mamazilla

bonzo for braids!! (& dance friday!!!)

2012-01-27T13:43:00.010-06:00

so excited to share my new project with you... this scarf was SOOOO easy and so quick to make... about three hours or so..

like many bloggers, i just recently joined pinterest. and found it to be the MOTHERLOAD of DIY tutorials in one handy dandy spot!!!! it's amazeballs, i could (have) pin(ned) away in there for hours... :)

ennyhoo... one of the first things i pinned was this scarf:

however, when i clicked on it, it wasn't a tutorial, but an actual product for sale, but i thought, "it can't be that difficult to make could it?"

so i did a search for DIY braided tshirt necklace and found this easy to follow tutorial on the i still love you blog.

i pretty much followed the same instructions, but used different measurements that i guesstimated...

first off, i had a printed crinkly jersey 60" wide fabric in my stash... you'll need about a yard and a half... it was just begging to be made into this scarf... :) the scarf i made is actually two separate scarves.

the large piece is just a big tube - 22" x 60". right sides together, stitch up the long side... i used a 1/4" seam allowance. turn inside out and stitch the short sides, right sides together... eventually, you find you can't stitch anymore. i just pressed that seam allowance down and topstitched close to the edge... (or you can use that iron on seam adhesive...)

the second piece is made with 9 strips... (these measurements you might have to take on yourself making sure the smallest necklace fits over your head... depending on how long you want to wear the necklaces...

3 strips - 2" wide x 30" long

3 strips - 2" wide x 40" long

3 strips - 6" wide x 60" long

again, i followed the instructions linked above and within a few hours i was finished... :)

to style it, i put the tube scarf on first, then the braids... the longest braid is doubled. :)

i swear, if you can sew a straight seam, you can make this!!!

UPDATE: so i wore this scarf all day today... it kept me warm and was just lovely! however! i looked rather ungraceful taking it off at home this evening... will have to practice... :)

hope you had a wonderful friday!!!

p.s. if you're on pinterest, please let me know! you can follow me here:

work that skirt - restyle #2

2012-01-11T15:02:00.005-06:00

contrary to what i post here... i really do wear skirts, i don't restyle every single one i find... :)

but every once in a while, a really lovely skirt will end up in my "well, that was an unfortunate purchase" pile... this one had been sitting there for a very very long time:

it's a really cute corduroy skirt, labelled "polli says...", perfect for the fall... it's slightly big and i'm too lazy to take it in... with all the beading it would take some time & effort that i haven't had the ability to schedule in... also, the beading was always hidden by whatever i was wearing because i don't usually wear anything that shows my waist...

thankfully, i saw this courduroy pant into bag restyle on refashion co-op blog.

i immediately thought of my skirt... :) i bought some plain army green webbing/cotton belting at the fabric store. then, i sewed some decorative ribbon on each strap...

i cut off about 7" from around the hem of the skirt, sewed that seam, along with two corner seams for a good four inch bottom...

love my new tote! :)

thanks for coming by & reading! hope you're having a relaxing wednesday!

mamazilla vs 2011

2012-01-01T17:20:00.024-06:00

so everyblogger and their aunt sarah blogger are posting all these really inspiring recaps of 2011... i started to get all kinds of glum thinking about all my personal failures this year, but for some reason, i took a quick look back at the blog and some unpublished pics & realized, "hmmm... it (i) wasn't all that bad!"

*pats self on back*

turns out i made a whole lot of stuff!!! and despite not reviewing nearly as many books as i read - it turns out i read 15 books in 2011!! *insert rekkid scratch*

i KNOW, right!!?? :)

january:

restyled brown skirt, restyled jean skirt & house slippers

february & march:

restyled brown dress, violet dress, restyled sweater into cowl scarf, more girl n doll dresses...

april/may/june:

i didn't make anything but i think it was because we had just moved to our new apartment. we'd also gone on a spring vacation in april.... in may, we were preparing for paloma's first communion, end of the school year parties/performances and porkchop's kindergarten graduation... we were busy bees... :)

july:

restyled shirt into skirt, bunnies!

august:

restyled t-shirt, restyled bike helmet

sept:

market bags for my very first craft table, another restyled tee...

october:

halloween costumes - spider princess & harry potter

november & december:

made some aprons & girl n doll dresses...

lastly, i read (& reviewed some of) these books in 2011:

1) the girl with the dragon tattoo by steig larsson - i waited so long to read this book. i was worried it was overhyped. i wasn't disappointed. a very compelling read... i even sat thru the new movie... yowza. not for the faint of heart...

