FOOD and ART are two things to be thankful for in this life
Hannah Rothstein, “René Magritte” (2014) (all images courtesy the artist, via hrothstein.com)
Plating the two together is an interesting concept as you can see from these images from San-Francisco based artist Hannah Rothstein, as she proposes answers to the burning questions about How Famous Artists Would Plate Thanksgiving Meals.
Hannah Rothstein, “Andy Warhol” (2014)
Have you ever wondered what Vincent van Gogh’s Thanksgiving spread would have looked like? Probably like this:
Hannah Rothstein, “Vincent van Gogh” (2014)
Would Jackson Pollock have been as gestural in his deployment of gravy and cranberry sauce as he was with his paints?
Hannah Rothstein, “Jackson Pollock” (2014)
Would Piet Mondrian have been as thoughtful in his doling out of mashed potatoes and turkey as he was with his reds, blues, and yellows?
Hannah Rothstein, “Piet Mondrian” (2014)
The results range from appetizing to off-putting, but in most cases Rothstein has done a good job cooking up culinary visual styles associated with each of the artists.
Hannah Rothstein, “Mark Rothko” (2014)
Would the GIRL who would be KINGmake sure she fit every possible food group on her plate?
Certainly she would! GIRL who would be KING (2015)
HOW COMFORTING IS CLOSURE? Very.Not in a feel-good sense but in an overall peace of mind sort of way. Otherwise it’s like an open ended book where you never quite know what happens in the end.
It’s important not only for those who have lost loved ones and were not able to say goodbye but also for relationships that have ended. It’s like you want to move on to the next chapter of your life gracefully and not keep re-reading the last.
And there is a certain sense of relief in coming to terms with your feelings about a person or a situation and finally being able to let go and start a brand new book. Even when the ending in the last one appeared kind of sketchy. In a psychological sense it’s finding an answer to an unclear situation. The Aha moment as in Ahhhh…..now I get it!Maybe you’re better off being an open book even if it means you end up hurting someone.
In the case of someone who passed on where you didn’t get the opportunity to say farewell in person or go to the funeral or memorial you can make your own bon voyageby lighting a candle, saying a prayer or paying tribute in some other manner. Go for a long walk, think about all the things you loved about that person, pull out photos, write something down and make a final toast. But never ever forget!
The beautiful thing is that memories live forever, regret should have no place and life as usual, carries on. Draw your own conclusions…
Yes; finding WORDS is important
In closing…..you might consider what Shakespeare’s Hamlet said “you have to be cruel to be kind“
BLOGGING, as it so happens is quickly becoming part of our culture.You never know exactly what will draw people to a blog.
You’re reading this but have you ever wondered “what exactly is a BLOG?”
It took me a while to figure this one out. A blog always sounded so….blah. In simple terms, a blog is a website, where those referred to as “bloggers” write stuff on an ongoing basis. Most are not seasoned journalists (although with the way newspapers are going some are) but each have something to offer and a point of view. Readers can read & refer to whatever is new, make comments, link to it or email you. Or not. Finding a blog: people know about it by referral, going to your website or they can find it by accident by typing in a “key word” looking for something specific which brings them to your blog page. You can then followsomeone’s blog by typing in your e-mail address & getting frequent updates but more often than not, people will directly visit the blog site itself. It’s not unusual to have as many or more visitors than followers. Every morning I look forward to checking a few blog sites that I’m drawn to.
The power bloggers – they appeal to what people are looking for
Blogs appear on the news pretty often these days. For example, a reporter is tipped to a story by a blog, or a blog reports another angle on a story. Blogs show up in magazines a lot, too. For instance InStyle Magazine for the past six years has featured a “Best of the Web” descriptive issue on hundreds of amazing and not-so amazing sites and apps. One of the things that is so remarkable about blogs is their simplicity. Short and sweetly to the point. People lose interest so quickly but sometimes keeping things short is not such an easy feat.
