FROM SUNNY FLORIDA WITH LOVE...
NOTABLE Thoughts:
Boobs are growing
Dogs are shrinking
High heels are reaching the skies
Food prices are beyond understandable
Cuisine looks better than it tastes
Money on wheels
Noise
Must read: 'EAT, PRAY, LOVE'
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Grove Isle and Pascal's at Ponce
So here we are in Miami.
We landed midday in gushing rain.
Our CABRIOLET (Prince did insist) is waiting for us at EUROPE CAR, with an orange letter license plate : "WELCOME TO SUNNY FLORIDA".
It takes me time to read even this little sentence, so dense is the downpour.
Our lucky spirits must be again feeling naughty.
We hit the river-roads, squeaking wipers and shrieking us, trying to make conversation in a storm.
45 minutes later we arrive.
We are staying at the GROVE ISLE, a rather romantic and quiet option, to the ever pulsating South Beach sleeperies.
And lets not forget to add, the price-service ratio is much more agreeable here.
But the peace and romance are the key allure of this hotel and we have been happily returning costumers for a few years now. The only downer - food sucks!!!
Sucks to the point of not eatable.
But that is a minor problem, since there is a Wholefoods (organic fare) market near by and the fridge does fit enough cheese, berries and yogurt to get by.
The pool somehow reminds me of a Mediterranean garden, with chirping birds singing from wild blossoms.
The music is usually kept to background levels (thank god) and is of rather ambient and soothing kind.
Much more to my liking, compared to the disco booom boom on South Beach.
I remember a horrible time at the RITZ, a hotel which I consider(ed) the example a class and elegance, but maybe not in South Beach. The AC units were the first noise monster, ever humming and puffing, a typical problem of the freeze-loving States. (obviously the hotel was always kept at a balmy 10 degrees Celsius ( 50 Fahrenheit) happy summer everyone)
The second disaster was the DJ who seemed to live by or in the pool, since the music never stopped. Never mind the shows and 'fun' entertainment (hello boys and girls lets have a great time, yessss??? and now everybody, lets have a great time...yipppie....) kids screaming and plastic toys afloat.
Sorry, but RITZ should be renamed Club Med.
Or we should move. Which was impossible that year, due to Spring break and some other happenings in town, every bed was busy.
Lesson learned, just like when we resided at the Delano for a heart-achingly high rate, which gave you a dusty grey (was white once) room (YUCK), a daily free dose of Marijuana clouds (Yumm) and Techno rhythms (YIKES) for breakfast in return.
By the time our stay was over I considered becoming a serious party girl, just to be able to sleep in that modern=empty=soulless- stained whitish box.
I didn't though.
I just googled new sleepy options..
So the Grove Isle it is.
We encountered some little problems at arrival, as our reservation was canceled (?) and the is hotel booked to the last room.
But Prince and Moneypenny are a team of force forte.
Nothing can stop them, nothing can tell them NO.
Poor manager guy was trembling by the time Mrs. Moneypenny let him off the phone and we moved into our king-size bedroom, with a delighted smile. A flash of guilt shot through my over-tired brain, but it was too fast to catch it. OOOOPPPSSSS, sorry...
We are on the top floor with a fabulous bay view.
Time to get down to the pool and do sweet nothing for the rest of the day and then, yes, dinner is already booked at our one and only (really only...as food in Miami can be celebrated and expensive, but not at all to our liking... everything seems rather plastic and chemical...)
PASCAL'S AT PONCE>
The French chef, a real one, knows something about fine food.
Simple, fresh and natural ingredients, served in a very unassuming bistro-cafe. (the decor is pretty ugly and boring to be honest)
But if you care for the food, this place is a winner.
Prince likes it so much (it is the only place that does not give him heartburn, feeling of vomiting, nausea, raced heartbeat or bloating after eating) that he considered to book dinner here for the whole week.
Let's start with one night.
We had a great day and night.
Somewhat zombied out from a jet-lag, we never so less enjoyed a most delicious cheese souffle and a giant salad for 2, followed by lamb.Yes, and a SMALL (yeaph...we are driving) bottle of red.
