The Cherry Junkie Project

Narcissism at its finest

2010-02-20T21:38:00.004-05:00

This is the man and this is his neck piece. As Trey Kerby so aptly describes it, "Forged in the fires of Mordor from 1,300 grams (or 2.9 pounds) of 14-karat gold." And yes, it is smothered in diamonds. I think the chains as dreads element is genius. Good job, Marquis Daniels.

(Second) Atlantic Snow Dump

2010-02-10T17:27:00.007-05:00

Yes, yes. It's been a month. I'm having the busiest semester ever, which is more overwhelming than I had originally expected. I bravely signed up for that one course with that one professor whom is famous for throwing you everything and the kitchen sink. About 15% of the original enrollment has already dropped out, so I can say that I am making sure I'll pass the course. This is one of those situations where only the strong will survive.

Hence, today is the only day I got a breather because they closed the school down since it has been snowing for about 48 hours and the snow pile up is actually barely noticeable. The last time they closed this place down, we had three times more snow. I guess I can say that the current administration is just like Washington now -- a bunch of wussies -- Barack always jibes them about their inability to handle the snow. His Chicago and our Detroit did make it to the top 25 worse winter weather cities, unlike D.C.

So please enjoy the view from my balcony, while I try to be productive today. There's impending doom on the exam coming up this weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll!

NARS Kuala Lumpur Duo Eyeshadow

2010-01-10T19:21:00.003-05:00

I don't wear a lot of makeup but I am a huge fan of Nars. They make the best lipstick and last summer I discovered some of their amazing eyeshadows.

This lovely duo debuts January 15, 2010 for the Spring 2010 collection. I'm choosing to highlight this to pay homage to my native city. The colour combo here is excellent -- gold infused taupe rose and purple -- very suitable for golden skins and dark-eyed beauties. I can already tell I'll like this a lot more after I try it in-store.

Retails for $32 at Nars and Sephora.

Not Mean To Be

2010-01-09T21:06:00.005-05:00

There it was. Last one on the rack. Size XS. At my local Target store. The ribcage dress. For the uninitiated: Rodarte for Target ribcage print sequined black dress.

That was probably the only good thing that has come out of years of Target's collaborations with major designers. Most of these projects I would deem major failures -- decent design, pathetic materialisation / fabrication, and inconsistent sizing. Yes, I'm talking to you Anna Sui and your dubious Gossip Girl collection. And you too, Carlos Falchi -- those bags were ugly.

But I said "was". I guess I was so caught up with keeping in my recession guidelines that I did not grab this when it came out before Christmas. When I saw it today, I knew I had to have it. It looked even better than its already spectacular self in the promotional ads that floated around in Fall 2009.

Well I could zip the dress up but it was way too snug to step out in public. Major regrets. Now I have it on my mind all the time. Original retail $49.99. It is available on eBay for an average of $79.99.

le sigh

Moral of the story: you know what is the moral of the story.

Ho ho ho !

2009-12-28T15:25:00.004-05:00

Yes, this is a belated greeting. I've been away at Mr. O's and we didn't do much except eat, watch lots of movies, and sleep. It's always refreshing to skip checking e-mail for a few days.

Of course, Christmas was wonderful and quiet. The planet revolved around our laziness because we didn't hear about that terrorist attack until the day after, on the 26th! And then we couldn't stop talking about it, since it was pretty much in our neighbourhood. One of the things I enjoy about living here is being within 20 miles of the airport. Now I'm just a little apprehensive to get on a plane, any plane! The F***er almost blew up our airport; and it's an awesome airport, thank you very much.

No thanks to this, in the words of Brian Williams on today's Barack broadcast, "incompetent terrorist" I have to worry about a terrorist attack all the time now, including the flight to and from Schipol, which I have travelled often.
Mr. O and his cousins had particularly strong words about this incident since it so closely relates to their family and friends. It only takes one guy to screw it up for everyone else.

Moving on to better things, guess what Mr. O bought me for Christmas.

The semester is done!

2009-12-16T20:43:00.003-05:00

I'm so pleased to announce that I have completed my first semester of the MBA programme. It has been an extremely productive and successful semester, thanks in large part to the fact that I have had two excellent professors. I am merely making the mistake of attending courses with the two best professors in the College of Business a little too early, as the road ahead is thoroughly paved with instruction by some of the type of characters we give "First Class Asshole" awards to.

That's right, I said it! Some of these PhDs have reputations that precede them, and I'm not talking about fragrant rose bushes.

In the mean time, check out that awesome, mounted certificate I received at the end of class today. I don't even have my Bachelor's degree framed; perhaps rightly so, especially since I have learned more in this one course, instructed by the wisest man of the moment, than I have in my entire undergraduate programme.

Graduate school is wonderful. Thank you.

Mac Factor Shuts Down

2009-12-05T14:26:00.004-05:00

The rumours had swirled for almost a year now. Max Factor will no longer be sold in the U.S. after the current stock is sold out. Please consider this the worst decision Procter & Gamble Beauty Care has made in the last decade. My, and most Max Factor users', biggest gripe is the impossible replacement of the Volume Couture mascara -- pound for pound the best mascara in the commercial market today.

P&G's peace offering, if you can find them, are $2 discount coupons for Max Factor users to buy a CoverGirl "replacement" product. I've tried their much touted supposedly-Diorshow-comparable LashBlast mascara and it's absolute rubbish, not trash rubbish but rubbish nonetheless.

Hopefully P&G will come to their senses and bring Max Factor back, as L'Oreal has now (this week) brought back the once banned Ellnet hairspray. In the mean time, Max Factor users will have to scour the Internet or the European Union for any remaining stock beyond 2009. Good luck, ladies.

Thanksgiving Haul

2009-11-29T14:59:00.011-05:00

In keeping with my personal recession, I had decided to do no shopping this Thanksgiving weekend and merely enjoy some good food and good company.

Alas, my friends are shoppers and as such, I helped the miserably ailing Michigan economy (highest unemployment in the nation, four years in a row, ya'll!) by purchasing some justifiable goods that I had been eyeing for a while anyway.

Of course, I don't have to explain why I bought O.P.I nail polish, especially when they were buy one get one free. I'm not a regular polish junkie but these are the best (suck it, Essie!). I am also not a fan of the current matte polish trend -- it really ages the hand. The suede formulation looks more doable and I'll report back here again if I start painting and it turns out otherwise.

I also lucked out with the gleaming stainless steel additions from Cuisinart since some friends were eyeing a skillet from a generously priced seven-piece set. These pots now join my beloved heirloom-quality WMF jumbo saucepan. I'm still waiting for a good chef's knife to go on sale; hopefully the wait won't be long.

However, the best deals this weekend could be found at Old Navy. I'm not a frequent visitor there since I've experienced repeated quality issues. Yet their discounts were extremely generous, even more so than what is offered on their website and I want to recommend their solid coloured tights to anybody whom cares for tights. Yes, they are well-made and at 50% off, the price is unbelievable. Buy them now, because they were flying off the racks in the store! Available in many colours; I bought purple and will be hunting for more. For everyone else, get one of the colour block scarves from the men's department -- they are awesome, even in acrylic.

General (Shoe) Business I

2009-11-17T21:23:00.012-05:00

Did you ever know that you cannot store anything on your balcony even if you pay rent for it? Talk about a waste of square footage. The building instructor vehemently stressed on the need for emptiness on the space -- how Zen of her.

This has forced me to rethink the organisation of my footwear collection, more accurately; the need for proper organisation of my footwear collection. Seeing that I'm on a "shopping ban", I have decided to pay more attention to the current stash of shoes, particularly to the conditioning aspect.

I, for one, find it rude when we subject our shoes to snow, sand, and salt and expect them to continue looking good after the vigorous beating. Good-looking, well-aged leathers require some love.

See for yourself the exhibit of shoes below, in cowhide and snakeskin for the footwear, and lambskin for the owl wristlet (my impulse buy from Marc on Bleecker, back in July).

I don't remember when I started getting religious about leather conditioning but it was probably when I started buying some French and Italian bags and I immediately became serious about "protecting my investment" -- a somewhat lovelorn idea.

The only thing I will say about leather conditioning is that it is time-consuming but worth it. Like all great outcomes, this kind of loving takes time; at least 24 hours but I do 48 hours if I can spare it. I use the museum curator stuff from Pecard, which I recommend to all of you (including your soon-to-be-very soft-hands).

Misfit Iggy

2009-10-23T13:48:00.004-04:00

Marc reads my mind. I love every crazy aspect of the Misfit Iggy bag here. You can tell the juxtaposing elements come together and the sensible restraint of the angular shape makes this bag scream my name. The colours are, frankly, quite heavenly.

I'm not being sarcastic: Marc Jacobs is God.

Holy Cow, McQueen!

