All I Want For Christmas -- Emme Tall-Shafted Boots From Kohls

Here's a really sexy pair of boots from Kohl's only$26.99
Trend-setting. Set the fashion bar high with these sleek and stylish tall-shafted boots. In black.

• 3 1/4-in. heel
• Faux-leather upper
• Durable outsole

Available at Kohls.com

They're giving away 50-70% on boots

Tales of Beedle the Bard By JK Rowling Purchased by Amazon At $4M

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is extensively illustrated and handwritten by the bard herself--all 157 pages of it. It's bound in brown Moroccan leather and embellished with five hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. Only seven copies exist in all the world and each of the never-before-told tales is handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself (and it's quite clear from the first few pages that she has some skill as an artist).



For reviews of the stories within check out Amazon's Tales of Beedle the Bard page like:

1. "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" [CAUTION: SPOILERS WITHIN!]

2. "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" [CAUTION: SPOILERS WITHIN!]

3. "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" [CAUTION: SPOILERS WITHIN!]

4. "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" [CAUTION: SPOILERS WITHIN!]

Here are some pictures care of Amazon:



Here's a sample of an inside page hand-written by none other than JK Rowling herself - author and creator of the Harry Potter series



Here it is again in all it's glory - moonstones, sterling silver and Moroccan leather. What do I have to give for a reprint of this book? Doesn't it make you think that if Amazon bought it, they might opt to print it one day? Hmmmm...

Luxury Tequila For The High Class Alcoholic

For alcohol lovers out there, Partida Tequila Elegante sold at $350 now part of the high end liquor market of premium tequilas. This is an authentic, natural, estate-grown premium Tequila made from 100% blue agave in Amatitan, Mexico. Only less than 1,500 bottles available worldwide, LifeOnTop.com says Partida Tequila Elegante is the perfect gift for the Tequila aficionado.

Each bottle is individually numbered with a silver charm -- an elegant Mexican sterling silver Partida Tequila Spirit Bird necklace, and crystal bottle top. For more information, please visit their website.

(image from Time.com)

Ever Wanted A Jaguar Ring?

From French jeweler, Inde Mystérieuse, Cartier launched a new collection this year that draws inspiration from India and includes this jaguar ring (price upon request), a daring three-finger piece that plays on the contrast of a tiger's stripes with onyx and yellow diamonds. For more information, visit this article from Biosstar International

(image from Time.com)

Party In These Hesler Pumps

While looking through Forbes Fashionable Gifts For the Luxury Lover, I noticed that most items didn't really stand out to me. Most of them looked rather gray and boring... and oh yes... expensive too. The list included a handmade suit for men, a fringe scarf, cashmere gloves, merino wool, a rather extravagant Devi Kroell Large Crystal And Wooden Clutch, a Prada wallet, cashmere cardigan, Brooks Brothers Muskrat Trapper and a wool parka.

I only found one item that is worth having. And these are Rupert Sanderson Hesler Pumps for $575. They're just divine fuchsia metallic leather open-toe pumps with a cone-shaped heel that gives the shoe a vintage flavor without sacrificing modern appeal. Available at www.net-a-porter.com.

Blackberry 9000 Image & Specs

Stephen Wellman of Information Week provides his speculations about the upcoming Blackberry 9000, taking his cue as well from Boy Genius Reports (image from them).

Apparently the BlackBerry 9100 will sport a screen with the dimensions of 480 x 320 (or maybe that's 320 x 480), 1 Gbyte of on-board memory, and anIntel (NSDQ: INTC) XScale PXA270 processor at 624MHz, clocking in slightly faster than the 620MHz ARM 1173 processor found in the iPhone. The BlackBerry 9000 will sport the dual-threat of GPS and WiFi as well as introducing 3G support (multiband HSDPA) to the GSM carrier family devices, answering the prayers of many of us. At this point in time, there's no update to the camera, which remains at 2 megapixels, although we're hearing there is the possibility of seeing a 3.2 megapixel camera at launch.

Santa Claus Painting Sold For $2.17 Million

A Norman Rockwell painting of Santa Claus perched on a stepladder sold for $2.17 million to an anonymous buyer at Christie's on Thursday according to Newsday.com

The painting, "Extra Good Boys and Girls," is the original of a Saturday Evening Post cover from 1939. It shows Santa going over his book of good boys and girls and planning his Christmas Eve route. A world map is in the background.
Santa must be some model to fetch $2.17 million.

