Transcendence: Whitney Houston

A start has not fallen. Rather, a start has risen- to shine her light beyond the parameters of the physical we call Earth into spaces and places of universes unknown.

There were so many moments during the live-to-air "homegoing" funeral service that brought me to tears. Donnie McClurkin, whose church I've visited in New York back in the day when I was searching the Christian path; Clive Davis' last words to Whitney, holding her to her promise to get her voice on point by August (cuz you know Miss Whitney "The Voice" Houston has already been commissioned by God Source to sing a solo in Heaven's choir).  Of the musical guests, Stevie Wonder's personalized rendition of Ribbon in the Sky (one of my all time favourite songs) touched me the most.

R. Kelly, Kevin Costner, Cece Winans and family- the list of emotional moments goes on and on.

As I listened to the personal memories shared by close friends and family, I too was brought back to a special memory I have of Whitney. No, I never met her. No I never went to a concert. But there was a time I wanted to be her. As a child I would consider myself a chubby ugly duckling.  I loved to sing although I was not quite good at it. Whitney Houston was everything I wanted to be- gorgeous, tall, slender, had long hair (...me and my colonialized thoughts), popular, with the biggest most beautiful voice I had ever heard!

When I was in 2nd grade, I tried out for the Air Band Show at my elementary school.  My group had been one of the acts chosen to perform in the show. I was beyond excited.  The song I chose was "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston. Two of my friends were my back up dancers.  My excitement was short-lived when my teacher used her authority to coerce me into agreeing to let about 10 first graders from my class (it was a 1st/2nd grade split), who didn't get into the show into my performance.  I immediately said 'no' but thanks to an effective guilt trip I changed my answer. 

I had dreamed about this performance, prayed about it! Me, lip sync-ing my heart out, whipping my ribbon wrapped pigtails back and forth as I danced and pranced on the gymnasium stage in all my glory with my back-up dancers complementing my every move.  A bunch of bratty, snot-nosed first graders were not in my vision of grandeur.  Sadly, my choreographed dance for 2 was ruined by these incredibly unrhythmic tots waving their hands and sashaying their hips to a beat that had nothing to do with the song.  This woman (my teacher whom I blame to this day) had turned my night to shine into a fiasco that can only be described as a H.A.M (Hot Ass Mess)! *sigh*

An 80's Song Favourite: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
by Whitney Houston

Needless to say, this memory is bittersweet.

As a final gesture to pay my respects to a woman whose talent is undeniable and irreplaceable, I write an open letter:

To Whitney, now in non-physical form; for you there is no distance between space and time. You like many others before you now know that death is nothing to fear because for the human spirit there is no death. Our spirits are microcosmic embodiments of the Eternal Being from wence they came. We need not the house of a physical body to live throughout eternity just as our Creator lives.  You have transcended this life, and for a time get to re-emerge with the Creator before your desire to expand causes you to rebirth into yet another physical form. Your memories live on.  Your music lives on. You have inspired in both life and death.

May you R.I.P (Rest in Paradise) and L.I.V (Live in Victory).  Thank you for telling me the greatest love of all is inside of me. I will always love you, Whitney. (*tears)

Ode To Whitney: The World Will Always Love You!

Happy EntrepreNewYear!

Earth and its inhabitants are finally experiencing the first fruits of 2012! We can say goodbye to the Age of Pisces as the Universe pours out its Spirit of Consciousness for those who care to drink of its goodness in the Age of Aquarius.

Contrary to popular belief, the Mayans did not prophesy the end of the world come Dec. 21, 2012- it is a misnomer that has captured the attention of many through blockbuster films, documentaries and loud mouth buffoons. If you want to know what the Mayans really had to say, you can check out: Mayan Calendar: The Secret of 2012. The interviewee, Gregg Braden, is such a humble, intelligent and delightful human being. I went to one of his seminars in May 2010 at the  I Can Do It! Conference held in Toronto, a Hay House Inc. event.  I also have some of his books: Fractal Time, The Isaiah Effect and the God Code.

Being Aquarian born, I feel a great connection to this time of spiritual awakening.  I have not (for quite some time) made New Year's Resolutions.   I do not think I should wait for a new year to make a decision that would positively influence the moment of now.  Really, if I'm having Christmas dinner with the fam and notice I've been packing on the pounds why should I wait until January to start working out? Such procrastination only leads to more procrastination.

On my list of "Things to Do" for this year is to take my jewellery designing business to the world wide web.  In the few short months I've been custom-making jewellery, I have found great reward in supporting a good cause while bringing my dormant creativity to life.  I think it's about time to give online shoppers across the world something for their purchasing pleasure!

Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect from my collections:

Anke Designs:
Cobalt Chinese Crystals & Gun Metal Chain Necklace
w/ Blue Tiger's Eye Stone Pendant



Anke Designs:
Multi-Green Bead Cluster Necklace w/ Silver Plated Chains



Anke Designs:
Turquoise Stone Beads & Red Howlite Chipstone
Three- Tiered Necklace



Anke Designs:
Citrus Chinese Beads w/ Moonstone & Russian Amazonite
Chipstones Three-Tiered Necklace

Anke Designs:

White Turquoise Stone & Hematite Chip Bead
Multi-Strand Bracelet



Anke Designs:
Two-Toned Chinese Crystal & Hematite Bead
Diamond-Shaped Earrings







And one of my favourite set of earrings:

Anke Designs:
"Nefertiti" Silver & Black Wooden Bead Earrings

Coming soon.... (fingers crossed)!

