OMFG -- La Roux!

I love music. I love how it adds atmosphere to any situation, how it always seems to understand whatever love gripe you're working through and how it can make you want to dance around in your underwear like there's no tomorrow. (Let it be known that the latter is how I like to start most my days..with the curtains closed, of course!) Whether it be bass-heavy club anthems, minimalist house, straight-up catchy pop or old school Sinatra, music for me has only one criteria: if it makes you feel good, it's good music.
My current musical obsession is with the English duo La Roux! [Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid.] I kept on hearing their hugely popular single "Bulletproof" everywhere only to have it get stuck in my head whenever I had space between thoughts...so I gave in and bought the rest of the album and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was much more than mere catchiness! I guess they would be categorized as electro-pop, but that implies overly synthesized tracks and weak vocals -- the songs definitely have a smooth synth edge, but make no mistake Jackson's vocals are as clear and strong as any acoustic performance. Aside from her musical talents, Jackson, often the only one seen in videos and when they perform, has a unique style of her own. With what can only be described as androgynous-chic gone neon, Jackson conveys a genderless cool-kid persona with her boy-short yet gravity-defying coif, slick trousers and sneakers. The duo recently opened at the Viktor & Rolf fashion show cementing their status, or Jackson's at least, as recognized style mavens. True style and sick music? Now that's a girl after my own heart.
What allows me to relate so much to their songs though is the sheer amount of emotion conveyed through their lyrics. I absolutely adore how Jackson sings about decidedly very "girly" issues all the while presenting herself as extremely androgynous... the confidence she portrays in her lyrics present emotions as a necessity to be proud of, regardless of gender. La Roux is essentially taking the feminine edge off emotions and allowing them to come off as feelings that stand on their own that everyone inevitably experiences. I'm impressed.
A few of my favorite tracks are linked below:
Armour Love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAKmfO3v8ew
I'm Not Your Toy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew_c5ewoVQk&feature=fvw
Bulletproof:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUsbpmQ9-mc

And for those of you who enjoy shaking your bum around as much as I do, there are several amazing DJ remixes of many of their songs! As long as La Roux keeps killing it, I'll be listening.
x

Models & Personality? OMFG!

The Supers

Where did all the models go? No seriously, where did they all strut off and leave to? Every time I browse the newsstands it seems the only faces I see smiling back at me are ones of actresses. The Jennifer's, Halle's and Reese's have dominated all the September issues this fall leaving not a chance for a Daria, Jessica, Carmen or Coco in sight. Where did the days of the Supers go? The days when household names weren't just actresses but Cindy, Naomi, Linda and Christie! Now those women were Supers....supermodels I mean, in the truest sense of the word: they were curvy (okay, maybe not curvy by normal standards but curvy compared to the stick norm that exists today), divalicious, extravagant and ridiculously glamorous all the while doing their jobs well...and demanding no less than ten grande a day to step one dainty foot out of bed. (As uttered by Linda and thereby creating the most legendary of all fabulously spoiled lines.) The Supers set the standard for which all divas followed; a world where models were celebrities and personified the very alluring, glittery lifestyles they depicted in haute couture ads.
Those were the eighties and early nineties and since then, the role of the model has evolved. Except for Gisele, who briefly resurrected the supermodel craze and managed to find an audience beyond fashion groupies, the biggest models in the world are, for the most part, unknown. Sure, you have celebrities like Heidi Klum who are recognizable to even the most style-deprived of housewives in middle America, but, though she started off as a model, Klum rose to her star wattage by becoming a businesswoman and probably even more so for marrying Seal and popping out a whole litter of insanely cute kids. To put it mildly; she's not known for lounging on red velvet sofas in Paris covered in furs, she's known for lounging in Beverly Hills playgrounds covered in baby spit-up. Huge difference. So why the change in model persona recently? It may be as simple as the age of the diva has passed. Professionalism has made its return to the industry and models nowadays are more likely to succeed if they're on time, easy to work with, and energetic and opposed to hungover, cell-phone throwing and (more than) fashionably late. It is very much a job to the new breed of top models who don't necessarily know who YSL is and why he was a legend, but will gamely pose for the newest YSL campaign. Such a mentality has its benefits for the fashion world, namely a crop of eager-to-work models who know they're easily replaceable..but where's the glamor in that?
Yes, I'm a professional too when I'm on the job, but some times I think how much sheer fun it would of been to be a top model in the decade of decadence, i.e. the eighties. Call me a glutton for glitz but seriously, how awesome would it of been to roll up to parties in the south of France on the late Versace's arm and then roll into a campaign shoot the next day in the same clothes all the while getting paid what can only be described as offensively large amounts of money for some one to take pictures of you? Nothing short of glam glam glam. My admitted superficiality aside, the working girl models of today are refreshingly modest and pushing the industry forward with their work ethic and momentum, which is not exactly glamorous but a welcome change for many.
All this professionalism is not without its downsides, and as working girls the personalities of top models doesn't exactly shine through the dress-up roles they portray in ads and editorials. Kate Moss may be the last Super whose name alone is a brand within itself, with her popular line at Topshop continually selling out each season. On the flip side, top Canadian model (and my personal favorite) Daria Werbowy has landed countless major campaigns, walked every top runway and has her flawless face posted on every other billboard worldwide, yet there is no style, look, or persona attached to her name. She is a chameleon who merely lends her face and body out to sell the clothes she's wearing in pictures. Meanwhile, actresses have filled the void of the Supers and themselves have become international brands shilling everything from Versace to Japanese colas. It's not about what bodies designer clothes look best in, but instead about what lifestyle and personalities are associated with the star who is wearing them. For a consumer to see Madonna in all her airbrushed glory posing for Versace is to see all the edginess, agelessness and continual transformation Madonna stands for in Versace's line as opposed to seeing nothing but exquisite clothes hanging off an exquisite body.
I guess the answer to where all the models have gone is quite simple: to the insides of the magazines. Covers are flat-out dominated by actress-brands and even campaigns are using mainstream celebrities more and more. (James Franco for Gucci? Really? The Green Goblin?!) While I get this is all to boost sales, I miss the days when a cover meant an amazingly flawless model working her angles in fierce poses all the while wearing some extravagantly unwearable outfit and looking sultrily unattainable while doing so....in other words fashion for the sake of fashion.
Fashion, like anything else in the world, is prone to cycles and repeating history. The time of the Supers may have come and gone in the eighties but there is sure to be a resurgence of lively, glamorous models who want to make a splash for being themselves and not just mannequins. Socially responsible it may not be, but to be a Super sure looked like a hell of a time and I for one would warmly welcome a new era of frivolous fashion for no other reason than to be extravagant, spontaneous and ultimately glam, glam and more glam.
x

