The non-critic's critical review of the Labyrinth tv miniseries

So I just finished watched the CW's miniseries tv series Labyrinth and I don't think I've ever suffered from such a sense of being jilted (well maybe with the exception of Elysium, but I kind of knew that one was going to be bad going into it) and trust me, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Basically it's an indie mini series that the CW bought distribution rights to and have been peddling it as a "companion piece to the tv series Reign". Now obviously CW's president has no idea what he's talking about other than a vague sense that both productions involve some form of women prancing around in costume gowns and there's some knights or nobles or something or other along those lines. While Reign has MANY flaws, it's main draw is as a period piece setting for the teenage love triangle that the CW "reigns" supreme in. (think Dawson's Creek but in 16th century French court). Labyrinth on the other hand is touted as an ancient archeological mystery following the lives of two women, one in the 13th century and the other present day (think poor man's Dan Brown). According to the reviews, the series is slow moving but promised appeal to those historically inclined which drew me in immediately since I had just finished watching a documentary about Mathilde of England. With all the talk of how boring and slow and long it was, I was expecting some educational exercise in medieval and theological history, but no...it was just bad. period. For the potential viewer to digest how bad it is, let me explain in a couple of brief points

1. Part I was REALLY slow.  It's mostly a lot of "setting the stage" where you meet the characters and it's kind of compelling if you're a history nut since there's a lot of scenes involving depictions of medieval life and times as well as some background on the massacre of Cathars. Basically Part I sets up "the mystery" but it was so slow-going at one point I asked myself how could they possibly tie it all this together in another 1.5 hours? and therein lies problem #2...

2. They Don't.

 Part II was REALLY fast and had no plot. It almost came off as if the producers really wanted to make a sincere historically intricate film but ran out of time or budget and basically slapped a bunch of scenes together that kind of made sense, and called it a day. In part I, you learn about Alice in modern day and that she shares some psychological connection with this woman Alais in 13th century France, and that's it. In part II, so many other parties/characters are thrown into the mix that lead nowhere- there's the villainess head of some order centered around the labyrinth, the potential love interest but his storyline isn't really developed, and then some religious nut who keeps butting in and bad sibling rivalry, the introduction of John Hurt's character...it was all very slapdash and clumsily put together. The Deus Ex Machina of the plot really took away from the storyline which leads to my main problem #3

3. YOU NEVER REALLY FIND OUT "THE MYSTERY OF THE GRAIL"! Ok, well you kind of do, but it was a cop-out, muddled, poor excuse for an answer and it in NO way answered the mystery that was posed in Part I. In Part I you are introduced to the Cathars and you learn about a mysterious Muslim who is the "navigator" of an ancient religion requiring all three books to be brought together at a certain date, so they can be deciphered and some magical event can take place. Basically I'm sitting there thinking the damn cosmos is going to realign like something along the lines of The Fifth Element, and the retard screenwriter throws some low budget ABC family crap ending for viewers to lap up. NOT IMPRESSED. And it wasn't just the main mystery, there's so many subplots that's never solved/explored- there's a dead body introduced in the beginning but it's never really tied to the rest of the story, the evil older sister is out to get Alais but you never figure out how/why she knows about the order etc, what was the point of Alais's husband in the story? What was the point of adding Draco Malfoy's useless character? (and is it just me or is he just as whiny when playing a good guy?) Why did the bad crusader who was after the books all of a sudden just...stop? Yeah. It's one of those films...SMH....

Overall, it's just the kind of thing you should expect from regular basic tv, low budget and poorly cobbled together, which is pretty much all of the CW, but at least their regular lineup hits the sweet spot in whatever low form of entertainment you indulge in, but this labyrinthine convoluted mess won't push any of your buttons, whatever buttons you may have. Not for romance, not for action sequences, not for twisted ingenious plots, not for ending, not for history and definitely not for acting.

Adidas Stan Smith Review and How to get your hands on a pair

So for you those of you who don't know about the Adidas Stan Smith craze, then let me enlighten you here. From being THE ultimate tennis shoe to the Parisian Woman's closet staple, the Stan Smith frenzy is at an all time high in the fashion world as well as the sneaker world. While I can't imagine hitting up the court in them, I do see myself doing virtually everything else in them. They remind me of a great pair of French Connection oxfords that I own that look classic, minimalist, and modern with a touch of tomboyish cool. They are also a hit in Shanghai where Adidas Originals are extremely popular and widely prevalent. Are you sold yet? Now the more important question is- where to buy them if you are woman with a shoe size smaller than 10?

