bliu blog

conclusions

2009-12-19T22:17:00.002-05:00

c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c o u n t e r - c u l t u r e .

the bright ones figure it out. the others shall not outlive their attempts.

advice and banners

2009-12-19T01:47:00.007-05:00

a mysterious, and tantalizing, prospect: advice and banners.

they actually live quite close to home. i wonder if i pass them in the cafe, in the market, on the bus, and we knowingly nod to our secrets.

just so i remember: here lies a transcription, verbatim, of the 2-page typed letter (times new roman, 12pt font, white 8.5x11 copy paper) and the banner which arrived in my mailbox this week.

[you can merely guess what question i posed.]

Dear Christine,

Oh man, I know exactly what you mean. It's so frustrating to feel like you know what you want, even if only vaguely, and to not have it yet. And you're left wondering, "do things just fall into place at some point, or is there some formula that I'm missing that will make everything happen now?"

I am so far from having an answer to that, so I'm going to neatly avoid the subject and instead focus on ideas about the present, and what it actually means to be waiting for things. Because I can assure you that everyone I know who's around my age, my whole group of friends, seems to be holding their breath, holding out for something better. Jobs, relationships, roommates, hobbies, advanced degrees...we've had so many unproductive conversations about how things will be different when we're older and have everything figured out.

And it makes me think of this totally cheesy bumper sticker my friend saw in Harvard Square once that said, "Don't Postpone Joy." It successfully launched the two of us into mini-crises about how we had been thinking too much about the future to appreciate all the nice things we have going for us right now. We had been doing a lot of thinking like, "When I have a nicer apartment..." and "When I have a better-paying job..." and "When I live somewhere cooler..."

And, for me, all that thinking about the future starts to get wrapped up in thoughts about the kind of person I want to be...because, you know, maybe when I have a bigger kitchen I will cook more and have a more extensive spice collection and learn how to bake sourdough bread and never end up eating a bowl of cereal for dinner out of laziness. Wanting a bigger kitchen ends up being about my dissatisfaction with my cooking skills and an excuse to not do a single thing about it.

I guess the point is that the words "patience" and "waiting" imply a sort of dissatisfaction with the present, don't they? And maybe that's the problem. Not to be someone who blames American culture for things...but I blame American culture for creating masses of high-achieving, hopeful, expectant, motivated people who are so great at preparing to succeed in the future that it's almost as though we think that five-years-from-now is more important than today.

(This patience conundrum is actually really interesting to me because it's about the future vs. the present, and expectations vs. happiness, and hope vs. the unknown, all at once.)

Actually, I just remembered that the first little banner I ever made was for myself, and it says "TODAY" in big yellow letters because I totally needed a reminder to focus on the present. It's on the wall across from my bed, and it's the first thing I see when I wake up. It reminds me to take a moment, before I even get out of bed, to make a mental to-do list of what I want to accomplish that day, both in terms of helping me achieve some long-term goals and also in terms of just enjoying the day.

Anyway, I don't know what it is you're waiting for. But whether it's a certain job, or finding a soulmate, or moving to a new city, or a whole bunch of things, I think the formula for being content right now probably involves a mixture of doing what you can to reach those goals and doing your best with what you have right now. Plus a little dash of faith in the fact that you can't predict the future and that, no matter what happens, it will probably be okay. Can't go wrong with that.

So your banner says, "working isn't waiting." Because it just feels good to be doing something, not only because it can help you get closer to whatever goals you have, but because doing things* and being active is intrinsically good for your mental health and happiness, right now. This is really important, and I think lots of people need this reminder. Feeling like you're waiting for something sucks so much because it's passive and stagnant. I hope the banner helps you remember that as long as you're doing something, and enjoying it, you aren't just waiting for something better. And that's such a relief, isn't it?

Good luck!

-Advice&Banners

* Very vague word, I know. But I'm sure you are familiar enough with yourself to know what you like to do to [sic], and what you need to do to get what you want. If not, it's up to you to figure it out.

thank you.

ten tables cranks it up to 11

2009-12-08T12:47:00.007-05:00

if i don't write it down, i'll be remiss, because who knows how long it'll be on the hyper-seasonal menu before it vanishes completely?

chef dave punch's ridiculously satisfying tasting of sorts last night at ten tables cambridge, complete with creepy santas and dreidels with faces:

charcuterie: country pate with parisian ham & pistachios, chicken liver parfait with with riesling gelee LIKE WHOA

steamed PEI mussels (just the meats, no shells) with baby spinach, saffron cream, piment d'espelette & garlic crouton

handmade potato gnocchi with braised oxtails, breadcrumbs & fresh horseradish gremolata

cassoulet: housemade french garlic sausage, braised duBreton pork shoulder, hudson valley moulard duck leg confit, cannellini beans

bottle: 2006 belle pente vineyard pinot noir

chocolate terrine with sea salt & thai basil ice cream (!!!)

hazelnut semifreddo with bay, orange & caramel

saffron and honey-poached pear with crushed pistachios & vanilla bean ice cream

+ two friends sweeter than any dessert in the world.

a lion's maine

2009-12-03T17:43:00.007-05:00

according to wikipedia, "bernoulli's principle states that for an inviscid flow, an increase in the speed of the fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy."

which is precisely how i felt when i finally got the time, energy, money and gumption to unfurl all my portland, maine fantasies at once. the weekend after thanksgiving, while everyone was busy napping off the last of the pumpkin pie or getting cheeks pinched anew from farflung relatives, i packed lightly, grabbed my friend alex, and fled to the amtrak station as if my life depended on it.

30 hours + an endless list of fervent city recommendations + pent-up hopes and dreams = a whirlwind weekend. as we flew around portland with alarming velocity, the pressure ceased, the pieces soon fell into place, and we got to enjoy a staggering amount of delights--both deliberate and serendipitous. i can't wait to race back to relax ... to race once again.

{ duckfat, micucci grocery, shipyard brewery, rabelais, random shopping, rogues gallery, 555, hugo's, fore street, local 188, bintliff's, random tide-curbing, novare res, leroux kitchen, street & co, the corner bar, inn by the sea }

online private sales compendium

2009-09-14T11:13:00.016-04:00

thank you, recession + web 2.0 wonks, for making "online private sales" (i.e. members-only discounts) proliferate faster than sequins on a mcqueen ensemble.

here's an ongoing list, to be renewed accordingly. let me know if you would like invites, or if something's missing from this list.

ideeli [women's designer accessories]
gilt [women's designer apparel/accessories]
gilt fuse [women's trend apparel/accessories]
jetsetter [luxury travel]
rue la la [women's/men's apparel/accessories, home goods]
hautelook [women's apparel/accessories]
the top secret [women's apparel/accessories]
editor's closet [women's apparel/accessories]
one kings lane [home goods]
jack threads [men's streetwear]
the fairest [cosmetics]
portero private [luxury brands]
beyond the rack [luxury accessories]

temporary custody of high-end stuff (like netflix for goods)
thred up
avelle (formerly bag borrow or steal)

power-in-numbers discounts
groupon
qponus
buy with me

more nicety deal miscellany
get sugar
dailycandy deals
restaurant week
spa week
hub eats

& altogether awesome discounted designer shopping

the outnet [net-a-porter's clearance]
yoox [euro-flavored]
bad joan [west coast flow]
inven.tory nyc [boutique outlet]

last updated: 2009.09.14

cheated, a little

2009-08-21T22:59:00.007-04:00

wouldn't you take a warming, intoxicating, melt-you-all-over sip (or two) of balvenie single-barrel 15 year-old single malt scotch, especially if it was graciously passed in the luxuriously modern salon at l'espalier for a dear friend's 28th birthday celebration?

well, wouldn't you?

