panties + vodka

urbandictionary.com has hundreds of words like "quitters" on their site...

Here are some words of the day:

"Multislacking" 

That combination of MySpace, chatting, and Wikipedia that Gen Y calls "work". The office internet take on "Work hard, play hard."

You can spend your Friday afternoons reviewing spreadsheets and holding conference calls; I'll be busy multislacking in my cubicle.

hmm. sounds all too familiar, except when i was in a professional work enviroment, we didn't have any of these...i guess in those days, it was phone tag, im'ing, and net surfing.

Posted by cindy at 02:49 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

so i quit my quitter socks. for those of you who don't know: quitters are those socks that just won't stay up. they roll down and by the time you've gone half a block, they're scrunched up by your feet ; With this snow/rain we're getting, it's super-annoying to dig your finger into those massive boot to try and pull them up when they'll be doing the same thing over in five minutes.

while doing my laundry yesterday, i decided to toss them. the weird thing is, i never remember buying these socks so maybe they belonged to my roommate in the first place? oops.

Actually, now that i'm writing this, i just remembered i also have quitter panties. My Saint Grace undies (from Azaleas, of course) are one of my favorites... but having 100% cotton undies also has its cons. since there's no synthetic elastane in there, panties tend to stretch out. While wearing these with jeans doesn't really make any difference, running at the gym with them is not so fun. i basically ran for 15 minutes while holding my pants up and gave up. so i quit and left the gym, but i'm definitely not throwing them out. panties that slip down easily have got to be an asset somehow, no?

Posted by cindy at 02:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

the same trip to chinatown brought us to our favorite crab haunt (or crab hunt?), Hop Kee

 crab smothered in "Special" sauce.

 and don't wear nice jewelry. your hands'll be filthy.

Posted by cindy at 02:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

only when you hit chinatown do you get two buildings with incomprehensible signs.

how do you pronounce "Knugenx"?

Fa Guo San Candy Shop?  

 and upon closer inspection, puto hot taho - what IS that?

Posted by cindy at 01:47 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

hitting south beach next week with a group of 15 girls for my bachelorette party. miami - be scared, very scared...

after threatening the fiance about all the hot cuban cabana boys that'll be rubbing suntan lotion on my body (his bachelor party is this weekend), this is what i got. 

Posted by cindy at 01:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

met up with some friends the other night. my friend's new boyfriend (only new to me since I hadn't seen her in 6 months!) owns this awesome furniture store in soho.

as i'm getting married in a couple months (actually less than 2 -yikes!) i'm finally looking at furniture like a real adult. upgrading from IKEA in NYC is probably the most grown up thing i've ever done.

check out his site at bddw.com 

Posted by cindy at 02:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

hmm was clearing out my desk and found my friend (really friend of my cousin)'s card. he's a diver who also takes award-winning underwater photos. check out his site at wetpixel.com

Posted by cindy at 03:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

"Sex in fast lane halts traffic on road"

Posted by katie at 05:33 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

This is an email forward i got from a friend:

SICHUAN, China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.
The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July, 2006. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days.

The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. The pandas are due to stop suckling by  February, 2007 just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated. 

Posted by cindy at 01:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Living in NYC, you get bombarded with Chinese menus at your doorstep every day. Sometimes, you THINK you're getting a Mexican menu, but when you call up the take-out place, the people who answer have thick Chinese accents. Why's that? And sometimes, these same places also serve Chinese food. For example, you'll get a menu from Tortilla Express that serves regular Mexican fare like tacos and enchiladas. And then, you'll get a menu from Panda Express that serves the Beef with Broccoli, and some form of General Tso's Chicken. Now look closely at the two menus, and you'll see that the address is exactly the same. Coincidence? I think not. And this is the same for Chinese take-out joints that also serve sushi. C'mon, sushi is Japanese!

While there may be some authentic Chino Latinos that are making this food, most of them are just making a living. Can you blame them? I don't mind my tacos at Taco Bell by some white high school
 drop out.

Any way, long story long, i noticed this on a tree-lined, town-house lined street. For those who don't live in NYC, please note that streets with townhouses mean "Multi-millionaire" Row.

Looks like almost any door/step.

but upon closer inspection,

Posted by cindy at 12:58 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by katie at 06:35 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

this yoga studio around the corner from my apartment has truly capitalized on the new york city dog-loving public:

 "Doga (or “dog yoga”) is a partner class for you and your dog." read more...

hm...i hope they disinfect those mats!

Posted by katie at 04:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

we get free music to play in the shop now and then. this cd's been great but appropriate for today is

the track titled 'f-cking boyfriend'

 nice.

check out their myspace page. 

