Friday the 13th = Power of Women

Today marks Friday the 13th. Many, if not most, believe this day is associated with "bad luck." I recently discovered that Friday the 13th is COMPLETELY NOT. It was a special day for women, at least not until our patriarchal society and religion had something to do with it...

Turns out, Friday the 13th is actually devoted to celebrating the feminine side that everyone embodies, in both women AND men. It was a day to honor women and creation. The 13 had a female connotation behind it. According to James Like Hale, in his article, "How Did Friday The 13th Start? It Used To Be A Celebration Of All Things Feminine, But Patriarchy Ruins Everything, the number symbolized the mean of a woman's cycle annually and the number of cycles of the moon annually, which was seen as female based on religions worshipping nature. Friday the 13th got its bad rap beginning with religion in the Middle Ages. Christians believed Jesus died on a Friday, therefore, causing them to view each Friday negatively. With this idea already in people's mind, add in the event of Apollo 13. On this third mission to land on the Moon, an explosion occurred, where an oxygen tank was ruptured and depleted oxygen rapidly. Together, they created the bad rap of Friday the 13th we hear so often.

It sickens me to know that there was a day for women, yet none of us know it. After a while, what people hear becomes the reality of what people know. I never really questioned why Friday the 13th was unlucky. I just heard it was. Unlucky, scary, and bloody were the words that popped into my head whenever the day shows up in a month of the year. Never have I ever wanted or asked why.

Now, I'm going to turn over a new leaf and see this day for the better. For us, women. A day for women remains a day for women. No matter how much society alters our views. I know it is not easy to see this day as something other than unlucky, but with some time, it will be seen for women.

To add to the positivity of this day and to female power, Sarah Oh, a Korean-Canadian actress, was the first Asian to be nominated for an Emmy. This sheds a new break in the entertainment industry, as few women gain recognition and lead roles in the entertainment industry, let alone Asians. To hear about this nomination truly is a beautiful accomplishment for women and Asians. Women and Asians are not given enough credit. It is time to recognize the women in this world who do selfless acts, no matter how small or big, and the Asians who have lots to say but little platforms to be heard. Acknowledge them. See them without prejudice.

P.S. If you like to read the article, here is the link. Enjoy!

A Super First Day of July

Happy first day of July! To start off the week right, my family and I went to the movie theatre to watch Incredibles 2. It was so good! Worth the wait of fourteen years to come out! Love Edna Mode and Jack Jack. So cute! Nom nom cookie! Adorable. *Spoil alert ahead. If you haven't watched it, please do not read further!* I also really liked how the movie made women the protagonist and the antagonist. Usually, movies always go with the men as the center of the feature. Not this time. There was a change in that, and I like it. It gives us females a chance to showcase our abilities and talent in the entertainment industry. Big cheer for the females! Go us! After the movie, we ate at Phoenix and ordered Shrimp and Egg Flat Rice Noodle, Spanish Style Seafood Fried Rice, and Black Sticky Rice and Young Coconut (cold version). Happy tummies all around. Definitely a super, incredible family day to begin the week.

Adventures of June With a Dash of May

June has flown by so fast, with a blink of an eye. Three weeks down, two more to go for summer school. Excited to be done soon, then I can go back to writing and rewriting scripts. Even with lots to do and lots on the mind, still made time to do family stuff and eat. Below are the scrumptious food and delightful museum/exhibit stops most recently.

June 30

Headed to Fullerton to get some stuff done. While at it, my parents and I stopped by at a little food spot called Shorty'z. Super close to school, in the Target lot. It was one of the top five places to eat breakfast/brunch in an article I read on ABC news recently. When I knew I had to go to Fullerton, I had to stop at one of the five tops. Two out of top five crossed off the list. Shorty'z was really simple. A small sit-down restaurant, buzzing with people, did not stop popping even when we left Fullerton and drove passed. Mom got the simple dish (eggs, hash brown, and toast), Dad got the veggie omelette, and I got the veggie burrito. Boy was the veggie burrito heavy and big. Had half leftover. The service was fantastic also. This one lady was so sweet and had this smile that can warm your heart. She even said bye and thank you when we left the restaurant. Super nice. I can see why they are one of the top five in Fullerton to chow-down.

June 27

I don't know if you remember, I was crazing hot dogs. I still got that hot dog craze, so my mom and I went to Costco. This time, I ate it with ketchup and relish. Mmm mmm good. What a combo. My mom and I shared a chicken bake as well, but I forgot to take a picture of it (opps). It was so big, we were caught off guard. We haven't ordered chicken bake in so long, but it was good. It wasn't as salty as before. For dinner, mommy dearest made lettuce wrap. I missed out during college. Not anymore! It was really good, fresh this time, with lettuce too. The wrap consisted of dry oyster, mince pork, green onion, mushroom, sausage, and jicama. 

June 23

Summer courses usually includes some type of extra credit, as professors want the students to pass. Whenever there is extra credit, we all jump on it. Any number of points can make a big difference. This time, I needed to go to a museum and write about two artworks. My dad and I decided to go to Norton Simon Museum. For some reason, this time around, I ended up loving two artists, Edgar Degas and Gustave Courbet. I didn't know their work so much the previous time I was at the museum as I did this time. Something about their vision on canvas drew my attention. After the museum, we headed to the Gamble House, the famous house used as Doc Brown's in Back to the Future. We've been living so close to the city of Pasadena all this time and never once visited this beauty of a gem until that Saturday. Crazy. Nevertheless, Dad and I loved it, and it was so cool to be at the location of the Back to the Future set. (The pictures of the Gamble House were really dark... either that or a washed out look... should have brought the big camera...)

Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera by Edgar Degas

Actress in Her Dressing Room, by Edgar Degas

Stream of the Puits, Noir at Ornans by Gustave Courbet

Marine by Gustave Courbet

Cliff at Etretat, the Porte d' Aval by Gustave Courbet 

June 17

Father's Day! I hope all the fathers out there had a wonderful day just dedicated to them! For my family, we went to the Chalk Festival and Father's Day Car Show. It was really nice. I even got to see two of my coworkers from my internship site, Pasadena Media, working! Really cool to see them again and it's really something to be able to say "I saw my coworkers" to your mom and sister when reunited after we went to look at various sections. There's this happy and exciting feeling. Must go back soon to volunteer when I get the chance! After that, we went to the Incredibles exhibit, showcasing at the Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra. Real neat drawings and artwork.

June 9

West Covina trip to Mikomi Sushi with the parents. Love Japanese food! The typical choices, chicken, beef, and Tonkotsu ramen. Mmm mmm good!

June 1

Dad brought home pie for dessert from Pie Hole! Black sesame panna cotta with strawberries and Mexican chocolate. So so good!

May 29

Reunited with my bestie, Kim. We spent the day catching up at Kopan Ramen and in the Atlantic Time Square Plaza. We both chose the customized ramen version and got a free plate of sesame chicken (a promo when ordering two ramen). We got some drinks from Hi Tea, both choosing puff cream bubble milk tea. It was okay, not the greatest. The drinks weren't cold and the taste was mediocre. We walked back to the plaza, sat down, and talked until our parents picked us up.

May 28 

Big sister and I decided to make lemon cheesecake! Okay, I did some of the work, but mainly my sister did the mixing. I assisted. The lemon cheesecake bites came out pretty good! We added more lemon than needed, but it made it less heavy. The graham cracker bottom was crumbly, but for first timers, it was a success.