mayanrocks.com » travel
Risk.
Friday, November 1, 2024

Just sold my GA floor ticket to the (sold out!) Dia De Los Deftones festival in San Diego this weekend on Stubhub, because I don’t know anyone on this lineup except the Deftones (among other reasons).

I was hoping to catch them on tour next year, especially with The Mars Volta opening (a band I haven’t seen live since 2008 @ SDSU!), but they’re gonna be in LA the week I’m in Japan. Pammie has to be back in the US after that first week for a work conference in Scottsdale, but I might extend my trip a few days to go to Thailand to see Moo Deng 😆

Deftones – Risk

I know what to say to take you
Higher, higher
No one else can take you higher
But I will try

The Mars Volta – The Widow

Freeze without an answerFree from all the shameThen I’ll hide‘Cause I’ll never, never sleep alone

The stars will align someday, Chino 🖤

Holy Cow.
Saturday, September 28, 2024

highland cows

Do you stay up late at night googling if people eat Highland cows or are you normal?

(via @best_vacationrentals)

I found this Airbnb in Canada that has Highland cows on the property.

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Nori’s been to Scotland, but she didn’t get to see any Highland cows (they’re from the Scottish Highlands) while she was there. I found some places in North America you can see these cute hairy cows, and then I went down the google rabbit hole wondering if they slaughter them here.

I love BBQ (smoked beef ribs are my favorite), and now I feel like I have to ask what kind of cow I’m eating at restaurants like in Portlandia 😅

As a rule, I don’t eat baby animals (lamb, veal or suckling anything)—just adult animals who have lived a full life LOL. And now I have to add Highland cows (at any age) to that list 😆

The Cookie Corner.
Sunday, August 25, 2024

hawaii cookie corner s'mores

Pammie is back from Hawaii, and she brought me back my favorite s’mores cookie from The Cookie Corner 🍪

Magic Michael.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024

I have never had the desire to go to Florida before today 🙆🏻‍♀️🔪 (@ Cocktails & Screams)

superstore florida gif   superstore florida gif
Eurotrip.
Sunday, June 9, 2024

Our fabulous tour manager (Nelson from Gate 1) surprised us with sparkling wine on our way to our last city. I forgot my Beats on the tour bus on the last day, and he had the bus bring it back the next day (classic Mayan—I’ve left them on a plane before and paid $40 for the airline to ship it back to me 6 miles to my apartment in LA, because I wasn’t gonna endure the hell that is LAX to pick them up for free). He’s from Barcelona, and has spent his entire life in Spain, except for one year he decided to try out London. He came back the next year because, ‘People are just so ugly in the UK. Do they not have dentists???’ I mean, where’s the lie? LOL ¯\_()_/¯

I’ve never been to Europe or done a land tour before, I usually like to be on my own time when I’m on vacation—visit the places I wanna go, eat where I wanna eat when I wanna eat—but I liked it more than I thought I would! Our tour guides in each city were funny and super charming (Pedro in Portugal, Elena in Seville, Andrés in Ronda/Málaga, Rocio in Granada, and José in Madrid), I got to see places I never would’ve gone to myself, we had transportation to each city, plus we got free time everyday to do/eat where we wanted to. The only downside was being stuck with these obnoxious people on the tours. It’s like being held hostage in a group text you can’t get out of 😅 IYKYK.

These bus tours tested relationships. You’re stuck with the same group of people for 10 days. This old ass couple was fighting in Italian the entire time. I only understood when the wife told her husband, ‘Worry about yourself. I’m not a baby!’ and ‘Leave me alone!’ because she said it in English LOL. Another couple, the wife was asking the husband ‘Why are you smiling like that, I’ve never seen that smile before’ and this other couple, a gypsy was talking to the husband trying to sell him rosemary branches and read his palm, and when he came back, the wife was like, ‘Do you still have your wallet? Did she put a curse on you?’ LOL same couple when we were in Gibraltar, the husband was like, ‘It’s technically England, but all the waitresses are Spanish and they cross the border to work every day.’ His wife was like, ‘How do you know that? Were you flirting with the waitress while I was in the bathroom?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, we’re friends on TikTok now.’ 😂 I’m over here like 😴 Whenever people are arguing in front of me, I get super uncomfortable and pretend I’m sleeping LOL 😆

vacation braids

This old lady on our tour got her hair braided at the beach in Costa del Sol.

monica friends braids gif

Her husband even went ziplining while we were in Toledo! Retired life is wild 😅

Nobody was my age (they were either in their 20s with their parents or in their 60s or older). This lady asked me what my husband’s name was, and I was like, ‘He’s my dad, not my sugar daddy’ LOL. She was like, ‘Oh okay, I didn’t want to assume.’ 😆 Another lady asked me if I was in school, because she thought I was a teenager! I was like, “I’m 42, ma’am.” She was shocked! She had her daughters with her, and they were in their 20s. I was closer to her age than to her kids 😆 My dad thought her daughters were teenagers, too. I was like, ‘They’re drinking sangria. They’re at least in her 20s’ and he was like, ‘But you were drinking vodka in high school’ and I was like, ‘Not in public!’ 😆

This group of six obnoxious people (three couples) were on the entire trip with us. They were super loud (lots of eye rolls and other people on the tour shushing them), always had something to say/complain about, in their 80s, Italian and from NYC. They had me questioning if I’m ageist, racist, or just don’t like people from New York LOL.

I met three ladies who are married with children, but traveling alone because either their husbands hate traveling or their husbands have bad hips LOL. I would never travel alone. I do a lot of things by myself—go grocery shopping, eat dinner in my apartment, go to John Mayer concerts LOL—but I know I wouldn’t like traveling alone. It’s like watching a movie in a theater alone. I’ve only watched Fever Pitch and Made of Honor by myself in a movie theater, because no one wanted to watch these romcoms with me LOL. I want to be able to look over at another person and be like, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?!” Like in that movie, Shall We Dance?, Susan Sarandon says, We need a witness to our lives…You’re saying ‘Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness.’

Can I get a witness?

portugal

Our trip started in Lisboa, Portugal, and it was gorgeous. The weather was much like San Diego, so it was really nice. Felt like home.

luzmar

My favorite food of the whole trip was actually in Portugal. We had arroz de marisco (it was a lot like seafood paella, but soupier) and grilled octopus (@ Luzmar, Cascais, Portugal)

portuguese egg tarts

I also ate a Portuguese egg tart every day. I’ve never eaten one back home, and now I never can, because they taste so damn good over here. My mom said they’re way better than the ones they have at Paris Baguette 😅

portugal cork

Did you know Portugal is the largest producer of cork in the world? I didn’t. I just picked up this bag in Cascais because I thought it was cute. The “I ❤️ España” keychain was a gift from our tour manager, Nelson 😆

sangria

My dad: Slow down, we get more drinks at the flamenco show after dinner.
Me: *washes down my meds with a 4th glass of sangria*

If sangria was on the menu (and it always was), I ordered it.

Spain is on Central European Time instead of its natural time zone, so the sun didn’t set until close to 10pm! The flamenco show started at 9:30pm and I was already so tired and five glasses of sangrias deep 😅 (@ Tablao Flamenco El Patio Sevillano, Sevilla, Spain)

spain - costa del sol

This photo was taken from our hotel at 9:45pm! The days are so long here ☀️

spain ming chinese

Me: What do you feel like eating for dinner?
My mom: Chinese food.
Me: We’re in Spain.

I found a Chinese restaurant that was near to our hotel and actually pretty good considering China’s on the other side of the world! Plus, I’m easygoing and they had sangria (@ Ming 明, Sevilla, Spain)

spain ming sangria

My dad: Another sangria? Aren’t you hungover from last night?
Me: *sipping my sangria* Nah, I’ve been training for this my whole life.

spain churros

Churros con chocolate for breakfast? Sí, por favor (@ Meliã Lebreros, Sevilla, Spain)

Driving from Seville to Costa del Sol, we passed by this beautiful countryside full of sunflowers. They farm the sunflowers for its oil and energy. BRB gonna quit my job and move to the south of Spain to work on a sunflower farm ✌🏼 Or at Google in Málaga (we saw a corporate office there). Plus, Spain has 17 bank holidays a year!

EY madrid

My sister’s old company has a location in Madrid, so I told her she could work there while I work on a sunflower farm 😏 (@ Ernst & Young, Madrid, Spain)

spain flowers

It’s gorgeous here. Our tour guide in Ronda and Málaga, Andrés, said that the south of Spain is so easygoing. People die of heart attacks and diabetes from all the good food, but they don’t die of stress. And he said if we see someone running (exercising), they aren’t from Spain LOL. Sounds like my kind of country!

As I was toasting my second piece of bread during breakfast, I looked out the window and saw this tourist doing zumba outside. As a rule, I don’t exercise while I’m on vacation. I hardly exercise when I’m not on vacation 😅 I damn sure am not gonna exercise when I’m in Spain!

portugal

We stopped by this little town in the south of Spain with no traffic lights called Ronda. We visited one of the most famous bullfighting arenas in Spain. I thought bullfighting was bulls fighting other bulls, but it’s a man fighting a bull! And one of them dies at the end (usually the bull). They still do bullfighting once a year in this arena, but it’s banned in other parts of Spain (like Barcelona). I would never 😅

ronda

Nelson (who’s from Barcelona) isn’t into bullfighting either, and wanted us to leave that place with a happy memory, so he surprised us by taking us to this nearby horse farm, where the horses are loved and taken care of their whole lives (@ Reservatauro Ronda)

spain picasso museum

Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, and his family built a museum there (@ Museo Picasso, Málaga, Spain)

spain picasso

I had to buy some souvenirs from the gift shop. The left is of his famous painting of prostitutes in Barcelona, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. It’s part of the permanent collection at MOMA in NYC, so I didn’t get to see it in person. The original painting of the one on the right is featured in this museum, though, and it’s of Françoise Gilot. Picasso married twice and she was one his many mistresses. She was the only woman to ever leave him ✌🏼 She said, ‘Pablo was the greatest love of my life, but you had to take steps to protect yourself. I did, I left before I was destroyed.’ She was an artist in her own right, and also my hero. She just died last year at the age of 101.

kermit directions

As I was exiting the museum, this guy mistook me for a local and asked me for directions. I’m wondering if he understood my broken Spanish or if he’s still wandering the streets of Málaga 😅

gibraltar

Fun history fact: Gibraltar was taken from Spain by the British in the early 1700s, so it’s technically in England. We needed our passports to get in and out. From the coast, you can see Spain and Africa, but it was cloudy today, so we couldn’t see Morocco.

gibraltar - roy's fish and chips

When in England (@ Roy’s Fish and Chips, Gibraltar)

gibraltar - taco bell

I low key wanted to eat here, though (@ Taco Bell, Gibraltar)

gibraltar - monkeys

The Barbary macaques roam free in Gibraltar, and you can find them living their best lives and stealing ice cream bars from all the tourists.

gibraltar - cave

These caves were wild and reminded me so much of Antelope Canyon in Arizona (@ Saint Michael’s Cave, Gibraltar)

gibraltar - ramsons

💯 (@ Ramsons Watergardens, Gibraltar)

granada - alhambra

We toured this palace, and it was so beautiful and smelled so good because of all the rose gardens and jasmine (@ Alhambra, Granada, Spain)

granada - alhambra

There were these ceramic bowls placed all around the palace, and I thought it was to feed water to the dogs (it was hot as balls this day), but the tour guide told us they were just beautiful trash cans 😆

Waiting for Wyclef Jean to appear (@ Restaurante Arrayanes)

real madrid stadium

BRB, looking for Cristiano Ronaldo ⚽ (@ Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain)

Real Madrid played Dortmund in the final while we were in Madrid. The actual game was at Wembley in London, but 90,000 people gathered at this stadium to watch it on the big screen. Real Madrid won the championship, so it was crazy in the city. The team had a big party at the stadium the next day, but it didn’t start till 10 o’clock. At night! On a Sunday! 👵🏻

madrid prado

No pictures were allowed inside the museum, but we got to see incredible works from Goya, Velázquez, Greco, Picasso, Rembrandt and more (@ Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

museo reina sofia

I went to this other museum specifically to see works from Salvador Dalí, but was delighted to see some Picasso and Gris (@ Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain)

My mom: I’m not really into art.
My dad: Who’s Salvador Dalí?

