i covet.....Marc Jacobs's Stam

Jessica Stam is one lucky model. To have inspired Marc Jacobs, she has forever been immortalized in one of Marc Jacobs's best-known handbags, The Stam. Being a designer's muse certainly paid off for her and she joins an elite rank of personalities to have had trend-transcendant purses named after them. Although, not as high up the order as the Birkins and the Kellys of the fashion world, the Stam definitely is a handbag that has captured many a hearts including mine.

I know that the purse debuted long ago, back in '04 if I'm not mistaken, and MJ has reinvented the Stam multiple times over the years with offerings of different leather and slight updates but the original Stam still remains a firm favourite among fashion lovers.

What is there not to love about The Stam? The soft-to-touch quilted leather body, the oh-so-cute kiss-lock closure top, the frame top that ensures the bag does not slouch on you and the chunky gold chain shoulder strap and gold hardware that simply give off an air of class, all combine to make an outstanding handbag. It wows with its design as the purse is exterior-wise gorgeous, trendy and the embodiment of femininity but at the same time completely functional as it's roomy and the structure is sturdy. Certainly a plus for the fashionable gal who carries the office around with her.

google, conquering the planet one tech app at a time

Is it just me or is Google taking over the world? For the past couple of years I have read and heard of Google acquiring companies left, right, front and back. Their acquisitions are diverse, they practically have their 10 long and far-reaching fat fingers in multiple technological pies. Can you believe that a company starting out as primarily a search engine site has now gone on to own the stellar tech revolution that is YouTube and also produce it's own mobile OS, Android all in a span of 2 years? And they are now venturing into radio and print publications. I also noticed them giving PayPal a run for their money with a service they call Google Checkout.

Want to place a bet that sooner rather than later it'll be a Google World we'll be living in. All payments must be made via Google Checkout once I win. And the world at large were worried about Microsoft. Sneaky :)

that treadmill won't run itself

Ok, admittedly, I don't own a treadmill nor a gym membership that has one nor do I run in the streets because running in a smoggy metropolis isn't my idea of keeping healthy. But that's my point, in my advancing years, the desire to keep fit has grown stronger. Basically, it's a nagging voice that keeps on reminding me to shape up or I'll flab out but despite the spurts of enthusiam I have throughout the year, it almost always dies off two weeks into my newly rescucitated regime. The only semi-consistent 'exercise' that I do is switching on the Wii and having a rousing game of WiiSports bowling where, and I do mean to brag, I have managed to bowl perfect scores a number of times. Laughs, ok, my perfect bowling score does not translate in a real game of bowling at the lanes but I'm proud of it anyways.

I'm not overweight by any means and my urge to keep fit isn't necessarily motivated by a desire to drop sizes as I'm in a healthy 4-6 range but to see the elasticity of your skin become less taut is a scary thing for me, however superficial I might come across. I have an inherently weird fear of double chins, cankles and saggy knees. I don't want to see my boobs drop down to my knees in 10 years because I didn't have the foresight to tone up in my younger days. So in that respect, I understand the call of my body to get up and get healthy.

I've never been the exercise-y type and when I do it's mainly walks/semi-jogs around the neigbourhood and jump ropes. I can only remember going to the gym once in my entire life back in '03 as someone's plus one, a recruiting gimmick the gym she went to had. I enjoyed my day there as there was a bottomless drinks station and her personal trainer was mucho tasty looking. In my much younger days, I did do the cycling and rollerblading thing that kids/teens do but EVERYONE was and you weren't cool if you didn't. I love dancing, whether I'm any good at it is not the issue, and can work up a sweat on the dance floor but since I've given up club-hopping in lieu of early nights that has no longer helped in keeping the flab at bay. And let's not leave out the 2 exercise videos I did buy, a Pilates and Yoga dvd that has been used approximately 3 times since purchase.

In the past 2 years, on and off I have managed to rouse myself for a coupla weeks every 3 months or so to get off my butt and do a lil bit of jump ropes, about 1200 reps a day, or 2 hours of Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) on the Wii but once the tediousness of having to wash my hair every day sets in and then having to put up with the hair damage as I dry (or more likely fry) it for work so it doesn't look like a rat's nest, my resolve starts to weaken. But as the new year approaches, I want to make exercising a more ongoing part of my life and in the spirit of preparing for making changes, I got myself a WiiFit :D

Now, some people think that video game consoles do not promote healthy lifestyles but having experienced the Wii, I can attest you can sweat up buckets air-boxing or DDR-ing. There have been a few incidences, while DDR-ing, of my slipping on my own sweat on the dance pad, which is a safety issue to debate another time, and if it weren't for the bore of listening to the same music day in, day out, I would have stuck with it much longer. If only they had a feature to include your own music and based on that the game would devise the dance moves I'm sure the boredom factor would not bear down so easily. Perhaps a later version of the DDR will do this. One can only hope.

So anyways, I resisted the WiiFit revolution for more than half a year, perhaps partly due to the fact you could never find it in stores, they're always sold out but with the deals these holidays, I decided to splurge out and get it. After 3 days of 'testing', I believe I can say without a doubt that WiiFit is a fit for me! Lol, ok, I'm simply being lame in this post but I seriously think this amazing piece of technology was created for people like yours truly, as in having an aversion to the gym, whatever the reasons may be (mine would be a self-conciousness in gym clothes). WiiFit has 4 basic exercise activities; Yoga, Muscle Workouts, Aerobics and Balance. I've always wanted to try yoga and having a digitized trainer makes it easier for me to follow than having a real person as then I am not constantly wondering if they are silently assessing (I know that sounds paranoid and quite self-involved but everyone's allowed their weird hang-ups). I also have to say, the exercise in the muscle-building/toning section is tough, I could not complete the 6 reps of push-ups which made me feel fairly embarassed at my lack of upper arm strength. And the rest of the activities, whether virtual skiing, step class or walking a tight rope, are just as fun and sweat-inducing as well.

As with all new and shiny things, the novelty is a motivating factor but I'm hoping that this will ultimately translate to a long term commitment on my part. I'm putting this in writing as a note to myself to bank in the hours as my ongoing good health and non-sagginess is important to me. I know it's not only about watching the food that you eat but maintaining the body as well and if this will allow me to continue my love affair with Cheetos while still being able to comfortably fit into my Levis then bring on the exercise. Vanity is a driving motivator ain't it?

Wish me luck!

tragic how consumerism has gotten the better of humanity

Black Friday has come and gone but besides the usual news of injuries acquired fighting for rock-bottom priced items, it was reported a Wal-Mart employee in Valley Stream, NY was trampled to death in a stampede at the entrance where 'customers' (I use the term lightly) broke the glass doors in an all-too-true MAD rush to shop.

Now, my first impression of stampedes are gazelles, rhinos or elephants in the safari wilderness trampling a Nat Geo photographer OR in a more urban setting, a participant in the bull run in Pamplona, Spain falling down and getting bull hoofs all over him. I did not expect to open the paper and read about a store employee getting 'murdered' by a bunch of savage shoppers. Is the price of human life so low now that it is equal to that as USD24.99 bedsheet, no matter what the thread count is or even if its egyptian cotton?

This man, Jdimytai Damour, who was a temporary staff employed by Wal-Mart to cope with the holiday crowd, perhaps hoping to earn a little extra cash during this time of supposed thanks-giving, was overpowered by the crazy people whom had been waiting outside the store as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors at 5 a.m. Reports say that a line began forming outside the store at 9 p.m. Thursday and that, by 5 in the morning Friday, there were as many as 2,000 customers outside. There's a video which shows about a dozen people knocked to the ground as the doors were opened and the crowd surged, breaking the doors. Other Wal-Mart employees and Nassau County police that tried to give Damour first aid were jostled by these 'customers' still running into the store whom continued unaware of any untoward incidence. When the store attempted to shut down to allow for police investigations, shoppers actually said that they had waited so long and had still not bought the things they came for and continued right on shopping.

