Women We Love: Sabina Kay

When it comes to pure ambition, Sabina Kay is no stranger to working to get it done. Her attitude towards her work (think along the lines of, "yeah, I know I'm hot...now shut up about it so we can get some work done") is a testament to her dogged determination to realize her goals, and turns pretty into sexy and sexy into powerful in one simple, honest, no-bullshit move.

And yes, she is hot. We're not blind.

photo: Doug Shimizu. MUA: Marya Moosa

Name: Sabina Kay
Occupation: Model - Photographer - Makeup Artist - Dancer
Education: General Business
Stats: 34C-27-40

How did you get started on your current career track?

I was first enrolled in a modeling school around age 11 (gah, scam, I know, my poor mother!). Nothing really came of it. Finally I did a test shoot for a small clothing company in Guelph about three years ago, a creative shoot a year later, piddled around a bit the following year, but this past year is when things have really taken off for me.

What gives you the most satisfaction as an artist?

Not even compliments or praise (although they are nice :)); but when I see a well-taken photo, where I am on point as a model.

What motivates or inspires you in your work?

Seeing other excellent work and getting to pick the brains of those who create it.

Do you have a personal work philosophy?

Like Nike, I just do it.

If you weren't doing this, what could you see yourself doing?

One of the other occupations I have listed, or I'd be a flight attendant. I love to travel.

What are you working on right now?

I just completed a video (below, by Videographer Anhtuan Phung) and am continuing to push forward and make connections.

Here's that video:

Sabina Kay from Studko on Vimeo.

What do you first notice about a guy? 

Eyes. Then smile. Then the way they talk. I'm really good at telling what kind of person someone is by the way they talk.

What gets you interested? 

Intelligence.

What keeps you interested? 

Wit and humour.

photo: Kenneth Lam

What's your number one deal breaker? 

Lies, failure to commit or keep commitments. I'm a really big honour person; my word is everything.

Turn-ons: 

Honesty, a good body, a positive outlook on life, a sense of I-have-my-shit-together and a tiny bit of materialism. :)

Turn-offs: 

Lies, sloppiness, cheapness, rudeness, bad manners.

photo: Doug Shimizu. MUA: Marya Moosa

One thing guys should know when talking to a beautiful woman: 

Honestly, we know we're beautiful. We get all kinds of stalkers and weirdos and randoms telling us variations of that all the time. You'll go a lot farther if you compliment something we've done.

To stay in shape, what's your basic diet look like?

At this point, I eat whatever and then when I notice inches creeping on, I clean it up a bit.

photo: Kenneth Lam

What sort of fitness plan, if any, do you follow? 

I walk a fair bit now that I've moved to Toronto--to and from subway stations, if I don't feel like waiting for streetcar. 

What's next for you? What's your next big idea or project? 

I really want to be in MAXIM. That would make me so unbelievably happy. Or in one of Playboy's Special Editions - for lingerie. 

photo: Doug Shimizu. MUA: Marya Moosa

Favourite recipe: Not sharing! I'm actually a terrible cook, to be honest.

iPhone or Android: iPhone, all the way. So aesthetically pleasing although I hate how it's so restricting (I have yet to jailbreak mine).

What are you driving: Nothing. Lost my license for racing. BUT my dream car would be a 350Z. I've also grown very fond of Civics.

Absolute WORST experience on set/shoot: I shot with a guy who kept complimenting me...every single minute. Literally. I had to cut it short and tell him that I am, at this point, his professional colleague and that, since he wouldn't talk to an office co-worker that way, I'd appreciate it if he didn't do it to me. I've been fairly lucky.

One quirky thing about you that never turns up in interviews: 

I haven't done many interviews to this point so there's a lot about me you wouldn't know, but I'll share a few things anyway. I was a total vigilante in elementary school; stuck for all the kids who got picked on because I've always been very strong. I set the record for my school for going to the office for fighting, etc.: 13 times. Not sure if that's still in effect...probably not.

photo: Doug Shimizu. MUA: Marya Moosa

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The Perfect (Seasonal) Coffee

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Well, we're into autumn in full swing (when is the first day of autumn anyway?...for me it's always been right after Labour Day, but that's probably just a Thunder Bay thing), and that means a whole season is coming up that's buried in apples and pumpkins, and right around the corner from that...CHRISTMAS!!

Yeah, I'm stupid for Christmas. It's just a fact. And I'll be sharing some of my favourite holiday recipes on here as well...but not yet.

First I want to just give you some ideas for spicing up your morning coffee. You can go all-out with the full version at the end, or try this simple one:

To reduce your sugar intake, increase fat burning and add a little protein all you need to do is swap in some stevia for your sugar, add a dash of cinnamon, and replace your regular milk with almond milk. The almond milk does change the flavour a bit (for the better, I think), as it has a mild nut flavour to it. You'd be surprised how much sugar a couple spoons of sugar and a dash of milk really amounts to, and using stevia and almond milk will eliminate this altogether.

The cinnamon acts as a catalyst for your metabolism and affects insulin senistivity, so any starches you do consume at breakfast don't trigger storage the way they normally would (at least, not to the same extent). This combination is really tasty, but if you live in a more northern climate there's something else that happens when you taste cinnamon during cooler months. Studies are showing that cinnamon + cooler air = feeling really good.

Weird, right? But you know how certain foods trigger certain memories? We call this "comfort food," and it turns out that even if you're not from a cooler climate originally, the taste of cinnamon has this calming effect, which in turn releases chemicals that give the user a sense of wellbeing. You just feel better about life in general, because it reduces stress hormones and improves your mood. It's not that cinnamon does this directly as a chemical reaction (the way chocolate does), but rather that the scent of cinnamon triggers that emotional response which in return provides some psychological benefit, which in another turn lowers blood pressure, reduces the heart rate, and generally picks up your mood for the day.

Or maybe it's just a reminder of mom's apple pie. I'm good with either explanation. But I'd rather have the pie.

A note of caution: Don't overdo the sprinkle of cinnamon. It's a hard substance, and won't actually dissolve in your coffee. If you leave it sit too long, or you add too much, it will form a sludge at the bottom of your cup. Just a dash.

This is important for my full-blown "Christmas Coffee" recipe below. The reason for putting the spices on top of the coffee is that they will form a sludge if you put them in first with the ground coffee on top. This will clog the filter and cause it to overflow. Learned that the hard way.

This recipe took a lot of trial and error, and like most things that I make up in the kitchen is probably still a work in progress. Start with this and adjust as needed to your own taste. But don't add cinnamon to your cup if you do it this way!

To make a 10-cup pot of Steve's Christmas Coffee, use whatever mix you normally use for a regular pot (I grind my Kicking Horse beans fresh for each pot--usually a half-cup of beans for a 10-cup pot).

Put the coffee in the filter basket FIRST. On top of the ground coffee, add 1/3 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of ground cloves and 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg. To the coffee pot itself add 1/4 tsp. of vanilla. My preference is to add the vanilla to the empty pot before it starts brewing (so I don't forget, which I always do). If your coffee maker heats up the hotplate too quickly (so that it burns the vanilla before any water hits it), you can add the vanilla to the pot of brewed coffee instead.

Enjoy! (and merry pre-Christmas!!)

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