Our brush with Project Runway

I spent the weekend in New York for Camilla's birthday. As we were strolling around Nolita, we saw a long ling of people waiting outside a store, with a sign in the window warning that Bravo TV was filming. Turned out to be Emmett McCarthy's new store, EMc2 and guess who we ran into?...

Alison from the current season of Project Runway was hanging around outside! Though I didn't want to "bother" her, I decided it might be ok in the end. She is JUST as adorable and beautiful as she looks on the show, and I have a girl crush on her (and her mom, who is in the background of this photo). Darling Alison, we told you that you got kicked of WAY too early, and it was unfair; and you simply smiled and told us it was ok. Cute AND sweet too? Yes, I'm in love!Malan was our next victim. Though you was a bit pretentious on the show, you won me over with your final, "I never really had a lot of friends before" speech when you got kicked off. You were a total sweetheart in person (but I still can't tell what kind of accent you have). Did you study under Madonna?Tim Gunn! We heart you! You seemed totally sincere as you apologized to the masses that you had to leave because you were late for filming. We forgive you for not taking a picture with us. Your bodyguard looks like he could use a little LESS grooming. Please be a friend and tell him so.Chloe, go on and represent for the Asian American women out there! Tell Emmett that I'm sorry I cut his head off in this picture. He's too damn tall! I wish we caught you before you rushed into the store!Nick, dearest Nick. You are a sweetheart and a half. You were drinking wine when we interrupted you, which made me love you more. You didn't seem to care that I approached you with a stalker-like admiration when I broke into your literal circle of friends. You graciously posed for this shot and let me blabber on about your cute top in the store. OMG, your hand is on my neck - I may NEVER wash that part of my body again! We've got nothing but love for you, honey! This is the store. Check it out! Goodbye, Tim. Good from the front AND from the back! You still have that same bodyguard, though. I think I can take him. Let me know if you want a tough, petite Korean chick to take his place.If you don't love Project Runway, then I must stop for a minute and mourn for you. It's THAT good.

Did you know?

I've been trying to figure out whether Taer is my fiance or my fiancee.

WELL, I finally looked it up. It turns out that fiance (with one "e") is used when referring to a man. Fianee (with two "e's") is used for a woman.

Who knew?!?? Maybe everyone but me. Now I've won half the battle.

So... that makes Taer my fiance. That is, unless there's something I don't know about!

Remembering again

On this day, I will remember.
http://jennipah.blogspot.com/2005/09/remember.html

Bicoastal

I went back home for the long weekend for a number of reasons:

• Our dearest LWC is the first among us girls to have a baby bump! I couldn't miss the celebratory shower of the bump (and eventual baby).
• I got a call that Cisco Systems wanted me on the cover of some print ad of theirs. Turned out to be their annual report. How funny is it that? It helped pay for my trip, so I was happy to strike a pose.
• I visited possible wedding venues.
• The girls and my family fed me and made me feel very loved at early birthday dinners.
• Got to hang out and just enjoy being San Franciscan again.

My days were busier than I expected them to be. In many ways, I felt like I never left. It was so easy to slip back into the old routine of eating and coffee catching and shopping and eating and hanging out - and did I mention eating? My mom often talked my ear off; and when I thought she was finished, she simply moved on over to the other ear. If God thought about the fact that I was being born to this mother of mine, He should've equipped me with five ears.

There were some differences too. People moved away, so I didn't get to see them (Chenja). People lived in new places in the city and owned new things like cars (Lee). New restaurants popped up; I wasn't used to not knowing the latest and greatest happenings of my city.

But is it still my city?

I thought San Francisco would always be home to me. I didn't feel out of place. Not yet. But I could sense, for the first time, that there may very well be a visit down the road where I'll actually feel like a visitor there. While it still felt like I was going "back home" to San Francisco, returning to D.C. also felt like "coming home" too. Can I have two homes? Don't I have to pick? If my friends and family moved away from San Francisco, would it still feel like home then?

I've come to realize that home isn't necessarily defined by a physical location. If I could gather all my loved ones together somewhere - anywhere - THAT would be home. Heck, stick them in a big, white box and throw in Taboo and Scattergories! (Oh, and maybe Scrabble too. And the Food Network. And Project Runway while we're at it. You know what I mean.)

But without that white box? I consider myself officially bicoastal!

A Picture Share!

A little piece of san francisco ferry building goodness, right here in dc. Yay!

Korean men are sensitve and totally ripped

This Washington Post article is too funny. There's apparently a 'Korean Wave' blazing its way through Asia. I was feeling the wave of my people becoming hot lately, largely due to the popularity of Korean movies among non-Koreans. Taer's Vietnamese hair cutting lady talks his ear off about the latest K-flick every time she trims his locks lately. Tina's Chinese grandma recently asked me if I knew where she could get Chinese-dubbed Korean movies. This story, interestingly, focuses only on the men:

"Entertainment industry leaders in Seoul credit the phenomenon to good marketing coupled with an uncanny response throughout Asia to the expressive nature of the South Koreans -- long dubbed the Italians of Asia. A hearty diet and two years of forced military duty, industry leaders and fans insist, have also made young South Korean men among the buffest in Asia. Most important, however, has been the South Korean entertainment industry's perfection of the strong, silent type on screen -- typically rich, kind men with coincidentally striking looks and a tendency to shower women with unconditional love."

Of course my buff 'Italian' Stallion Taer, out of the kindness of his unconditionally loving heart, felt that he needed to forward this important piece of news to me. I don't know if he read the quote:

"But to tell you the truth, I still haven't met a real one who fits that description."