my collection of pendant watches

from left to right: an orange (w/ leaves), a daisy flower and a zipper.

rose, i'm feeling older

venue: the fillmore
artist: camera obscura & agent ribbons
who: ro
when: 8 june 2009 (monday)
doors open at 8p

this is the 3rd time i've seen camera obscura, and all three with ro in some shape, form or another. we missed the opening band as we were upstairs watching the bohemian band with the cellist/vocalist and violinist. there was a drummer too but there's always a drummer. the cellist/vocalist had her hair in dreadlocks which always seems really dirty to me. don't you have to stop washing your hair for months in order for it to form proper dreads? i can barely go without washing my hair once a day, which is supposed to be bad for your hair but my hair gets so... uh, too much information so i'm going to stop there. anyway, i really enjoyed her voice and cello playing. it was very folky and ethereal. pretty, unlike her hair. ha. ok, no more.

the first time i saw camera obscura, i was really impressed. and i loved that cd (let's get out of this country) so much that i didn't mind tracyanne's pitch being slightly off. as happy as i was to hear them live, i still noticed it. this time tho, i felt like a proud parent. her pitch was right on. still lovely and angelic. their songs take me to a different place and time. it makes me want to get out of this country, really.

i keep referencing the last album because i liked it so much. i'm still listening to my maudlin career.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ i was lucky, like a 4-leaf clover...

double the shows, double the love

venue: bottom of the hill (sold out!!)
artist: jens lekman & tig notaro (opening act)
who: ro
when: 1-2 june 2009 (monday & tuesday)

i flew back early from LA last weekend to make it to the jens lekman show on monday. ro was kind enough to pick me up from the airport to head straight to the show. we planned on going to goat hill pizza again but the wait (it was all-you-can-eat night) was too long so we ended up at lingba, just across the street. no wait and actually, not a whole lot of people in the lounge. we ordered the seafood platter, which was nothing special. maybe it was all the fried food (french fries & onion rings) i'd had in burbank. but i couldn't really handle all the fried calamari and fried prawns. ro & i barely touched the calamari but we finished the spring rolls and grilled prawns. i also ate the pineapple base for the grilled prawns. it was so-so for the price.

ro read that the opening was something we shouldn't miss. so, we got in line and waited to get in. tig notaro is a stand-up comic who does this type of awkward comedy. she was very entertaining. so much that i became of "fan" of hers on stalkerbook. check her skits out on youtube.

about jens... i don't know if this post can convey the awe & love i feel for him and his music. and, i know i'm not the only one. as i stood in the middle of this sold-out crowd watching him, i could see and feel everyone around me doing & feeling the same. we were all completely and utterly mesmerized by jens. he's spellbinding. and his voice is perfect with every pitch and beat. we didn't want him to stop. even if he was just talking, i think we'd still all be totally hooked and hanging onto his every syllable. to top it off, he's absolutely adorable! this was just from the first show.

on the second night, we decided we could skip tig notaro and make it to goat hill pizza. we were seated next to these two guys. i swear, if i couldn't hear their voices but heard every single word of their conversation, i would have thought they were chicks. because they were whining about the opposite sex like stupid little girls. i mean, the guy was analyzing every l i t t l e thing. and the chick he was in love with was playing him like the fool he clearly is. pathetic. ro & i hardly said a word to each other in an effort to eavesdrop on our neighbors. you couldn't not eavesdrop as you are seated in such close proximity to one another. they were so absorbed with this guy's girl problems that i don't think they noticed us listening. heh. oh yeah, the pizza was yummy.

at the last two shows (three including this second night), jens makes an announcement about recording his shows. well, a request really. he asks that if we so choose to film the show, that we don't put it online. this second night, i decided to bring my flip and i'm not talking about ro. hahaha. anyway, ro was again, so kind to be the guest videographer for the night. he has the creativity for it and frankly, if i had filmed it, it would just be a bunch of backs & heads of the people in front and all around me. the sound on that little camcorder is pretty amazing. i was quite impressed with it as well as ro's zooming in & out at all the right times. thanks ro!

jens invited us to stay after to talk to him as he did the last two shows. i was a bit too tired the night before so tonight was going to be the night! we went outside and waited for him, along with everyone else. i so wanted to talk to him but i didn't want to be the retard i was the last time. so i chickened out and we left. booooo. i know, i'm lame. :(

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ bom, bom, bom, bom, bom....

new shoes!

these cole haan shoes in champagne (how fitting!) are in the nike air collection. which means they are uber comfy and sexy. i wore them to a wedding last saturday in pasadena. not only were they perfect for my tadashi dress in chocolate, they were also painless and so so pretty. they are padded in all the right places. i got them 60% off at the nordstrom half yearly sale! yay!

bling! ...because i ain't waiting for any man to buy me some...

i got my first one in the summer of 2007. it's nearly 2 years later, and due time for the second one. this is the bony levy swirl ring by carriére from nordstrom in 18k white gold, diamond weight per ring is 0.51ct (totaling 1.02ct), g color and vs clarity.

i'm debating a third one...

i have another nephew!

say hello!
to my new nephew...
born on sunday, may 24 @ 7:37am.
meet pax
nhat khanh.
he weighed in at 6 lbs and 3 oz at 19 ½ inches. my brother's second son. he looks just like his daddy and his brother!

and pax's big brother, jett. they are 2 weeks shy of being exactly 2 years apart. he's such a happy boy! congrats to david & thuy!

finally... these shoes after nearly 4 years

i've been eyeing mbt shoes for over 4 years, maybe 5. i'd decided to buy a pair back in 2005, but i used my bonus for something else. these orange ones are especially cute and bright. and best of all, they are mine and still give me height. now, i just have to learn to wear them...

oodles and oodles of cupcakes

chocolate peanut butter, vanilla coconut w/ marsh-mallow cream cheese frosting, and strawberry cupcakes... oh my!

i made over 100 of these, each. totaling approx 350, for my niece & nephew's birthday party today. i'm cupcake'd out!

dance dance dance

the chunkster has an upcoming dance recital next month. on the right, she's a fairy princess. this is the costume for the ballet portion of her recital. and to the left(below) is her tap dance costume. she's a lady bug. isn't she the cutest lady bug??

happy 1st year anniversary to me!

last year, today, i kicked cancer's ass. naturally, i had to celebrate. it was planned last minute, but quite successful. betty and i went together. grace, bobby, tony and jordan showed up later to make our intimate party better i went to my usual place, xanh, to celebrate. shea, their bartender is the coolest. his presence helped make the celebrations fabulous. he also makes the best deviations.

and the cherry on top, kelly gave birth to her second beauty. so i had to go visit and meet sophia grace. please help me welcome sophia grace keiko burich. born earlier today @ 2:56p weighing in at 7 lbs & 15 oz and 20" long. what a cutie!

congrats to kelly & chris! and emily for being a big sister! ♥

a beautiful time

italian men seem to enjoy using the word, beautiful. the wine was beautiful. the eggplant parmigiana was beautiful. and we were told, were beautiful women. it was a beautiful time.

on saturday, my beautiful friend, funie invited me up to north beach for dinner. turns out she and another beautiful friend were there the day before and passed by this restaurant with flirtatious italian boys. which is just what i needed because i've been so busy with my new job that i've no time to even notice boys these days. è tutto qua in north beach not only has good food but also cute boys who flirt with you. and it seems like the most natural thing to them.

