Wednesday, December 30, 2009

faking out

can you spot a few designer fakes hanging on this wall of fakes? i can identify at least three different designers. anyways, i saw these a while back and took a pic of it. i'm suprised i didn't see any louis vuitton.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

after christmas gawking

i normally avoid after christmas sales like a kid with lice and especially now that i'm older, the thought of driving in circles to look for parking or standing in lines for everything (including the restroom when it's not even the movies or concert!), does not speak to me. i would rather stay home and wash dishes.

but this year, i ventured out of my lair because i wanted to pick up a prezzie for my friend's baby so the thought was....if i'm going to the mall anyways, then let's go to south coast plaza! yay for having a nice boyfriend because he obliged and off we went to the o.c. if you guys aren't familiar with south coast plaza, it's like rodeo drive all packed up into a mall. personally, i prefer it over bev hills. at least parking is free and accessible and there's a ton more places to shop, like H & M and zara to name a few.

when we got there in the afternoon, the place was PACKED! i'm not sure what kind of sales there were to be had there, but i wasn't really there to shop, more like to GAWK since i was out and about anyways.
some leftover christmas cheer. instead of playing "where's waldo," let's play, "where's santa?" can you spot santa's little helper in this picture?

i saw a few "sale" signs placed on the windows of stores that i would normally patronize, but walking into one of them and not being able to turn in a 360 degree circle without getting bumped was nuts. so i decided, NO WAY, i'm gawking today, NOT shopping so off i went to cartier, chanel, and hermes instead.

the nice thing about a busy shopping day is that stores that are normally stone cold empty have life in them. hermes is a perfect example. normally, i wouldn't even set foot in there because it's usually empty and intimidating. the sales people usually check you out, stare you down, and then ignore you because their quick robotic assessment tells them you have about a dollar in your purse. some folks really don't care about that and would walk in anyways, but to me, i feel unwelcomed so i normally stay away. besides, i won't be buying anyways, so why deal with unpleasantries...but HA HA! they were so busy after christmas with so many lookie loos that i walked right in and was comfortably ignored. whooo...let's bag molest shall we?
birkins and other shapes with all kinds of colors. i didn't tote any (didn't want to take a chance of sowing a seed of desire when i absolutely can't/shouldn't/wouldn't).

they also sell a lot of other things, like bags, bracelets, scarves, ties, and belts. you name it, they probably have it. i saw a couple looking at dishware. NOW THAT, i don't understand. hermes is known for their bags, not dishware.

they also have these super pretty lizard skin wallets. ooh la la.

and the biggest hermes bag of them all, this big orange pumpkin of a bag. i don't know the style name of this bag because they change base on the size, but it's in the iconic shape with its iconic hardware. orange is the signature hermes color and when you buy hermes, it comes in an orange box. the charms of the hermes orange is intoxicating.

they also make the prettiest red color ever. i think of crayola red when i see this.



so after dragging the boyfriend through the store, it was time to depart. the drooling was too intense and the front of my shirt was wet from it. next time i go to hermes, i'm bringing a bib and walking away with a birkin :)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

the christmas crush

during the holiday season, i'm in the lucky minority in the sense that i DON'T HAVE to go shopping for gifts. you see, our family is buddhist so our traditions during this season does not involve christmas or christmas trees or singing silent night around the fireplace while drinking eggnog. btw, do you do that? or did hallmark give me a crazy skewed view of the fa la la la world?

HOWEVER, this year, i did brave the malls to purchase a few stocking stuffers because i now have my own home and plan on creating my own traditions. although my loved ones in my home did not get full on presents, i thought it would be nice to stuff something teenie in their stockings (my dog charlie has his own stocking too!) as well as have a little lighted christmas tree in my wee house. ahhh...lights.

so back to shopping....the mall was HORRIFIC. HORRIFIC i tell ya! it was so crowded and although i know we are still in a recession, the sheer number of people i saw walking and shopping was enough to assure me that perhaps the economy is bouncing back after all....perhaps. i felt so relieved to only have to shop for 2 and charlie doesn't count because i got him a chewy bone! everything was done in one shot...BAM!

