Beautiful Katamari

While on an all-American, West Coast vacation, I couldn’t help but think,

“Wow! this is so beautiful. So beautiful that I really want to roll all of this beauty up into a ball. The cows grazing in the meadows, roll em up! The picket fences and flower patches, roll em up! the sea shells and drift woods, roll those up too!”

What?! Why would anyone want to roll up the beauty into a ball? Well, when you spend countless hours playing the third-person puzzle game Beautiful Katamari you might begin to understand.

Beautiful Katamari, developed by Namco and published by Namco Bandai, is the fourth game in the Katamari Damacy series. It is a spectacular looking game where the player is given the quest of creating a giant sphere of stuff!

That’s right, stuff. A whole lot of it. Certain item quests are given by a demented King, who by accident, unleashed a black hole into the universe. It is the players job to recreate the entire solar system and eventually roll that up into a sphere that will plug the black hole.

The sadistic, totalitarian lord and king is very snarky and demanding. His jokes are always at your expense and elude to times when the minuet was the latest dance craze. This makes the player very aggitated and willing to win the quests as a way to shut thy grace’s royal mouth.

“Shut up your lordship! Take thy nasty attitude and off with ya!”

This game is highly addictive and seeps into your mind much like the way Dr. Mario or Tetris had in the past. The obsessive gamer sees, instead of colorful pills or pieces of 8 bit bricks falling into patterns, a world that he or she can roll up to the infinite power!

If rolling doesn’t have you obsessively thinking about Beautiful Katamari then perhaps the soundtrack will, with catchy tunes and fun sound design this soundtrack is bound to get into your head. Main composer Yu Miyake and friends mix an eclectic mix of styles and quirky sounds to get you rolling merrily into the beautiful abyss.

Beautiful Katamari  is now available through the Xbox live marketplace and I definitely recommend giving it a try (reading rainbow sound).

Check out this really cute magnet Katamari craft <3

(image via nipperknits)

(image via science fiction universe)

So with all that hateraid, how did I 360 into a full-fledged fantasy nerd? Basically, I read some amazing game manuals, thanks to a certain cute, enthusiastic girlfriend.

(image via ebay)

You’ve probably seen this lying around somewhere if you’ve ever played World of Warcraft, dated a WoW player or have a little brother. For some reason, Margot (aforementioned attractive lady girl) kept pushing me to read the whole thing. I didn’t know why until I got to the back of the manual where I found beautifully written stories about an alien world, filled with death and destruction.

Whatever your feelings about the game, you have to admit that it’s incredibly immersive. It’s like an alternate universe, which for a fantasy game, is pretty sci-fi. I now have memories of being an elf priestess flying around in the rain on a giant bird that feel just as real as memories of REAL THINGS I’ve done in my REAL LIFE.

With WoW as my gateway drug, I ventured into this beast of a book:

(image via games workshop)

It looks like an awesome high school textbook but it’s actually a guidebook for an old-school tabletop game called Warhammer. It’s kind of like D&D but with miniature figurines. Or like a crazy, fantasy version of Risk.

(image via the wertzone)

Before opening this book, I had never read anything written in such descriptively disgusting detail. It was an entirely new literary experience.

Where do I sign up? Just kidding. That’s an infiniti times more demented lifestyle than I would enjoy. Equally demented, is this rendition of an elf:

(I think they meant “scary as f*ck” almond shaped eyes.)

Point is: thanks to Margot, WoW and Warhammer, I now know there’s a whole world of mind-blowing literature that was hiding just beyond my little brother’s game manual.

Well, I’m so happy that this trend has finally made it to the US, in BODY FORM via Angelina Jolie’s LEG!!!

Angelina kept sticking her leg out of this dress all night at the Oscars. It was really bizarre. It reminds me of something my mom might do (my mom, like a lot of moms out there, is hilarious). Then I saw this today:

(via reddit)

Gorgeous. It really got me thinking. Hengao is not just for your face anymore ladies! and men!! Look out for some highly elegant/slightly deranged/beautiful photos of me coming soon. And from you too I hope! I love how supportive Brad seems about all of this.

