Fashion Looks: Just Red

Posted in Fashion, Fashion Looks, Women's Apparel | 0 comments

I miss mix and matching and creating some looks. This time I wanted to create something for working ladies but I wanted it casual enough so you can also use it for something out of work. I cruised about a fab online fashion shop Lord & Taylor and put together this look – Just Red.

All items from:

(1) TAHARI ARTHUR S. LEVINE 3-Button High Collar Skirt Suit – $139.99

(2) IVANKA TRUMP Goldan Cutout Patent Leather Pumps – $120

(3) KATE SPADE NEW YORK Cobble Hill Leslie Satchel – $425

(4) SEIKO Women’s Small Rectangular-Dial Two-Tone Link-Bracelet Watch – $187

(5) ESTEE LAUDER Private Collection Jasmine White Moss Collection – $135

Will be featuring more fashion looks – shop these looks posts.

Welcome Year of the Rabbit!

Posted in Girl Talk | 0 comments

Happy Lunar New Year! Excuse my absence for a few days, I was just busy welcoming the cutie rabbit into the new year. Anyway, I just wanna wish everyone good health, great prosperity and harmonious relationships this year.

Ain’t he just cute? I love the rabbit, so I hope it’ll favor me this year? Let’s see.. I was born on the year of the goat..

Graceful and optimistic, kind and easy going, would describe a Goat personality. They can also be petulant and discontented, likely to throw the towel in at the beginning of a problem. They can be charming without revealing their true feelings. The Goat is very talented and imaginative and can turn his hand to most creative pursuits.

Goat Fortune in 2011:

This year for the sheep is a mixture of good and bad luck. There will be pay and promotion opportunities at work but there will be dispute or misunderstandings cause by some people around who are out to damage you. There will be a lot of business barriers and someone might make false charge against you which will lead to lawsuit problems. Average wealth, you will also find it hard to amass your wealth, although there are profitable investments, it is better to be conservative and not be greedy. Married couples should protect their relationship and be careful of extra marital affairs. Pay more attention to safety while driving and be sure to obey traffic rules of speeding and drink driving.

Goat Career in 2011:

This year for the Sheep is a good year to expand your career. Work wise, you will gain support from your fellow colleagues, you will be able to display your leadership capabilities, your superiors will be pleased with your performance, there will be a lot of pay and promotion opportunities, you will be able to attain both fame and fortune. However, everything is fine except one small problem, this year the sheep may meet villains intrusion. Other than a war of words, you may even provoke lawsuits. You should lay low while dealing with affairs outside work, do not stick your nose into other people’s business.

Goat Wealth in 2011:

Wealth for the sheep this year is average. The main problem will be the appearance of an unlucky star causing a loss of wealth. So, for the sheep, it is best to practice self control over spending and start saving. There will be more favorable opportunities for a large profit for real estate and business investment this year. It is easy for you to be involved in a dispute over money so you should carefully read the contents of each clause before signing any important documents. In the case whereby you are involved in a lawsuit due to negligence, keep your cool and handle it with haste to avoid incurring a heavier loss.

Goat Love in 2011:

Be it for male or female, opportunities with the opposite sex will be plenty this year. Single men and women in search of a relationship in the year of the rabbit should take the initiative early to find a partner to end their singlehood status. Married couples are prone to a third party who may threaten to strain their relationship so both parties must be able to conquer the temptation and to understand that family harmony is the most important. Mutual understanding will be essential in order to avoid any problems with marriage. Couples should communicate more, happy and unhappy stuffs should be brought up in order for both party to understand each other more and for the relationship to last.

Goat Health in 2011:

There is a presence of an unlucky star in health. Physical condition of the body is not satisfactory and is susceptible to xue guang so it is not advisable to participate in any hazardous activities this year. Families with the elderly should pay more attention to their health and diet as well as guarding them against injuries. Pay more attention to safety while driving and be sure to obey traffic rules of speeding and drink driving.

Uh oh, hmm, same every year. We all have to make the best out of everything. I will be working extra hard this year, at work, saving, my family and also its high time I really take extra care with my health. For the past years I always have the mind setting that I’m young I could afford to be not so conscious healthwise but now that I resemble mini wrestlers, I had a wakeup call. Diet and exercise, that’s what I will be working on really hard this year.

Diary On My Desktop

Posted in Girl Talk | 0 comments

I’m a compulsive note taker. I always carry around with me a small notebook, a notepad and army of post-its. I also take notes with my mobile phones, and I love journals. It’s simply because with lots of things going on in my life, work, home, kid, hobbies, errands, the list is almost endless so I tend to forget this and that. So I write down things I need to remember like schedules, to do things, life insurance quotes, bills to pay, due dates, grocery lists etc.

When I was younger I used to always write on a diary. Nothing really serious as my life then was boring but it was a great feeling to be able to write down what when on today, what I felt, people I met, things I’ve done. And its really funny when you read those things you wrote when you were younger.

Lately though, I haven’t been able to do that since I have not much time in my hands. I’m usually online and on my desktop, blogging, building websites and creating digi art. So, since I’m on the computer often and I find it second nature now to type on the keyboard vs. writing with a pen, then it will be great if I could write down thoughts on a desktop application.

