AuH20: Gold in the Water

"It's not about the money, money, money, we don't need your money, money, money, we just wanna make the world dance", the joyous lyrics from pop singer Jessie J's "Price Tag", featuring B.o.B.

The up-and-coming British pop sensation recently made a trip to one of my favorite vintage stores, AuH20, in the East Village. AuH20 is owned by Kate Goldwater (what do you know, AuH20 are scientific formulas of her last name!), a Milwaukee native, who graduated from NYU and opened her own shop in October 2006.

"Style, to me, should be what makes you feel comfortable. I've always said that style should not have a brand," Jessie says, "I don't think style's about how much money you wear on your back, or your shoes"

AuH20, is one of the best and affordable vintage shops in the city. No, I'm not talking about $30-worn-shirts. I'm talking about prices you can really afford. $5 rack of new and almost-new clothes, $10 for new and lightly-worn sweaters, who can't afford that?! Best of all, the customer service makes the shopping experience at AuH20 rather pleasant. Kate Goldwater gives a warm greeting, nice chats and a nice farewell. And what do you know, everything in the store is tax-exempt! It's like the tax-exempt period is still on!

The next time you're in the East Village, as a matter of fact, SoHo, be sure to make a visit to AuH20. You won't be disappointed!

Shaton Wilson

High achievers, big dreamers, there's plenty of them around, but most of them will most likely tell you they'll do any job just for the large amount of money they can make. It's hard to look forward to achieving our dream careers in this unstable economy where one field might collapse after another, but there are those who stay positive and still look forward to what they want to do later in life.
There are some who have a purpose, not because they want to make a large amount but because they a desire to do it.

I've been wandering around the city this week, and I've wandered around and found a student, who not only has big dreams, but also ambition.

In a recent sit-down interview with a fellow classmate at St. John's University, Shaton Wilson, a 26-year-old from Queens, tells me about his hopes and interests, with a little mix of humor. Shaton spent a few years at LaGuardia Community College, before making the transition to St. John's University and realizing what he wants to do for the rest of his life: advertising.

Here are some of the highlights of our interview:


So Shaton, tell me, what is your major?
My major? You wanna know MY major?

Yes, I wanna know your major.
Okay, are you sure?

Yes.
Okay, my major is advertising.

So are you into designing?
No, not really. I'm looking more to be a copywriter. A copywriter are the folks who add dialogue to the actual commercials.....any other form of mass communications.

Give me a line for Butterfingers.
Butterfingers. So..deliciously crispy and chocolatey. You'll think of Butterfingers.

Are you looking to work in a firm or are you looking to work for a company?
Specifically, I would like to begin my career as a full-time copywriter at a large firm, a large agency, maybe a global company that's really one of the first advertising firms in the country. Perhaps, later on, once I gain a little of variety, a little success, open up my own shop.

What kind of shop do you want to open?
An autobody, what do you think? No, advertising!

Britney: "Would You Hold It Against Me?"

After many weeks full of temptation from teasers of her new hit single, "Hold It Against Me", Britney Spears' latest hit, which premiered tonight, seems to be a nostalgic piece. That's right, nostalgic. In the video, she stands in the middle of hundreds of screens that play her old music videos, including "Lucky", "Baby One More Time" and "Sometimes", the songs that made her the superstar she is today.


For the past few weeks, 14 teasers of the video have been put up on Spears' YouTube page, including one that was uploaded earlier today. The first single off her upcoming album, "Femme Fatale", was first released on MTV, edited. Shortly after, the unedited version was uploaded on her YouTube page, which showed some scenes that weren't visible in the MTV version, such as Spears spraying her "Radiance by Britney Spears" perfume and going on Plentyoffish.com.

The music video is basically a "behind-the-scenes" kind of video, showing cameras that film Britney Spears looking/dancing at the cameras, and the equipment used for the video. There is also a fight scene between Britney and herself, which a body double was used for one. The video was directed by Swedish director Jonas Akerlund, who has directed music videos for other well-known pop icons such as Beyonce, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

This music video is no doubt, very different from all of her music videos: girl fight, behind-the-scenes, internet usage (and did I mention a Sony touch-screen monitor), some product shout-outs as well (MAKE UP FOREVER, SONY, Radiance). But what really sets it apart from her old music videos ("Baby One More Time", "...Oops, I Did It Again", "Britney", "In The Zone" days) is the lack of dancing on her part. Many might not notice since her backup dancers are covering for her (hence the word "backup"), but Britney use to trace every dance move for dance move with her dancers and these days it seems like she only does half of it, which is very disappointing. I think the one thing that has always stood out to me about Britney Spears was her choreography but for this video, and some that succeeded it, she has danced less and less.

