Yippee-ki-yay

We won't waste our or your time with words, dear readers, so he are some legos to look at.

No Chantiers de l'Atlantique, MSC Divina começa a tomar forma.

MSC Divina durante a mudança de doca.

A construção do novo navio da MSC começou em Novembro do ano passado, porém, chegou, em um certo ponto, que precisará ser transferida para uma outra doca, onde as condições são mais ideais. Por enquanto, cerca de 60% da estrutura do navio está concluída, o que não representa muita coisa, já que ainda falta toda a construção do interior do navio, e a maior parte da superestrutura. Após a tranferência, que aconteceu no último dia 23 de Abril, a construção continua, e deverá acabar em mais ou menos um ano, ou seja, em Maio de 2012. O MSC Divina, terá esse nome por sugestão de Sofia Loren, e será uma versão melhorada dos gêmeos Fantasia e Splendida, entregues em 2008 e 2009 respectivamente. Ambos tem 1,739 cabines, 333 metros de comprimento e 140,000 toneladas.

MSC Divina mudando de doca.

General National Maritime Transport Corporation (GNMTC)

MSC Fantasia.

A Empresa Líbia que ano passado encomendou um navio semelhante ao Divina, parecia não esperar pelo momento de instabilidade que o seu país passa no momento. Porém, até pouco tempo atrás, os executivos da empresa diziam que os problemas que o país vêm passando não influenciavam na construção do navio, e que o estaleiro poderia continuar com os trabalhos no navio. Porém, segundo o site francês MeretMarine.com, a empresa não pagou a segunda parcela referente a construção do navio, e o estaleiro começa a pensar em um plano B para o navio, caso a GNMTC não arque com os custos do navio, e desista da construção. Um possível solução, seria vender o navio já em construção para um armador que tenha interesse. O que pode tornar os problemas na Líbia um bom negócio para a MSC, que seria a principal candidata a adquirir o navio, já que ele é praticamente um gêmeo dos navios da classe Fantasia, e ainda sairia por um preço melhor que o dos seus gêmeos mais velhos.

Texto (©) Copyright Daniel Capella.

Imagens (©) Copyright Bernard Biger, (via MeretMarine) e MSC.

Property viewing, gardening, Blade Runner & Black Books

Toni, Aaron and I quizzes back to Eltham to go and view another property. Sadly Sam didn't come as he was too tired from a mega hectic night at work. The property was OK but it looked a lot better in the pictures than it do in reality. The master bedroom wasn't that big although the en-suite was nice. It was also a worry that there was no O2 signal there at all which would have caused us all issues. It's always good to view a variety of properties but this was one for the no pile.

After a quick snackette we headed back to SWF. I am ashamed to admit that the state of the front garden finally got the better of me be I ended up getting the lawn mower and strimmer out *grumble grumble*

One lovely stir fry later and it was time to chill out. Ice cream provided a welcome addition to Blade Runner: The Final Cut and then some Black Books for a bit of hilarity.

- Posted using BlogPress on my iPhone

Norwegian Sun em Ponta Delgada, Açores.

Chegou nesta manhã de Sábado por volta das 8h00 a Ponta Delgada o navio de cruzeiros Norwegian Sun.Este navio, da Norwegian Cruise Line, está em cruzeiro transatlântico de 15 dias iniciado em Port Canaveral (EUA) no passado dia 23 de Abril e com destino final no dia 8 de Maio em Copenhaga (Dinamarca). Até lá escala Lisboa, Zeebrugge (Bélgica) e Amesterdão (Holanda). A saída do navio está prevista para as 16h30.

Texto (©) Copyright Bruno Rodrigues.

Imagem (©) Copyright Antonio Simás.

Who is Anna Hazare ?........A personal Experience

Who is Anna Hazare?
1. Who is Anna Hazare? 

An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War

2. What’s so special about him?  He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra

3. So what? This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in …the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills. In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly & harmonic village.

4. Ok,…? This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.

5. Really, what is he fighting for? He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.

6. How that can be possible? He is advocating for a Bill, The Jan Lokpal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), beurocrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.

7. It’s an entirely new thing right..? In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit thier theft (corruption).

8. Oh.. He is going on a hunger strike for that whole thing of passing a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time? The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed. Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the JAN LOKPAL BILL. 50% goverment participation and 50% public participation. Because you cant trust the government entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.

9. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed? A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed. The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like, Bofors scam or Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, that has been going for last 25 years without any result.

10. Is he alone? Who else is there in the fight with Anna Hazare? Baba Ramdev, Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and many more. Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan is supporting his cause.

11. Ok, got it. What can I do? At least we can spread the message. How? Putting status message, links, video, changing profile pics. At least we can support Anna Hazare and the cause for uprooting corruption from India. At least we can hope that his Hunger Strike does not go in vain. At least we can pray for his good health. Thanks for reading.

This is a post that was sent to me by one of my army friends....It is a first person account from Air Marshall Raghu Rajan  who met him in his own village years back, and came back impressed. 





It reads  as.....

I met Anna Hazare,in1998,during a visit as an Air Cmde from DSSC,alongwith my friends,Ravi Burli and Kalaichelvan.We were then in Ahmednagar at the Armd Corps Centre and school.Having arranged a vehicle to take us to Ralegaon Siddhi,we drove along the Nagar-Pune road,till a friendly ex-army sub directed us.As we entered RS,the road was lined with trees on either side!





The road then took a dip and we entered a verdant village,full of greenery .





We met Anna rebuilding the temple with other villagers.My idea was to find out how a Naik ASC driver,could have transformed a village,steeped in the making of hooch,to this green village,and had been awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.





When Anna arrived in his village,everything was in his  words,imported.The villagers were busy collecting wood to burn and heat the still,and when they started removing th temple wooden beams,it was the last straw!He had Rs20,000/ as his commuted pension,and he used this to buy bricks to replace the beams ans make the walls stronger.The villagers were ashamed at this,and joined hands.He identified water availability as the crux,and with the advice of the Irrigation dept,he made a series of check dams,using chain-link pieces and stones,to hold the small runoffs,till the base,where he built a concrete dam to hold the water during the rains.

His efforts were so successful,that in one year,the water table rose by 12 ft,and water from then on was available to the village on a perennial basis.He then convinced the villagers to adopt-Nasha Bandhi,Nas Bandhi,Chara Bandhi(they were to cut the grass and feed it to the cattle,instead of letting them roam at will and denude the hillsides of precious grass),100% literacy,no caste discrimination and care for the girl child!Water made Ralegaon Siddhi self sufficient in grain,fruits(they started selling Mangoes, Chikoos, Bananas,Papayas etc),and in his words,the GDP of each villager to Rs 3000/.

They built a double storey building for their residential school,were no student would be failed-a revolutionary idea!

When an SC person was facing financial difficulties,he mustered funds,got the person out of trouble,and even collected funds to arrange for his daughter's marriage!





When I asked why I did not see a domino effect,he put it to leadership.He told me that he did not marry,as it would have diverted his attention from bringing up the village-it took 20 years of hard toiling effort.He did not accept any financial help from my side,as he said that it would lower him in his eyes-he had refused to accept 1000$ from a German TV unit for that same reason.





When we left,I saluted him,as I felt deeply humbled in the presence of a man who had achieved so much, in his life

That is Anna Hazare.........................................................

Orion Expedition Cruises Unveil 2012 Programme

Free Flights on Selected Kimberley, Borneo & Vietnam Itineraries plus 15% Early Booking Discounts on Selected Sailings
Orion Expedition Cruises has released an expanded range of path-less-travelled itineraries for 2012, which include free flights from the UK on selected Kimberley, Borneo and Vietnam voyages as well as early booking discounts of up to 15% on most sailings.

Incorporating the first full year of voyages for Orion II, as well as their original boutique cruiser Orion, these expeditions - well off the marine superhighway - include rarely visited destinations from polar ice cap to the tropics.

In addition to existing itineraries, Orion takes a fresh look at New Zealand with new Pure New Zealand and Bay of Islands voyages. Orion II’s new sailings feature the islands of Micronesia and additional voyages to Japan with Art of Japan and Culinary Voyage of Japan itineraries. China is included for the first time, with expeditions that includes the Yangtze Delta (Kobe to Shanghai) and Shanghai to Tawau (Yangtze, Taiwan, Philippines), while an inaugural visit to Java includes Borobudur.

Free flights are available on all Kimberley sailings between April 13 and September 10; on three Vietnam sailings departing March 12, 21, 30 and on one Borneo sailing departing February 17.

In all, 2012 will see the two purpose-built expedition cruise ships undertake 68 voyages to 17 countries and 174 destinations stretching from Antarctica to the Russian Far East, including Borneo, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the Inland Sea of Japan, Korea, China and Micronesia (onboard Orion II). Australia’s Kimberley coast, Arnhem Land, Great Barrier Reef, the Spice Islands, New Zealand, the Sub Antarctic islands and Papua New Guinea feature in Orion’s range of expeditions.

The complete 2012 Calendar of Sailings is now on sale. Prices start from £1,630 per person, cruise-only, for a five-night Great Barrier Reef voyage on September 27 and from £4,400 per person for a nine-night Vietnam Explorer voyage, including free flights, with departures on March 12, 21 and 30.

For more info, visit http://www.orionexpeditions.com/ or the UK's expedition cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne in Prabal Gurung

Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne

dressed by Prabal Gurung



I've began to sit up and take notice of Nepalese-American fashion designer Prabal Gurung. His bold designs are pretty and feminine, yet abstains from being too girly. Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne wore two dresses from his Fall 2011 Collection this week.

Damages actress, Rose Byrne is striking in a fuchsia stretch wool dress with black straps and leather belt. She gets the colour-blocking trend correct with the addition of a red clutch bag and red, black and white peep toes. Love this look from the heavy fringe to the Christian Louboutin heels.



Eva Mendes chose a strapless white overlay dress with sheer pleating on the bodice. The frock features a black bandeau inset and signature leather waistband. Eva accessorized with a large black clutch and chunky Casadei pumps.

NO Royal Wedding, Lightbulb Cafe, Due Date and Blackadder

I am proud to say that I did NOT watch the Royal Wedding today. I really don't see what all the fuss was about. Fair play to those that got excited and felt this made them feel British, whatever! I have since seen some pictures and do at least agree that the dress was gorgeous but the rest of it has thankfully passed me by, it's just a shame that it will take a week or so for the media to stop reporting on this.

We drove back to SWF in the afternoon and ended up going to The Lightbulb Cafe for a very late big breakfast/lunch! It did fill a large hole I have to admit!

Sam had to go to work tonight so Toni, Aaron and I spent the evening watching Due Date (an OK film with a couple of really funny bits) followed by a large smattering of Blackadder (episodes from Series 2 and 3).

Royal Caribbean anuncia dois dias de oferta em todos os navios

Royal Caribbean anuncia dois dias de oferta em todos os navios

A promoção WOW oferece até US$ 200 de crédito a bordo para as saídas a partir de agosto de 2011

São Paulo, 29 de abril de 2011 – A Royal Caribbean International anuncia uma promoção especial de dois dias, com ofertas de até US$ 200 de créditos a bordo. Com validade nos dias 3 e 4 de maio, a oferta contempla todos os cruzeiros a partir de agosto de 2011 – incluindo os mais novos e inovadores navios de cruzeiro da companhia, Oasis of the Seas e Allure of the Seas. Os hóspedes podem utilizar seu crédito a bordo no SPA, nos restaurantes de especialidades ou nos bares dos navios. Serão US$50 de crédito a bordo por cabine em cruzeiros de três a cinco noites, US$100 nos roteiros de seis a nove noites e US$200 para itinerários com 10 noites ou mais.

Os hóspedes podem aproveitar a promoção WOW para escolher entre uma variedade de roteiros incríveis, incluindo cruzeiros de final de verão na Europa a bordo de 11 navios da companhia que navegam pelo Mediterrâneo e pelos mares Báltico e do Norte. O Voyager of the Seas, por exemplo, oferece um novo roteiro de sete noites pelo mar Adriático, com saída de Veneza e pernoite na cidade italiana na última noite do cruzeiro. O Liberty of the Seas também está estreando sua temporada européia e será o único navio na região a oferecer a Experiência DreamWorks, com estréia de “Kung Fu Panda 2” em 3D. Além disso, os hóspedes do Liberty of the Seas’, que sai de Barcelona, poderão conferir a bordo o espetáculo musical “Saturday Night Fever”.

O crédito a bordo disponível na promoção WOW é válido para novas reservas individuais que forem pagas nos dias 3 e 4 de maio de 2011. A oferta não é válida junto com outras promoções e está sujeita à disponibilidade.

Texto: Copyright Press Release Assessoria de Imprensa Royal Caribean

Logo: Copyright Royal Caribbean International

Royal Wedding Hats

Elaborate hats and fascinators were the essential accessory at today's Royal Wedding. 

VIP guests wore many versions of the headpiece, from the stylish to the outright insane.

Top Row:

• Princess Eugenie wears a bold blue headpiece with purple flowers and a spray of white feathers. Princess Beatrice wears an outrageous structural hat in beige. Did she borrow it from Lady Gaga? Both royal disasters are by milliner Philip Treacy.


