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April 30, 2006
Sunday Afternoon
Sunday rolls around, and I find myself in the middle of East Village, having lunch by myself at Menkui-Tei. It's a nice Japanese restaurant that plays 90's rock music, and even though the service can be spotty at times, the food more than makes up for it. I like their takana cha-han, but today I'm opting for the usual katsu curry. It's delicious!
Menkui-Tei isn't as popular as some of the other Japanese restaurants that occupy St. Mark's place, but it is cleaner and airier. Most people I know would not be caught dead in a restaurant by themselves, but I rather enjoy the alone time that eating by oneself can bring. Although I can armed with my dining out alone protection gear--my laptop, a cell phone and a book--most of the time I'm staring at the walls in a meditative state. The waitress is cute; I think she likes me.
I'm not as stressed about my finances as before, seeing as I'm now getting paid on a regular basis, and so I spent most of the day toiling around SOHO in search of nice clothes in preparation for the summer. I got some cufflinks for some of my shirts, and treated myself to a Comme des Garcons jacket. It's black and blue and looks like something Alexander McQueen would have designed. De-construction and re-construction at its finest. Shopping is truly therapeutic for the affected.
Posted by Charlie at 04:58 PM | Comments (2)
April 29, 2006
Saturday Afternoon
I AM: spending a sunny Saturday afternoon recuperating.
I WANT: a plane ticket to Tibet.
I WISH: for love.
I HATE: nothing.
I MISS: the days when it was colder.
I HEAR: Imogen Heap, Hide and Seek.
I WONDER: if he really likes me?
I REGRET: a few things, here and there.
I AM NOT: attainable.
I DANCE: when everyone's watching.
I SING: with my head held high.
I CRY: whenever I'm happy. And sad.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: open with my feelings.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: history.
I WRITE: to articulate what I'm feeling and going through.
I CONFUSE: lust with love.
I NEED: a nice long hug and a kiss on the cheek.
I SHOULD: stop being a fucking crybaby.
I START: things without thinking about them.
I FINISH: my meals with several hearty and throaty burps.
I TAG: my one-night stands with pet names to use for storytelling to friends.
Posted by Charlie at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2006
Thursday Afternoon
Life is, for the most part, good. It's funny how much exciting your everyday affairs become when you don't have the time to write about it, on paper--or in this instance, on screen. These days every time I sit down to write an entry I find myself with writer's block--not because I don't have anything to write about, but because I understand that this blog, as a public forum, will eventually reach the eyes and ears of certain individuals that I would rather not have them subjected to.
I'm finding it harder to be more honest in my entries--at least on this blog anyway--leaning more and more upon semi-witty and semi-funny stories that mask the true feelings I have. It was a lot easier when I was under the Xanga and Typepad umbrella, under an assumed synonym. It was easier to bitch and moan and cry and praise and detail every bit of your life when readers didn't know your true identity, but now that this blog has my name attached to it, I can't be as liberal in my writings as I once was. My words can and will affect certain individuals and people--whether for good or bad--and my personal relationships with them (outside this online universe) can be affected. I find it ironic because I initially moved my blog to this site because I wanted to be more open, with myself and with the public audience. I'm starting to shed off my various online identities, and ironically my social life is starting to come alive again. Goodbye, Friendster. Goodbye, Downelink.
Life is, for the most part, good.
Posted by Charlie at 08:13 PM | Comments (1)
Anniversary
Omigosh, has it already been six months since I've arrived here? Where has time gone? Older? Yes. Wiser? Nope.
Posted by Charlie at 01:53 PM | Comments (2)
Alu Bedside Table
A nice bedside table from Alu to go along with my bed...
Posted by Charlie at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2006
I Am The Center of the Universe
People love me, they really do. My friends love me more, they really do. This weekend Caitlin will be moving to a house just minutes from mine, and we can finally continue our traditional Sunday afternoon dinner parties. Booga and Butt-Face are moving out here in a few months for the sole purpose of keeping me company. Now all I have to do is wear down Matt, Jared, Liz, Chandra, and a whole slew of Seattle peeps to make the move, and I'll be happy. They are here to serve my every need, after all.
Posted by Charlie at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2006
Underground Man
"You gentlemen perhaps think I am mad? Allow me to defend myself. I agree that man is preeminently a creative animal, predestined to consciously strive toward a goal, and to engage in engineering, that is, eternally and incessantly, to build new roads, wherever they may lead... Man loves to create roads, that is beyond dispute. But... may it not be... that he is instinctively afraid of attaining his goal and completing the edifice he is constructing? How do you know, perhaps he only likes the edifice from a distance and not at all at a close range, perhaps he only likes to build it, and does not want to live in it."
