Jakarta Bound...

Selamat Datang!

I had a great time to day with old friends Tata and Ryan, had lunch at Hanoi's in Khalifa St. infront of Al Noor Hospital, the food was almost like Pho Bac, an authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Manila. Clients were mostly expats, Asians and Caucasians alike.

We tasted the spicy clay pot beef stew and the vietnamese chicken noodles and fried spring rolls. Hmmmm. Now I'm getting hungry again. Then after almost 1 hour, went to Starbucks for another chit-chat.

Finished all the errands and I'm ready for my well anticipated Jakarta flight. I wasn't able to sleep and it's almost wake up time for me to get ready for my 2330H pickup. We'll be arriving 1900H Abu Dhabi time tomorrow, tiring but fulfilling for me.

I will have a taste of my favorite Nasi Goreng and the cheap but very relaxing Balinese Massage with Hot Lava Stone Massage. Hmmmm!

Good thing about Jakarta layover is were staying at Shangri-la Hotel and it's free WIFI, Fun!

I LVoe!

Alice Is Coming To Town...

Alice is coming back to wonderland...

Tim Burton's masterpiece yet is finally back with Alice In Wonderland to be shown March 2010. The superlifick casts include Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsley.

Despite the fact that there have been many other Alice in Wonderland films, Tim Burton have said that he never felt a emotional connection to it and always thought it was a series of some girl wondering around from one crazy character to another. So this is an attempt to give this a framework, an emotional grounding, which he felt he never really had seen in any version before. Tim said that was the challenge for him - to make Alice feel like a story as opposed to a series of events.

And what a better way to watch this film in 3D. Yipeee.

I LVoe!

Evil Eye

A bit of soul meditation from Kabbalah.

"Your own desire to cast the evil eye at others is diminished. A shield of positive energy surrounds you, offering protections from the negative glances, looks of envy and mean-spirited intentions of others".

Just recite this with all your heart and soul. Believe. To stray away mean peeps!

source: stina auer

Megan Fox & Cristiano Ronaldo For Emporio Armani & A|E

It's a new season so, let there be new faces for Armani! Move over David & Victoria Beckham, here comes Cristiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox. Just-released images of football (soccer) star Cristiano Ronaldo show the ab-tastic athlete stripped down and flaunting his assets for the Spring/Summer 2010 campaigns for Emporio Armani Men’s Underwear and Armani Jeans and the ever gorgeous Transformer Vamp, Megan.

The 24-year-old Portuguese player replaced David Beckham who has been the spokesmodel for Emporio Armani Men’s Underwear since January 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t giving up his day job just yet; he will continue to play for Spanish club Real Madrid and the national Portuguese team. Bigger and better pictures are rumored to be on their way soon, so stay tuned for another scrumptious serving of Cristiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox.

I LVoe!

source: armani

Hermes Who?

The most sought after bag of all time, it will take you at least 1 year to acquire an authentic one, hence if you want one in a snap, you need to buy it to a reseller that gives you a mark up of at least 20% to 30% of the original price.

Why is it so popular? What's with Hermes? Hmmmm!

The Birkin Bag:

The Birkin bag came about when Jean Louis Dumas (Chairman and former CEO of Hermes SA) caught the actress Jane Birkin fighting with her straw bag as she was trying to store it in an overhead compartment on a plane. At that point he decided she needed a better bag and he was going to design her one. The idea of the Birkin bag came from the Hermes Haut-Au-Courrois, meaning high belt. The HAC as it is referred to today was used in the late 1800’s to carry riding gear i.e. saddle, riding boots etc. The measurements for the HAC are quite large so Jean Louis Dumas tweaked them to make the bag more versatile as well as easier to carry and modern. The Birkin bag is produced entirely by one person called a craftsman from beginning to end. The average production time for a bag ranges from 18 hours for a 25cm to up 30 hours for a 40cm.

The Birkin bag comes in four different sizes. The size of the Birkin depends on the width of the bag. A 40cm Birkin, simply means that the bag is 40 centimeters wide or 15inches. The standard sizes are 25cm, 30cm, 35cm, and 40cm. And as I'm writing this blog, I already saw the 50cm HAC, wow!

Colors:

Every season Hermes releases a list of colors that the Birkin will be available in. The selection of colors is also related to the skins available. The colors are divided into Blues, Greens, Pinks, Reds, Black and Greys, Purples, Yellows and Beige, Oranges, and Browns. Please note that not all skins are available in every color.

Blue Jean- a very popular color at Hermes its an amazing Sky Blue.
Vert Amande- a grassy green color.
Rouge Vif- a very bright red, sort of a lipstick shade.

Skins:

Hermes uses a mixture of exotic skins; Crocodile, Lizard (available in a 25cm or smaller), Mississippi Alligator, and Ostrich as well as a variety of leathers; Calf, Goatskin, Bull Leather etc.

The Niloticus Crocodile from Africa- A very popular choice at Hermes this croc is mate and very rich.
Veau Togo- The most common leather at Hermes is from a female calf and has a grainy feel.
Chevre Mysore – An amazing goatskin that is very rare due to the difficulty of finding it at Hermes quality.

The Birkin Spa:

As part of the cost of the Hermes Birkin bag, once a year you may choose to have your bag freshened up at Hermes. In the US it is done in New York and LA where they have master craftsmen.

Shooting Star Birkins:

A shooting star Birkin is a Birkin bag that a craftsman makes for his wife. The bag is marked with a shooting star blind stamp.

Blind Stamp:

Every Hermes Birkin bag comes with a set of blind stamps, a letter and a number. The letter refers to the year of production. J was 2006, K 2007 and now L for 2008. The number stamp is the craftsman ID number.

Acquisition and Pricing:

The fact that the bag is such a status symbol and is distributed in very little quantities makes it hard to get. A lot of people opt out of going to Hermes and buy the bag at a premium from a re-seller. Note that re-sellers usually mark up the bag anywhere from 20% – 30%. The starting cost of an Hermes Birkin Bag is roughly $6,000 for a 25cm in leather and can go as high as $120,000 for a 40cm Croc with the palladium hardware emblazoned in diamonds. I recommend going into Hermes if you are interested in purchasing one, remember the bag is exclusive so you can’t just walk in and walk out with one. Its best to find an SA(sales associate) gain their trust and prove to them that you are an Hermes client by buying some Hermes goodies: Ulysse notebook, a scarf, a Kelly long wallet, or even my new obsession a Collier de Chien bracelet ($1,000). Then hint at wanting the bag and they will be sure to either tell you what’s available or place an order for you. Plus you save 20% – 30% and the bag is guaranteed authentic.

Well, I guess I'll have to settle with my LVoe! I just can't afford to have one right now, although I'm dying to have one. Wishing on the shooting star.

I LVoe!

source: jetsocialite