Scene Magazine

Summer Salad with spinach, strawberries and oranges

The crazy Northridge heat might be sapping your energy, but you still need to eat. Thankfully, when you just can't take the thought of adding more heat waves to your place, there are many simple and inexpensive meals that can be made without using an oven or microwave. Summer salad is a recent creation of mine, based off of fancy restaurants that do crazy things like pair ripe strawberries with aged balsamic vinegar. You might think this salad sounds gross, but try it - fruit, vinegar and greens actually blend together like a match made in heaven!

A Boom Box Breed

Last weekend a friend and I drove down to San Diego to watch Southern California’s largest Hip-Hop dance competition, Fusion. For the ninth year, MASA (Multi-Asian Student Association) and 220 (Second to None) hosted the event at the University of California, San Diego. MASA’s main goal is to “bring together different communities through Hip-Hop dance and cultural exhibitions.”

Large No Longer In Charge

With gas pushing four dollars per gallon, I wouldn’t be surprised if owners of those gas-guzzling SUVs had their eyes on something mini. Well, why not a MINI? If down sizing from a macho, road ruling, V8 into a sporty, fuel-efficient, four cylinders leave the motorists feeling cheated on space, they certainly won’t feel cheated on options, the most unique being a sense of community.

She & Him: Volume One

Last year I went to see M. Ward play at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. The show was really good and to my surprise he brought out actress Zooey Deschanel (Elf) to sing. I was surprised to hear how good Deschanel was and had to be reminded of the fact that she did sing in the movie Elf. After the show my friend and I both comment on how Deschanel should put out an album.

Where the wild things were

In 1956, Los Angeles got a new zoo.  Instead of bulldozing the old one, which had already been falling into dilapidation, they simply cleared out the cages - most of the animals had already died from malnutrition anyway - and left it there.

Today, the old zoo has become a picnic area in Griffith Park.  You can barbeque where a bear might have once snoozed, stand in what may have been a monkey cage that has a gorgeous view of downtown Glendale and walk up the cold and claustrophobic stone staircases that zookeepers 30 years ago probably used to bring food to lions.  Now, the zoo displays the signs of decades-old neglect: there's the human feces in the back corners of the caves, the creepy graffiti of a black and white face that greets you behind rusted iron bars at the top of the clammy stairway and the small, deteriorating building covered in corrugated sheet metal whose closet has now become the home of a swarming beehive - perhaps the only exhibit of "animals" that remains.

Thai sticky rice with mango and coconut milk

After perusing the Thai New Year Festival in Hollywood in 90 degree weather, I decided I needed some refreshment. I desperately wanted some mango with sticky rice, but as is commonplace with festivals, they were selling small boxes of it for five dollars. Put bluntly, that's a rip off, so I went home and made my own! After making it, the sweet yet tangy tones of the mango tickled my tongue, and as I swallowed a lump of sticky rice drenched in sugary coconut milk, I remembered why I love ethnic food so much. If you're looking for a non-conventional desert that's relatively easy to make and great for the sweltering summer months, this is the way to go.

Making a Mixtape (...make that Muxtape)

I can proudly say that I have now lived through three generations of “mixed tapes,” cassettes, CD's, and now the Muxtape.

L.A.'s "Ring of Supersonic Steel"

Several years ago one night, two of my friends discovered an abandoned military station off the winding Mulholland Drive.  They raved about how they stumbled upon super secret territory and that they were chased away by guards upon entry.  We imagined elaborate conspiracies about the city of Los Angeles and its attempt to hide the remnants of WWII and the Cold War in its deep, dark past.  By day, however, the place is not much of a secret.

You Have No New Messages

Clutching my tiny silver Motorola phone, as it dribbled bullets of water all over my uncomfortable uniform in the dimly lit Italian restaurant I call work, was gut wrenchingly difficult for me. At exactly 12:40 a.m. on January 18th 2008, my E815 color camera flip phone died. Struggling to cope with the fact that water took the form of my phone’s crypt keeper that night, I shook with all my might what I considered to be my link, my connection, my bond to the outside world, as hard as possible, in hopes to release as much of the evil water as I possibly could. But even blow-drying the internal circuit board did not help any. My phone died in my hands that night.

Organic Wine Tours

Are you going organic these days?

The popping sound of a dated and rich wine bottle may symbolize beginning of a romantic dinner for two, represent a closing in a friendly business transaction, or simply signify an end to one very stressful week with the kids. But regardless of our reasons for occasionally breaking out our corkscrews, there is nothing like a flavorsome glass of Chardonnay, Merlot or White Zinfandel to make our tummies warm while at the same time satisfying our most picky of taste buds. But have you ever wondered if there was a more economical or healthier approach to wine making? If so, you are not alone!