It’s a little like a love affair It starts out great, makes you feel good and then there are a few bumps along the way. You begin to doubt yourself. You settle in, become comfortable with the same steps and work into a routine. But if you want to improve your dance and keep things fresh you have to always evolve and work at it. You have to be eager to take it one step further to keep it interesting and alive. And to make the leaders want to dance with you.
Anyway, that’s my little analogy of the dance
You just can’t take a crash course to be a tango dancer in a movie – Robert Duvall
Dancing is not only social and good exercise, it makes me feel good. But I’ve been lax in going regularly for a long while now and I feel like I need to improve. With tango, it seems so easy but you never quite feel like you’ve mastered it. It is said that it takes a lifetime. Well since I have some time left I started lessons with one of the best instructors – Nadia of “Strictly Tango.” She spends several months a year in Buenos Aires. She’s professional but makes it fun, doesn’t miss a beat, watches your posture, corrects you on the spot and her dance space is incredibly appealing – the most ambient dance space for learning in Vancouver. Her base is ballet – actually the best base for any dance. She’s lovely. (See a short bio below). I already feel a big improvement. But I have a looong way to go.
“A good dancer is one who listens to the music…We dance the music not the steps. Anyone who aspires to dance never thinks about what he is going to do. What he cares about is that he follows the music.You see, we are painters. We paint the music with our feet.” – Carlos Gavito
Nadia’s dance studio (and photo above)
I also started taking West Coast Swing – opposites attract! ThinkPatrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing (but not as dirty). I took West Coast Swing years ago but was travelling and didn’t continue when I came back and forgot the steps. It’s more funky, casual but lots of fun and the music is upbeat…a mix bag of rockabilly, country, blues and current pop music – club style dancing with a partner. The opposite of tango although there is a mixer where both dances are incorporated into the evening which should be interesting. My instructor Pamela Podmoroff is one of Canada’s top competitive dancers – but she knows HOW TO TEACH. A rare package. She’s fun, friendly and patient. Both of these classes are gender balanced.
A good reason to dance West Coast Swing – CHECK OUT this short video:
Strictly Tango with Nadia (BIO):
Nadia’s love affair with dance began early, with lessons in classical ballet at age ten in her home country, Iran. By the time she was fourteen, she’d earned a scholarship to study ballet in New York City. By nineteen, she was the youngest company soloist of the San Diego Ballet. Even when university studies and a successful career as a high school teacher demanded her focus — and took her from the United States to Canada and on to New Zealand— Nadia continued to teach ballet at the urging of her students. Her love of dance also took her to Cuba on three occasions, where she studied modern dance. In 2000, back in Vancouver and ready for a change, Nadia put dance on centre stage again, devoting herself full-time to her own studio, the Forufera Centre for Dance.
The Dancing King
My sis took this recent pic of me in the kitchen. Me at my most natural.
Have you given much thought to the importance of BEAUTY IN THE BATHROOM?
Lemon Verbena soap-on-a-rope from L’Occitane. I visited the original store in Provence, France.
After all, it’s the place where we store all of our treasured beauty products. It’s where we disappear to first thing after waking to brush our teeth, wash our face, etc. and the last place before bedtime to repeat the same routine all over again.
I absolutely love my bathroom! Maybe that sounds strange, but I do.
It’s smallish but has windows which brings in natural light and it’s my personal private refuge and I like to keep it neat and tidy. I also like to surround myself with things of beauty that I love and products that make me feel good. I also have a few items sitting on my shelf that I rarely if ever use just because I only like to admire them – only for show – only for me, no one else. That can’t be considered shallow then, right?
