Forget Paris

So, it looks like I really do not have any intention of going to Paris any time soon as I totally forgot that the wifey mentioned it last week. Haha. But, Malaysia is definitely in my travel plans for the next couple of years. I have never been to Malaysia, despite its proximity to Singapore (which a favorite of ours), Little P. too. Big P have been there, I know, but that was ages ago.

Aside from the Legoland which is on schedule to open on 2012. I need some more Malaysia "stuff" to justify to the wifey that a trip is in order. Bags, would definitely be an attraction to her. Of course, there must be something for the little one, but the Legoland already has that covered. (Wink, wink) Pipe in with your recommendations, I would greatly appreciate that. Themeparks are shooins, we love themeparks. Museums, not so much.

Located across Universal Studios Singapore, with just a waterway in between, Legoland Malaysia will offer 40 rides to go along with shows and displays. The display, of course, will feature famous structures in Asia, and require around 30 million bricks to build. Legoland Malayasia will only be the 6th of its kind in the whole world, and will be the 1st in Asia.

(Don't you just love their ties?)

Photos from AFP via The Straits Times.

Get A Brick, We'll Travel

We have never been to Paris, and, even though the wifey would love it, it has never been in my list of places to visit. Serious or otherwise, we have never had any discussions about going there. The closest I have been to the Eiffel Tower, aside from a 3-inch souvenir someone gave the wifey, is at a large-scale display in Hong Kong a couple of Christmases ago. It was quite a surprise coming home to a LEGO "Paris Tower" made by Little P. Colorful, the litlle thing is, just the way I like it. Plus, it doubles as a spaceship, according to my 6-year old who just go introduced to LEGO last December. (Most architects will never think of that!)

(Photo from Tour-Eiffel.com)

LEGO come out with an Eiffel Tower (10181) set in 2007. Built to 1:300 scale and stands 42.5 inches high, the realistic tower retailed for $199.99. Of course, today it goes for 5 times the original price.

The Perfect Way To Raise Little Pervs

At the recent 2011 Toy Fair and at the CES, Mattel unveiled its latest creation, the Perv Video Racer. A video camera housed in a 1/64 scale car. It has an LCD screen on the chassis and carn record 12 minutes of video at 30fps. The budle has an SRP of $59.99 and comes a case that makes it possible to attach the car to helmets, bikes, skateboards, shampoo bottles, laundry hampers, and maybe even to the pet cat. Also included is a Video Racers software and a USB cord for uploading and editing on a computer so that your little Hayden can make movies with music, effects and transitions.

Photos from Chipchicklets.com.

I Will Blog For Bricks

It is now official, Guinness World Records recently confirmed that DK Publishing - The LEGO Group have broken the world records for the largest image made with interlocking bricks. The mosaic, which is that of a Star Wars poster to celebrate the LEGO Brickmaster book, required 384,000 Lego bricks and 1500 baseplates, took 3 days to complete (23-25 October, 2010) and measured 97.5 square meters.

That is a lot of money to burn. Good thing this was backed by TLG. Me? I am, for the last couple of months, thinking (dreaming) of ways to raise money for my own mosaic project. I made some calculations, and based on S@H prices I need around 10,000 pesos to create a simple mosaic on a 48x48 baseplate.

While you're contemplating on how much to donate to my mosaic fund, head over to DK Canada for videos and more pictures. Maybe those will inspire you to shell out some dough. I promise, I will not employ children to work on my mosaics.

Lomokev Misses A Shot

Kevin Meredith's new book, "Toy Cameras: Creative Photos", came in the mail a few days ago. I also have his first one, a personal favorite, "Hot Shots". The second, "Photo Op", the only one that was locally available I did check out but did not pick up. And unlike the previous ones, this new book features a lot more contributors' shots rather than just Kevin's. 40 "toy" cameras are featured, their quirks and "effects" discussed quite briefly and sample images shown. While I am quite satisfied with the coverage, I feel the best digital toy cameras had been left out. The VQ and the FD did not make the cut.

The Vistaquest Keychain Camera variants VQ1005 and VQ1015 Entry are tagged as the digial LC-A, producing images with almost the same feel as those produced by that not so "toy priced" Lomography camera, vignetted and with saturated colors.

The Fun Digital Camera FDC01, also known as SQ28m in Japan, is another little keychain camera that has a big following among artistic photographers. It captures square images and can produce b/w, vivid, and cross-procossed shots.

The LEGO Digital Camera made it into the book. Which is a surprise because it is not really that popular among toy camera enthusiasts and it is quite new compared to the VQ. Little P thinks it is a blast having her camera in there, I am okay with it too.

A side note, ndroo aka Fuzzyeyeballs, a Singaporean who loves toy camera photography and whose blog I follow has a couple of pictures in the book.

LEGO Goes Vrooooom!

High resoltuion pictures of the upcoming Disney/Pixar Cars 2 LEGO sets have been unveiled for us by Grogall of Birckshelf. Just click on the thumbnails below to view them.


Flo's V8 Cafe - 8487

Mack's Team Truck - 8486

Spy Jet Escape - 8638

Tokyo International Circuit - 8486
This set will be a Toys R' Us Exclusive, but most likely will be available via Lego S@H as well.

World Grand Prix Racing Rivalry - 8423

The Fillmore just does not jump at me. I think it is even looking away from me!!

My Love in 3D

Respect The Classics, Man!

They are out. Here are some really fresh pictures of upcoming LEGO Cars sets courtesy of FBTB and Kris Kelvin of Eurobricks .

8200 Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen
May 2011. US$6.99.

8486 Mack's Team Truck
May 2011. US$39.99.

8487 Flo's V8 Cafe
May 2011. US$59.99.

I love Cars, but only collect Fillmore, and I am quite disappointed with the Fillmore in the above set. It does not look like a Volkswagen Kombi!! Where is your respect for the classics, LEGO?!

I Can See The Future

So you have bought all the LEGO sets you ever wanted. Your room has LEGO boxes up to the ceiling. Display cabinets are filled with built sets and MOCs. But how will you ever know when that new set you have read about on Brickset is finally going to be released? YES! You need a calendar!! And it is not too early to grab a 2012 calendar for marking down those dates for sets that have no release dates yet. LOL!!

High-res versions of the cover image of the 2012 LEGO Calendar that is available for preorder from Amazon.com, and some pages off the Workman 2012 Calendars catalog can be viewed by clicking the small images below.

" Named Toy of the Century by Fortune magazine and now the subject of a bestselling book series, LEGO toys are one of the most popular ever, beloved by boys, girls, and grown-ups too! Exhibiting a dozen astonishingly lifelike constructions by top LEGO designers, LEGO: The Calendar is a fun and obsessive tribute to the little plastic blocks that have fueled kids' imaginations for generations. Each of these creations is a masterpiece of imagination and engineering. A space shuttle on the launch pad (10...9...8...). A perfect replica of the White House. An entire city block, finely detailed down to every lamppost and distinctive building facade. Accompanying the photographs is lively text with historical lore, building tips, and LEGO artist profiles. "

Our Heart

I found out today that the wifey will not be here on Valentine's Day, again. So, here is a quick LEGO build for her.

Yup, I do not have any money to get her anything else.

I Fell On Black Days

I have been staring out the window for more than half an hour. The CD might have already stopped a good 10 minutes before I noticed it. It started out with Chris' unmistaken growl swirling around the room, pulling, tugging, shoving me back into the 90s. Then I got to thinking. Which, as everybody knows, is a very dangerous thing. And Mr. Cornell's unsinkable voice gets lost in the background.

He has announced a solo acoustic tour. This after the band supposedly reunited a few months back. Some sort of a greatest hits album +1 previously unreleased old song was released (the one that was playing), and a live album off the 1996 tour is coming soon. I should not be complaining. They are back together. As a fan, and a big fan at that, I should be happy. Yet I am not. I am wondering about the point of reuniting. Where are the new songs, the new album? Where is the tour in support of the new album?

I am playing the CD again because it is the only thing I can hold on to now of a new Soundgarden. Yes, I am buying the soon to be released live album because I might (will?) never get to see them live.

Out the window I can see an old cow being milked. Instead of black spots it has dollar symbols, big, glowing and green. I am day dreaming now. This is nothing but a dream, yes, just like a truly reunited Soundgarden.

When Your Steps Get Numbered

Finding it quite hard to finish rolls inside the Photoblaster and the Vivitar UWS. Somehow the spontaneity of shooting goes out of the window when I am using film cameras. I keep on weighing whether it is okay to "waste" shots on garbage cans and street signs or just take photos of Little P. while she turns the house into a "pretty" mess. I did manage to finish a roll of Sensia 100 with the Viv last December. That one remains unprocessed though, waiting for the other two before being sent to the lab.

I am afraid that I will not find an analog groove any time soon. It is no fun when you are over-thinking before firing. My love for my VQs (1015 Entry and 1005) remains unmatched.

Brick Brock, LEGO Rocks.

This is why LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 4 rocks.

Photo from Brickset via Grogall.

From Sand To Concrete

We went out to get Little P's prize from Build City the other day. It ended up being a big Racers set. Not really fit for a little girl. She opened it, looked at the sealed baggies and decided to sell it to her mom for funds to get a City Corner.

(Taken with the LEGO Camera.)

Little P is quite right, you cannot play Sylvanians with Racers.