18 TYPES OF ASIAN GIRLS - FUNG BROS. Video | #FeatureFriday

I'm actually sharing a video more than a YouTuber this time for this #FeatureFriday. 
Why? The video itself is really well-made and while I love it, I haven't seen enough of these guys videos to say that I'm a definite fan (oops). 

This particular video is pretty much on point though. XD
With the exception of #13, the church-going Asian girl, I pretty much agree with all of it.

Here's what FB has that will have you laughing through the video:
- Porter Lynn XD just kill me now. I love this idea so much. "Asian Girl Expert" XD
-- worth mentioning that she's stellar at being all the different types. That's NOT easy.
- hobby + food + clothing breakdown. Not bad, guys. Not bad at all.
- freaking BOBA (brought over by airplane). This is genius. XD
- the "ferrari" exit the shot moment
- 6:58 (she still has Asian parents. Word)

I'm a combo of a few of these. This has been verified with other Asian girls who know me really well XD

Watch the video and see if you can guess? :P

One of the things that made me just about die laughing was that I KNEW lots of my Asian girl friends would fit these descriptions. It was like we'd watch the description, and Ashriel and I would get the same girl in our head who fit it to a T. 

For example, my best Chinese girl friend, Yvonne/YuCen, is CLEARLY #2. XD

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And now for the answers...you ready? 
Drum roll please!!

I am: (also stating the points that they made that don't pertain to me. 100% accurate otherwise)

#5: Geeky Asian Girl
Except for: profile pic (um. my pic is staying there thank you)

#10: Hipster Asian Girl
Not hippie and most of the fashion (e.g., tattoos, beanies) they mention isn't stuff I'm interested in/wear. And for the record, I look freaking awful in beanies. Just can't do it.

Oops, did my preference in guys just get released to the public? lol

#13 Church Asian Girl
Let's be real, ladies. If you agree with "flirt to convert", please take a step back and have a long talk with your Lord because He's got a lot to say about that.

#18 Foodie Asian Girl
...you didn't really expect me to say this isn't accurate, did you? 

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And click through to their channel.

Next week, on #MusicMonday, I'll be sharing some of the mad skills of Ming Wei of da Neo! 
Look forward to it!

Byee~

Ming Wei of da Neo is HERE!! | #WeeklyWednesday

Where do I even begin with how happy I am that one of my Singaporean big sisters is in town?! I mean....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

I haven't seen Ming Wei in FIVE YEARS. But, as it is with all close friendships, we picked right back up where we left off. :)

Mom and Ash went to go pick them up from St. Louis on Saturday morning, spent the day with them there and brought them back for dinner. The pictures below are from Sunday dinner with Zhou Ting and his wife, Feng Yang (our beloved CCF alum who is now based in San Diego, CA). It's like a little reunion <3

Front Row: Ming Wei, Mom, Feng Yang
Back Row: Me, Ashriel, Dad, Ming Wei's Mom, Zhou Ting

Dinner

Small disclaimer, I love Feng Yang too, but we see her more often than Ming Wei (FY comes back every so often), so MW's the main one I'm ranting about for the next couple of posts. 

ANYWAY. This is just a snapshot of what's to come! We have many more outings and events that we'll be having with Ming Wei and Mum, so look forward to seeing those on the next #WeeklyWednesday. It's amazing to think that she left in 2012, back when I was still studying Computer + Electrical Engineering (yikes, who remembers THOSE days...yuck!) 


What a joy it is to have my big sis (both of them :P) back!

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On a random note, there were LOTS of animal noises happening Monday night. 
Ash and I weren't quite asleep yet and had a most amusing time listening to it all. 
I'm almost positive that we heard owls and coyotes. Which was really cool. :D

Many fun things happening in the next week. Here are a couple things to look forward to:
- Crepe Lunch later today with Ming Wei + Ashriel's piano teacher Jenny
- Crafty Nights with Ari #2 (tomorrow/Thursday)

In other words, our next #WeeklyWednesday is going to be PACKED. WHOO! :D
Be sure to subscribe in the upper right hand corner with your email if you haven't already!

~Byee!

Voctave - How Far I'll Go | #MusicMonday

Happy #MusicMonday, everyone!
Let's say it altogether now, "Ariel only knows popular songs because some a cappella group did a cover of it!"

CORRECT!!

Eeeeexcept with Disney songs. Oops XD For those of you who have known me for...any length of time, really, my love for Disney songs is REALLY obvious lol Who knew? 