OMFG...Veg Out.

Of all the things I fantasize about (exploring Morocco in all its fabulously glamorous mystery, a private island in the Maldives to do absolutely nothing on, a perfectly slouchy fit Burberry Prorsum bomber jacket...I could go on.) the one that's always constant is food. Yes, deliciously decadent, insanely fattening but utterly irresistible food. Despite my lanky frame (I'd like to thank my Asian freak genes for blessing me with a ridiculously fast metabolism!) I can eat what can only be described as a disgusting amount of food. I've never been one to say no to savoring a treat and I can tell you that I never will...unless of course my health it at risk which, honestly is probable at this point. I'm sorry, but I think leftover chocolate cake is a perfectly balanced way to start the day! I'm waiting for that day in my forties when my metabolism will snap and I'll balloon...but until then I'm one happy hungry little hippo. 

Up until about six months ago, my diet was all-encompassing with no real dietary restrictions. However, after graduating with my degree in Environmental Resource Management I thought it best to take into consideration just how what I was eating was affecting our dear old Earth. I've never been a preachy person and obviously everyone can make decisions for themselves...so that being said, rest assured this isn't some hippie drivel I'm trying to force on everyone while wearing my Birkenstock sandals and homemade tie-dyed t-shirts. I understand that we all are accustomed to a certain lifestyle and can't all commit to living a totally environmentally impact-free existence. What is realistic is compromising in areas that are doable for you -- and for me that was adjusting my diet. 

After writing countless essays on the impact of meat production and the environment, reading article after article on how meat negatively contributes to carbon dioxide emissions, land use and water scarcity, listening to hundreds of hours on the topic in lecture and all the other academic sources I jammed into my head during my four years of post-secondary education, what it took to convince me to stop eating meat was a movie I watched out of boredom one night. All right, so maybe I was turning a blind eye to my studies purposefully because I used to love meat: burgers, steak, wings, you name it and I happily devoured it! But after seeing visuals of what happens to both the animals and our Earth...well I just couldn't be blind any longer. The documentary, Food Inc., looks into where the food in North America comes from and how large conglomerate companies dominate almost everything that is sold at large chain supermarkets. It was eye-opening, informative and probably depicted behind-the-scenes footage more graphically than need be, but it worked: I was converted!

To all you out there who are thinking of becoming vegetarian, I recommend doing it the smart way. This means going to your doctor or a nutritionist and figuring out how to still get all your nourishment while being meatless. I say this because I watched the film, freaked out, cut out any and all meat products for a month only to almost faint on a plane and start bruising like a day old peach whenever anything or anyone so much as grazed my skin. Overall, being a waif, fainting, black and blue wisp of a person was not -- I repeat -- not fun.

It's been about six months now and I'm so used to being vegetarian that the thought of meat doesn't cross my mind; I don't feel deprived and I certainly don't feel faint anymore. If I had to cut out sugar, well that'd be another issue entirely....cheesecake is the best way to bribe me and pancakes are a surefire way to my heart. My point being that if you really feel you just couldn't stop eating meat then don't leap before looking! Maybe jump on board with the "Meatless Monday" movement where one day a week is meatless, or try and help our lovely Earth in other ways: Drive less and bike more. Conserve more energy around your home. Cut down on your water usage. There's a way to help that fits every lifestyle and a little knowledge it all it takes to figure out why it's well worth the change. 

