Girl In A Tree

Sweet Hearts Video

2012-02-10T00:43:00.000-08:00

This is actual footage of Charlie Wadhams' grandparents. I am so touched every time I watch this. I hope you can enjoy it too!

Be sure to download your free copy of our Sweet Hearts album while you still can, at: Sweet Hearts and share it with your friends and loved ones. It's still not too late for Valentine's Day...

Love,
p. ahn

Sweet Hearts EP released today!

2012-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today is the day!

It will be available to download and share for free for a limited time -- so if you haven't gotten your Valentine anything yet... well, maybe this will help!

Click here, and enter your email address, and the download file will be sent to you!

lots of love,

p. ahn

My Thoughts On Love

2012-02-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here are my thoughts on love, Valentine's Day, and my ideal soul mate, as well of Charlie Wadhams'.

Our EP will be released tomorrow for free downloading and sharing! I hope you like it!

love,
p. ahn

Sweet Hearts Surprise

2012-02-07T00:08:00.000-08:00

I have been so out of touch with my blog these days because I have multiple album projects under way -- one of which is my first ever side project called Sweet Hearts, featuring my friend Charlie Wadhams and myself!

Watch the Teaser for the EP (which is to be released a few days before Valentine's Day for FREE, so you have time to share it with all your sweet hearts before the actual Holiday)

love,

p. ahn

Priscilla Ahn for Totes & Zines!

2012-01-16T20:23:00.001-08:00

I'm now selling Priscilla Ahn tote bags online! I've started using a number of different tote bags to haul groceries, my Korean lesson books, or songwriting materials for the road. The illustration may look "delicate", but these totes are really durable.

The design was made by Julia Kuo, the same artist who created the album art for "When You Grow Up". She is so amazing and an inspiring person to be around.

Julia's new 2012 calendar for sale here.

I'm also selling my Poster Zines online! You can see more images here.

Love,
p. ahn

Saltwood Thistle

2012-01-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

The beautifully talented Ferraby Lionheart is not only an out-of-this-world singer/songwriter, he is also an entrepreneur! He's just created a new company called Saltwood Thistle, specializing in jewelry boards made of salvaged materials. "The Standard Nine" pictured below will be perfect for all my necklaces that are lying across my dresser top.

Introducing Ferraby

Ferraby Lionheart - Pocketknife [Official Video] from Manny Marquez on Vimeo.

love,

p. ahn

My Last Week of 2011

2012-01-03T15:29:00.001-08:00

Our very dear friends Jess and Abby flew out to stay with us from the East Coast. These are some of my most favorite people, and Jess is also the genius behind the creation of my website! He is so creative and talented at what he does. His own personal website is one of my favorites! It's so much fun, you should check it out here.

Anywho... I'm so happy they came out to visit us, because it really forced us to set all our work aside, and instead, plan little adventures for every day they were here with us. Looking back, it was the perfect way to end 2011. With good friends, good food, and unforgettable memories.

Here's a quick peek at what we did:

Day 1: Runyan Canyon Hike followed by Rustic Canyon dinner

Day 2: Redondo Beach Pier Crab House, followed by MI:4, Laser Tag, and Korean Spa. The little bowl of soup in the photo spilled all over my lap about 5 minutes after this photo was taken because I was in a crab eating frenzy. Crabs not pictured.

Day 3: Drive up to Los Olivos. Our favorite wine tasting was on the patio of Carhartt's Tasting Room. Dinner at Los Olivos Cafe.

Day 4: Drive back down the coast towards Santa Barbara.

Romantic sunset seen from San Ysidro Ranch.

Magical dinner at the San Ysidro Stone House.

Mind-blowing dessert called "The Baked Alaska". They set the outside on fire with some kind of alcohol (Rum? Bourbon? I was in such a food coma I can't remember), and the inside was layers of coffee ice cream and chocolate cake. OMG

Day 5: Manicures! I never ever get manicures, but I felt like being sparkly for NYE. I find the names of nail polishes to be hilarious. This one is called "Teenage Dream". Abby's was "My Private Jet". Yes! My favorite place for a manicure: Marie Nails

Day 6: After much celebrating with friends and good food and drink, I was craving my absolutely favorite Smoked Salmon Breakfast Wrap from Joey's Cafe. Perfect way to start off 2012!

The madness continues as our friends' stay comes to an end.... I am really looking forward to this year. I have so many new projects and ideas I can't wait to begin.

I hope this is a good year for all of us! A year where we can still set aside time to reflect and evolve as a people amongst all the hubbub of internet, cell phones, and work. A year where we can continue to work towards living peacefully together here on our beautiful little earth.

Love,
p. ahn

My Holiday Wish List

2011-12-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

This little guy is one of my favorites!

The first time I saw these little cuties was in Portland.
Check out the rest of the adorable gang Here.

Camilla Engman's blog was one of the first I started following a few years ago. Her creations are so peaceful and other-wordly to me. She recently started a new blog called Studio Morran where I purchased her new 2012 calendar. It's hanging on my wall above my desk right now, waiting to be opened on January 1st!

I just love this hooded jacket that was a gift from the lovely Mia Miri. So comfortable, and "Little Black Riding Hood" chic.

I really want a copy of Peter Bastiaanssen's "Art Is A Dog" book. Remember I discovered his work next to my hotel in Berlin? They had the book there, and I found it so inspiring! But they weren't selling it, and they had to find it online somewhere because it's out of print. Does anyone know where I can find one?

I love cardigans so much! Especially big, puffy, warm ones. I love the color and Tom Boy preppyness of this Wood Wood "Debbie" cardigan.

I finally received my very new and favorite clutch from Samantha Grisdale who I just met at the Craft Fair. Her pieces are so well made, and so so special.

I want an iPig!!! When I was on tour with Milow they had one of these. It's so CUTE! You tap on one ear to turn the volume up, and the other ear to turn the volume down. It's like you're petting it! And if you want to pause the song, you poke it in the eye, which I'm less comfortable with, but still love. It's so easy to travel with. Just plug in your iPod or laptop and voilà -- instant dance party!

This Frasier Fir candle by Thymes is my favorite candle for the Holidays. It smells just like a woody and slightly sweet Christmas Tree. I haven't met anyone who didn't like the way it smelled, which is why I'm putting it on my Holiday Shopping list as a great "stocking stuffer" gift idea.

I heart my iPad. And since I travel a lot, this iPad Booqbag would be perfect for me. I love all the pockets and the pen slot. It's like back-to-school shopping again (which I always sort of miss when September comes around).

I really want a kitty too. However, I don't recommend buying someone one of these unless you know that person really well. :)

And for those of you still searching for the perfect gift for that special someone... Design Sponge has some great suggestions. Everything from "DIY Gift Ideas" to "Gifts under $50".

Happy Shopping!

love,
p. ahn

Angelino Heights Craft Fair

2011-12-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

I wish I'd known about this Craft Fair sooner to tell you about it before hand! This was a last minute invitation that I'm so glad I went to. I found it to be so inspiring and perfect timing for holiday shopping for loved ones and well.... for me too!

delicious lemonade and later a big pot of hot apple cider

hanging stained glass and a table of hooks

my first belt!
i also bought one of her clutches
you can see a portion of her work here.

my friend kathleen's handmade jewelry table

one of Kathleen's necklaces I bought for myself.
You can see more of her work here.

[flikr]

love,
p. ahn

French Lemon & Pumpkin Soup Recipe

2011-11-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

For those who've asked for the recipe of one of my favorite new soups...

This will probably be the only recipe I post from this particular cookbook since doing this is probably illegal in some way. But I will say this with 100% certainty: If you like soups, buy this book! You will not regret it. I've made about 10 different soups from this book, and each one has not failed in taste. And these are soups that have ranged from French to Japanese to African to Polish...

here is one place you can get it.

One of my own personal tips... If you can make your own Vegetable Stock, well... you're a badass. But if you're lazy and unprepared like me, here's the Vegetable Bouillion I recommend.
I get mine from Whole Foods. They also have chicken, turkey, clam, mushroom, and beef bases, just to name a few. The awesome thing about this brand is that a lot of them are vegetarian. But just be sure you get the right one. For this recipe, you'd want the one that reads "Organic Vegetable Base".

Happy Cooking!

love,
p. ahn

p.s. If you have some pumpkin leftover... I made my OWN recipe that is super easy that can use it up! I'll post it ASAP. xx

A Cloud Blanket

2011-11-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

A Cloud Blanket!

I've had this blue piece of fleece for years... hoping to make something out of it. About 6 months ago, I cut out all of these felt clouds and sewed little faces on to them.

So yesterday, on my rainy day in, I decided to finally put the two together and make a cloud blanket.

I decided to stuff the clouds so they'd be something fun to squish.

Love,
p. ahn

Germaphobic Habit #1

2011-11-17T10:15:00.001-08:00

Ok, so from being on the road a lot, I've developed quite a list of eccentric habits to help keep me and my clothes clean. When you're on the road for weeks at a time, and don't feel like doing laundry every other day, you want to try to keep stuff smelling as "fresh" as possible. I thought I'd share a few of my whacky antics with you.

These are all things that I really do.

love,
p. ahn

p.s. This is the first one... my watercolors came out a little on the "light" side. Hopefully these will get better and better over time. Or not. I don't really care. These are just for fun!

To View Picture: I clicked directly on the picture and it appeared by itself with a transparent black background, but I still wasn't able to zoom in. If you click just to the side of the picture (you should still see a pointy hand) then it puts the picture on a separate page, giving you a "zoom" option. You should be able to read the writing then. (sorry I'm not more computer savvy)

At the end of a tour...

2011-11-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I am back home in L.A. where the weather has been so bizarre. Hot one day, cold and gray the next. Somehow I found myself waiting in a line outside of a Hollywood bar last night. The last place I'd ever want to be*. And yesterday I drove through aggro L.A. traffic, and even went to the gym which was filled to the brim with good-looking people in fashionable workout attire** ***. Anyway... that's when I really felt like I was back in L.A. Those are most of the negative things though.

On the positive side , the first day I got back I made us a French Lemon and Pumpkin soup with Mussels. I've been craving to make soups being in all that Fall European weather. This one turned out really good. It might be my best yet! Would you like the recipe? I'm going to make it again for Thanksgiving.

And yesterday my husband made us a delicious pasta with shrimp and scallops.

yum yum yum!

It's been such an amazing experience traveling all through Germany and opening for Milow. They were all amazing, kind, and talented people. I will miss them!

And I'll never ever forget opening for The Cowboy Junkies in Paris****. Oh my goodness.... they were beautiful. Mesmerizing. So utterly cool. It was a magical night for me.

And last but not least, my show in London was so much fun!!! Thank you to everyone who came out. It was a very intimate show in the end, and such a joy to play a whole show by myself, and take requests. I had less than 24 hours in the city...so I don't have many good pictures to show. That being said, it was the perfect show for me to end my tour on. And it never would have been so perfect if it weren't for all the awesome people who showed up! Kisses to you all! xoxoxo

Now... to bring it all back around to the title of this long blog post: At the end of a tour...

I cut my nails.

That may not sound like a big deal, but in fact for me it is! I only finger pick when I play guitar, so my left hand always has to have short nails, and my right hand has to have perfectly carved nails in order to pluck the strings in a fluid way. So... that means no manicures for me ever. That means, constantly being cautious about heavy lifting or any other weird way a nail could break (one time I sat on my hand and my nail broke!). So at the end of a long tour... when I know I won't be playing a show in a while, I cut ALL of my nails, and it feels soooooo good!

These are not my nails.
These are Hello Sandwich's pretty nails!

It's almost 10am... time to wake up Mike***** and head to the Sunday Market so I can look at all the colors of the Fall fruits and veggies. Another great thing about being back home.

love,
p. ahn

----------------------------------------------------------------

* I was waiting to see my friend's Improv show -- I swear!