2009-10-12T20:15:00.004-04:00

No, no. NOOOOOOOO!

Artistic, yes. Futuristic, maybe. Pushing the limit, really; I mean; Jesus Christ!

This recalls Chinese foot binding mumbo jumbo. It's just not flattering, Alexander! Sadly, your boldness will be mistaken for genius and truckloads will follow suit.

I suspect the (hidden) platform alone is at least six inches high. If you want to look like you have flower pots as feet, be my guest.

Jibber jabber!

If God did not want women to wear high heels, then Jesus must have sent this to Givenchy

2009-10-06T19:45:00.006-04:00

Dear Steve Madden,

Greetings.

I don't often buy your shoes. They are poorly made, and are blatantly copies of everything that is relevant on the most recent runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. Inspiration is abundant but you and your team are lazy, so you make copies and charge too much for your lack of creativity.

But please; perhaps you can make yourself useful for once; copy this shoe. I understand that crocodile skin is more expensive than the price points your customers are used to. Perhaps you can just use embossed leather, calfskin preferably. Perhaps. Please.

I look forward to seeing this product on retail shelves.

Best,
The Cherry Junkie

p/s: Kindly forward my request to Forever 21 if you are not able to produce the most marvellous open toe ankle boots ever created to date, as shown above.

It IS Fall

2009-09-28T20:09:00.006-04:00

It rained. It is raining. It will rain.

Yesterday night, all of today, and some of tomorrow. Water, water, everywhere.

Fall is here.

No, these are not supposed to be lines stuck together to form some stanzas; searching for discovery with words.

It's just indicative of how my mind is working of late -- sporadic, slow, momentarily excited, observational, but a little bored.

I am due to give a speech in less than 48 hours, yet I have not written it yet. Not that I don't have an idea, but my idea is ... "too big" ... or I have no confidence in my idea. I never have confidence in structured speeches. If the world ran on impromptu speeches and gave out awards for those, perhaps I would feel more justified to push myself.

Graduate school is interesting. May I say, for once, that I am finally feeling challenged in an academic setting; that I am actually learning new things. Half of the semester has not even passed yet, so this is progress for sure.

And Fall is here. I need to wear socks again; I need to slap on lotion religiously.

But for now, I don't care about all of the above. The following things have been on my mind. I can remember the last time I've had these:

Namaste!

2009-09-17T10:34:00.005-04:00

Pure, ergonomic, uncompromising Italian luxury. You really need to know about the luxury set's best kept handbag secret. Please seek yourself some Valextra and tell Hermes to shove it.

Anna $ui for Target

2009-09-13T11:48:00.003-04:00

You've heard rumours about it. It's was even rumoured to only be a rumour, but the collection debuted this weekend at New York's Spring 2010 Fashion Week, and on sale today at Target. It's here and looking pretty spiffy. Can someone just explain to me why the prices are way above the Target designer series price points?

Available online and at limited Target stores, so don't wait for a sale. Yeah, tell my bleeding wallet that.

First Week of School

2009-09-12T16:24:00.006-04:00

I cracked open my first jar of Bonne Maman peach preserves this afternoon. I wonder what took me so long to give this stuff a try. Rows and rows of these have been staring me down in the grocery aisles for decades and it's not as if American supermarkets are filled with great jams/spreads/jellies to begin with.

What makes this French jar of fruit and pectin so good? I don't know. Maybe it's because it's not too sweet (I'm talking to you, Smuckers and Welch's!), not tasteless, those little bits of actual fruit, or the fact that it does not gel up or get hard after you take it out of the fridge. It's just really good. I'm not fussy about jams; good is good. So do American jams have any hope?

Actually, yes. American jams are pretty decent. I had originally gone back to the store to re-purchase a jar of Made-in-USA "peach butter", which is formulated to perfection. Then I made a beeline for the homely-looking Bonne Maman. But do try Braswell's of Georgia. Tell them I sent you. Bonne Maman vs Braswell's? It's a tie.

The first week of graduate school just ended. It didn't really occur to me that I was a grad student until after Wednesday's class. If there was one thing that was nudging me to stop mucking around, it was definitely my classmates. They were all so ... serious ... and this is beyond the fact that they weren't very much older or younger than I am. Everyone behaved as if they had enlisted in the army. It felt like I was sitting in a room full of Type As. In fact, we had three bankers in there pitching their wares. Welcome to grad school.

Fortunately, I'm looking forward to a productive semester. My professor appears to be one with a big personality and wisdom to offer. I assume his national and European awards aren't for nothing.

Happy Labour Day

2009-09-07T11:22:00.002-04:00

I've been labouring a lot for the weekend, spending the last 72 hours in three different types of campus orientation programs for graduate assistants, international, and graduate students. Needless to say, every time I think I might be an extrovert, my introvert really kicks in in super large (community imposed) crowds. It's time for a re-evaluation of my Myers Briggs personality type.

I deserve the day off today. I shared a lot of oxygen with a lot of people for the past few days.

Happy barbecue-ing, people. Let's hope it doesn't rain.

Gun Bag

2009-08-14T10:15:00.004-04:00

I just received this directly from James Piatt this morning. Yes, it is a handbag. $379. Good luck at the airport.

Dino Egg

2009-08-12T20:17:00.004-04:00

I was at the store today for grocery shopping (yes, coming back from a month-long vacation to an EMPTY FRIDGE!) and these peculiar, little things I saw on display. The bright pink sticker on each fruit says "Dinosaur Egg™ Produce of USA" and a neon green brontosaurus prances merrily on print.

I guessed these things were in the same family as plums, based on size and skin texture. Well I bought some and bit into one. Yup, it's just a plum with speckled skin. The taste is extremely mild, with a slight tart, not flavourful and vibrant like regular plums are. However, the only thing spectacular about this dinosaur egg is the awesome dual tone flesh on the inside. Check it out below.

So buy it to say you bought some Jurassic produce, but don't expect to be impressed.

Python is ... who cares ... I want it!

2009-07-28T12:56:00.005-04:00

Yes. Yes. O be still my beating heart. Is this perfection or what?

The most surprising discovery I made today was stumbling across a fantastic and well-edited Zagliani and Pauric Sweeney python-only collection, about half a dozen bags in varying sizes and colours but mostly metallics, at a store on the luxury retail floor of my favourite mall in the city.

I was just astounded, mainly because retailing is demand and supply and no one this side of Asia let alone wee-little-old-corner-of-the-equator here has actually heard of Dr. Zagliani and his crazy silicone injections or the youthful genius that is Pauric Sweeney. As the stereotype goes, it really is monogram lovers land here.

I asked the Sales Assistant if any of these bags had been sold and she said yes. I was floored. So there is a lone retail buyer out there who has been stocking these beautiful exotic bags to the tune of almost (after conversion) USD 3,700, which is borderline rip-off. Clearly there is a discerning woman or a very generous man in the city whom actually gets the whole idea of buying the best in the business, and not merely just buying a brand that is Vuitton, or Chanel, or Dior.

But back to the PS1 in Python: I am pleased that there are still many wonderful things (literally) to look forward to (owning) in life.

Alien Vibrating Mascaras and other stories

2009-07-28T05:37:00.005-04:00

I'm quite a newbie to eye makeup in general, which upon reflection either shows how much I love skin preservation, or how much wasted potential I've allowed in not highlighting one of my best facial features.

To shortcut years or adolescent makeup ignorance, I have ventured into the deep waters of mascaras and have tried out most of the well-documented / oft-praised department and drugstore tubes of vaseline+talc+iron oxides. Yes, mascara is all the chemical stuff your dermatologist told you to avoid.

I give myself a pat on the back because I've made astounding progress in just a few short months. There's nothing like a recession-induced boredom to make you try out new things.

Today, I want to give praise to the industry-approved Lancôme Ôscillation. This award winning bla bla bla ....

Look, let me put it this way, I have stick straight lashes that don't really stayed curled even with a (really good) curler. And yes, I own the best curler in the market.

This vibrating mascara thing curled and coated my lashes just like that; I mean LIKE THAT. And it wasn't even waterproof! Girls with stick straight lashes get my drift about waterproof mascara and keeping a curl.

7000 oscillations per minute -- Jesus didn't give me nice lashes but science did and I am now a believer. The price tag is $34.

I'm looking forward to trying the exact drugstore knockoff, right down to the vibrating mechanism: Maybelline New York Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara, at $13 a pop. Could it really be the same product for a third of the price? I'll let you know when I try it.

But for now, if you ever need a gift for your mother / sister / cousin / girlfriend / wife, get her a tube of vibrating mascara. She will thank you, I promise.

Rainy Day before the Tsunami

2009-07-21T03:04:00.007-04:00

I've been out of the posting-any-relevant-or-irrelevant-updates habit for a few weeks now, mainly due to intercontinental travel. The weather conditions today (and what looks like only today) have finally allowed me to not sweat for a continuous 12 hours, and settle down and greet all of you here from a desktop in Asia Pacific.

