Monday Morning

Cocaine Princess here.

I snapped this pic this morning from my front window. All I can say is Mother Nature must not really like us because now that the deep freeze is over she continues her wrath by dumping snow and freezing rain on us today. Unfortunately living up here in the Great White North means suffering through long winters, however the snow covered branches do look pretty.

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess

Winter Vaycay Part 3

 

Cocaine Princess here.

To review: 
December 26th {Boxing Day} 2am
I was laying in bed but not sleeping (because as most of you are aware I don’t sleep well) and listening to Armin Van Burrin’s “State of Trance.” I got out of bed and looked out the window. If I remember correctly the exact words I mumbled were, “Holy Hell Mother Nature.”

I was beyond ticked off. From October to December we managed not to get any snow. Any snow that did fall melted by the time it hit the ground. Of all the days for a storm to hit and for the meteorologists to be correct– why oh why did it have to be today of all days. My flight was scheduled to leave in the afternoon. My luggage was all packed, locked and sitting by the front door in the foyer. I went downstairs to take a closer look outside by looking out the front window and by that point I couldn’t see anything. It was a complete white-out. You know the phrase when it rains it pours? Well, when it snows it blizzards. Hmm, when I said it out loud it didn’t sound too bad but when I typed it out and read it, it doesn’t really sound that good. As long as you get what I’m trying to say. I turned to the city’s news channel and watching the live eye camera several early morning drivers were being rescued after their cars landed in the ditch after skidding off the road and many of the main roads were closed. If that wasn’t bad enough there was more snow in the forecast accompanied by high winds. Now I’m the kind of person who always sees the glass half full rather than empty so I was positive my flight would leave on schedule with me on it. With the TV still on I was doing a little channel surfing when I came across a hockey game. I thought it was strange since there was a NHL Lockout (which now is over). It wasn't the NHL but the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships,(WJC) a hockey tournament played every year during the holidays. This year the host city was Russia and Canada happened to playing that morning against Germany. It was 4:30am here and when I went onto my twitter page I couldn’t believe #WJC2012 was the top trending topic. Die hard hockey fans were pumped after all it was the only hockey being played. It was better than nothing, right? Many people had twittered: “It’s 4:30am, watching the #WJC2012-- the things I do to support my country.” Anyways, so there I was sitting on the couch at 4:30am on Boxing Day watching and tweeting about the big game. Something that was really odd that people kept twittering about were the cheerleaders. Hmm, Hockey Cheerleaders? I guess it was something the Russkies came up with. Since they were dressed in neon pink and had matching pom-poms I have no idea whose side they were on. In the end Canada slaughtered Germany 9~1. 

Fast Forward a few hours later: the storm ended and let me say that hell hath no fury like Mother Nature because when I looked out the window again things did not look good. The road was covered in snow and when I opened the front door the snow came up to my knees. Oh boy, the only way I was going to leave the house is if I climbed onto the roof and waited for a rescue helicopter.....

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It’s been quite a week weather wise that is. We’ve been under an extreme cold alert. Temperatures plunged down to -22C with the wind~chill. It’s been so cold that I heard old man winter went into hiding. There was an article published informing readers on how to stay warm. Readers decided to leave  comments on what they did to stay warm. I was particularly fond of this one: Stay inside, Hennesey XO, Sex, Fireplace. Repeat either sex or Hennesey XO.

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My loyal and dear readers, it's finally Friday.

Whatever your plans are have a fantastic last weekend of January.~x

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess


 

Winter Vaycay Part 2

Cocaine Princess here.

December 25th 2012

Waking up on Christmas morning was very different from what I’m usually accustom to. When I’m on vacation on Christmas morning I’ll jump out of bed and head onto the balcony. Within minutes Valentina will burst into my room greeting me with a big hug and together we’ll run into the main room to open our gifts. Instead, I had awoken in my own bed and when I looked out the window after opening the blinds there was no beach, no sand and definitely no palm trees. The only bright side was there was no snow. Although we up here in the Great White North are known for cold and snow, Mother Nature gave us a green Christmas. I suppose you could call this the silver lining to my cloud.

Valentina had called me right at midnight and not a second later to wish me a Merry Christmas along with how upset she still was I couldn’t be there. I assured her I would be there the next day.

I must admit I was a tad bit worried there wasn’t going to be any presents for me under the tree but I guess in Santa’s book some of the things I did this past year were considered good in his book. Whew! What a relief. It had been quite some time since I had celebrated Christmas with sister and to be honest I didn’t know quite what to do. She usually does her thing while I’m thousands of miles away. By noon I was completely bored and on top of everything else I couldn’t stop looking at the clock. I wanted the day to be over and done with. I was anxious for the 26th to arrive. Sister came up with a suggestion, “Let’s go see a movie.” Checking the movie listings there were 3 big movies playing: Django Unchained, The Hobbit and Les Mis. Without any hesitation I said “Django Unchained.”  

I couldn’t believe how packed the theater was. While standing in line for snacks I overheard several patrons saying how going to the movies on Christmas Day is a yearly tradition. I suppose for some it’s a great way to pass the day and let’s not forget not everyone celebrates the Yuletide. As I inched closer to the front of the line I thought to myself, ‘never did I imagine I would be spending the most holiest day of the year at the movies,’ yet there I was ordering a jumbo popcorn, 2 Cokes and nachos for sister.  The movie was labelled as a spaghetti western so I wasn’t really sure what to expect and truth to be told I was only interested in Mr. DiCaprio but in a word the movie was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! Definitely entertaining, a lot of bloodshed and several comedic moments. Christoph Waltz really steals the movie with his clever one liners. It’s no wonder he won The Golden Globe this past week for best supporting actor.

December 25th 10pm
I was checking my carry on bag to make sure my essentials were packed: passport, travelers cheque, a few favorite jewelery pieces, my lipstick and compact. The TV was on and sister was watching the news when the weather segment came on. According to the report a mega storm was on its way. 20-30cm of snow accompanied by high winds. My initial reaction was a snort followed by a chuckle only because the meteorologists have a tendency to exaggerate.  20-30cm I figured really meant 2-3cm of snow. I looked out the window and saw how everything was so calm and quiet and the lawn was still green.

December 26th {Boxing Day} 2am
I was laying in bed but not sleeping (because as most of you are aware I don’t sleep well) and listening to Armin Van Burrin’s “State of Trance.” I got out of bed and looked out the window. If I remember correctly the exact words I mumbled were, “Holy Hell Mother Nature.”
 
To Be Continued.

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This past week designers in Europe have been presenting their menswear line for Autumn/Winter 2013. All I can say is there have been some very outlandish and just plain odd outfits that were seen on the runway. I’m not sure what’s going on in the minds of designers these days. Take a look at the pics below and you'll see what I mean:

Designer Katie Eary showcased floral prints for men. Siblings brought knitwear to the runway.


J.W. Anderson designed leather skirts for men.

  
Designer MAN decided to showcase something called 'plank headwear' for men.

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My loyal and dear readers, it's finally Friday.

Whatever your plans are have a triumphant weekend.~x

XOXOXOXO,

Cocaine Princess  

Winter Vaycay

Cocaine Princess here.

This winter vaycay totally took me for a surprise. I was doing things I never thought I would be doing in a million years. Oh My God, where do I even begin?! Perhaps it's best I start from the beginning.

Plans for winter vaycay always begin in October when my best friend Valentina and I discuss where we would like to go and what we would like to do. For the past couple of years winter break has been filled with an obligation, meaning there was some type of party, dinner party or vow renewal ceremony we had been invited to but weren't too crazy about attending but had to out of obligation.

As much as I love Christmas I've been finding it hard to feel the excitement and what I mean by that is I have to force myself to feel the joy. Don't get me wrong, I love the festive season and everything that comes along with it: the dazzling displays of lights, the fancy decorations, the merry songs, shopping for presents, the eating, the drinking etc. I think it's partly because my mom passed away so close to the holidays which coincidentally is how going on holidays first began. Not that I'm trying to forget my mom because there isn't a day that goes by she's not on my mind but when the holidays come around there's a certain emptiness inside of me and for whatever reason not being at home during the Christmas season makes it easier for me to get through the holidays. Some of my friends who have kids have explained it gets easier when you have children and that the pain lessens when you do. Anyways as I was saying, preparations for this year's trip began in October. Valentina and I both agreed this year we were going to have a stress free, drama free, no obligation whatsoever winter vaycay. I was scheduled to leave on December 23rd but due to a travel hiccup my itinerary was changed from the 23rd to the 26th. Valentina was upset and wanted me there for Christmas and not a second later.

VALENTINA: But what about the rum runners and spending Christmas Day at the beach?

The two of us have a tradition where upon my arrival we make a toast with a Rum Runner each in our hands to a fabulous holiday and then we spend the entire day of Christmas on the beach. There's nothing better than waking up on December 25th and slipping on your itsy-bitsy bikini and laying under a palapa hut while the poolside DJ is blasting tropical beats. Rum Runners and Christmas on the beach was now delayed by one day.

Christmas Eve 2012
It was a strange feeling getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner. Usually I’ll be in my hotel suite glamming it up with the doors to the balcony wide open– I love hearing the ocean waves pound in the late evening. Then Valentina, her dad and myself would have dinner on the lanai under a warm Latin moon. As small as it maybe it was our little, family tradition.  This year I had Christmas Eve dinner at home with sister and a few close family friends. The fireplace was turned on and we feasted on a delicious meal. Although I wasn’t in a tropical paradise Christmas Eve 2012 made for a lovely memory.

