I'd show you a picture, but its too embarrassing how much crap I brought back with me (plus, who wants to see my underwear, right?).  I don't know how to freaking pack for a vacation.  Maybe there are support groups out there for people like me who over pack?  What do you think?

The day I left for my vacation, I went over to my friends place before we left for Buffalo.  You see, we flew out of Buffalo, yeah, not doing that again - I'll pay the extra and fly out of Pearson.  Anyways, my suitcase was heavy and I was thinking to myself "self, what the hell do you have in your suitcase and do you really need to bring two backpacks with you?".  Yeah, I brought two backpacks, one with my laptop and the other as an extra that was holding stuff (I won't go into details).

So, I came to my senses, somewhat, and did a bit of unloading and left my extra backpack and other things I wasn't going to use at my friends place before we left for Buffalo.  I was able to fit everything into one suitcase and still had some room.  I was quite proud of that - I down sized. 

While in Florida, I did buy a few things, but not enough to over load my suitcase.  But my weakness, and it always has been, is shoes.  And, they are bulky, even if they were just sandals.  Oh, and did I mention that I had promised myself no spending money on shoes?  Right, and that worked out horribly, but I'm giving it another go, no shoes as of now!  No, really!! 

Anyways, with all the sandals I bought, it definitely took up the extra room I had.  My friend bought a hell of a lot more than I did, cause she's a shopper, I'm a shoe shopper, she's a everything shopper.  So, I packed some of her stuff in my suitcase, which then over loaded it.  Now I'm left with sorting it all cause we got home so late that I just brought it all home with me.  I need the suitcase for my business trip which is in less than 2 weeks...so I need an empty suitcase and I have to start thinking about what to pack for this business trip.  Aiya!  :D

Here is the picture of my last shopping spree. The ones I got from J-list is a traditional, medium sized, lacquered Jyubako (which had no plastic parts, or an elastic band to keep it together), bento sticks and soy sauce plastic bottles. The rest were bought locally thanks to kaoko (it was nice meeting you, I wish we had more time to chat), were the veggie cutters and clickity-clacks. :D

There are pitfalls in buying stuff online, most of which is that you can't really be sure that what your buying will be as good as the photo, and half the times it's not. (¬.¬) You take those risks since, lets face it...one of the major reasons why people shop online is that these things aren't available locally.

Unfortunately, mine was that my particular Jyubako had a lot of smears. Like this one on it's side. There's one on top of the lid itself but the picture came out too blurry for me to post.

It's not too much of a disappointment but I wish it could have been better.

Over all I wouldn't call it a "great shopping experience," I'll probably peg it as moderately successful. If I could, I would have bought the Retro Trading Mark 2 Tier Bento instead.

Unfortunately due to prices going up, this would be the last time I'll ever be able to shop online for a long while, and perhaps that would be the best :( My wallet needs a break anyway and there are other things I need to prioritize before I spend again for my collection. But for now, I'll just have to mark stuff off J-list into my wish list, and pray that I could afford to shop again.

Contemporary FINE ART Original PAINTING,acrylics on 100% cotton stretched wrapped canvas.Size: 73x92 x 1,6cm.(28,74x36,22x 0,67 in inches).One of a kind - HUGE.Handpainted.

Original, not print. Painting is signed in front and at the back. Dated.
The sides are painted, so there's no need to frame it.

I use a gloss varnish to add shine and to protect the painting from harmful UV rays and dust.

I am Member - EBSQ art association .
Each of Nataera's paintings comes with a COA (Certificate Of Authenticity). The COA lists the title, medium, size, and other useful information. Each painting has an identification number associated with it which also appears on the COA. Finally, the COA is signed and dated by the artist-Nataera. The COA is your assurance that the artwork is a one of a kind original created by Nataera.

Shipping via post-office is 55 $ (7 days to arrive).
I do and i have Shipping insurance for it.
I pack all my paintings with great care.
Tracking number - automatically provided by www.laposte.fr/colissimo

YOU CAN SEE MORE MY PAINTINGS AND BUY IT ON ETSY SHOP:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5302036

Topshop has collaborated with Rubbish magazine and got Daisy Lowe to model – to encourage people to recycle their old clothes through the medium of charity shopping – traid to be precise – one girls junk is another girls treasure and all that…

It’s an innovative and bold move from Topshop considering it is essentially encouraging you not to buy new Topshop product.