** why do I always go to the gym in baggy clothes and dirty hair? Oh, that's right -- because I don't care what I look like at the gym!

*** (Or maybe it's because I'm married)

**** Because of Paris, now I can't stop eating bread and cheese. Perfect "putting on the pounds" hibernation food. Eek!

***** Usually Mike is the one always waking me up because I sleep in til 11am. But thanks to my jet lag, now I get to enjoy all these hours of beautiful quiet morning. I hope it lasts for a little while longer.

Fall in Berlin

2011-11-05T13:18:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I love Fall! Especially this one in Berlin because it's all about my favorite color -- yellow.

love,
p. ahn

Happy Halloween My Pretties!!!

2011-10-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

love,
p. ahn

Art Is A Dog

2011-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

My first day in Berlin...I stumbled into an art gallery next to my hotel, called DAD. Inside was an exhibit for Peter Bastiaanssen's work. It was love at first sight. The flutes of champagne they were handing out at the door may or may not have helped. ;)

his paintings are so cozy

i love his woodworking as well

what a genius idea!

This gallery was such a cool space! I found the whole evening inspiring. The very nice girl at the door handing out champagne encouraged me to speak to the curator of the event. And then I discovered that the artist was actually there to do a Q&A! So, with the help of my champagne, I roused up the courage to introduce myself to him too! And then, being the dork that I am, I sat in on the whole Q&A which was entirely in Dutch. I have no idea why, but I just wanted to be a part of it.

After that, I ventured off into the night, where I came across a beautiful street singer. But I'll save that for the next post...

love,
p. ahn

Packing for Berlin to Cass McCombs

2011-10-29T18:46:00.001-07:00

It's a lazy Sunday morning on my way to Berlin. Packing my bags and listening to Cass McCombs. Reminds me of that other lazy afternoon when I got to sing a Cass song with one of my musical heroes, Andrew Bird.

Also, for those of you who don't know what the Voice Project is, it's a beautiful non-profit. Check it out!

love,
p. ahn

She's A Black Cat

2011-10-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

My new favorite Halloween song!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thesweethurt.bandcamp.com/track/shes-a-black-cat"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;She's A Black Cat by Alex Lilly, Bram Inscore, and Wendy Wang&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

I wish I was in L.A. to be a part of the festivities... :( Mreow. I think they celebrate it in Berlin?

love,
p. ahn

Long drives...

2011-10-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

The past few shows/days have been filled with lots of road. Making the 8 hour drive from St. Louis to Hays, KS, we stopped in Kansas City, MO for a little food.

We didn't eat here, but I thought his "mouse sipping wine" sign was so cute!

Incredible skies as the sun finally popped out.

Beautiful full moon against a dusty lavender sky.

Up ahead, I thought those clouds in the far distance were an island, and the space between was ocean. I guess you could say I was "road hallucinating".

The Walnut Room, Denver

We finally made it to Denver the next day and had time before the show to meet up with Sarah Fritzler for a delicious pre-show dinner at Euclid Hall. Just a quick recap: Sarah won the Creative Allies poster design contest. I've been following her blog ever since. And so this was the first time we were actually meeting each other in person! (She is absolutely lovely)

After dinner we walked up this cute street that just seemed to evoke all sorts of Holiday spirit!

The next day was another long drive, this time to Salt Lake City.

I spotted some huge wind power windmill blades being pulled along by a train!

That was pretty crazy to see...

The State Room, Salt Lake City

I tried to take a picture of the beautiful capitol building, but my camera only focused on all the splattered bugs on our windshield. Gross! We DID eat at The Red Iguana to everyone's delight. And The State Room was such an awesome venue to play at. Parlor Hawk, who opened the show, played a beautiful set.

All in all, it's been a lot of mind-numbing driving these past few days. Last night I watched an old episode of The Office, where Michael Scott is driving in a truck with Darryl and Michael's then-girlfriend who got transferred. They're driving to her new office or something. It starts out fun and happy, and then they soon become miserable and on the verge of tears. Someone says, "4 more hours. We're half-way". I almost couldn't even watch the episode because it immediately made me feel like I was back in the van! Ahh!

Show in Vancouver tonight!

love,
p. ahn

Iowa City, Evanston, St. Louis

2011-10-09T23:23:00.001-07:00

So I thought I'd update you a little more frequently on this trip. Right now I am typing this from somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City -- which could be anywhere! I'll try to keep my typing brief, as Wendy is fast asleep in the next room.

Gabe's, Iowa City

I did a little IU radio interview before the show which was really fun. The campus here is soooo beautiful! The next morning we woke up to a lovely Saturday market outside our hotel.

Young people getting grilled cheese at the Market.

My posse: Chris (Tour Manager/Sound), Wendy (bass, guitar, vocals), & Gary (keys)
I hope they don't mind me posting this pic of them!

A street piano!
I love how the yellow leaves naturally encircle it. Pianos can be magical like that.

Space, Evanston

This is probably one of my top favorite places to play in the U.S.! If you live in Chicago and like my kind of music and better, and haven't been there yet, you must check it out. My favorite thing about this space (besides the people and the sound and my show) is the decor! Unfortunately I didn't get too many good pictures of that though. Special note: Kelsey Wild opened this show for me, and I was so drawn in by her music. I am now a huge fan! You must check her out.

Just a corner of our green room area. All 50's era retro furniture. Recording studio in the next room. Really homey wainscoting.

Me downing some after show "Crispin".
I look wasted but I'm not. I'm just tired.
And that bottle was hilariously huge.
Someone described the taste of this beverage as, "It tastes like champagne, but watered down".
Yum?

And then lo and behold we are back in Hammond, Indiana! Same place, but at the hotel next door. So now I got this view of the signs (see previous blog).

Same pond, new sign.

Old Rock House, St. Louis

Between soundcheck and the show, we had time to take a little stroll around our area. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon.

I heart graffiti.

I also heart when you can see old writing on brick buildings from long ago.

Cardinals played the Brewers tonight. Beautiful baseball stadium.

Naturally we had to walk towards the Arch. That little ball of light is the moon.

The Arch was surprisingly stunning up close!

Walking beneath it's enormosity, I felt like Atreyu from "The Never-Ending Story" when he approaches the Oracle.

Looking up.

A different angle.

And last but not least, Willie, the cutest little puppy who hung out backstage with us. He was definitely a kindred spirit.

Look at how crazy happy I am!

Ok... no pictures of the Arch -- I promise!

Lots of love,
p. ahn

Autumn

2011-10-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a little animated short my friend Randy Link made about all of his favorite things about his favorite season, Autumn. And I had the honor of doing the music for it! (I especially love the bit with the candy corn!)

Hope you all are enjoying the changing of the seasons. I can see it in the trees that we drive by on this tour, but it still feels like Summer here in St. Louis!

Enjoy!

love,
p. ahn

Halfway Point

2011-10-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I am writing to you in the very middle of my U.S. tour which has been so much fun so far! This is the first time I've been able to sit down and catch up on emails and take a breather... so I thought I'd quickly sum up the first half of the tour:

Iota Club, Arlington VA

Our very first show of the tour. I meet Milow for the first time. He will be on the first run of shows with us, and soon I will be opening for him in Germany! He sounds so incredible, and is so unbelievably nice. Lots of friendly people came to support our show. Worked out some kinks in the set list!

Our ride. It's name is "Pink".

Tin Angel, Philly PA

The first night was a quiet one because of the Jewish New Year. But it was an intimate show for those who did come!

Love the architecture in Philly.

Good ol' City Hall. I remember driving around this thing late at night in my teens on my way home from seeing a show.

Night 2

The second night was full of family and friends, and even my vocal teacher from my competitive singing years! Amos Lee was a special surprise guest, and we sang "Black River" together.
I woke up that morning with that horrible pinched nerve in my neck again! Boo... but I got a massage at Terme Di Aroma, and my therapist, Michele, was so gentle and really understood what was going on with my muscles. I felt back to normal in 2 days!

Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ

Another fun show with family and friends. This time it was raining. Not only outside, but inside! Poor Milow, who played just before me, got wet from a leak in the ceiling! I proceeded to go on stage after him with a steady stream of water falling next to me into a bucket. It was like playing on stage next to a fountain. The amazing Madi Diaz and her band opened up the night. They rocked it!

A really old McDonald's. My only concern, "Is there Monopoly here??"

Night Cat, Easton MD

This show was in the cutest little town. It was drizzly and dark when we got in, which made for a cozy, Fall feel. Wendy said it felt like we were in the movie "Back To The Future". I loved playing this club. It felt like my old coffeehouse days. It was warm and friendly, and made for a very intimate night. Thanks to everyone (and it was literally everyone) who drove from far places to see the show!

My friend John Alagia attended the show and let us crash at his house, where he just finished recording Rachael Yamagata's new unreleased album. He let us listen to a few rough mixes. All you Yamagata fans are in a for a real treat!

Beautiful view from John's back porch.

Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY

I think this show was my favorite I've played in NYC. I was nervous, as I always am for NYC shows... but this venue was so awesome, and everyone who came were so loving, that I felt like I really performed my best! Woo hoo!

I think this is pretty self-explanatory.

Ok...it's the marquee with my name on it!

Milow sounding and looking like an Angel. ;)

I've thoroughly enjoyed hanging my hand-sewn "Priscilla Ahn" banner at all my merch tables.
Also there: handmade poster zines, limited edition tote bags, t-shirts, & CDs.

DAY OFF - drive thru PA to OH

We stopped off in my hometown where my Mom cooked us a huge Korean feast! It felt so much like Autumn there, and made me really miss the quiet and outdoors -- and of course my Mom's home cooking!

Fungus flowers

The Basement, Columbus OH

First thing I noticed when we landed in Columbus was a.) the amazing weather b.) the good air quality! I know, I'm weird. But it's true. The Basement was... a basement. But the show ended up being super chill and cozy. People sitting on the floor and chairs. Great audience, and Wendy Wang from The Sweet Hurt opened up the set!

The Sweet Hurt

The Ark, Ann Arbor MI

I love love love playing here! Like I said to the audience, it almost feels like a piece of home coming back to play here. I've been there a number of times now, and every time, all the workers and volunteers are so nice and cheerful and the audience is so great. Really appreciative of folk music. I met so many awesome people after the show.

A tandem bicycle outside of Eastern Flame.

DAY OFF - to Detroit, to Indiana

And that brings us up to speed to today. We drove to Detroit to do an online radio interview for udetroit.com, which I didn't realize was video recorded and posted online until I got there! I was not dressed for the occasion, hehe. Usually you can just roll up to radio interviews in your PJ's and no makeup. Whoops! It was really cool to be in the city on the day of the big Tigers vs. Yankees game. You could feel the excitement in the air!

It was a gorgeous day in Detroit!

A view from where we're staying.

Alright... I gotta hit the sack and get ready to launch into the second half of this tour. Lots of longer drives coming up for us as we start heading west.

[photo by Wendy Wang]

Love,

p. ahn

First Day Of Tour

2011-09-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

09.26

So, I woke up this morning with chapped lips because I turned the heater on last night to do some last minute hang drying of clothes for tour. Then I tried carrying one of my suitcases down the stairs to help ease the load on my husband (who is amazing and carries all my gear and crap up and down the stairs whenever I travel, which sometimes is once a month), and I pulled my neck. Then I got to the airport and realized I forgot my ukelele at home. Then I barely made my plane because the security line was so long. And finally, I had to check my carry-on suitcase at the gate because I was flying AirTran, and for those of you who aren't familiar with AirTran, well... I don't like them. Because this carry-on suitcase had all my fragile gear in it, I needed to take all that stuff out so it wouldn't brake. The AirTran assistant handed me a plastic bag to put my pedals in. I discovered that the plastic bag was 5 feet long. The bag was, literally, almost as tall as me. So I had a really good time carrying that around with me during my layover in Wisconsin.

