The hubby and I were interviewed by Rowena Wendy Lei last December for Good Housekeeping March 2010. And I was finally able to get copies yesterday! Yey! It is our first time to be featured and allow us to just relish the moment! The hubby and I basically talked about how we ventured into monetizing blogs and shared some bits and pieces how we make money online.

The article is pretty lengthy. Here’s just to give you a peek..

More and more ladies are putting their interest on gadgets alongside their passion for beauty, makeup and fashion. I would often find myself putting my loyalty to brands that deliver and this applies to both beauty products and kikay gadgets. It is more than a year now since I last changed mobile units. I love my Smartphone in Ruby Red and its endless functionality. And after so many years of changing units every few months, a year is saying a lot already!

Now I know you will understand why I cannot yet stop raving about my gorgeous limited edition Karim Rashid Eee PC Asus netbook in pink. Hot Pink! Its color cannot be more me and I love it to bits! At the same time that this fabulous and stylish limited edition netbook was launched, Asus simultaneously launched its brand new ultra-slim Designo MS Series LCD monitors. It has a perfect combination of exceptional style and picture quality. I swore I thought it was that of a Samsung monitor.  Here’s a quick peek on its specifications:

I am a fan of comfortable and trendy sandals and flip flops. I have outgrown one good brand after another. For some reason, I always find the branded ones to be the most comfortable. From my Marks and Spencer black sandals which readily adjusted to my feet when I was preggers to this Sketchers Dressy jewel toned sandals (above picture). I bought this last September 2009 for P2,900 (approx. $65) and have not had one bit of a problem until last month when I felt the suede that’s holding the thong together snipped while I was in Eastwood mall strolling with the hubby. I figured it has served its worth. It was the pair that I wore throughout the typhoon Ondoy. My poor sandals did not lose its luster even after the flood- the jewels still intact. I did however had to clean the soft sued thoroughly after it got submerged in the flood more than a couple of times. Which I think might have caused the suede getting snipped.

Favorites is what I play when it comes to footwear. I do it a lot that I often forget I have other shoes I could use. Needless to say, my Sketchers dressy jewel toned sandals have been like my everyday footwear since. Unless I have to wear something more strappy, sporty or formal, this has been like the default footwear for me. It was that comfy.

Now that my favorite Sketcher pair of sandals has retired, I’ve been looking through shoe stores in almost all of the metal buildings also known as malls, all over the metro. While I enjoy retail therapy, I get frustrated much when I can’t find the shoes my tiny feet will be comfortable in. My friend Iris is a witness to my hopping from one shoe store to another, me going crazy over why pretty shoes have to hurt. I ended up buying a P1,250 worth of CLN jewel toned flats but again, I ended up just stocking it up because it was too flat for comfort. I have been looking into Fit Flop since. Although it is only a few hundreds pricier than the Sketchers, I am still not sold out to the designs that they have. I find the designs too bulky and inflexible for my taste. Maybe when they come up with daintier ones, then I just might change my mind.

A pair of Macy’s golden sandals is what I’ve been using since my Sketchers died on me. I’ll take a picture of it later. My dslr is with a friend right now. Will update this post later.

My dear hubby owns an ASUS netbook (1005HA), so I know how this little monster performs. I love that I now have a matching all girly, pink, just the way I want my netbook to be. Karim Rashid, one of the world’s leading designers definitely made this particular Eee PC Seashell more appealing and hip. To achieve this distinct and gorgeous look, ASUS’ industrial designers have had to pioneer a plethora of material, production, and textural innovations, such as the combination of rubber paint, in mold roller (IMR), and metallic materials to create thoroughly unique finishes.

Glossy Hot Pink

Hot Pink is the new black for fashion and a shock of punchy pink is just the thing to brighten any ensemble. This positive and very orgulous color clearly communicates the idea of immateriality, entropy and energy of a strong optimistic presence. The Hot Pink Eee PC™ 1008P—which recalls a fashionable woman strolling down New York’s Fifth Avenue—has a metallic silver bottom layer and a transparent Hot Pink IMR upper layer.

Since the introduction of the first Eee PC™, ASUS has inched high technology ever closer to high fashion. With the Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection (1008P), ASUS has taken a decisive leap onto the catwalk. Co-conceived by one of the world’s leading designers, the Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection is the realization of Karim’s vision of computing—one that is more sensual, more human, more hip. Completely contemporary and anathema to nostalgia, these netbooks are more daring, more intersecting, and are designed to appeal to young, mobile trendsetters while remaining an accessible luxury to everyone.

The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection manifests ASUS’ commitment to designing products that appeal to the five human senses, with an emphasis on vision and touch. To achieve this, ASUS’ industrial designers have had to pioneer a plethora of material, production, and textural innovations, such as the combination of rubber paint, in mold roller (IMR), and metallic materials to create thoroughly unique finishes.

