Metronome

I've recently discovered the benefits of chi running. One of the best things I learned there was the importance of cadence. A fast cadence (around 85-90 beats per minute) is recommended as this lessens the amount of time your feet are on the ground (minimizes injuries). It's important to maintain the same cadence throughout your run. If you want to speed up your pace, what you adjust is your stride (not your cadence). You lengthen your stride at the back (not the front).

A useful tool we used to learn to keep our stride at 85-90 was a metronome. It's actually a gadget used by musicians. But apparently has applications for runners and bikers as well. It emits a beeping sound following the beats per minute setting that you input. Then you run following the beat of the beep. I ordered the Seiko version via Amazon since it looked like the most portable and the type I could wear during a run. Unfortunately, I'll have to limit wearing this to training runs - can't use it during races since the sound will irritate other runs. Costs $18.

Handpresso Hand-Pump Portable Espresso Machine

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I think espresso pods are so cute and hi tech. Then I found out about this espresso machine gadget that's even way cooler. It's an espresso machine that doesn't need electricity nor batteries. It just needs old fashioned muscle power. I ordered it for my friends who are divers. It's a perfect item for them to have aboard their diveboat. Imagine having a nice cup of espresso waiting for you after your dive! Sold as a set in Amazon for $179. Comes with 4 cups and a flask.

Gourmet Writer Food Decorator Pens

I don't get to bake that often anymore nowadays. But these would be really cool to try. I recently ordered these for my sister's friend. They're food decorating pens. The ink is made of food coloring. Perfect for decorating fondant cakes, cookies etc. Available in Amazon for $12.96 for a set of 10 pens.

Chanel Nail Polish: Particuliere

Am loving khaki shades of nail polish this summer. Different shades compliment different skin tones. Chanel's Particuliere looked like a shade that would work well with my skin tone. Unfortunately, my beauty expert sis told me these were difficult to find, even online. They're sold out everywhere. That just challenged me even more to find them :) I finally did via eBay. Cost me around $35. But they were worth it. They look great!

Road ID

A few months ago, it dawned on me (as I was doing a long run all alone), what if something happens to me in the middle of my run? Like I get injured, hit by a car, robbed etc. I'm all alone, no cellphone (don't bring it when I run), hardly bring money (only small bills), no wallet, no ID. If people find me hurt or injured, they won't know who to call.

So I decided to get myself a Road ID. It easily attaches onto your shoelaces. Mine even nicely match my running shoes (my New Balance 1063 - will write up a blog post on those soon). My Road ID contain my name, my husband's phone number, and my Dad's phone number. There are other models aside from the shoelace type. You can get those that are for the wrist or the ankle.

I've got more peace of mind now (so does my hubby) when I do my long runs.

Check them out at Road ID. Mine cost $19.99.

Crate and Barrel Ice Cream Pint Tub

Take frozen treats with you in this special tub, designed with freezer gel in the lid to prevent meltdowns. Simply freeze the screw-on lid for 2.5 hours, and a pint of ice cream or sorbet will stay frozen for up to two hours. Also great for trips to the grocery when you aren't going right home.

$12.95 in Crate & Barrel.

Green Balanzza Ergonomic Digital Compact Luggage Scale

It's been 4 months since my last post. Sorry everyone! Been busy busy....

Anyway, here's one of my latest online purchases. I was hoping to use it on a trip this month. But that trip's been cancelled thanks to the H1N1 virus. So I'll have to wait a few more months til I can test it.

This digital compact luggage scale is a cool gadget to bring with you when you travel. After you pack your bags, you can find out how much they weigh and see if you're within your airline's baggage limits. That way you don't get shocked with excess baggage fees when you go and check in.

$16.99 in Amazon.

BodyGlide Anti-Blister and Chafing Stick

When I started running, I thought only guys had to worry about chafing (they usually chafe in the chest area). But after my first few long runs, I realized it was a problem women had as well. I had terrible pains in my inner thighs, sports bra lines, and even in the arms (because of my iPod arm band). Most people use petroleum jelly to do the trick. But I find it too greasy, and it can ruin your clothing. So I opted to buy BodyGlide online. It's less greasy, took away all my chafing problems, and it's sweatproof (so you don't have to worry about reapplying in the middle of long runs). Definitely a must for serious runners. Get it on Amazon for around $5.95.

Digital BBQ Thermometers

Check out my latest gadget purchase! Was reading a tech blog today and today's post featured a talking digital BBQ thermometer. It got me curious and I started checking out the range of models in Amazon. In the end, I opted for the Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking Oven/Barbeque Thermometer.

Now I can cook my beef, chicken, fish to perfection! And since it's wireless upto 300+ feet, I can leave the stove or BBQ pit, sit by my TV and wait for the gadget to alert me when my food's almost cooked. I hope it arrives in time for Christmas! if not, I'm looking forward to using it in our BBQ pit in our future home. Here's the product description on Amazon:

Whether it's a roast for a dinner party or a turkey for the holidays, this handy thermometer ensures meals get cooked to perfection. The unit features a digital LCD screen and a remote wireless probe to identify the temperature of meat. Simply insert the stainless-steel 6-inch probe into the meat, run the 40-inch wire out of the oven or barbeque, and close the door. The sensor will display the current temperature ranging from 32 to 572 degrees F. Choose from eight entree programs including beef, lamb, veal, hamburger, pork, turkey, chicken, and fish, along with four doneness selections, which include rare, medium rare, medium, and well done. Two verbal and three audio alert options indicate the status of food--almost ready, ready, and overcooked. After reaching the selected temperature, an audio alarm will sound. Since the thermometer offers wireless operation, there's no need to miss out on the party in order to constantly check on dinner. In fact, the main unit can receive the probe signal from up to 330 feet away. In addition, the thermometer speaks in five languages (English, Spanish, German, French, and Danish), offers a low-battery indicator, and its probe detaches from the sensor for easy cleaning. Two AA batteries for the main unit and two AAA batteries for the transmitter come included. The main unit measures 5-3/5 by 2-3/4 by 1-1/2 inches, and the remote unit measures 3-2/5 by 3-2/5 by 1-1/5 inches.

This model is about $43. Other similar items range from $20-$50. Check them out!

Sassyspot Shoes

Here's another local Multiply shoe site you might want to check out. Sassyspot has a pretty wide collection. A lot of them look like shoes I've seen in trendy foreign sites. And they sell them at pretty good prices. Thanks to sis Agoo for the tip!

Renegade Folk Shoes

I learned about Renegade Folk's shoes when they were featured in a local magazine. I checked out their Multiply site and found so many cool styles. I wanted to get these 2 pairs:

Stay Out of Trouble (Ps 2,100)


Working Class Hero (Ps 1,950)


Unfortunately, they didn't have my size anymore of the Stay Out of Trouble style. So I just got the Working Class Hero. Love the shoes. They're very comfy and very well made - good quality. Renegade Folk delivered very quickly too. Nice and efficient service. They've got other fab styles too, which are nice and unique vs other shoe stores (incl online stores). Check them out at Renegade Folk's Multiply site.

Elfster - Secret Santa Online

It's Christmas time again! This year though, most of us are starting to feel the pinch. I've cut down my Christmas gift shopping budget compared to previous years. One thing that always seems to help in managing the budget (and saves on time in shopping for too many gifts) is doing the Kris Kringle (or Secret Santa or Exchange Gift). Today I found out about this really neat website, Elfster, that sort of automates the whole thing for you. That way, no one's stuck being the organizer who knows who everyone's "baby" is. The site even advises the group of the gift budget, gift theme, and even allows for gift suggestions and anonymous messages. Why didn't anyone think of this before? Very cool!

Apple Online Store - Now Open in the Philippines!

Yay! The Apple Online Store is finally open in the Philippines. Check it out. You can buy everything from iPod accessories to MacBook Pros. You can pay online and have them delivered to your doorstep. Just in time for Christmas!

Urban Outfitters

I've known of this brand for some time. But never really bothered to check out their site nor visit their stores since their clothes looked too avante garde for me. I went into their Las Vegas store though a few months ago to buy an item requested by a friend. I found so many cool items in the store! Here's the item my friend asked me to buy, the Cheap Monday Open Shoulder Hoodie ($55). Very cool!



I love their little gift items. Think I'll do some Xmas shopping on their site:

Enormous Lash Grower

Here's a new beauty item that beauty editor sis is trying out. I checked out the online articles on it, including customer feedback, and everyone seems to say it really works. Let's see what sis says after a few days.

More info at Amazon, plus check out the demo video. Price around $95.

Garmin Forerunners

Since I'm now a running addict, you'll start to see more posts about running gear and gadgets :-)

This one is about a new gadget I recently purchased, a Garmin Forerunner. It appealed to me because I needed to figure out the distance I was running on my run routes (the other way would have been to drive around the same route in my car and check the distance via the odometer). The Forerunner does this for me via its built in GPS. It also automatically computes my pace, the elevation, plus a bunch of other stuff.

I got a 305 model (pictured above). Costs about $180. But there's a newer, sleeker model that has a touch screen, the 405 (see below). The 405 was beyond my budget though ($300).



They're both available on Amazon.

It's amazing how the Forerunner has evolved. Take a look at how the older models looked years ago. I can;t believe people actually wore these on their wrists then!

Nike Lunar Trainers

A few months ago, I decided to pick up running again as a sport (last time I was seriously into it was when I was in high school!). My Nike trainers needed to be retired since the sole was starting to come off already. Perfect timing, since that was when the Nike launched their new Lunar Trainers. They boast being one of the lightest shoes in the market, aside from their being developed with the latest technology c/o NASA. I tried them on, and they were definitely light and very flexible. It's like running with socks! I decided to get them and have been using them for the past 6 weeks. Have worn them in my last 3 races.

You can find them locally at Nike shops. Around Ps5000 ($100).

Artehouse Signs

On a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, my hubby and I came across a quaint crafts store that sold nice vintage, customizable signs such as these. I took note of the online store they're available from, since I may just want to order a few next year when we build our new home. It'll fit right in with the modern country look we're planning to do.

You can see more of their designs at Artehouse

Pulse Smartpen

Here's an amazing new gadget that I just found out about thru my ofcmate. You take notes using a special pad which has got special buttons that work with the pen (pretty cool feature). And then the pen records audio (like a teacher's lecture, or meeting discussions) as you take notes. You can then download all the stuff from the pen to your PC.

The best way to describe it really is for you to see the demo video. Check it out here.

Available at Amazon or Target. $149 for 1GB and $199 for 2GB.

Pottery Barn Books

I just got married recently. Among the items I had on my online wedding registry were books from Pottery Barn. I'm so so happy that my friend got them for us. The flat we live in now has a sort of Pottery Barn feel. We're now beginning to plan out building our dream house in Westgrove, and I want the same feel. Sort of modern country, and cozy. So these books came at the perfect time. They're such a joy to browse! I currently have the set that came with the books on Living Rooms, Bedrooms and Bathrooms. Also got the Outdoor Spaces book. Found out Amazon also has Pottery Barn books on Dining Rooms, Working Spaces, Kids Rooms, and Storage and Display. I'm working on getting those books too. I hope they have one for Kitchens.

You can find them on www.amazon.com (search for Pottery Barn books) or on www.potterybarn.com

Giraffe Print Diaper Bags

My friends recently ordered this fashionable diaper bag as a gift. I've been on an animal print phase the past 2 yrs (shoes, bags, you name it), so this of course caught my interest. I don't have any kids yet, but I've bookmarked it on my computer in case I do have babies in the future. I'm definitely getting this bag for myself! It's available on Amazon (see link below). Aside from the tote version, it also comes in messenger and hobo styles. So cool!

http://www.amazon.com/OiOi-Giraffe-Tote/dp/B000YOLSEE/ref=pd_cp_ba_1?pf_rd_p=413863701&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0010P81P0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1PE6NV6H3DAB04M56688

Bach Flower Remedies

I was introduced to these 10 yrs ago through my Mom's acupuncturist. She recommended it to me, to help relieve stress from work etc. Basically they're a range of liquids produced from a variety of flowers. You take them via a dropper - you place a drop or two on your tongue. You can take a single kind or a variety of flowers, depending on what you're trying to relieve in yourself. I recall I did a combination then that addressed stress from work, health and my love life (or non-existent one at that time ;) And it really worked! It really made me feel so much better. I used to get them from my Mom's acupuncturist. But when when she migrated abroad, I had to start getting them online. I eventually stopped taking them (I guess I felt so well already, I didn't feel a need for any relief anymore). I recently found them though again when I was travelling in Europe a few months ago. I found a spray version (you spritz it into your mouth), which seemed pretty handy, so I got one. I got the all around version one which is a mix of several flowers. It's called the Bach Rescue Remedy. Came in very handy as I was pretty stressed then with our upcoming wedding, work etc.

Check them out on: http://www.bachremedies.co.uk

Kayak.com

This site was recommended to me by a friend of mine yday. I love the concept! I've always been lazy to use sites like Expedia, Orbitz etc which offer cheap options for flights, hotels etc. I guess because there are a number of them, and I was afraid I might shortchange myself by booking in one site, only to find out there was a cheaper option in another site. Also, they always struck me as US-centric type of services, so I didn't think they would be helpful to me since I usually look for flights to/from the Philippines. Kayak.com hopes to address all that. Kayak.com isn't an online seller of flights etc. They're sort of a search engine that will find the best offer for you, across all these other sites I just mentioned. So it's great because it takes away the guesswork from you. And it finds you bargains that originate/terminate from the Philippines as well.

Check it out: http://www.kayak.com/

Points.com

I've racked up quite a lot of frequent flyer miles from the numerous business trips and vacation trips I've done through the years. I have a bunch of Asia Miles expiring this month and I was trying to figure out what to do so they wouldn't go to waste. Was going to use them to book a local flight in Spain (for a trip I'm taking next month). But they wouldn't accept one-way tickets. Looked around Asia Miles' site some more and discovered a link to this site called Points.com. It's the coolest thing ever. Points.com is basically some sort of online shopping mall where you can trade not only your frequent flyer miles from a number of airlines, but also loyalty points from certain membership clubs etc, and use them to purchase goods like gift cards from a wide range of online retailers. I ended up trading my soon-to-expire miles for a $64 Amazon gift card. Not bad!

http://www.points.com/

Blue Nile Diamonds

As you may have noticed, my avatar on the left has changed. Yes, I´m getting married!!! As any girl will tell you, the engagement ring is one of the most exciting parts of the "getting married" process. It must be pretty memorable for the guys too, since aside from having to spend a considerable sum on it, there´s a lot of pressure on whether it will meet the bride to be´s expectations.

To be honest, I never could understand how a guy could go buy the engagement ring before proposing, without consulting his future bride. Outside of the usual ring size (which he could find out thru her friends or family), I think it would be good to know what kind of cut she´d like, what carat, what type of setting etc. This is a lot of money we´re talking about here. You don´t want to get it wrong. And really girls, once they get down on bended knee, propose, and give us the ring, do we really have the heart to tell them that we don´t exactly like the pear cut diamond set on yellow gold? We´ll just grin and bear it.....

So ever practical me and my fiancee, worked on this together. He knew exactly what I wanted (with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd options to boot,in case the 1st option wasn´t avai). And to be fair, he did so much research on this area too (he´s an expert on diamonds now), that I learned a lot of new things about diamonds too thru him, which influenced my choices in the end.

As part of our practical search for my dream engagement ring (and true to my being an internet shopping queen ;-) we came across Blue Nile (http://www.bluenile.com/). The site had a great range of diamonds, plus the site was so user-friendly, it was just sooo much fun to browse around and"build a ring". Best of all, their prices were unbelievable (30-50% cheaper than retail!). Of course first thing we did was do our research and make sure they weren´t some fly by night, too good to be true site. And we were pleasantly surprised to find out how reputable it was. It´s the biggest online retailer of diamonds, has consistently been among Forbes top retailers, and had tons of positive fdbk from customers. The only negative fdbk I saw were from customers who said their order arrived 1 day late. We also found out how they could sell their items at such an affordable price (they cut off the middlemen, save on overhead since their online etc....).

Having done the research, we finally settled on a diamond ring that met our reqts. Since they don´t deliver to the Philippines, I had it delivered to a friend in California, who was coming to Manila in a few days. Since they don´t accept payments thru a Philippine issued credit card, you also have to do a bank transfer to send the payment (it was pretty easy and fast though, they help you thru the whole process). Once they receive your payment, it takes 3 days to build the ring and send it to you via Fedex overnight delivery - pretty fast!

Sigh, I was breathless when it arrived and I saw it with my own eyes (actually, we were both breathless - both me and my fiancee!). It was a great choice! And Blue Nile was such a great site to get it from. If you can find a way to get someone from the US to bring you your order, try out Blue Nile. You won´t regret it! If you need any assistance, don´t hesitate to contact their Customer Service. They are wonderful! Customer reviews rave about them. I personally experienced as well just how helpful they were.

Enjoy!

Old Navy - Pattern Dresses & Summer Sandals

I'm loving Old Navy's latest Pattern collection, especially their dresses (they've got lovely long versions of their dresses too). I especially love the green dresses (images now floating in my mind of Keira Knightley wearing that beautiful green gown in Atonement). They go for around $20.

They've got great sandals available too in their shoe section. This one, for example, costs only $16.99. Comes in gold, bronze or pewter. Perfect! I've been looking for a pair of gladiator sandals for the summer.

http://www.oldnavy.com/

Akavar 20/50 Diet Pills

On the perennial search for the magic solution to losing weight? You might want to try this then. I haven't personally tried it myself. But my friend has and she says it works. Their ads seem pretty convincing too, and risk-free, since they're willing to refund you your money if it doesn't work.

Akavar's webstore describes it to be, "...part of a new generation of fast-acting caloric restrictors. These bio-active weight loss compounds eliminate the need for complicated or novelty dieting programs....Akavar's sophisticated bio-active blend reduces the amount of calories your body absorbs from food. By limiting your caloric intake, your body's systems literally burn the fat from its most accessible storage centers—your hips, thighs and buttocks. With Akavar 20/50 you can eliminate excess fat and actually lose weight by eating all you want." Looking at its active ingredients, I see stuff like yerba mate, guarana, ginger, etc. So it seems to be an herbal type of concoction.

If you're willing to try it out, you can get them at ww.amazon.com for $39.99 a bottle (60 capsules). Let me know if it works for you!

Hostess Twinkies

Hostess Twinkies (and Ding Dongs, for that matter) remind me of the days when I was a kid reading my Archie digests. They used to have little ads in them for these products. I used to dream I could go the States and finally taste them.

When I finally did, many years later, I loved them! I can't believe they still make them today.

On a recent trip to the US, I found some at Walgreens and bought a couple to have as a midnight snack. My sister super loves these, and as much as I wanted to bring some home for her, they would have gotten crushed in my luggage.

So I recently browsed thru the net and found a site that sells them in boxes. They seem to be filled with preservatives, so I figured they would last the 2 week shipping trip. And they did! (Well we've eaten them all up already, and we're still alive. So I guess they were OK :-)

Available at http://www.netgrocer.com/ for $5.15 a box (contains 10 Twinkies inside). Enjoy!

Omron HJ-112 Digital Premium Pedometer

It must be because of the usual additional pounds I gained over the Xmas holidays. Or the fact that I haven't been able to exercise since Xmas since I've been travelling, swamped with work, and was down with the flu and sinusitis for 3 wks. So I finally decided I'd invest in a pedometer so I could be more conscious of the amt of walking I did per day. Hey if I can't get find time to do badminton or hit the gym, walking flights of steps in my ofc should be good enough right? So nerdy me started doing my online research on what would be a good brand and model to buy. i finally settled on the Omron HJ-112. What I liked most about it was that it had a new feature which increased its sensitivity and allowed you to place it on your bag, and it would still be able to count your steps. No need to look geeky and clip it onto my waistband. Ever since I bought it, I've become more conscious to walk more (take the stairs instead of the lift etc). Even my boyfriend changed his parking ways - he now tries to park at the furthest available space, because the additional walk means more exercise! It's available at http://www.amazon.com/ for $23.99. Happy walking!