To Be Continued......

I'd like to thank you all for your well wishes and in case you're wondering I'm doing and feeling much better. Knock wood!

Maybe it's because I was feeling ill but it's hard to believe we're only 11 days into the new year because it feels much longer than that.

My loyal and dear readers, it's finally Friday. 

Whatever your plans are have an awesome weekend.~x

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess

Kiss You

 

Cocaine Princess here.

If you've been hearing a loud, terrible, hacking cough followed by what seems to be an endless amount of sneezes from up north, there's a perfectly good explanation for it. I don't know how but it seems a nasty cold has taken up residence inside of me and now it refuses to vacate the premises.

If I'm not sneezing, I'm coughing. If I'm not coughing, I'm sneezing. Sometimes both happens--  I'll cough and I'll sneeze. Do you have any idea how painful it is to sneeze and cough at the same time? Oh, it's awful! Both my nostrils are blocked and I have the worst sinus pain. My nose is sore from all the blowing and the cough that I've developed has turned my voice into someone who could easily be mistaken for Big Ang from Mob Wives.

I did a shot of Nyquil, after all it is "The Nightime Sniffling Sneezing Coughing Aching Stuffyhead Fever So You Can Rest Medicine." It says so right on the bottle. I filled the little shooter cap right up to its rim with the liquid medicine. Pretending it was a shot of tequila I said, salud, and down the hatch it went. Guess what? It didn't let me rest, not even for one damn minute! I was sneezing and coughing throughout the entire night. The makers behind NyQuil lied! How could they? I really ought to send them a scathing email. The next day I tried Advil Cold & Sinus which promised not only drowsiness but excitability. To be honest I wasn't too sure what that meant. Hmm, did it mean I would break out singing and dancing or was it more of a feeling, such as the excitement I feel when I realize the new Chanel handbag is going to be released soon?! Long story short nothing happened that night. I was neither feeling drowsy nor was there any type of excitement on my end.

So these past couple of days I've been trying to starve this cold of mine. You know what the worst part is? I can't even sleep this damn thing off. I lay in bed with a post nasal drip....Well there was that one night I was sleeping semi-peacefully only to be awoken by my own sneeze. Oh God, why me? Please go away flu.....someplace far, far away.

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In other news, today is Elvis Presley's birthday. The King of Rock 'n Roll would have been 78 years old. It's been 36 years since his death and still Elvis is loved and worshiped around the world. What an influence he has had on so many artists too, the popular British boy-band "One Direction" released their latest video titled "Kiss You" where they pay hommage to the King. Click here to see the video.

"Happy Birthday Elvis Aaron Presley"

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess 

Day Of Recovery

Cocaine Princess here.

I know what you're thinking, a midweek post from the Colombian Princess? How unusual? Not really considering I'm still on holidays and so off with my schedule that I have no idea what day of the week it is unless I check the front page of the paper. All I knew was when I awoken it was the day after New Years, aka "Day Of Recovery."

I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a blast ringing in the New Year. {I'll be blogging about my holidays next week} January is a month known for resolutions. I myself have never been known to make any. I've never been one to say, "Okay, this year I'm going to start eating healthy and exercise" only because I already do year round. I came across an interesting article about starting the New Year with a "mental detox." Hmm, a mental detox, how very interesting I thought. There are 6 steps: 
For a more in~depth look at each of the steps click on the highlighted link above.

1. Do 30 minutes of exercise three times a week.

2. Plot each day in advance.

3. Do your top to-dos first.

4. Finish what you start.

5. Aim for small, continuous improvement.

6. Recharge your mental battery.

We take care of our bodies but we often sometimes neglect to take care of ourselves internally which is just as important. I found that during the day and especially more so at night my mind races with thought after thought so part of my daily workout routine includes 30 minutes of yoga/mediation. Although my mind has trouble being quiet during the night~time, I feel good and calm during the daytime that I am able to quiet my thoughts.
 
The other day I was reminded by someone that I actually did make a resolution a few years ago on my blog which I completely had forgotten about. Learning to use chopsticks. I shamefully admit that I am one of those individuals you see when dining in a Chinese restaurant that uses a fork. Let it be known that 2013 will be the year the Princess masters the art of using chopsticks.

And perhaps a couple more resolutions:

Ignore the haters. 
Usually I'm good at not caring what others think of me but once in awhile someone comes along that knows how to push your buttons. There's a wise saying, "He who angers you, conquers you."

Live life with even more passion.
Enough said!

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I love these 2 pictures of the year 2013 backwards:

So my Lovelies, what are some of your New Year Resolutions?

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess