#TopChicret Maybelline 'Uses Shit Fashion Girls Says' P'trique For Charlotte Free Annoucement

Some brands talk about collaborating with Internet famous people and some brands actually do it, like Maybelline's recent annoucement of Charlotte Free as the new face of their brand. Check out the pretty funny video featuring 'Shit Fashion Girls Say' star P'trique below. "N.F.T. (not for twitter)."

Brand USA Launches Discover America Campaign with "Land of Dreams"

I am thrilled, fortunate and inspired to be a part of the team for Brand USA, the official tourism organization charged with encouraging people around the world to visit and explore the USA. The Discover America launch campaign was revealed yesterday at the International Pow Wow Travel Conference in L.A., and I am truly excited for what is to come--especially in digital and social!

Stay tuned but for now show your support for USA tourism by doing the 5 things below:

1) Watch the "Land of Dreams" Full Length Video starring Rosanne Cash

Here's the Making of the Discover America campaign and "Land of Dreams" TV spot

2) Explore the awesome DiscoverAmerica.com website where you can download the "Land of Dreams" track from Rosanne Cash for free and explore 250 unique USA experiences 

My friend and very own manager several years back from London Sam Edwards is featured in one of the travel journals here

3) "Like" the Discover America Facebook Page: Facebook.com/DiscoverAmerica

and/or visit the in-country Facebook pages here

 4) Follow @DiscoverAmerica on Twitter 

or our country handles @discoverusaJP (Japan), @discoverusaUK (UK), @discoverusaCA (Canada) and @discoverusaQC (French Canada)

5) Update your Facebook Timeline cover photo with a beautiful USA photo here

It's really easy to do!

Check out my out snazzy profile! But more importantly, check out the Grand Prismatic Spring (shown in the cover) at Yosemite National Park, learn more about it here

Ted is Real, His Name is Oscar

Funny, after watching the "Ted" trailer with Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane as Ted the teddy bear, I couldn't help laughing about how similar Ted is to my boyfriend's childhood teddy bear Oscar (he's a bear, NOT a monkey). I know crazy right? If you thought the movie was weird, think again, because a living teddy bear is not that weird. Oscar sleeps next to me every night in the corner with his pudgy foot often times kicking me in my face. Like Ted, Oscar has a giant head larger then mine, finds joy in the occasional drink and is a staple at house parties. Oh, did I tell you he likes to watch Mad Men too? I can't wait for the movie to come out in the summer, it looks like a riot. Oscar said he's excited too.

First Saturday at Dekalb Market

Thanks to my daily-deals scout/friend Gabs, my friends and I all jumped on an Urban Daddy $20 all-you-can-drink beer and mimosas deal at Dekalb Market in Downtown Brooklyn. Shipping containers, sunshine and Six Point Sweet Actions--not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Sadly, the food vendors were not prepared for the amount of people who came to the market, because by the time I arrived around 2pm, half of the food vendors sold out. My options for food were limited to meatballs and grilled cheese (which the lines were insanely long), and I ended up waiting 20+ minutes for the only quick and substantial food I could find--meat pies. Rule of thumb, unlimited booze with limited food only leads to very hangry people! If I were a pretzel or pizza shop, I would set up a stall at Dekalb Market ASAP! Nevertheless, this Saturday (hopefully) marks the first of many blue skied, friend-filled, warm, outdoor events.

"Nori Taco" - Fried Nori, Kim Chee Fried Rice and Pickled Veggies

Steak & Mushroom Meat Pies

Converse Releases "Warrior" with Kimbra, A-Trak and Mark Foster

3 Kick Ass Artists + 1 Catchy Song = Converse's formula for staying relevant & cool 

Watch the music video for "Warrior" which premiered today:

An old favorite:

My Defense of the "Anti-Foodie" Foodie Scene

I recently read NY Mag's feature on foodie-ism as youth culture which profiled Diane Chang who I guess is supposed to be a big NYC food blogger (never heard of her before the article), but I found the article interesting--and the comments even more--because to a large degree my life in NYC is also consumed by good eating and drinking. Really, food has been a huge part of my life as a kid growing up in a Chinese household with a dad who's a professional chef and mom and grandma who kicks ass at cooking amazing dinners night after night. Now, I just pay other people to feed me.

Before you label me as a "foodie", here are somethings I'd like to clarify:

I don't shop.

In my 2.5 years in NYC, I've never stepped in a sample sale or bought anything from Gilt. I have forgone the common 'shopping' addiction to afford the ability to enjoy a nice meal here and there. Basically, I've replaced purses with pretzels (the one at Radegast is so good!).

I do not check-in or write reviews.

My shitty smartphone never seems to know where I am, and so I do not check-in on foursquare or facebook. Even if I did have an iPhone, I probably wouldn't. I've also never written a review on Yelp.

I like drinking too.

So much emphasis is put on "food", what about drinks? I like bar-exploring as much as I like eating and get excited when a bar has 8+ beers on tap, none of which are light domestics; however, my amateur wine knowledge makes me an instant foodie fail.

Often times, I eat like a poor intern.

$5 pulled pork sliders from Fetta Sau's after hours menu, $7 chicken and rice combination plate, $3 Oasis falafel sandwich, $3 cheese corn from Union Pool, $8 chicken liver bacon sandwich from Post Office, $7 chicken chop from Saint's Alps... I'm not ashamed to order from the McDonald's dollar menu and have yet to step foot in a Jean-Georges establishment. I have an appreciation for high-brow food but for the most part consume mid-to-low. My advertising job really doesn't support a $300 Per Se tasting menu habit. 

I sometimes take pictures. 

Especially when I slave away in my kitchen. I like to remember my culinary accomplishments.

I'm lucky my friends have the same appreciation I do for good food. I'm even luckier that we're not the "foodie" snobs people seem to stereotype that all they do is restaurant name drop, take pictures of everything we eat and can only talk about food. My friends and I don't talk about food when we're at restaurants... we're too busy eating.

Google 8-bit NES Map for April Fools, So Racist

But so good! I like it!