is this fashion savvy? or just plain tacky?

I'm leaning towards fashion savvy.....the more I look at it, the more I'm feeling it. I can't help but fall in love with this hot pink leopard print Bayswater inspired large satchel from the upcoming Mulberry For Target collection dropping in stores and online this October 10. Am I crazy for liking this? I just don't know.

I caught a glimpse of what is in store when the full collection comes out and despite originally wanting the denim Bayswater-ish large satchel, I can't help but think that I want this hot pink leopard print one even more. And I can't make up my mind if I like this Bayswater version or the one large tote that looks it was meant to be the love child of the Mulberry Jody and the Mulberry Roxanne. I can't find any proper images of the large tote in hot pink leopard print but this is what the design looks like in this sedate pebbled faux leather iteration.


Then there's this black pebbled faux leather crossbody bag that I'm kinda feeling as well but I just can't invest in all of them so I really have to narrow it down to a just 2. But I'm kinda loving like 5 of them. Le sigh. Le moi don't know what to do about le conundrum.....all I can do is look at the captivating flash ad off of Target.com.


Tell me this collection doesn't get you giddy and I'll show you a liar.....does that even make sense at all? And since I have to ask, I am guessing it does not. See how the Mulberry For Target collection has me thinking like a bumbling idiot :D Or perhaps that's a result of this mornings' fiery incident, lol!

P.S:
Goes without saying but here I am saying it just in case, images are not my property but are courtesy of Target.com. Cheerio!

stupid act of the day

Ok, raise your hand if, despite graduating with honours from University with a degree in Computer Science majoring in Computer Networks, you used an aerosol can near an open flame causing a mini fireburst and simultneously setting aforementioned aerosol can on fire? C'mon, you know who you are.....don't be shy about it.....stand up and admit it.....

Yes, that's right. Apparently I do not have a clear head in the morning and while I know ants can be very irritating, using a can of air freshener (admittedly, stupid act number 1) to kill them pesky ants that were hovering near the lit gas stove where breakfast was at that very moment being cooked was THE dumbest thing I have ever done in my life. Yes, all was going well, I was getting rid of those ants but for the life of me, I don't know why I decided to get to the ones right behind the stove while I was frying my egg. Seriously, what was my thought process there?

So not only did I cause the fire to flare up into a mini ball of flames, it engulfed both the can and my upper half! I can tell you the shock of that was immense.....I'm just grateful my face wasn't so close to the stove when it happened cos else this post wouldn't be written right now.

The flames came over my lower arms and the top of my head but perhaps due to the distance and strength of the burst, I was not seriously harmed if at all. Just felt a lil tingly from the incident. I kept hold of the aerosol can but the moment I saw the thing was on fire, I threw it down on the kitchen floor, which thank god is tiled, and it rolled right next to the fridge. Not good either cause of the freon gases and whatnot so there I am thinking I need to beat out this mini fire on the spray before it explodes and kills me. And only after this long thought has passed through my head do I actually grab the tea towel and beat the flames out.

Explosion averted, air freshener still useable, arms not rendered useless and my eggs turned out great.....however, the stupidity of the action still remains.

percentage off friends and family

My self-indulgence continues, yippee! Well, it never really stopped cos I did do some retail therapy when I was back in Homeland. Got me some scarves, a satin motorcycle jacket and a tiered sleeveless black top.

But that's Homeland shopping. On the online shopping front, I've ceased activities pretty much to a standstill. My last purchase was in early September and it was a Shape FX Seamless Tunic Shaper from Newport News for 39 bucks before 20% off. Until today that is.

As I've mentioned plenty of times, I am a major sucker for coupon codes and that's how Newport News reeled me in - by giving me a 30% OFF Friends And Family discount code.

I had been casually roaming the site and doing my usual clothes hoarding but wasn't particularly serious about buying cos of the whole short on actual cash issue I've been facing this month. But with opportunities to get an additional 30% off, I could not pass up the chance.

And I got myself a denim boyfriend blazer in vintage denim (yes, I know I have gotten an inordinately large amount of blazers/jackets in the time I've been blogging on this site and it appears as there is no end to the obsession just yet), a ruffled front long sleeve blouse in royal purple and an oversized short sleeve white sequined tunic tee. After incorporating handling fees, my total came up to USD 82.23. Which is a decent amount and should not burrow me into a financial mess.


I have been eyeing this denim boyfriend blazer ever since I discovered Newport News. I loved the Spring/Summer iteration of this blazer in faded denim and though the colour was available for purchase, I decided to pick up the shade that would most likely complement my skintone better. I can see this going well with my gray Norma Kamali racerback long dress I got from Wal-mart paired with my F+C Mid City tote and Cynthia Vincent For Target cognac gladiator wedges. This item cost $49 but with the discount, I paid just $34.30 - that's a savings of $14.70.

Next up is the ruffle front long sleeve blouse in deep purple which I got for $27.30 after discount. I love the design of this shirt and the choice of colour was just a matter of convenience. I would have actually preferred it in Java (medium shade of mocha) and/or olive (military green colour) but those hues were not in stock and would only be shipped second week of October. Since I did not want to wait for those shades, I went for the hues that were in stock and would ship immediately and deep purple appealed to me. I can totally see this being rocked with my Signature by Levi Strauss Totally Slimming At Waist Midrise bootcut jeans in raven that I got from KMart. Btw, TOTALLY love those jeans and am planning on getting some more in traditional indigos.

Last but not least, we have the oversized short sleeve sequin white tunic. I wanted to get this cos it's one of the trend pieces. Oversized tunic tees usually worn with slim fitting pants/jeans. I like the idea of doing a black/white ensemble but I think it's a difficult combo to pull off fashionably for me. I either end up looking like a server or just plain wrong. This top appears like the perfect shape and design for me to pull off the black and white look. I want to pair it with my Unionbay black slim cargo pants and my Vince Camuto Edon wedges while carrying my black LV epi Speedy. I think these pieces will go perfect together. And the tee was $20.30 with my 30 percent off.

If there are thoughts out there that think it's not possible for me to want to shop any further, let's not underestimate my shopaholic tendencies. I am really taking this whole living frivolously to its fullest potential. Upcoming potential purchases include a hot pink leopard print vinyl tote from the Mulberry For Target collection dropping October 10th - $49.99, 2 pairs of jeans from the Signature by Levi Strauss collection at KMart (Totally Slimming Midrise jeans in stone - $19.99 and Totally Shapng Bootcut in Preston - $21.99), Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. - Women's Totally Slimming Slim Leg from Walmart - $19.95 (can't seem to find these particular style anywhere else) and a Clarisonic Mia in pink from whereever that sells it the cheapest! Not truly set on the hot pink Mulberry For Target, if there's a different colour, perhaps in blue then I'll likely get that. The denim iteration of the Bayswater lookalike is supposed to be an online only deal so I might look into that as well. Sigh, who knows, just preparing myself as well as trying to pace everything cos I'm also thinking of upcoming major shopping events in November - Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Anywho, we'll just have to see what makes it and what doesn't :D

latest shopping haul

Just received my latest shopping haul which consists of my Macy's Material Girl pink lace dress, Vince Camuto sandals and my Shape FX seamless tunic tank.


As per usual, my sis took the pics and did the modeling. I love the colour of the lace dress and I am completely head over heels for the flats. I love, love, love both of 'em. What can I really say about the tunic tank, it's an undergarment piece, will probably rave about it when I get my hands on it :) Oh, if you're wondering why my sister is holding a clump of her hair like that in her pose it's because my 3 year old niece goes around posing like that when we ask her, "Show us pretty" LOL, my niece is such a cute dork!

possibly in a bit of a clusterf@*k

I'm usually a "just-in-my-head" swearer but this deserves a rather loud proclamation of frustration.....and I'm just verbalizing (or more like typing) some of the catchier buzz words from my fave fashion fix "The Rachel Zoe Project" :)

Anyways, I was preparing for a movie marathon night with the peeps in the tech team who were coming over to my space since I was hosting and I booted up my work laptop (which I hadn't turned on even once after coming back from Homeland last Sunday cos been using personal lappie for the week) since it would be running all the movies -due to its superior graphics accelarator compared to my nettie - I had lined up for the evening. I swear it switched on okay and was already in my desktop when I left it to transfer the movie files from my personal lappie to a thumbdrive. When I came back, however, and was trying to hook it up with the projector, I realized the screen was blank. Not so much a huge deal since I set the screen to turn off after a minute without any activity cos I'm super conscientous about saving my screen from an early LED death.

So I begin to shake the mouse to wake the screen up and nada happens. I do it again, with more intensity and still I get nothing. I figure its my mouse cos its old and has occasionally gone AWOL while connected so I unplug and re-plug it into the port but still no light comes on. I'm about to redo the whole plug/unplug routine when I notice that there's no light whatsoever emanating from my laptop. Not from the power button, not from the harddisk light, nothing. I know the battery life span has degraded over the 5 and more years I've been using it but it at least lasts a lil over an hour and anyways, I had it plugged in.

