Trivia Crack

Today whilst I was bored and playing games on my phone, I got a question about California. Needless to say I was really disappointed myself because the question asked what the capital of the state the choices were as follows: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Right off the bat I eliminated the first two- San Diego and Los Angeles because I knew from way back in the day that the capital of California started with an 'S'. For some unknown reason I thought it was San Francisco and when it showed that I got the question wrong I was so sad because literally thought I knew more about California than I actually do. 

I'll name some facts that I know for sure:

• (Los Angeles) is the second most populated city in the United States, right below New York City
• SACRAMENTO is actually the state capital; not San Francisco
• There's a bear on the California flag and says "California Republic" 
• It can take up to about 9/10 hours to get from southern California to the northern part (excluding traffic)
• The people that live in California rarely call the state "Cali" they almost always say "California"
• Also said in Chance The Rapper's song "Everybody in the world ___ hates the lakers" Which seems reasonable for this 2014-2015 season

Taylor Swift

Okay this is a little off topic of California however since it was Taylor Swift's birthday yesterday I feel the need to blog about it. 

Anyways, she just turned 25, which is said to be when the brain actually stops developing instead of the age 21. She nicely asked on Twitter what the paparazzi can get her for her birthday and she said, and I quote "As my 25th birthday present from the media, I'd like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me. #thirsty" 

She recently moved to New York City, and is still loving it. (Who wouldn't love it though?) Also her latest album, 1989, is one of highly rated albums of the century. It was released in late October and it seems like it's being played everywhere since it was released. As of the beginning of December, she performed on the Victoria Secret Fashion Show; which I feel like is a big deal because there are a lot of people who watch that fashion show so performing on it is bigger than it may seem to be. 

If you haven't listen to her album I would highly recommend you to because it's so great, not because it's Taylor Swift but because the songs are catchy and actually good. Clean and Blank Space are my personal favorites. Also if you haven't seen her perform on the VS fashion show, I would recommend watching that as well because she's so cute and I love her. 

You Learn Something New Every Day

Monday I was working a ratchet shift from 4 until close, which is 10. I walked in and the host stand was decorated with Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations. My face immediately lit up, just the happiness that is associated with Christmas makes me unbelievably happy. Since I was extremely happy, I was overly-kind to the costumers. There was two in particular that noticed how happy I was. 

The first person was a man, late 60's/ early 70's who was leaving and I told him to have a great rest of the night with what he knew was a genuine smile and he came up to me. He asked why I seemed really happy, then he went to grab my left hand to see if it was because of a man that I was happy but I told him I was too young for that. He told me that he was 16 when he got married to his still current wife,  and they have been married for 56 years. Jokingly he told me that they've only had one fight, and it started since the day they met and is still continuing till this day, they're at the point where they don't know what they're even arguing about. It amazes me how having one conversation with total stranger can affect the way you see the world. 

The second person that surprised me was a bigger man who was originally from California and was in town because of Thanksgiving and family. He told my manager he didn't think the tortilla soup, from the menu, was too tomato-y and he thought it was going to be a little spicy. I remembered him saying "I think it's an Iowan thing- nothing is spicy." Immediately after he said that my manager asked where he was from and he said California. This man was so nice for talking to us and telling us things about the people of California (granted people are different throughout the state but this is what he told us). He said restaurants would bring out bread to tables and the people at the tables would get angry but still accept it. The reason being a lot of the celebrities live in California and everyone is competing to be super skinny, just like Miley Cyrus or Miranda Kerr. 

Don't forget to talk to strangers, or just simply be nice. A lot can come out of just a simple "you're the sweetest" or "you're too kind" can change your mood and your outlook on strangers in general. You never know where a person has been or what the person is going through. Just a little snide comment can literally make a person kill themselves, or think about killing themselves. However just a little bit of kindness can teach you that you can meet your true love at a young age of 16 or even that eating disorders are a real thing especially in larger cities with more celebrities.

Glendale

One of Los Angeles' most well-known suburbs is Glendale. It's approximately 15 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles, that is without traffic, with traffic it may be up to an hour if not more. It's a beautiful town that is comparatively big to other towns in California. Glendale contains the Americana at Brand Mall. Many celebrities go there to shop, meet up with friends, or simply just to hang out at the lovely mall.

Glendale is also one of those cities near Los Angeles that seem to have a lower crime rate. I personally stayed in Glendale for a couple days and I'll tell you, I've never felt as if anything bad was going to happen to me when I went on my runs. Some other places in California I would say different but Glendale is not one of those places.

