Fashion Blog on CBC

If for some strange reason you are not following me on Twitter or Facebook, then you may not have noticed that I wrote a blog for CBC on Monday.

The post is all about cultural appropriation in fashion in relation to some of my findings while walking along Queen Street in Toronto. Please take a read for yourself and let me know exactly what you think about this post. Is it cultural appropriation or "just fashion?"These topics are endlessly fascinating to me, although my posts here song focus on it solely. If you'd like to read more on these topics, I encourage you to check out Native Appropriations.

The purpose is to further discussion around appropriation brought up by the Trailblazers radio show. This can be downloaded as a podcast for your listening pleasure ... I've already added it to my daily commute podcast list. It's a complement to all that #8thFireCBC dopeness that's happening right now. Tune in tonight at 9 PM to watch episode #2. I am going to be flashed on your TV screen during the show!

Hotel NC II: BHMW

yes my Photoshop skills are lacking

You may have caught the first Dating @ Hotel NC vlog, where my roommate, Jas, & I discussed PIPs versus POPs (Perfect in Person vs. Perfect on Paper). Well that vlog inspired another video, when someone brought up the notion of BHMW (Bring home to mom worthy). So we thought we'd explore that territory a little bit right here on this vlog. Oh and if you are wondering, no, not all of our videos will be on random acronyms. Enjoy!

N.B.
-PIPs versus Pops

Nat & Marie

Clip from the Nat & Marie UStream channel

Just before we started. Pretty ladies: Marie and Nat (in order).

Rob Sarj on the decks and Tanya on the interdecks

In case you missed it, I was LIVE on the Nat & Marie show on January 3rd. Yeah I know that was already almost two weeks ago now but it was the day after the show that I started eating gluten and my life went into hardcore slow-mo.

The outfit: Sweater from Lavish & Squalor, Mary Jane Hunter 

arrowhead necklace, Ksubi jeans, Manitobah Mukluks

oh hey there

 These ladies are all (MB) pro

Okay back to the show. I had a blast being in their studio. I was nervous as heck and should have done a couple shots had a 1/2 glass of champagne to ease my nerves, but alas I was stone cold. There studio was really cool and they had a great crew around. So amazing to see some Toronto girls making their dreams a reality and living their life by design. It inspires.

Geneva B was also on the show. She knows my friend Jeneka. omg small world.

Watch the clip above to to check out my snippet of the show. If you like what you see, these girls go live on UStream every Wednesday at 9 PM, and you don't need cable to tune in (that age old cable debate). So be sure to watch the clip and let me know what you think.

The wall of fame

All the smiley ladies

And we are done. Time to have a dance partee.

N.B.

Show: http://www.natandmarie.com [9 PM EST]

Twitter: @NatAndMarie #NatAndMarie

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Nat & Marie - "The only internet aftershow you need to see live! Interact with online culture every Wednesday night at 9pm EST at natandmarie.com."

A Trail(er) of Crooked Arrows

The official trailer for Crooked Arrows was just released as the film team was at the US Lacrosse convention. It looks great but I must admit, so far I was hoping for more locker room scenes ... I'll still be there in the theaters watching anyways though.

Best line: When did the Indians start playing lacrosse anyway?

Brightest new star to come on the scene.

Favourite scene of the entire trailer. Obvi.

N.B.

-Crooked Arrows on FB

-My past post on the flick

Come On Baby Light My (8th) Fire

So last night some serious epic television happened in Canada. Like the kind that should make you haul yourself to Rogers and get yourself an HDPVR. 8th Fire had it's first episode last night and it was amazing.

I had a bit of a sneak pic on the first episode (Thanks Veritas!) and got to chat with Mr. Wab Kinew about it last Sunday when he was in town for that Strombo show. Be sure to check out his Soap Box below if you haven't already, it's brilliant. He's the "man on the side" (tee hee).

Wab to the rescue.

The show is a documentary series that informs Canadians about Native people and looks to dispel stereotypes. I watched it with my suburban-raised, South Asian roommate Jas and she was both enlightened and shocked. In short, it opened up great discussion in-person and online.