The Middle East can't beat me here when it comes to weather complaints. They may have it hot over there, but it is hot and extremely humid (count at least 80%) over here. Every time I use the Lord's name in vain, it is mostly because of the weather.

The big thing this week for me is hearing the good news on the accurate predictions of what will supposedly be the most massive tsunami occurrence this side of the world since the last one that hit South Asia. Yes, I said it! Call me bitter. I have been forced to forego any plans to lie out on a beach because this urban legend has perpetuated to a point of being accepted as truth. Godamnit!

If you live in a tsunami predicted region, please stop being foolish and leave immediately! And with that, do not return either. The "Pacific Fire Rim" is forever, so choose your residence wisely.

Now back to the main event, for those looking forward to the total solar eclipse scheduled to take place Wednesday; July 22, 2009 (which triggers the so called tsunami), have a happy viewing.

For now I am left with memories of ogling at "Consular Agent Joshua", whose real identity I may never discover. He looks like a gorgeous, Asian version of Channing Tatum. Feast below and thank me later.

Vuitton and eLux countdowns

2009-06-22T12:40:00.005-04:00

Two things LVMH is (confirmed) doing this week that will piss me off:
(1) Louis Vuitton product prices are increasing on Wednesday; June 24, 2009.
(2) E-commerce at eLuxury.com will close for good on Friday; June 26, 2009.

As a consolation, those of you whom adore the Damier Azur canvas pattern like I do, have a lot to look forward to when the Cruise 2010 collection comes out circa December 2009 -- the Neverfull finally gets an Azur makeover.

Start saving now, and add at last a 15% premium on the prices you see today.

I am so hyped for lycra/spandex

2009-06-01T21:22:00.007-04:00

I am here to confess that I am a recent convert into the female religion of leggings. Yes, leggings. Technically they are footless tights.

I don't remember exact which style maven sent this item down the runway and thus revived such a horrendous 1980s style into the 21st century. I suspect it was a last minute creation of necessity as I can imagine Marc Jacobs (I credit anything relevant today, to him) staring endlessly at his statuesque fit model, it being 2 a.m. in the moring, and he knew he had to cut something up to save his outfit from looking hoochie by way of the model's ass hanging out of his prototype tattered shirt/top. And thus Marc eyed a bunch of opaque tights, or solid pantyhose if you want to call it that way, cut off the bottom ends because he is very prone to cutting stuff, and told the model to put them on. When she was done, he knew his genius was sealed. Another runway collection saved.

I may be making the story up but I know how he works in his studio even though I have not step foot in the neighbourhood it is in. Do I want to work for Marc Jacobs? Very badly, yes.

So anyway, I've never hesitated to wear skinny jeans even with my somewhat massive thighs because, I guess, I'm just a sucker for any garment that makes my butt look good.

I always thought leggings would be my downfall because the frabrication, while more substantial than regular pantyhose, would surely not have enough "hold" to shape my butt. So that's why I've stayed away from leggings while the rest of the world has taken to it like breathmints at the annual garlic convention.

Well, I've been legging-free until, April this year. So after surviving over a quarter of a century, I caught the legging bug while shopping with a friend. Yes, it is some sort of infectious disease. See above -- this molten leather looking thing was too cool to pass. My ass actually looked decent and my thighs were fixed with a heavy dose of high heels, thank you Roger Vivier.

Fast forward about two months later now, I can't keep my eyes off leggings. Insanity. Most people wear the regular black/navy/brown/neutral coloured ones but I am so fascinated with crazy leggings, as exhibited below. Haven't bought any of them though.

I love my American Express

2009-05-19T13:25:00.003-04:00

I received a random "Unknown" number call at close to 4am this morning. And before the afternoon came, a text message was sent to my phone, requesting me to call Amex about a fraudulent charge.

What? Me? Like everyone, I always thought credit card fraud happened to everyone else but me. Well today, the omens gathered and some fool in Oregon was attempting to charge over $500 of Lowe's (for the foreigners: a giant, national home improvement retailer) purchases to my card.

I've never even been to Oregon, and since I don't own a house, I haven't been to Lowe's in years.

Did I expect this to happen? Yes. I received a letter from one of the online retailers I purchased from, a few months ago, informing me that their servers had been compromised and credit card information was stolen, mine included.

Oh, great! Just another thing for me to worry about: the recession, unemployment, and some unauthorised use of my credit card.

Well it's a good thing I still manage to scrape up the $150 annual fee Amex demands of me every year. I could easily subscribe to any other card company for free (and their infamously bad customer service; I'm talking about you two, Citibank and Chase!), but all the best things in life are not truly free.

New credit card on the way via overnight service by UPS.

God bless my credit card, Amex.

Scenes from Holland, MI

2009-05-09T12:36:00.003-04:00

The Swine in Michigan

2009-04-29T23:47:00.006-04:00

Barack celebrates 100 years, I mean, err, days in office. It feels like years because he is fixing over a decade of problems. I said over a decade. Yes, I said it! People think the real estate mortgage collapse (which is the catalyst for the current recession) was a product of the Bush era but it started when Greenspan went around deregulating Wall Street in the 80s.

So yeah, leave it to Barack to clean up the dirt. For those who gave him a C or lower grade (ahem, Fox News network) for his performance so far, let's see if you can outdo this man without making all kinds of gaffes like Bush I and Bush II. Why did I not make a Bubba joke? Please, we all love Bubba. And we have to support Ms. Hillary since she did the braver thing twice -- stood by Bubba and stood by Barack.

To celebrate my extremely boring week and fear of catching The Swine, I ventured out of my apartment building today to join a friend for coffee. Along the way, we paid a visit to the Hospital because my friend is his sister's little bitch, I mean, err, his sister's valet and she had a mid-evening Frappuccino craving. Then we went around shaking hands with some of his friends in the Hospital -- nurses, food service people, etc. Yeah, I feared for my life for a good 30 minutes and I pumped the Purell hand sanitizer stuff on two separate occasions.

I suspect Purell must have a $10 million dollar contract with the University of Michigan Health System (including the Hospital) because there was a full-size Purell pump every 10 feet of a corridor and also one in every patient and examination room.

I am praying that The Swine stays at only 2 people in Michigan, though it has been spreading rapidly through the Midwest already, no thanks to the 51 kids in New York. This was supposed to be a Mexico-Texas thing, and America would have gladly allowed Texas to secede from the Union. Now it's global.

Good luck, everyone.

Bad junior fashion in Ypsilanti, MI

2009-04-27T21:50:00.002-04:00

I attended a graduation commencement ceremony on Sunday and the weather was blazing hot, so there were a lot of unspeakable fashion mistakes going on everywhere, but I found this little boy to have committed the most grievous of all style sins: the sock-and-sandal.

Yes, that is the boy and his older brother in front of him, with the all-American footwear faux pas. Clearly his parents (especially his mother) are to blame for this display.

Parents, please. Casual is fine but stupid is not okay. If you want the kids to wear socks, then wear shoes. If you want it to be breezy but covered then wear canvas shoes, or (in desperate times, try) Crocs.

Hawt Pink

2009-04-25T13:04:00.003-04:00

It's the end of the semester and the kids in the neighbourhood have been partying endlessly, celebrating the last of their exams and the upcoming summer break. Here's a wonderful reminder of some of the craziness that enrolls into college here in Michigan:
My phone's camera is not the greatest but the car is in (in American terms) Pepto Bismol pink, which is a cotton candy pink with a tinge of violet undertones. I've never seen the owner of the car (no prizes for guessing the gender) but s/he parks in a different spot every school day on the street in front of my apartment building.

If I don't see it in Fall when the new school term starts, I will surely miss it.

eLuxury goes bye bye

2009-04-24T10:49:00.006-04:00

eLuxury.com, LVMH's comprehensive online luxury shopping website, will be closing all commerce activities by the end of June -- a product of its own retail double-dipping. I will miss it and all the tax-free goods it offers.

A sale is going on now, and I've found below:

1. Best accessory:
Dsquared2
Wooden Necklace
$225.00 SALE PRICE: $135.00 FINAL PRICE NOW $81.00

2. Best sneaker:
Y-3
Checkered Honja High-Top
$290.00 SALE PRICE: $174.00 FINAL PRICE NOW $104.40

3. Ugliest thing you can spend your money on:
Vintage by La Rosa
'50s Corduroy Print Shirt, Red
$595.00 SALE PRICE: $357.00 FINAL PRICE NOW $214.20
Okay, okay. This is supposed to be vintage and super rare. It may be a well-made shirt, but no one should step out of the house with this shirt unless attending a festival / costume party.

