I've never been a bigger, louder Angels fan than I was this weekend. Never have I ever been a bigger Chone Figgins fan either (#9 of the Angels and might I add, clutch for the team). You know why? Well, I was in Baltimore, MD watching the Orioles play my home team: the Anaheim Angels.But before that, I want to give you a run down of the rest of my weekend. Here in DC, the weekend starts on Thursday night. However, my friends and I have managed to find a weekly tradition for every day except Mondays (that's why they are so dreadful). Mondays- are for getting errands done; Tuesdays- we go to McFadden's for $1 tacos; Wednesdays- we go to Chi-Cha, which is a really neat and laid back lounge; Thursdays- the beginning of the weekend which leaves it open for anything!; Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays- very similar: exploring museums or various outings during the day, and usually dancing or hanging out at night. This week was no different. Thursday, my suite mate, Emma, and our friend, Eric, decided to walk around Dupont Circle (the area we live around) on a whim and randomly wandered into this wonderful...and I mean WONDERFUL salsa club called Cafe Citron. The environment was absolutely amazing. The place was packed with salsa dancers and there were bango players on the tables. We danced the night away, trying our best to imitate salsa moves, while Eric jumped up and played the bango! I wish I had pictures but they are on Emma's camera...I'll upload them soon.

Anyway, Friday was pretty mellow. I went to Georgetown with my usual Friday group, Nick and Eric, to walk around and enjoy the little strip of shops along the river. We ate pho and ended up watching Step Brothers. The pho was alright; not as good as it is back home but sufficient. The movie was hilarious...I mean, what Will Ferrell movie isn't? After that, we decided to go back to our apartments and relax.

Saturday was similar in that myself, Nick and Chad decided to check out the hip hop exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian. It was really neat to see some photographs of old-school hip hop, before it was invaded by all that nonsense dirt. They had these huge murals of graffiti in bright colors...



After that, we went to Pentagon City Mall to shop but soon realized that it isn't much fun to shop when you're short on cash. So then, we went home...empty-handed.

Sunday was the big trip to Baltimore. We left at about 9:30, slept on the bus for 45 minutes, and soon arrived in the inner harbor of Baltimore. The city isn't beautiful in the sense that there isn't much greenery, but it's still a lot of fun. We went to get some crab cakes at Shuckers, a restaurant at Fells Point. The waiter was super friendly and gave us a lot of recommendations on what to do before the game. Before we knew it, there was a huge thunder storm, bordering what looked like a hurricane. With pouring rain, lightening, thunder, and waves in the harbor, I thought that we were going to blow away. However, the rain soon ended, leaving a lingering sprinkle throughout the day. After walking around a bit, we made our way to the game. I asked all the vendors if they had any Angels hats, and all I got were dirty looks...hmmm, I wonder why.


The game was really fun. We didn't get there until the 4th inning and our section was filled, so we sat a few rows down. Since we were recommended to do so, I didn't feel so bad. Plus, they were really good seats! We sat right by first base. However, to my dismay, the Angels lost 5-2. Oh well. So much for my hootin' and hollerin'. The bus back left at 5 and as soon as we got on, we all crashed.

The rest of the night was pretty mellow. With work the next morning, I decided to relax and do a little reading before hitting the sack. Yet, I still woke up this morning exhausted. I have not had one night of good sleep here because my bed is so uncomfortable. Oh well, I only have to endure for a few more weeks. The rest of this week will be dedicated for my trip to New York. I'll be visiting Mark's dad and sister; they will be such a help showing me around the city since they live there.

Meanwhile, one of my blogs for work was a response to a Huffington Post article. What makes it cool is the fact that the writer actually commented my blog. Read it here: Tanene Allison. I hope you enjoy it...

Until next time, ciao ;-)

Seoul Foooood

Braving the humidity and heat of DC, I often confuse myself into thinking that I'm in Seoul, Korea. The blistering heat and random rainstorms make it almost the same... ALMOST. One crucial factor missing here is something very near and dear to my heart: soul food. Seoul food. kimchi. kimchi chi-gae. gal-bi. soon to bu. Oh, just thinking about it makes me salivate. At home, between my aunt, mom and uncle, there's always some concoction related to Korean food. There's always pan-chan (side dishes) and fresh rice. Even when I'm away for school, I have lots and lots of tupperware filled with Korean dishes.

