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  • The Epic Life of the Legendary Eddie Kim

  • 11:11

    I can’t believe it’s been 11 days already. And I haven’t “blogged” rjk5000 style in probably 11 years. But right now—in these circumstances—writing is what feels best.

    Eddie died 11 days ago. And that is the first time I’ve said “died.” I’ve been using the euphemism “passed away” to break the sad news to people. But you are not people. You are me.

    It’s been difficult. Tough and weird and surreal and dizzying and sad. But also beautiful. Half of all my crying isn’t because I’m sad; it’s because I’m overwhelmed by love. Love from everyone who loved Eddie—all the people Eddie loved. Love from people who didn’t know him, but could tell he was something special. Love from friends I hadn’t heard from in years, coworkers, friends’ parents, distant family members, and neighbors. It is truly a beautiful thing when you’ve loved a person and they’ve loved you and all the things and people around you have been touched by that in some way. And then it becomes known. And then you cry.

    I bought a neon light that glows up 11:11. I’m planning to display it somewhere at the memorial service. I remember I saw a neon light display at someone else’s funeral (not gonna say who) and I thought it looked real cool. So I copied. This is going to be a cool funeral with a cool tribute video and cool live music and cool tacos afterwards. Also a cool cover image of Eddie on the funeral program (an AI portrait). Everything’s cool.

    11:11 is a magical number. Time. It is the time that he and I shared hundreds of kisses. It is the time that I made hundreds of wishes that all came true. And it is the time of his documented death on his death certificate. It’s a portal—I have proof but I can’t reveal it. But semi-proof is the 11:11 tattoos that a few of us will be getting. And then ascending consciousness.

    I love Eddie’s friends. He brought them into my life and they are the ones who make me cry from loving. I wouldn’t be able to make it through these days without Queen Bea, Go CJ, Lentil, Tazcat, and Momo. And of course you. But you are me.

  • HOW I GOT MYSELF TO READ A BOOK A WEEK

    Before I tell you the simple secret of how I got myself to read a book a week, let me tell you about my awesome new morning routine.

    On March 2, I started the “millionaire morning routine,” where I wake up “early” (around 7:15…that’s early for me), recall my dreams, meditate, jumpstart my energy by working out for just a couple of minutes, journal, and make to-do lists.

    I have to say that it was all very successful. I felt great, my productivity was off the charts, I received more material manifestations, and my mind was at ease. I felt like a new person.

    Another thing that I decided to do was: read a book a week. And with all the extra time I have at home because of the COVID-19 lockdown, I found that it was super fun and easy to get some good reading done. I’ve gone from bingeing on Investigation Discovery TV shows to curling up under the Snuggie with a good book. New person.

    So here is the secret to read a book a week: commit to just 45 minutes of reading a day. That’s it. With average reading speed and average word count of an average novel, you will on average read a book a week…if you just commit to reading 45 minutes a day.

    And just to share, here are the books I read in March:

    Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

    I got this book after Jenni Many recommended it to me. It was the best book that I read this past month. The author is a master of using similes and I felt like each character was vivid and realistic (down to her Lanvin flats).

    The plot is interesting. Supernatural theme, which is a theme that I just recently started gravitating toward. The characters relive the same day in a Neverworld realm, which ends up being kind of like Groundhog Day, but not as hilarious. They use their brains to navigate through the Neverworld to try to solve the mystery of one of their friend’s death. Love a good book about brainy rich kids.

    I also liked the underlying theme where the main character has drifted apart from the group of friends and doesn’t feel like she fits in with them anymore. Sounds familiar.

    I would recommend this book. And Jenni says the author’s first book (Special Topics in Calamity Physics) is even better. I will check that one out too.

    Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

    I got this book because it was in the “Hot and New” section of my local library branch. I typically read a lot of classic literature, but I figured I should start reading some hot and new fiction. This one is written by an NPR host and is about a lady who is about to leave her lame husband, but then the husband dies in an accident. And then she falls in love with a washed-up professional baseball player.

    After reading Marisha Pessl’s rich and intricate writing, the writing in this book felt cliché. I didn’t like the main character, Evvie, at all (I liked that she drinks bourbon, but there is a part where she secretly follows Dean, the baseball player, at 2AM and it made me think she is crazy and weird). And I didn’t understand why the baseball player fell in love with her in the first place.

    BUT, the book does a great job of painting a scene. I loved the family scenes, like how the family and friends gathered on Thanksgiving (even though Evvie got lame again when her sweet dad made a toast), and I love how she described the seaside town and culture.

    Not an awful book, but not a book I would recommend. But people on Amazon seem to love it, so what do I know?

    Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday

    Dave gave Eddie this book, and I decided to read it too. It discusses the benefits of some Stoic and Buddhist principles…mainly how slowing down in life can be beneficial to everything in life—your work, relationships, health, etc.

    The book goes into some interesting stories about artists, leaders, and athletes, like JFK and Tiger Woods. And one particularly interesting story that Dave liked too…about Michael Jordan giving a speech where he called out all the people who he felt had wronged him early in his career. Haha.

    This is a good book. But I already practice most of the things the book was encouraging, so I did not really learn anything new. But it’d be good for someone who is anxious and high-strung, and wants to read about an alternate way of being.

    Buy here on Amazon.

    Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

    Hmm. I have read a few other MG books, eg, Blink, Outliers, Tipping Point, and loved them all. I was happy to see Talking to Strangers in the Hot and New section at the library. But it has ended up being my least favorite one of his books.

    The writing style is all the same and I love that part. MG explains psychological studies and findings so you don’t get bored or overwhelmed. But the topic of talking to people we don’t really know and the idea that they might be lying to us just isn’t that interesting to me.

    What’s interesting is the acknowledgement that humans default to truth. It is our default setting to believe that others are telling us the truth. And that is largely why we wouldn’t expect our sibling to be a Cuban spy, our colleague to be a pedophile. If you thought I was acting shady and called me out on it, and I said “I was tired,” or “I was just joking around,” you would probably believe me. (As you should. I am not shady.) But you probably shouldn’t believe everyone.

    I think every MG book is worth reading. I’m just saying the topic of this one just isn’t as interesting to me as the others I’ve read.

    Available here on Amazon.

    And now it’s April. But the library is closed. I’m planning on reading a book about marketing (currently taking a copywriting course), and maybe some random books that I find in Eddie’s book pile. We shall see. E-books are still available from the library, which is great.

    Hope you all are staying safe and healthy during this weird time!

    Do you read a book a week or do you prefer to lounge with Netflix? Let me know if you’ve read anything good. Or if you’ve watched anything good!

  • HOW TO DYE SUEDE SHOES: RESTORING OLD PLATFORM VANS

    Hi. It’s 10pm now and we just got ice cream from the new place that just opened up downstairs. I’m so full right now, but I’ll try my best to power through this blog post. ?

    So, a couple of weeks ago I found my 20-year-old platform Old Skool Vans in my mom’s attic. Yep, I bought them during college in 1998. All my skate homies used to laugh at them because back then platform sneakers looked kind of ridiculous and too Spice Girlish, but I loved them. And I was so excited I found them because I know platform Vans have made a comeback.

    platform Vans 90s
    Found in my mom’s attic: Faded blue Platform Vans Old Skool circa 1998.

    Since they were faded, beat-up, and yellowed, I decided to clean them up and bring them back to life. I’ve written blog posts about how to dye leather boots (here) and how to paint leather shoes (here), but I’ve never dyed suede shoes before until now. In this post, I’ll walk through the steps of how to use Sole Bright, how to dye suede shoes (from faded blue to black—it’s so easy there’s not much to it), and basically how I restored these old skool Vans to almost-new condition.

    What You’ll Need

    For Yellowed Soles

    -Paint Brush (I bought this set)
    –Angelus Sole Bright
    -Saran Wrap

    For Suede and Canvas

    -Paint Brushes
    -Painters’ Tape
    -Suede Dye (I used Angelus Suede Dye in Black)
    -Acrylic Leather Paint for the canvas and accents (I used Angelus Flat Black and Angelus White)
    -Newspaper to protect your workspace
    -Small disposable cups or bowls for the dye/paint
    -Gloves might be a good idea, but I didn’t need them

    -New laces (I used BBoy Laces because I like my 90s shoes looking phat!)
    -New insoles (I actually kept the original insoles)

    Clean the Shoes

    First I prepped the shoes by cleaning the suede. I just brushed them with an old toothbrush dipped in a mixture of warm water + dish detergent. Then I brushed them again with just warm water to remove all the dirt and soap. I also scrubbed the white soles to get them as clean as I could before I treated them with Sole Bright.

    Whiten the Soles with Sole Bright

    This was my first time using Sole Bright, but I must say it’s a miracle product. I have thrown out so many pairs of old Nikes because the soles got yellow and the shoes looked nasty. But this stuff can treat the yellow-causing oxidation and restore them back to white. Seriously, it works.

    1. Shake the bottle. You can pour some out into a small disposable cup or dip into the bottle like I did.

    2. Brush the Sole Bright on to the yellowed soles. Apply liberally, which means you need a nice, kind of thick layer. Be careful not to get the product on your hands or any parts of the shoes or other surfaces that you don’t want treated. This stuff is super strong and stings your skin.

    3. Wrap the shoes in saran wrap. Place the shoes on a piece of saran wrap and lightly tap the saran wrap in place on to the soles. This keeps the product from drying out so that it stays activated.

    4. Place the shoes in the sun. The product works with the UV rays of the sun, so you’ll need to leave them outside for 2 to 4 hours. You might need to do multiple sessions, depending on how severe the yellowing on your shoes is. I did two sessions.

    You can also use a reptile light bulb if you don’t have a place to leave the shoes.

    sole bright before and after
    Before and After: Results of using Sole Bright after only 1 session.

    Dye the Suede

    1. Apply tape to the soles so you don’t accidentally get dye on them.

    2. Pour some dye into a small disposable cup and brush on to the suede with a paintbrush.

    I feel like I had so much more control with the suede dye than I did when dyeing or painting leather.

    Paint the Canvas and Accents

    I decided to paint the faded canvas with acrylic leather paint. I don’t think the material would have taken up the dye, so paint seemed like the way to go. Coverage was awesome, but the canvas felt very crunchy when the paint dried. I didn’t mind though because the results were pretty great.

    I also repainted the white leather details, logo, and striping.

    Lace Them Up and Show Them Off

    Once the shoes were dry, I put in new laces. I also used a shaving razor to shave off some lint balls that were stuck to the inside lining of the shoes.

    bboy laces
    BBoy Laces! The only way I’ll ever lace up my Adidas Shelltoes and I guess my platform Vans from the 90s.

    I’m so happy with how the shoes turned out. The whole process was so much fun and painting the shoes was so cathartic. I’m looking for other shoes to transform and restore.

    platform vans 90s
    Before and After: Platform Vans circa 1998 restored with Angelus Sole Bright, leather dye and paint, and BBoy Laces
    I love how high the platform is, and I like the stripe detailing on the midsole. The current version doesn’t look this cute.

    Thanks for reading and stopping by!

    Sweatshirt :: Polo Ralph Lauren (vintage; thrifted for $10! similar Champion here)
    Jeans :: Frame
    Shoes :: Vans (current platform style here)
    Bag :: MiuMiu (similar; budget-savvy silver detail here)
    Earrings :: c/o @thepaperbeadprincess (I won them on an IG giveaway! I love how she uses recycled paper for her beads, and I love her positive spirit.)

    [show_shopthepost_widget id=”3126373″]


     

  • DIY (PART 2): HOW TO PAINT LEATHER BOOTS

    Hi! As you can see I’m still obsessed with transforming my Dr. Martens boots. If you read Part 1 on how to dye leather boots (here), then you already know that I felt that my last boots project came out too dark. I dyed cherry red Docs using an oxblood-colored dye and the resulting color was gorgeous, but looked nearly black. So here I am at it again with Part 2 on how to paint leather boots. I’m painting some old gray boots. And I’m wanting that original cherry red back!

    Before and After of my dyeing project from Part 1. The oxblood is so pretty but the OG red is just so cute and classic.

    Painting vs Dyeing Leather

    The main difference between painting and dyeing leather is that paint sits on the surface of the leather, while dye penetrates the leather. Whatever I’m painting will turn out to be that color. With dyeing, the color that I get will depend on the type of leather and the color of leather that I’m starting with. My cherry red Docs were already pretty pigmented to start with, which is probably why they turned out so dark. Plus, oxblood is just a dark, rich color in general.

    Also, paint is definitely more forgiving. If I accidentally get a drop of paint on the wrong spot, I can wipe it off with a damp cloth. Any mistakes made with dye are pretty regrettable and irreversible!

    Today I’ll show you how to paint leather boots. I’ll be transforming these scuffed up gray Docs into super cute red Docs:

    gray dr martens boots

    Supplies:

    -Leather paint (I used Angelus leather paint in Autumn Red)
    -Acetone, rubbing alcohol, or leather deglazer
    -Cloths
    -Painter’s tape or masking tape
    -Sponge paint brush
    -Small, fine paint brush
    -A plastic cup or bowl to hold your paint
    -Leather shoe polish (I used Dr. Martens Cherry polish)
    -Leather shoe brush
    –Acrylic paint finisher (I actually skipped this)

    Step 1. Prepare the Boots

    Preparation for painting leather boots is the same as if you are dyeing them. I cleaned the boots with a shoe brush and a little bit of warm water. Once they were dry, I “stripped” the existing dye with rubbing alcohol. This step is really important for making the paint stick to the leather, so I really went at it.

    Then I applied tape to the areas where I wanted to avoid painting. I used Opi Glitter Off Natural Peel Off Base Coat on the lace eyelets to protect them from being painted, but I’m not sure it worked.

    painting leather boots

    Step 2. Paint the Boots

    Painting the boots was really fun. I poured a little bit of paint into my red Solo cup and went at it with a sponge brush. Application was pretty smooth and not streaky, and the Angelus leather paint was super easy to work with.

    angelus acrylic leather paint autumn red

    angelus acrylic leather paint autumn red
    I used a small brush to get the edges and details. Kind of impossible to avoid the eyelets. But I’m sure the paint won’t last too long on the metal.
    angelus acrylic leather paint autumn red
    The Autumn Red dye looks really bright and glossy here. But it will mellow out once it dries. Don’t worry.

    I applied two coats, and made sure the paint was dry in between coats.

    Step 3. Touch Up the Bad Spots

    Once the second coat was dry, I carefully (so I thought) removed the tape. My tape actually pulled off some of the paint near the soles and I was alarmed by how easy it seemed to peel off. But again, don’t worry, I just used a small paint brush and touched up the spots with two coats.

    Just FYI, Autumn Red is similar to the original cherry red color of Dr. Martens, except it is a bit redder and not as burgundy.

    angelus acrylic leather paint autumn red
    See how the paint color mellowed out.

     Step 4. Finish and Polish the Boots

    It’s recommended to apply an acrylic paint finisher, but I skipped this step. The finisher is supposed to protect the paint from scuffs and probably peeling, so it seems like a good idea especially if you are planning to wear the boots a lot. It also comes in matte or gloss. My Docs are not in my usual rotation of footwear, so I felt okay about skipping it.

    I just polished the boots and I was done!

    angelus acrylic leather paint autumn red

    Step 5. Show Off Your “New” Boots

    Here I am in my red Docs as seen on IG:

    girl wearing red doc martens

    camo and red doc martens outfit

    Step 6. Find More Shoes to Paint and Dye

    The Angelus acrylic paint is fantastic for customizing sneakers, bags, belts, saddles, holsters, etc. While doing research for this blog post I saw so many inspiring pictures and videos of people who customize their Jordans and other Nikes. Here’s my humble sneaker modification start:

    painting nikes autumn red
    The Janoski on top has a bright pink Swoosh. I painted it red (bottom shoe).

    Thanks so much for reading! I hope this post gave you a little bit of insight on how to paint leather shoes. Let me know if you decide to take on a leather dyeing or painting project!


  • BIOTIN AND VITAMIN B5 FOR BEAUTIFUL HAIR AND SKIN

    Hi, I hope you’ve been doing awesome. I wanted to write a quick beauty post to share a couple of my recent findings about my hair and skin, and what to do if biotin in your multivitamin or hair growth supplement is causing acne.

    Recently, when I was looking into silver-colored hair extensions (yeah, I know, but I saw some on IG and they looked awesome), I found this informative article about hair growth. Along with some tips about scalp circulation and stress reduction, the article named vitamins B6, C, E, and biotin as some helpful supplements for growing healthier hair.

    I have taken hair growth supplements in the past, such as Viviscal, which was comprised mainly of a proprietary marine-based amino acid complex. And I can honestly say Viviscal did seem to make my hair thicker–but my favorite part about it was that it cured my monthly hormonal acne. Seriously, every month about a week before my period I used to develop a volcano-sized zit (or two!) on my cheek or forehead. But after taking Viviscal for a few months, that all stopped happening. It was great. Eventually, I stopped taking Viviscal because it’s kind of expensive, and thankfully, my crazy monthly zits didn’t come back. But my thin and brittle hair did, so I started up on Viviscal again.

     

    I discovered the makers of Viviscal changed the formulation by adding biotin. And I also discovered that biotin causes acne (at least for me it does!). I stopped taking the Viviscal and stuck with a women’s multivitamin instead (which contains 400 mcg of biotin per serving). But even the multivitamin started causing some really red, inflammatory, cystic-type acne.

    I did some googling and some Internet researching and read a theory that excess biotin can cause vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) depletion. And when you’re vitamin B5-depleted or deficient, you can develop acne, breakouts, or rashes because you need B5 to regulate what’s happening on the surface of your skin. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but if it is, then taking a vitamin B5 supplement along with my multivitamin should solve the problem, right?

    It did! As soon as I started taking a pantothenic acid tablet with my multivitamin, the acne flares stopped and my skin cleared up. Even stayed cleared throughout my cycle.

    Hair feeling and looking good thanks to vitamins, freshly dyed roots, and a blowout. Tassel earrings / Layered necklace c/o Sugarfix by Baublebar

    So if you’re finding that your hair supplement, women’s vitamin, or biotin tablet is causing breakouts, try taking some vitamin B5. It seems to be working for me! Hope this helps and thanks for reading!


Ig

@street_madonna

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