IN SEOUL

The first Chinese Culture Center in Asia was inaugurated in Seoul in December 2004, which provides South Koreans with Chinese language teaching service and information about China and Chinese culture.The Chinese Culture Center in Seoul, the sixth of its kind in the world set by the Chinese government, introduces China to South Koreans through holding exhibitions, seminars and other activities. Chinese Vice Cultural Minister Meng Xiaosi who inaugurated the Seoul Chinese Culture Center together with South Korean National Assembly Vice Speaker Park Hee-tae, Culture and Tourism Minister Chung Dong-chae and other Chinese and South Korean officials.The setting up of Chinese Culture Center in Seoul was an important outcome of cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and South Korea. It becomes a stage, which curtains never fall, for people, especially youth, of both countries to contact and know more about each other, and it will be a bridge for bilateral relations and the friendship between South Korean and Chinese people.More and more South Koreans are eager to study Chinese and learn more about China. It is not only because that Chinese and South Korean cultures are very close, for the long history of bilateral cultural exchanges and geographic closeness, but the full-scale development of bilateral relations in recent years.China became South Korea's top investment and travel destination, as well as the biggest trade partner this year. Chinese language and culture studies are also getting popular in South Korea. It is called "a blow of Chinese Wind" in South Korea, in parallel with the Chinese saying "the flow of South Korean Stream" which shows the influence of South Korean culture in China.The setting up of Chinese Culture Center in Seoul meets the needs of many South Koreans to study Chinese and learn Chinese culture. It is also helpful for Chinese culture to be introduced to other countries in the world, including South Korea.The six-floor Chinese Culture Center building, located near the building of South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has a library, several classrooms and rooms for exhibitions and function activities. This Center is known for teaching high-quality Chinese as well as Chinese music, Tai-chi martial arts, calligraphy, cooking, tea manners and acupuncture.China has set up two Chinese Culture Centers in Mauritius and Benin in 1980s and another three in France, Egypt and Malta during the past three years. Around 100,000 people attended activities held by Chinese Culture Centers in these five countries in 2004, according to a press release from Chinese Culture Ministry.Telephone: 02-733-8307~9

HAIRS SAVING TRICKS

Color-Saving TricksWhether you dye your hair at home (a wallet-friendly strategy right off the bat) or go to the salon, there are ways to keep color costs under control.Pick a shade close to your own You don’t have to be Vidal Sassoon to realize that dyeing dark-brown hair platinum blonde is a high-maintenance, high-cost endeavor. For the most-flattering and longest-lasting results, stay within two shades of your natural color, suggests New York City colorist Kelly Van Gogh. And experts recommend thinking twice before going red or auburn—those shades are notoriously quick to fade.Choose the right dye formulaSemipermanent dye typically fades gradually over four to six weeks, so it won’t leave you with telltale roots if you’re short on cash and unable to get a touch up. Highlights are also a low-maintenance option. “Because you only color-select strands, it’s not as obvious when they grow out. There’s less upkeep, too,” Van Gogh says.Dare to DIYIf you love salon color, but don’t want to blow quite so much dough on it, why not occasionally do your own? If your color-ist typically gives you a single-process color, alternate with an at-home kit that’s meant to be applied only on new growth (not your whole head). We like Clairol Nice ’n Easy Root Touch-Up ($6.99). Highlights are trickier, for sure, but you can pull them off at home: For the best results, use a home highlighting kit, and just add several streaks along your hairline and part.Stretch it out with shampooShampoos for color-treated hair aren’t just a gimmick; experts agree that they can help you eke out an extra week or two between dye jobs. “They help seal the hair’s cuticle, preventing dye molecules from leaching out,” Van Gogh explains. Many also contain UV filters that protect your shade from fading due to sun exposure. Try Nature’s Gate Organics Color Protecting Shampoo ($7.99) or Nexxus Dualiste Shampoo Color Protection + Intense Hydration Shampoo ($11.99).Revitalize with a glazeIf your color’s starting to fade, use an at-home glaze like John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze ($9.99), Dorram suggests. Just don’t use it more than twice a week. “There are ingredients in glazes that can build up on your hair and dull the color if you use them too often,” she says

VANEEZA AHMED

She’s got the most refreshing face in the business and one of the most amiable dispositions. In the field of modeling ruled by catty tactics.... she is the cattiest of them all. She’s ambitious - and she has no qualms about admitting it. She travels back and forth, shuttling between her hometown Lahore and the city that promises fulfillment of dreams - Karachi. And by god she knows that this exercise is worth her while. Vaneeza Ahmed, the Lahori supermodel that gave the Karachi beaus a hard time - she’s got what it takes.... all that it takes, to get to where she is today. From a fun indulgence at Kinnaird College as a student she launched herself in a career, she never thought to be hers. So, from modeling for Neelofer Shahid’s couture she went on to a photo shoot with the best in the business - Ather Shehzad the duo responsible for introducing some of the finest models today..... and the discovery of Vaneeza aka Vinny also falls to their credit. That’s how the journey started for this charming splendor and along the way added accolades to list of merits. She left no stone unturned. From modeling to acting she did it all- played the leading lady in Jamal Shah’s controversial saga, graced the cover pages of the countries top publications off and on, went as far as Mauritius to prove her love for acting and of course sashayed down the catwalk with the grace of a swan- how many times? She has lost all count. But one thing worth remembering is her role as ‘Dina’- in the movie Jinnah. She played the Quaid’s daughter and they say… she played it well. She's worked hard to get where she is today. She's come a long way in a very short time, and the way she's going, she'll go a long long way.

BONNNY,TAYLA,SHOOTERR

WINNIPEG:WITH LOVE FROM WILFRED

I fall in love with Wilfred, over and over again. The way he hangs perfectly off my body. The way he knows how to please me next and make me feel sexy in every way. I’m talking, of course, about Aritzia’s exclusive line, Wilfred.
Before we’ve even settled into summer, fall fashion is upon us and on a recent shopping extravaganza I found myself buying warm and cozy instead of soft and breezy. That’s when I fell hard and fast for Wilfred’s satin crepe boyfriend blazer. Its soft lines, casual feel and satin finished lapels make for the most understated, sophisticated look. The standard blazer can sometimes feel rigid, but offers the same effect, style-wise, but feels comfortable and freeing. That, to me, spells L-O-V-E.
Available at Aritiza, Polo Park Shopping Centre, 1485 Portage Ave., 204-772-0403, aritizia.com

Joe Fresh Style

Using a picture from Lanvin Fall 2009 as a reference (!), Maleterre created natural, fresh skin. Lids were lightly swept with Wear Infinité Eye Shadow in “Seashell” and a coat of Bare Naturale Mascara. Using his fingers, Maleterre dabbed Colour Riche Lipstick in “British Red”—meant to match the bit of red used in the collection—onto lips to create a stain and keep it from being too bright and glam. Meanwhile, Del Monaco created “very simple, clean hair” first spritzing manes with Elnett Hairspray (finally coming to Canada this fall) and then smoothing them back with a paddle brush into a high, twisted knot. The visible ends were flat-ironed to make them look “healthy” and Studio Line Mineral FX Modeling Gel-Cream was used to slightly rough up the crown area “so that it doesn’t look too tight.”

Winter 2009-10 Beauty Trends

Glam Grunge:

This is ‘90s grunge gone glamorous; pure rock ‘n’ roll, but sexy rather than sullied – and much more attitude driven. Think black, greasy, and more smudgy than smoky, for a finish that’s young, nasty and stinking of rock chick excess. “It’s Chrissie Hynde with too much eyeliner,” explains Gordon Espinet, who nailed this trend for both DSquared² and Vivienne Westwood Red Label, “LA girls walk of shame make-up. It’s young Hollywood the morning after the night before. Her make-up is melted, yet…gorgeous.”As seen at: DSquared²