shop for the cure

some of my AFFORDABLE faves for Breast Cancer Awareness month

Dogeared - breast cancer make-a-wish bracelet, $30.00; cute concept, make a wish, wear the necklace, and when the necklace wears off your wish is ready to come true!

Ann Taylor - breast cancer ribbon bracelet by Lisa for Loft, $24.50

Sonia Kashuk - Brush Up on Pink 4-piece purse set, $12.99; more from the collection at Target

Essie - nail polish in Yes We Can, Pink!, $8.00

shopping stimulation

definitely excited for this one, and as always, for a good cause! presented by Vouge, CFDA, and NYCgo...there's so many events going on at once and so many ways to participate! you can plan your itinerary here! the ones i definitely want to catch:

1. Gossip Girl costume designer will be styling customers for in-store photo shoots at Henri Bendel

2. celebrated photog Larry Fink will be creating photos in a digital photo booth set up at Carolina Herrera's boutique (Madison Ave and 75th St), not to mention you get the chance to meet C. Herrera herself!

3. design your own classic handbag at Chanel (E. 57th St), free mini-mani with "Jade" while Alexa Chung DJs at Chanel's SoHo boutique (Spring St)

4. customized Marc by Marc Jacobs t-shirt station at the Madame Tussauds exhibit in Bloomingdales (59th St and Lexington Ave)

5. Canal St vendors via vintage cars designed after their own designers - Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, and Alexander Wang

6. Pharell William working the registers at BBC (Billionaire Boys Club)

7. the Olsen twins bartending at Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys

8. sip champagne, groove to some indie music, and shop special collections at Zara (Broadway and Prince St)

9. Kid Cudi hosts a listening party of his new tracks at the Bape store (Greene St and Spring St)

10. Ana Wintour's personal  appearance at Macy's (Queens Center Mall, Elmhurst)

snatch your official Fashion's Night Out T-shirt too, at participating retailers, and 40% of proceeds go to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. you can also win tickets to a runway show during the upcoming NYFW by rocking your DIY-designed t-shirt to the editors of Teen Vogue.

a citywide clothing drive collection will also take place on Saturday, September 12. numerous receptacles will set up shop in the retailer's own stores. all donations will be given to the NYC AIDS Fund and distributed to AIDS-related charities throughout the five boroughs.

follow them on twitter for updated events

(video courtesy of nitrolicious, info courtesy of fashionnightout)

this little piggy went to NYFW

and another one. marc jacobs is designing for miss piggy's debut during this season's NY Fashion Week.

read more of Miss Piggy's interview about Marc Jacob's designs for hers truly, as well as Lady Gaga

(article and image courtesy of speakeasy)

marc jacobs x lady gaga

so i posted earlier that m. jacobs had cancelled his infamous after-party last year, due to the strangle of the recession. however, it seems he is ready and willing to make up for it this year. the guestlist quantity is still under consideration, but the guest star is not -- lady gaga! a marc jacobs x lady gaga collabo is definitely something that should peak throngs of interest. i guess we'll just have to wait and see?!

(article courtesy of New York Fashion; image courtesy of stylelist.com)

happy birthday to you.

to miss Marilyn Monroe, who would have graced us with 83 years of sophisticated spunk were she still with us today. 

actress, model, sex symbol...a reminder today that all women, no matter how curvy they are, what career they pursue, or which charming disposition they possess, are beautiful -- inside and out.

"I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful."

first was the nurses, now the doctors

the earlier trend was an extreme nursing shortage, which is still relatively prevalent now. but who would've thunk it that there'd be a physician shortage as well! 

with Obama's plan for universal health, between the numerous uninsured and trying to continue to cover the already insured, the general consensus points to the dismaying fact that we simply are not equipped with enough doctors for his goal to be effective.

either currently practicing physicians in specialities need to switch to primary care, or medical schools need to start spitting out more doctors. either way, if it was your dream to do so, there's no better time than now to pursue that M.D.

check out the article from NYTimes.

happy hour to health

an apple a day keeps the doctor away; apparently, so does an alcoholic beverage.

