Comfort Food & Comfort Friends

The lowdown on finals week at UCLA:
Candles, snacks, & baked goods at the Ophir apartment.
Delirium.
Finals cake at the Kelton apartment.
Staying up, coffee, staying up some more.
Countless hours spent wasted on gchat.
Laughing, Screaming, Praying, Closer.
Finals week is a love-hate relationship.
Everyone is struggling with the same problem, and there's a sort of comradeship that comes with it. I like it.
I don't like finals consisting of 9 essays and impossible material though.
But that's just extraneous.

3 am stretch break.

This quarter's finals cake.
Base: Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix
Frosting: Buttercream with 3 week old Extreme Moose tracks ice cream and peanut butter
Texture: Veggie Pretz
haha ew.


Morning Prayer & Breakfast @ Ophir!

Look at the chef hard at work :)

Action shot!

Homemade rosemary roasted potatoes with scrambled eggs

The company :)

Fresh baked blueberry streusel muffins & chocolate dipped fruit!

Friday night dinner

Poor lil' Christine was coughing up a storm, so Mike & I decided to run to Whole Foods (just like top chefs ;)) and make some wholesome chicken noodle soup (stock & all!) with toasted French bread and roasted vegetables (drool). Don't be fooled by the girly hands above. They're not mine.

But look, there's me. Making mama's ginger tea.

Roasted "study" of vegetables: white pearl onions, baby carrots, sliced eggplant, red and yellow bell pepper, and white mushrooms.

SO GOOD.





Speaking of friends, I miss my megan.

We have such lovely conversations
5:24 AM

megan: we're only twentywe can't do anything too permanentme: wellI'm twenty-onegoing on twenty-twomegan: same thingme: going on old grandma who's going to die alone.megan: (:i'll die with you nena5:23 AM me: God damn it, we'll just listen to Train together.megan: and make younger guys feel uncomfortableme: hahahahahathanks bubbie.you're such a comfortespecially at 5:30 am sometimes I forget you're in Spain...where everything's better.megan: (:well5:26 AM my front door is always open, and my maj adores you...if you get sick of the quietpop overyou won't but you could if you wanted tome: I know I could.. haha :)but you're a good substitute.for now.BAH come home5:27 AM just for a weekend.I'll romance youmegan: BAH come backme: buy you flowersserenade youplay with your hairmegan: that i wouldn't mindme: I'llwatch good movies with youwe'll maybe slip in the makings of a home pornocome on, it'll be funmegan: and that's how megan and tiffany became lesbos.me: hahahahah5:28 AM we all foresaw itI've seen your boobs.megan: and i yoursin barcelonaon a beachwe're weird.me: yeah.work on your paper.I'm updating my blog. because I'm a loser.megan: (:nope

Miss her.

Madrid, Te Amo.

The best thing about Europe is that you can travel about 2 hours in an airplane and land in completely different world of culture, language, and cuisine. I love it. I would not be a true ex-patriot if I passed these three months without crossing the border to Spain: the land of beautiful people (and color, incidentally). In Paris one suffers through a life lived in monochrome. Beige buildings, gray skies, gray cobblestone streets, and the crowds of blacks, greys, browns, dark blues, and purples. In Spain, yellows, oranges, reds, greens, and bright vibrant colours exemplifies the warmth of their culture. I love Madrid. I love even more that my bestie Megan Hanson is spending a year in such a marvelous city. Seeing her made my weekend, because in Spain, she just "fits," with her free spirit, her carefree giggles and laughs, her wild brown hair, it's a perfect marriage. Plus, she speaks Spanish excellently. And I know close to none :)

Of course in Spain, as in all locales, we did nothing but look at amazing art, stuff our faces with food (mostly sweets), and shop until our feet and wallets ached. I had the time of my life in the four days I was there and for those of you searching for excitement & fun, Spain is your destination.

Note: these photos are in semi-particular order...but not really.

Graffiti in Madrid is apparently a big thing.

The bear & tree in Madrid is apparently a big thing.

Me & Sarah, Plaza del Sol, first day upon arrival

Mercado de San Miguel. Tapas, wine, pastelerias...we bought churros & hot chocolate here, which you will see later, but they are a Spanish specialty, and SO AMAZING.

Our last night in Madrid, Meggy played a bit of guitar for us with her angelic singing voice before a night out on the town (lots of stories from this as well...)

Her charming Spanish apartment room.

Egyptian gift...or something.

Near palacio

:D

Found a bakery/sandwich place

churros & hot chocolate

train station with a jungle inside.

Guernica at the Reina Sofia. Yes, I died when I saw it & stood staring for about 10 minutes.

The gals

Corral de la Moreria, famous Michelin star restaurant with traditional flamenco dancing show. It was a night to remember!

Spanish red wine with prawns & lobster sauce

Paella!

Creamy citrus mousse with a caramel sugar coat & dipped in dark chocolate.

chocolate chip gelato

Stopped for a 3.50 euro of Sangria after scouting El Rastro, the open air flea market

It was yummyyyyyy

Random find

Food was okay, service was great & atmosphere was charming.

Wine was probably the best.

Another displaced churro photograph.

churros

Crowd at Calle de Precios. WOW. Yeah, that darkness you see is all people.

Plaza del Sol.

I literally LOLed when I saw this.

This was the first thing we bought.

Holy shit it was good.