Operating system takes up too much space

2009-04-15T21:33:00.003-04:00

Happy belated Easter/Passover, everyone.

I've diappeared for a few weeks now, making absolutely no progress in looking for work or securing my scholarship. However, the major thing I've done so far is salvaging my digital data on my hardy old notebook, with many thanks to Mr. O.

The process has taken up most of the last few days (which is, genuinely, a lot of progress since I've abandoned this project for over 6 months; one must wonder how I've ever managed to live without a notebook). Battling "trojanic" malware is like going to war, a fulltime job. Many times I felt like kicking myself for behaving as if I didn't own a technie degree nor any computer usage capabilities at all.

Just a little over 36 months of doing the "lining up numbers" thing has left me incapable of speaking of partitions and installation procedures. I could feel my notebook's humiliation to be owned by me.

I have let my personal techie spirit down.

As of today I have completed my third re-installation. I am now familiar with free antivirus software (AVG) and this aggressive little treasure called Spybot Search and Destroy (it deserves a prize for its name, or at least a movie named after it). I have rediscovered the unnecessary luxury of online shpping, of staring aimessly at stuff I don't need to buy, of vowing to buy all the things I have seen online. I have gotten used to the hunched over posture of my sitting on the couch while simultaneously eyeing Anderson Cooper / Jon Stewart / Stephen Colbert on TV and reading Perez Hilton's latest post and resisting the crazy things Marc Jacobs is trying to peddle at Louis Vuitton.

It feels great to be a netizen again! I was up surfing and installing until 0700 hours, clocked in about three hours of sleep and then woke up to yell at my SA at the Vuitton store (it really does not take two weeks for something to travel from Los Angeles to Detroit, bla bla bla).

Regardless still, I had a decent day today: I indulged and stocked up on imported Asian junk food. The rain left and there was sunshine, the weather hit the high 50s. I had plenty of sushi. And then I decided to be one step ahead of keeping my system safe from the big, bad trojans out there; I attempted to download Service Pack 3 when I was brutally slapped with the fact that my 5GB partition could not house my operating system (OS) and all the updates/service packs Microsoft had created for it.

WHAT? Since when was 5GB not enough for an OS? This is bullshit. Now I have to reallocate my partitions and start over.

Yes, there will be a fourth re-installation after this post. If you don't hear from me for a few days, you will know it is because I am still wrestling around with Windows.

*sigh*

Nice shoes in Ann Arbor, MI

2009-04-02T20:46:00.006-04:00

It was April Fool's Day yesterday and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw these two people walking down the street. While they were not particularly spectacular, their feet gave them away and I suspect that were anything but Midwestern American.

The man on the left had on the slimmest dark wash jeans only Hedi Slimane would approve of, and a pair of deep red (almost cordovan coloured) driving loafers. Trust me, the pictures really do not show how immensely slim his jeans were –- not tight; just very, very slim; like matchsticks. The lady walking with him wore two of Spring's most important items: leggings, and the nude peep-toe platform stiletto pump.

Ah, delightful. Seeing them definitely made my day. I feel a shoe purchase coming on. Oh, no!

Anderson Cooper goes to Mexico

2009-03-24T16:53:00.005-04:00

Anderson Cooper is going on live from the Mexican border, tomorrow and Thursday on CNN, to cover the very serious Mexican drug cartel problems (think classic Colombian: drugs, firearms, sexual assault, murder beheading style, bla bla bla) that are rapidly bleeding into American soil. Whomever said the Mexicans are not enterprising people clearly have not been watching the news, thought they are a doing things a little passé. Who knew selling drugs was still on trend.

Anyway, I thought it would be nice to send some good mojo Mr. AC360°'s way since who knows what the drug lords over at the border have planned for him. Anderson Cooper is probably (more like definitely) the most blueblood of all American reporters and is worth a healthy sum of family trust fund/inheritance.

Nothing makes Italian leather look more lived in than Iraqi sand and Mexican mud. Let's hope he comes back with his Prada boots all intact.

Colbert up in space

2009-03-23T18:36:00.004-04:00

Breaking news! Looks like Stephen Colbert's appeal to his "nation" to get his name in a new NASA space station room has worked. He was so popular; he beat out the next competitor by tens and thousands of votes. I'm sure he will be announcing this news on his show tonight at 2330 EDT. More updates to see if the decision will be final.

(Mental) Recession leads to Forever 21

2009-03-23T15:39:00.012-04:00

The last few days have been extremely emotional and uncertain for me, mentally. I cannot begin to explain this newfound stress that has taken over ever waking moment that I have with regards to so many aspects of my life now. I know I am too young for this (hogwash) but since I have always believed that I am an old soul trapped in the body of a young adult, I shall continue trooping on. These days, words of encouragement do not even sound realistic anymore.

I've been asking Jesus for favours but he does have a long line of people to get to before it is my turn. I have a deadline, godamnit! Yes, apparently swearing and using the Lord's name in vain will push me to the back of the line even quicker. I've never had the need to be considered a good Christian (to the folks upstairs) until now.

One of the harder aspects of the recession is the immediate lifestyle change that must be adapted to in order to preserve monetary reserves. For one, I can no longer buy many types of products and services I have grown accustomed to and the worse part is that absolute, defeating feeling when I knowingly pay money for an immensely sub-standard alternative.

Take for example my first "unnecessary purchase" last week at the very popular Forever 21 store.

Sidebar regarding F21:
Yes, they of the devout-Christian, professional-counterfeiting Korean couple of Los Angeles! I don't buy their goods not only because they rip-off every dead and living designer they can get their hands on but also because you really get what you pay for in that store. The shoes are not $9.99 without a good reason. Remember folks, counterfeit is theft -- so much for being devout-Christian Koreans! I believe all designers should follow Diane von Furstenberg's move and sue their asses. Buy the real thing or don't buy at all.

So back to the story:
I had been hunting for a pair of blue coloured jeans for a "long time" (about 2 years) now. I am not talking about "regular denim" (which, these days, are popularly washed in a dark indigo-denim tint); I am talking about the type of blue that you look at and you say, "That is lapis," or azure, or turquoise, or cerulean -- that kind of blue. So guess where I found the perfect azure blue jeans -- no prizes -- at the godamn Forever 21 store, for a dirt-cheap full retail price of $13.50! This pair was about 7% of what I usually pay for a pair of jeans. Just too good to be true. The colour was unbelievably beautiful -- saturation was spot-on.

I tried them on and there was the immediate tell. The jeans were $13.50 for a reason. The label may have claimed 98% cotton, 2% spandex but it felt more like 3% or 4% spandex. The weave was not as tight as a $200 pair and the texture was thinner. I sighed many times. I told myself I don't look good in skinny jeans anyway (actually no one does, except 5'10" runway models) so why buy this; I had so many pairs of them already. I said, "You will regret this purchase after you wash it because this horrendously cheap fabric will be out of shape." For all the men reading this post: yes, we women talk like this in our heads.

But I bought it. I don't like counterfeiting Koreans who claim to be running their operations as "the will of God", but I bought it anyway. The colour was perfect, and I had decided to convince myself that if I were to survive this recession, I must buy within my means. I shudder to think if I will dare to give up my cashmere sweaters for acrylic but we shall see. This is a push-comes-to-shove scenario. I do not wish to be in such a desperate situation.

I've been wearing the jeans for most of the weekend and when I paired them with an awesome sky-high pair of cognac-coloured, leather gladiators yesterday, the compliments were beaming. I guess recession fashion will be quite manageable, at least for now.

God is an Italian cobbler Part II

2009-03-18T17:01:00.014-04:00

This is about a bunch of shoes I ordered before the recession but they came recently and I wasn't really bothered to deal with them until now because ... well, I've had to get rid of some of them.

Before I start my homage to all Italian cobblers I want to give a shout out to the team that designs the footwear collections each season at Calvin Klein. They've really always been dismissible but about 3 years ago, the quality and the design that has come out of the White Label and Collection lines have been amazing. I now wear both lines quite fanatically.

So, in this 21st century day of mass-produced manufacturing, why does Calvin Klein still bother to make shoes in Italy? Let's be honest, people will still be suckered to pay $700 for a pair of Christian Louboutin even if he decided to make them in Afghanistan. And while Italian shoe manufacturing processes are widely known and documented (read: Salvatore Ferragamo gluing only half of the footstep base sole), how has Calvin Klein managed to convince the folks working at the Italian shoe factories to give individual attention to each shoe in his line?

I present to you the hand-hammered sole! I know -- when was the last time you saw something like this? I think they only do these on custom men's leather shoes (maybe John Lobb; everyone else has gotten lazy). Take a look below:

CK does the matte black box. I like.

My favourite of the bunch. Can you tell?

Close-up of the vamp. This shoe is so friggin' gorgeous. I am not kidding.

