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Valentine’s Day is around the corner! Hugo, always the romantic, shares with you tips to help you get through this day smoothly.

DO’S

• Reenact your first date

  Most of the time you make the most effort to show your partner how romantic you are on the first date. Revisiting an old haunt relives happy memories of past, and provides a good conversation topic too.

• Do something unexpected

  Such a gesture shows you put effort into planning for this special day. Make sure it’s unexpected, but appreciated though! If your other half has been wanting to do something you’ve been putting off, this day is a good time to pleasantly surprise her.

• Stay at home

  It will be crowded at restaurants and hot spots, so why not get some quiet time together at home? Watch movies, give each other a massage, cook a meal together, spend quality time with each other!

• Make breakfast

  This is always a nice touch, cook eggs the way your partner likes them to show you remember little details like these. If you already do this on a regular basis, make it special by arranging the items in the shape of a heart!

• Write a short love note

  Make it sincere. Write something of your own, use pet names in them. Leave them around the house and give your partner clues, or hide it in a bag or pocket for them to see it later!

DON’TS

• Forget about Valentine’s Day

  It may sound straightforward, but yes, don’t forget about it come Monday! Set aside time in your schedule for it. Even if your partner says Valentine’s Day is corny and overhyped, chances are they still wouldn’t mind a small gesture to mark the occasion.

• Buy other flowers because the ones she likes are too expensive

  In short, don’t be stingy. If her favorite flowers are sunflowers, don’t get roses instead just because they’re cheaper and you think they’re more appropriate. Get her what she likes, offer to pay for dinner, make her feel like the most special girl in the world!

• Recite a love poem found on the internet

  Millions of people around the world might be reciting the exact same poem as you – your partner is certainly more special than that. To show how your partner is one-in-a-million, write something personalized. It need not be Shakespearean, as long as it’s from your heart.

• Embarrass your partner

  While you may think serenading outside her house is an awesome show of your love, she might find it embarrassing. The key to avoiding awkward or unhappy situations is to talk about your plans for the day, or if you’re planning a surprise, give a general feel of what’s involved. Communicate!

• Think this is the only day to show love

  Valentine’s Day lasts just 24 hours, but don’t stop once the day has passed. Displays of love shouldn’t be limited to one single day on the calendar. Keep showing your partner the love, keep the flame alive!

Have a good Valentine’s Day!

P.S. Hugo loves you! xx

Today is Australia Day! As people revel in the celebrations, Hugo lists 5 reasons why it’s awesome to be in Australia.

1. The Sydney Opera House

It’s hard to go past the world-famous Opera House, which took more than 14 years to construct. One of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings, it serves as an icon for a city, a country and an entire continent! (Photo: Ng Kok Kai)

2. You can send mail from the Great Barrier Reef.

That’s right, there’s a post box somewhere over the longest reef in the world! You can send a postcard which will be postmarked with the world’s only Great Barrier Reef stamp – makes for a really special souvenir.

3. Most livable country in the world

According to The Economist, Melbourne (3rd), Sydney (7th), Perth (8th) and Adelaide (9th) are among the top 10 most livable cities in the world. No other country has as many of its cities listed! (Photo: chylle)

4. The mystique of Uluru

Uluru (or Ayers Rock) is the most enchanting at sunrise or sunset, times when you can witness the rock formation change from orange to a fiery red. In caves and shelters around the area, one can find well preserved ancient Aboriginal paintings – portals to Australia’s past. (Photo: Mark Laricchia/Corbis)

5. Beaches!

No part of Australia is more than 1000km from the ocean and a beach, for good reason too – some of the best beaches in the world are right here! From the world-famous Bondi to the Gold Coast to Surfer’s Point, there’s a beach for everyone, everywhere.

What do you love most about Australia?

As we enter a New Year many people choose this time to make a few resolutions. While the majority of resolutions aren’t met, they help to kickstart a few things!

Haven’t made yours yet? Hugo shares some of the most common resolutions to get you started.

1. GET IN SHAPE

One of the most common resolutions, it’s also one of the most common ones that fail. Many people start off with vigor and excitement, but lose interest after a couple of months.

A key to getting this resolution to work is to start out slow. Set yourself a small goal at the beginning, maybe to workout or go for a run once a week. As you become accustomed to small changes in your lifestyle, look to move on to bigger things!

2. QUIT SMOKING

It’s not easy for a smoker to just quit the habit just like that, but many have managed to successfully lead a smoke-free lifestyle. It’s a good one to achieve too – works wonders on your personal health.

