Celebrating 10,000 Page Views with Fan Art of "K-On" Anime

Recently, I've been watching this really cute anime series called K-On on YouTube

I decided to do some fan art of a shot from the anime. (1) I did the line art of an image on Adobe Photoshop,  modified the background somewhat, (2) colored the drawing using Photoshop, and (3) Did an overlay TV effect to make the drawing too like a TV image.

The art work is also posted on my Deviant Art Site here. Took me a few days.

Here it is to celebrate reaching 10,000 page views on our blog and to thank our followers.

Line Art

Colored Artwork

TV Effect

ENJOY!

Towel Animals, Food and Fun on a Cruise

Just before school started, we went on a cruise for the first time to celebrate our grandparent's 50th Anniversary. We went on the Carnival cruise for 4 days to Mexico, with a stop on Catalina Island.  I thought I would get sea sick because I usually get really motion sick on anything that moves, but I didn't this time. I had also expected something similar to The Suite Life on Deck but I realized that the TV show only featured like 3 areas of the ship.

The Carnival Inspiration had about 12 levels. Scattered throughout the levels of the ship were mini golf courses, arcades, sushi bars, a LOT of places where you can eat, a spa/fitness area, a theater, waterslides, casinos, and so much more. You could never get bored on that ship.

Also, surprisingly, the food on the ship was very good. For lunch and breakfast they had different kinds of foods that you could get from different stations in a buffet style. On top of that, if you got hungry in between meals than you could go get pizza, sushi, hot dogs or whatever else they were serving any time of day. Dinner is more fancy. You have to dress up somewhat nicely and you get to choose from a variety of options of appetizers, main course, and dessert. They had everything, ranging from lobster tails, steak, sushi, fish, indian food, to fried chicken, pot roast, and other good stuff. The desserts were amazing too. We especially liked this one grand marnier souffle...

We went to the spa and fitness a few times, because apparently, you gain 1-2 pounds every day when you're on these kinds of cruises! Once, we even ran out of the sauna in our bathing suits to the window to see a school of dolphins swimming alongside the boat. It was really cool. My grandparents really made the most out of the experience. Since they've been on cruises before, they knew what to expect. They would get two appetizers, 5 meals a day, or something like that (even though my grandpa is supposed to be on a healthy diet for health reasons). We soon caught on to the cruising ways.

Our room had a "window" but when we drew back the curtains all we can see was a plastic wall. This is because we had an interior cabin. Our 6 year old nephew would always brag to us about his family's room with a window, so we told him that we had a special window and that we could see mermaids out of it!  I don't think he believed us. The crew also made towel animals for us every night.

On Catalina Island, we stopped in Avalon. We spent the day kayaking, mini golfing, and touring the island in a mini golf cart. It was a beautiful day there. I love Catalina because the water is so much bluer than where we live.

The next day, in Ensenada, Mexico, we went with a tour to check out different places in the area. Ensenada is not the most beautiful part of Mexico, but we had fun horseback riding, walking through an area with a bunch of cool shops, and we ate great churros and amazing fish tacos in the street.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience a lot more than I thought I would. I really thought I would get sea sick but I could hardly feel a thing!  This was a successful first cruise.

Recent Artwork

Okay! It's time to post some of my artwork! I've been drawing a lot lately and getting a LOT better at coloring digitally on photoshop! I'm proud. :) For a e-card I did for mom's birthday, click here:

A Deviant Art follower commissioned me to draw the 10th Dr. Who.

This is sort of when I got good at coloring!

Another Study.

Was planning on making a few pikachu stickers for a friend.

My deviantart account is: www.klokloshoo.deviantart.com

We Actually Put in Hard Work at V3Con.

We wrote in the last post that we went to the opening awards night for V3con on Friday.  We were hoping to do a follow-up post about the conference on Saturday, but we got...busy.  With school, that is.  First day was Monday.

Anyways, V3con was a lot of fun.  We had to get up at around 6 a.m. in order to get to the Japanese American National Museum by 7a.m. which was the time we had to get there to help set up and get ready to volunteer.  Because we hardly ever get to go to events with a bunch of adults without our parents, we felt a little out of place.  So many of the other volunteers there were much more experienced than we are, so it was pretty intimidating to be around them at first, but they turned out to be really friendly and helpful. We created a business card just so we can passed them out to people.

