Personal

Seattle Fast-Forwarded 3 Months

When making big transitions in life, it’s nice to have some things constant, or in my opinion, reliable. When going through peaks and valleys, you know there are those things you can rely on no matter what.

If I were to map out my life, I would say that there have been three major transitions so far. The third and most recent transition has been moving to Seattle and adjusting to a full-time corporate job. It’s been difficult lately because so much of my life has been in flux - making new friends in a new place; battling the learning curve at work; and managing a relationship on the opposite coast. Cooking has always been my stress reliever and go-to thing, but even that has been compromised at times from long days at work and spoiled ingredients in the fridge.

A few weeks ago, I finally got so tired of struggling, realized that I was responsible for my own happiness, and created my own personal action plan. And of course, one of the goals involved the pursuit of my food passions. I have no excuse for not posting lately, but that needs to change as this is my document to committing that food will one day be my life. In the food section of my action plan, I have committed to the following:

  1. Use new ingredients at least once every two weeks.
  2. Eat somewhere new every time unless introducing the restaurant to a friend for the first time.
  3. Update at least one post on my blog each week.

Things have definitely been looking up since I’ve had a renewed mindset. I want to follow through on these commitments to myself and continue the momentum in all aspects of my life. I’m really excited to get back into blogging and sharing the many more food adventures to come. To great food and amazing experiences!

Technology Hiatus + Basil Plant Help?

I have been without a laptop for over a month! 

I gave my sturdy, reliable, little 13” White MacBook to my sister as an 8th grade graduation present, and didn’t expect Apple to be out-of-stock/back-ordered for so long. Living without a personal laptop has definitely been an interesting experience… My iPad has surprisingly been sufficient, though, but not useful when it comes to uploading photos or blogging extensively.

Now, I have a sexy 15” MacBook Pro Retina Display! The display is STUNNING. It will change how you view images and browse the web forever (it has already changed me after one day). If you are a designer or photographer, the retina is a MUST. The pixels are so crisp and the colors so true!

During my Technology Dark Age, I was still keeping up with the food while dealing with settling into my new Seattle apartment. Currently, I’m attempting to grow basil - some days the leaves are perky, then most days, my plant looks depressed. For some context, I try to give it as much sun near the window, and I water when the soil is dry. Would love any advice from any green thumbs or herb growers out there!

Anyway, Seattle has been great so far, and I’m extremely excited to finally be back and posting!

My complete Apple family. 

Exciting Things and New Changes

I was a bit embarrassed when I saw the date of my last post, but life has been keeping me on my toes and lots of exciting things have happened since. To list a few:

1. I am officially a Boston University alumnus!

Graduated summa cum laude and received a top marketing concentrator award. The best part was sharing my Boston life with my family and friends who flew all the way from LA to see me.

2. I am moving to Seattle!

I am starting work with Procter & Gamble in June, and I got assigned my dream position: working with my favorite brand, Tide! The Seattle housing market is a mess; with Amazon and Microsoft hiring like crazy out there, apartments are being snatched up right and left. Rental prices are also sky-rocket high like Boston and NYC especially in downtown. After hours of online searching, I was lucky to find an affordable place 1.3 miles away from Pike Place Market (many food photos to come) and a 5 minute walk from the Frye Art Museum. Just signed my lease today!

3. Jonathan and I celebrated his birthday and our anniversary in Madrid.

Even though Jonathan is from Hawaii, he has never been outside the country (Montreal doesn’t really count…), so I surprised him with flights to Madrid for his birthday! We went to a bullfight, saw the Spanish art masterpieces, saw flamenco, drank wine, and ate lots and lots of jamon… (cured ham). Photos to come!

4. Got an iPhone. Or two.

Why is this significant? Well, it completes my Apple family: MacBook, iTouch, iPad, and now iPhone (I’m such an Apple junkie), but more significantly, my first iPhone broke 4 days after I got it. Dropped it on Jonathan’s pebbly porch and the glass completely shattered. According to my friends, my face looked like I saw a ghost. My wireless carrier told me I had to purchase a new one/pay a deductible. If I had to pay for a replacement after only 4 days, maybe a fragile iPhone wasn’t for me. I decided to go to the Apple store to see if there was any hope left, and lo and behold: Tyler from the Genius Bar replaces my phone for free. His reason? Because he felt horrible it broke after 4 days.

And this is why I will forever be brand loyal to Apple. They take care of their customers, in some way or another.

Do I miss my Blackberry? Yeah, some days, especially when I’m reminded of the iPhone’s short battery life, the lack of an external push notification indicator, and its fragility. But I do enjoy the interface and iPhone apps, they do make life easier.

The movers just came today and packed up all my stuff. I will be in Boston until June 3rd before I make the move. I’m going to revisit all my favorite Boston restaurants and finish my Boston to-do list. The next few weeks are going to be hectic, but I’m truly excited for what’s to come!

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It has never been in my nature to do something half-heartedly. I either do things to the best of my ability/fully commit or do nothing at all. I can never strike a medium.

It also happens to be in my nature that I am a skeptical person. Always skeptical unless fully persuaded. I can never stop asking questions.

And when I’m committed to something completely, and I don’t understand, I ask questions and doubt as a natural response.

So how am I supposed to hold my questions and simply believe when I don’t understand anything at all? Maybe it’s time for me to call it quits.