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Farewell to another summer. It's time to brace another school year, and I'm hoping for a year of experiences: good, bad, fun, full of laughter, full of tears. Hey, that doesn't seem like too much to ask for, right? I'm dreading the sophomore slump, but wondering if it's not as bad as people say. I guess we'll find out!

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts and Raspberry Gratin

Jan was kind enough to let me crash with her for a few nights last week. We let all the sweat pour out of our pores in a couple sessions of Bikram Yoga, got our hair cut at SFIEC -- one of the Paul Mitchell Schools, and she was patient enough to let me help her cook! These two recipes were from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics and were absolutely delish! I vow to cook more this year at school and hopefully I can live up to that new school resolution!

Sunset Wrap-up

Taken at the John Legend concert at Greek Theatre

Even though Labor Day weekend is over, Free fun on Labor Day Weekend (it's actually every first weekend of each month).

Paint-it-your-own pottery, in honor of two recent birthdays!

The Treehouse Green Gifts, because I had so much fun thrift shopping this past weekend.

Covering SF Outside Lands for Venus Zine

Venus Zine's coverage of San Francisco's Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is finally up with contribution from yours truly.

It was one hell of a weekend. I got in trouble from ticket validation problems on the same Caltrain that proceeded to break down causing utter festival-going chaos. I learned that being late for even one minute is not acceptable because then you've missed your chance to get into the photo pit. I learned that music reporters and reviewers are awesome, but I may not necessarily be one in the future.

But I met some great people, had countless single-serving encounters, and got to hang out with my lovely friend Janise!

Here are some random outtakes from the weekend. The top one was my favorite shot of the entire weekend...the sky was absolutely gorgeous and the colors from the stage were simply stunning.

San Francisco: Local Tourist

I haven't gone to SF as much as I liked, but when my friend Paris stayed with me for a week, I gave myself the excuse to put aside the to-do list and enjoy my "hometown." I'm wrapping up my last week at Sunset, and I'm sorry to be leaving so soon. I also have photos and write-ups from SF Outside Lands going up on Venus Zine in the next couple days, so more outtakes coming soon!

Words

It's funny how powerful words are. Frankly, its power scares the shit of me sometimes. Day to day, we speak with such conviction and confidence, making proclamations and hard-boiled statements in a manner that suggests we actually know what the hell we are talking about even when we don't.

Does that seem a little messed up to you?

Words, written or spoken, have always been an intriguing concept to me. Oftentimes, images and ideas never fully formalize until they are spoken out loud, written on paper, or sent off in an e-mail to a friend. Then, words, depending on their order, a person's voice inflections, another's expressions, can change from time to time. Perhaps that's why oral performances have played such an influential role in history. Other times, words are crap. Plain crap. It's the danger of words, as if the world is a giant playground and we're all stuck in a neverending game of "Telephone." Suzy started with 'butterfly' and somehow, five thousand conversations later, Alex ended up with 'frog.' Yes, it makes no sense. It's not supposed to.

We all say one thing now and mean another thing later. To be honest, nothing is ever set in stone. Nothing is ever permanent. Friends forever is hardly literal. Always and forever? Utter bullshit. Saying that you want to become a lawyer? Who knows how that's going to turn out? That's possibly the most frightening thing about life and yet the most exhilirating (after all, those concepts seem to go hand-in-hand more often than not).

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but it's something I've become hyperaware of lately. I've also become more aware of the way I present myself, the ways I am comfortable in my own skin, and the manner in which I carry myself around others. I've realized that a lot has changed in the past year/year and a half and I've almost come to a point where I can't handle my emotions anymore and frankly do not want to discuss it with others. It's almost as if I gravitate towards superficial, fleeting conversations to avoid breaking down the barrier I'm slowly building around my heart. Or, I guess the other way to look at this is -- I'm simply getting on with my life and getting used to the new routines that I've come my way. Either way, it's interesting to find value in what others say to me and constantly re-evaluate the way I'm acting and reacting. The words and expressions I choose to use in what I believe are lame attempts to convey what I want to say or what I'm thinking. The way words sometimes truly do not speak louder than actions and the way words sometimes do.

Call it a little bit of self-introspection. Or call it bull...whatever it is, it's what has been running through my head for the past few months.

