In search of inspiration, we headed south to catch the last day of the 2008 Eco Gift Festival held at the Santa Monica convention center. I haven't been to a tradeshow style event in a very long time.
I approached the festival like one approaches the louvre--knowing it will be nearly impossible to take it all in--but willing to try. My endurance approach soon melted away, as I found myself testing natural lotions from Winona, Minnesota's J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary, talking to the dynamic co-owner of CHIVAS Goat Milk Skin Care http://www.chivasskincare.com/, and marveling over the beauty of her bars of soap made from goats milk that her own mother milks on their farm, and exploring the plethora of organic clothing for children.
I had a lot of favorite kid's booths. The first that struck my fancy was Bamboo Hugs. http://www.bamboohugs.com/
They offer organic bamboo towels that double as blankets for wrapping up a post-bath baby or toddler. The bamboo is ultra soft and thick, and the Panda bear hoody on this towel is totally adorable. The co-owner, a former sound engineer if my memory serves me right, is a hip woman who's genuine excitement about her product makes you think of who on your list or in your family might need to go bamboo.
If you are still of the mind set that organic clothes for kids are all about muted colors and funky hemlines, think again. Green Edge Kids http://www.greenedgekids.com/ offered a broad array of high fashion and practical clothing for kids ages 2 to 12 in a pleasant range of colors in every type of organic fabric you could imagine, save sustainable silk, and Happy Green Bee http://happygreenbee.com/ took color to a new level with a whole line of brightly striped clothing in organic cotton. It was a happy booth.
I've had a hard time finding pjs for my soon-to-be-2 year-old (!) boy, and today I found my new source! Garden Kids. www.gardenkids.com. Simple, high quality cotton in solid combos.
Ezra came with us and did extraordinarily well due to two factors; His awesome papa, who kept him company while I explored, and a children's section in the festival where solar girl sang songs and an ugg-clad, felt-hat-topped storyteller kept him entertained. Strategically located in that corner (this vendor must have had some pull with the coordinator) was Eco-Kids, www.ecokidsusa.com. They had two crafts tables set up in front of their booth with gluten-free eco dough at one table and eco-fingerpaint at the other. Ezra was in heaven. Guess who's getting some eco-fingerpaint for Christmas?
After shopping and observing and learning, we ate a vegan chinese lunch (didn't catch the name of the restaurant) in the all vegetarian food court and then headed to the beach walk.
This was the most relaxing commerce experience I've had in years, surrounded by healthy people choosing to live sustainably. No stampedes over a poor Walmart employee, no altercations in the parking lot. Love, joy and save the planet.
Peace out!
Noelle
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Barack Obama Our NEW President!
I have a terrible cold and I was already losing my voice, but now, now I am shouting inside. I am so incredibly happy! Barack. You embody so much hope for so many people. I saw the worry on your smooth face during your acceptance speech which said, I am so happy to have the opportunity to clean up this major mess and re-instill confidence within our nation and within the world, but WOW what an uphill struggle! Or maybe that was just my take.
I'm so excited. Thank you thank you all you Americans who voted for Barack!
I'm so excited. Thank you thank you all you Americans who voted for Barack!
My American Prayer
Today, a woman I met once at a business seminar forwarded me a prayer begging God, in all his power to make John McCain President, so that "gay marriage" could never happen. Not only did I find her plea appalling, but downright inappropriate to send to your extended list of professionals.
On that note, My Prayer goes something like this: May we remember the positive role models, Jesus, Buddha, Gandi, Martin Luther King Junior, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and all the others who have preached tolerance of differences. May Barack Obama be a figure who's accomplishments as President of the United States (I'm Praying!) make him fine company to the names listed here. And may California' Prop 8 fail!
Now, for an uplifting American Prayer put on by the entertainment industry members in support of Obama and forwarded to me on this election day by Delilah:
Hope that embedding worked . . . .
On that note, My Prayer goes something like this: May we remember the positive role models, Jesus, Buddha, Gandi, Martin Luther King Junior, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and all the others who have preached tolerance of differences. May Barack Obama be a figure who's accomplishments as President of the United States (I'm Praying!) make him fine company to the names listed here. And may California' Prop 8 fail!
Now, for an uplifting American Prayer put on by the entertainment industry members in support of Obama and forwarded to me on this election day by Delilah:
Hope that embedding worked . . . .
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Multiple blogs?
So, if I wanted to have two identities in the blogosphere, and use my same email and blogspot account, how do I keep them separate? It seems if I update about me in one, it adds it to the other. So does this mean the anonymity of one blog is obliterated if you'd like to have one full access blog?
Would love yer feedback, fellow bloggers!
Noelle Aguayo (perhaps!)
Would love yer feedback, fellow bloggers!
Noelle Aguayo (perhaps!)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Villa LeDuk and Kaliandra
We spent our first week in Indonesia as the guests of Sietse and Li Tho (brother and now sister-n-law) at Li Tho's uncle's estate. Unlike all of the other estates I've frequented (ahem), Villa Leduk and the surrounding bungalows and lodges that comprise Kaliandra, deliver finery and culture Indonesian style.
At the main villa, this translates to two hosts who are highly accomplished and successful in business, culture and etiquette, yet who treat you with kindness and listen attentively to your conversations without outward scrutiny, a highly trained chef who prepares fresh, local and mainly organic meals and snacks approximately five times a day, and a dozen house servants dressed in white button down tops and colorful pants who walk barefoot across the marble floors to deliver your beverages or serve you multiple courses in one of the many dining areas or grand outdoor terraces. This is coupled with a sense of relaxation derived from the temperate climate, the casual elegance of the owners, and the genuine friendliness and openness of the Indonesian people, who, most importantly for us, absolutely love children. We stayed in the forest bungalows, or the Hastinapura complex, a 10 minutes walk uphill and into the forest.
As you climb lava stone steps and cross hand woven foot bridges surrounded by lush vegetation, you hear birds and other forest creatures. Ezra's 19 month old status, enabled us to have a bungalow to ourselves!
Afternoon tea with sweet rice or banana desserts on banana leaves were brought to us every afternoon in our bungalow, and a young man would come to our bungalow every morning to inform us breakfast was ready on the upper pavilion restaurant. I haven't even begun to explain the decadence.
The life of luxury we maintained for a week as guests of Sietse and Li Tho at Villa Leduk (see 8/23/08 post for more photos) might have led us to feel inconsiderate and self serving in light of the extreme poverty just an hour's drive from this isolated paradise. But, we were able to avoid most of these feelings due to two things: The philanthropic endeavors of our hosts, Atmadja and Bagoes, and their prized non-profit, Kaliandra.
Kaliandra deserves an entry all its own, so I will just say that it marries two ideas that should co-exist in every society--environmental education and stewardship paired with cultural education and preservation. In other words, At and Bagoes ROCK! They give back to the community through this non-profit, provide many learning opportunities to local villagers, and a whole lot more. To learn about Kaliandra, visit the following link.
http://kaliandrasejati.org/index.htm
good night!
At the main villa, this translates to two hosts who are highly accomplished and successful in business, culture and etiquette, yet who treat you with kindness and listen attentively to your conversations without outward scrutiny, a highly trained chef who prepares fresh, local and mainly organic meals and snacks approximately five times a day, and a dozen house servants dressed in white button down tops and colorful pants who walk barefoot across the marble floors to deliver your beverages or serve you multiple courses in one of the many dining areas or grand outdoor terraces. This is coupled with a sense of relaxation derived from the temperate climate, the casual elegance of the owners, and the genuine friendliness and openness of the Indonesian people, who, most importantly for us, absolutely love children. We stayed in the forest bungalows, or the Hastinapura complex, a 10 minutes walk uphill and into the forest.
As you climb lava stone steps and cross hand woven foot bridges surrounded by lush vegetation, you hear birds and other forest creatures. Ezra's 19 month old status, enabled us to have a bungalow to ourselves!
Afternoon tea with sweet rice or banana desserts on banana leaves were brought to us every afternoon in our bungalow, and a young man would come to our bungalow every morning to inform us breakfast was ready on the upper pavilion restaurant. I haven't even begun to explain the decadence.
