The great digital television revolution. Ah, the choice, the channels, the unending variety. Or so we thought. This morning Ten HD presented Round 1 of the Accenture Match Play Golf Championship.

Tiger's comeback after months of injury was much anticipated. The coverage began at 6am. The excitement of seeing Tiger back in action and playing against Brendan Jones from Australia was a recipe for a brilliant morning's viewing.

And then... outrage. The coverage of play was cut short to make way for the highly time-sensitive (note sarcasm) "David and Kim" morning show.

The same bloody mind numbing and banal David and Kim morning show that is being shown on the other Ten Digital channels. Obviously Ten HD found it imperative that it be shown on Ten HD just to make sure that nobody misses the extremely missable David and Kim show. All us golf tragics were expecting full coverage - many other groups were set to come through, including little known (note sarcasm again) players such as Ernie Els. It was not that the official coverage had finished, it's just that Ten HD decided not to show it anymore. Surely, Ten HD you can spare one little channel to see the coverage through to its conclusion.

Important note: I have discovered that the coverage begins again at 4:30pm today, which is a welcome relief. Hopefully this coverage includes the wrap up as well.

It's truly amazing that we are getting 15 new channels this year, unfortunately it seems that some of the content has so far been duplicated. With any luck, this will be sorted out throughout 2009.

technorati tags: Ten HD Nine HD Seven HD Digital HD Digital TV 15 new channels 2009 Accenture Match Play Golf Championship Tiger Woods

In these tough economic times, we tend to shrink back from spending. It's understandable, but perhaps there is some hope. You've heard of bailouts and stimulus packages, well this is a wardrobe bailout. We must not let this financial crisis affect our sense of style. On the 30th of January, 2009, Mandee launched a brand new store complete with full sized runway to create a fully interactive fashion / shopping experience. To celebrate the opening, and their 60th anniversary, Mandee are offering a special discount code to use when purchasing from their online store.

For a 20% discount on all purchases, enter the code: BAILOUT at checkout.

The following comes from the official press release:

New Mandee Store hits the runway with Grand Opening.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Totowa, NJ 1/24/2009 Mandee is proud to announce the opening of their new flagship location in Clifton, NJ. Mandee, a women's clothing chain primarily targeting the teenage and young adult market, is unveiling a fresh look in its Grand Opening of a 7,000 square foot store. Tricarico Architecture and Design PC headed up the project, creating an interactive experience that allows customers to feel as though they have stepped into their own fashion show, including a full size runway in the store.

This new concept is a key part of Mandee's long-term strategic plan, which aims to incorporate the Fashion Runway theme into every location. They wanted to create a fun and sexy atmosphere utilizing a runway format and graphics to preview the latest in fashion styles. From the fixtures to the color palette to the lighting, the Mandee 'runway store' is designed to make the customer feel like a true 'fashionista.'

And the time couldn't be better for the grand opening, as Mandee celebrates their 60th anniversary of bringing trendy fashion to consumers at affordable prices. Mandee was founded by 3 brothers 60 years ago on Brooklyn's Brighton Beach Boulevard. They knew the importance of building a brand long before people started writing books on the subject. Nothing was more important than getting the hottest fashion and the proper fit and delivering it to the customer at a great price. The new store is located on Route 3 in Clifton.
It is scheduled to open January 30, 2009.

The store will be offering for a limited time $7 flat rate shipping for ups ground domestic deliveries.

Mandee is geared towards a teen and young adult market so if you know of anyone who may benefit from this discount, please feel free to pass it on.

technorati tags: mandee mandee's coupon code discount wardrobe bailout

These gorgeous emery pincushions are hand made by dottyral.

Egg - Sunny Side Up!


Peas - for the raw food enthusiast!


Please don't write in or contact the RSPCA, this is not a voodoo bunny, I repeat, no black magic here!! According to dottyral, it is in fact receiving acupuncture and requires regular treatment. No bunnies were harmed in the making of this pincushion.

Strawberry - Good enough to eat!

