Valen’s Vanity Square

Just a quick post to let you know that I have put up a new weight loss report at my weight loss blog. Quickly hop over and sign up to get a copy FREE! The report is called “Top 10 Weight Loss Myths”. If losing weight is your new goal in a new year, then better get some facts right before you set out for your weight loss journey.

Come to think of it, I should also give out a free report about health and beauty here right at this blog. What do you think? Yeah, may be I will do that soon. So watch out for my updates, yah?

Today is the last day of 2008. Whether you have a new year resolution of 101 things to accomplish, or just want to lose 5 kg of weight and look good throughout the year, I wish you all a happy and fruitful 2009, and may all your dreams fulfilled!

Today is Christmas Day! Happy Christmas!

Last night hubby and I had our so-called Christmas eve’s dinner at Pick & Brew, plus coffee and cake later at The Chocolate Lounge, all in One Utama shopping mall.

Today we have no special plan except to attend a friend’s small wedding dinner. So I will actually be quite busy for the rest of the day - busy with my beauty ritual, haha! There is so much to do - trim my eyebrow and nails, apply nail polish, clear my, errr, armpit hair, :P, try out which dress to wear tonight, apply facial mask for a refreshed complexion, etc. Well, that’s the fun of being a woman, haha!

However, in the past few months I have missed out the fun of shopping for skincare care and make-up products. I have to control my expenses since my freelancing paychecks are not coming in on a regular basis nowadays. May be when I receive my next check, hopefully by the end of this month (which is only a few more days to go!) I would be able to buy myself some skin whitening and anti-aging products as late Christmas gift, hehe.

I know there will be a lot of retrenchment happening soon in the job market, it may or may not affect my freelancing business, but still, I have to be careful on how I spend my money. I wonder if people with IT jobs will suffer the same. A friend of mine who is in IT line seems not affected at all; she somehow managed to remain her impulsive spending habit without qualms!

Jeez, have I been in the wrong industry or what?

Oh man, I think I ate a lot of things today.

I went to MidValley Megamall with hubby today. Perhaps it’s the jovial Christmas mood, or simply because I had only half an apple as breakfast at 10.30 am, I couldn’t stop feeling hungry and wanting to munch on something.

First, had this Shilin Taiwanese style chicken chop rice for lunch around 1 pm. Followed by kaya and butter toast bread, ‘chee cheong fun’ and coffee at 3.30 pm. Before we left the mall at 5.30 pm, hubby and I shared a large Italian style ice cream (Gelatisimo? Or something that sounds like that…). Dinner at home at 7.30 pm. Seemed that I had been eating every 2 hours!!

If I continue to get this kind of ‘hunger attack’ every day, may be I should start taking appetite suppressants such as Fentraphen to prevent myself from gaining weight?

Just kidding! I’m not a pill-popping person. And I know why I ended up feeling hungry all the time. It’s because I didn’t have a proper breakfast. You see, breakfast is the most important meal in a day. It kick starts our body metabolism. A proper, nutritious breakfast in the morning helps to keep you feel energized the whole day, and you will be less likely to crave for snacks between meals.

The moral of the story: Make sure you have a good and healthy breakfast before you go to work every morning!

You may have finished buying Christmas gifts for everyone by now, but have you bought anything for yourself? How about a pair of women’s winter boots?

I’ve always wished to wear knee-high boots, but too bad our forever warm weather here does not permit that. I think women look smart in boots, especially when matched with fitting jeans or skirts with length just above the knee.

If you want to get yourself a pair (or two) of winter boots for yourself, you’d better check out endless.com ASAP. Many fashionably-designed women’s winter boot are available at endless.com. The site is now holding a limited time promotion to save you money when buying winter boots for women. This promotion will end before the last second of 24 December.

But if you want “FREE Overnight Shipping”, then you should order before until 5:15 p.m. PST on 12/23/08. By the way, I think this is available for US orders only.

There are also other promotions (e.g. slippers, handbags) going on at endless.com are:

* Save $20 on $80 orders of select slippers for the whole family including brands such as Acorn, Slippers International, and Dearfoams.
* Save $25 on $125 orders of select top shoe brands for women, men, and kids including Nine West, Steve Madden, adidas, New Balance, Naturalizer, and more.
* Save 20% on Two Pairs of Boots including top brands such as Dolce Vita, Jessica Simpson, Timberland, Sorel, and dozens more fashion and outdoor brands.
* Save $25 on $125 orders of select handbags including popular brands such as HOBO International, Big Buddha, B. Makowsky, Latico, and others.

I don’t give out Christmas cards, but I have been making Christmas cards for the past few days. Yes, I made my own Christmas cards and Christmas gift tags - to use them as part of Christmas decorations in my new house, or hang them on my Christmas tree.

These cards were easy to make because the instructions and materials came along with the craft magazine called You Can Craft.

You can also make your own Christmas cards, either design them through your own creativity or, if you don’t know where to start, learn from the magazine. There are only a couple of craft magazines, mainly from UK, in the major bookstores featuring Christmas card ideas, so better grab them before they’re gone!

‘Luxury’ plus ‘vanity’ = LV! Yes, Louis Vuitton that is, haha! Sorry for my lousy joke.

Anyway, if you are getting something for your girlfriend or wife who is an LV fan, perhaps one of the LV charms or key rings can make a nice Christmas present for her. (Provided that you are willing to burn a hole in your pocket!)