Fit and Sizing 
This was the trickiest for me. Like all the Adidas originals, the shoes are uni-sexual but the sizing are in men's.  I had a similar problem when buying my Adidas superstar 2.0 (another classic, love them) and it depends on the shoe. The Adidas website tells you to size down 1 size for women's, and that is do-able for the Stan smith's because they are a slimmer shoe, though if you can, try to get a size 1.5 smaller (for wider feet, stick to 1 size down). I'm a size 8 in women's and my size 7 Stans were a little loose on me, I had to lace up to the highest eyelet which covers up the tongue of the sneaker. For a wider shoe like the superstar 2.0, sizing down 2 sizes is completely appropriate.

Where to Buy

1. Adidas.com After Adidas re-released them in January, they have been more or less consistently sold out at adidas.com, HOWEVER, they do restock them every couple of months, so try to check the site occasionally for any updated inventory. If you happen to stop by a store, it's worth it to go in and check but heads up, I live in NYC and all 3 stores downtown I visited informed me the smallest size they carried was 9.

2. Jcrew.com, If you didn't know, J. Crew has a large inventory of other brands in their men's shoe department and they have one of the largest size selections out there, however they also tend to get sold out fairly quickly and you will have to check periodically to see if they've restocked. I purchased my pair from here.

3. Ebay.com, Ebay always have Stan Smith's in stock, however if you are looking for a pair in a lucrative size 6-7 then be prepared to pay at least 15-20% more. Also steer clear of Hong Kong sellers as they are more liable to be counterfeits

*Nordstrom's, Farfetch, and Footlocker also carry them, however, I've never seen anything lower than a size 8 in stock regularly

Conclusion
I've only worn mine for a couple of weeks and they're pretty comfortable, the soles are pretty flat so if you need arch support then I recommend an insert. Another thing to note is that the shoe does crease, for those who are shoe perfectionists. To sum it up, If you happen to come across them in your size, then definitely snatch them up. However, unless you're a diehard fashionista, there's no need to be paying designer prices for them. To get the same clean look, try the Adidas superstar 2.0 in all white or any of the white sneakers from Lacoste like the Mineria (my favorite is the evershot!).

How to be infinitely more attractive in 2 steps

"Be forever lucid, Alive to your self"
~The Bhagavad-Gita
"Be yourself. The world worships the original."
~Ingrid Bergman

Ok, so it's 1 in the morning and I just washed my hair and realized that I needed a haircut. It's been on the back of my mind for a couple of weeks but it's really come to a head right then and there. I need a haircut NOW! so what do I do? youtube videos on how to cut my hair! Yeah, I know, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen, but it doesn't take a genius for someone to cut their hair straight. I actually kind of like it, it's simple and straightforward and doesn't look bad.

For the longest time, I was very hung up on going to a salon and getting it done professionally, but they all seemed to give me some variation of the same thing- long layers.It didn't matter whether I went to a $20 salon or a $200 salon, it was always pretty much the same cut. Then, when I was youtubing videos on how to cut hair, there seemed to be a LOT of tutorials on how to get "long layers", it was actually really difficult finding a video on how to give yourself a basic trim. And then I realized something...All these women (and girls) are walking around with the EXACT, SAME haircut! I mean, just scroll through youtube and you'll see the same 10 videos over and over again on how to get "sexy beachy waves", open up magazines and that's what you get, watch the Victoria's secret fashion show and that's what you get- long layers and beachy waves. It's kind of becoming the vanilla hairstyle of the decade, I think I'd almost prefer the uni-dread of the 90s, at least there was some personality and it took some balls to pull that off. So I thought about it- why do all these women want to look the same? I mean, I can understand it when you're in highschool and everyone is wearing Abercrombie and Hollister, but aren't grown-ups supposed to embrace their individuality and isn't THAT what makes them beautiful?

