San Francisco

Playing: Nothing Left-One Night Only
Reading: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield
Hello everyone! How has your day been so far? Well I just wanted to use up my San Francisco photos, so that I can get started on the the Berkeley photos and what I've been up to this school year. During summer there seems to be so much time and once the school year starts, there never seems to be enough. Funny isn't it? It'd be great if you could ration time and sleep through out the year. Like when I'm doing schoolwork and stay up late, I can use three hours of sleep from summer to keep me going. I think that'd be pretty great.

I started off my day in San Francisco at this steakhouse my brother enjoys. It's called Tad's Steakhouse and I have to admit the price is very reasonable for such a large meal and it tasted really good. My brother goes here with his friends whenever he craves steak. We were actually going to try the Thai place right next to the steakhouse, but the line was too long and we were freezing, so we decided on steaks.

I walked around Union Square with my family because I'm just naturally attracted to going inside stores that I can't afford. I like to dream about shopping at these places, when I become a billionaire. Haha, I just need to invent something amazing. While I was walking around, I had to check out Barney's New York. Barney's is my favorite department store because of Barney's Co-Op. I always have to go look at the Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang stuff.

Because I'm naturally attracted to food, I stopped off at Williams Sonoma too. They have such interesting products like these Star Wars pancake molds. I think if I bought these molds, I would eat pancakes more.  Goodness, I'm such a geek sometimes...

I decided to go see Neiman Marcus because I had seen the beautiful stained glass on COCOBELLA BALLERINA and had decided it's a must see. After I remembered the lobster club Lisa gets there, I kind of regretted getting steak for lunch. Aww, next time, right?

Also, I made Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp right before I went to San Francisco and it tasted really good. I probably made it in less than 20 minutes and it was just so easy. Highly recommend it, if you like lemony foods. Now off I go to watch One Night Only and My Chemical Romance music videos!

Do you like to cook?

My Day in LA

Playing: Never Be the Same-One Night Only
Reading: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
I was going through all my old photos and I forgot to show you some photos from my day in LA from summer break. It's sad looking back at these photos because I would love to make trips to LA almost every weekend like I used to, but this year I have so much homework that I have to stay home every weekend. Sigh, the glamorous life of a student!

It's the Tim Burton exhibit entrance!  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos inside, so I'll just tell you about it. It was a mixed media exhibit with statues, paintings, sketches, short films, and so much more! I wish there was some way for me to smuggle a sketch home. Just one, that's all I'll ask for.

They had inflatable characters for you to take photos with and that was about all you could take photos of. There were a lot of interesting people at the exhibit like this one girl that looked like a candy raver or something. It was cool to be at an art exhibit, where you truly have something in common with everyone there, a shared love for Tim Burton.

I grew up with Tim Burton, so it was so fun to see all the sketches that he had made for his films and the statues he had used for his stop action films. I love him as much as the Japanese love Hayao Miyazaki. Tim Burton always amazes me, so I would love to meet him and his girlfriend, Helena Bonham Carter, one day. They're so creative together and I want to thank them for making such a huge impact in my life. I want to make it back to see this exhibit one more time, but homework will probably keep me from going...

This isn't part of the Tim Burton exhibit, but it is at LACMA. It's a huge metal square with these semi-transparent tubes hanging down. Everyone there was running through it because it was just so cool and there was one couple making out in it, which was pretty awkward...Also, at LACMA is a display on the Sultan's jewels right across from the Tim Burton exhibit, so you should check that out too. They have jewels from the Topkapi Palace!

Afterwards, I wanted to go to a new fried chicken place for dinner that I had read about in People magazine called Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken.It was so good and I had never put honey on my fried chicken before, so it was interesting to try that. I have to bring my brother back because both of us enjoy a good fried chicken!

I also went to Little Tokyo for lunch and stopped off at the Sanrio to grab some cute stationary. It's Hello Kitty in a gothic lolita style outfit! I love it, but my mum's reaction was along the lines of, "You're getting odder and odder between buying gothic Hello Kitty stationary and going to a Tim Burton art exhibit..." Oh mothers, they worry too much sometimes...In fact, my mum is fretting over me right now because I'm getting over my cold.

Who do you prefer, Tim Burton or Hayao Miyazaki?

Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival

Playing: About You Now-One Night Only
Reading: What White People Like by Christian Lander
While watching Youtube, I kept on encountering ads for this Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, so I decided to go. I've been craving some of the foods that I had, while in Istanbul, so I figured this must be a great chance for me to go all food crazy. (By the way, I have a bad cold/fever, so this post might not be coherent because I tend to have a hard time focusing, whenever I'm sick.)

The first thing I did at the festival was run off and grab some food. It was surprisingly affordable. My whole family's meal cost $28 total and we got more than just what's in the photo. A lot of the food was homemade by people and their family members, so the food isn't actually from a restaurant. I found that pretty cool because it feels more legitimate. The vegetable dishes were surprisingly good and I was shocked that I liked them because in general, I hate veggies.

This wrap was actually really delicious. It had spicy chicken, onions, tomatoes, sourberry, and some sort of greens in it and it was so good. It was basically a Turkish burrito. I love the fresh onions with  sourberry taste. It's just so fresh and tangy.

The main reason I went was because in the commercial, I saw the Turkish ice cream. Turkish ice cream is so amazing because it's chewy and stretches with you as you bite it. I just love the texture of it and how creamy it is. Unfortunately, this stall doesn't have a store or a restaurant I can go too...I was hoping for pistachio or lemon, but they only had vanilla and raspberry. Still very delicious.

Since I never got a picture of the ice cream stretching, while I was in Istanbul, I had to take a photo this time. Look at that stretch! It's like cheese on a pizza! Turkish ice cream is seriously the best ice cream I've had in my life and if you ever have the chance to try it, go for it! According to some people, the ice cream stretches because it's made out of goat milk, while others say it's because they use a seed that is only grown in Turkey to make it strechy.

They had a whole booth on the Turkish Van cat and I fell in love with it. I love how it likes to go swimming and take showers with you. Also, it enjoys eating melons, watermelons and chocolate. How adorable is that? Not to mention that one eye is blue and one is yellow. I love it when people/animals have different colored eyes. I don't know if this website is important, but it's the website that was on the business card for this booth.

What was really impressive was that this festival set up all the major tourist attractions of Turkey and the major cities, so that you got a feel for what Turkey is like. It was fun going to the Istanbul section and thinking, "I've been there!" It really made me want to go back and explore more or Turkey. It also made me miss Istanbul a tad.

This artist is so impressive. He does all his art by gluing down rocks and pebbles to paper. It must take him an awfully long time just to complete one of his pieces. You should check out his website to see all of the amazing pieces he's made. It was interesting just to watch him work. Overall, this festival was very interesting, had great food, everyone was extremely kind, and I'll definitely be going back to it next year. Compared to the Japan festival, this one was just so much more open, well prepared, thought out, and the prices were so much more reasonable.

Where do you get your favorite ice cream from?

Jack's Mannequin's People and Things

Playing: Amy I-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: Peoples and Things lyric booklet
There are very few things that I am able to keep on looking forward to for months and months. It's not because I have a short attention span or anything. I just have a lot of homework and tests to think about, so it's hard for me to think about how great something upcoming in my life is. However, Jack's Mannequin CDs, concerts, music videos, and anything Andrew McMahon related can keep me excited for months. I've been looking forward to getting Jack's Mannequin's new album, Peoples and Things, for two or three months now.

And it arrived this past Wednesday. I was kind of fangirling over my package until I realized, "Oh (insert word of choice here), it's been raining all day and my package is soaked!" The brown cardboard box it came in was sagging all over the place and was such a mess that I poked my finger right through the cardboard to open my package. Usually, poking a cardboard box and trying to open it does not work for me, so that's how soft the cardboard was from the rain.

Luckily, the CD and the postcards were wrapped in plastic, so they were in good shape still. Unfortunately, the lyrics booklet was soaked through and some of the ink ran. I stuck paper towels and napkins in between each page, so that the colors wouldn't run any more onto the other pages. I find it pretty interesting that the postcards were wrapped and the booklet wasn't. They should've wrapped both though because technically this package could've been mailed anywhere in the world. And anywhere in the world could be raining...I emailed them asking for a new autographed booklet two days ago, since I paid quite a bit of money for this package and the booklet is ruined. I'm still waiting for a reply.

I liked looking at all of the postcards and thinking about which places would be fun to visit. I love the earthy, retro feel of all the postcards and I'm probably too lame to mail them. I'm probably going to put them up on the walls of my room or something. Once I get all my posters up, I'll put these up too. I've been listening to this album nonstop for awhile and I really love all of it. It truly is a mixture of the upbeat Everything in Transit and the more serious Glass Passenger.

Do any of you remember my post on Joshua Tree National Park? And how I mentioned that it served as inspiration for Andrew McMahon. Well, here's some proof that I wasn't lying. On his postcard for California, he has a picture of Joshua Tree National Park at sunset. Pretty cool, huh? I am going to a Jack's Mannequin concert soon with my good friend, Rebecca, and The Academy Is... and Lady Danville will be there too, so I'll have to listen to some more of their music once I'm done memorizing this album. One day, I have to meet Andrew McMahon...I never thought I'd be one of those people that keep on seeing one musician again and again, but now I am. This next concert will be my 4th time seeing Andrew live.

Is there any musician that you keep on going to see? How many times have you seen them?

Chocolate and Seafood in San Francisco

Playing: The Days-Patrick Wolf
Reading: Elle Spring Summer 2011 Collections
I really haven't been up to much lately other than homework and studying. I think it may have been a bad idea to take two APs and an Honors, especially since the Honors is in my worst subject...I took a test in Chemistry today and finished off a very hard math problem and got the answer right, while most kids ran out of time and had to guess. Then when I got home, I was chatting with a friend on Facebook and he told me that I forgot about significant figures, so I actually got it wrong...I really hate myself sometimes. I'm truly sorry for my lack of posting, but the truth is I don't have enough energy or time to post after I'm done with homework. I pretty much just eat and go to bed now. To get my minds off of things, I want to do a post about something I did over summer break.

I went to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory for the first time, even though I've been to San Francisco multiple time. The line was so incredibly long, but it was worth it, so I could smell all the lovely chocolate.

I ended up sharing the Presidio Passion with my brother, but the whole time I spent waiting for it, I kept on thinking, I should've gotten the classic sundae because everyone around me got that and it looked great. However I am very happy with my choice. The fruit in it helps to lighten up the heavy chocolate.

We decided to walk to Pier 39 afterwards and the walk was freezing cold, even in my sweater. Obviously, I need a windproof jacket next time I go. I saw a segway tour group and it made me laugh because segways remind me of Weird Al.

I posted pictures of the sea lions at Pier 39 last year, but I wanted to do another photo because they're just so cute. This one drunk lady was yelling all sorts of things at the sea lions...It was quite humorous at first, but then it started getting annoying.

While walking around, I just decided to take a photo to show you the touristy center of Pier 39. I like the carnival theme, but it's a bit odd, considering everything else is themed around a fishing wharf. Still, it's pleasant and I like walking around this area.

The real reason my family goes to Pier 39 is for the food. We love to have seafood, so we decided to try the Pier Market, which was owned by the guy that came up with the idea of Pier 39. The clam chowder was pretty good, but I still prefer Manhattan clam chowder over New England.

My brother had been craving a lobster sandwich the whole day, so he grabbed a lobster sandwich, while I grabbed a crab melt. It was very good, but I found it too rich after the first half, so I encourage sharing or skipping on the clam chowder, if you're going to eat this. Also, squeezing some fresh lemon juice on it really brightens up the flavor.

What book are you currently reading? 

I'm reading Catcher in the Rye for school and so far, I love Holden Caulfield. We could be best friends. My mum's response to that was, "You're just like your father. You like rebels and odd people." My English teacher told us as we go on, through the book, we're not going to like him as much, so that makes me pretty upset.