Best Meal I’ve Made to Date

Or so I and my dinner companion think. I wasn’t afraid to experiment with octopi and peppers. Let’s discuss.

First Course: Basil Grape Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella

I diced white onion and went on to sautée; we needed caramelized onions. I cut grape tomatoes in half, leaving the tiniest ones whole so they burst in your mouth at a later time. Throw in said tomatoes after the onions turn golden and shake the pan a little. Roll large basil leaves and cut them vertically, dispersing over tomatoes and onions as you turn the heat off. Mix them up a little, let them sit, add some pepper. Bring out the highest grade buffalo mozzarella (splurge, it’s worth it!), and slice it up on break it over the tomato mixture. Enjoy! Enjoy it!

Second Course: Boiled Octopus in a Spicy Sauce and Basil Fingerling Potatoes

This actually starts at the very beginning of your cooking ritual – pour a can of chicken broth in a pan, and put twice as much water, start heating it. Chop up almost a whole bunch of cilantro, dice 3/4 of a white onion (large chunks are all right), and put all of that in. Next, I leaped into the unknown by slicing a small red pepper and throwing that in. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s a tiny light red pepper, just a bit more wrinkly than the usual capsicum, and it’s spicy. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat.

Cut up Mr. Octopus and throw it in. Cutting it is tough, let me tell ya. But persevere. Throw it in the broth and let it simmer for at least 1.5 hours. I took it out at 2 hours and 15 minutes. In the course of this octopus bath you will need to add more water as it will evaporate – I added 4-5 cups extra, and I’m glad I did because that little red pepper set the whole pot on fire (not literally).

In the meantime boil fingerling potatoes (bigger ones sliced in half), and then bronze them in a pan with diced garlic and extra virgin olive oil and a dash of truffle oil. Add basil leaves for extra fragrance. Take out the plate and arrange like in the photo above or better! And enjoy it. Then live to tell the tale

PS. The octopus broth was too good to let go down the drain so I’ve used it to boil wild rice the next day. Guess how awesome my lunch is today

PPS. If anybody wants to hire me for cooking services, or for looking cute while cooking services, or eating and telling the tale services, I’m widely available and most likely ready to hear your ideas

Filed under: Food , achievement, dinner, food, improvements, kitchen, meal, recipe, recommendation, review

Tetro

I still have the images from this film in mind. What an excellent work of art. It’s Francis Ford Coppola’s first original screenplay since The Conversation. It is  a beautifully told story of the two brothers and the unveiling of the family secrets. The writing is absolutely fantastic, complemented by outstanding performances of Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich. Maribel Verdú (from Y Tu Mama Tambien) as the wife of Tetro (Vincent Gallo) does an amazing job, too.

I have never seen Vincent Gallo on screen before, and this film has put him into my favorite actors pool. He’s absolutely mesmerizing, the writer on a perpetual writing sabbatical, a not quite failed genius. And his eyes transmit a lot of emotion. The part where he stares at the blinding peaks of Patagonian mountains carry all the emotion of the subsequent ballet scene (which is also five stars).

Speaking of the ballet – Francis Ford Coppola created some of the most amazing dance scenes in this film. Some of them filled my eyes with tears. Apparently many of them have been shot in the studio only to be decorated with memorable and beautiful backgrounds in post-production. The whole film is actually in black and white – the present is in black & white, whereas flashbacks and scenes from memories are in color. In other words, for Tetro, the present is pretty bleak and not as vivid as the shaky past. I was wondering why the choice of black and white, until I hit the mid-peak of the film. My oh my.

I recommend this movie. It is now in my top 10 favorite movies of all time, filled with fully developed characters that undergo shocking changes as the story unveils. I’m still in a mild coma, and a sea of emotions that I can explain, but won’t. I don’t think it’ll be a stretch to say that Oscar nominations are due, but who knows. Go and watch it. Here’s the trailer:

Filed under: Great Times , achievement, beauty, excitement, film, gallo, genius, movies, review

L’Oreal Does It Again

Even though I am sad that L’Oreal may have discontinued my hair color, they introduced a product which made me ditch Lancome and seriously consider the Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. Hence I was curious to try this offering from Matchstick.

This mascara easily comes off with warm water. I know, every mascara eventually comes off with water, but the whole eye area turns black and it takes some time. Also, the “tubes” in the product name play a big role – once applied, the mascara solidly wraps around your eyelashes, making them stronger, much, much longer, non-smudgy and alluring. I completely forgot about the tubes at first, so my heart skipped a beat when, after washing my face, I saw tiny little “lashes” all over my eye area. It was the tubes, and the easy removal is no myth.

