How To Be The Perfect Girlfriend

Hmm, interesting...

Smallest Livable Island On Earth

This is the smallest of the Thousand Islands. When the tide is low, you can actually have some outdoor furniture.

Via Deputy Dog

Miss South Carolina's Response As A Subway Map

Via Boing Boing

Dear Mr. Barista

Dear Mr. Barista,

As you might have noticed this morning, I was really tired today… I mean really, really, really tired. I couldn’t sleep very well last night. I was able to get some sleep after 2am, but when the alarm clock rang at 5am, I woke up really, really, really, REALLY angry. So I had no other choice but to stand up, and get ready to go to work. Now there’s something I crave for every morning: coffee or hot chocolate.

You see… almost every morning I go to the local Starbucks and buy myself either a Vanilla Latte or a Hot Chocolate. I frequent the same place, so the staff knows me by name and knows exactly what I’m going to order before I even open my mouth (thanks to Chris, Heather and Laurie). But today, I took a different route to go to work and stopped at a different Starbucks location… and that’s where I met you.

I love my coffee and my chocolate, so you can imagine my dismay when you handed my grande vanilla latte with almost half the cup full of foam (which I didn’t even request, by the way). You included a generous amount of “air space” in my cup! I take my latte without flavored syrups, foam and with very little to no whipped cream.

It may seem unimportant to you, but if I buy a grande, I want a grande… not ¾ of a grande.
I paid almost $4 for it! And in addition, I was so damn sleepy today that I really could have used that one inch of latte you denied me!

I needed it!

Sincerely,

The Chief Pompomist

The New Nestle Museum

This beautiful origami shaped structure is the new Nestle Chocolate Museum in Mexico City, designed by Rojkind Arquitectos. The museum is now a public place where visitors can learn about the production of Nestle chocolate. Now, the interesting fact about this complex building is that it was completed in 2.5 months from design to finished construction. Working in the construction industry myself, this must have required excellent team coordination and lots of worked hours.







Via Core77
Photo Credit Dezeen

Alberto Gonzales Doesn't Recall

But he can assure you that, what he doesn't remember, was handled properly...

Miss South Carolina Says 'We Need More Maps!'

Last week At Miss Teen USA, Miss South Carolina was asked this question:

"Why 1/5 of Americans couldn’t locate the US on a world map?"

Miss South Carolina answered:

“I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because, uhhh, some uh... people out there in our nation don’t have maps and uh, I believe that our... I... education like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the US should help the US, uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.”

After reading her answer, you might have noticed that it had nothing to do with the actual question... unbelievable...

Recycled House Numbers

Hand made, cool, distinctive and eco-friendly house numbers for your home. This is the work of Boris Bally, a metalsmith whose work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. They're made from old aluminum street signs gathered around the world. If you would like to purchase one of these wonderful art pieces for your home, you can do so here.

Via Design Milk

Prefab Home Installation

On this video you can see the prefab installation of the latest Hive Modular B-line. So easy to install, it’s almost effortless.

New Delivery From The Music Department

The Strokes - 'Reptilia'
I cannot stop telling how much I like this band… they’re just exceptional. I could also talk about how I am in love with the guitar progressions in this song, but I won’t because this article could get pretty lengthy. Plus the lead singer, Julian Casablancas, is one of the best rock singers I've ever heard. Anyhow, Reptilia it’s just a great little rock song that sounds unlike anything I’ve heard in a long time. If you like garage Indie rock, download this one! You won’t be disappointed.

Good Shoes - 'Morden'
There are many versions of this song, and the one shown on this video is great but not my favorite. The important thing is that Good Shoes is a wonderful new Indie band that provides us with energetic, jumpy pop music loaded with melodies. There is something delightful about their speedy rhythms and simple, yet witty lyrics.
This song is an ode to their hometown, Morden, and one of the standouts from their awesome debut album ‘Think Before You Speak’.

Gorillaz - 'Dirty Harry'
Gorillaz is an awesome band made up of cartoon characters, and this song is one of my favorite. Damon Alburn from Blur is the mastermind behind the concept and the band has an eclectic mix of sounds that incorporates hip hop, electro and even reggae at times. Gorillaz may not be real, but their sound is.

