This week is eating disorders awareness week. It is ironic therefore that Miss Beckham – the vain little twiglet – has made headlines for choosing what can only be described has a stick insect with a pout to represent her 2010 fashion range. At New York fashion week she picked the skeletal model Eugenia Mandzhieva to for her catwalk show. For those of you who don’t know who this is – you will be able to find her photo on pro-anorexia websites as ‘thinspiration’. I will not be putting her ribby little body on my blog, that’s for sure!
Victoria Beckham defends skinny models by arguing that most of them are “naturally” that thin. I love that phrase – “naturally skinny” – the fashion world’s golden excuse. Seriously - concave cheeks and big black bags under sunken eyes – that’s hardly Mother Nature’s way is it? Just because this model looks like a blade of grass when she stands sideways on does not mean that she has a “natural” body shape.
Sufferers of eating disorders are getting younger. Both men and women become victims. I find Victoria’s behaviour highly irresponsible and disagree with selfish creatures like her being allowed to bask in the media limelight.
If you’d actually like to find out more about eating disorders and the devastating impact they have on sufferers and their families then please check out http://www.pale-reflections.com/. This website provides information of symptoms to look out for if you suspect a loved one is ill and it gives advice on how to deal with their illness gently and helpfully.
We’re bored of the skinny fashion brigade now. Curves are in – they always have been – so don’t you forget it.
Wishing you good health,
Emzikles xxx
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Rave About...Travel! (Barcelona)
Last weekend I was whisked away to Barcelona and had the time of my life.
My preconceptions of this city were only that it was the pickpocketing capital of Europe and that there would be a lot of ridiculous mime artists. Only one of those things was proven to be true - the mime artists really are insane!
We ('we' being myself and my fella) arrived in Barcelona on Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel - the Hotel 1898. It was situated on Las Ramblas, which is a promenade just over a kilometre long that cuts through the core of the city centre. Along this boulevard are little cafes and shops as well as the countless mime artists who pose for tourists. One of the strangest "artists" we saw was a man dressed as a baby in a big square crib... very odd! It's certainly a lively street though and well worth a wander. There is also the busy 'Boqueria' market, which sells fruits, vegetables, sweets, nuts, fish and meats. It is a brightly coloured mish mash of fresh produce and their various smells. It is definitely a must see for tourists visiting the city.
At the southern end of the ramblas is Port Vell, where we found a tapas bar called "Tapa Tapa". It served a variety of tapas and we munched our way through a salmon tartare dish, a plate of patatas bravas, cheesy croquettes, mini burgers and a caesar salad that even converted my vegetable-hating boyfriend! I also made the mistake of ordering the most potent Caipirinha (cocktail made with cachaca) ever. Sitting by the sea with good food, drink and of course company is very relaxing and a must when visiting Barcelona.
Unfortunately that night it rained hard angry bullets of rain and as James and I scampered through the side streets of El Raval we quickly became both wet and frustrated. The restuarant we wanted didn't seem to exist and to find somewhere dry we settled for the worst of the city's eateries (this is of course the title we gave it after sampling its wares). It's name was Tapas Gaudi and it was horrible. The food was overpriced and oversalted and the door was left open so cold drafts kept coming in. Poor Gaudi is probably turning in his grave to know that such a shit hole is being named after him.
Fortunately for us our beautiful hotel has a spa facility with a gorgeous hydro-pool, sauna and steam room. We took full advantage of it and highly reccommend it to you should you choose to visit Barcelona. It's worth the extra pennies.
Saturday morning after relaxing in the spa we set out to venture north of Las Ramblas. We stumbled upon a cute cafe called Bracafe in which we ate breakfast (melt in the mouth croissants, coffee and a 'batido' - a type of smoothie) for under ten euros. Then we visited the famous Sagrada Familia - Antoni Gaudi's amazing cathedral, which has been under construction since 1882.
This amazing building is worth the queue which actually seems to move pretty quickly when you're ogeling at the sheer genius of Gaudi's imagination (manifest in the shapes and aesthetics of this triumphant building). Carvings and patterns in the Passion Facade are incredible and generate well-deserved awe from onlookers. Inside, the stained glass windows take your breath away as the light pours through. There is something joyful about them. For those who venture up the tower (in a tiny lift for 2 Euros 50 cents more) keep in mind the height! If you suffer vertigo like my partner then don’t do it! If not then soak up the feeling – a thrill so great it’s almost unbearable. Look at the stunning views, close ups of Gaudi’s nature inspired towers and slices of Spain sneaking through slit stone windows.
After this we walked across to Palau Robert and down Passe de Gracia where we ate lunch at a tapas restaurant called Txapela. This was wonderful although we both learnt how strong the sangria is as we found ourselves accidentally drunk at 3pm on a Saturday! Then we continued walking past some more Gaudi buildings to the Plaza Catalunya, which is just north of the ramblas and has two beautiful fountains. That night we had cava in the hotel bar before crossing to The Attic – a wonderful orange restaurant that gave us a complimentary Kir Royale on arrival and served tasty food including cannelloni, asparagus tempura, sardines on toast and ox burger with home-made chips and sauces. Yummy!
On Sunday after yet another spa session we walked down Las Ramblas and into the Barri Gotic quarter. There we visited the cathedral La Seu, which literally brought me close to tears with its magnificence. The choir were singing and people crossed themselves as they left. We then had breakfast at a nearby cafe called Cafe d’en Victor. We got coffee, tea, a croissant and a donut for the tiny price of 5 Euros. Bargain. Then we had a look around the small art gallery opposite the cafe and explored more of the poky streets. For 4 Euros 30 cents each we had a look around the museum of chocolate (the tickets were chocolate bars). This space shows off chocolate artworks and facilitates chocolate making lessons for the city’s youngsters.
We were beaten into the Picasso museum by a huge group of tourists so instead we wandered over to the Parque Ciutadella and the Arc de Triomf. The park was wonderful. There were people meditating and we found the beautiful fountain complete with a statue of Venus. After this we had lunch in the Port Vell area (yummy pizza near the shopping complex) and I bought a t-shirt for 1 Euro at a bargain shop! Then we walked back up Las Ramblas where there was a market selling hats, jewellery and other knick knacks. Next it was back to the hotel and of course the hydro-pool. After all that walking around a pampering session is only right!
On Monday morning it was time to go so after a stroll down Las Ramblas one last time we found a cafe for breakfast. It is called Escriba and it specialises in chocolate. Famous clients include Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who both had chocolate F1 themed gifts made for them. For fewer than ten Euros we had croissants and hot chocolate before setting off to the airport. The one place we noticed that we hadn’t and probably should have visited (among many of course) was the Museum d’Erotica, which I’m sure would have been a giggle. Other than that I think we really made the most of a great weekend in a beautiful city that I highly recommend you visit at least once in your lifetime.
My preconceptions of this city were only that it was the pickpocketing capital of Europe and that there would be a lot of ridiculous mime artists. Only one of those things was proven to be true - the mime artists really are insane!
We ('we' being myself and my fella) arrived in Barcelona on Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel - the Hotel 1898. It was situated on Las Ramblas, which is a promenade just over a kilometre long that cuts through the core of the city centre. Along this boulevard are little cafes and shops as well as the countless mime artists who pose for tourists. One of the strangest "artists" we saw was a man dressed as a baby in a big square crib... very odd! It's certainly a lively street though and well worth a wander. There is also the busy 'Boqueria' market, which sells fruits, vegetables, sweets, nuts, fish and meats. It is a brightly coloured mish mash of fresh produce and their various smells. It is definitely a must see for tourists visiting the city.
