the feeling of absurdity

yoga today

2012-01-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.dou-yoga.com/

out of this world

2011-04-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

mainly the sun and sunspots.
i wear spf 30 everday.
and it's organic. from whole foods.
still, i have sunspots.

from here

japan one month later

from same website here

ohlala

2011-01-13T19:57:00.001-08:00

lea t in french vogue

b n w

2010-12-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

from pirelli 2011 calender.
photo from tokyodandy.com

ny times
acting!

light design

2010-12-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

from jamesclar.com

how terribly important is light?

i can't forget

2010-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Jeanne Balibar

2010-11-25T21:24:00.001-08:00

I went to the movies by myself for the first time ever last week.
It was a lot of fun.

I went to see 'Ne Change Rien'
Jeanne Balibar, she is stunning.

This has been stuck in my head.

Photos at pedro costa's website.

I met this guy, Sal, at my friend's Thanksgiving party last night. He's been in NYC for the past 17 years in a rent controlled apartment. We talked about 50 cent beers, 3 bedroom sublets for 130 dollars, and now, how expensive IT has aaaalll gotten. He was saying that back in the day there weren't as many young kids around (I assume he is referring to hipster and student crowds), and the streets were crazy with drugs. About how at parties there was more of a mix of old and young, rich and poor, foreign and local.

It was fun talking to him.

He's in the band Liquid Liquid.

He's making it in the music business, ya'know.

Also went to see this band, the books, in early november. They were playing at the theater below carnegie hall, zankel hall. fantastic show. the music was interesting, and the visuals made it funny and entertaining.

and I wasn't expecting it, but one of my roommate's friends was performing with them, too!

Anyway, that's just to kind of update you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

re\post: interview with a pattern maker

2009-08-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Are pattern makers a dying breed? Laura Moore is a self-taught pattern maker currently living in NYC, who has been in the industry since late 70’s. When she was a small child she made clothing for her stuffed animals out of aluminum foil and paper towels, string and tooth picks. She teaches hand tailoring at Pratt, which is one of the most advanced classes in the curriculum. She is still tying to figure out if she can make it as a pattern maker in NYC. She considers herself a bit of a dinosaur because of her old school handwork and couture level construction. She works, as they say, on the table. This market all but dried up years ago in USA. But she stresses it is important to know how things work because this will make you a better designer. Oriana DiNella delves into the life of the lost art of creating a pattern by hand with one of the industry’s masters.

Laura Moore: Eight years ago when I found myself for the third time in my career having to leave a major job, I decided that I really wanted to teach. I still do freelance pattern making and hold a position as a part-time professor at Pratt Institute. Nothing I have ever done thrills me as much as teaching does. I have been a sample maker, production manager, tech designer and worked in the tech design department. Currently, she barley has a halftime salary and no benefits. She met Celeste/Anthony of Restore Clothing at a Christmas party and now works for them as a pattern maker and garment “reconstructor”. Celeste refers to her as “the pattern doctor” as she does life saving surgery on patterns!

Oriana DiNella: What are the day to day activities in a freelance world?

LM: No two days ever resemble each other. As freelance pattern maker, I have a diverse and ever changing group of clients. One day I will work on jeans, next day tailored blazer, wedding gown and then possibly swim suits. Being a freelancer requires one to be more diverse and well rounded. Back in the day, pattern makers had more specific jobs i.e. (children’s swimwear etc) because there was barely any freelancing. It is exciting because I get to vary the type of product I work on. This is a great benefit. The downside is I don’t know week to week how much work I will have or if I will have enough money coming in. In the good old days, I worked for the same pattern table for same label every day. The flexibility is wonderful but job security is not there. There is not a lot of job security in the fashion industry in general, being able to wear many hats has kept me going.

I also do product development and consulting for potential startups, I have told many not to go forward because I was looking out for their best interest. If someone is consulting with me and they do not have the backing and business knowledge for a fashion line, then the company they are trying to make will not get there.

Start-ups are expensive and time consuming! If a concept is that far removed from realty, it’s a no go. What I get a lot is many new moms wanting to design a line of baby clothes. We have all worn clothes our entire lives and a lot of ordinary people think they can be a clothing designers. I don’t understand why someone would go into field they know nothing about! As to when I interviewed someone about working in the fashion industry and asked him or her why that wanted to get into it, they replied, “I watch the fashion channel all the time.” Good luck to them.

The whole project runway phenomenon has been interesting. Daniel Vosovic wrote book titled Fashion Inside Out, where he profiled quite a few industry professionals. He gave me a chapter in his book. I commend him on his book because it is geared for young people who might be considering a career in fashion and it what the work and life entails. I talk to students at Pratt about it a lot. No one ever says they come because of how much they love Project Runway. Project Runway is fun to see what people do when you put them in a creative situation, however I do not think it draws people into the industry.

OD: Due to the economic shift of the current climate, have there been less jobs for pattern maker and or seamstress in NYC?

LM: I am a pattern maker that works on the table and I consider myself a dinosaur. FIT stopped offering a major in pattern making a few years ago, which shows how many pattern makers are no longer out there and how low the demand is for them.

FIT needs to place graduates, and if there are no jobs in pattern making, the school is not going to focus on it then. A lot has to do with the economy of course. In the last 20 years, there has been a whole generation shift of doing patterns. I teach Fashion Design, which is a two semester fashion class. It is vital for the students to take this, not so they can get jobs as pattern makers per say but so they can communicate while working in the industry. It is easier to communicate about something if you understand it.

OD: Do you feel that adjustments have been made and more manufacturing services have been outsourced?

LM: Many years ago factories realized they could make their services more appealing if they offered pattern making for free. It is much less costly to have pattern makers abroad. Because of this, it created a huge demand for tech designers. I have also worked as a tech designer.

A good pattern maker understands the importance of shapes. A designer can give a sketch of the same measurements to 5 different pattern makers and get 5 different garments. One garment will make you feel thinner, one heavier etc. Everyone wants the perfect pants! There are a lot of different ways when drawing patterns to make numbers fit. No matter how great the tech pack is, if a less than great pattern maker is on the other end, you will NOT get receive a great pattern. One needs to have an amazing pattern maker to translate the tech pack into gorgeous garments.

Very few jobs for pattern makers are left. They have been replaced by tech designers or computers. That doesn’t mean the skill of pattern making has gone away. I do not use computer, all patterns are done by hand. I make original patterns on paper and consider myself more of a craftsperson. What I do use technology for it to have the patterns digitized to keep the originals safe. I can then email the originals to whoever needs it.

Tech designers began to evolve in 1980s. The heyday was in 1990’s. The emergence of tech design meant that manufacturers no longer needed pattern dept and sample room. They just needed a couple of tech designers and then would send info to over seas factories. With the economic downturn, jobs for tech designers have decreased with most everything else.

OD: Do you see things coming back to the heyday of the Garment District with the onset of the slow fashion movement and eco clothing taking off?

LM: No, because we have various forces in society (Walmart & McDonalds) that want cheap disposable things that cost as little as possible to make. I am hopeful of the current generation that is concerned with environment. Consumer behavior is beginning to evolve, but has a lot more of evolving to do.

To the average consumer, an amazing garment that may cost 20% more, isn’t worth the price because they will not see the difference and will not be willing to pay the extra money. I am excited and encouraged with the eco brands (RESTORE) and companies that are active in the Save the Garment Center, a movement to revitalize what has become a dying industry. The Garment District has made a ton of progress, but will not see heyday again. This is not possible with China, since it is a global economy.

OD: Where do you foresee things going with the Garment District in general?

I am optimistic and believe it will not dry up and go away. I think that more start-ups are interested in being small, staying local, doing the “right” thing. I am hopeful that it is not going to die. I do not think it is going to flourish in the next couple of years, nor is any business for that matter. NYC has recognized not to turn all manufacturing businesses into multi million dollar apartments. Construction is leveling off and currently zoned spaces for manufacturing will not be fighting to get them zoned for residential. Which will allow them to keep making things here in NYC. It is wasteful and expensive to buy goods that are shipped from here to there and this is why there are $300 shirts at Barneys.

from www.39thandbroadway.com

sry4lazines

pass-time

2009-07-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

the piano at my house is out of tune, but i've started practicing anyway. i want to be able to play debussy's first arabesque.

it sounds as if it would feel so good to be able to play it.
i've played this one before,

ah, michelangeli. you dog, you.

tres alice in wonderland/nutcracker

who remembers this from 2003?