2) angel in my pocket by ilene cooper. & my goodreads review.

3) fresh off the boat by melissa de la cruz - i really should write a review of this lovely YA book about the filipino immigrant experience viewed from the eyes of a pinay teen.

4) city of fallen angels by cassandra clare. although i love this series, this book was actually a disappointment to me... hoping, clockwork prince, from the infernal device series, is better... #TEAMJEM WOOT!

5) girls for breakfast by david yoo. & my review.

6) norwegian wood by haruki murakami. & my review

7) thanks for the memories by cecilia ahern. i read this hoping it would help me to restart a book i was writing... it's a heartwarming love story, much like her other book, p.s. i love you.

8) the radleys by matt haig. i think this book about a modern vampire family blew me away so much. i was rendered speechless.... fer realsies.

9) battle hymn of the tiger mother by amy chua. & my review.

10) the anybodies by n.e.bode. & my goodreads review.

11) where the mountain meets the moon by grace lin. & my review.

12) the graveyard book by neil gaiman. & my goodreads review.

13) naamah's blessing by jacqueline carey. i was so sad to see this series come to an end... i think i'm in denial about writing a review... :'(

14) naamah's curse by jacqueline carey. & my goodreads review. by far, one of my fave books this year... i am a HUGE fan of the (HOT) chinese warrior, Bao!

15) the girl with glass feet by ali shaw. & my review

for 2012, besides the obvious (challenging myself to be a better me, friend, mother, wife, etc...) resolutions, i would like to continue to challenge my creative process by sewing more (and altering less - i find i've been altering more clothes (not recycling, restyling or upcycling) for friends & friends of friends. i hope to cut back on that...), crafting more, writing more and drawing more.... being more consistent about these challenges, stopping the procrastination & ignoring the fear of failure....

i don't really have too many other resolutions... i'm rarely at a loss for finding fault with myself... so, maybe another resolution should be to reflect and find more things about myself to be proud of...

best wishes to you dear reader for a bright and memorable 2012!

dance friday - happy holidays from california!!!

2011-12-23T10:37:00.008-06:00

ugh... it's been so long since i posted to the blog... :( i got slammed with some sewing work before i left for vacation:

i made a few outfits for a friend's daughter and her doll... for the girls a line jumpers i used a vintage simplicity pattern 7783. for the doll a line jumpers, i used simplicity pattern 4271. for the girl's corduroy dress, i used/modified butterick B5631. for the doll's corduroy dress, i used simplicity pattern 3936.

and i was also asked to make some aprons for christmas prezzies. i used the top of simplicity 3803 dress pattern and draped the rest of the apron myself:

and i also had/have some alterations to do.... ennyhoo....

we're on vacation in southern california with the thin man's family and having a BLAST.... we started off with a day at disneyland and hanging out with some very dear friends in LA... we're in the palm springs area now. we hung out in san diego yesterday... and we might be headed to the salton sea for a day trip too next week... :)

but i wanted to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! and wish everyone a peaceful and bright new year... i often think of the heartfelt sentiments in Exile's song - I Wish For You:

but since i've already posted this song - i add along a BONUS!!! apparently, they've released a new (to me) album... here's This is My Life:

EX_ILE / This_is_my_life by Danseryu

see you in 2012!!! XOXOXOXOXOX!!!!

dance friday - i miss summer

2011-11-18T09:42:00.004-06:00

here in chicago - it's freeeeeezing.... :( and i miss summer... T.T

(even though i'd probably be inside an air conditioned room waiting out the heat...)

i saw this video on harry shum jr's tumblr while drinking hot cocoa with mittens on... lol!

it starts off with a lovely sample of the beach boys' wouldn't it be nice.... which ALWAYS makes me think of summer.... and open fire hydrants on a humid night...

thankfully, i will be in cali this christmas visiting with friends and family... it won't be as warm temperature wise as in this video, but it'll be hella warmer than chi-town... lordy!

best wishes for a warm and happy friday!

Evelyn Evelyn "Have you seen my sister Evelyn?" MV

2011-11-02T22:29:00.002-05:00

as i've mentioned before, i'm not a fan of evelyn evelyn. but i just saw this really clever animated MV of their song "Have you seen my sister Evelyn?" and i had to post... it helps that it has lindyhopping skeletons. :)

i took a blue pill...

today is a gift. that's why we call it the present...

2011-11-01T10:47:00.007-05:00

i'm almost done with another scarf to send to operation gratitude. i'm making an identical one to match last year's (see above). their deadline is december 12 so i think this scarf might actually make it to a soldier on time! :)

i was also going to contribute some handmade mittens to mitten commitment. but upon reading more about it, i saw that the mittens will be given to the salvation army. unfortunately, i'm not too keen on donating to that charity anymore. it turns out our church donates mittens to the night ministry (see below) so i'll just send my handmade ones there too.

so, considering how donations to charities, food banks and clothing drives are down this year, due to the economy, i did a little research and found some local (chicago) charities' wishlists/in-kind donations - accepting clothing, toiletries, food or your volunteer time.... the list below is mostly secular or non-denominational (since usually those of us who belong to churches can refer to them for charities...)

something to think about in november and december, when we reflect on what we're thankful for and how we show our appreciation for all the gifts and blessings we've received and who in our neighborhood/city may not have the gifts/blessings we sometimes take for granted...

a just harvest wishlist - A Just Harvest’s mission is to reduce poverty and hunger in Rogers Park and the greater Chicago community by providing nutritious meals daily while building a just society through advocacy and collaborative relationships across racial, cultural and socio-economic lines to promote the well-being of patrons served.

apna ghar wishlist - Apna Ghar provides emergency shelter and transitional housing, along with a range of supportive services, to survivors of domestic abuse in the Chicago area. All services are free and available to survivors regardless of race, religion, ethnic origin, or socioeconomic status. A large proportion of our clients are immigrants from India, Pakistan and other Asian and African countries.

boys and girls club of chicago wishlist -To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

care for real also accepts food and clothing donations - help our neighbors in the Edgewater community by providing food, clothing and counseling services to those in need.

connections for abused women and children wishlist - we provide a shelter for women and children, and counseling, advocacy, and a 24-hour hotline for people affected by domestic violence.

cornerstone community outreach wishlist - raise the quality of life for low-income residents of the United States and the rest of the world through social, educational and economic development programs that include: development & preservation of decent & affordable housing for the poor, job training & creation, educational & social programs, and feeding & sheltering the homeless.

harmony house for cats wishlist - committed to providing the highest quality care for the cats and kittens in our care

heartland alliance wishlist - advances the human rights and responds to the human needs of endangered populations—particularly the poor, the isolated, and the displaced—through the provision of comprehensive and respectful services and the promotion of permanent solutions leading to a more just global society.

housing opportunities for women wishlist - Empowering women, children and families to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

illinois dept of public health accepts food and clothing donations at any of these locations

korean american women in need wishlist -freedom from violence, towards building safe and healthy communities...

lakeview pantry wishlist - providing food to people living below the poverty level.

lincoln park community shelter wishlist - brings our community together to empower homeless men and women to make life changes.

metropolitan family services wishlist - a voice for families. With compassionate counsel and services for families struggling to overcome incredible challenges, Metropolitan makes a difference in their lives and provides hope for their future. From early childhood programs to elder care services, every family member is encouraged to work together to realize their amazing strength

night ministry wishlist - provides housing, health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty and loneliness.

paws chicago wishlist - working to build a No Kill Chicago—a city where pets are no longer destroyed just because they are homeless.

rainbow house wishlist - has provided critical intervention, compassionate care, legal assistance, therapeutic solutions, educational outreach and consistent, seamless support to women and children across the City of Chicago whose lives have been shattered by domestic violence.

