Happy Holidays!

December 2005: The first time I fell in love with Saks Fifth Avenue in Union Square during the holidays.

Taking a quick breather to do some feasting, present wrapping/unwrapping, and celebrating. Hope everyone has a fab time off and cheers to 2010!!

Wokai: Growing Microfinance in China

We forget easily that the $50 on foundation, $100 on clothes, $300 on sunglasses, and etcetra is money that not many people have the luxury of spending. Especially as women in corporate America, we forget even more easily that we are lucky to have opportunities which do not exist in other countries.

One of our good friends is currently working overseas with Wokai, a non-profit organization focused on providing microloans to poor entrepreneurs in China. I was amazed to see how little money (compared to how much we spend on a regular basis) these people need in order to better enrich their lives and provide for their families. As such, please read below for more information regarding this great cause!

What is Wokai?

Wokai delivers an internet microfinance platform that allows individuals to provide Chinese microentrepreneurs with loan capital. Our organization acts as an intermediary in this process, transferring funds from contributors abroad to microentrepreneurs in China through our field partners.

Who does Wokai support?

A typical Wokai microentrepeneur is a female rural inhabitant, living on less than $1/day. Her microfinance loan, ranging from $150-$300 dollars, provides her with the capital to start a small business. Her business varies by location, raising sheep in a rural grassland or operating a small fruit stand in a city center.

With her income, she accumulates savings, which allows her to allocate money towards long-term investments like education and health. By the end of her loan cycle, she has experienced increased financial independence, bolstered self-confidence, and a strengthened sense of community.

Learn more and contribute today at http://www.wokai.org.

This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

Zemanta will be giving away $6000 (split) to the five charities who get blogged about the most before June 6. Please help us reblog and spread the word about Wokai!

Winter Warmerland

As a California girl who loves (and misses!) sweet sunshine-y shine, one of the biggest adjustments of moving to New York City was getting used to the cold. During October, it started to get chilly, and I brought out all my scarves, peacoats, and gloves. I suffered that week as my native NY friends made fun of my weak sauce ability to stand the cold, but I’d rather be lame and warm than cool and freezing.

I realized that there are 4 essential parts of the body that must be kept toasty, and if you do that, you’ll be covered (literally). We’ll start from the bottom up:

1) Cozy toes – Ever notice that it’s harder to sleep when your toes are sticking out and freezing? For me, warm and happy toes are important to keeping the rest of me content. So after 4 years of resisting them in college, 2008 marks the winter when I finally gave in and bought Uggs. If you have them, you understand just how nice and fuzzy these are.  I chose the tall gray ones, which I haven’t seen before in past seasons (left). For the rain and slushy snow about to come though, I’m hesitant to wear my Uggs. A girl definitely needs rain boots too. I really like the toe shape on the Jeffrey Campbell ones (right), but they are sold out at Nordstrom. 

    

2) Gloves – Same idea as having your toes covered, phalanges are another external part  that will make the cold seem that much worse if exposed. I currently have a gray  cashmere pair, which are really warm due to the material, but they stretch out a bit, and I  want a more structured pair that will keep its shape, like these long leather ones from Saks. 

3) Scarves – Everyone has their favorites, or multiple favorites. I like cashmere ones for the warmth, and pashminas because they shed less on my wool coats. Recently, I’ve been trying to expand my toolbox of scarf-tying techniques, and ran into this helpful tutorial on Modcloth.com:

Scarf Tying 101, part 2

4) Earmuffs – Ears are the small peripheral parts we normally don’t bother with, but in the cold, it’s one of the first places to be afflicted by strong winds. I was recommended to get the 180s, which wrap around the head, but I find they’re not as comfy for women to wear, as it clamps onto the hair and pushes it down. They’re great for sporty activities though, like ice skating or running through Central Park with a ponytail. What I really want for Christmas are earmuffs that sit atop the head, like these Burberry ones, super cute!