The movie was fun and reasonable good but I had fun checking out IMDB after following the six degrees of separations of Hollywood folks, as IMDB is so equipped to let you.

I wasn’t even looking as far as six degrees from J.J. Abrams, the director. I was just looking one degree as I recalled that Greg Grunberg and Amanda Foreman, presumed great friends of it, often appear in his work. I did not see them as GG only had the smallest part, listed as “Sitcom Actor” while AF was the reporter who I think was reporting about the train crash.

I think the friendship started back when Abrams produced and directed Felicity in which GG and AF had major roles, starring in nearly 60 episodes each.

Since then, GG had a big role in Alias, a role in MI:3 although I don’t remember that movie, a recurring character in Lost, and cameos in short lived What About Brian and the 2009 Star Trek movie.

Since then, AF had a large role in What About Brian, a role in Star Trek, and a recurring part in Alias!

It’s fun GG/AF spotting just like it’s fun to see Shyamalan’s cameos in each of his movies!

PC Thick Cut Chips – Pizza Flavour. I’m pretty sure I liked these. Pizza flavour is one of my favourite flavours.

PC Thick Cut Ballpark Hotdog Flavour Rippled Potato Chips. Tasted most strongly of relish and after that mustard. Did not recall a sausage flavour. Not worth getting again?

PC Thick Cut Chipotle Ranch Flavour Rippled Potato Chips. I probably did try this one and liked it. Need to try it again!

PC Greek – Feta, Olive and Oregano Chips. I wouldn’t try this flavour on my own, I don’t think I have tried this before.

PC Barbecue Baby Back Ribs Chips. This sounds like it would be tasty. I might have tried it before, worth another try.

PC Tandoori Barbecue Chips. It tastes like barbecue (one of my least favourite) flavours with a kick. Not worth another try.

PC Spicy Piri Piri Chips. I’m pretty sure I’ve tried this and loved the tangy, sour, spicy flavour. It made my mouth burn immediately. It’s because this was so good I wanted to try the Sicilian Lemon Chicken but didn’t like that lemon flavour.

PC Smokin’ Stampede Chips. I probably tried this flavour but don’t remember it. Worth a try.

PC Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese Chips. I don’t remember trying it before.

PC Szechwan Chips. On principle I will not buy these chips and don’t even want to try them.

PC General Tao Chicken Chips. On principle I will not buy these chips and don’t even want to try them.

PC World of Flavours Chips – Sicilian Lemon Chicken. You’d think that if it tasted like lemon, I wouldn’t have a problem, but I remember not liking this flavour at all.

PC World of Flavours Sweet Chili Thai Flavour Rippled Potato Chips. I’m not inclined to buy this flavour on my own, I don’t think I have tried it.

PC World of Flavours Jamaican Jerk Chicken Rippled Potato Chips. I can’t remember if I’ve tried this one. Must try again.

PC Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese. Has the Buffalo heat, very hearty. Very tasty.

Kitchen Tools

1. Click n Cook, $34.99
2. Microbe Liquid Soap Dispenser, $9.99
3. Good Chemistry Salt & Pepper Shakers, $9.99 (sale price)
4. IngenuiTEA 16oz Teapot, $18.99
5. Lab Cutter Science Cookie Cutters, $9.99 (sale price)
6. Laboratory Beaker Mug, $12.99

1 2 3 4 5 6

Household Items

7. UV Monkey, $7.99
8. Grassy Lawn Charging Station, $24.99
9. ThinkGeek Bluetooth Retro Handset, $24.99 (sale price)
10. Welcome In Binary Floor/Door Mat, $39.99
11. Sushi Pillows, $24.99-59.99 (sale price)
12. Lego Brick Lighted Keychain, $4.99-9.99 (sale price)
13. Periodic Table Shower Curtain, $29.99
14. Cable Monkey Cable Organizer, $5.99
15. Mini Business Card File Cabinet, $12.99
16. Badge Holders, $5.99
17. Like/Dislike Stamp Set, $12.99

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Clothing Items

18. Digits – Conductive Glove Pins, $9.99
19. Star Trek Original Series T-Shirt Dress, $39.99
20. Offline Mode Pajama Top, $15.99-19.99
21. Science Babydoll, $20.99
22. Japan Friends of Bento Club Babydoll, $21.99
23. Tech Support Babydoll, $20.99
24. Ninja Stack Babydoll, $24.99
25. The Solution Babydoll, $19.99
26. The Arc of Electromagnetic Radiation Connection, $19.99
27. Binary Angel Babydoll, $19.99
28. Under Attack Babydoll, $24.99
29. Sunnydale High School Babydoll, $19.99
30. Fibonacci Bunnies Babydoll, $19.99

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Image from outblush.com

The time I discovered Ann Taylor was at the Seattle Premium Outlets. It was quite a successful trip for me, finding a light pink cardigan for under $25 and a pink argyle vest also under $25. The pink cardigan has been a go-to staple for me over the several years I’ve had it, throwing it over tank tops and sundresses. I even found, separately, a dusty pink sleeveless shirt that I roughly match often with the cardigan.

So it’s quite affirming to see Outblush.com mention the J.Crew Jackie cardigan which is regularly $62.00 while currently selected colours are $32.99. There are 17 available colours.

Image from jcrew.com

Club L Floral One Shoulder Dress (reg. $64.32, sale $40.62)

Doesn’t the model look so hot in this dress? It is totally my style with the sheer cover playing peekaboo over the sleek sheath. I ordered this in a size M/L because S/M was not available. Will the top layer be adjustable to my size? Will it even be two items as I imagine?

Update: It turns out to be all one piece and I’m a little disappointed the zipper is so delicate it sort of broke and is giving me some difficulty. The inside dress fits well but it’s cut at the arm a little differently than pictured, i.e., it cuts in even more. The chest is a little loose for me and I’m at risk of the strapless side sliding off so I wear a bra to fill out the area and not be indecent if I accidentally tugged the strapless side lower–a bra with thin strap does not take away from the one-shoulder look. Oh, and it’s not exactly as pictured which does not emphasize that it’s more of the black dress with sheath overlay and then a wing–the image suggests the sheath is all one flowing piece.

ASOS Pretty Stacking Ring Set (reg. $18.47, sale $9.23)

Isn’t this the cutest ring set? They were all out of Medium size (whatever ring size that corresponds to) so I bought small.

It is very much my whimsical style with the cameo, slender rings, and fabric flower. I just hope they fit.

Update: Four stacking rings were included, the three pictured plus another one with the ridged ring and a small “pearl” setting. The ones with the ridged ring fit my ring finger (around size 5.5) while the LOVE and cameo rings are too tight for ring finger but too loose for my pinky. They can be toe rings (second toe) but that’s not really my style….

ASOS PETITE Exclusive Ruched Waist Sleeveless Dress (reg. $46.16)

This was the first dress I spotted to buy and I’m a little annoyed it is regular price. If it is really fabulous, then I guess it’s worth the price. I had a choice between light taupe and a teal sort of green. Taupe should be alright with my skin colour and be much more versatile than green.

I like how the detail at the waist makes it acceptable for the front to have some ruching which should be a slimming detail. I’m also looking forward to this dress in particular because it is available in a petite size. The fabric looks light, sheer, and rich at once. It is also cut in such a way that looks appropriate for work (with a cardigan or blazer) and transition easily to after work fun!

Update: Definitely do-able for work and I’m pleased with this dress. There is elastic in the back which at once detracts from the look but also makes it forgiveable in sizing.

ASOS Ruffle Tiered Shirt Dress (reg. $84.94, sale $40.62)

Another impeccably cute dress. I could have ordered it in “Mink” colour but opted for a conservative navy colour. It looks just a little sheer on top and may require one to wear a white tank top to not expose anything. It’s sweet looking and has a lot of texture which should make the dress worth the sale price tag!

Update: I need a little adjustment to tailor the dress to fit better but it is cute and as pictured.

Image from http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/26/tazochailatte3x946ml208.jpg

I bought the three-pack of Tazo Chai Latte mix from Costco for $7.89. Each carton is 32 ounces (4 cups) and since the ratio to use is 1:1, you can make 8 8-ounce cups of chai from each carton, 24 8-ounce cups of chai from the 3-pack that cost $7.89. That’s $0.32 per cup! And at Starbucks I paid $3.42 (that’s including the 12% HST) for an 8-ounce cup of chai!

Unfortunately, the carton says that you should use the mix within 7 days of opening; that’s more than one cup per day and I that was not not frequent I wanted to have drink it. And made with just skim milk in the micowave, it’s considerably thinner than the steamed, frothed chai I usually buy… but the price!

