Sherman Alexie at Mondavi

On Wednesday night, I went to the Sherman Alexie event at Mondavi Center. Sherman Alexie does many things. He is a poet, author, and a standup comedian. But, he came to UC Davis because he is an author and his book was picked for the Campus Community Project for the 2011-2012 school year.

It was not my first time in Mondavi, but my second. For the first time, I believe I was there in 2009. I can't seem to remember the title of the event, but it is when the chancellor and other figures open up the academic year. I think that was also the first time Chancellor Kathei opened up the academic year since it was her first year as chancellor at UC Davis.

I really like being in the Mondavi Center because it is very beautiful and elegant inside. It seems well funded. I think that the people who attended this event was mostly middle age to elderly. There were students though and some young ones.

That event was free. This event was not. However, I received the student discount, but I had to pay for the highest student discount, which was $20. I found out about the program about a week before and bought it the day before the event. My seat was in the orchestra, which was pretty close to the stage, but I was in the back row of the orchestra. Parking was $7, but I didn't drive; I called escort service and saved $.

I was given this program issue for the month of Mar-Apr 2012. It included information about other program and information about Sherman Alexie.

For my UWP class, we will be reading "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" later on in the quarter. But, I think going to the event will help with discussion and some good things to think about when I'm reading the book. I've read one a few pages into the book and it is pretty funny and interesting. During his program, he was also humorous and entertaining. The program lasted about 2 hours with Q & A and not including autograph signing.

After his program, he had a Q&A session. Then, he signed autographs. I waited about 30 minutes for him to sign my book. He wasn't the first author of a book that I met though. Many of my professors also wrote books and some of which were my favorite books. I didn't ask them for an autograph, but I guess I should have if I really enjoyed the book.

 The line inside Mondavi Center to get autographs from Sherman Alexie.

The weekend before the beginning of a new quarter

On Saturday, I packed and left. The luggage that I had to bring back was so heavy and I did not have one of those rolly bags. Next time I go traveling, I must bring one of those with me because they make life easier. On our way to the Flyaway station Chen bought some sandwiches to eat later. She waited for the bus to came and we both left the station. Upon arriving LAX, I ate my apple and thought that would be enough for me. But 30 minutes later, I was so hungry. I went to the McDonalds and bought a McChicken and fries and finished those pretty quickly. The flight back to SAC was not long, then again I was really tired. When I got back I waited for the 42B bus to drop my stuff in Davis While I was waiting it was sprinkling a little. Once I got back to my apartment I was excited that I no longer had to carry the heavy luggage. And that I was going to give Emily the gift I had from Socal. But first, I had to take the 42B again to go to DT where my mom would pick me up. When I got in the car my baby sister handed me a card that she drew and there were hearts all over it. In return, I gave her a Hello Kitty Lunch box. We were both content. When I got home I was really tired but talked to my siblings for a while before deciding to lay down. I was about to fall asleep until Cindy called me and Brandon for a game of Apples to Apples. The game was quite fun and we ended up laying about 4-5 rounds before going to sleep. Then, it was Sunday. I did not prepare much for school, but I worked a bit on some projects that I had been meaning to work on.

Wrapping up in LA

On my last day in SoCal, me and friend decided to go to Hollywood. We took the bus and it was around a 45 minute ride. When we got there, Hollywood was much smaller than anticipated and the streets were dirty. The shops there were also expensive for my taste and did not offer the best selections from the stores that I  usually go to. 

We came back to LA pretty early. Chen wanted to look for cup noodles at Ralph's but they did not have them. We also explored other supermarkets. I decided to get something to drink at one of them since it would be cheaper there. I also bought Chipotle for dinner, so we would not have to go out later in case it rained. Oh, and I also tried Diddy Riese, which is a place that sells Cookie and Ice cream sandwiches.

Moments in Irvine

Thursday was our last day in Irvine. Shan made us breakfast and we all packed. Shan and her family left for Las Vegas. While me and Chen met up with Diana, Karissa, and Meagan. We toured around the campus and UTC. Afterwards, we went to 85C Bakery. Everything looks delicious inside. I wanted to get a lot of bakery, but had to settle for a few.