Old-Fashioned Cutlery For Today's Modern Society

Demelza Hill has designed a sustainable and playful of using plastic dinnerware with “Snap and Dine”. The concept is to set the able the way our great-grandparents used to do, using plastic old fashioned style cutlery in today’s modern society. It’s a fun way of marrying traditional dining with the disposable and fast vision of the modern world.

Via Pan Dan

Instructions On How To Operate An Elevator

In the elevator at the Kingston, RI railroad station.

Via East Village Idiot

Plain Bagel and Cream Cheese

Last Saturday I woke up at around 4a to get a flight from Chicago to Miami. I show up with plenty of time to the airport… looking like a zombie. I check my luggage, pass by security zone and finally head to my designated concourse about an hour before the flight. So I decided to stop by a cafeteria to buy myself some breakfast.

So here's the scenario... There are three people behind the counter: a girl barista, a cook and a lady cashier. I was too damn sleepy to look at the menu above, but knew exactly what I wanted for breakfast. So I approach the cashier to order.

Me: 'Good morning. I would like to have a hot chocolate and a bagel with cream cheese please?'
Lady cashier: 'A... bagel with cream cheese??' – She said looking at me like I was ordering lasagna at 6am.
Me: 'Yes, please.'

She continued staring at me like I was an alien who just landed on earth.

Lady cashier: 'OK? What kind of bagel?'
Me: 'Plain.'
Lady cashier: 'Plllain?.... O-k? What flavor?'
Me: 'Pardon me?'
Lady cashier: 'What flavor of cream cheese, ma’am?!' – She repeated loosing her patience and staring at me.
Me: 'Oh! Just plain cream cheese, please….'
Lady cashier: 'Plain?!......'

[A few seconds of silence plus a stare]

Lady cashier: '….o…k? Hey chef!!! The lady here wants a PLAIN bagel with PLAIN cream cheese... and a hot chocolate.'
Cook: 'A bagel with cheese?! What the...?' – He said looking at me strange. He then proceeded with the ‘elaborate preparation’ of my meal and finished up the plate with a little pack of grape jelly.
Cook: 'Here it is ma’am.'
Me: 'Thank you. Oh! It’s okay… you can keep the jelly.'
Cook: 'You…uh... don’t want the jelly?!' – He said taking strange offense when I didn’t want jelly with my breakfast.

Apparently, he adds jelly to every breakfast, and if you say no (as I often do because that kind of jelly is the cheap, chewy and compressed kind) he gets very confused and stares in disbelief… like I just turned down a free (no strings attached) winning lottery ticket.

Me: 'Thank you.' – I said after he removed the jelly from my plate... Now THERE is a man who has a passion for his job, or at least a passion for cheap, mass produced jelly packs.

I go back to the cashier for checkout.

Cashier lady: ‘Ok! That’ll be 12 dollars.’
Me: ‘Twelve dollars!’ – That number really woke me up like I just took a big dose of caffeine.
Cashier lady: 'Yes, ma’am!'

OK, so here’s the breakdown: $5.50 for hot chocolate, $4 for a plain bagel and $2.50 for enough cream cheese to spread on it.

Now, I know that airports are expensive, but come on! And what’s so strange about ordering a plain bagel with plain cream cheese?!

Aiola Island

This is the coolest bridge and the coolest bar I’ve ever seen! Here I present you Aiola Island, located right in the center of the Mur river in Graz, Austria.
It was built in 2003, and immediately developed itself as a popular attraction. The ‘island’ was created by the New York artist Vito Acconci.
It has a sunbathing area, a trendy bar and a coffee house, plus it allows you to cross the Mur river from one shore to another.

Photo Credit: Aiola Island

How To Pimp Your Office?

How about an entire wall covered in pieces of wood? This is the office of Connecta and their roommates in Denmark. Not only is it amazingly beautiful, it’s also great for acoustics. Plus it has a great texture. Click here for more pictures.

Via Design Milk

Danish Vintage Coffee Table

This is a super awesome six-part vintage Coffee Table designed by Peter Hvidt and Olga Molgaard-Nielsen back in the 1950’s; a wonderful piece of Danish furniture design which can be reconfigured in seven different ways. You can purchase a replica of this table in 1st Dibs.



