Born to be shoemakers! Part 1: Jimmy Choo

A story of Jimmy Choo began more than 11 years ago. And with the help of two women: one was assiduous and other - very social. Three brilliantly skilled persons began this business with few opportunities, but with high hopes and ambitions. Who are they? And what did they have to achieve until the Royal British family started wearing their shoes?

One of three was Jimmy Choo. His skill was the basis of the Jimmy Choo “empire”. Jimmy Choo is a native of Malaysia. He was born in 1961 in the second smallest state of the Penang county. Should I say, in a family of local shoe-makers? As all children, he was interested in his parents’ business and tried to create his first shoes at the age of 11. Unfortunately, there is not much information about his family background, his childhood… and even now, he is just a man who does his job very well at his “secluded corner”. It is worth to mention that his real name is Jimmy Chow. In the beginning of 80's, he settled in London and began to study fashion design oriented on shoemaking. Cordwainers's Technical College in London and the London College of Fashion were places where Jimmy spent all his time those days. Inspired, talented… he had no money, no customs, no fame...

Second person played a dominant role in this story and gave a hand of help to the unknown Jimmy Chow. Tamara Melton became “a face, soul and muse of Jimmy Choo”.

Tamara is a Beverly Hills girl. She came from a successful and rich family, never needed money but went to work by father’s insistence (her father controlled Vidal Sassoon company). As a real beauty, she was addicted to shoes. This passion later helped her to get a job in London’s Vogue. Her job was to search for unique and stylish shoes for fashion articles in magazine. And she finally found what she was looking for… it was Jimmy Choo.

It was like a myth. She was looking for gold Greek sandals, and she found a man with gold hands who made everything from gold in her life instead. In the “secluded corner”, Jimmy and his helper, his niece Sandra Choi (the third person in our story) made their exclusive hand-made shoes of the best quality.

These days, Sandra Choi is a part of Jimmy Choo team (she is creative director), and she has unbelievable capacity for work. Jimmy has his skill to make comfortable shoes that seemed uncomfortable because of high heels, for example. Tamara – her father’s money. Though today they all have their own money earned by hard work but it was then, 11 years ago.

Tamara Melton was 27, she was already an editor-in-chief and suddenly Melton left her job. She believed in Jimmy Choo, a poor Chinese emigrant. Of course, Tamara already had a brilliant business plan and a big list of useful contacts which she gained during her Vogue period. To start their business, they needed money to open their office, money for bigger manufacture, money for everything. Tamara knew where she could get this money; she went to her closest friend – her father. Her father, a circumspect and a “hairy” person gave 250$ thousand for opening their company’s office.

They opened a shop in the center of London and began to work hard. Tamara was an inexhaustible source of ideas (relations, business plans); Jimmy Choo was an indomitable worker, and Sandra was very squeamish in preparing decorations for shoes. Better than any words, would say a fact that later Tamara’s father gave them 1, 2$ million for development. By the way, he became the president of Jimmy Choo Company.

Company’s income became huge. Unfortunately, the co-owners couldn’t work together anymore and in 2001 Tamara bought Jimmy’s part for 25$ million. The reason was misunderstandings between them. From her words, Jimmy was not interesting in marketing’s ideas and didn’t want to spend money on advertising companies. Anyway, Tamara knew fashion rules. In 2001 company’s income was 100$ million. She had an unhappy marriage with an awful divorce but at the same time, success in her carrier and birth of her daughter. You can read bout this in her book “Four inches”.

Though today a woman is the head of Jimmy Choo Company, this brand still has Jimmy Choo name. His talent was awarded many times. He got title Dato in Malaysia which equals a British knight's title. In 2003, got an OBE (Officer British Empire) from the Queen of England “for his services in making London’s name prominent in the world of design and the fashion industry”. But his most precious awards are all those famous and wealthy, pretty and particular legs in the world that choose Jimmy Choo shoes.

Today, Jimmy is the owner of a distinct Jimmy Choo enterprise. He makes 3 – 4 exclusive pairs of shoes a day and his client list consists of most famous Hollywood stars, wives of the richest men in the world, successful businesswomen and even members of some royal families.

It’s hard to say what would happen if Tamara Melton didn’t find Jimmy that day in London but what would happen if an 11 year old boy decided not be a shoe-maker and stayed in Penang, we can easily guess…

P.S. Rumours say that now Jimmy Choo company is for sale, its price approximately 150$ million and possibly it will be bought by Burberry.

