Korean? Check.

Chinese? Check.

Singaporean? Check.

Why not just put a big fat sticker on my forehead saying, “AZN PRYDE”. Because that was basically what my Taiwanese housemate and I were trying to infuse into our little Southern belle, Mimi.
Doesn’t she look excited?

You see, I found out that my housemate, Kenny, is kind of a foodie. In fact, this guy has an even more extensive spice rack than I do, and every evening, I’ll enter the main house to find him cooking up some Paprika chicken or lemony pasta. Well, this guy Kenny has connections. He might not have a car (shakes fist), but he has an “uncle” who does.

Now, in Chinese culture (maybe western culture too?) we (I mean they) call any older male “uncle”, or “shu-shu”. Usually this person will be a family friend, and it’s a term of endearment and respect. So Kenny’s “uncle” is not really his uncle by blood, but he might as well be, because apparently Uncle spoils Kenny rotten…and this time, Kenny invited Mimi and me for an afternoon of pampering, too.

And by pampering, I do mean being fed. Not just any food. I’m talking about real, authentic Chinese food, because we were going to go to one of the true Chinese communities of L.A, Arcadia.

Like real budget-conscious students, we took a metro bus.
It was about a 30 minute ride, and throughout the trip, Kenny and I bragged about the fabulosity of real Chinese cuisine. The “Singaporean” side of me reared its “kiasu” head though, as I passionately preached about how Singapore has the best Chinese food:
Now, “Chinese cuisine” is a freaking broad term. It’s not just limited to Hunan or Sze Chuan cuisine, and is most definitely not defined by chop suey and fortune cookies! I originally had this Hong Kong place in mind (highly recommended by Yelp), but when we arrived in Arcadia, Uncle took one look at the place and said, “No! This place sucks! I take you to better one! Yeah?”

Lead away, Uncle. Our gastronomical fate is in your hands.

But of course, for a true Chinese style meal, we needed a huge group, so Uncle also invited his girlfriend, Cindy, and another son of his friend, Chris. Thus the six of us—Uncle, Cindy, “nephew” #1 Kenny, “nephew” #2 Chris, Mimi, and I swarmed into a garish, Cantonese restaurant called Tasty Garden.
I swear, the corny names always sound better in Chinese. I left the menu orders to Uncle and Cindy, which was very unlike me. Usually I’m the one ordering for my group, but this time, I knew I was in the hands of a professional eater.
Well, I was right. Because every single dish that Uncle ordered was great. We first started off with drinks:
This is Hong Kong-syle Iced Coffee with Milk Tea. It is what the name says. Coffee with milk tea? Yes, and it’s genius. You get the kick from the bitter coffee, but toned down considerably with plenty of milk, and the soothing fragrance of Oolong tea. I didn’t order one because I already had a Venti Iced Coffee from Starbucks that morning, and started regretting it.

Then, the food arrived. First, Pan-Fried Shrimp with Egg:
The name does not do it justice. It’s not shrimp with egg. It’s juicy shrimp enveloped in a creamy, rich egg silk. The egg seriously just glides down your throat; it is so smooth and velvety.
This was one of my favorite dishes. But more to come.

Next was Deep-Fried Tofu with Seafood:
Or, in my mind, crispy, creamy tofu custard with crunchy vegetables and smooth white fish. The tofu is the star of this dish, of course, but every other element in here was cooked perfectly, as well. The clear, seafood-infused gravy was rich but not cloying, and the sugar snap peas still retained its bright crunchiness.
This could have been my favorite fish, except it was tofu and what can I say? I’m heavily biased against tofu.

Third dish—House Special Chicken:
Uncle was actually most excited to introduce this dish to us. I think it’s his favorite dish, but it wasn’t mine. It tasted a lot like Hainanese chicken to me, the steamed chicken served in chicken rice, the famous Singaporean dish.
Eh. It wasn’t bad, but I got a particularly bloody piece, and the pimply, leathery skin kind of turns my appetite off. By the way, I don’t know if this is true of all Chinese people, but from my personal experience, they seem to love feeding chicken to people they think need a bit more flesh. “Eat more chicken!” Uncle encouraged me. “You need to get fatter! Here, eat chicken!”