rest wishlist - a comprehensive homeless services provider operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

sarah's circle wishlist - a refuge for women who are homeless or in need of a safe space. By providing housing assistance, case management, referral services, and life necessities, we encourage women to empower themselves by rebuilding both emotionally and physically; realizing their unique potential.

teen living program wishlist - offers housing, job training, educational support, mental health counseling, holistic health care, and life skills training within a community of professional and passionate support.

threads of compassion - another charity to donate homemade scarves to victims of abuse.

treehouse humane society - wishlist - promotes the inherent value of every animal and strives to educate the public about proper and responsible animal care, with a focus on the care and placement of stray cats with special physical and emotional needs.

lastly, the miss minimalist blog has a great post about where to donate your stuff nationally.... or you can use charity navigator to seek out charities by state or category, etc...

please feel free to leave links to your favorite charities in the comments! :) thank you for stopping by and reading! happy monday!

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T09:11:00.007-05:00

as you can see, porkchop wanted to be harry potter for halloween... i would love to say it was because he's such a fan of the books, but i think it's because he's such a fan of paloma who is a huge fan of the books... it never ceases to amaze me how much he loves his big sister and always wants to be her biggest supporter:

i used butterick pattern B4319 and added the maroon lining to the hood and about 4" of the fronts... i chose charcoal grey because i had moaning myrtle on the brain and spaced that the current hogwarts robes are black... and the thin man had a striped maroon/grey tie (that i had intended to paint with some gold fabric paint...)... i got slightly more geeky by drawing a gryffindor-ish crest onto some fabric, interfacing it and then applying it to the robe... also, i found an easy way to cover a shank button to make the robe closure. :)

paloma wanted to be a "villain in a ball gown"... ??

so we surveyed what was out there and she came up with "spider princess"

although the feel/hand of the fabrics i chose were stiff - for the most part they were pretty comfortable... all the fabrics are covered in a cobweb pattern... i used mccalls M5954. i didn't use the peplum because... well, a peplum didn't seem too spider princessy... :)

and here are our scaaaaaaaary jack o lanterns... i actually used a steak knife to carve these babies - i think i lost the pumpkin knives in the move... amazing i didn't lop off an appenadage this year... :)

ennyhooo.... have a safe and fun halloween!!! :)

friday dance - our steel year!

2011-10-21T08:03:00.004-05:00

i'm posting some of our wedding dance videos today in honor of our anniversary! :) 11 roller coaster years! WOOT! LURV YOU, BABE!!! :)

our first dance:

my first jam:

the thin man's first jam:

happy friday!!!

"how the egg broke" a short story

2011-10-12T16:17:00.006-05:00

so... paloma (like me) enjoys writing fiction... she just brought this one home today:

"How the Egg Broke" by paloma (8 yo)

One day in the land of giant floating baby head*, there was an egg. His name was Bob. Then a unicorn was born. His name was Dude. Bob was bored. So he set out for an adventure. Dude did too

They took different paths. Dude took the path of laser eyed teddy bears. And Bob took the path of bad pillows.

Dude was disentegrated [sic] and Bob was cracked.

Bob went to the great blanket wizard to fix the crack. But when Bob got there he saw two feet gourds. Bob tried to sneek [sic] past them (disguised) as an old lady, a monster, a girl, a man, a battery, a vampire, a mummy, a panda, Alex (classmate), Ms. M (teacher), but nothing worked.

Bob tried again and the feet gourds squished him.

The End.

*yes, we are avid fans of Phineas and Ferb.

i weep for Dude. that was harsh...

thanks for reading! happy wednesday!

friday dance - good rockin' tonight

2011-10-07T09:00:00.004-05:00

for some reason (i reeeeally dig it) i have had jimmy witherspoon stuck in my head for the last few days... especially, good rocking tonight, one of my favorite songs to dance to:

i also came across this video of two of my SF contemporaries, david madison and peter vawter "stealing"... it's a little dark (lighting wise), unfortunately...

and lastly, one of my FAVORITE stealing videos of all time, some choreography from herrang... done (attempted) by a follow... hee...

maybe i shoulda called this post "been caught stealin.." *snort* :)

happy friday!!!

friday dance - Happy Birthday B. B. King!!!

