Any Second Now

And The Tape Is Your Voice

I think it was love at first sight when I saw this skirt on ModCloth. It’s called the “Music In Me in Mix Tape” skirt, and I literally said, “I must have that!” I fell in love with the pattern, and the fact that is has pockets (skirts and dresses with pockets are the best things ever). I’m glad I bought it when I did because not only was it on sale, it’s now sold out. Hopefully ModCloth will bring it back somehow because it has quickly become my favorite skirt in my wardrobe, and I know so many would love this skirt. When I wore it to work, one of my co-workers said, “You definitely should have been born in a different era!” I admit I styled the skirt for this outfit to be retro, but I can also see this skirt in a more edgier outfit. But maybe he was talking about the fact that the pattern is cassette tapes, and everyone knows how much I love the 80’s.

Outfit – Burberry sweater (old); Bitten t-shirt (old); Retrolicious skirt from ModCloth (sold out); Rebecca Minkoff purse; Nine West shoes (old); Zekes Zipper Bangle from MimiBoutique (sold out); Michael Kors watch; Suki Bijoux and Wendy Brandes rings; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Unknown brand pan collar necklace and belt; Tambourine earrings made by my sister, Rholnna

(The title of this post is a line from the Depeche Mode song Photographic.)

(Photos by Rholnna Jiao)

You Can Never Win or Lose, If You Don’t Run The Race

Check off yet another group on my 80’s bucket list: Janice and I got to see The Psychedelic Furs in concert! Due to an epic fail on my part, I had tickets to their sold out show at The Belly Up on June 1st. But because I wanted actual tickets rather than tickets printed from my computer, I thought I would wait until closer to the show to go to the venue to purchase real tickets. Thank the retro gods that they were the headlining act for The Rock n Roll Marathon on June 2nd. In an ironic twist, the show was FREE! No ticket stubs from this show, but I did get my shirt.

Fresh faced with no make-up at 10am!

We arrived at our secret parking place at 10am and walked over to Petco Park, where the end of the race festivities were being held. It was pretty crazy and hectic when we arrived. I believe the half-marathon runners arrived as we got there, and I wish I got pictures of the crazy amount of people in the parking lot. Once we got in, we made our way upstairs to search for the stage area. After finding it, we made our way down and sat just a few rows away from the stage, which allowed me to take the amazing pictures in this post. This had to be the earliest I had ever watched a concert in my life! During the show, I spotted my friend Eileen and her sister, who actually ran in the marathon. Realizing I was just there to see the show, I felt slightly inadequate. I think I need to make running in a marathon also a part of my bucket list.

“The Ghost In You” 45 vinyl single from my personal collection (original video here).

After a few celebratory congratulations to runners from all over the world, The Psychedelic Furs strolled up to the stage. They played all the songs I had heard on 91x for so many years: “Heartbreak Beat”, “Heartbeat”, “Heaven”, and of course the hit from the movie, “Pretty In Pink”. I know a lot of people think the song was made for the 1986 movie of the same name, but the song was actually a remixed version of their original from the album Talk Talk Talk back in 1981.

I wanted to make sure I got these signature moves from “Love My Way”. See the original moves in the video here.

When my standout favorites “Love My Way” and “The Ghost In You” come on, I felt complete. When I think of “Love My Way”, I think of the first time I heard it during the movie “Valley Girl” back in the 80’s. When I was telling my husband that Janice and I were going to the show, he said he recognized that Furs song from “The Wedding Singer”, a movie about the 80’s. What prompted me to really want to see the Furs was hearing the live version of “The Ghost In You” played on Friday’s Resurrection Daily on 91x. Steve and Oz decided to play the song in honor of their Belly Up show, and mentioned that if you missed the show on Saturday, they have a free show at Petco Park. At that point, I was on a mission to see that song live, and I’m so glad I did. “The Ghost In You” is a gorgeous song that gives me goose-bumps each time I hear it, and just floored me to hear it live. Richard Butler still sounds fantastic to this day, and I am so glad we woke up early on a Sunday to see this awesome show live. Hope you had a great weekend!

