Le Sigh v. 3

Hong Kong 2006: Lan Tau Island

maggie — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:54:00 +0000

Today we planned a big trip to Lantau Island, Hong Kong's largest island and home to the largest outdoor bronze buddha statue in the world. Hong Kong Disneyland is also located in the northeasten part of the island. A friend of ours told us that the MTR train was all decked out in Disneyland decor and since I am a Disneyland fanatic, we decided to take a detour to go check it out.

Disneyland is not just a themepark. It's an experience. If you've ever experienced watching a movie at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, you know what I'm talking about. Everything Disneyland does is treated like a ride at the themepark. Boarding the MTR train to Disneyland was no exception. As soon as you board the train you really feel like you are being transported to another world; you become a kid again. I heart Disneyland.

1. Mickey Mouse handles - Genius!
2. Plush velvety covered seats and bronze statues of beloved disney characters adorn each car.

After the short detour, we went back on track to the Tung Chung stop to catch the Ngong Ping 360 Skyrail to Lantau. The ride from Tung Chung to Lantau takes about 25 minutes and covers 5.7 kilometers. The views from the cable car are incredible. It's not the best ride for people who are fearful of heights since the cars are mostly entirely made up of glass.

1. Boarding the cable car.
2. The view from the car as we are leaving the terminal.
3. View of the Hong Kong Airport - the best part of the ride. You can see the planes land and take off from the sky. A pretty spectacular sight.
4. Hong Kong apartments.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a server with a tray of free sodas and wine. We just so happened to come on the day of the opening ceremonies. What luck! Not only did they have free drinks but they had free h'orderves also. We missed out on these the snacks since we opted to hang out on the upper level where the taiko drummers were.

We didn't stick around for long to see the entertainment. We wanted to eat! The Po Lin Monastery offers a famous vegetarian lunch which was highly recommended by a friend and was mentioned in various tourist brochures as well. The lunch costed us about $20 USD per person. We were very excited about the vegetarian meal. Unfortunately, as the food was carelessly plopped down onto our table, we knew that we were surely in for a disappointment.

1. Restaurant Interiors
2. Our pre-fixed vegetarian lunch - Roasted Mushroom Broth, Vegetable Eggrolls, Vegetable Stir-fry Plate, Tofu Plate, Mushroom with Greens.

Honestly, I don't understand the rave reviews. Maybe Rona and I are spoiled? We've been fortunate enough to experience some amazing vegetarian meals. I mean, I grew up eating vegetarian meals at my best friend's house and her mom (a vegetarian) is one of the best cooks I know. I blame her for my obsession with food.

Every dish tasted the same. This was because they were all cooked the same way. Ingredients were tossed together in a wok and covered in the same cornstarch-thickened sauce with no seasoning. We knew that the food was supposed to be modest but it was not worth the $20 we paid. The meal should've been free. Even so, I don't think I would ever go back or recommend it to anyone. Save your $20 and buy yourself some incense.

Giant sized incense sticks (about 3 feet in length). I've never seen incense burn like this before.

To see the bronze buddha up close, you have to climp up 200+ steps. The Buddha statue sits peacefully on a lotus throne on top of a three-platform altar. It is surrounded by eight smaller bronze statues representing gods or immortals. At the top, it's amazingly quiet and peaceful despite all the surrounding tourists.

Our next destination on Lantau was Tai O, a fishing village located in the northwest.

Many tourists visit the village to see the stilted houses and fishing village scenery.

1. Fishing boats at sunset.
2. House on stilts.
3. Pretty view.

The streets of Tai O are loaded with vendors trying to sell you their dried fish and handmade seashell souvenirs. This is the place to barter. I purchased most of my souvenirs here. Be careful of buying products made from seashells if you plan on bringing them back to the US. Seashells are considered to be contraband.

1. Vendors.
2. The process of drying fish.
3. Dried fish to be sold.

Down the road, we noticed a street vendor grilling up some delicious treats. We bought a bag of grilled dry squid and shrimp to share between the two of us. It was smokey and so good.

My favorite part of the trip was seeing the stilted houses. They were tiny, probably no more than 600 square feet each. I was surprised to see such a streamline and modern design for such an old village. I would love to live in one of these. They're brilliant!

Before we headed back to catch the last ferry back to the city, we stopped into a little store that served the hot tofu dessert that I love so much.

The ride back to the city was a long one. We were exhausted. Still, this did not stop us from squeezing in one last meal before our day ended.

Rice is a fast food chain that serves riceballs stuffed with your own choice of ingredients. You also get to choose what kind of rice you want to use. Everything is organic and super healthy for you. I wish they had this in the states. One day.

Next up: Lamma Island

Hong Kong 2006: Yung Kee

maggie — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:27:00 +0000

This was the day that we decided to splurge on food so we had set aside a budget of $30 USD per person for dinner. We met up with two other friends in front of Yung Kee Restaurant, one of Hong Kong's most famous restaurants. Their clientele is odd a mix of tourists, family, and corporate professionals. Yung Kee is famous for their Chinese Roast Goose. I love Chinese BBQ and I've never had roast goose before, so I was super excited about tonight's meal.

Rona and I arrived at the restaurant a little early so we spent the time admiring all of the beautiful roasted meats hanging on display behind the front window. Yung Kee prides itself on their roast meats, so instead of putting their kitchen in the back where no one can see, they designed their restaurant so that the kitchen is in the front to tantalize all the passerbys.

Fast hands preparing roast goose for plating

Once inside we had to wait an additional 30 minutes to be seated, even though we had made reservations days before. That was kind of frustrating, considering the fact that we could smell all the tasty dishes passing by us.

finally, we were seated. Immediately, we were offered a plate of Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger, one of my most favorite dishes. The only other person at the table who was brave enough to try the dish was Rona. She only had a bite, so I had the whole dish to myself. YUM!

1. Preserved Duck Eggs with Pickled Ginger - Definitely an acquired taste. The brown jellied part of the egg has no taste but the flavor is all in the yolk. The yolk is the color of a dark emerald green. The center of the yolk is a little runny. It looks like it's rotten but it's actually been preserved for several months in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw. The taste is a little difficult to describe. It's kind of like a very mild soft cheese with a slight metallic aftertaste that sneaks up your sinuses like wasabi does. I love it!
2. Roasted Goose - Man, this was cooked so wonderfully. The meat inside is juicy and the skin is thin and crispy. Goose tastes similar to duck, except not as gamy or fatty in flavor. Goose meat is extremely mild in flavor. Although, this dish was very good, I still prefer duck over goose. I missed the intense flavor of duck.
3. Seasonal Vegetable with Mushrooms - This season's vegetable was Baby Bok Choy with Enoki Mushrooms.
4. Sauteed Fillet of Garoupa and Vegetable.

Overall I thought the meal was good but not particularly mind-blowing. They have a separate menu that offers some of their award winning dishes but this option had to be ordered at least two days in advanced. Besides, it was way out of our price range. I will definitely try this menu the next time I visit Hong Kong when I have a little more cash.