Chocolate croissant

We decided to get lunch around the plaza, so we went to Tofu House. It was quite delicious. Thinking about it makes me want to go eat Korean food. Before we left Irvine we took sticky pictures. Oh, and me and Meagan got boba.

Rain and exploration on Irvine

Of the three nights that I spent in Irvine, it was hard to get a comfortable sleep. The sleep in Irvine was not as comfortable as it could be. The first night I slept on the floor. I found it so uncomfortable. In the middle of the night, I looked for my jacket and other objects to put it on my back for comfort. When I stood up from the little amount of sleep that I got, my feet cracked. The next night I shared the bed with one of my friends on the top bunk. There was barely any space to move and the blanket was so thin. I didnt even know that those kinds of blankets existed.

-When we got up Shan made us breakfast. We did decided on what we wanted to do for the day. We played ping pong and table hockey around an hours time. Then, we explored the campus. I did not take so much pictures of the campus though. I think that UCI campus is sort of romantic. There were many pretty flowers around the campus and there were some places were I thought weddings photos could be taken. For dinner, we walked out in the rain to get dinner. I wanted to treat Shan to a sandwich, but she didnt let me. Me and Chen both ended up eating sandwiches from Le Dip. It was quite delicious.

A day in Irvine

On the Wednesday of Spring break me and friends decided to take the bus to the beach. The beach was not as exciting as I thought it would be. But, it was still nice to be there since the weather was nice.

Newport Beach

After we went to the beach, we took the bus to Fashion Island. The ride there was pretty quick, probably around 15 minutes. The place seemed very neat and had some nice places to browse around. I also saw that there was a Häagen-Dazs shop there, so I had to go get some. It was quite delicious. I got the belgian chocolate chocolate on a cone. After a while of walking we got tired and decided to go get something to eat. We went to Fatburger. The burger was good, but it was too small for its price, close to $5. We also went to a plaza that had Target, Old Navy, and other shops and restaurants. It was so big that it had to be divided into others streets.

First meeting with a friend

Spring break Monday ago, me and my friend ate at Novel Cafe, which was right across from the Flyaway station. The restaurant had many reviews that were good, so I decided to try the place out. We ordered a turkey breast sandwich and breakfast burrito to share. The place gave us complimentary nachos and sauce. Also, one of our meals came with the fruit selections. We received our meals pretty quickly and at the same time. I noticed that the sandwich had onions in it and I took them out for consuming the sandwich. I ate the burrito first. It was soggier than expected. I liked the turkey breast sandwich. I didn't finish everything on my plate. It was so much food. I usually finish my fries, but I just couldn't have anymore at the moment. After brunch, we took the bus and headed to Chinatown in Los Angeles. From there we got off the Amtrak station and met up with Crystal. I think it was my first time meeting Crystal. I talked to her before, but that was online. We also exchanged pictures. She is talkative like I thought she would be. And, she does like her pictures. I am glad that she was able to pick both me and Chen up and to take us around to different eateries. I really liked Half & Half because the cups were in a cute size and the boba were warm. She took us to Irvine and we paid her for gas. That night my friend took us to UTC because she needed to buy groceries. She made us dinner that night, which was bacon and ham sandwich.

The day Hollywood was suppose to happen

Originally, we planned on going to Hollywood on Sunday. We woke up that morning and it was pouring rain and for the entire day. We were going to eat out in Westwood, but then I thought that things would be so much easier if we just ordered a pizza. We ordered from La Monica's pizza since it had free delivery and pretty good reviews from Yelp. We ordered a pepperoni and sausage 19 inch pizza. The order arrived in under two hours because of the high demand of deliveries that day. Although I carried a umbrella, my pants still ended up getting soaking wet. I knew I should have worn shorts. Luckily, it dried quickly within a few hours. The pizza was delicious and it lasted the both of us the entire day.

A day at UCLA & LA Koreatown

After the first evening there, we decided to eat breakfast at a different dorm from the first night. The breakfast had a pretty nice selection. I remember bacon, breakfast sandwiches, omelette, bagels, and others. I tried a bit of what they had to offer, but did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think that I only enjoyed getting the croissant. After breakfast we toured around the campus and took some photos of the campus.

After touring the campus during broad daylight we decided to get lunch at Cafe 1919. My friend swiped each of us a Pepato Piatto. The pizza was delicious! After eating lunch, we relaxed for a while and waited for a couple of people to go to Koreatown with and figuring out how to get there. We decided to go to Castle BBQ. I believe it was about a 45 minute through an hour bus ride and that also includes transfering to a different bus. It was about $6 for a daily pass, which is more expensive than one in Sacramento or Davis. Once we have arrived we had to wait. We waited so long, probably an hour before we were granted seats. Castle BBQ had three different price selections and were different because of the amount of choices offered. We decided to go with the $14.99 one since it offered more for us to choose. After we had korean bbq, we had green tea shaved ice @ Mr. Coffee's I really did like the shaved ice, but I am the type of person who does not devour cold desserts in a huge portion. After dinner and shaved ice we took the bus back and arrived back to the dormitory around 12. I then remembered that I was suppose to meet my friend. I texted her and she was awake, so we eventually decided to meet up and I hanged out with her for about an hour. It was nice catching up, but it was apparent to both of us that we were both tired and I left her place around 3ish. I wanted to stay up later since my friend was going to stay up until 5 to get something for me to use, but I crashed around 4ish.

LA/Irvine Plans

So, My friend sent me this list (in bold) that she had planned since I was coming down to La. She is very well organized and I am glad she thought of wonderful things for us to do while I was there. She definitely made my time there enjoyable and memorable. I also made some comments on what had actually happened.

Thursday, March 17
- Alice Arrives @ 440
I arrived a little later than that since my flight was delayed, but still ended up in LAX before 5pm.
 - Get to UCLA around 530. 
I actually arrived around 6pm because of the traffic.
- Eat with Alice (swipe her at dining hall)
I am glad that I had the opportunity to visit the dining halls. It was similar to the ones in Davis in some many ways. It was buffet style and had similar menu selections. Oh, and they offer mint or candies on the way out along with dessert.
- Walk around Westwood if not too tired or UCLA campus
We walked around and there were more people around the campus at night then I thought it would be. I also recorded parts of my tour around the campus, but I think it is too dark to show.

Friday, March 18
- Take bus to Koreatown (should be ~35 cents one way)
We ended up by the daily pass for $6 to go to Castle BBQ. I think it was about a 45 minute ride.

- Go eat Korean BBQ ($10)
We waited a long time to get inside. There was a selection of the 9.99 deal, 12.99?, and 14.99?. We choose the 14.99 one because it had more selections. I also learned that I do not like bbq chicken as much as bbq beef.
- Green Tea Shaved Ice @ Mr. Coffee's
Yes, and it was good. But, it was too much for me to handle. I usually ordered myself a mini or tiny portion of yogurt. And, I devour my sweets slowly for satisfaction.
- Walk around K-town & explore
We did this while walking to Mr. Coffee's and to the bus stop.



Saturday, March 19
- Go to Santa Monica Pier/beach (must get funnel cake, ride on ferris wheel if enough time $5, or roller coaster $5 or water ride $5--choose one)
We did go to the Pier and beach. We ended up eating McDonalds. Afterwards, we walked around the Promenade. Ended up watching The Lincoln Lawyer. We also ate at Wolfgang Puck Express and had Pinkberry for dessert.
- Shopping area
@ the Promenade there were many different shops and restaurants

- Venice Beach
did not end up going because there was not enough time



Sunday, March 20
- Go to Hollywood to walk around
-It rained the entire day, so we ended up ordering pizza at La Monica's. It was pepproni and sausage flavor.

- Pack for Irvine
Yes.


Monday, March 21
- Head to Irvine ($0.35 one bus, transfer to another bus $0.35, then $11 train to irvine + $2.50 for bus to UCI)
Nope, Crystal was nice of us to drive us. She also took us to Half&Half and a restaurant.
- Meet Shan
Yes.