Shearling and suede booties. I bit out of my usual range but I was being adventurous because it is best to embrace the current times.

So here is the hand-hammered sole. See the little nails at the sole curve leading to the arch.

There are also 3 little nails hammered into the tip of the sole below the vamp.

Little nails, woweee!

Now on to the heels, which is the only reason women buy shoes. This one is architectural.

This one has nice exposed stitching on the outer back seam.

Too bad this pair is not in my size. Look how awesome the patent contrasts with the matte cowhide.

*Sob*sob* Bye bye nice shoes.

It's St. Paddy! Slainte!

2009-03-17T13:43:00.009-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Today is not a federal holiday of any sort but I believe most people will be taking a mental vacation from school and/or work, so watch out for the drunk drivers out there. I estimate the Ypsi/Ann Arbor area will register about 400-500 alcohol-related hospital visits today alone. This is a rough and dirty estimate but I think the number is pretty accurate since there are at least 65,000 students covering this 20 square mile corridor in southeast metro Detroit.

The weather was excellent yesterday (very high 50s) and today (mid 60s), with plenty of sunblock-worthy UVA/B rays, and I went walking around to see the jovial embrace of spring in Ann Arbor; depicted below:

Nice weather brought the kids out in full force. I was being kind so I did not snap pictures of the fashion mishaps. It is the start of spring after all, so some folks need time to get the wardrobe thing together.

The campus activists took advantage of the sunshine ...

... as well as the protesters. They protest almost every day, even in winter. But Jesus was throwing them a bone this week.

This spiffy thing is, in plain English, a garbage can that self-compacts. The top domed part of the box is made of glass and houses a large solar panel. Yes, these Ann Arbor liberals thrash their trash very seriously.

This is the Denali loft condo block on Liberty Street, quite possibly the most misplaced and uncannily cool albeit ridiculously expensive piece of real estate in Ann Arbor. I am not exaggerating when I say that the loft condos in this building sell (not for rent, like most of the places in Ann Arbor) for $650,000 to $800,000. The biggest unit is probably only 1,300 square feet by my estimates. Not a worthy investment by any standards but since real estate prices have never fallen in Ann Arbor, even in today's recession and real estate bust, grab these if you see them for sale and you like loft living.

This picture is self-explanatory.

Norman Rockwell is in Detroit, bitches!

2009-03-15T16:06:00.002-04:00

Network updates

2009-03-15T15:35:00.003-04:00

I have not made any progress with Recession Plan A so far and that failing spirit is starting to drag me down. However, I have started to spread the news to good friends about my untimely misfortune and over the weekend, particularly today, many have responded with mighty words of encouragement. One has called and told me it is time to jump straight to Plan C. I have very averse feelings about Plan C. Only time will tell.

Not usually a horoscope reader, I stumbled upon an e-mail from my cousin and also some online-published predictions for the day. One of them read:
"Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings who are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Patient and reliable. Determined."

Well I sure hope all this horoscope mumbo jumbo is true. Times are bad so I am reading now because I want to believe. I am determined not to let this recession win. You can't get rid of me so easily, America!
Who else is going to buy all your stupid, gloriously-designed-but-never-better-than-the-Europeans consumer goods ... err ... fashion ... err ... electronics ... err ... crap.

The perfect pinstripe

2009-03-14T16:51:00.002-04:00

I'm not a big fan of the "obvious pinstripe" suit on anyone but check out Lewis Hamilton (yes, people, in case you didn't know: the world's best Formula 1 driver is a black man; yes) at Buckingham Palace this week, where he received his Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This is how you wear a grey pinstripe suit. See the wool fabrication, tailoring, triple button (!!!) medium stance, slim lapel, spread collar, slim (not skinny) tie. *aouuuu*

God is an Italian cobbler

2009-03-10T15:50:00.001-04:00

More to come on this beauty.

America's top 10 unhappiest cities by BusinessWeek

2009-03-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

Detroit ranks 4th on the list.

Cloudy days = 185/365. Now I can yell back at the Michiganders (official name = Michiganians, but it sounds stupid) who claim there are less than 100 days of sun in Michigan.

Unemployment rate (December 2008)= 18.6% --> This is a sharp jump from the last stat I saw at 10.6% but we're still at the top of the list in the Land of Yank with unemployment rates. *woohooo*

Technology is dead

2009-03-03T17:24:00.002-05:00

Okay, stop staring at your iPods and cell phones. In general technology is alive. But in the employment market, it is dead now.

Remember the dot.com bubble, and all the wonderful academic programmes pushing IT-related employment to young hopefuls deciding what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives? Yeah, that technology is dead. Granted, I never did anything with my IT degree but even if I wanted to "fall back" on it, I wouldn't have a chance now. America does not love IT anymore.

America loves healthcare. That's right, I said it.

I'm not talking about doctors. They have been around a long time. America loves healthcare so much now that they have college programmes to teach you how to operate medical billing applications! Yes, you read right again. These entry-level, high school graduate jobs now require certificates. And along with all the other healthcare related employment out there (they can't seem to hire enough nurses, medical assistants, etc.), I wonder if my IT degree is as 1967 as bell bottom jeans and hippie headgear.

(I realise that, like fashion, many things have cycles of popularity again).

I just don't have time to wait for IT to be hip again. I can't be job hunting for 20 years. Who is going to pay my rent? Who is going to pay my Amex bill? If you need more proof that technology is dead, look at Bill Gates -- even he is not bothered with technology anymore. He is busy spending the money technology made him on; guess what; medical aid and healthcare programmes for third world countries. I can't believe that Bill Gates is more on trend than I am when it comes to employment! (Well, it looks like he always has been).

Jesus, just give me a job!

p/s: But more proof that old things will come back in style again:
This recent January authorities seized the first distribution-sized package of "processed DMT" in New Jersey and warned that the hallucinogenic drug once popular in the '60s could be making a comeback.

Hah!

Weird news in the United States (today)

2009-03-02T12:31:00.006-05:00

I'm sure by now everyone has heard that woman-beater Chris Brown and Chris-Brown-battery-victim Rihanna are reconciling their relationship. The media also reports that Rihanna's father "will be supportive. If that's the road she wants to choose," which completely contradicts his statements at the beginning of this fiasco when he suggested that his daughter no longer pursue anything with the assaulter, teenager Chris Brown. Love is blind, if there is such a thing as love anymore.

Yes, I believe time heals all wounds but violence is never to be healed in relationships. There is absolutely no excuse for one person in the relationship to hit the other. I have noticed that old married men don't say many things to me but the one "fatherly advice" they always seem to mention is that I should walk away and never return if anyone were to hit me. Who wants to guess how long before Chris Brown hits Rihanna again?

In other news, the folks at Champaign-Urbana in Illinois have found placentas in their water sewage system. Count it, not one but three this year. Yes, you read right, placentas, as in the stuff that "carries" the baby in the womb. Pretty disgusting. Turns out the bad economy may be a factor -- medical waste disposal costs money and dumping it down the drain is free. The news snippet says:
State regulations allow parents to keep their baby's placenta, said state Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Maggie Carson. Some parents may want them for a post-birth ritual, she said.

"But it is never acceptable to put placenta into the sewer system," Carson said. "Never."

And in local news, kids attending any school in the Detroit Public Schools system will be required to bring their own toilet paper. The DPS is so broke, they cannot afford light bulbs and toilet rolls for the schools. America is behaving very "Third World" now.

Recession Gastronomy

2009-02-25T14:13:00.015-05:00

While I was waiting for Russell Peters to come on TV, the programme before his was some sort of "101 Celebrity Slimdowns" list. America is obsessed with weight (as in staying slim) yet it is probably the most overweight country in the world. This is surely proof that no one in America is really starving -- I mean really -- even the homeless have soup kitchens to feed them.

So back to the programme that I caught a snippet of: the number one celebrity slimdown was Oprah Winfrey. Apparently when she was overweight she was about 200 lbs (which is about 91 kgs), and on her frame (she's probably no more than 5'4") that would be very hefty. So Oprah slimmed down. She cut out three food groups (rice, pasta, bread), hired a trainer to torture her and "closed her kitchen at 7:30pm".

This is my point about being on a diet -- only rich people can afford it. When I say rich, the term here is used loosely, covering the spectrum to all people of above average and comfortable financial means. Granted, poor people don't really have enough food to eat to a point where they can truly be overweight and/or obese. But rich people can decide that they have eaten enough rice, pasta, and bread and now just stick to soups and salads, and then suffer a tiring workout with drill sergeant fitness trainers.

In this recession, the best way to get a filling meal without burning a hole in your pocket is sticking to, guess what, rice, pasta, and bread. This holy trinity of carbs have long provided sustenance in good and bad times. I find it annoying that people are losing homes and employment but yet no one seems to be able to keep their weight under control. Why do carbohydrates get such a bad name? It is because people blame carbs for making them fat, which is very untrue. It's like Osama giving Islam a bad name because he decided to fly a few planes into some buildings.

