http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland/ http://sparklette.net/travel/china/hong-kong-disneyland/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:41 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1288 I can’t think of a better way to start off this series of posts than stating the fact that I love Disneyland! It doesn’t matter how old or how young you are. Being in a Disneyland theme park is always such a… magical experience.

Those of you who have been following Sparklette on Facebook and Twitter would have seen me micro-blogging from Hong Kong Disneyland. This isn’t my first Disneyland visit (I went to Tokyo Disneyland before) but it’s my first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. Amazing experience nonetheless!

I’m excited to be sharing more photos and videos from the happiest place on earth and hope these would make you happy too.

Getting to Hong Kong Disneyland by MTR

If you are going to Hong Kong Disneyland from the Hong Kong International Airport, the easiest (and cheapest) way is by cab. But if you decide to commute by Mass Transit Railway (MTR), you get to hop into this cute Mickey Mouse themed train!

How often does one get to ride in a cute train like this?

Apart from the windows, the handle bars are made in the shape of Mickey’s head too! There are also glass capsules containing bronze sculptures of Disney characters on display within the carriages.

Finally, we arrive at Hong Kong Disneyland!

Better get your admission passes ready.

Toy Story Land, the newest “land” in Hong Kong Disneyland (as of 2012) opened in November 2011. That is probably why the tickets feature Toy Story characters. I’m especially thrilled because the Toy Story films are my favourite Disney/Pixar movies, and the characters feature quite heavily throughout various attractions in the park. Plus, you can keep these passes as souvenirs afterwards.

Here it is, the Disney Train Station and the iconic Mickey Mouse head made out of colourful flowers and plants!

And we’re in!

Flights of Fantasy Parade

One of the best highlights at Hong Kong Disneyland is the Flights of Fantasy Parade. You should get there about 15 minutes in advance to secure a good viewing spot along Main Street USA.

So it begins!

The Disneyland Band

Dumbo

The parade includes seven elaborate floats and various Disney characters such as:

• Mickey and friends
• Dumbo
• Winnie the Pooh
• Snow White
• Cinderella
• Belle
• Simba
• Tinkerbell
• Stitch
• Woody & Buzz Lightyear

That’s Mickey’s Magical Airship! Can you spot your favourite Disney characters?

The Romance Takes Wing float is such a looker with the gorgeous Disney princesses! Who’s the fairest of them all?

Probably the largest float of all is the Jumpin’ Jungle Jam float. I’m ashamed to admit that I actually don’t know most of the characters on it.

It’s not just about the floats though; there is also music, the Disneyland Band, dancing, acrobatics and various performers coming together to put up a continuously entertaining parade. Don’t just take my word for it though; watch these videos I recorded to get a feel of this one-of-a-kind experience!

My favourite float has got to be To Infinity and Beyond, featuring — who else — the Toy Story characters! It’s so cool to see the female version of the Buzz Lightyear costume, and of course Buzz Lightyear himself, along with Woody, Rex, Hamm and even the army guys (not so plastic in real life)! They are such fun, as you would see in this video:

Main Street USA

One of the attractions that I have very much been looking forward to seeing at Hong Kong Disneyland is Main Street USA, designed to resemble an early 20th-century Midwest town.

Why don’t we have such nice houses here in Singapore?

The beautiful houses and shops lining the street from end to end make you feel as though you’re in a different place and time!

Every tiny detail such as the pastel colours of the façades, the names painted in the windows, and the fonts used on the signs are a work of art.

I can’t get enough of how pretty the sweets shop looks. I love the baby pink and blue shades, the deep red awning and the large sweet displayed at the side of the store entrance.

Even the vehicles at Main Street USA are so unique. You can hop onto turn-of-the-century vehicles like an old-style double-decker bus or an automobile that will take you to other areas of the park.

A Mickey Mouse waffle for you? We get to eat loads of it at the various Disney restaurants afterwards. Topped with chocolate sauce, no less!

Fantasyland

Finally, here is the Sleeping Beauty Castle! You can see its multiple blue-roofed turrets from afar, juxtaposed against the mountains in the background.

The gold swirls that glisten under sunlight are pixie dust, decorated by Tinkerbell.

Here’s a picture of the castle from the other side. Photo bugs tend to get only the frontal shot, whilst the back of the castle is neglected. Even with the medieval look, it still looks so pretty in pink!

Recognise which film this bronze statue of Mickey comes from?

The Cinderella Carousel is just gorgeous.

I took the colourful It’s a Small World ride in Tokyo previously and recorded some videos during the ride. You can check out my Tokyo Disneyland post to see what it’s like. Basically it has a lot of happy music and tiny people throughout.

Apart from rides, there are quite a number of entertainment shows and even a 4D movie that you can sit in to watch with special glasses.

The Golden Mickeys show

The Golden Mickeys is a musical/theatre show played live on the stage. Disney characters and dancers in character costumes perform songs from these films:

• Toy Story
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Tarzan
• Mulan
• Lilo and Stitch
• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast

It even thrills you at times with aerial acrobatics, martial arts and good looking cast members.

The whole show has me hooked from the beginning to the end, but my favourite part is again the Toy Story segment. It features the cheery You’ve Got a Friend in Me (a song which I love to bits) from the movie soundtrack. Check it out in the video below. Plus, ever wonder what Mickey will sound like when he speaks in Cantonese? You can hear him at the beginning of the video. I have no idea what he says though!

Love this show!

When it’s time for the Disney in the Stars fireworks at night, that’s when you truly get to see how many visitors there are at Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s like going to Chinatown on Chinese New Year. Everyone in the park is gathered at the front of the castle to catch the colourful fireworks.

Credit

And what a massive show it is. The fireworks last for the whole of 12 minutes! Very impressive. You can hardly ever get tired of fireworks regardless of how many times you’ve seen them. The fact that it all takes place at a fairy tale castle just makes it that much more magical.

If you can’t get enough of the castle, various replicas of it are available at the merchandise shops. One in particular, is made of jewels and diamonds!

Fit for royalty

Stay tuned for Part 2 for more photos and videos of Hong Kong Disneyland! Thrill rides and the new Toy Story Land are coming up next!

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Find out if you are one of the 3 lucky winners who won the cupcakes, with delivery included!

Spring Blossoms cupcakes from MetroCakes

Winners

Prize: A set of 9 Spring Blossoms cupcakes (worth S$49.90 a set)

• June Low
• Rachel L
• Indra Gen

Congratulations to all winners! You will be contacted at your email.

Thanks to everyone that took part in this giveaway. We frequently hold contests to give out wonderful prizes such as these. To ensure that you never miss out on any giveaway, you are advised to subscribe to Sparklette (Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter or iPhone).

Results of SQL query that selected the comments randomly (duplicate and late submissions have been removed):

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MetroCakes has such a knack for making cupcakes filled with cuteness and deliciousness for any occasion. Their Chinese New Year cupcakes for 2012 feature the most adorable little red dragon, spring blossoms and mandarin oranges, guaranteed to elicit plenty of oohs and ahhs from your family.

And the great news is that we have a few sets to give away to 3 lucky Sparklette readers, delivery included!

Chinese New Year Cupcakes Giveaway!

Spring Blossoms cupcakes from MetroCakes

There are 3x sets of 9 Spring Blossoms cupcakes (worth S$49.90 a set) up for grabs. MetroCakes would deliver these seasonal delights right to your doorstep!

1. This contest is only open to members of the Sparklette and MetroCakes Facebook pages. So if you haven’t, “Like” both pages now. (Bonus points if you decide to also “Like” Sparklette Studio our web design company.)

   
   

2. To participate, simply do both the following things:
   • “Like” the MetroCakes Lunar New Year Collection 2012 album on Facebook.
   • Leave a comment here using your Facebook name.

Giveaway Details

• This giveaway ends on January 18, 2012 (2359 hours Singapore time).
• This giveaway is open only to people who are based in Singapore.
• The winners will be randomly selected by an SQL query.
• Please leave a valid email address when filling out the comment form so that we can contact you if you’ve won.
• Please only comment once.
• Please note that all comments are moderated. Hence your comment may not show up right away.
• Please note that participants must follow the instructions on how to participate (mentioned above) to be eligible for the prize.
• The winners will be announced in a separate post and you are advised to subscribe to Sparklette (Email, RSS, Facebook, Twitter or iPhone) so that you can be quickly notified when the announcement post has been published.
• Terms and conditions apply.
  1. This giveaway is organised by Sparklette and MetroCakes (hereinafter known as “The Organisers”).
  2. The Organisers reserve all rights to substitute the publicised prizes with other prizes of similar commercial value at their sole discretions.
  3. The Organisers’ decision on all matters relating to this giveaway is final. No correspondence will be entertained.
  4. The Organisers reserve the right to amend the giveaway mechanics and terms and conditions without prior notification.
  5. Any incomplete, inaccurate and/or false particulars submitted will void the entry and hence be ineligible for any prizes.

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]]> 89 http://sparklette.net/food/metrocakes-chinese-new-year-cupcakes/ http://sparklette.net/food/metrocakes-chinese-new-year-cupcakes/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:30:35 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1275 I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to MetroCakes cupcakes. Each time the bakery launches a new festive collection, I will be bouncing in my seat with excitement as I eagerly click over to their website. Just check out what they have done this Chinese New Year. Can you resist such cuteness?

Spring Blossoms
S$49.90 for 9 / S$68.90 for 16
Rating:

This being the Year of the Dragon, the centrepiece of these beautiful cupcakes is a red fiery dragon.

Red the Dragon comes complete with black beady eyes and fearsome white scales down his back. Doesn’t he look like he’s filled with awesomeness? Well, just wait ’til he meets… The Cat!

Not so tough now, are we? Snowy the Cat eyes Red the Dragon suspiciously. ‘Sup?

Last Lunar New Year, MetroCakes had cupcakes with mandarin oranges, fire crackers, red packets, gold coins and rabbits. I’m thrilled that the mini mandarin oranges have made a return. They’re adorable and such a staple at this time of the year.

Because these cute decorations look too good to eat, I painted clear nail varnish over the oranges and placed them on my car dashboard for the whole of last Chinese New Year. This time round, I am planning to do the same with Red the Dragon.

The cupcakes featuring pink spring blossoms are linked together at the branches, which I find an interesting touch.

Apart from looking lovely, the cupcakes taste delicious too. They are in green tea flavour. Upon opening the cake box, the sweetest scent wafts into your nose. The fondant layer in such 3D cakes tends to be very sweet, but in this case, the green tea cake actually tastes divine with the fondant.

If you like, you can try pairing the cupcakes with scented tea. Allerines Tea would be just perfect for a quaint afternoon tea and cupcake session. The good news is that MetroCakes has a number of Allerines teas available as add-ons. That means that you can place your order online, and have all the cupcakes and tea delivered right to your doorstep conveniently.

Enjoy!

What are the most amazing cakes you have ever eaten? Share with us in the comments!

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Frosty the Snowman cake with Snowy the Ragdoll cat

Frosty is presented on a bed of white frosting sprinkled with colourful stars. He is so undeniably cute, it took us a long time before we finally mustered the will to sink a knife in him (I know!).

Frosty Snowman (1kg)
S$50

Underneath the fluffy white icing, Frosty is a blackforest cake at heart. He is filled with sweet dark cherries, and layers of airy chocolate sponge and chocolate cream. Overall, the cake is delicious, neither too sweet nor heavy on the palate. A real treat for the family at Christmas!

Last day of order is December 21, 2011.

Where would you be dining this festive season? Share with us in the comments!

PrimaDéli ( Halal certified)
Tel: +65 6276 3333 | Website

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Every Christmas, there is at least one such teddy bear tree in town, usually the colourful bear trees at Takashimaya or the uber cuddly tree at Conrad Centennial Singapore.

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This year, I am so happy to see a new teddy bear tree. You can admire it at The Fullerton Hotel. The bears are clad in cute little sailor and safari costumes bellhop and postmaster uniforms, surrounded by a ring of presents, poinsettia leaves and translucent lace. Very classy.

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Take a tour around the hotel and you will spot a few more smaller trees. These trees are topped with the same adorable bears, but with varying designs overall.

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Apart from the teddy bear trees, the hotel’s Christmas décor is also gorgeous, featuring a conventional red, green and colour palette.

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At night, fairy lights coiling round the palm trees in front of the hotel are turned on, bathing the colonial architecture in beautiful Christmas light.

Credit

All photos here are taken by Mr. Choo Yut Shing and used with permission on Sparklette.

Have you seen any gorgeous Christmas trees this festive season? Share pictures with us in the comments!

For more Christmas trees, check out the Sparklette Christmas Tree of the Day series.

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]]> 4 http://sparklette.net/food/hello-kitty-mooncakes/ http://sparklette.net/food/hello-kitty-mooncakes/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:18:12 +0000 Guest Writer http://sparklette.net/?p=1218

The Polar Puffs & Cakes bakery chain has once again brought back the ever popular character snowskin mooncakes featuring Hello Kitty and Disney friends, Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.

Character mooncakes
S$22 for a box of 4

In addition to the two new flavours, pandan lotus and black sesame, the must-have flavours of white lotus and double chocolate have made a return. For Mooncake Festival 2011, you can mix and match any four flavours and characters (S$5.50 each) in a box for S$22.

You can also either choose the much-improved Hello Kitty designer box or the usual Disney friends box. We decide to go for the Hello Kitty pretty in pink box which has two compartment levels that swivel in opposite directions to reveal the mooncakes.

After buying the mooncakes, we just can’t wait to gobble them up. But once you open the box, you will find it difficult to eat something so cute and delicate. It took me quite a while to eat just a quarter of the Hello Kitty mooncake — I actually spent a longer time admiring it!

The mooncakes are all oh so yummy-licious and my favourite flavour is now the black sesame!

Have Your Say!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

What mooncakes are you buying this year? Share with us in the comments!

Polar Puffs & Cakes ( Halal certified)
All outlets
Website

Yahya Ayob blogs about his travel adventures, random food finds, exotic car huntings, social events and more at prodigious.sg.

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You can interact with the characters and the scenes in the commercial by using the free Hub It! app for iPhone or Android and your phone camera. Look for clues and help Sparky find his way to true love (Mrs. Sparky?).

I am really excited about this one and can’t wait to see what the experience would be like. It looks like a futuristic way of playing a role-playing game!

There are also various rewards and prizes you can unlock. Up for grabs are $10,000 cash, a MacBook Air, an iPad 2, a BlackBerry PlayBook, a Samsung 3D TV and a Bose Sound System!

Here’s the trailer of Love Tail. Check it out:

Good luck on your adventure with Sparky!

Update: The interactive commercial has been launched! Here it is. Don’t forget you’ll need to download the free app to play. I’m still trying to win the “peeing game”! (Boy, that’s one sentence I never thought I would say.)

Update 2: Peeing game won! Couple of tips: Ignore the very first fire. And try peeing drop by drop instead of going all the way.

Update 3: Just won a popcorn combo from the app. Redeemable in real life, of course!

Update 4: Here’s what I got at the end of Day One: Popcorn combo, Lady GaGa Born This Way mp3, and a PC game (I have yet to try). Not bad at all! I can’t wait to unlock the rest of the rewards and clues after today. This has been loads of fun!

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]]> 1 http://sparklette.net/lifestyle/product/patterns-wall-decal/ http://sparklette.net/lifestyle/product/patterns-wall-decal/#comments Sun, 03 Jul 2011 06:30:30 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1182 Our friends at

Each wall decal is basically a very thin piece of vinyl sticker, with a nice matte finish that makes it look as though it’s printed on the wall.

To own a piece (or a few!) of these beautiful wall decals, head over to Patterns. Delivery within Singapore is free, while international orders are also accepted. Right now you can enjoy a 10 percent store-wide discount.

Here are a few selected designs that I really like. Check these out.

Lovebird for the lovebirds.

Bring out the growl with the Monster series, comprising half a dozen of stickers with varying designs in each set.

The ominous-sounding Devil tree does in fact look quite “artsy-fartsy“.

My personal favourites are the animals, in particular Meow in Love. Isn’t it just lovely? It adds a touch of cute to any room. I have stuck this in a corner of my house where my cat Snowy frequents. He’s getting used to his new playmate!

If you are new to such wall decals, the accompanying instructional guide included with each decal offers clear steps on how to paste it on the wall. As the decals are completely waterproof, you can still clean your walls as you normally do. Just avoid alcohol or any abrasive agent, obviously. It’s a very affordable and easy way to spruce up your place with minimal time and effort.

Sparklette Giveaway!

We’re giving away some Patterns vouchers! Look out for contest details here on Sparklette.

