Hello Kitty Maternity Ward

As you may have gathered, we all love Hello Kitty around here and it was pretty fun to read in the news that the first ever Hello Kitty maternity ward was opened in Hau Sheng hospital in Taiwan!

Now, who wouldn't want to be welcomed into the world wrapped in those adorable blankets!

Thankfully they make pillows and blankets like that in toddler and adult sizes!

(Photo courtesy of AP)

An Oldie But a Goodie... Shiseido Oil Blotting Sheets

For anyone who has an oily T-zone and lives in a humid climate, you probably dread "the glow" as much as I do. You know what "the glow" is, it's the oily patch that starts on your forehead and just takes over your face by end of day. (Oh yes, it's that lovely.) Well, for those who have not tried the Shiseido oil blotting sheets, you must try them. They may be your new best friend.

I've tried several different brands of these types of blotters, including drug store brands, and I still always come back to Shiseido. These tiny tissue sheets really can take a punch. Each sheet is lightly powdered and absorbs oil like nobody's business. They're scent free, so work well for sensitive skin. They come in cute little sturdy packets so that they can be thrown into the purse and won't be attacked by your other valuables. These sheets won't ruin your make up or leave a powdery layer. They just leave your face nicely matted and oil free.

A definite must have for anyone who "glows"!! Each pack comes with approx. 150 sheets and you only need one to do the job.

Gearing up for Back to School

One of my most fond childhood memories was walking up to the elementary school with my sisters to check for class assignments and copying down our school supply lists that were posted on the school window.

I used to *love* back to school shopping (heck, I still get a thrill walking down the office supply aisle)! There's something about buying new No. 2 pencils, pens, crayons, notebook paper, folders, compass (which now that I think about it, I don't recall ever using!) that was just so exciting!

Part of the excitement was finding a way to show your unique personality through your supplies that would set yourself apart from your peers. Who would have the coolest lunch box, folder or new backpack on the first day of school? What to WEAR on the first day of school?? Kids these days have even more options than I did "back in the day." Lucky!

For Sanrio lovers, there is some GREAT stuff right now. I did a little reminiscing and put together my dream back to school list (pictured above) today. Here is a list of my "Must Haves":

• Backpack: I found a cute, versatile Hello Kitty backpack. I was really surprised at how functional it was too. It has a bunch of pockets, well-padded shoulder straps and very sturdy material. There are different styles to choose from too (messenger bags, traditional two shoulder bags, one shoulder cross-the-chest bags) and just about every Sanrio character. These bags are in the $20-30 price range, which is right on par if not a little less than non-character backpacks.
• Lunch Bag: Cute, cute cute! Made of sturdy padded backpack material and has two separate compartments-- one smaller one up top that would be good for snacks or a small ice pack to keep lunch cool and the larger main compartment which comes with a sandwich size matching plastic container.
• Pencils: No. 2 with my favorite Sanrio characters or mechanical.
• Pens: Gotta have the 7 color pen to write notes to your friends with!
• Pencil Case: Two zipper compartments with deep gussets. Perfect for pencils, pens and crayons and that compass that you need to buy but may never use!
• Giant Eraser: Just because it's 6" tall and 2.5" thick and equals AWESOME.
• Notebook Paper: Wide ruled notebook paper with Batz Maru (or another character) is perfect for writing notes, taking notes or doodling. May not be a teacher's choice for turning in assignments, but it's too cute to pass up!

So those are my must haves for back to school. I can't wait for my 19-month-old to be old enough for school so we can load up on cool back to school gear!

Eye Talk... Big Eye Envy

I am the first to admit, I have eye envy. I wasn't blessed with big wide eyes with a crease (also known as a double eyelid). When I found out about Eye Talk eye lid glue, I *had* to try it.

I was skeptical when I first tried it that it wouldn't work and that I would look like a person who had undergone really bad plastic surgery. I was pleasantly surprised how natural it looked and after a little experimenting I figured out how to use it-- though it should be noted that I am NOT an instruction reader which is why it took me some time to figure it out.

The Eye Talk kit comes with a bottle of glue that goes on with a brush (think of a bottle of white out) and a tool that helps set the eyelid. You brush the glue onto the part of the lid in an almond shape between your lash line and your brow line. Let it dry and repeat. Then use the little stick to poke your eyelid back to form the crease. Now, this product may not be the right one for someone who has issues touching her eye because you do have to push your eye lid back. But if you're a contact wearer and you're not squeamish, then you'll probably be fine.

The glue goes on white and dries clear and does not mess up eye shadow (at least not the powder shadow I used. I'm not sure about cream eye shadows though). Your eyes stay wide all day until you remove the glue. I used eye make up remover on a cotton ball and it did the trick. Depending on where you place the glue along your lid, you can change the crease line and the shape of your eye.

I give this product 4 out of 5 stars. I take one star off because it was a little tricky to figure out at first. I'm sure if I had even looked at the instructions or watched one of the many online videos now available showing how to use the product, it would have been easier.

Eye Talk sells for $12.99.

おいしい!

My daughter is three years old.  Thankfully she's not a fussy eater, but she is still three so even a favorite such as perfectly salted edamame might tempt her tastes buds for one meal but may not the next.  She goes to preschool part of the week, and I have to pack a lunch for her.  Sometimes she comes home with an emptied lunch box, and sometimes you would have thought that I was feeding the child dirt.  What I have learned is that lunch preparation for a three year old is all in the presentation.  Oh, how times have changed.  In my day, my parents would have told me to eat what was in my rice bowl and waste not lest thunder strike me down, or better yet if I left any rice grains in my bowl, I'd have pock marks on my face when I was older.  Not these budding gourmands. Children are foodies from an early age.

Bento boxes are a god-send.

If you're not on the up-and-up, you're thinking probably bento boxes?  Isn't that an option on Japanese restaurant menus?

My daughter has several Hello Kitty lunch boxes that I pack as if I were making a bento box option at a Japanese restaurant.  Today, she got a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread cut into a heart shape with a cookie cutter.  I placed the sandwich in the middle of the bento box, surrounded with grapes.  I put string cheese along the bottom of the box.  In her My Melody food container, I packed seedless watermelon cubes which she eats with her Kitty fork (though the three year old insists that she have the matching spoon in her lunch bag as well even if the spoon isn't used).  Just because the food was simply arranged in an "artistic" manner, I can bank on Miss Priss finishing her lunch at school without nary a prompt from the teacher to eat.

My daughter hasn't seen this new bento box yet at the store, but no doubt the next time that she is there, she'll probably "ask" her grandmother for one (and yet another set of matching forks and spoons).  *sigh* At least she's eating.

Waxing philosophy with girly curmudgeons

From its internet debut in 1998, I have been a fan of Lela Lee's Angry Little Girls comic strip for its cantankerous life view that in spite of its "bite" is shockingly funny, poignant, and sometimes depressive.

I stumbled upon this comic strip shortly before graduating from college. Initially the artwork itself caught my attention. How could you possibly resist Kim, the little girl on this mug. As an Asian-American 20 something year old at the time, I had never seen a comic strip with an Asian girl, with multiracial friends, who speaks English. Lela Lee's characters are not the typical anime characters with big eyes, spindly legs, who wear Japanese school uniforms. Her characters have Nietzche-esque conversations that you could digest as fast as one's Twitter.

This stainless steel mug speaks for itself.  

Angry Little Girls is one of the newer additions to Sanrio's product lines to debut for "Back to School 2008." To quote the character Deb when you see the merchandise, "What if I get laugh wrinkles?"

Richardson, Texas Chinatown Shop Celebrates 10 Years

LaserTrek first opened its doors to the Dallas-area Asian community in April 1998 in the shopping strip now known as DFW Chinatown, located on N. Greenville Avenue between Belt Line Road and Arapaho Road. This family-owned store, which specializes in Asian pop culture merchandise, was among the first Asian-owned businesses to set up shop in the growing cultural center. Over the past decade, LaserTrek has grown from a small music and movie store in the corner of Asia World grocery store to one of the most popular stops for Sanrio Hello Kitty merchandise, Asian-edition magazines, books, CDs, toys and cosmetics, and is often visited by fans from across the state.

Fang-li Hsu started this business with her husband Walt, at the height of the short-lived laserdisc era. This dying breed of technology wasn’t the next big thing as many had hoped, but this setback didn’t discourage the entrepreneurs from adapting their business to meet the needs of the community they serve.

The name "LaserTrek" is a nod to the technology that launched the business, combined with Walt’s fondness for Star Trek and the journey it represents.

The Hsus nurture LaserTrek, and its loyal customers, like the five children they raised; And much like parenting, they are continually evaluating how to best grow the business to be a viable part of the community.

"We’ve been very fortunate to be in business for all these years," Walt said. "We’ve seen a lot of changes to the community but some things that have not changed are the support of our customers and the way we do business. We want our customers to always feel like a part of our family and that we strive to provide the products they want and suit their budgets."

As more people from outside the Asian community come to discover their store and the needs of their customer base change, LaserTrek will continue to change with them. With the recent additions of direct dial pre-paid long distance phone cards that do not require a PIN and cosmetics to their staple Sanrio products, LaserTrek hopes to continue to see success for another decade and continue to bring Asian pop culture deep into the heart of Texas.

About LaserTrek

LaserTrek is a family-owned Asian book, music and gifts store, located at 400 N. Greenville Avenue, Suite 8A in Richardson, which has been serving the community since 1998. LaserTrek’s slogan is "Bringing Asian pop culture deep into the heart of Texas." LaserTrek began as a small movie and karaoke store in the corner of Asia World grocery store in 1990. They are now one of the largest sellers of Sanrio products in the Dallas area and offer Asian language magazines, comic books, gifts and toys.