Chicharon Adventures: Blog

STICKY ICKY ICKY ICKY

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New CA stickers. Free with purchase. Or free if we like you (which is generally the case).

HOLD UP ART

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Little Tokyo just got cooler.

Hold Up Art, a new new gallery space on East Second St has its grand opening on Friday, March 12. Focusing on straight Los Angeles and California, they are displaying and providing pop urban art to everyday people - a very different model from the other spaces around here, and one I can definitely get hip with. Today, Brian Lee and Ben Kaufman are featured on our e-zine. Get to know them as creators, curators, and Los Angelenos. And then get to know their gallery as one of the better things to hit this city. Read our interview HERE.

WONDERFUL

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There’s a saying by Albert Einstein that goes like this: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

When I first saw the movie stills of Disney/Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, I was immediately reminded of that quote. Burton took the beloved characters we know so well and tweaked them far beyond our imaginations. Given my excitement over it, you can guess that I took time to see the film during its opening weekend. I’ve since read mixed reviews about it - it didn’t live up to the hype, the movie falls flat, it’s visually stunning, etc. I’m more on the “like” side of the spectrum. I enjoyed it.

Tim Burton outdoes himself. The hybrid cinematography of live action and animation is fantastic. Helen Bonham Carter steals the show (and your head). I will admit, however, that this is the first time I’ve really paid attention to Alice and Wonderland, and maybe that’s the reason why I liked it. I never cared for the Disney version, I can’t remember if I even read the Lewis Carroll books, and when Jon named “Alice through the Looking Glass” as one of his favorite childhood movies, I was like “What??”. I knew the general idea and the characters involved, but Burton really made it all come to life. It gave me an unforgettable vision of Underland, and a continuation of a lesson that Einstein had already ingrained. Go mad, dream up far away places, and resist the norm. All the best people do it, anyway.

Photos courtesy of Disney

LOST IN TRANSLATION

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I’ve been looking for these Japanese erasers to buy as a gift, and I didn’t want to make the trek to Little Tokyo or to Melrose in the rain. Then Bojo told me about this local store called Sugoi Life that would likely carry them. When I went, I was surprised at the entire establishment. It’s like a portal to Japan by way of lifestyle products - snack foods, vinyl figures, erasers, picture booths. So. Many. Things. Much like the clutter of the country, perhaps.

THEY’RE BACK

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I think it’s safe to say that I’m over the shoe game (I told you this before). I’m done with the bright colors, the waiting in line, and the money spent. Call it maturity or maybe even degeneration when I used to just wear simple solids. Back then, Keds were my go to brand. I caught wind of their comeback sometime last year, but didn’t pay too much attention. Now they’ve become relevant in streetwear, complementing a pair of rolled up chinos or skinny jeans quite well. They even have strong brand presence at many of my favorite sneaker stores.

I came across their Spring/Summer 2010 line the other day. In my opinion, the shoes have reemerged on time. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have put Keds in the same category as streetwear, but as I’ve changed, so has it’s look. Maybe it’s not even called streetwear anymore…Here are some images from Keds’ seasonal lookbook. I say heat. Call it what you want.

Photos courtesy of Keds

FIGHTING BACK

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Yesterday, thousands of people across California gathered to protest against the recent education cuts. Called a “strike and day of action to defend public education”, there were scores of demonstrations, rallies, marches, and teach-ins at governmental centers, universities, community colleges, high schools, and elementary schools up and down the coast. This came after Gov. Schwarzenegger cut $2.5 billion from education in his latest budget proposal. Students are being turned away from the CSU and UC systems for lack of funding, many classes are overcrowded or unavailable, faculty and staff are being laid off, and fees for those systems as well as at community colleges are skyrocketing, putting the promise of education nearly unattainable for the state’s poor and minority communities.

I’ve spent a lot of today going through photos and videos of the demonstrations. So many were united and empowered with one thought in mind - change. That’s incredibly inspiring. Without letting my politics get into it, I wanted to share some photos of the impassioned spirit and the determined people. Whether or not you agree with them, simply admire their zeal and their fight.

TWITPIX

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The best of Twitter photos between @chicharnadvntrs, @kimgCA, and me - @triciaCA.

I wish to be BIG.

Toy district, DTLA.

Lone Wolf.

The quiet storm.

Break the G-Shock mold.

Max?

Blackberry Curve x CA

The Wonder Years.

Kim, is that you?

My favorite pair.

Magic forever.

Beaumont!

VILLAGE EATS

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Back in college, I had a side bartending gig. There was one professor who would hire me to serve drinks at his house parties. He would pay in cash, and as a bonus, he’d add gift certificates to his restaurant, House of Chandara, in Larchmont Village. It was an upscale, Zagat rated, Yelp loved, Thai joint (though their sign says Siamese), nothing compared to the usual hole-in-the-walls I frequented then. It quickly became one of my favorite places. But when I moved out of the LA area and back into the valley, I stopped going there. Then we met again this weekend.

Everything is exactly how I left it. The food, the good looking staff, and the hip, young crowd. But let’s get back to the food. I tried something new, and Chris and Christine tried something I hadn’t had either (I usually stick to the seafood rad-na, spicy catfish, and thai toast). It was all very good. I mean, sticky rice inside a coconut?? See for yourself.

FATGUMS

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Back when Beatrock Music started, I wanted to do an interview with the guy behind it - Fatgums. With their emphasis on community development, organization, and art, we were always proud to be working with Beatrock. And then they launched a music label, which made them even more significant in the Los Angeles area. I have been going back and forth with ‘Gums since then about sitting down and featuring him on our e-zine. But then I got injured, the holidays happened, and he went back to school. So it was only now, one week after Beatrock Music’s second album release (Bambu’s ...paper cuts…), that we’re publishing an interview with him. Thank you ‘Gums, for taking the time to entertain us. He is nothing but love, and we have nothing but love for him.

Click HERE to read the interview.

Oh and just before posting this, I caught wind of the the video drop for Bam’s first single off of ...paper cuts…, Slow Down, featuring Prometheus Brown of Blue Scholars.

MAN OF THE HOUR

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The scene at SIPA last Saturday for Bambu‘s ...paper cuts... release party, where he performed an hour long set with DJ Phatrick, Kiwi, and U-N-I. Congratulations, Bam.