I think the best piece of advice I ever received about my hair was from a guy I dated who knew nothing about beauty or hair. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to do my hair, so I parted it down the middle and just tucked it behind my ears. Yep, that was it, just tucked behind the ears and shoulders (think Monica Belluci in the Matrix hair). Anyway, I showed up to the date and he asked me if I had done something different with my hair, I told him I didn't have time and he said 'I like this hairstyle on you, you look very pretty, it looks very sophisticated and it suits you.". I thought he was just bullshitting me but when I looked in the mirror, I DID look nice. And ever since then, when I go out, I wear my hair down like that. The point is, Kim Kardashian's look works for her and whatever works for her, might not necessarily work for you. And trust me, personality factors a lot into the equation. Picture this, a nerdy quiet girl trying to pull off Kim Kardashian's porn star look. It would just look awkward, desperate, and wrong.
One trick that I like to use when deciding if I want to look like a certain celebrity is, put my thumb over their face and if I STILL like the look and the hair etc, then maybe this could be a possible go.  Remember when all the magazines were saying it was all about the red lip? Well, news flash- Red lip doesn't look great on everybody. If you have fish lips or No lips or bubble lips, then red lipstick just makes it more obvious.

So let me break it down for you, 2 steps on how to be infinitely more attractive.

Step 1: Look around you, turn on the tv, look through the magazines and newstands. Do you see a certain trend? Is it beachy hair? Fake tanner? or smokey eyes? Maybe it's a Michael Kors bag? or thigh high boots? Whatever it is. Immediately make a mental note to put it on a caution list. And if you were already following these popular trends. JUST STOP! Whatever it is that you think looks good or seems cool, just stop and reconsider. I'm not going to go so far as to tell you to do the opposite of whatever is in season (refer to step 2) but whatever assumptions or notions you have about beauty, intelligence, or society. Just stop. pause. and reconsider. Try to detach yourself from the whatever preconceived thoughts you already had. Now I understand that some things are popular for a reason, so I'm not telling you to dislike something just because it's popular. But I am asking you to really reconsider if it fits into your life. For example, everyone has an iphone, and if you actually need one and it makes your life more convenient, then by all means, go ahead. If you are technologically challenged but have one just because everyone else does, then reconsider if you need it.

Step 2:  Think about what you have going for you, and RUN WITH IT! like run, don't walk, and don't look back. Seriously though, what makes you, you? Focus on that. Now this all sounds easy but here's the caveat...As long as it's healthy and natural. Ok, so what is it? Do you have freckles? Then stop covering them up! Do you have crazy curly hair? Stop straightening it! are you very short and petite? Stop wearing heels! Do you  have two different colored eyes? Showcase them! (worked for Kate Bosworth) All these things you are doing to cover/alter whatever is unique about you don't help. In fact, they make it worse. I had a friend who was on the shorter side who would ALWAYS wear high heels. It was so unattractive because it always felt like she was compensating. If she had instead accepted being petite and focused on it, then I think her petite figure/stature would have been cute and worked for her. Now it's really important you understand that you have to focus on your own uniqueness, but that doesn't mean making excuses for yourself. So what I'm NOT saying is- showing off if you have really yellow fucked up teeth. No. that's not healthy and that's something you should work on. Nor am I saying to embrace your skin if you have really bad acne. Another popular one is weight. Look, you may be born bigger boned but that doesn't excuse morbid obesity. No one is saying you have to get down to a size 2, but you have to be at a healthy weight. Remember, health is beauty. Same goes for personality, I had a very nice, quiet, hardworking friend who saw Daniel Craig's James Bond and was convinced that's what women liked- international man of mystery. Look, James Bond is sexy, but imagine if Bill Gates decided to act like James Bond. Yeah, it would just be disturbingly unnatural. One piece of excellent advice that I received was from my life coach, he asked me what I was good at, NOT what I wanted to be good at, but what I was good at. I told him I was really good at going on dates. That men usually always had a good time with me when I went out with them. He asked me why, and I told him it was because I pulled out all the stops on being charming, and he told me to apply that attitude to everyone I meet. Like I'm going to charm the pants off them. What are you REALLY good at? are you good at working out? why? how? apply it to the rest of your life. The concept is simple, whatever is working for you in the most successful area of your life, run with it!