everywhere i went, there were lines, and crowds, and people bumping into you. although people SHOULD have holiday cheer, that was not always the case. i saw a fair amount of rudeness...i think folks just don't know how to function when there's too many people around them. it probably doesn't help that people are scrambling for last minute gifts which was apparent as i walked about. ack, the pressure of buying a gift isn't so fun...good thing i just had to get stocking stuffers and teenie ones at that.

the line to get out of the parking lot at my local mall was probably the worse line to be in. honking and exhaust :( it reconfirmed the brillance of online shopping!! perhaps next year, i will have the foresight to do that instead of stomping through the malls.

even with this taste of christmas shopping craze, i think i will try to keep the tradition of the christmas stocking. anyways, i hope you all have a most EXCELLENT holiday, be it christmas or hanukkah or kwanzaa or the like. as i bask in my newfound traditions, i hope you're enjoying yours.

i caught a little reindeer on the way home. isn't he cute?! happy holidays!
smooches,
bagnatic

Sunday, December 20, 2009

lotus x 2

i cook. not top chef delicious, but good enough for you to possibly want seconds, lest you're a smart woman and know when to stop before your belly stretches your pants. i have yet to master that art myself, but i digress like i always do :)

my honey thinks i cook well, but i know he says that cuz i always shake my fist when i ask him what he thinks of my cooking. "it's delicious honey." "oh, i love eating your food." "this taste so good, i can eat it for all my meals." as you can tell, my honey is a keeper. he knows how to lie with a straight face.

as i hone my cooking skills, i've learned that when you cook, you can sometimes "fix" things that go wrong in the recipe. for instance, if you oversalt something, you might be able to add a little more of another ingredient to diffuse the saltiness. example, oversalt your mash potatoes, then add more mash potatoes! when i bought my baby alex lotus, it was a cooking experiment indeed. i had thought it looked really tiny and though cute on its own, i wanted to ADD something to it so that i can "fix" the look. my answer to that problem was to get ANOTHER LOTUS and a spacer ring and stack all three! then it will give me the presence i needed in a right hand ring.

i decided on a honey citrine asscher cut lotus. i REALLY adore asschers and this was the best fix i can get. i absolutely love the color of the citrine, but am a bit disappointed that i can't see the step cuts of the asscher clearly because the color is too dark :( no wonder these cuts work better with lighter gemstones or gaw gaw gawgeous diamonds. but the color of this ring is rather darling and i loves it so i am totally smitten by it.

the beautiful, beautiful lotus setting once again. every time i look at this setting, i fall in love....

and here it is worn with my rose gold rope ring. i'm using the rope ring as a spacer when i stack them all up....

like this!

NOW, i'm perfectly in love. i think the baby alex looks lovely next to the honey citrine. in fact, if my fingers were longer, i would stack another one and make it a threesome. in any case, just like cooking, i "fixed" it and it's 100% delicious.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

lotus love

when i was studying abroad in hong kong during my last leg of undergrad studies at ucla (last leg meaning i could have graduated in 4 years even with my double major but decided to borrow another year's worth of money to study abroad and back pack through asia for the 5th year...ahh the loans...still paying for it, but exusey my tangent) i went to thailand during one of those many backpacking excursions. in a snapshot, thailand to me means street vendor eats, buddhism, hiking, almost drowning, and getting ripped off. yes, i experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly there. even though it was many, many years ago, i still have interesting, fond memories of it. so what does that have to do with what santa brought me from thailand?

haha, nothing except that this present to myself comes all the way from thailand, and specifically from chiang mai (which is possibly one of the most BEAUTIFUL locations in thailand). the seller makes these GORGEOUS lotus ring settings and when i first laid my eyes on them, i had to, i was compelled to, i was mandated from buddha to...purchase one for my growing jewelry collection. here is my teenie weenie itsy bitsy alexandrite in a yellow gold lotus setting. the color change is from green in natural light to either a dark blue or light purple depending on the artificial light in question.

it is really small, really small! look at the relation of this baby alex lotus to my super ginormous thumb nail! i must admit, for the price i paid for this baby alex ring, i was unpleasantly suprised by the size. well, live and learn.

no wonder i had to go buy this too after a few weeks of light consideration :) i love how santa just brings me more gifts.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

let the christmas presents to myself roll in!

i know santa is an international man, but whoo hoo, he brought me a package from thailand!! wonder what it is?!

Monday, December 14, 2009

pumpkin spiced hermes

every year, i MUST go to starbucks for a cup of their pumpkin spice latte. yes, it is a must. it's like an itch that must be scratched or you forever go on thinking how itchy you are. it's one of those. anyways, i scratched my pumpkin spice latte itch on sunday and WHAT DID I SEE BEFORE MY BAG WHORE EYES as i waited for my itchy drink in starbucks?! holy crap. it's a pink, ostrich skin HERMES birkin! cute! it is MUCH rarer to see a hermes than other designer bags, so when i come across one, i totally bag molest with my eyes. although i wouldn't personally carry this particularly flashy pink bag myself because the color is a bit limiting to your outfits, it looked pretty hot on this lady. *sigh* hermes...now wouldn't it be nice to have a little black hermes for my collection one day? haha, i wish.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

kiss of death


born in hanoi, vietnam to my vietnamese mother and my chinese father, my bare naked bottom was meant to be kissed by the sun, my skin browned to a pre-cancerous glow, and my natural freckles encouraged to bloom across my face like the california poppies in april...without sunblock. what i'm saying is that i'm meant to bask in the sunshine, but instead, i'm SHIVERING in CALIFORNIA WINTER. yes, i'm a whiny bitch and don't talk to me about ridiculous cold weather on the east coast and how 43 degree temperature here ain't nothing, cuz i know nothing of it. all i know is that i'm cold. brrrr....

to add insult to injury, the cold weather produces the sickest bunch of kids ever to teach. snotty noses, soar throats, sneezes, and fevers. inevitably, i get a whiff of the tornado of germs that rampages through my classroom and eventually, i too, am snotty nosed, sneezing, with a disagreeable soar throat. i have the immune system of an 80 year old, that's whut. i don't care how whiney i sound right now. i can't breathe and i cough like a smoker.

i WILL NOT be teaching tomorrow. nope. i'm calling in sick, way too taxed from not calling in when i should have like 2 days ago because i wanted to meet a testing deadline. i am going to lay in bed and think warm thoughts while my heater blasts on, converting my cold little bedroom into a tropical getaway where there's no germs, or work, and i can breathe like a normal human being without wheezing. over and out, the nyquil is about to kick in.....

Thursday, December 3, 2009

what a boob

being a busy gal means not wanting to waste my time....washing my bras by hand. oh lordy how i hate to take my bras out to the nearest brook so i can pound it clean with a stone in the clear, icy water. then putting it in a basket along with all my delicates as i walk barefoot back to my wee house. oh gawd, washing bras stink.

that's why, i usually ruin them by sticking them in the washer and drying them in the dryer. i get these odd configurations...an underwire that sticks out, lace that looks beaten up....my delicates definitely don't look delicate after that!!!

so when i saw this supposedly bra wonder at target, i immediately scooped it up. IMAGINE, being able to wash my bras IN THE WASHER and dry it IN THE DRYER without damage to my lacey cups! i was ALL over it, i really was. it sounded like a godsend.

it's basically a smaller plastic hamster ball tucked inside a bigger plastic hamster ball...without the hamster of course :0 the idea is to secure the cups of your bra around the inner hamster ball so it will maintain its form as you wash and then dry them.

so i tried it....and it failed miserably :( the bras would dislodge and bunch itself up...the wires still poked out....it was no bueno! what a waste of pesos man! so in order to put it to use, i made a "toy" out of it for charlie. we taped the sides so he couldn't open it up and rolled it on the ground like a ball for my doggie doo. at least SOMEONE found some use for it!