After dinner, Rona and I had a craving for some sweets and headed over to XTC Gelato. Gelato is apparently the new dessert craze in Asia. XTC Gelato serves the best.

1. XTC Gelato Shop.
2. I had Hazelnut and Chocolate Gelato.
3. Rona had Guava and Passionfruit Gelato

A perfect way to end the evening.

Next up: Lan Tau Island.

Hong Kong 2006: Sightseeing

maggie — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:34:00 +0000

Art installation at the Star Ferry Pier - Hundreds of photo-copied images of the pier were hung and displayed with the image of the clock tower cut out of them.

Star Ferry has been providing ferry service since the 1880s across Victoria Harbor, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Even though there are other ways to get across the harbour (i.e. the MTR), Star Ferry still remains to be the fastest, most efficient, and cheapest way too get across. The boat is small so it's fairly rocky. If you are prone to sea-sickness, I would not recommend that you take the ferry across. The ride is about ten minutes. I started to snap photos and before I knew it, we were already on he other side. The Star Ferry has become one of the icons of Hong Kong heritage in the eyes of tourists, much like the Staten Island Ferry is to NYC.

On November 11, 2006, the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier in Central ended its mission, along with the big clock tower. The pier will be demolished to make way for reclamation but the ferries will continue to run from other locations. Luckily for us, we got to ride the ferry from the pier just in time before it closed down.

1. Star Ferry boat.
2. Seats inside the ferry have swinging backs so that you can sit facing forward or backwards. Ingenious!
3. A happy sailor in his very cute Star Ferry uniform.

Once across the harbour, we headed over to Can.teen for brunch, located in the IFC building. It was recommended by our guide book, Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau by Steve Fallon. Every tourist we saw had a copy of this guide book. We highly recommend it!

1. Can.teen inside the IFC mall.
2. BBQ chefs.
3. Can.teen interiors - This place is actually a lot bigger than what is pictured here. Try four times as big.

Can.teen is an upscale fast-food, cafeteria-style joint. They specialize in Chinese BBQ such as Roast Pork, Duck, and Goose. Everything else on the menu is kind of mediocre and not recommended. Stick with the BBQ and you'll get more bang for your buck.

1. I ordered Two BBQ meats (Pork and Duck) over Rice with Vegetables - Awesome and cheap!
2. Rona ordered Noodles with Shrimp in Cream Sauce - The title on the menu was very misleading. The "noodles" are actually fettucini noodles. It was a straight-up Italian dish. Kinda bland tasting.

After filling up our bellies, we exited the building and saw some amazing views of the city along these covered walkways that interconnect between major buildings in Hong Kong.

Here are some city landscapes captured from these walkways:

Afterwards, we headed to see the Central-Mid-Levels escalator system, the longest covered elevator system in the world.

The escalators were built in 1993 to ease congestion of the zigzagging roads going up and down the steep slope by car. Apart from serving as a method of transport, it is also a tourist attraction and has many trendy restaurants, bars, and shops lining its route.

Midway through our ride up the escalators, we stopped by the cutest and tiniest of restaurants, Lan Fong Yuen.

Check out the seating arrangements!

We wanted to sit up in front but the seats were obviously occupied at the time, so we headed through this tiny entranceway on the side that lead us into this tiny hobbit-hole of a restaurant filled with locals. The place is known for its BBQ pork burger and strong tea and that was exactly what we ordered.

So delicious!

Now, time for some sweets! We decided to walk all the way from Mid-Levels to Sheung Wan for a tasty treat inside Western Market, the oldest surviving market in the city.

Since the moment I arrived in Hong Kong, Rona could not stop talking about these magical desserts. The shop is called Honeymoon Dessert and they specialize in these crepe-covered, custard and fruit-type of cake. It's nothing like I have ever seen or tasted before. It sounds like it should be a heavy dessert but it's quite the opposite. These cakes are light as a floating cloud puff.

1. Crepe Cake with Mango Filling - SO AWESOME! The mango was perfectly ripe and sweet. The cream/custard filling is air-whipped and light.
2. Crepe Cake with Durian Filling - I've never tasted durian before. Durian is a very popular rancid smelling fruit in Southeast Asia. If you can get past the smell of dead rotting flesh, you can easily get addicted to it pretty fast. Unfortunately, our durian filling was not ripe. It tasted exactly like pureed raw garlic. We were burping up durian rot throughout the rest of the night. It was so foul. Next time, I will try durian when it's ripe.

At this point, we decided to head back to the Kowloon side of town to catch the daily Hong Kong building light show, A Symphony of Lights. The show showcases 33 key buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. The lights dance between buildings and is synchronized to wonderfully cheesy synth music. Now I understand why the Asians love Vegas so much.

We were exhausted from the day's events and headed back to our hostel but before we could say goodnight, we went around the street for a quick late night snack, fishball street vendor food.

I was disappointed to see the lack of street vendors in Hong Kong. My best friend's mom (a Hong Kong native) suggested that I should try all of the street vendor foods because they were the best. Then again, she hasn't been back in Hong Kong in 30 years! This corner stand was the only one that we found near us. The fishballs were good but everything else was mediocre.

1. Fishballs, shrimpballs, bacon-wrapped hot dogs... Oh, my!
2. Curried fishballs, crabballs, crab roe dumplings, etc.
3. Our balls were fried before our eyes and presented to us in a paper bag.
4. They also sold Takoyaki, Japanese style octopus balls which I was very excited about since it is one of my all-time favorite foods. Unfortunately, these SUCKED!!!! Note to self: only buy Takoyaki made by the Japanese.

Next up: A visit to one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong 2006: Shopping

maggie — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 11:55:00 +0000

Today was the dedicated shopping day. We wanted to get the shopping done early so that we wouldn't have to worry about it last minute. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, Hong Kong is a shopaholic's dream. Every brand name retail store in the world can be found here in this city. Prices aren't as cheap as they used to be since the value of the US dollar has declined. Bargainhunters should take note that the sale season is around June and October.

First things first, we had to purchase an Octopus card to save on public transportation. The transit system in Hong Kong is called the MTR. The cost of your fare is calculated based on the distance of your journey. The MTR is very similar in design and structure to the London Underground. It's amazingly clean for a city that's so dense in population.

We immediately headed over to one of our favorite stores, MUJI, a Japanese retail company that specializes in household goods. I first discovered this store while I was studying abroad in London in 1999. At the time, MUJI's product line included stationery supplies and a small clothing line. Now, they sell food items, kitchenware, household goods, and furniture in addition to their expansive line of office supplies and clothing for men and women.

We spent about three hours in the store, making sure to inspect every square inch so that we would not miss a single item. We stay so long that the security guard was getting suspicious so I decided not to take any pictures. Finally, we checked out at around 4pm and headed over to the other stores.

