Friday, January 30

Wise Words to Live By...

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did the previous year.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink plenty of water.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
18. Smile and laugh more.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
28. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
29. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
30. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
31. The best is yet to come.
32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
33. Do the right thing!
34. Call your family often.
35. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
36. Each day give something good to others.
37. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
38. Share this with someone you care about

Thursday, January 29

Being Single in Rio de Janeiro...Not My 'Beach'.

This is a video from Liz Tucillo(writer of Sex and the City) showing how men and women in Rio de Janeiro think about each other when it comes to relationships.

While I agree with some aspects of this video, I do think Ms. Tucillo was trying a bit too hard to be funny(Carrie she is not). I do,however, think that the blonde woman with the raspy smoker's voice(Lenny Niemeyer,a famous swimsuit designer in Rio) sums it up best, "Brazilian men are great lovers,terrible husbands".

There is one question that keeps coming to mind.."Why do these women put up with such crap from the men??"

Wednesday, January 28

Frankenstein Fashion Fotos

I read an article about Photoshop and retouching that got me thinking. Where does photograpghy start and where does Photoshop come in? I have noticed that when giving the credits for a cover photo, more and more magazines are crediting the 'image manipulator'.
In the 'old' days, back in the era of Kodachrome, a photographer took rolls of photos to get the picture right. He had to send test rolls of film to the lab to make sure that everything was okay, and to avoid reshoots. Nowadays, with digital, the photo is instantaneous ,(no wonder Polaroid has gone belly up)and the photographer and client can crop and retouch on the spot. Photoshop has become part of the photographic process.

How much is too much though? With old black and white film, you could play with the contrast and exposure in the dark room, burn certain areas of the picture. There was a certain bit of photo manipulation, but nothing to what is done today.
Heads of one model on the body of another. Retouched to an inch of their lives. Fifty is the new twenty, between Botox and retouching anyone can look young again.
I have heard rumors that they put Linda Evangelista's head on another model's body for the Fall 2008 Prada campaign and that Sienna Millers September 2007 Vogue cover was Frankensteined to be able to get her best face on her best body position..

In the end, what kind of message are magazines and advertisers sending to the masses? We can't be photoshopped in real life!

Sunday, January 25

National Film Board of Canada

I am so excited to spread the news!!! The National Film Board of Canada is making its archives available to the public via internet!!! The NFB set the standard for documentaries. www.nfb.ca

What's In Store for 2009

The year 2009 is well under way and now we can honestly say that the year has begun. History was made on January 20th with the inauguration of the 44th Presidnet of the USA, Barack Hussein Obama. I was so moved my this moment, even though I am not American. If someone had said 4 years ago that there would be an African American president, I would have said that would be an impossibility.

Less than 24 hours in Office, he has altready started to make good on his election promises. Guantanimo is to be closed within a year, and torture techniques have been abolished. He has sworn in his cabinet and has really gotten things moving, especially on foreign policy. For the past 8 years, the Bush(league) administration did major damage to the American foreign policy and reputation abroad. If the USA is to get itself out its economic debacle, it is important that it starts to make some friends on the international playground.

Up here in the freezer commonly known as Canada, Stephen Harper's government will be presenting the budget on January 26th. For those who don't know, if this budget is rejected in th House of Commons, it could cause another federal election(which would cause more sleep inducing boredom than a bottle of Valium)or a coalition between the three opposition parties, the Liberals, the NDP's and the Bloc Quebecois (only in Canada exists a federal political party whose goal is to separate from the rest of Canada...)Should make some interesting debates on the CBC National with Peter Mansbridge..

I saw a great piece on 60 Minutes that explained the whole oil pricing madness of last summer. Very insightful and informative. Makes you want to hate Wall Streeters even more.

Recession seems to be the mot-de-jour. Guess what folks! We all overextended ourselves with easy credit. If you can't pay in cash, don't buy it! Lower interest rates are a two edged sword. Our money is worth less due to inflation, easy credit with low interest rates entices us...(Dont pay til 2010!..)yes if you have a mortgage and can pay it monthly(biweekly is better)the rates are at an all time low.My advice is to keep an eye on interest rates and if they start to creep up, lock in your mortgage rate!

I am curious to see how the advertising world is going to spin all of this. Companies need to sell to make money, so this is not the time to scrimp on advertising budgets. Hopefully this will mark the end of the celebritism that has invaded magazine adverts. Pick up any magazine and its hard to tell the difference between a Vogue and a People magazine. Consumers have been bombarded by images of celebrities, shot by paparrazzi, wearing designer dresses. That is not fashion! What ever happened to beautiful fashion layouts that used models in fabulous locations??? People need to see the photograph and imagine themselves in that situation and not a picture of Nicole Kidman in a frock. Fashion needs to return back to its roots of pure illusion and artistic photography. We all need to dream a little dream.