The location is perfect. It's a nice distance from other larger cities, however it's not necessary to leave the town as there are many markets, theaters, restaurants, etc within the city of Glendale. It could be compared to North Liberty (Iowa), Odessa (Texas), Mount Pleasant (South Carolina) as those towns are growing and starting to become big or more well known.

Calabasas

Another place in California is Calabasas. Anyone who watches Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUWTK) or has played the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game would have heard of or seen the word Calabasas. That is the place where the Kardashian-Jenner house resides as well as the home of Kourtney and her husband, Scott, along with her son, Mason and daughter Penelope.

The houses in Calabasas are ginormous and a bit pricey as well. They can range from half a million to even eight million, which is a ton of money if I do say so myself. Granted these houses have numerous bedrooms and about twice as many bathrooms, additionally there are many other aspects of these homes that add to the price. Some of those may include a pool/ hot tub, the complexity of the outer anterior of the house, the land acreage, and simply just the label of living in one of the most popular places in California. I would compare the label of living in Calabasas to Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Hollywood, and Compton where if people heard that you lived in that place, they would assume you live a comfortable lifestyle.

Kardashians/ Jenners

It was going to happen sometime, writing about the Kardashians and the Jenners. They were mentioned a little bit in the tab named 'Calabasas'. Watching KUWTK and following them on social media, I think I know quite a bit about them. Granted, the media might portray each of the family members in a certain way, but I will personally tell you what I think of all the members. 

Starting off with Kris Kardashian/Jenner. I don't know what her last name is currently as her and former husband, Bruce Jenner, got a divorce after about 20 years of being married. I personally think Kris is a brat and I feel like she is not rational at all and basically all she does is waste money and complain. I feel like Kris is very superficial and only cares about showing the world how much money they have and in a way kind of brag that they are one of the few wealthiest families. 

The oldest Kardashian, Kourtney, along with Khloe, might be the only normal Kardashians who don't get on my nerves. All that Kourtney does is focus on her family which includes Mason, Penelope, and soon to be baby as well as her long-time boyfriend or maybe even husband, Scott. Kourtney and Scott's relationship is a legit roller coaster, one day their all lovey-dovey and the next they may be arguing or not even talking. It is evident that Kourtney really cares about her kids, YouTube her and her kids with the paparazzis- you will see she's protective of her kids (as every mother should be). 

Second to the oldest is Kim. The reason why she's famous was because of a sex tape, after she got quite a bit of money she started making her own clothing line, with the help of her sisters, and modeling, and eventually got KUWTK. On the show all she does is be ungrateful for what she has and keeps just wanting more instead of finding satisfaction in things she already has. However she has really changed since dating Kanye and having her own child. 

Last girl Kardashian is my favorite, Khloe. She's a badass to say the least. Basically the definition to best older sister to both of the Jenners as well as the best aunt to all of her nieces and nephews. Her opinions are truthful despite if it may not be the "most appropriate" but at least they are honest. She lives her life the way she wants, not the way the media wants her to be. She's even mentioned in Berzerk by Eminem, it wasn't a good thing, but still, most people just talk about Kim or about Kourtney and Scott/ their relationship however I feel as if people forget about Khloe. 

Keeping Up With The Kardashians is a really entertaining TV series, which is available on Netflix. These are my personal opinions of the Kardashians, however just watching a show doesn't really depict how the person actually is, however on the other hand it might be 100% accurate. 

Same Sex Marriage

I recently watched the 'Take Me to Church' music video this week and it honestly I was overcome with emotions. This song plays on the radio all the time, in fact that is actually how I found this song, however watching the music video made me sick and want to cry. The storyline of the video is about two guys in a happy relationship that abruptly gets interrupted when a gang finds out about the two and tries to kill one of them. If you haven't watched the video I'll post the link here. It ends with one of the men who was in the relationship being beat up by the other group of men.

It wasn't the guy-on-guy contact that truly disgusted me, it was the fact that the gang of other men didn't want them to be together. The happy gay couple did absolutely nothing to those other guys, and yet one of them were beat up. I know it's just a music video but I can guarantee you that things like this happen all the time in different parts of the United States, as well as in other countries but they just aren't publicized. 

Beating up someone for something they can't help but feel is wrong. The United States is known for having the opportunity to be "free" however people are still not free to love who they love unless it's opposite gender love. It may be just me, but that does not sound like freedom to me. I know a lot of gay people from working at my job and they are just like any one of my friends- funny, sarcastic, and loving. Having those people be ashamed of what they feel is wrong. They shouldn't have the need to have this stigma of being gay sitting on their shoulder. I'm all for equality between sexual orientations. I hope someday all 50 states in America will legalize same-sex marriage so we can maybe influence other countries to do the same.

There are only 33 states that have same-sex marriage law however more than half of them were just recently passed this year. To tie this into my blog, I'm proud to say that California was one of the first ten states to allow gay marriage. I am all for same-sex marriage because people can help who they like, and I believe it is morally wrong to try to have a gay person "act straight". If you try to switch the roles and have a straight person to act gay, they would most likely say that it's gross or they would plain out just ignore the suggestion. However what straight people don't understand is that it is the same concept to them. 

Lakers [Update]

I wrote about the Los Angeles Lakers last week, I believe, and just about a week ago (week ago) the lakers were like 0-4, however just yesterday at work my co worker notified me that they have won one game this season, and their record for this season is 1-9. The game they won was on November 9, 2014 against the Charlotte Hornets. The final score being Lakers 107- Hornets 92. I don't know the reason behind of the terrible start to the season because the lakers have won many championships, I guess 2014 isn't their year.

Things I don't quite like about California

First off- the traffic. Honestly many people who has heard of California traffic but hasn't been in it, is really is worse than it sounds. Especially near those larger cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego where the traffic is so bad you can park your car for 5 minutes because you would only have moved a foot. When we touched down in California at the LAX airport last summer, we were greeted by my aunt, we quickly got something to eat and then went on our merry way to San Diego. It's a two and a half hour drive from Los Angeles to San Diego, and with the traffic, it took 4 1/2 to 5 hours. 

UnSuperMomma. Make Aheads Part 3: Oatmeal Balls. 2013. N.p.

But seriously though, my aunt lives about 15 minutes from UCSD and when I visited the university we left the house an hour before just in case there was any traffic what-so-ever. There happened to not have really bad traffic and even had about 20 minutes to go sightseeing or just plainly drive around the area a little bit. 

Secondly, parking. Finding a parking spot is a gift basically. It's like when you're going to a concert and you don't go super early and get the "closest" parking spot you can find which is like two states away, that's what it feels like anyway. From living in a small town, the issue of not being to find any parking was really frustrating. Honestly, if I do get accepted to UCSD or UCLA, I will most likely always have a longboard, penny board or just a normal skateboard, for those times where I'm in a bit of a crunch time and can't find parking. 

Lastly the thing that I'll miss most if I were to move to California will be the nice people in my area. It's really hard to find a genuinely nice person in larger cities, who don't expect anything from you. For example in the airport in my town, they're all like "Have fun in _____!" or "Welcome home." whereas California won't acknowledge you or aren't as friendly. However that's just how I was treated, I can't characterize the whole state of being that way. 

[Side Note of Santa Monica] Kevin from Cheddars

One of my coworkers has recently told me something I didn't know before. He told me that he was originally from Santa Monica, California and we talked about it for at least five minutes. He shared that he loved everything about it, even living there for seven years. I was surprised he said if he had the money, he would visit because he misses the beach, the pier, the stores, etc. That amazes me that even after seven years of living in an area that a person wouldn't get tired of it. I think that really shows how amazing California is and I know it may seem really over-rated, but I'm telling you the truth- California is addicting, the weather is beautiful, the beaches are perfect, and there are a never-ending list of things to do. :)

L.A Love

I'm sure almost everyone knows Stacy Ann Ferguson or also known as Fergie. Those who know about her may be wondering why she hasn't been playing on the radio or where she has been for a while. However just recently in the last month she has released a single, L.A. Love that is playing on most of the pop radio stations.

This song is so catchy, the tune and the beat-everything will be stuck in your head. Even the first time I heard the song playing on the radio, I was immediately addicted and hooked. All I wanted to do was get the name of the song so I can play it over and over until I get utterly tired from listening to the song. It wasn't until after the song finished when the radio host said the song was sung by Fergie that I really started freaking out. One reason being it's Fergie, and it's been a while since she has released a single and the second being that it's a song, about California (Los Angeles) and I have a weird obsession with anything and everything Cali. 

I attached the video so those who aren't familiar with the song can listen to it and understand what I'm saying. Even if you heard the song and didn't pay any attention to the lyrics, I'm certain that you would feel nothing but positive vibes. Everytime I listen to this song brings me back to having fun in California and it also makes me feel the way I felt every time I visited- which is a surreal kind of happiness. This is a kind of happy that is hard to not smile or hard to get the butterflies out of your stomach. 

Listening to the song you can hear all of these places like Tokyo, London, Paris, New York, Miami, etc and it maybe hard to follow.  The song basically says all these places know of LA, which is true, there are many movies, television shows, as well as music videos that are shot in California, or in Hollywood that are watched by people from all over the world. They may not know where the location is at in California but I'm sure they know that it's in Cali.

Hollywood, California

Many people have heard or know of Hollywood California as it contains many tourist sights to see. If you talk to 10 random people from all over the world who want to visit California, I'm highly certain that more than half of those people would agree to say they want to go to Hollywood. There are many places even within Hollywood that many people know, two of the most famous places are the sign and the sidewalk that contains famous names on stars. 

The Hollywood Sign
There are a bunch of movies, television shows, and music videos that shows or mentions the Hollywood sign. One movie in particular that I remember has the sign is Friends With Benefits with Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. In the movie, Justin's character takes Mila to the Hollywood sign and Mila's character then jumps over the fence to climb up the sign and chill in one of the letters. Then moments after the two of them were sitting, there were police trying to get them down via their helicopter. I'm sure there are many rules and maybe even some laws against hopping the fence and getting up close to the sign or going on the sign as it does bring many people from all over the world to look at it. They wouldn't spend that much money as they did making the sign to have it ruined by vandalism or something along those lines. The sign sits on the top of a hill where you can see a lot of California which is amazing and breathtaking (for me at least). The bottom below was taken at the top of the (driveable) hill and in the far distance you can see in small letters 'Hollywood'. I think the only way to get closer to the sign is to hike. Still from the distance we were at, the view was incredible. 

Hollywood Walk of Fame
On Hollywood Blvd for a couple blocks there are stars on the streets of famous actors, actresses, musicians, who are well known will have their name on a star. There are also pictures that indicate what the person did, like a famously known singer might have a microphone or an actress or actor might have a film camera. It's a really cool experience to walk the streets and look at all of the famous people and what they do/did. When went here in 2012 I only took one picture due to having a set time schedule and it was ticking fast and we didn't have that much time to really look at the stars and take a picture of all our favorites. As you can tell with this picture there are a couple more feet in the corners of the picture, there were a bunch of people looking at the stars which comes to show this place is very busy and attracts many people .

[Video] Lakers vs. Warriors

Video posted by CaCHooKaManTV of the game from November 1, 2014 

The video you can see the guard, Jeremy Lin (number 17) passing the ball to Kobe Bryant (number 24) and as Kobe jumped to shoot a player from the opposing team fouled him. What is really interesting is Kobe made the shot that the other player tried to block but also gave Kobe some free throws. 

Sea World (San Diego)

There's a Sea World in the northern part of San Diego. Sea World is basically a zoo of just aquatic animals that includes sea lions, sharks, otters, dolphins, and many more.  For adults (10+) tickets can range from $84-$220 and the ticket options are one day, one year, two years and many other ticket options that involves bundle packages.

I personally have been to the one in San Diego and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I liked spending the whole day walking around, looking at all the exotic animals is perfect. The little exhibits that are made for specific animals that somewhat resembles what it would be in the wild so you can see what those animals are like in nature is amazing. You can learn so much about a certain specie just by observing them, like how dolphins swim or the fact that otters can swim on their backs.

However a downside of having these wild animals kept captive is the risk of killing people. You may hear a ton of stories about pet monkeys who are kept as pets and have attacked their owner or killer whales that accidentally or purposely killed their trainer. It's not in their nature to be kept in a 6x6ft  cage all their life or to be constantly be doing tricks for the entertainment of others. In comparison, it would be like a person in a jail cell- not enough room for daily and normal humanly activities.

In no way am I bashing on Sea World or zoos in that matter but I personally think it's wrong to put wild animals in cages and having the public pay money to look at them suffer in cages. If anything I think they should be free and the public should be able to pet and love them because I believe animals may not be able to communicate by talking or making noise but they can understand or feel the love given off by humans. It's like babies, they can't talk but hearing a mother's voice can immediately make a baby stop crying.

Los Angeles Lakers

With the NBA season starting up again, I think it'll be good to talk about the Los Angeles Lakers. It's a largely known team. I mean personally I was never really too into basketball or any sports until recently, but even I knew about the Lakers and two of the current players, the shooting guard and the guard and one of the retired players. The 2014-2015 season, the Lakers aren't off to a great start and are 0-4 as of Sunday November 2. The Lakers' next game is on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns (current record: 2-1), which is home for the Lakers at the Los Angeles Staples Center.

