Wong Fu Spring Tour at Columbia University

Last night, I went to a Wong Fu Productions presentation at Columbia University, where the company shared stories of how they got started in the film-making industry, showed recently completed new videos, and answered some Q&A from the sold out audience. I’ve been a huge fan of Wong Fu since my college days, and was excited to finally meet them in person!
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A little background on the company: Phil, Wes, and Ted are the guys behind Wong Fu Productions, and they met during a film class in UC San Diego. They decided to turn their hobby into a long-term career, choosing to start an independent film productions company after graduation. Highly prolific and diverse, the trio now creates music videos for up and coming new artists, collaborates with YouTube personalities on entertaining webisodes, and produces their own written feature films – all this, and they also design and sell graphic tshirts and Awkward Animals stuffed animals! They have an ever broadening fan base (particularly with young Asian Americans who identify with the characters portrayed in their videos), and have garnered recognition from the likes of CNN and the Cannes International Film Festival.

Their video content range from the funny and quirky to sentimental and touching. It just shows how versatile they can be, making videos on funny topics like “What’s it really like to brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack?” (a la Ke$ha) as well as touching storylines about friendship, relationships, and home.

Below are links to some of my favorite Wong Fu videos. These give just a flavor of the variety of videos these guys create.

- “A Peace of Home”
- “Dance like Michael Jackson” by Far East Movement and "Drift Away" by Magnetic North music videos
- And the one that started it all “Yellow Fever”

Much more than just random videos to pass the time online, Wong Fu videos are inspirational, not only due to their content but because of the drive and motivation of the people behind them. Demonstrating that Asian Americans can supercede and break past the stereotypes stuck onto us (kungfu-fighting, socially inept math nerds), Wong Fu encourages others to veer off traditional career paths and strive for something more creative. The routes to these occupations may be rockier, but ultimately will be more fulfilling than taking on a job just to please your parents or because it’s what everyone else is going into.

I have a lot of admiration for Asian Americans in the creative industry – whether it’s following your life dream of being a singer, dancer, artist, actor, media mogul, etc. As someone who’s still struggling to find my “calling" in life, it’s exciting to know that there are more ways to make a living than the customary paths we learn about through school and growing up. We don't have to be stuck if we don't choose to.

I’ll leave you with some pictures of the event. We were in the front row, about 6 feet away from the table!

Wes, Phil, Ted. Oops, Ted is blinking!

Kooba Sample Sale

For those in the NYC area, Kooba is hosting a sample sale next week from Tuesday through Friday!

About the company: The Kooba brand features unique and trendy leather handbags. Designs are fresh – modern but not too out there – and they also have work-appropriate classic pieces with more interest than your basic black bag. The style is very distinctive as it’s easy to spot a Kooba bag from the sharp angles / lines and unique designs. Koobas trend on the casual side and are great for coffee/movie dates, shopping day trips, and everyday activities.

Kooba holds a special recognition as the first sample sale I’ve ever been to. It was a year and a half ago, and having just moved to Manhattan, I was excited to participate in the serious discounts that New Yorkers enjoyed. I considered it a consolation prize for the ridiculous rent prices that people paid to live here.

I went toward the end of the sale so it wasn’t crowded but selection was limited. I still scored though with a dark silver clutch and an adjustable, wide belt. This was my first “designer” purse since most of the bags I had before retailed for less than $100. Kooba made me keenly aware of the affordable luxury designers – prices under $800 – eventually, this led to discoveries of Hayden-Harnett, Rebecca Minkoff, and now I am in love with beautiful purses.

Detail shot of the lovely texture and color

 Hard to tell here, but the back has three different positions you can "click" into

 I love this clutch and use it often with my black and gray-toned outfits when going out. It’s spacious too, and can even fit an umbrella! You can bet that when it’s raining and I’m heading out for the night, I’ll try to pick an outfit that matches the clutch =P The belt I actually have not worn yet, it might be a tad too wide for my short torso. I need all the elongating real estate I can get without a belt splitting me into two and looking smaller!

Action shot

More Kooba...

Some current favorites at the Kooba site

GODA Yoga: $35 for 5 Classes

After my intense fat-status vacation (and harsh couple of months of over-eating and over-working), I officially launched into a diet this week. Changing the way I eat and making more of an effort to work out are two crucial goals I've been meaning to tackle and after only 2 days, I already feel great!

