It’s Basil Farrow’s year — the Lunar New Year of the Tiger! He got lai see (red pockets full of money… or catnip) from his grandparents and swatted it around.

As you know, Basil Farrow is not a normal cat. Instead of meowing, my Scottish Fold says “wahhh!” Here is a new video in which he makes his distinctive meow sound while being cleaned with a towel. (Please subscribe to our channel — we have more fun videos coming right up.)

I don’t think Basil is a cat… he’s more like a teddy bear. Proof is in the cover of this children’s book, B is for Bear.

With cream-colored fur, a brown nose, tiny fold ears and pink feet, he’s the splitting image of a Forever Friends plus bear. (Remember this snugglefest video?)

You can see more Scottish Fold kawaii on Basil Farrow’s blog.

My earless baby is also featured in both Akumu Ink t-shirt designs, now available for sale here! Yukiro and I will be at Magic clothing tradeshow in Vegas in the next few days – will you be there? Come by the Akumu Ink booth and say hi!

Yesterday, I did a simple DIY project that was blast in the past: I wrapped the covers of my books! When I was in elementary school, we had to wrap our textbooks to protect them from damage. Back then, I used Hello Kitty gift wrap.

How little I change. I ripped out color concert photos of Miyavi and Kamijo (Versailles) from the Gaku-X magazine issue that featured my DIY Gothic Lolita crown article.

The book-wrapping process is pretty self-explanatory. Cut the paper to size, snip out the “spine” area, fold and tuck the corners, tape. Since the paper edge is exposed at the spine, I reinforce the area with tape.

Underneath the Visual Kei glamor are Japanese vocab and grammar books. The covers were blah, so I replaced them with colorful pretty-boys; I figured this would motivate me to pick them up. I’m also sick of people who come up to me while I’m reading, and try to make conversation about learning Japanese. Look, I’ll talk to you if you can recognize the J-rockers!

(Incidentally, wrapping books is very popular in Japan and offered in many bookstores. Why? Well, most businessmen don’t want to broadcast to the world that they’re reading Shojo Beat…)

Kawaii stationery is also big in Japan. How amazing is the Happy Panda letter set from Japanese dollar store Daiso? The caption reads, “Some day, I want to ride a camel.”

My high school issued free organizers, but being me, I refused to carry around the same thing as everyone else. So every year, I bought cute, colorful planners and notebooks. Here’s a selection from the archives; you can see the Death Cookbook in here. If you don’t have cash to spend on Sanrio goods, you can put stickers on the cover of a sketchbook, like I did.

Lastly, I keep a Rilakkuma ballpoint pen in my purse at all times. Whenever someone needs to borrow a writing instrument, I get a kick out of pulling out a yellow stick topped with a bear’s head.

If you’re itching for cute pens and kawaii stationery, Jlist is your one-stop web shop (come browse the website for your favorite Sanrio character goods). Are you a fan of cute writing equipment? I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow mine…

Kisses for Basil Farrow, my Scottish Fold cat who modeled for these photos. I leave you with a free recipe: Hockey Penguin Onigiri on CNNGo.com. For more, please take a look at my J-pop cookbook, Cute Yummy Time.

I know you’ve been waiting for photos of the Harlem bento-making class… so here’s a slideshow on YouTube! (I’ll post my favorite photos and tell you more about what happened in the next few days — so check back.)

NHK, Japan’s national public broadcaster, shot a 20 minute TV documentary about character bentos that focused on my work and recipe book, Cute Yummy Time. In this segment, I taught Harlem students how to make healthy, cute bentos. It was a success — the children loved it and ate vegetables that they’d never tried before! The New York Wave episode about cute bento boxes will air this February on NHK; Ill be sure to let you know the exact time and put up segments on YouTube (please subscribe so you wont miss out).

Paws up! Baby paws up, gimme your heart gimme gimme your heart, gimme gimme…

Because we can all use some Scottish Fold kawaii to make our day a little sweeter.

When Basil Farrow is in an especially good mood, he rolls onto his back and puts his fat paws in the air…

… and gives you “the look” until you come and rub his tummy. You can see zillions of cute photos of Basil and his flop-eared friends on his Scottish Fold blog. Come see!

He’s also featured as a character in my cute cookbook, inspired by Japanese bento decoration. If you want to get in on the charaben action, please consider my recipe book, Cute Yummy Time. (Now in major bookstores and available online.)

Have a super-cute day!

Song of the Day #293: The Creatures – Believe In Yourself and Mike Mareen – Dancing In The Dark (Galactica Mix). Because feel-good Italo seemed appropriate for my Harlem bento lesson video.

As Miku (lead singer of An Cafe) would say, “Nyappy New Year!” And as everyone else in Japan would say, “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!”

Let’s kick off the New Year with a double-dose of cuteness. I’ve uploaded a zillion new photos of my Scottish Fold, Basil Farrow, on his Facebook. Add him here to see the latest album and more!

For cute manga-style stories about my kitty, check out and subscribe to his blog (updated every other day.)

Tomorrow, I’ll reveal big-big-big news about my plans for 2010. What are your goals for this year? Are you excited about anything on the horizon? I certainly am — this is going to be a huge year!

Thank you to everyone who bought Cute Yummy Time and sent me photos of the recipes they made! Siouxsie Law built a coffin tiramisu — it looks deadly delicious. The stylish Gari Ouji threw a Cute Yummy Time birthday party, where the guests made food inspired by my cookbook — what a great idea! Finally, Meg Tweeted to me: “Looook!! I made a baby bird egg salad wrap like @lacarmina !! Best cookbook ever. I love the book, got it for Xmas & can’t wait to try everything out! So kawaii!!” If you’re interested in finding out more about the book, click here.

Gotta get glammed up for a New Year’s party; yes, I’ll have photos of my Kozi-inspired outfit. I leave you with a new Basil Farrow video: my eternal kitten demands to be carried and jumps on his Hexbug insect toy.

Song of the Day #273: An Cafe – Aroma

Hello, is there a more ridiculous apron in existence?

We had a fab debate over the Baby, the Stars Shine Bright dress with a Gloomy bear over the front. I mentioned I had a cute Rilakkuma apron (from Kiddyland in Harajuku) and you wanted to see it — so here it is. What’s the consensus? Kawaii or ai-yah? I say some things are so awful that they cross over and become awesome.

Cotton Bale, my rival in the cute cupcake Death Cookbook battle, gave me this Bodyline Lolita dress. It’s no Innocent World, but there are plenty of bows and frills and details, which is enough for a silly photoshoot. The Doraemon band-aids are from a Shinjuku pharmacy, and the look is inspired by… the warpaint in Avatar! (Hey, you can find inspiration anywhere.)

My relatives contributed to my decora hair. The little elephant is a baby toy that I found in my uncle’s office. My cousin in Hong Kong made the glitter-studded headband.

Basil Farrow is not a cat; he is a stuffed doll.

My Scottish Fold loves to be squished him all day long. He’s never scratched or bitten anyone!

Are you on vacation at the moment? I’ve been working hard for CNNGo…

† Customized luggage: how to stand out in the baggage carousel. (I talk about my Jack Skellington suitcase; you know, the one Basil Farrow loves to sit on.)
† 7 affordable last minute getaways: where and how to escape from Asia’s main cities. (I interviewed Yukiro Dravarious for the article! He climbed Mount Takao in style, as you can see in the above photo. The article made it onto CNN Travel’s main page, woo!)
† Sorry Santa, December isn’t all about you. (A photo article: religious and folk festivals in Asia, such as running through flames and scaring kids with masks.)

All of my CNNGo articles to date can be found here. Still need a last-minute Xmas gift? Hmm there are my J-pop books, Tokyo Theme Restaurants + Cute Yummy Time… hey, gotta pay for Basil Farrow’s caviar!

How are you celebrating the Nightmare Before Xmas? I’m thrilled that the Sherlock Holmes movie is getting thumbs ups reviews — I’ll be first in line at the theater tomorrow.

Basil Farrow and I did an interview about responsible cat care for animal rights organization PETA2, which you can read below and here. (I left out the introduction, since you already know who I am, and included the answers that they omitted due to lack of space.) PS: I am not a member of PETA, but when they approached me to take part in an interview, I thought it would be a great platform for speaking about the animal issues that are important to me. Basil Farrow has to watch out for his furry friends!

How did you first get involved with helping animals? Did you have any animal companions growing up?
As a child, I cared so dearly for animals that I didn’t even distinguish between real and plush! I was horrified to see my friends throw around their stuffed animals; I always made sure mine were clean and standing upright. I even bought cans of real cat food for my Hello Kitties. Growing up, I shared my home with fish, turtles, budgies and lovebirds. Birds are incredibly intelligent and affectionate beings — if you socialize them right. I feel most people treat their birds like fancy decorations, and it breaks my heart.

Tell us about your cat, Basil Farrow.
Basil Farrow is a Scottish Fold cat, hence the tiny fold-ears. He was raised by activist/actress Mia Farrow and she loved him dearly — but her recent travels didn’t let her spend enough time with him. So he came to live with me. It was a tough decision, but she knew this was best for his well-being.
Basil isn’t a typical cat – he’s more like a sweet little kid or teddy bear! He loves to meet people; he’ll come when you call his name and lick your hand. Not many cats will demand tummy rubs and to be carried around. You can see in his videos and blog just how affectionate he is.

Can you give your fans some Basil-tested tips for keeping cats happy and healthy?
Keeping my Scottish Fold happy is my number one priority! Here is a video we made with tips on keeping cats cool in the summer; it applies to dogs and other animals as well. I did a blog post about the type of food and litter I provide: I refuse to feed Basil anything with fillers or byproducts. Every day, I set aside time for cuddles, playtime and/or grooming. Don’t forget to brush your cat’s fur and clean his ears, introduce new toys, and keep your house cat-friendly.

Why is spaying and neutering such an important part of responsible companion animal care?
Many people don’t realize that millions of unwanted animals are killed every year, simply because they are homeless. Pet births are a ticket to misery and death for the mother and litter – and they’re so easily preventable by spaying and neutering. So let’s do our part! Plus, a spayed or neutered pet is less aggressive and less prone to certain health problems. There is simply no excuse for not having this simple operation done as early as possible.

Tell us about your decision not to wear fur.
I never had any desire to wear fur. My parents’ generation oohed and ahhed over pelts, but mine has a very different attitude. As a child, whenever a relative proudly showed me her furs, I’d refuse to touch it and scold, “That comes from a cute bunny or fox!” Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I learned about the cruelty of wearing animals from my peers and the media. And I’m optimistic that the next generations will be even more anti-fur.

As a fashion blogger, do you find that people put pressure on you to wear fur? If so, how do you handle that?
It is the opposite – the bulk of my blog readers are animal lovers, and they make sure I’m doing all I can to help animal causes. I once posted a Ted Nugent song (not knowing about his hunting advocacy), and people were quick to educate me in the comments. I think if I did wear fur, there would be an outcry – as there should be.

Do you have any favorite vegetarian foods?
I surely do, as I mostly eat a vegetarian diet. In my new cookbook Cute Yummy Time, I have recipes that are both meat-free and adorable (everything is decorated to look like Japanese-style characters!) Such as an egg white quiche that resembles an owl wearing glasses. Strawberry and dark chocolate cupcakes that look like hobgoblins. And a mango coconut pannacotta, which is vegan if you use a gelatin substitute such as agar-agar.

What issue involving animals is dearest to your heart?
It upsets me when owners don’t take proper care of their pets, especially cats. Felines don’t show when they are in pain, and since they can be independent, owners don’t take them to the vet regularly. But cats can have serious health problems that only a vet can detect – such as tooth decay or internal troubles, which are best treated early on. I urge you to take your cats to the vet for (at the very least) a yearly check-up, and certainly when they show any sign of discomfort. It upsets me when people won’t put aside money for quality food and health care; I think this should be the priority. Instead of buying something frivolous, I spent all my birthday money on Basil’s vet bills.

You have a lot of fans out there, which gives you a powerful platform to reach people and make a difference. What is your message to them about having compassion and getting active to help animals?
Tiny, personal actions towards animal compassion will have a gigantic impact. My advice is to start in your own home and take proper care of your pets. Your attitude will spread to other parts of your life: I started Basil’s Scottish Fold blog because he is such a joy. Readers began sending me questions about cat care or pleas for adoption, and I’ve done my best to help out. I’ve also found that my friends help reinforce my attitude; we discuss animal issues, and make trips to the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival and Vegan Healing Café in Shibuya.

Hope you enjoyed the interview! You can see more of my Scottish Fold cat’s photos and stories on his blog. Do you have any other tips on how to make a difference? Which animal rights issues are most important to you? I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s part two of my bathtub photoshoot! I’m wearing Possessed, a comfy purple V-neck sent to me from Akumu Ink. The Goth girl print comes in both girls and guys sizes (XXS to XL) and is available on the web store. Are you excited yet for our fashion collaboration???

Onto the hat — yes, that glorious bowed monstrosity sitting atop my head. I found it on sale at Timeless on Melrose, previously mentioned as one of my favorite LA shops. Had. To. Have. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was the splitting image of Aretha Franklin’s infamous hat, which she wore to the Obama inaugural! Poor earless Basil Farrow looks like he’s horrified by what I’m wearing.

Red tights: from Hong Kong
Red spiky bracelet: from Camden Market, London
Makeup and hair: see this post

Need a creativity boost? My tip: visit a library! Today, I borrowed a stack of Korean and Indian cookbooks, Miyazaki DVDs, Murakami novels and more to tide me over the Yuletide. I also had fun flipping through design magazines that I wouldn’t usually read. Whenever I find something inspiring, I make a note in my text messages and save it as Draft, or snap a photo using my cell phone. The books are free — so why not pick up something you wouldn’t usually buy?

On that note, a big thank you to everyone who ordered my books for your local libraries. If you’re still doing your holiday shopping or putting items on your wishlist, please consider my new releases, Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants and Cute Yummy Time. It’s been wonderful hearing from all of you who have enjoyed the books!

My family is originally from Hong Kong but I have relatives scattered all over the world, including Washington, DC. And so, my Cute Yummy Time book signing in the capital city turned into a mini-reunion with family — Basil Farrow’s father included.

I fell in love with Hill’s Kitchen the second I stepped in. A bright, loft-like space filled with modern kitchen gizmos, with a studio for cooking lessons upstairs… ah, cute cooking heaven!

Dress with military buttons: Algonquins Addiction
Dead teddy T-shirt: Akina

The stylish Harukosama, who interviewed me about cool hunting/trend scouting, brought several boxes of Georgetown Cupcakes to the event. (What a sweetie!) The bakery is a DC legend, and deservedly so: the dark chocolate ganache was lick-your-fingers delicious, yet not too sweet; the lemon, red velvet and key lime flavors were perfectly balanced. Next time you’re in DC, swing by Georgetown Cupcake for a treat… or two, or three!

The best part about book touring? Meeting all of you (insert awws)! It was a pleasure to speak to readers in person, especially after chatting in the comments and on Twitter. If only Basil Farrow could travel with me, life would be complete, wouldn’t it? (If you’re interested in my cute cookbook, you can find out more here.)

When I returned, my Scottish Fold turned on the cuteness and I took hundreds of new photos. You can see them daily on Basil’s blog, and I added a large batch to his Facebook (add him to see them: “Basil Farrow”).

Wrote a new CNNGo article about Robot Chefs. Can you believe that Mr. Roboto can prepare okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) from scratch, make nigiri sushi, cook ramen and take your order in Cantonese?

CNNGo has several other fascinating articles about Asian robots at work. Before long, we’ll be seeing cute white bears that take care of the elderly and a doe-eyed entertainment robot. Already, androids have replaced a number of mechanical jobs — and now, they can do the work of chefs and caretakers. What do you think about the rise of robots? Could they spiral out of our grasp and cause more harm than good? Don’t be fooled by their kawaii faces: there could be Kilroy lurking inside! (After all, the ramen robot is capable of engaging in a knife fight..)

Hello, my name is Nana, and I would first like to say that you are like my idol-seriously!
Now that’s out of the way (and I can quit blushing), I want to ask for your advice. I read your blog, La Carmina, enough to say I am a loyal fan, and I think you are by far one of the coolest journalists (I’m guessing you fit that category, but your work seems very all over the spectrum) to date. What do I do to get where you are?

I know, plenty of people may ask you this question- to the point it may seem a bit repetitive and maybe even cliche- but seriously, I need some help!

