All posts in: Life

Design
04 Aug 2020

Blog Roundup

  • Michelle Obama Is Hosting A Brand-New Relationship Podcast [Vogue]
  • A Typing Test For You Because… Why Not? [Source] I’m at 94 WPM!
  • Mask Wars? New Yorkers Will Sit This One Out. We’ve Already Seen Enough Death. [Vogue]
  • The Definite 50 Worst Teen Drama Couples of All Time [Buzzfeed]
  • Actually, Mark Zuckerberg Is Wearing the Correct Amount of Sunscreen [Mel Magazine]
  • People Share 30 Reasons Why Group Projects Are the Worst [deMilked]
  • How NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Became The Unexpected Launchpad for Musicans of Color [Hypebeast]
  • Can’t Fall Asleep? 17 Ways to Make You Feel Tired AF [Greatist]
  • How Dating My Reality Show Director Opened Me Up to a Real Relationship [Refinery29]
  • Who Influences the Influencers? [High Snobiety]
  • Every Decision is a Risk. Every Risk is a Decision. [FiveThirtyEight]
  • Nirvana Performing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” In A Music Store A Week Before Its Release [Kottke]
  • How Black & White Photography Became A Complicated Symbol of Female Empowerment [Refinery29]
  • The 20 Best Reality Show of All Time [Esquire]
  • The Best Instant Noodles [Wire Cutter | New York Times]
  • Padma Lakshmi Wants Us to Eat More Adventurously [New York Times]
  • Designer Creates $3,900 Wetsuit That Looks Like A Real Suit [deMilked]
  • Take A Look Inside Numbering’s Safe Deposit-Themed Flagship Store in Seoul [Hypebae]
  • J. Cole Is Training to Be in the NBA – Can He Actually Do It? [High Snobiety]
  • Soup Base Ramen Noodle Wrapper [Cool Material]

Style
27 Jul 2020

A Goodbye to Wedding Mondays

When I first started Yow Yow! I didn’t want to hone in on one specific theme. I wanted to keep things broad so that I could always continue to write about whatever I wanted. This is something I still want today, but the things that I want to write about are shifting. Earlier this year, we said goodbye to “Sunday Words” our weekly dose of inspirational quotes. And now it’s time to say goodbye to “Wedding Mondays.” Both of these series have been with Yow Yow! since at least 2012 so while it isn’t easy to wind down, it does feel right.

I think it’s perfectly normal to want different things for your blog within an 11-year time span. I’ve done a lot of growing up during this time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like weddings or that I will stop appreciating the details of a beautiful wedding or discontinue watching wedding videos. I’m grateful that the series has lasted as long as it did, but something that I’m realizing in 2020 is that I don’t want my content to feel like an obligation. Having a regular series is a huge undertaking. Keeping this blog afloat while having a day job at the same time has never been easy for us. Winding down this series means that we can bring the focus back to content that has become more important to me.

I want to sincerely thank those of you who came to Yow Yow! every week for this feature. We’ve seen some incredible weddings over the years and shared videos that were truly pieces of art and a trigger for tears. I had the chance to share the weddings of friends (always with their permission) and spin off the Wedding Wednesdays series with Mandi covering her entire wedding planning process. And lastly, having the chance to experience the Nordstrom Wedding Suite and capturing all of the details from the Seattle flagship will always be a special memory.

People
27 Jul 2020

Wedding Mondays

It is both heartbreaking and inspiring to see couples that I know and don’t know persevering through this time. None of them could have imagined what 2020 would have in store for them. All of them envisioned saying those two words solidifying their partnership and making it official official. However, all of them know that it’s not just those two words that make a partnership. It’s all not a grand ceremony that make a partnership. I appreciate both the couples that have moved their dates out of the concern and safety for others or the couples that have pressed on making adjustments to what they originally dreamed of.

Briana and Kris were one of those couples who had a wedding impacted by COVID-19, but decided they couldn’t wait until next year. Instead they threw the most beautiful intimate ceremony with guests that all promised to get tested beforehand. Vogue did such a beautiful job of capturing the special moment in their day through this summary and the photos will stick with you long after you’re done reading.

[Source]

Culture
25 Jul 2020

This Weekend:

What We’re Watching: The Kissing Booth 2

To All the Boys is still my favorite Netflix rom-com series, but fine, we’ll give into this. After The Kissing Booth premiered and was incredibly successful, I decided months later that it was time for me to see what it was about. It wasn’t exactly what I had predicted, but in a good way. The characters were likable and I really did feel like I was rooting for them. In the sequel, it was thrilling to see Elle struggle in a different way. Noah is kind of a bad boyfriend? And we like the dynamics of the new characters that join the film. What you don’t see from the trailer is that they spend a significant amount of time in another location and the film revolves a lot around this plot. We’re a fan when trailers don’t reveal the entire movie.

