Homestead Inflight Entertainment

My nine year old twin brothers begged me to take them to the Homestead Air Reserve Base all Saturday morning. I turned out to be far too busy, and felt awful for not taking them. Reading over the Miami Herald this morning I saw that the aerial acrobatic show was wonderful. My brothers got me back by demanding Sunday lunch at one of their favorite spots, but after seeing the pictures of the show, I vowed to take them next year. 

:)
Ana

Got My Hands all Over Maroon 5 + Musical Discovery

I've listened to Maroon 5's new CD "Hands all Over" so many times, its  abnormal. I've been a fan of the band for years, and the new album turns out to be just as great as their two previous productions. The band has been on tour, promoting their album, for the last few months, and in August they happened to make a stop here in Miami. I had the incredible opportunity to attend the concert, and was privileged with GREAT seats, (which I'm so thankful for) I wouldn't have seen anything with such a huge crowd...! Despite the hot and sticky August Miami weather, I sang at the top of my lungs for hours. It was definitely a breathtaking experience, that won't be easily forgotten. It felt like going to Disneyland for the first time :) 

The concert was to begin at 7:00 P.M, It wasn't until 9:30 that Maroon 5 came out. I was anxious, but very entertained by the music of a girl who called herself VV Brown. Her music was fun and energetic, and definitely different! I really enjoyed her show, and told myself I would download her music. I actually remembered to do so, and I've been listening to her album repeatedly. V.V Brown is a singer-songwriter, from United Kingdom who's music has topped the charts not only in the UK, but also in France. Her sound is a fusion of retro R&B and Brit go-go pop. Her debut album "Travelling Like the Light" is everything close to awesome, packed with innovative beats, and catchy lyrics. It has definitely won a spot in my ipod, bringing some variation to my "almost-all Maroon 5, and some other stuff playlist". 

Check her music out at http://www.vvbrownus.com/ or download her songs in itunes ;) and if you haven't yet, I highly recommend Maroon 5's "Hands all Over" 

:)

Ana 

Fabulously Frightening!

I know I'm almost a week late... but this is a recount of what Halloween looked like in Miami. 

Scary Lincoln Rd. annual Halloween block party 2010 

:)

Ana

The Forge: Revamped

The last I visited the Forge Restaurant here in Miami was in January 2009. Despite the delicious food and exceptional service, I had completely forgotten about it until  yesterday when I saw the pictures of the renovations. Turns out that for The Forge's 40th anniversary, the restaurant closed some time in 2009 due to major renovations, that will last almost a year. I can remember that the restaurant had a dark and pleasant appearance, and felt very private. The major walls and columns where upholstered, giving the place an antique feel. It also had wonderful art accenting the tall ceilings. I thought the decor was actually quite great since it complimented the ambience of the restaurant, but I can imagine that after a certain amount of years many of the things that made up the decor, like the upholstered walls, could have become a problem with hygiene. 

In general, the new appearance of the restaurant seems to be even better. Everything from the furniture to the lighting has changed, the walls are now hand-carved blonde wood, and crystal chandeliers have been incorporated. The executive chef, has introduced a menu with 65 items, in which you can find anything from principal meats and pastas, fish and Crustaceans, to a vast selection of desserts, coffee and teas. As if it wasn't enough, The Forge was the winner of the Miami New Times 2010 best wine selection in a restaurant award. This makes it just another reason to be excited about visiting the restaurant again! 

Here are some pictures of how the restaurant looks now..

The Forge Dining Room 

Dining room 

Dining room 

The Forge Library Room 

Dining Room view

Wines

JC de Castelbajac & The little Prince..

Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince is an all time favorite. This is why I really enjoyed looking at Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's Spring 2011 collection. This is a fun and enjoyable collection with jolly cartoonish pieces. Castelbajac incorporated some sparkly sequin dresses, and uniform styles, as well as shirts with the animations of "The Little Prince" printed on them.. Here are some. 

:)

Ana

Chloé for Spring 2011

Am I the only girl in love with the Chloe

 Spring 2011 collection? I highly doubt it... this collection is pure genius. Specifically the ballerina looks! The tutu-like skirts and ballerina flats, combined with sleek hairstyles are marvelous. These looks remind me of Edgar Degas paintings; simply beautiful. Definitely one of the best in Paris Fashion Week. The ready-to-wear lookbook at http://www.chloe.com/#/collections/ready-to-wear/spring-2011/en is also promising. I cant get enough of look #5 ;)

These are some of my favorite looks. 

:)

Cerebral Matter Matters...

I have probably spent over 8 hours the past three days watching replays of Charlie Rose's Brain series online. This has to be one of the most fascinating programs I've ever watched.  The Brain series began in October, 2009, as an attempt to unveil new discoveries on the human brain. There has been a total of 11 episodes, each examining different subjects of the brain. Charlie Rose's cohost on the series is non less than Eric Kendel, a neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University which was also a recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in psychology or medicine. Along with Kendel other eminent neuroscientist and researchers are invited to each episode in hopes of tackling the mysteries of the human brain, and to analyze difficult questions on the subject. Guests in the Brain series share their knowledge and discuss scientific discoveries that are key to finding solutions to many illnesses of the brain. So far, the series has included episodes on important topics like creativity, the aging brain, and my personal favorite, the mentally ill brain. On this episode traits of the mentally ill brain were discussed, and two of the guests were amazing living examples of successful treatments of mental illness. One of them is Kay Redfield Jamison, a clinical psychologist, writer and professor who suffers from bipolar disease. The other is Elyn Saks, a writer and professor of law, psychiatry and psychology at the University of Southern California. Saks suffers from schizophrenia and briefly describes her illness on the episode. 

Broadly, I consider the Brain Series to be a terrific and advantageous program, which will enrich the viewers' comprehension of the human brain. 

The episodes are so terribly interesting, you won't regret watching... to do so, you may visit: 

http://www.charlierose.com/

*youtube.com also has quite a large selection of the episodes. 

:)

Ana