sunday snapshots

With above zero temperatures this Sunday, we decided to explore a little bit of the city, particularly the development area of harbour district Bjørvika. On the way there, we stopped by the Opera House.

If you’ll remember, the Norwegian Opera House won the 2009 Mies van Der Rohe Award (European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture). There’s an ongoing exhibit at the National Museum of the 48 finalists for the award, so if you’re in Oslo do check it out. The exhibit runs until April 11, 2010.

One of the founding buildings at the Barcode project in Bjørvika is the PriceWaterhouseCoopers building. I spotted this huge steel pillar with etched anthuriums so I had to pose next to it.

The Bjørvika redevelopment area is right next to the old town, which has been a subject of debate among city developers and constituents but I don’t wanna go there. So after a quick survey of all the construction projects in Bjørvika, we swung by the old town. Look at all those graffiti. Not pretty!

We saw a graveyard of  road signs on the way home. Now where do the lost ones go?

And looking back, we saw an Oslo on the rise. I like how I’ve captured that bridge in construction and the newly opened Holmenkollen ski jump tower in the background. The steel and glass Radisson Blu hotel dwarfs the dome and spire of the Oslo Cathedral. That’s old and new for you.

Happy Sunday!

my blog is carbon neutral

German based company kaufDA contacted me recently to let me know about their initiative “Make It Green,” which aims to raise awareness about the severe environmental damages caused by carbon dioxide emissions. While there are many factors contributing to these emissions, did you know that a blog with 15,000 visits a month alone has a yearly carbon dioxide emission of 3.6 kg? I don’t know how significant that amount is, but still.

With the Make It Green initiative, I can neutralize the CO2 emission of my blog by showing I care about the environment thru the “My Blog is Carbon Neutral” button you will find on the sidebar. kaufDA, in turn, will be planting a tree in the Plumas National Forest in Northern California on behalf of FRESH MESS. I hope to be able to stand under this tree someday, when it’s tall and mighty!

In a simple equation, one blog = one tree. So the more participating blogs, the more trees will be planted! And since a tree lives for an average of 50 years, carbon dioxide emissions of my blog can be completely neutralised for this time period. How cool is that?

If you want your blog to participate or to learn more about this project, just click here.

apple ipad now available for pre-order

If you’re living in the US, you can now pre-order the iPad, the latest wonder gadget from Apple, from the US Apple Store. The Wi-Fi version (16, 32 and 64 GB) is available from $499 to $699, while the Wi-Fi + 3G model (16, 32 and 64 GB) is available from $629 to $829. Wi-fi version orders will be sent out from April 3, while the 3G version from late April.

I do think the iPad is perfect for me when I’m travelling as it’s much lighter than a Mac laptop and doesn’t take too much weight and space in my handcarry. All the essential functions I would need while on a trip – like checking and writing emails, tweeting, surfing blogs and connecting on Facebook, as well as watching movies and reading a “book” – are available on the iPad so I’m seriously considering one. And I think the iPad Case is smart, too.

No launch date has been announced yet for the Norwegian market.

show h&m your fresh blue style!

After the success of The Art of the Trench by Burberry, Swedish fast fashion empire H&M (that’s Hennes & Mauritz for us in Scandinavia) now jumps in the bandwagon of social media and invites its customers to upload photos of themselves wearing at least one H&M item and two or more blue pieces to be featured in its online campaign “The Blues.” This is a collaboration with lookbook.nu and will run until March 17, 2010.

At H&M, blue is a key color for Spring 2010. We want to see your freshest blue style wearing your favorite H&M items!

Starting February 25, H&M stylists will choose five looks twice per week to be featured on their online campaign “The Blues.” All winners will also receive a 100 EURO (about $140 USD) gift certificate redeemable at any H&M!

To enter the contest, all you have to do is submit a look of you wearing one or more pieces of H&M and two or more blue pieces. We are looking for H&M looks in which blue is the dominant color that “pops.” Only one H&M item is necessary to qualify, but the more, the better! Don’t forget to tag what H&M piece(s) you are wearing when you’re done.

A 100-euro gift certificate and getting featured on the H&M website alongside top models Tyson Ballou and Daria Werbowy, now that sounds like a good prize to me!

i get by with a little love from my friends

While I do like sending postcards whenever I travel, my friends send me a little hello from their travels by taking photos of Louis Vuitton stores and tagging me on Facebook. Some remember and send by e-mail. How thoughtful is that? I think it’s amazing that they think of me when they spot an LV store, and they stop and snap. If I get lucky, they even get themselves in the picture. =)

Here’s the super sexy Sylvain  (oh god you have to see his photos on Facebook!) at the LV Champs-Elysees store during Valentine’s Day. He and his cute husband Pascal stayed at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris and took a little sidetrip to the LV flagship store. *I first met these Parisian boys during my trip to Mykonos in August last year.

The LV store on Getreidegasse in Salzburg taken by my Hungarian Austrian friend Andi. On the same street was the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He thought I’d like that. Well I loved it. I have to go here someday! *I first met Andi at the Norwegian school I attended some years ago.

My hot and spunky Pinoy friend Ryan at the LV store in Brisbane, taken during a boys trip to the Gold Coast back in early February 2009. See the Stephen Sprouse Graffiti/Rose collection launched during that time? *I haven’t actually met Ryan (who lives in Melbourne) but have spoken to him and exchanged comments in our blogs in their early years.

And these came by email today from Knut’s colleague Ann Kristin. She took these at the LV store in Geneva. Love that trunk! *Ann Kristin has partied with me once – during last year’s Eurovision Song Contest finals we previewed at our apartment.

Oooh, I get by with a little help love from my friends. =)