On the Oscar ceremony, Jimmy Choo shoes were worn by: Helen Mirren, Penelope Cruz, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Emily Blunt, Jodie Foster, Minnie Driver, Sarah Michelle Geller, Jennifer Lopez.

First Date

You’ve met that wonderful person and even asked to meet later. The first date might be a challenge, as you don’t know her or him well, you’re not sure what to say, how to act and the most important thing - how to impress. It sounds frightful, but hey, if you’re with a person you really like, you shouldn’t feel like waiting for court to pass a judgment on you. Here are some tips to forget that awkward feeling and stay with thrill of joy.

Dress clothes you feel comfortable with, but they should be suitable for outdoor. The best solution is to dress in something you look perfect, but still feel well and comfortable. However don’t show everything you got if you’re not planning to end the evening at bedroom. Your date don’t know you much and will judge you by your appearance and manners.

If you don’t want someone to treat you like a bimbo, don’t dress up like one. It’s better for both of you to decide where you will go in advance, so you won’t wear tuxedo for date in a pub or high-heels for a golf club. Don’t perfume yourself too much. You don’t want your date to smell your fragrance while you’re still two blocks away. And don’t be late, it shows that you don’t respect others.

It’s usual to go to see a movie or to have a dinner on the first date, so you won’t miss if you choose these two options. It’s endless question who should pay for a dinner, the one who asked out, the guy or both. It would be nice to offer to pay for half of the check, to avoid uncomfortable staring at the bill in the end of a date. Be careful when choosing a movie! Dramas go for emotive persons only, but horror and war movies make you scared and excited. And when you frightened you want to hold someone’s hand and get closer. If you choose a comedy, watch your date during the movie. You can know her or him better by what jokes make one laugh, what is considered rude and various other things.

If a movie and dinner seems to be boring plan for evening, try going for a walk. It’s simple, relaxing and you can talk much. You can always find a nice park, a sidewalk near a river or a pond, a zoo park or other place close to nature. The first date usually is dedicated to know each other better, so avoid places where you can’t talk like night clubs. If you want “accidentally” get in physical touch try teaching your date to play pool or ice-skating.

The awkward part of the first date is silent moments (or even minutes) when both of you don’t know what to say or do. If it’s a blind date, usually both of you won’t have an idea what to talk about. Prepare some topics to avoid this; a date should be a funny thing. Look through today’s titles on newspapers, so you can ask questions like “Have you heard of that event in NYC?” or “Do you know who won that award?”

It’s better to avoid perilous topics, especially religions, political convictions and money. People get sensitive when talking about these things and you don’t want your date to turn into debate. Remember not to act like you or your date was on a job interview. Questions about friends, work, hobbies are pretty “safe”. But don’t get too personal too fast and don’t complain about shock you had in your childhood or how bad your last relationship was. Talking about ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends can ruin your image easily.

Ask a lot of questions, it shows that you care about your date. Try to find similarities between you two, the same hobby, music style or whatever makes your date feel that you already are two of a kind. Make your date feel comfortable; a few compliments always break the ice. Simply be yourself. If you try too hard to impress, you may overdo and be considered to be arrogant. Just smile and look into the eyes, a smile can do miracles!

Also be polite and in good manners, these things are still appreciated. Say “thank you” whenever your date does something nice, it doesn’t cost a thing, but it shows that you enjoy that person’s company. Don’t use your mobile phone! It’s very rude to text someone or make a call and ignore the person next to you. And don’t stare at sexy waitress! If it’s a blind date and the person you’ve met is not what you’ve expected, don’t overreact. You can still make it funny; if it’s organized by your friends, ask your date’s opinion about the friends’ skills in matchmaking. Keep it fun and polite.

The end of the first date might be extremely frightening; both of you are waiting for a kiss. You can get around this uncomfortable situation and give him or her kiss before a date, at the moment you meet. This way, you both will be more prepared to kiss for goodbye. However if you didn’t like your date, don’t deceive your self and the other person. Simply thank for a date and say you could be great friends. Don’t try to pounce on your date; a hug and a short kiss are fine, unless he/ she openly go for more.

Show that you care about your date; pick some topic in advance to avoid awkward silence; be yourself, but stay polite. If there’s some chemistry between you two, these things are enough to keep a date fun. However prepare a backup plan if a date appears to be boring or a total disaster.

