Two Times the Fun

*Gasp* My best friend, Pam, has joined the blogosphere! Check out what she, "p" has to share (and more of what I, "d" have to share) at Flaring Nostrils, the BLOG. Viewer discretion advised.

Disclaimer: She's mega-weird. As am I. We are rarely (if ever) politically-correct, and will, in all likelihood, go to hell one day because of our "honesty." We're misunderstood. Our interests include a wide-assortment of fun activities such as inhaling baked-goods, telling non-racist-short-but-sweet one-liner Mexican jokes, watching YouTube videos featuring Indian little people, sniffing doggy B.O., plucking arm-pit hairs, crushing on tween heart-throbs (Robert Pattison for her, and Michael Cera for me), photographing ourselves jumping in mid-air (see photo above. top = pam, bottom = me), and ooh, of course, blogging...

Boot Camp

Inspired by "The Biggest Loser" - the show makes me cry - I have signed up for Morning Crunch Boot Camp in West LA. Am I kidding? No. THIS is the real deal! May 6th through June 10th, three times a week for five weeks. Training starts at 7:15am. Looking forward to getting fit :)

Don't Hate

I love THIS. (found the link via Cup of Jo)

Fetishes

THIS is weird.

All Things Considered

I'm a really lucky girl.

The star of my animated work-in-progress (featuring our favorite androgynous baby clown)? Not as lucky.

Yippie Kay Yay Mini Sirloin Burgers...

Watch THIS.
I can't get the chipmunk voices out of my head.

Happy Friday.

IF: Impossibility

Illustration Friday entry. Topic: Impossibility

I live what I love. As does my puppy, Beans.
A deep love that we both share is one for cookies.
It would be an impossibility for either of us to live any other way.

New Hobby

Tah-dah! My first photos taken with my birthday Lomo. Thank you, cougar cub, for picking the roll up after class. Thank you, Beans, for being my male model.

I think I have a new hobby!

CORRECTION: I meant HOLGA... not Lomo. Losing my mind. But I have a Lomo too :)

Testing... Test. Test.

An animator who hasn't mastered Photoshop? Unheard of! That is until y'all met me... Trying to learn the program to composite images for my animated short. Would love to know if any of you have helpful online tutorial recommendations...

A Whole New World

My talented classmate, Kevin, is currently working on a heartwarming stop-motion short titled, "You're My Ghoul". I offered to help as I'm planning to work in stop-motion for my next film and thought the experience would be valuable. And despite my lack of experience in creating stop-motion puppets/props, he gave me the fun task of designing and creating his "Turkey" (a very important character in his film that lucky-for-me, does not move). Check out the fruits of my labor above (while keeping in mind that this is my very first time goofing off with Sculpey). My lil' gobbler is roughly 4 inches tall. Gosh, I hope Kevin likes him.

Happy Earth Day

Stop-motion short raises awareness against carbon pollution HERE. (Me likee the Earth pancake)

Paper cuts. The good kind.

Animation's all the rage! Live-action alone isn't good enough for furniture giant Ikea. Must have stop-motion... See what I'm talking about HERE. Be sure to click on the "seeds" (designers behind the furniture pop out and explain their concepts), or the movie get a tad boring. I clicked on products conceived by "Christian" three times in a row. Hmm.

Sunny Side Up

I am melting. Los Angeles feels like the inside of a microwave. (Never actually been in one, but I imagine they're not all that comfy.)

On another note, I want to try living in one of THESE. Source of treehouse images: Krisatomic.

Never Cease to Amaze

Check out Luis Mendo's travel diary. I'm inspired.

And check out THIS, THIS, and THIS. What can't one find on Etsy?!?

Photo: Spices lining the alleys of the Old Medina in Marrakech.

Life Well-Lived

Today I enjoyed my very first Sprinkles cupcake - courtesy of sweetheart Kanako. A designer cupcake that actually lives up to the hype. Review HERE.

Cuddle Therapy

CUTE cures.

Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot

Los Angeles is melting. And so are my pastel-colored Hershey kisses (purchased at discount after Easter). I find that Hershey kisses taste better when slightly softened anyway.. Hmm. Is this a sign from above that I should go ahead and indulge?

Pictured: Beans and I modeling my latest bedsheet-like acquisitions from Steven Alan. I'm sporting the nautical, boat-necked "buoy" top while Beans dons a very-Michelle Williams "reverse seam gingham" button down. I'd been lusting after both items for a while now, and was supremely thrilled when I found time, er, made time, to drop by the Venice Beach shop. Summer's around the corner, and I'm going to look so fresh and so clean!!!

NO.

Old Yeller. Bad.
Turner & Hooch. Bad.
Marley & Me. Bad.

I'd read the book years ago and loved it. I laughed. I cried. I laughed more than I cried. But I watched the movie last night with Beans and together we hated it. Maybe it's the fact that Marley is a lab?

Whatever. Movies featuring dying dogs are a no-no for me.

Pictured: Beans on a rainy day. He doesn't like walking beneath the umbrella with me. So in order to avoid him smelling of wet-dog, I force him to wear this too-small-to-button red hoody. He doesn't mind it too much, but tends to stiffen up when clothed. Beans is a nudist...

Work In Progress

The Happiest Place on Earth

I grew up with the above-pictured boys. The tallest one is my cousin Albert(the one getting married in June in Maui), the chub to his right is his brother, Justin, and the cutie to his left is my brother, Jonathan. The smug blinking booger? Yes, that'd be me... We're at the Magic Kingdom. Love polaroids...

Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny

Yellow polka-dot bikini...

Haven't purchased a swimsuit since my trip to Mykonos years ago. In the market for one now as summer's around the corner AND my cousin, Albert's wedding in Maui, Hawaii will be taking place mid-June... Seeing that I lead a sedentary lifestyle with minimal exercise - curling up on the couch and eating peanut M&Ms while watching "The Biggest Loser" is one of my favorite physical activities - I'm not exactly in peak shape. But whatever... I'm still aiming for a two-piece. If you don't want to look, close your eyes!

THIS one is kinda' cute. But will I tire of the sherbert colors? And the ties? Questionable.

Or how about THIS one? The color would be flattering. And I'm a big fan of the side-ties on bikini bottoms. Prevents muffin-top exposure.

Or should I go for the lbd (little black dress) of suits HERE? No? Too boring?

Ahh... the paradox of choice. Any suggestions?

I should probably go do my Core Rhythm exercises. Hahahahaha! As my friend Kanako put it, "Do it like you mean it!!!"

Roughing It

Working on a commissioned illustration of "good and bad presents." Here's a rough. The final version will likely be nothing like this one, but I thought I'd share...

Tweet

I've succumbed to technology and have joined Twitter. I'm following everyone, and nobody's following me. Awesome.

Macho Mascot

My classmates and I are going to acquire a workshop mascot. We're thinking a hamster named "Peegu"... My classmates like the ring of that word despite the fact that I told them "peegu" means "butt" in Chinese.

I think that Peegu's going to need a nemesis. A feisty uni-browed hamster named "Francois" would be perfect. (See white-board doodle above.)

Yes, we have a lot of fun in the workshop.

Obsessions du Jour

Multigrain Cheerios (with Bionic Milk aka Lactaid).

The new summer Madras collection at A.P.C.

THIS drawing.

Beans' freshly-bathed scent. Petco sprayed him with the hard-to-resist "Sugar Cookie."

THIS blog.

The "Get Sum Dim Sum Ride" with the folks at Flying Pigeon. I could use a steamed dumpling right about now.

Le cub. He slaved in the kitchen for 3-hours while I was drawing in the workshop. The end result was delicious, and the second best thing about the meal? He washed all the dishes before I returned home...

Happy Hump Day!

Guess who I saw today? Alexander Wang. His clothes are pretty. And so is he.

Charmed

Watch THIS stunning road trip video starring the gorgeous Naomi and the adorable "Husband."

Moooooourning

It's 2:19am, and I'm marinating in my own stench. I know, I know... too much information. But who else am I going to share my discoveries with?

I've always enjoyed making fun of lactards... Sadly, I think I've become one myself. *sniffles*

Bought a carton of Lactaid aka "Bionic Milk" from Ralphs today. Dude, have you ever taken notice of the expiration dates on Lactaid products?!? The stuff lasts forever! Was a tad embarrassed when I picked up my fake milk...

Nonsense Makes Sense

"Peegoo" is how one pronounces "ass" in Mandarin Chinese.

Earlier this evening back at the workshop, I blurted, "Sparkle my Peegoo!" to my classmate, Natalie. I don't know why I did that. I blame it on tourettes. Boy, did belting out an inappropriate statement feel good... I think I'm going to do it again.

Gosh, I think I just might have to emblazon this phrase across some American Apparel tees and distribute 'em. One for me, and one for Natalie :)

Never Been Kissed

Watch THIS.

A Legend

Ollie Johnston, the last of the Nine Old Men (Disney's animating greats), passed away just last year, and this year's UCLA Animatrix will be dedicating a page to him. I'm not writing the article, but I will be submitting an illustration to accompany the piece. Here's a draft version... Does it look like him? Hope so...