Things like delicate and gorgeous collectible perfume bottles (some as gifts) and a few Hermès beauty items (on the opposite shelf) that haven’t been touched because they seem almost too pretty to disturb and an aquarium window with fish decals stuck to it. So I can remind myself of my scuba diving days. I’m such a child. Also an Amber room spray in a beautiful old-fashioned French perfume bottle from L’Occitane. I want to feel like I’m somewhere else for a little while. I need to escape. I consider it my womanly equivalent of the “man-cave.” Speaking of man caves, I visited a friend this summer and her boyfriend actually has a man-cave…really! I thought they were just a myth. It’s locked (only he has the key) and my friend doesn’t even know what’s inside. I won’t tell you what’s in it – because I had a glimpse when I snooped he opened it up to show someone (I was shocked) and it’s not at all my style but then again I can’t relate to what men like to hide. Which makes me think that we need to have some privacy away from our significant other – a sanctuary of our very own. Even if it’s only a corner space. And some things should really be kept private. Do you agree?
I adore my old-fashioned cast-iron bathtub (the feet have been re-painted white from the original silver) and when I take a bath, I take a bath! It’s a ritual with bath salts, bubble bath and candles and at night sometimes a glass of wine (I have a wine holder on my tub). So relaxing! It has piped in music. I light some candles and just relax! I use masks, scrubs, and lotions. It’s like my little haven. It’s definitely a girly bathroom. Now I have two orchids sitting on my bathroom window ledge – gifts from two friends. They look beautiful – not too much. They sit among some of the many shells I’ve collected (I could actually live outdoors in perfect climate condition). One is a large clam shell that I found snorkelling in the Sinai Peninsula and there’s also a beautiful piece of fan coral that washed up on the beach in Negril. I still can’t believe I was able to get away with taking it on the plane. It’s so very delicate that I just carried it on in a plastic bag. My overall tastes run high and low. I value things I’ve pick up on the shore as much as my Hermès dusting powder which sits in its gorgeous silver case (on my shelf of course, to be admired). I love my illustrated mermaid book from an art store in Florida. Everything has a meaning or a meaningful memory.
I love flowers, perfume, and feminine things. That has never (and probably will never) change. My mother was the same way. She was very feminine and took care of her skin and had a signature scent. I miss her so much. She was so genuine and took pleasure in simple things and loved nature. I think it’s important to hold on to things like that. We really lose track of how to relax in such a fast-paced world.
This year I had my bathroom painted a colour I would have never considered before. Chocolate Brown. I had a few samples narrowed down and for fun asked my dog to make the final decision. He actually put his paws on one of the samples, so I chose that one. When I turned the sample around it was named “Dog Paw.” This is no word of a lie – I swear! Can you believe there is even a colour with a name like that? Neither could I. But maybe they’re referring to dirty dog paws and the tracks they leave on your floor. Well that makes sense. Then I had a wall painted a tropical blue as an accent colour – just to remind me of being in the Carribbean. Thought it might be a bit too much but it could always be changed…. ended up loving it. It’s bright and cheery. Bill the handyman really did an excellent job. He can do anything. I’m going to write a post soon on the people we need in our lives – a handyman is one of them! TRUE!
I think you need to make each room in your home a little different, but meaningful.
It’s not only me right?
Below are a some photos of bathrooms that appeal to me – from martha stewart living:
Photo: Matthew Hranek. Modern Bathrooma simple cast-iron tub in a rustic barn home.Photo: Victoria PearsonEasy ElegancePhoto: Chuck Baker Skylands – Martha’s Maine summer home.
This is knot your typical boutique. I love the overall organic feeling of this Vancouver shop.EVERYTHING inside is imported from Japan which is another reason to like it so much.
even the gum boots are cuteThe extraordinary handcrafted watches are all created on-site at the JHA Kansai watch store.
What would a Japanese
boutique be like without a few teapots?The place where I bought this comfy and cute cotton/crinoline sweater dress. I like that it’s casual (mostly) and feminine. It can be dressed up or down & belted (to emphasize the waist) but I just let it hang loose. I think it looks better when wearing shoes or better still; boots.