Horlicks Malties

One of the things I love about traveling is being able to find and buy items I can't find at all back home. The can range from the priciest of items to the most mundane. This post is about an item you'd probably consider mundane. I absolutely loved Horlicks chocolate candies when I was a kid. I remember back then, they were called Malteds. And they came in glass bottles. The last time I saw them sold locally, I must have been 10 yrs old. A few yrs ago though, I made a wonderful discovery when I saw them sold in HK (Watsons) and Malaysia (Guardian). They now come in boxes that contain 3 pouches each. You can imagine how many boxes I bought and brought home! Lately, I've been craving for these again because the last time I had them was almost 1 yr ago. Last wk, I was excited to go to Macau and HK for a holiday trip. Horlicks Malties were at the top of my shopping list. Can you believe it? I must have gone into every Watsons and 7-11 there, and I couldn't find any! Talk about depressing! Then when I came home last week, probably out of sheer desperation, I figured I would take a long shot and check if they were sold on the internet. And yes, yes, yes, they are!!!!! Dance of joy!!!! You can find them at http://www.spiced.com/. They start at $5 for a set of 2 boxes. I won't say how many boxes I ordered, lest I be teased by everyone. Let's just say I ordered a lot! Ha ha. Enjoy!

Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker

Don't have the patience to boil water for 10 minutes, then cook pasta noodles for 15 minutes? Or maybe you live in a small cozy studio apartment and live by your microwave oven and toaster, i.e. you don't have a stove. Here's an easy way for you to cook your pasta! With the Fasta Pasta Microwave Cooker, you just place the pasta inside the container, add watere, pop into the microwave, and your pasta's cooked in 15 minutes or less! It can cook a variety of pasta types, has holes so that you can cook and strain all in one. It only cots $14.79. Check it out at www.amazon.com.

Impatica Showmate

Too lazy to bring your laptop to a mtg where you need to make a presentation? Here's a cool new gadget to try. The Showmate is a device that allows you to make your presentation through your Blackberry. You load your Powerpoint file onto your Blackberry (using the software that comes with the Showmate). Then connect the Showmate to your projector. The Showmate will communicate with your Blackberry via Bluetooth and project the Powerpoint slides thru the projector. You can even use your Blackberry as your mouse to move from slide to slide and control your transitions. A bit pricey at $250 (www.impatica.com), especially when you can just load your file onto a USB thumb drive and leech on someone else's laptop at the mtg. But isn't this way cooler?

Nono No! No! Hair Removal

I am an avid fan of laser hair removal, and have done it several times. But for those too afraid to try it or don't have the budget for it, here's Nono's attempt at a home version. The No! No! is a hair removal gadget (sort of like a heated razor) that uses a technology called Thermicon. It contains a thermodynamic wire that transmits heat to your hair. The thermal heat signal is what destroys the hair. Results are not as permanent as the laser process, but they say is pretty close to it. Check out http://www.sephora.com/ for more info. Costs $250.

Carlos Celdran's Walking Tours

Happy New Year everyone! Let me start off the year by sharing with you the last thing I did before the Xmas holidays. I went on one of Carlos Celdran's walking tours, and I absolutely loved it! I've been meaning to go for the longest time. I'm glad I finally found time to do it. I went on the Intramuros walking tour which covered San Agustin and Casa Manila. Took 2 hours. Carlos is as entertaining and as much fun as you would imagine. With a bundle of energy as if this was the first time he was doing this (he's been doing it for 4 yrs!). How someone could be as dedicated as this, I can't imagine. Hats off to him! The tour price is very reasonable. Only Ps600 (adults) and Ps250 (kids). Check out his website below for more details on his tours (he has other tours aside from the Intramuros one). We plan to do the Imelda tour next, sometime Jan. He's got overnight Corregidor tours coming up too. I've been to Corregidor already twice before. But something tells me it'll be worth going a 3rd time if it's with Carlos. So he can count me in on that one too!

http://www.carlosceldran.com/

Christmas Tree in a Box

I actually saw this the other day at A Different Bookstore in Serendra. Several of them were on display around the store. I was dying to get one since I've been on the lookout for portable Christmas decor for my workdesk. This was it! Unfortunately, they told me they weren't selling them. They were just decor for the store. So of course, you know what I did next. I scoured the net for it. I found them at http://www.amazon.com/. The book contains instructions for assembling the kit’s almost two foot tall Christmas tree, and directions for folding five origami ornaments (a candy cane, Santa’s hat, cross, bow, and star). For decoration, there are 24 foil boughs, 25 glittery foil ornaments, one spool of silver thread, one gold foil star tree topper, 20 sheets of 6 x 6 origami paper in four vibrant patterns, and a green box that functions as your tree's stand. Everything’s cut out and ready to go! It's like being a kid again. Check it out. Costs a little over $10.

