My Birthday and the big L.A. party in the Hills!

I turned 27 on this trip. My birthday in L.A.! What to do??? Big L.A. party in the hills! Hell yeah, Let’s go!

Malibu

Early Monday morning…once the sun hit the tent, we decided to head out for L.A. We took the polls out of the tent and dragged it out to the car with all our blankets, clothes and stuff in it. We probably looked ridiculous but it was much easier that way!

So we packed up the car and got changed in the parking lot…and were off for L.A.! We didn’t have any shoots until the next day so we decided to drive to Malibu and spend the day at the beach. First we drove up to the top of a hillside and did some hiking. It was so gorgeous! We could overlook the valley and stare out into the ocean. And the coastline was just sick! It was lined with cliffs, waves crashing up on them leading your eye up to a beautiful blue sky! The hills were lined with luscious greenery and giant boulders that stuck out of the hillsides so amazingly! It was great to be in such a beautiful place. It made me forget about the thick, dark layer of smog I saw hovering over the city as we drove in.


After a nice little hike in a heavenly spot, we drove down the hill and hung out on the beach. London was brave and floated out in the water for a good half hour. The water was way too cold for me. I’m such a baby when it comes to cold water. I got in…but quickly got back out. It was nice to just lay on the sand and catch a nap under the sun, with the sound of waves breaking in the background. We even saw a school of dolphins swim by. They would jump out of the water a few times pretty high. It was so neat =)

After soaking up the sun and getting sand in every nook and cranny of our bodies, we went to eat at The Reel Inn. I guess it’s a pretty famous place. I had some of the largest yummiest shrimp I’ve ever had and London had some Oysters! Mmmmmm Hmmmmm!
That night we arrived at Lenny’s place between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. London stays with him every time she’s in LA. He has a nice big house and lives only with his dogs…Tito and Lola. So we get our own bedroom. That is a huge plus when traveling, we mostly just get couches. So a nice big bed and the privacy of a bedroom is fantastic! Thanks Lenny ;)

COACHELLA!!!!!!!!

The Coachella Music Festival is located between two small towns in California called Indio and Coachella, near Joshua Tree Nat’l Park. It’s a pretty area with tons of gorgeous palm trees, but it is very strange. We kept getting lost in a vortex of walls and palm trees! Every time we would try to find the city to buy some food or beer, we would lose our sense of direction. The whole place is full of big expensive country club houses behind walls lined with Palm Trees.

Neighborhood after neighborhood, the same thing….lines of palm trees along high walls, protecting the mansions behind them, each subdivision all looking the same. We would turn down street after street and all we would see were these walls and houses and palm trees. Where was the freakin’ town??? It was hilarious that could never tell what direction we were going. We would think we were headed the right way, but no…just more fancy homes behind gates and walls. Crazy rich country club place!

Eventually we did find our way to the section with a gas station and a grocery store.
Mmmmm beer!

The music venue doesn’t open until 11am and since we would start baking in our tent once the sun came up, we had a few hours to kill in the morning to go out in town and chug down some beer. This also helped us avoid spending tons of money to get our buzz on. The cost for a cup of Heineken, the only beer offered at the festival, was $7.00! Since London and I love our beer, we knew we had to go out and buy some cheap stuff or we’d go broke! It was cool though because tons of other people had the same idea. We would grab some beer and tailgate in the parking lot.
The main problem with that though was having to pee. We were pretty funny hiding and ducking between cars , poppin’-a-squat and peeing right there in the parking lot with tons of people walking all around. But it was part of the fun! We’d get nice and tipsy and then head into the venue and jam out to music until midnight.

Music music music…people people people!

Pretty girls in pretty dresses everywhere!

Heineken, Heineken and more Heineken!

Some of the many awesome bands we saw included:



Franz Ferdinand, The Ting Tings, Paul McCartney, Crystal Method, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Joss Stone, Jenny Lewis, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Ghostland Observatory, Gaslight Anthem, The Cure

We met up with London’s friends Mike and Ryan from San Francisco that she had met last year. They were a lot of fun to hang out with! We went with them to watch Ghostland Obsevatory who I had not known of. They put on an amazing laser show that just blew my mind. It was so fun! Then we chilled on the grass and watched the LED light show display. It was a light sculpture that was at Burning Man…strings of LED lights that lit up different colors in fun patterns that would just flow with the music so well! I could sit and watch that thing for hours and hours!
There were actually a lot of things there that gave Coachella a “Burning Man” feel, especially the Do Lab and the Lucent Dossier Experience. They also had a small temple and a bamboo sculpture that looked just like center camp. Anyway, I enjoyed the “burner” touch that people brought to the festival.

The whole place was awesome. I had such a blast!

Roadtrippin' with London Again!

London flew into Tucson. Yay! We’re headed to the Coachella Music Festival. Yay! Then we’re gonna go work our stuff and model in L.A. and San Diego for the next two weeks. Hopefully make up the dough we’ll be spending at the festival. Yay! Yay! This will be my first time at Coachella, London’s second. I can’t wait to go experience 4 days of camping and music fun. WhoooHooo! Hopefully we’ll meet up with the friends London made at last year’s festival.

White Sands

So…I get a random call from Kimberly Marvel one night…

“Hey! Want to come model for a photography workshop in the White Sands this weekend?”

