Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

The price of good ART

Overheard at Christie’s auction house in New York City last week – “Will you give me 160, 160 million?” Even if I had the money I would not be so sure, but how nice to even be able to be in the running. Worth it, not Worth it – What is the value of good art?Last week a Picasso painting broke the world record as the most expensive artwork to sell at auction when it went for a mere $179.4 million. While the final sale price was actually $160 million, a 12 per cent buyer’s premium was added to the astonishing total.
Definitely not pocket change.

The painting “Woman of Algiers” (Version O) beat out the previous title holder which was Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” in 2013. It made me wonder about what kind of price you can put on art and also who is buying these paintings? I believe that the identity of the buyer is not yet known.

While I admire the work of both of these major artists and love the paintings I somehow can’t get over the prices. Even so, I wouldn’t mind having a substantial painting gracing a wall in my home.

The Picasso oil painting is a vibrant, cubist depiction of nude courtesans, and is part of a 15-work series the Spanish artist created in 1954-55 designated with the letters A to O.
“This is an absolutely blockbuster picture – it’s one of the most exciting pictures that we’ve seen on the market for 10 years,” said Philip Hoffman, founder and CEO of the Fine Art Fund Group.

“Yes there are one or two [Picassos] that could even smash that record but it has a huge wall presence, it’s a big show-off picture.”

“For anybody that wants to have a major Picasso, this is it – and $179m in 10 years’ time will probably look inexpensive,” said Hoffman.

I don’t know, it seems pretty exorbitant to me right now. Imagine? Never say never but that probably leaves me out of the running for ever owning a major player painting.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/
Photo: Wall Street Journal

THINKAboutit

contemplating…what makes a good ENTREPRENEUR

On Thursday evening I was at the Vancouver Club with a room full of budding young entrepreneurs ~~yeah, I know what was I doing there?~~ to hear Vikram Vij give an empowering and heartfelt talk about his success story and what it took to get him where he is today.

with Vikram & my friend Rosa

From growing up in India, to training in Austria to finally making a home in Vancouver with three successful restaurants, a food truck, a cookbook, curry products sold in many stores across Canada and drumroll….having been one of the judges on Dragon’s Den – it’s been a humble and intriguing journey.

The people in the room were from the Pacific Club which is a group that connects and inspires Vancouver’s young professionals. There were some very interesting people. One of them was my friend Paul Davidescu who has a startup venture called Tangoo (the pocket concierge app for organizing the perfect outing to help bring people together in social and network gatherings). Tangoo was recently featured on Dragon’s Den, was given an offer which they turned down and after that Paul approached Vikram who then decided to help finance the company which is turning out to be a success story in it’s own right. Vikram said he invested in the person, not just the idea. He was sold on Paul’s enthusiasm and belief in the enterprise. It’s not just a money making venture for him.

Paul Davidescu - photo: Globe & Mail — Paul Davidescu – photo: Globe & Mail

It was refreshing to hear him speak because Vikram believes that it’s about building relationships. It should not occur to you to make business a means to only make money. Put your love, passion and desire into your business – if you don’t create the most flavourful dish and put effort into everything that goes into it, it’s like dating a beautiful woman but there’s no chemistry. All the ingredients have to be balanced.

Rosa & me — Rosa (Paul’s mom) is my confidante, running buddy & of late, Spanish Instructor extraordinaire.

He believes in working together. You always need somebody next to you in order to become successful – a partner, friend, someone who understands where you’re coming from and believes in you. Very important!

When someone tells him his food is terrible (like that ever happens) – he likens it to hurting as much as someone telling you that you have an ugly child. It is taken to heart.

His food philosophy is similar to that of living in an Indian village – buy local. He prefers to buy produce, fruit and wine where they are grown. We are so lucky here in British Columbia. We have an ocean that produces sustainable seafood, produce and wines from the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley. We need to know that what we have here is incredible. He used the spices that come from India together with local fare to create an interesting mix which turns out to be a pleasing combination.

His advice:
Learn from the best mentors. Don’t think you know it all. Always be a student and a sponge – learn from people. No one is above another. You can learn something from everyone. Pierre Elliott Trudeau once came into his restaurant and waited in line like everyone else. An example is if he could wait so could everyone else. If you have nothing to talk about for 30 to 45 minutes chilling & hanging out at the back of the restaurant what are you doing out eating with this person anyway?

