I picked up my car today and I’m pretty happy with my choice. Ok, so it’s my 3rd A4. What can I say? I like them! I am just having trouble programming my garage door to open with their Homelink system but other than that, I am pretty happy. Oh, it does feel different to drive a 6-speed but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
Just to prove that I am not completely loyal to Audi, I also test drove a BMW 330cxi. It was surprisingly nice to drive. And the sales guy was an ex-pro car racer so he took me for a ride first and let’s just say that I had never been in a car going 95 mph on a very sinuously curvy off ramp. It was a blast! But even that wasn’t enough to convince me to buy the car. I just couldn’t get over the image associated with BMWs and I would be embarrassed to tell people that that’s what I drive. I know, I’m weird.

I went to see the Audi Cabrio today. It’s beautiful! It’s also very expensive and I’m just not ready to be making car payments that are half my rent. It seems like way too much considering how much time I spend in my car. So now I have to decide whether I want the 2003 A4. I really don’t like the design of the trunk and the headlights. I don’t like too many other cars though. What to do?

I miss Webvan. A lot. So when Safeway and Albertson’s started home delivery, I was pretty excited. I then tried to order stuff several times but every time I would get pissed off with their inferior (compared to Webvan) UI and would give up. I finally broke down and placed an order with Safeway since I needed a ton of stuff. They were supposed to deliver between noon and 2:00. It’s already 2:20. Not a good sign.

Jaguar
I just installed Jaguar on my home computer so now I’m transferring all my files back. I really should be working on my freelance project but I always find excuses to procrastinate. Updating my OS seemed like a necessity. Besides, Tim came over last night so we could work but we ended up talking for most of the time and drinking too much brew (as Tim would put it).

flip-flops
Ivan is back from Europe! I forgot that we got married before he left. I also forgot that he was going to give me his flip-flops. They are the nicest flip-flops I have ever seen. See, Brazilians are born with flip-flops. It’s a national obsession. And I can never find nice ones here. Havaianas are probably the most popular brand. I like the Brazil ones they created for the World Cup. Grendene is also popular and they just teamed up with Gisele to design some flip-flops with her name. Apparently she asked them to add heels to the flip-flops. I think they look a little odd.

It’s that time again. I’m trying to decide which car I want and it’s never been as difficult as now. Last time, I just knew that I wanted a newer version of the car I already had. So I got another A4. I figured I would do the same thing again but then Audi redesigned the A4. And I wasn’t too happy with the results. So I looked at other brands but I didn’t find anything I liked. Then I found out they were releasing the A4 Cabriolet. And it looks great! Somehow the redesigned body works in the convertible version.

Then came the disappointing news: they’re only releasing an automatic version in the US market. Oh no! How could that be? I have never driven an automatic car in my life. Ok, I tried once and hated it. I love driving a stick. Could I actually switch? That’s almost like eating meat again. But the car is so cute. What’s a girl to do?

Someone found my blog by searching on “Brazilian women booty”. They must have been pretty disappointed.

Friday afternoon, Lisa, Fariba and I went up to San Francisco. We decided to stay overnight at the Hotel Triton so we didn’t have to worry about getting back that same night. We met up with Walter at Place Pigalle for drinks (one of the few places where you can still smoke inside) and then had a Brazilian dinner at Terra Brazilis. We then went to some cheesy tourist-trap ballroom where there were tons of 40 year old “female entertainers” with fake boobs. I tried to persuade everyone to leave but they were a little blinded by the red velvet and gold trimmed mirrors so we had to go in. Luckily, it didn’t take too long for them to come back to their senses and to run out of there. Since they wanted to dance, I suggested we go to El Rio where we stayed until closing.

The next morning, we were really tired but shopping awaited us so we dragged ourselves out of bed. It was very cold and rainy in the city. I miss that kind of weather but Lisa and Fariba weren’t too happy. We spent most of the morning around Union Square, and then we checked out and headed over to Hayes Valley to check out some of the cool boutiques. After we had stopped at every possible store, we sat in one of the sidewalk tables at Cafe Absinthe and had a few afternoon drinks and an excellent meal. We then continued down on Hayes to Suppenkuche. Around 7:00 pm, we headed over to Fariba’s friend’s Summer Solstice cocktail party. We only stayed for about an hour since it wasn’t really happening all that much.

The documents finally arrived today. I spent the day at the mall with one of my best friends (Paula or Palu) whom I’ve know since 3rd grade. She’s a fashion producer so she’s the best shopping companion a girl could ever wish for.

philosophy kiss me lip balm

philosophy,

Not sure why but this stuff really works (so much that you want to be careful about who’s around you when you put it on).

As I was looking up some of these perfumes on the web, I got interested in how perfumes are classified. This is probably not that interesting to anyone else but I know, I’m a nerd. Some of the descriptions are hilarious, I’m thinking you have to specialize in “perfume description writing”. And then some places say “recommended use: romantic occasions”. How funny is that?

Last weekend, I spent four hours at the Stanford mall. It was heaven! I actually didn’t buy too much, mostly make-up and moisturizers and other girly things. But my best purchase was a new perfume. I don’t know what it is about perfumes, no one can see it but sometimes it can be more powerful than buying a new outfit or getting a haircut. It can definitely change how you feel.

I have been using the same perfume since high school. It’s Armani by Giorgio Armani. About 8 years ago, they stopped selling it in the U.S. Now, whenever I travel, I have to stock up on that. I like it still and it’s sort of like an ex-boyfriend that you keep going back too.

But sometimes I feel like I need a change and I then decide to try a new perfume. So I just purchased YSL Nu. And I’m loving it. Who knows, maybe Armani has met its match. These are the perfumes I have tried/used/stopped using/loved/grown tired of/bathed in/etc since the age of 15.

Allure by Chanel for Women 3

Chanel, Misc., $110.00

From Chanel, Allure is a tangy semi-Oriental blend built around six movements. The opening features an initial cologne-style freshness of citron–the mark of a truly elegant perfume.

The naming of Chanel No. 5 is legend, and Allure follows suit in an uncanny fashion. During Allure’s creative development, it seems that fated submission number 819 from the Chanel laboratory, proved to be the winning Allure formula. Later, upon reflection, it was realized that Mademoiselle Chanel’s birthday was August 19, or 8/19. Coincidence? She’d always been fascinated with numerology.

Allure is packaged in chic beige and black, Mademoiselle Chanel’s favorite combination. A versatile, multifaceted scent, for the woman with a certain indefinable something, a certain je ne sais quoi.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Armani Le Parfum (Classic) by Giorgio Armani for Women 3

Giorgio Armani, Health and Beauty,

Armani Original is the signature fragrance by Giorgio Armani first launched in 1982. A Rare Fragrance Collectible.

A cool fragrance of classic proportion, Armani is the original signature scent from Italian fashion design master, Giorgio Armani. The green chypre scent bowed in 1982 to popular and critical acclaim.

Armani shows shades of Italian chic with breezy spearmint and bergamot, topped with the green balsamic sweetness of galbanum, a tree resin. Jasmine and lily of the valley provide a segue into a mossy base. Undertones of woods and musk enhance the composition.

Armani proves a timeless fragrance, a well-conceived balance to ageless Armani fashions.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II