Curbside Stories

 Apple launched the iPhone in 2008 and everyone wants to own one. Recently, Apple produced another technology breakthrough--the iPad... and just the same, everyone wants to own one.  After producing the most coveted gadgets of the millennium, what's next for Apple?   On 2012, they are projecting the release of the iBoard with over a hundred widgets on the screen.  On 2014, behold for the coming of the iMat... the downside of this monster gadget is that you can't bring it anywhere but what's great about this is that you can share it with over thirty people. For the details of the next "i" things in Apple, click here .

This would be my last entry of shoes for the month of February  and the end to my month's tribute to Alexander McQueen in my shoe blog .  I've been away in the blogosphere for quite a while and I want to make my comeback special and memorable by posting the most talked about shoe of the late Alexander McQueen... yes, the infamous "armadillo" shoes from his Paris Spring 2010 collection . I personally don't like the shoe but on the runway, like what he usually does, it was a spectacular moment in fashion.  The armadillo shoe was first worn by Lady Gaga in her Bad Romance music video but it was Daphne Guiness who had the guts to wear it in an event .  We were all in astonishment when another fashion risk taker, Kelis, wore the same shoe during the 1st Annual Data Awards on January 28, a few weeks before McQueen claimed his own life.   The armadillo shoe and other McQueen runway OTTs, will forever remind us that fashion has no limits and every design is an ...

I just finished watching the elimination of American Idol Season 9 and four talented individuals were voted out--fortunately my bets weren't eliminated.  I already know the results even before its airing on Philippine television--that's the power of the internet, so I wasn't exactly surprised of the results.  Still remember American Idol Season 8 finalist Allison Iraheta?  She sang Scars , another single from her 2009 album "Just Like You", before Ryan announced it was time for Ashley to go home.  I liked the song, it was the first time I heard it.  While the guys seating on the first row were waiting for their fate, Kris Allen performed Let It Be , originally sang by the Beatles--I liked it, too.  This is the part where my hormones started to control over me.  I was at the verge of crying while watching Kris perform... an emotional song with a truly emotional video is a sucker for me.  Kris's eyes welled with tears too after he finished the song...

Cancer. One of the most dreaded diseases of mankind.  It chooses no one and usually attacks undetected.  So many researches have been made about the disease and fortunately scientists were able to find its prevention and cure .  My aunts were not spared of the disease.  They were in their mid-30s when the disease was diagnosed and it was just a lump on their breast that started it all.  Both my aunts have had mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy.  Both became bald in the process but that didn't stop them from living normal lives.  My grandmother in Germany would send both my aunts different types of wigs and silicone breasts to put into their bras, they would even joke about it.  In the process, there are so many questions and although a few went unanswered, we are still grateful to the Lord that there is cure and there is hope.  They recovered after a year and both are working again and living normal lives. Many, due to late diagnosi...

Although it is 33 degrees, it didn't stop me from cooking my comfort food --macaroni soup.  My macaroni soup tonight is special, it is experimental because I wasn't able to complete the ingredients of my original recipe.  Instead of the usual ground pork that I mix in, I ended up using ground beef because I forgot to buy one in the grocery.  It turned out great fortunately.  As I am writing this blog, I take brief pauses to have a spoonful of my ultimate comfort food.  I am not good at measuring ingredients but if you want to try my recipe, here are the ingredients:  1/4 kilo ground beef or pork or chicken 4 pieces hotdogs cut into small pieces 1 cup diced potatoes 1 cup diced carrots 1 medium cabbage cut into wide strips 1 cup macaroni 2 cloves crushed garlic 1 onion diced 2 chicken cubes ground pepper fish sauce 1 cup evaporated milk 1. Saute onion and garlic in a little amount of cooking oil under low fire. 2. Add the beef/pork/chicken and 2 cups of w...

Writer's block. Yeah, that's what this is all about.  After a long blog entry about politics and the coming elections, I am now writing uninspired.  I was supposed to write about what I cooked for lunch yesterday but I decided there's nothing too special about it aside form the fact that I cooked on a weekend.  I missed an entry for my McQueen tribute on my shoe blog ... I just couldn't put the right words together. Although I am not forced to write about anything every day, I believe it is my responsibility as a serious blogger to give my readers something worthy of reading.  This is not my career, only an outlet whenever random thoughts are too much for my brain to handle and I guess this time, random thoughts aren't randomly appearing.

On May 10, the people of the Philippines will once again decide the nation's fate and they will again blame each other for voting them after a month. This would be my second time to vote for the next president and the first time, I admit, I didn't have much thinking on who should have my vote... actually none of the presidentiables got my vote.  Having said that, I have the right to blame the rest of the Filipino voters for voting the incumbent.  I can still wait, anyway it's only a few months left before somebody takes over. Even before the Commission on Elections proclaim the who's who in every government position, those who didn't make it and those who aspire for greater power already have their plans for the next election.  It is a six-year plan that has to be made perfect so that the naive voters will swoon over their mouthful of promises... I say mouthful because most of their promises end up being puked... even they couldn't swallow what they are promis...

