One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

A really incisive book from Candace Bushnell is One Fifth Avenue, published in 2008. It’s a story about One Fifth Avenue address in New York and its glamorous (or not so) tenants. Fifth Avenue is THE street in Manhattan – the street of rich, the street of powerful, the street of those who are on top. And One Fifth Avenue is THE address – the most coveted, the most craved, the most desired, the chicest, the hottest, the one with the best pedigree, the one with all the most interesting people. If you live on One Fifth Avenue, you really made it.

The intrigues at One Fifth Avenue are tangled by its tenants themselves. Philip Oakland, a writer. Enid Merle, his aunt, a gossip columnist. Schiffer Diamond, a Hollywood actress. James and Mindy Gooch, a writer and a journalist. Annalisa and Paul Rice, a lawyer and a businessman. And of course, Lola Fabrikant, One Fifth Avenue tenant wannabe.

Once Mrs. Houghton, the old social queen of New York, is dead, the battle for her penthouse apartment at One Fifth Avenue is on. It’s won by the Rice couple, rich people from Washington. Once they move in, the conflict between the building tenants is going to be more tense than ever. Everybody is craving for Mrs. Houghton’s luxurious penthouse apartment from One Fifth Avenue, but not everybody can actually afford it, hence the tensions between the building tenants. Mindy Gooch is the one to suffer the most from the tenant changes in the building, because she is frustrated by living in the best building in the city, but occupying the worst apartment in it, an apartment on the main floor which used to be a storage space before it was upgraded to a living apartment. So she constantly badgers her husband James about their living conditions; about buying a better apartment in the building which they can’t actually afford because they are just a middle class couple; about his books which aren’t really on the bestselling list; about their marriage which is far from perfect as well, and so on.

Another hilarious character, so Candace Bushnell-esque, is Lola Fabrikant, the One Fifth Avenue tenant wannabe, and Philip Oakland’s girlfriend wannabe as well. Lola, a young but ambitious girl, comes to New York “to make her life”. She manages to get hired by Philip Oakland, and soon after that she manages to seduce him, calling herself his girlfriend. If it seems to you that she’s a stupid girl, don’t be fooled. She may not know any serious things about life, she may not know what hard and honest work means, she may not have ever tried to do something notable in her life by herself, but she knows perfectly what she wants, and she always finds a way to get it. And what does she want? Nothing special – just a nice place like One Fifth Avenue to live, and a nice man like Philip Oakland to pay for her expenses. Things are going according to her plan for a while, while Philip is caught in this relationship “by default”. But once Phillip detangles himself from Lola and gets engaged to love of his life Schiffer Diamond, Lola quickly finds another man to pay her bills – James Gooch, who suddenly does become a best-selling writer and gets rich overnight. Lola Fabrikant is one of Candace Bushnell’s characters often met in her books – women who don’t want to move a finger to do anything decent in their lives, but who want to fool some rich man to provide for them.

Fake marriages are also present in this book, just like in other books by Candace Bushnell. It’s surprising how two people who have nothing in common get married and manage to live together for years, just to get to a point where they practically hate each other. One of these couples is Mindy and James Gooch. Although they have had a long marriage, although they have a teenage boy, they act like total strangers. More than that – they hate each other. Mindy hates her husband for not being a successful writer, for not being a multi-millionaire, and for not being able to afford a more expensive apartment in their building; while James hates Mindy for not being a supportive wife and for always underestimating and undermining him.

Another fake marriage is that of Annalisa and Paul Rice. They are the rich couple who manage to snatch the coveted penthouse apartment from One Fifth; but what they can’t manage to do is to get beyond their money and their banking accounts. Their marriage goes from fake to dangerous; thoughts of killing spouse cross their minds; and so, Annalisa finds a way to get rid of her husband who started to step on her toes.

