"mille lune mille onde."

i know i've said it before that i wouldn't post pictures or videos on this blog because i'd like to think that my words would be sufficient enough to express everything. well...i've changed my mind. i was on youtube and i randomly wanted to search for this old barilla commerical. i watched it growing up. no one quite knows this but it was the reason why i got into cooking. there's no way my words can say it all so i'll let andrea bocelli and roberto farnesi show you what i mean.



yeah, this was random. but...i wanted to share this because this really means alot to me. watching this commerical always makes me happy. i hope you enjoyed it as well. ciao!

"sumo or bust."

after months of failed attempts...finally went to yojie shabu shabu for austin's birthday. we took over the restaurant...austin, sylvie, christian, tiff, marc, jp, nikki, achi, charlene, anavie, sensei, chris ha, chris lee, tracy, john lee, martin, meagan, melinda, eddie, pare, mike juloya, dub, rachel, jenelle, ryan, and myself. i don't want to sound biased but it was the best shabu shabu i have had. i have been to numerous places over the past 16 years and i have not enjoyed a shabu shabu meal more thoroughly than this one. the meat was of great quality, well-cut, and came in great portions (good value). the ponzu sauce was made from scratch and absolutely delicious...my compliments to the chef (or tita yojie). the service was on point and the banana foster was a nice finishing touch to the dinner. it was definitely a good night for celebration, food, and friends.

"better in time."

18 hours from now...i'll be at lax picking my parents up from their trip to spain and portugal. once they're back, there won't be many late nights and adventures for a long time. in fact...i don't expect to see or chill with my friends as much as i'm accustomed to. with all this in mind and for what it's worth...the past 336 hours that they've been gone have most definitely been awesome. my parents needed time away and i needed some freedom and space...even if it's temporary. i was able to chill with friends more than usual and catch up with those i haven't seen in awhile. i ate a great restaurants and celebrated birthdays in amazing ways (see the last 2 blogs). i was able to relax and go on adventures in a much simpler way than what i'm known for (and there's nothing wrong with that because it's much better this way). what i cherish most about this time is that i was reaffirmed (constantly) of the bonds i share with my friends. more than ever...i know i have found friends who will last me a lifetime and beyond. i may be spending less time with them now...but it's going to be great after i finish this nursing program next year. it doesn't get any easier to live and love, but it only gets better to do so.

"new kid on the block."

i hope the dodgers whomp on the phillies. now that the angels are no longer playing...the hope of los angeles (and the the west coast) lies in the hands of the blue crew. after gathering cans and bottles for weeks...i finally recycled them and got some cash redemption. only $4.20. it wasn't much but it was something and i'm grateful for it. i look forward to redeeming more recyclables...got to hustle for that paper. thai food was the cuisine of the day. bua for lunch with karla and dinner at mr. noodle (i finally went) with tash. although i was quite late...i managed to make it to tash's who am i? discussion. my friend michelle saved me as she directed me through the campus (while running) and helped me reach the meeting. it was nice to see some familiar faces (tiffany, rachelle) and meet some new ones (rex, stephanie, michelle, and so forth). stephanie and michelle's car overheated in westwood so we spent almost two hours waiting for aaa to come twice and tow the car (there was a miscommunication the first time around and they just unnecessarily jumpstarted it). although i didn't have to stay since i drove separately with tash, it was the right choice to stay and keep them company. a random experience indeed but i think it was worthwhile...it's not every day i get to chill with new people in la.

fullness.

in case you don't notice...i changed the title picture again. it's a personal way of expressing myself moving (leaping to be more precise) boldy towards much uncertainty, but something bright and beautiful.

so what have i been up to for past two weeks or so?

that can be answered by the places i ate at and all the culinary goodness i consumed. did the harvest run 5k with dennis, kp, and nick. did it in about 35 minutes...i should have done better and i will prove it next year. the breakfast served by geezers (no not old people...that's the name of the catering service) after that was so good. i didn't know apples and pancakes went so well together. played the usual annual bingo at the harvest festival and ate filipino bbq yet again. watched there will be blood with austin and matt. creepy, somewhat boring, and way too long. the acting, especially daniel day-lewis, was the only highlight. he definitely deserved that oscar. ate at bua in the claremont village with daynee. great thai food and the best thai iced tea i've ever had. go and see for yourself. shopped at american apparel (hooray for simplicity at a complex price) and watched eagle eye...which was much better than the last movie we watched together (tropic thunder). the bj's in the hills is nice...went with the usual "gratuity tax status" group of friends. the food remains the same but i'm lovin' the aesthetics of the restaurant. there will be more meals there to come for sure since people don't have to go over to brea to celebrate birthdays/graduations/whatever anymore. and yeah...i'll be more amped when the lucille's opens next door. celebrated rachel's birthday at manna in k-town. affordable all-you-can-eat bbq is love at first bite (and every bite after that). senpai said he only eats there once a year and i can understand that...it will take a whole year to recover. once more...i was blessed to enjoy a night spent in the company of the people i love with food i love doing what i love. few things are better than that if not on the same level. there were so many people there that it would be troublesome to list them all here...but you can trust me when i say they're all amazing. i literally would just stop whatever i was doing at certain times, look around, and just smile to myself knowing this was proof that i'm living a good life. the karaoke lounge idea fell through unfortunately but tracy, martin, fred, trina, and i did some impromptu karaoke in the truck on the way home. had some freshh (spell check just told me to correct that but that's the way it's spelled haha) donuts to end the night, which was astounding considering we still had enough space in our stomach to eat donuts after so much bbq. finally went to the boiling crab with sylvie, austin, tiff, marc, kevin, trina, chris, jp, nikki, tracy and jim. the wait was long but tolerable. the food was crazy delicious. i was just glad to go after so many people have talked about it and gone so i can experience it for myself. the whole shebang was definitely on point. the taste of cajun lingered for hours after the meal...for the better and for the worse. watched shutter...it was okay, a little creepy at times but it wasn't as scary as i thought it would be. dinner at ra sushi with the usual suspects. the food really isn't all that and it's severely overpriced...but happy hour makes it worthwhile for the budget-minded. the cinnamon ice cream tempura is a must. sheilla and i had an adventure that was more than a year overdue. another trip to american apparel. shabu-shabu at nabe in little tokyo. diddy riese for dessert...i've had a craving for a white chocolate chip strawberry cheesecake chunk ice cream sandwich (that was quite lengthy) for the longest time. strolled about westwood and ran into kimi. it was a good night and i was glad to catch up with the favorita...and there will definitely be more to come.

i've been enjoying life without school...though i wish things were different. i want to be in school right now, going to class and working at clinicals. but, this is what i've been dealt...so i'll obviously deal with it. i suppose this is my atonement for my lack of focus and passion, the crime of being lazy and unmotivated. i need to make the most of the time i have and the situation i'm in. turn this huge disadvantage into a much bigger advantage. i'll be where i need and want to be in time...but for now i'll have to just go with it, keep my faith and passion intact, and never stop hoping.

the best is yet to come...always.