I'm still very much a foodie, albeit now just one who's keeping up with our changing times. Eat, drink and be merry blogees, and check out the following links for more info on Food Inc. and meat production in general:

http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

x

Kids? Adults? OMFG...What are we?!

An article that has been making the rounds lately among my social networking sites (Yes, I got Facebook back. I just have no will power when it comes to online over-sharing.) is about the next generation of twenty-somethings and how they're different from previous ones, published in the New York Times. It's an insightful and interesting read basically laying out the argument that youth in their twenties nowadays are pushing back the usual steps taken to reach adulthood, such as marriage, kids, being financially independent, and are instead choosing in favor of longer schooling, travel, and an overall mission to find themselves before adulthood and real-life responsibilities being.
Check it out here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22Adulthood-t.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&src=tptw
Well, after reading that article, and then skimming over my last blog post on right-brained thinking and endless possibilities, I let out a long "Ohhhh crap." I fit into this so-called "emerging adulthood" category to a tee...and so do most of my friends right now. Blame it on our privileged upbringings, blame it on the immense pressure there is on twenty-somethings to fulfill every aspect of their lives now in order to be happy later, and blame it on the recession, but however you put it, this generation is a walking, talking, traveling, advertisement for "emerging adulthood".
Some of the reason for this trend can of course be attributed to the changing times. Society demands different things of its youth as technology and social norms progress. I know I don't feel the need to pop out kids any time soon, partially because in middle school they made us watch a very informative but through my adolescent eyes, disgusting and horrific video called "The Miracle of Life", and partially because I know there are options out there for women choosing to have kids later on in life, such as adoption, surrogates, and fertility aids. (Although right now to be perfectly honest, the most I can picture myself with is a puppy or two, if that. Thank you, preventative sex education in middle school. Seriously, just the grossest video ever.) Couples living together without the need for marriage is widely accepted nowadays and premarital sex is, well let's just say you'd get stranger looks if you said you were against it than for it. These are but a few of the norms that have bended in regulation vastly over the last couple decades and have allowed us twenty-somethings to live in limbo for a little longer.
The big question is: is it all worth it? Does taking longer to reach adulthood ensure that the lives we live thereafter are happier and what we truly want? Having the answer to this would be like saying you had the answer to what the purpose of life is. There really is no one answer, you just have to live through it. I definitely believe in taking the time to find out exactly who you are and what makes you thrive in life before saddling yourself into any sort of norm, such as a marriage, a career-long job or a permanent location. However the ability for me to do so has its implications....I'm 23 at the moment and after 4 years of living on my own for school, I'm back at home. My parents are kind enough to be okay with this (That might be an understatement....my mom is ecstatic to have her kids home at this age -- she intercepts me with hugs every time I try and beeline for the fridge, the door, the stairs, etc.) but to know that I'm taking away instead of adding to their financial situation does not exactly sit well with me. Also, this time to see exactly what I want in the world has left me feeling a wee bit...unprepared. There's a part of me that's itching to throw myself into another city (New York!) just to see if I can  make it as an adult. This prolonged adolescence has created a generation of childish twenty-somethings...myself included. I feel ill-equipped in many ways to tackle the daunting real world mainly because I've never really had to. Living on my "own" during school was within the bubble of university and within the same city where I grew up. I think part of why I'm itching is because I crave the independence generations before us had; whether I'm ready for it or not, only experience and time will tell. What justifies the stage of "emerging adulthood", for me personally, is that the one thing I'm sure of is the momentum in my life. There's undoubtedly a forward motion to where things are headed for me in recent months in my post-university era, and it's this push towards whatever it is and wherever it is I am supposed to be that keeps me calm in knowing I'm on the right track. Everyday I wake up ready to tackle the world and I'm positive that if I keep tackling, something great is just around the corner.
Ah, this mentality, another symptom of the generation, is, as the article dubs it a somewhat romantic optimism in the "sense of possibility". While the article paints this notion as being somewhat naive, it's something I believe in because I've seen it work. It's worked for me, for my close friends, for people I love, but it's only there if you're open to it. Gone are the days when the only way to climb the ladder in life was through a series of predetermined steps: now all one needs is a chance meeting with the right person, and the ability to be your own resume one hundred percent of the time. Being the best possible version of yourself as much as possible isn't just for your own self-worth and happiness...it's an undeniable asset for your professional life. I've done some of my best networking while out and about in the city, day or night, meeting like-minded people with no other explanation than we recognized something of interest in one another. Simply making yourself available to these opportunities is perhaps the most important step.
At 23, the only thing I can say for sure about myself thus far is that I'm a romantic who places a lot (maybe even too much) value on love. What I want to do with my life exactly and how I want to live it in the decades to come...well those are only vague ideas swirling around in my over-active brain right now. Travel, art, love, family, friends, progress, style, and connections are all ideas of importance to me; but how these abstracts will become concrete is something I have another couple years to figure out.
Twenty-something Jennifer is quoted in the article as saying: "It’s somewhat terrifying to think about all the things I’m supposed to be doing in order to ‘get somewhere’ successful: ‘Follow your passions, live your dreams, take risks, network with the right people, find mentors, be financially responsible, volunteer, work, think about or go to grad school, fall in love and maintain personal well-being, mental health and nutrition.’ When is there time to just be and enjoy?” 
The time to "just be and enjoy" is now for me, and I owe it to myself, my good fortune at being given such an amazing opportunity, and my future to dive into my endless possibilities head first and without the slightest bit of doubt that I'll emerge more sure of myself than ever. 
Everything Jennifer listed is valid...but only one stands out in my mind: to all you twenty-somethings out there as lost as I am, follow your passions as tirelessly as possible and the rest of your happiness, whatever it may be, will be sure to come.
x

