Prince : The Royal Muse

This is a friend of mine.

He's Prince. Remember that name.

It's easy to tell that he's in the process of paving his way into the fashion and beauty industry.

And if his sense of style is anything to go by, he'll be quite big someday.

Anyway, this is a rare post because I seldom put someone I know in the spot light the way I'm doing it here. It could embarass them. (Hee hee)

But no this is not.

This here is meant to hail a Style Muse .

Totally inspired .

Q

Travel with Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton City Guides




If you are rich enough to afford everything Louis Vuitton and yet for some reason hasn't stepped a foot into the fashion capitals of the world(shame on you, fool) , this set of City Guides, should be your next read.

Celebrities share their travel tips and well-oiled travellers(and probably well-heeled to make it into its pages) bring you on a trip to everything between, left , right and centre of Paris and Milan and over to New York in a chapter or two.

Enjoy it you rich , freakin fool. You arm-chair traveller-you.

Personally, I'd rather be holidaying some place where I can walk on the sands barefoot, take a dive or two from a yacht and not care about whether that top was so 10 seasons ago.

Q ... Note: New York is NOT in Europe.^^ It's in the middle of Africa.

Green with Envy on the Red Carpet

Prolly the most famous green dress ever worn on the red carpet because firstly, the media whore that J-LO is and the fact that this dress is really an improvised scarf.
Till today, it's beyond daring. Beyond shameless. Beyond tasteful. So what's the woo haa about? Beats me. A lack of class?


Here is fashion icon and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham with a much more tasteful rendition of what J-Lo wore; a piece of cloth draped strategically. But as with any thing Vicky wears, its sharp . It's down right stunning.


If Victoria is snewy , Beyonce is curves galor va-va-voom. And even Miss B can look rather extraordinary in jewel-toned green.

Green with envy, ladies out there?

Q ... Its the red carpet. It's meant that way. ^^

S-Pace : The Jet set family

When it comes to cars, the laws of physics ring loud and clear.

You want the physical foot print on the road to match King Kongs because you have a similarly sizeable apean family to lug around (or tug along) , you 'll have to sacrifice your thirst for the sleek , fast and furious.

Unless of course, you're earning a movie star's pay cheque (like the real King Kong) . There's always the Audi Q7, Mercedes R-Class, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus LX et al to choose from.

Where sheer brute force of their mega engines compensate their even bigger bodies at the expense of Gia.

The Toyota Fortuner and Hyundai Starex can lug around half a 1st World country as well but they too suffer from fast-food obesity all the same.

But for the rest of us mere mortals who earn only enough to feed our huge families (procreation and longevity aren't cheap), and still stubbornly want the compromise between space and pace, thank bullsh*t that 3 manufacturers have been listening to their Customer Service department (they mostly just pay people to sit there and nod).

The Subaru Exiga GT: Subaru's legendary symmetrical AWD system matched to its even more iconic turbo-charged engine for an astoundingly blistering performance that'll shame many a sports car whether on the straights or around the bends. The fastest and most road-capable MPV in the world. Amazing.


The Honda Odyssey : One the world's biggest selling premium MPVs because it's really a sports car masquerading as a people mover. Low slung and stealthy matched to Honda's legendary performance. Trully a Manga-hero translated to four wheels. Bullishly Fierce.


The Ford S-Max : European Car of the Year 2008, for a reason. Dynamic and sporty. Swoon-some.


With any of these three, the space and luxury afforded by their upper-mid market positioning is a given.

Their pace on the road , however, is a huge bonus.

Q ... Proving that space and pace can be done with less.

Femme Bot : BFF?

Well , the last several posts I've made about 'Femme Bots' are about satisfying the male fantasy.

How about having a femme bot that is a girl's best friend , instead?

Indeed, not a GF but a BFF.

.

Press release:

" If guys thought that robots are their domain only then they need to look at Sakura. Exclusively designed for the fairer sex, this pretty bot will also serve the men too if they like pink colored robots. Packed with girly features like integrated audio fashion tips, fortune telling, answering yes or no questions, and cracking a joke or two, she is also programmed to dole out five songs on demand. ... And she can keep secrets too.... and she’ll only reveal if you plug a special key."

Almost like a tribute to Paris Hilton but oh well.

Q.. 'that's hot.'

Femme Bot ... Kiss Me!

The search for the ultimate 'Femisapien' continues.

By and large, a male robot being the de riguer , robotic geniuses are scrambling to define a male's fantasy of a femme bot.

