LA food is the bomb

I already posted some food, but here's more:

Agu-jjeem at Dae Bok for my mom's graduation dinner:

Noshi with W's family and then mine:

Korean dessert from a stand outside Assi Market, filled with red bean. I forget what this is called (Janice, help me out):

Grandma's 88th birthday cake.  Cousin Hannah picked it up from Porto's.  Red velvet!

Intelligentsia in Old Town Pasadena. Oh, how I've missed you.

Paulette's macaroons, Janice's favorite.

Yummy Korean fried chicken with the Kwaks from OB Bear:

Breakfast made by W's mom:

Breakfast I made at the cousin's trip, and some fruit we picked from the backyard there:

New Year's breakfast made by W's mom and Janice:

That's about it! I hope you're all enjoying 2011 so far.

More friends

My brother and I hung out with Chris & Laura, friends from college and their puppy Pau.  The cutest dog ever.  With the cutest name.

With W's friend from from college and his family.  Their daughter Jace is the cutest:

Girl friends are the bomb

I miss all of my girl friends in LA.  They are such quality people.  Thanks for a great time of eating and catching up.

With Helen at LaMill in Silverlake:

Jiyoo let us borrow her car.  Thanks Jiyoo!  I think she looks so cute here:

With Dianna at Starbucks.  We found out that Starbucks does not allow you to take photos inside their stores, so we had to do this fast.

With Margaret at her place.  We look like this because we walked out in the rain and were drenched.  The walk was worth it though because we had yummy food at Europane.

With Diane at her pad in k-town. She cooked me a yummy dinner. She was all insecure about her cooking but it turned out great.

With Janice at Joan's on Third:

More Janice:

With May and her dog Mochi at her home:

More on LA to come...

edit: I totally forgot to take a photo with my dear friend Rebecca.  Ugh!  Rebecca, it was so good to see you!  Even though I don't think E was too happy with me. :)

Congratulations to my mom

After taking classes part time for 7 years at APU, my mom graduated and received her masters in theology.  I'm so proud of her and she's an example to me as I go back to school.  This break, I had to a chance to remember what an amazing woman my mom is.  She's so gifted, loving and generous.  I have a lot to learn from her.  Congratulations, um-ma!  I love you.

18 blissful days in LA

I finally have some spare time to post photos from my LA trip.  It was such a blast to see family and friends.  I wish I had time to meet up with more people but the trip was packed.  I made a point to take photos with people this time.

Hanging out with Allison...

Breakfast at Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock:

Hanging out at her new pad.  We have like 10 stop motion photos of us.  I accidentally put it in the mode where it takes 10 all at once.  Here's the one somewhere in the middle of it:

Cupcakes at Lark Cake Shop in Silverlake:

oh sushi

i can't shake this sushi craving i've had all week.

36 more days!

to my LA friends,

i love you, but please don't complain about the weather.

LA trip

it was will's spring break last week, so we took a quick trip to LA. here's were the highlights:

1. good food - i think we ate mostly japanese and mexican food the whole trip. but also some korean and froyo.
   
2. seeing family - since we pretty much left LA right after getting married, it was good to reconnect and let people know that we are alive and enjoying marriage and chicago.
   
3. seeing a few friends - very limited, since the time was so short, but much needed.
   
4. seeing my old coworkers - i missed them a lot. after lunch, they dragged me into the office and made me sit in my old spot.
5. the weather - it was like summer! sunshine the whole time.
   

i definitely did not enjoy the traffic - omg. it's amazing how quickly you get used to not having to deal with traffic. it was ever apparent how spread out LA is, how many cars there are, and how you have to drive to get anywhere. couldn't stand it. i felt like i was in the car the whole trip. here in chicago, a 20 minute drive is considered a bit far.

anyways, it was nice to find that by the end of the trip, we were ready to return home to chicago. i realized how quiet my life is here, and i like it. and in just 3 months, it really has become home.

i will miss

hearing the salvation army horn quartet playing christmas carols at union station on december mornings as i transfer lines

$3.06 falafel sandwiches next door to work, with 50% off coupon

urth caffe. i went to the downtown location for the first time today. awesome! urth has a special place in my heart, not only because it's a great cafe, but because will and i went to urth on many of our first dates.

noshi sushi. will keeps telling me to make frequent trips to noshi because i will miss good sushi in chicago.

golden deli. our favorite vietnamese food in alhambra. and cheap.

which reminds me - blossom, another favorite work lunch spot. vietnamese fusion.

el atacor - best tacos and burritos. they have a four tacos for $2.99 combo. ten minutes away from home.

shaab, our favorite shabu shabu spot in old town. really good deals during lunch.

i don't know how this turned into a food post. LA has such good, affordable, authentic ethnic food. i will definitely miss that.