I love receiving parcels. There is something about opening boxes that makes me very excited even though I might already know what is in the box. A few weeks ago, I started my Christmas shopping by buying a few items from delight.com. It is definitely a bit too early for Christmas shopping but I was stuck at work on a Sunday and nothing makes me happier than doing some “window shopping” online. And eventually I gave in to temptation and pulled out my credit card. Most of the items were gifts for my family and friends, so I didn’t feel too guilty. Technically, I only bought one item for myself as a treat for working during the weekend.

The parcel finally arrived and I am quite amazed how they have packaged the items very nicely. I was kind of worried about the Pomaireware that I bought for my mom might break during the long commute. Everything is wrapped in brightly coloured tissue papers and they have also included a few organic lollipops and a sample packet of energy drink as a token of appreciation. I will definitely buy from them again!

The little gift that I bought myself is a tiny speaker for my ipod that is shaped like a piece of Lego. I tried it out immediately and I think it works great. The sound quality is decent and the best thing is that it doesn’t use any batteries. All you need to do is connect your ipod to the speaker and you are all set to rock and roll. You can even control the volume using two of the knobs on the Lego piece. This will come in handy when I stay late at work since sometimes headphones give me headaches. I highly recommend this ipod speaker for any gadget loving friends. Since it only cost $20, it’s an affordable gift that is perfect for this holiday season. You can get it on delight.com in a few different colours.

The Gelaskin that I ordered last week has finally arrived in my mailbox. Hurray! I have always been skeptical about sticking anything on my electronics because glue tends to melt overtime and leave a nasty mess on the shiny surface. Why a sudden change of heart? Well, there are quite a few coworkers of mine who have purchased them before and they are really pretty. If you have seen those neat graphics on gelaskin.com, I’m sure you will change your mind as well.

You can see some of the skins in this video:

The skin works perfectly on my ipod touch. I like how it occupies only the back and leave the screen area untouched. The ipod touch itself has a sleek design. I rather it keeps part of its character. You can even download matching wallpaper on their website too!

For some odd reason, I have this strange craving for sushi.  Maybe because the weather is getting warmer or maybe I just have this urge to be a little bit more healthy (feeling guilty that I have not been to swimming for almost half a month).  This craving has gone so insane that I have bought this strange racing sushi from a Japanese online store called JBOX (which is the same as JLIST but JLIST contains adult content).  This is not one of those high tech toys like the Tamagotchi which requires your undivided love and care.  This is just one of those old school racing pull back cars that are in the shape of sushi.  Each set contains two indentical cars, painted to resemble sushi in every way except with wheels on the bottom.  And each set also comes with a sushi plate which is a nice touch.  Why did I buy this?  I guess it does bring back some childhood memories and it might be able to curb my suchi cravings.

JBOX also has some other sushi related items.  One of the most interesting products is a series of hard candies that are coloured and shaped to look like real sushi.  *I hope they don’t actually taste like fish!*  I am kind of tempted to order them online but with the warm weather that is looming ahead, the candies will melt before they arrive in my mail.  Moreover, according to my previous experience, things that look good never taste good.

 

The sushi candies from JBOX probably don’t taste very good because they are mostly made up of sugar and colouring.  However, if you are really keen on delicious sushi candy, you must checkout Suedy’s Koo-Ki Sushi.  These sushi are made with the finest chocolate, delectable flavourings and crisp rice cookies instead of raw fish, vinegar, and rice.  They are so pretty that my mouth waters just by looking at the images.  If your mother likes sushi, this would be the perfect gift for mother’s day!

Sweets lovers might also want to check out the Sweets Expo that is coming to Toronto from May 13 to 14 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  I have set my eyes on the sweets-inspired fashion show where Ryerson Fashion alumni Audrey Colphon and her design team will be showing latest fashion trends with a sweet twist.  Anyone who is interested can purchase their tickets online and save $1 for each ticket.  Tickets can be purchased at the online store. 

How far would you go to get something that has a beautiful but not necessarily sound in functionality?  Form vs functionality has been my biggest problem this weekend when I have decided that it is time for me to purchase a new watch.  There’s really nothing wrong with my old watch which has been with me for almost ten years.  It is just that the clasp is getting really loose and I am constantly worried that I might lose it eventually.  I have browsed the internet for quite sometime in order to search for a perfect time piece; however, I have found myself to be really picky and it took forever to find my perfect watch.

The problem that I am having is that most watches that look interesting are often over-designed.  I would not purchase a watch that is an eye candy but it is impossible for me to read the time without doing a lot of guess work.  The main purpose of having a watch is to be able to tell the time!  Personally, I love the watches from Swatch and Storm.  However, I have yet to find one that looks nice and readable.  A lucky lead came up when I was reading the business magazine that came with the National Post.  I saw a very sleek watch that is designed by postmodern architect Frank Gehry for Fossil.  He is the architect that is currently designing the new Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).  This watch is quite unique in terms of design.  Instead of displaying 11:30, the display will show “half past 11″ in Frank Gehry’s own script.  The Fossil website is selling this online for $150 USD which is reasonable considering it is fairly unique.  The only problem is that I can’t find it anywhere in Toronto except in AGO which is selling it for $250 CAD.  Something is definitely not right here!  Even with a 1.3 exchange rate, the watch can only cost around $200.  This is way overpriced!  I can order it online but I tend to worry that it might get lost in the mail. 

With the Frank Gehry watch crossed off from my wish list, I looked at other Fossil watches.  The collection of watches that really impressed me was the series by another designer, Philippe Starck.  He is a well know French desinger and probably the best known desinger in the New Design style.  His designs range from spectacular interioir designs to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes, chairs, and even juicers.  Among the watches that he designed, I really like the fun looking L.E.D. Digital or the elegant Dish Digital.  However, the first one looks really strange compare to my regular clothes.  It will look out of place.  The Dish Digital has a simple and clean design but it violates my first criteria for a functional watch since I cannot read the time!  Finally, I have settled down on the simple Positive Display and I think I will enjoy wearing this watch.  The most important thing is that it is really easy to read.  It is also simple, elegant and it is so light that I can hardly feel that it is on my wrist.  I only wish that the part for the digital display is a little bit thinner so that it doesn’t look as bulky.

For those who are interested in getting their own Philippe Starck watch, you can visit the Fossil website.  However, I would highly recommend you to actually purchase this at a store because most likely you will need to resize the wrist band.  The tricky part is in order to resize the wrist band, you will need to actually cut the rubber part.  And if you make it too short, you will ruin your newly purchased watch.  So, save a headache and go to a Fossil store or any other retail outlet.