Once again, Candace Bushnell serves us a sharp and outrageous book about New York people and their social habits. One of these habits is that everyone is a writer, or a writer wannabe. Philip Oakland and James Gooch are, of course, credited writers. But there are lots of other writers in this book. Enid Merle, Philip’s aunt, is a gossip columnist. Mindi Gooch works in Publishing and writes a blog about her frustrating life. Thayer, a friend of Lola's, is a blogger who writes a very popular blog about social events and people from new York. Even Lola Fabrikant fancies herself as a writer at some point and starts to write a sex column on a blog. An inflation of writers in New York City.

And One Fifth Avenue is not the only book by Candace Bushnell abounding with writers or writer wannabes. First of all, her consecrated character Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries is a writer. Then Janey Wilcox from Four Blondes and Trading Up comes along, attempting “to be a writer” and trying to write a movie script. Either she finishes it or not, that’s another issue. Then the other blondes from Four Blondes write as well – the journalist Winnie Deeke and the writer Minky. Lots and lots of writers in Candace Bushnell’s book, literally an invasion of writers. Some of them are real writers all right, like Carrie Bradshaw for instance, but how about the others? While reading Candace Bushnell’s books, I couldn’t help but wonder – does everybody in New York aspire to be a writer?

Read One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell, and you’ll have real fun – it’s a great page turner.

Sex and the City-2

Weekendul trecut am mers cu o prietena sa vad Sex and the City-2. Am asteptat cu mare nerabdare premiera acestui film, si cum mi se intampla de fiecare data cand astept un film sau o carte noua, asteptarile au fost inalte. Multe fashioniste, printre care ma numar si eu, au ales sa poarte o tinuta eleganta pentru a merge la acest film, tinand cont de tematica filmului, un film in care moda este al cincilea personaj important, alaturi de cele patru prietene. Nu am putut sa ma abtin, si mi-am ales tinuta in ton cu filmul – am purtat o rochie de vara Guess, perfecta pentru o zi calduroasa si insorita de sambata, si perfecta pentru a merge la un film ca Sex and the City-2.

Am ajuns la cinema cu vreo jumatate de ora inainte sa inceapa filmul, asa ca eu si prietena mea ne-am oprit la o terasa sa mai stam putin de vorba, caci nu ne mai vazusem de mult timp. In spiritul filmului pe care urma sa-l vedem, ne-am rasfatat cu cate un Cosmopolitan. Deja ma simteam ca in Sex and the City.

Cand am vazut primul film Sex and the City in 2008, ma setasem sa imi placa, avand in vedere ca eram deja o fana a serialului, si mi-a placut. Asa ca si de data aceasta am mers la cinema setata sa imi placa Sex and the City-2. Si mi-a placut, as spune, “din oficiu”. Prietenia dintre cele patru femei, comunicarea dintre ele, sinceritatea cu care discuta, simtul modei pe care il au fiecare dintre ele, aspiratia spre fericire si spre iubire a fiecareia dintre ele – toate aceste elemente importante care au consacrat conceptul de Sex and the City au fost prezente si in aceasta pelicula. Nu a lipsit nimic din ce stiam deja despre Sex and the City.

Dar au fost si lucruri noi.

Cateva cuvinte despre subiect. Filmul incepe cu nunta lui Antony Marentino si Stanford Blatch, prietenii gay ai fetelor. Apoi vedem care mai este viata lor. Big si Carrie se lupta cu instalarea rutinei in casnicia lor. Charlotte de-abia mai face fata cu 2 copii care plang mereu. Mai are si o bona tanara si frumoasa, care i-ar putea pune casnicia in pericol. Miranda are probleme la firma de avocatura unde lucreaza. Iar Samantha nu vrea sa se impace cu ideea ca se apropie de menopauza.

Urmeaza o scurta reintalnire a Samanthei cu Smith Jerrod. Smith o prezinta pe Samantha unui magnat arab, care o invita pe Samantha si prietele ei in Abu Dhabi. Cele patru fete pleaca intr-o vacanta de lux in Orientul Mijlociu, totul platit. Sunt cazate la un hotel de lux (unde o noapte de cazare costa $22,000). Fiecareia i se pune la dispozitie cate un Maybach alb, cate un sofer, si cate un camerist (sic!) la hotel. Totul platit de magnatul arab.

