Whenever we have guests coming into the city, part of the itinerary is a visit to Ground Zero, the place where the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan used to be.

The site is proof of the New Yorkers’ inner strength and resilience. Bouncing back from a terrible tragedy, construction is at a frenetic pace as workers prep the site for the new World Trade Center, including a Memorial to commemorate and honor the victims of the September 11 attacks. The new site will compose of office space and commercial facilities, major cultural buildings and public amenities, and a new transportation hub (WTC Path Station).

Ground Zero will not be a dead empty space that’s for sure! It is a testament that the people’s spirit can never be broken.

While browsing the aisles of Target, I happened to see these Hello Kitty stickers by the greeting cards section.

Right on time for sealing your Valentine’s Day cards with!

Or maybe something to add to your sticker set collection?

If there’s a grocery store that doesn’t feel like a grocery store, Trader Joe’s is it!

I love the fact that they have everything, from the basics such as milk, eggs and bread to the exotic like Indian and Thai sauces. Best of all, even if they have “gourmet like” items, you don’t have to break the bank to indulge in their fantastic selections! This is because they don’t rely on middlemen for their supplies! Their buyers travel the world looking for the best food to stock for their discriminating but practical customers.

My most favorite snack from Trader Joe’s are their Chili Lemon Pistachios. Pistachios are addicting as it is, but when mixed with Chili Lemon spices, then you might have to check in to rehab because you won’t be able to stop snacking on these!

Here, try it! =)

Let the spicy sour taste haunt your dreams when they’re all gone!

When Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune proclaimed in September 2007 that IT bags were on its way out, she verbalized a phenomenon that was bound to happen.

Over the years, those who initially went crazy over the accumulation of IT bags found themselves getting bored with the new bags coming out season after season. They also found themselves not too different from “common folk”.  As Dana Thomas discussed in her book, “How Luxury Lost its Luster”, luxury goods simply found their way to the “masses”.

Having reached a point wherein almost everybody owned a designer bag, totally the opposite of what luxury was meant to be (to set apart a select few), the fickle fashion folk found themselves looking for the next big thing, and which Suzy deftly pointed out - jewelry and watches.

According to Ms. Menkes:
Jewelry and watches are the “new handbags” - the products that are being nurtured by brands who realize there is a vast market for all women (and an increasing trickle of men.)

The jewelry category is good news for branded stores because the swath of offerings can encompass small crystal fashion jewels selling at less than €100, “starter” designer pieces from €750 to €1,200 and, ultimately, a purchase at €50,000 and beyond, where even handbag prices do not dare to go.

But it is with the couture watch that the marketing managers have found their holy grail. Watches can be streamlined or decorative. They are a perceived as ultimate status symbols in emerging luxury regions like South America, China and Russia. They are the perfect object to slip on a celebrity’s wrist. And in the stores, with a mini-adjustment behind the counter, one size really does fit all.

Guess that means we all have a lot of saving up to do for 2008!!!

(Photo credit: Limited edition Chanel J12 watch from luxist.com)

There are a select group of women who have no qualms spending at least P20,000 for a pair of shoes by Christian Louboutin.

Sure, they claim that his heels are comfortable and that his designs are not only fabulous, they are simply sexy. But really, I think it’s all about the red soles that make them go and buy Louboutins. They know that the flash of red as they walk past by will solicit the admiring stares of people “in the know”.

So what happens when these red soles get all worn out? Arty’s Shoe Service in New York comes to the rescue, as Allure magazine tells its readers!

Re-soling those Louboutins costs $40, about the same amount for a new pair of shoes for those with a “practical” streak. But for the rarefied breed who value their red soles, it’s a small price to pay to keep their soul, I mean, sole pure.

(Photo credit: decorno.blogspot.com)

I wish you health, happiness, love and success this 2008!

And what better way to start the new year than with a Hello Kitty Calendar to mark all the important occasions in your life?

Here’s a peak of what the rest of the year has to offer, as the pages of this 2008 Hello Kitty calendar will reveal…

Here it is again, because it’s unfair for the month of June to not be seen that well, heehee!

I just know this year will be a fabulous year for us all! God bless us all this 2008 and beyond!