I can’t with these philistines 😅

guernica

It was impossible to get a photo of Picasso’s Guernica without a gaggle of tourists in front of it, but I picked up this postcard in the gift shop. I wanted one of Dalí’s most famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, but they didn’t have it because the original painting is also at MOMA in NYC. I will have to go to that museum the next time I’m in New York, so I can see more works from Dalí and Picasso.

jamón ibérico bocadillo

I’ve only ever seen jamón ibérico on Food Network, and I finally got to try it at a Starbucks in Spain 😅

jamón ibérico

These prize pigs are fed acorns and live on free-range grass pastures in the Iberian peninsula. I guess it’s similar to Wagyu cattle in Japan, except jamón ibérico is harder to find in the US (it’s against the law to import jamón ibérico – the hind leg of an Iberian pig, hoof attached, swaddled in fat – because Spain does not have a single slaughterhouse that conforms to the regulations of the US Department of Agriculture).

jamón ibérico pillow

I still regret not buying a jamón ibérico pillow from the souvenir shop across the street from our last hotel 😆

museo del jamon

I kept seeing this Museo del Jamón everywhere. I thought it was a museum of ham, but it was just a bar/resto that specializes in ham 😆

la casa de las carcasas

There was also a La Casa de las Carcasas across from our hotel. I was disappointed that it didn’t mean ‘house of carcasses’ like I thought it did and didn’t see any dead bodies. I google translated ‘carcasas’ and it meant ‘casings’ in Spanish. I thought, ‘Oh maybe it’s sausages!’ so I was double disappointed when I saw it was just cell phone cases. I really gotta brush up on my Español. How embarazado. JK. ‘Embarazado’ means ‘pregnant’ in Spanish. I’ll never make that mistake again 😅

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A guy I used to date when I was sixteen responded to my Museo del Jamón story on instagram, and this was our convo 😂 I’ve either gotten more morbid in the last 25 years, or I was better at hiding my freak flag when I was a teenager 🏴

starbucks

It’s so hard to find iced coffee in Spain. One of our tour guides said people here like to buy a tiny cup of espresso and sit in front of it for hours. We were walking by a cafe, and he was like, ‘Remember these faces. They’ll still be sitting here when we walk back this way in a few hours.’ 😂 He said Starbucks hasn’t been super successful here because people don’t take their coffee to go. Luckily, they have these chilled coffees to go at the rest stops for all the tourists, complete with a straw you can pierce the lid with Capri Sun-style 😅

seafood paella

I ate a lot of seafood paella (or arroz de marisco). It takes like half an hour to prepare, because it’s made to order, but it’s so worth the wait.

spain - mcdonald's

Same Mayan, different country (@ Mcdonald’s, Granada, Spain)

Sometimes you don’t want anymore paella and just need to UberEats a McDouble to your hotel 😅

cascais tourists

Spot the tourists (it’s my parents).

My dad was so worried we’d get pickpocketed, yet he was the one walking around with a big ass selfie stick, carrying multiple bags, and misplaced everything (our luggage locks, his glasses, his whole ass luggage—he left his luggage on the curb in front of the airport and didn’t realize it until we were checking our bags!). Like, should you be the one holding all our passports, my guy? 😅 I’m the one over here getting mistaken for a local LOL.

toledo spain

We spent an afternoon in Toledo before going to Madrid. It’s one of the oldest cities in Spain, but I can’t remember much else of what the tour guide told us. It was a lot of information. One of the ladies on our tour, Denise, was like, ‘Is there gonna be a test at the end???’ 😅

madrid metro

Yes, I took the metro in Spain (@ Plaza de España)

madrid metro

Yes, it was just like the metros in NYC and LA (crowded and smelled like piss).

ice cream gif

There were heladarias on every corner. If I passed by an ice cream shop, I had to stop for a scoop (I don’t make the rules).

madrid tupac

And I thought my outfit was fire (@ Plaza de la Armería, Madrid, Spain)

spain filipinos

The only Filipinos I saw in Spain 😆

ka-boodle madrid

JK, we found a Filipino resto in Madrid complete with karaoke (@ Ka-Boodle Bar & Restaurant)

shocked gif

Actual footage of me trying to eat my tapsilog while another customer was singing horribly off-key. Why do tone-deaf people always want to do karaoke???

spain bitter orange

spain bitter orange

These orange trees grow all over Andalucía, or the southern coast of Spain. The fruit is bitter, though, and is mostly exported to make marmalade, so no one eats them off the tree.

I had to take video of this as proof that the parrots followed me to Spain 😅

Nori and I would always be sitting outside Starbucks on our lunch break at the beach, and the parrots would be in the palm trees yapping away!

shoes

On top of seeing a Skechers store in every major city, I saw so many tourists wearing them (including my parents). I can’t get away from this fucking place 😅

We stayed a few extra days in Madrid, so my dad booked a hotel for those days. It ended up being a hostel in the fucking ghetto. This is just like when he booked us at this shady ass hotel in Queens with a reggaeton night club at the bottom of it. My sister ended up booking us at the Hilton New York Times Square after that first night. We ended up moving to the Hotel Madrid Plaza España. It’s a Meliã hotel, and most of the hotels we stayed at on this tour were Meliã hotels, so I already knew it was nice. My dad is the kind of person who never checks reviews, and only booked this place because of its walkability to the city center.

I woke up with the worst headache that day. I hadn’t had a single headache since the strokes, and I used to get migraines all the time. I thought it was because I drank too much sangria the night before, or because I was on week 2 of vacationing with my parents 😅 but now I know it’s because I had covid. Needless to say, I was already so irritated this day. It was hard to get an uber because a lot of the city streets were blocked off since Real Madrid won the championship the night before and the city was celebrating. So we had already uber’d to the hostel, uber’d to another nice hotel that was booked and had no vacancies, and schlepped our luggage another few blocks to this Meliã hotel.

in flight movie

My sister (and KD, my favorite 8-year-old LOL) would have loved the in-flight movie selection.

new york homicide

I’m more of a New York Homicide girl myself. Spoiler alert: it was the brother.

All things considered, I will def be back here again! I loved everything—the people, the art, the culture. I took the rest of the week off because I need some ‘me’ time to wind down before I go back to work, so I’m just gonna rest and get rid of this virus. Or move to the south of Spain to work on a sunflower farm. I haven’t decided yet ¯\_()_/¯

Positive.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024

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covid

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Welp, I finally got covid. Half our tour bus got sick towards the end of our trip. I took a test as soon as I got home last night, went to bed, and woke up 20 hours later 😅

Spain recap soon. Perhaps when this virus has left my body ✌🏼

Update: Supplemental paid sick leave for covid ended in California in 2022, so I guess I’ll be reporting those sick days in kronos 😅

Layover.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

pdx carpet

Finally back on American soil (@ Portland International Airport)

I haven’t seen this iconic carpet since Deane, Sarah and I vacationed in Portland in 2017!

My parents like breaks while traveling, so we flew from Madrid to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Portland, and are now waiting for our flight from Portland to SD. We’ve been traveling since 6 in the morning (which is really 9pm PST time the night before), and we don’t arrive till 9pm (PST) tonight. We have to go through customs every time we land, go through TSA again, had to pick up our luggage at baggage claim in Portland and re-check our bags. We flew business class, so we have access to the business lounge during our layovers, but I don’t care about free food and drinks in the lounge, or even the free meals on the plane. I’d rather sleep on a direct flight and not deal with any of that shit. Especially since I keep getting flagged for random security checks 😅

Homeward Bound.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024

condor business class

This old man in a wheel chair was wheeled to our waiting area in Madrid. He was yelling and cussing at the staff because there was no airport bar in our terminal where he was departing, and there was one in the terminal he arrived in. But since he has wheelchair assistance, they wheeled him over to our terminal. He kept screaming for them to take him back to the old terminal so he could go to the airport bar. I’m like, ‘Sir, it’s 4 in the fucking morning and too damn early to be yelling this loud and def too damn early to be drinking.’

I got stopped by TSA in Madrid also. They swabbed my bag but found nothing. I also got ‘randomly selected’ for a security check when I was boarding the plane in Frankfurt. I had to go to a private area where they searched my bag again and swabbed my clothes. Like, do I give off terrorist vibes? Or did they not like my Michael Myers shirt? 😅

michael myers shirt

I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali

I follow Chino Moreno’s wife on IG (partly because Chino’s IG is private, but mostly because I’m a creep) and I saw he was in Hamburg, Germany. I had a layover in Frankfurt, but I google mapped it and Hamburg is 5 hours away 😅 I also have a layover in Portland and he lives in Oregon, but he’s touring in Germany. One day, the stars will align and I’ll meet him 😆

Also, I’m tired as fuck, because the first leg of my flight home from Madrid to Frankfurt was at 6am, so I had to get up at 2am 😴 which is really 7pm the night before pacific time. I just know I’m gonna be all kinds of fucked up when I get home. I was messed up for days after I flew home from Nashville and they’re only 2 hours ahead 😅

Adiós.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024

passport

Portugal/Spain bound ✌🏼

I just want to eat some Portuguese egg tarts, watch some flamenco, eat paella, see some Picasso paintings in Málaga, eat some churros, see some Salvador Dalí art in Madrid, eat Ibérico ham, and somehow get into the Deftones’ sold-out show in Madrid.

Update 6/4/2024: I was able to do everything I wanted except see the Deftones. Their intimate show in Madrid was sold out, and they also performed at the Primavera Sound music festival in Barcelona, but I was nine hours away in Granada that day. Luckily, lots of people posted videos on instagram, plus Amazon streamed the music festival.

setlist

They sang so many of my favorites: Diamond Eyes, Sextape, Cherry Waves, Change (In the House of Flies), and the Smiths cover Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want. If they do a similar set at Dia De Los Deftones in SD this year, I will lose my mind 🖤

dogstar

Keanu Reeves and his band, Dogstar, were also at Primavera Sound 😩

Chef.
Sunday, May 12, 2024

chef food truck

I watched the movie, Chef, on a train on my laptop with an audio splitter and a boy I don’t talk to anymore. All of my memories of this movie are tied to him, and now I have new memories.

chef food truck

They have a Chef food truck (inspired by Chef Roy Choi and Jon Favreau’s movie) inside Park MGM. We picked up breakfast here before heading to the airport to go home. It was *chef’s kiss*.

Forget Tomorrow.
Sunday, May 12, 2024

justin timberlake t mobile arena vegas

Justin Timberlake, we out here ✌🏼 (@ T-Mobile Arena)

We sat in the last row on the floor, so when he moved to the stage in the back, it was like we had front row seats 😍

When Lance Bass shows up at your concert 😏

Growing up, he was tied for my least favorite *NSYNC member (with Chris). Now, he’s one of my favorites! His instagram makes me LOL. My then boyfriend got me the *NSYNC dolls for Christmas one year, except he accidentally got a duplicate of one of the members, and no Lance. My set has been incomplete since we broke up in 2005 😅

JT sang all of the hits. If you’re like me, and like to google the setlist before the show, here you go.

He didn’t sing this song, but the DJ who opened for him played this one and all the *NSYNC jams. I felt like I was 18 again. My sore stems the next day from standing for his nearly 3-hour set reminded me that I’m not, in fact, 18 anymore 😅 I forgot all about this gem. The Legends of Summer show with JT/Jay-Z at the Rose Bowl was one for the books.

I can’t wait to see him again next weekend in LA 🤪

Best Friend.
Sunday, May 12, 2024

roy choi best friend

roy choi best friend

roy choi best friend

roy choi best friend

We ate at Roy Choi’s resto, Best Friend, inside Park MGM. It was sooo good. I’ve had Roy Choi’s short rib tacos before (he has a brick and mortar and food trucks in LA, plus he had a Kogi Taqueria inside the Whole Foods in El Segundo near my apartment).

roy choi best friend

If frosé’s on the menu, I’m ordering it.

roy choi best friend

roy choi best friend

The food was amazing, and Roy Choi himself even came out. He dapped my sister’s husband and said wassup to us because we obviously recognized him and I don’t think any of the other patrons did.

roy choi best friend

I had to get a Best Friends shirt, so I could rep him back in LA.

Eataly.
Sunday, May 12, 2024

park mgm eataly

park mgm eataly

There’s an Eataly in LA, but this was my first time at this Vegas location. It was also inside the Park MGM. It’s like an Italian food hall. We had Tagliatelle alla Bolognese, Hot Honey Soppressata pizza and gelato. Everything was so good and fresh. Andiamo!

Slut.
Friday, May 10, 2024

eggslut

We got our steps in and walked to The Cosmopolitan Hotel to eat at Eggslut. There are a few Eggsluts in LA, but I haven’t been to this location in Vegas since I stayed at the Cosmo for a work trip. Sabrina and I ate at Eggslut at two in the morning on a Tuesday, because we were over partying at the Marquee Nightclub (where our coworkers were) and just wanted some breakfast sandos 😅

eggslut

I also bought a Bacon Eggs -N- Cheese shirt in Old English font a la Bone Thugs -N- Harmony, or as my cousin calls the couple who’s always fighting next door, ‘Bone Thugs -N- Disharmony’ 🤣

Park.
Friday, May 10, 2024

park mgm off the record

park mgm

We usually stay at The Palazzo when we’re in Vegas, but it took us 2 hours to uber to Allegiant Stadium last time for the Beyoncé concert because of all the traffic on the strip, so we wanted to stay at a hotel where we could just walk to T-Mobile Arena for the Justin Timberlake concert tonight (@ Park MGM Las Vegas)

park mgm view

This is our view from our hotel room 😍

Fries.
Thursday, May 9, 2024

jetbox sandwich

I hate when I fly out of this gate, because I was looking forward to having fries from The Counter for dinner. Instead, I had to get this stupid sandwich from Jetbox Market 😅

12/30 Club.
Friday, March 22, 2024

12/30 club shirt

We got some merch at Justin Timberlake’s resto in Nashville to wear to his upcoming shows. We also got Christine (JT’S #1 fan!) a 12/30 Club bomber jacket that I might have to keep for myself, because this shirt’s kinda snug 😜

Nashville.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

nashville looks good on you

I’m usually weary of places I travel to where I don’t see any other Asians, and even though I literally didn’t see a single Asian there (except the Koreans who worked at the Bowl & Roll at the Farmers’ Market LOL), everyone was so nice to us. I love that everyone said, “y’all,” and called me, “baby.”

nashville dolly parton airbnb

nashville dolly parton airbnb

nashville dolly parton airbnb

Our airbnb was in East Nashville (or “East Nasty” as the locals call it LOL), and it was Dolly Parton-themed.

nashville broadway

The SEC College Basketball Tournament was going on this weekend, so Broadway was packed. I didn’t know they called Nashville “Nash Vegas.” It was that lively, but much cleaner. Also, they have an open container policy like Vegas does (I saw a bunch of signs at the airport that guns weren’t allowed past the TSA checkpoint, so they must be open carry here, too). Someone spreading the word of the lord on a megaphone handed me a pamphlet on the street, but I was in a hurry on my way to Justin Timberlake’s restaurant LOL. Plus, I’m beyond being saved 😅

I heard you taste like cotton candy, baby, I’m just tryna seeI heard you wanna leave with me, if so, I do agreeYou heard that I could get your body where it needs to beUh, look, you have no ideaBut if you’re really curious
I promise that the real thingIt’s better than your imagination

JT’s new album came out this weekend, so it was only fitting we hit up his restaurant (@ The Twelve Thirty Club)

12/30 club bubbles

12/30 club

The food was amazing. The rooftop bar had bubble machines. The girl singing in the live band sounded like she could be a recording artist.

ya basic gif

The drink I ordered was called the Basic AF Mule LOL.

12south

If I were to ever move to Nashville, I’d live in the 12South neighborhood. It reminded me so much of North Park, where every craft house had a porch, and everyone had a dog.

We spent Saturday morning here. We had coffee and biscuits with chorizo sausage gravy at Frothy Monkey, donuts at Five Daughters Bakery, cookies at Christie Cookie Co (they supply the DoubleTree Hotel with all their chocolate chip cookies), and did our own walking tour of all the murals.

butcher and bee

We did the Chef’s Choice menu and loved everything (@ Butcher & Bee)

My favorite dish of the weekend was the Avocado Crispy Rice, but everything they brought out was sooo good. This restaurant was also across the street from our airbnb, so we were able to walk there and roll ourselves home.

cheers

IDK if it’s because Asian don’t raisin, but I got carded everywhere I ordered a drink. This drunk girl at the table next to us was talking to us at dinner because she said she and her sister were the only ones drinking in their group and she thinks her friends were tired of them LOL. She was in her 20s and refused to believe we were in our 40s, so Donna showed her a picture of her 26-year-old son, who Donna had when we were in high school. That girl thought Donna’s son was cute (his dad is half white and half filipino and looks mexican, so his buddies call him, “Chino” 😆) and coincidentally lives in the same town her son lives in. She was like, “Tell him to go to Hawkers and I’ll take care of him!” Ha. Thanks for making me feel so young, Nashville 👧🏻

self care

40-year-old virgin premeditated gif

Self-care Saturday.

After dinner, our 42 and 43-year old asses were tired after being out all day (we woke up at 6am!), so we went back to the airbnb and did some Korean face masks and under eye patches.

nashville sunrise

A great way to show me you know nothing about me is to invite me to watch the sunrise at the butt crack of dawn 😆 There were two other couples at this lookout point watching the sunrise, and I was like, “Never once have I gotten up this early to watch the sunrise with a boy, let alone two married women.” LOL. They’re both super type A, and I’m really disorganized and not a morning person. My old coworker and dear friend is also type A, and we got along swimmingly. She never minded that I was so messy. She once told me, “You make concessions for the people you love.” 🥹 So I will get up at the butt crack of dawn for the people I love LOL. But I will not use packing cubes or fold my panties. That’s where I draw the line 😆

husk

Donna loves Husk in South Carolina, so she said we had to try the one in Nashville, and it didn’t disappoint (@ Husk)

husk

She also made all of our reservations, and everywhere we went, she told them we were celebrating my birthday 🥳

lucky ladd farms tulip festival

I’m just here for the kettle corn. And the baby goats. And the grumpy dwarf rabbit named Tito (@ Lucky Ladd Farms Tulip Festival)

Chauhan Ale and Masala House

I don’t usually like Indian food, but I couldn’t go to Nashville without trying one of Maneet Chauhan’s restos (@ Chauhan Ale and Masala House)

Maneet is a staple on Food Network, and she even won season 2 of Tournament of Champions (her TOC belt was at the resto!). I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Poutine which was life changing. Pammie’s favorite dish of the whole trip was here—Lamb Korma. As a rule, I don’t eat baby animals (just adult animals who have lived a full life LOL), so I didn’t try it, but it’s their most popular dish.

white limozeen

We spent our last night in a Dolly Parton-themed bar on top of the Graduate hotel (@ White Limozeen)

It probably wasn’t a good idea to do champagne jell-o shots when I had a 6am flight the next morning, but when in Nashville, darlin’ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

nashville peace

Till next time, Nashville ✌🏼

Even though I ate everything I wanted to, I didn’t get a single high glucose alert on my phone. It’s because we did so much walking. My calves burn with the fire of a thousand suns, and I’ve been rubbing massage oil into my legs since we got back. My sister and mom get notifications when my blood sugar is too high, so having sore stems was worth not getting hassled about what I’m eating.

My sister’s husband picked us up from the airport, and he was like, “You look fatter. Not your body, just your face.” I’m like, “Uhh, thanks?” #1 How dare you? #2 I’m the skinniest person in this car #3 I will punch you where I stand and #4 I would never tell someone they looked fatter, even if they did. If anything, I would lie and say they looked skinnier, even if they didn’t! Excuse me while I go starve myself and cry into my green juice and drink my tears.

Nashville’s only two hours ahead, but I’m still jetlagged as fuck for some reason 😅

Disorganized.
Friday, March 15, 2024

suitcase

Me: (looking for my Original Berf shirt that fell out of my overstuffed suitcase)
Donna: Do you use packing cubes?

Do I look like I use packing cubes? Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to 😆 I am who I am, guys (and that’s disorganized as fuck).

Flare.
Friday, March 15, 2024

Donna sent me this video, and I told her my nostrils will be flaring five seconds into this 30-day plank challenge she’s convinced us to do while on vacation. I was able to last a full minute last night, partly because I was resting on my elbows, but mostly because I didn’t want to look like a little bitch! Ha.

Also, I’ve been up since 6am this morning, because my sister and Donna both work today, and Donna’s work day starts at 7:30am North Carolina time, which is 6:30am Nashville time, which is 4:30am pacific time (3:30am if we’re counting daylight savings!). She was like, “Just go back to sleep,” but I can’t sleep once everyone’s up. Plus, I’m one of those people who only need a few hours of sleep and I’m fine. Pammie was out till after midnight with her coworkers last night, and she is hurting this morning getting ready to meet these same people who are all probably still hungover.

I’m just over here bright eyed and bushy tailed about to take a shower and doordash some Biscuit Love. It’s nearby, so I was gonna walk my ass over there, but it’s raining today and the sun hasn’t even woken up yet 😅

Hot Meat.
Thursday, March 14, 2024

hattie b's

When in Nashville (@ JW Marriott)

I doordashed some hot chicken, because Pammie’s at a work event and Donna’s flight doesn’t come in till later tonight. Hot meat in a hotel room? I’ll take it…

Nashville.
Thursday, March 14, 2024

SAN → LAS

Nashville, we out here ✌🏼

My sister’s been here for work all week, and Donna is meeting us from North Carolina, so I flew solo. My family was really worried about me traveling by myself, since it’s my first time since the stroke. It’s like when I moved to LA, and my grandma wanted to come with me so she could teach me how to cook LOL. Maybe I should’ve taken her up on her offer, because she’s no longer with us and I still can only cook like five things 😅

I had a whole plan to enjoy a farmhouse breakfast sandwich from Einstein’s, but I had a different gate and had to get a stupid bagel and schmear from Peet’s instead. At least their ice machines were working this time, so I was able to get an iced latte.

the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif
the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif   the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif
the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif   the mindy project - santa fe - luggage gif

I checked my bags since I checked in so late (on my last flights, they ran out of bin space by the time the C group boarded) and because I didn’t have anyone to help me lift my carry-on into the bin LOL.

C.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

chat

I’m always C-group status when I’m traveling by myself 😅 Oh, well. Now I don’t have to worry about my luggage and boarding early. I’ll just make friends at the airport bar while I wait.

Plan.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

chat

Donna is a planner, while I’m more of a “let’s keep the day open so whatever happens happens” kinda girl. She has planned our itinerary down to the minute so we can do everything we wanna do and maximize our time there. Including 7am plank challenges 😅 I tried to tell her that that’s 5am pacific time (4am with daylight savings!), but she’s really gonna make us work for that Nashville hot chicken…

planking giif

BBQ & Corgi Butts.
Sunday, March 10, 2024

(via @grubwithgreg)

A few people sent me this reel of this new BBQ spot in OC. It looks so good, but I haven’t had BBQ since it made me sick in NYC my birthday weekend 😅 I wanted to check Peg Leg Porker off my BBQ Bucket List in Nashville next weekend, but I don’t want to ruin the trip by getting sick again…

A few people also sent me this reel of this Corgi Cafe in the Philippines. Do my friends know me or what??? Also, I need that corgi butt bread.

Extreme.
Saturday, March 9, 2024

I can’t even look at Jack Black without thinking of my friend, Jay 🤣

Extreme is playing the Ryman in Nashville next weekend when I’ll be there LOL. I’d rather see Jack Black doing covers…

Primavera Sound.
Saturday, March 9, 2024

primavera sound 2024

Deftones are playing a music festival in Spain when I’ll be there, but I’ll be 8 hours away from Barcelona that day. I don’t think I’ll be able to swing it, but I love going to concerts when I’m traveling 🖤

Day 2.
Sunday, February 25, 2024

It’s two in the morningI don’t need nobody elseBut you’re my tragedy

Young the Giant is always a good idea.

Rolling in hella deep, headed to the mezzanineDressed in all pink ‘cept my gator shoes, those are greenDraped in a leopard mink, girl standing next to meProbably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly’s sheets (piss)But shit, it was 99 cents

Macklemore was surprisingly entertaining and brought attention to what’s happening in Gaza.

I will not ask you where you came fromI will not ask, and neither should you
Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lipsWe should just kiss like real people do

And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time

Foodie.
Sunday, February 25, 2024

valentine

valentine

I forgot that I put this place on my list because the pastry chef at this restaurant was recently nominated for a James Beard Award, and I ended up ordering a mimosa and steak and eggs 😅 (@ Valentine)

a flour shop

a flour shop

I dropped this oatmeal whoopie pie and I had to keep explaining that the stains all over my leggings were whoopie pie cream and not some other white stuff 😅 (@ A Flour Shop)

pierogi

Holy pierogi (@ All Pierogi Kitchen)

I’ve had Polish sausage before (I’ve also had kielbasa LOL), but I’ve never had any other Polish food. It was sooo good! I highly recommend the cheddar and jalapeño pierogi. I thought it was gonna be “white people spicy,” but it actually had some heat! 😅

ike's

This Ike’s was within walking distance to our hotel. There’s an Ike’s up the street from my apartment in LA, and one in SD, but their “Going Home for Thanksgiving” sandwich on dutch crunch bread will change your life (@ Ike’s Love & Sandwiches)

Day 1.
Saturday, February 24, 2024

innings festival

At night I cry and howl at the moon

The world I love, the tears I dropTo be part of the wave, can’t stopEver wonder if it’s all for you?

innings festival outfit

And I thought my festival ‘fit was fire 😅 (@ Innings Festival)

Black Out Days.
Friday, February 23, 2024

window seat

The ice machines were down at the airport this morning, so they couldn’t serve iced coffee anywhere. I had to pick up some overpriced bottled bullshit from Hudson News. Then I got the window seat in an aisle with no window on our flight LOL. Hopefully the rest of my weekend goes smoother 😅

Meal Prep Monday.
Monday, February 19, 2024

meal prep

I made some spaghetti squash casserole and roasted vegetables to try to eat healthy this week in preparation for all the bad decisions I’m gonna be making in Phoenix this weekend. And Nashville next month. And Spain soon after that 😏

Scam.
Friday, February 16, 2024

chat

My parents are going to Portugal and Spain this Summer, and Spain is on my fuck it bucket list, so I invited myself 😏 I jokingly said I’d only go if we fly first class, so my dad has been looking into it. The difference between my dad and me is that he’ll do anything to save a buck (like book his flight through a cheap travel agency that makes it impossible to deal directly with the airline when you need to make changes, whereas I will always pay extra to not have to deal with any of that). He’s been sending me flight itineraries to see if they’re legit, and one google search revealed they were a big ol’ scam. Needless to say, I’ll be booking our flights for this trip 😅

Commitment.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

jt free show

Welp, it’s officially EOD in NYC, and I didn’t win tickets to Justin Timberlake’s free show. I guess I’ll be an adult and go to my doctor’s appointment and work tomorrow 😅 I think because we had to put our zip in when we entered, they didn’t think a girl from the west coast would go to a show in NYC at a moment’s notice, but they doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion Justin Timberlake.

Gardenia.
Friday, January 26, 2024

the plaza reed diffuser

When we stayed at The Plaza in NYC, I kept commenting on how good it smelled. I found out they sell their signature scent online, and I had to get it. Now it smells like The Plaza up in this bitch.

Adulting.
Thursday, January 25, 2024

pill organizer

I got this new pill organizer because adulting.

I also just entered the lottery to win tickets for Justin Timberlake’s free show in NYC next week, even though I have a doctor’s appointment in LA that day, so I’m not adulting too hard 😅

VIP.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024

innings festival 2024

I was fine getting general admission tickets, but Pammie insisted we treat ourselves to VIP passes. YOLO ✊🏼 Is it February yet???

Southern Hospitality.
Sunday, January 21, 2024

Flights booked ✔️

It’s my first time going to Nashville, so of course I made a pinterest board of all the places I want to go there. Anything I missed???

Kevin Garrett moved to Nashville a few months ago, so I’m hoping he’s playing somewhere in town that weekend. I love going to live shows in other cities.

Petite Céréale.
Thursday, January 18, 2024

croissant cereal in staub bowl

I’ve been on a juice cleanse for the past few days in preparation for my bloodwork this morning, so I celebrated eating solid foods again with this $50 cereal we picked up in Brooklyn last weekend.

Empire State of Mind.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024

I usually like to let my birthday pass without much fanfare (one year, Shi was like, “Am I just supposed to sit across from you at dinner and not acknowledge it’s your birthday?!”). I spent my last birthday in the hospital, so I decided to celebrate this trip around the sun.

A lot of iconic NYC eateries have since opened in LA (Roberta’s, Levain Bakery, Halal Guys, Langer’s Deli, Shake Shack, and Magnolia Bakery among others), but there’s still lots of places to try over here!

let's watch horror movies shirt

I have TSA pre-check because of my global entry enrollment, but my boots set off the metal detectors, so I had to take off my shoes and run them through the x-ray. I was wearing my Let’s Watch Horror Movies shirt, and I was like, “Are you sure it wasn’t the chainsaw on my shirt that set it off?” but no one was amused by my joke 😅

We took the red eye to NYC and got there at five in the morning. We flew JetBlue Mint so we could comfortably get some shut-eye on our overnight flight.

Actual footage of us in first class:

wonka premium economy gif

Sidenote: IDK why it bothers me so much that Timotheé Chalamet is dating Kylie Jenner. That’s a straight up lie, I know exactly why it bothers me. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever seen Timotheé Chalamet in, and I can’t stand the Kardashians/Jenners. Plus, I was so annoyed at the Golden Globes, Kieran Culkin (who won best actor in a drama series for Succession) didn’t even have seats with his wife, while Kylie was sitting front and center at Timotheé’s table. Like who even are you? I’m such a hater 😅

While I was laying flat, I heard something fall and didn’t think anything of it till we were deboarding the plane, when I was looking for my phone and couldn’t find it. I had already put the seat back up and my phone was stuck between the seat and the mechanism that makes the seat fold into a bed. Needless to say, my screen was shattered when I was able to get it out 😅 That’s what I get for talking shit about Kylie Jenner LOL.

night cap

We ordered some night caps before snoozing on the plane. I got their signature cocktail (Mint Condition), while Pammie got a chamomile tea and a virgin bloody mary LOL. I’ve never had a bloody mary with no vodka before!

plaza hotel nyc

Home for the weekend (The Plaza)

Partly because we got 40,000 Southwest points for booking this hotel, but mostly because Macauley Culkin stayed here in Home Alone 2.

Me: How much for the Kevin McCallister suite?
Internet: Nearly five grand a night.
Me: I’ll just book the cheapest room they have available, thank yew.

This is like the first time I went to NYC twenty years ago and went to Supreme to get something for Julz, and was like, “How much for this Nike necklace?” (it was just a dunk on a silver ball chain) and the guy was like, “two fifty,” and I was like, “$2.50? I’ll take two!” and the guy was like, “two hundred fifty,” and I was like, “Oh, I’ll take none then.” 😅

grimace crocs

I brought my Grimace Crocs I got for Christmas in case this hotel was too fancy 😅

ess-a-bagel

Bagels for breakfast (@ Ess-A-Bagel)

We went here last time we were in NYC, and the bagels were sooo good. I also grabbed a bagel and iced coffee at Skyline Deli and Grill in Brooklyn, and it was just as good! New York really knows their shit when it comes to bagels.

tarot cards

“You brought your tarot cards, but you didn’t bring any winter clothes???”

I run hot, so I packed pretty light. I just brought 4 pairs of warm leggings, socks, a nice tank top blouse for Moulin Rouge, 3 days of t-shirts, a pair of boots, my winter coat with the faux-fur lined hood, a beanie and some gloves. It’s a good thing I packed light, because Pammie had to put some of her Harry Potter haul in my luggage going home.

GLACE HOT CHOCOLATE

This s’mores hot chocolate was everything the internet promised it would be (@ Glace)

We got there before all the kids got out of school, so there wasn’t much of a line yet. While we were waiting for a taxi, this kid walking by asks her dad, “Daddy, what are all these people waiting for?” and he was like, “They’re just a bunch of TikTokers waiting for hot chocolate.” 😂

all'antico nyc

La Summer (@ All’Antico Vinaio)

We invited our cousin from LA because she mentioned wanting to go to NY the last time she visited. This was the one place she wanted to go to, and they had a location right by our hotel. They had a pop-up at Mozza2Go in LA last year,  but sold out before she could get any. I’ve eaten at one of Nancy Silverton’s other restaurants, Pizzeria Mozza, and anything good enough for her is good enough for me! This italian sandwich shop def didn’t disappoint.

the rink at rockefeller center

Toe pick ⛸️ (@ The Rink at Rockefeller Center)

The last couple times I’ve been in New York was during the summer and this rink closes in April. I’ve always wanted to go ice skating here! I was so scared to go ice skating because my balance has been off since the strokes. Apparently, your iPhone measures your walking steadiness now, and I recently got this notification that I’m a fall risk 😅 I held on to the wall the entire time, but I’m glad I went!

Grand Central Terminal

luke's lobster

We hit up Grand Central Terminal, because there’s a food hall inside of it. I had a lobster roll and a mule from Luke’s Lobster. The lobster tastes so much more fresh when they don’t have to fly it to the west coast!

I wasn’t planning on going to Magnolia since I’ve been to the one in LA, but they had a location inside the food hall, so I had to get some banana pudding.

moulin rouge musical

moulin rouge musical

Spectacular, spectacular (@ Al Hirschfield Theatre)

Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies, and the Broadway musical was amazing! It easily tops Waitress as my favorite musical ever. When we were getting snacks before the show, we asked the guy at concessions if they had any real food because we hadn’t eaten yet, and he was like, “Sorry, we don’t. The hibachi’s getting installed tomorrow.” LOL.

harry potter ny

If you need me, I’ll be at the Butterbeer Bar (@ Harry Potter NY)

Pammie was in heaven and spent hours at the Harry Potter store, while my cousin (who’s never seen a Harry Potter movie) and I drank butterbeer and ate butterbeer soft serve.

katz's deli

My favorite place to fake an orgasm (@ Katz’s Deli)

katz's deli

We had to go here after recently watching When Harry Met Sally in the theater. The pastrami sandwich was def orgasm-inducing, and so was the guy who helped us (S/O to Julian!) 😜

nyc starbucks roastery

My sister fell in love with espresso martinis at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery we went to in Chicago (even though she doesn’t usually like coffee or vodka!), so when we found out there was a roastery in NYC, we had to go here (@ Starbucks Reserve Roastery)

nyc desserts

We couldn’t go to NY without getting a quintessential black and white cookie and cheesecake from Junior’s.

starbucks roastery nyc

When my sister’s husband found out we were going to NYC, he showed me this video where they try the world’s most expensive cereal from this bakery in Brooklyn.