The Laker's shooting guard is Kobe Bryant, is one of the most well known NBA players along with Magic Johnson, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and Kevin Durant just to name a few. Kobe is number 24 and even has his own website. On his website is an online store where you can purchase clothing that includes socks, shoes, shirts and shorts that must have been customized by Kobe himself. I don't know if it's just me personally but I've always heard the name either a trick that he has done or someone doing something impressive and another person being like "Okay, Kobe."

The next person I personally know a little about is Jeremy Lin who is currently the guard for the Lakers. When I visited the Philippines in 2012, I watched a documentary about him on the plane ride back to Los Angeles and that's what really got me liking the Lakers (and of course Jeremy Lin). Before watching the documentary I knew a little about him because I had seen some pictures of him and thought he was cute and so when I saw his name while looking through the movie selections I got way too excited and I watched it. I learned that he was actually born and raised in California, and is religious. I feel like a majority of celebrities either aren't open christians or aren't religious, but it seems like he is proud to be one. After watching the documentary it made me have mad respect for the basketball player.

One of the retired players that I know about is Magic Johnson. Last year in Health Class we watched a documentary about him. It talked a little about his life and basketball but focused more on him having HIV/AIDS. Magic lived in the time period of having a lot of unprotected sex which caused him to get HIV. It was major in essence that he was in the NBA and he had the disease because at that time they didn't know what caused it and how it spread so the coaches and the NBA were quite skeptical about putting him in the game. However as time progressed and the doctors/ scientist found more out about the disease he was able to play more but everyone still were very cautious. He is still alive today and lives with the disease and actually created his own organization (Magic Johnson Enterprises).

Hollister

I'm sure most Americans know of the store Hollister. On many of the shirts it has the label either 'Hollister California' or 'Hollister West Coast' or even 'So Cal' something along those lines, that being the people who created Hollister were from California.

Also in every Hollister store there is a live screen that shows the Huntington Beach, which is located in Santa Monica. This is where the Hollister House is located at. The Hollister House is a beach house that people can shop Hollister, hang out, listen to bands, and so much more. There has been multiple celebrities who have hung out with fans at this place.

Hollister has a unique style. Looking at a person you can tell if they are wearing Hollister. The clothes are laid back yet classy,  a variety of skinny jeans, cardigans, loose tank tops, and regular shirts with a Hollister logo. The only really negative thing about Hollister is that their clothing really only looks good with petite individuals. Larger people might get discriminated for wearing 'inappropriate' or tight sized clothing. However this benefits those people who are super skinny and isn't able to find clothing that fits them in other stores.

Overall, Hollister has some of the most beautiful clothing styles and deserves to be visited via in person or website. Also those who are quite fond of Hollister will know a little background information and fun facts.

Hollister House. Hollister #SoCalStylist

My Ideal Life in California

Everyone thinks and dreams about what their live is going to be like after high school, or after college. Some people may not be thinking of their futures, or at least not as in-depth as I probably do. Ideally, when I grow up, I think about this as my daily routine:

I would wake up early in the morning to watch the beautiful sunrise, have a great cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea, and get ready to go for a run on or to the beach. When I'm feeling spontaneous I could get ready to go surfing. (Granted at this very moment I don't know how to surf quite yet, but I'm a fast learner). Then I would go to college and enjoy my time at one of my dream colleges.

California has the most beautiful weather. Unlike Iowa, the weather isn't bipolar and is sunny and warm majority of the time. You wouldn't have to wear jeans in the morning and want to change into shorts as soon as it hits noon, as you might have to in Iowa.

Also since the weather is always so beautiful, there are fresh produce anywhere you go, so the fruits and vegetables tastes so much better. It is a dream of mine to someday own a house in California and plant both a mango and apple tree. Mangoes and apples are my absolute favorite fruits and I will never get tired of eating them.

Then after I get home I would call or text my friends to meet up and enjoy the beautiful state of California. There's multiple activities that goes on so there will be plenty of things to do, for example visit some of the beaches, go shopping, have a picnic on the beach, go for a hike/run, or even watch the sunset.

At the end of the day I would settle in either my dorm or apartment. Wrap myself in warm blankets and drink more tea, most likely an herbal or green tea, and either do homework or just watch a couple television shows or movies, then finally fall asleep.

I dream of someday living out this day, and to do so I'll need to study hard and work even harder. To end on a positive note, always remember that anything and everything is possible if, and only if, you are willing to put in the effort to achieve it. 

