It doesn't cost a thing to smile

It sure doesn't cost a thing to smile - then why again am I so stingy with mine? This has gotta change...

Pushing the envelope

Last Friday evening outside the Starbucks located at the corner of Thurlow & Robson sat a middle-aged gentleman of European descent reading alone. He was neatly dressed in a masculine grey suit with a white shirt. Nothing was out of the ordinary until I looked down and saw that he was wearing black patent ballerina flats with little bows on them. He did pushed the fashion envelope but still stayed within the rules of one funky item per outfit.

"Fashion is not a luxury, it is a right"

"It is every woman's inalieanable right to have a pulled-together, stylish, confident wardrobe with money leftover to live" - Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP)

I caught a glimpse of SJP's new clothing line, Bitten, on last Friday's Oprah show. Stylish, funky, & cute as we can expect from the ultimate fashion icon of my days. The best part of the line is its affordability - every item is priced under $20. The line includes coats, suits, jeans, tops, bottoms, bags, and shoes (mmm....shoes). Bitten is available at Steve & Barry (in the United States only - unfortunately).

I think it is fantastic that SJP is making hip fashion affordable. Honestly, $300 jeans is just a tad outrageous. Women of all ages, sizes and income level should have the privilege to make themselves feel beautiful in cute, hip, & fashionable clothes without draining their bank accounts. Let's face it - not all of us girls are lucky enough to have rich husbands/partners to support our shopping habit - we want to have enough money left over from buying beautiful clothes to invest in our retirement fund or simply to put a roof over our heads and food on the table (rah rah to independent girls).

I love clothes and I love to shop but I refrain myself from plunking major bucks on outrageously expensive items. Ok - I do have my occasional splurges (but very very rarely and only on timeless pieces). I am not ashamed about finding cute & affordable items at places like Forever21 and Uniqlo. I am pleasantly surprised by the Joe line at Superstore and of course the designer lines at Target rarely disappoint.

Dressing up doesn't have to cost a lot - I have put together hip and funky new outfit (including shoes & accessories) for under $50. All it takes is an interest in fashion and the confidence to wear the clothes proudly. With the right attitude (which costs nothing), anyone can make heads turn with any outfits cheap or dear.

Mom

When I grow up, I want to be the strong, independent, funny, confident, talented and endearing lady that my mom is. My mom always have the can do attitude - that's probably why she is always embraced by friends, family and even strangers. She can be so funny at times, especially with her creative usage of the English language - e.g. broken news (instead of breaking news). Her cooking rivals that of the top chef in town - which explains my Monday buddha belly. When my mom looks at me, I hope she doesn't wonder "whatever happen to my daughter - it must have been her dad's gene"....

Sexy librarian glasses

I just picked up my pair of new sexy librarian glasses yesterday. These glasses make me want to put them on, toss them aside, shake my hair loose and ..... (purr?). Well, that will remain as a fantasy because in reality, I would be completely blind if I toss them aside, I will freak out if I break something that cost me more than $600, and let's not forget the part where I will purring to nobody.

"Sex in the City" - as in the show :P

Sex in the City (as in the show) is one of my favourite shows - still is even after it's been over for a few years now. The appeal of the show lies majorly with the ease of identifying self with characteristics or quirks of the four main characters. Like Carrie, I am a curly-haired girl who also love fashion and shoes and have a weak spot for (very bad &) unattainable men like Big. I suffer from the social awkwardness of Miranda and of course, it doesn't help when I have the prudish moral beliefs of Charlotte - which naturally translates into Sexless in this City (haha). Funny thing is that friends somehow see the potential of a Samantha in me - where did that come from? ;p

"Hello My Name is ...."

Where is the best spot to stick one of those "Hello My Name is ____" sticker if you are wearing a tube top? The options are quite limited: left boob, between the boobs, or the right boob. Note to self - avoid wearing tube top to event where name tags are required.