2012 September 04 – Gino's Blog

My Intro to Fashion: Plastic Pills Jewelry

September 4, 2012 By Gino 2 Comments

Perhaps the two things I never really got into on this blog were sports and fashion. I’m happy to say that I’m venturing into both starting now. Of course, I will never be as knowledgeable, stylish or have as keen an eye as my good fashion blogger friends, but at least I can have a small say in what I think is cool and would wanna wear. And for everyone wondering, no I have not turned gay.

So, a good friend of mine co-runs a small company called Plastic Pills. Now, that would be a fitting start to my foray into the fashion world since it has the words “plastic”, “pills” and is often centered around 8-bit and geeky themes. Plastic Pills necklaces have been my gifts to friends and family on several occasions. I think their neon-y colors, plasticky-goodness-feel and unorthodox designs always seem a fitting choice. There price is also very reasonable compared to traditional jewelry, with a price-tag at 20USD a piece and 30USD and above for custom-made ones, it’s quite an affordable luxury.

The influence of hipster and pop culture on the jewelry design makes it all the more relevant to wear. It’s something that’s in now, or means something to you in particular (such as the POW from comic books!). I think that’s a more awesome that the traditional stuff we get in gold and silver, which you need to worry about and have to wear over and over.

With these many designs and collections, you could wear a different plastic pill for each occasion. I wear my Darwin Fish to events sometimes, but I also hang it on my car’s rear visor (multipurpose goodness). I’ve seen Roanne sport plastic pills while wearing an evening dress at a posh place, or jeans and a tee at some party crew event. So, it’s practical, versatile and avant-garde to some extent in that I don’t need gold to put on jewelry, the punch-line is the gold!

I’ve embedded some of my favorite designs below and ones which I’ve given to people I like over the past few months. Below it though, is the real gem… MINE! =D Of course, I wanted in on the action and Roanne was kind enough to hook me up with this insane, custom-made Darwin Evolve Fish (which is basically the Christian fish symbol, plus legs = it evolved).

Check out their Facebook page here

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Filed Under: Artsy Fartsy

Lychee Beirut Review

September 4, 2012 By Gino 2 Comments

So, I missed the opening of this place and didn’t get a chance to try it till after a month or so after its first weekend. I went there on a Monday with Lori for a nice quiet dinner, and I must say, it was very enjoyable.

For one, it’s much closer to home, with barely a few minutes drive and you’re there. So, for all you Metn-Keserwen-Greater Beirut residents, that’s something to factor in given our beloved police forces always add useless checkpoints to make sure you don’t change the routine of 24/7 traffic inside Beirut.

For two, it’s set up is very cool. Everything is circular, with the focal point being the metal structure that houses the bar, any live acts and of course the wicked-awesome LED-light-disco-ball-thing. Around the innermost circle is another one lined up with medium-sized tables and the last one houses the bigger tables and lounges.

For three, the view is spectacular since you get a complete view of Beirut and the Port, as well as the surrounding mountains and highway just below. If you’re there early, you’ll probably get an awesome view of the sunset.

Now, for the most important part, the food. I ordered a chicken satay and a side of steak skewers with halloum bites. Both were amazing, the chicken was marinated with so many different flavors that you’d let every bite settle in a bit to try and figure out what the ingredients were. As for the halloum and steak, it took me a while to figure out it was halloum cheese, since it tasted so much better than what I was used to as a kid taking halloum sandwiches to school…

Lori had a nice chicken fillet which came in a very nice format. It was rolled up to look like a buche-de-noel Christmas cake, with different parts of the chicken spread out over each other, then rolled up into one neat, not too dry, not too moist and perfectly marinated chicken.

If you’re not looking for dinner, but some dancing, then head down there Thursdays and Fridays, where they host live acts followed by a DJ. If you’re not a big fan of live music, then go Saturday where it’s just DJs spinning some commercial favorites. To keep up to date, they have a Facebook page of the bands and singers they host.

Verdict: It’s a nice cross-over between a chilled-out lounge and a pumped-up rooftop club, could serve as both depending on what you’re looking for
Price: 50USD per person should let you wine and dine copiously
Location: Antelias seaside road
Atmosphere: Awesome view, quirky cool decor and lighting
Staff: Very kind and accommodating

Filed Under: Clubs

7 Panoramic Shots of Ehden and Surrounding Mountains [LG Optimus 4X]

September 4, 2012 By Gino 4 Comments

Perhaps one of the few things I missed a lot in my HTC One X was the built-in capability to take pano shots, like in the Samsung Galaxy S series. The LG Optimus 4X HD has just that, and one-ups the Galaxy S series in that it’s a lot more fluid, just one neat, continuous motion across the landscape and voila. No frames, no boundaries, no hiccups. Here are the results of going off-road to the highest mountain in my hometown of Ehden.