crystal clear

Playing: Trouble-Coldplay
Reading: The Stranger by Albert Camus

A week or two ago, I celebrated Tina's and Hannah's birthdays at Crystal Cove. It's a really cute area and I used to spend a lot of time down there as a kid. There are two places to eat down there along with a bunch of summer homes from the 1960s and tide pools, which are always fun to explore. Afterwards, we went to Lemonade at Fashion Island for drinks and went shopping. Just by our wallets, purses, and drinks, I think you can tell a lot about our personal style. Hope you're all doing well!

LA LA LA

Playing: Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Off Her Clothes-Panic! at the Disco
Reading: The Asylum by Simon Doonan (Very entertaining! This book is definitely a strong reason why Simon Doonan is one of my favorite people in the fashion industry.)

A few weeks ago, I went out to Los Angeles' Art District with Sophie to celebrate her birthday. Sophie's main goal was to check out a small design store called Poketo, which was very quaint. I have driven through the Art District multiple times, but never bothered to look around. If you take the time to actually walk up and down the streets, there are many indie and creative stores to explore.

One of my favorite stores that we looked around was Guerilla Atelier, which had a lot of nice clothing with everything from simple sheath dresses to well done harem pants. It also had an eclectic collection of steak knives, candles, and books to accompany all of the clothing. Everything in there seemed well made and each of the classic designs had a clever twist. It's definitely worth going to if you want a unique (but still easy to pull off) kind of dress.

Once we were finished with the Arts District, Sophie and I walked over to Little Tokyo to explore all of the stores there. I was on the hunt for a specific type of erasers at Kinokuniya, but unfortunately, they weren't selling any. I love how Japanese magazines always come with freebies. It makes it so tempting to buy the magazine just for the cute item that comes with it. I saw Karlie Kloss' editorial for Vogue Japan on tumblr and she did an amazing job like she always does.

Before heading home, we stopped at Boba Club in Little Tokyo's Galleria for cold drinks. The ambiance of the store was kind of weird, since it doubles as a Cherry on Top, but the drinks were fine. Overall, it was a very pleasant day and I'm glad I stopped off to explore the Art District with Sophie. A part of me really wants to go to Los Angeles for college because I love it there so much, but another part of me says that I should go farther from home. I guess it all depends on which universities accept me (and which universities reject me).

|-/

Playing: Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep's Club Mix)-New Order
Reading: Man Repeller by Leandra Medine

Once again, it has been forever since I last blogged, but I thought I'd just have you guys catch up with a few things I did on my birthday. My parents, being the ever indulgent beings that they are, fed into my love for puffer fish by getting the most adorable cake ever from Kiki Bakery. It was surprisingly flavorful for an Asian cake with rich vanilla frosting and cake, stuffed with candied fruit. The workers there were very compromising and even customized the fish a bit more to make it look like Jacques.

Later on in the night, I went to go see Twenty One Pilots for the second time at the House of Blues with my friends, Hannah and Jessy. The concert was general admission and we got to the concert kind of late, but we still ended up with decent spots. The crowd was surprisingly calm with no moshing and tall people letting you stand in front of them, especially during Sirah's and Robert DeLong's performances.

Once again, Twenty One Pilots gave an amazing performance and my friends fell half in love with Joshua Dun, the drummer, while I still think the lead singer, Tyler Joseph, is super cute. I even like his sheer, floral kimono, which has me debating over whether or not this Topshop kimono is worth its price tag. I really like it when bands talk to the audience and how you get a sense of their personality from that, so I appreciated it when Tyler talked to individual fans during his performances and shared stories with us about his family.

After the show got out, I ran into Travis Clark of We the Kings. I told him how I had seen We the Kings at the same House of Blues a few years ago with A Rocket to the Moon and he told me he loved me for that. We also shortly discussed his chihuahua, Elvis, and how everyone in We the Kings has a thing for chihuahuas. Meeting him was such a middle school dream of mine because when I was in seventh and eight grade, We the Kings was one of my favorite bands.