Being a huge fan of vintage and charity shops, I think this is a brilliant idea – there is a collection point instore at Oxford Circus where you can drop off your unwanted clothes. It’s an important step towards dispelling the sometimes negative stigma attached to buying clothes from charity shops and a really brilliant way to give your style a truly personal twist. Plus you can feel good about yourself for giving money to charity.

What with the credit crisis and recycling issues all over the news – this is literally the perfect solution! – Vintage clothes (possibly) at bargain prices…although never forget that the charity shop is a gamble, you may have to sift through many early 90’s Bay Trading classics before you find that piece of gold. But if more donations are coming from fashion-conscious shoppers then the quality of cast offs is far more likely to be high(er).

Check out the campaign here.

Never buy a diamond just because it has a certificate. A certificate is a useful tool, but it takes a professional to read and understand it properly. The certificate may well indicate that the diamond is of poor quality, and yet the stone (to the general public) may seem to be more important simply because it has a certificate. Remember that the certificate is only a report: "It is not a guarantee, valuation or appraisal ..." A certificate has 14 variables and dozens of possible comments, and there are literally millions of possibilities to be considered in the shape, size, location and color of inclusions (flaws), each of which affects the value of the stone.

Buy a diamond from the company that has been around at least ten years and offering unconditional return for a certain time. You should buy diamonds only from companies or firms who have reputations for honesty and fair dealings.

Never buy a diamond to because your loved one is falling in love with it. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the value of a diamond in not determined by sentiment alone, or in terms of feelings for the giver.

 Buy a diamond as a long term investment. A diamond is like a house—it should be purchased and enjoyed. When the time comes to sell it, you expect to receive more than the original investment, plus the dividend of having enjoyed it over the years.

We hope you find the site informative and helpful.

You get information on the latest gadgets, be it mobile, laptops, personal computers from all over the world. Your shopping is thus not restricted to only your geographic location or country. Gadget blogs give you the experiences of different people who have used the product. Evaluation becomes easier. You get good deals, great discounts and most.

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Dunno what happened both of us ended up with bunny teeth!! Bleah!

The ride out of Frankfurt was pretty smooth despite the so-called morning traffic. The ride in Germany was really boring, with not much to see on both sides of the road, so boring till I fell asleep. I didn't realise it until I snorted and it was loud enough to wake me up and my driver to notice!!! He looked into the mirror to check on me and I pretended like nothing happened! hahahahahaha...so embarrassing!!

We stopped after 3 hours for a break & pee stop and to my shock, we had to pay 50 cents Euro to use the toilet! Shiats! Bought this apple juice....was frizzy of course....what else?

Crossover to Switzerland was easy peasy, no need to chop passport oso. After crossing over, it's tunnel after tunnel..and I noticed the driver was driving very slow (100 km/h is considered slow in his standard!!) as they r really strict there with speed cameras everywhere!

Lunch stop was at Marche. I can't believe they allow customers to bring in their pets into the restaurant. Talk about hygiene...bleah! Good thing was, we didn't have to pay to use the toilet here! Phew..

The scenery became really beautiful as we draw nearer to the Italian border, with lakes and mountains along the road and of course tunnels...tunnels...tunnels...

Once we entered Italy, our driver sped up and we were almost flying!! (as you can witness thru the pic of the speedometer!) hahaha..

Upon reaching Florence it was pouring cats & dogs so I couldn't go out...stuck in the hotel, I had cupnoodles with my dried chicken meat (yes Amah lugged that along) and did some planning for my shopping the next day. Good thing the bus station was just 1 minute walk from the hotel! Cool!

The following was what I fell in love when I saw it on the display at the Florence store. However they didn't have a new one in stock so I bought this in Rome. Too bad for the sales guy at the Florence store cos he was really very patient and nice to me while I made him bring me all sorts of designs to choose from and at the end I didn't buy off him.