Posted by cindy at 03:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

for those with no dates tonight, for those who think valentine's day is a made-up commercial holiday, for those who just don't care, for those who want to hang with girl friends, or for those whose boyfriends are out of town......

this is where i'll be tonight. i think it's open for everybody but not so sure.

The Lake & Stars is a new line we'll be carrying this spring and they're having a fashion show tonight.

Darn, can't seem to scan the flyer so here's the info.

The Tribeca Grand Hotel presents

the premiere collection of intimate apparel from

The LAKE & STARS

wednesday, feb 14

2 avenue of the americas

runway presentation 7

champagne courtesy of Palme d'Or 6-7

afterparty to follow in The Sanctum at Tribeca Grand 10

hosted by THEBLOWUP Magazine

rsvp@thelakeandstars.com

Posted by cindy at 02:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

so this is what i got the other night from my boyfriend. one of six cards (he's a graphic designer) that i get to redeem. we do this every year. before you go, AWWW... please realize, this ISN'T for Valentine's Day. It's a month-too-late birthday present. this is what happens when you date a guy for too long - less appreciation. 

well, you won't really get this on your own - ever - so i'll explain.

"kochu" means p*nis in korean, hence the fallic bullets in the top right corner.

sometime ago, in some publication, we'd read that some culture uses some form of circumsiced foreskin as a luxury facial product. hence the GROSS!!! on the bottom right corner.

but now it's a joke between us that anytime i go to buy facial products or makeup, that i'm buying baby kochus. Guys just don't understand why these products have to be so pricey, and frankly neither do i.

so anyway, this is redeemable for a shopping spree at sephora.

Now i gotta grab leslie from beautydean.com  (another plug) and ask her to take me makeup shopping! yay!

Posted by cindy at 02:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

for all you saps out there, my roomie got this from her boyfriend as part of many gifts for V Day , which includes panties from Azaleas. (smart guy!)

i'll attempt to transcribe below... 

Dear Catherine,

you are my lovely "sweet tarts" "sugar babies"

you are one "hot tamales" and "extra" special to me.

you are worth "100 grand" in my book. so on this

valentine's day, you'll "skor" like it's "payday" and "after eight"

we will "whatchamacallit" all the  way to the "milky way"

so my dear "lifesavers" break me off a piece of the "kitkat"

and let me take you on my white horse to "5th avenue" and we will

have "mounds" of fun on this special day. being with you is a

beautiful "symphony." "kisses" and "kisses" and boy they are "good and plenty"

i love u.

gotta give him points for the hard work, chocolates/candies, and the creativity. but really, do i need to know about the "whatchamacallit" all the way to the "milky way"? keep that to yourselves...such dirty language!  

Posted by cindy at 12:48 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

i went recently to asia (seoul and tokyo, specifically) to find inspiration. well, the trip was too short for that, but i did find these:

got lucky and got upgraded to first class. apparently, first class riders get finer toilet seat covers. hmm, what's up with that? finer tooshies?

Classic example of Asians not quite grasping English. Go check out Engrish.com for better examples.

we bought these knives at the fish market in tokyo.  we couldn't really communicate or bargain with the man who sold us these knives (you know, my college japanese sux), but we were sold when he cut slivers of newspaper right in front of our eyes.

if you ever hit up tokyo, make sure to go to the fish market - it's the freshest sushi you'll ever have. no joke. but it's best to go when they open at like 5 am. does the sound of sushi and sake in the morning turn your stomach? how about if you've been out drinking all night? then it's not really morning, is it?

oh, but you may not be into this guy:

we had this at dinner the night before. one of one restaurant we went to that didn't have an english menu (dumb tourists)...all i kept telling them was "no meat" cuz my friend's a vegetarian. they made us a soup with that thing that looks like brain. we couldn't figure out what it was and when we went for sushi (again) the next morning, there it was right before us. when i asked the sushi chef what it was, he kept saying "s-p-a-m" "s-p-a-m?" SPAM? what? and then i reluctantly realized that he meant "sperm". or perhaps fish balls of some sort. hey, until i knew what it was, i thought it was pretty good.

  you can't do asia without boozing. we did it up right - one night was filled with sake, soju, beer (as seen above), then champagne and finished off with whiskey. and you wondered why we call this panties + vodka.

Posted by cindy at 10:50 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Grammys were glowing and so were the ladies.  The popular look was soft skin, pale lips and lots of lashes.  You can be sure each entertainer had a visit from a makeup artist hours before they hit the red carpet.  But you don’t have to employ other hands to emulate their glamour.  Here is a quick and simple way to be your own artist.