In timpul vacantei surrealiste din Orient fetele trec prin cele mai inedite experiente din viata lor. Merg calare pe camile in desert, fac cumparaturi in bazarurile orientale traditionale, poarta tinute apropiate cutumelor vestimentare din Orient, se rasfata intr-un lux iesit din comun la puterea a mia, se poticnesc de traditiile foarte conservatoare din lumea araba.

Carrie il intalneste in Abu Dhabi pe… Aidan! Nici unuia dintre ei nu le vine sa creada ca se vad aici, half way around the world. Care era probabilitatea, se intreaba Carrie, sa se vada cu Aidan intr-un bazar din Orientul Mijlociu, si ce inseamna oare aceasta intalnire? Nu cumva e un semn? Are ocazia sa afle foarte repede dupa aceea. Carrie si Aidan decid sa mearga impreuna la o cina in oras, iar spre sfarsitul intalnirii ajung sa se sarute. Bineinteles ca acest lucru o buleverseaza, si il suna imediat pe Big in New York sa-i spuna despre incident, motivandu-si sinceritatea cu dorinta de a nu avea nici un secret fata de sotul ei. Semnul a fost clar pentru Carrie – nu trebuie sa se joace cu focul.

Timp in care Samantha nu mai face fata traditiilor prea incorsetate din lumea araba pe care trebuie macar sa predinda ca le respecta. Pe tot parcursul vacantei, Miranda incearca sa ii acopere umerii Samanthei din 5 in 5 minute, caci a purta umeri dezgoliti in Emirate este considerat o ofensa la adresa societatii mult prea conservatoare. Si atunci cand Samantha da dovada de un comportament care este normal pentru ea dar obscen pentru arabi, fetele trebuie sa paraseasca Abu Dhabi de urgenta si sa se intoarca la New York.

Iar la New York, fiecare dintre ele revine la viata ei, apreciind mai mult ca oricand ceea ce au. Miranda isi gaseste un alt job unde este mult mai apreciata decat era la jobul ei precedent, si este fericita ca are mai mult timp sa petreaca alaturi de familia ei. Temerile lui Charlotte in legatura cu bona tanara si frumoasa s-au dovedit a fi nefondate, caci iese la iveala orientarea sexuala diferita a bonei, care are o iubita. Samantha se dezlantuie in voie cu noua ei cucerire, dupa zilele petrecute in Abu Dhabi unde un sarut in public este considerat obscen. Iar Carrie si Big reusesc sa depaseasca incidentul cu sarutul lui Aidan.

Filmul mi s-a parut surrealistic. Toata experienta din Abu Dhabi a fetelor suna desprinsa din povesti. Luxul care li s-a pus la dispozitie, costurile cazarii la acel hotel, cutumele arabe total diferite fata de cele occidentale – toate acestea m-au facut sa ma intreb, in timp ce urmaream filmul, daca lucrurile stau asa si in realitate.

