New year blues January 7, 2010

It’s a New year, Happy New Year!

I’m not a big fan of the New Year, I really dislike the whole you need to have big plans for New Year’s eve business,  then there’s the hopeless New year resolution list. But most of all I dread the whole putting your life in perspective, with the New year comes the realization that you’re going to be one year older with not much to show for.

Although my biggest issue right now might probably be the damp January weather… oh damn! there goes my New Year resolution: “stop complaining about the SF weather”!

Anyways there’s always something a little sad about the after Christmas season (or holiday season as it is now more “PC” (politically correct) to say! ) The houses loose their pretty little flickering lights, dried out Christmas trees (should I be saying Holiday trees?) lay abandoned in the streets.  But the most dreadful thing is definitely how stores swap the Christmas decorations for Valentine’s day decorations. A flood of red hearts blossom all over town, tacky poems flourish, and plump little cupids seem to sneer as you’re passing by.

But there is one good thing about Valentine’s day, the availability of good chocolate rises… and so does my appetite for it… and there goes my other New year resolution “cutting down on chocolate!”

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy go Club Lucky! December 23, 2009

Well there is no Gina and Claire reunion without a wild wild night of dancing drinking and just about anything goes! Gina’s aunt got us tickets to Club Lucky in the Disney village, with a 1 hour vodka open bar!!! But that’s not all that evening was an all gay night!!! Yeah Dorothy rocks!

Gina and I got our groove on and headed to the club… the choice of vodka included pomegranate, raspberry and … bubble gum! Of course I had to try the Bubble gum flavor and yes it was as disgusting as it sounds!

After a few minutes we were surrounded by a group of hot gay guys and immediately adopted!!  We all loaded up on vodka and when the doors to the dance floor opened we were ready for a Par-ty! It was an absolute riot, Jagermeister was also having a promotional offer 2$ shots! can’t say no to that especially once the Jagermeister guys have offered us a t-shirt and some Hawaiian necklace! Oh what a night! What the glory of being a fag hag! Nothing boosts your  spirit quite like gay love!

Loaded

Bubble gum vodka makes all giddy!

THE Queen herself!

Yes we had a gay old time!

Magic!

Gina’s well earnt jagermeister undies! and the jagermeister guys!

Santa baby!

Club Lucky beautiful ladies

Mama Claus

Where the Blonde things are? December 23, 2009

Gina and I went to Santa Monica and Venice Beach to see the California dream. I really enjoyed Santa Monica it has somewhat of a small town spirit, you can walk around, there’s plenty of stores and nice restaurant, not that I could ever afford to live there! But I like it, sunny, clean, a lot less air pollution thanks to the ocean breeze but Gina seemed to say the water was quite polluted…

Venice beach was… hmmm… I’m trying to find the right words… well we only checked out the water front and it was surprisingly sketchy. Kind of like modern hippies wearing army surplus cloth, reggae and djembe players, street vendors, all cocooned  in the smell of pot and burnt sage. A rather young atmosphere, I would have probably loved it when I was a teen. However I heard Venice more inland is very nice and artsy, unfortunately we didn’t have time for it!

I was a little disappointed not to encounter any Cali blondes, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s not just a myth!

Palm TREES!!!!!

Venice Skate park, not really happening!

Bay watch!!!

Marc and Gina playing it cool with their Oakley!

Say Beautiful Sunset

Everybody wants to go to Hollywood December 21, 2009

My first time in Hollywood… Any foreigner’s first encounter with American culture is usually through movies and Hollywood is supposed to be the Mecca! The epicenter of where the magic began…

Unfortunately below the promotional Hollywood sign the glitter has long disappeared. The walk of fame and the Historic Grauman Chinese Theater seem a little lost amongst cheap tourist stores, shady tattoo parlor and other teenage clothing vendors.

There wasn’t many tourist and Gina’s aunt, was a very knowledgeable tour guide, although I must have disappointed her a little for my cinematographic knowledge is unfortunately quite limited.

The streets are quite clean and we didn’t encounter too many “spare some change” but the spirit of the 50’s is gone. No cute cafes or little dinners, as a matter of fact the only cafe seemed to be Starbucks! No vintage stores or somewhat elegant boutiques… Ah well I still joined hands and feet with the legends of cinema… and surprise! There’s a lot of short people in Hollywood!