I am sitting here, all alone, inside my office.  I know it is a mortal sin to do things during office hours aside from work but is it my fault that I have finished all my day's task sooner than anyone could have imagined?  Excuses. I am thinking, more of feeling, that I need a good back massage later.  It is Friday and I think I deserve a little pampering after a long week of stress... so I will have a back massage.  I will just consider this brief blogging time as an early coffee break and will make myself useful and productive again in 10 minutes. Continuing... I miss my son.  This is what usually happens when I am not occupied with anything.  He just turned two, oh how time passes by so fast that sometimes I just wish it would stop for a while.  Earlier this morning, when he woke up, he refused to go with his nanny.  It's been like that for a week now and I started to wonder what causes him to behave like that.   Maybe I spend les...

In Grandma's last will , she disclosed her vast farmland to her grandson.  She secretly made the farmland bountiful by paying visits every night.  All the while she thought no one had seen her, but days after she said her will to his grandson, a teenage boy approached him and said, "take this, it will help you".  The teenage boy disappeared even before her grandson could even ask questions.  On his hand was a brown envelope, he opened it and to his shock he saw this:

Let me just take a break in posting the most beautiful shoes in the market and let me focus for a while in this really interesting book that I accidentally found as I was browsing for interesting topics about shoes.  The browsing brought me to The Shoe Diet . I got curious about the title, it made me think three of things: the book is about the process of rehab for shoe addiction or you will become thin by wearing a specific type of shoe or you become thin by eating a shoe.  Ok, so the third thought was out of this world but anything is possible.   I researched further to finally get me out of curiosity and I arrived at the book's official website .  The author of the book, Isabelle R. Shaw--a noted scientist and researcher, would like to show women a different strategy to lose weight... not to eat shoe, but to reward oneself with her most coveted shoe in every milestone of her dieting adventure.  The author shares her personal experiences in dieting and...

  Do you know how old is she?  Judging from this picture, she looks 30.  After verification, she's only 22, she was born on July 16, 1987. The 90210 star clearly doesn't want to dress her age.  Yes, yes, yes.  She's of age, but the cleavage and too much legs made her look trashy and trying too hard.  The ruffled hemline and hoop earrings also didn't do well with the whole look.  In all aspects, 77% voted in People Magazine that this is a miss .   Do not try to convince me that she has a good fashion sense because I haven't seen her in the many lists of best dressed in Hollywood .  Do not also try to defend that most stars in the list has established career and already earned a million... many starlets in the biz has a good sense of style sans a stylist, take for example  Selena Gomez , Jessica Szhor , Leighton Meester and many others.  She has a nice figure, really gorgeous hair and a beautiful face... and I bet by this tim...

I just moved into a new department... actually it is a new department that I have to organize.  This is my first time to supervise people in a department.  I am happy about the opportunity considering that IT is not my graduate course.  I know that this will be a hard task to do--to organize an organization, but I will make this work for my career's sake. Haha! I have been researching on the web on how to organize an organization, I actually found many sites that gives tips about it and I am currently applying some in my department.  I particularly like Wisteria Formations' tips on setting up and maintaining an organization --from business registration to ending a tenure... they can even suggest a name for your company or organization.  To access their complete line of services, all you have to do is register and answer a few question. I know that this is only a minor step if I really wanted to set up let's say a small business or a company in the future, bu...

Don't you just love Tina Fey ?  This is very much different to what she is on the red carpet as she looks fresh, even down to earth, approachable and sexy without trying too hard.  She looks younger too compared to her Golden Globes pictures .  In Huffington Post's poll for America's sexiest comedienne , she is number 1 and I couldn't agree less. You can own a copy of this issue on March in all magazine stores.

Do you ever wonder how hair stylists keep celebrity poufs pouf all day/night long ?  The old school trick is to tease the hair and hair spray like crazy... but it doesn't guarantee all day glam.  The answer to keeping hair pouf in place is the WoWowHair . Three steps is all you need to achieve instant glam and tamed hair.  It acts like a headband only worn underneath a section of the hair to make it invisible.  The teeth will keep it in place so you will never have to worry about your pouf droop.

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot,  who calls you back when you hang up on him,  who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat,  or will stay awake just to watch you sleep...  wait for the boy who kisses your forehead,  who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats,  who holds your hand in front of his friends,  who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on.  One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU...  The one who turns to his friends and says, that's her... I don't know where my cousin got this, but when I read this in her blog , I just realized that she's all grown up.  I am 12 years her senior and I remember playing with her when she was just a little girl and she used to bite me on my arms.  Now that she's all grown up, reading her thoughts about her perception of the world makes me proud that she is my cousin.   It is...

