THANK U, JESUS!!!!

There are so many things i am thankful for... because when you sit and think about it, the world is a freaky place. There are so many crazy and horrible things that happen to so many people, but it's distant for me for now, by God's grace. Sure, i've had my fair share of why-does-the-world-keep-spinning-when-its-stopped-for-me moments, and i've experienced some things that ppl go on tv and talk about, but i'm here! i'm alive, healthy, cared for, loved! Sometimes i stop what i'm doing and literally pray, "Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." And it might sound dumb, but i say thank you when i read about people getting mauled by chimps. I say thank you when i watch the latest developments in North Korea, because God decided to allow my parents to escape Pyongyang. (Otherwise i may have been born in North Korea and been brainwashed up the wazoo and become one of those little korean gymnasts that flips for the Leader). I say thank you when i think about getting my passport in the mail exactly one day before a flight to the Caribbean for vacation. I say thank you every time i wake up from a nightmare about Mimi being nearly killed in front of my eyes--He caught my sparrow from falling from the sky. When i think of the horrible things, i give thanks. When things are going swell, i say thanks. This sounds crazy, but even while i am experiencing horrible things, i say thanks. Trust me, it's hard and sometimes i don't feel it, i just say it. Because God must have a reason for everything; and allow whatever happens in my life--whether awesome or craptastical--to happen for a purpose that i don't understand, that i could never understand because i am puny and God is God.

fashion.photo.survey.

The juxtaposition of the boyish and the ultra feminine, the grungy and the glamorous. This is the bedrock of our fashion religion. *salute!* Hee we go now....

Prints

Astrid: (in a British accent) I'm digging leopard! Leopard spewed on everything. Is it leopard or cheetah? Whatever, i want it tattooed on all my dresses, stockings, cropped faux fur coats, scarves, purses. I can't shake it. Roar! I own a Dior leopard print bag, and i can't get myself to carry it anywhere because it's too beautiful. Sacrilege! Maybe i should get a leopard inked on my foot?



Liz: I am mad about stripes and boatnecks. The swinging 60s/beatnik Factory style thing. I've been desperately trapped in this phase for the past 5 years i think. and anything with stripes, particularly navy stripes, i have to buy.

Fabric

Astrid: When it comes to fabric, i like anything that's a spandex blend because it tends to hug the right places on my body. Preferably 5% or less spandex creates an extremely tight, tailored-and-chic look. I love cigarette pants and towering 5" heels. So effortlessly crisp like a kettlechip.

Liz: Astrid hates this (because she insists it makes everyone look fat) but i love love love snug knits and cashmeres and wool/acrylic blends. I can't get enough of short, sweet, sexy knit sweater dresses with cowl necks that clip the shoulder. It's so sexy and cute at the same time.... like a kitten. i am so ashamed to say this, but i love fur. i wish there was a way to take it from animals without hurting them. =( There's nothing quite like being swallowed up in a fur and luxuriating in its decadence. So unPC, so unPC. Yes, i have seen THE PETA VIDEO which leads me to drown in an ethical and moral crisis--fashion? or my furry friends...?

Photo

Astrid: When it comes to fashion photography, i like high contrast with a touch of S&M. Why i love Ellen von Unwerth's work so much is due to the way she can make simple black and white look ubertrashy and tragic and romantic all at once. And then the colorlessness forces the attention on the clothes and detail.

Liz: I'm not really into black and white...i love color and vibrance! I hate how a lot of photography these days looks grainy, super desaturated and hipstery. i hate hipsteryness. i hate the fedoras. i hate the vests. i HATE SNEAKERS. i think it all looks so... contrived. however. juergen teller for marc jacobs confuses me and i can't tell if i lovesit or leavesit (kinda like the way i felt about the Spike Jonze movie Where the Wild Things Are--i was beyond baffled when i left) which leads me to conclude that i lovesit in all its matte hipstery glory. which leads me to drown in a minor identity crisis.

Hollywood Icon

Astrid: Duh, the great Kate during her 90s run. always + forever. here she is with John Galliano, fittingly shot by von Unwerth.
Liz: I object! Edie is the original Kate! All Kate did was emulate. Here are some of my golden idol superstar Edie Sedgwick's contributions to cosmopolitan fashion.

1) Opague black tights— i wear them in times of cooler weather mostly, primarily with ultrashort shift dresses to show off gams.
2) An array of gaudy heirloom costume jewelry; rings, bangles and of course, long chandelier “shoulder duster” earrings. All jewelry must be in a GOLD caste. no silver jewelry--it looks cheap! well, platinum, maybe. I find most of my costume jewelry at vintage shops or Goodwill and i always stock up on Bohemian finds.
3) Ballet flats! Black. Sure, Kate Moss reignited the craze again and could be seen around Londontown pairing them with her skinny jeans, but it was first Edie who was often video taped arabesque-ing around The Factory in a black Leotard, tights, a tight sweater and flats to keep in shape. Everyone needs at least one nice pair of black designer flats no matter how ridiculously overpriced.
4) In lieu of ballet flats, dancewear, duh! (American Apparel has great leotards in an assortment of colors.) Edie wore leopard and black leotards and sometimes wore leggings with baggy striped boat-neck shirts over them. She loved stripes and boat necks, of course! But it's something about the juxtaposition of the ultra skinny leg and the layered-blankety-baggy tops that is so freaking gold. so beautiful i cannot stand it.
5) Furs! (Hopefully faux, do the right thing, Liz). Edie’s were probably all real, but she wore luxurious fur coats while out in cooler months and they made her petite frame look even teenier.
6) Minidresses, miniskirts…mini. Edie liked to show off her legs because she had pretty ones. Pairing opague black tights and flats with a bohemian minidress is an Edieism. But to the clubs, i usually bare leg it. That's ok, too!
7) Of course, how can we forget!!! BLACK HEAVY EYELINER, KOHL PENCIL, BLACK SHADOW, FAUX LASHES AND TRIPLE COATED MASCARA. apply and repeat. reapply and re-repeat. We know all about this. There are a bazillion secrets to applying. It's not just facepainting. there is a technique to the madness, i swear!
8) LAST BUT NOT LEAST, HERE ARE SOME EDIE LOOKS TO AVOID: CHAIN SMOKING CIGARETTES, ahem! Astrid! BOOZE PASTED TO THE HAND, AND HEROIN NEEDLE IN THE PURSE. mu ha ha ha...

Single Item Current Obsession

Astrid: red Chloe "Susan" buckle boots. they're from Fall o8 i believe.

Liz: Perfect. Hair. Early-70s teased bouffant hair.

Screen Character's Style

Astrid: Satine from Moulin Rouge. The courtesan look. Corsets and feathers and deep hues. Pale skin, bare breasts, pink cheeks, heart lips. Cherub meets whore.

Liz: Um...she's not really a screen character, but i love Kylie Minogue in every music video she's ever done. She is so fierce it's buh na nas. i die.

Makeup

Astrid:
Liz: YES!!! I AGREE!! but NOTE!--no shimmery metallic shadow under brows - it looks drag queenish and mutes the high contrast/dramatic effect of the kohl. if you're worried you will look lucy liu-ish or bai lingish with all the shadow (cat eye effect *shudder*), u can even use double-eyelid tape to even further exaggerate the rounder wide-eyed look by creating a larger eyelid crease on which to apply more black shadow. ridiculous, yes. but shadow totally hides the tape. u can only use the tape if you're doing raccoon!

Wardrobe Item I Cannot Live Without

Astrid: I can't live without my slouchy oversize knit grandma sweaters. I throw them over everything from skinny jeans to sequined dresses. Others i just slip into like a dress. Besides

that, my other item has to be faux lashes--a girl's chicest accessory. I cannot live without them. They've become a part of me. Lady Gaga said in an interview that she used to spend her entire summers shopping around for the perfect eyelashes. Vanity. Lovesit.
Liz: Me too. I am a professional fauxlash applicator. the trick is to glue the inner corners on first, and make sure they're stuck perfectly as close to the real lash line as possible, TURNED UP. trust me, they look funny turned up that high while you're doing it (think Clockwork Orange) but they end up falling down a little bit and if you make the inner corner lashes turn up higher than the rest, it makes your eyes look bigger and wider, like a doll. #111 is probably the bane of my existence. i think we've spent at least $5,000 on #111!!! :(

Imminent Splurge

Astrid: Mens Oxford shoes and a gold mens watch. For me, if it's not 5" heels with a hidden .5" max hidden platform, it's unique flats. Not ballet flats. But mens flats or thigh high boots.
Liz: It's not really a splurge monetarily but morally because i'm giving up buying crap i don't need for Lizzent. But the next time i fall off the wagon, it will be for clip in Remy Human Hair Bangs Extensions. Because i love bangs, but i don't want to commit. I'm materially depraved.

Current Single Release from the Soundtrack of My Life

Astrid: Albert Hammond, Jr.'s - Bright Young Thing

Liz: Sanctus Real - Whatever You're Doing
"Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly"

Current Scent

Astrid: I tend to end up wearing anything my sister buys. She's mastered the secret of parfum testing...it takes about five hours to know what top notes fade and what scent you're left with for the rest of the day. Basically, a parfum will have an initial scent but it changes as the oils of your skin and body temperature react with it. It's tricky because you might test a certain parfum and love it because it smells fruity, but it could turn musty in the next few hours.

Liz: The only fragrances worth wearing are eau de parfums and the only eau de parfums worth wearing are from French Houses. Annick Goutal's Petit Cherie will be my scent aura as i raise my daughters so that its sweetness will permeate their childhood memories and always remind them of me. Goutal was a pianist until she was 21, like me. She understood how perfuming is an art of harmony, like playing the piano. It reminds me of my mother who is a professional pianist and organist.

Augusta, Georgia

I had the most freakin fantastic time!!!

We need to take another weekend minivacay in Augusta, prontissimo!!!

So i arrived in Augusta around 7pm. Honest? the drive was a bitch. I can't even drive 20 min to Gwinnett (Atlanta's Ktown area) without getting severe road rage. But a promise is a promise! Plus, i missed my friend Eric! I pulled into his driveway and was greeted by a great big bear hug. Without missing a beat, we started the night by shooting some Kettle. Dinner? Nah, i can always nibble on something later. My M.O. is to save all my stomach space for booze, not food. After a quick chat we skiddaddled out the door to his bar Limelite Cafe. I played Keno for the first time and won $8! So far so good!! After downing some redbull vodkas and car bombs, the night started getting hazy and we retreated to the downtown bar scene.

Downtown Augusta reminds me of a cleaner version of Athens sans sorostitutes and fratboys. I felt right at home. We went to Metro Coffee House, drank, and then to The Loft, drank some more, and then back to Metro Coffee House. I have no idea why. All I remember was laughing hysterically, meeting lovely southern folk, and pounding shot after shot after shot. I think i was wobbling by the end of the night. But what else is new right? We got back to Eric's where I collapsed in a heaping pile of awesomeness--only to wake up with a jolt at around 5am frantically graspin around to remember where I was. Oh, i'm in Augusta. And then I went back to drooling all over maselfs. so sexy, i know. For lunch, we went to Rooster's Beak where i had the most delicious bulgogi and veggie tacos EVER! Bulgogi tacos? How creative!

It was totally gorge outside, and e took a walk around downtown Augusta. I HAD to see it during the day so I could store a permanent memory of it on my brainhardrive next to the "witty comebacks" folder (which is ever increasing, btw). We walked and talked for what seemed like hours, passing the bars, the vintage clothing boutiques, coffeeshops, and Riverwalk. we blew through topics lightning fast. This only happens when you're truly kindred spirits with someone. The last time I had a real conversation with Eric was ages ago. I've known him since my college wild-child days when i was outta control and on the fast track to Intervention, so it's kinda funny being witness to each other growing up! What's important to me in a friend is only two things: loyalty and trust. If you have these two, I'll be your clown and love you forever. (it also helps your cause if you're not ugly, also. i don't have any ugly friends.) Kidding, of course.... ???

