Grease is the Word

{Grease sing-a-long at the Hollywood Bowl - check out the Hollywood sign}

Who plans for months to go to the Grease sing-a-long at the Hollywood Bowl? We do. Ever since seeing Coldplay back in May, three of us bought our tickets immediately for the Grease sing-a-long, and finally the day came.

Dressing up in our best Pink Ladies/ T-Birds gear, we packed up with bread, cheese, crackers, snacks, and the delicious California Chicken Cafe, hopped on the bus, and prepared ourselves for a night at the Hollywood Bowl.

If you haven't been to the Hollywood Bowl, the best way to do it is to catch the Park 'n' Ride. You park your car at a given location and hop on a bus so that you can drink and eat happily (which we surely did).

After picnicking on a grassy area and drinking oh-so-much wine, we made our way in to a pre-show which included the actress who played Frenchie, and the entire Grease movie complete with sing-a-long lyrics, bubbles, and drunken fans who knew every word to every song. Overall, it was one of the most interesting Saturday nights I have had in awhile.

{Wine + Grease sing-a-long}

Weekend Wrap-Up: Happy July!

{Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello}

This weekend was a blur. As you know one of my best friends left for vet school this weekend, and her final request was -wait for it- to go see Magic Mike. So we did her bidding. We bought tickets for the 11pm showing on opening night and snuck in bottles of wine to keep us occupied during the uninteresting plot that they attempted to shove down our throats. We thought we were being original when in reality, the half-full theater of hormonal women all had the same idea. The movie was only good when the cast was dancing and shaking it -oh boy, was that dancing amazing- and I probably enjoyed it a little bit more than I would otherwise thanks to the wine. But like I said, the plot is horrible. They should have stuck to dancing the whole time.

I also visited 800 Degrees this weekend in Westwood. This pizza is all the craze among college students so my sister and I did a little double date to the pizzeria. You select a pizza base (Margherita, red sauce, or sauce-less) and then you pick the toppings that they generously pile on. The pizza is cooked in an 800 degree oven to perfection. It is thin and light, and  you can eat every last bite (you'll want to too). I chose tomatoes, chicken and artichokes as my toppings and the boy chose pepperoni, spicy Italian peppers and tomatoes. Delicioso!

This week I am focusing on taking care of myself (with the exception to the Fourth of July celebration to come) because I am leaving my job at the end of this week to start working managing social media efforts for a huge beauty brand (I'll leave you with the suspense and tell you at a later point where I'll be working). I'm so excited, but through all of the excitement, I'm bound to get sick due to sheer sensory overload. That's why this week I'll be posting healthy summer recipes in order to inspire myself and maybe even inspire you.

{800 Degrees Pizzeria}

{A healthy seasonal snack packed with antibiotics}

Fight For Your Right

I have been incredibly MIA lately online - and I apologize. But I'm very excited to announce that I will be freelancing (in my spare time) with the amazing A Whisper to a ROAR team to promote the documentary that follows activists in five different countries around the world fighting for democracy and to make a difference.

A Whisper to a Roar tells the heroic stories of courageous democracy activists in five countries around the world – Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.   From student leaders to prime ministers and heads of state, these activists share their compelling personal stories of struggle, past and present, with their countries’ oppressive regimes. Shot over three years and completed in February 2012 by award-winning filmmaker, Ben Moses, the film was inspired by the work of Stanford University’s Larry Diamond, author of “The Spirit of Democracy” and Director of Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. It was funded by The Moulay Hicham Foundation, whose benefactor, Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco, is a renowned public intellectual and democracy advocate, particularly in regards to the Middle East. (via)

I have seen an advance screening of the film, and honestly it is one of the most raw and captivating accounts of the plight for democracy that I have ever seen. I was an International Development Studies major at UCLA, and this type of story completely resonates with me. It's a very moving tail that will make you want to get out and make a difference. A lot of these people risk their lives for basic freedoms that many take for granted.

Please take a look at the A Whisper to a ROAR trailer, and look at how you can GET INVOLVED. At the moment we are looking for people to be on our "Feet on the Street" teams in Los Angeles and New York, as well as "Web Wonders" across the world. You'll be working directly with me if that's any incentive and you'll get some pretty cool perks. Check out the volunteer page for more.

I'm extremely excited for this project (I'll be working with volunteer management as well as social media contributions). Please like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Pinterest.

Friday Favorites

This blueberry pancake cupcake recipe is mouth watering. I need to try it now.

I can't get Lana Del Rey's song Off to the Races out of my head. Even though it's about an abusive relationship with her father, I can't listen to it enough. My expectations for her album Born to Die were extremely high because it is so overly hyped on every sort of media I follow - but it seriously lives up to it.

This quaint little Irish cottage looks like the perfect Saint Patrick's Day getaway. Dublin (or Ireland in general) was the only country (aside from Portugal) that I was not able to visit when I studied abroad. I'm green with envy for anyone who's been there.

Can someone please just buy me a dutch oven already (like this one from Le Creuset)? I have an urge to make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon after watching Julie & Julia this past week.

This my most highly anticipated film. I've been waiting for it forever. Aside from my love for dear Leo DiCaprio, The Great Gatsby is my favorite book (of all time) and the 1920s is tied for first (with the 1960s) as my favorite decade of all time (remember my green vintage 1920 glassware?).