it's official

THE ICEMAN'S BAAAACKKKKKK!

After weeks and weeks of non-stop google-newsing, stalking F1 pundit twitter accounts and haunting F1-related forums non-stop, Kimi Raikkonen is finally confirmed to make a comeback to the premier motor racing event, FORMULA 1. I can finally stop feeling so anxious and agitated - for now that is, hehehe. Thank god I have about 5 months to prep for the 2012 season :D

The pic above is of Kimi in the official Lotus Renault livery I took from the official Lotus Renault website. Ok, I know the earlier post mentioned he was coming back via WIlliams but that's not how it all worked out and instead he signed with the Lotus Renault Grand Prix outfit. OMG, I am super duper, mega excited for his comeback!

Finally, after two years, Kimi is back where he belongs - in Formula 1. And I can finally stop feeling so lost, tossed around in a sea of uncertainty. I know, I know, such proclamations are more than a tad dramatic :D

Looks like I'm backing Lotus Renault next year! LET THE MADNESS BEGIN.....AGAIN!

UPDATE:
I'm in the midst of watching this, which is Kimi's first interview after the LRGP announcement was made, and I started noticing the old, and weird, habits are back - racing heart, smiling to myself for no apparent reason other than listening to Kimi talk :D Watching the revealing, albeit haltingly loading, video interview of Kimi, I feel as if he is even more laidback than before - but where else he used to be more guarded, this time he just comes across more relaxed. It's amazing to see the change in him. He said he missed wheel-to-wheel racing - I missed seeing him race wheel-to-wheel too! MUAHS KIMI! WELCOME BACK!

hopefully my one and only Black Friday haul *fingers crossed*

The title says it all.....damn you Forever21 for having a Buy 1 Get 1 Free promo for Black Friday! Sigh, am glad my declaration was no more clothes for 2012 cos if I had simply said no more clothes for the next year I would look like a total fool now wouldn't I??? Hehehe, I anticipated myself succumbing to Black Friday fever and that's why I said the no more clothes rule will be imposed beginning 2012. Seriously, I don't think I need anymore clothes, I've bought too many as it is.

But on to the more frivolous side of this post - my Black Friday haul! In total I spent $75.77 for 9 items. Isn't that a score?!?!?!? Btw, score is the word du jour at the mo - I seem to describe every bargain I get as a score. So, first up on the list is this totally pretty and whimsy watercolour-ish splatter print tunic.

It was on sale for $11.99. It's a sheer, lightweight woven tank which features an abstract print with a tiered construction and a keyhole button in back. I got this as one of my 'Free' gets.

The next item that I got is this sleeveless multi-tiered top. This sweet racerback tank was the 'Buy' purchase and I paid $15.99. I think this style is one of the most flattering for women. The tiered constructions hide a multitude of 'sins' so to speak and it truly gives off a romantic vibe.

Then I decided to go for this mid rise dirty skinnies. Like I've mentioned in a previous F21 haul post, I think that was for the Labor Day sale, I am currently totally obsessed with this cutting. I just can't seem to stop buying this style. I also can't seem to stop buying denim apparently as well. This was a 'Buy' and was also $15.99.

The 'Free' get that I got with the jeans was this tiered lace skirt in nude. It was selling for $13.99. Honestly, I have no idea if this will actually get worn :P I feel like it looks great and all in the pics but reality might not be so flattering.

Anyways, this longline knit and lace skirt is also in a tiered design. It has an elastic waist, is lined and is lightweight which would make it travel-friendly. I hope this skirt does not disappoint.

My third 'Buy' is this paisley maxi dress. Yes, I am a maxi dress hoarder, I will admit to that. This also retails at $15.99. I've always been partial to paisley designs so this was a no-brainer choice when I was trying to round up my purchases to USD50 to qualify for free shipping. It truly comes across as a very pretty dress.

The last 'Free' get is this belted flutter sleeve dress. It goes for $13.99. This black and white floral print cap sleeve dress features a round neck, elasticized waist, A-line skirt, and flutter sleeves that extend down to the waist.