Magic of Coffee

An old Turkish proverb says that a coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love. Nowadays there are various coffee drinks made out of coffee grown in different regions. But coffee still makes a magic with vivifying and charming effect. This beverage has plenty of lovers all over the world because of its rich aroma, taste and energizing upshot of caffeine.

Coffee started its trip around the world in Africa, in a locality now called Ethiopia. Little by little it spread around the Earth and now is cultivated in various regions: Latin America, Indonesia and even Hawaii. Coffee taste depends on region a lot; it also varies depending on roasting, blending and of course on the way of beverage preparation. The coffee you find in a store can be characterized as “commercial” or “specialty”.

Commercial one is usually blended and ground already, packed in collapsed bricks or cans; while specialty coffee contains roasted wholebeans that you can grind your self and blend with other types of coffee. Some of specialty coffees even come un-roasted, so coffee lovers can roast them the way they like at home. Commercial coffee (including instant one) is ready-to-use product for those who save their time.However if you really adore coffee, you should try to prepare the beans yourself. Also keep in mind that coffee begins to stale right after it is roasted and ground, so when you buy ready-to-use coffee it already has big part of its taste and aroma lost. Amazingly, there are more kinds of “specialty” coffee than “commercial’ one.

When coffee is grown not in huge plantations but in small farms, more attention is dedicated to the quality than quantity. This type of coffee contains unique taste and it’s very rare, therefore it is appreciated among coffee lovers. They compare these extra quality coffees to special wine, cheese and other splendid food. These kinds are very expensive; also they are recognized and very popular in coffee market.

The most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak. It grows in three islands of Indonesia; the beans are selected by small mammal called Luwak. Coffee lovers claim it’s the best coffee you can find. Only 500 pounds of Kopi Luwak is produced every year, therefore it is evaluated $160 to $600 for one pound.

The runner-up in the most rare and expensive coffees is the one from Boquete, a region of Panama. Coffee named “Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha” grows in the shades of guava tree; this renders a special taste. Hacienda La Esmeralda costs $104 per pound. The third place goes to Island of St. Helena Coffee Company. This coffee became popular when Napoleon Bonaparte (who was exiled to this island) praised it for its great flavor. Island of St. Helena coffee costs $79 per pound and it’s still popular after couple of centuries.

The more unique coffee’s taste, smell or region is, the more it is expensive. Sometimes coffee is highly priced because of small amount available; some kinds of coffee are not even on sale, they can only be found in special auctions.

You can find two types of coffee drinkers. The first type claims that milk, syrup, liquor and other additions ruin natural rich and strong taste of coffee. And the other type says that some extras add special flavors to coffee. While nobody wins this war, there are a great number of diverse coffee drinks.
The most known drink is espresso, a shot of extremely strong coffee. It can be used to make cocktails. Additions to brewed coffee vary on a nation or region: Caribbeanone contains baked coconut and milk; American mocha is spiced with cocoa (or chocolate), vanilla and cinnamon; Italian caffe e latte is flavored with hot milk. Mexicans prepare coffee from coarsely ground beans and add some brown sugar with cinnamon stick. The famous Irish coffee contains sugar, whiskey, huge foam of whipped cream and is usually served in a special glass.

There are many coffee drinks around the world; coffee-houses mainly offer 10 to 30 of them. A cup of coffee may wake you up in a morning; warm you up in a cold day and give you energy shot on a break. Give yourself a minute to feel its layered taste and aroma.

How to get Noticed by Scouts

You find your self a model, but you don't belong to any agency yet? If you tried to get into this business you have probably faced that it's difficult to be noticed among many other girls and boys that rush into modeling market. Let's look over what can make you different than others and attract scouts.

Although it might seem that modeling business is overcrowded, agencies always seek for new faces and talents that could represent changing needs. As there are several modeling types, almost all people can find their place there.

If you want to be a model, agencies and potential employers must know that you are there and you crave for taking this job. Don't be afraid to contact agencies your self. Being ambitious is not a sin! Keep up with advertisements in mass media. Companies need various people to represent their products. Fashion house looking for girls for catwalk would probably search for them in a reputable agency, but women magazine may want unusual faces for pictures. That's why it can be worth to read advertisements. A photographer may look for a teenage guy for school theme shots, advertising agency may want an artistic redhead girl for specific project. There are many small modeling-related jobs you can take to gain experience. It is easier to get further jobs or interest an agency when you already have a sense of modeling. Furthermore, you will feel more confident presenting your self, and self-assurance is important thing. You must prove the agency that you can be a model. They must believe that you are suitable for various modeling job, otherwise there's no point for them to accept you.

