Food - Bibimbap

A few days ago, I met up with a few friends to try bibimbap, a Korean dish served in a really hot bowl. A raw egg is cracked over the food, and as you swirl it around, the heat from the bowl cooks the egg, and gives the rice a nice crispy texture. It was so YUM. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but thought that it was going to be an actual restaurant. Turns out it is in a small food court at Hmart supermarket in Irvine. The name of the place is Sobahn Express. If you're ever in the area, give it a try!:o)

Mike got a survey to fill out. It earned him a free meal on his next visit! Look at that concentration! :o)

Afterwards, we headed over to this pastry/coffee shop called 85 Degrees Celsius. They had some delicious baked goods that we all indulged in.

On the way to 85 Degrees, I saw a ramen shop, and just had to have some. ;o)

Fave of the Week - Polaroid PoGo

You might remember a recent post where I talked about my online "shopping" habits. It usually starts out with a small item that I'm vaguely interested in, and before I know it, I'm obsessively seeking out every last tidbit about the product that I can find. This week, I succumbed to one of my latest obsessions - the Polaroid Pogo printer. It's SUPER cute, and it prints 2x3 prints directly from your camera phone via bluetooth, OR via pictbridge from your regular camera. I was all over this after I found out about these two options. I've always been a big fan of Polaroid cameras and even though I sold mine a long time ago (due to the high cost of film), the Pogo printer seemed like an obvious choice since the average cost per print is about $.30. I also liked the fact that each print has a sticky back that is removable, so every print can also be used as a sticker! GENIUS! :o) Picture quality is so-so, and the prints do seem to have that "Polaroid look" colorwise, but for $34.99 on Amazon, I wasn't gonna complain. ;o)

My new Pogo printer in all its glory.

This is my other photo printer - the Canon Selphy es40. I LOVE the image quality that this little machine spits out. It's just a few short notches below having your prints professionally done. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a great at home photo printing option!

Stay tuned for next week's fave item! I'm sure I'll find something new to obsess about!:o)

Joshua Tree 2010

Joshua Tree would fall under the category of places that I've shot before, but am willing to shoot again. Yesterday, a group of us braved the cold (and snow in some parts) to capture the beauty that is Joshua Tree. Usually when I return to a place that I've photographed before, I try to get different perspectives, or focus on an aspect of the location that I neglected previously. Since our group this year was a LOT bigger, I was able to get more people shots (which are my favorite thing to shoot)! :o)

Originally, we were to have a little excursion in a little place called Pioneertown. I was really excited about doing this, until we came upon this:

Since the car (hidden by the trailer) that was stuck in the "river" was a medium-sized sedan, Mike was really hesitant to cross it. I would have been pretty hesitant to as well, if it were my car. So we turned around and did this instead:

Although it was nice and toasty inside the restaurant, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed about not getting to shoot Pioneertown (especially after I saw all the cool things to shoot from other people's cameras)!

Once we all gathered at the Joshua Tree Oasis Visitor Center, we embarked on our photographic journey. Here are some of my faves:

Crafting - Felt Camera Cases!

Apparently my inspiration struck sooner than later :o) I was inspired by some felt camera cases that I saw on Etsy, and decided that I should definitely make some! They are super easy to make, and after having made one, I'm already looking at ways I can improve the design of the case. I'm really excited about finishing my red one. It's a lot more sturdy than just using the felt, and I plan to add a few cute details to it :oD

I present to you, my felt camera cases!!!

Things that Inspire

I'm sure everyone can relate to this in one way or another. You see or hear something that reminds you of a hobby or pasttime you used to enjoy. You're not quite sure why you don't do it anymore, but a part of you longs to do these things again. I have TONS of these moments...because, well, I have a ton of things that I enjoy doing and wish I had more time to do. When people say that life is too short, little did I know, they must've been referring to how little time we all have to indulge in the things that make us happy. Yesterday, I attended a children's birthday party. Seeing some of the little details made me long to return to some of my past hobbies. My friend Nida jokes all the time that my favorite line is, "DUDE, I can totally make that myself!" Hehehe, she knows me so well. :o)

I love making things. These pom poms reminded me of my best friend's baby shower. I've been looking for an occassion where I can create more stuff, either by crafting or sewing.