Now, about the actual volunteering: Chloe and I were assigned to a blogging team to post about various panels and tweet about the conference.  We weren't scheduled to write blog posts until the afternoon, so we spent the morning mingling with other volunteers, eating Panda Express, and listening to speakers.  I had a lot of fun tweeting from my new phone (I've never had a smartphone before, and now I realize how convenient they are for social networking) and Chloe used her iPad to take pictures.  

Then we got around to blogging about the panel discussions.  I learned that beyond the mega Youtube Asian comedy stars like KevJumba or NigaHiga, Asian Americans use social media to promote a wide range of causes and viewpoints. I got assigned to some interesting ones: Using Digital Media to Promote Non-Profits, Getting Some Social Media Skills, and Comic Relief: Anime and Manga in the Digital Era.  Chloe wrote a post about how Asian-American bloggers use social media to cover health issues (click here to read it!) and another about social media's impact on blogging.  All of the panel discussions were interesting. I even got to listen to some awesome people I've been wanting to meet for a while, like Lela Lee (creator of Angry Little Asian Girl), Kun Gao (co-founder of Crunchyroll, how cool is that?!), and David Choi (that crazy-good youtube singer!).

We also got some cool stuff from the conference, including an awesome volunteer t-shirt.

V3con T-shirt, McDonald's bag, dragon piggy bank and AARP pen!

That's not to say the whole experience was painless.  Each panel discussion lasted about an hour, and we were expected to be able to complete most of a post within that time frame.  I had 3 panel discussions to blog about in a row -- no breaks in between.  I had an emotional meltdown about halfway through the last one, because I still hadn't finished writing the first post by that time.  I was so stressed out.  I ended up having to stay later to finish the posts while the rest of the attendees headed off to the Bloggers Showcase, including Chloe.  She got to meet all kinds of cool people while I got to finish blogging...  Joy....

Despite the minor trauma, We're really looking forward to going back again next year.  Everyone was so supportive and fun to be around!  We hope to keep in touch with them and to have the opportunity to attend V3con again!

V3Con Reception: Vision, Visibility and Voice (and Food!)

Chloe and I have been invited to volunteer at the V3 Digital Media Conference!  We went to the opening awards reception today at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena to meet fellow bloggers and learn about the conference.  Our job tonight was to tweet about the event. It was a little awkward at first, I'll admit - Chloe and I were the youngest ones there.  It was great for us to talk to the more experienced bloggers around, but that did not eliminate the awkwardness.  Being surrounded by adults I've never met before really got me to realize how much of a kid I really am.

Reception under Paper Lanterns at the Asia Pacific Museum

Not going to lie to you guys here: I had my eye on the food from the moment we got there.  It looked awesome - steamed buns, dumplings, meatballs....  But when we dropped off our stuff in the volunteer lounge, the person who was showing us around told us to feel free to "eat the sandwiches for the volunteers".  Subway sandwiches.  Whoop-dee-doo.


So Chloe and I wandered around, not eating food in hopes of eventually figuring out a way to sneak one of those steamed buns.  Then about an hour into the event, Ms. Shraddha Swaroop  kindly informed us to feel free to eat some of the food at the event, to which I responded, "We can eat the food here?!" I promptly helped myself to the dumplings, the steamed baos and the meatballs. The soft drinks were great too.

Steamed baos at the V3Con Reception

Despite the impressive food at the convention, we got to meet some of the even more impressive and prominent Asian-Americans in the media today, such as Gil Asakawa and Jane Lui (again :D). We even got to see Phil Yu (a.k.a. Angry Asian Man)!  We didn't have the opportunity to talk to him because he was constantly surrounded by people who wanted to chat with him.  Frankly, Chloe and I were not sure what Mr. Yu looked like, and we were afraid that we'd accidentally approach a random Asian man, thinking he was Phil Yu...which is probably the exact thing Angry Asian Man would get Angry about.  We decided not to risk it. Maybe tomorrow. 

We know that we'll meet even more Asian American people in the media tomorrow, and look forward to attending some of the panel discussions. Our job will be to blog and tweet about the event! What a treat to end our summer. Back to school on Monday!

Fashion (or the lack of it), and the Fashion District.

When we were kids, mom, dad and grandma would shop for clothes and shoes for us, and we'd just stay home and be fine with their choices. When they dress us up like dorks, or in really frilly dresses, we were fine with it because we simply didn't know any better.  Besides, we really didn't like to shop for hours in the department store. If we when shopping at all with our parents, we'd just play hide and seek among the racks of clothes.  My sister would look for lost pennies and buttons on the floor to collect while my mom shopped.