Travel the world, go to different parts to experience the local cuisine and music. When you sit together, eat together and you enjoy each others company you can talk about anything. Guns and Politics will never help to solve the problems of the world. Music & Cuisine bring people together. On another musical note, RIP “King of the Blues” BB – I’m so lucky to have heard you and your beautiful Lucille live on stage at the CNE in Toronto many years ago.

New for Vikram: Rangoli (next to Vij’s) – is a brand new concept restaurant. Instead of expanding Vij’s which would have been simpler he created something different. He always chooses to create fresh ideas & new concepts. My Shanti in South Surrey is also totally different from the other two. Vij’s Railway Express is a take on Indian street food – excellent examples of Indian Fare that’s a bit of a stretch from the “all too familiar” dishes like Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka.

He prefers to push the limits with a desire to change things.

Sound advice from a pro – I think I’ll take that to heart.

check out the Tangoo App here: https://tangoo.ca/

Where to buy Vij’s 15 varieties of frozen curry products: http://www.vijs.ca/where-to-buy/

FUN

what MATTERS: the bond between HUMAN & DOG

Brad & Kira

Brad is my brother and Kira is my niece. Even though she’s a dog, Kira is still my niece. Dogs are family and family is everything. I sadly just found out that Kira was diagnosed with untreatable cancer. I thought I would share something that Brad posted about the relationship between the two. Something that only those who have dogs can relate to. Sometimes our bonds with animals are stronger than our bonds with people. I think it’s because our animals (dogs in particular) don’t ask anything of us other than love. It’s totally unconditional and so amazing that I feel sorry for those who have not experienced it (especially if they don’t have children). Here is what Brad wrote:

This is the year my baby girl is supposed to turn 13. Given the way I raised her, I fully expect her to live into her late teens. Regardless of how long I am lucky enough to have her in my world, it won’t be nearly long enough. Anyone who owns a pet can attest to that.

When I look at my girl lying in the grass, sprinting up a hill, or swimming in her favorite watering hole, immeasurable warmth overtakes me. Over the past year or so I’ve been filled with urgency to express my gratitude for what she’s brought to my life, in many little ways. Even though she may not know what I’m saying, I still tell her; I love her, as if she does. My ritual has been to visit her on her daybed every night, kiss her on the head and tell her she means the world to me. I then wish her; love, health, happiness and longevity.

When I’m in town, she accompanies me to my office every day and sits in the big bay window in front of my desk. I can’t tell you the number of times she’s startled me and made me nearly jump out of my chair. Whenever someone walks by, or when she sees the cat that loves to torment her, or for any other reason that makes sense to her, she’ll start to bark.

I’d be lying if I said a shrill bark, reverberating off the glass didn’t bother me. More times than I care to admit I was on a radio interview, or on a conference call, only to realize there was nothing I could do until the person walked out of range, or the cat finally got bored and left. As much as I love that 17 pound ball of fur, those were the times I didn’t like her very much.

Well, yesterday it happened again! I was working away in my office, and sure enough she started to bark because something got her attention. My reaction however, was quite different this time; as I just stopped what I was doing and watched her until she calmed down.

It was as if I didn’t want her to stop barking, as it made me realize how alive she was. Instead of getting angry with her, I just smiled and told her in a gentle voice that it was ok, and then I said; I love you. And then I cried, uncontrollably and harder than I could ever remember, for what seemed a long, long time. The last time I cried like that was over 20 years ago when my mother passed away. I honestly thought I’d forgotten how to cry, but I didn’t.

You see, just the other day I found out my little girl has cancer and it seems to have spread almost overnight. I was hiking with her a couple of weeks ago, went on a 7-day speaking tour, and when I returned home she was different.

Gone was the 10 minute routine when I walked through the door, the one that always made me feel like I was her entire world. Instead I was met with a bit of a whimper and a slight wag of her tail, which seemed to take all the effort in the world to raise. There was sadness behind those beautiful brown eyes, and she just stared at me as if to say; Daddy, there’s something wrong, why do I feel this way.

So you see, even in the things that trigger you or make you angry, you can find love if you look deep enough. So now I can’t wait to hear her bark, and every time it happens I will smile and fill my heart with gratitude for having her in my world for as long as she’s willing to stick around.

Please send love and light her way, as she truly is an incredible little soul, and I wish so deeply for her to feel well again.You bet Brad!

FUN

Feel-good Friday: FLAMENCO frenzy!

Have you ever seen, or remember the last time you saw a live Flamenco performance?

