it's been a while.

an example of what i've been doing for the last year... BRING IT.

me gusto mucho!

i want to live in this store and eat macaroons all day. pretty please?



(wait for the slideshow to move... the styling is incredible!)




photo courtesy of impactlab.com

DC Gallery Girl

Photo from Brightest Young Things Web Site and by Temniet Mesgna

Like gallery hopping in DC? Check out this article on Brightest Young Things on various DC galleries and the gals who help run them. Karyn and I used to go to college together but became friends post CUA. Besides being super talented, smart, and funny, she (and my friend Irene) used to throw the best halloween parties ever (and is seriously good at bobbing for apples).




Kudos Karyn!

currently obsessed: moleskine city maps

i like to take notes when i travel. in africa, i wrote my notes in a regular moleskin pocket notebook. i wrote what we did, what i ate, what that pic was about, observations on the life there, the people and what to remember to do if i ever go back.

when i went to dublin a few years ago, i grabbed one of these moleskin city notebooks in order to take notes and map out our adventures. they have also expanded their line to asian and more north american cities.

i have a cousin in from the philippines this week and since it's his first time on the east coast, i figured i'd take him to see the big lights of new york city. i figured i'd pick one up to expand my growing moleskin collection and not scream "tourist!" on the subway.


good things about this:

• the maps are broken out onto multiple pages and blown up, so they are discreet. you are not unfolding a bedsheet sized map and making yourself a target (of jokes or worse).
• there are clear tracing papers that you can overlay on the map, so you can write out paths or mark locations you want to visit without ruining your map. great to re- use for that next visit.
• there is a list of all the subway stations and where they are on the map.
  
• there are so many dividers to place notes like restraurants you liked (or not), phone numbers for box offices, your hotel, etc.
• it's so small it can fit in my pocket (or small handbag)
  

i love it!

taste this!

Help the nearly 17 million children who are at risk of hunger. Your contribution helps surround kids with the healthy food they need to thrive.

my MIA excuse again is yet another volunteer charity event in the works + family coming from all corners of the world (london, philippines, wisconsin, nj - ha). march is definitely coming in like a lion.

check out share our strength and their big event, taste of the nation. the committee has been working to put on a really good event all in the name of good food and feeding hungry kids.

i'm copying and pasting this text from metrocurean (yes, i'm lazy). but regardless, you should come support this event and help feed a child.

Volunteers are needed for Taste of the Nation, coming up April 12. It's a great way to help an important cause, and you'll get to attend the event at a [discounted price]. A few details from event organizers:

"We have three shifts for volunteers: 1-5 p.m., 5-8 p.m., and 8-11 p.m. Volunteers in the 1-5 p.m. shift will be invited back to the event at 7 p.m. to join the event as a guest. Volunteers in the 5-8 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. shift will be given the opportunity to walk around and sample the great food and wine while they are on a break. As part of the volunteer commitment, there is a mandatory volunteer orientation either Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. or Thursday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m."

For more information and to volunteer, email DCTaste@gmail.com.

If you can't volunteer, please think of attending. it will be fun. and yummy (the restuarant list is INSANE).

Getting Red Carpet Ready

I know it's getting old, but life sometimes gets in the way. I've been working on a couple charity events in my spare time and up to my ears in messaging and swag bag info.

If you're in DC and looking for reason to get dressed to the nines, please buy tickets for Oscar Night® DC. This event is the only Academy-sanctioned Oscar event in DC. You'll be benefitting the National Area Red Cross as well as having a great time during our live telecast, silent auction and if you select to, the VIP section.

Buy tickets here: www.redcrossnca.org

disaster relief

It's been a week now since the earthquake in Haiti. I know the news is completely oversaturated with information with what's going on. But just to reiterate in the simplest terms--

Disasters happen. People need help. The Red Cross helps. Always.

The Red Cross relies heavily on donations and volunteers. You can help all victims of disasters in three ways:

• monetary donations
  
• volunteering
  
• giving blood

If you haven't already, please visit their website to help them help others in our nation and beyond.

classic

now that the holidays are over (i know, i'm late), let's do a review shall we?

in the last few months, i've visited my share of new bars and restaurants in the dc and philly areas. and with the rebirth of the cocktail and the trendiness of all things mad men, i've been enjoying my libations more than ever.

my current favorite? the old fashioned.

with it's agnostora bitters, sugar, and orange zest it's the perfect complement to my drink of choice, bourbon. you can find a recipe and some trivia here.

some places to check this classic cocktail out?

in philly, check out the village whiskey. don't forget to also try the duck fat fries and the variety of pickled items - it's way past vlassic. promise. or you can always go to the pub and kitchen, one of my philly faves.

in dc, definitely grab one at againn (best i've had so far - must be the brandied cherries) with frites. also try it at the W hotel's living room bar or at my virginia favorite, eventide.

cheers!

it's a new year!

traditional slovenian dinner

[clockwise from the top: sauerkraut, stuffing, dumplings, lentil soup and a rye pork roast]

happy new year! i can't wait to see what 2010 will bring my way.

last night, i attended a house party hosted by the fun boys of the alexandria harmonizers. besides a black and white casino theme, we were treated to spontaneous bursts of harmonies every few minutes and a beautiful rendition of "auld lang syne" at the stroke of midnight. it was a ton of fun! if you get a chance to purchase tickets to their next show, i wouldn't miss the chance. they are pretty amazing - and nice boys to boot!

today, my friend invited us over for a traditional slovenian new years day dinner (as in pork, not chicken). it was a delicious and will bring us good luck for the year. good food, good company and crazy ohio state fans while watching the rose bowl. what more could you ask for?

finally, santa brought one more family christmas party tonight. back to opening presents... hope you had a great NYE and great start to the new year!

