Christmastime

Happy Holidays everyone. May your days be filled with laughter, joy, eggnog, and all that other wonderful holiday-related goodness that we look forward to so much.

Random

A random photo from my shoot with Julia Ringo.

Something about this just made me feel sort of warm and fuzzy inside.

A Second Skin - One month in.

After only a month, these jeans are slowly showing more signs of fading. All of the usual fades are coming through as expected - at the backs of the knees, the pockets, and along the edges of the denim.

These jeans are developing a softer hand the more I wear them. They've also stretched a bit in the thigh (a welcome change) without loosening too much in the waist. The pockets are still a bit difficult to get into because of the tightness around the hip area, but not so much as to detract from wearability. The stitching on the pen pocket's coming loose, which is quite disappointing, but requires only a minor repair.

And now, a list of things that have gotten on these jeans to date:

- assorted beers

-moonshine

-blood

-stagnant cave water/cave moss

-coconut milk

- assorted chemicals from lab work

- chalk

-mustard

and the list should get more interesting with time.

And I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on this project and the jeans themselves. Thanks to everyone for your continued support. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

a lonely chair.

It may have been the chair of a sultan, saint, laborer, or conman.

Oh, if only it could speak of the things it has witnessed,

of the ideas created while someone sat in it, deep in thought.

Treaties may have been signed in its presence, nations overturned

by the very people it served.

But now it just sits there.

Cast aside, unused.

What good is it now,

if no one will sit in it?

Mexico Retrospective - Part three.

More pictures of Thanksgiving Break. Not much more to say here, other than thanks for looking and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

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What a trip.

Mexico Retrospective - Part two.

I was incredibly amused by how many warnings people gave me when I told them I was going to Mexico. I mean, I came back in one piece, didn't I? Anyways, more pictures from Thanksgiving Break.

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Mexico Retrospective - Part one.

Wandering through the streets of Mexico City with family.

Saw some cool things along the way.

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It took lots of urging from my sister to remember that sometimes, you just have to push the damn shutter button. It's been a while, but I think these pictures show more of my personality and eye rather than being "technically" correct. They're not the prettiest things in the world, but they're wholly me.

A night well spent

My family tends to be scattered in different places throughout the world, so it's particularly lovely when we can sit down together for a nice dinner.

I've missed these moments.

Photos taken at Quebracho in Mexico City. Amazing Argentinian beef.

Afternoon snack

Streetside tacos with beef, grilled pineapple, and pico de gallo. An ice cold Mexican beer. Can I please do this everyday?

Can we just make this real life?

Packed my bag.

Grabbed some food.

Met up with some friends.

Drove off into the desert.

Made some new friends.

Sick.

A Second Skin - Twelve days in.

These jeans have been treating me very well since in the short time that I've had them. They're starting to break in nicely, with slight fading where I keep my cellphone and pocket notebook. The creases at the knees have set in and there's some slight fading at the sides of the knees. However, the stitching at the knee is a tiny bit loose and I seem to have worn through some of the stitching on the back pen pocket. But then, I wore these rock climbing so I don't think the craftsman is at fault here.

Whenever the indigo fades, it does so slowly through a progression of lighter shades of blue that creates a range of hues that I absolutely love. I'm going to have fun with these as time goes on.

I also realized that the back pen pocket serves well as a wand pocket for when I go watch Harry Potter. Success.

Also, the wonderful people over at Without a Box have been nice enough to help fund this project of mine, for which I'm incredibly grateful. Check out their shows for a good laugh, and to help other art students!

Back home.

Back from an awesome weekend at Joshua Tree.

Pictures soon to follow.

A Second Skin - Details

I can't say enough good things about these jeans. Here are the important facts.

- Made in Downtown LA by Karl (he's pretty freaking cool, btw) -

- Manufactured from 14.5 oz raw selvage denim from Nihon Mills in Okayama, Japan -

- Dyed with shoaizome (natural Japanese indigo) -

- leather patch is locally sourced, then cut and branded by hand -

- They fit amazingly -

and these jeans are filled with details. It's actually ridiculous.