OMFG - No Make-up on Camera?!

What would this blog be without a little self-promotion dear blogees? I did a shoot a couple weeks ago with Toronto-based photographer Gobhi Theivendran and it turned out really well! Gobhi was really easy to work with and the vibe on set was relaxed and comfortable. It was a no make-up shoot, so all you lovely people get to see my unmade face and how I look about twelve without eyeliner...not a bad thing in the modeling world but pretty hilarious otherwise. Blame it on being Asian. An old agent of mine used to say "Asian and black don't crack!" And thank goodness for that! I had a shoot the other day with another model who was sixteen. Yes, sixteen. I was a whole third-grader older than her and, while amused that she was worrying about things like how to smuggle alcohol to her semi-formal (been there girl, vodka in water bottles and you're good to go, am I right?), I'll admit I was satisfied in knowing my shelf-life has yet to expire. Anyways, here are the shots from the no make-up shoot! We went for a grimy yet still fashion-y vibe. Enjoy and look out for many more pictures to come...x

Think & Feel...OMFG.

If I had to describe myself in two words they would be a romantic realist. The combination of being utterly, dreamily, romantic yet fully aware of the limitations of the real world makes for a somewhat conflicting existence for me: mainly one where I know better but have to feel things out on my own anyways. As I'm sure any of you can tell just by reading a few of my posts, I'm observant, logical and practical except when it comes to anything involving my heart...well, then I'm just hopeless.
The romantic part of me is very much right-brained: a creative artist who sees the world through rose-colored lenses, while the realist in me is left-brained: entirely logical and practical. Whereas the professional world was once dominated by those who are more so left-brained (Think white-collar class with multiple post-graduate degrees) there's been a shift towards valuing right-brained people in recent years. (Think artists who don't have to live off canned goods while inhabiting dirty lofts in pre-gentrified neighborhoods).
And thank goodness for this apparent shift because heavens knows I would be miserable if I had to rely on my left-brain to carry out my career chained to the helm of a desk in some monotonous office building crunching numbers or something just as static! Obviously there's still a need for left-brained individuals (I don't want some artsy-fartsy performing brain surgery on me, or anyone else I know), but the appreciation for artistic skills once seen as hobbies more or less, is carving out a spot for creative persons everywhere.
Painting, styling, decorating, and more are proving to be profitable careers for many and I couldn't be happier. Nowadays, it's sheer individual ambition that drives individuals and twenty-somethings are holding off their transitions into adulthood enticed by the seemingly endless possibilities out there. I've especially noticed this change in the fashion world as more and more people I meet are relying on being stylists, photographers, and overall media moguls as their sole way of making a living.
Of course it is not just artistic skill that is of value, but the emotional aspects that go hand-in-hand with them as well. Characteristics such as empathy and compassion are making their way into the market and not everything is as black and white as numbers and charts...and I think it's about time.
As some one who advocates emotions (that's putting is mildly) it's so refreshing to see how such feelings can be an asset to my professional life instead of a weakness. This, paired with my logicalness, will hopefully be the key to success for finding a job that I wake up everyday excited to go to! I think where this plays the most important role is in the connection between whatever market you're attempting to sell to and yourself as an individual. Being able to know that a person is not just a faceless entity and probably some one who has gone through a lot of what you have will only enhance one's ability to connect with them on whatever level necessary. What a beautiful way to do business, in my opinion at least! It's a time where by exposing your art, your craft, your skill and passion, means your client will come to you through resonating with whatever vibe you're putting out there.
I've always been confident in my skill as an artist and as a feeler (for lack of a better word. An emotion junkie? A sappy romanticist? A heart over header? Let's just stick to feeler.). I know I can write, I know I can paint, I know I have style and a way of connecting to others through empathy...and it's nice to know that the world may have confidence in me now as well. For all you out there who are lost in their twenties, struggling to decide just how you're going to find a place for yourself in this crowded world, take comfort in knowing that now, more than ever, you can be successful not just through one path, but through endless means of infinite possibilities.
x

O snip, M snip, F snip G snip..