2011-09-16T07:54:00.003-05:00

apologies for the light (nonexistant) posting to the blog... a friend invited me to sell some handmade items at her open house this weekend - so i've been sewing nonstop... wish me luck... :)

ennyhoo.... it's b.b. king's birthday... so, some blues are in order... :)

random namedrop: long long ago, when i was still a college student, i wandered into legends - it was/is across the street from my alma mater, columbia college chicago. there weren't too many people in there, and i have no idea who was playing... i grab a bar stool and set down my backpack and enjoy the music. the guy in front of me turns around and smiles and i smile back... and then, i think - he looks really familiar... maybe he's a professor at school?? does he work around here?? *gearsturning*

eventually, he gets up and walks over to someone and says hi... and i hear someone say behind me, "whoa. that's eric clapton."

duh. *lightbulb* hahaha.... i'm still that clueless... :)

happy friday!!!

"i was alone, this bird had flown..."

2011-09-10T06:37:00.002-05:00

just recently, i read haruki murakami's norwegian wood... i thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to own a copy someday... another book i really hated to put down and dreaded the story coming to an end...

i just read that it's been banned in a new jersey school district. i guess i understand why it would be banned in a middle school... there's language and a lot of sexual situations and frankly the young women in the novel have questionable logic - to put it nicely... but i really think a high school senior could read this... i think it would be life affirming for someone moving onto a new chapter in life... the characters make for lively traveling companions...

nowegian wood has also been turned into a film... can't wait to see it:

despite all that, i did feel a lot of sympathy towards the characters, especially the main character, toru.... death figures prominently into the lives of all the characters pretty much... and this passage towards the end of the book resonated with me:

"...i felt guilty that i hadn't thought of kizuki right away, as if i had somehow abandoned him. back in my room, though, i came to think of it this way: two and a half years have gone by since it happpened, and kizuki is still seventeen years old. not that this means my memory of him has faded. the things that his death gave rise to are still there, bright and clear, inside me, some of them even clearer than when they were new. what i want to say is this: i'm going to turn twenty soon. Part of what kizuki and i shared when we were sixteen and seventeen has already vanished and no amount of crying is going to bring that back. i can't explain it any better than this but i think that you can probably understand what i felt and what i am trying to say in fact you are probably the only one in the world who can understand."

of course, my thoughts return to my best friend, andra brubaker, who passed away on this day in 1993.

and like toru's memories of kizuki, andra will always be 21 years old and waving to me from the back of a bus taking her home...

i'm not sure i'll write a post about andra next sept 10 because i think i'm emotionally too tired to remember this day... i was so easily irritable yesterday... and i couldn't help thinking about today and what happened so many years ago that it felt too immediate... and that chasm of loss opened up instantly...

i think i'd much rather remember her on her birthday and write about her on THAT day... we'll see next year i guess...

a few years ago, i got to see "wicked" here in chicago... i enjoyed reading the book and i'm fairly sure andra would have too.... when the actresses began to sing "for good", i couldn't help but think of her - she was a radiant glinda to my disfigured elphaba.... and like 90% of the audience, i bawled... the lyrics still break my heart...

"...i do believe i have been changed for the better, because i knew you, i have been changed for good..."

i miss you so very much, andra...

friday dance - groove era lindy

2011-09-09T08:46:00.006-05:00

so... since i've been sick with this cough, i haven't been able to go dancing - lindyhop or otherwise... the silver lining is i get to catch up on all the dancing that's going on everywhere else and being filmed...

although i've been lindyhopping for 14 years now, i've really never been to too many events that a lindyhopper "should" attend - herrang dance camp and ILHC, for example... i've never really had the time or money really...