I don’t quite remember the order of songs from the concert, but the set list below seems to be very similar.

Edit this setlist | More The Psychedelic Furs setlists

The Children of 80’s Teenagers

Growing up in the 80’s, it would be fitting that my sister and I should have our children dress accordingly. Or, at the very least, wear shirts of our favorite groups from the 80’s. As if on cue, Dominic decided the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were among his favorite superheroes (just like daddy) and he likes The Best of The Human League (he can find the album on my iPod without assistance). Dominic can sing nearly all the words to the Royskopp version of “Puppets” and if you ask him, he can tell you mama’s favorite group is Depeche Mode, all of which tickles the soul of my inner 80’s teen. Who knows, maybe Mei-Lin will like Jem and the Holograms? I think she’ll stick to Hello Kitty for now.

Oh yeah, it’s tricky!

Mei-Lin was totally 80’s back when she was three, with leg-warmers AND side ponytail!

Dominic in the same shirt. Can I call it “vintage” rather than “hand-me-down”?

A little Flash Dance, Mei-Lin’s outfit was courtesy of yours truly (she added the Hello Kitty). I think I wore the exact same thing in the 80’s!

Of course Dominic has a Depeche Mode shirt. Was there any doubt?

I found that John Cusack shirt at Hot Topic a several years ago, intending to turn it into a pillow. I’m glad I saved it so that Mei-Lin could rock it!

TURTLE POWER!

In Chains

In addition to spikes and studs, I’m very partial to metallics and chains. I make sure to include plenty of hardware in my outfits, no matter how dressy or casual. My husband saw me attaching all of my accessories one morning when we were going out for a family breakfast. He just shook his head and said, “We’re just going out to eat…do you really need all of that on?” Honey, surely you know me by now, right?

Outfit – MNG by Mango Grey Shimmer Blazer and Bisou Bisou printed pants from JCPenney; Topshop peplum top (from London); Rebecca Minkoff purse; Shamballa bracelet c/o Cutey; Juicy Couture & Linea Pelle bracelets; Michael Kors watch; Suki Bijoux rings; Betesy Johnson disco ball pendant necklace (old); Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; Nine West booties

This is a picture that I posted on Instagram. Each piece (including the jacket and pants featured in this outfit post): $10!

(Outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao)

Weekend in Pictures: Spicy Lamb & Broadway Punk

Last Friday, I went out with the girls for dinner and a show: we had a light nosh at the God Save The Cuisine food truck followed by Green Day’s American Idiot: The Musical. Janice had turned me onto the God Save The Cuisine food truck because she knows how much of an anglophile I am, and was sure we would enjoy their fresh British menu. As we approached the red truck, I felt nostalgic for our trip last summer in London. I know most of these trucks have a changing menu, so I was quite excited when I saw the spiced lamb was available because lamb also reminds me of London (lamb burgers). The lamb was bursting with flavor and definitely had a kick to it. Once I’m off of the Whole30, I’m want to find out GSTC’s next stop so I can try the Fish-n-Chips Taco, Big Ben Burger and the Eton Mess if it’s available (from the home page: “Eton mess” Light meringue crumbled churned with strawberry compote and sweetened vanilla cream).

Top pictures: The “Tip Vote” answers can be found on their Facebook page (I voted yes to the “one way ticket to Mars” question). Bottom pictures: Very cool idea to provide blankets for a very British picnic!

I had the Spiced Lamb, sans chips. I’m doing the Whole30 again, so I only had a bit of the naan bread…but I made sure to eat everything else!

Janice had the catch of the day: Sea Bass with “Truck Cut Chips” (aka Fries)

(WARNING! This next segment contains spoilers!)

We ended the night with American Idiot at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The musical is based on Green Day’s 2004 album of the same name, and follows the lives of three men who are trying to escape their stifling suburban lifestyles. It’s 90 minutes long with no intermission, and goes through all of the songs from the American Idiot album and some songs from 21st Century Breakdown. The show is exciting with a fantastic stage set. My favorite parts: the heroin dance between Johnny and Whatshername; the songs “Holiday” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends”; and the very end where the entire cast sings “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. I thought I considered that a spoiler, but even I knew as a casual Green Day fan that they would play that song somewhere! One part that both Regi and I did not enjoy was the hallucination portion where Tunny is in a military hospital due to a leg injury. With the excitement and drama of the rest of the story, the floating genie seemed out-of-place. All in all, another fun night out with the girls. Hope you had a great weekend!

Top picture: The sign as we approached the entrance cracked us up to no end. I guess the show was not supposed to be for the easily offended! Bottom picture: A view from our seats.

Top picture: “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. Bottom picture: My program, Playbill and ticket.

Marissa, Janice, Me and Regi

My “Broadway punk” outfit for the evening: The Damned concert tee; MNG for Mango blazer; Guess jeans; Miista booties; studded cross body bag; Suki Bijoux skeleton necklace.

The Wind in My Hair, Makes Me So Aware

I’m always reluctant to wear shorts because I don’t know where the cut off is between too short, and not short enough. In my forties, I’ve become more self-conscious and aware of this fact, despite how much I know I believe it shouldn’t matter. I know I wore cut-offs at the Rewind Festival last year (post here), but can I wear those anywhere else other than maybe the beach? I think I have finally found the a line of shorts that are just perfect for me. These shorts are by Joe Fresh at JCPenney, and they hit me at just the right place on my thigh where I feel comfortable (not to mention they are adorable). They have a whole line of shorts, which will be perfect for those hot summer days that I know are coming so very soon here in San Diego.

Outfit – MNG by Mango fitted one-button jacket and Joe Fresh Piped Jacquard shorts, both from JCPenney; Topshop peplum top (from London); Rebecca Minkoff shoes and purse; London Underground cuff c/o Designhype; Necklace and rings by Suki Bijoux; Michael Kors watch; Coach sunnies; Earrings made by CC of the blog Pink Candles at Ridgemont High

(The title of this post is a line from the Depeche Mode song But Not Tonight; I thought it was appropriate since the wind made my hair go a bit wild while taking these pictures at Mission Bay.)

(Photos by Deon Chen)

I Won Tickets to a Damned Concert!

Chalk it up to good luck, but I won tickets to see The Damned in concert at Sycuan Casino’s Live & Up Close venue last Friday. I had been trying to win tickets from radio station 91x all week. I got through a couple of times, but I was either caller 2 or 3. Last Thursday, deejays Oz and Steve West played my favorite song by The Damned called “Alone Again Or” (the single from my personal collection is pictured below), and something in me told me to try again. Lo and behold, the planets aligned and I won! I vowed this year to take my husband to see as many of my favorite bands from when I was a teen, and The Damned was on my bucket list of bands to see. This is definitely outside of Deon’s musical taste or experience, but he was such a good sport and wanted to share this with me because he knows how much I love going to these types of concerts.

(Click the picture above for the video.)

Steve West introduced the band, and it was his birthday as well. I saw him after the show, and he said that his birthday was actually Wednesday (I couldn’t remember if it was that past Wednesday or upcoming). I have to admit that I only know a handful of songs by The Damned, so I didn’t recognize very much from the first few songs, other than “Neat Neat Neat”. I’m more familiar with songs during the time of the Phantasmagoria and Anything albums, so I instantly recognized “Eloise” and “Grimly Fiendish” . The highlight of the evening for me was of course “Alone Again Or” , which sounds even better than I could have imagined live. When this came out back in 1987, I had no idea it was a cover version. The original is by a band called Love, and The Damned version is very close to the original (video here). The concert was a lot of fun and full of energy. At one point, 91x deejay Mike Halloran hopped on stage to play bass (I forgot which song). I feel the need to go back and familiarize myself with the rest of The Damned’s discography. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the concert. The set list below is from their House of Blues concert the previous day, but I believe it’s nearly exact to the show we attended. Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Edit this setlist | More The Damned setlists

Captain Sensible (loved his shirt)

Grimly Fiendish

Monty Oxy Moron (brilliant keyboardist!)

Where’s YOUR Miista?

I’ll Tumble 4 Miista! by any2ndnow on Polyvore

80s Record Party
80srecordparty.tumblr.com

VAL GREEN
miista.com

SUE ROSE/AGATE
miista.com

SHONA ROSE GOLD
miista.com

LYNN ELECTRIC BLUE
miista.com

ZOE FLUORO YELLOW
miista.com

As many of you already know by now, I’m a big fan of Miista shoes. They have a great contest called WHERE’S YOUR MIISTA, and the winner receives free shoes. You can enter as many times as you wish, just make sure you’re creative. The competition is quite stiff out there, and there are SO many great pictures! Here are my humble little additions, which prompted me to get some kind of 80’s music reference in there (yes, I had to include Depeche Mode, too). That’s right, I’d tumble, somersault, cart-wheel and backflip for Miista!

Here’s how to enter: WHERE’S YOUR MIISTA?

“To submit your entry: (1) open Instagram (2) search @miistashoes (3) follow @miistashoes (4) upload photo (5a) write awesome caption (5b) tag @miistashoes and #WHERESYOURMIISTA (6) get all your friends to like it, we could possibly be swayed by your popularity — but if you’re TOO popular we might think we need to give it to a needier, less loved follower, gotta find the sweet spot (7) wait patiently and pray every night to the patron saint of statement shoes (From Miista’s blog)”

(Contest ends May 31, 2013)

Walking In My Miistas! by any2ndnow on Polyvore

Depeche Mode Walking In My Shoes UK 2-CD single set (Double CD single)…
eil.com

UNA BURGUNDY
miista.com

Weekend in Pictures: The Carlsbad Village Faire

Back on May 5, 2013, my mother-in-law came into town to pay a visit to her grandson, and also because she had an Origami Owl booth at The Carlsbad Village Faire. The Faire is the nation’s largest one-day street faire. I know it’s in the name, but I was completely unprepared for just how many streets this faire would cover! Although the weather left much to be desired (it rained at the very end), I had a great time getting to know Carlsbad. I fully intend to come back to Carlsbad and explore more of this beautiful beach side northern San Diego city. In the meantime, I’ve included a photo diary of our day at The Faire. Enjoy!

My mother-in-law’s Origami Owl display

My boys with my hubby’s first purchase of the day…a Steelers rolling cooler (that can be used as a seat)!

Kettle corn is always a crowd pleaser.

I bought a cute little handmade Geisha girl backpack from the booth on the left, and failed to get that cute purse on the right. It was only $10!

A whole lotta art everywhere!

Music was also all around in the form of live bands, wares, and…hares! Added another record store to my list to go back and visit: Spin Records.

While I add record stores to my list of places to visit, my hubby adds golf courses.

Our food adventures: kangaroo skewers and blueberry lemonade. Deon enjoyed the skewers, but I loved the lemonade much more.

You bet I’m coming back to visit Carlsbad and shop…they have a Bit O’ Britain there!

Ice Machine

I finally got my Val Tex ankle boots by Miista. Free People had them on super sale, so I just had to grab them. They named it the “Glacier Ankle Boot”, probably because the pattern looks like it could be from the aurora borealis. I fell in love with them when Miista introduced their Electromancer line, and I used it in a Polyvore collage (post here). I kept my outfit very simple, allowing these lovelies to steal the show. These booties are even prettier up-close and personal, and many co-workers stopped me to ask me where I got them. This is my fourth pair of Miistas, and I can safely say that I’m hooked.

Outfit – H&M cardigan; Old Navy shirt and jeans; Val Tex ankle boots by Miista in topaz/mauve ($69.95 on Free People); Rebecca Minkoff MAC; Michael Kors watch; Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux rings; Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; bracelet, necklace and earrings were birthday gifts from my niece and sister

(‘Ice Machine’ is a song by Depeche Mode, the B-side to ‘Dreaming of Me’)

$Val Tex Collage$

(Check out the cute bonus pictures of my beautiful niece wearing my Miistas. She loves all of my shoes, purses and clothes, so I thought it would be fitting to get her in this outfit post. I’m telling you, she’s a natural, no?)

(Photos by Rholnna Jiao)

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