was till I really started fooling around with it trying to get answers to currency conversions, percentages etc etc etc.

So what is wolfram alpha all about, is it another search engine?

No. It’s a computational knowledge engine: it generates output by doing computations from its own internal knowledge base, instead of searching the web and returning links.

What can I do with Wolfram|Alpha?

Many, many things. Check out the Examples by Topic page and the Visual Gallery of Examples for a few pointers. Or visit the Blog or Community to see what others are doing.

————————————————————

This is the result when I typed in Singapore to Perth

Input interpretation: Centre of Singapore to Perth, Western Australia

Distance : 2424 Miles

Direct Travel Times : Aircraft (550 mph) 4.4hours
Sound : 191 Minutes
Light in fiber : 18.2ms
Light in vacuum: 13ms

Then a map was shown with a red line drawn depicting the path.

Cool eh?

 

Men of the cloth with no humility of heart; Your will be done NOT God’s!

 

Juleslife Aug 2009

Sunday Mass Gone Wrong For Me!

I was thinking of not talking about this incident but the more I think about it, the more upset I get!  So I think after writing about it and with a little reflection over a few days I might get to see it differently or even more clearly…..

I was attending the 1100am mass with the family and because we were early, Madame decided to bring the younger one to the bookshop with her.   So she left her handbag with me, while my elder son decided he needed to go to the toilet first.  I sat down at the pew and decided to say the rosary while waiting for mass to begin.

Then as two minutes or so had passed a gentleman whom I recognized as one who had attended the camp with my elder son sits down in the same pew a few seats away for me.  He then waved to me and said,”I think your elder son is looking for you in the toilet.”  I said thank you but was a little puzzled, was it an emergency?  Do I take the handbag with me, forgo the seats and rush down to see to my son?  I decided since it was only about 1045am that I would dial Madame’s number instead and perhaps whisper to her to tend to Seth.  ( I usually switch off my mobile phone which is already on ‘Silent’ 5mins before Mass starts)

Just as I was entering the number on my mobile a male warden walks up to me and very aggressively tells me that I should get out of the church if I want to use my mobile.  He then stands in front of me and continues to glare at me.  I was a little upset and asked him what his problem was? He just continued to motion for me to leave the church, so I got up and went to the back of the church and he continued to tail me.  Then Madame answered her phone finally and so I asked her to look out for Seth, but she told me that Seth was already with her.  She also wanted to know why I sounded so upset.  I started getting angry when he continued to glare at me while I was on the phone with her,  so I said out loud that there was a  ‘_ucker!’ in front me of who thought very highly of himself and was questioning me on this ’emergency call’ that I was making.  When he heard me saying that, he yelled,” I beg your pardon!”  Of which I retorted, “Are you deaf? or daft!?”  Just then more people started to pour in and I decided that I was after all in Church, so I ignored him and went back to my seat.

He followed me back, tapped me on my shoulder and said,” Brother I think you should step outside so we can settle this.”  That was when I totally lost it, so I pushed him and said “Fine _ucker! let’s go!” “You dare come here and challenge me eh?”  “I will not be bullied!”  He then questioned,” So what you want to do? Beat me up?” That’s when a few others started to try and intervene, but instead of telling them the truth the warden decided to tell them that all he was trying to do was his job and that I scolded him vulgarities for doing so.  I didn’t feel the need to justify myself so all I said was, “So you think you are from some sort of Army of God and that you are justified by challenging me out here to ‘Settle it’?”  We were by then pulled quite a fair bit apart so I started taking deep breaths to try and cool down.   He was led away by a few of his warden friends, so it was time for me to decide whether to go back in or to leave?  I decided to stay after all my kids were in there at the pew and they were innocent of this incident.

Some how word must have gotten to the Parish priest who was saying the homily because of instead of expanding on the Gospel or sharing any encouraging words of wisdom, he decided once again that it was time to set the congregation straight on the rules and regulations of the Church.  We should not and cannot say that it is just between God and I because we are a community and to have communion with God, one must be at peace with least of his brethren. ( there is of course truth in this)   He specifically mentioned a few times that we should follow the instructions of the wardens because they were doing their job for the best of the community. ( Doesn’t matter that without his knowledge they were behaving like thugs.)  And that unless we know scripture like the back of our hand especially the Book of Leviticus I believe he mentioned, then we don’t know what we are talking about.  Do we not see that in Bible we have been chided for our errant ways? etc. etc. ( By this time was not listening any more…..too outraged by it all.)

