What to see: Kemary at CoRK

Kemary? That's me!
CoRk? CoRK Arts District Corner of Rosselle & King St.

I'm starting a photo series called "Hello Life." As you may know I love to take photos of everything. I decided to start a challenge for myself and that is self-photography. I figured if I pull this off well then I'll be super satisfied. All I needed was a camera, tripod, and wireless remote control. The photos I took today was more of a practice for my actual Hello Life series. It was a little distracting every time a car drove by, some would slow down to watch, wave, and I think all the women smiled. It's not every day that you see a person prancing around in a tutu and tiara. Here is a peak of my work.

Stay tuned for my full "Hello Life" photo series on my self-titled website. www.kemarychan.com

You know what else is happening in Jacksonville? University of North Florida's Spring Commencement Ceremony on Friday, April 25th, 2014. I am graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication: Public Relations and minor in Sociology. Yay! One of the photos in this post is of my class ring with my birth stone. I love it. If you can't make it to the ceremony then you can watch a live stream of it. UNF Commencement

Where to go: Jaxsons Night Market

Jacksonville just keeps getting more and more exciting! One Spark 2014 was such a great success and Downtown Jacksonville has never looked so alive! Now that it is over there are still other things to look forward to, such as the Jaxsons Night Market.

Starting Thursday, April 17th, 2014 and continuing every third Thursday of each month, Jacksonville's foodie and beer lovers will have another reason to love Jacksonville. Jaxsons Night Market will take over the corner of Main and Adams Street from 6:30-9:30 pm.

The market will feature local growers, artisan makers, and street food vendors. Intuition Ale Works' fans will enjoy the Beer Garden under the stars.

Remember several posts back I was so excited about the opening of Hawkers Asian Street Fare? Well they are going to be one of the food vendors at the market as well along with other places like Pele's Wood Fire Pizza and The Hyppo Gourmet Ice Pops (Love the Hyppo & Intuition Ale Works mashup pops).

Where to go, see, and eat: One Spark

The world's crowdfunding festival is returning to Downtown Jacksonville April 9-13,2014! This amazing 5-day event brings Jacksonville to life with streets filled with beautiful minds. Lets cross our fingers and hope it doesn't rain this year!

The One Spark Creators, which are artists, innovators and entrepreneurs will display their projects throughout the streets that spans out to 20-square-block. If you follow the signs then you will find some inside buildings as well. Creators will pitch to you as to why they deserve your vote. Some may give you a card with their Creator number so when you go to vote you'll know which number the Creator is.

I am a foodie as well which means I am very excited about the Food & Beer Villages that is suppose to be even bigger this year. The Food Village will be presented by the San Marco Dining District and Jax food trucks. Beer Village will be presented by Sea Best Seafood where you can try two craft beers that are brewed exclusively for One Spark by Intuition Ale Works.

Here are some photos I took from last year's One Spark event!

Click here for more information on One Spark

Where To Go: Eastern United Temple - Khmer New Year 2014

April 11th-13th, 2014 will be the Cambodian New Year celebration at Wat Kanteyaram also known as Eastern United Temple. To Cambodians, we call it "Chaul Chnam Thmey", which in translation means "Enter the New Year." Chaul = Enter; Chnam = Year; and Thmey = New. There goes your foreign language lesson for the day.

The main festivities happens on Sunday April 13th. This celebration gathers people from and around Jacksonville as it is one of the biggest events to the Cambodian community each year. Each year we see more diversity in people who attend this event and we welcome them in and always hope they enjoy themselves.

Why does this event last three days long? In Cambodia they celebrate on April 14th (New Years Day) through April 17th. The reason why it is different in the U.S. is because the majority of us work on weekdays and therefore we have to celebrate during the weekend. The first day of celebration is called Maha Songkran.