Spanx Reversible Tights

This item should come in pretty handy now. Aside from colored tights being in fashion (match them with your trapeze dresses), the weather this time of the year is the most comfortable to wear them. Spanx's Reversible Tights are great because you get 2 colors for the price of one :-) Use the black side today, then reverse the tights to wear the second color on another day. They come in combos of black/brown and black/dark blue. Plus you enjoy the feature that Spanx is famous for - their tight make you look slimmer! Thanks to the control panel that flattens your tummy and the extended control top that smoothes and shapes your rear, hips and thighs. Get one now! $32 at www.spanx.com.

Anodized Aluminum Mobiles by Hsu Studios

My Mom and Dad recently came back from a trip to the US. My Mom fell in love with these mobiles she found at a museum store in SF. She was too lazy to handcarry one home, so she asked me to order one online when she got back. I couldn't order one directly from the museum site, so I eventually found the site of the artists who make it, a married couple, Carol and Jean-Pierre Hsu. It's called Hsu Studios and it's based in West Virginia. They have a lovely site that sells not only their mobiles, but versions such as jewelry as well. The site has nice photos of their studio as well. What I loved most was that when I sent questions about the products thru the site, the artists themselves responded back to me! Talk about personal service! I ordered the mobile above for around $140. Go and check them out: http://www.hsustudios.com/

Club Penguin: Puffles

If you've got a kid 10 yrs old or younger, chances are you've heard about this new craze sweeping kids' worlds. It's called Club Penguin. I got educated about the world thanks to the pester power of my nephew. After doing my due diligence as a responsible aunt and godmother, I found out that Club Penguin was a pretty cool site, with a lot of learning opportunities for kids, combined with kid-safety features and moderators (latest update I heard is that the company has even been acquired by Disney already). So I've been supporting my nephew's latest obsession by signing him up and paying for his monthly club membership. The website has a gift shop as well, where you can purchase Club Penguin merchandise for your child (or for you too, if you want to join the bandwagon, or look cool to your kids and their friends). Most of them have Puffle designs (these little critters you can buy in Club Penguin's virtual world - their version of Tamagotchis). They offer shirts, caps, keychains, plush dolls etc. Go window shopping with your child at: http://clubpenguin.com/clubpenguinshop/index.html

Ipanema Ikatu Strap Flip Flops

I know, i know, what you must be saying. Why the heck would I be going to the net to buy these, when they're sold locally here as well? Well I've done the rounds of all the stores here that sell Ipanemas, and I swear I couldn't find any silver ones anymore. I bought a pair of gold ones some months back and completely fell in love with them! That's why I'm dying to buy a silver pair now. Having failed to find them in local stores, and even US websites, I finally found them in a UK site which happens to ship internationally (for only an additional 1 UK Pound, how cool is that!). So if any of you are desperate to get your hands on these sandals, check out the site below. They have all the available colors. Price is about the same as the price they go for in stores here. Note also that the sizes in the site are UK sizes, so convert accordingly. An 8 there, for example, is a US 9. The sandals cost UK Pounds 17.99 + 1 for shipping.

http://www.islandcosmetics.com/p/Ipanema-Ikatu-Strap-Flip-Flops.html

S3 Pooper Scooper

My weekly Sunday afternoon routine usually includes taking my cute beagle, Maxi, for a walk. That's Maxi up there. Pretty old photo though, he's a year old now. A perennial dog stroll problem is what to do when he poops on the road or sidewalk. The thought of cleaning up the mess manually, even with a plastic bag on hand, is just plain yucky to me. So I started browsing the net for various options. I was amazed at the wide range of gadgets you could find as "pooper scoopers" :-) Having surveyed the options, I settled on this one, the S3 (S3 standing for Sanitation Safety Stick). No complex mechanisms, can be used even without a plastic bag, easy to carry around. It's shaped like a bat, that opens up into 2 sections. It functions like a portable dustpan. Plus it even has a built-in light, so it can also be used as a flashlight during late night walks. It costs $24.99 and is available at the website below. Check out the site too for the video explaining how it works.

http://www.kakaking.com/s3.htm