TOPAZ HORIZON

I just want to share my favorite new thing. Well, it's not so new since Vince bought it for me soon after our second wedding anniversary. But I just had to share because it's super hotness!

I said I wanted a pink netbook, right? Then I ended up buying a little black beauty a few months ago:

Well, with my darling baby needing protection, I needed a laptop case. I looked and looked and everything was either too big or too small (the HP Mini's screen is wider than most netbooks). And must all laptop sleeves look so horrid? So as Vince and I wandered into a luggage store, this little cutie called to me.
Isn't she pretty? It's a Samsonite Black Label Signat Mini Attache. It's pink. I'm sooo happy! Vince thinks it's so retro cool. And it actually is retro--this is a re-issue of the 1965 design. I learned that from the little leather label here (sorry, my photos are terrible!):
Because it's Samsonite, we didn't think we could afford it. The original price was PHP 11,390 (USD 238) but--wonder of wonders, it was on sale! It was sold for a huge discount--Vince got this pretty pink sweetheart for just PHP 3,970 (USD 83). Unbelievable. Sold!

Ah! Look at that! It's like it was made for my HP Mini! And it has a little compartment for the charger and pockets for my USB sticks and little odds-and-ends. Love it! Thanks, Vince!

Some of you know I love the rain. Some of you know I love shoes. And all of you know I love Vince! Now I'll tell you a little love story.

On a perfect rainy September day ten years ago, Vince took me to Enchanted Kingdom. I had never gone there before and, because of the rain, it was nearly deserted. There were no lines for the rides and we spent the entire day running through the puddles, kissing under the rain, getting soaked on the roller coaster, riding the ferris wheel and thrilled at the prospect of getting hit by lightning. We were young and we felt immortal. It was one of the best days of our life. I paid for it dearly however: I came down with a terrible case of pneumonia and, worse!, my pretty ballet shoes were ruined beyond repair. I never went splashing in the rain since.

Then this pair of cuties arrived for me:This baby is called Rain Skimmers and it's brought in by the same lovely ladies who introduced Plueys here (thanks, Em!!!). The shoes are made of lightweight matte rubber and lined inside with comfy cotton in adorable prints. I love it!!! Mine is the Nola style--a subdued and elegant blue. It's comfortable and simple and stylish. And because it's rubber, I can walk through wet streets, even wade in CCP's fountain perhaps--yes, even with the pond aerators on!--and not worry about ruining these shoes! Just look at it--that's serious rubber, girls.There are three other styles--Audrey (white polka dots on black), Kelly (olive) and Vicki (multi-colored dots). Each pair is PHP 1,450 and comes with a free pair of heel protectors worth PHP 200, but again they throw this in for free! And did I mention how utterly comfy it is? Now I'm singin' and dancin' once again!

Be fashionable this rainy season! Get your own pair of Plueys boots or Rain Skimmers flats here.

Since my Belle de Jour talk on earning money online, I've been getting a lot of questions about how I make money with my online activities. To answer your questions, I'm writing this post.

(That's a bad photo, I know, but it's the only one which proves that I really did give a serious talk--on money no less!)

I earn money through three ways: (1) I have an eBay shop, (2) I'm a member of a paid blogging network, and (3) I have ads placed in my two blogs.

(1) Selling on eBay is very easy. While a ton of girls use Multiply as their online shop platform, I find it easier and safer to sell on eBay. First, because there's a feedback system so I have a better idea of who my buyers are and, second, the tools are already there so uploading photos and item descriptions, answering questions, sending invoices, etc. are a piece of cake.


I highly suggest that if you have a lot of unnecessary stuff at home like clothes that don't fit anymore or if you like making lovely items like gift cards or cloth bags, then sell, sell, sell! You'll be amazed at how much money you can earn from your junk/hobby!

(2) Another way to make money online is to join paid-blogging networks that give you assignments from advertisers. Each post you write for them is a paid post--you are literally writing for money. Some networks ask you to specifically promote or review their product/service. Others just give you a phrase that links to their clients' website.

This latter is my favorite and this is what the network I  belong to is all about. I like it because the advertising is not so obvious and the assignment challenges me to think creatively. For example, how am I going to insert "Pleasanton motorcycle accident attorney" in my blog post? As you can see, it's not always easy!

