Favorite Things Right Now

I'm reading de Sade's mammoth e-book 'Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings' rite now. Ok, so i wanted to read Justine...Is that such a crime?! But what i found in this book is perhaps even better than an aged man whipping and sodomizing a teenaged French girl (IMHO). I'm refering to 'Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man.' That de Sade was an atheist is no surprise; but some of the stuff in this little crackler of an article makes sense to me. Certainly doesn't seem like the ravings of a "mad man." I only wish i had Dialogues presented to me in the form of a play while i enjoyed butter pop corn and applauded every time the dying man finished a sentence.

This particular French Vogue cover [dt Oct 2002]. Dont know what it is about it that's so strikingly unforgettable. And while we are on the subject of ooh-so-chic Paris, kudos to Indian Vogue for featuring reprints from French Vogue two months in a row. Frenchies do it soo much better than bland American editorials.

Saying the name Blagojevich. Better yet, having hunky Jon Steward saying Blagojevich over and over on The Daily Show. Does Blagojevich actually write his last name with a "ch"? Shouldn't it be Blagojevic in true Serbian fashion? For the uninitiated, its pronounced "Blug-o-ya-witch."

DrinkDeeplyAndDream.com. I'm still reading Dracula, so Googling up vampires was natural. Strangely, i feel comforted reading this website about "real life vampires who are normal human beings." Everyone has a little bit of vampire in them. Blood is organically sexy. Biting is sexy and super-arousing. I'm happy with a bite-happy chappie who sucks me dry. Leave the whole UnDead bit out of it. That scares me at night.

Social Anthropology. All the coolest shows i like on NatGeo (urm, namely "Taboo") feature grey-haired people talking social anthropology. This has interested me forever, but just never read enough about it. Finally, i've downloaded/bookmarked two books on social anthropology.

Christmas sweets: Marzipan, chocolates, and cake! That to me is Christmas. Not carols. And not a fat guy ho-ho-hoing.

Bradley Cooper's Kitchen Confidential poster. The (now-cancelled) TV series is based on the Anthony Bourdain bestseller by the same name. Why are chefs (Bourdain) and play-acting chefs (Cooper) so f-ing hot in that virgin whote chef's uniform?

Josh Holloway. The hunk on Lost (or so i hear, since i have never watched the stupis show myself) and also the model for Davidoff's Cool Water ads. To be honest, i'd seen these ads a long time ago in magazines, and they never made my heart race before. The reason it does now...is hearing Josh say on FTV that he's married. Ka-ching! Immediate Jackpot/Wanted status in my eyes.



Yeah he looks cheesier than a Billy Joel album left in the Sun, but those blue eyes make up for it, i think.

Leaving the best for last....

If you've been watching Sex and the City last week on Zee Cafe, you'll know Carrie's been going out with that magnificent Russian Mikhail Baryshnikov. What's more, its all so old-school romantic. He's SIXTY years old now but still dreamy as ever, and still with the legs of a sixteen year old ballerina. For once, my dreams star a straight guy doing romantic things to me. Sorry Anderson Cooper, you're relegated to watch (me-while-a-do-a)man duty in my dreams.



***SIGH***

Another one bites the dust

Did you know?
- Every 26 minutes a woman in India is molested.
- Every 34 minutes a woman in India is raped.
- Every 42 minutes a woman in India is harassed sexually.
- Every 43 minutes a woman in India is abducted.
- Every 93 minutes a woman in India is killed.

These are statistics of only cases that were reported.

Source: DNA, 11th September, 2007

DICTIONARY FOR DECODING WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS:

• 40-ish..................................49.
• Adventurous......................Slept with everyone.
• Athletic...............................No breasts.
• Average looking.................Moooo.
• Beautiful..............................Pathological liar.
• Emotionally Secure...........On medication.
• Feminist..............................Fat.
• Free Spirit...........................Junkie.
• Friendship first...................Former Slut.
• New-Age......................... Body hair in the wrong places.
• Old-fashioned.....................No B.J.'s
• Open-minded.....................Desperate.
• Outgoing..............................Loud and embarrassing.
• Professional................. ......Bitch.
• Voluptuous.........................Very fat.
• Large frame.......................Hugely fat.
• Wants soul mate................Stalker.

