30.9.10

::Life at the big O!::

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25.9.10

::Meet me in San Francisco, honey.::

Shortly before SWEET STREETS, I was requested by Sebastian of 6% DOKIDOKI to follow them on their world tour in San Francisco; needless to say I was both overwhelmed and honored. (Turns out that I'm a fan of Sebastian longer than the majority of girls that work at 6%, because I used to be a reader of his column "What is Lovely?" in KERA! magazine, from its first issue)

I left LA via airplane on Wednesday, and unfortunately my flight kept on being delayed due to the foggy weather in SF... Once I got there, mama Caro picked me up from SFO and I was dropped off at NEW PEOPLE, where my first job awaited.
{l to r: moi, Sebastian, Patrick}
This was my second time translating Sebastian's talk show, so things weren't as challenging as the first time, but as always, it's not easy to try to keep the speaker's subtle nuances as close to the original when translating... Hopefully I did a decent job for the listeners!

{Mausy Mausy Mausy Maus.}
The ever amazing Amy and Kevin were kind enough to let me stay at their kitty palace, where I suffered from constant allergy attacks, but was instantly in love with their lovely kitties. Although my heart fell for Little Brother (who has his own little tune, which is still stuck in my head dun dun dun), my favorite was Maus, a nihilistic, misunderstood but lovable bad boy. He seemed to open up his heart for me, and as Amy was telling me that he liked me, he gave me a kiss. With his teeth. Yeeeouuuch! ...But I still love him.

{l to r: Yuka, Michelle, moi, Trevor, Caro, Vani, Sebastian}

{l to r: American Cupcakes. I miss you already.}
{世界の皆と電話する〜♪増田セバスチャンでーす!!}

There's no such thing as "enough" partying when you're with the DOKI DOKI family. Almost every night I was eating delicious food. $$$ was flying out of me, but my taste buds were crying in glory. American Cupcakes def turned out to be one of my favorite spots in San Francisco, I'm coming back for sure!!
I also got to spend a couple nights with the DOKI DOKI crew as well; which meant BONUS, I got to see the shop girls in their bare faced glory. Obviously it was a strict NO PHOTOS PLEASE policy (haha), but let me say one thing. THEY ARE ADORABLE, NONE THE LESS. Esp Vani, since I first bumped into her sans maquillage when I came out of the shower, and she was coming out of her bedroom, and she squealed "Oh no, I don't have any make up on!". I told her she looked just fine, and there was nothing to worry about, since we were the EYEBROW-LESS SISTERS. ...Saori and Kedama, Sebastian's assistants, kindly told me I had a Anna Tsuchiya-look when I was sans war paint, but I think they're a little too kind.

{obligatory tourist shot. One item I regret not buying in SF}

{l to r: Michelle, our new boyfriend, moi}

{michelle and I busting out our cameras on our ride to the Wharf}

And then I had some break from working and headed to Fisherman's Wharf with Michelle and Caro! I love the tacky touristy-crap there, as well as the incredible food (YAY FOR CALAMARI and FRESH BOILED SHRIMP!)

J POP SUMMIT::




{l to r: My new gay husband Trevor and I}

Then came the SERIOUS WORK DAY at J POP SUMMIT, held at NEW PEOPLE. It was truly a busy day, early wake up time and bustling around until late at night! The event was a great success, and I could tell that a lot of people loved the show. I was truly lucky to be a part of all of this, and was so proud as I watched the audience from the stage.

{l to r:: Vani, Sebastian, moi and Yuka}

Then came the last day with my new family. It was last minute chatter and fun times, as I found out Sebastian was close friends with 阿部サダヲ (Sadao Abe) since middle school (!!), one of my favorite actors of all time. I gushed my love to Sadao to him, and he told me that he was always jealous of him because he was more popular with the girls since middle school, although he's a "shy boring guy" (according to Sebastian, that is). However, he promised me to arrange a meeting with him and I when I go back to Tokyo. OH NO!! ...but my heart sank as he told me he was married and has 2 children. Oh noes.