Last week I thought it about time to take in a show or two with a visiting friend who is a Flamenco singer. Soulful, joyful, powerful, angry, sad and beautiful all rolled into one dance…that is so alive.

Thought I had a little bit of a gypsy in me when about 15 years ago I decided that I wanted to learn to dance Flamenco. It was mostly to do with the tiered flouncy dresses and shoes. I mean how feminine and nice are they? But I also love Spanish guitar. After about 3 months of clapping and stomping my feet I decided to give it up. My feet were getting sore and besides, no male partner! It really is a difficult dance that takes years to properly learn. After that it was salsa, west coast swing and tango, which I still do.

You know how to express the song when you’re carrying the pain of centuries with you. The Gypsy who knows how to do this gets it from his ancestors ~~ahh, that explains things~~…These are real experiences which have accumulated within him…He suffers them; he lives them; he remembers all his own.

Pedro Peña/Gypsy Flamenco Singer & Guitarist

“To truly understand what flamenco is, you must know the cante (the song) very well. Flamenco is born in the cante, and if you take the experience of cante away from young people, they’re left with no roots. They’re left with empty musical forms, and when they build on them, they build without understanding the emotional substance that characterizes and differentiates the various forms.”

Manolo Sanlucar/Guitarrista

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive” – Hafiz.

beauty

beauty that makes scents: Frankincense

Only wise women use Frankincense

The word Frankincense comes from the word “franc encens” which means quality incense in old French.

Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia frereana) is a tree or shrub that produces a gum or resin that can be steam distilled into an essential oil with HUGE health benefits. Although frankincense trees can be grown anywhere, they are most popular in the middle east and the region of Oman is known for producing the best, highest quality oils today.

Frankincense has long been esteemed as being holy in the Middle East. Remember the old bible story about the three wise guys who came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? Once three of the most prized items in the world, two now mostly forgotten and overlooked. Frankincense has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda medicine and for the first time is being taken seriously by medical science. Thanks to some scientists, Frankincense may again be worth its weight in gold.

Frankincense is known to have emotional and spiritual affects because of its high vibrational aroma which is why it is commonly used in prayer and meditation. But aside from all that, basically I just love the scent. It is one of the oils used in the “Divine Hydrating Facial Mist.” It is believed that the oil will transmit messages to the limbic system of the brain which is known to influence the nervous system. A little bit of oil goes a long way. Frankincense oil is known to improve skin tone, heal cuts and grazes and infected skin. When combined with the other oils used and the floral waters (especially rose) it is extremely beneficial as a treatment for dry, mature or wrinkled skin. It also helps to lessen the appearance of scarring.

Most people have heard of this essential oil, many have tried it but sometimes it’s nice to know a little more about the overall benefits:Frankincense has many uses. Traditionally it was burned as incense, and also charred and ground into a powder to produce the heavy kohl eyeliner used by Egyptian women.

Now used in skin care products, it is known for its ability to prevent and reduce wrinkling.

To use the oil in meditation, add four drops to a vaporizer. As you inhale the oil, it helps to slow down and deepen the breath which in turn brings a sense of peace, restores balance and opens the mind, increasing awareness and spiritual understanding. It is also thought to help the release of past traumas, helping someone coping with grief to ‘let go’ and come to terms.

On a totally different note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAYBELLINE. Going strong & still looking good at 100 years old!

Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline!

Remember that slogan? To this day the company’s pink+green Great Lash Mascara is still a top seller. The company has released a 100 year Milestone limited edition “commemoration collection” available in stores today. Prices range from $4.49 to $9.99. So if you’re not born with it….go out and buy it. Isn’t that what they want us to do?

Film Reviews, STYLE

STYLE in Film – with IRIS

GLAMOUR is IRIS APFEL

I am so going to see this documentary! I’m sure it will be rated right up there with other favourite arty ones I really enjoyed like Herb and Dorothy, Searching for Sugarman and Valentino: The Last Emperor.

With more than a dash of eccentricity and over 75 years in fashion and interior design, Iris Apfel is an inspiring life force well into her ninth decade. She’s strong, quick-witted and always flamboyantly dressed. Iris retains her enthusiasm for life in fashion, art and people. What I admire about her is that she’s completely unique – true to herself with good values and work ethic. Sadly there are not enough women like her.

Iris says:

About her style: “I like to improvise”

“Someone told me you’re not pretty, you’ll never be pretty but it doesn’t matter, you have something much better – you have STYLE!” I couldn’t agree more.