]]> http://7baynet.wordpress.com/?p=3 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:45:37 +0000 7baynet http://7baynet.wordpress.com/?p=3 Origin & History - (7Bay.net)

The name "sunflower" originates from the Greek helios meaning "sun" and anthos meaning "flower," since these flowers always turn towards the sun. Sunflowers actually come from Central and South America, not Greece, and were grown for more for their usefulness than their beauty. In 1532 Francisco Pizarro fought his way into Peru, where he found a giant sunflower being worshipped as a sacred image of a sun-god by the natives of the Inca empire.

Sentiment & Symbolism

Legend tells that the Greek sun-god Helios was drowned by his uncles, the Titans, and then raised to the sky, where he became the sun. He was beloved by a mortal named Clytie, who died of her love for him. Clytie was "rooted" in her grief, and thus followed Helios' daily journey through the sky.

The sunflower's turning as it follows the sun symbolizes deep loyalty and constancy. It is said that if a girl puts three sunflower seeds down her back, she will marry the first boy she meets. The Chinese hold the sunflower as a symbol of longevity. Incan priestesses wore large sunflower disks made of gold on their garments. In the Andes mountains, images of sunflowers were hammered into gold and placed in temples. Sunflower seeds were a sacred food to the Plains Indians in the prairie regions of North America. They placed bowls filled with sunflower seeds on the graves of their dead to nourish them on the long journey to the "Happy Hunting Grounds."

Color Messages

A sunflower's meaning differs from culture to culture. To some, the sunflower promises power, warmth, and nourishment — all the attributes of the sun itself. Others, however, maintain that the sunflower's regal appearance denotes haughtiness and false appearances, or unhappy love. A gift of a Dwarf Sunflower signifies "a devout admirer."

some teammates and i like to go to grilla kalayaan post-ultimate training to relax with a couple of below zero (ice cold) beers. last thursday, we found out that they have below zero red horse beers! and omg, i'm addicted!!! an ice-cold red horse is one of the best tasting beers ever! sarap! hehehe. needless to say i was happy-buzzed last thursday night after 3 red horse beers and 1 san mig light beer. sa uulitin!!! :D

saturday pickup with k3

i feel so pressured to perform well this league given all the training that wendell has been giving us. truth is, i feel like every move i make is being watched and judged, which it is. it feels good when you get a good cut tish! from wendell in the sidelines, but i feel like i'm still doing a lot of wrong things like not catching the disc and not timing my cuts well, etc. *sigh* grabe, the pressure!

son-son's house warming party

after the ultimate pickup, some of us proceeded to son-son's condo in serendra to welcome him back from the US. a few of us ended up crashing in his bed out of exhaustion while the others played poker. after taking a power nap, i took some shots with my pentacon six baby. i still have to finish 2 more rolls before i can have them developed though. i'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the settings i used were correct. :))

sunday shopping

my mom's here till wednesday so as is usual we went to shangri-la to go shopping on sunday. unfortunately, my hopes that she would pay for whatever i wanted to buy were dashed when she told me that i was paying for my own purchases. :( didn't see anything much i liked except for a red linen dress from mango that fit me so well! good thing it was on sale! :))

vamos rafa!!!

july 6, 2008 9:15pm (GMT) marked an important and memorable event in tennis. rafael nadal, the world #2, beat roger federer, the world #1, on federer's turf, the greens of wimbledon. it was an epic battle: 5 sets in almost 5 hours with federer winning two tie-breaks to come back from rafa's lead of 2 sets to love. play had to be stopped twice due to rain, shifting the momentum first from nadal to federer then back to nadal. nadal won the 5th set, 9 games to 7, finally claiming the championship point as federer hit the ball into the net. what a match!!!!!!!!!!

i'm so happy nadal won!!! kudos to federer for coming back from 2 sets to love, saving 3 championship points, winning two tie-breaks and showing the world what true sportsmanship is. it was a great moment when he climbed his way up to his family's box and the prince of spain's box. weee!!! my future boyfriend finally has a wimbledon title under his belt! (hayaan niyo na ako mangarap! :P)

nadal's game face

nadal's reaction on winning wimbledon: =))

the obligatory trophy bite

why hasn't he called?

okay, i'm really starting to like this guy. i hardly know him yet though. i'm not sure if it's just because i'm trying to find someone else to turn my attentions to after the last guy. all i know is right now i like him. and i think he likes me too. feeling ba?! hehe. but he isn't doing anything. so i'm a bit confused and stuck right now. unfortunately for me, i'm not the type of girl who can make the first move. i've been dropping hints but so far he hasn't picked up on them. ho-hum.  what to do?! what to do?!

