P O L I S H I N G

Jizen Collection

2011-08-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sterling Silver 925, 16 inch cable chain

Gratitude

2011-08-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

This has been the most challenging year yet. I know that as we grow then there are more challenges we face and there are more we must sacrifice.

Through the challenges and struggles, I would like to take a moment to thank those near and dear to my heart who have supported me, accepted me, and understood me. Family and friends that have not criticized my character and choices are those I have the most compassion for. Because it is hard to accept sometimes the things we don't agree with, but in accepting - I love you most for! For those that have criticized and accused me of selfishness, being self-centered, and ungrateful. I have a lot of gratitude for you as well. For you have taught me to reflect on myself and learn to look at myself first before I ever think of accusing someone of being that way. We are all a mirror of each other. I should not dare put myself above another, no matter the circumstance.

I have learned the most from my friends from a far. No matter how far apart we are I have grown more appreciation for our friendship. Because vicinity should not define a friendship. I love to travel - and I love knowing that we can always pick up from where we left off and if I need a place to stay in Osaka, Hong Kong, Berlin, Paris, Switzerland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Singapore, Taiwan, Kolkata, Israel, etc - I know who to call. In the end. It is not about attending every party together or getting wasted together - but in the conversations, in the values we share and don't share, and in accepting each other for who we are.

Lately, I've had a fascination with the Middle East. Being American we may have the tendency of seeing the world as just an American and not a citizen of the World. For we should know, we are all citizens of the world. I work with many talented and friendly people from Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. They are such hospitable and kind people. I understand why as an American we would be quick to judge, but why do we have to be quick to fight against people we don't truly understand?

I have come to admire the works and humanitarian efforts of Queen Rania of Jordan. Her book "Sandwich Swap" is a great way to teach children and future generations that in accepting each other and our differences will we come to realize a world of peace and harmony. Before it becomes an issue between one country against another, it starts with those closest to us - our family and friends.

Christine James LLC

2011-01-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Christine James LLC is the registered business name of our company. My business partner, James takes care of everything and all I have to do is sign the papers, show up at meetings, eat, sleep, nap and oh! design all the jewelry lines and collections duh! just kidding

Christine James LLC is a Jewelry Design House who's determined passion is to bring to life designs that are inspired by and hope to enliven in others - the radiant beauty innate within humanity. Thus hoping to encourage the altruistic acts necessary to efficaciously achieve global change.

Please follow us at http://chrisitnejames.blogspot.com/ or on twitter @ChristineJames_

This site is my personal blog and the other is my business blog, but since the business has become my life I will most likely be on that site more ;)

City bike

2010-11-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

A blogging-cleanse is about to transpire ;). I've held back on many events that I should have blogged about, so be ware of a slew of blogs to come.

Last month Chihiro-chan and I helped Mar-chan with her marathon training. So we rode bikes carrying extra Gatorade, water, and snacks packed with electrolytes (Like peanut butter filled pretzels...yum!). We did a 23 mile route:

- one loop of central park starting at 67th street,
- then go across 66th to the east side and over
- to the queensboro bridge,
- back through the park at 59th and
- across 72nd street to riverside,
- down to 14th street, turn around and
- go up until around 116th and back down,
- ending at 72nd and riverside.

It was so windy and cold that day. Kuddos to Mar-chan for running it all the way through and managing to walk back to the apt and change and walk to the restaurant to feed our hungry faces :)

That day I borrowed Mar-chan's bike has convinced me to get a city bike for myself. I've been looking around to see what kind I would like for myself. Something simple, easy, and convenient (If I had a garage to fit a 10' truck then I'd get that with a sign that said, "Move outta my way bi*ch*s! lol jk). I have a preference for a Japanese city bikes like this Koga-Miyata mountain bike:

However, I still do someday hope to be able to enjoy living a Parisian lifestyle. So secretly the girly-euro side of me wants this gorgeous Batavus Dutch city bike:

oopse! I neglected my blog!?!

2010-11-29T10:31:00.000-08:00

Who was I kidding! I couldn't keep up with this blog nor could I snag myself a part-time in the midst of the course. It dawned on me that it would be a crazy idea to keep up with everything around the third day of the course. If you know me well, you know that I can maintain a busy body but still manage myself 8 hours of sleep. And a Casil without the right amount of sleep is....trouble. So my sleep schedule is something I have to sacrifice and make major adjustments to. After class, eat something so I don't starve, unwind for about half an hour, then work on projects till about 11pm, take a nap, up again at 2am to finish the residual of my work, and nap again at 4am, then wake up at 7am and head out the door.

I got a little break during the Thanksgiving Holiday. I was able to sleep in, watch movies, enjoy thanksgiving meal that I was forced not to help with, and leftovers and fresh coffee, and little shopping. On the "work" end we accomplished a business name, a semi-business logo, business colors, purchased business domain name, got business number, scheduled appointment with IP attorney, and got a handful of designs for copyrighting. Since things are officially getting there and new changes are abound we commenced the beginning of this new beginning with some yummy cigars. Drew Estate is a unique company in the industry so I guess it was appropriate to have smoked their unique cigars. They say they are, "The Rebirth of Cigars". I hope to one day be able to say that about this new venture. My friend had the Acid 1400cc, and he felt the right cigar for me was the Acid Blondie. :P (that punk, can't he see I'm a brunette!)

Saturday madness!

2010-09-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

My weekend is still not over, but yesterday is still so unbelievably vivid so I wanted to blog about it before I start my Sunday.

Woke up super early to make it to the Manhattan Training Center at 7:00am for Summer Training. Then around 9:15am headed to U haul to pick up my 10' Truck on 23rd and 11th avenue. A friend and I jumped in the truck and he says, "This is my first time in a uhaul truck." I say, "me too! and my first time driving in the city!" We both crack up, but inside I was screaming madness! I drove north and crossed town to upper east side to meet my friend. Loaded a bed and a sofa then drove cross town to my place on upper west side then dumped furniture in my room. Dropped off friend back to MTC then I headed back to U haul.

I secretly was so damn proud of myself so I decided to not go home just yet and enjoy my Saturday. I hit up Chelsea flea market and found many treasures!! Its really just an avenue long, but there was so much to take in, more so than at Honolulu Swap Meet! Lots of cool antiques and vintage jewelry. My phone was dying so I wasn't able to snap pics to help me with my design ideas. I did also meet Celebrity Chef, Brett August (finalist on Food Network's NFNS) he had a booth set up and I bought his Carrot Bread and Zucchini bread.

Later, I meet up with a few friends and we get lunch at the Chelsea Market (different from the Chelsea FLEA market). We ate - Pollo Panini, Lobster Roll, Currpy won tons, Cookie n Cream milk shake. Yumm! Then we walk to another underground flea market on 25th between 5th and 6th avenue. This flea market was unbelievable! So the parking structure closes on weekends and so it becomes a flea market with even more more more antique treasures to be found! I didn't get anything from here, but took in a lot of design ideas.

As soon as I got home I organized my room with my queen size bed and double seat sofa and tried putting my curtains up (big fail!). Ate some zucchini bread and took a big long nap...and woke up and now it's Sunday morning :)

Scored these antique gold plated and ceramic earrings at Chelsea flea market for a buck!

Day #5 - Vapur

2010-09-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

So exhausted!

Sorry, I'm so pooped so this is a real short, boring blog.

But check out what I found at MoMA (refer to Day #3 blog)

Vapur, The Anti Bottle

Day #4 - Yanni

2010-09-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

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Today started off pretty insane. To keep my cool I thought about maybe my lack of gratitude for all the little things.

We've been working elbow deep in a whole bunch of sketching and shading techniques. It's been pretty tedious and intense. So to make it easier for us (if our lighting isn't cutting it) the school offers us designer boards that we can put on our desk that allows us to do our work at an angle. I opted not to use it. The theme of my life lately has been, "Frugal hand trumps Luxury hand". In starting my business there will be sacrifices to make and I know for starters that a designer board definitely lands on the "luxury hand". We are given so many tools for so many different things that I can't keep up with all of them. I'm a simple girl. So my choice is to tough it out. If you can balance innovation, resourcefulness with passion then things work out better than "okay". Take Yanni for example. This man had a passion for beautiful music. He grew up with just a piano and no music instructors. He created his beautiful music with what he had in his head and invented a style of music all his own (literally - he has his own music writing style).

So while doing my work I thought about all this and thought about everyone I look up to and the hardships they have endured. I'm pretty lucky. I should have more gratitude for every little thing. But instead of Yanni my iPod played Yann Tiersen today :) Yann Tiersen is a combination of my two faves: Yanni and Paris! (And yes! I do admit to being a Yanni fan. Proud fan since middle school, baby!!)

Day #3 - Drinking Water

2010-09-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

I decided that since I'm getting a second chance at things then I might as well go all out and be an overachieving dork. So I completed all my projects in class today. The drive to excel and get everything done so that I don't have any work to do at home was the hope to get a run in at Central Park or a little bit of yoga.

So throughout the day there was a lot of talk going around about drinking water and the cost of water. We noticed that there are no drinking fountains on campus. There are snack and drink vending machines, but no drinking fountain. There is a refrigerator and a microwave, but no drinking fountain. I had to take a part my purse to find every nickel and dime I could get to pay for a bottle of water. I never realized that a bottle of water can actually be such a huge dilemma. See, as a foot commuter, you take what you can carry - books, wallet, cell phones, iPod, gym clothes, umbrella, home lunch, a bottle of water, etc. When you carry a bottle of water it's usually filled with water then at the end of the day you can fill it with water from a drinking fountain and have water on your commute to your next destination. But if you have no access to drinking water then you are left with an empty bottle that takes up room and space in your bag and if you're thirsty you gotta pay another buck or two to get more water.

So I did no running or yoga tonight. Instead, I decided to use my time off to go venture with a classmate to get last minute supplies for cheap!

Supply shopping went as follows:
*Cheap sheet protectors at Kmart
*Cheap tiny paint canisters at Bed Bath & Beyond
Then all i needed was a piece of glass, acrylic or mirror

So we decide to hit Jack's World because they have a 99 cent store as well. So I got a picture frame with an acrylic plate for ninety-nine cents! We also scored Brita Pitchers for $9.99!!! vs $21 dollars everywhere else.

So we're keeping a pitcher in the campus refrigerator. Drinking water for all!! :)


$9.99 Brita Pitcher from Jack's World

I realized I take many small things for granted. Today and everyday, I give thanks to water.

Side note: My blogs lately have no mention about the content of what's going on in my class because it's just a whole bunch of facet drawing and shading. No one wants to read about that. Then again no one really wants to read about my cheap finds. But once class gets more interesting, I promise my blogs will too. HAHA!

Day #2 - Facet Junctions

2010-09-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

So technically, today was my first "real" day of class. After a crazy, insane, mind blowing weekend; I woke up at the crack of dawn and got myself ready, prepped my lunch, and mentally prepped for my first day.

There are a lot of things to get used to. Besides being in a new home, the next most obvious change would be my commute. Going to temple, going to church, going to parties [just noticed I listed "partying" after "praising" - yessss, I know my priorities ;)], going to get groceries, going to school, all require a different set of trains, cabs, subways, walk to get there. For instance - going to temple: Leave apt, walk to subway, take 1,2 or 3 to Times Square, transfer to S to Grand Central, catch the 9:48am Metro North to White Plains Station, then catch cab to temple. And, that's actually a not-so-bad trip. Getting to the beach like Fire Island, however, is just a whole other "OMG" type of story.

In due time, all these changes (making my own lunch, being a loner at school) will eventually become part of my daily routine. My Oh-my-gawd-I'm-changing-my-entire-life paranoia isn't as bad as I had imagined (so far). Things get thrown at me left and right and I'm impressed at how I've been handling it. Today in class while properly drafting diamonds the instructor asks us to, "draw in the facet junctions" - The wha?!? It threw me off for a few seconds before I made a mental note to look it up when I get home.

One thing I can easily get used to and will always look forward to is my sister texting me daily pics of Nohea's daily routine.

