All posts in: This or That

Style
24 Dec 2020

Gucci x The North Face

There’s something about unlikely collaborations that really gets me excited. Though both clothing brands in their own right, you could say that both tailor to different audiences. However, what if you’re an individual that wants a piece that can double as functional and fashionable? In their latest collection out January 6th, Gucci and The North Face bring to you a line of ready to wear items that can be worn both indoors and outdoors.

The collection will release in China first and then be available to US customers beginning January 6th.

[Source]

Music
23 Dec 2020

Judge My Spotify

If there’s something I’ve discovered in years of perusing time waster sites, it’s that people love being made fun of. It’s a very strange concept that human beings are attracted to. Across my feeds today were plenty of people sharing a new site called “Judge My Spotify.” It’s exactly what you would expect it to be, but in more defining terms – an AI bot that combs through your Spotify playlists to tell you who you are. People love things like this because it’s something that they can continue to share or pass on. Another reason why people love Spotify Unwrapped if you will.

Here’s a snippet of my results above. They aren’t wrong about the song choices, but I haven’t actually listened to that much Taylor Swift this year even with two album releases. You know that people are going to eat up the low percentage “basic” rating. If there’s anything I do find strange though, it’s the call out to Dustin Tavella. While I did go through a heavy phase of listening to that song (went through a breakup myself like Selena Gomez) I can’t recall a single time I listened to that this year.

It’s unclear if this bot is supposed to detect all of your years in music listening or just this year. The reason why I’m struggling with that is because K-Pop was only popular on my playlist this year. The rest doesn’t seem to quite match up. To try this out yourself, visit the site [here]

Music
22 Dec 2020

Kids Meet K-Pop Group NCT

I’m currently in that state between transitioning out of work life and into my vacation which always seems to be the most challenging. After the most distracting work day of my career, my brain was jelly in the evening. As I was mindlessly scrolling through YouTube though I came across this video which was exactly what I needed. These kids met with members of NCT to have brief conversations about their former lives (pre K-pop) and about their dreams. It’s not only the most wholesome watch, but a video that just puts you at ease no matter what state you may be in. Enjoy!

Style
19 Dec 2020

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: House of Ho (HBO Max)

When I first imagined what Vietnamese representation would look like on mainstream television, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. The show highlights a wealthy Vietnamese American family out of Houston. It’s sort of a cross between My Super Sweet Sixteen and A Real Housewives series. However, the quality level looks like it could be on the Bravo network so they’ve got that going for them! House of Ho is purely for entertainment. It’s not educational or inspiring, but it’s clearly tailored for an audience that is more modern and young. I don’t have a similar upbringing like the Ho family, but there were some similarities that I recognized about my own childhood. There are seven episodes today and we finished the series in two days.

What We’re Listening To: KATIE – Our Time Is Blue

This album actually came out the same weekend as “Evermore,” so it was a bit distracting trying to do both. I was able to dedicate more time to KATIE’s this week though and I loved it so much I added all six songs to my current playlist. KATIE was a new artist for me as I only discovered her through another person’s Instagram account that I follow. Her sound reminds me so much of the kind of old school R&B that I used to listen to like pre-Jhene Aiko or even present day Summer Walker. Also, we will never get tired of hyping up Asian American artists.

What We’re Wearing: [AllSaints Sandra Jaine Denim Shirt] – $185 – $88.80

You could say that this shirt is a bit out of character for me, but there’s a story behind this. As some of you know, we’ve spent a significant amount of time with BTS in the last few months. Naturally their sense of style has peeked my interested a bit. You might even say that I ripped this look directly off of Jungkook from this year’s MAMA performance of “Dynamite.” It’s fun though, right?

What We’re Eating: Trader Joe’s Hearts of Palm Pasta

I’ve decided that I think I don’t understand vegetable substitutes of pasta after tonight. There’s a chance that I could’ve butchered this in the cooking, but I think that probability is low. Tonight, I threw this in with garlic, green beans, olive oil and a sauce from my local market, but finished it feeling unsatisfied and hungry afterwards. I know that there are people who swear by vegetable pasta, but the real thing is so much better! I’m not convinced by these.

