New Condo...What A View!

So about a mth ago when I got back to Toronto I moved into a new condo w/ the bf. It's an AMAZING downtown location and has some AMAZING amenities including: indoor and outdoor pools, rooftop bbq, squash courts, aerobics room and classes, gym, sauna, whirlpool etc. We're on the 25th floor and technically our place is referred to as PH5 (penthouse 5) but don't get too excited...it's not actually a penthouse lol...just a really nice apt. and really big esp. for downtown Toronto standards. The bf did an amazing job in finding the place and we definitely got a sweet ass deal I can tell you that! I'm hoping to use my sweet pad, view and amenities to lure some cool photographers here to shoot w/ me lol! Plus my little breakfast nook area has two floor to ceiling windows w/ great natural light - can you say perfect place to do makeup! The bedroom also has two floor to ceiling windows as well...gorgeous and the perfect way to wake up every morning! So anyway, here's a few pics of the view from my apt...enjoy a bit of downtown Toronto in all its splendor!

A bit of lakeview

Air Canada Centre and Royal York Hotel
Some other buildings
Breakfast Nook AKA Perfect Makeup Station LOL

"Interesting" Afternoon!

So yesterday night I noticed my water wasn't working but I thought maybe it was just them doing repairs for a few hrs or something but when I woke up this morning it still wasn't working. I went downstairs and talked (mimed) to the front desk the problem and I don't know what the maintenance guy did outside my apt. but he got it working. Yeah Great...I have water again!

Then randomly this afternoon my toilet starts over flooding...AHHH! Thank God I noticed soon after it started! It was just pouring everywhere and I of course am freaking out 1) b/c water is going everywhere 2) even though it's "clean" water it's still toilet water EWW! I grabbed some sort of bucket and was trying to collect the water to throw down the shower drain but that wasn't very effective. After like 3 mins I realized this isn't going to stop so I went downstairs and again mimed the problem w/ just a little bit more urgency this time. Came back upstairs and kept trying to keep the situation under control. Now I know why there is a drain in the middle of my bathroom floor! That drain saved my whole bathroom and probably hallway from getting flooded. Thankfully the maintenance guys are pretty quick here so I wasn't left waiting for too long and I was able to keep it somewhat under control. Again don't know what was wrong but he fixed it and all is good in the world again...hopefully!

Inked Photoshoot

So last night Todd and I worked together on a shoot for Inked Magazine. It's based on of NYC and it's a tattoo magazine that also has a cool fashion element to it. Todd has been trying to shoot for them for a long time but it's really hard finding models (or even relatively attractive girls for that matter) in Shanghai w/ tattoos. Back when I was here in the Summer we did a test shoot w/ two twins that had a bunch of tattoos and let's put it this way there was A LOT of dim lighting and smoke being used lol!

Anyway, it was a night shoot w/ two girls. One a fairly well known Asian model named Masson and the other was just a girl that is getting an amazing dragon tattoo all over her back. The prob was the regular girl was okay but no model and next to Mason it showed. I think Todd is just going to push for the Masson pics to be used b/c they are just way stronger and she had tattoos in various locations on her body while the other girl had an amazing piece on her back but how many times for a fashion/editorial shoot can you shoot someone's back and make it look different (and for me it's not like you can really see her face for the makeup even). Also yesterday was Chinese New Year so the study Todd normally works out of is closed for the holidays so we did something different. We did the makeup and hair and my place. Which actually was really nice b/c I didn't have to lug my kit anywhere and they came to me.

The models were real troopers though b/c like I mentioned it was a night shoot and Todd wanted it to be a cityscape shoot too b/c this edition of the mag is suppose to be about travel so he needs to show it's Shanghai. On a normal shoot this would be unpleasant b/c of the unusually cold weather Shanghai has been having the last few days but it was even more so b/c this is a tattoo shoot which means these girls have to have limited clothes at some points. Like the back tattoo basically she's posing outside in jeans, no shirt - holding something to cover her front while he's shooting the back and Masson's biggest tattoo is on her leg so that meant lots of shorts and skirts...and they had to walk to various locations near my place and it was like at least -5C...ouch!

Normally, I like to be there on set while they are shooting but I actually couldn't be there for this one b/c when they were shooting one girl I was getting the other one ready or I had to wait w/ the one girl in my apt. while the other was shooting or wait for the pizza to be delivered (yeah a little dip in detox lol). But Karina, Todd's fiance was on set and she use to model so she knew how to brush hair into place and things like that so I wasn't too worried. I saw the raw pics today and I gotta say I like them a lot, very sexy to me. Plus it's an American mag so that makes me happy. Didn't pay well but I'll mention a cosmetic brand that I was using and get credit for products at least. So can't wait till that comes out! Sorry no behind the scene pics on this one since I wasn't there during the shooting and none were taken while I was doing makeup b/c they were out shooting.

On another note I saw the DestinAsian cover layout and I have to admit I'm not impressed and definitely a bit disappointed. I think the mag just chose a really mediocre and blah pic for their cover. I saw some of the other pics and there were definitely better ones so that's kind of disappointing b/c it's my first cover and I don't even really like it but hey at least it's a cover I suppose.

My Apartment!

Okay so I've been in Shanghai about a wk now and it's been a pretty busy start! Arrived last Fri. night, checked out apts. on Sat., moved into my new apt. Sun. and from there just been going to meetings and stuff.

I got an agent to help me find a place just b/c it's easier that way being that I don't speak Mandarin (yet) and I don't know my way around that well (and I get lost very easily). My agent was really nice her name was Sophie and she took me around to a couple of different places. I even got to ride on the back of a scooter through Shanghai which anyone who knows Shanghai knows is an experience in itself!

It was between two places. The one was newer, smaller and a bit cheaper but not near as central. The place I ended up going w/ is about a 5 min walk from Xinzha metro which is 1 stop above People's Square line 1...very central which is exactly what I was going for since as I mentioned before I'm directionally challenged and when you don't know the language it brings the game of charades to a whole new level when communicating w/ ppl. It's a one bedroom...nice enough...nothing fancy but whatever I really just want a place to stay that doesn't have cockroaches! And so far I can safely say I haven't seen any...now I'll go knock on some wood!

As many of you know my apt. in Shanghai last Summer came w/ house guests aka cockroaches. I asked my friend Todd (Canadian photographer) during the Summer one request in apt. hunting- no cockroaches and no rats...well at least it didn't have rats. My second night there I saw two cockroaches in the kitchen...apparently it just can't be helped! Well I put out traps and only saw about one a wk...unfortunately I don't know if they were eating the dead ones or something but they started to grow to mutant size. At least I can look back and call it a character building experience lol.

One thing that majorly sucks here though is that they require 2 mths rent plus 2 mths deposit (that's 4 mths...with the Can. dollar in the crapper that's a lot!). Until I start working this has left me beyond poor...I haven't bought sheets for my bed yet but I think today I'm going to go buy a blanket b/c sleeping in my coat w/ a hot water bottle just isn't cutting it (no I'm not joking here). Thankfully I found out that the air conditioners in China are also the heaters as I was really beginning to worry that I had somehow rented an apt. that didn't have heat as I couldn't see a vent anywhere in the place... I was definitely cold and it's only Nov. so I was more than a little worried (esp. since I'm sleeping w/ a coat and hot water bottle lol).

Here's some pics of my apt.

Here's the kitchen

Living room...Love that orange couch lol...esp. w/ pea green wall off the kitchen!




Here's the bedroom - See no sheets! Actually I've just been sleeping on my orange couch until now!