I was watching the early news today and I was shocked when the anchor announced Alexander McQueen was found dead in his house . The cause of his death is still unknown but there are speculations that he committed suicide because of depression brought about by his mother's death.    Image from Harper's Bazaar . I chose Alexander McQueen's red, devilish hot boots as the maiden entry of my shoe blog .  He is a brilliant designer--outrageous and brilliant are the exact words to explain his pieces.   He is at the pinnacle of his success but unfortunately his career has to end soon.  Anna Wintour considered him as one of the greatest designers of his generation--I agree.  McQueen's runway shows were always a production, an entertainment in itself, and once again-even for the last time, he never disappointed his guests during his 2010 collection .  It is no wonder why celebrities and high society people go crazy about his designs.  He once dresse...

It is Valentine's Day on Sunday and our office will have a pre-Valentine's Party on the 12th (tomorrow!).  Everyone should wear anything red tomorrow, be it pants, top, accessory or undergarment .  I freaked out a little because I only have two red things in my closet and I've worn one last week... that means I am left with only one and I could not definitely wear it tomorrow.  Maybe later I'll have an emergency shopping and I am thinking of buying a red shoe.  Argh! Whatever! I hate last minute shopping! For all of you out there here are some red items that will help you survive V-day in style. Red satin one-shoulder dress from Badgley Mischka Platinum Label, $795 $477 at Bluefly .   Black Halo 'Jackie' belted minidress , $361 at Nordstrom .   Kalliste red pumps , $189.89 at Yoox .   Michael by Michael Kors 'Fulton' sandals , $98 at Zappos .   Heart Lock hinged wallet , $11.99 at Tilly's .   Jessica McClintock sequins and satin ...

  From this view you would not think this is a wedge shoe.  When I first saw this, I thought it is a potato sack that was made to a home decor.  Haha!   From this view it is starting to look like a shoe.   From this view you get the whole idea of the shoe.  This Elizabeth and James Send1 wedge shoe has a snake embossed upper leather, cushioned leather foot bed,  pointed toe in a 4 1/2 inch heel that gives the perfect illusion of wearing a potato sack for a foot wear.  If you like it, get it here (it is actually on sale).

  Sneakers are supposed to be made for running or walking long distance.  This design has made its comeback (I first saw heeled sneakers when I was in high school) and hopefully this will be its last.  But, if you would like to have one for let's say to complete your shoe collection, click here .

The two are not exactly the same, just to clarify but both are boots, peep toe, nude and wedge so I might as well consider them as mirror image.  The Rich Hippie laser cut out wedge is $315 at Neiman Marcus while the Kelsi Dagger nude wedge is only $148 at Urban Outfitters .  I could not decide which is best disregarding the price.  What do you think?

It is Valentine's Day again and we are now caught in the dilemma on what gift to give to our love ones.  Flowers and chocolates are the most common gifts men give to women, it is not bad at all but come on, men can do better than that.  Women are also caught in this gift buying dilemma and more often than not, women would buy a belt, wallet, a watch or perfume for their beau.  So, to add variation here are some Valentine's Day gift suggestions for him or her.   You've given too many watches already, so why not give him/her a watch case this time to store all his/her watches.  Available at gifts.com for $39.95.   This is kind of mushy but hey it is V-day, this To Love You Photo Cube is available at Find Gift for $24.95.   Add a little humor to V-day by giving him/her this I Am A Stuffed Animal Buddy , all you have to do is give the picture to IAASA and they will turn it into a stuffed effigy of your man/woman.  Available at Find Gift for $...

 This Alexander McQueen boots will surely unleash the devil in you.  The zipper-toothed edging and exposed sides are a mix of sexy and edgy.  For $999 at Zappos Couture , other boots will shy away from this pair.

  Guieseppe Zanotti  four zip ankle boots (also available in black), $934 $468 at Far Fetch . N. Y. L. A Cudahy boot (also available in black and white), $119.95 at Endless . At one zipper less, you get the same effect minus the hefty price tag.

I couldn't possibly wear boots in the Philippines at the current season but I would like to own a pair in preparation for the rainy days come June.  I am currently wanting a pair of wrap around boots because it is a perfect complement to my bad-ass self.  Many Hollywood stars like Carrie Underwood , Jennifer Love Hewitt and Mariah Carey are sporting this kind of boots in town and they all looked chic.  Again, here is my splurge, save and steal options for the wrap around boots: SPLURGE Dolce Vita strappy platform boots, $398 $339 at Victoria's Secret . SAVE   Luichiny Ray of Light Boots, $69.95 at Endless . STEAL     Leg Avenue Bandit Boot, $64.99 at Endless .

I am a newbie in the blogging industry .  What really put me into blogging is my love for writing.  I basically blog because I want to share my life discoveries and the things that I like to those who have the same interest as mine.  I used to maintain a diary but the dawn of the internet and blog sure made it easier for me to keep an updated journal.  A friend suggested that I sign up for sites that pay bloggers to write about a specific topic or interest, some of the sites she mentioned were Pay Per Post , Social Spark and Blog Advertising Store .  Bloggers have different reasons for blogging , my main intent to having a blog is just to blog but I tried signing up on the sites just to have an idea on how the thing works. The first two sites require a blog to be at least 3 months old for opportunities to come in while Blog Advertising Store only requires the blog to have a certain Alexa ranking before one can reserve an opportunity.   I am getting the...

Stress in life is inevitable. There are different types of stress: chronic, eustress, and workplace stress. Chronic stress is a persistent stress which leads to illness or mental disorder. Eustress is defined as a positive stress that can lead a person to an improved long-term function. Workplace stress, the most rampant of the three, is caused by employment or the industry. Stress is manifested by exhaustion, irritability, inability to concentrate and other physiological manifestations such as headache and elevated heart rate. Different people have different ways of handling stress. Workplace stress as the most common stress in this technology era and ironic as it seems, despite the numerous technologies available that promise to make the lives of workers easier, workplace stress is still there. Doctors and professionals in occupational health highly suggests the following measures to combat stress in the workplace : 1. Familiarize your workplace. Organize your things and keep your...

I got an unexpected message last Friday from an old med school friend that he'll visit me the next day.  I don't want to buy the idea that he'll actually visit because it has been almost six years that we haven't seen each other.  I met him on 2002 in medical school and I had bad first impression on him but that impression changed when we got to get to know each other... we would buy groceries and eat at the parking lot together with our other new friends, gather for a group study, go to Tagaytay after a day of mind boggling exams, and laughing about the weirdest things... it was a lot of fun!  They made my med school days a lot easier.  I left school on the 2nd year for some "weird" reason.  I could still remember them giving me a med school shirt as souvenir... those were the days! He made his promise to visit and I really appreciate all the effort of coming and tagging along another dear friend.  We had dinner and exchange our life stories.

What's in for me on Valentine's Day ? This entry is not about me feeling oh so sad for being single on V-Day.  I actually have the slightest idea that in a weeks time is Valentine's because what interests me more is the Chinese New Year which happens to be on February 14, too. Valentine's Day is not for couples only, mind you guys.  I know some people, single like me, who celebrate it more meaningfully than what typical couples do.  February 14 is the celebration of love and love is not only manifested if you have a partner--as long as you have a relationship (your family and friends), then by all means, celebrate Valentine's Day! On V-Day I'd be at home doing domestic works.. I don't expect any gifts of any kind.  I'll have a date with my son.  I'll cook dinner form him, talk about the silliest things and sing him lullabies. While probably most couples in the metro will be battling traffic to get to their date place on time and most people in th...

Do you remember my previous entry about Louis Vuitton's Urban Satchel Bag???  If you don't, click here and go back to this entry after reading it. Louis Vuitton has launched the bag that used to contain all the trash that was put on to the Urban Satchel Bag.  Yep, you guessed it right... the actual trash bag. Behold for the coming of LV Raindrop Besace Shoulder Bag !  It is not purposely made in leather to reiterate the utilitarianism thing going on, instead a raincoat material is used.  At $1,960 (Available in two colors, thank heavens!) you can own this trash bag to safely store your trash... you will never have to worry about having your trash err things wet when it rains... you can call it trash' in style?!  If your mom asks you to put the garbage bag out of the house and you don't want your crush to see you doing the dirty task... instead of the black trash bag, use this LV bag and you are throwing trash in style in no time!   The bag debuted...

The office issued me a paper shredder about a year ago but unfortunately I couldn't use it anymore because it is already broken.  I resorted to tearing the papers by hand or I use scissors... a really boring thing to do.  To my delight, I saw this  Shredder Hand that will finally put an end to my paper shredding dilemma.  This gadget is a scissor with 5 blades so each time you snip, the paper is cut into several strips and although it is manual, it saves electricity...how brilliant!  It is so convenient, it beats other manual paper shredders in the market. Why the hell am I talking about paper shredders???

Ever wondered how many visitors you entertain in a month and how many hours you spend entertaining them? Well, better check out Dominic Wilcox's design--the Home Visitor Recorder that stores the total number of visitors, their average age, average weight, the average time they stayed, etc. Dominic Wilcox is an artist based in the UK.  His designs are inspired by everyday objects that he incorporate with wit, alternative perspective and sometimes humor.  He earned a degree in Visual Communication at Edinburgh College of Art  and he later took MA at the Royal College of Art .   To see more of Dominic Wilcox's designs, click here .