we started with a beautiful half bottle of red wine. it was smooth and flavorful. we had the eggplant parmigiana as a starter. it was cheesilicious. i ordered the spaghetti neri (the squid ink pasta with mixed seafood in a garlic and white wine sauce). it looked (as you can see) and tasted beautiful.
we completed our dinner with two cappuccinos and their panna cotta. funny story about the panna cotta. as i was looking at the dessert menu, the only thing i wanted was the panna cotta. i turned to funie and before i could say anything, she says she didn't really want anything sweet but would have the panna cotta. clearly, we are on the same wavelength. on many different (& pleasantly surprising) levels. before we could order, the host (above on the left) stops over and has one recommendation for us, their panna cotta. we weren't speaking very loud when we agreed on it and there was no way he could have heard. i was so flabbergasted by the coincidence of the panna cotta, that i started hitting him with the menu. crazy!

the panna cotta was so scrumptious that we didn't think to photograph it before inhaling it. it was quite delightful and i look forward to going back (with funie!) to try the rest of their menu.

linda linda linda

i watch a lot of anime so this very cute japanese film affectionately entitled linda linda linda came up on my netflix. named after the song (only 2 lindas) by the blue hearts, a japanese punk band influenced by the ramones (who make a fictional guest appearance). see/hear the song here. it's the version from the movie. very catchy, if you ask me.

the movie is about girls. teenage girls who come together randomly to form a band just to participate in a rock festival. well, the singer is the random component. she replaces the vocalist who had to leave the former band as a result of some cat fight with another former band member. the story includes a myriad of female social issues. the different lives each member of the band leads. there's a leader and followers. awkwardness between strangers and new friendships (kindred spirits are realized) and most entertaining, awkward relations with their male counterparts. the ending is not so surprising as it ends happily and makes you feel good, in general. it's about friendship and music, which i really enjoyed.

and most important, i now know how to write my name in japanese. hahaha.

march booties

these booties are black leather with patent leather accents at the toe and heel of 3 ½" heels. these booties look familiar to you because i have them in chalk or cement. the black pair, however, is more versatile. i found that i could only wear the chalk ones with similar tights. both booties look sexy with jeans. i like that i can just slip them on and off (no zippers!). i love wearing them with dresses or skirts.

new job!

today, i accepted a job offer. after nearly 5 years in my current position, i am leaving colleagues, students and great friends. i've been very happy there but i feel it's time to move on. especially when the opportunity is too great to pass over.

the thought of leaving truly saddens me. i hope the reality will be better. wish me luck!

february black boots

last year, i instilled a new rule/resolution. it was the anything but black rule. and yet, i still purchased 3 pairs of black shoes and boots. not bad out of 16 pairs purchased in 2008, right? um, right.

since square-toed shoes have gone out of style, i've been reduced to replacing at least a couple pairs. these round-toed ankle boots with 3-inch stiletto heels are not only sexy and classic but also surprisingly comfortable. i took these dancing with me the other night at popscene. and walking around all day today. they are absolutely fabulous!

until we bleed

venue: the fillmore (sold out!)
artist: lykke li & wildbird & peacedrums
who: ro
when: 15 february 2009 (sunday)
doors open at 7p

last sunday, ro & i faced the raging california storm up to the city for lykke li's show at the fillmore. we had the much needed rain all weekend. and more. on sunday, it was non-stop. and didn't let up until we were on our way home.

we left early to head up so we could take time to get there (it took an hour and a half), get parking (at the kabuki theatre), and have dinner (korean bbq, mmm). with all of this, we still arrived at the fillmore before 8p. we coat checked our stuff, looked at the merch and went upstairs to find seats. i'd been going to the fillmore since 1994 (the they might be giants & frente! show), i don't think i'd ever once gone upstairs. for some reason, i kept thinking it was off limits to the general public, just for vips.

there is a whole other venue upstairs. that's where the food is! there was a little stage and an act performing (this woman with a guitar singing concrete blonde's joey, man i loved that song way back when). this room was filled with fillmore posters. it was pretty amazing. we sat and listened for a bit. then headed downstairs. it was just in time for the opening band, the wildbird & peacedrums. it was a two-person band. one vocalist and one drummer. that was it, really. no guitars, no keyboards. and surprise, i knew one of the songs. random.

