La Carmina and Seba wind up in the most random of places. This year, we were in LA, Hong Kong, Macau, Italy and Tokyo. And now, we can add Fresno to the list.

Strike a superhero pose: we were guests of honor at Ani-Jam anime convention in California!

Seba wears an h.NAOTO top, Strange Freak silver rings, RJ 1959 bracelet and Algonquins bag. As for the nerd glasses… seems like someone is secretly otaku.

I’m wearing an h.NAOTO tank top, and some of my favorite accessories: spider ring, Monomania bone necklace, Yohji Yamamoto bracelet.

Ani-Jam put us in a humongous room at the Radisson Hotel. One colossal bed and two flat-screen TVs. Even the room service portions were monstrous.

A lobby fit for a Rococo prince.

The convention had a laid-back, friendly vibe. Young people dressed in cosplay, selling Jpop goods.

It was a pleasure to meet all of you who came to support us!

Listed as guests of honor in the brochure.

Pop quiz: Which one of us is wearing a wig?

The first day, I had a panel and autograph session.

I spoke about my work and answered questions from the audience.

Videos of my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, are always a big hit.

Signing autographs with my cute Rilakkuma bear pen.

Thanks to those who brought gifts! You’re all so sweet and welcoming.

With Miss Hannah Minx, another guest at the comic con.

The organizers took us to dinner at a steakhouse, and we had a raucous time drinking red wine and discussing Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.

We can’t thank Ani-Jam enough for flying us in and taking such good care of us! The Fresno con is refreshingly free of stress — it’s a place where you can simply hang, enjoy the events and meet new friends. You should consider swinging by next year (perhaps we’ll be there again).

PS: Thank you to whoever made this fan video of La Carmina & Sebastiano Serafini & Basil Farrow!

Have you ever been to an anime convention? What did you think of the experience?

Song of the Day: Andrew Lloyd Webber – Starlight Express

Two ARR-amazing announcements! First, The Pirates are being flown to Tokyo and Kyoto in September… for a Food Network TV mission! Second, I’m having a Super-Cute Hollywood birthday bash on August 23. And you’re invited. Keep reading for the shiny details.

My company, La Carmina & The Pirates, is getting tons of great gigs (recall I was just in Tokyo for Discovery/National Geographic/Fuel TV). We do TV hosting, fixing (location scouting, arranging, translating) and coolhunting/consulting. Our specialties: subcultures, fashion, travel, food, pop culture, and all things weird.

My First Mate, Naomi Rubin, made this glorious drawing of us – doesn’t it scream “Arrr!?” In addition to being a pirate, Naomi’s an imaginative, talented artist and web designer. You can see more of her design work on her website.

The crew behind a new Food Network show, World’s Weirdest Restaurants, wanted to film inside bizarre Japanese eateries. Who better to contact than the author of Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo?

So we’ll be joining host Bob Blumer, who you may know from shows Glutton for Punishment and The Surreal Gourmet for Food Network Canada. I’ll be appearing on-camera as his Tokyo sidekick!

We can’t reveal specifics about the new TV show. But you can expect to see your favorite spooky faces, and wacky cafes featured in my book. (You can read more about theme restaurants in this blog category.)

But before we jet to Japan for a month… let’s party in Hollywood! Mr Black, the glam nightclub brainchild of Luke Nero, is throwing me a Super Cute Birthday Party on August 23rd.

It’s free entry, so you have no excuse not to show up. Los Angeles friends, please spread the word — I hope to see you at my Mr Black birthday bash!

La Carmina’s Super Cute Birthday Party
Mr Black at Bardot Hollywood
1737 Vine St at Hollywood, Los Angeles CA
Tuesday August 23rd, 9:30pm – 2am (age 21+)
FREE to enter – no cover!
Facebook RSVP page

You can see my previous Mr Black club coverage here.

I leave you with a random video: Seba and La Carmina at the Luisaviaroma fashion blogger event, in Florence Italy.

Do you watch Food Network? What are your favorite shows and hosts? Are you excited to see me and my posse on World’s Weirdest Restaurants?

PS: Please share this link and let your LA friends know about my birthday party!

Song of the Day: Carol Cooper – Tunnel of Love (Hi NRG from 1985)

Hold onto your top hats: Sebastiano Serafini and La Carmina are returning to California!

We’re being flown in as Guests of Honor at Ani-Jam anime convention in Fresno, CA (near Los Angeles and San Francisco). Seba and I will be leading panel discussions, and hanging out… we hope to meet you there!

WHAT: Ani-Jam anime convention
WHERE: Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 2233 Ventura Street, Fresno, CA
WHEN: August 20 and 21, 2011
PRICE: Here’s the link to discounted registration for you. Only $25 for 2 days of fun.

Please tell your friends and save the date. Can’t wait to see you.

I’m continuing to spruce up my website (I hope the blog is loading faster, especially for overseas readers). The Media section has been re-vamped, so that all my press clippings and links are on one page.

Profiles include: The New Yorker, Washington Post, WWD, Village Voice, Fox News and LA Times.

I’m always open to answering interview questions. If you’d like me to participate in an interview or feature, feel free to contact me.

Big hug to Samantha Parkinson for the beautiful artwork above. She wrote: “I have been enjoying your blog and reading about your adventures and travels for several years, and thought I would create a piece of art as a gift for you.”

