Last Saturday, my best friend from high school flew into DC to visit me for 4 days. And let me tell you, it was the most eventful, jam-packed, fun 4 days of this trip...it truly was a major highlight of my experience here. We don't get to see each other much because she goes to UC Berkeley (I know, smarty pants) and I attend UC Irvine, but occasionally, if she's home for the holidays or if I make a trip up north, we catch up for a couple of hours. So you can imagine how excited I was to spend 4 whole days with my best friend...I had an itinerary set and ready to go.

On Saturday, we went out to dinner at Pasha which is a Mediterranean restaurant. Then, we went around town Saturday night with my two roommates, Andrea and Emma. The night was ok but we were all so exhausted, we called it quits kind of early and made our way back to the apartment to get a good night's rest.

On Sunday, Eli and I covered most of DC. With lots of walking and energy from God knows where, we made our way to the Smithsonian museums (National Museum of Natural History and National Gallery of Art), Chinatown, the Washington Monument, the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House, in that order too. In Chinatown, we took a break and watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," which I might add, was a much-needed break. A couple of hours of sobbing and resting our pounding feet gave us somewhat of a second wind...

(Eli holding a grasshopper and Mexican cockroach at the National Museum of Natural History)

(Yay! for the National Mall)

(The Washington Monument)

(Lincoln Memorial; Eli tried so desperately to keep the kids out...oh well)

(Korean War Memorial)

(The White House; Eli: "The White House is so....white!!!")

As you can see, we did quite a lot in one day. And the funny thing is, we had a similar day planned for the next; we were going to New York at 7:15 am! We made our way back at around 8ish and kept it mellow on Sunday night. We wanted to get a good night's rest so we stayed in and watched the Olympics.

The next morning, we woke up at 6:30 am to get ready for New York. We made it to the pick-up location at 7:00 am. With 4 hours on the bus, we decided to catch up on some extra snoozing time since we were going to have another exhausting day. We arrived at Penn Station at 11:45 am, so first thing we did was check into our hostel, drop our bags off, and get some food. We decided to get gyros and falafels from a street vendor in Times Square. It was definitely chaotic but such a New York tourist-y thing to do :-) After that, we walked around Times Square, stopping at a few shops, and of course, taking advantage of many photo ops.



After Times Square, we walked over to Empire State Building. On our way, we saw the New York Public Library where a scene from the Sex and the City movie was shot. In fact, this was where Big and Carrie's wedding was and the dramatic scene on the street in front of it.




After that, we went to the Empire State Building (which was HUGE); however, the line was an hour and a half wait, plus a $20 entrance fee, so we made a game-time decision to forgo the top of the tower idea and spend our time more usefully by doing something else just as touristy and fun. But of course, we needed a couple pictures in the Empire State Building so that we could technically say "we went to the Empire State Building" ;-)


Since we had an extra 90 minutes, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge. It was such an amazing site to see and tons of fun. The bridge is absolutely beautiful and just across the way, you can see Manhattan Bridge too.




After walking only half of the bridge (because the other half was the same...duh), we walked back and made our way to Ground Zero. The site in itself wasn't that great, but it still brought back painful memories and chills down our spines. In fact, St. Paul Church, which was located right in front of it, had a tiny memorial of the 9/11 attacks. The had a tree trunk with a rusted pipe from Tower One stuck in it from the attacks. They also said that because of the trees in front of the church, none of the windows miraculously broke from the towers, even though they are located only 100 feet from where the towers used to be. Pretty neat, huh? The site itself looks like a construction zone now but you could still see how humongous the area was around it...


After reminiscing on the 9/11 attacks, we decided to relax a little bit by going to Central Park. We were exhausted by this time because we had done soooo much walking, but the extra walking through Central Park was well worth it. The green was so refreshing and nice to walk through.

(Eli trying to feed a squirrel)

Since our hostel was right next to Central Park, we decided to head back to freshen up before dinner. For dinner, we went to this amazing Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Then, we walked around SoHo. We made it another early night since we were exhausted. However, we were completely satisfied with our amazing trip.

