Simone Speaks

So What's Next?

2009-03-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

So I was poking around on Neatorama, partly because I have 100 things better to do but mostly because Neatorama rocks my socks off, and I came across this Mini Cooper video they posted.

As they point out, it's making fun of viral advertising.

All this got me thinking... I mean, all my textbooks are saying that viral and buzz marketing are pretty much the most cutting edge thing on the advertising market right now. But hey, people are already super aware of it. This makes it far less effective.

So what's next? What's the new wave in advertising?

Would it have something to do with alternate reality games? They're engaging, to be sure, but you have to have pretty high MAO to actually get involved, right? So I'm thinking not.

Would it have something to do with all the shenanigans on Facebook with people becoming socially integrated with different organizations and products? Or would it have something to do with all of the customized, targeted online advertising? I don't know... I mean, at least I really zone that stuff out, plus one has to be a pretty big Facebook user to be really effected by any of it.

Will it be in branded pothole repairs and other privately-funded contributions to national infrastructure? Maybe, but I don't think that'll be great for much more than increasing brand awareness... aside from that, we pretty much ignore everything we see, right?

Well, at any rate I wonder. Advertising has thrown out some fascinating evolutions lately, and I bet the next ten years will see some pretty awesome stuff!

Back from China

2009-03-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yeah... I'm actually feeling surprisingly adjusted. Just uploaded the rest of my pictures... at least the ones that weren't lost in the most devastating technical mistake I ever made! Here's the Picasa album:

China Adventure, 2009

Zhangjiajie, Part 4: Climb Every Mountain!

2009-03-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 20th, 2009
7:42am
In bed, Changsha Sheraton Hotel, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

UUUUUuuuuuuugh. Cannot get out of bed. Legs sore! Heheheh... super sleepy. Mreeeegh.

Yesterday, got up at 7:00am and joined the Japanese tourists in the restaurant for breakfast. A meal voucher was included in the cost of my room, but MAN, they served me SO MUCH, and I ATE IT ALL!!!

Simone's Marathon Breakfast

Three glasses of warm soy milk
Three pieces of toast with jam and butter
A bowl of rice mush
A large bowl of noodle soup
An ear of corn
A rice bun

I emptied my room, checked out, and was off to the park, with a REALLY full stomach. I needed the energy though, because I was determined to walk to HuangShi Village, which is at the highest point of Zangjiajie National Forest Park. The villiage is at the end of seven kilometers of stairs, and it took me about an hour and a half to get there.
It was a crazy walk! Unfortunately, it was super cloudy, so the amazing views I was hoping to see were out of the question, but it was fun to walk past the occasional food vendors, and the tourists were hilarious! Everyone was super friendly. I walked past tons of tourist groups and friends and families, and everyone said "Hallo! Hallo!!" Again, many wanted me to pose for pictures with them, and one couple even bought me a fresh cucumber to munch on, which was v. delicious.
All the attention I got was surreal. I mean, how does one adjust to being stared at everywhere she goes? I guess I have an idea of what it's like to be a celebrity now. I'll admit that it's super flattering to be asked to pose for pictures and to be noticed by people, but it's super tiring, too. My heart goes out to you, famous people! I'm kind of excited about going back to America, where I'll be invisible again. Hehee.
I'm afraid that HuangShi villiage was rather anti-climactic. It was so misty up there, you could wave your hand in front of you and see the clouds swirl around your hands. It was super dreamy and cool, but we might as well have been standing in a parking lot, because nobody could see a thing.
Nevertheless, I decided to walk the loop trail around the peak, and since it was pretty much empty, I sang all the way around! It was fun.
By this point, my boots had really started to chafe, so I was ready to end the hike. I took a gondola off the peak, and walked back to the hotel. The manager told me that it would cost me around 150 yuan to take a taxi back into Zangjiajie City, but that it would only cost me 10 yuan to go by bus, so obviously I opted for that! I'm glad I did. The bus snaked through residentail areas and smaller villages, so I got a really good idea of what the surrounding area was like. There were lots of farms and chickens, and broken-down looking houses with people squatting around the front. Part of me wanted to get out and hang out- to see more of what rural life in China was like- but I was also really tired and ready to catch a bus back to Changsha.
Timing was perfect. My bus arrived at the Zangjiajie bus station at 2:25, and I got a 2:30 bus back to Changsha. The bus ride was mostly uneventful, aside from the fact that something large hit the windshiled, putting a basketball-sized indentation in the center of the glass and extending cracks all the way to the rim.
Oh, but MAN, I was glad to get off that bus. Everyone kept lighting up cigarettes! I DESPISE BReATHING SECOND HAND SMOKE!!! Honestly, I'm a cheery, positive, compassionate girl, but if someone lights up next to me and either makes me breathe his exhaust or gets my clothes stinky, I become a hateful, violent individual. I sure was in a sorry state for most of that ride- I tied a wadded up shirt around my face to get over the awful stink, but that only made it hard to breathe, so not only was I pissed, I was deprived of oxygen and pissed. Bad combo.
The taxi cab ride was pretty interesting! At the Changsha bus station, I showed the hotel's card to several drivers on the street, and they all turned me down. I decided then to approached the group of parked drivers, and I found one who would be willing to take me. When he led me over to his car, I found that the back seat was occupied by two limp teenagers, bodies entwined like those of Romeo and Juliet, with the girl reclining on the boy's lap and the boy's arm laconically hanging from the window, a cigarette hanging between two fingers. I got into the front, wondering how normal it was to have extra riders like this, but ultimately I was glad they were there! Five minutes into the ride, the girl woke up, and spoke with me a bit, and at the ened of the ride, she even gave me a picture of her and another with her posing with her boyfriend. They were too cute!
As soon as I made it to the Sheraton lobby, I met Steve and Nathan, who were chatting over drinks in the lounge. I showered and joined them, where we were soon met by a bunch of other business associates, including Lynn, who is getting a masters in medical English and is just about the coolest girl ever. We all went for dinner together, and it was lovely to chat with everyone.
I went for a walk alone after dinner and found a park on the roof of a Carrefour. It was super cool! All the couples and kids and youth in the area gravitated there, so it made for excellent people watching. By then it was rather late, though, so I headed back to the hotel and basically passed out in my comfy Sheraton bed until Steve turned on CNN at 6:45 this morning for reasons I cannot yet comprehend.
Ah well, I suppose I should try out my legs to see if they work and pull on my suit. I'm off to the conference today! Hopefully I'll get to hang out with Lynn. Good times!

Zhangjiajie, Part 3: Dinner AND a Show!

2009-03-23T08:42:00.002-07:00

Back at the hotel, I decided to wander around. If I understand correctly, this hotel was created as a sort of government-sponsored thing... it's a partnership between different tourism bureaus. It also has a crapload of features: a barber shop, a western restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a spa, shops, and office center... here's the thing though, I wandered around, and found all those things, but they were all empty. Some of them were even open- it's just that nobody was there! I felt like I was wandering through a ghost hotel! Obviously it's off season. When I asked at the front desk about dinner, I was lead to a large, dark restaurant, where about 10 staffmembers were sitting around a table. Once they saw me, they all sprang into action, turning on lights and setting the table; before I knew it, I had an entire restaurant staff at my beck and call. It was SO weird! I felt like a princess. To make things even mroe surreal, a group of "ethnic minority" girls came in, wearing full costume, and sat down at a table across the restaurant. They were all giggling and chatting... it was lovely to watch them, but for the life of me, I didn't know why they were there! Just a bit later though, a 17-person tour group came in (they're the only others occupying the hotel now), and I learned that the girls were here to perform for them. I also quickly learned that they were Japanese, which is AWESOME!!
You know what else was awesome? My dinner! I had stewed vegetables, Hunan-style tofu, and rice. SO GOOOOOOD!!!
The performance was great too. The girls sang and danced, and they were so graceful! The folk songs they sang were witty and funny and full of spunk and spirit, and their voices were heavenly!
I loved watching the Japanese tourists. I know it's funny, but with them present, I really felt at home. Their speach and manerisms took me right back to Japan, and made me feel infinitely content. I ran to get my camera at one point, and when I asked if it was OK to join in on the picture taking in Japanese, all the tourists were like "Whaaaaaaaa???? She speaks JAPANESE???" It was great!!
Now I'm curled into my bed, watching Chinese soaps and feeling luxuriously drousy. The friendly staff and lovely Japanese tourists have made me feel very at home, and I will rest easy tonight. Ah, speaking of which, I had better get to bed! It's already 11:30 and breakfast is served at 7:30! I want to be there right on time, so I can see all I can see in the park and still catch my bus back to Changsha.
Aaaaah, lovely day!!! Fantastic adventure!

Zhangjiejie, Part 2: An Afternoon in the Park

2009-03-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

After dropping my things off in my room, I headed straight out to the park. My hotel is actually in the National Forest Park- nestled into the hillside next to a stream- but it's a ten minute walk to the main gate of the park's entrance gate. I bought my ticket, went through the odd process of being fingerprinted before entering the park, and finally found myself THERE! I decided to take the Golden Whip Stream route, as I had spent the morning sitting down and was ready to walk. It was a lovely trail. All around, the amazing sandstone formations rose majestically into the sky, and the sound of the stream and the breeze rustling through the trees and foliage was divine. It felt wonderful to be out in nature again, and I felt I had all the comforts of modernity with a very well kept path and full cell phone coverage, which allowed me to text with Steve a couple of times and even receive a call about my hotel reservation! Lovely nature walk aside, there were several distinguishing things about the Golden Whip Stream trail. One aspect of the trail was that there were places along the way where small stalls had been set up.
Yes, they were touristy, but they were run by locals, so they had a cool feel. Aside from artisanal trinkets, they sold food, fortunes, and even pictures with traditionally dressed "ethnic minorities." I don't know why they decided to translate their supposed title as "ethnic minorities," but they were basically girls in beautiful clothes and they made the forest and the little checkpoints feel oddly magical. Another feature of the trail was that it was populated by litter runners that could be hired to carry hikers to the end of the trail.
It was great fun to watch them run by, and even greater fun to see groups of them resting by the path, smoking and playing cards or some other game. The third interesting aspect of the trail was that parts of it were visited by an indigenous monkey, which tourists seemed to adore feeding, desptie ALL of the signs advising otherwise.
I thoroughly enjoyed my walk. I really felt far away from it all, because I hadn't seen a foreigner all day, and nobody spoke English. I loved snapping photos of the jutting formations, monkeys, tourists, vendors, and streams, and the fresh air was a godsend after Beijing. I stopped at one of the rest points and bought fried potato balls and marinated tofu (INSANELY DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) from a group of friendly girls, and chatted with them for a while.