At one point of the evening we ended up at some high-end supermarket and found this:

Japanese square watermelon. Amazing!

All this amazing gourmet food was making us hungry. We headed over to an organic vegetarian restaurant in Causeway Bay, Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine.

The dishes here are served dim sum style. Unfortunately, it was just the two of us at dinner today so we were not able to sample a lot of the food that had to offer. Here are the dishes that we ordered.

1. Shredded "Chicken" with Green Bean Sheet - This didn't taste very much like chicken but it was still very good. It's very much like a cold noodle salad.
2. Broiled Eggplant Rolls - These rolls were more deep-fried than broiled. It was a little greasy for a vegetarian dish, especially when accompanied by the chunky tomato-based sauce.
3. Vegetarian "Ham" Rolls wlth Bok Choy - This dish was unforgettable. I love mock meat and this dish did not disappoint. Root vegetables are wrapped with mock ham in a sheet of seaweed and smothered in a sweet sauce. Delicious!

After dinner, we headed over to Mong Kok where all the young hipsters hang out at night.

A familiar sight: Mr Softee, HK style

Apparently, Mong Kok is the place to shop for their rock-bottom prices. We ended up at a shopping arcade. I think it might've been called the Argyle Centre. There must've been at least 100 mini-stores or stalls inside the mall. It was great! We stayed there until the shops closed at 2am.

1. Mong Kok streets at 2am on a Tuesday morning.
2. A large crowd gathering around a storefront to catch a glimpse of the newly released DVD of Slither

New York is known as the city that never sleeps. I beg to differ. Hong Kong is just like New York but five times as intense. The streets are packed at all times. Retails stores are opened until 2am, some till 4am. A lot of the best local restaurants are open 24 hrs. It's awesome!

Still, I love New York.

Next up: Sightseeing

Hong Kong 2006: First 24 Hours

maggie — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 10:16:00 +0000

A lot of people who travel to Hong Kong come to shop. I came to do one thing only - eat massive amounts of really good food.

For breakfast, we headed around the corner from our hostel to Happy Garden Noodle & Congee Kitchen. This restaurant quickly became one of our favorite spots. It's fast, friendly, clean, and cheap!

Hong Kong has a population of nearly 7 million people. When you're in a city where the population is so dense, you learn to share the same space. In a busy restaurant like Happy Garden Noodle & Congee Kitchen, you are expected to share a table or booth with other strangers. For most travelers, this might seem uncomfortable at first. There are a few Chinese restaurants in NYC that seat their customers this way. I grew up eating in these restaurants so I am completely used to it.

Restaurant etiquette: When you are ready to order, don't expect a waiter to come over to you. You have to be aggressive and call for their attention.

Here are a few samples of some of the dishes we had during our entire stay in Hong Kong.

1. Egg Noodles in Broth with Shrimp Wontons - Less than $3 USD. Holy moly, what a bargain! They didn't skimp on the shrimp either. Most shrimp wontons have a minced shrimp filling inside but these wontons were stuffed with three whole pieces of shrimp.
2 & 3. Beef with Ginger and Scallions over Dry Noodles, Soup on the side - The ginger and scallions were amazingly fresh. This dish is a good alternative when you don't want soup. Oyster Sauce and Chinese Broccoli are on the side. I like to mix everything together so that the flavors are well incorporated before diving in.
4. Congee - This is a classic Chinese breakfast dish. It's white rice cooked over a very long period of time. Salt pork and ginger is used to add flavor to the dish while cooking. When served, it's garnished with shredded scallions and roasted peanuts.
5. Rice Rolls with Shrimp - A classic Dim Sum dish. Three large pieces of shrimp are encased in steamed rice rolls, drizzled with soy sauce. I used to eat this everyday for breakfast in NYC Chinatown. Memories, at the corner of my mind...
6. Braised Pork over Rice - We walked in one afternoon and noticed that more than half of their customers were eating this dish. It was a packed house! When we asked a waitress what the name of the dish was, she told us that it was a house specialty and that it was not listed on their menu. To make matters more complicated, this dish was also available only during lunch hours or until supplies run out. I'm a big fan of braised meat dishes. This one was no exception. The pork was tender, juicy, and super flavorful. If you don't mind picking out the bones while eating this dish, it's well worth the trouble.

After breakfast, we immediately headed over to a mall across the street to meet up with our friends Judy and Vivian for dim sum. I wasn't kidding when I said that this trip was all about food.

We had dim sum at Super Star Seafood Restaurant. Many people consider it to be one of Hong Kong's top Cantonese restaurants. I was hoping to get my mind blown but I though that their dim sum was just slightly above average. Because they didn't have an English menu or dim sum carts, we had to order by memory. Luckily for all of us, we were all pretty familiar with a typical dim sum menu. I had a feeling that we might have ordered the wrong dishes. They had a line of cooks on the side in the front section of the restaurant, throwing fresh ingredients together right before your eyes. Since we were seated in the back, we missed out on a lot of great dishes. Here is a sample of some of the dishes we ordered.

1. Steamed Rice Noodles smothered in Brown Sauce with Chili Dipping Sauce.
2. Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Three Varieties) - This is probably the best presentation I've ever seen for shrimp dumplings.
3. Crispy Roast Pork - One of my all time favorites.
4. Fried Turnip Cake and Crispy Shrimp Rice Roll - The Turnip Cake was cold and didn't include Oyster Sauce that is usually served on the side. Maybe this is a Chinese-American thing? On the other hand, the Crispy Shrimp Rice Roll was friggin' outstanding! Minced shrimp is stuffed in a crispy dough and wrapped in a steamed rice sheet. It was awesome.
5. Classic Steamed Shrimp Dumplings.
6. Shumai
7. Hot Soft Tofu Dessert with Ginger and Simple Syrup - My all-time favorite dessert.
8. Mango Custard Dessert

But, wait! The eating does not stop here. We headed over to Hui Lau Shan, a local dessert chain for more dessert!

1. Take out counter.
2. Interiors
3. Kitchen.

This dessert chain specializes in mango desserts. My friend Rona kept on raving about it. I thought, "I like mango but how good can it be?" Holy moly. I wish they had this in the states. I'd choose this over Jamba Juice any day.

Glutinous Rice Balls in Mango Juice with Extra Mango

I was about ready to explode. We decided to head on over to the new IFC building to meet up with one of Vivian's friends, Jimmy, who worked on the 42nd floor. He told us that there was a spectacular 360 degree view from up there, even better than Victoria Peak.

The weather was amazingly clear this day. The air quality in Hong Kong is usually bad and smoggy but on this day it was absolutely perfect. What luck!

To the left is the famous Bank of China building. At night, the building lights up with animated geometric patterns.

One of the things that stood out to me about Hong Kong was all the bamboo scaffolding on construction sites.

The scaffolding is entirely made up of bamboo sticks and plastic ties. They cover entire buildings of this stuff. It blows my mind!

In the evening, we met up with one of Rona's best friends, Jone. We drove up to Victoria Peak to see the view while he ate a McDonald's dinner. Ha! Ha! The view from the decks were crowded with tourists, so Jone took us through a hidden hiking trail to experience the view in peace.

For dinner, we went to another friend's apartment for a hot pot dinner. They had purchased all the ingredients from a local supermarket. I had totally forgotten to take pictures of our meal because I was completely overwhelmed by the freshness of the ingredients. We had whole shrimp, fish balls, crab roe balls, sliced beef and a ton of veggies (which everyone forgot about). The crab roe balls were so awesome. They were so rich in flavor. I could cry just thinking about it. I'll never find this in the states.

To cap off the evening, Jone took us to a tiny local dessert shop. I was about ready to burst from all of the day's eating. Still, I could not help myself. I had to try everything.

1. Jung and Rona in front of the dessert shop.
2. Mango with Tapioca pearls (left) and Hot Papaya Soup (right) - The Papaya Soup was nothing like I've ever tasted before. It didn't taste like papaya at all but more like a winter melon. I'm not a big fan of papaya but I really loved this soup.

It was 11am when we got back to our hostel. I couldn't believe that we experienced all of this on our first day. If only I could live like this everyday. I'd do it in a second, if I had the money.

Next up: Shopping in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong 2006: The Arrival

maggie — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:08:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've posted a blog. As you can see, I've been a little distracted by Hong Kong.

I've been broke and jobless for a very long time. So how did I end up spending ten days in Asia with less than $300 in my bank account? Thanks to a very generous friend and understanding mom, I was able to make this trip happen.

Of course, none of this would've happened if we hadn't found airfare for dirt cheap. I scored round trip tickets to Hong Kong for only $350 by booking tickets through www.courier.org. When you sign up as a courier, there are a few limitations. Often you will have to fly alone. Rarely do they ever have two couriers on a given flight. Travel dates are on specific dates so you will have to be flexible. When courier companies are short of couriers for particular runs, the price usually starts dropping the closer it gets to the day or hour of takeoff. This is how I was able to get such a low price on tickets. I actually purchased my tickets two weeks before my travel date. When serving as a courier, you are limited to only one carry-on bag and one check-in bag instead of two. Sometimes you are only allowed one carry-on. The air travel courier is responsible for carrying shipping documents on international flights for a courier company. In exchange, you get a discounted, and sometimes free, air ticket.

I had a small budget of $500 for my entire trip. This allowed me only $50 per day. This budget includes lodging, food, and transportation expenses. The biggest priority for me on this trip was to experience Hong Kong's culinary delights. I wanted most of my budget to go towards food expenses, so we opted to stay at a hostel to save money. We booked a private room that included two twin beds and a private bathroom for less than $11 a night per person at the Traveler's Friendship Hostel in Kowloon, also known as "USA Hostel" and "New Garden Hostel". We figured that they do this to purposely try to confuse traveler's so that they all go to the same place.

I went to meet my traveling buddy Rona as soon as my plane landed. We didn't get to our hostel until midnight. Our hostel is located in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is at the central part of Hong Kong. It's like the equivalent of staying on Canal Street in NYC. And like Canal Street at midnight, it can get kind of shady. Our building, Mirador Mansions, was the shabbiest looking one on the block.

Immediately, I noticed a lot of shiesty looking men hanging around outside our building. I could feel their hungry eyes burning through the back of my head as we entered our building. Fortunately, our building was staffed with several security guards. Everyone is required to sign in with a passport or ID number after 10pm. We realized later that the men outside were shopping for prostitutes, most of whom are from India and mainland China. Sometimes these prostitutes would bring these men into our building to "conduct their business". It's kind of scary at first because we ride the same tiny 4 x 4 square foot elevator but you get used to it after a few days. What can I say? You get what you pay for.

1. The inside courtyard of our building, Mirador Mansion, most of which is residential. This is old-school apartment-style living.
2. A glimpse of our private bathroom. It includes a western-style toilet, a tiny sink with a shower hose attached to the faucet. The entire bathroom itself is a shower. There is a big drain on the floor.
3. Rona's bed was an actual full sized bed. It took up about 50% of the room. Our room was 6 x 6 square feet in size with no windows. The room included an air-conditioning unit and a ceiling fan to compensate for the lack of ventilation in the room. We had to store all of our things under our beds because we had very little walking room.
4. My bed, a twin. Our room included a small TV that had little reception and a telephone (includes free local calls). Pretty good for $11 a night!

More to come soon.

Thank Goodness For the Good Souls

maggie — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:33:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, my concert-going soulmate flew to LA from NYC to see Starsailor perform at the Troubadour two nights in a row. Hanging out with her reminded me of how much I miss going to shows with a fellow girlfriend. Fortunately for me, T and I share the same music interests, but it's not the same because it's no fun gushing over the boys on stage with your live-in boyfriend. Plus, I am hardcore when it comes to getting hard-to-find tickets, arriving hours early to claim the best spot at a general admission show, and sneaking in digital cameras to videotape performances. Not a lot of people have the patience or determination to do all of this but I do this for almost every single show/concert/performance I go to. It's an addiction and my concert-going soulmate understands because she's an addict, too.

It's hard to believe that it has been two years since I went to a show/concert with her. Starsailor at the Troubadour was the perfect show for us to reunite again since she was the one who had introduced me to their music when they debuted their album Love Is Here in 2001. James, the lead singer, was only 20 years old when we first saw them perform at Irving Plaza in NYC. Now, he is married with a 4 year-old baby girl! Amazing how some people grow up so fast.

Their set list for both nights included the following songs:

In My Blood
Counterfeit
Poor Misguided Fool
Alcoholic
This Time
Fever
Get Out While You Can
Love Is Here
In the Crossfire
4 to the Floor
4 to the Floor (Remix)
Tie Up My Hands
Keep Us Together
Good Souls
Silence Is Easy (Encore)
Walk the Line Cover (Encore for 2nd night with special guest vocals by Ed Harcourt)

Needless to say, the band's performance was stronger than ever. James really knows how to work the crowd... And the camera.

Starsailor at the Troubadour - September 29, 2006 (taken with my friend's point-and-shoot digital camera):

Starsailor at the Troubadour - September 30, 2006 (taken with my Nikon D50):

Now, if only I could find a way to get paid to do this crap.

I Heart Giant Robot

maggie — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:10:00 +0000

A couple of weekends ago, we went to a signing at GR2, Giant Robot's sister store, for the debut of the new Kramer's Ergot 6. Normally, I dread going to these social events because I am so shy and awkward around people I don't really know, especially those whose works I admire. However, I love going to Giant Robot because the people there are always so warm and friendly. Of course, I'm speaking of Eric and Martin, the masterminds behind the Giant Robot empire. Unfortunately, they were not there this time around so I was feeling extra awkward. It's okay. I had T by my side who had no problems mingling with Martin, Ron, and Johnny. It's nice to be with someone who can talk to just about anyone. It allows me to do what I do best: hang back and observe.

GR2: the best store/gallery in LA.

The events at GR2 tend to end a little earlier than most social gatherings because, let's face it, we are all getting old. As always, I was starving, so we decided to go next door to have a late dinner at Gr/eats, Giant Robot's own little restaurant/cafe. So convenient!

Gr/eats has unusual hours. They are almost always closed whenever I want to eat there. It's helpful to know that they are open Monday to Saturday, between the hours of 12-3pm and 5:30-10pm. Their menu is incredibly affordable, vegetarian friendly, and super delicious. Here is a sample of what we ordered:

I always start off with a glass of iced green tea (unsweetened). Note the small packages of simple syrup on the side. Why doesn't every restaurant have this?

1. Our meal began with a small cup of lentil soup which comes with every dinner entree.
2. Then came our appetizer: Fried Oysters. They were crisp on the outside and super juicy on the inside. A perfect way to wet the appetite.
3. Dinner entree of choice: Angus Beef Meat Ball Don. If you like meat, this is the way to go. The portions are huge and only costs $7.75!
4. I always leave room for dessert, especially for their Almond Jello. Definitely an acquired taste. It's mildly sweet with a hint of almond essence. A very refreshing way to end a meal.

Other dishes I have tried include their Fried Rice dishes, Seared Tuna Salad, Chicken Katsu Don, and Okra Rolls. All are highly recommended.

Gr/eats is a hidden gem. It's tiny and intimate. It makes a perfect setting for your first, second, third, and fourth date.

Never Enough Time

maggie — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 18:15:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've updated my blog. I've been preoccupied with trying to figure out what to do with my life. I think this is why I haven't been able to sleep all this year. There's too much activity in my brain, too much stress, too many things I want to do, and places I want to go. I have two more years until I am 30 and already I feel like time is running out. It's hard to feel productive when you are unemployed, broke, and living in a huge city where you know absolutely no one.

LA is a strange place. Time slows down dramatically here, so you feel like you have all the time in the world to do the things you want to do. Over the last two years, I've been living on little to no income. Still, I can afford to buy organic foods at Trader Joe's, go to Disneyland (thanks to the So-Cal Select Annual Passport), see movies at the Drive-In, and complete my stop-motion films.

My goal for the end of the year is to complete at least four shorts. I already have one down and you can see it here:

I am currently finishing up my second animated short entitled "Frogs, Toads & Love" written and co-directed by Barbara Parks in NY, a friend whom I have never met in person. The internet is amazing that way.

After that, I will be finishing up two music videos for my friend Imelda de la Cruz; the first is live action for "Do or Die" and the second will be animated for "Stay".

I guess this is why I like it here. For the first time in my life I feel like I can stop to enjoy the good things in life and know that I can still pursue my dreams.

The Fair

maggie — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:45:00 +0000

This weekend we headed over to The LA County Fair in Pomona. We went to the fair last year via T's truck but someone decided to be a dick and swiped his flaming eyeball antenna topper. To avoid being victims of petty theft crimes this year, we decided to join our friends and took the Metrolink from the gorgeous Union Station to Pomona.

Union Station at dusk

Union Station - one of my most favorite places to visit in all of LA. This station was built in 1939 and is considered to be "the last of America's great rail stations". Just take a look at how absolutely stunning it is inside.

This is the waiting area, one of my favorite places to read. They have these giant pleather thrones you can sink yourself into. I used to walk through this hall everyday when I commuted from Pasadena to Santa Monica for work. Seeing the beauty of Union Station made my daily two-hour commute bearable.

This is the main lobby of Union Station. It is closed to the public and only available for film shoots and/or special events. When you see it in person, it's like stepping back into time. Look hard and you might see a ghost or two.

Union Station was designed by the father and son team of John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, who also designed Los Angeles City Hall, and whose firm designed many landmark Los Angeles buildings from the late 19th century onward. The structure combines Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne style, with Moorish architectural details such as eight-pointed stars. - Stolen from Wikipedia

The Metrolink

Now, it's off to the fair we go!

The LA County Fair is open from September 8 through October 1, Wednesdays to Sundays only. General admission is $15 on weekends but you can stop into any Cingular Wireless store and pick up a ticket for only $9.

So what did we do at the fair? We watched animals sleep, of course!

There were chickens, turkeys, bunnies, goats, lambs, pigs, dogs, horses, cows... even water buffalos from Asia. The fairgrounds is the largest in the country. There's a section for each of the following: animals, shopping, food, rides, horse racing, concert arena, and competition areas. You do a lot of walking around.

Best ride at the fair: the 25 cent foot massager chair

The best part of the entire fair is taking a visit to Dr Bob's Handcrafted Ice Cream shop. They make possibly the best tasting ice cream in the US. All of Dr. Bob's Ice Cream have 16% or greater butterfat content. He uses only the finest ingredients such as Scharffen Berger Chocolates and Tahiti and Madagascar vanillas. What I like best about Dr. Bob's is that the ice cream leans to the flavorful side as opposed to sweet. My favorite, hands down, is the "Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar" Ice Cream and I don't even like strawberry ice cream! There's only one other ice cream flavor that is better: Greg's "Roasted Marshmallow" Ice Cream in Toronto. The difference is that Dr. Bob's is consistently good, especially with unconventional ice cream flavors. Last year, I tried their "Walnut" Ice Cream. It was light, refreshing, and delicious. I hate walnuts but I friggin' loved this ice cream!

Dr. Bob's Ice Cream is extremely hard to find in stores. Once they come in, they quickly sell out. Believe me, it's that good. Thank goodness you can order them via mail order. You would never know through their catalogue but Dr. Bob has created over 60 ice cream flavors, including sorbets, sherbets, and non-fat yogurts. Unfortunately, you can only order their most popular flavors through the mail. This is why we go to the fair, to experience the rarer Dr. Bob's Ice Cream flavors. Some examples include: Creme Fraiche, Lemon Curd, Chunky Peanut Butter Vanilla Swirl, and Raspberry Cabernet.

As the day came to a close, the crowds got larger. I guess this is the time when all the drunks come out to party. As we were leaving the fairgrounds we saw a guy with a t-shirt on that read "Laugh, so I can see them bounce." Still, it didn't beat the shirt that we saw on sale in the shopping area of the fair:

A Movie and a Rant

maggie — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 07:28:00 +0000

Inside the main theatre on the Paramount lot.

What's better than watching blockbuster movies with LA's biggest geeks at The Grauman's Chinese Theater on opening night? Better than going to the now defunct $3 movie theatre at One Worldwide Plaza in NYC after school on a half-day? Watching crappy movies for free at the Paramount lot, that's what!

