yuri+etc.

Adventures: London

2010-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings from London!

It's been a month since I have been here and let me just say, it has been quite a trip so far. I am living in South Kensington, which is in fact the cutest little neighborhood in London. BU hooked us up for sure. I have been exploring the city as much as possible. I hit up couple of spots like Portobello Market, Oxford Street, Thames River, and a couple of the free museums. It's been quite a ride so far and I am looking forward to see where the next couple of months will take me. I already feel as if London is my home, which is quite a weird feeling. I guess if you stay in a place for over a month, you start getting accustomed to the place. It makes sense.

South Kensington

Big Ben

Thames River

With Connie on the boat cruise

With Cat

Greenwich

South Kensington sunset

Fashion's Night Out

Portobello Market

Indian food

Cadbury World- chocolate factory

Thames River Festival- fireworks show

Hyde Park

Hampton Court with Grace

Natural History Museum with some of the girls

British Museum

there ya go,

yuri

Japan Trip: Food

2010-09-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am currently in London; yet I find myself blogging about the food in Japan. Maybe it's because I'm sick of Indian food, sandwiches, pasta, and cereal. Yeah, that's probably it. I promised myself I would blog throughout my travels but am failing miserably. I mean, who has time to blog when you're having fun? You should be outside exploring the beauty around you rather than sitting in your room typing away on your computer (which I am doing right now). I have a good reason though...it's doom gloom outside right now and after running through Hyde Park this morning, I decided I will relax for the day before my roommate gets back.

Alrighty, well here come the photos. Man, I miss rice. JAPANESE rice.

Unagi (eel): take one bite and it'll melt in your mouth.

Japanese style Chinese cuisine: it was actually pretty good. Less oily than let's say... Victoria's.

Jumbo gyoza (dumplings): almost twice the size of my mom's gyozas. My mom told me when she was a kid, my aunt took one home to see what ingredients the chef used. No wonder why they tasted so familiar. We kinda/sorta stole their recipe.

Sashimi Salad: no words....

Lady's Sashimi Special: Midori Sushi Restaurant only allowed the ladies to order this. haha

Kaiten Sushi (revolver belt): mom and I would come here for little snacks and we'd end up ordering a handful but who can resist sushi when you're in Japan?

Crab miso soup: the BEST miso soup I've ever had. (minus mom's)

Tsukemen (dip ramen) : basically you would eat this like you would eat soba. The noodles are much thicker than the usual Japanese ramen.

Tom's Sandwich: this cute little restaurant is in Daikanyama, my mom's childhood neighborhood. She told me she would come here after school to eat and then eat shaved ice right after. The menu consists of BLTs to chicken katsu sandwiches.

Rice Mos Burger: instead of patties, they make it out of rice. It was actually pretty good.

Dinner set: I ate this monstrous meal at Shirobara. The hotel provided breakfast and dinner and those two meals were more than enough to satisfy my stomach.

Nishimura (dessert parlor): you'll find the best strawberry shaved ice here. My grandma used to take my mom here all the time when she was a kid. It was weird seeing all of my mom's hangout spots.

Strawberry Shaved Ice: topped of w/ condensed milk and blueberries

Peach Parfait: only available during peach season so everyone was ordering this. I understand why.

Fruit Crepe: for good reason, crepes are huge in Japan.

Strawberry/Green Tea Parfait: we had this at a very well-known desert parlor in Kobe.

Green Tea Shaved Ice: always a good choice

well that is all my friends. I will blog once more about the places I went to in Japan. Then, after that, I'll post some pics of London!

yuri

criticism

2010-08-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

“Don't mind criticism.

If it is untrue, disregard it;

if unfair, keep from irritation;

if it is ignorant, smile;

if it is justified it is not criticism,

learn from it.”

beaching it

2010-08-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a 3 day trip to いず (IZU) beach. I had no idea I was going to making an excursion down to the beach but come to my surprise my grandma planned a trip for all of us to go. I was extremely stoked when I saw the view of the ocean on the drive down. I have so many beautiful pictures from the place so I'll make sure to post them up once I get back to Cali. I still have to finish up blogging about Korea and start on the first couple of weeks in Japan.

I just came across these pictures and it seemed so fitting that I post them up. As much as I love the city, I am a beach girl. I need the beach beside me... I don't know how I survived in Boston. I thought these images were so beautiful. These shots were taken by Dan Martensen. I love the laid-back bohemian-esque look to all of these photos.

photo cred: knighttcat

Korea part 2 - food

2010-08-02T04:52:00.000-07:00

I was wondering what to blog about for Korea part 2 so I looked through my photos from Korea and I saw that almost half of them were of food. So, why not blog about some of the food I ate?

Everything I ate tasted spicy or the meals almost always consisted of something that would burn my tongue. Look, I didn't grow up on spicy food... yes, I ate Korean food with my Korean friends but I would always ask the waiter to give me a mild version. There is no such thing in Korea so I sucked it up and ate these spicy dishes. I shed some tears along the way. Good tears, that is.

Live squid part 1- My friend insisted on taking me to eat live squid. I've always wondered what it would taste and feel like but never was I expecting to try some on my trip.

Live squid part 2- The actual thing.... LIVE squid. I know it's not a big deal in Korea but um hello? The freaking thing sticks to your inner cheek and if you don't chew it fast enough, you can suffocate and die. Man, gotta love the Koreans.

Jajamyun- 3000 won (around 2 dollars)! SO CHEAP! This was pretty bomb diggity. We ordered it to the dorm and we didn't even have to pay tip or the delivery fee. Service is free in Korea so ordering in is just as satisfying as eating out.