Begin by limiting yourself to just one or two sticks a day, gradually cutting it down to one every few days, and eventually none. Make an effort to stay away from situations where someone is likely to offer you a cigarette, or prepare yourself mentally to say no. Most friends are willing to help you out if they hear you’re trying to quit smoking too.

3. SAVE OR MAKE MONEY

Money matters. With money people can get and do the things they want – a new phone, car, house, holiday – or simply to live more comfortably.

Some quirky ways to save money include getting rid of your landline if you’re hardly using it these days. Start budgeting your expenditure so you don’t overspend. Borrow books from the library instead of paying for them!

To make money, try rummaging through your storeroom or wardrobe to see if you have stuff you want to clear. Hold a garage sale, advertise for it by posting a free ad up on www.gumtree.com.au!

4. EAT HEALTHIER

A quick way to achieve this is by calculating how much you’re spending on fast food each month if you’re a junkie – you’ll be surprised.

Look to pick up cooking – home-cooked meals are usually pretty healthy in comparison to what you get outside, you can control how much oil or sugar is in your food this way.

Carry around less money in your wallet too! You’ll think twice if you don’t have the cash to grab a burger or some kebabs from the store on the corner.

5. GET YOUR LIFE ORGANIZED

Often people are so caught up in work or school activities that they find themselves with no time for their friends and family, themselves even!

Many people often have problems managing their time well, and in the process stress themselves out or slowly develop mood problems from leaving too little time to themselves.

Make time for things – shift your schedule or say no to events you don’t really feel like attending to free up time. You only live once – remember to stop and smell the flowers!

Have a great year ahead!

x Hugo

Hugo knows that while different cities celebrate New Year’s Day at different times, there’s always one thing that’s the same: A grand display of fireworks! Here’s a show of celebration around the world, presented to you in chronological order.

Fireworks launch from the Sky Tower in Auckland. New Zealand will be among the first countries in the world to usher in 2011, 3rd to be exact! (Photo: Jae Sern)

The Australian cities of Sydney, along with Melbourne and Canberra are 6th to welcome 2011. More than 1.5 million people are expected to be around Sydney Harbour tonight! (Photo: Pattanasak Rattanasiwamok)

Japan is next at 10th. This shot is of the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima. (Photo: orihashi)

Singapore puts on quite a show every year at Marina Bay. (Photo: William Cho)

Hong Kong shares the same timezone as Singapore – they’re joint 12th. The night sky in Victoria Harbour will be illuminated at the same time! (Source: Mind The Gap)

Moscow in Russia is the 22th place to welcome 2011. Glorious fireworks on show at the Kremlin and Red Square!

24th: The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France! (Photo: EPA)

This is the London Eye, overlooking the River Thames in London, England. They’re 25th. (Photo: Jack Morton)

The National Capitol Building and the Washington Monument in Washington, USA will be the 32nd place in the world to see fireworks explode in their sky. (Source: Dems Fightin’ Words!)

While some places like New Zealand are celebrating the New Year, it’d be only December 31st, 1am in Honolulu, Hawaii. One of the last places in the world (at 38th) to bring in 2011, the fireworks display certainly isn’t lacking! (Photo: Cory Lum)

Hugo wishes you a great 2011!

Running out for ideas for Christmas gifts? To try and save you a bit of head-scratching, Hugo’s lined up a sackful of inventive and bizarre gifts.

Boyfriend Pillow
This one’s for the single ladies. Give them the gift of a man’s hug – without the snoring, rolling around in bed or random bursts of flatulence. Now they can feel loved and enjoy a good night’s sleep at the same time! Sultry-looking brunette not included with product. (Buy)

Teddy Bear Lamp
Is it a teddy bear? Is it a lamp? Whichever way you choose to see it, the Teddy Bear Lamp certainly adds a nice furry touch to a room as he sits quietly on a nightstand. Hugging bear/lamp to sleep not recommended. (Buy)

Running Alarm Clock
Have a mate who’s always late because he or she can’t wake up? Introduce them to Clocky. This intelligent alarm clock jumps off your nightstand and runs away if you press snooze the first time. It then rings again and keeps running around the room until you get up eventually! Your mate will never be late again. (Buy)

Indian Curry Toothpaste
Here’s one for the mate who has funky breath no one dares to tell him about – a box set of 31 tubes of toothpaste. The set consists of exotic flavors such as Indian Curry, Kiwi Fruit, Bitter Chocolate, Cola that will ensure you won’t have to hold your breath the next time you meet up. (Buy)

Moo Mixer
Here’s a way to get some milk for the kids, minus all the messy udder squeezing business. Simply put milk power into mug, add hot water, press the button on the handle and voila! Hot chocolate milk in your hands. (Buy)