The next day, we left New York at 11:45 am and got back to DC at about 4:30ish. The trip was so amazing and tons of fun...it was great to see Eli and spend time like this with her. We decided to plan our next trip--she will visit me when I'm in France studying abroad next Fall (2009). Now, we can add to our list of trips: Korea, DC, New York and soon France :-)

She left Wednesday morning and almost instantly, time was crawling. Everyone was still working and I had nothing to do so I just sat there, unproductively, in my apartment. However, today is Nick and Eric's last day so after today, I'll have partners to do stuff during the day. And then, on Sunday, I'm off to New York to see Mark and his family! I am very excited...we are planning to see a few shows and it's going to be amazing to see Mark for the first time in 10 weeks! Yay!

Until next time...ciao ;-)

will.i.am

So I know that this is really old, but a few weeks ago (probably the first couple of weeks I was in DC), I had a posting about Al Gore's speech on environmental change. My internship sent me and my responsibility was to try my hardest to get Gore to sign the back of my shirt (the shirt was a pledge in itself). I didn't get to do it as he immediately went backstage after his speech, but I did get to meet will.i.am. He's one of my favorite artists and I got his signature and picture. Here it is...

I finally uploaded it from my phone! Pretty awesome, huh???

Screen on the Green

Everybody hates Mondays...it's the beginning of work, school or chaos with no near end in sight. However, little did I know that Mondays are worse when all you do is work...non-paid work. Without school or family or the regularities of daily life to make the week fly by, Mondays just suck. And that is why it took me so long to accept it but I've finally decided that that's just the way the ball rolls and it would be best to come to terms with it...every other day, there's something to look forward to so it's ok to not do anything and just veg at home on Monday nights.

Well, yesterday was an exception...and a good one at that. After realizing that a couple of my friends played volleyball in high school, we decided to pitch in and buy a cheap vball. Also, it was the last "Screen on the Green" for this summer. Screen on the Green is an outdoor movie at The Mall (the stretch of lawn that extends from the Capitol building to the Washington monument). They play old movies on a huge projector screen and a bunch of people bring blankets and picnic stuff and just hang out. Since it was the last one of the summer and they were playing "Superman," we decided to go. We played volleyball for the first 15 minutes before the sun went down and took a few photo ops of the beautiful sunset.

(Here's the gang getting ready for the movie!)

(The screen was kind of small)

After about 30-40 minutes of not really seeing or hearing anything, we decided to peace out. We headed over to Five Guys (a burger joint similar to In & Out) to feast on some yummy cheeseburgers and hot french fries :-)

(This old man was so little)

(Looks good, doesn't it? This should be their marketing picture)

(Eric and Nick pigging out)

(This guy who worked there asked me to take a picture, then, gave me his email to send it to him)

After my buddies were done stuffing their faces, we headed home. I felt very satisfied with my Monday night..wouldn't you?

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my last day at work...it will be nice to be done. I loved the opportunity of writing at least 3-4 blog postings/articles a week, but I'm ready to end. Plus, my best friend, Eli, is coming to visit this Saturday. On Monday, we'll be going to New York for an intense, one-night trip. It's going to be exhausting but so much fun. She leaves Wednesday, so we'll have 4 days to bond and catch up. I'm so excited!

(Sophomore year of high school; now, we're entering our junior year of college!)

Ok, well that's all for now. Until next time...

Happy Wednesday!

Ready for a History Lesson?

I realize that I've only been updating the blog once a week, usually after the weekend, so I need to put a little more time into blogging :-) My apologies...

After many weekends of traveling--and a couple more to come--I was really looking forward to this past weekend staying in DC. Whether I had big plans or not, it was nice to relax and know that I wasn't going anywhere far. I find it interesting that DC now has a "home" feeling to it. After traveling to New York the weekend before last and not having that familiarity with the area, coming back to DC was easy and home-like. Don't get me wrong--it will never compare to my actual home, but for the time being, it'll do =)

Anyway, Friday was another unproductive day for me. As I sat around, moving from couch to bed and back to couch again, I justified another wasted day by telling myself, "I'm always busy" so a day like this is necessary every once in awhile...right? Well, it worked for me. Friday night, about 8 of us decided to check out the only Korean restaurant nearby, called Mandu.

The food itself was good (not great) but the restaurant was very Americanized. Plus, it was a little pricey. I'd much rather go to New York's Korean Row and get some real Korean food than spend $18 on sub-par stuff.