Back Track Part II: Spa Castle

avenue S spa at Spa Castle (yes, that's a private jacuzzi in the back)*

Let's just cut to the chase here. I LOVE THE SPA. Again, I LOVE THE SPA.

So let me tell you, how excited I was when my friends took me to this place called Spa Castle in Queen, NY for my birthday. Ya'll, it was like an adult water park. But larger. And so much better.

You walk in, pay an entrance fee of $40 and get a waterpoof watch that acts as your locker key and 'credit card'. You lock up everything. Your watch, bathing suit, and assigned uniform is all you need.


The locker room has a bath area with 4 different jacazzis but we avoided that since it was nude only -traditional Korean bath - but it also had a lounge and some sauna rooms where you can lay and sleep (in your uniform).

Upstairs you walk up to the massive first floor. There is an area for purchasing private massages like a traditional spa and a lounge where everyone is chilling/eating. The lounge has a buffet, a pinkberry-esque yogurt place, starbucks, sushi, hamburgers, you name it.

the sauna town

Then it has 7 saunas. Again, 7 saunas. They are all different and cater to each guest. There was a gold plated sauna, a jade sauna, an ice sauna, a LED color therapy sauna, a infrared sauna, a super hot sauna, the list goes on and on.


In the mezzanine, there is a sleeping lounge with comfy recliners which all have individual TVs attached. People were taking naps galore. There was also a separate room just for foot and hand massages.


On the second floor were the pools. There was an indoor pool with a swim up bar and tables for eating (in the pool). There was the warm pool with various acupuncture-like massaging jets for each individual seat.

just one of the many outdoor pools/jacuzzis/waterfall areas

Outside it was like adult spa playground. There was a deck to lay out, the wooden aroma therapy jacuzzi, the regular jacuzzi, then the massive bade pool (building wide, at least 1 block long) with ever possible jet, spray, and waterfall you can imagine. The jets and sprays were strong enough to work out knots in my shoulders so that I didn't have to go the regular massage place.

my favorite jet, perfect for the shoulder knots!

The place is insane and all of pool and sauna access was included with entry. Entry is a day rate, so if you can get there at opening and stay until closing - no problem.


Finally, on the third floor, yup a 3rd floor, there was Korean restaurant, where one could enjoy the day on the patio or inside having the famous bulgogi and kimchi.


The best part is, the owners are building 19 more Spa Castles around the country. SpaCastle gods, don't forget DC please!


Don't miss: anything. If you have the time and money to check out the Avenue S spa, do so! if only I had the time and was not on a recessionista budget, I'd be there. For those who are on a recessionista budget, your $40 will go a long way in just the pools. Sit with the stronger jets for a while and you can probably work those knots!

Tips:

• You'll get the most of your $40 if you make this at least a half day trip and find out where you are most relaxed and sit for a while. You'll spend the first hour just getting your bearings and trying everything out.
  
• Bring a towel, the towels they provide are just hand towels and won't dry or cover much.
  
• Finally, be prepared for nudity (both to see and to partake) in the locker rooms. The showers are not private and again, the towels are teeny tiny.

*all photos linked from the Spa Castle web site

to do: dog days on u street

dirty energy| u street | aug 1

U Street celebrated this weekend with a Community Festival. Local shops participated in the Dog Days of August which included some crazy sales (and lots of fun junking). I walked around, shopped (a little too much), and was able to stop and just take shots of the usual DC charm and character.

stamped crates | u street | aug 1

yum, farmers market peaches. p.s. farmers market at 14 & u, every saturday from 9-1pm.

monkey bucket | u street | aug 1

old & dusty| u street | aug 1

loved hanging/junking out at ruff and ready, it's like your grandma's attic/basement on crack. hording anyone? if you're patient, you'll find some good estate pieces priced to go. not for the claustrophobic or germaphobic.

sporadic chess | u street | aug 1

the best part of this scenario is that the guy who is standing was just passing by (see his luggage next to him?) and decided to play with the guy on the bike. random. and so u street.

musicar | u street | aug 1

these things were out to promote the Art Cars Festival. total road hazard--people were slowing down to gawk -- but hilarious and total over stimulation.

brassvn (notice the men's room sign)| u street | aug 1

"take my picture" | u street | aug 1

and what's u street without characters? be sure to visit pradesh (sp?) at the capital carpet and furniture store. he was the sweetest man and a total ham when he saw my camera.

part II: nags head

for those that don't like reading. *ahem*cousins*sister*ahem*.

independence day fireworks in front of our house | july 2009 | nags head, nc

massive [click to see the people on dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

buried [dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

snake tracks [dunes] | july 2009 | nags head, nc

beach house #3 | july 2009 | nags head, nc

nags head pier at sunset | july 2009 | nags head, nc

i know i'm not the only one who <3's dc.

