pics of some of my new shoes

I am really unable to come up with any clever-ish post titles so I figure I might as well be totally literal about them.

As the title above suggests, this post will be images of some of the new shoes I have gotten in recent months, namely the Dolce Vita For Target ropen wedges in nude, my Vince Camuto Inca tribal flats which is a theme that is somewhat on trend this year, my Corso Como Festive flats which I love, love, love and a shot of my new Reebok RunTone which I have been using with impunity.

First up, my Dolce Vita For Target wedges. As can be seen, the shoe is looking a tad raggedy as I have been putting them to use since I got them back in March. The heels are slightly dirty from use and the top of the heel is stained a slight blueish hue from my new Gap jeans but other than that they are fabulous. As it is a platform wedge, they are relatively comfortable for long wear and I have been putting that to the test. I can honestly say that I can last a good 8 hours in these without complaints. The one thing I will say is a downside is the zipper back on the right shoe rubs against the back of my heel so I did form a blister there which was remedied by using a plaster and slatehering on some Dr Scholls anti-blister balm. I'm sure with more wear this will become a non-issue but till then, I will continue to put on a plaster every time I put on these shoes :)

Next we have the Vince Camuto Inca flats. These were purchased in September or October of last year and I have worn them out a couple of times. Mainly I pair these with my various solid hued maxi dresses as I think it's the perfect complement. The detailing on these sandals is very organic and beautiful and adds to an otherwise sedate outfit. I love the slight wedge heel as it gives me a little bit of height and doesn't allow the hem of the dresses to drag along the floor when I walk. These sandals are made from real upper leather so I am still trying to break them in. Overall they are a dream to walk in but I do have bunions and one is bigger than another so when I wear these, my bunions do rub against the side of the leather but since I usually put on the foot balm, it doesn't hurt though it doesn't prevent that area from turning slightly red due to the friction.

Next we have the Corso Como Festive ballet flats that I have been lusting after ever since my sister got hers back in June last year. I finally bought mine in February via Amazon.com for quite a bit of a discount. I used them for the first time on a trip to Universal Studios Singapore and I have to say that they are very comfortable as far as foldable flats go. I owned a pair of silver fold-up flats from a different brand but those were not comfortable like these Corso Como's are. With my other flats, my heel will start hurting not even an hour into wearing them and will continuously get worse throughout the day. With the Festive flats, I was able to last from the AM to PM without feeling discomfort. For me, wearing flats makes me tired so I'm not saying I my feet weren't tired by night which was when I went home but they were not aching and there's a huge difference there! I am seriously considering buying another pair in a different shade but am waiting to see try out the Gap City flats, which are leather and are priced considerably cheaper, before I commit to it.

And last but not least are the Reebok RunTones. I have bought different toning shoes before starting with my FitFlops and then last years' Sketchers ShapeUps. With these Reebok RunTones my count is up to 4, hehe. I decided to get these RunTones as they are made specifically for exercise while the ShapeUps I bought were tailored for daily walkabouts. I have been using the shoes for the past couple of weeks and unlike the ShapeUps which rubbed against the top of my foot and felt like they kept sliding a little when i was using them for exercise (they are not meant for exercise after all) these fit very well and the footbed is 'grippy' enough that your foot doesn't slide when I'm running laps. They are very comfortable and the pods on the sole of the shoes act like shock absorbent so I feel less stress as my feet hit the ground. It is very cushy and they truly don't hurt. So far, so good. Whether it is intensifying the toning I can't say for sure cos I don't get the same outcome I did when I use the FitFlops or ShapeUps. With those two other shoes, I can usually feel the effects on my calves and thighs after I've used them but with these I can't seem to pinpoint it. Nonetheless, they are the most comfortable pair of sneaks I've worn ever.

Ok, that's it for this issue of new shoes in my closet :D I do have the Steve Madden Tsunamii boots that I got but since I have had no real opportunities to wear those, a post involving them will just have to wait. I do have my Newport News clogs (which I've worn and I do like even though they seem a half size big) that are super high and the Vince Camuto Edon wedge which are my Christian Louboutin dupes and have also been worn more than a couple fo times but I keep those shoes at Homeland. If i bring them over here then I'll be sure to take a couple of pics for documentation

totally blanking on a title

Just as I'm about to start typing up this post I can hear the day maid The Company employs tooting her horn outside the gates. Hang on a sec while I run down and let her in......

