How To Hang Your Clothes Properly

Hanging your clothes properly is as important as removing makeup and washing your face at night no matter how tired you are.  Proper hanging of clothes can maintain their shape & lengthen their durability. 

Crime #1: Hanging your sweater this way will damage the shape of the shoulder. 

Crime #2: Hanging or a lack thereof will result in major wrinkling.

Here's how to undo the crimes:

Invest in lightweight, thin & nonslip hangers for optimal results.

Correspond the shape of the sweater to the curves of the hanger.

 

 Meticulously button the sweater to maintain its shape.

Review for City Hall

I finally finished watching "City Hall."  It's cute, but I didn't fall in love with it compared to "Secret Garden."  It's funny that Kim Sun Ah's character mentions Hyun Bin as her ex-boyfriend look-alike because they previously starred in "My Name is Samsoon."  Overall, I give it a B.     

Great Weekend Bargains

My latest frugal fashion acquisitions:

American Eagle Military Cotton Jegging: soft, light weight, love the cute zipper on the ankle.  Original $60.  Got it for $7.50.  I also got another one in a light gray color. 

American Eagle Puffer Jacket: Semi-thin, but warm.  The fur trimming of the hood adds a layer of warmth & glamour.  Original $120.  Paid $40.

Necklace from J Crew.  Simple but elegant.  Original $50.  Got it for $14. 

Gap Winter Hat: cute & stylish.  A gift from my sister.  Don't know the original price, but it was on sale for $4 or $5. 

A & Fitch Cardigan: light & silky.  Love the pretty bows on the pockets.  Original $60 or $70.  My sister got it for me for $15 as a gift. 

Secret Garden's Review

Forget about any nuclear or biological weapons you’ve seen in 2010.  Instead, meet the potent and lethal weapon of mass destruction in 2011: Secret Garden, a highly deserved popular Korean romantic comedy drama.  It strategically infects fans with a pandemic flu of lovesickness for Hyun Bin.  Mission not impossible.  No amount of modern vaccination can fully provide inoculation.  Like many other infatuated fans of Secret Garden, I'm no exception to immunity.

The first episode of Secret Garden swiftly spreaded the love flu at first sight.  I caught the fanatic fever of love craziness for Hyun Bin.  Even though I've already loved him in “My name is Kim Sam Soon,” I love him even more in Secret Garden.  No actor could flawlessly embody the flawed and arrogant Kim Joo Won as well as Hyun Bin.  His compelling acting skills capture my heart in every nano second of every episode.  Furthermore, Hyun Bin’s cute dimples, playful side-swept bangs, and irresistible smile are his not-so-secret weapons to create a global explosion of love madness.

Secret Garden exceptionally exceeds my expectations.  It distinctively depicts the love story as The Little Mermaid, in which one gives up something in order to be with a loved one.  For example, Gil Ra Im meets and falls in love with Kim Joo Won through the loss of her dad.

Some fans view the loveable drama as a wild roller coaster as it puts them through laughter, heartache, and back to joy.  However, as a food aficionada, I see Secret Garden as a can’t-go-wrong combination pizza.  It successfully incorporates a precise quantity of comedy, fantasy, and melodrama.  Like a pizza crust, the heart-felt romance between Kim Joo Won & Gil Ra Im is the foundation of any classic romantic drama, in which an upper classman falls in love with a working class woman through fate.  The complexities of the story & characters represent the different layers of pizza toppings.  Every character brings a different flavor to the story while complementing each other. The strong chemistry among the actors is like pizza melting cheese, the force that holds the drama together.  The supernatural element of body/soul switching is like the sizzling special pizza sauce.  I would love to switch my body with Kim Joo Won's and live in his impeccable wardrobe and super organized closet.   

A way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.  Therefore, Secret Garden is a delicious treat to both my stomach and heart.  No words could further express my love for Secret Garden because it profoundly touches my heart.  Although it ended on Sunday, my lovesickness for Hyun Bin shall remain incurable. 

Some highlights:

Kim Joo Won's other woman: the iconic Italian "hand stitch by stitch" tracksuits 

 

 

 Cute romantic scenes

Kim Joo Won's constant thinking of Gil Ra Im instead of ME!

 Breathtaking cinematography

Hyun Bin's ultra flat abs & flattering outfits

Hyun Bin surprises fans with his heart-felt singing.  Wishing that he was singing to ME instead of Gil Ra Im

This song brings tears to my eyes

Disclaimer: all pictures & videos belong to their respective owners.  Hyun Bin, however,is my nontransferable property!  