so, such is my lapse. but oh! mercy on this forgivable trifle. truthfully, i am glad that i did stick to my abstinent guns, for the summer refreshers that english bill prepared were blissfully boozefree, yet absolutely exquisite.

the first, paired with an island creek oyster topped dramatically with a pouf of cucumber foam and smidge of fruit and glistening roe, stood head to head with any cocktail worth its mettle: an ethereal elixir of watermelon granita muddled with lemon verbena "plucked this morning from frank's own farm."

heck yes.

the second beverage that materialized also burst forth in all sorts of sun-kissed pleasure. passion fruit juice, steeped with a cinnamon stick for a day or so, is shaken with honey syrup and then taken over ice; sipped daintily from a straw, if you would do so kindly. really perfect, presiding somewhere in that nebulous middle ground between simple fresh juice and meticulous mixology. it drinks like a dream.

there was plenty of emotional flux throughout the day. a sweet yet sentimental goodbye over breakfast, the stupefying stifle of what became the sauna-city, some stolen moments with a bohemian who has nothing to lose and all to gain.

up next: sugarbomber ice cream showdown. may the best delights reward a patient, passionate following of frozen dessert. in other words: the most righteous guerilla dessert feast in a somerville parking lot! sounds like trouble. sweet, sweet trouble.

darkly bright

2009-08-21T00:51:00.007-04:00

can't wait to participant in adam tessier's collaborative project, our daily sonnet. i'll spare you the details of how i know him (about six ways to sunday, tucked within the folds and loops and gnarls of cambridge's social pool), much less how i managed to meet him about a year after we last spoke. but here we are, enthralled by shakespeare and people and internet and whatallthisreallymeans.

every day, one video is added to the published tally: one speaker, one sonnet, in singular style, until all 154 are recited.

there have been 10 sonnets performed as of today; holly's glimmering rendering of #3 is my favorite thus far.

after reading a few dozen tonight of the enormous remainder (my summer camp culturefest must truck on), i committed myself to sonnet #43:

When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow's form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

word after word, each burns with proof. this shall be the one.

the writer's plight in julie & julia

2009-08-16T15:33:00.017-04:00

irony always finds its way to bite.

who would expect that a film depicting everything that i find exasperating, self-absorbed and flash-in-pan-fame about modern media and blog culture would be just the impetus for me to fervently jot down my response online?

more than most, i would only assume.

i had been looking very forward to seeing julie & julia since the frenzy started, from the previews to the screenings to the opening weekend (last) and subsequent film writeups. naturally, being a complete food obsessive and starving-artist writer, i was piqued from the get-go. and despite many opportunities to watch it from last friday on, i kept the suspense so i could watch it with fresh eyes with my friend frank (a classifiably starving artist who chooses to eat exceptionally well) last night at the illuminated-owl lined screening room in the somerville theatre.

to prepare our minds and bellies, we supped at hungry mother, where i always manage to feel, in foolproof measures, better and better with each subsequent visit. seeing duane warmed my heart (the becherovka-laced no. 57 took care of the belly), not to mention learning that alon and rachel just celebrated the birth of their baby daughter, mira. john emerging from the sweltering kitchen in an apron and ear-to-ear grin, jennifer stashing a 40 of miller high life in a brown bag before delivering it to a table, naomi retelling stories with aplomb--such small, yet persistent details contribute to the indescribable pleasure of everyone here, there. everywhere.

chenin blanc, viognier, clams with housemade chorizo and hominy and refreshingly al dente potatoes, baked grits with house smoked bacon and cheddar, a succotash-esque side whose name i don't remember but starts with M and was addictive beyond measure [edit: john helpfully reminds me it's maque choux], swift demitasses of espresso and eager developments in brillet pineau des charentes, meletti anisette and amaro.

it lingers.

so yes, the film. i'll get the obvious bits out: streep is nothing short of incredible. the shots of food elicit gasps and egg-wash-golden murmur-gasms. the husbands are amusing but totally secondary. the stomach-lurching arcs of drama lead gracefully into a rose-colored ending. and, apparently, julia child had an amazing taste in shoes.

but for some reason, i felt especially nonplussed, even indignant, about the julie powell narrative. it came across as extremely narcissistic, and well--yes--a bit disrespectful to the real julia child in her apparently worshipful tribute to her. and despite julie's ambitious project and fervent followship ("i can't let down my readers!"), the questions raised (even explicitly in the film) really didn't have satisfactory answers:

what was the motivation--to make her feel better about her vapid-seeming life or to motivate and equip others with skills and morale? could she herself be her own role model instead of clinging to her projected perfection on a talented, though mortal, figure? if she were so poor, how did she manage to purchase so many ingredients in such a short span of time? was it really that easy to secure a book/media/tv/fame-in-fifteen in less than a year of a sweet, yet small, project? and something that perhaps is beside the point, but crucial nonetheless: perhaps she could weave a tale, but could julie really, actually cook?

though incidentally, i could completely empathize with the phone conversations between her and her mother regarding the blog. (hi mom, i know you're reading this very post, and you probably will call me to laugh and say you're just trying to look out for me. it's cool :)) but having the constant pressure of a fun, perhaps flippant, very public project. having your mom be the only one who, depressingly but supportively, comments. being immediately concerned after misinterpreting a faux-dramatic posting. all that, very true.

i tried to find the seed of my restless annoyance at julie (or at least the one portrayed in the film). she took less than one year of tapping away at an invisible, yet quantifiable audience, whereas julia took major strides in surmounting the sex and class ceilings, had to deal with the thorns of teamwork and constant travel, and took eight painstaking years on a very uncertain project that she, somehow, managed to make certain. that julia is so much greater a respectable artist than julie is obvious, and the juxtaposed stories just made the contrast ever more so.

then again, am i just jealous that julie powell lucked out with all this success as a writer? perhaps. but it also gives dashful hope that doing the right things at the right time, no matter how precarious, can lead to events beyond expectation.

encouragingly, many changes afoot.

anyway, the point is, julia child was a kick-butt rogue and inspiration to all subsequent (and specifically american female) cooks and writers. i mean, just look at her:

and, in indulgent tribute, two drops in the sizzling saute of julia child footage.

fowl ("the CHICKEN SISTERS!") and eggs (with not one, but two pan-flipping demonstrations)

bon appetit!

HAM!

2009-08-19T23:44:00.010-04:00

♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o ♥ p o n y o p o n y o p o n y o p o n y o p o n y o p o n y o

just witnessed miyazaki's film ponyo this evening with jenna at the coolidge corner theatre. i left inspired, wide-eyed, delighted, altogether rosied with a wonderful story and old-school animation. you just need to watch it -- the humor, voicing and timing is not easily portrayed secondhand -- but instant wins in my book:

the gorgeous, silent introductory scene exploding with detail, supporting a serene balance of an ecosystem shimmering in tandem
jellyfish! so many jellyfish!
the mutually neurotic tendencies of the stripey-suited father and earthbound lisa
the extreme evocation of the ocean, the light, the color, the fluidity
octopus sneaking its way into the house
the intoxicating magic of ramen
mass-guppy tickling of scary-eyed water demons
casual appearance by enormous, scaly, prehistoric fish
the dry, crazy humor of cranky old people
the vaguely Renn-faire speak, "kiss this bubble, child, when you reach to the surface"

and, as an aside, the haunting resemblance between ponyo and the little pilgrims (night walking) by yoshitomo nara:

the glass menagerie

2009-08-19T01:44:00.021-04:00

lots of unexpectedness today: a tumultuous start in the morning, an honest-to-goodness free lunch (out-for-hours leftover pizza harkens back to grad school-worthy small victories), windows-hate technical difficulties, and the miraculous chance that i didn't get anything on my purple silk harness filippa k dress that i was foolishly, swelteringly traipsing in all day. score.

