Oji

Meet Oji. He is the new addition to my parents' household, a 4-or-5 year old Akita rescued from Michigan via MARS. He's still new to everything, but is very gentle and trusting. His name translates to "prince" in Japanese, and is also close enough to the Japanese pronunciation of "Ozzie," his previous name. "Oji" also sounds to me like "O.G.," but he is hardly an original gangster--for instance, he is attached to my dad, can't sleep alone, and doesn't seem to understand the concept of playing with toys (sad!). But who knows, maybe he will start regulating Logan Square soon enough.

When Yuki passed away last March, I was really cynical about pet-ownership. I was even thinking of things to say to my future child about how owning a pet is ultimately bad. But time has made things slightly more bearable. I think Oji is incredibly needy and possibly overly trusty of people, so he's a good fit for my parents, who tend to be overly give-y. This is to say that among other borderline-crazy things that will happen, he will be fed organic chicken while they eat non-organic chicken.

Comme des Garcons for H&M

Early this morning I went to H&M to check out the Comme des Garcons collection. Basically, it was madness! I don't know whether to be impressed by the experience or embarassed by passively participating.

I left with no clothes, a bad taste in my mouth, my dignity intact, and the delusional-but-sweet feeling that I was refunded $180. I should've done my homework--of course Chicago would be overstocked with the tops, which range from tiny to enormous, but with none of the items that were probably only made in small sizes. Apparently there were only 6 of those $349 dresses, 5 of which were at 5th Ave in NYC, and 1 in San Fransisco. There were also no tux jackets in Chicago, and there were a total of 5 skirts on the floor. I saw two of them, one on a mannequin and one hanging high above on a weird cage apparatus. I don't even know where the other three were originally placed on the floor. It would've helped to know where things were on the floor; otherwise you just wander in, disoriented by pure chaos.

Everything else was incredibly mediocre and uninspiring, so it was especially surreal to see all these people get bestial. Most people were pretty decent, but there were some remarkably offensive characters. Both men and women were going for the "drop crotch" pants, which I don't understand. The $199 trench coats were coming back from the fitting rooms, and I felt one--so thin! A lady who was behind me in line got a deconstructed jacket (I only saw two of those) and let me feel it--so thin! I tried on one of the simple blazers, thinking it might be a sufficient replacement for the tux jacket--so thin! So boring! I looked like I was getting dressed to go to the accounting job I've had for 30 years. Maybe it's better that I don't even see the tux blazer or feel the skirt, because it'd be so disappointing.

But it was an interesting social experience. I recognized the tiny 12 year old Tavi, whose blog I sometimes read (she ditched her morning classes but not the social studies test--hehe, remember "social studies"?), and there were other bloggers taking notes and pictures. I talked to "The Sassy Peach," who has an inadvertent picture of me and quotes me in her post about today. (She was in fact not sassy, but perfectly peachy.) A number of women had apparently done this before, and register totals for a bag full of items were non-issues. I felt like some of them could just get, or have, real Comme des Garcons items. I'm sure there were resellers in there too, but they're harder to pinpoint. I was essentially left wanting to revisit the Comme des Garcons store in Tokyo and disappointed that "democraticizing" high end fashion via H&M is not giving opportunities to the masses, but really just letting the mob take over. I am looking forward to Old Orchard this weekend for some normalcy, where I will go "thinking" I have an extra $180 to dispense. Surely Mordecai will bring me back to reality, for better or for worse.

Comic2

Prerequisite information: This was drawn right around the time that McDonald's Southern Style Chicken debuted. Also, buns matter.

Comic1

Prerequisite information: These comics by Mordecai are half a year old, so the topics are a bit démodé. Most will probably not recall this video from the inna netz last spring, where Jermaine Dupri expressed frustration with a Danja/Usher double-cover issue of Billboard Magazine.

I hope the writing is clear enough; click to enlarge!

H&M? CDG?

Who knew my tissue box holder would be a warm hat?
Or that one day I would get to wear the sunglasses my mother always wore when I was a child?

I am wondering if I should go to H&M tomorrow to check out their "Comme des Garcons for H&M" line. I don't really like my clothes to be "deconstructed" but the pleated skirt and the tuxedo jacket look like winners!