• Spain's Princess Letizia matches her dress to her sweet pink tulle-topped hat.


• Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece wore a light blue Marie-Antoinette inspired headpiece, decorated with rosettes.


• Victoria Beckham opted for an oval pillbox hat with twisted accents in navy blue.


• Princess Victoria of Sweden looks classy in a simple coral wide-brimmed straw hat.

Bottom Row:

• Lady Frederick Windsor dons a sculpted navy blue hat with loops and twirls.


• Spanish beauty Miriam Gonzalez Durantez wore an exotic floral creation in orange. She is the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.


• British socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson looks ridiculous in this bright blue tear-shaped hat. Can she even see properly? She is accompanied by her sister Santa,  who wore a flamboyant floral nest.


• Royal bride-to-be Zara Phillips holds on to her larger-than-life black hat with large flower attached to one side.


• Chancellor George Osbourne's wife, Frances wore an elaborate black and white feathered fascinator.

A Royal Wedding Gown

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge



After months of speculation, the royal wedding gown was finally revealed at Westminster Abbey today. Kate Middleton was exquisite in an ivory and lace gown by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

The long-sleeved bodice with sweetheart neckline was beautifully adorned in French Chantilly lace. The skirt was hand-embroidered by the royal school of needlework at Hampton Court. The gazar satin train measured over 2 metres, adding to the wow-factor of the dress. It is simple yet stunning and thankfully not overelaborate. She wore her hair down with a short veil and a 1936 Cartier tiara. Prince William wore a traditional red military uniform, with gold buttons and blue garter sash, signifying his position as Colonel of the Irish Guards. 

The bride's sister Pippa Middleton (right) wore an ivory satin crepe cowl neck gown with lace trims, also designed by Sarah Burton. For the evening reception, Kate chose a white satin McQueen dress with beaded waistband and cropped mohair cardigan.

Kate looked like a true fairytale princess in her wedding gown. It was elegant and demure - an instant classic that we will see in photographs for years to come.

Their Royal Highesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Marry in a Spectacular Ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London, April 29, 2011

With all the pomp and glamour of a royal wedding in the house of Mountbatten-Windsor, the nation of Britain celebrated the wedding of their rising heir to the throne, Prince William, to his beautiful bride, Catherine. Watching the wedding of this young couple who are taking so much responsibility on their shoulders, I was struck by how weddings the world over are always about the same thing; the hopes and dreams of the couple for their coming life together and the love that created those dreams in the first place.

Whether the wedding takes place in the magnificent Westminster Abbey in London, a glamorous hotel ballroom, a tiny chapel, a nature park, or the back yard of a home, the emotions remain the same for every couple. That is why weddings are so wonderful; they celebrate a love and a positive belief in the promise of the future.

I join with people the world over in wishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a wonderful life together in their private lives as Will and Kate and in their very public roles as the future King and Queen of England.

Friday Photo

Gare Saint Lazare, Paris 2008

Royal Caribbean's Kid-Friendly Half-Term

Join Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas for a seven-night Eastern Mediterranean fly/cruise from £669 per adult and £599 per child (based on two adults and two children sharing an inside cabin). Plus receive $100 onboard spending money per booking if you book by April 30.

The price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and the seven-night cruise departing Civitavecchia (Rome) and calling at Messina (Sicily), Piraeus (Athens), Kusadasi (Turkey) and Chania (Crete) before returning to Civitavecchia; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on May 29 departure.

For more info, www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or visit the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

China Clay Figurine Museum will Open to Public in the Coming May

As reported recently, China Clay Figurine Museum lied in the "Clay Village" – Wuxi in China will complete construction soon and well be officially opened in May of this year.

Wuxi Huishan Clay Figurines

Currently, the museum has recruited one thousands pieces of clay figurine treasures throughout the country for exhibition, so tourists in domestic and came from overseas can enjoy the artistic charm of Chinese colored clay in the entertainment experience.

The recorded history of clay figurine in China can be traced back from four thousand years ago, clay figurine is one of the most ancient and common folk arts in China, in domestic Tianjin, Beijing, Shaanxi, more than a dozen provinces and municipalities, all has its own representative heritage genre of clay color figurines.

Wuxi Huishan Clay Figurines

Among them, Wuxi Huishan clay figurines, Tianjin clay figurine Zhang, Beijing Han’s color clay figurines and so on, all have a history more than one hundred years, and since the Ming Dynasty, Wuxi have been reputed as "Huishan Street, five miles long, return with riding flowers and fragrant soles” to praise the fragrance of the soil of Wuxi.