Fri. 1/27
SPIRITED AWAY 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Sat. 1/28
NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

Sun. 1/29
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 4:00pm, Aero Theatre
WHISPER OF THE HEART 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Thu. 2/2
OCEAN WAVES 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Fri. 2/3
PRINCESS MONONOKE 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

Sat. 2/4
THE CAT RETURNS 4:00pm, Aero Theatre (I’m super excited about this one. It’s a sequel to “Whisper of the Heart” and involves a kingdom of cats.)
CASTLE IN THE SKY 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Tue. 2/7
SPIRITED AWAY 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

Wed. 2/8
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Thu. 2/9
ONLY YESTERDAY 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Fri. 2/10
POM POKO 7:30pm, Aero Theatre

Sat. 2/11
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE 4:00pm, Aero Theatre

Sun. 2/12
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE 4:00pm, Egyptian Theatre (If you can’t make it to the screening, I highly recommend watching it on Netflix Streaming. I just watched it for the first time and loved it.)
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

Mon. 2/13
THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY 7:30pm, Aero Theatre (This is a sneak preview. The movie premieres on 2/17.)

Saw this. Liked it.

Compared to all the other Underworlds, this one had a really simple plot. The main focus was on Selene just killing everyone while looking like Trent Reznor. So you don’t really need to have seen the other movies to get it.

The new character is cool.

The lycans (werewolves) were really claymation-ey, which I enjoyed (monster throwbacks).

Even though there was only one scene where I noticed the 3D, it was worth it cus we saw it at Regal and they do that amazing rollercoaster of snacks thing. LOVE THAT! 100 gazillion times better than that boring actors in robotic flower-chairs thing they do at Edwards. HATE THAT. Why are you showing me people pretending to be entertained instead of just entertaining ME? So dumb.

2. Vibrator Alarm Clock

So just put this in your vagina along with all those other things you store in there all night long. Why? So you can wake up to a “snorgasm” duh. Which I’m assuming is supposed to be a good thing, even though it sounds more like “So how was your date last night?” “So boring!! Talk about having multiple snorgasms.” “Hahahaha.” “Lol.” “Lol that sux.” Purchase product here. (via Geekologie)

Leila Khastoo is an artist/K-pop visionary who has recently started a series of KPOP (Korean Pop music) events. Each event has it’s own theme and is centered around Korean Pop music and the club scene that is popular in the area of Hongdae Seoul, South Korea. Come join us at her next event which will take place in Downtown Los Angeles, CA the theme is “White Christmas”. V.J. Reira will be playing the latest and greatest KPOP videos. and D.J. Banchan will be spinning Old School KPOP and Trance.

Check out this article on Leila and her first Hongdae event in the Italian design magazine ARBITARE!

She got runner up for best Pot Ledom video on last week’s ANTM.

Anyway, Allison had the best vid! Her vid had guest judge, Game, totally attracted to her weirdness. Way to go!

Remember girls, We will achieve greatness together!

The latest in lady wear. Your mom is going to pick you up from school in this.

What do you call a guy who has a perm and is super excited about balls? . . . . . . CUTE!

Margot really wanted to take a picture with this guy after we spotted him smoking a cigarette by the porto-potties. He was way excited about it and had his business card all ready to hand out to us. No, he’s not a soldier for hire. He’s a plumber, duh.

Oh, you thought giant visors were for blocking the sun? They’re also for blocking LED lights, ok?

Looking for the perfect keychain accessory? It’s this giant teddy bear in a tutu.

Buddhist crafts are so fun! We got to make these cute lotus lanterns.

Buddhism!!! Whoooo! F@%* yeah!

Korean grandma fashion makes me less scared to get old. I’ll get to be tiny and cute and only wear silky floral blouses with silky patterned high waters.

This guy won for best booth this year. He had a microphone and was selling giant wallpaper stickers while showing a slideshow of puppies.

Welcome to the the roped off ‘let’s get totally hammered’ area.

This guy was so fancy. Everyone was trying to shake his hand and he was acting so regal. When he started talking to Margot, everyone got totally J.

Take a fashion tip from this guy. He knows what he’s doing.

Clara’s Cakes

nom nom nom nom… Seriously, Clara’s Cakes are so delicious. Thee best vegan deserts I have ever had. She definitely knows how to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth with her ultra creative and purely delicious treats. Thank you Clara!

“So good, way better than Baby Cakes!” Did you hear that Baby Cakes??

Clara and her mom <3

Intergalactic Fantastic

Sarah Cisco makes the cutest party favors, clothes, and pins! She made a whole collection of pins just for D.I.Y CON! She is truly talented.

Check out that display! So cute and unique. Sarah is a true individual. <3

Oh datz Geoff Geiss ^^^ a supporter of the arts and an artist himself. ZUP GEISS!