It's unclear to me how crazy these waiting lines get, and if it depends on which H&M you go to. Ours on Michigan Avenue is the only one not in New York or California where the clothes will be available. That sounds potentially scary. I don't have any commitments until 11AM tomorrow though, so maybe I'll just check the scene out even if I can't touch any of the clothes.

Survey

I have been tagged by Richard to fill out this "Proust Survey." I'm not sure why it's called that, so I'm going to dub this the "Choi Survey" and put up a picture of a pensive Richard (he has one of a pensive Proust).

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Lack of self-awareness; pretension without good reason(s)

Where would you like to live?

Chicago and Yokohama. In another life, I'd like to live in L.A. This curiosity is completely spurred on by "The Hills" and most recently, "The Rachel Zoe Project."

What is your idea of earthly happiness?

To be surrounded by the people and things I love and to be free of imposed schedules. Splitting my life between Chicago and Yokohama at will!

To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Wasting time online; sweets; shopping; being spoiled; elitism

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

Nakata of Murakami's Kafka on the Shore; Sensei of Soseki's Kokoro; Humbert Humbert of Lolita; Phoenix Wright and Godot from the "Ace Attorney" series

Who are your favorite characters in history?

David Hume

Who are your favorite heroes/heroines in real life? (I added "heroes.")
My lung doctor, Dr. Vigneswaran

Yuki

(Not me)

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?

Josée (the protagonist) of the movie, "Joze to Tora to Sakanatachi"; Carla Jean Moss of "No Country for Old Men"

Your favorite painter?

I don't have a favorite painter. My favorite artist is MY DAD.

Your favorite musician?

Mariah Carey, Amuro Namie, Michael Jackson, New Order, Ohtaki Eiichi

The quality you most admire in a man?

Good sense of humor, empathy, consistency

The quality you most admire in a woman?

Good sense of humor, empathy, consistency

Your favorite virtue?

Honesty

Your favorite occupation?

Self-employed

Who would you have liked to be?

A cat or a Buddhist monk

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Jenni sometimes responds to these things within the comments to the relevant post, which is more inclusive for those who don't have their own blogs. Responses in any form are invited!

Friday afternoon

Train neighbor in need of a new hat. Or a haircut, in which case the surviving dots of the snapback might be reached?

Public square Christmas tree secrets revealed.

Lunch at Shalom Deli, owned by an elderly Japanese couple.

One more grocery item

I love the eyes. And fruit snacks in general.

For Joe

I can never remember Joe's hierarchy of dessert companies, but I feel that Little Debbie must be in there somewhere above mediocre. I'm not sure if this particular koala counts as above endearing for him, but Miss Debbie and Marcos Ambrose certainly did their best.

(Mordo's in the background checking out corn meal mush in a tube.)

Late night grocery run

Halloween '08

Our pumpkin has evolved from last year.

We got our Christmas tree from this nomadic-ish guy at California and Diversey last winter, so I was excited that the same guy was selling pumpkins. I like to support his overpriced but seemingly authentic business.

Mordecai built in some nostrils and one fang with his manly power tools. Notice how the nostrils and fang are like mine--two dots, sharp.

It is on display in our window for people entering our building to see. It is not nearly as elaborate or conceptual as Jenni's though. Everyone should check that out!

Happy Halloween!

Heart Blister

I burned my finger on the oven rack, and the blister took a shape of a heart. Aww?

Most Recent Wanty Acquisition

Wanty Acquisitions

Some wanty items that were acquired not long after creating the original Wanty List include the black vesty thingie from Forever 21, a ridiculous American Apparel bodysuit, a Target school uniform skirt, and Jonathan Saunders for Target skirt.

I'm still not entirely sure how to wear this thing. It could probably pass as a dress, though precautionary measures would be taken. Anyway, I love it.

This is another strange purchase. American Apparel's oxford shirt did not meet Mordecai's increasingly high standards for shirts, so the in-store credit went to me, because really, what is Mordecai going to get at American Apparel? I was intrigued by the bodysuit and its exposed zipper, and figured I should go all out and get the pop colors instead of being modest and monochromatic. Obviously, this is layer-nation territory.

All I have to say is that this girls skirt 1) fit and 2) was $3.24. My birthday is March 24, so whenever I see 324 like that, I get pretty excited. I must figure out how to roll over the waistline like bad Japanese high school girls do, or look like a good Japanese high school girl and keep it knee-high.

I am a big fan of this whole gradation business. It might go by the name of "ombre," though I'm not sure if that was just a Target and Shopbop.com thing or if that's a more general descriptive name. Anyway, this is one of those quasi-famous designers designing weird things for Target. I never posted the Richard Chai for Target skirt I got in the summer, but I remember feeling compelled to buy it because it was one letter away from "Richard Choi for Target."

Flamin' Hot Cheeto Puffs Thighs

A few weekends ago, I wore red tights I got in Japan this past summer. With knee-high boots, the resulting look is Flamin' Hot Cheetos Puffs thighs.

Actually I thought the Flamin Hots were going to look a little more transparent, but the red garlic-hot-pepper powder is so egregiously red. I love how Puffs get stuck in your teeth, like the molars. I almost typed "morals." Haha.

Many updates are in order: Flamin' Hot Cheetos Puffs thighs; the acquisition of wanty items; this year's pumpkin; the anticlimactic Guitar Hero World Tour; future ultra-simple DIY projects.

Natto Toast

Can you smell it from the photos? Fermented soybeans on toasted bread. Not bad.

Wanty Exercise

On a related note, the Republican party spent a lot of money on Sarah Palin since being the VP pick. This doesn't sound like small-town spending, but that doesn't interest me so much as figuring out what I would do with $150K to spend unreasonably in one month (i.e. as Phoebe says, you can't save or buy property or do smart things with it). Wanty exercise of the week!

-Honda Civics are too reasonable, so I'd get a CR-V ($30,000)
-Chanel bag, prince increase and all ($3420--what's another $570?)
-PS3, Rock Band, Rock Band accessories ($1000)
-Various Apple products: Macbook Air, iPhone ($2000?)
-This hat, which Jade showed me just yesterday ($48)

The rest I'd spend on random trips to Japan. As Jermain Dupri once put it, "You know this man takes trips to Japan/Tell them I don't want the runway wet when I land" (on Mariah Carey's "Makin' It Last All Night"). It's sort of scary that if Japan enters the equation, even without all these other wanty items acquired, the money would disappear instantaneously.

Chanel Mobile Art in NYC

One interesting thing about the Chanel Mobile Art exhibit that I hadn't really thought about is that since it's mobile, the reception will differ not just from person to person but from city to city. It's up in Central Park of New York now, and the NYTimes gave their verdict on the structure and its contents. Mr. Nicolai Ouroussoff seemed to be quite disappointed.

I just have to say, I don't know why you'd expect social responsibility from Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld. I was just thankful I didn't pay to see this building or go into it (I did have to wait in line, but "time is money" didn't apply last summer). I mean, this is coming from a brand that just raised their bag prices by 20%, and from a man who does stuff like this. Perhaps Mr. Ouroussoff enjoyed the last piece on the tour, which was Yoko Ono's wishing tree. You are asked to write your wish on a slip of paper and tie it to one of the tree branches. If one smells bullshit, this is the place to start breathing through your mouth. But I waved the stench away and wrote, "A Chanel 2.55 flapbag!!!" Which was what all of this was about, not "idealistic causes." Maybe I just had a different perspective of the exhibit in Japan, where consumerism is embraced, not shunned?

Sarpino's

Rock Band evenings usually entail ordering food. By process of elimination, it seems that Sarpino's has won our hearts. I think it was just their regular pizzas that got us all first, then the creamy garlic sauce for some, then the cheesy bread for...me.

Sarpino's cheesy breadsticks. Flash photo inspired by Joe's food photos.

This is the 10 inch cheesy breadsticks from a few nights ago when I didn't feel like making or waiting for food to be made. It's really just a light-cheese pizza with the sauce on the side. The cheese is a little singed; the bread is perfectly crispy; you can determine the amount of sauce. Heaven!

