Griffith Park

Thanksgiving Day.
Los Angeles.
80°F, 26°C.

September is the new January...

The fires are waning... The air is cooling and becoming more bearable. I can go back to the hills for my hikes again... My favorite thing to do is to listen to music (really loud) during these hikes. And I'm in my own little world. It's invigorating and it clears my head (which so clearly needs clearing).

New MAJOR releases this season: The Clientele, Atlas Sound, The XX, Girls and Taken by Trees ...

(Non) Seasonal Music




If I like a song, I'll have it on repeat until I'm satisfied (which could take ages). Click to go to their site for a listen. All gorgeous. All essential. Daily staples.
What can I say? I'm trendy.

Taking Wurtsboro

Shigenobu Twilight's technicolor teatime treats.



Louis giving it a go with the help of his mom.





Four things found at the Korean White Forest Zen Monastery:


Rosy colored (possibly) magic mushrooms - a recurring theme for the month of August.

The World's Greatest

As much as it would have been patriotically cool to see Roddick win Wimbledon, seeing it was an American holiday this past weekend, it was absolutely thrilling to see Federer become the World's Greatest today... It was epic.

How well do you know Owley Patrol?

What a fulfilling evening I had last night. I spent two hours making this quiz on facebook. It would have taken an hour but fb had technical issues and I had to do it again (again). If you're a fan, you should get at least a C. There are some trick questions and this will test your online research skills.

But if you're a true Owley Patrol devotee, a perfect score will be a breeze and you will be rewarded with a very special gift from me. x


HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW OWLEY PATROL?

1) Where does the title Owley Patrol come from?
a) An Asian girl blog dog.
b) An Asian girl with oversized glasses.
c) An Asian girl who likes to climb trees.
d) An Asian girl who likes reality TV.
e) An Asian girl bird watcher.

2) Which is not a nickname that appears on Owley Patrol?
a) Wiggles
b) Mr. Bickerson
c) Yorkshire Pudding
d) Daddy D
e) Easy

3) Which French chanteuse has not appeared on Owley Patrol?
a) Jane Birkin
b) France Gall
c) Brigitte Fontaine
d) Claudine Longet
e) Anna Karina

4) Which animal has Owley Patrol never eaten?
a) Dog
b) Cat
c) Frog
d) Turtle
e) Horse

5) Who is the author of "Seasonal Blues," a favorite on Owley Patrol?
a) Yoko Ono
b) Linda Thompson
c) Jackie DeShannon
d) Dory Previn
e) Laurie Styvers

6) What does FFC stand for on Owley Patrol?
a) Fulham Football Club
b) Failure to Fully Comply
c) Fat Fucking Cunts
d) Fall Fitness Cat
e) None of the Above

7) Which museum has Owley Patrol never visited?
a) The Cold War Museum, Washington DC
b) Imperial War Museum, London
c) War Crimes Museum, Saigon
d) Anti-War Museum, Berlin
e) Musee de l'Armee, Paris

8) Which sporting event has Owley Patrol never attended?
a) PGA
b) MLB
c) NBA
d) Barclays Premier League
e) NFL

9) What word is used the most on Owley Patrol?
a) Sick
b) Awesome
c) Peace
d) Wicked
e) Hella

10) Which best describes Owley Patrol?
a) Bossy
b) Dilettante
c) Judgmental
d) Hypocritical
e) All of the Above

Elysian Park (more Pano fun)

I finally got some much needed solo FFC time in yesterday AND today at Elysian Park. Was a good time to test out my new Spring mix. Email me if you want it. x

Men are swine

Men are swine.
Swine is flu.
Flu is sick.
Sick is bad.
Which leads to bad hair days.
And bad hair days are completely avoidable.



Circe, the daughter of Helius and Perseis, Sorceress on the island of Aeaea.
Circe is best known for her habit of turning men into swine.

You're a Jerk!!! (I know...)

