Programming Note

In the month of June, I'll be pulling a disappearing act again. With 3 trial dates in as many months, and 2 brief trips out of the country in that same span of time, I'm gonna be pretty busy. I have no idea if I'll do any June posts, and if I do, whether it'll be at all relevant to the general subject matter of this blog, but one thing's for sure--you'll be seeing pictures of an exotic location in the near future.

Ring Ring...

Although the Internet offers wonderful possibilities for staying in touch, there is no substitute for the human voice. Emoticons just don't always do the trick, and it's hard to get irony/sarcasm across through words on a page. There's just something warm and fuzzy about hearing laughter, varying tones, softness, and depth.

When the person you are trying to connect with is half a world away, staying close is hard to do. Fortunately, Skype and popular chat programs like Google Chat allow people to hear as well as see each other, which makes a world of difference--no more accidentally talking over each other on the phone, because we can rely on non-verbal cues to know whose turn it is to speak. But what happens when a) one person doesn't use a computer, or b) an Internet connection isn't available?

Yes, the latter is an actual possibility even today. There ARE places in this world where an Internet connection is hard to come by, or doesn't come cheap, or doesn't come fast enough for video. So what happens then?

Dialing international long-distance through the landline can be prohibitively expensive. Phone cards can cut down on the costs, and certain other third-party phone companies charge reduced rates when you dial their prefix before dialing the international phonen number. With the use of these services, the cost of calling countries with generally good telecommunications networks is in the range of pennies a minute. However, there are situations where some less-popular calling destinations are still quite expensive to reach through these methods.

This is precisely what happened to me a few months ago. I had to turn to the Internet for Voice over IP (VoIP) options, whereby the calls are routed through the Internet. Skype did allow me to reach a landline phone via the web, but the rate was still quite high. I dug around to find a few more VoIP phone services for the lowest rate of my calling destination. Although there are quite a number of them out there (i.e. Jajah), I ultimately chose Jaxtr because, well, it was the cheapest for where I wanted to call. The added bonus is that I don't need a computer to make my VoIP calls--I can get through by calling a local number (even on my cell phone), dialing in the international number, and then chat away. In order to get the lowest rate, I had to subscribe to their monthly plan (which was 35% cheaper than their non-subscription rate). It didn't matter much to me because the savings was quite substantial, and because I use up all of the minutes I bought anyway.

Fortunately, the person on the other end of the line now has a reliaible Internet connection at home--still not as fast as the standard U.S. DSL connection, but it's good enough for Skype, so I get to cancel my subscription and save a ton of money. Nonetheless, the experience was a valuable one. It opened my eyes to the various options, and it also makes me appreciate the technology that I do have access to every day.

On a Slant

The weather in LA was on a mood swing in the past month. One day it's cold and rainy, the next day it's 80 degrees. Now that May is here, the warmer weather appears to be here to stay. Time to bust out the lighter layers and go with the shorter haircuts.

It has been in my habit to test the boundaries of work outfits, but I really pushed the envelop this time with an element that is very apparent and way outside the realm of businesswear. Over the weekend, I stopped by the Calvin Klein outlet at the Citadel because a) it was on my way home from Orange County, and b) I've had much luck with finding affordable and stylish work separates there. An outfit on a window mannequin caught my eye--once I spotted the tissue-thin aqua blue tee bifurcated by a diagonal seam, I was sold. It helped that the shirt was further on sale, but I would have bought it even if it wasn't.

I've worn t-shirts under blazers before, but this one is far afield from the others. The t-shirt-based cut is at once casual and the opposite of run-of-the-mill, thanks to a mix of color, texture, and structuring. The lightness is perfect for the summer. Although the shirt itself is very sheer, the burnout pattern makes the sheerness far less apparent (at least on my skin tone), thereby eliminating the burden of having to wear an additional camisole. I love how the fabric gathers and drapes on both sides of the asymmetric seam, which stands out boldly with its raw, rolled-up edges. It also helps that the slanted detailing matches my new-ish haircut, so everything looks somewhat integrated.

[Issac Mizrahi for Target cardigan, Calvin Klein top, Stella McCartney cropped pants, Abaete for Payless pumps, Kenneth Cole cuff]

Ties that Bind

Thank you so much for your comments! I'm so happy that you enjoy reading the blog, and I'm certainly happy to be back.

I've been rather dressed up for the last couple of Fridays, so it's nice to go with a more casual outfit this time. The town where I work now is far more populated by business attire, so I have to look a little more refined (even on casual days) to fit in.

Given the fact that I have to save up more money these days for my upcoming travels, among other things, I haven't really bought anything new for the last few months. However, when I ventured out for a friend's birthday party last weekend, I got a few things. One much-needed item is a thicker sweater for work. The cotton open cardigan that I picked up from the Gap (with a 30% off discount) is quite warm. Fifty bucks is a lot to pay for a cotton knit sweater like this, but since I've tried to find a cheaper alternative but couldn't, I just gave in. It is a pretty good investment, I dare say, considering that I've been wearing it practically all week.

The tank top is from Forever 21. Although it appears to be a casual piece to be worn with leggings, there is quite a bit of sophistication to it. I love how the elastic bands are cris-crossed in the front as well as the back. Considering that this is a "cheap chic" piece, I'm impressed by the fact that the bands do align and connect on the sides such that they appear to wrap all the way around.

Since the colors of the outfit are rather low-key, I decided to liven things up with a neon-colored bracelet-watch. I bought this from the Cabazon outlet just before Christmas and have worn it before, but this picture captures the color more accurately. It really pops out against an all-black business outfit as well.

My favorite accessory at the moment is my big ol' Calvin Klein electric blue satchel. Not being one to switch bags every few days, this has been my daily staple for the last few months. I also got this bag just before Christmas, when the Calvin Klein store in the Beverly Center was having a closing sale and everything was 75% off. Although the faux-leather material isn't all that sturdy (there are a few cracks where the bag tends to crease), this bag holds everything, and the color is just gorgeous. One comment I get the most is "that bag is so...blue." Although it sounds rather hesitant, most people I've talked to seem to like it because it is at once an unusual color and a great fit for all the grays, blacks, and blues that are prevalent in businesswear. You'll probably see this bag until it finally wears out, but I've gotten quite a lot of use of it for $40, and there's still has a mileage left.

[Outfit: Gap cotton knit cardigan, F21 tank, Paper Denim & Cloth jeans, Bloch London flats, Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet watch, Calvin Klein bag.]