THE NONNATIVE

Oh the wonders of Google. I love how my Text Editor doesn’t even mark “Google” as misspelled. It’s such a household name now. I even have a friend who works at Google, they call themselves Googlers, and the stories I hear about working there just blow my mind. Working at Google I imagine must be like working… In Heaven. Ok, well not everyone is le Über nerd but for me I would love to just Google all day for the rest of my life. Sell my soul to Google, learn the answers to life, find the cure for cancer, feed the hungry, all that good stuff.

Until Google recognizes me as a messiah in training, I just devoutly use Google. It’s my homepage. How do I search the Internet? Hahaha, address bar? That’s a thing of the past, I use the Google search bar. I just got a phone call yesterday asking me how to do a screen cap on a PC. Um, I don’t use PCs. But did I say, “Sorry dude can’t help you.” NO! Thanks to the holiness of Google I typed in “PC screen shot command” and in 1.3 seconds had 5 different methods of taking a picture of the desktop. My friend wondered how I knew so much about PCs, I said, “Ugh I hate PCs. I used Google.”

I was shopping (again) when I made the fatal error of wandering into Giuseppe Zanotti. I’m a bargain shopper, but I saw 40% off and this certain shoe caught my eye… The almighty Crystal Fishbone Shoe (http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/37594). I have had an obsession with dead fish bones for a long time, before they were popular. I saw those bejeweled beauties and the $4,000 price tag meant nothing. Of course, I didn’t buy them – I will make them myself. But ohh! I will have them.

So I raced home and began searching fish jewelry, fish bone jewelry, all sorts of weird crap. It made me think of how much I love the Internet and how amazing it is to be able to find so many unique pieces just at the click of a button.

Some people say the Internet is a thing of evil, it will be the downfall of mankind. China has gone as far as controlling the Internet to spare its people. Now, I agree to some point that letting children watch bestiality on the Internet or use Yahoo! Questions to ask questions like, “I’m 13 how can I lose 10lbs?” is not healthy. The Internet in general is a beautiful, magical place. I imagine cannibals in Germany think that the Internet is a magical place too… (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes)

But, my point is we live in the Information Era where if you can imagine it, it probably exists somewhere. So I wanted to share some shopping sites I love:

Etsy.com is a great site, there’s a ton of things on there from home goods to one of a kind clothing. I can find clothing galore in Hong Kong, so I like to browse the jewelry on there. One of my favorite bloggers, The Glamourai (http://theglamourai.blogspot.com/) makes big chunky pieces and sells them on Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/category/jewelry

TheFind.com was a Google discovery when I was searching for “fish plates”. This was even months before the fish shoes! I was at Megabox’s I Love Kitchen store and they were selling a 4 piece set of silverware with fish faces on it. For 4 pieces it was something like $3000… Not my style. So I discovered The Find and searched fish place settings, plates, silverware, and found some of the most amazing cutlery for a reasonable price. I have them bookmarked for the day I decide to purchase them (http://www.ross-simons.com/products/YZFTWK.html?cm_mmc=Feeds-_-Nextag-_-null-_-null) To be completely honest I also have an entire set of fish plates, cups and bowls. I also have a fish tank, a sterling silver fish platter, and a number of other fish items. I’m also a big fan of birds.
http://www.thefind.com/

Chictopia.com isn’t exactly a shopping site, but I consider it a browsing type of website. You look through pictures of other people’s outfits and many of them are connected to ebay stores or at the very least tell you where they have purchased each piece. I really enjoy the site because it’s not just an American site, you get people from all over the world contributing – which means you get stores from all over the world ☺ You can also search according to style, occasion, and even body type.
http://www.chictopia.com/

NOTCOUTURE.com randomly ended up on my bookmarks tool bar, I have no idea how I found it. But I do have to say it’s pointed me in the direction of some really awesome online stores. I have to be honest, when I browse NOTCOUTURE.com I get genuinely excited to see new stuff, it’s not necessarily the most price-efficient but hell, there is some weird stuff on there.
http://www.notcouture.com

All of these sites I’ve shared I could have never found without the help of Google. Google, if you’re listening, I am here professing my love – hire me! I have no talent except shopping and using your powers for the good of the economy. I love you!

So if you're unable to find shopping delights in Hong Kong (because this is not everyone's shopping haven!), have faith. We no longer live in an era where we are limited by local culture, styles, or sizes! And remember, if you're having a hard time finding something in Hong Kong you can always leave a comment & I will do my best to respond.