***

Vendor: Costco
Price: $7.89 for 3-pack of 32-ounce (24 servings)

From then on, I always kept a vigilant eye while browsing the shoe aisle of Ross but no further luck until this year. My Pumas are so worn, losing sole, and very discoloured compared to Kitty’s when she wears hers alongside mine. In fact, my Pumas even went to China last year! NPY told me that people kept looking at my shoes because, we gathered, it’s not so common for women to wear shoes like that–they’re used to seeing women wearing heels or really boring black leather shoes.

During a recent trip to the States and Ross, I saw this pair of chrome-coloured sequined Kathy van Zeeland shoes! I’ve wanted to give the Converse-style a try a long time, especially after reading somewhere they make your feet look smaller! These KvZ shoes were just $20. Score!

1. A zipper case from Muji in Hong Kong
2. A bucket hat from J. Crew — hand-me-down from my little sister
3. Rainboots from Joe Fresh — Christmas present from the same sister
4. A wool skirt!!

The last item is a serious one because for all that I’ve been blackwatch plaid crazy and blaming it on unresolved issues with my first school, I haven’t actually gone and found a skirt, part of that uniform. But the “deal” at Land’s End Canvas was just too good!

Funny coincidence is that earlier in the evening, I was window shopping at the mall and made a point to check into American Eagle which usually has some blackwatch plaid item. In the past, I have seen a shirt sleeve shirt that I still covet because I never got it, ballet flats that were a weird shape, and a puffy jacket that I do own.

My original intention at the mall was to find the Land’s End section of Sears to see the wool blackwatch plaid skirt Outblush.com showed me from Land’s End late last year, but the Land’s End section was so disappointingly staid. I checked the website to see if there was a discount on the skirt and found that Land’s End is a blackwatch bonanza!

Women’s Regular Pattern School Boy Blazer

Regular $129.50

Sale $99.99

Regular Sleeveless Shift Dress

Regular $99.50

Sale $79.99

Regular Plaid Down Vest

Regular $39.50

Sale $29.50

Uniform Side Pleat Plaid Skort

Regular $44.50

Land’s End Canvas Hooded Blazer

Regular $130.00

Sale $76.99

Land’s End Canvas Plaid Wool Skirt

Regular $49.50

Sale $19.99

So, it was the last one that I bought and paid $5.95 for shipping to Canada. Yay!

The flavour I spotted that I had perhaps overlooked before is Mango Passionfruit. I love mangos any-which-way–fresh, dried, artificial. I haven’t tried a fresh passionfruit but it’s super-trendy now to have passionfruit flavouring and whether it was artificial or real, I’ve enjoyed the flavour I’ve encountered.

While steeping, the tea has a wonderful flavour that I characterize more like “warmed orange juice” than either fruit it’s supposed to smell like. To drink, it’s really soothing–like a hot lemon drink–and not very strong in flavour. It is really quite perfect, so I’ve purchased two boxes so far.

The 100% natural ingredients consist of rosehips, orange peel, safflower, hibiscus flowers, lemongrass, mango flavor, citric acid, passionfruit flavor and licorice powder.

********

Vendor: Save On Foods
Price: $2.50 for a box of 20 teabags

Image from Flickr user esyooee

Now, I have tried all three McDonald’s McMini sandwiches. The sauces available so far include Spicy Thai, Pesto, and the newest one, Zesty Mango.

I was not too impressed by the first two flavours and despite the hokey commercial that is airing to promote it–a woman is enjoying her Mango McMini sandwich, telling the flavours while her friends at another table echo each of her praises in song! The $2 price tag is so very small I gave it try despite approaching it with skepticism.

It seems like the McMinis grew a little in size from the first incarnation and especially the crispy ones aren’t as wimpy looking as a grilled one showing the true size of the piece of chicken. Sauce was slathered on both sides of the chicken: a white mayo-like sauce on the bottom and the mango sauce on the top. Too much sauce? Well, yes, but it wasn’t messy. And that baguette–isn’t it the cutest?

Since the McMinis only differ in which sauce is lain on it, I shall talk about the Zesty Mango that surpassed my expectations. It turned out to be like a mango curry flavour and was very tasty, or, zesty.

But it all packs a big punch in the more detrimental nutritional values (see below) and can only be acceptable as a taster. And now, I’ve spent far too long dwelling on this miniscule snack.

‘Til next time!

********
Item: Zesty Mango McMini Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Vendor: McDonald’s
Price: $1.99

********
Calories: 310 cal
Fat: 15 g (2 g saturated, 0.2 g trans fat)
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 630 mg (26% DV)
Carbohydrates: 34 mg (11% DV)
Fiber: 2 g (8% DV)
Protein: 11 g
Iron: 10% DV