The first day marks the ending of the year and the beginning of the new year. Here in Jax we have vendors that set up at the temple to sell food and other goods. We celebrate the night with live music and dance. People may light candles and incense sticks at the set up shrines to offer thanks to Buddha's teachings.

The second day is called Virak Wanabat and this is the day where people donate money to charities and the less fortunate. In Jacksonville the festivities continues with music, dance, games, and food all through the night.

The third day we call T'ngai Leang Saka. Monks and Buddhists cleanse the Buddha statue and their elders with perfumed water. Bathing the Buddha statue is a kind deed that will bring happiness, luck, prosperity, and longevity in life.

Wat Kanteyaram
4057 Hunt St.
Jacksonville, FL 32254

Where To Go: The Date Thing

I am so excited to introduce a new project I started a few weeks ago. I often get asked where does one go for a cool date besides the movies. I even found myself in that predicament when I started dating again a couple months ago. There are so many places out there that no one would think of going on a date. Going to the movies on a first date is a bad idea, in my opinion. How are you supposed to get to know a person if you're just sitting quietly in the dark next to them.

Then I created The Date Thing in Jacksonville. It is my soon-to-be website and mobile app. I am currently populating the website so it is not quite official yet. So far I've added places such as The Edge Rock Gym, Doing Dishes, Painting with a Twist, Publix Apron, and A Social Affair Dance Studio. Below is a screen shot of what the current homepage looks like. You'll notice the categories I have listed as well. The website still has a lot of work to do and it will take some time since I am doing this by myself.

I call this The Date Thing because...well I just think it is easier to remember and it is kind of different. I kept calling it the date thing as I was speaking about it to a friend about my idea and it stuck. I didn't want to call it "Date Night" or "Night Out" because it just seems too cliché. The Date Thing is easier to use in a conversation, well maybe it's just me.

"Hun, what do you want to do tonight?"

"I can't think of anything, check The Date Thing."

In the meantime LIKE TDT on Facebook and FOLLOW TDT on Twitter.

Jacksonville Hidden Locales

This is a map of hidden gems in Jacksonville called "Jacksonville Hidden Locales" that was created and collaborated by students from my Understanding Emerging Media course at UNF. I had the toughest time choosing just one gem! If anybody knows me then they know that I know a lot about local businesses in Jacksonville. I chose to add Silver Cow, an awesome watering hole in Riverside.
View Jacksonville Hidden Locales in a larger map

Regina Huffington is the sweet owner of Silver Cow who worked hard to get her business to where it is now. She is very involved and visible in her business, which is what locals like to see.

Silver Cow currently offers 28 craft beers and 2 ciders on tap. They also have a great selection of bottled beers as well as wine and champagne. Recently, Silver Cow introduced the "Bovine Airways," a beer flight with (4), 4 oz. pours of your choice. You will also find a food menu so you can have some bites while enjoying your drinks.

The name Silver Cow derived from Silvertown and Cowford. Silvertown is what the Riverside of Jacksonville was known as and Cowford is the former name of Jacksonville.

What To See: Land of the Tiger

"Sumatran Tiger 1," © 2012 Tony Hisgett, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Land of the Tiger exhibit opens Saturday, March 8th, 2014 at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The exhibit will include five tigers - three Malayan and two Sumatran. The Land of the Tiger is an expansion of the Asia precinct that also features Asian exotic animals such babirusa pigs and wrinkled hornbills.

Fun Fact from WWF
- Protecting tiger habitats in Malaysia safeguards other species like Asian elephants and mainland clouded leopards too.

- The island of Sumatra is the only place where tigers, rhinos, orangutans and elephants live together and the presence of Sumatran tiger is an important indicator of biodiversity in a forest. Protecting tigers and their habitat means many other species benefit—including humans.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is located at 370 Zoo Parkway Jacksonville, FL 32218. They are open Monday thru Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday & Sunday from 9am-6pm.
Click here for more information on exhibits, attractions, and admission at the Jax Zoo & Gardens.

Where to go: JUKEBOX 337 at Yamas Hookah

Live music is coming back to Taverna Yamas on Tuesday and Wednesday in the month of March! Come join Yamas on Tuesday with their all day special with $10 bottle of wine from Beaulieu Vineyards and Wednesday all day special with $4 martinis. Sit back in the Yamas Hookah lounge with a hookah, drink, and dinner while enjoying the beautiful sounds of JUKEBOX 337.

JUKEBOX 337 is based in Jacksonville, Florida with vocalist Lee Seaman, and guitarist, singer/songwriter Al Monte. You'll often find them playing together as a duo although other local musicians join them occasionally. Lee has an exceptional voice for the jazz standards. He is not limited to just jazz, he can also sing the blues, country, rock and pop. Al can play in all styles of music including jazz, rock, folk and pop and has been writing songs for over twenty five years. The duo have created unique sound of cover and originals. Their sound is great for bistros, happy hours, jazz clubs, weddings and special events.

Jukebox 337 at Yamas Hookah by Kemary Chan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Take a look at the little video I put together of last night's performance! Enjoy!

Taverna Yamas is located at 9753 Deer Lake Ct Jacksonville, FL 32246. Happy hour is Monday-Thursday 3pm-7pm and Friday-Sunday 3pm-6pm. They are open from 11am-2am everyday and the kitchen stays open until closing.
Click here for more information about JUKEBOX 337

Where To Go: Riverside Arts Market Opening Day!

I am so excited about the opening of the Riverside Arts Market (RAM)! One of my favorite places to go on a Saturday morning with my dog. My little boy absolutely loves going to RAM because of the attention he gets and the other dogs that he can go stare, sniff, and touch noses with.

Here he is last November, it was a windy day, can't you tell?

Opening day is Saturday, March 1st, 2014. It will be open every Saturday from 10am-4pm. Expect to see the Opening Day Parade throughout RAM as well as families and pets shopping around and enjoying the day. Remember if you're bringing your pets don't forget that they need to be on a leash! Speaking of pets you will find a few vendors who sells cool handmade pet stuff such as treats, shampoo, collars, bows, and bandanas. Even if you think you're not going to buy anything I would recommend you bring some cash as well, I mean you might get hungry or thirsty.

I am a sucker for handmade jewelry because a lot of times the designs are unique. I think every time I go to RAM I leave with at least one piece of jewelry.

I love buying my fruits and vegetables here as well. It is a much better deal than what you get from the supermarket and to me it kind of taste a little better as well. Don't forget your recyclable tote if you have one!

One of the reasons to bring your family out here is the entertainment. You'll have the live band by the river and other entertainers such as this guy here and balloon artists. Kids and even some adults are amused by acts like this.

Come out and support local artists!

Click here for more info on RAM

Where To Go: Welcome To Rockville

It's almost that time again! Welcome To Rockville returns to Jacksonville on April 26, 2014 - April 27, 2014. Who has their ticket? Who is waiting to win their ticket? Over 30 bands will take stage at this year's event. Be warned, it's going to get hot, you're going to want to take your clothes off. Not kidding. I've seen people who shouldn't even take their shirts, with their shirts off! Aye! So what I am trying to say is please wear something light and put on some SPF. Just be prepared to sweat and keep hydrated as well.

I was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to have a Production Pass to the event and caught some interesting photos. I was on one of the main stages when I took this one. How fun is that! I don't remember who was performing at the time, I was just amazed I was even able to stand there.

In this year's line up I am very much looking forward to seeing Alter Bridge. I LOVE Myles' voice. Somehow it gives me goosebumps. I have to say my favorite song from them is "In Loving Memory." I almost want to cry every time I hear it. Just everything about it, the music and the lyrics, both so beautiful.

If you've never heard it, I want you to listen to it. It has held a special place in my heart and maybe for some of you.



