look at this pretty picture

it's FREE! (or mostly free)

things i've learned from living on the cheap in one of the most expensive places to live - Los Angeles. i might not live there now, but i've certainly carried on the habit and have found other ways to save money while enjoying the good life.

1. a student i.d. card is a godsend. if you have it and it's still valid, use it. don't be afraid to ask if a store or service company gives student discounts. even if it's only 5%, all those dollars add up. the most generous student discounts come from museums and other tourist attractions. best example: the getty research institute (g.r.i.) located within the getty museum campus will provide a "stack reader" i.d. for graduate students with a valid ID. "stack reader" status will give you free parking, which can cost up to $15 on weekends. it's valid for two years and you can renew as long as you're still a student. the getty is the best place to people watch in l.a., the art/design/architecture library is an excellent resource, and the exhibits change often enough that there's always an excuse to go. note: make sure the g.r.i. is open on the day you are visiting because some people at the parking garage will say you'll still have to pay since the library's closed. just tell them you called ahead and confirmed it's open.

2. volunteering has its perks. not only does it make you feel better for being part of the community, there's a bunch of material benefits included. i've volunteered for various events and organizations. museums give their volunteers member status, so you can go to their events for free or at a discounted rate. sometimes you get to bring a friend to member's only events. that's your time to feel extra proud of yourself. some also provide discounts at their gift shops. volunteering for huge events (like a street festival or a race) usually get you a free t-shirt or some other kind of swag. also, good organizers feed their volunteers in exchange for their time.

3. those discount deals websites are useful only if you check their offers everyday and only if you buy the stuff you're absolutely positively going to use. also, always ALWAYS read the fine print! if you see a lasertag deal, ask yourself, "can i convince two other people to go, and am i available on a weekday afternoon or sunday morning?"

4. the library is FREE and convenient. if you like reading, then you already know this. i'm actually all for spending money on hardbacks and paperbacks, but sometimes you just don't have enough funds to buy EVERYTHING on the new york times best seller list. (but if you do, please do a comparison search online. more on this later.) don't like browsing the stacks? most libraries have their catalogs online and you can put holds on books/CDs/movies you want. they will notify you when it's ready for you to pick up. just make sure you return (or renew) on time or you get charged a late fee per day per book. i've paid about $5 max on late fees for three books, which still isn't such a big deal.

5. moving pictures more of your thing? netflix's streaming service is good if you like older films and tv series. redbox coupled with promo codes is good for new release movies. a simple internet search for promo codes = free movie rental. codes work once per credit card, so if you have multiple cards, you can use the same code multiple times. trust me, i've done it. also, signing up for redbox's text deals will give you a code for a free movie on the first monday of every month.

6. someone gave you a starbucks giftcard? register it. then you start earning "stars" for every drink. you only need to be at the green level (5 stars) to get free shots of syrup or your choice of milk in your coffee and free refills on your brewed coffee or tea. also, you can do what i do and order the "poor man's vanilla latte", which is a cafe misto with vanilla syrup. it's about $2 less for a grande. note: instead of a shot of espresso, the misto is made with a shot of coffee, thus giving it a less bold coffee taste.

7. like wine and cheese with your art? go scout for gallery openings/art exhibit receptions. (a simple search for "gallery openings + city you're in" gave me results for these events.) usually, art/design/architecture schools offer public programs free to anyone who can make it. these include lectures, gallery openings, educational panels, etc. sometimes they will have hors d'oeuvres at their receptions. the classy ones will have wine and beer. the sci-arc gallery's openings always have wine, cheese and crackers, and depending on the budget or how prestigious the featured artist is, they may have catered food.

8. always do a comparison search while shopping online. amazon doesn't always have the cheapest price on books (even when shipping and taxes are factored in). bonus: go search for promo codes online, it's a crap shoot, but when you do find a promo code that works, it's like winning the lottery. well, maybe more like winning $5 at a scratcher.

