Saturday, February 26, 2011

John Galliano/The Sartorialist

Dior's decision to suspend iconic designer John Galliano from his post as creative director of the French fashion powerhouse for passing anti-Semitic remarks which they have zero-tolerance of has sent shockwaves through the fashion industy and has sparked quite the debate as seen by the differing reactions to the Sartorialist's recent post on his thoughts on what had transpired.

I don't think the Sartorialist rigged his post to display only the comments subscribing to his position on the matter as one person alluded he might. In fact, there were many comments of those scoffing at Schuman's suggestion to the fashion world to perhaps take a cue from the sports industry in how they tend to loyally support anyone of their own who find themselves in hot water, steeped in controversy over allegations until they are proven guilty or otherwise.

Although, I agree to a certain extent that such a display of (self-serving?) solidarity is commendable, serious crimes as rape as in the case of Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers are things that definitely shouldn't be glossed over! In the same vein, Galliano's action and resulting suspension from Dior raised the issue of freedom of speech and put into question the fairness of Dior's corporate policy in this regard, but I think that the weightier matter here is the ugly ugly racist streak it revealed....uh, seriously!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Saturday's Loooowwwdown!

Lesson learned: When somebody either feigns or shows genuine interest in wanting to know how your weekend was like, never shrug and non-committaly respond "Aah, uneventful." This week's been a total write-off and I have absolutely nothing even remotely exciting to talk about other than the lowdown of my day: the highlight? There are no highlights! lol. So Jaden's condition has now reached this plateau where he's neither getting better nor worse, he'd run a fever, and I'd get him to take his Tylenol (after much coaxing and exaggerating!) it'd go down, the fever, that is, but after four hours would elaspse, he'd burn up again. Therefore, I figured this warranted a trip to the clinic, (the second time this week) and so this morning, with Maya in tow, the three of us set out to St. Mary's. Yup, so we enjoyed some Spring-like weather the past few days and it was awesome while it lasted but, the temperatures had since plummeted back to a more seasonal cold which made for some very black icy roads today - it's aptly called darn black 'coz you can't see it on the pavement especially under that lovely seemingly innocuous overnight dusting of snow (cough!). So, some punk tries to cut me off, I instinctively hit the brakes on a patch of ice and go careening dangerously close onto the opposite lane, I swear, I see my whole life flash before my eyes! And to think, too that we got set back a couple a hundred, getting our fender fixed just last week!!!

Unnerved and a bit shaky, I have no choice but to carry on, and drop Maya at Grandma's, I figure, I'll take advantage, and leave Jaden there, too, while I head downtown to get his medicare card which, I had just remembered (d'oh!) had forgotten to ask back from Kumar when he took the baby to the doctor last Wednesday. On the way, I pick up my complimentary copy of the FF, am amused to see that my last article is actually on the Editorial page this time and that my name is also included on its list of 'writers,' ok, I'll take that! Because that's really the main reason I had decided to write for them: to get published, lol and maybe to offset, too, the big hit I took, purchasing that fake CG jacket online, lol, no, not the one I wear - that one's real! But wait I actually got a refund for the first jacket after sending it back, yesss waaayyy!!! Ok, so going back, I negotiate the Decarie and arrive downtown, but Kumar's still in a meeting, so I pick up a pastry and coffee at Pain Dore and savor ten blissful minutes of 'me' time. OK, the ten minutes is up, I meet Kumar who's looking all spiffy, take the card, and drive to get Jaden.

I get there, and Grandma's quite pleased that she had managed to get him to eat, among other things, soup and drink, uh, tea, ok, you know you're Sri Lankan, when....lol, anyways, I'm actually quite impressed, as I haven't been nearly as successful in getting food into him this past week, and he's lost all of his chub :( So, I decide to just leave Maya there for the entire weekend, take Jaden and finally proceed to the hospital, negotiate more potholes on the way, find parking, and twenty million years later, walk into St. Mary's!!! After roughly an hour and a half in the waiting room full of sick people, Jaden gets seen by the doctor, we head home the usual way, but the Junction off the 40 onto the 15 North is closed so traffic's being redirected to Acadie rendering it a parking lot. I spend a good fifteen minutes there bumper to bumper during which, I notice a funky smell, emanating from the backseat, I sit bolt upright, turn around and to my horror, Jaden's covered in Grandma's soup and tea...it's all over his $15 H&M "Moncler" jacket, and his new Zara rugby shirt!!! and it's beginning to seep down onto his carseat...never complain that you have no life because it will turn on you...lol!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ahhh Jaden, stop hurling already!!! Is it really so unreasonable to blame it on Kumar for getting us all sick??? ("We were all fine until you gave this to us!!!" "What, haven't you been washing your hands??? Don't you know that it's the single most effective way of preventing the spread of disease"??? "Yes, I realize that some germs are air-borne....still...auugghhh!!!!") Little boys (and big ones, too!) just demand a little more attention and TLC especially when they're sick. I don't remember Maya ever being this needy. Poor thing, though, it's like a quadruple whammy, Jaden's got it all, all at once - miss invincible spoke too soon! Me, smug-face/big-mouth, hasn't been feeling too hot either, but when you're a mom, you're simply not allowed to get sick, so I popped a pill (or two!) and sucked it up...(I miss shopping!)

Ok, I need a drink, OMG between mopping up the poop and barf and changing and washing bedsheets all day and not too mention coaxing a certain stubborn little boy to take his medicine, I'm beyond exhausted and beside myself with worry...Farah says "it's five somewhere." Well, I'll remember that when I have one well before noon tomorrow, too!!!

Oh, also please check out the latest post on 52 Weeks...thanks for passing by:)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Unshakable slothdom, unshakable slothdom, what else can I say, it's not easy to maintain two blogs. Here's where I've been spending a bit more of my time lately.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Sartorialist's Two-Cents on Half-Inch (or more!) of Shirt-Cuff....

I truly love and look forward to my daily Scott Schuman/The Sartorialist pic "fix" so you could imagine how I relished actually reading his insightful two-cents on the subject of sleeve-length and how he tactfully addressed the obvious lack of consensus among his followers as to how much shirt-cuff should really show beneath a suit or peek out of outerwear.

This is the second time since I've recently began following Schuman's blog, that I observed how he had silenced his critics with such modesty and diplomacy, the first incident, involving a picture of a "duct taped boot" that raised quite the controversy which he settled by simply directing everyone's attention to and having them watch "A Visual Life" - a beautiful mini-docu on the creative process behind The Sartorialist and conclusively rest his case.

This quiet dignity resonated with me, reminding me of Kumar's own forebearance in the face of skepticism over his elevated sartorial taste. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory, but rising above it with such class is so gentlemanly!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Green Hornet

So I think Seth Rogen nailed his Britt Reid/the Green Hornet character. Well, one would hope so especially since he co-wrote the movie, which I think makes the guy just short of genius - he's hyper and hilarious and I totally dig him and found myself (mentally) finishing all of the punchlines the way sweethearts end each other's sentences - or at least, are supposed to!

I read a review criticizing the "body count" in the movie, hmmm, true, there were some very fleeting graphic scenes/images of comic-book violence where you should really get your (older) kids to avert their eyes but again, really comes as no surprise in this sad time and age when Obama's sick puppy-streaker's antic aroused more sympathy than outrage (lol). But that's my personal point of view. As much as the movie is supposed to be an action-comedy, to me it was actually quite sobering and served as a poignant reminder of the role and responsibility of media in today's world. I, of course liked how it legitimized blogging as a serious form of communication (wazzz uppp!!!) Well, ok, it might have been a bit misleading because no editor-in-chief will ever amass as much wealth as Britt's mogul dad, James Reid did in his abruptly abbreviated lifetime (especially working for a Canwest outfit) but, the movie drove home the point that the pen is in fact, a weapon, and how no sum of hush money or amount of terrorizing to silence will ever extinguish the fire within an ardent writer (even of one just starting in her "twilight," ok, that was from the movie, too, which kind of hit a bit too close to home lol!). Just watch the movie and you'll see!!!