Let's Flavor Our Lives!

Oooh ma gooosh!  I’ve just read the cutest book ever, and I have to tell you all about it.  The book is “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel.   It is written in a way that is absolutely adorable.  I could not put it down from the second I started reading it at the dentist's office. There are really no words to accurately express the way it makes you feel - truly fullest range of emotions. I think everyone can relate to it one way or another.

The author calls it “a novel in monthly installments with recipes, romances, and home remedies”, but I would actually call it “the secrets of love and life as revealed by the kitchen”.  Really, she does give you advice on everything from how to do laundry to how to get rid of bed bugs.  So I highly recommend, if not for the delicious recipes and practical remedies, at least for the pleasure of experiencing how the words come together in this bankless river of gratifying enjoyment.

There is one touching passage that I really passion, and I want you all to share it.  

“My grandmother had a very interesting theory; she said that each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves; just as in the experiment, we need oxygen and a candle to help.  In this case, the oxygen, for example, would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle could be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches. For a moment we are dazzled by an intense emotion.  A pleasant warmth grows within us, fading slowly as time goes by, until a new explosion comes along to revive it.  Each person has to discover what will set off those explosions in order to live, since the combustion that occurs when one of them is ignited is what nourishes the soul. That fire, in short, is its food. If one doesn’t find out in time what will set off these explosions, the box of matches dampens, and not a single match will ever be lighted. 

If that happens, the soul flees from the body and goes to wander among the deepest shades, trying in vain to find food to nourish itself, unaware that only the body is left behind, cold and defenseless, is capable of providing that food.”

It's amazing how much there is in this book that is left up to the interpretation and imagination.
Life is truly magic.  Great books like this make you treasure it even more.

STYLE by Kate Spade

What is fashion? What is the definition of “fashion”? Is there a difference between "fashion" and "style"? What is style?  What is the definition of "style"? Fashion is what you see in the magazine or on runway.  Style is how you interpret fashion, how you make it applicable to life, how you translate it into your wardrobe.

The new book I dug up in my neighborhood library is “STYLE” by Kate Spade.  Theoretically, I have always liked Kate Spade design. And this book is up to par. It is organized in a very capricious manner with drawings instead of photos as most fashion books fashion.  It is written in blurbs and includes information that Kate must have deemed to be helpful (such as size charts, how to care for the cashmere that I will never be able to afford, etc.). Things of note are the facts and quotes at the bottom of pages.

Don't get me wrong – I will not be following Kate’s advice anytime soon.  I mean you will not catch me wearing any vegetable necklaces or packing candles into my carry-on.  However, I really like the way she talks about style and how she has appears to have a solid grasp on the concept.  Her husband appears to be not far behind either.  Below are the things that will give a feel for the book. 

It is as much about being seen as it is about seeing. 

Always gracious, sometime irreverent STYLE.

Sometimes what you can’t see is far more revealing.

Style is innate.

True style comes from opening yourself to the world around you – to the books and movies, to art, to music and travel, and especially to other people.

Your personality is uniquely expressed through your choice of accessories. It’s the easiest form of self-declaration. Pg. 68

Sunglasses have an amazing style quotient – there is something strong and mysterious about them.  Pg. 76

Hats is just the thing for adding wit and personality. Pg. 78

Style is:

• a sum of so many things – beginning with a sense of who you are and having a self-confidence.
• wearing what makes you happy.
• following your own rules.
• clarity.
• owning pieces you cannot wait to wear.
• a little like mercury: try to put your finger on it and it moves.
• becoming aware of what makes you feel most yourself out in the world. Pg 53

Other concepts in the book that I adore:

• Pre-set color combinations (although I do not agree with most of Kate’s suggestions)
• Finding your own classics
• Being your own style guru
• Stylish movies
• Wardrobe ABCs

RANDOM FACT: Beer vs Coffee

As you may already know, coffee is one of my biggest passions.  I like to collect facts that support my conviction that coffee is a health food.  Here is something I stumbled upon that proves one more time that coffee is good for you.

https://medium.com/what-i-learned-today/f7fcb3b786b1

And below is a super cool graphic summarization of it.  I found it very creative.  How many beers, girl? ;)