Missed Connections

photo from Missed Connections

I'm re-posting something my fellow intern Natalie posted about on her blog, "Live in the Layers": Sophie Blackall's Illustrated Missed Connections, because this new blog that's going into my Google Reader subscriptions truly romanticizes the quick, seemingly unimposing interactions between two strangers on the street. On one hand, it's kind of unsettling and creepy -- borderline "Craigslist" creepy, but her drawings and sketches appropriately illustrate the social "single-serving" interactions between people (to steal a phrase from Fight Club).

Ever since I can remember, I've lived for these moments. Sure, I love the lasting friendships I forge and the simple nights of comfortable silence or uncontrollable laughter, but I love meeting new people. Perhaps that's why I am pursuing journalism. I hold onto those single servings because I find people inherently interesting. Everyone has a story to tell and my raging curiosity engrains an image of these people in my mind. Just the other day, my friend Paris and I were walking alongside the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, taking strides to the rhythm of three drums. A family of three -- a father and two sons -- perched on seats on the sidewalk with stoic faces, playing the same simple four-beat rhythm over and over again. Another man stood less than a block away playing his guitar as he leaned his head back and belted sweet melodies. These curious, curious people. How I wanted to find out their stories and talk to them about their thoughts, lives, ideas.

While I was studying for my SATs few summers ago, I sat outside the Coffee Society outside of the Cupertino Library and ended up having a nice hour-long conversation after snapping this photo and watching the musicians set up for a free concert. The barista came out, sat in one of the two unoccupied chairs near me, and we chatted about his life and mine. How I was sitting here studying for the SAT, hoping to earn that high score "required" for admittance into a prestigious university while he was living on the streets, trying to find a job, and struggling to pick up the pieces before his coffee-making job. Yet, he had such a calm misdemeanor. The way he carried himself simply said, "Don't even worry about it."

If I had the artistic talents of Sophie Blackall, I think I could fill a post with hourly sketches of my single-serving encounters. While I love all my friends and the wonderful connections I make with the people I meet in Guatemala, at Sunset, in life -- sometimes a one-time interaction is enough.

Putting pen to paper

Chookooloonk's post today about writing in a journal really made me think and struck a chord. I have always had trouble writing in a diary or a journal. The thought of writing to myself never really worked and reading the mandatory diary entries I wrote in elementary school still makes me cringe to this day. When I write, I prefer to create a conversation and, hopefully, make people think. Maybe Karen and Jen are right to say that journalling shouldn't have rules.

I've always kept a pen and notebook with me for notes and little reminders, but maybe it's time to put a little more thought into writing, collect the little napkin and torn scraps of paper, and make something of it all.

Just a thought.

Renegade Craft Fair makes a stop in SF

Prepare yourself for a huge image overload. Sunset home writer Jess, fellow intern Natalie and I (and many other Sunset-ers) made our way to the Renegade Craft Fair last weekend and posted a few of our favorites here. I loved the entire fair and I have several "outtakes" of other stores that I fancied. It was truly inspiring and amazing to see all these entrepreneurs and creative, talented designers making their dreams a reality with truly beautiful craft work. Here are the many that didn't make the Sunset post.

Mosey Handmade (top photo also Mosey)

Owly Shadow Puppets


Accessorize with Toys



Arcane Arts


Cathy from California (who sought me out after she heard from her boothmate that I was taking photos for Sunset)



Heather River



Hilary Williams Fine Art




Jane E. Roberti Handmade Jewelery


Mateo Ilasco


Miss Natalie

Traces of the Molten State

I was trying to pick which randL notebook I wanted and came across Chika and Jean's blogspot.

I had to repost this beautiful video of Etsuko Ichikawa creating her gorgeous pieces of art by burning paper with molten glass.

Absolutely inspiring.

Traces of the Molten State from Etsuko Ichikawa on Vimeo.

Obon Festival

I suddenly want to learn more about the Japanese culture of ikebana. What do you know?

Rachel and I headed to the annual Obon Festival at Mountain View Buddhist Temple and had a blast eating spam musubi, trying to wear cozies on our (really just her) head, and watching a local taiko group perform. Rachel and I shelled out a dollar to play a shooting game. A proof of my skills? Nothing. A proof of hers? A little paddleball! We also wandered to the cultural displays where these cute little crafts made an appearance and I wanted to share it. Adorable, no?