Culture
13 Dec 2020

Blog Roundup

  • These Are the 11 Best Korean Dramas of 2020 [Hypebae]
  • Our Shared Unsharing [The Cut] The things I felt, but didn’t want to share myself
  • The Real Reason Americans Aren’t Quarantining [The Atlantic]
  • How Did Breakdancing Become an Olympic Sport? [LifeHacker]
  • The Search for the Next ‘Jeopardy’ Host [The Ringer]
  • 11 Skate Parks Around the World [Arch Daily]
  • Anime Fans Can Now Book ‘Sailor Moon’ Themed Wedding Receptions [Hypebae]
  • Chanel Miller on Slowing Down and Creating in Quarantine [Girls’ Night In]
  • Essential Things You Should Keep In Your Car [Life Hacker]
  • Major Brands Describe 2020 in One Word [Hypebeast]
  • Entertainer of the Year: BTS [TIME]
  • Everything Diners Need to Know About the Bay Area’s New Coronavirus Lockdown [SF Eater]
  • The Songs and Albums That Defined K-Pop’s Monumental Year in 2020 [TIME]
  • Twitter Will Now Let Users Share Tweets on Instagram and Snapchat [Hypebeast] Good, cause I’m tired of having to screenshot everything.

Style
11 Dec 2020

A Fully Stocked Felt Pharmacy

We were first [introduced] to Lucy Sparrow’s work a couple years ago when she created an entirely felt made supermarket. Since that time, I wondered if I’d ever come across her work again and here we are. Her latest creation takes us to The Bourdon Street Chemist, a fully stocked woolen pharmacy. In addition to being a drugstore, we also get a glimpse for a surgical unit that has been built out.

To be honest, it gives me some creepy vibes, but the attention to detail here is astounding. Every single piece that has been included was hand stitched by Sparrow herself.

[Source]

Design
10 Dec 2020

Airbnb Hosts Ring Our Opening Bell

https://youtu.be/pAsRj6oDhZ4

It was a loud week of IPOs between [Airbnb] and [Doordash]. While both tech companies were celebrating major wins, I happened to catch wind of a video that Airbnb’s team had made to celebrate this moment and to acknowledge their community. Essentially, Airbnb is as successful as they are because of their community of hosts.

I love their take on “ringing the bell” and using this interpretation to tie it right back to their business. It’s really beautifully done as are the rest of the videos in their catalog.

Style
09 Dec 2020

Hypebeast Dragged For Tweet

I’ve been reading [Hypebeast] since I was in high school. Because of this, I’ve been conditioned to read it daily trying not to miss any crucial updates. Blogs aren’t invincible. In more ways than one, it’s more likely that they will slip up. However, it’s because of my long history with Hypebeast that when they make a mistake like this, it hits harder.

On Sunday, Hypebeast shared the news of the Air Jordan 4 Retro SE WMNS Starfish on their blog and social accounts. It was their Twitter, however, that had the statement, “Unfortunately, just for women.” This statement wasn’t used on Instagram or their longer blog post. What exactly is so unfortunate about this sneaker being made and designed for women? It’s as if women haven’t been constantly excluded from sneaker styles and sizes for years. Hypebeast had an opportunity here to make this release positive for women and instead, they completely missed the mark.

To my knowledge, no apology statement has been given. Some may chalk this up to a very minor mistake, a word slip up, but don’t you see how much that word makes a difference? I wish this release could have been celebrated. Let’s talk about how strong the intention was to create a sneaker that is so exclusive, it’s only for women. Maybe next time.

[Source]

Style
08 Dec 2020

For Style and Self Defense – Knockout

As women, we’ve learned early on that we’re asking for trouble if we’re walking alone at night. That for some reason in life, we are delicate beings and that a man’s actions may not always result in consequences. I’d love for this part of the word to change, but until then, we’ll have to take matters into our own hands. Some of us carry pepper spray in our purses while others clench keys into their fists. Today, there is another alternative by Kate Davis and it’s both fashionable and functional.

[Knockout] is a new jewelry brand that you can both accessorize with and that will come in handy for those unsafe moments. However, we’re all praying that we never have to rely on these for that. Made out of lucite and metal, these rings have edges so sharp that they can do some harm to an attacker. While the brand isn’t marketed to be a self defense tool, Davis launched these rings with this in consideration.

[Source]

Music
07 Dec 2020

Someone Clearly Hasn’t “Read the Room”

AP Images

It’s December and I haven’t given any thought to a company holiday party in months. For that same reason, there’s no point why we should even be considering music festivals in 2021 either. Organizers of Montreal’s Osheaga seem to know something that we all don’t know. Announced today, Post Malone, Cardi B and Foo Fighters will headline next year’s summer festival provided that it doesn’t get moved.

The statement says organizers “have been working relentlessly behind the scenes to create the ideal circumstances for Osheaga to move ahead without a hitch.”

Honestly, how, when new information is being provided every day and both cases and deaths are on the rise. Should the festival not move forward for whatever reason, refunds will be issued. Reading this announcement though just seems like a whole lot of work for something that isn’t a given. We love music festivals. On Yow Yow! we share many lineup announcements during winter – spring, but these will be the last things that are deemed safe in the current environment.

[Source]