stephanemone

Gamble House Picnic

2011-08-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Pictures from a picnic I hosted with my friend Leon at the Gamble House at the end of July. A farewell party of sorts to the house since he's moving out this month. We always talked about doing this since the moment the weather turned warm, so before I packed up and went to Hong Kong, I sent out invitations, scrambled to cobble together some supplies, and we had our picnic! We spread out in the dappled shade of the backyard and it was perfect: not too hot or chilly, with plenty of nature and lots of good company.

A few days ago I came back from Hong Kong where I stayed for a week and a half. Going to get photos developed from the trip soon! Of course I barely slept that night and the next night was 2true so I didn't get much sleep then either. Jet lag hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday afternoon even after drowning myself in cup after cup of green tea at work. Finally I gave up and just walked down the block for a large iced coffee. It was nice to spend a quiet evening relaxing with Max and working on a puzzle with Ken. I get so focused and obsessed with puzzles when I really get into them. Yikes, one day I'm totally going to be an old lady who spends all day bent over puzzles with her bosom buddies and forming puzzling teams to compete at regional senior matches!

albuquerque, nm

2011-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Summer is slowing down and I finally had some time to upload these pictures. Seems hard to believe that the trip was a month ago. I woke up every morning to the sound of wind ruffling through the trees and voices echoing through the house. I helped irrigate the tomatoes in the morning and relaxed until noon on the porch with the dogs and cats. There was so much to enjoy just by sitting back. Afternoons were spent exploring Albuquerque but my favorite place remained Moraga Farm, a little slice of paradise run by a sweet and affectionate shelter kitten named Twinkie.

Til next time!

heellooo

2011-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

So it's obvious I haven't updated this lately... I've mostly been working a lot, had my parents visit, and went to New Mexico for a few days for my boyfriend's dad's birthday. Albuquerque was a dream and driving there and back wasn't half bad if you accepted it was going to be a 13 hour drive and just enjoyed it. I have a lot of pictures from the trip that I'll upload soon!

I've been cleaning out the sim card in my camera and dug up some pics from SF with my friend Ali pre-haircut. I kinda miss the no-bangs thing! Hmm! Not bored of my bangs yet though. But jeez my hair was long.

This is weird, but lately I've been missing Shanghai and the Expo. I have no idea why I would miss a city with terrible humidity, heat, and sudden illness packed with the nouveau riche, snobbery, and rampant rudeness, with an insulated expat crowd and suspicious food, but I just do. I miss the fried goat cheese at Southern Barbarian and sweating out the nights with a beer in that slightly creepy ghost complex called Expo Village. Not to mention the diversity and meeting people. But LA's still the best!

Snapped this at my friend Carly's in SF. I wore this a lot when spring was still cold in LA: Rachel Comey pants, Carolina Glaser sweater from Japan, shoes from Toga XTC in Harajuku.

leather tote bag by SYC

2011-05-08T00:25:00.000-07:00

from ikoikospace

Pretty excited about this: IKO IKO, one of my favorite stores in LA, just received my bags in store! I took the above image from Kristin's blog. The bag is my design and produced with my dad's amazing help. I called the label SYC... mine and my sister's initials... I wanted something vague but "me" at the same time.

For anyone who also follows my twin online, she's been developing her own bag line too! It's way more fleshed out, super fun, creative, and with more details. I'm really excited for her to get a website up (and get me a backpack? hah!). She debuted some pieces in Paris recently and I think she'll go far with it... My IKO IKO stint came about more as a well-timed coincidence and an accident but I'm pretty happy that a store I respect so much likes my bag enough to buy some! I think the leather is beautiful and it feels soooo good to touch. If you're in LA drop by the store in Angelino Heights! It's at the edge of Echo Park and Chinatown!

hello haircut

2011-04-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hiiiiii. I totally forgot to update about my haircut. Last week I chopped off a few inches and got bangs. Had been thinking about it for a while but when I finally went in to get it done I just dropped in spontaneously and surprised my boyfriend that evening. Sarah (my twin) sniffled when she saw it and said something like, "We're not twins anymore..." LOL. I think we still look alike. My mom told me I look more Japanese now and she doesn't recognize me.

Anyway, here I am dog-sitting for a friend who's out of town for the next two days. He's an artist and he and his girlfriend have the most awesome home ever! Beautiful furniture, two separate workspaces in the backyard, great windows and lighting, and a cute kitchen. The dogs are wonderful but one of them got too excited when I came in and tried to hug me but clawed me instead. Ow. I thought I was genius to come bare-legged (no dog fur on my clothes!) but maybe it wasn't a great idea after all.

These last two are for Carly!!

HAHA. Ok. Last thing--I'm wearing a Rowena Sartin top from IKO IKO that I highly recommend for anyone else who deals with super hot summers... each Rowena Sartin piece is hand-made by the designer herself and this material is a beautiful Belgian linen (in a very subtle pink/creme hue) with just the right amount of structure and drape. I love it; super easy and comfortable.

P.S. After 3 years of being on Tumblr I finally got obsessed with it so if you wanna take a peek!

MAAS & Stacks

2011-04-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Photos by Phillip Nguyen

I went up to San Francisco this past weekend for the opening party of my friends' new menswear store MAAS & Stacks. Open bar, great tunes (two_real & tres lingerie) and tons of people. I had a lot of fun!

Congrats to Gus and Steve for having a successful opening. Gus and Carly are close friends and I can't wait for them to come back to LA!

san francisco tonight

2011-04-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Packing for trips usually involves me throwing down all the clothes I wear the most onto my bed and staring at them. Then I do something silly like take a picture of them because I like the way the colors blend together. I'm kinda excited for a change of pace and to hug my good friend Carly who just moved up there. I heard it's kind of cold right now though and I'm a baby when it comes to wind chill.. I should leave out the Levi's and keep packing! Bye bye for now!

working on my garden

2011-04-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to be lately is on my balcony. Sometimes I take my laptop out there and work/answer a few emails and have a drink. It's the best way to spend the last two hours of sunlight in late afternoon! I'm so lucky to have this space. Sitting out there really cheers me up if I'm ever feeling down.

My newest addition to the garden family. Plucked on a walk sunday morning in hollywood.

Second newest addition is the giraffe planter. At first I was concerned because it doesn't have drainage and that can lead to root damage, so I re-potted the succulent in a smaller pot and kept it raised over stones underneath. The water drains out of the smaller pot and into the giraffe. And then maybe/hopefully evaporates on its own if the internet hasn't lied to me. Also added that rock! It has some charming stains on it haha. I found it in Max's apartment building sitting in the hallway and he carried it all the way back to my place for me!

The rescued palm is looking good and is growing a new frond!

The last few days have been pretty hectic for me so I'm crashing early tonight. But it's been great to see a bunch of friends visiting from overseas and catch up with them. Tomorrow will definitely be a day for recuperating, because this weekend I'm going up to SF for my friends' store opening! Saturday night will be the opening party with music (two-real) and drinks. Afterparty to follow. Can't wait. Have no idea what to pack yet. What's the weather like in SF these days?

ode to shoes pt 2: oxfords

2011-04-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

From left: APC (via Creatures of Comfort), Carolina Glaser (from Japan), Spacecraft (from Japan), Miu Miu (via Barney's warehouse sale), Common Projects (via Creatures of Comfort), Boy by Band of Outsiders (via Barney's warehouse sale), vintage derbies (from Japan), and Slow and Steady Wins the Race (via Ooga Booga).

Other half of my shoe collection. I am a little obsessed with oxfords but maybe that was a little obvious? I wear a lot of button down shirts lately too and am craving something ridiculously oversized so maybe I just like dressing like a man. I wear the white derbies and dark brown ankle boots the most. I bought the boots after that accident where I got struck on the head, passed out and bled everywhere, was sent to the emergency room, and came out alive and deciding that I deserved to splurge on the one pair of shoes I'd been eyeing for months. Nothing like a little retail therapy, heh!

The only pair I don't wear too often are the dark blue Common Projects because they pinch my feet so badly... apparently that's what all Common Projects are like. People say you need to break them in first but how ridiculous! Is there some sort of rule that your feet need to be beat into submission before they're worthy of a shoe.

On the other hand, all the shoes above from Japan are so comfortable that the first time I wore them I had a hard time believing what was happening to my feet. I'm still not really sure how the Spacecraft shoes can fit me so well. Every time I put them on it feels like they're snapping into place and hugging me! Anyway I guess the point of me saying this is that if you go to Japan for shopping, you have to get a pair of shoes! Skip the Junya and the Kawakubo and just get a pair of shoes that you can wear every day for the rest of your life with no regrets!!

My last piece of advice for other leather shoe-ists is to get cedar shoe trees for them. Makes them smell nice, prevents creasing, and keeps the shape. I use Woodlore, you can get them at Zappos or The Container Store.

night at mariposa

2011-03-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Small dinner parties throughout the week. Chilled with the Mariposa crew a few nights ago, had maybe a little too much wine and margaritas and soothed the next day's headache with miso soup in the morning. Repeated the next day, only with a different crowd in a different part of the city and felt somewhat weirder and more awkward. Connected best with the hosts' dogs who were so cute and kept waddling up to me with their short legs just so they could stare at me with big round eyes until I pet them.

small tribute

2011-03-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

The web has been awash in images of the post-earthquake, post-tsunami landscape in Japan. There are before-and-after satellite images floating out there too, but to me they don't really do any justice to the beauty of northern Japan.

Miyagi, the prefecture worst-hit by the tsunami, is my favorite place to travel outside Tokyo and I've been there several times. Once, I went to Ishinomaki and stayed at my friend's grandparents for a week. They hosted me with gracious hospitality, bought me two crates of strawberries when I devoured an entire box on my first day, and cooked up a huge vat of the most delicious, sweetest rice I have ever eaten while offering to give me some to take home because I liked it so much, and then asked me to come back. I have many great memories of Ishinomaki. The sweet, elderly couple who hosted me are now missing. While I keep hoping for the best, I fear the worst.

Ishinomaki

If anyone who happens to be reading this hasn't donated at least a little to Japan's humanitarian efforts already, please find the compassion to skip your next Starbucks coffee and donate the money instead. They really need all the help they can get.

If you're in LA, there are a few benefits going on. My friend Mikki Mauses just had a benefit show yesterday but I think there are more coming and will keep posted on any other events I catch wind of.

sunday market

2011-03-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

Some snaps from Sara and my phone from the flea market on Sunday. Had a lot of fun but being out in the sun all day made me so sleepy in the last hour! Traffic dwindled down and mozzarella cheese sticks from Jack in the Box sent me nodding. Afterward I cooked up some baked potatoes (rubbed with olive oil, sea salt, rosemary, and thyme and topped with cheese, ham, bacon, sour cream, and chives--yum!) at the Gamble House with my friend Leon. A small dinner with a handful of friends, but it was an amazing little treat to dine at and tour the house once again.

ode to shoes pt 1

2011-03-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

I have a huge weakness for beautiful shoes. I wear heels pretty often so I make sure that if I ever invest in a pair that they're super comfortable... otherwise, there is no point buying a shoe at all! Marni, LD Tuttle, and Jeffrey Campbell make super comfortable heels. I also own two pairs of shoes from different Japanese designers located in Tokyo (Carolina Glaser and Spacecraft) and they're both amazing.

I think my weakness for shoes might be related to my subconscious obsession with taking care of my feet. When I was little I read something about how massaging your feet 5 minutes a night could help prevent 90% of your illnesses later in life. I was like "Wow!" and ever since then I've paid attention to how much I stress my feet. I use a Japanese pumice to scrub them once a week, and I massage and lotion them often. I would do it all the time when I was in Japan because walking every day (in heels) put so much stress on them and when Sarah came to visit me she was struck by how fleshy and beautiful they were. Hahaa. She went out and bought her own pumice stone after that.

Anyway, I was talking about shoes--any girl who's a girl probably loves their shoes and I'm no exception...except that the past few months I've been trying to clean out my apartment of all my excess junk that I really don't need. Sara asked me to do a booth at Space 15 Twenty tomorrow for their weekly flea market, so I took all my shoes and clothes out of hiding that I never ever wear to sell on Sunday! That was pretty much the whole point of this post. Except I started talking about feet instead.

Sneak peep:

Here's a link to the flyer about the event:
http://space15twenty.com/whats_happening_yard_sale_hosted_by_freeways_collide

plant benches

2011-03-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

Hello! My computer was at the doctors for a little while with a cold... In the meantime, I made these benches for my plants because I wanted to clear off my balcony table. Pine planks with a rose-blush tint on top of used clay bricks. The fern to the side Max saved from the dump pile while I was in Shanghai and we've been nursing it back to health! It grew a new frond after I came back from Japan!

39 palms oasis

2011-02-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

Last friday I hiked to an oasis in the Mojave desert. We made it there and back just before the rain started pouring down. Beautiful weather and even more beautiful scenery!

This week has been full on busy. Part of it is for making monies and part of it isn't but it's productive so I like it. I want to save up to buy a keyboard piano but I haven't figured out where there's space in my apartment for it yet. I like my Japanese futon on the ground, but it kinda limits storage options when you live in a studio and every inch counts!

home from colder climates

2011-02-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Back from Colorado and feeling a distinct lack of my mom's home cooking and snow. Skiing took lots of tumbling and patient coaching but it was fun! We stayed in a condo so there was ample family-time and cooking dinners at home.

Meanwhile back in LA I scored a free new console table, hung up some things from Japan in my kitchen, and added new plants to my balcony! I want to turn my balcony into a garden.

camera roll

2011-01-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

Just some snapshots from my iphone. Hanging out downtown, late-night ice cream and cherries, cute dog at an art opening in Chinatown, unexpected street sculptures, Two Boots pizza in Echo Park, lunch on the balcony (with more cherries and pistachios!), a dead Christmas tree I haven't taken out yet, my new Japanese futon, and the cutest dog in the world, Angel! Life in general's been good to me lately. Heading to Colorado for a ski trip with the family next week, and trying to plan some kind of birthday pool party before that since the weather in LA has been sunny and amazing! I wish all my friends in Yokohama, New York, Providence, Beijing, and Perth could come. I've really been missing them--it's crazy how with some friends you can go months without speaking, but when you touch base again it's just like it used to be.

I wanta waka waka

2011-01-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

Finally made time to drop by Kristin's and Shin's IKO IKO store the other day and I walked away knowing that I really need Shin's WAKA WAKA furniture in my future apartment.

Cheese table

I can't decide if I would rather own the bookshelves, nesting tables, cheese slice table, or another awesome glass table they have in the store. I'm really into organic, simple materials and what makes Shin's stuff so appealing to me is how minimal but thoughtful and unique his designs are. All wood is reclaimed so it's sustainable and high quality too! His workmanship is really great. I could sing even more praises but I would rather just enjoy the pictures. All these photos were taken from Look At Waka Waka, Shin's site.

Triad planter

U-shaped desk

My friend and I also spent a long time admiring Kristin's Rowena Sartin men's shirts. So sad that they're made for men and not for women! The cut's a little too big for me. I could try and pull it off but I already have a gajillion oversized button ups in my closet courtesy of my boyfriend. In any case I recently decided I should probably start dressing like a girl again, especially with all this great summer weather we're getting in LA! I've been sitting out on my balcony with drinks and snacks lately. Sweet way to pass the afternoon!

Anyway IKO IKO has a pop up shop at Space 15 Twenty until the end of January, and it's really worth checking out because they have a lot of cool objects there that aren't in the store. I went yesterday with a friend and got really attached to some things! Currently figuring out what I want most, but I'm 99% sure it's the bookrest!

new shoez & some art openings

2011-01-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

A rare, fashion-related post... new shoes! Sarah helped me snag them when they went on sale while I was in Shanghai. Pre-distressed leather so I don't feel guilty tromping around downtown and getting them messed up either.

I really really love them. Thankfully I don't tower over my boyfriend in them so I wear them whenever I want to navigate the occasional stomp-and-wobble style of ambulating.

Things have been pretty chill these days--I got into a small car accident on the freeway two days ago, which triggered some pretty sweet therapy sessions organized by Max! He took the next day off because he didn't want me driving by myself and we went to Creatures of Comfort to pick up my mom's United Bamboo jumpsuit on hold. I did a little bit of shopping for myself too because 70% off is a deal too good to pass up! Sophie and Sandra are soo nice, I loovee CoC. After that Max and I checked out Scent Bar which I'm definitely going back to when I have more money and desire to invest in a rare and uncommon perfume--and then Mozza for dinner.

We swung by our friend Stephanie's place afterward to pick her up and head to an art opening in Echo Park. It was at someone's house, and this being the second art opening I've been to which is straight up just in someone's apartment/house I think I really like the idea! Watched a really weird film about a hick tranny trying to arrange a sexfest (or something? I don't know, I find most art so confusing.) in someone's bedroom and noticed that the same exact dogs at the last art opening in someone's apartment were all present at this one. Weird! but cool! More people should bring their well-behaved dogs out. As long as they are well-behaved and don't drool on everyone's shoes. Which these dogs were not. :) We bounced from that opening to another one in Chinatown that was pretty much over except for a strange dance party going on upstairs... so I hung out for a while, had a drink, and called it a night after scarfing down Tacozone and McDonalds. Max and Stephanie are so much fun to be gluttons with!

P.S. Shoes are by LD Tuttle, called "The Fawn" if anyone is curious!

momiji-gari

2011-01-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

This year was my first time to go to Japan in the autumn so I had the chance to go momiji-gari (autumn leaf viewing) with Max. We went at night to Matsushima where Entsuin, one of the temples, had arranged lights in their garden to view the trees by night. It was soo amazing, the pictures don't really do it justice! We mazed through a zen garden of maple trees and ended up in a forest installation of blinking lightbulbs that simulated fireflies flickering to the tune of an old man playing traditional Japanese songs on his flute.

two thousand and then

2010-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Looking back on 2010 before I start on 2011: what a crazy year! Had a sub-woofer drop on my head and rushed to the emergency room, co-organized Project White T-Shirt, graduated from college, visited Sarah in NY, had an amazing summer that ended too soon, moved to Shanghai to work at the World Expo, and made trips back to Hong Kong, Japan, and Texas. Learned a lot and had so much fun.

Pictures from New York, LA, my collection of houseplants when I first started, at the beach in Malibu on July 4th, the conservatory in San Francisco, Sarah's feet at Gavin Brown's Enterprise, and the Osaka fish market. I have too many pictures for a full review--and still more from Japan to go through--but I'll leave off with a recent favorite!

Gaia!

Happy New Year!

sojourn in osaka

2010-12-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

When Max and I were in Japan, we spent one day in Osaka where we crashed with Shinji, who plays with The Boredoms. He was an awesome host and his girlfriend Makoto is really cute. She's also in a band but works at a baby clothing store in her off-time. We only had a day in Osaka before traveling north so we spent it biking around the city to visit a temple, a bike shop, downtown, and Shinji's favorite record store. Had kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) for dinner!

In transit

We fell in love with Shinji's cat Gaia--he was soo cute and friendly. I miss him!!

Osaka had a really chill vibe--my friend's been trying to convince me to go down to Kansai for ages so I'm glad I got to go, even if it was only for one day!

laser-cut driftwood

2010-12-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

Sarah is finally here and that means we can finally commence all of our devious Christmas gift-wrapping schemes! It also means we're back to sharing a room again which I couldn't be happier about--not only because it's nostalgic but also because I watched Black Swan before I left L.A. and it was so traumatizing that my heightened imagination hates being alone in the dark now. Although it's probably a good thing she's totally exhausted from her flight because if she was any less worn out she'd probably be annoyed at me for typing in my bed next to her, right now! The room is small and cozy, but our beds together usurp most of the space so even though we have separate beds I'm pretty much still just.. typing right next to her. hahaha.

The ornaments in the picture are gifts from Sarah; laser-cut out of driftwood! Sooo awesome! And sustainable! I loove them. They're simple, beautiful, and organic. I tend to think most Christmas ornaments are hideous so when I got a tree this year all I did was string lights around it. Now I wish I was back in LA just for a split second so I could hang these on my tree!

meiji jinja

2010-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Still have a lot of photos from Japan to share. This batch is from Meiji Jinja and the surrounding gardens in Yoyogi Park! It's a sanctuary in Shibuya-ku, one of the busiest parts of Tokyo.

Just arrived in Dallas a few days ago for the holidays and things are pretty busy getting the house ready! So far my days here have been filled with food, the piano, cleaning, and pets. It's been pretty sweet. Later today I'm getting Tex-mex which is going to be even more awesome, because I've been craving it for MONTHS. The one thing I desired the most after 4 months in Asia was cheese and beans. Yum!

breakfast at the house soap made

2010-12-22T07:00:00.001-08:00

My friend is living at the Gamble House for a year and invited me over for breakfast! I showed up at his house with pancake mix, maple syrup, and 6 boxes of berries wrapped up in a furoshiki in the pouring rain. It was really exciting because I love cooking and doing it in a beautiful work of architecture makes it even better. We cooked in the servants' quarters (which the docents who work there also use) and ate in the breakfast nook. Finished up and left just as the first 11:45 tour crowded into the kitchen and peered at us curiously through the windows.

*The Gamble House is referred to as the house soap made because it was originally the house of David Gamble of Proctor & Gamble, who invented ivory soap.

edo-ko

2010-12-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

I've been lucky enough to have had a good share of trips to Japan but this one was really special for me. I got to meet new people and visit new towns, as well as see some good friends and hit up all the old spots, all while sharing it with my amazing boyfriend!

The first picture is from one of our first nights in Shibuya, the next is at a mom-and-pop izakaya I frequent called Daikohara whose owner makes enthusiastic friendships with all the regulars. His name is Daikohara-san and he has impressive memory. After more than a year of absence, we stepped out of the tiny elevator that goes up to his spot and he greeted us like old friends. The last three pictures were taken en-route to Yokohama.

For some reason I hear a lot of people (in America) thinking that Yokohama is really far from Tokyo because you can travel between the two by shinkansen, but it's actually very close. A shinkansen would take like 5 minutes. But you can find several trains between the two for about a 20 minute ride. A lot of people who live in Tokyo or Yokohama work in the other city and vice versa. The same goes for where they choose to play. They call it "edo-ko" or "hama-ko". Edo-ko prefer to hang out in Tokyo and hama-ko prefer to hang out in Yokohama! I'm more edo-ko than hama-ko but I could definitely kick it for a few days in Yokohama and be totally content, primarily because they have the best ramen (Ippudo) and you can walk by the pier in Minatomirai for over an hour and see a million different things.

2010-12-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Been home for almost two weeks now and still feeling great! My second Aerobed broke on me about a week ago so I researched Japanese futons in LA and went to go to check out a store near Santa Monica that looks promising yesterday...but it was closed! All the futons are custom and hand-made to order in the authentic, old style (out of layers of padded silk and cotton), which means there's a week turnaround. Since I'm leaving in a week for Texas I probably won't get one until I return in January, but I'm really excited to upgrade from an airbed (which I've been sleeping on for two years) to a futon. It'll be way better for my back. Then I'll be moving out of my apartment in a few months and getting an actual mattress! Cool!

Afterward Max and I swung by Jack London's old studio in East Hollywood for a chill, Sunday afternoon art opening. White wine and malt beer in a white apartment with beautiful ceramic, healthy/happy cacti, and lots of books. People brought their dogs, too, which gave me an ample supply of things to pet. Pretty much a recipe for a great afternoon.

back from japan

2010-11-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Japan! I went all over the country for two and a half weeks--mostly based in Tokyo and Miyagi-ken with Max. Had a great time, met a lot of cats, and ate so much good food. Have a lot to share from the trip, but for now wrapping myself in a stole, finishing up a slice of pumpkin pie and catching up with my sister online! Being back home is so good.

Pavilion of the Future

2010-11-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

See that giant thermometer? That's the Pavilion of the Future. I would plod sleepily to the kitchen every morning to make tea and check the weather just by glancing out the window. Beats the utility of clock towers because the thermometer would flash the time digitally at the very top, too! Ha!

I was stubbornly wandering the Puxi side of the Expo on a ridiculously cold day (because I promised myself I would explore it before the Expo closed) when I inadvertently stumbled in. The first room draws you into a labyrinth of alternating, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and digital screens that flash clips of different film interpretations of the future, from The Island to Ghost in the Shell. I'm kinda sci-fi geeky and love things like that but seriously, it was really, REALLY cool! For China! Really guys. I was so surprised. The rest of the pavilion was great too--a little bit maze-y, with different ways of walking through so you could cut short what could easily be a 2 or 3 hour pavilion down to 45 minutes if needed. Unfortunately I had to speed through it because I was hungry and had to find a bathroom really bad, but I wish I could've gone twice; there was a lot of art in it too... too bad!

UK Pavilion

2010-11-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

The UK Pavilion wanted to realize a schematic where they wouldn't just be shuffling thousands of people a day through a large box with gimmicky displays about a country's culture. The theme of the Expo was about creating a sustainable future, so the UK Pavilion chose to showcase a "seed cathedral." (In conjunction with the Millennium Seed Project.) It shows that they believe a green future is key to the betterment of world society. It was a really simple concept and executed beautifully. The only shame was that they didn't have anyone from the UK to represent! The outside was all Chinese-staffed, although I'm guessing there might've been a Brit or two in the offices below. The other unfortunate thing about the UK Pavilion was that the architects forgot or didn't care about the people who would have to work there every day, because their offices were squeezed into the basement--and their Protocol Department was really unhappy working in a dungeon.

world's fair

2010-11-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

I always loved the trusty elevated skywalk. You could be sure no matter what time of day or how crowded the expo was, it'd be empty!

shanghai

2010-11-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hello blog! Finally have time to write after a very, very hectic last month at the Expo. It's already been a week since the Expo officially closed in Shanghai but it feels like I was just there yesterday. I miss my Shanghai friends and a restaurant called Southern Barbarian with the best Yunnan salt & pepper fried goat cheese. I met so many great people and had so much fun in Shanghai--it's hard to believe it's over now! I took a hiatus while I worked in Protocol because I came home late every day, totally exhausted and wiped out from work, and only had energy to go out for dinner (over instant noodles from Family Mart at home).

Will post some photos from the Expo soon. For now, I'm in Hong Kong for some post-Expo R&R! Met up with second ~BFF4LyFe!~ Ritchie, went shopping, and got a facial.. feeling tons better already. Only a few more days until I head to Japan!

no more playtime

2010-10-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

VIP was pretty chill. I'd get there at 8 in the morning, open up reception, and get some baozi to eat for breakfast and chill for most of the day. It would get busy with events, but for the most part it was still relaxed. I spent most of the time chatting with Tracy or Taylor, two of my Shanghainese co-workers. It was fun! My bosses were fun too. I really came to like it. No more!

I work in Protocol now. Protocol handles all the high level visits to the ~USA Pavilion~. It usually includes government delegations from China, the U.S., or other countries (Thailand for example), military delegations, and sometimes celebrities. There's so much bureaucracy in China that everyone sounds important until we have to sift out who's actually super-important and my head gets mixed up with all the titles! And then some people email us and lie about who they are and we have to catch that too. Yesterday I had to wake up at 7 for an 8 AM team meeting and then work from 2:30 to midnight. Then the database fizzled while I was trying to learn how to update it because it's finally run out of memory. From what I've been told October is just going to get busier and busier as the Expo nears its end so I predict many long nights burning the midnight oil and losing my capacity to think straight! Therefore I am no longer responsible for anything I say that might be ridiculous, I may have just simply gone crazy?

My sister's ･*:.｡*･゜mYsTery p@cKagE･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ just arrived and I would like nothing better than to go to my brother's apartment (where she sent it) and dig through the box, but I still have another three days to go before I get a day off! Max just sent a care package too, and good thing these are all arriving in the last month because I feel like I need care packages more than ever right now to help me tide through the storm.

In any case, we all have one more month to go and I'm pretty excited! After this I'm heading off to Hong Kong and then Japan with Max!! I can't wait! :)

scenes from the expo

2010-09-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooling down, school is back in session, and the Expo has gotten relatively quiet for the first time since I came here. It's pretty much the best time for anyone who's thinking of coming to the Expo to visit, because once October comes around it will only get more and more hectic in the last month!

VIP has gotten busy at the USA Pavilion and I'm just trying to keep afloat of things. Still daydreaming about Japan and Hong Kong, missing home, and hunting for good food.

I can't escape the Expo even on my days off. Once I went to a museum about the Communist Party and right in the middle of the last room they had a huge WORLD EXPO SHANGHAI 2010 board with photos of all the pavilions and stuff. As if the entire destiny of the Communist party lead up to this single event. Every train I take has the expo's daily visitor count flashing on the digital screens. Even when I'm trying to relax at my brother's apartment the news will be talking about different people who work at the Expo, or what happened at the Expo that day, or some (Expo-organized) friendship trip or another. Ahh!

Qibao

2010-09-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Qibao with some friends a few days ago. It's a nice neighborhood with an old, preserved network of alleys and streets that sell Chinese trinkets and knick-knacks. Like pretty much every city with a canal running through, people call it the "Venice of China." I'm sure Suzhou is much closer to that description, but it was a nice area to go nevertheless and the canal was very sweet with boats drifting up and down the water. We took one of them after wandering around the shops for a few hours and soaked in some river breeze! The food stalls there are famous among the Shanghainese, and I had no idea what I was eating but some crunchy scallion/mochi thing I pointed to and ate was very savory and delicious! Their "smelly tofu" is famous too, but I'm not ready to partake in those just yet.

Jimmy Carter

2010-09-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Former president Jimmy Carter visited the USA Pavilion two days ago after his trip to North Korea. It was so exciting! He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter paid a visit to the pavilion to view the show and afterward, met us in the ballroom for a photo op with the staff and student ambassadors. I loved when they walked in with bright smiles on their faces and beamed at everyone. It was so great! I somehow ended up with the lucky spot of standing next to the two of them for the photo, and afterward Rosalynn Carter turned to me and asked me a few questions about where I was from and where I learned Chinese. I stared at her for a second not realizing that she was actually speaking to me. I think in that moment I forgot what the hell I was doing there. It was a short meeting, but provided one of the most enduring memories I'll retain after the Expo is over.

I almost didn't go, because my friends and I took a day trip out of Shanghai that day. We miscalculated how much time we'd spend there and ended up coming back early--as we took the subway back home, we realized that if we hopped off at the next stop and walked to the expo, we'd be able to make it in time. So we did. I grabbed an extra uniform shirt from the uniform room, threw it on over my shorts, and made it! I'm so glad I did!

xiao bai tu

2010-09-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Morning shifts in Shanghai consist of a lot of yawning, baozi (steamed white buns) from Family Mart, and watching people slowly trickle into the USA Pavilion. Today added my sister on webcam and her trigger-happy finger on the print-screen button catching every glamorous moment of my breakfast. These she gleefully emailed to my boyfriend and uploaded to facebook right away so that my friends back home could laugh at me and my overzealous bow.

Dress code at work in VIP is business casual. I didn't really know what that was before I came here but I kind of figured it out after going into the office and looking at everyone else. It's fun to have a dress code to experiment with, sometimes limitations can make things less boring. I tied the bow in my hair (it was originally a scarf courtesy of American Airlines, a USA Pavilion sponsor) because I was bored of the uniform in Operations, and was surprised how much people reacted. Even one of my Ops Duty bosses, who usually puts on a front of being stiff so that people will take him seriously, consented to nod in approval and tell me he liked it. The bao an (security guards) started calling me xiao bai tu, which means little white rabbit. They all said that my bow looked like bunny ears and one of them swatted it with his hand.

recuperating

2010-09-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

rainy season in Shanghai

Since September started, I've moved from the Operations group at the USA Pavilion into VIP. It involves sitting at a reception desk all day. At certain points of the day I may have to move between upstairs reception and downstairs reception, but that's basically it. My specific shift hasn't actually had to work a VIP-related event yet, so it's bound to pick up later since the closer the month draws toward October the busier it'll become. But for now, work has gotten quiet--a nice break from the intensity of Operations!--and I use my free time to do more Triple-Major work again. The last exhibition for Project White T-Shirt is coming up soon in Beijing!

A few days ago, I sprained my foot while checking out the South Africa pavilion after work. I thought it was pretty minor, but the next morning when I woke up, my foot felt incredibly swollen and was throbbing in pain. I wobbled to the bathroom thinking it would get better if I just moved around a little--but I started to feel my head rush and the next thing I knew, I was waking up on the bathroom floor, my whole body felt like it was burning, and there was blood in my mouth and on the rug. Thankfully I didn't hit anything too badly--just the sink and the floor--and I only have a few bruises on my knee, hip, and head but it could definitely have been worse! I feel very lucky.

I feel like Shanghai has been mistreating my body. A lot of the food here is really oily and makes me feel nauseous. Three weeks ago I ended up bruising my rib just by sleeping on my side (the beds here are very hard) for a few nights in a row, because my back pain was bothering me again (from the accident in January). I couldn't laugh, sneeze, breathe deeply, or rise from bed without feeling considerable pain, and it's still not fully healed (but it's getting there!). This is definitely not an auspicious month! I hope the foot sprain and passing out in the bathroom is the last of my unfortunate series of accidents... otherwise I'll be forced to admit that maybe Shanghai isn't the best place for me right now.

tian zi fang

2010-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

The past month in Shanghai has been pretty crazy. I came for three months to work at the World Expo for the USA Pavilion! Ground operations has been hectic, intense, and challenging but it's always really interesting. Sometimes it's frustrating too but at the end of the day, I enjoy the work and I believe in the goal: to show the guests what America is about. Many people come with a lot of preconceptions about the US, but hopefully all of them leave learning something new and positive (like the fact that America is actually a diverse country and not only full of white people). Every work day moves by really fast but the month seemed to drag by slowly. In a few days I'll be starting work in VIP though so it's bound to be pretty different! There's way too much to talk about the expo, so I'll have to talk more about it later.

My parents visited Shanghai briefly to help my brother move in--he's going to Fudan University for a year to learn Mandarin--so I took them to an area called Tianzifang. It's a jumbled network of alleyways in an old hutong neighborhood tucked with art galleries, small shops, and restaurants! They really had a good time, there was something for everyone to enjoy. I'm looking forward to taking my sister there.

After I got into college, I only saw my family members about twice a year (Sarah's an exception). Now that my brother's in Shanghai, I have the opportunity to hang out with him often. It's great to be able to chill with family again!

Some other exciting news: I just booked my plane tickets home! Before I head back to LA I'll be going to Hong Kong to rest up, see my parents, and stuff myself with wonton mein, zhongzi, and dim sum until I burst. After that I'm heading to Japan (Tokyo and Miyagi-ken) for two weeks with Max to visit friends, eat, hang out, and look for cats. I can't wait!

max's pre-birthday

2010-08-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

At David's apartment in San Francisco

Max's real birthday is coming up this weekend--so bummed that I'm missing it since I'm here in Shanghai! We celebrated a month earlier back in LA with an awesome dinner at Mozza (Coach Farm goat cheese, scallions, leeks, and proscuitto ham pizza with olive oil and sea salt bruschetta, a glass of wine, and some kind of caramel-y coffee ice creamy marshmallow cream dessert!). It was so good, but my only regret is that we didn't get the corn. They had corn on the cob cooked in herb butter and since we sat at the bar I watched them bake it in the brick oven three times until it crisped evenly and salivated every single time wishing it was mine.

The weather that night was perfect--exactly the kind of warm summer night that I'd been waiting for. We took his scooter to and from the restaurant and the air was so nice. Detoured through a more scenic route on the way home and snaked through a neat, quiet neighborhood in Silverlake up the hills and looked down at the LA lights. Only barely escaped a skunk that nearly sprayed us while we zoomed by (in retrospect it was scarily close). When we got home, I gave Max his gift--a Japanese hand-crafted ash wood desk organizer (something he'd been needing but not buying) and a furoshiki made by the kameda-ko technique, which is known for creating extremely durable and weather-resistant fabric. The looms required to create fabric by kameda-ko were almost all lost during WWII but luckily two survived, and the families that retained them revived the art. Honestly, it was so beautiful that I wanted one for myself too but when I went back to buy the last one it was already sold! Too bad.

P.S. Sorry for the slow down in posts; Shanghai has been mad crazy (haha)! I promise I will post about it next!

modern ruins

2010-08-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

Just a few last pictures of my trip to SF two weekends ago when David, Max and I drove past Golden Gate Park and chilled out at the baths. And we literally chilled, because it was SO COLD! (to me, at least!) David lived in Chicago for a while and is totally used to SF weather so he just laughed at my weakling inability to handle the winds. Once I came to terms with the weather it was pretty awesome, though! The baths were a really great place to climb around and get some peace. San Francisco in general was a great place to kick back; I loved it and had a really great time.

Now that I'm sweltering in Shanghai I miss the weather there. Bare legs are nice, but I'd rather not melt in a pool of humidity everyday.

The baths are a really beautiful place to visit morning or night. Apparently the surf can be pretty dangerous but as long as you're smart and careful it's a nice place to clamber around and chill out.

Looking back on these pictures is making me miss LA and the good times I had this summer. I think I'm getting homesick for the first time in my entire life of traveling. I've been a little bummed out the past two days...thankfully I have max, sarah, and a few good friends to keep me grounded. Although talking to them can sometimes make me feel worse because I miss them so much. I hope I get over this soon.

mountain trails

2010-07-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

I went hiking while I was in SF! We had no idea where to go, and Google wasn't yielding anything appealing so Max just drove across the Golden Gate bridge, picked a mountain, and we drove up! Our only guide was pretty much what street looked prettier. We found ourselves entering a redwood forest with all these awesome houses and cabins tucked along winding streets that snaked up the mountain and stumbled across the end of a mountain trail. We got really lucky! It was exactly what we were looking for--secluded, empty, and wild.