The Japanese have such eclectic taste and a lot of the styles appeal to me because they tend to go against the grain. You will find clothing & accessories that are NOT run-of-the-mill. Sometimes we want to have that bit of an edge.
SUKIYAKI is the perfect nutritious dish for cooler weather to share among close friends. My friend Ryoko makes the most wonderful Sukiyaki. Being from Japan it comes naturally to her, and I’m so glad that she showed me how to make it. We sat at her counter while talking and chopping the veggies. She explained that the meat you use is very important. She gets it sliced thinly from a butcher and prefers rib eye – the thinner the better for fast results. You can’t buy readily cut meat for sukiyaki otherwise, and it’s almost impossible to slice it yourself.
You could cook it on the stove although an electric skilletis the simplest and best thing to use since all the ingredients are served at the table. It’s actually quite easy to make if you chop and assemble everything beforehand. Just add what you like and noodles are optional – but since I love noodles I prefer adding them at the very end.
Type of noodles used for this dish
Add a little *dashiof this and a little **mirin and soy sauce to taste. If you’re not used to using these condiments you can go to any Japanese grocery store and ask someone that works there. They’ll know what you need.
Ryoko never uses a specific recipe but if you’ve never made it before I found an easy one online that you can adapt to suit your taste.
What you need:
Common ingredients include beef,tofu, negi (green onion), leafy vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and shirataki noodles. Have fun cooking and eating at-the-table!
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 lb. thinly sliced beef (she buys paper-thin rib-eye. You must get the butcher to cut it for you otherwise it will be too thick.
1 cube tofu
1/2 head nappa cabbage
2 carrots
1 bunch green onions
2 medium onions
7-8 shiitake mushrooms
7-8 white button mushrooms
1 Tbsp. oil
1 package frozen *udon noodles (optional)
Sukiyaki Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce (I prefer low-sodium)
3 Tbsp. sake (Japanese rice wine)
3-5 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
3/4 cup water
Cut all ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Arrange all ingredients on a large plate for a beautiful display.
Mix ingredients for sukiyakisauce in a separate bowl.
Add a little vegetable oil to an Electric Skillet, and set the temperature to high. Once the surface is hot, sauté some of the beef slices until brown. Add other ingredients.
Pour half the sukiyakisauce in the pan, and close the lid. Simmer until the ingredients are cooked through.
Everybody should take as much as they’d like to eat. Keep adding more ingredients and sauce as they disappear from the pan. Feel free to add more or less sugar, soy sauce and water to adjust the flavor of the sauce.
If you can find frozen udonnoodles in your supermarket, add it to the sauce to enjoy a whole new meal.
楽しみます= Tanoshimimasu = ENJOY!
*What is Dashi?
Dashi is a flavouring stock used in Japanese cuisine, giving that quintessential Japanese flavour to your favourite foods. It all starts with something called “umami”, which when translated from Japanese to English, “savoury” is probably the closest word. Umami was discovered as one of the five senses to accompany sweet, sour, bitter and salty and is a more friendly name for the taste of glutamates.
**What is Mirin?
Mirin is a common staple used in Japanese cooking. It’s a type of rice wine, similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol and higher sugar content.
Not to be confused with some of the characters you may have met along the way. Those specific characters (they know who they are) make life interesting, colourful and never dull.I’m referring to a persons overall general disposition – the natural traits that define each of us as individuals. Have you ever had reason to doubt someones character?
Unfortunately I’ve come to discover the hard way that I may have thinner skin than I was aware of. It’s interesting that for all my travels and life experience how un-jaded I still am. I take words at face value and am always surprised when people are not as meaningful or as spiritual as they’ve led me to believe. I’m disturbed (not in a life threatening way) by how hurtful people can become even if they don’t intend to be that way. And at the same time I’m grateful to be the kind of person I am, to take people at face value, and believe that their intentions are honourable. I’m forever optimistic and never ever bitter. I just don’t understand the way some people operate. Which led me to this character post in the first place. And it leaves me vulnerable since it’s all so (also) personal.