(marc/pre-makover)

(karl/post-makeover)

lacroix!!!

from foto decadent

can tim burton do better than annie leibovitz?

mr. burton, while you're at it, why not the nutcracker?

photos from wired.com

wilderness

2009-07-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

photos taken by eri (except the last one)

we got lost on a dirt road and stopped.
i looked around and said, 'isn't this amazing?'
eri said, 'there's nothing here'
and i thought, 'but look at how much there is of nothing!'

i forget sometimes what this blog is about.

have a great 4th of july!
xx

what i didn't find

2009-06-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

In my childhood, I had neither teddy bear nor blanky; I didn't play with slinkys, legos or easy bake ovens. I used to go outside terrorizing ants and collecting peculiarly long blades of uncut grass, twigs and acorn. I used to gang up against my sister with my brother (sorry Mariko), play cards, and stay over at friends' houses. I did, however, have an American Girl doll, oh yes, and so did my sister: she had Molly, and I, Samantha. I vaguely remember asking for the doll, and perhaps some accessories to complete Samantha's world of historic relics and keepsakes. She was plastic, and heavy; her joints were stiff, and her frame was hard. After treating her as if she were my most precious possession, I grew weary of her novelty after six months and she became an objet d'art, if I may, in the corner of my room...under my bed...in my closet...and now, probably buried in a dump under years of litter and waste, i.e. my basement. They came out with a new historical American Girl doll, the Jewish American Girl doll, Rebecca, who is Russian in origin, and living in the tenement houses of the lower east side in Manhattan. Well, lemme jus say, no more of any kind of warped classification or photocopy parallel universe doll for me...! I am going to hold my breath until they make me an Asian American Girl doll, the daughter of a worker on the transcontinental railroad, or perhaps a girl from a working family in Anychinatown, USA! Is there a lack in sociohistorical support to validate the production of an Asian American Girl doll? Because, honestly, I am American, my mother's American, my mother's father was an American, and that should be enough.

p.s. The Samantha doll is being archived which means if I had kept that doll I could have given it to my daughter who could have gotten it appraised for a 'nice price'. oh the humanity.

photo binge

2009-05-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

dior in russia photos from here

passage

migration

departure

tree sonata

the visitation

mending the earth

forestbed

restoration
photos found at robert parkeharrison: the architect's brother

world war II photos in color found here

copyright david lynch

2009-04-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

“In Hollywood, more often than not, they’re making more kind of traditional films, stories that are understood by people. And the entire story is understood. And they become worried if even for one small moment something happens that is not understood by everyone. But what’s so fantastic is to get down into areas where things are abstract and where things are felt, or understood in an intuitive way that, you can’t, you know, put a microphone to somebody at the theatre and say ‘Did you understand that?’ but they come out with a strange, fantastic feeling and they can carry that, and it opens some little door or something that’s magical and that’s the power that film has.”

david lynch

not to mention the red-soled christian louboutin.

'fetish'...tell me about it.

quote from purple diary

fwd: tag, and be tagged

2009-04-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Directions: 1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own. 2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

//what is your current obsession// my pink and white striped wall paper and the shadows against it.

//good coffee place// nakameguro lounge is nice and spacious, and it has a great sesame latte...otherwise I take my coffee black, with a drop of honey.

//do you nap a lot// no, not lately.

//who was the last person you hugged// my friend alyssa. we had dinner tonight, and it was the first time i've seen her since she came to visit me in japonica.

//what was the last thing you bought// a lightweight black cotton bomber jacket, black shorts, a dark gray long v-neck cashmere cardigan, and a pair of black suede platform oxfords with a flared heel. all for under $20 at the portchester salvation army. woot.

//who is your favorite model// tilda swinton

from another magazine

//what are you listening to right now// billie holiday-until the real thing comes along

//what is your favorite weather// cool, overcast, slightly foggy days.

//what's on your bedside table// currently, my bedside table=my old aplifier+window sill. a hair pin, my glasses, paper and pen, and two books: siddhartha, by herman hesse, and against nature, by j.k. huysmens,

//say something to the person who tagged you// dear sofie, modediktator, i cannot thank you enough. you have encouraged me and included me in this wonderful community that i am so happy to be a part of. may our friendship flourish in all aspects of our livesxx

//if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it be// nyc

//favorite vacation spot// everywhere

//name the things you cannot live without// family, friends, art

//what would you like to have in your hands right now// a zillion bucks

//what is your favorite tea flavor// green tea. iced mint tea.

//what did you want to become as a child// i can't remember...a doctor?

//what style trend is the hardest one for you to adopt// jean jacket and leather jacket. i cannot yet find one that fits my human body and mind.

//if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go// zagreb, croatia. dubrovnik, croatia.

//what is your favorite scent; perfume// honeysuckle. my neighbor always had a honeysuckle bush right by our driveway, and it always smelled so sweet on a summery day.

to my sister, mariko, at the subtle wardrobe, consider yourself tagged.

edit: kyle, do your thang.

eccentric buzz

2009-03-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

There are plans to launch a long-range missile. It concerns many Japanese as well as others. Save the dates, April 4-8. Thankfully, I will be out of here by March 30.

Kim Jong Il

He's fascinating.
Why is that?

"He is said to wear platform shoes and favour a bouffant hairstyle in order to appear taller than his 1.57m (5ft 3in). "

"He is said to have a library of 20,000 Hollywood movies and to have even written a book on the cinema. He even went so far as to engineer the kidnapping, in 1978, of a South Korean film director and his girlfriend."

"the North Korean leader had live lobsters air-lifted to the train every day which he ate with silver chopsticks."

"according to official North Korean accounts, he was born in a log cabin at his father's guerrilla base on North Korea's highest mountain, Mt Paektu, in February 1942.

The event was reportedly marked by a double rainbow and a bright star in the sky."

quotes taken from article in link

i <3 gossip

2009-03-24T06:26:00.001-07:00

retro illustrations

2009-03-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

retro inspiration from here.
everything is retro inspired. maybe some are taken from old/new vogue editorials, no?

free and easy

2009-03-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

magazines online

hey dj

just skip the whole thing altogether

trippple nippples friday at le baron, now a duo (xx qrea xx)

taken from an email to a friend

2009-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

but here i have your painting. it's not hung. i never put holes in the wall. i tried hanging it from the ceiling, there's a wooden piece along the top where the wall and the ceiling intersect, but i couldn't get the nail in at the right angle. now it's resting, stable against the wall.
i love it very much. no one has ever given me an artwork they made.

a couple weeks ago i met this guy in his late 30s in nakameguro. he was on his bike and looking for a restaurant. i was on my way to meet a friend, and told him i didn't know, but he wasn't really looking for that restaurant in particular, he was looking for any good restaurant in the neighborhood, turns out hes writing a nakameguro restaurant guide book and ranking them based on flavor and price. he came with me and we started talking. he knows a lot about marketing and advertising in japan and said that there is a very simple formula to it all. you have to have an interesting story and sell that story. he is very willing to help me start a brand here in japan. then i met up with him the other day with naoko, and we talked a lot more. naoko has no job now, and might start working for him, trying to sell the book because it's marketed towards young women who want their money's worth, and image-wise it would be wrong for a man to try selling it. so we had dinner and he's maybe the most interesting japanese guy i've met. he's saving money now, writing this restaurant guide book, and living in nakameguro in exchange for lessons. he's teaching this guy how to make money on the stock market, and whatever profit, he gets a certain percentage. so he's saving and saving until 2012 when he'll have enough money to do what he ultimately wants to do. which is write childrens books. which he will call something like, the mysterious world of adults. it'll be stories about the religious war between palestine and israel, stories about all the waste huge companies like starbucks and mcdonalds make, about how smoking cigarettes will kill you. he wants to make these stories to make kids feel embarrassed about the world they live in and what their parents do and are a part of. it makes no difference to write stories for the government or the companies, it must start when you are young. many kids stories in japan have no morals, teach no ethics, like aesops or grimms. then when i told him, i'm going back to ny and going back to school, he said school is for people who are afraid to go into the real world. the economy is terrible now, and the majority of people think that it's a bad time to start a new company, but it's exactly the opposite. it is exactly the time to start something and make a huge profit, because no one else will take the chance. okay, so to start a brand, do you know what you need? money. start a website where you sell things from america you cannot get in japan. and vica versa. once you make tons of money with that, start your own brand and sell that. he is all action. in a japanese man that is very refreshing, and makes me wonder if i should stay in japan. or go back to ny. there is also a wonderful school in belgium i want to go to.

i got your postcard. arigato
dubrovnik was where miyazaki imagined when he wrote porco rosso. did you tell me that?
i might come visit in the summer.
i have no uncle with a restaurant. gommen.
it's almost 3am. i can hear the guy in the room next to me snoring!!!!!!!!!

xx
mitsue

location location location

2009-03-14T08:40:00.001-07:00

fotos from the coveted

threeASFOUR,
they are of new york.

Blend: Has New York been a good place to nurture the label?

Gabi: It’s the only place. It’s the most open-minded city in the world. It has the most opportunities, because it doesn’t discriminate. You can be whatever you want to be. As long as you are yourself, you’re accepted here.

Ange: From the beginning, when we started doing things, there was hardly anything around except for the big guys. And people always would say, “Oh, why don’t you move to Paris,” but we said, no, we believe in this city. We need to change things here. It’s so easy to go to Paris, every idiot can go there!

Gabi: It’s also about your life and how you’re living everyday. Paris is depressing to me.

Ange: It’s just not us.

Gabi: So why should we do that?

taken from here

no, check this

2009-03-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

The drawing should be taken at face value, it's for a hair salon+cafe in Shibuya. You don't need a particularly keen sense of smell, rather, I'd imagine it would be better if you didn't...hair products+coffee, let's discuss.

This, you just don't see it that often...

This, you do.

coca cola zero

I love that the bicycles are a part of their 'image'.

like butta

Jean Paul Gaultier "Prêt-à-Porter" 2009 Limited Edition Evian Bottle, a gratuitous novelty for the maniacs, of which Japan has many.

Ah, the commercial market and it's never ending gimmicks to lick the consumer. You make every train ride, every vending machine, every trip to the supermarket worthwhile. I feel assured that the global economy is in good hands.

xx

a deferred awareness

2009-02-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

one word: westerns

As far as historical fiction films, I always preferred movies like Titanic, or Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Philadelphia Story, etc. I've been wanting to see Once Upon a Time in the West, and now I finally understand how cool it is to dress like a cowboy.

xx

fashion photography and surrealism

2009-02-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

toshiko okanoue's photo collages from the 1950s-1960s.
she made over 100 collages while studying fashion design.
then married and gave up her career.

taken from foam magazine

The collages aren't meant to be a magazine editorial, but if it were it would be an unpretentious one. There is a refreshing perspective that is untainted by the current commercial haberdashery. To each collage belongs some epic story that is terrifying or sweet.

I particularly like the giant naked woman being serenaded by a warehouse string quartet.

melanie bonajo, also featured in foam magazine.

phillip toledano

these are not as romantic, what do you think?
xx

everybody wears a mask

2009-02-22T00:52:00.000-08:00

technicolor dream coat

2009-02-18T08:28:00.001-08:00

All through high school, I had this long red-orange wool coat from the 1960's or 70's. I got it from the antiques show at the south street seaport for around 50 bucks. I wore it until the lining was absolutely destroyed, then fixed the lining with ZZ (who owned the clothing alterations store where I used to work) and wore it some more. It was hooded, with a belt, and pockets (plus a vertical right breast pocket). The hem had enough flare so that when I'd kneel down it would spread out behind me as if eight little hummingbirds were delicately draping the fabric and placing it properly on the ground. The sleeves were also slightly flared with a belt around the mouth of the sleeve. It was single breasted with big plastic buttons. It is how I came to know my favorite color.

My coat with hat and gloves...

I watched it again on youtube (yessir, youtube.com) among other Audrey Hepburn movies, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Funny Face, Sabrina (all on youtube....com). This has now become my favorite, Charade. Her character has such a resilient personality, and she is so elegant, funny, romantic, innocent and unsuspecting. She must be around 32 or 33 years old in this movie, a dynamite age for all women, and another reason why I like it more than Sabrina or Funny Face. I used to love Breakfast at Tiffany's, I've been watching it since before I had that coat, and I could quote most of the movie, but I watched it again and realized I have picked the wrong Audrey Hepburn character as my heroine! Small town girl, Lulu May, goes to NYC, changes her name, loses her accent, drinks and partys with rats and super rats, no money, no direction, not even a cat with a name. sigh. Moving on to murder and deceit. She found that wealthy man, knew nothing about him except that he was rich, married him, and now a widow, is being chased after by six men (all but one being super rats) on account of the money he stole when he was fighting in the war! Great movie, I'm totally hooked. Resplendent in Hubert de Givenchy, and paired with Cary Grant, you cannot go amiss.

Flip through A Magazine curated by Riccardo Tisci (designer for Givenchy) if you get a chance, it's more like a coffee table book anyway. Really like his vision of the woman he designs for. Feminine and moody would describe it simply, however, the attention to line, detail, and craftsmanship is (reference so you can understand how I feel) like Tiffany's.

Mariacarla Boscono, Riccardo Tisci

Spring 2007 Givenchy haute couture collection

Givenchy haute couture from NYTimes.com

Another source of inspiration and guidance, with as much impact on me as movies, magazines, and models...Rodarte's fall 2009 show

ANSWER THE QUESTION.
IS SHE OR ISN'T SHE?

WHAT?

A PHONY.

I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T THINK SO.

YOU DON'T, HUH?
WELL, YOU'RE WRONG.

SHE IS.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,
YOU'RE RIGHT,

BECAUSE SHE'S
A REAL PHONY.

SHE HONESTLY BELIEVES
ALL THIS PHONY JUNK.

homage

2009-02-16T02:40:00.001-08:00

this woman in unstoppable

taken from foto decadent.
W feature

the reader

2009-01-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

books. recently.
Haruki Murakami: Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Dance Dance Dance.

Kurt Vonnegut, jr.: Breakfast of Champions

Richard Brautigan: Trout Fishing in America

I enjoyed 'Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World' the most. There's this bizarre Tokyo underworld, and it's a bit sci-fi, but it's a bit refreshing too. There are some dream-like passages that make you feel like you're wafting through the story, sorta taken by the breeze. Then I read 'Dance Dance Dance'. A lot of Murakami's books describe day-to-day life, and how coincidences/chance encounters can affect your frame of mind and perspective. I had heard that song, 'Dance Dance Dance', somewhere before, and every time I took out that book I heard that tune. Then my friend told me about Lykke Li, and when I heard the song I was like, "oh, snap!" (it wasn't very climatic, but I'm glad I can now identify that song). I tried reading his book "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles' in Japanese, but I just couldn't grasp the circuitous redundant Japanese writing. It made the day-to-day stuff seem very boring, and on top of that my Japanese reading skills are, how shall I say, retarded? Never realized Vonnegut was a junior. His omniscient point of view plays around with the characters, the narration, and time (also a bit sci-fi). The last one, Janet forgot in my room. It was under the mattress. Totally abstract, the main character is 'trout fishing in America'. It gets cooked, it echoes, it pours, gets sent to Washington...Arkansas, and becomes a band for kids...

I saw The Reader. I would say, Kate Winslet = Rachel Weisz. They could swap in the middle of a movie, and it would go unrecognized.

do you recall...

Enjoy the weekend, all!
xx

so quotable

2009-01-17T00:56:00.000-08:00

Heathers (1989)

"Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw. Do I look like Mother Theresa?"

"Great pate, mom, but I gotta motor if I wanna be ready for that party tonight"

"Whether to kill yourself or not is one of the most important decisions a teenager can make."

"What is your damage, Heather?"

"Ugh... such a pillowcase."

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?"

"Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up."

"Is this turnout weak or what? I had at least 70 more people at my funeral."

"Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count."

"You're beautiful."

"I don't patronize bunny rabbits."

"The extreme always seems to make an impression."

"How very."

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)

"I'm right on top of that Rose."

"Cynthia, you're my moon goddess."

Clueless (1995)

"Nice stems."

"Sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds boys of being naked, and then they think of sex."

"That's Ren and Stimpy. They're way existential."

"A watch doesn't really go with this outfit, daddy."

"That was way harsh, Tai."

"I was surfing the crimson wave. I had to haul ass to the ladies'."

"Where you been all weekend? What's up? You been jeepin' behind my back? "

"Well, I thought they declared peace in the Middle East."

"Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value."

"Stop it, you're making me blush."

please, try to use one in the next couple of days...it'll be rewarding.

friendly visitors

2009-01-11T02:45:00.000-08:00

From left to right: Alex, Janet
Location: Roppongi
What we did before: Walked around Shibuya
What we did after: Went to the Tsutaya and Starbucks across the street where you can sit and have coffee while you read books and magazines or listen to music. Open until 4 in the morning!

Read the new issue of Lula Magazine. They had an interview of Victoria Legrand from Baltimore band Beach House. I like their stuff.

And then, just as we were about to leave, I came across Zoo Magazine where my friend Gallermic and his Tokyo parties Narzib were featured in the new issue! He left Tokyo in December, and I miss him muchos.

Alex and Janet left this Friday, and my room feels so lonely.
School starts again on Tuesday, got to get going on my graduation project.
Dad's coming next week.

One last link...from me to you.

oh my.

2008-11-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

makes the world go round

2008-11-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

My homepage is Drudge Report, a website that has international news reports from columnists and news sources all around the world wide web. It takes a little while for my Firefox to load, and usually I barely skim the headlines before logging into my Gmail account, however, today I opened my eyes as wide as I could and read some news articles concerning 'our' global recession. 'Democrats want financial aid for the auto-industry,' 'Will Europe ever have an Obama'...I felt like I was in a different universe just by reading these articles. So much of it has no direct effect on my everyday life here in Japan, and it all seems a bit surreal. Is it because I'm a fashion design student, not a political science student? Is it because I hang around with ex-patriots or seemingly aimless travelers, not salary men or corporate lawyers? Quizás, Quizás, Quizás.

I came across one article that I could empathize with. Emirates see fiscal crisis as chance to save culture. This past summer I flew with Emirates to go to Kuwait, and that's what caught my eye. Dubai is the new definition of ridiculous, in the sense that businesses are running wild with their money. Now that there is a global recession, development is slowing down, and the people of Dubai can reflect on the rapid change that has occurred during the past few years. Focus. Is most of it just a novelty for the public, obsessed with greater and grander things? What can globalization do for any country if their culture dissipates and becomes rejected by newer generations? There are parallels in modern Japanese society, no? If Japan were to have remained an isolated country, would we have Nintendo? The temples and simple harmonious rock gardens in Kyoto are only tourist attractions now, they charge you to get in. What happened to the innate culture that was Japan, and does it have any relevance now besides as a once a week judo club meeting with classmates? The traditions aren't lost, but they have been disfigured like chewing gum; blown, and popped, and eventually spit out. Can Dubai keep face?

I think not.

Thierry Mugler, an anecdote

2008-11-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

I once tried on a dress by Thierry Mugler at a store in Daikanyama called Eva. It's a select shop, a term I heard first used in Japan, meaning a store with hand picked items: vintage Versace silk blouses, jewelry from Columbia, plastic plates from 1960's America, limited release records and books...you get the point. The stores are usually small, and are run with a staff of one or two people, maybe the majority of the items are the store owner's own private collection, or, possibly, it's their hobby...because these stores are hidden in residential areas, or on the third floor of a building, the merchandise is over priced, they don't advertise, or ever go on sale, I wonder how they stay in business... Anyhow, there are many many select shops in the Nakameguro area, and Eva is one that has vintage designer women's wear. It stocks vintage Hermes silk shirt dresses, vintage Hanae Mori, remade ethnic embroidered pieces, etc. The store owner, Seiko, gets her inventory from online dealers, and stockists, but she keeps her stuff, the good stuff, in the back. This is how I came upon an incredible dress by Thierry Mugler. It was short sleeved with a seam down the middle of the shoulder that curved in an 's' shape, and pointed out a little at the end. It had a wing collar with a snap, and there was a keyhole opening in the front that went down to the bust, just so when you move your shoulders a little bit, you can see some décolletage. The snaps continue down the front until the waist, and the back had some draping, but the dress was fitted from waist down (a really nice silhouette that makes your bum look yum); the length was below the knee, and with a slit in the back. It was forest green, and the material was a stiff, thick worsted wool that could really keep it's shape. so. very. modern. I wriggled into it (realizing later there was a side zipper), put on a pair of pumps, and when I stepped in front of the mirror, it was as if a distinct part of my personality had manifest itself in the reflection. The fit was more than amazing; front, side and back. It was the most stylish suggestive dress one could hope for. It was demure, but the geometrical detailing and cut could not go unnoticed, even to the goggle-eyed chihuahua in the arms of the mistress standing next to you in an elevator. I mean, it had a tenacity, unlike any other dress, that could translate in all languages, and could substantially change your life. This is what I want to make, superficial clothes. The dress wasn't for sale, and that's fine by me. I just wanted to see what I looked like in it.

no sleep

2008-10-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I forget where I found this site, but it's got music and nice images (repeats some, a lot, actually). I've been yearning for a new mp3 player recently, portable music player, whatever. My ipod is first generation, and doesn't work unless it's plugged in. An itouch? Perhaps an iphone?

I got the alaia sandals. I love them.
I think have a shopping problem...

what a feeling, every time.

2008-10-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

I went to a thrift shop the other day, in Ebisu, and they had the Azzedine Alaia black wedge sandals in my size. I can't stop thinking about them. I'm crazy.
It's a treasure, it really is, and the way I think of it, is that it's a once in a lifetime chance to make these shoes mine. How rational, I am.
How did the proprietor of the store come to acquire such a magnificent pair of shoes? How can she stand to put them up for sale?
This store also had an Imitation of Christ T-shirt from a couple years ago (actually, probably more than that) that had a barbed wire stripe pattern on it. I remember going into the Barney's in New York with my friend Jeanne, and she really wanted to get it. I was going to buy it for her, but I didn't have any cash, so I went back the next day, and poof, it was gone.
Of course whats holding me back is the price. The T-shirt, at Barney's was around $80, and at that store it was around $30. These sandals are around $300, yep, but they're in near pristine condition when they would have cost $600...and they're my size...
I've never felt deprived in my life, maybe because I come from Larchmont, but when I saw those shoes, oi vey.

If the complicated things in life could be simple, and the simple things complicated, it would be 'A Je To!'

My Friend, Sam

2008-10-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

"I get it."
-to be said in a disappointed, uncomfortable and aloof tone after a joke is made.

Sam came to To-ki-o! He stayed at my place. I basically shoved all my belongings into one half of the room, and spread out some sheets in the other half. It was pretty compact, as is Japan, but during his stay I thought, "Hey, maybe two people can live in my teeny, tiny room." (roughly, 6 tatami mats; roughly, 12 square meters; roughly, 130 square feet). My reasoning is as follows:
Sam came with a backpack and two suitcases: a big one packed with clothes, some equipment and cables for work, and a small one filled with dirty clothes...Yep, his entire wardrobe, laptop, Nintendo DS, his hard drive, etc. Since I had school, and for the second week he stayed, he had work, we weren't spending all day everyday together, it was really as if we were roommates, each with our own schedules. Also, I think about the other roommate situations I've had, living in a triple at Lander Hall when I was at the UW, sharing a room of similar dimensions with Marilia, in Shinjuku, all a person really needs is a place to sleep. However, a person also needs (excuse the banality) a place to call home, and my home is comprised of clothes. A little while ago on Style Bubble, Suzy posted a picture of (all?) her clothes.

I believe that her 'size of room' to 'amount of clothes' proportion is almost equivalent to mine. I mean, I imagine. Must find better storage unit. Scratch that, must get a storage unit. Beside me now is a bundle of shirts, a chair of dresses and sweaters, another chair of skirts, coats hanging on the wall, laundry by my feet...you get the idea. But I just cringe at the idea of bringing more furniture into my room. If there would be drawers and closets built into my wall, that would be great.

I went to my grandfather's house today and brought back a bag full of old silk that was used for my great grandmother's kimonos. Long strips of delicately woven, slightly sheer silk. The colors are still rich and vibrant, and the texture is so crisp, it reflects the light beautifully. I wouldn't mind opening the door to my room and having long bands of it hanging from the ceiling, and waves of it rolling around on the floor.
I guess when it comes down to it, I'm just the most comfortable surrounded by fabric. But then again, aren't we all?
"...I get it."

utter negligence-June

2008-07-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

I had a small birthday gathering at Combine, a restaurant/cafe five minutes walk from Nakameguro station. 'Chill' I think would be the best word to describe it. Big windows that face the tree lined Meguro River, cozy couches, a bar/counter, a dj booth, and a whole wall filled with books: photos by Man Ray, a discourse on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, A rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans (all in Japanese, mind you). We ordered natto fried rice, pizza, and avocado tempura, all of which was delicious. (Speaking of avocado, up until recently, the vegetable stand down the street from my house was selling six for roughly a dollar. Avocado mixed with tofu, sesame oil, salt, pepper and soysauce...bellissimo.) My friends brought a cake and lit some candles (pre-dinner) and it was lovely, really, really lovely.

The thing about Combine, though, is that the staff can be a bit...discouraging. Friday, Saturday's it gets pretty packed. That night we went early and there weren't too many people, but then the guy who works there puts a sign on the door that says 'sorry private party from 10pm'. My friends and I stayed past 10 and, let me tell you, there was no private party going down. They open at 11am and I guess they'd prefer to close at a reasonable hour, but people want a nice place to hang out at night, not a loud thumping club or a cramped smoky bar, and I just wish they wouldn't go so far as to lie about some party to keep people from coming.
Right?

From Vogue Italia The All Black Issue July 08

Inspired by
Vogue Italia The All Black Issue 08

whoa

2008-05-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Video using the mac OSX Leopard desktop by a digital filmmaker named Dennis Liu.
After a while you don't know what you're watching.

sweet soft charlotte

2008-05-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got to take a look at the Paris Vogue from winter with Charlotte Gainsbourg. She cited Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" as the movie she has seen with the most erotic scene. The interview goes on to talk about her own body image, and I'm sure it gets much more personal, but the lingo was a bit difficult, being in French and all, and my studies from high school allowed me to grasp just the tips of her long tousled hair. I got a rough idea about the contents of the magazine: sex, or perhaps sexuality (it is the French edition after all).
She intrigues me. I saw her in "The Science of Sleep" and "I'm Not There". She's so beautiful, no doubt about it, but that soft airy voice, and that long matured face...I'm ignorant, I know, but there's something about her that is hard to put my finger on. Maybe because I can't make a direct or indirect correlation with her to any other person I know, celebrity or not. Maybe because her personal sense of style seems so different from what she wears at various events. Maybe it's because she seems separated from high fashion, yet she's Nicolas Ghesquiere's muse. I'm anxious to see more of her work, that's for sure.

Here she is for Very Elle magazine.

Or, do you prefer...

Both are amazing.

On a side note, Charlotte's picture reminds me of my friend's mom, Tracy Burtz's paintings, no?

the book

2008-05-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

catalog, actually. for neiman marcus, actually.
a long long time ago, in a (now) far away land, there was a fairy tale themed photo spread with little children dressed in luxury and innocent decadence. These reminded me of that.

Eugenio Recuenco Photography

Then I searched for those long lost and forgotten photos and discovered they have created a pop-up book.

And though my quest for those darling photos was in vain, I came upon this youtube video.

Slut (the end in Swedish)

my tokio

2008-05-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Taken tonight at Shinjuku station with the 3.2 mega pixel digital camera on my phone. An advertisement for OIOI, a department store.
'smoking in the rain, a cigarette butt grows and grows, raindrops, tobacco, crumbling'

The legal age to smoke and drink in Japan is 20, and everyone does. They're quite eco-friendly about it, but so naive about tobacco and nicotine, it's hypocritical in some ways. For example, every few hundred feet, you'll find big bright vending machines for cigarettes, sometimes two or three in a row, and any kid who can reach the buttons can buy a pack. There are select areas all around the city and inside buildings for smokers: by the train station, next to a convenience store, at school it's by the staircase, smoking sections at restaurants, office buildings have smoking areas, even on the train platform there's a smoker's area, and an allotted time to smoke (generally non-rush hour). However, as per the photo above, we have this sign (covering a big ash tray), with beautifully written prose to stop people from throwing away their cigarette butts, and there are similar signs all over Tokyo. Walking and smoking is not permitted in most areas, and many stores sell cute and practical hand held ashtrays (and every so often I'll see someone using them). They're worried about where all the cigarette butts will end up, whereas in the States, every single box of cigarettes sold will tell you you're going to die. I suppose the Japanese emphasize community, and building a more beautiful dwelling. Americans, on the other hand, concern more about their own health and well being. I wonder which one costs more money, which is more effective. In the states they have commercials to keep adults and kids from smoking. Those anti-smoking truth campaign ads, some give me the shivers, but some are clever and cute. Effective? I suppose. I've seen a few ads on the train here, not necessarily anti-smoking ads, but 'get yourself checked for lung cancer before it sneaks up on you and it's too late' ads. They look very wordy and pristine, and they change the train advertisements so often, so its effectiveness is dubious at best. But then again, people live long healthy lives here. I guess what I'm trying to say is get rid of the vending machines and save some energy...at least.

I thought it was funny. They're florida grapefruits.

The last two photos I also took with my phone, but using my phone camera not the digital camera. Why have two cameras on my phone?...just having that option makes me feel...free.
(excuse the sarcastic undertone, goodnight)

an advantage

2008-05-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

So, sex and the city premieres in London. No sweat off my back, but it doesn't seem to make much sense. I mean, it is sex and the city, right? and by the city, they do mean New York, right? let's not get into it. But I'm happy to hear some of the reviews here
i heart sex and the city.

The advantage, you say?! (not really an advantage unless you take it), I'm in the future! I just realized I could be the first to post about so many things, and this happened when I went online today and saw the fresh headlines for the sex and the city movie premiere (of all things). I noticed this before on my google reader, updated items for the sartorialist and the style bubble popping up only seconds after scott and suzy click on 'publish post'. But, of course, it's not really true, and this is not really important. The article is posted and then I post about it, and already, I'm not the first. It's the world wide web, an afternoon in one place is an evening in another, and the following day over here, and all at the same time. It's almost like the converse of the time/space continuum. no space. no time. (I don't know what I'm talking about).

I was walking around Nakameguro with a friend today, and we were looking for a store, ilil, but we couldn't find it, so we check on the internet with her phone, in the middle of the street! Does that not reek of the future?! She has a very slick phone from softbank. It's a slider, huge screen with a touch sensor, and can go widescreen just by putting it on its side, and when you shake it it becomes a 3.2 megapixel camera, you can watch tv on it...and the list goes on.
hazah!

hardly recognizable

2008-05-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

I also like it because it makes her looks like a clown/harlequin, as opposed to most of her other fashion spreads where she's dressed in null and a bra. And, I have recently become very fond of Miu Miu...and Sonia Rykiel (not pictured above).
My friend gave me this magazine, she's such a sweetheart. It costs 2678yen, roughly 26dollars, in Japan, and 5pounds, 10dollars, in England. Hey, Japan is expensive, and we all gotta make money somehow, right, Sienna?

I saw 'factory girl' a while ago. Downloaded it, and it was all right, but she was not very good in it. The movie is just coming out here in theaters, lagging much? I saw her in that 'Cassanova' movie at my friends house. He downloaded it. I wasn't disappointed, only because I didn't expect her or the movie to be that good. Heath Ledger played Cassanova, oh, Heath, such a tragedy. This weekend I was sick and I saw 'I'm not there' (and 'The Phantom of the Opera' 'Always' 'My Blueberry Nights' and 'Chinatown') I don't think I understood all the elements of that movie, but I love Michelle Williams. I mean, what was Richard Gere and Billy the Kid all about? I guess I'll have to read a biography on both of them, the Kid and Dylan, that is. But I did love the songs they chose, 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol' 'When the Ship Comes In' 'The Times They Are a Changin'.' Good soundtrack...in a...Forrest Gumpy kinda way. My classmate likes the soundtrack to 'Coyote Ugly'. I know, 'what soundtrack?' right?
good night
xx

series a: refine antiquity

2008-05-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Magazine: Vogue Italia
Issue: March 2008
Title: "Individuallure"
Model: Freja Beha Erichsen
Photographer: Paolo Roversi

I love the lighting and the grainy quality of the photographs. Are they black and white photographs? I don't know, but a single hue need not be present.

Contrariwise, I'm making a shirt for my next school project, which will be bright and floral and summery. Will post pics.
xx

whatever inspires you

2008-05-01T03:18:00.000-07:00

in the mood for love

2008-04-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

to be announced...

2008-03-10T01:04:00.000-07:00

origami shoe

2008-03-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

wow

or

just passing

2007-12-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

hussein chalayan...

2007-12-16T02:57:00.001-08:00

hussein chalayan

2007-12-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

coat project update

2007-12-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

So, I ended up not using the kelly green, instead I chose a stiff dark grey wool (3 yards for 6000yen) which is fairly thick, and will be warm for winter.
Not a lot of detail to the coat besides the buttons (10 for 2800yen) and pockets, which, for now, is fine since it's due this Wednesday, but next time I'd like to put in some top stitching, an inside pocket, a more exaggerated collar, another seam in the back? Something a little more dramatic.
I have to finish making six button holes, draw the pattern with a 1/5 ruler, and write up the order to put it together.

Dior Japonism by John Galliano

2007-12-03T03:31:00.000-08:00

The Dior flagship store, in Omotesando, had their haute couture collection from Spring/Summer 2007 on display. Pictures, without flash, permitted.

The Doreme Matsuri, a school festival

2007-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

2nd year student show

On the first day there was a typhoon! Gusts of wind and lots of rain, thus, the show was to be held inside. The second year students are divided into groups of four in which they collaborate on a design and idea, and put together a complete look, as follows:

One of the classes had a "maid cafe" at the matsuri. The students dressed as maids and served coffee and snacks. It was cold and my fingers were freezing. We went to have a seat. I should have taken a picture of the students in their maid outfits, and this one's kinda dark. I'll work on taking better photos.
There was a "T-Shirt/Y-Shirt Contest" (Y-Shirt meaning 'white shirt')
This girl, Yujin Oh, is from Korea. I remember she won an award last year for this contest. This year she made the shirt below, it's made of a semi-stiff material, something like a fancy canvas material, but softer and less stiff. The shirt looks like a jacket, no? She didn't win anything this year, too bad. The other pictures I took of the contest didn't come out so good, again, I'll work on it.
During the evening, there was a "Teacher Re-modeling" program. The students in the class think of a skit, or a dance, or a character for their teachers to be. This one was the best. I don't know who the teacher was supposed to be, but she was dancing her heart out, and the back-up dancers were her students. One of them is actually an assistant teacher.

Students in drag
Teacher in drag
It was so funny to see everyone dress in drag! Earlier there was also an event where one girl and one guy from every class dresses up in drag, with the help of their fellow classmates, of course, and go up on stage and get judged. Okay, sure, this is a fashion school, but even in high school festivals they have a contest or show where girls dress as boys, and boys dress as girls. Did we do that in high school? As an event we had to participate in? Huh?

So that was my weekend, and now I have Monday, and Tuesday off. Have to get a new cell phone, and clean my room, blah, blah, blah...

The design for the jacket, I'll hold on to it until we make coats. Instead, I'll make something a little more like...fitted, narrow, modern, a little...

Maybe green still. Better yet, bold green stripes! Yeah~!

Balenciaga photos from style.com
Stripes from nymag.com (Jeffrey from Project Runway)

doreme

2007-10-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

At school, our next project is to make a wool suit. I was in Shibuya (I lost my phone and had to make some arrangements, accordingly) and went by the fabric shop, Marunan. They're right by the station, five flights, decent selection, and normal prices, if not on the expensive side. Incidentally, found that wool is expensive, avg. 3000yen/yard. Fortunately, they had this Kelly green, thick, like felt, wool that was on sale for 1000yen. So, as far as now, it's decided, I'll make a Kelly green jacket and skirt suit. I think I'll make the jacket more like a coat, long, a little loose, and the skirt will be knee length, slightly fitted, no flare, maybe a slit in the back. Very vintage inspired.
Prada, fall 2003
A double breasted coat, with a similar collar and cuffs, or no, maybe no cuffs. Three quarter sleeves. I'll make a sketch, and once I get the 'okay', I'll make a reduced pattern, half the actual size, using a ruler where the markings are half the actual measurements. After that gets corrected, it's cut and sew!

Balenciaga fall 2006. hmm, should I go for a mini?
this photo from style.com
above photo from jozworld.club.fr

LVFX

2007-10-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Nakameguro Flea Market! The stalls began just around the corner from the station, and they continued all the way down to the end of the street. My aunt and I had a space in front of a cafe called Potager, where there were people lined up to eat. The food smelled good from where we had our wares spread out on the road. We tried selling old clothes and bags, silverware, and such. We sold a portable gas stove for 100 yen to a young guy who was overcome with happiness, and I was proud to be a part of that. Everything else went for 50yen. Honestly, we were happy if people would even look at our litter, let alone pay for it.

At previous Nakameguro Flea Markets, I have purchased some 'nice stuff': yellow Joseph LaRose pumps, 300yen, vintage Sonia Rykiel sunglasses, 2000yen, a black and red leather clutch, 100yen, navy rain boots for 200yen. This time I got this amazing reversible cape, yes, cape, for 300yen. It's tan and Sherlock Holmes-y on one side, and tartan plaid on the other. Black Cole Haan sandals, hot pink pumps, and a vintage sweatshirt with skiers in an 80's style print, those three for 100yen. A white Design House Stockholm scarf, and one of those ethnic scarves, two for 500yen. It started to rain before the flea market was scheduled to end, so everyone was trying to sell their stuff like mad. There's this one secondhand store I frequent called Jantiques, and by the time it started to rain they were giving away their dresses, sweaters, and shirts! Yesssss.

I don't know what it is about second hand, but I think that it's a lovely concept. Your sense of quality, and value gets recalculated by strangers whom hinge on their own credo. What they sell at Jantiques for 6700yen is really worth nothing. This one woman bought an old blue acrylic sweater that was damp from being left in the garage, and said how cute it was. One girl who was wearing a leopard print fur hat, and a kelly green vintage coat came and bought a plaid knit cardigan and skirt set (which I had my eye on, and was planning on taking home if no one bought it), and green fisherman's pants (which were mine, but I could never get the look right). She came with her mom, and was adorable. One old lady got a knit sweater with four bold black, pink, yellow, and green horizontal stripes (a sweater I got at the salvation army for $4.99), and paid 60yen instead of 50yen because she was willing to pay the extra 10yen. What a riot.

What didn't sell we threw out, but took the buttons from some skirts.

Moving on.
From Brazil. From Japanese and German parents.
Lovefoxxx.
images from POP magazine, and Glastonbury Live

Cansei de Ser Sexy, LVFX interview at indian summer festival

2007-10-14T17:55:00.003-07:00

lovefoxxx

2007-10-14T17:55:00.001-07:00

Cansei de Ser Sexy - Let's make love... (live)

2007-10-14T17:54:00.001-07:00

Alala - CSS

2007-10-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

CSS - Alcohol

2007-10-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

pin-up

2007-09-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Aya t. Kanai, fashion director of Nylon magazine, interview(a).

Who are your personal fashion icons?
Pipi longstocking, she wore whatever she felt like… The original grunge girl… Ripped dresses with torn and mismatched socks, mens shoes, crazy hair. Love that. Having fun expressing yourself through clothes. I love it when fashion is a true reflection of who we are. It’s better than any runway on the planet. interview(b)

Mad props to the sartorialist for the picture, thank you very much, sir (it's linked to the picture's comments page).

"I love it when fashion is a true reflection of who we are."
Don't his pictures and his blog, and other "found style" street fashion/party picture profile type blogs, seemingly attempt to create a kind of criteria for this? A very discerning eye, he has, or perhaps he's just always in right place at the right time (fashion shows, fashion week). What am I trying to say here...If my fashion is a true reflection of my demeanor, my taste, my shape, why am I not on those blogs?!

I guess it leaves me room to grow.

a substitute

2007-09-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

As far as online radios go, I used to use Pandora, until they restricted out-of-US use. This was a while ago, and I left it at that. What can one do?

By dumb luck I came across Jango.

The idea is the same, one creates their own stations, and gets acquainted with other music contingent on your selection of artists...and there's a whole social networking set-up with profiles and friend requests, blaagh.
the splendid interminable flow of music will be companion enough as I get tangled in this trellis

kudos to japanese pop art

2007-09-20T05:05:00.000-07:00

s'inspiration

Antwerp Royal Academy of Arts 2007

2007-09-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Click To Play

student show

novelties

2007-09-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

mercibeaucoup
they would be such a cute couple

ylang ylang
my fair lady, at the horse races

ne net
slinkys. the toy i never had as a child
h. naoto
same make-up artist from mercibeaucoup?

the perfect laxative

2007-09-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Wow. Fantastic. An American designer who can take the classic look, make it into silly putty, squeeze it with his hands until it oozes through his fingers and makes a terribly inappropriate noise that just makes you want to run to the nearest toilet and relieve yourself of all that hideous, ephemeral bullshit that has been clogging your intestines, and making you walk funny. You think to yourself, '"What a reaction! This feels ten, nay, a hundred times better than regurgitation!"
Yes, it's the hair. Yes, it's the gloves and those adorable appliqué flowers. Maybe it's because I've been in Tokyo, and these looks can be seen walking to the nearest train station that I think they are so suitable for a new generation, one that doesn't depend on their parents to pick out their clothes, one that can stand alone, and be identifiable, and treated as a unique soul. And, here, why shouldn't it be this?

Marc Jacobs, shaved and without glasses, American Designer Extraordinaire.
photos from style.com

thumbs down

2007-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

I watched "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." I had heard a bunch of hype about the book from my friends, and was planning on borrowing it from them at some point, maybe I still will. Anyhow, I saw the movie first. The title really gives it all away, except for the huge orgy towards the end, whoops! did I just...what? no? nevermind.

I came across this video interview with Bryan Bradley, the designer for Tuleh. I wonder: 1) why they chose him, 2) why he can't answer a question, or show any effort in creating an image for himself worth watching...or defending himself, expressing an ideal that be basis his designs on, his inspiration, not a fucking Chanel knock-off, or ugly prints! shit. Pardon me, it was just a little sad to watch...having no... for lack of a better work, spark. Well, he mentions doing a line for Lord and Taylor, and he's asked if he thinks that's selling out. I think it kinda is, but if fashion is anything, it's selling out. Especially now, Proenza Schouler at Target, Vera Wang at Kohl's (I think H&M's collaborations are an exception). You make money and get famous, but what about that creative sensibility you aren't permitted to explore or share when you're tied down to some contract. You're sacrificing what you believe to be beautiful for products that will be manufactured in quantities larger than the number of times you've cut your nails, and brushed you're teeth, and the kick of it is that most of it is going to be overstock, and crammed in some storage center, locked in some warehouse for the rest of eternity! Well, there's something gorgeous about that too, I suppose.

Got one more link here. It'll be your guide to new music, movies and books based on the ones you've already fell in love with.
Oh, I understand the concept, but, I doubt its effectiveness.
:(

New York Fashion Week!
:)

A few things

2007-09-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

Kelly and Kyle, arrived in Tokyo, and went home safely. We hung out with their friend Genki, and my friend Shuru, and we did some serious drinking accompanied by some serious karaoke. They stayed with me when they got back from Kyoto, and shopped till the last minute.

I got this Bernhard Willhelm top with them at the Parco, in Shibuya, mine is white with red pin stripe. Kelly got a mini-tote. The bag is really cool. It has a smiley face quilted on one side, and a pirate themed smiley face quilted on the other, and the straps are leather with gold chain. I really liked it too.

The day they left, I went to Singapore with my good friend Marilia. We stayed in a dorm at a nice hostel, Inn Crowd, in the Little India area of Singapore. Make your own breakfast was included, bread, eggs, coffee and tea. Before I left Tokyo, I was getting all these bug bites, and it was getting really red and itchy. When I was trying on a bra at a store (I ended up buying the bra) I saw how it had spread all over, and I was worried that it could be some weird disease or some kind of allergic reaction to something. I showed Marilia, expressed my discomfort, and we went to the hospital.

No trouble at all. Raffles SurgiCentre. I showed my passport, they gave me a number, we waited, I go into a room where the doctor (a woman) who was very nice, and spoke English, prescribed me a medicine and cream, and reassured me it was not an infectious disease or an insane reaction to...something. We waited some more, paid for the medicine, which worked wonderfully, and left.

Singapore's a lovely city, very modern. The Gateway, designed by I.M. Pei, stood out in the skyline (from the window at the hospital). There are hawker stalls, where you can get cheap, good food and fresh juices, and sit in the open air and eat (surprisingly, there were very few bugs flying around). There are 24 hour markets, Hindu temples next to Buddhist temples, and where we stayed was right next to a beautiful mosque, where we had to take our shoes off, and wear a robe to cover our shoulders and legs to go in.

From Singapore, we took a bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. First, a pit stop in Johor Bahru, where we changed money and bus. The bus station in Kuala Lumpur was at an intersection where maybe 7 streets met. At first glance hard to navigate, but our hostel, Backpackers Travellers Inn, or Lodge (both exist, and on the same street), was not far. No breakfast there, but there was a women's only dorm. We met the most Japanese travelers there, incidentally, in the room we were staying in. We met a Japanese girl who had been traveling for 3 years, a girl who was on her way to Egypt, and a girl who had been living in that room for the past 3 months and who's studying English there. Two nights (Singapore was also two nights). We went to the Petronas Towers, where tickets are free, but you can only go a little less than halfway up. The towers are beautiful. The foundation is based on the shape of an eight pointed star, and has a strong Islamic influence.

Also in Kuala Lumpur:
Masjid Negara (National Mosque) - one of Southeast Asia's largest mosques
Menara Kuala Lumpur - fourth-highest telecommunications tower in the world

Phuket, Thailand, by plane. Three nights, the first two days, it was rainy, but it cleared up on the third and we went on a boat cruise to the Phi Phi island off the coast. This is where we got sunburned, swam in blue blue water, went snorkeling, beautiful landscape... Oh it was amazing. During the rain, we went on an elephant trek!

Bangkok, by plane. Stayed in a really nice hostel, Shambara Boutique Hostel and Restaurant. We had our own room with air conditioner, shared bathroom and shower, on Khao San Road. We only had a day and a half in Bangkok, so we did the tourist route to Wat Phra Kaew, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Went on two boat rides, one on the river and a smaller one on the canal. The canal boat ride was insanely cheap. It stops for barely a minute, you step onto a small boat that has only benches going across, and it takes you down this dark grey colored water that splashes everywhere so theres a tarp you pull up to keep you from getting wet, and also from seeing the laundry hanging in people's backyards and such. It was around this time I got a little worried about the money situation (which was silly of me). There was still more than half a trip left, and I had spent a little more than half the money I brought. But I still bought those silver earrings and that batik fabric...

Phnom Penh, by plane. Same day, Siem Reap, by bus. It was a six hour bus ride through the countryside. Yes, there were goats, rice fields, houses on stilts. It was quite beautiful, quite.
When we got to Siem Reap, we saw the sunset at Ankor Wat, and the next morning we went to see the sunrise at Ankor Wat. Trying to economize, we opted for the small tour with a tuk tuk driver around the temples. Look at the flickr pictures. It was amazing. There were a lot of tourists, but surprisingly few from America. We got some fresh coconuts from a girl who gave me a bracelet for good luck. We got to talk to the kids, who spoke English very well, and knew phrases in several other languages.

Ho Chi Minh City, by bus. Bumpy ride, also floated down the Mekong a bit. We only had a day here. We were kinda tired. Skipped the temples, but we went to the War Remnants museum where they mostly showed pictures with captions underneath. It made me think how much people suck, I was close to crying throughout the entire museum.

fin

By the end of the trip I finished Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage.' Really enjoyed that as well. There was a Seven Eleven in every country. There were street markets and food stalls everywhere, selling fruit, fish, meat, noodles, bread, souvenirs, clothes, handbags, jewelry, crap. We were tourist to the max. Everywhere we went had someone who could speak English or who could at least communicate the basics. Spiciest thing I had was the pho in Vietnam, but I put the peppers in the soup. Most delicious was the chicken with cashew nuts at the airport in Phuket, and the fruit juices, coconut, sugar cane, mango, papaya, pineapple. Most frustrating was negotiating with the tuk tuk drivers. Most beautiful were the islands off of Phuket province in Thailand, and Cambodia. I wish we could have spent more time in Phenom Penh, and in Vietnam and Bangkok.

Alas, I'm back in Tokyo where it's hot, and where Tokyo Fashion Week just started!
My school gave us tickets before summer break to one of the shows, doho.

A korean designer. Really pretty stuff. Lost of shiny colorful layered satin, sparkles, full tulle gathered skirts, the models looked a bit on the short side, and I realized they were all wearing flats.
It was at Roppongi's Tokyo Midtown. The venue was big, and full. Very dark, with two chandeliers hanging along the runway. The music was operatic, but only in that dramatic sense, with an electronic beat. All very appropriate.
I saw a bunch of my classmates there, as expected, they also got tickets. I dunno, I guess I expected more glamor. The Joanna Mastroianni show I went to in Bryant Park was crowded, and there was a lot of flash from cameras, and people mingling before and after the show. Maybe the outdoor vibe makes the Bryant Park scene seem more exciting. From the Tokyo Midown Hall A, where the show was, to the subway is 7 minute walk, it's all connected underground with restaurants and cafes in between.

One last thing. I saw Kap Bambino live at Warehouse, hosted by the fashion ramone, and they were AMAZING. Really good music to dance to. It's a girl and a guy. The girl sings and goes crazy, the guys plays the sound.

Window Shopping

2007-08-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Kelly are coming TOMORROW! I'm so happy they're going to come, it's going to be a BLAST!

This summer I'm going on a two week trip to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam with Marilia. Hope to get some nice fabric, and little boxes, and jewelry. I can't wait for the beaches in Thailand, Ankor Wat, the food in Vietnam, everything!

It's summer break and bery bery hot. I've be able to get some stuff done. Waking up early and getting full days. Doing the things I couldn't find the time to do when school was in session. I painted my room (white and yellow), and made some curtains. Cleaned, organized, etc.

It's over already, but from the end of June and through July, pretty much all the stores in Japan are on sale. 'Final Clearance' 'Last Off' '70-30% off' The department stores are as crowded as the train stations during rush hour. I went around to the thrift stores that are also on sale. Got some red summer sandals.

I walked by the window display at the department store Isetan, in Shinjuku, and it was such a disappointment. I'm spoiled (in more ways than one, I know) by the windows at Barney's, or Bergdorf's and Sax. The mannequins were all dressed in black, for fall, and I guess the theme was 'white backdrop portraiture-blegh.' These big windows were practically empty, with only the shadow of the mannequins in the backdrop. One of the biggest department stores in Japan... and at one of their main stores... I just hope they change it soon.

Currently trying to make an over-sized striped shirt I bought for 550yen into a vest. I really want a vest.

Select Shop

2007-05-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

The select shops in Tokyo (some the size of a closet) sell anything: clothing (both new and used), accessories, furniture, light fixtures, electronics, stationary, food, anything. Unique and one of a kind items that the store buyer falls in love with and tries to sell.

Well, I walked into a select shop near my house today that was selling a Charlotte Russe shirt, and an H&M shirt for more than a James Perse, or a C&C California shirt! First of all, I was surprised at seeing Charlotte Russe in Japan, but besides that, the difference between the quality of these trendy American (or Swedish) fashion items is not huge, and yet when I saw the prices I thought, "only in Japan," or more specifically, "only in Tokyo."
A Charlotte Russe top and an H&M top both priced at roughly $100.
Very simple tops made out of very simple fabrics. The store definitely didn't have stock of these shirts, it was only one size, one color, one item.
I was shocked.
I think I made a noise, like a "I don't believe this," kinda "pshaw" noise, and the shop owner gave me a look, like "what's the big deal, guy's gotta make a living"/"your being rude" look.
So, I left.

What I like about these select shops though, is that they sell $600 Chloe sandals and $8 plastic bangles in the same store, or they'll hang a black Alexandre Herchcovitch dress next to some frilly over sized shirt made by one of the thousands of obscure Japanese labels. You'll find what you're looking for, especially if you don't know what that is.

Japan Today

2007-05-16T02:28:00.000-07:00

My friend sent me this article.

A boy who cut his mom's head off and turns himself into the police with the head.

oh my

Japan Today Article

A Visitor!

2007-05-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Alyssa came to Tokyo!
She flew in from Kobe, tagged along with her friend until Akasaka-Mitsuke, then e-mailed my cell phone from some internet cafe, and then we met in Shibuya!
We went to my grandparent's house, and my grandfather said if you really want to see Japan, you should go to Kyoto. Being 93 years old, you get the feeling he does not waste his words. We got a used travel guide, some train tickets and luckily we found a room available for the next day. This was during the beginning of Golden Week, a national holiday, so I was worried we wouldn't be able to find a room.

I had been to Kyoto, maybe 10 or more years ago, and I had seen a lot of the temples and gardens. Alyssa wasn't really sure what was what, and since the guide was in Japanese, and I could barely understand it, we basically looked at the pictures, and went to the places that looked interesting.
The photo above was taken at Arashiyama, in northern Kyoto. Temples, a river, and this bamboo forest.
We saw a geisha and maiko in Kyoto. Alyssa wanted to ask them for a picture, but they looked busy.
Alyssa came by boat, Semester at Sea. It was docked in Kobe, so we went there by train, and then said adieu.

I moved into a new place, and just got my internet set up. I am incredibly lucky to be living here. It's an open room my aunt has below her house in Nakameguro.

Let me list all the amenities that came with my room, only proving a portion of my good fortune.

-kitchen with two electric stoves, a small refrigerator, a pot, a pan, plates and silverware (although they aren't in the best condition, I can be impartial to it)
-bathroom (what they call a 'unit bath' with toilet, sink and tub)
-table and three chairs
-foldable bed with sheets and pillows
-air conditioner/heater
-a washer
-an iron
-cleaning supplies
-shelves
-TV (with cable)
-curtains
-internet

They also have a dog in the garage, and a cat upstairs.
It's a five minute walk to the train station, and a fifteen minute bike ride to my school (I'm also borrowing their bike).

I cleaned everything from inside out, but there's still dust everywhere, and it settles quickly under my bed, and on top of the TV. The walls are also pretty dirty, so I was thinking of painting them, white and orange.

Now, a list of how I can repay them:
-keep my room clean, so they can come in whenever they want
-take care of their pets when they're away
-let them use my Vonage phone to call their son in California
-try to sell their toys on ebay
-?

BeWa

2007-02-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

There was a group of 11 people who came to the restaurant today, a mix of Japanese and Gaijin. One of the guys lived in Scarsdale! But, it was his two American friends who came to me and asked me what I was doing in Japan.

So, I told them I'm going to study fashion, and they said, "So, you're going to be a world class fashion designer! You need a name that will be easy for Americans to remember. Do you know Mazda Seiko?" no, I do not know her, "it was easier for her to become famous since her name was easy to remember, Mazda, like the car, and Seiko, like the watches." Then his friend said, "And short, two syllables. Once there's a third syllable, people will forget it and can't say it right" A little later, they told me they have a name for my label, 'BeWa?' That's how he wrote it for me. "Be who, be when, be where, BeWa? and, once the economy starts using kanji, the name can be changed to Be和, harmony."

Everytime I went to their table, they would say, "BeWa-chan, BeWa-chan!"

It sounds like Biba, the British brand from the 70's, or CK, Calvin Klein.
I might use it someday. I mean, they said they both had their MA's, they know what they're talking about when it comes to marketing.

Biwa is also Japanese for a loquat!

Autumn

2006-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's already dark by 4:30 here. They (Japan) had daylight savings, but not anymore. They love their seasons here, and they have all four. They send letters during the middle of summer, and the middle of winter, and formal thank you letters start with a phrase that has to do with the season: "The hot weather continues," "the maple leaves are staring to turn red," "the cold weather continues," "the cherry blossoms are so beautiful these days."

I moved into my new dorm a few weeks ago. It's so much better than the other dorm. It's closer to school (so close that I can go home during my one hour lunch break, eat and take a nap), laundry is free, I don't have as much space as the other dorm, so I don't make as big of a mess, and my roommate and I get along really well. She told me about a mozilla extension "Rikaichan" where you put the cursor up to a word (in Japanese) and the meaning just pops up!

My grandfather broke his ankle a couple of weeks ago. He's much better now, he'll proabably start walking this weekend.

The Japanese Proficiency Test is in less than a month! We took a practice exam last week, and I passed, but I did terribly on the reading comprehension and grammar.

I'm starting a job this Saturday at a beer cafe. This place serves 160 different kinds of beers, mostly from Belgium. I'm depending on them to tell me absolutely everything I have to do in extreme detail, otherwise I'd be very nervous.

