« June 2005 | Main | August 2005 »

July 31, 2005

イズネスのソックス

I've been on a sock-buying binge lately. Because my left foot is exposed for the world to see due to my heavy-set boot, I need to come up with visually creative ways to make having a broken ankle be more like a fashion statement. I've managed to collect socks of many patterns and colors: argyle, stars, stripes, pinks, yellows, blues. I like these is-ness socks because they remind me of the traditional Japanese footwear that go with geta.

Posted by Charlie at 05:35 PM | Comments (3)

July 30, 2005

Pantop Pendants

I'm not a fan of over-the-top extravagant lighting solutions. Chandeliers and Artichoke Lamps are pretty nice, but I like simple forms when it comes to lighting. These aluminum pendant lamps by Verner Panton will totally compliment my PowerBook. I need to stop dreaming...

Posted by Charlie at 01:19 AM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2005

Sapien Bookcase

I have tons of books, most of which will unfortunately not make the trip with me over the New York, but for the lucky few that I choose to bring, I will be housing them in some Sapien Bookcases. These beautiful bookcases have extremely compact footprints, but the best part I love about them is the fact that they completely disappear once the shelves are fully stacked. Beautiful!

Posted by Charlie at 01:13 AM | Comments (2)

July 28, 2005

Taking a Breather

My parents are dragging me to their house in Ocean Shores, so I'll be out of touch with civilization for a little while, Saturday at the latest.

Posted by Charlie at 05:08 PM | Comments (1)

Leggero Bed

Now this is my dream bed. It is low-slung, visually minimalist, and looks like it weighs nothing. I love low-slung beds; they make small bedrooms look bigger, and they remind me of sleeping on a futon. The Leggero is exceptionally sexy with its thin frame and its ventilating slat system. Ooooh... good design gets me going like no other. The design is very unorthodox: very Modern-esque, very Danish, very eye-catching.

I had a chance to go to the DWR showroom today to test it out. It is a lot larger in person, which is a pleasant surprise. This beauty will definitely be the topic of conversation at a dinner party. It's very comfortable too. Always a big plus.

Posted by Charlie at 01:01 AM | Comments (1)

July 27, 2005

The Power of Branding

I love the design on this glass, but would I ever drink out of it? Probably not.

Posted by Charlie at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2005

Memoirs of a Geisha Poster

I cannot wait to see this movie, even if a Chinese girl is portraying a Japanese one. All Asian girls look the same anyway, right?

Posted by Charlie at 09:48 PM | Comments (3)

Apple Updates

Not that this warrants a parade or anything, but Apple has just released what is probably the last line of G4 iBooks and Minis before transitioning to Intel processors. Get 'em while they're hottt!!!

Posted by Charlie at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

Nelson Clocks

I was watching an episode of Debbie Travis' Facelift the other day, and in it the carpenters were creating a mirror reminiscent of the 1960's. The mirror was obviously inspired by the works of George Nelson, a seminal force in the design world back in the day. I love how the seemingly complex design of the clocks are shaped together by simple graphic shapes and bold colors. It's a wonderful visual statement that has held up pretty well these past few decades.

Posted by Charlie at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2005

Haunted Tours & Birthday Wishes

To celebrate Cynthia's 24th birthday, Louie came up with a fantastically original birthday present: a tour of various haunted places around Seattle. For three hours we were driven around in a huge white van by a ghost enthusiast, learning of all the kinds of ghosts (messenger ghosts vs. evil ghosts vs. reenactment ghosts), the stories behind each of the ghosts' gruesome deaths, and various witness accounts of their sightings. It was a fun, somewhat mindless affair, and I'm still quite skeptical about any existence of paranormal behavior. I hear many first-hand accounts from people and their encounters with the supernatural, but like most nonbelievers, I'll believe it when I see it.

Posted by Charlie at 11:58 PM | Comments (0)

カレーパン

I had almost forgotten about my other gastronomic addiction. I fell in love with カレーパン - literally 'curry bread' - when I was in Japan some years ago, and have yet to experience the same kind of crispy texture goodness over here in Seattle. Places like Uwajimaya carry some types of カレーパン, and there are curried bao all over the city, but nothing compares to the ones in Japan.

Posted by Charlie at 03:38 PM | Comments (1)

Being an Asian American Today

What people on Craigslist have to say about Asians:

• At least 1/2 of those asian women will sellout to guys outside their race and give you some sex.
• I can't see a real woman who likes a good stiff one thinking Asian men are great... hell my thumb is bigger.
• I fucked a chink bitch a few months ago. No ass. What a rip.

• If American girls had to endure the seriously disgusting dishes that Asian chicks are made to eat (seaweed, dog meat, horse meat, all those weird fish and sea creatures, bukaki vomit, etc.) then they would become skinny too because it's all so nasty and gross.
• We ALL know asian women are dying to date white guys even gay asian guys are doing it! Man! You Asians are a bunch of sellouts to the white man aren't you! (This one had me laughing so hard)
• Have you ever slapped an asian boy? I have. It's a very entertaining experience. Their chinky eyes start watering, and their chubby little boy faces scrunch up like they just smelled something bad. When you slap them repeatedly, they start blubbering and beg you to stop.
  
  Asian boys are the most pathetic males in the human race, as well as the most feminine. They are naturally childlike (boylike) and effeminate, and they are inferior to other races. They are so short, small-framed, and look so much like they never passed puberty, it makes me feel contempt for them and gives me the urge to spit on them.
  
  Even when they're angry they're pathetic and feminine. Look at the asian boys here, they come off as bitchy and whiny. And that reminds me, because of all the asian boys whining and crying here, I'm going to go out and slap an asian boy that I see on the street.
• Asian guys have too much pride to say anything which is why they are treated like dirt. In chatrooms, blogs, websites, here on CL all the Asian guys are so cool and macho, but in real life they are the biggest wimps. Take a look in the NYC area, anywhere you go. Don't you see a lot of Asian women dating White guys? Of course. Now do you see a lot of Asian men dating White women? Nope. Have you ever seen any Asian guy date a White chic? Thinking back, you may have seen one or two in your lifetime. My point exactly. Asian guys don't say squat about their women being sellouts and whores to White culture and White men in general. I mean, Asian women and White men aren't going to complain. Asian women get to date men who are taller than 5'6" with round eyes, and White men get to date women who are easier to get into bed and have sexy bodies. Why complain? The only demographic left in the dust are the Asian men, and what do they say. Most say, forget it, the Asian women aren't worth it because Asian men claim to have girlfriends, some of them White girlfriends. I mean, come on! All delusional, of course. Asian men have too much pride to admit they're seen as the bottom rung of the dating totem pole, and this is why this whole Asian/White phenomena exists.

Posted by Charlie at 12:47 AM | Comments (4)

Noguchi Free Form Sofa

I've been spending way too much time dreaming up of what I would furnish my dream apartment in New York with. Although the pieces that I'm craving for are way out of my price range and definitely not in the blueprint of my life anytime soon, it's always good to have a something to look forward to once I get established there.

Isamu Noguchi is known more in contemporary circles as a master sculptor, but some of his home furnishings have been considered classics upon introduction. Although not as famous as the Noguchi Table that he created for Herman Miller, Noguchi's sofa is a beautiful work in itself. Its organic shape creates an inviting reception for many people, and yet its unconventionality will not be a visual distraction.

Posted by Charlie at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2005

Waiting

I'm getting so tired these days it hurts to wake up. Now that I'm officially confined to my house 24 hours a day, without a car and without any means of transportation, I've become a modern-day recluse. The anticipation of being able to walk again is driving me over the edge, and every little thing that usually bugs me now becomes an emotional mini-drama. I'm not motivated to do much these days either. The days are blurring into one another, similar to when I was on tour, but for very different reasons.

Posted by Charlie at 07:37 PM | Comments (1)

Of Weddings and Such

Kelley and Kyle's wedding will be in less than a month, and I have yet to purchase a wedding present. I've been to many weddings in the past, some sweet and some pretty scary, but this wedding will be the first where the bride and groom are actual good friends of mine. Expect lots of tears come August 7th.

Anyway, I've been looking for the perfect wedding present. I want to get them something meaningful and thoughtful, nothing too generic. They're registered at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I think they deserve something better than that. I've been looking at stuff from Hermes lately. I love their eclectic designs and prints on their home furnishings, which I feel would be a better fit for them personally. There's no better conversation starter than an elephant-imprinted ashtray.

Posted by Charlie at 05:24 AM | Comments (0)

Kissing The Legless: Part Fifteen

Don came over for a short visit, and he brought over a friend who just happened to be a physical therapist. I told her of all the fun that I had on the Hill the previous day, and she quickly scolded me embarking on such an irresponsible endeavor. Apparently the uneven pressure that I've been putting on my foot (from walking up and down hills) aggravates the healing process and makes it that much longer to fully heal. Damn. And I thought I was doing myself a favor by going out and exercising my leg muscles.