They only make a limited amount of boxes and they sell out every morning, so we went there at an unholy hour and were the first people in line. I once stood in line in LA for 2 hours for Howlin’ Rays Hot Chicken the morning after I got absolutely trashed at a music festival, so this was nothing compared to that 😅 We got a box each, so it was worth it. I also got a raspberry almond croissant here that was *chef’s kiss*.

nathan's

Coney Island closes the boardwalk and rides during the winter, but Nathan’s is still open! I had the best hot dog ever (although I was bummed I took that packet of relish out of my purse from the last time I ate a Costco hot dog LOL). I’ll def have to come back here during the summer to watch the hot dog eating contest live (I watch it on TV with bated breath every 4th of July).

hometown bar-b-que

Checked another one off my BBQ Bucket List (@ Hometown Bar-B-Que)

When planning my trip, I looked up BBQ in NYC and went to add this place in Brooklyn to my BBQ Bucket List and saw it was already on there!

nyc snow

It started snowing while we were there. BBQ and snow??? It doesn’t get more magical than that.

When I got off the plane when we arrived, I felt hot and nauseous so I sat down. I ended up having to run to the bathroom and blowing chunks all over the first stall. I’m sorry to the pissed cleaner that had to clean it all up 😅 Last night when I was in bed around midnight, I felt hot and nauseous again. The heat was cranked up in our hotel room because it was so cold outside, so I was sleeping in my underwear. I ran to the bathroom with no pants on and threw up all the BBQ I ate earlier. The only common denominator when I threw up Friday morning and Sunday night was that I had BBQ both days. Can I not eat BBQ anymore??? I was gonna smoke my first brisket next weekend for when the girls come over for my birthday, but now I’m scared to eat BBQ. Usually, if I get sick after eating something, I never eat it again (this is why I don’t eat strawberry ice cream or chicken fried steak LOL), but it’s BBQ! I can’t give that up…

aura photographs

We couldn’t go to NYC without getting updated photos of our auras taken in Chinatown.

I once went to a festival in LA where they were charging triple the price to photograph your aura. Another vendor at the same festival gave me a paper boba straw when I ordered a drink! Fucking LA 😅 I used to keep a box of plastic straws in the trunk of my car for when Nori and I would go to Starbucks on our lunch break because plastic is banned in Manhattan Beach. I can’t with the paper straws! (Calm down, I recycle. Get off me).

artichoke basille's pizza

Last meal in NYC (@ Artichoke Basille’s Pizza)

I would eat pizza every day if I could, and my favorite style is New York (I love a thin crust, none of that Chicago deep-dish bullshit). I love that there’s pizzerias on every corner and they all taste good!

jetblue mint

The last time we flew home from NYC, Pammie watched Harry Potter, while I watched Homicide for the Holidays. This time, she watched another Harry Potter movie while I watched true crime on the ID channel. We haven’t changed.

christmas tree

I saw so many Christmas trees dumped on the side of the street. The holidays and my birthday are officially over, and they were spectacular ❤️

Winter Is Coming.
Tuesday, January 9, 2024

sd to ny

Me checking the weather before my trip:

cold game of thrones gif

Innings Festival.
Tuesday, November 7, 2023

innings festival 2024

Phantogram, Hozier, and Young the Giant??? Yes, please.

WastedYou tell the truth when you could’ve liedAnd troubles are on the rise ’cause you’re in disguise, ohAnd if it isn’t meThen pack your bags and leave

I couldn’t utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ’bout it now

Oh girl, I’ve got that silvertongue
Got, got that silver, silvertongue
Drives you into delirium
Got, got, that silver, got that silvertongue like

PNW.
Monday, November 6, 2023

Deane, Sarah and I haven’t vacationed together since we went to Portland nearly seven years ago! Sarah has since moved to Seattle, so Deane and I are planning to visit her and  further explore the pacific northwest. I asked Sarah if she lives by the waving bear farm, and she said we could totally go there! I think the bears might be hibernating for the winter, so we might have to visit in the spring LOL. I just google mapped the farm and it’s actually a couple hours away from Seattle. Is this like when my mom asks me to get her potato balls from Porto’s because she thinks any place in LA is close to me???

Jingle Ball.
Sunday, October 29, 2023

jingle ball nyc 2023

New York in December, anyone???

Bathing Suit Bottom.
Thursday, October 26, 2023

chat

On our flight home from Hawaii once, I accidentally tucked the back of my dress into my chonies after using the airplane bathroom, and when I walked back to my seat, Shi untucked my dress and was like, “We can see your underwear!” and I was like, “It’s a bathing suit bottom!” Fifteen years later, they won’t let me forget it.

Also, I never know where we parked the car or where anything is since I never put things back in their place. My sister’s husband is always like, “How were you two raised in the same household???” 😅

Limit.
Monday, September 25, 2023

When someone asks me what my limit is for an *NSYNC concert (it’s $1,000 for Beyoncé):

mean girls - the limit does not exist gif

chat

Be More Pacific.
Saturday, September 23, 2023

I love Filipino Kare Kare, and this restaurant makes it with BRISKET. I have to try it! BRB, looking up flights to Houston.

Pineapple Cup.
Monday, September 11, 2023

starbucks hawaii pineapple cup

Pammie is home from Hawaii, and she brought me back an exclusive tumblr from Starbucks (that I had before but accidentally cracked one day) and a tiny replica cup because she knows I like miniature things 😆

I’m back at my sister’s house, so now I can referee fights between her and her husband instead of my parents 😅 JK, anytime anyone is fighting, I just pretend I’m sleeping LOL 😴

pretend sleeping gif

Cronut.
Monday, August 28, 2023

cronut

I went to Vegas partly because I needed a change of scenery, but mostly because I had to try August’s cronut flavor of the month (@ Dominique Ansel Las Vegas)

Parking at Caesars was $25, so this donut cost over $30, but it was worth it 😋

Queen B.
Sunday, August 27, 2023

Our club level tickets gave us access to the Twitch lounge. I paid more to see Beyoncé at Dodger Stadium, and these tickets came with so much more. We had private food vendors, a private bar and private bathrooms! Our seats were even padded. Love the Allegiant. Can’t believe the fucking Raiders have such a nice ass stadium.

Queen B was so good! I might have to go to her birthday show in LA next week. Except I felt severely underdressed at this show in Vegas. I’ll be prepared and dress up next time. I’ll wear thigh high silver boots more than once, right? 😜 My work has a suite at SoFi, too, but I doubt they’d let me use it! My coworkers used the suite for a Rams game once, but parking was $100 🤯

beyonce renaissance tour

This is my third Beyoncé concert, and def not my last! Should I start planning my Doja Cat show outfit now??? 😸

Sign.
Saturday, August 26, 2023

allegiant stadium

We saw this car and took it as a sign to buy Beyoncé tickets (@ Caesars Palace)

allegiant stadium

We out here ✌🏼 (@ Allegiant Stadium)

SAN → LAS.
Thursday, August 24, 2023

SAN → LAS

Vegas for the weekend ✌🏼

Tourist Things.
Saturday, August 19, 2023

yorkie

My parents are in France right now, and instead of sending us pics of delicious food they’re eating and beautiful sights they’re seeing, my mom is sending us pics of the dogs she’s meeting. This is my future LOL (JK, I’m already like this).

chat

Maui.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023

aloha

Hawaii is one of my favorite places to vacation, and I’m so saddened by the wildfires happening in Maui right now. Chel shared this google doc with links to directly help families that have been affected. Please donate if you can!

Cronuts.
Saturday, July 8, 2023

dominique ansel blueberry jam graham cracker cronut

I once went to Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC, walked right in and some guy was like, “Ma’am, there’s a line” and I looked and there was a whole ass line outside the bakery 🤣 I guess I wasn’t the only one who wanted a cronut 20 years ago! When I saw there was a Dominique Ansel inside Caesars Palace, I had to brave the 105° weather and go.

Their July cronut is blueberry jam with graham cracker ganache and it was sooo good! The best cronut I’ve had before this was at Kettle Glazed in Hollywood, but this one knocked it out of the park. I mean, Dominique Ansel invented the cronut

Sphere.
Thursday, July 6, 2023

msg sphere vegas

I have a view of the new MSG Sphere from my room at The Palazzo and it’s incredible! I’m def gonna come back and go to a show there.

Airport Fries.
Thursday, July 6, 2023

the counter

me: Are the fries at The Counter skinny or big?
Dennis: They’re skinny like you.
me: Skinny fries are my favorite! Okay I’m not gonna go to dinner with you guys when we get to Vegas. It’ll be after 9pm and I’ll be sleeping LOL. I’m just gonna grab something at the airport.
Dennis: I lied before. The Counter’s fries are big. Now you have to eat dinner with us!
me: Joke’s on you. I like ALL fries!

I love a good french fry, and Eater came out with The Top 10 French Fries in LA. I’ve been to 3/10 of those places (Majordomo, République, and Father’s Office). Anyone want to eat some french fries with me???

Vegas.
Wednesday, July 5, 2023

vegas flight

One last hurrah before I go back to work on Monday ✌🏼

In-Yun.
Monday, June 19, 2023

korean snack box

I didn’t know that liking your husband would hurt this much.

We watched a Korean movie (@ AMC La Jolla), and I got us some Korean snacks to eat while we cried. They even referenced one of my favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. If you’ve never seen it, these two people erase each other from their memories after a painful breakup, and they still end up finding each other again. You can’t fight fate…

Jessie was off today for Juneteenth, so she invited us into her Korean world LOL. IDK guys, the Padres are opening next season against the Dodgers in South Korea, and she might go there solo and not come back ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chi Town.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022

cheers

Cheers to a much needed mini vacay with Pammie and Donna! The last time we vacationed together was three years ago in Kauai, so this trip was long overdue!

downtown chicago

On Friday night, we missed our Nobu rooftop res because it took us 45 minutes to be driven 2 miles. Downtown Chicago traffic is no joke, especially during Lollapalooza weekend.

chicago booze box

We ended up at Booze Box, a secret bar in the basement of a sushi restaurant. Right when we walked in, this japanese lady pulled open a side gate and led us down some sketchy ass stairwell into the coolest little dive bar ever. The music, drinks and late night maki def hit the spot.

chicago river boat tour

I couldn’t go to Chicago without going on a river boat tour à la My Best Friend’s Wedding (that scene gets me every. damn. time.). While there was no slow dancing or tearful realizations, I honestly was so impressed by the beautiful architecture. The only other time I visited Chicago was over a decade ago for a weekend in the dead of winter. All I remember was that it was St. Paddy’s Day and they dyed the river green. It was too cold to really do anything back then. Even though it rained the day before I arrived this time, the weather was absolute perfection.

starbucks reserve roastery

starbucks reserve roastery

starbucks espresso martini flight

Coffee and vodka? Yes, please (@ Starbucks Reserve Roastery)

Later that day…

Donna: Why is my heart racing???
Me: Maybe it was that flight of espresso martinis you downed? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

nobu sushi

I’m that friend who only orders california rolls at sushi restaurants.

While Pammie and Donna enjoyed the (mostly raw) tasting menu at Nobu, I feasted on this glorious 28-day dry-aged prime ribeye.

nobu sashimi salad

nobu miso black cod

nobu sushi

If my A5 wagyu isn’t prepared this dramatically, I don’t want it.

nobu wagyu

nobu whisky cappuccino

The best thing I ate at Nobu (and possibly my entire life) was this whisky cappuccino dessert. Holy shit, you guys. Once that whisky foam hit my lips, I left my body, floated up to heaven, saw my grandparents, came back down, and finished off the remaining layers of espresso gelato, toasted cinnamon crunch and cardamom cream. Their recipe is posted online, but why go through all that trouble when you could just take me to the Nobu in Malibu??? 😏

chicago clark street dog

Since we all binge-watched The Bear, we wanted to try an authentic italian beef sandwich. One of our uber drivers, Kendrick, told us that the best one was at Clark Street Dog. We could kill two birds with one stone and get a chicago dog there, too. He warned us not to ask for ketchup, as if he knew about that one time I asked for it at a steakhouse and was shamed by my entire table. As he drove us around, he also pointed out where people had been recently shot and what areas to avoid walking at night unless we wanted to get popped! So full of useful information, this guy…

chicago clark street bar

We ordered our food and headed over to the attached bar for picklebacks, mules, and quite possibly the worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth – Jeppson’s Malört. According to our bartender, Evan, it’s a Chicago tradition for out-of-towners to take a shot of what can be accurately described as “rotten grapefruit with the lingering after taste of a tire fire” (among other things). He also suggested we hit up the nearby L&L Tavern where Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy used to troll for victims. Who doesn’t love a good murder bar??? I’ll have to come back when I’m not stuffed with italian beef.

chicago kasama

chicago kasama

chicago kasama

We woke up at the butt crack of dawn to stand in line for an hour before this restaurant opened (sorry for anything I said before I got some cold brew in me 😅). Kasama is the only michelin-starred filipino restaurant in the world, and respect had to be paid.

chicago popcorn

This trip couldn’t have come at a better time. I got to celebrate an unexpected promotion at work and have a little fun before conference season starts up this week and I’m blacked out for the next couple of months. Excuse me while I cry into my empty Garrett Popcorn tin…

Stormy.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022

la to chicago

Me checking the weather before my trip tomorrow:

wtf blink 182

The Chi.
Saturday, July 23, 2022

chat chicago

Excited to get some italian beef in me next weekend. Any other Chicago recs besides an underground donut tour? 😂

Innings Fest.
Monday, February 28, 2022

It feels like we only go backwards, darling

Hello
I’ve waited here for you
Everlong

Tame Impala x Foo Fighters (@ Innings Fest)

NYE.
Saturday, January 1, 2022

prince waikiki nye fireworks

It’s a good thing I didn’t have to leave our hotel room to see these fireworks, because I barely made it to midnight Hawaii time!

Happy new year from this old broad (@ Prince Waikiki)

LAX → HNL.
Monday, December 27, 2021

LAX to HNL

See you in 2022 ✌🏼

Meow Wolf.
Sunday, September 12, 2021

las vegas area 15 meow wolf

las vegas area 15 meow wolf

las vegas area 15 meow wolf

pacific social

las vegas area 15 meow wolf

Escaped the LA rain this weekend and wound up in this fever dream (@ Meow Wolf Las Vegas)

Island Vibes.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

southwest honolulu

Even the trio of babies having a crying contest throughout our entire 5-hour flight couldn’t break my aloha spirit (they really tried, though!).

hawaii aloha

Retail therapy (@ International Market Place)

leonard's bakery malasadas

We stumbled upon the greatest food truck ever in a Walgreen’s parking lot (@ Leonard’s Bakery Malasada Truck)

leonard's bakery malasadas

I’ve had malasadas in LA before, but they don’t even compare to the pillowy deliciousness that is Leonard’s. This was my most favorite thing I ate during the entire trip… even better than the garlic butter shrimp we waited two hours for at Romy’s! The mango gummy bears from Lin’s Hawaiian Snacks were a very close second.

halona beach cove

Getting our daily dose of vitamin sea (@ Halona Beach Cove)

likelike hwy

The scenic drive up the coast to North Shore was such a welcome contrast to the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. It felt like we were in Kauai again!

waiola shave ice

I tasted the Obama rainbow and it was presidential AF (@ Waiola Shave Ice)

honolulu pineapple

It’s a well known fact that drinks taste better when served inside a pineapple (@ Diamond Head State Monument)

xtreme parasail hawaii

Pops went parasailing for the first time at 67-years-young (@ Xtreme Parasail). Pammie rode tandem, while I just came along for the boat ride and the shirtless captain.

prince waikiki sunset

Hawaii is three hours behind LA, yet I still never woke up early enough to see the sunrise! Ha. I did catch this sweet sunset every night, though (@ Prince Waikiki)

hawaii japanese den den drum gif

Did you even go to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet if you didn’t leave with a karate kid drum???

hawaii vaccines

Display this in a bigger font for the people in the back (@ Hawaii Theatre)

southwest airlines mask up

Cheers to a great (and safe) trip! Till next time, Hawaii!

Vacation Mode.
Monday, August 2, 2021

ala moana sunset

Home for the week (@ Prince Waikiki)

Surge.
Monday, June 21, 2021

uber surge

I’d rather hitch a ride and pay with my life than pay uber $100 for a 10-minute ride home from LAX! (I grabbed a $25 cab instead and lived to blog about it.)

Heatwave.
Saturday, June 19, 2021

vegas weather

vegas airport

vegas palazzo view

When it’s triple digits in LA, what’s another 10 degrees???

Going Green.
Monday, June 14, 2021

Is it too late to start dieting for my Hawaii trip in 2 weeks???

Recipes: Baked chicken breast cobb salad with ranch dressing // Avocado sweet potato toast // Chicken salad lettuce cups with avocado oil mayo // Air fryer brussels sprouts

Vaxxed.
Thursday, April 29, 2021

vaxxed

Vaxxed, waxed, and ready to relax!

Hawaii trip officially booked. Is it summer yet???

Pancakes & Parolees.
Sunday, March 7, 2021

cracker barrel

yuma prison

yuma prison dark cell

yuma prison dark cell

prison bunkbeds

yuma territorial prison cemetery

ocean to ocean highway bridge

scooter jump

My first road trip in a year, and all I got was a jar of fried apples and a sunburn from the prison yard.

Outside Lands.
Sunday, August 16, 2020

osl 2011_memories

Outside Lands 2011 with Pammie, Chris and Jessie was def my most favorite festival ever. So much has changed since then, and at the same time, not much has changed at all…

I was supposed to be in Nashville this weekend, and I’ve died a little bit inside every time a show has been canceled this year. Is it 2021 yet???

where does it hurt meme

Contagion.
Monday, March 16, 2020

passport philippine airlines

Because I didn’t get enough coronavirus exposure during my recent visit to Seattle, I’ve spent the last few weeks traveling through the Philippines.

I’m back home now where I’ll be self-quarantining and working remotely for the next 14 days! If anyone needs me, I’ll just be in my apartment tending to my sunburn and wishing I was back on a yacht off the coast of El Nido instead of here in LA where it’s raining outside.

If you’re reading this, please send Jollibee.

Seattle.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020

lax to sea

On my flight to Seattle, the flight attendant was walking down the aisle greeting everyone happy valentine’s day when he stopped in front of me and asked, “Are you traveling alone?” I said that I was, and he was like, “Can you switch seats so that this couple can sit together?” I meannn.

Morning view (@ Hyatt House)

Blown away (@ Chihuly Garden and Glass)

This museum was across the street from our hotel and so worth the visit! I’ve always admired Chihuli’s sculptures in Vegas, but his featured work here is incredible. The way he transforms glass is pure poetry.

Seattle is so fetch (@ Cobb’s Popcorn)

The stickiest of the icky (@ The Gum Wall)

We stood in a long ass line that wrapped around the building for this chowder… or shall I say Pammie stood in a long ass line while I was off buying crab claw pens at a souvenir shop (@ Pike Place Chowder)

I actually forgot that I had eaten here during my first trip to Seattle… We only tried the New England style chowder, and I didn’t think it was anything to write home about. If you’ve had the chowder from Boudin’s or Blue Bayou or even the cafe downstairs at my work on Fridays, you aren’t missing much.

Skip the chowder line and head across the street instead (@ Beecher’s Handmade Cheese)

Between the mac and cheese, grilled cheese, poutin and cheese samples, I was in heaven! Although no one should ever consume all that dairy in one sitting. Don’t ask me how I know.

Ooh baby, I like it rawww 🎶 (@ Elliot’s Oyster House)

One last stop under the bridge! Till next time, Seattle (@ Fremont Troll)

Popeyes.
Sunday, November 10, 2019

popeyes chicken sandwich

I got to try the elusive Popeyes chicken sandwich, and I didn’t even have to wait in line or get stabbed to death! It only cost me 15,000 Southwest points (@ McCarran Airport)

Super Kauai.
Monday, September 2, 2019

Aloha! It’s been a busy month since I got back from Hawaii, but my paradise playlist is still in heavy rotation, and I’ve been dreaming about that island life ever since…

“timbers

It was hard waking up to this view every morning, but I managed somehow (@ Timbers Kauai Ocean Club)

“hualani’s

First things first (@ Hualani’s)

skinny mike's shave ice

Excuse me, miss? There seems to be a mistake. I believe I ordered the large shave ice. Hello! (@ Skinny Mike’s Ice Cream & Shave Ice)

Two things you should know about me:

1. I will reference So I Married an Axe Murderer till the day I die.

2. I stay ready with that mini Tajin in my purse.

“david

Congrats to my dear friends, Donna and David! I had originally planned to go to Chicago for Lollapalooza that week, but I went to Kauai for their vow renewal instead and had the greatest time!

I was still in high school when they first got married twenty years ago. If my sister and I were running late to class, we’d skip first period and hang out at their apartment instead. Donna was a bad influence on us then, and she still is today! Ha. She dared me to jump off a cliff into the kids’ pool at the resort we were staying at. She jumped first, but she’s also a foot shorter than me! I’m pretty sure my tailbone is still at the bottom of the keiki pool, you guys.

“blue

Touring the Na Pali Coast by boat was my most favorite part of this trip!

blue ocean adventure tours napali coast dolphins kauai

We got up close and personal with dolphins, snorkeled with sea turtles, and explored these amazing sea caves. Shoutout to Captain Kalen of Blue Ocean Adventure Tours for the dope playlist and all the laughs! Def book a tour with them if you’re ever in Kauai.

blue ocean adventure tours napali sea caves kauai

This raft tour was pretty wild. You basically sit on the side of an inflatable zodiac boat with nothing but a rope over your foot and the hand of God keeping you in as you zip up the coast at crazy speeds!

I was surprised Pammie agreed to join me because she is notorious for getting sea sick (Caborette Booze Cruise 2015, anyone?). She thought she fully prepared herself this time around, but no amount of ginger pills, essential oils, sea-bands or prayers could keep her from getting sick. All things considered, she and her husband still had fun!

kauai backcountry adventures bamboo grove

This magical bamboo forest led us to the lazy river where we went mountain tubing.

kauai backcountry adventures mountain tubing

They all float (@ Kauai Backcountry Adventures)

If you’ve never gone tubing down an old sugar plantation irrigation system, then I really don’t know what you’re doing with your life.

hamura saimin kauai

We hit up this hole in the wall, Hamura Saimin, after Jessie told us it was her husband’s favorite restaurant in Kauai. While we were waiting for a table, I noticed Jason Momoa’s kids in line next to us (because I’m a creep and I know what his kids look like). They were accompanied by a local who was super friendly with everyone in the restaurant. We were seated at a communal table next to them when Jason Momoa strolled in and sat down behind me! I started sweating, partly because I was eating hot noodle soup in the humidest place on earth, but mostly because I was sitting back to back with Khal fuckin’ Drogo, and I could feel his goddamn body heat!

My friends stayed in Kauai longer than us and saw him two more times! I knew I should’ve extended my vacation…

Pioneertown.
Sunday, May 19, 2019

palm spring windmills

pappy and harriet's pioneertown palace

pappy and harriet's pioneertown palace

Lucius – Feels like a Curse

You talk about today, like the girl who got away
The only one you ever wanted

Day trippin’ (@ Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace)

Love this intimate desert gem! Anthony Bourdain featured it in an episode of No Reservations, and Paul McCartney has played here. It’s def worth the visit, especially if you’re nearby in Palm Springs or in Joshua Tree where I had the best nap sound bath of my life.

