How I ended up at a rock/metal concert

A few weeks ago I was at Jenn's house for her birthday party. Her friends James and Melinda were visiting from Baltimore with their super cute daughter. We were all chatting, eating, etc.

James, who is a drum player for Division, mentioned that his band will be playing at a club in Virginia. I asked Jenn if she was going to go. She said yes. That's when for some bizarre reason I told her that I would come too.

As soon as the words came out of my mouth I was horrified. Me at a rock/metal concert!? Who was I kidding? That is so not my scene! I think Jenn was shocked just as much as I was.

Then, to save my "little" behind, I said that I'll go unless I'd have a hot date. Right. That was very smart of me. A week later, with no hot date (or any date) in site, Jenn picked me up on a Friday night and we drove to Springfield, VA to see James's band in concert.

First, however, we had to pick up ear plugs. Turns out, you have to wear ear plugs the entire time you are at the concert (the only time I wear mine are when my neighbors are too loud or the person next to me breaths too loudly or snores!).

Well, I survived my first (and probably last) rock/metal concert. It was definitely quite an experience. I felt like a fish out of the water, but it was entertaining none the less (nonetheless?). Unfortunately, it's still legal to smoke in clubs/restaurants in VA, so I came home reeking of smoke.

I'm glad I tried something different. I'm sure many of you who know me are quite surprised by this...after all, I skipped a night of salsa for this :) It was amazing to see how many people were "into" this music and how dedicated the band members were! It takes a lot of energy to play for 1.5 hours, not to mention the hours it takes to practice, etc.

Hmm, what should I try next?!?!?!?

Butterflies!

Today during lunch Laura and I took a walk to the Natural History Museum for their Butterfly exhibit. Luckily, we did not have to wait in line because my friend Sarah (who I met during the Avon Breast Cancer walk) volunteers at the exhibit on Tuesdays (the only day when admission is free!).

Butterflies were everywhere! So many colors. So many shapes. I was a bit scared that one will either sit on me or I would step on one...none of which happened.

Hope you like the photos below.

First Sale!!!

On Saturday I sold my first photograph! I am so excited. My friend Theresa bought The Silver Spoon photograph, and I was at the gallery and got to place the red dot on the label to indicate the sale! So far this is the only one I've sold.

The exhibit goes on until this weekend, and alas I don't have much hope of selling any other photos. I guess I'll just pack them up and take them home.

But still, this was very exciting!

By the way, on the last photo you can see my new haircut: what do you think?

Oh What a Great Night!

Last night was so much fun!

Wendy emailed me last month about DC Shorts Film Festival, and we decided to go to the opening night with Jenn and Wendy's friend Joel, and his friend John.

The screening was held at E street, so before the movie, Jenn, Wendy and I met up at Chipotle for dinner. Yes, I like fancy food, but sometimes Chipotle just hits the spot :) Unfortunately, due to Metro delays, we had only about 20 minutes to eat: it was not enough time: I felt like I was literally breathing in my food without fully enjoying it.

But back to the movies. The opening night included twelve short films ranging in subjects from sex trafficking to adultery to Irish Twins and possible suicide on The Brooklyn Bridge. I really enjoyed most of the films, even though some had endings that did not really reveal what happened. The Irish Twins film had several unexpected twists, which really held one's attention.

One of my favorites was Happily Ever After: you really have to see it to understand what happens, or at least how the movie was constructed. And bonus points: there was a great soundtrack.

After the screening, there was a short panel discussion with the films' producers/directors and then an after party on a rooftop of a nearby office building. How totally fun!?! The weather was gorgeous; we had great views of the Washington Monument and The Capital building. There were free drinks and free food and live music entertainment. Two vodka/apple juice combos and one glass of white wine later, I was a pretty happy girl. And of course the company was fun too.

That's why I love living in DC: so much culture!

Saturday Wendy and I are going back for another collection of shorts. Cannot wait.

Things that make me smile

During the trip to Montreal (yes, I promise to eventually stop talking about it) Anna, Erica and I visited the Musée D'Art Contemporain De Montréal, and my favorite exhibit contained photographs and statues of Logopagus. I don't know if it's because I'm a twin, or because I wear glasses, but I found something endearing and humorous about these two conjoined twins. They make me smile.

This was one of my favorite photos at the exhibit. I have no idea what it means/represents, but it just made me smile.

Something else that makes me smile is John and Kate Plus 8. Not sure if that's because in college I had a crush on someone who looks like John, or the eight adorable children, but anytime I'm at the gym watching Project Runway and switch to TLC during the commercials and see John and Kate Plus 8 show, I have a big smile on my face.

It's really the little things in life ;)

What we did in Montreal

Here's a quick itinerary of things Anna, Erica and I did in Montreal over the Labor Day weekend:

Saturday
* Canadian Center for Architecture (on my own): I had a private tour because no one else showed up. The building was beautiful: it's partially an original building and partially a new addition. It houses the 3rd best known architectural library in the world! There were no pictures allowed inside (ditto for most other museums), but I did take a few outside pictures of the sculpture garden
* Lunch in China Town: Vietnamese: not bad, but not amazing (by this point Anna and Erica have arrived)
* Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal: quite interesting exhibits; again: no pictures. The museeum has a very pretty garden with a fountain outside. My favorite thing, however, were life statues of conjoined twin characters (reminder: find out the name and include the link)
* Dinner at Trinity: a beautiful Greek tapas restaurant. The portions were rather small, but we managed to get full. It was really nice to sit outside, other than the fact that everyone and their mother smokes in Montreal
* After dinner, Erica wanted to check out La Boom club...omg, we were at least 10 years older than the other 5 people in the club; the music was lame; the club looked ghetto--> we left after 10 minutes (good thing we at least did not have to pay the cover: our hotel gave us free passes).
* After escaping La Boom, Anna and I went to a salsa club 64/9 conveniently located 3 blocks from our hotel! LOVED IT! The music was awesome, people asked us to dance: it was great. I stayed only till 1:30 am (because I woke up at 4 am the previous day), but Anna stayed there till almost 3 am! What a trooper ;)

Sunday
* The plan was to wake up super early to go to Atwater Market. That did not happen, but we still managed to get there by 10 am. It was lovely. Very fresh produce, flowers, cheese, baked goods, and we also had breakfast there
* We then went to the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal to see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit: it was astonishing to see how someone can be capable of designing such pretty clothing ensembles. And also, it is amazing to look at the workmanship of men and women who actually made those garments. Some of my favorites were the jackets inspired by Van Gogh's paintings.
* and then it was time for a nap
* Then, we took a trolley through the Montreal Botanical Garden.
* Next on the list was Old Montreal and dinner at The Keg: steak, baked potatoes, salad and unlimited glasses of Diet Pepsi. It was good. Oh, and mojitos! Old Montreal is very pretty: old streets, outside cafes and restaurants, families and couples walking around. We also attempted to do some shopping, but that just did not happen.
* Back to 64/9 for salsa

Monday
* Anna and Erica were leaving at 1 pm, so Anna decided she just wanted to visit the Latin Quarter, have breakfast and walk around for a bit. Breakfast was good, but once again, we were unsuccessful in our shopping endeavours (other than Erica!).
* after the girls left I took a 2 hour nap. And then I tried to decide if I really wanted to get out of bed and explore more of the City or just stay in, order room service and watch HGTV and TLC.
* I ended up going to the Mount Royal, and I'm really glad I did: the views were beautiful, it was nice to go and spend some time in the nature (lol). The only thing, I was surrounded by couples and groups of friends, and big families barbecuing and picnicking, which all made me somewhat sad
* I then went to another little neighborhood around Prince Arthur Street: people sitting, eating and drinking outside; lights; music; couples kissing by the fountain: right: not for me. So I ordered some Indian food and headed back to my hotel room. Ate, watched TV and went dancing, because after all, it was Monday

Tuesday
* My last day in Montreal. The only thing I did, which was so worth it, was a trip to The Original Fairmount Bagel Bakery, where I had a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese and lox: divine!

Then it was time to pick up my bags, and fly back to reality.

Thoughts: overall, I really liked Montreal. It was great to hear French language, enjoy the old architecture, taste great food, dance some salsa, and of course spend time with Anna and Erica. I wish less people smoked, and that they were just a bit nicer. I also wish it wasn't so expensive. But, I would still highly recommend Montreal as a vacation spot. Till next time!

Artomatic...continued

After my camera's battery died, I took some of the artists' business cards. Below are some of my favorites.

There were several wonderful mosaic pieces by Lisa Osgood-Dano. Check out her website to see a few of the projects up close and personal. This really makes me want to try mosaics...anyone wants to join me?

I also liked whimsical porcelain pieces by Laura Peery.

Another exhibit that I absolutely loved was by John Pack, who created food sculptures from shells! Check out his pictures here.

One of the most intricate works that I saw at Artomatic was done by Sherill Anne Gross. At first, her work appears as a simple picture, but on closer examination, you can see that it's layers upon layers of cut out paper that form different images. LOVED!

Because I really like modern art, simple design and geometric forms, I really liked the work by Joel Church; unfortunately, his website is not yet operational...check in back next week.

Matthew Langley also had a few of his modern designs on display in Artomatic. His art reminds me of blocks my dad made for Anna and me when we were little. We used those wooden blocks to make larger designs: what fun!

I also really enjoyed contemporary work by Shannon McCarty. Who knew you could make art usinng only fabric and an iron?

Another very cool exhibit in Artomatic was Leaves by Martin Hahn. Unfortunately the artist doesn't have a website, but maybe in the future?

I really wish more of the artists would create a website displaying their art. Even a little blog maybe? It's really not that hard and would be a great publicity tool.

Till next year!

Artomatic

Yesterday was the final day of Atomatic. This was the first time I attended this unbelievable collection of artists. I'm really mad at myself that I waited till the last day because the exhibit was only one Metro stop away from work. But I guess it's better to see a little of it than nothing at all. I'll know better next year.

Below are some of my favorite "pieces;" there would have been more, but my camera died after 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to write down the artists' information for all of them (if available, the names appear below the art pieces).


Kerin McBride


Michael Torra


This woman collects old pairs of eyeglasses and makes them into pieces of art


Jennifer Lindstrom


Amanda Engels (Its Time)


Very cheeful and pretty.


There were 5 dresses and this one was my favorite.


Charlotte Guthery


This was a very cool project: the artist, Vick Fisher, took one photo and manipulated it so that the final product looks like a mandala


There was an entire exhibit composed of peeps!


Of course I had to take a few pictures of jewelry!


Yeonhee Ji

Columbia, SC Day 1

I'm back from my 3 day vacation in Columbia, South Carolina. There were so many trees: magnolias, which reminded me of New Orleans, and palmettos, which are the South Carolina state trees and reminded me of Florida and Puerto Rico. I had a very relaxing time. Got to see a new city, eat a lot of good food, do quite a bit of walking and do some touristy things. I'm glad I went, but am also glad to be back.

Columbia is a little college town. I stayed in Downtown, and quite a few places were closed for the weekend and also on Monday because of the Memorial Day. Nevertheless, I found things to do :)

It was shocking to see so little diversity: pretty much everyone was either white or black. Not too many Hispanics, or Asians. I think I saw a few Indian families, but that was the extent of it. So far from what I'm used to in DC.

The people in Columbia are extremely nice. Everyone says hello, asks you how you are, etc. Again, so far from what I'm used to in DC.

I stayed in Marriott. The room was lovely, I just wish they had 1) free Internet 2) fun cable channels (there was no Food TV, Bravo, HGTV, etc). Good thing I brought Big Love DVD with me, so I had something entertaining to watch.

My big king sized bed...all to myself.

After arrival to the hotel, I went out to find food. It was almost noon and I was hungry. Alas, many places were closed and I was not about to eat at Chick-fil-A. Instead, I found one of the places on my list: Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers and had Chicken Cordon Bleu pizza: Olive Oil and Garlic Base, Mozzarella, Chicken, Onions, Ham, and Roasted Red Peppers. It was so good!!!The individual 10" pizza was a bit too much to eat at once, so I took the leftovers back.

I was tired. It was a bit warm. And it started to sprinkle. I made my way to the Columbia Museum of Art. Luckily, Saturdays are free admission days. I strolled through the Egyptian exhibit with its beautiful jewelry, and then checked out some of the permanent collections. Sadly, they did not allow to take pictures (but this is quite lucky for some of you, because otherwise, I would have had an additional 50 photos!).

Back in the hotel I watched Law & Order SVU, and then decided to go to the pool and get a bit of exercise. My body is still aching 2 days later: thank god for Aleve.

After the pool, I was ready to do a bit of exploring and see what Columbia had to offer. I went by Finlay Park, managed to find the Governor's mansion, which was unfortunately closed, and even a Jewish cemetery, which was also closed.

I think other than the homeless people, I was the only one walking instead of driving. It felt a bit strange: like I did not fit in, but there was no other choice. Plus, I needed to walk: there was food to be had ahead!!!

When I was doing my research on places to see and eat, Maurice's BBQ was recommended several times. In South Carolina, BBQ is served with a mustard based sauce: quite different from what I've had in the past, but good. I had Jr. Pig Quarter of a pound of pit-cooked BBQ Pork, Carolina Hash over rice, homemade coleslaw, hushpuppies, dinner roll and sweet tea.

After dinner, I made my way back to the Capitol Building for a free Jazz Under the Stars concert. The music was great! There were several couples slow-dancing and some swing dancing. It felt a little sad being there on my own, with no one to dance with...but that's life.

After the concert I wanted something sweet and went to Hampton Street Vineyard, right across from my hotel. What a sweet way to end the day: Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.