But he was saying a similar thing to Kenny and Mimi too. “Feed the ladies!” he ordered Kenny, gesturing for him to spoon food into our plates. Kenny obliged dutifully, and Mimi and I both accepted the first servings of this Filet Mignon with Mushroom in Black Pepper Sauce:
Mmm…YES! This was AWESOME—the chunks of beef was so tender, so soft, without any trace of stringiness. The sauce was pungent and flavorful, and the mushrooms just soaked up all those juices. The smell was so lovely that I couldn’t even take a decent picture without shaking with anticipation!
But this is when cultures clashed. “Have you ever had beef this tender?” Kenny said proudly.

Mimi lifted her equally proud Southern chin. “Dear,” she said patiently. “I’m from Texas. We know our beef.”

Meanwhile, I rolled my eyes. “Beef, schmeef. Everyone knows Korean galbi is the King of Beef.”

And beside us, Uncle said happily to Chris, “Eat more chicken!”

Anyway. Texan, Chinese, or Korean, cow is freaking awesome when cooked right!

But the following dish was even better, if that’s even possible:
Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushroom. Bok choy is one of my favorite vegetables. And shitake! The ones here was really thick, meaty slabs of shitake mushroom, infused with a bold oyster sauce.

And lastly, Pan-Fried Fish Filets with Seasonal Vegetables:
I think the vegetables are Kailan? Who cares? They were beautiful. “We need to balance the fried meat with healthy veggies,” Uncle said, ignoring the fact that the vegetables all came glistening in oil.
The fish in this dish was like velvet. It practically just dissolved in my mouth. I think it was either halibut or tilapia, but I’ve never had white fish so flavorful.

All the above dishes were served family-style. That’s one thing I love about most Chinese meals. We rarely order our own dishes. Instead, there’s always someone who orders for the entire table, and we all share. Usually, I like having autonomy over my meal choices, but I didn’t mind relegating this authority to Uncle, who clearly knows how to eat. And also, he paid. I felt bad, but he was signing the bill before I knew it. Damn fast!

As you can see, the meal was amazing. I don’t understand why this restaurant was 100% Chinese customers. Why don’t other people know about this restaurant? Mimi was the only white gal here! The girl is still proud of her Texan beef, but she agreed that the food was wonderful. Certainly nothing like Panda Express.

After the heavy meal, we all went shopping at a Chinese grocery store, where we all went crazy stocking up on Asian goods. The perfect end to a perfect meal with the perfect company.
Oh, and at the end of the day, all beef culture clash was forgotten when Mimi, Kenny and I all teamed up to convince Chris (who is a high school junior) to forget UCLA and apply to USC. The poor guy couldn’t even mutter “UCLA” without us three glowering at him.
Ah. The beauty and diplomacy of school spirit. And oh, the joy of a well-fed sunny afternoon. Just look at that food belly! Apparently, I could also barely keep my eyes open.

I know it’s only been 2 weeks since class started. But is it possible to burn out just 2 weeks into school?

I’m really feeling challenged in a lot of different ways. First of all, it’s been hard to keep my spiritual life clear-minded and focused—it’s like I’m being pulled in all directions and I barely have the time to sit down calmly and concentrate on deepening my relationship with God.

Second, I’m having managing my academic schedule. Especially when I’m being asked by my editor to attend a 9pm film screening and send a 1000-word review by the following day.

That means I arrive home at midnight and start typing right away, send the review to my editors, and then eat a super late dinner/breakfast. I get to doze for a couple hours before waking up at 7am for my super early morning class, which runs till 2pm and includes 2 quizzes and a presentation. Hit the “backward” button, and repeat. With lots and lots of coffee.

This week was particularly bad. My erratic sleep patterns was taking a toil on not just my physique but my emotional health, and I was feeling incredibly cranky. On Thursday I missed a quiz because I was 4 minutes late to class and my professor refused to let me take it. And then I find out I had done my Chinese homework wrongly.

To put it mildly, I was bummed. I felt like God wasn’t holding up His end of the bargain. Where were the answers to my prayers? At this rate I was gonna crash—spiritually, academically, and emotionally.

But then I realized that this is God’s answer to my prayers. Reading back my prayer request, I’ve basically asked Him to train me, to improve me. Obviously, there can’t be any personal development if everything is easy-breezy. God is pushing me, and as much as I bitch about it…I can feel myself learning and growing.

So what can I do? Well, first of all, reduce my whining, and instead, give thanks to God for being my personal trainer. And then, possibly, try to bear through all my challenges with grace, wisdom, and…gladness.

One of them is her ability to just casually chat up anyone she meets randomly, whether while studying in Starbucks, or lining up at the grocery store. And no matter who that stranger is, he or she responds warmly. Maybe it’s because Mimi just talks to you like you’re already her friend. Or maybe it’s her charming Southern drawl. Probably the fact that she’s a cute redhead with freckles can’t hurt when it comes to guys. But whatever the reason, I think it’s a trait to be admired.

I was never really able to cultivate this ease in conversations. Having been brought up in an Asian culture, I was mostly taught to mind my own business and not make eye contact with strangers. Actually, any attempts to happily discuss the weather on the bus in Singapore, and I’d probably find myself standing amidst a clearing, no matter how crowded the bus.

Anyway. It’s one of my goals to be able to comfortably talk with anyone, at any place, without getting nervous and sounding incoherent (my stupid accent thickens when I get flustered). My journalistic career depends on it, because my nerves trip me up when it comes to interviews.

Well, today, I had the perfect chance. To talk to a perfect stranger. And I do mean, he was a perfectly chiseled stud.

See, this is what happened: I left my cell phone in the lecture hall. I was feeling rather dozy that morning, so I must have left in a daze, because I could not remember for my life where I put my cell phone, and as we all know, cell phones are our life.

I rushed back to my lecture hall in a frenzy (though I briefly debated just giving it up as lost so I can convince my parents to get me an iPhone). But when I reached the spot where I was sitting before, I didn’t see my cell phone anywhere.

I panicked.  And I couldn’t exactly start getting on my knees and searching for it, because students were piling in for the next class. Holy crap, I thought. God, I’m so sorry I was greedy and despised my cell phone for not being an iPhone. Please, let me just find my old phone.

“Are you looking for something?” someone asked.

I turned around, and this annoyingly good-looking guy was staring at me staring at the floor in despair. Usually I would just shrug, mumble something, and avoid eye contact. Then I realized this would be a great chance to work on my people skills.

I told him I lost my cell phone. We chatted for awhile. Casually. Friendlily. I wasn’t even nervous at all!  Then he offered his cell phone so that I can call mine. So far, so good. I dialed my number.

And less than a second later, the familiar tune of Aladdin’s “Prince Ali” blared loudly from the back pockets of my skinny jeans.

Oh. Freaking. SHIT, I thought. That was my cell phone. Singing “Prince Ali, Fabulous He!” with impossible loudness from my butt. 

My face turned a thousand shades of red. How the hell did I forget I had stuck it in my back pocket? Why the hell did I set it to the loudest volume? Why the hell did I choose that Disney tune?

“Uh, what’s that?” my perplexed stranger said. His expression got suspicious.

“He’s got ninety-five white Persian monkeys, He’s got the monkeys, let’s see the monkeys,” my damn cell phone sang back.

“Oh, gosh, I’m late for my next class,” I exclaimed, shoving his cell phone back into his hands, and darted off as fast as my legs would carry me.

And that was the end of my casual conversation with a stranger. Clearly, the world is against me.

Oh well. It’s not the end of the world. All I did was completely humiliate myself in front of a good-looking stranger. If I’m careful enough, I never have to see him again. That’s the good thing about chatting with strangers, I guess. You don’t have to see each other again. But within that short period of time, you just enjoy each other’s company.

So, I lost my perfect chance then, but I still have other chances. For now, I’ll stick with familiar people though. I need time to build up my courage again.

Funny how I have no problem dealing with unfamiliar foods, though. When it comes to food, I love trying out adventurous, novel cuisines and food combinations. This sense of gastronomical creativity comes easily to me, and I was surprised to find that not everyone shares the same audacity as me when it comes to food.

Except, this image of this fabulous sandwich is seriously distracting from my work right now. And I really need to go back to my truckloads of assignments and readings. More bitching to come. Anticipate. Yeah, you.

First of all, we now rank higher than UCLA at 23rd in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 ranking. What what! Hoots of triumph rippled all across downtown LA, while hoots of outrage rang in Westwood, LA. This news has stirred many a caustic debate, that’s for sure.

