moving on.

As the semester winds down, I find myself looking back and re-evaluating the past four months. Turned in my last paper of the semester today, so that's why I look like a hot mess. Naptime, here I come! I honestly can't believe that tomorrow is my last day of class! It's ridiculous how quickly this semester went by; I can't believe I'm almost done with my first year at Cal. As much as I'm going to miss being in LA over the summer, I'm really glad I get the opportunity to spend the summer up in Berkeley and the Bay Area. I think it'll be really good for me.

I keep thinking about everything that's happened since the end of fall semester. Going to Israel, meeting some of my closest friends in Berkeley, taking some of my favorite classes at Cal, getting really involved in CalTV, going through some of the most difficult times up here, breaking up with you-know-who, getting closer with my family, deciding to give law school a shot, writing more often, taking more pictures, eating amazing food, listening to a lot more Simon & Garfunkel, my first Seder away from home, cooking more often, studying at Sacks, obsessing over Cheeseboard, etc etc. It wasn't an easy semester by any means; there were a lot of ups and downs. I made some of the toughest decisions of my life, but lately I keep getting reminded of how I've made the best choices possible. No regrets at all. And honestly, I'm the happiest I've ever been, which I didn't think I'd be saying anytime soon. I've got the best friends in the world, both in LA and in Berkeley, and I'm studying what I love and I'm just doing really, really well. It's been an amazing semester on so many levels, and I can't wait to see what's in store. I've still got to get through finals and the LSAT before summer can really start, but I'm excited regardless. Hooray for making it through another semester, I cannot believe I only have two more before I *gulp* graduate...crazy!

oh my golly!

Picture post! I know you all love these :)



Water fight!



Don't mess with me, I may be small but I'm scrappy!

***



Cheeseboard with Johnny! And yes, we ate all of that...so amazing.



Pistachio gelato and sunshine, what could be better?

***



Yesterday I spent the day in San Francisco with Katie! We met up with Misha, and at lunch at The Grove. It was absolutely delicious!



Iced tea...aka the BEST ICED TEA OF MY LIFE. No joke!



Cheese omelet, toast, and some of the best hash browns I've ever had...they had rosemary in them and were amazing. I'm going to have to attempt to make some like that!



Me and Katie! :)

In terms of eating and shopping, yesterday was a total success. It was one of those days were I magically found everything I could want, and it all happened to be on sale, and I happened to have some money. AMAZING. That hasn't happened in...ever, I think. It was exciting! And now I have lots of cute outfits for all sorts of occasions, haha. It definitely makes studying for finals better when I know I don't look like a total mess!

***



"God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys...I always forget how much I love this song.

all the small things.

I was all set to write a huge post yesterday looking back, but of course it was the one day this week that I wasn't home at ALL. It was one of the best days I've had at Berkeley--class, a waterfight on Memorial Glade with CalTV people, talking to a professor about a paper I'm excited to write (on Harold and Maude!), Cheeseboard, gelato, and the movies! I was exhausted (I was out from 8am-10pm) but it was so worth it.

This morning, I woke up and had an unexpected email in my inbox.

***

LOVE! from self :D

Dear FutureMe,

april 23, 2009. the night before i find out about ucla, the night before my life changes. a week before i find out about berkeley, my dream school.

right now, it's 5:11 on a thursday afternoon. i locked my keys in my car today, and my friend (preny, from scholars, remember her?) had to drive me home to get my spare and then take me back to school. i have a russian history and a spanish midterm tomorrow, and i'm freaking out. and ucla starts to announce tomorrow...and berkeley next week... god, i really hope i end up going to berkeley, it's all i've ever wanted.

a year from now, i don't know where i'll be...but hopefully happy and satisfied with life. wherever i end up...remember that i'm good and smart and kind and there's so much more to life than school.

i'm single right now, perhaps i won't be a year from now. that's weird to think about, but who knows?

remember,
things happen for a reason, even if it takes time to figure it out. i never wanted to go to gcc but i did and it was the best decision of my life.

love yourself!

love,
yourself ;)

***

There's this website, called FutureMe.org, where you can write an email to yourself and have it sent to your inbox a year or more from now. I had totally forgotten that I had ever even heard of this site, until I got the email this morning.

It's funny to read. I remember how nervous I was, how I couldn't eat or sleep or study. I started my blog! And the first entry was about how nervous I was about waiting for UCLA to announce their results. I got into UCLA, and was ecstatic; finally, things seemed to be going my way. The week waiting for Berkeley to announce was the longest, most excruciating week of my life, especially because I knew the day and the time they were going to post. That day, I was a mess. I remember I went to the doctor's that day, and that was the only thing that really distracted me. I remember coming home, grabbing my laptop, and going to the living room. "Mom," I said, "it's time. And I really don't want to look." My mother reminded me that I had to check, and no matter if I had gotten into Cal or not, I had made her the proudest mother in the world. There was the frantic turning on of the computer, fumbling over the keyboard as I typed in the all-too familiar website with the information that would change my life. I remember reading the word "Congratulations" and not being able to breathe and starting to cry, despite myself. I had gotten into my dream school, I had done it, and every hardship that I went through to get there had been validated in an instant.

It's been a year, and I can definitely say that I'm happier than I've ever been, as well as satisfied with my life. It's a year later, and I just signed up for an LSAT class and I'm getting ready for life post-college. It's so weird to think that it's only been a year since coming to Berkeley, it honestly feels like a lifetime. I still think I'm a good person (though let's be honest, I'm biased), and I'm pretty smart, and yes, there IS so much more to life than school! Something I have to remind myself frequently, but it's an undeniable truth.

As far as being single, yeah, still am. But within this past year I was in my first serious relationship, and I fell head over heels. We were together for a large part of that year, but it's over now. That's still weird to think about, but I grew up so much and am a better person for everything I went through. Funny how I would have never predicted it, though...funny how life works sometimes.

Things really do happen for a reason, that's something I've always believed. Everything comes together and falls into place and it's that thought that gets me through the hard days and sleepless nights. Everything will be okay in the end, and I'm a better person for not always having it easy (though again, I've got to say I've got some of the most amazing things going on in my life and as "stressful" as my life is, I'm really lucky to be in school studying something I love). I've gone through a lot, but that's the point--I've gotten through it, and I'm okay.

Love yourself--trust me, I'm trying. It's a lifelong process, but I'm learning.

I'd definitely suggest sending yourself an email, see how much things change for you in a year. It's a good feeling to look back, and to see how much you've grown. It put a smile on my face and it's going to make enjoying this lovely day in the northern California sunshine that much better.

Happy birthday, blog! And congratulations on a good year, self, here's to many, many more. Cheers!

merry unbirthday!

I've had my blog for one year. Absolutely ridiculous.

Thanks to everyone who reads this, I really appreciate it.

cal day 2010.

Here's my weekend in a nutshell--writing, Cal Day, dinner, writing. Enjoy :)




I've been working on my First Amendment & the press paper all weekend. So intense.

***



Around 3:30 I headed to Memorial Glade to see the Cold War Kids concert that started at 4; they went on at 4:30. They played on the steps of Doe Library -- it was so cool! They were here to ~celebrate the end of Global Outreach Week, which the ASUC put on to try and inform students of issues across the globe.



In case you hadn't heard of the Cold War Kids, here's their most famous song, "Hang Me Up To Dry."



Don't waste plastic bags!



COLD WAR KIDS.











Damn the tall people that kept getting in the way of my pictures. Hi, I'm barely 5'2", LET ME IN FRONT OF YOU. Goddamn.



This is a video from the show that I found on Youtube. The show itself was...well, it was mediocre. They're talented musicians (I've seen them play before), but there didn't seem to be any passion behind the music when they played yesterday. They came, they played, they left. Their set was also disappointingly short, no more than about nine songs. That's not a concert, that's an opening act on a bad night. I don't know, on the one hand it was nice to hear live music, and great that we had a band that people had actually heard of come play, but it just wasn't a mind-blowing show. It was fun though, and I met up with an old friend there which was really great!

***



I made mac & cheese from scratch for dinner!



***



If you haven't already, meet my camera/best friend/other half, C.J. Brownie points if you know where her name comes from!

***

Back to writing, I'm determined to finish this paper tonight!

zachary's.

Morgan, Sam and I went to Zachary's a couple of weeks ago! We got the Mediterranean Pizza...a mixture of red bell peppers, green olives, artichoke hearts, feta and jack cheeses. IT WAS DELICIOUS.

video killed the radio star.

Hey all! I decided to mix things up and do a video post...let me know what you think!

4.17.10

where is my mind?

The last few weeks of the semester are so stressful! I'm counting the minutes down until it's summertime; despite the stress of the LSAT, writing law school applications, commuting to my (likely) internship in San Francisco, starting my RA job, and (finally) moving, I CAN'T WAIT. I decided not to take a summer class and focus on applying to law school instead. It wasn't the easiest decision, because if I had taken a class this summer I wouldn't have to take an elective my last semester, but eh, whatever. You can't win them all, right? I can't believe I registered for my penultimate semester of college today; it's completely surreal.

Lately, I find that I'm easily distracted. Like, after writing this sentence, I checked my personal email, my school email, facebook, twitter, tumblr, changed the song on iTunes (from the Pixies to Glee, in case you were wondering), and finally came back to this thought. Putting aside that I have more social networking sites than any one person should, I simply have no attention span for anything. Today, I was intent of working on a difficult paper I have that's due Tuesday...but I can't work without a clean desk, and cleaning my desk turned into cleaning my room which turned into not getting any (school) work done. Productive procrastination? I've mastered it. I need to focus, damnit! I only have two weeks of actual class left, dead week, and then finals...so close!

Anyway, I'm going to attempt to do some reading before going to bed, if I can manage to focus on the novel at all. I'm currently reading Olivia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower for my Atomic Age class, if you were wondering.

Here's some classic Pixies for your time; it's definitely relevant to this post. Enjoy!

bridges & balloons.