Deathbomb Arc Records

Best sounds around frealz! B. Miller is is always on point when it comes to new music and his label Deathbomb Arc reflects just that. A true pioneer in D.I.Y record labels period!

Turntable Slipmats by Elisa Hough

Elisa’s turntable mats made of felt are so Q’t thanks Elisa =) CRAFTCORE

Hardly Core Distro

Hardly Core has some of the rarest releases out there and still rocks a geocities site. This guy is totally cool.

WALT! Productions

Walt Gorecki is a staple of the L.A. underground art scene. Pick up a comic or go to one of his cool art openings. He has the best taste and always stuns me with his innovative concepts and ideas!

Melt Brianna

got mad hatz

AND CLOTHES!

I don’t know anywhere else you can get a shirt that reads “Poop Rulz!”

Here I am being professional: “Oh, yes fine and dandy and you?”

Oops, reality happens… Check out Ashley’s cool D.I.Y Sharpie shirt! (I love this shirt!)

GO BAKE YOURSELF!

Julie and Stan had delectable vegan delights! Homemade somosas and baklava NOM NOM NOM NOM…

So good! The samosas blew my mind!

Imaginary Bear and Barney

Serious life lessons learned from these two! They had some crazy adult issues to work out! Who knew?!

NVRSE

is artist Jane Dro. She is from Redlands, CA and unfortunately ran a little late and we were unable to get any pics of her artwork but it was truly an honor to have her come all the way out from the I.E. to share with us! Thank you so much =) check out her work here: http://nvrse.tumblr.com/

Dicso Bunny (Soundcloud, FB)

House en espanol! So good!! Danc-ey and romantic.

Leah Peah

Leah was too fast, loud and awesome for our camera wtf! I loved it! And those giant white muffs!

BLOK

Amazing dance songs, cute ass personalities and awesome dance moves! Me and pretty much all my lady friends are crushing way hard on this band right now.

Platypuss Toof

Platypuss Toof Hailing from Vancouver, B.C. totally knocked us out. We had never seen her before and we were impressed! Hope she had a great visit here thank you Amberleigh!

Someone gave Jesse this awesome diy feather hair extension!

And Jim gave himself this super cute bow!

Thanks so much everyone for participating and supporting each other! We love youz!

<3 Margot and Angie =^.^=

Krarypamyupayu is Japan’s top idol right now. She’s a high school student, fashion blogger, magazine model and most recently, a pop singer. Most importantly, she’s bringing back “hengao”, the lovely expression you see above. I’m hoping this trend will catch on in the U.S. because it looks amazing. You have to have a lot of confidence and great facial features to pull this off. One of our best and most handsome friends, Gaku, is a master of hengao. Every photo I’ve ever seen of him is gorgeous. If hengao was a competitive sport then he would definitely win. But it’s not competitive, it’s just a great way to show the world who you are on the inside. I can’t wait to live in a world where everyone is doing this all the time. Watch Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s latest music video for more inspiration.

I am proud to announce the first annual 2011 D.I.Y CON! D.I.Y CON is a next level D.I.Y (Do it yourself) convention for crafters, artists, chefs, performers and more! If you are creative and enjoy exploring new creative territories this is an event for you.

The event will be held at the beloved D.I.Y venue The Smell which is located in downtown Los Angeles, CA.  The Smell is home of some of the most prolific D.I.Y/Experimental artists and musicians in L.A. it is the perfect setting for this event.

Mark your calendars for Sept 4th , 2011. The event starts at 8 p.m. it is all ages and only $5 all money made at the door will go to The Smell and all bands who are performing. The evening will feature some of the most innovative artists and musicians around.

There will be live performances by:

Platypuss Toof (Vancouver, Canada) - http://soundcloud.com/platypustoof

BLOK- http://www.facebook.com/BLOKpage

Leah Peah- http://www.myspace.com/leahpeah

Dicso Bunny- http://www.myspace.com/dicsobunny 

All of these bands are my personal favorites. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing Platypuss Toof live yet.

She is a one woman band hailing from Vancouver, Canada who uses analog electronics to create some amazing sounds I am very excited I have heard nothing but great reviews.

Imaginary Bear and Barney is a puppet show that will be performed in addition to the bands. This is an act that was recommended by Mr. Jim Smith himself (owner of The Smell) so I’m pumped to the max to see what they end up doing.

There will be tables setup throughout The Smell displaying art, zines, crafts, music, fashion and comics as well as delicious vegan food and treats.

