I woke up missing Los Angeles this morning. Probably because a few weeks ago I had dinner with my Californian friends who were visiting Paris. Or probably I woke up to a typically gloomy Parisian sky. Or also because last week, when I was in Lake Como, Italy, the radio in my taxi suddenly played The OC's theme song, Phantom Planet's "California". "California, here we come, right back where we started from, Californiaaaaaaa...." I mean, what are the chances?
Read moreLA Vie in LA Part I
The photo above was taken by my younger brother at Santa Monica beach, right after my older brother and I got off the plane at LAX from NYC. It was my older brother's idea to go to the beach even though the sun was already setting because both of us hadn't seen the beach for a while, as evidenced by our touristy pose taking photos of everything with our phone. My younger brother, the one who lives in LA, was shaking his head the entire time, giving us a look of pity as he failed to understand why going to the beach was such a big deal for us. Yo, lil bro, let me tell you something, once you live somewhere that isn't surrounded by beaches, you will then understand our longing to feel the waves sweep over your feet against the soft grains of sand. You know, you never appreciate something until it's gone, that sort of thing.
Read moreNYC... For The Love of My Brother
Because it makes me sound like a much better person than if I title this post "NYC.. For the Love of Cronuts". Honest, yes, but not selling the loving sister image that I actually am (I dare you to disagree with me, my dearest siblings!).
So, here's the story. Couple months ago, my older brother floated this idea that I should hop on the plane to visit him in NYC because he's relocating to the West Coast sometime in April. You know, once he's not living in NYC anymore, gone are my free accommodation and hot water in the shower.
Read moreWinter in Venice
Gondola ride through Venetian canals
I am proud to say I'm no longer an Italy virgin. Oh yes, I have popped that Italy cherry, finally! My first trip to Italy was in November 2014; I went to Pisa, Florence, and Bologna. I was fortunate enough to make another trip to Italy in December last year, and it was to Milan and Venice. This post is about Venice. Why not about other cities I mentioned above, one might ask. I don't know why. I have tried to understand how my mind works but I have learned not to waste my energy because while I'd like to believe nothing is impossible, apparently one or two things are.
Read moreChamonix
Le Brévent
I considered myself a decent snowboarder, I mean I know how to break properly and all. That was, however, before my trip to Chamonix, France. I somehow felt very inadequate when I saw the skiers and snowboarders there. They were awesome, carving the slopes like it's no big deal.
Read moreBig Sur
I think the 'Sur' in Big Sur is short for surreal because mannnn, this place is so so amazing and of course, surreal. I can't believe I lived in California for 5 years and had never been there before. So, don't make the same mistake I did, go to Big Sur when you get the chance to.
I went there during my summer break in September this year, I just haven't had the time to write about it. Actually that's bullshit because Lord knows how many nights I spent sitting in front of Netflix, watching Orange is the New Black and other films and TV shows. Honestly, how do some people get so many things done? More importantly, how do some people have the discipline to tell potential distractions, "Dude, stay out of my way!" ? Oh well, I'll try to get this done before I decide to go to Netflix again and resume watching Mad Men (Yes, I just started watching it last night).
Read moreIceland
Photo courtesy of Calvin Khurniawan
I gotta admit something. I knew nothing about Iceland prior to my trip there 2 months ago. In fact, about 6 months ago, I crossed path with a schoolmate in fashion school who happens to be from Iceland at a Paris Fashion Week fashion show backstage. The encounter went something like this:
"... so where are you from?" I asked, after we went on talking about how marvelous the fur jackets are at Emanuel Ungaro that Fall Winter 2014 collection.
"I'm from Iceland," she replied.
And I was like err... I should say something about Iceland right? Something smart or intelligent that showcases my general knowledge. But shit, what do I know about Iceland? Is the country covered in ice? Should I ask if it's always cold there?
Read moreA Cup of Frozen Yogurt & Memories
Pinkberry at Farmers Market
I am back in Los Angeles!! Although I'm not here as a permanent Angeleno, I'm so happy to be back in the City of Angels for 3 weeks. This is where I spent 5 very crucial years of my life. This is where I spent 4 years as an undergraduate student. This is where I had my first full-time job as a fresh grad. This is where I came to learn how to love, although still a beginner at that. This is where I broke my heart. This is where I laughed the loudest and cried the hardest. This is where random intersections trigger flashbacks and otherwise mundane objects set nostalgia in motion.
Read moreLondon London London
Our room at Ace Hotel in the edgy Shoreditch area in London.
While typing the title of this post, I don't know why I couldn't stop singing Fergie's London Bridge. Now that I'm old enough, I wonder about the innuendos behind that song. I mean why does her 'London Bridge' wanna go down? What exactly does she mean by 'London Bridge'? Anyways, that's completely beside the point of this post. I'm going to talk about my recent trip to London instead. Maybe it's not as exciting but please stay with me..
Read moreChilling in Amsterdam
Not to be misleading, this is not Amsterdam, this is Zaanse Schans, a small village just outside Amsterdam.
Last month, my brother and I went to Amsterdam for 3 days. A little heads up, since he spent most of his super long summer break in Europe, I'm going to mention him quite a lot these days. It was actually his idea to go because the only time he's been to Amsterdam was when he was still such a cute little toddler, around 3 years old. What happened to you growing up, lil bro?? You used to be so adorable... I'd better not write anything too harsh about him since we're going to see a lot of each other this summer.