Weekend Warriors.
Monday, April 29, 2019

When your sister invites you to an NBA playoff game, you book a flight that morning and meet her in SF!

blue bottle ferry building

Local brew and bay views (@ Ferry Building)

mr. holmes bakehouse san francisco

Puff puff pastry (@ Mr. Holmes Bakehouse)

cha cha cha mission

San Fran staple (@ Cha Cha Cha)

Chike took us here during our first trip to Outside Lands, and their cajun shrimp and sangria keep me coming back every time!

Klay and Curry and KD, oh my (@ Oracle Arena)

oracle warriors vs rockets playoff win

Warriors, baby! Not bad for my first NBA game ever. Thanks to Pammie for a great weekend! You the real MVP.

left my heart in san francisco union square

Till next time, SF! (@ Union Square)

PTO.
Monday, August 27, 2018

puerto vallarta zipline

puerto vallarta zipline

My parents ziplined through the jungles of Puerto Vallarta while I put in 12 hours at the office today! Seriously tempted to use those five weeks of vacation time I’ve been hoarding…

Baja.
Monday, August 13, 2018

baron balche winery - valle de guadalupe

baron balche winery - valle de guadalupe

(@ Baron Balche, Valle de Guadalupe)

baron balche winery - valle de guadalupe

(@ La Escondida Puerto Nuevo)

baron balche winery - valle de guadalupe

Much needed daycation! Def need more of these in my life…

Treasure Island Music Fest.
Friday, May 18, 2018

treasure island music fest 2018

Tame Impala, Lord Huron and SF ♥

Tame Impala – The Less I Know the Better

Lord Huron – When the Night is Over

Innings Fest.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018

innings festival

Lord Huron – The Night We Met

Sylvan Esso – Coffee

Young the Giant – Cough Syrup

Local Natives – Coins

Head and the Heart – All We Ever Knew

culinary dropout

culinary dropout - moscow mule

(@ Culinary Dropout)

cornish pasty co - cottage pie - tempe arizona

(@ Cornish Pasty Co)

pizzeria bianco

(@ Pizzeria Bianco)

arrogant butcher

arrogant butcher

arrogant butcher

(@ The Arrogant Butcher)

tempe beach park bridge cinemagraph gif

(@ Tempe Beach Park)

We escaped the LA rain and road-tripped it to Arizona! The first of hopefully many Innings Fests did not disappoint. Good weather, great bands, amazing food…

Waffle House.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018

waffle house directions arizona

Turn right after Waffle House??? These are my kind of directions!

I got lost going to work once (ok twice) because the house that I turn left at took down their white picket fence, so I drove right past it. I still can’t tell you what the name of the street is, but they put their fence back up, so we’re good! Ha.

Innings Fest.
Friday, March 23, 2018

innings festival tempe arizona

Tempe, I am in you. And I’m about to get all up in your Innings Fest (@ Tempe Beach Park)

Viva Las Vegas.
Monday, February 19, 2018

I thought most of the people flying on Valentine’s Day would be on their way to see loved ones, but the majority of the passengers on my flight were headed to see Bruno Mars. Or at least that’s what their hooligans jerseys led me to believe…

las vegas - chinese lunar new year - linq promenade

I managed to snap this without getting elbowed in the face by all the asians with selfie sticks. My mom was one of them. Just kidding (she forgot hers at home).
(@ The LINQ Promenade)

I’ll have to make my way back here, if only for Virgil’s Real BBQ. And maybe that cute guy covering Stone Temple Pilots inside.

las vegas - chinese lunar new year - bellagio conservatory and botanical gardens

If money grew on trees… (@ Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens)

o by cirque du soleil

O…MG (@ Bellagio Theater)

Infinitely better than the Luzia show I just saw in LA, but The Beatles Love is still my #1.

las vegas bellagio fountains gif

The guy standing next to me was belting out God Bless the USA during the entire water show. You’re lucky this is a gif (@ Fountains of Bellagio)

Pops zip lining into the weekend like (@ SlotZilla Zip Line)

We lost my dad for 24 hours somewhere between the zip lining and the poker room at the Orleans.

fremont street tips sign

Put the $5 I won off of Britney slots towards his tip (@ Fremont Street)

rollin smoke barbeque las vegas

CAUTION: They rub their meat (@ Rollin Smoke Barbeque)

Checked this gem off of my BBQ bucket list! Standouts were the beef rib (my go-to), brisket burnt ends and the “dam” hot arkansauce.

las vegas - wish you were here - palms casino resort

Till next time! (@ Palms Casino Resort)

Rise Festival.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Lit 🔥 (@ Rise Festival)

Loved, loved, loved ♥

Stacked.
Monday, October 9, 2017

seven magic mountains - las vegas

Stacked (@ Seven Magic Mountains)

I ❤ NY.
Sunday, August 20, 2017

nyc plane sunrise

Ohhh, so this is what 6am looks like…

nyc subway

Our trip to NYC wouldn’t be complete without me getting us lost on the subway. Again.

top of the rock nyc

Morning view (@ Top of the Rock, Midtown)

bar moga omurice nyc

I felt a little dirty recording this food porn (@ Bar Moga, Greenwich Village)

grand central station nyc

Trainspotting (@ Grand Central Terminal, Midtown East)

shack shack madison square park

shack shack hot chick'n

The OG Shake Shack (@ Madison Square Park, Flatiron)

There are five Shake Shacks in LA, but we still ate here three times during our trip! We even schlepped across town with our luggage on our last day to get one last Shackburger and their limited edition Hot Chick’n when we found out we were flying out of the JFK terminal that doesn’t have a Shake Shack. We’re kind of obsessed.

gallow green nyc

gallow green nyc

Rooftop vibes (@ Gallow Green, Chelsea)

I was worried it was going to be humid all weekend, but the weather was perfect for a rooftop cocktail or two (these are both mine).

raclette nyc

Melt my heart (@ Raclette, East Village)

This was our favorite meal of the trip (don’t let the fact that we ate at Shake Shack three times fool you). Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the waitress came back midway through our meal to give us a second scrape!

mighty quinn nyc brontosaurus rib

Checked the brontosaurus beef rib off my BBQ bucket list ✓ (@ Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, East Village)

Tame Impala (@ Panorama NYC, Randall’s Island Park)

This was def one of the smaller music festivals I’ve been to, but Tame Impala brought the big show with their lasers. Our lyft driver thought we were at EDC!

magic jewelry aura photo

Best $20 I ever spent (@ Magic Jewelry, Chinatown)

Pammie and I got our auras photographed inside a tiny Chinese jewelry shop, and that pink ass cloud = my mind being blown.

oculus nyc

The Westfield mall I used to work at wasn’t quite as nice as this one, but they both have Wetzel’s Pretzels (@ Westfield World Trade Center, Oculus, Financial District)

wtc memorial nyc

Ground Zero (@ One World Observatory, Financial District)

The last time I was here was a couple years after 9/11. There used to be a steel beam cross where this memorial now exists. They did a beautiful job!

Sunday cycle (@ Central Park)

Pammie wanted to ride bikes through Central Park, and it was one of the highlights of our trip! We rode from the Guggenheim to Strawberry Fields and stopped along the way to enjoy the scenery.

guggenheim nyc

Gaining perspective (@ Guggenheim Museum, Upper East Side)

imagine strawberry fields nyc

Strawberry Fields forever (@ Central Park)

plane tv

Before we knew it, it was time to fly home. Anyone who knows me and my sister knows that we’re complete opposites. She’s a Potterhead, while I’m more Homicide for the Holidays! But we always have fun when we’re together. I can’t wait for our next trip!

Panorama NYC.
Friday, July 21, 2017

panorama nyc 2017

One more week!

Joshua Tree.
Monday, March 6, 2017

camp temenos - pioneertown - vintage trailer - airbnb - 1950 spartan mansion

Home for the weekend (@ Camp Temenos)

pioneertown motel

Wild west (@ Pioneertown Motel)

integratron

On Sundays, we sound bathe (@ Integratron)

integratron - interior

Salvation Mountain.
Monday, March 6, 2017

salvation mountain

salvation mountain

salvation mountain

salvation mountain

BRB, getting saved ✌ (@ Salvation Mountain)

Panorama.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017

panorama nyc 2017

Tame Impala in NYC??? Yes, please.

Portlandia.
Monday, January 9, 2017

ace hotel portland

(@ Ace Hotel Portland)

pine state biscuits the reggie portland

(@ Pine State Biscuits)

punchbowl falls - portland punchbowl falls - portland

(@ Punchbowl Falls)

multnomah falls

(@ Multnomah Falls)

the commons brewery - portland the commons brewery - portland

(@ The Commons Brewery)

cheryl's portland bloody mary toast

(@ Cheryl’s on 12th)

portland japanese garden portland japanese garden

(@ Portland Japanese Garden)

voodoo donuts

(@ Voodoo Doughnut)

portland district tryst portland district tryst

(@ Tryst)

pdx socks ace hotel portland

Adventures in Arizona.
Saturday, December 24, 2016

After a couple years of entering an online lottery, Shi won a permit to hike The Wave in Arizona! We flew to Vegas and road-tripped it the rest of the way to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and The Wave.

Here’s a little video I put together of our trip. I kept it under a minute to fit the whole thing on insta, so I cut out the part where I fell down and also the part where Shi got pulled over, among other footage! Ha.

upper antelope canyon arizona

horseshoe bend arizona

the wave arizona

Magic.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016

airplane

cosmopolitan bamboo pool

Hardly working (@ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas)

Our advertising department was in Vegas for less than 48 hours, and it took me longer than that to recover.

Big Sur.
Monday, November 16, 2015

big sur

“The cure for anything is salt water—sweat, tears or the sea.” (@ McWay Falls)

It’s impossible to capture the beauty that is McWay Falls in a photograph (we came back three times to try!). It would have been perfect during magic hour, but we opted to test our friendship instead at Pfeiffer Beach. More on that below! Ha.

big sur

big sur

Hello, Big Sir (@ Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park)

Across from McWay Falls, we stepped into this magical forest where we were happy to have the sun on our face and wood between our legs.

big sur

big sur

big sur

Beer tastes better when you drink it in a river! Just ask this babe (@ Big Sur River Inn)

big sur

You can find this Spirit Garden, a breakfast pizza that tastes like heaven, donuts topped with more donuts, and most importantly, the only cell phone signal you’ll get for miles and miles here (@ Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant)

big sur

They say that “nepenthe” is a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow… I should’ve had more of these! (@ Nepenthe)

big sur

“It’s only 2.3 miles,” they said. “It’ll be fun,” they said (@ Pfeiffer Beach)

We wanted to catch the sunset at the beach, but the parking lot was full. We parked on the main road with 40 minutes till sunset and started our 2.3-mile trek. It was all downhill from there (figuratively and literally). I was wearing boots that were def not made for walking! I tried to run in them, and my hip flexor failed me LOL. I arrived just after the sun disappeared below the horizon. Luckily, Shi’s hip flexors worked perfectly fine, so she made it there in time and was able to snap this photo. After the sun set, we had to hike those 2.3 miles back uphill to the car. It was pitch black. Every tree looked like a bear. We were legit scared. And cold. And my phone was dead. We had brought scarves and beanies and portable battery chargers in preparation, but they were all in the car! We are the worst road trip duo ever, and it’s a miracle we made it back home alive! Ha.

big sur

When in Roman pools… (@ Hearst Castle)

A road trip up the California coast isn’t complete without stopping at Hearst Castle for a quick tour and a soft pretzel.

Afterwards, we drove back to LA in the rain and sighed at each and every smogless mile in between. Till next time, Big Sur!

Big Sur Bound.
Friday, November 13, 2015

trash bags text

I did more cleaning in the hour before Shi came over than I’ve done in the six months since she was last here! Off to Big Sur…

ACL.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

austin city limits 2015

austin city limits 2015

austin city limits 2015

austin city limits 2015

My Austin City Limits trip was cut short due to my grandma’s passing, and Anthony had the time of his life those first few days without me. He hit up the Dirty Sixth with Austin locals he made friends with and ended up giving one of them my Friday wristband. They saw all the bands I wanted to see. I’m bummed I missed Tame Impala and Leon Bridges among others, but luckily I didn’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour on Saturday and wait with him in that 4-hour line for Franklin. Day-old brisket reheated in a hotel microwave and eaten in my chonies still tasted better than any BBQ I’ve ever had in California!