The emery inside the pincushions serves to sharpen the pins so they never get blunt. They are made from felt material and since they are hand made, each one is different!

technorati tags: sewing pincushions emery cute design dottyral hand made

Q: What to get for the geek who has everything?

A: Giant earbud speakers!!














This concept is very Escher. Or Dali. Or both. Whatever the origin, they would look great on your desk and could be useful during late night drinking sessions to confuse people ie. "go get my headphones". Fun and hilarity will ensue. All we need now is a giant iPod.


What's that, you say? There is such a thing?

The giant Google Earth iPod. Now, where do we plug them in?



But this was just an April Fool's joke created by Apple - there was no bet between Steve Jobs and Kerry Packer ... it's actually a Western Australian tailings storage facility. Perhaps iPod's are actually made out of tailings...

Maybe I can make a giant Steve Jobs that can be seen from space... but then I'd have to make a giant Bill Gates as well. But I'd have to use Microsoft Virtual Earth... In fact, we could take up the entire earth with advertising space... Dang this, I'm off to design my own system: LJP Earth. Advertising starts at Google dollars...

technorati tags: giant ipod bud earphone speaker google earth giant ipod steve jobs bill gatesmicrosoft virtual earth

Congratulations to Laura Davies, who won her second Australian Open this week. She is a deserving champion and her swing has to be seen to be believed. Many of the commentators have all but written off the more experienced players, expecting the younger players to automatically win because of their age. Wrong!! You cannot write off players like Laura Davies or Karrie Webb, and you certainly cannot underestimate their ability, creativity and ingenuity to recover and mount a winning charge.

Karrie Webb was visibly disappointed with her performance but she is still Australia's best golfer and no doubt we will see her winning again in no time. She was gracious enough to give me her autograph, even though she probably would rather have been somewhere private to reflect after the game.

During the presentation, I was glad to discover that all proceeds from the Australian Open ticket sales will go straight to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. The haze from the fires was still visible throughout the tournament. It was a proud moment and I commend the organisers of the event for their generosity.

A small but important note to the Australian Open organisers: Please set up the will call office/tent at the MAIN entrance to the golf club. This will ensure that people can actually find the entrance and get in. It would also help if the attendant at the main gate had a clue where the other entrances were located so he doesn't send people off in the wrong direction, down the wrong street and headed for nowhere.



Were it not for the extremely kind guy in Car Park B who gave us a lift after we had been walking for at least ten minutes in the wrong direction in hot sun, we would not have found the entrance, which was a poorly marked, unlabeled side street leading to a long dirt road between a football oval and a primary school, at least a couple of kilometres walk from the front entrance. How anyone expected people to find this secret hollow is beyond me. Thank you Car Park B guy, you know who you are and you are a legend.

I received a great lesson from one of the Golf Pros from Drummond and found out much about my swing and the appropriate clubs to use. I didn't realise the importance of club fitting and consultation.

When I swung a hybrid Callaway Diablo for the first time, I realised what I could actually achieve with the right equipment. I was suddenly hitting the ball further than I have ever done in my life. I have always been curious about hybrids for some time, now I realise why they are so popular. It's simple - they are so easy to hit. I also discovered that because of my height and strength, I should not be using standard womens' clubs. Instead I fall in between the male and female clubs categories and I need taller clubs to make them easier for me to hit. I now realise that many of my clubs are probably too short for me. But I can't complain, I got them for $5-$15 each!

I will be shopping for new additions to my set, including the new tour Callaway x-22 and possibly one of the new Diablo drivers. The prices are reasonable at the moment - they can be found for $80-$100 each (excluding the driver!) on sale. I will be checking Drummond Golf and House of Golf for new specials and be sure to check the "Hot Specials" page for new deals this week.

technorati tags: Laura Davies Australian Open 2009 Karrie Webb golf callaway diablo x22

The Red Cross Bushfire Appeal urgently needs blood donations to assist the burns victims injured in the terrible fires throughout Victoria.

If you are between the ages of 16-71 and weigh over 45 kilos, you may be able to donate blood. The process of giving blood takes from 5-10 minutes, not including time for filling out a questionnaire and recovery time.

Please check the Red Cross Blood Service site for further conditions. If you need more information on eligibility, check the FAQ section or take their quick quiz.

technorati tags: give blood donate blood red cross bushfire victoria appeal 2009

Victoria's bushfires have been all over the news but we cannot begin to understand what these people are going through. If you feel the desire to help (as many Australians do!) please donate to the Red Cross Bushfires Appeal 2009. Please be wary of email scams masquerading as this legitimate charity organisation.

According to the Red Cross website:

• Australian Red Cross DOES NOT send unsolicited email to the public requesting donations.
• If you receive an unsolicited email alleging to be on behalf of Red Cross or collecting for Red Cross, immediately delete the message and do not forward or otherwise circulate it.
• Do not respond to these messages or provide any personal details to unsolicited email that you may receive.
• Only make an online donation to an Australian Red Cross Appeal at www.redcross.org.au.

Go to the official Red Cross Website to donate or call 1800 811 700

Please do not call 000 if you are worried about relatives / loved ones. The information line for the Country Fire Authority Victoria is 1800 240 667. Please do not visit the areas just to drive by and look. You will be in the way. Firefighters and investigators need to do their job without interference and the people of these devastated areas need to be left respectfully to grieve and rebuild their lives. Please do not donate clothing or other items to the Red Cross at this time - a cash donation is the most effective way to help during this appeal.

technorati tags: red cross bushfire victoria appeal country fire authority CFA
Photo credit: Shanghai Daily.com

Maybe it was because I was feeling patriotic after Australia Day. Maybe it was because the camera was handy. Or maybe there are some signs you come across that are just too silly to ignore...

Australians all let us rejoice for we are young and free,
With golden soil and wealth for toil...




And in honour of the Australian Open this week...

technorati tags: silly signs funny billboards

At some time or another the time will come when you look at your old Hanimex 35mm and say "well, old buddy, I'm afraid you're obsolete." It will be a sad day, for many that day has already come. For me it came two years ago when I realised that photography and photos were changing so rapidly and that I had to keep up or get left in a big cloud of dust kicked back from the 21st century.

So then you have to go through every catalogue, megapixels screaming at you and confusion racking your tired brain. Let's face it. We could all use a little help. You need to do some heavy-duty research before purchasing a camera. 42nd Street is a digital camera store that reviews and recommends various digital cameras and helps the digital camera shopper to decipher the myriad of options available to them. With concern to safekeeping digital pictures there is a handy section on camera care, warranties and storage. Their prices are reasonable and some savings can be found on many of the models discussed on the site. The range includes cameras for the holiday snapper right up to the serious photographer.



This post brought to you by 42nd Street Photo.

And now, from the people who brought you Paris Hilton and the mankini, please welcome... Bikijeans! Or Bikini Jeans Or "Avert thine eyes because you are about to be frightened severely" These jeans were actually invented by a Japanese company that obviously thought the tacky g-string showing-over-the-low-rise abomination wasn't enough. Let's be honest here. I don't care if you're Elle Macpherson, if you wear these jeans it's going to be hideous. And here's food for thought...try sitting down in them. This would of course, introduce a new aspect to the Bikijean - the added bonus of a butt crack! This just keeps getting better and better. These jeans should come with various warnings such as: "please refrain from sneezing" "avoid any seating areas with backless chairs" "do not eat while wearing these jeans" "avoid stores with metal racks and sharp objects or you might find yourself caught in a rather embarrassing bind" Old ladies beware - you are going to get a whole lot grumpier. Actually, I'm beginning to agree with them. I am a grumpy young woman and proud of it! Now, to continue my grump... This picture above shows a very skinny model in these jeans. It doesn't show her walking, because that would be quite difficult unless you have recently had a Brazilian or don't mind flashing the 'ole sidewinders. What you see in the photograph is a myth. When you go down to the local fish and chip shop or milk bar you are almost guaranteed to be confronted daily by a Kath & Kim style frightmare. This will not end prettily. ...and you know it won't stop there. I shudder to even ask the question "what's next?" Apparently these jeans are marketed for an exclusive audience - the "very thin". Hmmm, you know what? I think someone's got a thing about seeing girls' bits. It took a bit of digging but I think I'm on to it now... Seriously, the Bikijean. Yes or No?

