Man Eater

This came in the mail today. There better be a fireman on call because DAYUM this dress is HOT. As soon as I zipped it up Nelly Furtado's Maneater popped into my head, the fit is just right (just a tiny bit of gaping in the back if I pull my shoulders back) I can't wait to trot this number out. It's also totally work appropriate, the right length and everything. I just need to wear a cardigan so as not to cause heart attacks.

Cheap Thrills

I'm obsessed with lush, there I said it. I blame Nechama, she led me down this path of smelling good. My small splurge of the week other than my usual moisturizer and massage bar purchases was a solid perfume by the name of Vanillary, from the new Vanilla line lush just launched. From the lush website;
Pleasure in a little pot. A tiny tin of Vanillary is sustaining us through the dark dull days and it’ll be even better in the long, light days too. It’s not just vanilla, although the scent of cake shops and trays of toffee do spring to mind as soon as you smell it. There is a strand of sensual jasmine woven into the sweeter notes. Carry it around for an instant uplift.

It's like a warm vanilla blanket, it's definitely helped brighten my days.

HIMYM

The problem with watching 3.75 seasons of How I met your Mother in two weeks is that, while hilariously funny and my NPH crush has grown, it makes me look at my wardrobe with sad puppy dog eyes. TV shows set up an unrealistic expectation that we will have something new and interesting to wear everyday. TV shows also make me think I should wear dresses everyday, and oh how much better and more fun my life would be with a plethora of fun cute summer dresses in my closet! Which leads me to do stupid things like order this from shopbop;

On the plus side it's totally work appropriate (with a cardigan or blazer) but I did fall off my 'no new items in the closet until you graduate' plan.

Movies

So even though I managed not to see any of the Oscar nominated movies I have been to a couple in the last few days. On Sunday, it was the Hilarious I love you, Man with Jason Segal and Paul Rudd. Possibly one of the best comedies I've seen in a while, it wasn't ground breaking, it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before but it was funny. The only thing that kind of threw me off was the entire time Jason Segal was on screen I kept going MARSHAAAAAAAAAAAALL <3 Because well, Marshall from HIMYM is the best.
Last night I went and saw Sunshine Cleaning. Now I love Amy Adams and Emily Blunt and it looked funny from the previews. It was not so funny and much much darker. It had it's moments, but I felt like it had no closure, and was kind of depressing the whole way through. Not the uplifting I thought it would be. Still good, but go when you don't need a comedy boost.

blaaaaaaaaaah

It's a lovely spring day, sun in shining and it's above freezing, I should be jubilant right? Somehow between end of school, work and travel I've managed to run my body into the ground. I've been eating like crap for the past far too long and my energy levels have taken a nose dive. The only problem is, with school and work I have no time to cook healthy meals. The alternative of eating healthy meals out is a no go because my finances are sadly lacking due to the aforementioned traveling. On the plus side my skin did stop freaking out about constantly changing the water softness through travel (seriously scaly legs once I get NYC) any tips of energy boosts that a) don't involve caffeine or drugs and b) don't take up a ton of time?
In the meantime I'll be watching season four of How I met your Mother. <3

Bugaloo Shrimp!

This makes me miss the 90's

Twitter

Added Twitter to the sidebar. I just started using it and I'm mildly addicted.

On Collecting

I am not new to the collecting circle, I've more or less been collecting all my life. First Grand Champion Ponies and Pony Club books, then swords for a short period of time(it was my tomboy stage) and so on and so forth. I've always loved jewellery, have never been without at least one piece on me at all times. I love looking through my mothers jewellery boxes and asking her about the story behind each piece. I just did a google search about jewellery collecting and all that came up where either shops selling their collections or advice on how to make the most profit from your collection. This saddens me, as why would you bother collecting something if only for a profit?
For me collecting is a labour of love, not of profit. I never think of the resale value of any of the pieces I add to my various collections from Jewellery to Books. I don't intend to sell them, hopefully down the road I'll have a child or a niece or nephew who will take an interest in my collection as I have with my mothers.
For once I'd just like to find a site that talks about the love of collecting, not the profit.

How can I wait?

April 5th cannot come soon enough.

Temple St. Clair

This is the Peridot Bombe ring, and my god what a statement piece.
While in NYC two thing happened, While at the Strand I came across this book entitled Alchemy, by Temple St. Clair all about her jewellery collections and her inspiration. As I had no idea who she was even though I thought the book was lovely I passed (that and I had a ton of book already and a long walk ahead of me) Then when I went to Saks to get my skirt, I popped into the jewellery department and lo and behold, there was Temple St. Clair. Needless to say I fell in love. Except with the prices (one ring was $9000, I almost has a heart attack) Until I can afford her lovely work (which will be a miracle if it happens) I'll just stalk her web page and buy her book.


