child.

It gets worse at night when there is nothing in my periphery to focus on. My thoughts walk away from me, starting first at the day's happenings, recreating every situation, every conversation. Who was that. Like a loose spool looking for a dark corner, running haphazardly into a hypochondriac's worst nightmare. That was wrong. It's harder to breathe and I am aware of it. Time to calm down. Time to pretend I am somewhere else, someone else, the second life I live being completely different from this one. Slipping into the familiarity of this place helps me sleep. Ignorance is bliss.

walked over 38 blocks of portland.... in heels. what a fun night!

Aug 28, 2009 (Friday)

I went to my friend's apartment, one I had been to many a time. I got off the max at the right stop, yet still managed to walk to the wrong cross street for the trolley. A-gain. Made it to the east tower and had just enough time to take the puppy for some exercise before we went to meet up with the last of our group. Both of us walked downtown to meet up with Marisa, who just got off of work and we all trotted down 15 blocks to Saucebox. I had never been there before, but I recalled my roommates trying it out. Asian fusion I thought. And I was correct. We made it there for happy hour, where I got a SBX daiquiri (delicious and potent) and a Miyako Burger (teriyaki glazed hamburger with wasabi mayo, roasted red chiles and avocado slices on lettuce). We hung out there for awhile, as it had a great atmosphere and cheap, great tasting food. I will say, that was one of the best burgers I have ever had (and only $4 on happy hour!!). I cannot wait to take more first timers to try such deliciousness! Justin tried the Box Car (an equally good drink, quite a bit more "potent") haha and the sweet potato spring roles with chile sauce, and the curry pad thai. Yum. I was so full after that burger!

From there we walked uphill to Whole Foods to look at cannolis (they had mini ones too, all of em with chocolate chips, didn't try one though), then walked further up and went to PGE park to watch some of the baseball game, hiked all the way up (23 blocks) to NW 23rd to go to Papa Hayden's. They got the sampler platter, and I got what will now be called my all time fave. Georgian Peanut Butter Mousse Torte. (see pic below!)

Thankfully we took the streetcar back which goes all the way to their place! Armani was happy to see us (and is the most amazing puppy model), and we put on some home video's from Marisa's traveling and living abroad Japan. I got a firsthand look at Korea, Okinawa, Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, and all the cool things to do while there. Making senbei, feeding the deer in Nara, finding geishas in kyoto, eating takoyako/okonomiyake/parfaits/ and more :) Can't wait to take my own trip into Japan. I am more motivated now that ever to brush up on my Japanese and kanji. WOo hoo!

Aug 27, 2009

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

I did this quotes' exact opposite. Can't say it wasn't great-- put off moving and cleaning for the most part. I did little things here and there, but really all I felt like doing was working on art and playing around online trying to fix up my website. Anywho, Thursday had creeped up so fast, being that it was the 27th meant I only had 4 days left to get out of my p-town apt, and that it was the night of our Fiddler on the Roof show!! Clean? Get dolled up? Clean?

Get. Dolled. Up.

We headed downtown on the max, in hopes of finding something on the way that was easy to eat. We ran into something that looked like the Bite of Portland event, Italy style. We got some anti-pasti, and some seriously amazing pastas, one a marinara meat sauce and the other seemed like dumplings in a creamy garlic white sauce. mmmmmmmmmmmm. Overpriced festival food that tasted pretty darn good.

From there we hopped back on the max, and headed further down, until we had to make our uphill trek to the auditorium. Thankfully we made it with much time to spare, and enjoyed a great show with Topol and the rest of the cast. I actually need to rent the dvd now because I haven't seen it :-O hehe. I'm sure the theatre version was better anyways?

Some cool online videos!

