FO·MO
ˈfōmō/
noun
informal
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- anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
- “I realized I was a lifelong sufferer of FOMO”
Urban dictionary definition: The fear that if you miss a party or event you will miss out on something great.
My definition: DON’T MISS THE EVENT.
Luckily, I’m here to provide you with all things you’ve missed, in this popping city of Los Angeles. My name is Shirley Ju, and I live, breathe, sleep Hip Hop. Coming from the Bay, I grew up to the hyphy movement. That being said, turning up is all I know. This will be a weekly recap of the dope events that I myself felt like I couldn’t miss, and you guys wish you were at.
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Saturday, January 28
Happy Saturday. There’s no better way to kick off a weekend than working out. Endorphins save lives. My homegirl hit me with this because she knows I’m a fiend for free workout classes: the grand opening of Sanctuary Fitness. The game changer was that it was located in Little Tokyo, right next to downtown. Parking is a little rough, but welcome to L.A.
Welcome to Fuse with Shay.
I signed up for the Fuse class with Shay at 2 p.m., and low key died lmao. It’s a strength-based workout and fuses together all their classes into one 45-minute class. The energy was great, and all the trainers were so helpful and motivating (especially when I needed assistance, which was often). From the rowing machine, to box jumps, to ball slams, to you name it. Help.
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This water fountain made me happy lmao. I’m such a stickler for the environment. Shout out to Sabrina, one of the trainers and also the founder of The Fit Society on top of the W in Hollywood (whose soft launch I also attended). We have a ton of mutual friends. Such a small world.
The calm before the storm.
The evening was honestly a blast. I love how they describe it on their website: “Like never before, Night on Broadway awakens beautiful historic theaters and the blocks between them along the Broadway corridor in Downtown Los Angeles. L.A. is a mecca for creative talent of all kinds, and Night on Broadway is where it all shines – right in the heart of entertainment’s birthplace in Los Angeles. From emerging musical acts to national stars, artists to acrobats, and fashion designers to food trucks, Night on Broadway is all about the City of Angels.”
#Drizzy.
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Living five minutes from Broadway, there was no way I was missing this. And it was free. It’s a win-win for everybody. We mobbed around 5 p.m. Definitely Uber/Lyft. The homie said he parked so far away last year, they Uber-ed back to his whip lmao. The minute we stepped foot onto Broadway, we were overcome with the street’s amazing energy. It was nothing but a good time and there was so much to do and look at. Definitely, a ton of photo-ops too, if you’re into that.
Statement.
They dedicated a whole section to the gay community, which I thought was really dope. West Hollywood has one of the biggest gay populations next to San Fran. I saw a gay couple take a selfie in front of this wall and thought it was precious.
Every theater on Broadway.
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All the theaters on Broadway had something going on throughout the day. The schedule was usually posted outside before you walk in. I loved it. We sat down in one (Los Angeles Theatre) and enjoyed the short film. Once we were situated, we soaked up the beauty of the theater. It just seemed like there was so much history behind each one.
My girl copped this dank fruity pebbles churro/ice cream combo. Like what lmao. The food trucks were definitely in business tonight. It was just a matter of what you were craving.
We made plans to see Gold starring Matthew McConaughey at 7:15 p.m. at Regal L.A. Live. Good thing this was down the street, but we were late so we Lyft-ed. My poor homegirl was sitting in the theater by the time we got in the car, but she’s so used to my tardiness (smh). If you saw the trailer for this, you probably thought it was a must-see (like I did). Matthew McConaughey is half-bald and looking like a straight crazy person digging for gold.
That was the jist of the movie: digging for gold in Indonesia. The scenery super reminded me of my trip to Costa Rica: so green, so fresh, so beautiful. My homegirl just informed me the Kardashians are staying at the same hot springs resort we stayed at, Tabacon. I got excited. Is that terrible?
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Shopping at Night On Broadway.
We all enjoyed the film, minus my two girls thinking it was a bit long (it was a standard two hours). I liked it more because it was unique and different. And then. . . we went back to Night On Broadway lmao. We wanted to catch the clothing booths before they closed shop. There was a free performance by Mayer Hawthorne at 10 p.m., but we decided to check out the VR Dome instead. There was an enormous line, but it was worth the wait. 12 minutes of laying on the ground watching Chinese New Year-themed virtual reality. Yes please.
Cycling at Sanctuary Fitness.
Sunday, January 29
Day two of free classes at the Sanctuary Fitness grand opening pop-up shop experience. Today, I signed for something I knew I hated: cycling. My past experiences were that they were very difficult and my ass hurt from the seat. This experience was much better. First of all, the instructor (Nick) was fucking awesome. So much energy, and so motivating. I was also super down for his playlist which included Britney Spears. Who wouldn’t want to pedal their hearts out to Britney?
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Free Museum Day in L.A. be like…
The next part of my day was a bit of a fail lmao. Even worse because I was really excited for it. It was Free Museum Day in L.A. The trick was to pick the museums that normally cost money to enter, versus the majority on the list that are always free. I hyped up the Museum of Tolerance so much. I was in the mood to learn some history and get educated. We pull up to find a line wrapped around the building and onto the streets. My brother’s immediate reaction: “Hell no.”
La Brea Tar Pits next to LACMA.
We then attempted to hit up the La Brea Tar Pits, but everything closed at 5 p.m. Another fail. What do you during a fail? Make the best of your situation. We realized the actual pits and the park area surrounding were free to roam. We joined all the happy campers coming out of the museums, with the damn LACMA stickers on their shirts. Yeah, we get it. You got in for free.