Portfolio and composite cards are the best way to present you in modeling world. Professional pictures may costs a lot, but this investment is worth it, because scouts will judge you by your photos. It's better to have various pictures taken, to convince that you are suitable for different types of modeling. If you only have photos in swimsuit in your portfolio, you will probably be hired to demonstrate swimsuits/lingerie, but not to do other modeling types.

Although most of modeling jobs requires slim body type, there's no need to worry if you are not slender or not high enough. You can target into petite modeling that requires shorter height, plus size modeling, body part modeling and many others. The main thing is to present yourself in the right way. Fashion fitness modeling scouts will expect you to have healthy look and maybe even some muscles. Lingerie and glamour modeling scouts will seek for body with full curves, while scouts looking for runway models will pay attention to skinny girls. Find your advantages and accentuate them, so you won't be left behind.

Remember to take care of your body. This doesn't mean you have to sweat in gym to get rid of another pound, because too thin models are under discussion these days. If you don't fit into 6 or 8 size, better concentrate on modeling types that doesn't need slim body type. But it is worth to take care of your good appearance as healthy look and clear skin are valuated everywhere. If you can't believe you are beautiful and suitable to be a model, no one else will.

Pay attention to your gait and carriage. Imagine that you are already chosen to step on a catwalk. Would you know how to act? If not, why don't take lessons in advance? Don't miss a chance to improve your acting or dancing skills in courses. These lessons will make you more graceful and flexible plus they will help you to stay in shape.

Nothing embellishes a person more than a smile does. If you are self confident and step with grace, you're going to be noticed by all passengers, not by scouts only. Have your portfolio with you just in cases. Remember Naomi Campbell was discovered while shopping and Twiggy, the model icon of the last century, was noticed in hairdressing saloon. Maybe you are going to be the next one lucky?

Ladies Fitness: Ages 12-18

So, you are a girl, under 18 years of age, believe in yourself and just wish you were in a better shape. You don't want to be big and muscular, but you do want to look athletic and fit. You worry about dieting because of all the crazy information out there, and more than anything, you want to be healthy. On top of this, everyone tells you to just be patient, wait till your body matures, and don't worry about that, you are still too young. Where do you turn? What do you do? Well, my beautiful young ladies, you have come to the right spot!!
To begin with, let's look at nutrition. There are three types of molecules in food that we have to be concerned with: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. It is important that your body receive certain portions of all of these, however, what you may not know, is that WHEN you take them in is also important. To keep things simple, I am going to list a few good food types so that you understand the differences.

• - Protein Carbohydrate Fat
• - Egg yolks Rice Olive oil
• - Fish Potatoes Butter
• - Chicken Green beans Vegetable oil
• - Red meat Corn Canola
• - Pork Broccoli Macadamia Nut Oil

Now, there are some very simple rules that you can follow to put you on the path to sensible eating:

-Eat 5-7 small meals per day
-Always include some protein with every meal
-Take in no simple carbohydrates, like breads, candy, etc.
-Take in only green cars within 4 hours of bed time
-If trying to lose weight, eat carbs with first 3 meals only
-If trying to gain weight, eat carbs with all meals except last

Exercising

Now, let's take a look at exercise. There are three types of exercise, realistically, that you will want to be concerned with at this point. These are cardiovascular, weight training and cross-training. Again, the following list will provide some insight into the different types.

• - Cardiovascular Weight Training Cross-training
• - Biking Free weights Basketball
• - Hiking Weight machines Tennis
• - Jogging Soccer
• - Step climbing Swimming

Here are some additional rules that apply to exercising:

- Engage in Cross-training or cardiovascular exercise at least 3 times per week, for no less than 30 mins.
- When beginning to weight train, work out the entire body 2-3 times per week.
- Always allow at least one day between workouts
- When in doubt, use free weights, not machines
- Free weights will strengthen joints and connective tissue, machine typically do not
- In the beginning, training should focus on 3 key areas, Back, Chest and Legs.
- Always use a full range of motion when doing any exercise

For those who do not have access to a gym, there are some great weight lifting activities that you can do on your own:

- Deep squats, holding a large book in each hand, hands out to a side
- Shoulder presses with either buckets, paint cans, or anything else
- Push-ups
- Leg lifts on a chair
- Arm curls holding anything heavy

While these don't sound like a lot of things, for beginners, it is more than sufficient to start. Keep in mind, as young women: you do not want to be using excessive weight loads, as it can interfere with the natural growth processes of the body. In particular the complex joints of the hips and shoulders can be at risk.