She sleeps all day :)

Day #1 - Bodily Fluids

2010-09-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today felt like Christmas! Everything was perfect on Orientation day. Entering campus felt like I was going in for a Spa Treatment. I never imagined that a school could make you feel so pampered. Its a small class of about 14 students and everyone came from countries across the globe: Taiwan, India, Bombay, Mexico, Panama, Canada, Japan, Philippines, even as far as New Jersey! [just kidding ;-)]

We had a campus tour, reviewed the syllabus for the term, then we opened our Christmas gifts of text books and cool goodies stored in our jewelry design tool box. We even got a triangle ruler that you can only get from Austria!? Crazy, right? Then we watched a video on safety where "bodily fluids" was mentioned one too many times it started to make me feel uncomfortable to the point where I felt an urge to go make an appointment to see a gynecologist.

Today's experience solidified my decision in taking the step in changing my career. Actually the moment I knew this school was a perfect fit for me was....(see image below). Last week, some friends and I went to Ikea to grab a few things since we all either moved into new rooms or moved in period. We picked up this cool conventional white light desk lamp. I thought, "I could use a cool 'Pixar-looking' lamp for my workstation in my room". So in class today the instructor advised us to create our workstation at home and to get ourselves our own white light lamp as well over the weekend. The work lamp on my workstation at school is exactly like the one I got at Ikea! A light-bulb went off in my head (no pun intended). I am exactly where I am supposed to be!

"my at-home workstation"

FORSÅ work lamp from Ikea

Conversations

2010-09-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Fire Island, NY

What I've been living off of these past few weeks are the conversations with friends and loved one.

Great reads and why we couldn't put the book down
Why don't I have any blog posts for the year 2009?
Passion in creating ideas that we know will just work...gourmet cupcakes on wheels?
Why we should eat at "X" instead of "Z" and on a Tuesday instead of a Friday night
Why I've made it back here and when you'll be back there
Sharing similar fears, having the same gratitude, and totally embracing the present with hot coffee and great conversations...

White noise

2010-08-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Barbara Cole ROCKS! Her work reminds me of real life images of what Edgar Degas sees in his head. Don't you feel like jumping into the ocean and dancing a little ;)

Remembering a gift

2010-08-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." - Coco Chanel

Happy Birthday to Coco Chanel!!!

Verdura's gift to Chanel became a gift to the world of jewelry design.

This one has no focal point. Prepare to be boggled!

2010-08-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks has been devoted to making lists and making sure that during this experience I apply the things I've learned from my past experiences: 1) No procrastinating 2) Careful planning. Despite how excited I am for this new change, it's been complete chaos! I'm overwhelmed with things to do on my list, but I just don't know where to start. I bounce off the walls going back and forth on different things to do....

So, with that said, I'm going to bag the "move" discussion and blog about the joys of Taiko drumming.

Words cannot explain the gratitude and joy I have for having been given the opportunity to be a part of, how do I say it? Maybe this: "the art of conveying joy through the hit of the taiko drum". It really is exactly that. Everything you are feeling at that very moment shoots out from your core/your heart/your soul and extends out through your body till it reaches the tip of your drum stick and explodes at each hit of the taiko. That explosion of happiness reaches out to every soul out there. It's such an amazing feeling.

I'm not good with words. Hence this random blog for blogging to help me master writing. In the end, the best way I ever really express what I really want to share is through art. When my mom first gave me a piece of paper and pencil to practice writing my name and the ABC's, I made it a goal to sketch humpback whales. Yeah! no kidding. Back then in elementary I didn't know what it was with my obsession of coloring, painting, sketching humpback whales, but I was so completely fascinated. I almost peed my pants when they announced in the 3rd or 4th grad that we get to go on a whale watch field trip! Shit, I'm going off tangent. What on earth is my point here? Oh, it's my obsession with creating. Creating what I feel.

Now back to my taiko topic. Taiko allows me to express what I'm feeling within. That explosion of emotion and feelings with each hit of the taiko, I created.

Is blogging a form of art?