One of the best (and worst) things about Berkeley is the sheer amount of absolutely amazing eateries around campus. It's amazing because it's great having a variety of interesting and delicious places to eat; it's bad because it's not always the cheapest option and it's not good for someone trying to watch their waistline! Regardless, I love it.


Ici is a Berkeley staple and one of my favorite places in the city. It's a gourmet ice cream shop with a twist; not only does it have traditional flavors such as chocolate, but it also carries flavors such as lavender, black-pepper pistachio, rhubarb sorbet, and more, depending on the day! On this lovely day, my friend Morgan and I adventured over there to see what we'd find.


Though I was tempted by the black-pepper pistachio (which was AMAZING), I was boring and got the coffee-fudge swirl. It was so delicious, perhaps the best coffee ice cream I've ever had.


Morgan was slightly more adventurous and got a scoop of rhubarb sorbet and Meyer lemon. Both were delicious as well!


Morgan also got an affogato, which is vanilla ice cream topped by a warm espresso, and in the case of Ici, with candied orange peel. It was mouthwatering, and I'm looking forward to getting one the next time I make it over there. Even though it's a little bit of a walk to go all the way to Ici, it's definitely worth it, as I am reminded every time I go.

***


In other news, this picture is to prove to my mother that yellow nail polish does look good sometimes! At least, I think so. Also, hooray for accidentally wearing Cal colors...GO BEARS!


Here's Colin Meloy of the Decemberists doing a cover of Joanna Newsom's "Bridges and Balloons." I usually can't stand her, but this cover is one of my favorites. Enjoy, and have a good weekend!

mambo italiano.

A big part of my college experience has definitely been food. Whether it's going out with friends to eat or cooking for myself, it's a totally different experience. Living at home, I always had a home-cooked meal, because my mom is amazing. Living on my own, for the most part I cook for myself. That was one of the benefits of my apartment; even though it's technically university housing, it's not a dorm--it's an actual apartment, with a full kitchen! Though I had the option to get meal points, I declined, and so I feed myself. One thing that I've discovered that I love making is pizza from scratch--not only is it affordable, it's quicker and SO much better than most pizza delivery places! Granted, there are amazing pizza places in Berkeley (think of Cheeseboard and Zachary's), but making it myself is especially rewarding.

Here's me making what's quickly becoming my signature pizza, goat cheese & sun-dried tomatoes! Enjoy, and let me know how it goes if you attempt to make it! I apologize for the quality of the pictures, it's really hard to cook and take pictures at the same time.



Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.



I bought a jar of sundried tomatoes from Trader Joe's.



Also, goat cheese from Trader Joe's! I use about half of this package for one package of dough.



Get one cup of boiling hot water; you're going to put the sun-dried tomatoes in it!



About 3/4s cup of sun-dried tomatoes in the water. Soak for 15-20 minutes.



While your tomatoes are soaking, take the dough out. Open the bag and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.



After you've soaked your tomatoes, drain them and then dry them as best you can.



Roll the dough into a ball and then start to stretch it out! I made two mini pizzas instead of one big one, since I don't have a pizza stone and this fit better on my baking sheet. Also, this way I could eat one pizza and save one for the next day!



After you stretch out the dough, put on the goat cheese!



I LOVE goat cheese. It's kind of ridiculous.



Next, put on your sun-dried tomatoes.



The finished product, pre-baking. The pizza on the right was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and I put basil, salt, and extra virgin olive oil on both. Ready to go into the oven!



After about sixteen minutes, this came out of the oven. Time varies depending on the oven, so I'd just watch your pizza...it's ready once the Parmesan has browned, the sun-dried tomatoes are getting crispy, and goat cheese is starting to slightly bubble and brown! Mmmmm.



Close-up.



So delicious!


It's so easy to make, affordable, rewarding, impressive, healthy, and most importantly, absolutely delicious!

fire and rain.

I can't believe it's only been a week since I came back to Berkeley from Spring Break; it honestly feels like a lifetime ago. The past week was nice, but it was the calm before the storm. This week, the last four weeks of school really heat up, with midterms, papers, and then finals! I have an incredible amount of work to do, most of it actually interesting, but at the same time I just want to stay under my covers and watch movies. Actually, I have to watch two movies for my Atomic Age class, so I can actually get away with doing that...haha. In any case, I've got a lot to do, and I'm not particularly moved to do anything at all.

This weekend was excellent; my family (friends) Sue & Steve came up to see me and take me out to dinner (and breakfast)! Not only was it delicious, but it was so kind of them to come all the way up to come visit me :)



And of course, they wouldn't come without FROGS! :)



Today was really rainy. My friend and I had to head up to the Lawrence Hall of Science to check out their exhibit on race, and it was so wet out!



It definitely brought up a lot of interesting questions...I'm excited to discuss it in class on Wednesday.



In any case, I should get back to my studies...midterm on Tuesday, and then I have a paper due each week for the next four. Stressful, but with each major assignment I turn in I'm reminded of how much closer to summer I am!



BONUS SHOT: Me before my Passover Seder! Lookin' fancy :)

ALSO ALSO ALSO: it's my half birthday today, which means I am exactly six months away from my 21st birthday! It's so close I can almost taste it.

lovelovelove.