Mid-20s

It's been more than a few weeks since my birthday, but I wanted to blog about turning 25.

There's this friends episode where Rachel is lamenting her situation as she turns 30 and Tag makes this comment: "I totally know how you feel, Rachel. I'm so freaked out about turning 25."

Rachel retorts with, "ok, get out."

I just thought that was pretty relevant because I just turned 25 and was thinking a lot about aging and birthdays.

Last year, I promised myself that this would be the best year ever and it actually turned out true. My 24th was the best year of my life I can say with a lot of confidence. Why? I think it was because it followed a couple miserable years and the contrast made this year so much sweeter. My relationship with my parents, my friends and above all, with God has changed. My default mood has been joyful and it just kind of feeds on itself.

I can now rent a car.

But the prospect of ever deteriorating fertility is this cloud looming over my head. Of course I dream of getting married and having kids, but I have to realize that it's all in God's timing. To be honest, I think about the perfect engagement, the perfect wedding cake and the perfect invitation for the least amount of money. I suppose girls think about that stuff, but I've learned that all of that is overshadowed by living in the present and enjoying the company and relationship I have now.

I can't worry about tomorrow for today has enough worries for itself. Today's worries include how and when I'm going to exercise, how I'm going to cook my Alfredo and egg noodles for lunch and what time I need to take the CalTrain. I gotta say, those aren't even worries at all. And i'm so thankful for the fact that God has been so good to me this past year.

Restaurant Reviews

Bistro Aix

We came here for my birthday (thanks guys!). I found this while browsing on yelp and I wanted to try a new restaurant with good food somewhere outside of the sunset district. The people in our party ordered braised pork pasta, ahi tuna, lamb chop steaks, and thin crust pizza. It was pretty good, but I was a little disappointed because I wanted to try the fixed price menu that they have for parties under 8 people. We all tried each others dishes and ooohed and aaahhhed at what everyone ordered. We ordered a bottle of wine from France. It went really well with my braised pork dish. One goal before I die is to know the basics of wine. To be able to tell the difference between a good wine and a bad wine and to know basic pairings of food/dessert with a specific wine. Right now, all I know is similar things flock together. White wine with white meat, red wine with red meat and sweet wines with dessert/chocolates.

Fresca

This place is HOPPIN'. This is a watering hole for young attractive young professionals to congregate, break bread and perhaps score a little. :P The restaurant specializes in Peruvian food from ceviches to paella. We had the paella and the pulled chicken stew with potatoes and egg. In one word each, paella: awesome, stew: mediocre. The paella had clams, mussels, scallops, fish, chicken, corn, peas, rice. It was SOOOOOO full of flavor. Yeah, pretty darn good dude. I want to learn how to make paella, but I probably won't be able to make it as well as this place, or Peru/Spain or any spanish speaking country. I'd go again to try the ceviches. The ambiance is pretty nice, although it's pretty crowded and you can't hold a conversation without raising your voice...so not a place where you want to talk. There were a lot of well-dressed people there. I was wearing jeans and a track jacket and felt a little underdressed, but oh well. It was a satisfying dinner nevertheless.

Briefs and Shorts

1) Turning 25 was surreal. more later...

2) I just spent 2 hours working on 2 pages of my scrapbook.

3) I've started a 40-hour lifestyle. And the kicker is, I'm paying tuition to work at Safeway

4) My orchid is blooming again and it makes me happy. :)

5) Home was awesome. Steve's, Guppy House, Sand Castle, Prince Caspian

6) No Country for Old Men is a FREAKY movie. Javier Bordem freaking earned his Oscar. shoot.

