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.

"The Fog That Surrounds Us"

Playing: On Top of the World-Boys Like Girls
Reading: Season 10 Q&A: Gunnar Deatherage Predicts the Winner by Laura Reineke

After Cannery Row, my family and I went to Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf to look around. It's absolutely beautiful down there, especially when it's foggy. I like the way the fog looks like it's coming down over the hills in this photo and how the bright buildings pop out.

We walked up and down the pier for fishermen, looking at the sea lions swimming around, and then we went off to the more touristy area just to look around. My brother and I grabbed some roasted garlic from a stand that I can't remember the name of. The man selling them told us to eat it by itself with our hands, but then we saw another group, spreading it on bread. The people with bread probably had the right idea.

The drive back to Berkeley proved long and crowded due to a car accident, but luckily the scenery was beautiful. Once the fog cleared, the sky was open and immense, completely blue and clear. The fields were incredibly green and much nicer than the poor excuse of a farm we have in my town, where everything is wilted.

 By the time we got back to Berkeley, it was dinner time, so we went off to one of my favorite places in Berkeley, Brazil Cafe. They have a sit down restaurant that I haven't been to and then the shack along the road that I always go to. It's really quirky and the food is good, so I always have to go.

 

I ordered Pedro's Favorite Tri-tip Sandwich with a Mango Smoothie. If you're ever in the Berkeley area, this is a must try. The tri-tip is tender and tastes so amazing with the jalapeno peppers, onions, tomatoes, goat cheese, and their special sauce. The Mango Smoothie serves to cool down your mouth, when the peppers get to be too much. On a warm day, you can sit outside the little hut, but for the day I was there, it was too cold, so I sat around in my hotel room, eating. It was like room service, only cheaper.

Stole the quote from Henri Matisse

Just One More Day

Playing: Only the Young-Brandon Flowers
Reading: Avantgarde Harajuku

For my last day in Berkeley, my parents helped my brother and his roommates set up his apartment, so I spent my time working on summer assignments for AP United States History, which was terribly boring. We went to a gourmet take out place offering French food called Gregoire for lunch. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Patty with Nueski's Bacon and Roasted Peach on Pantofolia, which was delicious except for the lettuce overload. One or two leaves would've been more than enough, but they just stuffed it with tons and tons of lettuce. This restaurant is located in a really cute area of town and all the food is very good, so I highly suggest this place.

To keep myself from dying from boredom, while reading my APUSH assignments, my brother took me around Berkeley, where we visited T-Shirt Orgy. T-Shirt Orgy claims to have the largest collection of
t-shirts in the world and all of their tops are organized by movies, music, etc. There are three levels, offering joke shirts, Cal basics, and other various things necessary for Berkeley students.. The collection is amazing and even if it isn't the largest one in the word, it's still impressive.

While walking around, I came across this message. I love how everyone in the bay area is pretty hippie-ish and environmentally aware, not to mention pretty quirky. Where I live, everything is so clean cut that they'd probably cover this up with a new layer of cement. I guess that's also the reason why everyone wants to move into my town...

One of the laundromats there had a free book pile, so I picked up the three most random books I could find on the Mickey Mouse Club, the year 1873, and  a collection of satirical pieces on Japan. I haven't gotten the chance to read them yet, but if they're good, I'll let you know. My brother's roommate, Joon, is done with his mythology course, so I took his textbook, figuring I enjoy mythology anyways.

For my last dinner in Berkeley, my brother took my parents and me to down town Berkeley to Nanayiro, where I ordered the Nabe Beef Udon. The mushrooms weren't  cooked in anyway, so it had a very earthy taste to it, but I really enjoyed having  the raw egg, so that I could stir it into the soup. Overall, it was good, but wasn't one of the best places I ate at, while up in Berkeley. The service was friendly and the menu had a roll called the Sexy Roll, so who knows. Go try it and let me know.

"Summer in San Francisco, Kissing Chlorine in the Swimming Pool"

Playing: A Matter of Time-The Killers
Reading: Guns Inquiry Urges Action Against 14 in Justice Dept. by Charlie Savage

Whenever I drop off my brother at college, I always spend a day exploring San Francisco, which my uncle describes as the most beautiful city in the world. For my first stop, my family and I went to Coit Tower, which offers a great view of the surrounding city. Plus, it's a nice area to walk around and there are plenty of European and Korean tourists there, if you're looking to work on your foreign language skills.