Warm and Fuzzy

NYU student, Kacie Kinzer built the above-featured "tweenbot" - a cardboard-bodied, cheerful little bugger equipped with a flag stating its intended destination. Since it can only move forward, it depends on the kindness of strangers to guide it and remove obstacles. With the help of kind passerbys, this lil' robot managed to complete every single one of its journeys without a hitch. People aren't so awful after all.

Read more about Kacie's tweenbots HERE :)

Hoppy Easter!

Easter Sunday is the perfect day for a picnic. (Mmm... egg-salad...)

Speaking of picnic, my closet, since withdrawing from business school and entering film school, has begun to resemble well, a picnic. I've always been a little torn between somber, neutral, menswear and bright, feminine pieces. But lately, I've been veering heavily towards exuberantly-happy prints that when folded, look like textiles waiting to be stored in a linen closet. (A LUCKY linen closet!) Isabel Marant is winning today. (I'm not a big fan of Ms. Paltrow - nor am I a fan of her newsletter, GOOP - but I am in love with the charming embroidered dress in Look #3... so pretty.)

Am also on a hunt for THESE "Lady Dragon" sling-backs by Melissa and Vivienne Westwood. They are SO adorable - and surprisingly affordable. Pity they're sold out in Pearl HERE. I know I'd smile each time I'd wear them. And so would everyone else. I'm on a mission.

Exercise Can Be Fun(ny)

My classmates and I were discussing exercise videos, and these two came highly recommended:

Kanako recommended this: VIDEO ONE

Erik recommended this: VIDEO TWO

I think I got an ab workout just by watching these :)

Late Night

It's 2am, and I'm still up. Speaking of being up, I'm really looking forward to the next Pixar film that is, coincidentally, titled, "Up." See the trailer HERE.

THIS documentary about a dude who's really into mosaics looks kinda' neat as well. Note to self: Yet another reason to pay a visit to Philly.

Nite-nite.

Pictured: Painting that I did not paint... and I don't know the name of the Taiwanese artist who did. I'll go find out...

Rah-Rah-Rah!

Feeling like I'm in high-school again.

Get this: I'm going to be the editor of UCLA's animation journal, "The Animatrix" next year! *Woot Woot* This calls for a hazlenut latte, no?

Hitmaker

Last night, I watched "The Pixar Story" screen at James Bridges Theater on campus. Leslie Iwerks (the granddaughter of Mickey Mouse's actual creator, Ub Iwerks) directed the documentary, and she was present for Q&A post-screening. Most of my classmates had seen the documentary before as (1) It's included on the Wall-E DVD (I seem to have misplaced my ASIFA screener copy), and (2) It'd been shown on HBO. But my classmates' absence didn't seem to make a difference. The theater was packed. And who can blame them? Who wouldn't want to know the secrets behind Hollywood's most creative and consistent hitmaker?

I left the screening feeling extremely lucky that I can (kinda-sorta-not-really) associate myself (in the slightest of ways) with these kooky people. Am now pumped to get my C-film pencil test finish. GO, GO, GO!

Translucent

Saw this photo by Tiara Mia posted on Oh Joy!. It's too beautiful not to repost.

Fun Food

After watching a segment of 60 minutes featuring Alice Waters (of Chez Panisse fame), le cub and I decided that our bodies deserve to be treated as temples, and not as dumping grounds for frozen food. (Ya' hear that, Lean Cuisine?!? We've had enough!) Anyhow, since returning from Morocco, the two of us have been trying our very best to cook as often as possible. The microwave is still being used (sorry, Ms. Waters, there just isn't enough time in the day to avoid the "Funcooker"), but generally only for the purpose of heating.

Until now. I just heated up a frozen pork bun from "O'Tasty Foods," and what's funny about these 99 Ranch Market-purchased buns is the ingredient list printed on the bag. It reads:

Soy, Wheat, Shellfish, Ingredients.

"Ingredients"?!? Couldn't they be more specific? Need I remind you that these are PORK buns? What shellfish?!?

Pictured: YSL fashion show prints on display at Jardin Marjorelle in Marrakech. I love the colors.

Brownie Points

I was working in the animation workshop until pretty late last night, and in doing so, had the pleasure of checking out the progress of my former TA, Joonki Park's, thesis film. It features a song he wrote and sang himself - not to mention TWO male ballerinas (one with tutu, and one without). And oh, did I mention it's in 3D?!? So freaking amazing, I couldn't sleep at night.

HERE is Joonki's C-film (translation: second-year film). Pretty impressive then. Check out what's currently baking in his oven, and you'd agree that Joonki's even more impressive now.

Don't Judge

Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Anyhow, I'd wandered over to Larry's blog earlier today, and saw that he'd posted a clip of American Idol winner, David Cook, covering it. His version is bloody fantastic (a tad long, but if you stop listening after two minutes, it's still great)! Check it out.