The life of luxury we maintained for a week as guests of Sietse and Li Tho at Villa Leduk (see 8/23/08 post for more photos) might have led us to feel inconsiderate and self serving in light of the extreme poverty just an hour's drive from this isolated paradise. But, we were able to avoid most of these feelings due to two things: The philanthropic endeavors of our hosts, Atmadja and Bagoes, and their prized non-profit, Kaliandra.
Kaliandra deserves an entry all its own, so I will just say that it marries two ideas that should co-exist in every society--environmental education and stewardship paired with cultural education and preservation. In other words, At and Bagoes ROCK! They give back to the community through this non-profit, provide many learning opportunities to local villagers, and a whole lot more. To learn about Kaliandra, visit the following link.
http://kaliandrasejati.org/index.htm
good night!
A shot of construction in Hong Kong
Although Hong Kong only represented a few days of our trip, I have to share this one picture. I'll have to check my memory against that of Arie Jan's, but I believe I took this from a foot bridge, rather than from the window of the high speed tram. This picture of major construction in the midst of high rises somehow encapsulates a part of my expectations of Hong Kong as a rapidly expanding economy. We were afloat in people, yet it was not as crowded as I had imagined.
More on Indonesia to follow
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Forgoing the Wheat, Dairy and Sugar
A few months ago, I went to Soho to see a local act, and while listening to Mike Dawson, the warm up act sing about an x-girlfriend who was a Milpas Street hooker, I chatted with my friend and local rocker Antara. A friend of Antara's came to the table who looked vaguely familiar. She was slight, fit, with a fabulous hair cut and well dressed. Well, ends up I DID know her--she had just changed everything about her outer look, which translated into a more confident, striking woman.
The last time I saw her, she was a pudgy, round cheeked chef, with pale skin and a air of weariness about her. Now she was thin, energetic even. Without wanting to sound inconsiderate, I tried to find out what had happened. She went on a diet. A diet, I asked? Which one?
After being diagnosed with candida (I believe), she read up on it, and found a book called "The Yeast Syndrome." The book explains how yeast can wreak absolute havoc on our bodies--on both men and women, and can be associated with skin problems, weight problems, low energy levels, etc. She put herself on the diet and several months later emerged as a leaner, and subsequently happier version of herself. My big question though, is, can you trust a thin chef? Yes!
Thank you oh chef for sharing your story with me! You look fabulous.
For the last two weeks, I've been trying the no wheat, no dairy and no sugar diet, and it is very very challenging. You can't eat fruit! And sugar is in everything it seems. Bread is a staple in so many meals, and dairy is the other half. So what do I eat?
Lots of vegetables, soy products, tempeh, rice, polenta, corn, beans and lots of veggie juice and water. Meat is fine in the diet, as is plain yogurt. But I'm not much of a meat eater. Besides an occasional slip of my spoon into Ezra's applesauce, so far so good!
Results? Almost down to my high school weight (a good thing) and more energetic and focused.
The last time I saw her, she was a pudgy, round cheeked chef, with pale skin and a air of weariness about her. Now she was thin, energetic even. Without wanting to sound inconsiderate, I tried to find out what had happened. She went on a diet. A diet, I asked? Which one?
After being diagnosed with candida (I believe), she read up on it, and found a book called "The Yeast Syndrome." The book explains how yeast can wreak absolute havoc on our bodies--on both men and women, and can be associated with skin problems, weight problems, low energy levels, etc. She put herself on the diet and several months later emerged as a leaner, and subsequently happier version of herself. My big question though, is, can you trust a thin chef? Yes!
Thank you oh chef for sharing your story with me! You look fabulous.
For the last two weeks, I've been trying the no wheat, no dairy and no sugar diet, and it is very very challenging. You can't eat fruit! And sugar is in everything it seems. Bread is a staple in so many meals, and dairy is the other half. So what do I eat?
Lots of vegetables, soy products, tempeh, rice, polenta, corn, beans and lots of veggie juice and water. Meat is fine in the diet, as is plain yogurt. But I'm not much of a meat eater. Besides an occasional slip of my spoon into Ezra's applesauce, so far so good!
Results? Almost down to my high school weight (a good thing) and more energetic and focused.
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