Getting Shot & Loving It

This past weekend, Alie and I were lucky enough to be photographed by two very awesome photographer friends of ours. The shoots could not have been more different, and the visions and end results of the individual photographers more contrary, but each outcome was stunning in their own special way. I feel so lucky to have such talented friends whom are happy to take the time to shoot me and Alie.

Saturday was spent baking cupcakes and readying my apartment for our shoot with Ryan Schude, the talented photographer behind our abandoned zoo photo. Ryan is one of the sweetest people I've met, and having posed for him once before, I knew we were in for a fun day.

I was happy to put myself in Ryan's hands, and though we started out pretty basic (standing and "smizing" and generally looking vintagey-cute) it wasn't long before we were on the floor, cupcakes and cats strewn about, with a smoke machine hissing in the background.

getting ready for the shoot

I'm still finding sprinkles in the cracks of my wood floor, and my outfit from that day needs dry cleaning to get the food-colored icing out, but after seeing the end result (below), it was so fucking worth it.

Right???! Click here to see it up close and personal.

Sunday was beautiful and sunny, so Alie and I donned our best Summer dresses and headed to the famously decrepit Koreatown bowling alley, Shatto Lanes, for an hour or so of shooting with Laura Taylor. We know Laura through friends, although we had never met her. We asked if she'd be interested in taking our picture after seeing her stunningly dreamy and lovely photos on her website. We figured she'd be a good match for us, since we seem to have similar aesthetics. We weren't wrong.

One thing you should know about Laura is that, she herself, is fucking beautiful. Like, one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in person. Aside from that, she's the most talented 21 year old I've ever met. But! she's also incredibly down to earth, funny, and super sweet. This girl has a huge career ahead of her, ya hear?

After eating a questionable but yummy hot dog from the old-school snack counter and playing a rousing game of Foosball, we happened upon an empty back room full of pool tables and lovely natural light streaming through the windows. It had a rec room/old school Boys & Girls club feel to it. We moved from here to there as Laura snapped away, much different than the day before with Ryan taking exact shots one at a time. I was worried I was making weird faces or blinking, but I quickly fell into a rhythm with Alie and I had a good feeling when we left.

The shots are below. Larger versions here and here. Don't forget to check out Laura's website for more of her dreamy work!

Feng Shui'd

I've been waiting to post this entry for quite a while now. You see, a few months back...an embarrassingly long few months back, I had a little get-together with a girl I met via Tumblr. She specializes in all things Feng Shui, and I contacted her about giving me some feedback via email about my then-new apartment.

I emailed her photos, and told her the problems I was having (both in my life and with the "vibe" of my apartment), and she promptly suggested we meet in person in order to get a more thorough idea of the issues I was facing. I know what you're thinking, in fact, I was thinking the same thing at first: feng shui??? What a bunch of hippie nonesense. But I had been seeing a therapist for some time who specialized in astrology with great results, despite the fact that I'm mostly a sceptic when it comes to that matter, so I figured "what've I got to lose?"

Dana and I met one Sunday morning at a cafe not far from my apartment, and I immediately liked her. She was my age, pretty, sweet, and something about her persona was so calming to me. I had to hold myself back from telling her my entire life story...she just projected that kind of empathy. We talked for an hour or so and she gave me some written tests that were supposed to give her an idea of what aspects of my life were not being represented (wood and metal, in my case).

After talking for a bit, we left the cafe and headed to my apartment where she started pointing things out and explaining why they were getting in the way of my happiness and success, and causing me the anxiety and depression I'm so prone to. I must admit, her points made a ton of sense, and I felt like an idiot for not noticing the little details beforehand.

For instance, in what she told me was my "love corner", I had a Chinese divider up with a cat box behind it. Duh. Of course I wasn't having the best of luck with love. In what I remember as my "career corner" (although I may be mistaken) I had my drums set up...the drums I almost never played, felt incredibly guilty about not playing, and whose sale could have given me some badly needed extra pocket money. Above my bed with a built-in shelf full of barely used odds and ends and above that a shelf crowded with decorative luggage and bags - not an environment made for restful sleep.

It took me some time to implement all her suggestions, which she emailed to me promptly after our meeting. Painting the living room and bedroom, which when I moved in were a god-awful shade of khaki, took some time, which delayed the process of subtracting and rearranging my art. Since "cutely cluttered" is kinda my favorite form of decoration, I had a hard time subtracting as much as Dana suggested, but I did remove everything and rework it with an eye for minimalism as best I could.

The drums were sold and my kitchen table took its place (doubling as a writing/work space). The Chinese screen was tossed out and replaced with my family/childhood sewing machine which now houses my record player and vinyl, and the shelves above my bed were de-cluttered and decorated instead with soft blankets and pillows, as Dana had suggested.