Ok, am back and apparently I heard someone else honking, she's already inside the complex and getting to work. Oh well, gave me a chance to go down and wash the brekkie dishes. Had a half boiled egg with two buttered toast washed down with a choclate mint accented coffee with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. I concocted the drink myself, not as tasty as I imagined, I was expecting something along the lines of Gloria Jeans's peppermint coffee drink but mine was a weak iteration. Perhaps I need stronger choclate pieces to dilute in the drink and add in some cocoa powder. I was using Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate peppermint that comes in the small round shapes so perhaps the peppermint filling is a little on the light side.

Anyway's I just thought I'd do a lil blogging cos Zlena's been lazy on that front this year :) It's not like life has stopped being bloggable (hehe, need to google and see if this is already an accepted dictionary word) but I've just been too darn lazy to do the blogging. Seems like every blog post that I've done recently consistently mentions how lazy I am to blog so why beat on that same door some more. Onwards to other thoughts plaguing my mind this lazy (another recurring theme :D) Saturday morning.

Yesterday was the wedding between Prince William and Catherine. I wasn't so much interested in the hoopla beforehand but when it came down to the day itself, I decided to turn on BBC and ended up watching the coverage for a good four hours. I have to admit I did feel a tad teary and I'm not even British. I guess it's because I lived my formative years in England during the early Diana-Charles years at the time the whole country were in love with the fairytale of the couple that I just could not help feel nostalgic about those days. Looking around the world where it is today, I can't help but be grateful I managed to grow up in a decidedly less charged time than what we live in today. And I also got caught up in the happiness and hope of the whole wedding atmosphere. People were just hanging out with each other and being happy. It was truly indicative of the power this wedding celebration exuded in managing to bring people of different colour and creed together peacefully. Overall, a truly beautiful ceremony.

Aside from that, I'll be leaving to Homeland next Thursday for a wedding within my own family - my eldest cousin on my mum's side is getting married. It's a tale most common in today's age of technology - they met via Facebook, brickbatted for about 3 months and got engaged on January 1st this year. The nuptials are set for Friday the sixth and the reception is being held the day after hence I am flying home Thursday so I can attend both. I will be back to Workland on the ninth but two days after on the twelfth I am headed out to the 'Pearl of the Orient' (I think that's what Hong Kong is known as, is it not???) for the company retreat - can't wait! I have a list of things I am going to buy since I've been a really, really, really good girl on the online shopping front and bought NOTHING aside from using my drugstore.com dollars at the start of the month and a pair of Gap bootcut jeans that cost me about USD35 at the local Gap store.

Oh, other happenings in the land of Zlena, I shared with my eldest sis and got my dad an iPad. Since they were going for cheaper what with the iPad 2 coming out and my dad surely appreciating technology as he does, why not get my dad an early father's day gift. He had been saving up some cash to get himself the iPad anyways. Is it excessive that my home in Homeland is a 3 iPad household and that my nephew and 2 nieces are rather expert at using them? My sister's youngest is only 4 and she's rather good at playing Angry Birds - certainly better than me. Well, until I decided to really get into the whole Angry Bird movement that is :D

What else, what else? I am guessing my ramblings are rather long as it is now. Ummmm, I will probably do an update into my whole shopping expeditions of the past couple of months. I have gotten all my stuff bar for the last drugstore.com haul which I realized just now I didn't even do a post on, hehe. I've been really happy with all my purchases especially some of the beauty products I got like the 2 Urban Decay setting sprays, All-Nighter and De-Slick, as well as the Ambi Fade cream. I'm also finally getting the hang of the Skin79 BB cream and Jane Iredale foundation compact that I got last year. After experimenting around with my face products, I think I've found my daily makeup routine. Oh, another new love of mine is the Queen Helene Mint Julep masque - works wonders on my skin. I'm also thinking my dietary supplement routine of Doctor's Best vitamin D3 1000IU and Murad Pure Skin Clarifying tablets are also helping along my skin situation. I'm on my third bottle of the Murad pills and have another 3 in stock. Those will likely last me quite a bit before I have to replenish as I have started dosing down beginning with this 3rd bottle. I am only taking 2 pills a day and at 120 tablets per bottle, it should last me 2 months. I could possibly not have to get any new bottles till November :D

