A woman’s’ handbag is a guide to her style or even her soul (gasp!)

Hey yall,

It’s been MONTHS since I blogged. As you can imagine, I’ve been quite busy with lots of things, mainly great, exciting things

I decided to shift my focus back to fashion and style for the next few blog entries. Of course, I will still do movie reviews as you know they are some of my favorite kinds of entries ;)

I have been doing really well being frugal for the past few years. As many of you may already know, I stopped using credit cards about three years ago after realizing that if I don’t have cash for it, I shouldn’t even buy it. It has been working out really great since I spend only what I have money for AND I’ve been putting money in savings and just being frugal in (almost) every aspect.

I don’t pay full price for things… I always wait for sales and go to the outlets to stock up on essential clothing.

I also haven’t bought shoes in FOREVER!! I have about 100 pairs of shoes in my collection, and I keep rediscovering gems in my own shoe closet, which has been fantastic! I think I pretty much have all the styles I need… I can think of one or two that I may want to get, but nothing too crazy.

I wanted to put this out there for what I am about to talk about. I will buy good quality clothes on sale for cheap and shoes, but one piece of item that I seem to splurge on and invest is handbags.

I think a bag makes the outfit. I recently read a book, “Fashionista Files” that I bought a couple of years ago that stated “a true fashionista is the one that knows her bags and shoes”, and I completely agree. You can have the most fabulous outfit, but if you have the wrong shoes or bags, it’s over. I think bags are the first items I notice on women, followed by shoes and then the whole outfit.

I am a firm believer of investing in good quality designer bags. Honestly, people define investments differently, and some may think I am absolutely insane for spending so much on designer bags, but what they don’t realize is that I don’t buy any other bags so it all evens out. For instance, when I buy one designer bag, I would carry it for years so when you calculate cost per wear and the fact that I don’t buy any other non-designer bags (let’s say for $40/each or whatever they cost), I am actually saving money.

For instance, last time I bought designer bags (not including Coach bags in between haha) was late 08 which means it’s been 2 ½ years since I bought any bag. I have been carrying these Marc Jacobs and Prada bags for all this time AND will continue to do so, which means I’ve already gotten my money’s worth.

I highly recommend that you invest in a nice designer bag. You can start out by putting away $100/month and at the end of the year, you can treat yourself to a nice one! Besides, that’s when Saks and Nordstrom have their 40% off Designer Bag sales so as long as you aren’t buying black classic ones, which you do have to pay full price for no matter what, you can get a colorful designer bag for less than $1000!

With all this being said, I have to say I have been so good saving money and this month, I decided to treat myself to the iconic, classic Marc Jacobs Stam Bag. I LOVE IT!! I also just got another Marc Jacobs Classic Quilting Standard Satchel in turquoise color – beautiful, happy color.

Sure, I spent quite a bit of money on them both but I will carry these bags for YEARS to come so in the end, every dollar is so worth it.

I LOVE Marc Jacobs bags. His bags are so well-made, classic, and no logos. They are super chic and sophisticated. I definitely will continue my MJ collection. His quilted bags are very chic like Chanel yet somewhat more hip.

I highly recommend in investing in a classic designer bag such as Louis Vuitton Speedy 30, Marc Jacobs Stam, or any Prada bags. If you want a good quality bag but can’t afford such high prices, Coach is the best ever.

HAVE FUN SHOPPING!!

Adieu, 2010 and HELLO 2011!!

I don't know about you, but 2010 was definitely a testing year for many people.

But as the year is coming to an end this week, I can't help but be thankful for great life lessons I learned this year. As we approach 2011, I personally feel motivated and excited for the wonderful things to come.

I want to send lots of positive energy to all my readers, and remember to be grateful and I am sending you lots of L.O.V.E.!

Must-See Movies!

I am a big movie buff. If you know me well, you already know that I enjoy watching all types of movies, especially independent movies.

I wanted to briefly write about this good movie I watched a few days ago called "The Jonese" It stars Demi Moore and David Dochovny.

It illustrates very well the downfall of American consumerism, and how keeping up with the Joneses essentially makes everyone miserable because people's greed does not stop. Ambition is good but greed isn't. Living beyond one's means makes one miserable. I think the key to happiness is not comparing but rather being content with what you have.

I highly recommend it.

I am dying to see "Morning Glory" next week since it stars Rachel McAdams as the twenty-something career woman! I will be sure to write a quick review!

Here is a short list of movies I personally recommend:

1. The Joneses
2. Wall Street 2
3. The Grown-ups (classic Adam Sandler films)
4. The Visitor
5. Morning Glory (when it comes out)
6. The Black Swan
7. Wonderful Life
8. In Good Company
9. Gran Torino
10. Click

Have fun watching!!