All in all... it was not the smoothest of beginnings for the tour. But in the end, all our luggage arrived safe and sound, and my neck still stucks, but my uke should arrive by tomorrow.

I'm so excited to see familiar faces and meet new people at my shows! You can see a list of my tour stops here: http://priscillaahn.com/shows/

I am a firm believer in the old theatrical superstition, "A bad dress means a good opening night". I'm gonna go with that. Here we come Iota Club!!!

love,
p. ahn

I love... #1

2011-09-22T12:34:00.001-07:00

Has it been that long since my last post??

Sorry I have been m.i.a. for a while. Since getting back from Asia I decided to not fight my jet lag and see what happens. I got plenty of sleep! But very little work done. Took a trip to Toronto for the Film Festival which was a whirlwind of movies and fun. And now I am gearing up for my U.S. tour!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you something I was recently introduced to by my foodie friend Monique -- Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Sea Salt!!! (drawing above) Have you seen or tasted this thing yet??

When she brought it over for dessert one night, at first glance I was unimpressed. Ok... how is a single chocolate bar going to be dessert for 6? But then when she opened it up, and each person around me savored a tiny morsel, the sounds of complete orgasmic food pleasure -- the 'Oh my God!'-ing, and 'MMM'-ing, and 'Holy Sh*t'-ing, still had not convinced me.

Until I tried it myself.

I didn't understand. And I am ashamed to have been so quick to judge this beautiful chocolate bar of delight! It's filled with oozing caramel, OK? It literally explodes in your mouth. And the sea salt? Ok... so just trust me. Go try it! (Unless you're one of those people who hates chocolate. In that case, don't try it. You'll hate how awesome it is). It's so satisfying, 2 bites are all you need.

I'll be packing a few of these to take with me on the road.

Do you have yummy delights that you love and want to share with me for my tour? :D

love,
p. ahn

Pictures from Japan

2011-08-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Where to begin....

Of course, I have to start with my favorite: Udon Soup.
This one was particularly delicious!

We took a trip to the Tower Records in Shibuya where they had a very nice display for my CDs! They had me sign the display board.

THANK YOU TOWER RECORDS!

And now... moving on to the phenomena of K-POP!
They had their own section at Tower Records.

I saw K-POP bands everywhere! On huge buildings and buses -- I think I can even say that I know a few K-POP songs now just from hearing them everywhere I go!

I saw this flyer at the EMI office. Looks like they are re-releasing the Pink Floyd collection. I had to include this since I'm such a big fan.

I saw my CD at the Tsutaya store. I thought it was adorable that they made their own stick figure drawings on the name card. :)

It was so amazing performing at the Billboard Live venues again.

They even made me a 'Priscilla Ahn' heart pizza!!!
KAWAII!!!

I went to my favorite bar in Shibuya after one of the shows and enjoyed some delicious homemade jams!
Nectarine and peace -- YUM!

Everyone on their lunch break.
Something you don't see much of in America:
well-dressed skinny people in line for Burger King.

Flying into Osaka.

Classic Charlie Wadhams.
This was all he packed. And yes, he checked it.

On the hunt for a cozy bar on our last night in Japan.

Aaron Redfield (drums), Aaron Arntz (keys), Wendy Wang (bass), me, and Charlie Wadhams (electric guitar).

This was, yet again, another amazing trip to Japan. I was so inspired by all the people. Hearing first hand accounts of how they were affected by the earthquake or tsunami, broke my heart in many ways. And yet... I was so truly inspired by how strong everyone continues to be. I broke down and cried in my last show in Osaka during my final performance of "Ue o Muite Arukou".

Thank you to all my fans who came out and supported me. I hope my music was able to make you smile in some way! Thanks to my amazing band as well. I love you all!

Love,
p. ahn

p.s. I came back from this Asia tour with a lot of great memories -- and tons of dried seaweed and man-plum candies!

Footage From Japan Tour

2011-08-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is a video made by Charlie Wadhams, who sang and gently shredded on the electric guitar for my recent Japan tour. This video only captures a small percentage of all the fun we had there! I only wish we could have stayed longer!

Many photos to come!

love,
p. ahn

My Poster Zines in Tokyo!

2011-08-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce that my new Poster Zines are being sold at Flying Books in Shibuya. This place is my new favorite used books store. I could spend days in here perusing the shelves, and old editions of Vogue. The people there are so sweet, and the atmosphere is delightfully cozy.

love,
p. ahn

A better hi-def version of "When You Grow Up"

2011-08-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Sunday Morning...

2011-08-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's Monday, and barely even morning... but since I'm jet lagged from Japan... all of this makes sense to me somehow.

I'm on this Gardens and Villa kick. Enjoy!

Sunday Morning by

love,
p. ahn

Gardens & Villa

2011-08-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Anne Litt, I woke up to Gardens & Villa this morning. Love it.

love,
p. ahn

We're Very Normal Just Like You

2011-08-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

I wanted to say another "thank you" to everyone who brought gifts to my shows in Korea and Singapore!

I felt bad because my signing session at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival was so time limited, so I hardly had any time to properly say thank you to people who dropped off presents and notes. But I want to say, it's so extremely generous and thoughtful of you all! It's never necessary of course. I'm just happy to have your support! But I loved every one, and read every letter. The letters were all so sweet and moving. To those of you who brought Korean movies -- thank you so much! They are a perfect thing to help keep me learning Korean! And the pocket mirrors are so cute! I actually have been on the hunt for one -- and they are perfect!

I also wanted to feature a gift that was handmade for me by Frou.ses. Her other accessories are so pretty as well!

And then of course, I bought a few "gifts" for myself! (and for friends too -- but I can't show them here because I haven't given them out yet)

Ok, I think I'm becoming a mug collector.

I couldn't resist this one. It's filled with all sorts of characters, who are "very normal just like you".

This one enjoys ice skating and badminton.

And this guy's into PE and cooking.

Thank you again for your sweet gifts! And more importantly, for your beautiful support.

Lots of love,
p. ahn

Singapore

2011-08-08T17:43:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share some photos from my brief trip to Singapore! I had such an amazing time there, in only 2 days. I hope to come back for sure, and for a much longer period of time. I was so inspired to see so many cultures living together. And the food...... let's just say, I had to wear baggy dresses to hide my tummy full of noodles and soups!

Speaking of food, one of the first meals we had was on Amoy Street. Not sure if I'm spelling that right... We stumbled upon this place by accident. I had fish and prawn soup from this fish porridge vendor:
Then there's the stunning architecture, ranging in all different shapes, styles, and sizes:

The building in the distance is a hotel with a huge swimming pool on top.

This is the venue I played in!

Other fun observations:

A wooden transformer standing next to a wooden bicycle.

Thank you to everyone who came to my show in Singapore. It was a memorable show and experience for me. And for those of you who came to see me from Malaysia -- I'll be coming to you soon! Can't wait!

love,
p. ahn

"When You Grow Up" Video

2011-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

My friends Randy & Luis made this video for me. It's all hand painted. They are amazing!

love,
p. ahn

Poster Zines

2011-07-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

I made some Poster Zines that I've brought with me for my shows in Korea, Singapore, and soon in Tokyo & Osaka. I hope you like them!

On the inside are a bunch of polaroid pictures I took from my home, places in L.A., Kauai, and NYC.

Each zine was hand stamped by myself (and with the help of Mike and Wendy -- thanks guys!!!).

love,
p. ahn

Day 3 in Korea

2011-07-26T21:12:00.001-07:00

I'm writing to you from my family's house in Korea. My first 2 days here have been a whirlwind of fun so far!

As soon as we landed, I was rushed to MBC Studios to do a live radio interview with legendary DJ Bae Chul-Soo. He's just as friendly he looks. And his questions were great! (I didn't get any pictures with him because my camera was still in my suitcase.)

The very next morning I did another live radio interview with another legendary DJ, Kim Chang-Wan at SBS Studios. He was so funny. He's in his bicycling clothes because he rides to and from work every day!

This is the "lobby" of the SBS building.

Me and Kim Chang-Wan

We had a little lunch at a Korean-fusion restaurant. Look at how perfect this salad is!

Then I did a photo shoot for Korean Esquire Magazine, which is coming out this September.

Here we are choosing outfits for the shoot.

Here I am in the makeup chair. This is the "before" picture.

And here is the "After". :)

Then I did an interview for F.OUND Magazine, who I'm now in love with! I have to learn Korean just so I can read these magazines! I'll be in their 1 year anniversary edition in September.

Now I'm with my family where we're about to make some Mandu (yummy Korean dumplings). I better get out there and help them! My husband is smashing garlic as I type this.

love,
p. ahn

No Distractions

2011-07-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging a lot less recently. I think I've subconsciously been avoiding my computer. I'm gearing up for a week long writing excursion where I'll be phone-less and email-less. Trying to cut out as many distractions as I can. This is a new experiment for me.. we'll see how it goes.

So alas, as I'll be m.i.a. for another week, I'd like to leave you with these 2 things:

The Creative Process by Paulo Coehlo (which I discovered in Vol. III of Bullett Magazine)

and

This:

Have a great week doing all the things you like to do...

Love,
p. ahn

Friends, Fresh Produce, & Fish

2011-07-06T10:41:00.001-07:00

Our 4th of July was filled with friends, fresh produce and fish from the local markets.
[ the latter 2 were consumed by the former ]

This corn and avocado salad with a cilantro-lime dressing was one of my fav's.
I will try to get the recipe for you!

This yellowtail collar was just one of the beautiful seafood delights we enjoyed.

This was all made possible thanks to my husband who is a pro in the kitchen. Which works out perfectly since he loves cooking and I love eating! <3

I hope everyone had a safe, fun and yummy weekend!

love,
p. ahn

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

image via.

love,
p. ahn

Toms' New One For One

2011-06-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

I went to a charity dinner the other night in my neighborhood and learned about Toms new One For One mission that focuses on sight.

As many of you know (unless you're like my husband and have been living under a rock for the past 6 years), Toms began as a company that designed and sold shoes. And for every pair of shoes bought, another pair was given to a child in need. How beautiful is that?

Now they're doing the same thing, except for eyes. For every pair of Toms sunglasses purchased, they will either provide medical treatment, prescription glasses, or sight-saving surgery for people in need around the world. See chart below.

It's as simple as that!

So I know now that Summer is here, many of you have a lot of options when it comes to buying a new pair of shades... All I'm saying is, here is a very cool designer doing very cool things.

love,
p. ahn

Love Has Found Me

2011-06-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Who are these kids? They sound so great together! And what a fun idea...

Photos from PA

2011-06-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

It all began with a fake palm tree...

On my first night, I went to my friend's birthday party at a "Pirates of the Carribean-esque" outdoor bar in the mountains. It was a pretty crazy combination. It took me a few hours to realize that this palm tree was fake.

Some books from my youth.

I sang for the local Elementary School. I signed about 100 yearbooks at this table.

My favorite part about this table is Goofy's butt.

I was able to really catch up with some friends I haven't seen in a while.

At my brother's graduation ceremony, I was sitting behind this very cute elderly couple. I just love their hats! Especially the cute flower print on the front of the woman's hat. I wish I'd had the courage to ask them if I could take a picture of them so you could see it better. I need to work on that.

Look at my graduate brother! I can't believe he's taller than me. I'm so proud of him!

I couldn't get over some of the beautiful pottery my brother made in his art class.

I just love the glaze on this bowl, and the flower design he made.

But my favorite is this super cute tea pot that he ended up giving to me!

love,
p. ahn

From Pennsylvania

2011-06-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm in Pennsylvania this week, celebrating my little brother's High School graduation. I can't believe how grown up he's becoming!

I've been enjoying the peaceful summer nights here. The other night we sat out by a campfire and watched all the fireflies lighting up the woods, while lightening flickered bright white in the distance. When it rains here the grasses give off one of my most favorite smells of summer time.

While catching up on my blog reading, I found this super easy, and really cute craft idea thru one of my favorite bloggers, Candy Castle. It's a craft on how to Make Bags from Envelopes and Pretty Tape.

love,
p. ahn

Magical Verbena

2011-05-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last evening I went for a small walk because my tummy has been upset for the past few days. The air smelled so fresh and clean (for L.A. air), so I decided to take a little of it in before it got dark.

My neighbors have a big beautiful bush, with all these little teensy weensy flowers on it. I've always admired these little buds, so last night, I decided to pluck a stem off for myself. I took a big whiff, and it smelled so good! Then I smelled my fingertips, and realized that the stem had made my fingers smell exactly like my lemon verbena lotion that I have at home. I couldn't believe how aromatic this little stem was, and how delicious the smell! It immediately lifted my mood and made my tummy feel better!

I came home to look up what a verbena plant looks like, and lo and behold, it's a verbena plant! Reading more about it, I learned that it was believed to have magical healing qualities to it.

Then I read that it is the birthday flower for July 29th. Birthday flower?? I never knew there was such a thing! How cool! My birthday flower is the Anemone.

What's your birthday flower?

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Willoughby

2011-05-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

“Imagine a 1960s-era lounge, the sort that James Bond would casually visit for his shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, and you might start to get a feel for what Willoughby has created.” - NPR

"It essentially sounds like a heartbroken, Mellow Gold-era Beck armed with an acoustic 6-string and a bottle of Xanax, sharing his intimacies with Elliot Smith" - Spin - Catch The Buzz

“Gus Seyffert has worked out a sleek, retro-fitted style you could call spy rock. Recording under the alias Willoughby, he performs songs steeped in the sort of secrets shared over the pillow. This is candlelit music, low-key and laced with tremolo, delivered with a conversational intimacy.” - Blender

Need I say more?

Yea, why not?

Gus Seyffert, who is Willoughby, is such an amazing talent. I'm proud to say he's been an integral part of my last 2 records, as well as my EP from ages ago. We've co-written many songs together, one of which was on my last album, entitled, "Astronaut". If I knew how to stream my own songs on my blogs, I would.

Gus has also been on the road with Norah Jones for the past year or so, and is now jumping on tour with The Black Keys. You may have heard of these bands.

He's currently finishing up his newest album (which I've had the pleasure of hearing some tracks and it's killer!). He produced it himself, and played most of the parts himself too. This guy is a music-making machine.

"You should definitely get his album, 'I Know What You're Up To'. I feel cool listening to it." - Priscilla Ahn ;p

love,
p. ahn

Miamiri, Loulou & Elvis, YMC

2011-05-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

I just received a few new things in the past couple of weeks. One of which is this Loulou & Elvis bracelet. It's made of vintage leather, and is so cool looking in my opinion. The bracelet I have is not actually available on their website yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. It's so cool because it's unisex! You can check out the other bracelets they have for sale here.

And then right at the beginning of my CD release week, I received some beautiful pieces from a very cool, and very cute German brand called miamiri. I love the pants and shirt combo above. Their materials are so soft and just feel special. And on top of that, they have a very sweet blog!

I've become really into Chino pants as of late. I used to be that girl who only owned 2 pairs of pants. Gross -- I know! But a few weeks ago I splurged on 2 more pairs of chino pants from YMC. I'm into the boy fit chinos A LOT! They're so comfortable, and are made from salvaged material, which is probably why they're so soft and broken-in feeling. Their lookbook on their homepage is really pretty.

Hope you all have a lovely Saturday!!!

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Alanna Lin

2011-05-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Alanna Lin
Don't be fooled by her cuteness! She is a force!!
[photo by Wendy Wang]

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fascinoma.bandcamp.com/album/emergency-songs"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Emergency Songs by Fascinoma&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
This gal is a character, and I love that about her! I had the pleasure of meeting her thru Alex Lilly, and then I had the pleasure of singing with her for my shows. She encouraged me to chart out all the harmonies the girls had to sing, which was something I'd never done before, but was so much fun!

Her website is so creative, as it's filled with all the different things she does: music, writing, performance art...

She's a very cool girl with a heart-breakingly beautiful voice and I'm happy to know her. :)

love,
p. ahn

Featuring John Wood

2011-05-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

far right, John Wood

John Wood, keyboard extraordinaire. John played almost all of the keys on my new record. He is simply a genius. And not one of those snobby geniuses. The nice kind who are also funny and can make you laugh.

John has an amazing project, that I regret to announce, is coming to a close. It's called Learning Music Monthly, where he makes one album a month, and if you subscribe you get a new limited edition, homemade album in your mailbox! How cool is that? You can still listen to all of his albums he's made here: Learning Music You should just check this website out anyway. The artwork is so cool!

This summer he'll be playing keys for none other, than the appropriately named band, The Black Keys.

Need I say more?

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Alex Lilly

2011-05-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

This week I'll be featuring all the people who played with me for my CD release week. They're all so cool, I can't not share their crazy talents with you!

photo by Wendy Wang

What better person to feature first than the amazing Alex Lilly. I'm a huge fan of her band Obi Best. Tonight she is having her EP and new music video release show at Bardot. Here is one of my favorite songs off her album "Capades".

I just got a secret copy of her new EP, and it's so cool! If you like Inara George and St. Vincent, you will love Obi Best.

Songwriting aside, Alex is a bad-ass singer. You may have seen or heard her singing with such groups as The Bird And The Bee, and The Living Sisters.

If you haven't heard of her yet, check her out! I'll be at her show tonight, possibly straight from a yoga class. So I might be really gross... I'm contemplating if this is not cool of me. I think the answer is yes. Hmm... I have to rethink my game plan for tonight. I might have time for a bird bath!

love,
p. ahn

My Favorite Commercial Ever?

2011-05-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

How do I get one of these phones?? I discovered this via Sarah Fritzler.

love,
p. ahn

Behind The Scenes Photos

2011-05-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

The following are photos from my big last week!

Hello!

We only drink water thru straws in here so we don't botch up our lip gloss sheen.

David Cox, primping my hair, and Judi West, my Mother-In-Law.

Thanks David!
(he's also the one who chopped off all my hair almost 2 years ago)

Soundchecking for a private CD Release Show.

The amazing Alanna Lin & Alex Lilly soundchecking.
(photo taken by the awesome-est, Wendy Wang)

Moog settings

TV shot of us setting up for Jay Leno.

Sign outside my dressing room door.

Me and the gals in the dressing room.

Everyone got dressed up so nice!
Including Jake Blanton.

To Jay Leno's credit, he's still one of the only talk show hosts who will always pop in to the dressing room and say Hi and thank you for being on his show. Thanks Jay!

Now back to normal life! Yay!

love,
p. ahn

Unforgettable Week

2011-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last week will be unforgettable.

My record, "When You Grow Up" was released on May 3rd, which was the same night I performed on Dancing With The Stars, accompanying the beautiful Patricia Zhou. Her performance made me want to cry at the end! (I'm so glad I didn't cry though on National TV. People probably would have thought I was crrrazy)

The very next day, I performed a private showcase with a full 9-piece band, at the amazing Village Studios. Hosted by Entertainment Weekly, and Seattle's Best Coffee (all of whom I forgot to thank during my show, but I am wholeheartedly thanking now!).

Following that night, was another early call to be on set for soundcheck for The Tonight Show. I was tired by the end of it all. FUN FACT: After my performance on the show, Jay Leno, Ralph Macchio, and Wanda Sykes come over to end the show. Wanda said to me, "How's it going?", and thinking she said, "Nice going" I replied saying, "Thank you!".

All very fun and amazing stuff. And, in lieu of Mother's Day this past weekend, I felt so happy to have my Mother there by my side for this very important week! Not only my Mom, but my husband and friends... All who helped give me peace when my nerves would start to set in.

Things I learned:

- Honey Lemon Throat Coat tea gives me dry mouth
- Water makes me burp and pee a lot right before I go on stage
- High heels and me singing need practice together (I'll have to explain this in another post)
- When in doubt, use cue cards! (I'll have to explain in another post)
- Next time I'm on tv, I will bring a candle (again, another post)

All these things will be explained in my next post, along with behind the scenes pictures!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you moms out there doing your best!

love,
p. ahn

Funny Friday

2011-04-29T15:29:00.001-07:00

The cartoons by Zachary Kanin in The New Yorker are my favorite. This one made me laugh out loud.

Happy Friday!

love,
p. ahn

Cheap Charlie

2011-04-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

*this is not me

I just discovered this "Colorblock Necklace Souvy Pack For Japan" thru polkaros. Included in the pack is a 24" necklace made from colorful geometric beads, that comes in a lil' hand-crocheted speckled purse, vintage kiddy "bank" envelope of fake money with paper scraps and an unused roll of patterned MT tape. These packs are available from Cheap Charlie's etsy page.

*all photos taken from Cheap Charlie's etsy store

Although I think I might have snatched the last one! I couldn't help it! It's so adorable, and 100% of the proceeds will go to PETA to help the animals in Japan who need help too.

Cheap Charlie has a plethora of other beautiful necklaces, charms, brooches, buttons, and ribbon to peruse. And yes, I just used the word "plethora" in a sentence (which always reminds me of "The Three Amigos").

love,
p. ahn

Cheer Up!

2011-04-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I have a few really "blah" days in a row.

When I stumbled across this "Cheer Up" canister for cookies, or all other things that make me happy, I had to share it with you.

This website has tons of other cool things that might cheer you up as well!

Happy Monday!

love,
p. ahn

Straight Hair cont'd...

2011-04-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who had some questions about the straight perm I got...

-yes, this keratin straight perm is totally for non-asian hair as well.

- Of the 2 straight perms Glenn does, I chose the 2% one (whatever that means) which should leave my hair straight for 2 - 3 months. Then it will slowly become more wavy again. I was considering the 0% perm, which wouldn't make my hair straight at all. I'd still have wavy hair, but the perm would seal my cuticles and split ends, making my hair a lot shinier and healthier looking. Something to consider for those of you who want to keep your beautiful waves!

- The downside to these straight perms is how EXPENSIVE they can be--especially if you're like me, and have a lot of hair! But here's a little inside tip that you didn't hear from me! I hear that Groupon might have something coming up, specifically for this! ;)

- For those of you who don't live in L.A., and are looking for a place to get this done... I would make sure it's a nice place. You don't want to do it anywhere, because if they don't do it right, it could damage your hair! That's happened to my mom once, and it was very sad. Make sure it's a legitimate salon, and ask lots of questions:

--Make sure there's no formaldehyde in the formula.

--Will this damage my hair at all?

--Is this a perm that has to grow out? Or will it wash out over time? (Washing out is preferable, or atleast a combination of the 2. If it has to grow out, that could be inconvenient)

--Once you get it done, ask what kind of shampoo you should use. With mine, I was recommended to not use shampoo that has any kind of "sulfate" in it. Organic shampoo is probably preferable, because it won't have any detergents in it. Sulfate is the stuff in shampoo that makes it lather. If you need a lather in your shampoo, it's fine to use that kind of shampoo, but your perm won't last as long.

--The whole process only took 2 hours!

I hope I've helped answer some of your hair questions! If you have some extra time, you should Garance Doré's blog about her Keratin straightening experience (I love her!): Three Days After. She is writing about her 3rd day in (which is the day that I am on!). I have to--HAVE TO--wash my hair tonight finally, and I can't wait to see the results!

love,
p. ahn

I hope this answers some of your questions!

Make Every Day Earth Day

2011-04-24T01:46:00.001-07:00

As "Earth Day" weekend comes to a close, I decided to make a list of my favorite, and easiest earth day tips. The video above inspired me tremendously to cut back on creating waste. I also recommend reading Bea Johnson's most recent blog: LESS is so much MORE.

