December 24, 2008 -- Chaos, interrupted

Hectic, hectic, hectic pre-Christmas time. Totally hate it. For one, I don't like to stress over getting the perfect gift for people I hardly see. Secondly, these "good" deals everywhere only make me want to buy more for my own selfish self. Not the spirit of giving that everyone is talking about; quite the opposite, in fact.

Since when do gift cards have expiration dates? I received one today and I have less than a month to use it up. OK, so I realize that there is a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner, but what if I wanted to save my $10 until a day in February? Blah. Not feeling that.

When are the really fancy stores going to slash their prices? I walk by YSL every day and so far, no dice. Where is the 'lost our lease; going out of business; everything must go' sign? I don't see it :((

Maybe next year. This crappy economy may have a flip side after all.

Happy Holidays!!

December 11, 2008 -- Pretty in pink

Oh Marc. Yes, you are slowly contributing to my generation's credit card debt (the female part anyway,) but I can't help loving you. Naked and all. MJ left nothing to the imagination to honor his late friend and partner Stephen Sprouse and his new book (as well as plug some LV items.) Halloween 2009 idea.

December 8, 2008 -- Does is really suck everywhere else?

Atlantic City over the weekend. Not sure how to describe the vibe. True, it does have a bizarre Vegas-ish flavor. Subtract the glitz and the glamour, just add the gambling part with a strong emphasis on aging dealers, lots of smokers and people who actually wear those touristy sweatshirts with names of places like Orlando, Virginia Beach and, obviously, Atlantic City. Everyone is ready to party, drink, take shots of cheesy liquor, hook up and forget about it the next day. One may think he is stuck at some indoor spring break special. The good side of each hotel / casino overlooks the ocean and the boardwalk. The bad side is surrounded by Cash 4 Gold stores that also cash checks without IDs that are "made out to corporations."

November 20, 2008 -- I HEART NENE

So much drama, so little time. The Hotlanta edition of Bravo's Real Housewives is coming to an end next week with the reunion show. Yes, video editing can work magic, but blogosphere never lies. Rumor has it that Range Rovers, bling and 'death in Dior' may have come to an end in some of those homes. Apparently, Big Poppa left Kim (possibly after he heard her sing and realized that she wasn't a worthy investment after all.) Now she is in the process of selling her home and finding the next sugar daddy.

Nene, Queens' finest and my fave of the Hotlanta bunch (by far the only one I would want to hang out with,) has scaled down her fabu lifestyle, downsized (maybe because the economy hit the real estate market or maybe because her son left for college,) and now resides in a smaller townhome. Her husband was, after all, a real estate developer, and that is not as fab as it once was. So foreclosure or not, she is not rolling it anymore. Good news is that she may be getting her own spin-off on Bravo. I hope her gay husband is on it (he was my favorite housewife ever!)It might be funny, if edited right.

Lisa Wu's hubby got cut from the Raiders (but isn't that what she wanted anyway, for him to stop playing and retire?) I slept on Lisa through this season, but all of her drama hit the web after the show premiered. She was married to Keith Sweat, she has three kids and not one, she filed for bankruptcy in 2007... Fine, she had some skeletons, who doesn't? Supposedly, Kim has a restraining order against her now.

Speaking of Kim. This girl is full of contradictions. She was sleeping with a married dude (that's all over the Internet now,) yet claiming to be engaged to him. Dumped by Big Poppa and by Dallas Austin, Kim may actually be forced to abandon her weaves and reveal her natural hair.

While Sheree was busy trying to squeeze out seven figures out of her ex husband, she forgot to squeeze out clothes for her 'oh so fabulous' clothing line. And Mychael Knight? He was my favorite on Project Runway and now that has been ruined. Sheree is rumored to have a 23-year old daughter who she introduces to everyone as her "close friend." Wrong and kinda gross.

The Snows might be the only ones (except Big Poppa) on the show with actual money. The overall lack of any friendly vibes among the ladies made the show a bit fake. I mean, aren't these people supposed to be friends in Atlanta's high society? Anyway, DeShawn kept it diplomatic when talking about other women from the show. Why wouldn't she? Her contract is guaranteed.

November 18, 2008 -- Chilling

The world's most ambitious PTA president / beauty pageant participant was in Florida for the Republican Governor's conference and caught some rays by the hotel pool. For a mother of five, she is not half bad. Now that the election is over, I am not going to hate. She looks good.