His Story, Her Story

2010-07-26T01:07:00.000-07:00

..."And I remember thinking, 'Maybe I shouldn't feel so ashamed. Maybe, one day, Allah willing, I can become a great lady too.'" - Jahan, one of the first educated woman in the history of Braldu Valley (Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson)

Sterling silver cuff by C. Casil

The marker for the beginning of this new journey. Sketched it on my notebook, carved it out of wax, then began the cire perdue process. Created with sterling silver in a class that was just supposed to be an outlet from my nine-to-five career. The theme, the motivation, the inspiration - pretty hard to explain to strangers, in a blog post, to the world wide web. The strength, the femininity, the humanity is hard to showcase in a cuff bracelet, but that is a brief summary of the inspiration that helped create and complete this project.

To get a little bit of understanding, I'll leave you with these suggested reads by great men: Greg Mortenson and Nicholas Kristof.

take a glorious bite of the whole world

2010-07-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

Growing old used to be a scary thought for me, but now I've come to embrace it. My age has been brought up several times in conversations with friends this past week and if the intention was to make me feel old, I didn't quite catch that message. What has changed with age is my love for traveling. Haven't traveled to many places yet, but I'm getting there. It's hard to describe the specifics of what it is exactly that I love about traveling; however, if I had to the state the obvious it would be: 1) the food 2) the art 3) the architecture 4) the language 5) and the location (duh!).

The past few years I've gone on many travels for business purposes and personal leisure trips. If you want to travel outside of Hawaii you are required to travel across the vast Pacific Ocean and there's no way out of it because, well - we're on an island! My latest trip has opened my eyes to really experiencing the joys of traveling. Of course, there is no escaping that if you are traveling to Paris. Maybe it was a combination of the situation I escaped, the situation I was in presently, and the situation that I envision being in the future that culminated into what I was experiencing right there in that city. Drinking cafe la creme after a meal, sitting at the park behind the Eiffel tower, riding the bus to Montrésor, milking a cow at the local dairy farm, whatever the situation may have been - I was completely immersed in it. Unlike the travels I've done before to Tahiti, Costa Rica, the Phillippines, etc. this Parisian experience was unlike any other. Probably because of the whole idea of accepting and being a completely whole person exactly where I was.

So to the rest of the world out there that I have yet to experience - I will see you in a few and I look forward to meeting you ;)

kalos kai agathos

2010-07-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Balancing the good and the beautiful. I've been wanting a way to swim in this kind of notion since I've been five. The world I created in secret when I was that age was beautiful, peaceful, fun, and serene. There was only one option and it was clear, precise and perfectly right to me. I didn't think I was a little bit crazy, what kid thinks they're crazy? I loved my little weird projects of paper dolls, carved chalk dolls, and daydreams. Of course, as we get older we change. We are influenced by everything around us. We are faced with other options, different projects, and then our daydreams even change.

Now I am here revisiting the secret world I created and today it still is beautiful, peaceful, fun, and serene. There has only been one option for me and it fits just right. So going back to a comment my nephew made last summer - There is absolutely nothing wrong with basking in the thought of a "world made of jello" (except the people inhabiting the world, of course).

Must reads: Eat, Pray, Love; Top tips from women entrepreneurs: Linda Rottenberg - How I Did It

The conflicts around us

2010-06-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a Mac ... and I've Got a Dirty Secret - The best video clips are right here

Last month I just signed a petition in support of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009. To support accountability and transparency to the supply chain of minerals used in the manufacturing of most of our electronic devices such as cell phones. Last month I also upgraded my phone and got myself a blackberry bold. Now I feel completely terrible! Just recently people lined up for the latest and greatest Apple iPhone Through all my research in trying to discover ways in which my company can be beneficial to everyone vs. bottom line focused, I've become completely overwhelmed. The Sarbanes and Oxley Act had ask for transparency in corporate accounting practices. I feel that today consumers should want to also know what conflicts companies are supporting.

An article titled, "Death by Gadget" by NY Times Op-Ed columnist, Nick Kristof talks about these "elegant symbols of modernity" and how they are built from minerals that are fueled by mass rape and killings in the Congo. He asks, "What if we could harness that desperation for new technologies to the desperate need to curb the killing in central Africa?" I ask myself, "What do I need to do and how?"

My desire to be constantly aware and to bring about awareness is what inspires the collections of my future designs. In order for me to continue on this momentum I must constantly be doing something to help even if it's just a tiny step. As long as I'm continuously making these small steps I know I can make bigger steps with my company in the near future. Conflict minerals is not the main reason for the war in Congo, but it is one aspect of it. But I believe any amount of help is still beneficial.

How we can help: www.raisehopeforCongo.org

I love who I am and I will love what I do :)

2010-05-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country." - Abraham Lincoln's Annual Letter to Congress one month before signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

If you are sitting unhappily at your desk at work while repeatedly reciting the forced "I love my job" mantra then I suggest digging deep into your childhood memory file cabinet and re-exploring the most bizarre things you've done as a kid and remembering the feeling of gratification you had from it. Because that may be the ticket to your happy place! Well, it is for me.

We shouldn't limit our capacity and ignore our passions because of the uncertainties of the real world.

If you have a 1/2 hour to spare, watch these presentations:

Diamonds (and roses) Are a Girl's Best friend

2010-05-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

There is so much good that can be produced, but even in the process we must always remember the work and people behind it. Were we not taught that it is never really about the end result, but instead the process of how we get there? I know I've been told about the essence in literally everything, even material things such as our cars. Watching this video made it more clear for me. So now, with this new business venture I'm pursuing, I know that nothing will be overlooked. The essence of life is in everything because there is always someone's heart involved in the process.

Paris, je t'aime!

2010-05-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm so sure I'm not the only one that has fallen head over heels with Paris :)

I'm officially back in Hawaii and last month has truly paved a small path in front of me...so now - slowly, but surely I'm taking my steps :)

Paris! I'll be back to make out mad with you again ;-)

xoxo

Spiced Chai

2010-04-20T09:55:00.001-07:00

All these absorbing and openess has taught me to really appreciate the little things in life. The culprit that helped me realize this was a small cup of spiced chai from Ozzies here in Brooklyn. I did not want the taste to end. It made me truly grateful to the little things that can make us feel so immensely happy and even more gratitude to the people, events, etc that work in helping us feel that same happiness :-)

Mmmm spiced chai...I'm in love

music music music....FREE

2010-03-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

My ears are happy when I feed them a little bit of Coldplay every now and then. They help me go through my work day a lot easier. Especially when you are expected to make miracles happen on a daily basis.

Get your free Coldplay dose here :-)

Are you not entertained?

2010-02-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

Want to know what type you are?

Follow his instructions
password: character

Tine is: Architype Van Doesberg - brutally fair

Need help kicking your boredom?

Help me!
Click on "Bored?"

Tine's favorite: I want to help someone; I have ghosts; I want to meet a celebrity. Okay they are all very funny! Enjoy

Where did 2009 go?

2010-02-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been absent from the blogging world for over a year. So hard to believe that my last post was in Oct 2008. So much happened in 2009 and I didn't document it here.

Hmmmm....

Well, I'm back and I'll be blogging again :-)

Just pieces

2008-10-01T22:36:00.001-07:00

I would love to visit Washington D.C. again. It is a very gorgeous city and these pictures doesn't do it justice. These are just a few of my favorite pictures. You really have to be there for yourself. It's hard to capture the depth of the architecture, culture, history, etc. You have to be there to see it in it's entirety.

Pieces include:

Lincoln Memorial outside side view, monument, columns, ceiling;
Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Amphitheater marble columns,
National Gallery of Art Ceiling and Fountain,
Jefferson Memorial columns, monument, Washington Monument...

What pictures couldn't capture (aside from the fact that I'm not a photographer):

Treck up Arlington National Cemetery - view from the Eternal Flame;
Drives around Washington D.C. finding parking
Summer going into Fall fashion
How you felt after eating Ben's Chili, dozen oysters on the half shell at Hanks Oyster Bar
...

...

2008-10-01T22:29:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm continuing on with my Lotus Project. So these are small pieces. I had fun with these because I didn't start with a draft. I painted it from whatever thought I had in my head.

I actually did these a while back. I know, I'm slacking.

Oh, I have nothing else to say for this one. The paintings I used acrylics on small canvas boards. The end. :)

Murky Waters

2008-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

So last night I decided to not go shopping and decided that I'll just stay home and read. So I was reading the "Proxy Season Review 2008" by As You Sow...then I got to the section where they discussed Social Proposal and proposals in regards to the Environment. Weird, but this made me stop reading and start painting. It was taking me a while to figure out what I wanted to do for the murky water so I just had the painting sit and wait till I figured it out. I guess all the hype from reading what Socially Responsible Investors want shareholders of different corporation to vote on opened up ideas for me! HAHAHA!

Here is the second phase of my paintings. This is a 2 piece project and the pictures above is the almost complete piece that will be the right panel. I think I want to do more work on the murky water because the murky water is just as significant as the lotus flower itself.

Murky Water: Signifies our impurities and attachments from our ego. The lotus rising beautifully up and through the mud and murky water represents us overcoming all the obstacles in our life, and letting go of our attachments. It's a journey we all go through :)

It's not bad ah for my first piece?

Side Note: For those interested...Environmental Proposals (largest area of concern in proxy voting) is accounted for the largest category of social proposals that have been filed. Shareholders last year filed nearly 90 proposals on issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, recycling, water, forestry, protected land, environmental justice, etc.

"There is no such thing to my mind...as an innocent stockholder. He may be innocent in fact, but socially he cannot be held innocent. He accepts the benefits of the system. If is his business and his obligation to see that those who represent him carry out a policy which is consistent with the public welfare." - Louis Brandeis

Lotus Project - phase 1

2008-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, since this is my first painting project I might as well discuss the whole process. I'm open to any input =)

I'm using acrylic paints and started with a flesh color for the background then painted the base layer of my lotus with a semi bright pink color. Then I used a speckling style with the green over the flesh color. Still not sure what the real term for this brush style - "speckling"; "stickling"

This is still just the first phase. I'm still trying to brainstorm or envision what will come next.
____________________________________________________________________
Currently Reading: Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
I just started this book and I don't know if I'm already influenced by it's spiritual nature, but it got me thinking. I've always been wanting to "save the world" or help out in whatever way I can. With all that has happened in Myanmar, China, and all that women and children face around the world I try to be more active in moving forward in working to better whats going on. I picked up this book (it's fiction of course) and the setting took me to China and Burma (now Myanmar) then the narrator takes you to these places seeing what we see now because of these past events but I would have never really imagined before. The whole "spiritual" nature I indicated is only because the narrator is a spirit and the relation with where the story takes place and the situations they are facing sorta hits an emotional spot. Okay, so far the book is really good... the end
____________________________________________________________________
Below are some links to help get you started in taking some little big steps:

Operation Smile

Tap Project

UNICEF

Lotus project

2008-07-05T00:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I began working on my first acrylic painting project. This is the first piece I'm painting. The last time I painted was in elementary. It was a water color painting of jelly fish in the ocean. This piece can still be found displayed in my home. hehehehe

Below is my brainstorming of a pink lotus in bloom. I used my pastels for this one. I wanted the lotus to stand out from it's surrounding (the murky water), but still make the surrounding something that will stand out on its own as well.

In Buddhism the lotus flower is a reflection of our journey in this world. The mud represents materialism and our attachments and we grow through the water (experience) and bloom above the murky water.

Below I started working with the acrylic paints. This was just a trial to get a feel of the different textures I wanted to use. I'm going to go for the right side with the spotty murky water. I liked the texture I was getting and it was tedious and time consuming, which is perfect for what the murky water represents in our journey. Although the draft is incomplete I felt that this direction is best suited for this project.

Once the final piece is complete I'll be sure to post it.
___________________________________________________________________
Currently reading: French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano
It's a really fun read - it is not a diet book "the ultimate non-diet book". I think it's good for those who already understand the pleasure of life and for those who are looking for better alternatives. I finished reading it and thought, "at last, the real book for women. I love being a girl!!!" and if only all women could embrace life this way without feeling guilty.

tout est question d'equilibre!

SF Trip

2008-07-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Shiho and Micchan wearing the jewelry I made them. The mother of pearl set on Shiho and the lotus bead set on Micchan. This picture was taken on our trip to the SF Golden Gate Bridge, but it was so cloudy that we couldn't even see the bridge. The bridge was hardly visible even while we were driving on the bridge. The mountain behind us had clouds swimming over it.

Charm

2008-06-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

I made this bracelet for myself. I wanted to use the family picture pendant from ages ago as a charm for this bracelet.

This is our first family picture when Jackie was maybe 4 or 5 years old with the rice bowl hair cut. :)

The End.

making statements...

2008-05-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have the opportunity to relax this weekend so I decided to make more jewelry. The first necklace (Black) was fun to make. I used a combination of different black beaded necklaces and combined them. I took a mother of pearl tiare flower and placed a very cute button over it and used the two as the statement piece for the necklace. The star necklace was simple and it's cute for dressing up or down. Below is the detail of the tiare and button.

The earrings below I made was a gift for a friend. They are jade lotus beads and coral beads for color.

Edgar Degas

2008-05-22T09:04:00.001-07:00

Edgar Degas is one of my favorite artists. He's known to be one of the organizers of the Impressionist Movement. I could go on about Edgar Degas, but I'll just let you explore him on your own.

The reason for this blog is to just share something I've just recently discovered and I thought is was so cool! For an art class while I was in undergrad we had to recreate a famous art piece using pastels. Everyone went for Van Gogh pieces and I picked Degas because of the portrait like effect his pieces has - and I thought the ballet scenes were cute and girly.

Anyways - what I discovered is that the technique that helped me recreate his work is the technique he's known to use for all his pastel pieces. He would create colors using successive layers and this was how he created the soft, powdery effect in his pieces.

Of course, his work is way better than mine, but I got the gist of the look he was trying to create. Besides having to recreate the piece on an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet...the toughest part was trying to create the dark shadows while keeping the "soft" look of the scene. And...the trick was that whole successive layer thing. Instead of applying black directly to the area to create shadows...just use the colors already incorporated in the pictures and keep layering, layering, layering, and layering.

Okay, so below on the left is Edgar Degas' Ballet Class piece and on the right is my version - of course it's not the best, but I tried.

I'm going green...

2008-05-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't gone shopping in a while because I'm trying to save $$. I was craving some new accessories, but they're just too pricy. So I decided that it was time to "go green". I rummaged through some of my old stuff, my mom's stuff, and my sisters stuff and got inventive and creative. It's just a start so check it out.

The necklace was fun to make. It took some time deciding on the chain. I took apart some old earrings, necklaces, and key chains. Necklace includes: mother of pearl hoop, jade fish pendant, jade lotus bead, and a gold chain

I also made some earrings. Nothing exciting, but I had some time before bed (I was on a roll). The mother of pearl pieces I took a part from necklace and I just made them into earrings.

Below is the charm bracelet I made for my sister. I used some old pendants as the charms of this bracelet. It's very blingy - like my sister =P

Sewing Project

2008-05-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not good at sewing. My first project was the aprons I made for my friends in the picture below. I wanted to have a patchy look and I guess my lack-of-sewing skills helped me accomplish that. I just had the idea in my head and worked with an apron my friend's grandma made for me.

The owl was the most difficult part. I couldn't hand sew it because of the different fabrics I was using. However, the buttons were hand sewn. Notice that the owls beak is a football button. =) Actually, you can't tell it is - but it is.

The happy couple and their aprons. Oh, and it's hard to tell - but Abe's apron has a Treble Clef patch (he's a musician - A FABULOUS ONE! maybe I'll post some of his works on here some how)

Metro North

2008-05-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

New York Metro North train -
Early weekend morning, chocolate chip scones and yogurt from a Labanese bakery on 110th, Crosstown Harlem bus to train station, conversing about Wall Street, field work, Korean food...oh, and boys till we get off at White Plains, NY.

Animal Style

2008-05-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Westwood, Los Angeles:
College years driving down that ritzy Brentwood neighborhood for "animal style" cravings.