On Saturday, I went to the National Archives to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Magna Carta among other things with Nick, Chad, Eric, John, Andrea, Perry and Jimmy. It was really cool to see such historical documents in its original form right before my eyes! I took pictures of every document but like most things, pictures don't do it justice, so I decided to only post a few.

(Me with the Magna Carta)

(Original changes made to the Constitution; First draft)

(Emancipation Proclamation that ultimately ended the Revolutionary War)

(Photography and writing..what more can I ask for?)

After about an hour in the National Archives, we decided to watch Pineapple Express in Chinatown. But before that, we stopped by the Peace Festival and then, the hamburger joint The Good Stuff to grab a bite to eat. A fun little fact: Spike from Bravo's "Top Chef" is the chef at The Good Stuff. He was there cooking, taking orders, distributing food, doing the same hard work as everyone else! I didn't take a picture because I thought it would be weird, but I took a mental note of it. For those of you who don't know, he was the top 3 and very talented...it's nice to see him successful at such a great place! That burger was probably the best I've had..ever.

(We look like one big happy family)

(There were lots n lots of people, including this little person inquiring about the shirtless guy)

We didn't stay long at the Peace Festival but it was really cool seeing so many people. Yolanda Adams, a famous gospel singer, was scheduled to perform later that evening, but since we had a movie to catch, we couldn't stay to watch. PS- the movie was hilarious!

On Sunday, I woke up early to watch the USA vs China basketball game, along with the other millions of viewers. I've been semi-glued to the TV as the Olympics unfold. The Olympics hold a very special place in my heart as I once dreamed to go to the 2006 Winter Olympics for Women's Figure Skating. Although this is the summer Olympics, I still understand the commitment and passion that these athletes have for the sport. Plus, who can forget Carrie Shrug's gymnastic performance many years ago that sparked so many tears from Americans across the nation? With all the hype and excitement around Michael Phelps, I can't help but watch :-)

After my dose of morning Olympics, my roommates and I went to Daria's dad's friend's house to swim in her pool. I'll post pictures soon, along with a detailed account of how beautiful this house was and just how relaxing the change of scene was for us.

Until then, ciao ;-)

New York City

If I could sum up this weekend in one word it would be: Absolutely Amazing. Ok, maybe that's two words but it's absolutely necessary to have "absolutely" :-)

To begin, I was very wary of the idea of going to New York solo. I knew that I was going on the bus with some friends, but the thought of finding my hostel and sleeping there alone scared me. At the same time, I knew it was going to be quite the experience and very memorable. Our bus left at about 10:15 am on Friday morning which is a story in it of itself. After boarding the bus, Andrea and I decided to get some food since we had 10 minutes to spare before the bus was going to leave. We decided to go to Cosi across the street to get some sandwiches and drinks. I don't know if you have ever experienced this, but when you're in a hurry, the workers seem to move extremely slow. Well, this was not our imagination. In fact, they did it deliberately. After a few minutes of listening to the workers gossip, Andrea asked them if there was any way to get our food quicker because our bus was about to leave in 3 minutes. They looked at us, continued to talk and moved very slowly to get our food and finish the transaction. I have no problem with slow movers but if it is a deliberate decision to be this rude, I throw a fit. I was livid by their nerve and attitude. By the time we finally got the food, we ran across the street and the bus started to leave! We had to run after it and hit the door for it to stop...the driver stopped and shaken up, we boarded the bus.

After 4 hours of sleeping on the bus, I woke up to the New York City skyline. It was surreal to see it in person. We had about 30 minutes until arriving at Penn Station. In the meantime, Mark's dad, Tom, called me and gave me very specific directions for the subway and such. Then, Kaylen, Mark's sister, called to make sure everything was alright. Upon my arrival, I took a cab to my hostel, settled in and freshened up a bit, and was off to meet the Ratto's for some good 'ol Korean food. I felt a bit overwhelmed at first by the hustle and bustle of things, but seeing familiar faces in a very foreign city was so heartwarming and comforting. The food was so good. I wish I had taken a picture to show you just how amazing it was. Tom gave me the responsibility of ordering everything so I ordered: kimchi chigae, bul go gi, neng myung, soon to bu and bi bim bap. IT WAS SO TASTY!