So what does the recession have in store once the economy takes a turn for the better: more fat people who survived the crisis by eating all those carbs?

If only we had Oprah's kitchen. I would like to keep it open way past 7:30pm. And you know Oprah recently confessed to getting all tubby again; she said she's already back to 200lbs. So cutting carbs is not the cure after all.

Eat proper portions and get off your big butts America, move around. No one should starve or completely cut carbs to lose weight.

Monetary Freefall

2009-02-21T16:05:00.005-05:00

The unemployment rate at Michigan is 10.6% as of early 2009 and it continues to rise. Michigan is the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country, and ranks lowest in job creation since the start of 2008. To tie it all in, we're a northern Midwest state, so when they line us up and we're showing statistics as if we're one of the Southern or Great Plains states, it proves something has gone terribly wrong with the economy in Michigan and in the country.

It's absolutely heartbreaking to know you won't be making money anymore. Most people would be concerned with the financial obligations already lined up to be paid, like mortgages, car payments, student loans, bla bla bla. The only thing I could think about was the inability to travel. Yes, I worry about immigration and paying the rent. But I like to look further, always look further. I worry about superficiality like spending my money on the hedonistic things in life. Some people amass wealth to buy a big house, an expensive car, diamonds, designer clothes. I'd like all of those things too; who doesn't.

Still those material things are all secondary to me. I'd rather go broke travelling. I cried when I realised that I had waited two years to see Europe again and now I can no longer go forward with those plans, at least not in the near future.

America is large, wide, and plenty. Still there is nothing like stepping on European (Union) soil. I will weep for many days, and maybe many years until I can spend my Euros. By choosing not to go broke travelling, for once, I have elected measured mental torture.

Sofa So Gloss

2009-02-17T13:29:00.005-05:00

It is federal income tax provision season now in the office and we've been working long hours; they even feed us dinner. I can barely stay up past midnight these days and I almost did not wake up at a decent hour this morning because I was so tired, even thought I slept more than 8 hours! Mental drain. Admittedly, I have not been very productive at work so I believe my lethargy will worsen as the weeks progress

Typical of my short attention span, the only thing I can think of right now is buying lip gloss and redoing my apartment furnishings. (The fact that I am writing this post shows how much I am not paying attention to the work that urgently needs to be completed!)

I buy a new stock of lip cosmetics at the start of every season, only because I pay unnecessary attention to print ads and all the nice little booklets Sephora (devil spawn of the LVMH conglomerate) sends to me. I am a sucker for good advertising (blame my father). No woman actually finishes using her lipstick and lip gloss before she buys new ones. She buys new ones because she can. I buy new ones because I have a shopping problem. I will only defend myself by saying I do not buy the same colours over and over again like most people do. Also, I do not buy and try every new hot brand out there. I'm quite brand loyal and I can tell you not all beauty companies manage to make good cosmetics even though they are willing to charge you exorbitant prices for them. Sometimes I find it shocking that I'm so obsessed with lipstick and lip gloss even thought I don't wear cosmetics on the rest of my face. Is there a medical term for this?

Did you know that, strictly for hygiene purposes, lipstick only has a lifespan of about two to three years and lip gloss a little less than two years. Also, no expiration dated is ever printed on cosmetics. Scam, scam, scam!

But the bigger project on my mind is the overhaul of the decor of my apartment. Honestly, it was never decorated in the first place. I still live in the same place I moved into in my senior year of college and as I made salaried wages, I spent it on everything but the apartment. The place is a mess, and stockpiles of my bags, shoes and premium jeans are everywhere. I made some progress in getting my footwear collection organised but it has since stalled when work took a turn for the busy. In short the place needs organising and decorating. While I remain enthusiastic and hopeful that I can this done, I believe I need a lot of help. I don't even know where to begin.

I can only say that I pan to go to one place and buy everything, and I don't plan to spend too much money on this home project because my attention span is short, and as with everything else that I buy, I need stuff to be changed and in constant rotation. I would like to plonk down money on one good solid couch, and a good wool or cashmere throw. Everything else needs to be updated once in a while.

I am thinking Target, and if I get desperate, I will go to IKEA. Throw me some suggestions. I like to buy online as much as possible (so that I can sneak all this in while at work). Help!

Neon in Ann Arbor, MI

2009-02-16T10:56:00.006-05:00

There were four steel-blue-eyed girls on the bus yesterday chatting away in a Germanic tongue (probably Dutch or German) and two of them had interesting things on their feet.

Exhibit A had neon pink socks pulled up high over her skinny jeans. In fact I could not even so the hem where her skinny jeans ended so that means either her jeans were really tight or the socks were really thick, or both. She was rocking K-Swiss kicks with black laces. Nice.

Exhibit B had a pair of Nike kicks in Scotti tartan with a neon green swoosh. I am not an expert in Nike sneakers but I am quite familiar with the collections sold in stores here. I am confident the pair on the European girl has not been distributed here (yet). They always give the nice things to the Europeans first. Why?

Valentine's is for Lovers

2009-02-14T16:19:00.006-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all out there. I spend all of today in the office and will be clocking another full day of work tomorrow. Yes, it is the weekend here. We tax accountants just love to line our numbers up.

I'm lucky to be employed and even luckier to have Mr. O around, as he's not the superficially romantic type and he abhors things like "this special day of love". Okay, okay. Obviously I'm rationalising things into his point of view. I would like some "surprise" dinner and gifts and flowers on days that are not my birthday or Christmas. Who doesn't? Come on men, even you like "pleasant surprises" as well. Yes, and "happy endings". Let's have more of the nice stuff the other 364 days of the year, other than February 14.

I told Mr. O women like Valentine's Day no matter what they've said about it before. Women also like flowers, regardless of how expensive or cheap they are. I did tell him I read or heard somewhere that flowers are to women what blow jobs are to men. I think that statement is so accurate that people who wish to remain in a happy relationship need only follow that mantra.

Now if only Valentine's Day will hurry up and be done with itself. Then all the chocolates at Godiva will go on sale.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2009-02-12T17:45:00.005-05:00

I saw this yesterday at a pre-screening hosted for the company. I was surprised we were able to score two pre-screenings in a row. Someone in Marketing and/or Merchandising must be working very hard. We even managed to be in the movie; I wonder how much that "product placement" spot cost us, since we've been in a loss position for the last two years and it wasn't even declared a recession then. Ah, corporate America.

So, yes, this is a chick flick. You can be mean and call this Sex and the City lite. I'll defend this one and say SATC is about love. This one is about money and more appropriately, about debt, which most of us have in this recession. I felt very guilty after watching the show because I know I have an enormous Amex bill this month. I've always been diligent in paying the entire balance every month but I wonder if I should when the next payment deadline comes in about 10 days.

My bill is a good double of what I usually swipe. Where do I get this extra money from; my ass?

I feel like Rebecca Bloomwood in that sense. So where is my gorgeous Englishman Hugh Dancey. Gawd, he's so cute. Ladies, watch this movie for the Englishman. You will not be disappointed. Move aside, Orlando Bloom!

Robbery at Coach Outlet store

2009-02-11T13:26:00.002-05:00

You know the economy is bad when thieves have to (in the speech style of the "pimp" comedian Katt Williams)
break into a Coach handbag store,
break into a Coach OUTLET handbag store,
break into a Coach Outlet handbag store in Howell,
in Howell where the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan currently resides,
and all the news reports is that
they got away with "wallets and accessories valued at more than $50 each",
fifty dollars each ONLY!

What a bad haul for the thieves!

The total tally of the theft is valued at $10,000, which means at regular retail it would have been about $13,000. We know they took small leather goods and accessories but assuming they had only taken leather handbags, then the thieves would have gotten away with about 32 handbags.

Time to search eBay for Coach bags listed today and onwards. I estimate they could haul in about $7,500 of clean profit if selling on eBay alone.

I don't find theft and/or robbery funny. What amuses me is that the recession had pushed the desperation of thieves to a point that they had to settle for Coach MADE IN CHINA handbags. Yes, I said it -- made in China. Since when was it okay to pay $400 for bags made in the same place that poisons your toothpaste, your dog food, and your children's toys?

What ever happened to robbing Chanel or Louis Vuitton? Don't thieves have ambitions anymore?

The Barry

2009-02-11T13:08:00.002-05:00

Folks at Esquire now have a name for this style of greeting frequently practised by Barry O: handshake + half hug = SHUG.

Looks adequately American, yet also affectionate enough for the kissing Russians and Europeans.

Let's shug it out.

Tattersall in Ann Arbor, MI

2009-02-11T11:15:00.002-05:00

Man wearing grey and black wide tattersall printed, white fleece jacket. Cozy!

