Pen & Paper

I haven’t been doing a good job keeping up with the Diva. I’ve left my writing on the wayside. However, I have recently getting back into it. I dusted off my journal the other day and started my usual rambling. There is something I miss about writing with my fountain pen.

Hopefully I will find inspiration to write about.

Just a little POD in the Morning....

From my beloved, for being an angel to him. Not really. He bicycled to work this morning, only to have a tire blow out. I received his rescue me message right as I was about to head out the door to work. I managed to save him and take him back home, although I rather tersely expressed my frustration to him. That was the POD (Princess of Darkness) side of me. He was going to put a single red rose in the bouquet but decided against it. Too bad.

Pretty Sugars from Central Market

Wow! I am almost inspired to make some cupcakes. My sweet tooth is in heaven.

Heading to Austin to see some old friends. Its been raining since we left Dallas.

Crack(berry) addict

Oh my gosh! I just found the option to upload posts from my Blackberry. Do you know what this means? I can take you shopping with me, in real time! Uhh, my mobile bill is going to skyrocket.

Botticelli Bellucci

I have a few favourite actresses. She is one of them. Monica. When they say "God created woman....", they mean her.

Don't talk.....just watch.....

Calgon take me away...to New Orleans

Today I wished I was not where I am. Somewhere else where I can relax. Well, my favourite place to daydream about is New Orleans. I really miss that place. I daydream that I am sipping chicory coffee and eating beignets at Café du Monde. Walk down Rue Royal and window shop the antique stores. Duck into my favourite boutiques like Trashy Diva (for clothes), Fifi Mahoney’s (for wigs and falls), Hové (for massage oil, bubble bath, room stray), and La Maison d'Absinthe (for absinthe accouterments and Aix-en-Provence cook books, table clothes, etc). Luncheon at the Court of Two Sisters for Creole buffet. Listening to the sounds of my foot steps on the cobble stone streets.

Architecture of New Orleans



The French Quarter



Cafe du Monde

Bombshell Quote of the day...

By my favourite bombshell, Mae West. Mae and I share the same birthday. Go figure!

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it. " ~ Mae West (1893-1980)




By the way, I want the dress she's wearing. I've already got the robe. Really, my robe is identical to hers.

American the.....politically parted.....

I am going through a political identity crisis. I don’t know where I stand. Frankly, I don’t care. I hate labels.

My father and I have had a lot of opposing political views. He’s a Republican, and I am….confused. My father and I had an email debate, as we often do, about the new administration. He called me a “liberal”. I really don’t understand that the hell that is. Then again, I don’t know what a republican is either. The definitions of both parties have changed dramatically and the ideology has changed with it. I find myself really hard to classify, as I did not grow up in America, rather in Asia. So some of the values in Asia that are considered very conservative are considered liberal in America.

What I have observed however, the most childish and repulsive behavior from both sides of the political agenda I have ever seen in the history of our great country. I see political pundits that spew verbal diarrhea from their mouths on air, who’s ranting make absolutely no sense to a common-sense thinking person. And the scary part is; they actually get paid for it. {Insert confused look} Even scarier, there are people that spend hours listening to this garbage and buying their books! Le sigh.

So, I am going to divorce it all baloney and make my own party. Complete with champagne and caviar!

Rhinestone Diva

The reason I called my blog, "Confessions of a Rhinestone Diva" is to honour my obsession of everything sparkly. Since I can't afford diamonds, at least not yet, I collect vintage rhinestone jewelry. The are also a lot more fun to acquire. I get them from antique or vintage stores and Ebay. My favourite is anything made by Weiss (1942-1971). As a matter of fact, my very first rhinestone purchase was a pair of Weiss crystal AB earrings from my favourite vintage store. Needless to say, the addiction started there.

These are some of the fabulous-ness that I am currently bidding on Ebay. I just won the black bracelet, to go with my bracelet and earring set. The black or jet rhinestone jewelry was used as "mourning" jewelry. Frankly, my black brooch looks stunning against my red wiggle dress. I am crossing my fingers on the other two. Just in time for spring!

These shoes are made for walking....