- Walk around UCI area?
Yes.


Tuesday, March 22
- Beach
visited a portion of the beach, and fashion island, a plaza
- What is there to do in Irvine Shan?? Take over from here


Wednesday, March 23
-played ping pong, table hockey and explore the campus

-tried Le Dip, which was delicious.


Thursday, March 24
 -helped Shan pack up and she left for LV

-met Karissa, Diana, and Meagan. toured around UCI and went to 85C bakery and took sticky pics. also, had lunch at tofu house.

-went back to LA


Friday, March 25
- Head back to LA
Already back at LA. Ended up going to Hollywood. Came back and checked out the supermarkets in the area for cup noodles. Bought dinner and drinks for later so we dont have to go out in case it rained.


Saturday, March 26
- Alice leaves

Yes.

Visting UCLA

Spring break ended a couple of days ago, but so many good memories and fun happenings occurred that I want to remember a few details of the break. I consider it my first spring break or pleasure trip that I have taken. I decided to come to LA and Irvine. The main reason for that is because my good friend has been asking me when I would be coming down. I also have not toured and done fun stuff in either LA or Irvine. Since I ended finals early on Wednesday I was able to leave for spring break after that. I decided to book my flight for Thursday afternoon and arrive in Los Angeles by evening time. I was not nervous about flying down alone, but I did find it troubling that my luggage was quite heavy. Once I have arrived at LAX, I immediately looked for the Flyaway bus since it would take me directly to Westwood where my friend would pick me up. At first, I thought I saw the sign for the bus, but once I walked to the direction I did not see the Flyaway sign any longer. I began to get nervous, so I decided to keep walking until I found it. Suddenly, I saw the Flyaway bus sign and one came by. While on the bus, the bus passed by several other flyaway signs at the airport. Ah, I learned something new. For $5.00 the bus took me directly to Westwood. My friend said that it usually takes 20 minutes max to get there, but it took me about 45 min-hour to arrive since it was traffic hour. While on the bus, I took notice of my surroundings. The street names interested me. I remember learning of a Sepulveda in one of my NAS classes. Wilshire and Kinross also sound like interesting names. I immediately took notice of reasons why it was so different from the city of Davis or Sacramento. From Westwood to her dorm at UCLA. The campus looked so new. I was surprised by the hills and how many stairs there were.

This is a image of stairs at UCLA that leads up to Powell Library and other buildings of the campus.

This is Powell library. From the look outside, the building looks big. As I walked around I was surprised that there were couches in the library. I would be happy if they had that at our library. I found it interesting that the books and study areas were separated. I thought that there would be a huge collection of books in this library because of the size of the building.


I noticed that the buildings at UCLA look newer than UCD. The buildings look more architected and that they have been furnished throughout the years. Also, I believe that it gets a lot of funding from alumni and other individuals. As I walked around the campus, I also saw statues. There were many different kinds, there were also two fountains that I noticed on campus. I found it interesting that most students did not ride their bikes. I guess it is because of those hills and stairs.

The dorm area is not scattered, but all located in one area. I really like that they have restaurant choices besides the dc at the dorms. I liked the Bruin Cafe and Cafe 1919. What I did not like was that there was no kitchen space to be found in the dorm area for the residents to take advantage of. I do not even think that the students had a microwave. Since there was no kitchen in the dorms, me and my friend had to either eat out, order delivery, or eat cup noodles for the break while in LA. There were also weird stairs around the dorm area. It is those stairs that are huge that you either have to take two steps or one giant step in order to get to the next one. I also thought that their dorms were much more secure than the one I stayed in my freshman year. I only have to slide my id card and open it with my key. My friend at UCLA had to slide her id card, room card, and then push in a code in order to get into her room.

I really liked UCLA. It was conveniently close to Westwood if students wanted to go dine out at some restaurants or go do some shopping. There is also the choice of taking the buses around LA. I like that all the dorms are in one area of the campus. But, they should offer students a kitchen, Looks could be deceiving here since some buildings look grand and new from the exterior, but they are just like other buildings in the inside.