Our character explains who we are, how we act and it highly influences the choices that we make in our lives.Day to day I take the good character of those I know for granted, but of late I’ve been impacted by the lack of integrity by some I believed I knew well. In general I don’t have any bad feelings towards anyone but I do question why someone would feel the need to say something they don’t mean or make a promise they don’t intend to keep because they think it’s what you want to hear. It hurts more if it were someone you were once close with. Maybe they don’t have the wherewithal to be completely open, or you’re of no use to them now that someone else has taken your place. They lead you to believe that you still matter, yet their actions prove that you don’t. They may not want to appear in a negative light. They attend to their own needs and you no longer play a part in their life. That’s fine although now they end up treating you with indifference – the very same way they do not wish to be treated. It’s understandable that circumstances change in your life, but a total shift in attitude is disheartening. Then you begin to doubt how well you read people.
People who feel the need to say things they think you want to hear but don’t mean are just playing head games with you. But maybe that is their intention – to play a game. I can’t get used to that kind of behaviour. Feelings are feelings. I value them. That’s why the saying goes – actions speak louder than words. Because words are just that – they’re only words. And you can only judge a person by how they act.
This is just an observation. Something to think about. We all disappoint someone at one time or another and lifecircumstances can partly be responsible for our actions but here’s the breakdown for each of us to consider:
Character Traits:
Character traits will determine how a person responds or reacts when faced with a certain situation in life. For example, if someone has honesty as a character trait, he will always be truthful and say things that are true as opposed to a person who is not honest. They’re authentic.
Authenticity
You are able to be your real and true self, without pretension, posturing, or insincerity. You are capable of showing appropriate vulnerability and self-awareness.
Why Character is Important
Character in life is what makes people believe in you and is essential both for individual success and for our society to function successfully. Each individual must do his or her part every day by living a life of integrity. Integrity is adhering to a moral code of honesty, courage, strength and truthfulness – being true to your word. When you don’t exhibit integrity, other people get hurt. But you hurt yourself even more.
When you cheat, your “success” is false. When you break a promise, you are showing that your word is meaningless. When you lie, you deceive others and lose their respect. All of those examples destroy your reputation and break the trust others have in you. Without your good reputation and trustworthiness, your relationships fail.
Relationships and Success
Relationships are the foundation for success in life.
For example, when you destroy the relationships with your friends, you will have no friends. You will be isolated and alone.
If a student promises not to cheat, but does, he is taking unfair advantage to put himself ahead of others without deserving it. He can ruin his reputation, his academic record and his job prospects forever.
When a businessman makes a promise to customers and doesn’t deliver, he destroys his relationships with his customers. His customers go elsewhere and his business fails.
By breaking your relationships, you break the foundation forsuccess in your life. What is true success? For example, who is more successful? Someone who is famous and makes a great deal of money, or someone who has no fame, makes little money, but is a great parent? Today, in school, is too much emphasis being placed on “good grades” and “high test scores” – so much so that are these things, rather than good character, how we define success?
Conclusion
Your good character is the most important asset you have. It takes a lifetime to build but can be lost in an instant. Once lost, it is difficult to regain. Your true character is revealed when no one else is looking. Often, people decide to act based on short term gain, or an easy fix to a problem and end up doing the wrong thing.
The old adage “you are what you do” is true. Failure to consider the long term consequences of your acts can be disastrous. By study and focusing on the importance of character, you will be guided by principles, moral strength, and integrity to do the right thing. Nothing is more important for true success in your life. Riches and resources are one thing, but good character counts for much more.
I can’t believe that one year has gone by and here we are again at the annual 65 Roses fundraising Gala to benefit Cystic Fibrosis Canada (CF).