Apple does it again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBeIXi4J74k&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etheworldsbestever%2Ecom%2Fpage%2F3%2F&feature=player_embedded

http://vimeo.com/5020134?pg=embed&sec=5020134

more amazing stop motion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpWM0FNPZSs&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etheworldsbestever%2Ecom%2Fpage%2F9%2F&feature=player_embedded

pee wee herman PSA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agT2GVNQjao&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etheworldsbestever%2Ecom%2Fpage%2F8%2F&feature=player_embedded

worlds first bike trick?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZjd9pBmLoU&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etheworldsbestever%2Ecom%2Fpage%2F9%2F&feature=player_embedded

Wed.

Saw Star Trek again. We were actually gonna see it in IMAX but forgot to grab directions before leaving and didn't want to traverse the highway at a really busy time! 

Interesting things that happened on Wednesday. Ate chinese food twice at two different restaurants for a total of 3 fortunes cookie fortunes. I think I will hold off on chinese for awhile. 

Went on career mode for G.H and played a bunch of "concerts" but my arm got tired and I didn't unlock the Dragonforce song. Yet. Thankfully I have today off to get that done :P 

Am thinking about painting again, but like always have a bit of doubt as to whether I really want to waste more paint today. lol. Oh well. 

Recent Events

Yesterday-- Busy at work. Happy hour lunch. Sushi next to a Roloff! Haha. Photoshoot. Guitar Hero. TB amazing drumming. Taco Bell run! 

Today-- No work. 4 hours sleep. Kunikuniya shopping. "Comic book" Shop (actually a game shop full of little models that people paint), Bakery & Spice (yummy focaccia and flatbread + Rhubarb pastry), Starbucks, WINDY, OHSU tram (scary), Everyday Music, NW 23rd, Wunderland, Rock Band best buy, Home!

great past couple of days!

Star Trek this morning! I can't emphasize enough how good of a job they did with all the characters... it was spot on for practically everything.

 

Luminescence to perfection!

While not being a homeowner detracts from the appeal of going to a store like Lowe's or Home Depot I can say that my favorite aisle is definitely the one with all the sample light fixtures plugged in. Something about that is so magical to me (ooooh shiny?) I don't even think most of those lights fit my style, but seeing these pictures remind me of how much I love creative lighting solutions! I'd love to be a chandelier designer! 

excitement~

Time is flying by so fast. It is hard to believe that around this time last year I was studying for finals and packing up my room so I could graduate and be free from school. Now I am sitting here wondering what that was all about, since the economic downfall has probably shaped  (or misshaped) my expectations henceforth. Do I still want to do art? Of course. Do I still think it's possible to have a career in it? Probably not right now.  Should I go back to school, if yes, in what? It might be wrong to assumed that a higher degree will guarantee a job. Something a lot more steady with higher income would be glorious though. 

In other news, I am excited that in abouts a month my mum will be visiting me!!!!! After she gets here we will soon be departing for New York where we will spend 4 days adventuring, eating, and walking our way through the famous sights of the city that never sleeps. I have never been there before and it will be my first major traveling experience in a couple years. Anyone have any suggestions? 

A taste of another world

On Tuesday I had to work, but we had planned to go to an Indian restaurant afterwards that we had heard was really good (buffet for $8)! When we finally found the directions we realized that their lunch period ended at 2 pm and we would not make it. Scouring the internet for more Indian buffet type places we found that pretty much everyone ended their lunches around 2! In a chance happening we found a write-up for Pasha Mediterranean which sounded like a deal (and their happy hour didn't end till 3pm!) We quickly headed down to town and found ourselves in the Chinatown district, which is always fun. If Pasha didn't work out we could've always headed to our fave place (Fong Chong Cantonese Restaurant) lol. We made it to Pasha to find a wide array of Mediterranean goods. Hummus, Tzatziki, Pita, Kebabs, Saffron rice, Roast Beef, some kind of stewed chicken, and other very nice dishes. I must say that my eyes are larger than my stomach because I took one of everything and was only able to finish half of my plate, but it was delicious (buffet all for $7.99)! After that we headed past Upper Playgrond ( :( ) to the amazing comic book store across the street where I was engulfed in their contemporary art books. I found this Japanese illustrator whom I am totally inspired by! Needless to say I wanted to buy everything in the store but *sigh* lol. I'll just have to wait till I can go back again and spend more time reading! 

Today was neat.

Got off of work a bit early. Headed home and broke in the new popcorn popping machine! It was pretty amusing. Then we finally decided where we were gonna go out to eat. Gustav's Bar & Grill! We hadn't planned it, but we made it for happy hour. Which doesn't include drinks, but a wide range of food items from their menu! 

We got a swiss fondue appetizer with cubed bread pieces and brats sliced up. It was amazinggggggggggggggggggggggness! E had a good drink, called "The Pear" *much recommended* Then the slider plate for me, which was three mini burgers (one hamburger/sausage/chicken), E had a really good shepherd's pie with sausages and saurkraut on the side. And, if that wasn't enough, hot Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream  goodness. It was rich and melted in the mouth. Not quite the same as the one I had in England for Thanksgiving but still really good!!!

After that we headed to Toys 'R' Us, tried to find a used sports equipment store, ended up at a pawn shop, and then the market to pick up a few things. 

movie update

2001:A Space Odyssey ***** Uh-may-zing!

Usual Suspects ***** awesome.. just my type of movie

Mall Cop *** silly, funny, lighthearted

Mr. Woodcock *** formulaic but an okay laugh

Becoming Jane **** very entertaining

Vitus ***** German Foreign Film-- great story! 

CJ7 **** Korean Foreign Film

Meet The Robinsons **** Pixar-- cute! 

Step Up 2 The Streets: HORRIBLE

Slumdog Millionaire ***** Amazing

He's Just Not That Into You -* Cute but made women seem completely helpless 

The Office UK series **** LOL 

New Digital Art

www.nikki.7down8up.com

Inspiration for your Week

Fi-na-lly!

I installed Adobe CS (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc etc) onto my imac!!!!! WOO HOO! Yes, I've been meaning to do this for about 5 months... not sure why the heck this took me so long but I guess I assumed it would take a day or so to download. Not so. It was an upwards of 20 minutes. Tops. LoL. Sheesh, definitely shoulda done that sooner. 

Since I installed it, (yesterday) I fully completed another digital art piece AND worked on cleaning up some drawings which will be used for T-shirt designs. Yes, that's right kiddies! T-shirts by moi! They should be pretty sweet, and I'm sure I'll be giving some out so ya'll can be my walking advertisements! I will post pics when I get the mock-ups finished :) :) :)  

On another note unrelated note, I'm kind of (okay really!) pissed that my heating bill is so expensive. I don't think we've been running it THAT much more than normal. Ugh. Hopefully the worst with that is over since this IS January and it IS still snowing randomly. Bah! Humbug! 

Insanely awesome...

I've been more and more surprised with our Netflix service recently. I found that there are some really great art/design documentaries that I never imagined Netflix would offer.

One of the first I watched was called:

1. POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English

and 2. Helvetica (yes, the font)!

 For those of you who don't know, Ron English is a vigilante artist! This movie/documentary illustrated that even more by being filmed in a guerilla art style, which made this even more fascinating and eye gluing for me. "The film also serves as a biography, chronicling English's evolution from a simple painter to an activist-instigator who skewers just about everything from Ronald McDonald to the war in Iraq." POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English went behind the scenes of his daily life and showed just how he goes about getting away with his billboard repainting :P

Moving on. Helvetica is one of the most popular fonts in the world due to its infinite readability. The documentary offered interviews with designers and artists who were insightful as to the development, use and universal acceptance of Helvetica. It goes briefly into the history of typefaces, and font making while showing how Helvetica has become the typeface of choice for everything. Whether you are writing a letter or creating a corporate logo. 

Another interesting documentary I watched (while not really related to art, but one of my other passions [Japan]) is called The Great Happiness Place which goes into the seemingly messed up culture of Japan. This compelling film explores the rarely seen world of Japanese host boys, men who are paid to entertain wealthy women in exclusive nightclubs. Almost but not quite gigolos, more akin to male geishas, the host boys of Cafe Rakkyo share their secrets. The narrative focuses on Issei, Osaka's top host boy, but all the characters in this unique subculture are fascinating. 

I would recommend all these movies with * * * * * 5 starz!!!   

Wrapped Up In Books

Let's see if I can remember some of the books I read in 2008:

The Shack

Night

1984

The Watchmen (graphic novel)

Eragon

Eldest

Brisingr

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse 

Breaking Dawn

(i forgot a bunch)

On my List for 2009:  (I have way too many)

1. A lot more poetry...

2. Some piano theory 

3. Violin "how-to" 

4. Eragon book 4 (lol)

5. too many too name

6. Jane Austen... yup never read one of her's yet

(more to come!) 

You might not have known...

that I love to play the piano!

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pieces. I have wayyyy too many, but the ones that I post now express why the piano is such a great instrument.

A few of my favorite composers (you can research them a bit on your own, if i don't get to it myself)... Debussy, Chopin, Mozart, Scott Joplin, Rachmaninov, Tchaichovsky, David Lanz, Michael Nyman, Jim Brickman, James Horner, Yiruma...

1. The Heart Asks Pleasure First (from The Piano by Michael Nyman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPS-EHl-FE

2. Christifori's Dream (by David Lanz)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZwsuN8vb7g

3. River Flows In You (by Yiruma)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhN7SG-H-3k

4. Memory (from Broadway Musical "Cats")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIYJcUEPbdo

Now for some classics....

1. Concert 3 Opus 30 (by Rachmaninov) [watch the first 2.5 min]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHuSDmoa748
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Ojk66DId4&feature=related
(just watch how fast this guy's hands can move!)

2. Arabesque (Debussy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWpV7L4YHuU

3. Fantasie-Impromptu (Chopin) of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvm2ZsRv3C8

4. Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc

Random

1. Things (by Duke Ritious????)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_i3fQ2yQpA


Did you know? Mozart was baptized---

Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart !! Hahaha. What a name. And I thought Wolfgang was much. Also.. does anyone remember Mario 64 for N64.... In the water world... an eerie song plays. It is the beginning of Mozart's -- Fantasy in D Minor which is on a loop. Oh my goodness it is beautiful on piano. Listen to the first min...

1. Fantasy in Dm (Mozart)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8vDe4eQK60
I like where this guy's piano is. lol.

If you like piano music, you will not be disappointed :) There will be more to come!!! I also listen to a lot of other classical music (if you couldn't guess :P) and could probably come up with 102398023 more videos to show you.

So, I've lost my voice...

But that doesn't mean I can't type! Haha. I haven't posted in awhile, because I left my baby... I mean.. my Imac, back in P-town! So I've been switching between using a couple different laptops and computers here at home.

Oh my goodness. My parents are both techies now. They own ipods.. but not just any ipod. THE ipod touches! I am jealous. We have wireless at my house and they can go online with that little handy dandy thing practically anywhere!

Anywho, what have I been up to? I'm being asked that a lot. lol. Wellllll let me think.

-----I got a part time job at the mall, so that I could keep some money flowing in. They actually gave me a pretty decent amount of hours each week so I was busy with that. Hung out with family a lot, before and after New Years, which I must say is my FAVORITE time of year. MOST FAVORITE!

You haven't done New Year's right till you've been on my island. Illegal aerials, anyone? The fireworks show didn't stop till almost an hour AFTER the new year had been rung in. And this isn't just like one place shooting them off. It's hundreds of families flying these illegal things in the air for all to enjoy. It is a spectacular sight. When it finally dies down the whole island is covered in a thick fog (aka SMOKE) which makes everything look really cool. haha. yeah cool. Can you tell I love fire?

I want to talk more about that but I must post pics to go with them-- so more to come!