What is it that makes people act like uneducated savages? I'm saying this because the incident occured at a Wal-Mart in a county which is not considered to be a rural backwater hick town (not trying to perpetuate a stereotype, just simply running along with a theme everyone understands) where the people frequenting the store know the norms of living in a civilized society. So how does it that Wal-Mart's super saving, slashed prices, rock-bottom sale reduced these people into the 'Lord of The Flies' type monsters that they were? Now, there's talk of blaming Wal-Mart's successful thwarts at unionizing their workers for this, agreeably, avoidable incident and so on and so forth but please, let's also hold accountable the, according to the NY Times, 'shrieking mob' that trampled the 34-year old man to death. You buying into the mob mentality does not make you less responsible for taking a man's life. But I foresee people getting off scot free, if it's not due to lack of evidence, they'll surely plead temporary insanity and that's even if they are charged at all. It is America after all.

holiday in.....Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I recently managed to get some time off work and went on a low-budget vacay to Ho Chi Minh a.k.a Saigon in the south of Vietnam with two friends. We did it back-packer style and stayed at this great hotel, Blue River, in Backpacker Alley off Pham Ngu Lao road where rooms are cheap but clean and comfortable, breakfast and internet access is free and the customer service is astoundingly fantastic and brings a whole new meaning to the word attentiveness.

After a hectic working schedule the past coupla months, to take an easy, laid-back trip was EXACTLY what was needed to gain some much needed peace of mind and regroup. Work had started to take its toll on my sanity. This wasn't my first visit to HCMC as I had been before back in 2003, during my unemployed post-uni days. It was a big family trip with aunts, uncles and cousins in tow. This second time around allowed me to do the vacation on my own terms and was so much more satisfying.

How is that so you may ask. Well, when you use your own money, you can make sure you do the things you want to do as you want to make your money's worth. When your trip is being paid for by the 'rents, you have to follow the itinerary the people paying for the trip have come up with which mainly consisted of buying up the entire textile stock at the Ben Tanh Market. All I ever remembered of my first trip was going to the market 5-6 times in a day buying up all sorts of table runners, fabric, cushion covers and the like. The only highlight of that trip was the jaunt to the Cu Chi tunnels which was amazing despite having only 6 persons doing the actual tour out of the 20 people in our group (the group consisted mainly of those over 50 who did not particularly enjoy crawling around underground).

Anyways, back to the here and now, this trip I managed to do all the sight-seeing I was deprived of the first time which did include a second tour of the tunnels. Coming back to a country 5 years after the last visit is interesting as you get to see how the city has grown. The difference between the HCMC I came to in '03 and the one I just came back from was glaringly obvious. The pace of development is so fast it's almost as if you can foresee the type of Asian city that it will become one day, a Tokyo, Shanghai or Kuala Lumpur, hopefully not losing its sense of charm and becoming another soulless city ala Singapore (sorry!).

After an agonizingly long time spent getting to the destination, close to 20 hours of travel, we finally reached HCMC. For the week or so we were there, we booked tours for the first 2 days; a city tour on the first day and the Cu Chi Tunnels for Day 2. The tour company was organized, efficient and most importantly, cheap!

Our city tour cost USD9 per pax and entailed an extensive round of HCMC's most famous landmarks as well as lunch. The tour price did not cover any entrance fees but that's fine, most places were free and the ones that did charge, tickets usually cost between USD1 to USD2. Since our party was small, about 12 of us, the tour operators sent us out in a comfortable, relatively new, air-conditioned Mercedes van for the full day jaunt. Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum, a museum showcasing the legacy left from the Vietnam War. It was certainly a jarring and humbling experience. It brought the realization of how badly humans can treat each other. I definitely still have problems wrapping my head around the pictorials I saw. It was a sad and completely inexcusable, unnecessary event in world history. After about an hour, we made our second stop at the Royal Palace, the home of former South Vietnam's Prime Minister and the scene of one of the most auspicious/momentous/significant day in Vietnam's history. It was at this palace that the movement from North Vietnam overcame the American backed South Vietnam and the world will forever have the pictures of the two tanks passing through the palace gates symbolizing the fall of Saigon. We took a short break for lunch and soon were back on the roads headed towards a rehabilitation centre for the physically disabled where they make and sell gorgeous and delicately intricate lacquer ware. The Vietnamese government spearheads many of these rehabilitation centres for those affected by the war whether due to mines, bombs or chemical agents. Our next stops were the infamous Notre Dame cathedral, the post office and city hall. We then made our way to Chinatown and had a short retail excursion, for those who were interested anyway before finishing off the tour with a visit to a famous Chinese temple patroned by the Lady of The Sea.