So for those American peeps, or those without cable, be sure to catch the full episode 1 'Indigenous in the City' here online and if you can tune in next week on Thursdays at 9 on CBC. I hear next week the series 'Concrete Indians' by Nadya Kwandibens (Red Works Studio) will be featured and yours truly took part in that. My face on CBC. Oh my gawd. I will be live-tweeting the EST airing next week with the hashtag #8thFireCBC - come join me online on Twitter. I guarantee fun.

N.B.
Mr. Kinew will also be on the Strombo show next Thursday at 11 PM on CBC so let's #KinewStrombo it out!

Life in the Gluten Lane

 If you have been following my Tweets or my Instagram feed, you may have noticed that I have been flirting with disaster these past five days ...

Yes that is a real pizza

  A pecan butter tart eh?

I have been #glutenfree since July 2009, which I first wrote about here in 'But No More Bannock!' I didn't get officially diagnosed for Celiac at that time since I learned that you have to actually ingest gluten in order to be tested. I didn't get what the point is since I already knew that it was the culprit of my ailments.

So what's changed? I have been having some new health things going on these past few months and despite already extensive testing, I'm not sure what the culprit is this round. In 2.5 weeks I am having some more major tests done, and this time it also involves testing for celiac disease. Which means that I spend the next few weeks eating gluten. 

All of the foods (and sauces) that were totally off limits to me that I have banished from memory so I don't miss them too much are now back on the menu! This is both exciting and totally frightening all at once since I have no idea how my body will be reacting to this onslaught of gluten.

I did accidentally ingest gluten on a few occasions in the past 2.5 years and each time it has been a totally painful time, and then exhausting. I would basically sleep for anywhere from 10-14 hours after contact. So far I have been pretty tired all around, but I have been forewarned that I am in for major mood swings, extreme exhaustion, and Major Payne. Yeah, can't wait.

But in the meantime ... I will do my best to enjoy this whole list of foods that I will be eating over the next few weeks that I may never IN MY LIFE have the chance to eat ever again. I will be selecting very carefully and making sure I get the best of the best. So far I had a fish taco at Grand Electric and that was life-changing. In fact I don't know how I will go back to being #glutenfree after this endeavour. I am already kinda emo about it.

The list:
-Lasagna
-Burrito Boyz
-Oreo blizzard
-Chocolate chip cookie
-Muffin
-Cupcake
-Clafouti croissant
-Hamburger
-Macaroni & cheese
-Fried chicken
-Waffles
-Onion rings
-Brownies (lots of them)
-Sourdough bread
-Cinnamon toast
-Chinese food
-Perogies (on Roncesvalles of course)
-French toast

Live in the sunshine

On my way to the New Years party I received some very sad news. A person I know has recently had a very major setback that will likely affect her for the rest of her life. I choked back my tears in the back of the car not wanting to cause a huge sob scene, but I felt such sadness for her, and those close to her. How precious this life is.

I took that as a reminder of just that. I know we hear it all the time through quotes and various posts in our social media networks, but sometimes it is something that really needs to hit close to home before you can seriously take stock.

That was my moment, and my reminder of how precious this life is and how to cherish every moment that the creator has given us. This moment has reminded me how precarious health and life can be, and to remain joyous in every single second that you have here on this earth.

Thrush on Strombo

In case you missed it (or don't have cable), Gemini award-winning Michelle Thrush was on the Strombo Show January 3, 2012. I totally sat down with Sarah and we live-tweeted that ish #ThrushStrombo. It was pretty awesome, but it all went so fast and I couldn't capture the quotes.

Thank god for video. It's up on my YouTube so y'all can check it, but here are some of my highlights:

George: "It is impossible for a woman of Aboriginal descent in this country to be on television and not in some way be political."

Michelle: "Being born brown in this country you have no choice ... it's a very political time." 

This is so true because I face it EVERY DAY. It's just a sign of the times, and almost every Native person in the world is political because of the questions that we get asked. 

"It's important as an Indigenous woman, first of all, it's important for us to speak our truth but I also want people in Canada to know that we are human beings. Everything that we do is not about spirituality and culture, even though it's an important part of who we are ... I'd love to do more scripts that have absolutely nothing to do with Indians, where I'm just actually a human being, just out there." ~Michelle Thrush

I love this quote so much. I feel all of this. This is why I do my blog and do my thing. This is what motivates me. I want to show that we are more than stereotypes, that we are the person(s) next in line at Starbucks and shopping at the Eaton's Center (________ or fill in cool mall here). That.