Overall, I found myself smitten with Augusta, GA. It's a quaint escape from Atlanta with great food, genuine people, and an endless sea of booze....and that is always a-ok with me. Thanks Eric for being the greatest host--i had the best time! xoxo, Astrid

Friday I'm in love

OMYWOW. i never realized how delicious kettle is when mixed with some sort of juice. pomegranate or cranberry juice cocktail, preferably, with a touch of OJ. I'm at home with mimeisters after a long day of running errands. We had to wake up at 6am to make it to her hospital by 8am for her checkup and rebandaging. Afterwards, my mum and i went to Designer Consigner, this hole in the wall thrift store that sells vintage Fendi. (they moved locations, closer to our home off exit 11). I asked the shopkeeper if i could bring Mimeisters inside and she agreed (because Meems is so beautiful and sweet, duh!). My mum took forever to browse the racks so i went outside with Meems and let her stand for a bit. Meems can't walk around yet but loves to try out her sealegs and stand for seconds at a time, ARRR! She's like a toddler that's learning how to stay upright by holding onto things. Then we went to some office (not sure) to obtain Nicky's permanent visa paperwork and then to Trader Joe's to pick up grana padano and dill havarti cheese. Next, we went to Taco Bell to buy my grandparents hard tacos (their fave) for lunch and dropped it off at Thornhill. At my grandparents, Mimeisters dropped a huge deuce that "looked wet" according to my mum. She still does the spinning thing before she poops, even though it's hard for her. Next, we went to Target because my mum needed potting soil. (all of her fingers are green thumbs. for ex: she turned one scrawny aloe vera plant into 6 huge ones and last year's Christmas poinsettia into four GINORMOUS ones that are threatening to take over our greenroom. but for some reason, they're green not red. and monstrous. She is so talented with planets--she is the Plant Whisperer. After Target, we drove through Arby's because Mimiester "told my mum that she felt like a junior roast beef" according to my mum, of course. She inhaled the whole thing, bit by bit!

Now we're home and my mum is madly cleaning the house for company that's supposed to arrive in fifteen, Nicky's doing homework, and i've just knocked back my second kettle pom whilst typing this and watching Giada grate parmigiano reggiano over some penne with arugula pesto and kissing Meems on the head as she sleeps. Wonder when Astrid will return?? She's driving back from Augusta now, where she spent time with her close friend, Eric...she said she had a "freakin fantastic time" so she'll probably write all about it and insist we take a weekend trip to Augusta, etc. etc! =D

Adventures of Peas and Nars

Last night, Nars and I went last min to catch Lenny Kravitz at the Taber - nacle. Here's a pic she took with her iphone. Freakin sweet venue. It looks like one of those old gothic/Victorian churches mixed with the underground Athens bar scene. I kinda felt dirty and wanted to break out my sweetpea antibacterial gel but i refrained, because moonlighting as a groupie is NOT about cleanliness. It's about drugs, sex, alcohol and of course, the love of music.

I was expecting to scalp tickets. All day I was sharpening my awesome haggling skills and of course...my nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, and computer hacking skills. Nars, secretly, called up friends and asked around for tickets. She's the kind of girl that can't bargain a deal...like, ever. If some homeless man walked up to her to sell her a ticket for $200 when MSRP is $50, she'd hold her head down, say, "okay", and hand him a wad of cash. I on the other hand, am adamant about having things done my way. I always haggle. I guess it's just the raggamuffin in me. :) Anyway, Nars got 2 tickets. Her friend had put'em up for Lenny's guestlist. So far, so good.