If you are one of the lucky few who either works for or knows someone who works for Paramount Studios, you know what I'm talking about: the plush EZ Boy seats, the giant screen, zero commercials or slideshow advertisements, no sticky floors but only thick, plush carpeting under your feet. The best part is that it's all FREE! It's like watching a movie at some billionaire's house. It's quiet, impeccably clean, and gorgeously designed. Once the lights go down, the magic begins. No ads. No trailers. Just the movie. It's the way it should be.

Of course, not just anyone can access the main theatre on the Paramount lot. Screenings are only open to employees of Paramount Studios, plus ONE guest. Lucky for me, I have access to the theatre because T works on the lot. We try to take advantage of free screenings but unfortunately a lot of it is crap. I mean, really crappy, like "War of the Worlds" crappy. The best kind of movie to watch here are the ones you want to see but aren't willing to pay for. We did this for "A Series of Unfortunate Events", "Spongebob Squarepants, The Movie", and "The Last Kiss" which was the movie we saw last night.

What can I say? I really, really wanted to like this movie. I thought it was going to be a film about "the quarter-life crisis". Instead, it's just a poorly directed film about the pitfalls of marriage and the consequences of cheating. Plus, it doesn't help the fact that I have serious problems with Mr. Braff being labeled as the voice of our generation with his directorial debut, "Garden State". To top it all off, they are using his popularity with the kids to advertise "The Last Kiss" with a byline of "a film by Zach Braff" as if he has directed it. UGH! It's all so annoying.

Now, I admit that I am player-hatin'. I'm sure Mr. Braff is a very nice guy. He's pseudo charming in that non-threatening kind of way. I just don't like his films. Sorry kids! Just because you think you have great taste in music, doesn't mean that you should pepper your films with all your favorite songs of the moment. It just screams, "LOOK AT ME! I'M SO COOL BECAUSE I LISTEN TO KCRW!" It doesn't make you a good director. It makes for great mix tape making, not great filmmaking.

"The Last Kiss" suffers from the same problem I have with "Garden State", a movie that annoyed me to bits because of its incessant use of non-diegetic mood music. It was like watching a very long WB episode. I understand that Mr. Braff did not direct this film but I hold him partially responsible because (1) he served as executive producer and (2) he was directly involved with the selection of the soundtrack. Although the music was good, it took you right out of the movie. If you have to rely on the lyrics of a song to drive the movie forward, it's no longer a movie; it's a music video.

See, I have my own theories on the proper usage of music in film. If you care to read them, they are outlined as follows:

1) If you must use music with lyrics in them, choose only one or two songs, not an entire soundtrack. The best example of this is the infamous scene of Lloyd Dobbler blasting his stereo to Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in "Say Anything".

2) If you must insist on using more than one or two songs, get a musician or band to score the film for you. This way, everything is coherent. Examples include: Simon and Garfunkel for "The Graduate" and Air for "Lost In Translation".

3) The only exception to using multiple songs in a movie are films that take place in a specific place in time like "Diner", "Shag", and "The Wedding Singer". In this case, the music works because it's mostly diegetic sound, sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film, like a radio or a live band on stage.

4) What if you're not making a period piece? Place the source of your music in the world within the movie. "Pulp Fiction" is the perfect example of this. Remember the scene where Mia Wallace turns on the radio to dance to Urge Overkill's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"? OMG, so brilliant and unforgettable!

When a song is used non-diegetically (outside the world of the movie), the song becomes internalized. The audience is now forced to relate to the music because the focus is no longer on the film; it's shifted to the lyrics of the song. Thus, taking you out of the movie completely. This is a bad thing. Use a score if you can! Music should enhance the picture, not detract you from it.

OK, I'm done with my rant. I understand that some of you might disagree with my theories. Rules are meant to be broken, right?

Call me a traditionalist, purist, snob, whatever! I'm not the only one who's player-hatin'.

They Don't Call It the Gold Line For Nothing

maggie — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 08:12:00 +0000

Mission Street stop off the Gold Line at dusk.

The LA MTA had a crazy promotion this month. They gave away free weekly metro passes to anyone who bothered to send in vouchers through the mail. I received my free pass last week for the week of September 3rd through the 9th. I'd thought that I should take advantage of the free rides and meet up with my friend for Afternoon Tea at the Chado Tea Room in Old Town Pasadena.

Chado Tea sells over 300 varieties of loose tea leaves, most of which you can purchase online through their website. They also have two tea rooms located in the LA area that offer a complete Afternoon Tea experience "without a hint of snobbery". Chado Tea is especially popular with brides and mothers-to-be so make sure you call beforehand to reserve a spot for you and your guests.

Afternoon Tea includes a pot of tea (choose from over 300 varieties) and the following:
1. Four quarter sandwiches: Salmon, Mediterranean, Punjab, and Souchong Chicken.
2. Scone with clotted cream and fresh strawberries and jelly.
3. Cookie and a slice of cake. Choose from chocolate, carrot, and lemon bundt cake.

Looks can be deceiving. This is an extremely heavy meal. I usually can't get past the scones. Try to space out your meal over several hours so that you can finish your plates. This is a good place to gossip and/or play catch-up with friends. Afternoon Tea at the Chado Tea Room is priced at $15 per person. Save an additional 15% with the CityHero card.

After I parted with my friend, I took the Gold Line to Mission Street to hit the local farmers' market.

The Mission Street Farmers' Market happens every Thursday from 4PM to 8PM on Mission and Meridian. It's one of my favorite farmers' markets in all of LA (and there are a lot here). You can find the freshest organic fruits and vegetables here, all year round, thanks to LA's unchanging weather. Must buys include zucchini flowers, green garlic, and heirloom tomatoes whenever they are in season. They also have a ton of food stands here, serving such delectable edibles like old-fashion kettle corn, garlic french fries, fire roasted artichoke and organic rotisserie chicken.

Every time I'm on Mission Street, I have to stop by the antique store located just around the corner from the farmers' market. They have some amazing things at this store. Unfortunately, most of the items there are priced at exactly what they are worth... EXPENSIVE. However, last night we discovered a goldmine.

As I was browsing through the store, I noticed that they had acquired several boxes of someone's old comic book collection. I took one glance and noticed that they were selling the following in the "$5 per comic" box :

(from left to right) Raw Magazine Issue #1, #3, and #4.

Were my eyes deceiving me? Did they even know how much these are worth? Apparently not. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they were in near mint condition, complete with catalog, inserts, and this:

A handwritten note from Francoise Mouly.

But that's not all folks! We also found 1st edition single issues of The Watchmen, all 12 issues for only $1 each. They are not nearly as valuable as the Raw Magazines though.

Still... I left the store feeling very guilty and victorious!

Suds and Soda

maggie — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 06:18:00 +0000

Yes, this is an actual heart of stone we found on the beautiful beaches of Malibu. We are so G-A-Y.

What did we do for Labor Day? We did what all responsible, self-respecting, patriotic Americans do... we went to the beach!

Ahh, Malibu. Check out the eight-million dollar oceanside view. Pretty freakin' incredible, isn't it? Malibu has many beaches with 21 miles of coastline. The beach that we frequent the most is usually secluded, so I will not be disclosing its location. It was still pretty mellow, even on Labor Day.

But first, we had to stop by our favorite soda-pop shop Galco's to stock up on sandwiches and soda.

Galco's is an incredible place. They specialize in beverages of the "carbonated variety". You can find over 250 variety of sodas on their shelves, including Mexican Coca-cola, which has actual sugarcane sweetener instead of the usual high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten regular Coke. Galco's even sells old-fashion candies like Charleston Chews, Lemonhead, and Bubble Gum Cigarettes (I thought these were banned). What I didn't know is that they also sell kick-ass sandwiches.

Feast your eyes on the "South of the Border" Roast Beef sandwich. Trimmings include lettuce, tomato, avocado, hot peppers, and provolone cheese. I'm not a big hero sandwich type of person since 75% of the sandwich is mostly bread, but the bread they use is so soft. It doesn't scrape your gums like most crusty breads do. This sandwich is definitely a winner!

The sodas at Galco's are kind of on the expensive side, but it is so worth it if you know what you like. Expect to pay about $20 for 6 bottles. Here is a sample of what we purchased (starting with the worst to the best):

1. Dry Soda Lemongrass ($3.25): I am a sucker for great packaging so I got suckered into buying this soda. Look at how clean and refreshing it looks! WRONG. This soda did not taste like lemongrass at all. It tasted like the aftertaste of having your mouth washed with old-lady soap. GROSS! I took two sips and poured the rest out into the sand.
2. Fentimans Traditional Curiosity Cola ($3.35): This botanical soda is imported from England. Again, great packaging. I especially love the graphic of the dog on the label. They are not kidding when they say "botanical" soda. It kind of tastes like Coke with an explosion of floral flavors. Definitely an acquired taste. Not for me though.
3. Blenheim's Not As Hot Ginger Ale ($2.25): I am absolutely in love with this Ginger Ale. This is the best beverage in the world, hands down. Even though it is labeled as "Not As Hot", it is still pretty friggin' spicy. Feeling adventurous? Try Blenheim's HOT HOT Ginger Ale. I dare you not to choke upon your first sip. It's like drinking liquid wasabi. It goes straight up your nose.

Sadly, the creator of Blenheim Ginger Ale had passed away recently. Since his death they had slowed down production to only 30%. Last year I heard that they were going to stop production altogether. I hope this is not true because I will be very depressed. So, if you see Blenheim soda in your local specialty grocery store, stock up and send some to me!

Idiocracy

maggie — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 02:51:00 +0000

I'm trying really hard to like The Arclight but they are making it very hard. Everyone keeps talking about how great the facilities are and that it is worth the $14 because they don't tolerate bullshit like screaming babies and rude behavior. The best thing is that there are no advertisements. What I don't understand is that they only screen arthouse films, independent films, and dumb comedies. Rarely do they ever screen blockbuster films like "Xmen 3" or "Superman Returns". This doesn't make any sense to me considering that they have 14 auditoriums with the best light and sound technology. They are a reserved-seating only theatre with seats that are three inches wider than current megaplex standards. You would think that they would screen at least one of the Harry Potter movies there. Instead, they have movies like "Beerfest". BEERFEST, PEOPLE! Would you pay $14 to see Beer-freakin-Fest? It angers me so much.

The Arclight is exactly like the Angelika Film Center in NY (another theatre I loathe), just ten times bigger with incredible facilities, minus the rumbling sounds of the subways nearby. It attracts the same kind of people - pretentious, artsy-fartsy, rich scenesters. The only redeeming thing about the Angelika is the quality of movies they screen but the theatre itself is crap. The Arclight is the exact opposite - excellent facilities, crap films. What the frig?

Last night we went to see "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge at The Arclight to support one of T's best friends. Unfortunately, this film received zero publicity because Fox didn't know how to market it. T's friend didn't even know that the movie was opening this weekend until only a few days ago when he had dinner with the director, and he's in the friggin' movie! The premise is simple: an "average American" is selected by the Pentagon to be a guinea pig for a top secret hibernation program. Somehow the experiment goes awry and the subject wakes up 500 years later to discover that he is the most intelligent person alive in a society so dumbed down by corporate commercialism.

How hard is it to start the trailer off with, "From the creator of 'Office Space', 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill' comes..."?

This movie is supposed to be a satirical comedy but I found it really depressing because it's not far from the truth - the de-evolution of our sad society. I just kept thinking about all the Britney Spears and Kevin Federlines of the world making babies and "accidentally" dropping them on their heads (repeatedly) the whole time I was watching the movie. It's pretty obvious that this movie was a warning sign, a desperate cry from Mr. Judge telling us to wake up. I think that's why Fox had a hard time publicizing the movie. It is so openly critical about the role of mainstream media and the negative effects it has on our society, something Fox is so obviously guilty of.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed "Idiocracy". I thought that the first 30 minutes was brilliant but it started to lag once they discovered that he was the smartest person on the planet. Still, I'd recommend it to everyone. Go see it before it gets taken out of the theatres. It's definitely a film worth supporting, even though you might have to pay $14 to see it.

Dim Sum, Anyone?

maggie — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 19:53:00 +0000

That's not a drumstick! Those are breaded shrimp dumplings on sugarcane sticks with mayo.

NBC Seafood in Monterey Park kicks Empress Pavilion's ass in dim sum.

Ever since I moved to Highland Park, we would always go to Empress Pavilion in Chinatown for dim sum. It was convenient since Chinatown was only a five minute drive away. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad things about Empress Pavilion. It's super popular so you can expect to wait for an hour to be seated. The service is very bad even though there are a million waiters running around all over the place. The food is good but I often find myself searching for carts most of the time instead of eating. So, goodbye Empress Pavilion. Hello NBC Seafood!

Here is a sample of some dishes we ordered:

1. Sesame balls with sweet red bean filling
2. Pork ribs - cut up
3. Egg custard tart
4. Red bean custard with coconut milk
5. Pork buns
6. Steamed shrimp dumplings
7. Fried wonton with drizzled honey
8. Hot soft tofu in simple syrup - my favorite!

Hungry, yet?

We discovered NBC Seafood thanks to my friend Mary. I met her two years ago while working on this movie. Since the end of production, we made the effort to meet at least once a month with other fellow co-workers to explore LA and also to help network. If it weren't for bumping into my friend Dan during my first year here in LA, I wouldn't have landed a job working at WOT, I wouldn't have made the good friends I have made, and I surely wouldn't have survived in LA without those friends.

This is Dan. He has become one of my best mates in LA. I don't think I would still be living in LA if it weren't for him. This is the pure honest to goodness truth, so all you NY friends can blame him for making me stay. Dan is originally from NJ. We knew each other from animation class at NYU but didn't really become friends until I moved to LA.