Jol myung- Chewy noodles in hot sauce. Basically I ate this every week. My go-to meal.

Sangyupsal (pork) - This was the best sangyupsal I've had. The best, I'm telling you people. The sauce added so much to the flavor. There were thinly sliced sweet onions in the sauce base which complimented the crispy pork. My friend and I ended up having this twice in the minimum of three days.

Sundae (pig intestines)- I was reluctant to eat this but it actually wasn't that bad. I mean, I wouldn't choose to eat this if I'm hungry but it was interesting. It had a chewy texture and the spices actually numbed the flavor.

Dak galbi- Chicken stirred with dduk (mochi) and vegitables. This was actually pretty good. It burned my tongue and I ended up drinking at least 10 glasses of water since the cups so damn small in Korea. After we finish eating, the waiter comes with a bowl of rice and gojujang and makes fried rice out of it. So spicy.

Dak galbi #2- It was a bit different from the one I had before because it had more vegetables but all in all, it tasted the same.

Spicy mandoo (fried dumplings)- I ate this Bi Bim Guk Soo, which is wheat noodles in spicy sauce.

All-you-cant-eat-BBQ- I ate this 3xs in one week. So unhealthy but oh so good. We got to choose a variety of meets including galbi, san gyup sal, bulgolgi, etc. I've obviously had Korean BBQ before but man oh man, the price was just too good to be true. It was only 6,000 won, which comes out to be around 5 dollars in the states.

Fried tofu and grilled meat- We had to order anju (appetizer) so we got this. I forgot what this is called in Korean but it seemed like it was some sort of knock off of a Japanese dish. This was eh okay probably cause it wasn't an actual restaurant. Nonetheless, we finished the plate like we always did.

Ramyun (ramen noodles)- I don't what it was but this was the best Korean ramyun I've ever had, maybe cause I was in Korea. I still consider Ramen and Ramyun as two separate things. Ramen>Ramyun. hehe.

Wang mandoo (big dumpling)- only 1000 won, which is like 85 cents. I remember buying these at Nijiya market when I was a kid and was pleasantly surprised when Korea had them too. I ate this whenever I would walk to the subway station. The guy knew which kind I wanted by the end of the 4 week period I stayed in Korea.

Wang mandoo- mmm so good

Fruit smoothies- 1000 won too. I would buy this along with my Wang mandoo and enjoy my cheap but oh so delicious meal.

French fries-on-a-stick - The most bizarre thing I saw in Korea. I didn't eat it cause I probably would've had a severe case of heart burn but I needed to grab a picture of this. The lady in this picture gave me the stink eye but how can you resist? So many people lined up to order a death-on-a-stick.

Street food- Everywhere I went in Korea, people were always selling food on the streets. Apparently it's really good but unsanitary so I didn't try it. It ends up coming out as the same price as naeng myun so why not take the safer route? I kind of wish I tried it though.. aha

Waffle with Green tea and Vanilla Ice cream- it was okay.... I feel like in Korea everyone likes the presentation more than the actual taste. It looks better than it actually tastes.

Babingsoo (shaved ice)- This was okay too. Now that I'm in Japan, this falls short by a mile in comparison to the shaved ice I've eaten here. However, at that time, it wasn't so bad.

Waffle and Green Tea Babingsoo- The best desert in Korea. It actually tasted how it looked.

Some of the meals I enjoyed in Korea. I ate so much more but kind of lazy to bust out the camera when my stomach is grumbling like the cookie monster.

justin nozuka

2010-08-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

Korea part 1 - Ceramics

2010-07-27T05:53:00.001-07:00

hello people,

I haven't been updating this thing like I hoped I would earlier this summer. I am currently in Japan sitting in my grandmother's apartment. Both my mom and grandma are sound asleep so I am trying my best not to "type with determination," however it's hard not to when you're listening to BIG BANG! haha I used to cringe whenever my friends would listen to some kpop, now I quite enjoy it. I have to say, it's very catchy. I had a good time studying at Ewha, eating spicy food, and meeting new people. I shall update you all later. For now, I want to share about my ceramics experience. I enrolled in two courses this summer at Ewha: Korean Language 1 and Ceramics.

The first day of class, we had to make 3 bowls. I thought this class would be a breeze but it actually took a lot of time and effort. I was a bit indifferent the first couple of classes, yet the more I played around with the clay, the more comfortable I felt making new pieces. In the end, I made at least 10 pieces, three of which I am very proud of. Waking up 8:30 a.m. during the summer was a change but it was all worth it. Here are some pics of my ceramics class.

my ceramics class

the glazing room

white glaze

the furnace we put our pieces in

some of the pieces I made

my blue house

some came out well

I have a lot more pictures from the trip that I'll be posting up later.

victorious

2010-06-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics last night at Game 7. I'm glad they lost game 5 so we were able to win the championship at home. It felt so good watching the Lakers beat the Celtics. Beat LA? my ass.

photocredit: latimes

Jake Davis

2010-06-12T01:52:00.001-07:00

Ronnie Fieg Presents: The Sebago Nexus Project - Trailer by Jake Davis from Jake Davis on Vimeo.

takoyaki

2010-05-31T00:39:00.000-07:00

My mom's friend gifted us with a takoyaki maker so my padre and I decided to make it today. I was so surprised how easy it is to make this delicious appetizer/meal. I usually eat this whenever I go to New York. It seemed like it would be a difficult process to make; however within 15 minutes, I was eating them straight off the pan.

beat one large egg

mix one cup of takoyaki mix and water

mix egg, water, and takoyaki mix

add ginger and tako (octopus)

time to put the mix in the pan

part one

part 2

flip the takoyakis

drizzle takyoyaki sauce, japanese mayo, and seaweed on top

time to eat!

photo portfolio

2010-05-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I've always wanted to pick up photography; however it wasn't until recently that I could actually consider it as an interest/hobby. Luckily, I had the opportunity to take an intro course to black and white photography this past semester (the best course I have taken at BU). I used to take pictures and look at photos without much thought yet my professor encouraged us to think outside of the box by looking at photos with a different perspective. My professor brought so much enthusiasm and passion to the classroom that my 3-hour classes seemed like 30 minutes. It's one thing to learn from reading out of a photo book and another to learn from an established photo journalist. I spent at least 10-14 hours a week in the dark room, ignored the course work in my other classes, went out in the cold to finish assignments but I can honestly say I enjoyed every single minute of it. I still have a lot to learn but I realized that this course is what college is all about. I have so much to say about this course and my professor; yet I will leave you with photos from my final project.

My theme- Street Photography:

"On the Edge" project

"Depth of Field" project

"Night photo" project

Street photography

"Carnival" Street photography

"Carnival" Street photography

new chapter

2010-05-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

I'm back to blogging.

The next 6 months is going to be one hell of a ride so I ask you to join me.

long time no talk

2009-11-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

hola,

it's been a while since i've last posted something on this thing. tumblr is so addicting and my parents don't get it. they're always like "why would you just post one picture up? who is that model wearing that see through dress?" so i decided to write on this thing. (shout out: hi mom and dad!) i'm finally updating this thing for you guys and letting you peak into my college life. haha i mean, you guys are one of the few who read this thing so might as well eh? i have two hours until i go to work and i need to take a shower but i still find myself sitting in front of my computer typing away while listening to taylor swift (Fearless is a superb album). hmm lets see... well lately, i don't know what it is but i feel like i haven't been doing anything productive. maybe its because im not swamped with school work like i was before or am i just being lazy? i sleep so late, which i am going to change after thanksgiving break. yesterday i woke up 12 and guess when my class starts? yes 12 o clock. i literally jumped out of my bed, threw a coat on, put on some jeans, washed up, and managed to run out the door looking like a somewhat put together. my baby hair stuck out in every single direction possible while i tied it up in a messy ponytail. not to mention i have this huge scab on my nose cause i squeezed the biggest blackhead the night before (gross but so satisfying... not gonna lie). anyways, what i'm trying to say is that i need to get back on track. this is not okay and it doesn't feel good. i guess there's just a lot on my mind that i need to preoccupy myself by sitting in front of the computer. how sad... i just wrote a feature for my mass comm class on how technology is screwing up this generation and haha, look at me, i'm the perfect example of it.

the day wasn't so bad though. i went all the way to northeastern to eat taco bell and ended up watching new moon with three guys from church. when taylor lautner came on the screen, they gasped and i thought i was the girl. he does not look like he's 17 years old, which makes it okay for me to think he's a hunk. hahaha

my brother and his roomie are coming to town tomorrow! that's something to be stoked about.

i asked my brother what he wanted to do the most in boston and no he replied " dude, i want to eat clam chowder." haha that'll be easy. i'll just take him the barking crab. yummy. ah, so excited :)

anyways, i realized i should take some time off my tumblr and nurture my first child. haha i mean it got me threw the summer when i had no one to talk to at 3 in the morning. haha (blogger: substitute brother) however, posting up pics on this thing is such a hassle but i'll manage to put some up for the parentals soon. okay so taylor swift's "the best day" just ended and the grumbling noise my stomach is making does not compliment the song whatsoever. so ill take that as my queue to get ready for work.

adios,

yuri

learn

2009-10-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

hola,

The more I know, the less I understand

All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again

adios,

yuri

Broken. Blessed.

2009-09-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Broken. Blessed.

The two words don't seem to go together. If anything, they seem to be exact opposites.

We all know what it means to be broken-to be shattered, to feel as if our entire world has fallen apart, or perhaps been blown apart. We all have times in our lives when we don't want to raise our heads off the pillow, and when we feel certain tears will never stop flowing. Brokenness is often accompanied by emptiness- a void that cannot be filled, a sorrow that cannot be comforted, a wound for which there is no balm.

Nothing feels blessed about being broken, The most painful and difficult times of my life have been those times when I felt broken. I don't like pain, suffering, or feelings of brokenness any more than anybody else does. Certain circumstances in life hurt, at times so intensely that we think we will never heal.

One of the things I have discovered through being broken, however, is that after brokenness our lives can be the most fruitful and have the most purpose. The dawn after a very dark and storm-wreaked night is glorious. Feeling joy again after a period of intense mourning can be ecstatic. A blessing can come in the wake of being broken.

- Charles Stanley

marshmallow

2009-09-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

hola

Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

yuri

you

2009-09-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

But

its not fitting in

that will help to begin

to show you

your beauty

here comes

2009-08-31T01:03:00.000-07:00

hola,

here comes summer,

chirping robin, budding rose.

here comes summer,

gentles showers, summer clothes.

here comes summer,

here comes summer-

whoosh-shiver-there it goes.