I posed for pictures with tourists, and waved back when people said "Hello!" I enjoyed the scenergy immensely.
In fact, I was enjoying the whole experience so much that I didn't realize that I was almost to the end of the path, and that I would have to walk all the way back to make it back to my hotel!
I was worried that I wouldn't get back to the entrance before dark, so when a pair of litter carriers passed me, I asked them how much it would cost for me to ride with them for a bit. At first, they said 250 RMB, which I didn't have. They then brought it down to 150, which I still didn't have. Then, they brought it down to 100. I still didn't have that, and I wanted to use my money for dinner (I showed them this with that convenient eating sign that all the food vendors used when trying to sell things to me), and that they should go on without me. I waved goodbye and let them pass, but further down the trail, they waited for me and sat me down and said they'd be willing to carry me back for 60 RMB, which I DEFINITELY had!
Oh boy, it was fun riding in that chair! It was just such an odd experience, sitting in this little chair with its canopy, going BOING BOING BOING between these two men, and tracing this beautiful creekside trail surrounded by woods and incredible sandstone towers. Really, I had a blast.
Every now and then, the men would set me down and take a rest, which was great, because it allowed me to say hello to my friends at the rest stop and stretch my legs. After a while, though, I started feeling super bad about being an extra weight to these guys! I could see how hard they were working, and the front man's shoulders were so red from being worked all day!!! After the next rest stop, I stood up, grabbed the handles of the chair, and said I wanted to help carry it! The shopkeepers and carrier dudes probably thought I was a real whack job, but it was great. For most of the home stretch, I carried the front end, giving one man a break and lightening the load for the second. I really enjoyed the experience! I wanted to know what it was like to carry those things around all day, and tourists and locals alike cracked up whenever they saw me. It must have looked pretty funny- this caucasian girl with a bow in her hair and polka dot rain boots carrying the front end of a litter down the path...
Right before the end, the first man tapped my shoulder and signed that I should ride again. Hahaa, I'll admit I was happy to oblige! That thing was HEAVY! My hat's off to these men- they are VERY strong! At the end of the ride, I gave the men a big fat tip (because 60RMB for hauling my ass along that trail just ain't gonna cut it) and left the park a seriously happy camper.

Zhangjiajie, Part 1: A Bunpy Start

2009-03-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Much of what transpired this morning involved me overreacting to super inconsequential stuff, but bare wih me- it's not easy to go native with transport when you cannot speak, comprehend, read, or write. Hahaa...

I woke up this morning around 4:00am with pretty awful stomach pain. Total bummer! I didn't really go back to sleep, but the good news is that I was definitely up and ready to go at 5:45am. I got dressed, said goodbye to Steve, and went down to the lobby where I asked the concierge to help me call a taxi. The concierge kindly explained to the cab driver what I was doing, we negotiated a price, and off I was!
Riding in the taxi cab through the pre-dawn morning was a trip. The Minnie Mouse tied to the cage separating the driver and I, the early commuters flowing past on scooters, and the Chairman Mao charm hanging from the driver's rearview mirror reminded me that I was not in America anymore.
I'll admit that I was kind of freaked out when the driver pulled over at the bus station. I had NO idea what to do. I think my driver realized that, though. He helped me out of the car, walked me into the station, helped me buy my ticket, and sat me down in front of the appropriate door. I then had about 90 minutes to wait for my bus, which seemed a pretty daunting task. The OCD in me was SO not ready for the puddles on the ground, the smoke, the cracked windows, the unusual smell, and the fact that all conscious persons present were staring straight at me. I decided to munch on almonds and an apple I had packed, and did my best to look nonchalant, despite the fact that from time to time, a group of five men would stand in a circle very close and loom over me. Yeah, you read that right- they would just LOOM!! Who DOES that?
Anyway, as time passed, the going got easier. The sun rose, for one thing, which made the station look infinitely less freaky, and more women and youngsters came into the station, which was also a great comfort, because once I had some ladies sitting back-to-back with me, the Loomers stopped comming around. Hurrah for that, eh?
I was still pretty nervous about my ticket, though, since up to that point, I had no idea if it was actually going to take me where I wanted to go, but my worries were dispelled when I met a woman who taught English at a Changsha middle school. She sat down next to me, introduced herself, and was kind enough to check my ticket for me. She was going to visit her uncle, who had been in a car accident, but apparently the doctors said his injury wasn't serious, which is good! We talked until her bus had to leave. She was so kind to me! At one point, a beggar came up to me and wouldn't leave, and she protected me and said "You are our guest! People should leave you alone!" which made me happy, just because I was kind of traumatized by all the attention that morning. I know it's trivial, but those loomers really whacked me out!
With confidence restored, I got onto my bus for Zangjiajie all set and ready to go. There was so much going on all around me! A woman was directing a fleet of deaf kids selling fluffy keychains, a man was smoking in the back of the bus, people were loading and unloading themselves from different vehicles... Oh man, and our bus!!! Talk about character. That thing was grooooooooody! There were puddles in the aisle! The upolstery was coming apart! The curtains smelled like... DEATH! OBJECTS WERE FALLING FROM THE CEILING!! I could handle all that... unfortunately, there was one thing from the start that I COULDN'T handle: the Michelin Man toy stuck to the dashboard. Ever since I read Pattern Recognition, I can't take that thing. He's the second most horrific icon after Betty Boop in my book, and seeing him REALLY sets me off! Oh god, I shudder just thinking about it.
Let's just say I did my best during that four hour bus ride to NOT pay attention to the aesthetic travesty on the dashboard. Not to worry though, there was PLENTY else to keep me busy. Take the man sitting next to me for example. The guy was really something- I knew it from the moment he started whisteling "Amazing Grace" five minutes into the bus ride. For one thing, he was OBSESSED with Christmas songs. He whisteled them continuously! Even his cell phone ring was of a childrens' chorus singing "O Holy Night!" WTF? When he wasn't whisteling, he was chewing this stuff that I'm sure most people think smells fine, but I found to smell vile. Oh man, every time he started chewing a new one, I'd start gagging, then trying like mad to make it seem as though I were NOT gagging... ah man... Yeah... it was a long bus ride.
When I arrived in Zangjiajie City, I had yet another moment of feeling totally lost. We pulled into the bus station, everyone loaded off, and as soon as I was out of the bus, I was again the subject of everyone's attention. Yikes! I tried to sneak in between the various parked busses on my way to the street to keep a low profile. (Oh, and speaking of busses, they've got some crazy cool ones in these parts! Some of them are set up like sleeper cars, with bunk beds instead of seats! If the beds weren't super grimy, I'd be SO STOKED to ride in one!) Eventually, though, I made it to the street, and there was no hiding there. I thought I might look less... er... NOT Asian if I wore my large sunglasses, but that made me look like a movie star in cognito. Aiyah! As I walked down the street, I worked my way through dozens of men on parked mopeds, all smoking cigarettes and staring STRAIGHT at me. Yikes! I couldn't flag down a taxi soon enough.
I shot into the first cab that pulled up like a bat out off hell. Hahaa! It was super nice to be in a puddle, loomer, staring-person, smelly chewy stuff, and Christmas song-free zone. The driver and I negotiated a price (which basically meant he waved the desired bills in front of me and I sayd "uh" and bobbed my head) we were off to the National Forest Park, and I was a happy camper!
Alas, things couldn't the THAT easy, now could they? My driver first dropped me off at the wrong hotel, and since I couldn't read the signs, I didn't realize it! There was this big to-do in the first hotel when I walked in, claiming to have a reservation, when obviously I didn't. Thank goodness for Steve's business associate, King! I called him on my cell and he helped me through it all, working as a cell-phone translator through the whole debacle. What a saint!
My hat's off to the cab driver too, actually. Even though I had already paid him and walked away, he waited at the hotel, and even drove me to the right hotel once everything was figured out. Once there, he waited with me during the entire check in process, and didn't leave until I was being shown off to my room. How nice is that??
To sum things up, ten hours after waking up, I was finally at my destination, and very glad to be done with all that travel!!

Zhangjiajie: Like, Whoah.

2009-03-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
9:51pm
Room 3525, Hotel Pipaxi, Zangjiajie National Forest Park, Hunan, China..EARTH!

What an adventure!!! GAAAAH!!! Overwhelmed with sense of awesomeness of it all! Gah! Gah!! AWESOME OVERLOAD!!! Well, I CANNOT remember this day. Got to get it all down. I'll break it into smaller pieces.

Changsha

2009-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
4:33pm
Sheraton Changsha, Room 2515
Hah! Just got back from the fitness floor. SO NICE!! Love shiny machines with built-in cable television and heartrate monitors. Hurrah! Endorphins!
I'm a fan of hotels. That I am. I'm also definitely a fan of Sheratons. I just imprinted well with them, that's all. Though... they're also just really nice @_@ Good god, the privilage I get. It's sickening.
Well, in other news, Changsha is AWESOME! Don't get me wrong- I think Beijing is very impressive, but Changsha has so much more color, space, variation, and aesthetic differentiation. Some of the areas we drove by on the way to the hotel almost remind me of Las Vegas, actually. There is a wonderful juxtaposition of old and new, upscale and grimy... things feel at once to be institutionalized and grassroots. From our window on the 25th floor, we can see a wonderful mixture of things.

There are rides around a nearby lake, a soccer field, designer clothing stores, hotels, office buildings, and even apartments. I can see all sorts of things happening on buildings' roofs too: there are people walking around, garments hanging out to dry, and even full gardens. It's fascinating to look at it all! The city really feels vibrant.
The flight here was uneventful and calm. Beijing Airport is amazing, and I LOVE all of the smart advertisement placement. For example, the bag inspection bins are lined with adverts, which is brilliant, because EVERYONE who passes through is exposed to them. They might not directly notice the ads, or think about the product being promoted, but it's great for building brand recognition. I also noticed adverts in the little sanitary sheets that cover the headrests of the airplane seats. Smart, huh? I mean, you're GOING to be staring at the back of the seat in front of you, so there's no way you can really miss the ad. Oh, marketing is so much fun!

Crap. Better shower so I can meet up with Steve and maybe Nathan. Hopefully we can explore! Whee!

9:00pm
Whoah- went wandering and found this place called Martyr Park. Just wandered in, and there's a lake, paths, gardens, and even an amusement park!
It kind of felt like an old, broken down carnivals. There were rides, animal attractions, and paddle boats to take out on the lake.
I wandered around until Steve called, then made my way back to the hotel. Changsha sure is an interesting, colorful place!

My Favorite Beijing Outfits

2009-03-17T07:01:00.001-07:00

Here's hoping large sunglasses never go out of style.

I love her hairstyle!

Oh man, what an awesome dress. The buttons in the back! Perfection!

Yeah, I'm really digging the sweater dresses.

Nothing beats a trench and heels, huh?

Ok, well he just screams "cool." Or maybe I'm just jealous of his lens. Fancy!

It's hard to see here, but she's got really cool glasses frames!

I like her frames too!

Whoah! Bright pants!!!

