The Devil Wears Prada movie review

Most magazine editors become very powerful but Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, is above them all. The top designers in the world have to be on good terms with her because Vogue is literally the Bible for the fashionistas and nothing gets inside the magazine until Wintour says so.

She is reportedly the inspiration for the book and the movie. And those of us have had the misfortune of dealing with mean bosses know what it feels like and how frustrating it can be to work with nasty supervisor.

Miranda Priestley (a role that was literally made for Meryl Streep) hires yet another assistant Andy Sachs (I would have never thought that Anne Hathaway was such a fine actress) not just to answer phone calls or to act as an executive assistant, but also to bring coffee for her boss and be treated worse than a maid.

It is the story of a right-out-of-college graduate with all the aspirations of making it big and always doing the right thing, but then finds out that the world of business is one ugly place where there is no place for sweet, polite, considerate people.

She learns a lot of lessons about work and life from her boss but like anyone with even a bit of personal values would do, she quits (as dozens of assistants have done in the past). In the end she realizes that a great job is not worth it if it means stepping on people's toes and sacrificing your personal values.

Strongly recommended if you like fashion, comedy, New York, and Paris.

Pedicures for men

The other day I stopped by (though I did not have any treatments) the Nickel spa for men in New York city. If you are a man who is intimidated by the presence of to too many women in varying states of undress and all sorts of exotic materials on their bodies, you can opt for one of these spas for men. You can actually go to any spa these days and you will find quite a few men. Even if that is not the case when you go, clients and employees are all used to treating male clients for almost all procedures that women have (see the photo above of Matthew Weiner enjoying a pedicure at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills). And if you are in a relationship, it is a great way to get pampered as a couple.

Just Sweet by Jennifer Lopez

Apart from being a highly talented singer and actor, Jennifer Lopez is also a great designer. Her latest collection is called "Just Sweet" and here she is with the models who were at the launch of the label at Eyebeam in New York City.

Art by Skye Ferrante

Whenever we go to New York City, we spend a lot of time in SoHo, The Village, and Fifth Avenue. We also make a point to visit a few art galleries. You never know what you will find.

It was on one of those adventures of ours that we ran into Skye Ferrante, who is not only a great artist, but also a very charming man. Fortunately, he was present at the art gallery when we were there and was kind enough to chat with us showing his work to us and explaining how he comes up with ideas and how he makes his art pieces. He basically takes a piece of wire and then makes magic happen by molding it into shapes that tell a beautiful story.

What fascinated Lorena and myself, apart from his artistic talent, is his story (he was a ballet dancer). He literally started on the streets of New York selling his art to tourists for amounts that had only two digits. Just to give you an idea, the pieces that we liked from his collection on sale were all in four digits.

What we continue to ask ourselves is How many Skye Ferrantes are selling their art on streets? When will they be discovered?

Street art in Soho, New York

When you are in New York, you never know what you will see: particularly, art. A favorite neighborhood of ours is Soho. There are things to admire not just in the boutiques and galleries but also right on the streets. Opposite the Dolce & Gabbana boutique was parked this truck and on top of it was this massive metal structure. Take a look.

I want Mohandas Gandhi back

I still have a hard time believing that in 2007, people still fight over religion. Mankind's collective knowledge at this time has no evidence whatsoever for either existence or non-existence of God, and we know hardly anything if one religion is better than other in some way. Personally, I think that if there is a God, he most likely doesn't give a damn about religions and probably is amused by the whole drama that we play on earth.

These thoughts occured to me while noticing a statue of Mohandas K Gandhi in Union Square in New York City, the Indian leader who preached the message of non-violence and respect for all religions. Several years ago I read several books by Gandhi and also had a chance to watch Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning movie starring Ben Kingsley. I strongly recommend Gandhi's writings for anyone interested in public policy, and even, religion, particularly if you are convinced that your religion is the only way.

If I were God, I would send Gandhi back to earth to repeat his message. Unfortunately, those decisions are made in The Judgment City and not in my basement.

Saks Fifth Avenue Christmas window displays

A trip to New York City this holiday season included lunch at Rosa Mexicano, appreciation of the Christmas decorations at the Rockefeller Center, and window-shopping at Cartier. But there is another place to look at the windows, not necessarily for window-shopping: Saks Fifth Avenue store, which is famous for its holiday decorations. Take a look at the story that unfolds below.

Christmas decoration at Cartier in New York

One of the things that high-end retail stores do is to decorate their storefronts during the holiday season. Thus, a walk on Fifth Avenue can be a lot of fun. Stores like Louis Vuitton often displays art in its windows. Earlier I showed a picture of the Christmas decoration at Rockefeller Center. This is a picture of the Cartier store.

Christmas lights at Rockefeller Center in New York

The Rockefeller Center in New York always has something or the other going on but at Christmas time, it is the place to be. Even if you go every year, which we end up doing, it is nice to be walking around. We often visit the Saks Fifth Avenue store, Kinokuniya book store, and shop at the ever-popular Zara, Mexx, and H&M.