Patterns Gallery

What do you think of these wall decal stickers? Do you use similar decorations at home? Share with us in the comments!

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]]> 5 http://sparklette.net/food/the-cake-galleria/ http://sparklette.net/food/the-cake-galleria/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 03:00:08 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1137 I absolutely adore these 3D cupcakes from The Cake Galleria. Thanks to them, Sparklette is now edible!

The Cake Galleria specialises in custom-making cupcakes and whole cakes for various occasions, such as birthdays, weddings or just your regular “eat a cupcake” day. (Hint hint: Father’s Day is just around the corner.)

When the bakery first set out to create the Sparklette-themed cupcakes, I did not offer any art direction other than the fact that we have a pink and white colour scheme. The rest is up to them.

Now that the freshly baked cupcakes have arrived, they make me smile each time I see them. Not only are they delicious, the designs tie in exactly with our two main themes — food and travel. How very pretty in pink. How very Sparklette!

Unboxing the Cupcakes

The cupcakes are housed in a colourful box that is as sweet and cheery-looking as the contents within.

Aren’t these the cutest cupcakes? Each one is an ample portion, measuring approximately 7 centimetres across.

Sparklette 3D Cupcakes

Customised cupcakes
S$3.90 to 4.50 each (minimum order of 12)

The Sparklette cupcakes sport six unique toppers:
- World map
- Travel luggage with white V initial
- My name surrounded by pink flowers
- White rose
- Xiao long bao (steamed dumplings)
- Coffee cup

Which is your favourite cupcake? Is it the highly detailed xiao long bao that comes complete with a mini-sized bamboo steamer and mini-sized chopsticks, or the luggage bag that even has its own zip?

Give yourself a pat on the back if you recognise this coffee cup and saucer. Yes, that’s the icon from the new Sparklette iPhone app! Don’t you just wanna devour it, or pair it with coffee?

It’s the little touches of detail and thought that make cupcake art appealing. That the personalised design is so representative of Sparklette is simply icing on the cake.

The Cake Galleria cupcakes are available in two flavours — butter-cake and chocolate. The latter is moist and chocolaty rich, just the way we chocolate lovers like ‘em.

The Cake Galleria 3D Cupcake Designs

While the Sparklette cupcakes are dominated by girlish pinks and whites, here are the more colourful cupcake creations from The Cake Galleria.

If you are planning a cupcake party or looking to have special cupcakes made for someone dear, have them created with lots of love at The Cake Galleria.

What would your personalised cupcakes look like? Tell us in the comments!

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Metrocakes, the online bakery shop with a physical store at Kampong Glam has baked up a storm this Spring Festival. Previously, you have already seen their miniature cakes and Christmas log cakes. For Lunar New Year 2011, Metrocakes’ festive collection quickly impresses with the artful 3D cake creations.

Fortune Cracker 3D Cake

The Fortune Cracker
S$98.80

The Fortune Cracker 3D cake is a work of art comprising of all the things that represent Chinese New Year. The firecracker is affixed with the Chinese fu (福) character, which means good luck.

Much attention to detail has been paid, such as the floral and swirly patterns on the red surface of the cake.

A lightly rolled red scroll on the side is iced with the black characters Gong Xi Fa Cai (恭喜发财), a popular Chinese New Year greeting. Familiar icons of the traditional festival such as a pair of mandarin oranges and red packets complete the picture.

Underneath the beautiful fondant layer, the cake consists of alternating layers of chocolate sponge and refreshing orange mousse. It serves approximately 8-10 persons. Now, the question is: who would have the heart to cut the first slice?

Chinese New Year 3D Cupcakes

Cuteness abounds in these Chinese New Year 3D cupcake creations!

Treasure Cove
S$68.80
Rating:

You would find 5 different designs — red packet, gold coin, firecracker, mandarin orange and rabbit — for a total of 24 cupcakes in the Treasure Cove.

To usher in the Year of the Rabbit, have a bunny cupcake, complete with floppy ears, pink nose and rosy cheeks!

The firecracker makes an appearance again, this time as a miniature cupcake topper.

These gold coins have a nice shimmery surface.

If you can get over the cute factor to actually take a bite out of the adorable nosh (took us a day before we took that first bite), you would find that the sweetness in the fondant ornaments balances the orange flavour of the cake well.