A blog is also a personal diary, a daily stage, a collaborative space or a political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts and those sourced from others. Memos to the world. Sometimes blogs are very specific one-topic subjects.I thought at first this blog would attract mostly women but I’m finding out that there are as many men who check in (although not everything appeals to everyone), a wide variety of ethnicities, age & careers. That makes me feel good.
Your blog is whatever you want it to be. Like magazines, there are tons of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules (I like that).
Blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.
Making a Living. Many don’t. Most working bloggers cobble together an income from various sources, and their personal blogs are only part of that income. So making a living (or even part of a living) as a blogger does require creativity, discipline, courage & perseverance…but not necessarily fame. Although some bloggers have become famous and some famous people (like Gwyneth Paltrow) have blogs that have cult followings. Income can come by way of advertising, links to sites that sell things or shopping pages on your own site. Then there are the perksbecause bloggers (not everyone of course and depending on what they write about) get invited to many types of press worthy functions. Everything from special events, restaurant openings, store/product launches, concerts and the occasional trip. I met a food/travel blogger recently at an opening and that is her job. Basically many successful blogs can translate to full time careers. I’m working on it and I’ve pretty much covered all my bases. To date I’ve been invited to events & functions to do with fashion, beauty, food + theatre mixed with a little art & music. Travel to follow…
One in a Million:
For me it started out as an add-on to my growing e-commerce website. Just another way to promote my products by sharing more information of and about them. Then it became more of an outlet & platform for contributing thoughts about other interestswhich didn’t have anything to do with my products at all.
This is where I’ve left things – a bit of this and a bit of that. A daily compilation of little personal things I care about & curiosities that may also be of interest to others. An assemblage of inspirations for fashion, design, art, recipes, product reviews, health tips, quotes & personal posts, all with a stylish slant. It inspires me to have an overall healthy lifestyle which includes a comforting environment for mind, body + soul. Where it goes from here is anybody’s guess – I’m still having fun doing it. If I end up making some money as a result that’s a bonus.
Metabolic Warrioris a brand new website still in the process of being updated. In the meantimeyou can sign up for their newsletter to become part of the warrior tribe. This is where you will receive valuable information products, and services specifically designed to help you look, feel and perform at your absolute best.
I met this loveable 18 year old happy toothless pomeranian (I used to have one) at a friends open house partyand the “best thing” outside a store on Main
Be
who
you
are
Be
happy
Be
like the moment when you decide to make banana chocolate chip muffins in pink paper cups
Once a week I have a strong urge to cover my face with a sheet. A thin, wet paper sheet that I pull out of a plastic container that fits snugly over my face with holes cut out so that I can still see and breathe. And if they’re good enough for the lady…
photo via Lady Gaga / Instagram
A friend brought a tub of them back for me from Japan (along with some oil absorbing rice paper tissues and a few paper thin umbrellas) and all I can tell you is that it has Coenzyme Q10 because all the rest of the writing is in Japanese. And I’m hooked!
Now we should talk about Korean sheet masks because South Korea has churned out countless sheet masks that are changing the beauty game in a big way. If Paris is known for perfume, South Korea might just be known for the fanatic devotion to skincare, with 10-step routines being just a matter of course. I’m only six steps behind. Sheet masks are a BIG, BIG DEAL!
You’ve seen a wall of them at Sephora. Of all the options, it’s hard to tell which one’s going to do exactly what, mostly because, well, they’re in Korean, so we picked five of the best out there, all locally sourced from NYC’s Koreatown, and broke it down for y’all. Sheet up, people. Don’t be scared.
