0 Places Review: Planet Fitness

(c) Planet Fitness

In our conquest to exercise more often, my friend Trisha and I decided to join a gym again. I previously had a membership with 24 Hour Fitness where I paid $299 for two years, and it expired last year. Her Costco deal was expiring next month, so we decided to find a new gym that was cheaper. The price of the Costco deal went up to $349.99 by the time I would have liked to renew my membership, so I decided to not renew my membership with 24. I also tried LA Fitness with my friend Eizel since she was a member there, but decided it would cost too much to join and unfortunately it wasn't open 24 hours. Although I don't really work out at 2am, it's nice to have that option of working out whenever you want.

So Trisha and I decided to join Planet Fitness, which was only $10 per month, with $10 down. Planet Fitness is also a "judgment free zone" and "doesn't cater to bodybuilders." What I really liked was that the staff member who gave us a tour of Planet Fitness did not push us to sign up right away and that we had time to think about joining until we signed up to join online. When you first start working out, you get a free t-shirt and a Planet Fitness sticker along with your Planet Fitness membership card. You can also pick up a "How To Avoid The Crowds" flyer which shows the average member usage times per hour/per day, which is really useful.

When I first worked out there with Trish, we liked that the machines always seem to work most of the time. 24 (at least the one I went to) always had signs on their machines saying they were under maintenance. I found that 24 was always really busy, and I usually had a hard time getting a treadmill when I wanted to use one. What I do miss about 24 are the Stairmaster, sauna, and rowing machines, which Planet Fitness does not have at the moment.

Planet Fitness also has the essentials that I usually use when I go the gym for a workout (treadmill, elliptical, bike, machines, a clean locker room), and not too many unnecessary things that I don't really use like a pool or a basketball court. With the $10/month fee, you also get free unlimited fitness training from Monday-Friday. It is also open 24 hours, 7 days a week like 24 Hour Fitness. The atmosphere is really bright and colorful (the colors mainly used in the decor are purple and yellow, I smell a Laker fan in corporate...) and I was also really amused by the really large fans on the ceiling. Planet Fitness also has a tanning bed, massaging chairs, a total body enhancement booth, and a hydromassager, but you can pay an extra $10 per month to use them.

If you want to try a gym that is clean, affordable, and has the workout essentials you are looking for, try Planet Fitness. They have around 600 locations, but in Southern California, they have locations in Covina, Anaheim (x2), Huntington Park, Inglewood, San Bernardino, and Oceanside.

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0 Movie Spotlight: Les Miserables

(c) Universal Pictures

I decided to check out Les Miserables this weekend to see what the hype is all about. I'm not a big theater or French history buff (the movie takes place during the June Rebellion from 1815-1823) so I didn't know anything about Les Mis before watching the movie.

In a nutshell, Les Miserables revolves around Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean, who was a criminal-turned-model citizen by way of God. However the bad guy becoming good always comes with a price and eventually his demons catch up with him. There are others who help shape the rest of his life, including Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), who's the main antagonist for Valjean, Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a factory worker who worked for him, and her daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). I can't give away too much more or it would spoil the movie for those of you who want to see it... (Note: If you're really curious, you can Google it or watch a DVD of the stage version)

The cast was good as a whole (who knew Russell Crowe could carry a tune?), but there were a few standouts. Anne Hathaway was great as Fantine and I loved her version of "I Dreamed a Dream." it was so poignant and heartwrenching that you just felt her pain. I was also really impressed with Samantha Barks, who played Eponine. She was up against high profile stars like Lea Michele, Taylor Swift, and Scarlett Johannson. However she's played Eponine on stage and brought so much emotion and passion to the role that she really brought justice to the role.

Les Mis was a very good movie, but it isn't something I could watch again partly because it is 2.5 hours long. But don't let that scare you from watching Les Mis. There's a lot of music (obviously), action, a bit of comedy, and a riveting storyline to keep your attention.

Rating: 4/5

2 Happy Holidays!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa... Whatever you celebrate!

-KB

0 Adopt-a-Family 2012

In the spirit of the holiday season, my cousins and I participated in a program started by the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles called Adopt-a-Family. We started participating last year and decided to do it again this year. We figured that we didn't need to buy each other gifts because we have so much already, that it was time for us to give to others that need some more Christmas joy than we do.

Basically, we all chipped in money to buy gifts for the family we "adopt" and volunteer to deliver boxes full of gifts and care boxes filled with food to them a couple of weeks before Christmas (in this case, it was 10 days). Families that are adopted are from the Downtown area and are living in areas like Skid Row and various housing projects or older, run down apartments with insufficient heating or air conditioning. Some families, especially those that have children, are struggling to survive every day, and some without government assistance.

This year, I went and delivered gifts with my cousins: Jamie, her husband Ryan, Jody, her boyfriend Dennis, Gretel, and Pong. The day started off with a mass and a moment of silence and prayer for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut (may they RIP). Then the Monsignors led the prayer and talked a little bit about the history of Adopt-a-Family. The turnout for volunteers was tremendous, I was astounded by how many people came.

One of the families we went to lived in an older apartment complex that did not have proper heating and the apartment was probably as small as my parents' living room. The family consisted of the father, mother, 9-year-old daughter, and infant son. Apparently the woman said she had a daughter in Guatemala from what we understood (she only spoke Spanish), so it was also really sad when we said we had presents for her daughter, and it was just her and her son that was present at the time. Although I wondered how they could survive, it seemed like they managed as best they could. She seemed very thankful that we came and delivered presents, despite our limited Spanish-speaking skills.

Ryan and Pong trying to put the training wheels on the bike

The other family we came to see lived in a project housing area in the Downtown LA area. We went there last year to deliver gifts, so it was familiar to us already. The family consisted of a mother and her 7-year-old daughter. The little girl was so happy when we delivered the gifts... She got a bicycle as one of her gifts, and when me and Pong came in with it, she said with a big happy smile, "AWESOME!!!" Then she said she couldn't ride it because she didn't know how to ride the bike without training wheels... We said she could learn, but we found out that there were training wheels included with the bike. Ryan and Pong tried to put the training wheels on the bike, and the little girl said that they had tools, but Jamie said that it would be better for the family to do it. As we walked out and said our goodbyes, the little girl gave us all high-fives.

I can honestly say that Adopt-a-Family was a heartwarming experience. The smiles on the families' faces showed that they appreciate what we did. Spreading the holiday spirit through giving to those who are most in need makes you feel good. My cousins and I are really glad that we made these families' Christmas and holiday season a little brighter. I look forward to doing it again next year. :)

PHOTO CREDIT: My Instagram: itskarenb

0 Christmas movies to never miss out on

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, especially when it comes to watching movies. There are also certain movies that you can only watch at Christmas time and in the spirit of Christmas, I thought I would write a few blurbs on my two of my favorite Christmas movies. I know there are a lot of awesome Christmas/holiday movies out there, but these two movies just hit the spot for me.

(c) Warner Home Video

Elf (2003)

Starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel

Elf is definitely one of my favorite Christmas movies. Will Ferrell is lovable as the friendly and sort of eccentric human elf/man-child adopted by elves who comes to New York City to find his father.

Sure it's not one of those classic, pull-at-your-heartstrings movies like Miracle on 34th Street, but it's one of those movies that will make you laugh. It also does a good job of infecting the Christmas spirit in you without making you feel too mushy inside. Elf is a must-see Christmas movie and now is the perfect time to watch.

My favorite quotes:
Jovie: Did Gimbels give you your job back?
Buddy: No, but things worked out pretty good. They gave me a restraining order.

"I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!"
-Buddy

(c) Universal Pictures

Love Actually (2003)

Starring Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and a bunch of other people that you can look up on imdb.com

I watch Love Actually every year around this time. It's more about the interlaced love stories than Christmas, so if you are in a chick flick mood during the holidays, this is the perfect movie to watch. If you're a Walking Dead fan, Andrew Lincoln (Rick), plays Mark, who has a massive unrequited crush on Keira Knightley's character, Juliet, who got married to his best friend, Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor). So watching Lincoln not shooting down zombies or bad guys with a Southern accent and having an unrequited love in his natural British accent will be interesting for those who haven't seen him in anything but The Walking Dead.

Love Actually is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I just thought it was really interesting to see how everyone is connected. It's one of those movies that  inspired ensemble movies like Valentine's Day, New Years Eve, and the (city name here) I Love You series. Like those movies I just mentioned, Love Actually shows that although we are all living different lives and have different experiences, our stories happen at the same time.

Favorite Quotes:
"Life is full of interruptions and complications."
-Carl

"Without hope or agenda - Just because it's Christmas - And at Christmas you tell the truth - To me, you are perfect - And my wasted heart will love you - Until you look like this. (shows mummy picture)" 
-Mark through poster boards for Juliet


Other Christmas/holiday movies that I love but don't really have a ton of time to review are: A Christmas Story, The Santa Clause, The Sound of Music

0 RIP Jenni Rivera

(c) Getty Images

I'll be honest. I didn't know who Jenni Rivera was before her death because I'm not too familiar with Latin music. News of her death is everywhere, and it is really unfortunate that she was taken from us too soon. Because I was curious about her, I Googled her and looked her up on YouTube. Turns out, she was a fellow SoCal native and CSULB alum (she graduated with a business degree), so I felt that I had to pay tribute to her. Jenni was really talented and had a lot of potential for success outside the Latino community.

Jenni Rivera was very popular with the Latino community, and was due for a crossover into the Anglophone world. She was working her way into American TV and film at the time of her death. Per the Washington Post, she was working on a sitcom for ABC before she died. She was also in an indie movie, Filly Brown. The film is due out in 2013, according to E! News.

She put so much passion into her singing. I don't really understand a lot (three years of high school Spanish and I don't have much to show for it, lol) of what she's singing about, but it sounds pretty with all the instruments. You can tell she was connected to the song. 

She was a prominent figure of female empowerment in the Latino world as her songs highlighted her struggles. Like many superstars, she worked very hard to achieve her success and suffered many hardships to get there. She exemplified the image of a strong Latina woman and should be a source of inspiration to all women.

I want to thank Jenni for further opening my mind to the beauty of Latin music, even though I had to find out about her in a sad way. Music really is universal and her songs are a testament to that.

My condolences and prayers go out to the Rivera family. May Jenni rest in paradise.

0 Want to join the SoCali Flavor Reviews team? :)

In the two years since I started SoCali Flavor Reviews, I always wanted to see it grow into something special, where I could share my opinions and insights on events and other things that were going on. However, I want to form a team because I learned that if I want to promote SoCali Flavor Reviews, I can't do it alone. So I am looking for talented and enthusiastic contributors to be part of the SoCali Flavor Reviews team so we can cover a variety of topics.

If you are interested in blogging, journalism, or just a platform for you to write in your spare time, I would love to have you on the team! I am also looking for graphic designers and website designers to help out with the design of the site. You don't have to live in SoCal to write or design for SoCali Flavor Reviews (it's only required for lifestyle reviewers) but it would be awesome if you did.

As SoCali Flavor Reviews is a small review blog, the positions are unpaid and voluntary. However, you will get to write about what you love, gain some exposure, and be part of an awesome expansion project. If there is something that I am not presently covering but you would like to cover for the site, please let me know.

What I'm looking for...

SOCALI LIFESTYLE REVIEWERS
NOTE: You must be a resident of Southern California to be considered for this position. If you live in a certain area (such as the San Gabriel Valley, Westside, DTLA, Long Beach, OC, etc), I'd love for you to cover places and events in that area.

Food/restaurant reviewers

Events reviewers

Destination/places reviewers
Arts reviewers
Culture reviewers
General SoCal lifestyle reviewers

SOCALI SPORTS REVIEWERS
NOTE: Depending on if the sport is in season, you may not have to write articles on a regular basis. Living in SoCal isn't a requirement, as long as you are able to watch games and keep up with news on the team(s) you are covering on a regular basis.

LA Lakers reviewer (IN SEASON)

LA Clippers reviewer (IN SEASON)

LA Dodgers reviewer

LA Angels of Anaheim reviewer 

LA Kings reviewer

Anaheim Ducks reviewer
San Diego Chargers reviewer (IN SEASON)
San Diego Padres reviewer
LA Galaxy reviewer
Chivas USA reviewer

SoCal area college sports reviewers (UCLA, USC, Long Beach State, SDSU, etc.)
General SoCal sports reviewers

ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWERS
NOTE: Everyone is encouraged to apply, regardless of geographic location :)

Movie reviewers (All genres, including foreign movies)

Music reviewers (All genres, including international music)

TV reviewers (All genres, including foreign TV shows)
General entertainment reviewers

GENERAL REVIEWERS
Cover more than one of the topics above. Please let me know which topics you would like to cover!

DESIGN
NOTE: Everyone is encouraged to apply, regardless of geographic location :)

Graphic designers

Website designers

**You can apply for more than one position. :)**

Requirements

Preferably a resident of Southern California, but it's not a requirement (required for SoCali Lifestyle Reviewers only).

