It's Always Sunny in DC: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

The one touristy thing I felt like I had to do before I left DC was see the monuments at night. Sunny brought it up when we were planning out the trip and I latched onto the idea, so my last night in DC Sunny, her boyfriend Evan, and I had dinner and then walked through all the monuments after the sun had set. The little walking tour Evan gave us was great, we went from the lavish World War II memorial to walking along the pond towards the Lincoln Memorial, and then through the much more somber Korean and Vietnam War Memorials. I didn't go by the monuments in the day, so my opinion doesn't mean much, but I feel like this was the best way to experience them.








It was a lovely night walking through the city with friends.

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It's Always Sunny in DC

Back in March I was still riding the wave of good energy I wrote about here, and I was feeling like a warrior, like I could do anything. So when Sunny texted me asking when I could come visit, I just seized the moment, started looking up flights and realized that I could actually get out to DC to visit her for super cheap. Then I thought, "Since I have to fly past Chicago anyway, why not stop and see Anja?!" I'm telling you, I was in a great "I'm every woman/it's all in me" place, and thankfully the universe was in my favor and all 3 of our schedules worked out so I managed to plan an itinerary taking me to DC and Chicago.

It was so wonderful! Sunny and I hadn't seen each other in TWO YEARS, and even though I saw Anja in December, when she moved away in Dec '13 I had no idea when or if I'd ever see her again and now I've seen her twice in one year! It's hard having friends that live across the country, the time we do get to spend together is too limited and so precious.

I would have flown anywhere to see Sunny, and probably would never have made it out to DC of my own accord if she wasn't living there, but I actually really enjoyed the District. I got a bigger kick out of the Capital than I thought I would, especially seeing where Notorious RBG works and where Obama lives.

Selfies on metro

Outside the Library of Congress

Inside the Library of Congress

The Supreme Court

Courtroom!

On Capitol Hill

Hi Obama!



Please pause here to appreciate that Sunny is the cutest

My one regret was that we didn't get reading cards at the Library of Congress, but that just means I have to go back.

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Scene in '15 LAAPFF Edition: Miss India America, Nuoc 2030, Twinsters

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Fest (LAAPFF) was last month, and I got to catch a few screenings. I liked the format of the festival, the screenings were spread out over several theaters in the city, which was nice because it was an excuse to explore some new places. I had never been to CGV Cinemas in Koreatown before, and I was kind of dreading the drive/parking situation but it was so simple and the lot validates for three hours which was awesome. The other venue I went to was the Downtown Independent which was also cool, and coincidentally right in front of The Smell!

Miss India America

Lily Prasad, high school valedictorian and all-around over-achiever gets thrown for a loop when her boyfriend disrupts her life plan by leaving her for Miss India Golden State. What other course of action could there be for someone who's not accustomed to losing than to join the Miss India Golden State pageant and aim for the title of Miss India National? My favorite line in the movie happens when one character is trying to break up a fight between the others and she says something like "Come on!! Our parents are doctors and engineers!" and another character replies "Uh, my mom's an astrophysicist." Every one in Lily's community is either the best at something, or trying to be the best at something and the whole film was a really interesting commentary on the pressure to not only succeed but to be the most successful. I loved it, and I hope it gets a wider release so that more people can see it.

Nuoc 2030

This sci-fi film is set in Vietnam in 2030, where water levels have risen so high that the population has been forced to live in houseboats and vegetables are scarce. When Sao's husband is murdered her investigation brings her to her ex-lover, who happens to be the main scientist on a floating farm with unconventional practices. This film was a really great blend of romance, sci-fi, and murder mystery. It was a little long, and the pacing was a little slow at times but overall I enjoyed it, and I definitely want to check out more Vietnamese cinema now.


Twinsters

I remember seeing the Kickstarter for this film, and being absolutely floored by the premise of this documentary. Basically, through YouTube Samantha Futerman and Anais Bordier discovered that they were identical twins separated at birth and adopted by couples in different countries. The documentary follows everything from their first Skype conversation, to meeting for the first time, to traveling to Seoul together and meeting their respective foster moms. The crazy Sister Sister aspect of the film highlights the ways in which technology made their reconnection possible. If it weren't for the internet they never would have found each other, and now thanks to the internet they can be in constant contact all day long even on separate continents. I also really liked the way the film dealt with the differences in their approaches to their adoptions. This is the film I've been talking about non-stop since I saw it, and when it gets a wider release I'm dragging everyone to see it because it's amazing.

That's my LAAPFF round-up! I wished I could have seen more, but we're in the midst of festival season so the LA Film Fest is fast approaching and I already can't wait to see those films! If you want to check out the preview I wrote for Hollywood Times Square you can check that out here.

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Moles La Tia

Way back in March, my friend Angie took me to Moles La Tia. I didn't actually get to try any of their moles that day, which is a shame (and just means I have to go back), but the food I did get to taste was amazing. First let me rave about their pumpkin seed horchata, which was hands down the best horchata I've ever had in my life. Even the presentation was gorgeous, and I've never had a more well-balanced horchata. The pumpkin seed flavor was perfect, and it wasn't overly sweet the way horchata can sometimes be.

The cochinita pibil sopes I got were also fantastic, along with the quesadillas oaxaquenas that Angie got. The location itself isn't too far from the metro stop, so we took the train and had a nice stroll getting there and back, and had some time to linger over the food. Definitely check it out, and don't miss the horchata!

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Twenty Four

I turned 24 last month! Keeping with new traditions, I had brunch with my mom to start the day. This year we went to Alcove, which was delicious and perfect despite us having to whisper at each other over our eggs because my mom had lost her voice. After lunch we headed over to the Huntington. My membership is about to expire and I'm not going to renew it so it was nice to spend a few last moments in my favorite spot and see the garden in springtime.




That night I went to Perch with my friends and somehow took no pictures at all, but it was lovely. 24, so far so good.

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What Happened to April?

Playing with clay

Sound advice spotted in Venice

Half & Half's got nothing on Isabel's boba

Saw ODESZA at the Glasshouse!

Birthday cupcakes!

I'm a little infatuated with my new chevron slip-ons

Started Soulcycling

We said our goodbyes to Bar 107

Kathleen painted Minka for me!!

New toy! Trying not to break my neck on her.

I may have said this before, but T.S. Eliot and I are just going to have to agree to disagree about April, because it was definitely not the cruelest month. It was packed with birthdays (mine included) and thoroughly wonderful. Now onto May!

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