Fashion Weeks Pt. 3: Last Train to Paris

It feels like an eternity since I posted my last blog entry. Actually, in the blogoshere matrix 6 weeks without writing a word is an eternity.

The most interesting of menial things that have transpired over the past month and a half have been that I got a promotion at work, I went to Toronto's Fashion Week and I feng shui'd my room. ( I don't think I spelled that correctly.)

I debated that after such a long hiatus, should I even bother write about TFW. I mean really, at this point it's such old news. But you know what? Who da heck cares?! Fashion's "old news" was a new and fascinating experience for me and I'ma give my two cents on TFW before the year is through.

But first, the "Fyne n' Fabulous Fashion Train" has got to make it's last stop in Paris before taking a first-class plane ride back to the T-dot.

Here's my top 10 faves from Paris' Ready-toWear Spring 2012 Fashion Week:

10. Paco Rabanne.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Paco Rabanne

9. Chalayan.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Chalayan

8. Loewe.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Loewe

7. Paco Rabanne.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Paco Rabanne

6. Paul & Joe.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Paul & Joe

5. Mugler.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Mugler

4. Givenchy.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Givenchy

3. Emanuel Ungaro.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Emanuel Ungaro

2. Elie Saab.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Elie Saab

1. Elie Saab.

Paris Fashion Week: Spring RTW 2012
Designer Label: Elie Saab

Elie Saab nabbed the number one and two spots on my top 10 list. This was by far my overall favourite collection. Bold, sexy, feminine, daring.... just like me! lol

On a different note, can you believe Christmas is only 3 weeks away?!

Fashion Weeks Pt. 2: New York, London, Milan

Over the past few weeks, putting together all the various trends from the multitude of fashion collections kind of reminds me of making an ice cream sundae.  In Fashion Week Part One, I offered "31 flavours" to choose from. 

Now in part two, I'm providing the toppings to make the sundae complete.  For a complete, visual presentation, it's time to garnish the delightful and delicious ready-to-wear fashions from part one with accessories!

I am drooling over the handbags an clutches that accompanied the walking mannequins down the catwalk.


Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Swag Bag"

Zoom Zone: "Swag Bag"

 There were a lot of platform loafers (too ugly in my opinion to be shown here), as well as some bright colourful ones. Ankles are the center of attention with all sorts of straps, buckles and other nouveaux embellishments.  Personally, I find straps and such around my ankles a bit restrictive but I really like Burberry's beaded anklets.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
" Strapped"

Zoom Zone: "Strapped"

Belts had a contemporary yet classic feel, offering clean lines and offbeat designs.


Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Waist Management"

Zoom Zone: "Waist Management"

Clothes are accessorized with statement jewellery pieces that are oversized and opulent.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Treasure Chest"

Zoom Zone: "Treasure Chest"

Plastic frames and coloured lenses made up the body of round, cat-eye and brow flat-line sunglasses.



Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Throw Some Shade"

Zoom Zone: "Throw Some Shade"

More fashion, more fun!

Fashion Weeks Pt. 1: New York, London, Milan

During September, as the female masses were being fed fashion trends for Fall 2011, fashion's elite gathered from week to week in the city's of New York, London, Milan and Paris as designers showcased their ready-to-wear spring/summer fashion collections for 2012.

Since the commencement of New York Fashion Week, I visited style.com and Elle Magazine UK to see the highlights and pictures from the runway shows of each day.  It the idea for me to save and collect photos of outfits and accessories I liked, then go through them to see if I could identify potential trends for the upcoming spring.  I avoided reading the runway wrap-ups by the Tim Blanks' and other gurus of the fashion world as not to be influenced by their expert observations.

I will preface the the fashion collage previews below by reiterating I make no claims of being a fashionista. I'm no Jeanne Beker.  I may not know names of fabric, or how to pronounce some of the names of the designers listed, but I do know I love fashion and accessories for their beauty, creativity, and expressiveness.

You will also notice there are no photos from collections presented at Paris Fashion Week for reasons too long to explain here, but I will likely post some "Anke Fyne & Fab Favourites" in the upcoming weeks.

There was colour...

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Mademoiselles de Moutard"

and colour...

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Citrusy & Soft"

...and more colour!  I love the boldness and vibrancy of the ruby reds and lapis lazuli blues.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Semi-Precious Gems"

White was prevalent in many of the collections, especially in sophisticated two-piece suits.  Tailored pant were cropped just at the base of the calf, allowing full view of ankle strapped shoes, a signature trend for spring 2012. Wide leg trousers were elegant and ground grazing.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"White Delight"

I really liked some of the high-waited mid-drift baring top and bottoms. I'm not in my 20's and I haven't worn a size 0 since grade 3. To me, showing my belly button in a public place other than the beach is equivalent to seeing an 80 year old at a nudist beach; so I must say I like how some of the designers maintained youthfulness in their pret-a-porter ensembles by offering a sneak peak of the upper abdominals while keeping it classy with skirts lengths due south of the knee. 

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Tummy Tuck"

Being rich and famous sure has its perks.  Unlike us common folk, they get first dibs on the "what's next" in fashion. Why wait when you can wear it now? Gwyneth Paltrow rocked the red carpet at the 2011 Emmy Awards in the Pucci dress pictured above (bottom, far right), which debuted at Milan's Spring 2012 fashion week.


Gwyneth Paltrow at 2011 Emmy Awards in Emilio Pucci

The Pucci number Gwyneth wore that night also embodied another upcoming trend of see-through silhouettes.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Peek-a-boo, I See Through"

Fabrics were soft and sheer, flowing with and away from the body.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Let it Flow"

If your not careful, you could definitely pull a "Britney" in one of these thigh high slitted garments.

Fashion Week: New York, London, Milan
"The Mile High Club"

 Outerwear had structure, clean lines, iridescent sheen and various prints.  Multi-functional coat dresses. I personally have a thing for hoodie coats (first pic, second row).  Perhaps there wasn't enought of them on the runways to establish them as a spring trend, but I like the style too much to care.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"Cover Me"

Fringes of all different lengths, embellished frocks from neckline to hemline.

Fashion Weeks: New York, London, Milan
"On the Fringe"

Stay tuned for more on handbags, shoes and other accessories!

Frugal & Fabulous: My Costa X Experience

It's 3:33pm on a sunny, Saturday afternoon, and so far I have had a delightful day.  It started with an early morning meditation, followed by a trip to the gym with a habitual detour to Timmies for a medium coffee two creams one sugar and a shot of butter caramel (also great in iced caps btw), and a trial of the new maple cinammon french toast bagel, toasted, half butter and double cheddar (absolutely delicious).

After an hour at the gym, I was supposed to simply go back home for a day of couch potatoe delight. However, I decided to make yet another detour, this time to the local mall.  It's my niece's birthday tomorrow.  She's turning five.  Even though I had decided on taking her to get her first mani-pedi, I thought I might check out a few stores to see if there was anything worth buying. There certainly was...just not for my niece.

On my way to Siblings I was passing by Costa X which had bright yellow signs around the entrance reading: "Store Closing. Everything Must Go. 50% off everything"! As fate would have it, the thought of purchasing some new flat shoes for work had been a topic of discussion in my mental "Situation Room" earlier this week. The gold ballerina flats I'm currently wearing from Aldo are decrepit-looking and disintegrating rapidly. The glue has broken up with its sole-mate. I knew I was in need of a new pair but had no desire to pay fall season prices.

The sale was timely.  For under $75 (this includes HST) I bought a handbag, two ballerina flats, a scarf, and ear muffs (which I will wear under my snood when once the Canuck winter hits full force).

Store Closing Sale at Costa X
Clockwise from left: Black furry earmuffs, faux leather
side satchel, leopard print scarf, midnight blue/black
snake print flats, leopard print flats with bow detailing

Today was not my lucky day.  Today was a moment of alignment.

Putting the "V" in VMA

Last night I was one of the millions of viewers who tuned in to watch the 2011 VMA's. I was left dazed and confused at the overextended monologue by Lady Gaga's alter ego, Jo Calderone. (Kudos to the make-up artist who did a fantastic job with the visual transformation.) 

Far removed from the "monster mania", I grew impatient with the opening act as I awaited a performance from Momma Monster and changed the channel only to miss her tumble off the beer drenched piano. (I got to watch the performance on Youtube less than 15 minutes later).  No matter what anyone has to say about her antics, Lady Gaga is an amazing singer, musician and performer.

News of Beyoncé announcing she was expecting on the VMA black carpet blew up the entertainment blogs and had everyone buzzing.  Pre-show photos were later confirmed after her "Love on Top" performance when she dropped the mic, opened her sequin studded blazer and massaged a very-present baby bump.  She was glowing!  Her elation was infectious as her auric field radiated throughout the Nokia Theare and permeated television screens around the world.

She wore a gorgeous bright orange, one-shouldered Lanvin Fall 2011 gown accented with emerald and diamond accessories.  Aside from the bright hue, it was a far cry from her usual body hugging, skin baring outfits like the mini-dress she wore at a prior VMA show.

Beyoncé and Baby Bump in Lanvin at the 2011 VMAs

Beyoncé in Roberto Cavali at the 2009 VMAs

"Mommy-to-Bey" is definitely a trendsetter.  Boob-bearing frocks were all the rage last night, a look Beyoncé donned at the 2009 MTV VMAs.

Sone of the "Deep-V" vixens included Kelly Rowland (former Destiny's Child sidekick and Beyoncé's bff) and reality TV's T&A star Kim Kardashian.

"Boob nV"

I generally prefer to conceal the twins but after seeing these hot plunging necklines, I am considering adding a peak-a-boo piece to my closet.

Très Chaud!