Shopping for--and actually eating--healthier food is not as hard as I was expecting, but the working out part is a concept I constantly struggle with. Running outside works the best, but getting off work in time to get in some good sunset runs is not always a dependable expectation. Because of this, I've found instructor-led classes, such as, the beloved Bar Method, to be the most beneficial and effective.

Well, thankfully, timing is everything! Bloomspot, an online service that provides a limited supply of steals and deals in various cities, posted up a great deal today for yoga classes at GODA Yoga in Culver City. For only $35, you can purchase a set of 5 classes at the studio. I used to be more of a yoga enthusiast during my school days thanks to Berkeley's awesome yoga classes, but I haven't been going at all since moving back to LA. I thoroughly *love* yoga for its challenging, but calming workout. As such, I jumped on this immediately and can't wait to try out classes at GODA!

Maybe one day I will work up to trying some bikram yoga!

Clarisonic Brush Sales Galore

While in NYC, I tried Janice's Clarisonic brush and am hooked! As expensive as it is, I have never really thought of getting one before actually seeing it in action. Gentle and easy as ever to use (read more on her skin regimen), I couldn't help but order one of my own right away! I opted for the new Mia for its smaller handle size and lower price. With an additional 20% off from Skinterra, I also purchased the Delicate Brush head to minimize any irritation the brush might cause. The store is currently offering 20% off and free shipping on all Clarisonic products until April 30.

Another one of my favorite beauty sites, Beautychoice, is offering 25% off its Clarisonic stock. Although their inventory is more limited to the regular and plus versions, the PLUS Bundle is an amazing deal ($131 after promo savings). I wish I would've seen this before I ordered my brush! Use promo code: SONICGHD312 until April 20.

Janice's skin absolutely glows now and I want mine to as well! At her suggestion, I also ordered the Acne.org AHA+ and definitely love it more than the Alpha Hydroxy Souffle that everyone raves about--we ordered these back in school and my skin never adapted to the grainy cream. After more than 2 months of using the souffle, my skin tone and texture didn't improve at all, and the cream was just too harsh to continue using. I haven't tried any other AHA's since. Hopefully with my new spiffy Clarisonic brush and AHA treatment, I can be as diligent and careful as Janice so that I can finally get rid of those pesky post-acne marks.

East Coast Good-buys: NYC

Home, sweet home after an adventure-filled week with Janice and Jessica (of See Jessica Go) in NYC, followed by a short stopover in Washington, D.C. I can't believe my vaykay is already over! Having only been to both cities once before, it still doesn't fail to amaze me that there are just countless things to do and places to see. Thankfully, the great LA-style weather made roaming around even better (temps in the 80s in April? *GASP*). Although most of my trip was planned around indulging in the many yummilicious food offerings, the main excitement came from shopping, of course! Without actually focusing on making any big purchases, I came up with some great finds, nonetheless:

1) Project 234 (Mulberry & Prince in Nolita): A small, but humble shop, I was surprised to find some great deals here! After doing some more research on the store, it actually plays host to a bevy of local designers and focuses on soft blouses and dresses. We came in during a massive Yumi Kim explosion. I've always wanted to try the designer's pieces after seeing them prominently featured by Tiffany, but couldn't really convince myself to spend the hefty prices. It was more than a pleasant surprise to find that Project 234 was offering, on average, 60% off! Even better was that there were actually sale items in all sizes (yes, beloved XS and S were plentiful!).

Pictured above is the Shayla top, but I picked up a similar top in this print for only $48 (original price tag of $142). This will be the perfect flowy top to pair with shorts or skinnies for the summertime! Jessica also got the Elena dress for $78 (original price $193), which has a simple, but sleek silhouette (add a belt for a quick form-fitting fix). We were definitely excited about our good-buys!

2) Topshop (Broadway & Broome in SoHo): Of course, a trip to NYC would not be complete without stopping in at Topshop! I've definitely been wanting to check it out since its opening last year. Stopping by on a busy Saturday was a little overwhelming, especially during a photography event, so we didn't end up buying anything. However, two great features of the store was the Style Advisor element and amazing shoe collection (see photo to the left of Janice trying on one of the store's crazy offerings)! I definitely need to come back on a quiet day, with some time to really browse through the three-story megastore.

3) Century 21 (22 Cortlandt in Financial District): Oh bargain shopping... I am actually the worst person about shopping at these kinds of large discount retailers because my patience for rummaging and crowds is fairly low. However, Century 21 isn't that bad... It's decently organized and the two main areas I appreciate are the handbag and shoe departments. Having only packed a small carry-on suitcase, I desperately needed an additional travel bag to lug home (which will also be great for weekend overnighters). A LeSportsac Leigh bag was the perfect choice! Super cute and super durable, I've always wanted one. My favorite features are the sturdy handles and lightweight feel. C21 had quite a few available in different patterns for $59.99 compared to a regular price of $120.


After a long day of trekking through the NYC tourist attractions, I couldn't conjure up enough energy for the Women's clothing department, so no finds there. However, I did fall in love with some Dolce Vita sandals in the shoe department. I'm not very adventurous, so all I was looking for was cute and simple (and easily versatile for all kinds of outfits) and these were exactly what I need:
These Able sandals were on sale for $39.99 from $120! Such a steal! Why, oh why, are there never any 5.5/6's?! A few online sites, such as, 6PM, Endless, Zappos, and Shoes.com have them, but I'm sad about missing out on such a great deal.

I have to admit that the majority of my money went towards food, so I'm not too sad about not doing as much shopping in NYC as I originally planned. Plus, D.C. had some surprise finds that I was glad I stumbled upon! Will have to update on that next after I get some much needed sleep, sleep, sleep!

Anticipating New Nordstrom Rack Opening

Nordstrom Rack is coming soon to New York City, woohoo! I'm a big, big fan of the company - over the years, I've been won over with their extremely attentive and consistently awesome customer service, clean and spacious storefronts, and also, their outlet store, Nordstrom Rack, which carries merchandise from the department stores at about 50% or more off the retail price.

There was a Rack about 10 minutes away from the house that I grew up in, and my friends and I would drop by after classes to play around with the purses, shoes, accessories, etc. Over the years, I've realized what a goldmine it was and picked up a few items at great prices (this winter I got Hudson skinnies and a Swarovski necklace). Sadly, ever since moving to the east coast, I haven't stepped foot in a Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack as the closest store is in New Jersey.

But all that will soon change! The Virgin Megastore in Union Square closed down last year and speculation brewed that a Nordstrom Rack was to take its place. The store would compete with several other discount merchandisers in the area - namely, Filene's Basement and DSW, located a mere block away, but I think the Rack will hold its own (if not, fare better than the competition!). The products offered at the Rack are higher end and I hope the layout will be clean and well-organized... although it being Manhattan, I'm sure any semblance of order won't be maintained for long.

I received an invite for the pre-grand opening in May which renewed my excitement! Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and live music. 3 hours of shopping while tipsy, oh boy. Come join me in the festivities if you're in the area =)

Happy Feet - Heel Liners

During Christmas, Aldo was having a big sale and I picked up a pair of nude patent leather pumps. Aldo shoes aren’t offered in half sizes, so I sized up and crossed my fingers that I could make them work. Unfortunately, when they arrived, I teeter-tottered about in them because the foot bed was too large and my feet kept slipping out. Felt like I was 7 years old wobbling around playing dress-up in my mom’s heels! Even after putting in insoles, they were loose and my feet had to curl into camel pose to hold up the shoe. They were cute though, so I wore them out one night – only to end up begging my boyfriend to carry me back to the apartment!

After setting the shoes aside for a few months, I decided to look into heel liners to see if they could make the inside of the shoe smaller and consequently, fit better. No reason to let pretty shoes sit at home unworn! I went into the foot care section at Rite Aid and bought some Dr. Scholls’ heel liners (also on sale at drugstore.com). They’re adhesive sponge grippers that fit inside the concave back of the shoe, and the point is to fill out space in the shoe so that your foot shifts back against the back of the shoe and aren’t slipping out.

They worked great and made a dramatic difference! With the insoles and the heel liners, my foot now filled out the shoe much better and I had a solid grip in each step that I took. Now I could walk confidently in the shoes (well... still carefully, since they’re super tall)

Alternatively, toe pads can be used fill out the front part of the shoe to prevent feet from slipping. I tried these initially but there was still too much space. Aldo’s half size up meant business. Companies like Dr. Scholl’s and Foot Petals (I like their Sole Stoppers too) make great products to help with shoe problems.

Poorly fitting shoes strains the feet and increases your chances of tripping/falling/spraining an ankle. Pretty shoes can still be comfortable! On top of that, it’s a waste of your money to buy shoes that end up sitting in the closet. The good news is, there are lots of solutions to help ensure a great fit!