At the southern end of the ramblas is Port Vell, where we found a tapas bar called "Tapa Tapa". It served a variety of tapas and we munched our way through a salmon tartare dish, a plate of patatas bravas, cheesy croquettes, mini burgers and a caesar salad that even converted my vegetable-hating boyfriend! I also made the mistake of ordering the most potent Caipirinha (cocktail made with cachaca) ever. Sitting by the sea with good food, drink and of course company is very relaxing and a must when visiting Barcelona.
Unfortunately that night it rained hard angry bullets of rain and as James and I scampered through the side streets of El Raval we quickly became both wet and frustrated. The restuarant we wanted didn't seem to exist and to find somewhere dry we settled for the worst of the city's eateries (this is of course the title we gave it after sampling its wares). It's name was Tapas Gaudi and it was horrible. The food was overpriced and oversalted and the door was left open so cold drafts kept coming in. Poor Gaudi is probably turning in his grave to know that such a shit hole is being named after him.
Fortunately for us our beautiful hotel has a spa facility with a gorgeous hydro-pool, sauna and steam room. We took full advantage of it and highly reccommend it to you should you choose to visit Barcelona. It's worth the extra pennies.
Saturday morning after relaxing in the spa we set out to venture north of Las Ramblas. We stumbled upon a cute cafe called Bracafe in which we ate breakfast (melt in the mouth croissants, coffee and a 'batido' - a type of smoothie) for under ten euros. Then we visited the famous Sagrada Familia - Antoni Gaudi's amazing cathedral, which has been under construction since 1882.
This amazing building is worth the queue which actually seems to move pretty quickly when you're ogeling at the sheer genius of Gaudi's imagination (manifest in the shapes and aesthetics of this triumphant building). Carvings and patterns in the Passion Facade are incredible and generate well-deserved awe from onlookers. Inside, the stained glass windows take your breath away as the light pours through. There is something joyful about them. For those who venture up the tower (in a tiny lift for 2 Euros 50 cents more) keep in mind the height! If you suffer vertigo like my partner then don’t do it! If not then soak up the feeling – a thrill so great it’s almost unbearable. Look at the stunning views, close ups of Gaudi’s nature inspired towers and slices of Spain sneaking through slit stone windows.
After this we walked across to Palau Robert and down Passe de Gracia where we ate lunch at a tapas restaurant called Txapela. This was wonderful although we both learnt how strong the sangria is as we found ourselves accidentally drunk at 3pm on a Saturday! Then we continued walking past some more Gaudi buildings to the Plaza Catalunya, which is just north of the ramblas and has two beautiful fountains. That night we had cava in the hotel bar before crossing to The Attic – a wonderful orange restaurant that gave us a complimentary Kir Royale on arrival and served tasty food including cannelloni, asparagus tempura, sardines on toast and ox burger with home-made chips and sauces. Yummy!
On Sunday after yet another spa session we walked down Las Ramblas and into the Barri Gotic quarter. There we visited the cathedral La Seu, which literally brought me close to tears with its magnificence. The choir were singing and people crossed themselves as they left. We then had breakfast at a nearby cafe called Cafe d’en Victor. We got coffee, tea, a croissant and a donut for the tiny price of 5 Euros. Bargain. Then we had a look around the small art gallery opposite the cafe and explored more of the poky streets. For 4 Euros 30 cents each we had a look around the museum of chocolate (the tickets were chocolate bars). This space shows off chocolate artworks and facilitates chocolate making lessons for the city’s youngsters.
That night we walked up to the Rambla Catalunya to a bar called Da Luca where we were served a cava, a beer and complimentary kiwi fruit for 9 Euros. After this we headed to Tuset and from that onto the Ptge D’Arcadia where we found the infamous Flash Flash restaurant. This quirky and originally decorated place serves tortillas (which are actually omelettes) for a very reasonable price.