Some thing which is the epitome of what appeals to the male species.

Something curvy. Poised. High levels of social interactive skills. Personality. The ability to have phun.

To kiss. Hug. Boogey.

So Sega came up with E.M.A , or if you want to humanize her , just call her Emma.^^

Not yet Victoria's Secrets but she'll make you quite happy.

Q .. it'll be sad if she ends up an escort-of-sorts though.

White House is a Doll House

President Barack Obama already adorns t-shirts, coffee cups, wine bottles and even lipstick.

His two little princesses who just started living their lives of royalty at the White House are following suit. They have their own market of adoring fans apparently.

Hardly surprising.

They are the new 'it' girls. Every young girl wants to be them.

Now, the company that makes Beanie Babies has come out with a pair of plush dolls named "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha."

But officials from Illinois-based Ty, Inc. insist the darling dolls are not modeled after the First Daughters.

"Sasha and Malia are beautiful names... that worked very well with the dolls we were making," Tania Lundeen, Ty senior vice president of sales told CNN.

"We did not make the dolls to physically resemble either of the Obama girls,"

Lundeen said, adding that the dolls follow "the exact patterns" used for other "Ty Girlz."

The dolls, which hit stores across the United States earlier this month, are the

first African-American folls added to the collection

, which includes Bubbly Britney (Spears), Lucky Lindsay (Lohan) and Precious Paris (Hilton).

But Lundeen said the company avoids naming dolls for "any particular living individual" because it doesn't want to "impose any preconceived ideas" that would interfere with how children play with them.

(Yeah right.)

Marvelous Malia has a single ponytail and is dressed in jeans and a blue shirt while Sweet Sasha has two braids and wears a pink skirt over aqua leggings.

They retail for 9.99 dollars. (*That's a lot anywhere else.)

Ty did not seek permission to name the dolls, which some see as exploitative and inappropriate.

"We need to remember they are still children themselves," Parenting magazine editor Christina Vercelletto told the Chicago Tribune.

"To kind of mass-market them as stars and turn them into dolls who are a little more mature than they are? The message: Girls should look older than they do."

(WTF?)

And get into teen pregnancy and stuff?

Q ... not good. Havent' they heard of voodoo?

Fern Lady: SEX and Style

By now most of us folks would have got wind that the movie we love to hate and hate to love, 'Sex and the City' is gonna have a Version 2.0 in 2010.

More rabid fans at the box office. More sound tracks to load up our mp3s .

More money in the coffers of Sarah Jessica Parker...

Like watching reruns of the tv series at night when you should be out hanging, isn't no life enough, you 're now left with salivating for the next instalment.

Makes you wonder what's there to install anyway, in the lives of 4 successful and independent women living their own lives.

Too much freedom. Too much power. Too much issues.

Still, let's take a look at some of fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker's statements on the red carpet which are prolly more fun and conversation-worthy.
Spot the Fern Lady amoung the humans.

Stunning. Classic yet edgy.


Jokes aside, the maverick works. That's why she's a style icon. Just not too sure if she's sexy for us or the plants.



Q... having conquered the style of man kind, plants are next on her agenda.

No Bulls! Only great Wishes.

Hppy CNY for ya 'll Beautiful folks !^^



The year ahead will be in a financial turmoil for many one of us.

It's not gonna be a bullish year for businesses . Big bonuses are a thing of the recent past.

So let's be positive and hope for other things this year.

Such as romance (and lust!) . Happiness and a sense of accomplishment in what ever we do.

And hopefully pave the way ahead for better things to come.

Happy NIU Year!!!

Q.. XOXO

Death is Perhaps the only Remise

Beautiful 20-year-old Mariana Bridi da Costa passed away, CNN reports.

- Unfortunately Mari couldn't resist any longer.

She passed away at 3 a.m. today - said Henrique Fontes, director of Miss World Brazil.

The model`s death was also confirmed by Renato Lindgren, a friend of Mariana`s who took care of her blog. He wrote that he was on his way to the hospital with a friend.

- On behalf of all the family, we are grateful for the support and the affection that the entire world has sent to us – Lindgren wrote.

Mariana, who was supposed to have represented Brazil at the Miss World beauty pageant was diagnosed with a urinary infection and the doctors had to amputate both of her hands and feet in order to save her vital organs. A difficult infection caused septicaemia, which clogged her veins and cut off circulation.

