Thanks for supporting our GPKISM dance video on the anniversary of the earthquake! Mary Nine and tank9 are an amazing duo. We hope the video encourages people to take action for Japan.

The charity project wouldn’t have been possible without Seattle’s Kimpton Hotel Vintage Park. (Remember the time we stayed at this boutique wine hotel?)

As a seasoned traveler, I can vouch: Kimpton’s customer service is through the roof. The charming concierge Louis greeted us with hugs, and sent this hand-written note to our room — along with chocolates, a DVD, and a bottle of Syrah!

The rooms are lushly decorated, each with individual artwork. No beige here.

The hotel upgraded us to a double suite. We love the leopard print bathrobes.

Local producers hold afternoon wine tastings, which let the guests mingle. This time, we tried rose and syrah by Washington’s Adamant Cellars.

The beds were comfortable, and had a good bounce! (No, we don’t encourage such naughty behavior…)

Guess who brought these bear bags.

When you travel to Seattle, keep Hotel Vintage Park in mind. You can’t find a warmer hotel (and it’s pet-friendly too).

For more tips about why boutique hotels rock, watch my Huff Post video.

Closeup on my DIY crown, scarves and nails. The sheer sleeves are gifted by Sleevey Wonders.

My dashing eyelashes are a gift by Sugarpill by Shrinkle. Basil Farrow loves the packaging.

Sugarpill’s eyelashes are well-made: no sharp edges, and lightweight. They went on easily and kept their shape, so I can wear them multiple times. Paws up.

Rose also rocked spider lashes.

Lolita-Punk fashion, and leopard half-shaved hair.

That evening, we went to the Industrial night (Resurrection) at Club Noc Noc.

Hugs for everyone who came and supported our project.

PS: I’m posting daily photos with the Instagram app, including cute Scottish Fold cat snaps. Let’s be friends? My Instagram name is lacarmina.

What’s your favorite hotel, and why? Did you enjoy our Seattle Goth adventures? Take a moment to watch my industrial dance video with tank9, Mary Nine, and jumping kigurumi.

What’s been going in La Carmina-land? A lot! I’ll be traveling to about six cities in the next months for work (announcements soon). My Pirates company’s been busy with Tokyo consulting, tours and TV jobs. In fact, we’re working on a National Geographic show, and want YOU to join us! Read on for details…

Yesterday was the debut of World’s Weirdest Restaurants (Food Network Canada), the TV show I appear on and that we Pirates arranged. In the first Japan episode, Naomi spoke with authority about monkeys that moonlight as waiters. Watch us every Weds night on Food Network Canada. If you don’t have the channel, don’t worry, I’ll post behind-the-scenes photos and clips.

TOKYO CASTING CALL! We’re arranging a TV shoot for National Geographic’s TABOO. The program’s been on the air for 10 seasons, and is about extreme cultures/acts worldwide. This episode showcases the bagelhead (saline forehead inflation) body mod.

Tues, April 10 at 7pm: We need audience members for the Shinjuku exhibition, where you’ll get to watch the bagelhead procedure. Please invite friends. Free food and drinks, and you’ll get to hang with Yukiro and John Skeleton! You’ll be filmed as part of the audience, and potentially interviewed.

WHEN: Tuesday April 10, 7pm (you can come earlier but please be there at 7pm for the audience filming scene)
WHERE: “Studio-On”, 1-30-28 Kita-Shinjuku, Tokyo.
〒１６９－００７４　東京都新宿区北新宿１－３０－２８　　
View the access info and map

If you can come, please email me, gothiccarmina {att} gmail, with your full contact details and number of guests. Have fun!

As TV fixers, Naomi and I have received some utterly bizarre requests (for props, scheduling, you name it). But the absolute cherry on top… was the mission to find an anatomically-correct love doll, and deliver it to the S&M fetish love hotel within 24 hours.

Did we nail it? The image above says it all.

For the show Strangers in Danger (Fuel / Discovery TV), the poor (or lucky?) boys had to be dominated by Japanese mistresses. We set them up in Alpha-In, a notorious Roppongi love hotel.

There are various theme rooms: dungeons, cages, you name it. This one’s a medical clinic from hell, equipped with doctor coats, an exam table and stirrups.

In the hotel lobby, you can buy devices to entertain yourself and guests.

Cosplay costumes are also available to rent.

This sign shows which rooms are occupied, and the price for a “rest” or “stay.” Dominatrix not included.

Another room had a torture chamber. Metal bars and a leather horse. What’s the hole in the seat for…

Choose your weapon.

The jittery love doll man gave us this brochure, advertising his other products.

He was a funny fellow.

The love doll creeped me out. The skin felt cold but real, and the anatomy was true to life. At the end, we had to pull off her head and limbs, and stuff them in a body-bag…

Watch my appearance during the saline forehead injection scene of Fuel’s Strangers in Danger. To learn more about our TV hosting and production coordinating services, check out La Carmina & The Pirates.

Did your jaw drop when you read this post? Would you enjoy staying in one of these rooms? If you have questions about anything in the photos, leave me a comment.

PS: please help spread the word about our National Geographic Tokyo TV shoot. Hope you can make it.

For real? You bet. Yukiro and I made a Travel SOS video with Mat Devine, frontman of rock band Kill Hannah!

★♡★♡ Please Like it (click below), so we can continue the series! ★♡★♡

The video’s set in the space-themed Yotel, our sponsor hotel during New York Fashion Week.

What will travel look like in fifty years? Will we have robots and aliens?

Find out above and on Huffington Post.

Inside Yotel, a Tumi robot arm carries and stores luggage for guests.

The lobby has a row of touch-screen computers for check-in.

Our sleek white cabin (that’s what they call the rooms) quickly got messy. We loved the free coffee machines on each floor.

Located at 10th Avenue and W42 in New York City, the hotel is hard to miss.

On the 4th floor, chef Richard Sandoval’s restaurant DohYo fuses Latin and Asian cuisine.

Beam me up, Scotty! London’s Softroom and NYC’s Rockwell Group collaborated on the outerspace interior design.

Mat Devine has a killer sense of humor, and we loved hanging out with him in New York. Kill Hannah is currently on tour; you can see fun updates on his Twitter and Facebook.

Inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, the rooms have space-saving elements such as retractable beds.

The VIP suite has a hot tub, 180 degree view, and dining table that converts to a billiard table.

Aliens not included!

Cabins begin at $149 a night, and can be booked via the Yotel NYC website.

Do you like Yukiro’s sleep-suit from Sweden?

Be sure to Share/Like/Tweet this Huff Post page — http://huff.to/HE4anu — or an alien will give you a full-cavity body search!

What were your favorite moments in the video? What do YOU predict for the future? Will cats rule the planet?

For those of us in the subculture sphere, bullying is only too common an experience — starting with a dirty look, and going all the way to murder. (RIP Per Norqvidst and Sophie Lancaster, killed for being Goth.)

I went to the advance screening of the documentary Bully, curious to see what bullying is like in today’s schools. Lee Hirsch’s documentary follows several teens who are brutalized every day: choked, shoved, stabbed with pencils, called dirty names.

Equally horrifying was the complacency of administrators, and complicity of supposed guardians. We see a teen girl’s own teachers pick on her for being gay, right in the classroom. She eventually drops out.

Students should feel safe going to school — not as if they’re walking into the Halloween Adventure store in NYC.

After years of bullying, and no help from administrators, 12 year old Alex says “I don’t feel much of anything any more.”

To him, the situation has become normal. It’s not.

The film conveys there’s a huge problem and no easy solution. Especially when parents and school admins don’t get it.

But individuals can — and should — take a stand when they see bullying. Go up to these monsters. Stop it from happening.

At particular risk of abuse leading to suicide: gay youths in close-minded communities. Two excellent organizations, It Gets Better and The Trevor Project, provide support and crisis intervention — but often, it’s too late.

Bully is an important film. I hope you’ll see it. (Opens today in USA, April 6th in Canada.)

What are your experiences with bullying? Have you ever felt marginalization? What can be done to stop bullies? I’m keen to hear your thoughts in the comments; I’ll respond to each of you.

It was an honor to speak at IFB Conference during NY Fashion Week. I uploaded a video of my moments on the mike.

Keep reading for the goods, and to learn about a marvelous garment for Lolita dresses!

I spoke on the “What are Bloggers Worth?” panel, to an audience of hundreds. What advice did I give? How was my performance?

Watch the video above and on YouTube to decide. (You can also subscribe to my lacarmina channel.)

I’m in love with my lace sleeves, a gift from Sleevey Wonders. Since I dislike wearing heavy blouses under sleeveless dresses and Lolita JSKs, these garments are an elegant solution. Made with 4-way stretch fabric, they transform the same dress into a completely different look (a clever way to expand your wardrobe). And the design is slimming: no Photoshop!

Sleevey Wonders generously offered 15% off all orders, with the code LACARMINA15 — so support indie and women-run businesses, and shop away. You can also add their Facebook for more ideas to beautify your wardrobe.

Another lovely Lolita accessory: handmade hair flowers clips. A present from Angelica Brigade.

Always fun to see Bryanboy. He spoke on the IFB social media panel.

Jennine Jacob of The Coveted founded IFB and organized this event — she rocked it. (Photos above by BFA.)

Tiger striped dress: gifted by Sourpuss. (Click to buy the same dress, in cupcake pink and black print.)
Bone necklace: got at the Monomania shop in Laforet Harajuku. Similar to this.

Yukiro wears a Nyanpire cat cosplay jumpsuit from Tokyo.

The other ladies on my panel: Susan Schwartz – Glamour; Jessie Thorpe – Denimology; Jenni Radosevich – I Spy DIY; Kat Griffin – Corporette; Lauren Tesar – Lifebooker.

Always a pleasure to see our friends at Lyst.

Jinna Boo of Grease & Glamour moderated the panel.

To those of who you came: it was wonderful to meet you.

And to those who couldn’t make it… hope to see you next time!

Check out more photos from the Evolving Influence event.

Did you enjoy my fashion blogging talk? Intrigued by the Sleevey Wonders garments? I wear a different pair of sleeves in my Industrial dance video for Japan.