And finally Michelle said that Gordon Tootoosis "If you have this passion to tell our stories then you need to go forward with that" to encourage her to follow her passion for acting. I love this so much.

In short, Michelle did an amazing job on the Strombo show. I hear that Wab Kinew will be coming up on the show soon too ... I am sure he will kill the interview as well. Live Tweet with me when it airs? #WabStrombo

It's Show Time with Nat & Marie

 Nat and Marie 

 

Guess who's going to be on TV tonight? Okay well maybe not TV, but it's a webcast and that's even better because who the eff even has cable anymore these days?

 

I am going to be on the Nat & Marie show tonight at 9 PM EST and I will be interviewed LIVE. . Yes live. I better have some serious amounts of coffee so I sound like an quasi-intelligent human being or I'll just have to fall back on the "look pretty and smile."

 

Nat Tubanos and Marie Nicola are two Tweethearts who decided to make their own show together. All about the internet pop cultures and everything that Twitter peeps are generally interested in. Gossip about ceWEBritites plus musical guests for an extra dash of darling.

 

Got any questions to ask me? You can totally tune in and ask me stuff, the Skype is: NATANDMARIESHOW and their twitter account is @NatAndMarie. You can tune in here - www.natandmarie.com.

 

So dew it and tune in but please just only ask nice questions like "What's your favourite lip gloss?" and "What's your favourite ice cream flavour?" or I might look confused. I do my best to hide most of my confusion :P

 Strombo with Nat and Marie

Also, here's an interesting fact, they interviewed George Strombo (who interviewed Michelle Thrush last night) last fall which I thought was awesome. My first TV interview ever (The Agenda with Steve Paikin) I called in to George Strombo's radio show and asked him and that Q guy (before I actually met him and hung out with him) what to wear for my first TV interview ... their advice? "No short skirts." Okay thanks guys I'll for sure keep that in mind tonight. 

Now to go plan that outfit ...

N.B.

Show: http://www.natandmarie.com [9 PM EST]

Twitter: @NatAndMarie #NatAndMarie

Skype: NATANDMARIESHOW

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Nat & Marie - "The only internet aftershow you need to see live! Interact with online culture every Wednesday night at 9pm EST at natandmarie.com."

'Sample the Beauty of the New Year' Guest Blog by Sarah Yankoo

It arrives like a gift. Yay! 

Tis' the season for new years resolutions. Many of us are thinking of our goals, dreams, and desires. And like me, you may be thinking of taking some time to bring out your inner bombshell. The Luxe Box is a great simple way to ensure you you are getting access to a refined set of beauty products for all of 2012.

When I got the box, I was super excited because it's wrapped like a gift. It could be like your birthday every single month. Awesome. Before opening the box, I perused the site to check out what products I might be looking forward to inside. A few products I recognized, and have enjoyed in the past, were featured on their site. But even after spending time on the site, I was not sure what to expect. That is the joy of the box, like getting that mixed bag of candy from the corner store.

Inside the box that I checked out, were five sample-sized items. Kérastase Masque and Fluide, Pur Minerals Mineral Glow, Pure + Simple Collagen Elastic Plus and Mereadesso Face + Neck Toning Gel.

A list detailing the products and the prices of full-sized items is included.

I am really impressed by the Kérastase hair products. Having indulged in a Brazilian Blowout Treatment as well as a PM Shine, my hair is looking and feeling better than it has in a while. The masque, even with a small amount of product, was good for about five treatments and I did notice an improvement in the texture of my ends especially. I also love the Mineral Glow. It literally brightens my days as I rush through the morning feeling pale and exhausted. This is especially needed in January, when it's cold and miserable outside.

It's really simple, $12/month. Free shipping. Sign up before January 31 to receive a bonus 3-month subscription to FLARE.

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This is Sarah Yankoo's second guest blog. I hope you enjoyed it! I am sure that there will be more guest blogs by Sarah and more guest bloggers added to the roster. Team #NativeAwesome