Posted by Charlie at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2005

Sigg Bottles

Aren't these nice? They're from a Swiss company called Sigg. I'm liking Switzerland more and more these days.

Posted by Charlie at 07:26 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2005

Seattle Blows

Butt-Face called me late last night to hang out, and since I was spending a very productive evening browsing for new music on iTunes, I made some last-second hair adjustments before heading out the door to join him at Manray. Last night was also the first night I decided to venture out him public without the aid of my crutches - a huge mistake in retrospect, seeing as I had to be literally carried back to my car by the end of the night. I haven't been to Manray in ages... I think the last time I was there was with Butt-Face months prior. Anyway, the place was the same as always: saw the same people, ran into others whom I didn't want to run into, drank the same overpriced drinks.

Although it was great to catch up with Ireneo, being out made me (and him) realize just how monotonous Seattle can get at times. Everyone here dresses the same - I'm particularly annoyed with the entire 'Vice Magazine' look that's going around - and it feels like I'm walking through Williamsburg-gone-wrong. It's so interesting to observe the fashion trends that go through the media-obsessed youth who claim to not be influenced by such devices. Not that I'm not one of them, of course.

Nonetheless, anticipating my eventual departure from this city is the only thing I can do right now while I wait to heal completely, and then - au revoir! - I'm outta here. My cynical side is coming out, just in time for New York!

Posted by Charlie at 04:27 PM

July 20, 2005

Sony Ericsson K600i

Wow, I want this one too.

Posted by Charlie at 07:52 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2005

Being Beautiful

We like to think that babies are born into this world as blank slates; that with nurture and influences of local cultures they grow up with biased opinions as to what constitutes being beautiful is like. Of course, that is not the case.

Posted by Charlie at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

Panasonic VS3

Wow, I want.

Posted by Charlie at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2005

A Nice Sunday

Today was the hottest day in a while; I just couldn't spend it indoors! The perfect recipe for the perfect Sunday:

• a group of friends
• really good sushi
• chocolate petit fours
• Starbucks coffee frappucino
• 2 hours of sunbathing
• 26 oz. margaritas
• crispy gyoza
• green tea ice cream
• bossa nova in the stereo

Definitely good times, yep.

Posted by Charlie at 12:46 AM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2005

Kissing The Legless: Part Fourteen

I was applying lotion onto my leg today, and noticed that the doctor had forgotten to take one of the stitches out. I'm a little freaked, because the wire used to close the incision is pretty thick, like fishing wire. When the doctor took out the stitches it hurt like a mother-fucker, and I'm afraid to take out the remaining stitch for fear of fucking up. It's scary; the wire is sticking out of my leg like a cactus spike, and although it isn't at all painful, the mere visual of something artificial sticking out of me is enough to make me queasy. I'm going to call the hospital on Monday to see if this is normal, if doctors routinely forget to pull out random stitches. Gross.

Posted by Charlie at 12:57 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2005

カレー

スタンダードなカレーも良いけど、揚げナスとコーンのカレーはおいしいよ ♪ それを1日中食べることができるよ ♪

Posted by Charlie at 02:07 PM

Another Sleepless Night

I've been spending many weekends alone lately. My parents usually take the weekend going to their house in Ocean Shores, and my sister is busily planning her eventual move to the house that she bought in Bellevue, so that leaves me with an empty house for several days. I just finished watching a scary movie, My Little Eye, and at risk of sounding a little needy and neurotic, I kinda miss having someone to cuddle with. Sometimes it's nice just to have a hand to hold when watching a flick. Or when watching a movie, you have a body to clutch onto when the scary parts come on.

Posted by Charlie at 04:38 AM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2005

They're Popping Up Everywhere

I was browsing through Audiocubes for the first time in like months, and I must say: competition in Japan is really heating up to take a bite out of Apple's iPod dominant share in the market. The product design is becoming more creative, colorful, more distinctive in order to differentiate an identity outside that of the iPod's relatively minimalist design. The specs for this new wave of MP3 players is almost superior to the iPod's in almost every respect: better battery life, FM tuners, FM transmitters, voice recorders, etc. However, the biggest reason why I won't be getting these pretty devices anytime soon will be because of one vital aspect: the software. Apple's iTunes is a wonderful program to work with, and because it seamlessly syncs with my iPods, there really is no need to buy an MP3 player that comes bundled with third-rate software. I've had bad experiences with my Sony MiniDisc player, and didn't realize just how much time I was wasting had I not gone with iPod and iTunes.

