April thoughts I can't let go of

How is it already April!!!

We went from a chilly spring to full blown summer in days --- and it was 90 degrees the other day.
Almost every day I'm in shock that its nearly summer.  Seriously, where has the year gone?  I'm almost scared of how fast timing is passing by.  Maybe because I think I'm not using it wisely?

Not sure, but it's giving me a slight kick in the butt.

To be honest, the first half of this month was spent travelling Japan and then in Seoul with my family. It has been a great reprieve to escape house hunting, but now that we're back, we're heading right back into it.

A few things that I keep coming back to post vacation:

I'm really concerned about the air quality and water quality of the world! Yes...the world.  While in Seoul, my sister and I felt the impact of particle matter in the air and friends would tell me how their kids always get sick from being outside too much.  Why can't people understand ...ahem, esp. China in this specific scenario, that we all breathe the same air?!  Water is no small joke...aside from Flint, Michigan, there are many other cities in the U.S. in which people cannot bathe, cook, or drink the water that comes out of their faucets.  Seriously, what is going on?

I'm also really concerned about North Korea. I hope, pray, and hope again that nothing will happen to disturb the silent war that has been playing out between North and South Korea.  I feel this way even more so because I was just in Korea and the political climate of the U.S.

We went to the March of Science rally in DTLA last weekend. Do you understand our sign? It is the ultimate nerd sign!  If you took stats, it'd be an easy one, but if you didn't...just know that Science Advances Society!

tee hee hee, we were really proud that random people came up to ask us if they could take a picture of our sign.

It wasn't exactly fun to be at the March for Science rally, but it wasn't boring either.  It felt good to say something (via sign) and be around like minded people, but how much of an impact we had, I don't know. We'd never been to a rally before so we weren't sure what to expect. I loved that a lot of professors made an appearance though and to see so many people take out time from their Saturday to be together with a group of strangers to support scientific progress!


Correction: The p value in that sign is actually supposed to be p<0.0001 !!!! I had mistakenly put the "." in the wrong place...and basically we were carrying around a sign that said the opposite of what we intended. :::face palm::: we discovered this a few days later...but it was too late!

Happy Birthday Chris!

My lovely husband turned 33 at the end of March! (I'm really behind in my posts!) We went to ink., a restaurant we've been meaning to check out for a long time to celebrate (also how interesting is this website).  I don't know if it is because we haven't been to a fancy restaurant in a while, but the service was amazing. The food was equally impressive--with smoked potatoes disguised as stones, egg yolk gnocchi, grilled octopus in some delicious sauce, and mozzarella disguised as tomatoes.  It was a very memorable meal! I can't wait for another excuse to visit again.

I can't believe Chris is 33!! I can't believe I'm 33!

Honeymoon to Japan - Tokyo

We finally took our honeymoon to Japan at the end of March!  

We took a 7 day trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and Miyajima. An initially planned 3 city vacation became a 4 city vacation ---I haven't vacationed this hard since my early 20s!  And...it was so worth it! It was exhausting, exciting, new, fascinating...and made me remember why I love travel so so so much.  The anticipation, planning, and then revisiting with pictures brings so much joy as well.  When we got back, we felt we had been away for a month. 

We walked an average 15 miles a day and were relentless in trying everything.  Growing up in Korea, I always had a fascination with China and never was curious about Japan. The expensive Yen also kept me away.  But having now gone to Japan---I love it and I was excited to go with Chris whose life dream was to visit Japan. 

The Japan I visited in 5 words: clean, innovative, thoughtful, quiet, and cute! 

Here are pictures from our few days in Tokyo.

We wore costumes and drove go carts on the streets of Tokyo! I'm telling you...no pot holes! Extremely clean streets. I found myself smiling to myself as I zipped around the streets of Tokyo, waving to taxi drivers and pedestrians looking on with curiosity!  It is a fun and unique way to see the city. I dressed up at Stitch, Chris as Yoshi.

Akihabara is a part of town that is full of games-- buildings full of people playing video games - old and new. It is a weird and strange place.

On our way to Ueno Park to see the Cherry Blossoms!  Chris and I both wore AllBird shoes- my feet were sore at the end of the day, but not sore because the shoes weren't comfortable, just sore from fatigue.  For intense, long walks, I highly recommend Allbird shoes!

 It was a cloudy, rainy day that day, but it was fascinating to see how committed people are to seeing the sakura (cherry blossoms). Everyone was picnicking with fervor.  And there were actually trash cans available (There are no trash bins around Japan- you're supposed to carry your trash home).

All shrines have these types of prayers that people buy and hang in front of the shrine.

 This is the Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa, North East Tokyo.  Soooo many tourists. Chris looks pretty miserable-- jet lag is kicking in and it's raining and cold!

