here i am torturing myself at topshop. the man in the background will momentarily scold me for taking photos in the store

the international brunch @ lodge in williamsburg with friends. eggs benedict with smoked salmon and capers!

evil coffee mongril + canadians

blondie

blue

trinidad & bosnia

azra beautiful as usual

the mane

switzerland

perch cafe in south slope= double chocolate beer and mister giraffe

While snooping around one of my favorite book stores in the whole wide world {Spoonbill & Sugartown in Brooklyn, NY} I noticed a pile of books entitled “Psychedelic Renegades” on sale for $9, so, of course I immediately raised an eyebrow at the given proposition. Actually, I don’t know how to isolate one eyebrow at a time, so I probably raised both of them simultaneously, to be more accurate. As my eyes lowered, I noticed that the said book was compiled of legendary Rock n’ Roll photographer Mick Rock’s photos of Syd Barrett taken between 1969 and 1971. You may also know Syd from Pink Floyd’s early work or his two solo efforts. Nine dollars, you say? Goldmine! Perhaps I’m drawn to the chap for his feeble mental conditions, reclusive tendencies and “mad bohemian” persona. You see, dears, I have a “type”.

“We were psychedelic renegades exploring an inner landscape where everything was turned upside down. We had penetrated the looking glass and were living in a parallel dimension where everyone was beautiful and spiritually free. It was great to be young and completely out of our minds…”

“Really, it was impossible, and still is, to pin Syd down. No-one knows why he behaved in the way that he did, or why he chose to go and live like a recluse. Maybe it had a lot to do with his creativity. Perhaps he wanted to be a free-form artist like a jazz player, instead of having to go out and play hit records. I suppose that’s why I always thought of him as a mad poet, not in the sense that he was crazy, just that he was someone who didn’t want to deal with commercial constraints on creativity.”

“Syd is a fabulous enigma. Like the Scarlet Pimpernel he seems both damned and elusive. And like the Pimpernel, the last laugh is on the rest of us…”

Holy moly {or cow, shit, fill in a noun- you get the picture; or pictures in this case.} Vogue Nippon published one of the most effective editorials that I have come across back in May 2009 entitled “I Wake up Still Dreaming”. Tom Munro shot these ghostly and enigmatic photographs of Constance Jablonski harnessing black and white dreams. Ying yangs ain’t got nuttin’ on this batch! Haaay!

Hey everyone! I am starting a new weekly column entitled “This n’ That” in which I’ll be sharing snapshots from my own silly little life. This may or may not include: friends, scenes from New York City, my chihuahua named Mortimer, trinkets around my apartment, self portraits and mysteries. I figured that I share so much from other people, I may as well put a bit of myself out there as well.

This takes voyeurism to a whole new level. The ad execs behind Perrier came up with the genius idea to use Dita Von Teese {and her heaving bosom} for their latest ad campaign. You interactively follow her around a mansion and snap photos of her undressing, and she’ll play a game of dice with you which only ends in her pouring the water all over her chest. Something tells me that the Perrier company is going to be facing a mighty pay increase…

I first came across Ashley Lande‘s striking collaged-portraits on the blog My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses. I was instantly attracted to her psychedelic color palette and the frequent pagan, folky images in her work. She’s self-taught {no art school for this broad} and uses colored pencils, pens, graphite and oil paints. I fell in love with a shirt she did for Pac Sun {random} and I totally needed it since her style seems to epitomize a fair chunk of my personality. In case you’re wondering, the shirt fits great! I get so many compliments on it.

After I ordered my shirt, of course I had to search for other pieces she has created. Here are a handful of favorites:

When I was in Elementary school, my face would light up with glee whenever I’d receive one of those brightly colored teacher-reward-stickers on an assignment I excelled on. Perhaps I should order a roll from a wholesale company and start slapping them onto everything I am impressed by? I mean, it certainly did the trick of perking up my mood back in the day- maybe I can return the sentiment. Anyway, I was just thinking about that because I saw one of my favorite bands Elysian Fields play at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn: This occasion was definitely an example of  a moment in time in which I’d like to apply a giant, bubble-letter WOW! sticker too. Wow is a sufficient description of the experience, I believe. Jennifer Charles’ mystical and heart-string-gripping voice seduced me into a trance of sorts, as expected {she is also the singer of the project Lovage w/ Mike Patton}. I am so grateful that I was able to see this incredible duo up close in person. Below are some photos my friend Duane shot of the show, but of course nothing can quite capture the mood that came over the room and the crowd.

{photos by duane hosein}

“If all the statues in the world

would turn to flesh with teeth of pearl

would they be kind enough to comfort me?” – moloko