the reason for the outfit (the concept of day-to-night dressing is like a sofa bed; it doesn't really do proper justice for either function) was for the 500-or-so attended yelp gala at the harvard museum of natural history. the 'gala' aspect of it was silly but fun -- an excuse for ladies and gents to get dolled up for each other (rather than in front of the computer tapping away at yelp.com, ostensibly). i invited jake along for the ride, and looked forward to seeing a slew of familiar faces.

traversing through harvard yard on a breezy summer evening like tonight was pure pleasure. all nostalgia, tender familiarity. silent, wise trees saying hello like they've known me for years -- and they have.

any excuse to see the glass flowers is a treat in itself, but the frozen-in-time venue held a precarious balance between an eye-opening collection of animals and a pathetically retro appeal (some taxidermied specimens were so distressed you could see the armature; glass was warped; walls and surfaces were accidentally stained or painted a mustard yellow that hadn't seen the light of day since 1962). even for me, who usually has squeamishness in the negative, the idea of chomping on pork burritos or steak tartare while standing next to a dozen creatures in various stages of fur and formaldehyde was a little disquieting.

one gastronomic and personal highlight: seeing chef marco suarez at the bon savor table, with a most exquisite bacon-wrapped pheasant terrine. (notwithstanding the fact that a brilliantly plumed pheasant, caught in outstretched prostration, was strapped on display in a diorama near the museum's entrance.)

another highlight was getting my eyebrows threaded gratis at the naz kupelian salon booth in the 'mineral hall'. how often do i get my eyebrows done, and do i usually get them waxed or threaded? er... no comment. i take pride in the fact that i'm pretty low-maintenance (and do everything at home as much as possible), but goodness, it always feels good to be groomed upon. if the hair on my head could grow fast enough, and money wasn't an issue, i'd get my coif cut at a salon every day. there's something about the element of transformation, and having your head at the absolute mercy of an artist.

but seriously. thank you, leighann, for organizing this absolutely tamed circus. it was a wonderful event to see everyone in their sunday best, and the array of tasty sponsors amidst a historical institution. plus, we bore witness to a wicked funky air conditioner with ducts and foil that looked like it came out of tomorrowland. that: priceless.

afterward, stopped by upstairs for a chit-chat and zebra-lined comfort. while dipping grilled cheese odds and ends into vats of impossibly creamy tomato soup, i received my mocktail experiment for day 2. matt, in attempt to make something "not so sweet" for me, came up with this, which i adored: mint muddled with lime, shaken with lino's housemade ginger beer, dashed up with peychaud's and fee bros whiskey-aged bitters, and fizzled with a bit of soda water. sensually spicy and mintalicious, and totally refreshing in such a season. shall i bestow the moniker... "jamaican patience"?

though it didn't entail going out, i did maintain the summer-campy cultural experience promised to myself. tonight i unearthed a lot of gems while preparing for my show, sans serif , on wmbr 88.1FM. (listen to the hour-long show in MP3 here). you can recount the playlist for yourself, but what struck the hardest was how modern the work of patrick cowley & jorge socarras sounded, despite its recording in the late 70s. the synthy proto-techno stuff spawned and influenced the likes of depeche mode and lcd soundsystem. they were absolutely artists before their time. though cowley died in 1982, a bunch of tracks of unreleased work from 1976-1979 is being released in the album catholic, which i got the privilege of queueing up tonight.

by the way, some visual evidence surfaced from last sunday's whiskey smash bash at eastern standard. in my natural habitat, of course, washing down pork product with eagle rare. and it feels. so. good.

camp liu-anna-wanna

2009-08-18T01:16:00.007-04:00

i've declared a staycation of sorts. not necessarily the kind where you sit by a hotel pool, dipping your toes idly while reading a dogeared novel, dreaming about the riviera while figuring out what mbta bus route to eventually take back home. but rather one of the emotional getaway, one where i declare summer camp is now: it's my party and i'll macrame if i want to.

so every day this week, i will spend my evenings on something performative and enjoyable--a film, a concert, a furtive harmonium wailing in someone's backyard, whatever--rather than the constant oot and abootness that usually characterizes the liu. not to say i'm not aboot, but doing so as a solo act. it's commitment.

tonight i went to see (500) days of summer at the harvard square cinema, and absolutely adored it. oh, it was heartstring-pulling and teeming with sharply timed dialogue and endless flirtations with the audience that makes it impossible to hate. the acting was impeccably strong on both accounts. and can i please, please, please have summer's pastiched, art-strewn, toile-papered apartment? long-lashed girl has serious, vintage-drips-sex style that's real, yet irresistible. her pants wrinkled after a work day; her face gloriously un-botoxed in a smile; the you-can-draw-on-my-arm candor.

i think what i loved so much is that, watching it, you really get the the-world-can't-be-more-perfect swellings of infatuation and the subsequent burn-and-crash catastrophe of confusion, breakup and constant rumination. i literally felt the rush in my heart, deep and fast, with the grandiose zig and zag of the narrative. a sensation at once intimately familiar and, alternatively, a vicarious deal. this isn't anything new, but for some reason it was especially resonant--perhaps because the protagonists are pretty much of 'my' 'generation'. it unleashes the escalation of anxieties after you finally come to the realization that life only moves forwards, never backwards.

not sure if the director meant this, but in hindsight, it almost seemed like an american version of amelie--in a good way. the artful reinterpretations of tom's perspective in different cinematic modes (the french scenes emphasized this connection). the interplay between reality and fantasy with overlapped graphics; the moment when amelie melts, heartbroken, into a waterfall that splashes dejectedly in the cafe is translated here when tom angrily busts out of summer's rooftop party and disappears at a standstill, black silhouette against a misty void of the city. the recollection of each of the characters' upbringing, with that-explains-it childhood quirks and parallel do-all-things-lead-to-this-fateful-moment framing. also: tom and summer (not to mention amelie) watch a lot of films together. and i imagine many couples in various stages of their relationship are watching (500) days of summer; watch the ripples go!

the ending-ending is endearingly silly, but the end of the '500 days' is extremely moving. my heart still sort of hurts thinking about it. but somehow we all manage to find the strength to say goodbye, get off the bench and prepare for the next day: (1)

in other news, i'm doing a little simultaneous experiment: 7 days of dry. or would that be (7) days? it's the best way to research mocktails, which are totally the new bacon-wrapped cocktail.

after the film, i met up with the lish and some industry people i haven't seen in a while at the bar at clio. todd fixed me up a nameless frothy concoction with raw egg white, lime juice, lemon juice, dash of grenadine, and ginger ale. shaken like crazy and served sans ice in a collins, the foam floated deliciously about halfway down the glass. a sip revealed the drink's bearings as super-fancy version of middle-school prom punch--totally reminiscent of fruity sherbet scooped into a vat of citric soda. kinda fun, kinda sweet, and incidentally fitting right in my grown-up summer camp shtick.

hit me with any and all suggestions for what else i should see, attend, or sip this week in terms of pleasure-seeking. at the moment i may not have a bonfire to toast my s'mores, but impaled food? now that's a given.

the touch of summer

2009-08-16T13:54:00.012-04:00

i cannot ask for finer adventures, more gracious friends, the beauty of serendipity and tenacity. in mid-august reflection: you have treated me well, boston, as well as i hope i have treated you.

to wonder.

+ + +

there was adventure.

there was music.

there was mirth.

there were goodbyes.

there was sunshine.

and ... take a wild guess.

and all of it, salt-kissed sweet.

a year later

2009-02-13T21:06:00.002-05:00

no fixed points: many loves flowing--spatially, temporally, spiritually--in flux.

the heart is a lonely hunter, but at least the subsequent venison sausage assuages the pain.

