I recently went on a social media hiatus after what felt like an overwhelming time of browsing online. What with the elections looming overhead, casting a shadow of gloom and doom, it felt easier and smarter to withdraw, rejuvenate and find myself again. And like all new things, I came out of the hiatus with lessons and epiphanies, which I will be sharing today:

1. I spend way too much time online. I realized I spend AT LEAST 3-5 hours online and that wasn't even hours spent on imbibing current events and information. I did not count the time I spent reading news, informative articles or listening to TED talk podcasts. It was just useless and mindless wandering on the internet that I could have easily done without. On my hiatus, I found myself not knowing what to do with the extra time I suddenly had. So I read books, learned how to speak basic phrases in French, did more meditations and practiced more yoga moves. It was definitely a productive month for me.
2. The world, and consequently the people around me, needs more attention. The thing about social media is that at its best, it's a virtual image of the world around me. At its worst, it's a distraction from the beauty you can only see when you observe what the world has to offer. While on a social media hiatus, I noticed beautiful sceneries more, became more sensitive to people's needs and just overall became more appreciative of the life I live. It's easy to be distracted by the barrage of information and likes, but when you look back, it's not online assurance you remember. It's the memories, the people and how you felt. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what matters.
3. Social media is a cesspool of low self-esteem. Seriously, it's weird how we're still constantly comparing ourselves to other people online when we know and they know and everyone with an IQ of at least 1 knows - NO ONE IS PERFECT. The highly curated, meticulously planned and feverishly organized social media content doesn't change that fact. While on my social media hiatus, I've spent more time looking into myself instead of outwards. I stopped comparing myself to other people, read more about improving myself and practiced it to no end. I liked the break from all the online noise, focusing only on myself, what I felt and what I could offer. It rejuvenated me, and I'm happier.

I wouldn't put it past myself to dive right back into another social media hiatus. Taking a step back felt amazing, and if it helps me deal with life better, a hundred likes won't make me stay.

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Los Angeles is one of those cities you can't help but develop a love-hate relationship with, and this city, with its glamour and grime, changed my life in innumerable ways. 

I understand the stereotypical hate on Los Angeles - the hideous traffic that can double, nay triple, commute time if you happened to be extra unfortunate, getting more than your fair share of pollution, the slew of cliques that make socializing seem more like a jungle, the vapidity and superficiality of it all. But to loathe the city means to completely ignore the beauty you can unearth between the flaws, and aren't we all waiting for someone to find beauty underneath our imperfections?

I've been calling LA home for five years now and while I have yet to fully explore the city and all that it has to offer, I am continuously enamored with it. What with its wide array of food options, eclectic mishmash of art and culture and that feeling of being home yet having the independence to be whoever you want to be, Los Angeles is home.

One of the numerous things my boyfriend and I love in all mutuality and without question (aside from each other) is food. So it only makes sense that trying new places is also our favorite thing to do on our dates. Here are a few new places we've tried over the last couple of months:

Grilliant

This was a yelp search result while we were looking for food close to the Museum of Jurassic Technology (the visit of which I wrote about in detail here). Grilliant, despite its clean and precise aesthetic, was kind of a disaster for both of us. We had ordered two salmon kebab plate, eggplant mirza & sumac fries. Okay, first off, as I was about to take a sip from my glass of water, I noticed a lipstick mark on my glass. I immediately went up to the cashier and asked for a replacement. She had apologized profusely and offered free drinks, which I had declined. We rarely really drink anything but water. That was discomfiting but no harm, no foul as they say.

When our order came, the waitress only brought one salmon kebab plate, instead of two. It was merely a misunderstanding and we ordered another plate. The eggplant mirza came with pita slices and it was delicious! The sumac fries were 'eh' though, and weren't really all that memorable (I'm probably going to make a top 5 best french fries post soon given how much my boyfriend loves fries so keep a lookout!). We started eating one of the plates but when the second one finally came, we were starting to get irked. The cashier took our order wrong and brought us a chicken kebab plate - not a salmon one. Considering we are both paescetarian, it was getting on my nerves.

The eggplant mirza and pita slices. This was so good!

Sumac fries and salmon kebab plate. The former was 'eh' and the latter was delicious!

Chocolate covered strawberries

We decided to eat the chicken regardless (because throwing it away would have been a bigger travesty to the chicken who had to die for it). When we were finishing up on our meal, the manager came and gave us two chocolate covered strawberries to apologize for all the mix up. They were delicious, and given how we were enjoying ourselves regardless, it was easy to let all the mishaps go. Are we going to come back? Probably not, considering it's located in Culver City and we're rarely ever in the area. But if we come back, I'd give them a second chance. The food itself was good and hey, maybe they were having an off day.