Via Design Milk

Shiro i Shiro

Check out this beautiful restaurant located in Berlin’s trendy Mitte district. It’s called Shiro i Shiro and is a Japanese-Mediterranean fusion restaurant with French undertones.
The restaurant was designed by Korean-born Huyn Jung Kim, and the main concept was to have a huge, white space displaying Neo-baroque luxury with colorful and edgy Asian minimalism. I think he did a fantastic job, didn’t he?

Via The Cool Hunter

Magazine Illusions

Nowadays, you can easily be in the cover of a magazine. Just grab a magazine, line it juuust in the right position, and voila! Check out this website for more magazine illusions.

Tree House

Tom Chudleigh is the Canadian artist behind this beautiful spherical tree house. The sphere is a one-space design made out of wood and fiberglass, and can be adjusted with plumbing and electricity where available. Prices start at around US$45,000.
For more info about the suspension mechanisms or designs, visit the Free Spirit Sphere’s website.

3D Chalk Classroom Commercial

Brand: Target
Advertisement Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Music: 'Silver Lining' by Beulah
Artist: Unknown

Can somebody tell me who's the artist behind this really cool 3D classroom?

Breaking News: A Shoplifter Caught On Camera!

Portable Hard Drive With Style

Studio Leung is a product design firm which designs the coolest computer hard drives. Like this portable 4 GB hard drive that fits into your pocket. Even though is made out of synthetic resin, it is just like a real stone: textured and slightly cold to touch.
Or like this necklace USB flash drive made out of wood and leather. Nice, huh?

Off To Chicago

The chief Pompomist has packed its bags and landed onto Chicago, where she will stay until Saturday. I will try my best to send signals from the windy city, but if you keep coming back and can't find anything in the next couple of days, remember to check the archives and/or my Pompomist Pals' list in the column on the right. Have a great week!

Architecture Mimicking Nature

This is a great example of nature inspiring architecture. Set among bushes and trees, is this house with a façade that matches the greenery around it. The camouflage façade is made of a permeable concealing mesh that filters the sun onto the house, but also allows the light from inside to radiate out. The home is anonymous by day and discrete at night.

Via The Cool Hunter

"A Child's Guide To United States Foreign Policy": The Satire

A friend of mine sent me this very interesting satire about United States Foreign Policy.

AustralianPolitics.com

Mini-Vacation

Yesterday, a friend and I were invited by some mutual acquaintances to spend the day in Fort Pierce and visit the house they’re buying. The plan was to first visit the house (which is still under construction) and then spend the rest of the day at the beach. Now briefly, I’ll tell you how the day went:

The Community
The house is located in a beautiful community. We actually saw all the pre-furnished models. It was very hard to choose the best one of all as each one was spectacular.

The Weather
Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard about how great the weather in FL is a million times. Yesterday was nice but hot and we got the typical scattered showers in the afternoon. Here it rains only in small sections for spans of about 10 minutes or so.

The humidity in FL is 120% all the time, every day, even at 11:30 at night!
Let’s say you’re in a tiki bar, and its hot and crowded inside, so you decide to go outside to get some “fresh air”. Once outside, a nice breeze hits you and you say: “Wow! That feels good! Let me stay here for five minutes and then I’ll go back inside and get myself a beer”.

Well, you can’t do that in FL! If you’re in a tiki bar, and it’s hot and crowded, and you decide to go outside to refresh yourself, you’ll probably collapse! Last Friday I worked most of the day outside and it was sooo hot, I had the paramedics following me everywhere I went, just in case.

Anyhoo, weather in FL is definitely a tropical paradise… just drink a lot of water when enjoying the outdoors. But let’s move on to the better stuff.

The Food
Thanks to the caterer in our group (yeah, you know who you are!), the food was simple but delicious! It involved chicken and ham/cheese sandwiches, potato chips, grapes, oatmeal cookies, Gatorade, sodas (or “pop” for you mid-western freaks) and good ol’ beer. Due to the rain, we had to picnic inside the car. And let me tell you, we all ate like we have never seen food before.

