Happy New YOU!

I stole that from a Kellogg’s Special K ad I saw in Melbourne last January and I kind of love it. There’s something magical about this time of year. I’m not nearly as into Christmas and the December festivities as I am birthdays (thankfully those come every day) – for the most part I could take or leave the holidays. But I do love starting a new year. It’s a cleansing and refreshing feeling. A fresh start. A blank slate. I love making resolutions, setting goals, and well certainly adopting a few changes – 2009 was definitely one for the books in that respect.

Last year on December 21^st, 2008 – I flew from Toronto to LA en route to Singapore, and eventually Nepal and (finally) Mount Everest. This year on December 21^st, 2009 – I flew from LA to Toronto to spend 6 days with East Coast friends and family. Last year on December 31^st, 2009 – I spent New Year’s Eve with my Nepalese guide and sherpa, neither of whom I’d known for more than a week – as well as couple of other trekkers I met that day. This year on December 31^st, 2009 – I spent New Year’s Eve with new LA friends I met this fall. Last year on January 1^st, 2009 – I trekked to Base Camp, and Kala Patthar - an excess of 20,000 ft. It was minus 40 degrees celsius without the wind chill. I woke up on New Year’s day (at 5am) to a frozen hot water bottle in my sleeping bag. This year on January 1^st, 2009 - I hiked Runyon Canyon – maybe 2,000 ft above sea level at its highest peak. I woke up (at 10am) to 20 degrees celsius and my warm bed. What a difference a year makes. From one extreme to the other, one thing remains the same – it’s a new year!!

Happy 2010. Make it your best year yet.

k

"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself." - Unknown

What I've learned so far in la la...

- Saying “I’m cold” becomes a relative statement very quickly.

- It’s not uncommon for salespeople to hug you hello & goodbye – ok admittedly, after you discovered you were separated at birth.

- Visitors are as good as a visit "home".

- Don't rely on having cell service at LAX, Dodger Stadium, the Rose Bowl - or anywhere with thousands of Los Angelians.

- Spanish is second nature for anyone who grew up here. French really throws people.

- Asking where the washroom is is the same as tattooing a maple leaf on your forehead saying "I'm Canadian".

- You can mapquest things on foot.

- Beware of “boot camp” classes & exercises called “GI Janes”.

- The beach is well worth the price of time and loss of patience sitting in traffic to get there.

- It’s worth the drive to Laguna.

- The yoga in California isn’t always better, you’ve got to find it.

- San Francisco isn’t necessarily a 6-hour drive...

- Fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters are a given.

- When you hear & see a helicopter circling overhead, it’s probably not the next celebrity wedding – there was likely a murder.

- Don’t always trust your GPS.

- Avoid Santa Monica Blvd, Fairfax, and a few other choice streets like the plague – they’re all anyone's GPS knows – and 95% of the city is using one to get anywhere. Beware of congestion...

- There are places you just should not go - EVER. Don’t let the gas light come on when you’re Southeast of anything.

- Runyon is almost always the highlight of my week.

- Boys in LA date date date.

- My trainer would use another word for date…

- If someone wears a blue or red bandanna, they’re likely a blood or a crip. If you ask them and they say no, go with your gut.

- More than half of the cars on the road are ones you’d want to own. People just need to learn to drive them!

- Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.

- Rain REALLY shuts the city down.

- What goes up, must not always come down.

- Whole Foods should be called “Whole Paycheck” - if you have one!

- You could eat out every night and never tire of the restaurants here.

- Nothing beats Rodeo. Avec holiday decorations - even better!

- The Grove really is heaven on earth – or "adult Disneyland".

- Time is different here, 15 min late is on time. Don't ever be early, you'll be kept waiting.

- Anything in the car takes at least 3-4 times longer than mapquest, googlemaps, or your GPS says.

- Valet is cheaper than parking tickets.

- You don’t really appreciate free apples until they’re gone.

- Ryan Seacrest really does run this town. And I love him.

You can take the girl out of Canada, but you can’t take Canada out of the girl. Who'd want to?! Please.

k

PS - That's it for this year... and what a year it's been.