The light was beautiful and there was a really nice breeze. I run out of stamina easily if it's too sunny, but the entire trail was shaded. It reminded me a lot of the trails in Matsushima, Japan on the little islets off the coast that you could access by red bridges. I'll make a post about it sometime, since it was definitely one of my favorite parts of Japan.

San Francisco is such a beautiful city. LA is pretty awesome, but it does get pretty ugly at times. It needs more parks and shaded hiking trails! Maybe people would be less stressed out in LA if there were more greenery.

okurimono #1

2010-07-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

Before I left for Shanghai, I shipped a box of gifts to my SISTAH4LYFE aka digital glitch extraordinaire Sarah. There was no occasion; I think after we separated after high school we always just see things that we think the other twin might like and buy them. Then we accumulate things and send each other gift boxes every now and then. Both of us love giving gifts. In Japan it's called called okurizuki--people who like to give gifts! (例えば、簡単に言えば「送り好きな私がまたお姉さんに贈り物を贈った」って。) I'm glad there's a word for it in Japanese even though not in Chinese or English because it means we're not alone! Giving a gift for me can even be more exciting than receiving gifts. Sometimes I get nervous but for the most part, I love giving beautiful gifts. Wrapping is one of the best parts, although I kind of gave up on being good at wrapping conventional wrapping paper. I prefer wrapping in tissue paper and fabric ribbon.

I asked Sarah to take these pictures because I forgot to do it myself before I sent them off!

This is a higo mari ball, also called temari. It's a toy that was popular in 18thc Japan, made of cotton thread with a cotton core. They don't bounce--instead, people would throw them and play catch with them. They're really satisfying to throw in the air! I have one of my own and I'm always tossing it around, which makes Max call me a cat. I even brought mine with me to Shanghai because I knew I would miss it if I left it at home.

I also gifted Sarah a corn-print tenugui. Tenugui are cuts of fabric (which can range in size) and used for anything including wearing, wiping countertops, tying up lunch to bring to work or school, or hanging in your home. Sarah tied it in her hair right away when she got it, and she uses it to pack lunch inside for work everyday!

I bought both items at a store in LA (on Abbot Kinney in Venice) called Tortoise General Store. It's definitely one of my favorite stores in LA--I love the concept of a "general store" and one day I really want to open one with Chisato, but add a rack of beautiful clothes too! I recommend anyone in the area to stop by before or after afternoon tea at Jin Patisserie. They have the best sandwiches and cakes, and somehow their strawberries are always sweet and fresh even when they're not in season!

conservatory of flowers

2010-07-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Max took a day off from work and we took a trip up to San Francisco! It was amazing and I had so much fun. We left LA after a quick dinner at Kouraku and got to SF around 5AM. Crashed at Max's friend David's studio in Hayes Village--he was nice enough not to care what ridiculous hour we arrived. He even made us pancakes in the morning after we all woke up! I love pancakes. Actually, I love breakfast food in general! Pancakes, waffles, fried eggs, potatoes, sausages, fruit... even Chinese breakfast food (congee, dim sum) and Japanese (okayu, fried fish, etc).

Anyway, after breakfast we headed out to the park to check out the Conservatory of Flowers! I sent Sarah a picture message via Max's phone while we were there because I knew she would love it too. I'm lucky to be dating a guy who loves plants just as much as I do.

I'm actually in Shanghai right now, still suffering from a persistent cold which took a turn for the worse after a horrible plane flight, but I have a lot to share from San Francisco! And since I'm missing the West Coast right now anyway (mentioning Kouraku earlier made my stomach growl) I probably won't start blogging about Shanghai until later.

pre-departure

2010-07-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is a little late, but pictures are from a pool party I had about two weeks ago (picture of my back taken by Max and the other by me). It was a really chill event--we just called over some friends, bought some beer from the liquor store down the street, and lounged around all afternoon! Someone had abandoned a beach ball so we happily borrowed it for the day to play with. After hot tubbing for a while we split up boys/girls and went to the sauna and steam rooms. SUPER relaxing! We finished at 9 with raging appetites and trekked out to Japanese diner Kouraku after taking quick showers... ended the night at Mustache Mondays at La Cita Bar. It's a seedy Mexican ex-strip club turned bar with dance floor and patio, and Mondays are devoted to gay men (and a few lesbians) partying it up like crazy. It was pretty awesome!

The past week, I've been really busy getting everything ready for Shanghai. There are uniforms to buy, shoes to consider, three months of necessary toiletries to stock up on, packing lists to write and re-write... Not to mention I'm sick, so it makes everything just a little bit harder when I run out of energy like a leaking battery and am constantly congested, headache-y, or blowing my nose. I'm too busy to feel bummed out about being sick, though--I also sent off a package of surprises to Sarah and got together a birthday gift for Max. :) His birthday is actually next month, but since I'll miss it we celebrated early! It was an awesome evening, but I'll have to write about it later.

Anyway, tonight we're leaving to spend a few days in San Francisco! I have to pack both for the weekend and for Shanghai. I take forever to pack because I can be pretty absent minded so I have to start now... I guarantee it'll take the entire day. Hope everyone is staying cool in this blazing weather!

home from hot climates

2010-07-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

This year was my first time celebrating July 4th and it was amazing! Started the day out with M&M at a farmer's market to grab lunch and some snacks for the day, then headed out to Malibu where we chilled out on our friend's private beach (albeit shared with a few neighbors) with some books, drinks, blueberries, and goldfish, and explored. We went back up to her house to play badminton and eat some awesome barbecue before ending the day back on the beach and wrapped up in blankets to watch fireworks at night. I had so much fun!

On the way down to the beach. Everything in Malibu was so beautiful but it freaked me out a little how trim everything was. It's probably the Texan side of me but I think I prefer a little bit of wild growth when it comes to plant decor.

I brought my Chinese book to brush up on Mandarin, a Borges collected fictions volume that was gifted to me from a friend, and a sketchbook--but I barely cracked open the Chinese and I didn't even touch the Borges or sketchbook! I guess that's the definition of a good day; not getting anything done that you planned on but having tons of fun anyway.

There were a zillion varieties of seaweed and kelp washing up on the beach and a few jellyfish...?? At least, that's what Max and I guessed they were. I've never seen such transparent and fat jellyfish though. It was really weird!

SABORU

2010-07-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

silk pocket tank from Nasty Gal, Anntian pants, n 11 sandals from Tokyo

Lounging around my apartment with cherries, blueberries, clementines, and some leftover cupcakes today! Friends, family, ex-classmates, and multiple strangers have finally convinced me to watch Naruto Shippuden, so I've been spending the past few days starting from episode 1 instead of brushing up on my Chinese. At least I'm keeping up with my Japanese? I've found it to be really helpful actually. I can understand most of it without subtitles--ureshiii!

I woke up early this morning when a woman from Fedex delivered my new ipod!! I've been using a 1st gen 4GB nano for the last six years, and it's finally crapping out on me. It has about fifteen minutes of battery life when it's in a good mood and goes spastic a lot. I mentioned to my brother that I wanted a new mp3 player before I leave for Shanghai and he offered to pay for whatever I chose as a graduation gift! I'm very grateful. I considered the new zune, ipod nano, and ipod touch but I ended up going with classic because all I want is an mp3 player without all the added gizmos that I'll never use. I'm really happy with it so far.

Anyway, happy 4th of July weekend everyone! This is my first time in the last 7 years that I'm spending Independence Day in America and I'm really excited!

happy feet

2010-06-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

The past week:

Applied for and picked up my Chinese visa to work in Shanghai next month. The consulate's tucked off a quaint side street that almost looks like suburbia, only it's smack in the middle of K-town. Parking was easy and I didn't have to wait too long. I think that was the smoothest visa experience I've ever had? Which totally doesn't make sense because 1. This is LA 2. That was the Chinese consulate!

Read and finished King Leopold's Ghost, a nonfiction book about the rubber terror in the Congo at the turn of the century. Not that long ago in historical terms, which makes you think about how scary it is that a century ago people still thought that certain other humans were less than human, and could be owned, sold, used like animals, etc. I was glued to it and finished the whole book in 5 days.

Binged on baked potatoes and cupcakes, and then started going to the gym.

Creatures of Comfort sale. Went to try on Stine Goya pants for Sarah, walked out with half-price socks and free tote.

Visited Kallusive office with Jason and Liz, met Anthony Lee and friend/VP Michael Sams who are mega chill and down to earth. Anthony Lee is 1/3 of the team that leads Anbu Black Ops, which is pretty much a killer dance crew that has like, ridiculous respect coast-to-coast and a great sense of humor on top of that!

Checked out Mandrake where Max just started djing a bimonthly night! I really liked the decor of the bar and space; it was minimal without being cold.. cozy without being stifling. Projector screen awesome. Chill bartender a plus. Patio in the back super plus!

the sun was spitting kerosene

2010-06-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Between the trip to see Sarah in New York, Chisato and Hussain coming to LA, friends' birthdays, and all the late nights working and hanging out, a month of summer has already slipped by! Every week is totally different from the next, but somehow they all involve the pool, books, watering my plants, late dinners with max, spontaneous outings with jpoo and co, a few parties here and there, and filling my fridge with fruit.

Yesterday was a perfect Monday, almost too good to put into words. So I'm just going to talk about it later. For now, photos from a few weeks ago that only got developed recently:

Heard back from the agent--she said the proposal was awesome. Max only has a few modifications to make before it gets sent off to the publishers. Crossing my fingers for the best deal possible!

The Project White T-Shirt exhibition in Tokyo was a success--Wut Berlin catalogued the full press coverage here but I added Japan Times's and Vogue Italy's features to our new press page! The next stop is Beijing at the upcoming Triple-Major store. I added a new shop tab to the site for it today (here!). Ritchie just sent Sarah and I a photo of the storefront and I'm so excited. It's funny how we're all spread out over three continents right now. This endeavor was international from the beginning and I think we are pretty indicative of that.

vintage levi's

2010-06-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

My first denim purchase since high school from Nasty Gal. Vintage LEE-VYS! I was still calling it LEH-VEES until Max corrected me a week ago. Why are so many brands so tricky to pronounce? What I like about Japanese is how straightforward the pronunciation is. No tricks! No "exceptions"!

My friend Kayla and I have been searching for a light wash, high-waisted denim short for over a year now with no luck--although since high waisted denim is "in" now we're hoping for a score soon! Amazingly found a good pair at Theory the other day when I wandered in (purely so I could use their parking lot and walk across the street to APC) but $220 is out of my price range for denim, especially since I know next to nothing about it! Even in high school when I wore jeans I just bought them at Argyle Center in Hong Kong for 20 bucks (I was probably getting ripped off...) I know there are denim fanatics out there who are willing to slap down $200+ for good denim, easy--but the whole denim-movement-craze thing kind of passes over my head while I oggle over the likes of Stine Goya's silk pants, which cost the same but are... amazing?

Anyway, went to see Shana Lukter's solo exhibition called H.Y.S.T. et al at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects last night. I had a bit of trouble understanding it without reading the press release (Hangman? Giant tuning fork? Cattle rope? wha?) but once I understood what I was looking at and why, I liked it a lot! The gallery was also really beautiful. Went to have all you can eat Korean BBQ afterward which was soo sooooo goood! mmmm kalbi!

late nights

2010-06-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Went to Synchronicity the other night to catch a show that a friend was playing. He just moved here a month ago and already joined a band. Sometimes people just adjust to different cities so easily! I want to think of myself as that kind of person but I'm not sure that I am, haha. Max and I grabbed some Scoops before the show: red velvet and raspberry sour cream. Soo good! Afterward we stopped by Tacozone for quick bites before M bar! SO SCRUMPTIOUS I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN. When the weather gets even warmer I think I would be down to go there every night and park my ass on the sidewalk devouring suaderos tacos con queso for $1.25 each.

Some Viking-themed party had just ended and all them flooded M so when we got there people were dressed to the nines in their horned helmets and fur. They eventually disappeared somewhere but I kind of missed them against the backdrop of the 50's-style Osaka speakeasy. And the gigantic portrait of the oba-san who runs the place against the back wall. Although it allowed for ample concentration to talk Max's friend's ear off about Japan who just came back from tour there. He's lucky because he toured with the Japanese rasta crowd which is so un-Japanese yet probably in a still very Japanese way at the same time! so contradictory! so interesting! I miss Japan. :(

Last night I caught dinner with Jason, Liz, and Sophack at Orochon. Wobbled around clutching my stomach for about two hours afterward from what I thought was my lack of being able to handle level 5 on their spicy range... but I figured out this morning that it was my allergy to egg yolk that got me. Recovered in time for a ~*secret*~ warehouse party downtown and somehow a lot of people who were at M the other night were also there??.?!??..?.? I feel like there are different party networks all over LA, and everybody sticks to their own even though the kinds of parties differ (warehouse, club, bar, studio, gallery, store, apartment, etc).

