Conference season at work is so draining. I wish I was back at the beach with these clowns! I promise we did more than just lay in bed last weekend (we also ate pizza).

Jessie’s birthday BBQ (@ Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs)

I missed pre-BBQ beers at Alpine because of stupid LA traffic, but I made it before they sold out of ribs this time! Can all my friends celebrate their birthdays here??? I would get on the 405 during rush hour for BBQ you.

Shi is my heart twin. We’ve been through the best and absolute worst of times together. There are very few people who have seen me cry or have watched me eat an entire pizza by myself like she has (and even fewer people who have told me that it’s okay because it was thin crust!).

No matter how bad life gets, Shi never loses faith… in love, in the universe, in God. She sends me healing crystals and bible quotes, not because I’m a believer, but because she is. She believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. Her positivity radiates, and anyone who’s ever met her can attest to that. I always joke that her sunshine is blinding, but I honestly can’t help but soak up those rays whenever she’s around!

In the words of the late, great Aaliyah, you’re a positive, motivating force within my life. I’m thrilled you’ve found someone who makes you just as happy as you make everyone else. Congrats, Mrs. Sarno ♥

Muse – Stockholm Syndrome (@ The Forum)

This is the last time I’ll forget you
I wish I could

I’ve seen Muse a few times in my life, but I haven’t been to a show of theirs in a decade! It was like seeing them for the first time all over again. Loved, loved, loved. Thanks Nori and Desi for the invite!

After my ceiling sprung several leaks, my landlord had our roof fixed and offered to remove that god awful popcorn ceiling. I even got him to remodel my bathroom and repaint my entire apartment while he was at it!

S/O to all those LA storms for making this home reno possible…

I’ve been off the grid for a few weeks while my place was getting renovated, but it was def worth the wait! Lots to catch up on (Shi’s wedding, Jessie’s birthday, and all the BBQ I ate in between), but first I gotta shower in my new tub and make my bracket picks…

Ribs in bed??? MARRY. HIM. NOW.

Even if you’ve never been in Shi’s bedroom closet where she keeps that photo of herself aboard the starship enterprise, it’s no secret that she’s all about sci-fi and space and the universe. I watched my first meteor shower with her (and regrettably ditched her for a boy during the second one!). She’s gifted me crystals to harness the universe’s energy, and she’s the reason my amazon prime account thinks the complete boxed DVD set of Battlestar Galactica would be of interest to me.

Pammie and I knew that The Night Sky from the day Shi got engaged would be the perfect gift for our favorite galactigeek. Just one more week till Shi’s big day!

What, you don’t have a fireplace in your office??? (@ SKX Advertising)

I need one of these in my apartment! It snowed in LA today, and I’m in bed under a korean blanket wearing two pairs of pants (that’s two more than I usually wear!).

It rained all weekend, so I stayed in and Marie Kondo’d the shit out of my apartment. 48 hours and 9 trash bags later, I have to admit, I feel a little joy (and a lot of exhaustion). Good thing I still have two mattresses to sleep on…

I bought Marie Kondo’s book three years ago. I never read it, and it just added to my clutter! The irony isn’t lost on me. She’s got that netflix show now, but I’m still going to keep it (The Lover’s Dictionary and Tacopedia can’t be the only two books I have in my apartment, guys).

I always say I’m going to re-gift this one day, but let’s be real.

Does Bed, Bath & Beyond take expired coupons from seven years ago? I’ll check on yahoo answers before tossing these. I’m sure someone has weighed in.

Anyone into small mexican things??? Yeah, me either LOL. Toss!

I found this massage gift certificate the girls gave me for my birthday nine years ago! I’m gonna need it after all this decluttering.

Fuck, can I get pregnant from this??? (@ Slab BBQ)

Slab has been on my BBQ bucket list, but they usually sell out by the time I get off work. I’ve been sick at home for the past couple of days, so I finally went for lunch today. They usually don’t serve beef ribs on weekdays, but today was my lucky day! I’ve been following them on instagram since they sold BBQ out of their backyard, and their ribs and brisket were some of the best I’ve ever had! Def my new LA fave.

Just when I thought I couldn’t get any luckier, we were sitting outside Milk having dessert afterwards when WEEZER and Fred Armisen roll past us down Beverly Blvd on a flatbed performing Say It Ain’t So (my favoritest Weezer song EVER) like it’s no bigs! Only in LA…

Thanks to whoever gave me this nasty cough at work! If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never been in Fairfax in the middle of a Tuesday living my best life.

