plan C: the Standard

This is the Portobello 'Burger' from The Standard...

Today I was supposed to go to the LA FoodFest downtown, but when we got there the line was something like 2 or 3 miles long! Starting at the entrance, looping through a giant parking lot, going past two or three blocks, winding around the corner and clearing far out north - we never even got to see the end of the line. 45 minutes to one hour wait time to get inside, plus more lines for each food truck inside? I'm patient but I have my limits. I told some people not to even try because it wouldn't be worth the wait (and wouldn't the trucks run out of food...?) and so we ventured out to Bottega Louie's to try to get lunch, but obviously with the runoff from the FoodFest line, that was a near-impossible attempt as well. So as a last resort we went to the Standard where, in the past I really enjoyed eating at, but today's service was terrible which didn't help my feelings of defeat. The burger was alright, nicely toasted buns and generously thick slices of tomato, a hearty slice of cheese, but it could have used another layer or two of portobello mushrooms. So today was not the best day for food, but I still had a nice adventure walking around and around downtown.

oden/odeng

On one of the rainy days last week my mom declared it was perfect oden weather! Oden (odeng in Korean) is a Japanese dish of vegetables and fish cake in a hot dashi broth, sooo good! It warms you to the core, is healthy and filling, and fun & easy to prepare! Can you tell I'm in need of a midnight snack, but curbing the desire by talking about food instead? To bed now, because tomorrow is going to be a busy Saturday...

blink and you might miss it

Some shots from the PCC flea this past Sunday. Whenever I feel guilty about spending money on a ring I don't need or a wool cardigan I 'have' to have, I decide to satiate my lust for the object by taking a picture of it instead. The saying 'take a picture, it'll last longer,' is so true. It satisfies my desire for something by reminding me I was there, right next to it, within hands reach, but didn't actually walk away with it. There's a voyeuristic quality to photography that I cherish and despise all at once, it's hard to describe. Sacrifice the integrity (?) of a moment by preserving a second of it? Yes, I find this justifiable. More on that at another time when I'm not so sleepy, maybe.

kick back & relax

One last photo from my sister's project, hehe. This week was pretty hectic, what with the storm on Tuesday, yelling at kids in my mom's art classes, walking my dogs at odd times to avoid downpours etc., starting work, and running around L.A. today! Whew. After work yesterday I didn't even bother to pull out my computer and do my usual 'nerding.' Instead I sat down for dinner with my mom, played with my dogs for a little bit, and eschewed watching a movie to turn in early instead.

Tonight my sister and I ventured out to the fringes of South Pasadena to go check out a gallery opening, but after 5 minutes of suffocating and not moving in a tiny gallery space full of gallery-goers reeking of Pabst and holding sweet cartons of "boxed water", and not being able to see much 'art' we headed out to get some boba instead. Talks in the car and semi-getting lost. An evening well-spent!

work + play

Thursday was my first day of work! I arrived the same time as my boss (whom I had as a studio instructor two years ago) in the heart of K-town and we spent most of the time setting up network connections/etc. and I did research for prospective architecture competitions to enter. The space is shared with another professor/architect on the 9th floor of a big old building - there are tons of windows and therefore lots of natural light; to the north we can see the Hollywood sign and to the east big flashy billboards and advertisements, haha. There are about 1,000 books of architecture, philosophy and design in there too, and as long as I don't take any out of the office I am free to read and browse through any of them. So. cool. It's going to be a lot of work, and maybe not much pay but it beats sitting around stagnating.

'mom' ramen

This may not look delicious, but knowing that my mom set off to make a bowl of quick ramen for me and her, but finding only one package of the good spicy kind, quickly mixed it with a regular package, throwing in spinach and eggs and deliciousness to make the meal more wholesome, is what makes this so special. Thanks Mom!

She was amused that I took a quick snapshot of this before digging in, saying "Hehe, you take pictures of 'nothing.'" but when I jokingly told her "If it's food, it's something." she laughed and nodded.

mmmcavoy...

Happy Hump Day! These are a few out-takes of James McAvoy from the March 2010 issue of Nylon Guys. They're better than the ones that made the cut, in my opinion. He has a weird hipster look and ginger beard going on, but the first one's 'cause of the stylists and the second... genetics! Anyway, this man is the sole reason I still bother to go to the movies, kind of. I'm happy because I start work tomorrow, finally. Hooray!

images found on scottish actors via Nylon Guys.

10: kick ass

requisite footwear

Her favorite pair of combat boots - first thing to put on in the morning (but not really).

So I said I would post all twenty of the photos for this series, but I think ten will suffice. Maybe I'll put up another one at a later date, but half is a sizable chunk, and a little more than my attention span can handle. Also, my sister's project was very, very well received. Victorious!

hailstones

There was a great big storm today, and it raged for maybe an hour, with thunder crashing, lightning flashing and rain driving in all directions, as well as a smattering of hailstones, which I was able to snap a few of on my back porch. It was all very heavy and intense.

It was probably the storm then, that drained me of my energy and nudged me into an off-color sort of day. I went into a bit of a forced seclusion, staying up in my room tidying up, rearranging items, arranging stacks of books to read, doodling & planning the rest of my week and weekend. My two dogs, having nothing better to do, came up and made themselves comfortable on my bed and we spent a relatively quiet day together. Going into my second month of a break from school has made me creative in thinking up ways to stay busy without a job, but I will be starting work on Thursday, finally! So the days I have to myself will soon become something to look forward to again. Change is good and welcomed.

9: pay attention

Panic Room

What inspires you to the highest? Black & white, light & shadow, positive and negative. Subtle patterns and shifting shapes. Illumination or the darkest depths of the soul. Inspiration is ever-changing.

knitting away

I started this muffler my freshman year of college - cranberry CARDINAL and gold for my school, though I've only gone to one game my entire college career (I have one more year though - redemption?) and I'm determined to finally finish it. My short attention span for projects never really bothered me, but it's a trait that seems to scream a lack of responsibility and maturity, so I'm determined to finish this knitting project. In a corny way, by the time I finish this scarf, perhaps I will have grown a little bit more as a person, and it will be physical proof of my doing so.

Up (2009)

UP has all the perfect Pixar elements - an amazing title/beginning sequence, the grumpy old man looking to fulfill a lifelong dream. the eager optimistic young 'un at attention and ready to please, pleasant, cute & furry/feathery anthropomorphic critters, a nuanced/misunderstood/delusional villain, it tugs at your heart strings and tickles your funny bone all at the right parts. Scenes are breathtaking and characters perfectly designed, etc. Definitely best animated feature material, but if it's considered a contender to be 'Best Picture' I can't help but think of ones like the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast being robbed of the opportunity (well, Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture back then)... what am I saying? It's late, I'm tired, UP was fan-freakin'-tastic.

8: stand out

Usugrow: Love & Hate

Drawing inspiration from anything and everything. We wanted this little black book to catch the eye, so we stuck it in a sea of white spines.

7: apply gently

Chanel blush, originally mom's

Making the apples in her cheeks even rosier. I like the shape of the compact - how it's a square, but rounded out slightly, just enough to be whimsical but still sophisticated. I think that's the way I would describe Chanel overall - sophisticated and classy, with a touch of playful whimsy.

6: keep it up

vintage hand-me-down belt

This belt is a hand-me-down from our stepdad! Incidentally one of my favorite items of clothing is a hand-me-down from him as well. Silver and leather - two good things in my sister's book.

I was never a punk.

I wore an old army shirt/jacket all the time in high school - think of the one Lindsay Weir donned from Freaks and Geeks but not nearly as oversized or baggy. I'd affix one, two, or three buttons to the front and change them as I got bored. I never wore them all at once like this though! I went to a public high school so I probably wouldn't have been sent to the office for violating dress code, but that didn't stop teachers and peers from commenting on what I wore. The strangest thing ever was getting featured in the style section of the yearbook my senior year, but I think I only got thrown in because I was one of the two "quirky" girls who looked like they didn't give a damn, hahaha.

So looking at the array of buttons, you can tell who my favorite bands were, my favorite movies, and leading men. So, an ice core look at who I kind of was in high school. yeahhh...

5: play all day, always

Comme des Garçons shirt; flourish

Leave it to the Japanese to design fabulous clothing, architecture, electronics, toys, cartoons, whatever. They are most possibly the masters of everything. STRIVE.

some tidbits you might not care about but that I'll share anyway

I've been on a mint + dark chocolate kick for about two weeks now. 'Mint Bliss' indeed!

I love striped clothing, and stripes in general.

I found old magazines chock-full of pictures of James McAvoy and I still find him dreamy and desirable as ever.

Allure by Chanel (note 'por homme') is my fragrance of choice. I'm running out!

This is the state of 3/4 of my bedroom floor as of today. Disastrous.

Lately I feel uncomfortably like a self-indulgent blogger who spends all her days talking about herself, not doing anything really useful and just going "blah blah blah blah." Part of me feels guilty for eschewing traditional journal-writing - I recently found about 6 or 7 old diaries and journals of mine, all filled from cover to cover, but now all I have is this... blog, to help me recount what I've been up to for the past two years, to chart how I've changed and to monitor how I am constantly changing. But whether I feel guilty about the medium I use or not, it is still essentially an outlet, so that justifies my compulsion to blog. Plus pictures make everything much, much better. But this surge of activity is merely reflective of the sudden absence of the responsibilities of school since I have the semester off. I think this will change once I start working - which will hopefully be next week. Still, even with the slight concern I just mentioned, I'm having a lot of fun!

4: wring it out

favorite ring; strike a pose

Flea markets are the best places to find unusual jewelry/anything in general! This one has a stacked and twisted look. Simple and elegant - two holy characteristics in the world of design.

8 years-full

With the two current journals leaning at the right (sketchbook & planner).

3: lend a hand

a helping hand; rings 'n' things

A ring/jewelry holder my mom got for my sister, who then spray painted it BLACK. Super helpful for when her fingers aren't dripping with metal!

enchiladas with mom

I really enjoy cooking. I have much to learn still, but it's a lot of fun, especially with my mom, because she is a good teacher - patient and watchful and totally into whatever she's teaching. Tonight we had defrosted chicken tenderloins that she boiled as I made salsa from a diced avocado and a handful of grape tomatoes (with some cilantro leaves & chopped green onions thrown in, a dash of salt & pepper, drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon. whew!) Mom shredded the chicken, prepped the tortillas then expertly made each enchilada, placed them in a baking pan and put the lot of them in the broiler. As soon as the cheese melted we took them out and scarfed them down. Mmmm, tasty.

baking cupcakes

My mom's really sweet to her art students - she bakes cupcakes for them, rewards good behavior with pennies to use in our 1-cent gumball machine, etc. Today was someone's birthday so we baked cupcakes for everyone in the class! Well, I did, to help out my busy, busy mom. Unfortunately, the kid didn't come today because she got sick, but luckily everyone else got cupcakes!

2: toast yourself

Vintage Sunbeam toaster; bread & butter - essential

Ever since she was a child, my sister could survive on a breakfast, lunch, and dinner of toast (switching butter with peanut butter to keep it interesting) if she had to - not that this was a regular thing, I think there was one day this actually happened. Our toaster at home is a vintage one my mom picked up at Goodwill and it makes the best toast I've ever had. mmm.

lifts the weight off your shoulder

Temporarily at least. Relief for one who can't sleep. I get texts from him anytime from 2 AM to 7 AM and when I respond he doesn't get my message until at least 8 hours later. It's fun to say sleep is for the weak, but we all need it.