Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
2009 Harvard University graduation
My brother graduated last week from Harvard University undergrad. It was a sentimental moment for many of his peers, who would be saying goodbye to Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, my brother still has 8 more years to go in the Harvard M.D.-Ph.D program so he was comically ho-hum by the whole event.
I don’t know if graduations are that interesting honestly, but if you’ve never been to Harvard University, think of this as a quick tour.
CUT – Beverly Hills, CA
I’m not sure when I first learned about Wolfgang Puck’s signature steakhouse named CUT, but it seems like I’ve been hearing its name every other week for the past year. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith were photographed having a double date there last year, it was the setting for a lunch meeting in a recent Entourage episode, Adam Carolla on his radio show/podcast talked about his encounter there with a couple The Hills stars in December, on and on, not to mention all the food blog reviews I’ve encountered. CUT is a very hot restaurant, to say the least, and for quite a while, I’ve been looking forward to eating here with its genuine Japanese Wagyu steaks (think: Kobe beef). I made reservations a month in advance!
Beverly Hills and A Bathing Ape: Los Angeles!
As I’ve mentioned previously, visiting A Bathing Ape stores is always a treat in itself. The stores showcase the talent of interior designer Masamichi Katayama and his company Wonderwall. The Los Angeles store just opened in April 2008, and while I knew there weren’t any recent releases that I wanted to buy, I decided to stop by for the first time and check out the store since I was spending the day in downtown L.A. anyway.
Stuck at the airport
My connecting flight to Los Angeles has been delayed an hour and a half so I’m stuck here in Phoenix, kicking back after probably the scariest flight I’ve ever been on. I don’t have an accurate measuring stick, but there was a 5 minute stretch of turbulence where I experienced estimated G forces of 2 G’s and plenty of negatives. If it had continued for long enough, I’m certain I would have sunken eyes by now.
Anyway, hooray for free wireless internet so I have something to keep my mind off the delay. I just overheard a conversation by a couple of guys and a woman who had gotten off a flight. They apparently had met for the first time on the flight and I’m guessing they sat in the same row. The woman’s connecting flight is delayed until tomorrow, so the guys, who claim to live 10 minutes from the airport, are offering to let her stay overnight.
She thanked them for the offer, but declined. The guy then offered again, reiterating that it would be only a 10 minute trip away. She declined again. In total, it took three denials before the guys finally got the hint and left. “I gave you my number so give me a call if you need anything. 10 minutes!” he called as he left. The woman had already turned away.
Latest pick-ups
My order of melody.’s final album (a “Best Of” collection) came the other day, along with a nice poster. I went to Target to look for a cheap frame and was dismayed to see that none of the frames fit the poster exactly. Then I realized that I could flip the paper insert around and use it as a white background. I think it looks great!
I also got a couple Bathing Ape items from Yahoo Japan Auctions: the black Aoyama city camo shark hoody and a red BAPE letters crewneck. In general, I’m not really into clothing or fashion, but for some reason I’m a big Bape fan and keep up with the latest releases.
What I like most about the brand is its exclusiveness and the flashy designs, as well as the spectacular store designs by Wonderwall. So far I’ve been to the Taipei, Hong Kong, Harajuku, and Aoyama stores. I intended on visiting the newly opened Shibuya store this past summer, but I arrived 5 minutes after they closed for the night and didn’t get a chance to return the following days. Truthfully, Bape didn’t have any new releases at the time that I wanted, but visiting the stores is an experience in itself.
I also now have a near complete collection of catalogs/magazines. I’m just missing the first 2 issues.
I want to party all night
Every time I visit Asia, I search to see if there’s any performances I want to attend. My trips have never coincided with anything I find interesting, which I always find to be a major bummer. I’m not making a trip overseas anytime soon, but I just found out about this upcoming party that has a stellar line-up:
Shinichi Osawa (Mondo Grosso)
Taku Takahashi (m-flo)
Tomoyuki Tanaka (Fantastic Plastic Machine)
Genki Rockets (featured in Lumines II)
Jessica Michibata (Japanese model)
DJ Yummy (I’ve never heard her work, but I’ve seen her in commercials and she looks cute)
I would be interested to see any one of these people individually, but all of them at the same place on the same night?!? Unfortunately I can’t go, but this will be one rocking party. 10/24/08 at the Ageha club in Tokyo, if you’re in the area. More info and a promotional video for the event.
Jessica Michibata is gorgeous and seems to be everywhere on Japanese billboards. She also made a cameo in the latest Teriyaki Boyz single “Zock On!” where she looked amazing. I have a link to her blog in my “hot links” blogroll.
My first Blurb book
My brother got his copy in the mail today so I can do the big reveal: I printed my first photobook! It depicts my recent vacation to Taiwan and Tokyo. I used the services of Blurb, which provides the software to design books of all types and also has great printers.
The book cost me about $60 including shipping for a 170 page 10″ X 8″ hardcover with dust jacket. Prices will vary depending on the number of pages and the dimensions of the book.