Making Waves with the Techno-chic Digi-Wave Design
Karim’s inspired touch is imbued in every inch of the Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection. It is encased from top to bottom in an organic Digi-Wave chassis that is as pragmatic as it is stylish—offering striking looks and robust protection. The rippling lines—which convey a sense of forward movement—adhere perfectly to the golden ratio, bearing testament to the extreme precision required to produce the subtle waves and retain color consistency across the peaks and troughs. The in mold cutting was measured and tested with unprecedented precision by ASUS’ designers, resulting in a gadget that boasts the prestige of a handcrafted product. The perfection of each wave can be perceived with the gentlest of touches.

Innovative Finishes Convey a Touch of Privilege
The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection reflects Karim and ASUS’ view that function, material, form, performance, texture, color and ease-of-use are inseparable in any object of beauty. It is designed to stimulate all five human senses, including the sense of touch, which is often overlooked in the PC domain. The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection thus sets itself apart from other netbooks through its innovative finishes that pamper users’ palms and fingertips. The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection also stands out prominently through its colors—its specific hues, tints and saturations were carefully selected to appeal to tech fashionistas. It is available in bold, glossy Hot Pink or classic, matte Coffee Brown.

No Deficiency in Efficiency
The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection features a breathtaking design that includes a 10.1″ frameless LED backlit display and an ergonomic chiclet keyboard. This beauty is matched by its computing prowess. It features the new power-saving Intel® Atom™ N450 CPU, which works in tandem with ASUS’ exclusive Super Hybrid Engine energy management technology to deliver 6 hours of battery life on a single charge. The Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection also offers near-instant access to the Internet thanks to the inclusion of Express Gate, an ancillary operating system that boots up in seconds. Express Gate allows users to make Skype calls, surf the web, browse photos, play online games, engage in instant messaging, and much more.

Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection also has its Matte Coffee Brown variation…

Matte Coffee Brown

Subtle, mature and understated yet elegant, Coffee Brown is timeless and classic—bringing to mind a gentleman sipping coffee at the Café de la Seine, enjoying a relaxing afternoon by reading John Wooden’s poetry. The Coffee Brown Eee PC™ 1008P has two layers: a Coffee Brown bottom layer sprinkled with gold glitter, and a soft-to-the-touch upper layer of translucent rubber paint.

And for this gorgeous toy’s specification:

And what could perfectly go with my spanking brand new Eee PC Seashell Karim Rashid Collection Netbook, than its very own equally gorgeous jacket to house it in. Love it! Thank you Asus Philippines!

]]> http://www.kikaycorner.net/2010/03/kikay-corners-kikay-netbook-eee-pc%e2%84%a2-seashell-karim-rashid-collection-netbook.html/feed 4 http://www.kikaycorner.net/2010/02/ahava-launches-flagship-store-in-the-philippines.html http://www.kikaycorner.net/2010/02/ahava-launches-flagship-store-in-the-philippines.html#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:54:06 +0000 admin http://www.kikaycorner.net/?p=1553

Regular readers know that Kikay Corner’s leaning has always been towards all natural and organic products. This is why I couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to witness the AHAVA Launch and Boutique opening last February 25, 2010.

AHAVA originated in Israel on the rich mineral resource of the Dead Sea. AHAVA is the sole company that has the license to extract these rich resources from the Dead Sea.

AHAVA is the Hebrew word for “love.” AHAVA came to skincare out of love for our native magical environment. Living and working by the Dead Sea, it’s easy to fall in love with the area’s unique topography and mystical charm. AHAVA then began to discover impressive healing powers of its natural resources.

Since its inception, Ahava is developing fine plant and mineral based skincare products harvested from Dead Sea ingredients. Their products’ effectiveness has been validated in numerous studies conducted by renowned international skincare research institutes and universities.

Here are some of AHAVA’s product lines:

1. Source {cleanse.detoxify.treat}
Essential to all Source products is Ahava’s exlusive Mineral Skin Osmoter, a powerful natural complex that blends the best of the Dead Sea’s beauty boosting minerals. This exceptional combination draws moisture and nutrients form the depths of your skin to the outer layers of the epidermis, where you need it most.

2. Time Line {natural elixir o youth}

Represents the culmination of years of extensive scientific research in conjunction with leading universities throughout the world, in which Ahava studied the effects of minerals on skin hydration and renewal. The result: their patented 3D Complex, a breakthrough in moisture replenishment, skinprotection and anti-aging technology. This unique formula consists of powerful, natural nourishing ingredients, all harvested from the Dead Sea’s vast reservoir of minerals.

3. Men {effective skincare, powered by the Dead Sea}

A man’s skin follows different metabolic patterns than a woman’s and therefore requires different treatment. Ahava takes care of a man’s skin with clinically proven, high quality ingredients from the world’s most prolific source of minerals.

4. Pure {your spa rejuvenation system}
Combats the daily stress your body encounters, while providing the vital nutrients your skin needs for a glowing appearance, smoother feel and complete serenity, inside and out.

5. Mineral Suncare {eclipse sun-aging with mineral suncare}
Directly inspired by the unique phenomenon of eclipse, AHAVA has created Mineral Suncare line by combining quality sunscreens and special ingredients native to the Dead Sea region.