Tonight should be a little more toned down.. just a few gallery openings I think? I'm spending the day drawing a gift for my dad for Father's Day, finishing my book (Reena Spaulings) and studying flags.

a new plant

2010-06-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Max gave me a new plant! It's a seedling off of his spider fern (they grow baby plants off of themselves that droop and hang in the air.) It's been sitting happily by my balcony windows the past few days where I stacked up some books for it to perch. :)

I spent 25 hours editing a book proposal last week, and we finally finished early Friday morning. Crossing my fingers for a good response from the agent and for Max to get a really good book deal out of this! We looked at some sample proposals that the agent sent us for reference, and it seems like he's got a really good chance, although I'm a little too nervous to say for sure.

After the book proposal was finished, Hussain, a close friend of my brother's since elementary, (he came to the wedding in December) came to LA and we hung out for the past five days in Westwood/Beverly Hills area because that's where his brother (who I'm also friends with) lives. I never venture to the west side to be honest and I feel infinitely more comfortable on the east side! Can't wait for Jpoo to move downtown in July and add more friends to the neighborhood!

After being so busy the last week, I finally had time to give my apartment a thorough cleaning today. Spent all day doing laundry, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, organizing, re-potting my succulents, and wiping down the countertops. Also made a quick trip to Hollywood with Jpoo so that he could gaze forlornly at his dream keyboard without feeling lonely. Going swimming soon, then off to a show, then M bar tonight!

chisato in la

2010-06-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

One of my close friends, Chisato, came to visit for the past few days! I met her when I was going to Sophia University in Japan about a year ago, but she's a fresh grad (like me) from Barnard in New York. We had a really fun time just chilling out and going around LA: I took her to a lot of my usual spots downtown and we visited a few places I rarely go--Zuma beach in Malibu, Abbot Kinney, the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, etc.

We also managed to hit up almost every single one of my favorite places to eat, which really satisfied my stomach since I'd been having the same lunch and dinner for days in a row before she came. (Since I have a habit of eating the same thing over and over again when I decide I like something...)

lunch at Jin Patisserie on Abbot Kinney

Another one of my close friends, Leon, just came back to the States from a semester in Italy so it was really nice to catch up with both of them! Leon's going to be one of the two scholars-in-residence at Gamble House next school year, which is really awesome--he was able to get us in for a a free tour! I'm really excited for him and I wish I could be in LA to help him move in August.

Friday night we also went with Liz to Jason's show at House of Blues on Sunset where he pretty much rocked it, as usual. Saturday Chi and I met up with Max and his friends at Ooga Booga for dinner at Viet Noodle Bar and The Roost which was a lot of yum and drinks! Max's friend from SF and his girlfriend were visiting too--they're super chill. Sunday was shopping (Creatures of Comfort, APC, and Opening Ceremony) and hanging out at the pool.

The whole visit was totally relaxing--usually I get a little stressed out when friends come to visit since I worry about them, but this time I felt like we were both on vacation. I wish she hadn't left!

Favorite places: Towadako

2010-06-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Have been dreaming of Japan lately. It was funny because Sarah, Max, and I all independently decided we definitely wanted to go and we're trying to work out a trip now. It would be Max's first time and I think he'd really enjoy it! We're aiming for November, after the Shanghai Expo ends. I'm really excited!

In the meantime, I dug up photos of one of my favorite towns in Japan, Towadako (十和田湖). The name means Lake of the Field of Ten Harmonies. It's a really small town tucked up in the mountains, located on the shores of a lake at the border of Aomori and Akita prefectures. We stayed at a lake-side ryokan (Japanese-style inn with traditional tatami mat rooms and public baths) and trekked Oirase Gorge, a beautiful river of cascading waterfalls that snakes through the forest and down the mountain.

The area is commonly known within Japan, but not to international tourists-it's inaccessible by train and is a two-hour bus ride away from the nearest shinkansen station. No one speaks English--they actually speak a dialect of Japanese, but I found it relatively easy to understand.

The lake is crystal clear. You could see down all the way through the water as far as your eyes would let you. A sign explained that this is because the lake has no algae. It does, however, have gigantic koi swimming around the deeper end. Our room attendant at the inn told me that koi will grow as large as their environments will let them.

The town is wooded, quaint, and friendly. Aomori is famous for apples and garlic! Unfortunately it wasn't apple season when we went so we couldn't try any, but their apple soft cream was really good.

The whole town has a serene, peaceful ambiance. Every inch of it is beautiful--you can't turn a corner without wanting to burn the image in your brain forever. I found it really inspiring.

The only downside is that there were a lot of mosquitoes! Sarah and I are really sensitive to mosquitoes but they love our type O blood. I shot this picture before we entered the forest--which we thought might be swarming with mosquitoes (it was). We sprayed ourselves down with this awesome japanese mosquito repellent that works wonders and doesn't smell disgusting like OFF! does.

I'm lucky that my family loves to explore as much as I do. In a country as safe and beautiful as Japan, you can only get a rewarding experience from walking off on your own and letting your curiosity take you where you want to go.

cacti, art, chicken wings

2010-05-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

a few more photos with Sarah in ny

On Wednesday I went to Eagle Rock for Mike Kelley's art installation A Voyage of Growth and Discovery about Burning Man. It was such a crazy experience to see raves contextualized in a different perspective as high art! I chilled inside this dome structure carpeted with stuffed animals (not as comfortable as it sounds) and contemplated a six-piece video installation following a full grown man dressed as a baby (complete with pacifier permanently fixed in his mouth) partying up with other ravers... or being avoided/ignored by them.

Afterward we all had dinner nearby, checked out the art show's open bar reception, and headed over to M bar for the rest of the night for Grown. It was a lot of fun! I thought the crowd at M was better than last time (i.e. sans Ke$ha). Music was great. We left around 3:30 and grabbed tacos on the way home. Yumm.

One of my friends from Peru just got his green card so he can stay and live in the U.S.! I was pretty happy to hear that last week. We're thinking of throwing him a party, or maybe... chicken wing and beer night?! Actually chicken wing night might just be my selfish desire (I've been craving Beijing honey ji chuan'r so bad lately). But either would be nice, especially now that summer's here again... or maybe we could do both, chicken wings and beer and then rooftop party?!

another cookie point for new york

2010-05-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

twin & friends in ny
Babycakes just closed by the time we walked there from dinner at Les Enfants Terribles but Hayden's friend hooked us up with some treats and they were soo good! Everyone was licking their fingers. Included in our free dessert package were some delicious donuty baked goods--have I mentioned how much I love donuts? My favorite of all time is matcha pon-de-ringu from Mister Donuts in Japan!

Afterward we went to Milk Bar and had more treats. New York seems to have a fair share of late night sweet stops that LA lacks. I mean we have Pete's, Syrup, Scoops, Ice Kiss, etc but nothing where you can just pop in for a cup of ice cream, a slice of cake, a fresh cookie, or a cupcake all in one! Until 2 AM!

To be more relevant, I've been cleaning my apartment since I came back to LA and it's been taking me daayyys but now it feels sooo good! You know when you put something off for a month or so because you just don't have time--and finally get to it? My shower is now unclogged and sparkling clean, and my refrigerator and closet are both (sort of) cleaned out! I've also been bowling, checked out the burger and beer at Father's Office, watched Chung king Express with Max (pretty good!), etc etc, but this seems like inferior news in comparison. Also, I was going to bake cookies tonight but while webcaming with Kayla I distractedly ate an entire, rather large, bowl of cherries and have no room for dinner. Cookie dinner that is. Totally stuffed now!

twin and twin

2010-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Sarah's feet at Gavin Brown/ Avocado, lemon, olive oil, and chili flakes on 7-grain toast
Only have time for a quick post before heading out again! Yesterday Sarah and I walked all over West Village, Nolita, Soho, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and the East Village. We hit up a few stores (Oak, JF & Sons, Opening Ceremony, Fjallraven) and galleries (Gavin Brown Enterprise and the Swiss Institute) after having lunch at Cafe Gitane.
At the Swiss Institute one of the girls working there cued us in on the Cheap Monday sample sale going on upstairs--we checked it out but it wasn't too great. Maybe because JF & Sons was so AWESOME in comparison? I loved it the minute I stepped into the store. Quirky and feminine without being too much of either, demure colors and individual touches! I liked it a lot more than what I saw at Oak, which was too black/white/new-yorker for me.

Sarah at the highline
Today we met Neha for lunch at the Spotted Pig, and then headed out to check out some more art! There was a home exhibit at a gallery around the corner from the Gagosian where we wandered the Monet exhibit for a while, and then crossed town to go to the Moma for the Marina Abramovic exhibition. Somewhere along the way we walked through the park at the highline too, which was really cool. I'm back home for a short break before dinner, really exhausted from all of the walking and rushing around everywhere. I used to be a pro at this walking business from Tokyo but I guess LA has made me soft!

"you can rest when you're dead"

2010-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm chilling at my sister's place in New York right now. Her apartment is full of light, books, flowers, and nice smells. It's really awesome! Last night Sarah cooked a huge dinner of Chinese comfort food (chow mein, rice porridge, green onion pancakes) and I was so hungry I ate enough for two and a half people. Neha and Kate came over for dinner too and brought Butter Lane cupcakes and Italian wine for dessert. We had them with a bowl of large, fresh, juicy strawberries!

Things have been super hectic since commencement on Friday. Seeing all my close friends come out was actually really great and made me glad I walked. It was boring at times but I had fun! After we all had a late lunch at Kyochon (I LOVE fried chicken!) I went to Max's to help him out with an art piece for the show at Synchronicity. We worked until our dinner reservations at 10:30 (dinner was awesome--bruschetta with olive oil and sea salt, proscuitto pizza, wine) and then continued working until we finally finished the piece early in the morning. We only had time for an hour nap before heading over to the gallery to paint the facade for his second piece. It was awful waking up but painting was fun and after recharging with some donuts (I love donuts too!) and orange juice I was actually okay and not too tired!

Sunday was more chilled out. I went to dim sum with Jpoo and family to say goodbye. We apartment-hunted downtown and around the arts district, and then I went home to throw all my clothes in the laundry and pack. Had dinner with Max too-finally took him to Han bat for sul lung tang which he really liked. We took his bike (which I'm starting to think is faster than taking my car) onto the freeway which is pretty fun at night because the air is more clear, and the wind and dark whiplashes around you. Detoured to Vons on the way home for desserts to bake! One cheesy flight movie, several naps, and 50 pages of Borges later I'm looking out the window past my sister's furry white cactus to the drizzling rain. Sarah's flopping around on her bed and I just finished some cookies from Tate's Bake Shop. We went to the Ace Hotel for brunch at The Breslin this morning, and I bought a book called "ANIMALS OF THE OCEAN: in particular the GIANT SQUID" hahaha. Sarah bought one called "GIRAFFE? GIRAFFE!" We both aspire to own coffee tables that we can plop them on. One day.

can't sleep

2010-05-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

When I'm sick and should be resting is when I can't sleep and end up webcamming at midnight. Maybe today was too relaxing. Or maybe catching up on Bleach was too exciting? Or maybe it's because I'm graduating on Friday?

I realized today that my hair is SUPER long now. When did that happen? I've also been pulling my hair back more often lately--getting sick of seeing so many girls with their faces covered up with shaggy bangs & oversized sunglasses & sometimes hats or fake glasses a la dirtylittlestylewhore. What happened to clean and pretty and hello!-I-can-see-your-face? Where did that look go? Wouldn't that be perfect for summer instead of shaggy hair and ripped tights? I'm not really ripping on bangs per se--bangs can look really awesome on certain people--but if you add oversized glasses and a hat and then swing your hair around to purposefully hide your face I think that's a little bit overdoing it. Because then all I can see is hair+frame of glasses+flying hat. And it's like, where'd the face go? What do you look like underneath all that?

sunday sundays

2010-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Pictures Max took last Sunday when we were chilling out on a friend's roof while the sun was setting. It was so relaxing, the way a perfect Sunday should be. Most Sundays I have piles of work to do, so it was nice to take some time out and kick back.

I finished my last final yesterday! Undergrad is officially over. It hasn't really hit me yet even as I type this. I'm actually rather sad about it ending, but I also can't wait for this summer to begin. I had too much on my plate to think about it much before, but I'm starting to feel excited to see my sister soon! Mostly just so I can play Secret of Mana on SNES with her and pig out. And maybe see if she can take me to Kate's apartment so I can pet her cat. Man I don't even know what to pack yet. Which is crazy because usually I love packing and making lists and I would normally be on top of that like, right now. Actually I guess I am because I already have a vague list of necessities? Haha! But normally I would have outfits pre-planned or something. I guess I just don't care too much anymore.

succulents & pneumonia

2010-05-09T01:44:00.000-07:00

I was getting Mcflurries with Ben on Wednesday when I spotted a garden center and poked in to buy some succulents for my balcony! I've been wanting them ever since my cousin killed my last succulent while I was in Japan, but I didn't want to buy another if it was just going to get killed again while I'm in Shanghai. I finally gave in out of jealousy since Max has a million plants and Sarah has an aloe. I can't wait for them grow! They're really cute!