The Beach
The beaches in Fort Pierce are beautiful. But there are a few things I’d like to point out:

The good: the beach was mostly empty and that’s just the way we like it!
The bad: there were dark clouds moving towards the shore and it was going to rain hard sometime soon.
The ugly: the massive amounts of seaweed we encountered once we got there.

Overall, the four of us had a really amazing time during out mini-vacation. The sun, the sand, the good food, the fantastic houses, and most of all the wonderful friends made it a great weekend!

Madame Loan

Here I present you the beautiful photographic work of Loan Nguyen. Check out her website at madameloan.com




Via Swiss Miss

The New iPhone Shuffle!

Via Swiss Miss

Bathroom Attendant

Like I’ve said before on my introductory article four months ago, I consider myself vocal and frequently express clearly my opinion about things even though you didn’t request it. So today I felt like talking about my last encounter with a bathroom attendant.
I don't like that awkward ‘do-I-tip-and-how-much’ moment when I go to a bathroom that has an attendant. But the reality is, for us women, having a bathroom attendant at a club/lounge is somewhat convenient: you can put on perfume, shave your legs, and buy a pair of new earrings or just simply gum… for a price. But here’s what happened last time I encountered a bathroom attendant at a club. I don’t know why but the very second I entered the women’s bathroom at a local lounge, I had my suspicions that it was going to be irritating (and no I am not referring to the hives I got this morning).

"Hello young lady! How are you doing?" - the bathroom attendant said as I made my way to the closest and cleanest stall.

“Hey! "What's up?" - I said friendly but unenthusiastically, hoping she would get the point that I am in a rush to go to the bathroom and not interested in a conversation.

"How are the men out there? Have you met any new gentlemen? Or do you have a date tonight? - She said probably in the hopes that she would earn a nice little tip.

“Uh, yeah I do have a date tonight” – Yyyeah, I lied thinking that she would just leave me alone.

And of course, she didn’t. She continued with the questions and comments while I was finishing as fast as possible to go back to the floor. She gave me soap and opened the faucet for me, so I felt obligated to leave her a dollar. Now, was this a bad experience? Eh, not really, but I do like to have my privacy and concentration when I’m using the facilities.

So to all bathroom attendants, here are some points you might want to consider:

1. Please do not give me an elaborate welcome when I enter the bathroom. Just a “Good Evening” or “What’s Up?” will be enough.

2. Get rid of that bottle of 80’s Poison or White Diamonds perfume. Ok, just in case you didn’t know, its two-thousand f*ing seven!

3. Don't dispense the liquid soap into my hands. I can do it myself. Let us women handle our own soap. If you want, just have the paper towels ready for us to dry our hands off with.

4. See # 2: I mean… Seriously.

5. If I leave more than a dollar in your basket, please remember who I am. I know you see a lot of people entering the bathroom in one night, but here’s one good reasons why I give you a good tip: I'm going to be running to the bathroom every 20 minutes or so and don't want to give any more tips. So next time I give you a five dollar bill, take a good look at me, whether is my face, my little black dress, my rocker haircut… you got the point.

A Small Delivery From The Music Department

You Only Live Once - The Strokes
God I love this band! I've been Oh-oh-ing this song since I got it just a few weeks ago! If you download this song, I am sure you'll have it in constant repeat. It's very catchy.

Anti Anti - Snowden

My friend Jenny introduced me to Snowden a few weeks ago. Although is not my favorite Snowden track, the pace of this song kicks ass. Good drums, good bass, great lyrics. The whole execution is fabulous and extremely enjoyable!

Multiuse Divider

This is one of the coolest dividers I've ever seen! It serves as a bookshelf, seating and sculpture. Designed by FiveTen Studios.

Via MocoLoco

Minimalist Loft

It's incredible what architects nowadays can do with little space. As an example, here's Tommie Wilhelmsen's Kolonihagen summer house. The loft's style is totally minimalist and all the furniture is built in.





Via TreeHugger

A Delicious Exhibition

This is a great example of art, food and life brought together in a fabulous combination. Tokyo's 21_21 Design Sight gallery had an opening exhibition last month about chocolate. Thirty designers made different artifacts out of this brown delicacy. The main purpose of the exhibition was to celebrate the grand opening of their new Tadao Ando designed facility. You can see more designs by clicking here.

Via PingMag