As beginners, these basic guidelines can help you make smart choices and have good results from your program. Leave the advanced stuff to others and stick with the basics.

Natural way to Hair care

Pre wash steps

• Massage olive oil in circulating motion in your hair for 10 minutes be patient and do not rush over it. Leave it for 30 -40 minutes before you wash hair.
• You can substitute olive oil with coconut oil.

How to wash your hair?

• Wash your hair when ever you feel need of.
• Do not wash your hair with hot water. Always use lukewarm water.
• Use mild and herbal shampoo and conditioner without any harsh detergent like the sulfates for your hair. If you have oily hair apply conditioner only at the ends otherwise conditioner would leave your hair greasy.
• After washing your hair wrap towel dipped in hot water around your hair. You would see amazing results.

How to dry your hair?

• Shake your hair until dry. It will help blood circulation in the scalp. Make use of your fingers to massage the scalp. Your scalp would only be damaged if your massage the scalp with nails.
• Use wide toothed comb. Divide you hair in sections and gently comb the hair starting from the ends.
• Avoid using blow dryer, styling if you are washing your hair everyday. If you are using blow dryer use it down wards and apply leave in conditioner before blow drying hair. It would protect your hair to get damaged from the heat.

Regular hair care

• Get your hair trimmed regularly. If you have short hair get your hair trimmed every month. If you have long hair get them trimmed after 6-8 weeks.
• Gently tie your hair while sleeping. Even better make a braid. Always comb your hair before sleeping.

Grey hair

• To prevent grey hair massage hair regularly with coconut oil or brahmai oil.
  
• Soak dried Amla(Emblic myrobalan) pieces or powder overnight in an black iron vessel. In the morning sieve it and put the liquid on your hair using brush. Leave it for an hour and simply wash off. Use gloves to protect your hands from the natural color of amla. Wrap a towel around your head in order to avoid dripping. Use an old towel because the liquid would leave some black stains on it.

Natural Dye to hair

• Natural way to dye hair is to use henna. Henna is also good for conditioning. Mix henna with egg and leave it over night in an black iron vessel. Apply this paste in the morning on clean hair and leave it for half an hour for natural conditioning. If you want your hair to get colored mix coffee powder and methi (Fenugreek) powder in the paste. Do not shampoo your hair the same day if you want deep color on hair, just rinse thoroughly.
  

Conditioning with home made packs

• Make a paste using eggs and curd together and apply it on clean hair. Let it dry. Do not wash hair with hot water.
  
• Apply coconut milk on your scalp. It feels cool and relaxing and regular use would make your hair silky and also improves hair growth.
  
• Massage your hair with milk. Let it dry. Wash it off with mild shampoo.
  
• Once in 15 days rinse your with lemon juice mixed with water and honey as a final rinse after shampooing your hair.
  

Hair Loss

• Regular massage with castor oil as a hair oil helps the luxuriant growth of the hair.
  
• Rubbing lemon juice into the scalp also strengthens the hair roots and helps preventing dandruff. Rub lemon juice into scalp leave it on for 15 minutes and wash it off.

Those are some of the tips to get healthy and beautiful hair. Follow your routine regularly to get good results. If you are thinking to change to a new hair product. Stick with it for some time to see the results. It is always better to make use of herbal product since they do not damage or harm your hair.

Most Creative Sex Positions Ever (1 of 9)

BY LAURA GILBERT (PHOTO: TAMARA SCHLESINGER)
Want to turn tonight's amorous encounter into an erotic adventure? Give your mattress a rest and attempt our new, superhot pleasure poses — perfect for getting it on upstairs, downstairs...heck, even on the stairs. Chances are, when you and your guy are about to get it on, you make a beeline for the bed. Now we're not knocking

between-the-sheets sex, but you can make your intimate encounters even more intoxicating by moving them beyond the boudoir.

"Shaking it up by doing it in an innovative location will create a new, exciting dynamic in your sexual relationship," says Kimberly Flemke, Ph.D., therapist at the Institute for Sex Therapy and assistant professor in the couple and family therapy graduate program at Drexel University. "Having sex somewhere unexpected or where you're not 'supposed to' often releases brain hormones that increase desire and passion."

With the benefits of novel nooky in mind, we've mapped out some daring and innovative sex positions to try in every nook and cranny of your home. Let the room christening begin.