Nestle Lion!

I totally forgot about the existence of Nestle Lion bars until last weekend when I came across them in the foreign food aisle of Meijer's. I used to eat them all the time when I was abroad in Paris. I should've taken a cross-section picture of the candy bar, but I ate it. Sorry. Just believe that it's the best chewy-cripsy-chocolate-y-ness you'll experience in the West.

Downtown

I've been spending more time downtown than usual this semester. That means I try to get work done at Argo or the Harold Washington Library, and then I reward myself with window-shopping on State Street or Garrett's popcorn.

Pine Nuts for President

Whole Foods used to really offend me: from the moment I walk in, my olfactory glands are attacked by various weird smells; the prices induce cringes and gasps; the fruit tarts look inferior to my own; I am invited to sample "cheese snacks" but upon closer inspection, they turn out to be bullshit "healthy" alternatives to Cheetos. The phrase "alternative to Cheetos" makes me angry.

But lately I've been looking forward to grocery opportunities so I can suggest going to Whole Foods. I really can't pinpoint any reason why Whole Foods, especially since all of the above complaints have not subsided and I'm certain Trader Joe's would suffice. One explanation could be that I want to recreate my parent's salads, which I am sure include two things I have never been inclined to buy until this newfound desire: arugula and pine nuts. Phoebe has been busy promoting the former on her blog, so I will volunteer to pick up the latter's campaign over here.

Pine nuts are EXPENSIVE. At Whole Foods, you can scoop your own amount for $16.99/lb. They are kind of like the saffron of nuts. They sit next to the macadamia nuts; perhaps they are just as oily and fatty, and that's what makes the price go up?

I think you can buy them roasted. Even if they are pre-roasted, my mom re-roasts them again. I believe these were raw, so I roasted; maybe one side roasted too much.

Perhaps they soften the blow of vegetables. Until about five or six years ago, I wouldn't eat my parent's salads because they contained so much of what I sincerely thought was garbage. I think nearly all vegetables require getting used to, and maybe the softness and mild flavor of pine nuts soothes you while you wonder why you're eating all this crunchy crap when you could be having Cheetos as an alternative.

Keipop Econ 101

I've actually made attempts to understand the financial crisis. My knowledge of the situation has not increased at all, but I am now more familiar with the vocabulary involved: mortgages, credit, stocks, government regulation, $700 billion bailout plan, taxpayers, etc. Note that this is coming from someone who's step zero was to realize that Fannie Mae is not the same thing as Fannie May. I justify this initial confusion by noting that the candy company had some financial problems in the past couple of years or so. So goes my-style economics, 101.

The problem with finances for me is that I like to see my money in one place. I don't like borrowing it, I don't like thinking about interest rates, and I don't like credit cards. Basically, I don't want to step outside the world of addition, subtraction, and positive numbers. The Porok in me lives on strong!

But now, I figure, I should move away from this financial primitivism. This will help me understand more complicated monetary ideas that are important in the life of a typical upstanding citizen. However, that entails acting against my motto, which is this blog's theme, however thin it is: the preservation of youth. Still, I'm not against mental exercises, so I decided to start with the more thoughtful money management of all the frivolous things I currently covet.

Under my financial adviser Mordecai, I have taken the things I want now, and tried to rationalize and prioritize potential purchases. Generally, the goal is to satisfy "wantiness" and minimize spending. In other words, how do we satisfy "wanty" Kei while also reducing Mordecai's criticisms of Kei's overdesiring and overspending? (I just realized the personifcation of the objective.) So for every item I want, I ask myself, "On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being 'meh' and 10 being 'omgmusthavenow,' how bad do I want the thing?" This number is the "desire magnitude." Next, I need to know how long in days I've wanted the item, the "desire duration." And finally, a column for the price.

The "desire duration" shouldn't be weighted as much as the "desire magnitude" because as the days go by, this number will always increase. The magnitude is very important but stays about the same over time, or averages to whatever the start magnitude was (this is generally true at least for me). So the duration is divided by 4 (more or less arbitrarily chosen), and added to the magnitude. The sum is divided by the price, and the total multiplied by 100 to work with whole numbers. This results in the "purchase potential." So, you can see which items can be justifiably purchased and which items to put on hold for further deliberation.

