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As October winds down and invites to Halloween parties pour in, the quest for the best costume begins. When you can dress up as anything you want, why settle for just being a witch when you can have the most creative outfit in the crowd? Try one of these great get-ups, inspired by the best—and worst—of 2009.

 

Lady Gaga

She’s bringing crazy back—and the world is loving it. Go Gaga with the most future-fabulous outfit you’ve got! This breakout performer favors body-conscious pieces with exaggerated construction—notice how she always gives the appearance of moving architecture. You can achieve a similar look by wearing a very short, high-structure dress—or a leotard, if you’re feeling daring—with towering heels and oversized shades. For an interesting element, try manipulating tin foil into quirky shapes and attaching the result to your outfit. Makeup is a huge factor in Lady Gaga’s image, so don’t forget the geisha-style lipstick and lightning eye-makeup. Add the Donatella Versace blonde wig and you’ll be ready to Just Dance!

Have you ever been so attached to a man that breaking up with him put you through major withdrawal symptoms? If you have, you’ll be pleased to know you’re not alone—at least as far as Summit Books’ chick lit offerings are concerned. Their latest book, penned by Faye Ilogon and scheduled for release in bookstores next week, is called “12 Steps to Quitting AJ” and deals with an on-again-off-again relationship that clearly qualifies as an addiction. Intrigued? Check out the Summit Books site on Female Network to read an excerpt.

Television is arguably one of the hardiest innovations of the 20th century—from its humble beginnings in the ’30s, it’s lasted well into the new millennium and shows no signs of disappearing from our daily lives. If anything, its hold has gotten stronger—though we can now download shows on our laptops and view them on our phones, most of us still head home at the end of the day looking forward to unwinding in front of the tube with our favorite shows.

While television technology isn’t changing at warp speed, enough improvements are happening to keep us firmly entrenched in TV culture. One such innovation is Sky Cable’s recently-launched cable TV paradigm, SkyCable Select, which makes our viewing experience more flexible, allowing customization to suit our lifestyles—whether you’re married with the requisite suburban home and 2.5 kids or a single girl struggling to keep up with condo payments. The scheme lets subscribers customize their plans according to their viewing needs and budget capabilities through the use of a digibox, a little piece of equipment that serves as the TV’s switching center.

New users can begin with the SkyCable Starter pack, which comes with a basic lineup of channels (including CNN, the Asian Food Channel, and Star World) and goes for only P280 per month. This is a perfect option for single ladies living solo, who don’t really need too many channels since their favorite shows are usually concentrated in a few networks. Channels can be added ala carte to the default offerings—for as little as P20 for channels like ANC and Discovery Travel & Living or as much as P350 for booster packs like the HBO pack, which comes with four different HBO channels, including one that airs marathons of HBO-original series. The fun part is getting these channels on demand; since everything is digital, channel activation is remote and virtually instantaneous. So this month you can binge on HBO movies and remove the channel from your subscription when you’ve had your fill.

Moms will arguably get the most benefits from the new system: the ability to manage their subscription means they can choose only the channels that matter to their family as well as limit their kids’ exposure to inappropriate shows. The digibox allows moms to password-protect certain channels, so their kids—or husbands!—can’t access them. The gizmo also provides a week’s worth of show schedules and synopses, and lets forgetful moms find out what’s currently airing by displaying show titles and descriptions onscreen. Existing subscribers also get six new channels, including Basketball TV, which should keep hubby happy.

Thankfully, though TiVo still hasn’t arrived in the country, it seems our TV technology isn’t that far behind. To learn more about the SkyCable Select’s features and offerings, visit their website at www.mysky.com.ph . You may also call their 24-hour Customer Service Hotline at 631-0000 or text (0917) 631-0000 / (0918) 863-1000.