Never thought I'd like overalls, but I'd TOTALLY wear those! Adorable!

I really am a sucker for bows.

She looks so elegant with her scarf like that!

Hahaa, she's like my better-dressed Chinese twin. Coat, tights, boots, sidebag, and a Nikon. It works!

Houhai Indeed!

2009-03-17T06:25:00.002-07:00

This afternoon was SO. COOL.
Steve and I ended up in the Houhai area, which basically consists of a small lake (Houhai Lake) surrounded by restaurants, bars, and cafes, with lots of outside seating. On the water, there are lots of boats, both powered boats and paddle boats, and around the rim, tons of rickshaws constantly wheel sightseers around.
I'm telling you, THIS is the kind of place I love most about all large cities. I adore those places people go to to see and be seen. There are few things I love more than seeing all the different styles and mixtures of people. I could do it forever!
After a quick walk around part of the rim, Steve settled down in one of the cafes and I took post at a bridge a little further off.

Leaning against one of the bridge's stone pillars, I took photos for about 90 minutes. EVERYONE passed over that bridge, and I got to have a go at shooting ALL of them!
Goodness gracious, I was in heaven. The people watching was world-class. There were locals, visitors, internationals, government officials, workers... Oh, sweet, sweet paradise!
For one thing, I loved looking at the clothes. There are a couple of things I saw worn today that I particularly liked. Little sweater dresses were among them. So cute! I also noticed people wearing knee-breaches... or at least narrow, elongated shorts that reminded me of knee breeches, with tights underneath. Also surprisingly cute! Of course the bows scored high with me, but I'm kind of a sucker for those things.
I also loved watching the dynamics of that particular location. There were the guards, who watched all the passersby and helped vehicles get over the bridge when they got stuck (they'd walk up, give them a good shove, and watch them roll off)...
There were the cafe workers who tried to entice customers to sit down...

There were the rickshaw runners trying to find shares...

There were also the commuters, passing through on their way home, and of course, there were those at leisure, enjoying the late afternoon. Many were doing just what I was- taking TONS of pictures.

Others were playing in the water with their boats. Every now and then, I would hear "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" CRASH! and look behind me into the water to see a terrible gridlock of motor and paddle boats. Hehee!

Everyone who wasn't moving or taking pictures was sitting in a cafe, enjoying the scenery. It was utterly fabulous.
It took Steve and I over an hour to get back to the hotel after we reunited, but it was SO worth it. I seriously think that the Houhai area is my favorite place in Beijing. It's not that I wasn't floored by the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace; it's just that people-watching in places like Houhai are pretty much my number one favorite thing to do. Oh, what fun!

A Morning at the Summer Palace

2009-03-17T06:25:00.001-07:00

This morning, I met with Echo, one of Steve's business contacts here in Beijing, and we toured the Summer Palace together! Echo's boyfriend, Carl, also met up with us, and we had a lovely time walking around the perimeter of the large lake. I was impressed by the great size of the park, and I loved all of the bridges and pavilions. Because it was Tuesday, and also on the off season, there were not very many people, and most of the visitors were retired and touring the area.
It was nice to be able to move around with ease, but most of the plants were still in winter-mode, and I imagine that the park is much more stunning in the summer. I mean... it IS the SUMMER Palace after all... At least we had some buds though!
We still had a lovely time strolling by the water though! I even pulled a touresty move and tried on courtesan clothing! A bunch of women walked by when I was wearing the costume, and they thought it was super hilarious. I tried to get them to pose with me, but they were shy!! Oh well, hahaa.
After touring the Summer Palace, we met with Steve and had a DELICIOUS lunch at a vegetarian restaurant. They even had fake meat in the dishes, so I was able to eat more traditional Chinese dishes that would typically have meat, which was fantastic, for I've felt bad for missing out on all the wonderful sauces and flavor combinations. Man, it was GOOOOOOD!!! Seriously... I thought my stomach would burst, but I kept on eating. NOM NOM NOM!! Hurrah!
Hahaa... seriously... I can't keep this up or I am going to be sick as a dog by the end of this trip!

In The Forbidden City with the Forbidden Hemline

2009-03-16T02:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 16th, 2009
4:30pm
Aloft Hotel, Beijing

Back from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City! Whew! What a day!

The Forbidden City was AWESOME. I mean... WHOAH!!! I got my own private tour guide for only around $15, and he walked me through nearly everything. It was brilliant!

I was so impressed with the size of it all. Every new gate led to another that was even more impressive than the first, and the buildings that the Emperor and his wife and consorts lived in were undeniably fascinating. I am SO glad that I had a tour guide. He was excellent, and shared so many fascinating details!

For example, he explained to me that the giant vats all over the place were used for fire control. Some of the vats were gold-plated, and all of them were slightly raised so that in the winter, fires could keep the water from freezing. How cool is that??
He also pointed out that the giant carved marble slab was brought over in the winter so workers could dig trenches, fill them with water that subsequently froze, and slide it along.
Oh! And he told me that the strange looking rock in the garden were brought from the bottom of a lake. These people are INSANE (in a very lovely way, of course).
I loved all of the architectural detail. The cloud and dragon motifs were dreamy and powerful. The association of north, south, east, and west with both the seasons (winter, summer, spring, and autumn) and elements (water, stone, wood, and metal- earth, the fifth element, is always right below your feet) makes perfect sense. Oh, and just couldn't help but go ga-ga over the amazing attention to detail. The locks, the clasps, the flourishes, the archways.... they left me utterly starstruck.

I found the whole Empress and Consort system to be very interesting... and perplexing. There were so many concubines! And they all must have been so bored! I wonder how catty it got amongst them. I bet things got pretty ruthless at times, especially since they were striated into so many different ranks. V. stressful.

Speaking of stressful, I had one of those major freakout moments when I first went out today. EVERYONE was starting at me, and I swear, I could just FEEL everyone's eyes on me, even when I would away from the crowds! What with all the attention, I started wondering if I was having one of those dreams where you show up at school without your clothes on, but nope, my little purple dress was firmly in place. What I soon discovered was that it was that whole "little" thing about the dress that was getting all that attention. Heheheh... Apparently they don't wear little dresses in Beijing...? Yeesh. I didn't realize. I was so excited about it NOT being twenty degrees that I thought I'd be fine in this dress... siiiiiiigh.

Seriously though, the last time I got this many stares, I was wearing my cupheads helmet that I made after the Loco design I saw on Japanorama.

Once I got over the stigma of being the most scantly clad creature in the Forbidden City, I found the whole situation rather amusing. I mean... I can't even tell you how many people asked me to pose for pictures with them!! WTF??? After a while, I took to asking these people if they'd take a picture with my camera, so as to document the hilarious results (such as documented in the previous post). Siiigh... what is this world coming to?
Photography definitely is the #1 activity in the Forbidden City, and for a good reason. Aside form the history art, and architecture, there is top notch people watching!

The popularity of photography definitely flows over to Tiananmen Square, though over there, it made more sense, because there's not much else to do. For the most part, you're only going to get a thrill from Tiananmen Square if you have agoraphobia, but as I'm a total fan of people watching, I loved it. Everyone was pulling out their best glamor poses. It was priceless!

I got back to the hotel without a hitch, despite the fact that I have zero language skills. So far, I'm really liking China! Hurrah!

Total Coppage

2009-03-16T01:37:00.000-07:00

So... a bit awkward. But also beyond hilarious.

Good Morning, Beijing!

2009-03-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Found these weird fire masks in the hotel room! Half of me is wants to say "Hey! We should wear these outside!"
I swear, as we descended into Beijing yesterday, we went through the weirdest colored clouds. First, they were white, then we went through a couple seconds worth of pink, and then brown, brown, brown, brown!!!
Smog or no smog, however, I'm venturing out to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Alrighty, here I go!

Koakuma (for Theraputic Online Research Time)

2009-03-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Photo from An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla.

I think some therapeutic Internet research is in order. I’m obviously obsessed with Japanese trends and subculture, so I was really interested when I started to read about a subgroup that I hadn’t previously heard about: Koakuma. The name started popping up in various Japan blogs I read, so I am now determined decided to learn more!

Trends in Japan explains that Koakuma translates to english as "little devil." The movement is lead by the magazine Koakuma Ageha, which runs the subtitle: "Seduction and Desire Book for Beautiful Gals Who Want to Become Cuter." Their look certainly is cute, and is characterized by curly hair, frilly dresses, super-decorated cell phones, and designer labels.

Trends in Japan says the Koakuma look is alternately known as Hime-kei, but according to MEKAS, Koakuma are a spinoff of Ganguro, the somewhat rebellious subculture of sexy (and often tan) Japanese girls that emerged in the early nineties. Unlike Ganguro, Koakuma have fair skin and less of an “I don’t care” attitude toward men. Interestingly, they’re not just a fashion subculture, but also part of a professional subculture of hostesses.

While MEKAS describes Koakuma as lower middle class women with little education that become hostesses because they have do not have many other options, an interview on An Eternal Thought In The Mind of Godzilla, was much more blunt. When speaking about Koakuma Ageha, "J" (the interviewee) suggests that in truth, “is full of nothing but slutty girls and sex workers.” Youch!

If Koakuma really are largely comprised of hostesses, they sure don't fit the American stereotype for "slutty girls." If anything, they resemble Disney Princesses, and there seems to be a general consensus that Koakuma share a sort of fantasy princess mentality; hoping that they will meet the perfect guy and live happliy ever after.

It's such a fascinating mixture of innocence and loss thereof. I am also quite struck with the various products riding the Koakuma wave, such as a cell phone service that sexes up your look, and arorably wrapped sweets. Obviously there's some hefty interest in this subculture if there are already spinoff products, yah? I wonder how it will evolve over time.

Well, whatever. I feel lovely now. Though I think it's time to pass out and sleep off the jetlag. Errrghh...

Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhh

2009-03-15T05:43:00.001-07:00

March 15^th, 2009

7:28pm

Aloft Hotel, Beijing

Ooooohhh- am SO fried. Loooong flight. Long long. Nooooo sleep. Not a wink! Kid next to me hated flying. Barf barf, cry cry, diaper change, diaper change, etc… Really nice parents though!

Am in Beijing in one peace, at any rate. Hah! Take THAT!

Was so happy upon arrival, started listening to My Girls in baggage claim area, and when one listens to this song while in an upright position, it is impossible not to dance, so obviously started dancing, and an airport official walked up to me and said “Uh… the exit is over there…”

Guess they don’t like spontaneous silent dance parties in China. No matter. Don’t know how much they like them in the States either.

So far, LOVE China! Just returned from all you can eat buffet with Steve. Mmmm. Love all you can eat buffets. Totally clean out the salad bars. Fresh veggies!!! LUXURY!!!

But ooooooooooh…… am so fried. Must look like death, which is very bad, because everyone here is so darn good looking! Ugh! Will sleep. Urgh…

Saturday, B.C.