1. Recycle!

I loooove recycling! I always look at packaging to find that comforting little triangle. It's one of the easiest things you can do (besides turning off appliances and lights and tvs when they're not in use). I know some cities don't have people to come around and collect recycling from homes. And this can deter lots of people from recycling!

But let me say this, 1/2 my life, we had to drive our bags of recyclables to a recycling center that was always 15 minutes out of our way. But seriously, this is one of the easiest things you can do to make a BIG difference. The extra x amount of minutes out of your way is worth it for the Earth! To find your nearest recycling center, simply type into your search engine: "find nearest recycling center". For CA residents, go here.

2. Reuse!

My husband and I are daily coffee/tea drinkers. We have our favorite spot in our neighborhood where we always get our bevies 'to go'. Even though we threw these paper cups into the recycling, it was shocking how fast our can would fill up with them.

Just recently we've invested in a few really good, reusable hot beverage containers. One of my favorites are these Aladdin Coffee Mugs.
Made of 97% recycled materials, BPA free, and microwave & dishwasher safe! You can find them here.

I've also gotten into the reusable grocery bags. Or reusing any kind of bag to put groceries into. Bringing tupperware containers with you when you go shopping is also a great way to reduce plastic waste.
My favorite kind to use are these glass lock containers. They really keep things air tight, and the glass is so easy to throw in the dishwasher and clean. You can find them here.

3. Cut back on eating meat and/or only eating Organic foods.
Even though I'm already a vegetarian, I picked up Alicia Silverstone's super inspiring, informative, and easy-to-read book, "The Kind Diet". She talks about how awful animal factories are--not only for the animals themselves--but also for the planet.

Fact: One of the main gases that contributes to global warming is Methane. Methane traps 21 times more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide. And get this, the livestock we keep--to feed us meat that has negative affects on our bodies--produce more methane than landfills, waste treatment plants, and even the methane we use as natural gas to heat our homes! There's some food for thought...

Check out Alicia's brilliant website: www.thekindlife.com

4. Composting
This is something I've been meaning to for a while! The composter pictured above looks like the Mercedes of composters. I want it!

We have not started composting as of yet. However, I realized that Mike and I were taking out our trash almost every 2 or 3 days, because our kitchen would get so stinky with old food and garbage. But I felt so guilty throwing so many of those big plastic bags into the dumpster every week. Now we keep a little bucket next to the sink where we throw all our food stuff. When it gets full, we take it out to our dumpster and toss all the contents in there. Since we've been doing that, our trash can doesn't get full (or stinky) for a good 2 weeks!

Here is a great article on how to start composting.

5. Make it fun!

Mike and I now have a game/competition. We both can sometimes be really lazy about turning off lights around the house. So for every light that one of us finds left on by the other, that person gets a point. At the end of the month, we tally up our points, and whoever lost has to take the other one out on a date.

I know these aren't huge revolutionary new ideas on how to cut down waste. These are just some small, really easy things that anyone can do daily. And in time, it all adds up and really does make a difference.

Here's to a healthier, loving, and compassionate Earth!

love,
p. ahn

Straight Hair (a girly post)

2011-04-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yesterday... for fun, I got a straight perm. But I'd been really nervous about it. Yes, I'd had it done many times before. Yes, I love having straight hair.

However, this time... was different. I'd heard how damaging a lot of the Asian straight perms were (which are the ones I'd been using), and I heard that the Keratin ones which were supposedly really good for your hair, had formaldehyde in them! Gross!!

But I found myself running to the salon a lot lately, to get a blow out (here's where all the dudes check out--if they haven't already!). Also, since I cut my hair super short (which you can watch a video of here), my hair has never been so wavy. At first I loved these unruly waves. But as my hair kept growing, I knew less and less what to do with them! I'm a very low-maintenance person... so, having to 'deal' with my hair every day was becoming really annoying.

So... I made the decision yesterday to get a NEW Keratin treatment, that has NO formaldehyde in it! And I have to say, I'm extremely happy with the results! Anyone interested in a treatment like this, I highly recommend you go to Juan Juan Center in Beverly Hills, and ask for Glenn or Natasha, his assistant. Each person there does their own kind of straight perm... but Glenn's, in particular, is very safe. He really cares for hair.

Glenn + I

love,
p. ahn

"Sweethearts"

2011-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

"Sweethearts"

Charlie Wadhams

Charlie and I are working on a duets album. You can hear the first song we wrote together ("I Don't Have Time To Be In Love" on my new album (coming out on May 3rd). Or you can watch a version we did of it together in proper duet style here.

I am a HUGE fan of Charlie's. If you don't know his music, I highly recommend checking it out. His gorgeous song, "My Love" was featured at the end of the movie Cyrus. You can listen to it here.

love,
p. ahn

My Album In Japan!

2011-04-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

I just got this in the mail today! I'm so excited!!! Japan gets their very own, special, album cover as well as 2 extra songs: my cover of John Lennon's "Love" and John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" sung in Japanese.

I can't wait to go to Japan to promote my new album!

love,
p. ahn

p.s. Don't worry Korea! I'm recording a song just for you too! :)

Reading List

2011-04-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Soooo many replies! This will be my new reading list for the next 10 years! There were a lot of suggestions for "Hunger Games", "The Book Thief", "Never Let Me Go", "The Little Prince", and "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". All ones I definitely have to check out now!

Other suggestions that were a few of my favs as well:

Three Cups of Tea - so inspiring!
Norwegian Wood - I love Murakami!
Catcher In The Rye - my fav. Salinger read.
Anything by David Sedaris!
Anything by Aimee Bender...
Joy Luck Club - as much as I enjoyed reading this, the movie makes me weep every time.

And before I had gotten a chance to read through all of your wonderful recommendations, I ordered Tina Fey's "Bossypants" for fun--which I was glad to see some of you gave the thumbs up to!

But as far as my favorite fav's of all time (so far):

This book affected me in a really weird way. At the time I was finding all these parallels of events happening in the book, to events in my own life.
This was also the only book that ever made me almost throw up, as well as almost faint. Weird!

This book swept me away on a long, beautiful journey. I never wanted it to end, and yet, when it did, it was completely satisfying. I love "magical realism" and García Márquez is THE best at that.

If I hadn't read this, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. This book filled me with the longing to travel, and the courage to drive across the country, meet crazy characters, and find my own adventures.

Another Kerouac favorite of mine.

This novel was a true companion to me when I was on tour with Ray LaMontagne. Being my first time to ever visit England especially, this was a great introduction. A rich story with lovable and unforgettable characters.

This was the only book I'd ever read in less than 2 days! I could not put it down. And yes, I will be seeing the movie!

This book was recommended to me by Amos Lee back when I was only 18, and interning on his first Blue Note EP. An inspiring story of a true journey through life, and lessons learned.

And of course, my favorite new book I've read this year, "Just Kids".
Here are my thoughts on it.

Books are such wonderful things, aren't they? [as well as films, music, photos, flowers, paintings, trees, seas, rough sketches, food, et al.]

Thank you again for all of your suggestions. I'm serious! This is my new reading list! I hope some of you can make it part of yours too!

Love,
p. ahn

Hurray! It's the weekend!

2011-04-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I drove to MacArthur Park. A park I've driven by multiple times, and have always been intrigued by. Families picnicking in the grass, watching the fútbol game, kids running around in the playground.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

love,
p. ahn

My Peony

2011-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Photo taken on 4/14
sx-70 / px 70 color shade film

I am told we are right in the beginning of Peony season! These are one of my favorite flowers. One of the most rewarding flowers to watch open up before your eyes! It makes sense that they symbolize romance and prosperity, and are a good omen for a happy and fruitful marriage!

love,
p. ahn

The Flatiron

2011-04-13T14:24:00.001-07:00

Polaroid taken March 30
Flatiron District (NY, NY)

I took this photo with this brand new polaroid film called PX 70 Color Shade made by The Impossible Project. Very cool company, and very cool space in NYC.

love,
p. ahn

Cherry Blossoms

2011-04-07T10:43:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have heard of the new earthquake that hit the northeast area of Japan again, last night. I'm hoping so deep in my heart, that soon these earthquakes will stop, and the people living there will be able to rebuild their lives again.

On another, more hopeful note, my friends sent me these beautiful photos of the cherry blossoms that are in full bloom right now.

Cherry Blossoms from Kyoko

Shidare Zakura (Weeping Cherry Blossoms), Arashiyama, from Chifumi

I think the Shidare Zakura may be my new favorite tree! So elegant...

love,
p. ahn

Music Videos and NYC

2011-03-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I'm here in nyc for a couple days. It's been really fun, but really cold! Still... no rain or snow yet (fingers crossed!).

I've been painting and taking pictures with some new polaroid film I bought from this lovely space. Hopefully I'll have a few decent photos by the end of the week that I can share with you.

I had the most amazing dinner last night at what may be my new favorite restaurant in nyc--(besides Cafe Habana)--called Il Buco. The ambiance was so cozy and rustic and warm! And the food was... how could I describe it? It was perfect in a mind blowing way. Their menu is seasonal, and their specials are based on what's the freshest for that day, which I really love. Eating what's in season, for whatever area you're in, is so good for you!

Walking by Union Square, all these people were taking photos of this Andy Warhol statue. It must have just been put there, because I don't think I remember seeing it there 2 days earlier. Here's a photo:

Also, I've been making a few music videos lately. Two of them have been done on green screens. Although one was blue. It's fun, but also slightly awkward if you don't have props around you. But I did get to click the 'snappy thing' a few times, which was pretty exciting!

At this blue screen studio, they make a lot of crazy molds and props and sets for a variety of different movies. Everything from "Hellboy" to "Dragonheart" to "Robocop". Hmm... Lots of adjective-noun names. I have lots of pictures from there that I'll have to share in its own post.

Today we worked at a beautiful space, called, well, "The Space" right above Chelsea Market. This time I was in front of a green screen.

At the end of the shoot, they pulled these big black curtains back to reveal these beautiful old windows.

How cool would it be to own your own studio in an old warehouse building like this? I feel like I'd get 200% more creative work done!

So anyway, that's what I've been up to. These music videos are all in the midst of being churned out by some really amazing videographers who I'm lucky enough to call my friends. Each video is very different from the next, and I'm really excited to share them with you!

It's been really nice to see in almost every store I'm in, or taxi cab, or poster on the street, there is some mention of how to donate to Japan. Even Kobe Bryant is telling people to text "RED CROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross in Japan! Every little bit helps.

love,
p. ahn

Lullatone

2011-03-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

One of my favorite bands, Lullatone, has put out a brand new album called "Elevator Music". You can listen to the whole album here.

Right now they are making all of their albums available for whatever donation you would like to give, and they are giving 100% of that to the Red Cross to help out in Japan. You can check all their albums out here.

Ok, and here is a video of theirs that I just found that is so beautiful and fills me up with so many feelings...

You should check out all of their videos! You can watch their newest one here. It made me giggle out loud! Enjoy!

Love,
p. ahn

Please Help If You Can

2011-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope this blog finds everyone well! I'm writing in regards to the events happening in Japan. It's been so hard for me to think about anything else these days.

I feel so helpless for all of my friends over there... I'm sure a lot of you have already donated or are supporting in your own way (positive thoughts of hope help!)... But I'm sort of losing my mind just sitting here knowing all this is going on, so I'm writing to pass on the Red Cross link where you can help by donating if you are able to:

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

You can also donate $10 by texting "Red Cross" to 90999.

If you have a "Living Social" account, they have an amazing "deal" going on right now, for the next 22 hours, where whatever you donate to the Red Cross through THIS link, they will double it!

I apologize in advance if I'm offending anyone by writing this. Having many friends in Japan, and having spent a good deal of time working, living, and celebrating my marriage over there, I feel very close to what's happening, and it's breaking my heart every day...

That being said, I'm sending lots of love to you all! Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Love,
p. ahn

Just Kids

2011-03-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

I finished reading this book late last night, in my hotel room bed in San Francisco. I cried to myself. Not so much because of the ending, as it was about the beautiful bond shared between Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. Vulnerable, endless depths of understanding... The kind of camaraderie, support, and love I want to give to my best friend, forever.

I was saddened to discover that Robert died on March 9th, 1989. My 5th birthday. It made me ponder the circle of life. What was I doing on that day? I think it might have been the day when I was running outside, and had fallen and scraped both my knees. It was my first experience with rubbing alcohol. My Dad gently applied it to my little wounds. I cried from the pain, and probably thought it was the worst day ever. Once I was cleaned up, my Dad started blasting "Birthday" by the Beatles, on the record player. I didn't understand it at first... but my "worst day ever" soon turned right side up again when I realized it was my birthday.

In honor of Robert Mapplethorpe, I will devote my 27th year to creating something every day. For Robert and Patti... true artists.

love,
p. ahn

Hello From Portland

2011-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

I'm 3 days into the DeVotchka tour, and finally had an afternoon free to catch up on a TON of old emails, and (sigh) blogs... (i miss reading them!)

My heart skipped a beat when I saw that one of my favorite bloggers, Hello Sandwich, left me a comment on my January Vlog! I love her blog, and all the zines she makes, and photos she takes, and envy (in a good way) that she has been able to move to Tokyo. (A lot of my favorite bloggers [hello sando, scout holiday, garance dore] actually, have all moved to cities [tokyo, paris, nyc] that I wish I lived in! I guess I'm just lucky enough to get to pass through them every once in a while.) Which reminds me! I've been bad and didn't make a vlog for February! :P I hope I can make up for it with all the music videos I've been making.

It's a gray day in P town. I'm listening to a new record I got, called Brotherocean, by the band, Syd Matters. I'm really loving this record! And in between emails, I've been looking up at the tv where it looks like there's some kind of Ultimate Fighting going on. It's so intense to watch, yet there's something so primal about it that it's hard to look away.

Then I'll be heading to Sizzle Pie for a slice before the show with some old friends from PA. In between emails and ultimate fighting, I've been salivating over a picture of one of their pizzas in the Portland Monthly magazine that came with my room.

Yum!

Hopefully I'll have some more pictures and tour stories soon!

love,
p. ahn

successful shopping is like writing a good song

2011-02-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

When I write songs, I personally try to avoid forcing anything onto the page. If I get stuck and start over-thinking things too much, what comes out usually isn't 100% genuine, and in the end, the song is forgotten and never played again. Most of the songs I keep and play over and over, are ones that come fairly easily, and just sort of flow out (definitely not an every day occurrence!).

I found myself explaining how my songwriting process compares to clothes shopping today, to Mike and our friend Danny*.

Some days, you walk into a store, and you want to buy something so badly, but everything you choose isn't the right size, the right color, or just isn't QUITE that... je ne sais quoi? So in my case, I'll force myself to buy something that I'll never wear, and end up giving away to Goodwill 2 years later (a terrible habit (but I suppose awesome for some Goodwill shoppers)).

But today was not that day for me! Today I ran into a store** that caught my eye, picked out 4 pieces*** in under 3 minutes, tried them all on, and they all fit perfectly somehow, and are things I could wear everyday. Nothing forced.

Like a good song, these will all be keepers. :)

Happy shopping/writing/creating/cooking/reading/finding/loving/crying/sighing/growing/happy happy day!

love,
p. ahn

* It was very fun explaining this to two dudes who go shopping once a year.
** Driftwood, in Silver Lake. Everything is 30 - 50% off right now!
*** I got 2 long vintage skirts, a one-piece dress in a beautiful floral print, and a boy's vintage blue hoodie. Fun!

Pre-show jitters!

2011-02-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

I always get nervous for NYC shows. I don't know why. I just want it to be good so badly, and I guess I put pressure on myself, because I'm only here maybe twice a year, so I feel like I have to make a really good impression. Arg!

I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that I'm not perfect. No one is! If everyone was, this world would be super booooring. So in that case, tonight's show should be super interesting, because I'm sure to mess up a lot!

So tonight, I'm going to enjoy myself and all my mistakes. Because this is who I am. Let's all make mistakes together! Yay!!! :)

love,
p. ahn

You Must Watch This

2011-02-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeGLqYIrvVQ

Watching this makes me so happy. They give me chills every time. They allow the spirit of this song to fly.

You should check out their other videos too! The girl who sings the Lady Gaga song, kills it better than Lady Gaga herself!

Enjoy!

love,
p. ahn

January Vlog

2011-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

As promised....

Happy Sunday!

love,
p. ahn

Advance Artwork!

2011-01-27T18:21:00.001-08:00

So, this isn't what the artwork will be when the album is released. We're still working on that! But Julia's design was just too special to not share with all of you!

I'm currently in beautiful Park City, UT for Sundance. I just played a show with St. Vincent. Ya ya ya! She is amazing!

Love,
p. ahn

Journal #2: Last night I took my first pottery class...

2011-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I took my first pottery class. I'd never done pottery ever before, except for this last trip to Japan. Mike and I made cups on a potter's wheel at a pottery shop for fun. So it inspired me to jump into taking these classes for a month at a nearby studio.

The studio deal is awesome. I have access to it whenever I want, 24/7... which I think I'll prefer to the classes in the end, because the teacher, by the end of our class, reduced me to feeling like a helpless little kid. I don't think she intentionally meant to. But somehow she did. She got mad that I didn't get all the water out of the bottom of my cup. Really? Does that invoke anger and frustration? I wasn't being ignorant. I really did try to get the water out, but the sponge I was given was a piece of crap. It was like trying to clean up a spill with a soggy diaper. I realized that basically, she was excited to get this class over and done with, so that she could go on to making her own pottery. She wasn't even really a 'teacher' per say. She taught classes in exchange for free studio space. So at 9pm, when the class was supposed to end, she was done. Leaving me and the other first timer to fend for ourselves. It's not really the way I believe in doing things... but, I guess that's the way things are done there.

For instance, our 'teacher' introduced us to the owner of the studio. An older woman who was about to apply paint colors to her piece. When she was introduced there was no warm, friendly, "Hi! Welcome!" We were barely acknowledged... including our teacher. It felt so awkward, so I blurted out, "I love your piece!", and the other beginner followed suit, "Yea, that's really amazing,".... and we got absolutely nothing in return. She kept staring at her 'piece', which was some kind of cookie jar that looked like a bird's house... like if a bird lived in a human home. Her chin was rested in deep contemplation between her thumb and forefinger, as if all she could think about was, "What color am I going to paint my cookie jar??" and we were nothing but white noise. So I guess I can see where our 'teacher' could learn this, "Fend for yourself -- tough, non-existent, love" mentality.

Anyway... I'll let you all know how my classes continue. There are other non-teacher teachers, so I will check them out and let you know how things progress. And if I actually make anything cool, I'll show you!

Now I'm off to the social security office to finally change my last name to my married name... and then I have to get ready for a premier of "Pudding Toast" tonight! Mike is the voice of an animated character who's name is Pudding Toast. He's a magical piece of Wonder Bread. I can't wait!!! It hasn't been made into a show yet, but hopefully it will be!! *Keep your fingers crossed!*

Love,
p. ahn

paper!

2011-01-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

I was recently bestowed with some very cute calendars and a "dogs wearing hats"-themed paper pennant garland, from my new friend, Julia Kuo, who is a co-founder of a great new company, The Nimbus Factory. Their designs are so adorable and creative, and they're earth-friendly!

Check out my new 12 month mini-calendar pack!

You can also find other cute "nimbus" items on their website, such as recipe cards and holiday wrapping paper. They have a beautiful blog as well.

Julia has also just designed my Advance CD artwork! It's the CD that goes out to people who get to hear it before it's released. I'm not exactly sure who those people are, but alas, only they will get this very unique pre-release album cover. When it's finished, I will post so you all can see! I'm very excited about it!

love,
p. ahn

Happy New Year!

2010-12-30T02:29:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I hope you all have had and are continuing to have a wonderful holiday!

I have been a little M.I.A., since I've been on my honeymoon, sharing my first Christmas with my hubby! :) We went to Thailand, and had an unreal time there. It was the honeymoon I'd always dreamed of having, and then some! And now we're in Kyoto, getting ready to ring in the New Year!

I'm so glad you liked the Crafty present ideas. I thought I'd share a few that I made. They're not very well sewn, but I still think they're very "special" in their own way.

a bewildered tissue holder

a cozy fleeze bunny scarf for a friend's baby (baby not pictured)

another tissue holder that says "friend" in Kanji

and "friend" in Korean

A few new year's resolutions:

1. Meditate more regularly
2. Drink less alcohol!
3. Of course, the yearly same ol' "be more on time" (pff!)
4. Appreciate what I have more

A few goals for 2011:

1. New monthly video blogs. It's gonna happen... starting this January! I have no idea what they're going to be about... hopefully it'll be atleast 15% interesting.

2. Keep writing, and recording, and hopefully play a lot of shows to promote my new album (which I believe is due to come out in May!)

I know I have more goals than that... but those are the two that popped into my brain first that were relatively interesting.

I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with love and laughs, and some kind of new experience that involves a Wooly Willy.
love, love, love,
p. ahn

Gift Ideas

2010-11-30T15:41:00.001-08:00

Hi!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I was home for the holidays, and ate waaaaaay too much delicious Korean and Thanksgiving food. And I even got to see a little snow falling on Thanksgiving day.

Now I'm in Detroit with my hubby where he's working. I checked out this really cool website that has city guides in it to look for fun things to do while I'm here, and stumbled across their super cute and very unique gift guide. And luckily for me, it's an affordable one! All the gift ideas are $25 and under. I highly recommend checking it out for ideas: http://www.designspongeonline.com/

I think I'll be making a lot of presents this year. I bought some "Aranzi Aronzo" books while I was in England. They're books on how to make cute crafts. And you know how much I love cute things! In fact, the title of one of the books is "Cute Stuff".

I also got the book called "Baby Stuff" since so many friends have had, or are having babies. Also, at Design Sponge there are tons of DIY projects that could make really unique and special gifts.

Anyway, I have a bit of a cold now, so I'm gonna stay in bed and get back to my sewing.

I hope you all are healthy and warm...

love,
p. ahn

Playing House

2010-11-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

So the album is officially finished! I'm sorry for not posting anything sooner. I flew home to L.A. and 2 days later, flew to Baltimore where my Mike was working, and once we came back home together I focused on 'playing house' for the short amount of time we had together.

But yes, the record is finished, and I am so proud of it!!! There are some songs that really groove on it, and have a lot of vibe. And of course some mellow tunes as well. We recorded live to tape for the most part. And tape always captures a little 'sumthin sumthin' extra special. Sort of like film for photographs or movies. There is definitely something special to me about this album. I can't wait for you all to hear it! We're looking at a Spring release... I'll give you all a heads up though when it's getting close!

Playing house this past week has been about trying to make our L.A. Fall, feel like an east coast Fall. We did have some cooler days in there which helped make it sort of cozy. I've been making tons of soups, and a dessert where I had to make my own caramel! I literally said out loud to myself as I was whisking the caramel, "I'm making this right now. I'm making caramel!"

Baking is obviously a new thing for me. ;)

I want to share one recipe with you that is super duper easy, and perfect for the holidays, and will really impress your family and friends (especially if you're someone like me who doesn't cook a lot).