San Jose

Surprisingly the northern part of the state is much different than the southern part of the state. The more northern you go, the less sunny and tropical it gets. Like if you were to go to San Francisco, the weather is pretty wet, but the weather in Imperial Beach is beautiful and dry. With that being said, there is a place located in the northern part of California, called San Jose. One of my former coworkers grew up in in this city and told me a lot about it.

First she told me that the area she lived in was populated with native spanish speakers, her being one of them. Even the name is from spanish decent- San Jose [Ho-say], which is the way you would pronounce it if you were speaking the language.

One of the UC (University of California) schools isn't too far from San Jose, which is about an hour away, is in San Francisco. There is also a university, that isn't part of the UC system but in San Jose, referred to the name San José State University. I personally don't know much about this college but for locals it would most likely be more convenient instead of traveling an hour to a UC school. I guess another option also could be to live on campus but it would be much cheaper if people lived at home versus on campus.

Having some español knowledge would be very useful throughout all parts of California, since for one- my coworker told me about how many spanish speaking live in [San Jose] and secondly I personally witnessed hearing groups of people speak spanish.

Souplantation

While my visit in San Diego, I went to a buffet called Souplantaion. This isn't your typical buffet, immediately after you walk in, you grab a plate and in front of you are everything you can think to put in salads. There are a variety of lettuce, spinach, etc, as well as all the toppings you can think of. When you reach the end of the line, you have to pay and wait to be sat. After a host shows you to your table you get to eat the perfect salad, all of your favorites, and hoping that you won't get full after eating the heaping pile of lettuce and toppings.

There's a bakery as well as numerous soups, desserts, pastas, just so much food. If anyone were to tell you they only go to Souplantation, they are lying. There are so many good food that is offered there and unfortunately for me, not enough room in my stomach to eat it all. That's saying a lot because I can eat for a long time which isn't good for me, but I can do it.

I would definitely recommend trying out Souplantation sometime. Go on their website and see one near you. The only thing that sucks about it, is that there aren't many stores and where I live the nearest one to me is about four hours away. However all the food is fantastic so that makes up for it!

LAX

The Los Angles has one of the biggest airports, abbreviated as LAX or also known as Los Angles International Airport. I've went to this airport a couple times, one time was internationally, the other time was simply domestic. The airport is relatively large and contains so many airlines which could be confusing, especially if you're not used to being in a large city or in a large airport.

There are places to eat, drink, just about anything you can think of. It's kinda like Walmart, LAX has just about anything you need. There's a Starbucks, Pinkberry (frozen yogurt), Burger King, Panda Express, and so many more. Just think, these places are all inside the airport. I think California really lives the saying "go big or go home". LAX is just one of many examples of that.

My Experience with LAX

I remembered the last time I was at the airport, there was a Starbucks inside and someone was working at three in the morning. Also with it being three in the morning, I was surprised to see how many people were up to fly. The line in the restroom was about a five to ten minute wait. This just proves that California is a busy and fun place to be.

The day I had to travel, my flight was at six in the morning, which meant we had to go to the airport at four because of the "you have to be at the airport two hours before your departure" rule. Doesn't sound too bad, however we were in San Diego, which without traffic is about two and a half hours. So we decided to leave the house around one thirty to make sure we would be at the airport on time. Fortunately enough, the drive to Los Angles wasn't busy at all.

Personally, I thought the chairs there were super comfortable and were in love. I enjoyed sitting in the chair reading The Fault in Our Stars, waiting for my plane to arrive. LAX is such a beautiful place to look around. The building itself is beautiful and right now is under construction to make it even bigger.

Otay Ranch, Chula Vista

When I went to California last summer, on one of the first days I went to a place named Otay Ranch. From the looks of it, seems like a newly developing city. There was a mall and down the street is brand new housing. My family and I went through some of the neighborhoods in Otay Ranch and they are absolutely beautiful. They styles of the houses have a distinct look to them and the surrounding houses seem quite similar to each other.

The homes have a distinct easily distinguishable look to them that are different than the houses in, let's say, the midwest. These houses in California do not have slanted roofs. The reason being in the midwest we need slanted roofs to help decrease the amount of snow buildup in the winter, however California has more of a tropical climate thus having slanted roofs aren't too necessary. Houses have either a some-what flat roof or just slightly angled. You can clearly see the individual singles on the homes which is unique the reason being some shingles are different than the shingles next door. 