The lovely people at welovedc had a party last night (happy 1st!) and wore these shirts. How cute are they?

Buy the shirts at 237inc's etsy shop!

to do: eastern market

vintage or nothing's awesome tag | eastern market | june 14, 2009

a couple weeks ago, in between dc's noah's ark reenactments, i spent a lovely day at eastern market with a good friend. besides finding a few antiques (more on those later), we just wandered around looking at all the beautiful wares and enjoying the sun (sans humidity).

for those that don't know the history or have never been, eastern market is big open air flea market. besides antiques, handmade stuff, and artists, there is a food presence of butchers, farmers and their seasonal products, and local artisans focusing on meats, cheeses, and baked goods (and an awesome diner-esque fish fry place) located in historic south hall. unfortunately, south hall was devastated by a fire in april of 2007.

friday, june 26th is the grand re-opening of the south hall. from what i hear, there will be food specials and other fun things.

here's what you can look forward to:

suitcases: vintage or nothing| eastern market | june 14, 2009

stamp pendants: lilypad designs| eastern market | june 14, 2009

keys | eastern market | june 14, 2009

letters [from a printing press] | eastern market | june 14, 2009

felted booties | eastern market | june 14, 2009

eat. eat. eat.

picture from the children's harbor tent | waterfront festival 2007

it's gorgeous out.

i'm headed to oronoco bay park to help set-up for the waterfront festival. you're coming right?

since i'll be out of pocket volunteering (and drinking beer and watching fireworks) all weekend, i wanted to leave you a link to one of the best foodie blogs of dc, metrocurean.

she's featured liveleah on five bites friday. yay and yum!

see you this weekend?

who doesn't love pirates, fireworks and live music?

this is hilarious:




it goes without saying that the red cross means a lot to so many people. your attendance at the waterfront festival helps fund any disaster programs that happen in the dc metro area and helps train people to go where they are needed most (i.e., katrina, the midwest floods, etc.)

besides, the kids will love the rides and games, the adults will love the beer and bands and both will love some cotton candy (natch - pink, then blue)! win. win. win.

wolf trap on a perfect saturday night

saturday was the perfect night to sit outside and watch some live music. i went to see the gipsy kings with a friend (and met some new friends). and even though we didn't get prime seating, the music was gorgeous, and we even got a little bit of dancing in.

look at the crowd go!

to do: art-o-matic

corporate related art [forgot to note artist]

i hate to admit this, but this is the first year i've ever made it to art-o-matic. and i'm kicking myelf for never taking the chance to stop by the last couple of years. needless to say, i think it's pretty amazing. some of the installations are way over my head (see above), but a lot of them are simply beautiful and obviously, very creative.

this year, there are 9 floors so there is plenty to look at. i definitely plan on going back a couple more times before it ends on july 5th. besides the usual paintings, mixed media and installations, there's film, performance, fire (yes, i said fire, beavis), theater and spoken word. oh, and the washington post's peep diaromas are there too (not including my non-placing entry -- boo. hiss.)

here are some of the ones that was able to check out today. aren't they great?

pompeii [forgot to note the artist's name]

little monsters by monstergrrl [sp?]

paintings by liliane blom [my favorite. a must buy!]

as an added bonus, not only can you see and buy art, you can participate in various workshops to learn from the artists. truth be told, that was the main reason that i made my way into that part of town on a game day. for all you with new (or old) SLRs looking to fine-tune your photos, they are offering a good photography refresher course for all those little buttons on that big camera body. the instructor breaks the basics down pretty well and even makes time for hands on practice as well as one-on-one questions. definitely worth the trip downtown, especially since parking can be such a big deterent.

so, if you're in dc for the next couple of weeks, don't forget to stop by!

to do: red rock canyon, nv

red rock canyon outside of las vegas, nv | may 25, 2009

my friend lan lives in north las vegas. And while drinking, gambling and making "friends" on the strip was fun, i was so excited to visit with a friend i only get to see twice or so a year. we had a good time just talking about her life in vegas. one place she was sure to show me was red rock canyon.

did you know that vegas was actually underwater? the water caused striations and when the water evaporated minerals were left in the rock causing the the red (or not-so-red) rock. on certain parts of rock, there are petroglyphs, supposedly put there by anasazi indians.

divit [w/ petroglyphs?] | red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

big bird | red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

red rock canyon is part of a public park. my friends are avid nature people. they go hiking, canyoneering, climbing, and repelling down parts of the rocks regularly. i can't wait to go back, not only to see my friends, but to get have my own adventures at the park.

where's waldo? [find the hiker]| red rock canyon, nv | may 25, 2009

thriving in the rocks | red rock | may 25, 2009