I have been knitting and plurking, but I have also been shopping.  First up we will deal with the books.  There are two, one new, one from a charity shop.

This book does what the title says - shows you how to make Quick Colourful Quilts.  The pictures are bright and eye catching, and the instructions appear to be clear and concise.  I haven't tried out any of the patterns yet though, so will report back later.

The second book is called How to Sew.  It is a basic guide on how to sew clothing mostly.  The patters are simple, yet look effective.  I can't wait to try some of the patterns out.  I especially like this dress, and can't wait to have a go at making it.

The final purchase is my favourite all time ever.  It is a bag, a fabulous satin beaded bag, with a box frame and gorgeous  handle.

You can't really see the beading very well on this picture, but all the flowers are lined with beads of a matching colour.  Also the clasp on the top of the bag is studded with diamontes.  Inside the bag is lined with a golden coloured satin, with a small pouch for  some change or a mobile phone.

So I will leave you leave now, while I gaze lovingly at my new bag.....

• A volte tutto nasce con un viaggio. E’ stato così per Alessandra Giannetti, stilista per caso, creativa da sempre, appassionata con laurea del Giappone e dintorni, lingua compresa. Un percorso a ritroso nel tempo, cominciato con i tessuti dei kimono antichi, continuato nelle lucenti strade della Tokyo metropolitana, con le sue forme e le sue storie: è così che Alessandra e il suo compagno Fabio Gasparri - fotografo e architetto - hanno viaggiato lungo le vie del Giappone. Tornati a casa, a Roma, hanno voluto far rivivere le stesse suggestioni e le emozioni provate ideando lo “spazio creativo” Edo City, in piazza del Paradiso, 18, a Roma.

I checked my email.

Suddenly, it was no longer a perfect Sunday. It was a deeply, irrevocably flawed Sunday.

It was the Sunday on which I found out that the contract which makes up 40% of my income had vanished, Poof, into thin air. The company just stopped paying their bills, it seems. The company for whom I'm subcontracting is going to pay me for my work to this point, but not beyond, so suddenly I find myself with a considerable amount of free time and a considerable hole looming in my bank account.

Naturally, I self-medicated in an entirely irrational fashion. I figure if the universe can be irrational to me, I can be irrational right back. I went on what someone on a budget as tight as mine would call a bender: I went to the Ovaltine for a house burger and diet Coke, $7, then I took myself down to the A&N boutique where I bought two new, lacy bras for $4.98 apiece and three summer tees at 3 for $9.99, and then I went for a long walk down Robson where I saw many, many shoes I now cannot afford and even walked right past the 40% off sale at the Gap without so much as going in or even pining much, and then I went to Dix and bought myself an IPA and a Red Truck Ale and a very nice man heard me out and bought me a conciliatory Red Truck as well, although believe me, when I'm on a vegan diet it doesn't take much to get me quite entertainingly loopy and I was, and then we talked about El Alamein and Monte Cassino and Ypres and many similarly cheerful topics dating from before we were both born.

And then I came home, thought about working out, thought ah, fuckit tonight because, really, how often can anyone, even me, have a day like this, and decided to work my aggro out watching V for Vendetta yet again. If I'm still aggro-acious in a few hours, I'll suck down a coffee and go out for a run.

Anybody need a blogger?

Me, sometime last year making my famous pilaf.  This is more cleavage than I usually post, but I'm living dangerously lately!