I’ve not attended UCLA so I can’t judge which school is really better, but it still feels super good to be a Trojan right now. Sorry, Bruins, but we’re not just the University of the Spoiled Children; we’re legitimately smart and talented.

Now, truth be told, there was one thing I always felt the Bruins had better than us, and that was dining options. I think my school campus is gorgeous, but we aren’t exactly the place for gourmands. We have a few notable Latin eateries in the vicinity, but the campus itself just has crap food. Think rubbery chicken, disgusting burgers, and Baja Fresh, which really should be called Bah! Ha! “Fresh”. I mean, we don’t even have an In-N-Out, or a decent grocery store. When it comes to campus dining, the Bruins definitely has a leg up.

Well, all’s about to change, because a few new eateries have arrived into our new Campus Center. Apparently we have a lot of rich alumni who just love to shower money on us, such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Recently, this dude Ronald Tutor donated $30 million to build this fabulous building, which only just opened the beginning of this Fall. 
Hm, maybe they’re right. Perhaps we are the University of the Spoiled Children after all, because right now, we’re just being spoiled rotten with all the amazing new facilities and options opening left and right.
Just check out the posh outdoor patio!
Wouldn’t you just love to curl up on one of those seats right there on a warm afternoon, next to the cool rushing fountain, glass of ice-cold lemonade in hand? Looks like several students have already camped here with their drinks and iPhones:
They got the students to vote on which eateries they wanted in the campus center food court, and I was a bit pissed to see Panda Express camped in there. I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to intense bitterness towards bastardized “Chinese” cuisine. But I was thoroughly sedated when I found this snazzy new place on the second floor:
Remember selling lemonade for a few cents when you were a kid? Lemonade is a twist on the elementary school lemonade stand. It combines this concept with the nostalgia of school cafeterias to create a high-end lunch cafe.
Mimi and I have been plotting a lunch date here as soon as we heard about place. We even somehow twisted our Daily Trojan editor’s arm into having our meals comped, so that we can review this place fully.
Playing off the school cafeteria concept means that you get to grab a tray, line up, point at what you want, and have the “lunch ladies” plop food into your plate. Except your “lunch lady” has somehow gotten much nicer, and some were— dare I say— much cuter.
Lemonade may be based off nostalgic, old-school ideas, but its food is completely renovated. The menu they offer is innovative and fascinating—certainly not chicken fingers, and most definitely not from a can or box. Everything they sell, they make from scratch in the kitchen. Just look at those cauldrons toiling away, heavy with rich, slow-cooked roasts and braises. 
It took Mimi and I quite some time to pick what we wanted. There were just too many delicious options! Thus, we decided one trip was not enough. But for the first day, we decided to just get as much sampling as we can done.
The best way to do that was to order from the Marketplace section, which was a huge buffet of picnic-friendly items, and then share it between the two of us. You got to choose from 1 portion, 2 portions, or 3 portions, and if you wanted to sample more varieties, ask them to “split” the portions. Fabulous!

Mimi ordered the 2-portion Marketplace dish, split, with one main dish:
Her main dish was Seared Ahi Tuna, served with Whole Citrus Ponzu dressing:
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t really order seafood in downtown LA, but the tuna was surprisingly fresh. It was nicely seared with a raw pink in the center, and the Citrus Ponzu dressing that came with it gave a bright shot of sweet and sour.

On the side, we had the Beets, Pickled Red Onions, & Hazelnut Vinaigrette:
This actually had whole hazelnuts in there. Awesomeness. The beets could have been cooked a bit more, but the flavor was well-balanced.

Next, Sweet Potatoes & Pistachio:
There weren’t any description. The menu just says “Sweet Potatoes & Pistachio”, but I’m guessing it’s roasted sweet potatoes dressed in some sort of herby vinaigrette, with a bit of crunchy pistachio nuts. Unfortunately, neither of us liked this dish very much, because the sweet potatoes were undercooked. At least, it was to me, because I like to cook the heck out of my root vegetables, and I don’t like crunchy sweet potatoes unless it’s fried.

The Broccoli, Ricotta, & Champagne Vinaigrette was much better:
Again, I would have preferred the broccoli to be seared a bit more, but I overlooked the slight crunch in the center for its amazing fresh whole chunks of ricotta cheese. I’d only experienced creamy, smooth ricotta cheese, so at first I thought those pale cubes were tofu and refused to touch them. Thank god for Mimi, who assured me they were cheese.