This might seem like a lot of work with results that ultimately match pre-calculated intuitions, but it's not and it's also nice to have a systematic process for all the small things that add up. I could go into other ramifications of the methodology, but I'll stop here. Comments and suggestions for improvement are invited. For now, what to do with these preliminary results...

---

Related articles:
FAQ on Lehman and AIG, NYT Freakonomics 9/18/08
"Money Disorder," NYT Fashion & Style, 9/24/08 (at least see the ending quote)

Bag Voyeurism

A number of people have responded to my request to show the contents of their bags: Wesley, Mordecai (unearthed the blog!), Jenni (second comment), Richard, and Phoebe (I am glad our bond continues with shiny bags and eyeliners). I don't know what this amounts to or if we can make anything of these posts, but I like to know these quotidian facts about people (and share my own), especially if I regularly read their blogs (and if people read mine). How I wish I could ask happy blog to show us the contents of her bag, though she already lets us into a good part of her life with her constant updates and photos.

The contents of my soul

Sometime last year (I can't find the post), I mentioned that I was going to disclose the contents of my bag on a random day. In Japanese Seventeen magazines, models are asked to show their personal bags and what's inside them. I've also seen this on a TV show in Japan, where the host looks at guests' cell phones, planners, wallets, and how much cash they're carrying at that moment.

Lately I've seen "fashion bloggers" do this voluntarily. Unlike Seventeen and this Japanese show, the bloggers neatly lay out the contents on a nice background to make things easier to see. But also unlike the Japanese predecessors, they don't really talk about their stuff. I've taken my inspiration for this post from both sources.

I have many bags, and I can never really stick to one. Lately, I've been using this one I bought in Japan this past summer, though it is by golfer Arnold Palmer. He has a line of cute, kind of preppy-but-fun line for young women called Arnie, which I have never seen in the States. I think this line is good especially in the summer--imagine sipping lemonade+iced tea+vodka cocktails, lazily playing golf, hanging out at beach resorts. Arnie has everything you're imagining wearing in such a world.

Here are the contents, minus the camera. From the bottom left, readings: David Lewis on subsistence, James Tully on democracy, and Robert Almeder on the evidence for life after death (!!!). My Moleskine notebook I've had since graduating college; clearly, I don't use it that much. On it are my pen and chapsticks. Below the notebook are three acorns from a Studio Ghibli store in Yokohama--if you recall, I was obsessed with acorns last fall, and this summer I finally got my hand on some Japanese-style ones. My iPod, water bottle, keys, and a pack of tissue I got for free in Japan (they hand them out as advertisements). Above that is my Domo-Kun makeup case, the contents of which will be unveiled below. My wallet is by Hobo International. Oh, there's only $1.09 in change and a yen in there. My phone is the pink Chocolate by LG for which Hilary Duff briefly advertised two years ago. And then my shopping acquisitions for today: Judas Priest-y earrings from Forever 21 and pyramid studded bracelet from Brooklyn Industries.

I used to be quite minimal about makeup (I lived by only Hard Candy's Galaxy eyeliner and Max Factor mascara for seven years), but the contents of my cases are growing.

From the left: I use Covergirl Volume Exact waterproof mascara, advertised by Queen Latifah. When I'm lazy, I use Visée liquid eyeliner, advertised by Koda Kumi. Next to that is my eyebrow pencil. I reluctantly use this crappy Aveeno chapstick when I have no others. When I have time, I use Shiseido eyeliner that comes in cream form in a pot with a little tough brush applicator. It was recommended to me by the lady at Shiseido, and I love it. Next is my Visée eyeshadow, also advertised by Koda Kumi. The last item in that row is my foundation, from the "d" line at Shiseido. I also asked the Shiseido lady for help with foundation, and she came up with this light powder foundation, good for beginners. Actually, I think I just loved the Shisedo ladies because they were so nice and didn't try to make me buy unnecessary crap. And then the bottom row: eyelash curler, eye drops, Claritin, and pins from Claire's.