As far as the TV shows go, check out:

1. The Office
2. 30 Rock
3. The Good Wife
4. Chuck
5. Outsourced
6. Undercover Boss
7. Extreme Home Makeover

L.O.V.E.

It's the Election Day!

Have you voted yet?

Today is the Election Day! Regardless of what party you belong to, let's exercise our right as U.S. Citizens and vote!!

Remember, every vote counts! :)

All it takes is one text, email or phone call...

Hi everyone,

Wow, I didn't realize almost two months have passed since I wrote. It's fair to say I've been quite busy and preoccupied with other things. Seems that this year is definitely proving to be one of the most difficult years in my life in many ways. I guess when it rains, it pours. I would say at this point, it can even be considered a flood.

Regardless, I believe in keeping positive and strong. When life throws punches, you can only take them so long until you have to punch back.

I've been talking to my friends a lot lately, and I wanted to write about something the importance of responsiveness.

It seems that people and companies do not realize how important being responsive is to others waiting to hear back.

With all the technology we have at the tip of our fingertips, there is no excuse not to respond to people. For example, unless you are so busy running the marathon or something, there is NO excuse not to respond to phone calls, emails and texts.

When my family and friends send me a text, for instance, I make sure I respond right away. Sometimes, calling someone back can mean a lot to that person. All people need is a response. It can be a positive or negative response, but I think NO RESPONSE is WORSE than a negative response.

This is especially true for companies and how they treat their candidates. I respect those who always take time to let the candidates know whether or not they have been selected for the job. Especially in this tough economy, it's important that job seekers are notified about their decision process. No response can often lead to anxiety, fear and frustration. It takes 30 seconds to write an email to say "Sorry, we are not going to hire you". I think that's what candidates deserve to hear and know. I don't think candidates expect more. Companies don't even have to send a letter in the mail or call. Write a simple email to let them know whether they got the job or not.

I think it's easier for candidates to move on if they know what's going on. Bad news is OK as long as it is delivered.

The same is true for friends. NO ONE is that busy that they can't call back or text a friend back. I realized that sometimes my friends can be going through extremely tough times, and it means a lot to just say "look, I am here for you. You can talk to me and I am here to listen". That can prevent someone from falling into deep despair or depression. People need support and human interaction.

The lesson of the day: PLEASE TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME, EVEN SECONDS, TO RESPOND!

Thank you. I am sure people waiting for you would appreciate that.

Marking the Unofficial End of the Summer...

The Labor Day weekend unofficially marks the end of the summer, and strangely enough, the week started out rather gloomy with the sun barely showing itself.

I got to think about any eventful memories I've made this particular summer. How about you? Did you take any amazing vacations or trips? BBQ with friends? Perhaps you decided to work all summer with no vacation. OR perhaps you read rather interesting books and saw awesome movies.

Whatever the case may be, I feel that I made the best of what I was given this summer. Granted, it was quite different than previous few summers for several reasons; nonetheless, I got to really spend quality time with my family and friends, which I am so grateful for.

I also got to celebrate the legacy of the legendary artist I admire the most, Michael Jackson. I feel that this year has been rather a lackluster year, but I am a firm believer that what must go up must come down or rather in my case, you can only go up after going down.

Now that we are unofficially welcoming the start of this fall, let's start reflecting on this year and do the things you planned to do before the year is over. After all, we are only three months away from December.

Celebrate your successes and reflect on past failures. In spite of everything, let's continue moving forward.

I read this article on CNN.com today about money and happiness, and found this awesome quote that I want to share:

"Bargain your true needs, celebrate your true loves, and watch your life's true net worth start climbing."

L.O.V.E.

Lucky

I saw a rather interesting documentary called "Lucky" on HBO last night. It's a documentary about several Power Ball Lottery winners and how their lives changed following their major fortune.

It is definitely a major source of envy when out of nowhere someone wins $25 to as much as $170 million by pure luck. And as much as people say lottery winners often end up miserable, this documentary showed that is not quite true. I learned that what determines their new fate is their character.

If they have good character and are generous, hard-working people to begin with, they spend/spent their money wisely; on the other hand, for those who became fearful of their new fortune, they squandered it out of anxiety with no planning for the future.

I kept wondering why people keep playing when the odds of winning are 1 in 185 million... hmmm perhaps we can keep dreaming that one day we will win the lottery and become $100 million dollars richer and do the things we want to do without ever worrying about money.