FLAVOR of WEEK 4

Remember how I posted the event of going to Spaceland? Well, it finally happened. This past week, I was able to check off two places I've been wanting to go to since moving to LA: Cinespace and Spaceland. Fun places that I recommend to everyone! We also saw two bands perform, The Ettes and The Raveonettes. Weird word similarity coincidences this week.

Sunday:


- Hike to Temescal Canyon w/ Deane, Nick, EV
- Scoops (of course!)
- Cinespace Hollywood - Animation Army and WIGI event - 3d Games Networking Party

Wednesday:

- Spaceland - The Ettes performed

Thursday:

Friday:
The Reader at Paramount

Tes and Mini's photography gallery - photos from their trips to Brazil and Haiti

Saturday:

Henry Fonda's Music Box - The Raveonettes

WEEK 4 (photography): Needy

I like photos that are digitally enhanced, to add color to a B&W photo. I love color, but there's something wonderful about black and white photos.


Took this pic in Mendocino Coast.


Took this pic of this cutie pie in NY, on the streets in SoHo, where it was snowing. That's my friend's hand, reaching out to pet it. I wanted to take it home with me!!!

:)

Month 1: Miracle Berry Party

So I was watching "CSI" and discovered this tongue-altering berry called "Miracle Berry." It's a berry indigenous to Africa, and - when placed upon the tongue and dissolved - can leave you with a sweet tongue. Sours and bitters taste SWEET!!! And this alteration can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours! It sounded so amazing that I thought to check it on Wikipedia. Here's what I discovered:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_fruit

As great as it sounds, I thought to create a party around this magical red fruit, and share it with all of you. Here's how it works: I provide this berry, you provide anything sour and bitter, including: lemons, grapefruit, red wines, etc. Anything you can think of. Be creative! And be nice - no poisons, please!!! (Just a word of caution from the writers of "CSI."

WHAT: Miracle Fruit Party
WHEN: Friday, January 30th from 7:30pm - 11:00 pm
WHERE: Deane's Apt. (RSVP and I'll give you the address!)

I can't wait to see how tripped-out our taste buds will be!

:P

FLAVOR of WEEK 3

Monday:

- Comme Ca - steak tartar, lamb, duck, fries, creme brulee

Wednesday

- 8 oz. Burger

Thursday:
- Waiting for Godot @ Glendale's "A Noise Within". This play is one of the most famous plays in the world of American theatre, probably because it's an Absurdist play, about characters really doing nothing (except waiting for Godot.) Glad to say I've seen it though.

Friday:
- Wordplay
- Scoops
- Milk - not the other ice cream place, the MOVIE! Friday night movies at Paramount have been great lately! One of the best of 2008, in my opinion.

Saturday:
- Ellen DeGeneres taping for QVC Special - Halo Pet Products
- Aroma Cafe
- Lounging and watching "Flight of the Conchords"

WEEK 3 (Monologue): Living Here

Monologue

Hank, late 30s, sits on a chair at the dining room table. He holds a stack of mail in his hands.

Hank: All these letters. None you will ever read again, and each addressed to Mr. AND MRS. Wellborne. (opens one up and reads) “Dear Hank and Dora: The wedding was marvelous! I can’t believe you two went through all the trouble to find a white peacock! Shirly was stunned. Sam and I wouldn’t know what to do without friends like you. Cheers, Tara.” (closes the letter, opens another) “Dear Hank and Dora: Thank you for the space uniform. Donna and I will put it to great use! Dora, your husband has one hell of a sense of humor! Hank, you have the best wife a man could ask for. As they say, if a man walks beside a great wife he too will rise to greatness! Love you two! Cory.” Oh, there are hundreds more I could read to you, Dora. Just come back to me. Come back home! Our house (pause) - my house – waits for you to fill its walls with the scent of freshly baked banana bread, the ones full of nuts. The bed is lumpy on one side, hoping you’ll hide its shape. The stairs still creak as if expecting another pair of feet upon them. The exposed rectangles on the wall wish that your smile would be put back up, to conceal the blatantly empty space. And the front door is jammed, no longer able to open to smiling neighbors or the fresh scent of car exhaust. (walks to the freezer, opens) The ice has all melted, unable to retain its form. (closes door and returns to seat.)