Happy Holidays!! See you in 2010 - with bells on. xoxo

Not so Clueless...

I recently bought and read Alicia Silverstone’s “The Kind Diet”. It caught my eye from its initial release this fall, but having mixed feelings about veganism – I held off. Well I bit the bullet last week, and I read it last night – all of it – in one go. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at meat or animal/ by-products the same way again... I’ve read many books on diet, wellness, cleansing and so on – but this one really resonated. Animal cruelty issues are one thing – but the hormones and other toxins in the highly processed food we eat are another. I haven’t eaten red meat since I was 15 (aside from a few unenjoyable instances I can count on one hand) – I initially cut it out for health reasons. And then as you can imagine, if you try eating something your body hasn’t seen in over a decade – it well – rejects it. Ewa. I don’t miss it, and I rarely crave it. Although filet mignon was my favorite meal until age 15.

Having issues with dairy, I’ve wanted to become vegan for a few years. My main concern being that also having sensitivities to corn and gluten – once you take out chicken, fish, turkey, eggs & anything with animal by-products - there isn’t much left. Reading Alicia’s book, she said a lot of people who adopt a vegan or macrobiotic diet are able to reintroduce whole wheat and gluten products after they’ve practiced clean eating. I’ve never seriously considered macrobiotic. I know Gwyneth and Madonna are fans and clearly look fantastic – I also know they have personal chefs and the extraordinary resources to hardly notice such an extreme and dramatic change in everything they put into their bodies.

Without quoting the entire book – Alicia raves that she easily lost excess weight when she changed her eating and has more energy than ever. Her struggle with acne vanished, she sleeps better and hasn’t been sick once. The list of health benefits seems is endless. The lighter footprint of organic and locavore eating (making an effort to eat only foods grown or harvested within a 100 mile radius of your home), and the cruelty-free animal existence are all added benefits.

So after careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided to try going macrobiotic, and primarily vegan for 2010. A close friend was diagnosed with celiac last year and swears she doesn’t miss the foods that used to make her so sick – food for me is a daily struggle and I’d love to get to a place where it offers more than taste. If you’re going to do something do extreme with everything you consume, LA’s the place!! I’ve looked into a macrobiotic meal delivery service – for a somewhat reasonable price you can have 5 entrees delivered each week – allowing you to add variety, convenience, and ease to your new clean existence.

Some notable celebrity vegetarians, vegans and macrobiotics are:

Macrobiotic fans: Kim Kardashian, Madonna, Gwyneth

Vegans: Ellen Degeneres & Portia de Rossi, Woody Harrelson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Tobey Maguire, Alanis Morrisette (also Canadian!)

Vegetarians: Anne Hathaway, Anna Paquin, Brooke Shields, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Winslet, Brad Pitt (yum)

So yeah - I’m officially LA crazy... Go clean or go home.

k

What did you do last weekend?

Cuz I got bangs. And to those who remember my highly publicized decision to first get bangs last May – it was talked about for weeks… months for a lucky few! And sadly after the big unveiling - no one noticed! They weren’t really bangs at all. Having the same blunt hair cut since I was 15 (after unsuccessfully trying the Rachel – Jennifer Aniston layered look a few times and realizing it doesn’t work with my wavy hair) these small decisions are more than a bit major for me.

Sidebar – like most young girls I had bangs from an early age till I finally grew them out at age 12. They basically started at the crown of my head and complemented my bowl haircut very well. I’ve blocked it out. I don’t want to talk about my first true bang experience thank you.

So these bangs 2.0 aren’t your long layered swept behind the ear type of thing. They are just below my eyebrows, still side swept – but only falling about 4 inches from the top of my forehead. They aren’t deep (I’d say they’re between a quarter and half an inch from the front of my forehead back) - it’s a small and somewhat subtle start, and definitely noticeable. Especially when they decide to stand straight up… I kind of love them, and kind of hate them. They are the change I wanted. Although I’m not sure I need more help looking about 18 – still carded – everywhere! And let’s all remember when I took my California road test back in birthday month, I was asked if I was just getting my license for the first time. Uh – yes, 13 year ago that was the case.

Overall I think we’re in a natural adjustment period. They’re higher maintenance - which was to be expected, requiring a daily blow-dry to cooperate – and I use that term loosely. Working out with them is also a challenge. I’ve tried my lulu headbands (with the rubber grip – I added the faux denim navy one to my collection this weekend in their honor - LOVE) and they do the job for as long as it’ll stay on my head. Next will be the plethora of bobby pins and clips I plan on buying at the Grove.

I won’t include a picture as it'd conflict with my poor attempt of keeping the anonymity of “Style Guru” in tact. That and we’re still adjusting. ☺

k

"Holiday" High Tea

My favorite Christmas movie of all time is “The Holiday” (2006) – actually it’s easily on my short list of favorite movies EVER. A surprising admission, because I don’t like Jude Law… but his character – and Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black - all more than make up for it in this fantastic flick. If you haven’t seen it – watch it. You'll love it. Really. The story lines take place in LA and England over the holidays – two of my favorite places. And I can say that Cameron Diaz’s movie wardrobe is by far the BEST OF ALL TIME. From the Miu Miu white and wool cashmere coat, TSE and Ralph Lauren cashmere scarves and sweaters – to her chocolate brown and white Dior shearling coat. It’s all just fantastic.

With yesterday marking the first Sunday in December, LA is in full-on Christmas-mania (The Grove started this epidemic weeks ago...) – it’s on and it’s time to get festive. With this in mind, my best friend, her boyfriend and I had “Holiday” high-tea at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills yesterday. The list of famous movies filmed here (for $14,000 USD/ day) fills an entire page. The most exciting for me being “The Holiday”… but not at a small price. The Director, Nancy Meyers, wasn’t happy after the first day of filming so the studio paid another $14k to get it right. You really do have to spend to save.

After an hour and a half of chatter over tea, biscuits, various treats and champagne we went on a tour of the mansion– seeing the “dining room” where Cameron Diaz and Jude Law shot the scene where he takes her to lunch (ironically set in England in the movie). It was pretty cool. Some other notable favorites in good company were Ghost Busters, Air Force One, and The Bodyguard. The park ranger who lead the tour said when you see the white and black marble floor in a movie it’s a dead giveaway – I’ll definitely be looking for it in movies to come.

Feliz Navidad!

k

thank you, thank you, thank you, you’re far too kind

After a quick trip to T, I’m back in LA - already home. Thankfully it was unseasonably warm on the East Coast for late November – but that didn’t stop me from wearing SEVERAL layers at all times. It wasn't just an excuse to enjoy my winter wardrobe. I refused to get sick and waking up Thursday morning I could not get warm – eating breakfast with a hat, scarf & earmuffs was quite the sight for my beloved parents. Miss me? ☺ You’d think after 40 below on Everest I wouldn’t turn fair-weathered so soon... Think again. My four days were a whirlwind, the highlight of course seeing as many of your beautiful faces as possible.

Thanks to RH for an incredibly warm, albeit short homecoming and an offer to have my old spot back starting yesterday – greatly appreciated (DUN for life), but it looks like the team is doing just fine… congrats G!! Thanks to the girls for closing the rest as I knew we would, R for brunch “just like old times”, JC for a house I thoroughly LOVE, and MRT for well… Triple T!!! PAW for my fav downtown spot (syrup all around!). K, miss you despite talking every five seconds…. love, love, love AKC, need more of her in my life – Dr PhD, you rock – KRob & JS who isn’t reading this, love you both. LKA you're the BEST. Little red ballers – thanks for th entertainment as always. JD, JF & co - Tgiving 2.0 avec la familia was tres fantastique. M/N thanks for filling my bags - I made it. And L – my #1! Forever & always.

The tough part about seeing people after four months is it makes you miss them more – the silver lining being that I’m back in December for the holidays in uh... three weeks today. We won’t talk about the fact that after that it’s unlikely I’ll make another appearance until cottage season 2010. There will be MANY boathouse roof dates required.

