I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a great driver. I’m not even a decent driver. I’m the deadliest type of driver out there: Asian, female artist (AFA) which means that on top of being overly-submissive and nervous on the road, my artist-self is distracted by every detail. Typography on a billboard, funky looking pedestrians, a beautiful blade of grass. EVERYTHING. I also make last-minute lane changes and sporadic U-turns deserving of the middle finger.

So! Driving to a job interview in the city of Seattle can make me highly excitable. But the first four times proved to be okay. I always arrived extra early with an hour or more to kill (in which case I’d find the nearest Starbucks or Tully’s and dominate on Scrabble). I always printed out directions from Google map (in addition to the GPS on my phone) so for my fifth interview I thought I was set. Right?

No, I was terribly wrong. I left the house an hour early and it should’ve only taken 20-24 minutes to get to my destination. Interview was set for 12:30. I felt good! But the good feeling started slipping away as I thought….where is the right lane that turns into Idaho Street?! I looked back on the map and realized, to my dismay, that I was looking at the wrong side. It was supposed to be a left turn and I’d missed it. Time to pull over and back track. Wait, which direction is North? Why is there a giant concrete barrier in the middle of this road when I need to make a U-turn? Why am I headed towards (downtown) Seattle when I should be seeing warehouses? I pulled over the first time to ask a construction worker where I might find Idaho Street. In a drawl he said “Idaho Street?” Yeah okay I know, this isn’t Idaho but that’s the name of the street, ok!

I pulled over to the nearest gas station and hopelessly sat there, across from the Elephant Car Wash (one of Seattle’s most memorable land marks…a giant pink, rotating elephant that mocked me with every turn). It was 12:20 and I was lost. As lost as Nemo…or Oceanic Flight 815.

I called the company I was applying for and let them know I was running late. The young man on the other end was sympathetic, telling me he got lost on his first day too, and tried helping me find my way out of the Seattle-labyrinth. His directions only confused me more to which I blurted at the end “Right now all I’m seeing is a giant pink elephant.” He got silent so I let him go and it was back to square one. GPS was not helping me (because I’m illiterate when trying to read maps). I had two options:

1) Admit to failure and call my husband who could pull up a map on his screen at work and act as my human-GPS. This would’ve been the rationale and right thing to do.

2) Phone a taxi company and have a cab pull up next to my car so that I can follow it to my destination. This was the irrational and costly alternative.

I went with #2. Perhaps my subconscious self didn’t want to crawl back to my husband, tail between my legs, only to confirm the stereotype attributed to my gender/race. I just wanted out! And that rusty yellow cab was gonna save me. This is how the conversation rolled:

Me (to the cab driver): Hey, um, I need to get to this location but I’m lost and I don’t want to park my car here and have to pay extra so….can I just pay you to lead me there?

Driver: *Looks at me blandly* Yeah but it’s gonna cost $20 and you have to pay upfront.

Me: *nervous laugh* When did the price go up? Haha…ha…ha.

Driver: *Gives me the “Are you serious?” face* Look, this is an unusual situation and how do I know if you’ll pay me or not once I get you there? It’s gonna be about $20.

Me: Once I give you the money, you’re not just going to drive off and leave me stranded right?

Driver: Look, once we get on the Alaskan Way Viaduct there’s only one way we can go with nowhere to pull off until Idaho Street. So you can’t lose me.

Me: Ok, lemme get my wallet :(

So I paid a cab 20 bucks and 12 minutes later I was at the interview. I was so happy just to be there that I gave him a $3 tip even though he was extra grumpy. Moral of the story: In a situation like this, be an adult and call your significant other because not only does it strengthen the matrimonial bond of trust and inter-dependency, but you save one green Andrew Jackson.

Needless to say, I was offered the full-time design position so that was $20 well spent. The End.

See how I jumped right into it? Like flinging myself into a cold swimming pool…or plucking that unsightly hair on my belly. You just gotta DO IT.

