FUN in LA: Little Tokyo

Last week Lena, Chelo, and I went out to Little Tokyo. I hadn't been in a while, and I was looking forward to checking out the current exhibit at MOCA, but for some reason I always end up in Little Tokyo on the day that MOCA is closed. (Seriously. I think the last time I went to MOCA I was 15, every time I've tried to go since it's been closed.)

But we still had fun! We caught the Metro and ate at Daikokuya, which was amazing. My only other experience with ramen has been Orochon, and there is no comparison. The broth at Daikokuya was perfect! I ordered tsukemen, and I've been dreaming about it ever since. After lunch, Chelo met up with a friend while Lena and I got coffee at Demitasse. I ordered an orange-thyme latte that was excellent, but it was so strong I was buzzing from the caffeine before I was even half way through it.

The only downside to Little Tokyo is that there's not much to do besides eat (especially when MOCA is closed), but the food alone is definitely worth the trip.

Blurry tsukemen

Lena looking supercute, as usual

Doughnut Day!

Yesterday a few tweets and texts told me it was National Doughnut Day. (sidebar: is it doughnut or donut?) One of the perks of being unemployed is that I had no prior engagements so I decided to put my doughnut pans to use. I used this recipe for blueberry doughnuts from pinterest, but without the glaze. Aside from being slightly misshapen because I overfilled the pans, they were great!





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FUN in LA: The Huntington Library and Gardens

A few Sundays ago me and my mom went to the Huntington Library and Gardens. We've been there before, it's a really nice place to walk around and take in some carefully cultivated nature. Admission is kind of pricey for my tastes, especially since I am now without a student discount, but I still recommend stopping by if you're going to be in the LA area.

It was pretty warm out on the day that we went, so we didn't stay too long but we did get to see the Japanese garden, which is my favorite by far.











As my mom pointed out, we've been there twice and we've never gone inside any of the buildings, but that just means we'll have to go back to check out the exhibits they have inside.

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Voyage Autour de Ma Chambre

Welcome to my room!

We moved into this house just a few months before I moved to Oakland, so before I could really settle in to this room I was already focused on setting up my dorm room. As a result, it hadn't really felt like mine, it had just been kind of thrown together and was mostly full of stuff I didn't want to take to college with me. Last summer I decided I really needed to work on this space, so I took inspiration from  blogs with excellent interior design like Rachel's and I made an effort to spruce it up.

I don't have any pictures of what it looked like before, which I am partially thankful for because it was really a mess. I had a desk in here, my bed was in the middle of the room and it had a bright red duvet that was too big so it draped really heavily over each side. It was very cramped and there was almost no space to walk around in here.

Last summer the first thing I did was move the desk out into another room, and with the extra space I moved my bed, chair, and wicker drawers to where they are now. (I also spray painted my wicker drawers white). I brought in the glass side table from another room in the house, and just that re-arrangement made a huge difference.

I went to Ikea and picked up a duvet that actually fit my bed, along with some new pillows and by the end of last summer I was really happy with the changes I had made.

Since I've moved back, all I've done is add in the gallery wall (which may be my favorite thing about my room now), lamps that used to live in my dorm room, and a mobile that I got in Oakland is now hanging over my reading chair.







I still have a lot of art that I want to frame and put up on the walls, and the space over my bed clearly needs something, but so far I'm proud of how it's turned out.

What's your favorite thing about your room?

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Los Angeles

I was born and raised in LA, so it might come as a bit of a surprise when I say that I really don't like it here.

I remember being little and thinking I was so lucky to have been born in LA where I was close to the beach, the mountains, and Disneyland; I thought it was amazing that I was from a place that some people dream about going, when I could have been born somewhere boring in the middle of nowhere.

By the time I was in high school I was starting to feel differently, so when I was applying for college I set my sights on the Bay area and narrowed the search down from there. As most of you know, I ended up at Mills and fell head over heels in love with Oakland and the Bay, which cemented the thought that had been growing in my mind that LA was not for me.

When I was studying abroad in London, I would have a moment at some point almost everyday where something would make me pause and think "I can't believe this is my life. I live here." Whether I was doing something completely routine like swiping my Oyster card to get in and out of the tube or something life-altering like seeing a play at the Globe, this thought was never far from my mind while I lived in London. I had recaptured the feeling I used to have as a kid. Oakland made me happy but London made me feel lucky.

Currently, while I gear up for my next big adventure, I am living in LA. And I don't want to be here hating it, so in an effort to appreciate my hometown more I'm going to start a new series of posts called Fun in LA. (I'm not sure if I'm really feeling that name, so it may change.) I'll be seeking out cool things in LA and posting about them here.

How do you feel about your hometowns??

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I graduated!

Did I forget to mention that I graduated?? 

Well I did. 

My last few weeks at Mills were a blur of finals-induced craziness and moving-induced stress. Though compared to other semesters I had probably the easiest finals I'd ever had, when combined with moving out of an apartment as well as knowing I'd be leaving Mills forever and Oakland for awhile, it ended up being very stressful and I am a little surprised that I made it out in once piece. 

My mom had to force convince me to participate in Commencement but in the end I'm really glad she did. Even though graduations are long and boring and the speeches all sound the same, it's much more exciting when you're the one graduating. When I picked up my walking card I saw that I was graduating with honors, which made me feel great. Also, Lena was able to come up to see the ceremony! So all in all it was a lovely day and I was one happy graduate. 

Then the next morning we all got up at the crack of dawn to drive back to LA. Now I'm readjusting to life in So-Cal, unpacking, and frantically applying for jobs. I promise to (try) to post more regularly now! I have a room tour on the way as soon as I get the last box out of here. 

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Mama Bear

I would post a cute picture of me and my mom, but
a) the one I had in mind is a physical copy and it's already been packed, so I can't dig it out and scan it right now
b) my mom does not like having pictures of herself on the internet.

So instead here is a picture of the back of her head, which I have special permission to post.



Happy Mother's Day to my favorite person in the world.
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