What We’re Listening To: Taylor Swift – Folklore

While I consider myself a fan now, I can’t say that I haven’t wavered in the past. We aren’t big enough fans to listen to her album the night it premieres though. I actually don’t know if there’s anyone that I would do that for. When new albums come out that I am generally excited about, I like to set aside time for it. It’s not the kind of album that I’d have in the background because I want to pay attention to the lyrics. Plus, sometimes we write reviews on here and I need to be able to construct my thoughts. From the poll that I did on my stories, many people seem to lean positively on it. I think we’ll save it for tomorrow!

What We’re Wearing: A White Blouse

Already labeled the closet staple of quarantine, the white blouse is one of my favorite versatile pieces. It has saved me for work days when I want to look put together on top, but comfy while wearing it with plain black leggings or cozy shorts. It’s funny to think that I almost left this behind in Seattle on my last visit because it has been the piece I run to regularly these days.

What We’re Eating: Queen’s SF

I’ve been doing a good job of cooking at home when I can and only reserving take out for special occasions or once a week. Tomorrow, Kevin and I are exploring another neighborhood in the city and one place I’ve been excited to try is Queen’s which serves hot meals that you can take away, but also doubles as a market. We’re likely going to be doing some shopping while we’re there and I’m excited to try a few of their dishes!

Life
19 Jul 2020

Sunday Check In

We were the ultimate couch potato this weekend and strangely enough, it was the first time in a long time. This was the first weekend where we stayed mostly off social – limited blog writing, story creating, and not trying to cram in as many TikToks. Instead, I felt pretty weightless. There’s not much that we can do in this climate, but on most weekends, I feel the need to overcompensate. On Saturday, I slept in, had breakfast and then promptly took a nap right after. That’s not a normal weekend day for us.

Since I’m an avid to-do-list maker, I tried to make up for that lapse in a Saturday by tackling as much as I could. Today, I was supposed to drop off two donation bags to Goodwill only to find out when I arrived that they don’t accept on Sundays. Nothing was falling into place, but at the same time I couldn’t be upset about it. The bright side was that I got to take a drive for a little bit, clear my head, and get some fresh air.

I’ve tried to avoid working on Sundays, but since I received extra time back from social, I got a head start on the week. Much of what I achieved this weekend feels out of order, but I’m ending it feeling like it wasn’t for nothing. Whether it was clearing my head space or getting ahead of the work week, time wasn’t wasted. It’s another thing off the list. As much as possible, I’m trying to find these little joys that I can appreciate at the moment. They range from having a soju cocktail in the evening to watching mindless series like Zac Efron’s latest travel sustainability show on Netflix.

People
15 Jul 2020

Blog Roundup

  • How a 4th of July Meal Exposes the Coronavirus Risk for Thousands of US Food Workers [Buzzfeed]
  • How To Be Alone [Vox]
  • We Shadowed A Restaurant Server for a Full Shift [SFGate]
  • We’re Going to Run Out of TV [The Ringer]
  • What Will College Be Like in the Fall? [The Cut]
  • Does Being Underwater Stop Your Period? [Refinery29]
  • Does Wearing a Mask Make You Look Hot? [GQ]
  • What If Working From Home Goes On…Forever? [New York Times]
  • No One Knows How to Throw a Pandemic Wedding [The Cut]
  • Why Time Feels So Weird in 2020 [Reuters Graphics]
  • Why The Internet Is Blowing Up About LA’s Most Infamous Jam Maker [Eater]
  • We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs [Teen Vogue]
  • Simone Biles Cover Story [Vogue]
  • Have You and Your Friends Had the COVID Talk? [The Cut]
  • Who Does Boba Guys ‘Bridge Cultures For?’ [SF Weekly]
  • Nobody Made Reading Look As Cool As Shaq Did [Mel Magazine]
  • What Movies Present As Normal, But It Actually Isn’t [Bored Panda]
Life
15 Jul 2020

Solving the Mask Shortage in Huntington Beach

In case anyone was wondering how the United States is doing on tackling the Coronavirus and wearing masks, here’s a clip. Let the record show that we are in our fourth month of this and it’s going to be stretched out even longer because individuals like this exist. I actually kind of like this video because it’s both humorous, but scary at the same time.

Life
14 Jul 2020

Five Favorite Pins: Mac and Cheese

[Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese]

I heard it was National Mac and Cheese Day today and to celebrate, I wanted to share five different recipes to elevate the original. I wasn’t a huge mac and cheese fan until I got to college mainly because it was such a staple. Back then, my mini pantry was stacked with Kraft microwavable mac and cheese bowls and my current pantry houses some of these today. For many growing up, this was the ultimate comfort food. I’ve come to love it over the years, but it’s also the meal that I like to experiment with. We experienced a high when I dumped fresh pico de gallo from Little Chihuahua into my Kraft box. Then we encountered a low when we tried to add in a tablespoon of sesame oil. So yes, you can have some missteps. While I haven’t sampled these recipes I’m sharing with you today, I don’t think they will be a miss.

Read more “Five Favorite Pins: Mac and Cheese”
Culture
12 Jul 2020

This Weekend:

At this point, it doesn’t even feel like we’re in quarantine anymore unless it is by choice. And for the most part, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Parts of the country are re-opening up, but it hasn’t been successful. After several months of this, I generally feel like I’m doing okay so we stay indoors and limit ourselves to the deck attached to my apartment. I did, however, run a few more errands than I normally do this weekend which was a welcomed surprise because I love taking longer drives.

What We’re Watching: The Claudia Kishi Club

I binge watched Netflix’s revival of “The Babysitters Club” in two days and could not get enough of Claudia Kishi. She was my favorite character back then in the books and she’s even cooler in 2020. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the series and Claudia playing a young Japanese American girl with her creative flair resonated deeply with me. She was the opposite of the stereotype that we have all become familiar with and some of us needed her character to pave the way ourselves. Netflix’s “The Claudia Kishi Club” says it’s a documentary, but it’s only 17 minutes and we wish it were longer. The special features six Asian American creatives discussing what Claudia Kishi meant to them growing up and it’s the most heartwarming thing you’ll watch all weekend.

What We’re Listening To: JoJo – good to know (Acoustic)

Before I knew we were going to write this post this weekend, I already [shared] that I was listening to JoJo’s acoustic release of her “good to know” album. Two days later and we’ve still got this on repeat. I always love original albums, but there’s something about one that is stripped down that really tugs at the heart strings. We’re just so excited about her come back.

What We’re Wearing: [Leith Ruched Body-Con Tank Dress] – $56 – $29.93

I’ve been having a lazy week lounging in leggings, but because yesterday was Saturday, we pulled on this latest dress that we purchased. Since I’m new to becoming a regular at online shopping, I never know how my purchases will turn out, but I’m glad that this was a perfect fit. Now looking back on it, I wish I had purchased this in several colors! It’s the perfect day to night dress and one that I know I would’ve loved wearing around the office. For now, we’ll just wear it around at home, but we’re okay with that.

What We’re Eating: Soondubu

Ever since Kevin and I discovered the Soft Tofu Kit at the Korean Market that we go to in Daly City, it has become our favorite thing to make! The kit itself just holds the tofu and the sauce, but all you have to do is add water and your favorite toppings and you’ve got a meal. My usual adds:

  • 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sugar
  • Bell Peppers
  • Peas
  • 2 eggs
  • Mushrooms
  • Green Onions
  • Black Pepper

Cook it all up and serve it over rice and it’s the perfect comfort meal.

What We’re Drinking: Yakult Soju

This is the easiest cocktail to make! Normally, I don’t drink by myself at home, but since we’re not going out to bars, I figured this could take the place of my happy hours. I was introduced to this combo at a bachelorette party earlier this year so ever since, I’ve just had it on hand in my fridge. All you have to do is mix soju with the Yakult yogurt drink. I’m told it’s even better if you add Sprite, but we have yet to try that!

Life
06 Jul 2020

Monday Check In

Due to the holiday, we decided to tack on an extra few days. Throughout quarantine, I’ve had the same thought, ‘why do I even need to take days off when I’m not going anywhere?’ I’ve taken a few days here and there to give myself the longer weekend and I’ve never regretted it. Since quarantine began, we’ve made a conscious effort to stay productive. Even though there were many articles saying you didn’t have to do anything because it was a pandemic, I knew in my core that that wasn’t me. Every day had its routine and I’m proud of all that I’ve had a chance to accomplish during this time – time that I won’t ever have back. It’s that same time that I typically beg for when I’m set in a busy work cycle.

Today, however, was not one of those days. Going on hour four from my couch, this is the first time I’ve opened my laptop for the day. I consumed a dense pizza pastry for a meal in between breakfast and lunch and I’ve watched two separate Korean dramas. If this is all we achieve today, I think I’d be okay with that. Time is passing by slowly, but I’m cherishing each hour as it goes by because tomorrow it’s back to my life of meetings and phone calls.

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