[Doing it Right] Yelping + Yachting Around Marina Del Rey

September 21, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as manifesting your own reality and thanks to social media, I firmly believe that each and every one of us is fully capable of doing so. Whether it’s attending the right events, donning the right duds, being up on the latest makeup tips or rocking out to the latest and greatest jams – sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Hypem, Soundcloud and Yelp. Over the past few years, we’ve essentially been watching sites like Facebook and MySpace – broad, umbrella social media sites that encompass the entire breadth of what you would want to share – dissolve into specialized verticals. If you’re shaking your head saying “No, that doesn’t seem right”, take these facts into account; in 2012 Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 Billion and last May Yahoo bought microblogging site Tumblr for about $1.1 Billion. Whether it’s to be part of the competition, or remove the idea of it by purchasing the competitors – both Facebook and Yahoo! seem more than aware that there are other verticals to conquer; so it only seems right to be jumping on that social media train with them and watching the journeys unfold! Now, social media (in my opinion) has primarily one of two functions – either individually promoted posts strewn across the interwebs in hopes that someone – anyone – will acknowledge them, or interactive and community building. Tumblr, for me, sits happily between the two as the perfect fusion of sharing and caring whereas sites like Instagram, Hypem and Pinterest rest their laurels on promoting your individual posts, siding more on the sharing and a little less about the caring. Yelp, for me at least, is on the other end of the spectrum – they’ve built an entire enterprise on helping people cultivate a “small town” community in a big ass city; exhibit (a): me in Los Angeles.

Over the course of my five years in Los Angeles I’ve developed quite the knack for being social media savvy – especially when you consider the fact I dropped my Communications major before the first week of college had started. Not to say that I hadn’t grown up around all sorts of cutting edge technology and extravagant modes of communication + connection, but compared to my close circle of friends it’s something that I’ve gotten to hone in on and develop on my own time as opposed to it being force fed down my throat. When Yelp surfaced a few years back, it was a resource – a way of determining what’s hot and what’s definitely not and to be honest, it fell more on the end of promoted posts versus community outreach. Back in the beginning, I was I guess what you’d call a ‘Lurker’ – I was a non contributing member of the community down to search some data and get what I wanted but somewhere, deep in the heart of my second year something changed: I found businesses – like retail boutiques and family owned restaurants – that I thought were either misrepresented or underrepresented on Yelp and I took it upon myself to start reviewing them. And then, well, it just kinda kept going…and going; what started out as a save-me-from-my-own-boredom style hobby fully escalated to being a Yelp Elite in ’11. What’s that you ask? Oh, just a collection of the nicest, friendliest foodies you’ll ever meet: we get to go to kickass events, try out tasting menus and explore the heart of our cities thanks to our amazing Elite Team Leaders but get something straight before you join, you gotta give a little to get a little – kapish? Over the course of a calendar year, I probably pen at least 100 reviews – yeah, I know what you’re thinking: that’s a lot of opinion! But I love it…I love telling stories and letting people in on the good parts of my life; I like letting people live vicariously through my proudest moments and my failures. Ultimately, it comes down to this – I love sharing, and Yelp has given me a great, warm and welcoming community to do it with.

My +1, with his flare

This past Monday, our Fearless LA Leaders took us out on the town to celebrate the amazing things that we’ve done and give us a taste of good things to come! Due to scheduling, time conflicts and availability I’ve only been to a handful of Elite events – of the ones I can remember, only a tasting at The Grill at the Beverly Center and a Spa Night at Blue Medi Spa. Truth be told, after I won their amazing Spa Package I had a heart-to-heart with myself and thought I’d rather sit a few out since I’d been so blessed with amazing luck and opportunity; but, when Yelp’s ‘Rock the Yacht’ event cshowed up on my radar there was absolutely no way I could say no – especially since there was a plus one! Ps. Ladies, take note – the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach – so, due to the transitive properties of math: being Yelp Elite is sexy, right? Right!

When Monday night came around I literally couldn’t sit still at work because I was so excited! One perk about working from home is that every half hour, I’d peruse my closet in search of anything nautical – I had snazzy stripes and a crisp color combination of blue, white and black in mind; and my closet delivered! We showed up to the Hornblower in Marina Del Rey around 6:30 and I’m so glad we did, the yacht was almost at capacity and it would have been beyond a shame to not get in. There was a hosted, open bar and so, so many vendors – including, but definitely not limited to: Bombay Sapphire, Hamilton Wines, Beach Pizza, Pork Belly’s Sandwich Shop, Krave Jerky, Balvenie Single Malt Scotch, Grants Scotch Whisky, Scott Cellars, B Sweet, Sapporo and Stella Rosa Wines. Needless to say, I left with a big smile and a full (and slightly tipsy!) belly. Kudos to Hamilton Wines, Beach Pizza, Grants Whiskey and B Sweet for finding permanent homes in my heart and a mega-huge thank you to Katie B, The LA Yelp Elites and Yelp in general for always putting on such great events with amazing crowds. Until the next one; xx!

The collection of Cheesecakes from B Sweet

The Winner: Glazed Donut Cheesecake

Sunset on the Marina

Happy Caturday!

September 21, 2013September 21, 2013Leave a comment

Weekly Dose of Wisdom

September 20, 2013September 20, 2013Leave a comment

[Doing it Right] Krewella’s Get Wet Tour with Candyland + Seven Lions

September 17, 2013September 26, 20133 Comments

This is the face of a girl who’s been battling the most ridiculously annoying cough and cold combination from hell for a week. I’ve sneezed more times than I could count and essentially coughed up my body weight; so, why’s she smiling, you ask? Oh, because she gets to do her second big show review in the history of ever. Whether you’re a new follower or you’ve been around the block with me a few times, I’m sure you’ll come to notice sooner or later that the passions I have in life are what makes my world go ’round. Music, writing, cats, beauty in the world, my boyfriend and our friends, sunshine and the good life – in any and every combination possible.

A few years back I was talking with a good friend of mine who continually maintains two jobs – one job being a pain in the ass but money in the bank, and the other the exact opposite: the only richness she got from the job was a feeling of pride. And my, oh my…isn’t that enough? Ever since then, I’ve thought about a two fold approach to what “work” is supposed to be. “Work” is what you do to support your dream job and as a writer for the renowned EDM Web-zine The DJ List I’m now a walking, talking example of it.

I’ve gone to the Palladium at least fifty times in the last two years, possibly over 100 times in my five year span in Los Angeles; but never have I ever stammered when I talked to doormen, and been so confused at a simple press ticket – what I kept forgetting was I got this job by being an avid and energetic EDM fan, not by letting my nerves get the best of me. Thank-fracking-goodness my boyfriend knows how (and when) to take control of a situation that’s slipping through my anxious little fingers. After stopping by the wrong booth, I finally heard the magic words I’ve been waiting for: Here’s your VIP wristband and your photography pass. What. If I died at that very second, which is in fact what my heart felt like it was doing, I would have died the happiest little bouncy kitty on planet Earth.

When we walked in, Candyland was rocking the stage with their OG swag and EDM style; their fusion of grimy Hip-hop, dubstep and electro house got the crowd jumping like crazy. From the rafters, it honestly looked like popcorn just going off in every direction. Not to mention, the duo – better known to their friends as Ethan and Josie – hail from Santa Barbara and know some of my college buddies; small, talented world, right? After their set was another 805 local, Seven Lions. There aren’t even appropriate words to describe how his music moves me – he takes chilled out trance and indie rock, pairs it with some of the most stunning synths and rumbles I’ve ever heard and simply put – the man makes musical magic. His set was effing phenomenal and after seeing him be the opener for Porter Robinson and Krewella I cannot wait to see him headline his own show; shit’s gonna get real!

Finally, after a palpable intermission where we refused to leave our spot on the dance floor – the house lights dimmed, the Volcano was unveiled and Jahan, Yasmine and Rainman took the reins at the DJ Booth; it was all uphill from there! Churning through hit after hit, the sisters interchangeably jumped to stage level to interact with their immensely diverse fanbase and feed off of each other’s electric energy. They went through their entire repertoire – Come and Get It, Live for the Night, Candyland even came out to perform their OG remix of Legacy – their song with Nicky Romero. This Chicago trifecta has worked with some of the greatest across all EDM genres and paid homage to many others that I’ve considered incredibly influential. Pendulum, Knife Party, Gareth Emery, Skrillex, Adventure Club, Nicky Romero, Fall Out Boy. No doubt this list is going to get exponentially longer as their careers catapult – and they’re still fresh on the scene!

Now, I can’t leave you without some jams to get you through the day so here are my current favorites from all three artists; enjoy!

[Oh, Snap] Street Art v8

September 12, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

The Wednesday Watercooler

September 11, 2013September 11, 2013Leave a comment

We’re here again – Wednesday, Hump Day – whatever you choose to call it, just be excited that we’re sitting smack dab in the middle of the week and are well on our way to 5pm on Friday! Considering it’s the twelve year anniversary of a very dreary day in our countries history, I’ve decided to keep this Wednesday Watercooler on the light, fluffy and ridiculous side. The only way we remain a divided nation is if we refuse to come together; so, for a moment today hug your family, kiss your friends, high five a stranger and share your life with someone new – trust me when I say your lives will be richer because of it.

Los Angeles Skyline at Night

Headline of the Week: “Two men dressed as Batman and Captain America rescue cat from house fire”

There are some things that I wish I could take credit for, and this headline is certainly one of them. Firstly, anyone who rescues a cat is a hero in my book – but when two guys dressed as superheroes actually step up and into their roles, it really gets me – gets me good. But don’t take my word for it – watch the video and enjoy that moment of “Awwwww”!

Best Web Redemption: Jimmy Kimmel Reveals “Worst Twerk Fail EVER – Girl Catches Fire”

Jimmy Kimmel has a great reptutation in the Entertainment Industry for essentially not giving a fuck what your reputation is. Going to Coachella? Jimmy and pals will demonstrate why half the people in attendance are douchebags. Want to punk your kids about eating all their Halloween candy? Jimmy has your back. The latest and greatest craze sweeping the nation is the ‘Twerk‘. For those of you that have happily avoided acknowledging what’s happening around the nation, ‘twerking’ is as follows – shaking your groove thing while bopping your hips back and forth.

Twerk has entered the Oxford English Dictionary, Miley and Justin Bieber have a new song about it, Diplo tried to set a world record at Electric Zoo with the number of participants and parents around the world are shaking their head in shame and praying for the days when square dancing was the cool way to move.

Well, Mr Kimmel has decided to more than capitalize on the latest craze: a few weeks ago, a video went viral where a poor, poor girl tried to twerk against her apartment door only to be thrown ass first onto a coffee table that was way too full of candles, glassware and other breakable things. Sure, I watched it on repeat a few times but I covered my eyes and thought twice before sharing it – thank goodness it’s a fake but put some new perspective on that Pharell and Busta Rhymes song – “Move Girl, Light Your Ass On Fire”

Good Lookin’ Out: 10 Most Amazing Facial Expressions of the US Open

The US Open is well under way and let’s face it – those Tennis players can effing hit! The only thing better than watching an overhead serve go right past the opposing player is watching the facial expressions they make when they hit the ball; priceless!

Makes you Think: “Floating in my Mind”

A few days ago I stumbled across an amazing Vimeo short that perfectly describes the human condition of connection – how we come across people over our lifetimes and each of them adds to our world and alters our trajectory. It’s beautifully done and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did =)

FLOATING IN MY MIND from GOBELINS pro on Vimeo.

[Artist Spotlight] Tomoko Konoike

September 10, 2013September 26, 20133 Comments

The other week I was going through my typical mid-week, 2-o’clock-feeling routine: grab a hot cup of tea, surf reddit and other news outlets for ten minutes and see what was going on in this fabulous world that we’re living in. After minimal scrolling, I found something that made me stop in my tracks – the amazing sculptures of Japanese artist Tomoko Konoike. Konoike is a graduate of Tokyo’s famed University of Gedai – one of the oldest art schools in all of Japan. Originally founded in 1949, the University was the result of merging the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and the Tokyo School of Music; both respectively founded in 1887.

Tomoko’s art takes on a life of its own as she introduces it within unique environments and mediums; often using herself as a reference point – whether it’s through manga, pop culture or Shinto animism – Tomoko truly embodies the breadth of Japanese art. Though the wolf is extinct in Japan, one of the most amazing things to me are the way she can capture their dichotomy of delicacy and death, of beauty and violence; essentially, they’ve become a spiritual allegory.

I’ve been staring at her works in awe since last Friday and I’m beyond excited to share some of them with the world. Tomoko primarily works with crystals, but employs different mediums – like using broken mirrors or drawing them with graphite. The end result is a creative, surreal look at the world around us. For you Californians – especially those of you up North – you’re in for a super special treat: Gallery Wendi Norris is currently hosting ‘Earthshine’, Tomoko Konoike’s American Solo Debut in San Francisco. Her work will be on display until October 26th so be sure to check it out!

Last but definitely not least – as much as I love using my own images I’ve yet to see one of Tomoko’s works live so I’ve scoured the interwebs to get the best shots of her work. And, as such, each picture will take you to another original post about Tomoko, her sculptures and her shows.