In Otay Ranch, there is also a mall which is also known as the Otay Ranch Town Center. The shopping center is pretty big, at least compared to the malls in my area. Also this mall has so many great stores like Zumiez, Apple, bebe, Coach, DSW Shoes, H&M, Vans just to name a few. I was only given two hours in this mall and I will tell you now that two hours isn't enough time to go to this mall because there are just too many great stores. 

If you're ever near Chula Vista, Otay Ranch would be a great place to look around, shop, I personally found it therapeutic. If you have some extra time I would suggest to also drive around the area because the scenery is too beautiful and should be appreciated. 

Justin Bieber

Yes, this is a post about Justin Bieber. Why am I including Bieber in this? Well because he now lives in a Beverly Hills condo so it's some-what related to my topic.

As many of you know my love for him, however it isn't as bad as it was back in the seventh grade. However my Bieber Fever hasn't gone away. Especially now that he has so many tattoos (which is strangely attractive on a guy for me), also the way he does his hair is also so attractive. I call it the 'tool hairstyle' where the hair looks like it got combed back and kind of spikes up. [examples below].

The reason why I'm writing about him is because I feel like since he has been getting older, a lot of people are starting to dislike him. Granted he isn't making the best choices but I mean he still seems like a pretty good guy. I personally think his music is getting even better. His album Journals is one of the best he has created. It's not like anything he has made in the past like My Worlds and Believe were, in my opinion, very similar whereas this new album sounds different.

Imperial Beach

When I went to California this summer, we stayed in Imperial Beach the longest. My aunt lives in the Palm Gardens complex which is about a 30 minute walk to the [Imperial] beach. The beach is gorgeous and we went at the time as a sand castle festival was going on. I remember there being a sea turtle made simply from sand and sea shells (for eyes). Seeing all the artistic things people have made from sand makes me want to be artistic and make cool things about of the littlest things.

Walking on the beach really made me fall in love with California. I feel like it's something about the way the waves look as they come to the shore. It amazes me that nature pulls currents toward the shore and how people have made the sport of surfing from those waves. I've learned that early in the morning is usually a great time to surf, also when the wind isn't that strong. Also if you just take a couple deep breaths, feel a sensation of peacefulness and bliss.

Other little perks of the beach is that it's great to run as the sand provides a little more cushion than hard concrete which could help with some back cramps or back problems that might occur from running on concrete. Also it takes a little more effort running in the sand than it takes to run on a steady, flat surface therefore making it a better workout. I was fortunate to run a few early mornings before it got too busy and it was one of the best feelings I have felt in a while. I'll admit, sometimes running gets really boring, but if you have a beautiful scenic place to run then it'll be more fascinating and more fun. Living in Tiffin there isn't a lot of beautiful places to run, so running to the beach was fascinating for me.

On the beach, there's a pier where people would fish and at the end of the pier is a small shack that serves strictly fresh sea food. I was fortunate to try some of the food, I'd personally recommend the fried shrimp. My mom ordered the fish and chips (the most basic thing you could get at a sea food shack) which I munched off of and I'd rate it an 8/10. My family and I went around like two in the afternoon and we waited in line longer than the time it took for us to order our food and eat it. That being said you can assume their food is pretty good however pretty pricey, the fried shrimp was about 10 dollars and I only got eight pieces.

Also IB (Imperial Beach) is really close to the Mexican border and you can see Mexico. At night, when all the lights are on, Tijuana (the part of Mexico you can see) is so beautiful. I would compare the sight to like a football field when the lights are on and the sun is down. It's fascinating to think that you're looking at a different country just from where you are. In Iowa you don't have the opportunity to do that.

My sister and I at the Imperial Beach and at the sea food shack.

Video

Jiffyfletch. "Police Officer's Final Act of Kindness Caught on Tape Before Dying" (On the Left)

This video is about a San Diego police who got shot shortly after buying a total stranger a meal from McDonalds.

This should be an eye opener for everyone. The last thing this man did was help a young boy that he didn't even know and expected nothing in return. Little did he know he wasn't going to live another day.

This made me realize that people should always be nice to other people because what if you were murdered for no reason and the last thing you did on Earth was argue with your parents. That's not a good thing to be remembered by. This works in vice versa too, if for example your sibling borrowed something and you were mad at them for that reason. Then the next day you wake up to them not breathing, you wouldn't feel good. Regret, worry, and displeasure would then consume you. The thought of "I should have been a better sibling/ friend/ etc" will constantly haunt you. However if you have more of a positive outlook on negative situations you'll most likely act in a warmhearted approach.