"For people over 55,...moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a 28 percent reduction in risk for mortality compared with not drinking. But there was no advantage in drinking one drink or less a week, and those who had more than three drinks a day increased their risk by 11 percent."

(article courtesy of NYTimes)

embrace the martian

rather, the recessionista.

the SIX things to buy before the economy improves:

1. women's clothing: "That means less expensive clothing stores can lower their prices through lower productions costs, and more expensive clothing stores will be forced to have more sales and clearance racks." or just settle for thrift/vintage stores (that's my super secret).

2. laptops:  "...laptop prices have dropped thanks to the interest in netbooks." Apple hasn't seemed to go too much with the trend in terms of pricing, but it's quite the investment. $999.00 + student discount + finance plan, and i can no longer efficiently function without my white MacBook.

3. toys: "More affordable toys are on their way for the holidays." does KidRobot count? in that case, my pastel pink Munny zipper pull is my fave toy this year.

4. televisions: "...decreases are starting to make larger flat-panel TVs far more affordable." i didn't get one, but my sister did. it's huge.

5. furniture: "With fewer people buying houses, fewer people are buying new furniture....Retailers still in the market have to respond to those liquidation sales with price cuts and clearance items of their own." not applicable in my situation, but you interior decorators better get on that!

6. diamonds: "the recession has quashed demand for diamonds, creating deals." i got Blair for over 50% off her original $1,000.00+ value back in december [;

i guess i've been braving the recession in all the right ways? lol.

(article courtesy of Forbes via Yahoo.com)

Autism Awareness Month

i used to do a lot of volunteer work with my sorority and Rutgers Red Cross for Autism, and this month marks National Autism Awareness Month. here's a list of a few events if you want to support:

West Orange: World Autism Awareness Day Celebration - Seton Hall (April 2)

Princeton: Service in Style Fashion Show - Princeton University (April 3)

Princeton: Lindt Chocolate - Supporting Autism Speaks (month of April)

Summit: Downtown Shops Support Autism Speaks (month of April)

East Brunswick: Bonefish Grill - Dine to Donate (April 8)

Westfield: ZUMBA for Autism - Gold Medal Fitness (April 17)

Somerset: Patriots Autism Awareness Day (April 26)

Trenton: Thunder Autism Awareness Night (April 26)

check out all the other NJ events (including seminars and conferences)

and if you're from a different state, search through AutismSpeaks.org

we make a difference

"...it was the nurses that were there with us when she had to get...all sorts of things that were just bringing me to tears."

he just likes nurses. i'm honored, Mr. President!

(article and image courtesy of People)

your teacher can't knock you for it anymore

surprisingly, the simple task of doodling aids in increasing the performance of your memory. the idea is to distract yourself with a simple task, simple enough as to not take away from your main task (eg listening to a boring lecture), to avoid daydreaming, which does take away from your main task, sometimes almost exclusively. 

"In psychology, tests of memory or attention will often use a secondary task to selectively block a particular mental process. If that process is important for the main cognitive task then performance will be impaired. My research shows that beneficial effects of secondary tasks, such a doodling, on concentration may offset the effects of selective blockade."  -Professor Jackie Andrade

so tell your teacher to step off when she yells at you for doodling during class =p 

basking in the ambience

Carolina Herrera! she is one gorgeous woman for a 70-something-year-old. also saw Nina Garcia, but was too nervous to even think of taking a picture of her. she was literally right in front of my face! haha. i get so star struck when it comes to the fashion world.

*sigh. i'll be INSIDE those white tents, instead of freezing my cute little tush off outside. [;

TWEETing dr. carter!

Michigan's Henry Ford Hospital's surgeons were preparing to remove a cancerous kidney tumor. though risky, doctors and nurses were adequately prepared...and the "chief resident is furiously Twittering on his laptop" to give updates regarding the procedure.

the following day the operation documentation was online for interested medical students and other doctors to view.

talk about social networking. that's a pretty interesting use of the Twitter-technology.