The service was topnotch, the ambiance lively (let's forget the un-french decor), the AC working hard (gosh, I need my Ski jumper) and the food heavenly natural for American standards.
Good night Miami... Merci Pascal... What would we do without you here???
The Grove Isle
www.groveisle.com
4 Grove Isle Drive
Coconut Grove, FL 33133305-858-8300 ...
Pascal's at Ponce
www.pascalmiami.com
2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Coral Gables, Miami
305 444 2024
Dress-code: casual elegance with a very warm cashmere something
We landed midday in gushing rain.
Our CABRIOLET (Prince did insist) is waiting for us at EUROPE CAR, with an orange letter license plate : "WELCOME TO SUNNY FLORIDA".
It takes me time to read even this little sentence, so dense is the downpour.
Our lucky spirits must be again feeling naughty.
We hit the river-roads, squeaking wipers and shrieking us, trying to make conversation in a storm.
45 minutes later we arrive.
We are staying at the GROVE ISLE, a rather romantic and quiet option, to the ever pulsating South Beach sleeperies.
And lets not forget to add, the price-service ratio is much more agreeable here.
But the peace and romance are the key allure of this hotel and we have been happily returning costumers for a few years now. The only downer - food sucks!!!
Sucks to the point of not eatable.
But that is a minor problem, since there is a Wholefoods (organic fare) market near by and the fridge does fit enough cheese, berries and yogurt to get by.
The pool somehow reminds me of a Mediterranean garden, with chirping birds singing from wild blossoms.
The music is usually kept to background levels (thank god) and is of rather ambient and soothing kind.
Much more to my liking, compared to the disco booom boom on South Beach.
I remember a horrible time at the RITZ, a hotel which I consider(ed) the example a class and elegance, but maybe not in South Beach. The AC units were the first noise monster, ever humming and puffing, a typical problem of the freeze-loving States. (obviously the hotel was always kept at a balmy 10 degrees Celsius ( 50 Fahrenheit) happy summer everyone)
The second disaster was the DJ who seemed to live by or in the pool, since the music never stopped. Never mind the shows and 'fun' entertainment (hello boys and girls lets have a great time, yessss??? and now everybody, lets have a great time...yipppie....) kids screaming and plastic toys afloat.
Sorry, but RITZ should be renamed Club Med.
Or we should move. Which was impossible that year, due to Spring break and some other happenings in town, every bed was busy.
Lesson learned, just like when we resided at the Delano for a heart-achingly high rate, which gave you a dusty grey (was white once) room (YUCK), a daily free dose of Marijuana clouds (Yumm) and Techno rhythms (YIKES) for breakfast in return.
By the time our stay was over I considered becoming a serious party girl, just to be able to sleep in that modern=empty=soulless- stained whitish box.
I didn't though.
I just googled new sleepy options..
So the Grove Isle it is.
We encountered some little problems at arrival, as our reservation was canceled (?) and the is hotel booked to the last room.
But Prince and Moneypenny are a team of force forte.
Nothing can stop them, nothing can tell them NO.
Poor manager guy was trembling by the time Mrs. Moneypenny let him off the phone and we moved into our king-size bedroom, with a delighted smile. A flash of guilt shot through my over-tired brain, but it was too fast to catch it. OOOOPPPSSSS, sorry...
We are on the top floor with a fabulous bay view.
Time to get down to the pool and do sweet nothing for the rest of the day and then, yes, dinner is already booked at our one and only (really only...as food in Miami can be celebrated and expensive, but not at all to our liking... everything seems rather plastic and chemical...)
PASCAL'S AT PONCE>
The French chef, a real one, knows something about fine food.
Simple, fresh and natural ingredients, served in a very unassuming bistro-cafe. (the decor is pretty ugly and boring to be honest)
But if you care for the food, this place is a winner.
Prince likes it so much (it is the only place that does not give him heartburn, feeling of vomiting, nausea, raced heartbeat or bloating after eating) that he considered to book dinner here for the whole week.