I am a sucker for shoes. L-O-V-E them. I am considering putting up photos of my shoes at work. Really? Yes, really. Some people put up photos of their grandkids, kids, their pets, high school reunions, etc. I will display my shoes...

Spring Fever

I’ve inherited my mum’s green thumb. Why is this a bad thing? It’s a very expensive trait to have. I love all sorts of flora but my absolute favourites are lavenders, roses, lantanas, verbenas, herbs and wormwood (yes, the stuff they make absinthe with).

Here’s a snapshot of my first day at my garden. I pulled a bunch of dead weeds and tilled the soil. Killer on the manicure, but at lease the garden looks fab!

The garden: work in progress

Wow! Talk about falling off the face of the Earth. I've got nothing to report. Nada. Zip. You get the point. I get this way with my journal too. I am going to have to find the inspiration that I lost. I am sure I will find it, after all, it's spring!

Grocery store therapy

So I picked up this book at my grocery store last night. It’s called Skinny Bitchin’ by the authors of Skinny Bitch. I’ve never read Skinny Bitch, but something about Skinny Bitchin’ made me pick up the book and flip through it. It’s a journal with empowering quotes and challenges. So, I tossed it in my basket with my container of hummus, pita chips and toothpaste.

Here’s one of the challenges:

Make a list of people who have wronged you and write out the ways in which they did so. When you are done, try to see things from their point of view, and write in their defense.

I am going to have to think about this one. I have one person in particular that have wronged me many times, no matter how many times I forgave her.

I think this therapy session may take more than just writing down my feelings. I may need some thorazine and a martini. Yeah, it's that bad.

If I Were a Boy...

Years ago, I was given an homework assignment in which I had to ask my mum what name she would have bestowed upon me if I were a boy.

"Sebastian."


Really?

Now, I constantly imagine what I would look and be like if I were Sebastian. Probably a Dandy, a poet, a lover, a gypsy, with total disregard for the status quo. Poet shirts, jodphurs and the occasional top hat would be de rigueur in my wardrobe. My breath would smell of absinthe and my fingers stained with ink from penning memoirs and love letters to my muse. I would constantly travel to romantic places like Paris, the Bavaria, Prague, the beaches of Santorini and the villas of Tuscany, where I immerse myself in food, drink and poetry.

I think I would look like this:

I think, therefor I am.

The Weather Outside is frightful....

I have been sent home from work due to impeding weather. It’s very cold in my boudoir and my very small space heater is not adequate. It’s damp, dark and cold outside and my beloved is out buying wood for the fireplace. I am hoping for warmer weather for this weekend as I have been dying for a long bike ride.

Decadence

My favourite canapé recipe that I have been devouring as of late is Strawberries Liberté. My version is a bit more decadent:

Fresh strawberries cut small slice from the tip and hollow out the stems. Fill the cavities with a dollop of crème fraiche and top with a graceful spoonful of black caviar.

This, of course, should be enjoyed with a sparkling glass of champagne in front of a glowing fireplace.

Speechless...

Yeah, yeah, I know. I haven’t penned anything on here since the 5th. I am suffering from a bout of writer’s block.

The cure? Bellini martini(s).

I Want Candy....

I have an insatiable appetite for sweets. I love pastries, cakes, tortes, tarts, everything that is decorated, light, flaky and colourful. I was in bliss when I first watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette with all the decadent pasteries.

movie still from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette:

One day, when I was channeling the Princess of Darkness (the explanation will be saved for a future post), my beloved asked me what he could do to banish my wicked mood.

“I want a cupcake.”

“What flavor?” he asked, puzzled by my request.

“I don’t care as long as it is pretty. I don’t want to eat it; I want to look at it.”

Yes, I really said that.

Within the hour, he returned with a bag from a bakery in hand. Inside was a chocolate mousse cupcake decorated with a tower of dark chocolate shavings and a chocolate lattice.

I contemplated its craftsmanship and then I devoured it. It was delish. Yes, life’s moment of decadence should be celebrated.

If and when I ever make it to Paris, my first stop will be the Ladurée patisserie. Their colourful macaroons are legendary.

Ladurée's macaroons