“Good friend are like stars… you don’t always seem them, but you know they are always there.” - Anonymous

Thanks for being my stars, love you!

k

US Tgiving

Since moving to Cali I get asked at least once a week where I’m from – clearly it isn’t here – nothing against my new neighbors, but I don't take this as an insult. I get a lot of "Are you Australian? British?" Others know it’s Canada right away (although six months in, I’ve finally gotten away from ‘eh”… thank GOD!!) – I even had one person say “your from Toronto?!” about two minutes into a conversation. I asked what gave it away, and he said “everything, I go to TIFF every year..." I get teased for my “out” and “about”s on a daily basis – although I’ve yet to start saying “owt” and “abowt”. It’s not like I’m from somewhere where in C with a thick accent. Born and raised in downtown T isn't exactly the boonies. Don't get me started on "z" versus "zzz" - or "o" versus "zero"... creating daily confusion when giving a zip or phone number. And if I ever start with “huh” – please just shoot me right then.

Other things that are a dead giveaway are saying sorry all the time – like if someone walks into me coming out of the elevator – I say “Sorry!” Or hand signaling thank you when someone lets you into their lane. I’ve never had anyone return the favor outside of the Great White North. Although I will say, Americans in California are generally nicer than the rest of the US. Likely because of the weather, or maybe because for the most part – people are probably on vacation!! Or living like we are ☺

My favorite question since moving here has been, “You guys have your own Thanksgiving? What’s it for?” Ha. Yes, we have our own Thanksgiving (not to be confused with America’s Columbus Day, which falls on the same day) – in a different month, and yes we were also founded. It’s almost as good as the blank stares I get when I talk about Boxing Day (usually brought up in the context of Birthday Boxing Day – or the greatest shopping day of the entire year… a day where for years I’d wake up at the crack of dawn to spend my Christmas $$, getting in & getting out before the masses). Our beloved Boxing Day doesn’t exist in the US – ironically, they have their best shopping of the year over Thanksgiving!! It’s a good thing I’ve done enough shopping over the last few months to justify heading to T next week, missing the sales, and catching up with as many of you as humanly possible in four days. Along with the rest of the US, WATW will be closed for business next Wednesday-Friday – oh wait… we haven’t opened yet?!

Clearly Canadian.

k

Perfect "10"

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Jill Martin for WHAT ARE THEY WEARING. Jill is an US Weekly Contributor and TODAY fashion expert. As an Emmy-nominated reporter, she is a famous subject expert for both fashion and sports. Jill’s latest endeavor was her November 16th launch of “Fashion For Dummies”. After being thoroughly impressed by our conversation (this girl knows her stuff!), I sat down with the book this past weekend and within minutes I couldn’t put it down. I’ve read many, many, MANY style and fashion related books and this one is by far the best. It’s informative, well organized, efficient and productive. All of my favorite things! Jill’s message is to find your personal style and simplify your wardrobe - her goal is for you to never say “I have nothing to wear!” again… and to never refuse an invitation, or a night out, because you simply don’t look and feel your best. It's very much in line with WATW's mottos of "great style for all" & "looking great to feel better".

Jill’s simple system has you go through your closet, only keeping things that are a perfect “10” – to quote Jill, “Every item you have should be evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10, and only 10s should remain in your closet.” She goes on to provide a list of guidelines to help you identify what qualifies as a “10”. The same rule applies when shopping - Jill guides you through a list of questions to ask yourself in order to identify if what you buy is something you need, and if so – whether it’s your “10”. She also has a fantastic list of the top ten things every woman’s wardrobe should include, from your go-to little black dress to your classic set of pearls. Jill breaks down dressing for your body type, along with the fundamentals of fabrics, cuts, and styles to help you become a more informed shopper – all the way down to what you wear underneath it all... Most importantly, she tells you how to do it without breaking the bank – with several suggestions such as helpful discount and value retailers and websites. I found it so well written and informative, I pretty much flagged every page (all 332 of them).

Although a good closet clean always seems like an onerous task to get started (like anything, starting is the hardest part) – there are few things as gratifying and cleansing when you're done. Not wanting to set aside the majority of a day, I started with my dresser and I already have a full bag for charity. I’ll be tackling the rest this weekend.

"If you stay ready, you never have to get ready."

- Nick Cannon - Mariah Carey's husband, host of America's Got Talent

“10”s for life.

k

♫ Only thing that's on my mind...

Is who's gonna run this town tonight ♫

Last night I went to the best concert of my life – hands down - a bold statement I don’t make lightly. Who thought I could top U2 only two weeks later – to the day. Shawn Corey Carter – aka Jay-Z - at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. The Pauley Pavilion is best known for hosting the UCLA Bruin’s basketball games – an intimate campus venue holding less than 15k people (especially in comparison to the Rose Bowl’s 95k). Since his latest greatest album “The Blueprint 3.0” dropped in August, Jay’s been touring North America. He was in Toronto last weekend on Halloween Saturday. If you don’t have his album (you’re one of the few - HOV’s 11^th number one sold over a million copies in a matter of weeks) you need it. I bought it - I love it - I listen to it exclusively – along with some of his old skool classics, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, “Izzo”, “Big Pimpin”, “Renegade”… there are too many to list and count. The hip hop mogul has won nine Grammies & nine MTV VMAs – and if last night is any indication... he’s not ready to go home.

Another all-time fav – Rihanna – made a surprise appearance during “Run This Town”, and also sung the first live performance of her new single “Hard” after Jay-Z lovingly said “RhiRhi you ready?”– she was killer. Her new album “Rated R” comes out November 23^rd. Ready!

My LOVE for hip hop is nothing new - thanks to cottage, Collingwood, & early morning Blue Mountain drives (AN, first M's for you!) - and my desire to be of African decent (have you seen Taye Diggs? Please... ). I’ve always liked Jay-Z (especially since he married one of my ultimates - Beyonce "B" Knowles in 2008 after six years of dating – he liked it & he put a ring on it… a $3 million one!!), but recently I have grown to LOVE him. It started when he was on Oprah August 18 – what's not to love during birthday week? Jay took Oprah to the housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn where he grew up. He sold drugs (never taking them) from age 13 for survival – and claims this was how he learned integrity and loyalty. It was also here where he started rapping – fierce lyrics that highlight his incredible intellect. Listen to them closely, his wit is not to be missed☺ Jig has sold more than 30 million records, as well as launching his own Rocawear clothing line (I might wear black for a year straight) & Roc Nation entertainment company. He is a true story of rags to riches – a self-made protégée (so ambitious) who told the crowd last night - "although it might sound cliché, not to let anything stand in the way of your dreams. Screw the haters".

Everyday a star is born.

k

Hollywood Delicious

I’m such a big fan of Taye Diggs that I’m giving him his own post. I’d give him a lot more if he wasn’t married with a newborn…. Ah-hem – sorry L – step dad of the century ☺ Seriously though, he’s one of my top five. Delicious.

Awwwww…

It was last Sunday – my best friend’s parents were in town visiting from Toronto for the weekend – we LOVE visitors! Anyway, after watching the better part of World Series Game Four (damn yanks…) we were out for a quiet Sunday night dinner at a local Italian eatery on Beverly – Angelini (rumored to be the best Italian in LA, I don’t disagree) – when my friend thought she saw Nelly Furtado (go Canada). Turns out, Nelly was Taye’s wife… they do have a strong resemblance – and thankfully that brought her to realize Taye was the star-siting - only a few tables away. There were in a group of five – lucky friends.

Being a fan of all things Kate Walsh (seriously? they broke the mould on that one) – I’ve watched Private Practice since it spun off from Grey’s in '07. Shonda Rhimes has struck gold twice. Kate (Addison)’s clothes on the show are killer – think DVF, Tory, Pucci – you want it, she has it. Although Private Practice wasn’t my introduction to Taye – we go way back to '98 "When Stella Got her Grove Back". We met again in '99 when he was “The Best Man” – the soundtrack alone is worth a rental.

You'll be happy to hear I didn't harass or accost him during his meal - we did do a walk-by to the washroom when I stared and smiled.

That is one lucky wife.

k