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January 30, 2006

Hmmm... Would You Look At That

It takes less than five seconds: with two clicks of a mouse, 'In a Relationship' becomes 'Single.' I sit back, stare at the monitor for a few seconds, then log out.

Posted by Charlie at 12:54 AM | Comments (2)

January 29, 2006

I'm Gonna Be Brave. I'm Gonna Be Brave. Good.

I spent the entire weekend in Williamsburg, for the first time. Such a foreign feeling and experience, seeing your roommates stumble out of bed at 1 in the afternoon, their heads throbbing from a hangover. It was rather lonely, but luckily Brian was in town to keep me distracted. We celebrated the Lunar New Year by going to Chinatown and eating dumplings at some Shanghainese restaurant that he liked, and wandered around the neighborhood watching as all the white people are suckered into buying confetti poppers. Just because it's the New Year doesn't mean that Chinatown has to turn into a mini-Times Square, people!

Posted by Charlie at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

A (Not So) Random Memory

I was about three years old then, maybe four. Maybe two. It was gray outside, and pouring. I wanted to go play outside in the rain, but my mother understandably said no. I got bored and stubborn and started to make a big fuss when my dad told me to come over to him. He had gathered a few leaves from outside and laid them out on his work table in the garage. He let me stand on a stool to watch and, without saying a word, he began to fold, twist, and tear the leaves into miniature boats. After he made several of them we went outside to the end of the driveway, where he carefully placed each boat on the surface a puddle of water. They floated for a while before sinking under the weight of the rain. Again? My father asked me, noticing the smile on my face. I nodded vigorously and ran back into the house while he plucked more leaves of the branches.

Posted by Charlie at 01:20 AM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2006

L.N.Y.

Saehae BOK mani mani mani badeuseYO!!!

Posted by Charlie at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2006

Nintendo DS Lite

I didn't like the design of the original Nintendo DS, but this version is definitely saying "buy me." One of these and a copy of Nintendogs, and I'll be one happy guy.

Posted by Charlie at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2006

Future American Lawyers

"Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveilance of US citizens, but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him.

...additional students came into the room, wearing black cowls and carrying a simple banner, written on a sheet."

(Via Boing Boing)

Posted by Charlie at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2006

Dear Diary

My friends don't call me anymore because they can just read what's going on with my life here. It's sad, but strangely convenient because I don't have to repeat the same life story again and again.

Hmmmm... what's new this week?

It's Friday, it's 10 in the morning, and I'm trying to shake off this massive headache. Last weekend it snowed just enough for Jassi and me to go sledding, but by Tuesday everything melted and temperatures returned to the mid-50s. All of this extreme changing of temperatures is wrecking havoc on my body; I want to go home and sleep.

Deerhoof is coming in a few weeks, and I'm thinking about catching their show. Of all the (drunken) concerts I've been to in Seattle, Deerhoof was especially memorable because the lead singer, a pint-sized Japanese girl, likes to perform with stuffed animals while singing. It's been a while since I've been to a concert anyhow.

Went to the Diesel sample sale last Tuesday. The lines were long - about a twenty minute wait - and by the time I left with my purchases the line had grown halfway down the block. Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. That is one long-ass line.

Chris is in town this week, and next week Brian will be here. Chinese New Year's is going to be fun!

I love how my dad just randomly text-messages asking me to buy the Mega Millions Lotto tickets.

I've been thinking seriously about getting a puppy, but not until I move into my apartment. My current roommates already have a dog, and although she's a treasure, I don't know if she'll be able to cope with having a baby steal all of her attention. I really want a shiba inu, really bad. They look like teddy bears and they're very independent.

Oh, I was in the Village Voice for Chasing Daybreak. Go find the paper before it's recycled to make way for next week's issue.

That's about it.

Posted by Charlie at 10:10 AM | Comments (1)

January 17, 2006

New York, New York

The first time I ever visited New York was over ten years ago, when I was fourteen. I came over with my parents, sister, and cousin, and we stayed at a hotel near Times Square. Back then Times Square was not yet Disney-fied by Giuliani, and thus our hotel was not one would call ‘luxurious.’ There were cracks in the walls, it stank of smoke, and sometimes we would spy a roach scampering across the floor. Times Square was crowded, even more so than today, and it was grittier: I remember street vendors showcasing fake Rolexes in briefcases, only to quickly disappear within the throng of tourists as soon as a police officer was sighted nearby.

It was a fascinating experience, something totally detached from the relative slow-pace-ness of Seattle, and I loved every moment of it. I wanted to be a part of it.