Cerissa from Metrocakes shares, “Those decorations on top of the cupcakes can be kept if you wish! Just wipe them clean and store them in a dry area.”

Indeed, I’m placing a pair of these mini mandarin oranges on my car dashboard. Like I said, they look too good to eat!

What are the most amazing cakes you have ever eaten? Share with us in the comments!

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These brownies come decorated with the familiar seasonal icons like Santa, Rudolph, candy cane and Christmas tree. The bright cheery colours would totally bring a smile to any child’s face!

Even more importantly: They not only look good, but taste heavenly too.

Christmas brownies
S$17.50 for a box of 8
Rating:

I am usually not that huge on brownies as they sometimes turn out dry and cakey. The ones from Amore Bakery, however, are fudge brownies whose texture is wonderfully soft and moist! They had me from the very first bite. In fact, the only thing that keeps me from eating them all at once is their sore throat-inducing quality — the chocolate is so darn rich! But you know what they say, a little sin always adds to the taste.

And these decadent goodies come with a surprise, too.

Each one contains a generous shot of silky smooth chocolate filling, so with every bite luscious chocolate paste oozes out, reminiscent of the chocolate lava cake. Oh boy.

The box of 8 brownies are packed in a transparent plastic container, tied together with red and green ribbon. Just for this festive period (18 to 24 December, 2010), you can enjoy free delivery when you purchase these adorable Christmas brownies. (Usually, a $50 minimum order is required.)

The chocolate brownies are a feast for both the eye and the palate. Grab them quickly before Amore Bakery gets too busy to take your order!

Are you baking up a storm this Christmas, too? Share with us in the comments!

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“but what should I blog about?” I asked Mommy. “kitty, why don’t you blog about all the things you love?” okay, I shall listen to Mommy and do just that!

That’s me on the table. I love running and climbing! It makes my legs strong! I especially love performing for humans. Each time someone is watching me, I do my best to put on a good show! My favourite trick is doing a vertical dash along the back of the leather sofa without falling off!

Ever since my hind legs grew strong enough, I have enjoyed jumping on to the table to read the newspapers. At least, when Mommy is reading, I would accompany her by sitting on the newspaper. So many tiny words!

Let me introduce you to my pet mousey. His name is ben. He’s one of my most favourite things.

I would carry him around in my mouth. He’s such a great companion!

Mommy bought me this tent which even has a blankie inside! She said all little boys need camping experience. I think she’s quite surprised by how fast I grow, because I soon grew too big for the tent! I love its engine red colour though.

Another favourite activity of mine is burrowing into small spaces. That’s me underneath Hello Kitty. I love Hello Kitty. The girl’s fine.

I remember when Mommy saw me crawling between her pillows and sheets. She was so amused she laughed out loud! I wonder why she found it so funny. I almost got lost in there!

In my free time (which is when I’m not sleeping), I would look out for new crawlspaces to get into.

These colourful flowers are so big! They are soft too, just like me.

That’s fuzz, my colourful ball of yarn. Sadly, I have torn it into shreds. Mommy said she would make me another fuzzy ball. She just doesn’t know how yet.

So I shall just play with my feathered toy for now. Catching and biting onto those feathers sure is satisfying! It comes with a bell too.

Look what I can do!

Alright, Mommy just said that I’ve worked my paws hard enough and I deserve some treats now. Hip hip hooray! I’m off for my kitty treats! Meow soon!

signing off with lotsa paw hugs and kitten kisses,

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*turns on camera*

Hellooo? Can you see me?

April 13, 2009 would forever be a memorable day for me. That’s the day Mommy brought me home from the pet shop that I once called home!

You may notice that I have blue eyes and a pink nose. Mommy says that my blue eyes are mesmorising, especially with the “eyeliner”. I try to tell her that I’m *really* not wearing any eyeliner. After all, I am a boy!

Although I appear to be white now, I may not be a white kitty forever. When I grow older, the fur ’round my eyes may grow darker. According to Mommy, it should look like batman’s mask! I heard he’s some kind of superhero, so that’s gotta be cool!

Each time Mommy carries me like a baby, I would rest limply in her safe arms. We Ragdolls are pretty floppy by nature, ya know. Whenever we feel the love of being hugged and carried by a warm human, we relax our muscles, like totally, and purr. That’s why we’re called Ragdolls!

