KZalan's Blog

I recently took a leap of faith and decided I'd rather get back into the competitive world of print/commercial/music than sitting comfortably and making a huge salary. At the end of the day it just seemed like no matter I wasn't content. However, I decided to ditch that and dive back into things. Always a good sign that you get booked right away. At least I didn't waste time thinking "maybe I made a mistake" or "maybe I should've thought about it a little more..." I booked 3 back to back jobs and am extremely exhausted with 2 down one to go. Tomorrow is the last day and thank god for that. Don't get me wrong, I love doing it but physically it's demanding. So yesterday was an interesting shoot...

It was at a studio which is always cool and even better with other people my age. It was 5 girls and 1 guy. I got picked to do the "steamy" shots with the guy which took an unexpected turn midway into it. I did my first set for the swimsuit portion of the catalog and the next was a sortof boyfriend/girlfriend spread. It started casual then the next thing I knew it was like that controversial Abercrombie and Fitch catalog where the guys and girls appeared half naked and more focused on each other than the clothing. You get breaks in between and I started chatting up with the guy who ended up being cool. We were both half Hawaiian so they figured we'd pair up nicely together. I really started enjoying his company and it wasn't hard to "act" like we were into each other. We ended up all going out to dinner after that at Ortolan. This place was THE BEST restaurant I've been to in a long time. The chef is from L'Orangerie and the food was amazing. I highly recommend this place and it's pretty romantic. I ended up making out later with that guy only this time, we weren't being photographed. It was fun...

So my friends and I tried out this new restaurant in Los Angeles - Memphis. Situated on Hollywood Blvd, Memphis is Michael Hudson's latest Southern spot. He's turned Hollywood's last remaining vitorian cottage (Jane's House) into a Southern themed restaurant bar that sort of makes you feel like you're in Lousiana. They said it used to be a visitor's center and before that a school house. It was sort of creepy and had that dark, haunted feeling since it is over 100 years old. The food was just ok. Not what I expected. Problem is while there is not so southern comforting food, there's also not so southern like service. We spotted Freddy Rodriguez (once again) and dined next to a party celebrating a birthday. I guess many people had been making a stink about the fact that they don not celebrate birthdays. Ironically, there were many birthdays that night...
The first birthday party was secretly planning on telling their server that it was one of their bdays as yeah you guessed it, the bday girl went to the bathroom. Only then were they informed that Memphis does not "celebrate birthdays"...pissed off party number 1. The second party we observed overheard this and decided, fuck this, we're leaving...they asked for their check which much to their surprise was delivered by the manager. Apparently, if you come in a party, you have to meet a certain minimum...and if you don't, well, you have to so they charge you. Pissed off party number 2. The third and last party decided, ok, let's eat and drink a lot and not order cake and be on our merry way. The got the check, paid and as they were walking out they were chased down by their server who claimed that they had not tipped enough. The partons explained they had tipped 20% and she still insisted it was not enough. Much to their dismay, they handed her more cash on the street and left. Moral of the story, Memphis has a nice atmosphere but if you're looking for cozy and pure southern hospitality, Memphis is just a authentic as it's location in Los Angeles. Sorry...better luck next time!

First of all just want to say Happy Easter. I stayed here this weekend (although I'm not in L.A. now) and took advantage of the less busy-L.A. scene due to the holiday weekend. It was nice for once not having to make an early reservation and instead easy to call in last minute and request the best seat on the patio which ultimately never happens unless you book way in advance. I decided to have dinner Friday night with a girlfriend at Orso's in Hollywood. The scene is more low-key but the patio is beautiful. More romantic if anything. The service was great although I got a headache from my first glass of pinot grigio and there was still a whole bottle to go. It didn't last too long, thank god and I was able to maintain a headache free night. We took one look around at the end of the meal and realized we were the only ones there. We quickly headed over to Lola's on Fairfax. This place was great. It was a mixed crowd and at times sort of college-y but the martini menu is amazing. This place also claims to have been the creators of the coveted Apple Martini. Anyway, this bar would make a great place for a first date drink stop or a cool "hang out" with the pool tables and open arrangement.

So I'm not in L.A. at the moment, I left early yesterday to a destination I'm not sure whether or not I can mention. I got booked on my first job in Spring and pretty excited. Anytime it requires a free plane ride and a hotel stay and per diem you know it's going to be a great job. So anyway, it's beautiful here and the only that sucks about the whole thing is that I'm here alone. Not alone, alone since there are others who got booked but no one I know and of course no personal friends. I'm sure it will be fine once everyone meets each other and hangs out. We'll be working together after all and surely after a dinner with some drinks everyone will be feeling "friendly". I need to check out the guys and see if there are any potential hotties. I think I spotted one earlier but I've been in hiding since we got here. Well, I took the local tour but so jet lagged and trying to catch on some sleep. Oh yeah, which reminds me, I need to do that since I have an early call time. Have a great week everyone. I know I will!

www.lolasla.com

new cantaloupe martini at lolas...

another few days in paradise

hotel pool

With the dramatic weather changes and cold, rainy days, I caught a "bug". It didn't last too long and it's on its way out but consequently, I spent most of my weekend "taking it easy". Translation, I only drank on night over the weekend. Anyway, I decided to challenge myself and find another way to explore something new and exciting. Something that didn't involve late nights, loud music, crowded venues, a large charge on the card that you don't remember until the next day, and of course, the hangover. It took some time brainstorming and after a spring of ideas, one came to mind that I fully executed. Reliving the ultimate of all school trips, the museum. Luckily, in L.A., the exhibits change quite often and it might have been the perfect time for me to do this...

First stop Saturday, the Natural Museum of History in downtown L.A. They have the "Bog People" exhibit which has always fascinated me since the first time I heard about it. These were the mummified bodies that date back to 2,000 years and happened to be preserved because of the moss in the ground they were buried. They appear almost leather like and now, they have all these crazy scientically enhanced images of what some of the people looked like...not to mention most died violent deaths. Just look at the pics. Creepy!!! Next, stop, something on a lighter note was Gregory Colberts amazing photography exhibit "Ashes and Snow" at the Santa Monica Pier (Nomadic Museum). His work is a collaboration of works gathered from India, Egypt, Burma, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Kenya, Borneo, and Azores. It also took A LOT of patience since these photos are not digitally edited. It is exactly "how you see them" meaning the photo with the chidren at the elephants ears are really standing next to an elephant and the child with wings has a huge falcon behind him that thank god didn't eat him alive. Anyway, I chose some of my favs to show. This is Gregory Colberts take on the natural interaction of nature and how humans and animals coexist...this exhibit is amazing...

but first, the bogs...
creepy bog guy "Tollund"
"Tollund" up close...poor guy
another poor sap
a digital image of what a 16 year old bog victim looked like

ok moving on...Ashes and Snow

If you want to see the whole portfolio go to www.ashesandsnow.org
or just go see it for yourself!!

Every once in a while you party hard one night and feel like shit the next morning and wonder, "should I do it all over again? or quit now and recover painfully." In my case, I decided the hair of the dog was the best option. It started out on Friday night. I had a friend visiting from New York for some fashion business and decided to go out Friday, Saturday and reluctantly, Sunday. Unless you want to eat at the Cheescake Factory or Norm's, it's wise to make reservations anywhere. With that said, we were a little late (Thursday) trying to make reservations. We ended up getting a party of 8 for 8p.m. Friday night at a new place in Beverly Hills called Aqua. We figured it was a little "too easy" - so we had our own "reservations." We arrived Friday night, not surprised to see it was a little less than, happening...it was obvious the place wasn't the place to be and when our bartender confirmed that this was their third official opening...we bailed. But I did appreciate the under water theme and the staff was really friendly, it's a shame they weren't that busy.

After bailing we went to Crustacean which was opposite - busy and loud. The bill was loud as well, although it was pricey, almost a grand for a party of 8, it was well worth it. We called it a night after that and decided to save it for the next night. But I guess we overlooked how much we had drank and found out the next morning we had gotten annihilated. So off to the next place - Citizen Smith. The "IT" restaurant at the moment and it was awesome. From the decor to the crowd and the music, not to mention the former cooks from Maestro's the place deserved its great reputation. Saw Busta Rhymes there...We headed back to the Grafton where we spotted American Idol Bucky and his twin brother partying. It was almost 2 and it was time to call it a night. Sunday night I felt the only way to fix my hangover was yet with more alcohol...a nice glass of wine which put me fast to sleep.

Crustacean - notice the clear koi pond!
Outside Crustacean
Citizen Smith - pics do no justice
This is how i felt most of the weekend