As can be seen from the image, it has a decorative peekaboo accent on the front neckline. The same style can be found on the back. It comes with a black braided skinny belt with a leatherette buckle. It's a lightweight, unlined, fun and flirty woven piece.

Then comes these two really cute faux pearl bracelets. I got this firstly because I think both will greatly compliment my new Tiffany charm bracelet and secondly, it was a 2 for 5 bucks deal.

Look at how flirty and whimsical the pieces are. The bracelets came in four different hues but I simply love the two shades I chose. I think these two look the classiest out of the bunch.

And last but not least, a gift buy for my sister who celebrated her birthday yesterday. She chose this gorgeous Peplum Rosette blouse which I certainly would have snagged if I had seen it first myself.

But she saw it first :) It retails at $22.80 and I said I would fork out the shipping to Homeland as well.

So I am hoping the sale will go through - I forgot to get these via my F21 app and paid directly online which has always resulted in my orders being cancelled. Well, cancelled prior to my EVER being able to get anything from the F21 site. Now, that I'm a regular customer with them, I might have a slight chance of this going through :)

uh-uh, this is not your daughter's jeans!

My attempts at silly humour aside, I will readily admit - my shopping these past couple of weeks is out of control. So much so that I have loudly proclaimed to nobody in particular - I will not buy any new clothes in 2012. Yes, I am always making bold proclamations, let's not judge and just be supportive of this latest enthusiastic declaration :)

On to the point of this post. Was BBM-ing with my sis while she was Stateside and she kept raving about the jeans brand Not Your Daughter's Jeans. I have seen the ads in the magazines and whatnot but when compared to other premium denims, Not Your Daughter's Jeans hardly register with me. So when my sis started on and on about how the jeans were great and slimming and makes her butt look fantastic and how much I would love these jeans too, I just said that I'd wait to try hers on first before deciding if I concur or otherwise. The price she quoted me was a bit of a turn-off too - the average price of the jeans is over 100 bucks a pair. I haven't reached that level of consumerism just yet - I'll pay the ridiculous amounts for handbags but clothes not so much. I was thinking I'd try on my sister's jeans, see if I liked 'em then wait for one of the sample sites to host the brand for a discount god only knows when.

Well, apparently, when was that night itself and the discount was a lil over 50%. Did I try on my sister's pair yet? No, she is somehwere up in the clear blue sky right now. At 49 bucks per pair on HauteLook, I could do without the trial. And so I ended up getting myself a pair of Not Your Daughter's Jeans in the style Miss Courtney.

It's a bootcut (I know I just got a pair of bootcuts from F21, sigh) with 2 flap pockets at the back. I got it in the same size as my sister in the shade denim. I'm hoping that if I am not quite as enamoured by the brand as my sis, she'll take it off my hands :) Hopefully that won't happen and I'll love it like she does. I was reading the listed description and one of the things mentioned is the Lift Tuck Technology. It is supposed to hold your stomach in, lift your butt and reshape your curves to make you look and feel a full size smaller. Once I get 'em on, I'll deliver the verdict whether it's a yay or nay on the claims :) There were a number of styles on offer but this was the one that I felt looked the most stylish. The rest, if I'm being completely honest, looked rather mumsy. But what can you expect from a brand that's named Not Your Daughter's Jeans, no?

After all is said and done, the total paid inclusive of shipping and handling is USD56.95. Even with the S&H costs included, I save $61.05 as the RRP for this style is $118.00. I am hoping the jeans ship soon as my F21 stuff just arrived to my Portland addy and I want to have al the stuff shipped together. Anyways, here's hoping my second foray into premium denims will be a success!

Sephora's Deluxe Fragrance Sampler

Ever since I've known about Sephora, one of the things I've always wanted to get is the Sephora Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Her. I would dream about the day I could step into a Sephora and get myself the kit. And even though I have access to Sephoras in my neck of the woods now, the unfortunate thing is - this box is made for the US/Canada market only. It totally sucks how some products are only available Stateside, y'know?

What's so special about it? Retailing at 50 bucks, it's basically a set of 12 fragrance samples of Sephora's bestselling women's fragrances plus a refillable fragrance atomizer. Pricey right? Oh, I forgot to mention that includes a voucher for a full-size bottle of the fragrance of choice :D.

When my sis went to the States at the end of last month, I had given her 100 bucks and a list of things I wanted but could never buy via comGateway due to their liquids restrictions. I ordered a few stuff from Bath & Body Works and this sampler kit. I wasn't too hopeful about her being able to score this fragrance sampler because from what I've read, it sells out pretty fast. But lady luck is on my side as most of the stuff I ordered, I've gotten and this Sephora favourite is one of them.

This years' kit includes the following 12 fragrance vials:

- 0.05 oz Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum
- 0.05 oz Clinique Happy Eau de Parfum
- 0.05 oz Coach Poppy Flower Eau de Parfum
- 0.05 oz Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette
- 0.05 oz DKNY pureDKNY Verbena Scent Spray
- 0.05 oz Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioa Eau de Parfum
- 0.03 oz Givenchy Very Irresistible L'Intense Eau de Parfum
- 0.06 oz Gucci Guilty Eau de Toilette
- 0.05 oz Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum
- 0.04 oz Marc Jacbos Daisy Eau de Toilette
- 0.05 oz Prada Infusion D'Iris Eau de Parfum
- 0.05 oz Versace Bright Crystal Eau de Toilette

From the list of twelve, there is a voucher from which you can choose which fragrance you want in the full 1.0 oz size. I told my sis that when she found this kit to immediately buy it, open it and redeem the voucher for the full size bottle as this promo is only valid in the US. Yup, even the Canadians who get this have to cross over to the States to be able to redeem their vouchers :) And the fragrance I ended up with:

I have actually sampled this before at my local Sephora back in Homeland so I'm happy with the choice. I had told my sis to pick between the Prada Infusion D'Iris Eau de Parfum and the Coach Poppy Flower Eau de Parfum and apparently the Coach Poppy Flower won by a landslide. I honestly have no clue what the Prada Infusion scent is like and my choice was superficially based on price - the Prada EDP was the most expensive of the bunch :D

I have no clue why I got this other than that I've coveted it for so long. I still have more than 3/4 of my Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau Fresh not to mention my Hilary Duff With Love is still more than half full. My Gwen Stefani LAMB perfume is close to finishing though. Anyways, it's not such a big deal. I can save the Coach Poppy Flower for when I finish one of the other fragrances I mentioned :)

crossing it off the list :D

Heeheehee! I feel like a complete glutton :D I know it's rather over the top since I just got my YSL Sac Biker two weeks ago but my sis offered a two month payment plan and I thought, "Why not!" - as I usually do, don't I?

So meet the new addition to my designer collection - Mademoiselle Balenciaga Giant City Parme!

I was originally going to get the Giant City with gold hardware in anthracite as I had originally planned but when I saw the pictures of this, I fell in love with the combo of salmon pink hued lambskin and rose gold hardware that all thoughts of going boring anthracite flew out of the window!

Ok, am hoping not to get anymore bags until after June 2012. Need to give my wallet a break - this purchase set me back USD1895 sans tax! I've been canceling off too many things off of my dream list this year it's making a dent in the purse strings, not to mention being in debt to my eyeballs to my sister :D So a hiatus is indeed due, don't you agree?

Beauty.com's 20 Off

I got a 20% off discount code from Beauty.com and decided to use it on some Murad stuff.

I have been using the Murad concealer stick and I like it well enough. I am currently using both the Medium and Medium/Dark shade and both are close to finishing. So with the 20% discount, I thought I'd restock the Medium shade as that's the one that's most close to the nub.

Then I decided to give the Murad acne and shine control perfecting primer a go. It is from the Murad Hybrids line. It is supposed to minimize pores while reducing and preventing future breakouts. The shine-controlling cosmetic formula is purported to even and refines skin to create a smooth matte finish. At the discount price of 28 bucks, I figured there was no harm in trying this out. It functions like a BB cream in that one shade fits all. The primer is supposed to colour-correct to your skintone. Hopefully this works as its advertised :)

F21 - Vets Day Haul :D

As much as I'd like to say I managed to restrain myself, I just won't. I didn't so why bother lying, let's just celebrate the brand new things I purchased.

