UnHipLA » East West

This looks tasty!

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:36:35 +0000

Indian sandwiches or naanwiches ! I’ll have to stop by this place next time I’m in the Miracle Mile. I read about this on EatingLA.com. I tried to do a direct link to her post about the Cowboys & Turbans restaurant but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Cowboys and Turbans serves Indian street food.

Samurai Robots report to the dance floor

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:43:05 +0000

The Pacific Asia Museum is hosting a free family day this Saturday, March 14, 2009, from 12 – 4 pm. The exhibit is "The Samurai Re-Imagined: From Ukiyo to Anime" and features samurai, manga comics, armor, and robots. The day includes free admission to the galleries plus crafts, performances, demonstrations, and more fun.

Also part of the exhibit are a series of related events; one about game design.

Saturday, March 21, 2-5pm
Discussion, Games People Play
Join game designer Alexei Othenin-Girard as he discusses the history and development of game design. The event is followed by a workshop on the fundamentals of game design.

Pacific Asia Museum

46 N. Los Robles Avenue

Pasadena, CA 91101

(626) 449-2742

www.pacificasiamuseum.org

Just take the Gold Line to Memorial Park.

Is Bollywood coming to Hollywood?

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:15:31 +0000

This CNN article says it’s not. Well, we’ll see. Last night’s Academy Awards was pleasantly India-dominated. I enjoyed seeing the Indian song and dance numbers from Slumdog Millionaire, and hearing the speeches of the Indian winners which seemed to be less self-centered than the speeches of others. Jai Ho! Indian Composer A.R. Rahman has made his country very proud after having won two Oscars in one night for best score and song. I wonder if the Academy is more globally focused now due to Obama’s presidency.

A Valentine’s Day Suggestion

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:27:25 +0000

Take your date to see "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," Shahrukh Khan’s latest Bollywood romantic comedy offering. It’s playing at the Naz 8 in Artesia. The movie is about an older man who has an arranged marriage with a younger woman (who has a tragic back story), and how he tries to woo her by entering a dance contest. The movie has Bollywood heart and soul all the way and gets pretty philosophical about what true love really is. It steered clear of paneer (cheese) somehow and just told a satisfying story with comical yet touching acting by Shahrukh Khan and his forlorn co-star Anushka Sharma. The soundtrack is outstanding as well, very poetic and dance beat-y at the same time. Though I don’t understand the lyrics, I know the songs are about love and finding your true partner. The Hindi word kuch = ~~love~~ something (Thanks Soni). My favorite song is Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai.

I was first introduced to Bollywood fare via Abhishek Bachchan whom I adored, but now I have finally discovered the greatness of SRK. He delivers time and time again, and picks better projects than Abhi does. SRK’s work seems more mature and deep than Abhi’s, yet at the same time very charming and highly entertaining. I drool for SRK.

After you see the movie, I suggest dining in Artesia. Any restaurant would probably offer you a spicy and seductive meal. Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are my former posts on my lovely trips to Little India, Artesia, here, here, here, here, and here. Anyone have any restaurant suggestions for Little India? If you go, you’ll most likely have an uncrowded and pleasant Valentine’s Day!

*** UPDATE *** SRK is in another movie playing at the Naz 8 too. It’s called Billu Barber. I have not seen it yet.

Inaugural Chinatown Art Night

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:50:09 +0000

LA’s Chinatown is having its first Art Night on Saturday, January 24, 2009, from 7 – 10 pm. This will be a quarterly shindig featuring contemporary art, clothing, furniture, music, performance and design.

Sounds like fun and it’s free!

Best Movies of 2008

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:48:50 +0000

Bee Vang and Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino

I’m a little late on this post, but the best movies I saw this year were Milk and Gran Torino. Milk just had so many great themes running throughout it: having passion and truth in your life, making the world better for others, giving people hope and courage, and of course, civil rights and fair treatment of all. Milk, about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California., showed a man who changed the world while in his 40s. He figured out his purpose late in life, which kind of goes along with the Barack Obama idealism that is floating around these days: It’s never too late for change, for others and yourself. I really encourage everyone to go out and see Milk. Sean Penn gave a phenomenal performance, really transforming himself for this role and channeling the charismatic Harvey Milk. James Franco, who I admit is the reason I first went to see the movie, also gives a quietly charming performance. At one point while watching the movie, I took a look at the audience while Harvey Milk was giving a speech. They (we) were all riveted. The movie also gives a great history of the gay rights movement in the 70s in San Francisco; I had no idea how tumultuous it was.

If you’d like to see a documentary on Harvey Milk, there’s a free one here on Hulu.com: The Times of Harvey Milk. Yay for Hulu.com!

Now for Gran Torino. I don’t know what it is about Clint Eastwood, but he’s just so cool. He plays a 78-year-old hero who saves his young Hmong neighbors from gang violence. The ending alone is reason to see this film and how the story builds up to it is great filmmaking (though the beginning of the film is bumpy). I also loved watching the cranky Eastwood character interact with his culturally different neighhors and how he takes the boy and girl under his wing. Also in terms of filmmaking, it seems like Eastwood is passing the torch onto a younger generation and by casting real Hmongs in the film, he is making cinema more authentic and inclusive. I’m Asian American and seeing Clint Eastwood, a quintessential American, with a Hmong cast is unexpected and wonderful. Go Clint go! The two young Hmong actors in this film, Bee Vang and Ahney Her, gave fine performances as well.

Ultimately, both movies are about making America better for the next generation.

Kabobs!

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:16:49 +0000

Delicious lamb kebabs can be found at this hole-in-the-wall in the northern part of Pasadena. Click the menu picture to see the prices. The cook is very nice too.

Shish Kebab Express
2495 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 398-9777

I need a kid for this

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:41:02 +0000

From the Pacific Asia Museum:

Sunday September 28, 11:00am-5:00pm
Free Family Day – Himalayan Festival We’re celebrating the people of the world’s highest region with the biggest FREE Family Festival of the year! Enjoy hands-on crafts, music, dance, exhibitions, demonstrations, and food and crafts for sale from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet. The Himalayan Festival is presented in association with the Tibetan Association of Southern California and is made possible in part by the City of Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission and Cultural Affairs Division, Pasadena Art League, Target, Dharma Arts, Tibetan Arts, India Sweets and Spices and Bodhi Tree Bookstore. In-kind support provided by Dolphin Rents, Sierra Club, and Whole Life Times. Special thanks to the volunteers of Pacific Asia Museum’s Himalayan Arts Council and Pakistan Arts Council.

Los Angeles Korean Festival

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:17:49 +0000

Four days of Korean madness…

The 35th Annual Los Angeles Korean Festival…

September 25 – 28, 2008

with a Korean traditional marketplace, tea ceremony, parade, wrestling demo and

A SENIOR CITIZENS FOLK SONG CONTEST!

www.lakoreanfestival.com

HAPPY FEET

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:00:00 +0000

As you may already know, the San Gabriel Valley is full of $15-20, one hour foot massage places. There are so many places that it’s hard to figure out where to go. This article covers a few spots. I’ve recently visited, two times, a place with the unfortunate name of Exotic Spa, but I was happy with the service. On my first visit, I got a 30 minute chair massage ($20) and this time I got the one hour foot massage including a 20-minute upper body massage ($20). They also do a $15/hour foot masage and foot soaking (no upper body). And finally there’s the combo of combos: a 20 minute chair massage, 30 minute foot massage, and a 10 minute foot soaking for $30, all of which they somehow fit into a one hour time span.

The place tries hard to be serene and spa-like with a big sign that reads Quiet in both English and Chinese. The huge flat screen TV played nature shows in mute. In other foot spas, the TV shows Chinese movies/TV with some volume. The multicolored Christmas lights are a little distracting but still it’s a nice peaceful environment and I felt comfy, cozy, sleepy there. The first masseuse I had was a man and he had great hands. This time was a woman whose little fingers were precise and strong, but the man was better. Too bad I didn’t get their names. I definitely will go back again. I liked how clean the place was, and I liked how they kept piling warm towels on me. Parking is easy in the back. There are two scales in there to weigh yourself, which I found funny. I ate a tootsie roll on the way out. They give you a tea as well. The crowd was more non-Asian than Asian. Tip – make an appointment and get one of their frequent visitor cards.

Exotic Spa
702 W Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-1730 or (626) 905-0611

While there, you might also want to eat at the delcious Luscious Dumplings or Vietnam House (7 courses of beef dinner – very good). I also pick up odds and ends at the bargain store there, which surprisingly often has what I need.