Let's start with one night.
We had a great day and night.
Somewhat zombied out from a jet-lag, we never so less enjoyed a most delicious cheese souffle and a giant salad for 2, followed by lamb.Yes, and a SMALL (yeaph...we are driving) bottle of red.
The service was topnotch, the ambiance lively (let's forget the un-french decor), the AC working hard (gosh, I need my Ski jumper) and the food heavenly natural for American standards.
Good night Miami... Merci Pascal... What would we do without you here???
The Grove Isle
www.groveisle.com
4 Grove Isle Drive
Coconut Grove, FL 33133305-858-8300 ...
Pascal's at Ponce
www.pascalmiami.com2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Coral Gables, Miami
305 444 2024
Dress-code: casual elegance with a very warm cashmere something
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Chemical warfare in our beauty cupboards
Anyone ever wondered what all those long names and numbers on the ingredients lists of cleaning and washing and dolling up-helpers mean?
Better you don't.
Or if your life is worth it - Better DO! And better now.
It is horrifying and scary...
I feel helpless and used and maybe like these little mice some mad scientists are testing evil things on...
'According to the American Cancer Society cancer rates have increased since 1901 from only 1 in 8,000 Americans, to 1 in 3 today! By the year 2010, this disease will afflict 1 of every 2 individuals.'
Ever wondered why?
The pollution, yes.
The tainted food, yes.
The water, yes.
The rain, yes.
The mascara...? YES!
The toothpaste...? YES!!!
Dangerous, poisonous substances are just EVERYWHERE.
Once I started looking, into becoming green and organic Anna, I just went into shock.
Can it be true?
Sadly to say, it is true. And it is not looking good.
My first enemy is called 'Sodium Laureth Sulfat'.
Sounds rather harmless.
I checked in the morning, while showering.
It is in my shampoo (*herbal something...).
It is in my face wash.
It is in my toothpaste.
It is in my dishwashing soap.
...
I stopped looking.
Here is what the web says about SLS's harmful side effects:
Hormone Imbalance
In the last 100 years or so, many new health problems have come to light. These include PMS / PMT, the so-called "menopausal symptoms" which never used to exist, and more recently a massive drop in male fertility which threatens our continued existence in many western countries. SLS is most likely a major contributor to all of these problems due to its oestrogen mimicking activity.
Better you don't.
Or if your life is worth it - Better DO! And better now.
It is horrifying and scary...
I feel helpless and used and maybe like these little mice some mad scientists are testing evil things on...
'According to the American Cancer Society cancer rates have increased since 1901 from only 1 in 8,000 Americans, to 1 in 3 today! By the year 2010, this disease will afflict 1 of every 2 individuals.'
Ever wondered why?
The pollution, yes.
The tainted food, yes.
The water, yes.
The rain, yes.
The mascara...? YES!
The toothpaste...? YES!!!
Dangerous, poisonous substances are just EVERYWHERE.
Once I started looking, into becoming green and organic Anna, I just went into shock.
Can it be true?
Sadly to say, it is true. And it is not looking good.
My first enemy is called 'Sodium Laureth Sulfat'.
Sounds rather harmless.
I checked in the morning, while showering.
It is in my shampoo (*herbal something...).
It is in my face wash.
It is in my toothpaste.
It is in my dishwashing soap.
...
I stopped looking.
Here is what the web says about SLS's harmful side effects:
Hormone Imbalance
In the last 100 years or so, many new health problems have come to light. These include PMS / PMT, the so-called "menopausal symptoms" which never used to exist, and more recently a massive drop in male fertility which threatens our continued existence in many western countries. SLS is most likely a major contributor to all of these problems due to its oestrogen mimicking activity.
Eye Irritation / eye deformities in children
...in other words, because SLS is absorbed through the skin, it can cause PERMANENT eye damage WITHOUT ever directly coming into contact with your eyes. As a result, you would expect that childrens products would be SLS-free. Unfortunately not, most childrens shampoos contain just as much SLS as those for adults.
