cos

yesterday, I had the privilege to see one of the finest comedians: bill cosby! the pasadena civic auditorium holds the annual distinguished speakers series that includes famous people such as lisa ling, fergie duchess of york, the dalai lama, etc. the lecture series allows the speaker to talk about anything he or she wants.

with his freedom, bill was all over the place. he could not complete storytelling without going off from tangent to tangent. a comedian at heart, he couldn't resist to getting the crowd rolling with laughter and energy. the 70 something year old definitely holds a combination of calmness and wit that makes you sit on the edge of your seat to hear what he'll say next.

luckily to our friend, jessica who is a teacher at loma linda academy, we were able to get the $60 seats for free. thank you jessica for such a great and memorable experience!

the silver building

The first time I came to visit Walt Disney Concert Hall (WD) was to take my engagement pictures. I have been a fan of the modern architecture of this place. Last Sunday, I was finally able to go inside of the amazing building. Isaac and I had a date in LA (dinner, massage) and ended the evening with Midori playing at WD.

First of all, the inside of the concert hall was totally different from what I imagined. The interior floor and walls are all wood and looked more traditional than its contrasting outdoors. It reminded me of a ship interior. The seating arrangement encircles the stage which allows every seat to have a great view. We sat front middle to receive the best acoustics. The sound in that room resonates a crisp and limited reverb that preserves the original tone. Their Steinway piano sounds AMAZING in that room. Oh—its heavenly. (I can’t wait till my mom gives me my baby soon!)

My second critique is of Midori. All I knew of her was that she was a violin child prodigy in the 80s. When she walked in the room, I felt her attire and look was still stuck back in the 80s Laura Ashley collection. Her portifolio of mentorship and volunteering programs at USC explained the possibility of her modest presentation. To my surprise, Midori definitely has a style for playing her violin as well. Her robotic and stiff movements gave me & Isaac nausea. I know musicians like to follow their emotions, but her movements looked very unnatural like the Ahn trio. I did enjoy her playing very much, I just had to close my eyes so I wouldn’t get dizzy. The whole performance was just the violin and a piano accompaniment. They played 4 romantic pieces by Brahms, Beethoven and one other guy. She was definitely worth hearing and I hope to return back to the WD very soon.

Zinc cafe

With the craze of bakery cafes rising in la & favored by celebrities, Laguna is starting to pick up on the trend as well. (Did I mention before, I sat next to Posh Spice in LA at Jack & Jill Bakery?) Zinc is one of the local bakeries that attracts the beautiful Italians and laid back Laguaians. My favorite place to eat in Laguna for lunch is Zinc. The two building consists of a restaurant and the other building is the store that sells fine goods. The fine goods range from cheese, wine sodas, to go meals, and flowers. The restaurant has a large selection from sandwiches and pastas. My first time there, I had their vegetable lasagna that was so good, fresh, and not heavy or cheesy. I always get their soup of the day. The soups taste deliciously homemade and not from a can. The salads are simple and flavorful. I saw the person next to me order a vegetable sandwich that looked so good and that’s what I’m going to order next time.

After you order at the cashier, and pick up your food you have two options for sitting. Indoors is a little cramped, but you can enjoy their beautiful and elaborate flower arrangement by the cashier. I prefer the outdoor patio seating that is perfect for people watching and to enjoy the SUN.

Check out zinc cafe at www.zinccafe.com