(to be continued.)

christine's writing clips

2007-12-30T15:54:00.070-05:00

*UPDATED DEC 18, 2008*

the ongoing list of web-accessible writing clips by christine liu:

2008.12.18 the sweet smell of success
2008.10.23 plume crazy [+ photo gallery]
2008.09.18 he's got you covered, from '80s fashion to '60s music to film: shawn cotter, trendsetter
2008.07.31 at vegas expo, it's shoetime
2008.07.10 ramped up, decked out, ready to roll: john nichols, trendsetter
2008.07.10 pampering your pets in style [+ photo gallery]
2008.06.26 this summer, go posh or penny-wise
2007.12.27 unique couture is a call to auction [+ photo gallery]

2008.12.08 give paws: 2008 winter pet guide
2008.12.05 ray of light: munstre lightboxes
2008.11.17 knit picking: lara kazan sweaters
2008.11.07 milking it: cafe fixe coffeehouse opens
2008.11.03 the crying game: crocodile tears jewelry
2008.10.29 queen bee: design hive market starts saturday
2008.10.24 she's crafty: bead + fiber: gallery and craft shop opens
2008.10.17 get a round: circle restaurant opens
2008.10.16 the weekend guide: what to do this weekend
2008.10.10 get your jollies: jollybike dutch bicycles
2008.10.06 fine herbs: erbaluce restaurant opens
2008.10.02 the weekend guide: what to do this weekend
2008.09.30 soap opera: stella marie soap company
2008.09.23 i'll be damed: dame vintage fitting and styling
2008.09.22 in distress: prps jeans for girls
2008.09.19 victorian secret: lauren blais jewelry
2008.09.04 writing on the wall: chalk home gallery-cum-store opens
2008.08.27 about time: circa vintage store opens
2008.08.14 the weekend guide: what to do this weekend
2008.07.18 pint size: the beer garden at charlie's kitchen opens
2008.07.15 feed your mind, and the rest will follow: market in the square food store opens
2008.07.14 hot flash: p.m.s. dj nights at good life
2008.07.01 your dogs are barkin': espeso pet boutique opens
2008.06.11 hamming it up: estragon opens
2008.06.02 tripping the light with plastic: tupp-a-lamps
2008.05.27 you frontin'?: front home store opens
2008.05.05 get the thrift: the alter eco consignment boutique opens
2008.05.02 money in the bank: claw money tank tops
2008.04.30 beer and now: publick house provisions opens
2008.04.15 cheap date: ten deals for $10 (sourcing credit)
2008.04.02 independent day: oak craft boutique opens
2008.03.31 choc-a-bloc: aroa fine chocolate opens
2008.03.28 brewed awakening: timeless teas seminars
2008.03.12 wilde childe: feral childe
2008.02.22 sweet breads: citrio catering & provisions co. opens
2008.02.15 i came, i raw, i conquered: grezzo opens
2008.02.13 kick it: concepts opens
2008.01.30 beauty and the geek: seamless computational couture
2008.01.07 hey, neighbor: highland kitchen
2007.12.12 animal crackers: a pet ahead
2007.11.27 shabby chic: vintage pillows by hudson
2007.11.26 on a french roll: la voile opens
2007.11.21 sharper image: 379 club
2007.11.12 it's in the male: robert geller
2007.11.05 footloose and fancy free: quoddy trail footwear
2007.11.02 twice as nice: michelle willey and vessels gallery
2007.10.19 say your prayers: church opens
2007.10.09 teas me: 2nd cup cafe opens
2007.10.03 great finnish: samu-jussi koski at marimekko
2007.10.02 put it on ice: icelandic foods hit boston
2007.09.18 just the artifacts: reliquiae
2007.08.13 do the math: davis squared boutique
2007.08.06 snack that: fun food snackery

2008.03 Afternoon Delights: Skip tired sandwich platters in favor of inspired in-office sustenance from these full-service caterers
2008.02 Raising the Wine Bar: The Other Side Café creates a vino list with a conscience

2008.05 Beer Wares: Fiscalini Farmstead Hopscotch Scotch Ale Cheddar, Bass Brolly, 300 Bears to Try Before You Die! by Roger Protz
2008.04 Beer Wares: Wheeler's Black Label Vegan Ice Cream; The Book of Beer Knowledge: Essential Wisdom for the Discerning Beer Drinker by Jeff Evans; Glasi Hergiswil Pilsner Glass
2008.03 Beer Wares: Grape vs. Grain by Charles Bamforth, Zen and the Art of Cooking Beer-Can Chicken by Cary Black, Keg Stool
2008.02 Beer Wares: Official Beer Glove, The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing & Cooking with Craft Beer by Lucy Saunders, The Cure: the After-Drinking Drink
2007.12 Beer Wares: BACTRACK Breathalyzer, Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, Beer Mug Candles
2007.11 Beer Wares: The Perfect Beaker, Geeky Tees, Countertop Beer Cooler and Tap
2007.10 Beer Wares: Widmer Brothers online games, LittleEarth beer cap belts, Louis Pasteur's Studies on Fermentation
2007.09 Beer Wares: The Beerbelly, Arrive Alive, Bottle Popper

2008.12.03 [feature] Kiddie Kroakers: The 16th Annual Dangerous Toys List
2008.11.26 [eats] Rachel Klein: Your job's to eat. Her job? Way harder.
2008.11.19 [eats] DIY Thanksgiving: These personal chefs advise beyond cranberry-in-a-can
2008.11.12 [feature] Dig This! Awards 2008: Bombs away!
2008.11.12 [eats] Squirts till the dirts: School gardens flourish through CitySprouts
2008.11.12 [words] French Milk: by Lucy Knisley
2008.11.05 [words] Andrew Rimas: Does have a cow, man
2008.10.22 [eats] Tavolo: Where Nonna's kitchen meets fabulous warm-fuzzy
2008.10.15 [eats] Dinner and a move: Snack before shimmying
2008.10.15 [feature] Kyle Brandse: Gets awesome (fall club guide)
2008.10.08 [eats] Team orts: Beyond chips and Cracker Jack
2008.09.17 [eats] Like a shot to the heart: Hunters and gatherers, it's time to eat (fall dining guide)
2008.09.10 [eats] It's the great pumpkin!: A zillion renditions of fall's favorite gourd
2008.09.03 [news] The unofficial 2008 college handbook: how, where and wtf: How to buy
2008.09.03 [eats] The Boston burrito index: little donkeys everywhere!
2008.08.20 [style] The new adventures of flashion: Heroic dress cues (fall fashion guide)
2008.08.13 [style] Sock it to me: Jan Willett helms the zoo at MonkeyShineStudio
2008.07.30 [style] Artifaktori: We've got it made
2008.07.23 [feature] Good Bostonians: Mimi Graney, Margaret Williams
2008.07.23 [eats] Dinner and a movie: Film nights at the bar make for eat-in theater
2008.07.09 [style] Bag that thang up: Carry on, carry on
2008.07.09 [eats] Scampo: Shire raises the bar -- incidentally, behind them
2008.07.09 [feature] Summer travel: staycation! Wish you were here -- oh, wait. You are.
2008.06.25 [eats] Aye aye, kernel!: Veg out and meat up with the Dig's summer dining guide
2008.06.18 [style] Suneri Boutique: Local booty of global beauty
2008.06.11 [commerce] Latex loves: Global Protection keeps you covered
2008.06.04 [style] Hear, hear! Block your drums from the sound and the fury
2008.06.04 [green] A roots touch-up: Gearing up for Bikes Not Bombs' annual fest
2008.06.04 [eats] A filling with the Toothaches: Pop band's dinner proves anti-scurvy, anti-scrawny
2008.05.28 [commerce] Of graphic nature: Drawing mass appeal at Hub Comics
2008.05.21 [style] Sugar hi: Futzing with ice cream makes us melt
2008.05.21 [summer preview] Get wet! 50 fluid-inspired summer fun activities
2008.05.14 [green] Bicycle Benefits: Pedal your way to awesome free stuff
2008.05.14 [eats] Hungry Mother: Open wide for an uncanny spunk du Sud
2008.05.07 [commerce] Holy spokes: Freewheelin' with the Dutch Bicycle Company
2008.05.07 [shop] Felix Doolittle: Throw out your toaster oven: Fu's illustrated papers warm hearts faster
2008.05.07 [drinks] Boston shakers: Toasting the broads of LUPEC
2008.04.30 [shop] Smells like Tom of Finland: Homoerotica in a bottle at Motley
2008.04.30 [green] To Market, To Market: Nose-to-nose with the source at Vela
2008.04.30 [defyo] Defend Yourself! Katy Childs, co-owner of Silvertone
2008.04.23 [profile] Meating—he's doinitrite: Chewing the fat with Kevin Healy
2008.04.23 [green] Haley House Bakery Cafe: Fortifyng teh city, one muffin @ a tiem
2008.04.23 [eats] I can has cheezburger?: Hunger. I has it.
2008.04.16 [style] The Youthful Stylings of Kooter Brown: Don't worry—it'll only shirt a little
2008.04.16 [shop] Shake the Tree: Goodies staple replants in North End
2008.04.16 [eats] Winging it: Four fixes for the chicken-lickin' craving
2008.04.02 [letter] Dear Reader: Letter from the editor
2008.04.02 [feature] The Boston cocktail party: New England lore deserves a tipple or two
2008.04.02 [style] Oak, aye! Handiwork gets a home at Back Bay boutique
2008.04.02 [shop] Brix on Broad: Message in the bottles
2008.04.02 [green] Join the Soda-Club: It's time to get a little gassy
2008.04.02 [eats] Face time: When the going gets rough, the rough eat at the bar
2008.04.02 [drinks] Brains: shaken, stirred
2008.03.26 [style] Cocoa channel: Aroa Fine Chocolate arrives
2008.03.26 [shop] Heavy metal: Bicoastal jewelry rocks out at Topaz
2008.03.26 [green] Party poop: Natural fertilizer Wormjava starts from the ground up
2008.03.19 [style] Curtain call: The dying art of the photo booth
2008.03.19 [shop] Scrubya: Suds for your Bush
2008.03.19 [eats] Lost in Austin: A tiny taste of Texas mess
2008.03.19 [drinks] Chillin' like a Brazilian: Cachaça brightens any day
2008.03.12 [drinks feature] Sibling Rivalry: 5 drink minimum
2008.03.12 [style] Up in smoke: Cancer sticks get a whole lot sweeter
2008.03.12 [green] tranSglass: Hope in a bottle
2008.03.12 [eats] Vee Vee: The fresh, friendly bee's knees in JP
2008.03.12 [music] Mia Doi Todd: Contextual healing
2008.03.05 [style] Shoetube: Oh, my God, shoes.
2008.03.05 [shop] Moore Massage: The knead for speed
2008.03.05 [green] Green house effect: The walls have cheers
2008.02.27 [shop] In the fold: Paper gets props for leap day
2008.02.27 [green] Truth and beauty: Slather like it matters
2008.02.20 [letter] Dear Reader: Letter from the editor
2008.02.20 [style] Tipping our hats: The Dig flips its lid on spring style
2008.02.13 [style] ScientificMatch: Smellementary, my dear
2008.02.13 [eats] An Offal Romance: Love with all of your heart, tongue, tripe ...
2008.02.13 [drinks] Aphrodrinksiacs
2008.02.06 [style] Snowboarder Patrol: Dope on a slope
2008.02.06 [eats] Dim Sum Death Match: Last bun standing
2008.01.30 [style] Sunshine in a Box: Conquer bi-solar disorder
2008.01.30 [dvds] Indoor funtime: Ten TV-On-DVD Boxes for Cabin Fever
2008.01.23 [style] Make Me Sustainable: Saving the earth one pixel at a time
2008.01.16 [style] A Fine Piece of Workout: Snap into a slim gym
2008.01.16 [feature] Sweat Dreams: Four fitness formulas designed to swiftly kick your ass
2008.01.09 [style] Boston Coasters: See the city differently... like under your beer
2008.01.09 [eats] Highland Kitchen: Gastropub oozes comfort all over
2007.12.26 [style] Brush Up: It’s time for a change—no really, it is
2007.12.26 [eats] Super Bowls: Use your noodle wisely
2007.12.26 [eats] Eating New Year’s Eve: Plethora of prix-fixe parties
2007.12.26 [drinks] Grape Expectations: Wine down with The Second Glass
2007.12.19 [eats] Haru Sushi: Stylish bites sometimes worth battling yuppies over
2007.12.12 [style] Jeffrey Fournier: Please don't eat the art
2007.12.12 [eats] South End, Morning After: The lust for butter is no more apparent
2007.12.12 [arts] Zhang Daqian: Homeboy is dishonest, though redeemably so
2007.12.05 [style] Coat of Arms: And other body parts you’d prefer to keep warm
2007.12.05 [drinks] Dante: It’s gettin’ hot in here
2007.12.05 [def yo] John McCrea of Cake
2007.12.05 [dvds] Holiday Unclassics: Muppet Christmas Carol
2007.11.28 [commerce] Like Father, Like Surger: Guinness goes new-fangled for an old-school pour
2007.11.21 [commerce feature] Gift Guide: under $25, $25-50, $50-100, $100-200, $200-500, over $500
2007.11.14 [eats feature] Throw Down a Happy Holiday: Unleash the party, animals
2007.11.07 [style] Off the Map: Be slightly less likely to get lost
2007.11.07 [eats] Eastern Not So Standard: An offal experience with Chef Marco Suarez
2007.11.07 [arts] Félix González-Torres: A gold-flecked fantasy of oceanic candy
2007.10.31 [style] Brother Cleve: Philosophically inclined to dance, discover and drink well
2007.10.31 [drinks feature] Church: 5 drink minimum
2007.10.31 [dvds] Ratatouille: Cooking digital rodents
2007.10.24 [style] Art Flambée: Wads of wax to light up your life
2007.10.24 [def yo] Dominique Keegan of The Glass
2007.10.24 [dvds] Casshern: Myopic dystopia
2007.10.17 [commerce] Ca$hing in on AuctionPAL: Selling your shit online just got a little easier
2007.10.17 [words] Andreas Viestad: Stomachs summoned by the spice whisperer
2007.10.10 [style] Barbershoppin': That razor's real sharp, son
2007.10.10 [eats] Mission: Imbibable: Three nights of flights for the wine-drinking ninja
2007.10.03 [eats feature] An Edible Compendium from A to Z: 'Tis not a curse, to bestow in verse
2007.09.26 [style] Tobias Wong: Helping art lovers shit glitter since 1998
2007.09.26 [eats] The Savant Project: Thoughtful, earnest food is a no-brainer
2007.09.19 [eats] Fall Eats + Drinks: Stuff yourself with restaurant influx
2007.09.19 [arts] Fall Arts: Get cozy with culture
2007.09.12 [eats] Christopher Myers: On blogs, crazed Asians and noisy, noisy nights
2007.09.12 [drinks] Lycheers! Rethinking the pink drink
2007.09.05 [style] Hit Me with Your Best Shot: Adjust your glasses
2007.09.05 [feature] MIT: schooled
2007.09.05 [feature] The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts: Plan B!
2007.09.05 [eats] The Boston Slice Index: Gooey slivers of love courtesy of your local pizza joint
2007.09.05 [arts] MIT's Student Loan Art Program: Sure beats that Belushi poster
2007.08.29 [drinks] 100% Organic Spirits: Getting buzzed the way nature intended
2007.08.22 [commerce] Jana Eggers: Spreadshirt CEO, triathlete and big-time geek
2007.08.22 [eats] Grilled Sandwiches: Toast just done went and grew up
2007.08.15 [style feature] Fall Style Guide: Because naked is so last season
2007.08.08 [style] Pick-up Sticks: Your ramen doesn't stand a chance
2007.08.08 [feature] Ilene Bezahler: Owner, publisher and editor of Edible Boston
2007.08.08 [feature] Misty Kalkofen: Bar manager at Green Street Grill
2007.08.08 [drinks] Beer Cocktails: Experience a brewed awakening
2007.08.01 [style] Lookin' Good: Blind and def
2007.08.01 [eats] Fermented Foods: Work that tang like it ain’t no thang
2007.08.01 [music] Booka Shade: Make requests at your own peril
2007.07.25 [style] It's Raining (meh): When God cries, you won’t
2007.07.25 [music] DJ /rupture: Your booty is on his to-do list
2007.07.18 [drinks] The Tease of Riesling: No mo’ hatin’ on this grape

+ + a million other articles i have yet to link up

+ view supplement for less recent fare

2007-02-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

you can call it a comeback, but i've been here all along.

with minimal drama, i shall dive right into the present. this weekend i escaped boston for a completely unreasonable trip to new york, and i'm definitely all the better for it. self-indulgent details, photos, poetry forthcoming.

a momentous re-mount.

2007-03-11T11:29:00.000-04:00

holy moly, there's so much going on and so many people and things and events, it's wonderfully overwhelming. went to a slew of panels yesterday, great things to share, i'll post more when i have a chance to breathe. (i'm choosing not to take my laptop to the convention center because i have enough stuff to lug around from morning til wee, wee night.) anyway, i'm sure you can find hundreds of bloggers feverishly dissecting each interactive panel to bits in real-time... (trust me, i saw them)

there are probably like six parties going on at any given time. last night i felt like a true old fogey pretty much exhausted at 2am (granted the day before i also went to bed at 2am, and this pattern will probably continue ad nauseum) while i'm sure everyone else feted until 5ish or so. chalk it up to my amazingly sleep-hungry brain. snooze snooze snooze. oh yeah, i'm also a dork who loves catching those early morning talks. but i had a great time and met some amazing people last night. somehow ze frank fit in the picture. not sure.

here are a random slew of photos, in no particular order, because i'm lazy.

the building on the right is the tallest in the city and has a super cool crystalline design. viewed from the angle, it totally looks like totoro. (see it?)

i'm so glad i was familiarized with guitar hero because i came to sxsw because admitting that here would be terribly embarrassing! at the hi-lo lounge, there are a ton of artisan guitar hero guitars mounted all over the place. i kinda get it now. kinda.

a midnight snack at katz ("never klozes!"), an enormous cobb salad. and infinite amount of pickles. trust me, the waiter saw how quickly i was chowing those down and was like, 'want more? seriously, they're just free-flowing from the kitchen.' but i think five pickles made a pretty good dent in my pickle quota. this restaurant itself was super-strange... not sure i'd go back. but it probably does wonders when nothing else is open at strange hours.

lis sylvan and hubby misha. she's happy, eating beans, and pregnant! yay!

waiting in the queue on friday night for the film festival opening party. this is where those excellent chips and salsa were hiding out. the fox and hound is totally gone, but at least you can clamor around the space like stealthy hyenas.

the dig! the dig! the dig!!!!! i was so excited to see boston amid the austin. seeing this gives me some semblance of credibility when i tell people what i do. i just shove this paper right into their skeptical face.

the 'under 18: blogs, wikis' panel. lis from the lifelong kindergarten group at the mit media lab and smg-alum danah boyd (in the awesome fluffy animal-eared cap) helped lead the discussion. i've never heard danah speak before, but i'll just say: SHE. IS. AWESOME. i cant describe it, but she's terribly on target and she argues with a super-convincing blend of academic, personal, and pop-cultural backing. go danah!

lunch as las manitas. this place was packed for lunch! also, i loved the tshirts worn by the servers... it had a faux academic shield and 'university of rice and beans'

i dont think anyone can eat a tortilla chip more gracefully than nicole (fellow chowhound). the salsa in austin in general is so freakin' good.

dorkbot in the haus. lots of blinky lights, random robotics, and generally silly hijinks. loved it! also, met the MAKE / CRAFT zine peeps and rocked out to 'stringless' capacitive-sensor guitars and a dj inexplicably dressed as a star trek shipmember.

until next time, i will be your faithful blogger who basically tells you how ridiculously good beans with lard are. trust the others for picking apart keynote speakers kathy sierra's words of wisdom. i'll be catching a film screening later tonight, a documentary ("does your soul have a cold?") about mental illness and medicating depression in japan. should be fascinating.

over and out.

2007-03-12T23:42:00.000-04:00

i am so, so stupid.

because of my naivete and seeming bravado, i ate the nuclear taco.

because i ate the nuclear taco, approximately 90 min later i vomited on east 6th & brazos.

because i vomited, my stomach feels like it's being burned alive by an army of trogdors.

because my stomach feels burninated, i'm back at the apartment trying not to die while literally twelve parties are being set in motion in downtown austin.

by the way, this is not the first time i've gotten sick while eating something superspicy. i love love LOVE spicy food; i adore it, i crave it. but only certain peppers--namely the dried roasted red ones in chinese dishes and hyper-potent scotch bonnet oil--seriously irritate my stomach lining to a most tummy-clutching discomfort. for most people, the pain is on the tongue.

that part's easy.

i almost think for me it's a chemical allergy to something in the pepper production or preparation. in any case, you would think i'd know better, right?

here's the story: apparently 'nuclear tacos' is a sxsw tradition, where they set up a bbq party + tent outside boasting the hottest tacos in the world. lest you think i'm nuts, there were actually a lot of people there! you had your choice of hard corn taco shells or soft flour tortillas; the potent fillings of nuclear beef, hot beef, nuclear veggie (more like beef-esque soy-protein product), or hot veggie; and toppings of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. as we waited in line, we saw many a pink-faced diner exit the premises, sweating, crying, swearing. i pooh-poohed them as total wimps. naturally.

here's the cutie indie ice-cream truck right outside the premises, apparently to salvage burnt esophaguses. one guy literally ran from the bbq, yelling, 'need, ice-cream, NOW!' he looked pretty desperate for a creamsicle or something.

the oh-so-welcoming sign at the entrance. i wonder if they put the signage there to sustain the campiness of it all, or if they were legally contracted to do so. you have to wonder.

i love the composition of this pic. these guys are bravely concocting the killer taco innards. out of the frame is another mellow dude putting on some rubber gloves. by the way, the air is full of the hot, spicy smoke. just hanging around the tent, you can feel it already tickling the back of your throat.

you probably dont want to get too close, buddy.

so here is my lovely dinner, before the devouring. the flour tortilla holds the nuclear beef, and the other dollops are the nuclear and hot veggie just for curious sampling. by the way, the weather could not have been more perfect! thankfully the thunderstorms from last night gave way to delightful sunshine early this morning.

thanks to sooz of exploitboston who took these pix of me. (ever notice there are never photos of me because i am always the photographer?) anyway, here i am, totally confident, totally healthy, totally happy. little did i know how wretched i would be in two hours...

chowin' down. it was definitely high on the spicy scale, but it wasn't tastebud suicide. i figured i'd condense the time spent in burning pain so i sort of gnarfed it down fairly quickly. pretty tasty, you could still taste the beef, but i do confess to blushing, sweating, and blowing my nose at copious frequency. however, i felt pretty darn good next to a woman who took two bites of her hot beef taco and declared defeat. ha, i thought, see, i am someone who can take it! as always, my competitive spirit persists, even when it comes to inflicting gastrointestinal pain on oneself, as it (later) became painfully clear.

hence, eating this taco was a foolish move. and i am not dancing now. :(

here is my night instead:

and you, dear reader. that is it. that all i have as comfort for 11pm on a monday.

p.s. pix on flickr. tagged with nucleartacos. it's the truth.