Show and Tell

For the Easter Weekend, we went on a marvelous trip to Yosemite! (my favorite place in the world). We got to...
Cross country ski. It's exactly like being on a nordic track. It gives you a ridiculous workout, but going downhill is so fun. Not so fun when falling, but gliding...so fun.
Hike to the top of Yosemite Falls. This is what we did on Easter Sunday. Had a little worship/bible study in the valley and set out hiking in the afternoon. It was a lot of climbing, but the view and the snow was fun to be around.
take a relaxing walk to Mirror Lake. It really looks like a mirror. It was so still and early enough that the mosquitoes weren't out yet. It was really beautiful.
Here's my art shot of the trip. I wish I could have improved the picture composition a little bit. I'll work on that the next time. But yeah this is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.
And of course, you can't forget the view of the valley. This is take from the south entrance tunnel. All in all... it was such a good way to celebrate Easter. :)

My Almost Perfect Day

So after a long-hard quarter, I have 2 weeks off. What does a girl do in San Francisco on vacation? See the sights! Today was such a perfect day to be outside, I decided to take advantage of it.

I rode around Golden Gate Park a little bit. Wandered around the DeYoung, Music Concourse and new Academy of Sciences building.

That's my bike in the foreground, but I think I broke her. :(

This is one of my favorite pictures. something about sun, flowers and straight lines makes for a really interesting picture.
This is a small memorial to the Holocause near the Legion of Honor. There are a lot of these scattered around the country (i.e. Boston, New York, LA, SF) and are reminders of a very powerful message that I can't shake out of my head.
This is a plaque commemorating the first Japanese consulate in San Francisco after World War II.
Picnicking with Good Luck Dim Sum and the Conservatory of Flowers.

Why was it an almost perfect day? I actually rode to the legion of honor because there was an annie leibovitz exhibit as well as the dead sea scrolls on display and it was CLOSED! Also, I wanted to get jook instead of shu mai from good luck dim sum, but that's ok. It was still good. All in all... almost perfect day.

Change of <3

It's been 19 years since I started school and I just finished my last class. Granted today wasn't really for learning, but still. It's kind of monumental that it was our last class ever. Needless to say that I've been complaining, griping, whining about not wanting to go to class or study that I didn't think about the fact that today is our last class ever.

This is what I read this morning:
Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16: 7)

Popular verse, eh?
I didn't think of it when I first read it, but upon thinking about how the Lord looks into my heart, I was immediately convicted that it was most definitely *NOT* in the right place. I was just looking forward to the end so much that the thought had escaped me that I'm finishing. I had failed to consider that I've worked so hard in school for almost 2 decades that finishing well is paramount.

It's something that I prayed for forgiveness on the way to class. That these last three days of finals would be just that. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, a goal in sight. It's not just about the celebration that's to come, patting myself on the back at the end but the means of getting there. I ask for prayer from those who believe. That the Lord would look at my heart from now until Friday 4pm and be pleased with it.

Monumental

Today was a monumental day.

I actually uninstalled AIM from my computer. Let's just take a moment and let that sink in.

AIM and my screen name, OutOfDaBleu, has been a huge part of my life for the past decade. Wow. that's a long time. From late nights chatting with my high school crush to scheduling meetings to venting about how much we have to memorize in pharmacy school.

I actually discovered that this new version of AIM six was eating up so much of my computer that the costs outweigh the benefits of having the program actually being installed on my computer.

So, AIM, I bid thee farewell. It's been a good run and now I'm leaving you for Google Talk.

Deal catcher + Sundries

I get a rush when I find a good deal. Many can attest to this, but my family and I are pretty anal about finding good deals and I am no exception. so...

FREE CONE DAY at ben and jerry's april 29.

And if i had space for it I would get this. Only 6.99!!

At any rate, I must post about a recent restaurant adventure:
1300 Fillmore

I gotta say, I thought it would be in the western addition in an unsafe neighborhood. Lo and behold, it's located in the Fillmore (on fillmore) right next to the new Yoshi's, Boom Boom room and a really good Korean BBQ restaurant.
The decor/ambiance was really nice. There is a bar/lounge area where a live jazz band plays and the dining room full of cushy seats and even a private room for large parties. They had a special flight menu for Black history month with wines featured from wineries owned by African Americans which I thought was pretty cool. Now on to the food. Soul food meets french. We had corn bread instead of foccacia or something else and a tangy jam with a little bit of a kick. Hot from the oven, too. So good. Entrees were lamb chops with sausage, mushroom and tomato confit (that is the BEST COMBINATION EVAR) and braised beef with spinach and mashed potatoes. Tasty. i can actually still remember the taste in my mouth and now i'm totally salivating. For dessert, we go the chocolate trio. Orange-chocolate ice cream, molten chocolate tart and cruncy chocolate/peanut butter bar. SO GOOD.

The live jazz just added to the experience.

I would return, but as my wandering heart would have it. I'd want to try other restaurants in San Francisco before returning.

Jade
$2 cocktails on Sundays. 'nuff said.

This past weekend we went to Tahoe for a ski retreat with fellowship people and I have to blog about this because it's such a big accomplishment. But I actually was able to somewhat keep up with people more advanced than I and board sort of efficiently on blacks! Granted it was at Northstar where blacks are like blues, but whatever. It was one of the best boarding days I've ever had. Experiencing improvement gives me a rush, too.

It's not personal...

Before I started pharmacy school, I had this idealistic view of the profession as completely altruistic. It would lean towards social justice: serving the underserved, advancing medicine to a world that needs it.

Slowly now, I've come to realize that pharmacy is a business. I was struck by that very strongly on my first day and today, as I work on a business proposal for my management and administration class, I believe it even more.

I never thought of myself as ever selling myself on the job market or negotiating or networking but that's what I've been doing for the past three years. The science and the therapeutics is the arsenal of knowledge I'm equipped with. Along with that we're taught these other things like business and management so that we can better market ourselves to others who may or may not know what the heck we're all about.

And what's so deeply personal to me as been soldered together with the impersonal in order for the world can understand.

Yearning for Connection

It's been three years out of college and I never thought I'd lose contact with college friends. But much to my dismay, I've discovered that the proximity factor holds true. I was told that you need to make an effort to stay in contact with the friends that you've made or else you or they will fall by the wayside of friendship.

Something that I never realized I was doing was complaining about how people have forgotten me and how I've fallen by the wayside, but that is not the case. School has been busy. What used to be a thriving community in physical form has been reduced down to an ISP address on my blog's anti-stalking device.

Three years removed from college and you see a lot of changes, but someone close to me said that true friends aren't ones you just go to birthday parties. True friends are there with you through the busy-ness, the mundane and the time. But one thing I can take stock in is the present. Not to worry about the past or how old college friends have moved on to bigger and better things, but I also have moved on to bigger and better things. The good old days (or semi-recent, whatever you want to call college) are over, but the present can be sooooo much better if I choose to look at it that way.

The Warfield

I've been thinking about whether or not I want to comment on the artists or the venue or both.

Last night a bunch of us went to see Sara B and James Blunt at the Warfield. I haven't been to a concert like this since my Savage Garden craze of 2000-2001 and it was fun times. I gotta say, Winnie got me into Sara B and she's just as good (or even better) live than on her album. That's how good she is. Stage presence was there, she got everyone excited (which was what an opening act should do) and she closed with my favorite song, Gravity. I like it 'cause it sounds good and every artist has a signature song that sends chills up everyone's spine when they sing it and Gravity does that for her.

Oh, and James Blunt was pretty good. 'nuff said.

Clear as Day

I <3 my new contacts.

Why? I can see soooo much more clearly. It's not that my eyes got worse, but it's 'cause I've put my old contacts through so much abuse that they're warped and scratched. Examples:
1) Most recently popped out on a club dance floor. I almost didn't look for them, but when I did, they were on the floor. of a club. on the dance floor where there's spillage and who knows where some of these feet have been.
2) Accidentally dropped them when I was backpacking. on rock and dirt.
3) Multiple times on my bathroom floor.

Yeah. Oh well. New ones = awesome. :)

Bushi-Tei
Dine About Town San Francisco was going on since last week and I went with some friends to Bushi-Tei in Japantown. I gotta say, my first impression was: Oh my goodness the service is impeccable. Why? Japanese service is unrivaled in the world. We had a large party and the owner stood by the door, hailed taxis for the restaurant patrons, took pictures for us and even separated our umbellas so we could get them out easily. The wait staff was softspoken, yet knowledgable and very patient with us. We had scallops, halibut and white chocolate mousse. The scallops were very good, the individual parts of the halibut dish were very good, but I would question them together and the white chocolate mousse was amazing. I would have liked a more intimate table. Our party sat on two sides of a table and four feet separated us, but it's ok, we still had good conversation and a good time.

This is me getting integrated into the 408 area or Cupertino (more affectionately called "CPT") much to the disapproval of Winnie and Debbie. :)

Highlights

Las Vegas was definitely SO FUN.

Of course it's so intense I'd limit trips to Vegas once every year or two, or three....

but so fun.

Here's why:
stuck a dollar into the slot machine... AND WON 5 BUCKS!
Seeing O, the show I've wanted to see in Vegas since the Bellagio opened.
Bellagio Buffet
Tryst and gettin' low
Two words: water show :)
Taking fun pictures
Seeing celebrities (Andy Garcia and some R&B dude who performed at Tryst for someone's birthday)
Staying at a 5-star hotel
Swimming in a 5-star pool (and getting to use my new tankini that i got for 50% off :D)

and

Midday Break

I just took an hour to wander around randomly on the internet (namely facebook, travel websites and deal websites) for no particular reason. I'm starting to wonder maybe I should use my leisure time for something more productive than wandering.

Which brings me to productivity...
sometimes it's hit or miss with me. I can be studying with people. some days are ULTRA productive, some days are NOT productive at all. I can be studying by myself. Some days are ULTRA productive, some days are NOT productive at all.

But the idea of something coming is motivation to be more productive than baseline.

So along that thought, I'm totally looking forward to Vegas.

2 Restaurants, 2 Coasts

Petit Robert Bistro


I went here with my sister when I was in Boston. Friends on the East Coast, if you live in Boston or travel to Boston regularly, this is a restaurant you should try. Voted Best Affordable French of Boston and I totally agree. My sister and I both had the Onion Soup and we shared a chicken crepe. The onion soup was SOOO GOOOOOD. For those of you who know, I have these cyclical dairy cravings and oh my goodness, that cheese totally hit the spot. Also, the chicken crepe was so full of flavor, but it wasn't all fat. It was peppers and herbs that made it taste amazing. We also saw other peoples desserts and there was this one chocolate dessert that was basically a chocolate model of the Eiffel Tower. Pretty awesome.

Yum. :)

Home
Christina and I went to this restaurant because their special that day was Chicken Pot Pie. Yeah. If you know RozStina well enough, you'll know that we <3 chicken pot pie. And this was no exception. No fillers, lots of chicken. There's also a prix fixe menue from 5-6pm every day where they serve a 3-course special with a glass of wine for $12. Unfortunately we missed that, but we did catch happy hour (5-7pm every day) and caught their half-off cocktails. Of course, yours truly was being clumsy and stupid and I knocked down my glass and FREAKING BROKE IT! ::sigh:: But the service was so nice. Nice enough to clean up the mess I had made and provided me with a new "homegirl" (yes, the cocktail is called a "homegirl") even though I had a few sips of the original. But all in all, home was sort of like home, but not really. It was a mish-mash or the living-room fire, nice comfortable couch pillows mixed with upbeat bar music and metal tables and chairs. Interesting mix, but turns out to be a fun dinner.

Thunderclap, YEAH!!

i realize that I have a lot of irrational, perfectionist, ocd tendencies:
1) I'm always afraid that I smell. So I guess I have to constantly surround myself with good smelling things/people.
2) I can't mix food. Or else the pure taste of each dish will be contaminated with the taste of another.
3) when i'm making an outline or a chart to study off of, i'm so ocd about formatting. everything has to be centered where it's centered, the right size, the right thickness of the chart lines.
4) settlers board. ('nuff said)
5) my room is symmetrical. if there's asymmetry, it really bothers me.

ok i think 5 is enough. just imagine if i were a germaphobe. it's game over, dude.

While I was in Boston, I asked God to reveal to me areas that weren't pleasing to him and this past week, He showed me. In a big way.

I'm the type of person who'd make new year's resolutions, which is why I asked God for that. What I got back wasn't an idea for a new year's resolution, but a deep seeded struggle that'll take a lifetime (almost) to work out.

CONTENTMENT

I feel like I've dealt with this issue ad nauseum but, apparently God isn't finished with me yet. I've been reminded multiple times this week that God does give and takes away. None of this is without permission and blessing and none should be taken for granted. I was reading... the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I shall not want. In David's 23rd Psalm, he addresses contentment straight on. But how he describes this not wanting is not what he DOESN'T have, but what he DOES have. Being led beside still waters, green pastures and having a restored soul. That was something that I soaked up like blistex to chapped lips on a cold day. The soothing salve of the Bible, once again has smoothed out my ruffled frustration and a familiar passage has taught me something new.

Those are the best. :)

Merry Christmas!

So this year, we had the privilege of going to Boston for Christmas to visit my sister. I'm still there, actually, and it's Christmas today. Anywho...It's been a good couple of days so far. So yeah...

Merry Christmas! Celebrating Christ's birth on the other coast.

Walden Pond 

A Myth Retold

Reading Till We Have Faces reminds me why I love C.S. Lewis as a writer. I've read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, this one was a full on novel more for adults than children. Lewis retells the story of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Psyche's older sister Orual. Set in what feels like an ancient near eastern civilization called "Glome." One of the major themes of the book is beauty and ugliness paralleled with pure and profane love. According to myth Psyche as beauty that surpasses even the beauty of Venus (Cupid's mother). Though this was the main plotline in the original myth, it wasn't even addressed in the novel. Anyway, coming back to beauty and ugliness. Psyche is beautiful and Orual is ugly.

The novel follows Orual as she becomes queen of her own country, a queen that keeps her face veiled because of her ugliness, but by her actions and behavior legends arise telling of how she is veiled because she is so beautiful beyond what anyone can handle. So there is this struggle where Orual tries to reconcile herself to make up for her ugliness as well as her love for her sister Psyche.

I don't have a good segue to this next quote (granted English class is 4 years ago, but here is the title written into the story:

"When the time comes to you at which you will be forced at last to utter the speech which has lain at the center of your soul for years, which you have, all that time, idiot-like, been saying over and over, you'll not talk about joy of words. I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?"

Guppy's

So there's this Cerritos place called guppy's. It's tropical themed that serves xiao chi (little eats) like shaved ice, popcorn chicken, boba among other things. But the thing about guppy's is their shaved ice is GINORMOUS. Check it out.

 

So there's this thing called the guppy special. It comes with a small shaved ice (shown above), an order of popcorn chicken and an order of brick toast which is shown off to the side. Notice the strawberry, mango and redbean toppings. If you think the small is huge, check out the large. This split between four people after dinner resulted in "OH MY GOODNESS I'M SO FULL" and having to go #2 just to make room. Too graphic? But yeah. This place is pretty fun. Oh the guppy special comes out to about $17. Split among four people... we barely finished it all.

 

Notice the unfinished popcorn chicken that had to be taken home. But dude, this is ultimate bingeing food. And it's so good.

I'd go back again, shoot.

Comfort

Dude, check this out. $5 on sale at Old Navy. I'm going home to LA this weekend. We're gonna have good food, relax, go do Christmas stuff, hang out with friends. It's going to be an awesome, VERY comfortable weekend. :)

Thinking about comfort, I recently discovered how to make pork and preserved vegetable noodle soup. So good.

The simple comforts like warm slippers and warm noodle soup make me so happy. But I constantly think about that very Christianese saying "get out of your comfort zone." I think a lot about not being comfortable for the sake of my faith and wonder if I'd be willing to give that up, all the things that bring happiness shouldn't compare to the ultimate joy that comes from knowing God. I dunno, just thots.