I visited Rob for the long weekend and I am reminded of how much I love the Bay Area during this time of year. I can't quite pinpoint what exactly it is that is so intoxicating-- the flame-colored trees, the crisp air, the look of the overcast sky perhaps?

Chapin came to visit me this weekend from San Diego. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to dedicate the entire weekend to her due to my midterm today but we had a blast nonetheless. I studied and cleaned my apartment all day Friday. I met Chapin on campus on Saturday and we got to catch up over lunch. I had my Panda Express and she had Rubios. The Empower Change summit was happening on campus that day and that's why we were there. Unfortunately. we both weren't able to make it to any of the workshops but we were able to attend the keynote speech at Royce Hall given by none other than Bill Clinton.

I've been feeling unusually lethargic recently and I can't seem to pinpoint the reason why. It might have something to do with my new exercise routine, which involves a lot of toning and strength training now. As a result, my sleeping schedule is inconsistent. Perhaps it also has to do with the extremely dense readings assigned by my professors. Sometimes I feel as if my mind is a machete cutting through the underbrush of political philosophy and public opinion. It can be quite a tiring exercise, although I'm learning a lot and am enjoying most of it.

Just got back from the Jimmy Eat World concert at the Wiltern. It frackin' rocked! I still prefer their old songs more than the new mellower stuff because they're just classics. Who doesn't feel pumped up after hearing The Middle or Sweetness or Praise Chorus? I know I totally do. The venue was very nice as well. I'm so tired but it was soo worth it. Good times!

I miss my mom's Taiwanese-style comfort food. I regret never writing down or memorizing her recipes while she was around. In fact, I miss Taiwan for its unique food. I found an awesome site that sums up Taiwanese cuisine in a simple format. Taiwanese food is basically Chinese (Fujian) food with Japanese influences. Some of the food sounds and/or looks questionable to Westerners (and even myself sometimes!) but I say don't bash it until you try it!

This Fourth of July was pretty chill compared to last year's. Last year Rob and I were in Vegas and discovered that Vegas has no fireworks on the 4th of July! This year we actually saw some firework action. We had planned on watching the fireworks from the top of a building that his previous company now occupied. The building was impressive and it was in prime location for the fireworks show off of Redwood Shores. We even received a tour of the building and got on top of the roof the day before with the help of his ex co-workers.

My first two quarters at UCLA had its ups and downs. The upside is that I enjoyed being on such a beautiful campus and having the opportunity to go to various events. With much relief, I managed to pass all my classes with satisfactory grades. The downside is that I've had to sacrifice my social life for those grades. To save money, I had to live a few miles off campus and take the bus to save on gas. Hopefully, I'll find an apartment closer to campus that is still affordable next year. I've also accumulated a high amount of student loan debt which would take me about a decade to pay off. My third quarter was spent at the UC Center in Sacramento. There I interned and took classes two blocks from the Capitol. The UCCS program is like UCDC program only it's in Sacramento. Students from most of the UCs were there and I was fortunate enough to be able to socialize with them. I became closer to my fellow intern scholars in the program than any of my UCLA classmates from previous quarters. Both the class and the internship taught me a lot about policy-making in this state and the potential problems facing it in the future. The UCLA students were required to write an extra research paper for the program while other UC students were not (except UCSD). This caused me a lot of stress and I'm glad that that part of it is behind me.

In celebration of Rob's 26th birthday, I planned two main events for him this weekend. On Friday night we attended a birthday dinner that Mike and I planned for him at Trader Vic's in Palo Alto. Ten of his friends showed up and we had a blast chatting and eating Polynesian-style cuisine. I had planned something for us to do on Saturday morning and into the afternoon but Rob really wanted to go to Maker Faire in San Mateo so we went there instead. I was glad we got to go because I've never been to anything like it, although the Craft section reminded me a little of Comicon. Pretty much anyone who works with their hands and makes things was there. There were tons of creative and innovative projects that people were working on or have already built. I even helped build a Ybox with a group of four other people (including Rob). We got to take home kits so we can build our own from scratch. I've never soldered anything but jewelry before so it was fun trying something new. After Maker Faire, we went home and got ready for dinner. I made a reservation at Manresa about a month in advance and I had high expectations for it since it was the only restaurant in the state (or country?) that earned two Michelin stars. The only other restaurant in the state that earned more was French Laundry with three stars.