- hand silk-screened pocket bag

- Hidden pen pocket in right back pocket

- Back pockets are half-lined in heavyweight canvas

- Selvage on fly and coin pocket

-Hand stitched detailing on back pocket

- Custom branded buttons and rivets

There are so many little touches that can only be found upon close inspection, almost all of which serve the purpose of adding to the overall construction and aesthetics of a superior pair of jeans. So I get to support the production of handmade, artisanal goods. I get to buy local. And I get to walk away with the best jeans I've ever owned. Win.

A Second Skin

A pair of jeans worn everyday for a year.

With that much wear and tear, they slowly take on the characteristics of the owner - specific patterns of fading that give little hints into one's lifestyle. A telltale rip here, a patch there... it's like painting one's life story on a rich, blue canvas.

I bought these jeans - Stantons from Rogue Territory in Los Angeles - with the intention of squeezing every last ounce of life out of them... clothes as an investment rather than a consumable, if you want to put it that way. There's an inherent charm to clothing that has "character" whether it was bought at some vintage store or found in a grandparent's closet. But I want my clothes to develop their own character. I'm young and all over the place. What better time to break in some raw denim and make them wholly my own?

These jeans will also serve as a sort of visual anchor amongst the changes that happen all around me. My immediate surroundings may shift, but these jeans will be a constant through it all - a reference point that will be with me everyday to help keep my sanity in check. Think of it like a totem from Inception, if you must.

And so I put on these jeans - this blank canvas that will be with me for many days. Time to beat these things to hell.

I'd rather.

경복궁 (Gyeongbok Palace), Seoul, Korea

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I would love to wander through palaces of old,

passing through doors that have seen so much.

I want to walk through halls,

saying hello to royalty long passed -

a bow, a greeting, and such.

And yet here I am,

staring at papers, notebooks,

this apple I just ate.

I must get through two painful exams

but I'd much rather procrastinate.

Tastes like fall

Called up two of my favorite people to go on an adventure.

Bundled up in a flannel, broken-in jeans, rugged shoes and some gloves.

Wandered through orchards in the fog.

Ate too many apples to count.

Soft drizzling and sweet-smelling air.

Running through trees with no cares at all.

Now I'm sitting here munching on some apples, made sweeter by the fact that I picked them myself.

Why hello there, autumn.

The Legend

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On October 1st, John Legend performed at Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College. I'm pretty sure that as soon as he started singing, there was a collective moan from the entire crowd.

These things running through my head

Having another existential crisis. That's the second one this semester.

Really, what the hell am I doing right now?

If only these jeans could talk.

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The Story's in the Seams - Part Four

My friend Nick inhabits this pair of Levi's 514s. I choose that word deliberately; he's had these jeans for four years, and judging from the wear, he's had these on almost every single day since then. Keep in mind that these jeans were fairly dark when he first got them. But after years of wearing and washing, the formerly rigid denim has taken on a quality of incredible softness not unlike that of a well-worn shirt.

His wallet has eroded away part of his back pocket, while his habit of pushing down on those pockets with his hands in them has ripped open wide sections of the rear seams. The trademark Levi's stitching is almost completely gone at this point.

If these jeans could speak, I'm sure that its stories would be endless. They could tell of Nick's triumphs, shenanigans, and overall personality - of a good chunk of time spent in this particular pair of denim. These jeans are so particular to Nick; if anyone else was to wear them, they'd probably be met with questions as to why they were wearing Nick's pants.

Knowing the owner of these jeans, I can say that the collection of multicolored patches is a reflection of his character - lively, spontaneous, and with random impulses shown through the lack of any discernible pattern of the patches. I feel like I can see as much of Nick in these jeans as I could through a photograph or video of the guy.

And to be completely honest, these jeans were one of the first things I thought of when I undertook this project.

Lazy Sunday mornings

I've come to really enjoy using the first hour or two of my Sunday mornings to take care of basic housekeeping things - laundry, sweeping, and all those things that I took for granted back home. There's something almost therapeutic of just doing menial tasks that allows me to mentally prepare myself for the week.

One particular thing that I've come to appreciate is shining my shoes. Whether out of a desire to take care of my possessions, do things the "old school" way, or whatever, I love turning on some jazz and tuning out the world while I focus on my sole purpose of making my shoes shine.

The long way home.

Me and a bunch of my friends piled into a car and drove across the United States. We discovered a country that we'd called home for so long, yet knew little about. And so we wandered, explored, and experienced.

Thwacking people on the head

Some select pictures from the 12th USNF Championship Tournament. Cool beans.