Adventures of June With a Dash of May

June has flown by so fast, with a blink of an eye. Three weeks down, two more to go for summer school. Excited to be done soon, then I can go back to writing and rewriting scripts. Even with lots to do and lots on the mind, still made time to do family stuff and eat. Below are the scrumptious food and delightful museum/exhibit stops most recently.

June 30

Headed to Fullerton to get some stuff done. While at it, my parents and I stopped by at a little food spot called Shorty'z. Super close to school, in the Target lot. It was one of the top five places to eat breakfast/brunch in an article I read on ABC news recently. When I knew I had to go to Fullerton, I had to stop at one of the five tops. Two out of top five crossed off the list. Shorty'z was really simple. A small sit-down restaurant, buzzing with people, did not stop popping even when we left Fullerton and drove passed. Mom got the simple dish (eggs, hash brown, and toast), Dad got the veggie omelette, and I got the veggie burrito. Boy was the veggie burrito heavy and big. Had half leftover. The service was fantastic also. This one lady was so sweet and had this smile that can warm your heart. She even said bye and thank you when we left the restaurant. Super nice. I can see why they are one of the top five in Fullerton to chow-down.

June 27

I don't know if you remember, I was crazing hot dogs. I still got that hot dog craze, so my mom and I went to Costco. This time, I ate it with ketchup and relish. Mmm mmm good. What a combo. My mom and I shared a chicken bake as well, but I forgot to take a picture of it (opps). It was so big, we were caught off guard. We haven't ordered chicken bake in so long, but it was good. It wasn't as salty as before. For dinner, mommy dearest made lettuce wrap. I missed out during college. Not anymore! It was really good, fresh this time, with lettuce too. The wrap consisted of dry oyster, mince pork, green onion, mushroom, sausage, and jicama. 

June 23

Summer courses usually includes some type of extra credit, as professors want the students to pass. Whenever there is extra credit, we all jump on it. Any number of points can make a big difference. This time, I needed to go to a museum and write about two artworks. My dad and I decided to go to Norton Simon Museum. For some reason, this time around, I ended up loving two artists, Edgar Degas and Gustave Courbet. I didn't know their work so much the previous time I was at the museum as I did this time. Something about their vision on canvas drew my attention. After the museum, we headed to the Gamble House, the famous house used as Doc Brown's in Back to the Future. We've been living so close to the city of Pasadena all this time and never once visited this beauty of a gem until that Saturday. Crazy. Nevertheless, Dad and I loved it, and it was so cool to be at the location of the Back to the Future set. (The pictures of the Gamble House were really dark... either that or a washed out look... should have brought the big camera...)

Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera by Edgar Degas

Actress in Her Dressing Room, by Edgar Degas

Stream of the Puits, Noir at Ornans by Gustave Courbet

Marine by Gustave Courbet

Cliff at Etretat, the Porte d' Aval by Gustave Courbet 

June 17

Father's Day! I hope all the fathers out there had a wonderful day just dedicated to them! For my family, we went to the Chalk Festival and Father's Day Car Show. It was really nice. I even got to see two of my coworkers from my internship site, Pasadena Media, working! Really cool to see them again and it's really something to be able to say "I saw my coworkers" to your mom and sister when reunited after we went to look at various sections. There's this happy and exciting feeling. Must go back soon to volunteer when I get the chance! After that, we went to the Incredibles exhibit, showcasing at the Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra. Real neat drawings and artwork.

June 9

West Covina trip to Mikomi Sushi with the parents. Love Japanese food! The typical choices, chicken, beef, and Tonkotsu ramen. Mmm mmm good!

June 1

Dad brought home pie for dessert from Pie Hole! Black sesame panna cotta with strawberries and Mexican chocolate. So so good!

May 29

Reunited with my bestie, Kim. We spent the day catching up at Kopan Ramen and in the Atlantic Time Square Plaza. We both chose the customized ramen version and got a free plate of sesame chicken (a promo when ordering two ramen). We got some drinks from Hi Tea, both choosing puff cream bubble milk tea. It was okay, not the greatest. The drinks weren't cold and the taste was mediocre. We walked back to the plaza, sat down, and talked until our parents picked us up.

May 28 

Big sister and I decided to make lemon cheesecake! Okay, I did some of the work, but mainly my sister did the mixing. I assisted. The lemon cheesecake bites came out pretty good! We added more lemon than needed, but it made it less heavy. The graham cracker bottom was crumbly, but for first timers, it was a success. 

Summer Lovin'

Started summer off on a good note. The first full day I was back home, my family and I went to watch Infinity War. It was good! A little celebratory end of finals/Year 2. Then we got Side Chick  and a Matcha latte to go. 

