It was my first time at the LA Zoo. First date with Syzygy too! #bustarhymes

Rap fail aside, I didn't know what to expect. When Alessia suggested that we all go to the LA Zoo Lights, I wasn't sure if I did want to go. We were thinking of having some sort of photoshoot-type-thing on our first date and I assumed that there's no way we could have lookbook-status photos in the dark. However, I was also curious about what the LA Zoo Lights was about and we were lucky enough to get our tickets from Living Social for a few cents cheaper. #whatadeal

We got there earlier before the opening time. However, there was already a line forming so we just stood in line instead of hanging out in Alessia's warm car.

The entrance alone was enough to convince me that this wasn't a bad idea afterall.

Expecting nothing worked well for me though. The moment we walked in and I saw the lights, I got pretty excited. I saw some people walk around with GoPros and knowing that I will later blog this experience, I did feel a bit jealous. I wished I owned such luxury too to deliver you all better posts.

I don't know how the zoo looks during the day but it looked really nice with all the lights in the night. It's like being in an amusement park during the night without the noise. Everyone was just enjoying the soft background music playing throughout the zoo, walking alongside their loved ones. It was therapeutic, in a way.

None of the animals were out except for the elephant and the reindeers. But the reindeers got more attention, of course. They didn't move much while we were there but it was very cute to see kids get excited about them. 

While some parts catered to families, there were also some that looked really romantic. There were definitely some couples who enjoyed the mood lighting and pulled their partners closer to them.

Underneath the disco ball area, adults gathered to grab some beer/wine at a kiosk that was selling them. Some stayed there and socialized while some carried their drink around.

The disco balls illuminated even the ground! They were spinning so the reflections were moving as well. It looked pretty cool and actually entertained us a bit. We stayed there for a couple minutes just to watch it.

This is the second tunnel that I've shown in the video. We really adored it so we came back twice. Hahaha. 

The first was to walk through it and then on the second, we took some photos. Riselle brought her Polaroid camera and she was really kind to take wonderful photos of us. 

(I still feel bad that I didn't know how to use it and that I'm bad at taking other people's photos that her photos taken by me didn't turn out to be the best.)

At the end of that pretty tunnel was another awesome installation recreating a "Hollywood" scene.

Complete with a red carpet,

the Hollywood sign,

and paparazzis.

There was much more to see but these are the only decent photos and videos I have. I felt that it was pretty ironic that we chose this event to start our blog with since we didn't have the right equipment to show it to you in the best possible quality but I think it still worked out pretty well because we focused more on enjoying the night rather than getting too caught up with how we're going to blog about it.

We took lots of photos but not all of them are post-worthy. Haha. Our selfies turned out great though thanks to Alessia's selfie stick and my phone's flashlight as a makeshift lighting equipment.

When we finished walking around, Riselle encouraged taking more photos. I learned some pretty artsy tricks from her! 

Also, this would have been the most perfectly hipster Polaroid photo if it was actually a Polaroid photo. Haha. Riselle took this using her iPhone. No app, just simple camera tricks.

On our way out, we all stopped by the gift shop. I found these chocolate covered Brazil chestnuts for half off. It's normally $14.99 but I got it for $7.49. I bought it for Q since he's a big chocolate lover.

I asked the cashier lady why it was discounted. The packaging looked pretty fancy so I thought that it might be a seasonal product or something exclusive for the zoo. She said that they're just trying to get it off the shelves. 

I should have looked better before I bought it. When I gave it to Q, he got excited about them until we both realized that they expired around the second week of December. I got extremely ashamed and also upset. Good thing, my Q was very understanding and still thanked me for them and told me that it shouldn't be that bad because they're sweets anyways. He opened the bag and was relieved to see that most of the chocolate hasn't developed any fat blooms. We still tried some and despite him saying that they're still pretty good, I could tell that they weren't fresh anymore at all and definitely not worth the $8 I got them for.

However, despite that, I still cannot deny that I had such a great time there. The LA Zoo Lights was nice, alright. But of course, experiencing it with my friends was the best part.

Opening our 2015 with good vibes, we all decided to treat ourselves to lunch to a café we've never been to before, Alcove Café and Bakery.

We arrived around 2PM and we weren't sure where to park so we just paid for valet parking. We expected it to be packed but eventually, we realized that we actually came at a good time since it just got busier and busier.

While waiting in line, we went through the menu and there was a lot of options that I was interested in but I can't really eat much. So I settled for the Steak Benedict. Their menu said that the dish includes aged black angus steak, fresh spinach, two poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce on two english muffins, and fruit so when it arrived and it had this red powder on it, I was pretty horrified. There was a lot of it on top so I immediately assumed that it might be really spicy and I have an extremely low tolerance for spicy food. The food took a while to come too so I didn't really think of checking the menu to see where it said that it'll be topped with that and just proceeded to tasting it hoping that it's not as spicy as it looks. It wasn't spicy at all!

I'm guessing that it was paprika since it had this smoky taste to it. I would actually prefer it without it or maybe directly applied to the steak but overall, the meal was still very good.

I also ordered a Caramel Apple Cider and I loved it. I really wish that Alcove was closer to my place so that I could just visit any time I want. Or maybe just walk to it instead of having to drive.

If there's anything that would prevent me from going there again, it's the lack of parking. I'm not sure if the place was just packed and that's why every parking spot is taken or if there's just really a lack of spaces. We went around the block and we couldn't find a spot so were forced to pay for the valet. Also, I'm not sure if they have their own parking area but the valet parked Alessia's car (she drove) on the street. When we were leaving, some guy just waited for the valet to take her car out the spot so that he could park without having to pay. I guess, if we knew the area more, we could've bypassed this. Five bucks for parking isn't a big deal when there's three people but I can't imagine having to pay for that if I just went alone especially if I just wanted a nice warm drink. 

Hello everyone! I'm Linn and some of you may know me from my other social media shenanigans (personal blog, toy blog, Instagram, YouTube).

I'm a graphic design student, art enthusiast, toy collector, cosplayer (every once in a while), food paparazzi...you get the point. I'm into a lot of things. Also, I talk a lot and you could probably piece the details of my personal life together through stalking all of my public social media accounts.

Last year has been rough; school took over my life and for the first time in my life, I forgot what "fun" was.

Normally, ranting helps let go of the bad stuff but my experiences last year proved that some things could be so frustrating that talking about it might not be the best stress reliever. Despite burning out from being busy with school, I decided to put away some time to start blogging again. It reminded me that doing something purely for fun might not directly apply to my career as a graphic designer but at least, it could keep my soul alive in some other way.

Last semester was probably the worst time of my life but it's also thanks to it that I have become closer to two people I met from a former class: Alessia and Riselle. But don't worry! This blog isn't going to be the negative experiences that brought us together. In fact, it's the opposite! I proudly welcome everyone to Syzygy Chronicles, where the stars aligned together to have fun and enjoy life to the fullest! #supercheesytaglineiinventedjustnow #noregrets