World of Color was absolutely AMAZING! It reminded me of why I’m willing to shell out $300+ for an annual pass. The view from where I was standing was perfect; nobody in front of me to block it or too close next to me to make me feel uncomfortable.
We had 5:20 pm dinner reservations for Ariel’s Grotto (that’s another review for another day) and got tickets for the preferred viewing. Good thing we’re annual passholders, because we pretty much spent most of that afternoon waiting for the show. We finished dinner around 6:30 pm, walked around Paradise Pier a little, and when we came back, there was already a huge crowd of people waiting to get into the viewing area. Mind you, the actual show didn’t start until 9 pm, but people were already waiting at 7:15. Our tickets stated that early arrivals wouldn’t be accommodated, but that was pointless because people lined up super early anyway. If we had gotten there any later, we wouldn’t have had such a great view. They started letting people into the viewing area at 8:00. At 8:30 pm, they had a mini 10-15 minute show to keep the crowd entertained. Then it was back to waiting again. I was getting a little bit restless, but I was glad that we were on some shallow steps that I could at least sit on. But it really was worth the crazy wait. The whole show lasted about 30 minutes, and every minute was spectacular. I’d love to watch it again, except I don’t know if we could get as lucky with the view.
7 down, 93 to go!
#56: World of Color.
#29: Aquarium of the Pacific.
It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. I thought it would take us the whole day or most of the day, but we only spent a few hours in there. It was really cool though. I learned about all sorts of animals. I think that my favorite exhibit was the jellyfish exhibit; there’s just something so eerie yet calming about them. I seriously could’ve spent the whole day just watching them. I also learned about another new animal - the sea dragon. One kind looked just like floating seaweed, another looked like it had mini-propellers on its back. Another cool thing was I got to touch sharks in the shark lagoon! LOL. They weren’t the dangerous kind though. I also got to touch a jellyfish; I guess those are the really mild stinging ones. All that walking though marine life made me crave seafood, so we went to Bubba Gump for dinner. Haha.
6 down, 94 to go!
#97 - Confession.
I just realized that this one happened completely by accident. A few nights ago, I had dinner at Lamill Coffee with my old girl friends, and in the spirit of good conversation, I divulged an old, hidden secret that I had kept since high school and almost forgotten about. Haha, just something for pure entertainment, doesn’t hold significance anymore. Joyce, Pauline, Yvonne, and Jecka, you know what I’m talking about.
5 down, 95 to go!
57 - multi course sushi dinner. For 40 bucks, I was able to make enough for 5 people TWICE. Really cool, considering we spend about 60-70 dollars for two everytime we dine out. Anyway, this meal comprised of edamame as our appetizer, miso soup on the side, 7-8 kinds of sushi (I think) , several sashimis and chocolate and green tea mochi ice cream for dessert. It was a success!
#14: Los Angeles Zoo.
Its official: I love water animals more than land animals. Not that I didn’t have a good time at the Zoo, I just enjoyed looking at the seals and sea otters more. Can’t wait to go to Aquarium of the Pacific and Seaworld. ;) LA Zoo wasn’t too big, we circled the whole thing in the span of three hours. There was a lot of construction going on, and they were putting in new exhibits like the Elephants of Asia and the Reptile and Insect Center. Those I’d really like to see.
3 down, 97 to go!
#69: Red velvet cupcakes.
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, as I’m more of a salty snacker, so I had to consult good ol’ Yelp for this one. I was willing to drive to Pasadena (Violet’s Cakes) or even Beverly Hills (Sprinkles Cupcakes) in search for the best red velvet cupcake, when I came across Auntie Em’s Kitchen, which is a mere three or so blocks from my apartment. I’ve passed by this little diner thousands of times, yet never gave it a second thought. Apparently, it is quite famous for its cupcakes, and was even featured on Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay and recently named ‘Best Cupcake Shop in LA’ by Channel 7. With 4 stars and 545 (and counting!) reviews on Yelp, I just had to try it for myself.
My sister and I went for lunch today and were fortunate to be seated right away because I know that they can get super busy and crowded. Their food servings were huge and filled me up fast, so we decided to get the cupcakes to go. We each got one mini-cupcake. The verdict? Even though I’m not a big sweets fan and I don’t really have anything to compare it to, I can safely that it might be the best red velvet cupcake ever. The frosting was a little on the sweet side (but that might just be me), so I was right in getting just one mini. I can’t imagine how people can eat and finish the large cupcake in one sitting (its humongous), but hey, to each his own. The cupcake itself was nice and moist, not dry at all, and went so well with the delicious frosting. I wonder what makes it red. Is it food coloring? Or something else? I think I’d rather not know. Anyway, for red velvet lovers, its something I highly recommend and would go back for again.