“It’s better to be happy than well dressed”

“I feel lucky to be working. If you’re lucky enough to do something you love, everything else follows.”

“A woman is as old as she looks, but a man is never old until he stops looking”

Watch the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo8jwJ_2l0c and if you’re the least bit into style (of course you are, you’re reading this) then GO SEE IT! I know I can’t wait to.

From the Director of Grey Gardens (I thought it was excellent) and Gimme Shelter – Albert Maysles

Two years ago I posted about Iris:https://girlwhowouldbeking.com/2013/03/26/style-substance-according-to-a-chic-91-year-old/

FUN

Food: Italian Potluck – Milan Expo 2015

From May 1 through October 31, Milan is a hosting an international pot luck dinner at Expo 2015, that once-every-few-years universal world fair where countries come together for a thematic event. This year’s theme, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” will explore food culture and sustainability as seen through 170 country and corporate participants. This is my kind of Expo!

Together they are bringing food conversation to the table in a multi-cultural village of pavilions, theaters, conference halls, and parks where food finesse is just an hors d’oeuvre and tastings plus table talk are the main courses.

Pavilions make up the core of Expo 2015: Unique stand-alone structures that share food ideas and concepts and are architectural celebrations in their own right.

Focusing on food discussions, the Expo village brings together countries and food concerns in different Clusters. Countries will ask you to think differently about what you know about food through dedicated topics like grains, coffee, chocolate, and climate zones. The Slow Food pavilion celebrates the Italian-born movement and radicalizes it for the 21st century. Pavilion Zero and Future Food District (created with MIT’s SENSEable City Lab) are poised to take you back to the future. And if you’re bored, there’s always Cirque du Soleil‘s Allavita! at the open-air theater.

It’s food. It’s a celebration of food. And it’s chefs celebrating. Some of the world’s biggest kitchen names will be heading to Milan for demonstrations, conversations, and even a little giving back. Italy’s top chef Massimo Bottura and 40 of his famous friends will take host a charity kitchen and cook with Expo leftovers at the Refettorio Ambrosiano.

Spaghetti Bolognese – I just made a batch

If you go: It’s a six-month food party. You’ll need a game plan and a great pair of walking shoes. Visiting the Expo is like heading to a food-focused theme park. You are going to want to take your time and to be there for more than one day. Why don’t you make it a holiday? Milan for Food and Shopping...Cosa c’è di meglio (what could be better)?

From Milan: The Expo is in Rho, 20 minutes northwest of Milan’s city center.

Source: Forbes.com – Erica Firpo for Fathom

Art & Culture

ICON – the UNIQUE Lives of Shirley MacLaine

Anyone familiar with bestselling author and Academy Award winning actress Shirley MacLaine knows that she’s lived a journey of many lifetimes.

On May 26^th, Shirley MacLaine will be gracing the stage of the Vancouver Orpheum not to sing, dance, act or read an excerpt from one of her many intriguing books – but to share in stories about her own life experiences with trademark wit and candour to a captivated audience as part of the intimate “unique lives” series.

I’ll be one of those people engrossed in hearing whatever she has to say. Because let’s face it, even if you’re not a fan you cannot deny that it has been a life (including past lives) well lived.

With credits too numerous to mention on a blog, let’s take a little peek into the world of this living legend:

The daughter of a drama teacher, she started out as a dancer. She will take you down memory lane with movie and television clips from her illustrious career starting in 1955 with her first movie, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Trouble with Harry“.

With a film career too long to mention – you’ll see clips from “Irma la Douce“, “Sweet Charity“, “Two Mules for Sister Sara“, and most recently, “Glee” and “Downton Abbey“. Not only will you hear about her award-winning film and stage career, but also her years with the “Rat-Pack“, her journey on the Camino, and her greatest passion: the spirit, mind and body.

Members of the audience will get a chance to ask Shirley questions during a question and answer session.

Five of my personal favourite films from her extraordinary career:

The Turning Point (1977), she stars as a former dancer who gave up her career to have a family. Her daughter follows in her footsteps, and MacLaine’s character is forced to confront her old dance rival (Anne Bancroft).

In 1983, MacLaine finally claimed her Oscar statue for Terms of Endearment. She plays Aurora Greenway, a woman with a troubled relationship with her daughter, in the film. Debra Winger stars as her daughter and Jack Nicholson as her love interest in this popular tearjerker. In her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, MacLaine said “I have wondered for 26 years what this would feel like,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Vanity Fair also notes that she added “I deserve this.”

