The Fuss & Ish Show!

a month in pictures.

starring mostly, the best of friends, Ish

once upon a Friday night . . . 

bird's eye view of Ish's lap. this unfortunate mess is from our greek potatoes that were on her lap. RIP white leggings.

Ish was feeling allergenic so i offered her some children's Benedryl . . .

no booze for us that night! swig away Ish, swig away . . . 

my adventure at TIFF '10 . . .  James Franco

indulging in birthday festivities - the largest flame there ever was (and it wasn't even her birthday).

"oh yes, very good then . . . " clearly this called for british accents

nothing but admiration in her eyes for this french fry 

um, Canada  . . . the Olympic games have been over for quite some time now . . .

fall colours

an engagement party

a quick stop for some cold cuts following the engagement party

Philip McKnight out for dinner & drinks on our anniversary

the end.

Something's Got a Hold on Me*

for your viewing pleasure.


here's a little clip from Christina Aguilera's upcoming movie called Burlesque that comes out this November. it stars Cher, Christina, Kristen Bell, & Stanley Tucci. i'm not sure how good the movie will be but i'll be getting the soundtrack for sure. Christina should stick to this kind of music and leave the pop bullcrap behind. this is "Something's Got a Hold On Me" originally done by Christina's idol Etta James.


oh if only i had pipes like her . . .

Happy Anniversary to my Husband!

2 years married, almost 7 together.


today is our two year wedding anniversary! i sang phil a song on our wedding day that actually means more now than it did then. it's called 'Save Me From Myself' by none other than Christina Aguilera. i do believe obstacles and challenges arise in one's life to teach us something incredibly valuable . . . i've learnt a lot with my husband and i can only thank him repeatedly for always being there. 


here's to a strong future together!

In Love with Fall?

a new season.


there's no season like fall (aside from summer) to get excited. i would have to say that summer is my favourite season but fall is a close second. i'm sure everyone is excited to get out their winter clothes and have the undeniable excuse that yes, it is time for shopping. S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G. i could do it everyday. every single frickin' day. however, right now i am "unemployed" so my shopping is sadly limited. that does not stop me from window shopping and i wanted to share with you some fabulous things for this season . . .


ps. fingers crossed that i get a job in time for a New York trip in November to do some serious damage on Black Friday.

essie nail polish in velvet voyeur, $8-12

UGG boots in tawny brown, youth $108

( if you've got tiny feet, get the youth UGGs to save money )

UGG boots in blackberry wine, youth $110

( i'll need a couple of these babies being back in Canada )

PURCHASED! 1960's vintage from dirtybirdiesvintage on Etsy, $64 USD

PURCHASED! 1960's vintage Samsonite train case from GetYourVintageOn on Etsy, $34 USD

( this will be my new personal makeup case )

DV by Dolce Vita in brewer, $138-$190

Estee Lauder Long Lasting Lipstick in fig, $22

( favourite red for fall! )

PURCHASED! H&M faux leather jacket, $39.99 ( in-stores only! )

H&M trench coat, $49.99 ( in-stores only! )

American Apparel Disco Pant in black, $78-$90

100th

something special.

for my 100th blog post on FussyJussy i wanted to remind each and every one of you that i value the time you take to read my thoughts. my only wish is to enlighten you in someway through my personal experiences and lessons learned. i hope i'm doing a good job :)

Compassion : "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own." 
- Benjamin Disraeli 

via TinyBuddha

*lesson most recently learned : do not drink two cups of black tea with Grand Marnier before bed if you're in any way sensitive to caffeine. this could cause a sudden panic attack.*

127 Hours

brilliance spewing everywhere.


it was truly a privilege to attend the world premiere of director Danny Boyle's (Slumdog Millionaire) 127 Hours starring Mr. James Franco at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. this is the film about the very real and very mind-blowing story of a man forced to either die by dehydration or amputate off his own arm. i can't even begin to explain the emotional ride you go on following James' character Aron Ralston, as he hikes through Blue John Canyon of Utah (alone) and inevitably becomes trapped when a boulder lands on his right arm lodging it firmly against the canyon wall. 


the real Aron Ralston was also at the premiere and it was the first time for him, his wife & sister to view the film that describes in detail his experience over 127 hours. i was lucky enough to help welcome Mr. Franco as he was dropped off but really all i could do was stare. i felt it cliche to continuously yell "JAMES!" until he looked my way so i decided against it. however, i do owe a small revelation to James Franco. to be honest, one of the reasons i decided to go into acting was because of him. but that's another story, for another day. 


the main cast and Danny Boyle along with fellow screenwriting partner, Simon Beaufoy all watched the film with us and did a q&a following. hearing the inspiration behind making the film, Aron's reaction to watching it and James' experience of living it, was all newfound inspiration for me to really jump into this head first. with such talented people in this world and incredible stories to be told, i want so badly to be apart of something. 


literally from start to finish, this film is in a league of it's own. like Slumdog, Mr. Boyle has left his unique and distinguishable mark on Aron's story and you will not be the least disappointed when you see it. it is done in excellent taste with touches of humor and the underlying message that it's human relationships that keep us alive. check out the trailer below . . .

Imagine + 9/11 Anniversary

for your weekend.

In honor of the anniversary of 9/11

my thoughts & prayers are with the victim's families

By: John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today. . . 

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace. . . 

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one 

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world. . . 

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one 

FJ Inspirational Quote of the Day...

Determination : "If someone wants "A" to happen, yet they prepare for "B", they will always get "B". Prepare for "A"." 
- The Universe

via Notes From The Universe by Mike Dooley

My Very First V-Log!

. . . enjoy . . .

I Do This to One Person Everyday

life is a chain-reaction.


i had something very rare happen to me today. i went to Extreme Pita to grab a yummy grilled chicken pita for lunch and as i was about to hand over my cash to pay, the guy behind me says, "i've got this . . .  i do this to one person everyday, don't worry." i of course think, "ok . . . this guy is probably trying to pick me up." so i politely declined and told him "get outta here, no way, absolutely not etc, etc" in the most light-hearted aw-you're-so-sweet-but-no kind of way. however, he insisted (politely) and i could tell from his physical appearance that he in no way thought there could've been any kind of future interaction between us. so i said "well, thank you . . . but at least take a five . . ." again he declined and said "no, no . . . if you see someone begging for change, please give it to them . . . that's all i ask." he paid for my lunch, i thanked him once again, we got in our separate cars and drove off in different directions. he did this out of the goodness of his heart.


therefore, he has inspired me to do this post. it is rare that we see random acts of kindness just for the sake of being kind. they are very special moments. you know i heard once, that when human beings observe other people being kind to one another (especially strangers) it actually triggers a slight chemical reaction in our brain in which we begin to feel happier. aside from being compassionate to random strangers and accumulating wicked karma, anything we can do each day to improve the world is beyond worth it. it's only through small acts like this that we begin to change the world. 


i was with friends the other night, saying farewell to a special young lady who is adventuring off to Ireland to receive her Masters, when one friend brought up an interesting way to dramatically change your life very quickly. the task? no complaining for 6 weeks. 


. . . this would be no easy feat.


it would take a tremendous amount of effort and discipline. two things i can run very short of from time to time. i was thinking about writing a post about how much Wal-Mart disgusts me but when i heard of the notion of "no complaining" i decided against it. all i'm going to say is this. in order to help myself and the world around me, two new things will be added to my list of self-improvement . . .


1. no complaining (um, for 6 weeks)
2. abolish information overload one day a week (probably on Sundays) this means no tv, internet, cell phone, blog, facebook, or email


the reason for the second addition is simple. technology is robbing us of face to face interaction with people and our psyches need periodical breaks from the amount of information that is thrown at us on a daily basis. if it was up to me, i would happily go back in time to live in any era from 1900-1970. unfortunately, we have not cracked the code on time travel.


maybe one day . . . 


be conscious of your actions. be conscious of how you can do one small thing a day to show the world compassion. and be conscious of how it changes your life. too-da-loo!

FJ Inspirational Quote of the Day...

Perspective : "Somewhere over the rainbow, there's a world where birds sing into every night, flowers bloom across every land, each problem has 10,000 solutions, and people live lives only to love and be loved . . . just like under the rainbow. Ain't life grand?" - The Universe

via Notes From The Universe by Mike Dooley