Instant Underpants
Hugo has a mate who makes texts him really strange questions after he’s had a big night out. Sometimes he’s not sure where he is, sometimes he’s forgotten his name, and sometimes it’s because he finds his underpants have strangely disappeared. Gift your mates these instant underpants, they’ll always have an extra pair on the go! (Buy)

Giant Gummy Bear
What’s better than simply getting a bag of gummy bears? Getting one giant gummy bear! About 88 times larger than regular ones and weighing half a pound, this bear certainly packs a bite. (Buy)

Tiki Head Tissue Box Cover
For the person who says he has everything, he probably doesn’t have this charming Tikihead tissue box holder! Adding an exotic touch to any room, this is a gift not to be sneezed at. (Buy)

Remote-controlled Tarantula
If you have a mate who’s constantly having to call in the pest busters, this might be just what they need. With a fearsome remote controlled tarantula cockroaches and lizards might think twice before roaming around the house. Also useful if he feels like scaring the crazy cat lady next door. (Buy)

Nose Pencil Sharpener
It’s incredibly easy to use – just stick your pencil in a nostril, twist it a few times, and your pencil comes out all nice and sharp. Free of snot too! Suitable for mates who are artists, architects, use pencils often or can’t stop picking the noses. (Buy)

Need more gift ideas? Text Hugo anytime!

Can you actually hold up a cloud or the moon? Or change an airplane or car to the size of a toy? Hugo says you can – without magic or Photoshop skills involved. You just need a camera and a creative eye.

1: Who needs a spaceship when you can reach the moon by climbing to the top of this hill? (Ana mCachón)

2: How about using this for a volleyball? (Gordon McBryde)

3: The next time you spot a giant watering can at the beach, run! (froodmat)

4: The next time you spot a giant hand in the middle of the street, run too! (Laura DeAngelis)

5: Even Jesus gets bored and needs some time for entertainment, so having a toy plane to play with must be fun. (Jibby)

6: Who wants a piece of the sky to hang on their wall? (Ivan Dobrev)

7: Is that a giant trying to crush the Stonehenge? (maybemaq)

8: This guy collects floating orbs of light as a hobby. (Mr Mooq)

9: Holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa can be tiring, so this chick takes a nap on the ground while using her legs to prop it up. (Marty Portier)

10: In today’s news, a plane crashed into a person’s forehead… (maybemaq)

11: This guy shows you a different way to blow someone off. (Jeppe Olsen)

12: Hugo reckons even David Copperfield would have been impressed with this nifty trick. (The Moronic Inferno)

13: This guy has no friends. He’s eaten all of them.

14: Well on the way to setting the record for biggest balloon ever!

15: Not a bad idea when you’re stuck in the desert.

16: They say people on this street are a little strange…

17: This guy juggles the sun with his right foot… (Waleed Almotar)

18: …while this lady found a guy hanging off her right boot. (Dan Oxlade)

19: The landlord says his tenants change fairly often. They say something about the building’s not quite right. (Ralf Stockmann)

20: Remember to check the expiry on your foot cream – this man forgot and look what happened!

Hugo wants to know: Which was your favourite?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the second last film in the series is due in cinemas November 18. Hugo shares with you magical things about the series you might not have known.

1. Harry Potter will appear nude in the Deathly Hallows

Twice.

Harry appears naked for the first time in one of Ron’s visions. A monster Ron is battling forces him to imagine his worst fears – one of them being a vision of Harry and Hermione embracing. (Sorry guys, no word yet on whether Hermione appears naked too.)

Harry appears in the buff later on in another scene at Kings Cross station, where he almost dies and sees Dumbledore.

It won’t be the first time Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, has taken off his clothes for his craft though – he’s appeared in the nude for the play Equus.

2. Hogwarts’ school motto is “Never tickle a sleeping dragon”

The line below the school crest reads “Draco cormiens nunquam titillandus”, which can be translated as “Never tickle a sleeping dragon” or “Let sleeping dragons lie”! Pretty cool motto eh?

Author J. K. Rowling, who has a pretty extensive knowledge of Latin, also has a fondness of leaving clues all over her stories. Some have speculated that it alludes that Draco Malfoy will become Harry’s life-long enemy.

3. Harry Potter has inspired a music movement

It’s called Wizard Rock, or Wrock for short, and has been taking stage primarily in America since 2002.

It came about when a group named themselves Harry and the Potters and started dressing up as the characters and singing humorous songs about the series.

They’ve managed to cast a spell on other young aspiring musicians – there are at least 750 such bands in existence now!