My thoughts on Asia's DVD: Dam Cuoi Dau Xuan

Overall, this DVD is worth watching & listening.  The wedding concept goes well with New Year's because it signifies a new beginning for newlyweds. I also love Asia's previous DVD on wedding theme because it's innovative and nonpolitical.

It's ok to watch video clips online, but please purchase original DVDs to support Asia in producing quality products & keeping your fave singers employed.  I did my part as a responsible fan, so I hope others will do the same to support Viet music and countless effort from creative individuals behind the scene.

Thuy Duong did a phenomenal job as an MC.  She's funnier than ever as she become more comfortable being on stage.  Her interview with various singers and guests are pleasant. 

I ab-sole-lutely love this song when Thanh Truc & Vu Tuan Duc (for those that don't know, he's her real-life husband) performed it in an Asia album 7-10 years ago. Love the beautiful melody and romantic lyrics. I give Mai Thanh Son & Thuy Huong’s version a 90% compared to Thanh Truc’s score of 100%. I’m glad that the new highly anticipated version keeps the original melody while adding a nice touch of guitar. Mai Thanh Son’s singing stays true to the original version; however, Thuy Huong is a little out of tune for me.

I like & respect the effort & creativity of younger singers on stage; however, their limited vocal capability isn’t memorable to me.  I don't want to put anyone down, but I think the older singers such as Vu Khanh & Thanh Lan, can actually sing.  On the contrary, I tend to remember younger singers in general for their songs or stage performances, but rarely their vocal ability. 

I'm very impressed with the acting & singing skills from the rising artist Ha Thanh Xuan.  I've listened to many versions of Khuc Hat Thanh Xuan, but I enjoy hers the most.  The music is upbeat and the dancing is fun to watch.    

Although this DVD sinfully recycles many old New Year songs, the majority of performances are visually artistic.  The comedy skit is actually hilarious while touching.  The only thing that bothers me is poor editing of some performances.  For example, the constant presence of the camera man in the background in Anh Minh & Doan Phi’s number is distracting.  The editing team should have removed him in the final cut.  Despite some imperfections, this DVD is worth your $$$.   

Frugal Fashion Finds

I found the following pieces from J Crew sometimes towards the end of 2010.  However, I didn't get a chance post a review until now. 

Original: $40.  Got it for $11.  The shiny pearly pearls are excellent partners in crime for a pristine effect.

Original: $70 or $80 I forgot.  Got it for $22.  This feminine cardigan runs a little bit big for XS.  However, it'll look cute with skinny jeans/pants. 

Original: $45 or $50 I forgot.  Got it for $10.  Love the beautiful craftmanship & romantic poly/silk chiffon, but I like the price best.   

Henley shirt: Original: $45.  Got it for $7.  Excellent comfort & fit for a basic look. 

Dream Cardigan plus nearly dream price.  Original: $98.  Got it for $42.  Love the glamourous beads. 

Military Coat from Arden B.  Original $98.  Got it for $29.  Cute design, lightweight & good wool material.  Excellent bargain for coats.

Jacket from Juicy Couture.  Original: $278-$300 I forgot.  Got it for $117.  Light & warm. 

Storing Your Clothes For Free

Like the Christmas gifts, but unsure what to do with the gift boxes?  Save them for clothing storage.  If you guiltily end 2010 with series of sumptuous spending, then you can embark on serious saving in 2011.

2010's way: Purchasing storage boxes that cost between $6-15/each, depending on the size and where you shop.  

2011's way: Neatly store your clothes in jumbo gift boxes.  I especially love those from J Crew because they're sturdy.

3 jumbo gift boxes can practically store as many clothes as 3 chest drawers.

Hello 2011!

Wishing everyone a happy new year! I hope 2011 will bring you a double dose of happiness, prosperity, and good luck:-)

My New Year's resolutions include:

-Getting @ least 7 hours of sleep daily.  I don't know how I could function properly in 2010 with merely 4-6 hours of sleep everyday.  I hope my serious case of insomnia will disappear forever.  Actually, I just need to bravely turn off my laptop & iphone so I’ll stop watching my k-dramas online.  I want to be more disciplined about getting my beauty sleep.

-Dress more polished.  It’s redundant to say that us mortals dwell in a superficial world in which looks speak louder than words. Before you speak, people already make pre-conceived judgments about you based on your appearance.  I had some good days where I dressed up more maturely; however, some days I was just happy to get to work on time.  I'm ready to let go of my lazy fashion days & be committed to present myself in the best possible light in 2011.  I don't want to be mistaken for an underage teen anymore. 

I'm glad that the reign of 2010 has finally ended because I had many misfortunes and disappointments.  However, I'm optimistic that 2011 will be better!! I hope the same for you:-)