 While sipping a French Martini on the patio of some nondescript lounge in the city the other hot summer night, a girl I'm friends-ish with sauntered on over and said a friendly hello. Actually -- let me clarify: the conversation went like this: "Oh. Em.Gee. Hi gorgeous! It's been soooo long! Backhanded compliment about my dress and how awesome Zara is for getting cheap clothes. What are you up to these days?! Inappropriate comment about my ex and why our relationship failed. We should totally get coffee some time! Jealous comments about some model pics I posted on Facebook ages ago. Anyways, it's sooooo good seeing you! Oh. Em. Gee!!! One more backhanded compliment for the road. Apparently my hair was going limp from the humidity." That's right bloggees, I had encountered the dreaded frenemy. For those of you not up to speed on the many shades of friends present in this complex social realm, I offer you a brief refresher course: Frenemies can be described as girls you know and occasionally hang out with who do all the talking while you roll your eyes and think in your head "Bitch, please!" They're easier to be nice to than not be nice to, simply because you know girlfriend would become a vindictive little pain in the ass if you were to, say, brush off her stories about how she just spent the last two weeks retouching her hair to get it just the right shade of peroxide blonde. Gay boys can fall under the frenemy category as well, but straight boys are exempt of the rule since, well, straight boys are incapable of being anything but straightforward and logical when it comes to friendships. (Which is sweet and all, but come on, we all know girls and gay boys are the ones who run this social business.)
I personally don't find it too hard to deal with frenemies. I've had my share and for the most part, I find them harmless and even amusing...I mean you don't even have to do any talking, they're a conversation within themselves! I've perfected standing there, nodding my head with a smile plastered on and offering advice as sincerely as I can when they tell me about problems they're going through even though I really don't know much about them aside from the fact that they like their martinis dry.
However, it's when a frenemy turns toxic, and not in that sexy, mysterious way Britney breathily sings about, that you have to do some snipping. Cutting out toxic friends is like social tailoring for me: you want to make sure your social circle is made to fit you perfectly, no loose ends, no rough edges and certainly no extra pins leftover in your custom YSL shirts to stab you in the back!
A site a I frequently visit, TresSugar, recently posted "10 Signs of a Toxic Friend", and if you know any frenemies of yours who fits even half of this list, it's time to sharpen the blade. Check out the link below!
http://www.tressugar.com/Toxic-Friend-Signs-7659989
The list is effective and precise when it comes to singling out exactly what makes a friend toxic, but if you prefer a simpler method, ask yourself one question: "Does this person make me happy?" If the answer is a big fat no, be confident that your life will be better sans the frenemy. Cutting a person entirely out entirely may seem harsh, but what has to be done has to be done and your future, happier self will thank you later. While most frenemies are harmless, it's the ones that drain the positive energy out of our lives that raise red flags. Just imagine how much lovelier a conversation I could of had with some snipping: "Oh. Em. Gee. Snip!" Bitch, please.
x

Eat, Pray, Movie Love....OMFG

Eat, Pray, Love, the memoir written by Elizabeth Gilbert finally came out in movie form last weekend. I've read the book, and while wildly popular, Gilbert received a lot of criticism for basically being a privileged, wealthy writer with no substantial problems (relatively speaking) who whines her way through Italy, India and Bali looking for whatever she thought was missing in her life and marriage before. As one critic lovingly put it: #whitepeopleproblems. Well said, but let's face it, if you're reading this from the comfort of your living room in the Western World, chances are you've been through some white people problems yourself. With social privileges acknowledged, I actually really enjoyed the novel! With no formal training in writing, Gilbert's style is simple, clear and lengthy...it's as if she's just written the streaming thoughts that run through her head. She is at times self-loathing, narcissistic, ridiculously observant and over-the-top...her words are the extent of how we all feel some times but won't admit. I could relate with her feeling out of place and desperately unhappy in a world where everything is seemingly fine and gladly read of her finding herself on her own in three very different countries. Yes, it may seem self-indulgent to leave a high-paying job in the most ambitious city in the world (New York) and take year to simply live in beautiful locations across the globe, but it was nice to take the journey with Gilbert who was selfish and fortunate enough to live it.
The movie was light and breezy as expected, and just as light and breezy in safely resolving itself. While Gilbert may have found real love in Bali, it just seemed a little too easy that a man who wanted to devote himself to her was waiting in the final destination of her trip. Sure, it can be argued that Gilbert herself was finally ready to love again and opened herself up to the opportunity after months of soul-searching, but I just didn't buy it. Attribute it to the bitter state I'm in right now, but just think of how many divorced women are going to travel to these three places only to find no Javier Bardem waiting for them at sunset ready to sail into a new life together...plenty. Sexy Brazilian men there may not be in real life, but it's the opening of oneself up to opportunity, and seeing her potential in the world again that brings the real lesson in life after losing a lover.
Easy, breezy fluff aside, there were two distracting factors in the movie that left me puzzled. One, and the most noticeable: Robert's lips. Seriously girls, if you're even considering getting injections done to your lips, take one look at this movie and see it as a warning not to. Being the biggest movie star in the world can't cover up the fact that Roberts, although radiant in appearance and lovely in her role, has a big ole trout upper lip that I could. not. stop. staring. at. Especially during scenes in Italy where there are literally close-ups of her lips in each scene. Unnatural, unnecessary and just plain silly looking...stick to what your Mama's gave you ladies, and if not, at least go the Megan Fox circa Transformers route where no one can tell. (Any further and you'll look like the Robo-Megan that's out there today -- terrifying.)
The other question mark of the movie was James Franco. Once a James Dean-esque moody heartthrob, Franco now more resembles a college kid who's kind of high and kind of scraggly and kind of stumbled onto camera with some lines to spit out. His performance was so strange, I almost expected to see him post it on Funny or Die along with the rest of his weirdly nonsensical videos on acting. Even unkempt he's still a handsome man, but the eyes-half-closed, dopey-smiled expression he had on his face the entire movie left me thinking that maybe he should stick to General Hospital for a little bit. His eccentricities are strangely attractive, but I'm just not sure they belong in a chick-lit movie.
Romanticized travel, spectacular food, and easy love are all emphasized in Eat, Pray, Love and while none-too-realistic, it was nonetheless a pleasant journey through a woman's mind and a world where every whim of an unhappy woman could be fulfilled simply because she wanted it.