For lunch, I went to Tartine Bakery, which Lisa recommended. After reading some Yelp reviews, I decided to try one of their croque monsieurs and ordered the shitake mushroom one. Unfortunately, the croque monsieurs aren't made to order and aren't even reheated. However, the taste is good and my dad thought it was the best dish we ordered. I also shared a small pastry with my brother called the Frangipane Tart, which had blueberries in a puff pastry tart with almond. I would definitely try all the pastries there, if you go. There was also this super model-y looking guy there that I talked to until his boyfriend whisked him away. Figures the one time I decide to be bold and talk to a cute guy, he would be in a relationship...

Right down the street was Bi-Rite Creamery, which I've read about in many magazines, so I had to try the two flavors that were recommended the most, the Salted Caramel and the Balsamic Strawberry. I have to agree with Lisa that Tartine Bakery is more of a must. The pastries there were amazing, while the ice cream at Bi-Rite was truthfully only ok. They did have interesting flavors that day like Basil and Olive Oil and have cool employees, all with multiple piercings, dyed hair, and cool hair cuts.

After lunch, I visited the Presidio of San Francisco to hike and look around. I regret not taking a look at the Walt Disney museum there, but I enjoyed looking around the water line. If you want, you can come here for a less crowded view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which surprisingly enough isn't golden. That shocked me a lot, when I was little and watching Full House. Here's a quick note though, wear warm clothing. I couldn't hike that long because I was running around in a thin sweater and jeans. Not windy weather attire at all.

On the same road along the Presidio is the Palace of Fine Arts, which I saw on Lisa's blog and her blog kind of became my place to check out where I should go in San Francisco. It's absolutely beautiful there and it's interesting to see all this Greek/Roman influence in an area that was never occupied by them. (No duh...America wasn't "discovered" until 1492 and the Greeks/Romans lost power before we ever got to four digits.) If you have time, I recommend walking around the area and looking at all the cute houses. The styles differ tremendously so.

Actually now that I think about it, the driving time to get from place to place wasn't bad at all. With not much trouble at all, we got down to the Fisherman's Wharf just to walk around because my brother likes it down there. We mostly wanted to go to watch the sea lions roll around and be lazy like sea lions do. This is also a great area to go, if you're into boats. They have tons of boats from different eras to explore. I'm pretty sure you buy one ticket to visit all the ships.

For dinner, we headed back to Berkeley to go to one of my favorite restaurants up there called Gypsy's Trattoria Italiana, which offers amazing food at extremely low prices. My brother and I always get the cream sauce or Alfredo sauce with our pasta. (Yes, there is a difference.) I have to admit the cream sauce is better, but for this trip I got the Shrimp Alfredo, which came with tons of shrimp. All dishes come with toasted bread and roasted garlic, which is one of the best parts of the meal.

For dessert, I walked down the street to go to Cookies Rule Everything Around Me. For only $2, you get a scoop of ice cream squished between two fresh baked cookies. I usually share mine with my brother and our favorite is Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. The other one my dad got was Blueberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The great thing about CREAM is that they offer vegan and gluten free choices that way everyone can enjoy no matter what their dietary restrictions are. I actually think Berkeley is extremely underrated in the food circle because they offer a wide variety of ethnic foods at a low price that tastes amazing. I have not had a bad meal there.

Title from "The Future" by Patrick Wolf

"Cannery Row...is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream."

Playing: Love Will Tear Us Apart-Joy Division
Reading:"La Dernière Classe" by Alphonse Daudet

One of my favorite books is John Steinbeck's Cannery Row because it chronicles the lives of this eclectic community and shows how everyone is intertwined. Even though everyone in the book has their flaw, they're deep down good people and that's what makes everyone so lovable. After hearing about Sophie going there, I asked my parents if we could go on one of our days up in Berkeley and they agreed. First of all, the drive down is gorgeous beyond belief and I wish I had time to stop off and hike everywhere. Second of all, I will save that for a day when I am older and have adventurous friends. Anyways, we got to Cannery Row around 11:00AM and it was really foggy outside, but nice to look at. A lot of the old fish canneries were still there too.

The whole area is cute to walk around, but it's super touristy with tacky restaurants everywhere, trying to lure you in. If I had more time that day, I would've loved to have gone kayaking amongst the sea otters. See the little dots in the photo? Those are sea otters! Not only am I really good at kayaking, but I heard the otters were very friendly and would paw at your kayak. I'll definitely have to try that one day.

If you read Cannery Row, you'll probably like the rest of the photos. Here is Pacific Biological Laboratories, which is the basis for Doc's Western Biological in the book. Doc was actually based off of one of Steinbeck's good friends, Edward F. Ricketts. Ricketts owned Pacific Biological Laboratories and was a biologist that wrote on everything from Buddhism to Bach.

Wing Chong's was the inspiration for Lee Chong's in the book, which is kind of obvious due to the fact that the names are so similar. Wing Chong's was a real store, even though it went out of business awhile ago, but it's still there and other shops have filled it. I can't remember which stores, but I think mostly touristy shops with t-shirts and such.

Although it's no longer a whorehouse, since Cannery Row is a family friendly area, the Bear Flag Restaurant is still there. In the book, Bear Flag Restaurant is owned by a lady named Dora, but in real life, it's owned by a woman named Flora. See? Not much of a name change here either. Personally, after visiting, I think Cannery Row is a dedication to the people of Cannery Row, even the bums, because Steinbeck loved them all so much. That's why all the characters are good people because Steinbeck saw them that way and he didn't see all the bad parts. At least, that's what I think.

Have you read Cannery Row?

"We're Going Up-Up-Up"

Playing: Good Old Days-Matt Maltese (Have had this on repeat for days!)
Reading: Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear: Alexander Wang by Nicole Phelps
I started the new school year and my General Physics class is a complete joke so far. I wish there was another science class I could switch into. The AP science courses are too difficult, but the college prep classes are way too easy and what I really need is an Honors Physics class right now. The discrepancy between the two levels is too large and there's nothing for people like me, who are in between. Plus, science is my worst subject. End rant. Enjoy the photos.

Before I had to go back to school, my family and I had to drop my brother off at college, which involved our annual six to eight hour (depending on traffic) drive up to Berkeley. Although the scenery is pretty to look at, it stays constant throughout most of the ride, so eventually you start to get this feeling that you've seen this all before. On the bright side, it gave me six to eight hours to listen to my new Killers CDs and some other CDs I had in the car.

We finally got to our hotel, the Claremont Resort and Spa, some time in the afternoon, where we unloaded all our stuff. The Claremont Resort and Spa is a pretty hotel and very nice, but I find the service to be either great or really awful depending on who I ask for help. This time there weren't any problems with the service, but the last two times, I had to deal with sassy workers and not sassy in a fun way.

While walking around Berkeley, there was this cool apartment complex that had all these plants dripping down like a waterfall. It was absolutely gorgeous and was a interesting contrast to the clean lines of the building. Also, imagine hanging out with friends on the patio up above.

For dinner, my brother suggested Noodle Theory, which always has a long line. We waited for thirty-five minutes in the cold outside just to get a table. The things my family will do for food. It was completely worth it though because I thought this was one of the best places we ate at. The Mr. Q Cumber Cucumber Soda was refreshing and a nice way to cool off your mouth after all the spicy foods. For our appetizer, we ordered the Chinese Five Spice Sweet Potato Fries with a Thai Green Curry Aioli. The aioli didn't really taste like curry to me, more like a cinnamon dip, but nonetheless, it was very tasty and the sweet potato fries were crispy and hot.

The Grilled Niman Ranch Beef with Udon in a Coconut Lime Curry Broth was so amazing. The broth was flavorful and the beef was tender, while the udon did soak up some of the flavor. Out of all the dishes my family ordered, I thought this one was the best, even though everything else was super delicious too. Despite the long wait, I highly recommend eating here at least once. I will be uploading more photos from my trip soon, so please look forward for those. 

Post Title from Loreen's "Euphoria"

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?

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.

Winchester Mystery House

Mood: Frustrated
Playing: Come Dancing-The Kinks
Ok, so I haven't been blogging as actively as I would like because Biology is taking up much of my time. We're dissecting a fetal pig in class and we have to do these Human Trivia Questions for homework. There are over 150 questions and I don't know when the due date is, so I'm going to do 10 questions a day. Yay for not procrastinating! Also, my Geometry teacher is so funny! In class he was teaching us Euler's theorem and then he pointed at a drawing of the mathematician and said, "He's one of those dead white guys on my wall over there!"
This weekend was pretty good, though. On Saturday, I celebrated my very good friend's Confirmation. My family went to their house and celebrated with his extended family. We had a great time and it gave me a great idea of what I should expect next year, when I'm confirmed. Last night, my brother watched Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Adventures with me. We got through 6 episodes. How mature are we? VERY MATURE! We did is more because I watched it, when I was little. It's so cute and guess what? It's from the 80's!

