representation

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

Lunar New Year Lookbook

Disney Style, Style

Happy Lunar New Year!🧧🎉 Lunar New Year is a holiday my family has always looked forward to and celebrated. As kids, and even as young adults, we would head down to Chinatown and play all the carnival games lined up along Portsmouth Square. Coin tosses, balloon darts, water guns, but the golden goose—or in this case horse—was the roll-a-ball horse racing.

My mom loved collecting the huge golden horse trophies, so naturally we’d wait for the all the seats to clear out and my siblings and I would compete against each other so winning that horse trophy was a guarantee. I might have been a little embarrassed that we were so shameless about winning those horses, but looking back, it’s a Lunar New Year memory I’m really fond of.🥰

Dress: BlackMilk, Minnie bag: Shanghai Disneyland, Shoes: Aldo, Sunglasses: Fendi, Mulan necklace: Awe Inspired, Mask: iluvit

This year is obviously very different from previous years, but that won’t stop me from putting together a festive outfit. Even if it’s just to walk the dog or lounge at home. Like the past couple of years, I loved making them into Disney Style outfits, but what I didn’t expect was my new love for BlackMilk to take center stage!😱

A few months ago, BlackMilk released a holiday collection full of sparkle and merry motifs. But when I caught a glimpse of this red star dress, I immediate knew I needed it for Lunar New Year. Red and gold are always appropriate for Lunar New Year, but stars were such a perfect bonus!⭐️

I then knew I had to pair the dress with an accessory from Shanghai Disneyland. One of my favorites is this Minnie crossbody. If you look closely, you’ll notice her usual vintage hat is designed to look more like a Chinese courtier’s or official’s hat. And the addition of the gold coin motif on the brim is just too perfect. Pairing this Minnie bag with this dress was just a match made in heaven.

Shirt: Macy’s, Shorts: BlackMilk, Mulan necklace: Awe Inspired

But let’s be honest, most of us aren’t going anywhere fancy to celebrate Lunar New Year—myself included—so I also put together a fun loungewear outfit. I started off with this oversized t-shirt that I bought on sale last year. I love that Minnie is shown as a lion dancer because I LOVE LION DANCERS.🦁 They’re just huge, colorful, playful dogs and the music is always gets me so pumped!😂 It was just too good to pass up.

I was originally going to wear plain black bike shorts, but I remembered I had this Disney pair from BlackMilk and to my surprise, the color palette matched the colors of the t-shirt! I don’t wear these bike shorts too often, but I truly appreciate the side pocket to hold your phone (or maybe some extra snacks). They’re also made of performance fabrics so you can actually workout in them. Who doesn’t love a good double-duty apparel item.

I want to conclude this lookbook with a reminder that Lunar New Year is celebrated by many different communities. I think a lot of times, Lunar New Year is interchanged with Chinese New Year and although Chinese and Chinese Americans are probably the largest group to celebrate the holiday, they’re not the only ones that do.

So if you have a minute, definitely check out this page from the Asian Art Museum to learn more about how Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world! For me, I’ll be eating some Chinese take-out since a lavish banquet dinner with my extended family is out of the question this year. But however you decide to celebrate, I hope this Lunar New Year is a memorable one!

ABW

13 Halloween Shows & Movies that Pass the Bechdel Test

Musings, Spotlight

And the countdown begins! We’re only 13 days away from Halloween! And we all have our favorite Halloween movies on repeat, but how many of those movies can actually pass the Bechdel Test?!🤔

This Halloween season, I’ve been proactive about watching movies and shows that pass the Bechdel Test. And honestly, some of these barely pass. I used the most basic measurements which are 1. Incorporating at least two female characters, 2. Two female characters must talk to one another, 3. They must talk about something other than a male. Some uses of the Bechdel Test require the female characters to have names, but I chose not to include that as a requirement for this list.

So in no particular order, let the binging begin!

1. Maleficent: For all the misunderstood, fairy witch queens out there, Maleficent is an obvious movie choice for Halloween.  And even more exciting, the sequel is out now!🖤🧚🏼‍♀️💜👑

2. Us: One of the best horror movies from this year!✂️

3. Get Out: Everyone knows you won’t get out of your seat while watching this first Jordan Peele thriller.☕️🥄

4. Stranger Things (2 & 3): Season 1, I dump your ass!  To be inspired by determined female characters, travel to the upside down in seasons 2 & 3!🍦

5. Kiki’s Delivery Service: Studio Ghibli is known for producing movies with strong female leads.  Kiki’s Delivery Service is no exception.🐱🥖

6. Halloweentown: Because Halloween is cool and being normal is vastly overrated.Image result for halloween is cool halloweentown gif

7. Practical Magic: It’s hard to not love witchy sisters that always have each others’ backs.  And midnight margaritas.🍹

8. American Horror Story: While Ryan Murphy has given us numerous intriguing female characters, I’m especially bewitched by the witches in Coven & Apocalypse.🔮

9. Hocus Pocus: This classic Disney Halloween movie puts a spell on everyone.👁🕯

10. Addams Family: Because Christina Ricci as Wednesday is just to die for. *duh duh dun dun, 👌🏼👌🏼*

11. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: I admit, I didn’t watch the series until this year.  But it’s so wickedly addicting.😈🐗

12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This is one of the only HP movies that passes the Bechdel Test.  And it only passes by a werewolf’s hair!  But the shift to a darker mood in the series is…well, A MOOD.🐺

13. Ghostbusters (2016): The power of Patty compels you!…To love this witty re-make with smart female leads!👻

And that’s 13!🙌🏼 How many of these shows and movies have you seen?! To help you keep track, use the template list below to check off what you’ve binged so far this season and then share it in your stories on instagram so I can see it too!👀  If you have other movies and/or shows that you love to watch for Halloween and pass the Bechdel Test, let me know and I’ll add them to the Honorable Mention list below!🏅Halloween Watch List (1).jpg

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Freaky Friday (2003): I actually really love the songs from this movie!🤘🏼

The Labyrinth: This also barely passes the Bechdel Test, but who can deny the babe with the power?💁🏻‍♀️🔮

Twitches: Another Halloween DCOM, but vastly underrated.  This made for tv movie also deserves bonus points since it’s lead characters are WOC!✊🏾 The only reason this isn’t on the official list is because I haven’t seen it in ages.😅

The Craft: Because we’re all weirdos.😎

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight: Keiki Collection

Musings, Spotlight

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Earlier this month, I hopped over to Hawaii to spend some quality time (read: eating time) with my sister and mom.  Over the weekend, we decided to eat at Scratch Kitchen and Meatery.  Before talking about the Keiki Collection, you have to know something.  If you’re ever in the area, you HAVE to try at least one of  the “Pimp My Grits” dishes from Scratch Kitchen.  Just…ugh…so good.  A quick pic and then we’ll move on:IMG_2848

To walk off this amazing, but super heavy grits, we decided to shop around South Shore Market.  Picked up a copy of Alexa Chung’s It and a pair of delicate rose gold heart earrings, but the best pleasant surprise was running into a small pop-up shop from Keiki Collection.  Keiki Collection is a community of kids that learn how to sell their handmade goods.  But we should honestly call them mini #Girlbosses.💁🏿💁🏾💁🏽💁🏻💁🏼  Sidenote: There are young boys in the group too, but none were there that day.

IMG_2852I remember when I was younger, my mom and I would do the same thing.  We’d figure out what kind of crafts we could make to then sell at school holiday craft fairs.  I loved working away making tons of colorful lanyards and decorating hair claws with Christmas tinsel.  It was so fun to be creative and I felt so “official” when we sold them.  And we probably barely broke even each time because everything was pretty much under $5.  But I love that these girls are creating something that they’re proud of and then learning business skills to sell them.  Things you don’t necessarily learn in school these days.

IMG_2865I was most impressed by one girl that made large macrame hanging pot holders.  They were just so impeccably made!  I was so impressed that I ended up buying one even though I don’t really have a place to put it.😅  But it’s a small price to pay to support a young mini girlboss though, right?🤗

We tried our best to buy a little something from each person.  These girls are learning the basics of business and entrepreneurship and that’s just something we had to support.  And Hawaii in general has a pretty diverse population, but can we take a second to recognize that this was also an ethnically diverse group of girls!!  I mean, COME ON!  It’s just so amazing to see young girls of color learning to be entrepreneurs, creatives, and supportive of one another.  It warms my soouuull.💕

IMG_2863If you can, give Keiki Collection a follow on instagram.  They have occasional pop-ups like this one around the island.  Let them know what they’re doing is impressive and important — not only as a young female, but also as a person of color.

ABW

Dinner & a Movie: Hidden Figures

Dinner & a Movie, Food, Musings, Travel

hidden-figures-box-office

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

 

Hi, I’m A Bit Wong!

Musings

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Hello, people of the internet!  My name is Alisa and you’ve stumbled upon A Bit Wong.

First things first, not only am I declaring today as A Bit Wong‘s birthday, it’s also my own birthday!  Please deliver all birthday cakes to San Francisco. 🙂  But I digress…

So about a week ago, I was rummaging though some junk and found my journal I kept in college.  While reading through it, I realized how often I wrote about my experiences as an Asian American female.  And to my surprise, it actually felt really validating.  These days, being a 3rd generation Chinese American affects almost every aspect of my life.  Not necessarily through huge, swift “acts of God,” but through smaller everyday interactions and my continuous inner monologue.  Aka microaggressions. Ok, getting a little too heavy now.

Anywho, after consistently scribbling in that journal for 2 years, the entries just stopped.  It was like reading an addicting young adult novel and suddenly nothing. Yes, I’m definitely well above the young adult age range – but I’m a sucker for easy reading.  The point is, A Bit Wong will be my epilogue to the Alisa Diaries: College Edition.  I want to use this as a place to write about my experiences through the lens of fashion, travel, and life.  And we’ll throw food in there for good measure.  I’m not saying every post will talk to one of my identities, but since I live and breathe it everyday, don’t be surprised if it sneaks in once in a while. 😉

If you made it this far, congratulations!  You’ve survived your first A Bit Wong musing.  And I can’t wait to have you back for more.

ABW