Shh... Don't Tell!

Took a break from animating just now and stopped on by my neighborhood Coffee Bean. With an iced-coffee in hand, I browsed the newsstand and my damn eyeballs became fixated upon the Spring 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. What can I say? The cover is plastered with sparkles! (And by "sparkles", I am referring to ginormous diamonds.)

In case you were wondering, yes, the magazine came home with me. Dude, I'm human. I swear the newsstand fella was judging me. I saw him eye my naked, unmanicured finger. WHATEVER!

P.S. Ooh, for my fellow Francophiles, there's a four-pager on Paris in this issue. Three of the magazine's editors give their insider take on "the city that stole their hearts". I know I just came back, but I sooo wish I could return. I've been there five times to date, yet the city never ceases to amaze me. As Kimberlina would put it, *le sigh*.

My New Prado Bag

My dear friend, Kathy was in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) a little over a week ago, and lookee what she brought back for me! A bag from the Prado Museum! The image printed on this bag is from a piece titled "That Garden of Earthly Delights" by Netherlandish artist Hieronymous Bosch. See the painting from which the image was taken from HERE. Fabulously outlandish. Hope to see it in person for myself one day...

Say What?

What'd YOU do on April Fool's Day? Lil' Miss Magid, a talented organic baker/cake designer, came up with THE best April "Poo"s gag. Check out what I'm talking about HERE.

My best friend rang me up yesterday and told me that she no longer wants her husband. She wants a vampire boyfriend. Yes, she's hooked on the Twilight series. And no, I am not judging...

Deceased French artist, Pierre Bonnard's vibrantly colored depictions of his South of France home are so, so, so lovely. If I were a chunk of butter, I'd hope and pray that he paint me. (What on Earth did I just type?! What kind of person starts sentences with "If I were a chunk of butter?) ANYHOW, see what I'm talking about HERE. Some of Bonnard's work is currently on display at the Met in NYC. Show ends on the 19th though, so run!

Diana Vreeland once said, style "helps you get up in the morning. It's a way of life." Everyone wants to live well. Even when we're forced to be more mindful of how we spend our money. I made an "investment" purchase last month. A pair of stacked wedges by Chloe that will (that better) carry me through Spring and Summer of 2009. I've been waiting so long to break them out. It was sunny in LA yesterday, so I finally let them see daylight. It makes me so happy when I wear 'em, it's sick.

Le Birthday

Le cub is a year older today, and a birthday celebration certainly calls for cake! Very good boys get ice-cream cake, and this past year, le cub was a very good boy. Pictured is the simple, but delicious, cookies n' cream ice-cream cake I ordered for him from Carvel. All those who showed up for le cub's surprise party (it took place last night) were able to enjoy it...

As a gift to le cub, I treated him to dinner at AOC on West Third Street, a tapas/winebar that my friend, "Chatty" took me to years ago. Roasted dates stuffed with parmesan wrapped in bacon? Mmm... Review and photos to be posted on My Tummy Smiled when I stop feeling lazy.

Happy Birthday, Cub.

Old School

Cel paints on display in our workshop cubby. Aren't the color names brilliant?

Tidbits

THIS is kind of cool. Wish I were muse-worthy.

Yours truly is emerging from the stone-age and will do so with the help of THIS magnificent piece of machinery. I've opted for the 15 inch display. Watch out for my old MacBook on Craigslist!

A very dear friend of mine is tired of wasting time waiting for fellas to come knocking at her door. So she's decided to take the bull by its reigns and has created a profile on the ever-so-popular internet dating site, eHarmony. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for her. Anyone care to share some tips?

Bubblegum Pink

Too pink?

Leading Man

I'm having difficulties deciding on finalizing my color scheme for my film. Pictured is my leading man. He's a tad androgynous, I know. Thoughts on colors?

Taxes Are, Well...Taxing

Spoke to my daddy last night. Hadn't done so since returning last Saturday. He was working on his taxes. Never a fun task. Mine are finally done. Filed them via TurboTax. Feels good to have them out of the way. Don't forget to do yours...

P.S. Cactus from Jardin Marjorelle (the garden in which Yves Saint Laurent's remains were buried). He, the cactus, looks a lil' like Cousin It, no?

Wanna' Trade?

Moroccans like to bargain. They offered five chickens for my svelte friend, Jen. Six if she'd plump up. Walking through the food stalls, my friend Tiff found out she's worth but a single bottle of Fanta. And moi? Le cub was offered 5,000 camels for lil' ol' me... Turns out this cougar is a valuable commodity! Who would've thunk? :)