The last item on Mimi’s dish was Chicken Breast, Butternut Squash, Grapes, & Oregano:
This was a nice dish. I loved the juicy bursts of grapes in there. But you know what would have made it better? If it was served hot. With fat crumbles of feta cheese. And crispy bits of bacon. Hey Lemonade, you hiring?

Mine was the 3-portion Marketplace dish, split. That means I get six different items to sample:
Dang, look at that glorious piece of art on a plate! Is there anything more gorgeous than ready-to-eat fresh produce? Unfortunately, not everything was stellar. Let me start with the bad egg here first.

Here’s the Watermelon Radish, Ahi Tuna, Snap Pea, & Sesame Seeds:
I took one bite and couldn’t take another. Now, I’m being totally biased here, because I detest the odor of sesame seed oil, and this was really, really heavy on that offensive oil. I don’t mind whole sesame seeds, but I’ve always found the smell and rancid taste of sesame seed oil repelling. I felt bad about leaving this portion basically untouched, because it was by far the prettiest item on my dish.

The Israeli Couscous, Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan, & Truffle Vinaigrette was a little better, but not by much:
I don’t know why I ordered this, because I never liked cold starches. I think starch tastes best hot and steaming, not congealed and hard. I guess I was just attracted by the glamorous-sounding truffle vinaigrette, and the promise of fresh-shaved Parmesan cheese.

Thankfully, things turned up by the time I got to the Mission Fig, Arugula, Blue Cheese, & Balsamic:
Holy fig. They served fresh figs. Good figs! I’m in freaking heaven!

I think this Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Almonds & Curry was Mimi’s favorite:
I thought it was really flavorful, but wasn’t as impressed because I make a better version at home. And no, I have not shared the recipe yet, because I’m a selfish bi-atch. But I’ll reveal the recipe one day when I’m feeling generous.

I also happen to make the next dish, Braised Cabbage, Apple, Goat Cheese, often at home:
But I was more impressed with this dish because they were so generous with the goat cheese. Instead of just being nice and crunchy, it was also rich and creamy due to the melting hunk of goat cheese in there. I think my eyelashes fluttered a bit while I ate this. I can’t be too sure, because I was seeing stars and hearts.

And last but not least, the Brussels Sprouts, Parmesan Cheese, & Balsamic:
As hard as I try, I just can’t resist a brussel sprouts dish. Okay, fine, I don’t try that hard. But can you blame me? Brussel sprouts, especially served in a sticky, tangy balsamic dressing and sharp, thin Parmesan shavings, is crack.

We finished our fine lunch with a big-ass Pistachio Macaron:
This came highly recommended by a lady at the counter, and I’m glad we listened. It’s big—about the size of my palm—and expensive, at $4 a piece.
You could taste the real ground pistachios in there. It was crunchy, chewy, and creamy all in one bite. I’m pretty sure this is my favorite dessert besides McDonald’s soft-serve cones.

I’m still in shock that such a wonderful, foodie spot opened in the heart of our campus. I’m usually the first one to protest that USC isn’t just filled with perfectly-manicured, well-tweaked Mama’s Boys and Daddy’s Girls, but at this rate, it won’t be long before I turn into an over-indulged, pampered poodle myself.
I think Mimi turned into one after our meal. Just look at that sleepy, contented gaze, that “I own the damn world” stance.

I won’t lie—it doesn’t feel all that bad. And yes, I’ll be back. Two more times, actually. It’s all in the purpose of research, I swear. A reporter must get all her facts, and I still have plenty of dishes I need to…uh, investigate.

Question of the Day: What was/is your favorite food at your school cafeteria? What would you want in your school cafeteria?

P.S. Want to incorporate some traditional Korean ingredients into your daily cooking? Check out my first column. And if you aren’t bored, check out my second column about three essential foodie items!

I used to read a lot of Enid Blyton books, and one of my favorite was about The Faraway Tree, a magical tree in the middle of the Enchanted Woods. There are fairies and pixies and talking squirrels living in all corners of the tree, and the way to get down the tree is through an inner slide in the middle of the tree trunk. The tree is huge—it grows up and up to a magical rotating land above, where you can have the most fantastic adventures.

Now, my lemon tree isn’t as cool as that, and I technically don’t live under the tree, but I think my new home is perfect in every way.
I don’t actually live in the main house, but in a little shed across the backyard. See the little house above? That’s half of my place. There are two rooms in there, and mine is on the right, towards the lemon tree. The other belongs to a 35-year-old graduate student called Cesar.

There is no bathroom or kitchen in the shed, so I have to travel across the yard to the main house. My room is small, and occasionally gets infested by ants. But it’s mine. All mine. I love it.
Let’s enter, shall we?
It’s a bare room with minimal, creaky furniture, but I’ve since added my own fragrance and style to it. I’ve decorated the wall with lots and lots of pictures:
Each picture tells a story, a memory, a life. Most of it are pictures I’ve taken over the summer, to remind me of all the precious people I’ve met…
…the inspiring lessons I’ve learned…
…and the unforgettable fun moments I’ve experienced.
It is a fuss-less, cheap decoration: Just take a piece of rustic string, print out a bunch of pictures, and hang them with a wooden clip. I bought my ladybug ones in a Dollar (or 1000 Won) Store in Korea. Simple and easy, but a string of meanings hanging there!
I have a small desk, but it has everything in reach. The chair is a tad bit uncomfortable, but it prevents me from falling asleep while catching up on some reading. If even that fails, I have my own little snack stash below my desk:
Yup, I am so prepared.

Another item I brought from Korea that I love:
My pink bunny coffee cup. The moment I saw this, I knew I had to lug it back home. Can you tell it’s already stained with coffee? Sleep Prevention Numero Tres. I of course had to have my own coffee-brewing station:
I’ve got about three bags of coffee, a stash of assorted tea, random packets of mayonnaise, and my trusty “I <3 USC” mug.

I don’t exactly have enough tables, so I used one of the big boxes from Costco as a makeshift dressing table for my lotions and three big containers of extra snacks. Inside the box hides several Costco-sized bags of oats because I had nowhere else to store them.I have no closet, but who needs a full closet when you don’t have much clothes anyway? All I need is a dresser and a decent hanger to hang my clothes and jewelry:
I have a small shoe shelf, which I actually didn’t need since I only have own 5 pairs of shoes. Never got why women get so obsessed over shoes?
I have a nice bed all to myself too.
Okay, I share it with my Pooh bear and Mr. Pig, but they generally get pushed to the floor during the night.

Now, in the center of the room stands my new mini Haier 4.6 Cu. Ft. refrigerator which I bought through the CSN stores.
CSN offered $80 for me to use in any of their stores, and I knew I desperately needed a small fridge of my own because there is no way I can share a small fridge with 4 other house members. I paid the remaining fee with my own money, but it was well worth it.
Of course, I put my personal stamp on it right away. This is my favorite picture of my dad:
I think it showcases the humor and fun personality my dad has, instead of the austere pastor that some people may mistake him to be.

Wanna take a peek inside?
So far I’m very satisfied with this fridge. It’s compact, but there is a lot of space inside. The nice thing about this fridge is that it’s pretty quiet, too. I once had a fridge that hummed and groaned 24/7 and drove me crazy. Hopefully this will stay silent.
Obviously, that’s not all the food I have. The other stuff are all in the bigger fridge at the main house, but these are just items which I want to have right on hand. I also have a small bread bin right beside my fridge:
I really love my room. It’s just got everything I need, and I love having my own little space. I’m also really loving my housemates. They are all guys which can be a bit awkward for me, but they are pretty cool, smart, talented people. I really thank God for giving me such a great place. Remember when I was fretting over my housing situation last semester? I’m still amazed at how God settled it all. For now my room is only filled with past memories, but pretty soon it’ll contain its own memories as well.
That’s all for today. I’ve been surviving on 4 hours of sleep each night and I’m looking forward to catching up on some zzzs this weekend. Happy weekend, everybody!

Question of the Day: What is your room like? What is your idea of a perfect room/home?

So far I like all my classes, though I can spot out a few that may be tough and challenging. It’s only been two days, and I’m already running around like a harassed chicken, trying to adjust to the weight of work piling up exponentially. Today, I have my first quiz, and tonight, I have to attend a film screening and then turn a review in to the Daily Trojan the following morning. Tomorrow, I have to take my second quiz and then grab myself an “authentic Chinese” student to interview. The next day, I have to start working on my next column, and finish up some shopping.

Truth be told, I’m not exactly looking forward to tackling that workload. I said I’m glad to be back, but that doesn’t mean I’m glad to deal with work after work again. But hey, that’s what the present is about—living in the present. Whatever the present is, I need to simply do my best, and enjoy it.

I had my moment’s pleasure yesterday afternoon with my ol’ buddy ol’ pal, Mimi:
There’s my little red-headed blogger-turned-close-friend! She finally got her own little camera, too, so with our blogger-weapons in arm, we took a metro ride down to Downtown LA for a lunch date.

We visited the place we’ve been promising each other to visit ever since we first met—Mendocino Farms:
Mendocino Farms is an environmentally-friendly “fast food” sandwich cafe that uses primarily local and seasonal ingredients. But that wasn’t what attracted us to this place. It was the sandwich menuCu they showcased: the most fascinating, drool-worthy selection of gourmet sandwiches—ever.
To accommodate their hip and modern twists on classic sandwich interpretations, they went the whole urban feel on their interior design. As in, they left their ceilings half-finished, probably to exude an “urban-loft” feel…Ooh look at us, we’re too cool to have ceilings. Yeah, not getting it.
However, I did love that they put big bright-colored ceramic pots out in full view, kept warm over the stove. It kind of gave an unpretentious, homey ambience.

Mimi and I had already studied the menu like a manuscript, and knew exactly what we wanted. We decided to split our sandwich into half so that we could try both sandwiches. The first one we got was the Curry Chicken Salad:
Roasted chicken breast with green apples and dried cherries in a light yogurt mango curry dressing, cucumber, organic farmer’s market greens, cranberry chutney, red pepper compote on Curcama Hazelnut bread.
Is that not the most amazing combination ever? But wait, check out the other one, the Highway 128:
Roasted chicken, Herbes de Provence marinated Cypress Grove’s goat cheese, ancho chili cranberry chutney, organic farmer’s market greens, and green apple on Buckwheat bread.
Oh. My. Gawd. The first thing I noticed was the cheese. Do you see that layer of thick, creamy, white goodness in there? No anorexic teaspoon of sparsely crumbled cheese here!
Mendocino Farms really knows how to build the perfect sandwich. It offers the most imaginative creations. It doesn’t skimp on the good ingredients. It expertly blends the sweet and savory. It features fresh, flavorful produce. It uses honest-to-goodness real, fantastic artisan bread. Our curry chicken salad sandwich’s Curcama Hazelnut bread actually had whole hazelnuts in there.
Not a hazelnut. HazelnutS! In my half sandwich alone, I crunched on about 5 whole hazelnuts, wonderfully toasted and seasoned. The only downfall of the sandwich was that the chicken wasn’t as juicy and tender as I would have liked, but at least it wasn’t dry and rubbery like this sandwich.

I couldn’t really decide on which sandwich I liked better. I loved the curry chicken one for its bold, zesty flavors, but the Highway 128 had that awesome fat layer of goat cheese. If I could just transfer that cheese layer into the curry chicken salad sandwich, then we have a winner.
If you’re into fancy sodas, Mendocino Farms also has a fountain beverage selection of pure cane sugar sodas—no preservatives or artificial coloring.
Mimi particularly liked their diet Root Beer. I wonder what kind of artificial sweeteners they use on that, though. But I thought it was cool that they weren’t just limited to diet coke. They also had diet black cherry, though sadly, no orange soda. I guess they would have had a tough time making it look orange without the artificial coloring.

Needless to say, it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. We had a lot of catching up to do, though I believe there will be more catching up done in the future.

But that’s the future. And as awesome as it was, that was the past. Now, the present? Getting some work done, as soon as I hit “publish”. And I promise you, I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed those delightful sandwiches.

Question of the Day: What are you enjoying in your Present right now?

P.S. I’ve finally finished all my unpacking and furnishing. Will show you my new home soon!

Actually, I’d say that the past serves to pave out the road to our future. Nobody knows what the future holds. Life twists and turns in unexpected ways. But I am sure of one thing: If I don’t have a right attitude towards the past, my future will always seem bleak and uneasy. Why should I be excited about the future, when my past is apparently nothing but pain and misfortune?

I talked about the importance of looking back at our past with gratitude, but that positive outlook should translate into looking forward with hope and expectation, too. I truly believe that when you expect great things, great things will happen to you.

Hope. It’s not just a blind fantasy, a wistful longing for a dream come true. It’s something real, something substantial, something entirely grounded on reality. Hope is what sparked the turning point of my recovery from my eating disorder. Hope is what brings me back to my feet every time I stumble. Hope is what keeps me going—an unceasing beacon of light to which I face whenever I feel like all around me is dark.

3) My people: I am surrounded by wonderful people. I am loved. And I have people I love. And I think that already makes me successful in life. Which means there can only be more amazing people to meet in the future.

Be back soon with an update!

Immediately, my parents started glaring at me. “I told you it’s too much!” my mom hissed, as we started unpacking and repacking my overweight bag.

“When will you stop this eating disordered habit of hoarding your own food?” my dad snapped.

“Why can’t you just eat what every other college student is eating?” my mom sighed.

“Next time, I forbid you to bring any food with you!” my dad ordered.

At the departure gate, I barely even hugged them, stalking off without a glance back. I was pissed. Why did everything I do have to be connected to my eating disorder? How many times and ways do I have to prove myself to them? I was steaming!

When I reached the gates, I threw down my bags and sat down. I was still upset, but I started feeling extremely guilty for not saying a proper goodbye to my parents. In fact, I felt sick— I had done it once again. I had ruined our last family moment, all because of my eating disordered past. I didn’t even get to hug my brother, and all he did was drive the car so he could send me off. Fuck. Me. I cursed myself glumly, tears rolling down my eyes.

But this event turned out to be a blessing. In fact, it was necessary. Because just as I always do when I’m feeling awful, I turned to God. God, I’m miserable, I cried out to Him. Talk to me. Please. And as always, He answered.

As you all know, I don’t exactly have a happy past in DC. I grew up innocently enough until my high school year, and from then on, things slid back-hill. 4-5 years of eating disorder of all sorts. 2 major hospitalizations. Being sent back home from college. Several relapses. Countless screaming fights with my parents. Running away from home. And constant, unceasing unhappiness and depression and anxiety attacks. Is it a wonder why I dislike the DC area?

If you recall, I was in a deep funk during the last few weeks of summer. Of course, this happened while I was in DC. I wonder if it somehow also had to do with me being saturated with past memories. Being surrounded by people who know me by the past. It subconsciously stressed me out.

But at that moment at the airport…and all the way during the 5-hour flight to LAX, I recalled my past. And this time, I looked back through the eyes of God. And you know what? I gave thanks. I gave thanks for every single situations, events, and people in my past.

I can’t do this anymore. I can’t let the past hold me back. Yes, there are tons of hurts and sufferings in the past, but what good would it be to drag them along with me? They are nothing but excess, unnecessary weight. The past is precious—because each event has pushed me forward to who I am now. At that single moment, God opened my eyes to see my past as what it is— a progress, a guidance, a blessing.

So here’s what I say about the past: Look back with gratitude. Look at how despite all the troubles, you have made it through till now. And then look ahead with hope and expectations.

By the way, my parents apologized. When I gave them a call to tell them that I had arrived safely, they told me they were sorry for being so sensitive towards this ED issue. “We felt really bad,” they said. “We know it’s not an ED thing. Your brother is bringing even more food than you to school!” I told you my parents are people of prayer.

My trip back to the past in DC hasn’t been all bad, though. I got to spend some quality time with people who stuck by me throughout all my dramas. Obviously that includes my family, but a few close friends come to mind.

The second rub-off was when the waitress informed us that it was past 2pm and they no longer served the Lunch Special. That was our fault for being late, but we had called earlier beforehand to ask if they still did the lunch special, except there was a miscommunication and they said yes. So we came all over here for the Lunch Special, and was served the dinner menu instead.

Wrong.

Look back at the past carefully, even those times of trials. It can’t be all bad after all.

Mom: “Canadian men are hot.” (Okay, she didn’t quite say it in those terms, but that’s what she basically meant)

Brother: “It’s not like the United States. It’s actually its own separate nation!” (I know you Canadians are thinking, duh. But many people seem to think we’re exactly the same because we share the same continent).