Friends Making Movies

We visited the set of our good friend Alex Ranarivelo. He is shooting his second feature "Born to Race." Steve Sarno (writer) showed us around set. Huge kisses went to the hard working DP Reuben Steinberg .....here is a little of what we got to see...

Cousins Visit

Ahh, the dear ole cousins came to visit. It was so much fun having them at my house for a change. These boys got to see Hollywood / LA in true fashion. We of course expanded their pallets for amazing food, relaxed, people watched, and star sightings. I love these boys as if they were my own flesh and blood brothers.

We did many things and I chauffeured them around, first stopping by the Jimmy Kimmel show, where they got to see 2 stars on the show: Jada Pinkett Smith & Matthew Fox.
Toured them around Hollywood, saw advanced screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Visited Santa Monica, got a little beach time in, the Grove, and even had a private tour of Fox studies where we were on the back-lot with Dr. House aka: Hugh Laurie, and watched dallies of Water for Elephants.
Oh and I almost forgot our amazing day at Universal Studios where my loving uncle got us front of the line passes. It was totally worth it. On the tours we got to see the new back lot from where everything had burned down. The new sets are amazing!







Front of the line pases...lol

Hello Goodbye Summer

Summer came and gone this season in LA. It was the most strangest summer. It was very chilly and I never made it to the beach once. It could of been that Damon & I have been super busy every weekend that we always had something planned. I literally wore my H& M light weight, white sweater everywhere I went. The few times we had to relax we would travel to Damon's parents New House in Handford, CA. It has a beautiful pool and was very nice to relax there.

And of course I took myles to the pool my favorite little man I babysit for!

Hello Lover

Hotel Maya Long Beach- Floating Cabanas

Cinco De Mayo

My husband proposed to me in Granview Tx. 3 years ago on this date. So we went around the corner to try our local new restaurant called Chego
3300 Overland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034

If you live in La, food trucks are a huge thing, and the famous chef Roy Choi, of the Kogi Korean bbq beef truck has a tiny restaurant in Palms around the corner from where I live. Instead of checking your twitter page to hunt down this yummy food truck, now you know exactly where to go. All the bowls are under $10 so very affordable as well. This new eatery focusing on Korean rice bowls, with the famous Korean BBQ beef, and topped off with a fried egg. It really was amazing, but totally spicy. Get your tums ready.

an inspired green puree Dip!

Ahh, went to dinner after the screening of "Turkish women who dare". We popped over to LUNA PARK. There they brought to the table, bread and green puree dip. My culinary tongue detected parsley and garlic. Of course asked the waitress and was right. So I went home and was inspired to recreate it. Next time you have guest over make it... so easy...

1-Bunch of Parsley
1/2 garlic clove
1/4 c. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Cuisinart Blender
baguette
Blend all together, but drizzle 1/4 of the oil while being pureed. Cut up baguette toasted or untoasted and yummm..

Turkish Women Who Dare-Documentary

My friend produced this documentary film called "Voices Unveiled: Turkish Women Who Dare." It explores the clash of Islam and the West through the lives of three modern Turkish women - a dancer, an artist, and an activist – who struggle to find their own voices in a traditional world. I learned so much from how it's hard to stand up to your generation of oppressed, and it's ok to be any type of woman their hearts desire in their traditional worlds. From the simple headscarf to the body-covering niqab, this trend is apparent in countries as different as Indonesia and Iran. And while many reports have come up with this change exclusively to growing religious sentiment or to male oppression, two Turkish researchers are offering an intriguing alternative theory: Wearing the veil is an act of fashion rebellion.

There was a small village in the film that caught my eye. They were a group of women who didn't want to become just servants to their husbands so they opened what we know as a bed and breakfast. They worked together to make this business for themselves and the men were so ashamed. Even their government turned their back on them with funding, pipes for clean sewage, you name it. Yuck! they did it all themselves. But the old ways of their culture got to one of the woman. While shooting one woman got scared and something happens that I can't give away!

The artist in the film took her heritage, traditial rug desigins and researched the definition of all the elements that are on these rugs, and produced them into a more modern look. The process was amazing how she would sketch out an idea then make this giantic pattern and take it to these Turkish woman who know how to hand weave rugs with thier eyes close on their desolate farms, and just weave in the sun till they were finished. I'm talking about those crazy pattern rug with stars and what look like to me oriental designs. Now, they were reversing their minds to weave a new pattern. It was amazing and so beautiful...I want one!
~BELKIS BALPINAR
If you see it at your local Film Festival check it out!
http://www.voicesunveiled.com/