Food

Nailed It at Home! Lara Jean’s Hat Box & Love Letters from “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”

Food, Musings

Do you know what it’s like to like a movie so much you can’t stand it and know that they’ll never feel the same way?💌

Just like Lara Jean, I’m writing a love letter (or in this case, a loving blog post) because I have a crush so intense that I don’t know what else to do.😆 With the last installment of TATBILB releasing on Netflix earlier this month, I couldn’t help but mark the occasion and try out the Nailed It! at Home Experience. We also love watching Nailed It, so when I heard they had a special edition TATBILB kit, I was sold!

Baking is definitely not one of my strengths, so I was also intrigued to see how all of this would actually turn out.😂 But the kit provides almost everything you would need and gives easy to follow step by step instructions. Pretty much all the ingredients that are provided in the kit are premeasured, so all I had to do was dump the right ingredients into a bowl and mix it up. Plus, the instructions provide a few extra handy tips for the chocolate master himself, Jacques!

The kit is shipped to you a few days before the virtual event and advises bakers to complete the first two steps a couple hours beforehand. However, I didn’t realize the virtual event was also going to be a timed 40 minute challenge just like in the show!🙈 I really felt like I was actually on the show frantically trying to figure out what to do next and trying my best to multitask. So looking back, I would’ve completed more of the steps before the show. But for someone who is not a baker, and after taking a few extra hours to complete everything, I think faired pretty well overall!😆

Aside from the tasty hat box cake and love letter cookies I got to enjoy the following week, I loved that the event itself was super cute and fun! Jacques actually chatted with contestants about troubleshooting their baking mishaps, Anna Cathcart was a charismatic host, AND our two surprise guests were Jenny Han and Lana Condor, who were baking along with us!

TATBILB Locks PJ set: Target, Flannel: Cakeworthy, Earrings: Mejuri

It’s bittersweet to see the TATBILB movies come to an end. But one of the things I appreciated the most was how it slowly included more POCs into the franchise. One of my pet peeves about the first movie was that all of Lara Jean’s crushes were non-POC. But by the third movie, we actually get to see the Song girls travel to Korea to reconnect with their culture and late mother. The scene where the Song girls find their mother’s lock at Namsan Tower and attach their own to hers was so heartwarming and heart-wrenching at the same time. Being able to reconnect with their culture and knowing at the same time their mother wouldn’t be there to do it with them? Just leave me the tissue box please.😭

What’s your favorite part about the TATBILB franchise? Are you going to miss it? Anyone else want a movie about how LJ and Peter manage a long distance relationship?😆

ABW

Rock the Dots

Disney Style, Food, Style

dsc05877Since January is usually a birthday month in my books😉, I always tend to forget that it’s also a very special month for one of the top fashion icons – Minnie Mouse!  Throughout the month of January, Disney fans everywhere are encouraged to #RockTheDots to show off their own #MinnieStyle and Disney Style.

Rock the dots also purposely coincides with National Polka Dot day.  So a couple weeks ago, I brought out my dots!  I’ve had this American Apparel dot blouse for a few years now and I love it to death.  It always adds the perfect amount of whimsy to any outfit.  But with my round Asian face and short stature, going full on whimsy can tend to make me look a little tooo doll-ish.  And if you haven’t guessed already, I ain’t always a doll.😏

So I paired my shirt with sleeker items like a polished faux suede moto jacket and slick skinny jeans with a distressed knee, which helps give the whole look a little extra edge.  And to really #RockTheDots, I paired my dotted shirt with studded dot ballet flats.  Another great example of something sweet, yet polished with some edge.  And of course, I had to top it all off with my favorite Mickey bag.🐭

dsc05888Shirt: American Apparel, Jacket: Kohl’s LC Lauren Conrad, Jeans: Carmar, Shoes: Sam Edelman, Bag: Disney x Coach, Watch: Micheal Kors, Sunglasses: Quay

And since National Polka Dot day was on a Sunday, we of course had to go out for brunch.  So we stopped by The Palm House.  Got myself the spam and eggs benedict, which was much more filling than I was expecting it to be.  But the brown hash brown looking thing on the bottom…it’s actually a rice “hash brown” if you will.  Genius.  And the eggs… perfectly…poached.  Yolk splits that were food porn worthy.  And the spam wasn’t actual spam. Instead☝️, gourmet braised pork shoulder.  Yes, I may have had to wipe some drool off my face as I write this post.😛

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And aside from the food, the restaurant itself is adorable.  Is city beach house chic a decor term?  Lots of blue with palm green accents.  And if you’re sad about having to eat brunch instead of watching your favorite team play, fret not!  But come on, who actually says no to brunch?!  But if you insist on watching the game, there is a bar area with TVs and you can happily scarf down your jerk chicken tacos or huevos rancheros while watching people professionally tackle each other.  I, personally, prefer to enjoy a hot cup of tea.☕️

ABW

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Je Ne Sais Quoi

Disney Style, Food, Style, Travel

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There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about the French expression je ne sais quoi, don’t you think?

Found that gem on google.  Did it make me sound posh and fancy?💁🏻 Unlike the cut off denim shorts I lived in while visiting Honolulu.  And even though many tourists and locals alike can enjoy all the luxurious things the city has to offer, my sister and I usually like to pretend we’re kama’aina.  For us, that means lots of shopping and eating.

To fuel up for our shopping pilgrimage, we stopped by Koko Head Cafe.  Opened by Chef Lee Anne Wong, a finalist on Top Chef, Koko Head Cafe serves up hefty dumplings and brunch-style Asian comfort food.   The cafe also captures that hometown diner feel with surf town decor and Wong’s framed personal photos.  And don’t forget to pick up a copy of Wong’s book Dumplings All Day Wong!  If you ask nicely, you can even leaf through it while you wait for deliciousness to be served.

After stuffing out faces, we needed to walk it all off…before heading to dinner of course.😅 So we stopped by Ward Village South Shore Market.  It actually underwent a huge re-model and I was excited to finally see it.  South Shore Market is comprised of 18 local merchants to showcase and cultivate Hawaii’s creative scene.  Shopping small couldn’t be any easier.  Walking through the stores, I also realized that many of the shop owners are probably POC.  Since Hawaii’s population is almost 40% Asian, it’s also likely that many of these creatives were Asian American.  So not only are you supporting small businesses, but you’re also supporting businesses owned by POC.  So. Much. YES.👏

Do you see that suitcase?  It’s filled with watercolor cards of creatures from Fantastic Beasts.  Yeah, ah-ma-zing!

And speaking of amazing, I also picked up these sparkle heel Zara boots the day before.  They were the last pair left and in my size, so you know…had to get ’em.  Don’t worry, they were on sale.😉  And one of the many apples of my eye, my Disney x Coach red cross body.  The perfect size for your phone and credit cards and comes with the cutest little Mickey hand charm.  It just has a certain je ne sais quoi, non??😏

ABW

dsc05573Shirt: Sincerely Jules, Crossbody: Disney x Coach, Shoes: Zara, Sunglasses: Free People, Shorts: Vintage

Dinner & a Movie: Hidden Figures

Dinner & a Movie, Food, Musings, Travel

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When I’m hungry and you tell me we’re going out for dinner…(photo from Soul Culture)

Obviously you know what movie I saw, so we’ll circle back to that in a moment. I promise no spoilers!  First, let’s talk about food.

Last weekend I got to visit my sister for my birthday.  She’s about 2,400 miles away from San Francisco – and traveling that far can make a girl hungry. Yup, we flew to Honolulu, HI.  And whenever my mom and I visit my sister, we usually do a lot of eating and try a good handful of new places.  This time, we ate at Piggy Smalls.
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Opened by the same masterminds behind The Pig & the Lady, I knew Piggy Smalls was going to be fantastic.  Expect unexpected asian fusion combos galore here.  My personal favorite was the hurricane creamed corn.  For those that aren’t familiar with hurricane popcorn, it’s popcorn that has furikake seasoning and japanese rice crackers mixed in.  It’s another name for addictive deliciousness.  So hurricane creamed corn is creamed corn with furikake, rice crackers, and popcorn bits on top.  I’m sure there’s much more cooking involved than just throwing furikake on top, but I’m no chef, so I’m not even going to try to explain to you why this creamed corn was the best creamed corn I ever ate.  Other winners were the Laotian fried chicken and the fish of the day.  And bonus points because the whole place is sprinkled with pig memorabilia.  Please note the small Pua figurine to the far left in the photo below.  Piggy Smalls, it calls me!

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Now on to Hidden Figures.  It was incredible.  I’m sure like many people, I never knew about these amazing WOC.  On the way out, even my sister said, “That’s crazy we never learned about people like that in history classes!”  And she’s right.  We should already know about these incredible women.  But what I love about this movie is that it shows how race, class, gender, and family values play a role in how these women live their lives.  It influences how they approach relationships, navigate the workplace, and ultimately, how they feel about themselves.   In the end, it’s what makes them stronger and smarter.  I also appreciate that the movie wasn’t an outright drama movie.  I’m not a huge fan of watching dramas in theaters since they tend to feel a little tooo heavy.   But Hidden Figures excellently addressed the impact of identity, while still retaining an element of fun and humor.

And with a full pig belly, I still decided to eat some real hurricane popcorn at the theaters.  And reclining seats?!  Yes, please.  I had to celebrate my birthday in style.💁🏻

I think I’d like to make this into a mini-series.  Every month or so, go out for dinner and a movie, then write up my thoughts.  We’ll see how I hold up.  Ok fine, it’s probably an excuse for me to go out for dinner and see a movie once in a while.  Can you blame a girl?! 🙂

ABW

OOTN:dsc05793Dress: Free People, Shirt: Homecoming, Shoes: ZOU XOU, Angry Pig King Logo: Piggy Smalls