this was a sold out show. the second sold out show i've been to at the fillmore recently. last year's death cab for cutie show was completely sold out. ro & i found ourselves a decent spot. i could actually still see despite these two giants standing right by us. oddly enough, the two were a couple. i think the woman was the tallest woman at the show. very random.

after we saw lykke back in november, ro mentioned how great it would be if lykke li performed until we bleed. the song is actually by kleerup, featuring lykke li. it is a fantastic song. this song makes me break it down in my apartment and rock out in my car. at the show, she asked if she could sing it. since kleerup wasn't there, she sang a different softer version of the song. she also sang one or two new songs. i noticed that not only are her back up singers men but, her entire band is male. they were all kinda hot too. sort of like how jens lekman has an all female band. i suppose the all male band is more common, just not the hot part. if this is how the swedes roll, i like it.

i ♥ lykke li. but clearly and previously noted here, many many others ♥ her. which means, we may not be able to see her again. she is getting too mainstream. she'll soon play at larger venues such as the greek in berkeley, then the shoreline in mountain view. while i enjoy the greek theatre, i detest the shoreline. the only band i'll see there now is new order. i keep side-tracking. back to the show... it was awesome. half of the crowd was rocking out. and the cherry on top, despite selling her own poster at the merch table, the fillmore dispensed free posters. this is why you pay the extra fees to go to the fillmore... for the posters.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ dance, dance, dance

me kissing my lollipophead

i made this animated gif file on gickr from the webcam pictures below.
fun fun fun.

new year... new boots

happy belated chinese new year! it's the year of the earth ox this year. and next year is my year. the year of the tiger. metal tiger to be specific. i am a wood tiger, which turns out, is the strongest wood animal. chinese new year starts on valentine's day next year. sounds like it will be a romantic year...

there are so many different components in chinese astrology. you have your animal (12 total). then you have your element (5 total). you also have your yin and yang forms. there are the categories of 4 trines. and you have your inner and secret animals. finally (i think?), you have either a power or romance sign. according to wikipedia, i am a wood tiger (yang) in the 3rd trine and one of the power signs. which is disappointing because i thought i'd be a romantic sign. oh well... my inner animal is a water pig. my secret animal is the ox. this part gets confusing. see the link for more details.

in celebration of the new lunar year, i got myself a new pair of boots. well, not really. it's just an excuse for shopping. i wasn't planning to get them but at 70% off and in my size, i couldn't say no.

if these look a little familiar to you, that's because i have a pair of jcrew boots that are a tiny bit similar. the buckle is at the top as opposed to the ankle. and these have a 3 ½" heel. the jcrew ones are at about 2 ½". the leather on this pair is smooth and soft while the jcrew pair has rugged leather in a darker shade of brown. and most importantly, they were half as much as the jcrew ones! ok, i'm done making excuses!

new hair, new glasses

last weekend, i got my hair cut. shorter, flippy, with a different part, complete with bangs. specifically bitch bangs, is what my hairdresser calls them.

today, i got my new glasses. they are very pretty wine colored transparent plastic frames with bling on the arms which most of us ladies love. i also got transition lenses in case i find myself wearing them in broad daylight, as they will most likely only be worn at night between the removal of my contact lenses and bed. that might be 20 minutes a day.


this is webcam fun with my lollipop head.

shoe of the year

in addition to seeing a lot of live bands, i also bought a lot of shoes. my plan to limit myself to one every 6 weeks blew up in my face. had i followed that plan correctly, i would have ended up with 9 pairs of shoes. not 16. that's right, 16 pairs.

back to the shoe of the year. lisa gave me this idea for a post. she was looking at all the shoes i got in 2008 and we decided the top pair had to be this pair:
my beautiful pink miu mius. not only did i get an excellent deal on them but they are absolutely gorgeous. the mauve pink patent leather and two buckled straps add unique details. they are so lovely, they make me feel fabulous!

second runner up are these kate spades in plum: in last place are these via spiga booties:

which ones do you like the best?