Because of my paid blogging work, I've been able to buy the coolest film nerd shirts, necklaces, shoes to sell on my eBay shop, and--for my PS3 addict husband--this super rare Sackboy doll that is only available in the UK!


(3) I also have ads placed on my blogs but I'm not earning much from them. They're from Google Adsense and Nuffnang. I've heard of people earning USD 100 a day (!!!) with just the ad revenues on their blogs. How do they do that???

I'm very aware that my online money making experience is not that impressive. I'm a newbie--just started in November last year because, as my credit card was stolen, I was desperate to make money. And my friend Jennie of Marriage and Beyond has been so encouraging and helpful because she earns super duper lots from her blogs.


So it's funny that Belle de Jour actually asked me to tell the BDJ girls how to make money since they ended up teaching me instead! If you have any advice at all, please help--how do you earn from your blogs? Because, as much as I love my magazine, I'd really like to start working from home one day!

I've not posted on Beauty For A Living for a bit but do go there now--I've got some new beauty news!

And leave me a comment there (not here!) on what you want for my next beauty giveaway. My cabinets are getting crowded again. I need to unload the stuff! You never know if I'd send you (yes, you!) beauty products. When I read that Jennie of Kikay Corner loved Revlon makeup, I sent her some items and she's really happy. I also read that Laura of A Daisy Chain Dream wanted some MAC Hello Kitty makeup and I sent her stuff--yes, all the way to Bristol, UK!

Let me make you happy, too! Leave a comment in Beauty For A Living on what you want and if I have it, I'll send it over! Oh, wouldn't it be fun if I could just display all my stuff and you can scan the ones you like with a Honeywell Barcode Scanner like they do at bridal registries in the States and then I'll deliver them to your home? It would be much simpler. Anyway, wish away--no strings attached. You'll be doing me a favor actually since Vince doesn't like my mess! Head on over to my beauty blog now...

Because I was sick for a week, I was stuck at home and got a really bad case of cabin fever (that's what happens when you're going crazy being indoors for an extended period). After cleaning the house and taking my girls shopping, Vince and I went to Glorietta to shop, shop, shop!

We had a list: get Mom a birthday gift, home fragrance oils, video games and rabbit food. In this country, there are only three kinds of pets: dogs, cats and fish. So while I've come to expect nothing but dog/cat/fish food in pet stores, I really really hate it when shops that claim they're fully stocked with pet supplies aren't!!! My poor bunnies have been munching on veggies and hay for the last two weeks. That's okay but they get filled up more and are happier with pellets. Calling Robinsons and Rustan's Supermarkets--please restock on rabbit pellets!

Okay, inhaling, exhaling... I'm calm now. So! Back to Glorietta. First things first: Feed Frances! I lost weight due to last week's incarceration. And now that I had my taste buds back, I was ravenous. Vince and I went to Italianni's where we had a big plate of pasta and a big slab of steak with creamy mashed potatoes and buttery vegetables on the side. Yum! (He's been feeding me a lot since, too, so now I'm back to my fighting form again and struggling to fit into my skinny jeans!)After that heavy lunch, we got Mom a nice gift, which was hard to do because what do you give a woman you love so much and already has everything? I hope she likes our surprise! Vince got me a surprise, too--he got me this lovely Liz Claiborne wallet:I've been using a plain pink wallet since my red one got stolen last year. The pink one's still okay but hubby thinks I'm ready for a grown-up wallet already. Yey! Oh, the picture does it no justice. It's very very pretty and feminine, with tons of pockets inside. Love it! (That's my old teddy bear, by the way.)

Vince was a happy camper, too, when he got two PS3 games--Bioshock and Ghostbusters. He's like a little boy now playing away in the living room while I'm here in the bedroom blogging and watching E! News. I'm also basking in the citrusy scent of my house. I stocked up on The Body Shop's fragrance oils. My favorites are the citrus and green tea scents. I tried white musk (too powdery) and lavender (too spa-y), too. Vince also persuaded me to get this new oil burner since he didn't like my plain clay pot.So we had a very happy weekend! Oh, did we find rabbit pellets? No. My poor bunnies!