Heeew!!! ≧◡≦

2/18/09

Monokuro Boo

Monokuro Boo are anime-style characters that were created by the Japanese company San-X. The characters are composed of two pigs, one white and one black, with square-shaped bodies, dots for eyes, a snout, and a curly tail at the back. They are occasionally seen with a bee flying around them.

Their earliest appearances date back to various licensing and gift shows in Japan in 2005.

Monokuro Boo's tagline is "Simple is Best", and one or both of the pigs can also be seen with speech bubbles that say, "Boo", "Love?", "Enjoy?", or "Happy".

The character is licensed under RM Enterprises (BVI) Ltd., who takes care of the development and promotion of the character in Asia, as well as other international territories.

According to Monokuro Boo's unnamed female designer, the concept of using monotone colors for this character was a deliberate deviation from the general trend where all things and characters that are cute (or "kawaii") have to be in bright and colorful palettes.

By introducing a line of merchandise that come in black, white and gray, the designer hoped to prove that it is possible for such a concept to be accepted and entertained by the general public, consumers and fans of kawaii merchandise in general.

In line with the character's concept, the name "Monokuro Boo" is also a derivation of the words "Monokuro" ("Monochrome") and "Boo" (the Japanese onomatopoeic equivalent for "oink"). They are asian pigs.

Despite Monokuro Boo's statement that kawaii does not always have to be colorful, San-X has also created a spin-off line of products which features smaller, pastel or candy-colored pigs known as Baby Boo.

Baby Boo
Baby Boo consists of seven pigs who are named and colored as follows:

Berry – pastel red
Peach – pastel pink
Orange – pastel orange
Lemon – pastel yellow
Mint – pastel green
Soda – pastel blue
Grape – pastel purple/lavender

Baby Boo's tagline is "Are you happy?" ("anata wa shiawase?") and "So Happy With You*" ("anata to iru to tottemo ureshii*"). As with Monokuro Boo, a bee-like insect is also seen hovering near the Baby Boo, except the bee is made to look like a strawberry (or ladybug). Some of the Baby Boos also say, "Poo ♥".

2/16/09

3 drama's with the same story

Meteor Garden (2001) -> Chinese

Shan Cai,whose parents are far from wealthy, attends Ying De University, the private school established exclusively for rich students. Besides being looked down by rich classmates, she has angered the leader of F4, Dao Ming Si. F4 comprises of Dao Ming Si, Hua Ze Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zuo, who are the heirs to the four richest families. Their families are the founder of the school and nobody dares to cross them. Shan Cai isn't afraid to stand up to DMS, an act that nobody has done before, and sparks Dao Ming Si's interest in her. However, his constant torture of her has made her miserable while she falls in love with the gentle Hua Ze Lei, who comes to her rescue. Can Dao Ming Si win her love despite his cold and cruel exterior? What happens when his mother decides to use every trick there is to keep them apart? Can they adjust to each other's differences due to their vastly incompatible social status?

Watch Meteor Garden here: x
Watch Meteor Garden II here: x

Hana Yori Dango (2005) --> Japanese

Makino Tsukushi is the only poor student at Eitoku Gakuen, the school of the ridiculously rich and privileged that is ruled by Flower 4 or F4, a group of four boys who come from extremely powerful families: Domyoji Tsukasa, the leader and heir of the Domyoji World Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, the introverted son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro, a player who is the heir of a tea ceremony school; and Mimasaka Akira, a madam killer with ties to the underground. If a student gets on the F4’s bad side, he/she gets a red notice and is bullied and driven out of school.
Makino hopes to pass her days quietly-- without drawing any attention to herself-- but one day, she stands up to Domyoji in defense of her friend. The next day, Makino gets the dreaded red notice. Even though she is harassed, Makino decides to keep going to school because she is a “tough weed”. She declares war right back on the F4. Her resolve gets the attention of her crush Hanazawa Rui and oddly enough, rouses romantic feelings in her worst enemy, Domyoji Tsukasa.
The series is based on the Japanese shoujo manga "Hana Yori Dango" (Boys Before Flowers) by Kamio Yoko.

Watch Hana Yori Dango here: x
Watch Hana Yori Dango season 2 here: x

Boys before flowers (2009) --> Korean

Jan Di is an average girl whose family owns a dry cleaning store located near the luxurious and well known Shin Hwa College. Jan Di meets the four richest and most spoiled boys, F4, when she delivers laundry to the school one day. After saving a boy from committing suicide, she is admitted into the school. An incident involving Jan Di's friend, Min Ji, forces her to declare war on the leader of the F4, Goo Joon Pyo.

Watch Boys before flowers here: x

2/15/09

What can make your hair & eyelashes grow faster?

A friend of mine told me: You're eyelashes will grow faster & longer if you cut them...

Then I found:
Trimming eyelashes doesn't make them grow faster, due to the fact that they are genetically geared to only grow a certain length and shape. Stop trimming eyelashes to prevent wearing false eyelashes for a long time with tips from an experienced cosmetologist in this free video on beauty.
If you cut it, it takes weeks to grow back.

What can make your hair grow faster (& eyelashes)?
- One way of making your hair grow faster is to not straighten it, because this then causes split ends, and when you have split
ends your hair won't grow.
- Eliminate or cut back on smoking, caffeine and carbonated sodas which weaken the body and block maximum hair growing potential.
- Eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods that are high in sugar or fat.
- Treat your hair like a piece of fine old lace. Treat it carefully avoiding any unnecessary brushing, combing or handling.
- Avoid use of hot water, hot blow dryers or other hair care tools that may stress the hair.
- Have a weekly scalp massage to provide stimulation to the hair follicles.
- Do a series of ongoing hot oil treatments to protect the hair's shaft.
- Have regular trims to eliminate split ends and allow the hair to look and feel healthier.
- Get plenty of rest and sleep to allow your body to grow hair.

& eyelashes?
- Definitely do not attempt to put any topical ointments near you eyes (such as rogain, etc) as blindness may be the result.

A lot of people use this "Talika LIPOCILS Eyelash Conditioning Gel"
Talika. It's called Lash Conditioner and it looks like a clear mascara, it's a available at any Sephora and it's chock full of vitamins and stuff to help thicken and strengthen lashes.

The story behind Talika:
“In 1948 a young Medical Doctor named Danielle Roches was treating war casualties in the Hospitals of Paris. Whilst using a special anti-bacteria cream she had formulated with plants extracts, Dr Roches discovered that the product not only promoted the healing of wounds, but also had a dramatic secondary benefit: significant and measurable eyelash and eyebrow growth.”

Intriguing, eh? Well it gets better. Talika’s website proudly proclaims that they have clinical proof of their claims. They claim their product provides “measureable eyelash and eyebrow growth” yet the clinical study referenced on the website only shows that their product helps eyelashes reach a longer “maximum length.” Read that part carefully - their study doesn’t show that their product stimulated the GROWTH of eye hairs, it only shows that more eye hairs reached their “maximum length” when treated with the product.
We keep putting “maximum length” in quotes because that’s the wording used in their report. The exact description of the data is “Percentage of hairs (eyelashes or eyebrow hairs) having reached a maximum length.” We’re not exactly sure WHAT that means. But we do have a theory.

thebeautybrains