Other than the Balenciaga purse, I got  few more lovely things from my parents and friends. I've been eyeing this Marc Jacobs sequined sweater for a long time, so that was great to finally get my hands on it. Tina, Sophie, and Achint all got me lovely things. You probably can't see it, but the box is suppose to look like a Ladurée box. It has a pun on the label of Ladurée and my name, so that it came out like Adurée. Anyways, hope you guys are doing fine and I'll be sure to catch up on reading all of your blogs!

Also, the title is the Twenty One Pilots symbol in case you guys were wondering.

"Out Where the Dreams Are High"

Playing: Battle Born-The Killers
Rereading: The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Last weekend, I took a drive out to Joshua Tree National Park for my birthday with Sophie and Tina. We spent the whole day hiking and tromping around trails. As I have mentioned many times before, the desert is one of my favorite places to visit and I can never seem to get enough of it. This is slightly off topic, but you know how your memories from when you were little are often very vague? I have this memory of my dad and I walking through this dam, but now that I look at how much algae there is, I wonder if I'm remembering everything correctly.

One of my favorite places to go to in the park is Key's view because you can see the Salton Sea and Tijuana, Mexico from there. Unfortunately, it was rather hazy and bright that day, so we weren't able to see much beyond the Salton Sea. On our next desert trip, we would like to go to the Salton Sea, even though we heard it smells.

If you have the chance, you should definitely watch the sunset from Key's View too because the sunset there is beautiful. As you watch it, all these pastel colors swirl together and it has a certain dreamlike quality to it.

After watching the sun set over the valleys and hills of Joshua Tree, we stopped by Ma Rouge Coffee House, which I've seen every time I've gone to Joshua Tree National Park and have always wanted to try. The interior of the restaurant is rather artsy and the servers were really friendly. We all enjoyed how our coffees weren't intolerably bitter but not overwhelmingly sweet like most drinks at Starbucks.

Sorry about how choppy this post is. I'm busy writing my English thesis and I just wanted to get something out. Also, the title is from The Killers' song, "Dustland Fairytale."

"Watching Television, It's a Wonderful Life"

Playing: After the Fire-Andrew McMahon
 Reading: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

This is probably the third time I have tried to type up a post, but blogger has been mean recently and refuses to upload photos, so suddenly Photobucket has become my best friend. Since you have missed out on more than a week of my life, let's get started. Two Saturdays ago, I went to the Ritz Carlton to volunteer at a debutante ball, helping the girls get dressed and such. (I wore Alexander McQueen sunglasses, a Jason Wu for Target blouse, a Jason Wu for Target skirt, a silence+noise blazer,  Reed Krakoff boots, and a Burberry Prorsum purse that shows up in too many of my outfit photos.)

Inside the Ritz, they had the loveliest decorations. I loved this floral piece hanging from the ceiling. The mixture of the glass globes and metallic flower cut outs was so pretty. I wish my camera had done a better job capturing it.

Left to Right: Sarah, Sophie, Josh, and me

Then the next Saturday, or last Saturday (whichever you prefer), I went to Sarah's birthday party and a different Sarah (picture above) brought a mermaid suit for people to try on. Apparently, her mum got it at a mermaid expo, which is something I would like to attend one day. We had a lot of fun with it, but Josh made the most fabulous mermaid out of us all. Excuse my lack of a tan. I had to get changed from a black bathing suit because my mum told me the contrast between my skin and the suit was just too much.

Left to Right: Krishan, Chelcee, Me, Clare, and Katie

After the pool party, I want home and got changed for Clare's birthday. Driving there was a bit stressful due to the traffic, but dinner at BJ's was a lot of fun. Clare is one of my closest friends and I've known her for almost five years now. We have four out of our six classes together, so we spend a lot of time teasing each other and laughing together. This is our group photo of the girls there that could speak French. Clare made me get dressed up for her party and forced me into a dress, so enjoy this photo of me in a dress. It doesn't happen often. I wore a Calvin Klein blazer, Rodarte for Target dress, and everything else I don't think you can see.