Going, going, going

2009-02-10T16:14:00.004-05:00

The bailout plan is in lockdown. Republicans want it another way, Democrats want what the Republicans don't. I guess you can forget about your stimulus check. The stock market has been tumbling all day.

No more buying nice things. I'm been looking at some of the junk I've set aside to sell on eBay, and recently I've taken an active role in making sure those items get into auctions and sales are closed. If Barack can't generate money for me, I guess I'll have to count on Meg Whitman's former place of work to help me out. Like the economy, sales are a little slow on eBay too. I start all auctions at 99 cents and I notice the things that sell the best are still the good ole luxury items that I'm willing to part with.

So back to the first line of the second paragraph: I won't stop buying nice things. I'm just going to buy them less often. Apparently I can still sell them for a great deal even after the economy has tanked. I guess all those French and Italian handbags are investments after all.

Fløde Havarti y Emmentaler

2009-02-10T10:55:00.002-05:00

Commercial cheese heaven. These were on sale for just $3 per 8 ounce pack. Yum, yum, yum!

What not to wear to the Grammy Awards, other award shows, or at any point in your life

2009-02-09T16:14:00.021-05:00

I watched the Grammy red carpet show for about 15 minutes and the one thing I noticed most about this year's event was the invasion of the Brits, and their much classier style. I heard Adele was styled by Anna Wintour herself. Of course, as Andre Leon Talley has put in kind words, "Miss Anna don't like fat girls," so Adele was dressed in a black knee-length dress, black tights, black shoes ... you get my point. And to top it all off, she wore a knee-length (also) viper green, structured shantung silk coat. If indeed Miss Anna styled the Grammy winner, then it was all in "textbook flaw-minimising" pieces.

As for the folks below, I think you should be cautious of what you wear regardless of whether you are Hollywood (wannabe) material or otherwise. Please take note everyone:

I just wanted to start off gently with this shot of the next comeback queen, Whitney Houston. I adore her. I saw that illegal clip of her performance at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party and I am filled with hope of her return to glory. Beyonce always needed some competition anyway. But as for this dress, it's a little busy. (This was something I expected Miss Knowles to wear, not Miss Houston). The watercolour shadings are not flattering on anyone. Give this a miss. I had a dress like this. I wore it once and it's still sitting pretty in my closet. We all learn.

Sheryl Crow's dress is a lesson on proportion. The length is a little scant, hence it makes the side slit quite awkward. Otherwise, she looks great, but tone down on the fake bake.

If your name is not Angeline Jolie or Megan Fox, you must never attempt this look. Yes, that means you, Lisa Rinna. Ironically, this is the best Lisa Rinna has looked in decades. As always, watch for the embellishments, ladies. The one of Miss Rinna's gown looks home-crafty-tacky.

First of all, who the hell is Phoebe Price? What is she famous for? Someone please enlighten me. She constantly gets into the tabloid pages and gossip columns for her poor sense of style, and she's always throwing a fit. Is she someone's wife or daughter? I'd like to know why she's always so upset and dressed just as bad.

This dress gets the award for French cigarette butt pelting. Just all sorts of no, no, no.

I guess you could say if Paris is not naked, it's always an improvement. Ladies, again, watch the fake bake.

This one gets the Italian tomato pelting award, commonly known as "Aww, hell naww!" This is when you shouldn't wear last year's biggest colour trend: this year. And inner-wear-as-outer-wear was retired in the 80s, when Madonna was still that crazy Catholic girl from Detroit. By the way, the lady here is Nikki Cox, wife of Jay Mohr (the comedian). I know -- who?

This one gets the "Oh, no she didn't!" Award. Being at full term and expecting delivery on Grammy Award night, M.I.A. decided to ease herself into this ugly getup. Good Lord, you should have seen what she wore when she was performing with the "Rap Pack". I think pregnancy does all kinds of injustice to your figure and no woman should be insane enough to add on to the damage with this atrocious who-the-hell-designed-this ... I am lost for words already.

Does anyone remember how Jennifer Hudson was crucified for her little metallic shrug jacket made by Valentino that she wore with her brown Valentino gown, the year she won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Yeah, even this much metallic will not fly at the Grammys. Estelle is English, so I shall use a more appropriate word for her ensemble: campy.

And last but not least, never ever wear anything Bai Ling wears, ever. This woman claims to have good taste in fashion. Every Asian on this planet is embarrassed just to have any genetic connection to her. Gawd, save us!

Up, up, and away

2009-02-06T16:42:00.004-05:00

Barack yells at the Republicans and the stock has been going up all day. What a great Friday for trading. Happy weekend, folks! Keep watch for your stimulus checks.

Etta James vs Beyonce

2009-02-06T13:00:00.004-05:00

It's a jealous old diva versus a young bird-brained diva. I love this fight. Etta James is one of those ballsy old women (along with the one and only Aretha, also a Beyonce hater) who will absolutely not allow any other person to get in the way of her legend after having slaved so hard for it.

If you have been reading the news, I'm sure you're familiar with the case being discussed now. What would you do if you were either one of them?

In the case of Beyonce, she has taken this "promoting" her new movie Cadillac Records just one step too far by choosing to sing a song she obviously did not popularise, for the extremely historical and monumental event that is Barack Obama's Inauguration. Beyonce is a bestselling artiste in her own right. One would imagine that she would select a song out of her own growing catalogue to perform. Actions speak louder than words and this really goes to show that none of her own original recordings would have made the cut for such a special occasion. Eat it!

Others will argue that Etta James has no business bitching about this as neither did she write nor was she the first person to record/perform the song. Fair enough. But Etta James did popularise the song. In fact, most people have no knowledge of any other performers attaching their names to "At Last" prior to and after Etta James.

Usher and Chris Brown often pay tribute to their favourite Michael Jackson songs by performing their own renditions of the very popular "Billy Jean" and "Wanna Be Starting Something" song and dance combos at their concerts and nationally broadcasted award shows. But if either of them ended up on stage at a "historical and monumental event" like the Obama Inuaguration (which I believe Usher was actually performing there as well), they wouldn't be performing anything less than their own originally popularised work and would leave the Michael Jackson stuff to the crazy man himself.

So the moral of the story is: it is always best to stick to your own work. Don't bother giving credit to the plagiarising -- just do your own thing. No one can take that away from you.

Coraline in Real D 3D

2009-02-05T13:16:00.011-05:00

I went to see the new Coraline movie yesterday. Based off Neil Gaiman's book, it is coming out in theatres this Friday February 6. I don't think I had seen any 3D movies as a kid, so this was my very first proper 3D movie and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The technology they use now has several names like "Real D" or "Tru 3D". It's like calling a cola drink Pepsi or Coke. The 3D effect is what you would expect, and the movie creators do go out of their way to create dimensions and textures that make solid use of 3D properties in film , so look out for sharp objects coming your way.

The viewing equipment has come a long way from the red-and-green-lens paper-framed glasses you would expect for watching 3D images. The ones given out yesterday resembled Ray-Ban Wayfarers, and were one-size-fits-all plastic-framed glasses with grey plastic lenses. They did not distort my ordinary vision but seemed to magically bring out the 3D motion with spectacular liveliness when viewing the movie.

The film studios have now taken the liberty to making new movie trailers in 3D as an enticing preview of more magic to come.

As for the film Coraline itself; technology aside; it was a great movie. Not really G-rated 100% kid friendly as there are some aspects of the plot that may not be suitable for children. Anyone above 12 should be safe. This is Tim Burton's work after all.

Baconator

2009-02-05T10:26:00.003-05:00

Click on the subject title above to learn how to bacon-ise any website. This is fun.

