kathemo

:: it's that BEE thing ::

2009-03-10T21:21:56Z

Welcome to my little yard of not-quite-horrors.

If you're up to speed about my latest drama... you'll know I've been taken over by bees! Tons and tons of bees! They're all over the front half of our yard.

They sort of exploded from our yard quite recently and we were left aghast trying to figure out what happened.

Mom: That's not the geese poop you were talking about, right?
Kathy: Oh, you silly, silly lady. How can you--
Kathy sees the bee mounds
Kathy: CLEARLY THERE HAS BEEN A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.

We thought wasps or hornets at first. Then termites when we realized how small the mounds were. Possibly mutant ants. And then.. upon closer inspection, a sort of soil-nesting bee!

Kathy: So, I have this bee thing.
Pest Control: Haha, let me show you my wonders. Where are they?
Kathy: They're living in the dirt.
Pest Control: Foolish child, those are wasps! Are they big and mean?
Kathy: No, they're small and fuzzy and look an awful like honey-bees.
Pest Control: Stop your tom-foolery.
Kathy: They're cute but they strike terror in my heart.

I actually talked to a few professors from NCSU's Entomology program. Two of them being an expert in ornamental and turf insects, I learned these wonderful things:

♦ not aggressive
♦ solitary (no hives)
♦ each burrow is one small family
♦ not aggressive
♦ many don't have stingers
♦ not aggressive

Basically, they love dry soil with little vegetation and that is exposed to a great amount of morning light. My yard has ALL OF THESE THINGS. Ah, life.

The general consensus is to leave them be, although watering the lawn more frequently will prevent others from nesting in a (ground)Bee Paradise. After they're done nesting in about 3 weeks, we're to till, spread mulch, seed and generally take much better care of the yard.

It's been about two days. I'm thinking that our recent bout of snow and then the sudden burst of heat and sun set them in a tizzy of nesting. I'm growing a bit used to them and they're rather cute. I've gotten pretty close to take some pictures... my camera's about 5 inches away for close-ups. As of yet, no attacks!

I've now become a bee expert.

Please inquire about honey at 1(800)OMG-OMFG.

:: click for merely slightly bigger version ::

2009-02-12T01:49:23Z

Something I'm trying to have done by Katsucon.

...HAHAHA. killmenow.

kathemo @ 2009-01-27T22:25:00

2009-01-28T03:34:36Z

challenge
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think. Remember: one word answers to the following 34 questions.

1. Where is your mobile phone?:
Purse.

2. Your significant other?:
MYSELF.

3. Your hair?:
Permed!

4. Your mother?:
Christian. :O

5. Your father?:
jackiechan!!

6. Your favorite thing?:
Vibrator.

7. Your dream last night?:
ANGRY. XD

8. Your favourite drink?:
Water.

9. Your dream/goal?:
ACHIEVE!

10. The room you're in?:
Cold. :(

11. Your ex?:
Gnome.

12. Your fear?:
RINGU.

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?:
California! XD

14. Where were you last night?:
Bed.

15. What you're not?:
Together. XD

16. Muffins?:
fuckyeah

17. One of your wish list items?:
Moniez.

18. Where you grew up?:
Chantilly

19. The last thing you did?:
Korean.

20. What are you wearing?:
PJs

21. Your TV?:
Monitor

22. Your pets?:
None. :(

23. Your computer?:
LIFE.

24. Your life?:
Boring!

25. Your mood?:
Meme.

26. Missing someone?:
Sex.

27. Your car?:
Lame.

28. Something you're not wearing?:
Socks! :O

29. Favourite Store?:
GOUK!

30. Your summer?:
Humid!

31. Like someone?:
Kinda. +_+

32. Your favourite colour?:
Lime!!

33. When is the last time you laughed?:
Now.

34. Last time you cried?:
TV

:: a bit blue ::

2009-01-18T00:42:59Z

I've been volunteering for NC Rottie Rescue and Sound Pet Rescue and recently fell in love with Tomihawk.

The most adorable lab/golden retriever/rott mix EVER. Of course I kept visiting and wanted to take him home, especially after the most recent adoption day at Pet Pourri left him the only one not adopted from his litter.

I got slapped down by parents.

No way could I bring a dog home... pretty much, ever. For one, neither of them want a dog inside the house and Mom spazzes out about the idea of anything marring her white/cream furniture.

God, I can't wait to save up money, move out west and follow my dreams with a canine BFF by my side!

I am blue at the thought of Tomihawk though. :'(

:: and here we go again! ::

2009-01-17T01:09:57Z

I'm open to trades and offers but some of these prices are set in stone. Feel free to ask for pictures or more information. I'll try to answer promptly! X3 Shipping will be from 27511 + priority mail.

Posted with flat measurements!

SALES

Rose Detail
Alice and the Pirates ~~$35~~ $30
Brand new, no tags. I bought this for a friend while I was in Japan but she ended up not wanting it and I ended up with an item I'll never use. XD There are two textured fabric roses clustered together, along with a few feathers.

SOLD
h.anarchy coat $60
Measurements: 17.5 in. bust/23.5 hips; 26 in. front/38 in. back; 16" in. shoulders
Only tried on. This looks like it'll be a pretty warm coat but I already have enough black coats in this style so I have to let it go. :(

SOLD
Scandalous Brand bunny dress ~~$99~~ ~~$80~~ $60
Measurements: 18' wide
Rarely worn. It's absolutely adorable but I have the long shirt version from the same series and I tend to wear that. The ears are cute and floppy. The fabric itself is very warm, stretchy and has a great weight to it. Price is marked accordingly because of the small stain above the right shoulder where the hood meets the dress. It's roughly the size of quarter and I have no clue where it came from! Samples above in high contrast to see stain better and normal contrast.

Sexy Dynamite London patchwork denim skirt ~~$60~~ $50 + shipping + paypal fee
Measurement: 13" wide, 15" long .
Worn once. I wanted to keep this skirt but, well, I never wear it! Time for it to go to someone who can wear it better and rock it.

SOLD
GLP Club skirt $30 PENDING PAYMENT
Measurements: .13" - 16" wide
Lightly used. Fun and poufy with satin lining between the tulle.

H.naoto fabric cuff $20
Measurement: 8" ~ 9" long
Worn once. Silver screenprint with ragged white thread accents. The two spikes in the middle are sharp so be careful!

FEELERS

Patch details Knitting details
FOREVER ANARCHY cutsew
Measurements: 13" ~ 23" wide; 27" long
Worn rarely. This long-sleeved cutsew is incredibly soft, stretchy and lovely. It's mainly black/white with hot pink accents and some fabric cut-outs sewn in between the netting overlay. One sleeve is slightly longer than the other. I hardly ever wear it though which is why I'm thinking of taking offers.

:: luck packs! ::

2009-01-14T04:46:09Z

I received my lucky pack, huzzah! Beware, images are large because I got lazy.

I'm posting these for fun but feel free to drop offers if you like anything. I will have to say that I'm ridiculously in love with my gouk 1-man. The H 1-man was pretty neat but I don't love it like I love my kimono prints. Except the scarf.

I ♥ scarves!

Thanks again to sankakukoen!!!

gouk ♥♥♥♥♥
♣ scarf
♣ skirt
♣ t-shirt
♣ jackets

H ♥♥♥
♣ scarf
♣ tank
♣ shirt
♣ jacket
♣ coat

As you can see I was getting ready for bed before I found time to open up my package, haha. XD I'm probably letting go of the h.anarchy coat w/ grey print (the last pix) because I have a black coat already that I love. I'm thinking of pricing it around $60 (includes shipping within US) or trades!

Feel free to make offers! ♥♥♥

:: a variety of things for you ::

2008-12-09T00:43:08Z

I'm trying to get rid of all this, so feel free to make offers or trades~ I take all forms of paypal but they will be subject to paypal fees unless handled via money order. Feel free to ask questions or pop comments!

Alice & Pirates headdress ~~$35~~ $25 + shipping + paypal fee
Brand new, no tags. I bought this for a friend while I was in Japan but she ended up not wanting it and I ended up with an item I'll never use. XD There are two textured fabric roses clustered together, along with a few feathers.

Back detail
Front detail 1
Front detail 2
Normal stain view
< ahref="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/3111647237_b1785c74ab.jpg?v=0">High contrast stain view</a>
Scandalous Brand bunny dress ~~$99~~ ~~$80~~ $60 + shipping + paypal fee
Measurements: 18' wide
Rarely worn. It's absolutely adorable but I have the long shirt version from the same series and I tend to wear that. The ears are cute and floppy. The fabric itself is very warm, stretchy and has a great weight to it. Price is marked accordingly because of the small stain above the right shoulder where the hood meets the dress. It's roughly the size of quarter and I have no clue where it came from! Samples above in high contrast to see stain better and normal contrast.

GLP Club skirt $30 + shipping + paypal fee
Measurements: .13" - 16" wide
Lightly used.