Accentul s-a pus in proportie covarsitoare pe vacanta din Orient, si foarte putin pe evenimentele din New York de la inceputul filmului, care mi s-au parut relatate incomplet, si care ar fi meritat mai multa detaliere, cum ar fi nunta lui Anthony si Stanford, sau cum ar fi review-ul vietii fetelor, dupa 2 ani de la ultima intalnire. Dar in schimb, mi-a placut foarte mult cum Big a tratat problema sarutului cu Aidan – cu umor. Trebuie sa-i dau credit si lui Carrie, care a fost sincera cu Big si i-a spus imediat despre intamplare, inainte ca lucrurile sa apuce sa se complice mai mult. L-am apreciat pe Big cand i-a dat lui Carrie inelul cu diamant, care ar fi trebuit sa aiba valoarea inelului de logodna, caci nu apucase sa ii ia unul atunci cand s-au casatorit. L-am apreciat pe Big atunci cand i-a amintit lui Carrie ca e timpul ca si ea sa-si spuna juramintele de iubire, pe care nici dansa nu a apucat sa i le spuna lui Big atunci cand s-au casatorit cu 2 ani inainte. Mi-a placut cum Big, in timp ce ii punea inelul de logodna pe deget, a facut-o pe Carrie sa-i promita ca nu va mai saruta niciodata nici un alt barbat, decat pe sotul ei, astfel lasand incidentul cu sarutul in urma lor, fara sa lase ca intalnirea lui Carrie si Aidan sa le afecteze relatia. Si mi-a placut cum au gasit o cale sa-si mentina relatia vie si intensa, fara sa permita instalarea rutinei.

Fanii Sex and the City cu siguranta vor viziona filmul cu placere. Merita vazut, si il recomand din tot sufletul. Imediat ce va aparea pe Blue-Ray, il voi cumpara, pentru a-mi completa colectia Sex and the City.

Cea mai scumpa cafea din lume

Ati vazut filmul The Bucket List cu Jack Nicholson si Morgan Freeman? Este vorba de doi bolnavi de cancer care afla ca le mai ramane cate un an de viata, si pleaca intr-o calatorie in jurul lumii cu dorinta de a savura la maxim fiecare clipa care le mai ramane de trait. Unul dintre ei este magnatul Edward Cole (interpretat de Nicholson), iar celalalt este mecanicul Carter Chambers (interpretat de Freeman).

Bautura preferata a magnatului Edward Cole este cafeaua Kopi Luwak, care are reputatia celei mai bune si mai scumpe cafele din lume. Este un sortiment de cafea produs in Asia, care trece printr-un proces de fabricare neobisnuit, foarte diferit de orice alta cafea traditionala din lume. Edward Cole este indragostit de gustul savuros al acestei cafele si o poarta cu el peste tot, inclusiv in salonul de spital atunci cand trebuie sa se opereze de cancer. Dar se pare ca nu cunoaste originea cafelei, iar gustul ei sublim ii este suficient ca sa o adore. Carter, colegul de salon, si mai tarziu colegul de vacanta in jurul lumii, ii spune ca “nu ar bea acest rahat pentru nimic in lume”, iar magnatul Cole nu ii intelege aversiunea fata de bautura pretioasa, care, nu-i asa, este cea mai buna cafea din lume. Si asta pana cand Carter ii da un print de pe internet cu informatii generale despre Kopi Luwak – este o cafea produsa din boabele de cafea care au fost mancate si defecate nedigerate de catre o pisica salbatica din Asia; iar procesul de digestie a animalului le da boabelor Kopi Luwak acest gust savuros. Schimbul de relplici dintre cei doi prieteni este cat se poate de sugestiv, si este mai mult decat un joc de cuvinte: “You’re shitting me!” “The cats beat me to it!” Dupa care amandoi rad in hohote.

Prima oara am aflat despre cafeaua Kopi Luwak in 2003. Pe vremea aia, Discovery prezenta niste spoturi promotionale cu istoria diferitor concepte si notiuni -- pasaportul, sutienul, cafeaua, spoturi dintr-o serie care se numea "Got to know". Din spotul despre cafea, pe langa istoria si evolutia cafelei de-a lungul secolelor, am aflat si despre Kopi Luwak si modul de preparare a acesteia.

Kopi Luwak intr-adevar este cea mai scumpa cafea din lume. Un kilogram de Kopi Luwak macinata poate sa ajunga si la 1000 de dolari. In Toronto sunt doar cateva locuri in care se poate cumpara. Magazinele Pusateri’s Fine Foods din Toronto (cu doua locatii, una in downtown si una in midtown), specializate in delicatese si produse de lux, vand aceasta cafea, in cantitati mici, mai exact 4 pungi a cate 115 grame pe saptamana.

Pe masura ce ma documentam tot mai mult despre aceasta cafea, eram tot mai convinsa ca trebuie sa o incerc. Daca pentru unii procesul neobisnuit de fabricatie poate fi un impediment in a se decide sa o guste, pentru mine nu a fost. Cand am cautat informatii pe internet unde se poate cumpara aceasta cafea in Toronto, am gasit magazinele Pusateri’s Fine Foods. I-am sunat sa le cer mai multe informatii despre Kopi Luwak, si am vorbit cu managerul magazinului. L-am rugat sa imi rezerve o punga de cafea, si urma sa ajung acolo sa o cumpar spre sfarsitul saptamanii (se intampla acum un an).

In ziua stabilita am mers la Pusateri’s (cel din centru) sa cumpar cea mai scumpa cafea din lume. L-am cunoscut pe managerul cu care vorbisem la telefon, care mi-a spus mai multe despre cafea, cum sa o prepar pentru un gust mai savuros, cum sa-i pastrez aroma mai bine, si alte detalii de acest gen. La sfarsit, inainte sa ajung la casa pentru a plati cafeaua, omul a vrut sa se convinga daca “stiu cu ce am de a face”, si m-a intrebat: “Da’ stiti cat costa cafeaua asta, nu-i asa?” I-am raspuns, zambind, ca da, stiu. Dupa care am fost servita la casa. Mi-au impachetat cafeaua intr-o punga frumoasa, si cu mare grija au ambalat-o in hartie “de matase”, ca si cum as fi cumparat un cadou de mare pret.

Cele 115 grame de cafea Kopi Luwak m-au costat $126. De-abia am asteptat sa ajung acasa in acea zi ca sa o gust si sa ma conving de savoarea sa. Si m-am convins. Este foarte buna, foarte savuroasa, foarte delicioasa. Din punctul meu de vedere, a meritat fiecare banut. Merita din plin notorietatea de cea mai buna cafea din lume, iar notorietatea de cea mai scumpa cafea din lume nu ii este atribuita de pomana. Si pot sa va spun cu certitudine ca nu am baut niciodata o cafea mai buna decat Kopi Luwak. Mi-am servit si prietenii cu cate o ceasca de Kopi Luwak, si au fost la fel de incantati ca mine.

Probabil sunt putini oameni in lume pentru care Kopi Luwak este cafeaua lor de zi cu zi, asa cum este pentru personajul din The Bucket List interpretat de Jack Nicholson. Din cauza pretului piperat, nu a devenit cafeaua mea de toate zilele, desi nu mi-ar fi displacut acest lucru. Dar cu siguranta face parte din lucrurile pe care merita sa le incerci macar o data in viata. Daca aveti vreodata ocazia sa beti o ceasca de Kopi Luwak, nu o ratati, si va asigur ca nu veti regreta.

One Yonge Street, Toronto

Tocmai am inceput sa citesc o carte de Candace Bushnell, One Fifth Avenue. Este vorba de adresa One Fifth Avenue din New York – adresa unui bloc de locuinte de lux si locuitorii acestuia. One Fifth Avenue este o adresa reala din New York, iar blocul de lux este de asemenea real. In timp ce autoarea cartii ne aduce la cunostinta despre existenta reala a acestei cladiri in New York, personajele si actiunile din carte sunt fictive.

Fifth Avenue este o strada luxoasa, strada oamenilor bogati, strada elitei newyorkeze. Cei care isi permit sa locuiasca pe Fifth Avenue sunt de asemenea cei care isi permit sa aiba un Cezanne pe peretele din living, estimat la 5 milioane dolari. Sa locuiesti pe Fifth Avenue New York nu inseamna doar sa reusesti in viata, ci mai mult de atat – sa fii in top. Este strada cu cel mai mare pedigree din lume. Sunt doar cateva strazi in lume care au o asemenea valoare, una din “surorile” ei de elita fiind Champs Elysées. Iar One Fifth Avenue este suprematia paradisului imobiliar din New York. Un apartament pe One Fifth Avenue este mai ravnit decat oriunde in lume. Daca detii un apartament pe One Fifth Avenue, esti cu adevarat sus, in varful piramidei sociale newyorkeze.

