Curiouser and curiouser!

The moon looked an awful lot like the Cheshire cat’s smile tonight. Some say that it is a bad omen though like the famous cat’s enigmatic grin, perhaps it just means that there is a little sense of mischief in the air. That's not always a bad thing, by the way.

One day, Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, it doesn’t matter.” − Lewis Carroll

The Leo Strut

Lately, I’ve been amusing myself looking for any new additions to the strutting Leonardo DiCaprio memes out there. It’s very counter-productive but I’m allowing myself to just chill and veg out this year for the holidays. Hope everyone had a bright and merry Christmas! If not, check this out:

In Memoriam

My brother came over to visit and somehow, the conversation went from cameras to Tim Burton to pets that we all shared together as siblings. And so, here they are anonymously and in somewhat chronological order (animals listed not when they achieved pet status, but rather, at time of demise):

• Dog (1)
• Dog (1)
• Guinea pigs (2)
• Bunnies (2)
• Birds (Too many to count + they always loved their freedom = we let them go fly wherever they wanted...but they never flew back home. Bye, bye birdies).
• Cat (1)
• Hamsters (4)
• Turtle (1)
• Dog (1)
• Fish (Also too many to count but honorable mention goes to 2 bettas that lasted roughly 2.5 to 3 years).

It is a fairly decent list of creatures for four siblings to share, each pet leaving us with its own set of memories, some more than others. The last dog in particular was probably the family’s Numero Uno in terms of pet love. When that mutt (the best-looking Boston Terrier you’ll ever meet) lost the twinkle in his eyes four years ago, everyone was truly heartbroken. He was way too awesome, even when he was being a brat.

Incidentally, my brother and his girlfriend’s dog died unexpectedly about a week ago so I can only imagine how they might be feeling right now. It’s not easy losing a pet. Actually, it just plain sucks. I just hope their Sheltie ran into our Boston Terrier in doggy heaven by now, sharing stories over steaks, peaches, and grapes in between marathon couch jumping. I’m 99% sure doggy heaven has lots of ripped couches. Just a feeling.

(Painting: Mark Ryden)

For you, a thousand times over.

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...”





The Kite Runner, Chapter 11
By Khaled Hosseini
Published 2003

It's go go, not cry cry.

While Cherry Darling would be a really awesome costume for Halloween, the only way for it to be truly believable is to be one ridiculously hot above-the-knee amputee. As tough as she appears to be, I would probably feel kinda protective towards her if I were a dude. Well, not that protective. After all, she does have a machine gun for a leg.

Genius. Just genius.

The trailer is a bit ADHD at times but the minute the music played, I was instantly and inexplicably drawn. Didn’t know who was doing the soundtrack, looked it up --TRENT REZNOR. Mmhhmm, he’s definitely a true music soul mate. For life.

coffee and cigarettes

Anyone into indie films should check out Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes. While it's not the most exciting film out there (plot lovers, beware), it does offer some interesting moments in how it captures the different ways people try (or fail) to communicate and connect with each other while having a cup of joe or a smoke. One does not need to love coffee or cigarettes to enjoy this movie, but having the ability to digest black-and-white pictures might be important. I'm only mentioning this because there are people out there that can't sit through a black and white movie, a disorder that I will never fully understand.

Since I haven't had any coffee today and I actually want to sleep early for once, I'll finish the rest of this entry with a few sleepy thoughts.

Somewhere in California:



Word math:
BLACK ≠ WHITE
Cigarettes = WHITE
Coffee = BLACK

Last cup of coffee: yesterday, at home
Last cigarette: 2008, San Francisco

Split at birth:
Tom Waits & Hell Boy
Iggy Pop & Anthony Kiedis

Great songs mentioning coffee:
Carly Simon - You're So Vain
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Frank Sinatra - The Coffee Song

Great songs mentioning cigarettes:
The Wreckers - Cigarettes
Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
Emerson Hart - Cigarettes and Gasoline


Now, if only I could find where I stashed my old DVD copy...

Trying to understand it...

...with disappointing results! Feeling more like a small cat than a big cat lately. That and I want to go to Africa. So what if it's gonna cost me ten grand? : )

Where the Wild Things Are

Spent the very early part of the day playing assistant make-up artist for a fancy schmancy wedding. The mission: Making a bunch of giggly, super excited girls sit long enough so they can all be pretti/glami/sexi-fied. All I can say is that a huge bridal party is not exactly the easiest group to handle. Luckily, we managed to get them all dolled up and to the chapel on time.

After that, headed to Venice Beach for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Some snapshots of the day:

Cold soda for Yoda.

So I brought Master Yoda along with me to the zoo earlier today just ‘cause he has been chillin’ in my closet for far too long. One would think his grammar would improve by now but that wasn’t the case.

Anyway, back to the zoo...
Guess who we ran into???

Little human Yoda
Sitting next to his human Papa!

(His human parents were nice enough to give me the okay to take his picture).

The poor kid was sweating so much underneath the costume but I was amazed at how well-behaved he was - guess he already perfected the Jedi master’s ability to be an oasis of calm amidst the crazy. He didn't even flinch when he noticed the "other Yoda" on my back. Awww. If there’s one incentive to have kids, yeah, it’s definitely having the power to dress them however you damn well please. Personally, I'm kinda leaning towards a more kiddie version of these guys' style:

Lost the way

People inflict pain on others in their selfish pursuit of happiness and satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a sense of universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. -Dalai Lama

Art in the Streets, Part Two.

Warning: Picture Overload.

Art in the Streets

Street art went indoors at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Here are just some of the amazing works of art I was lucky enough to have seen up close. It truly was an awesome experience. More pics soon.

"If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be." -- Joe Campbell

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
— Vincent van Gogh

Adventure is worthwhile

"I'm still a kid inside, and adventure is adventure wherever you find it."
-- Jim Dale

The American Idea

“What is ‘the American idea’? It is the fractious, maddening approach to the conduct of human affairs that values equality despite its elusiveness, that values democracy despite its debasement, that values pluralism despite its messiness, that values the institutions of civic culture despite their flaws, and that values public life as something higher and greater than the sum of all our private lives. The founders of the magazine valued these things—and they valued the immense amount of effort it takes to preserve them from generation to generation.”

--The Editors of The Atlantic Monthly, 2006


Anyone interested in reading a great collection that vividly illustrates a fascinating portrait of not just American history but also an indication of where America is headed in the future should pick up Robert Vare’s anthology aptly titled, The American Idea: The Best of the Atlantic Monthly. It won’t disappoint. Trust me.

Southern Gothic

Happy Father’s Day.

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."


To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 11
By Harper Lee
Published 1960

Tempting

Picture of a cute top I did not get as there was a WAY cuter top I HAD to get. Ahh, the little decisions we all have to make in life...Thank you for the memories, Forever 21.