Sinanation

Name: Gizem Arguden

Nickname: Gizo

Notable Appearance: Long blond hair, puffy cheeks and tiny feet.

Can’t do without: Ray-Ban Aviators, Christian Louboutin pumps, leather jackets, leggings, light yellow converse shoes, Amazon Kindle, evening purses, chequered shirts, long cotton beach dresses, reading glasses, large bags, portable cameras, kitchen gadgets, Versace, cashmere

Notable Hobbies: Cooking, traveling to NYC, hosting parties, shopping, sleeping in any environment if tired

Notable Weakness: Mosquitos

Favorite Quote: Naber canim?

Last Seen: UPenn, New York, Bianca NYC, Istanbul, Gocek, Mykonos

Branding is an essential part of capitalism. Its strength in manipulation lies in the foundation of today’s economy. Out of the millions of brands that surround us today, we, as individuals, relate only to a handful. We save up to own the products of those brands and get perishable bubbles of satisfaction and pride when we reach our goals. We make our decisions by evaluating hundreds of variables and push for individualism and personalization in a market of mass production and consumption.

So, when it comes to my own selection among the millions of brands today, I, like most of us, have only a handful. The most important aspects I evaluate on are:

• The originality of the invention and its impact in daily life
• The logo, color and packaging
• Customer service

Based on this criteria, here are some of my favorite brands:

Apple
iPod wipes out the cases of CDs we were carrying around to listen to the music we like. It brings digital music to life and comes in a sleek black case with minimal writing, reminding its owner of a precious jewelery to which not everyone is entitled to.

Ralph Lauren
No other fashion brand can compete with the sophistication found inside a Ralph Lauren store. The ancient oil paintings with libraries of books and dark wood reflect the impression that whatever this place provides will be a product of wisdom and comfort.

LaDuree
The soft lime green box decorated in gold can only mean one thing: the most delicious macarons and pastries in the world.

IWC
Not many are a fan on IWC, but I have been one for a long time. It might be the fact that my father loves and wears its watches and I have always known him as a man of refined taste or the fact that unlike many other brands, IWC has focused on nothing but watchmaking since its foundation in 1868. It never designed jewelery or got into leather goods, it was always there to make watches.

Aston Martin
If you read into Aston Martin’s history you will see a company of financial troubles, but a brand representing refined taste, strength, speed and modern design. When compared to the Ferraris, Porsches and Bugattis I will always see Aston Martin a unique, personalized machine of beauty, integrity and speed. Ferraris might be flashier, but when an Aston Martin comes up the driveway, it is the heavyweight champion of class and intellectuality. It has not only achieved this rank through the 007 movies, but also a history of hand craftsmanship and a founder who has chased speed all this life at the Aston Hill in the UK.

TOMS
My girlfriend was the one who first introduced me to TOMS and since than I have been a fan of its shoes and their purpose. The founder of the company is a true entrepreneur in the sense that he has previously founded multiple successful companies before he finally started TOMS. His first endeavor was the EZ Laundry Service he started with a partner at during college to service his classmates. His idea for TOMS was formed during a trip to Argentina where he saw farmers wearing the traditional alpargata (means ‘espadrille” in Spanish). He had the vision to play around with the alpargata and turn it into a fashion item worn by the metropolitan crowd, whose purchase would in return allow the company to provide extremely poor children in the 3rd world with shoes. Having enough guts and vision to take something so simple, turn it into a profitable worldwide-known brand and then give some of its success back to the people makes TOMS and its founder a great source of inspiration for me.

Cartier Pasha
I can’t say that I am a big fan of jewelry brands making complex watches. In my opinion the idea defeats purpose and destroys focus. Yet, I have always liked Cartier’s Pasha Watches, mostly because of the history behind their creation. The Cartier Pasha line was formed when a Sheik from the Middle East heard of the success of Cartier and asked him to come up with a watch that would withstand the sand storms of the dessert. Cartier created a watch, which had an extra screwable lid that would block the tiny sands from getting into the mechanism.

Hästens Sangar
The blue and white checkered beds might look really simple from a distance, but they are packed with history and hours of stitching.  Swedish, family-owned Hastens started business in the 1800s as a saddles and carriage furniture maker. It was using genuine horse hair as the filling inside its furniture and got solely into the bed business after receiving more orders than it can handle. Since then the company has not changed its approach or logo. Hastens has been the registered royal bedmaker for the King of Sweden since 1952.

Prada
Prada family started the company with the use of English leather, but it wasn’t until Miuccia Prada took over the business that the company became a world-wide known fashion brand. Her rain-proof textile became the core of the company travel bags. I have never been a fan of the clothes, but the shoes have been my favorite for a  long time because of their comfort and durability.

Dyson
Dyson wipes out the dirt bag accessory in vacuum cleaners. It has since overflown with innovation and reached a new ground with the new Dyson Ball. A surname written in orange over a black background has never looked this good.

Currency: Yeni Turk Lirasi (YTL) / The New Turkish Lira; 1 USD = 1.50 YTL (as of 20 November 2009)

Weather: Spring (April to June), Summer (June to September), Autumn (September to November), Winter (November to the end of March)

Religion: Majority follows Islam with a contemporary/urban approach where veils are not custom among women and alcohol consumption and entertainment are part of daily life.

National & Religious Holidays/Events:

• January 1st: New Year’s Day
• April 23rd: National Sovereignty & Children’s Day
• May 1st: Labor &  Solidarity Day
• May 19th: Commemoration for Ataturk & Youth & Sports’ Day
• August 30th: Victory Day (victory of the Turks over foreign forces in 1922)
• October 29th: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923)
• Ramadan: One month during the year when the Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset to be equalized in terms of nutrition, remember their creator, the importance of basic needs and the troubles of the poor. The nightclubs will be less crowded during Ramadan. Alcohol consumption will be minimal as religious people will abstain from it. The timing of Ramadan changes every year based on the Islamic Calendar, but usually takes place during the second half.
• Seker Bayrami: Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Around August, September or October depending on the Islamic Calendar.
• Kurban Bayrami: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered for their meat to be distributed among the poor. Around October, November or December depending on the Islamic Calendar.

Cab ride from Ataturk Airport to Downtown: 45 minutes to 1 hour, approx. USD 35

Getting around: Istanbul is extremely dispersed. Driving, thus using cabs, is essential as it takes approx. 15-20 minutes at least to get from one neighborhood to the other.

Best Areas to Stay:

• Nisantasi
• Ortakoy
• Kuruscesme

Tipping:

• Cabs: Not common. Left at the discretion of the traveler.
• Waiters: 10% common, 15% if extremely happy with service

Movie Theaters: You can request specific seats when getting tickets. Unlike the U.S. every ticket holder is assigned a seat number.

Snacks after Clubbing: Burgers of the U.S. become Durum (wrap) or Manti (meat ravioli) in Istanbul. Most common Durum comes with grilled meatballs, melted cheese, tomatoes, onions and chopped lettuce. Manti is served hot with yogurt, melted butter and mint on top. Most Popular Places to Go: Bodrum Manti in Kuruscesme, Ali Baba in Kurucesme.

Popular Attractions:

• Boat Tour on the Bosphorus
• Topkapi Palace
• Dolmabahce Palace
• Hagia Sophia
• The Blue Mosque
• The Grand Bazaar
• The Spice Market
• Istanbul Modern

Visiting Mosques: Everyone is required to take the shoes off before entering the premises. This is the custom as the carpets you will be walking on is the ground where Muslims pray to Allah. Women are asked to cover their hair with a scarf and men are asked to wear shorts below the knee or pants.

Popular Dishes:

• Iskender Kebab with Yogurt: Made from the Döner kebab (a dish made of lamb meat cooked on a vertical, rotating spit and sliced off to order), Iskender is served with tiny squares of bread tucked below the slices of meat with tomato sauce, hot melted butter and yogurt on top. The dish is named after Iskender Efendi, the inventor of the dish from Bursa, Turkey.
• Hunkar Begendi: Eggplant purée prepared with cheese and traditionally served with lamb stew
• Karniyarik: Oven baked eggplant stuffed with meat.
• Manti: Turkish ravioli stuffed with meat and served hot with yogurt, melted butter and spices on top.
• Dolma: Dolma is a family of stuffed (usually with a mixture of cooked ground meat and rice) vegetable dishes. Common vegetables include grape leaves, tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. Usually served with a side of yogurt.
• Lahmacun: A pizza-shaped, thin-crusted, wood-fried piece of dough topped with minced meat. Lahmacun is often enjoyed sprinkled with lemon, parsley, onions and spices.
• Gozleme: Hand made and hand rolled pastry that is rolled out, filled, sealed and then cooked over a griddle. You can choose the ingredient inside which varies from cheese to potatoes.
• Levrek & Kalkan: (Sea Bass & Turbot). Get the Sea Bass grilled and the Turbot fried.

Popular Drinks:

• Ayran: Drink prepared by mixing yogurt with water and salt.
• Raki: An anise-flavored alcoholic beverage served cold with water and ice.
  
• Turkish Coffee: A dark strong coffee prepared by boiling grated coffee in water. Comes in three varieties: No sugar, mild sugar, with sugar. The residual of finished Turkish Coffee is used to read the drinker’s fortune. It is extremely popular among Turkish people.
• Salgam Suyu: Turnip juice mostly served in Kebab restaurants. It originated in city of Adana, in the Southern Turkey.
• Turkish Tea

Popular Desserts:

• Turkish Delight: (Refer to the article titled “Divan’s Chocolate Covered Turkish Delights” for details)
• Irmik Helvasi: Semolina dessert made by blighting semolina flour with butter, water, milk, sugar and pine nuts. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Baklava: Pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey
• Sekerpare
• Firin Sutlac: Rice pudding baked in the oven. Served cold.
• Ayva Tatlisi: Dessert made from quince. Served with nuts on top.
  
• Kabak Tatlisi: Dessert made from squash. Served with nuts on top.
  

Most Popular Shopping Malls:

• Istinye Park
• Kanyon
• Akmerkez
• The Grand Bazaar

Recommended Souvenir Shopping:

• “Istanbul T-Shirts” from the Mavi Jeans Stores Web: www.mavi.com
• Chocolate covered Turkish Delights from the Divan Bakery Web: www.divan.com.tr
• Glasses from the Pasabahce Stores Web: www.pasabahce.com
• “Ottoman Empire T-Shirts” from the Ottoman Empire Store at Kanyon Web: www.ottomanempiretshirts.com
• Carpets from the Hali Sarayi Address: At the Grand Bazaar; Nuruosmaniye Cad. No: 66-68 Cagaloglu, Istanbul Web: www.halisarayi.com
• Baklava & other Turkish desserts from the Gulluoglu Bakery Web: www.gulluoglubaklava.com

Priceline.com Airfare – Choose your EXACT flight & time!

I have been a fan of  Moloko’s “The Time is Now” since it came out in 2000. This song never grows old for me. Moloko was formed by an Irish singer, Roisin Murphy and an English producer, Mark Brydon. The duo came out with incredible singles such as “Sing it back”. Roisin’s voice is one of my favorites in music. The version below for “The Time is Now” is a remix. Liked it a lot and wanted to share.

Name: Gorkem Guler

Nickname: Gorko

Notable appearance: Curly hair, dark scruffy beard, tiny eyes on a flour-white face

Can’t do without: Wrist watches, water on the bedside, scarves, multiple-screen computers, chequered shirts, light coats, Jaeger LeCoultre, Crystal Champagne, blackberry, Tod’s, John Varvatos, Olay Anti-Aging moisturizing face cream (for day & night)

Notable Hobbies: Walking around the apartment without taking a break on any seat, printing directions to every destination even though a fellow traveler knows the way, traveling, snowboarding, sailing

Notable Weakness: Most popular tables at nightclubs, Redbull, locating train stations, negotiating with bouncers/promoters, walking long distances

Favorite Quote: “Can I have scrambled eggs with tomatoes and eggs?”, “Can I get a singular shot of espresso?”, Johnny

Last Seen: Sunda Chicago, Underground Club Chicago, Cuve’e Chicago, Avec Chicago, New York, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Aspen CO, Mykonos, South of Turkey

I first heard Buble when he sang “Sway” for the couples’ dance in the movie, The Wedding Date. I thought he was a singer of the past, passed away a long time ago. I was mistaken. Apparently he is a really young Canadian singer who became famous as a wedding singer. If you haven’t listened to him yet, I recommend all his songs, which are classic hits such as “Come Fly with Me” interpreted through his modern beat. He is out with multiple albums, but if you are a first time listener, I advice you to go for the one from 2003.

Get the 2003 Album of Bublé on Amazon

Name: Yagmur Uslu

Nickname: Yaramaz, Cilgin Sofor

Notable Appearance: Puffy dark hair and cheeks

Can’t do without: BCBG platform shoes, huge professional printers, large cotton trainers, vests, dark jeans, Labrador, Shazam, sarcasm, Milano’s double chocolate cookies, large amounts of water, twitter, BlackBerry, iPhone, black, Ed Westwick, small evening purses with chains, huge rings and earrings, blazers

Notable Hobbies: Traveling, watching Gossip Girl, celebrity hunting, downloading music, attending socialite parties, crashing celebrity parties

Notable Weakness: Cabs, horror movies, demons, iPhone vs. BlackBerry

Favorite Quote: Dostum, “Adamim yaaa”, “Ben bu ara bayagi Reinaciyim galiba”, “Seni varya topagandan vururlar”

Last seen: Southside NYC, Los Angeles, Montreal, Anjelique Istanbul, Via Qudronno NYC, The Box NYC, Bar Bouloud NYC

Picking a college is like picking a home for yourself. You have to fit its budget and it has to fit yours. There is always a possibility to transfer, but it is harder than it seems. All the guides and college tours aside the best feedback is to talk to the friends, students and the residents living around the campus. Yet, most of the time we are not lucky enough to find people who are close enough to be frank about their experiences.

I had a great time at Northwestern because I already had close friends attending the school there. I jumped right into a great comfort zone. Despite its academic excellence, I wish someone warned me about these few points on NU before I made the happiest transfer of my life from Carnegie Mellon University. Here are my takes on my college as an international undergrad:

• Beware of the quarter system. It means you will have three shortened semesters per year with equally intense schedules. 3x the huge stress of having finals. 3x the stress of getting into the classes you want with the recommended professors. School will start in September. You will say farewell to all your semester friends at the end of August as they will start the school year earlier. The summer will be over, but you will have another 3 weeks to kill without great weather or social life. The Christmas vacation will be tougher as you will be required to start classes right after new year’s. Your semester friends will be back home relaxing and partying until the end of January. Comes May, 90% of the college life will be done for the year, but you will wait until June to start the summer vacation.
• Northwestern has a really weak international crowd. Kellogg is better in that aspect, but the graduate life might be too mature/serious before your junior year.  If you assume you will get the chance to have friends from all over the world at NU you are most likely mistaken. You might find a few Turks, French, Arabs and Indians here and there, but most of the time will be hanging out with American friends from the Midwest who have never been to Europe or Asia, let alone your country. You will be bombarded with basic introductory questions like “Where is your country located?” and “How long is the flight there?”.
• Although Northwestern is full of fraternities and sororities, it is not entertaining like Brown, Syracuse or UVA. People come here for engineering and most live by it for 4 years. Do not expect a lot of weekend campus parties.
• Getting a job in the East Coast (a.k.a. New York) will be tougher at and after Northwestern as all the career fairs and recruitment will focus on Chicago and the rest of the Midwest.
• Winter time at Northwestern can be compared to the North Pole. Your eyes will want to cry but your tears will be frozen before they make it to your cheeks. The cold Michigan wind will give you migraines, but the snow will give you some of the most amazing scenery along the campus and Evanston. Scarves, gloves, hats, multiple jackets and hand warmers will be common accessories.

Going through all the above, you have to keep in mind that I haven’t been the most active or successful undergrad in school. I hang out with my friends from home most of the time, not giving much of a chance to expanding my social network. That was my mistake and I know that I would try harder if I were to go back a few years. I would have also focused only on the classes I was passionate about (that means skipping the multi-dimensional math classes) to keep the grades high and boost the GPA. Maybe then the job search in New York would have been easier. Still in all the instances when I gave it a try, I found myself struggling more in the points I listed above. I had to point them out.

Once you are aware of these 5 points, you should expect one of the most amazing campuses in the U.S. constructed right beside the Michigan Lake. I believe Northwestern needs no introduction when it comes to prestige and academics. If you have room in your schedule, take the Undergraduate Leadership Program. It will give you a completely new vision that will apply to your life post-graduation. You should also know that Evanston is a great town to be in school with luxurious off-campus residences, good restaurants, a few dive bars and a great movie theatre. If you are looking to shop or go more urban, the Old Orchard Mall and downtown Chicago are both minutes away by car or train.

This new Asian restaurant, opened in March 2009, is a blessing for Chicago. A very close friend took us this weekend and everything he ordered were unique and delicious. Sunda was named after the Sunda Shelf, an Asian area of rich, innovative culinary cultures. The interior is just like what should be expected from a high-end Asian restaurant with minimalistic touches and dimmed lights.

Here is what I strongly recommend from the menu:

• Crab Cake Crusted Ahi Tuna Sashimi
• Miso Bronzed Black Cod
• Pan Roasted Duck Breast
• Seared American Kobe Beef Tartar
• Lobster & Wagyu Roll
• The Number Ten Roll

Sunda New Asian, 110 W. Illinois St., 312 644 0500, www.sundachicago.com

Istanbul has been going through an undeniable transformation. The seven hills the city was built on are no longer high enough to protect their legacy. They are shadowed by the high-rises sprouting out of the hilltops with their crisp marble structures.

The sky and the  currents of the Bosphorus are no longer colored with the white of the Moon but also with the pinks, yellows, greens and blues of mesmerizing rooftop light shows. From corporate offices to hotels, shopping malls and private residence complexes,  the city is bombarded with the undeniable fashions of metropolitan living. The historic, carefully crafted buildings make way to rapid, sharp and plain modern towers.

Spacious living spaces with high ceilings pass their legacy onto the smart compact studio apartments. Just like all the other social capitals around the world, Istanbul welcomes this modern change with great appreciation. With all this rapid change, one begins to wonder if we should have paused a second to digest all we have eaten so far? On the fast lane to modernization, has the city of seven hills been running too fast to catch up and forgetting what it might be leaving behind?

Istanbul has always been a great host to the ancient and the modern. It has been able to preserve and innovate in harmony. I have always appreciated that character. The Byzantine structures welcomed the Ottoman architecture, just like the Ottoman welcomed the modern Turkish. I believe this will always be the case. Yet, I can not help, but wonder if the new structures the city is bombarded with, capture the true essence of this ancient city, which has so much vision, history and culture to offer. It is true that most of the new developments take place around the “modern” neighborhoods of the city such as Etiler and Maslak, but in any case the modern has a lot to take from the ancient and use it to revitalize one of the most sophisticated and intelligent cultures in the world, ridden with the innovation of the Romans, Arabs, Russians, Ottomans and Turks.

The recent boom in luxurious “eat, enjoy, entertain and shop where you live” complexes have been playing a major role in shaping Istanbul’s new look.

Akmerkez, Metocity, Suzer Plaza, Kanyon, Levent Loft, Sapphire, Istinye Park, Trump Tower, Kempinski Towers, Mashattan and the soon-to-be completed Zorlu Center are sprinkled all around the city with their massive complexes including individual shopping malls, sports centers and office towers.

Multiple architecture firms have been hired to construct these modern marvels with their multiple design and ecology awards. Millions of dollars have been spent to lay them on the ground. Nobody can deny the merit of having their global publicity and their contribution to the city’s entertainment. Yet, it is also hard to deny their contrast with the long-lasting landmarks of a city that has been around for centuries. Unlike the previous residential complexes, these new massive structures are visible from almost every angle and make a significant impact on Istanbul’s silhouette. It is a privilege to have them, but it is also necessary to somehow rework them into the mystical and historical aspect of the city.

A few examples which have successfully crafted this detail are the Macka Palace, Istanbul Modern, Pera Museum, the building of the Nu Pera bar & restaurant, the new W Hotel and the Four Seasons.

Having lived in New York for a few years, I am able to see the residuals of the transfromation happening currently in Istanbul. Generic luxury residential towers popped out from every corner of the city until the time came when the majority of the residents decided to rework/renovate the ancient landmarks, such as the lofts in SoHo and the shops in the Meatpacking district and started to choose them as their new modern home. Similar amounts of capital were spent to reenergize the original. I believe this will and should also be the case for Istanbul when enough infrastructure will be applied to revitalize the ancient neigborhoods of the city such as Beyoglu and Karakoy. I hope until then these massive modern complexes we come to love so much will have enough identity to preserve the uniqueness of a city filled with culture and history.