CHECK IN

I've been on a bit of a soul-journ the last few months. Literally. I've been up and down California, checking out San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, LA and Orange County. It's been no Eat, Pray, Love experience -- but it gets me pretty darn close.

I love it here. Oh, sure, there's friends and family and UCLA and USC, but really there's this diversity of experiences and people and languages and cultures and events. There's always something going on, or if there's not, there's someone trying to get something going on.

In the past week, I've had buffalo sausages, and El Salvadorean food, and pumpkin yogurt, and curry, and New Orleans coffee, and diner food, and all sorts of nom-noms. My mouth and my heart have been opened up to some delicious foods, and you know what?

That's the beauty of being a Californian. There's no way that I could live here and be close-minded, close-hearted. I would end up missing out on so much, if I were dead set on doing this and that and being one way or another.

And that's really the only thing that I am 100%, dead-set sure of... I want to constantly grow and learn and challenge myself. No more settling. If I'm unhappy, if I'm unsure, I'm going to do something. I'm going to be happy... or at the very least, fulfilled.

SHANTIH

photo credit: carl abuan
I don't even know where to begin. The last few months have taken me up, up, up, and then crashing way down to the ground. But the story of it almost doesn't matter.

What matters is now, picking myself up and regaining my balance and finding peace in it all. Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I get there?

For me, part of getting there has been getting out and doing things -- like yoga. Oh my goodness, yoga used to be the slowest, most painful thing ever... But I wanted to get fitter. I've always been small, but I've never felt strong, and I wanted to increase my flexibility, and yoga deals pop up all the time, so I snagged a deal and committed myself to a class at least once a week.

Yoga's been good to me. Yes, I feel fitter. I feel stronger and more flexible. I feel healthier! I want to run more than I've ever wanted to run before.

But more importantly, I'm finding my inner peace. I'm more in tune with who I am, and who I want to be. I used to feel so troll-ish in classes, but you know what? Everyone struggles. I've learned the wonders of taking things at my own pace, finding my breath, and focusing on me.

It's all still a work in progress... Because some days, I can't focus on me. I try and rush things along. I don't stop and breathe. I get self-conscious when I can't do a handstand, or the crow position. That's all okay. I'm learning still.

So that's all I'm sharing for today: Find your balance, your inner peace, your shantih. Move towards who you are and who you want to be.

I am an almost-foodie, an almost-designer, a lover of life and happiness and colors and brightness. I am who you want to avoid in yoga classes (because I will fall over and crash into you, and the person next to you, and the person next to that person).

But seriously, I want to be better (2% better) each and every single day. I want to get closer to myself, and to the people around me. I want to surround myself in love, so that even on the worst of days, I know that I'm gonna be okay.

Alrighty... Enough with the mush. You care about the food, and I love food. I love design. And where does that all come together? Right here. Expect to see me back here, peeps.

And if yoga doesn't do much for you, a series on the Avengers and what they can teach you about yourself! My faves?

• Tony Stark's Guide to Being Yourself / Tony Stark
• Captain America: The (Not Terribly) Flexible Avenger

A FRESH LOOK AT FOOD

[ image originally from my new roots ]

When I started working, I feared for my diet. I definitely thought that it'd be difficult to prep a lunch for myself every day, that I'd wind up eating in the dorms with E. (since he's an R.A.) and so on.

Weirdly enough, though -- that hasn't been the situation.

  

Now it might be the number of potlucks that I've hosted since my balcony's lovely, and the weather's lovely (see here) -- but I've worked for two weeks, I've packed a lunch every day and I've only eaten out when for some reason or another, my company provides lunch (grand total: 3 times). Even for dinner, E and I have actually not gone out to eat in a while...

And that brings me to My New Roots, a fresh foodie find.

It's been my inspiration, as I head out to the farmers' market and dream of new dishes to cook up. Sarah makes eating healthy easy. Her recipes are simple but delicious and incredibly, incredibly colorful for "green" foods. 

Now if only I could break my pasta habit... 

OUI, OUI!

[counter clockwise, from top left: gâteau d'or from griottes; gâteau glacé au pineau des charentes et ananas from je veux être bonne; and cheesecake rose-framboise from christelle is flabbergasting ]

My foodie find for the week? Make that finds. They're French cooking blogs!

Makes me wish that I had paid more attention in French class! And that they could cook for me!