RANDOM QUOTE

RANDOM FACT: Beauty

Rick Genest.

He is art.
He is culture.
He is an attitude. 
He is an expression.
He is a product of the society.

Some things are simply amazing.
They make life beautiful.
Just accept it. 

http://rickgenest.com/index.php#

RANDOM QUOTE: Sam Keen

"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly."

Lucky: What's In For Fall

1.      Burgundy

2.      Jeweled collars

3.      Tough girliness (or girly toughness?)

4.      White turtlenecks

5.      Patterned tights

6.      Kick flares

7.      High-heeled loafer pumps

8.      Neo-Baroque

Source:
Lucky, September 2012

Lucky: The Diet

1. Mental Clarity - fresh berries
2. Calming - bitter vegetables (bok choy, broccoli rabe)
3. Sleep-Inducing - amino acid glycine (seaweed, sunflower seeds) and tryptophan (edamame, turkey, milk, pumpkin seeds)
4. Mood-Lifting - potassium (bananas) and omega-3s (flax seeds, salmon, olive oil)
5. Energizing - flavonoids (dark chocolate, caffeine, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, curry)

Source:
Lucky, September 2012, pg. 112.

My Healthy Hotness Principles

1.      Know yourself – Set your priorities straight.

2.      Work hard – Listen to your body.

3.      Watch what you eat - Moderation is the key; variety is an enemy.

4.      Keep track - Always be conscious.

5.      Love yourself – Find your own perfect life balance.

FACE OFF?

Have you ever wondered about this?

FITNESS FACE OFF: Cardio versus Strength Training & Weight Lifting:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/cardio-vs-strength-training-workouts

I am pretty sure this “face off” is a million years old. So yes, I have also wondered – what is that that really works?  What is that magic trick that will allow me to remain hot forever?  The truth is there is no one thing that will work the same for everyone. 

I don't believe in diets.  I don't advocate any specific workout regiments. But there is something I have learned from experience - you need to find what works for you.  You have to know your body.  You need to take the time to really learn how different things affect it, which will help you design your own perfect balance. Also, you need to set your priorities straight.  You need to know your goals. Not very many of us get paid to look like a model. 

Bottom line: cardio will help you stay healthy – improve your heart rate, lower you cholesterol, breathe easier.  Weight training will help you shape your body.

On the other hand, I have read somewhere a long time ago that you are 10% genetics, 10% training, and 80% nutrition.  And that is the magic trick. The truth is you really are what you eat. Regardless of how much cardio or weight training you put in, you can nullify it with poor eating habits.  Yeah, yeah, yeah my mother is always right - eat less!

So I will tell you my secret – staying hot is hard work.  Literally manual labor (and the only manual labor that will ever be willing to do).  So to all the hataz out there – try running as much as I do and eating as conscious as I do, and you may even look as fantastic as I do.  Life is magic!

Sourse:
Cardio versus Strength Training & Weight Lifting Exercises at womenshealthmag.com
Women's Health Magazine http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/cardio-vs-strength-training-workouts via @womenshealthmag

LA Strange: A Story of Chocolate Whine

I am not a wine person.  I cannot stand wine.  Any wine. White, red, pink, orange, green, purple, whatever. I don't drink wine. I hate the taste of it.  The only time I drink wine is when it's chocolate (thanks to Christa).  Or Chocolate Raspberry. 

However, if I love something, I am always looking for other versions.  As a Russian would say: wisdom is found in comparison (все познается в сравнении).  Thus, I am always looking for new brands of chocolate wines to try.  Just in case they turn out to be better.  Or cheaper.  :)  And I was able to find a couple of other kinds of similar chocolate wine in Idaho. 

Now that I am in sunny California, I am also looking for new chocolate wine. My neighborhood Ralphs does carry my usual staple.  But LA has to have more than just one kind, right?  So here I was - in Culver City Pavilions.  And I see this right next to MY chocolate wine:

The front label states: "CHOCOLATE SHOP.  The Chocolate Lover's Wine. Red Wine with Natural Dark Chocolate Flavors."  DARK CHOCOLATE! I LOVE dark chocolate!

The back label states: "Chocolate Shop, the ultimate "Chocolate Lover's Wine" is a deep, ruby red wine blended with rich, velvety chocolate.  Inviting aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate combine in the glass and continue on the palate surrounded by hints of cocoa powder.  Nuances of sweet red wine lingers on the smooth finish (...oh, this sentence should have tipped me off...).  Chocolate Shop provides you with an indulgent wine experience like no other."  Who wouldn't want to try THAT?  AND it was less than my usual staple.  So I went for it.

Full of anticipation of promised indulgence, I get it home.  It is corked...  That should have been my second hint.  Panicked, I frantically searched for the corkscrew, insisting on calling it a screwdriver. 

I coulda sworn I had like FIVE of them in Idaho.  How do I end up with NONE in sunny California? ...But with three whisks? On the very day, when all I want is to get to that buzz?  That might have to be a different story...

Astounded, I walk to my Ralphs, debating whether I should buy a screwdriver or just another bottle of liquor.  Concluding that I really do want to try that new wine, I went for a screwdriver, making it a super fancy one to justify the trip with home improvement. 

The cork is out.  I don't normally bother with glasses, as I do not share my liquor...

...It is a wine. It is just a wine. Might actually be red as they advertise, I wouldn't know.  I am not a wine person.  It tastes just like regular wine.  No hint of chocolate, just damn nasty rotten grapes. Or whatever they put in wine.  Hmmm...

I tried another sip.  Same nastiness.  Pored into a wine glass.  Looks like red wine.  Took pictures.  Muscled out another sip.  Still the same. No chocolate.  None whatsoever.  Dang it!

What in the world would ever possess anyone to call it "an ultimate chocolate lover's wine"?  It tastes nothing like my usual creamy chocolatey delicious staple. 

The disappointment?  Immeasurable.  Even considered another trip to Ralphs - to return the screwdriver. At this point of unmet expectations liquor does not help anymore. 

I have tried a lot A LOT of different wines by now.  But this CHOCOLATE SHOP has managed to deceive me the most.  But don't trust my reviews - I am not a wine person.

LA Strange: The Good Life

It has been three months since I arrived.  I guess I should write more about my fabulous LA life.  Such stories as:

-          How you can spend more time searching for a certain pop art photography exhibit online than actually enjoying the exhibit…

-          Or how I am still trying to figure out where to store all my fabulous shoes on the three square fee that Los Angelinos call an apartment…

-          Or how I spend more on parking at the mall than on all my purchases together…

-          Or how you can spend less on a brand-name brand-new tuxedo jacket at your neighborhood Goodwill than on getting it dry cleaned…

-          Or how people draw penises on your dusty car windows…

-          Or how workers at the car wash are so lazy, you get tired just from watching them and just do it yourself.  At least that gives you an excuse not to tip…

-          How I hunt roachers naked in my bathroom…

-          Or about how even water tastes better in LA…

-          How you can spend half an hour in an attempt to find a parking spot on a Saturday afternoon and then still end up leaving, cuz really you don’t need to buy anything there THAT bad…

-          How it is theoretically possible to spend more on CRV for a case of water than on water itself…

-          How some guy was tripping out about my fabulous shoes in the elevator all the way from the 7^th floor to the 1^st…

-          How men are more of caricatures and cheap polaroids than framed art…

-          Or about how you can buy just about everything at a dollar store – even beer…

-          How every single man in the store has to comment on how good my legs look during my Saturday morning grocery shopping trip…

-          How all the shelves in my closest ghetto Wal-Mart are always empty, regardless of when I come there…

-          How your GPS purposefully sends you cruising around on the longest route, probably because it secretly has no idea where you are at…

-          How you cannot take shopping carts out of the store without police escort…

Despite all that…

Every time I walk out on the street, I smile as the song pops into my head…

This has gotta be the good life.

I Drive: The Sexiest Cars of All Time

The Sexiest Cars of All Time