The panic starts to set in. If you're a techie (and in this day and age even the non-techs know), backup, backup, backup of all your sh*t on the computer is mucho, mucho, mucho important. Wait, let me rephrase that - CURRENT backups of all your sh*t on the computer is mucho, mucho, mucho important. I have a backup but the last time I did proper due diligence was some time last year. Yes, yup, yessirree, so I truly have no one to blame for the possible loss of all my work stuff.

I'm gonna have to take out the hard disk and connect it externally to figure out if it'll boot up. I'm sincerely hoping it's just the motherboard that has failed me here and that the hard disk WILL still work but I'm feeling kinda scared it's not gonna.

Sigh. What a wonderful way to come back to work - with a giant techie mess to overcome. It truly is a clusterf@*k!

UPDATE (26/09/2010):
Happy day! Hard disk is still alive, alive, alive! Work is saved, saved, saved! Laptop mobo is dead as doornail...dead, dead, dead! But it's ok as office has told me to list down specs for new work laptop so woohoo for me! Planning on weaseling a tablet from the office to make my ebook reading so much simpler....and of course to do a lot of productive and exceptional work on it :D

the skinny on things

Hello my lurverly blog! I know I have been completely remiss in the whole blogging aspect of late but I was busy living life while too lazy to document it. But now, the silent guilt at the back of my mind has come to the fore and here I am trying to up my post count for September.

As I mentioned in the last post a coupla weeks ago, I was going back to the Homeland for my 2-week annual holiday with the fam. I was feeling majorly homesick for some reason and stressed as well with all the extra work I had to shoulder what with being one team member down for 2 months straight. My skin suffered greatly and I started breaking out a lot on my jawline. I have to say, you know stress played a factor in causing the breakouts but once you start breaking out like that, it puts even more stress on you and of course that doesn't help in the fight to get the whole situation under control.

I had also recently started a 3 months course of black seed oil capsules and after one month, decided to cut it out to see if that might be exarcebating the problem. Aside from that, I had been downing a lot of paprika laden food and drinking Ensure meal replacement shakes at brekkie for one month. And to top it all off, I was starting new additions to my skincare regime consisting of Lush's Ocean Salt facial cleanser and Mario Badescu's Special Cucumber Lotion. The Pelikan Deitanseki Charcoal soaps I had been using for a year or so now seemed to not be working and I was getting a lot of invisible bumps on my face. I felt I needed to be slightly more agressive with my choice of facial cleanser. Additionally, I thought it was good timing that my Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit arrived to coincide with my sudden outbreak of skin issues. Now, I'm prone to breakouts when I'm PMS-ing but this is a constant wave of breakouts and I had started to feel exasperated. It's hard not to stress out and I can tell you I'm trying really hard not to feel down about it.

So I had made all these new changes and although my skin has calmed down significantly after I stopped the black seed oil capsules, I still have to contend with the marks and the annoying tiny bumps. I dunno about the Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit - sometimes I think it's working, other times I just don't know if it's doing anything. It has me confused and I don't think I will be repurchasing once I'm done. Maybe Mario Badescu's line is just an ill fit for me.

I had some worries about the Lush Ocean Salt cleanser and when my intial bumps appeared right after I used it for the first 3 days, I thought it might be the culprit and immediately cut it out and I did not use it again for a month after but when my breakouts did not lessen, I decided that it wasn't the product causing the issue. So, I started using it again on a daily basis and I think it's helping to prevent my problems from getting worse. Sea salt is supposed to be a good ingredient for people with acne so I think it's doing something to help me but since my problems aren't exactly going away, I really can't be sure.

Since I've been doing everything I can while trying not to overload my face with product, I'm starting to think I need to take some oral medication to help combat this plateau or prevent any worsening. I've looked into OTC options and although I've read and seen for myself that BCP can help aid in clearing skin issues, I don't know what the long term effects of taking BCP as a method to fight acne will be for my body since most of the pills have some effect on hormones. So I decided to look into more natural remedies such as homeopathic pills. I'm giving serious thought to getting the Nature's Cure Two-Part Acne Treatment System For Women. It's a 1 month supply of 60 Tablets and 1 ounce Benzoyl Peroxide topical cream. The reviews I read have good things to say about the pills but many have mentioned that the topical cream is very harsh. Most users just take the tablet and don't use the cream. I'm at the point where nothing topical is helping so maybe I need some oral medicine to help boost things along. If I do get this system, I'm buying a two month supply straight away as the comments I read recommended at least 2 months of continuous usage. I'm hoping to see some results within a month and a half and if I see something positive, will consider ordering another 2 months supply. The system should clear problems within a 3 month time span. The cost for the system is reasonable - USD9.49 - and therefore won't be too much of a burden if it doesn't work out but if it does, it will be such a great bargain. Anyways, I'm currently taking olive oil capsules which is said to help skin regeneration but I can't tell if its truly working so that's why I figure I might as well try something that is dedicated to acne.

I haven't really decided in favour of the pills as I'll have to get them online and wait for delivery from the States. I'll see how my current skincare routine works out and if I see no improvement, I'll just go ahead and get it.

i'm a leavin, leavin, leavin

For the Homeland, I'm a leavin, for the Homeland. LOL, okay then. Obviously that Green Tea Almond blizzard from Dairy Queen has upped my sugar levels :D

If you cannot tell, I am super, super, super excited to be jumping on a plane tomorrow headed towards home. I can just leave all my work worries behind - that's TWO STRAIGHT MONTHS OF HIGH STRESS, BABY!

I have to admit, I've been missing my family like crazy this past month despite having seen them at the beginning of August. But all's great, or it's gonna be great, once I step back on Home soil.

I even miss my frickin country! I miss it sooooo much and none of the weird and highly embarassing political goings-on in the Homeland will diminish my sentiments. And that's actually a First :D

shopping for a cause

I've done a lot of self-serving purchasing in the nearly 2 years I've posted on this blog and though I don't necessarily feel as if I'm a selfish biatch when I look back at my shopping conquests (lol), there are times when I feel I could do more to contribute to the world at large aside from fulfilling my self-gratifying needs.

I have no idea why I was suddenly attacked by a stab of conscience but that was what happened this morning. I had been doing my usual Google News roll call and happened upon this pictorial article on the world disasters that have occurred in this year 2010. I was particularly struck by the images of the drought going on in Niger and Syria and all of the lives these natural disasters have displaced.

So, I decided to look around at a way to contribute outside of my immediate community circles. I know charity begins at home and while I could up my contribution to my immediate community needs, I also want to reach out to places I feel truly need all the help they can get.

And that's why I started looking around for products that combine my favourite pastime with the act of giving. I know that some people will say that giving while receiving something in return isn't really giving at all and to those people I say, "Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to join in". In most cases, these items are made by parties involved in the Fair Trade Movement which promotes sustainability and help producers obtain better trading conditions. Anywho, searching around, I decided upon two causes in which I'm interested in getting involved with- the World Food Programme Feed Bags (which I've talked about before in this post) and the TOMS One For One campaign.

The World Food Programme Feed Bag has come a long way since I first highlighted the Lauren Bush effort to stamp out world hunger way back in December 2008. The Feed Project now has a variety of products available and some of the items are a collaboration with other great causes. I am particularly enarmoured by the FEED 2 KENYA, FEED 100 and FEED/READ 3 bags.


The FEED 2 KENYA bag, as described on The FEED Project website, was handcrafted in Kenya by a co-op of women and deaf Kenyans and includes a $100 donation to the United Nations World Food Programme's School Feeding operations in Kenya. This purchase would not only support women and deaf Kenyan artisans, but the donation provides nutritious school meals to two Kenyan children for one year. The WFP school feeding program in Kenya is a needed support for a nation that is now dealing with a food crisis leaving 10 million Kenyans at risk of hunger. Each bag is hand-beaded using traditional techniques and is made with natural burlap and the iconic Kenyan Masai tribal fabric. Leather handles and shoulder strap make this the most luxurious FEED bag yet.

The FEED 100 is described as a zip-up tote, perfect for grocery shopping or travel. The bag comes zipped up in a burlap pouch, which unfolds into a full-sized bag made of organic cotton with copper rivets. Each FEED 100 bag sold provides 100 school meals to kids in Rwanda. This is a really fantastic way to get in there and help out for the very affordable price of USD30.

And then we have the FEED/READ 3 which is the cause I am most excited about. The site simply puts it like this:

"3 School Meals + 3 Local Language books = FEED / READ 3"

The FEED/READ 3 bag is described as a simple way to do good. Each 100% organic cotton tote bag, with fashionable green straps and copper rivets, includes a donation to provide 3 school meals and 3 local language books to children in the developing world. The FEED/READ 3 bag was created by FEED Projects in support of the United Nations World Food Programme's school feeding operations and Room to Read, an organization dedicated to promoting and enabling global education. And this is all for a mere USD25. However, as of writing, this particular product is out of stock.

Out of the three, I would most likely get the FEED 2 KENYA bag for myself but I was thinking of getting the FEED 100 and the FEED/READ 3 as birthday gifts for my family and friends. I think it would be a great idea to mix the concept of giving while receiving. When I think about the amounts I have spent on handbags, I don't find that 195 bucks is too much to shell out for charity. The good it will do outweighs anything else and if 2 Kenyan children get to have food for one year, that is enough reason alone. A lot of people have questioned where does the nearly 50% balance go to and from the website, I managed to glean that the rest of the money goes to making the actual bag which includes design, production, shipping, the 100% post-consumer recycled hang tags, and toward the cost of running this "small" business. The FEED Project LLC employs fair trade practices and therefore the sum of each part to create the product are in conjunction with what is considered to be fair trade as monitored by Verite.org.

Next on my list of shopping for a cause is the TOMS One For One. TOMS Shoes is a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. It was founded by American Blake Mycoskie and was inspired by the children he befriended in Argentina that wore no shoes to protect their feet as they could not afford them. I've been conscious of this movement for some time ever since reading a profile done by Teen Vogue. Back then, I wasn't able to participate due to credit card and geographical restraints. Now that all that has changed, I have no excuse to not get involved. And it just so happens that TOMS has come out with a wedge version of their shoes - Canvas Women's Wedges going for $69.00. It has a heel-height of 3 1/4", a natural Canvas upper and lining materials that afford comfort and breathability, canvas lining with Moroccan-inspired pattern, EVA insole for additional cushioning, TOMS classic suede insole cover for long-lasting comfort, Soft suede heel insert for added comfort and lastly, the durable solid rubber outsole with “One for One” script design. I would love to get the shoes in Midnight Blue but those are currently sold out in my size so I'm pondering about the Cranberry instead.


All in all, I believe wholeheartedly that these two causes are successful as it taps into the consumer-driven world we all live in. People are just simply more prone to give if they are able to get something (pretty/cool) in return. But that's besides the point. The real winners are the people who are the beneficiaries of the money from sales of these products. And that's truly what makes it all worth it. Ok, enough of being preachy, I will get off my soapbox now :D

i love it and there's nowt else to be said about it!

So.....I've gotten a lot of footwear this year, yes, I have. BUT ONE MORE GORGEOUS ONE DOESN'T HURT SO SHOPPING RESTRAINTS BE DAMNED!

If memory serves, I got a lovely interpretation of the Christian Louboutin Almeria wedge so favoured by celebs, like Reese Witherspoon - the Vince Camuto Edon Wedge sandals for USD39 from Rue La La last month. I have received said wedges and have decided that I do love, love, love Vince Camuto's line. The construction of the pair I received is very well-made and when worn, admittedly, all around the house, is comfortable. Bottom line: One very (and slightly debt-ridden :P) happy camper!

Anyways.....enter Rue La La and their The Final Act sale event - DUNN DUNN DUNN <- my attempt at dramatic music, I think I should stop. Vince Camuto was one of the brands in the event and at first, I didn't even bother to look through the selection and simply browsed disinterestedly through the Juicy Couture event looking at the watch collection on offer. Then I logged out and did my own thing. Till an hour later when my sis, who is also my boss and is in town, gave me a call and started asking me about the Edon wedges I got and if size 10 would be a good buy. Since I had the shoes in my room, I told her to come on over from next door (yes, see how technology has made us sisters sooooo lazy) and give 'em a try.

She appeared at my door and I gave her my shoes to try. I proceeded to go back to Rue La La to have a looksy at how much the Edon costs. And that's when I saw the Vince Camuto "Inca" Leather Wedge Sandal going for the basement price of USD25! From its retail price of 110 smackaroonies! That's a savings of $85! I had loved it when I first laid eyes on it the first time Vince Camuto was on sale on the numerous sample sale sites I frequent a coupla months back but could not bring myself to spend 50 plus on a pair of flat-ish sandals no matter how cool I thought they were. But for 25 bucks and real upper leather, I will spend the $34.95 that I currently don't possess so I can have this vision of flat sandals beauty!

Is it not gorgeous, no? I love the beading and the overall tribal feel the design lends to the sandals. I have grand images of myself traipsing in said sandals pairing it with my new Unionbay cargoes while rocking my new military jacket. Ok, I really can't gush too much about the shoes. There's only 18 more minutes before my ride arrives for work and I have not even showered. Need to mosey it on along so I leave my post with a top view of my new, lurverly wedge sandals.


Isn't the beading and the overall pattern just the funkiest, prettiest thing? L-O-V-E IT! Toodles!