Ability to communicate effectively in English.

Writing positions: 
Good to excellent command of the English language and grammar.
Commitment to writing for the SoCali Flavor Reviews team.
Contributing at least 1-2 articles a week, depending on your position.
Familiarity with Blogger.
Design positions: 
Familiarity with blog/graphic/website design.
For graphic designers, experience with Photoshop, Paint Shop, etc.
For website designers, familiarity with CSS/HTML/XML.

If you have any questions about the positions and/or would like to apply, please email me (subject should include the position you want) or comment below. If you are applying for a position, please answer the following questions and attach a sample of your work (details below) in your email:

Name:
Location (city, state, country if outside the US):
Position(s) you want to apply for:
Blogging/journalism/design experience (not necessarily needed, but helpful):
Social Networking Links (Facebook, Twitter, etc.):
How did you find out about SoCali Flavor Reviews:
Tell me more about yourself:
Please attach a sample of your work in Word (.doc, .docx) format if it's an article. If you are a graphic or website designer, please include a link to a website (or websites) that features your work (portfolios are ok too).

Thank you/gracias/salamat/kamsahamnida/arigato/etc!

-Karen

0 I still love you, Congressman Manny.

(c) Steve Marcus/Reuters

Today was a day that was supposed to be considered a day of obligation for Filipinos around the world. However, Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines' hero, lost his battle tonight to Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez in a technical knockout, or TKO.

Filipinos around the world are disappointed, including myself. Every time there is a fight featuring Manny (usually on a Saturday night), Filipinos always gather at someone's house to watch the fight. We bond over pancit, sinigang, bibingka, or even pizza and beer. We talk about how we are going to cheer for Manny and celebrate when the fight is over. Manny has always had a stellar fighting record and gave it his all in every fight, so I suppose many Filipinos get a little over-confident and predict he'll be the winner every time he fights someone.

However, our celebration was derailed in the 6th round when Marquez punched Manny in the face and knocked him down. Manny was face down on the floor for about a minute.

Honestly, everyone at the party thought he was dead. The camera focused on his wife Jinkee, as she worried and cried for him.

Thankfully, he got up. Marquez claimed victory, and eventually Manny had his usual after-fight interview in his awkward, broken English (but he has since improved). The result of the fight was already obvious and everyone at the fight night party I went to lamented his defeat. My cousin even walked out of the party shortly after Manny got TKO in disappointment.

Although the fight ended in a result that many did not expect, you have to admit that it really was a great fight. It was unpredictable and full of suspense.

Will it be Manny's last fight? I can't say for sure. Some people say he should retire after his controversial loss against Bradley in May and tonight's fight... However, that is up to Manny. But I still want him to fight Mayweather. It would be a high-profile fight, perhaps the 21st century's Ali vs. Frazier, also known as the Thrilla in Manila fight. As a boxing fan, I would love to see something that epic in my lifetime since I wasn't born during that time. People would be divided over who would win and I'm sure the world would stop if this fight ever happened. However, there is drama surrounding whether Mayweather would really agree to terms for the fight, and tonight's events could catalyze Manny's retirement from boxing.

Congratulations to Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as his fans. It was a good fight.

To my Filipino brethren, keep your chin up. Even though we're all depressed that our beloved Congressman Manny lost tonight, we should thank him for putting Philippines on the map. No other full-blooded Filipino from the Philippines has made such an impact in the world of sports and pop culture. He has made a legacy for himself. Win or lose, he is still the people's champ.

0 Mini Glee review

Honestly, I am not a big fan of this season of Glee. I guess it is because a lot of the original cast do not appear regularly anymore. I loved watching Mike Chang bust out his dance moves, Quinn being her usual awesome boss-like self, Puck and his BAMF-ness, Santana's (lovable) raunchiness, and Mercedes doing her diva-belting. I know that Glee is trying to introduce new characters to perhaps carry on the show for future seasons, but I feel like the show is losing its magic and what made it awesome in the first place. Although I have my gripes about this season, I'll move on to a few things about what I think is great about this season.

I am really glad that Lea Michele stuck around because the woman is super talented, as evidenced by Thursday's episode. For me, she is Glee's saving grace. She stood her own against Kate Hudson, one of the most well-known and seasoned actresses in Hollywood (heck I didn't even know that she had the chops before she took on the role of Cassandra July) in an epic duet of All That Jazz.