New Clothing line!

I'm originally from Shanghai and last time I went back, I also traveled to the nearby city of Suzhou as part of a day trip. Historically, Suzhou was China's "artisan city", it was known for many artisanal and luxury goods, chief among them was their reputation for producing silk, textiles and dresses. When I visited Suzhou I saw that this tradition still continued with many boutiques carrying hand tailored blouses and dresses in oriental style cuts but minimalistic enough for everyday wear. Fabrics were carefully chosen for their beautiful texture and and weave and complemented each other, I had never seen such elegant simplicity in Asian clothing.

However they were incredibly expensive, so I bought a few and took them back to Shanghai with me, knowing that I could have similar designs remade at one of the fabric markets at a cheaper price. I brought my blouses with me and combed through all the stalls at the market looking for the exact fabric that I could recreate the pieces in because I didn't even know what kind of material it was made from. After a lot of misdirection and near defeat, I stumbled across a stall that specialized in sand washed silks of every color. I explained my situation to the stall owner and she agreed to get her tailor to replicate my pieces if I bundled the price, I agreed, however I didn't want copies of the same shirt, so I requested a few adjustments- shorter sleeves, high collar, different buttons, etc. and voila...the idea became the seed of a thought? How could I bring these styles to the US? There isn't really anything like it here. So I decided...if it's to be, it's up to me! Hence the idea to start my own clothing line.

The clothes would blend together traditional Chinese cuts and methodologies to western office appropriate casual wear. I believe in equal focus on the cut-which is what first draws the eye in any garment, and the materials- the softness, the texture and the details are what makes a garment a favorite. Traditional Chinese fabrics are updated like modern sand washed silk and in muted organic colors, which in combination with clean lines and Asian inspired details lend a minimalist elegance to the modern woman's standard wardrobe. Easily transitionable from office wear to after hours mingling, the soft silhouettes are comfortable and forgiving. A few key pieces from the line such as a blouse and a dress, will lend the much needed twist and allure to the closet of any busy urban woman.

I think most people's idea of Chinese clothes stem from what they saw at the Beijing Olympics- red, bright and slightly tacky...or kitschy tight satin Chinese dresses (they're called qipaos). I think I'm going to attempt to reverse that negative connotation, and I don't think it'll be difficult, because we already love the Asian inspired motifs that Zara and HM put out on a seasonal basis, which is nowhere near authentic or well made. So why not do it right? 

So what do you think? Do you like the idea of Asian inspired clothing that can be versatile enough for both in and out of work?

Buying jewelry in Shanghai

First let me start off by saying that I love jewelry, I have a large collection that I yearly have to clean out to make room for more. I'm not particularly picky about brand names or materials, as long as it's my style and well made. Enter my last trip to Shanghai where I ended up picking out some really nice pieces. Here I'll give you my take on the jewelry market in China and what to expect as well as some advice on what to look for.

 Unless you are an Asian lady of a certain age, most of the jewelry in China will NOT be your style. China uses a lot of 24k gold because jewelry has always been a form of collateral. Up until the 1900s, the Chinese were still using golden ingots and many of the older generations are still mistrustful of paper money, preferring to convert their value into gold jewelry.

 I've never been a big fan of 24k gold jewelry, I think the pieces tend to be a little too blingy and over the top and very difficult to pare with casual clothing. The usual motifs of flowers, dragons, phoenixes are also a bit dated for the younger generation. However like I mentioned above, since jewelry is a form of collateral, such elaborate pieces are often given as wedding gifts to a young bride and groom to start their marriage off.
The center of the world's gold market is in Hong Kong and that's where a lot of the big name Asian jewelry stores originate from- Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang, and Lukfook.
Generally speaking, most people don't wear diamonds because they are extremely expensive in China (America is the cheapest place to buy diamonds), and 14k gold is very hard to find, but regardless of class, all women own a small piece of 24k gold in some form that they wear all the time and never take off. In Shanghai, a girl's 10th birthday is very important and that's usually when she's given her first piece of gold jewelry for luck. She will also receive nice jewelry when she turn 20, 30, 50, 60, 70, and 80, because those are considered "big birthdays" where the family will gather for a banquet and give out red envelopes.