Happy Holidays!

I know I have been gone here for a long, long, long time! Allow me to explain my absence at a later post. For now, just want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas!!

-- BCBG dress -- Target blazer -- Mimi di N belt --Givenchy stockings --


...Wishing I could blog more in the coming year!

A Model I'm Not

I am glad I don't model for a living. If I do, I would really suck at it. I only have a single pose -- one hand on the hips (two if I'm having a particularly nice day), one leg forward and slightly bent and face tilted to the side. I only have a single smile -- the BIG kind with as many teeth I could possibly show.

The whole process is almost part of my muscle memory now -- I can invoke it on a whim the very instant I see a camera!

So to change things up a bit, let's try this sitting down.

-- Romeo and Juliet Couture top -- Banana Republic shorts --

Yes, yes, I know! I should not give up my daytime job anytime soon.
Fine! :P

Orange You Glad?

The title's a bit cheesy, I know -- but I can't think of anything else to write. It was the first thing that came out of my head seeing my orange top on this pic. :D


-- Free People orange halter top -- white shorts from Australia -- Stuart Weitzman cream wedges --

I am indeed glad that I got this top for a mere $12. And I am also glad for the cool summer weekends here in Minneapolis - a welcoming break from the heat in Dallas during the weekdays. And I'm glad we have great set of friends to enjoy the summer with -- shopping, jogging, working out, grilling and eating out!

A big shoutout to my dear friend Faye, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

A Tale of Friendship

Good friends remain as friends no matter where they are in world.

Allow me to attempt to explain this in a story that will span four continents, three people and six years of friendship: Last weekend, a good Aussie friend of ours whom we met in Melbourne, and is now working in London for a company that is based in Minneapolis was in town for the weekend. We tried to meet up a few times last year but since I spent a lot of my time in Brazil, we couldn't. Tried to meet up again a few times this year but since I'm in Dallas during the workweek, matching our travel schedules was tricky. Until finally last weekend, we did!

He's a fellow foodie and travel junkie and he could talk about hole-in the-wall places in Makarska (Makarska where??) to three-star Michelins in Paris! A well traveled foodie seems a bit hard to impress but we took him to Restaurant Alma and surely, the pride of Minneapolis did not disappoint. Review coming up shortly!

-- purple top from Manila -- The Limited black mini skirt -- Saks sandals--
Hubby is wearing a Lacoste shirt and 7 for All Mankind jeans (yes, I just recently converted him over to the dark side of premium designer denim!)

Office Uniform Part5: Sheath Dress as a Skirt

I had a light bulb moment in this outfit realizing that a sheath dress can also be worn as a skirt. I had another light bulb moment soon after, realizing that with the dozen sheath dresses I currently have, it's like having a dozen new skirts too! And so the 3rd light bulb moment - the best one of all, came all too obvious: If I could wear sheath dresses in many more ways than one, then I must shop for more of them!

And so I did just that yesterday, with my good friend Faye.

-- Daniel Rainn cream sheer top from Nordie's Rack -- Tahari teal sheath dress (worn as a skirt) -- Prada nude pumps -


This is my hotel room in Dallas, which has been my home on weekdays for the past four months now!

Harry Potter, Fireworks and Red Velvet Cheesecake

Unlike other people, I prefer to watch movies in the comfort of my own home where the seats are clean and popcorn is way cheaper than the $5 a bucket at concession (with some health bonus to boot: less salt and less butter too).

So on the rare occasion that I will drag my germophobic and tightwad self to go see a movie, it better be worth it.

And truly, it was! Having read all the Harry Potter books, I could not hold back tears even as the credits were rolling. It was a great movie, the perfect end to a 10-yr saga.

It was a great afternoon with friends as well! We had an early dinner right after the movie and shared the tastiest red velvet cheesecake known to mankind!

Glad we snapped a pic to commemorate this great day. Thanks to our dear friend Rona for taking this! On the top left is Ann, my identical twin from another set of parents; next to her is Faye, my partner in crime in shopping; and next to me is Trix, a walking and breathing evidence that mommies can still look fabulous!

-- Daniel Rainn pink top from Nordie's Rack -- J Brand white jeans -- Valentino strappy heels -

An equally great night capped the perfect day. Our city hosted a fireworks night that day to make up for not having one on the 4th of July weekend.

What a perfect day it was! It's as if no problem existed in the world for a whole 24 hours!



Thanks to Faye for these great photos!

A Little Maintenance

Have you ever wondered how to look a 5 pounds less in photos? Here's a tip: crop off one cheek. And since I'm all for extreme measures, I'm cropping off both as shown below.


-- Kay Unger pleated full skirt dress -- Mimi di N leaf belt -- Guiseppe Zanotti peep toes -

For those who seriously want to get rid a few pounds for real and for good (sans cropping tricks), join me here as I challenge myself to shed off a few pounds!

Please bear with this poor little me as I undergo a much needed maintenance because it's no fun to be in the slightly-overweight-for-your-height category.

BBQ Party

We've been wanting to invite a big group of friends over to our place, but with work travel schedule, it was just too hard to find the time. Finally, without much thought and preparation, we decided to do it over the 4th of July weekend. It was a blast!

We probably had about 40-45 people in our place but surprisingly, clean-up was a breeze. I could have easily overdone it as I did so in previous parties here. But this time, I did the smartest thing and just had food personally catered by a chef friend. Thanks Chef Louie!

Now that I know that throwing big parties is just this easy, I can't wait to plan for the next one!

-- Ann Taylor tie dye top -- shorts from Australia -- vintage Chanel belt (from sister) -- Valentino strappy sandals --

This is my good friend Faye. She took all these shots in this post. She's my yoga buddy, shopping buddy, blog buddy and photography buddy. Well, technically, she does the photography while I only do the posing.

A few weeks before the big party, I invited her over for a test run of my grilling skills. She took this lovely shot of our new patio set!

Be sure to checkout her blog here and her photography profile here.

7 Habits

If I have to write my own version of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I would definitely add Shopping in as an imperative habit. Would probably be even in my top 1 top 3. And I don't need any study to prove it, heck I would just draw from my very own personal experience.

You see, whenever I go shopping (or about to go shopping), I always feel very productive at work because a) I know I need to pay for my shopping and; b) I get really excited to parade my new treasures to my teammates.

Even the time leading to shopping seem to make me work faster than normal so I could rush to the mall after.

Take this peplum sheath dress, which I got for 75% off at Neiman's Last Call last weekend. I knew it would be counter productive if I didn't buy it right away because I'll just be constantly thinking about it all day. So being the effective person that I am, I spared myself the agony and closed the transaction in 3 easy strokes - click, cart, checkout!

Convinced yet? Can someone please sign me up for a book deal already!??

-- Marc New York peplum sheath dress -- Romeo + Juliet Couture pink lace top -- Ferragamo Ribes --

Now excuse me as I write the Preface to my future book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Shopaholic's Edition).

Dressing Room Update3

I'm going to stop giving myself a deadline to finish my dressing room. Since I don't seem to keep any of them anyway, it'll just be in a constant work in progress from now on.

Since my last dressing room update, I got two more shoe shelves, a settee, a dress form, installed a wall art and a chandelier.







And of course, bought a few more pairs to fill the empty shelves! ;O

Have a great day!

Office Outfit Part 5 (The Tree & BCBG)

I now have a newfound respect for trees of all kind. Last night, as I attempted to do a yoga tree pose, I could barely hold the position for longer than 10 seconds without starting to shake, wiggle and tumble. But the trees! They can be their own tree selves in the whole span of their tree life! Awesome! Just awesome!!

Like this BCBG dress that I got at Nordie's Rack for $16! Yes, just 16 bucks!! Awesome! Just awesome! Deals like this is up there in awesomeness like the tree, would you agree?

And while we're on the subject of nature and it's wonders, here's a beautiful vintage cheetah Mimi di N piece I found on eBay! It adds just the perfect amount of edge to this otherwise girly outfit.

-- BCBG dress -- Mimi di N cheetah belt -- Louboutin "Picador" slingbacks -

Dancing or Not

If ever I get invited for a season of Dancing with the Stars, I would wear this outfit on my opening performance. This flowy and glittery chiffon dress would make for a perfect outfit for those swaying and grinding hip action!

But until then, I will wear this around the house while washing dishes or folding clothes or dusting counter tops. Who says a lady can't dress sexy while doing the most mundane of chores?

-- Marchesa Notte dress -- Target tights --
-- Mimi di N lion belt -- Saks black suede booties -

Date Night

I thought that an answer to every question is just a Google click away. I thought wrong. At least not for the question I was after - How To Grow Money on Trees. Not finding an answer to this one bugging question was terribly disappointing for me.

Had there been one, I can only imagine how my life would be. A life without mortgage and bills... Only date nights. Every. Single. Night!

Wouldn't that be awesome?!

Oh well, it is what it is. Meanwhile, here's an outfit I wore a few months back for a date night with the hubz.

-- Saks Threads black cashmere sweater -- BCBG dress -- Target black tights --
-- Mimi di N lion belt -- Saks black suede booties -

Office Uniform Part 4

I may have stopped blogging for a few months already but I have not stopped wearing (and buying) sheath dresses since I first started last year! The obsession continues...

-- Banana Republic light blue sheath dress -- Theory gray blazer -- Mimi di N vintage shell belt -- Stuart Weitzman black pumps --

Paris: Sights, Shops, STYLE (Part 3)

What outfit should I wear in Paris during a winter visit?

This question caused me several sleepless nights. In fact, I must have lost a few pounds stressing much over it. I mean, it's Paris, the home of all things chic and fashionable, who wouldn't lose sleep over such mind-boggling question?

Ok, lies. The truth is, I only packed the night before the trip and in an effort to travel light, forgotten a few things. But I somehow managed with just 1 scarf and 1 pair of jeans worn 4 times!

Did I hear anyone say GROSS! Yes, I know. The germaphobic me seems to have been hibernating recently.

What I wore out shopping!

-- Armani Exchange sweater -- Target tights -- 7 for all Mankind jeans -- Banana Republic boots --


But I learned a very important, life-altering lesson on this trip: I need a good pair of some buttery soft tall leather boots! The boots I wore nearly cost me my toenails!! And each time the unforgiving leather would come in contact with my ankles, I'd give out little cries of pain. Considering we walked nearly 52,000 steps while there, can you imagine just how much ordeal I put my little feet through?!



Wore this to the Opera Garnier to see Caligula ballet

-- Lanvin LBD -- Chanel-esque tweed from Nordie's Rack -- Louboutin "New Simple" red pumps --

Hubby wore his favorite Burberry suit

Every time I'd see folks giddily strutting in their comfy Uggs, I had to battle self-restraint to prevent myself from tackling them to the ground and taking their Uggs for myself!

Yes, it was that serious. I was ready to suffer misdemeanor charges in the name of comfort.

So lesson learned there, I need some buttery soft leather boots so I could stay away from jail!

What I wore to Guy Savoy.

-- Qi Cashmere LBD -- Chanel-esque tweed from Nordie's Rack -- Louboutin "Picador" slingbacks --

Paying homage to the mothership

-- Theory dress -- Laundry by Shelly Segal coat -- Longchamp Le Pliage shopper tote --


Thanks for listening to my rant!
Up next: Paris haute cuisine!