Wired’s wish list is their annual roundup of the gadgets, appliances, accessories and toys that their editors want: 100 of the year’s coolest, most interesting, most exciting products. The product editors of Wired put together this list, which appears in the December issue. But this year, thanks to sponsors, you can also get some of the stuff from their wish list without paying a dime of your own money.

All you have to do is enter the One Wired Wish contest, and you’ll have a chance to win a $10,000 prize package, including these cool prizes:

• BlueLounge StudioDesk
• BuckyBalls
• Casa Bugatti Vera Electric Kettle
• Cuisinart Vertical Rotisserie
• Dyson Air Multiplier Fan
• Fuego Element Grill
• JVC LT-42WX70 HDTV
• Kästle FX 84 Skis
• Kensington SlimBlade Trackball
• McIntosh MXA60
• Powermat Cordless Charger
• Seagate Replica Hard Drive
• Shure SRH440 Headphones
• Spot Personal Tracker

View the full sweepstakes rules and regulations or head over to Wish List 2009 to see all 100 glorious products. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

Sweepstakes Ending Date : 11:59 P.M EST 2/2/2010 when all entries must be received.

Amazon Wish Lists just turned 10, and they’re celebrating with 10 weeks of sweepstakes with prizes you will love. Just create, add to, or share a Wish List, and you’ll be invited to enter (learn more). NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You may enter once per week. You’ll find links to official rules on the All 10 Weeks page.

Go Here to Enter : Amazon.com Wishlist 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes Ending Date : December 13, 2009

My wife, Tina has been stressed these days, not because I am her stressor, LOL but due to inevitable daily hassles -both at work and at home.  Primarily, we don’t have a housemaid for more than a month now!  Our maid got pregnant, so she and her husband left to their province down south to give birth next month with uncertainty of reporting back to work. God knows how difficult it is to find another trustworthy housemaid.  

Other than people living independently abroad or solitaries in dormitories, I am not sure if you have experienced a life without a maid or at least to have ideas  how hard it is to juggle work and household chores.  I, myself do some laundry especially on my days off at work; thanks to the fact that our ‘jurrasic’ washing machine with spin-dryer is still functioning!  Tina and I also take turns in accompanying and fetching our son, Gabby to and from his preschool and whenever we’re both unavailable, we can always import my dad from my folks’ place in Pasig to pitch in for us.

I want to give Tina a break from all those loads she usually get from her job as an Operating Room nurse-Clinical Instructor, and from fatigue-inducing roles she does at home.  

Unlike most women, she hates shopping (How lucky I am to be her husband, right?).  She will only buy clothes and shoes whenever there’s a need or an urgency to do so, say for an event or an occasion that we have to attend. She’s like my mom when it comes to prudence and  practicality and admittedly, I am  their total opposite.   We compliment each other and we like it that way    Tina prefers to eat out with us rather than buy herself a new pair of shoes or jewelries. She  hates spending too much and wouldn’t want anything illogically priced.  

Certainly, my wife deserves pampering. I would like to take her to a spa and treat her to a massage. Then again, if I get to spend more than our domestic budget, she might not enjoy the entire experience.  Good thing that few days ago, Doc Grace of   Doctor is vaIN, the 2009 Philippine Blog Award Best Beauty Blog, wrote a comment on one of my recent posts, inviting me to participate in her blog contest in which she’s giving a lucky winner a chance to experience  Terra Wellness Spa in Discovery Suites, Ortigas, Pasig City. 

What’s up for grab from this contest?  

Terra’s Signature Massage – this deeply relaxing massage combines slow and graceful gliding strokes that are applied to the different key pressure points of the body to relieve tension and aid blood circulation. The experience is enhanced with the use of specially blended therapeutic oil.

Take a peek into Terra Spa…

Note : All photos were sourced here.

I do wish I could win this for Tina for I know she’ll definitely appreciate it; not only because it’ll give her the full-75 minute sublime relaxation (worth PhP 1,700) from Terra Wellness Spa but even affordable as it is, she loves anything FREE!  Who does not want freebies?

If you want to join this blog contest too and would like to know more details and mechanics, click here.    And to Doc Grace, thanks for the invite and more power to your site, Doctor is vaIN.

If luck won’t be on my side, I’ll just do the massaging for my wifey, but it might lead to something else, hehehe “evil grin”...

Excuse me, I need to go to ‘work’.

I mean, seriously, how can you not?!

I can be bribed with these items.

Check out the rest here.

