Patrick Moberg was travelling in a subway where he saw the girl of his dream. He hesitated for awhile before picking up his courage to approach Camille Hayton. By then, she has already alighted the subway and out of sight. This triggered his determination to find her by setting up a website with detailed re-enactment of the situation and even a sketch of the girl.

He sought the help of fellow New Yorkers to spread the message on his behalf. His effort paid off as a friend of Camile identified the girl and eventually, they met up and has gone on to become friends and had a short relationship together.

Sketches of NYgirlofmydreams.com and Girlonbus.com

I pondered upon a similar situation locally by a guy named Neil Xu. He also setup a website in pursuit of the girl which he lost sight on a bus.

I think this is a very novel idea here. Neil received encouraging messages on route, but also had to put up with numerous hate mails which described him as ‘unattractive’, ‘stalker’ and ‘gutless’. However, I think he is courageous and innovative enough (although he took the idea from Patrick) to look for her. I totally understand how it feels when he lost sight of that special someone and eventually had to be content with “What if, what if”. 

New media has indeed taken on various new roles in the ever-changing times, and this is one great idea which people have leveraged on in recent times. I wish Neil all the best in his search for that special girl (:

Video Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y137qgtMDSk

Picture Source:

1. http://www.nygirlofmydreams.com/
2. http://girlonbus.com/

Natalie Dylan and her elder sister, who was her inspiration for this auction

22-year old San Diego girl Natalie Dylan (pseudo name) is planning to auction her ‘Virginity’ online. She plans to use the money she raised to pay off her Masters Degree Course in Family and Marriage Therapy. She was inspired by her elder sister, who had worked as a prostitute for 3 weeks and earned thousand of dollars to finance her studies.

Since her announcement on the Howard Stern Show, there have been 10,000 bids received at her website with the highest bid at 2.6 million dollars. However she emphasises she reserves her right to choose who she wants to sell it to.

Online auctions has helped revolutionised how we buy and sell, but who would have thought virginity could also be auctioned?

Personally, I think she just degrades herself by selling herself online. In Asia or Singapore context, such idea is hard to materialise as we live in a conservative society. Many people will start condemning her action and faces a lot of criticism. In the US, this does not apply as they are really open and tolerable towards such matter. Which is why she refuses to barge even when there are harsh criticism against her as sections of the society accepts such action.

Maybe when she looks back at a later stage of her life, she may or may not regret her decision. That money could do her good in the short term, but she may live with guilt and regret that she could have practiced abstinence for her future husband. Or maybe, her reputation could have long gone down the drain.

Picture Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1113188/American-woman-22-auctions-virginity-2-5m–waiting-better-offer.html

Video Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do3otUSbTpA

Tired of walking? Now you can ‘walk’ with the Walking Bicycle. The tyres are made of shoes which make it ‘walk’ literally. In a demonstration, the bike does work but it takes an awful lot of effort to ride one. Unless you are capable of handling this mean machine, I think walking will be a better option.

Getting a bicycle despite the economy meltdown with short budget? Here’s a Cardboard Bike which cost US$30. Other than the chains and tyres, the bike is entirely made of cardboard. This has helped to shave the cost of a typical bike. Seems like a pretty innovative idea but it is one I would not invest in. I do question the functionality in reality when it comes to crashes, fire, weight and rain. Any warranty to cover me if I needed a refund or repair after buying it? I’m tickled.

Lastly, the future encompasses the ever-advancing technology. A student, together with Yamaha has created the ride of the future, Deus Ex Machina. It is a wearable motorcycle in the form of exoskeleton. It is even environmentally friendly, running on hybrid power.

I think the wearable bike seems very feasible and unique among all. The idea of controlling the bike in sync with the user’s body movements is just way awesome, and I am a firm supporter of hybrid technology. It makes me want to own one as well! Coolios.

Picture Sources:

1. http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/the_walking_bike.php
2. http://gizmodo.com/5020499/cardboard-bicycle-costs-just-30-dont-leave-it-out-in-the-rain
3. http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/05/art-center-pasadena-shows-yama.html

We all live in cosmopolitan Singapore, a fast-paced society which lacks natural resources and in my opinion, innovation as well. So how should we solve and improve the situation? Let us take a look from a global perspective.