Hot Mulled Apple Cider
(based off the Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients:
16 cups pure apple juice or fresh apple cider (basically one of those big, heavy jugs of it. I used 'Mrs. Gooch's Natural Apple Juice')
4 (2 inch) cinnamon sticks
2 oranges, peels and juice
8 whole cloves
6 star anise

Directions:
Combine it all in a big pot. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and bring to a simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Pour into mugs and serve!

*And if you want to add an extra touch, you can mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a shallow dish. Wet the rim of your mug with water and then put the rim in the dish with sugar and spices, twisting til the rim has a nice coating of the spices. Then pour in the mulled cider and serve.

** If you want to get super duper extra fancy, you can make your own whip cream and put on top! I never got that far!

Lots o' love,
p. ahn

Richmond

2010-10-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

In our 2nd week of recording in London, we had to change studios, and this is how I discovered Richmond.

We tracked a few songs here, and overdubbed some vibes, and also had a string quartet come in and play on 2 songs!

And one day on lunch break I stumbled across 2 places that really made me happy! First was the Richmond Hill Bakery.

lots of fresh flowers for sale by the doorway

Lots of delicious pastries!!!

Cozy blankets and handmade jewelry

a shelf full of old-school toys and games

And then across the street was their deli called "A Cena On The Hill".

Out front they have fresh fruits and vegetables and potted herbs.

I had the best olive of my life here!

Very cozy interior, with fresh salads, and freshly baked goods, and meat pies, et al...

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore you too much! Only 4 more days left of recording!!! My buddy Gus, from L.A. is out here putting last minute "magicalness" to the tracks. I'm pretty excited about how it's all sounding! It's starting to get super cold out here... I have just enough socks to keep my feet warm and get me home!

Thanks for stopping by!

love
p. ahn

sigh... Fall

2010-10-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

The last time I walked around in true Fall weather was.... hmm... 2 years ago? It was a gorgeous day in Bath today.

I also stumbled across this at the supermarket...

...looks like we're not the only ones who have "freedom" food. ;p

Yesterday I went shopping (or rather browsing since everything was mucho expensivo!) at Liberty's in London.

And I found the cutest pincusions...
...the cutest wooden tape dispenser...
and spotted the very cute and alluring fashion blogger, Susie Bubble!
And oddly enough, I saw her again a couple hours later at the Acne store on Dover St. Super adorable, and super duper tall! In all, I had a very cute and Autumn-y weekend. :)

I hope you all had a great one too!

love,
p. ahn

Week 2: London

2010-10-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to everyone for your great UK tips as well as the L.A. ones. Once I get settled back home, I will definitely have to check some of these new places out! And finally share some of my favorite ones with you too! Unfortunately, I have had very little time here in London to do a lot of venturing out, simply because we've really been hitting it hard in the studio, which ultimately is a good thing. :) I'm writing them all down though for future use, because I know I'll be back here soon!

Also, just to clear up any possible confusion, I have 2 more weeks to go in finishing the record. But it probably won't be released until Spring 2011. :/

Here is a video I put together of our first week recording in London. It's very poorly edited, and only gives you tiny tiny snippets of songs... but I sort of did that on purpose because the songs weren't finished by this point, and I want you to still be surprised when you hear the record when it's done! :D I have to say though, I'm pretty excited about it!

lots of love,
p. ahn

one week down on LP 2

2010-09-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Well, one week done, 4 more to go! It's going great so far! We started at Ethan's studio just outside of Bath, out in the beautiful country side, where in the field next door there are horses, sheep, chickens, geese and ducks. We've already tracked 5 songs! They're not completely finished... but we head to London tomorrow to do some live tracking with a band.

Here's the little log cabin (as I like to call it) where I've been tracking guitar and vocals this past week.

I love it. It feels like I'm demoing at home... but I'm not.

This is my little spot where I sing and play.

My very own woodstove to keep me cozy while I'm tracking.

The potted vegetable garden outside the tracking room.

Lots of BIG hydrangea bushes all around to brighten the grey days.

Now I have to go to bed. Another big day tomorrow, and I haven't been getting enough sleep!

Lots of love,
p. ahn

new record & new projects

2010-08-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

So, it's official. I'll be working in England with the wonderful producer Ethan Johns. I had definite reservations about making a record anywhere but L.A., because it's my home, and my friends, and my hubby, and... well, i'm a home-body! But I think that this will be a wonderful opportunity to make my 2nd record, and have the experience be something completely different, and totally outside my comfort zone. The official start date is September 20th. (!!!) Just a mere 3-ish weeks away!

And so, before I go, I've set a few personal goals:

- I want to see more of L.A. I have a few boutique shops that I really like, but I've driven by strips of places, where it looks like there are tons of adorable stores tucked away in areas that one doesn't necessarily venture around. Not to say the neighborhood is bad. It's just that L.A. is not a very walker-friendly city. Yes, there are some areas that are really walker-friendly, but for the most part, it can be a pretty boring commute, if you're trying to get from A to B on foot. So maybe what I have to do, is drive to a random neighborhood, park my car, and just start walking. I think I would stumble on a few cool finds that, hopefully, I can share with you!

- I need to finish my "thank you" cards! They're almost done. I need to send those out before I leave, or I'll feel really unsatisfied!

- I want to start brushing up on my Japanese and Korean again, in hopes that I'll be working over there again soon. :)

- And... I'll be looking up cool places to hang and eat at in London. Maybe some of you who live in or have been there can give me some sweet tips!

Goodnight for now...

love,
p. ahn

Hotel Cafe Show Disclaimer*

2010-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

So, I'm playing a show Sunday night (8/29) at the Hotel Cafe here in L.A. at 8pm. This is my disclaimer because...

- Similar to the last show I did at the Hotel Cafe, I'm playing only new songs to get some perspective for the new record.
- I may have played a few of them last show... but a lot of them will be new ones again.
- Half of them will probably never make the record.

That being said, I think it's still gonna be a lot of fun and I hope you can come! :)

love,
p. ahn

I love my mini postcard set!

2010-08-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Found this in the little gift shop connected to Aroma Cafe in Studio City. Tiny postcards with their own adorable envelopes, bundled up in twine to put you just over the edge in its cuteness.

Perfect for "thank you" notes, or last minute birthday cards.

And it wouldn't be fair to gloat over my new purchase if I couldn't tell you where you could buy one of your own. Also available in an "Italy" motif.

Hope you're having a lovely August. Today is a hot one!

love,
p. ahn

I love Lullatone

2010-08-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

I can't stop listening to Lullatone. You can listen to the whole album here: http://lullatone.bandcamp.com/album/songs-that-spin-in-circles

or, if you want more fun, just check out their website: www.lullatone.com

There's a free Dropophone iphone App that looks like this:

And a really fun Raindrop game that you can play on their website. I really love their album "Songs That Spin In Circles". I've been listening to the album atleast once a day!

I hope you all are enjoying your Summer.... or I guess in other parts of the world, Winter! I've been trying to get to the beach as much as I can, and going on hikes with friends. :)

Love,
p. ahn

some photos & projects

2010-07-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

It's definitely turned into Summer here in L.A. really fast! And my house has no AC, so I'm really feeling the heat. So I find myself being really lethargic lately. I realize that my days "off" are quickly dwindling, because I think I'm about to go into the studio to make Album #2 really soon, so I need to make the most of these empty days as much as I can.

So yesterday, I've decided to start 2 new projects.

Project #1: Dahlias

I stopped by one of my favorite flower shops and just couldn't resist one of their many beautiful dahlia plants. From what I can tell, they require a little maintenance. So this is my fun new project #1! I've named my plant "Penelope".

Project #2: Thank You cards

Since I didn't get a chance to make any wedding invites as I had originally planned, I'm moving on to the "thank you" cards.

And I finally uploaded some more pictures from the past month. Here are a few I like:

My broken Totoro cup

A very proud mom at the Gay Pride Parade

Sparkly car in the Gay Pride Parade

And sparklers

I hope you're having a wonderful July. Stay cool!

love love
p. ahn

p.s. Today I've been listening to: El Perro Del Mar & The High Llamas' "Hawaii"

the aftermath

2010-07-11T15:18:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for your beautiful and supportive comments! I read thru them with my husband (a new word I'm starting to get used to!) and we really felt the love. Thank you so much!

And sorry... I've decided to not post any wedding photos, simply because of how many other random people can see them. I would love to share the photos with all of my blog readers, but as far as I know, there's no real way to control who could see them on the web. It never really dawned on me until one day my name popped up on google images, and I saw that random photos that I would put on myspace or facebook or on my blog would show up there. Something I didn't realize was a consequence of posting any pictures, anywhere on the web. Sorry to let some of you down! I really would love for you to see them!

And since being married, life has been a whirlwind. Seems like we used up all of our good luck in making the wedding happen, and came back home to a list of bad luck, hehe. So we've had our hands full trying to deal with everything, one day at a time, and on top of that, trying to celebrate with friends and family here and there. And then I was without internet for a week (Screw you AT&T). I finally canceled AT&T and am with someone else, and I am soooooooooo happy!

Been writing with friends, and still on the hunt for a producer for album #2 which is long over due!!! I'm very excited about the new songs though!

And so, I leave you with this music video that is super "kawaii". I know, it's random. But it made me smile. :)

love,
p. ahn

I'm Married! :)

2010-06-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

I've finally been able to upload all my polaroids from my crazy Kaua'i vacation that ended in my very own, and very unforeseen, wedding. I've told the story of our vacation/wedding so many times, and yet not enough! There are still some of my friends who I haven't had the chance to tell yet. However, I've really felt the need to write a blog about it.... and today's my day.

Let's see.... let me break it down as basically as I can (this could be madly boring for some, and amusing for those of you who are actually in the midst of planning your own wedding).

DAY 1:

Mike and I wake up early, and go on the most amazing helicopter ride we've ever been on. Immediately after, we started looking at houses to rent, for the wedding we were planning for September of 2011.

DAY 2:

We wake up early and go on a beautiful hike to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. 4 miles in, where the falls are, is one of the most beautiful places I'd ever been. Afterwards, we tried food from a possible caterer.

DAY 3:

We see more houses and a wedding cottage that sits on a bluff, that gave us the chills. Visit a possible florist for the wedding in 2011. Then something makes us pull over to the side of the road, and say, "I don't give a crap about any of this stuff. I just want to be married to you,". We'd been engaged for a year and a half already, and it felt a little silly to have to wait another year and a half to get married just because of scheduling. Lame, right? So now we're actually contemplating this crazy new decision!

DAY 4:

We are excited about this new idea, yet tortured by it. We can't stop thinking about it. Weighing the pros and cons, going back and forth, never on the same page about it. When he wanted to do it now, I wasn't ready to make the leap yet. Then when I was ready, he wasn't all of a sudden. In the meantime, we are seeing more houses, and watching the Celtics game at a hotel pool bar. We have another road side pow wow at dusk, and finally we both come to the same decision: Let's do it now. Let's have our next door neighbor in L.A. marry us. Let's invite our nearest and dearest friends who we know might be crazy enough to fly down at a day's notice. :-O

DAY 5:

We completely forget that we have scheduled a 4 hour horse-back ride this morning and it's too late to cancel! We do a ton of trotting and cantering and some galloping on a muddy trail with steep drops to our right and left, and almost die a couple times. In the end it was the perfect beginning to our wedding planning! It was exhilarating! Afterwards, we immediately drove to the marriage license agent, and caught him in the nick of time before he left his office and all the offices closed up for Memorial Weekend. Now we are booking friend's flights, and the houses we all stay in. Luck was on our side, because somehow, on a major holiday weekend, the two houses we wanted, were available (one of which was the wedding cottage on the bluff that gave us chills, and as a result, the spot where we got married). I order flowers from the the one florist I met.