When we walked in we were immediately overwhelmed and excited. I know rock concerts at the Tabernacle is not really her thing, but she came with me anyway, because she is just down like that and i've always had the hots of Lenny. First there was a cover artist strumming away on his guitar and harmonica for about 45 min. And then we had to wait about an hour and a half before the lights dimmed again and the steady bass filled the room. However before the concert began, Nars and I were standing next to this fatass blond white-trash bitch. She kept elbowing Nars and whipping her ugly ass nappy hair in her face. She kept trying to push me out of the way, BEHIND her. Oh hells no. For about an hour, Nars and I were battling this succubus and her douchebag boyfriend. At one point, i had to kimchee squat down in a sea people because i felt like I was going to have a panic attack and throw up. yes, again. FREAKINGAYE. my last one was in NYC in a bar. I'm going to have to find a regular source of xanybars or a prescription or something. Anyway, this succubus was scoffing at me saying, "omigosh she's tripping!! look at her she's tripping!!!" I replied by giving her the "F you" glare, and yelled, "I'm NOT f***ing tripping!" Then this succubus then has the audacity to say, "oh haaail no, someone better get her out of my face before I kick her ass..." Nars was going to throw down, but she was wearing sky high heels of course and would've toppled over like a tree.

It was REDICK: My panic attack, standing in a mosh pit full of sweaty people, succubus...etc...and then boom boom pow...the guitar riffs are insane and everyone starts going crazy. I feel like it's a music video and my heart is pounding with excitement. Lenny Kravitz is an amazing performer. I was blown away by his stage presence... the way he moves is indescribably sexy.

After a couple of songs, i felt light-headed and had to get air. Nars and I pushed and shoved our way out of the mosh pit and sat on some stairs...

Peas: Man, is it snobby of me to never want to go anywhere unless i'm VIP?

Nars: NO!!!! THAT'S SANE....AND NORMAL!!!

We 86-ed the last 15 min of the concert and decided to fill our bellies with some Korean food. Why does Korean food taste so derishious after hours?!?! All. Those. Calories.=( I had ahltang and Nars had galbi jeem...i think that's what it was. Afterwards, we made a pitstop at Gold Room, formerly known as The Gold Club which used to be Atlanta's premier topless bottomless prostitution ring--i mean strip club. It got shut down for prostitution, fraud, money laundering, federal racketeering, and a lot of other things stemming from its superclose ties to the mafia. The Gold Club was a notorious watering hole for celebrities, lawyers, professional athletes, and mafiosas. It had grandiose private champagne rooms where favored entertainers and athletes could have sex. And there was definitely a LOT of sex going on in these champagne rooms! After they shut down, it was rented out to a church for a bit o.O, and then bought back by businessman Jonathan Clay and flipped into a nightclub. It was also the after party for the Kravitz concert.

I drove home paranoid, because my sister called and said there were mad cops on the road. I hate driving at night. I always think (a) i'm being followed or (b) i'm being followed by a cop.

In conclusion, my mission was a success: I moonlighted and pranced around like groupie. I threw up the horns and bobbed my head up and down to the beat of the drums. I swooned when I saw Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz. And when I think about him...i still blush. :) You know, he's REALLY short in real life. And he's got a HUGE head...well, maybe that's the fro.

Next mission is to infiltrate the musician's inner circle and quite possibly, his LIFE! muhahaha....
that didn't sound creepy at all...

tata my lovers,

-Peas

Fall...

With all the chaos surrounding the past couple weeks, i've failed to stop, pause, and take a breather. My sister's baby Mimi, a blond pomeranian who she raised since she was a baby and is now 6 yrs old, got attacked by a bull mix. (It's always a bull mix, isn't it?) Mimi almost died. She had emergency surgery at the top animal hospital in the Southeast and was placed in an ICU oxygen tank for 3 days in critical care. My sister was inconsolable and hysterical for days. She has experienced a lot of unspeakably crazy things in her life, but this was by a landslide the worst. I can talk about this ordeal now because mimi is on the road to recovery and because i think it's important for me to share with people who have lost a loved pet or even a family member, because Mimi is really a family member. Nearly losing Mimi really made us reassess our lives and what's important. Life is precious and God gives and he can just as easily take away. We have never prayed so hard in our lives. My mom who had been gone for a month flew in from Korea to tend to Mimi. We cried and prayed and prayed some more. It seemed so senseless to my sister and me, but my mom reminded us that not even a sparrow falls from the sky without God knowing it. And he demonstrated his mercy to our family in this. And here we are, nursing Mimi back to health and chewing food in our mouths and spitting it out so she will eat. It will be awhile before she's back to normal. She can't bark or walk or eat on her own. She wets herself and she has nightmares and wakes up whining and squealing. But we are so full of thanks and wonder at how good God is. Funny that that's what it takes for us to be thankful again.

Fall seemed to come overnight and all the leaves are orange, red and yellow now. Atlanta weather is so fickle. So freakin fickle. Maybe that's why all the women are fickle. One day it's a warm 72 and the next day it's 45 and raining. I look at the trees changing colors and it's like a reminder of how transformation is a part of our existence. As I get older, I can't help but feel the responsibilities piling up, the stress that every day brings to the table. And I find myself formulating an escape. My very own Wonderland. I want to jump and fall into the dark abyss and get lost in a world that is incomparable to my own...where things are unorthodox and may seem crazy to the untrained-Wonderlandoutlandish eye.

Does this feeling of wanting to run away make me childish and maybe even selfish? French philosopher, Henri Bergson, once said, "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, and to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." In my opinion, maturity is so often perceived incorrectly. Maturity isn't about being boring, self-righteous, owning a house, drinking wine with a pinky sticking out, or never going out on weekends. To me, it is the ability to put others before yourself. Maturity is laughing at yourself and knowing when to be immature. It is being open-minded enough to put your own objectives aside and to listen, humbly. Maturity is a state of mind and has nothing to do with age. And most importantly, it's about being able to recreate yourself and opening yourself to re-enlightenment and variety and experience.

Yeah, i realize running away from life's problems is actually IM-mature. But i find that as long as i get done what i need to get done, as long as i am a good daughter, sister, friend, and student of the world, i can have my sprinkles cupcake and eat it, too. Because what i do will prepare me. Where i go will sculpt me. The people i meet will teach me.

Flu bug.

Can you spot the Pesther?

I'm soooo sick. the worst body aches, pounding headaches, and there's this weird pressure behind my eyeballs and my facial pressure monitoring system is alerting me of the imminent geyser-like explosion of my head.

Normal people take Theraflu or Robitussin.

I drink half a bottle of red wine with xanax. My theory is that if i knock out, then i won't feel the pain. And on my way out, at least i can enjoy the woozy ride. Ok, genius. *idiot voice* I woke up at 4am, then 6am, then 8am in the worst pain ever. My armpits, ribcage, neck, back, thighs, calves, abdomen, and even my freakin face were throbbing. I couldn't even take Mimi outside to pee because i could hardly move.

Now, i'm taking Theraflu! I hate how it's warm going down, not unlike liquor. i hate that part about liquor. no pain no party, right?

Speaking of liquor...tonight is our girlfriend Annie Chang's farewell party. She's moving back to the City of Angels--befitting for her, because she actually LOOKS like an angel. I'll probably do the recap tomorrow because Astrid is normally too drunk to function the day after a monsoon.

Laterdoods.

i'll be good for you and you'll be good for me...

I was at a Weezer concert and I swear to you, at "goddamn you half-japanese girls, you do it to me e-ver-y time" Rivers Cuomo waved hi at me. I almost fainted. And then I got kicked in the head by a crowd surfer.
I wonder how wonderful it would be to crowd surf. Floating on hundreds of people you don't even know....wait a second... all those hands on you touching you everywhere...hmm...i retract that. Nevertheless, it'd be awesome to leap into a sea of people, eventually finding my own two feet on solid ground. I've always wanted to be a lead singer in a band. Can i scream? yes. Can i wear punctured tights and tattered rags like courtney love? definitely. Can I abuse substance? *looks to the left and the right frantically* for my art, yes. And since this dreamjob seems so far-fetched, what's the next best thing? Date a musician. So, my dear readers, this winter i will find myself a musician and promptly date him. Lickety-split. Winter is for rawkin out and attending Christmas parties and socializing--shouldn't be too hard, right? ;)

Chiclet teeth. Blue eyeshadow. Bardot hair. Bangs. <3.