gloopgloopgloop

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

you have the most...
...random bits of leftover hair extension gloop stuck to your scalp?

Joy of joys, indeed, it's true.

Yesterday was interesting to say the least. I was working for a client I shot with last time I was in HK but this time they decided to fly in an american stylist/photographer couple/team. From New York. Actually, she was originally from hk, he didn't tell me where he was originally from. This is the thing I've noticed about people who live in new york. Since most people aren't originally from there, somehow it seems permissible to tell people that you're 'from new york' even if you've only lived there for a few years. After two months,I could even get away with 'from new york' while abroad.

OK, its great to associate yourself with one of (if not the) most amazing cities in the world. Cool. But when you're not ACTUALLY from there and you not only brag 'from new york' but also use it as a platform for condescension towards local crews while working abroad, I think it's a disgrace. Example: Photographer yesterday making chimp jokes, bitching about the rented camera (why he didnt bring his own i'm not sure) and making comments under his breath about how shitty it is to work in hk. Coming 'from new york' I would have expected a little more cultural sensitivity. Of course the hk crew got him back after he left by bitching about how a reputable hk crew couldve got the job done without such ridiculous delays. I'm not trying to judge either hk-ers or nyc-ers but make an observation on the interactions amongst the crew on set and the importance of cultural understanding. I've often seen an effortless melding of influences and cultures on set so it was interesting to see them clash so profoundly, and drew my attention to how surprisingly rare such an event really is in the fashion industry.

wednesday morning

Found out this morning that the fitting I was supposed to have today has been cancelled and I will be shooting tomorrow in chai wan. One 10-hr. day's work-not a bad way to earn my way to hk for a week if you ask me. I'd been contemplating an excursion to the HK wetlands park and today would've been the perfect opportunity. But...I couldn't tear myself away from the busy streets. There's something wonderful about just being in the midst of it all-the organized chaos of everyday life-epecially in a foreign city. Which is why I think I'll explore my old CWB hood today before heading to Life Cafe for dinner with my mum's friend Cherin (which I am incredibly excited about)...Now, to tear myself away from my new favorite coffee place (free wifi, thank you Caffe Habitu)... Just got a message that I need to go by the agency at 12.30 to pick up my job info and take pictures of my hair to send the client...good thing I'm not at the wetland park!

101.2

POST 101

one-hundred-and-first post and no photos!!! how pathetic...
In my defense, I can't seem to manage a wifi signal on my laptop and have had to resort to my old fallback, pacific coffee. Oh, how terrible, that I am in hk at pacific coffee, blogging (sarcasm). I think its pretty suiting that I started blogging in HK (has it really been almost a year?) and am posting #101 from this amazing city! I've always said how much I would love to split my time between hk and nyc, my two favorite cities, and here I am, fresh from new york! well..not quite so fresh, considering the dampness of my cramped hotel room and lukewarm (if that) temperature of the water in the building. Oh, it's good to be back in hk!

Traded yellow taxis for red,
street art for peeling panels of canto writing,
and plastic garbage bags for bamboo baskets
flourescent lights line all the main streets,
not only Times Square, though there's one of those too (!)

Hk is a sea of color, odor, and sound. I love it. And I have a week here before I head back to nyc! Nyc...hk...nyc...bliss. Now if only I could find dragonfruits to eat for breakfast in nyc...

sunny days

It can still be a little chilly, but we've been having some beautifully warm days this week. Which of course meant a walk in Central Park (last 2 pics)I've been feeling strangely under the weather but managed to pick up an appropriately-sized suitcase today and started my packing for 10 DAYS IN HK!!! Then I came home to check my email and discovered that the 's' key on my laptop mysteriously developed some sort of ailment which necessitates my pounding on it in order to type every single 's'. On the plus side, my ring finger is getting a workout. On the downside, its a pain in the assss. And I have a stomach ache.

Next update to come from HK!

peace, love.

Caught a glimpse of Her Lady Liberty while riding the legendary Staten Island Ferry today. This free ferry ride/commuter transportation was something I'd always heard about and associated with new york but never got around to doing...until today, that is. I can't wait to ride the ferries in HK again-especially in 20-degree (celsius) weather, which will provide a welcome reprieve from the winds which have been sweeping manhattan and also hopefully make my sightseeing treks a little less damp than the 30-degree humidity I slogged through on my visit last summer.Quote (paraphrase from memory) of the day: "Have a great day and an even better tomorrow. You get back what you dish out. Peace, love, handshake, smile, high-fives, kisses-but only from you ladies."

hello again

The past few weeks have been nothing if not a period of magic and adventure. For starters, I said 'peace out' to my Brooklyn neighborhood
and 'hello, darling!' to my UES neighborhood (and yoga only a 10 minute walk away!).

On the way to a casting I ran into my friend Karla, whom I met in HK, and she introduced me to Ethiopian food:curries and vegetables on thin crepe-like (but sort of sour) bread, which you eat by picking up with other pieces of the bread. I've tried a lot of international foods, but this was a first!

My dear friend and former roommate and subletter Lauren just got back into town from Australia via LA and we hit up the Hell's Kitchen outdoor flea market as well as my other dear old friend, Beacon's Closet:Between Karla and Lauren and Tom, my wish for friends with which to explore the city is well on its way to being fulfilled.


In other exciting news, which I restrained myself from blogging about earlier, I'm going back to HK!!! I leave on the 13th for a one-day direct booking and am planning on staying a few extra days for a mini holiday and a chance to explore the city in something other than blistering heat and humidity! I could not be more excited! Add on some thrifting, for the first time in a lonnngg time, and you have one happy camper. Tom and I also stumbled upon Metropolis thrift store in the East Village, which houses THE most extensive selection of vintage leather boots and shoes I've ever laid eyes on. While in the EV we had lunch at Quintessence, which serves vegan raw food. It was some of the best food I've ever had ('live' hummous, veggie crackers, nut-cheesey broccoli...just...wow)

New York is clearly full of many best-of-the-bests. And a relatively easy place to eat vegan. Which is what I've begun to do. I was a pesco-vegetarian for a long time (vegetarian, but ate fish), but never really ate eggs due to a childhood allergy, and have had to go off dairy because uncultured dairy makes me nauseous and cultured diary makes my skin break out. With the advent of Spring (noticeably warmer weather which has freed me-at least temporarily-from the confines of my knee-length down parka) I embarked on a three-day spring cleansing juice fast and then...I did it. I started eating vegan. I still wear vintage leather, but no longer consume any animal products. And so far, my body loves it. It's practically jumping out of its extraordinarily happy skin with joy.