Well, ten years later I’m back in Times Square, at my cubicle overlooking the chaos of advertisements and tourists, and it still has yet to hit me that I’m here. For some reason I still feel like I am on vacation from Seattle, and that at any time now I’ll soon be on an airplane back home with my clothes and stories. It’s all very detached still, this new experience, and because I still feel very transitory I am not necessarily homesick yet.

I’ve fantasized a lot about what my life would be like in the Big Apple, but I never did idealize what the city itself would be like: I knew coming here I would be making a lot of financial sacrifices, relinquishing any form of personal transportation, and be living in a city where I knew almost no one. New York City is a dirty, stinky, noisy, and violent place, I know that, but at the same time no other city in the US has the abundance of culture, music, art, food, and language that New York City does. For those reasons alone, I love it here.

Posted by Charlie at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

Paula Scher Maps

Paula Scher, more known in the graphic design field for her Broadway posters, CitiBank redesign, and ripping off old Swiss design pieces, has an exhibition going on right now in Chelsea's Maya Stendhal Gallery. Her paintings of large, colorful maps are filled with text ranging from ZIP codes to voting stats. If you like type, maps, and Paula Scher, this is definitely the place to check out.

Posted by Charlie at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)

Binging on Murakami

Over the weekend the temperatures here in New York have dropped 20 degrees, and although I suspect that we'll be back in the mid-50s by the end of the week (as what happened last week), until then I have my five recently-acquired Haruki Murakami novels to keep me occupied.

Everytime I open the front cover of one of his books and see the countless praises by literary critics I can't help but wonder whether they're applauding the original Japanese text (very unlikely) or the English translation of that text (very likely). Based on past experience I know that there is always something that is lost in translation, whether it be cultural cues, words with no direct translatable equivalent, etc., and although I am greatly enjoying his works right now, I'm sure they'll be just as enjoyable, if not more so, when read in the original Japanese language.

Posted by Charlie at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

Mozart Milestone

This year, on the day the world celebrates the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, I will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of my own. I have no idea what to do on that day, seeing as I won't be one of the millions travelling to Austria for the celebrations, but luckily Brian will be in town to keep me distracted. The Salzburg Festival this summer will be host to performances of all of his operas, and I'm thinking about travelling there to see some of them.

Posted by Charlie at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2006

MUJI Oven-Range

This MUJI oven-range is perfect for either warming up a bowl of soup or baking chocolate brownies. The fact that it looks sexy and doesn't cost an arm and a leg is just icing on the top.

Posted by Charlie at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

Monacca

For those looking for a unique way of housing your brand-new MacBook Pros, Shimamura Takumi has designed this beautiful Monacca bag using thinned Japanese cedar from Umaji village in Kochi Prefecture. It's absolutely beautiful, not outrageously expensive, and will perfectly compliment your Offi furniture.

Posted by Charlie at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2006

MacBook Pro

The new Intel-based notebook from Apple loses its Powerbook moniker and is christened MacBook Pro. I am in love.

Posted by Charlie at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)

January 08, 2006

MUJI Home

This is so old news, but my heart just stopped for a bit when I came across MUJI+Infill, a fully customizable house by MUJI that is available for purchase. Holy fuckin' shit. I've been waiting my whole life for something like this: my life as designed by MUJI.

Posted by Charlie at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 06, 2006

The Japanese Girl with the Valley Name

I got my hair cut yesterday by a Japanese girl named Veronica. Although that may not be her given name, she certainly deserves to be christened after a certain sultry kitten from Archie Comics. She's cute and bubbly, characteristics that can describe both a Japanese and a Valley girl. She's also good with her scissors, which should come as no surprise, seeing as she's pretty much been recommended by everyone here.

Posted by Charlie at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

January 03, 2006

Chow Chow

As I’m slowly discovering all the nooks and crannies of this city I’m amazed at the constant quality in the cuisine in almost every place I’ve dined at. One of the many reasons that I love about living in New York City is the abundance and variety of foods that one can easily get access to. New Yorkers love to eat, and they love eating out even more. And it shows: there are more restaurants, cafes, food carts, bistros, and eateries here than there are single women at last call at a gay bar. Even within two blocks of my apartment, one can count a total of ten restaurants, a bakery, and three supermarkets. While really good food and be had anywhere if you look hard enough for it, here in New York it’s practically right outside your doorstep.

Posted by Charlie at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)

January 02, 2006

Happy New Year

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