(Me and Kaylen Ratto)

(From left: Tom, Kaylen, Martin [Kaylen's bf] and me)

After dinner, we headed over to Union Square and on a whim, saw the show Fuerzabruta. It was so artistic and creative and so much fun. There's no way to explain it, but it was not traditional in any sense. To start, it was an interactive show so the audience never sits down. They stand and move around and become part of the show. A lot of it was in the air, with people and props hanging from the ceiling. Again, there's no way to put it in words...the only thing I can say is that I had so much fun seeing it.





When the show was over, Kaylen and I decided to hang out and catch up as we walked through Little Italy and West Village. The night was very relaxing and a great way to assimilate into the city.


Soon, it was time to put my wonderful first night to a close. I headed back to my hostel and slept in the 12-bedroom female dorm with only one toilet, one sink and one shower. It actually wasn't bad at all. The hostel was pretty clean and in a great location. The only time it got a little complicated was in the mornings when all the girls wanted to take showers and we only had one bathroom. I didn't really meet anyone...most didn't speak English or had friends with them. Plus, it served its purpose well--it provided me with a bed and a safe place to sleep for 2 nights.

Saturday morning at 9 am, I got breakfast with Tom at a little Parisian cafe. Then, we rode bikes through Central Park and down 5th Ave. I didn't have my camera because it would be very difficult to juggle that with riding bikes. Nonetheless, I took a mental picture of how breathtakingly beautiful Central Park is. Once you step in, it's as if you have just walked into a fantasy world. Everything is so green and lush; it's very easy to forget you're in the middle of the city. We rode around the perimeter which is 5 miles total. The weather was a little humid but all in all, the ride was just gorgeous. Then, on a whim, we rode down 5th Ave which was probably the craziest thing I've ever done. Weaving in and out of taxis and buses, I thought I was going to die. As you know, I did not...I'm alive and well and very excited to have done so. It was quite the adrenaline rush, but at the same time, a wonderful story to tell :-) At the end of our ride down 5th, the rain clouds began to roll in so I decided to make my way over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Kaylen which is in indoors.

That was a lot of fun! The Met is enormous so I knew there was no way to see the entire museum; however, what we did see was so awesome. We went through the Egyptian section, photography exhibit and their temporary superhero exhibit.

(The actual costume that Christian Bale wore in "The Dark Knight")

(The actual costume that Robert Downey Jr. wore in "Iron Man")

After a couple of hours at the Met, we left and walked around for a bit; we came across this beautiful street where the sun was hitting the perfect places. After the rain cleared, it turned out to be such a beautiful afternoon :-)

Kaylen had plans that night as did I, so we parted our ways. I met up with Emma and her 2 best friends at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Can I just say that Times Square is absolutely NUTS! There were so many people and so much chaos, I thought I was going to have have a heart attack. By this time, I had gotten over the initial intimidation of the city because of the Ratto's generous directions and advice. In fact, I was feeling pretty comfortable. So by the time I reached Times Square, I was just annoyed with so many people and slow walkers. Those tourists ;-) Anyway, the girls were at the top of the hotel, which provided a beautiful view of the city at sunset. They were done with dinner by that time, so we decided to make our way back to the hostels to get ready for a night out. Along with Emma and her besties, we met up with Andrea and made our way to the very trendy Meat Packing District (yes, where Samantha from Sex and the City lived). It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a Saturday night in NYC. We ended up at the top of the Gansevoort Hotel, overlooking the city. The view was breathtaking and I knew I was making a memory as I lived in it.

Sunday morning I got breakfast with Tom, Kaylen, Martin, their Aunt Sue and cousin Kyle. Then, Kaylen, myself and Aunt Sue walked around SoHo to do some shopping before I had to leave. The day was wonderful with California weather and I was sad it was coming to a close. At about 3 pm, I bade them farewell and made my way to Penn Station.

There's no way I can show or communicate just how thankful/grateful I am of the Ratto's. They adopted me for the weekend and made my trip more than I ever imagined. I was blessed to experience a family weekend so far from home. They were absolutely amazing and such a life-saver. Now, I feel readier than ever to come back in a few weeks when Mark visits. The city has so much personality and humor, which is one important characteristic DC lacks. As much as I love DC, the lack of personality can be hard at times. Therefore, you can understand just how refreshing it was to be in NYC with such loving people.

This last weekend will be one for the books as I reminisce on the beauty of NYC...

Until next time...ciao ;-)