As owner of Nick Metropolis Collectible Furniture in Los Angeles, Metropolis is as delightfully eccentric as the array of items sold and rented in his store. Upon entering, a customer may find everything from life-size statues of The Simpsons family to vintage photo frames to religious figurines to large metal dinosaurs to gaudy plastic furniture – to name just a few.

For those who spent a good portion of their youth with eyes glued to the television screen, “The Gromble” might conjure up a frightful image of Nickelodeon’s “Aaahh!! Real Monsters” school headmaster. But be prepared to put those lingering nightmares of a red pump-wearing ruthless creature to rest upon listening to the underground-pop melodies of Orange County band The Gromble.

Control + Alt + Delight: a straightforward and effective keyboard combination that illustrates 22-year-old Irvine resident Ali Jafari’s “always-looking-forward-and-never-looking-back type” of lifestyle. As founder of music blog Control + Alt + Delight, Jafari, who takes on the alias “skinny genes”, leads a group of fellow music lovers to cover a multitude of diverse music styles.

While the other students at the University of San Diego, California took notes diligently in class, so did media studies student Alex Chiu. However, there was one obvious difference between their notes and his notes.

After a long day at school and what seems like an even longer shift at work, guilty pleasures become more and more desirable. These irresistible vices can take on many forms. Some may prefer a glass of perfectly aged red wine to wind down after a long day, while others may find comfort in a rich chocolate cupcake to soothe stress.

On May 16, 1993, at approximately 4 a.m., my life changed forever. Eric Chen entered the world, red-faced, screaming and crying – all 7.5 pounds of him. I gingerly entered the hospital room, not quite comprehending what was going on. After all, I was only 3 years old. Wide-eyed, I clutched my 8-year-old sister Melody’s hand, worriedly glancing at my tired mother’s face. I tugged at my father’s shirt, begging for some kind of explanation. I cried for my mother to hold and reassure me that everything was okay. Instead, my father shooed me outside.

The waffle, a batter or dough-based cake, is an easy-to-make breakfast staple for many Americans. Classically fluffy and sweet and often further flavored with additional toppings such as butter, syrup and jam, waffles have long held a habitual place in many of our hearts and subsequently on our grocery lists, fridges and stomachs.

It’s a Friday night, and your long week of working part time and attending university classes at night is over. You decide to hit up a new club in Downtown LA with a few friends who claim the resident DJ of the night is worth seeing. With your best attire on and a well-deserved drink in hand, you take in the club’s cool atmosphere of flashing neon lights and attractive young adults in attendance.

When someone “nerds out,” one may assume that the action refers to stereotypically nerdy hobbies and interests, such as collecting calculators or memorizing scientific formulas. But for sisters Marnie and Lydia Clarke, “nerding out” means talking about cheese.

Although I’m hardly a certified fashionista, one thing is for certain: I have a severe shopping problem. Below are a few of my current favorite trends that have found a reoccurring place in my online shopping carts and credit card bills. I apologize for any impulse purchases that reading this may cause (you have been forewarned: this article is not safe for the faint of bank funds).