Citind cartea lui Candace Bushnell, m-am gandit la strada Yonge (se pronunta la fel ca “young”) din Toronto. Este o alta strada de elita, alaturi de putinele din lume. Yonge Street este cea mai importanta artera din Toronto si are aceeasi valoare pentru torontezi ca si Fifth Avenue pentru newyorkezi sau Champs Elysées pentru parizieni. Este strada cu cea mai mare notorietate din Toronto. Traversand Toronto la mijloc, pe verticala, depaseste cu mult limitele orasului in Nord; si imparte Toronto in zonele Vest si Est. De exemplu, strazii Eglinton, una din arterele principale din Toronto, o strada orizontala (Vest – Est) situata in mijlocul Toronto-ului, i se spune Eglinton Avenue East pana la intersectia cu Yonge Street, si Eglinton Avenue West dupa intersectia cu Yonge. Este si cazul tuturor celorlalte strazi orizontale de aceeasi marime din Toronto. Tot pe strada Yonge se afla cea mai importanta linie de metrou din Toronto, linie care poarta acelasi nume ca si strada pe care este situata – Yonge Subway line.

Yonge Street este cea mai iubita strada din Toronto, pentru simbolul pe care il poarta, pentru ceea ce reprezinta in Toronto, pentru importanta ei, pentru frumusetea ei. Da, nu este doar o strada importanta din punctul de vedere al infrastructurii toronteze, dar si o strada foarte frumoasa si cu o viata foarte bogata. Totul se intampla pe Yonge Street – cele mai importante evenimente, cele mai importante companii, cele mai importante localuri, cele mai importante cladiri sunt pe Yonge Street. Toata lumea vrea sa fie pe Yonge Street. Te simti mai special si mai “in mijlocul la tot” daca locuiesti sau lucrezi pe Yonge Street. Muzee, mall-uri, magazine de prestigiu, restaurante, cluburi, biblioteci, sedii de afaceri, sedii media, zgarie-nori impunatori, cladiri spectaculoase, locuinte de lux fac parte din urbanismul de pe Yonge Street.

Pana nu demult Yonge Street a detinut titlul de cea mai lunga strada din lume in Cartea Recordurilor Guinness, cu 1,896 km, din centrul Toronto-ului unde se afla adresa One Yonge Street, traversand intreaga provincie Ontario, si ajungand pana la limita statului Minnesota, SUA. Dar acest titlu nu ii mai este atribuit, din cauza faptului ca pe unele portiuni strada Yonge se transforma in alte strazi si autostrazi, portiuni care poarta alte nume. Astfel, titlul de cel mai lung drum din lume, conform Guinness, actualmente ii este atribuit soselei Pan-American Highway care leaga cele doua Americi din sudul Argentinei pana in Alaska, traversand 14 state (conform Wikipedia).

Adresa One Yonge Street, inceputul strazii Yonge, se afla in centrul Toronto-ului, pe malul lacului Ontario. Daca in New York adresa One Fifth Avenue este un bloc de locuinte de lux, in Toronto adresa One Yonge Street este un sediu business. Este cea mai prestigioasa adresa din intreg Toronto. Zgarie-norul de pe One Yonge Street este o cladire cu 25 etaje, un alt simbol al Toronto-ului. Serveste drept sediu pentru ziarul Toronto Star, cea mai importanta publicatie din Canada, si datorita acestui lucru cladirii i se mai spune The Toronto Star Building, la care se adauga si faptul ca numele ziarului este afisat pe fatada superioara a cladirii (poza dreapta sus). De asemenea, si alte companii cu diverse domenii de activitate isi au sediul pe One Yonge Street.

