unique labor day weekend trip

Last weekend was a unique Labor Day weekend trip to San Francisco

• Within 4 hours of landing, 3 laptop backpacks were stolen from my brother's car, including mine which was filled with all sorts of travel gear
• On the 2nd day, I feasted on a 4 course meal with 4-5 dishes for each course at a delicious dinner rehearsal
• On the 3rd day, I attended a wedding for a friend I have known for 20 years. That's 2/3 of my life!
• On the 4th day, I was bonding with family over dinner over topics I never thought I'd chat with them on
• On the 5th day, I helped with a homemade Japanese feast featuring ramen, and enjoyed more lively conversation
• Coming back to Seattle, I started feeling incredibly lonely
• Once home, it really hit me just how much stuff I lost from that stolen backpack

Now my brain is in all sorts of weird nostalgic and social thoughts and notions.

The oddest part was, losing my laptop and tablet (among other things) felt more like a release. It let me enjoy my stay instead of focusing on my gadgets. Maybe that's why I enjoy travel so much, I tend to disconnect and enjoy life instead of constantly playing with toys.

Anyway. Interesting trip this time around, and not because of the destination.

dusty blog

hello dusty blog.
summer is almost over, and i feel unaccomplished.
yes, i did move to a new apartment, traveled to sf and austin/dallas, attended(ing) friends' weddings, and hiked some
but something is gnawing at me inside
i have been feeling unsettled, bored, and annoyed
my sociability is waning
the tendency to be timid and push people away is coming back
i've been a terrible friend/sister and forgot to send some birthday gifts
i feel like i make lots of friends but have trouble keeping them
maybe it's just the seattle gray hitting me harder than usual.
or maybe i'm lacking a purpose in life.

well. can't keep moping about it.
first thing's first. finish unpacking my boxes and setup the apartment. over two months after i moved in =P
then, explore my new neighborhood some more

irgh. moving.

if i had to give tips for local moves with as much stuff as i have, they would be:

- buy yourself a dolly

- use some or all eco-boxes (ex. frogbox), and use with the above

- try to have at least a week overlap between leases for loading, unloading, and cleaning
- buy mr. clean erasers. they are magical

farewell belltown, i'll always remember you fondly, except for the money you drained out of me.

and hello older body, as my back is killing me lately... sigh

dusty collection of links

so dusty that i can categorize these further

-interesting-

the lewis model of cultural types is really neat

why are there missing nyc subway letters?

socially awkward is different from being creepy

long but interesting look at silicon valley, youth vs. old

-amusing-

if you need a smile, look no further than animals vs furniture

or, how dogs react to magic tricks

or, a english bulldog puppy rolling down a hill!

'The Expert'... sadly applies so well to tech

if miyazaki films were like other anime

-life and stuff-

apparently i exhibit most of the highly sensitive habits

life lessons for the 20s and to apply in the 30s

wanz (aka thrift shop feat. wanz) filmed 'Get Lucky' at my office (skip to 2:43 if you're looking for me). and, the red stapler made it in.

latest 10 thoughts

Oh hi blog. How's it going? Been a while...

1. Japan was awesome. Solo travel was superbly exciting, albeit lonely
2. I HATE apartment hunting. Also not looking forward to packing and moving when the precious summer days are beginning...
3. Speaking of summer, it's gonna be an uber busy one. Wee!
4. It amuses me that some people at work think I am an extrovert
5. I'm happy for all my friends getting married and otherwise engaged. Unfortunately it highlights my singleton status...
6. Green onions grow super easy, so why do I keep buying them then?
7. New favorite rice topping - hijiki
8. I'll get to my huge photo backlog eventually
9. Shishio arc in Rurouni Kenshin was just meh. I think I've watched too much anime to feel attached
10. I'm not getting any younger...

Belated baking post - sugar cookies with strawberry icing

Sugar cookies with strawberry icing, made end of April

Recipes: sugar cookies here and strawberry icing here

When it says "sifted powdered sugar", sift the damn powdered sugar. The icing came out too sugary and lost the strawberry freshness, tho most people didn't mind

Day 7 - Sayonara Tokyo

Half day in Tokyo to unwind before flying home, and technically my 8th day there.
Overall awesome trip. I will definitely be back again.

Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park

Akihabara

Chicken Nabe

Souvenirs galore

Day 6 - Tokyo

Ran from Tsukiji to Odaiba to Asakusa back to Odaiba. The onsen was a perfect way to cap off my trip

Tsukiji dried fish stand

Life-sized Gundam

Markets

Senso-ji gate

Tokyo sunset

Outdoor foot bath area

Oedo Onsen Monogatari

Day 5 - Ghibli Museum and Tokyo

Ghibli Museum put a smile on my face, and various Tokyo districts were fun to peruse. I am also spending way too much on useless souvenirs.

Robot 

Museum is open!

View of Tokyo

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Omelet rice curry

Shibuya crossing

Day 4 - Nara and Fushimi-Inari Shrine

Kyoto has some nice side trips - Nara is a good for Todaiji and the deer. Fushimi-Inari Shrine has impressive shrine gate paths. Both are south of Kyoto.

Friendly deer, usually

Giant Buddha statue at Todaiji

Tying away bad fortunes

Five storied pagoda

Shrine gates at Fushimi-Inari

Day 3 - Kyoto and cherry blossoms

Today's theme was cherry blossoms. That and an actual full day of exploring until my feet died

Japanese style breakfast

Cherry blossoms in full bloom

Kiyomizu-dera

Chioin gate

Okazaki canal

Philosopher's path

Day 2 - Kyoto

Travel to Kyoto via Shinkansen, went to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), walked around Arashiyama area namely the path of bamboo, and enjoyed a Japanese style ryokan inn stay

My fortune is excellent!

Yukata

I could get used to a Japanese style room...

Day 1 - Tokyo

Tokyo Tower and surrounding Imperial Palace

Weekly baking - (deflated) grapefruit macarons

This week's baking - failed and deflated grapefruit macarons

Recipes: almond macaron with grapefruit zest and grapefruit buttercream
I call them deflated because I messed up the step where the egg whites should peak. Apparently, any trace of oil (including zest) makes egg whites impossible to stiffen up. Flavors were all there despite the cookies being chewy. Good lesson learned!

Highlights from UW campus

Cherry blossoms are blooming at the UW Quad

UW Quad

Line of cherry blossom trees

Closeup

Subtle beauty...

Also finally visited the Suzzallo Library building

Suzzallo Library exterior

The Suzzallo Reading Room