"I Am A Big Star."

Did you watch Charlie Sheen on the Today Show this morning? If you didn't, watch it. He has some points. But overall, you can't help but wonder what kind of a career this guy is going to be able to have from here on out.

But then, America loves a comeback story.

And now "comeback" story in the fictional world is a wonderful and glamorous as that of Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls. (Couldn't embed the clip here. Sorry.)

I really have to get this movie on DVD.

"The whole world loves me!"

Oscar Fashion: The Texture.

So.. While I wouldn't call these the best dresses on the red carpet... I found them provoking in a good way. I loved the texture they brought.

The silky iridescent gown and the silk-covered beads in contrasting colors. The dress is so interesting.

Feathers! Not crazy about the simplicity of the color. And this is a tamer version of a similar dress Penelope Cruz wore a few years back.

Oscar Fashion: The Good.

In my opinion... The Oscar red carpet lacked this year.

LACKED!

Here are the chosen few that I loved...

Marchesa made specially for her. Adorable.

Anne shut it down. Valentino red. Enough said.

Discuss.

Oscar Fashion: The Bad.

You have an amazing figure, and you hide it under this? Someone is depressed.

What is this? Prom 1991.. With Brenda and Kelly showing up in the same dress at Spring Formal.

When you did a Galliano embroidery over silk satin 14 years ago, it was good. Now it's dated.

I feel that you should be running in slow motion on a beach in California. You heard it here first, folks: Calvin Klein is boring.

Grandma, I found the whore who stole your doilies!

Leave your comments... Agree? Disagree?

Breast Milk Ice Cream: Free Range It May Be, But Organic?

Breast feeding, when it comes to babies, is a wonderful thing. If I ever had kids, it's not something I would do... As I don't even like my husband being remotely reliant on me to feed him - or even keep food in this house.

But when it comes to breast milk... No one past the age of one - in my opinion - needs it. So you can imagine how skeeved out I am at the thought of someone making ice cream made out of human breast milk and selling it.

Here is NMAWorldEdition's take on the story...

Eww!

On top of that, they have the audacity to call it "organic"... Which it ain't. "Free range"? Yes. "Organic"? No.

Busiest Time Of The Year!

This is the time of year when things are always busiest at work. You may think that the Fall might be the busiest time... Or December, as the year winds down.

You would be wrong.

I have so much on my plate right now - none of which can be shoved off and delegated to others - that I find myself working nonstop. And I am efficient. More efficient than you can imagine. I could have an efficiency challenge with a former CEO and totally wipe her floor with my skills.

There's just so much to do. So much that I will be working all day tomorrow - Sunday. I worked all day today, after I got home from teaching the early morning class. And now I have at least 12 hours of work ahead of me tomorrow.

At least that much.

I know... No pity. The weight of the world isn't on my shoulders...

...So I need to stop acting like it is.

But come May/June... It will be nice and quiet. That's how it usually goes. But until then, don't kid yourself - Q1 is always the busiest time of the year.

Color For Spring & Summer.

A few weeks back, the color Emerald sent style watchers all in a tizzy... "The color of the season!" "Emerald City!"

I like green. I don't wear much of it. But I do like it. However, I like one color much more... And I think it will be the color to wear this spring and summer...

Red.

Red is a high-energy color. I don't own nearly enough red things... And I am planning to change that this season. I am just crazy about this color.

When I put something red on to my body, I feel more confident. Smarter. Sexier - but not in a whore-ish way. You have to really own your look when you wear red.

Yes, I will definitely be wearing more red this Spring and Summer.

I Should Just Work From Here.

This week in the T&C has been so productive. I have gotten so much done. And I have been able to get some things done for my day job.

I should just move here and work remotely. Then I could enjoy cocktails every afternoon at 2pm...

Though, there are no Bikram studios here. So I guess I will have to 86 this idea.

Cooking On Vacation.

I couldn't take another meal of resort food.

We've only had three meals at the resort: lunch yesterday, dinner yesterday and lunch today.

That was enough for me. I made The Husband walk with me to the grocery store so that I could pick up food to make meals with for the next few days.

Tonight's dinner was tacos.

And they were better than anything we've had so far here.

I realized, as I was cooking, that I don't get to cook as often anymore. I am so busy during the week that by the time I get home from work or yoga, I grab whatever is easy and quick and make that.

It took going on vacation for me to remember to appreciate cooking.

Tomorrow night is pork chops!

When Evening Falls In the T&C...

I am loving this resort even more than I did three years ago when I was last here. The free Wifi makes it so easy for me to get things done while on "vacation."

Seriously, if you ever want to come to Providenciales for a vacation, I highly recommend the Royal Sands. Condo-style suites... We have a washer/dryer, full bath, one bedroom, TWO flat screen TVs, kitchen with dishwasher and cooking utensils/pots-pans...

And a covered patio.

Unlike when I went to Rome three years ago and was mocked by hotel staff for needing to procure 10 hours of Internet, here I just turn on the computer and am online in seconds. I have been so productive in the past two days!

So productive, in fact, I am getting ready to launch a new site. All while drinking a class of pinot and enjoying the evening falling before me.

Marc & Monique.

I haven't had a chance to go through all the online pictures from New York Fashion Week, but so far these two are my favorites...

Monique Lhuillier

Marc Jacobs

Color. I LOVE color!

My Beach Style.

Fuzzy picture... But that's because I had to take it myself, since The Husband hasn't a clue as to how to take a picture.

This is me channeling a late 60s Jackie O. look at the beach. Big sunglasses and a headscarf. Like it!

There's A Grocery Store Here!

I am here in Providenciales (aka "Provo")!

VACATION!!!!

We had a little rain. But it is so warm! And I am fine with the sun not shining when there is warmth. We ran out to the beach for a few minutes... Then walked over to the shopping area we remembered from three years ago.

To our dismay, the little convenience store we usually shopped at was gone. We walked all around the little shopping area, and found no place where we could buy some food to keep stocked in the resort condo we are staying at.

Then, off in the distance, I spotted a tall white building. Just beyond the trees... A couple hundred feet away. We got closer...

A grocery store!!!

They built a grocery store near the resort since we were last here three years ago!

We snagged proper food, for fairly cheap too! And I scored a bottle of wine as well.

Genius!

I love this island so much.

Umeboshi Plums.

When I read The Kind Diet a little over a year ago, I was intrigued by one item recommended for weekly consumption...

Umeboshi plums.

You can't find them in the produce aisle... As they are pickled plums. And it appears you don't even need to refrigerate them - though I do.

You eat one a week. They give you a nice buzz right after eating. A boost of energy! But warning: THEY ARE VERY SOUR AND VERY SALTY.

Like you can not imagine! Oh my God! They make your mouth pucker! And there is a pit right in the middle of them, so be careful of that too.

Vacation. Vacation. Vacation.

Only 14 hours till my flight leaves for vacation.

I can't wait.

Still left to do:

• Finish laundry.
• Finish packing.
• Charge laptop.
• Finish report for client.
• Mail other client some data.

That's all I think I have left to do. Who knows though? Taking my laptop with me in case I remember something while away.

I promise to only check my email a few times while away. A few times a day.

Cold Wintour.

Really, Alicia Keys, this is what you wear when sitting front-row next to Anna Wintour?

Alicia Keys, while talented in music and voice, has always lacked when it comes to style. There are too many examples from the past that demonstrate she has no idea how to dress her beautiful body. And the above is another example to add to the pile.

This is Alicia at the Alexander Wang Fall 2011 show, siting next to the Vogue EIC.

Semi-sheer black hose...Ankle booties... What appears to be a black body-conscious dress... And a matronly sleeveless white blazer...

Honey, who let you walk out the house like that?

Poor Anna looks cold and bored. Can you blame her?

The Wicked Wench.

I don't really ever paint my nails. It's not my thing.

Between the hot yoga and the constant typing at a laptop all day for work, my nails are in no shape to be painted. Professional manicures are a bit of a waste on me. I do buy nail polish, but it is usually for my toe nails.

This season, though, I am switching things up a little bit.

Back in late November, I was reading an article in one of the dozen women's/fashion magazines I read each month when I came across a new Chanel color that was going to be out relatively soon...

Black Pearl.

Since I live in Canada though, and goods aren't as easily available as they are elsewhere, I decided to get in the game early and went straight to the only real department store in Toronto and inquired as to how I could procure this color when it came out.

They put my name on a waitlist.

I didn't actually think I would get it... Because the list was already quite long. But surprisingly, I got the call late Sunday this past week. And by Monday evening, it was all mine!

It's a grey color that has a green luminescence to it.

It's a fun color. I really like it. I feel a bit wicked wearing it.

Sweating & Bikram.

Oh the questions you get asked as a Bikram yoga teacher. I LOVE them!

