Back to Seoul

Ceesie is back in the city where it al began. 

I'll be in seoul for the next 18 days and I'm extremely exited about this trip.

I came to Seoul for my first modeling job ever in my life, about 4 years ago. 

I stayed here for 2 months back then and had the best time, at least that's how I thought about it when I got back home. 
Now I'm again in this city and it's so funny to see that it has changed and developed so much. I was even a little emotional when I went back to my favorite coffee shop and restaurant where I always went 4 years ago.

Seoul is my favorite Asian city for sure.

The people, the food, the culture, the shops, the atmosphere,… Ceesie loves it.

forgotten movies

The other day my friend and I were watching the movie Free Willy and all of a sudden I thought about all the movies I was obsessed with when I was a kid. Here is a list of the movies that I totally forgot about, but meant so much to me when I was a little Ceesie boy.

Mother's day

Today is Mother's day and I think that my mom and I did something that every mom would love to do with her son or daughter.
A while ago a Belgian newspaper asked me to do a photo shoot with my mom for mother's day.
It was so much fun shooting together. She had never done this in her life and was a little nervous, but Ceesie thinks she did a great job.
The pictures came out this weekend and they look amazing.
I think this is something special and unforgettable for the two of us.
I wish I was with my mom today to I could tell her in person that she's the best mom in the world.

it's on tape

Here are 2 videos made by Ilya Cherepitsa of my trip to Russia.

Enjoy!

BIBLIOTEKA three days from IlyaCherepitsa on Vimeo.

BIBLIOTEKA grand opening from IlyaCherepitsa on Vimeo.

Opera

A friend of mine took me to the opera last night. It was my very first opera ever and I was very exited.

We went to see das Rheingold from Richard Wagner at the MET in New York.

The venue is just gorgeous, a very big theater with lots of gold and crystal chandeliers. Ceesie was very impressed by all the outfits that the other people were wearing. The women dressed at their best and the men all in black tie. About the play it self I have to say that it was very beautiful, not too long (almost 3 hours) but I expected a little more... there was not such a big scenery and my friend told it was a little bit slow. Ceesie did have a great and unforgettable time. 

I'm for sure going back to the opera in my life.

From Russia with Love

After 5 days of living the Russian extravaganza lifestyle, I'm back in my Tribeca apartment.
What an amazing trip Ceesie had.
The last two days were as amazing as the first three.
I did a live cooking class, which was so much fun. I made banana bread and fresh guacamole. 2 of my favorite recipes from my cookbook, MODEL KITCHEN.
There were guests, a tv crew and tons of photographers capturing the cooking moments of Ceesie behind the kitchen stove.
I also went to see Catherine Palace in Pushkin, a little bit outside of Saint Petersburg.
I was blown away by this gorgeous castle. So pretty, it made me feel like I was walking in a fairy-tale.
For my last night my Russian friends took me club hopping and I have to say Ceesie had a huge kiki.
I'll miss Saint Petersburg, but Ceesie will be back.
Do svidaniya!

Chic c'est la vie de Russie

Chic c'est la vie de Russie, and that's a fact!

Ceesie has arrived in the country of caviar and wodka. (What more do I need?)

I flew here all the way from the big apple to DJ and to cook at the opening of a new amazing restaurant called Biblioteka. 

It's my first time ever in Saint Petersburg and I have to say I'm amazed by this beautiful city.

The city has this romantic atmosphere where the love is hanging in the air 24/7. 

I'm staying at the chic Kaminski hotel, very close to the Hermitage museum. The museum is one of the largest and oldest in the world, a must see when you visit Saint Petersburg.

My trip started of with a violin performance by Charlie Siem and ended with non stop black caviar and champagne.

The next day I walked around and went for a typical Russian lunch with beef stoganov, pelmeni, pirogi and ofcourse... Russian wodka.

At night I needed to DJ at Biblioteka, the restaurant is brand new and very original. It's 3 floors high with great food and it has a bookstore, candle store and flower shop inside.

To be honest I was a little nervous , but I think I did great. The girls were booty shaking and it looked like they were having a blast. Maybe I'll become the next dj Tiësto. 

NAZDOROVIE!

To be continued...

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

Today is april 22nd which is earth day and Ceesie thought by himself why not write about a subject that I've always wanted to discuss.