18ct White Gold Pack Of Lucky Strike For $100,000

If you want to try the ultimate luxury in cigarette smoking, check out the limited edition of Lucky Strike in 18 carat white gold embellished with a diamond and ruby. Designed by El Ultimo Grito and goldsmiths Richard Fox Associates, that retails for $100,000. They’re only being sold in selected European airports. Image and specs via Gush Magazine

Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Give Me My Text Messages

I think this may be inspired by the mirror from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. This mirror on the wall can tell you who's the fairest one of all, , if it's via a text or SMS message. This mirror can receive text messages (SMS) from a mobile phone. It can show the message in luminous text running on the mirrors’ surface when one gets close to the mirror.

This is the +336+, designed by Robert Stadler (of the French design group Radi Designers)

Limited edition of 20. For those who can't live without a mirror or those who can't live without receiving their text messages, this tech savvy device is also for the ridiculously rich at the same time, as it runs at $10,000 each from Generate.

A Castle Of A House At $138 Million

I'm renting an apartment right now in the city. It's cramped and neighbors are noisy. I've always wanted my own house so I decided to look around. My ambition led me to start the search but my expensive taste led me to stop. I ended up gazing in envy at this house from Forbes.com Most Expensive Homes 2007




This house at $138 million located in Updown Court, Windlesham, Surrey is bigger than Buckingham Palace. It has 103 rooms with several ballrooms and a garden that's 58 acres. The spiel mentions that it is an idyllic English country home for those flush with cash. The grand entrance is just enchanting. It also has a panic room (just right for the ridiculously rich and paranoid).



The house also boasts an indoor squash court, bowling alley, 50-seat cinema, helipads, space for eight limousines and a heated marble driveway. For more information contact Savills, Beauchamp Estates or Hamptons International.

Top 10 Toys For Boys 2007

Last year's TMX Elmo lost to Transformers, and the autobots was made popular by the movie of the same name. Techie toys have ranked higher for boys toys this year, coming second on the boys' wish-list was video games overall and the top 10 also included two games consoles -- the Nintendo, Wii and Microsoft's XBox 360 according to Reuters. Here's the top 10 list for boys:

1. Transformers (image of Bumblebee $119.95 on Amazon)


2. Video Games


3. Nintendo Wii


4. Cars (generic)


5. Spider-Man


6. LEGOs


7. Thomas the Tank Engine


8. Xbox 360


9. Elmo


10. Remote Controlled Vehicles

Most Wanted Toys 2007 - For Girls

According to oll of 7,982 U.S. consumers by the company BIGresearch, Barbie is still rules girls' wish list as reported by reuters.

If you're looking for what a little girl is most likely to want this Christmas, The list is as follows:

1. Barbie
2. Bratz
3. Dolls (generic)
4. Dora the Explorer
5. Disney Princess
6. Disney Hannah Montana
7. Nintendo Wii
8. Webkinz
9. Elmo
10. American Girl

Barbie has been on the top of this list for 5 years now, followed by Bratz dolls and other generic ones. I guess girls still want to play with dolls. Stereotypical yet true. Newcomers to the girls' list this year were toys involving Disney singing star Hannah Montana, who is currently on a sold-out U.S. tour, and the popular Webkinz animals that come with a special code to give access to Webkinz World online.

(image from My Barbie)

Buy a Laptop at $100

The One Laptop per Child association (OLPC) from Delaware, USA aims to design and make available to the public a laptop with a retail price of $100. Their website - laptop.org isn't exactly pushing it to sell, I think it's more of a public service for less privileged children. That's what I get from their mission statement anyway.

Would be quite difficult to set up in that I don't think anyone wants to marginalize the ongoing retail costs for laptop. The design and functionality of this laptop should be at par with its price, not hurting current laptop prices and product lines. So we should expect the $100 laptop to not be as hot as current laptop models and only enough for children's use.

Watch Borat, Read Borat, Live Borat

Borat has taken the world by storm, ironically his humber is so satirical it sounds so honest. His adventures are now immortalized in print in his new book. And if you haven't seen the film yet, this product commentary should start you along the right path.

The Ultimate Cinematic Experience Seen Through Glasses

Ideal accompaniment to iPod video - allows you to take your favorite movies and television shows anywhere in wide-screen through a pair of glasses that offers 4 times the resolution and 4 times the pixels (922,000), and it now simulates a 60-inch virtual screen as viewed from 8.5 feet weighing only 60 grams with built in stereo earphones. You can enjoy your favorite films in privacy

The rechargeable lithium battery gives you more than 5 hours of viewing time. Compatible with Apple iPod, DVD players, MP4 players, Zen Vision M, Zen Vision, VCRs, TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, Game Cube, and more.

ezVisionX4 takes the home out of home theater and makes a portable big screen experience. It's like having a portable 60 big screen TV. Comes with all the cables that you need to connect to your video source, DVD player, or iPod video.

