The Start of Something New : A Los Angeles Weekend

July 26th.

My weekend was spent in Los Angeles - the city of opportunity. The city where everything is possible; where stars and dreams are made. The city of bad drivers and aggressive characters. The city of cheap, but cute clothing, jewelry and accessories. Where traffic is a daily thing, and city buses cut you off. Where people walk so fast, they trample over you. Where you can see every possible ethnicity in one block and every culture is celebrated.

Oh, how I love Los Angeles.

I have always dreamed of living there, especially when my ultimate dream was becoming an actress. The city is so alive, and people are always on the go. It's not as crazy as New York, but it's close enough. My mother doesn't really like the place because of how crowded and rude some people can be, but that's just L.A. It's normal.

On Friday, my mom and I went to L.A. mostly to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre. However, we drove there around noon to stroll around Downtown L.A. (the main part of L.A. where hipsters like to hang out at). The parking is absolutely nuts, and meters are so expensive. Who carries $4 worth of quarters, just so they can park for 2 hours? Absolutely nuts.

But still, it was well worth it. My mother walked like a mad-woman when we were downtown because of the fast-paced and loud environment - she couldn't wait to get out! Whereas I took my precious time, absorbing the liveliness of the city and all the different sounds that makes Los Angeles such an exciting place.

at Jewelry District

After spending two hours of our time in Downtown L.A. (yes, okay, my mother is one of those people who brings $4 worth of quarters with them for a parking meter), we went to the hair salon where my mom has been going to for the past fifteen years.

I cannot tell you just how much my mom and I got lost in this area. Her GPS wasn't working, and mine was acting up. My mom kept on driving the complete opposite direction from where we were supposed to be going... and it was just a complete disaster.

But lo and behold, we made it to the salon. All I wanted was a haircut, but the hairdresser also colored it ash brown and cut a little more than I asked. No arguments, though. Her assistant was this really cute Korean dude, and it was funny watching him try to comb my hair with a little tiny comb and a whole container of detangler. Curly, thick hair problems, am I right?

It takes a village to do my hair. Seriously. After I took this picture, another lady helped out with detangling my hair, and when they had to dry my hair, three of the blow dryers were used and one even overheated and died.

Props to them, though, because my hair turned out well and I love it!

After the salon, my mom and I headed to Pantages.

SO. MANY. PEOPLE.

Not like I was expecting less because The Phantom of the Opera Tour is absolutely sold out. I got my mom and I tickets back in April for center Mezzanine front seats at the Pantages. I spent my first paycheck from work on this. Totally worth it.

All I can say is that the theatre is beautiful, and the play was phenomenal. I want to see it in New York someday - the true Broadway mecca. I loved Pantages so much that I'm already planning on seeing another show there. Hopefully I'll be able to see another one before 2015 ends!

One day in L.A. wasn't enough, so the next day, my whole family went. We all drove there for the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games.

Best. Experience. Ever.

Before the opening ceremony, my family and I hung out at the parking garage because it was way too hot outside and we felt like sitting on the truck while eating fancy sandwiches and drinking Gatorade. Once we were all sick of the parking garage, we decided to kill two birds in one stone: go to the California Science Center before heading to L.A. Coliseum for the Opening Ceremony.

thank you Snapchat

Of course, we had to get some ice cream before going to the event.

The line was SUPER long, and it was awesome to see so many people at the Special Olympics World Games! There were 177 countries participating, and over 7,000 athletes. I would say that there were about 60,000 people at the stadium yesterday.

When my family and I finally got through the line, my mother decided to use the restroom, while the rest of us kids waited outside. In front of us was the Egyptian ambassador who stayed at the same exact spot for about ten minutes because people kept stopping him to take a picture with him. My siblings and I were joking that we should stop him and take a selfie with him, but we thought it would be too awkward, so we saved ourselves from embarrassment and took pictures with each other instead.

My mom got us tickets because she was a sponsor through Kaiser Permanente. We had front row seats, almost towards the center. My mom, little sister, and my brother got the best seats, while the rest of us had a huge black sound system covering the center stage. Darn. Still, we had a really good view of all of the athletes.

It was such an amazing experience. I don't know how else to describe it. The entertainment was amazing - Jimmy Kimmel opened up, Cody Simpson performed, and then there was Becky G, Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger, Avril Lavigne, and so many other amazing artists. I even got to see my favorite character from Glee: BECKY JACKSON (Lauren Potter). She is the cutest, most enthusiastic girl ever. I don't know how anyone can NOT like her. Come on, her motto in Glee is: "WHAT'S UP, BITCHES?" *excuse my language* with her fierce attitude and confidence. And her laugh is contagious every time she "burned" someone with an insult. Oh, Becky.

Of course, the best of them all was also there: STEVIE WONDER. Oh my goodness, when I found out he was performing, I had a fangirl moment, and kept on singing "Isn't She Lovely" until my sister got annoyed.

Still, it wasn't the entertainment that made the opening ceremony the best experience I have ever had in Los Angeles. It was the athletes. It was so heartwarming to see so many kids and adults with intellectual disabilities from all over the world have the best moment of their lives in a competition where each and everyone of them can show their true athletic ability and is loved and accepted by millions of people.

A lot of people treat them differently just because they may have down syndrome or autism or something similar, but when you see them, they look "normal." They look just like us. When the countries were being announced, and my sister and I looked at the participants walking, we couldn't even tell the difference between the ambassadors and the athletes. We didn't know which one is which because they all just look the same. Yet they are treated so differently in many places of the world.

The Special Olympics movement and Reach Up L.A. revolution is something we should all be a part of. It is so amazing to see those athletes with such big smiles on their faces and compete their hearts out. I seriously love their athlete's oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

This oath doesn't even have to only be for the Special Olympics World Games' athletes. It can apply to all of us, and that's what I love the most about it.

So, if you guys can, follow the World Games for the next eight days! It is truly, truly amazing! Good luck to all the athletes out there. Cheering for USA and the Philippines. :D