Here is just a small testament to show you the awesomeness that is Dan. A few weeks ago, I received the news that he had recently proposed to his lovely girlfriend Sarah. His proposal involved a forgotten suitcase, a decorated garage, and a MARIACHI BAND!!! Need visual proof? Go here for images of loveliness. Might I suggest having a Chinese wedding banquet, anyone?

Love Is Here

maggie — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 08:49:00 +0000

James, I understand that you are tired. But quit looking at me with those bedroom eyes. You are making me blush!

I made a new friend today. She is a friend of a friend who had recently moved to LA from Dallas, TX. And like the rest of us transports, she is pursuing a career in the filmmaking business, writing scripts for feature films. We've been meaning to meet for a long time, but neither one of us had a car or even a steady job to afford a cheap meal. Finally, the perfect opportunity came by.

Starsailor was having a free instore performance at the Virgin Megasore at Hollywood & Highland to promote their new album "On the Outside".

We decided to meet earlier to grab a bite to eat at a nearby In-N-Out Burger, my favorite fast food joint of them all (even though they are not so fast which is probably why they would not survive in NYC).

The best thing about In-N-Out is that they use the freshest ingredients. Nothing is ever frozen. Their burgers are perfectly cooked, the lettuce leaves are crisp and cool to the bite, and their buns... oh, their soft, sweet, warm buns are always perfectly toasted and slightly charred with delicious grill marks. The thing that is unique about the In-N-Out Burger is that they use thousand island dressing in their "special sauce" and, oh my, is it tasty! I usually order the #1 which includes the Double-Double burger (with onions), fries (well done) and drink. All this fresh goodness for around 5 bucks.

My new friend said it best when she described LA as "one giant speak-easy". LA is full of secrets. In-N-Out Burger is no exception. They have an extensive "secret menu" that's actually not-so-secret to us locals. OMG, the fries (animal style) looks MAD GOOD! I will have to try that next time.

Life in LA

maggie — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:05:00 +0000

I used to be one of those native New Yorkers who had always expressed their hatred for LA whenever the opportunity came up. I didn't understand the relentless sun, the car culture, the strip malls, etc. I always thought that I would live in NY forever. It was my home, my first love, my heart. Only one thing could've taken me away from beloved NYC... him.

That was three years ago. Now, I can't imagine moving back. Since then I learned that life was bigger than NYC. That it didn't matter where you lived but who you lived with. I didn't matter if I was in LA, NY, TX, or KY. As long as I was in good company, I would be happy.

I still think about NY from time to time. The fireflies in the summer nights. Watching snowflakes fall inbetween tall buildings, illuminated by the bright city lights in the dead of winter. Randomly bumping into people you know on the street and making plans to meet up with them later. Making friends on your daily commute because you see the same people on the subway/ferry/bus. Red onions and sauerkraut on a hot dog (They don't have that here!) Taking your lunch break at Central/Bryant/Union Square Park. Stolen kisses at The Planetarium. The way the city looks from Hoboken's point of view.

LA has it's charms, too. Hummingbirds in your front yard. The sweet smell of night blooming jasmine lingering in the air. Taking naps on the perfectly manicured lawns at The Getty. Watching double-feature movies from the bed of a pick-up truck at the Drive-In. Picnics at Malibu Beach on weekends. Midnight movies at The Nuart. Disneyland.

I started this blog so that I could share my experiences with my friends, family, loved ones, and anyone else who is curious about my life in LA. It's also an experiment, an excuse to exercise my writing/photography/design/animation/communication skills. I hope that you will be entertained.

So, let us begin with a little look into my private life.

This has been my home for two years now. I share my home with my boyfriend, two cats and one big dog. We live in Highland Park. It's a neighborhood that is inbetween Downtown LA and Pasadena. Our block is quiet, although occasionally you can hear gunshots fired in the middle of the night. Our area used to be called The Black Hole because of all the drug addicts and dealers who lived in the neighborhood. Notice the bars on our windows, the metal caged door, and gated fence? Our house is protected like a fort, even though there is no need for that kind of protection now.

This is what our house looks like from the inside. One bedroom, one bathroom with a separate tub and shower, living room, kitchen, dining area, utility room with washer and dryer. Lots of storage space, as you can see. Still, we have too many things. Eventually, I would like to display all my collectible items properly on shelves and put up original artwork on our walls but that kind of stuff takes time and money, so those things will have to wait.

This is my favorite part of the house, the kitchen. Our kitchen is well stocked with every piece of equipment imaginable. Kitchen Aid? Check. Ice Cream Maker? Yep. Fish poacher? Got it. Our house came with the Cadilac of antique stoves, a 1940's mint green Gaffer & Staffler. It has a rotisserie oven, a standard oven, a griddle, an automatic shut off timer on a burner (perfect for making tea), and a temperature degree control burner (perfect for making candies). I am in love with it so.

This is our driveway. Our house is not actually a house, but a triplex. In NY, a triplex is a three-story apartment. In LA, a triplex is a three-unit apartment complex. We're lucky to have really awesome neighbors. They are the kind of neighbors that will leave a bag of tennis balls at your door because they know your giant dog is obsessed with them.

She is 108 lbs of WOOF! Anyone who tries to break into our house is stupid. She will destroy you with her jaws of steel.

This is what our back lot looks like. Only one of the three garages is available for our use. This is where I shoot all my stop-motion shorts. I can only shoot at night when it is dark because the light leaks are pretty bad. I've always wanted to host a mini film festival of animated shorts in the back lot. I have a collection of 16mm shorts that I have collected over the years. All I need is a good 16mm projector and a large white sheet to project the films on. Kids and dogs are invited.

See this dirty shit-brown car. It's mine and I love it! This car got handed down to me for free from my boss' wife so I have no complaints. The honk and the turn signals don't work and the foam in the interiors are all rotted out. I thought about submitting my car to MTV's Pimp My Ride but I don't think I want to go there. I'd rather stick to driving my shit-brown car. I might just make it a personal project and mod it myself. I've already purchased a Weezer license plate frame to make it more "me". But first, I need to work on getting my learner's permit so that I can learn how to drive it.

So you are probably wondering, "If you can't drive, how do you get around in LA?" The LA MTA, of course!

Fortunately for me, our house is within walking distance of the Metro Gold Line. The Gold Line is probably the best rail to ride because the views are amazing. It runs between Downtown LA and Pasadena. Most of the places I frequent the most are along the Gold Line stops, so it is especially convenient for me.

This image is part of the path I take on my way to The Gold Line. I always feel like Alice In Wonderland whenever I walk under these trees. It is a daily reminder that LA is loaded with hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. You just have to go out and find them.

On the other side of the path is our local public park. It runs alongside Figueroa Street, which is part of Historic Route 66.

This is my beloved Gold Line. I would not survive this town without it. Can you see the mountains in the distance? Turn around and you will be able to see the gorgeous view of Highland Park:

Life is pretty good. Hope you will come visit me one day.