I graduated high school, two years early, and so far I’m on hold where school is concerned. I don’t really know where to begin, so I’ve been thinking a liberal arts school, and on the other hand- I really, really, am considering being a Jrock Journalist. Oh, and to top that- I’m trying to get into an Ivy school possibly. Which also has me freaking out!

Also, I wanted to ask – How did you go about getting your first book published? Did you get scouted by the mysterious agent who saw your scribbles on a napkin (a la J.K. Rowling)? Or did you send your stuff in? Did you have to supply a ton of rough drafts? And just how long does that take?! O_O

I know you are very busy, so I’ll like to thank-you for taking the time to read my letter, and hopefully you are able to respond.
-Nana V.-

Dear Nana,
First, congratulations on your accomplishments! It’s no easy feat to graduate early from high school. And the fact that you are aiming high – considering future careers, looking at top universities – shows me you’re well on your way to success.

Over the years, I’ve learned to be less anxious about the future – because I’ve realized you can’t predict what it will look like until you get there. A job that sounds awesome today (such as blogging or J-rock journalism) may not even exist in five years. Think about it: when I was 16, it was the year 2000. YouTube, Google, Craigslist and blogs had yet to be invented. Digital cameras were a novelty. The hottest web technologies were ICQ and Geocities, both of which are dead today.

It was impossible, even for Nostradamus, to predict that anyone could have a career like mine in 2009. I never imagined I’d have blog income, talk to editors via Skype, or live in Tokyo part-time. That I’d take digital photos for my books and create drawings on a computer program (Adobe Illustrator). That I’d be hosting a Goth cooking show on YouTube and exchanging messages with Courtney Love on Twitter.

So I wouldn’t worry about what the future will look like – it will reveal itself in time! Until then, you are taking exactly the right steps to be prepared. I encourage you to try to get into the best university possible; you’ll be around smart people and the classes will help you stay sharp. Be curious and get involved: if you’re intrigued by J-rock journalism, reach out to others, volunteer to write for a site, or start your own blog.

Stay busy and you will end up doing many cool gigs. Nobody knows exactly where you’ll end up – but I have faith that you will get there.

As for how I got involved with book-writing… it was something of a fluke. I was helping a producer with a book proposal and on a whim, decided to try writing one for myself. I sent it to a small publisher and they ended up giving me a contract! So I continued down that path; after this blog took off, I signed with an awesome agent who pitched Cute Yummy Time and Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants. The moral is: you’ll never know what could happen unless you take the plunge.

Writing a book was never a dream of mine as I was growing up, but somehow I ended up here — and I know I’m really lucky. To be honest, my story is an exceptional case; most aspiring authors go through rounds of rejected manuscripts and agent pitches. Once you’ve got the contract, the work begins: one or two years of it. There are multiple rounds of drafts; you should expect to revise almost everything you first submitted. That is the nature of the business, but I have no complaints – I consider it a great privilege to be able to write books for well-established publishers like Perigee/Penguin an Mark Batty/Random House.

Gambatte – keep aiming high and experimenting, and I have no doubt you’ll succeed! For more advice from La Carmina, check out the Reader Questions section. I welcome your questions; contact me and I’ll do my best to respond quickly.

Final advice: get a daily dose of cuteness. For more fuzzy kitty pictures, check out Basil Farrow’s Scottish Fold cats blog.

Song of the Day #230: Gurigula – I’ll never forget your love (saw this Visual Kei band perform yesterday at J-Summit, a rock bands event at Webster Hall NYC. Rock!)

Another guest post on the Penguin blog:
Cute cooking requires a cute muse… and that would be my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow! My flop-eared kitty’s adorable antics inspired many of the recipe designs in Cute Yummy Time. He’s also one of the main characters in the adventure story that runs throughout the book.

Basil Farrow is round for a reason — he loves food. I made pecan pie for one of the book’s recipes and left a piece on the table. My Scottish Fold stood up on his hind legs and reached out his big paws for a taste!

Basil Farrow was just as enchanted by my bird-shaped sushi rolls and egg shapers (a Japanese bento tool used to mold hard-boiled eggs into hearts and stars). He even joined me in one my cooking demos on YouTube.