Read moreFairytale-Like Colmar
I'm not exaggerating when I say roaming around Colmar's Old Town finally makes me understand how it feels to be a character in fairy tales. The happily-ever-after Disney versions though, not the original gloomy ones. This little town in the Alsace region of France, near the German border, is too charming! It just so happens I love anything vintage-y, just like almost every house and building I came across there. There were times when I had to suppress the urge to endlessly take pictures as I also wanted to enjoy the view and be there completely, without the distraction of any lens and gadgets.
Read moreBubbly Afternoon in Reims, Champagne-Ardenne
I just submitted the last essay of my MBA Fashion Business program wooohooooo!!! I am officially no longer an MBA student. Bye Microsoft Word, bye Power Point, bye Keynote (hard to say goodbye to this one as I got addicted to making presentation slides using this software)!! I know I'll see you some time in the future but for now, byeee, you guys are free to go on vacation as I will be taking mine soon. Anyways, to celebrate this milestone, I thought it would be appropriate to post about my day trip to Reims in the Champagne-Ardenne region in France. A region that is well-known for its bubbly pleasure otherwise known as champagne.
Read moreAu revoir, chérie!
Gare du Nord station, Paris
Earlier today I said goodbye to my dear friend. My group project teammate. My friend I bitch about anything to. The friend who caused 80% of my laughter this past one year. The friend who, like me, daydreams about lying on the beach somewhere in Spain when we're bored in class. The friend whose cooking and pancakes I'm going to miss dearly. The dear dear friend who happens to come from another country in another continent.
Read moreDessert & La Seine
So as I said in the last post you can find here, I'm now going to talk about the amazing and dare I say, divine, choux à la crème at Odette. Sorry it took me longer than I planned to write this, I got distracted by my assignment, also the consistently gloomy and rainy weather made me want to do nothing but cuddle with my blanket all day long (I know right, what a lucky blanket!). Or you don't care it took me longer to write this? You're all like, jeez, who does she think she is? You think we're waiting for your blog posts?
Man, sorry, but you didn't have to be that harsh on me. This makes me wonder though, is anyone reading my writings at all? Hellooooo...?? Anyone there?
Read moreLunch, Wine & La Seine
I read this book titled The Sweet Life in Paris by the American chef living in Paris, David Lebovitz, last year when I just moved to Paris. I remember he mentions that people often ask him, "What do you do all day in Paris?" He goes on explaining how people expect him to spend his days hopping from chocolate shop to patisserie when in reality, daily life in Paris is not as sweet and romantic like that. It basically goes on with endless list of errands and chores that go on and on and on...
So yeah, when I just moved to Paris, my friends often asked me what I do during the weekend. I so wanted to tell them, "I walked along the Seine river this afternoon, hand in hand with my Parisian lover. And then, we wrote our names on a padlock, locked it at Pont des Arts, and threw the key into the Seine. We then went to lunch at the second floor of the Eiffel Tower at Alain Ducasse's Le Jules Verne. After that, we browsed through the wonderful collection of Impressionism works at Musée D'orsay..."
Read moreThe Grass is Greener on This Side of My Fence
I really really would love to travel this weekend. But I can't because I have so much work to do for my assignments plus, on top of that, my thesis oral presentation is going to take place next Friday. So then, the model student that I am, I'm going to stay put in my apartment and finish what I need to finish.. Haha I'm actually laughing at my own joke. We'll see how long I can stay true to my own words..
Sorry for the first world problem rant, rest assured, this post is not all about negativity. Instead, I'm going to talk about this particular park called Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in my neighborhood here in the 19e arrondissement, or the 19th district, of Paris. Yes, it's not the most stylish district and it's not exactly the prettiest. But I've come to terms with it and besides it's actually quite magical in summer, especially by the canal. It's probably why it took me so long to finally explore this park that's just a stone's throw away from my apartment. You know the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence right? So I'd usually just get out of the 19th and go to Jardin des Tuileries or Jardin du Luxembourg when I'm in the mood for some greens and plants.
Read moreWeekend Escape in Douarnenez, Brittany, France
Last weekend, I ran away from Paris and found myself in a little town called Douarnenez in the Brittany (or Bretagne in French) region. The reason for my little escape was because I needed to finish writing my 15,000-word thesis that was due on June 20th. Relax, I'm not gonna bore you with the content of my thesis. But yeah, I think Paris is too noisy and full of distractions. Save the dramatic gasp, before you think I am such an ungrateful human being who then doesn't deserve the opportunity to live in the city of lights, Paris is indeed not the ideal place to write a thesis. At least for me it isn't. I'll save this for another post, alright.
Anyways, it was a little tricky to get to Douarnenez as there is no train that goes straight there from Paris. What I did was I took a train from Paris to Quimper, which took about 5 hours, and then took a 30-minute bus ride at the Quimper train station to Douarnenez (Tréboul bus stop). The bus I took was Line 51 and the bus ticket was €1,50 for under 25 year-olds. Find more information about the bus schedule here. It's in French, I couldn't find one in English, but the schedule is pretty self-explanatory.
Read more