There & Back Again

Ah, to be back in the U.S. of A. Back to addictive competitive reality tv shows (all of which I've caught up on), good Chinese food, to-go boxes & coffee cups, widespread laziness paired with stupidity, large spaces, hot weather, and multi-purpose supermarkets (Target, when will you go international?). It's strange to think that three weeks ago, I was still living in a bunker-of-a-single in the middle of the most "glamourous" city in the world. It seems that no matter how much time I spend elsewhere -- whether it's for 3 months or a year --- it's still never home. No matter how many times I'll book a flight to Paris, I'll still board the plane believing that I'll return in a little while. California is an addictive, inviting, and comforting place -- and I don't mind staying here for a little bit.

At least to finish up school.

Yep. School's back. This week has been chaos. All in one week, I've packed, unpacked, seen people I haven't seen in months, caught up, gabbed, ate, purchased, ate some more, and slept in between. My apartment is once again clean & adorable. It took a little work to get it looking like it does now, but I'm happy to be back, sitting at my table, looking out the window at the hibiscus trees below, and the college students passing by on the street. The fan's on full blast, and would you believe it? I can actually fully stretch my legs while sitting on my bed without dislocating my hip because there's another bed 2 inches in front of me. (Sorry Yannan, haha) My new roommates are fun and great to live with, and the boy (practically my fifth apartment-mate) makes me smile on an almost daily basis. It's only now that I feel excited to be a fourth year in college. The way I see it, I'm just continuing this routine, and UCLA is the set on which it all happens. I'm feeling those good vibrations. This summer was the longest summer ever, but when the weather starts to cool down and my lips get chapped, I'm ready to usher in a new fall :)

There.

So my last day in Paris was heartwrenchingly good. I stormed into the bakery all smiles, bouncing around like I had a little secret -- but everyone knew it was my last day. The last time I would flutter about the kitchen with nothing to do and the last time I would mess up an angry Frenchwoman's sandwich order. However it was, incidentally, also the last time I would bisous my coworkers and make coffee in the morning for everyone -- and that made me sad. As the day went on, I became more and more sad. I had prepared for each coworker a small gift -- something for them to remember me by, and each one was harder than the last. Béranger almost cried when he opened up the little packet of American measuring cups and spoons with a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It was a muddled hurricane of emotions in the back kitchen, but everything culminated into (admittedly) alcohol-induced tears when everyone surprised me with 4 bottles of Champagne (2 to take home), 4 professional pastry cookbooks, and a card signed by everyone. I had never had an internship before, but I don't think everyone says goodbye to their interns like that! The Champagne must have cost well over $50 each, and the cookbooks I am sure must have cost over $100 collectively. I felt so, so blessed to have been a part of these people's lives and somehow all those long days spent brooding over sleeplessness suddenly melted away into gratefulness.

My total earnings for 2 months. I think it was something ridiculous like 5,40 euro... haha :)

These photos are courtesy of George: the upcoming photographer.
I love this photo mostly because temporarily it makes that random vespa mine :)

Georgey and I on our last day along the Seine...

Sunflowers for George outside Saint Michel!

I guess the French don't really smile in photographs? Don't really know what the deal is there.
This is (almost) the whole crew :)

And 11 hours in a crowded airplane talking to a French gangster later. . . I come
HOME to these pretty things...

And this pretty thing!





AND THIS:

Mike took me to a drive-in movie theatre and we ate In N Out in the car like pigs.

The day after we had breakfast with my sister

Albertson's French bread is certainly different than French French bread y'knowwhaimsayin'

Of course there was the dog who was very happy to see me :)

Head massage. Haha, utter puppy relaxation.

Impromptu photo shoot in a parking garage (ha, would you have guessed?)

Michael was so sweet as to take me to the LA Times Food and Wine festival on the Paramount studios lot, which was really interesting because I had never been on a real studio lot before, even though I live in Los Angeles, about 10 minutes away from West Hollywood (give or take, right?). Anyway, suffice it to say that the best part about the day was being able to see a studio lot and. . . the performance. The food and the wine were .. well, scarce.
I feel like the event was a misnomer. It should have been the LA Times Food Samples and Long Line Scavenger Gathering.

This was a chocolate covered cake morsel sample. Pretty good, seeing as how we had to wait 30 minutes for it...

SO MANY PEEPO.
LIKE CHINA EXCEPT WITH WHITE PEEPO.

Me & MiLo

Zooey was lovely and I had a lot of fun during this show :)

We drove up Mulholland drive afterwards (Well, I fell asleep)
and it overlooks the city.

I love city nightscapes






Well that's about it, those were only my first 2 days back home.
Stay tuned for more updates, if I can get to them.
Hope you're doing well, wherever & whoever you are :)