(54/365) Emergency Weapon

Today, as people were re-arranging the room, I discovered two plastic knives stuck unto the wall. I like to think of these as are last resort in protecting ourselves in case we encounter someone dangerous face to face - 面对面，if you will.  Or really, more like 枪对刀。

.. the fuck?

(53/365) Nice 'n Neat

At the end of each day, I like to align all of my items orderly on my table in the training room. All day I plan the next.. year.

(52/365) Holy Guac

What WAS guacamole from Los Hermanos. Yes, please.

(51/365) Was is das? Wassily Kandinsky

In my room, I've hung this print by Kandinsky for about 5 years. For a long time, I've enjoyed this painting.. and never known it's name. I think at one point, I did. But now, I don't. If I had Google Goggles on my phone, I might have been able to save myself about an hour of searching online....

 

Eventually through perseverance, blood, sweat, and tears, I found it. Improvisation 28 (Second version), 1912. Oil on canvas.

Speaking of Kandinsky, I will be in NYC on Jan. 9 to view the Kandinsky exhibit at the Guggenheim (I've linked a review from the Times) ! See you there, friends!

Earl Grey? More like HURL Grey!

In my laziness to get my English Breakfast stash of tea that I have upstairs, I decided to drink a glass of Earl Grey. I think of Earl Grey as English Breakfast's bigger, older, stodgier brother. English Breakfast, I could share my life with. Earl Grey - intolerable. I think there's something about the bergamot orange flavor that I find unbearable... After a quick look at Wiki, I found out that Earl Grey was actually named after an earl, Charles Grey, to be exact. This is him as painted by Thomas Laurence:

Yep. I definitely couldn't spend my life with a man with such a long giraffe neck.

Now, this:

This was tea at Mount Nelson in Capetown. The tea that I'm drinking, that's English Breakfast. Yummy. I definitely recommend getting tea at Mount Nelson. Egg sandwich? Fresh raspberries? Yes and Yes!

Running

I'm sure you've heard of the term, "hit the ground running". Some days, I get out of bed, and hit the ground running. This morning, I got out of bed, and hit the ground. It's before 6. Boo!

these kids, they are laughing at me. and so cute. 

Sighted: Leather Handkerchief

I may not know much about man-style, but I'm pretty sure than a purple leather blazer combined with leather exposed handkerchief, is just... NOT what is up-to-date fashion. But hey.

To me man-style looks like a Zegna ad, and speaking of Zegna ads, here is the newest cologne ad from Z that I recently saw in my Travel + Leisure, a magazine that has been lucky enough not to be shut down!

He looks like a tanner, more beautiful Zach Morris. No one at work agreed, but maybe you can see it?

Google is my life.

I think most of my life is integrated using Google products (gmail, gvoice, picasa, googledocs, wave, calendar, youtube, this blog!) and yesterday, thanks to Google, my day was a lot less miserable. I was flying on standby from Washington DC to Atlanta. It literally took me from 10a-10p to get from door to door. I spent from 11 am to about 3 pm at DCA, took a shuttle, and spend 4 more hours at Dulles. Just sitting, staring, wishin', hopin', prayin'. It eventually did work. But thanks to my Acer Aspire One and THIS,

I got to catch up on my flight information and my booking of shuttles in between DCA and IAD. I also ordered 5 pairs of shoes (the same shoe in different colors) from Target. I also got to talk to a friend in London about what fools we are on a daily basis.

So the moral of the story is that Google, I love you. Thanks again. I'm about to buy the Droid and link my soul fully to the life force that is Google.

(50/365) Le Tigre

Didn't Accenture just drop Tiger? :( Sad. I guess I won't be seeing these at the airport any longer!

(49/365) M-m-m-m-ario Christmas!

A-seriously.waitforit-MAZING.

Words cannot explain this photo.

(48/365) An Airport Christmas

Le tree at Ronald Reagan National. Christmas in DC!

