American Crime Story: The People Vs OJ Simpson

I think it's safe to say that everyone and their mothers was glued to their televisions when the whole OJ Simpson trial was happening back in 1995. Even if you didn't want to watch it, you would catch it because it was on every channel all day.   Now that a good amount of time has past, FX has invigorated our interest in the whole OJ saga with their American Crime Series - the People vs OJ Simpson.

They have an all star cast that includes Cuba Gooding Jr as the Juice, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. Selma Blair as Kris Kardashian and in my opinion the two best casted roles - Courtney B Vance as Johnnie Cockron and Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark.

The story starts at the beginning of the murder and shows OJ leaving his place and getting on a plane shortly after Nicole and Ron are murdered.  I will say that the series tries to be unbiased and let you decide things on your own. Obviously there are characters that are convinced OJ as guilty but it never comes out and says he's guilty.

I will say that the series is captivating and the casting was well done. At first I was unsure about Cuba playing OJ or  John Travolta as Robert Shapiro but as the story develops, you can see the method to the madness.  Both Cuba and JT are a little over the top but I think that's just the way they were.  Also it was hard to see Robert Kardashian as anything but Ross but all the characters are slowly coming into their own. I think it'd be unfair to judge the series by the first episode as many critics did.

Overall this is a great series that reminds viewers of all the chaos and drama that happened back in 1995.  Like the 1995 trials, this series will keep you glued to your televison.

How To Be Single - Movie Review

So this is something I'm actually pretty good at.  I've been single for most of my life.  I was slow to the whole dating game, I think due partly to how I was raised.  I remember being in the car with my mom when I was a maybe 11 and seeing a young couple making out on the street.  My mom looked at me and was like, I never want to see you doing that!

Another reason I've been single is that I am kind of picky.  In high school, I "dated" a few guys, which didn't mean anything when you're in high school.  It meant you occasionally went to dances and movies and sometime you held hands!  I remember not liking this guy after we ate In and Out and went to the movies.  His breath smelled like onions and I was honestly turned off. My highs school experience wasn't what you see in the movies or TV, but again this goes back to my upbringing. I know my peers were doing stuff and remember my friend telling me he got his girlfriend pregnant in the 7th grade.  This blew my mind! I couldn't even comprehend having sex at that age, let alone getting pregnant.

Got a bit sidetracked there, anyways back to the movie!  I went to watch this movie on V-day by myself because my single friends either didn't want to watch it or had plans with their other single friends to watch it.  My cousin/good friend wanted to watch it but she's married with kids so it'd probably be out of theaters by the time she could get some free time.

The main character Alice is played by Dakota Johnson, the chick who I thought was wrongly cast in 50 Shades of Gray, but that's another story.  Her two best friends are her sister - Leslie Mann who is a single doctor, and the hysterical and over the top Rebel Wilson. In the film, Alice breaks up with her college boyfriend in order to find herself.  She basically tells him this is a break to make sure that they are supposed to be together.  She moves to New York to start a paralegal job and meets Rebel's character Robin who essentially takes her under her wing in the crazy single life. (Enter the Samantha character, ala Sex & The City).   Robin essentailly shows Alics her how to flirt, drink and coaches her on landing a one night stand. After having that one night stand and doing the walk of shame, she decides she wants her boyfriend back.  But he of course has moved on so she's back to the single life. Alice is of course the Carrie of the story, if we are going to compare this to the mother of all single girls in the city show. Then you have her sister Meg, who is a bit older and more established in her career - a career in delivering babies.  Although Meg has convinced herself that she never wants to have kids, one of her patient's asks Meg to watch her baby for a few minutes while she goes to the bathroom and then decides she wants a kid. (Kind of like Miranda, who doesn't decide she wants a kid but instead gets pregnant and is reluctant to stay with her current boyfriend). Then you have Lucy who's a neurotic girl who's on 15 different dating websites and is trying to figure out the algorithms so that she can successfully meet her soul mate. (Much like Charlotte, she is on a mission).

Overall I will say the movie is entertainment and has some funny and good moments, but it never fully gets there.  While I enjoyed watching it, I wasn't particularly impressed with any aspect of the movie.  I'm sure that once its on cable and rerunning like crazy, I will watch it again and perhaps my appreciate will grow.

Faux Pockets

Just so we're clear, I am in no way a Fashionista, in fact I wouldn't even call myself fashionable. I wear what is comfortable and what I think looks good on me. I am not with the trends and usually wear things that are out of fashion.  With that said, I would just like to ask, what is with the faux pockets in pants.  My old job was pretty casual and I wore jeans everyday - some that had faux pockets and I never understood the point to having these.  You can't use them but because they are there, you will try to occasionally put your hands in your faux pockets.

Now that I am working in banking and have to wear dress pants every day and carry a badge, these faux pockets are even worse! So somebody please tell me, what is the point of having faux pockets?

East Vs West Part 2: People

Now that we got food out of the way, let's talk about the people.

I would say the big difference between the West Side and the SGV is the people.  I'm probably a little biased because I grew up in MPK but it's seriously very Asian and very Hispanic. Don't get me wrong, it's diversified quite a bit over the years but is still pretty Asian/Hispanic.

First and foremost, I think a lot of Asians migrated here because of this very fact.  They were able to come to this city that has Asian grocery stores and businesses where they could basically move to and never have to learn English.  A perfect example was my grandparents who were able to go about their everyday lives without having to speak a lick of English. The Asian people on the West Side are usually 2nd or 3rd generation or very "Americanized."  As I mentioned in the last post, restaurants in the SGV expect you to speak Chinese, they do not on the West Side. Some of them only speak English.   Ooh also, the Asian people are lazier/less obsessed with making money on the West Side.  Some places don't open until 11, whereas the SGV places open at like 6am or never close.  Why close when there's money to be made?  We can sleep when we're dead.

Another big difference is the driving, which is related to the people.  Anyone who has lived and driven in LA will agree - the traffic and most of the drivers suck!  But when it comes to East Vs West, the kind of suck depends on where you are driving. Now this will sound like I'm generalizing because I am. It DOES NOT, I repeat does not apply to everyone but this is what I've observed in my 17 years of driving and my 16 years as a passenger.  SGV drivers will signal and block traffic to turn into their destination no matter where they are.  SGV drivers will slow down to look around to see where they are going.  They will also decide at the last second that they need to turn thus cutting you off or almost hitting you. Or they will make a U-turn out of no where. Again I am generalizing so I apologize if I am offending anyone.  Hell I'm an Asian woman driver - the worst of the bunch!

West LA drivers are a bit more angry and aggressive. They will purposely cut you off, whereas SGV drivers do it because they are oblivious.  I had to switch lanes to get on the freeway once and had to get in front of this West LA driver once. He got so angry he first flipped me off then threw a small rock at my car. 

So the type of road rage I feel when driving in the East vs West is different.  I'm frustrated at different things - jerk drivers vs slow inconsiderate drivers.  Again this is just my own opinion. I mean no disrespect.  Thank you for listening. 

The Big Short - Movie Review

Since the Oscars are coming up, I always make it a point to see as many Oscar nominated films as I can.  This movie has been in the theater for a while, but I finally made plans to watch it at the New ArcLight in Culver City.  Although Arc Lights are generally more expensive (roughly $15 per ticket vs $10-11 at a normal theater), the experience/not having to wait in line is sometimes worth it.

So unless you've been living under a rock, you were around when the whole housing market/economy crashed in 2008/2009.  I remember this clearly because I had decided to go back to school and get my MBA so that I could advance quicker in my career in entertainment.  Little did I know that I would graduate in one of the worst times and never make my way back in entertainment.

The Big Short is about the housing market crash and how certain individuals found out just how corrupt the big banks were and tried to take them on.  It's another star studded cast that includes the incredibly charming and funny Ryan Gosling,  the incomparable Steve Carrell who has come such a long way from Michael Scott and the office and just a few other actors like Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Marissa Tomei.

First off, the movie is able to make banking and finance seem interesting, and as I just started a career in the banking industry, I have to say that is not an easy feat.  They break down explanations using a hot woman in a bubble bath, or stars like Selena Gomez and Anthony Bordain.  The film also has a lot of fun appropriate music that accompanies the story line.

Overall this is a great film that every American should watch to fully understand what went down with the whole housing crash and how irresponsible the banks were - just giving away loans like it monopoly money.

Hooray for Poke!

So I've always loved Poke but it seems like recently these Poke joints keep popping up everywhere!  I live in the SGV and previously I could only find Poke in bigger cities like Pasadena, DTLA or West LA. But now, there's a new Poke place coming to the Atlantic Square called Okie Pokie which I am super excited to try. But there's also Pokiholic on Atlantic in MPK/East La and Pokestuff on Main Street in Alhambra that I've recently discovered and frequent often.  Read my Yelp reviews of these places. I have also recently tried ahipoli bowl in Rosemead and Spinfish Poke House in South Pas (which some consider the SGV but I don't really).

If you love sushi, you're going to love Poke.  I'm always craving sushi but don't always want to spend +$20 to get 1 or 2 rolls.  Plus if I can't find a friend to get sushi with me, I can just get poke!  Bowls range from $10-15 depending on how many toppings you want. It really depends on the place, like Pokiholic lets you put like 5 kinds of fish and like unlimited additions for $10.99, and Pokestuff is more limited - you get 3 kinds of fish - but Spicy Tuna is a $1 extra.  One thing I really like about Pokestuff is that you can choose soba noodles as your base!  There's just so many options and I feel like I personally never get tired of poke.  I will say that the bases are just as important as the freshness of the fish.  I once had some awesome fish on stale brown rice and it kind of ruined the experience.

So we'll see how long this food craze lasts, but until then I will be having me lotsa poke!

East Vs West Part 1: Food

I grew up in a little Asian town called "Monterey Park" (said in a fobby voice) just on the outskirts of Los Angeles.  My family left Vietnam via boat (hence the phrase fresh off the boat), had a layover in Malaysia and was sponsored by a Christian family and moved over to the States.  They went to a town called Scranton Pennsylvania (where the Office supposedly took place but was actually filmed in a warehouse in the Valley),  and had my brother.  They lived as long as they could in the cold snow before deciding to move to California.  Someone had told them about a little down east of Los Angeles called the San Gabriel Valley where many Chinese were relocating too.  And the rest was history - I was born in Monterey Park's Garfield Medical Center and proceeded to spend the next 18 years there before going off to college to experience some diversity.  Mark Keppel, my high school was predominantly Asian and Hispanic with a few Caucasians and African Americans.

When I went to college (2 years at UC Davis and 2 years at UCLA), I loved the diversity. I joined a sorority at Davis called Alpha Chi Omega.  We were a pretty diverse group and this is actually how I got into Country Music.

I have lived in the Santa Monica/Westwood area whilst at UCLA for undergrad and Pepperdine for B-school and most recently in West LA for the past year and a half.  Now I am back in MPK to spend more time with my parents and while I work in DTLA.  But anyways, let's get down to the East vs West Comparison.

First and most importantly - food.   I have lived in Monterey Park for a majority of my life - there is an excellent variety of Asian foods - Chinese (Dim Sum, Cafe Food, Dumplings, Hot Pot, etc), Japanese (Sushi, Shabu, Ramen, Curry, Poke), Thai (Pad Thai, Pad See Ew), Vietnamese (Pho, Vermicelli Noodles, Seven Courses of Beef), Korean (Korean BBQ, Koren Tofu), Indian (Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandoori Chicken) and Hawaiian (Sesame Chicken, Spamaubi, Mochiko Chicken) and many of these places open early and close late.

On the West Side you get a similar aray of food but less options.  Most of the good Asian food is on Sawtelle. I know of one good dumpling place, one good Pho place (this is good but not great).  Roc has tasty dumplings but is not Din Tai Fung.  Nong La is good but its no Golden Deli.   You have more chain-like Hawaiian places, but the Japanese food is top notch, with "Little Osaka."  You got many really good options - Daikokuya (SGV check), Shin Sen Gumi (SGV check), but they also have Tatsu - which is pretty tasty and Tsujita which I tried once and thought was just okay but people obviously like it because the lines are insane. I may have to give it one more try...

So in terms of Asian food, the SGV probably has the West Side beat.  But in terms of service, West Side for sure.  Asians may be lazier and open later, but they are more friendly in general and most speak English vs some SGV places that are rude and don't always understand you or vice versa.  We also have our own video courtesty of the Fung Bros:

626 Young Wild & Free

For other food - SGV has a pretty good Greek place called John's Kabob but there are way more options on the West Side. But I guess if you open up the SGV to South Pasadena (which I don't totally agree with), we have many more options. I'm just talking about Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead and San Gabriel area. We have pretty good Pizza (Bollini's, Petrillo's and Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza).  We also have bomb Mexican food being so close to East LA.    Westside has good pizza although nothing stands out as really good.   The Mexican food is pretty good - I love Don Antonio's, and their Steak Houses like Mastros are pretty top notch.   Both have Boiling Crab (although the SGV has two within a 2 mile radius of each other - Main and Valley) and you have to venture out to traffic crazy Westwood to bet your BC fix in West La.  Speaking of Westwood, the Westside has Diddy Riese which is the mother of all cookies, so one point for the West Side.  In terms of dessert, I'd probably give it to the West as they also have Sprinkles, B Sweet Dessert Bar and Brian's Shave Ice where they have DOLE WHIP!!   There's a Blockheads in both locations but SGV has Fluff Ice and 3 Half and Half locations. For those who are unfamiliar, Half and Half is a super yummy boba place that started the whole huge cup phenomenon.

The whole boba conversation is a beast in itself and will be addressed in another blog post.