I am of course not totally in the clear, I could have reacted differently or not at all!  All I will say is that God witnesses all and I will be judged accordingly.  Anyhow the warden in question did come up to me during the peace offering and we shook hands and hugged briefly.  ( Though I am still sore in my heart, I have forgiven him…)

Juleslife Latest Purchases

Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine (National Geographic)

National Geographic’s guide to medicinal plants introduces 150 of the most popular plants and herbs used as dietary supplements, among them aloe, ephedra, ginkgo, and peppermint.

This volume provides an A-Z listing of plants by common name. Information about each plant covers a two-page spread and includes traditional and current medicinal uses, common and Latin names, description, habitat, cultivation and preparation, research, and caution alerts. Color photographs, botanical illustrations, and range maps accompany the text, while sidebars offer interesting facts about biology, nomenclature, history, or folklore that add to a better understanding of the plant and its healing properties. Regional essays on the healing plants of Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Central and South America, China, Europe, India, North America, the Middle East, and Oceania provide insightful glimpses into the fascinating range and diversity of local health practices from around the world while also revealing the multifaceted roles that herbalists, healers, and herbal–medicine practitioners play in the lives of their patients. Reference tools include a glossary, Latin name index, and subject index.

Bought This At MPH for SGD45.00

Kavu Chillba Hat

The Kavu Chillba Hat is made for people who spend long summer days on the water. It’s lightweight, unique and provides excellent protection from the sun. Worn by fishing guides everywhere. This hat is made for any person who enjoys those long, hot summer days but not the sunburn that so often accompanies them.

• Light weight and very breathable, attaches to your head with a mesh and adjustable KAVU webbing inner cap allowing the breeze to cool you as you drift.
• DWR treated nylon fabric makes water bead off the Chillba.
• The closed cell foam core holds the hat’s shape and this hat will keep it afloat through even the most daunting rapids.
• The adjustable chin strap, with cord lock, keeps the hat on your head in the windiest conditions.
• Designed to protect your entire head, neck, and upper torso from harmful UV rays.
• One size fits most.

US24.50

Pearl Izumi Cyclone Shoe Cover

Protect your feet from the ankle to the toe with the Pearl Izumi Cyclone Shoe Cover. With its sleek design, superior construction, and ease of use features this cover offers optimum performance and protection from the elements whether you’re racing, commuting, or touring. Pearl Izumi utilizes the experience and needs of world-class athletes when creating its products and the Cyclone Shoe Cover is no exception. With its three-panel anatomic design, sturdy rubber soles with cleat cutaway, moisture wicking lining, and breathable water resistant cover this shoe insulating cover will keep your feet dry, and at just the right temperature to stay on the road.

Bike through biting winds and rain in comfort, the Cyclone Shoe Cover’s AmFIB water resistant, breathable insulating cover to keeps your feet dry, while still allowing them to breathe. The soft Microfleece lining provides a layer of warm insulation and wicks moisture away from your feet so that they remain dry from within. The three-panel anatomically designed cover fits snugly over your shoe for a bulk free ride, while rear three-quarter-length zipper with finger loops make it is easy to pull the cover on and off quickly. The rubber sole creates extra durability, with a cleat cutaway for a perfect fit with external cleat road shoes. Reflective element on the cover adds to visibility for lowlight and nighttime riding.

Like all Pearl Izumi products the Cyclone Shoe Covers have a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, that excludes failures from accidents, misuse, improper care, or normal wear. Pearl Izumi recommends reading the product care label carefully, and washing the covers with additive free detergents that don’t have fabric softeners, perfumes, or any other additive type product as detergents with additives leave “surfactants” behind on a fabric’s fibers that inhibit the technical performance. Hang dry the covers or dry them on a low or warm setting. Never use a hot setting or a commercial dryer as this will damage the fabric’s performance.

Specifications:

• AmFIB stretch and block laminate
• Microfleece lining
• Three-panel anatomic design
• Rubber sole
• Cleat cutaway
• Reflective element for visibility
• 3/4-length zipper and finger loop
• Locking zipper
• Velcro closure

US31.00