9. live in LA? grab the FREE LA Weekly and enter to win passes to advanced movie screenings and other awesome things. you are only eligible to win once a month, but the chances of you winning are very high. i'm currently 2 for 2. (i won once for a screening of "Gentlemen Broncos" at the Arclight.) it also helps if you go for indie film screenings since those probably don't get as many entries.

10. related to #9. there's always an advantage to getting to know where you live. there is an abundance of free local events and/or promotions out there. you just gotta dig around until you find gold.

11. restaurant week is a good time to check out a high-end restaurant's offerings for much less than what they would normally charge. i've heard people complain that restaurants don't give 100% during restaurant week because it's not their normal clientele. i beg to differ: the good folks at the Oval Room went above and beyond with their service when we went. first, when my friend complained her dish was a bit too salty, the manager came out and remedied the situation by giving us an extra dessert on the house. second, they even put a candle on the chocolate cake for our other friend who's celebrating her birthday. we didn't even tell them it was her birthday! i think they saw the card being passed around and assumed it was.

12. use the phone number 867-5309 (the phone number from the song "Jenny") to get discounts at stores that have the loyalty program/card even if you haven't signed up for them. just add your area code in the beginning.

i'll add more to this list once i remember or find out other gems on how to live on a budget.

so much awesomeness

this week i've received my invites to google+ and spotify. you know what that means? this girl is going to be on the web all weekend. well, almost all weekend. there's harry potter 7.2 to watch and three books to read. more on the books on the next post.

i've also turned in 816 hours for IDP, and signed up for a high-yield savings account and a travel rewards card. i feel like my future as a licensed architect and my plans for world travel and/or cross-country roadtrip are slowly coming to fruition.

blue house, pink house

when i go out to pick up lunch from the grocery store, i sometimes pass by this awesome pink and blue house. even the storage shed is painted the same blue with pink trim. it is one of the more interesting houses i've seen. (pardon the google street view pics as i didn't get a chance to photograph this house before the repainting.)

tool shed = creativity zone

it's blue and pink AND PURPLE!

it's not particularly big; it just has lots of character, especially around the holidays when they have the decorations out. the short wrought iron fence around the property is painted purple with pink accents. at first, i imagined a witch (yes, a bonafide witch, like the evil one from the fairy tales) lived there, but decided it was too far-fetched. now i think a family with a quirky sense of humor and a penchant for tchotchkes occupies the house. you know, hippie mother, freelance [insert job here] father, and two kids. 

i've never actually seen the residents of this awesome house, but i guess i will never meet them as they are selling it. yes, the gypsy family is moving, probably to portland. and because you can't sell a pink/blue/purple house in this market, they had to paint it. now it's this blah beige color (ok, creamy yellow) with black and white trim. the wrought iron fence is all black. 

this old house painted beige/yellow

i scowl at the house when i see it now because they painted over whatever made it cool in the first place. it still looks very nice with (what i can only assume) the sunroom facing the driveway, but i wouldn't think a witch with lots of candy lives there.

can i call you back? NOT.

there is a reason why i fail at calling people back right away, or prefer sending out an email to plan a get together. the sound of a ringing phone gives me anxiety attacks. there are different levels of dread related to the phone. check out the handy scale (1 being "no sweat. i can take that call." to 10 "f***! can i just email or something? why is it hot in here? why are my palms so sweaty?"):

my guide to phone-phobia

1 - answering a call from a friend (provided i am not busy and/or feel like talking)

2 - telling telemarketers that so-and-so is not home and if they want to leave a message (no? ok, bye.)

3 - returning a call from a friend after seeing they left something on my voicemail

4 - leaving a voicemail for a friend because s/he left a message. phone tag is not fun, and i usually end up leaving a VERY awkward message, "uhhhh...sooo, yeah. you called me? so i'm returning your call. ok, so uuuh, i guess i'll call you back. or you call me back. whatever! oh, ummm. gosh! (nervous laugh) i hate phone tag. ok, bye."

5 - getting a work related phone call. i find that when i have to talk about a certain topic, it's slightly better.

6 - calling a sales/product rep for information about a certain material. (please go to voicemail. please go to voicemail...yes!) "hi, this is so-and-so from so-and-so architects. please call me back."

7 - calling potential employers to follow-up on a job application/query. i'm just glad that most companies don't want you harrassing them with phone calls anymore. did i say that email is the best invention, up to par with the bacon alarm clock?

8 - calling former employers/professors to ask for something: recommendations, references, etc. i suck at engaging in small talk and i can't segue into anything smoothly, "so speaking of jet skis, can i put you down as a reference?"

9 - manning the phones for an hour while the receptionist goes on an errand. that whole hour will consist of me thinking, "please don't ring. please be a hang-up. please be a wrong number. how do i transfer again? aaaargh, where is that extension cheat sheet?! WHY IS THE GODDAMN PHONE RINGING! AGAIN! why is that button blinking?" all the while, my heart would be beating rapidly when i hear the ringing, and i'd have to take a deep breath as i answer the phone in my most professional voice, "good morning/afternoon. so-and-so architects." (by the way, that greeting was the winner of the six greeting versions i had practiced in my head.)

somewhere between dread level 9 and 10 is a phone-related activity that i need to mention: cold-calling a list of people to talk about a fundraiser, a program, what have you. it actually doesn't matter what i'm talking about, the experience is going to be horrible anyway. i KNOW i'm intruding with whatever it is they're doing, and i KNOW they don't want to hear any part of my spiel. so yeah, pain all around.

10 - making me answer the phone for a whole work day! see 9 and multiply the sporadic anxiety attacks 100x, then add a dose of nervous coughing fits and silent groans. in hell, they will make me answer the phone for all the billions of souls there and make sure that the extension list is not alphabetized, and that no one will teach me how to forward straight to voicemail. 

so bottom line, if you want a fast and well-articulated response from me, send me email or a text. better yet, just talk to me in person. if you want to hear garbled syllables together, then by all means, give me a ring. if i don't pick up, it means i haven't yet figured out what to awkwardly say back when i return you call.

my life as a comedy

los angeles, ca
july 29, 2008

earthquake! registered 5.9 on the richter scale. i forgot what the drill is during earthquakes, so what did i do? sat there on my chair on the second floor of sci-arc (a converted train freight depot) and holding on to a lampshade and a dog. what did i do right after the shaking stopped? i IM'ed my friend, "did you feel that earthquake?"

it's funny because it's majorly stupid.

books

I think the reason why I don't seem to finish a lot of things that I have started is because I do not regularly read books. Reading a book all the way through requires focus. This is what I'm lacking. (Well, that and the fact that I don't have motivation, but more on that on another post.)

I'm currently reading a few books from the library and Amazon (recently purchased as part of my birthday-month-of-spending; it's the only easy I can justify all the new stuff I have). I have to say I am enjoying reading these especially the geeky physics book by Brian Greene called The Elegant Universe. Fantastic! All the explanations and none of the equations. (Although, I wanted to see some of the formulas used. It's a fun visual for this pseudo-closet science fan.)

Back to my main point. Since books offer more focus and commitment, reading a lot should decrease my ADD tendencies. Translate that into real world activities, and - VOILA! - a highly efficient and productive self.

hope

Say what you will about the nuclear crisis in Japan, but these workers know how to continue pushing to keep their country safe.

Austere conditions for nuclear workers - http://pulsene.ws/18H4m

mobile post with a view

This is a test of the Blogger app on the Android and some of its capabilities, i.e. posting pictures with entries.

I see now that you can't caption each photo yourself since the editor doesn't display/preview photos with the text. Otherwise, it does what it needs to do...very minimally.

*update: i had to resize and center the photos myself. it was starting to bother me that one photo is slightly smaller than the other.

on the go

Will I be able to actually update this blog more often now that I have installed the blogger app on my phone?

Still on the fence in that one...

sketchbook project: a preview

dreams

rainy day rendezvous
(actually part of a story board for an unfinished short animation)

#18 on the list

city