Day 2 was started bright and early as the Cu Chi tunnels are located in the outskirts of HCMC, about a one and a half hours bus ride away. Our tour made a 30 minutes stop at another rehabilitation centre before continuing on towards the main attraction; the Cu Chi tunnels. Coming back again afer five years, I noticed the many upgrades done to accommodate the influx of tourist. The tunnels are a little less gritty and more big white male tourist friendly, if you know what I mean. Basically, they have done a lot of 'repairs' to allow for the larger frames of male caucasians to experience the tunnels. I'm not discriminating but it is simply a fact that white males are much larger in stature than Asians or others but comparable to Africans. I am simply stating white males as I did not see any African men in ours or other tour groups. Anyways, we did the tour of the entire Cu Chi 'Park', taking in the documentary and having a try at the shooting range before eventually coming to the main attraction, the tunnel crawl. I loved the first time I did it and although less as authentic as the first, the second tunnel crawl was still well worth it. I did not have bats flying overhead this time but there were plenty other unmentionable incidents that went on down in the tunnels which made the experience just as memorable. Another day in Vietnam is done!

The third day was spent discovering Ho Chi Minh on our own. We went mainly on foot practically walking the radius of District 1. We visited many other less popular touristy attractions and also managed to do a little bit of shopping at the Ben Thanh market. And the fifth and final day before we left was spent entirely at the markets! I won't bore with details of things purchased, that could be a whole seperate post altogether.

Our HCM adventure came to a close and we made the long and agonizing trip back to where work awaited. It was great to escape for a while.......... I need another vacation!

waiting for.....I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

The Movie. Just to clarify, beer being served in hell is not something I've been praying for as I'm hoping I'll be behind the Pearly Gates and not in the too hot tropics of damnation. But yea, it's the title of a movie, an eccentric title for a movie but that's just something it inherited from the book it was based on. Come August 2009, Tucker Max will be unleashed unto the world. Who's Tucker Max you might ask and why should you care? I don't believe I can fully qualify my answers to those questions so allow me to begin by explaining how I happened across the book.

I'm a self-confessed Amazon junkie, among other things, and am on the site on an almost daily basis, not necessarily buying anything, just online window shopping and there's this feature where the site will have these recommendations on products tailored to the consumer's interest. I have a high affinity of reading humorous (semi?) autobiographical accounts of currently living persons like Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life, Jen Lancaster's Bitter Is The New Black and Karyn Bosnak's Save Karyn so Amazon always comes up with choices from this genre in my list. So happened, one day, I'm on Amazon and in my list is I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell (henceforth referred to as IHTSBH) by Tucker Max. Now, there's this saying, 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. I didn't, although the cover was quite bland, black background with a photo of Tucker Max and an unidentified blonde chick whose face has a 'your face here' on it. I did judge the book by its title though. I mean, really, to mimic Chandler, could the title BE anymore inclined to frat boy drunkenness? And so I passed, not my pint of beer, so to speak :P


Now, if it appears I'm going off tangent with this post, bear with me. I'll tie it all up neatly (?) and hand-deliver it to your doorstep in the next 2 paragraphs or so. Gilmore Girls was a huge part of my tube experience and even though it has been a year plus since the show has been off the air, I still have my own re-run sessions. My absolute fave seasons are 5-7 as that's when Logan Huntzberger came into existence in Rory's life. I won't start on why he was the best ever boyfriend out of all the guys Rory dated but Logan had this something about him that made me, and a few hundred thousand other girls/women, root for Rory & him. All credit goes to the actor behind the character and his name is Matt Czuchry.

Watching Matt play Logan against Alexis Bledel's Rory Gilmore was great as it made Rory more multi-faceted since she was seriously in danger of becoming a two-dimensional bore in Season 4. Logan breathed new life into the personality that is Rory and that got me interested in seeing other things Matt's been in which led me to watching Young Americans, Hooked, Advantage Hart and some other projects he's been involved with. After GG went off the air, I IMDB'd him to see what his next moves were as I felt the loss of not getting my weekly dose of Logan and although there were a few new things on the list, they weren't anything concrete. Post-GG, he did guest star on another show I like to watch, Friday Night Lights, but due to the writers strike, the second season of FNL got cut short and his storyline with Minka Kelly was left up in the air. The next step he took was a run in theatre where he acted with Christine Lahti, whom I know from her stint on Chicago Hope, in the play 'Third'. After 'Third', things go quiet for a bit for Matt until out of a fit of boredom, one day, I decided to read the book reviews of IHTSBH, discovered a movie was being made and wondered who in hell did they get to play the title character. And that brings us to the whole point of this post in which Matt Czuchry is now Tucker Max!

