THE PERFECT MAN

GEEE, I wonder who their target market is....

CABBITY DOO DAH

Lately I have been fascinated with cabbies and their stories, where they came from, what brought them to the US, how they adjusted to these lands, what being a cabbie is like. On Tuesday morning I had a great conversation with this cabbie Ahmad. He was telling me the constant plight to keep his cab clean as they get ticketed $75 if they get caught with a dirty cab. I asked him where he came from.

He came from Pakistan 15 years ago and told me that his first job in the states was at Dunkin Doughnuts. Ahmad had never had a doughnut in his life and here he was being handed a sac of these fried goodies every night and was told he could have as many as he wanted. This became his breakfast, lunch and dinner and soon weighed almost 300 pounds. I could barely believe this story because this guy driving the cab was a thin 160 lb fellow. For 8 years he sold Dougnuts until his doctor told him he had to quit because he couldnt breathe and it was hard for him to move. He made a move, but alas, he ended up working at Pizza Hut, not a great change. The weight stayed on so a new plan had to be made.

Finally he got a job at Ohare and started losing weight, as he changed his diet entirely as well, no carbs, no sugar, mostly veggies and a little meat.

Apparently, that was too much moving (dont know why) and alas he became a cabbie.

I worry about this dude, he told me he drinks 35 cups of coffee every day. SOMEONE has an addictive personality, no??

This is the funny part, we traded business cards and the following day I got a call from a stranger telling me that he was in front of my building and was told by his cabbie that he would get a great massage. eh?????

so...I dont know if Ahmads story was all bullshit, but I still think it was funny.

what a funny world we live in :)

I LITE

Thanks Progear for lending me new fun tools to play around with! If you photogz are interested in using a constant daylight balanced light source, these HMIs are fun fun fun! I was using the 400 jokers which were a perfect to mix with available sunlight.

WHOLE FOOD BAR

Today Sonia n I went to the big ole grand Whole Foods. It was packed with weekend shoppers, hangin out, doing their thang, hunting for foods of healthy organic caliber. We got a little lunch snack and decided to sit on the upper deck overlooking the massive food bar and began observing peoples paths around this overwhelming food smorgasbord. The amount of time people take wandering and trying to figure out which delicious thing to dish up was way longer than expected, at least ten minutes. People seemed overwhelmed by the amounts of great food. I then started zoning in on the mac and cheese. This is clearly the most desired thing of all, there was a clear struggle for the health nuts to back away from this delicious creamy cheesy dish. The behaviour was as such, do a lap around the healthy cold dish bar, then then slow down the speed upon arriving the hot food bar, a long long long pause at the mac and cheese. I could almost see the dialogue going on in these peoples heads
" oh my god, that looks so fucking good I could eat the whole thing... but I just worked out and ran on the treadmill for an hour ... maybe I could just have a little, a little wouldn't hurt ... but Im trying to eat better now so I don't feel so tired and I don't wanna get fat ... man that delicious golden crust on top is making me salivate ... fuck, Ill just get a salad ... I don't want a salad, but Ill get a salad.. sigh" and then they go to the salad bar and get a boring box ful of lettuce n stuff. This behavior happened repeatedly. BUT then, a shift happened, when one person dove into the mac and cheese, then a rash of folk filled their containers with mac and cheese. is this permission? is this getting a green light? more trips to whole foods for observation sessions to figure this out.

THEN the entertainment arrived. A woman in a cheetah hat and coat prowled around the food bar, filling up a mini ketchup cup with food repeatedly and eating it right there on the spot, she was having a feast! She plopped a chicken wing in her itty bitty ketchup cup and ate the thing right in front of the employee twice. She swept around the food bar filling her cup at least ten times with no shame, bumping people out of her way. Finally, she decided to do the "right thing" and fill real container and put a little in there so she could pay for it, she sauntered over to the registers, and paid for her little salad. BUT, she then came back to the food bar and added more to her box. a bonafide food buffet robber! THEN, her friend came buy and guess what she was wearing? A cheetah head scarf and cheetah boots.

AWESOME!! way more entertaining than TV!

ITS A CHOICE

I believe that every human is radiant and brilliant, but many are either afraid of showing it, or don't know how to show it.

GUESS WHO???

Guess who I shot on tuesday.

WHAT SHE SAID

DA LADEEZ IN DA HIZEEEE

THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

For the Holidays, I migrated back to my place of origin, Quebec City Canada. A fun activity I had never done before is go snowshoeing escorted by my uncle Charles at his cabin on Lake St Joseph. We geared up with layers, snow pants, big boots, heat packs in our gloves (at least mine cause im a wimp) and off we went, crossing the icey lake. It was beautiful, peaceful, and serene.

MORE WHITENESS

SEA NATURE

GUESS WHO???

Guess who I shot today! Here are a few hints.

THE BOYS ROCKED IT : FINALLY

Here is the final story on the School of Rock featured in CS this month!
The fantastic writer Matt got us in the CS so these kids could get some mag facetime.
Thanks Matt for coming to the shoot and making these kids feel awesome. All in all, a great story!

PEACE IN THE PARK

A friend who frequents Japan sent this information to me after seeing my last post of sleeping Japanese, always learning, always growing. THANKS KEN!

“Chapter Four: Communicating with the Japanese” of Culture Shock! Japan: A guide to Customs and Etiquette by Rex Shelley:

“Sleeping in Front of You”

“You will be surprised to see some of the Japanese at a business meeting with their arms folded and their eyes shut as though they are sleeping while you are talking to them. They are not doing this to insult you. The common explanation is that they find it easier to understand someone speaking in English if they close their eyes, because they can cut out the visual distractions and concentrate only on the sounds. It is of course true that closing their eyes prevents them from reading your western body-language incorrectly. If the man who is apparently sleeping is of a higher status to the others at the meeting, he may be showing his subordinates that he has confidence in them and is leaving them to handle the matter without imposing his authority on them. The Japanese generally shut their eyes when there is a need to think deeply, as some westerners shut their eyes in prayer or meditation.

“But without a doubt many an executive who has been up late the night before, entertaining a customer, drops off to sleep in the midst of his deep thinking! The Japanese seem to be capable of sleeping almost anywhere. Women have a strong sense of modesty in their sleeping position. Girls must curl their bodies into the modest dignified character Kinjo, which means spirit of control.”

SMOKING IS COOL

OK, I know smoking is bad for you and it really isnt that cool, but I think this guy looks frikkin cool. I wish I could be disheveled and scruffy and be that cool.

These shots are of a chestnut roaster in Hong Kong. The chestnuts were delicious, warm, some tasted sweet, others more bitter, it was a surprise with each warm nut that was cracked open.

I SHOT VIDEO, SO THERE

This is a necklace designed by the lovely Anne Chikahisa. I own this piece and it goes with everything.

PURDY PURDY PURDY

Wanna look hot for the holidays and look like you have classy taste? Wanna have a beautifully decorated home that doesnt look like frikkin Ikea? Here are two good places to look at!
Here is the latest installment of pictures shot for twentythirty.net, amazing stylish clothes for the fashion freaky girl.

The location and furniture was provided by Revision Home whose entire collection are pieces from the past reworked, refinished, fixed up in order to be given a new life.

PURDY PURDY PURDY 2

FOOD FREAK-OUT

SONIA N I FREAK THE FUCK OUT ON AVOCADO CRACKER INVENTION. This started with a simple idea, somehow it frankensteined into avaocado cube deconstructed panko jalepano something??? see diagram.

SWEATY BEAUTY