(47/365) CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS time is here!

It must be because of my new job, but Christmas hardly felt like it was happening. I hardly got enough Christmas hits this season and I did not get nearly enough sweet tasting Christmas candy in my mouth.

To amend this deficiency, my friend Patrick and I went lights hunting. This isn't the best, but it wasn't the worst. On a scale of 1-10, I say the residents at this house were 10, freaked out that I was taking pictures of their house in a parked car at night, and 8 - very passionate about their spirit of Christmas as demonstrated through lights.

(46/365) Bedside view

This day, I admit, I very nearly forgot. I had to wake up, and I took a picture of the very first thing I see to my left in the morning. It is a bulletin board that tells me the temperature of my room (cold) and some destination maps of places that Delta flies that I tore out of their in-flight magazine. Don't you ever dare say that I lack in class.

(45/365) Do I make you hungry, baby?

Admit it, you want thisssss.

(44/365) Pancakes with Parker

Delicious pecan pancakes. They were not stingy with the pecans... and when I say pecans, I expect them to be pronounced pe-kahns.

(43/365) Happy Heather Homecoming!

Heather's home! Perhaps this post is a test to see when she will check my postings? Or perhaps it is a chance for me to feature my vintage hipster glasses? BTW, Amy, you are a creep.

(42/365) Hairy Potter

This is a combination of many things I love in one. Heather Rose's obsession with Harry Potter, the fact that she made that in high school for Biology, and how mustaches do, in fact, make everything just that much better.

(41/365) I put a ring on it

I bought a plate from Anthropologie, then I liked it so much, I put a ring on it. Then I put 5 more rings on it. HA.

Happy Festivus!

I'm not even sure you would be able to tell by looking at my blog, mostly because I have been lax in posting my photos of the day, I'm sure. I'm still trying to figure out whether or not taking pictures of things while at work is work appropriate. My initial supposition is that it most likely isn't. Since I awake at 5 am and am so bleary minded that if one thing is different than it's like the straw that breaks the camels back for the day.... I often forget my camera until about 11:50 pm, where again, I resort to taking pictures of something in my room. Sad. I have managed to take a picture each day, not including today - it isn't over, so I shall not post.

This doesn't count, but I made some cupcakes for work that I thought were pretty clever... I thought I would share.

Creepy Ad of the Day

While looking up cheap bus tickets from BWI to NYC, I see this. I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT A DEPRESSED MAN IN THE EYES.

But I thought I would subject you to the same pain that I have. Yuck, I feel uneasy.

:) Overshare! Oops! 

Christine's Gift Guide

I have a problem with shopping for others for Christmas. Well, I don't have that skill. I can go shopping during Christmas time, but shopping for others? Wait, is it supposed to be shopping with others or shopping for others? Because I definitely do the former but the latter, not so much.

When I see something I like, all thoughts of gift-buying for others flies out of my mind. As I slip on the soft sweater over my head, my mind swirls with thoughts on whether or not I should buy this for myself, and nothing else. Oops.

Here are my remedies for this particular affliction:

1. See something I like, buy two of it.
2. See something I like but don't know if I should purchase, buy it anyway and justify this purchase by giving it to someone else.
3. Buy it online, so while I can get the pleasure of receiving the gift, then giving it to someone else.
4. Give people sentimental gifts of photos, sharing music, memories..... something that can't be purchased at a store.
5. Buy them dinner.
6. Handle of JD?

I do not give people gift certificates. Who likes restrictions on money? Just give me cash with a ribbon. Always a winner.

Enough about others, more about me. Are you still wondering where to get a present for a girl like me? Read: ME.

www.anthropologie.com
but not:

because, who are we kidding here? Nothing drives people crazier than giving gift cards that can't buy anything. The key with gift cards, is that you're trying to give them a cash replacement to a gift that you would have bought at that store - so... for example, why give someone a $20 gift card to Anthro when the average price of something in the store is $60? Load this card with no less than $100 or don't bother!

www.gap.com

Wild wild work schedule.