Pattern detail
Sexy Dynamite London patchwork denim skirt ~~$60~~ $50 + shipping + paypal fee
Measurement: 13" wide, 15" long .
Worn once. I wanted to keep this skirt but, well, I never wear it! Time for it to go to someone who can wear it better and rock it.

Miyavi Boogie Woogie Limited Edition CD+VHS Combo $15 + shipping + paypal fee
Open but never been used. I bought this years ago and never even opened it until recently for this post! It will come with the pictures, balloon, and special message VHS. I've never played or watched any of it so it is in pristine condition. I used to collect jrock, but as you can see, it was ages ago.

Malice Mizer singles $1/each + shipping + paypal fee.
They're a bit scuffed but the singles are in pristine condition.

Close-up
H.naoto fabric cuff $20 + shipping + paypal fees
Measurement: 8" - 9" long
Silver screenprint with ragged white thread accents. The two spikes in the middle are sharp so be careful!

H.ANARCHISM for PLUS cutsew $30 + shipping + paypal fees
Close-up on tag
Close-up on textures right
Close-up on textures left
Measurements: 15" - 17" bust
A very comfortable top with the same plaid fabric used as a buckle on the right bottom side.

Click here for better pictures of everything on sale.

Tim Burton: Alice in Wonderland

2008-11-17T13:51:04Z

Fuck yes.

That is all.

PS: Pictures of Aquarium pending!

kathemo @ 2008-11-05T07:20:00

2008-11-05T12:21:56Z

I woke up my usual time for work this morning - a la 6:30 am - and immediately checked CNN.com for the voting results.

FUCK YES!!

god, work is going to suck hardcore. Most seem to be for McCain/Palin

Drinks on me, bitches!

:: Busting Out the Cosmetics ::

2008-10-30T02:35:07Z

In the spirit of Halloween... and my general love of cosmetics and costume!

:: this is probably old news... ::

2008-10-24T15:50:57Z

...but!

I've already got my sticker, go get yours!

This year you can do early-voting in case you haven't heard. It's quick, easy and just a google search away from finding times and locations near you.

:: Anime USA ::

2008-10-21T23:46:59Z

So... Anime USA!

Well, it was pretty low-key except for the Versailles drama that both enraged me (for their poor fans) and fed my voracious appetite for all things gossipy.

But! Onto the pictures:

More here!

PS: There is an awesome picture of a b.turner in there!

kathemo @ 2008-10-16T07:07:00

2008-10-16T11:12:58Z

Skip Beat is being made into an anime, which is fucking awesome!! I'll have to see how the first few episodes go but so far... not bad. I love the manga by Nakamura Yoshiki; she also did Tokyo Crazy Paradise.

Finished up a few commissions at AnimeUSA and now I need to knock out quite a few more. I was thinking of trying to set up some sort of Art Jam (a la Annie and Chris) but here. Not too sure where it might be or what the schedule might... Some sort of weekend night, defniitely.

Will post up more pix of China/Taiwan and AnimeUSA soon! ♥

:: China pictures! ::

2008-10-14T12:02:59Z

Here there be China/Taiwan pictures!

Dad and myself at the Dallas airport~

A delicious Korean dessert trend involving rich yogurt with toppings of your choice: strawberry and mochi on mine.

Just arrived to Kun-ming! My family was 10 of 14 Signet Tour clients, haha.

Breakfast with Dad!

Dad and Grandma rubbing the Mahjong Tree, which is said to give gratuitous luck in mahjong.

A dashing pose on a dashing yak.

Family in Old Town of Li-Jiang (I think). I love the little streams filled with fish flowing throughout the streets.

Shrimp with snowpeas and scallions.

Kon shin tsai. Fuck, I don't know ping-ing.

The toilet on the train. I mean, c'mon. I'm lucky I didn't pee on myself trying to balance out the train.

A preview of the Taiwanese Photoshoot!

kathemo @ 2008-09-24T10:59:00

2008-09-24T03:04:21Z

Going on a train tour to eastern Taiwan tomorrow.

Grandma Hua's place is very close to street market and it gets crazy during the late afternoon/early evening. So much good food. Man, I'm showing some restraint by not eating everything.

As of yet, I haven't found any shot glasses but I've been gathering up a sweet supply of random things for peeps. For those that may receive clothing, I hope it fits. For those that get trinkets, attach those bitches on something.

Probably no pictures until after I get back to California on the 29th because I've just been hopping on public computers without public USB access.

I <3 my grandmother (Grandma Yang) but damn, she's bossy. Every action I make reflects to my ancestors in some way.

Well, here's to hoping I shit gold today and make them proud!

:: someone give me a/c, pronto ::

2008-09-20T06:57:55Z

In Taiwan!

One thing I had somehow managed to forget to mention is how freaking miserably hot it was in Hong Kong... and also is in Taiwan. Yunnan province wasn't so bad. Something about where we were in its location meant warm days and cool nights. Here it's as humid as North Carolina except it does not dissipate during the evening.

Well, in comparison to Hong Kong, Taipei is cooler. The humidity in Hong Kong is probably due to the pollution hovering around the city like some science-fiction movie.

Haven't really traveled much of Taiwan. Dad wants to find some sort of train tour because he thinks that will be fun. I know we're going to visit some sort of large tourist-friendly farm where we can play with sheep and whatnot.

Right now Dad and I are chilling in the Taipei Musuem of Fine Art. We've been walking (and consequently, sweating) a lot to try and work off all the delicious food Grandma Hua makes us. I've been eating kong shing tzai... FUCK YEAH! I love that stuff. You can't really buy it in Raleigh. The Grand Asia Market never has it in stock or it sells out way too quickly.

A Yunnan Note: I love bargaining. I love bargaining. I Love Bargaining. ILOVEBARGAINING! My Chinese improved enough that I could hassle right back at shopkeepers when they hassle me in the street shops. It's not like an actual store where prices are set. At first I was timid... I mean, I was encouraged to open the bargaining with merely 10% of the quoted price and work up to want you'd be willing to pay!

And it works. Not all the time and it works the best when you're not as interested in something.

(1 USD = 6.7 CSD at the time)
Shopkeeper: You like this bag? I give it to you for 280 CSD.
Kathy: Eh, I dunno. I'm not looking for a bag. (walking away)
Shopkeeper: How much you want it for? Eh, how much you want it for?
Kathy: (thinks of a ridiculous number becase she's trying to get away) 35 CSD.
Shopkeeper: EH?! No way! This is clearly worth much more. Oh my goodness, merely 35... how about 200?
Kathy: Eh...
Shopkeeper: 180. 120. 95. I'm working with you here. Give me a price you'd buy it at!
Kathy: 35.
Shopkeeper: ...35! Okay.
Kathy: Well, fuck. Now I have to get it.

One thing to note is that verbal agreements are binding. The shopkeepers take you at our word and they get quite angry if you don't actually buy it when you've bargained down to a price you said you'd buy it for.

:: still in China!! ::

2008-09-17T09:11:10Z

I'm still in China. XD

Thoughout my stay so far we've stuck to the Yunnan Province: Kun-ming, Dali and Li-jiang. Unbeknownst to me, we were traveling on an actual tour so no thinking was involved! Luckily there were two other people within the tour that had bad Chinese, but apparently this Signet Tour is the only one available for Yun-nan, except it's only in Chinese. I actually helped translate for them!

Dude, these were fancy hotels. Elaborate rain shower heads with the most comfortable beds ever... These were in more rural areas so it was probably more affordable than a 5-star in NYC or something.

Red-lantern street in Li-jiang. Goooorgeous. A small streen runs between each street which is beautifully clear and full of fishes that Buddhist monks buy and set free into the waters.

A butterfly on a misty day when we were walking down Yong-mun Mountain and touched... (get this) the Dragonball on the gate for good luck.

Egg custard with tofu in Kun-ming... so freaking good. In fact, we had spectacular meals laid out for us every day.

I did some cultural costume pictures with the Yi and Dongba tribal outfits. Except some silly pictures of me and my family in some fun outfits! Especially my dashing father with his pheasant feathered hat and sword!

Well, now I'm in Hong Kong for another day before we head out to Taiwan to visit some family graves. It's my grandmother's year anniversary in a few days so I'm glad that I can visit during that time.

PPS: Some may not recognize me in the next set of pictures in a week... as I've shed my mortal skin when I got a digital perm.

:: HAHAHA, I fail at life ::

2008-09-09T01:42:01Z

So, I'm in Hong Kong right now typing this furiously away on an airport internet zone because I LEFT MY LAPTOP BEHIND. I actually left it on top of my relative's car but managed to get a family friend to drive by and (THANK GOD) grab it for me before someone, well, you know, stole it.

So. Um, pictures will be coming but at random little intervals because I'll need to find one that has USB ports available for customers. Prolly some internet cafe.

Flying here was awesome though. Man, Cathay Pacific is much better than United Airways. There was a serious entertainment system and I had a choice of 50 movies and a plethora of T.V. Shows.