Coming to DC, I made a very bad assumption that they had Korean food. Wow, was I wrong. The closest thing is the Korean lady who owns the liquor store 3 blocks down; she sells rice, kimchi and meat in a Styrofoam container :-( One day I asked her if she knew of any Korean restaurants nearby. She informed me that if I had a car, the closest one was 30 miles away. Woe is me! Really.

I must put it into perspective to really help you grasp the seriousness of this situation. I'd eat Korean food that was true soul food. Broth was made from what we had...just like my grandma in Korea does. The spicier, the better--if sweat wasn't dripping from your nostrils, it wasn't hot enough. When my dad would bbq prime ribs for dinner, I'd eat my rice and kimchi instead (sometimes). There's nothing better than it and I say that whole-heartedly.



The reason I'm writing about this is for two reasons: 1) I'm going to New York on August 1st and the only thing on my mind is Korea town. I CAN'T WAIT!!! 2) I just read an amazingly well-written article about "Seoul food" from the New York Times. Read it...even if you don't like Korean food, you will after this article.

So there you have it. As I live and play in the nation's capital, Korean food screams and laughs in my face. It haunts me at night and teases me throughout the day.

I'll be a history book by the time I come back

Living in California, you tend to live in a bubble where all that historical "stuff" is somewhere, but not really sure where. The history of the United States doesn't thrive in Cali as it does here on the east coast. For example, my mini day trips to Alexandria or to DC monuments have already covered so many years of history and the foundation of this country. If I continue my historical tour at this rate, I could strive to be a walking encyclopedia..though, I doubt it :-)Originally, I was supposed to go to New York with my suite mate Emma, and 2 friends, Nick and Eric. However, it was decided upon at the last minute and as I researched, I realized that most, if not all, hostels were booked. Meanwhile, we were dealing with two guys who lack any kind of organizational/pre-planning skills...so there you have it. After deciding that this was just a no-go, we opted to a cool day trip to compensate. After conversing with the roomies, we decided that a day trip to Philadelphia would be fun. So on Saturday, we headed out on the infamous Chinatown bus to Philly at 10 am. I say "infamous" because this bus is pretty interesting; always an adventure. First off, the Chinese owners yelled at us when we asked where the bus was. They yelled, "At the cornah!!!" After going to the corner, we realize that the bus is already almost full. The only seats left are the ones next to the bathroom. Keep in mind that this bus ride is 3 hours (even though they estimated it to be 2 hours). In addition, they are notorious for overbooking the bus so that many people have to sit on the stairs. Luckily, that didn't happen to us but needless to say, it was smelly. Most of us passed out so it wasn't that bad.We arrived to Philly at 12:45 and our bus home was leaving at 5. So we had a total of 4 hours to see what we wanted in Philadelphia and the first thing on our list was EATING A PHILLY CHEESE STEAK! After getting the 411 from the info center on the best places for a philly cheese steak and monuments, we headed out. We ended up going to Campo's for the sandwiches and to everyone's dismay, it wasn't that good. We were so disappointed, especially since we heard that it was the best in town. Even their sign on the door said, "Zagat rated 'Best Phillies since 2006." Our group of 8 concluded that it wasn't greasy enough, cheesy enough...unhealthy enough.After lunch, we did the quickest tour of Philly that ever existed. First, we went to Christ Church where George Washington attended. Still an active church, we spoke with very informative members who talked about the history of the church, including the book of all the baptisms in that church. With an intricate organ, snow white pews, aged tombs, George Washington's pew, I felt like I walked into heaven.

(Book of ALL baptisms at Christ Church)

(George Washington's pew)

After that, we went to Betsy Ross's home. Honestly, if you didn't know that she made the American flag, you would know by the hundred of flags hanging around her home. It looked a bit gaudy, but it's a great way to stand out. The tour of her home cost 2 bucks but it was so neat to see her actual furniture and possessions. We weren't allowed to take pictures but I really didn't agree with that rule, so I snuck a few in. But just a few.




With 1.5 hours left before having to load the bus, we turbo-speeded our way through the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There was a long line to see the Liberty Bell but it went quickly. While we were waiting outside, I realized how beautiful Philly truly is. It hit me that this place has so much history in it and the locals have so much pride in their home town that gives its beauty an unfathomable and abstract presence.

(This picture was on the way to Liberty Bell...totally random Ben Franklin head)

The line went by really fast, and once we finally entered the building, it was pure ecstasy--the ice-cold air conditioner was SOO SOOO SOOO refreshing. The building had a trail of displays that talked about the history of the bell and its symbolism to the country. At the end of the trail, there stood the Liberty Bell. I have to be honest: it was very neat to see such a historical symbol in front of my eyes but it was a lot smaller than I expected. Regardless, what an opportunity...




