High School Recap

Playing: Aviation High-Semi Precious Weapons
Reading: The Iraqi Friends We Abandoned by Kirk W. Johnson

Left to Right: Cliff, Joshua, me and Alex

So much has happened and so quickly too. Thought I'd catch you guys up on the last month of high school. I went to prom and chose to go short (again) with my dress because a) I fell in love with this Dolce and Gabbana dress over six months ago and b) long dresses aren't a standard in SoCal. I went with my friend, Alex, with a big group of people. Up above, you see what I title "Admiration" in which three of my best male friends simultaneously propose to me.

Left to Right: Clare, Linh, me and Simi

For the last week of school, the student government group hosted a bunch of senior only activities. Since it was my last week, I felt kind of nostalgic and decided to be more involved at school and showed up to our own color festival. Some person tossed a handful of blue powder at me, so I went around like an abnormally large smurf for most of the festival.

The day before graduation I hosted a bonfire with my friend, Simi. We spent the majority of our time playing an easier version of volleyball, roasting corn, and burying friends before the tide washed them away. We even tried the whole silhouette photo thing, which didn't work out as well as I had hoped for because you can still see what colors we're all wearing. However, I think the 90s girl group pose more than makes up for it. 

Left to Right: Tina, Clare, Simi, Linh and me

Lastly, I graduated two days ago. Graduation wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. For the most part, I found it rather long and stretched out. The speeches were cliche and/or juvenile and no one knew when to toss the cap, so my whole row tossed it before graduation was over, causing us to hit several students in the head. Afterwards, we ran off to grad night, which is basically an after party held at school until five in the morning. That was pretty fun. I'm off to Japan this weekend, so  I don't know if I'll have access to a computer. I may update on this blog, but I'm not entirely sure yet. If you want to see how my Japan trip is going down though, follow me on Instagram @this_is_audrey. I'll be updating a lot there.

Pomona Photo Diary

Playing: Rollercoaster-Bleachers (THE BEST 80S THROWBACK YOU COULD ASK FOR)
Reading: Green Children of Woolpit Wikipedia Page

I know, I know. This is my third time seeing Hellogoodbye, but I'm still not over them. I saw them at the Glass House with Sarah again and Austin instead of Chad this time. The area around it is called the art district and it has a great vibe, filled with galleries, thrift stores, and concert halls. Strangers You Know, Wild Party, and Vacationer opened up for Hellogoodbye this time around. Wild Party was by far the best and the lead singer, Lincoln Kreifels, is totally my new BFFL. Lincoln handed me all three of the set lists for my friends and me, so I now have my first set list ever. After the show, we talked to him about Texas (his and Sarah's home state) and about his upcoming tour with my favorite musician, Andrew McMahon. Of course, we stayed late to talk to the hella good guys (Lame nickname, I know). Even though Forrest Kline left early for his wife's birthday, we still got to spend time with Augustine Rampolla (who is the sweetest), Andrew Richards (the sassiest), and Mike Garzon, who is always great because he was a good sport as Sarah complimented his face and he has the best shoes. Hellogoodbye round 4, anyone?

time to say goodbye

Playing: Somewhere Only We Know-Keane
Reading: The Honor Code by Kwame Anthony Appiah

It's hard to believe it's been three weeks, since I visited Berkeley. I really love it up there. It feels both more urban and more rural there in a way than where I live. A complete paradox, but the gardens are less tame and the trees grow higher yet there is absolutely nowhere to park your car, which is the case in most cities. Another perk about Berkeley is its cute stores and markets, which are mixed with Berkeley's more famous laid back, anti-authoritarian spirit. (For example, my brother lived a block away from an indoor Swedish ski resort style food court that was next to three medical marijuana stores in a row.)

The reason why I visited Berkeley was to attend my brother's graduation from UC Berkeley. Yeah, that's how smart my brother is-he survived all four years at the sixth best university in the world, according to Times Higher Education. It's weird to think that I won't be heading up in that general area for a long time, since my brother won't be there.

I have several friends that turned down UC Berkeley for UCLA and I really wonder why. I know that UCLA is in a nice neighborhood and that it's known for good looking people, but you can't beat Berkeley's atmosphere. Some of their dorms look like English boarding schools and the town itself is so great.

Talking about how great the city is, Berkeley honestly has the best food. Not only do they have your standard American food, they have revamped versions of almost every country's cuisine. Joshu-ya serves up some amazing Asian fusion dishes such as this pork belly soba, which is fatty, spicy, and refreshing all at the same time. Not to mention, there's also a creative noodle bar, the best Italian joint ever (at the best price ever), a Brazilian hut that focuses on amazing sandwiches, and a Pacific Cookie Company, which sells the craziest, most delicious cookies called Cherry Bombs. If nothing else, on your next San Francisco trip, you should stop by Berkeley for all the food.

New York Photo Diary: Part 2

Playing: Hard to Explain-The Strokes
Reading: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Other than spending inordinate amounts of time shopping and eating, I did manage to fit in a trip to MoMa and the Guggenheim. MoMA is definitely worth visiting, while the Guggenheim can be rather dull other than its fun spiral design. Pictured above are 30 Rock (where Holden Caulfield went ice skating with Sally Hayes), a church near Washington Square Park, a raspberry cronut from Mille Feuille, and some shots taken at MoMA.
In case you were wondering why I was in New York, I was out there visiting NYU, which I will be attending in the fall. That means that I will be moving to the city that Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Simon Doonan, Anna Wintour, etc. call home, which is pretty exciting. If you could give me tips on how to survive winter time, it would be much appreciated. What clothes do I wear? Is it possible to look cute in a puffy coat? Am I going to survive? Will I get stabbed on a subway? The world may never know, but maybe you can help.