Source: http://www.fadedyouthblog.com/

November 18, 2008 -- On Pins and Needles

Timothy White has a killer job. Creative people often make me envious, but creative people who get paid a lot of money to showcase their creativity and make the world prettier kill me completely. "Hollywood Pinups" enlisted an army of Tinseltown's who's who wearing next to nothing. And they look good. I am not featured in this book, but get it anyway. It sure is pretty.

Cindy Crawford (the ultimate supermodel)

The Olsen Twins

Vanessa Williams

November 17, 2008 -- "Emerging Economy" Chic

LINKED:

If anyone out there is considering fashion as a career path, yet they haven't necessarily gone the proven FIT / PARSONS route, don't get discouraged. You can still leave your mark in the industry where, apparently "One day you're in and the next day you're out."

Brazil's Juliana Jabour

This brazileira got her degree in Politics from Georgetown, but ended up designing accessories and later moved on to start her own brand. Her matra is "Looking sensual doesn't have to look vulgar."

Russia's Kira Plastinina

How young is too young? Since 16 is 32 in fashion years, then it's no surprise that Kira Plastinina, a 16-year old daughter of Russia's juice and dairy tycoon, successfully filled Manhattan with her stores as well as, apparently, Paris Hilton's closet before she can even apply for a line of credit. With over 30 stores scheduled to open nationwide within the next year and appearances at the Milan Fashion Week, Kira makes her presence be known any means necessary.

November 12, 2008 - So many new things to discover

Frenched:

Ahhh...macaron... not to be confused with a macaroon. These heavenly treats are the reason I have been logging in 25+ weekly miles at my local gym. Divine, delicious, devilish even. And so pretty-looking. I cannot possibly get enough. For the past week my ideal meal consisted of wonton soup and a pistaschio macaron from Macaron Cafe.

Life is delicious.

November 7, 2008 -- TGIF

Discovered:
My dad ended up in the hospital last Monday because of vertigo. I didn't know much about it, but thanks to Wikipedia and my smarter friends, I totally do now. It's a symptom of a neurological / inner ear disorder, which is scary, and the doctors don't know as much about it as I would hope. Anyway, he is better now. but the incident made me realize how little I can do to help, being that I am so far away from my family.

Learned:
The Great October Revolution took place on this day in 1917 in the former Soviet Union. This used to be once of the most celebrated holidays of my childhood. Merely 91 years later, the holiday is barely known by the new generation. Sentimentally sad :(.

Purchased:
A pretty black chiffon dress. I haven't worn it yet... but I am dying for an occasion to bring it out. Calypso is slowly becoming a favorite of mine, although I vowed not to give into overpriced trendy adorable stores.

Tuesday, October 28 -- Wish I were napping :(

Achieved:

I have successfully applied for the NY-state license today (even changed my name while I was at it.) It has yet to arrive in the mail, so, technically, I simply forked over my old license.

October 27 - Monday - Ugh

Eaten:
I discovered flagels. It's a flattened bagel which seems to have less dough, but it's just an illusion. It's got plenty. Anyway, I picked up four at Fairway yesterday, hoping to become addicted to yet another carb-heavy treat.

Somehow avocadoes have managed to hit the spot for a number of cravings -- something fatty, something sweet, something salty, something 'i don't know what i want..." Love' em.

Sushi-yushi-yushi -- a vice I am proud to have developed. And last Saturday I added to my long list of yummy rolls and sushi chef creations with a Spicy Tuna Naruto at Mizu in Williamsburg. It's spicy tuna wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber with a piece of avocado in the middle. Yummy yum yum.

Since no weekend is complete without dessert and sweets, I opted for a safe bet. A ferrero rocher / pistachio gelato combo from Yolato! Everything that I expected and more.

Read:
"Second Chance" by Jane Green. I am not into chick lit especially, but I needed something to occupy my time on the train, so my friend lended me this. Don't like it, but don't hate it. I can't identify with a single character and no one is depicted as funny or clever in this book. She pays too much attention to what the characters are wearing and I have found that those facts date a book quite a bit -- think back to what we were wearing four years ago: the trendy pieces have become mainstream at best. Or went away altogether. It works for the train though -- I can mindlessly stop and re-start mid-chapter. Since being perceived as a cool intelligent reader is of great importance to me, I wrapped this one in a newspaper. No need for strangers to pass judgment on me because my reading choices are totally girly.

Bought:
A new set of sheets. It was a slow weekend for clothes and shoes because I joined a fancy gym and felt guilty about it. Even brown-bagged my own lunch in hopes of justifying a $140 monthly fee.