Feeling Hot Hot Hot...

After a recent realization on just how much torture I put my body through, I decided I needed to start a fitness regime of some sort that included more then just walking to and from places and tipsy late night dance sessions with friends at various bars about town. During some heavy duty pondering about what course of action I should take, my mind drifted off to a recent article I had read about Bikram Yoga- a form of Yoga that is practiced in a room heated to 40 degrees.

So this last Saturday myself and my room mate Sinead, both a little weary, marched off to a Bikram Yoga Centre downtown on Bloor Street to experience our first taste of this infamous type of Hot Yoga.

For the first ten minutes or so, the heat didn't bother me that much, feeling just like a sauna minus the steam and I was starting to feel a little cocky thinking 'This isn't so bad'- but this confidence was to be short lived. I was soon starting to resemble something of a prized pig that had been left out to roast in the sun for just that bit too long and my near non-existent flexibility was sobering my spirits. I of course soildered on, more out of stuborness then anything else, feeling a little faint at times which was probably due to having only a bagel for breakfast hours earlier- Gah!

Before long the end was in sight and me and Sinead were congratulating ourselves for surviving the class. Deciding that the sense of accomplishment was well worth the brief brush with death, we will be returning for Round 2 this Tuesday. Wish me luck!

The Red Tree

As a necessary measure of moving away, it has meant leaving my precious collection of books all boxed up away and sitting in a cupboard back in Perth, my sister's cupboard to be more exact, and part of this collection of gems includes some Shaun Tan books.

Shaun Tan is an illustrator and author from Western Australia, most of his pictures seem to have a surrealistic style to them, which is what makes them so pretty to look at. One of my favourites by him is The Red Tree which follows a sad little girl throughout her day as she goes through her thoughts of loneliness and despair, but still holding on to the hope that things could change. It truly is a lovely little fable that will make you feel that little bit happier when you have a bad case of the blues. Now for a closer look...

"Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to, and things go from bad to worse..."

"But suddenly there it is right in front of you bright and vivid quietly waiting, just as you imagined it would be"

The Tape

When I was younger, so much younger then today, me and my sister Emmily used to go to our father's house on weekends. Our dad used to tape music programs like Video Hits onto VHS tapes and there was this particular tape that I remember watching what must have been at least 100 times- Emmily and me would sit on the grey couches, watch and sing along with the music videos.

The tape was full of songs, most of which I still love and that drive me crazy with nostalgia whenever I still hear them today- Saltwater by Julian Lennon, Not a Day Goes by Rick Price, Stay by Shakespeare Sisters, even Everything's Alright from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (The Kate Cebrano/ John Farnham/ Jon Stevens version). One of my favourites was definitely Kate Bush's version of Rocket Man, I used to think she was so beautiful and chic. And now for your listening pleasure...

Tokyo Fashion - Very Addictive

I've always had a bit of a secret fascination with Japanese people - Their styles, their doll-like features and their forward fashion, which looks kind of like something from a future style universe that the rest of the world hasn't been let in on yet.

One of my favourite websites at the moment is Tokyo Fashion.com - It is an online magazine that follows the ever changing fashion styles in Tokyo, Japan. My favourite section is the Street Photos, which are just photo's taken of everyday people about the town. Adorable!

Couture Fashion Week - Christian Dior

On my way to work this morning whilst skimming through the pages of the daily Metro Newspaper, I was greeted on the cover by a particulary gorgeous, elegant lady, modelling a divine red dress from the new Christian Dior Spring 2011 Collection as part of the Haute Couture Fashion Week happening in Paris. I don't pretend to know much about fashion, but the collection made me think of 1930's and 40's glamour and themes of that nature.

Turning a little green with envy and feeling a little sadly superficial for said envy, I couldn't help but think to myself what a life it must be to be part of the high class fashion world- to actually know what it feels like to have only the most lush materials available wrapped around your body, to receive invites to the finest runway shows around the world, to actually know what terms like Haute Couture mean without having to look them up on google.

Ah, where would we be without our day dreaming...

Fast Times at Lee's Palace

Since it was Saturday and everyone at the Blue Bird Inn was feeling fantastic, we decided to head on over to Lee's Palace on Bathurst and Bloor. Lee's Palace is somewhat of an iconic bar in Toronto, one that I have been told on numerous occasions since moving here that I should really check out. It's also where they filmed some of the battle of the band scenes in Scott Pilgram vs The World- bit of a fun fact for you.

So after a few drinks at home to warm our bones, we ventured into the outside cold and marched on to the Palace. From what I could tell, there's two floors, one with bands playing and the other with a dance floor and a DJ- the latter of which we spent most of the evening jitter-bugging up a storm. Was a very nice way to spend a Winter's Saturday evening indeed!

The Unveiling

After a quick relapse in my memory this morning as to why I had had trouble getting comfortable for most of the night- I happily jumped out of bed to see how my pin curls had developed.

And now for those of you just as curious as I was, come with me for the unveiling...

Phase 1- I removed all the bobby pins to let loose all the springy curls

Phase 2 - The Brush Out, terribly frizzy at first- I was a little scared

Phase 3 - Slowly taming the curls a wee bit

Phase 4 - After an abundance of hair spray, the curls sit a bit better

Final Phase - So my first pin curls came out a little messy & frizzy, a little more Orphan Annie then Marylin Monroe, but I was still pretty pleased.

Stay tuned for my next Hair Adventure - Veronica Lake Locks!

Pin Up Mission for Moi

This cold Thursday Night I have decided to try and curl my hair using the method of Pin Curling- think 1940's glamourous movie stars. The instructional video I came across on Youtube advised that you leave the pin curlers in to set over night- so now I wait anxiously until the dawn comes to see how my first time pin curls turn out. I shall show you all the results when the sun rises over Toronto tomorrow. Ooooo Exciting!

Think along the lines of something like this as to how I'm hoping it will even slighty resemble