Posted by Charlie at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)

Eye of the Storm

I feel a little better now. ^_^

Posted by Charlie at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2005

Angry Cynicism

Maya Angelou once said that there is nothing more pitiful than a young cynic, for "he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing," and for some reason her words have me up and restless at 4 in the morning. Anger isn't the same as cynicism, but as I lay in bed thinking those words, I started to project my current state of affairs into that sentence. Now I consider myself one of the most optimistic people that I know; it takes a lot to get me really worked up and pessimistic. During this entire ankle ordeal I've been for the most part pretty humorous. I've been through much worse situations in my life, and compared to those times this is a piece of cake. Today however, the reality of the severity of my condition has started to sink in, and I'm not sure if sheer optimism can save me this time.

After a whirlwind of two months on the road, the moment I get back to Seattle I'm immediately confined to a situation where I have to put everything in my life on hold in order to recuperate. I cannot walk, and therefore I cannot get a job to pay the stacking medical bills, and this in turn will ultimately delay my departure to New York. I have gotten really angry at myself this past few days, angry mainly for being a stupid klutz and for triggering an event that started a self-destructive chain reaction; angry because the only thing I can do now is wait, and I hate waiting most of all; angry because I don't know how to convey these feelings vocally, because only through writing am I able to do so.

Anger is such a foreign emotion to me. I hardly ever get angry, but when I do I never know how to properly deal with it. The only thing I do is just shut up and pretend nothing's wrong, which I know is a very unhealthy way to go about it - I think they call it 'accommodating' - but because I rarely get this way I'm still trying to handle these emotions. But didn't Angelou also stated that anger, like fire, "burns it all clean?" Or something like that?

PS - I just put that image of Jared and me up because I've been lacking in the photography department this past few posts, not because I think we're all angry cynics. ^_-

Posted by Charlie at 04:14 AM | Comments (1)

I Hate Politics

I think it's infuriating how the Republicans (and certain news media personalities) are describing the Karl Rove "incident" as yet another Democratic "smear campaign" to discredit the integrity (wait - what integrity?) of the Bush administration. While the White House has said explicitly denied Rove's role in the disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity, neither Bush nor Rove have offered any comment on these allegations. Whether he's the culprit or not, this act [of disclosing a CIA operative's identity] is a criminal offense, and with war going on, this is also a serious breach of national security. Yet, according to the growing ranks of Republicans coming to Rove's side, this is just yet another Democratic "smear campaign."

Posted by Charlie at 12:16 AM | Comments (1)

July 13, 2005

This Boot Was Not Made For Walking

Oh wow, I just tried walking for the first time without the aid of my crutches, from my bedroom to the bathroom, and I look like an old man jiving away to doo-wop. I need to swing my arms wildly in order to maintain my balance, and I'm hunched over like I have really bad posture. I'll probably post a video clip of this when I have the time... it's way hilarious to watch.

Posted by Charlie at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)

Kissing The Legless: Part Treize

Just got back from the doctor's. They finally took off the cast, and it wasn't a pretty sight what was underneath. As a replacement I was given a fairly sturdy boot that is to stay on for yet another month. The good news is that I can finally take showers and stand on my two feet. I can't do much else though. Ho hum...

Posted by Charlie at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2005

Online Profiles

An interesting phenomenon. Whilst browsing (yet again) through random people's online profiles on MySpace, I've come across an something that I'm sure most of you have already noticed: people whose faces are contorted in a perplexed, confused expression. They have their eyebrows raised as if in question; their lips are pouted; facing the camera at a 3/4 Paris Hilton angle. It may be cute upon first glance, but people don't normally walk down the street with that kind of facial expression unless they're suffering from either constant facial spasms, or a massive case of diarrhea.

I have no idea why I am so worked up about this... maybe because I've spent the entire day just picking at my foot. But anyway, as I'm typing this I'm realizing that I have a picture of me in that exact expression on my MySpace profile...

Posted by Charlie at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

Kissing The Legless: Part Douze

This is really gross. So I haven't washed my left leg since that faithful night I broke my ankle, right? And so for the past two months I've had my lower leg wrapped up in a cast in order to protect it from further harm, right? Well, lately I've been noticing that my skin, on my left foot at least, has been peeling in massive quantities. Because I haven't washed or exfoliated my left leg, a new layer of skin is growing while the older just sits there. Gross. All I did today was pick at my layers of skin, going at it like peeling off layers of an onion.

This reminds me of the time when I was in Japan and my entire body got sunburned from swimming all day without sunscreen. Although I eventually came out with a beautiful even tan, the pain and consequent peeling of the dead skin off my body is a memory I'll never forget. I'll also never forget Obaa-chan and the vacuum cleaner, hurriedly vacuuming up after me in the tatami room.

