Knitting Ain't For Grandmas No More

When I think of knitting I think of grandmas with glasses drinking hot chocolate. I'm not really sure what to say about this... I will just continue to stand here with my mouth wide open. Graffiti knitting - unique, guerilla art for boys and girls, time consuming I'm sure, inspiring, unbelievable, and something that won't piss off store owners. If I walked out and of my apartment and my car was covered in yarn, I would never want the rain or sun to touch my car again - I would probably have to invest in a moped. It makes me wonder how long these pieces stay up for because even if you didn't enjoy it, you may be guilted into not removing it because of the warmth put into it. Anyways, check it out for yourself.

Do You Want to Touch - hey!

I just saw a commercial for the HP Touhsmart PC and I'm pretty intrigued. First off, the music in this commercial made me want to shout and dance - seriously. The commercial itself was very iphone/ipod-ish. Cool song, very visual, quick, sleek and intriguing. This computer has a large touch screen monitor, a blue-ray disk drive, easy to organize media, a build in webcam, and other features I have never heard of. Seems to me like this is there opportunity to stay ahead of the Apple curve and it will be intersting to follow the reviews on this.

Web 2 point what?

What is web 2.0? - The second phase on the Internet I hear. With so many competing companies and applications it's all a little overwhelming to me. I'm looking forward to making use of these 2.0 resources and have been active on myspace and facebook for some time now, igoogle, google reader, blogspot, and really everything google. I recently joined LinkedIn too. I just want everything to happen by using one button (a google button I hope). I hear about digging this and delicious that so I guess I have a lot to learn. Look at all this...

Happy Ads Make Me Mad (Sometimes)

I was reading this depressing article about the train crash and saw this image of a happy girl. Now I know it says "advertisement" in the upper left corner of the image but for some reason I didn't see that right away and thought to myself "oh my god, what does this happy girl have to do with this story." When I realized it was an ad (and I still don't know what for, I assume t-shirts) I still felt it was inappropriate. I'm sure these are randomly placed but it just didn't fit the story and it seemed so useless. This reminds me of when you're watching a TV show and something really sad or dramatic happens... a tornado just swooped up your favorite character who may possibly never walk again and then it cuts away to the thicker quicker picker upper, Bounty. It just screws you all up inside because one second your like "gasp, oh my god" and the next second you're like "what the f is this crap that just threw my emotions all out of whack!" I'm sure you know how I feel... I think that advertisements randomly placed in the middle of an article or even during a commercial break need to take the storyline or context into greater consideration in order to not piss people off or have them tune out.

Eyeballs

Alright, I just saw these eyeballs on the streets of Hollywood. When these type of things spring up out of nowhere it's always some artist trying to make themselves know in a mysterious underground kind of way. I didn't see these a week ago so keep your "eye" out for more and let me know if you figure out what this is all about. These are both on Hollywood Blvd. one is at the corner of Wilcox in front of Kung Pao Kitty and the other one is 2-3 blocks west in front of this place that is all black that has a door bell and a video camera - super stealth.

energy crisis? Drink Vitamin Water

Nobody can escape the economic/energy crisis so in a time where people's lives are falling to pieces, brands are trying to let you know why they are relevant to your life, how they can solve your problems, and how they can be part of the economic crisis too. I'm not totally sure I'm on board since people have serious issues to resolve, but everybody needs water so it might as well be this water right? - especially if it has something to do with the economy. This was a wrap on a van outside a huge concert. I would have jumped on the bandwagon if after standing on my feet all day, I could have received a free massage and Vitamin Water inside the van, but I don't think that was part of the package.

Famima, Ikea, Fresh and Easy

I went to Famima the other day to buy Tea's tea and a corn dog and suddenly felt smitten by the branding of Famima, Ikea, and Fresh and Easy. While I honestly can't tell the difference between these brands at first glance (which sounds like a bad thing), I still enjoy them all equally (disregarding furniture quality). I mean, nobody owns "simplicity" and that's exactly what these brands do right. Their simple, clean and honest. Peas are peas and carrots are carrots if you get my drift - it's exactly what you are looking for and at a very affordable price, yet somehow they don't look as if they should be sold in the 99 cent store. If these brand names were removed from the label would you notice a difference???

Luchador Masks

Dear Blabby,
I've been seeing these crazy masks everywhere, what the heck is going on?

Lucha Libre (not the movie) is a form of Mexican wrestling in which the wrestlers wear these masks that cover their faces... yes, you may have seen a few of them in my apartment. In the past year it's become quite a Hipster symbol - not totally sure why yet but maybe it's the mysteriousness of them, the unfamiliarity, the humor, the cultural association? First there was Lucha Va Voom http://www.luchavavoom.com/ which was this awesome wresting match that took place in Downtown Los Angeles. Then, I noticed it with Monster Massive http://www.monstermassive.com/ - an electronic music festival, and lastly, I saw some posters in the liquor store window for the energy drink Full Throttle. I'm sure there are plenty more examples, but I feel that has become a modern and relevant symbol for youth culture in the past year and I imagine you may start seeing them around town more often.

Blogging - Despair.com

This is funny to me

I'm a flash mobber!

Even wikipedia knows what a Flash Mob is: "A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse." I know, it's so 2003 but I still like it. Apparently I have even participated in one (SantaCon) without even knowing it! Basically it's a social experiment which is often used to get some point across (or just to be ridiculous for really no reason at all). Anything from planting a banana tree to dressing up as soldiers outside the McCain campaign offices. It's very guerrilla and often organized through email. Like everything that is once cool and loses it - the brands have started to catch on. Can flash mobs be on the way in or out? Yahoo recently partnered with Improv Everywhere to launch a flash mob campaign which was announced on Ad Age last month.

ESPN Astro Turf Ads

On the corner of Cahuenga Blvd. and Hollywood Blvd. is an ESPN ad for Monday night football. I've never seen anything like this, it's made out of fake grass so if you touch it the ad sticks out a few inches. I took a bad picture with my camera phone and went back to take a better one later however it was no longer there :( I looked online to find a pic and found tons of stories surrounding the subject of theft... apparently I'm one of many people who really enjoyed it but now they are being stolen left and right. I'm sure this has been quite costly for the brand however it may be worth the extra attention - what do you think? They are even running similar ads in print which is where I pulled this image from however it would have been really spectacular if it was also made out of a special pop-out material like green felt or something along those lines.

The Missing Time Phone Line

 

I've seen these ads around on telephone polls as well as in a Newsweek magazine recently. Apparently Zyrtec works 2 hours faster than Claritin. If you call this number it tells you you've reached the missing time phone line due to taking Claritin. Then the recorded message gives you some more info on Zyrtec directing to their website for more info. Pretty clever huh.

Ice Cream You Scream

You'd think having gone to school for business and marketing and currently working in market research I'd be less susceptible to advertising - not true. I buy Method products for 2 reasons.. 1 - I like the way the bottles look and 2 - it's better for the environment. I'd even buy this ice cream cone not because I have any idea what it says but because it looks cool.

 

On-the-go Radishes

I was at Trader Joe's and I saw these radishes. It's a cool concept however it would be a lot cooler if it were for carrots 1- because it's shaped like a carrot and 2 - because who eat radishes as a snack. I'm sure lots of people eat radishes but it doesn't strike me as one of those on-the-go healthy snack you see people eating at their desk. Package carrots this way and you got yourself a new customer!

Glass Walls on the rise in Hollywood

I'm detected a new architecture trend on the rise in Hollywood!!! Let me give you a little background info of the area first. I've lived here for about 3 years now and when I first move to Hollywood I had no idea what was behind most of these solid sign-less walls. If most of the trendy and elite clubs and restaurants were placed in any other city, from the outside they would look like warehouses, chop-shops, or drug dealin' locations. Unfortunately you have to be in the know to see that behind these walls are trendy hangouts filled with hot actors and celebs. Well, some business people have finally realized that if they only cater to these people, they will be out of business within a year - seriously.. I see it happen all the time. Within the last 6 month a 24 hour posh diner opened called Kitchen 24. It's affordable and more importantly accepts all people. I think the major difference with this place is that it has large glass windows so you can see everything inside which makes you want to go inside when you see how awesome and crowded it looks. It's fairly simple really... if people can see inside and it looks cool, they will want to come inside, and this, my friend, is why I feel it's always so busy. Face it, most people who come to Hollywood have no idea how to find a club with no sign and a door that you enter in a creepy alley. Following Kitchen 24 is Loteria Grill and Kress. I don't feel cool enough to get into Kress so I can't speak confidently for it yet however their similarities are the large glass walls. Loteria Grill is also always packed and I feel the reason why is that you can see inside! People know what they are walking by and they can see that it looks cool and busy. I'm sure it's less intimidating too when you know what you're walking into. Anyways, I think you get the point, in the near future I envision that more and more bars, clubs and restaurants will be bringing their solid walls down in place or inviting see-through glass.

The Red Cross and Dracular 3 Partner

According the the American Red Cross, every 2 seconds somebody in America needs blood. There are more people in need of blood than there are those who are donating it. How do you get people to do something that is quick, easy, free, and almost painless? The Red Cross has decided to partner with Encore for the release of their new computer video game: "Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon". The Dracula Blood Drive will take place October 3rd and 4th at eight locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. Each blood donor will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of the video game as well as other give-aways. We all know that daily it becomes more and more difficult for brands to find new and innovative ways to engage their consumers and I feel this is one of those ways. It's a win win opportunity.. free stuff, engaged participants, and more importantly these days - social responsibility.

Coconut Water and The Health Craze

I recently tried coconut water and love it! It's considered natures Gatorade because it has lots of electrolytes but without the fake sugar and all the other additives. Additionally it's good for your digestive system, skin, arteries, blah blah blah and... hangovers!!! Anyways, I'm starting to see it everywhere, particularly from this brand called O.N.E. A while ago I read that Coca-Cola had tons and tons of beverages in vending machines in Japan that were on and off the market in 3 months. They were beverages for the purpose of enhancing certain aspects of your health or appearance - I was loving the idea and anxious for these all-mighty drinks to make it here. While I have not seen much from Coca-Cola yet I have stated seeing all sorts or random brands popping up left and right including ONE and Borba. I am a total slave to these and I can't wait for more! The only thing that makes me feel less like a sucker is that at least the coconut drink is 100% coconut water and doesn't have all this other stuff in it but check out some of the ingredients in these drinks and you probably haven't heard of most.

California Goes Hands-Free

So as you know, Blabby can no longer hold her cell phone to her ear when she drives anymore, she must be hands-free. So, she got out of Trader Joe's the other day and from a distance it looked as though a bird had taken a serious shit on her windshield but to her surprise it was this cute ad for a hands-free thing from Parrot.com. It was pretty sweet, I couldn't avoid looking at it, and I was pleased that it wasn't shit :)

Simple Shoes

I went into this retail store at the Sunset Junction called something Kicks today. They sell Obey T-shirts, Nike shoes and other hipster brands. Included in their selective brand list are "Simple" shoes- a brand that prides itself on the use of sustainable materials and all that other great stuff that will save our environment. What caught my attention (which I failed to take a picture of) was the display that Simple shoes had provided to the company. It looked like a shelf with jars and inside each jar was a natural resource which Simple uses to produce their shoes. This included organic cotton, hemp, recycled car tires, suede, bamboo and recycled inner tubers.

It was very creative, visually eye-catching, and you didn't need to read a tag as to why you should buy this sustainable product, it just got to the point immediately... it was Simple. But wait, there's more... a patron in the store picked up the jar with the "hemp" in it and asked the employee what it was. The employee said "hemp" of course, and the lost customer was enraged and started yelling at him. The hemp was actually made of plastic which is somewhat ironic considering that plastic is not hemp nor is it sustainable. To me, it really didn't matter, I mean... could you even save hemp in a jar without is going bad? I figured it's just a nice display trying to get the point across and as long as the shoes are really made of hemp (or whatever natural material the brand claims) then who really cares... apparently this guy does. Unfortunately he took his concern up with the guy trying to make a simple living selling t-shirts instead of the company. While he was completely out-of-line is was still very ironic.

Gladiator sandals

I was at CVS in Hollywood the other day and I saw this girl wearing these really sweet Roman-looking sandals that went right below her knee and now I really want a pair. I did some Internet research and found that they are the cool new thing that all the celebs are wearing which is kind of embarrassing but maybe that will make them easier to find. Something about these shoes are so ugly but so cute, I hope I can find a cheap pair.

Pangea Day

"Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film. Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that and to help people see themselves in others through the power of film."

After watching several short films, here are a couple that caught my attention. "Laughter Club" by Neil Davenport is a short film that takes place in India which documents as the title says - laughter clubs. Basically these clubs gather to yes - laugh. While I feel it's a little absurd, it's really makes you feel happy knowing so many people get together just to laugh and make each other feel good. Not sure if I could fake a laugh and do it just because but nonetheless, they seem to find it enjoyable.

http://www.laughterfilms.com/

I couldn't find a clip of his film so be sure to check it out at the link above but these things are all over youtube so here is one of many to check out:


"Sweet Dreams" by Kisten Lepore was my absolute favorite. It's a creative piece about sugary treats (a cupcake) that learns how to be more healthy. Here is a clip of it:

Asahi Ramen

Just blabbing away again...

I honestly had no idea that there are restaurants dedicated to ramen and was smitten with the cute area it resides in. I guess this is my first ramen experience aside from that stuff that comes in the 30 cent package.

Asahi Ramen was really busy and for some reason they did not want to seat us and let every other group go ahead of us. We started with a couple pickled cucumbers which were freakin' amazing! We had gyozas as an appetizer which are little friend potstickers that pretty much taste like every other potsticker (aside from "The Potsticker" in San Francisco). Ricky and I shared a huge bowl (which we could not finish) of ramen noodles in clear broth with half a hard-boiled egg, pork slices, bean sprouts, and green onions. While I admit that it was fairly bland, for some reason I still liked it but would recommend adding some hot sauce or something to it.

Total comfort food, authentic feeling, loud women, healthy I think, super cheap, bland, huge portions, fast service, and something I would like to eat on a overcast day.

2027 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

Camellia Joy

So I get this awkward joy out of drinking flowering tea. It's suppose to taste like White Tea with Peach but I think Primula forgot the peach part. So you drop this ball that looks like a little watermelon into hot water and it grows into a tarantula-like flower. I'm not sure if I'm suppose to drink the hot pink petals. I often go on these binges of one thing or another (the master cleanse, 8 glasses of water a day, aspirin masks, smoothies, no grains) - I'm sure they will be exposed in time. Dr. Oz on Oprah said we should be drinking 4 glasses of green or white tea every day so maybe this will be my new muse.

Murakami at the MOCA

Dear BlAbby,

I've been sitting on my ass lately thinking about what I should be doing instead, to feel a little more cultured. Any thoughts?

Well, although you will rarely find me at a museum, today I went to the Murakami exhibit at the MOCA and it was pretty cool. I had first heard of this artist through a newsletter about his line of LV bags. Although I'm not a fan of that brand (sorry all females of the world) I was intrigued when I had read that Murakami is "arguably the most internationally acclaimed artist to emerge from Asia in the postwar era" - I figured I should take advantage of this opportunity. My favorite piece was called 727 show below.

I was most intrigued by his short films.

One was an animated film called kaikai and kiki about two friends who learn to grow watermelons in poop. The other short I loved was about this alien like creature called Inochi who experienced some humorous coming-of-age situations. I seemed to be the only non-art connoisseur giggling away. Check it out.