x

OMFG -- Just a thought.

Excuse my current occupation with the subject, but love has been the topic on my mind for the past little while. For obvious reasons, I've been thinking through the notion, concept, and idea of love and how it's affected my life thus far. My dear friend Lizzy in London sent me this quote today from the book she's reading:
"If you believe yourself unfortunate, because you have 'loved and lost,' perish the thought. One who has loved truly, can never lose entirely. Love is whimsical and temperamental. Its nature is ephemeral, and transitory. It comes when it pleases, and goes away without warning. Accept and enjoy it while it remains, but spend no time worrying about its departure. Worry will never bring it back.
Dismiss, also, the thought that love never comes but once. Love may come and go, times without number, but there are no two love experiences which affect one in just the same way. There may be, and there usually is, one love experience which leaves a deeper imprint on the heart than all the others, but all love experiences are beneficial, except to the person who becomes resentful and cynical when love makes its departure.
 There should be no disappointment over love, and there would be none if people understood the difference between the emotions of love and sex. The major difference is that love is spiritual, while sex is biological. No experience, which touches the human heart with a spiritual force, can possibly be harmful, except through ignorance, or jealousy.
 Love is, without question, life's greatest experience."
I couldn't help but let out an "oh crap" after reading this. It's a little scary for an absolute romantic to try and grasp the fact that love is ephemeral and we should just accept that it waltzes in and out of our lives whenever it feels like it, leaving little lessons we're supposed to take away and be happy with. I don't buy it. Love is not just for show, not just a ritzy little visitor who pops by for a chat then leaves just because....and it's certainly not temporary. I feel like the author needed to justify what was going on in their love life by writing this nonsense! Honestly, if I could feel this way about it, I would. But in my core, I feel as though love is absolute, a feeling that once you truly feel it, does not go away. It's  not affected by time, distance, or temperament. It's there to handle whatever hardships come its way, and come out on top in the end. 
I've already eaten these words once in my young life, and I'm sure I'll face dive into them again...but it's when I'm living them that it will all make sense. Can't blame a girl for dreaming, can you?
x

Another (young) one bites the dust....OMFG.

So little Lizzy McGuire aka 22 year old Hilary Duff tied the knot with her 29 year old hockey player fiancée over the weekend. If you read my previous post when Megan Fox and BAG did the same in Hawaii, you'll know that I think having established careers and thus your financial life entirely secure as a result from young Hollywood fame allows relationships to get serious much sooner that they would in the "normal" world, per say.
The Duffster, at only 22 is even younger than Fox was when she married...and is younger than me by a year for crying out loud! I wouldn't get married this year even if Brad Pitt dropped Angie and the two hundred kids they have and proposed to me. I don't remotely have myself figured out, professionally or personally....and it continues to astonish me that everyone in young Hollywood already does (Or seems to at least. Only time will tell who falls off the wagon...Miley, I'm looking at you!) Maybe with one comes the other: if you have your career secure and millions upon millions in the bank, does that allow you to "find" yourself faster, or at least with more ease?
The answer is never as simple as yes or no, but I can say with absolute confidence that if I had a fulfilling and successful career in Hollywood (let's humor ourselves and imagine as an Asian pop star as my sister and I used to pretend when we were little...bad Canto-pop and pink hair extensions included!) and enough security to take care of myself and my loved ones without worry, I would definitely be more relaxed and able to make decisions not based on work, but on what I truly wanted to do. Money means security and freedom which allows us to do what we enjoy with who we enjoy being with.
Work and love....the two great competitors of our modern time. For a romantic such as myself, the answer is clear, and I can pretty safely say that it always will be. Maybe the Duffster is a romantic just like myself; only her romance gets the fast-forward treatment from her success.
Whatever the reason, another young Hollywood couple has tied the knot leaving the rest of us to wonder, is anything in LalaLand ever really real? I guess I'll never know for sure unless the Asian pop start gig miraculously works out (I'd even be willing to learn how to dance..!) but until then, I can't help but wonder what life must be like for those so fortunate enough to be true romantics.
x

OMFG BFF!