With gorgeous soon-to-be mom Amanda Wood. She sang the most beautiful rendition of Hallelujah.As the night wore on – with Colleen and Wendy
One of several silent auction tables
This year marks the 15th Anniversary and the theme was CRYSTAL. Here are some photos from another enjoyable evening with excellent auction items, entertainment, food, wine and dinner companions.
The wine was served in a unique cirque wayI won the beautiful floral centerpiece at our tabledelicious chocolate mousse dessert with macaronsome lucky person walked away with this Divine natural skincare travel set from http://SkinsoDivine.comWell you know; women just want to have FUN!
The opening was last night and began with an elaborate Spring/Summer 2016 Fashion show at the Vancouver Club.
Then at the boutique across the street – more fashion, entertainment, bubbly, wine bar and delicious hors d’oeuvres to celebrate.
The eclectic International designs are breathtakingly exquisite. Cicino Boutique – 848 West Hastings, Vancouver.
Macaron Eiffel Towerwith my friend Lynn
The diversity of the designers run the gamut from Kenzo to Oscar de la Renta.
Photos: d. king
Exclusive VIP membership includes special event pre-season trunk shows with access to new fashions that are not yet available to the general public among other benefits.
“I don’t cry over spilt milk but a single scoop of fallen ice cream can ruin my whole day”
LOOK WHAT I MADE:
CoffeeIce CreamChocolate/Rocky Road
So what if it’s November? I might be craving a hot bowl of soup, but no matter what the weather is doing outside it doesn’t make sense to pass up a bowl of ice cream. I can do both hot & cold.
A friend told me about a really simple recipe to make coffee ice cream. It rang a bell – I think I may have even run across it somewhere like on Facebook but ignored it. In fact it seemed so ridiculously easy to make with only 3 ingredients and no machine involved that out of simple curiousity I immediately went to work on it. Couldn’t believe how good it turned out. I let another friend sample a spoonful. She’s really picky and doesn’t even like coffee ice cream but thought it was very good. So here it is:
3 Tbsp. of instant coffee (make sure it’s instant and not regular ground coffee)
½ can of sweetened condensed milk
2 ½ cups of whipping cream (but don’t whip it)
Using an electric mixer beat everything together until just mixed and pour it into a container and freeze. That’s it!
Note: I froze a few in individual ceramic serving bowls and the rest in a plastic yogurt container. Once frozen, the one in plastic took a few minutes to scoop out because it tends to freeze a little harder than store bought ice cream. It was delicious!
But I didn’t stop at coffee:
Easy Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Stir together sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form (do not over beat.)
Fold sweetened milk mixture into whipped cream. Pour into a 2 quart container, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Notes
I made this original recipe my own by adding some semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini marshmallows & toasted coconut flakes (but no nuts) – a less rockier road!
AS IF we need to add yet another beauty product to our makeup regime!
I know we’re perfect just as we are, but if we want to appear even more perfect (or at least model perfect like Brazilian beauty Gisele Bündchen) okay, maybe that’s not really a fair comparison. I’ll start again. If you want to know about one of the modelling world’s not-so best kept beauty secrets (cause the word has started to spread) you might want to try adding a rich natural highlighter to your skin.
RMS is a cult favourite with editors, actors, makeup artists and models:
Dabbing a little of this magical highlighter is the quickest way to illuminate your skin. The creamy formula is filled with light-reflecting minerals and blends to leave a subtle (key word) luminous sheen behind. I like to wear it on my lids, browbone and cheekbones. Take your beauty cues from fan Gisele and dab it on your collarbones and shoulders too for a sexy glow. Although I’m sure she got that idea from me. Anything she does must be worth a try right?
The pearlescent, pale-gold shade complements all skin tones and goes on ultra sheer – Best thing is that it’s made with certified organic ingredients – formulated with purifying Rosemary Extract and Vitamin E-rich virgin Coconut Oil. It’s not sticky, greasy or glittery.
According to many in the know this is a must have beauty product.