Left to Right: Shabaan, Sean, and Me

The last thing I did that I want to share is that I went to a Lakers playoffs game against the San Antonio Spurs. My dad got five tickets in row 10 from a good friend, so my dad told me I could bring along two friends if I wanted. Shabaan and Sean accompanied me and our seats were so amazing. We saw Jack Nicholson there, whose daughter was high school friends with my dad, so my dad was debating if he should say hello, but we didn't get near enough for my dad to do so. Even though the Lakers lost, it was just wonderful to get a chance to spend time with Shabaan and Sean in one of my favorite cities. By the way, I only look extra small in this photo because both of my friends are over six feet tall and I'm barely over five.

While I'm at it, this has been a good week for music. Andrew McMahon's new EP, "The Pop Underground," came out today and tomorrow I'm going to go see The Killers. Sarah (in the mermaid picture) got tickets for us to go see Panic! at the Disco with Fall Out Boy and I'm trying to get tickets to go see Weezer with some friends over summer. But seriously, tomorrow will be my first time seeing The Killers and I'm so excited. It'll be a few hours of me fan girling and wishing Brandon Flowers was closer to my age so that I could marry him. And now I leave you with this beautiful collage of the super talented and handsome Brandon Flowers to enjoy. I hope you enjoy this collage as much as I do. (I do occasionally miss the guyliner though...)

Title from The Killers' "Boots"

Tamarind of London

Playing: Fluorescent Adolescent-Arctic Monkeys
Reading: Marie Claire Runway Second Edition

For my brother's birthday, which happened to be the same day the world was supposed to end, we went to Tamarind of London. My brother, Ted, and I keep a list of restaurants that we want to try and we use every possible cause to celebrate as a reason to try a new place. Tamarind of London was hailed by Orange Coast as being not as good as its predecessor in London, but still offering the best Indian food in Orange County. To start us off, we ordered the Garlic Naan and the Date Naan. The Date Naan was by far the best thing we ordered there. That naan was stuffed with a date and coconut spread that was almost desert like.

The dishes are all served family style in small pots and you help yourself. We ordered the Mushrooms and Spinach, Smoked Eggplant, Lamb Curry, Butter Chicken, and the Prawn Kebabs. Even though the Lamb Curry was too spicy, it did have a great flavor once I got over how tough and dry the lamb was. Unfortunately, both the Butter Chicken and Smoked Eggplant had bitter aftertastes that I wasn't too fond of. The Prawn Kebabs were pretty standard and considering the price, I really think we deserved more than five prawns. If you ever go to Tamarind of London, order the Mushrooms and Spinach. I don't typically eat vegetables, but this was definitely worth a try.

My brother and I each ordered a Mango Lassi, which was incredibly small for $6 and around the size of a kids meal cup at McDonald's. After the Date Naan, this was the next best thing I ordered. The creaminess of the yogurt really served to balance the heat from the Lamb Curry. They also serve a Passion Fruit Lassi, which my brother and I wanted to try, but they ran out of it that day. What a bummer...

Since all of the portions were a lot smaller than we expected them to be, we ended up ordering some Cheese Naan, which was actually pretty good. Was it the best naan ever? No, but it was good. It was stuffed with a mild, creamy cheese that oozed out of the naan, when you bit into it and it was nice to have a blander dish to offset all the strong flavors of the main dishes.

The most interesting dish, which wasn't really a dish, that we got was the complimentary after dinner mints. They were mint leaves freshly dipped in white chocolate. It was definitely very odd and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The only recommendation I have for the chefs is less white chocolate please, since the white chocolate was overpoweringly sweet. Overall, Tamarind of London was good, but not amazing. If you want the best Indian food in California, I still suggest heading into Los Angeles. The biggest problem I had with Tamarind of London was the itsy bitsy portions. Considering each main dish averaged around $20, I was expecting a lot more meat or at least to be left mind blown at how good the dish was. The most reasonable dishes there were the naan bread, which came with around four slices each and averaged $4. Also, the service was lacking, considering we had to ask them twice for utensils and had to remind them that we ordered the lassis. So the verdict is, skip Tamarind of London and head on over to either the Ritz or Charlie Palmer, if you're in the mood for high dining.

The Finale

Playing: Keep Rising-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: World Design: The Best in Classic and Contemporary Furniture, Fashion, Graphics, and More by Uta Abendroth, Karin Beate Phillips, Christian Pixis, Volkard Steinbach, and Bernd Polster

November 12, 2012 marked the very last concert for my favorite band, Jack's Mannequin, at the El Rey Theatre. It's hard to explain how I feel about Andrew McMahon, the lead singer, and his music without sounding fanatical or insane. To get these tickets, I actually woke up really early one morning and sat at the computer, refreshing the page every two seconds. For the first ten attempts at buying tickets, ticketmaster told me there were no tickets left, so I began to panic, but I finally got them. This was my fifth time seeing Andrew McMahon and while I was standing in line, I got a chance to talk to some other super fans like the guy that flew in from Texas and the two friends that drove for eight hours from Arizona.

The show opened with Matt Thiessen of Reliant K, singing old favorites and some new material. Bobby "Raw" Anderson, the lead guitarist of Jack's Mannequin, joined him for a song. I had no idea he'd be there, so when he walked on stage, I kind of screamed a lot at him and now I can't get "Sadie Hawkins" out of my head. During the encore, he got on stage and I got a chance to briefly talk to him, which was pretty exciting and he seems pretty nice from our miniscule conversation and from when he talked to the audience.

Since the concert was general admission and I'm a tiny person, I was able to squeeze right on through the crowd, so that I was only five feet away from the stage. With the help of a new camera, I was able to get some really clear close up shots. Andrew was his usual charming, funny self and he did his fun, spastic dance moves, so needless to say I enjoyed it tremendously so.

Since I was so close to Bobby "Raw" Anderson, I got the chance to take some amazing photos of him. At all of the past concerts, I focused mostly on Andrew and I got to see how great Bobby is at performing. He's amazing and I kind of regret not paying more attention to him earlier on. Andrew wrote "No Man is an Island" for Bobby's wedding song, so I guess the two of us will have the same wedding song.

Dr. J also returned after leaving the band for awhile. It was nice to see him again. I apologize for my recap being so poor this time, but I feel like I've written about Andrew so much that to write out how much I love him and his music again would just be repetitive. At the end of the concert, Andrew was joined by all of his friends and it was a beautiful moment, as the confetti fell. It was definitely a weird feeling for me. After seeing him so many times and listening to his music for around eight years now, I find it hard to believe it's all over. I've actually found myself getting really depressed during class, if I think about it too much. However, this isn't the end. I would like to believe that Andrew isn't ending his music career completely and that he's just moving on. After all, I still haven't met him and that's definitely one of my life goals. Here's the set list:

• Holiday From Real
• Crashing
• Release Me
• Annie, Use Your Telescope
• Spinning
• My Racing Thoughts (It's about getting in a fight with someone who knows you too well.)
• Casting Lines
• The Resolution
• Bloodshot
• Amy I
• Swim
• Restless Dream
• The Mixed Tape
• Last Straw
• I'm Ready
• Bruised
• Hammers and Strings
• Dark Blue
• Caves ("This song is hard to play. I mean it's emotionally hard, but it's actually hard to play.")
• MFEO Part 1: Made for Each Other
• MFEO Part 2: You Can Breathe
• La La Lie

I just want Andrew to know that his music has really inspired me and has helped me through many a tough time. He's just amazing and I want him to know that he makes me happy and that this isn't a good bye; it's a see you soon. I would also like to thank him for all the amazing memories and for putting so much into my life. See you soon, Andrew, and I wish you luck with your next adventure!

Also, happy Thanksgiving to all of my America readers!

Disney Magic

Playing: Locked Doors-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: Turning 30 and Making a Difference in a Music Business, Post Apocalypse by Andrew McMahon

Left to Right: Katrina, Tina, me, and Vivian

Ok, so for my birthday, I always celebrate multiple times with different groups of people and the latest round of celebrations was an over the top day at Disneyland with my amazing friends, Katrina, Tina, and Vivian. We took a lot of group photos, but this one is my favorite because we all look so sassy with Cruella De Vil. This happened to be Vivian's first time at Disneyland too, so Katrina and I had a fun time showing her around, since Disneyland is like a second home to us.

The main reason why I wanted to go to Disneyland other than to see the amazing Christmas decorations was to go to Club 33, which is an ultra exclusive club hidden in Disneyland. My dad's friend is a member, so I've been lucky enough to go a handful of times in my life. The buffet part is so amazing because they have lobster tails, crab claws, shrimp, lox, etc. However, my friends and I agree that the scallop chowder was the best. Collectively we drank twenty cups of it and emptied half of the container.

For my main entree, I ordered the King Crab Stuffed Lobster Tail with Lemon Verbana Fettucine, Crisp Coppa Ham, Shaved Saffron Fennel, and Fortified Oxtail Broth. The broth gave the lobster a wonderful meaty quality, while the fettucine was perfectly cooked. It had the slightest taste of lemon, which was really refreshing after the heavy lobster. The smokiness of the coppa ham was a nice way to start off the dish too. If you want to talk about being impressive, each one of us had seven or eight rounds of food at Club 33.

My favorite part of going to Disneyland for the holidays is The Nightmare Before Christmas themed Haunted Mansion. I'm super obsessed with everything and anything Tim Burton, so I always get excited to check out what's changed every year. I'm pretty sure the scarecrow is new? I could've sworn it used to be Jack Skellington himself.

I even got a picture with Sparky from Frankenweenie that day. I'm surprised at how incredibly pale I am. It's like I never get to see the sun, even though I live in Southern California. Did I tell you about how I tried to dress my dog up as Sparky and how my dog just refused to keep the costume on? I should just learn my lesson that my dog hates getting dressed up and will never enjoy it.

Another ride that's always beautiful for Christmas time is It's a Small World. The lights are always so simple yet well done. It makes me want to decorate my house in super bright colors this year and go way over the top (like I do every year). If you come to Disneyland during the holidays, you must go inside to look at all the decorations. The attention to detail is phenomenal. It makes me want to become an Imagineer! Also, it rained that day, so the damp streets reflected all the lights, making everything even more beautiful.

We actually spent a lot of time in Fantasyland, riding all the little kid rides. I love how beautiful and antiquated the carousel looks. When I was little, I would choose which horse I wanted and my dad would run with me to guarantee that I got the exact horse I wanted. Then I would make him go on the carousel with me time and time again until he got motion sick. This time, my friends and I only went on once. We ended the night, watching fireworks and waiting to watch Fantasmic, which had technical errors, so then we went on one more ride. If you're ever in the area and have some spare cash, you must go to Disneyland for Christmas time, since it's definitely a place for people on quest for beauty like me!

In the Middle of the Desert

Playing: Out of It-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

For my birthday, as I mentioned previously, I went out to the desert to explore and be free with my friend, Sophie. From where we live, it took us over three hours to get to Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Museum, which we found out about from a book called Weird California or something like that. I'm quite surprised that the GPS was able to find it, since we had to go along dirt roads to get to it and my GPS has a hard time finding places even in urban areas.

My parents took one look at it and asked why I had taken them to a junk yard, so they hid out in the car. Not to mention, it was below fifty degrees, so they weren't up for freezing to death with Sophie and me. One of  my favorite pieces from the museum was this TV clump that you see as soon as you drive up to it. It would've been great, if all the TVs had different clips going on, but then again, there's no source for electricity there.

