A little bit above the norm for me, I thought I’d mention a few bags for the kiddies this week, and who to start with then none other than Hannah Montana. Measuring 10.5×7.5×3.5, this adorable Hannah Montana Messenger bag depicts the hip hop rocking likes of Hannah Montana on the front, with a foldover flap, and to complete the look; side pockets, and butterflies monogram bags. You can pick it up at eBags for $22.99. Guaranteed to make your kid the coolest kid in the class. Rocko handbag flap…

During this time my son grew from a podgy Primar y 1 boy to battling the hormonal highs and lows of his teenage years. All covered candidly on this page.

I’ve had highs and lows of body weight, mood and, of course, times when life’s walloped me so hard I fell over and didn’t think I would ever get up. But I did. And in no smal l w ay, th a nks to y ou. Letters, cards, comments in bars, incongruous conversations with readers in lifts, bars, supermarkets, airports, the Western Isles, more bars, Glasgow, Banchory, Dumfries, Spain, London. Youngsters, middle-aged and older folk and men. It seems the hairier sex can’t resist a wee look when their wives say ‘God I know exactly what she means’ as we share the universal joy of living with the lesser-spotted, often annoying Scots male.

Dave, my long-suffering husband, has had the peshwari ripped out of him for his snoring, dress sense, habits and for just being a typical curry-eating, wine-gargling, slightly further back down the foodchain Scotsman. Many a ti m e h e h a s t ur ned to m e af te r I have done something appalling and said ‘God I wish I had a column’ and I thank the Lord he doesn’t. He too has mixe d feelings about the column coming to an end – mainly lingerie wholesale joy. Everywhere I go people ask about Dynamite. I’m happy to say she is here riding shotgun, my dear pal who has stood by me through thick and thin – that refers to the size of my body and the state of my life. A better cheeky wee boozy pal you could never wish for.

There have been world-changing days. Awful days. 9/11, The Tsunami, Haiti… There has been humiliation such as the New Year’s eve live broadcast when I stood like a lemon on a rooftop in Edinburgh as the entire TV programme blew away round me but, as my dad always said, ‘You live a long time af ter you’re laug h ed a t’.

If th a t’s tr ue I s hould make it to 250. It all started when I presented a chat show on STV and the then Sunday Mail editor Allan Rennie asked me if I would like to write a column. ‘Me? God, I don’t think I can do that’. ‘Och, give it a shot,’ he said. Ten years on here I am. The column changed from being about celebs to life in Scotland with a bloke, a kid, two mutts and a de ep love of crisps, chocolate and wine. The paper’s support spurred me on to write a best-selling book, The Nappy Years. I’m forever grateful as I hurtle into 2010 with two novels in the pipeline LV wallets.

The response over the years has been heartwarming.

The hardest day, not only in the past 10 years but in my life, was the day in May 2008 when I lost my dear Dad. I was bowled over by the hundreds of messages, cards and letters you took the time to write. Each one brought me a genuine feeling of comfor t and of not being alone. It’s dawned on me that’s exactly what this column is about – unplanned and unexpected you, me and that hairy fool over there, we are all the same. Warts and all. That feeling we all suffer from the human conditi damier canvas.

Happy belated Thanksgiving from the Upper East Side, everyone! Can you guess what our favorite Manhattanites had dialed up this year for their Turkey Day celebration? Secrets, of course! They’re the gifts that will keep on giving, all the way to Christmas.

Really, this show would be nothing without its secrets, machinations, and dastardly plots. Once a round of them has been exposed and resolved, it’s out with another round to keep the narrative wheels turning. If everyone on this show suddenly started being honest, there would be no Gossip Girl of which to speak. It would be the End Times.

