Geek in Heels

See: the title of this blog. Yes, I'm a self-proclaimed geek. Yes, I love gadgets. Yes, I love playing with the newest and latest toys. BUT I must confess that I sometimes get a bit scared and concerned about the pace and direction of new technology.

Subscription models taking over simple ownership. Planned obsolescence . Spyware running rampant in anything connected to the internet. Why do we need a "smart" microwave or vacuum?

When we bought an HP printer a few years ago, we didn't do our research and bought one that required a subscription ink plan. It wasn't expensive — $3.99 a month — but one month, the printer encountered a network connectivity issue and couldn't connect to the

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Personal

Health Update, Mid-Forties Addition

Aug 23. 2026

I turned 45 this past December and do you know what that meant?

Yes, it was time for a colonoscopy.

To be completely honest, I hadn't been to a primary care doctor for an annual checkup in years. Aside from annual gynecological visits since having my children, I only went to the doctor — usually specialists — when something was wrong. I also had a psychiatrist who prescribed my psychiatric medications.

But earlier this year, my psychiatrist retired, forcing me to find another prescriber for my mental health medication. This new doctor wanted me to have a full blood panel done because I had been on these meds for such a long time and he wanted to

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Entertainment, Geek, Web

The Most Complicated Board Game Ever Made

Aug 14. 2026

In 1979, Simulations Publications Inc. released The Campaign for North Africa , which has since been considered the most complicated board game ever made. Simulating WW2's operations in Libya and Egypt between 1940 and 1943, it boasts a game play time of 1,500 hours (or 62 days) and recommends you play with 10 people (5 Allied, 5 Axis).

Along with an opaque rulebook, there are 1,600 cardboard chits, a few dozen charts tabulating damage, morale, and mechanical failure, and a 10-foot long map. Richard Berg, the legendary game designer and author of the game, admits that this is an unreasonable game for unreasonable people. For example, there is a "pasta rule" which requires Italian troops to use

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Beauty, Korean, Personal, Reviews

New Favorite: Amos Professional Active Green Tea Shampoo

Aug 12. 2026

A couple of months ago, I saw a video on social media that raved about a Korean salon-grade shampoo that was available at Costco. Intrigued, I immediately looked it up online.

The Amos Professional Active Green Tea Shampoo claims to be an anti-aging shampoo that contains green tea leaf extract and green tea root extract. It is a scalp-first salon-grade shampoo that helps support stronger and fuller-looking hair.

Now, I wasn't completely happy with the shampoo I was using at the time. I live less than a 5-minute drive from our nearest Costco, but we're in a predominantly white neighborhood, so our Costco doesn't carry too many Asian products. I checked online, and sure enough, our local

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Books, Geek, Information, Web

Journeys from Classic Literature, Mapped

Aug 08. 2026

PlotLines is a project painstakingly and meticulously put together to map journeys from out-of-copyright classic literature. Currently sitting at 43 volumes (with more to come), works such as Pride and Prejudice , Crime and Punishment , and Moby-Dick have their characters' itineraries played and mapped on period maps.

For example, when you select one of my all-time favorite books, Bram Stoker's Dracula , you are met with a description of the journey, the characters involved, and a map of the journey in the background. According to this, there are six journeys (six characters) occurring concurrently over a distance of about 17,000 miles spanning 6 months.

When you click on "Start the journey," an animation begins playing, starting

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Beauty, Personal, Reviews

A Toner That Does It All

Aug 07. 2026

The older I get, the more I like to simplify my skincare routine. I don't know if it's laziness or the fact that I now comprehend the preciousness of time , but I just don't want to go through multiple steps when one product can easily achieve the same effect.

Early last month, I came across this Instagram reel by Gothamista and I was immediately intrigued. A milky toner that not only hydrates but brightens and exfoliates? I immediately looked it up online.

The Eadem Cashmere Peel Milky Exfoliant & Hydrating Essence is a "milky skin-transforming exfoliant that combines the power of acids with the comfort of hydration to refine pores, smooth texture, and boost radiance." It

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Asian, Beauty, Korean, Reviews

Are Korean Sunscreens Better Than Their U.S. Counterparts?

Jul 21. 2026

Last month, the FDA approved bemotrizinol as the first new sunscreen active ingredient in over 25 years. It's been used for decades in Europe and Asia. This approval will hopefully pave the way for more effective, safer, and more aesthetically pleasing sun protection options in the U.S. market.

It's no secret that the U.S. does not have the best sunscreens, and the reason for that is that the FDA classifies sun protection as an over-the-counter drug. This requires each sunscreen filter to go through extensive safety and efficacy testing before approval, which takes a lot of time and money. (Money that is usually sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, which they are reluctant to fork over.) As a result,

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Older Posts

When “Old” Technology Is Better

Aug 24. 2026