Where is Your Copy of the Advice Sisters Enews?

you are a subscriber to the bi-monthly, free newsletter, the Advice Sisters Enews, you already received the information below and more, with live links!

This time, I'm not going to put the entire Enews online in this blog. If you want to information in the Enews, I hope you will subscribe. The Advice Sisters Enews is free, delivered to your in-box bi-monthly. It features Advice Sisters news, tips, reviews, expert advice,the latest in style and culture, and more. It isn't too late to get your own subscription, and get the Late Winter, 2007 Advice Sisters Enews delivered right to your in-box. Here are just a few of the highlights:


"The Devil (and You) Wear Prada, Contest: Five lucky people have won more than $1,000 worth of ultra-luxe products from Benefit, Dior, and Z. Bigatti. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link

Fair Game on NPR with Faith Saile: At precisely 22.30 minutes into the 50-minute+ Valetine's Day "Fair Game" show Black Holes, Neuroscience, and Michael Jackson you will hear a segment about what couples should and should not do behind closed doors. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link

What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review March 2007 is focused primarily on color cosmetics to add new life to your Spring fashions, along with new fragrances, skin and body-care products, kits and gifts, nail, hair and men's products. *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the link


THE ADVICE SISTERS "ABOUT TOWN"


MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK Fashion Week for Fall, 2007, was a busy one, thanks to my colleagues, who facilitated backstage access for me at some of the hottest shows Here are the links to all the posts I created for Fashion Week Fall 2007: Alice Ritter, Akiko Ogawa, Gustavo Arrango *backstage coverage , Alice Roi *backstage coverage , Venexiana, Alexandre Herchovitch *backstage coverage , Araks *backstage coverage, Ellen Tracy *backstage coverage , Vanidades Fashion Lounge, Bill Blass *backstage coverage, Cynthia Rowley Hair & Makeup and Runway Show (& the Cynthia Rowley/Jillian Dempsey Makeup Collection for Fall 2007 for Avon) , Carmen Marc Valvo *backstage coverage, Zang Toi , Alison's Fashion Week "must-haves" *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the links

Book Reviews: These non-fiction books are some of the latest titles from major publishing companies. From secrets, to starvation, to sex, they'll educate, inspire, and entertain you *sorry, you have to be a subscriber to the Advice Sisters Enews to get the full reviews. Sign up now: http://www.advicesisters.net/thankyou.html

Write about what you know" is the advice that is often given to beginner authors. Amanda Kerlin obviously listened, and it's for that reason that Secrets of the Model Dorm by Amanda Kerlin and Phil Oh (Atria Books, 2007) succeeds. Ms. Kerlin is a statuesque and beautiful young woman who has "been there and done that" when it comes to modeling....

The Honeymoon's Over by Andrea Chapin and Sally Wofford-Girand (Warner Books, February 2007) is a book of original essays by female writers about love, marriage and divorce. Most of these are short, and well-written, but while they are amusing as stories, the book's main attraction is the way it connects women to women, with powerful emotions that most of us have felt in some way or another, at some time or another. .........


Gaining by Aimee Liu (Warner Books, February 2007) is an attention-grabbing, often intimate look at the life and mindset of Ms. Liu , a recovering anorexic, and the primarily women (a few men too) who she has followed up with after a hiatus of a few decades. Her first book, "Solitare," was about her battle with anorexia, but this one is more like a Part 2, or a sequel.....

Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy by Anita H. Clayton with Robin Cantor-Cooke (Ballantine Books), could have been a dry discourse on female sexuality, but it is a surprisingly entertaining and empowering book about how why women settle for lackluster sex lives, even though they may be high-powered in all other aspects of their lives.....


Sex on the Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.d. (Harmony Books, 2007)takes a more cerebral approach to the subject of better sex, with a serious, if somewhat clinical view on the subject matter, but it is no less interesting. The information is irresistible.....


A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman (Little Brown 2006) will not give you the secrets to a tidy desk, but it might make you re-think the costs and benefits of organization......

Welcome to Your Crisis by Laura Day (Little Brown 2006) confirms what I've been told most of my life, that out of adversity, comes opportunity. As it states on the back cover: "The moment your life falls, apart, it is also the moment your new life begins." ....

Holland America Line's Noordam Culinary Arts Center

I took a break from Fashion Week for an invitation I just couldn't refuse. I was honored to be included in a gathering of chefs, travel agents, writers, and other interested parties onboard the beautiful Holland America Line's glamorous cruise ship, the Noordam. Just about a year ago, I was onboard for the introductory overnight event of this stunning cruise ship (see "Nighttime on the Noordam) in my blog archives: http://www.advicesisters.net/advicesisters.net/2006_02_01_advicesistersblogarchive.html

The Noordam has a beautiful library, state-of-the-art computer center, an awesome, Waterford Crystal chandelier that can be raised and lowered, like the ones at the Metropolitan Opera house in New York, staterooms with spacious balconies, and lots of other great features. By far the most unique feature on Holland America Line ships are the Culinary Arts Centers, in partnership with "Food and Wine" magazine.

Holland America launched this innovative program back in 2005, and now there is a Culinary Arts Center onboard each of 13 Holland America line ships. Guests get printed recipes of the items being prepared, and they get to taste them, too! Several times each cruise, passengers enjoy "food network" style programming, featuring cooking demonstrations and hands-on cooking classes. While passengers sit in this space, outfitted with comfy love seats, mini-couches, and cafe tables, celebrity chefs share their recipes and techniques. The program win raves from the passengers (passengers sign up on a first-come-first served basis when they board the ship).

In the front of the lounge, there is a fully-stocked kitchen area with large plasma video screens on either side, so everyone can see the "close up" preparations, regardless of where they are sitting. Obviously, these programs are extremely popular, so I like the fact that the cooking demonstrations are also part of the in-stateroom programming. If you can't or didn't make it to the show, but want to see it, that's still an option. In addition to the cooking demos, there are at least two 90-minute, hands-on cooking classes offered on every cruise (the cost is just $29 per session!). These special sessions have a limited enrollment of just 12 people. As cooking classes go, this is a true bargain, especially when you factor in the skill of the chef you're learning from!

Our special luncheon and cooking demonstration was designed to bring attention to this innovative program. After getting past the various security checkpoints and onto the ship, we enjoyed a brief tour, and then a cocktail reception (champagne, wine, soda) in the spacious Queens Lounge, that houses the Noordam's Culinary Arts Center.

Richard D. Meadows, the Executive Vice-President of Holland America Line, and Gail Simmons of Food & Wine Magazine made some remarks, and then the fun, really began: Julie Reiner, Director/Owner of the Flatiron Lounge to a very delicious, grapefruit juice and gin-based cocktail (on top of the champagne, it gave us all quite a warm buzz). It was announced that Julie was going to be cruising on the Noordam with her mother! Then we were treated to an appetizer featuring scallops and one with a "sambal" in it (there are lots of Indonesian crew members on HAL ships. I distinctly remember from a cruise I took on the Maasdam to Greece some years ago, that this spicy, condiment was very popular with them, so it's no surprise that this would be available, onboard).

I really like this up-close-and-personal venue. Every cruise ship has "something" that makes it special. The Noordam has many, including an attention to detail and an elegance that is sadly lacking on my cruise lines, today. But the Culinary Arts Center program is tremendous fun, and an opportunity to take back a "souvenir" that won't fade like a tan, or be put in the back of a closet. It's just another reason Holland America appeals to upscale, educated adults who have "been there, done that" when it comes to traditional cruise activities and want something more in tune with their interests than pool games and bingo.

Eating is a sensory treat on the Noordam whether it's a special luncheon, or a casual dinner in the Lido. In fact, the regular dining room is quite beautiful, rivalling the elegance of many other ships in it's class, with gold-rimmed dishes and lots of gleaming crystal. In this main dining room passengers are assigned one of four formal seating times. I prefer open seating for it's flexibility, but at least having four meal seatings instead of two means that everyone gets a chance to eat at a time that is reasonably suitable for them.

Our lunch, however, was held in the Pinnacle Grill, the ship's alternative restaurant. It is very large for this type of room. Still, it manages to feel intimate, with tables set at different angles and along with balcony leading to the lounge, with seating for as few as two people, to large, oval conference room-style tables that seat 8-10. The opulent china is by Bulgari, the linens, perfectly starched. I could imagine myself staring dreamily out to sea, while sipping a good wine, and enjoying a gourmet meal....!

The luncheon planned for us included an lamb Entree by Michael Symon, Executive Chef/Owner of Parea, and a chocolate sorbet dessert by Pichet Ong, Executive Pastry Chef/Owner of P*ong. More than 52 celebrated chefs, wine experts, and even some cookbook authors, from some of the most exciting restaurants around the country, have graced Holland America's ships. The food was lovely, definitely not your standard "cruise ship fare" in either presentation, quality, or taste. One of my table mates had the vegetarian entree instead of the lamb, and she said her salmon was "quite nice."

During the cooking demonstrations in the Culinary Arts Center, we were told about the new, Holland America Cookbook which showcases Holland America Line's Fine dining. I didn't get a chance to look at it, but I'm intrigued. What a wonderful memento of a cruise this makes far nicer than a boring T-shirt (standard gift fare for the folks back home)!

In the golden age of ocean liner travel, a good meal in a formal setting was the highlight of the day's activities. Holland America brings the feeling back on it's elegant ships...and allows it's guests to take a bit of that elegance back home, through the Culinary Arts Center.