Athena

Los Feliz, Dahlink!

Hollywood! Watch for the next star born and shining in the neighborhood! *wink*wink* Griffith Park! Here comes the inevitable soul who loves to lie down on a blanket in the warmth of Sunday summer afternoons, sipping wine (or blended mocha!), eyes fixed on a great book, if not on the Sunday LA Times...

Los Feliz, the sparkling little village beneath the park.

Those cute little cafes patroned by loyal weekend brunchers like myself sitting with best girlfriends appearing vividly in my eyes. Especially after that one Saturday Irma and I did the whole girls' day out thing in this cute little village. Being a chic cosmo girl, she introduced me to those amazing vintage-clothing little boutiques, fabulous furniture stores I cannot afford but maybe can copy the style a little for my next living space, divine emerging-designers clothing shops, rare-and-rich-for-their-collections little bookstores, delicious Starbucks on the corner we certainly didn't miss. And having the great feelings of being able to walk around these temptations with other contenders in the field is one's lively living style and awesome support system, as my Ima stated. I concurred 100%!

So it only took us an hour and a half to find my next dream place in the village. Though the dream place is not a castle with multiple bedrooms and french doors or french maids. It is just a cozy little nook for me to love, live, and learn again...in my next new chapter of a journey to, what we hope is, happiness.

Ima and Ano, thank you for being there for me while I was bouncing off the walls finding my new little pad in the cheery neighborhood.  It is a New York style living in the city of angels. Never thought I could have another piece of NY again here, space wise! Old brick buildings, 1920s charm, window ACs, fire escape stairs, and walking distance to entertainment, dining, shopping, and perhaps...love?! Hmm. Maybe it's a wishful thinking! Maybe it's the "Sex and the City" episodes again.

Now, now. Not that exactly.

(What's next on the list in that little black book, dear girlfriend? Let's have dinner at my place, girls' weekend getaway only.)

Dating. What a Game.

I feel excited. I feel adored. I feel beautiful. I feel divine. I feel wanted. I feel thrilled. I feel nervous. I feel like a woman.

The glow. The joy. The "sweep-me-off-of-my-feet" feelings. The slow dance under the moon. The sparkling of the city view. The twirling and the Hollywood kiss. The dine and the wine. The music and the chemistry. The moods created only for you, when they chase you, when they look into your eyes for seconds, minutes, without even a blink. You're smitten. "Where have you been all my life?", you say half consciously.

Darn those looks. Darn the chasing.

And the dropping. And the ending. Abrupt ending.

Just when you find yourself gazing at stars, bumping to things and smiling too much, just when you think the times shared so nicely and lovely, feeling like someone in love, then comes something that is ready to drop the shoe from nowhere and crush you to pieces...

"You're the nicest, you're wonderful, you're so sweet, you're beautiful, you're sexy, you're cute, you're almost perfect..."

Then the death penalty. "I like you, I am attracted to you. Nice spending time with you. But I am afraid I am not the person for you. I wish you the best and thanks for the time we had together." Suuure. They'll vanish in thin air and never return your calls as if you had never met. Leaving you gaga. "What just happened?" "I thought we had something". "We do." "So? What's the problem?" (Ah, even worse.) Sadness hovers. Hopefully leads to feeling mad (because you know that's the time when you're actually healing and almost ready to let it go). You wake up feeling sick for days, depending how genuine and sincere your feelings are for the person. Reminiscing from the bad or good dreams or... was it the reality? Can't quite tell after so many of them flashing through your mind all day, all night. Until one morning you'll wake up and say, "F*ck it".

What is it? Me? You? Your past? Your present? Your future? Cultural indifference? Religion? Prejudice? Sure. Whatever they say. Whatever it is, they'll never tell you the truth. Most of the time they try to say it in the nicest possible way not to hurt your feelings.

You know what I hate most about dating? The very beginning and the very end, when it ends, of course, if you're the unfortunate soul, aka the dumpee. Both events always seem so artificial enough to make you swooned, crushed or mixed, though we love hearing them saying wonderful things about you, love them adoring me...but just when you think it all may be perfect, you give in, return the adoration, start to pick up feelings stronger, and it quite seems that it's when the shoe drops.

Hopefully it ends with a happy ending so when the shoe drops, it doesn't hit you in the head, instead, we hope it's a glass slipper that fits only in your right foot, that perfectly matches with your other foot.

Like the Cinderella story, my version, of course. I know. I shouldn't believe in the fairytale fiasco anymore, but somehow, I know that there is a prince charming, okay, maybe not a prince, but a charming gentleman, a true man, not a boy, obviously not with his white horse, (in my version he can wear something white, just not white pants, please!) who doesn't begin and end with cunning words only to give you false hopes, but truly, genuinely begins and begins and begins, only and only and only with the sincerity of all kinds of beautiful words about you. And you and you and you only. The one who will be twirling me and giving me true Hollywood kisses under the stars...with no ending...

In the meantime, feel free to hit me in the head for a little wake-me-up! And oh, be blessed to have great girlfriends who are always there for you! And Bliss Spa.

Love you, girls:)

Feeling a Little Jackie O.

Yes, me.

Never thought that I would be crazily enjoying politics as much as I have been lately!

I read, read, read on and on and on...confusing but yet sexy.

Maybe it took a delightful invitation to the Election Night Party that got me hot in my seat to read all about the free quality preschool proposal in California! Maybe it's all about the California four-year olds' future for better education. Maybe it's all about caring for the children. Maybe it's about dashing all excitement to see how the campaign was going.  Maybe it took a very warm-hearted politician to introduce me to the sensational political world...I caught myself to be in all moods to talk about any political issue and of course I don't know much, but miraculously, the motivation is there.

Interesting and sexy. The one that shouts "rah rah" and "yes yes"...

Intrigued to know? Just wait and see.

In the mean time, I left my "Yes to 82" pin somewhere down the line last night...

And I had only two cocktails but with a lot of eye-gazing silent conversations...

It was one amazing and memorable Election Night Party. Just "Say Yes to Children".