technorati tags: bikijeans bikini jeans japanese fashion denim

My partner told me about how amazing an eggplant parmigiana can be when cooked properly. We decided to try out a 'counter meal' as they are known in Australia - basically a pub meal. The special was eggplant parmigiana and we arrived with anticipation of a mouth watering culinary experience.

WRONG!!

When the meal arrived, we suspected something was not quite right. For a start, my partner received about 4 chips while I received a larger pile. The nearby chicken parmigianas came complete with a mountain of chips and a parmigiana large enough to be a small car's hubcap. Our meal on the other hand, was quite different. The eggplant parmigiana itself was tiny, perhaps the size of an average person's palm. Oh well, I thought, quality not quantity. After tasting the eggplant, I was literally eating my words.

The knife provided was woefully ineffective, I found myself sawing away at this strange piece of boot leather and making little progress. Perhaps a local tree lopper would have come in handy at this point. The eggplant was dry, leathery and thin. It consisted of soggy layers of "batter", eggplant with the skin left on (which had the consistency of old boot) and another layer of soggy batter.

I could not bring myself to finish the meal, instead I dissected it out of curiosity and left it for the waiter to collect. When dissected, I noted it resembled Dalek innards (Dr Who fans will know what I'm talking about!).

When cooked properly, an eggplant parmigiana is thick, juicy, trimmed of skin and crumbed and fried. This science experiment was thin, skin heavy, microwaved back to life (or perhaps the undead), possibly frozen and grilled to within an inch of its life. It is my fond hope that pub meals will include vegetarian food more regularly in their menus and employ qualified chefs who have the expertise to er... cook.

If anyone out there knows a great eggplant parmigiana recipe, please enlighten me...

technorati tags: eggplant parmigiana recipe parma pub meal old boot

The period after Christmas is often the best time to buy gifts. A great way to save money is to buy next year's Christmas presents now. Personally, I am not that organised. But, given the recent economic crisis, the best thing for the economy right now is to spend money.

Bath spa gift baskets are convenient as they are a ready-made solution for birthdays and holiday celebrations. At Best Bath Store you can find gift baskets starting at $39.95 - the baskets range from smaller combinations of soaps and bath products, to deluxe dead sea mud packages.

Featured above is the Petite Deluxe Facial gift basket, including minerals and botanicals to care for acne prone skin. The package includes pore refining facial toner, an acne soap bar and acne treatment gel.

The site also features products for men, including shaving creams and gels, and a very cute "I am Smitten With Him" package. This features a bay lime shaving kit with aloe shea butter, vitamin e and soothing aloe vera for a closer and smoother shaving experience.

All products come attractively packaged in cute baskets and include free delivery within US and Canada for orders over $25. Perfect for that hard to buy person and the person who has everything.

Merry Christmas to all...
and to all
a good night!

xoxox

LJP

According to an article in The Age, a Galaxy poll revealed some surprising results.

After questioning 1242 people aged 13 years and older in October, the survey found the following 'best' gifts:

Best presents for women - Chanel No5 perfume

I disagree. I think Poison is much better and anyway, I'd rather get a new titanium driver. Perhaps I am atypical.


Best presents for men - iPod Nano
Hmmm. I know one man in particular who would scratch his head and give me a quizzical look if I bought him an iPod Nano. The most likely response would be "how do you turn the bloody thing on?"


Best presents for girls - Barbie and Baby alive

AAARRRRGHHH!!! My mum would have had a pink fit (literally) if I had been given such gifts. Barbie dolls are sexist and promote eating disorders. Baby alive prepares one for motherhood I suppose. Fine if you're into that sort of thing...