Anyways, I'm supposed to tell you about my trip to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose from almost a month ago. I visited it before I preformed for History Day. (The way I talk about History Day, you'd think it was all I do in my free time.) When you walk in, you're greeted by cheery pastel colors and calliope music.

There are 160 rooms and all the rooms are just built over each other. It's just a rambling, twisting mansion. Legend has it that Mrs. Winchester was told by a psychic that in order to appease the spirits that killed her husband and newborn daughter, she had to build on her house continuously for the rest of her life. For 38 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, people built more and more onto her mansion. Where did she get all this money to build the house? Well, her husband was the owner of the Winchester Firearms Company, so she made $1,000 a day. (We aren't allowed to take photos, while on the tour, so this photo was rather rebellious of me!)

We're allowed to take photos from the outside, so look at how amazing this house is! It was an expanding mass, kind of like our universe! The architecture is quite beautiful, really, and you all know how much I love looking at pretty buildings...

This house is pretty crazy. There are doors that lead nowhere, doors that lead you into a wall, rooms with one way in and no way out, and sets of stairs with over 40 steps that only take you one floor up. See that black hole in the side of the house? That's the door that leads to nowhere. It's basically a window that can be opened all the way. Overall, I guess it wasn't that creepy, but I bet you $5 that if I had gone at night, I would've been scared out of my mind. On Friday the 13th, they let you into the house at night with only a small flashlight, so you can scare yourself silly.

If you're not into the creepier side of the Winchester Mystery House, I suggest spending your time outside, exploring the gardens. The gardens are stunning and you can look at all the pretty stained glass from the outside. It was such a nice distraction from the competition, but it was extremely expensive. It costs $30 a person! There are 3 tours, so there are cheaper options. Also, be warned, you aren't allowed to bring food or drinks inside and the food there is really expensive! It's really rather lovely. It's nice to imagine what it would've been like, when Mrs. Winchester was alive.

Have you gone through Confirmation or has anyone you've known gone through it?

State History Day in San Jose

Mood: Relieved
Playing: She's Got you High-Mumm-Ra
My apologies for not blogging in a long time. I've been busy with various things including History Day, but that is no longer an issue because last weekend (April 29-May1), I was in San Jose to compete at State level! I'm not going on to Nationals, but it was nice to get out of my town for a few days. This year, I did my project with Tiffany and Tina. It was a performance called The Great Debate on Neville Chamberlain's Appeasement of Hitler. Pretty serious topic for me, eh? Vivian was there too, but she did an exhibit on Nixon's Trip to China. Overall, it was pretty fun exploring San Jose, but we started off the trip by driving to Berkeley right after getting off the air plane to grab my brother.

I thought an obligatory photo of the drive there was quite necessary for this post. Look how pretty it is with the sunset slowly seeping into the ocean.

Since I'm a connoisseur of fine art, I had to take a photo of this painting. (It's hard to tell sarcasm through the internet, huh?) Of course, this painting is absolutely epic and I saw it at an art gallery in Berkeley.

My brother took me to this Italian restaurant in what the Berkeley students call the Asian Ghetto. It has amazing food and it's so cheap. My whole family got seafood dishes and it was only $7 a dish. Not to mention, it tastes great, especially the Alfredo ones.

Afterwards, we went to this crazy place called CREAM, which had these really amazing cookie and ice cream sandwiches for only $2 each. The cookies are still warm too, which is a major plus for me! Oh my goodness, just looking at the photo makes me want one! Haha, the guy working there randomly breaks out into song and he does a good rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework."

I stayed at the Double Tree in San Jose because that's where National History Day was hosted. It was a very nice hotel and it had free Wi-Fi. If I had known that, I would've brought my laptop. I also loved how they had these water stations everywhere with all these fruits in the water. It gave the water a nice crisp, citrus taste. Overall, I guess History Day was pretty fun other than the fact that my group didn't move on and dominate in the performance area, like I was hoping for! Haha, but they had this ceremony-like thing, where they announced who was going onto Finals and there were two very attractive guys there. One was a brunette with short hair wearing a green and navy striped shirt, while the other had long-ish blonde hair and was the brunette's friend. If either of these vague descriptions is you, let me know. I think we can be friends.

Have you ever competed in a national academic competition?

Edit-Blogger was down for awhile, so I couldn't reply to any of your comments. Unfortunately, Blogger deleted the 4 comments on this post from before, so if you wouldn't mind re-commenting, that'd be nice.