Eden on Brand
A new addition to the emerging nightlife of Glendale, my boyfriend wanted to try this place for the longest time but wanted to wait until I was raring to go.The ambiance is wonderful albeit it was a bit too rambunctious for my taste. We went for dinner and ordered the Mexican Pizza, the Truffle Burger, cannoli, a sour beer for me and an IPA for my boyfriend. The Mexican pizza was good taste-wise, except I did not pay $14 for pizza that tastes exactly like tacos. It was an interesting experience for sure but honestly not something I would do again. My boyfriend liked his burger though I personally found it ho-hum.

Probably one of the biggest let-down was the cannoli we ordered - they looked nothing like a cannoli. It was basically just donuts with caramel sauce and strawberry & pistachio ice cream. As a big fan of ice cream, I have to admit the ice cream was really good, but that doesn't legitimize the fraudulent advertising. It was good but it was no cannoli.

Personally, the food wasn't worth it for me and I'm not going back.

This is nowhere near what an actual cannoli looks like

Crab Boil (Brunch)
Crab Boil is a place we frequent for dinner. It's a good substitute to Boiling Crab and it's closer to our area in general. They recently added a brunch menu, and as people who yearn for new things, we went ahead and gave their brunch selections a try.

My boyfriend ordered shrimp & grits with roasted potatoes while I ordered Crab Benedict with hashbrowns. We also ordered nutella topped beignets for dessert. The verdict? We'll skip brunch and just go to Crab Boil for dinner like we always do. There was nothing specifically wrong with the dishes per se but cajun was just not a fitting meal for breakfast. It was heavy yet grating at the same time. The beignets weren't the right texture that we wanted and everything was just 'OK'. Our taste buds aren't particularly content with OK.

Any recent food trips you went on recently? What are you raring to try?

The Museum of Jurassic Technology came highly recommended by one of my boyfriend's friends, and since we both love trying out new places, we went to Culver City filled with excitement. This museum is an oddball alright. I think my boyfriend coined it perfectly when he said "It's like an anti-museum".

I expected something somewhat gargantuan to reflect what seemed like its larger-than-life name but the facade was pretty unassuming. Once inside, a receptionist and shelves of books welcomed us. We paid $8, which was the price for the general admission, and stepped into the actual museum. A sign that discouraged photography/videography was placed predominantly on the wall as you enter. As weird sounds wafted through the air, wispy lights provided the sole source of brightness, giving the place an eerie and somber effect. If you're claustrophobic, the first floor may not be the best place for you.

There are two floors of completely random, almost haphazard exhibits. Some of the exhibits weren't working while others were just completely bathed in darkness. I don't have a lot of photos but have managed to take a few regardless.

I know photography was highly discouraged because it may encumber the other visitors but a bust of Napoleon Bonaparte in an adjoining room that had no one else in it was just too tempting.

Next to the bust of Napoleon Bonaparte. I'm not entirely sure why I took a photo of this.

A bouquet of flowers in the tea room. 

Black English tea & cookies served freely in the tea room. This was really good!

Tea room.

I think my favorite things about the entire museum were the video biography & exhibit of Hagop Sandaldijian microminiature statues, Henry Dalton's micromosaics, the tea room, the tea itself (it was really good tea) and the aviary. Photographs were strictly not allowed in the aviary so I don't have photos of those, but believe me when I say that it is a refreshing sight to behold. Boyfriend and I especially loved the architectural styles of both the tea room and the aviary.

Shortly thereafter, I found out that some of the things in the exhibit were, more often than not, untrue. I told you it was very "anti-museum". *wink* Overall, this place was an interesting way to spend an hour or two in. I would recommend it to open-minded people who want nothing specific but also nothing rather mundane. I wouldn't go back anytime soon, but it was well worth the drive.

Have you been to The Museum of Jurassic Technology? What are your thoughts?

Day Two:

My coworkers are simply one of the loveliest groups of people I know, and they made me feel so wonderfully loved for my birthday. In fact, funnily enough, they were far more excited for my birthday than I was. When I came in to work last Friday, I was surprised by some pretty festive birthday decorations on my desk. There were also flowers, heartwarming birthday cards (with money & fandango gift cards in them) and food!

 Boxes of donuts, cookies, salamis, cheese dips, crackers & salmon dips.

 Flowers galore!

Around 10 a.m., while I was busy working, I was surprised by my coworkers singing a birthday song for me and a cupcake with a candle on it for me to be able to "make a wish" on. Afterwards, one of my sweet coworkers drove me home since I literally had a whole box of things to bring home with me. I have to hand it to my coworkers - they know how to make a girl feel so loved.

Day Three:

On Sunday evening, I spent my dinner with my family over three pounds of shrimp and two pounds of mussels from  Holy Crab. It was good but definitely not Boiling Crab or Crab Boil good.

 My sister Yen-yen took these photos of me laughing like a complete goofball outside Holy Crab.

Regardless, we had a lot of fun singing karaoke, catching up and watching their latest TV show obsession - the reincarnation of the 1968 Hawaii Five-O called Hawaii Five-0. I love my weird, beautiful family with all my heart, and I'm so thankful for them. <3

And with that, my 26th birthday celebration ends. 

My 26th birthday might just be the best birthday I've ever had so far, and I'll tell you why. Aside from the fact that I've gotten some pretty special birthday greetings (you all know who you are and I love you all), I'm just at a point in my life where I feel so blessed and loved by people surrounding me.

Two months before my actual birthday, my boyfriend asked if I could take time off of work because he was taking me somewhere special. While I must admit he had to finagle my yes, I eventually conceded. A couple of weeks before my birthday, I asked for clues to help me prepare and he merely told me,"Wear something cute and comfortable. But mostly comfortable". On the day of my actual birthday, I woke up late even though we had initially planned to be on the road at 7:30 a.m. but I'm the birthday girl so whatever. Haha! He took me to Foxy's for their Lox Benedict, which is one of my favorite breakfasts of all time. My boyfriend got the Ahi Tuna wrap and split pea soup. I forgot to take photos since I was really hungry. Nevertheless, favorite breakfast? Check! We were off to a good start!

While I had my suspicions as to where he was taking me, I was never quite sure until I saw the exit - Disneyland Drive. WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!

As soon as we got there, we put a fast pass in for the Space Mountain then fell in line for Star Tours. It was a fun ride albeit a short one. I loved being able to see R2D2 and C3PO. In fact, C3PO was our purported pilot as we journeyed through Otoh Gunga. My boyfriend told me that different Starspeeder cars go to different courses. I kind of hoped we got the Coruscant one, but Otoh Gunga was super fun as well.

Next, we went to the Haunted Mansion, which was probably one of my favorite rides in Disneyland. The effects were fascinating and I kind of fell in love with that scene in the ballroom with all the dancing ghosts. Afterwards, we went to Splash Mountain, which is also one of my favorite rides. I mean, sure my feet got wet and my boyfriend decided to take a photo of my ugliest expression during the 50 feet drop because it was "adorable", but I really enjoyed that ride.

We went to the Matterhorn ride afterwards, and I practically screamed my head off. I honestly should have realized right then and there that *maybe* roller coasters aren't my thing, but it was my birthday and I was feeling adventurous. The teacup ride was just adorable to be honest, and my boyfriend and I took a video of each other throughout the entire ride, one of which I've shared on my instagram.

After the teacup ride, our fast pass for Space Mountain was up so we immediately made our way there. Can I just say that the Space Mountain was extremely terrifying for me that I made my right wrist sore trying to hold too tightly onto the lap rail? Yep, that happened. Not only did my boyfriend determine that I probably won't find Six Flags fun, I practically swore up and down to never set foot in Six Flags for my sanity and larynx's sake.

We got lunch at Tomorrowland and watched the Star Wars show while eating then quickly headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride immediately after. Compared to Space Mountain, the ride was tame and, dare I say, a little bit romantic at some point. Afterwards, we took the Indiana Jones, It's a Small World & Dumbo rides respectively.

This is the facade for the It's a Small World ride. It was a magnificent view even from afar, and I just knew I had to take a photo. Isn't it gorgeous?

My boyfriend was pleasantly surprised that we had managed to go on all the go-to rides, and I was feeling a bit disappointed that there weren't any Disney princesses and that Disneyland was a bit underwhelming. If it wasn't for my boyfriend's awesome company, I wouldn't have had as much fun as I've had. But wow, Disney apparently thought that I was long overdue for my own pleasant surprise.

As soon as the clock hit 7:45 p.m. the Paint the Night parade begun, and my night light & Disney-loving heart was on cloud nine! It was an amazing sight to behold and it completely made my entire night. Two minutes before the fireworks show, an announcement was made that it might be cancelled due to the high winds. Everyone made a moan of disappointment, which I believe, made a difference as to what they decided on doing instead. And yes, you guessed it. They totally did the fireworks show regardless of the previous announcement. Once the firework show started in celebration for Disney's 60th anniversary, I almost died of pure and utter bliss.

Trust me, the photos don't even do it any justice. The fireworks show was spectacular, and I could totally see why Walt Disney meant for it to be a "kiss good night". I'm just so happy that it wasn't cancelled - that was quite a show to miss! I even told my boyfriend that I'd be willing to pay the entirety of Disney tickets for the fireworks show alone. I mean, pragmatically speaking, I'm not going to do it, but in theory, I totally would.

Afterwards, we got dinner in Downtown Disney, specifically at Crossroads. We ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese and Blackened Mahi-Mahi, which was the Market Fish of the Day.

