When you get to the end, stop.

This will be my last post before I head off to college. I don't have any words of wisdom, or pithy statements, or insightful dialogue to fill this space. No, I don't have enough experience to give you anything like that.

I will, however, say thanks for the memories. It's been a beautiful whatever number of years, and I will miss you all dearly. Don't be strangers, and I will see you all whenever the world allows us to do so.

Cheers.
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I wish I had some sort of picture to sum up our existence thus far, but I'm nowhere near a good enough photographer to create that sort of impact. Instead, I can only offer to you a moment of my artsy-fartsy side. Enjoy.



And I'll see you all later.

Orgasmic.

As much as I love to eat, I am but a poor student who favors barbecue, burgers, and street tacos. This would explain why I had never been to a restaurant with the gastronomical prowess (and price range) of Craft Los Angeles. My cousin Janet and her fiancee, Jerrold, took me and mi madre out for a fantastic dinner to celebrate me leaving for college. Congratulations to the both of them, despite the fact that I didn't realize they were engaged until Facebook told me so.

If you've ever watched Top Chef, you may recognize it as Tom Colicchio's restaurant.

The courses were plentiful, the food both delicious and aesthetically pleasing. I won't even being to list off the numerous dishes served there, but here are some of the highlights of the night.

Kona Kampachi, Prosciutto & Aged Balsamic

Raw fish with pork if you really break it down. Strange? Yes. Tasty? Certainly.

Tuna Ceviche with Jalapenos

Something as tiny as the ring of jalapeno on top made a world of difference, changing an otherwise ordinary ceviche into something far more appetizing.

Country Pâté

Went lovely with the paired bread.

Quail with Wild Blueberries

Best part of the meal. The quail was tender, succulent, and paired surprisingly well with the blueberries.

Lavender Soda with Sorbet served in a shot glass

A refreshing bit of soda (reminded me of those strange artisan sodas) that worked well to clean the palette before dessert.

Chocolate Souffle

As good as souffles go. Not anything spectacular, but still satisfying.

Fruit jelly with lavender sugar; caramel corn.

The fruit jellies reminded me of Turkish delights, but more delicate. You sure as hell aren't going to find that quality of caramel corn at a fair.

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On the flipside, I went to the Dodgers vs Cardinals game. Actually, I went to the all-you-can-eat pavilion at the Dodgers Stadium. The game just happened to be there.


The final count: Four Dodger Dogs, a plate of nachos, two cokes, some cotton candy.

Curstina beat me, though.

This was also the game where some wannabe pop star completely killed "God Bless America." I couldn't help but cringe at her...interpretation of the famous song.


Thankfully, the night was saved with a Journey sing-a-long, lyrics in all. Welcome to America.

All I do is eat.

Really, my entire week has revolved around lunch dates...those final meetings with friends before we part ways. Saddening, really.

Anyways, Ray's back from a month in Mongolia. So, of course, we ate pho.

The large windows of Bamboo Song make for much nicer lighting than the darkness of Pho Hana.

Once again satisfied my meat pie craving that has been eating away at me since I watched Sweeney Todd. Perhaps a bit demented? Anyways, I am a huge fan of Tudor House's 2 for 1 special on Friday nights. Authentic cuisine, lots of people with British accents, and freshly baked pies.

Meat and Potato Pie. The meat was tender, the crust flaky. Perhaps the chips were a bit too soggy, but they tasted great nonetheless.


Good ol' Shepherd's Pie. The crusted mashed potatoes on top made the dish.


And sometimes, you just HAVE to have Tommy's. I couldn't decide between the cheeseburger and chili dog, so I got both.

My innards may regret that decision, but I sure don't.

Arguably one of the coolest things about living in a city with a large Japanese community is the number of festivals. Festivals = food. I like food. Ergo, I like festivals.

Tofu Okonomiyaki, Gyoza, and a nice helping of Takoyaki for $11, plus another $1 for a bottle of Ramune. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Oh, how I will miss eating all this food when I head off to college. Dorm food, here I come.

Foooooooooooooood

So I've been eating a lot this week. Well, this week ain't even over yet. It's been a good week thus far.

To start: The Indonesia Mission Team had a hankering for some Indonesian food (because we missed the taste, and because it was the only thing our poor stomachs could digest. Seriously. Try going vegetarian for two weeks then eat a steak) so we headed out to Ramayani in Westwood. Lots of delicious food, but the soup stood out the most. It was a light coconut milk soup with rice noodles and sliced hard boiled egg. Surprisingly cool and refreshing, I liked it a lot considering that I'm not a huge fan of coconut.


Next up we have The Counter! Round 6, and still going strong. I don't have much to say about this one. It's self-explanatory.

1/3 lb beef patty (medium rare)
Fried Egg
Grilled Onions
Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Grilled Pineapple
Jalapenos
Sharp Provolone
Russian Dressing

And last for now, Jay Bee's with Kelly! I've taken lotsa pictures of the food, so thankfully Kelly made my food shot significantly easier on the eyes :]

Then some froyo afterwards, but that's neither here nor there.

On to more food tomorrow!

Start at the beginning...

...and when you get to the end, stop.

A photo diary of my trip to Indonesia. A complete lack of continuity, partially because I'm too damned lazy to write an actual trip report. So here we go.

Airport and Korea.

I can't even imagine having an ipod at this kid's age. Not that I'm all that much older.


This is what I do when I have time to kill in an airport.


Undergound tunnel by Idae, Ewha Women's University. My sister pointed this out to me while I visited her in Korea.


Shinchon, Seoul, Korea. Met up with my sister in Korea for a few hours, went out to eat a delicious lunch. And yes, there is definitely cheese on that rice and chicken.


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Indonesia.

Taken to some Chinese restaurant in Semarang. They would intoxicate live shrimp in alcohol, then boil them live. Sucking on the head tasted like what we called a "shrimp cocktail." Har har.


Sunsets in Semarang.


The infamous Durian. Love it or hate it. I was of the latter.


Momo! This dog followed us around all the time.


Some kindergarten students that we taught English to. Freaking adorable.


Chocolate and sprinkle crepes for 1000 rupiah (about 10 cents US)

The guy actually threw in one for free. What an awesome dude.

Kepeting Taoco (or something. The "c" is pronounced as a "ch"). Crab in a sweet soybean and pepper-based sauce.


The family of the elder with whom we stand while in Sugihwaras. Wonderfully welcoming, gracious, and kind. I couldn't thank them enough for their hospitality. Their kids were quite adorable (and hilarious) too.


The mainstay of Sugihwaras. Every farmer grows his own tobacco to sell to the ridiculously wealthy Indonesian tobacco companies.



We had the joy of playing with of the children in Sugihwaras. Always smiling, energetic, and curious. They were fun to be with, though only for a few days.




Ever have Java in Java?


A lovely place to sit and take a break, with the smell of nature and the cool breeze rustling through the bamboo. I could have sit here for hours, had I not been dragged away.


Oh, swingsets.


We had the seat right behind business class on one of our flights; yay for extra legroom!


Mangosteen. One of the most delicious fruits that I have ever eaten. I'm glad Alex made me realize they are no longer illegal in the US.


Pizza with crumbled sausage, potato, mayo, mushroom, sweet corn, bacon, and... sweet potato-stuffed crust. Idae, Seoul, Korea.


The largest Buddhist Temple in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Truly a wonder to explore and behold.


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My favorites:

Borobudur.


This man was bedridden for three days after a back injury. It prevented him from farming, his livelihood. And so we prayed for his health and did what we could to help, but it didn't feel like enough...


Another Sugihwaran who let us into her home and let us chase around the livestock that was running around her house. It's quite hard to catch a frantic chicken.


And so there we go. A small slice of my trip to Indonesia (and Korea, to an extent). Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Now on to the next locale.

Adventure is out there! XD