Mariana was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the Brazilian Doria Silva hospital. After she had her hands and feet amputated on Tuesday, Mariana has to have additional surgery on Wednesday, urgently.

Mariana`s boyfriend Thiago Simoes said that she fell ill in December, but was misdiagnosed with kidney stones. It is only after additional tests that it was determined she was infected with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Q .... life would have been hell if she survived this .

PS: Perhaps death was god's grace to save her most beautiful memories to last a life time and for all eternity for those who love and care for her.

Life is unpredictable even for the most beautiful.

My mum is V

She's got to be the world's most stylish mum. And a rather commited one at that.



Commited to her role to

'always be there for her kids'

and to

'always be there for the cameras' .

The style icon is after all the world's most famous WAG.

Tight fitting size-O haute couture. Designer high heels. Big sunglasses, expensive totes and a little Beckham (one of the three) in tow.

Q... Perfect mum.

Look ma! No Heels!

Victoria Beckham lives up to her fashion icon status once more.

Seen here with her darling hubby , David, at her perfume launch event.

Indeed, you see right.

The full leg PVC boots sans heels except for slighly more foot arch support than a typical high heel, by Antonio Berardi.

These shoes lift a gorgeous lady into the clouds. And possibly into the one that numbers 9.

This is definitely a case of pain for fashion.

"The whole weight of your body is going to be on the ball of your foot. It is not uncomfortable, but you have to get used to wearing them. It is different from a thick healed shoe or a stiletto where the weight is more distributed."

So it does make you wonder if her hubby is more than a chaperone to her or an actual support she needs to ensure that she didn't fall on the red carpet.

This is actually rare. Victoria loves high heels.

But look, indeed, she has none!

Q

Beauty and Tragedy

A 20-year-old model who was a finalist to represent Brazil in the Miss World contest has had her hands and feet amputated after contracting a severe urinary infection, media reported Wednesday.

Mariana Bridi da Costa was sedated in a hospital in Serra, in Brazil's state of Espirito Santo, and on artificial respiration following the procedures, according to several dailies.

Bridi was diagnosed with a infection by the Pseudomonas aeroginosa bacterium, which can often prove fatal. Septicemia set in in her limbs, cutting off circulation and forcing doctors to amputate.

Her boyfriend, Thiago Simoes, told the G1 news website that Bridi fell ill on December 30, but was initially misdiagnosed with kidney stones.

The infection quickly spread, causing her to go back to hospital for tests that revealed her condition. Surgeons had to act to remove her damaged hands and feet.

Her father, Agnaldo da Costa, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that "the concern is over her life."



Bridi twice made it into the national finals for the Miss World contest, and last year traveled to China to participate in the Miss Bikini International paegant, G1 said.

Some one so young. So beautiful. So vivacious and full of life. Full of ambition and drive.

Struck down by something so tragically unimaginable. Even she herelf would have thought that a car accident was a billion times more likely.

What is life to her now?

Q .... count our blessings and give thanks to everyday when we wake up a live and go to bed in peace.

Anything can happen. Anything. Even to the most beautiful.

More Sex same City

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have agreed to star in the

'Sex and the City: The Movie' sequel.

Following months of speculation the quartet were set to reprise the roles they brought to the big screen last year - four years after the hit US TV series ended - a source has now claimed the lead actresses will appear in another movie.

The film insider said: 'Not all the contracts are signed, but everyone is on board. It just happened.'

All the actresses will get increased salaries for appearing in the second

movie.

The lure of fame and money.

Indeed , when sex sells, the coffers get fat.

After all, even Sarah Jessica herself hasn't had much of a career left since the SITC ended its run.

So why not? Milk it for all it's worth.

The fact that the first movie had 2 consecutive mega sound track releases only showed her desperation to get back on top.

Q ... Indeed. When the she "got carried away, she'll be back for more."

1-20-09

An image sealed in the annals of history.

The new president wore a red tie and white shirt with his new tuxedo made by Hart Schaffner Marx, a unionized factory in Chicago. This was topped with an overcoat adorned with an American flag pin.

Michelle Obama wore a sparkling yellow-gold sheath dress with matching coat by Cuban-born American designer Isabel Toledo. She paired the ensemble with green gloves from J. Crew and green shoes.


The world witnessed in high emotion , the first ever colored American President take his oath with the bible.


Most significant parts of his historical inauguration speech:

" .... know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more."

" To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and respect. To those leaders around the globe who seem to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West- know that your people will judge you on what you can build , not what you destroy."

Beyond well said. Beyond well thought and rehearsed.

Billions worship the ground he walks on.

They look up to him for hope of a better future. One rid of economic uncertainties, free of terrorism and war.

A new world. A better world.

Maybe.

Obama represents hope and change.

Hope he certainly gives. Change, we all hope.

Now that he is the 44th Elected president of the USA, we will all wait in batted breath.

" Remake America, " he says.

"Please remake the World," we say.

Q

Valet on Water

When you're filthy rich and you love your cars too much that you want to bring that element of adrenalin rush and poseur-chic onto your other indulgences such as water sports, the following is what you could certainly get with loads (Hell loads! At about the wrong side of 300k pounds) of cash paid to a passionate and visionary designer like Swedish Bo Zolland and a committed coach builder with unlimited resources to please.

Yes, no doubt many are fans of the pseudo Supercar, Audi R8, with its muscular stance and bold avant garde touches; it's almost amazing how a cold German could match the sensuality of the Italian stallions and bulls.





Translate this amazing car onto the water, losing none of the speed or any of its stylistic touches, this is what Bo envisioned and has promised to deliver to those who want (All of us?) and those who can (sadly, not most of us) .

This is an eight metre catamaran (a speed demon of boat with a split bottom) made of carbon fibre and Kevlar.

The attention to detail is astounding (when you pay this much, it better be.) Almost as though , an actual R8 was stripped of its wheels and dropped into the sea. Check out the rear exhaust pipes, the rear vents, side vents, fuel cap et al.

And let's not forget the gull wing doors which even the actual car doesn't have.

Nothing short of wow.




And it's not just a fancy mod job. This is indeed a monster that behaves like one.

Three optional monstrosities serve as the heart of this beauty. Which can be seen from a clear cover at the back (ala a modern supercar) .

A V10 Biodiesel producing 550bhp, an Ilmor V10 with 710 bhp or twin-Volvo engines producing 460bhp.

Any one of these will push the skin of your face to the back of your cranium.

And sets you on a trip from Clarkson to Calais at a snap of a finger.
(Is 5 minutes impressive enough for you? Take a piss and I'd be in Paris even before you zip.)

Amazing.

Just arrive in high style, a Bond suit or a Bat suit up to you.

Just make sure you get that botox done prior.


Q

What you SprEE is what you Get.

When you have a relatively poor self image of yourself, and can afford it , you turn to Consumerism and Materialism.

You use 'Retail Therapy' as an excuse to resolve bigger issues within.

You buy senselessly . You shop because you can. You get and get anything in order to fill your life and that emptiness.

All that to compensate what you truly want in your life but cannot actually lay your hands on.

You pile on the luxuries and the branded stuff on you because you don't see your self as good enough to face the world.

Your self image is what you're trying to create and mask what truly lies within.

You let all the materialism and tendencies to define you.

It's sad. So sad because you don't define yourself. But you lead an artificial life fuelled by the wealth of your parents to shape who you are and what goes around you.

Strip that all away and what have you got left?

Even more tragic when you perceive the people whom you hang with as 'true' when they are as fair-weathered and as fake as You.

Define yourself. Naked.

Don't let consumerism devour your soul and materialism mask your self worth.

Tragic if you're rich and allow all this to happen.

Tragic if you're lost in the buying at the expense of selling your soul.

Q ... I hope for the best for someone I know.

KA-ricature

Not showing it's age even after 12 long years.

The old model was an international best seller having sold over 1.4 million units.

So successful and ahead of its time that the car needed little upgrades in its astounding 12 year model run .

Edgy and go-kart like, was a formula that redefined what a life-style super compact ought to be. Stylish city-chic.

In your dreams will you ever have a four-door fudly dudly 'family hatch'. Hell no!

So outstanding it was this masterpiece that, even today, has few peers anywhere in the entire industry.

Being one of the very rare few dedicated style-doyens in what is essentially a mass-market driven segment.

Well, if its a formula that ain't broke, why fix it?

Indeed. The current one could still be shouldering on and still be right up ahead of the pack.

But, anything good is worth getting even better.

So here it is. The ALL -NEW

Ford Ka.

Quite a monumental moment in car history for the original captured the attention of so many growing up.

Mine included.

So arguably , though percievably not as ahead of its competition like its predecessor was, but still the elements that made it so appealling remains, very compact , stylish, edgy and fun.

There. Or be prepared to pay nearly 3 times as much for the Fiat 500 or Mini.

Q