The gimmick here is that the mask itself isn’t cotton or paper–it’s actual rice paper. The kind you delight to see stretched out over your late-night Seamless spring rolls. The kind you douse in peanut sauce. And, if you’ve ever bought them yourself (unlimited rolls 24/7!) you know that they undergo rapid change from pantry to plate — starting out crusty and brittle, then, after a few minutes in liquid, soft, jellyfish-like, rollable (but also, like using long stretches of tape), is liable to twist up and stick to itself. Unlike other masks, this one doesn’t come already marinated in essence–the liquid is in a separate pouch, which you dump onto the rice paper three minutes before impact with your face. It’s good, healthy, interactive, multi-step fun. The rice paper gels up and sticks to skin better than many of its cotton counterparts. The serum’s pretty strongly scented, making it hard to eat my quinoa-and-soy-sauce without also getting a cross-breeze of gardenia in there. But the effects were undeniable–a plumped-up deep nourishment that, even though I didn’t sleep in it, made my skin look better well into the next day. Five stars.
This isn’t the full-face horror show sheet mask you’re used to–this one’s actually (stand by to be totally shocked) got a little who-is-that-masked-stranger sex appeal. It’s an eye mask, set in the shape of a good masquerade-meets-Zorro–type mask, with little lacy designs festooning its little jellyfish-y body. Good for spot-treating your world-weary eyes that have seen too much banditry or world-saving the night before. If you don’t want to commit to the whole shebang of a sheet mask, slap one of these on and your eyebags deflate, puffiness is un-puffed, and the whole area is blessed and forgiven, so you never have to reveal your true identity as a Secretly Hungover Person living unknown amongst an unsuspecting office.
The Leaders brand is, as my K-beauty junkie friend describes it, “the Korean Clinique,” highly dermatologically trustworthy with like little icons of beakers on the back of packaging. This is the thickest of the masks here–not a strip of saturated cotton but a full-face-adhering slab of gel, like a Dr. Scholl’s sole insert for your face. It gloms on and really stays put–you can walk around, do chores (lol throwback–remember chores?!) and get a glass of water (one imagines coconut is suggested). No cruciferous odor detected, but healthy benefits were nonetheless conferred. This mask is so intensely nourishing that you get this fully saturated face, totally drunken with hydration. The next morning was the best–my forehead lines reduced (for the time being), general tone evener, skin texture firm and supple to the touch. Are you gellin’?
Clay masks do not, that I’ve seen, come in sheet form. So if you want pore-tightening and that sense of all manner of impurity being sucked out of your skin by precision-placed mini vortexes, this is the mask for you. In the (admittedly sort of adorable) container, the kaolin-based formula starts out as a fluffy mousse, smears on like a cream, and dries and tightens like a good clay mask should. It doesn’t flake off, but sort of balls up on your face when it can tighten no more. No Queen Helene like-the-deserts-miss-the-rain cracked earth face here. You’ll have skin that’s cleaned out and calmed down, not further reddened and parched. Give it a shot on oily, black- or white-heady spots. Out with the old, in with the.egg.
Arguably the Gold Standard of Korean sheet masks. It feels light, has no heavy fragrance, and is jam-packed with tiny-creature ingredients like snail secretion and bee venom, floating in a solvent of super-soothing camellia sinensis leaf extract (tea, sort of) and aloe juice. Peel it off in front of mirror and you can almost hear that chorus-of-angels note that happens in movies when a minor miracle occurs or John Stamos enters the frame (“Ahhhhhh!”). Count on this mask for instant skin-brightening and -soothing effects. If you’re planning on wearing anything red and don’t want your face to match, do this first. With the mask’s heavy load of skin-brightening arbutin, one could imagine one’s freckles lightening over time with continued use, although there’s also a strong argument to be made for being proud of your adorable freckles. Plus, it’s on the cheaper side too, even for sheet masks. Stock up–go crazy.
They’re really cheap, they do the trick but admittedly the above one makes me want to gaga!
Source: for 5 best By Trace Barnhill for Papermag.com
I LOVE FALL BOOTS. It’s one if not the only reason to love Fall.
Adam Katz Sinding
I put on a pair for the first time in a looong time and they felt so uncomfortable following several months of wearing only flip flops and open toe sandals. I graduated to wearing loafers & ballarina flats so my feet would slowly adjust because it’s only a matter of time before high heel shoes for dressing up & feeling sexy(flats can be sexy too)will follow. There used to be a time when high heels were everyday wear but not now. I’m much more boring sensible now.
plain, simple, functional, go-with-anything, stylish – covers all the basics. READ: NEED!
