The delightful Ellie over at The Lucky Nest has tagged me to participate in the Six Random Things About Me game. As she is the reigning queen supreme of typewriters, irresistibly large dogs, and a whimsical writing style that makes you wish you were her BFF, I must acquiesce to her demands.

Here are the rules of this tag game:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Write 6 random things about yourself

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them

5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted

Six Random Things About Me:

1.		Whenever I’m in a bad mood I clean, scrub, sew, and iron. Ironing particularly relaxes me because while I may not be able to remove all the wrinkles in my life, I can do so with my clothes. However, you better watch out when I’m donning my yellow rubber gloves and on my knees the bathroom! Step one toe over the line and you may get a Tilex spray right into the eyes. (image source)
2.		When I was a kid I would buy tons of paper dolls. I would then spend hours painstakingly cutting out every last piece perfectly, then throw everything away. I guess I liked the scissor work better than the dolls themselves. (image source)
3.		I was a total nerd in my teenage years. Big glasses. Bad hair with bad bangs. Braces. I even wore orthodontic headgear! I was ashamed of my chest and hid behind loose, oversized men’s shirts. I was painfully shy and would tremble when talking to boys. At the age of 17, when I had still yet to kiss anyone, let alone score a boyfriend, my mother asked me, ”You like boys, right? I mean, you’re not a…lesbian…are you?” (image source)
4.		I learned today that 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,320 (image source)
5.		As my family was preparing to immigrate to the US 20 years ago, I thought that American streets would be filled with horse-drawn carriages, the men would be dressed in 3-piece suits with tophats, and the women would wear long poofy gowns à la the 19th century. Boy was I disappointed to see cars and people wearing the same clothes as they did back in Korea! (image source)
6.		I have a thing about strangers touching me – namely, that they shouldn’t. For this reason I never get manicures, pedicures, facials…even massages! I guess this is a good thing in the long run, because I save tons of money by never seeking these services that so many women desire. (image source)

I tag:

1. sadelion23
   - Sandy is smart as a whip, creative, hilarious, and all too adorable. She may be small in stature but her larger-than-life personality will rock your socks off and keep you laughing throughout the night.
2. Onigiriman – The O-Man has always been, and always will be, one of my favorite blogs. His writing and fanbase speaks for itself.
3. spiritedsherry
   - Sherry is one of those people you want to hate because everything about her seems so perfect…but you end up falling in love with her because she’s so irresistible!
4. inspire & be inspired
   - Wai Sze is currently on her way to Costa Rica in celebration of her first year wedding anniversary…but I’m sure this sweet, DIY diva will join in when she returns!
5. Pink Thumb
   - I always considered myself a city girl, but this lovable, hard-working domestic goddess has single-handedly made me consider moving to the suburbs just to start a garden.
6. jigg
   - Ray is living proof that a man can write passionate, articulate, and personal blogs. I have been reading his blog for years and I always find myself looking forward to his updates and musings.

Call me an old-fashioned, DIY-loving girl, because I have always admired and adored Martha Stewart. Delicious recipes, fabulous projects, and delightful advice…..all delivered in that calming, soothing voice of hers.

Martha on the cover of my favorite magazine, Wired.

On September 17th, the Martha Stewart Show will be taping a special about blogging and have invited bloggers to join the studio audience.

And I’m going!!!

When I got the email I was so happy I wanted to do the dance of joy!

You don’t understand how excited I am. Sigh. I love you Martha! You my girl!

While researching new and upcoming exhibitions for my museum post yesterday, I became frustrated, clicking through the various museums’ websites to find the latest and greatest exhibitions.

“Isn’t there a blog for this?” I asked myself. The closest I found was Curator’s Choice, which (in my humble opion) was difficult to navigate and poorly designed.

Should I create my own? It’ll certainly give me an excuse to visit more museums. However, I’m not sure if my schedule could handle it, or if there will be an interest at all.

Just something to think about during my 4-day weekend. Yes, FOUR. My company decided to give us all an extra vacation day tomorrow, in anticipation of Monday’s Labor Day. Yay!

On to the links!

