Alicia Keys vs. Beyonce

別に意味も無いアンケートだけど、誰のほうは才能があると思う？

私だったら、個人的に歌手として、Alicia Keysのほうが上かな。

けど、声について、どちらのほうがいいかは私には分からないこと（判断できまへん）。
Keysのほうが上だと思う理由は単純にKeysの曲作りの才能のほうがいいので。

Beyonceは頭に残る曲を書けるし、歌えるけど、十年後でその曲が聞きたいのは微妙だな。Keysのほうは歌詞が得意し、飽きない曲が書ける。

まあ、踊りとしてBeyonceのほうた確かに得意けど、それは歌手として必要な技術ではない。

on using money sensibly

I've bought 4 pairs of shoes in the last week.

This is quite an unusual event, in that it's rather difficult to find my shoe size here in Japan. Normally, shoes for women only go as large as 24.5 cm here. However, I've slowly gotten to know the stores that carry larger sizes.

Washington Appropriate (specialty branch of Washington, a Japanese shoe store) in Ginza (6F of the building that Dalloyau sits in). I only learned about this store recently, but the shoes are reasonably stylish and seem to be pretty well made. Probably on the high end of average shoe prices in Japan. Summer and winter sales periods are a good time to shop, as most shoes are on sale for half price. Even then, a pair of shoes is likely to be 10,000 yen. I heard about this shop just in time for the current sale period and in my excitement, I bought 3 pairs :) All of the shoes are quite attractive, but the loveliest pair was too stiff and gave me blisters. I had to take it to the local repair shop to have them stretch it out. Still, one pair of shoes is soft leather and is almost guaranteed to be comfortable. The last pair of shoes will probably have to be stretched and softened too.

Oriental Traffic carries larger sizes at all of their stores apparently. Shimokitazawa has a floor devoted to the larger sizes, which is much less crowded than the ground floor shop. Trendy and inexpensive shoes (many 5,000 yen shoes). Quality is what you would expect from the price, but fun styles. I think all of the shoes are made in China. I've never owned any of their shoes.

O1O1's branch next to MUJI in East Shinjuku (after Kinokuniya and on the way to Isetan) has a store in the basement devoted to Model sizes (I like their term for large sizes!). Styles are quite fashionable, and prices range from 10,000 to 20,000+ easily. Quality is average or above. I have a pair of shoes that have lasted a couple years and are still wearable. They carry a range of brands so I don't know how good the quality is in general.

Queen's 卑弥呼 is the specialty branch of the 卑弥呼 shoe manufacturer, located in Keio Mall on the basement level of the west side of Shinjuku. Styles are fashionable and prices range from 10,000 to 20,000, but the pair of shoes I got from this shop only lasted about a year of regular use. They were quite comfortable in the beginning though.

Tulsa Time in Kichijoji - for the average prices they charge, I didn't think the quality of the shoes was particularly good. Most shoes were in the 7,000 to 15,000 yen range, but of course there are less and more expensive shoes also available. Styles lean towards what is trendy for women in their mid-20s here.

There's a shoe store on the west side of Seibu Shinjuku station - coming from Shinjuku station you go out the west exit, turn right, and walk along that large street for a while before coming to the shop on the left side of the street. Styles lean towards older and less trendy fashions. The store itself feels rather old. I thought quality was so-so, and didn't end up buying anything. Price range was similar to Tulsa Time.

As a bonus, I discovered that my local shoe/bag repair shop carries Castaner sandals! Sadly they were sold out of my size, but I did find some lovely italian sandals in a soft dark brown leather for a mere 4,000. That was my fourth purchase this week, and the very best. Ridiculously cheap, classically stylish, and comfortable shoes. I may just stalk the store for their half-yearly shipments of new stock, as they make spending more money at other places look terribly nonsensical. If you wear size 35 or 37, there's a shop I can tell you about.

i thought the u.s. govt. was better run

but I guess you can do a lot with bluster.

Conflict Over Spying Led White House to Brink

Though the president had the formal say over who was "read in" to the domestic surveillance program, Addington controlled the list in practice, according to three officials with personal knowledge. White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales was aware of the program, but was not a careful student of the complex legal questions it raised. In its first 18 months, the only other lawyer who reviewed the program was John Yoo.

Anyway, the entire Bush administration should be investigated for illegal proceedings. We need to find the people who made it possible for this farce to continue unimpeded for 6+ years.

some Majolica Majorca, Kate, Lavshuca products to be discontinued

Majolica Majorca Cheek Customize OR322(コーラルピンク), Kate Deep Trap Eyes GY-1, all of Kate Dual Caret, and all of the Lavshuca 3 color palettes will be discontinued when the new collections come out.