On 11.11.11, I got an email from Forever21.com. In honour of this auspicious date as well as Vets Day, they were giving an 11% discount on normal priced items on the site. Also, there was a BOGO free promo going on for Sale items.

I had been browsing through the site the week before and had seen a number of things of interest. But at full price, I was still sane enough not to just click 'Checkout'. I was actually waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday but since a discount code from Forever21 is hard to come by, I thought I might as well just go for it. I'm starting with the normal priced items that were eligible for discount.

The first thing on my 'Vet Day Get List' (hehe), was the open front kimono style jacket. This satin-y jacket has a front draped shawl collar and an allover dusty-pink/brown ethnic-inspired print. The kimono-stle sleeves are 3/4 length. It retailed for $27.80. I just saw this jacket whilst browsing and thought that it would go great with the Premium Denim flared jeans I just got (which I am totally in love with btw - totes RZ vibe).

Next was the ruched sleeve jacket. I know, I know, I have blazers aplenty but I just can't help myself. I am still in search for the perfect boyfriend blazer so anytime I see a black blazer I usually end up getting it in the hopes that it'll be 'THE ONE'. Ok, yes, I realize I am pinning too high a hope on this F21 blazer to be it :) But at $27.80, it's still pricey enough to warrant such lofty aspirations.

The third get was love at first sight. The tuxedo inspired blouse had me at 'Hello' - if it could speak, of course :) At $17.70, I think this blouse is a total steal. It comes in a cream-black combo, this sheer blouse with contrasting collar and sleeve caps has a 6 button closure down the front center and two buttons at each cuff. It also has an optional tie at the back of the neck. I saw this and was immediately smitten by it. Tres magnifique!

Last of the discount haul is the Divine Rights Of Denim Bootcut Jean. This is my first pair from the Divine Rights of Denim line and I am quite excited about it. I wanted a bootcut style and I saw this as ticking all the right boxes. With an RRP of $27.80, it doesn't hurt the wallet too much either.

Now we come to the BOGO free purchases. The first one was the raglan burnout tee. I'm in need of some casual tees to hang out in and thought this fit the bill perfectly. At $8.99, it was a steal. And I do like the cute colour combo of grey and pink. To round out the purchase, I decided to go for the french terry pants in navy. It was going for $8.26. I also needed a pair of lounge pants so these definitely were affordable enough.

In total I spent $99.05. The order has been shipped to my Portland addy and should be arriving there later this week.

eco speakers

OpenSky emailed me to say they're giving me a USD10 credit just because that would be valid for one day only. Now, credit is free money and who am I to deny them the pleasure of my business. I decided to go to the site and just have a look around.

And I spotted these:

The sale curated by Andrew Zimmern is for Design-it-Yourself Travel Speakers and is going for USD16. PERFECT! I have my 10 bucks so essentially, I'll only pay 6 dollars for the speakers and an additional 6 for shipping. That comes up to 12 bucks.

Aside from the price, the main reason I decided to get these was because the ones I got last year have already gone kaput. So I am in desperate need of some portable speakers. The 16 dollar price tag with 10 bucks credit didn't hurt at all :)

The description reads that it's plug-and-play. I am actually kinda confused about how these work because apparently it doesn't need batteries nor an outlet so how are the speakers powered? My best guess is that it's drawing power via the battery of the player or computer it's attached to. I kinda like the idea of it but it'll probably drain the battery faster. Not so much an issue for me seeing as I have my devices plugged in and charging most of the time I'm using speakers anyway.

The cute thing about these speakers is that you can create your own design. The set I got, which is the clear plastic speakers, comes with 6 non-permanent markers that allow you to write/draw whatever your heart desires on the sides of the speakers. The other version of these speakers are made out of cardboard and comes with 6 colour pencils instead. It's a very kitschy cool concept, too bad I'm not the artsy creative type :P

Another reason why these speakers are a great choice for me is that it's easily dismantled to lay flat making it truly travel-friendly. It takes up practically no space at all in it's original form. And one of the more important things to note is that it's compatible with any devices with a 3.5mm jack

The best aspect of this purchase is that these speakers are eco-friendly. The ones I chose are made out of 80% recycled materials. This means that not only do I get to enjoy the functions of the speaker but I can feel good about playing a part in reducing waste on earth, hehehe.

a long time coming

In October of last year, I had done a post on a treat I wanted to give myself to celebrate my milestone birthday. In that post, I talked about getting a lil something something from Tiffany & Co - the iconic jeweler close to many a woman's heart.

Although my birthday was in March and I have crossed that milestone then, I believe a milestone birthday is a year-long celebration. So, a lil over a year on since I wrote that post, I am finally the proud owner of my first Tiffany pieces - the 7.5" oval link clasp bracelet in 18k gold and the Tiffany Notes Letter charm in 18k gold. My sis got them for me as she's currently on her extended holiday in the US where the price of Tiffany jewelry is much more affordable than it would have been if I had gotten it here in my Homeland. She was in Orlando, Florida which had the lowest sales tax rate out of all the places she was visiting so I had requested that she get it for me in that county. In all, the amount was USD2350 plus 6% tax bringing the total to USD2491. The price of both pieces have individually gone up a tad since my post. The bracelet went up by 150 dollars while the charm doubled to USD400. Nonetheless, if I had gotten the items here, the mark-up would have been significantly higher.

My sister was commenting that most people start out at Tiffany's getting something in silver, which is definitely the more affordable option, but I am the type of person that thinks "Go big or go home". I don't want to be spending my hard earned dollars on something silver which, if I'm being perfectly honest, is as common as ever. My milestone birthday should be meaningful and be represented accordingly :D Yes, I get how snooty the overall statements above are.

I'm happy with my purchase. What I got will have sentimental value to me and that is really all that matters in the end. As long as it makes me feel good. I don't worry about what other people think although I know some of the girl's from the group of six will probably have a comment or three about the amount I spent :)

I'm thinking that my next purchase from Tiffany's will be a ring, specifically the Etoile band ring as seen above. It retails for USD2100. It's an 18k gold band ring with round brilliant diamonds set in platinum. I just need the ring to complete my collection of precious metal jewelry. Then I can officially close the book on expensive jewelry, excluding additional charms for the bracelet of course, and concentrate all my funds on techie gadgets and designer handbags, hehehe.

what's this???

A "What's In My Bag?" post! The YSL Sac Biker edition. Hehehe :D

Ok, that first pic musta looked really weird. It's a shot of what's inside my bag but since the bag is really deep, not a lot can really be seen, lol. But a "What's In My Bag?" post wouldn't be a "What's In My Bag?" post if one did not take out the contents of what's in ones' bag, no?

I think the contents (and amount of content) speak for themselves but I'll give a rundown anyway.

1. 15 " Macbook Pro & case
2. Spiral-bound yearly planner/notebook (free from insurance company - get it every year)
3. Bottega Veneta wallet (2010 birthday prez from gal pal group)
4. iPad & case
5. iPhone 2G (free from boss when he upgraded to iPhone 4)
6. Nokia N97
7. Namecard case
8. 32GB Kingston thumb drive
9. Apple earphones
10. Apple iPad SD card reader connector
11. BoxWave iPad stylus
12. Passport & passport holder
13. Bliss Spa pouch containing my medic kit
14. 2 pens
15. Chloe sunnies with case
16. Biore makeup removing wipes
17. A pack of tissues
18. Bliss Lemon & Sage body butter travel size
19. L'Occitane hand creme for dry skin (lavender scent)
20. EOS lip balm in mint flavour
21. Chanel lippie in the shade Escale
22. Boots Peppermint Field Balm Stick
23. 2 Dr Scholls Blister Defense stick (note how seriously I take the issue of blistered feet :D)
24. Clean & Clear Oil Control film sheets
25. Tide-To-Go pen (quite the clothes saver)
26. Coin purse with 2 sets of keys inside (bought in Turkey - the purse, not the keys)
27. Tintamar bag organizer (makes switching bags easier)
28. Attached YSL pouch currently empty save for the authenticity guarantee cards
29. Blackberry Torch (not pictured since it's taking the picture)

Gosh, one shy of 30 items, seems kinda crazy when laid out like this. I would like to point out that I could comfortably fit in AND carry an iPad as well as a 15" Macbook Pro in this tote without it looking stuffed to the brim. Case in point, photo below is a picture of the YSL prior to being emptied out.