The random things that make me cry

Last night I went to see a free screening of The Year My Parents Went on Vacation. One of the lines in the movie struck a cord with me. It talked about a goalie on a soccer field, and how he is a solitary player who can't fail and is always expecting the worst. The line made me sad because I can absolutely relate to it.

This was a beautifully shot and acted movie that won many international awards. If you have a chance to see it, I would highly recommend it!

One of the big parts in the movie was the World Cup that took place in 1970 (soccer, obviously). All of a sudden, as I was sitting in the theater full of strangers, I realized that my dad was only 20 years old in 1970 and for some reason it made me incredibly sad and the tears began falling...and never stopped. At moments I thought I would not be able to breath. Once again, it's this bizarre combination of being in a public place and surrounded by strangers, that gives one a feeling of anonymity and allows emotions to completely flow. Still, you are not completely alone at moments like these.

I left the theater with mixed emotions: happy I saw the film, yet disturbed by the feelings it brought up in me. The only remedy for my "condition" was to go salsa dancing. Luckily GT was there: I can never not be in a great mood when dancing with him.

Sadness: Russians did not win

This Saturday, Paige and I went to see a screening of animated shorts and action shorts nominated for Oscars. Opportunities like this one always remind me of how lucky I am to live in DC (and it was free).

Alas, the Russian animated short, My Love, did not win. But it was absolutely beautiful and enchanting. Unfortunately, whoever translated it, did a poor job. Wonder how I could get into that business!

From the action shorts, my favorite one was Tanghi Argentini because dancing was one of the themes and because of the surprising ending. At Night made me cry. The short that won, Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets), was absolutely adorable, humorous, sentimental and, compared to the other films in the category, "normal."

Love and Dance

This is not an entry about yet another crush I have on someone from the dancing scene :)

Last night I went to see Love and Dance as part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival.

Chen is a young boy constantly in the middle of the cultural conflict between his Russian born mother and Israeli father. While strolling the halls of a community center, Chen stumbles upon a ballroom dance class for children and is instantly taken with a beautiful young Russian girl in the class. His infatuation with Natalie leads him to join the class. Through his ballroom dancing, Chen ultimately helps to bridge the cultural divide in his own family – with a little help from the cha cha and the tango. Love and Dance is a multi-layered coming-of-age story, peppered with themes of ethnocentricity and cultural differences.

I absolutely LOVED this movie...even teared up a few times. Surprisingly, more than half of the movie was in Russian, so I did not even have to read the subtitles. The rest was in Hebrew, and I was happy to realize that I understood some of the simple words.

This was such a touching story. Definitely go see it if it will play in your area.

Anthony Bourdain

Last night I went to see Anthony Bourdain speak at the Lissner Auditorium. He ROCKED! Seriously, it's incredible when you think someone is cool and your opinion doesn't change after seeing that person in real life.

He showed some clips from his show, No Reservations, and then discussed different experiences he's had in his travels. He also expressed his hatred of Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee and all vegetarians. The guy has no censor: he says exactly what he thinks. The audience LOVED him! In fact, one woman told him she was in love with him (something I'm sure a lot of us were thinking). Speaking of love, Anthony Bourdain has a 6 month old daughter...who would have thought?

After the discussion he held quite a lengthy Q&A session with questions ranging from what would be his last meal (sushi and beer) to what he thinks about DC food scene (it's getting good). The last question was really touching and dealt with No Reservations episode from Beirut that took place during the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Bourdain was genuinely saddened and touched by his experience during that time and said he will definitely go back and finish shooting the episode in the future.

Needless to say, I'm still enamored with Anthony Bourdain. This was a great event!!!!

Looking forward to....

Hi!
I realized I haven't written in a few days. Not much has been happening, and the weather has been majorly depressing. It's been raining for days, cold, gray, gets dark early and is still dark in the morning....right.

So I decided to write about a few things that I'm actually looking forward to :-)

1. Today I'm going to the Performance of Tango Buenos Aires.
2. My friend Alyssa is coming for a visit this weekend and we are planning to have brunch at Teaism, do some shopping at Secondi and then go to a few museums.
3. This weekend I also will be testing 4 recipes for Robyn Webb.
4. There are several volunteering events I'll be participating at with Washington DCJCC in November. One of them is Everything But the Turkey.
5. For Thanksgiving I'm going to Des Moines!!! Why? Because I've never been to Iowa. Okay, sort of kidding. Anna is there, so I'm flying to visit her :)
6. Food related excitement (Sort of): on November 7th I'm going to see Anthony Bourdain!!!

I think these are all the major ones for now. Will keep you updated if anything else comes up.