You guys, I have mattresses in every corner of my studio right now.

The memory foam mattress I bought last month is too firm, my old spring mattress is too soft, and the new hybrid mattress that got delivered today is just right!

I’m selling my memory foam mattress and giving away my old spring mattress. If anyone is interested, you should know that I live in a third floor walk-up. If you’re still interested, please hit me up on Let Go, Offer Up, or if you’re local, the Buy Nothing Redondo Beach (North) FB group. Get a mattress and earn a fitbit stair badge while you’re at it!

Staring contest going down on the 405 rn.

Friends is Shi’s most favorite TV show ever, and Shi is our favorite bachelorette!

Shi chow-crowned an impressive amount of gummy dicks. Marry this woman already!

Don’t have to tell us twice (@ The Tipsy Crow)

This mechanical bull has seen better days, and so has my liver (@ Double Deuce)

It was so much fun partying like I was 21 again, but I spent the entire day in bed afterwards paying for it!

(Same time next weekend?)

—

Vendors/Supplies:

• Friends Cake and Cookies – Wednesday Cake
• Friends Bunting Banner, Food Signage, Shirts – Shashime Designs
• Friends Bridal Sash – Etsy
  
• Purple Balloons – Party City
• Oh Shit Kit – Amazon
• Drink Pouches – Amazon
• Chow Crown – Amazon
• Penis Gummies – Amazon

SD bound for Shi’s bachelorette party!

Me on day 1 of this LA storm:

Me on day 4 after my ceiling sprung a massive leak:

Fortunately, it’s leaking above an area free of furniture, electronics, and my hand-tufted moroccan rug.

Unfortunately, it’s in the shape of a vagina and a literal stain on my apartment.

If anyone without a hole in their ceiling would like me to stay over tonight, you’ll be rewarded with good karma, leftover pizza from Valentino’s, and me without pants on.

Welp, there goes my dinner plans (@ Grand Ole BBQ y Asado)

When they sell out of your beloved beef ribs, you just order everything else on the menu, right?

Birthday beers (@ Thorn St. Brewery)

I tell everyone I know that my favorite ice is the nugget kind they have at Sonic, and it was so thoughtful of Christine to remember.

The last time I brought sangria to her house, I asked her beforehand if she had ice, and Pammie was like, “Of course she has ice, she’s an adult!” and I was like, “But I never have ice at my place.” And she was like, “Exactly.” I mean. Who needs ice when you keep the vodka in the freezer???

The girls think this is what I sound like, and I ain’t even mad. Thanks for dinner, drinks, my new sound bar, and a much needed girls night! Love you b’s.

Best gift ever! I finally set up this awesome projector Pammie got me for Christmas, and unlike Bird Box, it did not disappoint! Now if only I could get the last two hours of my life back…

Today was a good day (@ George’s at the Cove)

Chargers playoff win. Bohemian Rhapsody takes the Globes. Parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Amazing dinner and this view ♥

(@ Cauldron Ice Cream)

Even Rocky is bummed I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Someone please buy a house in this neighborhood so I can slang keurig cocoa in your driveway during the holidays (@ Christmas Card Lane)

The gold foil is extra, but so am I ✨

(Materials: Sugar Paper JOY Gift Wrap / Sugar Paper Decorative Ribbon / Mini Christmas Ornaments / iCraft Deco Gold Foil)

If your family doesn’t gamble at parties, are you even Asian?

I won $30 off these suckas during an intense game of LCR. I guess I’ll have to put that money towards a new Calphalon baking sheet!

Stage 5 clinger alert 🚨🚨🚨

This photo of Ray in the socks I gave him pretty much sums up the rest of my Christmas vacation (sorry for revealing your secret shame!)

Share the Love Benefit Show (@ The Wiltern)

NOTE TO SELF: 16-year-old artists have 16-year-old fans. 

I’ll spare you the video and instead post this studio recording of my favorite Billie Eilish song (devoid of screaming teens in the background). You’re welcome.

When you call my name, do you think I’ll come running?
You never did the same, so good at giving me nothing

Happy early birthday to my favorite sister! (@ Monello)

FYI I can only eat pasta when it’s prepared tableside in a cheese wheel now.

One year, we’re getting kicked out of bars downtown, and the next we’re staying in on a Saturday night with the kids (none of which are my own), drinking homemade sangria and playing chow crown. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Christine’s going to murder me for posting this LOL. Hopefully her three kids keep her too busy to ever read this thing!

92,116 minutes = 4.2 hours a day (and $40 in data overages every month!).

Posty’s my guilty pleasure, but I didn’t realize how much I listened to the dulcet tones of Shawn Mendes. Spotify’s really out here exposing me right now.

I’ll just leave this here.

She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time

Sugar, butter, flour (@ Civic Theatre)

Oh, my heart. Even though Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen won all the Tony awards, Waitress is my most favorite musical to date. It’s like how everybody loves Breaking Dawn: Part 2, but my favorite Twilight movie is New Moon, because it’s the saddest one where Bella was emo AF listening to Lykke Li and pining over the loss of Edward the entire time…

I mean what, I don’t know anything about teenage vampire sagas.

I’ll have one… one of everything! (@ BJ’s Brewhouse)

Alicia and I drank our way through their holiday cocktail list. The blood orange pom fireball sangria tastes like Christmas in your mouth! It’s def going on the menu for any and all future holiday spreads.

After the most stressful day at work, I decided to chalk this day up as a loss and go straight to bed. When I got home, my new memory foam mattress was waiting outside my door! It was in a box so big, I had to bend time and space (and my back!) to get it into my apartment.

Now I’m just waiting for it to rise and get firm, so I can get on top of it and go to sleep with a smile on my face. What else is new…

It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving for crying out loud!

Before I got this reminder, Shi texted me asking how my bridesmaid dress fit. Luckily, the dress she chose for us has an empire waist that ensures that any indiscretions (like my special relationship with BBQ) will be undetectable. Granted, I still bought a size too small to keep my ass in check! A few of us will have exes at this wedding, and even though we’ve all moved on, nobody’s trying to look like garbage in front of their ex. Amirite, Christine? Karen? LOL.

I’ve been thinking about dropping Apple for months now, and when a Black Friday deal popped up for the new Google Pixel, I couldn’t pass it up. As soon as I hit ‘confirm purchase’ though, I was immediately filled with regret. Will I miss being able to airplay youtube videos to my Apple TV? How about airdropping photos from my phone to my MacBook Pro? CAN I STILL SPEAK IN EMOJIS??? I mean, how will my friends (who are 99% iPhone users) know if I’m in need of a soft pretzel? I just checked with one of my only android friends, Nori, and we were able to see each other’s emojis. Phew! Crisis averted, y’all.

Loved, loved, loved this film. Rami Malek deserves all the awards! What I would’ve given to see Queen live ⚡💔

I know so many people who are going through tough times right now (the death of a parent, the loss of their family home, and trouble conceiving, to name a few)… Besides LA traffic, my only other gripe is that I’ve been working long hours, and my postmates driver (that my work pays for) forgot to include utensils with my order last night, so I had to eat my calamari in my office with my bare hands like an animal. I feel like an asshole even mentioning it. All things considered, I have so much to be thankful for.

There is a hell and it’s the 405 during the holidays (and pretty much any other time of year).

BRB crying (@ Ahmanson Theatre)

Jay and Pammie came up to LA for the day to see this beautiful broadway show. I don’t know if it’s the holidays, or my period, or the $300 I spent on my ticket… but Jesus, I got emotional.

Thanks to Jay for surprising us with souvenir mugs! And for refraining from singing along during the show (even though he proved on the drive there that he knew all the lyrics). I know how hard it was for him to confine that urge! Ha.

Family vacay at the happiest place on earth!

We airbnb’d it in OC for the weekend. I live half an hour away from the park, but my place doesn’t have enough room for seven people. Or a bidet. Or a ping pong table (my dad and his “Beer Friends Forever” shirt were the clear winners of this match).

Everything’s better with mouse ears! Also, the best flavor at Nothing Bundt Cakes is white chocolate raspberry. Fight me.

My mom had the time of her life on the teacups! She was a lot less enthusiastic about Space Mountain, but she still got on it against her 60-year-old body’s wishes. Ha.

Obligatory castle shot with Pammie and our mouse ears!

Minnie was excited to greet the birthday girl!

Pops was even more excited to meet Minnie! We were about to take a group shot when my dad jumped ahead without us. My bad, solo pic!

The holiday fireworks were truly magical. Cue the fake snow and real tears of joy. Till next time, Disneyland!

Happy birthday to my beautiful mom! When she came up to LA last weekend to see Bruno Mars again visit me, she came out of my bathroom with condoms from my medicine cabinet and said, “Hey, these expired a month ago!” What would I ever do without her (besides accidentally get pregnant)?

Can’t wait to celebrate 60 years young at Disneyland this weekend ♥

Pics or it didn’t happen.

ILYSM (@ Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs)

My most favorite BBQ spot in San Diego (and all of California) just opened a second location near the bestie’s house in east county. It’s bigger and less busy than its North Park flagship, and more importantly, it has a full bar (the original location doesn’t serve alcohol, but you can BYOB). It should def be on your BBQ bucket list! Also, if you don’t have a BBQ bucket list, how are we even friends???

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch (@ Redondo Beach)

Thanks for the memories, FB.

Luckily, I already used the restroom before getting into the elevator at work this morning (@ SKX Advertising)

Should I head back to work or room 202 at the Hotel Hermosa??? 😜

I lost count so long ago, maybe my heart’s numb

BØRNS (@ The Greek)

Late night catalog season essentials (@ SKX Advertising)

S/O to my postmates driver, Jeff, who delivered my israeli couscous along with this handwritten note! Five stars. Highly recommend.

NOTE TO SELF: Don’t check your group e-mail about Shi’s bachelorette party on your work computer.

I learned the hard way. Like so, so hard.

My Shi just got engaged to the love of her life, and I couldn’t be happier for her.

She gave me these two rose quartz crystals a few months ago, because “love comes in pairs,” she said. I’ve never been a believer of crystals, but I did buy this cute ass dish for them (I still believe in good home decor, after all). I keep them on my bar cart in the feng shui-recommended “love corner” of my apartment. The booze around it will likely be of more assistance to my love life than the art of feng shui or crystals, but I appreciate Shi’s effort! Ha.

Congrats, love!

And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time

Hozier took us to church last night (@ The Wiltern)

I used to paint my grandma’s nails when she was sick, and I came across this episode of New Amsterdam on her death anniversary today.

BRB crying.

Switchfoot – Dare You to Move

Young the Giant – Silvertongue

Beck – Where It’s At

Mumford and Sons – I Will Wait

Sunday funday with Sabrina and Cass (@ Ohana Fest, Doheny State Beach)

Views (@ Griffith Observatory)

Not much has changed since Chel’s diary entry from my 8th birthday—I’m still fun at sleepovers, and we’re all still a little afraid of our cousin, May! Ha.

I love that she still has all of her old diaries. I used to send people handwritten letters, but I didn’t start documenting my life until I started this blog in my early twenties. I never expected to keep it going for this long, but here we are 15 years later! For the three of you who have stayed tuned to this blog, thanks for sticking it out with me after all these years. Here’s to the next 15!

If you thought I was gonna celebrate National Cheeseburger Day, you weren’t wrong (@ Shake Shack)

I wanna get lost with you, and see what it’s like
To spend the whole night with you, just you

Mr. A-Z (@ FivePoint Amphitheatre)

See I know what we’ve got to do
You let go, and I’ll let go, too

L-Boogie up in here (@ Open Air Theatre)

I can’t believe I’m old enough for 20th anniversary tours, but the rough morning I had after getting home at 2am was solid proof!

This album soundtracked my junior year of high school, and hearing it in its entirety made me feel 16 again ♥

More videos here.

Breakfast Club (@ Flower Child)

My favorite girls met at an ungodly hour for breakfast so that the mamas could have extra girl time away from their six kids (four of which are twin babies!). I only had to worry about getting myself up in the morning, and I was still one of the last ones there! Ha. I haven’t laughed this hard in such a long time. No one will ever be as entertained by us than us ♥

This movie gave me so many feels, partly because of my obvious love for teenage rom-coms, but mostly because I got major flashbacks of that one time in the fifth grade when David Krzywicki found a note I had written about how cute he was. My outcome wasn’t nearly as good as Lara Jean’s! Ha. Only in the movies, I guess…

A puppuccino and pupcake for the goodest boy ever ♥

My parents ziplined through the jungles of Puerto Vallarta while I put in 12 hours at the office today! Seriously tempted to use those five weeks of vacation time I’ve been hoarding…