Although it’s barely Thanksgiving, I have to admit, I’ve already started my Christmas list. This is not to say that I’m expecting or asking for all of these things… it’s more of a hypothetical exercise. Unfortunately, I think I’m getting a new hard drive for Christmas.

1. Flicker Flicker Necklace, Anthropologie – $168

2. Schoolboy Blazer, J.Crew -  $188

(I’ve probably tried this on 798 times in the store. I know that Calivintage got hers on ebay, and I’ve been looking, but no love yet.)

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs Henry Watch, Saks – $225

4. Circle Scarf, Etsy – $40 (I’ve been begging my mother to knit me one of these!)

5. Oxford ankle boots, Etsy - $45.00

6. A ruffled dress shirt, J.Crew – $89.50

O item desejo de quarta á bolsa de couro matelassê preta, alça de corrente dourada e laço de gurgurão da Lanvin. Super uptown dá um toque de luxo em qualquer look.

I’ve had a cold for pretty much all of this year it feels, which means I have spent far too much time holed up in my tiny flat. This has resulted in a flurry of redecorating, moving stuff around and buying a huge amount of vintage and retro pieces. I’m a huge fan of amazing online shop Shelf who sell the most fabulous ceramics and homewares.

images:shelf.com

Reading through the Manila Bulletin today I came across a photo that made me wish for something I can’t have (at least, not right now).

The caption is Judelicious Law, and is pertaining to a photo of a shirtless Jude Law (not the same photo shown here).

Yes, I’m updating and specifying my Christmas wish list. Not just abs – Jude Law’s abs!

I heard he had a golden cast of his abs in 2006.

Hmmm….. I would cast my flab in dough for now.

even though i can’t stand how much credit michelle obama (it’s nothing personal) gets for j. crew’s popularity, i must say i do love the store’s christmas catalog.

some of my favorites are:

i am tired of feeling like a 12-year-old when the weather forces me to wear uggs in public and my hunter boots are getting scuffed from so much use. these sorel boots combine the warmth of uggs and the water resistance of rainboots to fight snow, wind, rain and general chilliness for those of us who are cold weather wimps.  not only are the boots so practical its almost cute; they’re only $110 at jcrew.com.

i’m also dying for this trapper hat (which also comes in a brown version), both of which are already sold-out.

Everyone gazes at the beautiful Balenciaga designs and wishes that they too can be one of the lucky people who can afford to purchase some of the top brand garments. Well, guess what, you won’t have to-day dream any longer because you can soon have the look of Balenciaga come spring. H&M is great at supplying trendy clothes at affordable prices. Once spring arrives, H&M will have an array of Balenciaga-esque designs from maxi skirts to leather overalls, your spring wish list, will have hundreds of items on it thanks to H&M.

Inspiration of the day: ” Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.”- Vivienne Westwood

Goodnight, CB

It’s gonna happen, I swear. In a few weeks I will be wearing this puppy to the grocery store, guaranteed.

Em parceria com a Ellus, a Absolut criou uma nova garrafa num clima Rock’n Roll fez uma edição limitada da vodka Premium. A garrafa custa R$89,90 e é envolvida por uma “jaqueta” de couro com tachinhas!!

Além da capinha, a Ellus também criou uma mini-coleção, a “Ellus Absolut Rock” , que vai ficar nas lojas nos próximos 2 meses e está repleta de jaquetas, tachinhas, camisetas, bolsas, correntes.

Vale a pena dar uma olhada

The Chester Public Library greatly appreciates the contributions people have made to our Amazon Wish List.  We have already received 16 titles purchased by five individuals. We thank those have contributed to the Library over the past month. If you are able to spare $20 or more, then take a look at our Amazon Wish List. You’ll help out your Library and your community by making a purchase on our behalf.

We hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Tim Sheehan – Library Director

Cette année, j’ai décidé de ne pas enfiler 3 pulls et une petite veste pour l’hiver, ni d’emprunter le manteau de maman, si de mettre mon parka “golddigga” à toutes les sauces. Je commence donc la quête du manteau parfait. Ce qui risque d’être une tâche difficile étant donné que je le visualise déjà jusqu’aux moindre détails. J’ai croisé plusieurs demoiselles avec des manteaux un peu vintage, assez basic tout en restant très féminin et je crois que c’est ce que je recherche pour cet hiver! J’ai épluché quelqu’uns de mes online shop favoris, parce-que jusqu’ici rien ne m’a sauté aux yeux en magasins. On commence avec du Topshop, il me plait vraiment celui-ci, cela dit ne se marine pas avec tout si?

J’aime beaucoup la coupe, le détail de l’arrière qui fait un peu toute la différence et le coté “vintage” si j’ose dire du pattern et ses couleurs. Le problème d’un manteau comme celui-ci, et ma grande question mise à part le fait que ca ne se porte pas forcément avec tout, c’est : Ca ne se porte jamais ouvert une pièce pareil, dommage ou ca peut quand même avoir son charme et ne pas perdre toute sa beauté ? Je suis ensuite allée faire un tour sur Asos…

Le côté volant du bas ne me déplaît pas mais je ne suis pas sûre de vouloir quelque chose qui ressemble à ca, par contre la fermeture et les boutons sont chouettes. Il reste assez basic mais surtout noir. Des vestes noirs, j’en ai des milliers dans mon dressing. De la plus chaude à la plus légère et de la plus longue à la plus courte bref! A méditer… J’ai aussi jettté un oeil sur le site de promod et…

Comme pour celui de Topshop, gros coup de foudre pour le pattern et les couleurs, le petit détail en plus, ici en l’occurrence la petite broche. La coupe me plait, enfin disons sa longueur, cela dit il est a essayé car non cintré lors de la prochaine excursion shoppinguesque. Je ferais biensûre un saut chez les habituels h&m, Zara & co. Stay Tuned !

Title: Graceling

Author: Kristin Cashore

Reading level: 5.3

Pages: 471

Great book!  I could not put it down.  Cashore has a way of sucking you into the story and not letting you out until you have finished it.  I stayed up late to finish the book and laid there for an hour thinking about what had happened and what Cashore could do in the next book.

Kasta is a interesting character. She is graced and as you read you find out why she seems to be the almighty, unstoppable Kasta.  Some are perturbed by her excess amount of “superpowers,” I however find the reasoning quite believable.  With her abilities, she has not been privileged to live a normal life.  She was ostracized and therefore did not learn how to play well with others, so to speak.  She does not understand the physical limitations of a typical human. She may know others can not keep up her pace, it never really clicks with her. One instance that occurs frequency would be the times she wants to push the horses.  If she was not selfish, and really cared, she would have learnt how to read the signs of a overworked horse, or better yet, a soon to be overworked horse.

Kasta also has a warped view on love.  Tragically many people also have this view today, but that is not part of this book, so I will move on. To start at the beginning, Kasta has a terrible Uncle. He treated her as a killing machine because of her graced abilities; for this reason she never wanted to “belong” to any man. Mainly she never wants to get married.  She falls “in love” and has sex with Po, but refuses to see the emotional attachment as a mutual belonging.  She wants the freedom of picking up and running away.  Po is patience with her, and accepts what she gives him but has stated he wants more.  They have sex with out physical consequences of getting pregnant because of a “birth control” herbal plant of some sorts.  She really seems to love Po, but will not commit.  I had hopes there would be some sort of consent that love is worth the commitment, but it has not come yet.  The third book, called Bitterblue, could be a continuation of the story line and I am hopeful that the sex with out consequences, both physically and emotionally, will come to an end.

As much as I have pointed out the issues Kasta has, I do not count it against the story.  Kasta is a character. All characters have flaws, because of these flaws some characters are still lovable, many are still likable and a few just bring people to despise them. Although many of her action and ways of thinking drove me crazy, she was still a character that I loved.  I wanted to she her grow as a person and learn from mistakes, as well as succeed in the story’s plot.

It is a great book, but one that should only be read by a parent first and then decide for yourself what age is appropriate. Most sites say 8th grade or 14 years old, I however would not even suggest it to any freshman I know.  There may only be one scene, mild by far compared to what else is out there, that stops me from buying it for our high school library; however, combined with the theme of sex without consequences, it is too much for my conscience to  allow it on our shelves. That and I know that the parents are rather picky about what their kids are allowed access to.

O item desejo de terça é o vestido preto de tafetá com mangas de babado nude da D&G. Super feminino, use com super saltos e uma clutch.

Não, não. Você não leu errado.

A revista W elegeu as 6 melhores marcas de maquiagem mas sem ser aquelas que nós todas já conhecemos e que vendem no mundo inteiro.
Desta vez eles pesquisaram entre editores de revistas, maquiadores, consumidores e chegaram a uma lista com as 6 melhores marcas “independentes” no mercado dos cosméticos.

Eu não tenho nada de nenhuma dessas marcas, mas se você tiver e quiser compartilhar sua opnião sobre eles, vou adorar.  Assim a gente fica sabendo “de verdade” o que vocês acham.

RMS Beauty

RMS Beauty

Os produtos da linha RMS Beauty são todos cremosos e totalmente naturais.
Este da foto a cima, foi o produto que a revista W elegeu como favorito. Ele é um iluminador,  Living Luminizer ($38), pode ser usado na maçã do rosto, nas têmporas, pálpebras e lábios. Segundo a W ele deixa na pele um brilho levemente perolado sem ser brilhante ou reluzente de mais. (wish list AGORA) – www.rmsbeauty.com

Kimara Ahnert

Kimara Ahnert

Kimara Ahnert é um salão de beleza e eles têm a própria linha de maquiagem (ADORO ISSO). A linha de makeup é toda anti-alérgica e mineral. A revista W diz que o lápis labial da Kimara Ahnert faz milagre – www.kimara.com

BECCA

BECCA

Esta linha de maquiagem é Australiana, isso quer dizer que foi desenvolvida para mulheres mais bronzeadas ou que queiram um toque de sol na pele. Achei bem interessante e apropriado para as brasileiras.
A base tem 30 tipos de cor diferente (se não achar o sua cor de base na linha da Becca, não acha nunca mais…rsrs)
A linha de makeup deles é toda bronze e não cai para o tom alaranjado, o que é ótimo.
 Alguns tem o acabamento levemente mate, mesmo sendo um iluminador, como o Luminous Skin Colour.
O  Shimmering Skin Perfector pode ser usado sozinho ou misturado com a base.
Prometo MUITO procurar onde vende e informar aqui depois, porque fiquei ULTRA curiosa para usar os produtos da BECCA – www.beccacosmetics.com

29 Cosmetics

29 Cosmetics

A linha de makeup da 29 Cosmetics é completa. Mas a revista W elegeu como “top one” o tratamento labial de luxo. 
Um é esfoliante em bastão, o outro um balm de semente de uva e o outro um hidratante labial de mel. 
Pra ficar com a boca mais deliciosa do mundo ;o)
A responsável pela linha 29 Cosmetics é  Lydia Mondavi, esposa do Robert Jr. – www.29cosmetics.com

Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Cosmetics

A linha de maquiagem da Hourglass tem uma diversidade de cores muito versátil. Bacana para usar no dia a dia (tudo combina com tudo)
Os estojinhos de sombra vem com várias cores complementares e além de tudo a própria diretora de arte da W, Nathalie Kirsheh, falou que os delineadores da Hourglass permanecem intactos o dia inteiro até a noite (Isso a gente gosta bastante).
O melhor de tudo, vende na Sephora. – www.houglasscosmetics.com

W3LL People

W3LL People

Já a linha da W3LL é toda “natureba”. Não contém sulfato de sódio e além disso a embalagem é toda feita com material reciclado.
A W3LL foi desenvolvida pensando na praticidade ao usar maquiagem. Este bastão da foto é um produto que pode ser usados nos lábios, bochechas e pálpebras. É a linha Universalist Multi-Use Color. – www.w3llpeople.com

from Celentano woodworks

The holiday season is now upon us, so I figured it was time I posted my wish list. I’ll be honest and say that a lot of this is going to be just copy and pasted from my Birthday wish list with a few alterations. There are some new items, though. Enjoy!

1. A job – As a currently unemployed journalist, I know that’s a lot to ask, but any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
2. Books – Cookbooks – Especially the kind for quick and easy meals. I’ve been trying recipes I find online as well but haven’t really done much cooking since I moved back home. It’d be nice to have a few cookbooks and it will hopefully motivate me more to cook; Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (paperback, please) – Yes, I admit that I’ve (kind of) gotten into the Twilight Series. I’ve only read the first two and I know they’re total teen chick flick books, but I found it enjoyable; The Way I Am by Eminem – When I first saw this book at Barnes and Noble, I knew I had to have it. I just love the angry rapper; The Magician by Michael Scott – I’ve read The Alchemist already and this is the second one in the series; Anything by Christopher Moore – I’ve already got Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, A Dirty Job, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck and Fool, so anything besides those books; The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - I’ve read the back cover of this and I really want to read what’s actually between the covers; The Coffee House Mystery series by Cleo Coyle – There are eight altogether and I’ve actually read all except for the last one, Holiday Grind, which just came out; Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer -It sounds very interesting.
   
3. DVDs – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – Only the special features disc because I bought it at Wal-Mart without realizing that it was so cheap because it was just the movie; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – It’s Harry. What else can I say? It will be released on Dec. 8. I may buy it myself, so it may be deleted after this. We’ll see; Iron Man – I loved this movie. Not much else to say, I guess; Transformers – Great movie. Better than I thought it would be; (500) Days of Summer – I watched this on the plane down to Mexico and fell in love with it. Makes me wish for my own Tom Hansen. The DVD will be released Dec. 22; Prison Break, Season 3 and Season 4- I’ve got the first two seasons already and I plan on completing the set; That 70’s Show, entire series – I don’t have any but I’d like to.
4. CDs – In Search of… and Fly or Die by N*E*R*D – I had the first one but I let my friend borrow it and she never gave it back to me; Food and Liquor by Lupe Fiasco – Great musician and I have a few songs from the album on my computer, but I want the whole album; Join with Us by The Feeling – I’ve got the first CD, seen them in concert twice and I want their second album; Mixed CDs – These are always great because they’re always a mix of a whole bunch of different artists and genres.
5. Harry Potter calendar – I need one for 2010. Not much else to say to this.
6. Cooking appliances – I know it sounds kind of random but I a food processor and I think if I did, I could be a little more creative when it comes to cooking.

I think that’s about it. I can’t really think of anything else. Although, that’s a shit load of stuff I want right there. Feel free to diverge from this list but please stay away from gift cards, clothes and stuffed animals. The first shows lack of creativity; it’s too hard for me to find things in the second category that fit and look good on me; and I have more than enough of the last.

O item desejo dessa segunda é a calça skinny de paetês na frente e jeans preto atrás da Notify. Use com uma T-shirt e saltos para arrasar no look.

So its about time I had something fun to post, I’ve only been telling you about projects that I’ve been working on,  but nothing to show.  Well this little project was occupying my time in between coats on the armoire ( I know still not finished but after my 3rd 4th coat and still needing more paint) and trips to find baskets to fit in the right places.  But this is something I’ve been eyeing for awhile now, I’m so glad it is finished and I can’t wait to show you how it turned out!!

I was so excited with the results, and outside of drying time was easy peasy.  First, a look at what it began as, a door off of the entertainment repurpose project, cost ($0).

Before the wood filler....

Then I filled the holes in with wood filler (already had $0), sanded it down, and added a coat of primer (already had $0)….

Wood filler had dried, all sanded down, I then added Primer after I took this picture

….and several coats of heirloom white (alread had $0).

I found an “&” that I liked in my font library, blew it up, printed it off, cut it out and then traced it on the center. And then I painted it in a tinted black acrylic.  After everything dried I got my sandpaper out and went to town on the edges, distressing the heck out of it.  Then I pulled out some minwax stain I had left from our floor project and added little discoloration in spots.  I think the thing that made this project such a success was distressing the actual letter and making it look worn too.  I’m just so happy with how it turned out.  If you want to protect this piece, I would suggest putting a coat of poly/sealant to make sure that all the goodness you worked so hard on stays exactly where you want, but it’s certainly not necessary.  Love this piece, and you can’t beat $0.

Here she is! In a temporary home until we get our Ikea Lack shelves hung

Stay tuned for the armoire reveal, I really think I will have it finished soon.  I FINALLY found two baskets that fit, so that will help make this armoire project a reality!  So far I’ve spent a little money on paint, and hardware, totalling about $13 and I only spent $12 on the baskets so I will have a completed piece for only $25, I’m already in love with this piece and I cannot wait to show you all its final look! Have a  great week ( I won’t be posting much with the Holidays)!

I’m linking this to Metamorphosis Monday, so head on over there to check out other great transformations!

The cover for this is sweet and calm but when you read the synopsis about it you find that there is more to it.  It goes beyond that.  Laurel is about to go through a lot.  Forget Her Nots is written by Amy Brecount White.  You can pre-order her book on Amazon.

Synopsis: When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn’t so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out.  In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum.  Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher.  When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others.  But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her.  And her bouquets don’t always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin.  Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she’s soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom.

Amazon says the book is set to be released March 2, 2010.  This is a book that was about eight years in the making and the flowers have different meanings that she lists on her website to help everyone out.  So, be sure to check out the book and her site.

Today I had a full day of shopping with my boyfriend Nico and his mother Linda. We had a great day filled with some fabulous purchases… Linda having the best. First of all, Linda is a boot addict. She has hundreds of different styles, colors, and heights, but still seems to always crave more (a true fashionista). She came across some amazing Joie boots that are seriously to die for. They are black suede, over the knee boots, and she looks amazing in them. We both fell in love with them from the moment the sales associate handed her the beautiful shoe box. It was a done deal, they were instantly hers! I am so jealous of them, and wish I could have a pair myself (a little out of my price range), but I am glad I get this week to gaze at them while she is visiting.

Inspiration of the day: ” Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself.” Hubert de Givenchy

Goodnight, CB