I actually FIND new artists to listen to because I'm always searching for great Disney covers. Even more so if it's a cappella because what can I say? I love me some a cappella covers :) A cappella arrangements aren't easy, and good ones are even harder. This group that I'm about to introduce to you now has done an absolutely STELLAR job.

Small note, Jamey Ray (center picture on the bottom row) is the guy who arranges all of their music.

Get used to seeing Voctave on my page because I just about fangirl over every single video. 

Luckily for me, there are some things that I can expect from every video of theirs:
- ungodly of high notes. Their soprano ladies have some serious pipes!!
- sudden stop > awesomeness transitions
- points of unison singing with no background "instruments" that sound amazing
- the clear joy of singing on each and every face in the group

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You know how GREAT music gives you goosebumps or shivers or whatever you want to call the feeling that you have crawling up your arm and up your spine into that little place in your neck that makes you go "WHOA. HOLD UP. WHAT WAS THAT?!"

This happens EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO VOCTAVE. NO JOKE.

That said, I'm going to give you a heads up of musical happy places you can expect from the video so that you know what you're getting into when you listen to this.

Okay? Okay. Let's go:
- their soloist is ON POINT as Moana (sounds like a slightly older version of her. Good job, Jamey on your selection)
- 0:02-0:07
- 0:30 - 0;35
- 0:45 - 0:47

- Tiffany and her high notes on 0:49 onwards

- 0:55 - 1:07

- girls "unison > choir" 1:12 - 1:34

- unison "stop" 1:35 - 1:43

- 2:15 - 2:35

Wasn't that EXHILARATING?! :D

Hope you like them! You'll be seeing more from Voctave very soon!
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Patreon (best way to support them) : https://www.patreon.com/voctave
Website : http://www.voctave.com/
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKb63xBY-hnVbQ82sxfzXEQ
Jamey Ray (specifically) YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLldJY8VkxA7h5cf0svcEA
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/voctavesings/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/voctave/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/voctavesings
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One of my Singaporean big sisters is back in town! Yay!! :D
Look forward to #WeeklyWednesday with Ming Wei of da Neo!! <3

Byee~

Crown Brew Coffee Co. | #FeatureFriday

Do you know why I LOVE #FeatureFridays? It gives me a legitimate excuse to fangirl and I don't have to try to put it through a filter. It's even cooler when I KNOW the awesome people I'm sharing about in person. That's what I'm sharing today.

Quick pic with Jared and my new hat :P

I first met Jared Gravatt at our mutual friends' wedding. He was the photographer and I was one of the decorators. I was supposed to put a tumbling "fall" of cherry blossoms above an arch that marked the beginning of the "aisle" (it was outdoors) and to my chagrin, I was too darn short!! Thank God for kind Jared and his tallness :P

Anyway, I had the honor to visit Jared at his new cafe, Crown Brew Coffee Co., last Friday morning to celebrate their grand opening! They have had SUCH a busy morning!

They appeared on the NEWS at 6am, opened for the celebration at 7am, and had their ribbon cutting at noon (which I missed because I had to leave for work).

I ordered the Cold Brew Guatemala blend with almond milk and dark chocolate, which they served us in an adorable little mason jar.

LOVE <3

Aaaaand I'm gonna stop talking and just show you photos. XD

Look, it's SHINYYYYYY

This is just...agh. So much win. I love this.

Coffee!!

Chill furniture.

Comfy couch.

Little sis.

Busy busy busy!

We got the same thing. lol XD

It's only 9am and it's already this busy!!

Moi. :P

You should go visit when you get the chance. I've officially dubbed this, along with Common Grounds, my new coffee hangouts. I love me some coffee, but I'm all for 1) supporting Christian businesses and 2) supporting friends.

If you want to see their Facebook live, it's here. I'm in it. lol XD

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Be sure to pay these guys a visit!

Here's a little secret: I'm hoping that when the TZArtisan PRINT book comes out, we'll be able to have our release party here :P

Website : https://www.crownbrewcoffee.com/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrownBrewCoffee/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/crown.brew/

Subscribe (top right, click on SUBSCRIBE and enter email) if you haven't already!!

Byee~

Father's Day + Crafty Nights with Ari #1 | #WeeklyWednesday

Did everyone have a great Father's Day? 
We did! It was SO much fun! I just want to share a little about our celebration before I get into the "Crafty Nights with Ari" bit :)

The Spread

The Meats!

The Veggies :)

We typically cook Japanese food for Dad because it's one of the types of food that is generally more labor intensive. It isn't something you can pop into the oven and leave alone for 2 hours to cook by itself. 