So now, here lies the irony, an actor I adore is acting in a movie based on a book that I had originally dismissed a masochistic crap fest. Should you wonder why I'm so down on a book I haven't read, here's the synopsis:

"Everyone has stories of their drunken exploits and, more frequently, disasters, but Tucker Max's are in a league by themselves. Max, a rich restaurateur's son and unredeemable and unapologetic drunkard, regales his readers with stories of sexual conquest and chemical rampages that take the barroom boast or frat house yarn to new heights and depths. A typical chapter, entitled "Tucker tries buttsex; hilarity does not ensue" involves a hidden friend with a video camera, and a lot of vomit and feces. It's incredibly vile but also almost impossible to stop reading."

You can see now, why I thought this book would be a bit much for even my diverse pallette and I've read some pretty weird stuff (I'm looking at you, "You'll Never Make Love In This Town Again"). But the power of Matt Czuchry has overcome most reservations I have about reading the book as I know I'll definitely be watching the movie, might as well go the whole nine yards and read the book as well (I'm one of those who like to 'compare and contrast' the book with the movie/tv adaptation). I haven't ordered my copy yet but I know I'll end up reading it sometime before the movie debuts. I have to give due credit to Tucker Max for being a marketing whizz though...by casting Matt Czuchry who, so far, comes across in interviews as a straight-laced, stand-up all-around nice guy with a handsome face to boot, he has opened up his target audience to include people like moi, who would go see a movie based on the actor. Despite this book being on the NY Times bestseller list, they also reviewed it as 'Highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible'. And to be able to recruit Matt on such a project, well, it intrigues me to see the motivation Matt had to inhibit the person that is Tucker Max.

The movie however will not be based on the whole book entirely as I believe the book is a collection of short anecdotal style writing. It covers one of the stories and the description of the movie is:

"The film will follow Max’s trip to a friend’s bachelor party, where he ensnares the groom in a lie that threatens the wedding, then abandons him to pursue further carnal knowledge. After being banned from the nuptials, Max attempts to get back into his friend’s good graces."

Tucker Max is betting on the success of this first film to create an IHTSBH movie franchise. I'm simply hoping more people will get to see how good Matt Czuchry is as an actor. So, against your better judgement, I urge you to go and see this indie flick when it comes out to a theatre near you :)

P.S:
To find out more about Tucker Max and the movie, click anywhere in the post where the movie's name is mentioned.

a wave of change

Wow...wow.....wow! Three wows does not really cover it but I don't want to repeat myself. I never thought I'd personally get to be around on the day (as in alive for history in the making stuff) but I am and it has happened. Simply an outstandingly positive growth in civilization for all involved.

On another note of positivity, Democracy has spoken, loudly I might add. The '08 election has proven that it prevails and is still relevant despite everything the outgoing administration has put, not only America, but also the world through. As a citizen of the world, I can only say I am as excited as the next person being able to bear witness in the ushering of this new era of leadership. Personally, I don't expect miracles but I'm sure, like everyone else who is an invested citizen, am hoping to see positive change on all fronts. Bring on January 20, 2009!

what keeps spinning?

On your playlist that is. Was looking through the songs I have on my Zen and realized though I have 10 gig worth of albums on the device I only ever listen to perhaps 2.4% of the songs.

Sifting through, I found songs that are more than 5 years old still sitting in rotation on my most played list. Granted, I have a special playlist for Linkin Park which I listen to all the time (their songs just never get old to me and I am one of the people who absolutely loved the new direction they took with 'Minutes To Midnight') but I also have some tunes by other artistes that I just don't get bored of listening to.

First up, I love, love, love Ben Lee's 'Catch My Disease'. Most of the songs I listen to were introduced to me vis a vis tv shows. I heard of Ben Lee via Greys Anatomy. It's a catchy (pardon the pun) song and I love the beats, a very bouncy piece. Another tune under the same vibrant sound is Sugarbomb's 'Hello' which was introduced to me via a Youtube clip. It is so infectiously cheery, it never fails to get me on my feet.

