Kirkham & Funston, where our Inner Sunset journey begins
This past Christmas I decided to splurge a little on myself and bought a DSLR camera. (Which means that my posts will be a lot more photo heavy from now on!) I did some research and asked around to get recommendations for a body and lens that would best suit a beginner. My friends unanimously recommended a 50mm lens, and for the camera body, I decided to go with a Canon 30D.
My sisters are photographers, so I was lucky to have them around during the holidays to answer all of my questions (I had a lot, and still have a lot). My sister let me borrow this book, which was a fantastic introduction to the world of understanding aperture, ISO and exposure.
A good friend of mine also jumped into DSLR photography last year, so we spent a day together about a month ago exploring her neighborhood (the Inner Sunset) and taking some photos.
Kate leads the way on our trek up Mt. Sutro
The view from about halfway up Mt. Sutro
It was a very cloudy day, which (for me especially) was quite a challenge. As dark as it seemed to be outside, a lot of my photos were overexposed. But luckily a few came out ok too.
Golden Gate Bridge in the distance
I hope that my photos only get better from here. One thing I know about myself is that I’m not the biggest fan of hiking, but taking my camera outside on that day in the Inner Sunset and (gasp) hiking up Mt. Sutro didn’t feel like exercise at all. It felt like work, for sure, (I totally tripped over a tree branch at one point) but I think the photo-taking distracted from the idea that we were hiking. Basically, I think this is a great new way to trick myself into getting out of the house and getting some Vitamin D and endorphins.
I love movies. I love the outdoors. I love sneakily consuming Sauvignon Blanc in public places. Put all of these things together and you have Dolores Park movie night! I’m “live blogging” I guess directly from my t-shirt quilt in the park and Top Gun is about to start. This is the first time I’ll be watching this classic. I’m mostly excited to watch the eye candy that is Val Kilmer. Yum.
The Girl Talk is a-bumpin’ and the place is packed with happy people, dogs and the occasional baby/child. It’s events like this that made me want to live in this great lil city.
This weekend, after failing in my attempts to make an Ikea run (long story), a friend and I decided to enjoy the pretty weather and take a stroll through the Mission. We happened upon Artillery Apparel Gallery, which neither of us had seen on Mission Street before, so we decided to check it out.
It’s a boutique full of handmade goods from local artists & designers. The bowties were super cute and the jewelry selection was a feast for the eyes (in a low-key boutique sort of way – even though the prices were still quite steep). The fella working at the shop was really sweet, and his personality alone made being in the shop an enjoyable experience. The innovative displays and sculptures were a really unique sight as well.
If you’re ever in the neighborhood, pay them a visit! Artillery Apparel Gallery, 2751 Mission St. (between 23rd & 24th), San Francisco, CA 94110
So, Marissa (who is my roomie extraordinaire and often mistaken as my twin – it’s the Russian nose!) stumbled upon the gold mine that is this series of vlogs featuring none other than one of my favorite people, Pahole Sookkasikon (known to many also as Mr. Hyphen… AND Mr. Mesa – zot zot!). In these vlogs, he gives us a behind the scenes look at the makings of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
And yes, I included 3 episodes. You can thank me later.
This last one is a little hard to see/hear, but it’s fun nonetheless.
To learn more about the film festival, the Center for Asian American Media, or to volunteer, check out their schnazy website: http://caamedia.org/festival/
Sometimes, you just need a day of random adventures. Today was one of those days. Two gals, one mission: to catch up. I recently returned from my vacay in London. Although a short trip, it’s important to reconnect! And while doing so, I reconnected with our beloved city, from the safety (and warmth!) of a car. Did I mention it was raining today? The car was a definite plus (thanks, Jane!)
I know, kind of ridiculous, but what was more ridiculous was the shriek sound I made when I saw Hello Kitty taking photos in the store – I HAD TO GET ONE! Also, Jane and I did not coordinate our outfits this morning, yet we were twinsies today.
We were also excited about taking purikura photos. It was $10 but TOTALLY worth it. I can’t wait to take my sisters and cousin there when they come up to visit in April. Hilarity will ensue.
Last night was my first craft show in San Francisco, and my first craft show in like 3 years, so needless to say, I was pretty nervous. But luckily, my lovely roommate had the brilliant idea of hitting up Chipotle first and then decided to lend me a hand with set up, which was awesome.
3-day weekends are the best But you never know when you may run into mild tragedies, which I did, but I’m fine, and life goes on. The good things that happened this weekend include but are not limited to:
going to my first meeting with my Taproot project team
watching Tales of the City with my roomie and totally being blown away by the crazy, twisty plot
hanging out with my cousin Ryan, watching Black Swan and checking out the galleries downtown
sleeping in until noon… even though doing so gave me a MAJOR headache
going to the Alemany Flea Market with Jane and finding some amazing things
hanging out at Kan Zaman with the mister and his roomie, and then finally watching The Wrestler
crocheting some super cute new slippers for Valentine’s Day and the craft/art show!
celebrating my roomie’s NEW JOB at an awesome media non-profit. Super excited for her.
Lastly, and unfortunately (maybe) for my wallet… I discovered that you can shop Forever 21 ONLINE. Hence my new shoes (seen above). My goal was to buy some warm things for my upcoming London trip (t-minus 14 days!), but I couldn’t NOT get these shoes. I loves them.
Happy Thursday, everyone! As we get closer and closer to the upcoming (and much needed) 3-day weekend, I wanted to post about this art/craft fest that I’ll be a part of in February.
It’s an arts and crafts festival which will be hosted by the San Francisco Pie Extremist Group. I know you’re probably thinking: What is that? Who are those people? Answers lie within this link.
Anyway, come out on Saturday, February 12th from 5-9pm for some great pie, art and handmade goodies. I’ll be selling special Valentine’s themed slippers and hats! For more info about the event and how to get yo’self to arguably one of the coolest galleries in San Francisco (in my opinion) click here.
Reinvintage, the local San Francisco boutique that carries Babushka Designs, as well as other locally handmade items and fabulous vintage finds is celebrating their 1st birthday!
When: Thursday, December 30th from 4pm – 10pm Where: 827 Cortland Ave, San Francisco 94110 What: DJ, drinks, cool people
So if you’re in the area, swing on by, do a little dance, make a little purchase (see what I did there?) If you RSVP here on the Facebook invite, you’ll get 20% off at the store. Hope to see you there!
