jeffrey + upstairsloft

I added and updated my “About.” I told you. These updates will proceed in baby steps. But hey, other websites I’ve been to say “Under Construction” for years and years. So ha! Holler.

Earlier this month, I Kate and I ran into our close friend’s mom who we haven’t seen since some time last year. Kate’s girlfriends were all reunited under one roof on Sunday and Iris’ mom was telling Iris how she ran she saw us about a month ago.

I was wondering what the hell she was talking about. So I had to back track and tackle logic to figure this one out. We moved to SF on December 1. We ran into her the day after in Milpitas.

My parents bought a Christmas tree that same day. I didn’t get to breathe it in until late yesterday when I was wrapping gifts for two hours. As I sat back to relax my back, I examined the tree and realized that it was the first time I was looking at it. I mean, really looking at it. So I sat there alone absorbing as much of the scenery as I could and thought, “Why can’t I do this more often.”

My inner me threw a brick at me. I was instantly reminded that I have no time. I’m too busy. I’m too tired. I’m drained. I give work the most I can give until I am on the bus, too exhausted to do anything but pass time.

Everything in between the first of the month and today have been nothing but a gray blue with no definition of color. My holiday season had no build-up, no anticipation until this past weekend when a bunch of my friends and my family got together to walk Christmas-in-the-Park in Downtown San Jose.

Immediately I blamed being a grown-up. What does that have to do with anything? A lot. I work. I have responsibilities to maintain. Yeah. It’s all dry shit. But who the fuck is to say being a grown-up should suck suck me dry from the fun guy that I am? Having grown-up responsibilities is a given. There’s no way to bypass it. What do I do? I work with it?

I spent an hour, passing time, looking through my iPhoto archives. I did a pretty good job documenting this year, until I started working. How can I sum up the past three months? Project numbers. Kate getting a job. Moving to SF. Yes, all big things, but that’s about as far as my memory extends. I have no supporting photos. I have no journal entries documenting my deepest thoughts, my most foolish thoughts. I loss time by not capturing and documenting as much of it as I can. I was too busy living in the moment but not able to recollect those moments.

The timing is right. So hell, shoot for it. It’s New Year’s next week. My resolution, document more. I want to recall what I did and what I was thinking at those moments. I want to see photos. I want to read about it. It’s like writing a book for myself. I want to read how foolish I am and how much I grow. I want to be the happy little kid Jeff I’ve been known for before I started working. Even I was able to squeeze in some fun time during design school.

Merry Christmas.

The day after Kate and I moved to SF, we went back home to Milpitas. We needed to pick some more stuff up, and do some groceries (raid our parents’ pantries and refrigerators). Being the nut that I am and always scanning for anything that interest me, and having Kate tell me “Don’t touch that; you don’t know where that’s been!” I had to turn off my behavioral filters and pick this piece of ghetto elegance. I was so happy to stumble upon this piece and I can’t wait to decorate a wall with mine and Kate’s crazy finds.

Kate and I live just blocks away from the best damn book store. I couldn’t imagine how a book store could be so great from all the reviews I read. In about 5 minutes, after exploring the place, I constantly kept losing myself to distraction and finding awesome books to flip through. I picked u p about 10 books and had to force myself to limit my purchase to $60. Yes. I spent $60 on $250 worth of books. Design books. Unique finds. A shit load of stuff. I bought about 6 books. I love this city. I love Green Apple Books.

Paul, yes Paul, Mr. Busy himself, drove back up to SF for the second time this week to chill. With school and his internship, he still made time to bless us with his presence. Anyhow, sappy shit aside, we just got back from Levende Lounge which played some real good music for the first hour. What now? Well, Kate and I work later and we’re about to devour some Vietnamese and Thai food. I love this.

Maybe if I put down more than $4 bucks on an umbrella, maybe, just maybe I won’t lose it. I lost it. So I put down $15 on this super-cool, well, the super coolest small umbrella you can get at WalGreens. I’ve only used it once since I got it. I normally don’t use umbrellas. For the past two decades, I just kind of roll with it; if I’m wet, I’m wet. Well, being a working dude, showing up to work drenched just isn’t presentable (or is it?)

Well, in just two weeks, my dumbass manages to lose $20 worth of umbrellas. They’re so foreign to me. I habitually grab my ass and upper thighs to check for my wallet, muni pass, keys, usb stick, chapstick, pens and a couple of Altoids. My journal is another thing I always have with me (but not on me). But an umbrella, no matter how small it is, it just doesn’t fly with me.

They should make disposable umbrellas for me. That’s the quick solution. But it’s not green and it shouldn’t wither in the rain. Damn umbrellas and they’re stupid shape. Damn me for never making it a habit to use one.

A huge work in progress but Kate and I finally replaced the bed sheet with some real curtains. We’re real picky with poking holes in the walls so we have sketches and a ton of ideas of how to design our living space. It’s real exciting.

Some things we’re expecting to accomplish by summer are finding an entertainment armoir at some used furniture shop, painting it plaque yellow and putting our tv on that. We’re also going to get some armoirs to server as bookshelves. Anthropologie is probably the closest thing I can reference that we’re going for. We’re about saving dough make making shit look dope. Anyhow, here’s a current picture of what the pad is looking like. It’s not much but it’s definitely getting cozier by the moment.

Some notes. We’re Filipino; the balikbayan box is a given. The blue rug doesn’t really match just yet but it will. The PVC tube scarf rack will be replaced with a step-ladder inspired piece that I plan on building and staining. Another project to add to the list, i.e. plan wedding, freelance, furnish and design living space and work for a living. Ha. Life is great.

Kate and I did some xmas shopping in Upper and Lower Haight today.

I had to. I just had to. I’m not big on LA, even though I lived there for the first six years of my life, but… Well, I just had to. This shirt is too hot to pass up.

Don’t wear Stilettos while checking mail on your Blackberry. Hahahahah.

Everyday on my way to work, I see sexied out business women walking tall in their 4-inch stilettos. But it must really suck to have such a limited surface to walk on. Today, some businesswoman broke that pokey thing on the bottom of her shoes because she forgot to walk around a gutter. It sucks to be limited to just flat surfaces. I have brittle ankles. If I cross-dressed, I’d be damn sure to sprain my ankle walking on uneven surfaces.

Jun and I have this thing about wanting to be fit to handle situations that call for our survival. If I were wearing dick-kickers, slippers or boots, I wouldn’t be able to run for my life if I needed to. If I were hanging on a cliff (only God knows how the hell I got on the cliff in the first place, but you can ask Kate about some stupid shit I’ve landed myself in) I’d need to be able to hold my own weight for minutes.

I can see how a chick can take off her stilettos and make a run for it if she were being chased. She can even gouge an attacker in the eye (but she’d better be doing yoga in the afternoons to have the flexibility to do some Charlie’s Angel acrobats). I guess I’m about versatility and timelessness. I hate wearing non-chucks and non-vans because those are the shoes I can do anything in. Plus they look sweet. ‘ sucks for that chick who fucked up her shoes over a gutter. It looked painful.