randomness

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/195918

song homages

wow, alanis did a great cover of "My Humps" by Fergie/BEP.
listen to it yourself! love canadian humor.

also for Ben Folds Five lurvers, try their remake of Dr. Dre's "B*tches ain't sh*t"

Geek Out!

Man, I wish I could rock out with my school pens like these guys do, I can only do one twirl and kaput, haha.
Rock on, dudes, rock on.

San Francisco

Long time no see...I've been keeping myself busy in my personal life but nothing to write home about folks.
I did go recently to San Francisco and decided to give everyone a lowdown of how it went, what I did, etc.
I needed time to escape, get away from work, spend quality time with the bf, and remind myself what I really want from life.
San Francisco and the surrounding Bay area is a place that's always been special to me. I got drunk off of San Francisco and my stay over there.
Here's what I did:



DAY ONE: ARRIVAL
We took the AA flight from MIA to SFO and arrived early around 1030am PT. We took the BART subway into the downtown San Francisco hub near Union Square and walked to our hotel. It was a beautiful sunny day outside and people were out-and-about, pounding the city pavement. Already, I felt overjoyed with remembering how my memories matched my surroundings.

1. We went to Japantown and immediately found the best Japanese noodlehouse: SUZU. I had barley tea for the first time and it has an incredible umami flavor to it. I also had my first soba dish. It was nice but you know what? I like pho better!
Checked out Kinokuniya's Bookstore and I realized I no longer had an obsesion with Japanese fashion mags nor stationary. Sadness for a brief bit, I realize that my tastes have evolved and my habits have changed.
2. Went back to Union Square and chilled out there for a bit. Decided to tackle Coit Tower and took a walking tour to it, via North Beach and Chinatown. Walked up the most steepest residential neighborhood to get to this but the views were worth it!
If I lived here, I would have killa' quads, I note to myself. Nick is determined to get some Ghiradelli chocolate at Fisherman's Wharf, so we walk out there from Coit Tower.
3. Are kaput at this point. Day gets chillier, we walk back, me with my trendy white coat and pink plaid scarf, and we found a problem at our hotel. Our toilet's broke so I have to change 2 rooms before I ask the hotel for an upgrade due to our situation and unsatisfactory room transfers. They give us a room facing Powell St, bigger bathroom, bed, iPod stereo, etc.
Niiiiiice, as Borat says. We're too tired to go to a recommended eatery so we eat at this Union Square restaurant. S'ok.



Day 2: I AM A TOUR DE FORCE
Woke up to cloudy weather, decided to change our itinerary a bit.
1. Rode the BART to Tartine Bakery, the best bakery I've ever been to in my life as recommended by foodies/Yelp! It was in the Mission District and we found a line nearly outside the door when we went. Had a mushroom/fennel seed quiche, bread pudding with fruit, latte and it was the moist EXQUISITE meal, the flavors were dancing in my mouth. We walked around the Mission but it was so early, everything was closed. We then went to SFMOMA and checked its exhibits. Later found at the Moscone Center a Gamers Conference so we gawked at the developers present. Then we went to Haight/Ashbury and I showed Nick all the unkempt, disheveled hipsters there. We discovered a gourmet hotdog place that was awesome.
Visited San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which is similar to Central Park, but does not have the Golden Gate bridge nearby. The landscaping here is tremendous and gets to show you the hillier aspects of the cityscape. The Japanese Tea Garden is a must, I got to take a photo of myself next to a japanese pagoda. Much posing was done here. Got back on the MUNI Bus with 50 elementary school children, screaming and shouting, lotsa good fun all around :)
We hit up the Pacific Heights neighborhood for an intimate Italian dinner where Nick later educated me more on the finer aspects of what makes italian food so good. Afterward...we hit up the Comedy club, Punchline, where we found some cali-humor. Nick says I exhaust him.



Day 3: OK, LETS GO
Sunny day.
1. Slept in today. We went to the Ferry Marketplace for a foodie perspective of what people sell around here. Hot damn, lotsa amazing food stalls. I wish Miami had one. We ate breakfast bought at various stalls overlooking the Bay Bridge. Nick and I part ways, he checks out the location of the car rental agency while I peruse the posh stores on Union Square. I hit up Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Longchamp, Neiman Marcus, Marc Jacobs in about a half an hour. Didn't see anything except this $1700 nylon Prada bag at NM. Am proud of not batting an eyelash when the sales clerk announced its price. Nick and I later reunite with my old friend, Trisha and her bf, at Union Square. She shows me the Westfield food emporium, the best food court I've been to. We talk about life, work, leisure activities. She motivates me to do more with my life as she and her bf are super-accomplished and do more things in their downtime then I do in my week.
2. Visited Berkely.
3. Crash at the hotel. We decide to go see the 300 at the Sony Metreon Center, opening night. Arrive, see all tickets are sold out for nearest times, we book the 1020 showing, kill time, show up at 9pm and there's a block-long line. 300 was fun.




Day 4: CALIFORNIA, LOOOOOOVVVVEEEE....
Sunny day. God loves me.
1. Wake up at the crack of dawn to hustle our road trip on Hwy 1. Nick picks up the car, I cross the street to the 24-hr Starbucks to pick up food/coffee. He arrives in a Pontiac GTO and we bust out of the city. The road was our's for the taking at 8am on Sunday. Minimal traffic, lots of staring at the Pacific Ocean panorama, wide open skies, craggy mountain landscapes, and beautiful desolate beaches. I see a dead bear on the side of the road. We jump out of the car alot to take beautiful, artistic, emo photos. We arrive at Santa Cruz for lunch, I show him the Boardwalk/Pier and it wasn't what I remembered before. We blow Santa Cruz to get to Monterey and crash 5 min out of town to get a 30min nap. We visit the Monterey Aquarium and it was everything I wished for. Huge tanks filled with kelp, sharks, big tuna, seals...lots glass displays to peer through, right on the monterey bay. I fell in love with California even more. Needless to say, the Monterey Aquarium's cafeteria was super gourmet--is there no bad food out here??
We drive back...I share a meal with my bf at IN-N-OUT Burger. Damn these are good burgers. We later get into San Francisco too late to drive across the bridge. We eat at Japantown, again. We walk Chinatown to get a special dessert I wanted, by the time we come back, its like midnight. Snooooore.



Day 5: Last day...
Sunny + Hot. Awesomeness all around.
1. We are determined to see the Golden Gate Bridge and take 2 buses to get there. We stay for 1.5 hours and take lots of photos. People here really like staying fit, I see joggers everywhere on the trail. I, on the other hand, am out of breath, grasping the stair rail, dying. We later go back to Union Square where I can get some shopping done. So sad, I run out of time! Restaurants and shops close super-early in SF, like 9:30pm! Some restaurants close at 10pm but it's amazing how nightlife shuts down at 2am here for clubs/bars! We later score some korean bbq at Westfield's Food Emporium and we crash at the hotel, watching Deal or No Deal and Stranger then Fiction on my laptop. Then we had get on our flight the next day.
Sadness! California I will be back!

Asobi Seksu

Another band that I am enjoying.
Asobi Seksu - "Thursday"
Download the single and have it be your weekend soundtrack.
Fyi: Asobi Seksu is "playful sex" in Japanese. The band is based out of NYC.

Update: Found the band's record label site and found more goodies.
Hi-res poster photo of the band here:



Also another enjoyable single, aptly titled, "New Years"

Holy $*(# this is creepy

Tell me what you think.

My Chemical Romance

I fell in love with this band again after listening to their new single off the Black Parade album...and on YouTube I found the original video that started it all.
You gotta love a band that has this twisted sense of humor ~ I can totally identify with this.

What I was for Halloween

This one's for Nick

Conversation Overhead: Miami Beach

While waiting in line to pay at the News Cafe bookstore on 8th & Ocean.

Older Man: "Umm...excuse me, are these all the swim trunks you guys carry?"
Female cashier: "Yessss...there are some more right across there"
She points next to the doorway at some tropical colored board shorts.

Older Man rolls his eyes at his male friend standing next to him.
Older Man: Urgh, I could never bring myself to wear those old-man swim trunks.
Do you have anything shorter?
Cashier: (Shakes her head no).
Older Man: You know where I can get something like Speedos? In Prada?





And all I can do is think to myself, This is so South Beach.

The best 'do ever

Blogging to: New Pony Club's "Ice Cream"
Please Press Play to Listen to While Reading this Post:

On Monday, I got the best haircut ever from Teal and Melvin at Vidal Sassoon. For the past year and a half, I've been sporting longer layers with bangs that I've been too lazy to ever maintain/trim back. It got to the point where I had a pony mane and you coulda jumped on my back for a ride. That, or I could have been mistaken for that ghost-girl from The Grudge.
I knew it was time for a haircut when my co-worker asked me, "Did you get extensions?"

At VS, I told them I wanted to keep my hair long but to still do something creative because I was open to new things. The class instructor, Melvin, nodded, said he had something in mind and instructed Teal to start hacking away.


Getting comfy, I settled in with some magazines to read and after an hour of cutting looked up in the mirror to check my progress. This was my reaction:

Me: "Um...are you giving me a mullet?"
Hair stylist: "Aha ha ha ha...noooooo!"
Me: "Are you sure?!"

The end result was an asymmetrical, sleek hair cut with sharp, sideswept punky bangs.
The stylist maintained the sleek look by reducing my hair's volume by shearing the back and left side. Took a chunk outta my bangs to ensure they'd naturally part at a side-swept angle.

Very low-maintainence 'do, I'm loving it tho' it took a lil time to adjust to it. But I feel it captures more of my personality then my other hairstyle did. Next, I think I'm gonna dye it. :D

I Pity The Fool

This photo just about made my day. From Crafters Blog.
Enough Jibba Jabba and get back to work Monkey says!

Lists

I picked this up from my old buddy at UM, Stan. Feeling spontaneous, I decided to fill it out which makes me laugh because when I get these in emails, I always delete'm.
Meantime, any friends reading this, I'd love to see what your responses are on your blogs.