DAY 6:

Mike buys a linen suit at Macy's. I can't find anything that looks sort of like a wedding dress, but isn't cheesy. We pick up our neighbor from the airport. Stop off for some lunch and happen to find a tall parasol/umbrella with hearts and bells hanging off of it. The perfect thing for us to get married under! We drop our neighbor off at house 1, and wait as more friends come in. My neighbor's wife, who couldn't come with, broke into our house to get me a proper dress (that I bought from Top Shop!) and handed it off to one of my girlfriend's who was flying out the next day. My girlfriend and I found a bunch of pretty candles and lights for the table and pool. Everything's starting to come together!!!

DAY 7:

I forgot about a wedding cake! I call the best place I could find, and luckily she had a cancellation and could make us a proper 2-tier wedding cake for tomorrow (this is the day before the wedding!). We buy wedding rings at Kay Jewelers for really cheap, but the bands are sort of perfect! More friends fly in. They brought my dress, and a video camera that had no battery! And the guy from this amazing rental car company lent us his own personal one!!! We have a "rehearsal dinner" and drinks afterwards where one of my girlfriends dressed me up in a tiara-veil, a "bride" t-shirt, a "bachelorette" sash, and a huge plastic ring that glowed all different colors. (the funny thing is, I had bought my first Bridal magazine for the airplane ride to Kaua'i, and they of course had a month-by-month checklist. Here we were checking it all off from hour to hour!)

DAY 8:

WEDDING DAY. The morning begins with a rainbow. And Mike and all the boys have ordered the girls massages. :) The cake arrives. The flowers arrive. My bouquet is not what I wanted though! Ahh!!! My friends run to the market and grab more flowers, and I get to rearrange my own bouquet, which is what I always wanted to do anyway! The girls dress me up and do my hair. We all have gardenias in our hair. We drive over to the wedding site, which is a bluff that overlooks the ocean and the mountains. The boys have set up the parasol and a circle of bougainvillea petals in which we all stand, perfectly. And I start the long walk to my friends, and my soon-to-be-Husband.
After the wedding, a friend of ours made the most delicious hors d'oeuvres and dinner!!! We had lots of champagne, lots of wine, lots of food, lots of cake, and lots of love.

I am so lucky to have such a beautiful family of friends. And now I am a married woman! And the wedding is done!!! No more intense wedding website emails, no more waiting, no more stressing over guest lists. It's done! Some people say marriage isn't a big deal, it's just a piece of paper. But I have to say, for myself, and for Mike, as soon as we were "Man & Wife" we both felt an immediate, and wonderful change. It's subtle, and sort of hard to explain...but it's just the best feeling.

And so, for now and forever, I wish you all love love love

p. ahn

2010-05-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

I realized that I haven't posted anything in a while! Man... I guess I've been pretty busy doing random things. Let's see...what did I do?

Watched the Dodgers lose horribly, but got a free fleece blanket!
I love Dodger's Stadium.

Went for a hike with my friend Emi.

Another view from the Griffith Observatory.
These trees look like Autumn, but those are actually some kind of blooms.

Tagged along to a friend of a friend's studio and met their really cool dragon lizard.

Stood on a rooftop and looked down on many other empty rooftops.
Bought some peonies!!! They're one of my favorite flowers.
I couldn't stop putting my nose into them, they smelled so soft & sweet!
Visited my friend Henry Diltz, who is a legendary photographer
and the most down to earth person I know.
He was signing a photograph of The Who that he took back in '67.
Went to see Patrick Park & Seawolf play at the Gene Autry Museum.
It was really crowded, and there wasn't really a stage, so I watched their shadows.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a fun week in Kaua'i! I'll be bringing my polaroid and taking lots of pictures! I will try to post some as I go, but I can't make any promises. A part of me is hoping I won't have to open my computer at all, except to get directions. :) Ok! I gotta start packing!!! Oy!

love love
p. ahn

*listening to Bob Marley while writing this to get me in that nice mellow, warm Kaua'i mood. ;P

Fun With Color!

2010-05-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

I found this via another favorite blog of mine.

Basically, you pick and choose as many (or few) colors as you want, and Flickr goes thru some of their "most interesting" images and finds those images with those specific colors.

pretty cool. Now you try it!

<3
p. ahn

Response/New Wardrobe please?

2010-04-30T00:06:00.001-07:00

First of all, all of your comments either made me smile, go "ewwww", or crack up out loud. :)

So to answer some of your questions:

1. The tea looks like really dark urine (nobody asked about this, but just thought I'd say it)
2. It tastes bad. A little bitter.
3. The anime I watched was "Porco Rosso", a Miyazaki film about a flying pig--haha! I used to watch Cowboy Bebop. ;)
4. The furry thing in my herbs is some sort of plant?
5. I loved your idea of putting pieces of wood and things from nature in a glass jar. I hope it turned out nicely for you!
6. Here's what my herb brewing pot looks like. I thought it was pretty cute. Notice my new espresso machine behind it that is out of commission for a while. :(

Now on to other things....

The other day I stood in front of my closet and found absolutely nothing appealing in it to wear. I never used to be like this! I was never the girl in high school who wore a different outfit every day. Usually I recycled the same pair of jeans a couple times a week, and sometimes a shirt and hoped that no one would notice. And well, I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't still sort of do that. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually started buying dresses and skirts. And now I love shopping and having options. It's fun to put things together to make a completely new outfit. But now I want NEW things to make new outfits!

This is one of my favorite clothing stores ever: www.noanoa.com
I found it walking through Amsterdam. Unfortunately, they have no stores in the U.S., and you can't order from them online. :( Their materials are soooooo soft, and I dunno....just special--really! I want so many things from their High Summer collection--including some of the kid's stuff!

precious.

I want this cardigan (in a big girl size)

Great pants, and yes, I want a big bouquet of colorful balloons too

How beautiful is this? I love parasols and tulle.

But since these are all things I can't have unless I go to Europe this summer, I bought these handmade notebooks instead from YourSecretAdmiral. I found them via.

Yay! :)

love love,
p. ahn

{this post was happily thought up and typed to you to Johnny Cash tunes}

Herbs

2010-04-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

I started seeing an acupuncturist about a month ago. I had pretty terrible allergies this past month. Sneezing a hundred times a day to the point where it almost starts feeling good, and itchy throat and eyes. I've also been having a lot of neck pains and shoulder tension. And acid reflux. And.....

So for my new Eastern medicine cures:

1: Acid Reflux - I went on a bland diet. This past year I've struggled a little keeping my voice in tip top shape. All the docs told me to go on a bland diet. Meaning, no spicy food (but I'm Korean!!!), no chocolates or coffee (but I NEED them on a daily basis!!!), no gorging or eating late at night (but that's my style!!!), and no alcohol (but I need to get wasted atleast once a week!)*. I never really listened to these Western doctors. What do they know? They don't have ancient knowledge!!! Turns out, it actually works. (doh!)

2: Neck & Shoulder pain - My acupuncturist asked me stand up for her, how I normally would. Under her examining eyes, I felt like I looked like Jar Jar Binks. My posture is terrible!!! So I've been practicing better posture every day, and voilà! No more aches and pains! (Now that I recall, this is something a vocal teacher once told me back when I was recovering from laryngitis. Do I hate being told what to do that much???**)

3. And as far as the allergies....well, my acupuncturist prescribed me a nice healthy, pungent dose of Chinese herbs. Turns out you can't brew these things in any ordinary metal pot though (of course not!). So I bought a new electric clay pot to brew these bad boys in, as well as a book for pre-menopausal women (I of course, didn't realize the book was for women in their 50's+. The girl behind the desk simply told me that this was their most popular book. She also told me that she didn't like to read. But now that I look back on my last visit, I seem to recall everyone in the waiting room being old ladies. One of them might even have been knitting.) So I've been drinking this stuff, and I have to say--it's working! My allergies are 98% gone. And as for the book, so far I've only read the introduction on "Your Second Spring".

So the other day when I was bored, I decided to take a look at what all was in these bags of herbs. Answer is....I have no idea. As I was pouring the herbs into my fancy new clay pot, something hard fell to the floor. It was a piece of wood. An actual little piece of wood (pictured below). These mysterious dried artifacts from the forest, are actually quite beautiful up close.

That's all for now. I'm gonna go eat a brownie***, and watch some anime. The day keeps going back and forth between beautiful blue skies, and grey ones with little patches of rain.

I hope you have a good one!

love,
p. ahn

* this of course, is not true.
** Yes.
*** I know, I know. I'm not technically allowed to eat a brownie on my bland diet. But today is a special day, and in case you forgot, please refer to the double asterisk right above this one. ;)

2010-04-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back! First thing I did once I got internet again, I caught up with all my blog subscriptions. I'm seriously addicted! All the photos above are by Shabon. A new blog I found where he or she posts pictures daily, taken from many different analog cameras. It makes me want to buy another one for myself! I love the special quality of these old cameras. They're able to capture moments in time so intimately and subtly.

Thanks for the links on where to get polaroid film cheaper--that's so great! And for those who asked where I got my SX-70--ebay!

love,
p. ahn

no internet

2010-04-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

well, i have internet right now. I'm at an internet cafe. :/ Never fun...although it does make me focus on getting my work done and getting the heck out!

So what does one do without internet at home???

Here's my own "honey-do" list for today:

- sew on missing buttons
- fix that broken dress strap
- tidy up the corners
- try to cover a Mew song

Voilà! We'll see how far I get. Knowing me I'll get fixated on that old cross-stitch I started 3 years ago, and that'll be that.

xo
p. ahn

my inspiration this week

2010-04-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

via

via. I want a room like this in my house.

Ok, this last set of photos came out really tiny, huh? I found this via. And I think it's fascinating! These are just a few photos taken by Thierry Bouët on people's infatuations with their extra ordinary beds. You can see the photos much better, and read their interesting stories here: http://www.thierrybouet.com/gal_3_uk.html

I found all these photos in this past and they all made me smile. :)

love,
p. ahn

i took my camera to the beach

2010-04-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to the beach twice! I forget how lucky I am to be living so close to the ocean. And I also forget how close the ocean really is! I took full advantage of the warm, summer weather we had, and spent one relaxing day in Santa Monica/Malibu, and one in Venice. These are just a few photos from the Santa Monica beach.

I love my SX-70 so much! For a while, I thought it was broken. I would put a new film cartridge in, I would take a few photos, then put it away. The next time I opened it up to take more photos, it wouldn't work! I realized that it wasn't my camera that was broken, but my film cartridge that went dead. Each cartridge has a little battery in it, which is what spits the polaroids out. So now, I take lots of pics in the matter of an hour or so. Which is fine with me. It's hard to stop anyway! If you're looking for sx-70 film, I ordered mine from here.

I'm glad you liked my tulip photos! :)

<3
p. ahn

Nuts!

2010-03-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

funny story. i went to my korean lesson last night, and as i'm pulling into the parking garage, the attendant was like, "you're the first one here, why is that?" And i was like, I have no idea! Because I'm late! I said that I heard a lot of people dropped out of the class, so maybe that's why, and we had a laugh about that together. Then i parked and walked down the street to the Korean Cultural Center, where I saw the whole place was shut down. The entrance was gated off, no lights were on. I couldn't believe it! Did they not have class today and no one bothered to inform me? Did they go on some Korean Cultural field trip? That sounds like fun......
I went back to my car, and as I left I told the guy there was no class today. He smiled and said ok, and I said, "see ya next week!" Then i ate dinner, which is all i really wanted to do anyway, and then went home and started demoing some phat tracks. I got an email later that night from my friend I take the classes with, and she was like, "Oh, I thought you knew, the last class was last week."

Sheizah!

p. ahn

Tulips!

2010-03-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but take more photos with my SX-70 yesterday. I bought these tulips at the Sunday market--I can't get over how simply beautiful they are. Pretty photogenic, eh?*

love,
p. ahn

*I found myself using the word "eh" ever since my songwriting session with one of singer/songwriter's best, Ron Sexsmith, in Toronto.