I know it’s kind of an uncomfortable topic for some, but I just watched a really helpful youtube video by Jen (a Korean designer who posts makeup/hair/fashion tutorials on her channel called From Head to Toe). In one particular video she talks about how most women do NOT wear the correct bra size and I realized just how guilty I am of this.

Hi, my name’s Angella and I’m an incorrect-bra-size-wearer.

I’ve noticed that petite women in particular have an even harder time finding the right bra size because let’s be honest….there’s not a ton of (cute) 30-34 A sizes out there (I’m not petite btw…maybe up there but the rest of my body is pretty average. I noticed my face is starting to look more and more like my fat ap photo and that disturbs me). Even Victoria’s Secret is generous with their cup sizes (we don’t ALL have the pearly treasures to fill those clams folks!) But fear not little ones (pun intended). There’s a brand called The Little Bra Company that believes “good things do come in small packages®.”

Basically, Emily Lau (founder of this company) figured out a way to design intimate apparel that fits petite women without looking like training bras. My favorite question from the FAQs page: Can an A-cup actually get cleavage with The Little Bra Company™?

“I find that smaller-breasted women often resign to wearing camisole bras or nothing at all. When I fit some A-customers, they tell me they didn’t even know that they could wear a lacy bra. They’d rather not bring attention to what they didn’t have. Nor did they think they could even wear a padded bra. They just assumed that they have nothing to push up, so why try. Since my bras are fitted for their specific body-type, the padding does its job properly…giving them a comfortable fit and a bit of cleavage too!”

Well by golly. There’s hope for some of us yet. I especially love the idea of this brand because it offers sizes as small as 28! Some simple rules to remember when bra fitting according to Jen’s video:

1) When you pull the elastic band away from your back, it should NOT stretch very far. Only 2-3 finger widths at most otherwise it means the fit is too wide. You might’ve thought you were a 32, but you could really be a 28 (especially if you’ve had your bra on the tightest clasp this whole time).

2) Make sure the elastic straps on your shoulders and around your rib cage are not too tight. I.e. if you start seeing fatty rolls spilling over the edge or elastic marks on your shoulders, that might be a sign to increase the fit. Straps should only rest on your skin and the bra itself should do all the lifting work.

3) You might’ve thought you were an A cup this whole time, but you could be a B or even a C! It’s not a matter of saying “Whoa look, I’m bigger and better than I thought I was!” but most women honestly wear the wrong bra size so this affects the cups too. I found this page to be very helpful in determining my right size (P.S. if you’re using your husband’s yellow measuring tape…be warned. It’s COLD).

I’m excited about giving this new brand a try. Again, I know this entry’s super random but this stuff is important! Women don’t talk about it enough and I’m getting kind of sick of my ugly granny bras that kinda-sorta-fit-but-not-really. I think small-breasted women deserve to feel great about themselves and it all starts with finding the right fit. My motto: I’d rather be small and true than hugely tacky.

Edit: And just so we’re clear about that last line, I meant fake boobs are tacky. Not big boobs.

I absolutely love watching my dogs play in the snow. Curie’s always been picky about the cold, but if Voltaire eggs her on just a little they start to run around in circles and do that paw-thing (you know, where they dip their head real low and stick their butt up like they’re going to pounce).

Voltaire’s beard is a riot this time of year. Black….no wait just kidding, WHITE!

Always too far to the left :)

Sniffing in the snow for MUD. I know what you guys are up to.

Play time’s over for this grandma. Curie says “It’s cold! Retreat!”

This weekend I picked up a wonderful children’s book called Nobody Rides the Unicorn. This treasure was buried in a thrift store, on sale for only 99 cents. So I snatched it, brought it home and read it on the couch like a kid. It reminded me so much of my favorite children’s story Peach & Blue because of its graceful imagery and somewhat serious theme. It’s full of stunning illustrations that are dark with hazy earth tones (almost fuzzy) completed in the impressionist style. I kind of like Amazon’s summary of the book:

“Zoe is a poor, orphaned beggar girl living on the outskirts of the kingdom of Joppardy. She is also the quietest, gentlest girl in the land which is exactly what the king is looking for. He needs the horn of a unicorn and, according to the king’s (evil) adviser Doctor Slythe, only sweet young girls can trap the fierce and elusive beasts. The king tricks Zoe into entering the deep forest and luring a unicorn with her innocent song…

His coat is like snowflakes
Woven with silk.
When he goes galloping
He flows like milk.