I made a few smart choices (read: sales at the end of last wiinter) so I’m pretty good with my collection this time around. I have everything from sexy suede over the knee high heeled boots (I will have to drive or be driven from door to door in those) to sexy leather low-heeled over the knee boots to bohemian wedge fringed boots to low heeled funky cowboy boots in red no less (I forgot I had them, it’s loveall over again).
Shown here, the best gorgeous Fall Boots for savvy shoppers.
Suede Over The Knee Boots, ASOS $108Analise Bootie, UGG $200 I find these to be not so Uggly after all.Suede Boots, Lord and Taylor $179
We’ve all been there: You finally track down the perfect pair of boots for fall, only to find the price tag is far from realistic. Determined to avoid this fate, we set out to find chic silhouettes for no more than $200 and found a dozen slammin’ styles that have the power to transform your entire fall look.
Fringe Ankle Boots – Zara, $120Snake finish Booties, Mango – $80Snaffle Ankle Boot, Miss Selfridge $70High Heel Boots, Ivanka Trump $169Snake Ankle Boots, Topshop $70Jodhpur Boots, H&M $50Black Over The Knee Boot, River Island $150Matte Chelsea Rain Boot, J.Crew $68Karlia Booties, Calvin Klein $189
Source for boots (narrowed down from a larger selection): Rachel Zoe Report
It’s not just me, it’s her. Rachel is a real stylist so if she claims these as fashionable for Fall, you know it to be true. But I tend to agree.
There’s so many styles to have FUN with and keep fairly comfortable at the same time.
Well…it is a little off the beaten path as far as fine dining goes, but there’s definitely some perks to be found at Perch…a new restaurant perched atop the alma mater society (AMS) building at UBC. I said that I like to discover places that are out of the ordinary but I wasn’t expecting this.
Tuna Appies
I went to the opening on a beautiful sunny afternoon yesterday where we were able to enjoy sitting outside on the roof deck patio with a view of the Northshore mountains. I rode my scooter so parking was a cinch. I was also curious about a reasonably priced upmarket restaurant on UBC’s Point Grey campus that anyone, not just students can go to.
It will be interesting to see how this restaurant makes out because of the location and it being upscale.
With decent prices students may be able to enjoy fine dining more than before. But the idea is not to limit the restaurant to only students, university staff & faculty, but to include residents from surrounding neighbourhoods. If there is any indication of the quality in general from the platters that were being served, it will be quite good.
mixing up a most unusual margarita – with toasted sesame seeds & Jimador Tequila
Overall the prices for large plate dishes cost anywhere from $13 to $24 while a similar meal downtown will run you ten dollars more.
I took a photo of a sample menu to show you below.
They’re open for private functions too as the restaurant can hold up to 300 people, 180 seated. They have a nice lounge and of course the outdoor patio and the menu is West Coast Cuisine with focus on fresh local ingredients. We were given a tour of the roof top garden where fresh produce is grown so the chef does not have very far to go to bring it from farm to table. I really like that, and some of the original ideas on the food + drink menu.Parking?? That’s another thing to deal with unless you bike, bus or ride a scooter. You will most likely have to walk a few blocks. If that’s not a big deal for you, you might want to give it a try for something unique. And if you can get your head past the fact that you’ll be dining on a university campus, especially if you come from downtown or kitsilano. But why not try something different? If anything it will make you feel like you’re back on campus but the food is much much better.
sample menu – see the bone marrow with the Flank Steak at the bottom (see what I was saying?)
Giving thanks for the many ways God’s creatures’ enrich and bless our lives
My friends Cher & Trigger
I took my dog to church today for “blessing the animals.” He enjoyed the outing but I don’t think he’ll be begging to go back. People brought their dogs, a cat and someone brought a stuffed chicken.