The result: Outfits that we wouldn't be caught dead in now. Here are a few examples:

We and our cousins all wearing snowman wear!
Courtesy of grandma!

Visiting DC in oversized jacket and poncho.

This year, we transferred to a private school. All of a sudden, fashion is becoming increasingly difficult for us to ignore because we like to fit in and don't want to be made fun of. We don't want to make the faux pas of wearing the wrong thing for school, or for wearing the same clothes two days in a row.  We realized that it's best not to look like we just rolled out of bed when we go to school.
Luckily during the school day, my classmates dress pretty much like students everywhere: shorts, jeans, hoodies, sneakers, flats, so I don't have to adjust my style too much.

But, this was also a year where I was invited to a few sweet sixteen parties, and sis was invited to fancy bat mitzvahs.  Boy, this is where things have changed from years past. It used to be that the only occasion I'd have to wear a nice dress to was my 8th grade graduation or some other school event, in a pair of flat shoes or sandals.

Going to sweet sixteen parties was definitely the first time I've had to dress formally for a party with my friends, and I didn't really know what to wear.  Semi-formal dresses and heels was the recommended attire--and I didn't even own heels!  In fact, I was (and still am) a little bit afraid of tripping in heels or stabbing other people with them, so I went with wedges instead.  While I didn't look like a bum, it seems I misunderstood the meaning of 'semi-formal', because most girls were dressed like they were going to clubs!  I mean, with dresses that barely covered their butts and 6 inch heels, it's mind-boggling that they could possibly complain about how much their feet hurt and how guys were constantly staring at them. 

Internet cartoon

The boys, on the other hand, were only expected to wear button-down shirts and jeans.  Talk about unfair!

None of this is to say that fashion always comes with a high price tag; it doesn't!  Today, for example, I went with my sister, cousins, aunt, and mom to check out the Fashion District in LA.  My aunt and cousins are from Boston, so they've never been to the Fashion District and were determined to get some back to school shopping done. We checked out the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) Scholarship Store, where they sell brand name bikinis for about $2 a set. That is, if you can find a matching set, of course.  We had to do some digging, but in the end we came out victorious . . . Not that you you'd consider bikinis back to school attire.

Visiting Santee Alley Fashion District, Los Angeles

Later on, we headed to Santee Alley, a pretty dingy alley with hundreds of shops featuring the latest fashions for inexpensive prices, knock-offs of name brands, haggling, and bacon-wrapped hotdogs! It's mildly disgusting, but if you have the stamina to dig through there, you will find some good things for a bargain. We saw some beautiful hand blown glass objects, only to be told that they were for smoking weed!

Whether you like to shop second hand stores, fashion district, outlet stores, department stores or boutiques, don't be a slave to fashion though. You might end up looking like these ladies below and still be made fun of:

THE LAYER CAKE
China Fashion Week 2007

THE BAG LADY
Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 Campaign

Video Games Girls Play

This summer, I've been playing a LOT of video games. I dug up my old Nintendo DS and played Yoshi's Island . Yoshi's Island is really old (the version we have is for the gameboy), but it's a really fun game... My sister used to just make me watch her play the game until she beat all the levels. I never actually got to play so I really suck at it. I'm just now beginning to play Yoshi's Island along with all of my other games that my sister would steal from me. Anyway, I love the old design of Yoshi, and the soundtrack is amazing. I even made a flash animation with Yoshi in it for my dad's birthday.

Some other games I like to play (well I guess like to watch my sister play... because she didn't let me play most of my games) are Fishing Master, Super Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Rune Factory, and Donkey Kong. Come to think of it, most of these games are not really violent. They just involve running around, honing a skill (such as fishing, planting, harvesting, animal training, or cooking) and collecting points or money to buy a bigger house, or to extend your life.

My friend recently found an old Nintendo 64 console and we played really old games on it. We especially liked Banjo & Kazooie, Kirby, and Brawl, which involves all my favorite game characters from different games fighting against each other.  Most of the games we play go on forever. (Meaning you never die and you pretty much just do the same routine over and over again, just like real life).

My sister likes all of my games plus Nintendogs and weird games like Saddle Up.  She is really into the animal training video games.  My sister claims that skills she learned from Nintendogs helped her take care of our neighbor's dog Gracie this summer, which is sort of sad if you ask me.

What is even more pathetic is the game we're currently addicted to playing on the iPad: it's called  My Forged Wedding, which involves a girl picking a guy to date or marry for various reasons to help him out.  You can date a teacher, a lawyer, a screenwriter, a comedian, and even  a prince!  It seems like a really pathetic dating game, but we don't like to think of it that way.  To us, it's like an interactive manga with happily ever after outcomes.

Most of the boys I know like to play Mortal Combat, Call of Duty, Starcraft, and Halo on the Xbox. These games are pretty violent and you win by killing or hitting as many people or monsters as possible, in the most gruesome manner too. I just never got into those games, not that I have any of them. Not to stereotype or anything, I think there is a BIG difference between what boys and girls like to play.

Drinking Chinese Tea

In my Chinese classes this year,  we were introduced to the ancient Chinese culture of drinking tea. I have always enjoyed many different kinds of tea -- Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Rooibos, Jasmine, Oolong -- and I like that the flavors are all different and unique. Different cultures produce different teas and different methods of drinking them.  First off, tea is regarded differently in Asia than it is in Europe in the sense that Asian tea-drinking focuses more on the quality and taste of the tea itself rather than on additives such as spices, cream and sugar.  The modern Chinese tea ceremony is further different from the Japanese tea ceremony because, as some would say, it "is more about tasting the tea than it is about the ritual."

Since my Chinese classes, I've visited Ten Ren Tea, a tea shop chain  that originated in Taiwan.  Ten Ren owns tea plantations in Taiwan and China, and it is famous for its oolong tea. If you intend to buy their tea, you can ask them to brew some of their top quality teas the traditional way for you to taste. The top quality oolong tea they sell is quite expensive though: over $100 a pound.

The Chinese way of tasting good tea is to brew them in tiny clay teapots. The most famous of the purple clay teapots are made in the town of Yi Xing in China. When making tea, the beautiful clay teapots are approximately half filled with tea and then hot water is poured into them. The tea leaves expand in the water and fills the tea pot. The tea server then pours the very strong tea into tiny tea cups for people to smell, taste and enjoy. Good quality tea will leave a very refreshing taste in your mouth, and supposedly will also clean your system of grease, and is good for you.

Part of what makes the  Chinese tea ceremony so special is the emphasis on using whole leaves.  The best tea leaves are picked whole at the right time, and then dried or roasted. Sometimes the tea are green, and sometimes they are roasted a little darker. When brewed though, they expand into whole, unbroken leaves.  The more the tea leaves are cut up by the time you brew them, the lesser quality the tea is.  Some people like my mom doesn't like us using her teapots for lesser-quality teas because she's afraid we'll ruin the fragrance and quality of the teapots.

Another neat aspect of the Chinese tea ceremony is that of "nurturing teapots" as if they are little children. Apparently, if you pour the leftover tea on the teapot to stain the pot and then you rub the stain into the clay tea pot every time you've finished drinking tea, your pot will become shiny from the tea oil.  It takes many months and years to achieve that beautiful shiny result. It's funny how teapots are suddenly like little people now: you have to treat them with care and "raise" them properly or they could be ruined. The good thing is that while the teapots are like artworks in themselves, they are meant to be used and not just admired.

I've been making tea a lot recently. For those of you who don't have time for the whole tea tasting ceremony, the easiest way to drink Chinese tea is to throw some tea leaves in a mug and just add boiling water, wait for the tea to cool a bit, and sip. It's nice and refreshing.

Obon Festival and a Special Book by Lucy Ozone Hawkinson

Guess what's coming up this weekend? The West LA Obon Festival!

What is an Obon festival, you ask? The Obon festival is a 500 year old Japanese Buddhist custom that is held to honor one's ancestors. At the Obon festival, the Japanese people welcome their ancestors' spirits with food and dance.  They celebrate with games, food booths, raffles, drums, and the Bon Odori dance. In the United States, Obon festivals are held at Japanese Buddhist Temples all over the country. It is also a fundraiser for the temples. The West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple sponsors our basketball league, so every year, all the West Los Angeles team members volunteer to help out at the Obon festival by staffing the various booths.

When we were kids, my team used to volunteer at the game booths at the Obon but now we have been "promoted" to a food booth. The Obon Festival is super fun, so go check it out this Saturday and Sunday!!!  I'll be serving food on Saturday.

On another note, there's a really cute children's book about the Obon festival called Dance, Dance, Amy-Chan by Lucy Ozone Hawkinson, written in 1964. Lucy Ozone Hawkinson is a Japanese American author who wrote and illustrated dozens of books in the 1960s.  She was born in California in 1924, and attended South Pasadena High School. During the war, her entire family was relocated to the infamous Manzanar.  After the war, the family moved to Chicago where she settled and wrote most of her childrens books.

Dance, Dance, Amy-Chan by Lucy Ozone Hawkinson

Lucy Ozone Hawkinson's books are no longer in print. I know about her through my friend Ruby's mom who is the daughter of Ms. Ozone. What's interesting about Ms. Ozone's children's books is that they show kids of all ethnicities, sizes, and other differences which was pretty unusual for that time period. Dance, Dance, Amy-Chan is an especially charming illustrated book about two Japanese American girls getting ready for their local Obon Festival. Amy Chan almost missed the dance because little sister Susie Chan disappeared in the crowd when she got scared of the drums. The drawings in the book are brush paintings in color and in black and white. The colors are very cheerful and friendly, and even the black and white drawings are cute, with a lot of details on the kimonos, hair, accessories, and toy dolls.

Although this book cannot be found in stores anymore, you will be able to find it in local libraries, or a used one online. 

GO TO THE OBON FESTIVAL!!!! :D

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
2003 Corinth Avenue
West Los Angeles, CA 90025 

If you don't live in West LA, many other Buddhist Temples are also holding an Obon festival during the summer.

You can find different Obon festival information here.

Am I a Chloe..or Am I a Chlue?

Near the end of last school year, my school held a Sports Banquet. It was pretty much to celebrate all the kids in 7th and 8th grade who participated in a competitive sport. (People who just did PE were not celebrated). I participated in sports for all three seasons of the school year: I did Cross Country, Basketball, and then Track and Field, so I was invited even though my parents had to pay for it!  :)

Sports Banquet

The school's athletic department provided all the athletes and their families with a pretty good sit down meal. (I checked before accepting the invitation). We had barbecue chicken, or steak, with chili and cookies...and other stuff) While we ate our dinner the athletic department played a slideshow of  the athletes in different sports. They would announce something like, "Fall Sports, Boys and Girls Cross Country!", show the slideshow, and then give out the awards to the outstanding athletes in that sport.

For cross country, they showed a picture of me running, which was not very flattering. Surprisingly, I got a "Most Inspirational" award for Cross Country, which probably means I tried hard, but wasn't very good.

For basketball, I ended up getting an award for Most Outstanding Player. As I walked up there to receive my award my coach whispered "Give it back once you're done taking pictures, because they spelled your name wrong." So I took a picture with the award where my name was spelled wrong. It was spelled Chololoulo, or something like that. (They didn't even spell my last name wrong...which is a surprise). I gave the award back and the Athletic Department apologized.

I swear they cut off the plaque because my name was spelled wrong.

Just before school ended for summer vacation, I went to pick up my corrected award plaque from the Athletic Department. It took the department maybe 10 minutes to find it, but once I got it, I took it home. I looked at my plaque and there it was: MY NAME WAS SPELLED WRONG.  AGAIN! This time it was spelled "Chlue". I don't know why it's so hard to spell Chloe. :) Maybe because I'm Asian, they were expecting a Choe or Chue. Whatever. But I didn't want to trouble them anymore so I just brought the award home and took a picture of it for a sourvenir. It's kind of funny.

I'm the most outstanding Chlue Hsu!

Sadly they took back the first misspelled plaque. Otherwise I would have put up a picture of that one too!

Make Art with Paper from Hiromi Paper

When most most of us need paper, we usually just go to office supplies and stationary stores such as Staples or Office Depot and buy the machine made standard 8 1/2" x 11" letter size papers. However, for doing something special, sometimes you wish you have paper that looks special. Well, Hiromi Paper store, located in the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, definitely has unique paper. It sells ALL kinds of specialty paper made in different parts of the world.

Paper lanterns at Hiromi Paper

The store is small but very inviting inside. It has colorful paper mache objects around the room as well as tissue paper lanterns strung up across the walls. Hiromi Paper carries the largest selection of Japanese fine-art and conservation papers in the U.S. It also carries paper made from different plant fibers from Brazil, Bhutan, Nepal and the Yucatan. The paper from different parts of the world have their own characteristics. In fact, the paper's origins and designs themselves are so interesting that I believe they probablyshould be considered artwork themselves. There is a paper called seikosen paper made from the Kozo (mulberry) plant made by only one family on an island in Japan. This strong paper is hand made and has limited quantities.

Printed wrapping paper.

What is also eye opening are the paper made of thinly sliced radishes, starfruit, kiwi,and other types of plants. Some of the paper carried by Hiromi Paper are very colorful and some have very intricate designs. Some of them make you question if they're even paper at all!