Oh yea, I guess I forgot to mention that I have a company issued Macbook so I can try my hand at iOS development. Yup, am back to my programming roots now, goodbye database administration. Ok, that's really not the case, I'm still doing the database work on top of researching iOS development.

Anywho, that is what's in my bag :D

hauls of months' past

So I enjoy detailing my online shopping forays but when it comes to having a "viewing party", I tend to procrastinate. Don't get me wrong, i love to do the whole dress up and pose thing, I'm a narcissist that way but I get lazy to do photo edits. That's just a pain in the neck for me. Anyways, it looks like I'm in one of my more hardworking moods :)

First up is the latest F21 haul, my two pants and the black tank alongside my Necessary Objects tweed open front jacket, my gifted blush-hued blazer, Marco Santi Imola peeptoe pumps, Michael Kors Oversized Runway watch and an F21 gold etched cuff. All were bought this year.

I love all my new gets. The Premium Denim flares totally channel Rachel Zoe. I had been thinking of cutting the hem a tad but once I slipped them on wearing my Marco Santi Imola shoes, I completely reversed my decision. It's exactly how RZ would wear them! I love my cuffed hem pants and the belt that came with it. They are perfect for work and are very on trend. The material is high quality too which is more than I expected from Forever 21. Also something I love worn with my Imola pumps. I even love my $3.80 black tank. As you can see, I paired it with both of my pants and it goes fantastically with either or. All of the new F21 stuff is perfect. I also totally love the blush jacket my sister gave me. It's the perfect blush pink shade I've been looking for after I was cruelly denied the Material Girl blazer I had been eyeing from Macys. Yes, they still resist the power of a platinum Amex. Then there's my Chanel-esque open front jacket that I got off of Amazon a couple months' back. I have worn this out a number of times and gotten compliments. It makes me really happy that a lot of people love my 19 dollar jacket. The whole aesthetic is feminine chic. Some accessories I wore to illustrate how I would dress up my monotone cuffed hem ensemble were by using the F21 gold etched cuff and my MK gold bracelet watch. It breaks up the monochrome look with flashes of gold which really makes an already classy look classier IMO :)

Next up, are my Marco Santi Madeleine wedges which are in Homeland. These are just some views my sis took of the shoe with one of her modeling the shoes for me.

I'll be getting my hands on my pretty ballerina-ish shoes this saturday when I head to Homeland. Working at the head office for a week.

Then we have my beautiful, beautiful YSL Sac Biker which I actually have in my possession right now. My second last F21 haul and the Marco Santi Madeleine's are all in Homeland but my YSL Sac Biker and last F21 haul made it up here with my sister when she transited here overnight on her way to the US of A. The pics, taken on my sis's BB Storm, do not do the bag justice.

And of course I'm gonna put up a pic of my Imola pumps. I was hesitant about the height but these shoes are truly comfy and for the price that I got these for, they are such a bargain for a pair of genuine leather shoes. I'm totally happy with my first Sole Society foray. I hope the Madeleine's will be equally as great.

And last but not least, a pic of moi wearing the cheapie tortoiseshell glasses I got off of Forever21. Now, I personally like it but apparently the rest of my family think I'm bonkers for getting these, what more replacing the lenses with prescriptive ones, lol.

So that's it for this edition of haul viewings :) Once I get my other new stuff, I'll do another collective post like this one. Till then.....

