Saving money with every step.

I have been lusting over these Steve Madden embellished ballet flats since the beginning of the summer. The problem? They are still at the sale price of $60. Quite a bit for a penny-pinching girl like me. I love the adorable miniature sequins and coins that are sew on that give the flats a little exotic, "gypsy" feel to them.


Luckily for me, Target sells a similar alternative at a modest and incredibly amazing price of $13! Perhaps it might not have the exact same glitz as the lovely Steve Madden pair, but it's just as cute and wearable. And with my employee discount, what's not to love?

Worldly Tot Toys

If anyone knows me, they know how much I look forward to having my own kids. I'm a daydreaming dork who works up fantasies of taking my own little kids to the museum or park on the weekends and snacking on mini Nutella sandwiches. Rather than a Bratz Doll, I think this World in a Bag is an adorable little alternative that can be fun and educational at the same time. I can tell my little kiddie about each famous landmark and open their eyes early to what the world has to offer. And since they are made of wood, I'm sure that it would last for some time. They also have mini cities such as London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, and Barcelona, as well as mini countries like Italy and Germany.

These are so adorable that I want to order them now for myself! They'd be cute decorative pieces in my bedroom.

No matter what, I am so proud.

I'm not going to lie, I was upset when the US lost against Brazil 3-2 in the Confederations Cup Final. Who wouldn't be sad if their team was up 2-0 during halftime, only to falter a bit in the second half and let in three goals. It sucks quite frankly, especially since the yanks were the comeback kids all along.

Regardless of the scoresheet, I've never been so proud of my US boys. They made something out of very little, for after losing big time against Italy and Brazil in the group stages, they were able to get themselves together and beat Egypt and of course, the number one team in the world, Spain. Sure, my heart ached during that match, since I am a Spain supporter as well, but I knew in a time like this I could only be there for my yanks. I was on cloud nine, even though it broke my heart to see my La Furia Roja defeated and disappointed. I remember ESPN kept replaying a heartbroken Gerard Piqué (a.k.a. mi amante catalán) leaning on the goalpost woefully after Deuce's goal. I love my spaniards, but surely it's understandable that I have to stick by my country first. Trust me, it was so hard for me to deal with my two teams going against each other. An hour after the match my Catholic guilt started kicking in and I felt the discouragement of La Selección. The guilt was like no other, especially when I kept seeing pictures of Spanish players on the verge of tears. Then after a bit of that I felt so happy again, and then the guilt returned, only to disappear for the day when I popped in my 30 Rock DVD to watch in order to calm my soul.

Anyways, sorry I want off on a tangent about my Catholic guilt taking over my life once again. But yes, it was amazing how the US came back. After everyone wrote them off, put them down, scoffed at their chances, they fought harder than ever before for one of the biggest upsets in football history. I mean, I remember Rece Davis on ESPN saying how "there was a bigger chance that Jon and Kate write a marriage manual than the US continuing" and how he "would go into full detail about US's chances of qualifying for the semis but that would be longer than War and Peace" or something to those extents. And look what happened. It was front page of the New York Times website, tweeted like mad on Twitter (even by football n00bs that thought that this was the WC Final...oh boy), and talked about constantly on sports news. A friend of mine even IMed me telling me how it was on the front of the sports section in the Philadelphia Inqurer. Seldom do I see real football news in the sports section of the newspaper, let alone the front page. My US team newspaper clipping are very scarce, and the only picture I actually clipped out was of Sacha Kljestan from last year's Summer Olympics. Perhaps this means that the USMNT will get the respect that they truly deserve in the football world. You don't beat Spain with a crappy team.