I also loved Chris Colfer's rendition of Being Alive. Although he's not a strong, belty singer like Lea is, I loved the sincerity that he brought to it. Kurt is one of my favorite characters on the show, and even though he and Rachel aren't necessarily in Lima anymore, it's nice that there's still a vehicle for Chris and Lea to be on Glee.

And oh, Rachel's new boyfriend, Brody (Dean Geyer), is absolutely gorgeous. The casting director who decided to cast him is my new hero. With that said... I will grace my blog with this.

0 The 2012 K-Pop playlist

I have been listening to K-Pop for years, but it wasn't until recently that I started to get more into the K-Pop scene, especially with all the Korean dramas I have been watching and my desire to learn about the culture and the language. Of course PSY would be an obvious choice because he was the only one so far to break into the Western mainstream and become a global hit with Gangnam Style. However, we at socaliflavor.com feel that we should recognize groups and artists that haven't had the chance to break it into the Western mainstream or consciousness just quite yet.

EXO - What Is Love: This is the one song that has been stuck in my head as of late. I must have played both the Korean and Chinese versions over and over again. EXO is a group that is split up into sub-groups. The first group is EXO-K, the team that promotes in Korea and sings in Korean. The other group is EXO-M, which promotes in China and sings in Mandarin. What Is Love is such a beautiful song and it reminds me of the days when I would make a mix CD of really good slow jams (which, unfortunately are very hard to come by these days). The EXOtics will probably be asking, which do you like better... EXO-K's or EXO-M's version? I honestly love both versions because it's such a beautiful song, but I end up listening to the K version more, maybe it's because I know more Korean than Chinese.

LEE HI - 1, 2, 3, 4: I cannot believe that this girl is only 16 years old. She has a great voice and this song blew up really fast. The beat of the song is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and 60's girl groups and the chorus can easily get stuck in your head. Given her age, I think that LEE HI will go far.

MBLAQ - Run: I have just gotten into MBLAQ recently because I watched their season of Hello Baby where they took care of three multicultural Korean children (Korean-Vietnamese Dayoung Yoon, Korean-Canadian Lauren Lunde, and Korean-French Leo Recipon, all 4-years-old and incredibly adorable) and "raised" them for three months. The MBLAQ boys were so good with the kids and I just fell in love with them. So I decided to check out their music... Run came out this year and I think that this song is one of their best that I've heard. Plus, the choreography is amazing. The dance for Run shows how talented MBLAQ really is and I think the song and choreography deserves a lot of props.

CNBLUE - Hey You: Hey You is a really good pop/rock song, and I got into them because the lead singer, Jung Yonghwa, was in one of my favorite K-dramas, You're Beautiful, as well as Heartstrings, with his co-star from YB, Park Shin Hye. He had such a good voice and when I found out he had a band, I decided to check out his music. I loved Hey You the first time I heard it, and thought CNBLUE was a Korean version of Maroon 5. Of course they are completely different groups, but they have the same feel if you are a fan of Maroon 5.

SISTAR - Alone: I think SISTAR is one of the best girl groups in K-Pop. They won Best Female Group at this year's MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards, Korea's equivalent to the VMA's and Grammy's) and it is well deserved. As of the song, Alone... Obviously, I don't have much to say about the lyrics, but I know that this is one of the sexier K-Pop songs out there. Sexy beat, sexy dances, and sexy girls with milkshakes that take the boys to the yard. Haha, okay, that was lame, but you get it.

Ailee - I Will Show You: I really have to give props to my fellow Asian-American, Ailee. The girl can sing (see her covers of "Halo" and "The Greatest Love of All"), and she really made a career for herself by leaving the U.S. and going to Korea. Honestly, I hope that she will be able to branch out of KPop someday and become famous back home in America... but we'll see what the future holds for her. I really like "I Will Show You" more than her debut song, "Heaven," though both songs are great and showcase her amazing vocal prowess.

Honorable Mentions: TaeTiSeo - Goodbye Hello, BIGBANG - Fantastic Baby (it was played on Glee !), miss A - I Don't Need a Man, SHINee - Alarm Clock, TVXQ! - Catch Me

PHOTO CREDITS: SISTAR: Sports Chosun via Nate; MBLAQ: SOURCE (c) J-Tune Entertainment; CNBLUE: Official site; Ailee: Korean Updates; LEE HI: SOURCE (c) YG Entertainment; EXO: SOURCE (c) SM Entertainment