Currently, my work schedule is M-F from 7:30am to 4pm. My blog schedule is dismal and yet to be determined. I've made a lot of discoveries this week, some of them funny, others just down right sad.

Today, I saw a wild turkey running in the streets. I chased it for about 10 seconds. It was hilarious, but it was IN the streets, so I was chasing a turkey in the middle of the streets......so I was running in the middle of the streets.

Oh, Georgia. I may love you and hate you all in the same day, but you do make me laugh.

I have a new job.

Call me if you want to hear about it. It's pretty hilarious.

(40/365) Read these books

Especially Early Modern England - which is easily my favorite history text book. Home is where my books are.

(39/365) Fashion Police

Yesterday, I thought that wearing this combination to work would be a good idea. Give me a break, I literally got dressed in the dark.

If this is Wong, I don't want to be right.

I have loved Russel Wong. If ever I were to marry a man with the last name of Wong, please let him look like Russel.

Oh dear. He's half Chinese, half Dutch. He looks a lot older than that now, and he's mainly a photographer these days, but... he used to look .. well.. he looked like this:

You might be wondering whose hands those are? I'd like to think they're mine.  The reason for my post is that yesterday, I discovered that Russell had two more brothers that also took up acting!

Please meet Declan!

and Michael Fitzgerald Wong (on the R).

I really love their names and their jaws. Mostly though, I still love Russell the most. Beautiful!

(38/365) How cool I am.

This photo shows in one fell swoop several of my passions - and how work has since ruined them. Ruin Creek, indeed. For my background check, I had to list all the places out of the country that I've been in the past 7 years. In the process, I had to search through 3 separate passports (it shouldn't be that complicated, but it's me, so it is). But first, because I'm a fastidious planner, I planned on writing down all the places I had been in my Muji day planner, which you can record by HOUR. In my laziness, I had previously skipped a day (which actually happened to my birthday - too busy celebrating!!!), so in order to conserve space, I went back and filled in this page with my extravagant jet setting lifestyle.

The point?
I love, stationery, traveling, writing things down for no reason only to never refer to them again, Muji, super sharp pens, passport stampage.

What's been ruined? Actually having to refer back to things I wrote down - wondering if Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong are separate territories of China. Digging through passports and trying to decipher passports stamps that I covet. Thinking about now that I have a real job, how traveling so irresponsibly is no longer an option. I will not be going three different places in a year. ARGH. Good bye, youth.

(37/365) ROADTRIP

This isn't ominous.

BTW, I moved back to Georgia, in case you were thinking about how much you want to see me. I'm either back or no longer in DC :(

(36/365) Young boy or Old man?

It's like one of those optical illusions... but totally not, and I'm playing with you. Who doesn't love optical illusions? Obvi, I'm going to be posting some magic eyes soon. Do they even work on a computer? I spent most of my year in 3rd grade staring at them so I hope so!

This is the optical illusion.

But, this is my photo of the day:

Young boy or Old man? I would put 10 smilies in a row here, but I can't stop smiling in real life. This is my favorite boy + hipster nerd glasses that are vintage (aka fresh from the face of my uncle, 20 years ago), mustache, and scarf.  The worst part of this photo is that.... this could be him as an old man, or it could be him in about 10 years if hipsters are still cool. God, hipsters.

(36/365) My First Love

First of all, thanks to Glee, I freakin' love the song, Endless Love. More so, I love the Mariah Carey version of Endless Love.. with Luther Vandross.



 Anyway, the whole point of this post is not this song, but the first three words that Mariah says are... My first love.... get it? (The crowd goes wild!... watch the video)

Okay, now that I'm thinking about it, my original point would be way too creepy, so this post is not actually going to feature the picture that I was going to post. But, DO, enjoy this youtube video.