I was a little shy in my new home initially and kept burying my face in pillows. But soon I was running around like the happy kitten that I am and playing with my brand new scratching post!

My favourite hiding places are under tables and in narrow crawl spaces. Most of the time I am quiet as a mouse. Mommy’s family let me wear a baby blue collar with a jingling bell so that they can hear me whenever I’m catwalking about. They painstakingly picked a colour that matches my blue eyes! What do you think of it?

My most favourite item in the house is this: my kitty bowl! I eat yummy food from it. It even has a separate compartment for fresh water! Meow! I must eat more so that I can quickly grow bigger!

That’s Tatty Teddy. He doesn’t do much ‘cept sit around all day. Sometimes I play with him, sometimes I don’t. Mostly he just ignores me. I do hope one day we can be friends!

I love playing with balls. Balls are so cool! My favourite is the one with a bell. It’s a gift from one of my human visitors!

Ever since I moved into my new home, a steady stream of humans have come to visit me. They would coo about my long white fur, or ooh and ahh over my blue eyes. I wonder what all the fuss is about. All my brothas and sistas look just the same! It’s fine with me tho. I love being around humans!

Gimme a hug please, good people?

*gnaws paw*

When everyone’s out working (so that they can buy me more food and toys), I would be home sleeping. But as long as someone’s around, I would always sit or play by his or her side.

Sleeping is a fun activity that can be enjoyed in various positions… Face-up, face-down, paw in mouth… My favourite is lying sideways facing the wall. Zzz…

Nap time is always at my favourite corner in Mommy’s room, where it gets so comfortable I doze off in an instant. When Mommy wakes up in the morning, I would follow her from room to room ’til she leaves for work. Then I would go back to sleep and wait for breakfast.

Psst… I’ll let ya in on a little secret. When I’m sleeping, I love it when Mommy strokes and pets me. It makes me feel like the happiest and most loved kitten in the world!

Mommy says that I’m very playful and always outrunning her. When I tire from all the playing and running, I’ll lie under the table for a break. The weather recently has been hot, hot, hot! It’s much cooler on the floor for someone with this thick coat of fur!

Oh yeah, Mommy says that even though I’m cute, I should do more than just eat and play and sleep (and poop) all day. Otherwise I’m just another lazy kitty. So occasionally I would blog over here too, starting with this first post!

Boy, I sure hope I’m off to a good start!

Meow soon!

signing off with lotsa paw hugs and kitten kisses,

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I mean, look at her! Isn’t she the cutest thing in the world? *melts into a puddle of goo* Right now the only words out of my mouth are “aaah”, “awww”, and “so cute!” where are her ears anyway?

Kawaii overload!

“Ehn! Wanna get out of this bed but I’m too smaaall! Ehn!” (Are those little stuffed sheep in there?)

“Hey, what’s all this fluff doing?” *presses around with tiny paw but tiny little black tail gets in the way*

Sigh!

“I weigh even less than Hello Kitty, who’s just the weight of three small apples!”

“Lemme out of this bowl, pweeease?”

Mommy’s (wearing a pink bell) here to help!

And Mommy’s all “ye humans there, whaddya put her in all these cups and bowls for? She’s nice and yummy, but she’s not for eating! Meow!”

“I wuv my little plastic fwens! They are the only things teenier than me!”

(The Japanese really know how to ramp up the cute with toys and props!)

Baby kitty’s first shower. “Bath time!”

All naked and wet and helpless! Awww!

“Ehn! Mush… Get… Head… Through! Ehn! Almost there!”

There’s Mommy again. “No one can touch my babeh!”.

Now we know where baby kitty got that black streak on her face!

“Little blue octopus is my bedtime buddy. Must hug with all four paws.”

“Blankie!”

Ain’t she an adorable little doll? Almost too good to be true!

*sucks paw to sleep*

Tell me, are you not charmed yet? I saw some of these Exotic Shorthair cuties at a recent kitty beauty pageant.

Admire Memebon at Memebon.jp, a Japanese site with many other cute cats. She’s all grown up now and of course bigger, but still adorable (in the grown-up cat kind of way).

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These playful marine creatures adore balancing toys on their hats. So why not let them don Santa hats for Christmas? visitors to the hakkeijima sea paradise aquarium on yokohama island are in for a beluga-rific time this festive season. Being a cute-loving bunch, the Japanese have fitted out a couple of belugas with Santa hats!

White belugas = cute. White belugas wearing Santa hats = cute X 2!

I just love the look of concentration of the one on the left! Perhaps if more Japanese saw how adorable these whales are, they would stop their whaling activities.

Question! Do these belugas swim around with their heads up high to prevent their hats from getting wet?

Aww… I “fish” I could give them huggies!

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This precious little fella is the newest addition to the beluga family at shedd aquarium in chicago. He was born August 16 — a leo, just like me!

Bet you never thought that whales (of all animals!) could be this cute. There’s just something in that sweet little smile of his. He’s totally adorable!

Not too long ago, it was Knut the baby polar bear that won hearts from all around the world. Now, it looks as though the world would be equally mesmorised by this adorable baby whale!

See how tiny he is compared to momma whale! In some of these pictures, he still has the wrinkly fetal folds because he is too tiny to fill up his whale skin! Cute!

I have featured baby polar bears, baby pandas, baby kittens and even baby garfields. But never had I thought I would introduce baby whales next on my cute baby animal list! Perhaps all babies are cute?

They’re inviting the public to name the baby beluga. I would so name him “baby bubbles”, which, in my opinion, is a very apt name for a little whale! What do you think? What would you name him?

Goodnight, baby bubbles!

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By the end of his story, I promise you would feel all fuzzy and warm :)

(As I’m writing this, I’m hugging my cherished Tatty Teddy at the same time.)

The oldest, smallest house you can imagine was about to be knocked down. All the things that once made the house nice and cosy had been thrown outside and piled up in the front garden, from the soft springy bed the owners slept in, to the old wooden floorboards they used to walk on…

…and even, surely by some mistake, a little brown teddy bear.

He was trapped amongst all the other unwanted things, and couldn’t move. Then, one day, a very cold day, something fell from the sky… A little snowflake.

It landed on the teddy bear’s little nose and then was followed by many more. He began to get cold, very cold indeed. More and more snow fell, heavier and heavier. The little bear was now so cold that his nose started turning blue… So cold that his brown fur started turning grey.

He was cold, unloved and all alone in the world, and felt very, very sad.

Winter finally passed and the weather got warmer. One beautiful spring day, a little girl was playing near the old house, when she spotted the grey bear in the pile of unwanted things. He was like no other bear she had ever seen and she pulled him out from where he was trapped.

She dusted him down and lifted him high in the sky to look at him.

“A grey teddy bear… With a blue nose?” she thought. “How strange!”

The teddy bear wanted to cry. He thought she didn’t like him and would throw him back with the other unwanted things.

“But he’s lovely!” she continued and she fell completely in love with him.

She ran home as fast as her little legs would carry her, to see if her Grandma could patch him up as a lot of his stuffing had fallen out, and he was very much in need of repair.

She looked on as her Grandma replaced his stuffing and patched up his holes. His stitches had started showing where the fur had worn away, but the little girl thought he looked perfect.

It was all cosy and warm in the little girl’s house and the bear felt all cosy and warm in his heart. However, his nose was still blue and his fur was still grey, and they would never return to brown.

He was unique among teddy bears.

The little girl gave him a great big hug. She loved him more than anything else in the world, her little grey, blue-nosed…

Photo by Mapo UK

…Tatty Teddy.

Awww! Tell me, wasn’t that sweet? It made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy. If you want more, here’s a flash version of the Tatty Teddy story in a flippable storybook.

There! Please hug the person next to you now, and do pass this story on to someone whom you cherish!

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Sabine rath is a very talented photographer. She takes wonderful pictures of her cats and really captures their innocence. I spent a good couple of hours going through every single photograph in her gallery!

Hello, little one!

Awww… What a playful pose!

Do kittens know that they are adorable?

This kitty is “vanilla sky”, very aptly named for her sparkling blue eyes and coat of pure white fur!

Pink ears and blue eyes are such a pretty combination!

Kitty looks as though he’s wearing eyeliner!

Now that’s a sweet kitty couple! Do check out sabine’s website for more pretty pictures of these precious things!

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