“Hell Yeah”, I say! ***I love that place***

Two other girls scheduled for the workshop couldn’t make it. Since I was only a 5 hour drive away, I got to fill in for them. So, I packed up my wardrobe and headed out to New Mexico! I really needed to be home to prepare for my upcoming trip to L.A., getting my laundry done, booking work, soaking up time with my boyfriend… But, the White Sands Nat’l Park is a place I cannot pass up. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to! Endless white dunes of gypsum under a beautiful bright blue sky! It’s very surreal feeling. When I’m there I feel as if I am walking on another world. I wish I could describe it well enough to do it some justice, but I can’t, so you should just go! If you’re ever driving through New Mexico, make sure to stop off at the Sands!


It was so good to see Kim again! Last time I saw her we were in Phoenix last October for the Arizona Shootout. She is so fun! We had a blast staying up all night chatting like little girls at a slumber party. The only thing bad about that was that we had to get up super early for a sunrise shoot out at the Sands. But our hotel room had a coffee maker so I was able to make some hot tea in the morning to get me going.



It’s too bad I didn’t take some hot tea with me out to the Sands…it was so freakin’ cold! It was a very windy and cold day…the sand was freezing. Our toes went numb from the coldness! The best part was listening to the photographers gripe and moan about the cold while wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Kim and I were laying down on the cold gypsum in our birthday suits! We got a little sandblasted and took turns huddling under a big blanket…but we still had lots of fun. It got better after it warmed up a little. Then we blew up some inner tubes and tried to slide down the dunes. It was a funny little spectacle. Kim ended up wearing the inner tube around her waist and did a little ballet dance for us. It was great =)

Modeling Anniversary

It has been one year since I first started modeling. It's crazy to think that a little over a year ago, if you had told me I was going to be a model, I would ask what kind of hallucinogen you were on. I never saw myself as a model! But now, I can't see myself doing anything else. Last weekend while having dinner with my parents, my mom pulled out the old family photos to show my new boyfriend. Wow, I was such a ham! There are so many pictures of me growing up where I am just a huge cheese for the camera! It's no surprise that child grew up to work behind one!


This past year I have had many wonderful experiences and learned a lot about myself. It's nice to sit back and reflect on it...

Since modeling, I have traveled to 10 states I've never been to before, explored several new cities, met tons of wonderful people, learned numerous things about people, traveling, photography, makeup, & modeling, taken beautiful photos, heard crazy stories, I've challenged myself in ways I never expected to and I've become extremely passionate about what I do!


The first time I modeled, I attended a small shootout event at Harker's Creek in my hometown of Tucson, AZ. There were about a dozen models and a dozen photographers gathered together in an place set up like an old western movie set. The models rotated around all day shooting with the various photographers in exchange for photos. I thought it would be one day of fun and a way to challenge myself to do something out of the ordinary. I thought it would help boost my confidence and I heck, I love pictures, so I've gotta enjoy it.



I remember being so nervous that day. But I rocked it out! Many photographers were asking me what my Model Mayhem and One Model Place profile numbers were. I had no idea what these sites were... When I got pictures back from that event I created profiles on these sites. Within a few days I had a couple of requests for paid jobs! Now this was exciting =)

When I discovered that modeling could be my ticket to travel the country, I fell in love with the job! I've met several models that travel the country and do this as their full-time job. I'm so excited to be one of them! It all started when I joined the girl that took it to the extreme and traveled the country non-stop for two years, Ms. London Andrews. I tagged along on her road trip last summer...which is a great story I'll have to save for another time.



After traveling the country with London, I realized I really love what I do. And I really admire what she did, fully lived the life of a modeling gypsy. No real home but the open road. Crashing in a different home, a different city every few nights...not ever really sure what the next day could hold... sharing some of that experience with her was a kind of freedom I never felt before, she is a friend I never expected to find but am so thrilled that I did. I was at peace with who I was and where I was, unlike I ever had been before. I was happy. I still am. Modeling, traveling, beauty, art, people, life, love, laughter...all good stuff!

So...back to where my story began. One year ago I discovered modeling. My new career began with a photo shoot here in Tucson, AZ at a old western set called Harker's Creek. A few days ago I shot there again with a photographer that was traveling to Arizona from back east for vacation. He was very excited to shoot the "old west" stuff and stated to me in an email that he was looking forward to the "yeehaw" fun! This made me very excited. Most photographers around here are tired and bored of the western theme, so it was nice to shoot with someone who was super excited about it. The shoot was a lot of fun. He just got so excited over the saloon, the jail, and the old graveyard. I thought it was a nice way to celebrate my one year modeling anniversary!

Misako Aoki, embajadora de la cultura pop

Quizá no os suene el nombre de Misako Aoki. Pero si os digo que esta chica será una embajadora de Japón de la cultura pop es más interesante. Súmale a eso que es lolita.

Para los que no lo sepan, el Lolita es una moda japonesa que mezcla el estilo victoriano (faldas pomposas, petticoats, pololos...) con un aire moderno. Su objetivo es parecer muñecas.

Hay diferentes tipos de lolita (desde la gothic lolita (de negro y blanco) hasta la sweet (rosa generalmente).

Su versión masculina suele ser el b-lolita (chico vestido de lolita, es decir, como una chica), el kodona, el dandy o el aristocrat.

Actualmente se está extendiendo por todos los países (en España también) y aunque lo más normal es verlas en los salones del manga, también hay quien lo lleva día a día.

Volviendo a Misako Aoki (23 años), la finalidad es mejorar la imagen del país en tiempos de crisis...la verdad que original es, pero ya veremos la efectividad...

Como mínimo, ya han salido en los medios (hasta en la revista Pronto). Algo es algo.