Unpin My Heart
Posted: July 29, 2010 Filed under: Music, Personal, Restaurants 3 Comments »Hello everyone~
Sorry for being kind of MIA for the past week. Life has been super hectic. I started training as a waitress for a Japanese restaurant a week ago and it’s just sucked the life out of me. NEVER underestimate waitressing. And NEVER underestimate a waitress for a Japanese restaurant. The amount of memorization (sauces, ingredients, cooking styles, Japanese words) is obscene, I have to be able to recognize a dozen types of both raw and cooked seafood/fish, AND the procedures (pouring tea, table settings/placement, dish placement) is very particular in relatively formal Japanese cuisine.
I’m dying.
I’m working 40 hours a week for Conde Nast; now an additional 50 hours for the restaurant totals my working hour tally up to 90 hours a week. I have never been a waitress before, so this is all new and stressful. But I told my parents and everybody that I WILL be completely independent this summer (I’m paying my own rent, etc) so I’m going to plow through this. GO AILEEN. Fighting! Gambatte! Jia you!
But on a sidenote ,the AAIFF fim festival is over and my little housewife Kunku will be able to spend more time at home with me. YAY. MAKE ME BHUTANESE FOOD PLEASEEE =D It’s also almost August and we have one more month left of summer. It’s been a great experience thus far; I love New York City.
I am having some internal issues, however. I think I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve with friends and lovers alike, and while oftentimes I will be in denial of how I feel for something/someone, I ultimately usually am very straightforward with my feelings. Perhaps this places me in a more vulnerable position, but I’ve always thought I’d be strong enough to recover from anything. Lately, however, I’ve been questioning this tactic. I’m so tired of being second. Of feeling subpar. Of being a backup or a distraction. In the beginning I don’t think too much, but then somehow insecurities and doubts begin to trickle in and then I’m unsure of where I stand. I tell myself that I am immune, that I don’t care, that it’s all for fun anyway…
but I really hate feeling this way.
So I will try being more guarded, more suspicious, and less willing to fall into people. I’m pinning this heart back into my chest, underneath the layers of tissue and bone and skin that protect it. I’m gonna be that cold ass bitch, and then maybe everything will be better.
(photobooth from aaiff sponsor toyota from the closing afterparty at union bar)
PS. my shirt was made by kunku! <3
and i leave everyone with kunku’s and my staple song.
“Yes I’m like,
Hot chick that you can’t even touch.
I’m like this cold ass bitch
And I ain’t ready to suck.When I go out, some like to get me drunk and wild.
But the only thing you get tonight is my fucking drink tab.”
Highlights of NYC
Posted: July 21, 2010 Filed under: Celebrities, Hair, Movies, Personal, Silly 5 Comments »I have soooo many things to update on but neither the time nor energy to go into details…so here’s the breakdown in pictures (and a few words):
met & talked to kelis at her album release party at rdv lounge (she’s SO nice)
the asian american international film festival opening night afterparty at midtown loft (i helped with door duty)
last photograph by bobby lin
aaiff sponsor toyota…and stamping duty for the music showcase at village lantern bar
aaiff centerpiece afterparty at flute champagne bar
and i met michelle krusiec from my fave movie “saving face” and got a personal shoutout ahahaha YAYY n___n
aannnnd i reshaved my head!
that’s a chinese character in there….
a prize goes to the person who guesses correctly =b
and come out tonight! its aaiff’s LAST event so it’ll be gooood…plus tenjune afterwards ;D
its gonna be craaaazy!
awesome vid + summer jam
Posted: July 21, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Magnetic North and Taiyo Na’s latest MV directed by David Shaw, screened at the 33rd AAIFF’10 prior to their performance AND after the screening of 5 awesome videos that were entered in the festival.
LOVE it!! <3
the beginning, when we first met them =D
we look like such dorks.. haha
BAASIC 2009, Boston, the day after the “boat party” / fressh off the boat afterparty in Harvard
More recent photos:
I look groosssss but this is cute!!
Aileen with T-Vu
annnnd cuz i’m random and this is my summer in america, another awesome dance track and funny vdo:
Movies You Should NOT Watch
Posted: July 14, 2010 Filed under: Movies, Racism, Reviews 6 Comments »Hm, is that Jackie Chan in “The Karate Kid?” Oh, haha, alright. So Jackie Chan is the new Mr. Miyagi and he’s teaching Karate. Alright. Okay.
WAIT, WHAT?
Excuse me, but am I the only one missing the connection here?!?!?
