FLIP + CHING

Sandals St. Lucia Trip Pics

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Ching under Travel.

Our friends Cory, April, Jay and Becca just returned from vacationing in St. Lucia. They stayed at Sandals Grande, but it looks like they visited all three Sandals resorts. What a MEGA vacation! Check out their pictures below.

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What I Wanted vs. What I Got

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Ching under Wishlist.

I have been wanting this heart link jewelry at Tiffany & Co. for a while now. I just can’t bear to part with $750 for sterling silver jewelry (total for the earrings, bracelet and necklace). Here are some pictures of the jewelry that I wanted.

As you can see, the jewelry is just so pretty. It’s hard to resist. I would have been all over this stuff six years ago, just charging away. Fortunately, I have more self control now. I’m also a lot more resourceful. Everyone knows that if something is fabulous, someone else will copy it. There’s always knock offs. So guess what. I found them!

The knock offs I found are sold at Eve’s Addiction. Check them out.

The knock offs resemble the originals pretty well. From a distance, you can’t really tell they’re fake. So anyway, through sheer resourcefulness I managed to get all three pieces for under $100.

The downside is that the quality of the necklace is not that great. You get what you pay for, I suppose. The necklace is pretty flimsy and not as substantial as the original, which I have seen in person incidentally. The concierge at Courtyard Topeka was wearing it a couple of months ago when we stayed there. Hers are the real deal, gifted to her by her husband last Christmas.

I wish the necklace was half the quality of the bracelet. Though the design is the same, the bracelet is more substantial and heavier in weight. The chain it self was the same, but the little heart and open hearts of the bracelet were thicker than the necklace.

Of the three pieces, the earrings were the best. The earrings were thicker and heavier still. I would guess that the earrings are pretty close to how the real necklace and bracelet would feel. Although, I can’t really know for sure since I don’t have the real Tiffany jewelry here for comparison.

I was very pleased with the earrings and satisfied with the bracelet, but the necklace was a disappointment to be honest. I wish it was heavier/thicker. Oh, well. It is fake after all and only a fraction of the cost of its authentic counterpart. Maybe someone will buy the real necklace for me. ~hint~ ~hint~

He will have plenty of opportunity since we have our anniversary (August), my birthday (October), and Christmas (December) still to come this year. I hope he remembers. =P

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Yet Another Reason to Watch X-Men Origins

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Ching under Poker, Videos.

Daniel Negreanu’s cameo. LOL.

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Ching Learns Self-Defense

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Ching under Life.

“What? You learn a few moves and all of a sudden you think you’re Jackie Chan.”

The self-defense training offered by the police department is actually pretty informative. Although, I didn’t get through the whole thing because the flyer said 6:00 to 8:00 pm and the class ran longer. Brian messaged me at around 7:45 pm to tell me he was waiting outside. At ten after, we were still going. A couple of people had left prior, so I figured no one would mind if I left before the class officially ended also. I’m glad I left when I did because Brian would have been waiting for me in the parking lot for an hour. Misty said they were there until 8:45 pm last night.

We had spent the first hour going over personal safety information and tips. I wish that first part could have been condensed to a half an hour so that we could spend more time on actual exercises without going over the two hours allotted. Although, I am more of a pacifist so I’m not sure I’ll be using any of the techniques we learned. I abhor violence so I’m thinking I may just buy a personal alarm. I suppose if I were in danger, I’m sure I will attempt to defend myself. At least now I know what to do.

Speaking of personal alarms, here are some web sites..