Floating Houses on stilts in Maasbommel, Netherlands

Obviously housing is an issue when Singapore is merely a red dot on the world map. With 60% of land under sea level, Floating Houses has risen as the solution for The Netherlands. It is moored by stilts which float in conjunction with the sea level. Land-scarce Singapore could further tap on the “living on water” concept to capitalise on land usage.

One moment Blue, another moment Orange

If that is going to happen, I will need to distinguish my future house from the identical designs. The Colour Changing House which changes colour with my personality will set me apart from the rest.

Look out, there's a pot above your head! Oops...

I love plants, but often it wilts before I even realise it. I have limited space and my hectic lifestyle has made me neglect my plants. Fret not, here comes the Upside-Down Plant. This brilliant interior designing which hangs pot from the ceiling can also save you 90% water than usual pots. Now you can keep a plant carefree, rejuvenate your interiors and save that precious space and water for alternative uses.

An inexpensive Sink Bowl made entirely from IKEA Products

Finally, we know that IKEA is a place we could simply shop for those knitty-gritty furniture and accessories. Sometimes, I can’t find that home solution I need. We can IKEA Hack instead. People come up with exceptional ideas to transform a IKEA product into something different like a exquisite-looking TV Rack to a simple Laptop stand or bizarre Guitar. Personally, I like to DIY/build stuffs and I would fancy hacking something round my house whenever possible.

Singapore can bring out the best out of its natural and human resource to cater to demands and innovating ideas. With that bit more thinking and creativity, I am sure one day we will provide the inspiration for others as well.

Picture Sources:

1. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/05/0511_mostcompetitive/image/singapore.jpg
2. http://www.technovelgy.com/graphics/content08/holland-floating-house.jpg
3. http://www.homedesignfind.com/architecture/color-changing-house-by-italo-rota/
4. http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/10/the-boskke-upside-down-sky-planter/
5. http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-hack-bowl-sink.html

I wonder what he'll think of this name change when he grows old?

This geek here has gone bonker for awhile in a bid to enter the record book with the World’s Longest Name. His name? Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine Hulk And The Flash Combined. The former George Garratt managed to do for £10 via a deep poll service Online.

It’ll not just seem dumb if you do so here, but you’ll face criticism from the society. He did it to be unique, but didn’t he just threw his family name away? I totally understand why his grandmother no longer speaks to him. He lost the identity, culture and tradition associated with it. The family name’s ’uniqueness’ is far more special than his new found fame in my opinion.

Many things could be done online with ease, but personally I think there should be tighter regulations in getting a deed poll in the UK. Previously I obtained a deed poll to insert a given name, but only via the lawyer’s watchful approval. If that is the case, then I reckon anyone in the world could actually beat the world’s record anytime.

"Wasn't that from a script of a episode?"

And in contrast to his reason of simply collating random hero names, it’s actually an adaptation from a episode of “Family Guy“. Call that stupidity in the name of senseless fun, plus no creativity considering the idea was actually from that episode.

Looks like his attempt at the record failed and overwritten by 1 year-old girl, Autumn Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries Hart Burns Johnson Willard Dempsey Tunney Schmeling Sharkey Carnera Baer Braddock Louis Charles Walcott Marciano Patterson Johansson Liston Clay Frazier Foreman Brown.

Bizarre but sensibly changed in line with the boxing obsessed family’s tradition, with 25 middle names culled from famous boxers. While for George Ga… I mean Captain Fantastic, let’s just say he has nothing better to do.

Picture Sources:

1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/captain-fantastic-claims-worlds-longest-name-993957.html
2. http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/0/5358/03_2008/family%20guy_4.jpg

I will be bringing you some of the interesting and odd stuffs that you will hardly stumble upon in our sunny island. So do catch my weekly entries and feel free to leave your two-cents worth in the comments.

Till then, have a jolly pleasant time surfing my blog! (: