tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168776332009-12-06T23:10:13.397-08:00Life is expensive enough as it is. Why pay more?Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.comBlogger491125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-43203503420377004292009-12-06T21:51:00.000-08:002009-12-06T22:22:17.983-08:00

The first week back in the States after travelling overseas felt awkward. I thought that by thinking, "Jet lag, what's that?", I'd be able to ignore the issue and feel completely settled in. Alas, that was not to be. I felt completely upside down all week. I've been busy trying to get caught up with the hundreds of emails (work and personal) and stacks of papers that piled up in my absence,

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-33225057375521079822009-11-29T18:31:00.001-08:002009-11-29T18:47:24.202-08:00

Well, I'm physically here, but I'm mentally not. I thought I was over jet lag yesterday, but I practically slept all day today and am now in great need of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Having ate so much delicious foods in Hong Kong and Mainland China, I kinda miss the culinary delights right now...although there are great restaurants around me, it's just not the same, and I'm too lazy to drive

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-1491558981591769142009-11-15T11:18:00.000-08:002009-11-16T23:07:05.656-08:00

[Edit: I was a law review editor, but I can't even edit my own blog posts. Shame on me...duly corrected. My brain is already on vacation even though I'm not there yet.]When I was a kid, my mom used to make soup noodles with a can of Campbell's vegetable soup. I used to love taking my soup and fishing out the alphabets. The concept of alphabet-shaped letters pasta were was very fascinating to a

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-77586023868450945232009-11-07T09:57:00.000-08:002009-11-07T10:45:14.825-08:00

My work style for the past several weeks had been rather woeful. I didn't really have much time to think about what to wear--just throw on something black or gray and face the long day ahead. This week I finally got back on track, and it's quite fun to make work outfits interesting again. It also helps that the heat waves have finally come to an end, and I can work with layers.Although I tend to

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-3099600310483671272009-11-01T14:36:00.000-08:002009-11-01T14:59:10.209-08:00

My Halloween costume this year is not quite as flashy as last year's, but it deserves an award for the effort I've put in to put it together. I only had 4 hours before the party to get everything I needed--namely the skirt, vest, and gloves. The gloves were the easiest to find--I knew that there were a few places that would have them. I've always wanted a pair of long leather gloves, so I'm

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-45713756225825017252009-10-31T10:28:00.000-07:002009-10-31T10:57:30.244-07:00

I usually don't care for half the junk mail that come through the email inbox associated with this blog, but one got my attention. I got an email about Bluefly's America's Most Stylish Blogger challenge. The challenge of the week happens to be the boyfriend vest. As gimmicky as the challenge seems (it is, after all, used to promote the products they're selling), I have to admit that it's

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-14602745710684536952009-10-31T09:29:00.000-07:002009-10-31T10:50:42.194-07:00

Autumn has finally hit Southern California with a vengeance. I'm getting quite a bit of use of my wool suits now. I only have one wool suit and one wool-blend jacket, which doesn't quite do the trick...will have to look for more.On cold days when I have to suit up, but not need to be quite as formal, I turn to my trusty Diane von Furstenburg blue wool-blend shift dress. After wearing it so

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-40809598542421851112009-10-25T11:02:00.000-07:002009-10-25T16:49:35.254-07:00

As I have less and less free time to do things, I lament the diminishing variety of topics on my blog. There used to be more than just fashion--I used to write more about such things as the joys of cooking and cheap/freebie cultural events, but these days I haven't had much time to experience much of either. I'll try to mix things up as time permits.A few weeks ago, my roommate asked me if I

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-24025942784721467162009-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:002009-10-18T10:13:04.826-07:00

"A wide double-buckled stretchy belt that fits" is a fairly specific accessory, perhaps too much so--it has been oh-so elusive. Because my waist is fairly small, it has been all but impossible to find a stretchy belt that doesn't slide down to my hips.Fortunately, I finally found one at Forever 21. The stretchy portion is constructed of a raffia-like material instead of the obvious elastic. Cheap

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-69681216742248662662009-10-18T01:06:00.000-07:002009-10-18T19:06:38.591-07:00

I've been insanely busy with work and battling the flu at the same time. After finally getting the chance catch adequate sleep in the past 36 hours, I'm now wide awake in the middle of the night and feeling closer to normal, so I may as well get a little bit of blogging in before my schedule descends into chaos once more. I've managed to avoid the flu for quite a number of years until now; I

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-31865864754295432362009-10-04T16:45:00.000-07:002009-10-04T17:20:25.845-07:00

After having zero energy for weeks, I'm feeling much better this weekend. I still haven't figured out what exactly is making me so tired--could be allergies, could be not eating well because I have no time to cook lately, or it could be (ironically) too much caffeine--but I'm trying to get back to living a healthier lifestyle. The hardest part is motivating myself to take the time to rest, cook,

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-73752814621955910812009-09-27T17:34:00.001-07:002009-09-27T18:52:22.230-07:00

The "no white after Labor Day" "rule" simply cannot apply to Southern California. While it is now officially Autumn, the temperature is still hovering around 90-100 degrees.Yesterday was one of those hot days. I woke up late in the morning to a phone call inviting me to visit my friends' newborn. I had to put together an outfit in a hurry. It was already 90 degrees at that point, so it made

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-2836642773341045042009-09-24T23:53:00.000-07:002009-09-25T00:19:46.657-07:00

Blogging will probably slow to a crawl for the next month or two. Unfortunately, I don't have much time or energy to do much of anything these days; I don't think I have been this exhausted for quite some time, and I can't quite figure out why even after accounting for work. I'm just gonna take it easy for a few weeks.In other news, I finally got the frickin' amazing grayscale colorblock tights

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-45381764880761186942009-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:002009-09-13T17:56:22.904-07:00

Getting my car washed is like pulling teeth. I used to be able to hose down the car and give it a good rub-a-dub, but no more. My car now gets its rest in an underground garage, where a garden hose is not readily available. Even if a garden hose is available, I could not use it liberally--with an ongoing drought in California comes water use restrictions and/or higher rates for high water use.

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-68187920960087200412009-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:002009-09-13T12:11:12.304-07:00

It feels like I haven't blogged for ages. Life just got rather busy, with weddings, visiting friends and family, and mundane everyday chores in general. I'm still around, though, and posting will go on until the day I decide to quit doing this for good.Based on what I've seen on street-style blogs, a popular trend that has existed for some time is the cuffing of the pant leg. Little things like

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-38240857563515915372009-08-31T23:21:00.000-07:002009-08-31T23:49:40.577-07:00

While I like flowy tops and outerwear, loose dresses usually do not suit my body type very well. It creates the illusion of a huge midsection. Somehow, Stella McCartney's signature loose look works for me. I feel like can move around freely, and even throw in a silly twirl or two. This is pretty important on busy workdays--after all, all work and no play turns Jane into one dull lass.A casual

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-39297354559647536482009-08-30T11:16:00.000-07:002009-08-30T12:09:50.311-07:00

It is hard to work to really, really long hours. It is even harder to motivate oneself to dress up for it. However, I do believe that making a little bit of effort to look good does somewhat translate to feeling a little better and adopting a more serious demeanor to face the challenges of the day. My workwear this past week consisted of a mix of loose, flowing dresses to fitted but stretchy

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-43294974556097773242009-08-24T18:46:00.000-07:002009-08-24T18:46:00.185-07:00

When I was a student, I believed that I needed to start building a wardrobe of dress shirts for my impending entry into the professional world, even though I never liked wearing them. However, I overestimated the true need for these shirts, and most of them have been banished to the very corner of the closet. I've come to realize that I've been behaving somewhat like a kid who does not want to

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-7054195105578101132009-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:002009-08-23T21:05:19.667-07:00

Last night/this early morning was boisterously fun, a kind of fun that I haven't had in a long time. My friends and I hopped from one party to another, but it's not the kind of party-hopping that would have happened in the earlier years. We're all grown up now, have complex and demanding jobs, and some starting families, so it's a lot different these days. Still, we put away our Blackberries (

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-31745012360605103292009-08-22T10:08:00.000-07:002009-08-22T11:35:17.755-07:00

The Barney's Warehouse Sale has moved from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica out to the LA Convention Center. A lot of people don't like the move, with the parking situation being the main complaint. To be sure, the parking is no longer free, since parking rates anywhere in Downtown LA do not come cheap...unless you know the area well and can find a spot gratis on a safe side street. However,

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-26988223899654728792009-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:002009-08-17T00:28:11.587-07:00

It's hard to believe that we're already halfway through August; it seems like Summer had just begun. The daytime is still very hot, but the air rapidly cools down once the sun starts to set, enough for me to want to put on another layer. The question, of course, is which layer to choose. Knits and hoodies are too warm, and the very sheer pieces are a bit too light. What is just right?I've never

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-18966006710979600032009-08-10T02:01:00.000-07:002009-08-11T23:31:52.492-07:00

I try to distinguish myself in a suit-and-tie world by dressing a little less corporate, but no less professional. I just hate fussing with collared shirts. The dress shirts are saved for my suit days; I try to avoid them on days when I don't need a suit.It might surprise some people to learn that a large percentage of tops I wear to work are well-fitted t-shirts. It makes perfect sense to me,

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-44657395042927251462009-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:002009-08-03T23:32:07.005-07:00

I spent much of the last week in hot weather, both at home and on the road. I had an unexpectedly long stay in Arizona, where it was 115 degrees every day. Looking professional and staying cool was something of a wardrobe challenge, especially when I expected only to be there one day and ended up staying for three.By now, I've gotten pretty good at packing very few clothing items that could be

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-67356302339682550002009-07-26T02:48:00.000-07:002009-10-31T10:51:23.888-07:00

Many people associate shiny fabrics strictly with evening wear, and woe to those "fashion victims" who wear "too much" bling during the day. That kind of mentality is really a shame, since it seriously limits the number of times the shiny fabrics could be worn.Functionally speaking, too much shine during the day can be a bad thing because it is literally glaring; one should not have to wear

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16877633.post-15817246115060662692009-07-25T10:30:00.000-07:002009-07-26T03:21:54.722-07:00

A couple of months ago, my roommate and I hosted a clothing swap. We put out a bunch of snacks (plus more contributions from the guests), a mirror, and some music on the stereo, and the rest took care of themselves. Playing dress-up had never been more fun.At the end of the day, we all had an impressive haul. My roommate's new collection consists of a lot of my old clothes; she looks even better

Sales Rack Raiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13536371997251124417salesrackraider@gmail.com2