One of my most infamous hobbies - cake decorating. Oh man, I was hardcore. I still have all my supplies. One of my goals this year is to revisit this hobby again...perhaps make cakes for birthdays of people I know! ;o)

I have a few projects in my queue already! I can't wait to start (and finish) them! :o)

Family Shoot - Gloria

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Gloria's family for a photoshoot. Everyone warmed up to the camera very well, and I was glad that her girls were excited for this! I try to mix a bit of the traditional with a little bit of thinking outside the box, and they were pretty much up for anything I wanted them to do! Who can ask for more? :o)

When asked the age old question, "What should we wear?", I am always hesitant to answer, mostly because I want the photos to reflect who each person/family is, and offering too much of my own input takes away from that. Luckily, everyone came dressed super nice, and blended quite nicely. Here are some of my faves:

Farmer's Market & 3rd Street Food Tasting :o)

This past weekend, I went to a food tasting tour with a few friends. None of us had ever done something like this before, so we were really excited to attend (with our cameras)! I'm sure everyone else looked at us like we were crazy, and I'll admit, when all four of us busted out with our cameras on a plate of chinese chicken salad, I really thought we had reached an all time low ;o)

Our day started out early. The Farmer's Market was just gearing up for what I'm sure will be a busy day. I really enjoyed being there without the crowds though. Here is everyone waiting for the tour to begin.

First stop? Donuts and coffee...Sign me up please! :o)

This bread and the olives were so delicious. Here is Jon diving in. Clearly, he's a pro. :oD

Mmm...meat market!

Meats from the Brazilian BBQ place. They were quite tasty.

One of our stops was at Kiss My Bundt Cake...They had some really enticing flavors to choose from. I forget what we sampled, but the cake was moist and yummy. :o)

The infamous chicken salad! :oD

We finished off with some tea at Chado Tea and then had some soba noodles at this Japanese restaurant. The noodles were quite tasty and I even picked up some Furikake seasoning that I'm absolutely crazy about. Mmm...

If you think you would want to try this, check out www.meltingpottours.com

Fashion Island

Yesterday, my girlfriends and I indulged in a day at Fashion Island. My car reported that it was 75 degrees ...in JANUARY! Man, I love Socal! :o) We visited one of my favorite stores ever, Z Gallerie. Sometimes when I'm bored, I will go onto their website and add everything I've ever dreamed of having into my "shopping cart" (even though we know full well everything I've ever dreamed of having would never fit into a shopping cart ;o))! Before I even had time to utter the word "resolution," I had already broken one of them -- NO MORE CLOTHES!!! I don't need any more clothes! But on a side note, it is a really cute jacket and top!

We started out our day of relaxation at the Cheesecake Factory and ended it at -- SPRINKLES!

Mmm... this is their featured cupcake, a neopolitan cupcake made of vanilla cake, strawberry frosting, and dipped in chocolate ganache. The strawberry was a bit too sweet for my taste, but the rest was yummy...and okay, I'll admit it. I only chose this cupcake because it had a cute red flower on it and I knew it would photograph better than the others. :oD

I just want the world to know...that I am officially in love...with this bed! :o) I want.

Happy Tuesday! :oD

Rose Bowl Parade Floats

I've never been one to enjoy parades. I honestly can't remember a time where I turned the television to a parade with the actual intention of watching it. The last time I went to a parade (for pure photographic pleasure) was the summer solstice parade in Santa Barbara. Even then, I knew I was there just for the photographic opportunity (and to enjoy the wonderful weather in Santa Barbara of course). ;o) About fifteen minutes into the solstice parade, I found myself chillaxin' in the local Pinkberry (mmm Pinkberry) watching the people and floats parade by like a ...well,... like a parade (a parade I obviously didn't want to watch LOL)!

The floats from the Rose parade were massive structures! I was so glad I brought my widest lens! Here are a few of them:

Oh wait, first a shot of the infamous Rose Bowl :o)

Definitely lots of color all around...

To say that it was crowded there...would be an understatement. I'd hate to imagine how crowded it actually gets there during the parade!

After the parade, we headed over to this place called Mi Piace over in Old Town Pasadena. It was YUM.

... and I discovered that I was talented ;o) Yes, I did that myself!

...and these little garlic bread pieces, especially when dipped in olive oil and basalmic vinegar, are pure evil!!! :-O

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Happy Monday (or what's left of it)! :o)

Happy New Year! :o)

Happy New Year everyone! :o) 2009 has come and gone, and I'm really excited for this coming year! I'm probably a little late, but I'm still narrowing down my resolutions for the year. I know they're so cliche, but I figure what harm is there in at least starting the year out with a positive outlook? :o) Thanks the wonderful people who came and rang in the new year with me! You're all so awesome! I may have to host the next Souper Bowl (hehehe) party because I have so many ...leftovers ;o)