I told myself before the final that I would be proud no matter what the scoreline was, and I kept my word. I didn't start tearing a bit until I saw Deuce start bawling like a little baby when he was getting up to the stage during the awards ceremony to get this Bronze Ball award. That killed me like anything. I screamed, "OH GOD STOP CRYING, YOU ARE LOSING YOUR STREET CRED FOR PETE'S SAKE!" but it didn't help. He cried even MORE. Can't blame him, though. He scored an amazing goal and was close to winning the Golden Boot. And Timmy won the Golden Glove!!!!!!!! Against Iker and Buffon, two of the greatest keepers of today!!! I was so proud, so much for Timmy Tourettes. It's funny, he was at one point the #2 trending topic on Twitter, following Billy Mays, and people who didn't know who Timmy was thought that he killed Billy Mays. But yeah, I couldn't help but feel bad. At the end of the day, I felt, and still do feel, that this is a step in the right direction for the US team. This was their first FIFA tournament final, and they held their own. They are still developing into an even more fantastic team, and I cannot wait for what they have in store for the 2010 WC next year.

God Bless America!

A step backwards for all hardworking women.

Joe Cole finally made an honest woman out of Carly Zucker and both of them wed last weekend in London at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Though perhaps Carly is a bit too honest.

In the new wedding spread in Hello! Magazine, The Other Mrs. Cole talks about what the future has in store for her...or more like what it doesn't have in store for her:

“I am offered projects all the time, but I don’t feel I need to prove anything, or that I need a career to feel good about myself.

I tried it before with the personal training as well as running the house, and it just made me stressed and unhappy.

It wasn’t good for me and it wasn’t good for Joe and his football. I am lucky enough to be in a position where I don’t have to work."

At first, I chuckled my usual sardonic laugh at the hopelessness in the quote. And then reality started in sink in, and my chuckle soon turned to a bit of steam coming from my ears. Which then resulted to the ubiquitous *facepalm*

I'm sure I am not the only person who has beaten the WAG stereotype and culture to the ground. There are as many people disgusted of its materialism as there are people condoning it. But I think Carly took it to another level. Way to fuel the "trophy wife" persona, Mrs. Cole. At least Alex Gerrard pretends that she made something of herself with a magazine column and perfume line, or whatever silly ideas she had up her sleeve.

Call me what you want: man hater, femin-nazi. But it always upsets me when there are women like Carly Zucker, who have no ounce of integrity in them and would rather spend their respective partner's money instead. In this day and age, women are finally able to pursue their dreams. Yet so many women still do not seize the opportunity to live out their own success. Us women are capable of it, and Carly shows a lot of weakness and lack of self-determination.

And I highly doubt that she was "running the house," did she mean that the housekeeper was? It just doesn't make sense. It angers me when women still don't get the big picture. Make something of yourself, don't hide behind your husbands.

You know what? She may be living in a life full of convenience, laziness, and luxury, but we'll see who has the last laugh when the marriage ends. I hope Joey signed a good pre-nup.

Summer goal #1: Learn Catalan.

It's officially summer for me as of today! I am now a senior, which is such a weird feeling. I didn't even feel like a junior this year, more like a 6th grader! But anyways, now with all this free time to myself, I am able to do a bunch of things that I did not have time for during the school year.

One thing that I've always wanted to do was to learn Catalan. I figured that it could possibly be convenient when I go to Barcelona or Marseilles, but the language itself has always intrigued me. I've started my self-taught lessons yesterday, and so far it's going well. I got the simple phrases down pat in a matter of hours. Since it's basically a mix of Spanish and French, it's not very hard at all. Hopefully I'll be able to carry out my lessons all throughout the summer. I always say, "oh I want to learn [insert language here]" but never actually get time to do so. So hopefully things will actually work out this time around.

Besides, how many people here can say, "I can speak Catalan"? Not a lot. This will totally work in my favor.

Annual hiatus.

Hello everyone! Everything has been crazy lately, so I apologize for not updating this blog in so long. Summer's within my grasp, so keep checking for some posts coming up soon!

Anna Sui for Target.

It is reported that designer Anna Sui will be the next designer to have their own GO International collection at Target! I'm quite excited, I love Anna Sui and supposedly the line will be by Gossip Girl. I'm sure the whole prep look has been reiterated over and over again ever since the show started, but I hope Anna puts her own unique spin on it. Plus, I wouldn't mind dressing a bit more like Blair myself. I can't wait until the collection comes out on September 13th. I think I'm in need of a headband and ruffled blouse restock.