Explorations

Visit the Getty
Try one new vegan place: Vegan Glory
Try two new food places: Mio Babbo, Hurry Curry
Try two new Dessert places: Beard Papa, Spoon by H

Last week I adventured out with Darius to accomplish some of my goals.  I'd say we made a pretty hefty dent in my list.  But there is much more to go.

Getty: This is cheating kind of. There was a college night at the Getty and I went with my roommate. I say it was somewhat cheating because like the Hammer, I had already signed up and intended to go.  But actually, the night of Getty, I was seriously contemplating not going just because I was tired and not feeling it. WOW. I sound like my students. What a sorry excuse...but in the end I'm glad I pulled myself together and went. It was awesome and totally worth it. Note: go to the Getty at night...it's infinitely cooler.

Mio Babbo: Little Italian restaurant down the street in Westwood from where I live. It was a little pricey but the chicken in my Salad and in D's pasta was out of this world!! A+++ for just the chicken! It's a perfect and cute little place for a date. I will definitely be coming back here.  Bonus: You get to keep the little glass cup that they serve the gelato in.

Vegan Glory: Slightly above average Asian fusion vegan joint on Beverly. The portions were perfect for me and Darius to feel comfortable but not exploding.  We had room for dessert also. which brings me toooo....

Spoon by H: Had shaved ice which was...NOT worth it! It was way too sweet and I was freezing (which is not their fault but adds to the idea that this place and I were not meant to be).  I prefer Blockheads shaved snow all day everyday (one of my regulars with D).

Hurry Curry: Average Japanese Curry place on Sawtelle. nbd.

Beard Papa: CUSTOM CREAM PUFFS!!!! Why have I never heard of this place before?? Apparently it's a chain and there's one in Irvine too! What happens is you pick a shell that you want (the outer part of the cream puff) and then a filling. Then you can watch them PUMP the filling INTO the shell.  BOOM mind explosion.  It was so cute! and delicious of course.

More to come!! Planning to attend ucla artsy things soon!

Baby Steps

Mood: lost
Visit hammer museum again

Accomplished one goal on my list this week! The Hammer put on a little event for UCLA students this past tuesday and I went with my roommate not knowing what to expect.  The moment we walked in, my roommate and I spotted a DIY tile crafting station.  There we spent the majority of two hours gluing magazine clippings to an approximately 6X6in tile.  It was amazingly therapeutic and held my focus and attention for quite a long time.  I then had a chicken and waffle out of a food truck and we ended the night with a somber stroll home. Back to the real world...

The truth is, life did not become easier after PACT.  I'm finding myself increasingly anxious over job prospects. Every moment I'm not spending working on revising my resume or composing another cover letter or researching school missions and visions, is considered wasted.  In my head I keep thinking of the goals I had made for myself this quarter and now they almost seem like a chore.  There are so many moving pieces in my schedule that I can hardly remember what's going on when.  My body and brain feel like exploding every day.

Sometimes I wonder where I would be in my life had a chosen a different career path.  Where would I be? What would I have done? It wasn't until my second year at UCI when I committed my future to teaching (and in particular teaching disadvantaged urban youth.). But before then I've seriously considered the following options:

-Journalism
-Interior design
-Architect
-Fashion Directing

Interesting right? I haven't stopped thinking about them either which may explain my tastes on pinterest (har har).

I don't know, even though it's hard, I don't think I could have stayed away from teaching.  Or actually, it really isn't teaching that attracts me about this profession, it's the learning (that my students do but that I also do).  I think that knowledge (although admittedly selective at times) is so great and I can never get enough of it.  I've learned so much so far and although sometimes I just want to crawl into my bed and never get out, when I think about how much more evolved of a person I am now compared to (pick a time and date) I think: it's all worth it in the end.

At least that's what I keep telling myself...Baby steps, Ms. Lieu, baby steps.

Born Again

HELLO WORRRLDDD!!

I feel as if I have been born again but then pushed back into a womb....allow me to explain.

Spring break was two weeks ago and I traveled with D to New York and DC.  Our flight was early and so in a rush I forgot the most important thing: my cell phone.  I had already intentionally left my labtop behind because I wanted a real break away from PACT, lesson planning and anything related to school.  What I did not plan on was zero connection to the outer world and no access to my e-mail.

Yes, I panicked. But yes, it was a GREAT week.  As Alicia Keys says is so perfectly, those streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you.  I have a new life goal: To move to New York.  Only under perfect conditions of course.  But maybe God's got something huge planned....you never know.

I loved the East coast so much that I actually cried when I got onto the plane to come back. To be completely honest, I was also unwilling to face the real world again in particularly the thing that must not be named (starts with a P ends with a ACT).  But as all dreams come to a close, I came back and faced a miserable week completeing that which must not be named.  In the end on wednesday, I submitted the whopping 95 single spaced page horror that I had been working on the entire last quarter.  I had actually finished it before break and all that was left was another look over. formatting and assembling.  That alone ended up taking up a lot longer than expected. But I can now say at long last, it is finally over.

The sudden influx of technology after a week of electronic-less east coast has left my brain in sustained shock.

I breathed one breath of fresh air (the born part) and then began panicking for the next stage in this program: Job hunting (climbing back into the womb...gross but an accurate analogy).

Currently though, I am allowing myself to relax for just a second to think about something that was on my mind when I was in New York.  Yes New York is great, but Los Angeles is also!  One thing I did not like better about the east coast was the food.  LA wins all the way.  Which got me thinking, I have one more quarter living in westwood and then who knows where in LA i'll be next year.  Yes it's important for me to focus my energy on job hunting and career building, but I have made myself some goals for the remaining quarter relating to what I want to see or do to explore this diverse community:

1. ARTSY THINGS...because i love it and LA has it.
a.) visit hammer museum again
b.) visit getty museum
c.) see LA phil
d.) Attend a minimum of 4 artsy things put on by UCLA students

2. EAT LOTS OF FOOD...but healthy
before listing things....let me explain.  I am considering becoming a part time vegetarian.  I've actually been thinking about this for a long time.  For whatever reason, i have an incredibly weak stomach.  A lot of it relates to stress.  I have also noticed that some foods cause me major discomfort more than others and they are usually spicy, meaty and above all greasy.  So I am going on a new diet regime not for losing weight or anything like that but for the sole purpose of feeling good after a meal.  I have already begun this and felt great!
a.) Discover and eat at a NEW vegan restuarants
b.) Try 5 new food places (not inclusive with part a)
c.) Find and have amazing coffee at 4 different cafes
d.) Find and eat at 5 different dessert places

3.) BE A PERSON WHO IS HIP
a.) Find and photograph 7 beautiful things
b.) Shop and buy something at two unknown stores (only two because I don't want my wallet to hurt)
c.) Visit Silverlake


10 weeks.....LETS GO!! I will use this blog to keep myself accountable so look forward to posts about 1-3. (: