SHOPPING THERAPY: Kate Spade "Ola 2" Sunglasses

This was honestly an impulse buy because I wasn't in the market for new sunglasses.  In fact, the idea didn't even dawn on me until I just happened to pop into a new sunglasses store that recently opened to the restaurant we were dining at nearby.  Honestly, this is what happens when I am stressed at work.  I find ways of relieving work-related stress in sometimes expensive ways.  It's what I like to call:  "Shopping Therapy."

I looked through the brightly illuminated walls of the store with all the different designer brand shades neatly lined and stacked up next to each other.  I looked at the Coach sunglasses (a pair that I already have, use, and love) first, then the Gucci shades, and then followed by the Juicy Couture frames.  None of them grabbed me.  And then...the heavens parted and the guiding angels above led me to the next display with all the Kate Spade shades.  Chime in the harp and choir!

I love Kate Spade!  If I actually had the money to afford all of her items, I would have the complete set season after season, but I don't so I can't.  But, it doesn't stop me from looking and admiring.  I may not be able to afford the apparel, handbags, and shoes, but I can justify the sunglasses.

I love these sunglasses!  The classic frame shape remind me of old Hollywood and the snake skin design along the sides of the temples updates this classic design.  The frames are large and squared off, and fit perfectly on my face.  Due to the size and shape of these frames, this item may not the best for those with smaller faces.  I purchased the black with gray gradient lenses, but there is also deep purple frames with gray gradient lenses, brown horn with brown polarized lenses, and brown snake with brown gradient lenses.  The case is a cute green hard cover case, which makes it easy to find in your handbag.  I paid about $150 for this pair at the sunglasses store, but have seen the same pair for a little less on the Internet.

Even though I technically didn't need another pair of sunglasses, I love my Kate Spade shades.  This will hold off my desire for additional Kate Spade items for a while.

SHOPPING THERAPY: Enzo Angiolini 'Mielee' Pump

I fully acknowledge that I don't need anymore pairs of shoes.  I already have a ton of black pumps, so I wasn't in the market for another pair.  But, that obviously didn't stop me from perusing through the shoes aisle at Nordstrom Rack.  What hurt could a little browsing do?  Browsing is free, right?

Wrong!  Browsing is free until you find an item that you like.  Before you know it, you come up with every excuse in the book to justify why you need ANOTHER pair of black pumps.  These are the reasons that I came up with:

• I need a new pair of patent leather pumps because the ones I have at home are worn down and scuffed;
• The cute embellishment at the toe dresses up even the most austere outfit;
• The shoes are so comfortable that I will be able to easily schlep around Downtown in these; and
• The price is so reasonable, especially compared to the original dollar amount!

I broke down and bought these cute pair of pumps and never looked back.  I know I made a good purchase when I don't experience any buyer's remorse and with these shoes, I didn't even experience a tinge.  These shoes are comfortable and the dainty bow ruffled top adds just a little something to your outfit as well as distract your toes if you haven't had the time (or too lazy like me) to give yourself a pedicure yet.  The stiletto heel is about 3-1/2" high with a roomy peep toe opening in the front for better comfort.

The best part of this purchase was the price.  This pair was refinished and sold at Nordstrom Rack, so the original price at Nordstrom is $89.95 while the Nordstrom Rack price was $39.97!  WOOHOO!  Such a great shoe at such a great deal.  I am usually not that lucky when I go to Nordstrom Rack, so I had to share (okay...show-off) my great find!

BOOB TUBE REVIEW: Grey's Anatomy "Golden Hour" (Season 7, Episode 15)

It's been awhile since we've seen a fast-paced episode of Grey's that juggles several patient storylines, so this episode was a good diversion.  Don't get me wrong, I love the character storylines, which is the reason why I am so addicted to the show, but the anecdotal patient storylines keep things interesting and the episode going.

In this episode, Meredith volunteers to be in charge of the emergency room in hopes to bump herself up the list for Chief Resident consideration.  The race is still on and Meredith has her sights on this coveted position even if it means shifting her focus temporarily away from helping Derek with his Alzheimer's clinical trial.  Cristina thinks Meredith is crazy to volunteer for ER duty, and wonders why Meredith is acting rather giddy.  Meredith explains that her giddiness must be due to the hormone shots to help her and Derek to get pregnant.  This leads Cristina to admit to Meredith that Callie asked her to be her baby's godmother.  Meredith doesn't think that would be a good idea.

While in the ER, Meredith finds out how much can happen in one hour--from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.  First up for Meredith is Oliver who arrives at the ER complaining of chest pains.  Although he is in a rush to take his son to the big college basketball game, Meredith exercises all the necessary precautions and convinces Oliver to stay for tests to rule out any serious heart problems.  Unfortunately, the ER is busy that night and tests are taking a while to complete.

Meanwhile, Karev is in a rush too to get to the same basketball game because he has courtside tickets.  However, he is delayed when he has to stay at Seattle Grace to finish up his pile of incomplete charts.  Dr. Lucy Fields finds out about the tickets and helps Karev finish up his charts in hopes that her assistance will result in an invitation to the game.  After some obvious prodding from Lucy, Karev extends an invitation only to be shut down by her because she has to work.  It turns out that Lucy was just testing Karev.

Meredith is also juggling her commitments in the ER with a planned date with Derek at 6:30 pm.  Derek and Meredith are trying to get pregnant so timing is everything.  Derek drags her to the on-call room only to mistakenly interfere with Bailey's rendezvous with Eli.  I am so glad that Bailey is getting back into the swing of things!  Without anywhere else to go and Meredith desperate to get back to the ER, Derek drags her to the only other place he can think of...the elevator where he gives her a hormone shot.

Back in the ER, another patient who is also in rush to get to the basketball game arrives with a knife sticking out of his head.  The drunk patient and his equally drunk friend provide the ER some comical relief as the doctors try to figure out the proper course of action to remove the blade from his skull.  As the medical discussion continues in the next room, the patient's friend takes matters in his own hands and pulls out the knife without causing any damage to his friend's brain.  In fact, both are ready to go to the game.  With some stitches and bandages, the patient is released and both board a taxi cab to the basketball game.

As Meredith waits for Oliver's test results, she notices Nathan, a four-year-old boy with a broken femur that needs surgery.  Unfortunately, despite his parent's pleas and Nathan's cries of discomfort, an operating room is not available yet.  Meredith pleads with his parents to be patient, but is also side tracked when she notices Adele in the ER suffering from a sprained wrist.  Mrs. Webber asks Meredith not to say anything to the Chief.  She explains that she was taking Christmas decorations down and slipped and fell.  When Meredith comes back at a later time to check on her, she asks Adele again how she hurt her wrist.  Adele tells Meredith that she slipped and fell at home after coming from work.  Meredith grows suspicious and orders an head scan.

Lexie is also busy in the ER and releases her migraine patient when his scans come out negative.  Meredith takes a look at his chart and quickly runs out to the parking lot as the patient is just getting into his car.  she asks him to squint and raise both arms straight up.  Meredith makes a quick diagnosis that Lexie's patient is having a stroke and rushes him back to the ER where he is given blockers to stop the stroke from progressing further.  Meredith pulls Lexie aside and shows the differences in the patient's signature from when he was admitted and released.  The barely legible signature at the time of his release should have been a clear indicator for Lexie that her patient was having a stroke, but she was so caught up with the patient with the knife in his head that she missed the signs of this patient.  Thanks to Meredith, the patient makes a full recovery.

Meredith is also looking for signs in Adele, but when the Chief finds out that his wife is in the ER, he rushes to her side.  Adele's wrist is bandaged and is released before a head scan can be performed.  Meredith asks the Chief to keep Adele at the hospital to run a head scan, but the Chief refuses.  He doesn't want to hear what Meredith is suspecting, despite her explanations that Adele said she was taking down Christmas ornaments in February or fell down after she got home work even though she is retired.  The Chief tells Meredith to stop suspecting everyone is sick just because they are a little shaken up or confused.

Speaking of tests, Oliver is still waiting on the results of his tests as his son keeps calling his cell phone.  As Meredith consults with Teddy, Oliver suddenly codes in the ER with a dissecting aorta.  Teddy apologetically asks her date to wait while her faux husband Henry keeps her date company in the waiting room causing an awkward situation.  Teddy and Meredith rush Oliver to the operating room with no time to spare.  Meredith hands bottle of hand sanitizer to Teddy in the elevator because they don't even have time to scrub in.  Despite their quick actions, Oliver's aorta is completely shredded and he dies on the table.  Meredith is completely crest fallen.

After losing Oliver, Meredith visits the hospital nursery to admire the newborns and wonders when she and Derek will have their own newborn to admire.  Remember when Meredith and George used to escape to the nursery to look at the babies to make them feel better after a really rough shift?  Meredith tells Cristina that the reason she doesn't want Cristina to be godmother to Callie's baby is because if Christina agrees to be someone else's godmother, it would be like she's saying Meredith will never have a baby of her own.  To support Meredith, Cristina agrees not be a godmother for Callie's baby.

In all that has happened in one short hour, Meredith forgets about Nathan and inquires if an operating room is available.  Nathan's dad tells her that a doctor stepped up to take care of Nathan--Dr. Karev.  Karev is in the operating room with Nathan while Lucy is impressed with Karev's selfless act of giving up his courtside basketball tickets to take care of a young patient.  As it turns out, Karev gives his tickets to Avery who invites Lexie to join him.  Do I see a romance brewing in the horizon?

However, not everyone will be able to go to the basketball game.  Meredith hears Oliver's cell phone ring in the bag of his belongings and answers the call from Oliver's son.  After she relays the bad news, Meredith composes herself and goes back seeing patients.  It's 7:00 pm.

Next episode, Meredith's vision is compromised by the hormone treatments.

BEAUTY REVIEW: Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black

I found out about this gel eyeliner from watching YouTube videos from popular makeup gurus.  Most of them  (not all, especially the MAC fans) spoke highly of this gel liner and recommended it as a cheaper alternative to the MAC gel liners.  Furthermore, reviews on Makeup Alley were also generally favorable, so I thought that I would give it a try.

I never used a gel liner before, so I was a bit skeptical at first and worried whether I would be able to apply it correctly.  I had a fear that I would have one eye with a thicker line than the other!  However, my first application went fine and I started to consider whether I should make the permanent move from my beloved L'Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black (I never leave the house without it on!) to this product.  The consistency of the Maybelline gel liner was smooth and fairly easy to apply with the eyeliner brush provided in the package.  I was able to apply a dramatic thick cat eye line or a micro line for a clean look to enhance my eyelashes.  I had to apply the gel liner with small brush strokes to achieve a smooth line.

Unfortunately, I am not giving up my Lineur Intense Felt Tip Eyeliner just yet!  This gel liner is not very waterproof or smudge proof, and within no time at all, my liner would smear and by the end of the day I had a nice set of raccoon eyes.  I was finding myself constantly cleaning my eye area throughout the day.  Also, I could not get my eye line to come out with smooth and crisp lines.  Perhaps I need more practice or maybe a better gel liner (I don't know since this is the first gel liner I've used).  I went back to my L'Oreal felt tip eyeliner.  I don't regret buying this product, but will not probably buy this product again unless Maybelline comes out with a waterproof and smudge proof formula.

BOOB TUBE REVIEW: Private Practice "Blind Love" (Season 4, Episode 13)

As I said before in my Boob Tube Review for Grey's Anatomy, I am playing catch-up since I missed last Thursday's Grey's/Private Practice night.  In fact, I am further behind in Private Practice because I didn't see the episode before this one, "Heaven Can Wait."  Thankfully, ABC.com uploads the last five episodes on its website, which makes it very convenient for me to watch when I get a chance.  So please excuse me if I seem to be getting Episodes 12 and 13 mixed-up with each other since I watched both one after the other.

Is it just me, or is Private Practice getting heavier and heavier?  First it was Charlotte's rape and now it is Addison trying to save Susan's life and then planning for a wedding when she still hasn't been able to come to terms with Bizzy coming out of the closet and divorcing the Captain.  After Episode 13, it looks like Addison's life will be getting a lot more complicated and heart wrenching.

After Susan collapses during her wedding dance with Bizzy, she is rushed to the hospital where Addison and hunky Dr. Rodriguez stabilize her.  Is it only me, or are you still pulling for Addison and Sam to emerge from the Dr. Rodriguez distraction?  Anyway, unlike Bizzy, Addison realizes that it is only a matter of time for Susan to die and knows that Susan signed a DNR.  Later, Susan gets a clot in her lung and while Bizzy pleads for Addison to do something, she lets Susan go without taking any heroic measures.  Bizzy is devastated.

Meanwhile, Pete asks Amelia for help with his patient who is a new mom wounded in combat.  Although Lizzie wants to raise her baby as a single parent after her boyfriend and father of her child dies in same explosion that wounded her, Amelia has doubts whether Lizzie can do so blind in one eye and with only blurred vision in the other.  Amelia will perform surgery on Lizzie to try to restore vision in her blurry eye, but calls Janet, the mother of the baby's deceased dad, to come and help with the baby.  Janet intends to take the baby back to San Diego with her if the surgery is unsuccessful.  After surgery, a jubilant Lizzie exclaims she can see everything, including Amelia's aqua scrub cap.  Janet is devastated knowing that Lizzie's restored vision means she will not be able to see her granddaughter, the only part of her son that she has left.  Amelia is livid with Pete when she quickly realizes by Lizzie's canned statements that the surgery was unsuccessful.  Pete coached Lizzie on what to say to ensure that Lizzie and the baby would remain together.  Pete admits to Janet that the surgery was unsuccessful and encourages Janet and Lizzie to make amends with each other and raise the baby together.

Just when Charlotte seems to be getting her life back to normal, especially with Cooper, Lee Henry, the man who raped her is urgently admitted to St. Ambrose with a knife in his chest.  Sam asks Charlotte and Cooper if he should do everything he can to save Lee as the knife is lodged in a dangerous part of his heart.  After almost storming into Lee's room, Cooper tells Sam to let Lee die.  Lee's girlfriend, the one who stabbed Lee, visits Charlotte in her hospital office and apologizes to her.  Charlotte questions the basis of the apology and Lee's girlfriend admits that she loves Lee and cannot leave him despite Charlotte's advice to take her son and run far away.

After talking with Naomi, Charlotte tells Sam to do whatever it takes to save Lee's life.  After surgery, Lee wakes up handcuffed to his hospital bed with Charlotte looking straight at him.  Charlotte tells Lee that his girlfriend told the police what he has done and that he will be going to jail.  Before she leaves his room, Charlotte tells Lee that she forgives him and does pity him.  When Cooper visits Charlotte in her hospital office where the rape happened, she tells Cooper that finally she sees her office as just an office.

Lastly, Addison visits her mother at the hotel where she finds Bizzy packing and wondering what she will do now since she left the life she knew back in Connecticut to marry Susan in California.  Although her family is not big on showing their emotions and affections, Addison tells Bizzy that she loves her and in return, Bizzy finally gives her daughter a hug.  Bizzy turns down Addison's offer to stay the night with her at the hotel and instead suggests that she come back for breakfast the next morning.  Later, Addison returns to her mother's room stating that she changed her mind and was intending to spend the night with Bizzy after all.  Tragically, Addison finds her mother laying motionless on the bed dressed in a black suit with several empty pill bottles on the night stand.  Bizzy leaves a note that states:

"Dear Addison,
The necklace is for you.  The money is for housekeeping.  Apologize to them for the inconvenience.  And, when people ask, tell them I died in my sleep.  The truth is too embarrassing."

The episode closes with Addison crying at her mother's bedside.

Next episode, Addison returns to Connecticut to bury her mother while holding a secret that Sam desperately tries to get Addison to relinquish.

BOOB TUBE REVIEW: Grey's Anatomy "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (Season 7, Episode 14)

I missed watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice last week Thursday, so I have been playing a little catch-up before tomorrow night.  The writers of Grey's Anatomy have done a good job at slowly introducing new characters in the Seattle Grace fold as original cast members (i.e., Izzy Stevens and George O'Malley) have left the show.  In fact in the picture from last week's episode, only Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) are part of the original cast.  The changes in cast can be good and bad.  Good because I am sure that hospitals change medical staff frequently and the fictional Seattle Grace should be no different.  Bad because as a dedicated viewer, such as myself, it's hard to say goodbye to a character that you have watched develop and grow and then introduce yourself to new character.  Fortunately, Shonda Rhimes does a good job at introducing new characters to her dedicated viewers.

The jury is still out for me on Grey's Anatomy's newest character, Dr. Lucy Fields (Rachael Taylor).  She seems like a tough cookie and we all know that Seattle Grace is in desperate need of an excellent OB/GYN since Addison packed up her Pucci scrub cap and left for sunny California.  It looks like her character may be a new love pursuit for Karev, but as usual, his personality and ego are preventing him from making a great first impression.  The complexities of Karev are endless and that's why he is one of the most intriguing characters on the show.

Speaking of the show, Episode 14 brings back Meredith's and Lexie's father, Thatcher Grey (Jeff Perry) who gets admitted to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain.  While Bailey tries to figure out the reason for the pain, Lexie finds out that her father has moved on from her mother's death and is in a relationship with a twenty-something woman named Danielle.  Lexie is livid that her father is dating someone younger than her, but through gorging herself on peanut butter cups (thanks to Avery), she realizes that she is mad at Mark for having a baby, which leaves her left behind again.  Bailey assures Thatcher that he is not rejecting Meredith's liver, but is instead suffering from a very treatable kidney stone.  After her peanut butter cup revelation, Lexie takes her sister's advice, and allows herself to be happy for her dad by extending an olive branch to Danielle.

Meanwhile, Meredith is torn between helping Derek with his clinical trial to cure Alzheimer's or the Chief's clinical trial to cure diabetes based on the research found in her mother's journals.  Meredith ultimately decides to stay on Derek's clinical trial by explaining to the Chief that her mother's research work is a side of her mother that the Chief knows, not her.  However, watching her mother suffer from Alzheimer's is a side that Meredith knows all too well and something that she wants to pursue to find the cure.

Karev's inability to think before he speaks lands him barred from the OR and NICU when Teddy, Arizona, and Cristina help to save a baby with a heart transplant from a brain dead infant.  While the team try to work a miracle in the operating room, Karev and Fields make amends in the observation room.  Do I sense a possible romance brewing?  Only time will tell...

Lastly, Owen, Callie, and April treat a young gentleman who acted as a human slingshot to be filmed and posted online.  Instead of successfully landing on the other side of the brick wall, he ends up with double hip dislocations and a fractured femur.  This case is right up Callie's alley, but she is extremely distracted by her lack of caffeine consumption thanks to Mark and Arizona forbidding her from drinking coffee due to her pregnancy.  Unable to get through to the guys of the idiocy of video taping such a ridiculous action for internet laughs, Owen lays into them by talking about a guy he knew who died from severe injuries because he threw himself onto a grenade to save the lives of six soldiers.  Callie asks for a another vote on her coffee consumption by stating that this time, the unborn baby and her vagina will each get separate votes.  Callie wins and she gets one cup of coffee per day.

Next episode looks like Meredith will be in over her head by volunteering to run the emergency room in hopes of proving she is Chief Resident material.

BOOB TUBE REVIEW: Hawaii Five-O "Powa Maka Moana" (Season 1, Episode 17)

I am a pretty dedicated Hawaii Five-O fan.  As a Hawaii resident, I enjoy watching the episodes to try to figure out where some of the scenes are filmed while pinpointing some flaws.  However, as the show progresses in its first season, the show writers are getting much more accurate and incorporating more island life to the show and dialogue.

Monday night's episode premiered with a buzz due to real life engaged celebrity couple, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo guest starring.  Despite their pretty decent acting chops, I have to admit that the greatest buzz for me was seeing the original 1974 Mercury Marquis Brougham again that Jack Lord drove around the streets of Honolulu in the original Hawaii Five-O.  So, while the ads run pictures of Nick and Vanessa to promote the show, I prefer to post this picture of McGarrett and Danno with the famous car instead.  Although the car is clearly not running in this picture, it is actually still running after more than 200,000 logged miles.  The automobile was given by Jack Lord to his stunt double, John Nordlum after the original show ended, and Nordlum has taken care of "her" ever since.  This car reminds me of the monster cars that my grandparents and parents used to drive around town back then.  It took skyrocket gas prices and long gas lines at the pump in the 1970s for cars to go from monster-sized Buicks to compact-sized Hondas.  But, I digress.

All in all, I thought Monday night's show was pretty good and only took a small issue with Tongan pirates taking over a party boat and kidnapping a bunch of college kids for ransom.  Seriously, Tongan pirates?  Anyway, the story line developed further, so at the end, I wasn't left with a sour taste in my mouth.  Oh, and, since when do officers carry grenades in their vehicles?  I had to laugh at McGarrett running out of a Kalihi pawn shop to conveniently retrieve a grenade from the glove compartment of Danno's Camaro.  By the way, that silver Camaro is Danno's, right?  If so, why does McGarrett seem to do most of the driving?  McGarrett knows his way around the streets of Oahu better?  And, did Danno know that McGarrett was stashing grenades in his glove compartment?  Doesn't seem safe when Danno also drives his daughter Gracie around in that car.  But, I digress.

My favorite scene involved Kamekona (Taylor Wily) training for a sumo tournament by working out in a vinyl jumpsuit on the beach.  The show writers are doing a better job in developing Kamekona's character as Kono's and Chin Ho's characters (in my humble opinion) just don't provide enough local flavor.  By the way, his shave ice stand seems to be gaining more and more business as the show progresses through the season from a one-man operation by the beach to t-shirts, sidewalk stands, and employees.  Incidentally, Waiola is a small corner mom-and-pop store in Moiliili that serves up delicious and refreshing shave ice.  I wonder if Waiola has seen an increase in business since the show premiered.

Next week, Dane Cook guest stars on Hawaii Five-O as Danno's younger brother.  I'll be tuning in!

BEAUTY REVIEW: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer...DISCONTINUED

ARGH!  It would just be my luck that when I finally find a concealer that I love-love-love, it's gone-gone-gone!  For my first beauty product review, I was going to review the Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer, but according my favorite makeup review website (http://www.makeupalley.com/), Maybelline discontinued production due to a low demand for this product.

Granted, I haven't been a long time user of this product as I still use my Almay Nearly Naked Cover Up Stick as my primary concealer, but I have recently fallen in love with the Maybelline concealer to add extra coverage for my problem areas.  The mousse consistency enables me to get to hard to reach areas, such as around the nostrils (I prefer to apply concealer with my finger tip rather than a concealer brush).  When applied over my foundation, this product provided great coverage for my dark under eye circles and old acne scars.  I tried the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector with the concealer on one side of the stick and a highlighter color on the other.  The concealer on this product is not as effective as the Dream Mousse Concealer.

I guess I am just going to suck it up and deal with it.  I am also thinking about trying the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Set or Sonia Kashuk Let's Face It concealer from Target or the PRO Camouflage FX Concealer Palette from Victoria's Secret.  I am veering away from liquid concealers these days.

Oh Maybelline...I'm so sad...

RAMBLE: Once Upon a Time...

For a long time, I've been meaning to start a blog.  At first I wanted to start a beauty blog, but life consists of more than the latest beauty product available on the market.  I realized that I also love to take pictures of just random things that catch my eye (i.e., the beautiful hibiscus to the left).  I always have my handy point & shoot digital camera or camcorder available in my purse.  This habit drives my family and friends crazy, but I can't help it.  I also like to talk about places I traveled to or visited, which cannot be encapsulated in a beauty blog.  So, I decided on a lifestyle blog about the random every day occurrences of life.

It is not that my life is so enthralling that it would compel people to immediately follow my every move and shake throughout the day.  However, I like to observe and comment on the random events that happen in life.  Whether it's about my favorite beauty product, my latest shopping excursion, travel, movie, TV show, or event or random observation, I like to provide my own two cents, which I admit, sometimes is not appreciated by others and has at times gotten me in trouble.

Everyone has a story.  It doesn't matter if you are famous or not.  I am just a normal average Jane in her thirty-somethings who is a hardworking office monkey, but I have a story (although maybe not as interesting at times, but a story nonetheless).  As such, I remain anonymous to maintain my "commoner identity."  I hope you will stay and follow me through my adventures in life!