I love

Sometimes, it's just so good to write about what we love, for our souls and for our future growth.

Off the top of my head and heart:

I love...
- red shoes
- comfortable sexy shoes
- lipstick from Shu Uemura
- Bobbi Brown palettes
- California sunsets
- the sand in my toes
- shopping with a friend
- girl talk
- magazines
- a clean apartment
- healthy, delicious, home-cooked meals
- dinner parties
- flights to somewhere special
- France
- my friends in Europe
- my friends scattered across the US
- my parents and brother
- train rides
- functional accessories
- time to myself

till next time.  xoxo, h

Sittin' with the Hipsters

This week, I've spent time in Hollywood, Larchmont, Silverlake, Highland Park, and of course, Echo Park.  I even got a chance to eat my fave duck noodle soup at the charming Daisy Mint in Pasadena.

Here's what I've noticed about hipsters.  They might look homeless and not quite groomed, but they will have no problem paying for expensive coffee.  They will also most likely be white and older than you think.

I feel like I've been participating in what it means to be a hipster by virtue of my job's location.  I'm not a hipster, that much is clear, but I do enjoy cute shops and nice ambience and I have to thank the hipsters for helping create those places.
- eating vegan ice cream
- drinking Intelligentsia soy cappuchino
- walking around Elysian Park
- perusing independent fashion

City Sights: Food Bank

It's my third time riding the train into the city and even though I ran into a major freeway car accident, got off on the wrong exit and got lost, didn't validate my ticket for fear of missing my train, I got on and made it to L.A.  And for the first time, my bus was right there as soon as I got to the bus stop and not 40 minutes late.

There was a light sprinkle of rain and I shared the bus with lots of white haired and eager Chinese elderly that were dragging wheeled carryons and carts.  As I walked down the road to my office, I realized we were all walking in the same direction and then it hit me...they were going to the food bank.  Every friday morning, hundreds of people line up for the food bank in the parking garage of my work.  It's hosted by the Cathedral Center of St. Paul.

Maybe it's my love for food and cooking and fresh ingredients and all that that entails but when I see mountains of yellow onions and bins of cabbages and people lining up to receive a box of produce and pantry items, I am so moved.  It is free food in a hard world and though they pay by standing in long lines and many journey by bus and foot to get there, I can see their excitement.

I grabbed a mug of hot tea and walked around again and when I passed the front of the line, I saw a man sorting through his bin on the sidewalk explaining with excitement that the carton of cream of mushroom soup in his hand could make an amazing steak gravy and sauce.  I could hear them salivating.

Mikah Vu Baird

I saw this baby, and I was smitten.  When my dear friends have babies, I just fall in love with them.  It's incredible--overcoming fear to bring life and love and a whole new person into the world.

Mikah is just shy of 2 weeks old.  

May you be blessed and know peace, joy, and abundance.

Welcome Mikah!  

It's been a long long time

I've been thinking about you and this blog.  The last few weeks were a whirlwind.  I gave notice at my UCI job, took another job, and have started commuting to Echo Park, Los Angeles.  I'm getting used to the long drives by listening to Haruki Murakami on my ipod and tweaking with departure times.

How are you?  I'm still getting my feet on the ground.  It's been busy, tiring, new, and kind of wonderful.

xoxo,
Hanna