Next up, we have Mike Doughty who has a bunch of songs that I love. Found him through Greys Anatomy as well as Veronica Mars. Tunes still in favour with me by him are 'Looking Through The World From The Bottom Of The Well' and the fantastic 'I Hear The Bells', which is possibly my absolute favourite song outside of any of Linkin Park's repertoire.

From One Tree Hill (unfortunately I do follow this series, mainly for Hilarie Burton's character Peyton, girl's got creative choices in music), I got to know Jacks Mannequin. I loved his album 'Everything In Transit' specifically 'Mixed Tape' which is the de facto best song on his album in my opinion, 'Dark Blue' and 'Holiday From Real'. His new album 'The Glass Passenger' is out now and am currently making my way through that album and he sure has not disappointed so far.

I still enjoy Nickelback's 'How You Remind Me', Fuel's 'Shimmer' and Counting Crow's 'Accidentally In Love' though these songs have long fallen off the radio radar. The thing that attracted and still attracts me to those 3 songs are specific lyrics which I can't seem to shake. Like, in 'Shimmer', there's a line that goes 'Fields of butterflies, Reality escapes her'. I find the line so amusingly intriguing that I don't tire of listening to it, perhaps I'm trying to figure out what it means.

Other songs of yore, the theme song to V-Mars, The Dandy Warhols' 'We Used To Be Friends' as well as the theme to another defunct tv show I was watching but can't seem to remember the name of (googling did not help surprisingly), The Rasmus's 'In The Shadows'. Marcy's Playground's 'Sex & Candy' is a fave as well along with Matt White's 'Love'.

Embarassingly enough, I also seem to love to listen to Alias's 'More Than Words' and Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of The Heart' as it appears in my top 20 songs most played. The rest is mainly LP's 'Faint', 'What I've Done', 'Leave Out All The Rest', 'In The End', 'No Roads Left' as well as Fort Minor's 'Believe Me', 'High Road' and 'Remember The Name'. Lastly, can't forget my Bon Jovi, mainly songs on 'Crossroads', I particularly heart 'I'll Be There For You' and 'Someday I'll Be Saturday Night'. And there's also a lil of Mariah Carey from her 'Fantasy' album, lol. I do admit, I have and always will love 'Always Be My Baby'!

someone to read.....dorothy koomson

My reading habit has introduced me to various writers, some well-known and others less so. As such, I thought I'd blog about an author I enjoy reading who has a low-profile outside of Great Brittanica. I first came across her bestseller 'My Best Friend's Girl' while trying to complete the trifecta to qualify for Border's 3-For-2 deal. I hadn't heard of her prior and admittedly I picked this particular book up simply because the price was comparable to the other 2 books I had already chosen. The 'Richard & Judy Bestseller' sticker on the cover did also weigh in on the decision to get it. 'My Best Friend's Girl' is a story of 2 best friends who are no more. Several years pass before an act of fate leads them to connect again with each other. I don't really want to give the story away so I'll just say this; once I started this book I simply could not put her down. This is not chick lit, it's not a fanciful, fluffy book but one that portrays tangible human connections. By the end of the book I had bonded with the characters so much it was disappointing to come to the end.



Since then, she has come out with several other publications, 'The Cupid Effect' (re-released in 2007), 'Marshmallows For Breakfast', 'The Chocolate Run' (re-released in 2008) and her latest 'Goodnight Beautiful'. I have read each and every one of them. She has not disappointed yet. Her books cover issues ranging from depression, commitment issues, rape to failed surrogacy and death. She weaves the stories in such a realistic way you feel as if you're in the head of the protagonist, watching through her eyes as everything unfolds, being in her mind as she recalls events of past, feeling the same pain she feels in her heart. Reading her books brings you on an emotion-filled high and low. I admit I'm sappy, I cried reading 'Goodnight Beautiful'. The story was so poignant, heartbreaking, it just overwhelmed. But rarely is a story perfect and there's almost always a thing you'd like to happen differently. For me and 'Goodnight Beautiful' I felt the ending was a tad contrived, the events unfurling towards the culmination I saw coming a few chapters before and I felt it unnecessary but perhaps I did not see her vision in those last few pages. Nonetheless, it was a great weekend read and I enjoyed it immensely. If you have some time and change to spare, Dorothy Koomson is well worth it.