2009-03-15T04:54:00.001-07:00

Saturday, March 14^th, 2009

11:03am

Dulles Airport

Standing at Samsung Mobile Charging Station across from Starbucks and encircled by eight LG flat screen monitors.

You know, we really are surrounded by branding. Yeesh! Just turned down the AT&T, T Mobile, Boingo, and iPass wireless offers, and will not use the Verison Internet kiosk. Have decided not to sit down and watch LG flat screens as wish to remain standing for a long as possible before airplane-induced 14-hour physical coma. Am trying to ignore the various United Star Alliance adverts flashing all around me, and am pretending not to notice Samsung BEHOLD touch screen display five inches from my face.

What am I kidding though- I love it! Samsung really knew what they were doing when they made these charging kiosks. Now people will start associating the Samsung name and logo with staying connected, powered up, etc… plus they’re super visible.

I digress. Wohoo! I am in Dulles Airport and in approximately an hour and thirty minutes, I will be on my way to Bejing! YES!

To be perfectly honest with you, I’m relieved that the Georgetown Cupcakes made it through airport security! X-ray Dude was clearly amused as he watched five boxes of cupcakes float by on his screen. “Did you bring cupcakes for all of us?” he asked. All I could do was smile as I attempted to put my clothes back on. Only one cupcake bit the dust in the process. Not bad!

Wow. It’s been like five minutes, and already I’ve heard two passersby comment on these Samsung chargers. Jeez, and this thing is attracting people like flies! Already two more guys have hooked up. My hat’s off to you, Samsung.

Siiigh. Love airport dynamics. The rows and rows of uncomfortable black seats and the intrepid nappers draped over them, the magazine racks, the obligatory restaurant/bars, the CNN, the security announcements…

I love travel because it gives you the chance to reinvent your identity. When you travel alone, you can completely reinvent yourself if you want too. Obviously your clothes and posture tip you off, but still… the world feels very open.

Maybe I’ll give up my anonymity for a bit though. Perry from GW is here! We had Taikwondo together freshman year, and as we’re both in the School of Business (aka Slytherin) we’ve had some business classes together too. He’s on the same flight as me, so I’m sure I can find him by the gate. Of course, that would entail disconnecting from the precious Samsung Marketing Device. Hmmm…. Maybe just five minutes more.

Huh. Some kid walking by me looked straight at me, pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, and said “There’s a troll in the dungeon.” Perhaps he’s taking this whole anonymity thing a bit too far.

C is for China (and Cupcakes)!

2009-03-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Boy, am I ever excited. At 12:30 this afternoon, I will be on a flight to Beijing!
I've decided to convert this blog into a temporary travel log while I'm there. I mean, why the heck not?

I can start by saying that the trip always begins prior to departure. For me, the trip began last night, when I carried home 7 dozen cupcakes. I wanted some for friends that I'd see before I left, and I also wanted to see how far I can get these little suckers into China.

Because it was drizzling last night, I stacked my cupcake boxes into a huge pile and wrapped them in a trash bag. It towered so high that as I carried it down M Street, nobody could see my head! I don't know if I have ever gotten so many stares- or seen so many people outright laughing at me. I mean, I've done eye-catching things before, like wearing those 300 cups on my head last year... and dressing in a giant goose costume freshman year... but I guess in both those cases, I wasn't able to see much what with the huge headpieces.

Well, I do suppose I looked kind of odd- a headless figure stumbling down M Street on a Friday night with riding boots, a short skirt, and a long winter coat. It was totally worth my temporary lack of feminine poise though- I find it most appropriate to launch any grand adventure with confectionery treats. Wheee!

Remix!

2009-03-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when people pick something up and remix it a billion times?
The other day my friend Amy shared this video and when I went on YouTube to view it, I found people had really went to town on it. I mean, we've got video game versions, movie versions, TV versions, cartoon versions, and even original video recordings.
I looked online to see if there is any sort of word for this behavior- for taking a meme and remixing the living daylights of it- but I couldn't seem to find one. I did find a Wired post from last year on how people were having a blast with Hitler Remixes... aiyah.
I wonder when this started happening. We have always had inside jokes, and we have always been imitating things... but when did people really get going with it online? I wish I could find a book on it or something @_@
Oh well. I guess I can just muse over the sheer volume of "Taking the Hobbits to Isengard" iterations there are on YouTube right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P8ufDNLaWI&feature=related

Top Five Songs

2009-03-07T08:30:00.001-08:00

I'm in the mood for creating lists, for some reason. Plus, I have 15 minutes to kill before I teach Pilates. Hence, I present my top five songs!!

First up, "These Days." But not any old version: the one by Nico and the Velvet Underground. The one they used in The Royal Tenenbaums. You know how we all have "our songs?" Well, this is my song.

Second, Animal Collective's "My Girls." It's amazing. And joyful. And I adore it.

Coming in third is "Dear Prudence," by the Beatles. I love this song because I had a crazy experience with it when I was 15. I was volunteering on my own in Mexico, and at 2:30 in the morning, as I was walking home with my fellow volunteers, we saw two men in an empty restaurant watching the Beatles sing this song on a black and white TV. It was really surreal. The next day, I swam far out to sea- past where the sea floor drops off, and found myself in the biggest school of fish I'd ever seen. I had that song in my head the whole time. It was awesome.

"Short Skirt / Long Jacket" is my fourth favorite song. The first time I ever heard it, I thought "Huh. I want to be that girl!" and in a really illogical way, the song has kind of guided my behavior for YEARS! Creepy, huh?

Ranked fifth is Jesus Etc. by Wilco. I especially like it with the strings at the start. It's SO beautiful. And simple. And awesome.

Oh, hurrah for music!

People Watching

2009-03-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

I just found a new blog to read, Kitsune Noir by Bobby Solomon, and as I was going through some of the older posts, I found this video:

It's part of Fifty People One Question, and I went to the site to see more. What a cool idea! I've done things like this before... it's scary, but when one get's over being shy, it's fantastic. How cool it is to see which answers recur and which are utterly unique. I like the Brooklyn version too:

Siiigh. People are fascinating. Really fascinating. I mean, isn't it amazing to read their faces, and think about what their responses reveal about them, and wonder what it is about their moods, company, and surroundings that might change their answers?
I like the other questions too. You should check these out!

The NYC one is my favorite. I might be biased though. I've been thinking about NYC a lot lately @_@

Ah, the future

2009-03-05T16:54:00.001-08:00

Yeesh. I'm such a sucker for people's visions of the future. Cool thing is though, this is well within reach!

At least that's what Microsoft thinks. OhGizmo notes that we've got all the basic components already. So hurrah! Bring on the sleek readers, screens, and interfaces! I am certainly ready. I'm especially ready for them to be within my college student budget @_@

[Microsoft's vision for 2019 via OhGizmo!]

You Know, I Really Like It!

2009-03-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

It's "Happy Up There" by Royksopp (a Norwegian band) and it's part of their new album, Junior, which hits stores in a couple of days. Hurray for happy songs!
I went to their site, and dawdled around a bit. I like them even more now knowing that they're going to be playing in Japan alongside Animal Collective soon. I like their other music videos too! Man, I must be pretty behind the times. I've never head of them before, but apparently the music video below for their song Remind Me won the MTV Europe Music Award for best music video. Nifty though!

[via Josh Spear]

Headband Mystery: SOLVED

2009-03-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

Aha! Mystery of the headbands-with-bows SOLVED! This morning, my room mate Caroline pointed out that headbands of that style are worn by the character Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. Season one launched in 2007, so looks like this trend took a while to catch on, at least in DC, but my goodness, there is so much out there about Blair's silly headbands!

Etsy crafters, for example, have made and sold reproductions of what's seen on the show.

And there are also online tutorials for those who want to create their own reproductions.

Looks like at least some of Blair's headbands are Jennifer Behr. She's got a lot of cool stuff, for sure, but who decided that her hair accessories were cool? Sure, the Gossip Girl series costume and wardrobe department makes the choices, but their choices must be based on something else, right?

What makes people like Matthew Simonelli (assistant costume designer and shopper for the show ) decide a certain piece of clothing is appropriate? Where does he turn to find the newest emerging trends? If he was the one responsible for the headband move, where did he first see them used?

Also, what took DC college students so long to start liking these headbands? I mean, people were blogging about the trends as early as June 2008 , so it has been floating around for quite a while. Am I just late on all this? Probably. I only watch Gossip Girl when I'm inconsolable and sleep deprived, and I make an effort to avoid that state. Hahaa.

Good stuff though! Fascinating!

Trends + Kawaii

2009-03-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

NO! CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT ALL!!! Just remembered that as I was rushing off to HR class, I passed by a girl wearing a headband with a little bow. Now my mind won't stop thinking about how trends spread. And what gets them going. And where they spread to first.

When I was in Japan last summer, I bought a bunch of bow-style headbands because I was particularly fascinated by Sweet Lolita and Hime styles. I wore them all the time after I came back, but only a couple of weeks ago did I start to hear about them. Starting in January, I have been getting lots compliments on my headbands, and I have also noticed more girls around campus and the shops on M Street wearing them.

What happened? What made headbands with bows suddenly cool? Yeah, yeah, you can tell me to go off and read Gladwell’s Tipping Point, but that doesn’t explain everything.

Did someone famous start wearing them? Did a key group of girls start wearing them? Or is our culture getting more cutesy? Perhaps America is really warming up to Japanese kawaii aesthetics. After all, MAC has launched its new Hello Kitty campaign (and the most disturbing video of all time FYI… see it at the end of this post).

Also, is this just an isolated thing? I wonder where else girls are starting to wear headbands with bows- and where are people already tired of the trend? With media being the instantaneous, all-encompassing thing it is, trends can spread so quickly. Does this mean that we’re seeing things catch on more quickly and uniformly across the country? Or do people focus more on reference groups that they see in person?

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! CHAPTER 7!!! I WILL FOCUS ON CHAPTER 7!!!!!!!! HUMAN RESOURCES. APPRAISING AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE. Yes. Yes.

More on Coolhunting

2009-03-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

Aha! Found lovely introductory video to coolhunting. It's a PBS Frontline episode titled The Merchants of Cool . It's a bit old (2001), but it's generally informative. More shout outs for DeDee Gordon. According to Frontline, coolhunting is all basic consumer behavior research: ethnography studies, focus groups, etc... Oh, plus a bit more grassroots work done by kids at DeDee's Look Look.

