picture perfect 2

Been trying to get in as much LA before the trip. It's difficult being efficient with time when you have so much of it to use, as ironic as it seems.

Been having a couple random BBQs at my West Hollywood residence, taking advantage of the socal weather, my front porch, and my neighbor's BBQ. Was able to rekindle a friendship with my 1st grade best friend before she left California for Illinois! It had been almost 20 years since I last saw her, but thanks to the powers of Facebook, we were able to find each other.

Hangar 18 (Hawthorne, CA) - Been trying to get in some additional physical activity on my free time. I was first introduced to bouldering when I bought a Groupon to take an introductory class at the ARC in Arcadia, CA. Bouldering is similar to rock climbing, but without the harnesses. The bouldering "problems" are usually short distances and crash pads are used to prevent serious injury in the case that you do fall off. The "problems" range in difficulty from a V0 to around a V16. I've only been able to complete V0s and maybe one V1 problem. The video above is a V0.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, CA) - Free every 2nd Tuesday of the month. There is a pretty extensive and varied collection here. I usually get too tired to really see everything in one visit. I spent most of the time checking out the Bauhaus, cubism, and abstract expressionism collection. There is a Tim Burton exhibition showcasing his artistic works starting May 29, 2011. 

La Descarga (Hollywood, CA) - A small Cuban rum bar complete with a cigar lounge, live music, and hourly burlesque shows. I'm not much of a rum drinker, but heard great things about this bar. When you go upstairs, you are led to a room that looks like a small office or apartment. The host welcomes you and opens what appears to be a closet, which actually is the entrance to the bar downstairs. Think The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The bar is open 8-2 from Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are difficult to get on Saturdays, but I was able to get one after 2 weeks. There is also a strict dress code, so be sure to look dapper. The video above was a snippet of what I captured on April 16, 2011.

picture perfect

I purchased a Canon t2i DSLR camera as a Christmas gift to myself in 2010, and I plan to use it during my travels. The thing is, I have no clue how to take good photographs and have had zero training on how to use the different functions. Until now, I've resorted to using the "auto" and the "non flash" functions to take all my pictures. Some of my friends with experience using these cameras just suggested that I play around with it whenever I have a chance and figure it out on my own. I planned on taking a class at Santa Monica College, but never got around to doing it during busy season in February.

I've sort of created an ever-changing LA Bucket List, as evidenced on the right side of this blog. They are just a bunch of things that I have wanted to do in Los Angeles, but never really got around to doing, and I wanted to hit as many of them before I left. Hopefully I can use my camera and learn some more tips and tricks while crossing off my bucket list in the process.

Here are some pictures I've taken (any constructive criticism would be appreciated):


Sturtevant Falls - Sierra Madre, CA - A great hiking place just a little past Pasadena with an impressive, yet easily reachable waterfall. I went on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and it was packed, so parking ($5) was a little bit of a hassle. Well worth it though.

Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific - Long Beach, CA - I came here to watch a friend perform with his dance team. Apparently, the aquarium hosts different cultural events every now and then where they leave the premises open after hours and people can come listen to music, watch cultural dances, eat food, and also look at all the aquarium galleries. Aquarium of the Pacific - Taste of Asia Event

MOCA (Pacific Design Center) - West Hollywood, CA - The museum space at this location was rather minimal, but there is currently an exhibition called "Rodarte: States of Matter" (pronounced "Roh-dar-tay", as corrected by one of my fashion friends) where some of the Black Swan tutus are on display. Photography was not allowed inside the museum, but it was fascinating to see some of the materials desigers Kate and Laura Mulleavy used to make these costumes, as well as their own collection. We're talking cheesecloth, Swarovski crystals, vinyl, leather, wool, cobwebs, etc. There were both the white and black collection, culminating with a view of the final tutu Natalie Portman wore on the last scene of the movie, special effects and all.

Bigfoot Lodge - Los Angeles, CA - Located near Culver City, the inside of this bar resembled a log cabin, as seen in the picture above. Great $5 happy hour list. I believe it is from 5-9 everyday. The drinks are high quality and the bartenders know how to mix them.