Big Red Balls - Part 3

Cousin Daniel got out of his meetings at noon (they decided to buy some energy company) and we went to Al Gelato on Robertson.

BEST MEATBALLS EVER.



Afterwards I pulled out my trusty star map and we drove around Bel Air and did the typical Asian Touristy stuff.

Things get bad and then you EAT.

In all my bummed-ness, I returned home yesterday to find an email in my inbox from my long-lost cousin Daniel who just happened to be in town on business staying down the street at the Four Seasons.

Daniel is a non-Kwan cousin from my mom's side of the family. As such, he was raised in Hong Kong and thus we're not super close. (We always thought of our non-Kwan cousins as our fobby weird cousins and they in turn all thought of us as their snotty American cousins.)

But Daniel has always been my favorite of the fobby cousins and he's been doing well, working as the right-hand go-to dealmaker guy for RichardLi who is one of Hong Kong's richest men and the son of LiKaShing, the richest Chinese person in the world.

Working with billionaires has its perks and one of those is a sweet expense account.

So...we went to Spago.



I had the Rabbit Pasta (above) and the Seared Big-Eye Tuna (below).



It was delicious....but not like the most delicious I've ever had....

Which it should have been, for the price.

Thus, I am going to say that Spago is overrated.



Tomorrow we're doing cheap but delicious.

Meatballs @ Al Gelatooooo

............

Life has ups and downs.

Hopefully things are now on the upswing.

Everything changes...

From: tara
Date: Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Subject: Your blog

is my procrastination. and is not being updated frequently enough to
distract me from the horrors of law school exams.

.....................

Sorry I haven't been updating much as of late. I will get on it.

Lots of stuff has been happening lately. Kind of bummed out and lost the will to blog.

But I know it is important for all you bored office people. And for my own self-reflection...

So here we go.

.........................

Brianne and Alex moved to San Francisco this weekend. (Alex will be working for YouTube.)

They are going to have a wonderful wonderful life.

We had a little farewell party at the Gas Lite to see them off.







I think the Gas Lite is done and it's time for it to be retired. The regulars are always there and annoying and gross. They hogged the stage. None of us sang.

Also I scratched my car on a brick wall while dumbass-ed-ly pulling into a non-parking spot.



Total bummer.

............................

Los Angeles is the city people go to and figure out what they want to do with their lives.

It is the perfect place for it.

There's so much opportunity. So much possibility. And everything can change overnight.

Some people get launched into the stratosphere. Some people come. Figure themselves out. And then move on.

Countless people have come and gone.

Poopshid was the first... Then Felix... Goony... TL... Big willie style... Now Bralex...

And Smershy......oh Smershy...

.........................

A lot has changed lately.

And I've been thinking a lot. About life. Where I am. And where I'm going.

Maybe this is quarterlife #2.

I had a mini-quarterlife crisis a few years back at the end of '05. If you've been on this ride with me for a while, you may remember. The Details article I think touched upon it.

Here I am. Two and a half years after my first quarter-life crisis.

I call myself a "professional" photographer and I can back that up with a pretty cool portfolio. It happened faster than I expected.

I work from anywhere. Make a decent amount of money. And work 3 or 4 hours a day. If that.

I get to travel. See my friends near and far. And I have the stress level of a happy cow in a field on a warm day.

It's awesome and I'm definitely not complaining. And shouldn't be. I know.

But as anyone who's ever gotten a raise or promotion will tell you, you adjust to your new and improved circumstances quickly. There's always more you can be doing. More you can be making. Other things to see, do, accomplish.

I live in LA and I'm part of this insane world of privileged, over-ambitious, over-educated people. We're never satisfied and we're not going to stop even when we've achieved world domination. We've been exposed to the world and there is no limit to what we can accomplish. And it is terrifying when you feel like you're not doing enough with what you've been blessed with and you're not achieving your full potential.

People are heading off to bigger and better jobs. Taking off for business school. Becoming doctors/lawyers. Getting engaged and married. And I've got my routine going, but I feel myself plateau-ing.

So that's the angst I'm feeling right now.