Overall, they're somewhat impartial... but I feel they overall view this kind of marketing in a negative light- as if these companies are forcing bad products on helpless kids. I suppose they are, to a certain extent. But one could also argue they're just cashing in on trends that are going to happen anyway. They're giving the kids exactly what they want. But should they? Ooooh, ethical debates.
And I also feel that the show is a bit one-sided. Kids are a huge market, to be sure, but they're certainly not the only one. Consider the baby boomers, for example. There are trends for all, though I know people become less prone to fad-following behavior as they age. Still, coolhunting isn't just about tweens and teens.
And what about the methodS? Already, I wager things are different. First, consumers are more wary than ever about marketing, especially with viral and buzz marketing becoming more commonplace. Also, I imagine there is still a good amount of traditional research, but what about the Internet? What about scanning blogs and forums? What about all the independent coolhunters who keep up their own trendspotting blogs and whatnot? Grr! It's so interesting! Why can't THIS be my homework???
NO. Must return to HR Chapter 7. WILL FINISH.

Coolhunting

2009-03-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ever since reading Pattern Recognition and realizing that Cayce Pollard is basically me + 15 years, I have been desperate to learn more about coolhunting. You see, Cayce Pollard's character in the book was a coolhunter by profession (amongst other things). In effect, she would hit the streets and catch emerging trends, then sell her knowhow to interested clients. Man, I would kill for that job. Pattern recognition? Careful observation? Subcultural fluency? Delicious!

Here's the thing though- does such a profession exist? First, I hit up Wikipedia. Lo and behold, there was an entry :

Coolhunting is a term coined in the early 1990s referring to a new breed of marketing professionals, called coolhunters. It is their job to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends. The word derives from the aesthetic of "cool".

The entry also explains that many bloggers serve as online coolhunters, which completely makes sense, as I have been following several.

At any rate, coolhunting is more or less a recognized profession, and I want in! But how does one get started? Does one first work for a marketing or consulting agency while researching youth culture? I've actually read in some of my business textbooks that some companies, such as Target, have in-house coolhunters that they send all over the place to catch wind of the upcoming trends, and Wikipedia backs me up on this, but how to people get the experience to merit such amazing positions? I mean... I don't see any coolhunting majors out there.

Back in 1997, Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article called The Coolhunt that details the background of two influential coolhunters: DeDee Gordon and Baysie Wightman, and they got started with retail and the shoe industry. It seems they kind of ended up as coolhunters, but didn't go for it directly.

Well, all I know is I need to know more!! Coolhunting is way too fascinating to cast by the wayside, even though there's a crapload of other things I should be doing. Bother.

Ha HA!

2009-02-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Finished! Sort of.

Rollers

2009-02-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Just read a Japan Probe posting on a Peter Bjorn and John video featuring Yoyogi Dancers and prompting readers to explain the subculture.

David Marx of MEKAS commented first, classifying the men as Rollers. Apparently, they're a yanki-influenced, half-bosozoku, Japanese take on fifties rockabilly / greaser style subculture that gave birth in the '70s, fizzled in the '80s, and still exists amongst a small group of aging men.

How fascinating is that? And of course, to understand the coolness of Rollers, then, one must delve into the history of bosozoku, yankii, and greaser subcultures, plus get a grip of how Japan interprets and adopts different international social phenomena. It's like a never ending breadcrumb trail of fascinating facts!

Good Times

2009-02-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

9:49pm
Just watchin' the Oscars, speculating about the target audiences for various commercials, and commending on sartorial choices with Caroline.
Ah- and playing with Photoshop again! Am making progress with The Honorable William Marsh. Progress so far below.

Dante

2009-02-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

10:48pm
City Hall

Just got back from seeing Dante, the Synetic Theater's newest endeavor. Was interested in seeing it as have read the Divine Comedy with a stellar Honors class, but... ah... they got somewhat creative with the story. Very creative, actually. As soon as Dante and Beatrice started dancing, I knew it was time to let the details go and just and enjoy the ride.

What a ride. Had seen the Synetic Theater before when they did Macbeth (see clip below), so was ready for the Bay Area-esque take on things, but was really blown away by this one.

Man, I never would have anticipated the pastie-wearing Francesca, or the literal clusterf@$#, or the writhing bodies wrapped in plastic wrap, or the rather sensual Virgil, but you know, within the misty confines of the Rosslyn Spectrum, it all seemed to work. Favorite part by far: when the demon mooned the priest (though will admit that started convulsing in silent laughter, which abruptly ceased when Virgil gave me a look). Most awkward part: right after the mooning, when they shoved the giant cross up the priest's... uh...

Well. This was the first time I had front row center seats to anything, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The choreography was breathtaking, and anyone in their right minds could not help but bow down to the physical prowess of the dancers. Talk about spinal articulation! Woof!

Right. Off to bed! Am going to have crazy dreams tonight.

Hisaishi is a genius

2009-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

If I may, I would like to say that Joe Hisaishi is a genius when it comes to good music for daydreaming.
Good god, I just want my life to be as vivid, charming, poignant, exciting, and beautiful as his songs are!

Tanning

2009-02-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

So in my consumer behavior class, we have been assigned group projects in which we will conduct primary and secondary research on some sort of behavioral pattern. We could choose pretty much any topic, and one of my group members suggested we study the characteristics and motives of people who go to tanning salons.
Man, I am SO excited about this. Artificial tanning is such a foreign concept to me, and whenever I hear about it,
I immediately think of the Kogals, Ganguro, and Yamanba of Japan.

What a fascinating social phenomenon!
Americans' tanning habits are way more subdued, but I am sure they are no less interesting. I cannot wait to find out more!
Goodness gracious, I am glad to be a marketing major.

My Favorite Internet Memes

2009-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Sleep deprivation has turned me into an inconsolable person. Nevertheless, I can find comfort in my favorite internet phenomena. How many are you familiar with? Go on- test your random knowledge.

And for good measure...

Simple Pleasures. Mmm.

2009-02-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, we're all busy. Yes, it's ridiculously easy to get stressed. But should we let that get in the way of life? No. Absolutely not.

Honestly, it does not take a lot to get super excited about the little pleasures we encounter on a daily basis. Heck, today, I practically blew a fuse I was so excited- just because I had my FIRST EVER bagel with cream cheese. Goodness knows what's been keeping us apart for so many years (the bagel and I), but for some reason I'd never had one before. Good GOD! Bagels and cream cheese are delicious! Refreshing, but rich. Smooth but fluffy. Sharp but grounding. Boy, who ever thought such a simple snack would make me feel so ALIVE!!!

Oh, look at me. Living the high life.

Hahaa, plus, I came across the Star Wars Renaissance postings on Worth1000 when reading Geekadelphia. SO AWESOME. Here are some of my favorites:

[Worth 1000 Star Wars Renaissance via Geekadelphia]

The Emergency Exit Stairwell

2009-02-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

In honor of V-Day, I have a short story to share. First, some musical accompaniment:

Alright. Here we go.

On weekday afternoons at 4:15, Susan Moretto's life transformed. At this precise time, Monday through Friday, Susan took her government-mandated 15-minute break and tiptoed to the emergency exit stairwell, where in a great cathartic release, she would sing. From her strategic location on the fifth floor, Susan enjoyed excellent acoustics, as the empty stairwell acted like a gigantic echoing microphone. Susan sang songs about love, loss, adventure, death, destiny... pretty much anything there was to sing about. Susan's singing would continue unbroken for 15 minutes, at the end of which Susan would abruptly stop, step out of the stairwell, and return to her desk.

None of Susan's co-workers at the accounting firm where she worked were aware of her strange habit. They assumed she took the stairs down to the first-floor coffee shop in defiance of the sedentary accounting lifestyle. Had someone told them Susan utilized the stairwell for musical outbursts, they would think there was some sort of mix-up, as it would be impossible that their Susan- shy, polite, reserved Susan- would do such a thing. This staircase, as I am sure you can surmise, was quite sound resistant.

There is one exception to this soundproofing, and it applied to a corner office of the ninth floor of the building. The office belonged to a Mr. Jake Messersmith, Vice President of Information Technology for a prominent media company. Through some strange architectural anomaly, Jake had a ventilation duct that was attached to the emergency exit stairwell. Certainly now you can imagine that Jake Messersmith's life also transformed every weekday afternoon at 4:15. Jake actually made special preparations for the event by promptly closing his office door at 4:14, propping his feet up on his desk, and closing his eyes. Like clockwork, the singing would commence, and the music overtook him. For a luxurious 15 minutes every week day, Jake was completely removed from his little corner office and all its obligations. The voice took him to a world where he was free again- breathing each breath with a sense of wonder and beholding the world as the wonderful place he knew it really was.

For both Jake and Susan, these fleeting musical interludes came to be an utter necessity. While they both loved their careers and enjoyed moderate levels of success and independence, their lives lacked real meaning. The hardworking professionals could not seem to find their particular place in the world, and their lives, while bustling and busy, had no purpose. This left each feeling lonely and incomplete. Only these afternoon breaks freed them from this incurable sorrow that undercut their long days at the office. This relief was pure ecstasy.

~~~

One early summer's day, Jake decided to take a risk. On his way to work in the morning, he purchased a bouquet of roses. Once in the confines of his office, he separated out all of the flowers. To each stem, he affixed a note, which read as follows:

We need to meet
-Jake

At 3:45pm, Jake Messersmith placed a flower in front of every door in the stairwell. Surely, he reasoned, the mysterious stairwell woman would have to come across one of his notes. At 3:56, he returned to his office, sat down at his desk, and waited in a state of excited, nervous anticipation. 19 minutes later, Susan stood up from her desk and strode to the stairwell. Only Dr. Percey Spencer, upon discovering the microwave oven, would understand precisely how Susan felt at this moment. Just as he realized he unwittingly cooked a candy bar in his pocket with the magnetron he was testing, Susan, at this precise moment, realized she had caught someone's attention with her afternoon accounting breaks.

Susan squatted down, eyed the rose, and ever so carefully, picked it up. Six times, she read the attached note. Then she walked to the stairwell's rail and looked over the edge. Below her, at every door, lay an identical rose with an attached note. Horrified that someone might come across these unique transmissions and return to the stairwell in search of their intended recipient, Susan resolved herself to pick up every last flower. "Must destroy the evidence..." she thought.

In a state of near-panic, Susan scrambled up to the top of the staircase, then ran, rolled, and fell down from landing to landing, snatching up roses as she proceeded. Jake, through his ninth floor corner office air duct, heard evidence of this- or at least an odd "FOOMF FOOMF FOOMF" (the sound of Susan's diminutive frame falling from step to step) sound that would not be expected from someone who has just been gifted flowers. Concerned by this unforeseen development, and also curious about the sound, Jake dashed to the stairway and opened the door just as Susan cleared the landing two floors below.

Susan heard the echo of a door opening as Jake entered, and nearly blew a fuse as she doubled her speed of controlled falling and flower collection. Sensing Susan's downward movement, and seeing that the flower at his doorway had been taken, Jake began to make his way down the steps, first at a normal pace, then faster. Before long, Susan and Jake were rushing down the stairs at breakneck speed, not daring to say anything, but wanting more than anything to hide and seek, respectively.

Susan, much to Jake's disappointment, made it to the bottom floor unseen and burst out through the fire exit directly to the street, causing the building's fire alarm to go off. Not wanting to be blamed for the offense, Jake vacated the building through the lobby. Susan spent the remaining seven minutes of her brake running to her apartment (which was only two blocks away), carefully but quickly arranging the roses in a vase in her kitchen, then running back to work. She sat down to her desk just seconds before her computer's clock read 4:30, and her co-workers only assumed that the poor girl's shortness of breath was due to a particularly strong espresso followed by a quicker than usual jaunt up the stairs.

