Some random thoughts

How did this month go by so quickly?

We have some big BIG news! We're moving!!! and yes, we finally and successfully purchased a place of our own. This is really what took up little moments of this month, from signing document after document, negotiating credit, looking at multiple shades of grey, white, and other neutral colors, and mourning leaving our adorable loft and corner unit! 

But here we are...and we are moving tomorrow!!! 

Some random thoughts for this month- 

1. A good dinner with friends is one that isn't rushed, food is shared, and service is impeccable and accommodating.  We went to A.O.C. wine bar last night to celebrate our friend's new job and I was reminded of how lovely slow dinner evenings are. It helped that we had a four course meal of shared plates using local ingredients and finished the meal with decadent dark chocolate tarts.  Of course I forgot to take pictures! 

2. Reply All podcast has got to be one of my favorite podcasts! Every time I listen to their stories though, I lose a little more hope in humanity and get increasingly more terrified of the internet.

3. Ceiling paint should be the same color as the painted trim...regardless of what your painter says! I hope Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl will serve us well. 

4. Let Go app to buy and sell things online is freakishly accurate and amazing. It actually identifies what you post without you even posting a description...what?!! Programmers- you are amazing. I've been selling a lot on the site and its pretty awesome. You also can rate people and hopefully that deters the unreliability you sometimes face with Craigslist. 

5. Buyers remorse is real. But change of perception and attitude is also powerful. 

6. I'm going to miss my meditation class...but stay tuned, will write about that experience after my last class next week! 

7. Bye bye Westwood and our cute little loft. I will miss you---the trees, the large windows, the soft breeze that filters in perfect for a nap on the couch, the many Persian restaurants and cheap eats walking distance away, Iranian ice cream shop!!, the movie theatres, the park nearby, taking the shuttle to work, and the library. As our first home together--you served us well! 

Summer!!!

I'm feeling the full blown effect of summer now with this week's heat wave! But why does it feel like summer is already over?!!

All the plane travel in March-June has worn me out and I'm exhausted. I think it is a good exhaustion, but nevertheless, I'm not feeling the uplift of summer just yet. But I think these activities will do the trick:

Summer goals
1) Annual summer Hollywood bowl concert, this year with fireworks!
2) A big beach bonfire
3) Thursday Santa Monica beach concert
4) Channel Islands
5) Catalina Islands (this is the year for islands)
6) As many surf sessions as humanly possible
7) Swimming laps at the pool
8) Maybe another national park...Zion? Yosemite?
9) A lazy day at LACMA
10) Hike Mt. Baldy, inspired by this story
11 and 12) I cautiously add a couple more that seem like a long shot but possible....camping!! and learning to sail.

Basically can I do anything and everything involving water and the beach this summer? :)

Looking back at my summer list last year, not too much has changed with the addition of more outdoor activities. I must have liked what I did last year and I'm excited to make some of these summer LA traditions.

Niagra Falls

We spent a day at Niagra Falls before heading to Sacket's Harbor last week.  I had never been and I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed.

Nature is so amazing and the strength of water is unbelievable. Of course, I forgot our passports while we were rushing out the door, so we didn't cross over to the Canadian side, but we still got a good look at a lot of the falls. I had so much fun watching people get drenched by the waterfalls and I was shocked at how brave the first travelers were initiate the process of making the park what it is today -- a place that everyone can enjoy.  On the other hand, I also was thinking about the Native Americans who probably inhabited this area and what their history is around these falls given the name,  Niagra, which is a derivative word from the Iroquoian language, and seems most people agree it means "the Strait".

Just some thoughts as I witnessed the majesty of these water falls.

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! 

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 :) 

Cinespia outdoor movie night!

This past Saturday evening, Chris and I saw Speed (1994) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  Seems like an odd thing to do right, to go watch a movie in a cemetery, but so many people, websites, and photos tell me it is a L.A. summer must do activity.  What better than to watch Speed, my first rated-R movie- I think I was staying over at Brittany Love's house, she lived on Cliffside, and her parents ordered us pizza and let us watch Speed.

Cinespia is the nonprofit organization that came up with this brilliant idea to use the closed off cemetery to show movies in the summer! 

It was a lot of fun!! Very relaxing, the vibe was chill, music brought us back to the 90s, and people watching was enjoyable. We got there early, because its LA, and parking, and lines and sure enough even though we got there at 6:30pm, for a 9:00pm showing and doors open at 7:30pm, there was a line.  But no one seemed to mind. Everyone spread out their food and blankets and just enjoyed being in line. 

It was a little weird, but also cool seeing people intermixed with these huge mausoleums and tombstones, excitedly awaiting seeing a young Keanu Reeves and his bad lines. 

Summer bucket list

My LA summer bucket list includes:

1. Watch a movie at Cinespia  

2. Host a beach bonfire

3. See a concert at Hollywood Bowl

4. Camping

5. Go see a movie at one of the free outdoor movie events

6. Attend a free outdoor concert on Santa Monica Beach 

7. Hike the Bridge to Nowhere

8. Surf as much as possible 

9. Spend a day at Laguna Beach 

10. Picnic at Malibu Wines

11. Visit Escondido Beach 

12. Have dinner at Perch 

13. Harry Potter World! 

14. LA County Fair

15. LA Night Market

  

Above and Beyond Acoustic!!!!

About a year ago I was introduced to Above & Beyond by Chris. I don't know if introduced is the right word, maybe forced to listen to EDM for hours on roadtrips is more accurate--as the driver he had dibs on music choice. I used to complain that listening to techno while stuck in traffic, was like being in hell ....  In any case, I've found that when you listen to something long enough, you start to like it and associate with it.  Really it is conditioning, which can be a great thing if it is something positive, and terrifying if it is something harmful and hateful.  I've been conditioned to EDM!!  Not sure if that's positive or negative...but I have come to love Above and Beyond music and sometimes listen non-stop to their albums while driving.

They played at the Hollywood Bowl last night and it was beautiful because they rearranged all their songs into an acoustic version. Old songs rearranged brought new meaning as lyrics were emphasized and compositions made songs more dramatic.  At one point, we realized that one of the songs we listened to and I had been listening to for a year now,  was about a man's death and his last day living. I loved how everyone there sang along  with all the songs and just reveled in the music.

One of my favorite songs - Miracle. I think I like the acoustic version than the original!

At one point during the night, all of our bracelets lit up to the chorus of one of their most popular songs.