Community Profiles
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Individual Profile:
Pootle
Singapore
Fav URL(s):
http://www.werenotafraid.com/, http://www.independent.co.uk, http://Lovemarks:
Lush, Marks & Spencer, Lay's, Camper, Amnesty International, BBC, The Beatles, Superman, The Body Shop, Boost Juice, Kit Kat, London, Amazing Race (The), Pokka, Dettol, Blu Tack, Christmas, Old El Paso, Nigella Lawson. -
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All this for only 65 cents
Lay's
09 October 2008
When I am tired and pissed off and want more than a sandwich, I buy Lay’s chips. When I want something munchy and yumptious and crunchy, they are the way to go. It makes everything better to pick up a pack. It's not just the chips; it's the bag and the logo (a sun with a headband). Lay’s chips are everywhere; they have saved us from hunger and tiredness in multiple cities and multiple time zones. They remind me of times I didn't think I could get through things but did. They speak of chewing your way to happiness and of self reliance “have some Lay’s and get over it”. They also cheer my boyfriend up when he has the grumps. That's the thing; they are there for you through thick and thin, and once they are gone there is the bag which has all the flavour stuck to it. Don’t bin it, rip it open and make use. All this for only 65 cents from a supermarket near you.
Three sides to every story
Toblerone
09 October 2008
Toblerone. Mmmm. What does a gift of Toblerone say to me? It says you’ve gone through an airport and bought this for me. It says I need to know you have travelled recently. It says you were in duty free and wanted to impress me. Why, thank you [grinz]...Well it worked; I am impressed and not just with you. The best thing about Toblerone is the taste, the stickiness, the tongue feel and the ooze. The second best thing is that you have to think about it more than regular chocolate whilst eating it. Think more about chocolate. Who doesn’t want to do that? It gets me every time. Your mouth can’t fathom that chocolate would be shaped like that. Lop off a corner and make the other three fabulous, sweetie, less is more, after all. Toblerone is what I would choose to impress you with when I get back from my travels too. It nibbles and nobbles and nubbles. It is satisfying, sassy and sophisticated. Toblerone says no to the usual box, and with a wave of its hand rewrites packaging everywhere. Toblerone is different. With Toblerone there are three sides to every story.
Dettol never fails
Dettol
09 October 2008
Dettol is patient, Dettol is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Dettol does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preseveres. Dettol picks you up when you fall. Dettol never fails.
Blu says, Stick with me kid
Blu Tack
09 October 2008
Blu Tack is the stuff of the indecisive. It means we can uum and aw. Blu Tack is all about second chances. Blu being there means our partners and colleagues and parents won’t freak out that the walls will have holes in them. Blu Tack’s dialogue is usually peppered with maybe’s and what if’s and a lot of long pauses. Blu sleeps on decisions and believes in making the right choice, only slowly. Blu Tack is, however, a top sort of chap with a long history of diplomacy across both the business and domestic markets. Blu can be relied upon in all situations to help. Blu Tack is ignored for long stretches of time but is then sought out in drawers and homes everywhere like there is no tomorrow. He is like an obscure underused consultant that needs more love. Blu just wants to be a part of things. We should include him whenever possible, he needs to get out more. He especially likes to visit at birthdays and Christmas to help hang the cards up. He also likes to help pin the tail on the donkey, act as a holding place for safety pins and tacks, and can be relied on to begrudgingly hold up posters of The Jonas Brothers everywhere. Blu has a rebellious, punk rock second cousin called Chewing Gum (CG). Blu must be OK because he is allowed in Singapore where CG is banned. Blu is the refined, well schooled, recycling, recyclable member of the family. Plasticine is the arty one. Blu says, "Stick with me kid".
Hope floods my heart and it's ok
Cold Stone Creamery
10 October 2008
Cold Stone you are one of life's joys. Thinking of you makes me remember Shanghai in June 2008 in the heat and the sweat and the grime. I remember the panic of not being thin enough or Chinese enough to be there and of sticking out in the crowd. I remember having too much curly hair, and of the bad thing that happens to my hair in Asia - going on which no amount of gel or persistence can beat. Hot and uncomfortable and as non-perfect tourist as they come. Then we order ice creams, I have cake batter with blueberries. Suddenly, I am young and pretty and hopeful and on holiday and it's ok. KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" plays from nearby. We sit outside Cold Stone Xin Tian Di and watch other people go by. I become at one with the place for a brief moment. We share the simplicity and naughtiness, the youth, the sweetness of an ice cream done just how we want. Hope floods my heart and it's ok. I feel alive and free. I smile.
My second home on Wednesdays
Starbucks
10 October 2008
Starbucks is the place where I hide on Wednesdays when our maid comes to clean the house. I camp out, like a student, like a private eye, like a refugee from my life. I lurk and sip my iced vanilla no fat latte. It’s not about the drink, it’s about somewhere to wait where I can be undercover and blend in. I wait and read and stir my coffee. Starbucks is my second home on Wednesdays; I can just be, without explanation. This is a relief to me and so really what I buy when I come to Starbucks is refuge. I’m glad of it.