I almost peed my pants waiting for the girls to go through my aisle with the food cart so I could get to the plebian bathroom as first class was unavailable for a commoner such as myself!

Anyways, I already feel like Godzilla in comparison to this twigs of a girl. Oh, Asia.

:: lala, cali ::

2008-09-07T04:00:34Z

In California right now meeting up with other family members that are going on the China/Taiwan trip. It's mainly my dad's side of the family... so, I'll be the only 'kid' there. And an ABC to boot! With crappy Chinese language skillz.

Awsum!!!111

It's not bad at all and I can feel my Chinese improving although I forget the most elementary words. Scissors, for example.

I'll post up some pictures soon. I've already amassed a most excellent visual collection of tasty dishes. I've been thrown food from every corner.

Fuck yes.

:: Otakon 2008 ::

2008-08-08T11:24:13Z

Arrived yesterday around 5ish. Traffic was fucking ridiculous 40 miles before. Definitely added 45 min. to the travel time. But I spotted something awesome along the noise-reducing walls framing the road:

Me: ...is that... a door?
(points at shockingly white door amidst the grungey brick wall)
Katie: What the fuck?
Me: Shit, let's go through there. I bet Baltimore's on the other side.

:: And so it begins ::

2008-03-21T12:59:02Z

I missed my 6:15am flight to Boston so I'm waiting on standby for the 9:30am flight. PLEASE LET THERE BE A SEAT.

:: a quick note ::

2007-06-09T01:57:22Z

Still alive!

Don't have time to post pictures but we did a lot of night things lately. Checked out the New York bar at the Park Hyatt hotel, which is the location for some scenes in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. The view was freaking incredible and my drink? To die for.

:: Shibuya and then some ::

2007-06-05T10:47:27Z

I hit up Shibuya today and took some pictures wandering around. I couldn't find Hachiko, although I did find a wall mosaic of him. I went into Mandarake and bought all the Twelve Kingdoms novels. I had found them earlier in Omochanomachi but the original art was replaced with some really crappy photoshop imagery. These had the cover art I love. <3333

I met up with Ashley and two other guys from K's House and took them to Harajuku. We hit up the Meiji shrine.

[LEFT] cool drum
[RIGHT] Me at the 239481th entrance

[LEFT] Ashley in front of a store: whitetrashcharmJAPAN. HAHAHAHA!
[RIGHT] Ashley and Alex making wishes. i want to sleep with a japanese woman...

....MYSPACE!

Did some more shopping for people which is satisfying because I'm not spending my own money but still having the same experience. We wandered and hit up some artsy places. I might end up getting my hair colored here. It's only about 40$ - 60$ for really crazy cool styles. Man, that's cheap.

Alrighty, these are mainly for the peeps I be buying for.

[LEFT] Matt > Here's a Moi headdress. ($38)
[RIGHT] Madeth > Dude, this hat is so fucking hawt. h.naoto but not from closet child; it's from h. ($78) I couldn't find anything at Closet Child and I looked around but this hat was blew all the other ones away.

[LEFT piece] h.anarchy for plus: black/red it's long and sliced with red plaid. It buttons up halfway down in the back and buttons up front. ($78)
[RIGHT piece] h. anarchy: black/red/white sz L, it's really stretchy, zippers up with two belts that stretch from the upper front to back. Has a hood ($58)

:: on the way to the Bandai Musuem ::

2007-06-04T07:52:52Z

So... we met someone at K's House who was going to the Bandai Collection out in Omochanomachi and decided to go with. WHAT A WASTE. That place only opens twice a week and the last day was yeseterday.

Too bad we traveled two freaking hours to get there.

Anyways, here's a few pics:

This is me in front of the Bandai collection. We slipped through the front gates and snagged a picture before we left.   I'm boo-ing on the right and sleepy to the left.

These are actually from yesterday.
[LEFT] Chilling at K's House drinking with some dude that works around the neighborhood and other K's House roommates. The neighborhood dude was kinda sketchy but mostly nice. He definitely got up and sat beside me, shook my hand and kept it within his grasp for an uncomfortable while before I did the ol' yawn and stretch away. Poor Alex (guy to my left), I was edging closer and closer to him as the other guy edged closer to me.

[RIGHT] Ashley and I at the Tokyo Tower at night. It's so freaking pretty. We definitely interrupted some make-out sessions.

And, TA-DAH!

:: guy in Harajuku ::

2007-06-03T13:43:20Z

So. Hilarious.

PS: Finally getting on time.