(courtesy of cnn)

beautiful [first] lady

treating the dis-ease

"Moral distress -- knowing what is ethically appropriate but being unable to act on it because of obstacles inherent in a situation."

nurses and doctors alike (though nurses moreso than physicians) are more and more subjected to this dilemma. the problem? insistent insurance companies, fussy risk managers and lawyers, exacting administration, and incredulous patient demands. it has become an issue of which rules and regulations they need to abide to instead of the best genuine interest of the patient.

it's very much disheartening that the intimate, emotional, and intense environment of healthcare is now less an inspiring rush than it is a potential threat to each practitioner's professional integrity. 

(courtesy of NYTimes)

it's gunna be a PINK valentine's

so i wrote a post a while back about Christian Louboutin desinging a special pair of pumps (in "Barbie Pantone 219 Pink")for a Barbie 50th Birthday runway show (which EVERY model will be wearing btw). now i just got a sneak at the 50 other designers participating in the showcase, and wowww. a BUNCH of my tops are there. i must admit that i'm a little upset they didn't enlist Marc Jacobs though, he would've done awesome.

alphabetically: Anna Sui, Baby Phat, Badgley Mischka, Betsey Johnson, Bob Mackie, Brian Reyes, Calvin Klein, Carmen Marc Valvo, Catherine Malandrino, Chris Benz, Costello Tagliapietra, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Erin Fetherston, House of Field, Jeremy Scott, Juicy Couture, Kai Kuhne, Kenneth Cole, Koi Suwannagate, Lyn Devon, Marchesa, Michael Kors, Monique Lhuillier, Naeem Khan, Nanette Lepore, Nicole Miller, Norma Kamali, Peter Som, Rachel Roy, Rag & Bone, Rebecca Taylor, Reem Acra, Robert Best, Rosa Cha, The Blonds, Three As Four, Tibi, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Tracy Reese, Trina Turk, Tuleh, Twinkle, Vena Cava, Vera Wang, Vivienne Tam, Yeohlee, Yigal Azrouel

particularly excited to see what DvF and Vera have to offer.

and what an opportune time to exploit the color pink, by having the show held on valentine's day during NY Fashion Week! i'd kill to be there!

p.s. keep an eye out for all other "pink carpet" events throughout the year (eg Bloomingdales, Stila via Sephora, Dylan's Candy Bar), as Barbie celebrates around the world.

(courtesy of nitrolicious,image courtesy of angelicdreamz)

party pooper

even the ever popular Marc Jacobs knows when to cut back. much to many's dismay, he cancelled both his highly-anticipated holiday and Fashion Week parties. and though his Fall fashion show will remain at the 69th Regimental Armory, he slashed his guestlist by more than half, rendering his already coveted invite more exclusive than ever.

"This isn't the time to spend the money to entertain the entire world," Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs International, states. "...right now, during this economic environment, it would seem ostentatious....just have the people that need to be there be there and look at the clothes."

(courtesy of fashionologie)

moving on up, or not so much?

New York Fashion Week has a new home. after 15 years, Bryant Park will no longer house the semi-annual festivities. volume and inconvenience was the biggest issue. the replacing venue is still under discussion, but rumor has it that Lincoln Center is the winner, starting in 2010. will we ever see those ever-quintessential big white tents again?

however, the up-coming fall '09 collections, dated for February 13, will still be held at Bryant Park.

goal for after graduation...attend at least one of the shows during Fashion Week, wherever it may be.

(courtesy of NYTimes)

Oval Office Blog

this really is a time of change...a time of moving forward. especially technologically. 

there have been renovations on WhiteHouse.gov. the new look coinciding with a new focus, in fulfilling Obama's pledge to dub his administration "the most transparent and accountable...in American history."

there's also actually a blog section, with entries in it already. though the bloggers do not include Mr. President, Obama would definitely prove quite tech savvy if he added the blog to his interactive repertoire (referring to his weekly YouTube addresses).

it'll be interesting to see how this blog progresses, as well as its impacts. if you ask me, what better media to get youth more involved with politics?

(image courtesy of GeekSugar)

at last

welcome to Presidency, Mr. Barack H. Obama. at last.

i think the Michelle and Barack are just about the most amazing couple. their demeanor, their swag, their love. it's all beautiful. and they're beautiful together. how adorable were they dancing? so romantic. i'm smitten by them. 

he's a lucky to man, to have such a wonderful woman standing by his side.

(image courtesy of Yahoo)