A closer look: Chinatown!

Happy late-night blogging from Central Florida.

I'm up late updating my blog primarily for my little sister, Jaclyn, but also because I made a note that I'd do it earlier today. Sidenote: The King's Speech was a gorgeous film. I'm thinking about doing an Oscar movie post in the near future, so I'll save my reviews and comments for later.

I thought it would be fun to share a few snapshots from my trip out to the west coast. Seeing as I'm updating my blog for my little sister, it is only fitting that I discuss Chinatown. She loves Asian cultures and wants to marry a Chinese man, so she was especially jealous that we got to run over to that part of Los Angeles on the evening we landed in CA. (She was also jealous that we got to meet Ellen Pompeo of Grey's Anatomy while we were in Hollywood, but that's another story for another time, Grey's fans.)

At the recommendation of some of our friends from or Haiti trip, Jess and I decided to check out Foo Chow. Turns out Jackie Chan has put this restaurant on the map. Actually, once you're inside, you can easily recognize scenes from Rush Hour. It's pretty funny.

Hot green tea soothed my throat and warmed me up after a long day of airports and airplanes.

All in all, our visit to Chinatown was more eerie than experiential. Since we arrived so late, all the cute little stores were closed for the evening and many of the lights dimmed. However, we were still excited to have visited, and our dinner was seriously killer. Jess and I ordered sweet and sour shrimp and mixed veggies and tons of white rice. (I could eat rice daily.) She was happy to cross visiting Chinatown off her bucket list, but I'd still like to return and find that cute, kitschy raincoat I'm dreaming of. Maybe next time.

Have any of you visited a Chinatown? I've been to them in both NYC and Los Angeles, but my friends say the one in San Francisco is wonderful as well.

Have a great night!
K

Beverly Hills / Chinatown / Hollywood

Hey everyone!

My coworker Jess and I are chillin' in coach, sharing a coke, snackin' on pretzels, and finding ways to entertain ourselves on this 4+ hour flight from Cincinnati to LA. It's been a day of early flights, long layovers and some quality girl time. I really enjoy trips with Jess. She and I have very similar travel habits so it's always a breeze. That's important when you travel with someone a bunch; whether it's Haiti or Los Angeles, we've got this.

We don't have to hit up any meetings until early tomorrow morning, so we're going to meet some of our friends from our Haiti trip and head down to Chinatown for delicious noodles and red lanterns galore! I'm also really hoping to find a cute Asian-patterned raincoat. Cross your fingers one's waiting for me with a friendly street vendor.

(Image found here.)

I really love traveling. Sitting in airports all day inspired me to begin drafting a post about handy travel tips I've learned over the past year and a half. I feel like I'm far from what some may call an "expert traveler," but I do know my way around. However, my post may be majorly one-upped by this month's extra-interesting edition of ReadyMade. There are some awesome packing/snacking/planning tidbits for those already itching to travel this spring. 

Harbor and I are beginning to plan a majorly fun trip up to the DC / Richmond area this spring (if we can pull it all together). Anyone else planning a great little getaway in 2011?

More later. Have a happy start to your week. 

K

What's in my bag? An edition dedicated to business travelers.

Since I'm zipping around America this week [arrived home from Austin today, and head to LA tomorrow] I figured I'd do a "what's in my bag?" post. I feel sort of silly posting this, but every time I come home and clean out a bag to prep for another trip I always think, "Wow, I really like remembering what I've had hiding in here," plus I have a real love of organizing my bag contents into a cute pattern wherever I'm working. The same goes with packing -- I always make a list of what I need to pack, then lay evvvverything out on my bed before it can be tucked away into a bag. It's a bad habit, but the more I travel, the better I get at minimizing and organizing.

So, without further ado, HERE is what I've got in my bag when I travel!

1. My pile of work. My MacBook; a manilla folder full of directions, hotel/rental car confirmations, reminders, itineraries, etc; my notebook; and my Moleskine weekly planner. I love that thing so much -- lets me doodle, write long reminders to myself, brainstorm, or just jot down special moments on the go. I've been using it for 3 or 4 years now and I can't find a better planner for my brain.

2. My Gussy clutch! On this trip, I kept work receipts and my checkbook inside. I learned from my boss; she carries a glittery bag for things like receipts and PD. I decided that boring old receipts deserve a pretty bag to travel in too.

3. Bobby pins. I have them on me at all times.

4. Gum. Another "all the time" staple.

5. Neutrogena lip balm.

6. My MEND bag. I got this for Christmas and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying it. I needed a good, durable bag for my travels that had enough room for a laptop, but still functioned as a weekend bag if I needed it to be. It's perfect. (I also wanted to avoid buying a leather bag... and boy was it hard.) MEND bags are sewn by Ugandan women, some of whom currently live in IDP camps. Each bag is made from Ugandan cotton, and sewn by a woman who escaped imprisonment by the LRA. Really sturdy, a great way to support our global family, plus it's versatile and very cute. My bag was skillful crafted by the lovely Ajok Betty.

7. Laptop cord.

8. Phone charger.

9. My plane tickets. In an ideal world, I get upgraded every flight.

10. A travel-friendly hairspray. I like

TRESemmé 

and Dove travel-sized hairsprays.

11. L'OCCITANE en Provence shea butter mini hand cream. Airplanes make me dry so I need something serious. Drinking a ton of water helps too, but sometimes it's hard to choose water over a free, icy coke to sip alongside those peanuts.

12. A notebook for shopping lists, quotes I find, to-do lists, inspiration, addresses, etc. This particular baby notebook is from Target.

13. PaperMate flare felt-tipped pens are my favorite of all time.

14. My marigold wallet/clutch from DSW a few years back.

15. Car keys.

16. Getting a BlackBerry was exciting. Just think how getting an iPhone will feel! (Only a little while longer until Verizon gets iPhones.)

17. Earbuds. For the iPod and for in-flight entertainment.

18. Shades I snagged from a retirement community thrift store for two bucks last summer. I love 'em!

19. Smith's Minted Rose lip balm. In the winter months I wear this stuff daily. In the spring and summer I switch to their rose salve.


So, there you have it. It really bugs me I only have 19 items and not 20. But, it's nothing to lose sleep over. I'm going to savor this quiet house with a glass of wine, a crochet hook and a suitcase full of yarn.

Enjoy your Friday night!

K

A very productive day.

What a busy day it's been! I had to commute to Orlando for meetings all morning, then rushed back to the office for intern training. But, not before stopping by Lollicup for a yummy taro milk boba tea! I love living in Brevard County, but when I've got an icy, boba-licious treat in hand, it's hard to remember I once lived only 10 minutes away, instead of one hour away.

Sweet, sweet bubble tea. You are a refreshing treat any day of the year.

Oh, and this one time Harbor and I were celebs in Lollicup.

My time in the office this afternoon was great. I really love every new group of interns we get. It's a really exciting time -- to begin to learn little habits, idiosyncrasies and character traits that makes them who they are. I also love getting to know why they support TWLOHA and how they decided to spend a few months with us in Cocoa. If you've ever been curious about interning with To Write Love on Her Arms, I highly recommend you check it out. I never was lucky enough to go through our Intern Program, but it sure seems like a blast. :)

I've got a little craft DIY coming up soon. My very first, I might add. So stay tuned.

Annnd now, off to watch Mad Men with Harbor! (Is anyone else in love with this show like we are?)

K

Magical day.

I got the magic in meeeee. (And I've been humming B.O.B. since my coworker snapped this photo in our office.) I wore my gold shoes to work because Florida got cold again and I wanted to incorporate at least one fancy thing into my lazy/warm ensemble. The gold shoes never fail.

Also, this video has been on repeat in my mind for days now. It's nonstop:

Previous to this, it was Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." I promise I do also have decent taste in music, in case my radio pop hits are confusing you. Maybe I'll share my winter playlist later this week. :)

Got any songs stuck in your head today?

K

Citrus on Sunday.

This afternoon my boyfriend and I went on a photo adventure, as we've both decided that we want to be taking more photos in the new year. We knew we would keep this "resolution" if we planned monthly "photo adventures" all around Brevard County. I happen to love this sleepy little coastal town I live in. And though it's pretty small, there are still so many spots I haven't seen and experienced yet.

I moved to Rockledge, FL roughly a year and a half ago to work on a research project. I was implementing some creative writing strategies with the TWLOHA summer interns, and while I was living and working here, I fell in love with this little community. Lucky for me, I was hired by TWLOHA the following fall and was able to return to Brevard with all my belongings in tow.

Today, Harbor and I decided to find an orange grove and snap some shots. Figured it would be a great start to our year-long journey -- sort of a quintessential Florida photo-shoot, right? Turns out, the grove we hunted down (Thanks, Google!) was located right behind a house he and I ride by all the time on our bikes, and we sometimes like to pretend it's "our house." So it wasn't the first time we trespassed on this particular property today. :)

Here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

Oranges on film. How great is the focus and DOF on this? Harbor's a natural.

My new red hair.

Love those gold flats.

After our grove exploration, we picked a ton of oranges, limes and grapefruits from our neighbors' trees. With permission, of course. Tomorrow I plan on posting a delicious (and wayyy simple) lime-aid recipe we concocted this evening. And, spoiler alert, it's 10x better when you throw a shot of vodka in it.

I hope you're enjoying new goals for 2011 too. Any of them involve taking more photos?

K