On Monday morning it was time to go so after a stroll down Las Ramblas one last time we found a cafe for breakfast. It is called Escriba and it specialises in chocolate. Famous clients include Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who both had chocolate F1 themed gifts made for them. For fewer than ten Euros we had croissants and hot chocolate before setting off to the airport. The one place we noticed that we hadn’t and probably should have visited (among many of course) was the Museum d’Erotica, which I’m sure would have been a giggle. Other than that I think we really made the most of a great weekend in a beautiful city that I highly recommend you visit at least once in your lifetime.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Rant About... music!
Specifically, this is a rant about a musician rather than his music (which I still maintain is lyrically genius)...
But alas John Mayer you massive NOOB!
No doubt you've heard about the now infamous Playboy interview in which the singer, as his song states, has certainly "said too much again".
Highlights of the interview include Mayer recalling how he tongue kissed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton in an intense manner OR, as John would put it, "almost as if I hated fags".
Other gems include his likening of his struggle to that of a "black dude's" and commenting that his penis is "sort of like a white supremacist"...
JOHN, COME AWAY FROM THAT LEDGE, YOU'RE ABOUT TO COMMIT SOCIAL SUICIDE... WAIT, JOHN, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
On the positive side John has apologised for his comments at a recent concert. Plus, you can't say he didn't warn you - he wrote a whole song about his 'stupid mouth' and I still applaud him for his honesty.
I suppose it's impossible to deny that Mr. Mayer often comes out with some pretty cringe-worthy statements but, in my view, it's also impossible to say he's not a great song-writer and musician.
John my sweet, I still love you. I just think you need to come to mine and have a cuppa, a nice rich tea biscuit and a lecture on how not to offend the masses. Deal?
Emzikles xxx
But alas John Mayer you massive NOOB!
No doubt you've heard about the now infamous Playboy interview in which the singer, as his song states, has certainly "said too much again".
Highlights of the interview include Mayer recalling how he tongue kissed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton in an intense manner OR, as John would put it, "almost as if I hated fags".
Other gems include his likening of his struggle to that of a "black dude's" and commenting that his penis is "sort of like a white supremacist"...
JOHN, COME AWAY FROM THAT LEDGE, YOU'RE ABOUT TO COMMIT SOCIAL SUICIDE... WAIT, JOHN, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
On the positive side John has apologised for his comments at a recent concert. Plus, you can't say he didn't warn you - he wrote a whole song about his 'stupid mouth' and I still applaud him for his honesty.
I suppose it's impossible to deny that Mr. Mayer often comes out with some pretty cringe-worthy statements but, in my view, it's also impossible to say he's not a great song-writer and musician.
John my sweet, I still love you. I just think you need to come to mine and have a cuppa, a nice rich tea biscuit and a lecture on how not to offend the masses. Deal?
Here's hoping,
Monday, 15 February 2010
Company Magazine
I got into Company magazine.
Yippee!
They're a great magazine - lots of issues us women have to tackle are investigated and when we get fed up of that there's the gossip of course.
Here's the letter I sent in, which got me 'Star Letter' for the March issue.
It's on a subject that I feel very passionately about so I'm proud to have won for that month.
Much love as always,
Emzikles xxx
Yippee!
They're a great magazine - lots of issues us women have to tackle are investigated and when we get fed up of that there's the gossip of course.
Here's the letter I sent in, which got me 'Star Letter' for the March issue.
It's on a subject that I feel very passionately about so I'm proud to have won for that month.
Much love as always,
Emzikles xxx
Rave About...FASHION!
Ok then, time for some fashion.
I have shopping on the brain but no pennies to spend. Instead I thought I would recommend some goodies for you to treat yourself to!
First up I found this over the shoulder bag from Weird Fish (online at http://www.weirdfish.co.uk/)
My second recommendation comes in the form of these adorable heels from Miss Selfridge...
I have shopping on the brain but no pennies to spend. Instead I thought I would recommend some goodies for you to treat yourself to!
First up I found this over the shoulder bag from Weird Fish (online at http://www.weirdfish.co.uk/)
Lots of space for books, paper, pens etc so great for Uni students. I particularly love the seahorse 'S' - really cute. It's priced at £25 and it's good quality so unlike your Primark 'bargains' it won't fall apart in a month!!
They retail at £35 but the nude colour is really big at the moment and, come summer, I bet these yummy heels will still draw compliments! Additionally, Miss Selfridge usually have a good student discount so yay for that!
Speaking of summer, my final fashion must-have is a dress that will be perfect when the sun comes out.
I am a little bit in love with this dress from BooHoo (Online at http://www.boohoo.com/) and when I have some money I'll be snapping it up...
This polka dot beauty is only £20 and comes in sizes 10-16.
Bless BooHoo for their treasure trove of fashion.
Anyway, that's all for February's fashion but I'll give you another update on bargain buys in March.
Happy shopping.
Emzikles xxx
Rave About... ART!
Hi there and welcome to my first piece of constructed waffle!
My blogging debut is about an artist that I am currently fascinated by and whose work I first enountered at theVenice Biennale in 2009. Nathalie Djurberg is a Swedish artist specialising in stop motion claymation (clay animation).
Her mixed media Biennale installation was made up of videos, music and sculptures and earned her the festival's Silver Lion Award. Walking into it was like walking into a twisted Grimm Brothers story; a nightmare 'Garden of Eden'. All around the room were giant wax like flowers which gave the impression not only that they were alive but that they were moving; dripping slime from their petals.
The main features of the installation were, of course, Djurberg's short films, which are accompanied by Hans Berg's disjointed and unsettling soundscapes. The nature of Nathalie's stop motion films may not be to everyone's taste; deeply dark and perplexingly comic they tell stories with clay protagonists (usually female, usually naked). There is a lot of gore, surrealism and perversion to these films but the are tremendously watcheable. One film shows two characters running through a possessed forest whose trees attack and dismember them, the other shows a woman whose own limbs turn against her, breaking free from her torso to torture and demoralize her. It's dark stuff but it's strangely beautiful and crafted with imagination and skill.
As I see it, art accomplishes something truely admirable when it changes the perceptions of those who observe it. After seeing Djurberg's work at the Biennale (and later on online archives) I felt that my perceptions and my process of seeing and understanding the world has certainly shifted.
To see some of Nathalie's work follow this link: http://www.zachfeuer.com/nathaliedjurberg.html
I hope my first blog has been an enjoyable read.
Emzikles xxx
My blogging debut is about an artist that I am currently fascinated by and whose work I first enountered at theVenice Biennale in 2009. Nathalie Djurberg is a Swedish artist specialising in stop motion claymation (clay animation).
Her mixed media Biennale installation was made up of videos, music and sculptures and earned her the festival's Silver Lion Award. Walking into it was like walking into a twisted Grimm Brothers story; a nightmare 'Garden of Eden'. All around the room were giant wax like flowers which gave the impression not only that they were alive but that they were moving; dripping slime from their petals.
The main features of the installation were, of course, Djurberg's short films, which are accompanied by Hans Berg's disjointed and unsettling soundscapes. The nature of Nathalie's stop motion films may not be to everyone's taste; deeply dark and perplexingly comic they tell stories with clay protagonists (usually female, usually naked). There is a lot of gore, surrealism and perversion to these films but the are tremendously watcheable. One film shows two characters running through a possessed forest whose trees attack and dismember them, the other shows a woman whose own limbs turn against her, breaking free from her torso to torture and demoralize her. It's dark stuff but it's strangely beautiful and crafted with imagination and skill.
As I see it, art accomplishes something truely admirable when it changes the perceptions of those who observe it. After seeing Djurberg's work at the Biennale (and later on online archives) I felt that my perceptions and my process of seeing and understanding the world has certainly shifted.
To see some of Nathalie's work follow this link: http://www.zachfeuer.com/nathaliedjurberg.html
I hope my first blog has been an enjoyable read.
Emzikles xxx
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