Einsinnigkeit
OK, so I'm really getting into this whole Dazed&Confused artsy thing, so went looking for some more of their older covers. A veritable treasure trove of creative genius.

(Anything but) Dazed & Confused

Dazed & Confused is a fashion/style magazine that recently ran a "Create your own cover" contest. The basic images for the cover were shot by Hedi Slimane (The ex-Dior Homme designer). The images themselves are black&white and nothing out of the ordinary. You then get to use any of those images and create a D&Z-worthy cover. Only criteria: You have to be 18 years or less. See, its their Youth Issue.

Click here to check out the a-m-a-z-i-n-g covers on their Web site.

I personally vote for Image 25 (below):

Though i LOVE these as well (Can you blame me?! Its such a breath of fresh air in a plastic fantastic age):

And finally, these are a couple of older covers of Dazed&Confused.

D&C isn't launched in India yet. I hear Harper's Bazaar launches its Indian edition early next year. Vogue and Elle already are glocalized. As much as i want a copy of D&C in my hands, i dread having an Indian version. It loses its whole cachet.
All you so-called Voguettes out there: Open your mind for a second and check out what covers of a fashion magazines SHOULD look like. A B-grade actress with little talent and no talent, looking bemused, does not a cover make. As Barack said, a pig with lipstick on is still a pig.

PS: Speaking of Hedi Slimane, did you know he's inspired tons of singers to write songs about him? My personal favorite is "Cause me pain, Hedi Slimane."

Why Read?

Love this quote from Kafka:

If the book we are reading does not wake us like a blow of a fist on the skull, why do we read the book? So that it shall make us happy, as you tell me? My God, we would be happy even if we had no books, and such books that make us happy we could write ourselves if need be. But what we need are books that affect us like ill-fortune causing pain, like the death of someone we loved more that ourselves, like being exiled in a deep forest away from all men, like a suicide; a book must be an axe to break the frozen sea in us. This I believe.

- Briefe 1902 - 1924

That's why Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov by that pained soul Dostoevsky are going to be my next reads. If my current read Dracula doesn't scare me to death before that, that is.

Jackpot!!
If you're a writer or have anything to do with the subtleties of the English langauge, have i got the book for you!
Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases, by Greenville Kleiser

Me - I wouldn't want to read this book at one go. Just browse and take in a few phrases at a time. Hopefully, your vocab will build over time.

Who are you?

Only once have I been made mute. It was when a man asked me, "Who are you?"

-Khalil Gibran, Sand and Foam

Love the book. Insanely simple words. Deeply profound.

All I Want for Christmas....

.....Is world peace!

....And just one of the drop-dead gorgeous dresses posted below!

I painstakingly trawled through the S/S 09 shows, and here are my picks for the next season. The best accessory for next season: A sensational tan - real or from a can, doesnt matter!
Herve Leger S/S 09

Hermes S/S09: Not as great as last year's Sari dresses, but lose the cowgirl hats and the dresses could be very wearable.

Halston S/S 09: The best easy-chic dresses ever. I'd like to raid that chick Tamara Mellon's wardrobe for Christmas: Not only does she have her own Jimmy Choo label and its ultra-sexy power heels, her husband also owns the recently resurrected Halston brand.

Etro S/S 09: Love their paisley print dresses that scream hippie! You'd need to wear these dresses. And these dresses alone. No accessories and no undergarments. Why wear something resembling a tent otherwise?! I wouldn't.

Chloe S/S 09: I'll be honest - I'm not a fan of Chloe ever since wonder-vegan Stella McCartney said adios to the label. But, i DO like some of the seperate pieces, like the brown top (left) and the cherry red shorts (right).

Roberto Cavalli S/S 09:

And if Santa were an anorexic woman.....the reindeers would be humping her if she wore this Etro number. (Seriously - How drop-dead gorgeous would you look in an scarlet dress like this?!)

More in some time.

BTW, if anyone is feeling the holiday spirit, and wants to donate/trade one of these dresses to poor ol' me, here's what you do:

• One top< - >One BJ.
• One pair of pants< - > One round of spanking your generous bottom.
• One gown < - > I'm your slave for a whole day. Do with me what you will.

I guess you get the drift. Isn't the barter system great that way?!