The soundtrack of my life
iPod
10 October 2008
Remembering, in London, the question, which colour do you like more...pink, blue or white? Pink of course. Thinking you were going buying me a shirt or a bag. You turning up with a pink iPod for me. I hugged it to me then, I love it still, I add to it and it becomes more dear every day, more friendly, more me; more us. When the bombs went off, my heart terrorised and my eyes frantic and wet, alone, I turned the iPod on and my heart was unafraid. Listening to “Somewhere only we know” as we had done the weekend before, watching Live 8, drinking Corona and eating nachos, when fear was laughable, when London was whole. We were soon to leave London, and move to Australia and then Singapore. The pod moved with us, a constant reminder of love, of togetherness and of you with me even when we were apart. I still love listening to my iPod in a public place. I hug the music to me like a charm; it’s a secret only I know. Can you guess what I am listening to? It’s the soundtrack of my life.
You give me a flight of fancy
Pokka
14 October 2008
Pokka tea, you have the right mix of tea, sugar and flavour. You pack a punch way more than the likes of other insipid iced teas I could shame with a mention. Your bottled tea is designed so nicely with a swirl design and is sturdy and reassuring for sweaty, thirsty people to hold. I always seem to be sweaty in Singapore. The other reason I love Pokka is because my boyfriend drinks too many fizzy drinks and this is the grown-up alternative I can offer him. He gets in a strop if there is no iced Pokka lemon tea in the house and pulls the ‘don’t worry about it I just work all day for you, don’t worry about doing anything for me’ face. I try to avoid that. Sometimes when I am alone, I sit on the balcony, sip my tea in a glass tinkling with ice cubes and pretend I am in the Deep South. I don’t do the accent or talk to Big Daddy or anything, but it makes me think of Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’. If I had a porch swing, prom dress and parasol (and looked like her) it would be more realistic. Still, you give me a flight of fancy, and of course, reduce my thirst and increase my energy levels just fine.
Feeling like I am understood
Marks & Spencer
03 November 2008
You know how Holly used to go to Tiffany's to calm down and beat the mean reds? I go to Marks and Spencer and it does the same for me. Whichever country I am in, whenever I feel lost or in need of grounding and renewal, I go there. I can browse and relax properly in Marks and Sparks. It's something to do with belonging, and feeling like I am understood.
Always feels fresh and new
Christmas
08 November 2008
Christmas is my Lovemark because it's filled with traditions, sentiment and nostalgia, but every time it comes around it feels fresh and new. For me it marks a time of peace and family. It makes me feel like a kid again, full of joy at the holiday, food and togetherness. It's a chance for us to be better people and take inspiration from the message of Christmas.
Fun comes in yellow boxes
Old El Paso
10 November 2008
I know it’s one of those days when I get the call. The call that says we are eating Mexican for dinner. The call that says you had a bad day and you need me to get the Old El Paso kit ready for when you are back. I don’t know if it’s because you miss home more on those days, or need a fun dinner, or whether you are trying to evoke that holiday you always talk about, but it really doesn’t matter. What matters is, no matter what we keep coming back to the yellow boxes. I tell people ‘it’s our Mexican night gotta let me go now’ and they do. Works like a charm. Burritos or fajitas, enchiladas or tacos, who cares? Old El Paso makes us feel like kids again with its primary colors. It makes us think of large frosted glasses of margaritas even when we don’t have them. It makes us think that we might be on vacation from our life for the evening. It’s difficult to be depressed whilst eating it. It’s food that demands participation, you can’t be passive...wrapping, rolling, sprinkling of cheese and sour cream, refried beans...They told us fun comes in yellow boxes and we believe them.
Missing it is simply not possible
Amazing Race (The)
18 November 2008
The Amazing Race is the most exciting reality TV show I have ever watched. It is full of drama every episode and inspires such strong emotion and devotion that missing it is simply not possible. When I was a child, in the summer holidays my mum used to set us treasure trails in the garden with clues to work out to win a prize. The Amazing Race is like the grown up sophisticated version of that. I’ve watched this show through many seasons and it never loses its freshness because the teams, the countries they travel to and the tasks they perform are always new and surprising. As travellers, we watch the race looking out for places we’ve been and seeking new places to explore. Every person I have ever met who watched this show wants to be on it. The thrill of the series comes from the hair’s breadth between teams and the mistakes, consequences and twists of fate that end up with one team coming out on top. It’s like life but more intense and speeded up. The host Phil is fantastic, we feel like we know him, like he will be there forever. Please don’t ever stop making this show; it is one of the highlights of the year. The final of season 13 is next week and I can barely stand it!
An absolute Lovemark
Nigella Lawson
05 December 2008
Nigella is an absolute Lovemark. She so publically revels in the joy of food that as a viewer or reader you are swept along in the tide of enjoyment and enthusiasm. She is reliably inventive and covers the spectrum of all meals from the simple to the decadent. She seems to invite you into the privacy of her world in her cooking shows. Nigella makes me want to cook her recipes to recreate the food she has made, to make it part of our own world. She is shamelessly emotional about food in a positive way. She shares stories about why she cooks certain things, and why she loves them; as if she were talking to you as a friend or teacher. Even though her shows are modern there is something traditional and timeless about her and her delivery. Her recipes are always glorious. It is not an underestimation to say Nigella Express changed my life.