~~~

In the days that followed, Susan did not sing in the emergency exit stairwell. It was not the thought of someone listening to her sing that bothered her; it was the thought that someone had expressed interest in her. Susan would simply not tolerate that- could not tolerate that- because the very thought of being with anyone was excruciating. There was one exception to this cold sentiment of hers: an individual she referred to as "Lobby Man." Susan saw him every morning at the office, holding the lobby door open for the sleep deprived but caffeine-infused employees as they stumbled to work. His gentlemanly conduct coupled with a kindly expression and an indescribably perfect forehead left Susan overwhelmed with affection. No where else in the universe could there be a more perfect creature in her eyes.

Susan made a habit of hanging back every morning and watching him hold the door and smile as people passed into the building. Much as her singing appeared to be a daily escape for the eavesdropping Jake, Lobby Man's kindness was a daily escape for Susan. This man reminded her that there was still gallantry in the world, and also that she was not the only one in the city who felt chipper in the mornings. Seeing him gave her a wonderful rush of hope and joy.

Unlike Jake, however, Susan did not have the courage to reach out to the object of her affection. She could not even pass by him as he held the door open for goodness sake; how on earth could she ever approach him and express her feelings? Susan was quite resigned to the fact that her case was hopeless, but took solace knowing that they did work in the same building and that she could see him every morning (albeit from a safe distance).

Despite her morning pick-me-up of Lobby Man watching, Susan began to feel a strain on her otherwise unadulterated happiness. Without her afternoon singing break, she felt cramped and uninspired. Afternoons became almost insufferable in their unbroken monotony. She found herself counting the minutes until she could go home every evening, but once home, she felt no pleasure in her usual indulgences. Her usual pastimes of cooking, reading, and people watching at the local outdoor cafes seemed to have lost their sparkle.

Jake found himself much in the same condition. Though he was perfectly aware that the mysterious singing meant a lot to him, he had no idea that it meant this much. Life had become dull and uninspiring. It was awful.

Luckily, a sudden twist of fate caused the paths of these miserable people to cross. Jake Messersmith's media company, which regularly ran internal accounting audits, had switched firms after its original hire went bankrupt. Out of convenience, the media company selected Susan's accounting firm as a replacement. This switch to Susan's accounting firm involved a grievous amount of paperwork, and employees from the fifth floor were constantly rushing up to the ninth floor to get signatures and completed forms forms.

Though a marvelous twist of fate, one Thursday morning found Susan working on accounting paperwork for Jake's IT department. After going through several forms, Susan realized that some additional signatures were needed, so she made her way up to the ninth floor and was directed to the corner office. As you might imagine, Susan experienced a terrible shock when she realized that, sitting behind a neatly organized desk, was Lobby Man, a.k.a. Jake Messersmith.

Few ghosts could ever boast to have been as white as poor Susan suddenly turned as she crossed the threshold into Jake's office. Lapsing into crisis autopilot mode, she politely asked him to fill out and sign some forms, attempting, all the while, to not vomit or pass out. As Jake filled out the paper, he could not help but wonder what caused the woman's sickly pallor. Naturally, he began to wonder even more once Susan turned bright red at seeing his completed forms.

The cause of the redness, of course, was Susan's recognition of Jake's signature, which was the very one gracing every note attached to the roses in the stairway. As Susan's face flushed in what ought to go on record as the world's most intense blush, she realized that the very man she was hopelessly in love with was also quite taken with her.

This knowledge was too much for her. Like an unattended wooden plank on a windy day, Susan's stiff body fell back with a magnificent crash and she lay unconscious on Jake's immaculately clean office floor. As any responsible person would do, Jake called an ambulance and the Susan's petrified, unconscious body was rushed off to the hospital.

Upon regaining consciousness, Susan was informed that she had experienced some sort of terrible shock, and that she should spend the rest of the afternoon resting. Susan thanked the doctors for their advice, left the hospital, and returned to work, where she found Jake's signed papers neatly placed on her desk. A quick glance at the clock down the hall informed her that it was precisely 4:12pm in the afternoon. Despite her weakened state, Susan decided it was time to take action. She stood up, and with a resigned stride, walked to the emergency exit stairway.

It would be hard to describe what thoughts flew through Susan's mind in the minutes leading up to 4:15. Aside from a completely understandable rush of fear at the prospect of confronting Lobby Man for the first time ever, Susan felt something she had never felt before. It was a kind of tingling deep in her gut- or not so much of a tingling, but rather a sensation that one of her organs had been filled with helium and was no longer bound by the law of gravity. It was not unpleasant, but it certainly was not familiar, and this novelty made it absolutely impossible for her to think of something to sing.

At 4:14 and 56 seconds, Susan still had no idea of exactly what she was going to do. She felt as though she stood at the edge of a cliff, about to jump off and feel the rush of weightlessness as she fell into an indiscernible abyss. At 4:14 and 59 seconds, her mind went completely blank. At precisely 4:15, however, her lungs opened, and she began to sing.

I am sure you can imagine Jake's surprise at hearing music pouring through his air duct once again. He was still moderately frazzled from the fainting incident in his office earlier that morning, and this new development caused him to rocket up from his seat in complete shock. Taking advantage of the momentum from this sudden movement, Jake flew from his chair and dashed like a madman in the direction of the emergency exit stairwell.

Susan heard the sound of a door several floors above slam open, and she heard the subsequent shuffle and rush of feet as they began to scramble down the flights of stairs, but she did not stop singing, and she did not retreat. Instead, she sang louder. Her voice echoed through the stairwell, and as the sound waves reverberated off the walls, both she and Jake felt a rush of joy- one that had been absent from both their lives for what seemed like a thousand years.

Barely looking where he was going, Jake flew down the stairs, sliding in his low-traction office loafers on each new landing, and gripping onto the railing to pull himself to the next steps. Four flights later, Jake found himself standing face to face with Mysterious Stairway Woman, whom he now realized was also accountant Susan Moretto. Now it was Jake's turn to turn completely white. Everything clicked. Everything made sense.

Susan's song came to an end, and the two stared at each other in silence. Slowly, Jake cracked a smile, and realizing that everything was ok- that this really was happening- Susan grinned too. With a sweeping gesture, Jake suggested they grab an espresso in the first floor cafe, and Susan heartily agreed, for honestly, there was no way she could top the last song with anything else.

In the first floor cafe, the two skipped the formalities of normal introductory social meetings and lapsed right into a heated discussion over the artistic value of mispronounced song lyrics. Judging from the way they spoke with each other, one would suppose Jake and Susan had been together for years. This might seem odd, as the two had only met that morning, and it was a short meeting what with all the fainting, but really, they had been together for a very long time. Every afternoon at 4:15, despite complete anonymity and physical separation, these two strangers had been more connected than most couples could ever hope to be.

Jake and Susan's song and stairway rendezvous, followed by an espresso break and fascinating conversation, repeated the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Once again, the two were blissfully happy, and this time they could share their bliss with someone else. Finally, Jake and Susan felt complete, for they realized that each was the missing puzzle piece that the other had sought.

While their companies eventually moved and the building received new occupants, Jake and Susan did not part ways, and remain together to this day. All that is left of their stairway meetings, however, are two small roses, one on the ninth floor and and one on the fifth, drawn into onto the banister with company-issued permanent markers.

V-Day Approaches!

2009-02-11T16:56:00.001-08:00

Love that Acme Heart Maker.

Is it sad that this is all that's on my mind right now?

2009-02-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

Animal Collective "My Girls" from Chad von Nau on Vimeo.

Scripts and Schemas

2009-02-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

So... what does one think when one encounters this in a bathroom?

In Consumer Behavior class today, we discussed schemas, and more specifically, scripts, which are basically schemas for situations. We talked about how they act much like scripts in a play, allowing us to act in a certain way when we're surrounded by different visual cues.
Isn't it kind of cool how when we're in a grocery store, we know to get a cart and start moving through the aisles, and when we go to a movie theater, we know to buy tickets, go to the theater, sit down, and wait for the movie to start? It is as if we are programmed like robots! Ok, well we are programmed. But in a very organic way. Very organic and AWESOME.
Anyway, I was thinking about all this, and I started thinking about funny scripts- like the ones we rely on in really awkward situations, such as when we are sitting on a super-crowded bus, or when we use public bathrooms. The scripts are funny enough as it is, you know? But when someone violates the script, by shooting at a toy stuck to a bathroom mirror, for instance, things just get frickin' hilarious. I mean, people don't know how to react!!
I suppose that's what makes these so funny...

Aaah, consumer behavior. Love it.

The Great Unknown! It Beckons!

2009-02-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

9:49pm
City Hall

Ooooh, really should be studying, but have the worst urge to just buy a plane ticket to anywhere and go on an awesome, crazy adventure. Don't you ever get that itch? I mean, it's so easy to get settled into a routine, and believe me, I am the queen of routine, and there is so much comfort and luxury in that, but... well, there is a thin line between routine and death, isn't there? Where is the spice of life when there is no uncertainty? Where is the adventure when everything is familiar?

Sometimes I completely lose the ability to focus, and spend a couple of minutes listening to musical scores from all sorts of adventure movies, and imagine a life where I would live from day to day. Wouldn't it be cool to be a vagabond of sorts, going from town to town, staying just long enough to change people's lives for the better, and then moving on to somewhere new? Just imagine how liberating it would be to be able to start over new every couple of months! It would be so refreshing to be freed of everyone and everything that reminds you of what you are. Ah, and that's the amazing thing about travel: when you're away from everything you know, all that's left is you- the real, uninfluenced you.

Bother. Now all I want to do is pull some sort of Romancing the Stone meets Lawrence of Arabia meets Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Mummy meets Indiana Jones stunt, which is entirely out of the question, as I have a Human Resource Management exam to prepare for. Bother bother bother.

Studying while listening to soundtracks will have to suffice. Siiigh. At least there's daydreaming. Perhaps can daydream about being some sort of treasure-hunting HR-historian in search of the Lost Human Resource Management Guide of Sumatra- a manuscript carved from pure diamond plates.

What it sounds like inside my head

2009-02-08T18:22:00.001-08:00

In case anyone was wondering, this is what it sounds like in my carefully constructed, insular reality:

Funny thing... I was actually in a Nicholas Nickleby play in high school. In the first part, I played the Infant Phenomenon, a deranged, drunken freakshow-dancer-ish-disaster. I was brilliant. In the second part, I played Madeline, the love interest. I was awful.

I wonder what this says about my character. Hum, probably nothing.

Nostalgia

2009-02-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's awesome that there's a whole generation of us who have spent/wasted many, many hours of our lives on this game.

The Epic Parking Lot Swordfight

2009-02-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

8:46am
City Hall

Had insane dreams last night. First, dreamed that had found my soul mate, or at least the guy who I assume is my soul mate, who looks just like a complete stranger I saw on the street one day. Next, dreamed that had befriended strange Ronin badass, who was challenged to a duel by some gang lord who had a shack at the back of a neon-encircled parking lot and a huge following of showgirls and police men. They agreed to meet the next night. HUGE crowds showed up and a battle ensued in which Ronin Badass won. Then, everyone broke into song and dance and I felt incredibly proud of him. We were all in the second song-dance sequence when my alarm went off. Drat.

Quick Fixes

2009-02-02T07:07:00.001-08:00

Am very glad that, when am in terrible state, can always turn to small clips of Azumanga Daioh to return to efficient, chipper happy person state. Thank goodness for randomness.

My Girls

2009-02-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

The Honorable Mr. William Marsh introduced me to this song on Animal Collective's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Holy crap, it's awesome.

MyGirls -

And- awww.

2009-01-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

This is beautiful. And adorable. And sweet. And beautiful.

It gives me comfort to think people have the creative vision for these kind of things.

V-Day Approaches

2009-01-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

10:22pm
City Hall

January is on its last leg, and February is nearly here! It's already obvious. Today at GTC, Red Velvet cupcakes were in HUGE demand. Cannot wait for V-Day. Is very soon, actually! Seventeen days, right? Siiigh. Cannot wait to see the streets brimming with harried, bleary-eyed people toting flowers, chocolates, beautifully wrapped presents, and ridiculous teddy bears. Cannot wait to hear girls bragging about gifts from their boyfriends, and cannot wait to see all the adorable cards people get. What a day of adorableness!

Much to my delight, displays are already up in most stores. Hearts, pink, and flowers all around! Hurrah!
Of all the beautiful V-Day flourishes in store windows, the "Evening of Two Hearts Strapless Dress" at Betsey Johnson is by far the best. Dress is beautiful compendium of all the best V-Day aesthetics: is petite, is pink, has ruffles, has hearts, and is embellished with big, adorable bow. Is designed for wearer to prance about in, and then jump into arms of some beloved hubby as perfectly wrapped Valentine's gift, and say "Ta-da!!" Loveliness abounds.

In honor of pink, fluffy Betsey Johnson dresses, will write short story. See below.

The Dress (A Short Story. Hurrah!)

2009-01-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

First: Mood music~

Mysterious Chocolate - Yamashita Kousuke

Now: Story time.

Shirley Thunderson stood outside the shop window, gazing dreamily up at what she could only describe as aesthetic perfection. Bathed in inefficient but flattering incandescent light was a strapless dress with a pink tulle bottom and poly organza top. To Shirley, nothing in the world mattered save this dress. She forgot her name, her family, her work, and even her location whenever she found herself in its presence, which happened to be Monday through Friday evenings as she walked home from her waitressing job at a small cafe.

Shirley knew she could not afford the dress on her pitiful income. Goodness knows, she could not even afford to stay alive as it was. All of her monthly income went to paying rent, which meant she had nothing for anything else, especially not clothing. When she was hungry, Shirley would sneak food scraps as she cleared tables at the cafe and store them in her work cubby behind the small kitchen, squirrel-style. Nobody knew Shirley was having such financial trouble, as she dressed well and never complained, but the poor thing was in dire straights.

On this fateful night, and despite her alarming lack of income, Shirley found herself drifting into the shop that housed her sartorial idol. Once inside, she shuffled towards the rack, and right there was the dress, beckoning to her. In spite of her better judgment, she saw her hand drifting up, and in an act of complete folly, she touched it. Ah, bliss! The fabric, the stitching, the weight, the texture... it all screamed quality and careful, thoughtful design. Shirley's reason began to crumble. Her fingers flipped out the tag. Size zero. Just her size. Alas, her alarming lack of food had made her perfect for expensive, fashionable clothing. Before she knew it, Shirley was making a b-line for the dressing room, slipping off her clothes, and stepping into the dress. Staring into the mirror, wide-eyed, Shirley knew that she had gone past the point of no return. The dress could not go off. She would not let it happen. She needed this dress- at all costs- and she needed it now.

Still wearing the fluffy pink masterpiece, she exited the dressing room and glided to the counter. She looked amazing. If you or I were to walk into the store at this moment, we would think that Shirley was a model, or some famous heiress out for an impulse buy. The woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow as she approached. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I need this dress," Sophie said, "but I have no money, and no possessions of real value. I work in the cafe up the street, and only make enough to pay rent. But I need this dress, you see. I just do. Please."

There was a long pause as the saleswoman behind the counter slowly blinked, looking into Shirley's eyes with an expression that neither you, I, nor Shirley could comprehend. "I will give you this dress," she replied at length, "but on one condition. You give me your soul."

"Yes." Shirley answered instantly and with all her heart. And that was the end, for from that moment on, Sophie had no soul.

It would be difficult to say what was done with Shirley's soul, because both she, and the saleswoman were never seen again. In fact, the saleswoman in the shop that night was not an employee, and her presence there has remained a mystery, despite many subsequent police investigations. All that was left of the strange encounter was Shirley's wallet, completely devoid of everything save some empty coffee filters.

Evidence of Why Americans Just Aren't With It

2009-01-30T06:53:00.001-08:00

Though plenty of Americans make animals dance, they don't perpetuate the form through awesome music videos. Siiigh. Miss Japan.

Snow + A Brokedown Melody

2009-01-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

3:23pm
Snow today! The world is a fantastic wonderland of white. Siiiigh- nothing beats walking through the snow with a nice surfing movie soundtrack playing. Life is good.

Know-How - Kings Of Convenience Featuring Feist

Dramatic Cupcake Dog

2009-01-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

Oh God, am in such a rut. Am so thankful to have room mate that actually understands me. She just sent me an email showing this poor dog with the simple subject line: "I think you do the same thing."

True dat.

Yosh!

2009-01-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

4:12pm
City Hall

Career counselor just tore me a new one. Watched on as he looked at my resume and list of summer internship interests with a look of abject horror. Perhaps am absolutely, completely screwed in future job market. Perhaps am completely, utterly, under qualified for everything.

4:48pm

Have consumed honeydew melon slices with yogurt, carrots with hummus, a spoonful of almond butter, cheese pizza, and toast with yogurt and pumpkin butter, and still feel hungry. Perhaps am stress eating? Ah! Perhaps can go to Japan to become cute Japanese freak eater.

Well. Glad to have that figured out. Now, will vacuum to dissipate residual stress, and return to work. Yosh!

Star Wars

2009-01-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy, anti-social, or just plain sad, but my perfect Friday night involves chilling out and watching a movie, which is EXACTLY what Caroline and I did last week. We watched Star Wars: A New Hope, and then Caroline, genius that she is, found this:

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

She also found this. Life is beautiful.

The World is a Wonderous, Strange Place

2009-01-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Better Than Vitamin C

2009-01-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

4:15pm
In Human Resources Class

Oh good God, am surrounded by sick people. Classroom is festering incubus of disease. Gah!!! MUST NOT GET SICK!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

GAH!!! COUGHING ON MY NECK!! COUGHING ON MY NECK! HEINOUS CRIME!!!!!

4:45pm
Must. Calm. Down.

Must realize that if believe that will get sick, am sure to get sick. Must instead have confidence in self, in manner of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. NOTHING can destroy Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore.

Right. Ok. Am fearless neurotic with immune system of steel. Sleep well, eat healthy, exercise regularly, and do not drink/smoke/party. Sickness is an impossibility. Am invincible.

5:15pm
Hah! Feel better already!

Inauguration....

2009-01-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

WAS AMAZING!!!

Inauguration!!!

It Begins!

2009-01-18T17:43:00.001-08:00

6:34pm

Crowds now here. On way back from gym this morning, found self making way up stream of people flooding the streets and sidewalks on as they surged toward the Lincoln Memorial for the We Are One concert. INSANE!! Droves of people, traffic directors, police officers, army vehicles, and tow trucks EVERYWHERE. Felt as though everyone were heading toward some massive Noah's Arc. All the way up M Street the setting was the same. Crowds and crowds of excited people all heading in one direction.

As I walked back from work this evening, I found myself in the same situation, still walking in the opposite direction of everyone, for now everyone was returning from the concert. This must only be a taste of what is to come tomorrow and Tuesday. Am immensely excited.

The streets are already teeming with people selling various Obama-related artifacts: flags, magnets, pajamas, shirts, pins, hats, stickers, buttons, scarves, etc... Also, am seeing many more Obama stickers and other forms of graffiti celebrating the occasion. Know Shepard Fairey is back in DC, and have seen some of his work popping up, but others are now at work too. The things that are happening here- socially, psychologically, legally, historically, artistically, and economically, are making for very, very interesting conditions.

Caroline was at the concert, and says it was really amazing. We'll both watch the two-hour recap of it at 7:00. Feel somewhat bad for not being able to be there, but know that would not have been able to find a replacement at work, and had a blast there anyway, as got to ice cupcakes all afternoon and make presidential inauguration seals between sets. Yay!! Also, there were two new flavors today: chocolate banana pudding (banana cupcake with banana pudding filling and whipped chocolate ganache icing) and peanut butter chocolate fudge (chocolate cupcake with chocolate fudge filling and peanutbutter cream cheese icing). Cannot wait to try the latter tonight. Mmmm.

Everything in the shop was buzzing. The Today Show will be in the shop tomorrow morning, and GTC has been providing cupcakes for exclusive parties all weekend. They even delivered cupcakes for celebrities' turn-down services at the Ritz Carlton on Friday night. Sophie and Katherine's mother is here (she's so nice!!), and everyone is working hard to keep all under control despite the extra orders and special patriotic fondant decorations. It's so fun to see everyone this excited. Aaaaah! Things are happening!

Stockpiling

2009-01-18T08:00:00.001-08:00

9:13am

D-Day has arrived. Expect massive influx of people into city for Inauguration madness. Am now on way to grocery store for weekly stock-up. Am mentally preparing self for stocked-out shelves. Will have to NOT panic. Will do without staples. Breathe. Breathe.

10:58pm

Safeway surprisingly quiet... perhaps Inaguration Apocalypse not here yet? Well, at least have bananas now. MUST have bananas.

