It looks like I’ll be eating pasta and microwave pizza for the next two weeks. This past weekend was the Renegade LA Craft and it was amazing.  Young crafters from all over were there to show off their best.  Joni had the difficult task of making sure I didn’t spend all my money on the first row of sellers (which I totally wanted to do).  There were many times where she’d have to trick me and say, “why don’t we look around first and come back after?”  We all know that’s parent-code for “No.” So bless Joni’s heart for keeping me in check and not letting me blow my entire rent this weekend.

We got there around 11:30am (half an hour after it opened) and it was already packed. There were so many great designers from all over the country, plus a few of my favorites from the Long Beach craft fair last month.

By 2pm, I was sunburnt and broke.  Oh well, I scored lots of good loot!

So I’ve finally made the big move to LA. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I’m here. I wake up some mornings, still disoriented, and go through the day feeling like I’m on a very long vacation. Then on other mornings, I wake up happy with all the newness that comes with moving to a new place. It’s been hectic trying to settle in. But  I finally have most of my furniture, so I don’t have to sit on the carpet and eat on the floor anymore.

The other day, I bought one of those cheap Ikea bookshelves and spent a few hours putting all my books away. After I was done, I stood there and stared at it for a long time.  It’s stupid, perhaps, but in that moment I finally felt at home.

I haven’t been taking photos as often as I’d like, but the other week,  I went down to Universal Studios for some fun.

I promise to do more exploring once I’m finally settled in (and finished with some writing I need to do).

My apologies, I’ve been neglecting this blog lately.  I have not forgotten about you, but I was busy preparing for my big move to LA. I’ve just made it through my first week up here and things are starting to settle down, so I’ve finally had time to go through my pictures.

This month’s DowneTowne party, Golf Out-ing, was the perfect way to celebrate my time in Hawaii and say goodbye. Thank you to all the awesome people I got to hang out with that night. It’s always nice to see friendly familiar faces and then meet new people as well.

Since I am no longer in Hawaii, the scope of this blog will change a bit. But no worries, I’ll still be updating regularly!

I spent all last month trying to prepare you folks for DowneTowne’s latest event, Erotica. I told you that Indica was NOT to be missed and she did not disappoint. Never have I seen so many girls happy and so many guys trying to hold in their sheer delight.

The place was packed wall to wall by the time I arrived just before 11pm (just in time for the show, heee!).  Usually when someone performs at a nightclub, it’s expected that some conversations will still carry on during the performance. This was NOT the case for Indica, it was dead quiet with all eyes fixated on her. Amazing stuff.

Last night my friend Jen invited me out to Gordon Biersch to watch her brother’s band play. All she had to say was 80′s cover band and the fact that their band is called Ferris Bueller and I was set on going.

They played lots of good stuff AND the lead singer  rocked a keytar! Now that’s pimp. Right before we left, they even played a Michael Jackson medley. Gotta love that bassline in Billie Jean.

Man, I had some major camera issues that night.  I went through the trouble of renting a camera body and lens, only to forget to bring spare batteries for my external flash. Yeah, major mistake. My flash died within the first few shots and I barely got any usable pictures. I did, however, have lots of fun.

Last weekend I was asked to take some photos at Hui Maka’ala at the Sheraton Waikiki for Hairscapes Salon, located in Manoa Marketplace (but not for long–soon they will be at Restaurant Row). They were in charge of hair for the fashion show honoring Okinawan fashion designer, Yokang, and I though they did some really awesome work. Considering that I was stuck shooting from the far end of the ballroom, I think my pictures turned out all right.  Next time I will just have to be hardcore and slide my way to the front of the runway where the videographer was shooting.

Check out the gallery after the jump!

To view the set on Flickr, click here.

The other week I stopped by Downetowne and Casa’s Sun-Daze day party at the Manifest.  I love the concept of having a day party. I mean, I like to go out as much as the next person, but sometimes I’m exhausted by the time 11pm rolls around. This is why a day party is perfect. Head down to the Manifest in the early evening, enjoy the bloody mary bar, hang out with friends, snap a few pics, and I’m home just in time for a late dinner. The decor and vibe of the Manifest is a perfect fit for the Sun-Daze party because it’s lowkey and there’s more than enough room to dance and hang out.

Click on the [read more] button below to see the rest of the photos.

LOVED THIS.

I don’t know why, but I like taking pictures of shoes when people are dancing.

More shoes.

The little hockey figure amused me.

]]> http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2009/nightlife/downetowne/pictures-sun-daze-day-party-at-the-manifest/feed/ 0 http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2009/nightlife/downetowne/pictures-downetownes-anything-but-clothes-party/ http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/2009/nightlife/downetowne/pictures-downetownes-anything-but-clothes-party/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:20:57 +0000 kristel http://slowdancingwithstrangers.com/?p=984

This past Saturday was Downetowne‘s Anything But Clothes party and I was on hand to document the madness that night. I came just in time for Futatsu (acoustic Satellite Grey, who probably rushed there from their gig opening up for Silversun Pickups) and Jae-mi.

There was a costume contest a little later and the crowd favorite was this lovely girl above, who dressed as a peacock. I thought everyone’s costumes were pretty creative, though! Definitely a great theme to get us ready for Halloween next month.

As a side note, have you guys checked out the new Downetowne site? They’ve really taken things to the next level. Not only can you get updated on all their newest events, but you can also network and socialize with other members on the site. This is a great opportunity to get to know all those familiar faces at the parties and stregthen our community!  When you decide to sign up, don’t forget to add me as a friend HERE. I’ll upload all my event photos there as well.

Pictures are below!

Man oh man, it’s been a busy and yet unproductive month. I had been sick for  the past month or so, so I’ve been hiding under a rock for quite some time. I’m finally getting my energy back, though, and getting into the swing of things once again. My stomach condition really screws up everything sometimes.

Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I started a Project 365 last year on Election Day. One picture a day for the next year. Sometimes I cheat and several pictures cover a few days, but for the most part, I’m decent at staying on top of this (which also means lots of last minute pictures of my cat).  I thought I’d post what I have so far to hold you over for now.