A-B-C

totally wiped out on the bike yesterday. got a busted bike and a generous helping of scrapes and bruises to show for it. but a hot guy stopped to help, and i narrowly missed falling onto a fresh pile of dog poo, so things weren't that bad!

had a nightmare. this one's going to last into waking hours.

2 slices white bread w/ guava jam & nutella
deep fried peking pork chops
beef chow fun
choy sum w/ oyster sauce
1/4 of a watermelon
2 slices of banana bread
half a liter of aloe juice
shrimp chips

Per B's request, going to start taking notes on what I eat daily.
Here's today!

Strawberry pop-tart
75% of a chicken salad x bacon x avocado x lettuce x tomato sandwhich
chicken katsu x black rice with dates
2 pieces of macadamia nut chocolate
4 slices of white bread x lots and lots of nutella and guava jam
apple cider with apple cider vinegar

Been taking apple cider with ACV daily (4:1 ratio), mostly out of habit since my grandma used to make me drink it. (Well, it was white vinegar with water, 1:2 ratio blegh.) Not sure what the health benefits are, or if there are any. But might as well go with it as long as there aren't any serious health risks involved. Although who knows if it'd even matter if there were warnings against ACV mixes. I mean, even tofu will give you dementia now. But at least it's better than commie cooties in the water.

I've been meaning to start documenting my first experiences at being one of those bicycling commuters you thought you'd never be. You know what I'm talking about--the people you curse for making you slow down because you're not sure if you can pass them, and in the end you may just run into them because they always don the craziest neon vests and attach blinkers on every article of clothing. Yes, I've become one of those-minus the fashion faux pas.

I'm going to be dedicating a lot of posts on this blog specifically to share my experiences on how I am integrating bicycling as a daily routine and my interpretation of the urban cycling culture in the Bay Area.

Many times before riding, I really have to mentally prepare myself and remind myself to be alert. There are many times where I have had close encounters that could have ended up in a bad situation IF I lost my concentration for one second. What can I say, I'm a natural when it comes to day dreaming! So, preparing myself to be out on the road 5 days a week for 14 miles each day--I had some serious planning ahead of me. It's one thing to have a bicycle for leisure and errands on the weekends, but when it becomes your one mode of transportation to get to and from places, it really gives you confidence as a rider to research and learn more about what you're tackling. Maybe I'm just the sort of person who likes to be prepared before I put myself out on the street with other faster moving objects. Maybe it's because I've already had a pretty traumatizing experience with flying off my bicycle and breaking my clavicle. Just hearing those horror stories about the most experienced bicyclists who fall victim to cars and the road is already enough for me to protect myself and just prepare for the worst.

Case in point, I fell off my bicycle today. And no, battle scars on girls are not cool. I have a gashed knee and many bruises and scrapes all over my legs. Think, bare legs meeting asphalt and grease and gears. By how clean the two large gashes on my knees are--it's probably from the teeth of gears of my own bicycle. I feel like my legs are mangled up and have been chewed on. On the upside of it all, I had a smashing outfit on.

The cause of the actual fall is not noteworthy, but I do blame my lack of focus on the road and negligence to take care of my bicycle as the cause of it. My saddle was loose. When I mean loose, I mean it was sliding up and down on the seat post. Riding to work was so painful because the bicycle I am riding now is already in such an uncomfortable position that having the seat not stay in place just adds to the discomfort. I should have gone to the bicycle shop around the corner to just ask them to use some tools. Instead, I decided to tough it out
and not do anything about it. Bad idea. Another bad idea is not having the proper equipment to secure your items on your back rack. I have using this satin ribbon to tie my purses and lunches to the rack. Bad idea. I was speeding past the intersection when I realized I couldn't pedal anymore. In the middle of the intersection. When I picked up my bicycle and headed towards the sidewalk, I realized the ribbon was all tangled up in the gears on the back wheel. How smart can one be? Just one bad thing after another.

I have learned much from this experience and tomorrow I will post up some tips to have safer ride. Learn from my mistakes, fellow lady-riders!

A pattern of seeking sentimental, beautiful songs is beginning to emerge, isn't it? Anyway, aside from finally "getting" all those cheesy love songs, I've also been getting back into old musical favorites like Philip Glass and Joe Hisaishi. Here's a choral performance of "Caresse Sur L'Océan" by Bruno Coulais for the film, "Les Choristes."

I'm constantly adding new homemade, natural beauty products to my "recipe" box, and since I saw "A" using a sugar scrub, I was looking to try another one with remains/discards. I know, that sounds sort of like, using trash to wash your face, but no, no! Listen! Here's a quick tutorial from Michelle Phan (another one of those make-up tutorial girls that has infiltrated youtube-land) but it's super simple and you can just use the TOP of the tomato and eat the rest. I like to eat. Organic only, ladies and gents! It really left my skin feeling silky, amooth and fortified with lycopene! Whoo-whee!

Jumping on the buzz bandwagon over Susan Boyle's performance for Britain's Got Talent.
I hate cheesiness, but damn. That shit was moving. Susan Boyle, you are fucking fierce.

So, I get poked at a bit from "A" because I browse fashion blogs of little teenage fashionbloggernistas and I must admit, they are willing to put themselves out there and do anything. And I mean, any thing. Either they have more time, dedication, and narcissistic enough at that age to really try to discover their own selves. The outcome is this raw insight powered by their naivety and willingness to try everything new to be different. Aw, are they the darnest things? Another great aspect about the weird world of personal fashion blogs are all the DIYs of pieces that I can't or don't really want to pay for because it's just that simple.

A piece I covet and will make a DIY version of soon is the Pleasure Principle Shawl Dress. It's not a new concept to have one article of clothing transform into many. It's just like how fashion designers drape clothing on a form. I could argue that it's less thought out than a piece of clothing with one function, but who can ignore the fact that you can create this great shapes and silhouettes depending on your body shape?


It's worn so well by one of fashionbloggernistas that I follow, childhood flames, because she likes to play with her clothes and make it her own. (My only wish is that she combs her hair! Everything about her look is so well thought out and then, the HAIR! yikes!) Also she likes to limit the pieces she owns to make her closet more versitale and paired down to the bare essentials. I like that idealogy. More is not necessarily better, in her case. For me as well, since my new closet is tiny.

DIY by Sue.
More Pleasure Principle with photoshoot from local store here in SF, Harputs Market, which has gotten a lot of exposure over the web from sending free merch to all those fashionbloggernistas. Smooth Moves, Harputs.
Fall/08 Pleasure Principle Dress with Scarves $270
Gray Tank Dress with Knot $270

Who wants to DIY with me?

Moss Mills_Lorraine Belt in Red for $29.40

What better thing to do to fight the recession (or depression) with online window-shopping therapy. Maybe you'll find pieces here that are worth buying and won't completely break the bank. Treat yourself, hun. You've worked hard sending out a million applications to positions you're over-qualified for. It's okay, eat a Two-Bite brownie while you're at it.

I like thin red belts. I like animal closures. I like leather.










Twinkle - Women's Knitted Cowl Sweater (Aluminum/Coral) $134

I like this silhouette. (I just remembered how to spell silhouette without looking it up.) That deserves a reward right?

I want to learn more about knits. Machine knitting, more hand knitting techniques, or dying techniques...beautiful right?

Wujiang Snack Street to be demolished.
Ethnocide hooray!

A long while back, I bought some candy off a street vendor in Seoul. One candy was some kind of rock candy, the other was corn silk that had been pounded, sugared, and dried. When I showed my mom the corn candy she was surprised. Apparently, it was a poor man's war time sweet that no one made or ate anymore. It was good enough that ten-something years later, I still have a hankering for it. But that was the only time I ever saw it sold, and no one else seems to have seen it either. If anyone does see it, the ABC mail box is open 24/7~

There are endangered animals and endangered languages. What about endangered cuisines? Are there programs or schools that help protect against the loss of "commoner cuisine?" Maybe my next comic will about an anthropologist chef that travels the world documenting disappearing street foods and home dishes.

Had to post this before March ends. Can't wait for the warm weather to settle in, and bust out the bossa nova and wedge sandals.

I can't say I enjoy any Annie Leibovitz's work, but I do like Italians, couture and have an undeniable wish to be Alice Liddell...see the rest of the Vogue issue.

I just watched the new movie out TOKYO! at the Berkeley Theater, which by the way, is THE WAY to watch all movies. Think, converted colorful mosque interiors, crystal clear projections, full black leather seats and cup holders that actually hold a smaller cup and not just for the jumbo-extra-large soda cups they sell at AMC...