I flew in Saturday night and met up with Anthony at an Irish pub downtown. Fado is the official US soccer bar in Austin, and it’s surrounded by gay bars on 4th Street. My uber driver was convinced he was taking me to see my gay friend once I told him where I was headed LOL. I mean, it would explain so much… After US lost to Mexico, we hit up Firehouse (a cool little speakeasy inside a hostel) and Rainey Street. I loved, loved, loved it there. Rainey Street is a block of old houses converted into themed bars. We stayed till last call, and all I remember from that night is a lot of Ludacris and stanky legs. You don’t realize how drunk you are until you’re walking the hotel halls in nothing but your dress slip looking for a beverage machine so you could wash down some tylenol at three in the morning.

We didn’t wake up early enough to stand in line for BBQ before the festival on Sunday, but we stopped by Torchy’s Tacos before we made our trek to Zilker Park. There was a lot of walking. Like. A LOT. Before, during and after the festival. In nearly 100 degree heat. And in sandals that had 0% arch support (but were 100% cute, obvs). This was definitely not Portland where we had a local friend with a car, ample public transportation, and weather that was 50 degrees cooler. The highlight of my day happened just before BØRNS’ set when the sun disappeared behind the only cloud in the sky for half a minute and everyone cheered. BØRNS, Sylvan Esso and Hozier’s sets were very close seconds. So were those two snow cones we each had.

Before I knew it, it was Monday and time to check out. Anthony hit up the gym in the morning while I stayed my ass in bed. We ate lunch at Valentina’s Tex Mex where Anthony had brisket tacos and I had a beast of a beef rib with the most beautiful smoke ring. We strolled down South Congress afterwards and drank micheladas for three hours at a bar inside Hotel San Jose. We got to the airport early to watch the Chargers lose, and I asked the TSA guy if the Starbucks was before or after the security gate. He ruined my mom’s life and told me that there’s no Starbucks at all, because Austin is all about supporting local businesses. I get a Starbucks mug for my mom whenever I travel, and she’s just gonna have to be happy with the mug I got her during my layover in Phoenix!

All things considered, I’m glad I was able to take a break from life and escape for a couple of days. I’ll def be back to explore this little town again.

Bet.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

the office kelly kapoor juice cleanse

…or me on a juice cleanse.

I’m doing it partly in preparation for all the BBQ and bad decisions I’ll be making in Austin next week, but mostly because I bet Anthony that I could lose twenty pounds by the time we went to ACL or I’d pay for his BBQ at Franklin. These last five pounds can’t be zumba’d off in a week, so I made a game-time decision to bring my juicer out of retirement yesterday.

I can’t wait to go on vacation! And also eat solid food again.

ACL.
Saturday, August 1, 2015

mindy kaling - austin - husband gif mindy kaling - austin - husband gif
mindy kaling - austin - husband gif mindy kaling - austin - husband gif
mindy kaling - austin - husband gif mindy kaling - austin - husband gif
mindy kaling - austin - husband gif

…or me in exactly two months. Austin City Limits, here I come!

What else should I add to my ACL to-do list???

My Best Friend’s Wedding.
Sunday, July 26, 2015

mandalay bay

20 years in the making (@ Mandalay Bay)

Shake Shack.
Sunday, July 26, 2015

shake shack

New York in Vegas (@ Shake Shack)

Road Trippin’.
Sunday, July 26, 2015

bottletree ranch

Gettin’ my kicks on Route 66 (@ Bottletree Ranch)

Caborette.
Monday, July 20, 2015

cabo

cabo

cabo

cabo

cabo

I found my happy place (@ Playa Grande Resort, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)

Trainspotting.
Monday, June 8, 2015

union station los angeles glass ceiling

Glass ceilings (@ Union Station)

Countdown to Cabo.
Monday, April 20, 2015
the mindy project - carry on - plane gif
the mindy project - carry on - plane gif
the mindy project - carry on - plane gif

I apologize to anyone who’s had the misfortune of traveling with me!

Countdown to Cabo:

  • Flight and hotel booked ✓
  • Passport renewed ✓
  • Summer bods (pending)
Weekend Getaway.
Sunday, January 25, 2015

Six of us were supposed to vacation in Portland, but new jobs, broken water heaters, half marathons and trips to Japan got in the way. Anthony and I obviously have nothing else going on in our lives, so the two of us spent our birthday weekend traveling the pacific northwest without those clowns!

One thing I love about Portland (and pretty much any other city besides LA) is the public transit system. You can get anywhere by light rail, street car, train or bus! The light rail took us straight from the airport to our hotel downtown for $2.50 (I’ve paid nearly $40 for a cab ride to LAX, and I only live 5 miles away!). What I also love about Portland is the food. OMG, the food. They are known for their food trucks, and our hotel was a couple blocks away from a group of like 20 or so of them at Alder Food Carts. I’ve been wanting to eat at Nong’s ever since I saw her on Chopped, and it was the first of many good meals we had that weekend.

nong's khao man gai food cart portland

Friday was Anthony’s birthday, and he wanted to go to McMenamins Kennedy School for drinks. It used to be an elementary school, but they converted it into a hotel/brewery. We had drinks in the boiler room, and I got sloppy hoping Jordan Catalano would show up to no avail.

mcmenamins kennedy school boiler room

Our friend Mark lives in Portland, and we met up with him for some late night eats at Biwa. He took us to some hipster bar called Bar Bar afterwards where we met some of his designer friends. Apparently, there’s a lot of job opportunities up there! Something to consider while I’m sitting in LA traffic…

bar bar portland

Saturday was for snoozing. We slept in and hit up the farmer’s market around noon. When we couldn’t find the Pine State Biscuits booth, we decided to have lunch at Lardo, but not before having some pre-meal crepes at C’est Si Bon. The crepes were a mistake. And so were the donuts that followed at Blue Star. We somehow rolled ourselves back to the hotel and were in a food coma for the rest of the rainy afternoon. Everyone in Portland was watching the Seahawks playoff game, and we slept through half of it.

lardo pig out

blue star donuts portland

When we woke up, Anthony left to work out at the hotel gym, and I ventured out on my own to see the Portland Stag Sign without telling him. It’s no secret that I get lost easily, so he decided early on that he would navigate and I was to stay at his 8 o’clock at all times. I tried to take the bus by myself, got off at the wrong stop and found myself in BUMSVILLE. I eventually found my way back to the hotel, but not before Anthony returned from the gym. He was just coming to terms with the idea that I had been abducted when I walked through the door with a bag of hot cheetos and this photo. He was not amused.

portland stag sign

I passed by Voodoo Doughnut on my way back. This bum in front threw his half eaten donut on the ground and started following me! I barely escaped with my life.

voodoo doughnut portland

We had drinks at Whiskey Soda Lounge while we waited for our table at Pok Pok that night. FYI if you’re only going to Pok Pok for their famous wings, you can skip the wait and get them at Whiskey Soda Lounge instead. Or if Portland is too far, you can come visit me when they open a Pok Pok LA this spring 😉 It definitely was everything the internet promised it would be.

whiskey soda lounge pdx

Sunday was probably my favorite day, and we didn’t even spend it in Portland! We took an impromptu trip to Seattle and did every touristy thing we could fit into five hours. We ate clam chowder at Pike Place Chowder (and pre-meal empanadas at El Mercado Latino), dodged fish at Pike Place Fish Market, visited the first Starbucks, tested our gag reflex at the Gum Wall in Post Alley, went to the top of the Space Needle, and rode the Great Wheel. And this is where I found out this foolio is afraid of heights. The proof is in the video.

pike place market

post alley gum wall

original starbucks seattle

seattle space needle

After spending six hours on the train that day, I showered back at the hotel before we met up with Mark and his friends for drinks at Dig a Pony. If I knew we were going to end up at a strip club later that night, I would have waited to shower afterwards! Ha. Apparently, Portland is the strip club capital of America, and no trip is complete without visiting one. Anyway, here are some dollars that Anthony let some girl pick up with her tits while we ate tater tots. No bigs!

sassy's portland

Monday was my birthday and our last day in Portland. We had a bloody mary brunch at Tasty ‘n’ Sons, beers at Hopworks Bike Bar, doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnut, and coffee at Stumptown. I was really sick that day (Was it all the public transportation or was it the strip club? Who really is to blame???). I’m still sick two weeks later, so it’s taken me a while to get my life together and update this thing.

tasty n sons portland

hopworks bike bar portland

stumptown coffee portland

keep portland weird

When we got back to Anthony’s house that night, Pammie and Christine came over with birthday burritos from Lolita’s! It was a great end to what Anthony refers to as “the time of my life.” He wishes!

Portlandia.
Friday, December 12, 2014

portland is happening now beer

One month till Portland! Is it my birthday yet???

Bangkok.
Saturday, August 2, 2014

thaitanic

I hope Bangkok doesn’t have him now (@ LAX)

EuroTrip.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014

spain is on my fucket list

Obsessive Corgi Disorder.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013

When we were at Chike’s place in SF, I noticed a calendar in his kitchen with corgis on it. Please tell me every month of this calendar is corgis, I said… AND IT WAS.

Because of his love for weird socks and his shared obsession with corgis, we sent him these awesome socks as a thank you for being such a good host:

corgi socks charles ballestamon

And today, he sent me this video:

Cuteness overload. I’m officially dead. Please invite this corgi to my funeral!

OSL 2013.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013

outside lands 2013

You were so good to us, SF! Till next time…

Smell A.
Monday, August 12, 2013

smog angeles

If the smog isn’t an indication that my vacay is over, I don’t know what is.

Outside Lands 2013.
Sunday, April 21, 2013

outside lands 2013 lineup

Ticket purchased.
Vacation days requested.
Spotify playlist made.
Is it August yet???

Juxtaposition.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
a fair and honest appraisal of your appearance - the bumbys
a fair and honest appraisal of your appearance - the bumbys

It’s like she looked right through my hipster glasses and into my soul.

Homeward bound.
Sunday, November 11, 2012

airplane sky window southwest

…or LA bound at least. I’m back from my sister’s fabulous wedding in Vegas! More soon…

Going to the Chapel.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012

planet hollywood las vegas wedding chapel

I took a shotgun trip to Vegas this past weekend with my sister and her fiance to finalize plans for their wedding this November. I’m going to be the best maid of honor ever! Or at least the sexiest one… I’ll work that angle 😉 Ha.

Let the wedding workout regimen commence!

Happy New Year!
Sunday, January 1, 2012

NYE 2012 Las Vegas

It was my last NYE in my 20s, so I thought I would go out with a bang. Today, I woke up in Las Vegas sore as hell and $300 richer! Sadly, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as it sounds.

Swing.
Saturday, August 20, 2011

My only requirement for my next home will be that it has a life-size wind chime swing in the front yard like this one Christine is swinging on at Outside Lands.

The first person to find me this home gets a crisp $5 bill.

SF Outside Lands.
Thursday, August 18, 2011

san francisco outside lands 2011

san francisco outside lands 2011

Quotes of the weekend:

  • “You really came alive after your pants came off.”
  • “I feel like I’m hiking and shit through Yosemite and fuck.”
  • “You ate all of Christine’s chips!!!”
  • “San Francisco is all about recycling old lovers.”
Wake Up.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Children wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust

Last day / last band / last song at Outside Lands!

San Francisco treat.
Monday, August 15, 2011

bi-rite creamery san francisco

I left my heart at Bi-Rite Creamery.

View from the top.
Monday, August 15, 2011

southwest airlines view window seat

Baggage claimed. Pants off. More to come.

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