As the main genre of clay figurine art in China, Wuxi Huishan clay figurines was been listed in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

Wuxi Huishan Clay Figurines

It is understood, The China Clay Figurine Museum that located in Huishan ancient town Beitang District, Wuxi city Museum composed by four exhibition halls, a temporary exhibition hall, a clay figurine workshop and a multi-media theater, the exhibition area has an area of 8,000 square meters.

The Museum equipped with 10 masters studios, among them, there are 8 studios for clay figurine masters, and the other two for masters of tin embroidery and bamboo carving.

Wuxi Huishan Clay Figurines

The more than one thousand pieces of clay figurine works for show collected by the museum, a part of them were obtained from China clay figurine exhibitions, and the other batch were reproductions of fine clay figurines in all ages and reproduced by national & provincial grade industrial arts masters invited by the museum.

The staff worked in the museum introduced that, this time the China Clay Figurine Museum built in Wuxi and China Academy of Clay Figurines, will change the traditional way of heritage transferred in workshops, they will reunion all clay art resource in domestic China, thus to create a cultural and creative industry park with modern aesthetic spice and entertainment elements, and the related clay art industry chains will also be developed since that.

Wuxi Huishan Clay Figurines

It is also reported that the three old workshops of former Huishan Clay Factory now have been get a renewal repair, and will worked as the sales area of clay figurines as well as clay figurine workshops, which is used to show "living specimen" of the production process of clay figurines livingly, thus to enrich the art content of the clay museum.

* Original address of this China gift post: China Gift and Fine Arts & Crafts

Royal Caribbean anuncia temporada 2012/2013 no Caribe, e deve ter novidades no Brasil.

Ontem a Royal Caribbean anunciou oficial- mente sua temporada caribenha 2012/2013: serão 13 navios da companhia em nas águas cristalinas do Caribe. Entre estes, Mariner, Navigator, Adventure, Brilliance, Jewel e Liberty of the Seas, farão uma temporada sazonal, de alguns meses, vindos da Europa, para onde também partem depois da temporada no Caribe.

Já Oasis, Allure, Freedom, Explorer, Monarch, Majesty e Enchantment of the Seas, continuarão seus roteiros no Caribe durante o ano inteiro. As viagens de alguns dos navios já estão a venda, as dos outros, abrirão para venda nas próximas semanas.

O Allure e o Oasis estarão novamente baseados em Fort Lauderdale, com partidas semanais, alternando entre Caribe Oeste e Leste. O Freedom, continuará com seus embarques em Port Canaveral, também alternando roteiros entre Caribe Leste e Oeste. Já o Explorer, fará roteiros a partir de Cape Liberty, New Jersey, com roteiros para o Caribe e Bahamas. O Enchantment, ficará baseado em Baltimore, Maryland, e realizará viagens ao Caribe Sul, Leste e Bahamas.

O Mariner of the Seas, que recentemente esteve no Brasil, ficará novamente baseado em Galveston, no Texas, oferecendo roteiros para o Caribe, enquanto o Navigator substituirá o Voyager em Nova Orleans. O Liberty operará roteiros curtos, também a partir de Fort Lauderdale. Além deles, o Jewel realizará cruzeiros com embarque em Tampa, também na Flórida. O Monarch e o Majesty of the Seas, mais antigos navios da Royal Caribbean, e gêmeos do Sovereign, farão mini-cruzeiros a partir de Port Canaveral e Miami, respectivamente.

América do Sul

O Serenade of the Seas é gêmeo do Radiance, e pode operar no

 Brasil futuramente. 

Além desses 13 navios, outros quatro da frota já tem roteiros para a época 2012/2013, são eles o Radiance e Rhapsody of the Seas, que estarão na Austrália, o Vision, que já tem prevista a volta para o Brasil, e o Independence, que continuará na Europa. O Splendour, que até pouco tinha prevista uma travessia para o Brasil, teve seus roteiros alterados, e ainda não tem destino previsto para a época, tudo indica, portanto, que ele ficará longe do Brasil pela primeira vez em vários anos. Como a Royal Caribbean não deve diminuir a oferta em 2012/2013, aumentam as possibilidades de um novo navio fazer a temporada brasileira. Ainda não há como prever que navio virá, já que as possibilidades são amplas: Grandeur e Legend, além do Splendour (da Vision Class), Voyager (Voyager Class) e Serenade of the Seas (Radiance Class) estão ainda sem roteiros previstos. Portanto, a Royal Caribbean pode surpreender com um navio da classe Voyager, aumentar a oferta com um da classe Radiance, ou simplesmente substituir o Splendour com outro Vision Class semelhante. Uma coisa é certa, pelo menos um desses navios deverá ir para a Ásia (mais provavelmente o Legend, mas pode ser que o Splendour o substitua, ou mesmo faça companhia, a seu único gêmeo) e outro no Oriente Médio. Não está descartada também o aumento no número de navios em qualquer destino da Ásia, ou mesmo na América do Sul.