~Dostroevsky
Posted by Charlie at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2006
Marc Quinn
British sculptor Marc Quinn is perhaps best known for his statue of a pregnant Alison Lapper. A beautiful and controversal piece in its own right, it is destined to be upstaged in a few weeks when the Mary Boone Gallery unveils his latest piece, Sphinx. "She is a contemporary version of the Sphinx. A mystery. There must be something about her that has clicked with the collective unconscious to make her so ubiquitous, so spirit of the age," says the artist. The 'She' Quinn is referring to is none other than model Kate Moss, whose recent tabloid shenanigans and career rebirth have made her a revered cultural pop icon, and whose likeness Quinn used for his latest piece. This is one gallery event to watch out for. Check it out.
Posted by Charlie at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)
I'm Double-A Thinking Triple-X
Slowly settling... but not quite there yet.
Posted by Charlie at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
Fuwarinka
Now here's something interesting. Kanebo recently introduced a line of chewing gums and candies that contain vanilla- and rose-scented chemicals, of which your body will begin secreting 30 minutes after consumption. This reminds me of that Jim Carrey sketch on In Living Color. You know which one I'm talking about?
Posted by Charlie at 10:25 AM
Joan Miro
Happy Birthday, Joan Miro.
Posted by Charlie at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2006
It's Time
It's now or never, babe. You know what I'm talking about. Uh huh. Who you gonna pick?
Posted by Charlie at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2006
One Year Later...
...and it feels like it was only yesterday...
Posted by Charlie at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2006
Memory Lane
For the first time ever I went through the back archives of my recorded life, back to another period where I was less experienced, more carefree, more optimistic. I find myself getting a little nostalgic at this previous version of me, which is surprising because it's unlike my character to look back at things and be retrospective. Here are a few entries of several years past that have a special place in my heart, in no particular order, chronological or otherwise:
Troubled Times are Like Waves that Rise and Fall
Eating Ass
Light Weekend, (Not-so) Heavy Realizations
Being an Asian American Today
Sprinkle Spray Action
My Cum Story
Cold Out There
Adagio
Operation: Get Him Hard
The First Advent
Good to Go
Discovering
I've noticed that as I mature and my past gets increasingly layered and complex, I'm less inclined to divulge on the more personal aspects of my life, from lovers to friends to family... my other, more private weblog has been getting much more attention as of late. Maybe one day I'll make public all of my thoughts that I have reserved for that weblog, since it will definitely paint a more three-dimensional picture of my personality, but there are things that should remain quiet and individual, no?
Posted by Charlie at 12:27 PM | Comments (2)
Parts of a Rainbow
The blocky forms of Parts of a Rainbow are open on one side so that any number of chairs can slide into one another to save space or create a sturdy bench. Christian Flindt designed the chairs--the world's first side-stacking version, he claims--which won the Design Prize 2005 at Copenhagen, in joyful colors that, when linked, change hue as if paints overlapping on an artist's palette.
Posted by Charlie at 10:35 AM
April 12, 2006
The Art of Smiling
My mom once told me that I came out of her smiling. Even though that is probably not true, it is a good metaphor to describe my personality. Without smiling I won't be able to live, to survive. I was in a bit of a funk last week, but this past few days have been very therapeutic, very necessary.
The bruises are still on my arms. Ha!
Posted by Charlie at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2006
Drawing Restraint 9
Posted by Charlie at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2006
HeyHeyHey
Marty Pants is in town for a few days; like a breath of fresh air in the drabby smoke that is my life!
Posted by Charlie at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
Apartment Therapy
I can't get my reading done anymore at home now; the weather is too nice outside these days. I've never really been one to pick up a novel and travel to the park for several hours of alone time, but for the past few weeks I've adapted quite nicely to this change in lifestyle. Every week I pick a place I've never been to before, whip out the shades and the book (currently Apartment Therapy by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan), and for the next several hours I'm transported somewhere else. Apartment Therapy has been very inspiring, not just on an interior design standpoint, but about making life choices and lifestyles in general. I've been doing a lot of spring-cleaning, getting rid of emotional anchors and what-nots.
Posted by Charlie at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
April 09, 2006
Never Stop Dreaming
You can never have a Plan B. You can never have a fallback plan. Those who do are never going to realize their full potential, because they can just say, "...well, if it doesn't work out..."