Hank: Funny thing is, Cory warned me about all of this. Warned that you’d leave one day, get tired of the life we were living together. How come I never suspected it? We could talk about everything, couldn’t we? Your voice was so soft and quiet. I had to ask you to repeat yourself a few times to hear you, but I wouldn’t mind it. It would silence the neighbors’ dogs barking to the moonlight, it would silence the car alarms that ceased to break, it would even make the tiniest whisper stop to listen because everything you said had a powerful meaning behind it. Even if it was as simple as “I need to pee,” it had such fervor in its meaning! But the most meaningful words were those you repeated every night at midnight, “I love you,” that struck me the hardest. (sighs) Now with you gone, all I hear is noise, thousands of voices, maybe even millions, talking all at once! (starts getting upset) Don’t try to explain yourself. If you wanted hell, I could have given it to you! So don’t tell me you quit. Don’t tell me it’s not worth it. I never gave up on us. (tries to calm down, stops his tears, breathes three times to settle) I want to know why you would leave me. Weren’t your smiles true? Weren’t they real? Every time you smiled I assumed you were filled with happiness. But happy people don’t end their lives. People who love you don’t take their love away. Was it something I did? Is there a way to apologize for it? Can you ever forgive me for whatever I did that harmed you? (starts crying again) Dammit! Tell me what to do. A whisper, a sign, anything.

(knock at the door)

Hank: (trying to compose himself, then gets up and goes to the cabinet door. Opens it once, closes it, opens it again and speaks into it) No one is home at the moment. Can I take a message?


-------------------------

A later scene.


Hank: I remember that day more vividly than this present moment. We had just returned from a quiet stroll to the pet store on Fifth and Main. She found a dog she thought would best fit the house’s needs. We told this baby (gesturing to house) that it needed a companion since she and I would be away for a while, on a trip for a couple of months to Cochiti Canyon, New Mexico. A spiritual relic, really. Surrounded by red rock, blue sky, and the comfort of the land pulling us in with its majestic beauty. A Native American promised it’d get us back to our roots. (opens a cabinet, then closes it.) These doors haven’t opened for anybody since she left. You’re the first to arrive, the first to give a damn.

Karen: What are you looking for?

Hank: A right. A reason. Why are you here, Karen?

Karen: I –

Hank: Are you here because you feel obligated to be here? You were never close to Dora when she was living here, and now that she’s out you choose to come by.

Karen: You know our past, Hank. You know why I’m here now. Maybe now we can try to work it out? Start anew?

Hank: Karen… you don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to say those words. But under these circumstances, I don’t know if I can accept it.

Beat.

Karen heads for the door.

Karen: Well, my offer still stands. I know she left you, but I never will. Not ever again.

Karen grabs the knob on the door. Hank takes her hand away from it and draws her in, kissing her.

End scene.

WEEK 2 (free form): Walking Away From the One We Loved

I have a bunch of scraps of wood lying around my room so I thought to make use of them. And a sharpie was sitting right next to it. Perfect! I thought. So I started drawing squiggly lines on the surface, creating undulating forms that create their own shape and space. I thought of my poetry class, oddly enough, and took the advice of my teacher: if the poet isn't surprised, the reader won't be either. I just started doodling, without even thinking about what the subject was. I loved how the marker squeaked on the wood's surface, and seemed to get stuck in the graininess. As the piece progressed, I started to see a subject taking form, a life being born, and a story emerging. I love abstract pieces because you can interpret them in infite ways. For me, I see sadness in this piece, like two lovers walking away from each other, if from an argument or whatever, both not wanting to leave the other but being forced to do so. And the feeling of always leaving something behind, with the other person. The wood is broken in the corner, so I thought it fitting. Likewise, if something is broken, it doesn't mean it's unfixable. I believe these two lovers will reunite someday.

FLAVOR of WEEK 2

The ingredients that made this past week so flavorful are:

Monday - my company meeting. Just found out I'll be having a public reading of my work the last weekend of March! I better get started! Oh, and the producer recommended me to be stage manager for the upcoming show. I just don't know if I have the time to do it though.

Tuesday - my first playwright class at UCLA. Course Title - Creative Writing: Drama. I love it already! We have to write a monologue. I'll be posting it on here soon!

Wednesday - Last Id Vicious Show! So crowded! But an awesome show! They will be missed in the wonderful world of improv.

Thursday - Mexican food down the street followed by writing for my reading in March.

Friday -


- Xiomara - best Risotto in town!!! and House of Mojitos. I can see why! They're mojitos are the best around.
- Defiance - good, but too bloody for me. What's up with Nazi movies these days??

Saturday -
- Senses Wellness - Deane and I each got deep tissue massages. Ahhh....




- Stahl House - day and night. Amazing architecture with an amazing view!

- John Fluevog - Deane introduced me to these shoes... shoes are my downfall, if you hadn't known. Of course I bought a pair. They're all so cute AND the comfort level is amazing! I love how each the shoes have separate families. Brilliant! And each heel seems to have a different, inherently distinct Fluevog appeal to them. You can't find anything else like them around!

Something else that spiced up the week: two lunch workouts. We'll be doing 2-3 every week, and hope to be in great shape by March (spring break!) Hmmm... you know what I just noticed after proofing this? There are so many events happening in March!