I feel so blessed, so loved and just so content with my life right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm hustling hard to reach my career goals and all the other things I want to achieve. But right now, regardless of where I am in life, people who love me make me feel like I can do anything. In fact, Doby's birthday greeting on facebook could not have been worded more accurately,"To one of the most blessed woman I know, Happy Happy Birthday, Babe! I know you're happy already so just be happier until next year. And the year after next. And after that. And after after that. Forever! Hahahaha! Happy birthday babe!" 

Happy 26th birthday to me. <3

In the beginning of February 2016, I made the decision to become paescetarian. As someone who grew up in a culture that's predominantly meat-centric, the change wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be. I mean, sure, living in Los Angeles means access to hundreds, if not thousands, of pescatarian, vegetarian & vegan options - and they're all wonderfully delightful to the palate. But hanging out with people who eat meat was pretty much the hardest part of it all because I kind of felt like I was being fussy by making our restaurant choices more limited.

I've come to this decision fueled by a conglomeration of reasons, most of which I will gladly iterate below:

1. Help the planet. If you live in LA, you might have seen one of those billboards where skipping a burger ends up saving as much water as skipping a thousand showers. And yes, these are backed by studies. Additionally, the meat & poultry industry are major contributors to en masse deforestation & toxic waste - not exactly good for Mother Nature.
2. Help people. If you're thinking that quitting meat & poultry doesn't benefit other people as well (I mean, you know, aside from the blatantly obvious if-our-planet-dies-we-all-die-argument), you're wrong. Did you know that the amount of grains being fed to the cow you're chomping on in the United States alone could have easily fed 60 million people dying of starvation globally? I don't know about you but my conscience prohibits me from enjoying a meal preference that could benefit plenty more people around the world.
3. Help animals. The cruelty that pigs, cows & chickens endure is honestly heartbreaking, and I can't close my eyes and pretend I didn't know about these horrific circumstances. I can no longer just prioritize my taste buds or dietary preference for millions of animals violently slaughtered in a year.
4. Help yourself. Quitting meat & poultry bestows you with numerous health benefits including but are not limited to reducing your risk for osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases, hypertension and some types of cancer.

I'm actually seriously thinking about going vegan, if not vegetarian, for the future or at least for the most part of the week until I can get accustomed to the lifestyle. I'm proud to tell people I'm an animal lover, and for it to actually ring true.

Even before I moved into the neighborhood, I've always been enamored with Echo Park. In fact, one of my dreams was to jog around Echo Park lake (which is actually something I got to do before 2015 ended - yay!).

Since moving in, I've fallen for this neighborhood hook, line and sinker. Here are some of the reasons why:

The Echo Park Lake is definitely a sweet spot for a picnic or a run!

Street art near Mohawk Bend, one of the numerous restaurants inundating Echo Park.

 I'm completely in love with sunsets here..

Gorgeous flowers sold for $2 at the Vons.

• Echo Park Lake. Seriously, if you don't think this is one of the best parts about living in Echo Park, you're wrong. With its newly renovated lake, stunning panoramic view and the wide running area, this place is a sight to behold and every runner's wet dream.
• Proximity to everything! I live in a walking distance to bus stops, more than enough groceries (I'm counting 4 so far), pharmacies, libraries, post office and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. Other than that, EP is smack dab in the middle of other neighborhoods, including Silver lake, Los Feliz, Highland Park, Atwater Village and Glendale.
• Thrift stores and 99 cents stores galore. I'm a fan of thrifting and cheap purchases in general. Some of my favorite thrift stores in the area are the Lemon Frog Shop Vintage Bazaar & Sunday's Best Thrift Apparel. Finding unique & adorable clothes, random knick knacks, books and art for half the price is always a wonderful thing in my book.
• Nightlife & entertainment are easy to find. Echo Park is home to a wide array of bars and concert venues in walking distance to each other. The Echo, Echoplex & The Satellite all have events going on throughout the week. Sunset Beer Company, an amazing liquor store/bar that I visit when I get a hankering for a duchess or a framboise, is a stone's throw away from my apartment. EP also happens to be a haven for tranquil and relaxing coffee shops if you want to just hang out with a friend, study for an upcoming exam or write the next big hit. Stories Books & Cafe is definitely my favorite as it combines delicious food & drinks, and lots of carefully curated books.
• Lots of hidden gems - I mean lots of hidden gems. There's the Time Travel Mart, which has an armada of interesting and quirky items for fun and is the perfect place for your next white Christmas. There's the beautiful wildflower trail, which is a perfect beginner's hiking trail. The Baxter stairs are a cool addition to the neighborhood, and Carroll Avenue, which houses Victorian era architectural styles, provides a snippet of heritage. I have yet to uncover a lot of things in Echo Park but I look forward to discovering new things in my new neighborhood.

How about you? What do you like about your neighborhood?