Most of the participants will be selling or trading their works. This is a great opportunity to expand your collections or purchase unique gifts for friends and family all while supporting the artists. There’s no pressure to purchase anything you can simply come to be inspired as well. I swear you will be tempted though, especially when you see Clara’s Cakes or those amazing SPR FKR tee’s.

Lastly, it is a “DJ YOU” night where you can paint the air with whatever musical colors you desire. There will be a table with DJ sign up sheet where anyone will be able to sign up and play their favorite songs from their Ipod’s or Mp3 players. We’ll probably limit the number of tracks you can play so everyone can get a chance to play a song or two in between bands. This can be a  good way to connect with someone musically. It’s fascinating how varied or similar a crowds musical tastes can be. Why not right?!

Come have fun and explore new creative possibilities. = )

Once I start a series I really like, I can’t watch anything else until I’ve seen every episode. My latest obsession is Inuyasha, an anime series that aired in Japan from 2002-2010. It’s filled with magic, action, humor and romance. Even though it’s really light-hearted and fun, it has tons of drama and really dark concepts and characters like evil babies and soul eating. Plus subtitles!! Why are post 80′s English voice-overs so terrible?

(image via kagome higurashi)

The show follows Kagome, a teenage girl (of course) who is the reincarnation of Kikyo, a feudal era priestess. Kagome travels back in time and meets the half human half dog-demon Inuyasha, who was in love with her when she was a priestess. It sounds confusing but it’s easy to follow when you’re watching it. Most of the show takes place in the feudal era and is filled with lots of characters from Japanese lore. But since Kagome is from modern day, she travels back every once in a while to take exams, go to WacDonald’s and buy instant ramen for everyone.

The other main characters are a funny baby fox demon, a really pretty demon slayer, a cute little demon cat and a young priest with a black hole in his hand. They all travel together on a quest to kill this demon man, Naraku, who’s been ruining all their lives and killing their loved ones. I even cried during one episode because of what he did to Sango’s little brother

(image via sesshyswind)

Kagome and Inuyasha have a really cute romance. I’m a total sucker for slow, drawn-out romances. You know, like Scully and Mulder, Pam and Jim, even Ross and Rachel lol. Kagome actually ends up having to compete with her old incarnation, Kikyo, for Inuyasha and her own soul. The concept of reincarnation that they use in the show is pretty interesting. Souls can be shared by multiple people, one person’s body can house multiple souls and different people have different sized souls.

(image via kagome higurashi)

The animation is really cute and even beautiful at times. Other times it’s kind of simple, almost Pokemon-like. Aside from one or two songs, I wasn’t really into any of the opening and closing theme songs. But I really loved the actual music that plays during the show. For fans of Ranma 1/2 and Uresei Yatsura, you’ll probably like Inuyasha because it’s written by the same adorable author, Rumiko Takahashi.

(image via sunnyspot)

Stupefying Death eaters has been a blast.  Sadly it is now over for I have recently finished playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 for Xbox 360.

There have been many reviews that state the game has a very loose frame as far as story telling goes but I disagree. It pretty much plays out the entire  movie for you while playing. There was a few times where it didn’t quite match up to the story or the movie but it was only to add another challenge to keep the game interesting.

This Third-Person Shooter is very different than past HP games you really get to use the hell out of your wand. You are equipped with a few spells to start and accumulate more as you go. With a pull of the trigger you are defeating death eaters and dementors all in a post apocalyptic urban english countryside. Wait, That’s a little weird.

I

I’m more than excited for part 2! Til next time me lords.

I went with Margot and Vanessa to see this at Universal Citywalk and it was awesome. One of us cried. I won’t say who because that’s embarrassing, j/k its cute. Basically, this highschool dude gets his face cursed by the evil Olsen twin and the only way to remove the curse is to get Vanessa Hudgens to fall in love with him. A Jamaican lady and Doogie Howser play the roles of the Teapot and the Candlestick. Everyone did a great job, even Doogie, who got to play a non annoying, non a-hole for once. In case you were worried, the beast guy’s face is way grosser in the movie than in the preview. Vanessa thought it wasn’t gross enough so maybe I’m just really sensitive to faces with gaping wounds and long, open cracks. I love teen movies! I also love fantasy stuff, so this is like the perfect time for me to be alive. Going to see Red Riding Hood tonight, duh. Oh yeah, and Citywalk was off the hook! There were people grinding like 6 inches away from my face. Loved it.