Got a drawing of me and/or my cat, Basil Farrow? I invite you to submit it, and I’ll post it on my blog, with links and credit to you.

PS: Please keep the entries coming to win hair bows & accessories! It’s simple to enter; the instructions are here.

I’m enjoying your Facebook comments about your summer plans and goals. I’m responding to everyone’s questions and giving advice; I hope you find it helpful. (To participate, leave a comment on my Wall.)

Song of the Day: Lime – Come And Get Your Love (A total Italo Disco summer track.)

Los Angeles Adventure Time! Here’s a fun photo diary of my fundraising days with Sebastiano Serafini, who flew into LA from Tokyo after the earthquake.

We brought our Japan flag and donation box everywhere, to drum up aid for the survivors. Even my red and white dress, gifted from Bettie Page Clothing, lent visual support. Believe it or not, my outfit got more attention than Sebastiano at our favorite gay club (The Abbey in West Hollywood)!

The bouncers always interrogate Seba, since he doesn’t look close to legal age. (One was convinced he’s 14 years old!) He especially looks like a little boy in big shoes, a Kamen Rider t-shirt and La Carmina hoodie.

Above is the other La Carmina hoodie, featuring my fat Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow.

Our fellow red-heads, Heathyr and Patrice, care deeply about Japan relief. It’s great to have friends like them.

While in LA, we also had time for fun (recall our dance party at Best Buy). Can you guess which stuffed toy belongs to Seba?

The correct answer is… the cute stuffed puppy! Also pictured: a panda bear necklace gifted from Soho Hearts.

How would you caption this image? First Mate Naomi suggests: “Because every day is going to be today. And today, you need a wig.”

As for this one: “It was a tearful goodbye when Sebastiano left home for the first time, but his family knew they’d still see him on holidays and at special events.”

La Carmina and Seba are the “Eloises” of the Orlando Hotel in West Hollywood. If you stay here (and we recommend that you do), ask the staff about us. They’ll fall over laughing.

Seba’s shark backpack chomps on my toes.

My skull tights are gifted from Artisan Socks.

The news coverage about Japan has died down, but tens of thousands remain missing or homeless. Please keep on supporting the Japanese recovery, through donations, fundraisers, or plain getting the word out. Naomi’s Help Japan Wiki is a fantastic compilation of charities and events.

If you have questions about anything in these photos (outfits, locations) – or anything at all — do leave me a comment. I’ll reply.

PS: Thank you to Tokyo Catwalk for interviewing me about my work in Japanese street fashion.

PPS: It’s blog sharing day! Come share your site’s URL on my Facebook Page. I promise to visit — and I’m doing my best to comment on each one.

Song of the Day: Dir en Grey – Uroboros (you can stream the entire album for free!)

Here’s a treat for you… a super cute meets retro online store, sassyNpunk! I’m sure you’ll squeal when you see the selection of kawaii fashion and accessories. Best of all, it’s a DIY business: all of the hair pieces and 95% of the jewelry is made by the boutique.

The boutique also carries Tokidoki, Sanrio, Lime Crime, Urban Decay, Di Depux, Cute-Plush and other J-pop brands. They recently teamed up with Cupcake Provocateur to design a one-of-a-kind Little Twin Stars Cupcake Apron. These were a big hit with fans, and two new apron designs are scheduled to be released next month, featuring Sanrio’s Twin Stars and Cinnamonroll.

I especially love the retro anime / manga vintage collectibles — there’s a whole section dedicated to Sailor Moon. The site is a pleasure to browse, peppered with bright photoshoots with alt models like Jesse Pagz and Masuimi Max (featured in the Model Garden.)

Adorable and affordable accessories… Check out sassyNpunk, a total cutie pie.

Who has plans for the weekend? If you’re strapped for cash, don’t let that stop you from having fun. Here are five activities for alternative, artsy types — modeled by our favorite model.

Indie art galleries are usually free to visit, and feature quirky, poppy works. On weekends, there tend to be gallery openings. I took Sebastiano to Giant Robot on Sawtelle Boulevard in Los Angeles. (I had a book signing here a year ago.)

Shopping doesn’t have to mean spending. I love to browse in art bookstores, toy shops, furniture and vintage clothing boutiques. I always pick up creative inspiration.

A simple but pleasurable activity: photography. Try out a toy camera, for retro results. (I wrote a CNNGo article about tinkering with toy cameras in Tokyo.)

It’s sakura season, and the weather is (mostly) warming up. Get outdoors: to a park, a beach, a forest. (Seba’s on the sands of Santa Monica, wearing my Listen Flavor cat sweater.)

Finally, be a kid! Nobody’s ever too old to enjoy swings and playgrounds. I hope these tips inspire you to have a fun, inexpensive weekend with friends (or victims).

PS: My Japan charity clothing auction ends Monday, April 18th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET! Iron Fist donated a mega clothing/shoe prize pack, worth several hundred dollars. The highest bidder gets the whole stash, and 100% of the funds goes to the earthquake and tsunami victims. (Above are items from the latest collection they sent me.)

I hope you’ll support Japan by bidding, or at the very least, spreading the word. (To bid, use the widget on the top right sidebar of my blog.) For the full details, please read this post.

PPS: Did you see me on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods Tokyo episode this week, on Travel Channel? If you missed it, video clips and photos here.

Song of the Day: I.M.S. International Music System – Run Away