WEEK 1 (2 poems): "I Like to Plan Parties" and "The Persimmon"

I like to plan parties

Not the kind that require you to climb onto ladders
to pin up streamers and balloons,
or the kind that makes everyone sick because
the boy next door spit on his
birthday cake. It’s not the kind suited for
tuxedo-wearing caviar-eaters who like to
light up the night sky with bright popping
willow trees, nor is it a day at Disneyland that burns
your entire paycheck.

It’s the kind of party
that requires my guests to step out of
their shoes and into my home, sip a glass of
sparkling wine, turn a shade of red
or pink, and exchange words
- about that girl at work who sings
Christmas songs in the cafeteria in
July, or about that 24-year old
who still insists his mother dictate
his beliefs.

Take another sip, tell me about
your stupid boss firing you, about
your boyfriend leaving you, about
how you crashed your car into the center divider.

Yes, it’s the kind of party that allows me
to keep filling the glass. Play telephone from the spout
of the bottle - to the shaking glass - to my quivering
tongue. Fall into the glass like wine. Keep
pouring, whether it’s mine or yours
it’s still my party even if it’s only one glass
I fill.

* photo from my 23rd birthday party.
Theme: Murder, Mystery, and Wine - one of the biggest party productions ever!!! (and most successful!)

-----------------------


I have this fascination with persimmons lately. I plan on making a persimmon recipe soon. Go figure:

-----------------------

The Persimmon
by: Rochelle Perry

My grandmother walks like
she is stepping on clouds,
to the store, hoping to buy some
persimmons for the man next door.

Those feeble teeth bite into the sunset, sweet
and crunchy, fresh like days in May
in Japan, when cherry
blossoms bloom, streaking our eyes
with pinks, whites,
a flower plants a kiss on
the land for the first time. Mount
Fuji backdrop, capped with snow,
recalls the crispness of
yesterday's winter world.
'Yamagata,' he breathes into the
fruit, 'a memory I can never forget.'

The man next door closes his door
behind my grandmother. Baby teeth dive
into a fresh persimmon too. I ask my
grandmother if she can take me to Japan.
She grabs the fruit from my sticky
palms, bites down, two teeth missing.
'One day,' she says, 'you will
go, eat all the persimmons from trees
in Yamagata.'

* photo from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon

-----------------------

FLAVOR of WEEK 1:

The Flavors of this Week were few since Week 1 of the New Year was a short one. But here are the various ingredients to making this week as tasty as it was!




Rosie O'Grady's - 5 course meal, open bar, and music and dancing, plus a view of the Ball, which was small, though I heard it was twice the size of last year's. WHAT?! Our courses included: 1) Crab Cakes, 2) Salad, 3) lobster tails/filet mignon, 4) white chocolate mousse dessert, 5) Irish coffee. Yum! and filling, too! Then champagne and kissing to top it off!


Millenium Broadway Hotel - found this 4 star hotel through Travel Zoo. Complimentary coctails and continental breakfast, plus free room upgrade!

Gypsy - another Broadway Musical by Stephen Sondheim. Not as dark as his other plays, but it was enjoyable. It was the first time I'd ever had "Standing Room Only" tickets. Go figure - New Year's Day.





Sliders - lamb sliders... followed by normal sliders upon our return. Hmmm... is this a sign???

We returned to LA for our favorite: Scoops

At night, went to Chloe, in Santa Monica, followed by Barney's Beanery... yummy Bloody Mary!

Then hosted a Korean BBQ dinner for friends, and played Apples to Apples.

Happy New Year!

Finally back from New York! Did you see us on TV???
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=times%20square%202009&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3DVFA_enUS234US239&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#q=times%20square%202009%20cnn&emb=0
Well, we heard from 3 different sources that we were spotted on TV in Times Square. What a fun time! A 5-course meal with an open bar, New Year's hats and noisemakers, and dancing at Rosie O'Grady's. I reflected on 2008 and how much fun it was to plan an event every week. And then I contemplated on what my 2009 New Year's Resolution should be. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. A lunch-hour workout (start with once a week and work our way up from there.)
2. Plan an event a month (to keep this site up... though I would have to change the name then, wouldn't I?)
3. Alternating weeks - odd weeks: write (a poem, short story, short play) while even weeks: make art (a doodle, a painting, a sculpture, a doll). This should add to the fun posts either on this site or my other site: http://pigmentofyourimagination.blogspot.com

Check it out, and stay tuned for what's in store for my event this month!!!

In the meantime, check out some highlights from my Christmas/New Year's and Boston/New York trip:









Christmas with Family



Dim Sum, Touring Mass., IFC (Tara Donovan Exhibit), Dinner



Bowling, Finale





Essex, tour the town, Asian food (durian shake)







Salem Witch Museum, House of Seven Gables, Legal Seafoods, Chocolate





Baluchi's Indian Food, Karaoke






Rice to Riches, Lombardi's,


Asian food