Quotable: MLK Jr

January 21, 2013January 21, 2013Leave a comment

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr

So, so excited to have the day off – but let’s not forget the reasons why: an altruistic man who sacrificed himself for the greater good of society; a wise man who made the world a better place for people like me – and you. ♥

Doing it Right: Slow Sundays at the Getty Villa

January 21, 2013August 14, 20132 Comments

Yesterday, a few friends and I went on quite the glorious adventure – the weather had just cleared up in Southern California and we were off to the J Paul Getty Museum out in Malibu!

From the second we arrived, we were in absolute awe – the grounds were majestically adorned in Greco-Roman architecture and sculptures; from the fountains and statues, down to the marble and stone each room was built with. The best thing about our day-venture to the Villa was that beyond the $15 for parking, all we had to do was make a reservation and the occasion was absolutely free; as all good art should be, in my opinion. We spent about three hours wandering through every room, letting our breath be taken away by the intrinsic beauty, intricate details and color schemes of ancient times.

As amazing as they are, please note that these pictures do not do the works of art or grounds of the Villa any justice – if you’re ever in the area, I highly suggest you check it out for yourself!

Zeus

Venus

Sarcophagus

Perfume Vials

Greco-Egyptian Jewelry

Quotable: The Determined Soul

January 17, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

“Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.”

— Elbert Hubbard

Wednesday Watercooler

January 16, 2013January 16, 2013Leave a comment

Baby, It’s Cold Outside
It’s been a frigid past few days in Southern California – Arctic Freeze 2013 is no joke; well, except to the rest of the country! While we’re lamenting about trading in our perennial flip-flop wearing weather for a few days of finally flaunting our sexy winter coats and knee high boots, everyone else is mocking our inability to handle weather under 65 degrees.

Financial Trading Has Gone to the Cats

The early bird might very well get the worm, but apparently the early cat also gets the trade. Last year, an adorable feline named Orlando got his little paws on an investment challenge sponsored by The Guardian. As luck would have it, this cat wound up over $500 richer than the other participants which included a group of finance students, stock brokers and wealth managers.

A Solo Duet
Technology can be a wily minx; there’s this perpetual race to see what we can come up with next but there are only a few rare moments when I feel truly amazed. This is one of those moments. Equipped with a neuroheadset set to detect brainwaves, renowned Cellist Katinka Kleijn managed to perform both halves of a duet at once! Her hands to performed one half of the duet, and the other was performed using her mind – brainwaves were interpreted by machine and translated into sounds.

Obama’s 23 Executive Actions on Gun Violence

This morning, after much anticipation and too many unfortunate events – President Obama outlined his 23 Executive Actions on Gun Violence in America. I’m proud to report that almost a third of them pertain to Mental Health. Keep in mind that this is a dialogue and a starting point; a means to and end but as a country – we need to actively work towards a future where all these things are possible.

Don’t Cough on Me
According to, well…basically everyone – Flu season is getting into full gear and it’s the worst it’s been in a long, long time. Thankfully, there are some social media tools at your disposal to help fight back!

My vote: Google.org‘s Google Flu Trends
First of all, I was pleased to discover the Philanthropic side of Google over at Google.org – what rocks have I been hiding under?! Secondly, with Google’s Flu Trends you can essentially monitor real time activity on a regional, national and international level. For an all encompassing look at infection rates and outbreak areas, checkout their partner site – HealthMap.

Capture of the Week
Slowly but surely, I’ve gotten more into photography – the nuances of lighting and shadow, empty space and intricacies of shooting inanimate objects sporadically cause me to geek out. I’m still a total noob, but with the assistance of friends (and the interwebz) I’ve gotten to hone in on my skills and perfect my craft. Every once in a while a picture grabs me by the shoulders and screams “Aren’t I magnificent?!” The picture below is an areal shot of New York’s Central Park, and most definitely one of those pictures.

Tech Tuesday: Facebook Announces ‘Graphic Searches’

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013Leave a comment

It’s an Announcement, Bitches.
Facebook announcement days are always interesting ones – everyone crowds around their computer, headphones in their ears in a silent unison; seated in the most comfortable position possible to acknowledge what privacy settings are going to be thwarted today. Only, this morning’s Facebook announcement wasn’t about privacy, timeline conversions or a new API – today’s announcement was much, much bigger than that.

Facebook Graphic Search
First and foremost, I want to give Google credit where it’s due – their search algorithms are beyond out of this world and I really wish I could crack them; they’re starting to roll out personalized searches (which I just signed up for) and Facebook’s new ‘Graphic Search’ feature definitely takes a page from their book. But, unlike Google – they took the idea and ran a marathon with it: the GUI looks absolutely incredible and I want it now.

What this new search allows for is data dives into user content to search for answers to questions you haven’t even thought of yet, like:

How many of my girl friends in Hollywood own miniature dogs and love cupcakes?
Do any of my Hippie friends in Echo Park and Venice have a job and a car?

The crazy thing to me is that not only will you be able to search through your friends – you’ll be able to search the general Facebook public as well.

The Bottom Line
This doesn’t just make us more searchable for our friends, this simple feature will make it easier for Brands to perform deep data dives which help determine the value of each and every ad, as well as helping to boost site revenue via impeccable product placement. With new ways to search our Timelines, I’m guessing this also means more security measures to prevent unwanted data mining.

Patience Doesn’t Have To Be a Virtue
If you’re like me, when you want something – you want it now: if you wanted it in five minutes, you would ask for it in five minutes – correct? Anyhow, I digress. But Facebook is rolling out it’s new Graphic Search to anyone who’s willing to be one of their Beta Test Bunnies, so if you’re down for the get down – enroll right here.

Quotable: The Depths of Winter

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013Leave a comment

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
Albert Camus

Music Monday: BLOND:ISH – The Perfect Frequency

January 14, 2013January 15, 2013Leave a comment

By just browsing through my recent music postings on the blog, my Facebook and through Twitter – I can tell that this Deep House kick I’ve been on is much, much more than just a seasonal shift in the headphones. This new found…dare I say “relationship” with the deeper, darker side of House Music started at the beginning of 2012. I’ve toyed around with various DJs and Producers, trying to find where exactly in the genre I fit – and finally, after a lot of soul searching and bass pounding, I think I figured it out.

The great thing about being friends with so many people in the music industry is that they continually give me fresh new DJs and music to get into. Record Labels like Get Physical – which boasts phenomenal artists like Heidi, Catz n Dogz, Audiofly and Damian Lazarus, Noir and Kompakt; DJs like Climbers, Maya Jane Coles, Infinity Ink, Claude VonStroke, Russ Yallop, Maxxi Soundsystem. These guys are what gets my feet movin’ and groovin’; what moves my body, mind and soul as one. It’s like the perfect hat trick.

A few weeks ago I was on a huge Finnebassen and Climbers kick – as I searched through videos and soundcloud posts, I discovered a sexy little group called Blond:ish that I just can’t get enough of.

Originally hailing from Canada, the fiesty and fun duo of Vivie-Ann and Anstacia have made their mark on the industry with their delicious sounds, sultry vocals and A+ attitude on the decks. Just take a listen to their collaborations with the ever soulful Climbers, or their mixtapes from the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man and I bet you’ll love them just as much as I do.

It’s just my luck that they’ll be playing down in Orange County on 1/22 at FOCUS, which is held at the adorable Tapas of Orange County every Tuesday. I’ll definitely be in attendance; y’all should as well!