JACKIE CHAN = CHINESE
MR. MIYAGI = JAPANESE
KARATE = JAPANESE
KUNG FU = CHINESE
Right, so Asian people are so similar that the movie producers failed to note the difference between CHINA AND JAPAN?! I don’t have a problem with the setting of this movie being in China. I’ll stomach the fact that the “bad guys” in the story are little Chinese boys. I’ll even forgive that “the Karate Kid” can be any ethnicity BUT Asian.
BUT REALLY, WOULD IT BE THAT DIFFICULT TO AMEND THE NAME?
How about “The Karate Kid: IN CHINA” or “The Karate Kid/Against the Great Wall”…or even “The KUNGFU Kid…”
I wish they could make a distinction between China and Japan, Kungfu and Karate. Instead, by slapping “Karate” and all its Japanese connotations over a very much Chinese-infused movie, you’re implying that all Asians are interchangeable and the same. The Caribbean and Africa are not the same. South Asia and the Middle East are not the same. Likewise, Japan and China are NOT the same. They are two COMPLETELY different countries with two COMPLETELY different cultures.
Which brings me to my next MOVIE YOU SHOULD NOT WATCH.
Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Before I begin my rant, let’s look at a list of the characters.
- Aang
- Katara
- Sokka
- Toph
- Zuko
- Iroh
- Azula
Note also that these names are Romancized, meaning they also have Chinese counterparts. Note also this quote from wikipedia:
Avatar is set in an Asian-influenced world[2] of Chinese martial arts and elemental manipulation. The show drew on elements from traditional Asian culture, while blending the styles of anime and US domestic cartoons.[3]
Oh, I see. So all the names are Chinese/Tibetan/Japanese and the setting is Asian culture influenced and all the fighting are martial arts, and oh, even the drawing style is anime…
Then explain this cast:
OH LOVELY. SO THE ANTAGONIST IS THE ONLY PERSON OF COLOR. Just lovely.
And if you take a look at the REST of the cast:
(courtesy of IMDb)
…you’ll see that there is not a single East Asian person in here (aside from the “Old Man in Temple.” Even Princess YUE is a white girl. Uh, last time I checked, THATS A CHINESE WORD. I appreciate the fact that there are so many South Asians, but this is EAST ASIA you’re borrowing from. WHERE IS OUR EXPOSURE? WHERE ARE OUR ACTORS?!?! And there is DEFINITELY no shortage of East Asian actors, so there are no excuses.
I want to see more Asians in the media.
You can’t exploit us, our history, and our culture and exclude us.
That’s stealing. I won’t tolerate that.
And you shouldn’t either.
ps. i love how we have a blog-tagging category for “racism”…haha did you make this sharon? how perfect….and useful. *checks box*
My first Independence Day weekend in the U.S
Posted: July 6, 2010 Filed under: post 1 Comment »kk
im so mad. I wrote this really long post and now it got lost 
but i think aileen did a far better job of updating you with our random adventures and such.
Who would’ve thought after my 6 years in the US, my first independence day spent on American soil…. Aileen and I would be spending a lazy afternoon in maximopino cafe in our greenwich village, eating pizza and drinking tea. (the pizza here is delicious and they have gelato as well!! )
We then decided to go back home, get festive and head over to battery park to watch the fireworks… umm major fail since the fireworks looked like “spurtts” of colored water. I think the ferries and party boats were a better attraction. But the view was still great as the statue of liberty stood in the distance and reminded us of what it is to be american AND I got to spend my first Fourth of July with my bestie <3. My AMERICAN bestie to be exact.. haha
Backtracking, Friday night Aileen and I jetted off to BK to get outfits for the night, her first weekend of being 21! Much to our disappointment we couldn't find anything appealing and we were further disappointed to find out that american apparel did not have an asymmetrical long sleeve dress. BUT all was not in vain, bouncing from Brooklyn to SoHo… we stumbled upon this really cute boutique and while browsing the hangers, I found this super cute grey asymmetrical dress which they had available in white and orange as well! So we ended up getting fab matching dresses, grey for me and white for aileen – since all we ever wear is grey/black/white/red/purple.
- i cant seem to upload images right now but i will attach images of the matchy dresses as well as frm independence day-
Time is moving fast and it feels like summer will be over soon. Summer romances, flings, escapades and internships.
Work has been quite stressful, we are pushing time for the film festival which is NEXT WEEK!
As the reality hits me over and over again, I find myself close to hyperventilating. Despite a month of planning ahead and booking venues, I still find myself scrambling for venues for the music video showcase and for a private reception. I'm not going to lie, I think I actually enjoy the stress. Despite taking on this unpaid internship and failing to find a paying job as a waitress, cashier, hostess, whatever I can get… this just might be the most rewarding internship I've had so far. With each internship I've always learned something new about myself and come to realizations of what path I want to pursue. As I fixed my resume to apply for summer jobs, everything had to do with events or some sort of organizing. I came to the conclusion that I am most definitely going into event planning or whatever I can in the communications/media field. I always had doubts about going into -in my opinion- a superficial/materialistic field… but it seems to be the one thing I can focus my energy on without getting bored. Its the one thing that seems to come naturally to me to the point that I am consumed by my work and totally fine with it 
.
Also, after years of wanting to live a traditional life of finding my soulmate, getting married, having kids, living happily ever after…. I've decided that even though I'm certain I found my soulmate (but I am not with him), the hurt and pain of relationships isn't worth it… as much as I want kids, I don't want to be a single mother and as of now, I love my single, independent life and as much as I say I'm not a feminist, I don't want to live a life of dependency and with that said.. i'd rather live alone.
k time for me to go now but in my next blog post, i'll link up my personal blog (mostly video posts, i get too lazy to blog sometimes) AND reveal the venues for the afterparties for the film festival with web links to venues, photos and blurbs.
hope your summer is amazing!!
<3
Birthday Week!
Posted: July 6, 2010 Filed under: Clubbing, Fashion, Personal, Uncategorized 1 Comment »Nail update: My MINX gold toenail foils are still perfectly intact (my toenails grow really slowly) save for a few barely noticeable tears by the corners and edges (from wearing flats). From a distance, however, they still look perfect. People continuously stop me on the streets, in stores, and on the subway to ask about them. As for my hands…I removed all my claws and I can once more type freely. I now can also button my own buttons and open my own cans…best feeling ever (=
(sephora by OPI: What’s a Tire Jack?/Matte Black underneath a splatter of Lancome f/w collection: forgot the name, but its an AMAZING silver glitter—i am LOVING the illusion of depth and texture of the chunky glitter over the matte “sharpie black.” so grundge chic!)
Anyway, I’m currently writing this in the studio apartment Kunku and I share by Union Square…we unfortunately don’t have internet here yet so I’ll have to upload this eventually at work. Our apartment is snug, but cute. The location is the best part; we can walk to the meatpacking district and Union Square is right around the corner. Soho and all its cute boutiques are a couple blocks away and Times Square is just a couple train stops uptown.
….I fell asleep writing that on our couch to the TV blaring Pirates of the Caribbean.
..ok MOVING ON…..
————
(my cute baked by melissa cupcakes from kunku!)
(my long awaited pierre herme macarons flew in from europe last friday. YAY thank you! SO good. move over laduree!)
Now Kunku is back from Queens and we’re sitting at our spot at MaximoPino café typing furiously away to our few coveted hours of internet.
So birthday recap:
Fri, June 25: Hiro
Sat, June 26: Highline Ballroom, Maru
Sun, June 27: DEAD
Mon, June 28: Roth pops in with the tablet I wanted & i also got cute Baked by Melissa cupcakes and an AA leotard from Kunku!
Weds, June 30: Tenjune
Thurs, July 1: Rivington Hotel fail/bar hopping
Fri, July 2: Outfit shopping with Kunku in Soho, then Hiro for my bday!
Sat, July 3: (really random, long, scattered night) Loft party at Union Sq, then Katra, then Rivington Hotel, then Juliet (loved juliet…cute venue, good music, LIVE sax accompaniment to house music–long live the sax player johann =b )
Sun, July 4: Fail fireworks, Nikki Beach
Mon, July 5: BUMMINGGGGG….
(kunku and johann the saxophone player from juliet!)
(look how tired i look on day 8…eyebags, messed up hair, and puffy eyes)
So as you can see, Aileen and Kunku have been busy bees. My 21st birthday week has been CRAZY and I think my liver is going to disintegrate…but it’s been fun (=
Thanks to all those who came (or tried to come) out to celebrate with me. Thanks for all the presents. Thanks those who gave me a place to sleep when I was homeless. Thanks for taking care of me during bad nights -___- And thanks for all the birthday wishes (via calls, emails, texts, facebook…)…I appreciate ALL of them and I’m so touched!
(our table at hiro)
What an amaaazin 21 <3
…more pictures on facebook!
~ HAPPY JULY FOURTH FROM ALL FOUR OF US…
Posted: July 4, 2010 Filed under: status Leave a comment »~ HAPPY JULY FOURTH FROM ALL FOUR OF US <3 ~
My first independence day in the U.S, spending it with Aileen. Post with pictures to come up soon, the wifi at maximopino cafe is maaad sloowwwww.
Yay fireworks!!