- Shel Silverstein

thank you summer,

yuri

nintendo 64

2009-08-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

hola,

Do you remember when you were a kid; playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There were no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

- my friend's status for the day

adios,

yuri

milk+honey

2009-08-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

hola,

i found a gem. a secret hidden spot right by my house that i wish i could've gone to earlier this summer so i could waste more of my money on food. this place is called milk+honey. it's a cute little cafe that serves organic tea, coffee, shaved ice, fro yo and treats. it's just too good to be true for my taste buds. i've been eyeing the place since last year but never thought of the idea of actually going inside the cute little cafe. hmm funny how my mind works. my mama and i decided to go there after a little shopping trip cause we i was getting sick of gypsey den... well not to mention, i went there the day before. anyway, it was a good thing we went here cause boy oh boy were we happy campers. i've been to plenty of cafes all over la and well basically most of southern california cause i moved around a lot, but this is def. one of my favorites. my mom and i both agreed that it reminded us of kyoto, where my obaachan and family reside. gosh i miss them. well anyway, i couldn't help but grab my camera and snap away. so here ya go...for your viewing pleasure that is. i wish you can actually taste the shaved ice. hmm technology in 10 years. maybe... haha

adios,

yuri

amigas

2009-08-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

hola,

this week has been super fun so far. i met up with my girls the other day and we just laughed and laughed non stop. ash drove up from redondo to visit me and rina. we ended up seeing julie and julia and let me say that meryl streep is a goddess. anywhos it was just a splendid day.

adios,

yuri

genius

2009-08-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

hola,

this is just amazing.

agyness deyn, terry richardson, and michael jackson

need i say more?

------edit

"My mum used to always dress me and my sister in matching Laura Ashley dresses," says Deyn, 26. "And I'd be like, 'Mum, I just wanna wear my Doc Martens!'"

-Agyness Deyn

i remember my mom would dress me in both laura ashley dresses and doc martens... at the same time.

i have quite the mom

peace out,

yuri

alternative?

2009-08-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

hola,

hey you gotta do what you gotta do for the sake of fashion, right? if you aint got the moolah, here's an alternative way to go chanel. haha

via jakandjilthepop

adios,

yuri

fresh prince

2009-08-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

hola

remember the good old days when fresh prince of bel air was on? i remember watching it with my brother and thought it was the coolest show. i actually got more of the jokes as i got older though. haha goodness this clip makes me cry every time due to the intense laughter. i've always found will smith attractive not because of his looks but his ability to have no shame. i can't help but find him appealing in this clip. call me crazy but im pretty sure a lot of gals would agree. no? i need to find me a guy like this who can completely make a fool out of himself. a girl's gotta laugh right? hahaha

yuri

rain clapping

2009-08-04T01:37:00.001-07:00

hola,

yuri

upside down frown

2009-08-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

hola,

don't worry; be happy,

yuri

ruby dog fest

2009-07-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

hola,

so the fam bam and i went to rubys sometime last week. when we were deciding where we were going to eat lunch, i suggested rubys because i haven't eaten there in such a long time. (well it's been year haha) i remember when i was in junior high, i would go to the one in redondo all the time... or was it pv? anywhos, i have to say i have a lot of memories there. the food is just good ol' american diner style. the proportions are so big so i always eat half of it and give the rest to my dad (aka the vacuum cleaner) its good once in a while no? after that, we went across the street to get some coffee and treats and guess what was going on? a dog pool party! three dog bakery was hosting a little tiki party for the beloved pups. it was so cute. they had little tiki lounges set up around the store and even had a doggie cake. i couldn't believe my eyes. i was squealing like a little girl and looked like an idiot while i took pictures of them.

rubys

heartburn yay

three dog island

surf shack

so cute

one day...

thank you for smiling for me

adios,

yuri

refresh

2009-07-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

july 25, 2009

eye-catching

2009-07-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

hola,

just some images that caught my eye

via images all over the web (too many to list)

adios,

yuri

justin nozuka

2009-07-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

hola,

he looks quite spiffy in a vest, doesn't he?

adios,

yuri

live to eat

2009-07-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

hola,

It was kind of boring for me to have to eat. I would know that I had to, and I would.

-Kate Moss

um que?...are you kidding me? i love kate moss. i think she is an amazing model/style icon but "eat" and "boring" in the same sentence? come on now... that just cresayy. i guess you really are what you eat. in her case, nothing and in my case, everything. literally... as you can see. hmmm but that's not going to stop me! here are some pictures of especially delicious food.

Kaisen Restaurant:

we went to a kaiten sushi restaurant today (sushi that's placed on a rotating conveyor belt that makes its way around the restaurant). it's really kinda fun spotting your favorites and the fish at kaisen restaurant is always really fresh so that's just superb. aint it? yes it is.

i don't really like tamago sushi but mama bear does. it looks cute though ya? ha

once again, mama's

salmon skin roll

favorite: salmon

bento box

mama's cooking:

kimchi chigae

mama can cook korean food too ya know.

kei be jealous! muahaha

Sushi box mama's friend made for us.

so cute and delicious:

i eat fruit daily (except for the honey dew):

eating is good for you,

yuri

red

2009-07-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

hola,

"you know my dream was to always become a doctor so i feel like i'm kind of...i mean i don't have to give you a tylenol to feel good; i'll give you maybe a red dress and you'll feel marvelous."

-Alber Elbaz

adios,

yuri

don meyer

2009-07-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

hola,

i just finished watching the espy awards, which i look forward to every year. samuel l. jackson did a pretty good job as host but i thought jt did a better job last year. the lakers won best team baby (obviously). anyways, the whole show made me wish i was an athlete like it does every year. however that would have not worked out because my hopes and dreams of becoming an athlete fell into shambles in the 7th grade when i accidentally shot the ball in the other team's basket (btw, the ball didn't go in although it almost did). hmm yeah. but man oh man, the show gets me every year and i tear up like a baby watching those inspirational clips. this one in particular really hit me hard. i mean, literally, tear down my cheek status. the speech is not shown here and this is a longer version of the clip but one thing he said that stuck with me was that he tried to never complain, whine, or make any excuses. if i was in his situation, i'd be doing just the opposite and its crazy how i find myself complaining about the most trivial things. coach don meyer truly deserves the jimmy v award. i just wanted to share this with the few who read my blog because i'm pretty sure it'll encourage you too.

adios,

yuri

wild things

2009-07-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

hola,

no this is not a post about denise richard's movie in the 90's. its about one of my favorite childhood books, "Where The Wild Things Are". i remember carrying this book around wherever i went when i was in pre-school. i would ask my parents to read this to me over and over again until i fell asleep. when i first saw the preview for this film a couple months ago, i got so excited. usually book-to-film adaptations turn out mediocre but spike jonze might've nailed it with this one. the images are just unreal. i didn't even know they were making a film out of it. i mean i saw that urban outfitters were selling these shirts, which usually means something. anyways enough of my comments. here's the preview for those who haven't seen it yet.

adios,

yuri

thoughts

2009-07-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

hola,

hmm i should be sleeping right now but my hair is still wet from taking a shower (good excuse huh). i should've been asleep a couple of hours ago due to my droopy eyes and countless yawns per second. but i can't go to sleep...i don't know why but i'm just in this weird melancholy mood. i want to say everything i'm thinking at this moment but it would take up this whole page and no one would want to read that. even if i wanted to, i don't think i could cause a.) i don't think i can even sort out my own thoughts and b.) i don't want anyone knowing what's actually in this brain of mine. hmm ya. i really think there is something wrong with me. wait, no i really think i have a lot to learn but i just want to learn everything God has in store for me all at once cause i'm tired of learning everything the hard way. not to mention, i'm a bit impatient. looking back at the (almost) 20 years of my life, i feel like i learn everything the hard way. hopefully this doesn't sound like i'm complaining because i'm not trying to make this a pity party. anyways, i always wanted to be one of those people who learns things the easy way. in other words, you know those people who make everything look so easy? does that make any sense at all? maybe this is part of the whole growing up process. i wish i can just.... hmm i don't know. i can't even finish that sentence cause honestly my thoughts are so jumbled up right now. maybe i feel like this because i can never sort them out or maybe its the lack of sleep. maybe its the fact that i miss my brother a lot (don't get flattered by this comment, kei). i guess that's it. if he was here, i'd be in his room right now bothering him to listen to everything so he can help sort them out for me like the good old days. i'd probably not feel bad too for drowning him in my disarrayed thoughts cause i mean he's my brother. it's not like i can do that with anyone else... i mean i could but after the first hour or so, they'd be putting plugs in their ears. i mean i think my brother would love to do that but i just won't allow it from him. haha sorry if you guys had to read this. it was really just for me to make myself feel better. none of this probably made sense to any of you anyway cause it barely makes sense to me. at the time i didn't know it but maybe i titled this blog yuri+etc. so i can write about what's going on in my head once in a blue moon. hahaha but i can assure you that there won't be a lot of these kinds of posts in the near future. i bet my journal is feeling a bit lonely right now. anyways, i can't wait until august. it's always my favorite month. why you might ask? it's my birthday month, kei always comes home at this time of the year, and you kinda feel like you have to live it up cause its the last month of summer. alright looks like my hair is kinda dry now.

yuri

twenty one

2009-07-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

hola,

so it was my bestie's 21st birthday this past week and since i can't join her in vegas this weekend, my parents decided to treat us to a nice lunch. we first went to kitayama in newport, which was very yummy and then off to balboa island we went. i insisted that we can't go to balboa if we don't get frozen bananas so we all got one. haha after that, we cruised around and went on the ferry that carries 3 cars at a time across the harbor. i've been going on that ferry since i was a baby and every time my dad insists that it will sink. well it didn't when we were on it so alls well.

it was just a splendid day spent with wonderful people.

happy 21st jillian.

that is all for now

adios,

yuri

follow

2009-07-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

hola,

i have been listening to this song over and over again for the past couple of months. it has at least a hundred hits on my itunes. i just think its so beautiful and lovely. while browsing on youtube, i found an amazing cover on it. kina grannis and her sisters do the song justice.

yuri

super

2009-07-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

hola,

i don't have anything really to say....i just like this picture a lot. well i guess i did have something to say. hmm...anyways, i took it when i went to palm springs with my friends my senior year. it just makes me smile. that is all.

edit---- and this one (i didn't take it, obviously)

dream boat= justin nozuka

i don't even need to see his face to swoon. i need to get a life. pronto.

yuri

ingrid

2009-07-14T02:11:00.001-07:00

hola,

ingrid michaelson is coming to boston at the paradise on the 12th of september.

i'll finally get to see her. i will be one happy camper.

yuri

beat it

2009-07-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

hola

i want to take part in one of these some day. it seems like a blast.

how awesome would it be if people at the t stop just got up and started dancing? um.. amazing.

there better be one in boston this year!

peace out,

yuri

vera wang

2009-07-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

hola,

so a lot of you guys might associate vera wang with bridal wear but she's also respected as an overall designer. these two collections really caught my eye because of the way she mixes in her boyish charm with feminine pieces. she always looks so nonchalantly cool, which i admire. its funny cause a lot of her wedding gowns are so feminine and delicate. i love the fact that her real life style can translate into her regular collections. i'm not saying it doesn't with her bridal collections but white can be a bit limiting. here are some of my favorites from her recent collections

Pre-Fall 2009

Resort 2010

pics from nymag.com

adios,

yuri

nike

2009-07-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

hola,

so my mom showed me this nike commercial and we laughed our asses off to the point where we were crying. japanese people are simply loco. just watch and you'll see why.

adios,

yuri

smile

2009-07-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

hola,

so one of my closest amigas whose traveling europe right now sent me a postcard from spain and it just totally made my day. it's funny how little things like that can make people smile. i think it might be because these days, everyone communicates either on the cp or the phone, which has its pros and cons but its so easy to shoot an email or a text message. it feels nice for a change when someone takes the time to write you a little note. doesn't it? i shall write to people more often. hopefully it'll have the same effect on them as it does on me cause otherwise, it'll be just plain pointless. haha no just kidding.

yuri

sweet home california

2009-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

hola,

i went to laguna today (yesterday) to meet up with a friend from high school. she was in town so we planned to meet up and get breakfast at the white house (it's a restaurant; not the president's casa). it was a lot of fun catching up and talking about the good ol' high school days. after getting breakfast and saying goodbye to alex and her familia, i walked all throughout downtown laguna and found myself window shopping. it was quite relaxing. i walked into a new store called 225 forest, which is seriously one of the coolest clothing stores i've been to. the interior of the store is so sick. it made me just want to stay in there. they only carry hurley, converse, and nike but all of it is nothing but ordinary. the store is a mix of surfer meets street style- it's very much a california store. there is a section with two macs on the third floor where you can design your your nike hightops on the cp and order them on the spot. in another corner, there is a design lab. what you do is... you buy the plain classic white converse, pick one of the selected images couple of artists designed, and scan it onto the shoe. you can even design your own board shorts. i browsed through the clothing section and ended up buying a jacket and flannel. i had to stop myself from buying more... overall, it's a really cool spot to go to if you're ever in laguna. anyways after browsing around for about an hour or so, i just walked to the beach and chilled there for a bit. it made me realize how much i love living in southern california. i just stared at the ocean for a good 20-30 minutes while listening to my ipod. i think way too much for my own good so it was nice to clear all my thoughts. mm so relaxing. i need to do that more often. my idea of therapy.

yuri

living>existence

2009-07-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

hola,

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

- Oscar Wilde

(i really need to practice living)

yuri

hello babies

2009-07-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

hola,

so today (well technically it's yesterday) was a pretty eventful day. michael jackson's memorial service was on throughout the day but i found myself baby sitting . (yeah... if i didn't have to baby sit, i probably would've been sitting infront of my tv balling my eyes out, which i did later on in the day anyway when i watched the recording). my madre's friends from new york visited us so it was my duty to take care of the little ones. i'd just like to mention that i'm not the best with little kids. but these two were fun (at least the first couple of hours).

since i had the whole day to take care of them, what did i do? i just let them play with my photobooth and they got such a kick out of it. i'm telling you... little kids find everything so amusing. they wore me out though... so i take them to the playground and they climb and go on the most dangerous things, i let them play with my cp and they want to press every single button and ask me "what does this or that do?", i let them play with my hair and a.) there was probably snot or mysterious particles of all sorts inside their fingernails and b.) akiko-chan had my hair on the right side and megumi-chan had the left side so they were pulling it in opposite directions.. yeah but overall, it was entertaining and... fun. haha

i let them play around with my glasses and my mouse ears

peace out,

yuri

look closely

2009-07-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

hola,

aren't these so cleverly made?

pictures from knightcat

yuri

sister act 2

2009-07-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

hola,

so i was browsing through youtube (i use my time so wisely.... it's quite ridiculous...) and came across couple clips of sister act 2 and it brought back so many memories. when i was about 10 years old, i was absolutely obsessed with this movie. when i was a little bit older i bought the soundtrack and the vhs and memorized every single song. i would go online to print out the lyrics. haha i swooned over ryan toby like no other because he was such a good singer. i would rewind his part in the movie where he sings "oh happy day" over and over again and would just be in awe of his talent. lauryn hill kills it with "His eyes are on the sparrow" and "joyful joyful" and this was even before her albums with the fugees like "the score" and her solo album "the miseducation of lauryn hill." yep...before she was a superstar, she was in this movie.

i don't know why but i just love soulful music. if you can sing, its most likely that i will ask you to sing over and over again. i remember going on my senior trip to ojai with a girl named natalie who was an amazing singer. i would constantly ask her to sing songs that i requested throughout the trip. (yes, super annoying of me). i admire it when people can belt out a song like old school mariah carey in her "music box" days and boys II men in their "II" and "Evolution" days. maybe its because when i was about 3 years old, i joined my dad watching the mariah carey concert at madison square garden on laser disc. i was hooked from there on out. we would listen to luther vandross, the fugees, lauryn hill, old school motown (yes, even the jackson 5) and etc. on our way to school in the morning. growing up, i would stay up every friday night while everyone else was asleep to watch Amateur Night on Showtime at the Apollo. i would secretly go upstairs and watch it with excitement. (man... okay this has to go under my 'thing before i die' list. i am going to go to the freaking apollo even if no one comes along with me. i may be the only asian chick there, but its all good).

anyways i'm just blabbing at this point so i shall stop. but at the end of the movie, they perform "joyful joyful" which is amazing (clip above). haha goodness...i memorized the 2 raps and performed it a couple of years ago when i graduated from junior high. (hahaha i was a lost child indeed) if you haven't watched this movie, you're missing out! but then again, people say i don't have the best taste in movies so...hmmm...you decide.

enough of my foolishness.

adios,

yuri

breakable

2009-07-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

hola,

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?

Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.

So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,

And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.

And we are so fragile,

And our cracking bones make noise,

And we are just,

Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.

-Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson

yuri

sparks

2009-07-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

hola,

i just got back from a bonfire and i smell like burnt wood.

so yesterday was america's birthday and we celebrated it by eating good food and looking at fireworks.

mi padre and i walked throughout the neighborhood last night to see some fire works.

we ended up seeing pretty nice ones. i was quite surprised indeed.

everyone on my block bought fireworks and were at it all night, which was cool cause i could see some right outside my window. anyways enough of me blabbing. here are some pictures from yesterday's fun activities.

papa at work

yummy

delicious

haha papa's so cute

don't they look like fireflies?

yellow

little one

red

favorite one

very nice

adios,

yuri

crackers of fire

2009-07-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

hola,

so i finally got my laptop back hence the lack of posts this past week. it was kind of nice not having it because it forced me to do other things like use my time wisely.

...

for example: i have been watching vh1 and mtv playing michael jacksons videos for countless of hours, buying his cds, and going through every single la times article i can find on michael. but who hasn't done that? productive, no? haha

in almost every single interview or tribute to michael jackson, producer quincy jones is mentioned somewhere in the story. i never really realized how much of an impact he was to michael's career. i remember being part of my church choir/praise team and we were invited to take part in the tribute to quincy jones in 2004. it was called "A Tribute to Quincy Jones on BET: An Evening of Stars." i was 14 and the main thing i was stoked about was to go into the kodak theatre. At the time, i didn't know how influential of a man he was. i remember looking into the crowd and seeing a lot familiar faces. everyone from stevie wonder to oprah was front row and center.

we sang "just once" with james ingram and the rest of the spirit of unity choir. (haha quincy even started to cry) i really didn't fathom how incredibly lucky i was to take part in a tribute to a man who helped build michael's solo career. i mean come on now... he was the producer to off the wall, thriller, and bad. some of the best albums ever made.

now that i look back at it, it sure goes under the file of yuri's best memories.

haha i found it on youtube!

watch the performance

i'll post up pictures of the fire crackers tomorrow.

adios,

yuri

p.s. happy birthday america

the real devil wears prada

2009-06-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

hola,

so my laptop is getting surgery for recovery so i'm using the cp downstairs.

i'm just gonna leave you with a little bit of anna.

adios,

yuri

Travel eps. 2- australia

2009-06-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

hola,

part 2: Hyde Park, Max Brenner, Pancakes on the Rocks, Strathfield, and Newtown

ashley and i made lots of trips to hyde park to relax, max brenner to get fat, pancakes on the rocks to get fatter, strathfield to get even more fat, and newtown .... you see where i'm going with this. let's call this the food edition.

Hyde Park:

(there is a hyde park in every country basically but i think i like this one the best)

day one in australia

ash bo bash

chilling

gosh i miss this

before going to the fish market

jazz hands

chilling at night time

ashley once again

good night

max brenners:

(note that these are many trips there on our 3 week trip)

time for chocolate

choco to the left

so you put the chocolate into the cup while the candle heats up the milk

chocolate and strawberries

pigging out

hot choco w/ rice krispies in it

with sylvia and ash

how cute are these?

pancakes on the rocks:

(best pancakes ever. that's all i have to say)

strawberry pancakes

haha

delicious

gluttony

Strathfield

(basically the korea town of sydney haha)

best cafe in town

with tim tams... amazing

Newtown

(best thai food)

newtown

haha

miss piggy

museum station:

(our main source of public transportation)

and i gained 10 lbs just by looking back at these pics....

eat healthy,

yuri

p.s. rip michael jackson and farrah fawcett

street style

2009-06-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

hola,

When I’m traveling the world, I don’t ever look anymore at the geography—just enough to catch galleries and paintings. Mostly, I look at the people, and people are what give me the energy.

- Alber Elbaz

i love people watching and looking at other people's style. whenever i travel, one of the things i look forward to is to just people watch. new york is always a cool place to do that.

it seems that the older (non upper east side) women around 50-60 year of age have the best style. whenever i'm with my mom, we usually spot the same person who immediately catches our eyes. it's kind of funny. you'll see both us turn our heads in the same direction and two seconds later, we'll know we just pointed out the same person.

i think it's really easy to just copy someone else's style and say it's your own like a lot of people do. but in my opinion, you can just tell by looking at the person whether they have their own individual style. i think thats why i love seeing what everyday people wear. you can tell a lot about a person not by what they wear but how they carry themselves.

you can wear anything but its a matter of how you carry yourself wearing it.

dontcha think?

that's all for today.

gotta love the dress

i dont like the outfit... my eyes only go to the pants.

simple yet super stylish.

farrah faccett circa 2009

pretty

baby blue

cutest thing

adios,

yuri

gulfstream + sprinkles

2009-06-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

hola,

so father's day was a blast. we went to newport to get brunch at gulfstream restaurant.

it was super delicious and tasty.

then we headed over to sprinkles, which is right next to the restaurant. (how convenient)

the line was ridiculous but after 15 minutes of waiting, i got a taste of cupcake heaven.

super super good.

their red velvet is hands down the best i've ever had.

we just chilled and enjoyed sunny california. gosh i love where i live. too good to be true. thank goodness the weather cleared up this week.

menu... well obviously you're not blind if you're reading this

inside

papa dearest

sugar and salt

this is why i love restaurants near the beach

ahi tuna burger

crabby crab cakes

outside decor

papa and me

mama and papa

sprinkles

milk chocolate/vanilla and red velvet

so cute. i want.

photobooth time:

take one- my dad made a joke under his breath (no joke)

take two- i have the biggest pimple on my nose

adios,

yuri

dad

2009-06-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

h a p p y f a t h e r ' s d a y

i love you papa,

yuri

mama and yuri day

2009-06-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

hola,

today was a very good day. i got to spend some quality time with my madre, which is one of my favorite things to do.

we talked, shopped, and ate some delicious sweets at cafe blac, which is an amazing japanese/french bakery in newport beach. i am 100% serious... i have never tasted anything like their cakes and sorbet.

it's out of this world.