Texto (©) Copyright Daniel Capella.

Imagem (©) Copyright Daniel Capella e Travel 247 (Serenade).

Friday Frills

Wise Words from Helen Keller



Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.



Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.



Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.



The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.



I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.



Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.



What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.



I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

Divas and Darlings - Us Weekly Party

Red Carpet Fashion

Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood Party 2011



Us Weekly held a Hot Hollywood Style 2011 Issue event in LA earlier this week. The young and beautiful were honoured for their personal sense of style, which they proudly showed off on the grey carpet. 



Sleek and Stylish

Prada to Nada's Alexa Vega wears a midnight blue dress with assymetrical ruffles by Ali Ro, teamed with nude Steve Madden pumps and a metallic clutch. Whitney Port opted for a one-shoulder white dress with colourful insets by GUiSHEM. She wore it with electric blue lace up heels by Giuseppe Zanotti. My favourite look is worn by Odette Yustman. She's gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder black dress with sheer beaded bodice by Versus. Her peep toes are by Giuseppe Zanotti. Czech supermodel Petra Nomcova is sweet in a soft pink strapless dress by Tommy Hilfiger. She accessorised with black pumps, a black belt and Dolce & Gabbana bag. Hayden Panettiere wore a Helmut Lang blazer over her black and blush Camilla & Marc lace dress. I am closet craving her stunning Jimmy Choo heels with crystal ankle straps.

Bright Colours

Actress Caroline D'Amore wears a long-sleeved silk jumpsuit in burnt orange. I love the sea green colour of Zelda Williams' 50's style dress. Camilla Alves is ravishing in a ruby red bustier dress by Dolce and Gabbana. American Idol's Pia Toscano dons bright blue BCBG dress with Christian Louboutin heels. TV actress Kelsey Chow chose a simple deep pink tunic dress with striking sandals.

Could Have Done Better

Katerina Graham takes on rock-goth style in this black dress by Dimepiece. Rachael Leigh Cook's horizontal stripe dress looks like a sleep shirt. Everything about Madeline Zima's look is bland and dowdy. Jessica Simpson in a tribal print Etro dress - I don't like the fit or the busy print or the high neckline. It makes her look shorter and wider. Jessica Szohr wears a black dress by Style Stalker - like the full skirt but the sheer lace top with bra looks a bit trashy.  

Costa Cruzeiros volta a operar em Trieste, na Itália

Em 2012, a Costa Cruzeiros, volta a incluir Trieste (Itália) como porto de saída para um de seus navios. O Costa Classica, que foi deslocado pelo grupo em 2008 para outros destinos, retorna com embarques, sempre aos sábados, entre 19 de maio e 24 de novembro, em 2012, com cruzeiros de oito dias com o seguinte itinerário: Trieste, Ancona, Mykonos, Atenas, Corfu e Dubrovnik. A temporada será maior do que em 2008, com 28 escalas (75% a mais do que daquele ano) e movimentação de 65 mil passageiros (de novo, um aumento de 75%)

Com Trieste, a Costa Cruzeiros passa a operar em 12 portos de embarque na Itália. Os outros são Savona, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Nápoles, Capri, Messina, Palermo, Catânia, Bari, Ancona e Veneza.

Texto (©) Copyright Mercados & Eventos.

Imagem (©) Copyright Daniel Capella.

Crazy day & house viewing

It was another crazy day at The Asylum! There is still far too much work to do for just the two of us but we are chipping away at it slowly. Thankfully the two extra tasks that we had feared were about to drop on us didn't appear although I expect they will next emerge next week!

We did however get some news about some internal changes (an interim measure prior to a proper re-org).

In the evening Toni, Sam and I went and looked at a property together. It had great potential and is definitely onto consider. We are looking at another place on Saturday. It does make your head hurt a hit doing all this searching and evaluating!

It will all be worth it in the long run but the whole process is both nerve racking and exciting at the same time and we've only just started LOL

Rounded the day off with some Sam made pork chops accompanied by The Boat That Rocked!


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