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On the other side of the gates. . .
Today was definitely family outing day. Between reading informative signs of the tar pits, which contained real fossils, I was people watching like a mf. This was probably the busiest day of the year for LACMA. Can you blame me? By the way, the La Brea Tar Pits are the world’s only active, urban Ice Age excavation site. This iss what that cartoon movie with the squirrel is based off. We hit up the cute coffee shop near the ticket box office on our way out.
Fast forward through the most amazing foot massage at Happy Relax on Pico, we decided to go see Jackie at Landmark Theatres, right across the street. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I was so excited to see this film. Natalie Portman is nominated for multiple Oscars, and I can totally see why. She absolutely slays in this movie.
The film is all about First Lady Jackie Kennedy and recounts the assassination of her husband, John F. Kennedy. She was literally right next to him when he got shot, which is absolutely baffling. Can you imagine? It highlights the trauma, grief, and emotions she endured during that whole period. It’s crazy how much of an impact she had in The White House.
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And then we thought, “Holy shit. This is where Donald Trump now resides.” I can’t.
Monday, January 30
There is no better way to end Monday’s than surrounding yourself with God’s love and word. Tonight was the kickoff night for Mosaic’s CREW nights, which is a gathering of 10-20 people who meet at different coffee shops and restaurants all around L.A. to hang, eat, and talk about life.
Allies Worldwide on Olive.
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I pull up to this super cute event space called Allies Worldwide on Olive. I was welcomed with coffee, donuts, and friendly strangers. The group was lead by Felix, who used to be a pro skateboarder. His personality and sense of humor was exactly what I needed after this long day. We opened with a prayer and then dove into some scripture. My takeaway for the evening was God’s love and what it compels us to do. I actually just went to Mosaic for the first time in a while last Sunday, and realized this is where I need to be.
We then broke into small groups and discussed a list of questions, from New Year’s resolutions to a time in our life where we had to push a reset button. We all got together and went around the room to share at the end of the evening. I disclosed that getting baptized at Mosaic about a year ago was my biggest reset button. I have had my fair share of hard times, which lead me to fall on and off with my faith.
My hope in writing this is that if you are someone who wants to attend church but doesn’t know where to start or who to go with, that you may reach out. I truly believe God’s purpose in my life is to spread love to everyone and anyone I cross paths with. The locations take place all around L.A. and can be found here. You simply show up. If you live downtown, please let me know and we can go together. This will take place for the next four weeks.
Tuesday, January 31
Half-off, $8 movie tickets at Regal L.A. Live, we meet again. I honestly had to see A Dog’s Purpose. I have such a soft spot in my heart for pups, although I’m nowhere near owning my own. I just live vicariously through my friends. We decided to hit the 7:45 p.m. showing, which to our surprise was a full-house. We literally had to push and shove to get four seats together (that weren’t in the very front row). This theater was full of children, as expected with a PG movie.
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There was actually a lot of controversy with this film, which I didn’t pay any mind. People were complaining it was animal abuse (or whatever you want to call it). The film showcases exactly what the title says, a dog’s purpose. It shows life through the eyes and perspective of the dog, with a human voice narrating its thoughts.
The movie follows the pup throughout a series of lives at it gets reincarnated. That part tripped me out. I wasn’t ready for any dog to die. Overall, it was very cute, innocent, and endearing. I would recommend it to anyone who owns a dog. It’s a different kind of bond.
Wednesday, February 1
Tonight was Big Sean’s I Decided listening party in L.A. If you guys know me, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Sean Don. His Detroit mixtape got me through a very hard time. “24K of Gold” in particular. That being said, I was beyond excited when he announced this project. And then he released the tracklist and we found out there was an Eminem feature. . .
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I pull up to Werkartz (in downtown L.A.) to find utter chaos at the door. The event said 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. but showing up at 8 p.m. seemed to be a mistake. Of course, I pushed and shoved by way in, which probably pissed a lot of people off. Oh well. This was definitely an industry event, yet again. Lots of familiar faces, an open bar, and a photo booth.
I loved this part. Big Sean asked everyone not to post any of the new music they heard tonight, at least until the album dropped (February 3). I can honestly respect that. Hearing that track with Eminem tonight had me lit. It’s definitely worthy of a single. It was so cute seeing Sean walk around the venue with Jhene Aiko and his mom by his side. Shout out to Chris Brown, Madeintyo, Vince Staples, RL Grime, Jeremih, and many others in attendance.
Next stop of the evening: Run The Jewels sold out show at The Shrine. I honestly have nothing but positive things to say about this one. It blew me away. The crowd, the energy, El-P and Killer Mike, the amazing stage setup. . . it was perfect. My homie actually connected me with his friend who last minute got a ticket off Stubhub and was dolo like I was. I was so happy to meet up with him because I hate going to shows by myself. He was a huge fan and knew every word to every song. One of my favorite things to witness at a show.
Shout out to him, he actually was able to educate me on all the tracks they played. I listened to RTJ3, but wasn’t as familiar with their older work. They played “Hey Kids” featuring Danny Brown and “Stay Gold” before lacing the crowd with special guests: Boots for “Early,” Gangsta Boo for “Love Again,” and my favorite, Travis Barker, for “All Due Respect.” He’s literally bae. I just saw him perform with Blink 182 at The Forum. Tonight, they legit brought out the drums just for him.
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The encore was the highlight of the night. Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine came out for “Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck),” off RTJ2.The crowd lost their shit. I definitely encourage anyone who has the chance to see Run The Jewels live, please go. I promise it will be worth it.
