And the Winner Is...

...the Ray-Ban Aviators, gold frame and pink lenses! If you want to see a very horrible pic of me in them, as the batteries to my camera are dead, drop a line in the comments section.

My reasons for ditching Kate this time were thus:
1) They looked quite snazzy
2) Mel told me pretty much I need to get metal frame sunglasses so I can stop whining every time a pair breaks (HIS Oakley's have lasted 7.5 years, so the man has a point)
3) Aviators, according to Wikipedia are so popular because they suit many faces (so that assuaged any uncertainties on it somewhat)
4) They weren't tight on my face to begin with, so that means they wouldn't stretch
5) My sister (my harshest critic) approved (thank god for cell phones with cameras and email capabilities!)
6) I wanted to start spicing things up in my wardrobe
7) I can literally say that I look at things with "rose-colored glasses." Not so much a reason but a funny little pun.

Besides, I am still loyal to dear Kate. I am going to Osaka the 27th and I am hightailing it to the store to get my refills (and to mentally drool over the bags, and to mentally scream over the prices). And I am still holding onto my old ones in hopes that I can fix them and use them as my "beach glasses."

I checked them out Sunday after the Antiques Fair because my friend wanted to check out the department stores. She saw my neck scarf and recognized that it was Celine. Now then, people would think that I spent like $300 on it, but nope! 1500yen. She was totally shocked, because she has worked in a Celine boutique before. I think I mentioned once before that some brands make these cheap-o handkerchiefs, which I use as "couture-on-the-cheap." So she wanted to check them out.

I also wanted to check out something as well. Rumor had it that Daimaru Dept. store was where J.Crew had their foothold in Japan. Well, yes they do, but no it's NOT affordable. A dress that I like (and I most definitely plan to get - on sale that is) is $220 in the states, $400 in Japan. HOWEVER...this means I can resort back to the old J.Crew modus operandi: try on in store, wait till sale, order ASAP when on sale.

Provided they have my size that is. However, I signed up for this one-month challenge from Self magazine, just to get my booty moving and some motivation. I start tomorrow and am quite looking forward to it - free workout plan!!! I am downloading all the A/V stuff and saving all the info into a doc file so that in case after the 4 weeks my account is deleted, I still have all the workout routines.

At first, I was freaked out by how the aviators looked, but then I got quite used to them. I am very cautious when making purchases say over $100 - in this case, I took the photos, asked people's opinions (I also emailed Elisa, my mom and I think Deena) and I converted the Japanese price into American dollars to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off (I didn't - $137 after conversion and that is WITH the tax, and its $129.99 at SunglassHut.com). Then I went back to Daimaru yesterday, walked right in and got them.

Now I wish it was SUNNY so I can wear them! It's been cloudy this week so far and it doesn't look any better for the rest of the week. I still have hope.

Rising Like a Sunflower

I did a headstand in yoga today! I still need to go up against the wall and my teacher has to help me bring my legs up because my abdominal muscles are mega weak (which makes me think that I should start the sit-ups routine that I downloaded from theKnot.com) but I did the headstand!

Once my legs were up and I was standing on my heads and forearms it was quite nice actually. The bobby-pins that I use to pin my bangs back were sort of cutting into my head from the pressure, but I really enjoyed the head stand. There were two women (foreigners too) that were doing the head stands in the middle of the room, no wall or help at all. After class I asked one how long it took for her to do it, and she told me that she was doing headstands for about a year, and that it gets easier once your abdominal muscles get stronger. I was on my head for no more than 5 minutes.

Speaking of abs, I am getting better at the throwing-my-legs-over-my-head-while-on my back position; not only is my back straight but I can put my legs totally behind my head and I have my back almost totally straight with my legs straight up in the air. It's Hatha Yoga that I am doing I think; not specified on the gym schedule. The legs over my head is properly called the shoulder stand: "It is performed by first lying on the back with hands under the mid-back, then lifting the legs and lower body so that the weight of the body is supported on the head, neck, upper back and upper arms."