This is much lengthier than I thought it would be. Anyway, I invite others to unveil the contents of their bags, purses, satchels, man-purses, and so on (makeup case optional): Mordecai, Kira, Richard, Joe, Wesley, Phoebe, Jenni, and/or anyone else reading this?

À la Happy Blog

I stalk a number of strangers online through their blogs, which is inherently creepy, but I mean it in an admiring, non-sleazy way. Plus, public blogs are public, so blog-stalking is also in a sense inherently OK. Anyway, I have always wanted to prepare a breakfast like the above--yogurt, granola, sliced bananas--because Happy Blog does it all the time (most recent photo here).

But usually I have no time for leisurely preparations and displays, not even time to eat breakfast at home. I had to prepare all of this in about 30 seconds, take it to go, and eat it at the cafe in University Hall before taking care of graduate student tasks.

Mouths

Last Saturday while eating popcorn, I chipped my lower front tooth. It was bothersome at first, but I've gotten used to the new sensation of my tongue constantly rubbing up on a jagged tooth. It's not noticeable unless I point it out to people, but being the daughter of a dental assistant, I ought to get it fixed.

That same weekend, I came across Domo-kun campaigning for Halloween candy at Target. The Back-to-School section is being transformed into Halloween Nation, with the help of Domo-kun everywhere, as himself, as a mummy, as Frankenstein. This furry clutch/pencil case contained Domo-kun candy bracelets. It is all random and wonderful at once; everyone should check the displays out. And Domo Nation!!!

Though more sugary, this kind of corn is much easier on your teeth.

Three Photos

1. Last week I made use of my sewing machine--it's been a while. Mordecai designed and constructed the drawer-table thingie with my aesthetic guidance and painting assistance.

2. My dad asked me to hem this big square fabric. It was very easy and looked decent in the end. I backstitched as instructed by online tips and sewing machine manual, but I don't really understand how things don't unravel with time, so I did what I thought would assuage my concerns with the loose ends. Please don't laugh at me.

3. I then proceeded to bring out Sam's pants into daylight, pants which he had asked me to shorten just a little bit...about a year ago. All I did was inspect the original hem, realize that the situation would be most ideal if someone (Sam or myself) had marked off where the cutoff point should be, and then remarked on how nice the pants are...i.e., you might see a post in which I am wearing them...or even Mordecai.

MJ

Apparently it was Michael Jackson's 50th birthday recently. The Harold Washington Library honored the legend with this display. I like how it is a modest tribute--50 facts about Michael Jackson, cut-outs of his classic poses, a list of his songs--hidden by the bathroom on the eighth floor. I'm still amazed at how a person can have such recognizable poses, and how the library could produce equally identifiable cutouts of these stances. I need to work on a distinguishing pose (peace sign in front of cameras can't count) and preparing templates for future generational use.

90210 v.2

North Avenue Beach on Labor Day; click on photo to see item in sky

So the new "90210" premiered last night around midnight in Chicago thanks to WGN (CW) owning the Cubs, who took their sweet time losing to the Phillies. Basically, I have been waiting for the 90's to be revived since the 90's ended. Last night I heard "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap! in a mix on the radio and was brought back to my childhood of naiveté, however briefly, as the song was mixed out quickly and replaced by something that was not Technotronic or something equally awesome.

But basically, WOW: Kelly has cankles; Brenda's arms are huge; the Peach Pit is crazy; Annie looks like a cross between Aunt Becky and Eva Mendes; Ethan looks like Mordecai's friend from back home; Dixon looks like Chris Brown; no one cares about the principal's boring bastard child backstory; on that note, I miss Jim but not Cindy Walsh; Silver looks like a girl from my Paris program; she wears lots of American Apparel and now I must have those items; what is going on with the newscaster girl with the hyphenated last name containing "Zuckerman"; Naomi seems to be a cross between Kelly and Donna in that Kelly was rich and popular while Donna was ugly with crazy hair; Naomi also reminds me of Jessie Spano of "Saved By the Bell"; Mordecai is calling incest; and who is Kelly's baby daddy???