Click here for more information on Welcome To Rockville's line up and ticket info

Where to Drink: Riverside Craft Beer Fest

Jacksonville has a very good craft beer culture that continues to grow rapidly. Craft beer fans are loyal to the culture as it thrives. As some of you may know we have several breweries here in town and several stores that carries a great selection of craft beer as well.

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 from 12pm-5pm the Riverside Rotary Club of Jacksonville will hold the Riverside Craft Beer Fest. Entrance to this event is free, however there is a VIP option for $100 ($125 day of event if available). The VIP ticket will include a private area catered by Mojo’s BBQ, 12oz souvenir beer stein, 4 complementary beers, and exclusive VIP beers.

Beer tickets are $2.00 per 7oz cup.

The proceeds from beer sales will go to the Riverside Rotary Foundation and to fund the building of a track at Stockton Elementary School. The purpose of building the track is to promote better health to the students and the local community.

As you taste craft beer from local and national breweries, find your way to a number of food trucks that will be attending the event. Enjoy live music from local bands Cougar Barrel and Grandpa’s Cough Medicine.

You must be 21 or older to drink. Please drink responsibly.

P.S. Don’t forget your ID.

When & Where:
February 22nd, 2014
12pm-5pm
Riverside Arts Market
715 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32204

Purchase VIP Tickets Here
Where To Drink Craftbeer

Where To Eat: Hawkers Asian Street Fare

A blog can't fully describe how excited I am about the opening of the Hawkers Asian Street Fare restaurant in Jacksonville. I've tasted them in Orlando and I am so happy they have chosen Jacksonville as their new home. They still have their Orlando location, but the Riverside location is sure going to be a hit here.

Hawkers serve their food tapas style, meaning they are not large portions. This is a great thing because that gives you a chance to try multiple dishes from their menu. I believe the pricing is reasonable for what you get. My most favorite item to get is the Roti Canai, which is Malaysian flat breads served with a side of spicy curry dipping sauce. My mouth is watering just describing that. Yum! Expect to find menu items such as noodle soup bowls, stir-fry noodles, tacos, salads, egg rolls...I can go on and on, but you know what? Check this place out yourself. They will open Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 11am!

The Hawkers in Orlando has a great variety of craft beer and wine to choose from, I can't confirm just yet if our Jacksonville location will have the same.

The Roti Canai

Malaysian Satay Chicken, Beef, and Shrimp Skewers.

1001 Park St Jacksonville, FL 32204
Photo source: Hawkers Street Fare on Facebook

Where To Eat: Koja Sushi

Several months ago, a company I interned for called Where To Eat Jacksonville did television segments on First Coast Living on WTLV NBC 12. One of the segments we did was with our client, Koja Sushi at the Jacksonville Landing. Koja Sushi has been serving Jacksonville since 2009 and has won Best of Jax in 2006, 2011, and 2012.  Choose from a great variety of sushi, dinner boxes, steaks and seafood, noodles, and desserts. When the weather is right, Koja is a great place to dine outdoors where it overlooks the St. Johns River. They are open for lunch and dinner Monday thru Friday and dinner only on Saturday and Sunday.

Here is a video from the segment with hosts Casey DeSantis and Nick Loren:


Click here for more info on Koja Sushi.

Blogging for Class! Yes!

Well...this may be the coolest class I've ever taken because I get to do something I kind of like, blogging. The class is called "Understanding Emerging Media" and it is taught at the University of North Florida. I am very much looking forward to this class and to see where this blog goes. I think I may blog about stuff happening in Jacksonville such as food, drinks, and events. I'm all about keeping up with stuff like that in Jax, this is why I call my blog, "Up in Jax."

I also have another blog that originally started as a professional portfolio for an internship program. I've turned it around a little bit and began to blog about random, but not so personal topics. You'll find a little bit of my portfolio of graphics and photography that I've done. Check it out while "Up in Jax" is in development. >>> kemarychan.com

-Kemary-