What happened this May

As you may notice, I'm playing some major catch up in the blog realm.

Instead of my usual, things I can't let go of for the month, I'm doing a month of May activities! 

Some of my May highlights include: 

1) Weekend in Chicago and South Bend Indiana! 

Chris and I spent a weekend in Chicago and South Bend, IN at the beginning of May for Zach's wedding.  (Yes, I went to ND twice in one month - re: my reunion first weekend in June). 

In Chicago, we met with Sun Joo, visited a museum at U of Chicago, went up the Willis Tower (I'm terrified of heights), had dinner at the Publican (delicious) with my cousin Grace and her husband Jason, and had deep dish pizza.  Did you know that if you walk around Chicago---you will smell a scent of dark chocolate?  Chris kept saying it was sewage, but it smelled like dark chocolate cookies to me... haha, and guess what! It was dark chocolate coming from a chocolate factory downtown. 

We then drove to South Bend for a beautiful wedding at the Basilica and a fun, intimate reception in South Dining Hall.  Zach and Crystal are such thoughtful friends, of course, all of the people we met at the wedding were just as thoughtful, kind and devoting their lives to doing good work.  It was also Chris' first time at ND, so that was fun seeing his reactions to my four years living on campus and just how random ND customs seem to an outsider! 

2) Cinespia with Juan and Christian 

We saw North by Northwest, a Hitchcock classic and apparently the beginning of all mystery movies! I love Cinespia and after last year's fun summer movie experience, we made it a point to go again this year.  It was basically Juan's last full weekend in LA before he moves to Washington, DC so I'm glad we got to do something iconic LA together.  Chris and I made kimbap and salad, and brought all sorts of foods to picnic with.  OF course, I forgot blankets in the car so I froze a bit. 

3) We bought a sous vide! 

Is this something all married couples do?  It seems that way....well we took the plunge using a gift card someone gave us and got a sous vide! Here we come, world of sous vides, hahaha

4) Meditation

I've started a class via UCLA called MindFit. It's meditation class twice a week. So far, so good. I find myself joyful during and after meditation and so incredibly restful. It really is a tool that requires practice and a lot of discipline, but the reward seems worth it. 

5) May Gray

It's cloudy and cold here this month, but it hasn't stopped us from visiting the outdoors!  Here we are at Leo Cabrillo hike and Paradise Cove in Malibu with Chloe and Chris.  The day lightened up by the time we got to Paradise Cove as you can see here! 

Do you remember that commercial with the dad from Modern Family throwing fresh smelling laundry into the ocean? It's a laundry detergent commercial...it is filmed here! Do you recognize that beach? 

6) And finally...SOONIE!! the Morning Glory character notebook.

My sunbae unni, Sue, found an old notebook as she was helping a family friend clean out their home, of the Morning Glory character Soonie!  This character's lifeline was about 1 year when I was in middle school in Korea. I bought up all the notebooks, erasers, pencils with her character on them...cause how could I not! She wasn't popular enough though and she was quickly discontinued. Anyway...here it is!  It's cut off a bit in this picture, but Soonie's byline is that she  is generous and loves to take care of animals, hahaha! 

February thoughts I can't let go of

February was the month of visiting condos!  But there are a few notable thing  that I want to highlight for this past month:


1. Pod save America

Okay, so listening to this podcast does not lead to minimizing the divide between liberals/conservatives, but it is a lot of fun to feel sane with others and more importantly its very informative.  The podcast with Katie Couric was my favorite...but also, does EVERYONE have a podcast now?

2. Walks on the Beach

My friend Emily was visiting for a day, and she requested we take a walk along the beach.  I recently read an article about why the brain loves the ocean and I 100% agree.  I felt so rested and refreshed after we walked along the beach.  I need to make it a point to do this more often.  I used to think I'd do this every weekend if I moved here, but that has not been true.

3. Apartments/Condos- what's the right thing to do ?

We're searching for a place to buy. It's hard to know what the right thing is to do! So far we've only put down 2 offers, though we have seen over 20 places. Each place is so different and we hesitate to pursue anything unless we both like it a lot, There is also a lot of conflicting advice that we receive from everyone.Some say you have to LOVE it, others say...it doesn't matter as much.  My favorites apartments are ones with high ceilings, a lot of natural light, and air flow,  and I can't see myself in a place without a lot of natural light and some air flow.  In any case, the search continues!

4. American girl doll and my story

Guys! The American Girl doll came out with an Korean-American doll! Why does this matter?  In college, I wrote a story about an American girl doll who was Korean-American for a post-modern/pop culture class. It was loosely based around my life and others whom I know. It's the only paper I kept (its at home in Korea) from college because I had so much fun writing it and I was so proud of it.  And now it's a reality!!  I am not sure why her name is Z. Yang--yes, there are people with the last name Yang, but the name seems more Chinese to me.   In any case, I think its an exciting development!

5. Networking

Networking gets such a bad name, but in reality its really about identifying new opportunities and making friends/acquaintances.  This month I've had quite a few conversations about the art of networking with people looking for jobs and it's reminding me of all the hard work I did when I first graduated from GT and was out to find that perfect first job.

I recommend this book - Knock Em Dead

Summer bucket list check off

In August, I wrote up my LA summer bucket list. My list wasn't for THIS summer only...but just a general summer list. Some of these things happened last summer, and I'm sneaking them in here now. It's time to see how I did! 

1. Cinespia - so much fun! Definitely putting this into the summer rotation, maybe next time with friends - read more here. 

2. Host a bonfire - lots of work...but worth it! And ...I am totally willing to do it again. Ashley, Erika and I decided to host a bonfire at Huntington Beach. Though we had initially planned it to be a smaller gathering, I went a little overboard and started inviting all the people I wanted to see! Ashley followed suite, and before we knew it, we had 20+ people that were coming! We did all our preparing and shopping the night before, and Saturday morning at 5:30am, I wake up to Ashley cutting and washing lettuce and tomatoes for our burgers. I am ashamed to say, I went back to sleep for a few minutes.  We leave my apartment at 6:00am and at 7:00am we pull up to Huntington Beach, and most of the firepits are already taken!! People in LA don't play around. They are serious about bonfires. It was relaxing, chill, and a lot of fun! I loved Huntington Beach, and I loved spending 12+ hours at the beach! I left saying I wouldn't host another bonfire, but looking back now---I think it was worth it! I could not have done it by myself, Ashley and Erika---beach bonfire veterans, showed me the ropes. 

The hostesses! 

Yes...we had a YETI, a flag, a tent, a table (thank you Ashley!), flowers, tons and tons of water, and food.

3. Hollywood Bowl --- yes! Yes! YES!! I love the Hollywood Bowl, everyone should see a concert here whenever possible. So far we've managed to go at least once a year and I plan to keep that up, and add more visits! I wrote about this year's Hollywood Bowl event here. 

4. Camping - failed at this one. Maybe next year! 

5. See a outdoor movie at park - Did this last year with Emma before she left for Spain. We saw Clueless while munching on food from food trucks nearby. It was very LA. I loved it, and I would do it again! There is something about picnicking outdoors in the evening, and snuggling into a blanket of nostalgia watching an old movie. 

6. Santa Monica's Thursday night concerts --despite how close we are to Santa Monica Pier, I didn't make it there this year. 

7. Hike the Bridge to Nowhere --also didn't happen, but maybe this is a fall activity.  

8. Surf as much as possible - still working on this! 

9. Spend a day at Laguna Beach - so far we've spent three full days at Laguna Beach since we've been here. Once for Chris and I to explore, another time with Chris' cousins who rented a beautiful house overseeing the beach, and most recently to meet Chloe and Chris to celebrate Chloe's birthday. This is a gem of a beach and I shall be back. 

Zandie and Julian!

10. Picnic at Malibu Wines - would definitely do this again! And with a group of girl friends, like I did here. But this time not to celebrate me, just to bask in the sun, music, flowers, and happiness! 