Googled my symptoms because I was coughing up suspicious mucus every morning and it turns out I have pneumonia. The symptoms are getting worse and it seems like I'm steadily losing my voice? Besides all the congestion it seems like a pretty weak strain of pneumonia though--I woke up early this morning to have brunch with Max, and we found a park to explore before I took him to the airport. It was a super chill morning and I was definitely not in sickbed mode! But I should probably watch myself or I might be soon..

last stretch

2010-05-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Just a shot of me my sister developed recently from the Project White T-Shirt installation, a few hours before opening. I miss installation week-it was so fun!

I just finished my last week of college and have been really busy since then catching up with friends who I won't be seeing for a while, spending quality time relaxing on rooftops, and starting a new painting. I had a Japanese oral exam on Friday and sped over to West Hollywood for Creatures of Comfort's blowout sale right afterward. It was kind of hectic but totally worth it for the amazing selection and prices! I actually didn't expect to find anything and only went because I was curious to see what they'd have on the slim hope I might find something, but I ended up walking out with some great stuff!

Yesterday was also really productive - I woke up early to go to Westwood with Max, nursed my sore throat with some hibiscus tea and honey at a nearby coffeehouse, finally bought some French terrier jars (for my tea!) and had an m&m mcflurry and fries for lunch. So fatty, but I loooveeee mcflurries and fries!! It was an awesome morning. Got back downtown by noon, took a nap, and spent the rest of the afternoon baking in the sun at Max's loft reading about postmodern Japan, alcoholism, and housewives. Of course I got distracted and took pictures of Jonesie lounging under chairs for a while too. I've actually been feeling kind of sick and was borderline feverish all day yesterday but spending a few hours sweating it out and relaxing with a book really helped--I feel so much better today.

By the way, I'm a little behind on answering my formspring questions because I was divorced from my computer all yesterday and the day before, but I promise to get to them today! Sorry about that!

firefly grotto in deep wood

2010-04-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

My first complete digital painting in 3 years. More of a practice run than anything else, since painting is like a whole other planet compared to pen or pencil drawing. This piece was just to get back into painting something since I've been wanting to for such a long time. I put off art in college to focus on studying, and now in my last week of undergraduate classes I'm picking up right where I left off! It feels really good.

(By the way if your monitor needs to be color-corrected, all you will see of this image is the shiny hole and not much else.)

After I graduate I'll be heading out to NY to chill with my sister! I'm really excited to gorge myself and catch up with a few friends who live in the city. I'll be coming back just in time for Max's art show opening and one of my best friend's visiting for a few days. Sounds like two weeks of awesome food, I can't wait! :)

midnight sea and dune

2010-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

LA has been really nice, cold, and rainy this week. Perfect weather for lighting a candle, throwing the blinds wide (to let the storm light in), and cracking the balcony door open to listen to the rain--while I hide indoors and finish all my projects. Lighting a candle is really awesome at motivating me to work--the other night I even set aside some time to work on my art project. Hopefully once I graduate I'll be able to finish it in time to start on some other stuff before Shanghai! The piece I'm doing now is just something to get me back into digital painting mode. It's been way too long!

favorite places in LA

2010-04-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places in downtown LA is Max's loft! He lives with three roommates and a cat named Jonesie who is usually shy but always comes out and purrs when I'm over. Jonesie prefers girls and likes to chill out under the desks and by the potted plants. The apartment is filled with furniture and homeware that's a combined contribution of all the past and current tenants. Which is how they end up with a fun dining table where each seat is distinctive.

Max threw a party on the roof late summer last year and it was perfect. I remember spending half my time gaping at the view of downtown and the other half with my eyes glued to the cacti that I could barely make out in the dark. I went home that night and dreamed about cacti soaking up sun in downtown LA.

The plants on the roof belong to all of the building's tenants! Sometimes the tenants water each other's plants. I think they forget which ones belong to them and the roof becomes a community garden where everyone who lives in the building is a gardener.

questions & news

2010-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

1. I've been pondering posting my outfits here because I'm getting more followers from Soompi, but I'm not sure yet. I've been avoiding it because I don't want this to be a ~*fashion blog*~. It's more of a rambling blog. I just talk about whatever I want whenever I want. But I guess that might include what I'm wearing sometimes... hmm! What to do?

2. Also, I just got one of these little buggers!

http://www.formspring.me/stephchow

It's not that I don't divulge enough of my life here already, but formspring strokes the weakness I have for questionnaires. When someone asks me to fill out a survey I always fill it out. The best ones have a bajillion mundane questions! ("Sunrise or sunset? Dogs or cats? Peanut M&Ms or regular?") But for fear that people will think I have no life, I always do it in Notepad on my computer just for my own satisfaction and then I delete it. :X

3. Might head to NY sometime in early summer to hang with Sarah and stuff our faces with food! Plans to head out to Scandinavia and Russia are getting pushed back because I'll be in Shanghai for a few months to represent the US as a "student ambassador" at the Shanghai Expo. Haven't been to Shanghai in years, and I hear it's waay different now.

Anntian

2010-04-13T01:17:00.000-07:00

Still can't get over Anntian from last season (or this season!) The colors, shapes, draping, androgyny, and asymmetry are exactly what I want right now.

And to make it even better Ritchie tells me that the designers (Ann and Christian) are shy. You can kind of tell in the cute video interview Ritchie did with them for Project White T-Shirt, which makes me like them even more, because I'm shy too! (Even though I work hard to hide it...)

fugetsu-do mochi

2010-04-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've been craving ichigo daifuku lately--it's a Japanese dessert which is basically a fresh strawberry packed with white bean paste and wrapped in a layer of soft mochi. Also the most delicious dessert on the planet! For some reason Los Angeles doesn't offer any ichigo daifuku, so I'm thinking of trying to make my own when I have more time during the summer.

Until then, I was running errands in Little Tokyo today and ducked into Fugetsu-do to try out their mochi. I just took a bite of the mikan (a type of citrus)--it has azuki bean paste inside and it's really good! Fragrant and delicious and practically dissolves in your mouth! They're about $1.10-$1.25 each which actually isn't bad--around the same price (or less) than it would be in Japan. Yum!

just a quick update..

2010-04-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

Last last weekend I pulled my shit together and read all those books just in time for a Japanese Civilization midterm. Now that I'm not sick or suffering from chronic eye infections anymore, I have no excuse! I was actually glad to stay in and study because it's the first time in a while I've actually felt motivated. The book called "The Great Mirror of Ma" is actually "The Great Mirror of Male Love" and is chock-full of fictional stories about homosexual relationships in ancient Japan. I thought it would be more erotic but it wasn't. It was sadly very boring. Thankfully, Ritchie convinced me to go out that Saturday night for a party BJ Panda Bear was throwing in Echo Park. We went with Tania after running into her at Pailin! The party was at Alvarado house in the backyard, pretty diverse crowd... super crowded and lots of young and old. Free Colt 45 beer, a bar, tents, and SUPER NINTENDO on a projection!--but I abstained for the night and talked to Tania and Ritchie about--what else lately?--the future!

The school week that followed was spent catching up on more work and dreading the philosophy paper due on Friday. When Saturday came I was really happy to unwind with a Japanese class reunion and Jason's show with Scarlett Cherry at Key Club in Hollywood! Jason and Scarlett are part of The Zodiac Show, so most of the Zodiac members (who are all super nice and really chill) were there, including Adam Lambert. It's so weird how the entertainment industry is actually pretty small in LA.. you always run into people here. Anyway, Jason and Scarlett and the rest of the band were really amazing. We hung out after the show for a while before heading home and getting 2 AM McDonalds french fries!

HAHA just playing around

2010-03-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Supposed to ship off this Walter van Beirendonck scarf to Sarah pretty soon! Decided to have fun with it and mimic Sarah's photo while I still have it in my hands, hahahaha. It was hard. I don't make such intense expressions on a daily basis. And I discovered that my head automatically tends to tilt to the right! That's not normal is it? I think I've stared at my face enough for today, now.

PLANET WHITE T-SHIRT #2

2010-03-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this last night while I was lazying in bed with my computer, but my internet fizzed out on me. It's been happening a lot lately. My cell phone never works in my apartment too (probably because I drowned it in oil a year ago). My whole life is frustrated by poor reception! Is this what the future will look like?

Anyway, photos developed--enjoy! Sarah made a post about it too. Installing was a lot of fun, and I'm kind of sad it's over, even though I bet Ritchie is happy about it.

Sunday morning after the reception I took Sarah to the airport and spent the rest of the day working on a Japanese presentation about the history of military influence in Harajuku and how subcultures started growing in the Shibuya ward... (although Japanese punk was actually born in Koenji not Harajuku!) Monday everyone else on campus was fresh and glowing from spring break in the Carribean, while my friend in Japanese class asked me why I looked like a zombie.

Planet White T-shirt

2010-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

We had our exhibition opening last Saturday! Ritchie, Sarah, and I worked all spring break on the installation so I was really happy to see a lot of people turn up. A lot of my closest friends came out for the event too--I was so grateful to see all of them! We've all been busting our asses off for this charity project for months, so it was great to see so much support.

My pictures haven't developed yet, but here are some from my friend Liz and Steven Garcia, the event photographer at Space 15 Twenty.

Photo by Liz Ehlers
Jason smelling the marshmallow tee by Doktor Doktor.

photos by Steven Garcia
Left: Me and Sarah (I'm on the left.) Right: Jasmin, Tania, and Jessica. Jasmin works at the gallery and Tania's the events coordinator at Space 15 Twenty. Jessica is Jasmin's twin! All of them are really awesome to work with. Jasmin braved several hot glue gun burns for us.

More photos of the event can be found here.

Installation Week!

2010-03-19T01:22:00.000-07:00

SPRING BREAK: My parents came for two days to nap, watch television on the internet, and ask me what I was going to do with myself after I graduate. My mother also ransacked my kitchen looking for things to clean. My parents are all business so when they came we only discussed post-graduation plans and travel plans (Scandinavia and Russia sometime this year?). After they left, Sarah and I got down to business and headed to Space 15 Twenty to start work on the installation. The two gallery assistants, Anthony and Jasmine are really chill and have been awesome! We've been working all day, every day since then, except for a nighttime excursion with a few friends at an after-hours bar/Japanese speakeasy. The vibe was really chill, and the place was something like what you would get if you had a lounge in Osaka in the fifties designed to feel like a Western movie star's living room in the twenties. Or something like that. Sarah really liked it and Sarah is pretty hard to please. Too bad I can't take any credit!

ice skating

2010-03-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

photos from Liz

Jason's buddies from The Zodiac Show had a performance at The Grove last night so a few of Vanguards, Liz and I went to check them out! Unfortunately we only got there for the last two minutes because we drove from Artesia where we'd spent the day ice skating. So instead it ended up being "We drove to The Grove where The Zodiac members swarmed Jason because they were so proud of his Kollaboration win, and then a lot of older women surrounded him while the rest of us stood to the side trying not to look like groupies and slowly chilling into ice."

But ice skating was really fun--I haven't skated in nine years so I was pretty wobbly at first! Liz turns out to secretly be a pro so she held my hand until I felt bad and told her to skate with her boyfriend. Hahaha. Then I got better, but Jason still made fun of me. He said it looked like I was toprocking. He's mean. Then while no one was watching I skated away and slipped and crashed flat on my thigh. Oops.

Prepix

2010-03-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

I have to share this... Prepix, a dance crew from South Korea. Anyone who knows me well knows that I really dig weird and slightly creepy (in a cool way, not a scary way!), and that's exactly what Prepix delivered last Saturday at Kollaboration:

Their timing is amazing. Their choreography is really tight. They incorporated their outfits well too given their resources. Although, if they had money for a stylist or personal dresser that would be SO FUN! I would give them long socks and odd pants and keep the hoods. They made every other crew look like kids obsessed with showing off as many moves as possible while they just floated in nonchalantly like, "Hello, we're from outer space and we're just here to dance."

One more video:

I know a few dancers and they're literally some of the most dedicated, hardest-working people I know. They live and breath dance. I have a lot of respect for them. So I have a lot of respect for Prepix too--you can tell how hard they work to be able to perform such a tight set!

Favorite places: Hainan-dao

2010-03-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

I was going to make a post of photos from all my favorite places, but while I was going through them I realized that you can't give justice to your favorite places in the world with just one photo each. So this post is dedicated to a spa-resort in the mountains on Hainan-dao. Hope you guys can bear with the photos because these are from 2007 when I used the worst camera ever!

You have to drive up the mountains to reach it; and when the roads level out again you find yourself surrounded by little lakes. Each 2-person condo is accessed via a network of bridges. It's very relaxing if you don't mind waking up with the sunrise (resident chickens!) and you can even rent out private houses on the water if you want to.

A restaurant built on water. Each table is a gigantic dead tree-stump; you sit on smaller stumps around it. The kitchen is located just off the water in a hut. The food is safe and clean and fresh and sooo sooo delicious!

It's the perfect place to spend a night before driving back down through the clouds the next morning to flop around on the beach.

Kollaboration

2010-03-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Kollaboration was awesome. Jason blew everyone away with his violin skills and went home with audience choice award! I tried not to show it but I was so nervous for him that I was shaking pretty badly when he started playing and then I felt queasy from anxiety after the show ended, haha. And then some jerk tried to hit on me and ask for my number but ended up irking me instead. Jason was the only one who could tell I was getting mad (I'm pretty good at hiding it) but he was swamped with fans and couldn't intercept. My mood would have probably soured if not for Jason's win!!

This weekend really tired me out and today I woke up with my eyes red and inflamed again... I went to school because I had a Japanese oral exam today, but driving was really painful. Thankfully I can miss school tomorrow but if it doesn't get better by Wednesday I'll be behind in class again. I have a Japanese midterm on Wednesday but there's no point taking it if I can't see the paper, right?

The past few weeks have been very difficult for me but I feel really lucky to have great friends and a loving family. I've been very choosy with friends because I don't believe in wasting time with people who aren't worthwhile, but now I know just how much some of them value me in return, and I couldn't feel more unworthy and grateful to them. Sorry for being cheesy, I'm usually never this candid here, but I needed to get that out!

Hopefully when my health improves this blog will become more interesting because I'll whine less! Thanks for sticking with me!

health matters

2010-03-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

A drawing I just started in my spare time/ Snapshot after coming home one night earlier this week.

I haven't really painted something new in a while, so I'm still getting used to it. Still needs lots of work... I don't really have a set idea of what I'm painting yet, except something vague about fireflies and being deep in the forest. It was inspired by a story my friend told me about when he was in Japan. I hope I finish it!!

I got hit with my second eye infection (my fault?) this month and am still recovering. My eyes can't see anything in the bright LA sun! It hurts to drive. I'm a little miserable about it. I also got diagnosed with thelassemia, a blood disorder that causes anemia and basically prevents oxygen from getting into your blood stream as well as it could. It's the reason behind my constant fatigue/sleepiness and the fact that I can't open some heavy doors without assistance. I always knew I had something but I didn't know what it was until now--and now when I have the perfect excuse to justify my falling asleep in every class every day, I'm already in my last semester of college and I can't use it!

be there and be spacey

2010-02-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

Sarah and I have been updating the websites and press files for the next exhibition opening! Hope you guys can make it out! :)

P.S. Sorry for the lack of substantial posts lately. Sarah was unhappy that my last entry wasn't a story, which made me realize that I'm behind on blabbing about what's been happening the past few weeks. Things have been careening on the miserable side, which is why I guess I wasn't talking about it. Try getting really sick and an eye infection right after recovering from a head injury, dragging yourself to class despite that because you feel guilty, scratching your car against a wall because you're too dazed to drive right, and going out all the time even though you should be in bed sleeping because you never want to say no. Sometimes I know I bring this on myself. More updates later-- for now I'm late getting ready for dinner! Getting Mexican food for the first time since November!! (Farmer's Market tamales and taco trucks don't count!... kind of).

new shoes

2010-02-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

APC via Creatures of Comfort

I forgot to share a recent purchase! Stress (accident + legal action + getting sick + dumb epistemology paper) = new shoes. My second excuse was that they're also for my birthday. I've had my eye on these since last October but I couldn't bear to buy them full price! Even if the leather's super high quality and in my opinion the perfect height at the perfect shade of dark brown. I dreamed about them all through winter break but it wasn't until after the accident that I decided I deserved something nice.

Jeffrey Campbell via Nasty Gal

But I was actually supposed to be on the look-out for black shoes so I ordered these today. I'm excited to play with them. I know spring is coming and everything will be all about the ~pastels~ but I have plenty of springy shoes and nothing in black. For some reason this is the one color in my shoe closet that I never own? Sometimes I'm so attracted to unique things that I end up forgetting the basics. Even though these shoes aren't exactly basic...

i'm sick!

2010-02-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

For about a week now. With an annoying, non-stop headache. And a cough. And an eye infection. :(

My mom came from Hong Kong last weekend but her visit was way too short. After she left one of my brother's best friends who I've known since I was about nine came to LA. Of course that occasioned going out two nights in a row... the morning after I quickly realized that I couldn't go to class because I felt terrible, and that I didn't just have allergies. I tried dragging myself to school on Thursday after a lot of rest but I ended up falling asleep in class twice instead. During a class that is only one hour long.

I like being at home sometimes, but staying in this much makes me sad because I'm a social creature by nature. I couldn't watch Shutter Island last night. Or see Air Doll today. Or go out for drinks tonight with some friends I barely see. So instead I'm reading Reena Spaulings, which is pretty cool. dogs. particles. stream-of-consciousness. wavelengths--in one paragraph.

photos from early week: with my friend, mom, and cousin

more white leather

2010-02-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

The one in the middle, obv. Sarah and I obsessed over that color when my brother first showed it to us and we asked him to use it for everything. And then I stole samples.

Hand-tooled can be so western, but if you change the design a little (add a bee?) and paint it white, it's fresh!

Cut-out details! I own this one but I've only worn it a few times because I'm not much of a belt person...(sad for someone whose dad specializes in that, I know). In Japan it turned heads. Mostly gyaru girls, but still! I hate being stared at, but that time I couldn't help feeling really proud anyway. Any other time, and I would find something to hide behind*.

*my sister, for example.

lighten up

2010-02-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

I switched to a new wallet! I used a heavier, red-brown bridle leather wallet with a snap closure before that my dad produces for his Japanese clients. This wallet is lighter, thinner, and the white is brushed on just barely so that the natural leather color peeks through and gives it a more pinkish hint. It was designed and produced by my brother (more of his designs here). I found his leather blog too. It only has three short entries but they're interesting--I wish he continued it.

The woven white motif would look awesome for an over-sized clutch with a fold-over top and zipper closure... I wonder if my dad could make one for me :X I've been wanting an over-sized clutch forever. It would also be awesome if there was a detachable chain somehow...(!)

goldfish street, hong kong

2010-02-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Just looking through some photos I took in December. I really like sea life; it's a whole different type of ecology and not even well understood! So sad that coral reefs are going extinct. :(

:\

2010-02-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Just fixed up/finished this thing. I hate this so much that I'm getting a bit depressed looking at it. I started it three years ago purely for practice and the only reason I took it out again was because the other version bothered me too much. Just wanted something that looked semi-complete so I could feel comfortable burying it in the archives and never have to look at it again.

birthday

2010-02-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I turned 22. Had dinner with my closest LA friends at a small family-run Thai place I go to often--it was really nice. :) All I ever really want on my birthday is to be with friends. I don't need big presents and I shrink away from anything that involves making me into a big deal. Seriously, I would probably run away somewhere.

On Saturday I had a slightly larger birthday thing at an izakaya, which had a good vibe and was low-key enough for me to feel comfortable after some umeshu. Max got me this Cosmic Wonder book! It. is. awesome. It's trilingual (+), has cool art in soft colors (+), and kuroshiro photography that explores the qualities of light (++) and also comes with two cds (+)!! Also got a hand-drawn birthdaypoo card from Jpoo and Liz. I could extrapolate how awesome it is and why, but I think no one would care but me so I'm just gonna stare at it and laugh by myself.

Overall, I had a good time. A lot of my friends didn't know each other (somehow my close friends end up being in disparate circles) so I worried about them getting along, but they hit it off fine. :)

isolated accident

2010-02-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I was rushed to the hospital emergency room. A very large sub-woofer that probably shouldn't have been screwed into a shitty ceiling fell and struck me squarely on my head. I knocked into my friend Jason's lap and proceeded to bleed all over him and Liz while everyone else in the room freaked out and someone called an ambulance. I couldn't move because it hurt pretty bad, so I lay there clutching my head and wondering what happened.

Highlights of the incident include: being so much at loss about what was going on that I made lots of stupid jokes, thanked everyone, and laughed too much in the hospital. I guess that's what happens when I don't know what else to do. Five or so shots of anaesthetic in my head. Stitches. Meeting my doctor who is also a pilot. IS. a pilot. As in, he flies 747s and treats patients in the emergency room in the same week. wtf. And finally, having to sleep with my hair entirely matted with dried blood since they advised me not to shower for at least 24 hours. I haven't felt more disgusting in my entire life, but I'm also pretty glad that I'm ok! I don't know about future complications, but for now I just feel lucky I'm alive and like I have a better reason to celebrate my birthday this week.

Usually I don't like my birthday because it makes me uncomfortable to have to celebrate ...me? But now I feel grateful. huge huge HUGE props to Jason and Liz for being with me all through the night and the next day. I need to buy them dinner. And also Diana and Bryan, and the rest of Vanguards Crew for being bizidual, and Kaz and Taka for the brownies and Max for the books and cd and movie and cookies, and everyone else who has called, texted, etc. I have never felt more lucky to be here scratching my head because it itches because that means I'm alive.

camera case

2010-01-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

Finally got a new camera case for my point and shoot! Too bad it's still MIA for now. When I get my charger back this buddy will be hanging out in my bag for as long as I can hold onto it until I lose it. :)

eyez

2010-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

Haven't been blogging because my camera's temporarily out of business. I flounced around for something to take a picture of on webcam instead and my eyes landed on this pillow cover I bought in HK at Stanley Market! I wanted to share. I like the colors, and I like birds. It's hand-made. It probably clashes horribly with anything but an all-white bed/couch and I bought it on a whim.

I also finally got contacts. For years I thought I couldn't get them because my eyes are too dry. It turns out my eyes aren't dry anymore (???) and now I can wear them! I don't know how these things can change, but my glasses gave me headaches and were annoying for roller coasters and watching 3D movies so I'm happy.

Friday I finally caught up with my friend from Texas and his roommate. Was too busy last semester to see them much, especially because they live out in Westwood. We had dinner and drinks (at Hondaya, which is good but please never order their plum wine, I've never had any more awful), and I ended up crashing at their place. The next day we went to Kings Road Cafe on Beverly for brunch at 1 and it was so nice! Imagine perfect weather (as in the perfect combination of chilly but warm in the sun), clear skies, fresh air, awesome breakfast food that's exactly what you're craving (for me it was an egg white omelette with basil, tomatoes, and mozarella with sides of red potatoes, sour dough toast, and a fluffy buttermilk pancake mixed with banana, pecan, and chocolate chips! yummm). I should have taken pictures on my phone but I dived into that plate and KILLED it. I did, however, take a picture of the empty plate with toast crumbs on it because I thought it looked neat. And to top it off, everyone brought their dogs out! And all of them were cute! The woman sitting behind me had her Chow dog, which is one of my favorites... they grow up and look like lions, but when they're puppies they're the closest thing you'll ever see to a rolling ball of fur with a little tongue.

Celebrated a friend's birthday this weekend too, but after the previous night I decided not to drink. Instead I watched other people get drunk and one guy slobber all over the floor while he tried to explain to me exactly why one of my friends is weird and thus shouldn't be friends with him. Then he fell over. It was rather disgusting and I don't like college parties, but I do like my friends so I go. I don't care if someone else says they're weird, especially if someone can't keep his beer in his mouth. I like weird people anyway.

Managed to check out the rooftop lounge at The Standard this weekend too. Drinks are a bit pricey for what they give you, but the view is nice and and it's a good change from going to cramped and crowded bars. I'd go there again!

what time is it now

2010-01-17T04:00:00.001-08:00

winter recap: returned to hong kong mid-december, felt sick and passed out at Landmark in Central, recovered, finally met kate!, wedding drama, took over wedding coordination with my sister and brother, organized a successful wedding, squeezed 9 people in our apartment, took my friends around hong kong, Ocean Park with parents, went to Taiwan, mapped out a Tokyo shopping/food guide for my brother's honeymoon, errands in hong kong, new live-in maid, missed out on da lang, caught an (awful) flight back to la.

I've been back in LA for a week now and still recovering (long flights always make my legs hurt and my stomach feel queasy for days after). I think I might be getting over jet lag soon, except that I was exhausted by 9:3o today and for some reason it's 4AM now and I'm wide awake, so maybe that means I still have a way to go.

As fun as it was, having an exhausting winter break is keeping me from getting back into school right away. I'm so tired that only half of me is ever there in class. I think I must sit in a dazed stupor most of the time. Language classes are so repetitive that I can hide it, though! At least I've been good at catching up with friends so far--I was so busy at the end of last semester with the exhibition that I barely saw anyone but Ritchie! Complained a little to my dad, but he said (and I agree) that being busy is always better than having nothing to do--the worst thing is waking up and wondering what the hell you're doing with yourself. (Which I wonder sometimes anyway, but I think any early 20-something is allowed that). Went out for drinks with friends yesterday and have been catching up with others frequently. Finally saw Avatar, too! I'm so glad it's a 3day weekend, I reaaaaaaaallly need the break!

I also gave in and bought a tea set and small bowls this weekend from my favorite store in Little Tokyo (Rafu Bussan). I've been holding back for months telling myself that I shouldn't buy anything when I'll move out at the end of the year--but I'm tired of doing that! Going to buy what I want from now on and worry about moving out later!

quadruple happiness

2010-01-05T04:04:00.000-08:00

A week ago, my brothers held a joint wedding celebration at one of the newest hotels in Hong Kong. I was really pleased with the staff and facilities, because they were all awesome. The service was among the best I've ever experienced. We had well over 300 guests come (including two of my friends who flew in from London and Tokyo!) and I spent more than half the night on my feet running around to manage things. I was exhausted by the end of the night and ready to pass out, but every potential catastrophe was averted and the guests left drunk and happy.

My 96-year-old grandfather was so excited for the party that he wanted to wear a cheongsam. Then he complained about being the only one and we all ended up wearing cheongsam for the tea ceremony, haha. I'm really glad we did it; the party ended up being an interesting mix of traditional Chinese (the tea ceremony) and modern (the banquet), which fits our family pretty well!

My grandfather has such awesome style.

The brides, my mom, Sarah and I all had our hair done. My hair looked a lot like Sarah's, except with different flowers and larger plaits.

We flew to Taiwan shortly afterward where we had another wedding banquet to attend (this time held by the father of one of the brides). The banquet was more casual so I just kept my hair down, but the dress is the same from the banquet we held in Hong Kong, paired with Marni shoes.

I'm back in Hong Kong now where things are finally starting to slow down. One more week to catch up with friends and do all my last minute Hong Kong errands before I return to LA!

Tainan, Taiwan

2010-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ritchie came back to Hong Kong right before the wedding and brought my digital camera!! Apparently I left it at Welcome Hunters...

I'm in Tainan, Taiwan right now. It's a really cool city. Parts of it remind me of Da Lang and parts of it remind me of different areas I've been in Tokyo. You wouldn't call it nondescript, but it's a loud conglomeration of a lot of places that make it unique and give it its own character. A lot of people zip around on scooters and jump off to go to cafes and shops that open out onto the street. The night market has everything from kids' play stations and train rides to huge comforters for sale to mahjong stations. A lot of people brought their dogs, and the people here are generally very friendly!

Alicia's dad is going out of his way to make us feel comfortable and welcome. We're staying in a 6 star hotel where the second wedding banquet will be held. It doesn't feel like a 6 star hotel compared to the Hyatt in Da Lang but for the city its located in and the customer service we've had so far maybe it makes sense? He took us to a really nice Japanese-Chinese restaurant tonight which is usually a bad combination, but if this restaurant was plopped right in the middle of Omotesando I guarantee (if the portions were sized down for the Japanese) that it could hold its own. It was DELICIOUS. And Alicia's aunt brought us this awesome mochi dessert wrapped around fresh strawberries.

Basically I ate waayy too much tonight. Then I went to the night market and ate even more! I'm sad I'll only get 2 nights and 3 days here because Tainan is such an interesting city, and there is a lot here I want to see (and eat) but won't have time for!

Hong Kong

2009-12-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Stuff happening so far:

I passed out in Landmark the day I arrived from queasiness and fatigue, and now my mom's renewed her paranoia about my health! I used to pass out a lot when I was younger if I had a stomach ache but I haven't done it in a while.

We've all been working on the wedding every day. It's going to be awesome! I'm really excited. All the plans are finally falling into place nicely, so now I have time to relax. Today my only plan is to visit my facialist, haha. I love getting facials in China because they give you spa treatment and massages too!

Discovered my mom has a fur coat collection now. She tried to make me wear a maroon rabbit fur cape for the wedding but I don't like real fur-especially rabbit fur! I'll never judge another's choice in wearing fur (I hate it when people think they can dictate what someone else should and shouldn't wear) but I think faux is good enough for me. My mom's fur collection is really interesting though. She has a Dolce & Gabbana purple fur jacket and another one that reminds me of a teddy bear. I went to a wholesale fur place to pick up a mink shawl for her, and even though the shawl was amazing the place felt pretty awful...wouldn't choose to go back there again. I felt fascinated and repulsed at the same time.

off to China!

2009-12-16T12:10:00.001-08:00

Had my last two finals yesterday, so to relax I went home and baked cookies, hahaha. Decorating cookies is as relaxing as Chinese calligraphy for me... when I retire, I want to open a bakery and spend all day decorating cupcakes...that sounds really nice!

I'm heading to Hong Kong soon for the holidays, where this year several of my friends, cousins, and family are gathering to celebrate a Chinese-style joint wedding celebration for my two older brothers. Lots of people ask me what a Chinese wedding is like. I'm not really sure--I think there's a day where we go around doing tea ceremonies... but the celebratory part itself is just a big dinner party! My mom's going all out with preparations. We're going to have fresh flowers (unheard of in Hong Kong) and she even hired a make-up artist... (not sure we need that??) and has been waving the 10+ course dinner list in my face over webcam for months... I can't wait!

After the wedding I'm going to Taiwan for a few days around the new year. Then I return briefly to Hong Kong before heading up to the mainland to stay at my parent's house in Da Lang (at the leather factory). I'm really looking forward to Da Lang, sometimes Hong Kong gets to be too much for me..

fluff!

2009-12-14T14:22:00.001-08:00

Haha, does anyone else do this? I write my errands/grocery list on a whiteboard and take a quick snapshot of it before running out the door. Saves paper and good for someone like me who never remembers what I need if I actually have to sit down and write a grocery list... instead I just add to the whiteboard if I notice I've run out of something. (Oh and yes I tend to write in whatever language the errand that I need to run pops into my head at the time.)

I always hesitate to say I'm a fan of anything, because whenever I think of the word "fan," the picture that immediately pops into my head is a collapsing fifteen-year-old screaming, "Oh my god Bi I love you!!!! Oh my god!! Marry me!!!" or something like that. I almost never say I'm a fan of anything, even though technically... I guess I am a fan of some things? By technical definition?

I will say though, that I appreciate certain things. Like, I appreciate someone's sense of aesthetic. Or I appreciate their music. And in that vein, I appreciate Susie Bubble's drive in seeking out emerging talents in the fashion industry, coupled with her ability to nonchalantly wear pretty much anything ever made. That's why I'm pretty excited that she emailed Ritchie this morning! She's interested in doing a piece on our project and asked us some questions, which for me is just adding to my consistent inability to understand the scope of what we're doing.... I look at the numbers on Google Analytics and it still only hits me vaguely. Besides making me feel creepy, Google Analytics is fun because I look at the information and think, "oh, we've gotten visitors from Ghana and Latvia!" but it doesn't really strike me what that means. Even though as a fourth year IR-major I could probably whip up an essay about it...

shout out to the girl who said she reads my blog "religiously"?! Even though I don't write much of worth in here.... this post is probably the best example of how I just blog random fluff most of the time! I'm sorry that you have to put up with that.

almost there

2009-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Anntian AW09: Really digging this! Too bad stripes don't really work on me. And I think the blonde hair works better too. But if I saw someone else wearing that... totaalll respect!

Been swamped with work lately but for some reason I've been taking it all in stride without caring too much. I think November was such an awful month (arghh the catalog) that I have no more energy to spend caring about the most crucial part of the semester! whoops. I can't wait to finish this one off for good. I haven't had much of a break from school since March and I've been thinking a lot about my parents' house in Da Lang lately. How bright it is and devoid of clutter, and raw. If a house could be raw?

Project White T-Shirt is going really awesome so far! We've already had Camille and Diane Pernet blog about us. Facehunter tweeted the website to all his followers and Paper-doll and High Snobiety wrote articles. Plus other blogs including one in Spanish and another one in German that none of us can read. I tried translating it into babelfish which produced something semi-coherent and revealed they had some nice things to say. aww. We're doing pretty good so far in terms of getting attention, which is hopefully good news for the auction! We're working on drafting up rules for the bidding process but we can't make too much progress right now because we're all swamped in work...

So on that note, it's back to my 15 page term paper on water now.

PROJECT WHITE T-SHIRT

2009-12-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

L: Doktor Doktor; R: Boas Kristjansson of 8045

Hey guys! I'm back from a long hiatus filled with frantic scheduling and many late night episodes of bleary eyes and death by catalog (just kidding, no well, maybe not). This past month has been a hectic, crazy schedule of shit that had to be taken care of for this project to launch and it's FINALLY here!

Some background: Project White T-Shirt is NOT a T-shirt design contest. It's an international creative collaboration in which we invited 31 designers from 13 countries to take the most basic article of clothing (the white t-shirt) and transform, redefine, or recreate it into something else. It could be anything. Personally, I thought of it as a project that gave the designers free reign to do whatever they wanted without having to worry about that annoying question, "will this sell?" Project White T-Shirt is a designer's playground for how they would completely mess with a white-tshirt!

So go look and explore the website! The exhibit runs from December 19 to February 2010 at Welcome Hunters in LA. But we're unveiling all of the pieces online starting now until the exhibition opens little by little every week. The website contains pictures of the designers' creations AND really fun interviews that Ritchie (best friend/director/multi-talent extraordinaire) did over the summer when he traveled through Europe out of his own pocket. Since we've launched it the past two days, complexgeometries posted it on his facebook fan page, Facehunter tweeted it, and Antonio from Young Outsiders posted an interview.

Things still remain hectic because Ritchie, Sarah and I are still college students after all, and this launch hit us right around the same time as projects, papers, and finals are all coming around to smack us in the face. But the worst is over!

photoshoot: behind the scenes

2009-11-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

At the studio in Atwater. Dan's wearing the marshmallow shirt from A Bug Collection/Doktor Doktor. Took two people to get him into and out of it because it was so heavy!

The models and Ritchie in the back. Creature de Keis's shirt project looks really good here.

Christie in Sankuanz's tent.

Photos from Sunday's photoshoot, which was a lot of fun but pretty exhausting! Work for the exhibition is getting really heavy; this next month is going to be insane. Really excited to see how the photos for the exhibition catalogue are going to turn out!

super mario pumpkin bomb!

2009-11-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

Sarah and Adam made pumpkins modeled after the time bombs in Super Mario! She showed me on webcam and it was the highlight of my otherwise sleepy, tired day. I worked all day yesterday at a photoshoot in Glendale for PWTS. It was really interesting and a lot of fun; the photographer and the models were all awesome. The photos are for the website and the exhibition catalogue, which I still have to work on by the middle of November... I wish I had behind-the-scenes photos to share but they're all on Ritchie's camera--maybe I can steal them from him before he leaves for New York!

Hope everyone had an awesome halloween!

P.S. Adam is awesome. Sarah was accusing me today of replacing facebook with twitter (as in, checking it obsessively even though no one updates...). Or, in her words, "replacing one evil with another." (But only because I get lonely, ok!!!) Adam tried to butt in, but before he could, Sarah interrupted and said, "I know I know..." When I pushed them to tell me what he was going to say, he goes, "she's on ALL OF THEM ALL THE TIME."

marshmallows

2009-10-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

I love these. They're so awesome. (See the Cubic Heads photo project on Triple-Major)

Tried to fit the marshmallow t-shirt project done by A Bug Collection into a garment bag today (to keep it safe from ants)... it kind of works! I don't think anything is big enough to be perfect, but it IS a marshmallow t-shirt.. kind of hard to find something perfect for an XL covered in marshmallows. It's way heavier than it looks and smells awesome. Anyone who comes to the exhibition needs to try smelling it! The designer packed it with a cool faux fur material (which also smells faintly of marshmallows!!) to pad it! I'm in love with it because it reminds me of a wolverine. I even asked Ritchie if I could take it and use it as a scarf but he told me to put it back in the box. -_-

School was super busy this week. Had another writing/law exam, Japanese test, and two papers. I don't think I even had time to really think about Halloween! All I really really want to do is give kids candy but you have to sign up for it at my apartment (to be added to a list), and when I found out it was too late...