Oooh, yes, I forgot to mention that I have received my really cute iPod nano and it's pink. My gal pals and I actually had a vote on what colour they would get me cos none of them agreed to my initial pick of graphite. I'm glad the colour I liked second best won in the end :D I have been using it primarily as my pedometer and it has been working out great. I hope to be able to find a quality watch strap for it in HK since it's one of the techiest places in the world, lol - is that even a word and if it is, the right way of using the term?

Ok, ok, I can ramble on and on so I'll stop here and hopefully there will be a second wind to more consistent postings. Toodles!

and a Hong Kong here we come.....

This year's company trip we are headed to the island of Hong Kong. Yeah, that's right, a Hong Kong here we come!

So the trip is in mid-May and I just can't wait. I have been relatively good on the online shopping front in anticipation of this trip. I am gonna go nuts shopping at H&M! There are soooooo many of their S/S 2011 line that I want it's no joke! And LUSH! Oh, to actually be able to step into a LUSH store - that in itself will make this trip for me :D

Anyways, this trip has less cultural activites and more urban touristy activities. We're going to Madame Tussauds, Disneyland and the Jade Market. There is a stop at a famous fishing village so it's not all hedonistic pleasures, hehehe.

So can't wait, truly excited about this trip that I feel like I need to pee every time I think about it! Was that TMI?

guess who's gonna go see LINKIN PARK PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ME, ME, ME, ME, ME!!!!! FINALLY! After MANY missed opportunities, I am gonna get to see my most favourite band in the world perform this September when they headline the Singapore GP F1 Rocks concert in, you guessed it, SINGAPORE!

I was doing my monthly googling of Linkin Park tour dates, just holding out a slim hope of a stop in Southeastasia even though I was aware that last month's googling efforts yielded only US and Europe tour dates, when I scrolled to the bottom of the dates list and saw one Asian city - Singapore.

I immediately checked the date for the concert and checked it against my local calendar - FATE - it's a loooooong holiday the weekend the band are playing in the lion city! Then I noticed the venue of the concert and I almost, almost, screamed the house down - 2011 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix.

OMG, OMG, OMG! The cosmics aligned and brought together my two most cherished obssessions - F1 and Linkin Park. What would make it the most PERFECT day ever is if Kimi Raikkonen (yes, am still into him) was driving in the race but I'll take 2 outta 3 than nothing at all.

Ok, I did end up spending A BOMB to get the tix - I paid for a 3 day entrance pass for the Padang grandstand seats cos those are the closests to the stage area AND for the first 1000 that purchase the Padang grandstand tix will gain entry to the exclusive Fan Zone right in front of the Zone 4 Padang Stage. I am so praying I am part of that 1000 and considering our seats are quite good, there's a good chance I am. I spent roughly about 350 smackaroos but considering I get to watch the race - my first night race - and rock out to LP, I think it's well worth it :D

i know, i know

I've been very, very, very bad about jotting down my thoughts when I really should be kicking things up a notch what with my fading memory and all <- a story for a different post, if I can remember it ;P

It's just life. Living life just got in the way of my blogging about it. Life has been throwing me tons of curveballs and I've been busy trying to hit them outta the park to avoid getting knocked out by them. Hmmm, seems like the blog is getting 'Introspective Zlena' today. Anyways, I just wanted to post something cos it seemed kinda sad that my last blog post about the iPod Nano accessories was waaaay back in early March and then I just went quiet and lo and behold! It's April!

Too many things have happened to me and some good, some, super-fantastic, some downright bad. If I can find it within me, I'll try to blog about it. I'm sorry blog for being lazy, I do love having you as my 'creative' outlet.