Author: Debbie King

A blog about LIFE and STYLE
FUN

Scene in the City: Let’s celebrate

Street fairs and festivals.  Vancouver is in fair festival frenzy.  This past Saturday alone there were two good ones. So how come there was little or no advertising and then why two in one day?

Not that I’m complaining as I’m always looking for a party but it cut my day in half as I noticed a fair while on my way to a festival.  Here’s a recap:MexicoFest in conjunction with Independence Day in Mexico took place outdoors at the new downtown Vancouver Convention Centre.  Many people and what seemed like all of Vancouver’s Mexican population were there for the live shows (best mariachi I’ve heard in ages), food, arts & crafts and dancing.  It was a wonderful opportunity to discover the diverse cuisine, musical tradition, artistic heritage, and tourism destinations of this fascinating county and its people.

It was a beautiful series of cultural, culinary and social events with a big centre stage and many rotating performances.  I’m sorry to have missed the ballet Mexcaltital as I’m sure it was excellent.

View from Convention Center – Canada Place
Kids enjoy making street grafitti- this is how it all starts.

West End Fest (formerly called Davie Days) took place all along Davie street which was closed to traffic from Burrard to Denman.  White tented vendors lined the streets and there were several music stages with live performances and lots of food.  Tiny bubbles, roller blading, buskers, animals and kids.

Kid at heart

It’s always interesting along Davie at the best of times so this just made it that much more FUN.

Then it was off to Enigma restaurant on West 10th to see Sybil Thrasher, our local entertaining jazz/blues singer extraordinaire!  Our own Billy Holiday.

Until next year….

Health + LifeStyle

B Well – on a cellular level

What are TELOMERES and why are they so important?

Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of our threadlike chromosomes (similar to the plastic tips on shoelaces) that keep our genetic material safe from damage.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PHD, won the world’s attention – and a 2009 Nobel Prize for her research on this tiny bit of cellular machinery that turns out to be a hugely important clue to human health.

Every time a cell divides, as our immune and skin cells regularly do, the telomeres tend to get a little shorter – which makes them an excellent indicator of cellular aging.  When telomeres get too short, cells stop working properly.  But that’s not the whole puzzle:  Blackburn and one of her colleagues discovered an enzyme that replenishes and repairs frayed telomeres, helping us stay healthier as we get older.

This enzyme called “telomerase” slows the rate at which telemeres degrade, and research indicates that healthy people with longer telomeres have less risk of developing the common illnesses of aging – like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer which are three big killers today.

What can we do to help ourselves?

Lifestyle factors like a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and enough exercise to make you break a sweat helps to boost “telomerase” naturally.  Exercise mitigates the effects of stress – and STRESS, we know, shortens telomeres.  So………..

The long & the short of it is living a long life means protecting the tips of your chromosomes.  Try to stay as stress free as possible, eat healthy, exercise and B Well.

Click on link below to FIND OUT MORE about how you can help reverse the aging process, reduce pain, improve energy and brain function with Brad King, host of “Transforming Health.”

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/51821/reversing-aging-reducing-pain-improving-energy-and-brain-function

Info. taken from “The Youth Enzyme,” an article by Thea Singer for Oprah magazine.

FUN

Personal Pinboard – Fall Ahead

HERE ARE A FEW  FALL BACK-UPS ON MY WISH LIST:

Giovanna shirt by Garbe Luxe
Leather pencil skirt by “The Row”

 

 

Isabel Marant – bazil suede &  snake effect sneakers
Missoni knitted chenille Zigzag Scarf
J Brand demin beatnic leather -panelled mid rise skinny jeans
Tory Burch Oxford striped silk georgette shirt

A pair of toothpick cords from J. Crew in cabernet and a few staples from Zara will complete my list for now.

What’s on yours?

FUN

Scene in the City – a round town

In a roundabout way Vancouver is setting the standard for beauty around every corner.  The following photos reveal just a few of the city circle ways for slowing down traffic.

Downtown Jervis street
Creelman & Cypress in Kits
Some have bird houses
Another nice corner in Kits
FUN

AWay with Words – timeless quotes by a comedic legend.

It’s not so easy being funny but this wild-eyed comedienne always had us in stitches. 

Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller, America’s famed self-deprecating queen of comedy, died on Aug. 20, 2012 at her Los Angeles home   at the age of 95.

Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?

Best way to get rid of kitchen odors: Eat out!

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight!

I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.

Burt Reynolds once asked me out.  I was in his room.

What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.

The only time I enjoyed ironing was when I accidentally got gin in the steam iron.

You know you’re old if they have discontinued your blood type.

I was born at home on newspapers…..I still have a story on my butt, although now the print is much larger.                         PHYLLIS DILLER, Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse

FUN

AWay with Words – a few brainy quotes

In honor of the Zombie walk last Saturday…………some mindful quotes about Zombies:Don’t worry.. the zombies are looking for brains, you’re safe..

My definition of a good zombie is depending on how it tastes.

Zombies were people too.

Zombies make great pets, they already know how to play dead!

Friends don’t let friends become zombies.

Who can forget Michael Jacksons “Thriller?”  It’s the Zombies favorite dance song.

Yeah, I know I’m ugly… I said to a bartender, ‘Make me a zombie.’ He said ‘God beat me to it.’   Rodney Dangerfield

 

Great Minds Taste Alike!

FUN

Picture This! Jia Jia as the Face of Fido?

Have you cast your VOTE yet?

Jia Jia

If not, what are you waiting for?  Time is running out.  Go directly to link below for Fido Casting Call 2:

http://fidocastingcall.ca/dog/762878017/

and VOTE NOW! 

It’s a long shot but every vote counts.   PLUS… Fido will pay $1 per vote to support Lions Foundation of Canada Guide Dogs. 

Confessions of a Dogaholic – part two:  More reasons why I love…….

This is one book I should have written

We’ve had dogs and cats in our family since I was born.  Growing up with animals is wonderful and while I like dogs I’ve always been more partial to cats…..until now.

Maybe that’s because this little sheltie has many “cat”acteristics.  He’s agile, very curious and fascinated by cats. He just stops and stares whenever one is nearby.  He’s a dogcat!

He can’t go by a baby without saying hello

 

He still believes in love at first sight
Shows compassion for those stuck at home

 

His eyes always follow one little fish in the tank.
On occasion he likes to visit wineries.           This one in Napa.
Gets tired after a long day of playing football
But most of all never misses an opportunity to run along the beach.  Here in Oregon.

 

 

Has some good pick up lines. “Did you know that if you’re not a sheltie you’re just another dog!”

*Fido is a Canadian cellular phone company.

 

FUN

One Thing to Another – handy home décor ideas

Beautiful baskets, buckets and bowls

 I collect baskets and bowls among other things from various travels and then wonder where to put them all or how to make use of them once home.

when not in use as a salad bowl this ebony beauty from Kenya holds rice & grains.

The most obvious – for fruit
In background – another wood fruit bowl from Brazil

 

So many baskets – so many uses.

I try to find ways to store things in as many baskets as possible.

As you can see from the photos there are several ways you can use and display your baskets and make them functional too.

 

 

 

Hand woven Zulu basket from Durban, S.A.  Glass insert for flowers.
Papyrus Egyptian used as sewing basket

 

 

various baskets for holding plants & herbs

Rattan square for magazines & wicker oblong for books
this wicker basket from Guadalajara keeps hair appliances neatly tucked away

 

 

 

 

 

For containing guest towels
It’s what’s inside that counts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not “just” a zulu basket

What do you put in yours?