2007-03-15T19:18:00.000-04:00

last night, after a bleary flight of infant hysteria and a creepy airplane neighbor ("hi, would you like a sandwich?"), boston and i reconnected. i'm safe and sound, still hating the mbta (aside: i thought it was hilarious that the renovated mbta website was nominated for css excellence at the sxsw web awards), and able to sleep again in my own bed.

today, grey and drizzle lull me to quiet moments while i kick around my suitcase with way too much austin swag.

i also got a haircut, which was very much overdue. you can see how long my wild tresses had ravaged in the previous post illustrating my taco experience. now i'm lean, mean, and ready to sweep my bangs a'gin.

some random notes from the crevices of my mind:

- there are too many sketchy ATMs in downtown austin. everywhere you look, there they are, those standalone machines with no-name banks and that do the bare minimum of dispensing crisp cash. as someone rightly put it, 'looking for an ATM? swing a dead cat, and you'll most likely hit one.'

- everytime i get tempted to buy a playstation2 (for the sole purpose of riffing to guitar hero) or the nintendo wii (for the sole purpose of battling millions of cutie-manic-pie rabbids) i think of all that money and time that could be better spent on live concerts, films, and books. therefore, i just need to make friends who'll let me hijack their consoles once in a while. (where are you people?)

- even though i was psyched to see a relatively diverse mix in attendance of sxsw interactive and film, some things still tended to bother me. first, many of the panels that dealt with design, engineering, or entrepreneurial motifs were predominantly (if not wholly) male. maybe it was just the combination of panels i attended, but from blog to book, design aesthetic of the indie developer, five tips to make your podcast listenable, and tv comedy of today were all male.

whereas females popped up on more social-oriented issues: all panelists of under 18: blogs, wikis, and online social networks for youth and do you blog on the first date? were women.

not to mention, aside from designer paula scher and journalist leslie savan), all the designers or experts interviewed in the helvetica film documentary were white males. i'm not out to go on some gendered rampage, but it's interesting to note the disparity.

- on that note, conference-goers were probably 80% caucasian. not like there's anything wrong with it... wait, what am i talking about? there's something seriously wrong with it. but i wont merely rant, as i know i can actually do something about it.

- crap! i missed meeting the ceo of zappos! probably lucky for him, since i dont know what i would have done. cried for joy and hugged his knees?

- i learned that texans live and breathe chili con queso. also, tasty migas. i think i need to go back to catch up on my huevos rancheros.

- not like this is breaking news, but the y-chromosome set is a peculiar one. however, i am deeply enjoying the illogics. it's reminds me that relinquishing control is a rightful, ongoing lesson. björk says it best in it's not up to you. vespertine is my soul soother, curling up into lush snowsound.

as always, i'm behind on the blogacious nature of photos and text published in a timely manner, but for now i can offer the tantalizing link to my full set of sxsw 2007 up on my flickr.

here's but a taste.

2007-03-17T12:11:00.000-04:00

happy st. patty's day.

a tall mugful of earl grey tea in hand, its wisps of steam warming lips. the window frames a silver blend of snow, rain, and dew, a low windy howl in the distance. boston's irish energy is fantastically tempered by an act of god. coincidence?

this doesnt say it better. freezing drizzle. it may be sweeter as a frozen dessert than a daily forecast, methinks. but as long as i am warm and dry (or, at least my feet), i am in a stable mood.

last night i slept for 12 hours. this morning, a workout and a bowl of cereal. glasses askew.

i'm still recovering from my return from sxsw. don't know if it's the ongoing grey, low-pressure weather, or a cataclysm of acclimation from warm sun, intense A/C into long flights; high consumption levels of texmex bowing to homestyle stirfry. it could be the massive amount of catch-back and email frenzy to follow, which is not so much as unenjoyable as it is a bit tedious. high payoff, though.

such is the same as blogging and flickring, back to a situated routine. a bit everyday, time well spent, my existence documented, redeemed, somehow.

a quote referenced at the festival: if you're not on myspace, you don't exist.

i'm not persuaded by that argument, but try replacing 'myspace' with written documents, photographs, letters, emails, journals, scribbles, notes, recordings, snapshots, memories of others. traces of self. truly, does anyone hear when a man falls (alone) in the forest?

yesterday we were hit from the blizzard. i felt smug until i was forced to leave my workplace, and proceed (for about the next half hour) to get pummeled with tiny ice pellets in my face. after each leg of the pedestrian journey, my bag was laden with a thick layer of snow. i went to fetch milk and toilet paper from whole foods like a sensible citizen, and trudged home through shin-high drifts with completely tread-less boots. (these are scheduled to arrive today.)

the night beautiful, i feel asleep to the pelt-pelt of frozen showers. but here we are the next day, it's more wet than white, and i just want to continue with my warm tea.

in case no one believed my exaggerated rainy plights in austin, here are some shots from eviltwin, aka andy beaumont, who caught the wet evidence.

song of the moment: múm, póst póstmaetur, off friends of the random summer. energy crackling beneath a silent expanse.

2007-03-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

not like i'm counting down or anything (she doesn't tickle me in the right places like victor & rolf manage to do), but madonna's collection at h&m debuts this thursday, march 22.

everything is in variants of black and white, and i'm a tad underwhelmed by the classicism of the silhouettes. i'm warm to the abstract floral print dress, and who doesnt love a well-made leather jacket, but the separates of trousers, sweaters, and skirts are as plain-jane as your banana-republic variety. i have a hunch that the runaway successes will be the attention-getting accessories, like the wide shiny belts, the M-emblazoned sunglasses, and any bags or shoes that come along for the ride. the shirt-dresses are kind of interesting, but i feel that it'll be so hard to accommodate a wide audience (wide- or narrow- shouldered concerns, plus shaping around the bust, makes it a very difficult fit). one of the dresses in the online lookbook is so bizarrely draped that it makes the mannequin look pregnant. and that catsuit? about as unpalatable as those awful tracksuits.

however, this is one of my favourite looks of the collection:

although it does strike a biting resemblance to one of the breakout looks perfected by precious project runway darling kara janx. i mean, check out the sketch for madonna's collection:

and now observe kara's design:

anyone can make a kimono dress, yes, but the resemblance is all too uncanny.

especially for a third of the price, and by supporting a worldwide fashion corporation instead of an independent designer. but i digress.

i must confess the real appeal of this whole M collection is the creepy, slickly surreal film produced for the campaign. check it out on h&m's awkwardly flash-designed website. i highly prefer the 'director's cut' over the original version, only because it shows more of the story. something very bizarre about the victim being an asian schoolgirl and lots of underwear shots amidst italian sunglasses and a non sequitur crying fembot. madonna's inexplicably looking corporate sexy with the paper shredder and her black riding crop.

it it it it it!

dont! think it;
you need to know it

the point is made clear.

if you want to bypass all the muck on the official website, here's the director's cut of the film right here for you instant-gratification types.

2007-04-13T10:35:00.000-04:00

pick up the dig.

two girl looks, two guys looks, my hands (in one way or another) in all of them.

liu's inaugural style shoot is doing her rather proud.

sheer joy.

in full color for your perusing enjoyment.

p.s. although the rule of thumb when running around with the photographer and model is to be invisible, i ended up elegantly peeking through at this shot took at reiss.

