If I were a celebrity this is how I would imagine an Oscar afterparty to look like – patrons dressed to impress, a red carpet filled with the best chef’s showcasing signature dishes, and booze galore! While I may not be an Oscar recipient anytime soon, this foodie red carpet event was nothing short of spectacular. Held just outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA), I had the opportunity alongside @FoodieJudge (Instagram Food Influencer) to attend the kick-off party to celebrate the 7th Annual Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival.
Shots from “The Ultimate Bites of LA”
During the event we enjoyed the kick-off celebration entitled – the “Ultimate Bites of LA hosted by Curtis Stone” which featured some of LA’s most celebrated culinary talent from Downtown, Westside, Hollywood and MidCity/Beverly Hills. There was a DJ spinning pop tunes, photographers capturing every moment, and a plethora of delectable bites and strong spirits to enjoy. Some dish highlights include the BBQ Pork Brisket from Belcampo Meat Co, donuts from The Church Key, sugar custard from 71 Above, and sandwiches from Fleishik’s #nomnom!
Kick-off party!
I definitely felt like this was one of the most glamorous tastings I’ve ever attended and one thing that I loved about this event was the VIP treatment! The lines were short and the servers took away all finished plates and drinks throughout the event keeping the venue in impeccable condition. If you consider yourself a food and wine connoisseur this is definitely the place to be.
What would you be most excited to try at the LA Food and Wine event?
I’ve a veteran convention goer, but San Diego Comic Con is a completely other animal. The standard logic in making the most the most of a conventions don’t apply SDCC, and giving yourself enough time to secure an activity is of utmost importance.
World Famous San Diego Comic Con
For me, I absolutely love attending panels and I saw on the Comic Con app the new Marvel TV Show: Marvel’s Inhuman in Ballroom 20 – I definitely wanted to see that! So, after I hopped off the trolley, I headed straight to Ballroom 20 – arguable SDCC’s second most popular Hall. BTW, I highly recommend taking the trolley if you’re not staying in the Gaslamp District. Driving and parking in this area is really tough and expensive.
Trolley ticket and Ballroom 20 schedule on the SDCC app
I was advised by some friends that if there’s a popular panel that you want to watch you should sit in on the panels before it to secure a spot. Not knowing if the new Marvel series would be a hit or miss I decided to sit through all the two panels beforehand. Luckily, the shows at least peaked my interest.
Ballroom 20 – SDD’c 2nd most popular hall
When I first entered Ballroom 20, I was blown away by the sheer size of the room, the room capacity is 4800 and and while it wasn’t overflowing, I’d say about 90% of the seats were taken. There were multiple screens for people to watch the panels so even at the back of the house attendees could still enjoy the panels.
After looking for single seats I was able to secure one about mid-way in the room. The Season 4 actors and actresses from “The Strain” all came out and they even showed us an exclusive clip from an upcoming episode. In a nutshell “The Strain” is an American horror drama television series about vampire zombies, and while it’s not really my type of show, it was cool chat with the cast.
Cast of Legion
The panel following was “Legion,” a series tied to the X-Men franchise. They showed an amazing silent film style clip of the mutants fighting to “Bolero” an orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel, and while the two ideas seem to clash it was so tastefully done. Prior to coming to this panel I knew very little about this series, but I left wanting to watch the entire series. Thankfully FX renewed Season 2 and the series is expected to air in February 2018.
Cast of Marvel’s Inhumans
Finally Marvel’s Inhumans Panel was up. I was beyond hungry at this point (my stomach kept growling at me), but was thrilled to learn all the juicy details on ABC’s newest series. The entire cast came and spoke about their auction experience and gave us some insight to their character. A number of them told us how they had no idea who they were auditioning for and after they were casted understood some of the very strange requests from the directors. It was pretty hilarious.
Inhumans Panel
They then showed us a few teaser clips from the premier episode. One was of the royal family having a discussion on next steps and another was a battle scene between two unexpected characters.
