SVong-Along

If you are a weeabo fan of Hayao Miyazaki and happen to be in LA before June 5, 2022, I recommend checking out the Miyazaki Exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures .  The Academy Museum is also cool for avid-movie fans, although parts are still being built so it currently feels a bit incomplete. What to expect for the Miyazaki Exhibit:  No pictures are allowed inside, but there's a few stills of films and a preview of the themes to explore: flying in a fantasy world and experiencing perspectives of protagonists that deal with real human issues of "industry, war, and pollution." The whole experience felt like a journey back into childhood as you enter the exhibit leaving a sense of fantasy when you exit. I felt a wave of nostalgia as I heard Joe Hisaishi's memorable soundtracks and gazed at beautiful sketches of concept art and watched powerful scenes from Miyazaki's films. One of my friend Betty's complaints was that some of the film screenings ha...

I went to Disneyland for my cousin Millie's birthday the day before California's reopening- and at 35% capacity it was pretty sweet!  The emptiest I've seen Main Street at noon. I got to ride Rise of the Resistance (ROTR) and the new Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure at Avengers Campus on the same day! But a lot has changed: no fastpass for now, reservation only at certain restaurants and rides, and no shows or parades (but tentatively some set in July). Below are some tips if you are interested in Avengers Campus/navigating the virtual queues.  Download the Disneyland App The App is where you can reserve the date you go, buy your ticket, link tickets with your group, virtual queue for ROTR, Indiana Jones, and/or Webslingers, make mobile food orders, and check out wait times. If you have a park hopper- be strategic about which park you reserve first  I.e. if you just care about seeing Avengers campus- go to DCA first and queue for Slingers first  Wake up at 7 AM t...

Formerly "the best restaurant in the world" and one of the few restaurants with 3 Michelin stars, The French Laundry has been on my bucket list and I was fortunate enough to snag a last-minute reservation and share the dining experience with my good friend Jocelyn.  Chef Thomas Keller's flagship served a memorable meal, with highlights such as: "pommes maxim's," Elysian Fields Lamb, and buckwheat ice cream with whiskey honey. The food seemed more rustic and traditional rather than innovative, so personally it wasn't the best meal of my life since I'm into fusion/gastronomy, but it was still a great experience, especially since we got to tour the kitchen at the end and met Chef Thomas Keller himself!  We drove from Bay Area in the afternoon, and it was unfortunately smoky, but the skies were not apocalyptic at least. I parked directly across the street from the restaurant. There might be parking along the small road beside the restaurant also, but str...