1. Apply a deep toned cream eye shadow with an eye shadow brush from the eye line to the crease, blending thoroughly.  Top it with translucent powder.  Paint over the lid with a powder shimmer eye shadow that matches the cream color.  NARS makes lovely cream color shadows in sultry shades.  BOURJOIS makes a waterproof formula that will last all evening.  After shadow, use and eyeliner brush and a black powder eye shadow to draw a line along the entire upper lash line. Finish with two illustrious coats of very black mascara to top and bottom lashes.  
2. Cheeks get a wash of color and shine using two blushes. The first layer should be a neutral tone only one or two shades deeper than your natural skin tone.  Using a deeper color pressed powder is a great way to maintain a natural look.  Then dust over that with a pink shimmer blush.  I love BOBBI BROWN PEONY SHIMMERBRICK
3. Lips are quick and simple. Line and fill in lips COMPLETELY with a lip liner one shade paler than your natural lip color.  Skip the lipstick and go straight for a matching color gloss such as ESTEE LAUDER PURE GLOSS or URBAN DECAY ULTRAGLIDE LIP GLOSS.

Spray on your signature scent and you’re ready to rock!  

Check out leslie's site, updated weekly at www.beautydean.com

Posted by leslie at 05:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

my girlfriend's bachelorette party was this past saturday. i reluctantly agreed to go to hunkmania at the bride's request to watch a bunch of muscled, greased-up (most likely gay) strippers put on a "show." (we'll get to the "show" part in a bit) 

i decided to buy advanced tickets so i wouldn't have to pay the extra $5 at the door. so you can imagine how PO'd i was when i got there and the lady bouncer tells me "hon, you bought tix for a different show". different show? what could she be talking about? i had the receipt right there for saturday night, 9 pm show (for me AND my 2 girlfriends)

this is when i find out that new york city is fortunate enough to have 2 majorly competing male  dance revue shows. One called Hunkmania (which i'd purchased tix for) and Hunk-O-Mania. what is this nonsense? now i gotta deal with my credit card company and try to get my money back

i can't really tell you all that happened in there cuz the guys made us promise what happens at Hunk-o-mania, STAYS at Hunk-o-mania.

but i'll tell you this
a)the whole thing's a scam; they make up all sorts of excuses to get money out of you.

b)the "show" starts off with them doing a lame rendition of "Grease Lightening."  Like i need to see a bunch of gay jersey boys live out their broadway fantasies. (too mean?)

but c) it was worth watching my friends get tossed around and then some.

Unfortunately you can't take pictures but here's the link to see all the men for Hunk-O-Mania 

and for HunkMania.

i think this guy was my fave but it was REALLY DARK in there. 

Posted by cindy at 03:57 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

two weeks ago, after watching the gripping season finale of Bravo's Top Chef (yeaaah Ilan!), i was sucked into the premiere of "Top Design", which at the time seemed harmless...and I was just waiting to find out the context of the commercial clip "you can't design a room around a cat!"

the show might have been okay if todd oldham could act his way out of his makeup bag. i'mtoddoldhamiamtalkinglikearobot. but the real killjoy of the show is the head judge johnathan adler -- see picture below -- who in only two shows has managed to utter the phrases "merci" "mozeltov" and ::shudder:: "see you later, decorator". what? who says that??

thankfully, i wasnt the only one wondering. mr. adler's cutesy catch phrase caused quite a stir on his blog, which, by the way, is chock full of equally abominable inventions like "meshugena" "j'adorable", and of course his response to posts like this: "kiss my swatch".

Posted by katie at 12:58 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

i occasionally refer to janemag to find cool new music. i'm too old and tired now to experiment...

any hoo, i was so excited to see that one of my fave bands from the old days has just put out a new cd. i just downloaded to itunes and only on the second track but it's awesome. i'm so siked that nina's back! yeah, we'll probably be playing this tomorrow at the shop.

download it now...

oops.  just went to their site and this cd came out in september. told you....

Posted by cindy at 10:32 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by cindy at 01:29 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

is it too cliched that i like animated characters? or cute-sy illustrations? or perhaps it's the fact that my birthday just passed and pushed me into a new age bracket and i'm trying to hold onto the past? or is is just that i went to Japan this past Thanksgiving.   

 one of my purchases from japan. come on, it's cute! but i have to say, some of my friends raised their eyebrows at me when i showed them. i know i'm too old for these but they keep my hands warm!

 please disregard my non-muscular, pale pale arms. i'm working on both of those issues...

and my favorite Japanese designer has a shop in cool Daikanyama district. I had to go check it out and had to have this.  

 eskimos, seals, AND polar bears. how could i resist?

 Bond 07 in new york carries the line, but i don't think they have an online shop.

Posted by cindy at 05:14 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

man, my first food blog and i didn't have my camera with me! well my colorful descriptions will have to suffice.

i was craving paella and found this place called Spain Restaurant on MenuPages.com and decided to go check it out. well, it was certainly an experience.

you walk in and you feel like you've just walked into a place that's been frozen in time - hmmm. try 1986. the first thing you can't help but notice is the bartender in a flaming red bartender/waiter cropped jacket. the jacket's not the only thing old-school in there - so's the bartender. behind the bar is a photo of him wearing the same exact jacket behind the same exact bar 20 years ago.

 then, there are two tvs in the dining room by the bar. not flat screen tvs, more like the ones that use antennas (remember those things? well,  katie does. she finally upgraded her tv! and got cable!).  They're fully funtional, meaning, they don't put on the closed-captioning, just the actual volume - blasted. so, if one of you wants to watch the newest episode of 24 and the other, spanish soccer? not a problem.

 when you sit down, the bartender comes around to get your drink order. A pitcher of sangria, of course! then another old-timer comes at you with food you didn't order; hence, the title for this blog. for two of us, they gave us 2 salads, a plate of bbq pork ribs, and a plate of mussels (like 10!)

Take note: we noticed a couple that came in just for drinks and the waiter brought out a plate of meatballs for them.... just for ordering drinks!

i got the pork chops drowned in garlic...hey, it's the winter time! and pete got the paella. well, we ended up sharing everything, cuz that's how you do it in espana. (oh, and a free plate of fried potatos were included here) the pork chops were delish~ and paella was pretty decent.

the waiter came to refill my plate when i finished my portion of the paella. fine. but he wouldn't listen to my pleas that that was enough. he just kept going and going until the pot of paella was empty. needless to say, i finished that 3rd plate of paella. i felt so gross the next day, i woke up at the crack of dawn (according to my clock) to go running.

i can't wait to go back for a pitcher of sangria and the free meatballs. i'll make sure to post photos next time.

Posted by cindy at 07:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

just before you get jealous that you missed our FABULOUS event at Madame X, check out more photos below and vote for your fave...

Photo 1 - me and katie with one of the shirtless models (hired to hand out free booze)

vs. Photo 2 - me and katie with shirtless model and Blue Steel

Vote now!

Oh, and here's my first plug for Azaleas. Not to sound conceited or anything, but my boobs look fab in this shot. it's not my boobs, it's the DUET bra. check it out!

Posted by cindy at 11:20 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by cindy at 11:13 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Last night's Madame X Event was a riot. Titled the "Anti Superbowl Event," the red/black decor Soho bar got creative with a girls' only event. Your truly, Azaleas, was there with all sorts of lingerie, chocolate pasties, and knick knacks to get the party started.

Other highlight included, Babes in Toyland. Never been there? Check out their silver bullets and of course, the Rabbit.

Posted by cindy at 07:15 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

 I'm such a clutter freak. every year, i make my new year's resolution that i'll throw out all my clothes i don't wear any more, maintain my desk area (there's a pile of magazines that have been sitting by my feet for over a year), clean out the fridge... you know, typical gross stuff...

well, one thing that's helped me maintain this new lifestyle later than the 3rd of january is this new swiffer duster. the refills are expensive (duh) but no more of that dust on the tv screen i always mistake for a character's grey hair.

 
 get it at your local drugstore.
 

Posted by cindy at 01:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

on a bright and brisk morning this week, my coworkers and i arrived at the shop to find this on our stoop: 
 

that's right, a ratty old, owner-less, smelly, and incredibly mysterious futon mattress. how does something like this happen? a lover's quarrel in one of the above apartments? moving truck too full? perhaps the doings of the resident homeless guy? and why, oh why, in front of innocent  Azaleas...leaving the three of us to squeamishly kick and nudge it out of sight?

 

we don't know. but what we do know is: only in new york.

 

 

 

 

p.s.

if you are the owner of this mattress: we're sorry. maybe next time try flowers.

Posted by katie at 02:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (2)

Posted by cindy at 11:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

we need part time sales help in our East Village shop.

Store hours are 12-8 pm M-Sa; 12-6 pm Su

We need a responsible, trendy individual with a special interest in lingerie & fashion.

Weekends are a must. Required days: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Serious applications only, please.

Email resumes to: resumes@azaleasnyc.com

Posted by cindy at 05:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Join us for the Anti-Superbowl Party this Sunday at the swanky Madame X.

buy tix here. 

Posted by cindy at 05:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)