girls day out while papa stayed home.

with madre

cafe blanc

mm what should i get?

sorbet/gelato selection

cute decor

lookn classy mama

strawberry shortcake and strawberry sorbet

cheesecake and raspberry sorbet

fat ass

mama bear

peace out,

yuri

travel eps. 1- bondi beach, australia

2009-06-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

hola,

hello people. i already said hola but i'd thought i'd say it again... hmm ya

anyways... today was a fun-filled day. mi amiga jillian came over and chilled by the pool while eating some fresh fruit. sounds splendid huh? im getting darker and darker. i might hit up the beach tomorrow if i have the chance. guess what else i did today? i looked through photos. haha (the usual)

i came across not hundreds but thousands of photos of places i traveled to so i thought to myself... why don't i start a travel episode on my blog. there are some days when i feel uninspired so what a great substitute post to when i have nothing to write about. since i have so many pictures, i can post up a few here and there and show you some cool spots i've been to. i'll probably do a new location each month. this month will be australia and so on.

so here are the first of many parts on my trip to australia.

part 1: bondi beach

"the land of cute surfers"

we made many trips there on our 3 week excursion. it's a great place to surf, dine and just have plain old fun. this cute little town offers more than just a beautiful view. on my first trip here in 2005, i fell in love. i had to come back and i had the privilege of going again for my senior trip with ash. words cannot even express how beautiful this place is. a lot of the pictures are either of me or ashley cause there were only two of us. haha

go to bondi when you have the chance!

some random hot surfer dude

cute lunch spot

two thumbs up for bondi

beach time

graffiti part 1 - they had the sickest art

i look like an idiot but felix is workn it

under the rocks

down the shore

bondi beach skate park

checking out the skaters (haha)

my outfit matches the graffiti haha

sunsets

ash bo bash

unreal

reflection

night time

time to eat dinner at hurricanes. one of the best rib restaurants

i've ever been to

met up with some old pals

time to surf a couple of days later

find myself an aussie bf (ya right)

orange skies

roadwork ahead

g'night

adios,

yuri

old home

2009-06-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

hola,

so i was browsing through my photos like i usually do when i am bored. however, today was a really fun day. the weather finally cleared up so i took advantage of it by chilling by the pool, eating froyo, and looking through my new magazine i picked up at kinokuniya bookstore. such a splendid way to spend the day. i even got a tan, which i am very pleased about. need to get rid of the boston pale skin tone.

anyways back to the photos.... i came across some pictures of my old casa in los angeles. i was looking through some blogs that featured architecture and came up with idea of posting some pics of mi old casa.i miss it very much because my parents who collaborated with interior designers designed it from the ground up. i wish i had the before pictures.

anywhos, it was a great house indeed and thought i would share it with ya.

entrance

living room

lofted dining space

guest bathroom

office space 1

office space 2

kitchen 1

kitchen 2

looking down from the dining area

dining area

up we go

staircase

my brother and my bathroom

haha nap time after school

brother's room

adios,

yuri

ladila

2009-06-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

hola,

i am sick and tired of the weather here in california. i woke up to blue skies which eventually turned into gloom central. it's summer so please lets have some sun. on a brighter note, this past weekend was pretty fun. i went out and bought some cute jewelry, which is always a plus. oh i also watched the breakfast club for the first time. it is such a good high school movie. now i know why people rave about it so much. anywhos, i thought i'd post some outfits up cause i haven't in a while.

outfit #1: luisaviaroma jumper, marc by marc jacobs sequin cardigan, antik batik sandals

outfit 2: sass & bide tank, see by chloe coat,

camilla and marc jordan skirt, repetto flats, erayo red clutch

outfit 3: derek lam sequin vest, christian louboutin clutch,

differa heels,dress (hmr.jp), stella mccartney blazer

outfit 4: current elliot jeans, repetto shoes,

alexander wang undergarment,all saints sweater, vena cava blouse

outfit 5: topshop blazer, sass&bide dress, nina ricci heels,

swarovski earrings, facet bangle, lulu guinness clutch

adios,

yuri

laker nation

2009-06-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

hola,

picture: yahoo.com

after 7 long years of hard work and determination, the la lakers dominated the finals and won the championships. to all you haters, keep on hating. i personally enjoy you guys talking smack about our team. it just motivates them more. i mean.. look, we're the 2009 Champions.

2009 Champions= LAKERS

let's celebrate,

yuri

となりのトトロ

2009-06-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

hola,

so the other day, i asked my mom to find my 17 year old vhs tape of となりのトトロ.

i watched it with good ol' dad and it sure brought back so many childhood

memories. i can't even count how many times i've watched that movie

when i was a little kid. we laughed and sang along

through the whole thing. papa told me he used to

call me mei chan (めいちゃん) because i was just as crazy, stubborn, and aggressive

like her, and about mid-way through the movie, mama joined us.

as we all watched together, she started laughing- she reminded me how

i used to call pigtails "mei chan" (めいちゃん)and would

ask her to give me that hairstyle every day. it all makes sense. there are

so many baby pictures of me with pigtails.

see...disney movies bring a heck of a lot of memories but for some reason,

this movie stands out the most. it might be because it was probably the first

movie i saw. what a nice way to kick start a life full of movies.

i love the fact that it's not only me who loves this movie;

my parents and my brother all share the same feeling.

we still have all my トトロ character dolls from the cat bus

to トトロ to めいちゃん (thanks mom and dad).

its funny how watching the same movie after so many years could

bring out the same reactions and emotions i had as a little gal.

i got to watch this more often. heck,i got to watch

all the japanese movies i watched growing up.

yes, i shall do that this summer.

adios,

yuri