Jia Jia with half of myfriendColleen
We are not religious but we can be spiritual. If we had to choose a religion I think we’d consider ourselves to be Foodists above everything else. Nevertheless a little churchgoing never hurt anyone and I have to give thanks to my furry little friends for keeping me safe and sane. I really believe we are of service to each otherand I can’t imagine life without them.
Tammy’s Terrific Trio
This world can sometimes be a terrible place but animals make it better. It’s a known fact that animals provide therapy and taking them to senior’s homes and prisons helps to calm people and make them happier.
Here is a little excerpt from a prayer called “Blessing the Animals”
Bless these creatures who come to us as a blessing
Fashioned of fur or feather or fin,
Formed of flesh that breathes with your own breath,
Bless them who can’t themselves
Around our hearts who twine themselves through our days
Who companion us in our labour
Who call us to come and play.
Bless them who will never be entirely tamed
And so remind us that you love what is wild,
That you rejoice in what lives close to the earth,
That your heart beats in the heart of those creatures
You have entrusted to our care.
Can you really envision a world without animals? I can’t!
I’m blessed to have Jia Jia & Jack (on occasion) in my life plus all the other neighbourhood animals that come around from time to time.
I met another Preast. Her name is Tammy (below) and she has a company called “Love on a Leash” which provides trusted dog care services with a DogSafe overnight and vacation care environment, first aid and daily walks (including group walks). You can visit her at: http://www.loveonaleash.ca/
At Tartine
AFTER that we went for coffee & dessert at TartineBakery on Davie St. They were so busy they didn’t even realize there were two dogs inside the cafe. Bless them!
AFTER that I met Mimi from Mélange Home Design and Décor. Her vision is to encapsulate a certain mixture of luxurious, vintage, and modern organic designs which I’ll be putting on this blog very soon. A sampling:
Teaser: how can you resist TOM FORD and especially these stylish coffee table Books?
I hope you had a magnificent weekend.
AFTER that, I walked home on a gorgeous summer Fall day.
THANKSGIVING is coming up very soooon! We have to give thanks all over again.
A perfect dinner date is where those involved leave happier than when they first walked in
Ohh…the importance of romance. I was invited to a casually elegant little “nest in the city” the other night. A delightful evening.
Il Nido at 780 Thurlow St (just slightly off Robson) in Vancouver, BC
It may be Friday, but enjoying a romantic dinner date can be any day of the week. And it should be! It doesn’t mean you have to go out but if you do I recommend a cozy place with friendly service, attention to detail and delicious tasting food. A good wine list always helps and Italian is always high up on my list. I’m talking about Il Nido which has been around for a long time in Vancouver, a little off the beaten path.
Starters: grilled calamari in rich tomato sauce, 2 year aged proscuitto with melon & pickled garnish and meatballs in sauce. Of course, Prosecco.
Owner Franco Felice (who’s last name joyfully translates to happy in Latin) has been providing Northern Italian fare in the same location for 28 years. Sometimes we have to refresh ourselves and revisit one of Vancouver’s little hidden gems.
Grilled Salmon, homemade Gnocchi and Osso bucco Lamb with a nice Malbec.
Sure, we can try the latest crop of trendy spots which there seems to be no lack of in this city, but sometimes we want something tried and true, something with integrity and staying power. A place that won’t let us down. A place like Il Nido.
In house made Tiramisu & Torta al Cioccolato with vanilla gelato, raspberry coulis & a perfect cappuccino.
I met some very intriguing people who offered thought-provoking conversation and sampled an excellent menu there. So like I said, they were the perfect dinner dates – it doesn’t have to be just one!
Something else to consider:
an app to help youchoose your “perfect” date night or evening out with friends– https://tangoo.ca/
The Dinner Party is a weekly affair where lovely host Andrea connects fabulous singles of like minds, in Vancouver and beyond. First date stress and pressure, be gone!
Be charming, be engaging, but most importantly, be yourself. So she says!
Photo credits: Lady & the Tramp; Disney. Restaurant; d. king
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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