After seeing the Liberty Bell, we thought it was appropriate to make our last stop Independence Hall. By this time, it was 10 times hotter than before with about 45 minutes to spare. After getting there, we realized that it was too late to buy tickets to see the inside, but the outside was just as beautiful. There was so much green all around--trees, lush grass, bushes, etc.--so it was a perfect place to take a breather.

(This is where they drafted the Declaration of Independence; hence, the name "Independence Hall")

(Quite the dramatic stance of "The Signer")

So, that's how you do Philly in 4 hours. With such a short amount of time to spend, I thought we did a wonderful job of utilizing our time. Sure, we didn't go to A LOT of places but we went to the important ones and had the opportunity of spending some good time there. We maintained a positive attitude as the sweltering heat made me release 4 lbs. of sweat. I was proud of our group!

We made our way to the bus pretty early so that we could get some better seats. As soon as we got on the bus, we got a huge whiff of ammonia which was not so pleasant but we secured some good spots in the middle. So our ride back was just the same as our way there--slept the whole time.

Today (Sunday), I went to the Eastern Market which is a farmers/flea market. If it wasn't so hot outside, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much more but regardless, I loved all the fresh food that they had. I bought artichoke lemon pesto sauce which I will be using for dinner when I boil some pasta. Yum! For dinner, I went to Adams Morgan and ate some Ethiopian food. It was soooo good but now, I have a food coma so I'm going to go crash...

until next time <3

What can I say? I'm a PROUD lovahhhh

This post is not one of adventuresome excursions...well, not in the physical sense at least. My boyfriend, Mark, is the associate sports editor for our school newspaper, called the New University. During the summer, there are only a few issues, but he will have a weekly column called "The Hypothesis" (Editor's column is called "The Oracle"). Being in DC, it's been hard to keep up with all the articles he's written. Between his internship with The Daily Pilot and his regular articles for the New University, there's a lot of writing that I need to read in addition to all the writing that I'm doing here. So you can imagine, it's hard to keep up!

Well, today, I decided to go on the NewU website and read his latest article about the Olympics, titled "Pride. Excitement. Passion; I Dig the Olympics. You Should Too." And I must say, it's really good. I'm blessed to have a boyfriend/best friend who understands and experiences the same struggles, disappointments, difficulties that come with pursuing a career in writing. One of those challenges is finding our own voice. With lots of practice and failures and writer's block, I can totally see his voice thriving throughout the lines of this piece. It's always a good thing when someone says, "I can hear Mark's voice as I read the article." (said by a friend). And it's absolutely true in every sense. This isn't some cheap ploy to talk about my boyfriend. I try to keep my private life of family and friends private, but I'm really proud of how much growth he's achieved. After reading this article, my whole heart was filled with joy and excitement for the Olympics. And the best thing is: that's exactly what he wants the readers to feel.

I suggest that you take a look at the article. Perhaps it won't hit you with the same personal excitement that I experienced, but there's no denying that this is pretty darn good writing.

Congrats, Mark!

jam-packed

Another weekend of jam-packed activities passed through again. With museums, jazz, dancing, trollies and beautiful sunsets, I have to say, this weekend was another memorable one...

It amazes me how time flies. With just a mere 6 weeks left, I stand amazed at the 3 1/2 that have already flown by. Sure, the plane ride seems like forever and a day ago, but the experiences and the thrill of meeting new people seems like yesterday. Weird.

Anywho, after the jazz in the park on Friday evening, my roomies and I decided to get some more information on the Washington Monument tour, while taking the opportunity to walk around in a beautiful area. With the sun setting at around 7:30, the view was spectacular and absolutely breathtaking. The day was crystal-clear and the weather couldn't have been better.


After being in awe for about 15 minutes at DC's historical and natural beauty, we decided to put a pep in our step and get home. Later that evening, my friends and I went to the Black Cat Lounge to see Blue & Exile perform (underground hip-hop). It was a really good live performance and we had a lot of fun dancing and meeting him too!

On Saturday, I was very unproductive. In fact, I did nothing. Yeah, I'm sure it was a waste of a day but at the same time, I don't feel bad. Without days to wind down or relax, I would surely deteriorate from exhaustion. Unfortunately, I don't have any cool pictures of me sleeping/drooling on the couch...sorry!

Since I was counterproductive on Saturday, I knew that exploring the city was an absolute necessity so my roommates and I decided to make our way to Old Town Alexandria, where George Washington was born. And let me tell you, the city is beautiful! With history written all over the place, you feel as if you're literally stepping into a history book. Every building is wonderfully preserved to experience the magical history. The place is wonderful to go to with family...there are a lot of restaurants and lots of shopping! It was very hot and muggy but when we walked closer to the river, there was a nice breeze that made the day that much more enjoyable.

(King Street Trolly and extra jolly)

(Gadsby's: famous, historical restaurant)

(Very OLD tombstone...beautiful picture)

(The River)

After our adventures in Alexandria, we decided to head back to our apt. for a nice, relaxing evening. We rented "P.S. I Love You" which is one of my favorite love story movies of all time. We got super sappy and then, decided it was time to crash, readying ourselves for another adventurous week!

Fridays are the BEST

My friends Nick and Eric and myself don't have to work on Fridays so it's a great time to explore the city. Yesterday was no different. We decided to go to the Smithsonian and the National Geographic Museum which is located right next to our apartments. The National Geographic Museum was really cool--they had a Chinese exhibit which was very interesting and informative. I learned a lot just by reading the little signs. My favorite part of that museum were all the neat photographs. The photography was amazing...serving as an inspiration to my photography career ;-)

After that, we jumped on the Metro to the Smithsonian and made our way to the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum. I had been to the Museum of Natural History before but I was so tired to experience and appreciate it at the time, so I thought it was a great opportunity to re-experience it. It is a super fun and educational experience. I love seeing the fossils of dinosaurs and marine life dated back to forever ago. Plus, they have cool stuff like the Hope Diamond.


After that, we headed over to the Air and Space Museum. This is one that I have not been to before but it was a lot of fun! Again, a great place to go to learn and have fun...They had all kinds of airplane models and space ship stuff. I really know NOTHING about space and planes and engines so needless to say, I learned a lot while we were there. They had IMAX movies but it cost money and when you're on a $20 budget like me, you have to pass it up :-)

After that, we decided to head home until we heard some jazz coming from the garden of the National Gallery of Art. We walked in and found out that there was jazz and lots of people too! It was in the area I rested my feet last time...except now, there were A LOT more people just relaxing and enjoying the music. I enjoyed it sooo soo much. Eric decided to get some yummy spinach dip and later, we met up with my suite mate and her boyfriend and my other 2 roommates.


I love running into nice little surprises like the jazz in the garden. Apparently, it happens every Friday and it's a very popular event in DC. I'll probably be making my way over there frequently. It's a great place to wind down and have some alone time.

Until next time...

<3

Hello, Mr. President (whichever one it may be)

Hi all...

So you've heard of my 4th of July extravaganza and the Arlington experience which are all things uniquely experienced in the nation's capitol. But one thing you have not yet heard of, which is probably the most exciting, is my opportunity to hear both presidential candidates--Senator John McCain and Barack Obama--speak at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Conference this past Tuesday. I shook McCain's hand and stood 5 feet in front of Obama...it was a wonderful, fun, exciting experience. It all started on Monday afternoon when I received a mass email from a coordinator in the UCDC Center. He was part of LULAC, a UCDC alum, and he needed volunteers for Tuesday's event to do all sorts of responsibilities. I assumed that the work wouldn't be so fun but I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime and I took it in a heartbeat. The next morning, a huge group of us walked over to the Washington Hilton (yes, where Reagan was shot) and volunteered ourselves. John McCain was scheduled to speak at noon during a luncheon, and Obama was scheduled to speak at 4:30 pm. For McCain's event, I was assigned the ballroom where he was speaking and basically, my responsibilities were to look out for any hecklers in the audience. If there were any and if they were yelling rude or obscene things, I was to stand in front of them and overpower them by crying, "LULAC! LULAC! LULAC!" I thought this was a pretty fun job and I was actually hoping for some heckling, but to my dismay, there were none. Therefore, my responsibilities changed to: stand in the corner of the ballroom, where I had an amazing view of everything, and watch. Which is what I did. Granted, my feet were killing me but that was not going to kill the enthusiasm. When McCain came on, I started inching myself up to the front since my responsibilities were clearly over and as he finished his speech, he came around the front of the stage and shook mine and Eric's (a friend who was assigned by someone unrelated to LULAC to hold a McCain sign for the cameras) hand. Soon after, the media fled in and I decided to flee before getting crushed.