The one thing I thought was silly was that they were going to show a premier of Inhumans THAT night – but it was scheduled to show right after this panel and at a location 15 minutes away. Good thing I’ll get to catch it at home on September 29th (8/7c).
Which show excites you most? “The Strain,” “Legion,” or “Inhumans”
Orange County is home to “the real housewives”, beautiful beaches, and some amazing restaurants so it should come to no surprise that there’d be a spectacular outdoor festival to wrap up summer in pure California style. Over the weekend I partnered with Trip.com (a travel app) to attend the Pacific Wine and Food Classic at the Newport Dune Waterfront Resort (Newport Dunes, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach, Ca 92660), where more than 100 food and beverages were prepared by some of Orange County’s finest chefs and mixologists.
Tropical treats at Newport Beach!
If you need a vacation this resort-style tasting basically transports you to a relaxing getaway. With the event held on the sand overlooking the dunes, I enjoyed the warm weather and scenic view. The water glistened and the weather was perfect with the sun shining brightly with a small ocean breeze. Most foodies have to choose environment or food quality, but both were equally desirable here. I loved the variety of food available at the tasting and felt that the samples were light and evoked the essence of California cuisine. Some of the small bites that I enjoyed included fusion tacos, seared sashimi, scallops, gazpacho and sliders just to name a few.
VIP Patron Patio
I spent quite a bit of time at the VIP Patron Patio as the area was equipped with fun photo booth opportunities and unique booze infused creations. I had a patron infused pineapple popsicle, which kept me cool under the hot sun. The area also had several couches and seats for patrons to lounge around while enjoying the beautiful day – something I took full advantage of 🙂
Food samples and Simon Majumda of Food Network
During the event guests could also watch different cooking demonstrations of executive chefs signature dishes on the Fisher & Paykel / DCS Culinary Stage. Food Network Star, Simon Majumdar of Cutthroat Kitchen hosted and provided his own culinary tips and tricks as well.
I had such an amazing time at this tasting and one thing that I loved about this event was that it was well organized and not too crowded. The lines for each vendor were all very manageable and it was such a classy affair. I’d definitely come back next year, but will wear flip flops. I made the mistake to wear wedges not realizing that it was actually on the sand. Nevertheless, a great event and one where I think all adults would enjoy.
AHHH!!! So it finally happened! I FINALLY got a badge and attended the world famous San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) – the mothership of geek conventions and the crown jewel of San Diego. And let me tell you SDCC definitely deserves all the hype and recognition of being the Con of all Cons, because it is. When I stepped off the trolley, I was beyond overwhelmed. There were lines everywhere and I wasn’t even inside the convention yet. But after I got my bearing I just took it all in and remembered that just being there was exciting!
World Famous San Diego Comic Con
Space wise, I wasn’t even close to covering the entire convention ground and I went four days! I didn’t dare brave the “Hall H” Line, which is a like a convention in and of itself – for virgin SDCC goers like myself, it’s in essence THE place to be to see popular blockbuster panels like Big Bang Theory, Justice League, Game of Thrones etc. People camp out at least a day in advance and if you planned to do Hall H on Saturday, be prepare to camp out on Thursday!
Hall H Line
And no joke, there are people who had legit camping tents and padded mattresses. I’ve been to other big scaled conventions (ie. WonderconDisney D23, Anime Expo) where the hard-core fans camped out, but never had I seen it in this extreme fashion. There was a line to get into the convention, a line to see panels (other than Hall H), autograph lines, an “exclusives” line, concessions stand line, line to take pictures… actually they were more like mobs of people – ha! Regardless, there were lines galore!
Justice League Autograph Panel
But, would I do it again, ABSOLUTELY! There’s no other convention quite like it. Sure there are other conventions where there are shorter lines or no lines, but the shear size and star power that this convention can attract is like no other. Where else can you get a sneak peak of upcoming trailers, autographs or photos from the entire cast from your favorite tv show, cosplay with groups of nerds, and hang out with geeks from all over the world? And don’t even get me started on the shopping. Nerd heaven!!!
DC Photoshoot – Where is Wonder Woman?
Now I get that getting a badge is extremely difficult, but the convention geek scene expands past the convention doors and the entire city basically welcomes the nerd herd to seek refuge at the Gaslamp District and beyond. There are TONS of giveaways just outside the convention, so even if you don’t have a badge you can still have a great time geeking out just like the rest of us.
As virgin SDCC goer, I didn’t really know what to expect, but if you love superheros, cosplayers, toys, free stuff, celebrities, this is the place to be – with or without a badge. I’m sorting through my photos and boy was that an adventure.
What part of SDCC are you most excited to read/see? Cosplay? Panels? Shopping? Life outside the Convention? Let me know below!
Minnie Mouse is known for her iconic red dress with white polka dots (pink depending on which version), but for special occasions she debuts some bold fashion choices. At the bi-annual D23 Expo (Disney Convention) in collaboration with Honda the expo showcased some of her flirty fashion choices throughout the years.
Paris, California, Shanghai outsides
Disneyland Paris 20th Anniversary 2012 – This bell-sleeved pink-and-purple ombre dress is decorated with a night motif of stars and crescent moons.
Disneyland Resort 60th Anniversary 2015 – In Spring 2015, Minnie Mouse wore her traditional red dress silhouette with rhinestones and crystals to celebrate the Diamond Celebration.
Shanghai Disney Resort Grand Opening 2016 – With a Grand Opening, it’s expected for the host to debut a stunning number. Minnie Mouse certainly didn’t disappoint with her Asian inspired ensemble. With soft pinks and gold embroidery this piece is inexcusably royal
Minnie Van by Honda
Minnie’s dress is unmatched by her iconic oversized bow. I feel that this feminine accessory really makes any outside complete and of course Honda wouldn’t be doing Minnie justice without it.
In this photo I’m wearing my recently purchased clip-on bow from D23. They had designs inspired by all the Disney Princesses as well as some multi-colored one. Mine is the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and this design will be available at the parks at the end of the year!
Paris, Rock the Dots 2015, Rock the Dots 2017
Disneyland Paris Fashion Parade 2013 (Designed by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin Paris) – Minnie wouldn’t be a household name without taking some fashion risks and at Fashion capitol of the world, Minnie debuted an incredibly presidential attire. She adorned a form-fitting royal blue with symmetrically patterned jewels.
Rock the Dots 2015 (Designed by Christian Siriano) – Project Runway Winner and “Fierce” Haute Couture Designer created a one of a kind ensemble for this “Fierce” one of a kind mouse. He drew inspiration from her bubbly, but girly personality and added bows and rhinestones to show off her playful nature.
Rock the Dots 2017 (Designed by Olumpia Le-Tan) – This custom dyed blue dress was created with 53 custom appliquéd polka dots and paired with a signature monogram leather belt buckle of Olumpia Le-Tan. This little sequin dress is both flirty and fierce.
Hong Kong, Fashion LA, Russian Vogue Magazine
Hong Kong Disneyland 10th Anniversary 2015 – Wow! If you’re ready to party, this dress will definitely turn heads. This brightly colored and festive ensemble was designed by the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and designed to dance the night away.
Fashion Los Angeles Awards 2017 (Designed by Stacy Bendet of Alice + Olivia) – I definitely see nods to Jackie Kennedy here. This hight-low gown is covered with 14,000 hand-applied jet black crystals and accessorized with oversized glasses. The look is complete with red patent pumps – a staple in every girls closet.
Mink and Roses Russian Vogue 2008 (Designed by Oleg Ovsiyoy) – When Minnie took a vacation away from her sunny Southern California home, she certainly dressed to impress. WIth her faux mink fur and accented with sequins, this warm, fuzzy look is functional and stylish.
I loved Minnie’s daring Disneyland Paris Fashion Parade ensemble. Which outfit was your favorite?
You know that popular colorful lemonade drink that you often see at night markets and fairs? The ones in the oversized mason jars with the cute lemon in the front. Yes! That one! Did you know that they (the Main Squeeze -9430 Warner Avenue, Fountain Valley, CA) recently opened up a brick and mortar store in Orange County? *Does happy dance*
Inside their store
My friend and I recently attended their Grand Opening to welcome Fountain Valley’s newest addition. Because the weather has been atrociously hot as of late, an ice cold lemonade made for an excellent beverage choice to counter the unbearable heat. My friend and I were so excited that we were actually first and second in line! Yes, we were quite enthusiastic about redeeming swag as they advertised the first 100 people get a complimentary iphone 7 case or a baseball cap, plus a mason jar upgrade with light cube on the beverage of choice.
Left: iphone 7 classes; Right: Mason Jars with lemonade
There was a wide array of drinks and desserts to choose from, but I decided to go with the cucumber mint lemonade with boba, which was incredibly refreshing. My friend ordered the lychee lemonade with added lychees and both were bright and super colorful. These made-to-order drinks were just as I remembered at the fair and I’m glad that I can now enjoy this year-round!
Motivation sign in lights!
I came to this little shop just wanting a drink to cool down, but was reminded of the lemons and lemonade concept – where you can always change for the better. If you’re going through a rough patch or feel unhappy, remember this it’s only temporary and that you can use your hardships and/or struggles for something greater. Just take a deep breath and take it one day at a time.
Are there lemons in your life? What kind of “lemonade” are you planning to make?
I decided to do a Moonie Monday post in place of my normal Miss Taiwan entries as I wanted to share some photos from my latest adventure as my cosplay alias – @thegeekyguide.
Sailor Moon Convention Cosplayers!
During this past July 4th weekend, I along with hundreds of anime geeks attended the largest Anime Convention in North America – AX, short for Anime Expo. This four day event was a haven from geeks galore as they had table top games, themed concerts, cosplay meetups and contests, panels and more! As a second time attendee and first time cosplaying at this convention, I was thrilled to experience this crazy world as a character from one of my favorite Anime TV shows – Sailor Moon!
The popularity of this convention had grown exponentially since my first visit, and many attendees dubbed it LineCon, as individuals waited hours to get their badge or attend panel. My friend and I knew that the Sailor Moon panel was going to be a big hit among con-goers, so we started to line-up at 9:30 for the 11:00am panel. Thankfully, this year they had a large tent so attendees didn’t burn in the blistering heat (that wasn’t the case the first year I attended).
Sailor Moon Crystal Voice Actors
After waiting patiently, we were escorted back into the hall and seated in the enormous 1000+ people space for the special two hour panel. It was great to see the diversity of fans in the room – men, women, and children of all ages filled the space. When the program started the MC introduced all the Sailor Scouts, informed us on new merchandise that were available for purchase at the convention, as well as updates on the franchise. One of the most exciting news was Hot Topic’s New Sailor Moon Collection that will launch during the holidays. I guess I’ll be getting some new Guardian Gear this Christmas!
Autographed Poster and Lucky Ticket Winner!
The MC also made an announcement that this year they changed their methodology in earning a free autograph signing session with the voice actors. In years past, people would line up the night before in the autograph line for a chance to get a spot, and this year the Viz Media Sailor Scout Helpers chose the ultimate fans – to which, I was one of them! Yay!!! FYI – a number of the fans selected were dressed up as a character, in case you’re interested in the future
Voice Actors (Left to Right, Top to Bottom): Photo 1 – Cristina Valenzuela (Sailor Mars); Photo 2 -Sandy Fox (Sailor Chibi Moon); Photo 3 – Lauren Landa (Sailor Neptune) and Erica Mendez (Sailor Uranus); Photo 4 – Stephanie Sheh (Sailor Moon)
After the panel, about 50 lucky ticket holders exited the panel and headed downstairs towards the autograph signing booth. I loved how they had the Viz Media Cosplayers stood behind the voice actors so we could visual for which character each voice actor portrayed. All the voice-actors were so nice and personable. What a great experience!
Inner Sailor Scouts – Mercury, Mars, Moon, Venus, and Jupiter
Soon afterwards, I rushed to the Sailor Moon Meetup where I got to do a photoshoot with other die hard Sailor Moon fans. By this time it was almost 5 and I was already exhausted, but what a day!
Do you like these cross-over posts with @thegeekyguide (Instagram, Facebook) and want me to do more? Let me know in the comments below.
I’ve gone to my fair share of Night Markets (Ktown Night Market post here), but I’ve yet to visit the largest one in Southern California – The 626 Night Market! I know, shocking right? But I digress. Held at the Santa Anita Park, vendors from the greater Los Angeles area and guests from all over attended the two day event. I decided to get a sneak peak on Day 1 to get the scoop.
Nightmarket
The 626 night market was definitely an enormous event with various carnival games, food trucks, pop-up stands, and businesses promoting asian products. Spread across the vast parking lot, patrons could comfortably walk around the aisles to try the latest food craze. There were tons of options and while I was sweating off all my sunblock, my foodie friend and I tried some bold treats!
Roasted Corn, July 4th Watermelon Drink, and Rainbow Grilled Cheese
I think it’s safe to say that many vendors were bold in experimenting with colors and the rainbow/unicorn trend is here to stay. Which colorful treat are you interested to try? The watermelon drink was my favorite, because it was super refreshing and cooled me down on the hot day.
Tickets to the 626 Night Market is $3 on Friday and Sunday, and $5 for Saturday. Parking is free and they’ll be back on July 21, who will be going?
Wow! Has it been a year already? It seems like it was only yesterday when I was getting trying on gowns and heels to prep for the pageant. In about a month we will be crowning a new class of young men and women and as I wrap up my year of service I hope that the new royal court will take advantage of every opportunity given to them. Here’s my advice for the new 2016-2017 class.
2016-2017 Royal Court and Taiwan advocates
BEAUTY AND FASHION
Pageant Gowns: Give yourself plenty of time to shop for two long evening gowns and a short cocktail dress. I highly recommend going to Santee Alley, a two block area in downtown LA’s Fashion District that sells both apparel, cosmetics, and everything fashion related.
Shop in June/July as it’s after Prom season and shops want to move their inventory.
Noell is a very popular store among pageant girls as they sell super glamorous gowns with extensive beading and elaborate designs. The showroom is an enormous two floor building and it’s definitely a splurge should you pay them a visit. If memory serves me right I think dresses start at around $400, but can go upwards to $1000 of dollars. Also do make an appointment as other customers have commented on being turned away even during business hours.
Personally, I purchased all my gowns at Atria Couture as they were more in my price-range. I budgeted about $200 a gown and while the designs weren’t as loud, the quality of the cloth material was thick and the stitching and design was cohesive. I definitely bartered with them so work on your negotiating skills.
There are many stores that sell gowns at different price-points; however, I’ve noticed that the dresses that were less than a $100 tended to be a thinner fabric and the sequences were glued on as opposed to sewn. To each his own, but I felt that if these were dresses that I would wear throughout the year, I’d chose to invest in pieces that I could wear multiple times.
Jewelry: Buy costume jewelry while you shop for your dress. It helps when you have your dress with you so you can see if certain earrings and necklaces match. Also, large dangling earrings look wonderful on stage. Silver crystals type of jewelry matched pretty much all of my outfits, but
Shoes: Wear heels that have a platform at the front and pick either clear or a nude color. It will help elongate your figure.
Hair and Makeup: I chose to do my own hair and makeup as it was an additional expense that I did not want to take into account, but I would recommend buying fake eyelashes to make your eye makeup more dramatic. I randomly stumbled upon this shop called The Makeup Shake, and they have some really great products including their own 3D silk eyelashes. “Eye Poppin” and “Mad Eye” are two of my favorite lashes to wear, and I always get compliments on how pretty my eyes look. They also carry some professional makeup supplies that I see at the Annual International Makeup Artists Tradeshow (IMATs), so it’s great that I can get some of my favorite products without having to wait until the tradeshow.
At the time I chopped off 8 inches of my hair, so I had no idea how to style a short cut. I practiced with my curling iron and do a classic french twist (with a ton of bobby pins) to give the allusion that I had more hair. Ha!
PUBLIC SPEAKING
The dreaded Fish Bowl Question: You never know what type of question you’ll get, but I thought of it as I would prepare for a job interview. I wrote down my answers and practiced in front of the mirror my responses. Practice makes perfect. Sometimes I’ll even practice my answers in the car as I’m driving. 🙂
Additionally, since this was a Taiwanese pageant I made sure to have responses in regards to Taiwan current events and learned about different government officials locally and abroad.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think like anything you do you get out what you put in. Some contestants were very casual and didn’t prepare as aggressively as others, whereas others were diligent and gave it their all. I always give everything I do my 100% and as Miss Taiwanese World I had the opportunity to meet multiple government officials, celebrate community milestones, and use this as a platform with my family and friends to talk about Taiwan and build community relations. You can see a few of my cool adventures here (10/10 Black Tie Event, Monterey Park parade, Lunar New Year Celebration at TECO)
Whether you’re a natural on stage or someone who wants to try something outside your comfort zone the competition part was a great opportunity to improve my posture, poise, and speech. It’s definitely something I can check mark off my bucket list and I can say that I have some incredible memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.
Attending a night market is a great way to sample a lot of vendors in one centralized location while also browsing pop-up shops and playing carnival games. Oh how I’m so reminded of Taiwan’s nightlife – they have THE BEST night markets. I’d heard so much about the Ktown Night Market that I wanted to see if could be my US version of my favorite Taiwan activity. Held at a local community college in Los Angeles, this event was a popular destination among teens and college students for their Instagram worthy food. My foodie friend and I ordered a ton food to share and were stuffed by the end of the night. Here are the highlights!
Spire Works, Mix-E, India Jones Chow Truck, and Sakura Monster
Spire Works: Casual, yet robust flavors. At this event they featured their Bangkok and Peking sammys, which were inspired by Thai and Chinese palates respectively.
Mix-E: Specializing in Filipino Desserts such as Halo-Halo (shaved ice with toppings such as ice cream, red beans, etc.) this fun and colorful pop-up shop will be at the 626 Night market in July and August.
India Jones Chow Truck: Talk about flavors that are on a roll! I ordered a combo and got to try Butter Chicken Curry, Saag Paneer (Spinach and Cheese), naan, rice, and a samosa. Beautiful and extremely filling.
Sakura Monster: This truck made takoyaki balls (octopus balls) to order. It was so delicious and probably my favorite snack of the night. They don’t have a website, so check out their twitter page to see where they’re going next! Totally legit!
PuChao, Taco Fix, and Manini Kine Grindz
PuChao: Japanese Candy that’s gummy and soft. Yum!
Taco Fix: Priscela must be every dude’s best friend because her “Insane Nachos” and “Crazy Quesadilla” both have generous portion of meat and cheese. The plantains in the former is a nice touch and something I don’t usually see, but delicious. Homemade guacamole was extra and definitely worth it!
Manini Kine Grindz: Hawaiian food with entrees not commonly served on the mainland. My friend and I tried their Longanisa Loco Moco and Meat Jun and looooved it. They’re in the beginning stages of their business so give their Facebook page a shoutout!
What a fun and easy way to enjoy so many different Asian cuisines in one spot! The food was excellent and entertainment was lively and engaging. I would definitely come back here next year to check out LA’s latest and greatest!
The popularity of this convention had grown exponentially since my first visit, and many attendees dubbed it LineCon, as individuals waited hours to get their badge or attend panel. My friend and I knew that the Sailor Moon panel was going to be a big hit among con-goers, so we started to line-up at 9:30 for the 11:00am panel. Thankfully, this year they had a large tent so attendees didn’t burn in the blistering heat (that wasn’t the case the first year I attended).
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Insider Irene 