Protein Denaturing
Our cells are made from protein. The development of those cells is strictly regulated by the reproductive processes that are continually at work removing damaged and old cells and replacing them with healthy new ones. Virtually every cell in the body is replaced at least every 7 years.
SLS exerts its effects on proteins by forming a chemical bridge between the fat-soluble and water-soluble parts of the protein moecule. This disrupts the hydrophobic forces needed to maintain the protein structure and the molecule collapses, rendering it useless. This effect is usually irriversible.
The result of this is two-fold. Firstly, existing proteins are damaged, leading to an increase in the amount of healing required by the body. Secondly, new proteins can be damaged and cells disrupted while they are under construction. It is exactly this type of activity that can lead to the early stages of skin cancer.
Our cells are made from protein. The development of those cells is strictly regulated by the reproductive processes that are continually at work removing damaged and old cells and replacing them with healthy new ones. Virtually every cell in the body is replaced at least every 7 years.
SLS exerts its effects on proteins by forming a chemical bridge between the fat-soluble and water-soluble parts of the protein moecule. This disrupts the hydrophobic forces needed to maintain the protein structure and the molecule collapses, rendering it useless. This effect is usually irriversible.
The result of this is two-fold. Firstly, existing proteins are damaged, leading to an increase in the amount of healing required by the body. Secondly, new proteins can be damaged and cells disrupted while they are under construction. It is exactly this type of activity that can lead to the early stages of skin cancer.
Carcenogenicity
Quite apart from it's potential to cause pre-cancerous conditions by denaturing proteins, the oestrogen mimicking effects of SLS also offers massive potential to cause cancer. It is known that many cancers, not least breast and ovarian cancer are directly related to oestrogen levels, in fact some cancer cells actually secrete their own oestrogen, which contributes to the growth of the tumour.
Clearly, by disrupting normal oestrogen levels AND by causing similar effects at a cellular level as endogenous oestrogen, SLS exhibits MASSIVE potential to both cause and worsen cancerous states. The incidence of breast cancer has increased several-fold in the last 50 years, both in women and in men...
I did not bother to write everything down. Just a FEW side effects.
For more info check:
www.natural-health-information-centre.com
So then my quest took me to the best supermarket around, hoping to return with SLS free beauty products.
My quest turned out to be fruitless.
Not one shampoo from seemingly a hundred of options, is SLS free.
WOW!
We are up for a dark ride.
We really are 'extincting' ourselves.
I just hope the next uber-power will be smarter than us!
Until doomsday will strike and we will be either all dead from cancerous matters or (and) infertile to the last human (clone, clone, clone, at least now we know why they are so much in need) being, I will go on one more quest (a lifelong one) to get back to basics, back to nature, back to EARTH.
My great promise of eating as green and organic as possible, really didn't matter at all, since I still fed my body poisons through my skin.
I will try to get natural.
As natural as possible, as I still like my long black lashes for seductive looks, my red stained lips for passionate kissing, by smooth detangled hair, soft and feathery light in a summer-wind's breeze and my creamy lotions for silky skin. I am a slave to beauty, but, beauty is as old as us, older than any modern COSMETIC GIANT, so there must be secrets long forgotten.
I will work on it and will keep you update.
By the way, I did find a pretty innocent toothpaste.
It is Portuguese, created in 1932 by a Dr. Albert Couto, and still is made by the same family, with almost the same recipe. It is just landing a hit in the UK.
Maybe for a reason?
Found the image on a lovely site:
www.retrotogo.com
For evil ingredient check up and just some research on your favorite brand go to:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
Still I wonder... We know it may be killing us, but nobody talks?
The buisness is just too big, I guess.
BILLIONNNNNNNNS are made with cosmetics, so why talk. Why loose money?
It reminds me of some decades ago, when politicans in America went public on TV, confirming that cigarettes are absolutely harmless and never kill!
Well, someone was proven very wrong.
Someone lied.
Someone made a lot of money by repeating those words...
Someone killed a lot of people.
