So as I've said before, I've been debating about my next phone and have been considering many different smartphones. I've decided that I will be getting the Helio Ocean, and I can't wait!!! That is, until I heard about the rumored "gPhone" from Google and the possibility of its official launch in as little as two weeks. Whaaat??? So soon?! And something about being "free"?!

If the rumors are true, I'm going to have to consider the options because hey, I heart Google. Lucky for me, I have until November before I can make the switch so I have some time to consider this gPhone. Unlucky for me, I have until November before I can make the switch period :(

posted by che @ 3:08 PM [[ 2 comments ]]

I'm just getting over my sore throat. It hit me suddenly this weekend and left me miserable for a few days. It didn't stop me from taking up a free trip to Disneyland on Sunday though :P Yes, that's two trips to D-Land within about a week. I guess it's that time of year for sore throats so in case you are affected, here are some tips from FitSugar:

* Take an over-the-counter pain reliever like aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen.
* Gargle a few times daily with a warm salt water solution, created with one teaspoon of salt in a glass of water.
* Suck on hard candies or throat lozenges throughout the day to keep the throat moist.
* Eat a frozen dessert, such as a popsicle or ice cream, to soothe the throat.
* In the less humid months of winter, keep a humidifier going in the bedroom while you sleep, and in other rooms you frequent during the day.
* Drink plenty of fluids.

posted by che @ 8:49 AM [[ 2 comments ]]

Since the first part of my life was spent in Japan, having a tie to Japanese culture makes me happy and comfortable perhaps due to nostalgia. Trips to Japanese markets and gift shops turn me to a kid in a candy shop... almost. So aside from buying snacks, candy, and little knick knacks, I started collecting Japanese fashion magazines over the past few months.

I love these magazines, but of course I can't read them (I wish I could). It's all the pictorial aspect of it. I look to these magazines for fashion, hair, nail, and makeup inspiration. My initial push to get a magazine was to look at some of the makeup application tips. Asian makeup tips are much more valuable to me than some of the American ones because let's face it, I don't have the traditional American full double eyelids. But it doesn't mean I disregard the Western perspective of makeup application completely. Another draw to the magazines was my curiosity of their beauty. The girls always look so pretty! I wanted to see what it takes to look like them :P

So, the first magazine I picked up and immediately fell in love with is Pinky. This is the perfect one for me! I love it because it's tasteful, and everything in it is my style and taste. It's a pretty popular magazine apparently because sometimes I can't find it and have resorted to buying other mags like Sweet, JJ and S-Cawaii. These were ok, but I didn't like all of the content. I considered looking at some of the gyaru focused mags like Egg, but decided that they were a little too outrageous for me.




Unfortunately, the cost of the magazines can be a bit steep since they're imported. Sometimes they're a little more expensive because they come with little gifts like small makeup bags, flip flops, etc. So far I got two cute makeup bags and a pair of flip flops! The latest edition of Pinky comes with this Anna Sui Dolly Girl makeup bag. So cool!




I also got this pair of Blondy flip flops in a previous issue of Sweet.

posted by che @ 4:53 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

I'm not a fan of Hilary Duff. I never will be. So that's why it makes it difficult for me to admit that her new exclusive "Design It Yourself" fashion collection line at Michael's actually looks pretty cool. I can't help it. I like crafts. I like the layered necklace and bracelet set idea as well as some of the embellished bags. I haven't made jewelry or bags in a while, and I've been getting the itch to do some crafts again including greeting cards... but no knitting right now. I'll probably go to Michael's one of these days to check it out along with all the Martha Stewart stuff :D

posted by che @ 8:11 AM [[ 3 comments ]]

Shiseido seems to have chosen the face for their line Integrate: Angelina Jolie. Hmm... a Japanese brand using an American for their ad campaign... does this strike you as odd? But can you blame them? Angie is GORGEOUS and HOT! If anything, this may reinforce the unfortunate tendency for Asians to want to look more "white" because it's highly regarded as what is considered to be beautiful. I'm not even sure Japan needs an extra push to get customers to buy Shiseido. It seems to be a pretty popular brand amongst Asians already. Run those commercials here and you're sure to see a surge in sales! I also read that commercials have already aired in Japan, and since YouTube failed me I scoured the net for the commercials. You can view one of the streaming commercials here. Or you can view and download both versions here. Lucky for you, I've posted them here for convenience:




Not surprisingly, the emphasis of the ads are on her lips. I wonder how much lipstick was used up in making these commercials...