{autograph,bitches.}

I also got super lucky and bumped into Mori Chack, the creator of Gloomy bear!! I've been a great fan of Gloomy for years now, and snagged an autograph using my SEBA-PASS (セバパス。Short for "Sebastian-Pass", a magic pass you use using Sebastian's name. I introduced myself as Sebastian's translator, and voila, no need to spend $125 at BABY, and I got my autograph free of charge. muwahaha.) Mori Chack spotted my Gloomy hand key chain, which turned out to be a FAKE. Super embarrassing moment. I was in more shock because it was a gift from a friend of mine, and he consoled me by telling me "If that's the case, it's real." (Either way, he told me that it was made so well that only his assistant or him would be able to tell) He was a super nice guy, and I blurted in out my Osaka-ben (happens when I'm super nervous), which seemed to impress him. haha.


{Vani, Yuka, DOKIDOKI fans and I during the fashion walk}

Overall, + needless to say, I was super happy to be a part of such great tour. I made so many great friends, and got to be a part of what I used to be a mere fan of. Kedama and Saori told me by now I was no different than a shop girl, Vani thanked me countless times, and Sebastian told me I was a part of the DOKI DOKI family now. It was more than just hard for me to leave SF, and even though I clenched my teeth and tried as hard as I could not to cry, I couldn't help myself when I saw Saori crying. ...Don't cry!! We're gonna have an even more CRAY CRAY time in Tokyo when I'm back there!! ...and I was en route to Angel City.

A big thank you to those who were super hospitable to me while I was there! And a big big I miss you to all my SF peeps! Hopefully I can see you all once again, very very soon!<3>

23.9.10

::b a r e f a c e d::




I'm writing this in honor of NO MAKE UP WEEK//NMUW (hosted by Rachel of Rabbit Write).
The ever amazing Zoetica Ebb has some amazing articles relating to NMUW coming up this week, so I would definitely recommend everyone to take a look also!

{l to r: mama, moi, baba, lisa}

I actually consider myself to be more of a late-bloomer when it comes to make up. Primarily because I was a secretly-girly-girl-tomboy who was too ashamed to give myself up to my girly tendencies, but also because I was lazy and couldn't bother with the whole process of make up. But the women of my mother's side; primarily my mother and grandma, shook me awake. I loved staying over at my grandparents' home, especially because my baba would have so many make up items- bottles and bottles of mysterious liquids, palettes, tubes and tubes of lipstick... More than anyone else, she taught me the "etiquettes of being a lady" by taking care of my skin. Then there was my older cousin Lisa, who would bring her kiddy-makeup when she came over, and we spent nights applying clown make up on our faces, thinking that we were oh so "mature".
The women in my family never slacked off when upkeeping their look- even my great-grandmother will have my uncle take her to the market so she could buy her cosmetics.
















{glittery babyface.}



Then came my true introduction to make-up, age 14/5, when I was taking part in a theatre production at my school. One of the older students applied make up on me, and I saw my face transform right in front of my eyes. To me, she performed magic right in front of my eyes. I was mesmerized. Then came the comments from the other girls, telling me that I looked so much better with make up on my face. I was convinced that make up was the way to go.

Soon after, my mama bought me my first eyeshadow palette from Majorica Majorca, a makeup line by Shiseido I was swooning over for the past couple weeks. And then it all began.

{dark eyes and impressively long lower lashes.}

The usual regimen consisted of powder, crazily applied eyeliner (esp during the I is so gawthic era), and even crazier eyeshadow around the eyes. When I got my hands on my first Urban Decay eyeshadow palette, I went crazier. When I became a fan of Dita von Teese, the cat eye-liner was in full effect. Then came the phase where I could not leave my house bare faced. Every time my mama told me to eat breakfast instead of painting my face, I yelled back at her. Every time my boyfriend told me he wanted me not to wear make up, I would become frustrated with his ignorance. (In all fairness, he was probably trying to be nice, but to me it felt like he was denying the effort and art I put in my face at the time... Silly when I think about it now)

{i have eyebrows now.}

Soon enough, I discovered the wonder of drawn-in eyebrows. Excessive plucking, joined with alopecia and eczema had massacred my natural eyebrows, and I had grown familiar with the sans-brow look. My mama kept on pestering me to draw them in, telling me I looked like a "rotten Marilyn Manson" due to the lack of eyebrows and excessive eyeliner.

{daily ritual.}

To this day, I still have fun with make up as much as I did when I first discovered the wonders of it. It's a form of art, self expression, and all-time fun-activity. But at the same time, I feel that a lot of girls (and boys, possibly) let themselves be taken over by it as well. I had a friend who just wouldn't take off her make-up during school trips. I myself had a phase where I felt insecure without the colors and lines applied onto my empty canvas.

It took me a while to get in touch with the face I was born in. It took me a while to say "it's okay" to not wearing make up when going outside. It was almost as a tedious, long road of me accepting myself wearing glasses/having bad eyes/accepting my freckles/victorious dark circles from long nights of homework at art school. My friend was impressed when I walked out the door without makeup when visiting him. I had changed.

And how can you love your art without loving the original canvas?


And now I present to you, the bare face.


15.9.10

SWEET STREETS II RE-CAP!

The past week has been super crazy for me, due to SWEET STREETS!!
Needless to say, life has been hectic and non-stop crazy due to the super combo of being a full time Otis student as well as working for/with Sweet Streets, but I have nothing to regret.

Lots and lots of amazing art work!! Look at Fawn Fruits' 'love' girl! She's one of my favorites!
Mjin's piece was a personal favorite of mine. Thanks to the best "BFF-matcher" Daniel Lim/Fawn Fruits, I've had the honor of speaking to the artist herself!

More and more amazing work! This one is made out of SAND. I used to get little sand-picture (Sunae) kits as a child, but this one is just epic beyond words!
By the great Jaw Cooper! Otis dominated Sweet Streets! YUS!



The 6% DOKIDOKI show was impressive beyond imagination as well; fortunately I was able to take part in this from its baby steps, assisted 6% in the model audition process, as well as the rehearsals of the models... But seeing this actually come together on the opening night made me feel like a proud momma watching her girls go. ...Okay I sound like I'm over-the-top for being just a translator, but I truly felt proud to be a part of this show!!

So many people. so little space... I am shocked that the fire marshall didn't shut us down.
And thank you for not doing so!!!!!


I also got the honor of being painted by Eimi and Mikurou, two very talented artists visiting from Japan. Eimi's work is very kowa-kawaii (scary-cute), and I instantly became a fan. She will be represented by Sweet Streets LLC, led by my amazing bo$$ Caro!
Eimi gave Caro this painting of me as a gift, so there is a piece of me loitering in my bo$$'s house, watching her cook up more plans for KAWAII world domination ;)


The ever-so jerk-alicious and hilarious Mr.Unicorn also paid homage to Sweet Streets! Needless to say, he was one of the most popular figures at the shows, and a great photo-opp.



See!


6% DOKIDOKI FAN DAY :: 9/12/2010





The fan day hosted by 6%DOKIDOKI the following day of the opening was not to be missed either! Sebastian Masuda, the creative force behind the brand and shop, gave a lecture on the history of Harajuku, as well as the possibilities of "KAWAII". Not the typical "Oh hey check out my shop, I'll talk about the stuff I make" b/s. Quite honestly, I wished I was in the audience listening to his lecture to understand and appreciate his lecture, rather than doing that and translating it into English at the same time! Truly inspiring.

A lucky winner receives her prize after the Janken-competition!
Vani, the shop girl on the right, is truly one of the sweetest girls I've encountered!


I'm sure there are a plethora of photographs lingering on the internet, but I shall stop here!! Special credits go to Fawn Fruits, Valerie Durham and SHIMOSHPIT/Amy Shimoshige for the photos. I was too busy running around the gallery to take any!! (It really doesn't help when everyone decides to interview non-English speakers on the spot! hehe)

Tomorrow I am off to San Francisco to accompany 6% DOKIDOKI on their final tour dates for the "Harajuku Kawaii Experience" world tour. I have be warned that I will be taking part in more academic debates relating to Japanese street culture (apparently an "otaku theorist" will be in attendance...), and I am both excited and antsy at the same time! But for now, I'm off to get some long needed sleep!