Anyway. My cast comes off in two days, and the first thing I'm going to do when I'm free is head to the shower to wash, shrub, and exfoliate two month's worth of grime off my leg. Good times.

Posted by Charlie at 09:25 PM | Comments (0)

Recognition

Some people crave attention; they're called attention whores. I crave recognition; I am a recognition whore.

Posted by Charlie at 04:26 AM | Comments (5)

Kissing The Legless: Part Undici

Posted by Charlie at 01:31 AM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2005

My New Favorite Pastime

Yesterday, after a fulfilling day of doing absolutely nothing at Brian's place, Erik and I drove to Greenlake after dinner and watched The Grudge on my laptop. Even though both of us have already seen the movie before, there's something about watching a scary movie in an empty parking lot at 1 in the morning that gets my adrenaline going. I think for the next time we do this I'm going to make popcorn and connect the laptop to the car stereo system to get a more atmospheric effect. Anybody else wanna come with?

Posted by Charlie at 05:53 PM | Comments (0)

July 08, 2005

Kissing The Legless: Part Tien

The kids are gone, and I can finally devote the rest of my week to getting ready for the removal of the cast next week. My doctor is out of town on a family emergency, so it looks like I might have to reschedule my appointment, which totally blows. I've experimented putting weight on my foot, standing on both legs without aid of the crutches, and I look like a posing model given the added length to my left foot. Walking is going to be a different matter, however, and as realistic as I have to be in my recovery process, I want to be able to engage in regular Charlie activity very soon.

Posted by Charlie at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2005

Family Gatherings

My cousins from the Bay Area came for a week-long visit. Liam and Sarah are as adorable and articulate as ever, and I think it's really cute that Liam is starting to use 'awesome' as a part of his vocabulary. My cousins are up here to do maintenance on their house, and as the token cripple I was given responsibility to look over the kids. As a babysitter to these guys I have the easiest job in the world; all I have to do is turn on the television to the Cartoon Network. I eventually had to turn off the television however, after much protesting, when Family Guy came on.

Posted by Charlie at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2005

Confessions On The Dance Floor

What can I say: I love her. Madonna recently announced that her next album will be entitled Confessions On The Dance Floor, which is supposedly an all-dance project. It should be out by the time my ankle fully heals. Yesss!

Posted by Charlie at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

Been There

Last night as I was staring at the fireworks, situated less than a mile from the fireworks barge, surrounded by laughing people, the only thing I could think about is leaving Seattle. It is definitely time for me to be moving on, and frankly it doesn't really matter what city I end up going to. Norman Peale once stated that by changing your thoughts you can change the world, and I think that's going to be a major template for me in the next few months.

Posted by Charlie at 10:48 AM

July 02, 2005

Kissing The Legless: Part Nine

Forgoing invitations to hang out have been a habit of mine as of late, but there is less than two weeks left before I finally get my cast off. The countdown begins! Not that you'll be seeing me at the clubs anytime soon, however. I'll have this nice little boot that I'll have to wear for who knows how long; plus there is that other nagging chore that is physical therapy that I have to deal with. I'm going to be putting every effort into making sure I can walk normally again, if I plan on making 5th Avenue in Manhattan my personal catwalk.

Posted by Charlie at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)

Let's Kick The Heat

The summer thus far in Seattle has been somewhat nippy; in fact, some people might even describe the weather as 'cold' or 'chilly.' It's a lazy Saturday afternoon, and instead of sunning it out at Greenlake, I'm at home wrapped in a blanket while slurping up hot ramen noodles, researching apartments in New York that I would potentially would like to live in. Not that this is anything new, but apartments in Manhattan sure are expensive.

The New York Times reported recently that Cyndi Lauper just won rent-stabilization at one of the most extravagant apartment buildings in New York City. At just $988.56 a month. During the tour the crew members stayed at a rent-stabilized apartment in the Upper West Side that was going for roughly $800 a month. For that much money I am expecting to live in a basement studio somewhere in Washington Heights. I've lived on my own before, and it's not that hard; the hardest part about looking for your own place is the actual moving process. This time, however, I would be moving to a completely different city over 3,000 miles from home. The prospect is a little daunting.

Here are several neighborhoods that I am eyeing: Chelsea, Tribeca/SOHO, Chinatown, West Village, pretty much anywhere between Houston and 23rd. Time to start saving money!

Posted by Charlie at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)