11. Visit Escondido Beach - I have been attempting this for over a year...somehow we haven't made it there yet. 

12. Have dinner at Perch - nope, not yet. 

13. Harry Potter World! - waiting to find another HP fan to join me!

14. LA County Fair -  went last weekend, and would not go again. I've never been to a state fair or county fair before and though it was fun to frolic with friends and try new things, eat state fair food, and walk around...as Chloe summed up best, did we just pay to come see infomercials?! It was also extremely hot, Chris had shoulder pain, and I was weirdly exhausted. 

15. LA Night Market - we went to the night market last year with some fellow brave souls (think long lines, heat, crazy parking, outside LA) There were lots of interesting and delicious Asian eats. The 626 Night Market is fashioned after Taiwan's expansive night markets and it is a great idea! But there were also SOOOO many people and the lines are very long. I had fun and I think it's worth a visit, but I don't think it needs to be repeated. 

So...my favorite summer activities seem to be picnicking outside with music, the beach, wine, fire, and movies, and not waiting in line :) 

Torrey Pines Reserve + La Jolla Beach

Is summer over? It feels like fall, even though there is no change in the afternoon temperatures. Last year, I did not notice seasonal changes the way I do now, its the morning breeze and evening chills and the general feeling that it is time to get serious, at least until the holiday months.

We went to Torrey Pines State Park Reserve over Labor day weekend. Chris planned the trip and it was beautiful. When we woke up on Saturday morning, we slowly made our way down the coast (cause you know, traffic), and found ourselves among the slower pace, relaxed residents of Oceanside. 

After getting a quick bite and walking around the Oceanside pier, we headed to Torrey Pines Reserve. We ended up walking/hiking 9 miles! The park is right next to the beach and there are multiple hikes in the park. We did a few hikes that had breathtaking views of the ocean side, and then we followed one of the hikes that took us down to the beach. The rock formations and Torrey Pine trees are so unique and made me wonder at nature's power and beauty. The ocean water also connected with marshlands. For some reason, this is not something I expected to see in Southern CA. I loved this area- not only did you get to hike and beach in one place, but it was pretty empty and felt like a locals' area. I think it is one of my favorite hikes so far, and I would like to go back--next time we will be better prepared with parking and spend some more beach time! 

 These trees! They survive the ocean winds and though look like they are dying, they are resilient. I was amazed after reading about the park. The man who fought to protect these trees and this area, started at age 16. What was I doing at 16? Not saving trees that's for sure. I am thankful to people who fought and continue to fight to preserve nature and let us enjoy the wonders of this earth.

 Isn't it amazing?  We walked down the beach path, and this is where we ended up.  We then walked along the beach back to our car and I felt there was no better way to finish a hike than splashing around the water, cooling your feet, and watching birds fly over the waves in formation.

I spy...a bunch of rocks stacked up on top of each other. I wonder if it is Koreans who did that to make a wish. 

Just 15-20 minutes away is La Jolla beach with its seals, pelicans, and outdoor water activities. Apparently you can kayak, SUP, or snorkel/scuba through caves and see some water life up close. We got there just in time to see the sunset and of course smell the intense stench of hundreds of seals rolling around the sand and surfing in the waves! But boy were there a lot of people - I can't believe people would go through such lengths to get a selfie with a wild seal!! Seals were chasing people!! Which I have to admit was pretty funny from afar, but then I just couldn't contain my annoyance at people who would aggravate the seals moving closer and closer despite the seals' warning honk to get a picture. It is incredible that in the US we allow people to get close to wild life - but I notice in most of the rest of the world, you go on contained and monitored drives around nature reserves and you always accompanied by a guide. I don't know which one is "better" but I do wish that we who are given the privilege to freely roam these areas that we share with wild life,  are smart and respectful of their space. In any case, we are lucky to see these seals in close proximity and I hope some dumbo doesn't ruin it for all of us in the future. 

 

We will have to come back to La Jolla to swim with these seals :)