and now that i'm an ancient "groove era" "wigglehopper", the style of dance and music has moved beyond me into something else... i enjoy watching what's new and trendy in lindyhop... i like change, but i'm old (literally and figuratively), and change is difficult (physically). >:) and i like to think that groove lindy or wigglehop is something of a curiosity in our local chicago scene - that the few of us still offer up something lovely, diverting and charming to watch for a few minutes... :)

thankfully, some world renowned dancers/teachers still groove on proudly:

if you're interested, dancer & lindyblogger jerry almonte also has a great post about this dance and the groove era here and here.

happy friday!!!

new neighbor

2011-09-04T17:07:00.007-05:00

i just happened to see this on the way to the backyard today:

apparently, it's a dagger moth caterpillar... :)

hope you had a relaxing sunday! :)

friday dance - countdown

2011-09-02T07:47:00.005-05:00

this song seems appropriate since Beyonce's birthday is on sunday and she's now counting down the days until she gives birth (squee)... i watched most of the vmas and was hugely disappointed save for her energizing performance... and adele's... :)

i'm still recovering from this upper respiratory infection... so i missed hip hop class yesterday. :( my teacher has played this song a few times as a warmup...

and i have to admit... when i listen to the lyrics i think about my thin man... cuz he's my boo - 14 rollercoaster years together and counting... :)

happy friday!!!!

self stitched september '11 - 9/1

2011-09-01T14:16:00.003-05:00

072910 002b, originally uploaded by mamazilla1972.

so i'm going to try - tryyyyyyyy - this challenge out:

'I, Mamazilla, sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-Sept '11. I endeavour to wear 1 self stitched/refashioned garment or accessory each day for the duration of September 2011'

wish me luck!

Via Flickr:
a dress i made from "feminine wardrobe" by jinko matsumoto.

mamazilla.blogspot.com/2010/08/resort-dress-town-dress.html

you can follow my progress at my flickr set.

thanks for coming by!

porkchop's music request

2011-09-01T10:30:00.003-05:00

a very long while ago, a friend of the thin man gave him two old iphones she didn't need anymore. we decided to give them to porkchop & paloma (for music and games only) provided they achieved certain tasks...

paloma recived hers at the end of the last school year for doing so well academically. porkchop was to receive his when he completed a full series of swim lessons...

it hasn't happened yet because he would not get in the pool... he would kick and scream and have complete meltdowns in the shower room... for some reason, he had some huge irrational fear of the pool at the local Y. we started taking him to the pool by ourselves during free swims and after a few tries, he finally got in the pool and has been making progress... but he didn't complete a full series last time.

tomorrow, he will start a new series of swim classes... he's REALLY excited. :)

so i asked him (my 5yo), "porkchop, what music do you want me to put on your iphone?" he responded with the following... (clearly, he is influenced by his parents' musical tastes... *facepalm*)

"i want...

and all the beach boys songs."

funny and disturbing... i know. *sigh* currently, we're watching the looney tunes (as i cough and wheeze thru this upper respiratory infection) - he may ask for opera next... :) hope your week is going smoothly...

friday dance - uturn

2011-08-26T08:35:00.005-05:00

i'm feeling nostalgic for my elementary/hs years for some reason... maybe it's the whole back to school atmosphere... anyway, these lyrics crack me up:

"...In the 80s, fresh was the talk
MJ had everybody doing the moonwalk
In the 90s, I had a high flat top
Doing the wop, Pee Wee to the Reebok
I can't forget about my high school days
The sound was Bobby Brown
The dance was the running man..."

it never ceases to amaze me that usher is only a few years younger than me - he's crazy youthful...

or a vampire... hmmm.... :)

*is he wearing an aaliyah t-shirt? :')

ok, no more sad.... back to running man... *snort*

happy friday! :)

project restyle - bow tie tee

2011-08-22T17:09:00.005-05:00

woot! another upcycled tee for project restyle! :)

so, a friend of mine, *coughnuprinzcough*, asked me to upcycle a XXL tee she has. wasn't sure what to do but after a little research found this adorable upcycled tee from MADE. clearly, i'll have to make one of these for paloma.

well, i didn't want to go cutting my friend's tee w/o mocking something up and getting her thumbs up first... so.... to the batcave (donation store) i went...

and found these two tees... one was an adult XL and the other a kids M:

for the most part, i followed MADE's instructions...

and voici!

i think the only thing i'd do differently is beef up the width of the yoke/bow... i really wasn't thinking at all and made it 3" wide... (duh) instead of 5" or 6" wide... and i'd shorten the length (of the bow) as well... but, i really like how this one turned out... hopefully, i'll get the green light to make that dress.

ennyhoo... thanks for coming by and reading... hope you had a productive monday! :)

friday dance - north side gal

2011-08-19T07:53:00.004-05:00

sooooo looking fwd to finally seeing JD McPherson at Double Door tonight!!! the people watching and car coveting should be sweeeeeeet :)

happy friday!

paloma vs. bicycle

2011-08-17T10:08:00.004-05:00

more than a gazillion times a day i feel that i am a failure as a parent... a couple of days ago however - i felt like a superhero... thanks, paloma, i love you and i'm SO PROUD of you! :') just when i (sadly) thought i wouldn't be experiencing too many more firsts...

of course, paloma really did all the work... clearly. and this REI video helped the both of us IMMENSELY...

we've been struggling for SO long to try to teach paloma to ride a bike... and until a couple of days ago... it never even occurred to me to look for resources online... both the thin man and i had learned "the hard way" with all the requisite falls and cuts/scrapes...

my mom and papa never taught me how to ride. i don't think either of them know how... my lola (grandmother) kept advising against it, worried that i'd... wait for it.... LOSE MY VIRGINITY... (i didn't find this out until later) is that an old filipino superstition?? i dunno...

the one time my mom tried to ride a bike, she fell into a bank of bushes of a neighboring house and got yelled at... it took the whole summer for those ridiculous bushes to grow out the human shaped impression my mom made... *snort* :)

i remember waking up at 5 am one morning in grade school... i woke up before my mom and lola, on a saturday, because i didn't want them to worry or stop me... and i just started pedaling up and down the block until i got it, a handful of hours later to my mom's glee and my lola's cautious praying... :)

when we took off paloma's training wheels, she just kept falling and each fall seemingly chipped away at what little confidence she had about the whole situation... . we eased off and the bike sat dusty in the garage...

it'd been so long since we tried to teach her again that she'd outgrown her old bike. we found a great used bike (for a fantastic price - actually so did porkchop and me) at play it again sports - wrigleyville. i asked the salesperson if training wheels could be added and he suggested that we not put training wheels and just take the pedals off... and automatically, i thought, "really?? i'll have to look that up..." duh. NOW? i think about looking it up... serious placenta dementia, no?? :)

i'm so thankful for that salesperson and the REI video and all the helpful advice/positive reinforcement!

soooo looking forward to riding bikes with my (not so) little girl!!!!

WwwwwHEEEeeee!!!

read it: The Girl with Glass Feet

2011-08-16T10:52:00.005-05:00

i happened to see this cover of "the girl with glass feet" by ali shaw at the library and both the cover and the title had me hooked... i just had to read it... here's the author describing it and reading an excerpt:

first off, the language and tempo of the book is lovely, dreamy and hypnotic and details the eccentricity, atmosphere and corporeal qualities of the island and it's people... i really felt transported into the shadowy, chilly world of st. hauda's land... the entire time i read the book, i felt as if i was watching a brother quay film:

if the book ever gets made into a film, i hope they consult with the brothers quay... :)

however, halfway thru book, i got *stuck* (much like the quay film, institute benjamenta), it almost felt as if every character in the book started going thru some major angst... and the book felt TOO heavy... i'm glad to know what motives the characters had, the emotional baggage they were carrying around, but maybe not at the same time... and then, the ending finally came (you see it coming anyway...) but it almost came too fast... it felt completely rushed and i felt cheated out...

btw - asian character alert! although the character, henry fuwa, japanese scientist, kinda treads in familiar stereotype territory - recluse, wise, asexual, bumbling, etc...

it's definitely worth the read, at the very least for the albino flora/fauna and the quirky moth bulls alone... :)

thanks for coming by and reading. hope you're week is starting off well!

asianjoke.com - WTF?!