Steel Magnolias with Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts. The quip that stands out: “I’m not as sweet as I used to be.” Set in Louisiana, she plays Ouiser Boudreaux, a woman who through years of turmoil and heartbreak, becomes more cynical, hardened and wiseass. But you can’t help but love her. She embodies wisdom, cynicism, sarcasm, and snarky humor…all mixed into one fabulous southern lady…how can you ask for more.

She tackled the role of one of her real-life contemporaries. In Postcards from the Edge, based on Carrie Fisher’s memoir, MacLaine plays actress Debbie Reynolds. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds gave MacLaine at least one critique of her performance. “She didn’t think I should have put vodka in the smoothie,” MacLaine said.

In 1960, MacLaine delivered one of her best performances in The Apartment. She co-starred with Jack Lemmon in this Billy Wilder classic, playing a young elevator operator named Fran Kubelik who has an affair with the company’s big boss, but later falls for Lemmon’s character.

So there you have it – I’ll be all over that!

Tickets: http://uniquelives.com/vancouver

THINKAboutit

In Praise of all Good Mothers!

No woman should ever marry a man who hated his mother

“When God Created Mothers”

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said. “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands…. no way.”

It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow….”

I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

Can it think?”

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

What’s it for?”

It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

You are a genius, ” said the angel.

Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”

– Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

I miss my mom every day!

FUN

health MATTERS: can dancing the TANGO improve cognitive function?

mind-body-spirit
How nice to know that aside from the sheer pleasure of dancing the tango there might be a health benefit to go along with it. Tango may be the most passionate of all dances but it has a structure that goes along with the flow, so I consider it to be the “thinking man’s dance.”

So I wasn’t surprised to find out that that according to the non-profit organization Dance for PD® (Parkinson’s disease), the answer is YES, it does help to improve cognitive function.

The following was written by Ruth Buczynski, PhD for the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine.

Because Parkinson’s is a brain disorder, some people thought it might be uniquely affected by something like dance. So they approached the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, New York, about creating a program for people diagnosed with the disease.

Dance for PD® has been holding classes since 2001 and has witnessed the profound positive impact it has had among participants. But most of this evidence was anecdotal.

Scientific evidence of the program’s effectiveness was just beginning to be published.

In the nearly four years since I first started following Dance for PD®, the science has caught up. I heard about a 2015 study focusing on participants, but when I went to look it up, I was amazed at the number of studies published just in the first few months of 2015 that look at the topic.

Given this wealth of studies from research facilities around the world, I had a hard time highlighting just one. So instead, let’s look at some of the most recent findings on dance as an intervention for Parkinson’s:

46 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Parkinson’s participated in Japanese researchers Hiroko Hashimoto et al’s study. They found that dance improved motor function, cognitive function, and mental symptoms. (Effects of dance on motor functions, cognitive functions, and mental symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: A quasi-randomized pilot trial. Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, Apr. 2015)
Researchers out of Canada and Sweden investigated the use of tango lessons to improve motor and non-motor functions of people with Parkinson’s Disease. They found that the Argentine tango can improve balance and functional mobility and are calling on larger studies to test benefits on cognition and fatigue. (Tango for treatment of motor and non-motor manifestations in Parkinson’s disease: A randomized control study. Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, Apr. 2015)
Irish investigators led by Dr. Amanda Clifford took ten participants and had them attend weekly Irish dancing lessons, along with a parallel home practice, over an 8-week period. This preliminary study found that Irish set dancing is feasible for people with Parkinson’s and could increase their quality of life (Is Irish set dancing feasible for people with Parkinson’s disease in Ireland? Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2015)
A May 2015 [epub Feb. 2015] literature review in Maturitus concluded that studies support the idea that dance can cause “substantial and wide-ranging benefits” in people who suffer from Parkinson’s, in addition to the older population in general.

One of the things that fascinated me about these studies was the sheer number of countries that are currently researching the neurological possibilities of dance for people with Parkinson’s.

This is a treatment strategy that could be used anywhere in the world.

And then, let the neuroplasticity begin.

In our Brain-Smart webinar series, we’ve been talking about practical and innovative strategies for working with the power of neuroplasticity to strengthen and heal the brain. The webinars are free to watch at the time of broadcast – you just need to sign up.

What are your reactions to using dance as a therapeutic intervention?

Source: http://www.nicabm.com/ (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine – a pioneer and leader in the field of mind-body-spirit medicine.).