While no one past the age of twelve says BFF in any seriousness, the value of friendship is definitely something of priority and importance in my life. My girlfriends always used to say it was a red flag if you were dating a guy who had no friends because it usually means homeboy doesn't, and won't ever, give a tiny rat's ass about anyone other than himself. [Just to note: I could write a novel -- no, an entire encyclopedia library on that specific subject, but we'll get around to that another day!]
Friends are essential in every twenty something's life and if you look around at who you're friends with, it's probably a pretty good indicator of who you are. Our twenties are when we live out all those cliches you saw in movies growing up; you know the ones I'm referring to: 'Who am I? What is love? Will I ever get over this?' and we inevitably go through the phases of all these cliches with friends by our side. A growing period, the decade also results in the loss of a lot of friends for reasons as simple as you outgrew them. We all know those buddies who haven't changes a bit since high school and are still doing not a whole lot, smoking joints and drinking all in their parent's basement. While they come and go, I've come to find that everyone who is in my life at whatever given moment is in my life for a reason; and the others, well our friendship simply ran its course.
The other night while out with my best friend since I was young and a couple who are both friends of mine, I realized how amazing it is to just have that network of people you love. Over too-strong vodka tonics, hazy lights and surrounded by Affliction wearing cheeseballs, I was having a great time! (Allow me to note that I attempted to climb into the DJ booth only to wipe-out and still not care; lack of embarrassment is the ultimate indicator of awesomeness on the fun scale -- well that or you know, I was too hammered to process what was going on. We'll go with the former.) I was having a great time simply because we were all at this terrible club, listening to terrible music, watching some truly terrible dancing...together. And because of that....well it wasn't terrible at all. Of course all the drinks we had pounded down earlier probably helped, but when it comes down to it, you should be able to have the time of your life with your true friends anywhere: whether it be at some insanely chic club, or in the back of a divey bar.
An emotional network is essentially what your buds are there for, people you can lean on when you need to and who lean on you when they need to. Such a network, based on care, connection and a ridiculous amount of inside jokes is one I'll always understand much more easily than a business network. Call it my downfall or my strength, but matters of the heart are the ones I give the most attention.
As sappy as this post is, I guess I just needed a little outlet to say I freakin' love my close pals in my life...the trouble we get into (lots), the nights we have out (scandalous), the fights we get over (immature) and the times we have (priceless) well, I wouldn't trade them for the entire Fall/Winter 2010 Stella McCartney ready-to-wear collection. So drink up, laugh up, live it up...and get by with a little help from your friends.
x

OMFG Sneak Peak..

The one thing I've never been very good at is waiting. For anything. At the doctor's office, in line at Starbucks, for an answer...you get the picture. I've been with Elmer Olsen Models in Toronto for a little over a month now and they've been amazing! I've shot more in the last two weeks than I have in a long while, and it feels great to gain some momentum again. However, I've accumulated a total of five shoots that I'm waiting on images from. Five. You can tell how thrilling that must be for some one who, in their last post, admitted to be ticking to move forward in all areas and in this post, admitted to being the most impatient person ever! It's all worth it in the end since they'll add to my book and hopefully book me jobs in the near future. I'll be in the October issue of Chatelaine, the Fall/Winter issue of Zink! Magazine and two online magazine publications whose names I'll post as soon as I know for sure. In the mean time, I did receive a couple shots from a creative I did with Tavis Gordon and make-up artist Sherlyn Torres. We did a casual look, then more artistic futuristic looks as well. The two, a longtime couple, were lovely to work with; it was a chill, flowing vibe to the shoot which is always nice! Anyways here are the a couple of the casual looks. More to come!
x

New York --OMFG.