Roy Rogers and Trigger! a cute one

Gentlemen prefer Blondes… Marilyn Monroe

Gina and her Aunt, kindly showing me around

Walk of fame

My name here very soon

Sunday Church December 19, 2009

I went to church in America for the first time. I find religion in America quite complex, there’s so many “churches” it seems everybody has their own reading of the Bible! not to mention all the weird cults. In France 99.9% of the churches are Roman catholic, you never really look for a sign outside to see what kind of church it is! Roman Catholic are also rather homogeneous in there proceeding. We don’t have the “preaching” part where the priest can just talk about something he saw recently and discuss it. It felt very strange for me to have such a casual relation with the priest. So church on Sunday morning was very interesting experience!

If there is one thing I Love about LA apart from the wonderful weather, it’s all the Palm trees! Proud and tall like the promise of summer… it just what California should be about! So of course I spent most of my stay in LA just cheering every time I could see some

Gina and Andy, her Sister before Church

Pretty shrooms!

Oh Christmas tree, you’re so pretty, next to that giant palm tree

Love the X-mas lights on palm trees!

So-Cal December 18, 2009

One of our teacher in Shanghai used to always tell us “but China is so big” the same goes for the US. I always chuckle a little when people write to me to say “I’ll be in LA, that’s about where you live right?” Well about, minus the one hour flight!

West Coast, East Coast, Mid-West, South, every part has it’s own little history and culture. Most Americans will however tell you that, New York and San Francisco are “not really the US” and I guess you need to travel a little to understand what it implies, which is not something I’ve had the luxury to do much.

Los Angeles is not really a city to my sense, it feels more like a cobweb of freeways  sprinkled with suburbs, street malls and fast food branches.

My friend lives in Bell Flower and she was kind enough to show me around LA which means we took the freeway just about every day! Needless to say you get to breath a lot of carbon monoxide! But the weather is sooo wonderful, it was winter and yet it was warmer than SF summer, although it does get cool at night, but during the day it is just amazing!

Getting a pedicure a delightful American thing to do with your girlfriends!

LALALand December 17, 2009

I don’t mind winter so much, so long as I have had my share of summer, this has not been the case this year and it has left me and my body feeling quite miserable. Ever since winter has hit San Francisco I’ve just been lazy and sick. Too lazy to go out, too sick to have much energy to do anything…

So when Gina asked me to fold myself to get in her car so we could drive down to LA it felt like it might probably be salvation from my boring grandma lifestyle.

We drove down, well she did, I’m still working on that! Taking the big freeway. We had not seen each other in a year and so much had been happening especially to her that we just chatted the trip away… Even making one slight mistake after a short break, but this way we got to visit wonderful Stockton, quite a sight!

The ride went smoothly till we reached the outskirts of LA then we got to experience the wonderful LA traffic

Gina Stockton gaz station! Have we gone backward? oups!

Recession Halloween October 31, 2009

Well, a very special Halloween this year, as all the stores promoted special prices for this year “recession Halloween”. Forget the grim ripper, if you want to scare off someone this year dress up as an HR and walk around howling “you’re fired”!

So not a very exciting Halloween, plus since the 2007 shoot out, gatherings are forbidden in the Castro, people are encouraged to stay home.

Anyways Nick and I still went on a mission to party, dressed our best! I made my costume myself it was a lot of work but it was fun. I decided to be a “shipwreck living dead”,  going to the New World for a fresh start the boat I was in got shipwrecked right in the bay!

We joined a bunch of people on a bar crawl, it did not involve much crawling, but it was fun and easy going!

Boooooh!

Nick also made his own fly costume!

Back from the Bay

Being a little narcissistic, but making that costume was a lot of work!

Cool make up girl, Wolverine and Bird girl

Ambiance at the Castro

Where the Wild Things Are! Yeah!

The end of Street Fair Season October 25, 2009

Japan had Matsuri, America has Street Fairs, a moment where pedestrians claim back the streets, mobile vendors take on the side walk and the smell of fried food runs freely.

From Union Street to Folsom, from Potrero to Berkeley, I have experienced much variety! I do enjoy the concept, even if the SF weather is not always outdoor friendly, I’m glad I got to experience these events. It seems quite part of the San Francisco culture, I liked the way each neighborhood had a different feel to it.

The last Street fair I went to was in Potrero Hill it was quite family oriented.

Potrero Hill street fair – Punk duck

C’est moi!

Time flies October 20, 2009

Oups! Time flies, it’s been a while since I last gave some updates! Nothing of major importance has actually shattered my life! I’ve had to accept the fact there would be no summer whatsoever in San Francisco! But at least fall is quite nice, cold but clear of the fog and most importantly with very little wind, so yeah!

America is stuck on the Health care debate, never has unemployment been so high, the dollar is crashing, and nobody knows whether to be optimist or not!