Crabby at Anthropologie

Surprise! The Crabby Print made it to Anthropologie!

I still can't get over the fact that I was paid in luggage for this print. Now I need someplace to travel so I can use it. Hmm....







I still like this original colorway that I proposed:

Neil's Djellaba

This was made for a Mardi Gras party we recently attended. Originally, I was going for hooded Venetian cloaks with a brocade lining and bird masks. Then, before I knew it, I had 3 days and I calculated I was going to need 12 yards of very expensive fabric to come up with the cloaks so this is what I ended up doing - djellabas!

I just knew I had to do something with a hood since it's been chilly here lately. It took $18 worth of fabric and three hours to make. After the party, I read up some more on djellabas and learned that it is Moroccan and is usually worn with a red hat called a fez and slippers called baboosh (hello Bryan Boy!).

Wood By Design

I saw this kinetic sculpture by David C. Roy (www.woodthatworks.com) at a private residence last night and it was absolutely fascinating. This particular piece is called "Illusion" The mechanism on the left controls the movement and the central piece is actually two pieces with scythe-shape patterns that are mounted slightly off-set from each other. It's completely mechanical and it costs about $3200 - and it's absolutely gorgeous!

At the beginning of the cycle, the two disks move together, after a while, one of the disks rotates in reverse and this creates a hypnotic experience. Perfect if you have trouble sleeping! There is an animation of the piece on his website - check it out!

Asia De Cuba, SF

San Francisco Dine about Town.

Sneaked into San Francisco a couple of weeks ago for a bienvenida (welcome) and despedida (bon voyage) party for a recently married friend who is moving to Singapore.

It also happened to be "Dine About Town" season in the city (the L.A. version is called dineLA). For a week or two, all the best restaurants bring out a 3 course prix-fixe menu for lunch ($21.95) or dinner ($31.95). So, if you've always wanted to sample great cuisine but was held back by your wallet, this is a great time to do it. They are doing this again in June (see www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/dineabouttown).

Asia De Cuba San Francisco is installed in the Clift Hotel, San Francisco (owned by Ian Schrager). It's celebrated for its "innovative" blend of Latin and Asian cuisine (Hello! So is FILIPINO food!). The entrance was very lush and dramatic (and this was only lunch). They have this venetian glass table grouping in the center surrounded by banquettes.



I was accompanied by my two BFF's, Cel and Carmen (aka La Manchada and La Pequeña - but that's another blog entry).



So, the prix-fixe lunch was served in bento boxes (except for the lobster sandwich). Cel and Carmen had the chipotle beef.

In the box, clockwise from top left, Opera Cake with Caramel Sauce (dessert), Fried Rice with Plantains, Crab Croquetas and Chipotle beef:


My box had essentially the same stuff, but I had Chicken Satay instead of beef:


Bon Appetit!

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Side Note: I first heard of Asia de Cuba when it was at the Morgan's Hotel in New York and they've since branched out into L.A. and SF. Morgan's was the first of several boutique hotels owned by Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell (they started Studio 54). It's named after the Morgan Library which is nearby. When I stayed there in the 90's, it was one of the most private hotels in the city. So private, when my brother came to visit, he missed it since there's no sign or anything indicating it was a hotel. There really wasn't a lobby to speak of and just a stark simple hole-in-the-wall for a front desk. The bell boys were dressed in Armani. The rooms were dark and gorgeous (by Andree Putman). The bathroom had a glass conical sink and glassed-in shower. The type of place you'd go to after cosmetical surgery or if you're running away from paparazzi. Pretty much how boutique hotels look like now at a time when everything was frou-frou and chintzy. So when they installed Asia De Cuba as the hotel restaurant, it was sort of an aberration for a hotel that did not seem to want to call attention to itself.

Protect Your Largest Organ

I got this from the San Francisco Marc by Marc Jacobs store last year for Christmas presents but decided to keep them for myself (Sorry, Tony - teehee). They still have them last weekend at $35 a pop. Some tees and totes were on sale at $5. Bili na kayo, sir!



Notice who's got the bigger "T"

An Evening With Alec Mapa

Alec Mapa had a limited engagement to benefit the Gay & Lesbian Center L.A. at the Village's Renberg Theater. Alec is a Filipino-American actor who originally replaced B.D. Wong in M. Butterfly on Broadway and also did the national tour. He has appeared in Desperate Housewives and most recently in Ugly Betty as the intrepid fashion reporter, Suzuki St. Pierre.

I thought it was going to be a regular standup routine ala Margaret Cho but he had whole production numbers and sketches lined up. He opened with "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne accompanied by the Chixie Dicks, which inspired the sketches that accompanies this entry (no photos allowed, eh). Jodi Long (all American Girl) makes a guest appearance as Mrs. Hill singing "Bali Ha'i".

The stand-up was a no-holds barred tour-de-force based on, among other things, Alec's experiences last year as a headliner in four all-gay cruises which took him around the world, in a manner of speaking. His real name is Alejandro, in case you were interested.

His "tagalog" lessons to help the passengers deal with the all-Filipino service staff on a Hawaiian cruise was hilarious. Included were basics like "Salamat" (Thank You), "Mahal Kita" (I love you - "Now you can LIE in another language!") and the always indispensable "Ay, Puki!" (O, vagina). The latter resulted in passengers greeting him in the hallways with "Ay, Puki!" - to the horror of the room attendants! Hilarious! (Well, you had to be there).

Viva, Monique!

Let me indulge in a little Philippine Pride and congratulate Monique Lhuillier on her new line of dinnerware for Royal Doulton. (Vera Wang has Wedgwood). Can you imagine if she landed Corelle or Lenox? Quelle horreur!

Notice the spread that Monique had laid out for her lovely guests. I think the caviar and blini are a bit pretentious. Why not some bagoong, pandesal, lumpia or pisi-pisi? And instead of strawberries, how about some mangoes or durian? And what party is complete without some adobo and the perennial party favorite "banana ketchup spaghetti"? And, Monique, sweetie, if you really wanna have fun with the girls, you should all run around in some of your couture wedding gowns and get really drunk and loud till the cops show up. Maybe break a couple of dishes (Vera Wang's).