SVong-Along

TL;DR - Read Crying in H-Mart if you: love a good mother-daughter/family story, like Asian food/culture, or just in need to cry it out. Crying in H-Mart is a memoir by Michelle Zauner, a bi-racial Korean American who moves to Oregon to help take care of her mom when she is diagnosed with cancer. The story heavily centers on the grief she experiences, but also how she honors her mother with memories of Korean food and cooking.  Like my cool cousins Julie and Tara - I wanted to read Crying in H-Mart to be an "in the know" Asian-American (it debuted at #2 on the NYT and will also be adapted into a movie) but also because even though I'm not Korean, I still have some fond memories shopping at H-Mart (and my non-Asian coworkers have even asked me about it when for example it opened in SF.) My favorite part of the book was Zauner recalling certain Korean recipes with her mom- kimchi, samgyetang, and even when she travels to Seoul the sensory details and ties with emotion really...

If someone you love is dying- would you tell them? The Farewell explores this heavy question with a surprising amount of hilarity and is a funny yet emotional family movie that also showcases Asian culture and the ethical dilemma of deciding what is best for our loved ones. Release poster - (Wikipedia) In short, see the Farewell if: you like laughing about weird family customs you love a good movie about family and/or love your family you are interested in/relate to Asian culture The Farewell is truly an homage to the idiosyncrasies of Asian culture: from the overall theme of hiding secrets big and small and pretending everything is ok, to burning fake money for ancestors to have a prosperous afterlife. But it also explores the intermingling of many complicated family relationships: grandparent and grandchild, kids and parents, uncles, cousin, etc. While everyone can relate to family love and drama, the setting here is China - and some themes arise of: the perspecti...

VietGone is a play/sorta-musical about love, loss, war, race, and family. I had credit from an unused Groupon (yes, some people still actually use Groupon), and used it to see the Sacramento production. I had heard about it since Simu Liu played the lead in Toronto, so that sparked my interest along with my general appreciation for Asian Americans representin' in the arts.  I say that it's like an Asian version of Hamilton mostly because there are a few rap songs, but also there are some really intense scenes and war is a big part of the plot. Another commonality is that some of the characters play multiple roles, which is sometimes confusing but pretty funny and impressive. Rinabeth Apostol was definitely a highlight- playing a self-proclaimed bitch that had a super intense rap repeating "I don't give a shit!" I'm always struck by the portrayal of badass women and Apostol was so good.  Besides a strong female lead, the story is entertaining and...

What is Soft Power?  Described as a "play with a musical," Soft Power is exactly that, but so much more. Soft Power is about international relations, entertainment, love, politics, and how life in America might be viewed from a Chinese perspective. Written by David Henry Hwang (who also brilliantly writes himself as a lead role in the play), Soft Power is part satire and political commentary with music, thought-provoking themes, and full of funny scenes and witty dialogue. BALLOONS Who is in Soft Power?  Soft Power features an impressive ensemble, primarily of Asian-Americans. The lead role of Xue Xing is played by Conrad Ricamora (aka Oliver in How to Get Away with Murder, but also a Broadway performer). Ricamora's voice is surprisingly versatile, with some of my favorite moments featuring his tender falsetto. Hillary Clinton also is a major character (not portrayed by an Asian-American). Raymond J. Lee also had a fantastic voice, and the cast was overall v...

A week ago, I was sauntering the streets of NYC and Washington DC catching up with friends and trying to make the most of my downtime from the law convention I was attending. This post is dedicated to my food adventures during the five days I was in/ on the East Coast (thanks for telling me proper grammar Abby Wolf!) 6.6.18 - NYC  1. Buvette  First stop for brunch: Buvette. This place was mentioned in Crazy Rich Asians, and Kevin Kwan (the author) is apparently a fan of West Village/Greenwich Village area. I came here with my NLC Sac ELP (entrepreneur life partner Rose - missing Liza Chu!) We sat in a somewhat cramped corner on the outdoor patio since the weather was nice. Kevin Kwan has mentioned that he gets the Golden Assam tea, a pain au chocolat, or the eggs with salmon. I planned on getting dessert after this meal, so I only ordered the Assam tea and the eggs with salmon. The Golden Assam tea is apparently from India- and came in this quaint teapot. To me, ...

