wait for it....aaaaand go!

so i think everyone should visit the guggenheim right now (go on friday nites! it's free!). it is featuring several-a-cool exhibits....some personal favorites:

1) Jenny Holzer, who in short (and i quote) uses "text-based light projections" against the exterior of the frank lloyd wright statue of a museum....the words illuminate against the exterior and, like a teleprompter, float upwards towards the sky...it's definitely a captivating intro to the museum for newcomers. (but i hope you're not one of them). i think it would be a genius way for a rockstar to promote their songs no? hmmmm.

2) theanyspacewhatever - tres interessant. a visual installation throughout the museum via collaboration of contemporary artists across many disciplines - architecture, design, theater, through which each artist displays their "reaction" to the space. my favorite was the work by dominique gonzalez-foerster; she produced an artificial rainforest through speakers, and that was it. so basically we (my roommate and i) walked through one curved corridor that is adorned with nothing on the white walls save for speakers that emanated sounds of the rainforest. visually it was a pure and peaceful transcendental transition between installations...and sophisticated in its simplicity...the lighting, the sounds, the serenity. it's kind of like the speaker-scifi-trekkie sounds of the chanel mobile art, but this was much more sophisticated. i think karl and dominique should duke this one out.

i wish i had pictures to post (they are on my 2 pixel camera phone, woohoo) but i guess the website will have to do it justice.

btw, the guggenheim website has videos on the process of developing and installing these..installations...with interviews from the artists. watching these always make me feel tingly...it's like a brilliance of minds combusting in one space. baby. like. whoa.

museums are supremely great sources of inspiration for any artist...fashion designers...because it's a natural springboard from which to explore other ideas and means of expression, just by seeing works of art. i realize this is a basic concept, but it reinforces the idea that there is always more than meets the eye behind a finished product.

and there you have it, words to live by, from yours truly.

fun in frisco! the real bffs

on the right, that's tippy. i'm the only one in the world who calls her that now. she is so much more than the real name "jane" encompasses. an all around bff, she took care of me this week, swooping me to foodie fests, museums, clubs, shopping, rockclimbing, and heartfelt conversations that only break the tip of the iceberg of what she means to me. can i get a HELLSYEA?!

i shall chronicle what happened over the last couple of days while enjoying the sun and shadows of san francisco. alas, the marathon diary entry:

nite 1 (thurs nite):

eat or drink? in&out it is, the classic burger joint famous in california...we scarf down burgers (mine with the works) then head over to san jose to paint it red. turns out it's too dead to be painted, but we had fun anyway briefing each other and ga-ga-ing over finally being able to hang out again, after 1 whole year of bff withdrawal. (ok, so it was my fault...i was wooorrkkkkiiinng) hit the hay for a big day on friday.

day 1 (friday):

we make brunch at the apt, replete with a runny scramble, seasoned rice w/soysauce and mirin, baked salmon and broccoli. washed down with peet's coffee and bobby flay food network. he was making ribs and chili. we were salivating.

**over the course of the week i had way too much peet's coffee...we hit a different location each time to avoid meeting the same people...peppermint mocha w/lil' whip...full fat....mmmm

we hit the caltrain and walk thru sutter/montgomery to visit my beloved cousin brian at his architecture studio. anna, his wife, is also there and we find out she's freelancing! she gives us her hotpink biz card and i'm so proud of her...she's so accomplished in graphic design and a real beauty to boot. we then hop to the fraenkel gallery; they were having a special exhibit on richard avedon photographs. quite breathtaking. i loved the marilyn and beatles shots...then we decide to explore the rest of the building which housed other galleries, of various contemporary art...i think to myself how much i love gallery hopping...it's sort of turned into a new hobby. esp. when slashes of oil paint create color schemes that are so inspiring...when nature is let its due course, something special always happens...unpredictable and inherently beautiful.

dinner time! we meet back with brian and pick up his son Ethan at chinese school (ahh, i remember those chinese school days...not with much nostalgia tho)...Ethan has grown so much! and is so skinny! and insanely adorable. we are wined and dined and desserted at anna's cousin's taiwanese restaurant. they give us so much food, much of it not on the menu, including a ginormous pumpkin pie from costco. (costco!!) i was needless to say, uncomfortably stuffed. it was like thanksgiving. washed it off with a stella. and grilled scallops....haha.

next on the agenda is clubbing! we hit up rudyard's and blue chalk...now i must say the clubbing scene is nothing like new york's...we were in palo alto which immediately breathes collegetown socialista but whatever, i still have fun. cuz...tippy sure can dance hahaha. after dancing among the sweaty crowds we hit a pool table at blue chalk and play 2 rounds with some fellas...tippy declines their offer to hangout post-pool and we drive home...after all, we have sooo much fun left to have for the week.

day 2: deYoung is deLOVELY.
it's ysl day!! tippy found out about the yves saint laurent exhibit for me and i am forever grateful..SF is the only city that showcases this exhibit, so i indeed felt very special to witness it (close to the tingles i felt during the chanel mobile art exhibit). but before that, we hit the foodie festival (1st one ever in SF) and it's a little more tame than i envision. OH WAIT, of course we have peet's coffee beforehand. tippy and i pick up wanning and shirley and we complete the coveted 4some. foodie fest we go....lots of sampling bread and olive oil and pancake mix...i end up with white truffle oil; tippy purchases several samples of olive oil and vanilla bean pancake mix. after 2 hours of sampling we're actually hungry, and we go to a small small hole-in-the-wall called Susie's. it's quick and dirt cheap, kinda as if it were a diner in chinatown. after 15 or so min we head over to musee deYoung. YESSS!

tbc...

waiting...

when each moment is lived, a week may seem like eternity...

sigh.

there are lots of things i aspire to be...world-famous this, most sought-after that...but is all this just PR jargon that has gotten to my head? it is almost ironic that to be successful in the "arts" industry you have to not do it for fame. only when you're not looking will others follow.

as monica has pointed out, "go for broke." easier said than done, that's for sure.

as phillip has said, "stop looking at what others are doing, and worry about what you're doing."

must. have. fun. with. what. you. love.
otherwise, you'll just throw it away as if you've never loved it at all.
what's that saying? "better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all." [reminder from wayne]

mmmm k bye.

it's freezing in my room

oh how i long for summer days, warm weather, and lollapaloooooza.

halloween this year wasn't too crazy, unfortunately....kim and i went to see the parade, in the hopes of being in it, but then sidestepped into a cool bar enroute to meeting our parade participant friends. it's fun when everyone's dressed up and in the spirit...it almost seems like the city unites in costume. some notable ones were Waldo, pac-man/girl, teleprompter, Juno, and just "costume/makeup" in general. people get quite crafts-y this time of year.

i went as a flower bed...more of a concept than a literal costume, but of course...haha..but i ended up wearing a tsumori chisato sleeveless dress w/a puffer flower smack on the center, covering my entire front....to accompany the flower bed idea was a bakelite-esque rose ring, rosebud earrings, and, AND, a hand-made headband adorned with fabric rosettes, courtesy of wax block prints we used for our spring 09 collection. it was a fun workday...we all sat around and ended up working on our costumes...to the sewing machine i went, sewing up rows of stitches to be pulled out for the fabric strips to gather....out came little rosettes...i knew i was onto something when my coworkers cooed over them...

the whole point of my costume was to pull out a sassy pick up line: "i'm a flower bed...want to lay on me?"

ha. dork that i am...i know. i couldn't resist. but i did attract a few fellas....

anywho, ended up at a loft party in williamsburg with my feet dying from wearing my hooker heels. i had to walk home in dan's work shoes...flat and comfy and completely oversized. konked out at 3:30am..kinda early i suppose, but then again i am getting old..sigh.

i'm suddenly sparked with an interest in lomography and diane arbus...is that random or what? am thinking of exploring this new hobby....fashion, music, photography....has a nice ring to it no? if i don't become master of one, at least i'll be a selective jack-of-trades....oh yeah, i forgot to add in karaoke....

happy november...the year is winding down, already!