In all, I'm really glad I met with Dana. It was a great experience and I am now a full-believer in the positive attributes that feng shui (when done by someone who is experienced and interested in your specific needs) can bring to ones life. I wish I had the patience to implement all of her suggestions, but after 29 years of doing things my way, I'm still a bit stubborn with my space and don't think I can ever let go of my "grandma" aesthetic and "cutely cluttered" style. Luckily Dana never expected that from me, and worked with my specific style to help focus my apartment. In all honesty, I think it made a big difference in my life.

Check out Dana's blog for some great pointers (you can even email her with questions and photos!) and to schedule a meeting with her. Tell her I sent ya!

Now how about some apartment pictures?! Keep in mind that I'm well-aware that a lot of the differences are very subtle, and maybe only visible to me...but I DO notice them, and it DOES make sense to me.

View of my bed:

Before

After

Next to my bed:

Before

After

View of my living room from the entrance:

Before

After

Corner of my living room:

Before

After

Living room:

Before

After

View into bedroom:

Before

After Have you or would you ever consider feng shui?

A Quick Study In My Relationships With My Family Members

You can tell a lot from a photograph

My dad

My mom

My siblings (brother is to my left, sister is taking the photo)

photos by my sister from my brothers wedding

Little Things

I've been a completely unmotivated, shittastic blogger lately. I'd love to blame it on my Tumblr and how little energy it takes to post there, instead to the actual THINKING one needs to do in order to post something worthwhile on their REAL blog...but really, I just haven't been in much of a mood to wax poetic about my life lately.

I promise I have some interesting stuff to post next week, but for now, I'm going to continue my lazy-streak and post a few photos of the things that have been making me happy lately (and I've been very, very happy lately).

My cats, obvs.

My freaking ADORABLE nephew Micah who, even when peeing on me like he did two weeks ago, is so mind-blowingly edible and smells so effing good I can barely stand it.

My new BOYFRIEND, who is the sweetest man I've ever had the pleasure of kissing. My god, you guys!...when did I become the kind of girl who thinks it's cute to buy vintage copies of National Geographic from our birth months/years together at an estate sale (center photo)??? Wasn't I, just a month ago, that cynical blogger-type who was sure she'd be single forever??? Now all I want to do is freaking stare at him all day - he's so cute and wonderful. Sheesh.

What are you, dear reader, happy about right now?

xo,
me

Through the Looking Glass

I don't know about you guys, but I've been watching LOST since the very beginning. It's been a highlight of my week since I started watching it back in San Francisco, which turned into pot lucks at a friends house in Los Angeles once I moved away because LOST is not something you can watch alone. I've rewatched the first season multiple times, because as us devoted fans know, you're always looking for clues.

Basically, I've been a hopelessly devoted fan of the show, although not one that tries to shove it down your throat or berate you for not being an avid viewer such as myself (because, omg, how annoying are those people?!).

I'm kinda over LOST at this point, though, now that we're a few episodes into the last season. I know there are a ton of questions finally being answered, but it's a bit "too little, too late" for me at this point. I've gotten to a place where most of the characters are so completely annoying, I just want them to die so I can run away with Miles and Locke and live happily ever after in some fun spin-off land.

The show has become, in my humble opinion, a bad parody of itself. As a person who prides herself on being an open book, the lack of even primitive communication between the main characters is something I can't look past, and as a writer myself, the giant holes this lack of basic communication leaves is infuriating.

At this point, LOST has become an excuse for me to go over to my brother and sister-in-law's house on Tuesday nights, period. Themselves being avid viewers as well, I'll text them every Tuesday morning inquiring as to whether or not they'd like company that evening, bribing them with In N Out and freshly baked cupcakes.

Why do I go to all this trouble, just to drive 40 minutes and watch a show that irritates me more than it entertains me? One reason:

My nephew, Micah

He squirms and fidgets in my arms as I coo quietly at him and stare into his huge, searching eyes. I don't know much 'bout babies, especially newborns, but he's the most mellow little dude you could ever imagine. He doesn't ever cry while I hold him, even though I'm constantly rousing him so that I can stare at him from a different angle - moving his arms about and petting his little keppe. He smiled at me for the first time last night...although it could have been gas, to be perfectly honest.

As much as I hate the show and the ridiculous direction of the plot, this last season of LOST will go down as my favorite season of all.

Least Expected

Remember a month or so back when I wrote about how happy I was being single and how I didn't imagine ever being not? Well that girl just changed her relationship status on Facebook from "single". Granted, my new status is blank, not "in a relationship" cause I'm not quite ready for that, but I am no longer "single".

Funny how life works, huh? Ya'll weren't kidding with your "when you least expect it" comments. In my case, I least expected to meet someone on Valentine's Day at one of my favorite bars, but there he was. I'll write more about it when I'm comfortable, but for now just know that I'm quite flabbergasted, but also very, very happy.

Making me breakfast in bed while his dog observes.