(35/365) Cafe Atlantico

After my exit interview last Thursday, I decided to treat myself by going to one of the nicest places in DC for lunch. I ordered a Mexican Torta and had a coconut panna cotta. Guess which one this is?

My rationale was that it was one of my last days, and I'll miss the opportunity to do so if I don't eat. this. torta. right. this. instant. WORTH IT.

(34/365) What long eyelashes you have, Grandma!

Admit it, you were curious if there were any other kids in my class other than that cutie boy that I post pictures with all the time.  Here is my answer. Meet two ladies from my class who are sweet, love stickers, and I miss them!

Seriously, when was the last time I blogged?

Dear loyal readers,

Apologies for not updating, since I know that you are waiting especially on Mondays, as you settle into your swivel chairs and click on the things that you've purposely left dormant for the weekend in hopes that they would flourish and develop into something fresh and new.....?

WTF am I talking about? WHO KNOWS? Today, I woke up at 5:30 AM to go to work. Real work, like full time job with benefits, life insurance and something called TSP, that's not talking about teaspoons.

Mind. Blown. I am a worker cog, just like you, which means my updates will be creative, shorter, and sharper, since I'm now living in Georgia again. How are all these things related? They aren't. Get ready for a photo catch up!

Pop Jams '99 Edition

Oops, YouTube sucked me in and took me on a pop odyssey. This is what I liked listening to, in middle/high school, while using AOL/Prodigy.

Jordan Knight: Give it to you



Billie Piper: She Wants You (before her divorce, her quitting the music business Dr. Who, Secret Diaries)

Montell Jordan: Get it on tonight

Last Christmas, Every Christmas

As I referenced briefly here, Last Christmas is the best Christmas song ever. True LiteFM gold.
It combines the lightness of 80s pop with a heartfelt pain that I love to feel every Christmas. George Michael, you’re singing to my soul. (Who is the other guy in Wham? ... and along the same lines, who is the other guy in Savage Garden?)

And apparently… A TON OF PEOPLE AGREE. According to www.last-christmas.com (seriously go here, it will rock your world!), there are 403 recorded versions of Last Christmas. Some famous stars that have covered it recently include Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale, Cascada, and a slew of sub-par German pop stars. Why mess with a good thing?

NOTHING comes to when George Michael whispers Merry Christmas, then proceeds to sing the rest of the lyrics.

“Happy Christmas… I wrapped it up and sent it.” – it gets me EVERY TIME. (1’30”)

When George Michael goes falsetto, my heart beats pitter patter. There’s just something about the combination of the softness of his voice and the sweet 80s synthesizers – it makes me think of like.. gradient fading red and green swirling in a Christmas heaven.

Here is the original:



and here is a slew of pale imitations:

Cascada

Billie Piper, if you know who she is, I love you.

*NSYNC : This one is pretty potently sad sounding... it kind of sounds like all the boys of NSYNC were JUST punched in the balls and then forced to sing acapella.
and.. speaking of Savage Garden - here's Darren Hayes singing Last Christmas. 

The worst version I've heard so far is this one by Alcazar, some German pop group



This one is definitely European in the worst way. HUGE HOT TRANNY MESS.


If you have time, you should watch this Literal Music Video version of Last Christmas - Hilarious!



At least it tells a story! Listen and enjoy.

(33/365) Have you seen the munchkin man?

The munchkin man, the munchkin man. Okay, it's obviously the muffin man, but I've modified the song to fit my needs. Tonight, as an after dinner treat, I ordered 4 chocolate glazed munchkins from Dunkin Ds to go with my medium coffee. The man behind the register seemed like your average store cashier at Dunkin Ds.. but he was so much more. At the last moment, I asked for a sprinkle covered munchkin and I saw him comply quick. As he rang me up, I opened my bag and to my surprise, instead of 5 munchkins - there were about... 14. He only charged me for 5! I smiled and thanked him. SO NICE!

(32/365) Back Issues of the Economist, Anyone?