There are some tricks when it comes to application. For amazing results, slowly apply a thin white basecoat, fully covering your lashes – white extensions will attach to the tips – and let dry for a moment before proceeding. While some people complain that the wand’s too short, I just learned maneuver, and my lashes turn out twice as long! I got more than I expected. The retail price is $14.99, but click here for a $5 off coupon (use this reference code: 71MF). Since Beauty Tubes don’t require a makeup remover, thus saving some bucks, every recessionista should consider the lush value for such a bargain price.

(Did you read this article? What are your thoughts on L’Oréal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara? Click here to let us know!)

Filed under: Great Products , beauty, fashion, product, review

Highlights of 2008

I’m glad the year of the Mouse/Rat is over. It was a tough year, but also a very rewarding one, filled with events, color and life. It was definitely a great one for meeting new people and leaving the dead end contacts behind. It was a year of travels, learning, emotional change of scenery, breaking the habits, and finding peace. In short:

Vice internship, movies with Slava, Barbi, snow angel challenge, high tea, cuckoo New York trip, mad revelations and heartbreaks, the legendary night of the Justice show at the Great Hall, indoor pool voleyball in Richmond Hill with a blizzard outside, Montreal for the first time ever, straight to Vancouver, the return of Dimitri, straight A’s that semester, “I love nature” cottage visit, summer internship, more Montreal, Lemeac, Rajni, Ottawa, Rafael Nadal, gourmet adventures with Roberto, Magdalena’s return, dancing late and coming to work early, Osho, red eye to Europe, constantly ringing cell in Berlin, Baltic Sea, goth party in the bunker, wasp attack, Kunstwerke, Michael and Karin’s epic search for a gallery, scootering in Ibiza, flying, getting lost in the hills with fuel running out, Gaudi, Joan Miro, Catalan people, Faulkner’s Light in August, La Tomatina, Valencia’s paellas, the girl from Jupiter, getting lost in Barcelona with a flight to catch, gloomy London and port, vintage stores in Shoreditch, Strategic Planning, yoga, wonderful professors, wonderful people, PalmsOut in October, jerks stealing my possessions, Vosges chocolate in SoHo, Coney Island freak show, Mad Men, calming down, peace of mind, movie night with dear C.L., playing the tambourine till 4am, BBDO, roommate reunion, blizzards in Vancouver, the return of Scotch, securing that opportunity, The Sacred Book of the Werewolf, light at the end of the tunnel, Russian madhouse, caviar and champagne on New Year’s Eve.

Filed under: memories , 2008, barcelona, bbdo, Berlin, career, Europe, friends, fun, fun time, ibiza, improvements, joy, life, London, memories, montreal, plans, review, ryerson, Spain, tomatina, toronto, travels

Ketel One Wins The Prize

Now, another product that I want to write about before the year is over (considering you’ll be shopping for somethings to help celebrate NYE), hails from Holland. Made with the finest Dutch wheat, grown on the land owned by the distillery itself, distilled through the giant coal chamber for that clean taste and tested by the Nolet family member before escaping the premises, extra premium Ketel One blew my mind. I had the pleasure of trying it for the first time in my life at The Spoke in Toronto, since the pleasant and elegant establishment allowed for the thorough enjoyment of the drink, which is equally classy.

As you know, I am Russian, and the next thing you’ll think is, “Oh, she must love vodka, obviously she likes this.” Wrong. As a matter of fact, I don’t like drinking vodka per se, and never pursued this activitity. Which is why Ketel One took my tastebuds by storm. It’s very clean, ultra smooth and possesses an unoffensive aftertaste (which can’t be said about Absolut). I definitely recommend dirty Ketel One martinis to adorn your Christmas party tables or the wild New Years Eve celebrations that I suspect you’re planning.

Next time I am looking to impress connoisseurs of drink, I will include the Nolet child in my palette, not Li’l Jon-preached Grey Goose that is several grades below KO when it comes to smell and taste.

Filed under: Great Products , drink, evangelist, marketing, obsessions, presents, product, review, surprise

Literary Escapades

“Equal parts biting satire on neo-Russian consumerism, drug-fuelled muckabout, sci-fi adventure, love story, literary in-joke and mystico-shamanic treatise on the nature of enlightenment. Disruptive, transporting and very funny, it’s one of his best.” – The Daily Telegraph

I started reading Victor Pelevin’s (more about the author) “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf” (NY Times review, read if you don’t speak Russian). I wolfed down 330 pages in two days, and I am sad to say that the book will be over today by 1pm PST. Not only is the main character a red-haired fox-woman (who looks like me on the cover of my edition), there is also an irresistible wolf, and myriad other crazy events all over Moscow and the north, from ketamine-taking guards to howling at the skull of a cow to discover oil, from thousand year old foxes hunting occult-loving English aristocrats to silver bullets. I suppose by an apt stretch of imagination, I can say it’s the 21st century Bulgakov on LSD. Something like that. The book is engrossing not only because of its characters, but also because of a healthy dose of political discussions, social issues in Russia and in the capitalist pigsty, as well as a handful of Eastern influences. Pelevin at Amazon, take a look please.

The next book I will be tackling is Dostoevsky’s “Demons”. I cannot wait. Reading Russian literature, as well as reading anything in Russian, makes me so much more susceptible to learning and taking the work seriously. It’s funny, whenever I read something in English, I take it half-heartedly, as if it was a comical thing, reading in English. To me, English is such a technical language that I cannot believe I can enjoy Jane Eyre in the original (I read it in Russian). Hence reading marketing texts and Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy is very educational, but only in English.

Russian language is so poetic. I find the best poetry is written in that language, as well as the most obscure linguistic acrobatics are possible in that language. Love it. Reading Russian literature makes me feel so much more alive, much more… thinking. I think I understood that this April when I was reading Dostoevsky’s Humiliated and Insulted and really felt the author’s love for the less fortunate people in this world, as well as his healtfelt kindness for them. Same way with reading Pelevin these past couple of days, I felt sadder for my mother land, for my fellow Russians trapped in there, for this dirty world in general. Sigh.

Filed under: Quotable , books, dostoevsky, learning, literature, pelevin, review, russia

15 years old again

Here is how it is: I laugh at the audience of preadolescent gals – or adolescent? Heck, let’s just say, tweens, – frenzying it up for some teenage vampires. Oh, and I don’t even know what the movie is about, and what sort of hilarity we are destined to see. And hilarious it is. Except that on the 55th minute you rapidly start swaying towards the gentlemanly Edward Cullen. Later on, one clues in that no 17- or 25-year old would ever act so nobly; it takes approximately 100 years to figure out how to treat a woman (girl in this case) right.

And yes, I remember how I used to love, love, love Anne Rice’s novels (that, last time I checked, still held the top of mind place in consumers’ minds), and vampire Lestat, and vampire Armand. I gave up on all of that. Ad then True Blood sucked me back into it. And so did the Lancome Piha Black lipgloss over their red lipstick a la Louboutin sole of a shoe.

And then this Twilight thing came out. I don’t mind admitting that I appreciate Robert Pattinson’s exterior, thank God for our same-agedness. If he was a tad bit younger, I would have to reconsider. All right, Edward Cullen, take me away! I am, too, a fan of Debussy’s.

PS. This review made me laugh so hard, I nearly had to rush to the washroom. Bagels, doom, and proletarian demands. I say, get them while they’re young!

Filed under: simple life , film, fun time, marketing, movies, music, obsessions, pop culture, product, review, twilight

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I really enjoyed this movie. The not so subtle sensuality was like honey. The North American naiveté, late night dinners, beautiful people, narrow streets, all this spoke to me. I really, really loved Spain this August, and I believe that no matter what path I take through the labyrinth, I’ll end up there again. Multiple times. With different people and experiences.

Topics in Vicky Cristina Barcelona that caught my eye: the beautiful Spain, throwing oneself at opportunities that life presents to you, marriages that would eventually lead to unhappy ones (and poor people that can’t take that step and liberate themselves from it!), Gaudi, and the passionate people.

Go see it. There is something for everyone.

Filed under: simple life , film, gaudi, memories, review, Spain, summer, travels

Finally, Bell

You know, two years ago I wrote a paper on Bell’s Beaver advertising campaign for my Visual Communications class. I dissed the efforts pretty hard. For Christ’s sake, why should Canadians listen to what the goddamn beavers have to say about telecommunications? What does bloody Gordon know about PVRs? I wrote a lot more enlightening and obvious arguments as to why Bell should fire their advertising agency…

AND LO AND BEHOLD, THREE YEARS LATER THEY DID IT!

I was just really outraged at incompetencies of some agencies, and how easily they feel they can ridicule a telecommunications company. And so of course, now that Bell saw the light, they’ve almost become the rival that Rogers deserves. Almost.

PS. I still can’t stand the “er” part. Er here, and er there. Dave and I saw these teaser ads the day we flew to Berlin and had a whole discussion about this. I didn’t expect Bell to reach that level of abstraction. And annoyance. Yet again.

Filed under: random facts , advertising, campaigns, diss, marketing, review