I heard this catchy song on one of my favorite hip hop stations driving the other day and it sorta blew my mind. I'm a jerk myself so that's prolly why I instantly turned up the volume... I thought the song meant something else... Like the kind of guy (or girl, as in me) most girls (guys, as in you) ACTUALLY want when they say they want a Nice Guy (a Nice Girl... erm, that's not me). After some research, it's actually a new dance movement that started in LA. Cute kids in skinny jeans and with lyrics like "We pulled up to the party ices on my shirt and got geek'd up everybody jerkin'...," this is irresistible.

bicycle, bicyclette, cykel

Bicycles are somewhat foreign to me. I grew up in car culture, I drive everywhere, everywhere. It's a necessity here in LA. It's a given!

But I am so looking forward to renting my Velib in Paris...




And to get all CPH like the rest... This is my new favorite blog: www.copenhagencyclechic.com


A-MAZING... Contemplating renting one for London but not sure if I want to ride with this lot!


My classic J.C. Higgins bike I found in front of my old house and recently had it spruced up at this great new place, Echo Park Cycles. I don't use it that often as I'm still freakishly scared to ride it in LA! People drive crazy here! I use all precaution at all times!


"The key to any successful bike culture is to get women onto bikes. They are the group that is most likely to ride and yet least likely to actually do it, especially in urban settings."

10 Things I Love About You.

I was down on the blog, it got weird as I got weird. But I'm keeping calm and carrying on...

And oh, I discovered many wondrous things in the last month and put them all to good use this past weekend...

1. I'm Googled out! My new bf, just perfect + lovely + adorkable, gave me a new Google tutorial every night when he stayed with me a couple of weeks ago. [One of the best weeks of my life! I love to get schooled by someone much smarter than me. So rare these days...] I was already using Calendar + Analytics but was reluctant with Reader. Even his bf (don't ask, it's a very complicated, sensitive situation) was trying to sell me on it... how wasted time is not squandered time with Reader at the airport. Now, I'm obsessed! And I put it to v good use on Sunday at JFK when my flight was delayed for 5.5 hours. After my freak-out at the counter, I settled in nicely with my Reader on the iPhone. But am still v bewildered and suspicious about Latitude. Do I really want you to know where I am exactly? I mean I could fib and say I'm at Taj Mahal (in Jersey, not Agra you dolt!) but right now I'm sitting on my couch listening to my Winter's mix while American Idol is on mute.




2. Though it's finally raining here, it's still v unnatural in LA and I'm getting sick of it. I want SEASONS! Sea Urchins' Please Rain Fall is an excellent song to fall asleep to...

3. As grating and demented Fishbeck can be, he redeems himself (just barely) with the tender compliment, with the gentlest gesture. He made me this drawing for me, inspired by my recent haircut. It's Rei! How can I be mad at him?



4. And I'm already dreaming of Scott Walker's Copenhagen. In 6 weeks!

5. My friend recently gave me the first two Destroyer records. "Cuz nothing good can come from leaving London..." This is how I will feel in 7 weeks...

6. The Cold: The thing that surprised me the most during my NY weekend jaunt was how pleasant the cold was for me. I loved it. I thought I was a weather wimp as I come from a hot exotic climate (erm, not LA but Vietnam)... But it felt fantastic walking 10 blocks at 3am in the freezing cold in LES. It was invigorating. I'm fantasizing a life of winter hibernation. I say this now but 3 months of it could do me in...

7. I went to see "He's Just Not That Into You" yesterday evening. I'm glad I went by myself cuz' when I wasn't laughing, I was in tears and cringing uncomfortably in my comfy seat. A film full of cliches and of actors I detest, I did relate to it on many levels. I'm so pedestrian; I'm a pathetic c***! Hmm, I meant bunt.

8. Nite Moon Cafe at Golden Bridge. Yes, one of my rules (as I'm not the exception) is "Kill All Hippies" so it's ironic that I should frequent the hippie "spiritual village" of LA every day for their yummy vegan lunch and to get my daily smoothie fix. Ugh! Quel est mauvais avec moi? But I do feel "fresh, alive and whole!"

9. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Lauren this past weekend. She does arty things at the New Museum and you know how I adore arty people. I went for a visit and was emotionally captivated by Jeremy Deller's "It Is What It Is: Conversations about Iraq."

10. CameraBag app for the iPhone (thx Kate). I'm obsessed with making every image into a Polaroid right now... Let's have a look at my work shall we? Feel free to critique!


Like the last few times, I went straight to UWS. Central Park was eerily quiet and extremely beautiful.


Pond ice and leaves..


Damhave's precious petite mobile phone in my palm. You were awfully sweet to me this time around Damhave. And boy, did you look good!


Modern and elegant with beams and beams of sunlight.


Scott's library. I love this photo; it's reminds of a Godard film, full of pretension and primary colors.


Carl's pet turtle in Brooklyn. I spent some time in this borough and it's not so bad or far like I had imagined all these years. But still, no thanks...



I couldn't do a Polaroid of this as it would have cut the "B'L'ing" part out and then there would be no point to this at all.


Mary's whimsical SSWTR installation at Kiosk.


Ippudo goodness in the East Village. The 1.15 hour wait was well worth it.


The view from Canal, right before I left.


(*****I wonder how many of my shared friends will star this entry as it's so fucking good. It was well worth the wait, no?)

The Wondrous Wonder of Wonder Valley ("when yellow will be mellow")

Easy Does It... Wonder Valley. Joshua Tree. Twentynine Palms... A desert weekend jaunt to visit GGD as they record their new album at Jack's place... I haven't felt this mellow in a while... an adventure which had the lingering scent of white sage, an evocation of peace and lucid (+ hallucinatory) dreams, a much needed smudging of the mind.

And the soundtrack for the weekend? It had to be Animal Collective's dewy + dazzling Merriweather Post Pavilion on repeat. (Can I say how stoked I am to see them this weekend?)


Kindred spirits... wonderful + blessed Sara (just like Dylan's) was my Grey Gardens companion.


The Guest Cabin: what I woke up to... blessed am I...


Arduous Glamor took us turquoise hunting all the way up Copper Mountain. I ended up with a pocket full of turquoise.


We were wondering how this car got here. We found its door on the other side of the mountain.


I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold...


It's January. It's breathtakingly beautiful. Just awesome.


And we're out! Until next time, I'll miss you.

Week Two

My weekend in pics (and it's not over yet! There's sushi and a pizza bday party still!)


It was my mom's birthday yesterday. I took my folks to this new Vietnamese restaurant in Little Saigon. It was okay, a solid B but of course, the company was the usual A+.


Tiny Creatures' last ever art/music gallery show. LA Fog played hobo style on the sidewalk.


Inside, sonority sisters Emily & Ramona doing their full-blown petite din as Nite Jewel.


Then I woke up to Jasmin's banged up knee from a recent skateboarding injury. WTF? Ouch. She'll recover and will do it all over again.


And my proudest moment this year so far. FFC in Ferndall today. Since it was 81 degrees, everyone was out and about (which was a bit annoying) but on the way down the trail, we ran into Rosy, a beautiful white parrot. Last year, for the first time ever, I've picked up a dog (twice) and a cat (thrice) and managed to put them on my lap (with uneasy pleasure). And today, a bird on my arm. Notice how I'm clutching onto the Professor's hand for dear life. Phew! Luckily, I survived though there were marks on my arm but nothing permanent. Yes, by year's end I might even have my own pet to play with!

FFC (The Winter Sessions)

Another 2 hour hike today. Man, I've been so into these winter sessions with my fellow OTP LOS...


The Usual. I love going to Elysian Park for my solo hikes which eventually becomes a run. These solo opportunities provide me with a time where I can truly listen to my hiking mixes super super super loud and enable me to get into the songs. May I suggest Kanye West's new amazing album? My current fave track is "Robocop." I love the ending, "You spoiled li LA girl... You jus an LA girl..." It's a true pop gem. A+


Broadway took us to Beaudry Trails in the Verdugo Hills a few days before NYE. The weather was brilliant, the trail was uphill...


It was a crystal clear day and we were rewarded with spectacular views of the San Gabriel mtns and could even see the glistening ocean!


With Hilz today... She took us to Eaton Canyon Trails in Altadena. Uphill all the way, it was awesome.... On our way back, we sorta got lost for a bit and ended up on another mountain. It was getting dark and the fog had started to roll in heavily... Luckily we found our way back and didn't have to spend the night. Can't wait for the next sesh with the crew this Sunday...