So lie they did – they lied their little 19-year-old hearts out. Some of the grownups lied too, but I don’t think you can blame Trip since he’s a politician and that’s part of his job. Or Lily, because she’s a socialite and WASPs don’t discuss family problems. Even with other members of the family.
Speaking of Trip, how much further can the writers go with the “Serena is a skank, LOL” meme after she’s already transgressed with a married congressman? Are we at the end of our Serena skankitude? It seems like we’ve peaked early. Unless she’s going to start murdering women in order to sleep with their men. Actually, that wouldn’t be a bad plotline…

Anyway, Thanksgiving. Through plot machinations that I care not to rehash, everyone ended up having the turkey festivities at Van Der Woodsen Acres. And by everyone, I do mean everyone: Rufus, Jenny, Eric, Dan, Dan’s awkward new love for Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa’s self-righteous hippie mother with great hair, Serena, Trip, Trip’s Cold and Calculating Wife, Nate, Nate’s Manbangs, Nate’s Awkward Feelings for Serena, A Video of Serena and Trip Making Out In an Elevator, Chuck, Blair, Blair’s Maybe-Pregnant Mom, Blair’s Actually-Pregnant Dorota, Lily, Lily’s Letter From Serena’s Dad, CeCe, CeCe’s Gin, and Two Identical Coats Worn by Lily and Trip’s Wife.

That’s right: Serena, Trip and Trip’s wife were all expected to sit down with each other. What makes it more interesting is that Lily was the one that invited them – she ran into the wife on the street and mentioned that Trip and Serena had been “working such long hours” and that they should come over for some turkey in order to force Serena to spend the day with her family. Because Trip’s wife (what’s her name, anyway? Maureen, I think? We’ll call her Maureen) knows deception when she sees it, the affair becomes clear in that instant and she agrees to attend Thanksgiving in order to see her husband and his mistress together and know for sure. Not a bad choice by her, since she has nothing else to lose – Trip has already asked her for a divorce, supposedly on the grounds that she orchestrated that whole Hudson Hero thing that he conveniently forgets helped him win the election.

In the real world, Lily would have never bumped into Maureen on the street for several reasons: she didn’t recognize Maureen at first and wouldn’t talk to a stranger just because they were wearing the same coat, she would be taking car service everywhere anyway, and if she wanted to order a Thanksgiving meal, she would have just called the restaurant. Or better yet, had an assistant call them. In Manhattan, rich ladies don’t have to walk all over creation and do their own catering arrangements. I can suspend disbelief for this show, but not THAT far.

Because this is Gossip Girl, however, Serena/Trip/Maureen/Nate weren’t the only people that were trying to fess up to their feelings for each other (those feelings being either love or hatred, depending on which two people we’re talking about). Nope, Dan and Vanessa have some uneasy post-threesome, post-Hilary Duff issues to deal with. Except Vanessa doesn’t know that they have them; they weigh on Dan alone. Well, actually, not true: Vanessa’s mom knows, because that’s just the kind of dynamic that mothers can pick out when it comes to their children and friends. Mine definitely can, and whoa, that’s uncomfortable.

While we’re at it, add Lily and Rufus to the pile of people with uncomfortable secret feelings that are spilling out all over the place. Actually, in this case, it’s mostly Lily – Rufus is too flat of a character to have many skeletons in the closet (besides his illegitimate stalker son, with whom we’ve already dispensed). On the other hand, Lily has four ex-husbands, a skanky daughter that’s breaking of a congressman’s marriage, a previously suicidal gay son, a meddling mother, and a secret summer trip to go with her secret letter from her children’s father, the contents of which we have yet to find out.

In the face of all that, Lily is still trying to do everything she can to keep order on the surface (which is her natural predilection, as a WASP). She has a heart-to-heart with Serena about how much it hurts to be left by your husband and how unlikely it is that Trip’s affection for her will be anything but momentary (she is, after all, still a teenager and he’s a grown congressman. Blair already pointed this out as well), but since Serena is thick-skulled in her best moments, she tromps off with Trip anyway (and oddly enough, with Blair’s support) when he tells her that he has decided to continue with his divorce, despite the threatened release of a video that shows them making out in an elevator.