For this Father's Day, we made:
- shrimp tempura
- karaage (fried chicken, but not the same as yakitori)
- fried oyster
- katsu (fried pork chops)
- vegetable tempura (shitake, sweet potato, bellpepper, and zucchini)
- cold soba noodles 

A little surprise we had for Dad THIS time around though, was that we invited Sayaka-nee and didn't tell him XD

See the fruits of our labors below XD

Here are a few other fun pictures from the night!

Family + Sayaka-nee selfie

Sayaka-nee enjoying her oysters

Sayaka-nee and Otou-sama (Daddy)

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Great news, "Crafty Nights with Ari #1" was a success!! WHOOHOO!
DEFINITELY doing it again, if only so that I can get my friends over and make them food :P

I would like to HEARTILY thank each and every one that came to "Crafty Nights with Ari" #1.

Elissa Pense

Alex Apgar

Christie Chambers

Kristi Fleming

We got SO MUCH done and I'm genuinely thankful that you ladies took the time to come out and help get my craft life sped ahead! I can honestly say that what we managed to accomplish last night would've taken me at least a week on my own.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

For those reading, I'm sure you wanted photos, but see...when I get into work mode...I completely forget about photos. Happens all the time at craft shows. Oops.

Next time, I promise!! :(

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"The Dinner : Avocado Sauce Seafood Spaghetti with Bonito Flakes"

Photo is unedited, sorry. This is the one picture I DID take. Does this dish sound familiar? It should :P It's inspired by that lovely dish I had in NY. Due to my inexperience in working with avocados, the sauce could've DEFINITELY been better, but I'm looking forward to improving it. It was actually quite good :)

Ingredients:

Sauce:
- milk
- avocado
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper

Pasta: 
- mixture of whole wheat and normal thin spaghetti (I think I will avoid whole wheat next time...made it a little too grainy in my opinion)

Seafood and Toppings:
- $2.50 mussels from Aldi (in their own juice)
- medium shrimp
- crab sticks
- cherry tomatoes and mini yellow tomatoes

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Don't miss my overly excited post about Crown Brew Coffee Co.'s grand opening on this #FeatureFriday!! Be sure to subscribe in the upper right hand corner with your email if you haven't already!

~Byee!

The Hound + The Fox | #MusicMonday

You guys know I don't typically listen to mainstream pop music or pop artists. 
If I know of any songs that are popular at that time, it's because an artist that I like did a cover of it. It is also, more than likely, an acappella one.

The Hound + The Fox is one of the few exceptions to my music cover inspirations.

Here they are.

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McKenzie and Reilly Zamber are one of the cutest couples ever and I love them to bits.
They are two of the nicest, most talented people I know, and to top it off, they're now parents. All of the music in their videos is played by them, the song is sung by them, and their chill vibes through the whole thing is COMPLETELY orchestrated by them.

To top it off, they're part of Fifgen Films, a company that has filmed videos for YouTube sensations Pentatonix, Lindsey Stirling, Peter Hollens, and Home Free, to name a few...The sheer volume of talent that's bottled up in these two astounds me with every new video they release.

They're freaking adorable and produce quality work with everything they do. They released a small photoshoot that they did for their Beauty & the Beast cover (the video I'm sharing today). Here are the photos.

Are they not the cutest thing? :3

I love this idea!

Reilly

McKenzie

Also, just wanted to make clear the fact that they DO make original songs as well, but I just so happened to share their Beauty & the Beast cover here.

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Okay, let's get to it. I loved everything about this :) 



I'm cheating a little bit here and sharing a second video. :P
HAD to share because it's just...so well done. *cries happy tears*



I FREAKING LOVE THEIR VIDEOS OMG.

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Patreon (best way to support them) : https://www.patreon.com/TheHoundTheFox
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHoundTheFox
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thehoundthefox/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TheHoundTheFox/
Loudr : https://loudr.fm/artist/the-hound-the-fox/XRX6S

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Click on it, and it should ask you to enter your email.
The first "Crafty Nights with Ari" will happen on Tuesday night! I'm SO EXCITED!!
First look at how it went on our next #WeeklyWednesday! See you there!

Wonder Woman | #FeatureFriday

It's time for #FeatureFriday and I going to try my best to share about Wonder Woman, so bear with me. Also, consider yourself warned NOW:

THERE ARE SPOILERS. 

DO NOT CONTINUE READING UNLESS YOU WANT SPOILERS!

Synopsis:

Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.


You ready? Here we go!

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"The Posters"

Let's just talk about this for a minute. More often than not, a poster showcases its lead actress for one of two things: her face or her body. This poster that they created for Wonder Woman not only DID NOT show her face, but instead silhouetted it, creating an air of mystery, but even in showing her body, one does not feel that Wonder Woman was cheapened into a sex icon of any kind. Nope. This woman's silhouette is equal parts majestic and powerful and I LOVE that they did this.

I'm unsure whether or not these posters were meant as 3 standalone or if I simply don't  have an original image, as the line is TECHNICALLY, "Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder", but you have to admit that this is cool. I personally feel that out of the three, Courage is the best. Power, I am inclined to state here that maybe those moments where her gauntlets were glowing or when she's charging through something may have a more powerful feel to them, but well, people may disagree. 

My main bone to pick with these is "Wonder". I feel like aside from showcasing that she's Wonder Woman, the poster doesn't do much. Quite frankly, with all of the other posters showing her as Wonder Woman, this one is a little lost. My thoughts on a substitute for this poster would be to instead showcase the look of wonder that Diana gets when she finally realizes that she's a powerful woman who can scale walls with her bare hands just by pounding the wall in because she's that strong and capable of doing so. That moment was SO precious, I wish they had highlighted it in a poster.


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"Wonder Woman & Steve Trevor"

Let's just get it out there that Chris Pine is an awesome actor and I love his acting. Now, with that fangirl disclaimer out of the way, let's get to it. Dad likes to poke fun at the "nude" scene with Steve Trevor (Chris' role) saying that that's the part the girls love. I'd like to say that I like that scene, but for a completely different reason that does not focus on his abs. 

There's obviously the clear "Diana has never seen a naked male body" joke, but I love that she's just genuinely curious about EVERYTHING whether it was his body or his watch. 

It wasn't overly sexualized, but was a genuine scene of curiosity. Good job, WW director. :)

I also especially love that at every turn of his being a gentleman, he doesn't FORCE Diana to do anything she doesn't want to. By the same token, the film didn't go overboard in promoting the strength of women to the point of making men look weak and stupid. The difference in their strength was that she was a goddess and he was a human. An (to quote the movie a little here) "above average human", but still. 

This is my main issue with people getting mad at me for not declaring myself as a "feminist". My issue is not that women shouldn't be treated better and given respect. No. What I have an ISSUE with, is the thumbing down of men in the attempt to lift up women. Why can't women be raised up without putting men down? Both are strong in different ways. I love that Steve Trevor, while being painted as a "weak human" was never painted as a "weak man". 

Neither gender is BETTER than the other.

Let's make that clear right now. 

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"The Amazons"

On that note, who DOESN'T love seeing powerful women portrayed in film? 
Many types of women exist, and another issue that I have with feminism is that meek and submissive women are seen as weak. Um. WRONG. But that's a topic for another time. 

For now, I'm going to focus on what the movie did extremely well, which was POWERFUL WOMEN. I especially love the fact that they got women from all occupations that require a high degree of physical fitness to as the Amazons. 

I can't share the crazy amount of detail regarding who the Amazon warrior actresses were, but I found two articles that share more about them. WOW these are some strong women.

http://thenerdybird.com/who-is-she-meet-wonder-womans-amazon-warriors/
http://thenerdybird.com/who-is-she-31-more-amazons-from-wonder-womans-themiscyra/

I also fell in love with the beautiful costume design and the wonderful color palettes of the Amazons' outfits. Gold and dark leather. Does that scream Ancient + Powerful army or what?! I also loved how they did the Queen's outfit. <3

I want to make a note that I actually didn't research anyone from Wonder Woman because I was actually mildly panicking that it'd be really bad. Can you believe it? lol

Anyway, when I first saw Antiope, I was like "wait, I know her. But from where?" (lack of research, folks, sometimes it's a lot of fun) And then it hit me that she's the freaking princess from Princess Bride. Cue internal screaming. 

A friend of mine (Mae) posted this on her Facebook. Um. YES PLEASE.

Can I get an AMEN because this is freaking awesome?! Thank you.

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"Where'd the Shield Go?"

One of two points that I really...just CANNOT get past. Also, sword in the back of your dress? Honey, you'd have grown a steel tail that you wouldn't be able to explain. I don't care HOW nice your posture is.

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"Ares the Giant Stag Beetle"

No pictures, but really. That's what I thought when his armor showed up.
Ares, the earth-shakingly powerful God of War...looks like a bright and shiny giant stag beetle. I can't deal with this.

Ari out.

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All right, the fangirl rant is TEMPORARILY over :P

Next time on #MusicMondays, I'll be sharing about a lovely couple that creates some of the sweetest music videos I know. You'll love them. :)

Of that I have no doubt. <3

Subscribe (top right, click on SUBSCRIBE and enter email) if you haven't already!!

Byee~