This is currently at 58% off on Amazon, the ezGear TH200 X4 - ezVision X4 Video Glasses is available for only $375.36

The Smart Keyboard That Lights Up

The Optimus Maximus Keyboard by Art Lebedev Studio allows you to configure your keyword by programming every buttom to reproduce a sequence of symbols and editing the image separately for each lay-out. I just found it cute because it lights up, but apparently it can do more. Every key of the Optimus Maximus keyboard is a stand-alone display showing the function it is currently associated with.

Try their demo. They're currently accepting pre-orders at $1564.37

A Handset For Your Cell phone?

When the cellular phone first came out, I was very impressed. I was in high school then. It's quite slow here in the third world. But just when I thought technology was moving us so far ahead that we are able to combine a whole lot of things into this tiny device (which as by the way getting smaller and smaller as the years passed).

We managed to fit inside the cell phone - a camera, an MP3 player, different kinds of games and videos, not to mention internet connection (blackberry). Enabling business people (or anyone in fact) to have the world at their finger tips. The cell phone is more than just a medium of communication, it is an organizer, a camera, MP3 or even MP4 player that can fit in your pocket.

But then her comes Yubz with a mobile handset that brings us back to the age of bulk. It's ironic how we arrived at something so retro. But at $44.95, there's nothing cheap about it.

Personalized Laptop Bag By Skooba

These days everybody owns a laptop. Even my 14-year-old sister carries one around already. Ever noticed though how most laptop blacks come in either black or blue or.... black?

Anyway Skooba solves the no-personality laptop bag problem by launching a "do-it-yourself" DIY case that you can decorate yourself. So your back will be fully personalized, fully customized, one-of-a-kind. Of course if you've got no artistic side to you, you might end up with yet another black one.

Apparently with this case you can use sharpies, paint, markers, glue and even glitter if it is to your liking. You can start with a bare one from eBags at $19.99

CNN's Best Cars of 2007

Among CNN's best cars of 2007 are 3 Hondas, 2 Infintis, 4 Toyotas and rounding up the list is my personal favorite - the Mazda Miata. All of which fall within the range of $14,000 to $40,000 . There's a minivan, a couple of SUVs but mostly Sedans.

1. Budget Car, subcompact -- Honda Fit Cost: $14,000 to $16,000 (featured photo in blue)


2. Sedan, less than $20,000 -- Honda Civic Cost: $17,000 to $23,000
   
3. Sedan, less than $20,000 -- Honda Civic Cost: $17,000 to $23,000


4. Sedan, $30,000 to $40,000 -- Infiniti G35 Cost: $35,000 to $39,000
   


5. Sedan, $30,000 to $40,000 -- Infiniti G35 Cost: $35,000 to $39,000


6. SUV, less than $30,000 -- Toyota Rav4 Cost: $23,000 to $27,000 (featured photo)


7. SUV, more than $30,000 -- Toyota Highlander Hybrid Cost: 35,000 to $40,000


8. Minivan -- Toyota Sienna Cost: $26,000 to $28,000


9. Green car -- Toyota Prius Cost: $23,000


10. Fun to drive -- Mazda MX-5 Miata Cost: $21,000 to $27,000 (featured photo in red)

For Heroes Fanatics

I've only started to follow the television series "Heroes" on NBC. Amazing how they have these seemingly ordinary people acquire powers. It's like a version of Smallville with less teenage angst or an adult version of the Justice League (non-animated I mean). My personal favorites are the cheerleader, Claire Bennet played by Hayden Panettiere and Niki Sanders played by Ali Larter - mostly because they're hot.

Funny Halloween Costumes For A Change

There are many ways to go about dressing up for Halloween and with approximately 8 more days and counting, it would be a good idea to start hunting them down.

If there's a costume contest you'd like to win, better lose the Dracula impersonation or the bed sheet you used last year. Try not to go with the passé.

Bring out the funny side of Halloween.

The Little Black Dress

A must-have for any woman, the little black dress never goes out of style. It has transcended decades of fashion ups and downs. The black dress has established itself as a timeless classic.

A designer friend of mine said though that these days, only big people wear black to hide their fat or to get away with having no originality. I agree on both counts. I think that's how the little black dress has retained it's overall popularity.

The problem now though is that there are so many going around, how do you decide which little black dress is right for you? One page from Edressme.com New York has more than 80 design variations on the little black dress with prices ranging from $100-$500.

My favorite here though has to be the dress posted here by La Femme. It's $178. Note the halter design and the semi-see through material from the mid-rib to the lower back gives it just the it the right hint of sexiness. It can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Compliment with a jacket during the day or trade that for sparkling drop earrings for a night in the town.

If on a shoe string budget though, there's always Amazon starting at $5. Requires a little bit more patience though to go through Amazon's list. But here's a knit baby-doll dress with an empire waistline (best for trying to hide the belly while still showing off some curves) from Mossimo