Too expensive, huh? Well, a Christmas gift doesn’t have to be luxurious, after all it’s the thoughts and true feelings that count, right? Here are some Christmas gift ideas for women that you may want to consider to get for your wife/mom/girlfriend/grandmother:

• A hand and/or feet pampering kit (for women who do a lot of housework and in desperate need to take care of their dry hands and feet)
• A spa treatment voucher for you and her (if she complains her is always tired and need some form of rejuvenation, and that you’re not spending much time with her)
• A birthstone pendant or necklace (for her to proudly wear on her neck)
• A photo bracelet or a silver bracelet with her name inscribed on it (tells her how special she is)
• A personalized craft bag (if she loves making craft)
• A fanciful coffee- or tea-making kit (if she must have her caffeine fix everyday)
• A business organizer bag (for a career lady)
• A trendy looking feather yarn beanie (to keep her head warm while strolling with you during the cold winter nights)
• A pillow with your photo printed on it (so that she won’t miss you when you are away from home), haha!

Whoever the lucky woman is, use these holiday gift ideas to make her feel special! (And it doesn’t have to be expensive.)

Have you started planning your Christmas holiday?

If you are inviting family or friends over for a Christmas movie night, then you’d better check now that your home theater system is working properly. You don’t want to find that the player or speakers are not behaving when everyone is all excited for the movie to start. You definitely don’t want to disappoint them, do you?

Also remember to check your home theater lighting to ensure that you all will be watching in a cinematic-like ambiance. Check that all the light bulbs and dimmers are working.

After all things are checked (or repaired if required), you can be sure to host a successful and enjoyable Christmas movie night!

Here’s another cool place - BestPriceToys.com - to do your online Christmas shopping for your children, or nephews and nieces.

If you have a bunch of active kids who like to spend time outdoor, and IF there is enough space for a playground within your house compound, do you think one of these swing sets will make the children go nuts?

Brentwood Swing Set

Space Saver Swing Set

Congo Outing

Swing sets are expensive. But this HUGE Christmas gift can be shared among a few children. And it will be considered as next year’s Christmas gift too. Ha!

The other toys that I find cool at this online toy-shop are the dollhouses.

I would like to have this for myself!

Have you done your Christmas shopping?

I’m not a Christian, so I don’t really need to shop for Christmas presents to give away. But I do like to go to the shopping malls to look at the Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas songs playing in the air.

I tell you, the shopping malls are so crowded these days. Not only because of Christmas, it’s school holiday, too. If I were have to shop amongst the crowd and pay at long queues, I would have fainted. Sometimes shopping during festive seasons can be really chaotic. (Ya, think of the approaching CNY.)

Of course, things don’t have to be that way. For shoppers who don’t like to get into crowded malls, you can always shop online! Just choose your Christmas gifts from the comfort of your home, and wait for the items to be delivered to your doorsteps, or even to the recipients’ home! However, DO NOT make your shopping order last minute, or else the items won’t be shipped and delivered in time, or you might be charged extra for rushed shipping.

One good place to shop for Christmas gifts is of course at Amazon.com! Here are some popular gift ideas for Christmas from Amazon…

* Samsung Touch of Color T260HD 26-Inch LCD HDTV Monitor
Beautiful inside and out, the Samsung Touch Of Color Monitor is a great way to get the most out of your PC–as well as watch your favorite 1080p HDTV broadcasts. It features an embedded DTV tuner that enables you to watch digital HD broadcasts without a special receiving set. And with six image input terminals, you can connect several pieces of digital equipment to the T260HD and use them simultaneously.

* Citizen Eco-Drive Men’s Chronograph Canvas Watch
…is powered by the Eco-Drive movement, which runs continuously in any kind of natural or artificial light for a lifetime of use. Fueled by light, it never needs a battery. This watch has a stainless steel case, military green strap, and a 1 second chronograph and 12/24 hour time indicator.

* 14k Gold, Round, Diamond Stud Earrings -Extra 40% Off at Checkout.
Simple enough for daytime wear, yet radiant with evening attire, diamond stud earrings offer sophistication and versatility all in one beautiful package. Available in 14 karat white or yellow gold.

* Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube
Ideal for children of all ages! Create original music from 5 different instruments (French horn, flute, piano, violin and harp) or play music from eight Mozart compositions. Large colorful buttons light up to the tempo of the music. Soft, rounded corners make it easy for a baby to hold. Batteries included.

* Keurig B30 Mini Personal Single-Serve Brewing System
The new mini brewer from Keurig is perfect for coffee lovers and makes a single-serving in less than three minutes, with no messy grinding and no cleanup. The unit uses Keurig’s patented K-Cups, which offer over 70 varieties of pre-measured gourmet coffee and tea from a variety of premium brands. Ten K-Cups come with the machine.

* Il Divo
Refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to remind the world just what we’ve been missing. The original and most popular operatic quartet returns with its richest, most dynamic and diverse album, “The Promise”.

* Maxim
On sale for only $5, and is one of over a hundred magazines on sale through December 31.

* Philips Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer
Get a promotional certificate good for $40 off a future Amazon.com purchase when you spend $139 on select Norelco, Sonicare, and Bliss Philips products offered by Amazon.com. Eligible products include Sonicare FlexCare power toothbrushes and Norelco arcitec shavers.

* Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit
Transform your music gaming into a cooperative band experience. Starting Tuesday, Dec. 2 and continuing each day for 15 consecutive days, Amazon Video Games will be featuring one new, terrific deal for your gaming pleasure, kicking off with the Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit (available for multiple platforms). Quantities will be limited!

* The Dark Knight on Blu-ray DVD
Available on Dec. 9, Batman and the Joker will be unleashed on Gotham—and the world—just in time for the holidays. Find The Dark Knight on DVD, Blu-ray, and special editions (plus other Batman-related products) in our Dark Knight store.

Happy Christmas shopping online!