Cateva imagini de pe Yonge Street, Toronto.











Cladirea de pe One Fifth Avenue, New York

Coming Soon -- Sex and the City-2

The Sex and the City fans are no doubt very excited about the upcoming Sex and the City-2 movie. In theaters from May 27, it will definitely be the major movie event of the year. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha are for new adventures, two years after they last met. When we last saw them in the first Sex and the City movie, all of them were happy or happily married. Carrie married Mr. Big in a discreet ceremony, Miranda and Steve reunited after a painful bump in their marriage road, Charlotte saw her dream come true when her baby daughter was born, and Samantha chose to come back to her New York lifestyle which used to make her happy. And now they are back again -- more stylish, more fashionable, more beautiful than ever. What challenges are they to face now? Are their lives going on as smoothly as they dreamed? Is everything cool now? What happens after you say "I do"? Do you really live happily ever after once these two magical words are said out loud? These are the questions that the four girls try to answer for themselves. Will they find the right answers, the answers that wouldn't drive their happiness away? We are about to find out in less than two weeks! Don't miss out the new adventures (and of course, the new outfits) of your favorite foursome!

To see the Sex and the city-2 trailer, please click here.

Affordable Fashion -- Shoes and Purses

Our trip to affordable fashion world in Toronto continues with shoes and purses. There are so many nice shoe stores out there, with such an elegant and stylish offer! All you have to do to find them and style up, is to go to your nearest mall.


ALDO
www.aldoshoes.com

This is my favorite shoe store. Every time I go there, I get so excited to see so many nice shoes and purses, and all them at good prices! Last time when I went to Aldo for shoe shopping, I bought a nice pair of red flats, for only $23; and a gorgeous blue clutch for an upcoming party, for only $25.


$55


$80


$40


$19.98


$35


$40


SPRING
www.myspringshoes.com

This is my favorite place to buy stilettos. Almost all my stilettos are from Spring! I discovered this shop for the first time about 3 years ago, when I bought from there a gorgeous pair of black stilettos for only $40, perfect for an evening outfit. Since then, I also bought from Spring a pair of purple stilettos, a pair of white stiletto sandals, a pair of black stiletto boots, but also a pair of black heelless shoes, for more comfort. All the prices were in the same range, not to mention that you can buy lots of great shoes from this store at really low prices during sale season.


$49.99


$39.99


$34.98


$34.99


$24.99


$29.99


THE SHOE COMPANY
www.theshoecompany.com

The Shoe Company is the perfect place to go shoe shopping by brand. It’s the place where some of the most popular brands are gathered. If you want designer shoes but can’t really afford designer prices, The Shoe Company is the right place for you. You can find in there Adidas, Anne Klein, BCBG, Blowfish, Cause & Effect, Columbia, Converse, David Dixon, DKNY, Gossip, Guess, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Steve Madden, Nike, Nine West, Point Zero, Puma, Reebok, The North Face, to mention just a few of them. Last time when I went shoe shopping at The Shoe Company, I selected some comfortable shoes – a pair of Steve Madden fuschia flats, a pair of Cause & Effect black flats, a pair of Gossip pink sandals and a pair of Blowfish black flip-flops. There is no need to mention that the prices for each of them were very attractive.


Steve Madden, $89.95


David Dixon, $125


Kenneth Cole, $109.99


DKNY, $115


Guess, $89.99


Nine West, $49.99


TOWN SHOES
www.townshoes.com

Town Shoes is another great place to go shoe shopping by brand. You can find in here reputable brand and designer names such as Adidas, Anne Klein, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Converse, David Dixon, Diesel, DKNY, Guess, Jessica Simpson, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Lucky Brand, Nine West, Puma, Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, Ugg.


Jessica Simpson, $115


Calvin Klein, $115


BCBG, $135


Steve Madden, $120


Nine West, $120


David Dixon, $89.95


PAYLESS SHOE SOURCE
www.payless.com

The least expensive shoe store chain is no doubt Payless Shoe Source, as the title itself suggests. This was the first store where I started shoe shopping 4 years ago, when I first moved to Toronto. And I bought here some really nice shoes, both casual and occasion.