4. One of the characters is real

In the book Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire, a girl named Natalie McDonald appears on page 159.

Natalie was a nine-year-old girl from Canada who was dying of cancer. She had written to J. K. Rowling to find out what was going to happen in the next book as she would not live long enough to read it.

Rowling wrote back, but Natalie had died a day earlier. In tribute, she became a first year student at Gryffindor – the house for the brave at heart.

5. Harry Potter is 30 years old

Yes, if Harry were a real person. Harry was born on July 31st, 1980!

J. K. Rowling has said that Harry’s birthday falls on July 31, which also happens to be her birthday.

In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, she writes “tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry’s eleventh birthday”. July 31 doesn’t fall on a Tuesday very often, and eagle eyed readers have taken these details and worked out that Harry was probably born in 1980.

Watch the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EC2tmFVNNE

Halloween is coming!

Hugo knows the tradition of having Halloween lanterns started around 1866 in Ireland. Turnips and potatoes were used originally, although people eventually switched to pumpkins, which were sturdier.

The lanterns had several meanings – some believed they welcomed friendly spirits into their home, while others used it as an offering, as they feared ghosts would play tricks on them if they didn’t leave one outside their house.

Halloween has since evolved into a fun and spooky holiday filled with treats, and pumpkin designs have evolved from the traditional scary face too. Hugo features some creative and awesome Jack-o-lanterns people have come up with in recent times.

Mario

Spiderman

Superman

Batman

The Joker

Transformers

Sonic the Hedgehog

Yoda

Darth Vader

Twilight – Edward and Bella

Twilight – Jacob

Homer Simpson

Gandalf from Lord of the Rings

Puss in Boots from Shrek

Justin Bieber

Statue of Liberty

US President Barack Obama

Firefox and Internet Explorer

Pumpkin Burger

Robot Pumpkin

Happy Halloween from Hugo!

Which one was your favourite?

Hugo knows having a twin is a special thing – only 3 out of every 100 births are twins. In this blog Hugo introduces to you five famous twins!

1) Ashton Kutcher (right) and his brother Michael (left)

Funnyman Ashton Kutcher is a movie star, the host of Punk’D and the husband of actress Demi Moore. His twin brother Michael suffers from cerebral palsy, a condition which causes him physical disability. He lives in their hometown in Iowa, USA selling retirement plans.

When they were younger, Ashton appointed himself as Michael’s protector. ““That was a big part of my life,” Ashton recalls, “kind of looking out for my twin.”

2) Gisele Bundchen (right) and her sister Patricia (left)

What’s better than one hot babe? Two hot babes!

Gisele Bundchen is a supermodel who has modeled for big names like Victoria’s Secret, Sports Illustrated and is the former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio. Twin sister Patricia is older by a few minutes, and prefers to stay behind the camera, acting as Gisele’s manager. She’s doing a pretty good job too – Gisele earned $35 million back in 2008!

3) Justin Timberlake and his sister Laura

Not many people know this, but pop star Justin Timberlake has a younger twin sister. Sadly there were complications while giving birth to her and she passed away shortly after birth.

Justin still thinks about Laura these days – he acknowledged her as “My Angel In Heaven” in the liner notes of his earlier *NSYNC albums.

4) Scarlett Johansson (left) and her brother Hunter (right)

Blonde bombshell Scarlett is a top actress in Hollywood, appearing in films like Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Twin brother Hunter’s just as good looking as his sister – he was named by People magazine as one of the Hottest Bachelors back in 2008!

He’s got powerful connections too. Back when Barack Obama was running for the US presidency, Hunter served as the campaign organizer in Denver, USA!

5) Elvis Presley and his brother Jesse

Elvis Presley is widely acclaimed as the King of Rock and Roll, singing popular classics like Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog. Can you imagine if there had been two Kings?

Sadly, just like Justin Timberlake’s sister, Elvis’s twin brother Jesse died at birth on January 8, 1935. Their parents couldn’t afford the $10 doctor fee back then and he was buried in a shoebox. The King often said he felt like something was “missing”.

Hugo wants to know: What do you think life would have been like for you if you had a twin?

Hugo isn’t just brains and good looks: Did you know Hugo’s a great singer and dancer too? He was dancing in his cot before learning how to walk!

Audiences around the world have been awed by Hugo’s performances on some of the grandest stages – from the royal court of the King of Persia to the bright lights of Broadway.

His performances caught the eye of some famous television producers and Hugo was invited on set to coach the actors on their singing and dancing for the show Glee. Hugo taught the cast everything they know. They still text him with their questions about singing, dancing, love and anything else in life.

Ask Hugo anything, anytime!