25 Random Things

2009-02-04T12:06:00.002-05:00

I've tagged my friends in Facebook with the lame version of the "25 Random Things" list and they eventually dropped all the words before and after the open inverted commas, and just stuck with the main title, so here's a selection of my favourites from all the lists I've read so far (in no particular order, and unedited):

1. I once had a salami sandwich and ate the red ring around the salami. A few days later, I pooped the red ring out in one piece and it looked like a tapeworm.
2. I hate Portage (Michigan) Moms with the fire of a thousand suns.
3. "God Hates Shrimp" makes me giggle every time. Google it.
4. I fucking liked Aretha's hat at the inauguration.
5. I rather be kidnapped by Al-Qaeda than work in the hospitality industry ever again.
6. I'm a very bad liar. I once called my boss when I was 15 minutes late to work. I think it's because I was brought up by my Jewish Mom and Grandma...Thanks for that lifetime of guilt tripping!
7. I once got a professor fired...He told me that I was a horrible singer, and called me other names that cannot be repeated. In other words...Don't mess with me.
8. In fact, I'll eat/ have eaten just about anything: jellyfish, iguana, seahorse (in a soup), chicken feet. But not Manwiches. Those freak me out.
9. My family were superstitious Buddhists. My dad once had an exorcist come over to do a house blessing and when the exorcist reported that my mother had "a dark force" in her, my dad was oddly delighted: "I knew it!"
10. Least proud moment: I broke up with a boy because he was fat.
11. I can't drink due to some bullshit enzyme deficiency I have that turns Long Island Ice Teas into rat poison.
12. Teddy Roosevelt is my role model...yeah I have a role model.
13. I like to drink because I can say things and blame the booze the second day.
14. Lottery is for people hwo are bad at math.
15. English is a superior language. <-- entry by a Romanian
16. I'm still waiting for my 6-pack to reveal itself.
17. My 2nd favorite quote "You should be shot carefully and buried carelessly" - Marvin Yap
18. I am a balanced melancholic choleric, looking for someone who is a balanced phlegmatic sanguin, if that makes any sense.
19. I am a Christian , let's leave it at that.
20. Do you know it is almost impossible to find Riesling in Malaysia restaurants.
21. And NO I don't get 24 months bonus for working in an oil and gas company.
22. I want to do all extreme sports by 30.
23. I read somewhere that the American (office) employee is only truly productive for about 2-3 hours out of an 8-hour workday. I follow that statistic very closely. Please do not tell my boss.
24. I think women who keep their hair down to their waist and beyond, have no idea how stupid they look.
25. I honestly don't care about starving children.

Who says geeky guys are not hawt?

2009-02-04T11:28:00.009-05:00

I actually asked Mr. O if I could nominate him for Daily Candy's hottest geeks in the land line-up but he never replied and I forgot all about it. I should have nominated him anyway because he would have easily made it to the final list, just on looks alone. I think the prize was a trip to good ole New York. I miss The City.

Click on the subject title above to vote for your favourite geek. 01101100.01101111.01110110.01100101.

Cross-stitch in Ann Arbor, MI

2009-02-04T10:02:00.002-05:00

Cross-stitch detailing on the back pockets of some dude's zero distress, single stonewash black jeans.

My sister used to be an avid cross-stitcher. I know some of my cousins tried it out for a while too. I should check with them on their cross-stitching skills because look where it has come to now -- it's in fashion!

Go back to your box

2009-02-03T15:20:00.005-05:00

Over two months ago, I visited my good ole Banana Republic store and bought up a whole bunch of stuff with a very generous card member coupon. On the way out at the checkout line, I spotted a few nifty looking shoes and yelled out my size. The SAs brought me the goods and I was gone. So this was my first mistake: I assumed BR sizing was on with the rest of the world. I really should have known better because at BR, my clothing size would make anyone think I were a runway model when I know even after 30 pounds is removed from my frame, I'd still be "not sample size".

Being a long-time devotee of Gap, Inc.'s only shining star, I was immensely disappointed with the shoes when I tried them on at home. The size was too big, the material horrendous. It was heartbreaking. There were leather uppers and inners and the colours were perfect. But the stiff material left much to be desired and worse of all, the pair that was designed into a wingtip Mary-Jane style stiletto was asymmetrical. I repeat: the left shoe and the right shoe did not look alike. That pair was a decent $180. People who buy Italian will tell me, "You got what you paid for, dah-ling," but I disagree. I don't care how cheap or expensive your shoes are. If they are asymmetrical, that means the world has gone to hell. I wish I had taken a picture of the shoes before I sent it back.

Eventually, I kept one pair from BR. It had passed the house testing phase and I took it to work today.

Sidebar: Yes, I do not use my purchases immediately. I usually wait 2-6 months to get stuff out into the public. It's an old habit but I have cut down the wait time significantly over the last few years.

Back to the story: I put this lovely pair of BR Nicole ombre patent leather pumps on. I walked around the office. It was all cool. Then I went down to the cafeteria for lunch. Before I could get there, I walked right back up to my desk and changed my shoes. I was pissed. These shoes were symmetrical but they hated me. The rigidity ensured that I could not take more than 10 steps and continue to feel comfortable; the leather sock lining pinch on the skin of my toes like piranhas. I don't even have wide feet and I easily wear French and Italian shoes, which are cut slim. These pumps were a disaster, a beautiful disaster.

So tell me, where else can I find ombre pumps that will love my feet without having to resort to faux leather?

Smooth and silky: this is not about the best razor in the world

2009-02-03T11:42:00.007-05:00

When I first landed in the Midwest on a mildly chilled December afternoon, I was so thrilled to not have to sweat the moment I stepped out of the front door of the residence I was staying at. This was new to me. After two decades of sweltering in the tropical heat, I was ready to indulge in my newfound curiosity of wools and cashmeres and fleece, all the wonderful things that people do not enjoy enough in winter apparel.

I soon learnt very quickly that I was not satisfied with merely buying winter apparel. As my wearing and washing went along, I learnt that fleece is cheap for a reason and anyone who bought acrylic and expected it to work like wool is wasting hard-earned money. Even as a student working for minimum wages, I understood the meaning of quality and economies of scale. You can say that my genetic fascination and appreciation of money has never failed me and as I have gotten older, (I apologise if I over exaggerate my talk of age as I am only in my 20s) I have pushed myself harder and harder to buy quality.

Some things are really worth the wait and the wages. I did not buy cashmere until I was 23 -- needless to say, I was mighty pleased with myself. The same year, I learnt to buy silk as well.

So fast forward to today, I have recently acquired a newfound interest in silk scarves. Not the type that is for utility, but the type that you wear just because you can. It's the superficial side of silk appreciation. I am only worried that my newfound fascination may slowly sucker me into paying $1,965 per pound of silk at Hermès. And I'm still wondering how I had not fallen in love with these silk scarves earlier.

I think it's a sign that I am getting old because when I was a kid, only "adults" wore silk, especially the kind with “stupid prints” all over it. Well, guess what! I like all that mumbo jumbo now. *sigh*

Stir, stir, stir

2009-02-02T15:13:00.005-05:00

I come from a strong culture of slackers and I am not ashamed of it. I think my whole country has a slacker gene or bug in every resident (watch that I did not say citizen because you can easily "catch" this slacker-thingamajig once you're there). We're easy-going and even our Type As are not anal like Donald Trump.

As with the practice of slacking, we have a strong affinity for all the wonderful hedonistic aspects of life especially the culinary sort. The best thing about home is that good food and drinks do not cost an arm and a leg -- the best ones are usually found in open-air food courts and on the mobile carts of hawker stalls. Gastronomy is a national past time and Anthony Bourdain has visited our cities in pursuit of our wonderful food -- we sent him away a very happy man.

To pay tribute to the frequent visits to the mamak restaurants of my youth, my friends and I now overpay our way through cups of coffee at Starbucks and Seattle's Best Coffee, both owned by Howard Schultz and gang. Coffee places don't beat the mamak but since the labour laws here are so stringent and everything closes right about when you get out of the office, the only place open to hang out in is a Starbucks (wait, I feel a Lewis Black joke coming).

Anyway, the typical stirrer found at most coffee places are thin strips of bleached out, rounded tip wood sticks. I guess those are more recyclable since they are wood (composite?). However, I was at the Starbucks on Main Street in Ann Arbor yesterday afternoon and they had the prettiest stirring sticks given out at the store. It had a tapered stem with a balled tip and the Melusine figure stamped into the hilt. It was all plastic.

If Starbucks has been closing stores and cutting jobs so aggressively, why are they giving out plastic, non-recyclable stirring sticks?

The old Englishman’s voice in my head says, “Clearly so that you may blog about it, my dear.”

God's Team

2009-02-02T13:00:00.004-05:00

The Steelers won the Superbowl yesterday. I must admit I had no idea Big Ben was that good -- watch his lightning fast pump fakes; and the final touchdown by Santonio Holmes was heavenly.

Now, I had no intention of starting the first day of coming back to blogging with an entry about an "abomination" like American Football. I'm not really a fan of regular football (the one the rest of the world plays) either, so don't yell at me. However, I feel obliged to "assimilate" this blog into my present location.

Many of you whom have stuck with me, reading my ramblings while it was on GeoCities and hand-coded in HTML, may not find all this "American stuff" applicable. Just think of this blog as a buffet line: you can pick what you want and ignore the rest. Unlike the days of yore, I am including subject titles to ease your selection but yes, they will be as ambiguous as you should expect, since it's coming from me.

I'm having a lot of trouble using these WYSIWYG Blogger/Blogspot templates and applications. They don't even cooperate when I type in break tags. I should not complain because I am only using this website, like everyone else, in an attempt to simplify blog posting and maintenance; however I still get upset at myself for being lazy and not finding the time to upgrade my coding skills. So now that I have left all my techie education to rot, you can find me here on Blogger/Blogspot fairly often.

Congratulations to Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. You really are God's Team. Suck it, Tony Romo!