I'm such a pack rat. I should throw these away when I move back to Atlanta, but I can't bear to.

(31/365) Dim Sum Spectacular

Dim sum delight? Dim sum spectacular? Mmmm, as Adrian said, "My roommates are eating HotPockets for breakfast..... I'm eating thissssssss!" Mwahahaha. Farewell DC, and China Garden. I will not be missing those MSG comas and headaches.

BITTEN

This is the same as 28/365 and I recognize that but, please... enjoy it again. I didn't even know that I was capturing a moment in time like this when I was snipsnapping away! BITTEN and smitten. I love these kids.

I am a creeper.

The creepiest thing I did today was stop my car - lower the windows, zoom in my camera to the 4 children getting ready to sled down a hill that was going to end straight at my car.

They are pretty cute with their sunglasses and heavily bundled bodies!

(30/365) It's SNOWING!

Yesterday, I complained of it being unseasonably warm in DC this time of year. TODAY, it's SNOWING!!

(29/365) Fooling around

Yesterday, I saw a friend, nay a cousin, that I hadn't seen in close to three years. We went to Target and I introduced her to my boots. Then we sprayed the crap out of them and then laughed while we took pictures.
Our self-takes = amazing. But why don't you look at these boots instead?

(28/365) Anything to win, Anything!

I was having a hard time choosing a picture, until I saw this one. Love bites.

(27/365) Ain't no party like a mustache party

LOVE getting mustachioed.

(26/365) MMA

In this case, Mixed Media Arts. My contribution to the card making process in class!

Materials used: Wax on paper with glitter stickers, ponpoms, stickers, glitter.... lots of glitter?

I will sing you a love song

It's officially the holiday season and you know what that means, a celebration of love... and thereby here is a celebration of sappy love songs.

First, I went through classic love songs - which include of course, the perfect combination of love and Christmas, Wham!'s Last Christmas. This, naturally let to a celebration of 80s and 90s power ballads which brought me to Michael Bolton's Greatest Hits.... and HE HAS MANY.

Shall I list them? I don't need to. Except, I would like to highlight this: I'm about to take you on a journey that will blow. your. mind.

Said I loved you but I lied

It's not hard to understand why I love this song. It has the sweetest combination of Michael Bolton's hair blowing in the wind, Michael Bolton wearing a denim body suit, Michael Bolton making wide encompassing gestures to the heavens, Michael Bolton walking on water, as though he were Jesus.... With the addition of random purebread horses running through the water, like a classic Ralph Lauren Polo ad............ PURE early 90s gold.

But WAIT!

After a second glance at this music video, a little light pinged in my head. Ask anyone and they will attest to my photographic pop culture/ facebook stalking memory that I have not yet learned to put to a paying job - THIS LOCATION IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS BRITNEY SPEARS'S I'm not a girl, Not a yet a woman video.

I held my breath and took a look - JOIN ME.




... and it was true.

My GOD, yes, it's so good and I JUST went there. (Not literally, I didn't go TO Lake Powell......) At first, I wasn't sure....But then, I did a few quick screen captures and came upon this. DEFINITELY click on this to enlarge. Please.

You'll notice that the rock that Britney is standing on, is the one that Michael is standing next to and... I'm one sharp detective because I couldn't help but notice OTHER factors that the two have in common. Physically, they're blondes with long flowing hair, denim and skin over-exposure. They're both very emotional, very sexy, very popular.

AND obviously the directors of each video really wanted to utilize similar factors of this site, Lake Powell in the background (shown above) and the caves... The playing of light and darkness - chiaroscuro if you will... 

CLICK THE PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Oh my. I'm positive this wasn't common knowledge before this point - has anyone else noticed this before me?

I'm not sure what to do with such an amazing revelation except share it. GOLD, pure GOLD. Just admit it. You know all the words to both songs and you wouldn't mind having Britney's body/ touching Michael Bolton's chest.