The video was supplied by Nate in a less-feeble-than-expected attempt to preserve Trip’s marriage and snag Serena for himself, but it didn’t work because since when does a heterosexual affair with a consenting adult EVER end a politician’s career, and neither did his last-ditch attempt to win her affections outside of Trip’s car. Although based on the look on Serena’s face as they drove away, she seems to be growing bored of this whole thing already. After next week’s car crash, I’m sure she’ll be ready to bail and bang someone else. Maybe Nate’s next in line!

But then there’s that pesky little problem of the letter. Serena read it before ditching everyone for Trip, Lily stuffed it hastily into the wrong jacket pocket when she was found with it and a giant glass of booze in the freaking coat closet, and now Maureen has it. And what will she do with it? I don’t know, but if she’s the person that planted a drowning man in a river to win a congressional election, I CANNOT WAIT TO FIND OUT. The woman has skills, and she just got dumped in front of a bunch of loud-mouthed teenagers – whatever happens will be glorious monogram wallet.

All of that will be all well and good, but I’ve got to admit a little something. My favorite part from this episode wasn’t any of the stuff that I’ve discussed in the previous 1100 words – it was the wonderful storyline about Dorota and Vanya having a baby. It warmed the cockles of my little grinchy heart handbag bags.

The next episode looks oh-so-intense, although the last time Josh Schwartz wrote a car crash into a series, it ruined the entire thing. Let’s hope he does a better job this time.

This article, by John Lavitt, can be viewed in its entirety at the free MJRolex Watch Blog at: or at the MelroseJewelers Rolex watch website at .

Brad Pitt and Rolex watches intimately have been connected with each otherfor many years. The actor particularly has been known to be close, on botha professional and private level, with the Rolex Daytona. Commenting on therarity of these ultra-popular Rolex watches, a South African newspaper pointed out:”Annual production of Rolexes is limited to an estimated 750,000 watches.The waiting list for the stainless steel Daytona runs up to five years.Demand for the prestigious Swiss timepieces — with the crown imprimatur –always exceeded the supply. Rolex cachet is such that during World War II,a German mountaineer pursued by British soldiers in India partiallyfinanced his escape by selling his watch to a remote Himalayan villager.That story is told in the Sony Pictures movie ‘Seven Years in Tibet,’starring Brad Pitt.”

Beyond this professional connection, Brad Pitt has been seen Oris Replica Watch wearing a Rolex Daytonain his private life and recently he sold one of his Daytonas online. On amajor online auction site, the following posting ran with an embedded linkin the article that revealed a picture of Brad Pitt: “The steel Daytonaneeds no introduction; if you are viewing this piece you know what you arelooking for. This 2004-2005 piece is in pristine condition, featuring thewhite dial. We purchased this timepiece from a large Hollywood dealer whosupplies watches to the top movie stars. While confidential in nature, itdoes come with the Rolex paperwork indicating the identity of such owner.These stars trade their watches in often for brand new models (why put itin your closet when you can just get a new one, right?)”

Brad Pitt is a huge movie star and a talented actor with a private lifeplagued by the paparazzi, particularly given his marriage to fellowsuperstar Angelina Jolie. Nothing is bigger in the Western popular culturebubble than Brangelina. Beyond this given reality, Brad Pitt is not only amajor Rolex watch owner, but he sold the watches as a pitchman in Japan.And those advertisements reveal a truly sexy secret: the dashing and ruggedBrad Pitt that every woman in this country has been longing to see.

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Melrose Jewelers sells nearly 400 styles of Rolex watches on its website alongwith brands including Cartier, Omega, Breitling and Audemars Piguet.Melrose Jewelers is a member of the NAWCC (National Association of WatchCollectors) and the MJSA (Manufacturers & Jewelers Association of America)and supports law enforcement through its Platinum Membership with theCalifornia Sheriff’s Association. Melrose Jewelers is not an authorized agent or affiliated withRolex USA, Rolex S.A., or Rolex International. Rolex Datejust, Rolex OysterPerpetual, Rolex Day Date President Omega Watch Replica and Presidential, Rolex Oyster, RolexSubmariner, Rolex GMT Master, & Rolex Daytona are trademarks of Rolex USA.All Rolex watches offered by Melrose Jewelers are Preowned; no new Rolexwatches are available from Melrose Jewelers. Melrose Jewelers warrantiesits watches solely throughits store. Rolex USA has no obligation to service watches sold by MelroseJewelers Monogram Canvas.

