Lose the pants, kid

Emo pants paired with skate shoes are so damn awkward. Proving this point is surfer Jack Freestone. Stab Magazine

'Cause I'm a blonde, yeh yeh yeh!

I just ate a tube of Chapstick.

I hope my human doesn't spank me.

Thom Yorke is here, there and everywhere

Maybe it's O.C.D. catching up with me, but I see Thom Yorke all sorts of places even if it's not really him.

Via apartment therapy

The real Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead

Ajumma's favorite fall tunes

As October's wind pounds my house and leaves lie in wet clumps on the ground, my musical diet tranforms from sunny pop (Big Wave by Jenny & Johnny) and dance (Dancing on My Own by Robyn) to something more fall-like.

Skyway by Paul Westerberg

Motor Away by Guided By Voices

Autumn Leaves by the Bill Evans Trio

Sometimes by My Bloody Valentine

Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree"

Zhang Yimou's new movie Under the Hawthorn Tree opened the 15th annual Pusan Film Festival this month. Under the Hawthorn Tree follows two young lovers attempting to walk the line during China's Cultural Revolution. The film is classic Zhang Yimou; pretty and slow moving, much like a Korean drama on sedatives.

Watch Under the Hawthorn Tree courtesy of Kodan55 on youtube.

I do, I really do...

Angry Little Asian Girl canvas bags feature a zippered pocket along the side. Mine even included a removable coin purse. Nucleus sells this nifty tote on their online store.

Girlfriend, U iz too skinny Vol. 2

When your shoulder bones protrude like a clothes hanger you're too thin.

The Housemaid

Starring Lee Jung-jae and Jeon Do-yeon. United State release: May 2010

Clones Vol. 20: John Legend & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

These two might not be exact clones, but they look like versions of each other to me. This comes down to the fact that John Legend and Joseph Gordon-Levitt share similarly shaped jaw lines and eyes. Plus the musician (who's recording with the Roots) and actor (head of his own online production company) both have undeniable baby faces.

Heaven is a place on Earth?

My idea of heaven is lounging poolside at my midcentury modern home, pet goats moseying on the hillside, while my Korean language tutor (who looks a lot like Daniel Henney) converses with me as he gathers leaves from the pool. Did I mention my language tutor is also my pool boy? At least part of my dream could be a reality for a cool $4,450,000. A renovated 1956 Richard Nuetra-designed home is currently for sale in Pacific Palisades, California. This house features four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and over 3000 square feet...and a pool.

Besides amazing ocean views, the house includes walls of built-ins, three parking spaces, a fridge (which should have an ice maker that freezes ice cubes of gold for $4 million), and a washer. There's no dryer, apparently. The house sits in a gated community, which I find to be kind of a bummer. Curse you, rich people, for hogging all the best views!

Check out the listing for this lovely midcentury abode over at Take Sunset.

Jabba ♥'s boba

The Daily Pincushion

Ajumma's local curio Swag now sells handmade, felt pincushions by TheDaily Pincushion ! I bought this cushion as a housewarming gift to my sister-in-law who has mad skills with a needle and thread.

I'm tempted to collect them all. They remind me of Korean jewelry boxes.

The Daily Pincushion has a wonderful shop on Etsy that sells a variety of vivid patterns and colors.

Song Hye-Gyo's plastic surgery

Her new look, above. Her original look, below.

Song Hye-Gyo, one of Korea's prettiest actresses, is headed down the road of no return. The twenty-nine year-old television and movie star, famous for her high cheekbones, delicate features, and oval face, looks subtley different in her Fall 2010 photo campaign for clothing company Roem. I'd guess that Hye-Gyo's surgeon injected fat into her cheeks for a more youthful appearance and botox into her forehead and around her mouth. I sense that the tip of her nose is slightly plumped, too. Of course Song Hye-Gyo's still beautiful, but I hope she stops now while she's ahead. It's probably tough going with so many young, attractive actresses waiting in the wings.  See Song Hye-Gyo and her new face in Roem's Fall 2010 photoshoot, here.

"Confession" trailer

Japanese movie alert! Confessions, based on a best-selling novel, is a revenge tragedy that tells the story of a junior high school teacher who plots revenge on her students after they murder her young daughter. Confessions is Japan's submission for this year's foreign film Oscar race.

Someone give Louisa Lim a thesaurus

With all the words in the English language, NPR's Louisa Lim had to go there. This morning while describing the western media's unprecedented access to North Korea's massive, elaborate celebrations unveiling Kim Jong-il's successor, Lim proclaimed,"Suddenly it seemed as if the Hermit Kingdom may have opened up a chink." My eyes widened. No she DIDN'T! Possibly more awkward is how the airwaves became silent the second after she said it, like her producer fell off his chair.

Listen to her story and her unfortunate, albeit not inaccurate, use of chink here.