This ring I saw in Ruballite and I like it with the bright pink stone so much better. So pretty and simple a setting though, it reminds me of the Jewellery the women I met from Bangladesh wore.


These rock crystal pendants are what she's known for. This one is actually quite reasonable at $400, whereas all the others are in the $1000+ range.

Bon Voyage!

One of the things I picked up in NYC, a DVF skirt in the Bon Voyage print, it's so cute and cheerful I can't wait for warmer weather to wear it! My trip was great, I'll be posting a recap later on but for now I leave you with this brilliantly chavvy picture my friends took of me in my new skirt, my new top and some purple zebra print wayfarers. So much fun.

in defense of fluff

So I recently greatly enjoyed two movies that critics hated and it got me thinking, what is so wrong with fluffy feel good movies? I know Confessions of a Shopaholic may be a little inappropriate given the current economic climate, but consider that this is a BESTSELLING novel and was filmed over a year ago. Sure it's somewhat horrifying to think of all that debt (Although, $16 000 in debt is actually not a lot, if you factor in what most people have in student loans, mortgages, ect) but why do people get so offended by a movie? It doesn't touch on religion, politics, animal rights or any other hot button topic. So why is it so controversial?
Another movie to come under attack is He's Just not that into You. Many feminists claim it's a horrible example, but really whats so wrong with it? Sure at first I was sceptical (a movie based on a book based on a quote from Sex and the City?) but I thought it was a great fluffy movie (maybe not the best date movie but still)

These movies are not here to make us think, they are not here to make us ask deep thoughtful questions, they are here to entertain us. Period. What is so wrong with mindless fun?

War & Peace

War and Peace is a sweeping epic and was my first Project Well Read novel of the year. I received my copy from my sister for Christmas, a lovely Everyman's Library edition split into three volumes. I chose this edition for portability. I started it on Christmas day and finished it on the 29Th of January. In the beginning I was slightly spoiled by the fact that my manager had given away that Prince Andrew dies, so I tried not to form an attachment to him which in the beginning turned out to be easy. He seemed so cold and reserved compared to the brash Nicolas Rostov and the bumbling Pierre. But as it wore on I understood my managers childhood crush on the dashing Prince Andrew who runs into battle and falls passionately in love with Natasha. I think I need to reread this work in order to fully appreciate it, its so large and long and there is so much going on that one reading hardly does it justice. Maybe I'll reread it in a year and see how my perspective changes.

I miss the Warmth

So I'm back from Arizona and it was fantastic. My goodness, but Sedona is lovely. The red rocks are just stunning. The weather was warm and sunny, the food (although gigantic portions) was tasty. We only had ONE bad meal the entire trip. It has been officially proven that my sense of direction is great, even if I have trouble reading a map. The cherry on the cake though was meeting Dominic Cooper at customs in Toronto. I was urged on by my mum to beg a picture which he happily complied, he was very nice. Oddly enough I noted that he smelled really good too. Excuse my very red face, I had a lot of carry on luggage and had to wear my winter coat with the heat on high (it was like a savanna in the airport)

Well Read

A side project of sorts that started with me wanting to read all of Austen's works (which I finished last summer) I've opted to work towards becoming 'well read'. Though I have no actual definition for this, I think I'm headed in the right direction. Last year I read all of Austen's works (the six major novels as well as her uncompleted works, and juvenilia) I finished the Three Muskateers, The Count of Monte Cristo and the Black Tulip making me even more in love with Dumas than ever. I versed myself in children's literature by helping my sister with her course during the summer (The Wind in the Willows, The Princess and the Goblin, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Matilda, and many others). This year had started out well, I finished War and Peace, signed up for a group read of Dostoevsky, have the D'Artagnan Romances all lined up for me to finish and I picked up a couple of Frances Burney's works which I can't wait to dig into. Any suggestions for reaching my well read goal? I know I'll never be fully well read, but hopefully it will help keep my mind sharp post-undergraduate.

Noor Boutique

176 Cumberland Street
Toronto

Rating: 5 out of 5
This great little boutique underneath the Four Seasons Hotel on Avenue and Cumberland street is the only place I'll buy perfumes in Toronto. The owner is so nice and lovely. She goes out of her way to make sure you get what you want, freely giving out samples with every purchase. Lines carried are L'artisan, Penhaligans, Diptyque and a few others. They're currently working on getting a website up and running. But if you're in the Yorkville area give this place a visit.