Nobody Rides the Unicorn.
His mind is peaceful as the grass.
He is the loveliest one of all
And he lives behind the waterfall.

Just as a unicorn puts his head in her lap to sleep, hundreds of men attack and trap the beautiful animal. Zoe, furious at the deception, helps set the unicorn free and the “little nobody” is banished from the kingdom. With nowhere else to turn, she wanders off to find her unicorn.”

At the very end of the book, the unicorn asks:
“Tell me my kind friend, who are you?”
Zoe said, “Me, I’m nobody.”
“Climb on my back, kind Nobody,” said the unicorn with his eyes. “For Nobody rides the unicorn.”

Amusing find for the day – edible golden spray for food! The Deli Garage brings you Esslack in four colors that gives you the power to create a meal fit for King Midas. Why eat a plain brown turkey when you can transform it into C-3PO!

So go and glamorize those truffles. Add an extra layer of “glaze” to that doughnut. Paint all of your eggs gold and plant them around your yard…make it look like your (magical) chicken’s been hard at work. Red apples were so last year…the Germans are jazzing up their dinner table and so should YOU.

A lamp to help your little one count sheep at night.

(Hopefully removable) duct tape that’ll drive your kids crazy with glee (pun intended). I wish I had this as an 8 year old. Forget the floor…your walls, ceilings and furniture will never be the same again.

How pillow fights should really be carried out. To the DEATH.

An owl toothbrush holder. I just thought it was cute :)

Sorry this is a day late…sometimes Tuesdays are the new Mondays.

But I love this witty little accessory. Princess Leia head phone covers. I think it has to match your natural hair color, otherwise it looks mighty awkward. Also bald people can’t really participate :( I mean…they can. But it’ll look like two cinnabuns stuck to either sides of a polished egg.

To be honest, I’m a little sad at how much people hated 2011 and how eager they are for it to end. There were definitely some momentous and devastating events like the tsunami in Japan, the Libyan civil war, the formal declaration to end the Iraq war, severe natural disasters and ongoing terrorist attacks around the world, and the still-sagging US economy. But hey…we’re still here! We’re ALIVE and have the privilege to reminisce about 2011. Plus we don’t live in North Korea :)

(The chance of a North Korean reading this? Minimal)

So here’s to surviving 2011 and for a great 2012! *the sound of glass clinking*

As some of you already know from reading my facebook, I actually have a New Years resolution this year…and a hefty one too. My husband proposed just last week that he is going to embark on a vegetarian diet and (I never thought I’d say this) but I will too. How did a carnivorous, meat-loving gal like me come to this conclusion? It happened very gradually yet very quickly (wha?) Gradually because I’ve thought about the issue since last year but didn’t make the decision until just yesterday after watching an eye-opening video called Earthlings. This movie…will absolutely blow your mind and change your world. It sheds light on the very depressing, gruesome and real nature of pet stores, puppy mills, animal shelters, factory farms, leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and the medical and scientific fields that experiment on animals. Even though I’ve grown up on violent, gory films all my life, I couldn’t watch this entire video with eyes wide open…not without looking away every 20 seconds (but I did finish it). I held my dog the entire time as I bawled and sat on the couch in horror, watching thousands of cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats, foxes, sea creatures, etc. being tortured and murdered in unbelievable ways. I feel like I have to explain one particular scene that really got to me because that was the pivotal moment…it’s what made me decide “Okay, I’ve had enough of this…what can I do to help? How can I end their suffering even just a little bit?” This part might be graphic for some readers so don’t read the next two paragraphs.
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It was a scene showing the conditions that mink, fox and raccoons undergo in the leather and fur trade. Hundreds of wild fox are captured and put in wire cages so small that some experience cage madness where they continually pace in circles because they’re not used to extreme confinement. They’re left there to wither away and fester in infections until finally (if they’re not already dead) they’re strangled or bashed in the head and then skinned. But sometimes, the humans carrying it out don’t even have the decency to kill the poor creature. One particular scene showed a fox being skinned alive, kicking and squirming for its life (without any anesthetic of course) as its skin was gradually pealed off of its body. I could not believe what I was seeing. It showed the now-skinned fox tossed on the ground…experiencing so much pain that it didn’t even know what to do with itself. I’ve never seen a skinned animal alive before and I never want to again. Its eyes were wide open and you could still see the eyelashes on the poor creature as it blinked just sitting there…a red, bloody mess with no skin or fur. Unspeakable horror. I will never forget it because it looked right at me.

Of course the other sections were just as abhorrent. Pigs were boiled alive while screaming and thrashing, conscious cows had their heads chopped off, chickens were de-beaked (their beaks cut off with a metal machine) to prevent them from pecking each other, cows were de-horned with rusty pliers (blood squirting out while the cows screamed in pain, no anesthetic), etc. After finishing the film, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted with man. I know that not all farms mistreat their animals and this should NOT represent the entire meat industry. But it DOES happen and it happens to an alarming rate of animals each year. Just to be clear, I am not opposed to eating meat from animals that are raised on free-roaming farms – animals that can eat food natural to their diet before coming to a quick, painless demise. But I am entirely and utterly opposed to torturing and murdering animals even for the sake of “food.”
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SO. How does me being a vegetarian help prevent this madness?

1) By not supporting large factories (discluding local farms that actually follow regulations) I’m making a statement that says I have respect for sentient life. I don’t wish any cow, pig, chicken, whale, dolphin, etc. to suffer on my behalf. If I find a local farm that upholds these values, great! I can eat meat! But I choose to be skeptical of mass-packaged grocery meat because there’s a big chance that an animal suffered.

2) Love of animals. I’m a mother to two dogs and I can’t imagine anything like this happening to them. Their level of intelligence is NOT much different than these animals (especially pigs and dolphins) so how can I be okay with this happening to some animals and not others?

3) By going vegetarian, I save the lives of approximately 50 animals per year. This especially helps large factories because they’re already performing at max capacity (i.e. chickens can not even open their wings in their cages). Freeing up space allows animals to be more comfortable.

4) There are vegetable-based substitutes for every meat product imaginable (beans, nuts, fruits) and instead of eating a hot dog because I’m “bored”, I can now munch on a bag of trail mix and feel MUCH better conscientiously and nutritionally.

So there it is folks. My very long and emotional explanation as to why I’m going vegetarian. Sorry if this post started out all New Years Eve-y and then turned animal rightsy. Let me reiterate that I’m not against eating meat per say and I don’t hate anyone who does eat meat! This is an ethical decision I’m making for myself ;) And just so I can end on a somewhat happy note, here is a photo from thefancy.com showing Lego characters reenacting a scene from Inception. Haha, good night!

“Tastes just like real imaginary unicorn farts! Like spearmint and pink cotton candy, everybody knows that.

This balm is designed to melt into your lips, not into your jeans! Which is good, because I keep mine in my butt pocket. It’s got lots of yumminess in it: natural beeswax, unrefined cocoa butter, unrefined shea butter, jojoba, sweet almond, grape seed oils, vitamin E, and flavor oil.”

What the heck is jojoba? Who cares. You’ll giggle every time you wipe this on your mouth and no one will know why. Offer some to your spouse. “Hey, would you like some………lip balm?”

Then make this sneaky smile (ignore Ron’s bacon-covered ice cream).

Also have you ever noticed how a USB drive or plug never fits the first time? It’s like our appliances are out to annoy us…and it’s working.