If there's one thing I can't stand, it's militant hypocrisy. Being a hypocrite is one thing; we can all be accused of it at some time or another. But being one, and sticking into the faces of other people is a whole different sport. So what am I talking about you ask? Well, I'm talking about China. With the Beijing Olympic Games in full swing and the situation in Tibet casting a nasty shadow, there seems to be no time like the present to cry foul and poo poo all over this country's chance to shine. Everyone is against China's disregard for human rights, the French here are doing their best to perturb the Games, the average Joe feels the need to express his loathing for this new superpower, but the world is still buying Made in China. It's open season on the Chinese and everyone seems to be jumping on the paradoxical bandwagon. > continue reading

Working from home can be a monotonous task. Unless the project is amazingly compelling, I find it hard to keep motivated on any design task. There is however one method that usually keeps me going and that is having some kitsch TV show running in the background. A lot of people work to music; I use bad television to do the trick. This technique allows me to zone-out during most of the program and stay focused on my work, while at the same time being distracted periodically with some tasteless entertainment (thus breaking the monotony previously mentioned). CSI Miami is pretty good; Walker, Texas Ranger is even better; I foolishly tried Law & Order: Special Victims Unit but could never get any work done; but for the last couple of months I've been totally fixated on a French program called Intervilles. > continue reading

It is common knowledge that French cuisine ranks amongst the greatest of culinary styles, maybe even the greatest as most Frenchies would like to believe. They are after all the pioneers of "haute cuisine". Whether they are the best or not remains disputable, but one cannot deny that French food is absolutely delicious. Even though they like to harp on about their regional produce and old school techniques, there is no mystery as to why French gastronomy tastes so good. If they were masters at anything, it would be the ability to use oil, fat and dairy to its maximum potential. > continue reading