Self-reflection

Sunny California Christmas

season greetings from the Dinh Family

One of my favorite photos of the night. It reminded me of those old, victorian staged family photos that you put up in the den to show off when you have guests over. The feeling was grave, but you can still see the deep mother/ son relationship.

Not an asian christmas without some harmless gambling

Reflecting upon the New Year

Hello Lovelies!

Christmas this year was a fresh reminder to why family is so important in my life. They are the reason why I am able to pursue my dreams and goals and they are a vital vertebrae to my personal sanity. Despite the lack of "family activities" that actually occur, the times that we do get together, they are the most memorable. Without them, I don't think I would be the person I am today.

That led me on to think about the upcoming New Year and what I wanted to change. So I started a list (yes, an actual list) of the top ten resolutions I want to adhere to for the New Year. They were eventually narrowed down into four:

1. COMPLETE the full 90 days for P90X

2. START and ADHERE to a savings fund for my return to San Francisco in the Fall

3. REINVENT my diet into an all organic diet.

4. TREAT my mother and father to an outing at least once a month.

I think they are a good mix of inner and outer personal endeavors that I can look forward to. I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and have a fabulous time on New Years/ New Years Eve!

Danny

"Take my hand, and together, we will see what it means to be loved"

Ugly Sweater group

"Jolly holly" friends

Pomegranate cranberry cosmopolitans

Silent Night

Hello Lovelies,

Merry Christmas eve! I wish you a happy holiday season and warmest wishes for the New Year. Here are some pictures from my ugly sweater party I had last weekend. There's nothing better than good company and fashion faux pas(s) to start the season right. I also hope you enjoy this little number I diddled with last night. It's my little tribute to the movie "black swan". Its a kind of sendoff to the white swan before her transformation into the black swan. Enjoy!

Danny

pour toi mon amour, jusqu'à ce que le soleil se lève à nouveau

A slight of hand, a bow of applause

5th row seats to the Nutcracker.

"Dear God, please keep me safe on this rainy day....and not run out of gas"

Running empty.

theater screen

UCLA's Royce Hall

Intensive detailing on the ceiling of UCLA's Royce Hall

The Nutcracker (Jordan Veit) and Clara (Helena Thordal-Christensen)

A city of lights beyond the view.

Truffles, pinot grigio, and ABC family's christmas Re-runs to end the day.

The ballet is one of the few places where it is acceptable to wear an embellished tulle skirt and white tights without looking childish or faux pas. On Saturday, I went with a friend to The Los Angeles Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker and the production was inspiring to say the least. The beautifully crafted peplum dresses in the first act were so detailed, it left me crouching over my seat to get a better view and the costuming was so appropriate that I let out a little gasp when I saw that Clara had on a traditional slip underneath her white dress. The Nutcracker is a tradition that I hold dearly to my heart and every year, I would leave the theater with a smile and good cheer to last me over the holidays.

Danny

Lost Boy

chocolate crew neck sweater by J Crew, $59.50, Mission Viejo, CA 949 347 0135; black waxed leather pants by Zara, $59.60, Costa Mesa, CA 714 668 1650; black suede ankle wedges by BCBGeneration, $139.00, Mission Viejo, CA 949 378 3653; black motorcycle gloves by BCBG Max Azria, Mission Viejo, CA 949 364 3887; black leather belt by Hermes, http://www.hermes.com/; fox tail scarf, vintage; yellow black combo headset by Sony, vintage; blue Suhali Le Talentueux Bag by Louis Vuitton, $2640.00, Costa Mesa, CA 714 662 6907; gold trimmed aviators by Ray-Ban, from Sunglass Hut, Mission Viejo, CA 949 3643775.

ashed open neck sweater by Allsaints, San Francisco, CA 415 762 0702; striped tank by H&M, Irvine, CA 949 754 0681; black waxed leather pants by Zara, $59.60, Costa Mesa, CA 714 668 1650; black suede ankle wedges by BCBGeneration, $139.00, Mission Viejo, CA 949 378 3653; mahogany snake embossed weekender by H&M, $59.90, Irvine, CA 949 754 0681; chain epaulettes by BCBG Max Azria, $98.00, Mission Viejo, CA 949 364 3887; chain fringe bracelet by BCBG Max Azria, $48.00, Mission Viejo, CA 949 364 3887; double band rings, vintage.

chocolate crew neck sweater by J Crew, $59.50, Mission Viejo, CA 949 347 0135; black waxed leather pants by Zara, $59.60, Costa Mesa, CA 714 668 1650; black suede ankle wedges by BCBGeneration, $139.00, Mission Viejo, CA 949 378 3653; black motorcycle gloves by BCBG Max Azria, Mission Viejo, CA 949 364 3887; black leather belt by Hermes, http://www.hermes.com/; fox tail scarf, vintage; yellow black combo headset by Sony, vintage; blue Suhali Le Talentueux Bag by Louis Vuitton, $2640.00, Costa Mesa, CA 714 662 6907; gold trimmed aviators by Ray-Ban, from Sunglass Hut, Mission Viejo, CA 949 3643775.

chocolate crew neck sweater by J Crew, $59.50, Mission Viejo, CA 949 347 0135; gold trimmed aviators by Ray-Ban, from Sunglass Hut, Mission Viejo, CA 949 3643775; yellow black combo headset by Sony, vintage

Hello Lovelies,

Waking up today was perhaps one of the most liberating feeling in the world. The knowledge that last night semester's finals were finally over was like inhaling a breath of fresh air. As promised, here is my photoshoot entitled "Lost Boy", inspired by the 1987 movie, "The Lost Boys". Today's goal is to simply prepare for Sunday's festivities. I'm officially on a hunt for the perfect Ugly Holiday Sweater; if you have any suggestions to where I can find one, leave a comment!

Danny

RA sushi

One of my favorite splurges is on really good sushi. Nothing like an explosion of flavor in your mouth like a good tempura fried lobster roll or a bite of smoked salmon rolled with mango and cream cheese. RA sushi in Tustin, CA (http://www.rasushi.com/) is definitely a place to mark on your list when deciding on an atmosphere-rich location for sushi. Their Crazy Monkey and Viva Las Vegas rolls are to die for and a must to try out if you ever visit. But the one thing that made RA stand out was their atmosphere. The best description I could give is an underground scene, shaken with a hint of red lighting. The service was great with an exception that they were really skimpy on refilling water. If anything, go for some good eye candy; the waiters were a good 8/10 on the Jude Law scale. Overall, it was a place worth going to on a lazy saturday night or simply to catch up with some old friends.

RA sushi in Tustin: 8/10

Angie

The holidays are a time when new anticipations embrace old traditions and daily regrets turn into repents.

The nights of warm hot chocolate and ABC family Christmas reruns always trigger a moment of gratefulness in me and makes me thankful for the traditions that run in my family. Every year, around this time, my family takes part in a 'scavenger hunt' through Macy's for a new ornament for our tree and this year we came home with this little beauty; I call her Angie.

Do you have a favorite tradition that you carry out with your family during the holidays?

Danny

Give me some Blogger love

Hello Lovelies,

I never thought this picture would ever be published, but a blogger's word is her promise. Fashion and food blogger, pancakeSTACKER took a photo of me in San Francisco last month and she posted it on her blog today! I'm so excited simply because I've been a follower for about 4 months now and it's an honor to be shown on her website. Check it out on the link below! It's the last photo on the entry.

Danny

http://pancakestacker.blogspot.com/2010/12/popsugars-freshguide-fabsugar-saks_09.html

Photo credit: pancakeSTACKER

Vblog #2; Lost in the Wilderness

Hello lovelies,

Today has been filled with adventure, 4-inch wedges and sinking sand; all of which are good things! This is actually the introduction to today's shoot called "Lost in the Wilderness". It is a sweater story that is linked with the theme of loneliness and gloom. The shoot took an editorial point of view and overall was very successful (with the exception of some lighting issues from the quick descending sun). Pictures will be posted soon as well as a video on the actual shoot itself.

Danny

Music: Not in love by Crystal Castles, Only girl by Rhianna

Introduction

Hello lovelies,

Thank you for joining me on this new adventure. I'm really excited to start this and i hope you are excited too! For better video quality, visit my Youtube account.

Daniel

Follow my blog with bloglovin