And here we are,
I am no preacher, nor a teacher. I am a pupil like all of us and I am willing to learn.
I will do my homework now, and you, do yours...
PS: Tonight facial wash :1 spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in half a glass of water.
Anti-spot treatment: turmeric powder mixed with a drop of water
face cream: evening primrose oil
PSPS: Just got this. I think everyone ought to sign this petition!!!
NOW!!!
http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/sign-petition-b/?inlist=Y&utm_source=kscapet4a&utm_medium=email&utm_content=second-link&utm_campaign=kscapet
Quite apart from it's potential to cause pre-cancerous conditions by denaturing proteins, the oestrogen mimicking effects of SLS also offers massive potential to cause cancer. It is known that many cancers, not least breast and ovarian cancer are directly related to oestrogen levels, in fact some cancer cells actually secrete their own oestrogen, which contributes to the growth of the tumour.
Clearly, by disrupting normal oestrogen levels AND by causing similar effects at a cellular level as endogenous oestrogen, SLS exhibits MASSIVE potential to both cause and worsen cancerous states. The incidence of breast cancer has increased several-fold in the last 50 years, both in women and in men...
I did not bother to write everything down. Just a FEW side effects.
For more info check:
www.natural-health-information-centre.com
So then my quest took me to the best supermarket around, hoping to return with SLS free beauty products.
My quest turned out to be fruitless.
Not one shampoo from seemingly a hundred of options, is SLS free.
WOW!
We are up for a dark ride.
We really are 'extincting' ourselves.
I just hope the next uber-power will be smarter than us!
Until doomsday will strike and we will be either all dead from cancerous matters or (and) infertile to the last human (clone, clone, clone, at least now we know why they are so much in need) being, I will go on one more quest (a lifelong one) to get back to basics, back to nature, back to EARTH.
My great promise of eating as green and organic as possible, really didn't matter at all, since I still fed my body poisons through my skin.
I will try to get natural.
As natural as possible, as I still like my long black lashes for seductive looks, my red stained lips for passionate kissing, by smooth detangled hair, soft and feathery light in a summer-wind's breeze and my creamy lotions for silky skin. I am a slave to beauty, but, beauty is as old as us, older than any modern COSMETIC GIANT, so there must be secrets long forgotten.
I will work on it and will keep you update.
By the way, I did find a pretty innocent toothpaste.
It is Portuguese, created in 1932 by a Dr. Albert Couto, and still is made by the same family, with almost the same recipe. It is just landing a hit in the UK.
Maybe for a reason?
Found the image on a lovely site:
www.retrotogo.com
For evil ingredient check up and just some research on your favorite brand go to:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
Still I wonder... We know it may be killing us, but nobody talks?
The buisness is just too big, I guess.
BILLIONNNNNNNNS are made with cosmetics, so why talk. Why loose money?
It reminds me of some decades ago, when politicans in America went public on TV, confirming that cigarettes are absolutely harmless and never kill!
Well, someone was proven very wrong.
Someone lied.
Someone made a lot of money by repeating those words...
Someone killed a lot of people.
And here we are,
I am no preacher, nor a teacher. I am a pupil like all of us and I am willing to learn.
I will do my homework now, and you, do yours...
PS: Tonight facial wash :1 spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in half a glass of water.
Anti-spot treatment: turmeric powder mixed with a drop of water
face cream: evening primrose oil
PSPS: Just got this. I think everyone ought to sign this petition!!!
NOW!!!
http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/sign-petition-b/?inlist=Y&utm_source=kscapet4a&utm_medium=email&utm_content=second-link&utm_campaign=kscapet
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
John Nollet called
Or better, his secretary emailed back.They offered to fly in for me, with a team.
5000 Euro fee + costs of travel and lodging...
A small car for a haircut?
I better have a good reason for it. Like a ball. The Oscars. Or something of that sort.
A 20 Grand hairdo for a housewife is just out of the question, especially in times like this.
Oh wellllllllllll
Mister Nollet, I shall call back... An till then... DREAM***
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