Game 7

By Isabel on

As a Los Angeles native, I have always been, by default, a Lakers and Dodgers fan. But it wasn’t until a few years ago (late 2008, to be exact), that I finally began to learn, and then actually care, about sports. And while I have learned enough to be a casual fan of baseball (again, Dodgers), and football (or rather, a fan of whichever teams have one of the Mannings), the one sport I’ve had the most exposure to, and thus the biggest affinity for, is basketball. And yes, I unapologetically adore Kobe Bryant.

Now I am thrilled to finally cross another item off my 27 Before 27 list: #16 Go to a professional sports game. And I am very glad now that the Lakers lost games 5 and 6 against the Nuggets, because game 7 was perfectly timed with my visit home so that I could go see them close out the series and advance to the next round against the Thunders.

I do enjoy watching them on TV, but being there was thrilling. Being surrounded by die-hard fans who go complete batshit over a three-pointer? Priceless. Someday I’ll find something for which I have that level of passion. But anyway, being part of a sold-out Staples Center crowd during playoffs = ah-ma-zing.

This is about the full extent of my ability to talk about sports. What are your favorite sports and teams?

Sweet Relief

By Isabel on

“My drink” is the White Russian (like the Dude, I abide), but when just drinking straight alcohol, I prefer whiskey. So a few months ago when I heard about Jack’s Honey Whiskey, I was ecstatic because it combined my love of liquor with my insatiable sweet tooth. A couple of my friends tried it and told me they found the aftertaste to be too syrupy. But I had a gift card for Target, and when I saw the bottle I thought why not just give it a try myself? If it didn’t work out, we’ll just mix it.

I’m happy to report that I love this honey whiskey, but I do realize that not everyone has as big of a sweet tooth as I do, or sometimes eats honey by the spoonful when they run out of candy… (No? Just me?)

Plus, it’s like little sips of Christmas at the end of a long day surrounded by lawyers (in training).

So, if we were to hang out at a bar together, what could I get you? A shot? Well drinks? Maybe just keep it simple with a pale ale?

In the City

By Isabel on

I’ve already mentioned a couple of times that I wanted to talk about my winter break vacation to New York. I had tried writing about it right afterwards, but then I realized it was so incredibly boring. Boring? Because that draft had turned into a laundry list of the amazing sites and various places I visited. Not to mention the whirlwind of unforgettable restaurants and bars. And since I was staying with one of my friends from high school, there was an insane amount of dorky inside jokes that kept us rolling with laughter the whole week. An absolutely incredible experience? No doubt about it. Fun for someone else to read? Not really.

Then why am I writing about this now, three months after the fact? I have had it in my head now that I absolutely must move to New York when I’m done with school. It’s been on my mind for the past few months, and something I thought a lot about while reminiscing on Leap Day, that what happens after school’s done is still a giant question mark. While it’s true that there is a career path to follow (if I find employment in the field at all), the fact is that I could still have a lot of wiggle room in terms of deciding where life leads me after May 2013.

Lately, I can’t get the notion out of my head that graduation would be the perfect, not to mention probably the last, time to pack up my entire life and start completely fresh in New York. I’m at that point where the only person I have to think about when making these big life decisions is myself. I don’t want to go straight back home to Los Angeles, start working, and then let 30 years pass by before I realize I should have at least tried to go out into the world some more before settling. I have no basis for thinking this, but it seems to me that in the future, it would be easier to go back to a place I consider home than it would be to try to break out of a settle life and start somewhere new.

I think it’s also noteworthy that the New York Bar Exam is only 2 days long, as opposed to the California Bar’s 3 day exam. I think that decision pretty much makes itself.

And that’s what’s been on my mind when I’m not thinking about all the other things I should be thinking about (for example, writing my research paper). But I’d love to hear about you and your life. Is it what you had anticipated, or did life lead you somewhere that completely surprised you?

Week Off at Home

By Isabel on

The thing about spring break that makes it considerably less exciting than its winter counterpart is not the lack of holidays, but the fact that it falls right in the middle of the semester. So unlike winter break where the excitement stems not just from Christmas and New Year’s, but also the fact that it’s three glorious weeks without a single thought of academic responsibility, the thought of homework and papers still hangs heavily during the week off. However, I am more than happy to look the other way when it comes to responsibility, so schoolwork be damned — I went home and didn’t crack a single textbook.

I spent most of the week catching up with friends I hadn’t had time to see or even speak to since New Year’s, but also made it a point to go to areas that I usually don’t frequent or hadn’t visited in a much longer while.

One of my first stops was Gallery Nucleus which is a newer art gallery and currently has a tribute to Dr. Seuss entitled “Look at This! Look at That!”

It was incredibly charming, but my favorite part was a wall mural with this quote.

The other highlight of the week was LACMA to see Monet and Cézanne, but also play in the Urban Light installation, one of my absolutely favorite features of LA.

But a trip home is never complete without food. There were the must-go-to stops which include a few favorite coffee shops, sushi, and hot dogs. For the first time, though, I found myself craving Chinese food, which I had never been particularly fond of. Perhaps it’s the lack of it in San Diego, and the fact that this food tastes like my childhood, but I finally ventured to areas I hadn’t been around in years to eat dishes like sweet and sour beef with fried rice and chrysanthemum tea.

Whenever I’m on break or vacation, I turn into one of those people that obsessively documents their meals. In some ways, it’s easier for me to keep track of the days and the activities based on what I ate that day. Is that weird?

And the last activity of note from the week, I climbed a tree.

The one week break was too short, but I take heart in the fact that it’s already halfway through the semester. Here’s hoping the second half goes by just as (if not more) quickly so that this school can come to a close!

The difference 4 years make

By Isabel on

Yes, I completely dropped the ball on this blog, though it had been on my mind. The holiday hiatus was intentional. The two month break afterwards… Not so much. Flowers make up for everything, though, don’t they?

I hope 2012 started off well for everyone! The end of 2011 and the start of this year was rather difficult for me, and then beginning another semester threw me for a loop. I’ve finally settled in to what promises to be an even busier semester, but I feel like I am mostly in the swing of things.

But of course, as today is Leap Day, I couldn’t not blog, right? I’m feeling somewhat nostalgic and contemplative.

The last time this day came around in 2008, I was spending the semester abroad, and was vacationing in the sunny and balmy south of France, where the weather was a far cry from the chilly and rainy Bordeaux. I can’t remember the exact reason why, but the French school system provided a week-long holiday at the end of February, so I had gone from a 5-day trip through Spain (Madrid and Granada) and went straight into another quick 4-day trip to Aix-en-Provence. It was glorious.

I remember wondering where I would be on Leap Day 2012, and I’m not sure I would have been too thrilled to know that the day would be spent studying (or rather, procrastinating) for a midterm the next day. However, I can’t say I’m all that surprised to find myself still in school for what will be my last academic phase before I go into the real world.

The last four years have been rather interesting, but it is with no small amount of impatience that I look ahead and wonder where I will be on Leap Day 2016. Unlike in years past where I could be fairly certain I would still be going through some form of academia, it really is up in the air in terms of what happens when I finish my degree. Hopefully, I can look back on this day and think to myself, “If I had known then where I would be now, my mind would have been blown by the sheer awesomeness of getting to this moment.”

Even though I still have yet to share some of the highlights of the best part of my winter break (New York!), next week is already spring break. Sometimes I can’t tell if this year is zooming past or crawling by. But, as I’ve mentioned, I have a midterm tomorrow and it’s finally gotten to the point where I really shouldn’t be putting this off anymore. Ha.

So tell me, did you think back on February 29, 2008 that you would be where you are today? And do you hope to be doing something similar or completely different on February 29, 2016? Anyone as impatient as I am to find out?