Unedited version of "Hold It Against Me":

Valentine's Day: A Depressing Day For Singles?

For those of you who are already planning ahead this weekend for perfection on Valentine's Day, remember this: while there are many couples who are losing sleep to plan for this romantic holiday, there are also many singles who are not looking forward to seeing couples head-over-heels for each other on Valentine's day. This post is for all the singles out there.

In a recent study, there are more singles than couples in the UK. Perhaps this goes for the US as well? So if the couples are out enjoying their night, where do the rest of the population (the singles) go? The answer is simple: home. Well, for most of us.

For those who are single and looking for something to do with a friend, friends, companions or family, here's a list of some things to do and places to avoid:

Avoid:
-Anywhere upscale with upscale restaurants: men want to make their ladies feel like the world and nothing beats an expensive tab!
-Central Park: Couples on horse-drawn carriage rides? Check. A proposal on the bridges? Check! Definitely a place to avoid.
-5th Avenue (49th Street to 60th Street, respectively): Come on, men picking out last-minute inscribed gifts at Tiffany's for their ladies or women picking out Rolex watches? Super no-no area!
-Museums: Museums are well-known places for dates. This is where all the "in-common likes" start.
-Times Square: If you truly don't like being surrounded in an area of 200,000 tourists at a time, you will already have a reason not to be here. People will witch Broadways shows, did you forget?
-Anywhere by a river. That includes Gantry State Park (Yes, I'm talking about you, Riverview Restaurant!), Brooklyn Bridge (The River Cafe is probably overbooked by now)
-Empire State Building: You already should know people propose at the top!
-Lincoln Center: If it weren't for that fountain, there'd be no trouble!
-Midtown: Midtown is the home for expensive cuisine.

Yes!:
-St. Mark's Place. Looking for simple cultural food? St. Mark's is no fancy schmancy place, an area mostly for those who are looking for cheap thrills and bargains, such as thrift shopping and food under $10.
-Chinatown: I guarantee you, only tourists will be here to explore the Chinese culture in America. Try not to turn in Little Italy, unless you really are starving for pizza.
-SoHo: Stay on Broadway or Mercer Street, anywhere that has does not have restaurants. And try not walk all the way down to the South Village. There are plenty of pretty restaurants there!3
-Chelsea: May I suggest while you're around Madison Square Park, get some Shake Shack!
-Union Square: Lots of food shopping and shopping and shopping. And cheap food!
-Herald Square : Do you really think people go shopping on Valentine's day? Go to Koreatown while you're at it and stop by Karaoke Duet 35 if you're in the mood to end the day with losing your voice!

Maybe's/Maybe Not's:
-Grand Central: Romantic-getaways to Upstate? Then again, a lot of romantic stories have occured at Grand Central.

Give Me an Encore!

Wow, what a night! On Friday, I finally got the chance to see one of my favorite bands, Linkin Park, perform live at Madison Square Garden as part of their "A Thousand Suns World Tour". I was one of the fortunate people who were able to buy these sold-out tickets off of people who didn't want their tickets anymore, but unfortunately isolated from my friends who had VIP tickets and stood in the pit. For those who hardly know anything about Linkin Park, let me tell you something about them: They're one of the first rock bands I've ever listened to (if you consider Simple Plan and Good Charlotte rock bands, the 'Punk-era'), way before my teenage years and their music is a great mixture of metal, alternative and rap. Mike Shinoda, who is a one-man Swiss Army in the band, is a total inspiration. During Linkin Park's break from 2005-2006, Shinoda started working on his own music project, as most of you remember, Fort Minor. While the Fort Minor tour was on, they lost a lot of money because sales weren't great, and Shinoda had to pay everything out of his own pocket because all he wanted to do was to play his music. Sounds harsh, but true. People like him, who don't give up, inspire me.

As far as the concert went, it was amazing and truly one of the best experiences of my life. It was a bit awkward, solely singing and rocking out, but doesn't matter as long as you're in the moment. These guys did not take a break at all throughout the two hours of the concert. Chester Bennington was literally screaming his lungs out and I, myself lost my voice by the end of the night. I think just about everyone in the audience had fun because it was so loud, I couldn't even hear my own voice! It'll probably be a couple of more years until they come back and play in New York again, but anyone who were able to grab the tickets for this tour should be grateful because these are very hard to buy tickets and you will have a great time, guaranteed. They've been touring around the world for four months now and still have six months to go; much respect to these guys!