So it's been awhile...

I can't believe it's been more than five (5) months since the last post (thanks Giiinuh for the birthday shout out! <3). Obviously we have not been keeping up with the blogging world like we originally intended to. Not sure what happened but to rectify the problem, I am contributing my first post. So some quick updates: one of us got pregnant (technically in 2010 but still...), one of us started her first post-college job, one of us traveled to the West Coast and one of us gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Guess which one describes me, I'll give you a hint:

[personal photo]

Yup, I went to CALIFORN-I-A! Even though my event is not as monumental as the others, it actually holds a lot of meaning for me. You see, I've been dating O for a little over seven years and this trip marked our first successful out-of-state excursion involving the other person's family. In this case, it was with O's two older sisters, Ams and Rabs (not their real names BTW). You might wonder what took us so long to reach this stage in our relationship. And the answer is I don't know, it just felt like the right time. We don't set up different check points (consciously or subconsciously) that we must reach by a certain deadline. We're more of the go with the flow type and if it feels comfortable, like nothing is missing at the moment, why force ourselves to take the next step just because it's been X number of years? Having said that, I really am happy that we made it here and am grateful for Ams and Rabs for contributing to that transition. :)

So back to California... it was my second time visiting the state but it was the first time I got to explore Los Angeles. The city was nothing like I imagined it would be. The last time I was there, we spent one day in Hollywood and pretty much all I saw were tourists (myself included hah), overpriced souvenir shops and historic landmarks. It was like LA's version of Times Square. This time around, I got to see beyond Hollywood and really witnessed what LA has to offer. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite memories from the trip:
- biking through the Santa Monica Pier
- attempting to balance on the acrobatic bars at the original Muscle Beach (I figured my experience with yoga and pilates would help me balance but no such luck :P)
- trying Indonesian for the first time at The Grove (my lunch was served on a banana leaf!)
- feeling overwhelmed at Rodeo Drive (I mean seriously, it is a filthy filthy rich place)
- taking one too many pictures of palm trees
- Ams's spacious yet homely apartment in Pasadena
- meeting some veryyyy talented musicians and being a part of an impromptu jammin' session
- eating an actual homemade Japanese dinner in Little Tokyo
- ordering TONS and TONS of sushi at an all-you-can-order Japanese restaurant (red/white/black dragon rolls galore!)

Thinking back on my West Coast vacation really makes me yearn for another mini-getaway. Or at least, for summer to get here. Sighhh...