1. Quick 10: 10 Words That Will Help You Win at Scrabble, Mental Floss Blog. As a Scrabble lover, I’m proud to say that there was only one word I didn’t know on the list: cwm, which is a valley created by glacial movement. How many do you know?
2. Android to Get Its Own App Market, TechCrunch. This was one of the biggest tech announcements of the day, and people have been clamoring to call Android an iPhone copycat. The fact of the matter is, mobile app markets have been around for some time – the iPhone App Store is nothing new. However, I’m just a bit concerned at the malware that may be uploaded onto the all-apps-approved market. What do you think?
3. BlackBerry Bold Review, Gizmodo. I’m more excited about the BB Bold than I was for the iPhone 3G. As expected, it received a great review and I would be preparing to order the phone come September…if it weren’t exclusive to AT&T. Why, mobile overlords, why?!?
4. My Restaurant Update, Dilbert.com Blog. I have been a long-time reader of Scott Adams’ blog, and I especially loved today’s post on the creative ways he is drawing customers to his restaurant. A Digg-like menu format? Game nights? Networking lunches? All great examples of thinking outside the box. Great job, Mr. Adams!
5. 6 inspiring colour tools web designers should bookmark, Web Distortion. Self-explanatory, and great links! I *heart* color!
6. Tiramolla Loft Bedrooms, Apartment Therapy. Turn a loft bed into a loft bedroom and you get…beauty. Spectacular! I love these designs!
7. Thank God: Guitar Praise Offers Guitar Hero for Christians, Wired Gadget Lab. As soon as I saw this I asked J if we can get it. His response: “Only if they have Faith+1 songs.” Hehehe. My husband’s awesome.
8. Science of Star Wars, Boing Boing. The world of Star Wars explained in physics! If they had taught this at school maybe I wouldn’t have gotten a miserable C in physics.
9. North Korea claims to have invented anti-hunger noodles, Boing Boing. I’m not sure if I can believe that N. Korea invented “magic” noodles. After all, Kim Jong Il claims to have invented outer space and DVDs.
10. Geek License Plates Show Just How Geeky the Road Can Get (Very), Gizmodo. I think I like the FFFFFF one the best. 
11. Making The Call: The Greatest Year In Sports, Gothamist. I must admit that this year, so far, has been pretty dope for sports. The big upset in the Superbowl. The crazy comebacks during the NBA Finals. Records broken left and right at the Olympics. Do you agree?
12. Lego Scenes Celebrate 2008 Olympic Summer Games with Star Wars Stormtroopers, Gizmodo. I think I got it. Get ahold of some Lego figures and recreate famous photographs, movies, or events. Generate tons of traffic to my site. Voila!

As much as I hate doing tourist activities, one of my favorite things to do when in a new city is to check out its museums. I chose to attend Johns Hopkins for its Art History program (most people are not aware that JHU has a great art history program – top 5 in the country - but unfortunately I decided to pursue another course of study). I still consider my 3 month summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art one of the best experiences of my life.

Needless to say, I love museums. I love the hushed atmosphere, the beautiful architecture that usually accompanies them, and immersing myself in the works of geniuses (including nature) of the past, present, and future.

I’m fine perusing the hallways of museums alone; however it’s always more fun with friends. Unfortunately, J could give a crap about museums, and not too many of my friends are into the arts.

I need a museum buddy.

Anyone interested in the following exhibits?

Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
through September 1

The symbolic and metaphorical associations between fashion and the superhero are explored in this compelling exhibition. Featuring movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, it reveals how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body. Objects are organized thematically around particular superheroes, whose movie costumes and superpowers are catalysts for the discussion of key concepts of superheroism and their expression in fashion.

(I will probably stop by the Met this Saturday the 30th since this exhibit is closing so soon.)

Vasily Kandinsky: Beginnings
Guggenheim Museum
ongoing

Perhaps more than any other 20th-century painter, Vasily Kandinsky has been closely linked to the history of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Hilla Rebay—artist, art advisor, and the museum’s first director—encouraged Solomon R. Guggenheim to begin collecting Kandinsky’s work in 1929 and to then meet the artist for the first time at the Dessau Bauhaus in July 1930. This was the start of a period of continuous acquisition of paintings and watercolors by Kandinsky. The current installation of the Kandinsky Gallery explores the artist’s early mastery of the graphic arts, as well as his translation of printmaking techniques to painting.

(I love Kandinsky! He’s one of my favorite painters…I’ve love to see some of this earlier work up close and personal.)

Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities
Museum of Modern Art
through November 10

Wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosities, arose in mid-sixteenth-century Europe as repositories for all manner of wondrous and exotic objects. In essence these collections—combining specimens, diagrams, and illustrations from many disciplines; marking the intersection of science and superstition; and drawing on natural, manmade, and artificial worlds—can be seen as the precursors to museums. This exhibition presents a contemporary interpretation of the traditional cabinet of curiosities, bringing together a diverse selection of works by twentieth- and twenty-first-century artists who have likewise felt the pull of unusual and extraordinary objects and phenomena. The works on display include prints, books, multiples, drawings, and photographs, with subjects ranging from architectural marvels and blueprints for impossible machines to oddities from the animal, vegetable, and mineral worlds. Featured artists include Hans Bellmer, Peter Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Max Ernst, and Damien Hirst, among others.

(Combining science and superstition? I’m there! Plus I’m sure it’ll be very geeky.)

Japonisme in American Graphic Art, 1880–1920
Brooklyn Museum of Art
through October 12

Japonisme in American Graphic Art, 1880–1920 explores the myriad manifestations of Japonisme in a selection of rarely seen American works on paper from the Brooklyn Museum’s permanent collection. Concurrent with the so-called “Japan craze” in America was a renewed interest in graphic arts: as watercolor, pastel, etching, and other graphic media came to be appreciated for their artistry and expressivity, they also reflected the impact of Japanese art. Color woodcuts by late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century masters such Hiroshige, Hokusai, and Kuniyoshi were avidly collected in the West and served as particularly influential models of stylistic and technical innovation for American artists.

(The last time I visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art was for its famous Murakami exhibition…and I loved not only the exhibit, but the entire museum itself. Definitely worth venturing out to Brooklyn.)

Progress
Whitney Museum of American Art
through November 30

Progress brings together works from the Whitney’s permanent collection, highlighting connections between art and visions of utopia. In the early part of the twentieth century, artists and architects like Joseph Albers, Naum Gabo, and Frederick Kiesler carried the revolutionary aims of the European avant-garde to America. The utopian impulse of these artists found its parallel in America’s optimism in developing new technology and the rise of consumer culture–advancements registered in the emergence of Minimalism and Pop Art in the 1950s and ’60s.

This presentation includes works in a variety of media at once representing and critiquing the social and aesthetic goals of Modernism. Artists such as Dan Flavin, Ad Reinhardt, and Sherrie Levine recorded the myriad responses, both hopeful and critical, to the transformation in American culture brought on by the influx of utopian ideals. Other artists address the linear advancement of modernity from a distance, neither celebrating nor critiquing the changes it has brought, but tracking its effects over the passage of time. “Progress” also presents more recent works by artists including Paul Sietsema and Joel Sternfeld, who mine Modernism’s utopian moments in order to gauge how the familiar narratives of progress in the United States continue to haunt and inspire contemporary experience.

(Visions of utopia through various media. This one looks very interesting but it may need to be saved for a time when I’m feeling particularly contemplative.)

The Full Figure and Portraiture 1926-1941
The Noguchi Museum
through February 15, 2009

The Noguchi Museum exhibits a full figure bronze sculpture, entitled Undine (Nadja), in its first public exhibition since the 1920s. Isamu Noguchi’s unique vision emerged in response to the Western figurative traditions and techniques he experienced firsthand in the workshop of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum and through his mentor, Onorio Ruotolo. Organized around Undine, this exhibit also highlights a selection of portrait busts from the permanent collection which illustrate Noguchi’s growing confidence owing to his formative academic training and a natural gift for incisive portraiture.

(I love Noguchi! Again, it’ll be interesting to see some of his earlier works as influenced by Western training.)

It can be a PITA to look up all the new exhibitions at the various museums. Maybe I should start a NYC museum blog? Hmm…

The HTC S740 was announced today. HELLO GORGEOUS! I’m such a sucker for sleek, minimalist designs.

The specs, according to BGR:

• 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz (we’d guess there is a 850/1900MHz UMTS/HSDPA version in the works, supports HSDPA 3.6Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps)
• 2.4″ QVGA screen
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Qualcomm® MSM7225, 528 MHz
• 256MB flash ROM, 256MB RAM
• microSD slot
• 140g
• 1000mAh battery
• Wi-Fi b,g
• aGPS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• FM radio

Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. The only downside is that it runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 which isn’t my favorite mobile OS. However, the design and specs more than make up for it.

The HTC S740 is slated to be released in Europe next month. Damn you, North America, for having some of the worst selection of cell phones in the modern world!