Daniel Merriweather: Soul + Motown + Funk = My perfect artist

I've got a thing for voices like this. Some have called me an old soul, because at 12 years old, I preferred Paul Simon and Billy Joel to New Kids on the Block, although I did do my fair share of following the pop idols. (Hello, Madonna is still my number one girl!)
My friends joke that I know every single word to every single song. It's odd. I can't remember anything short term like where my keys are or someone's name that I met 5 minutes ago, but a song I haven't heard in 25 years, I can rhyme off like I wrote it.

Around the second year I was living in Toronto, I became friends with a couple who were 15 and 20 years my senior, but taught me so much about the way of the world and I do believe I met my soulmates as elders. In the span of our ten year friendship, we spent many nights discussing vintage wines, politics, spirituality, fine food. Amongst all these evenings at their dinner parties, or cottage up north or funky restaurants was the theme of music; sometimes in discussion but always in the background.

They introduced me to someone amazing named Jonny Lang who I had the pleasure of seeing live at the Danforth Music Hall.
This guy, at a mere age of FIFTEEN years old, wrote and recorded one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard. It utterly bewildered me that someone this young could have such a hauntingly gritty and soulful voice, as if he'd lived through the trauma and experience that usually inspire blues music.

Similar in style to some of my other favourites, Robin Thicke (who so happens to be the son of Canadian actor from the t.v. show "Growing Pains" Alan Thicke), Adele, James Morrison, Joss Stone, is someone who I've newly discovered: Daniel Merriweather.

I don't know much about him but what I have heard so far, I'm in love with! I think you'll recognize these songs when you hear them. The first one, I could have sworn in the first two minutes sounded exactly like 80's star Kim Wilde ("Keep me hangin' on") and then I chuckled when I heard the last part of the song. The songs I have linked you to below are: "Stop Me" and the latest, "Red." "Impossible" and "Change" are also great tracks. I hope you enjoy them like I do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=S4kBr5WWiBM&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1NCmDYeymo

Kelly Cutrone: "If you have to cry, go outside, and other things your mother never told you"

I spent an hour at Chapters tonight and got through about 40 pages of the above mentioned book, written by the owner of clothing line "People's Revolution" and who was featured on the brutal yet addicting television show "The City", a spinoff of one of reality show's worst "The Hills". Kelly Cutrone would be my biggest fear of a boss yet simultaneously, a mentor or elder who would teach me the ways of the world. Wow. When I see her rip into her staff, my knees go weak and I get a lump at my throat. I actually feel the awkward tension in the moments they display and think, if that was me, I would die on the spot. Like literally, dig a hole, and crawl into it and away from her as fast as I can. It's that same sort of fear that attracts me to her writing.

Here is a synopsis, taken from inside the jacket of her book, as well as a clip from the premiere of "The City".

Kelly Cutrone has long been mentoring women on how to make it in one of the most competitive industries in the world. She has kicked people out of fashion shows, forced some of reality television's shiny stars to fire their friends, and built her own company—one of the most powerful PR firms in the fashion business—from the ground up. Through it all, she has refused to be anything but herself.

Kelly writes in her trademark, no-bullshit style, combining personal and professional stories to share her secrets for success without selling out. Let's face it: this is a different world than the one in which our mothers grew up, and Kelly has created a real girl's guide to making it in today's world. Offering a wake-up call to women everywhere, she challenges us to stop the dogged pursuit of the “perfect life” and discover who we are and what we really want. Then she shows us how to go out there and get it. Much of our culture teaches us to muzzle our inner voice and follow the crowd; Kelly enables us to stop pretending and start truly living.

With chapters on how to find your tribe (those like-minded souls who make your heart sing), how sometimes a breakdown is really a breakthrough, and how there is no such thing as perfection, Kelly also shares practical advice, such as how to create a personal brand and how sometimes you have to fake it to make it.

Raw, hilarious, shocking, but always the honest truth, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside calls upon you to gather up your courage like an armful of clothes at a McQueen sample sale and follow your soul wherever it takes you. Whether you're just starting out in the world or looking to reinvent yourself, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside will be the spark you need to figure out what you have to say to the world—and how you're going to say it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxxkI9c-3JQ

Understanding HST

When I heard the services I currently already pay an arm and a leg for are increasing even more, I panicked. I'm still not entirely sure of the ins and outs of this new Harmonized Sales Tax and I work for an Accounting firm.

Here is a link to help us all better understand how HST will affect you, either at the consumer or business level. The video tutorials are quite helpful.

http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/en/taxchange/hst.html

What's in the bag?

If you're anything like me, you thoroughly enjoy a great before and after segment of anything, whether it's your home after it's been cleaned from a night spent with friends and family, to a woman who began with little confidence on an episode of TLC's "What Not To Wear" and is completely transformed into believing in herself towards the end of the show.

Everyday life as I see it these days is maddeningly chaotic and busy and becomes even more complex for the ever-juggling women (or Superwomen as I often refer to) who are trying to figure out a way to be a mother, wife, career woman, hostess, daughter, sister, friend, neighbour, entertainer, housekeeper, fashionista, lover and the list goes on and on.

Who has time to think about themselves? Fortunately for me, I stumbled upon Carmindy Acosta's website where she discusses her favourite makeup products, saving you both time and money in figuring out what actually works! If you click on the past newsletters of her website, she discusses trends, her favourite things and what really works in terms of makeup products.

I hope you find this site useful and fun! :)

http://www.carmindy.com/

Eat Pray Love - A novel about finding yourself

Around the time I turned 30 years old, I was feeling a little or should I say a whole lot lost. I was living on my own in Toronto at a job that I didn't despise, yet didn't quite flourish in either. I had made several self-depricating choices and mistakes in regards to friends, boyfriends, roommates and jobs. My mom once told me that when I was young, I would always choose whatever bad kid was in the class and bring them home as my best friend. Over and over, I would get hurt but seemed to derive great pleasure in helping people or having someone to need me.

After a devastating failed relationship, I noticed a pattern in my behaviour and just how much I had let others control how I felt during and after the end of a relationship.

I stumbled upon Eat, Pray, Love by chance. I rarely watch television but had happened to be home early from work one day and flipped past Oprah. I halted the channel when I heard Elizabeth Gilbert's story. It was then that I decided I must read this book she was discussing, based on her life, as so much of what she was saying resonated within myself and really spoke to my situation and stage in life.

From an outsider, Gilbert seemed to have the typical American dream...she was in her thirties, married, beautiful home and career as a writer. The dreaded question that every thirty year old woman has to endure almost as often as there is another load of laundry to do is when or why you are not pregnant. Secretly, she was rejoicing every month she realized she was not. Gilbert went through a depression as her marriage ended and she discovered through this hilarious and touching self-introspection, that she really wanted to find a way to be responsible for her own contentment.

The next year was spent travelling through Italy, where she learned the pleasure of Italian culture, beauty, passion and food (EAT). She then spent the next four months in India where she practiced the art of devotion with help from a spiritual guru (PRAY). She ends the year in Bali, Indonesia where she meets a very wise and elderly medicine man, and fell in love in a very unexpected way. (LOVE).

Now, Gilbert, a seemingly average American, has a second novel following "Eat, Pray, Love" entitled "Committed". Her best selling book of self-discovery throughout 3 areas in the world that begin with the letter "I", has made it to Hollywood where none other than Julia Roberts plays her role.

Here is the trailer to the movie, but I am a firm believer that the book is always better!

Enjoy.

http://www.letyourselfgo.com/

Outwit negative people

Isn't it annoying when people feel the need to say things to you like: "You have too much time on your hands"? I continually strive to be a wholesome, loving and positive person yet often am faced with negative comments from people who feel the need to criticize who I am or what I spend my time doing.

What's really happening when people critique areas of your life that have no concern to them, is obvious. Instead of the lovely alternative which would be "Wow, I wish I had time to do something like that" or "Great job!", is something that I have learned within myself over the span and personal growth of my life. When internally I feel negativity towards another individual who did absolutely nothing wrong to me, it's usually a void in myself or something I'm envious of and I try to spot that instantly and use those feelings to productively push myself to strive for whatever it is I am missing.

You know what they say, when you point a finger at someone, there is usually three more fingers pointing back at yourself.

The next time someone implies you aren't busy enough, ask them to itemize their important daily agendas to justify all the time they DON'T have.

I try to live by a simple phrase that my grandmother used to say: "Always be kind and always be nice. " Confucious say: A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.

Finally, Albert Einstein said: "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”

The Drake Hotel

I lived in Toronto for almost ten years and in that span of time, frequented many watering holes from full out 10,000 square foot nightclubs in the Entertainment District, to intimate lounges and pizzerias on College Street, and funky little discos on King.

I think a good portion of my disposable income in this decade evaporated into the crowded scene of Toronto's nightlife. And I loved every minute of it.

Often, friends or colleagues will ask me what is a happening spot to take out of town guests, or to celebrate a bachelorette party, or where a unique spot for a corporate function would be in the city of T.O.

One place that I always recommend whole-heartedly is the Drake Hotel. Nestled on a corner at Queen and Bathurst, this place has got the whole package going for them. It first was established in 1890 as a hotel and throughout the decades, changed hands from multiple owners. Leaping into the 21st century, there is something for everyone at this cool, artsy and funky venue. My mom came from out of town to stay with me one weekend and wanted me to take her where I frequent on the weekends. I laughed when the same woman who adores living in the country, wanted to join some friends and I at the Drake one Friday evening.

The dining room, lounge and rooftop terrace allow a wide selection of cuisine including raw food menu, brunch, and anything ranging from burgers to gourmet. The Mojitos are to die for and so is the vibe, giving the overall experience a fun, cultural and memorable evening. With a sense of urgency, I begged my husband-to-be at the time of our engagement, to agree with having our wedding reception at the Drake, but we decided that wouldn't be the most practical idea I've ever had. (But it would have been SO very much me) :)

And if you've had one too many, you can always check yourself into one of the 19 unique rooms of the hotel, where every room is different and boasts unique artifacts and linens designed for luxury.

There is a calendar of events lined up at the Drake and you're bound to run into someone famous, at this urban and chic destination.

Don't just take my word for it, you need to go!

http://www.thedrakehotel.ca/