Just a thought

2009-01-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

12:13am
City Hall

Just a thought, but perhaps co-workers saying "I've seen your butt like, five times" is sign that need to stop wearing tiny skirts and dresses. At same time, have just bought two additional small dresses on sale from Anthropologie using Christmas gift cards, and do not want to return. Plus think that small dresses and skirts are cute. Dilemma, dilemma.

A Visual Representation of My Cognitive Capacity

2009-01-15T17:49:00.000-08:00

The Sea!

2009-01-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 16th, 2008
12:42pm
International Marketing Class

Have just received news that brother has joined ranks of an Alaskan fishing crew, and will be out on the high seas catching fish. How very adventuresome! Think that he will have marvelous adventure of it all, in manner of Master and Commander or some other high seas action film. Minus injury and death, of course, as crew is not likely to be fighting pirates or even militant pro-whale activists from Animal Planet.

Feel quite conflicted about militant anti-whaling activists, as am self-righteous vegetarian in support of animal protection, but also feel that antagonizing whaling ships in Antarctica and then complaining about retaliation is embarrassingly childish. Perhaps childishness is only emphasized in previews for the show, and rest of show actually consists of substantive dialogue between opposing parties. God, hope so, or else whales are done for.

2:40pm
Duques Hall conference room (empty)

Have found YouTube video of Alaskan fishing ships. Perhaps fishing in Alaska is not as exciting / romantic as had previously envisioned, but nonetheless think is great adventure, and wish brother all the best.

Perhaps, because he will be so far from land, he will be able to see astounding number of stars at night. Ah, and must be amazing feeling to be miles and miles from civilization, surrounded by water as far as eye can see. And to be away from American society for bit... that indeed must be very nice, as economy is falling to bits and everyone is stressmongering.

Oooh. Wish him the very best. Hope he has marvelous time, and comes back with lots of great stories, but no residual fish smell. Am sure Dr. Bronner's soap can get rid of it, at any rate.

Infatuation Notification

2009-01-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

11:53pm

Ah-HAH! Have thought of brilliant Facebook app. It could be called "Infatuation Notification" or "FatNote" for short.

The application would allow Facebook users to go through friends who also have the app, and check one of two options by each of their names to express their regard: "infatuated" and "not infatuated." If two people are mutually enfatuated, they would both be sent an Infatuation Notification to let them know that the other person feels the same way. If someone wants to check the feelings of a Facebook friends who do not have the app, they can send said persons an anonymous invitation, informing them that one of their Facebook friends has a bit of a crush on them and they ought to get the app and specify who they're infatuated with so that the anonymous poor soul can have some peace of mind.

The app would be brilliant help to those who have a terrible crush on someone, but do not want to endanger friendship if that person does not feel the same way. Whole world would feel better if there were fewer ego-busting "I just see us as friends" experiences. It's one thing to have to survive unrequited love, but it's something else entirely to look like a fool for spilling your guts and then looking like a lovesick dolt when you realize your feelings are one-sided.

The app would also save thousands- if not millions- from embarrassment of having to turn people down. Hate turning people down because do not feel same way. Actually, am incapable of it, so create bogus email accounts and avoid responding. Is awful and rude.

Most importantly, app would allow true love to be realized, as would allow shy people to get together when mutual attraction exists, instead of awkwardly co-existing as friends forever and entering into dissatisfying relationships and marriages with people who they don't love nearly enough.

On completely unrealted note, I realize that I miss Cowboy Bebop terribly. Have secretly wished that were Radical Edward for YEARS.

Short Skirt / Long Jacket

2009-01-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

9:55am
City Hall

Ah, is nice to walk through DC streets again with short skirt, boots, and long winter jacket.

Just got back from bookstore for textbooks, and was faced with $696.56 charge for textbooks. Hate world of college textbooks. Is massive, rip-off, forcing students into debt slavery and indentured servitude. Only have FOUR books total, THREE of which are used (ugh. Students and their excessive highlighting) and am still spending more than would in eight weeks in basic food and living expenses. Sigh, oh well.

Note about Inauguration craziness: Girls puncturing designer leather purses with Obama pins. Alarming!

PLAN: Martha Stewart Show + Pilates, vacuum, lunch, work at honors office, Trader Joe's to stock up for Inauguration Apocalypse, snack, cardio, snack, ironing, dinner, group fitness staff meeting, homework, sleep. Hurrah!

10:00am

Drat! Stupid press conference is on. Drat drat drat!!! Hate it when Martha Stewart Show is shoved aside for trivial presidential press conferences. Country needs to get its priorities straight.

Oooh. Is Bush's last press conference. Hmm.

Hah! Fabulous Room Mate Caroline points out last Bushism: Misunderestimated!

1:10pm
At Honors Office

Am hearing about closed roads, incoming droves, etc... plus found hilarious metro video. Definitely must stock up with groceries.

3:48pm

Have successfully returned from Trader Joe's, and have groceries to last self through Inauguration Apocalypse. On way to store, was stopped by man who introduced himself as a DC attorney, and who insisted I should become a model in magazines because I looked "very slim and European." I assured Attorney Man that I had plans on entering the magazine industry, but more on the writing / copy writing / photography side. He wanted to meet for lunch or dinner, so I gave him my bogus alias email so that I may proceed with my foraging expedition, and will politely decline to answer any messages.

Was quite confused about being stopped in street, as wasn't carrying bags of cupcakes, but then realized short skirt / long jacket outfit stood out amongst the layered ensembles everyone else has on. Will take proper action to correct mistake.

Ambiguity Shambiguity

2009-01-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

6:45pm
Just got back from visiting with Ambiguous Male Friend. He bit my neck twice, which is terribly unfair, as am currently going through vampire crush stage. Hmph.

How do people find weaknesses so easily? AMF certainly could not have been reading this blog, as do not expect anyone to read it aside from misdirected Internet browsers and obscure, long-time friends. Hmmm. Perhaps people can smell weaknesses, just as masochistic high school teachers can smell fear. Hmmm.

Eh. Not to worry. Will watch clips of Japanese television on YouTube. Fun fun~

Vampires! Fires! YESH.

2009-01-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

10:45pm
Just got back from seeing Dracul: This year's Crucible's Fire Ballet. Up-and-coming-famous-artist / future Queen of World friend Naomi treated me as birthday present. Yay!

Was massive, brilliant success. Love fire ballets, and this one was especially good. Crazy awesome fire, molten medal, epic pole dancing, flying around on billowing cloth hangings, humor, fire-breathing dragons on forklifts, "Thriller" interludes, hilarious pop culture refs... sigh. Love Bay Area.

Vampire theme was total icing on cake. Love current vampire craze, even though haven't read Twilight books, or seen True Blood show or Twilight movie, or even seen Let the Right One In, but am still devoted fan to genre. Vampires inevitably sexy. Hurrah.

Think will throw Dracula book on tape onto iPod and languish about house in dark clothing for bit.

Hoarding

2009-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

7:45pm
Home, lovely pink room, crouched over hotel freebie collection

Mother asked if had extra travel-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Ha! Amateur. But of course have travel-sized shampoo and conditioner.

Ran upstairs to room and returned with storage container full of travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, lotion, body milk, and mouthwash bottles, as well as toothbrushes, combs, sponges, bars of soap, sewing kits, vanity kits, shoe shine kits, shower caps, brushes, and combs that I had collected at hotels during intercontinental travel over past seven or so years. Mother at first moderately horrified by freakish hoarding habit, but eventually pleased with selection of various pleasantly scented travel amenities.

Aaah. Neurotic behavior finally validated. Charming, warm feeling.

Disturbing Revelation

2009-01-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

8:45pm
Home, sitting room

Have just finished reading Steve Martin's Shopgirl, and am largely disappointed. Expected funny, sweet book about stylish people with OCD, similar to The Pleasure of My Company but instead discovered a relatively bleak account of several sex-obsessed individuals. Ok, must admit that was wonderfully written, and that Steve Martin explains the inner thoughts of neurotic people with a succinct and creative grace that I could only dream of developing, but... argh, the characters were all so... perverted. Honestly, felt rather uncomfortable reading a lot of it.

Think that most disturbing aspect of Shopgirl involved personal realization that am total prude; that really do not think of sex at all; that if were confronted with sexual situation, would react with all understanding of a five-year-old, which would not only be terribly embarrassing, but also turn any poor fellow foolish enough to sleep with self into some odd form of pedophile. Good god, haven't even slightest idea what to do with condoms, in spite of fact that have amassed quite a collection (Strawberry, Banana, Glow-In-The-Dark, Extra Sensitive, Super-Lubricated, and Black, which suppose would be for formal occasions) from attending various gay pride parades in San Francisco. Imagine self in darkened room, staring straight at condom with blank expression, as exasperated nude male considers suicide via creme brulee torch.

Does everyone but self have mind in gutter? Gah! Am prudish freak! Am asexual-mutant-neurotic blight amongst hip, sexy college crowd! DEATH.

Hmph. Should have stuck with The Pleasure of My Company and left it at that.

Innovative Business Plan

2009-01-06T11:44:00.001-08:00

11:29am
Home, in front of refrigerator

Just back from gym. Was emaciated, refugee-skeleton bobbing up and down next to normal and portly Fellow Exercisers on elliptical. Hate being underweight. Cannot gain five pounds soon enough.

Wish could find fashion magazine with articles titled "My Fabulous Weight Gain Adventure" or "Gain Five Pounds in 20 Days!" so could feel part of lovely, weight-gain community, which, to current knowledge, does not exist. Wish could feel all chummy with fellow weight-gainers, except is impossible, for all seem to want to lose weight, as was proven by countless overheard conversations on floor and in locker room. Even charming English-Accent-Lady was talking about weight loss as she adjusted my tangled "glingy" (a.k.a. bra clasp).

Have decided to create imaginary community of weight gainers so that do not feel like pariah in gym.

Have also decided that majority of weight gain will be in chestal-area, as currently look as though am smuggling two sad English muffins in bra. Can create innovative weight-gain plan that directs all additional flesh to breasts, then can sell as product, thereby making fortune and paying off student loans.

Resolutions

2009-01-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

9:28pm
Home, kitchen, nestled next to stove

Hurrah! Have finished New Year's Resolutions. Think will be brilliant success, in manner of up-and-coming-soon-to-be-famous young metropolitan neurotic female. Definitely.

Simply have to stick to resolutions.

Simone's New Year's Resolutions

Regularly ask self: "What would Audrey Hepburn do?"
Keep journal; update blog at LEAST once weekly
Develop photography and digital art portfolio
Gain five pounds and lose no weight (Take THAT Americans!)
Live life as though were fascinating, happy-go-lucky novel/ Japanese anime / manga / drama
Be fearless, humble, flawless, and composed
Simplify life with organization, honesty, and assertive, direct manner
Intern with magazine
Be as selfless and charitable as rotten soul will allow
Take calcium tablets, consume less salt, take more walks, and in exercise, do less flexion and more extension

Excellent work. Will celebrate by watching "On How To Be Lovely"