And the Winner Is...

In times when all we hear in the media and among our friends too is the buzz about who's wining which award or who's wearing what in which red carpet or what the host will say that will make people uncomfortable or how will the acceptance speech be; i can't help but wonder, what do these awards really mean and who are these awards important to anyway?

Awards are like great compliments, given to us by people that - hopefully - know and have excelled in the same craft as those who receive it, awards are the recognition of a job well done; much like a star to the child who cleans up their bed room or the treat to the dog who sits quietly upon request. But awards don't change us, awards don't all of a sudden make us into something special or different, or at least they shouldn't. Just because an actor receives an Oscar it doesn't mean they will only do masterpieces from there on, right Charlize Theron? Of course it is expected of them to only do better from then on, but why should they only then go for those dramatic roles that make you cry for 45 minutes when they can also have some fun while working and do a high energy action movie or a laughable comedy? They are actors after all, they should be open to playing whatever character makes them happy, wether we, the Academy or the critics like it or not.

I was watching a show on Oprah Winfrey's Network the other night called Master Class, in this show Oprah had Goldie Hawn talking about her life and career, and Ms. Hawn, a very accomplished and established actress - and and Oscar winner for that matter - had something very interesting to say. Goldie Hawn went on to say exactly what i've always been thinking, that it's great to get an award, that it's really cool to be recognized for the work you did and it's good to know that your peers admire you enough that they would give you something like an Oscar, but this accolade is like a pat in the back, and it doesn't make us any more special than we already were before, we need to be glad for it and move on, continue to do our jobs, carry on with our lives, because an award doesn't define who we are, they give us confidence, even boost up our egos for a moment, but it should not be for more than a moment.

You see, this is where it gets tricky, it's when the boosted ego lingers for more than a moment, and we believe that we in fact deserve something more than we've been getting, that we are in fact different. We are not. We should learn to take those little moments as a guide in our lives, maybe they exist to show us we are in the right path, that we are doing something that is good and admired, and it shows us which qualities we have, and that could be the lesson to be taken from an award or from that "job well done" we got from our boss, that we are in the right path and should continue to work hard, and that we should continue to give the best of ourselves in whatever it is that we are doing, otherwise, what's the point of doing it anyway?

What is the point of doing something if it's not done with love and passion? No point at all. So there you have it, regardless of getting an award or not, you should be happy you've done it and know in your heart, with or without the award, that you've done a great job. Other people's opinion will not make it more special, they may validate your own, but your opinion will still be the same, much like yourself as a person, and all of us should learn to award ourselves for the hard work we do, we should learn to identify our strengths and weaknesses as human beings and work on them to improve ourselves, and we should be able to admit to ourselves and the world what they are; there is nothing wrong with that, it shows character.

Modesty, actually, false modesty, is a bitch; and i only say this because i used to be big in false modesty. Why would you discredit yourself of something you did that was very well done? No, you should take the credit and run with it, but keep in mind that it doesn't change a thing about yourself. It is important to know what you're worth and to keep that in check constantly, because by doing that you will always remember that even though you may have many qualities, you also have many flaws, and they are just as visible, and that no one depends on another person's opinion to be happy, because by knowing your qualities and flaws you can be happy about yourself as a person and the feeling of being happy is extraordinary.

I recently lost a job, and all i heard from friends and people i know was how good i am and how i would turn this around because of these amazing talents and skills i have and so on and so forth. It wasn't very long until i started wearing a cloak of wisdom and all you would hear was me talking about myself and how great i was and how i would turn things around because i was really great and no one else could be greater than me and that anyone would be a fool not to hire me because i would add so much value to a company and so on and so forth.

What a bore of a human being i had become. For over a week the world revolved around me and i could not see past myself. Finally one night, i was having dinner with a great friend, someone who knows me inside and out, and halfway through it i see a look in her face, and i know i had seen that look once before, and it scared me. I had to ask her what was wrong, but she would NOT say it, for the life of her, i could see how uncomfortable she was, and that was driving me crazy, because i knew right there that i must have done or said something absolutely awful. Finally, after much insistence she revealed the reason of her discontentment towards me: I was acting like a selfish prick. And there it was, the cloak of wisdom fell off my shoulders and i realized how ridiculous i was, riding on my high horse like i was worth a million bucks when in fact i was probably worth no more than a penny.

So here it is my friends, the true story of how a good person, which i admittedly am, can turn into an absolute douche bag, to say the least. This is again, proof that compliments and awards don't change who we are. Those people saying how good i was when i lost my job were doing what they were supposed to be doing, they were pointing out my qualities so that i would have enough confidence to carry on and feel good about myself, they were being good friends, and after a while i became a ball of ego rolling down a mountain and destroying everything that crossed my path, even the ones who i loved the most.

We should always, always remember to stay true to ourselves and in our paths be kind and generous to others, because the award of today may be the doom of tomorrow.

