Europe

Berries and such.

Last Will and Testament

Just kidding.
Every time I'm about to get on a plane I feel like I have to write a will and say goodbye. It's like a death sentence. I dread the 10 hour+ plane rides. A 45 minute flight to SF shall suffice as enough change of scenery for a while, especially after this trip. Wish me luck!
Everyone, take care while I'm gone.
Geeeeez. It's only 10 days. Stop crying.

SF

Okay, so I'm in SF again.
It was blistering for two days, and now it has been freezing for 2 days. I wonder if I could really live here.
I think I could.
Everyday I've been hanging out. I have a freelance job right now, designing prints for a swimwear company in socal, so I've been doing that. It's nice not having to go into an office; this is spoiling me. It'll also be exciting to see my work as an actual print and then on an actual bikini. Before I didn't really do any print design, so I'm excited to be making actual prints/artwork.
What else?
Leaving for Europe in less than two weeks. And Rea invited me to New Orleans in August. I've always wanted to go, so this will be really fun. This entry is boring. Okay I'm done.

A Food post

Cold noodle salad:

Step one: Chop up any raw vegetables you have. Here I used carrots, zucchini, radish, cilantro, tofu, but you could substitute with anything you like of course, like say chopped up chicken or bean sprouts or whatever.

Step two: Boil spaghetti noodles and rinse. Cool.

Step three: Making the sauce. I used melted peanut butter, soy sauce, I think I added a splash of coke to make it more saucey in consistency, honey, minced garlic. You could probably add in some sesame oil, sesame seeds, I don't know. This recipe is a free for all, isn't it? I don't know why I'm including directions.

Step four: Mix it all together. Next time around (if you happen to be using tofu as well) I would add in the tofu last so it doesn't turn into tofu mush like mine did. Garnish with red chili flakes (if you want.)

I'm pretty lenient on what you add and don't add. The point is, cooking is easy so just guess-timate and trust your instincts. Recipes can easily be adjusted things to your own tastes so have fun.
The End.

Today

Also...I have a secret...yet to be revealed...!!!

Freckles

I Love the color of ripe apricots. And the little freckles. I think that peachy pinky orange-y color is my favorite color.

It's monday.

Downtown LA. We went to Grand Central and Little Tokyo this weekend. We even took the metro so I could feel good about saving gas (and to pretend like I was still in SF a bit too). There were skateboarders filming and taking pictures on the streets. LA is beautiful. It'll always be home. I just need to get away for a bit, you know?
Yea so it's monday. But everyday feels like a weekend when you're unemployed. That's not necessarily a good thing. You lose track of the date, the day of the week. I'm feeling sort of useless.
After my trip to Europe I will probably be moving to San Francisco for a bit. I'm applying to schools, researching schools, looking for jobs, attempting to do freelance work, supposed to help my uncle out at the office, finishing resume, starting portfolio, moving out of the apartment...!
Okay, it's not that much, but for some reason I just feel overwhelmed. I wish it was a week ago.

Happy Father's Day

I spent most of the day working on my resume, which in it of itself is sort of a gift to my dad anyway.
He was gone since yesterday on a fishing trip with his friends and just got back. My brother is in the kitchen attempting to bake a cake. Peanut is sitting on the window ledge, staring out onto the front lawn. My mom is across the street at my aunt's house.
Hmm. And to think, I was really excited about things just a week ago. Now reality is setting in at home. I'm a bit scared. Things are changing so fast and I feel overwhelmed, when really there isn't that much going on that I shouldn't be able to handle. I guess I miss being on vacation or have grown accustomed to having no schedule at all. Now I feel a bit lost.
Soon I'll be in Europe...two more weeks. At first I was really looking forward to this trip, but now I feel a bit unsure for some reason. I haven't figured it out yet. It's only 10 days, but whenever I am getting ready to leave the country I get this weird separation anxiety. I can't explain it; I guess it's just being homesick. Even though we've always traveled I still haven't gotten used to the idea of leaving home behind. I think it's some psychological thing I do to myself. I worry a lot about things at home and people I can't talk to when I'm away and Peanut and what if this happens, what if that. I hate that feeling of not knowing at all what's happening here at home for days and days, and then having to face it all when I come home. Does that make sense? I don't know. Sometimes I convince myself I have a bad feeling when all I'm doing is thinking too much.
Also I'm worried because if this trip is like my last trip to Russia, then oh do I have a lot of mental preparation that needs to be done. I'm too old to be traveling with my parents for 10 days straight. It's not safe, mentally. Back in Russia it was the adults, me, no tv, no radio, no internet, no computer, no nothing, not even a book (I think I tried reading Walden Pond or something, hah.). I don't know what I was thinking. I was unprepared and suffered the mental consequences. Maybe I still am suffering, mentally, from that trip. Sigh. I hope this one is that much better. I will definitely be writing more and reading more; I'm promising myself.
He's stirring the cake batter with chopsticks, and theres a big bottle of vanilla next to him. My dad's cutting his fingernails in the living room. I just cut mine, sitting in that exact same spot, using the exact same trashcan to catch all the clippings.
It's a lazy sunday. Peanut's tail is sweeping against the window screen. He sees someone coming...

The backyard, continued,

I'm no good at this picture formatting thing. It took me 20 minutes just to get the titles for the pictures and they're still not even that right.

Anyhow,
everything is ripening so quickly!

Pears
Grapes











Apricots

The backyard today

Lemons
Avocados














Passion Fruit