Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I’ve been getting so many emails from various businesses pimping their top picks for the occasion. I can’t speak for everyone but I’m so sick of seeing all these fluffy, frilly pink things – surely this Paris Hilton demographic has been slowly shrinking over the past few years or have I just been living under a rock? Here’s what I would put together if I were to spam your inbox!

In a bid to put an end to lacy, soppy, rose-smelling pink cards, here are some very cool Bloom pop-up greeting cards by Artechnica, A$150 for a pack of 15.

Everyone should have an instant camera. Fuji Instamax Instant Camera, US$130.

Adding this to the list because Leicas are cool, it looks fab in orange and only 200 people in the world will have one. Leica M7 Hermes Edition, price unavailable.

Why are vintage bags so cool? The chances you will bump into someone else with the same bag are halved every year, thus you’ll probably be the only one in your city with this vintage Chanel tassel bag, US$1,865.

Alternatively a huge carryall like this weekender hobo from Marc by Marc Jacobs, US$228, will do the trick. Especially if it comes packed and ready for a surprise weekend trip.

Taking a tip from Seth Green’s infamous line in The Italian Job; though these M-sized Geneva Sound System babies, A$1,999, won’t blow womens clothes off but they look mighty cool in any living room. And if you’re wanting to put that theory to test, it comes in L and XL too.

Quality sound that looks funky.. portable cool! Totally digging these Skullcandy Ti Tokidoki Headphones, A$120.

There are regular steak knives, and there are Legnoart spicy steak knives by Carlo Contin. Unconventional as a V-Day gift, to say the very least. Price unavailable.

1000 Dessous: A history of Lingerie will look fab on any coffee table. From US$60.

Sexy! MAC Lipmix in Red, A$21.

I can has funny? These LOLMagnetz, US$20, are hilarious and a great bang for your buck. Check out the user submitted pictures on Thinkgeek!

For photography buffs, these Re:Vision Camera lense cuffs recycled in South Australia by Craig Arnold also come in sterling silver modeled on the real thing. Each recycled cuff is one-of-a-kind. A$140-250

Thinking of You flat-packed metal cut sheet vase covers from Artechnica hides that cheap vase so your blooms will always look cool. Guaranteed to last longer than the flowers you’ll be paying a bomb for on V-Day. A$55-$65.

Keep your other half up all night with this sexy Nespresso Delonghi Lattissima, $A699.

Riding crops from Lucrezia and De Sade, ahem. From A$25.

Images from respective sites.

1. Have a really stupid accident which necessitates a hospital visit
2. Shoot something *
3. Take a weekend break more than 1000 miles from home
4. Boot Linux on your home PC
5. Get lost in a country where you don’t speak the language *
6. Spend more than your monthly income on a pocket sized gadget *
7. Post bail for a friend *
8. Break a really large plate glass window
9. Make a parachute jump on a hangover
10. Use a whole roll of gaffa tape in one day *
11. Make a pointless modification to your house
12. Neck a pint of peppermint oil
13. Pull a shemale/trannie by mistake (but realise in time…)
14. Buy a samurai sword
15. Delay paying a bill until the summons arrives *
16. Destroy a speed camera
17. Refill an inkjet cartridge *
18. Say something obscene on national television *
19. Do a J turn in order to beat somebody to a parking space
20. Break a sledgehammer
21. Make a bomb
22. Smash a CRT *
23. Require medical treatment as a consequence of kinky sex gone wrong (STDs don’t count.)
24. Tip a waiter with something other than money *
25. Light a fire with petrol
26. Kidnap someone
27. Park inside a motorway service station
28. Own a convertible
29. Live abroad *
30. Drive at more than 140kph *
31. Get something for free through a masterpiece of complaining *
32. Give yourself a mains electric shock
33. Completely dismantle an object larger than yourself *
34. Write off a car
35. Fall asleep and get really hilarious sunburn *
36. Get drunk on Absinthe *
37. Stay up all night listening to a friend have an emotional crisis *
38. Lick the terminals of a 9v battery
39. Take part in motorsport *
40. Stay at the office for more than 24 hours *
41. Set off a fire extinguisher *
42. Drive at least 600 miles in a day on two lane roads *
43. Hotwire a car
44. Watch all the Monty Python films In one sitting
45. Shag an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend by mistake
46. Dial 999 *
47. Commit a faux pas which means that a friend will never speak to you again *
48. Make a bet you couldn’t afford to lose *
49. Read a 500 page book in one sitting *
50. Escape a perfectly justified parking ticket *

(via Blinman)

* 2. Bow and arrows, water guns, hoops 5. Beijing, 2004; Paris, 1998 6. A camera on my junior salary 7. Only once ever, thank God 10. Many times, I love gaffa tape! 15. Mostly unintentionally forgotten about 17. Check 18. Does calling Ed Norton shit hot (when I meant Ed Burns) count? 22. Strangely liberating 24. Phone number on a coaster 29. Sydney, 2008 30. When I was young and stupid and had keys to daddy’s car 31. Blagging is an art form 33. Bookshelves, beds, uni exhibition stand; also good at assembling 35. Most recent: Bohol, 2007 36. Once is enough 37. A few times 39. If by taking part, means being a grid girl then yes: Formula One Sepang GP, 1999 40. Catcha, handful of times between 2005-2008 41. Curiousity set off a fire extinguisher 42. Need to look up distance from Wellington to Auckland, might not be 600 miles but it was the longest I’ve done in a day 46. I wonder how many calls these guys get from curious kids 47. If by faux pas, means being honest then yes, as recent as this month and no, I don’t really care to try explaining 48. I lost. It was marriage. I also got out of it 49. Too many times to count, yes I am a nerd 50. In KL, with impressive amount of grovelling and trading phone numbers

Tagged by Laych

5 things in my handbag/bag :
My sunnies
My black marker
My mobile phone
My iPod
My wallet

5 things in my purse :
Stray coins
Credit Card
IC
Driving license
Random bits of paper

5 favourite things in my favourite room (my bedroom):
My duvet
My shoe cabinet
My bookshelf
My collection of pics
My cookie jar

5 things I would like/love to do :
Run a marathon
Travel for a year
Organise my MP3s
Take better photos
Spend more time with grandma

5 things I’m currently doing :
Blogging o.O
Buffing my nails
Chatting on TS
Replying work emails
Trying to convince myself I should sleep…

Tagging Lynn, Lynn, Alcee, Myuu and Tracy.

(tagged by myuu)

These are the rules: Each player of this game starts out by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. After you do that, leave them each a comment letting them know you tagged them and to read your blog!

1. Most times, I cannot leave a drink (non-alcoholic!) on the table alone. So if the waiters keep refilling my glass of whatever, I’ll just keep drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking
2. I’m super-paranoid about having dry hands thus I always keep a jar of hand cream near me. One of my cousins (when we were younger) had a skin disease, which made the skin on her palms thick, dry and scaly. I think that’s scared me for life
3. I can listen to one song on repeat for a whole day and not get sick of it
4. When I’m walking with another person I need to be on the left side otherwise I get fidgety
5. I have a short attention span so I am likely to forget what you’ve just told me five minutes ago but am likely to remember a week later when you think I’ve actually forgotten
6. I like to have my instant tom yam noodles with Japanese mayonnaise on the side

I hereby compel thee to reveal thy weird self:
Lynn Lim
Lynn Lum
Miss D
Cilipadi Tracy
Fairy Joyce
Alcee

Tagged by Lynn.

Layer ONE
On the Outside
Name: Stephanie
Birth Date: Feb 11th
Current Status: Uninterested
Eye color: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Layer TWO
On the inside
Your Heritage: Malaysian Chinese
Your Fears: Failure
Your Weaknesses: Shoes and chocolate, in that order
Your Perfect Pizza: Double cheese pepperoni

Layer THREE
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Your thoughts first waking up: What time is it?
Your Bedtime: Usually midnight
Your most missed memory: Being on a horse

Layer FOUR
Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke: Vodka
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King
Adidas or Nike: Adidas
Lipton tea or Nestea: Neither
Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
Cappuccino or coffee: Latte

Layer FIVE
Do you
Smoke: Too much
Curse: All the time

Layer SIX
In the Past Month
Drank alcohol: About every other day
Gone to the mall: Work next to one
Been on stage: Yes
Eaten sushi: Yes
Dyed your hair: Several times

Layer SEVEN
Have You Ever?
Played a stripping game: Yes, and I didn’t lose
Changed who you were to fit in: Can’t be arsed

Layer EIGHT
Age you’re hoping to be married: Not in the next 5 years

Layer NINE
In a Girl/Guy.
Best eye colour: Hazel
Best hair colour: Dark
Short or long hair: Short

Layer TEN
What Were You Doing
1 minute ago: PvP-ing in WoW
1 hour ago: PvP-ing in WoW
4.5 hours ago: PvP-ing in WoW
1 month ago: Recovering from mad Hong Kong trip
1 year ago: Don’t remember. But probably recovering from OK! Malaysia launch party and getting ready for RMCC dinner.. or so my archives tell me.

Layer ELEVEN
Finish the sentence
I love: existing not merely to exist
I feel: indifferent
I hate: paladins
I hide: my chocolate stash in the office quite well
I miss: five day weeks
I need: to get out more

Layer TWELVE
Tag 5 people
1. Lynnzter
2. The Pug
3. Tracy
4. Alcee
5. Roy