smart car in pasadena

If only America made smaller roads so people are forced to purchase small automobiles like this Nissan, and gas prices would not be an issue.  I would not be accosted by a driver who needed an extra buck to get home in the valley.  The cheaper Unocal 76 stations wouldn't be congested with monstrous trucks that suck up at least 80 dollars worth of premium plus gasoline. Can we make German cars like this and I will sign up for my first mini-mi BMW 5 series.

first impressions on earth

After 3 years, I finally saw them again last night.  The last concert Effy and I went was at the Palladium and we saw Drew Barrymore galavanting around the club all giddy that her boy Fabrizio rockin in drums.  We were also standing next to Paul Oakenfold, so we felt like rockstars. This time around, no Drew sighting.  There were the typical skinny boy with skinny pants and converse combo (only at The Strokes concert).  The concert last night was less intimate, but still had a really good time.  They played all the songs from the new album and most of the first one.  A few technical difficulties, but Julian managed to sing his heart out.  There a few hilarious and annoying moments at the concert.  We kept hearing this annoying girl at the back yelling Fuck Yah!! to every song.  What a weirdo!  And this chick in front of us kept smothering her boyfriend.  We felt sorry for him and his body language was "Bitch, can you just get off of me for at least a minute!"  This girl had no clue and kept smothering him the whole time.  She was also dancing like she was on speed, rythmless asian!  Anywhoo, I had a great time.  We also caught Fabrizio on the screen smoking while drumming. Such Rockstars!

twins

Long lost twin...

Found!

a cup of moca please

A really full Friday, which is rare since most of my days off are spent sleeping in till 1pm and constantly running errands. I went with my sister to the Barney's Warehouse Sale. Didn't find much because I am broke; but I did treat myself to a cashmere sweater. Later that day, I met up with K_la to see the Ecstasy exhibit @ MOCA near Little Tokyo. I have been meaning to catch this one and February is the last month to endulge the ectasy art. The plan was to meet around 3ish, but 405 traffic pushed our meeting up time to 430pm. Cameras were off limits, but K_la is hella good in sneaking some snap shots. She caught some great shots of the art. The highlights were some Murakami stuff (a painting on the wall and mushroom sculptures). There was also a room with rotating mushrooms on the ceiling and the flourescent lights on the floor. It was a bit trippy since everything was reversed. One of my favorite rooms was filled with tiny christmas light bulbs all configured in vertical and horizontal rows to fit the whole room. To walk through the room was a dizzying experience; I was scared that I would fall or something. The exhibit was interactive in some aspect. It had to do with the video art that gave you a headache or a light show that almost blinds you. So... back to work tomorrow, nothing new for the weekend.

coldplay + fiona apple = concert

I had to see Coldplay before they head off to Europe. The night didn't start off so well because I had a sister who takes forever to get ready and L.A. traffic, which resulted in missing Fiona Apple's performance. I was pissed since I wanted to see her perform again. She gets into seizure like dance moves and really feels her music. I love that! People I spoke to while waiting in line in the bathroom said she didn't perform that long, and I really didn't miss much. Since I saw her at Frisco, it was alright. I was not gonna have that situation ruin my night. It was such a long walk up to our seats. They were way up in the boonies! I took initiative and decided to plan a way to get at least to the lower terraces. The plan worked and we ended up getting better seats than the Irvine concert last year. The show was amazing of course. Since they have been on tour for a while, it really showed. They haven't had haircuts and they didn't have as much energy as last time. Nevertheless, they always deliver a great show.

I have been at the Forum before but never noticed the floor since last night's concert. The floor is made out of tiles. The tiles have the Forum emblem and name engraved on it. The tiles are in the lobby and on the bathroom floors. Check em out whenever you go, it is pretty cool.

Above are more pictures of the concert. The stadium picture is the view from our old seats. We were so lucky to sneak up and get really good seats.

busy

Juggling 2 careers is not easy and one aspect of my life that has been stalled is my social life. I rarely go out since all of my time is spent on projects or working on the dreadful weekend at the psyche ward. I hope this lifestyle will pay off. It has, since many of my projects are coming to life. I officially finished redesigning the HIMALANIA Natural Goji Berries line for BrandStorm Inc. No pictures posted yet, but do Check out my website www.beduyadesign.com to see my updates. Currently I am working on the packaging for HIMALANIA Peppercorns that will be at some Whole Foods Market. I am doing some final touches but I can't wait for you all to see the new product.

Here are some rough sketches:

This one was approved for the next phase. I had an opportunity to use my drawing skills, so it was a plus:

This one was my favorite, but they weren't too keen with Die Cuts:

christmas eve

I actually celebrated Christmas Eve this year.  My Aunt decided to have a party since my cousin is back from the Philippines.  The above picture with the cousins is a rare moment.  I have not seen my cousin Jon for 3 years and it was refreshing to have him there since he always makes everyone laugh with his twisted sense of humor.  It was just nice to have all of us together again (eventhough I didn't talk to the 2 cousins in the far right).  After a night of good eating, we trekked to Midnight Mass and endured 1 hour and 30 minutes of mass.  I was annoyed that it was almost 2 hours long since I had work at 7 o'clock in the morning.  Lady of Lourdes have always been good in keeping it short since 2 years ago Christmas mass was ridiculously too long and resulted the following year of a low turnout in Midnight Mass.  I still had my Christmas mood with my lack of sleep.

Christmas Day...

Bonded with my nieces and nephews.  They are so adorable.  Especially the little one I am holding.  She loves to get everyone's attention.  Of course Nate Dogg was a terror, but he is the cutest out of all the little tykes.  It must be his hair.  So damn cute and curly.  Chatted up a bit with my cousins, lots of family bonding and gossiping.  I haven't opened any of my presents and I am not that anxious to know what I got.  Strange...this feeling never happens to me.  Since I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas in the early hours of the morning, I have been sleepy in most of these family gatherings.  Naps are suppose to feel good when you wake up... Forget it! I have been having a mean headache everytime I wake up.  Overall, my Christmas has been wonderful and filled with good ol' family bonding.