[via]

posted by che @ 2:30 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

My 3-day weekend actually felt like a 3-day weekend, and that doesn't happen often. I could still use another day off though :)

Friday, I went to Disneyland and California Adventure with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday (which is today). Happy Birthday! Since it was a weekday, the lines were relatively short. We were able to get onto most of the rides with little wait. The only ride that had a long wait was obviously the new Finding Nemo submarine ride. Even though they said the wait was going to be 80 minutes, it only took about 45. It was a very cute and entertaining ride, however I'm not sure I'd wait in line for that long to see it again. Overall, Disneyland was again fun this year, and I can't complain when I came home with a bunch of Disneyland gifts :D Thanks, Mom! Haha...

Yesterday, B and I attended the Mercedes-Benz C Drive event. It's basically promotion for the new 2008 C-Class line of cars. We sort of expected to be like the Taste Of Lexus we attended last year, but better.Unfortunately, with high expectations we were extremely disappointed. There wasn't much food besides cheese, crackers, and fruit, and the place was pretty small. The line to test drive the cars was really long, and we didn't even get to test drive on a course as advertised. Apparently, the course was open for Saturday but for some reason closed on Sunday, a detail they failed to tell the attendees who waited in the hot sun anticipating those s-turns. I got to drive the C350 sport, but since we only got to drive around the block in residential areas, I didn't get to feel the real power of the vehicle. I got to stop and go at stop lights and stop signs. And if I had wanted to drive a different model, I'd have to wait in that long line again.

The +'s:
- free Lip Treatment samples from Kinerase
- free shampoo/conditioner and hair wax samples from Redken
- free Quikee samples from Supersmile
- all the Fiji water you can drink
- the cool integration of RFID for registration

Oh well. I think I like Lexus' more anyway. Lexus 1, Mercedes 0.

posted by che @ 10:47 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

Ai yai yai!!! Milo Ventimiglia (aka Peter Petrelli)!!! Where can I pick up this Zink magazine?!? Hehe...

[via]

posted by che @ 8:34 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

Since I had some time this weekend, I took a trip to Mitsuwa to pick up a few things. When going there, I like to stop by the bookstore as well as the gift shops. Usually the gift shops are filled with cutesy stuff like Hello Kitty clocks, wallets, you name it. There's a little wall there full of small toys for kids such as those dinosaur egg things. I don't tend to look at this area unless my nephew is with me. If it wasn't for B pointing it out to me, I would never have noticed this:



"JUST TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, IT FEELS SO GOOOOOOOD!"

Say what? Why is this being sold here, and why does it say it's for children ages 5 and up?!




Nice. They come in keychain form, too.




I'm also wondering to what extent were the squishy boobs being abused by the general public that the store had to put those 'you break you buy' signs on it.



"do not squeeze hard.
if you break it,
you have to pay for it!!!"
Lovely. Just like with real breasts, be gentle, people. Otherwise, you might break them and will have to pay for new ones.

Perhaps the best part was the amount of time it took for me to get these pictures. It's not easy when a little boy is lingering in that area longer than expected. Children nowadays. They grow up so fast.

posted by che @ 9:54 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

I stopped by Marukai yesterday just to browse around. I saw a kimono for dogs and had to get one for New York!





Look how embarrassed she is. Poor thing. She's only happy if she's without clothes or wearing something flirty and short, haha.

[x-posted]

posted by che @ 1:26 PM [[ 1 comments ]]

If you ask some or most girls what they'd want to change physically about themselves, most would reply "bigger breasts". I'm guilty of providing this answer in the past. I'm happy with my size, but I would be much happier if they were a cup larger! However, I'm not really into the idea of enlarging my breasts via plastic surgery. I'd opt for a more "natural" approach. I used to always joke that I wish I could shift my tummy fat to where my breasts are, and it looks like my wish may have come true!