The next day, we were going to a Pasadena museum because it was a free Pasadena museum Sunday event. However, there was no parking, so we decided to just go food. We headed to Cluck2Go for the first time. The Hainan Chicken rice was really good. I would say my favorite would be Side Chick and Cluck2Go. Savoy would be my last choice. Cluck2Go's rice was light but had flavor. The chicken was juicy and the ginger sauce was excellent. We got dessert afterwards at Cookies and Cream. Heavenly (sea salt caramel, taro, toffee), Taro, and Lava Rock (black sesame). 

On Tuesday, my mom and I went to Costco and got hot dogs and a slice of pizza for lunch. I've been wanting a hot dog since forever. A while back, my mom got a hot dog from Costco and told me. I was craving a hot dog since. There was a chance at school for me to get a free hot dog, but by the time my friend and I got to the front of the line, there was no more. BUT I finally got my hot dog! Simple little things make me happy. 

On Thursday, I went out with one of my friends from Fullerton, Hannah. We headed to King of Ramen Pasadena for lunch. A nice catch up lunch and a deep conversation. Always the best types of conversations when you haven't seen someone for so long. After lunch, we went to the Americana, did some shopping (more like window shopping), rode the trolley for the first time, sat on blankets over the grass, tried Philz Coffee (got the coffee tesora), and got Porto's. A nice get away from reality for a day. 

Big sister had a half day off on Friday, so she took my mom and me out to KPOT for hot pot. It was pretty good! A nice girl's day out. 

This past Saturday, my family and I got breakfast at Delicious Food Corner. A perfectly small outing with family. 

My summer calls for food all around. Goodbye summer body, hello summer rolls! Plus writing and binging Chinese dramas. I'll be doing more writing, scriptwriting to be exact this summer, so I may be posting a less than usual during the summer on my blog. However, I will keep my readers updated! I will do my best to balance it all out. Stay tuned for next post! 

 

25, 16, 22

Hello everyone! I like to share with you guys that I officially finished my first screenplay yesterday! May 22. I started writing my first screenplay on March 25 after an idea came to me. I kept writing and writing and writing. Before I knew it, I finished my first draft on April 16. Pretty sure the writing bug bit me. School is over, giving me the chance to sit down and fine-tune my rough draft, fix the formatting, and come up with a title. I never expected to write so much, let alone write a screenplay. When I was younger, there was a time when I wanted to be a writer, an author. Crazy right? I came full circle. From writing a blog to writing my first screenplay. I can't believe how much I love writing. The thrill and excitement when I had the next scene in my head and ready to type it all down on my laptop was amazing. I honestly enjoyed the whole process of writing. It seems to me it is always knowing the beginning and end, and figuring out the middle. It's really cool though; when I got an idea for the next line, the vision and concept just floods in. That feeling is really amazing. I'm excited to see where the entertainment industry takes me. Wherever it is, I hope I can contribute to  make a story come to life that will inspire, motivate, and help others.

Thank You Pasadena Media

Taken on 12/8/2017

Year 2 has officially ended and one of the best parts of this school year was my second home, Pasadena Media. I got the privilege of interning here not ONCE, but TWICE. First as a video production intern and then as a marketing/community outreach intern. I am so, so grateful for every minute I was here.

I learned so much from the staff, producers, and volunteers over the course of a whole academic year. I still remember my first day I was there and I was so nervous but excited for this adventure I get to be on. I've gotten to understand the production side and business side of a media production company, allowing me to get the best of both worlds. I learned the entire production process: pre-production, production, and post-production. I got to understand how business and the community come into play at the company as well. Together, I got to see the big picture of the company, being able to see how everything done at the studio served to bridge diverse communities and allow freedom of expression. This was truly one of the best parts to be a part of something bigger than myself and witnessing it all happen in front of my own eyes.

The people I got to meet and work with were amazing, and it really was an honor of mine to get an opportunity like this to meet and work with them. Pasadena Media welcomed me with open arms and taken me under its wings for a whole school year. I'm so grateful to be a part of the Pasadena Media family and will be going back real soon as a volunteer. Very excited to still be a part of something so much bigger than myself and see more magic and dreams coming true. Thank you so much for all the wonderful memories and laughs already; can't wait to make more memories and laugh more with the people real soon.

For now, enjoy a little snippet of my adventure at Pasadena Media by watching my interview on one of its shows, Arroyo Profiles, with the host/one of the staff, Chavel, if you like! It was my first time being on a television show and Facebook live. Haven't done any work in front of the camera since high school! It was nerve racking yet exciting and an honor to be invited to be a guest on a show. I discuss my experience at the Pasadena Media and my aspirations. Enjoy!