Teaching Tomorrow at Boogiezone University!

I'm so excited to teach tomorrow at Boogiezone University 4!

The teacher lineup is AMAZING and I am honored the Elm and Boogiezone asked me to be a part of it. This year's faculty includes Marissa Osato, Will Johnston, Candace Brown, and Jillian Meyers just to name a few:

Check out more information on the Boogiezone University 4 Facebook page or sign up here!

It's going to be awesome.

My Class to Haim for Barkada Modern

I recently had the pleasure of teaching a class to Barkada Modern, an affiliate of the Pilipino-American Student Association at CalPoly Pomona.

The 10PM class was prefaced with another class taught by the energetic Glenda Morales, and I was certain that the students would be exhausted. To my surprise, they were still eager to learn!

I've been a Haim fan for a while but just recently worked up the courage to create something to their music. They are performing at a Pussy Riot benefit show at The Smell in downtown LA tomorrow, and if I didn't have rehearsal until 10PM I definitely would be standing front and center.

I love Haim. I love dance. I love Haim + dance.

Do You Know About KCRW?

Between my commute to work and my commute to dance or yoga classes I spend on average 3 hours in my car every single day. How do I stay sane?

KCRW.

KCRW is "Southern California's leading National Public Radio affiliate, featuring an eclectic mix of music, news, information and cultural programming" (direct from the website). It is THE radio station to listen to if you care about listening to quality music and relevant news.

I signed up to be a KCRW member last year and decided to renew my membership this year during the station's annual Summer Membership Drive. The station relies heavily on member support (it is after all a public radio station), and since I "use" it every single day I decided it was worth at least $5 a month.

As a member I get a Fringe Benefits Card with which I get discounts at awesome businesses all over Southern California. These include Pazzo Gelato on Sunset, Skylight Books on Vermont, and even Yoga Works! I also scooped up a dinner for two at one my favorite vegan restaurants, Real Food Daily.


The Summer Membership Drive ends today, and with it goes the opportunity to snag cool gifts like the pocket turntable or the 3 CD-pack. They are also doing an incredible sweepstakes for the S.S. Coachella that is setting sail this December. Whoa.

If you can and if you want to donate and become a member today!

My Song of the Week: "Harvest Moon" by Poolside

I'm super inspired by the laziness of "Harvest Moon", a song off Poolside's debut album, "Pacific Standard Time".

Poolside is an LA based "daytime disco" duo that I discovered via KCRW. The mellow beats and dreamlike melodies are a treat on these hot summer days.

They're performing at The Echo on 8/29, and I'm thinking of going. Anyone interested?

Definitely check out Poolside's Facebook page for more info on the band and upcoming shows.

The Most Wonderful News on August 16th

It was around 12:00PM today when Margaret called me.

This isn't out of the ordinary, except that Margaret was supposed to be in Paris, France with my brother on a two week long vacation in Europe.

I thought, "Uh-oh. Something happened. My brother probably fell in the Seine river and broke his leg. Or maybe he was hospitalized after having too much foie gras that upset his hyper-sensitive digestive system. Or maybe he got lost wandering around and now she can't find him."

I braced myself for the impending news.

"Hi Karen!" said Margaret.

"Hey Margie. Is everything okay? Are you still in Paris?"

"Yeah. I was just calling to share some news with you. Vince proposed last night."

HUGE sigh of relief. And also a wave of joy.

For those of you who don't know my brother, he and Margaret have been dating for about 9 years now. Yes, my 25 year old brother (26 on September 16), and his girlfriend have been dating since their junior year of high school!

I remember my brother when he was still a high schooler: A geeky and lazy dude who loved rocking a white tee and basketball shorts with the same gel sculpted spike hairdo every single day. He and I weren't very close, but we weren't distant either. We just existed as normal siblings.

I think my perspective of him drastically changed when I began college at UCLA. That is when I really started talking to him like a regular human being and started seeking his advice. Over the years, he has become my role model and my inspiration. Let me take a brief moment to brag about my brother:

He graduated from UCSD Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in  Biochemistry and Cell Biology in June 2007 (a year early!)
He graduated in the top 10% from USC Law School in May 2010
He clerked at the U.S. District Court for Honorable Judge Sammartino in 2010
He became an attorney for Latham and Watkins LLP in 2011
He is clerking AGAIN this coming year

Besides his obvious intelligence and incredible drive to succeed, he is also an amazing brother. He has guided me through some sticky situations in college, practiced consulting cases with me via google hangout, read and re-read my 10+ drafts of Harvard Business School application essays, and provided encouraging (albeit annoying sometimes) reality checks.

My reasons for why I love my brother are countless, and all I can say is that he is awesome. I am so happy that he has found someone wonderful and beautiful (inside and out) with whom to spend the rest of his life. Don't they look perfect?

Congratulations Margaret Trinh and Vincent Chuang! 

My Boogiezone Contemporary - Class January 2012

Remember that post from January about dancing to Jens Lekman?

Well it happened! I just never got around to uploading the video. Oops.

And here it is:

Not my best attempt, but still fun!

Artist: Jens Lekman
Song: "Kanske Ar Jag I Dig"

Holi: Festival of Colors 2013

I just discovered one of the top 10 things that will be on my to-do list for 2013: Holi - Festival of Colors.

Holi is "the largest festival of colors on the Western Hemisphere" and is held in Spanish Fork, Utah next year on March 30-31st:

Check out these sweet pics of last year's event from the art and design blog, This is Colossal.

So.

Who wants to come with me???

My Song of the Week: "Average Fruit" [IAMNOBODI Remix] by Quadron

I love Quadron, and I love this remix:

"Average Fruit" [IAMNOBODI Remix] on SoundCloud

Happy Wednesday!