I went to Nikko last weekend. The hot springs was sooo nice.

back to school

2006-09-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Japanese language school's very monotonous. We get a schedule that maps out the weeks lessons, quizzes and tests, and it doesn't change a lot. But schedules are so we can look ahead and prepare for the next day's material. We stay in the same classroom the whole day, and the teachers move from room to room. Our seats change every once in a while, so we get partnered up with new people to practice conversation and pronounciation. During class, we repeat what the teacher says, and read off of the overhead a lot, otherwise, we don't really say that much.
I think that's the main reason why classes seem so monotonous. No one asks too many questions because the material we have to cover for that period is already determined, and if we don't get to it, well I don't know because it's never happened, but I guess we'd have to learn it on our own. Even when the teacher asks if there are questions, rarely will someone raise their hand, or shout something out; whatever questions you have, you can ask the teacher after, on your own time.
All of us are studying abroad in Japan, and the teachers will often ask what something is like in our countries: what the retirement age is, about pollution, dating. When someone makes a sentence using the grammar pattern we just learned, and says something like, "Recently in Taiwan, most people don't hold the same job for a long time," there's no chance for another student to ask a follow-up question. Or, we'll be asked a "yes" or "no" question, or a "I think so" or "I don't think so" question, and even for these, there's no time to continue discussing the topic. This continues for a while, and the result is that everyone thinks classes are boring.
At this French language school I went to, we spent most of the time talking about current issues: unemployment, President Bush, drugs. It was a summer course for three weeks, where classes were only three hours a day. The teacher would start with a topic, and list vocabulary words relating to it, then she'd initiate the conversation. She'd also play songs having to do with the issue at hand, and we'd fill in the blanks on a handout with the lyrics. I had the freakin' time of my life, so far, that summer, but not because of the summer course, and not because I didn't have a Japanese Proficiency Exam to worry about.
But I'll flat out say it, I prefer Western teaching habits. You're encouraged to ask questions and argue, you learn the basic form and make it your own, I think you create a closer relationship with your teachers, and every classroom has an American flag (at least until high school). Well, this Tuesday we're changing classes, so things will get switched up a bit. Same textbook and lessons, but new people. The weeks are definitely going by fast, it's already September, three more months until the exam. Language schools are different from regular schools though, according to my sempai, next year's training school will be frustrating as well, but not because classes are monotonous.

Atami

2006-08-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the last few days in Atami, at my uncle's shack in the mountains. I met his neighbors who had four Dalmations! They don't live there. They live in Gotanda, or maybe some other place in Tokyo, with three of their Dalmations. Their daughter is a year younger than me, and saw The Strokes perform at Fuji Rock Festival. It was the first time I saw my aunt and uncle in a social setting besides any family mumbo jumbo, and it was surprising to see how gregarious they could be. Before, I thought my uncle was awkward, just a little, or self-concious, but in the mountain he made jokes that were slightly offensive, but with good intentions. He did, however, remain as self-righteous as he always has been: his car that climbs up the narrow roads, the coffee maker, blah, blah. My aunt was friendly, as always, but seemed at ease in the mountain even though she had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to catch the train that would get her to Nakameguro by 8. Her co-worker's father had passed away, and she was going to his funeral. All our meals were outside, we went swimming in the ocean, climbed up the mountain (in my uncle's car), went to the bath, saw the stars, I got to read my book (The Poisonwood Bible), and take naps, drink aloe goya banana milk shakes. I guess I'm mentioning this because, well because it's so new to me. Not their place in Atami, but that part of their lives to me is new. Everyone has had the past few days off in memory of the war, and soldiers who fought in it, and pretty much everyone has a grave they can go visit. But we went to the mountain and spent a couple nights.

III

2006-07-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Marilia from Brasilia. My sempai, who's in her second year studying as a stylist at Bunka Fashion College, dressed her up and took pictures. If the link works, and you have some free time, there are more.

I decided to take the level 2 Japanese Language Proficiency Test, in December. There are 4 levels, level 1 means you are proficient, level 4 means you've put in some effort to learn Japanese. Next week we are taking level 2 practice exams, so we'll if I can get by. I'll take level 1 next year.

My summer break starts next week. I'm going on two homestays. One in Ishikawa, and the other is in Hokkaido. I have to think of things to tell the host family about my country... Paul Bunyan, the Giant Lumberjack, chocolate covered pretzels... what else, what else... I've always avoided doing homestays because I don't like the idea of being in someone else's home, and sleeping in someone else's bed, or showering in someone else's shower. I have to watch myself to make sure I don't interupt their way of living, just like I'm sure the family will be watching me. But I've turned over a new leaf, and signed up for two homestays within the next month. Hopefully, I'll come back and my face will hurt from smiling so much, and not because I had been acting overtly polite the whole time.

There seems to be some hubbub about North Korean missiles in the Sea of Japan... Honestly, I wouldn't have even known if it had flown into my sink.

I got a vonage phoneline here. It's a New York area code, so there are no international rates, only the time difference.

Oh, and Marilia and I will be sharing a room in September!

II

2006-07-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

from left to right: Lamai, from Laos, Jasline, from Singapore, Phai, from Thailand. They are going to see the fireworks show in Yokohama.

Last night, Jasline showed us a Singaporean movie, called "I Not Stupid," it has a lot to do with the people and culture. They speak about 4 languages daily, including Singlish, which is a language peculiar to Singapore. There's a video on You-Tube (which she also showed us), it's quite funny. It sounds like nothing I've ever heard before, but it's this dialect of English, in Asia.

I found the Japanese verison of Vice Magazine, Volume 2 Number 10 The Cops Issue. It was at a record store in Shimokitazawa. I remember when I was a kid (which I no longer am since I turned 20) picking up this magazine somewhere on Christopher Street and thinking it was the coolest magazine ever. It has the 'do's and don'ts' section, and the cruel humor and mockery still applies in Japanese.

My aunt was nice enough to lend me one of her bikes. It takes about 15 minutes to ride to Harajuku, or Shibuya. It took me about 30 minutes to ride to Roppongi. It's good excercise, I save money, and I get to see the streets of Tokyo. The wheels are smaller than an average bike which makes it easy to maneuver around small turns, but it doesn't go fast.

It's been so hot here. I've been taking at least two showers every day because of the humidity.

www.pandora.com

2006-06-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

My friend told me about this website. It's free radio. I'm listening to it now...The Organ. You make stations of artists you like, and they play music based on the sound and genre of that artist.
Kyle, those speakers are so good. I can play my music really loud too becuase the walls are made of concrete so you don't hear your neighbor. It's awesome.
I don't watch TV cause I don't have one in my room, but my friends from class, Lee Jeung, and Boseung, told me about this Japanese TV drama today called, "Attention, Please." It's about a flight attendent who works for JAL, and her co-workers. It was outrageous, man. The most dramatic part of the episode was when the flight was delayed because a door was showing up on the monitor as being open. There was an old guy and some lady complaining, a crying baby, then the main character starting singing "Happy Birthday" to the baby, because it was its birthday, and everyone starts singing, then the "system malfunction" gets fixed by some guy who took charge of the situation for the first time. Come on. I'd rather watch Steve O get bitten all over by a bunch of ants.

I

2006-06-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

So I will begin to introduce my friends here to you.
This is Natalie and Linda. We are in Nagano, a few hours away from Tokyo, at my school’s “camp.” It’s the school’s small resort really, there is skiing in the winter, a hot spring, golf, a lake, a gymnasium, and meeting rooms. The whole school was there for three days and two nights.
Nathalie (wearing pink) is from Columbia. When I first saw her I thought she couldn’t be older than me, but on the contrary Nathalie is 22. She hates spiders, and likes it when I talk with a Southern accent. Next year she’s studying photography.
Linda is my age from the Marshall Islands, but grew up in California and Hawaii. She tells me Marshallese folklore, and traditions. We joke about how small the islands are, and how small Nathalie is.
Linda’s leaving though; she’s going back to Hawaii at the end of the month. She’s had the past few months to think about what she wants to do, and I think she’s doing what’s best for her. I’m going to miss her a lot.

what i missed

2006-05-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

general things i missed thus far:
Katherine and Jonah's Wedding Party: my family in the New York setting, the food, the general partying.
Janet's Surprise Birthday Party: my friends, the surprise, the general partying.
The Disassembling of my Bed: Mariko getting grossed out/pissed off about the mess underneath it.
Beginning of Summer Break/End of Classes.

what am I missing? please comment.

Sam, Ian, Billy and Alex's house warming party.

At Meguro Gajoen.
This was a hotel in the 1930's. Its wooden beams and carvings are very beautiful, it reminded me of the movie 'Spirited Away'. They built an addition to it which is now a luxury hotel. The public bathrooms had a stream flowing through it!
If you are traveling to Japan and have deeeep pockets, I recommend it.

Here is a picture of my grandmother (middle), aunt (right), and cousin (far left). We went here for my grandfather's 90th birthday (note: he is 92 years old now). After a tour of the old building, we went to have lunch at one of the hotel's restaurants. Our room was designed to give the feeling that we are outside in the moutains. The ceiling lights were behind a paper canopy, so the light was distributed across the whole ceiling. The floor was raised, and along two sides of the room there was water running over a ledge, and purple irises. Another side of the room had sliding glass and paper doors that faced a small courtyard. The food was amazing.
I saw my cousin Tomoharu Ido for the first time in roughly 9 years. He lives in Hiroshima. I hope to visit him one day.

today

2006-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today, I fried bananas I had frozen because I didn't want them to go bad, in my new frying pan.
I once had fried bananas at my brother's friend's place in Pennsylvania with ice cream, it was when I first got my cell phone.
ZZ, a woman I used to work for during high school, ate a lot of bananas.
My friend cut them in half, length-wise, and they got a little burnt, and crispy. It was very good, but I don't know when I will make them again.

This is what I ate on one of the first days of April.
It was from the 24 hour Lawson convenient store downstairs, next to the post office. I've only had this once, however, I'm sure they are selling this today.
I paid my water bill and sent a letter there today.
I sent my condolences to Mrs. Garcia in Florida, ZZ's daughter. I received a letter from her today saying that ZZ had passed away on March 1. Earlier this month I sent ZZ a letter in Rye after I had a terrible dream where felt really guilty for not keeping in touch with her.
I've had a lot of dreams since I got to Japan, but now that I think of it, not recently.

*the feeling of absurdity*