Top Five Ways to Make Me Frown
1. Bad manners/inconsiderate acts
2. Asking me a question I don't know
3. Others being superpicky about food
4. People who leave rubbish in public spaces
5. Act pretentious

Top Five People Who Have Changed My Life
1. My dad
2. My journalism teacher, Ms. Sandi Scaffetti
3. Bruce Lee
4. Abra
5. My grandma/Publix

Top Five Emotions I Have Felt
1. Sadness
2. Vengeance
3. Contentment
4. Contemplative
5. Glee

Top Five Ways to Be More Like Me
1. Question everything in life.
2. Try different ethnic cuisines
3. Read the NYT and LA Times everyday
4. Be a kid on Halloween!
5. Take artsy photographs

Top Five Things I Believe With All My Heart and Soul
1. There are more worlds then this
2. Reincarnation
3. Family is everything
4. McDonalds french fries are the best
5. Stephen King rocks

Top Five Things I Wish Would Just Disappear
1. World hunger
2. Boho fashion
3. My bills
4. Homelessness
5. Windows XP


Top Five Things That Scare Me
1. Horror movies
2. Dirty rooms
3. Raw seafood
4. Winn-Dixie brand products
5. Wire hangers


Top Five Rules My Parents Enforced on Me
1. Do your homework first
2. Don't have sex
3. Never get into fights
4. Conserve, conserve, conserve
5. Buy it when it's on sale


Top Five Ways to Make Me Smile

1. Share a bad joke with me
2. Feed me something delicious
3. Do a dorky dance
4. Be honest
5. Perform a kind act to others

Playing with Spirits

In time for the spooky holidays, a night of experimentation ensued.

late night tossing

i couldn't go to sleep last night.
so i created this.
enjoy.

renovating myself

I'm trying to take care of myself by getting back into shape.
That means forking out membership dues to LA Fitness and hitting the ellipticals, treadmills, and weight machines. That and modifying what I'm eating from...the idontcarehowmanycaloriesthishas to amireallyhungryoramIjustnoshingallthefrickintime? mentality.
oh how the mighty have fallen is what i gots to say. woe is me.

Food tip: I discovered a delicious salad dressing thanks to an old college acquitance, Nourah, who's Saudi. I modified it a bit but this is the recipe:

Buncha salad greens (I use spinach leaves)
Dash of olive oil (no more then 1tbsp)
Generous spritz of lemon juice
Dusting of garlic powder
Dash of salt
Handful of raisens

Mix it up and serve. The salad hits all the 5 tastebuds: salty, sour, sweet, tangy, and savory.
Plus, it's pretty light and not heavy or oily at all.

Voices

The loveliest voice I've heard today.
Listen to Imogen Heap's "Just for Now"

Cosmetics, anyone?

Lo and behold, someone must have been listening to my rants on my previous posts.
The folks at MAC Cosmetics--the makeup company that actually endorses diversity with their celebrity models, Mary J Blige, Missy Elliot, Lil Kim--have came out with a new line.
See it here:



This look, above, I am sortof interested in, especially the hairdo with the cheongsam (which is painted on by MAC cosmetics). I love the makeup coloring here and the hair ornaments, also.



I do like the chestnut colored hair the model sports here. And the icy turqouise is definitely working for me here...



See the rest of the China Dress collection here:

Update to Makeover

Silly me. In my wish for a total do-over, I forgot about my friend, Kim, who is a professional photographer in DEEEE-TROIT!!!! That city sure was filthy but it was fun...
This is her:



Anyway, she read my post, laughed at me and I remembered that she takes awesome photos so she would be a person I could trust to take photos of me. Glamazon photoshopped black and white photos of me. Hear me roar.

See her work here

Makeover, Makeover

Every day I look at the mirror and am tired with what I see in there.
From my head to my toes, I want a makeover along the likes of Andy in Devil Wears Prada.

[Scene: Heroine standing at a corner of Lincoln Rd., looking lost and forlorn in her American Eagle v-neck sweater, pinstriped pants]
(Fairy godmother walks up, takes her by the hand, pats it sympathetically]
Godmother: Girl, you need an intervention. Stat. We're going to Barneys Co-op now.
Cindy: Wheeeeeeee...
[Duo skips happily down the boulevard]

Through random Internet searching, I found this Korean girl who has great hair.
I want hair like this:



In color:


Her name's Hyori and she's a pop idol over in Asia. She look like she has double lids eh? Do you want to see what she looks like without makeup really?



Still somewhat pretty but plain, in fact, I knew some Asian girls back in middle school who look like her in this photo. Amazing what makeup can do right?
See the difference here:



My favorite photo of her has to be the one at top in b/w. It reminds me of Mario Testino's black and white ads he did for fashion magazines and ads like the Guess campaign in the 90s.

I love fashion photography, I remember back at UM, I would have friends pose for me for various photo projects. Sigh, if only I got to have a chance on the other side of the camera. But you know what they say, the camera adds 10lbs. And it's rare to have friends as good as photography as yourself and as narcissistic.
Where's a friend I can claim as my Kevin Aucoin?
Bleh.
Maybe I'll do a series of self portraits.
We'll see.