At this point, ALL of us were starving. We didn't know if lunch was going to be provided and earlier, we were told that they "would figure something out." That usually translates into, "Go to the vending machines and fend for yourselves" so understandably, we were pretty bummed out UNTIL Juan Carlos, another member of LULAC, told us to find any empty chairs at any table and eat!! How amazing was that...here we were, starving & poor students, eating a $1000 plated lunch...for FREE. Yes, we got some looks and the food wasn't amazing, but who were we to complain? It was still tasty and free and absolutely spectacular :-)

(By the way, I'm not endorsing anyone here...just taking a picture)

After that, we kind of waited around until the next event was set to occur. We had a few duties in between as security did a sweep (as you can imagine, there was high security everywhere with secret services and hotel security outnumbering us 8:1) . Then, we got ready for Obama. This time, my responsibility was to stand by the stairs which were right next to the ballroom, and look for any suspicious guests who may have slipped through security. If none of them had tickets or tags, I was to report them to security immediately. Again, to my dismay, there was no action and everyone looked safe...darn. It's interesting to see the difference in crowds. The age, enthusiasm, lifestyles...they were all different for Obama's speech. Nonetheless, the ballroom filled quickly and soon enough, my responsibilities were over, so I sat down and got ready to spring to the front after Obama's speech. Mayor Villaraigosa of Los Angeles was there and introduced Obama. He and Obama make a great team of wonderful speakers. Parties and ideals aside, Obama is a darn good speaker. Of course it's rehearsed and practiced over and over again, but the way he delivers it sure gets the crowd pumping. As I sensed his speech closing, I, again, slowly made my way to the front. When he finished, he did the same as McCain and greeted those at the front of the stage. Unfortunately, for Obama, I didn't get there on time. I didn't shake his hand but I was pretty close and got some great photos. And this time, the media was a little more aggressive than McCain's. They came swarming in and almost demolished my human existence but thankfully, I slipped out.



After Obama's speech, everyone swarmed outside and had their cameras ready. I decided to do the same. I wasn't sure what was going on. I didn't know if we were waiting for Obama to greet all of us or if we were just waiting to see him drive away. For about 15 minutes, I just watched the Secret Services be stealth and cool. I mean, they kind of had to since we were in the very spot where Reagan was shot. With so many people watching outside of the hotel, across the street, inside the hotel, they needed to be on high alert. Finally, the garage door closed which meant that Obama was getting into the car. All that waiting and anticipation was just a quick hand wave from Obama in the air from the overly tinted Suburban. The only photo I got was of the crowd waiting...

After all was said and done, we made our way home and raved about how amazing the opportunity was. I was really excited and proud of myself for taking this opportunity to see the presidential candidates speak (even meeting one of them) in DC. I felt like a true Washingtonian. Later that night, on CNN, what do you think they had on TV? None else than the speeches of McCain and Obama at the LULAC conference. I smiled wryly to myself, thinking, "I was there."

The next day, it was just an ordinary day at work...I am officially the journalism intern as I post weekly blogs and do research on other news sites/blogs. This week I'm writing a blog in response to Jonah Goldberg's column about Obama's speech on national service (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-goldberg8-2008jul08,0,191144,print.column). Anyway, after work, I went to Maryland for their weekly "Jazz in the Park." We went last week and it was great but we were a little late and had no idea it was outdoors. My roommates and some friends decided to have a picnic and pack some stuff to take. Unfortunately, when we got there, it had been pouring so the park cleared out. Instead, the string quartet performed inside of this beautiful home that was converted into an art gallery. It reminded me of home in a lot of ways. There was a Victorian feel to it...however, what this house was missing was the "home" feeling to it--the kids running around, the love, warmth, etc. Apparently, there are a lot of weddings there which is absolutely a wonderful place to have a wedding. Despite the Wednesday's weather, the park and all around it is lush greenery...just gorgeous.

After listening to the music for awhile, we decided to take a walk around the park because the rain had stopped. Guess what I saw? FIRE FLIES!!! This was my first time seeing them and it was sooo much fun...I've read about them in children's books but it was so so so neat to see them in person. This probably makes me sound so naive but it really is a cool thing to see in person. After my amazement subsided, I soon realized that there were A LOT and as girly as it may sound, I ran around screaming. If you don't know: I HATE bugs. I don't even like butterflies because the other side of their bodies are so ugly. And back in 9th grade, I had to pin 30 insects to a cardboard for a Biology project...it was truly a scarring experience. Other than the bugs, though, the walk was wonderful :-) (PS- I'll post pictures of my walk later...they are on my friend's camera)

This concludes another long blog posting...I hope you enjoyed my presidential and fireflying experience :-P

Until next time...ciao!