2009 will be a year of transition and change. It has begun, and all of us must do our part to make those changes. It all starts at home. Be human and help those less fortunate than you. Be nice, be polite and open a door for another person once in awhile. Small acts of kindness mean alot. Pass it forward...

Friday, January 16

Winter in Calgary

It is only mid-January, but I am already so over winter. Here in Calgary, we had a major snowfall on December 12 2008, followed by a cold snap that finally broke the day before yesterday. The 'Alberta Clipper' is now bearing down towards Eastern Canada and the eastern seaboard of the USA.I much prefer the cold here, its drier and it can be -30C, but hey, its sunny outside. Its humid and colder down East.
Luckily we are experiencing a Chinook, which is a mixed blessing. It reached 15 C(on the plus side) today, and the snow is melting. That brings wet roads and use of lots of wiper fluid. Because our city mayor is an IDIOT who prefers to spend our tax money on a useless pedestrian bridge, the snow removal here in Calgary is basically non existent. The side streets are slushy and I have a friend of mine who couldn't get her car out from in front of her house....for two days. My car is AWD, and I found myself bogging down in the muck and slush.Needless to say, everyone is upset. An ambulance with newborn inside was stuck for 30 minutes yesterday! Hello Bronconnier!! Get with the program!
Hopefully the sidewalks will dry a bit and not be to icey. I am dying to go for a run. Enough of the bike trainer, if i want to do a triathlon this summer, I need to get my running up to speed.More about my triathlon experience in the near future.

Friday, January 9

Sex, Love and Fashion


I just finished reading the book by a fellow model, Bruce Hulse. The book is called Sex, Love and Fashion. I was hesitant about buying and reading it, but in the end I am glad I did. I read it in one sitting cover to cover.
It was well written and grabbed my attention right away. As I too was a model, I could relate to alot of Bruce's stories about the industry. I met Bruce a few times and I always remembered him as being very professional and very spiritual. I knew he had the rep for being a womanizer, but after reading his book, I realized that there was one vein that resonated through his modelling life, the quest for being truly loved. To do that, one must be loving. In a business that is so fixated on perfection, we as models are on a constant quest for acceptance for who we ARE. The person, not the persona. Bruce illustrated his journey on getting to be truly loved and all of the adventures to get to that place where he is now. I appreciated his honesty and his openess about his life, it is not easy to write about such personal issues. That takes alot of courage. That alone made the book all the worthwhile to read.

I'm Back!!!

I have been the worlds worst blogger over the past two months, not even one entry. Shame on me.But the good news is..I'M BACK!!!
Lots of things have happened since my last post.

1. I have reconnected with tons of friends through Facebook. Its been really great and I real laugh to know how everyone is doing.

2. Still trying to figure out what on earth is going on in the financial markets. Most people's portfolios are down at least 50% and the price of oil is hovering around 47 dollars. Gold is up, commodities are down and the big news is the Bernie Madoff scandal. (People got 'bernied' when he 'madoff' with their family fortunes.)There is talk of over 50 billion dollars being lost. Palm Beach mansions, Park Avenue apartments, all gone. This is a perfect example of how greed took over from common sense. I would love to have a portfolio that was growing 10% a year, but when there is no 'downside' and all other funds are showing negative earnings,wouldn't you ask questions? But being the eternal optimist that I am, I can't help but think of the great estate sales that will happen in the near future. Sotheby's and Christie's will be very busy in the coming months. In an economic recession, one must always look for an upside.As for Bernie Madoff, I hope they have confiscated his passport and they put him where he belongs...IN JAIL!

3. Barack Obama will be inaugurated next week. I hope that he will be able to erase the chaos and mess left behind by George W. Bush. Its funny, because living in Brazil with all of the financial mess and corruption that is part of daily life, I always believed that the USA was untouchable and the strongest economy in the world. Not any more. Barry has a big fix up job in order and I hope for Americans that he will be able to get them out of this disaster.

4. On aa lighter note, I saw on Anderson Cooper (he is a hottie) that the porn industry wants a bailout too. You know that things are bad when this sort of stuff happens...In effect, it is just a mockery of how the US is nationalizing its industries.The porn industry is probably doing just fine...But the automakers? Should the US government bail out these industries? Its a difficult call to make. If the auto industry fails, that will be the end of Detroit and probably the rest of Michigan. Why doesn't the government invest in re-educating and upgrading the autoworkers so they may be competitive in a new job? Instead of giving handouts to the Big Three, why not invest in the people who may be out of a job very soon?

5. Remember the big news in 2008 about the lack of basic food(rice, corn etc)? What happened? We don't hear about it anymore. The price of corn has plummeted, as well as the price of cattle. A farmer friend of mine said that he receives less per cow these days than he did 30 years ago...whats going on?

6. I hope the price of oil goes up to around $60 a barrel. If not, the economy in Calgary will suffer bigtime. projects are being cancelled and postponed up in the oilsands because it is no longer viable to extract it. Jobs are being cut at a very frightening rate..Upside? Lots of recreation property and Lexus's will be on the market soon.