I looked around the net for a desktop diary but it took me awhile. Either they are too pricey or they are too complicated to use. But after searching for sometime, I stumbled across a diary application called EfficientDiary. It has a free version so I lost no time in downloading and trying out how it would work out. Installation was no fuss and was a breeze.

I didn’t expect it to be fancy since I only have the free version, but I love it! Loaded with features, like password protection (in case you’ve got some juicy stuff in there..:P) and encryption. Your whole diary would actually be encrypted not just your password..

Efficient Diary Startup Screen/Login Interface

Efficient Diary Entry Interface

It has different interface styles to choose from and what I like best is the very intuitive interface. Editing sure looks like your regular MS Document and really there is very very minimal things to learn.I like how the interface is designed, its like its easy to move around. Another feature that I like is that, it has recycle bin support. So if you accidentally delete an entry, it would be easy to restore it.

And since, I’m usually fuzzy about font styles, I even managed to change my diary writing font into a handwritten style, just so it really has that ‘written journal’ effect. And I find it adorable that you can actually assign emoticons for each entry. Like you set the mood, and browsing through your entries you easily get the idea how you were feeling that day.

My Efficient Diary Writing Interface.. with Handwritten Font Style!

I’m loving this little piece of software, I even created two diary sets already – one for personal musings and the other a work diary. I’m glad it actually has a portable version too, I can write on my diary on any computer from a USB. This diary, well, its a great way to look back, and ponder on what happens each day. And someday, it’ll be a great way to reminisce and relive important memories..Grab yourself a copy of EfficientDiary and get your own desktop diary started.

Read More

24 Career and Casual Day Dresses From JCPenney

Posted in Fashion, Women's Apparel | 2 comments

Hmm, when someone mentions JCPenney, I usually associate it with casual clothing, American Living type of clothes. But today, I had some spare time and decided to browse its selection of dresses and I was in for a real surprise. I love it!! Lots of choices and the way they organized everything is a real help.

I fell for these career/casual dresses. They are great for office and for casual day outs or early evening drinks. And best of all, these items won’t cost an arm and a leg!

3/4 Sleeve Jacket Dress with Pleats at Hem – from $34.99, check it out here.

Liz Claiborne Ponte Dress – $45, shop here.

Cowl Neck Sweater Dress with Belt – $34.99, shop here.

Jones Wear® Crossover Pintuck Dress-Black – $44.99, shop here.

Bisou Bisou® Cowl Neck Dress w/Applique Shoulders – $34.99, buy it here.

Bisou Bisou® One Shoulder Asian Print Dress – $34.99, shop here.

Read More

Calorie Burning Activities!

Posted in Beauty, Health, Diet & Fitness | 2 comments

I’ve just weighed myself and horrors! I’ve been stepping up my exercise routine and eating less fatty stuff but not much improvement..**Sigh** It has been a hard thing for the past three years for me to lose weight. Mostly my fault, coz I’m not consistent and I tend to fall into those quick weight loss fads which is not really effective for me.

I realize my problem is that I’m constantly inactive. Knowing that work usually binds me to my desk and chair for hours, I realized that I should really set aside some time to exercise – CONSISTENTLY!!! I don’t really have a problem with food coz I find it easy to eat healthy and curb those cravings when it hits me and I hardly need any phentermine to suppress my appetite. So its really the exercise that I should try to get off the ground.

A friend of mine who is a fitness instructor advised me to do some cardio, calorie burning exercise and add some light strength training exercises. I bought myself a pair of dumbbells a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been consistently using it for two weeks already. Slow results but I could definitely notice some changes. Less jiggly arms and now my arms are starting to look toned. And of course, I’m so ecstatic.

As for the exercises and cardio, well that’s a different story. I should be consistent I know. Right now, I’ve settled into jumping rope, everyday for at least 30 minutes. I’m looking for other forms of exercises that would suit me and would also burn calories for me. I came across a featured slideshow in iVillage – Which Burns Most Calories and it has some interesting bits I’d like to share..

• Swimming – 270 calories per hour
• Active yoga – 166 calories per hour
• Running – 634 calories per hour
• Cycling – 666 calories per hour
• Spinning – 333 calories per half hour
• Intermediate aerobics – 380 calories per hour
• Intermediate pilates – 328 calories per hour
• Incline walking – 282 calories per hour
• Stairmaster – 380 calories per hour
• Circuit training – 508 calories per hour
• Kickboxing – 700 calories per hour
• Car washing – 200 calories per hour
• Rearranging the garage – 158 calories per hour {..but we don’t have a garage…lol!}
• Gardening – 288 calories per hour
• Raking leaves – 158 calories per hour
• Organizing closet – 230 calories per hour
• Shopping – 152 calories per hour {and this one burns more than calories, right??? wallet oh wallet!}
• Ironing – 146 calories per hour {oops, I hate this chore, maybe I should start loving it!}
• Folding the laundry – 118 calories per hour
• Washing the windows – 300 calories an hour {tomorrow, I’m washing the windows..}
• Washing dishes – 142 calories an hour
• Rollerblading – 444 calories per hour
• Playing Frisbee – 197 calories per hour
• Hoola Hooping – 204 calories per hour
• Jumping on Trampoline – 300 calories per hour
• Walking the dog – 222 calories per hour
• Riding the bike around neighborhood – 254 calories per hour
• Surfing the web – 114 calories per hour
• Reading a book – 82 calories per hour