LACMA and Oro? Art?

Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art

Location: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036

Entertainment Cost: You choose donation after 5:00p or $12 for general admission

Entertainment Highlights: Lamps on Wilshire Blvd., Scary "Stomp on your foot" Elevator ride, and the oddities of contemporary art.

Food Highlights: Ethiopian food in Little Ethiopia

Food Cost: Free if you have an awesome friend by the name of David!

(Really, I wasn't exaggerating)

Oro? is the first word that comes to mind when you are confronted with a exhibit that is in essence a blank Canvas or a huge brown wall. At the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art, we are given the luxury of space and architectural redefinition, or say, reevaluation of what art traditionally is. You know, like coloring inside the lines, shading in hues, a coherent picture. Instead, we would see a photographic picture of a man with a blue, green, or pink dot covering it like a punch hole, some faces were even scribbled out like you would see in a high school yearbook.

Calling all contemporary artists!!--Please explain why a cartoon scribble would constitute as art if it could be found in many variations at any middle or high school classroom, such as the ones made by Joseph Beuys. Some photographic portraits were quite morbid--especially of the Electric Chair by Andy Warhol--it was a like somebody took a picture of a decade old electric chair without using flash, and it was somehow improperly developed in the red room, with smudges of blue tint smeared on the bottom half portion of the picture. I guess it really takes a highly developed aesthetic sensory instrument to appreciate Hoover vacuums stacked on fluorescent light bulbs. Or maybe an inflatable Caterpillar swim toy penetrated through a ladder.

Well enough art bashing for AGNANT laymen folks like me. I did appreciate the view and the architectural precision at the museum. I was fascinated by the how the engineers of this building (or for any building taller than my 5'1'' stature) can mathematically blue print and build such wonders for humanity. The steel cables that run perfectly parallel to the reinforced red beams, the height and awe of it all. The many five story tall palm trees on these five by five feet "pots" get rotated every couple of months. Fascinating.

We also got lucky when we went to an exhibition that won't be officially presented until October. From afar it looked like a bunch of parking space brick dividers that got stacked neatly together to be ready to be inventoried. The giant auditorium was dedicated to this exhibition alone. The ceilings complimented the subject tastefully, giving it an almost tunnel vision illusion. Or at a bird eye's view, it looked like tire treads. Those 2,000 pieces of perfectly aligned and metrically calculated brick thingys (Another SoCo favorite word to describe objects that are unfamiliar to us) were a sight to see.

It didn't take much for us to absorb the awe and confusion at what we were looking at for the most part. We also got to see some of Pablo Picasso's original, uh, weird (yet another SoCo favorite word for the aesthetically unrefined) table. Or one of the originals from my personal favorite artists, Salvador Dali. Many more big names that I'm just too la(y)me(n) to identify. When you leave the museum after seeing all the exhibits only one word could describe the experience: Discombobulated. It felt like everything that I have labeled-- an apple, a woman, a school desk, and have categorized--a bananna is a fruit, or the like, in life, has been questioned. Like my innards have been exposed on my skin, or like living in purgatory, just waiting, and waiting, for something to make some damn sense. It was overall a great experience, in its three hour interval (I think that's as much art as I can stomach in one sitting, or in our case, standing).  

 

 The highlight was when we were leaving the museum and we saw the luminescent lights of the many lampposts majestically guarding the front entrance to the museum (as we were rushing to get out before security locked us in...too creepy if even spending one night..shudder). 

 

We later went to Little Ethiopia and had some yummy finger food plates. On one big dish, we were given a three course meal, filled with curry based beef and tomatic onion chicken, complimented by a thin cotton like texture bread, like Indian Pandori, but more sour, to use as sandwich utensils to wrap the main dish. Overall, a good evening!

Volleyballin and Despicable Me World Premiere

Volly'n and Watch'n
Location: Hermosa Beach and LA Live Nokia Theatre
Entertainment Value: Seabreeze workout and a "Yellow" Carpet World Premiere event
Entertainment Cost: $50 for two world premiere tickets (with all you can eat and drink popcorn and soda) + 2 LA film festival vouchers
Food Cost: All you can eat popcorn and soda

Only in Los Angeles do you get to play volleyball on the golden-peach sands of the ocean front in the morning and watch a world premiere of a movie with the directors and stars of the movie in the same theatre. This could be your typical Sunday. I don't know about you, but I sure can use more Sundays like these. 

During midday late June, the sun shines the brightest and the waters are the bluest. The morning times from dawn to about 11:00am, the cloudy skies, a.k.a. "June gloom", allows the sport goer to play safely without the sun's fiery intensity. It also allows the volleyballer to eye the ball without having to squint beneath the brightness, while still retaining that ocean wind to cool us down in between strained breathes and sweaty brows. We laughed at our own (p)atheletic prow(l)ess, we sand dived blanks, we stood dumbfounded when the ball, like a torpedo, landed on the ground sitting comfortably between two people that just stared at the ball, assuming that the other teammate would get it, then at other times, we would run headon to each other for the same ball, and we would heckle one another--"hey loser!" or "Serve it to the weakling" Funny moments such as hitting your own teammate's back when serving or calling dibs, "I got it, I got it" and seconds before the ball touches your arm, " I don't got it". Flop! Watching everybody stare at the volleyball in mid-air, some wondering "shit, not towards me" and others thinking, "In the bag sucka", is a comedic delight. 

Playing volleyball with your friends could be one option. To my right side, where the pedestrian sidewalk is, people were skating,  rollerblading, biking, dog walking, stroller jogging (babies in stroller + jogger pushing = stoller jogger), and running. To my left side, people were body boarding, sailing, swimming, tanning, and sauntering across the tides. It was a typical day at the beach on so cal--like the surety and sincerity of a church choir singing Glory, the Southern California pacfic coast will be the sunny, cool, and diverse way of outdoor sporting activities. 

Afterwards, my husband, alias Tonebone,  and I headed out to go see the world premiere of Despicable Me. This time, we didn't have to wait in the rush line for tix (learned my lesson). It took less than five minutes for us to check in, go through security, and get our 3D glasses.

At a World Premiere, did you know...

• 
  
   All popcorn and sodas are free?
• 
  
   Concierge and security is armed like the president's secret service?
• 
  
   The director makes a introductory presentation of the movie's team: i.e. writers, actors, score artists, etc. prior to the start of the show?
• 
  
   No cameras allowed? (Whyyyyy?!)
• 
  
   During the opening credits, the audience claps and shouts in approval when their favorite actor's/actress' name show up?
• 
  
  You and 7,000 other people are in the same room watching the film (the Largest theatre I've ever been to by far)?

And the cherry on top?

You are watching the same movie in the same room at the same time with the cast and crew of the movie. We were only 15 aisles down from the actors and stars (hey, hey, it's closer then where you'll be during July 9, when the theatres will open to the public)

Despicable Me Movie Review!

The movie itself? Quick humor with soft "aww" moments sprinkled throughout. Not as heart tugging as the movie, UP, but definitely one of those heartwarming lessons on finding one's purpose, in a villian's perspective. At the same time, it is likeThe Incredibles in it's parallel world where villians compete and evil plots are the norm--they even have a underground villan bank to fund in solid evil investment proposals. Overall, this movie was a action packed feel good family movie that will leave you craving ice cream and sodapop, possibly a plan to take over the world. 

Afterwards, crowds staked out behind strategic backdoor exits to the afterparty. This is where the fun really begans--it's like bird watching--it's not always about luck, it's about having enough knowledge to squat in places where the stars will come out. In our case, we didn't know zilch, but just followed where the crowd seemed to congregate and where the security seemed at it's max. Of course, when it comes to A-list celebrities, there are always elaborate escape routes and decoys. Although we did not catch Steve Carell, Julie Andrews (Mary poppins and Sound of Music)

Russel Brand, Pharell, Will. i. Am., or any of the other big names on the cast of despicable me, it was interesting to be part of the whole fan craze. You can feel the lust for star dust--just a little sprinkle on the hands or for the sight. 

 

The hungry crowd settled for what it could. Fans surrounded teen celebs like Miranda

Cosgrove and ___? (help me out here young generation). 

The best moment was when I spotted Steven Tereda from Quest Crew. I was so flabbergasted that the man walking past me was from Quest Crew, that the name slipped out of my mind. So instead, I did what any rational So Cal person would do; I stopped the guy, asked him if he was "from that dance crew". He said he was, and before I wasted any more second of his time, I got directly to the point, "Would you please take a picture with me?" I could've made small talk, but LA people are busy and efficient. He probably didn't want to know anymore about me than I would want to pester him. I got what I wanted and he moved on. Of course, this is all in my head. Maybe one day he'll find this site and give me an alternative version of his thoughts, assuming that he'll remember this moment at all.

See in the eyes of Hollywood, you are either in the know, a "somebody" or you are part of the category we call "the nobody" or the fans, the crowd, the spectators. Be prepared to spent extra TLC time with your ego at home after the lights are out and the parking lots are empty. When the star dust wears away, another magical phenomenon happens. Either you'll wake up the next day feeling depressed that you're not part of the "know" or you wake up reenergized and gun-ho about pursuing your dreams you had put off in the back storage of your thoughts. Now which type of star dust hangover will you have? 

                        

K-Town Late Night Eats

Korean BBQ
Location: Korea Town
Wilshire and Western

Los Angeles, CA 90010

Entertainment value: Nightlight friendliness and Social Fun
Food Cost: $15 all you can eat Korean BBQ

My best friend's last night in town and what better time and place to reminesce about times old and new than to drink soju with Hite beer as chasers in front of a stone platter packed with good food in the wee hours of the night. For many people, eating and drinking with friends or coworkers from 11pm to 4am is a lifestyle (or at least an Asian businessmen lifestyle at that). Many Korean restaurants at K town stay open until 2am and even some others open until 4 am.

The night life is comprised of being around good friends with good food and good alcohol. It is the trinity of K town essentials--for the K-newb this means that it is your opportunity to lay your cards down. Well, at least flash it for a little bit, especially after the fifth shot of soju. Here, table etiquette means to be loud and gossip--about people, politics, religion, sex, and the like.

We had the option of being in door or being in the outdoor patio, smoking area. The transparent plastic tarp that covers the patio makes it look like a scene from a Korean film. It really does bring out the excitement of late night outings but retains the closeness felt wrapped in plastic. Under the flourescent lighting, it brought back the "night light eats" of Taiwan and China, what they call "she ye", literally translated as "city night".

The smoky steam rising from the stone pots and the sizzle of satayed brisket, bulgogi, beansprouts, and kimchi saturates the air so much that it seeps into our hair, our linen, and our pores. The fermented saltiness of pickled radish, spicy tofu, and other vegetable sorts complimented the burning meat cooking on the portable grill. Most Korean bbq restaurants give you 10 banchan, or side dishes, that comes standard with your main entree.  The gratuitous side dishes alone would have filled up the stomach, but to the experienced K-bbq patron, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We laughed, guffawed, gasped, and hooplaud our night into a finale of blissful stupor. Our bellies told us we were at full capacity yet our inebriated minds told us we could still make room for the delicious bimbi-bap that followed the 6 or 7 meat items that were already cooked and eaten. Since it was all you can eat, they just kep on piling it on the grill. They use a certain type of white radish that cleanses the burnt chards of the grill and simultaneously takes away the smell that comes with the brownish black color. It was fun seeing the waitress clean the grill with white radish while we continued to "gan bei", or toast, to our fortunes and our future.

It is the after party of the after party that friends, tired and hungry from dancing all night, would commence as their last soree of the night. The denoument to a fun filled night. It could also be the foundational base to the young night life of  shooting pool, singing karaoke, playing nordabang (PC Cafes), and K clubbing. For others, it means a social avenue to network with friends and, still others, it is the avenue for business networking.

For Amy and I, this was our way of saying goodbye and I love you. It was our way of letting our hearts vibrate with the soju clinks of our gan bei. It was a celebration of our past times growing up together, our present fun, and the future prospect of many wishes, hopes, and dreams to explore.

Cheers!!

Shipwreck Trail & Wayfarer's Chapel

Shipwreck Trail and Wayfarer's Chapel
Location:
Paseo Del Mar & Flat Rock Point

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275


Entertainment: Free
Food: San Pedro's Best Sandwich in Town $7.00 for a Meatball Cheese Sandwich

Four miles west of Rancho Palos Verdes is its regal neighbor, Palos Verdes. Traveling through the two cities via the winding ocean coast road of Palos Verdes Dr. is like witnessing richness at it's finest. Palos Verdes has the mega million mansions, the crisp cool ocean breeze, the seventy five degree sun bath, and the peninsula view.

Our destination is Palos Verdes' Shipwreck trail--the danger behind its name is telling of the trail itself. We started off on a plateau that insidiously gave us a view of the horizon abruptly delineated by the ocean. At the starting vantage point, it looked more like Christopher Columbus's theory come true--we were at world's end.

And so it seemed, for the trail immediately started with a sharp drop, steep and wrought
with rocks. Nature was a devil in red dress, for its beauty and danger bid us forward with its breathtaking view and its many fatal scenarios playing through our minds with each step down the treacherous cliff. The thought of pseudo rock climbing without any rope was exhilarating--I could feel my blood pump harder, my hand clamming up, and the same time that I told myself not to, I kept looking down. Periodically, I would slide down, like a cat on a leash, and let the gravity inch me downwards towards the rocky shoreline.

Once we (Josh, John, Tank, Kathy, Cynthia, David, Lisa, Gus, and I ) set foot, nature did not want to give us a break. We immediately started skip skopping on jagged rocks, sizes that ranged from boulders to pebbles, while trying to avoid kelp, litter, and insects. There were these particular insects that looked like a mix between rollie-pollies and silver fish with huge antennas that made my skin itch and my nerves on edge while hopping towards my destination. There were a few reflexive squeals that had to be made known to my team, but after awhile I got the hang of hopping on the bigger boulders to avoid the many crawling creatures scattering around like cockroaches in a sewer (Now that is a place I would not mind ever visiting).

We passed by a human made shack built on the piedmont surrounded by native flowers and shrubbery; our friend, Lisa, was the only one who dared to make the mini-climb and take a picture of it. From the base of the slope looking up, it looked like a surfer version of a fairy tale cottage--a "kissing shaft" for teens to make out.

After a good quarter of a mile of rock hopping (it felt like a video game after the first five minutes), we finally reached our tide pool destination along with a run down rusted boat. Unfortunately, the it was high tide so we weren't able to catch the many rumored sea creatures like octopus, lobster, and other shell fishes that allegedly lives around that eco community.

The hike lasted a good hour and a half, and it wasn't until we on our way to our next destination, Wayfarer's Chapel, that we begin to have our doubts that we were actually on the Shipwreck Trail, since the Shipwreck Trail is slated to be around 2.5 miles long and our 1 mile journey just didn't see to quite add up.

Wayfarer's Chapel is the best place to have your wedding, if you are living around the South Bay area. It overlooks the fluorescent coastal bluff landscape, while surrounded by roses, latana, cape honeysuckle, etc. Once you step foot into the glass chapel, ambient music accompanies the sound of water trickling down the fountain. Wayfarer's Chapel is named for travelers who seek spiritual nourishment--the serenity that surrounds the environment is a blessing for all who wishes for some self reflection and mental peace.

Lastly, we ate a hearty meal and what Lisa likes to call, "The best kept secret of San Pedro Sandwiches", where all the locals and mill guys know of. Get the Belly Buster that includes pastrami, hot links, meatball, and chicken smelted with jack cheese and hearty tomato sauce festooned with as many peppercinnis as your stomach lining can take. It's called Busy Bees and rightly named since there are no dining tables, but only a To-Go line in a liquor store setting.

Overall, it was an adventurous day that started with rocky climbs, beach side coolness, aristocratic casualty, and ended with finding Eden.

Stroll & Savor on Second Street

Location: Downtown Long Beach

Entertainment Cost: Free

Food Cost: $1 per ticket or $10 for 12 tickets

     

Have you stood in front of two restaurants and couldn't decide which one to go? Italian or Japanese? Greek or Indian? What if you could have both? Even better, how about if you can have it all...all for one third of the price of a dinner outing? Look no further, because that is what the Downtown Stroll and Savor allows the fickle food lover to do. It's like having your cake and eating it too!!

Luckily I've have had many years of Costco Sunday Sample training so I knew instinctively that I would have to wait my turn amidst the eager and hungry crowd while keeping a keen eye on the trend of the lines--my experienced sonar tracked down time and again all the you just-gotta-wait lines.

Once we bought our tickets, we were given a map

of the 20 or so different restaurants that were displaying their signature samples on their front porch. In addition to the ethnicalicious food vendors saturated across the 14 block outdoor promenade, the trek towards our favorite palate pleasers allowed us to also appreciate the diverse array of boutiques, coffee shops, and speciality stores. From bougie women wear such as Jennys and Heavenly Couture to high fashioned candy shops like Frost, Powell's Sweet Shop, Yogurtland, Pinkberry, to eccentric specialties such as Party Props, Storyteller Productions, Pussy and Pooch-- a Juicy Couture equivalent of a pet store for dogs and cats, its like a hodgepodge of liberal creativity for the hipster.

As diverse as the food and the shops were, the crowd was just as mixed as the United Nations. It was heartwarming to know that I live in a city where diversity is the status quo, that the locals all seem to interact with each other, bustling with kindred spirit of commercialism. When it came to entertainment, it was still a bit shy from the hustle of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, but it did have its few moments of street blues in the form of New world tunes and good old strumming on familiar guitar strings. There was even a makeshift food court with the family centered music and dancing. It was altogether a homely feel--like having a warm cup of cocoa in a San Francisco coffee shop.

 

We sampled Pad Thai, Lucille's hot links, bar bred hot wings, NY pizza, Peat's fusion teas, Yogurtland, Chuck and Toby's 1 ticket Tacos and by the time we were contemplating Lebanese and Greek, we were already stuffed at full capacity. The four of us (Lisa, Kathy, Gus, and I) each bought our own tickets and five minutes before the end of the street fair (6:00pm-9:00pm), we were all loosening our pants with altogether five tickets left to spare. We took home a meal sized doggy bag full of leftovers from random places we hadn't visited.

If you haven't experienced downtown Long Beach, you would definitely miss out if you overlook this underrated promenade. Compared with the more famous Santa Monica Promenade, I would say it is comparatively better in food selections and shop eccentricities. Though there could be more improvement on the street entertainers, there is plenty of food sampling opportunities to make up for that. The Stroll and Savor fair only happens twice a month, so be sure to open your mouth and your minds to the Belmont Shore Stroll and Savor when the time calls for you.