For more info on the author you can go to Dorothy Koomson's website.

cheap yet chic

As much as I'd like to have a closetful of high-end designer stuff, let's face reality, we are in the midst of a global economic downturn, it is not the time to spend half my salary buying a USD1000++ handbag or USD500++ shoes. However, I still do feel the need to keep up with the trends and to remain relevant fashion-wise, but where do I go to shop? Why, where else if not for Target and Wal-Mart! Truthfully, I've been shopping there waaaaaaay before there even was a sniff of economic woes but I digress.

With each retail giant partnering up with high-end designers creating diffusion lines left and right, the average gal can still remain fashion-forward in these lean times. Target and their Go International lines have won me over on numerous occasions. Their current offering of Anya Hindmarch bags, Dean Harris jewelery and Sigerson Morrison shoes allow the you's and me's of the world a chance to own a piece of designer chic for a fraction of the high-end cost.

Personally, I feel these efforts between designer and retail giant are laudable but I've heard rumblings out there about the designers 'slumming it' factor. I, of course, respectfully disagree and congratulate these designers for joining forces with companies possessing major marketing machines to come out with affordable diffusion lines. Look at it this way, it's basically a clever marketing/advertising move for them. Apart from the big brand houses, namely Gucci, LV, Prada, Armani and so on and so forth, who really knows the Richard Chai's, Rogan Gregory's and Joy Gryson's? By lending their names and bringing their designs to Target and Wal-Mart, they manage to spread the word on their label to the masses while also raking in some money. There are people who shop Target and Wal-Mart who can afford to pay hundreds on an apparel and this partnership, if successful, would set the way towards expanding their clientele. In the long run, it promotes the longevity of the brand.

Another bone of contention with the Purists, so to speak, is the Quality. Now, I have noticed persons whom have commented on these lines without even personally going to check the products out and that's just not fair as an uninformed comment can sway opinions. My personal experience with the Target's Go International lines have always been great. I recently received my Botkier large black satchel and have been happy with the purchase. It's held up against some intense usage and I tend to carry my cubicle with me in my bag. It makes me wonder, those who used the bag 2 days and had the handles rip off, were they carrying bricks in the bag? It's an affordable diffusion line, if you are expecting it to withstand a nuclear detonation then you've clearly spent your money on the wrong thing. I doubt even the high end version would measure up to those exacting standards. I've also purchased shoes from Isaac Mizrahi's Target line and have also been satisfied with the make of the product. They are comfy and they have lasted and they cost me USD7.99. I have bought shoes before from name brands which have come apart after a week of use. If I'm going to fork over anything more than a 100 bucks on shoes, I do expect them to have a shelf life of more than a week. Another great collaboration is Wal-Mart's partnership with Norma Kamali. The line is fashionable and has also given birth to some pretty fantastic clothes for a really good price. I've gotten some great work pieces from this line and did not have to bust my bank account to do it.

Some would also argue why spend 50 bucks on a lesser grade product when that 50 bucks could go towards the higher end USD800++ version by the same designer. Two words, instant gratification! Your USD50 spent on the cheap diffusion line allows you to own a piece of the designer's collection there and then instead of having to wait it out months, even years before you can lay your hands on a bag. It allows you to keep up with fashion without going into debt. And if there's one thing the world could do without is credit card debt. Trends change on a seasonal basis, these retail giants are offering you a chance to be in season now, not 2 years from now.

I realize that it's not for everybody, and differing opinions aside, but who doesn't love a bargain? I am far from being anti-brand as I do own some designer items and I love looking out for the newest collection from my favourites but I'm not that much of a brand snob that I don't love it when I can get those designer items at places like Target and Wal-Mart. Those who can afford not to scale down and keep on shopping at the boutiques, more power to you but for those of us who would still like to have some change to spare, well, all I have to say is equal opportunities to all, right? I'm currently awaiting the arrival of my Anya Hindmarch gold and tan large hobo from her Target collection.....and I don't even care that it says 'For Target' on the hardware, it's still an AH handbag.