Splashing Back

Here is a little piece I wrote for Modelina.com about Lisa Cant's return into the fashion world!
;)

Lisa Cant Splashes Back into the Fashion Scene

Dolce & Gabbana favorite Lisa Cant recently took some time off from the fashion world to attend Columbia University, but the blue eyed beauty is back and looking better than ever! Along with wrapping up her final semester at Columbia this year, Lisa just shot an editorial for Vogue US with Steven Klein, and is planning to walk the runways in the upcoming Fashion Weeks.  Trump Models included Lisa in their show package, which they send out to casting directors and designers, and having walked some of the top runways in the past - including Chanel and Marc Jacobs - we have a feeling she’ll be one of the most booked models this season.

The Curse

Every year is the same story, as the holiday season approaches, millions, or dare i say, billions of people accross the globe enter a state of utter anxiety that culminates with the new year's eve celebration. Oh the new year, this emblematic turn of the page of a calendar, or even the start of a brand new one, where projects will be launched, ideas will be developed, dreams will be chased, relationships will begin and promotions will be earned. Or not.

I remember from a very young age of being involved in fancy celebrations for the turn of the year and the hugs and kisses exchanged between friends and family wishing for a happy new year, followed by wishes of joy, happiness and success. What i also remember is that could not understand what difference did any of it make? I mean, was something going to dramatically change from today to tomorrow? I clearly remember not feeling any difference whatsoever, i mean, apart from the holiday everyone seemed to have, everything else remained the same. Everything.

After i gained some age and freedom, the celebration of the new year also meant being free from the shackles of the family festivities and venturing out with my friends in our own adventures through creative or exotic locations; or sometimes merely someone else's living room, with no grown up presence to say what we should or shouldn't do. In reality, what that was, was another opportunity to drink all night long until the morning came or someone passed out flat on the floor. Either way, that meant we were growing up, and we were in charge and independent, we didn't need anyone to tell us what and how to do anything, we knew better. Or so we thought.

Over the years i've grown to dislike the new year's eve celebrations just as much as everything else that surrounded the holiday season. That one night carried so much anxiety and expectations that at the end it seemed more like a task rather than a fun night out with friends. Most of the times it meant having some grand party plan or a very interesting travel destination combined with a mind-blowing party night. Well, needless to say that none of that EVER turned out as planned, hence the title above mentioned, and what i have been recently calling the curse of the new year's eve.

It is always a mess, you end up stranded at some weirdo's party in a distant location, or the party you spent a fortune on turns out to be hilariously disappointing - and i mean hilarious because you can't help but laugh at your own foolishness - or you start the evening in love to only finish heart-broken, or - which in my case is usually what happens and is far worse - everything seems to be going smoothly and you're heading towards a very successful evening in an incredible location with great company and then something really unexpected and fucked up happens.

Crap, don't you just hate that? Isn't that just a downer? Not in a simplistic perspective, but in fact in a disastrous, Donald Duck kind of proportion. I mean, you're in the zone, working the party, everything in harmony, you are finally making all the right connections that could contribute to something in the year ahead of you and then someone taps you in the shoulder: "have you seen Daniel?" and you go blank for a second - "no, i thought he was with you?!?". Well, dear friends, there you have it, the beginning of the end, you know that from that moment on your night will turn into hell.

Daniel, for that matter ends up resurfacing four hours later out of a ditch four blocks down the road where he went to look for "entertainment" - whatever the hell that means.

Well, the curse is very simple, because it never fails me, it always turns up at some point on my new year's eve and ruins my night, even if i decide to lock myself at home and watch movies, something WILL happen. The good side though is that this curse is the one thing that i can solemnly count on every single year. I know that for some part of that day i will be having a blast and i know that all of that will come crashing down on me as if the skies were falling on my head like in an Asterix comic book.

The thing is, who cares anyway? New year's eve is after all just another pointless holiday night that people use as an excuse to get sloshed and act irresponsibly, and there is nothing wrong with that, i mean i would have absolutely NOTHING against it if people didn't put so much expectation in it and on top of that added all that cheering and fake emotions and commotion that everyone knows is bullshit. I mean, what's the deal with all the hugging and the kissing just because a number is changing in the calendar? And why do we have a need for the year to change to only then start that long awaited diet or stop acting like a douche? Why not take action right now and get back the control of your life instead of just waiting for other people and holidays to dictate your future? I have nothing against new year`s eve, as long as it doesn't cause me traumas.

It seems pretty odd to me that we would have the discernment to decide to change things because the year is changing digits and not do anything about it throughout the year anyway!!?! Come on people, get off those fashionable bony asses and start acting on it NOW, before it's too late; and i know i sound a bit harsh, but it is what it is - i'd rather spend my energy on having a great birthday celebration rather then waiting for the clock to turn midnight, if you ask me where i was when the clocks turned, i will probably tell you: asleep.