6. Dermud {reveal the radiance behind dry and sensitive skin}

Dermud for dry skin:
- normalizes dry skin cells’ natural functions
- dramatically increase the skin’s moisture level
- leaves dry skin looking and feeling healthier and softer

First to be burned are the Thomasians in the recently concluded UST “Cheermania!”, the University of Sto. Tomas’ grandest in-school cheering competition. Cheermania is the annual cheering competition between UST’s different colleges featuring Thomasian-dynamism through rhythmic dances that highlight the values of their respective colleges and faculties. Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks played a major role in the success of this event by being this year’s Cheermania presenter. With that, the students allotted six minutes of non-stop cheering action having Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks as one of the major parts in their routine.

Setting up booths inside your schools, Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks will not just be presenting but will also challenge each and every one of you students to participate in this year’s Fit ‘n Fab 4 Challenge!

This challenge is open to all college student barkadas of four, aged 15 – 25 years old, who will be encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and regular exercise and snacking of Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks. It is the only low calorie snack with 300 mg of fat-burning L-Carnitine made with real fruits with no added sugar. The barkada with the most amount of weight lost and physical improvement wins P100,000 and a trip to Boracay.

With Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks Fit ‘n Fab 4 Challenge 2010, more schools are about to get burned. And for those who miss the Fit ‘n Right campus visits, a booth will be waiting at ROX in Bonifacio High Street on February 20 – 21 from 11am to 8pm for the final registration.

Now, can you keep up? Hurry, sign up at www.fitandfab4.com and join the Del Monte Fit ‘n Right Fruit Snacks Fit ‘n Fab 4 Challenge 2010 coming to your schools!

Essensity is a line free of artifician fragrance and all those crap we usually see in commercial shampoos. While I love that this shampoo is all natural, it’s performance is not really spectacular. I have found that out of the 3 all natural shampoos that I use at least 2 of them cause hair fall. Yes including this brand. But I’m not saying that it does cause me hair fall, it is going to be the same for everyone.

For those leaning towards organic brands of beauty products, you can be sure that Essensity Schwarzkopf formula uses biodegradable ingredients. The raw materials that they use are synthesized from plant based resources. And they stand by it through and through, no aerosol for their spray on products. Even their packaging materials are recyclable. Schwarzkopf’s Essensity brand is sure to appeal to organic loving beauties.

While I’m sure I know a bunch of you guys have heard about celebrities having their body parts insured, I still get amazed every time I read about any of them. The astounding amount of money for a single or pair of body part/s, I’ll type a few of them away for you.

David Beckham for one has his legs insured for an astounding $70 million! That’s just crazy right? Okay, so he is actually a billionaire, probably several times over. But that’s just overwhelmingly ridiculous. But then again, that’s coming from a commoner such as yours truly. But just for the sake of entertainment, let’s allow our heads to spin around the crazy figures of moolah for what body parts these famous personalities.

Dolly Parton has got her girls (boobies) insured for $600,000. The phrase that just pops to my mind is vanity of vanities. It’s got to be nothing more than that! I would definitely understand why David should get his legs insured, he plays football for a living and if in any event that he gets disabled, he will be left to nothing but his savings (and possibly investment) but the thing is he cannot play ball anymore. But with Dolly? Can’t she sing without her boobies? Okay, that’s just her business altogether. It’s just a thought on top of my head.

A lot of other celebrities have got their body parts insured for incredible amounts of money. But right, that’s their business and that’s their money their spending anyway. If all we commoners can pay for is a regular life insurance, they have plenty to spare for such vanities. Let’s just let them be.

Shopping is fun. That’s something most girls would agree with me about. But that is not to say that only women love shopping. Men love shopping as well. In this age of consumerism, it really is easy to fall trap if we are not careful. Shopping is not bad in itself. It is the most natural thing, even as we consume things we use on a daily basis. The thing is to be wise at doing it.

Shopping can be rewarding too. You have a job and getting a little something for yourself is not bad at all. It is healthy even. It is wise though to make sure that you go easy on the use of your credit card. If you should at all use it, make sure you get it paid before it is due or what you are purchasing falls under the zero interest promotion. Keeping in mind that the monthly installment cost is something that you can afford to pay for until the very last month of installment.

One thing that wise consumers make use of are Discount Codes and coupons. They are there for you disposal. The fact that companies give these away is because they can actually sell their merchandise at a lesser cost. Shopping wisely will give us more value of our money.

To date, the percentage of women is already nearly half of the work force in America. While I can no longer exactly relate to women in the corporate workplace, since I have chosen to work from home for over two years now. I know for a fact that a woman’s ability to earn a living cannot be underestimated. And whether a woman chooses to stay in the corporate world or work from home, there will always be a few decisions she would have to face and juggle along. This is especially true if she has a family.

Women who are working from home like myself would have to make sure that we have a workplace that is conducive for our job and for some this includes a hosted pbx. The latter will be able to benefit companies big or small.