Best presents for boys - Lego and Transformers

Now you're talking. I got quite a few lego sets as a kid and I loved them. I think they are good for the imagination and also serve the purpose of keeping kids away from the XBox for a while. Transformers? Yeah, I used to like them...before the crap movie came out.



Now for the 'worst' list:

Worst presents for women - Kitchen appliances

I understand that the giving of a kitchen appliance to a woman can often be misinterpreted (or correctly interpreted) as "you woman, go cook!!" ...or words to that effect.
On the other hand if it's a rice cooker...well, they can come in handy.

Worst presents for men - the article didn't specify so I'll have to make up my own. From what I have heard, anything tie-dyed, clothing bought by grandma/aunties eg. green socks, more socks, colourful t-shirts that say something like "Brown Ferret Sports Club" with pictures of surfboards and volleyballs on it. Sweeping period romance novels are probably out, unless the male in question is a fan, or is named Gill Sanderson (romance author!). And perhaps the worst? Pongy aftershave that only goes with a backwards cap, a 6 cylinder car and an ear-splitting doof doof stereo.


Worst presents for teenage girls - Clothes bought by parents

Ok, I hear ya. Yep, yep. That polka dot cable knit jumper will sink to the bottom of the closet, only to be wheeled out on special occasions. Unless that is, it meets an unfortunate 'accident' along the way...


Worst present for teenage boys - Books

Whaat? What about Harry Potter? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
Are we entering a new age of illiteracy? Whatever happened to The Famous 5? Boys Own? Sherlock Holmes? Nooo, it's all gadgets and gizmos now. Teenage boys probably learn how to read on Facebook.


I finished my Christmas shopping two days ago. Let's hope we all escape the 'worst' list!

technorati tags: best and worst christmas presents gift ideas shopping

You might also be interested in this offer, it seems that the guys at MyShoppingJobs.com are now paying people to go shopping and giving away a bunch of free stuff as well. The Free E-Guide "Get Your Purchases Free" is now available for download.

Here's your chance to get a huge 10-20% discount at Macy's. Between 10th and 15th December 2008 you can use this discount on various items throughout the store.

When shopping on macys.com
enter the promotional code: MACYSFRIEND to receive your discount


Click here for the printable PDF version:
Download the Macy's Friends and Family Coupon!

technorati tags: macys coupon codes promotional online shopping discount

For the home:


I love these. It's kind of bean bag meets The Flintstones.




For the designer freak (I mean aficionado!):


I understand and believe in the quest for short run items and handmade goods. Quality rather than quantity. I also believe that there is an upper limit for what things are actually worth. A reasonably priced designer item can last for decades and provide the wearer with much happiness during this time. I just wouldn't pay $700 for a handbag. Call me weird but I really don't think any handbag is worth that much. These cute canvas bags are selling for $58 and are made by Pedido Tabique.




For the dot com mogul:


This is sooo nerdy that I had to include it. Is it an icon? Is it a usb drive?

Or perhaps you're a sushi person...

Colourful, fun and best of all silly, these usb drives are both lunch and storage. What more could you need?




For the beauty product nut:

These lip gloss sliding lip tins come in seven flavours and fit neatly in a purse or handbag.


I hope these ideas are a starting point to get you inspired for the coming season of giving!

technorati tags: eyes lips face sushi usb mini folder usb pedido tabique livingstones lounge

Picture this scene - you're at the 18th green, 5-10 metres away from the hole, holding on to the rope, watching Rod Pampling and Marcus Fraser battle out a sudden death playoff. The playoff results in a par for each player and they return to the 18th tee once more. Two more playoffs and holding your breath for around 20 minutes, Rod Pampling scores the winning shot. The crowd erupts into a colossal roar.

And some people say golf is boring.

The day was amazing, the food was incredibly expensive.

1 salad sandwich - $7.50

I ask you - it was two pieces of bread, a tiny bit of grated carrot, avocado dip and one small piece of lettuce. Was the bread gold plated?