This, from the ever-lovely Margie at Third Mom is inviting others to do a one word meme.  I edited it a bit to add in my four parents and I hope that was alright to do. So...here goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? Car
2. Your significant other? Snoring
3. Your hair? Auburn
4. Your mother? Gone
5. Your father? Stuck

4a.Other Mother? Hiding

5a. Other Father? Connected
6. Your favorite time of day? Night
7. Your dream last night? Cooking
8. Your favorite drink? Tea
9. Your dream goal? Acceptance
10. The room you’re in? Dining
11. Your ex? Mean
12. Your fear? Loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
14. What you are not? Lazy
15. Your Favorite meal? Chez Panisse
16. One of your wish list items? Serger
17. The last thing you did? Clean
18. Where you grew up? California
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV is? Stupid
21. Your pets? Fish
22. Your computer? Inviting
23. Your life? Tapestry
24. Your mood? Keen

25. Missing someone? Horribly
26. Your car? Zippy
27. Something you’re not wearing? Tattoo
28. Favorite store? Oilily
29. Your summer? Smoky
30. Your favorite color? Green
31. When is the last time you laughed? Morning
32. When is the last time you cried? Morning
33. Your health? Robust
34. Your children? Heartwarming
35. Your future? Opportunities
36. Your beliefs? Strong
37. Young or old? Pffffft
38. Your image? Changing
39. Your appearance? Momish
40. Would you live your life over again knowing what you know? Yes

Today’s designer spotlight is on none other than Yasuko Azuma of yasuko azuma Jewelry. After studying fashion design and working within the apparel industry in Sapporo Japan, Azuma moved to New York City in 1994 to pursue her dream of becoming a jewelry designer. 

She continued studying jewelry design at The Fashion Institute of Technology and in 2003 founded Azul Design, Inc with Richard Ito to produce all her hand made pieces. The inspiration Azuma draws from nature is clearly visible in all her designs. This inherent beauty is what makes her designs so effortlessly unique. Azuma also combines colorful gemstones with techniques of Japanese metal workmanship to create some of the beautiful pieces we see today. Azuma’s collections mostly in 18karat gold comprise of rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

 Her designs are delicate yet intricate and most definitely one of a kind. These designs are available in multiple locations through out the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and even in Dubai.  My eyes were instantly drawn to Azuma’s beautiful creations the minute I saw them – take a look at some of my favorite pieces below. Her careful workmanship and romantic detailing is clearly visible in each piece making it classic and timeless.

To take a look at the entire collection and a list of available stores please visit: www.yasukoazuma.com

Den fantastiske klokken fra Guess, finere i virkeligheten!

Min nye favorittbukse! Merket er Refuge,

Genser fra Tommy Hilfiger.

Topp fra en butikk jeg ikke husker navnet på; ginatricot-liknende butikk.

Vest fra samme butikk som over (elsker mønsteret).

Genser fra butikk som over. Ikke det beste kjøpet men.

Veske fra Guess.

Kosedress fra Juicy Couture <3 (blir reiseantrekket i morgen!)

Parfyme fra Refuge :) HAHA burde jo tatt bilde av selve parfymen men.

OG SÅ TIL MIN SØTESTE KJÆRESTE:

 Sko (han trenger det) som er helt ham. Oasics/Aosics?. 

Skjorte fra Volcom.

T-skjorte fra Hurley.

T-skjorte fra Volcom.

Skjorte fra Volcom.

Skjorte fra Tommy Hilfiger.

Mamma insisterte på å kjøpe sokker (?) til han. + Hilfiger klokke og boxere.

Hilfiger klokken, uklart bilde :/ Han skal få den til jul tror jeg :p

Adidas-shorts til trening o.l. 

Nå skal jeg pakke og slikt resten av kvelden og i morgen flyr jeg hjem. Blir verste reisen noensinne, først skal vi innom en annen flyplass i USA før London - og til slutt Oslo. Jeg gleder meg så veldigveldigveldig mye til å se Andreas nå. Har klart meg utmerket bra denne ferien faktisk, savnet er ikke så stort som det var forrige sommer. Men bobler inni meg av å tenke på at om to dager er jeg i armene hans, ser siste episode av Lost og spiller det nerdete spillet jeg kjøpte før jeg dro.