According to BBC News,

Scientists say they can create a fat mixture with concentrated stem cells, which, when injected into the breast, apparently encourages tissue to grow.

They're calling it Celution. Without the stem cells, the fat will just get reabsorbed into the body. The procedure only takes about an hour to do, but it takes about six months to see results. Is it still considered plastic surgery if you're using your own fat? I don't care, I'm interested :P We'll see how it pans out.

There is also a market for herbal supplements to enlarge breasts that are probably just as reliable as diet pills (which is, not reliable) if not less. But who needs pills when you have cookies?! What a delicious way of getting bigger bosoms, haha... They are called F Cup Cookies, and it's as simple as eating 2 cookies a day. The magic herbal ingredient is Pueraria Mirifica. Personally, I don't want to be an F cup, nor does their model look like she even has an F cup so already there is false advertisement. Perhaps it's a progressive treatment. Eat as needed, maybe? I don't know. It sounds bogus to me, but if I start to see girls in Japan with bigger boobs I'm buying a month's year's supply. Here's a translated excerpt from their site:

F cup cookie, here [sugoi]!

The Fcup cookie f cup cookie which includes [pueraria] fully

The f cup cookie (Fcup cookie) [pueraria] which has entered, with the legumes kudzu being attached plant which is brought up with the fallen leaves forest of the tie national north section, the [isohurabon] derivative is included, the content reaches almost also 40 times that of the soybean.

The [isohurabon] derivative the plant estrogen (the female sex hormone) also is called in one kind of flavonol which is included in the soybean embryo bud and the like.

Because of this, when you eat, because advancement of the mammary gland and increase of the breast fat are urged, it is said that you can expect bust rise.

But, however much being tasty, you eat too much and note! Because as for eating too much there are times when balance of the female sex hormone is destroyed, is.

The proper intake quantity of 1 days recommends up to 2.

The F because cup cookie (Fcup cookie) absorbing the moisture, it expands, the satisfaction continues.

Even translated it makes no sense.

posted by che @ 1:30 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

It looks like baby season amongst some friends at work! I have 3 friends that are expecting little bambinos within the next few months. There was some discussion about fun ways of determining a baby's sex before officially finding out.

We referenced the Chinese Lunar Calendar to try to guess if the little tikes will be boys or girls. I plan to use this calendar when I have one of my own :P I only want little boys! But I'll be happy with either, haha :D There was also an article a while back on MSN called "Boy or Girl? 38 Fun Ways to Guess Your Baby's Sex". Here's what it said:

It's a boy if:

* You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
* Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
* You are carrying the extra weight out front
* Your belly looks like a basketball
* Your areolas have darkened considerably
* You are carrying low
* You are craving salty or sour foods
* You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
* Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
* The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy
* Your hands are very dry
* Your pillow faces north when you sleep
* Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you
* Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
* Your urine is a bright yellow in color
* Your nose is spreading
* You hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves in circles
* You are having headaches
* You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is even

It's a girl if:

* You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
* Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
* You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
* Your left breast is larger than your right breast
* Your hair gets red highlights
* You are carrying high
* Your belly looks like a watermelon
* You are craving sweets
* You are craving fruit
* You crave orange juice
* You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
* You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
* Your face breaks out more than usual
* You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
* Your breasts have really blossomed!
* Your pillow faces south when you sleep
* Your urine is a dull yellow in color
* If you hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves from side to side
* If you add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is odd

[image source: You're Such A Baby]

posted by che @ 1:04 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

I never actually had to read Beowulf in high school, so I think I might have to read the Cliff's Notes version of it before watching the movie in November, hehe...

Wow, Angie looks hawt even as an animated character! But I guess anyone can look hot animated, LOL.

posted by che @ 8:49 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

In case you missed it like I did:

posted by che @ 8:17 AM [[ 1 comments ]]