Paper made of fruits anda vegetables.

At Hiromi Paper, there are also books about paper making, how to make stencils, origami, lanterns, kites, etc. I bought a book about how to make stencils. and also a small stack of different decorative paper. The only problem is that the papers are so pretty that I don't want to use them for paper cutting, or writing, or for anything at all because I don't want to ruin the paper!

Stencils I cut using Hiromi's paper

 Next time I go, I'm going to try buying some of the radish paper and paper made of wood!

Also, if you visit Hiromi Paper, you should also walk around the rest of Bergamot Station and check out the other cool stores and art galleries.

Here is Hiromi Paper's contact information!

Tel: 310.998.0098
Email: washi@hiromipaper.com
Website: www.hiromipaper.com  They have an online store! So you can order online too!
The store is at Bergamot Station unit G9!!! Check it out!!

The Rythm of Linda Oh

I was sitting in the car surfing radio stations when I accidentally stumbled upon KPCC and heard this jazz song in Chinese and English come on. It was so unusual and compelling that I listened to the entire program, came home and looked up the musician, Linda Oh, on the internet. 

Here is an interview with her featured on her website. http://lindaohmusic.com/initial-here-video/

Linda Oh is a jazz bass player and composer who was born in Malaysia to Chinese parents.  She lived in Perth, Australia, and now performs with a jazz band in New York City, and tours all over the world. Her second album, Initial Here, was just released this spring. In this album, she collaborates with musicians Rudy Royston and the Cuban-born New York pianist Fabian Almazan. Also, in this album is the song "Thicker Than Water" where jazz singer Jen Shyu performs with Linda Oh's band singing in Chinese and in English.  

It is unusual to hear Asian women playing bass in a jazz band, and even more unusual to hear jazz sung in  Chinese. Very creative and innovative for sure, and Oh she is good. 

Even though the interview and music I heard today is from Linda Oh's second album, her debut album called Entry, with the Linda Oh Trio, has an awesome cover. Here it is. Apparently it's designed by someone who draws for Marvel Comics!

Here is clip of Linda Oh playing "To Not Be Broken", a tune inspired by Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, a book I've had to read in English class last year!

Check out some of the recent reviews of Linda Oh:

NPR at Connecting Points on a Musical Map

New York Times at New Music

Summer and the Beach

One of the nicest things about living in Southern California is the awesome weather.  Sure, it isn't always warm and sunny over here, but the temperature pretty much stays between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  Maybe I'm a wuss and don't know what it's like to experience a snow storm, but I can't stand days under 65 degrees.  Lucky for me, summer in SoCal always means warm and comfortable weather.

Sometimes, we take living close to the beach for granted and don't go there enough.  However, each summer, we do manage to drop the computers, the cell phones, and movie theatres and head for the beach to enjoy some laid back music and camaraderie for at least a few times.

Our favorite standby is always Venice Beach or Santa Monica Beach because they're close. There is the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica where it's open to the public, but you have to make a reservation to get in.  It's $24 for a family of four. Once there, you can swim in this pool that once belonged to William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davis of the Hearst Castle fame.

The heated pool has inlaid mosaics, life guards and a lounge area where you can bring your own picnic, or you can eat at the Back On the Beach Cafe next door.

If you want to actually swim in the ocean, you can just head on to the powdery sandy beach and swim there. This is definitely the luxury beach going experience.

Other beaches  may be less luxurious, but great nonetheless. On Venice Beach, you can walk on the crowded  board walk and go look at the shops and beach performers. There are lots of restaurants and souvenir stores, as well as wacky and entertaining street performer.

Venice Board Walk

Another favorite is the El Matador Beach in Malibu, 32215 Pacific Coast Highway where you have to walk down a steep trail to get there. Once there, you will be enchanted by the strange rock formations, powdery sand, and no one else present. There is absolute peace and tranquility, but no amenities whatsoever.

Because I'm older this year, to kick off the summer, my high school classmates and I had a night time beach party. After it was dark, a group of us built a bonfire at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey where there are pits for people to do just that.  We made sure to bring a lot of food, a boom box, and lots of firewood. After the sun went down, we built a bonfire. 

Beach Bonfire

As the fire crackled, we sang songs, toasted marshmallows, and played a few games.  My favorite part?  Burning a worn out copy of the much-abhorred novel, Frankenstein,  by Mary Shelley which we'd been assigned to read for English class this year. Yay, school's over.