Posted by Charlie at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
April 06, 2006
Rodger Stevens
Brooklyn-based Rodger Stevens's sculptures are delightful, almost Pop abtractions created entirely out of wire. His career began while working at Sotheby's, when an art specialist walked by one day and asked if she could purchase one of his wire sculptures sitting on his work desk. Soon after he pursued a full-time career out of making these sculptures, and in 1996 he got his big break with a Fifth Avenue window for Tiffany. Since then, he's done a wide range of store display work, including windows for Todd Oldham and wall installations for Yohji Yamamoto. Prices range from $200 for miniatures to $5000-$10,000 for the most intricate pieces.
Posted by Charlie at 11:54 AM
Designed-Out
I am pooped!
Posted by Charlie at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Park Slopage
A room in a very nice apartment in Park Slope is open. I'm thinking about taking it because: 1) I know I will be out of trouble; 2) I can leave for a new place whenever I want; 3) A kick-ass kitchen; 4) Lesbian bars; and 5) Cuter guys. Let's see what'll happen.
Posted by Charlie at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
You Had Me at Piercing
Fuck, why am I always a sucker for a bad boi?! I'm gonna have to let him down gently... this is getting way too fast.
Posted by Charlie at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006
Today Was a Great Day
I received an anonymous package in the mail today. I was opened it to find out that someone had sent me a gay porno DVD from Falcon. Score! It was totally unwarranted and unexpected, but I wasn't going to turn down a free gift. Thanks, whoever you are! I'm totally gonna have a porno dinner party to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Posted by Charlie at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)
BFF
Keepin' it real on the LaGuardia strip.
Posted by Charlie at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
Blackstock Leather
"Stephen Manchee is a leather legacy. His father, Charles, owned his own leather company, Spinneybeck, for more than two decades, and today, the younger’s firm, Blackstock Leather, is headquartered in the schoolhouse that faces his childhood farm. Blackstock sells leather tiles in a wide variety of stock and custom sizes and colors. They can be used on floors, walls and ceilings; the material is an excellent acoustic dampener and is naturally stain-resistant. Manchee is currently developing a system of leather tiles with magnetic backing for portability and easy reconfiguring—or as he puts it, 'so it’s yours, not the floor’s.'"
Posted by Charlie at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)
Paul Smith Swirl Rug
In the living room: a Paul Smith Swirl Rug to set the defining theme of the space, with cocoa walls and neutral-colored seating throughout.
Posted by Charlie at 12:12 PM | Comments (1)
Jocelyn Warner
The secret to the alluring, velvet-like surface of Jocelyn Warner’s gilded wallpapers is a flatbed scanner and the matte sealant the London-based designer skims atop the metal leaf. Laid out on this sumptuous field and printed in gray, garden-variety leaves have the detailed authority of an X-ray and scribbles leap from the page.
This is totally going up in my next bedroom along with Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray paint.
Posted by Charlie at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2006
My Hands are Losing Their Memory
It's been over a year since I last touched a piano. I miss being able to bust out a little Mozart concerto on the fly. Luckily Reason is keeping me occupied; I'm busy at work composing a little something-something for fun... maybe possibly as a soundtrack to the abstract video art. I want to ship out my Alesis ion, but I can't do that yet until I have a place I can call my own. Still though, I might just go out and get a small MIDI controller.
Posted by Charlie at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
April 02, 2006
"Fucking Couples"
Brian and I coined the term "Fucking Couples" last summer, but now that he's happily occupied in a relationship it's up to me to carry on the torch. Today was the most glorious day, replete with sunshine and warm weather and ice cream cones. I was reading a new book on a park bench today, and it seemed like everyone was out with their respective partners, hand in hand, smooching off of each other like there was no tomorrow. What the fuck is going on? What is it about the warm spring weather that drives people to partner up with one another? This male couple was obnoxiously making out on the bench next to mine, and I just wanted to go over there and slap the back of their heads. *sigh* I guess I just miss that feeling of being loved. Poo. Fucking couples!
Posted by Charlie at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
And... Shut.
I'm starting a new position on Monday, content manager (Liz!) for an interior design magazine. Although the position is project-based and I'm only being brought on as a consultant, I would really like to stay one board, even if the position is minute, for the sheer love of interior design. I've already learned so much, from the types of wallpaper to various obscure New York cabinet makers. I'm being cautiously optimistic; even though my boss has expressed great interest in me, I don't want to keep my hopes up.
Posted by Charlie at 03:09 AM | Comments (3)
April 01, 2006
Duvet
I spent over $100 on liquor last night. Damn you, Manhattan.
Posted by Charlie at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)