There were some shacks there that reminded me of Lost and/or camping conditions that were just a tad more luxurious than that of Chris McCandless' camp out (Into the Wild allusion? Got it? Just checking). The run down shack was a bit creepy and Sophie agreed with me that this place would be rather scary at night. Translation? We get scared way too easily.

Personally, I don't think this museum was meant to be an art museum. I feel that it's a place for exploration and was meant to be a surrealist playground, where you can be free and run around without having anyone judge you. This was one of my favorite scenes there. It looked like a post-apocalyptic town with nods to alien architecture. This is going to sound beyond ridiculous, but we kept on waiting for something creepy to happen. Something about the vibe and loneliness of the area really made Sophie and I wonder.

Luckily, I had my dad there to protect us, since he's probably the manliest guy in my life. Plus, he doesn't mind photographing Sophie and me, while we danced around the area. Oh, here's something freaky: Sophie and I could've sworn we heard a chainsaw going off, so we freaked out and ran off to the other side of the museum. Then we brought my dad to the area where we heard it and no one was there. It was also odd how we saw two other cars there, but we never ran into the other tourists.

And one last photo for today. Sophie and I were sitting in an igloo in the desert in the middle of nowhere. Fascinating. Overall, Sophie and I agree that this is one of the best things we've done together and that we definitely have to visit more surreal places. Other than the occasional chill we got from being creeped out, I highly recommend visiting this place. It's unlike anything I've seen and the landscape is perfect for photos. And if you're on a quest for beauty like I am, this is a good place to start.

The Desert

Playing: Meet Me in California-Plain White T's
Reading: "It's OK Not to Play" by Krista

For my birthday yesterday, I seriously thought I was going to stay cooped up in my house, working on all my homework given to me by my lovely teachers, but I decided last minute to go on an adventure in the desert. Luckily, Sophie was able to join me. On our way there, we stopped off at a KFC in Banning to have all you can eat friend chicken like the health nuts we are. Aren't we the most awkward friends, when it comes to taking photos?

Somewhere in between Banning and Yucca Valley, we drove past a wind farm, which is one of my favorite things about the desert. I find them to be very beautiful and I enjoy looking at them quite a bit. The weather was a bit odd, since it was super sunny one minute and stormy the next, but it allowed me to take some pretty awesome photos.

When we got into Yucca Valley, Sophie and I goofed around and took tons of photos. I love hanging out with Sophie because we never do something that people would think teenagers would consider fun. We're on a hunt to enjoy everything the world has to offer us and we're on a quest for beauty. When the sky is immense and the scenery is beautiful, what else can we do other than pretend we're Brandon Flowers? For some reason, I really like the idea of doing the Brandon Flower pose all the time.

Actually, the main reason why I took Sophie out to the desert was to visit Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Museum, but I'm having trouble limiting how many photos I want to share with you, so we explored the museum before we explored Yucca Valley. We went to a lot of antique stores, vintage stores, and charity shops in the search for something beautiful, but we didn't end up buying anything. There was a group of photos from the 1940s and 1950s that I wanted to buy, but they were averaging $3 each, so I skipped on them.

Before we headed home, Sophie and I photographed a lovely sunset since sunsets are always prettier in the desert. We found a zine that introduced the surrounding area, so Sophie and I are thinking of making an exploration zine for our school. Not sure how my peers will react to that, but it's not for them; it's for my personal happiness and enjoyment in life. I'll show you the museum we went to later on. Please stay tuned for that! Tomorrow I'm building a catapult with Justin and Hoho before I head off to the last Jack's Mannequin concert at the El Rey Theatre. It'll be my fifth time seeing Andrew McMahon and my second time seeing him for my birthday. It'll be bittersweet, watching him perform as Jack's Mannequin for the last time.