P.S:
Just FYI, the pics I took of myself were taken using my company-issued Blackberry Torch. I think the picture quality is pretty decent for a camera phone, no?

listening to..... an assortment of people

Haven't really talked music in a while. The last time was probably when I was raving about Lee DeWyze. Or Linkin Park, it's a toss-up between those two. On a sad, side note, Lee DeWyze was dropped by his studio. Poor thing. His album just didn't do well and all the bashing his season received surely did not help him in any way. On another somewhat related note, I caught an epi of Body Of Proof and his runner-up, Crystal Bowersox, was on playing a reforming convict. That was rather odd watching her act. She did a great job though :)

So back to the tunes, I have been rather obsessed with a number of songs. Namely, Glee's version of Train's Hey Soul Sister, Glee's version of Katy Perry's Firework (and basically all of Glee's versions of Katy Perry songs), Flo Rida's Club Can't Handle Me (I always picture Kym Johnson and Hines Ward dancing to this on DWTS Season 12 - so totally cute!), Nicki Minaj's Super Bass, Jessie J's Price Tag, Adele's Rolling In The Deep and a rock throwback to Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead Or Alive (due to my unending obsession with Deadliest Catch) as well as the Richie Sambora led I'll Be There For You.

I have these songs on my playlist which I usually listen to on my ride to the site office but if any one of the songs come on rotation, I almost always end up putting them on repeat. Sometimes I end up listening to the one song perhaps close to 20 times in a day :) At least I'm not listening to just Linkin Park and Lee DeWyze anymore. There's some variety this year.

Just to end with something kinda off-tangent, I can't recall if I've ever mentioned this before but whoever it was at Discovery that decided on Wanted Dead Or Alive as the theme song for Deadliest Catch should totally give himself/herself a pat on the back for choosing the most APT song as the theme for the series. God, the lyrics just completely resonate with what the show is all about. I realize it's actually about biker dudes but hell, a fishing vessel can be a steel "horse" as well. Ok, closing the topic of music now :D

putting my (drugstore) dollars to work

I've mentioned before about drugstore.com's shopping incentive where every time a purchase is made from your account, you get 5% of the total amount credited to you which you can spend every four months counting back from the month you made your first purchase. Phew, that was rather a mouthful of an intro :D

This month I didn't really have a lot of dollars to spend, just $2.08 but then they gave me an additional 5 bucks if I spent it on forty dollars worth of product. So in total I would be getting $7.08 off of whatever it is I wanted. Which is why I decided to get something in the end rather than let my drugstore dollars go to waste.

I have been loving my latest makeup regimen which mainly consists of using products by Jane Iredale namely the PurePressed Powder foundation in Riviera and the PureMatte Finish powder in translucent. These two combined give me the most natural looking flawless skin finish that I have ever been able to achieve. And considering that my skin went through a weird purging phase for the past two months and is only returning back to normal, the combo of these 2 products along with a mix of the Murad Acne Treatment Concealer stick in medium dark and MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 has allowed me to give the illusion of flawless skin without further aggravating the condition.

However, the PureMatte Finish powder, although an essential in my makeup bag, doesn't fully provide the matte part continuously throughout the day. I can't totally rely on it for more than 6 hours and that's even when I have sprayed some Urban Decay All-Nighter on as well. Hmmm, perhaps it's the setting spray then? But anyways, I found another finishing powder from Jane Iredale that I thought I would try which is the Jane Iredale Beyond Matte powder. The description of the product reads as below:

"Based on a proprietary technology, Beyond Matte® not only eliminates shine for hours, it also absorbs oil, lessens transference, makes skin look smoother, refines pores, and increases the water resistancy of our minerals. Always on the lookout for environmentally sound ways to enhance product performance, Jane has included soothing jojoba seed oil into this formulation so skin appears touchably radiant as well as shine-free. For a High Definition-proof complexion that's always ready for its close-up, focus on Beyond Matte®. An HD matifying powder, available in four shades: Translucent - Use on any skin. Lilac - Use to brighten sallow tones. Peach - Use to warm up pale skin. Dark - Use on ethnic skins or as a bronzer

- Ultra water resistant formula guarantees complexion perfection, even under pressure
- Sensitive-skin appropriate, HDTV approved
- Proprietary technology eliminates shine, lessens transference, refines pores and gives skin a flawless, smooth appearance
- Environmentally responsible formulation and packaging"

Ok, so I realize descriptions are just that - descriptions :) But if the shine-free for hours claim is true then I will be more than a satisfied customer. Also, the part about minimizing pores would be a great bonus as well. That's something I like about the PureMatte Finish Powder, it truly minimizes the appearance of pores. I decided to get the refill as I don't need another compact case since I have 3 already and it costs waaay less at $32.00. I will try to use up my first PurePressed compact in caramel so I can put in the BeyondMatte powder once I have it in hand. Naturally, I chose the shade translucent since it is suitable for all skin tones.

To round up my purchase to 40 smackaroos, I got myself another tube of Acnevir. I like this homeopathic salicylic acid topical gel. I finally figured out the right amount of product to slather on and it has miraculously reduced the number of those mini-bumps that seemed to pop up on my face 2 months ago. This will actually be my third tube of the stuff. I got it for $8.49.

All in all, my total came to $40.49 but with my $7.08 discount and free shipping, I was charged $33.41. I'm happy :)

i actually didn't really want to talk about this.....

But I'm getting truly excited and I just can't help myself. I know there's a possibility of things blowing up in my face but just the mere speculation of it has me back to my old ways - obsessed with Kimi Raikkonen and Formula 1.

It's been two days since the rumours of a Raikkonen F1 comeback gained serious momentum and I am back to my pre-RallyKimi days; trawling Google News for, well, news of the comeback/confirmation of its truth and haunting the PlanetF1 forums to see if anybody can provide me with the latest scoop from the rumour mill.

The word in the pitlane is that Kimi is poised for a seat with the Williams F1 team. I have been following F1 from afar for the past two years and know that the Williams team are no longer in the top tier of the series but I feel they are on the verge of a turnaround. Next season the team will be outfitted with Renault engines - the same ones provided to the current kings of the track, Red Bull Racing, and with the appointment of highly-rated Mike Coughlan, formerly employed by McLaren Mercedes and a key player in SpyGate back in '07, as the new technical director, the Williams team have no where else to go but up. And having Kimi Raikkonen as their lead driver could definitely galvanize that turn of fortunes. It's important to note that Kimi has had a working relationship with Mike Coughlan from his days driving with McLaren.

The last "news" bit floating about is that Williams will be announcing the signing of Raikkonen for the 2012 racing season at the last race in Abu Dhabi which is about a week and a half away. I am hoping and praying as hard as possible that this is going to turn out to be a reality. I didn't quite grasp nor realize how much I missed having Kimi Raikkonen on the grid in Formula 1 till I was at the Singapore GP and found myself feeling empty as I rallied for one driver after another - having no anchor driver really takes the joy out of watching the sport. It made me feel like a wishy-washy airhead for some reason or another :)

Anyways, Kimi Raikkonen, you still have so much more to offer Formula 1. There are more than a couple hundred thousand F1 followers who would love to see you back on the grid. Even those in the F1 fraternity would love to have you back. Most importantly, I miss dedicating every other weekend to watching my most favourite driver piloting an F1 car. Please let this news to be true.

perhaps my next tech gadget won't be a Panasonic DMC-G3.....

I fell in love with the iPhone 4S. I love the gimmick that is Siri. But my main reason for wanting this is because I am completely bowled over by the phone's photo and video capture capabilities - which completely negates the need for a fancy camera if I have my heart set on owning this phone in the immediate future. And the dual core A5 processor and maximum 64GB storage really does help make the decision easier. My last phone purchase was the Nokia N97 two years ago so I'm due for a smartphone upgrade.

My sis is on an extended holiday in the States right this minute and should, hopefully, be around during the time of the release of the iPhone 4S unlocked. I have put in a request for the 64GB version of the iPhone 4S in black. It's RRP is USD849.00. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to have this by the end of this month when my mum and dad come up for a visit and bring it along with them. Of course, this is only a possibility if my sis actually manages to get the phone in the first place.

DISCLAIMER: Images are not mine but were gotten from the Apple Store site.