I have the feeling that people here in America use way to many plastic bags when they go grocery shopping.

For example today, Ceesie went to buy his favorite cinnamon gum and they asked me if I needed a bag for that. I was like WHAT?! 
The same happened at whole foods. I bought a small bottle of water and some dried mango and the women asked if I needed a bag doubled to put it in. 

I just want you guys to be more aware for when you go shopping, please bring your own bags.

If everyone would do that we would help mother earth a lot!

Happy earth day to all of us.

I think I found my dream house

Avocado salad with pomegranate

Spring has finally arrived so Ceesie decided to share another yummie and healthy recipe from his cookbook MODEL KITCHEN. This recipe is a great salad for a sunny spring day and very easy to make . I personally like to add some crab meat with it.

ENJOY!

AVOCADO SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE 

FOR THE SALAD:
-  3 or 4 ripe avocados
-  2 pink grapefruits
-  the seeds of 1 pomegranate
-  3 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
FOR THE DRESSING:
-  the juice of one orange
-  1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
-  1/2 tablespoon mustard
-  1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-  2 tablespoons oil
-  1 tablespoon water
-  salt and pepper 

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the avocados in half and peel and pit them. Dice the avocado and add to the dressing. Peel the grapefruits, divide into sections and remove seeds and membranes. Add to the dressing and avocado. Toss gently and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Before serving, add the pomegranate seeds and spinach. 
To easily remove the seeds from the pomegranate, cut the fruit in two and hold the halves upside down. Now beat them with a spoon, so the seeds fall out.

My book is still on sale at Net-a-porter and ships world wide:
http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/364664

Get it! ;-)

MANI PEDI

Ceesie had a pedicure the other day and I have to admit I loved it.
In NYC there is almost on every block a beauty salon. Which I found kind of weird when I first moved here. In Belgium/ Europe we have them but not that many.
I think the mani-pedi culture is here much more active, my girlfriends here in NYC get at least once a week there nails done.
The fun and great thing about it all is that it's so cheap. For 20 dollars you can get a great mani-pedi and you're good for another week of fresh and good looking nails. (Those Asian women know how to clean up a toe nail)
Nothing better then to spoil yourself once in a while.

Green Juice

Ceesie is back where he belongs, The big apple. 
And a reason why I'm happy to be back, this might sound stupid, is for the green juices.
In Belgium a green juice doesn't really exist, even at a juice bar an all green juice is very rare. 
I have to be honest, the fist time I tasted a green juice I almost threw up. 
Ceesie was like... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! Now I love the flavor, I even like it more when it's really bad tasting. I always think, the grosser the taste the healthier for the body.
Now I try to drink one every day, at least when I'm in NYC.  I like to drink it right after my work out.
It's just so healthy for your body! They are power-packed with nutrition and a green juice will cleanse your digestive system, lungs, liver and uterus.

Green juices keep ceesie look young and fresh! ;-)

What's in my favorite green juice?
- Lots of ginger
- Kale
- 1 lime
- Celery
- Spinach leaves
- Parsley
- Cucumber

some things will never change

DISNEY

Ceesie got invited to go to Euro Disney in Paris.
Euro Disney exist 20 years this year and that deserves a big celebration.
I got an invite to bring 3 friends of mine, to spend the weekend with my favorite disney characters.
Ceesie has always been a huge fan of Walt Disney. The first time I ever went to the cinema was to see The little mermaid, which is still one of my all time favorites, and since then... I'm hooked.
So this weekend was pretty major for me.
We got our own guide with VIP entrance, so no waiting in line for us. We stayed in the beautiful Disney hotel and enjoyed a beautiful parade and show, what more could we ask for?
Thanks Disney for this unforgettable weekend.

Hip - Hoppers

I think we can all agree that fashion and hip hop has never been hotter as today. From front row seats to the music videos, to the daily outfits those HIP-hoppers pull together to get there groceries.
Ceesie LOVES it.
As an absolute hip hop lover myself I think it's great that those rappers dress up fashionable and show so much interest in the fashion world.
Frank Ocean, Ciara, A$AP Rocky and of course Kanye West, who established himself as the biggest fashion lover of them all, were all very attending during the passed fashion week.