As I look around me and see everyone move upward and onward... I feel like it's time to step up my game.

So what I've been thinking these past few days is my move into fashion photography.

I've never been formally trained. And sometimes I feel like a hack. Even though I know my work is decent.

The next level...

I want to be Annie Leibovitz... Or Mario Testino... Or David LaChappelle...but without the alleged sketchiness. (Ask Oliver.)

I want to spend the summer in NYC. Take studio lighting and fashion photography classes.

And keep doing the headshot gigs to pay for all of it. (I seem to get much more business on the east coast.)

I'm eternally torn between LA and New York.

The grass is always greener.

...................

I know whatever I decide will be the right decision.

But right now, it's kind of bumming me out and I'm scared and confused.

...also it is REALLY REALLY hot right now.

I prefer snow.

Sasian drivers

Yeebee sent me a great video that demonstrates the craziness of driving in India.

Big Red Balllllll - Part 2

For Phil's b'day, Anne decided to go bowling again because it is so fun.

Especially when it costs $60 and includes all-you-can-drink.







I tried playing with the big red ball but was absolutely terrible (though better than Anne).



Beer made up for it.





As did the chicken fingers!






After the bowling we post-partied at Anne & Phil's.

We stopped at the neighborhood grocery bar first for ice cream bars and ice.



Anne handed me the big bag of ice while we were crossing the street.

Instantly, I dropped it.

And it broke.

Everywhere.

But all the patrons of nearby Rodeo bar were yelling at me to "Pick it up!" and "5 second rule!!!!" so against my better judgement (or having any judgement, period) i gathered as many of the ice cubes that were scattered on the street in my arms as i could and continued on my merry way.

At least we had some ice for our delicious drinks!

...aaaaand another...

Congrats kids!

JFK - LAX

At the airport.

I'm overhearing some news story about a woman who used a screwdriver to repeatedly stab a man who was trying to break into her home.

Apparently he was reaching through a window to try to break in...and each time he did, she stabbed him.

FOR 90 MINUTES.

Hello

It's been a busy week.

Not only have I been super sick but believe it or not I actually do kind of work sometimes and get too busy to blog.

This was one of those weeks.

Non-stop work. Work work work.

Did a total of 8 or 9 shoots I think.

Ka-ching!

Bank account is very happy with me.

Really it is just digging me out of the financial hole that was my HK/India trip.

Will post remaining NY pics from the airport tomorrow.

Back to LA! Yay!

supersicknessface part 2

blehhhhhhh

bllhhhhehhehehhhhhhh

mucus mucus mucus

blehhhhhhhh

Marker Party & Karaoke

Whose idea was the marker party?

I don't know. Good idea though.

Drinking when influenza-ed? Bad idea.















After some at-home pseudo-karaoke, we were inspired and headed to Sing-Sing.

Picked up some sweet shades on the way.



And then because the wait for singing was over an hour long, we opted for a private karaoke room.



I don't know if you can tell, but if you look closely at the picture you will see that some tard took a beer bottle, shook it up and sprayed it all over the walls and the people and the boy with the nice leather jacket.



Good time.





Followed by Mamooons.




I feel so awful today I can't even tell you.

Mucus. Hangover. Mucus Hangover.

Murakami and other Japanese treasures

MAO took the day off work to take me (wheezing and sneezing) to the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.









You might recognize Murakami's work from the revolutionary Louis Vuitton bags he designed that broke from the traditional brown/beige LV design and began integrating colorful cartoony-goodness.

(Jessica Simpson rocked the Murakami bag the entire first season of Newlyweds.)



Murakami also designed the artwork for Kanye's latest album.



Art is cool.

Cartoons are cooler.

Cartoon art is the best.

Long live Takashi Murakami!



Afterwards we walked next door through the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.




It is spring.

Flowers are everywhere.

I dare say it was quite pretty.




"Everything's so lush!"
"You're a lush."
"Oh..." [sad face]




There was a Bonsai exhibit.




Also there was a Japanese pond surrounded by cherry blossom trees.



Anne likes to smell things.



A lot.



Thank you Japan for all the wonderful things (and half-things) you have blessed upon this Earth.