Noor Boutique

84, Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff is a lovely story told through a series of letters between the Author who lived in New York City and a London bookshop. Fed up with horrid looking paperbacks she writes the staff at Marks & Co looking for inexpensive but good quality hardbacks. This takes place after WWII and as she gets to know the people in the shop, she starts to take an active role in their lives from across the ocean. She sends care packages full of foods that are not readily availible, nylons and the sorts of things in short supply in London at the time. This is a very quick read, only about 100 pages or so and the letters are generally short. But it is a lovely story and definatly has earned it's place on my books about books shelf.

R.E.D.S Bistro

77 Adelaide Street West
Toronto

Price: Expensive
Rating: 4 out of 5
R.E.D.S was part of the winterlicious special so I took advantage of a chance to try someplace I would normally never be able to afford. The fixed price cost was $45 a person, plu 18% gratuity so around $60. Seeing as it normally runs around $200+ a person this was a great deal. The bread basket was mini white baguettes with a white bean, garlic and olive oil spread (it had the consistency and taste of whipped pate) For the starter I had the seafood cataplana, which had chorizzo, clams a shrimp in a tomato saffron ragout. It was presented in mini le crueset dishes with yummy toasted cheese bread on the side. For the main I had the beef tenderloin with oie Gras (my first try of Foie Gras) with a roast potato (yes singular) and some roasted vegetables (carrots, brussel sprouts, ect). The meat and Foie Gras was Delicious, the vegetables where good if a little on the sparse side. The Foie Gras was like butter, it was so tender and Delicious. For desert I chose the apple crumble with vanilla bean gelato. I was a little disappointed with this one, the apple crumble was cold. It would have been improved greatly if it had been warmed. I also sampled the deflated chocolate souffle, which tasted like a light chocolate cake. Nothing to write home about.

I would most like never come back here despite the wonderful menu. It's location (the financial district) and prices are what keep me away. If you can drop $200+ on a meal, I'd recommend this place whole heartily. The staff was friendly and answered any and all questions we had about the meal (plus they split our bills up again after we forgot to tell them in the first place. No mean feat with 5 of us) Complimentary coat check is also a plus. The washrooms where clean, if a little crowded with only two stalls. I can see this being an issue if the place was busy. All in all a great experience though.

Costes by Costes

Now, a perfume from a hotel would not normally attract my attention. But Costes by Costes was created by Oliva Giacobetti, who happens to be my favourite nose. I bought the small splash bottle ($20 at noor boutique, sold out at luckyscent) and boy am I glad I did. Costes is a spicy-herbal woodsy scent with a nice heavy hand of incense. One of the sexist perfumes I own (well, I think all my perfumes are sexy but still) I'll eventually doll out the money for a full bottle, but for now the splash bottle is just perfect for travelling.

Notes

lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods and light musc

Luckyscent Description

Direct from the ultra-hip Hotel Costes in Paris comes this very limited offering. Costes is dark, sultry, warm and mysterious. This French-kissed eau de toilette perfectly balances woods and rare spices to create a devastatingly sexy first impression.

Winterlicious

Winterlicious (a Summerlicious) is anticipated with great joy for the foodie community of Toronto. What is it you might ask? Well, it where super expensive ($100+ per person per meal) restaurants do a fixed price menu, three courses for two weeks. This year I'm lucky enough to be trying two such restaurants (Reds and Annona in the Hyatt) Reds I'm tagging along with my mum and her friends and Annona with my friend B. The main reason to be going to Annona is the Pumpkin Creme Brule. Will report back with reviews of the food and the places.

Sadface

Even though he might be a sub-par actor, it still breaks my heart that my dream man Hugh Dancy is engaged to Claire Daines.

What a Long Strange Trip it's Been...

Well November was a hard month, and so was December. January was filled with antipathy, but with spring around the corner (6 weeks according to our rodent friend) I find my fingers itching. Itching to share what I'm reading where I'm going and what I'm interested in. It also helps that in exactly 5 sleeps I'll be in sunny Arizona for 1.5 weeks and then seven days after I get back in NYC with C and N. Still haven't applied for my British Visa, but as I've postponed any moving to a new country until next January (my credit cards need paying off first) I'm in no rush. I still hate my job, but it's OK. I'm only there in this location for 3 more months (pretty much one of which I'm away for) and then I'm back home with my mum. This summer/fall I intend to volunteer my little butt off to spruce up my resume (the local library, an arts festival and my sisters school) as well as a new part time job working for the Learning Centre for some extra cash. I'm getting organized and starting to pull myself out of this cycle of depression. This blog may change a bit in content, maybe less fashion and more books. But the heart is still the same.

Alysia