Happy New Year, everyone!  What better way to start off the first blog post of 2012 than with FOOD, one of my favorite things to talk about and consume.

Our department frequents Bossa Nova when we decide to go on lunch to catch up on business and everyone’s holiday festivities. I usually order the Cristie’s BBQ chicken sandwich but decided to try something different today – Diego’s Favorite Seabass.

What: Diego’s Favorite Seabass - charboiled seabass with lemon caper creamy sauce and leeks risotto | Lunch: $12.99

Where: Brazilian Bossa Nova Cuisine | West Hollywood

Verdict: If you are not familiar with the taste of capers, please note they are usually served pickled.  At first bite of the risotto, the saltiness from sauce (due to the capers) was a bit overwhelming but slowly calmed after biting more into the rice.  Leeks and chopped onions were in the risotto, which is a hard dish to perfect.  Oftentimes, the rice is the hardest part to cook as most fail cooking them all the way through leaving some parts of the rice crunchy.  The leeks risotto was indeed a bit crunchy, something I was prepared for.  I was fixated at smashing all of the uncooked parts of the rice with my teeth than focusing on enjoying my meal.  But it was tasty nonetheless.

The seabass was charboiled nicely and paired well with the sauce and rice.  Overall the dish was pretty good.  Would I order this again?  Only if I was feeling for something on the heavier side….

Over the Christmas weekend, I consumed more homemade Mexican tamales than I’ve ever had in my life (#winning).  They were delicious.  When I had the chance to try a homemade Nicaraguan tamale, I was indeed excited to experience the comparison.  No, my family did not make them.  They are traditional Chinese and do not celebrate American holidays, except when Mother’s and Father’s day rolls around and I get subtle but obvious reminders from my mom to appreciate her and dad, which I have no qualms in obliging.  I never had a Christmas tree at my house …… until this year when my brother bought a BABY plastic one for his kids to experience Christmas holiday that we never did while growing up.

This year, I spent my Christmas weekend in Palm Springs.  My first time officially hanging in that area (Cabazon outlet shopping does not count).  The Nicaraguan tamale was made by a family in Corona, CA and was brought back to Palm Springs as holiday leftovers and was kindly handed to me to try.

Where: Corona, CA

What: Homemade Nicaraguan chicken tamale (masa, rice, potato, onions, green bell peppers, marinated chicken and unknown spices)

Verdict: I’m a big fan of carbs.  Walk by any bakery and you will see me salivating in front of their window like a dog waiting for a snack.  However, when there are too much (plain) carb varieties going on in a dish, it takes away from the main ingredients.  Case in point, the Nicaraguan tamale has three different carbs going on – masa, rice and potatoes.  I could have tolerated the masa and rice together but add potatoes and it’s already too much.  I ended up manually taking them out.

The marinated chicken was moist and very tender.  But due to the amount of plain carbs, it didn’t shine in taste.  I really wanted to like this tamale but I’d have to say that the Mexican version has prevailed – less masa, equal balance of filling. I brought home a few other versions of Mexican tamales that were made by different people that I am excited to try. One is a sweet kind with pineapple!  I’ve never tasted a sweet tamale with fruit before (I’ve had the tasty Salvadoran elote tamales).

Yes, this is legit. No, this is not spam.

One of my biggest fears is going through labor but after watching this video, I am less scared and even willing to consider the thought of it actually happening. I’ve heard more bad/mixed stories than good in my lifetime. I think many of my female friends would appreciate this “best kept secret” video.  I am in favor of natural births and now with this newly found intel, I am more inclined to consider it myself.  Apparently, with the right amount of preparation and support, a woman can have an orgasm while giving a natural birth.  Seriously. Probably the farthest thing a woman would expect as it has been documented and confirmed by media and history to be a tedious and daunting task.  But who knew that one of the most painful experiences a woman can experience can also be an extremely pleasurable one.  Check out the video after the jump.

I’m sure it would be a costly procedure to prepare for and go through but I hope one’s medical insurance would provide options to lessen the hardship. I haven’t researched on those particular details as I do not have a need but I might at some point in the future.

I wonder if Eryah Badu had an orgasm during hers….

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is hosting the FREE “L.A. Print: Edition 2″ event this Saturday, December 10th from 12pm – 8pm. Attend to check out some very cool vendors, discussions of printmaking, publishing and art and most importantly, network and enjoy yourself in the artsy socialite scene.  I don’t anticipate pretentiousness at the event (cross fingers).

Designer/artist Lucky Bunny aka Rich DeSimone will be one of the exhibitors/speakers at L.A. Print for the second time (7pm).  He was fortunate to have been included in the first edition and LACMA liked him so much, they invited him back.

L.A. Print: Edition 2 is the second annual showcase of Los Angeles printmakers, dealers, galleries, and non-profits focusing on current trends in printmaking and publishing. Guests are invited to connect directly with artists, curators, printers, and dealers to learn more about the production and collection of fine art prints and editions.

Presentations and artist talks throughout the day illuminate the creativity and process behind printmaking. With a variety of affordable prints available, it is perfect for those looking to build their own collection or to purchase special gifts for the holidays.

To view the official schedule, click here.

Exhibitors include:

Art Catalogues
Beautiful/Decay
Buddha Cat Press
El Nopal Press
Iconoclast Editions
Kleinprint
LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions)
LA>< Art
Los Angeles Printmaking Society
Lucky Bunny
Modern Multiples
Outpost For Contemporary Art
Pepin Moore
Post No Bills
Prints and Drawings Council
Self Help Graphics & Art
She Rides the Lion

Where: LACMA| LEVEL 5 | 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90036
When: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time: 12pm – 8pm | Lucky Bunny @ 7pm

For more information, please visit here: http://www.lacma.org/event/la-print-edition-2-Dec10

For the first time in two years, Lucky Bunny aka Rich DeSimone has released his much anticipated “Tank Bunny” t-shirts for sale today for a limited time only!  Even cooler: each shirt comes with a FREE sticker pack with buttons – $12 value! #shopindie

Over these years, fans have sent in numerous emails asking for t-shirts.  They’ve scoured through the internet for any available Tank Bunny tee only to end up disappointed.  Lucky Bunny listened to his fans and is making this limited time offer to those who missed Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales for holiday shopping.  Give your swanky friends something smart they can wear and most importantly, gain brownie points within your inner circle for being a supporter of indie artists.

I promise no animals will be harmed in the production process.

I’m grabbin’ myself a cranberry t-shirt before they run out.

SHOP HERE: http://www.luckybunny.bigcartel.com/

Website: http://www.luckybunny.net
Facebook Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/luckybunnyart
Twitter: @Lucky_Bunny
Tumblr: http://luckybunny.tumblr.com

I came into the office today and saw a pleasant surprise in my mailbox – my $25 American Express^® Shop Small Gift Card courtesy of @klout perks.  The partnership is in efforts to promote the support of small, local businesses in your community, which I am a huge fan of.  Klout is taking social media to the next level with these rewards and I think they are doing something very special, despite the minor bugs and inaccuracies in measuring a user’s actual influence.

Obviously with such perks, there are a few “call to action” items to encourage the promotion and engagement of social media content in association of the product/company.  Take the hashtags in the title of this blog post, for example.  When I use my card on a small business, I am encouraged to use the above hashtags, which American Express would use to gauge which influencers to gift $150 gift certificates each day.  Not a bad deal at all.

The Shop Small movement is targeted for this Saturday, November 26th, a day after Black Friday.  While the big companies will get the most of consumers money from their big Black Friday sales, small businesses are left in the back seat as they probably cannot afford offering a competitive discount on their products.  Insert the #ShopSmall movement a day after.  I’ll definitely make sure I put my gift card into good use.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free product or sample because I’m a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

Shepard Fairey "Peace Elephant"

I frequent the West Hollywood Library every week because they have an awesome DVD collection where I rent various movies from.  The day I registered for a library card, I rented five movies.  The next day, I rented five more.  I was averaging about 1-2 movies daily until my schedule filled up a bit.  I had to renew a couple of times because I was not finishing my movies before they were due (they give you a week to return).  If you love indie or international flicks, their collection is pretty robust.  I highly recommend visiting this newly minted facility not just for their AV section but to experience the its beauty inside and out.

RETNA

One day after dropping off/renting more DVDs, I decided to walk over to the other side of the parking lot and was pleasantly surprised to see a giant Shepard Fairey mural covering an entire side of the lot.  Kenny Scharf and RETNA (a.k.a. Marquis Lewis) also had their respective art space on the other sides.

I’m rather late on this but whatevas.  Cadillac & Vanity Fair, in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) presents the West Hollywood Library Murals.  These fantastic pieces of work made its debut a few months back.

The West Hollywood Library Murals is an extension of MoCa’s wildly popular Art in the Streets exhibition which was on view at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA from april 17 to august 8, 2011. art in the streets traced the evolution of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today. Renowned photographer David LaChapelle captured the artists and their murals for a custom portfolio, presented by Cadillac, for the november 2011 issue of Vanity Fair.

Kenny Scharf

Check out the gallery below for more close up shots of the murals!

Los Angeles-based producer Garfield Adams recently dropped his debut album “1st Things First,” which is available now on iTunes and Amazon.  The album features Tomorrow, Yesterday, trumpeteer Josh Koslow, Los Angeles-based rapper E Reece, Derrick Buck, K. MAKA EL, Philosoph-e, D.I. JOE, Basicali and Yep!  Expect a soulful, hip-hop, loungin’ piece of work perfect for any occasion.  Talent Jon B., among others, co-signed on this project as well.  So I’m not crazy.

Back in September, we shot the music video for his first single “For My City” ft. Josh Koslow, which is a dope instrumental track to chill out to, specifically on a bicycle riding around town.  I had lots of fun that day, even with the hot Los Angeles weather and sun beaming down on us cyclists.

Artist: Garfield Adams
Album: 1st Things First
Release Date: 11.11.11
Genre: Hip Hop/Soul

Tracklisting: 

Unfortunately, I had to miss Garfield Adams’ album release party because I had a client event to attend to that Friday evening. Having a recap video helps and below gives you an idea of how the night went down.  I was told that artists Jon B., Scarub, Ahmad and Al Jackson were in attendance

“Garfield Adams is a groove scientist, fluid in his pockets and atmospheres. He blends classic sounding hip-hop with cerebral instrumentation and is complimented by the circle of artists that vibe off his rhythms…” – Jon B. | Platinum-selling Producer/Songwriter

About Garfield Adams:

Coming from an emcee background, it’s easy to understand Garfield Adams’ love for music production. “As an emcee, you have to be moved by the production so you can write your best work each and every song. Now that I’m on the production side, my goal is to create that sound that inspires the best work.” Growing up in Pasadena, the Illinois native was heavily influenced by the textures and production style of hip-hop’s golden era as carved out by frontrunners Jay Dee (aka J Dilla), Pete Rock, DJ Quik, Erick Sermon and DJ Premier. That influence, coupled with a love for classic rock, soul and jazz can be heard on his debut, full-length LP titled, “1st Things First”, released on November 11, 2011.

Garfield’s early connection to hip-hop began in Illinois; however, it wasn’t until he moved to Pasadena and received an advance copy of Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” on cassette that he discovered his love for lyricism. Since then, he has worked with several artists in the emcee capacity, most recently as a member of The Uhh, where he officially began his quest as a producer/mix engineer. As a performer, he has shared stages with a myriad of talents, including platinum-selling recording artist Jon B., The Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes, Crown City Rockers and Aloe Blacc.

Now, Garfield Adams is a solo artist sharing his talents as a producer and mix engineer. He has contributed to projects from Jon B., E Reece, BASICALI, Derrick Buck (of the Globetroddas) and Tomorrow, Yesterday and has several collaboration projects in the works for 2012.

Website: www.garfieldadams.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mrgarfieldadams
Twitter: @garfield_adams
Tumblr blog: www.garfieldadams.tumblr.com

Yesterday, the lovely @coolhaus truck stopped by the office to give us complimentary ice cream sandwiches.  I guess it was in celebration of their grand opening store in Culver City, where they were also handing out free sandwiches.  I’ve always wanted to try coolhaus but never could fork out over $3 for an ice cream sandwich given the existence of Diddy Riese in Westwood, who sells their diverse ice cream sandwiches for just $1.50.  Yummy and what a deal.

What: Pumpkin ice cream, top chocolate chip cookie, bottom chocolate cookie

Where: coolhaus Truck | R&C

Verdict: The pumpkin pie ice cream was very yummy.  However, upon first bite I could not help but to think, “this is a damn hard a$$ cookie.”  They tasted like they came from a vending machine.  Did we get a day’s old cookies?  If not, damn.  Please make them better.

The coolest thing about coolhaus’ ice cream sandwiches are the EDIBLE (bland) wrappers. Yes, I bit into one of those things and it melted away.  This very cool factor does not make the bad cookies any better.  Again, please make them better if you are going to charge more than 2 times what Diddy Riese is charging for their product.

Hell to the yes for their ice cream.  Hell to the no for their cookies.

This recap is two weeks too late but I don’t care.

I was fortunate to check out, I believe, the 5th installment of Designer Con on Saturday, Nov. 5th at the Pasadena Convention Center with my buddy Rich DeSimone aka Lucky Bunny.  This is not a convention where you pay $20 for attendance just to spend more money on products from your favorite artists.  Tickets were only $7 and that gave you their Designer Con 2011 collector’s card, a program and a raffle ticket to win prizes.  What a great deal!  If anyone ever had problems finding gifts for their loved ones, DCon is packed with awesomely cute and cool collectibles for you to choose from.  It was hard for me to say, “No” to myself when I passed by every booth.  With little time to spare and the parking meter ticking away, I made my way through the small convention of wonderful art and characters.

The place was filled with fanboys/gals and many artists who I admired, enjoyed and became a new fan of – Ragnar, Bored Inc. (esp the Stinky Poo character), Furry Bones, Buff Monster and many others.  I didn’t have time to stop and jot down every name.

Rich DeSimone with his giant Grenade Bunny

Rich’s giant Grenade Bunny was on display at Pretty in Plastic’s booth along with a sample of his (sold out) Special Edition Grenade Bunny that debuted at this year’s New York Comic Con.  He placed a stack of bunny stickers on the table and it was immediately gone in a matter of minutes.  People love stickers.  I love stickers.

I instantly became infatuated with Bored Inc.’s booth specifically because of the Stinky Poo and T.P. characters.  From stickers, keychains, plush toys and framed art to toilet paper covers, t-shirts and tote bags, no product was smear-free of the poo.  Bored Inc. had other cutesy characters but I have to say that the poo-petrators of the #occupythetoilet movement were standouts!!

What gave me the biggest laugh was the “i pity the poo” framed art (picture on left), which I bought along with the Stinky Poo and T.P. friends forever one.  Both are currently hanging in my bathroom – only the most fitting decoration allowed.  #occupthetoilet

I am definitely going back again next year!  Check out more photos in the gallery below: