Food

How to Become Yelp Elite

5:42 PM

Yelp has been around for years and honestly, where would we be without it? I use it often to find restaurants in unfamiliar areas, to track new places in my neighborhood, and to offer constructive criticism to businesses. I remember hearing about Yelp Elite years ago, when a girl at my high school became Yelp Elite, and it felt like a very big deal. This belief was reinforced in my mind time and time again because every time I went to a food blogger meet up, it felt like the food bloggers who were Yelp Elite turned up their noses at those of us who weren't. After a brief search around Google on how to become Yelp Elite, I felt like there was no simple answer, so I did what I had to do to satisfy my curiosity - I went on a journey to become Yelp Elite.
And what do you know - it wasn't that hard. Within a month and a half, I became Yelp Elite. At that point, I had about 40 reviews in and maybe 2 dozen photos uploaded. Here's what I learned along the way:

  • Consistency is more important than quality and quantity it seems. I posted about 2 reviews a day. Each review was about 4-5 sentences long. This might seem like a lot, especially if you don't eat out often, but think of it this way: If you've lived in the same area for a bit, start writing reviews of all the past places you've tried.
  • Keep your reviews simple and friendly! No one likes a Debbie downer. That doesn't mean you can't be honest, but if all of your reviews are harsh, it doesn't look great.
  • I started to check in every place I went to because Yelp would then give me an alert, reminding me to write a review, and that helped me keep on track.
  • In order to become Yelp Elite, you need to nominate yourself on the Yelp Elite Squad page. I didn't know this until my local Yelp Community Leader reached out to me, saying I should apply. Your community leader manages the geographical area you're in, so the key to getting them to notice you is to try to post about places in your community. For example, instead of blogging about all of New York, focus on your neighborhood like SoHo or even just Manhattan. I think they're the ones, who ultimately decide if you get Yelp Elite, so getting them to notice you is important.
  • After nominating yourself, keep your eyes on your email (including the spam folder) for an email confirming your status and then you have to click to say you agree to the terms and conditions. That's it!
Once you become Yelp Elite, you get invites to Yelp Elite events, which are typically restaurants giving out free food. Some allow plus ones, some don't. It honestly changes with each invite.

Reading: The Rice Room by Ben Fong Torres
Listening: "The Scene is Dead, Long Live the Scene" by Cobra Starship

"Enter the Anime" Review

7:55 PM

Enter the Anime is the latest documentary to show up on my Netflix queue and as an Asian American, who grew up on shows like Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, and One Piece, I was interested in learning more about anime and how it is more and more so, being seen as a legitimate film presence in the West and is even becoming a topic of study.  I was excited to say the least. That is, until the documentary started rolling. From the second it opened, the filmmaker and host, Alex Burunova, admits that she knows nothing about anime (If a documentary's goal is to educate people, why have a host that doesn't know anything about the subject?) and the documentary continues to go on to interview Castlevania's Adi Shankar and Cannon Buster's Lesean Thomas. While I appreciated the documentary's decision to highlight anime's inclusivity, I thought it was odd that within the first 10 minutes of a one-hour documentary, not a single person from the country of anime's origin had even spoke.

But what made it worse was Burunova's ignorant and often racist commentary throughout the whole documentary. She participated in a centuries-old tradition of exoticizing and orientilizing a country she admitted she knew nothing about. (The documentary even seems to poke fun at how little she knows with her failed attempts at Japanese.) Even the shots Burunova chose to show of Japan played into tired tropes of Western understanding of Japan - crowded streets, girls dressed up as maids, Harajuku fashion, and most of all the foreignness of it. I understand that this documentary was one big push for Netflix to promote its own animes and therefore only included animes that it has the rights over or labels as Netflix originals, but damn, did Burunova really have to highlight only anime's more violent storylines? (Even when she included Aggretsuko, she seemed to focus in on the anger of the show rather than its relatability and humor.) For a documentary that claimed to be an introduction to anime, how is there no mention of anime staples like the whole magical girl genre or Studio Ghibli? There was no analysis as well on some of the most popular animes of all time: Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, etc. 

Additionally, it was interesting that in a one-hour documentary (a relatively short time frame to cover a subject as vast as the world of anime), Burunova attempted to cover Tokyo's street fashion and spent time quickly going over lolita fashion and others. Her basic takeaway was that all these sub-cultures existed because of anime instead of looking at it and realizing that maybe anime and fashion were results of the Japanese mindset/culture. It also seems almost irresponsible (and proof that the narrator was incompetent) that she would have short clips on fashion in a documentary about anime without covering cosplay at all.

What came across strongly throughout the whole film was Burunova's obvious lack of knowledge and her distaste for anime, which she viewed as violent, disturbing, etc. She even said during one of her unnecessary monologues (why a documentary needs non-informational monologues is beyond me) that she was starting to regret coming to Japan. What it boils down to is that Netflix just released a one hour commercial for their animes/anime influenced cartoons directed by an ignorant individual under the guise of a documentary. This is whitesplaining at its finest.

AQUA

Discotheque Juliet Teenage Dream

2:38 PM

Ok I've been to four of these selfie things now and it's getting out of hand, but whatever? PartyWith is hands down the most Insta-friendly out of all of them. It's made up of individual stations, each with a different theme, and they have literally put flattering lighting in every single one of the booths. On top of that, they have staff walking around offering to not only take photos but suggest poses and angles that work to get your optimal lighting in each room. My friend and I loved the girl who helped us out and she encourage us to take photos/do poses that we wouldn't have chose for ourselves but ended up digging. The nice thing about it is that the price is mid-range at $25/person compared to $16.99 for Museum of What, $32 for MODs, and $31 for Flutter.

Jacket: BDG
Top: Aqua
Necklace: Asos
Bottom: Zara
Shoes: Converse

 Reading: NP by Banana Yoshimoto
Listening: "Happy Birthday" by The Click Five

Maje

Wings

3:57 PM

It feels like these selfie experiences are becoming increasingly a part of my social life. My friend recently invited me to explore the Museum of What's Wings Tour. Although it didn't look as pretty as MODS or Flutter from its website's photos, I still decided to go since it was only $16 and the parking structure is free for the first hour. When I entered, I was disappointed to see that it was literally made up of mostly wings, the type that were popular and innovative a few years ago in boba shops and gentrified hipster neighborhoods. That being said, you can still get some cute photos if you know how to crop or if bright, colorful walls are your thing. I was just hoping for something a little less DIY looking. If you're in Orange County searching for free places to do a wings photo, I'm pretty sure Capputeano Cha and Zero Degrees have them.

Jacket: Maje
Dress: Maje
Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman

Reading: Please Look After Mom by Shin Kyung-sook
Listening: "With You" by Sum 41

Hob Nob

Our love is deeper than the oceans of water

10:32 AM

Out of all the selfie spaces out there, Museum of Dream Space might be the most popular one in Los Angeles and after visiting it, it might be one of the most well done ones and least cheesy ones. MODS is made up of several rooms, which pretty much copy the infinity room idea that artist Yayoi Kusama came up with. MODS' website calls itself "the first museum mainly exhibiting digital art in the United States." However, after visiting it, it definitely leans more towards the selfie side than the art side. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it though; the rooms are great for pretty Instagram photos and they even have photographers there ready for you. However, it's not art. The only issue is that some of the rooms use lights as their main form of decoration, creating a bright background. Consequently, if your camera focuses on your face, your face shows up but the background becomes too bright, turning all the lights white. If you focus on the lights' colors, then your face goes dark. All of my photos are unedited, so you guys can see what type of photos you can expect out of MODS.

 Top: Hob Nob
Dress: BDG
Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman

 Reading: "Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They're Terrifying" by Alice Sola Kim
Listening: "I Like America and America Likes Me" by The 1975

Articles of Society

Korea: Day 6

7:22 PM

My last day in Seoul was pretty low key, filled with visits to two universities -Ewha University and Yonsei University - plus wandering around the neighborhoods nearby and testing out Seoul's boba scene. Part of the reason why my friends and I didn't do much is because we dressed for spring and it started to hail on us so we were all freezing. We ended up seeking shelter in Yeonnamdong Cat Cafe for a few hours before heading to dinner at Yeonnam Terrace. I highly recommend these two places as the cat cafe was very clean and all of the cats were quite playful. Yeonnam Terrace, on the other hand, was a very relaxed Italian inspired restaurant with friendly staff and interesting, delicious plates like this green curry gnocchi with jeju pork.

Reading: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Listening: "Past Lives" by BORNS

Art

Bet you wanna rip my heart out, bet you wanna skip my calls now

3:48 PM

Flutter Experience is probably the latest in a series of pop-up installations in Los Angeles. Unlike the Museum of Ice Cream of the MODS Museum, Flutter attempts to elevate the selfie taking experience to one of high art by having actual artists decorate each room. What drew me to Flutter is that it was created by Rumi Neely's husband and I've been a huge fan of Rumi Neely since I was 14. My overall feelings towards Flutter is that it's interesting and extremely ambitious. What it's attempting to do is reconcile the difference between a selfie station and an actual museum. What it's left with though is being somewhere in-between and I'm not sure if selfie enthusiasts or art connoisseurs will be entirely satisfied. Selfie enthusiasts will be looking for better lighting and might find some of the rooms too odd to get likes, while art connoisseurs will be turned off by the millennials (LIKE ME) who are taking too many photos. If I had a suggestion though, it would be to the art connoisseurs in that I think they should give Flutter a chance, ignore the Instagrammers, and enjoy the experience. I also feel like this is a great way to introduce kids to art because it has so many rooms that encourage play. That being said, I still got some hella cute #ootd photos and there is a decent amount of space to get your photos in.

Tops: The Kooples, Hob Nob
Bottoms: Zara
Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman

Reading: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Listening: "Swimming in the Moonlight" by Bad Suns

Converse

Korea: Day 5

5:39 PM

 
Day 5 took me to Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk Museum, and Bukchon Hanok Village - all highly rated tourist spots in Seoul. My friends and I rented hanboks from Hanbok Nori, which I highly recommend. Everyone around us had the same glittery hanboks, so my group stood out in our more traditional hanboks. The best part about Hanbok Nori is that they offer personal assistance in styling hanboks and help with your hair as well. Afterwards, we headed to Bukchon Hanok Village for its traditional homes called hanoks. Just a heads up - it's someone's home so be quiet and respectful when you're around!

Top: Endless Rose
Bottom: brandless
Shoes: Converse

Reading: Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong
Listening: "I Love You, Will You Marry Me" by YUNGBLUD

Converse

Korea: Day 4

10:53 AM

Late on day 3, my friend, Tina, flew in from Yamaguchi to hang out with Taylor and me. Tina and I woke up early day 4 to go on a DMZ tour, which to be honest was kinda weird. The two of us were expecting it to be more about the Korean War and the continued tension along the 38th parallel, which it was, but it was also very focused on the nature aspect of the DMZ and all the animals thriving there. Out tour guide told us to pose like deer, which is what we're doing in the photo. Unexpected, right? After the tour, we met up with Taylor to explore Ikseon-dong and Myeong-dong - two of Seoul's most popular hang out spots for students.

Tops: BDG, Endless Rose
Bottoms: Vans
Shoes: Converse

Reading: "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu
Listening: "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" by Black Kids

Articles of Society

Korea: Day 3

2:34 PM

On day 3, Taylor and I met up with my friend from university, Alex, and the three of us headed over to the Seoul Museum, another one of Taylor's favorite areas to walk around. Afterwards, we walked around Buam-dong, which is a cute neighborhood that feels a bit older and quieter than the rest of Seoul, which made it one of my favorite neighborhoods in Seoul. One famous thing in this neighborhood that we visited was 산모퉁이 카페 (Sanmotunggi Cafe), the set of the drama, Coffee Prince. It was a hell of a hike up the mountain, but we did it and the view was worthwhile. Once we climbed back down the mountain, Alex left us and Taylor and I continued to Lotte World Mall to visit the Hayao Miyazaki store and see the cherry blossoms around Seokchon Lake.

 Top: Rag & Bone, Uniqlo
Bottoms: Articles of Society
Shoes: Dr. Marten's

 Reading: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
Listening: "She's American" by The 1975

Korea

Korea: Day 2

10:17 AM

The second day took Taylor and me to Myeong-dong for Taylor's favorite fluffy pancakes at innisfree GREEN CAFE. These pancakes were so fluffy and delicious for about 10,000 won. We walked around Myeong-dong and poked around cosmetic stores before heading to a few palaces to get some exercise in. We had to cut our time short to make our reservation at Jungsik, a fine dining restaurant ranked in the top 20 restaurants in Seoul according to TripAdvisor. Taylor and I enjoyed our dishes, especially the uni with nori rice and the seared scallops, but it was a lot of food for us. From the combined food coma and heat (It was the hottest day I spent in Seoul!), we were feeling pretty sluggish so Taylor took me to The Spa in Garden 5 for my first Korean spa experience.

Jacket: Topshop
Top: LOFT, Central Park

Reading: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Listening: "Dear Winter" by AJR

Korea

Korea: Day 1

7:11 PM

Over spring break, I flew over to Seoul last minute to go visit my friend, Taylor, and some friends, who are over there teaching English. I stayed at Hotel Peyto Gangnam and lemme just say, it's a cute, VERY clean hotel for travelers on a budget and located within walking distance of both Gangnam and Apgujeong station. On my first day there, before I met up with Taylor, I walked around the area by my hotel and then the two of us headed over to The Sky Farm for lunch. The Sky Farm is located on the 50th floor of a skyscraper by the Han River and serves up yummy plates of European dishes. It's a bit expensive, but a cute place to hang out with friends and offers a panoramic view.

Some of the highlights of my whole trip were playing with the raccoons at The Blind Alley and walking around Ihwa Mural Village. The Blind Alley was one of Taylor's and my favorite places that we visited because we've always heard that raccoons are quite feisty, but these ones were so friendly and climbed all over your back. They also had pigs and a corgi there. Ihwa is Taylor's favorite place to walk around in Seoul because it has tons of cute murals and cafes. After hiking around, I can see why! Many cafes advertised different K-dramas that filmed at their places as well. Just an FYI - there's lots of uphill, so wear comfy shoes.

Jacket: Lizzette Olive
Sweater: Zara

Reading: The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
Listening: "Girls Like You" by The Naked and Famous

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