2011-08-12T13:26:00.006-05:00

seriously ^ that's ^ from the site...

so, school is starting soon for paloma and porkchop... and usually in their lunchboxes i add a note or a drawing inside... lately, they both love the idea of jokes and puns... i absolutely love them and their crazy laughter... their made up jokes? not so much... :)

and i thought, maybe i should find a kids joke each day and then add an illustration of my own... mind you, i'm thinking along the lines of "what's black and white and red all over? a newspaper!"

soooo i enter "kids joke a day" into my handy dandy search engine... and find this website:

A-HA jokes - Clean Humor and Funny Pictures (i wouldn't click the link, it may have attempted to give my computer a virus...)

if you scroll down, you find a link to... wait for it...

asian joke - a joke and humor blog. (again, don't click on it. possible virus...)

where you can find links to joke pages about chinese, filipino, indian, japanese, korean, singaporean, taiwanese, and vietnamese people.... there's even a page devoted to pictures of "asian jokes"! barf.

LUCKILY, they have an FB page so you don't even have to go to the blog: "to provide humor about asian people for asian people..." (cuz you're a f*cking joke, asian person! get it!? and... AND you'll find it even funnier if you're asian!

generally, it reads like an expanded DUDE WTF! ASIA w/ the random "i love asian & asian american stars who are beautiful/handsome" post. but i think it crosses the line in that, the majority of the time, posts are about all the same tired asian stereotypes:

* asian food is weird (bugs are as common as rice), as are their "customs" like ear wax removal and foot binding.
* asian men are short, asexual and/or perverted
* asian girls are mostly sex toys
* overweight people are laughable - especially sumo wrestlers
* asian kids are poor, but smarter and know martial arts
* asians can't speak or write english correctly.

i haven't mentioned it on the blog until now, mostly because i was so angry about it... but this summer, paloma was bullied at summer camp. at first, she complained that she didn't like camp w/ tears in her eyes... but no reason. i thought it was because it was a new camp this year, since we moved to a new neighborhood.

then, within the first couple of weeks she told me that two kids were making slanty eyes at her. apparently, an asian american teen girl came to her rescue & told her to hang in there... that they were being cruel and she remembered when it happened to her... paloma thought they didn't know what they were doing was wrong and she didn't want to get her group leader to get in trouble (bless her heart, trying to defend them). then, another kid who was bullying her verbally (he put a safety cone on his head, made slanty eyes and ching chonged her - saying that was his halloween costume) started to bully her physically - hitting, squeezing his arms until they hurt. and then, (4 separate kids - can you believe it?) another boy started to slanty eye/ching chong her...

i couldn't believe it was happening... i talked to the group leader who said she had no idea the racist verbal stuff had happened. she had already received complaints from other families about the physically abusive kid. eventually, he was moved to a different group. i don't know why he didn't get kicked out entirely... sadly, that group also had an asian american kid in it too... hopefully, he didn't get bullied... paloma talked to the first two kids and told them what they did was wrong and hurt her feelings and they ended up mending that bridge...

i dunno... i can't help but think that websites/pages like these provide places for racism and ignorance to fluorish - a place where racists can affirm that these jokes/caricatures/stereotypes are really funny and that asian americans are just too sensitive or just don't get it... well, if this is what passes for funny... then f*ck it, i don't want to get it.... it scares the sh*t out of me that my own kids could have been looking for kids jokes and would have found this page and the jokes about asians - especially filipinos... it makes me wonder how many kids have already found these jokes and how many are fwding/telling them to their friends... mind you as of now 1,518 people like their facebook page... i bet that number goes up tomorrow...

*sigh*

ennyhoo... i hope your friday is progressing well... and that you have a relaxing weekend... :)

friday dance - pop culture (live mashup)

2011-08-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

i discovered this DJ a week or more ago via twitter... i have no idea what is happening below, but it gets you (well, me...) movin'. :)

btw - you HAVE to check the list of songs used in the mashup in the video details on youtube... *headessplodes* fer realsies. btw - i read that DJ madeon is 17. and lives in france.

yeah. :)

happy friday!