Hot Import Night

It doesn't take a genius to realize it's pointless to have a car show in the dark, but that's exactly what we experienced at Hot Import Night. We couldn't see the special features on the cars, their paint jobs, or their interiors in the dimly lit convention center. All we could make out were the scantily clad import models and the guys drooling over them. The Nitto tire girls were my favorite. They were cute and gave me free stuff.

VW Golf with special lights under its hood

Decked out Scion

Butterfly doors

Paid for by the Las Vegas Association of Strippers

DJ cranking out a remix of Young MC's "Bust a Move"

Malto outtake

Sean Malto is everything that's right with skateboarding. He's got a great new commercial for Etnies, but his B-roll is even more fun to watch.

Dramatic look

Clones Vol. 12: the berry and the cherry

In 2005, Shelly Hwang began selling Pinkberry, her brand of low-fat frozen yogurt, out of a cafe in Los Angeles. Pinkberry consists of three flavors (original, green tea and coffee) and numerous topping offerings. Now with over 60 cafes in California, Pinkberry plans to go nationwide next year.

Chinese restaurant franchiser Lee Ann Chin has jumped on the yogurt bandwagon with her product Red Cherry. Red Cherry is also a frozen yogurt that comes with a variety of toppings. Chin claims her yogurt is "the most delicious addiction you'll ever have." Creamy frozen yogurt? Check. Berry on the cup? Check. Lawsuit? Maybe.

A case of greenwashing?

Ran across Wall-E Kleenex at the grocer's last night. I love the design and almost bought a box for my office. I'm glad I didn't, though, because environmental groups are calling out Kleenex's parent company, Kimberly Clark, on the Wall-E promotion. Greenpeace USA says:

If you look on the bottom of these boxes, you’ll see a little recycled symbol that says: “This box is made from 100% recycled paper.” What you won’t see on the bottom of that box is a message telling you that the tissues inside it are made from centuries-old trees that were cut from forests that had been around for as much as 10,000 years – until K-C came along with its clearcutting practices, that is. Nor will the box tell you that K-C refuses to use any recycled material in Kleenex even though doing so would save huge areas of ancient forests.

At the boba cafe

Here's my sketch of life at the boba cafe. My amigo Camren believes the more attitude a boba barista possesses, the better the drink. Camren prefers "bobistas" who refuse to smile or have pink swatches in their hair. I prefer someone who doesn't skimp on the tapioca.

A love letter

Dear Otto,
Thank you for introducing me to Atomic Ranch magazine, Nelson saucer lamps, architects Raphael Soriano and Cliff May, adorable Uglydolls, and much more. You are by far the coolest store in Orange County. Little did know when living up the street from you in a tiny studio apartment that someday I'd have a ranch home of my own. Granted it's a billion miles away from California, but whatever. I totally understand why Japanese tourists make pilgramages to your store.

Love, Ajumma

Otto is located at 111 E. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832. (714) 526-3142. You'd be an idiot to visit Fullerton and not stop there.

Choco creampuff, anyone?

I had a friend in college who ate Cherry Chapstick. I wonder what he'd think of these scented tealight candles from Urban Outfitters.

West Hollywood Book Fair poster

BEST BOOK FAIR POSTER EVER. The 7th annual fair will take place in West Hollywood Park on Sunday, September 28. If you're on the fence about going, do note that actor/author Wil Wheaton will be there. That should help you decide either way. Props to Giant Robot for the picture.

Someone please burn the hat

Song Seung-hun showed up at a promo for his new Korean drama, East of Eden, wearing a pink shirt opened to what would be his cleavage. But the real reason this photo stopped me in my tracks was the purple fedora. A purple fedora, teased hair and an open shirt? Whatever happened to clean cut, Korean Army duty Song Seung-hun? I cry.

For another poke your eyes out moment, here's Song Seung-hun's East of Eden castmate decked out in a skinny scarf, colorful print skirt and murse. It's actually a vintage camera bag, but it looks like a murse.

Men's fashion: Murses gone wild

Snoop ventures out with his Louis Vuitton man purse and plastic shower cap.

Usher looks like he's carrying Tameka's bags on a shopping trip, but you know they're all his.

Something tells me if Bow Wow saw this photo of himself, he'd abruptly stop carrying a murse.

But the piece de resistance is Terrence Howard and his shiny black clutch!

HAPPY CHUSEOK

Happy Chuseok everyone! Hopefully you're not spending it like most Koreans, trapped in traffic on the highways out of Seoul. The Chosun Ilbo reports some Korean women are choosing not to visit family during the Korean holiday to avoid gaining weight from the bountiful feasts. I think weight gain is an excuse. I've heard that most women would rather not be stuck in their in-laws' kitchen for hours cooking and washing everyone's dishes.

Moustache Edition Vol. 2

Rivers Cuomo, Weezer frontman

Dave sings about his celebrity exploits

A little ditty by 2/3 of the The Bad Plus. Reid Anderson on piano and Dave King on vocals.

Mr. Toad's wild ride

Look who I found hopping across the garage floor at the humane society today! I love toads and didn't want to see this guy dry up or get smashed in the supply-packed garage space. Unlike most toads this one didn't unleash its bladder on me when I scooped it up. I carried it to the far reaches of the property where the lawn meets woods and where the dogs wouldn't find it during their walks. Happy hopping, buddy.

He should have said "My mom"

It's hard to find a photo of Shia LaBeouf smiling these days. If you go back a few years you'll only find him beaming at cameras. This week when when a magazine reporter asked Shia to name his number one girl, he answered, "Diane Sawyer, she just does it for me." I doubt he's serious, but that's a much better answer than, say, Sarah Palin.

Wallride Issue #16

Girl Skateboard Company, partnered with Chocolate and Fourstar, has released their latest issue issue of Wallride and once again I'm wowed by their graphics.

The Chocolate bar boards are simple, yet so brilliant!

Ajumma for Obama

I'd been feeling numb about the upcoming Presidential election until John McCain ignited the redneck community by choosing Sarah "shoot to kill anything with fur" Palin as his running mate. Now I see how scary the coming years could be for the U.S. on domestic and global levels. What brilliant timing for artist Jee Yun Lee to come out with her "Ajumma for Obama" products.

I want to see a t-shirt of Barack Obama walking a pit bull that's wearing glasses and lipstick.

Something wicked this way comes...

Ajumma's coworker Josh reports that Target's doing a big
Domo-kun promotion, this year, for Halloween.

Halloween or not, I need these teeth.
(Update: My husband forbid me from buying the teeth.)

Mini Domo-kun plush dolls

And you thought Peeps were creepy! Marshmellow Domos.

Last Halloween I was home alone when I heard a huge crash against my house. Sure I was being vandalized, I opened the front door to find a werewolf sprawled out on my front porch and candy everywhere. It turns out the 13 year old inside the costume couldn't see out of his rubber mask and wiped out on my sidewalk. He was shellshocked. I handed him extra candy and begged, "Please don't sue us."

You can't beat this Bimbo

One thing I miss about living near L.A. is having the BIMBO truck pull next to me on the highway. It was a definite day brightener.

He's gotta know...

Didn't they already make this & call it "Balls of Fury"?

San Diego's 9th annual Asian American Film Festival opens on October 9, 2008 with Jessica Yu's Ping Pong Playa. Though it looks questionable, the comedy has been earning favorable reviews from critics. For people who can't wait until October, Ping Pong Playa premieres across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange County this weekend.

Cartoon by Natalie Dee

Hosts go short 'n sassy

A memo must be going around the cable networks instructing male hosts of home design shows to cut their hair. Thom Filicia is a former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy member and current host of Style network's Dress My Nest. Thom is uber talented and welcome at my home anytime. He used to wear a shag atop his head, but recently he's gone clean and short. Thom now looks awesome, but a bit like Rocco DiSpirito which is a little unsettling.

Cool and classy

For the longest time I thought Barry Wood's first name was Merry, which I found kind of hot. Barry's formerly of Trading Spaces fame. He now dazzles home buyers with his Mac laptop by showing them what their dream homes might look after renovation on HGTV's Hidden Potential. Barry's designs on Trading Spaces used to scare me. For that reason he is not welcome in my home at any time. But Barry's got a ton of enthusiasm and a nice face which will take him far in life. I imagine that if Rob Dyrdek had a sweeter, cuter brother who attended art school, it'd be Barry.

Short 'n sassy

Cupcake runs circles around Dots

Ajumma and good friend Carla put the suspense to rest, yesterday, by visiting Cupcake in Minneapolis. Located on University Ave. in Prospect Park, this little eatery proved to be quite popular with the 20-30 year old crowd. During the two hours we lounged in Cupcake's sun-filled garden area, patrons were continually coming and going.

My main goal of the visit was to compare Cupcake to Dots. Ajumma went for the conventional choices of Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream, and two sprinkled cupcakes. Carla was more adventurous by choosing flavors like Cupcake's award-winning Carrot Cake, and German Chocolate. She also exercised more self-restraint than me by not gobbling all her cupcakes at one sitting.

The verdict: Whenever cupcakes come out of a cooler they are a bit hard and the flavor a bit dull. This is the case with Cupcake. But overall the consistency and flavor of the cake and the frosting (creamcheese) at Cupcake is tastier than at Dots. An elated Carla said her Carrot Cake cupcake was out of this world, so in the end Cupcake of Minneapolis received too thumbs up.

It's Friday! How about some Short Round?

Illustration by Greg Ham

Bodhi. Designs for Dogs.

Bohdi toys designed by Maria Shen. Vibrant, fun and most importantly, rugged. Completely non-toxic, these vinyl toys can (for the most part) withstand sessions with active dogs. Bohdi's inspiration, as you can see, springs forth from Maria's love for places like China. If you're going to have dog toys strewn about the house, they may as well look pretty.