Friday night lights.

January 14, 2012

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Walking around last night in the cool but very tolerable early evening Sydney air was just so good I had to write this.
China town on every other night including tonight has the best vibe. Maybe it has something to do with glorious foods on offer, the bustle of the night markets or the close quarter human contact with other people enjoying the same.
And can I tell you last night was no different. It was a complete eye fucking candy tour of one of the best parts of Sydney.
You can almost smell the ‘getting ready for CNY’ in the atmosphere.
Knowing that I can just get in the car with my team and walk around here, letting my two and four year old also enjoy the experience is magical. Not in a ‘Gandalf the white’ sort of way but more in a ‘Silvermist in a hipster dress’ sort of way.

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If you drop down this way. Dinner is sorted. Automatic and sorted. Dumplings. Steamed vegetarian dumplings. Not going to say they are the best in Sydney cause as far as dumplings go I am pretty sheltered.
China town’s colors fuck your eyes on any given night but combine them with CNY prep a nice evening sunset and a cool/war summers breeze and it is heaven.

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This picture inspired this post. It is rare that just having a fun happy experience can inspire a non sarcastic objective post for me any how.
Sydney does this every week end my team and I go for noodles or what ever.
The more I write this post the more when I read it back it sounds like babbling bullshit.
I don’t. Care this time.
Just stare at the pictures please.

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Last night was a dream night in China Town Sydney. You should have been there.

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Why I love this Blog

January 13, 2012

If this myriad of search terms does not impress you enough to start following the magical mystery tour that is this website, then I am pretty sure you wear a lot of beige.

How good is ‘smurfs doing coke’, and ‘Jesus loves penis’, I am probably about 30 days from being picketed by Westborough Church.

Maybe it has something to do with my tags.

Anti-’Gangsta Lean’ Campaign

January 13, 2012

Sorry today has provided me much inspiration and whilst I wait for reports to run. I will quickly re write the rules on what you are and and are not allow to do whilst in motor vehicles.

As expertly recreated in MS Paint, I was an observer to a young male driving like this (please use some imagination) this morning, in what seemed to be his Mum’s Ford Fiesta (old model and it was blue). I wasn’t sure of the exact number plate so I just estimated. (It was probably closer to Douche’s Mum’s Car, but that wouldn’t fit)

So I have decided to make a list of cars you are not allowed to do that in. Ever.

1. Honda jazz

2. Any Hyundai

3. Any older model Ford, (excluded is the GT 500)

4. Honda CRV (I tested this out in ours and felt like a douche)

5. Ford laser

6.  Holden Astra

7. Any Holden

8. Audi TT (Daiahatsu Copen is acceptable)

9. Nissan Skyline R30/33/34(GTST model)

10. Mazda 3

11. Mitsubishi Mirage

12. Mitsubishi Lancer (any with Chrome aftermarket tail lights)

13. VW Polo

14. VW EOS

15. Toyota Corolla

16. Any BMW older than this year.

17. Audi RS4 (too gangsta to be gansta leaning in especially the Advant)

18. Mostly all cars

19. Those $50 mountain bikes you see people rding on with the motor attached.

20. Those thin Skate boards that are back in fashion

21. Dunlop Volley Shoes

22. Any clothes from Glue Store

23. Roller shoes are ok if the child is Gangsta

24. Ikea Trolley (unless you bought expidite book shelf they are gangsta)

25. VW Beetle (new version)

26. Any care with a Tape deck

27. Toyota utes with carpet on the rear tray and some empt chrome tool boxes

28. Horses (mules are totally more gangsta)

29. Any car with flag of any nationality on rear view mirror

30. Any car with Garter belt hanging from review mirror

31. Any Car going through McDonalds’ Drive through (please refrain from being gangsta as Mcdonalds’ workers deserve our respect)

32. Vespas

33. Yellow Cars (Lancer Evolution 9 exception)

34. Yellow motorbikes

35. Guys on motors bikes in thongs, shorts, and muscle shirt/singlets.

 

Any others please feel free to comment.

 

 

New About Pandainabattlesuit Page

January 13, 2012

This is it, I have written it as a post then made it a page, should you guys wish to refer any friends here, and they say – “well what’s it really all about? “- “who is this pandainabattlesuit?”

You can now refer them to the infromations links, and the about page.

which looks like this

Whilst it may look personal and intimate, this website site is a cleverly put together collection of personal and anecdotal experiences and reviews, of  ’non-hipster’, ‘psuedo geek’, and ‘nerd tech’ parents’ every day lives.

Included are stories from self indulgent me, stories from friends, experiences, product reviews, design high-lights, and very poorly recreated re-enactments of every days happenings, carefully constructed in Microsoft paint.

Oh and of course, features of stories from my favourite websites, and blogs from around the world.

Whilst traffic is small I do appreciate my reader ship,  and welcome any feedback, or cookies/cakes you wish to send me.

Please enjoy, take the humour or opinion with a grain or 500 of salt.

Thank you for reading, as I realise this is truly a form of Narcissism.

Kind Regards,

Luke

@pandabattlemode

I hope this is helpful. Probably not, but I figured I should provide some background.

Tiny Books of Goodness

January 13, 2012

Recently whilst looking for a better web platform for viewing my instagr.am account I stumbled up on a little company called Printstagr.am

They do all sorts of little printing jobs and formats only using your Instagr.am shots.

From there assortment of products many stood out to me but on one in particular grabbed my eye totally – I live tiny things, miniature things, not in a horder needs a clean out sort of way but in a way that they just make me simply happy.

So I went through the very easy task of logging into their site and creating these adorable little things.

They are great value for money, and if you have an Instagram account, I would be totally recommending you get some.

At only $10 for three little books, each with 24 beautiful scaled square little photos they make the perfect gift, or novelty item for your house.

Each one has a hardcover, the postage delivery time was a bit interesting, but considering that I ordered them pre christmas, not caring if they would be delivered for christmas or not I have to admit the wait wasn’t too bad. Just not the usual 6-7 days from CH or HK that your would expect.

Honestly, if this isn’t a reason to download the instagram app, and abuse it I don’t know what is. I just want to squeeze the little books cheeks and say “isn’t you cuuuuuute”

Each Book contains 24 photos, and they are magnetised, so they stay together like A Miniature bookshelf, or you can stick them to your fridge.

Honestly, these are great for a gift, or just a novel way to get your digital prints, into a common area that you can easily look, would be great tiny little digests for a short travel trip or party.

I cannot emphasize enough, how much I love tiny versions of things. Micro Machines were the start of the obsession I think.

I have just fallen in love

January 11, 2012

Regretsy.com is hilarious. I cannot believe I have not found this earlier. Associated websites, including passive agressive notes, and lamebook are also equally as fantastic.

 

Do your self a favour.

 

Some examples…

Void Watches [via Design-Milk]

January 11, 2012

[via Design-Milk]

 

Sometimes a watch just grabs your eye. For me i want to buy every wrist watch in the world. No I will not share before you ask.

just stumbled upon this whilst reading some articles from one of the best design sites in the world IMHO.

 

Void watches. The half glass half metal façade is supposed to reflect the horizon. I don’t mind. They look beautiful.

Seen Tell [Wow really Bad Pun for Sawtell]

January 10, 2012

First of all anyone not following @OMGthatsPunny you haven’t lived.

 

Up until recently I had the always welcome opportunity to avoid any travel to any small town especially ones with those junk shops disguised as antique shops.

 

After we had the children travelling to a select 2 of these such towns became mandatory.

 

 

 

With both grand parents living in the north coast area of Coffs Harbour, we started to frequent the little village/town of Sawtell. Which over the past 3-5 years has really perked up as a boutique/trendy strip with relaxed little cafes and most importantly THE two following shops.

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Everytime we travel to the north coast, my wallet trembles. Not because of the price but because of the sheer variety of dare I say it ‘uber- cool’ stuff that both ‘Boutique‘ and ‘CoCo39‘ have in stock. The need for shops like this to exist in Sydney without the exorbitant prices that Sydney insists on charging is high.

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[how good is the wine stashed in the picnic bag, just for a real example]

I am sure that Sydney would have shops like this, (there is a few in Newtown and the like) but in Sawtell they subtract the pretentiousness and the wank factor and really concentrate on the right amount of chic to hipster appeal.

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So in short the next time you visit Sawtell, or Coffs Harbour, or indeed Boambee East, don’t forget to go and invest all of your money in these two shops. You won’t regret in, Swallows printed on things until your heart is content, and metal robots for boys, until you can robot no more.

 

I have not left these shops without wanting to download the music playing once yet.

and some great pics from inside and outside my personal fav – ‘Boutique

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[Great mobile for any new arrivals scheduled for 2012]

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[All jewellery and nick knacks displayed are beautiful]

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[One of the many cool tin toys]

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[yet another overcrowded but cosy beautiful display]

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[Oh the robots}

 

Thanks to the great shop owners too for not being wankers about me taking pictures of the insides of their shops!

Coco39's Site

1st Ave Boutique's Site

 

First Avenue is very pretty any time of year.

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[one of the many Cafe's - food is great]

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Curiouser and curiouser

December 22, 2011

Some ideas are pretty fresh. Hand made things are pretty much always fresh unless your Nan is making you the same scarf this Christmas that she has done for the past 15 years.

That is not so fresh.

But putting a handmade spin on tech and design has always had me interested.

Check out this project from Lauren Manning & Camile Wei-Hsin Lin

Over at
The Curiosity Project

The have made these terribly nice to look at hand made QR code posters.

I love when some one comes up with an idea that is not only visually pleasing but has the angle of art and design mixed with tech.

I think that this is why I like Apple products.

These are three posters I stole* from their website. (*by stole I mean borrow forever)

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The Curiosity Project has many awesome links and articles updated daily and is truly excellent reading. It gives many daily inspirations,  some of which I will do up coming posts about.

I will also follow up shortly with a high speed chase, to get some words and thoughts from one of our favorite artists Nanami Cowdroy.

Bit of a segway but hey. It’s the day before holidays and our work network is down, oh and it is still raining in December in Australia. Can’t wait for the meteorologist visionaries to start with their prophecy about how a cow from Whittenoon is causing Saturn to line up with a dog from Glen Rowin causing unprecedented cold waves throughout NSW only.

Just read this.

December 21, 2011

Srsly. People have no conscience.

get a crisco hamper stop stealing other people’s shit. Especially at this time of year.

Click for story about scum