I think I really wanted to watch this movie, not only for the all-star director list, but also because I realized I didn't know as much about Japanese culture as A and C. Though, if you think about it, the Japanese are pure trendsetters and culture whores, where they seemingly always surprise me with something outrageous and expectant of their ways at the same time. How can I not keep up learning about these people? So, one thing I learned after watching TOKYO! is a glimpse into the subculture of hikikomori where people are shut-in and never leave the confinements of their home. The interior of this mans house is articulate and looks as if it was built with reuse materials. (Uh, HA! actually 11 years of toilet rolls and pizza boxes to be more exact.) In his insanity or paranoia to leave his home, he manages to create this wonderful living space that any green interior architect could take inspiration from.So, anyway, the main antagonist shuts himself in for 11 years before some incident happens and he meets her...the actress is quietly stunning. I love the proportions of the features of her face.

Finished and loved Michiko & Hatchin (ミチコとハッチン). No surprise, since I loved the movie City of God ("Cidade de Deus") by Fernando Meireilles and Kátia Lund, which was the inspiration for this series. The clothes by Colcci and impressive voice acting by Yoko Maki (Ju-On) and Suzuka Ohgo (Memoirs of a Geisha) helped too. The series overall has lots of film-esque elements, but it's balanced nicely by a self-awareness of animation as the working medium. It just sucks that budget really undermined the quality of the animation in more than a couple episodes.

Now that Sunrise has acquired quality control rights to the script, I'm actually looking forward to Keanu Reeves' adaptation of Cowboy Bebop.

It'd be nice to feel totally unabashed by the stigma of nerdiness. Like the Naruto fans wearing their headbands to the park, or the 40-year-old dude with the anime girl t-shirt on the train. But posting about this stuff under pseudonym to a blog is just about the limits of my ability.

When Christian, Jan and I were discussing the content of our contributions to this blog, I wasn't sure what to post exactly. At first, it was going to be whatever I felt like. The household wonders of baking soda and vinegar, sliming with peanut butter, the insanity of U.S. anti-pedophile laws that criminalize dumb teens, and why Marc Jacobs sucks.
But it seemed a little too random and better suited for a personal journal. So I thought it'd be better to play between Jan's gamer geek and Christian's home and style posts. Dunno. Dude, you guys get posting!

Cut back on lots of things to save up for a small splurge. The target for the splurge came down to a choice between the DSi and a convertible rucksack by Stella McCartney for Le Sport Sac (Fall 08). The bag won, seeming like the more practical purchase. Plus, there's nothing wrong with my current DS, and the new DSi isn't much of a break from it. Aside from Nintendo devotion and an attraction to shiny new things, there didn't seem like any good reason to bother with a DSi at all.

But if some benevolent stranger threw cash at me and said, "Go forth and buy," I wouldn't complain.

People think it's silly to worry about privacy rights, or that it's impossible for people to spy on you via your MacBook's camera. Then something like GhostNet hits the pages of the New York Times, and there's some vindication in being a so-called crazy conspiracy theorist.

In less creepy news, the crêpe place down the block went out of business. Anyone who's ever been a regular anywhere will understand how hard it sucks when one of your favorite places bites the dust. Especially when said place made crêpes like fancy burritos, and gave you complimentary chocolate Belgian waffles.

This calls for cheering up with a little nostalgia-



Calico Critters/Sylvanian Families are one of the few things from childhood that managed to survive and escape mutilation in the name of modernization. If it's not obvious from the images displayed, the Rabbit families were my favorite. Luckily, there's a ton of places that still carry the toy line! Because spending $3 towards a little kid's toy instead of a draft during happy hour is what real adults do.

I just closed my blog entry. Don't you hate that. I'm always juggling 2 Firefox windows with 5-10 tabs a piece and of course I always close the one I needed the most.

I settled a credit card debt today. For 40% of my balance paid in 3 installments. It's a huge load off my chest. I thought about rewarding myself with a video game, but then I remembered: I'm setting a CREDIT CARD DEBT. QQ So I'm going to treat myself by playing with a baby tonight, it'll be like Imagine Babyz irl.

I'm always using random gaming terms and then Christian has to ask me what the hell I'm talking about. So here it is. IRL stands for in real life. Gamers are such dorks.

I know this outfit may have a lack of color, but what it lacks for in the color spectrum it makes up in it's shape. I think anyone with a little hip and B's could appreciate this look. If I could change one thing, I would swap for some killer neon colored heels. (via NAST-magazine.)