In the past few weeks, I have had a lot of new practitioners come up to me after class wanting to discussing what they see as a problem: their sweat.

They get that Bikram yoga is done in a hot and humid studio. We crank up the heat to at least 105 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity sits at about 45%. IT'S JUICY! But after the first few classes, they start to notice that the "sweating situation" evolves... Which prompts them to ask a few questions.

"Is sweating this much normal?"

"Why am I sweating more than previous classes?"

"Why am I soaked before class even starts?"

In short: Yes. All of this is normal. All of this is okay. In fact, it is a sign that your body is working the way it is SUPPOSED to be working.

Sweating is your body's way of cooling you down. So when you sweat, it means your body is doing what it should. And the more you sweat, the harder you are working... And the harder your body is working to keep you cool.

So, sweat away! Enjoy it! Just don't wipe it away in class... It will just keep coming back. Be at peace.

LET IT FLOW!

Yoga Stoned = Forgetfulness.

At the end of the day, when I am teaching the last class at the studio, I walk through both the men's and women's locker rooms to tidy things up and collect used towels. But rather than coming out with arms full of towels, lately I am coming out with arms full of goodies.

It seems that everyone is so "yoga stoned" after a class (which is the signal of a good class) that they are leaving some important things behind. Here is what I have collected in the past two weeks on my walk-throughs:

• Water bottles (always at least three)
• Yoga mats
• Yoga shorts
• Bras
• Lingerie
• T3 Hair Dryer (I have this same one. It's $200.)
• Jewelry
• Engagement ring

Seriously.

Last week we found a gorgeous engagement ring. The owner did call and come pick it up the next day. And the T3 I found last night. Expensive stuff!

We collect these things, put them in separate Lost and Founds (bottles on one place, clothes and hair dryer in another, jewelry tucked securely in another). Sometimes people think to ask if we may have found something they lost. But after a few weeks, the bottles and the clothes get donated to charity.

Don't let your yoga buzz make you forget your valuables, yogis! It makes my stomach drop to think of people losing the seriously valuable stuff.

How To Save A Spot For Your Friend In Yoga.

Yoga etiquette. As a yoga practitioner, I am devout in making sure I practice it. As a teacher, I make sure I encourage the students to practice it. But sometimes, people lose their cool in the hot room even before we start sweating in Pranayama.

Oy vey!

Seems like people are really serious about their yoga lately. This is more evident by the full classes where we are all packed in the room mat-to-mat. There isn't much personal space. But no big deal. In Bikram yoga, we're not going beyond our mat (usually) and don't need more than the almost 6' by 2' we get on the traditional mat.

But mats do take up some space. So as a teacher, I encourage students as they are laying out their mats to follow some guidelines:

• Put it over the line.
• Don't put it directly in front of someone or behind someone. Shift it just a few inches to the right or left.
• Be cognizant of the fact that your feet may be in someone's face or your hands may hit their feet... And adjust your mat.
• If you are saving a space for a buddy who will be joining you in class, lay down a towel to save it for them. But in general, if your friend isn't there 5 minutes before the class, you have to allow someone else to take the space.

It's this last one that caused a ruckus recently.

It was a full class. Lots of students were going to be taking it. Space was running out in the room. A student ran into the room in front of other students and threw her mat down HORIZONTALLY.

I figured she was new and didn't realize that all mats have to face front in Bikram yoga. So I turned her mat to allow a few other students to go ahead and lay their mats down. I then left the room.

And that's when things got Cruise-azy.

A few minutes later, one of the students I had made room for came out on the verge of tears.

"That girl's mat you moved... She came back in. Yelled at me and moved my mat over. Right in front of me. I told her a teacher had moved her mat. She didn't care. She was saving a space for her boyfriend. That's why she threw the mat down like that. I am so angry right now. I just walked away to not deal with her."

I was glad to see that this student was being the more mature one. But it demonstrated a need for people to understand that there are ways to save a space for your pal in a yoga class... And ways to not do it. And throwing your mat down horizontally is one way to not do it.

If I see your mat facing the wrong direction, and you are not on it, I am going to fix it. Only because I am assuming you are new and don't know better.

If you want to save a space for your pal, the BEST thing to do is to simply put a towel down and save the space for them. But again, if they are not there 5 minutes before class to lay down their mat, then they lose the space.

Some studios strictly forbid you from saving a space for your pal. Some don't mind, as long as it is done within reason.

Bikram yoga is tough enough without having to worry about cat fights breaking out before class.