 Japanese people love ice cream!  Ice cream is sold everywhere~

 How cute is this Totoro Banana Chocolate Creame Puff!! It was yummy too. We stayed with my friends Mari and Mario, and their adorable baby Kai. Luckily they lived close to the Totoro cafe and it was easy to trek out there.

 Shijuku Geon!! It's one of the number park in Tokyo to see sakura and Mari's friends' mom made us a lunch to pack and enjoy the flowers.

 So many beautiful lakes and flowers around this park.

 Also, so many different types of cherry blossoms! I had no idea that there were cherry blossoms that drooped down either.

March thoughts I can't let go of

I can't believe it's already March 2017!  Some things that have been preoccupying my mind or have been prominent this month:

1. Owls - my coworker helped save a baby owl near our office the other day! UCLA is the perfect place to save owls apparently--with some serendipity-- a wild animal advisor, a PhD student studying ornithology, and a facility manager knowing where owls lived on campus, all came together, completely randomly! to return the baby owl to its nest--where a sibling awaited and a mother watched from above. The nest is right outside our office and everyone has been very excited about these owls! 

Momma owl looking down on the babies

Saved baby! 

2. Universal Studios & Harry Potter World- so a few of us had a girl's day at Universal!  I had so much fun!!! I wasn't sure what to expect, but being in a complete make-believe world of movies is a great way to escape.  We got annual passes- so I can't wait to go again!!! The nostalgia of those movies is strong--and I felt like I was in a fairy tale world of Hogsmeade as we walked through HP land. 

3. Beauty and the Beast -  Talking about nostalgia...I didn't think I'd love Beauty and the Beast as much as I did.  I think I loved it so much because it took me right back to my childhood and I was surprised that I knew ALL of the words to the movie...not just the songs, but dialogue throughout the entire movie! Two thoughts- damn Disney, you sure know how to get into our hearts and minds and monetize that, and second, wow they did a good job, but I still stay loyal to the animation of my childhood.   I'm listening to a lot of "Tale as old as time" and am currently banned from singing it in my own home by Chris haha 

 4. Wild flower, Poppies, and Cherry Blossoms! - We got a lot of rain this winter so the wild flowers and poppies are in full bloom! We're planning on taking a trip to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve on Sunday.  Pictures to come soon! Chris and I are also leaving for Japan/Korea next week and we matched our timing to see the cherry blossoms in Japan.  I hope the weather cooperates to make this all happen for us! 

5. Professional development - I'm applying to a professional development program for UCLA staff.  I really really really hope that I get in.  The application requires answering 6 questions and as what happens when I write all applications---I keep thinking, I wish I had done more! Fingers crossed that I get accepted.  

Chef's Table: Season 3, Episode 1 & 3

I love watching Chef's Table. It's so dramatic and beautifully shot and does a good job of taking the viewer on a journey of the chef's life and their philosophy behind their food.

Season 3, Episode 1 and 3 are my favorite, with Episode 4 coming in a close second.

Episode 1 is about Jung Kwan, a monk in Korea. It made me miss home so much! But also, it made me think of my parents and how much I miss them and how thankful I am...also how much more I can do. Jung Kwan devoted her life to thanking her parents and I think her story and her sentiment is incredibly lovely.

Episode 3 is about Nancy Silverton and it was so touching for many reasons. One, she's from LA so we can and have gone to her restaurants, and two, she is one incredibly hard working and independent woman! We've been to Pizzeria Mozza a couple times now and the pizza, the bread, and the ease of the restaurant seems to embody the chef.

I also enjoyed this parody.  --really it reminded me of the scene in Jung Kwan's segment when they display a plate of kimchee with dramatic music and print...but hey, maybe its time kimchee get's elevated?!

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

Wedding 2.0 - The Video

I'm catching up on wedding related posts here, so please bear with me! 

Wedding planning in the 21C is all about online searching, and it can be pretty overwhelming. But I came across a fun quiz that determined whether you are someone who likes to revisit memories via video or photos, based on current media consumption habits.  I like watching videos, according to the quiz. 

This helped us decide, among other things...like aging parents and friends and family that live far away, that we wanted a video!! 

I think our videographer did a great job, and I'm so excited to see that friends and family make an appearance in the video.  I do wish more people, like Chris' extended family were captured as well, but I still think it is a good representation of our day.

Please enjoy! 

Wedding Video

pswd: sc

Caveat: This video was supposed to be 10-15 minutes long, but I think our videographer got overwhelmed with where to cut my dad's speech and ended up leaving the whole speech in. It's about 30 minutes long.  

Music: Above and Beyond, Treasure.