I've been meaning to pick up Kate Deep Trap Eyes in GY-1 so I'll try to do it today before they take it away for the new display. I only recently picked up Cheek Customize in Red and have yet to try it, but all of the reviews describe OR322 as a nicely pigmented orange, so I'll have to get one also.
I'm also considering Dual Caret in PU-1, as the dark shade is a pretty blue-purple and it is sparkly but still wearable for work. It's not a must-have though, so perhaps I should refrain.

At times like this Daikoku drugstore in Shimokitazawa is great because all Kate products are always 30% off.

Avene soothing moisture mask and my makeup bag

I tried my roommate's Avene soothing moisture mask last night. I used a couple dollops but it all just disappeared into my skin - perhaps my skin is so dry it just inhales the moisture?

My face was quite pale after the mask; a lot of the redness disappeared, although it's back today.

My roommate quite likes the mask; she has sensitive skin that easily gets dry, so if it works for it's probably safe for me to use. I haven't noticed any irritation today. I don't to invest in any masks at the moment though; I already have two masks that are taking years to use up!

Just give me easy, simple skincare that works.

I think the air-conditioning at work is quite strong; I should bring in my thermal water spray and use it throughout the day.

Daily Beauty Buzz posted and got me thinking about what was in my bag.

At the moment:
* Clarins moisture quench lip balm in 14 I think (a bright, orange balm)
* multivitamins (not really taking them regularly but I should)
* Eve tablets (ibuprofen)
* Silky Girl eyeshadow duo in champagne and brown
* pads
* blotting paper
* Fragonard solid perfume
* band-aids
* little Doraemon mirror
* Palmer's cocoa butter lip balm with spf 15
* dental floss

What's in your bag?

materialism: quick review: eyeshadows

Silky Girl eyeshadow duos - I got the pinkish-beige and brown duo. A good, easy to use combination of colors. Silky texture - easy to apply and blend; metallic finish but not over the top. However, it creases, although the lasting power is fine. It's good to have in my little makeup bag, but it's not something I need to repurchase.

Wet eyeshadow quads from Lawson 100 (100 yen shop) - some nice colors including a lovely metallic taupe; reasonably easy to blend, metallic finish but lightly applied it's fine for work. Lasting power is mediocre though - maybe two hours at most. Creases also, so not something that I'll repurchase. Again, handy for "emergencies" but better for when you want to play with makeup. I ended up with 3 of the quads, in blue, purple, and the darker brown version. Colorwise, I think the purple one is the best.
The brown set is odd in that most of the colors are warm but the darkest taupe brown is cool. The blue one is nice but the two middle colors are pretty much identical.

Perhaps with a good eyeshadow base all of these eye-shadows would be very useful. I may experiment if I ever start using a base.

Anyway, I enjoyed trying all of these shadows. The total damage only came to $10, and I can keep them in all of my purses if I want to.

cheese o-nigiri

I am completely addicted to the Cheese Ao-jiso rice balls チーズ青じそおにぎり (at the bottom of the 4 rice balls shown) at Natural Lawson, an organic/healthily-themed convenience store in Japan.

These are delicious! A bit creamy because of the cheese, and very tasty while being healthy.

There's nothing better than cheese and rice, heh.

Tsumori Chisato lunch bag tote in Jille

Jille magazine has a lunch bag tote from Tsumori Chisato in a very cute print. The tote itself is a slippery plastic one, not particularly high quality, but seems functional and easy to clean. The print is terribly cute though.

materialism: lipstick review: Fasio Melting Glossy Rouge RD441

Fasio Melting Glossy Rouge RD441
ファシオメルティンググロッシー ルージュ
11 colors 1,400yen (1,470yen including tax)
全11色　各1,400円（税込1,470円）

This lipstick is very nice. A bit of gold sparkle in it, and the pigment wears nicely. A shiny finish, befitting the "Glossy" name. The RD441 is just the sheer red I was looking for - it doesn't turn fuschia and is a wearable red that I can wear sheer-ly or layer on for more pigment. A light, comfortable formula. The packaging is solid and sleek.

With lipsticks like these, I may not venture beyond the 1400 yen mark for lip products, unless there's a unique color that I can't find otherwise. I'm looking forward to trying Integrate Live Fix Rouge next

I'm going to pass on the Alexander Wang limited edition lipstick; at twice the price and a limited edition, it isn't worth it. Also, while the color is pretty, it is a bit fuschia/cool for my taste.

I haven't been too interested in Kose's Fasio line, but this is a very nice lipstick and color. I'll be interested in trying other colors and formulas of lipstick in the line.

michael マイケル

Did you know that the one and only Michael (Jackson) merely needed his first name to be identified in Japan?