$22.99


$19.99


$12.99


$16.99


$24.99


$14.99

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

I’ve just read The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell. It was a nice and easy reading. It’s the story of Carrie Bradshaw before Sex and the City. The book focuses on Carrie Bradshaw’s senior year of high school in a small town called Castlebury. As we read the book, we meet Carrie’s family, her friends, her mates from the high school. Then we meet Sebastian Kydd, the new guy from the high school who becomes the most popular guy overnight, the guy wanted by all the girls, the guy Carrie falls in love with instantly. Then she starts going out with him, but is utterly disappointed when she discovers that her best friend Lali steals him from her. Then she gets accepted to Brown college.

But The Carrie Diaries is not only the story of Carrie’s senior year of high school, but also Carrie’s story of becoming a writer. Being a writer is her most cherished dream, and she feels ready to make her way toward a writing career. She applies for a summer writing school, New Age, but gets rejected. But she doesn’t give up. She has already written a few stories which she keeps in her drawer, stories nobody has even seen, but she will go ahead to follow her dream. So she starts writing for the high school newspaper, The Nutmeg, signing her pieces with the mysterious name Pinky Weatherton. Her writings for the paper are sharp and pinpointing, which causes some waves in the school. Nobody knows who Pinky Weatherton is, and some people even assume that the mysterious writer is a guy. Then her dream comes true – she finally gets an invitation to join the New Age summer writing school, and she goes to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

One of her high school friends, George, encourages her more than anyone to follow a writing career. He says that she should write what she knows, write about people she knows, write about her life. So when she becomes a writer she will do just that – she will write her Sex and the City column, a column about her life and love experiences.

There are some differences between Carrie Bradshaw created by Candace Bushnell and Carrie Bradshaw created by the writers from Sex and the City the TV show. Carrie from The Carrie Diaries is still virgin in her high school senior year. Even though she dates Sebastian Kydd for months, she doesn’t have sex with him, as she is reluctant to go so far in her relationship and start having sex, as opposed to her friends who have already done so. Although she is madly in love with Sebastian Kydd, she is not sure she should have sex with him. So when she goes to New York after graduating from high school, she is still virgin. In Sex and the City the show however, Carrie admits to Charlotte during season 3 that she had sex for the first time when she was in the 11th grade.

Another difference between Carrie Bradshaw from The Carrie Diaries and Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City the TV show is related to her family. In the book she lives with her father and the two sisters, and her mother is deceased. In the TV show, during season 4, she says that her father left her and her mother when she was 5 years old; also, no siblings are ever mentioned in the show.

Candace Bushnell herself was 19 when she first moved to New York to become a writer. So in a certain way, the story of Carrie Bradshaw is the story of her creator Candace Bushnell. While reading the book, I was wondering how much of Carrie’s teen experiences were actually Candace Bushnell’s own experiences. Was there such a kid, Sebastian Kydd, who was Candace Bushnell’s boyfriend during high school years? Was there such a school paper, The Nutmeg, where Candace Bushnell first started to write, before going to New York to become an acclaimed writer? Not impossible.

The end of the book is surprising. Carrie goes to New York to join the summer writing school, but she gets robbed the very first minute she sets foot in New York – someone steals her purse with all her money. She tries to contact George to ask for his help, but she can’t reach him. Then she remembers that one of her friends from home, Donna LaDonna, gave her the number of her cousin from New York. So Carrie finds the phone number in the luggage, and calls this cousin of Donna’s, who appears to be nobody else but Samantha Jones. I have to admit I just love the way the book ends.

A sequel to The Carrie Diaries is expected to be published in 2011. We don’t know too many details about Carrie’s second diary yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was about Carrie Bradshaw’s first years spent in New York. We’ll live and see.