Beyonce Concert: Mrs. Carter Tour

As you slowly scanned SAP Center, screens were lit with a simple symbol: B.  Anticipation was growing as it approached 9:00 PM for Queen Bey to step onstage.  Then the stadium went dark, and the video began with her dressed in royal garments.  Her dancers were dressed in Gaga-esque clothes--circular, white, wired skirts; they floated around in a circle, setting the stage for the Queen to appear.  Then you see the blond hair flying everywhere.  The song progressively gets more intense, as Queen Bey asks, "Who runs this motha?"  The answer that she is looking for is girls, of course.  We all know that it also means her, as she is definitely a boss, a power-house, and a kind soul. 

Queen Bey's voice did not disappoint.  Unlike some pop concerts that I've been to, she was actually singing, while dancing in her 4-5 inch stilettos; you know this just takes stamina and years of practice.  She was a lot smaller than she appears on television.  Her passion is evident as she performs, balancing swag with a care-free attitude.

However, I couldn't help but feel disappointment, as the set only lasted approximately 90 minutes.  This reflected avant garde video clips.  I would have preferred to have non-stop performing.  The last concert I went to was JT/Jay-Z so I recognize that the bar has been set.  I also paid $550 for two tickets and just wanted a bit more.  Most of the set list was from her recent cd, sprinkled with Survivor, Irreplaceable, Single Ladies...

Despite my disappointment, I have to acknowledge that she zip-lined from the main stage to the Bey stage, giving many fans an opportunity to get an up close and personal view.  She hugged and high-fived many.  She threw her sweat towels to fans, which on a side note, I've never quite understood what people do with (a sweaty towel).  I guess it is an unique souvenir.  The best part of the show  was towards the end when she sang Happy Birthday to a fan.  They put him on the jumbo-tron and she threw him a towel, stating, "You know who I am throwing this to," and no one tried to grab it.  Despite her general interviews and soft-spoken public persona, Sasha Fierce is a G and has swag in her mannerisms and words.  Who can't respect that?

Food Review: Evvia Estiatorio, Contemporary Hellenic Cuisine, Palo Alto, CA

During a rough day, you want to treat yourself to a nice lunch.  After all, work can be hard =)  After an attempt to go get Burmese Food at Rangoon Ruby, making a rookie mistake by not making a reservation in Palo Alto at 12:00 PM, we wandered into Evvia Estiatorio.  When you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted with a pleasant aroma.  You cannot quite put your finger on it because there are so many dishes blending together.  The hostess and host are equally pleasant, asking us if we had a reservation.  Since their faces didn't drop immediately, I knew we had a chance to be seated.  As I waited 2 minutes, I surveyed the restaurant.  There appeared to be intimate lunches (e.g., families) and business lunches.  There was a small furnace lined against the wall of the bar.  The wine was gorgeously stacked in diamond shaped slots.

Seating includes the most comfortable booths I have ever been in.  I wanted to take a nap before and after lunch!  The cushions were soft and allowed you to sink in.  They felt like what you would imagine clouds feeling like.  There are many people that dine here, but the noise level isn't unbearable.  You can carry on a conversation.  I ordered the Moussaka which is described as a "baked casserole with eggplant, lamb ragout, potatoes, & yogurt bechamel."

The Moussaka melts in your mouth!  If you enjoy lamb, this casserole is for you!  I devoured the entire helping.  It was warm and was loaded with ingredients. Although there was an abundance of ingredients, the yogurt bechamel gave it a light feel.  I savored every bite, finishing last.  Let's just say I cleaned the dish for Evvia staff.

Here is the business card for reference.  The bottom picture is another one of their restaurants in San Francisco.  If I ever have a bad day, particularly on a cold day, I'm going to get out of the office to go to Evvia!!

American Music Awards (AMA): Katy Perry's Racial Boo-Boo, Nelly & FGL, Macklemore/Ryan Lewis!