The day was mind blowing, we were metres away from Robert Allenby, Rod Pampling and my partner nearly bumped into Peter Lonard as Lonard was coming out of the changing rooms. We watched Peter Senior (legend) putt on the 12th and Scott Hend tee off on the 13th.

Scott Hend hit the ball and we watched his long walk to his ball. Then we realised he wasn't stopping. He kept going, going and finally walked around to the back of the green, approximately 318 metres away. Holy crap, that's a long drive.

The realisation dawns when you actually watch these players in action. They-are-really-really-good. When you see it on TV, it doesn't quite have the same effect.

For the first time in my life I saw the presentation of the gold jacket and the trophy. If you love golf or are even just curious about golf, I suggest attending a tournament at least once.

technorati tags: Rod Pampling Wins Sportsbet Masters 2008 Huntingdale

It's that time of year again. The standouts from Choice Magazine Shonky Awards are as follows: 

Airobe Body Dryer It's basically a huge hairdryer for your body. It also seems to claim that it's environmentally friendly due to no longer needing to launder towels. Excuse me but when I have a shower I don't like to parade around without a towel with decent coverage. Must be my little quirk. For those of you who like to dance around in the nud in front of a huge hairdryer I have only one thing to say to you: You're weird, pal. 

Coles Steam Iron The purpose of an iron as I understand it is to smooth out creases in your clothing, giving you that "just laundered" look. The Coles steam iron, according to the results of Choice testing, sticks to clothes, increases creases (snigger!), and makes a big ol' steamy, watery, burny mess. If I wanted to do that to my clothes I would hang out in a steel foundry.

  Premium Mobile Services Industry

I'm not sure if anyone has heard about that guy who downloaded one episode of Prison Break and a few songs overseas and ran up a bill for around 35,000 pounds (see story here). This is a good example of how much these companies can charge for what is essentially useless content. I mean I have a phone, it rings numbers and sends texts. I don't need Kanye West's latest song as my ringtone, I don't need phone bling and I'd feel a little silly with a Harry Potter theme for my menu. I ask you, who really wants to watch an episode of Prison Break that much? And who wants to sit through the latest episode of Lost on a tiny phone screen? Here's an idea: record it, get your friends to record it, buy the DVD box set! Surely it will cost a lot less than 35,000 pounds. And parents can guard against their teenagers doing such dastardly things like downloading hotBabes4U by only allowing them to have a prepaid phone and recharging in small amounts. The recurring charges on a post-paid account can be devastating to all involved. And shame on these evil wrongdoers by targeting a naive audience and making it almost impossible to unsubscribe. 

Glaceau Vitamin Water I am also a victim of this shonkiness. I have many times consumed this concoction, erroneously believing it to be providing me with some kind of health benefit. Now, through these awards I have discovered I have been consuming a third of the daily sugar requirement for an adult female. AND I've often been consuming one of these before my 1-2k walks. Talk about a false economy! I don't even have sugar in my dandelion coffee! Argh! I also discovered that these drinks contain less than 1% fruit juice and are packed with artificial colouring. Yet another product to drop from my list. *sigh* Thanks to Choice for exposing the shonkiness infiltrating our consumer goods. Keep up the good work!

 

 

technorati tags: Shonky Awards Choice Magazine

I was sorry to learn from Blogetiq that BlogMad is closing down on the 12th of December 2008.















It's a real pity because I know of many people (myself included!) who know and love the site and surf through blogs regularly to earn credits at a 1:1 ratio. I have noticed a number of sites are closing down including matched.co.uk and various others. I wonder if it is due in part to the credit crunch? Or credit splat more like it, since that's the noise it's going to make when it hits its rear end on the bottom of the ladder. Eeek! I hope this doesn't affect too many sites because the rise of interesting blogging resources is required more than ever. We need to know how screwed things are just as soon as events occur.

Fingers crossed we get ourselves out of this mess.

BlogMad - farewell old buddy, I'll miss the creds!! If I had a lazy bunch of US$ lying handy I'd buy the domain.

technorati tags: BlogMad closing down December 2008