About the Melrose Jewelers Rolex Watch Blog:

The Melrose Jewelers (MJ) Rolex Watch Blog is the world’s largestindependent news website about Rolex events and Rolex in pop culture. Withover 300 articles and new articles and commentary updated daily, theMelrose Jewelers Rolex watch blog contains articles about Rolex watchesowned by Barack Obama, John McCain,Jessica Simpson, Eric Clapton, JohnMayer, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Brad Pitt, Vince McMahon, RitaHayworth, Benicio Del Toro, The Dalai Lama, Zara Phillips, Saddam Hussein,O.J. Simpson, Guy Ritchie, Madonna, Ana Ivanovic, Matt Damon, Genki Sudo,Drew Barrymore, DJ Am, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Jay-Z, Ari Emanuel, JenniferAniston, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Daniel Craig, Tupac Shakur and Wiley,all viewable at monogram bags.

Adolf Lu Hitler R Marak (NCP), who trounced former minister Zenith Sangma (Cartier WatchesCongress) and brother of former deputy chief minister Mukul Sangma at 5clip in hair extensions7-Rangsakona constituency, was recently behind the bars for snatching away his vehicle which was confiscated by the police. He is currently on bail city bags.

On the other hand, Frankenstein Momin (Congress), beat veteran sitting legislator B G Momin of UDP Gucci walelts.

Although this bag may not be the most gorgeous bag in the world, if you have been on the search for a creamy-goldy bag, you can’t go wrong for a bag under $20. Old Navy actually has quite some deals going on now with bags (a few for a mere $5!!!). The Old Navy Women’s Brocade Purse is available in both oxygen (shown) and pink. This is a pouch-shaped shoulder bag with a little extra bling from its shimmering brocade. The inside won’t leave you sad, because you will feel silky satin lining and find a zipper pocket. If your wondering what the outside is really made of, it is a polyester mix with other fibers Hermes bags. I guess I just really like this bag because I’ve been looking for sophisticated bag which isn’t afraid to come in contact with some boozed up businessmen that might add a stain or two to the bag. If you are on a budget, I don’t see anyone saying this bag doesn’t fit their spending availability. This bag can be purchased for $19.50 through Old Navy. (Oh yea, I said $19.50) Monogram Canvas.

On Friday morning, pop juggernaut Lady Gaga performed a brief but rousing gig on the Today Show, braving the rain at NYC’s Rockefeller center in not one, but two custom-made Giorgio Armani performance ensembles.

Gaga took to the stage in an elaborate white getup that could’ve easily been a vintage Madonna look: a crystal-studded white suit work with a sparkling cross-embellished bra. Gaga accessorized with a relatively demure feathery headdress mulberry handbags .

She then made a sexy switch into a revealing black jumpsuit. Roomy, wide-fit pant legs made it easy for Gaga to bust a move, but she bared plenty of skin by wearing the plunging piece over a lacy black bra Leather Handbags.

Talk about simple. You can’t get a more basic shape than the plain ‘bank bag’ style rectangle that is this Suede Skull Zip-Pull Clutch by Giuseppe Zanotti. But simple doesn’t mean bad, and this clutch is anything but plain when you look at the details Leather Handbags. Made of black leather with a gold-glitter finish it has an exposed zipper with a pull made of a small skull and crossbones covered in crystals. It also has a small designer-stamped leather plaque on the back and is fully lined in designer-stamped black satin city bags. $595

For that special man in your life, give him an extra special holiday gift that he will love. This very manly Tate Brief Case by Fossil features dual zip compartments, laptop holder, and organized pockets. With polished hardware accents and textured leather, this gorgeous Tate Brief Case measures 16.5×14x5.25 damier canvas. Richly fashioned in leather, it’s available in Brown, and sells for $228-$248 at Fossil. Hot fake louis vuitton wallets..

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The main aim of branding is to provide a distinct identity for the product. Often the brand name also describes the function of the product–such as Super Glue or Land Rover–but this is not as important as creating a powerful image that is easily recognisable and which in some way encompasses the ethos of the product or the umbrella company. Microsoft’s coloured Windows symbol is a perfect example of this. In a different way, Apple’s symbol of the fruit with a bite taken out is on the opposite end of the scale but it is equally distinct and instantly recognisable.

Each of the brands mentioned above stands out from the crowd. The brand promises something special in the product or service it offers. It is a guarantee of a certain quality or satisfaction. When you buy a brand, you know what to expect and therefore you are prepared to pay more for that product than for its competitors.

But a brand lives or dies on its ability to fulfil the promise inherent in its branding. If the BMW car is not the ‘ultimate driving machine’ as promised by the company’s advertising, the disappointment so generated will lead to a devaluation of the brand. Trust will have been forsaken and the Fake Ulysse Nardin entire BMW brand–including all its different models–will suffer.

So branding and the promotion of the brand on its own will not deliver the added competitiveness and market share its owners will have hoped for. The brand must deliver what it promises.

Africa gets on the branding bandwagon

Further in this issue, we publish a story on Patek Philippe Watch Replica Kenya’s decision to brand its top-quality coffee. Ethiopia did the same thing a few years ago and branded its exclusive, high-quality coffee from different provinces. Before this, Ethiopian coffee was unbranded and it was sold to wholesalers at rock-bottom prices. The coffee was then blended with other coffees from Brazil and resold retail as branded products fetching better prices. The branded Ethiopian coffee now sells in the ‘gourmet’ section and commands high value.

Many African companies, particularly banks and airlines, but increasingly also manufacturers and food producers, are taking branding seriously and are employing professionals to brand their products.

Some confuse branding with advertising. Branding is creating a clear, often simple and memorable image–often accompanied by a slogan–that stands for everything the product or service offers. Advertising is selling the brand or individual products of the brand. Advertising enhances the brand, draws public attention to it and via repeated exposure, establishes it firmly in the minds of consumers. But if the form of the advertisement or the medium in which it is displayed is not appropriate to the brand, the effect could well be negative. A television spot showing playful puppets messing around in a car is appropriate for a low-cost runaround city vehicle because the emphasis is on youth and fun–but it would bomb if the same approach were used to advertise, say, a Mercedes-Benz or a Lexus.

Nike takes a two-pronged approach in advertising its brand–on the one hand, it appeals to everybody at all age groups with the slogan ‘Just do it’; on the other hand, it emphasises the excellence of its product by paying the world’s top sportsmen and women to display its logo.

The Economist, on the other hand, makes it clear that the magazine is not for everybody. It aims at those who are better educated and of an analytic frame of mind, i.e. the elite. The Economist brand then leverages its host of other activities, including other publications and conferences, on the perception it has created of excellence in journalism.

Its advertisements do not appear in mass media outlets but they do appear Louis Vuitton Bags on billboards because all classes of people are likely to see them. Thus as a result of branding and clever advertising, the general perception is that anyone who reads The Economist is above average. Coming to Africa, we see massive advertising campaigns for telecoms products and services–MTN, Zain, Safaricom and so on, as these are aimed at the mass market. Branding in this case, where competition is intense, is crucial and the wrong approach, or the failure to live up to expectations, can prove fatal.

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But when the branding (which includes comparative cost, ease of availability and dependability) is married to the appropriate advertising (for example, advertisments for more expensive mobile models tend to appear in up-market media), the results can, and have been, spectacular fake louis vuitton wallets.

But the majority of African companies are still at a fairly basic level of branding and very few have managed to export their brands to other countries in Africa or abroad. The exceptions are banks such as Standard Chartered and Ecobank, telecoms companies, fast food chains like Mr Big and Nando’s and brews such as Castle and Tusker. South Africa is one of the very few African countries to have succeeded in promoting its branded wines virtually throughout the world LV wallets.