Bon Iver: Holocene

Who knew that such natural beauty still existed in the world?

My GMAT Frustrations

All my life I've been ahead of the curve in mathematics. I was doing algebra II/ trig by 6th grade, and finished calculus BC by junior year of high school.

Now, at a time when it matters the most, I'm sucking at math.

GMAT math is supposed to be easy. It's algebra, geometry, and number properties. Why then, is my quantitative percentile way below my verbal percentile?

I'm pulling in at 66%, which is really quite atrocious. I have one week to really master everything. I absolutely have to get it done.

America's Got Talent: Week 11 Night 2

Immediately following my trip to New York I was booked to dance on the show, "America's Got Talent". I've been dancing as a back-up dancer for it for the past three summers now, but the weird thing about this is that the only time I've ever auditioned for it was the first year I danced on it in 2009. I think I've been able to continue working on the show because of the artistic director, Brian Friedman. Brian is one of the most influential people in the commercial dance industry, and has been a huge role model for me throughout my dance career. I started learning from Brian when I was 13 years old at the convention Company Dance, and we've kind of been on continuously crossing paths since then. I assisted him (and the rest of the faculty) for The Pulse Dance Convention in 2008-2009 when I was Elite Protege, and have worked on a multitude of projects with him including Ava's music video in 2009.
I am quite lucky to have a professional relationship with Brian, and about 70% of my jobs have been with him. There is no doubt in my mind that he was the one making the executive decisions regarding dancers for "America's Got Talent". His loyalty to me and his confidence in my abilities are encouraging.

I am also lucky that my boss at Versace is not only understanding but also supportive of my dance career. She let me take time off my internship so that I could rehearse on Monday and Tuesday and tape on Wednesday. I don't think any other internship would have allowed me to do this.

The choreographers for this results episode were Janelle Ginestra and Dejan Tubic. The two are an up and coming duo of young artists who are fun and full of personality. I really enjoyed working with them! The three days with them were great, but tiring. Tuesday was exceptionally difficult because I had my internship from 10-1PM right before rehearsal from 2-8PM and after rehearsal studied at Coral Tree Cafe from 9-11PM.

I feel really strongly about Youtube stars, but I'll keep my opinions to myself for now. I performed with Keenan Cahill and Rebecca Black (click on the names to watch the performances).

Performing "Friday"

Me and the Youtube Sensation herself, Rebecca Black

The dancers with Janelle and Dejan

KC in NYC: Day 4 and 5

My last two days in NYC were filled with more food and more fun.

Having had a more than full night's rest (I think we slept 10 hours), Harry and I headed to Grape and Grain for some brunch. I ordered my usual yogurt and granola:

The fruit was fresh and I liked the almond silvers, but they should have used greek yogurt instead of non-fat vanilla. The iced coffee had a wonderful nutty coffee flavor to it and was a huge upgrade on the normal watered down and flavorless kind from a coffee chain. 

After brunch Harry and I walked the High Line. It was raining, but that made it a little more romantic and fun. We ended up in a food court full of food trucks and sampled some funky kimchi tacos:

Each taco was about 5-6 inches in diameter

I had the edamame and tofu falafel kimchi taco; it might sound strange but the textures were fun and the flavors were well balanced. 

At around 11PM we headed out for dinner at Eataly. Nestled right in the Flat Iron District of New York, this place has only been open for about a month but has already built up quite the reputation. The salmon was incredible, and paired with a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc, I think I was in heaven. The overall feel of the place is casual and comfortable, and it certainly is a place you would want to take your friends. We  even made friends with the manager, Miguel. He was generous and gifted us each a glass of dessert wine. That really put the cherry on top of an already perfect sundae. 

KC in NYC: Day 3

Another day in New York meant that I went on another amazing adventure.

I woke up early to try to beat the crowds at the Met. Ideally, I would've made it to the museum by 9AM and been first in line for the McQueen exhibit. Unfortunately I didn't leave my hotel until about 9:15AM and got to the museum around 9:40AM. By then the museum had closed the McQueen line to the public until further notice.

It's funny how having prior knowledge of something makes a museum experience that much better. I had taken a Classics class at school this Spring quarter, and so I learned about the various art that existed between the Bronze Age and the first few centuries AD. I got excited when I saw kraters, amphoras, and lekythos.

This was in my textbook! Sadly, I couldn't remember its name.

Rooftop of the Met

I see Lanvin and Chanel. Come on Versace, where's your book at?

I finally got into the McQueen exhibit and was blown away. This was an example of how all museum experiences should be like. It played on nearly all the senses (except for smell and of course, touch). There were 11 rooms filled with pieces from various collections during McQueen's career as a design genius. I wouldn't do the exhibit any justice trying to explain or describe it, but here is where you can get more information. After a satisfying 7 hours at the museum I strolled back to Central Park and met up with Harry. It was a surreal experience sitting in a beautiful park eating gourmet sushi at dusk on a Friday. 

Later that evening, Harry, Roxanne, Diego, and I went to PUBLIC, a Michelin rated restaurant in East Village. The food was phenomenal. I recommend the hearty lentil salad and a glass of their shiraz. Their "Manuka Mule" was also quite tasty. From there, we headed to Elsa Bar. It's a great place if you're looking for a fun setting and a fun crowd.

KC in NYC: Day 2

My call time wasn't until 1 PM so I decided to go for a jog. I wanted to check out the ticketing situation at the Met so I trekked through Central Park to the museum.

I think that jog in the park really made me fall in love with New York. Yeah, it's an oasis within a steel and concrete jungle, but it is that little bit of nature that perfectly balances the city life I love.
FYI on Met admissions: its donation based! There is a suggested donation, but what you end up donating is up to you. You could donate more or less depending on how much you want to support the museum.

After my jog and a $80 shopping spree later, it was time for work. We shot the episode at the New Amsterdam Theater. Everyone was absolutely wonderful. Kenton Duty from Shake It Up was a joy, and even the make up artist, Ronnie was delightful.

Me and Kenton Duty. Check out "Shake It Up" on Disney!

Best part of it all? I got to watch "Mary Poppins"! It was incredible. I hadn't seen the movie before and didn't realize how much social commentary it had. There was probably twenty set changes throughout the performance and the special effects were fun. I thought the dancing could have been tighter and stronger, but maybe I'm being too critical.

After our respective days of hard work (his probably harder) Harry and I went to a fantastic Cuban place in East Village called Cien Fuegos . I got these blue corn vegetable empanadas that were absolutely divine and a glass of Shiraz. Perfect ending to a perfect day.

YAY! My one and only day of work is over; now time for more play!

KC in NYC: Day 1

The magic of Disney has brought me to New York! We're promoting the Broadway musical "Mary Poppins", which has been running for five years.

I feel incredibly lucky too because
I was already planning on making a trip out to NY in August. I get to work, visit NY, and see loved ones; all for free and while getting paid. #win

Of course, the first thing I did was look for a farmers market. I stumbled upon one in Union Square Park. It was expensive, but I loved it anyways.

Harry took me to Maoz, this delicious falafel chain that's kind of revolutionizing fast food. LA people: think better and healthier version of Bella Pita.