Oct 302012
 

I am in Montreal for my oldest friend, Colette Campbell-Moscrop’s wedding.  We grew up spending every holiday together.  We are family. Colette is marrying Subibe.  Colette is a white toast (like me), has a British father and a French mother.  Subibe is Indian and they are having a traditional Indian wedding.  FUN!  My very first Indian wedding!

It is just so happens that I have a sari.  While travelling through India, the Germ was adamant about buying me one. I didn’t want a sari, but he insisted.   When I received the invitation to Colette’s wedding, I was very happy that he did.

The Germ is concerned about the end result and really wants me to bring a back up outfit.  I insist that even if it looks like a fancy toga, I am wearing it.

We leave our hotel and arrive at Dr King’s house at exactly 4:20, the day of the wedding.  I met Dr King at grad school.  She is a kindred spirit and an official bestie.

Since it is the champagne year and since I was tackling another new experience, there was no question that we needed some serious champs.  Because Dr King is a fellow champagne hound and the germ and I can hold our own, it seemed only fitting that we start the sari tying party with a magnum of veuve.  What else?

Armed with a youtube video from goodIndiangirl.com, we had some basic instructions on how to tie this monster piece of fabric.  To get the party started, we popped our magnum of champagne paired it with some delicious lobster rolls.

Everything was so delicious and we were having so much fun that we lost track of time. The Germ, always the voice of reason, put an end to our partying ways and insisted we get started on tying the sari.

The adventure begins.

There is a lot more fabric than we expected.

I didn’t purchase the petticoat that is called for underneath the sari, but I put together a make shift tunic with a tank and slip to ensure the waist band would secure the folder fabric.

We knew this new thing had to be captured on video.  Dr King lost the job of chief sari wrapper and the Germ took over.

Tying a Sari

After a few attempts, we were good to go.  So pleased.

At the wedding, a lovely older Indian woman approached me, asked to help me and retied the entire thing.  She was shocked I was not wearing a petticoat, but impressed with our effort.

All said, I absolutely loved wearing a sari.  The fabric was gorgeous, it was surprisingly comfortable and I felt quite glamorous.

We also had an amazing time at such a fun, festive, joyful wedding.

Thanks Dr King!  Thanks Colette!

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 Posted by on October 30, 2012
Oct 102012
 

Arguably, it is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. Rocky Balboa downs 6 raw eggs, then the Italian Stallion, wearing a grey hoodie, track pants, black tuque and converse begins running through the streets of Philadelphia.  He effortlessly hurdles park benches and picks up an entourage en route.  He arrives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, flies up the stairs, reaches the top with a grand leap to start his triumphant victory dance.  The iconic scene closes with a satisfying panoramic view of the Philadelphia skyline.  This scene is not only one of the most memorable of the film and puts the stairs on the map, but more significantly, it  introduced the revolutionary steady cam technology. Rocky’s run is captured with smooth, breakthrough footage.  Cinematic history is made!

On my list of things to do for the champagne year is to watch 12 classic movies.  I had never seen Rocky from start to finish, but I did know the infamous stair run.

After watching the classic film, I decided that I had to make my way to the city of brotherly love to pay homage to the run, the stairs, the movie and its huge role in pop culture. ADRIENNE!

The original plan was to go in the late fall, wear a tracksuit and a hat. A chance however presented itself  to go in August.  Since opportunity rarely knocks twice and is never a lengthy visitor, I figured why not?

The city is impressive.  It is known for its wonderful collection of out door sculptures and public art, museums, architecture, cuisine and rich history.

The Rocky sculpture which was commissioned for the film series was later donated by Sylvester Stalone to the city of Philadelphia.  After public outcry, they moved it from the top of the stairs (where it was during the movie) to the base of the museum where it remains today.

We make our way over to the infamous stairs.  The Germ remains fully committed to doing the run in costume as originally planned.  I on the other hand called it off when we signed on for August.   I am sweating already.

Pop Cultural Pilgrimage – Rocky Stairs

I am pleasantly surprised that I love Philadelphia so much.  We had a ridiculously fun time on our pop culture pilgrimage in a great city that we can’t wait to visit again!

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 Posted by on October 10, 2012