VANCOUVER is uping it’s retail game and may even come to surpass Toronto and Montreal as a premiere Canadian shopping destination. Whaaat??
Bow Tie by Douglas Coupland fills the 2-storey atrium at Simons, West Vancouver.
I thought this day would never come because when I first moved here from Montreal in the 80’s my first impression of the Vancouver fashion scene was..well… uggggh! I had never seen so much fleece before and vowed to never wear it but it wasn’t before too long that I too, was wearing fleece (but sparingly – it is comfy and warm to be exact). Excuse: the damp weather goes right through you here. Then I tried my best to embrace Gore-tex. I can tell you that no matter how hard you try to dress up a Gore-tex jacket (even with a cute scarf) you still end up looking like you’re going fishing. But it’s the only thing that will really keep you dry in pouring rain. That, and a good pair of Gore-tex boots – so at least you look like you’re going on a hike. Most people do hike in Vancouver so that’s okay. Still; coming from Montreal at that time it was quite a shocker.
Ceiling at SimonsSimonsSimons MaisonSimons Maison
But that was then. The scene is definitely changing and has changed significantly (for the better) since I moved here. Aside from all the independent little boutiques situated all over this city (with an emphasis on Main St. & in Gastown), we have recently acquired two brand new department stores with the upscale U.S. chain Nordstrom downtown and another called Simons in West Vancouver. Simons is a much smaller operation owned by a Quebec City family that has been around for more than 175 years. It is their second location outside of Quebec, after Edmonton. While Nordstrom is definitely the more swanky of the two, Simons (located at Park Royal South) can boast local artwork and some artful lighting. The showstopper is a piece by Douglas Coupland that hangs above the atrium in the shape of a bow tie. Both department stores have in store restaurants and a few fashion lines new to this city.
Cute Lumberjack Apron. SimonsKeep it warm Simons
My preference of the two is still Nordstrom but I liked the sculpture and some of the displays at Simons. Overall I have to admit that it felt a little like H&M meets Home Sense.
Now if Montreal’s Ogilvy department store ever comes to town – that will be my #1 shopping destination! But there is only one – which makes it more special and I don’t think it’s going anywhere.
Which department store in Vancouver
is your favourite?
In general I prefer shopping the independant retail stores over the larger chains.
Photos: d. king
Ogilvy Montreal – they do a really nice holiday windowOgilvy Montreal Sophistication
It starts out great, makes you feel good and then there are a few bumps along the way. You begin to doubt yourself. You settle in, become comfortable with the same steps and work into a routine. But if you want to improve your dance and keep things fresh you have to always evolve and work at it. You have to be eager to take it one step further to keep it interesting and alive. And to make the leaders want to dance with you.
Dancing is not only social and good exercise, it makes me feel good. But I’ve been lax in going regularly for a long while now and I feel like I need to improve. With tango, it seems so easy but you never quite feel like you’ve mastered it. It is said that it takes a lifetime. Well since I have some time left I started lessons with one of the best instructors – Nadia of “Strictly Tango.” She spends several months a year in Buenos Aires. She’s professional but makes it fun, doesn’t miss a beat, watches your posture, corrects you on the spot and her dance space is incredibly appealing – the most ambient dance space for learning in Vancouver. Her base is ballet – actually the best base for any dance. She’s lovely. (See a short bio below). I already feel a big improvement. But I have a looong way to go.
I took West Coast Swing years ago but was travelling and didn’t continue when I came back and forgot the steps. It’s more funky, casual but lots of fun and the music is upbeat…a mix bag of rockabilly, country, blues and current pop music – club style dancing with a partner. The opposite of tango although there is a mixer where both dances are incorporated into the evening which should be interesting. My instructor Pamela Podmoroff is one of Canada’s top competitive dancers – but she knows HOW TO TEACH. A rare package. She’s fun, friendly and patient. Both of these classes are gender balanced.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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