2 down, 98 to go!
#49: Go to 3rd Street Promenade.
Have I been living under a rock? Because as long as I’ve been in LA, I’ve never been to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Yes, I’ve been to the beach. Yes, I’ve been to the pier. But it just never occurred to me to come to this place. On a last minute whim, my sister and I finally decided to go today. I would describe it as a cross between Venice Beach and… I don’t know, maybe Old Town Pasadena? There were street performers, singers, and dancers all along Third Street, all of whom were incredibly entertaining. Then there were about three to four blocks of stores and restaurants lining each side. I wanted to go shopping and enter every single store but I was just too distracted with so many things to do and so many sights and people to see. In the end, I just ended up buying makeup from Sephora. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that it would be chilly (its right across the beach), so I was freezing my buns off the whole time. Next time, I’m bringing a sweater.
1 down, 99 more to go!
the final list.
- Go to Disneyworld in FL.
- Go on a cruise.
- Be pesco-vegetarian for 6 months.
- See Wicked in San Francisco before it ends.
- Participate in a marathon.
- Go on board the Queen Mary.
- Get into nursing school.
- Finish nursing school.
- Try Brazilian, Moroccan, Peruvian, Indian, and French cuisine.
- Have a minimum of $15,000 in my savings.
- Go to Cancun in Mexico.
- Go to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.
- Visit the San Diego Zoo.
- Visit the Los Angeles Zoo.
- Have a grade-A smile.
- Wear contacts or get Lasik.
- Get a tattoo.
- Move out and live on my own.
- Fire a gun at a shooting range.
- Look and feel fit.
- Visit New York, NY.
- Pay off all my credit cards.
- Document every single day of my life in 2011.
- Go to a minimum of ten different beaches and collect sand and/or shells from each beach.
- Visit Chicago, IL.
- Go parasailing.
- Go bungee jumping.
- Go to Seaworld in San Diego, CA.
- Go to Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.
- Learn to ride a motorcycle.
- Hike to the Hollywood sign.
- Get a facial.
- Let my hair grow past my boobs.
- Watch the Lakers play at the Staples Center.
- Go to a gay bar.
- Go ziplining.
- Visit the Philippines.
- See my grandparents again.
- Go to Boracay in the Philippines.
- Go skydiving.
- Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in FL.
- Go snowboarding.
- Go parasailing.
- Go jetskiing.
- Get a Brazilian wax.
- Donate blood, platelets, or plasma.
- Eat at Pink’s, Boiling Crab, and Umami Burger and see what all the fuss is about.
- Eat at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant.
- Go to the 3Rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA.
- Have something named after me.
- Sleep under the stars.
- Get into the habit of bringing reusable bags and stop using plastic.
- Take a photography class.
- Buy a digital SLR camera.
- See the Grand Canyon in AZ.
- See the World of Color show in Disney’s California Adventure.
- Prepare a multi-course dinner.
- Swim with dolphins.
- Go whale-watching.
- Watch a play at the Pantages Theater.
- Watch a play on Broadway.
- Buy a meal for a homeless person.
- Read 50 ‘classics’ and actually analyze and understand them.
- Go to a concert.
- Have a better relationship with my mom.
- Dine at an upper-scale, fine dining, gourmet Filipino restaurant.
- Pass out 5 NIKI envelopes.
- Eat at Yamashiro in Hollywood, CA.
- Go to a bakery known for their red velvet cupcakes, and see what all the fuss is about.
- Find a hobby.
- Donate 1% of my yearly income to a charity or cause that I really support.
- Hold on to a job for a year.
- Go rock climbing.
- Watch the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in person.
- Watch a television show taping.
- Treat myself to a $500 shopping spree.
- Try caviar.
- Eat at a fondue restaurant.
- Bake a pastry completely from scratch.
- Try three different gourmet food trucks.
- Live in another country for a month.
- Get my fortune told.
- Go to Catalina Island.
- Eat junk food, dessert, and anything I’d like for a whole day without holding back or feeling guilty.
- Go to a wine-tasting.
- Go on a cross country road trip.
- Go island-hopping in Asia.
- Learn to ride a bike.
- Establish a really good friendship with an acquaintance or stranger.
- Ride an elephant.
- Gamble in Las Vegas, NV.
- Ride an ATV.
- Eat at a celebrity chef’s restaurant.
- Go to Universal Orlando in Orlando, FL.
- Try a White Castle burger on the East Coast.
- Reunite with an old childhood friend or classmate.
- Make a confession to a friend.
- Forgive someone who’s wronged me in the past.
- Ask someone I’ve wronged in the past for forgiveness.
- Eat at all of the restaurants in my neighborhood and write a review on Yelp.
I realized that there are other, more insightful things I’d like to do as well that I forgot to include on the list, such as ‘learn to forgive’, ‘stop being jealous’, or ‘make a confession to a friend’. I might re-edit my list or just add them on, although my OCD would like me to keep it at an even hundred.
Before I turn 25, I want to….
1.Go to Magic Kingdom in FL.
2.Go to all four Disneyworld parks in FL.
3.Go on a cruise.
4.Be pesco-vegetarian for 6 months.
5.See Wicked in San Francisco before it ends.
6.Participate in a marathon.
7.Go on board the Queen Mary.
8.Get into nursing school.
9.Finish nursing school.
10.Graduate with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
11.Try Brazilian cuisine.
12.Have a minimum of $15,000 in my savings.
13.Go to Cancun in Mexico.
14.Go to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.
15.Visit the San Diego Zoo.
16.Visit the Los Angeles Zoo.
17.Have a grade-A smile.
18.Wear contacts or get Lasik.
19.Get a tattoo.
20.Move out and live on my own.
21.Fire a gun at a shooting range.
22.Look and feel fit.
23.Visit New York, NY.
24.Pay off all my credit cards.
25.Document every single day of my life in 2011.
26.Go to a minimum of ten different beaches and collect sand and/or shells from each beach.
27.Visit Chicago, IL.
28.Go parasailing.
29.Go bungee jumping.
30.Go to Seaworld in San Diego, CA.
31.Go to Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.
32.Learn to ride a motorcycle.
33.Hike to the Hollywood sign.
34.Get a facial.
35.Let my hair grow past my boobs.
36.Watch the Lakers play at the Staples Center.
37.Go to a gay bar.
38.Go ziplining.
39.Visit the Philippines.
40.See my grandparents again.
41.Go to Boracay in the Philippines.
42.Go skydiving.
43.Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in FL.
44.Go snowboarding.
45.Go parasailing.
46.Go jetskiing.
47.Get a Brazilian wax.
48.Donate blood, platelets, or plasma.
49.Eat at Pink’s in Hollywood.
50.Eat at a vegetarian/vegan restaurant.
51.Go to the 3Rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA.
52.Take a photography class.
53.Buy a digital SLR camera.
54.See the Grand Canyon in AZ.
55.See the World of Color show in Disney’s California Adventure.
56.Prepare a multi-course dinner.
57.Swim with dolphins.
58.Go whale-watching.
59.Watch a play at the Pantages Theater.
60.Watch a play on Broadway.
61.Buy a meal for a homeless person.
62.Read 50 ‘classics’ and actually analyze and understand them.
63.Go to a concert.
64.Have a better relationship with my mom.
65.Try Peruvian cuisine.
66.Try Indian cuiisine.
67.Try French cuisine.
68.Dine at an upper-scale, fine dining, gourmet Filipino restaurant.
69.Pass out a NIKI envelope.
70.Eat at Yamashiro in Hollywood, CA.
71.Try Boiling Crab.
72.Go to a bakery known for their red velvet cupcakes, and see what all the fuss is about.
73.Find a hobby.
74.Donate 1% of my monthly income to a charity or cause that I really support.
75.Hold on to a job for a year.
76.Go rock climbing.
77.Watch the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in person.
78.Watch a television show taping.
79.Treat myself to a $500 shopping spree.
80.Try caviar.
81.Eat at a fondue restaurant.
82.Bake a pastry completely from scratch.
83.Try three different gourmet food trucks.
84.Live in another country for a month.
85.Get my fortune told.
86.Go to Catalina Island.
87.Eat junk food, dessert, and anything I’d like for a whole day without holding back or feeling guilty.
88.Go to a wine-tasting.
89.Go on a cross country road trip.
90.Go island-hopping in Asia.
91.Learn to ride a bike.
92.Establish a really good friendship with an acquaintance or stranger.
93.Ride an elephant.
94.Gamble in Las Vegas, NV.
95.Ride an ATV.
96.Eat at a famous chef’s restaurant.
97.Try Moroccan cuisine.
98.Go to Universal Orlando in Orlando, FL.
99.Try a White Castle burger on the East Coast.
100.Reunite with an old childhood friend or classmate.