It has been several days since the American Music Awards, but the opening act still gets me thinking.  First off, the AMAs was one of the best awards shows in awhile.  I actually watched every performance and award presentation.  What served as a cue to watch the show was Yahoo.com that applauded Ariana Grande for her flawless performance.  I turned on the television in anticipation, and then my stomach dropped...Katy Perry, Ms. California Girl, a person who I said can do no wrong, as she pumped out hit after hit, appeared as a Geisha!   Let me preface this by saying that this is solely my opinion and perspective.  I have made several presentations on multi-cultural diversity and what Katy Perry presented to the world maybe perceived as a racial insult.  Thinking of the history of people painting their faces to look like other ethnic groups, I always hoped that we were past this.  I would at least hope that a famous celebrity would have someone on her team to say, "Hey, I'm pretty sure people may take offense to this!"  Gwen Stefani danced with Harajuku girls, but Katy Perry took it to another level.  Dressing up as a Geisha perpetuates the stereotype that Asians are exotic or in their own right "quirky."  By no means should she present a parallel between her quirky persona and her performance.  Now, there is a distinction between a racial insult and racism.  I obviously don't know Katy Perry to know her perspective on other cultures, but she definitely needs a consultant on multi-cultural diversity issues (I would have definitely told her that would not be well received, and what the implications are of dressing this way).

The rest of the night was fantastic.  What I love about Macklemore is that when he wins awards, he sends a message of social justice.  This time, he quoted MLK, Jr., "An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!"  This is ironic considering Katy Perry's performance.  Mark Anthony also provided us with an inspiring quote, You maybe alive but you're not always living (paraphrased).  Performance after performance captivated me...Ariana Grande with her velveteen voice should be crowned the young Mariah Carey.  FGL and Nelly performed their hit "Crusin," but the best part of it all was when Nelly went throwback on us, performing "Ride with Me."  TLC also performed with Lil Mama rapping Left Eye's part. It was an awkward performance, but always good to see them remembering Left Eye. Breakout band, Imagine Dragons rocked it with their two hits! Rihanna was awarded an icon award, and I always forget that she is only 25 y/o.  Her voice is so unique.  Her movements on the microphone looked like she was possessed, but I guess this is the look she was going for.    Lastly, Miley Cyrus performed with an enlarged app on the big screen; every time she sang, the mouth of the animal sang.   Oh what a great night of pop culture.

Divergent Series: Allegiant Review

The trilogy of Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant are by Veronica Roth and it was supposed to be the new Hunger Games. The premise is a dystopian society set in Chicago. It is a society divided into factions, each representing a core value including selflessness, knowledge, honesty, bravery, and peace. Factions are meant to keep societal order.  You are born into a faction, and each individual takes a test that indicates an aptitude for a faction. This maybe the one you were born into or another faction. During the Choosing Ceremony, you can choose to remain in the faction you were born into or the one that the test indicates would be a good fit.  The story centers around a heroine, Tris who is Divergent, or who has an aptitude for multiple factions. This is not taken lightly by the society's leaders, as it threatens the system.

Warning: SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT ON!!
Tris eventually chooses Dauntless, the faction that values bravery. She therefore leaves her family to join this faction. Here, she learns to fight, handle weapons, and to fall in love with her instructor, Four.  The first two books weave their growing and complicated love throughout. They battle leaders that wish to exert control over the people of the society, and lose many loved ones along the way. Sure, their cat and mouse love story was at times irritating, but you can't help but root for them to stay together.

In Allegiant, we discover that their society is a government experiment to fix so-called genetic deficiencies. Another revolution against the government takes place. I, like many readers have felt very very disappointed by this last book. I read preliminary reviews that the author should have given the readers what they want so I pretty much knew that she wasn't going to give us a happy ending.  Even still, as I read the ending of Tris sacrificing herself to end government control, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.  I read Veronica Roth's philosophical rationale for the ending. Tris fully embodied selflessness which is what her parent tried to instill in her. In fact, it also seems that Veronica was attempting to make parallels between the books' societies  and society in real life. However you want to intellectualize it, analyze it, and  argue that life is messy and we must cope with it, many people read these books to essentially feel hope, believe in love, and that can change can occur.

Now, Tris' sacrifice did result in societal change in many respects, but then why does it feel so unsatisfying when it is all said and done? Oh right, it is because the author killed the main character and left the male lead to live as a grief-stricken bachelor. I don't feel like many readers that state it is a waste of time to read the book because a trilogy means you read three books for a conclusion. However, the conclusion bothered me so much that I felt the need to write about it lol

Food Review: Hops & Hominy & CocoaBella Chocolates, San Francisco

It was a girls day out to downtown San Francisco.  It was super cold so I wanted to layer up and wear my new neon yellow dress.  I decided to layer a small cream colored trench on top of the yellow dress.  So I wouldn't freeze my butt off, I wore black, stretchy skinnies underneath; All Small everything.  Now that I had my pop of color to make me happy, we wanted to try a new restaurant and window shop.

We chose Hops & Hominy.  It is located in a dead-end alleyway AKA the cuts lol! It has an adorable sign:

Here was the brunch menu.  The waitress said that they print the menu every week.

                         

The appeal of this spot was the environment.  The walls are lined with mason jars and inside are plastic candles.  Water is served in mason jars, and there is a variety of drinks to choose from.  The wall that we were sitting in front of had amazing artwork.  In the bathroom, there is amazing artwork on the walls, too, but I didn't really want to take a pic in the can lol.

           For the Carnivores: Chicken and Waffles.  I was imagining crispy fried chicken and waffles drenched in syrup.  The chicken was fried, but was not really infused with much flavor.  The waffles and chicken were covered in dabs of hot sauce.  There were probably five drops of syrup around the plate.  The waffles alone were buttery and soft.  

  

For the Vegetarian: Egg Sandwich

Overall, I would give the restaurant a 3/5 stars.  If you want a chill spot to hang out at on a Sunday afternoon, this is the place to go.  

Afterwards, window shopping led us to CocoaBella Chocolates, which has tons of exquisite chocolates.  

I decided on the passion fruit (the chocolate in the middle).  It had a rich, creamy chocolate interior with a hint of passion fruit.  I should have been more mindful about eating it and savored it, but it was so delicious that I devoured it in two seconds.  This is a nice change of pace from the stereotypical chocolate shops.

Pinterest Party: DIY Magnetic Make-up Board, Glitter Jars, and Foot Scrub!

Let's face it, I pin so many DIY projects and I haven't done any of them!  If you are like any of my friends and me, we have 100's to 1000's of pins.  My good friend had a brilliant idea of having a Pinterest Party (she has actually done her diy pins).  The rules were simple: Everyone pick their own projects, buy their own supplies, and meet for Pinterest time (AKA girl time).  Here are some of the projects from the day/evening.  


Magnetic Make-up Board

I have wanted to make a magnetic make-up board for days!  The party finally gave me a reason to go through with it.  I followed the instructions from this blog and is credited to: http://laurathoughts81.blogspot.com/2011/03/make-up-magnet-board.html

Materials:
1) Old picture frame
2) 1 piece of sheet metal
3) Cute fabric (It HAS to be cute lol)
4) Spray Adhesive
5) Magnets
6) Every day use make up
7) Glue gun and glue sticks

I had this old frame lying around the house and I knew one day that I would find the perfect use for it!  I got it several years ago at a thrift shop and have always loved the color of the border (so no spray paint needed).  I went to JoAnn's Fabrics and took my sweet time until I found the perfect fabric for the background.  This bird pattern was $9.99 a yard.  As you can see I used very little.  I bought a piece of sheet metal from Home Depot.  It is notable that these are pre-cut so to fit the frame, my friend had to cut it with his tool.

1) Cut enough fabric to cover the sheet metal.  I used the cardboard in the picture frame to guide me.
2) Cut the sheet metal to fit inside the picture frame.
3) Evenly spray the sheet metal with the spray adhesive.
4) Evenly spread the fabric.  This took me a few times.  I pulled the fabric up a couple times to ensure that it was evenly spread.

5) Heat the glue gun.

6) Glue magnets to the backs of the make-up.  Some heavier items may need two to three magnets.

7) Stick onto the board as desired!

End Result!!  Love it!

My other friends made awesome projects!!

Glitter jars!  Evenly spread mod podge around the jars and coat with glitter!

Foot Scrub! Mix dishwasher soap and sugar.  Neatly place in a mason jar.  Add a cute/funny label!

Scrub those feet!!

My friend took this awesome pic of all the projects.  The one on the left is a button monogram! Glued and hand sewn...Now that is dedication!

I had a blast and now I'm inspired to do more DIY projects!

It's a Minion Halloween!

Halloween is a fun time especially for kids! I love to see how creative people can be. There are some parents that hand make costumes which is awesome! I settled for the minion mania! There are a lot of events in the area besides trick or treating in the neighborhood.  One was on October 27, 2013 in Japan Town in San Francisco. With huge inflatable pumpkins, games, and trick or treating at the West and East sides of the mall, this is a very family friendly event!

 

Minion Halloween is never complete without the minion pumpkin!

There was even a guy in a banana suit! Ba-Ba-Ba...

Other events that were posted:

Stonestown Mall, Trick or Treating, 1-3 pm 

 

Tanforan Mall

Halloween Costume Parade & Contest

Thursday, October 31st, 3:30-5pm by Old Navy

Children ages 1-10 years old can participate in a costume contest for a chance to win mall gift cards! Children will also receive a Halloween bag* filled with goodies to kick-off the festivities. Bags are available while quantities last.
Children in Kindergarten and younger can line up starting at 3:15pm by JCPenney on the lower level. The costume parade will then start at 3:30pm.
Children in first - fourth grades can line up starting at 4:15pm by Sears on the lower level. The costume parage will then start at 4:15pm.

#BenandJennWedding: Red Lips & Tribal Peplum

Red lips and Tribal Peplum

I love bold, red lipstick! As Taylor swift said, "It makes you look like you spent more time getting ready than u actually did."  I did just quote Taylor Swift lol *SMH.   It makes a dull outfit turn into something magical. I use a lipstick from the Matte Mac family . My friends were getting married and I wanted to wear a new dress and I recently purchased this tribal print dress from forever 21 at the  50% off sale. I had been looking for a tribal print that I could actually pull off; wear it too big and it looks like an over-decorated tent! Peplum is very flattering so when I saw it, I bought it immediately! Pairing red lips and tribal print was a fresh outfit for the wedding season! Add some gold-toed, sequinned shoes...Ready!

Enough about my prep and outfit, the true beauty was the bride in a gorgeous strapless gown and train. A breathtaking golf course in San Jose, CA was the perfect place to marry the love of her life! The wedding was fun and full of memories. This was the only wedding I've been to that rented a taco truck for a late night snack. Yeah, we spent an hour there!

Re-Post (URL Changed): Money Club: Where are you putting your retirement?

I will start and close with a disclaimer: I am NOT providing financial advice.  This is merely a reflection of an experience I have had that was beneficial to me.  If you would like to further your knowledge, you may follow up with finance professionals and/or begin a Money Club of your own.
                                        $$$
A close friend of mine who is highly successful invited me to a Money Club, a group of minority women discussing financial planning and health.  A Money Club can obviously be composed of any demographic. However, as highly educated women, many of us have never received an
education on finances.  Unless you specifically majored in Accounting or Finance, many of us have not taken courses in college, and therefore do not understand how to: a) make a budget, b) save for retirement, and c) financially plan for the present and future.  I appreciate HR representatives immensely.  However, many of us tend to get 15-30 minute presentations on 401k’s with the bottom line: “Max out your 401k.  It’s good for you!” Therefore, forming a monthly Money Club seemed like a good idea to improve our financial health.

The benefit of this particular Money Club was that a highly successful woman in Finance was hoping to give back to other women in the form of education and knowledge.  We met at an informal place for snacks.  To start the meeting, we each introduced ourselves and what brought us to
the meeting.  What emerged was that each of us had varying levels of financial knowledge, fears about finance, differents hopes of what we wanted to gain from our
attendance.  Instead of overwhelming everyone, we began to focus on 401k’s/retirement.

So as to not overwhelm the reader, here are the main points that emerged:
• 401k’s used to be a vehicle for very wealthy people to
receive tax breaks
• 401k’s were implemented by companies in order to reduce the burden of providing pensions
          o Most companies have stipulations on the 401k’s 
         (e.g., you can withdraw after X date)
•  401k’s charge management fees and/or index fees, which I did NOT know.
            • Scenario: If you are making a 7% return but you are               being charged management fees of 2%, well you 
             do the math…
• 401k’s tend to provide you with only a few funds to invest your money vs. a Roth IRA that allows you to choose from a variety of stock options and funds
• If you want to lower your tax bracket, you can choose the 401k (pre-taxed dollars) and/or Roth IRA (taxed now not upon withdrawal)
• If you choose to open a Roth IRA, most people maintain a diversified portfolio of companies and/or index funds
• Some companies pay you dividends.  The caveat is this counts as income vs. capital gains (the tax is lower).
• When choosing where to put your money, one of the important aspects to consider is the cost of the service
       o To manage/invest index funds, there tends to me low  
          rates (e.g., .02%).
       o To manage/invest in other companies, the cost tends 
          to be higher
• Do not just consider past performance of a stock, examine the strategy of the investment manager


Following a very fruitful discussion, the homework for the upcoming month was examine:
1) What portion of your net worth is in your 401k?
       a. Net worth includes salary, other income, cash 
           savings, retirement minus debt (e.g. value in 
           balances vs. what you owe)
2)      What are the fees and returns of your 401k?
3)      Once you know these answers, what are you going to 
         do about it?

I am so excited about this Money Club, which seems like a rare opportunity.  I hope to spark interest among others, including minority women to begin a club of their own.  It is great way to share ideas related to financial health.  It always helps to have a financial expert and/or individuals with more finance experiences in the group.

Disclaimer: I am NOT providing financial advice.  This is merely a reflection of an experience I have had that was beneficial to me.  If you would like to further your knowledge, you may follow up with finance professionals and/or begin a Money Club of your own.

How not to eat Ramen everyday as a Student (particularly Grad Students)

Mystery Shopping

After I was able to settle down from the excitement of gaining acceptance to a great graduate school program, I realized that a) I was lucky to have a stipend and b) I had to make my budget work on a stipend.  Let's face it, I was tired of being creative with Top Ramen.  A person near and dear to my heart suggested that in order to get to know the area better, we sign up for Mystery Shops.  Have you ever seen those sketchy looking ads about Mystery Shoppers (e.g., Eat for Free)?  Well, we took a chance, and signed up for one of the companies. What transpired after that was a six year+ run of free food, paint, hotel stays, and shipping fees.  Now, it took awhile to get the prime time shops: Hotel stays.  To start, we would mostly eat at a chain restaurant (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and dessert, and 2 drinks).  Then you fill out a detailed review and submit a copy of the receipt). Therefore a mystery shopper is a person who pretends to be an regular old customer, but you are expected to assist in ensuring good business practices, including customer service, quality of food, extent of an employee's knowledge.  Each assignment will ask for specific things (e.g., Did the employee greet you)?  An example of a company is Inteli-Shop.

There are two caveats: 

1) For every legitimate company that we have used, submission of SSN is required, as you are technically making money on some of these shops.  I am not advocating you do this.  You must evaluate the credibility of each company before you give anyone your information.

2) You need to pay for the items first and you will be reimbursed within 30-60-or 90 days.  For some people this is difficult for start up and makes some people uncomfortable.  

3) Be weary of the cost-benefit analyses of some assignments.  Some assignments will give you money to use to purchase items during the shop.  However, the survey may take 5-6 hours, and it  may not be worth your time.

Ok now that I've provided some caveats, I do have to say, the best shops are:

1) Staying at a hotel for one night, getting free dinner at the lounge (2 appetizers, 2 entrees, drinks), room service for dessert, and free breakfast for two people.