I'm guessing that 98% of you didn't watch the California gubernatorial debate last night, but I also missed portions since I tuned in and out (I watched a portion of 6:30-7 PM but then switched to Jeopardy! from 7-7:30.) [Also, there is an upcoming election in California so register to vote !] Anyways, my friend Rachel shared an article by the SF Chronicle:   What have they sacrificed? Most California candidates fumble the question.  The question started off: “People and families across California are making big sacrifices to live here. Long commutes to work. Working two jobs. Going into debt to put their kids through college. In light of their sacrifices, what is the biggest sacrifice you have made in your life? ” Essentially, only ex-mayor of LA Antonio Villaraigosa had a relatable answer: he sacrificed time with family in pursuit of "wanting to change the world." Gavin Newsom said that our sacrifice should be "to take care of the next generation" [v...

In one word: inspiring (which seems like an obvious answer, but I guess that depends on the coach's effectiveness.) This year I decided to participate in the New Leaders Council (NLC) fellowship, which is essentially a training program for future progressive leaders. One of our workshops was "Finding your Why" by Elaine Lou Cartas , and she shared her story of how and why she decided to become a career coach (primarily but not limited to first generation millenial females.) After her talk she offered a 30-minute strategy session, and I was interested because I had never spoken with a career coach, so I decided to sign up. The closest thing I've had to a career coach was career services at my law school, but they are definitely more concerned with my class' employment statistics than whether I'm happy at my job. I am grateful that career services did open up opportunities such as my 1L and 2L summer internships, and how to apply for state jobs, but I fe...

As part of my foodie journey, I went to Noods Noods Noods  (NorCal edition) in Oakland, an instant noodle-themed food festival put on by Nissin Cup Noodles and Foodbeast. I found out about the event because my cousin tagged me in a Facebook post showing that one of the vendors, Chick N Rice, would be serving a thai tea cooler with mango sticky rice. My other cousin told us that all the major food instagrammers go to Noods Noods Noods, so as a Yelp Elite wanting to step up my food  influencer status, I proclaimed that I was "interested" on the Facebook event page. Tickets were $10 for the marketplace section where you could buy different items from vendors, or $60 for All-You-Can-Eat. I didn't think I could eat $60 worth of instant noodles, so I was more interested in the marketplace section. Even better, one of my Facebook friends posted a 50% off code for the marketplace section, so I saved a little bit of $ (it's all who you know if you wanna get anywhere in thi...

In one word: Grateful. About a month ago, I received an invitation to UC Davis APALSA (Asian Pacific American Law Student Association)'s annual banquet, and as a previous Co-chair I felt compelled to attend [I did consult a previous Co-Chair whether I should attend and it was a 14 minute walk from my office so I really didn't have an excuse.] For me banquet was a stressful (and expensive) event to coordinate, but it truly is a celebration of APALSA's accomplishments and a nice way to end the law school semester. This year's banquet was at Sterling Hotel, which featured a nice ballroom and a convenient location for Sacramento practitioners and judges (which this APALSA board did a very nice job of recruiting). I was impressed not only at the amount of judges and professionals that came in comparison to previous years, but at the awesome gift baskets donated and the open bar and food [steak and salmon] that definitely made the ticket price more bang for its buck. ...

It takes a lot to get me to switch channels from Jeopardy, but from the start of Opening Ceremony I've been glued to my TV watching the world's best ice skate, snowboard, and ski in pursuit of gold and glory. The Winter Olympics doesn't get as much love as the Summer Olympics, yet I still find myself watching sports I never cared about (i.e. the women's hockey final between U.S. and Canada) and getting emotional when the athletes react to their performance. Below are a few reasons why I love the Winter Olympics [alternatively, my favorite moments from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.] 1) Figure skating Figure skating is more than a sport, it's art and expression and drama tied with competition. Music plays a major role and it's interesting to see different interpretations of classics such as "Black Swan" and "Clair De Lune." Rarely does a sport move you or evoke emotions, but the best figure skaters (see Yuna Kim 2014 ) do just t...