I've always been one of those people who loves to sleep. Maybe it's because I'm the ultimate dreamer and getting lost in my dreams was something I looked forward to even as a child, but for whatever reason, sleeping soundly has never been a problem for me. Up until recently that is.
So lately I've been waking up in slight panics with my heart beating faster than normal. My heartbeat has always been a good indicator of changes or events that are going to unfold in my life; being some one who thinks with nothing but their heart, I guess this is fitting. Whenever my heartbeat starts to pick up, I know it's because there's something I need to resolve or because something, either good or bad, is about to happen. Seriously.
Anyways, as hokey as it all sounds, I know better than to go against my heart because well, it's been my guide in life so far and minus one devastating heartbreak (and let's face it, it happens to everyone once) it's never steered me wrong. I thought I was waking up out of sadness over not being with my ex anymore, panicking that I didn't have him in my life in the way I wanted anymore. But it turns out it had nothing to do with him at all, and everything to do with me.
My panicking, my internal tick tick ticking of my heart was, and is, my ultimate wake-up call! It's time for me to get the hell out of here.
'Here' for me is and has been for the last 23 years, Toronto. I was born and raised here and love this city to death but I feel like I've exhausted it. I've been clubbing since I was 15 (thank you fake New Brunswick ID!), wining and dining just as long, know everyone I feel I need to, and heck, I remember when Ossington was actually grimy, not all hipster grimy that way it is now. When you've been in a city long enough to see a neighborhood experience gentrification...well that's when you know it's time to go!
Travel has always been a passion of mine and my quest to conquer has gotten the best of me...I need out and I need it ASAP. I've known so many people with this intense drive to get out there and want more, more, more. I've never really felt that push until recently. Toronto doesn't feel big enough anymore, it doesn't feel like where opportunities are and where the magic is happening. It's lost its mystic appeal to me and is just a place I have to reside until I can make my way to where I belong: New York.
New York is where I need to be right now; it's energy, it's industry, it's worldwide title of being the place where IT happens -- IT being whatever, and whoever you are seeking in life. I'm going for my career, I'm going to meet people, I'm going for too many things to name specifically right now just because for the most part, I have no idea what I'm looking for. But one thing is certain: I'm going to find IT in New York.
The allure of big cities is undeniable to me. I studied Urban Geography in university for goodness sake because I just can't seem to get enough of cities! Where and why commercial, industrial, social, administrative, pretty much all activity and action occurs is what I wanted to get to the root of and where I need to be. The center of all the action! While Toronto was a nice mid-size city to start with, it's time for me to crack the top-tier cities of the world: the big three are New York, London and Tokyo. Screw vacations. Vacations imply that I have to go home after visiting. I want a life that includes living in one, two, or all three of these cosmopolitans. The reason for my panic attacks is as clear as the Van Cleef and Arpels rock that will inevitably grace my left hand in the future: I need to move out of Toronto and finally live in a place where I feel my outside matches my inside.
Seems like my days of being a laissez-faire sleeper will be over once I go to New York...who needs dreams in sleep when you're living them?
x

Love, schmove. OMFG.

Bloggees! Sorry it's been a month since I last wrote...I've been an admitted emotional wreck lately (sigh that damn break-up bomb just keeps exploding) and pretty busy with modeling so between posing and crying, I haven't found the time to update! Is there some sort of cosmic rule out there that one's professional and personal lives can't be on the same wavelength? My professional life has been going well only to see the exact opposite happen to me personally.
In all this break-up kufuffle, I've been sharing my woes with my friends, and to a certain extent people in the industry when I'm on the job. I've been told over and over again: focus on you. The consensus, within the go-getter community anyways, is overwhelmingly that love is weakness and those that are independent, unchained, almost unemotional are the ones who are the most successful. With plenty of travel, chic parties and illusions of availability being the norm in the lifestyles of movers and shakers, having to take a second to consider a some one else is....unheard of. It's survival of the fittest where being fit means being available at a moment's notice, dressed to the nines, ready to network and conveying an air of ridiculous positivity regardless of personal issues. I've met these people, you've met these people; but no one really knows these people because to get past that carefully crafted veneer of polish and shine usually takes knowing them on an unprofessional level.
To go-go-go is to be successful and to acquire things the fastest, to land the most covers, to know the most people, to rise in the fame game is all what measures success...or so it's been drilled into my brain lately.
This begs the question: where did all the romantics go? I feel as though I'm the last one some times. No, I'm not advocating being lost in fairy tale drivel and getting nothing done due to weeping and pining for true love, but I am wondering what the hell ever happened to being able to make it out there as a twosome? That's right people, pick your jaws up off the floor. I actually believe it's possible to live the jetset life, be successful and have the respect of those in the industry while being -- gasp -- in a relationship! Of course, this only works within a secure relationship that's pretty serious. Otherwise, well let's face it, some one ends up getting their heart stamped by 4-inch spikey-heeled Sam Edelman's or leather-embossed Gucci loafers. I guess where my romantic notions come into play is that I find something so appealing in being together and trying to make it. The pursuit of something more with the one you love seems like a great adventure....what could be more thrilling than picking up your belongings, moving to the big city and starting from nothing with only love to get you started? This is the stuff songs are made of people, the stuff of the greatest love stories.
I guess what it comes down to is people simply aren't looking to write great love stories anymore -- they're looking to write the next great American novel, the rags to riches story where their stance in life in unchallengeable because it's airtight in the ultimate lifestyle as dictated by the best clothes, homes and activities.
While material things are of definite importance to me (see previous post where I drool over designer goods and you'll get the picture), and power is a nice bonus when it comes to getting shit you want done, I guess I'm just a sucker for romance. I've never seen it, and never will see it, as a downfall, but instead something that enhances my life. It's love that makes me feel motivated to do the most.
I'm confident in my career as well and I'll keep you all updated on how modeling progresses now that my safety-net job at the university has ended (after four years!) but it's my belief, or possibly my naiveté, in romantic absolutes that keeps me going...and in this great love story, I've just ended Chapter One. It's only the beginning...
x