2007-05-18T00:22:00.001-04:00

ever so palpable.

2007-07-02T00:57:00.000-04:00

there are so many sources of happiness. like trickles into that great damning mouth of sustenance. i've created and destroyed and sustained... with particles of sand still sticking to skin, despite a week's worth efforts. tanned arms giving it away. glasses of cognac, unclaimed, oysters drowning in neglect. unseen efforts; does consumption claim its worth?

argyle, at least 30 years of warmth. leathers and wools and lines and angles and... and... and acknowledgement. can 30 days mean just as much?

an afternoon of constructed pleasures, a sugared distraction. frantic fingers. digital dabblings. inexplicable productivity. unexpected companies.

deflection of monstrosities and redemption for my choosings.

notable five in 2007: wardrobe edition

2008-01-01T22:40:00.001-05:00

lots of quality time snoozing in bed could be seen as a good way to start off the year. (not to mention a tidy plate of toast, eggs, and ketchuppy home fries.)

to jump start 2008, let's revisit a few choice items in cmliu-land in 2007, shall we? the next few entries will be going down the notable five in various categories that are completely subjective and as fickle as the fingers that type it so. it'll span everything from eats and drinks to homeware design, from live concerts to books and articles. but today, in perfectly materialist form, will be...

notable five things in 2007 new to christine's wardrobe

those who know me can attest that my inventory is modest (i tend to work creative rotations of layerable pieces from h+m and tall boots), and my means ever more so (writers aren't especially equipped to coup any semblance of medium- or high-end design), but i'm happy that i've managed to collect a few items of pride. i'm always trying to follow the dictum to acquire few pieces of high quality instead of many pieces of low quality. for the sake of sartorial sanity, i think i've done a bang up job.

#1: charcoal 'maid in form' bag by tano, special ordered from lunaboston

it took me forever and a half to find a replacement for my former do-everything-everywhere shoulder bag, a black canvas zip-top number by ordning & reda that i got in vienna a few summers ago. with a tall list of requirements (big enough to hold the latest issue of new york magazine plus a sweater, not so big that it becomes a bother, a zipper top is a MUST HAVE, has to go from daytime to evening, needs to last through constant beating, etc) it seemed i would never find something that fit both my lifestyle and my budget. (have you seen the pricetags at barney's? it's painful.) but tano, with its sumptuous leathers and quality handiwork, seemed to fit the bill. oh, what agony in the process of choosing exactly which model from the collection, but it seems like this duo-pocketed one is faring just fine :)

#2: amp eyewear from eye-q

to supplement my (currently needs to get repaired) 'upside-down' frames, i managed to finagle a new set of eyeglasses from eye-q. both designs are in-house makes, so if you're dying to get some of your own, call up the boys at the boston eyewear shop. i spent a lot of my years in the past wearing contacts, but nothing beats the instant incognito powers of bold frames. not to say they dont get foggy or smudgy from time to time, but in terms of ease and remembrance, i wouldn't ever give up my specs.

#3: rachel comey dress from stel's

the crew at stel's get a gold star, not only for putting up with our barging into their store and fondling pretty much all the merchandise almost every weekend. but i knew karma would come around, and i managed to score the perfect dress for holiday parties (and year-round fanciness), plus tailoring perfection for a chic petite fit. the puckered texture is at once comforting and avant-garde, and the pockets come in handy for stashing top-secret items.

#4: knit wrap vest pullover by hoss intropia from stil

i can't explain it, but this thing is awesome. patterned lambswool knit makes one snug as a huggable slug, especially layered over a slim dress from american apparel or over a tee and jeans. it's a very particular piece (a bit of coordination and thought has to accompany its wearing) but i relish its unique construction.

#5: helena alto lace-ups by camper

so i must admit i was a staunch opposer of the whole ankle bootie trend; i thought they made women's legs look stumpy and were a bear to pull off properly. however, these beauties seduced me despite their suspicious bootie silhouette, but the open front and laces pulled a girly (and elongated) spin, upon which i forgave the whole business entirely. a complete splurge for sure, and i'm lucky if i find an occasion to wear them once a week (or month), but i'm all for comfort in heels (they've worn in nicely) and an unexpected bit of sass. (p.s. you can also see a cute view of them from the front at camper's autumn/winter preview)

coming up tomorrow: notable five in beauty and skincare!

notable five in 2007: beauty and skincare edition

2008-01-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

ok, so i pretty much use the same cosmetic regime again and again, but i do have to confess that 'routine' doesnt always mean 'mundane.' (just pretend those two words rhyme in your head.)

here we go...

notable five things in 2007 new to christine's beauty + skincare regime

#1: cleanser from earth science

so i've done everything from neutrogena to shu uemura cleansing oils and back. i tried earth science's formula on a lark when it was on sale on whole foods (at which i'm not necessarily a diehard fan), and it turned out to be the best cleanser for my skin in a long, long time. i tend to break out here and there, but peeling skin is not my idea of a walk in the park. this cleanser has definitely helped me clear up, yet keep a balance and lasts for a while without breaking the bank. you can purchase it from whole foods to cambridge naturals, and at least for me, it's a true-to-form investment. i don't think i can go back to anything out there, at least just yet. i'm sensitive yet oily, and this has been a lifesaver.

#2: facial moisturizer with spf 15 from earth science

so i've gotten on the moisturizer bandwagon, doing it religiously morning and night. however, this has been the best so far in the spf + moisture category, since it goes on light and doesn't leave a film afterwards. it doesn't get weird if i start sweating or put on makeup or anything (you know the ones that ball up or discolor or go completely SNAFU when you layer it, right?). it may be because it's the same manufacturer of my cleanser, but whatever the case, it does the duty well and good. i tried many a spf-moisturizer combination and gotten burned so many times. this, again, is my salvation.

#3: h.i.p. cosmetics from l'oreal

i've realized, both from traveling overseas and talking with people who've worked from the international corporation (hi, matt!) that l'oreal is a serious brand that pretty much got short-changed in the US. everywhere else in the world, it's a luxury department store brand to be reckoned with; but here in the US, it's a battle against everything else in CVS. the h.i.p. eye shadow pairings are nothing less but genius, and they stand the testament against the urban plight. namely, they are intense for a long period of time. plus, the products are just as good as shu uemura (at least on the surface; they have the same motherbrand) and a million times cheaper (i still love you, shu!) not to mention, beyoncé and scarlett johannsen have been pretty smokin' spokesmodels.

#4: vincent longo velvet riche rejuvenating lipstick in 'dakota red'

i don't do it often, but when i do, it's fierce. *red*. i got this for free at some gift-baggy sort of event, but i've held onto this tightly as it gives a girl some imminent danger. a blue-ish red goes better for me than a brick or orange-y kind of tint; i feel drawn to it when either holidays or diffcult times come upon me. war paint, it is determined.

#5: TIE: lumene arctic touch exfoliating cleansing cream from cvs and laura mercier's oil-free foundation from beauty and main

so the exfoliator has really been an uplifting aspect of 2007, but i fear that it has been discontinued in the beauty line for CVS. as a finnish company, it really has the natural-beauty-euro-cleansing luxury to it, but the arctic touch line is awesome because you really fantastize about lying in a hottub in scandanavia as you spread the cloudberry extract all over your face. it's not too rough, but still gives a good scrub; the blue color and delicious scent really make it worth your while. i would give a thumbs up to the rest of line, at least for its natural/scientific skincare bent.

laura mercier's foundation has been steadfast throughout the harsh boston winter, tempering my shine without going overboard on the skin-drying. i feel flush and happy, versus matte and ghastly, and as long as i apply with a sponge (as instructed) i think that i'll look lovely and natural as long as this vanilla-beige bottle follows through.

yaaaaaay.

coming up tomorrow: notable five in home decor and design!