2) $100 for two people at a fine dining restaurant

3) Free massage + free parking

4) Free gallon of paint

Needless to say even after I graduated, it is still nice to save a buck AND have some luxuries.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are solely my own.  The reader is solely responsible for researching companies and enrolling at their own risk.

Money Club: Where are you putting your money for retirement?

I will start and close with a disclaimer: I am NOT providing financial advice.  This is merely a reflection of an experience I have had that was beneficial to me.  If you would like to further your knowledge, you may follow up with finance professionals and/or begin a Money Club of your own.
                                        $$$
A close friend of mine who is highly successful invited me to a Money Club, a group of minority women discussing financial planning and health.  A Money Club can obviously be composed of any demographic. However, as highly educated women, many of us have never received an
education on finances.  Unless you specifically majored in Accounting or Finance, many of us have not taken courses in college, and therefore do not understand how to: a) make a budget, b) save for retirement, and c) financially plan for the present and future.  I appreciate HR representatives immensely.  However, many of us tend to get 15-30 minute presentations on 401k’s with the bottom line: “Max out your 401k.  It’s good for you!” Therefore, forming a monthly Money Club seemed like a good idea to improve our financial health.

The benefit of this particular Money Club was that a highly successful woman in Finance was hoping to give back to other women in the form of education and knowledge.  We met at an informal place for snacks.  To start the meeting, we each introduced ourselves and what brought us to
the meeting.  What emerged was that each of us had varying levels of financial knowledge, fears about finance, differents hopes of what we wanted to gain from our
attendance.  Instead of overwhelming everyone, we began to focus on 401k’s/retirement.

So as to not overwhelm the reader, here are the main points that emerged:
• 401k’s used to be a vehicle for very wealthy people to
receive tax breaks
• 401k’s were implemented by companies in order to reduce the burden of providing pensions
          o Most companies have stipulations on the 401k’s 
         (e.g., you can withdraw after X date)
•  401k’s charge management fees and/or index fees, which I did NOT know.
            • Scenario: If you are making a 7% return but you are               being charged management fees of 2%, well you 
             do the math…
• 401k’s tend to provide you with only a few funds to invest your money vs. a Roth IRA that allows you to choose from a variety of stock options and funds
• If you want to lower your tax bracket, you can choose the 401k (pre-taxed dollars) and/or Roth IRA (taxed now not upon withdrawal)
• If you choose to open a Roth IRA, most people maintain a diversified portfolio of companies and/or index funds
• Some companies pay you dividends.  The caveat is this counts as income vs. capital gains (the tax is lower).
• When choosing where to put your money, one of the important aspects to consider is the cost of the service
       o To manage/invest index funds, there tends to me low  
          rates (e.g., .02%).
       o To manage/invest in other companies, the cost tends 
          to be higher
• Do not just consider past performance of a stock, examine the strategy of the investment manager


Following a very fruitful discussion, the homework for the upcoming month was examine:
1) What portion of your net worth is in your 401k?
       a. Net worth includes salary, other income, cash 
           savings, retirement minus debt (e.g. value in 
           balances vs. what you owe)
2)      What are the fees and returns of your 401k?
3)      Once you know these answers, what are you going to 
         do about it?

I am so excited about this Money Club, which seems like a rare opportunity.  I hope to spark interest among others, including minority women to begin a club of their own.  It is great way to share ideas related to financial health.  It always helps to have a financial expert and/or individuals with more finance experiences in the group.

Disclaimer: I am NOT providing financial advice.  This is merely a reflection of an experience I have had that was beneficial to me.  If you would like to further your knowledge, you may follow up with finance professionals and/or begin a Money Club of your own.

Cobalt Mary Janes are Back!

These babies are a pride of my exponentially growing shoe collection.  I bought these several years ago and knew that I had to have them.  Recently cobalt has been featured in all the Style Magazines to add a pop of color to the Summer and Fall looks.  You know in the mags where they have the celebs wearing a beloved piece with different outfits (I love my....). Well, I love my Cobalt Mary Janes.  I have paired it with a gold skirt, mint top, and beige blazer for an event, and black skinnies and a royal blue dress for a weekend, casual look.  I will forever love these shoes.

Steve Madden.