There are stories about people who suffer with depression that considered suicide but they didn't go through with it because a total stranger smiled at them, or even had a conversation with them that made the person with depression to not go through with suicide. You never know the impact you have on others, negatively or positively, so always be kind to others so the people you're kind to are kind to other people and it'll result in a circle of kindness.

Psychology states that if you tell yourself something like "it's 63 degrees outside" resulting in the thought that you should be cold, even if it's not that cold. The same concept would apply if you tell yourself that you should be nicer and live more positive lifestyle within time it would happen.

Never forget, you're time on this planet is not guaranteed. No one will know when they will take their last breath. You wouldn't want the last thing you did to be negative and have everyone remember you by that. Keep a more kind attitude in every situation, it will be very challenging sometimes but in the long run, you'll look back and be content.

Belmont Park

There's a place in San Diego called Belmont Park. This is equivalent to a mix of Adventureland in Des Moines and Wisconsin Dells. It has a lazy river, a place to ride mechanically made waves, fun rides like a roller coaster and a Beach Blaster (equivalent to the sidewinder), and if you aren't having fun at the park, there is a beach right next to the amusement park where you can escape to if you're a beach person.

I spent a day at the amusement park and I still didn't go on all the rides. There's an out-door restaurant next to the beach where they sell food, non-alcoholic beverages, as well as alcoholic beverages. I had sea food (which was basically my diet when I was in California). Fish and chips were great, as well as the fried shrimp.

There are other places to eat or get drinks. I remembered seeing a coffee shack as well as other little benders that were selling your typical amusement park snacks like cotton candy, water, popcorn, and the list goes on.

The atmosphere of Belmont Park was perfect, you're near the beach- the deep blue waves crashing on the shore and returning back into the ocean, the weather is perfect, and lastly you hear children thoroughly enjoying themselves. All of those things put together create more of a relaxed feeling that overcomes you and it's hard to shake it off until you leave.

The ticket prices are similar to Adventureland's if you want to have the all day band. I would bring maybe $50-60 if you plan to spend the day there. That would include the all-day band and maybe lunch or a snack.

My Undying Love For (Meijo) Sushi

Meijo Sushi is a friendly restaurant where you can get really great Japanese food in Imperial Beach. It's along the way to Coronado (more info about Coronado in the 'Coronado' tab on the left). The menu contains more than just sushi, they also have other Japanese delicacies. For example they have teriyaki, fried meat like salmon, shrimp, and more. So if you aren't necessarily a sushi person, there are options to accommodate that.

My aunt told me that the had some of the best sushi she has ever eaten. I had the Crunchy Roll, it contained salmon, crab, and cream cheese and they fried the sushi roll. It was the best sushi I have ever had. I tried my best to find that same roll but haven't been successful yet. However there is a new sushi at Kyodai called the Cali Crab Roll which was somewhat like the Crunchy Roll at Meijo Sushi in essence that they both had crab and cream cheese and were both crunchy. I'm not too sure if the sushi from Kyodai was fried or was just coated with a crunchy substance.

If you're ever in Imperial Beach (Southern part of San Diego) I highly recommend this place. It has more of a calm and inviting atmosphere that makes Meijo Sushi even better. If you do like sushi or scared to experiment with sushi, I highly recommend the Crunchy Roll. I hated sushi until I came across this roll, and since then I grew to like sushi.

UCLA

UCLA is yet another great college in California. UCLA stands for the University of California Los Angeles. UCLA's mascot is the Bruins, which looks similar to a gopher or a beaver. The school colors are a shade lighter blue than Clear Creek Amana's, and a dandelion yellow.

The college is very large and has some really amazing features one of which there are two major building and they aren't too far from each other. That would be useful especially if you're a freshman and you don't have enough time to go from one class to the next.

Another great thing of UCLA is that it is in the Los Angles area so there will always be something to do like either go to the beach (many to choose from), go shopping in the various malls in California, or go on a run through the Hollywood trail that's not too far from there.

You can find UCLA clothing basically anywhere. I remembered I went to Chicago the summer before last, and I saw a UCLA tee in a Topshop store. Unfortunately I didn't purchase it because just the tee shirt was $50, and I wasn't about to spend that much money on a shirt.

I strongly encourage anyone to just take a look at pictures of UCLA and if you're deciding on what colleges to look at or to go to, I highly recommend UCLA. Not because it's largely known, but because it is a wonderful college all together.. Also this university is known for their art program whether it's performing arts, movie/ television arts, etc. Some famous people who have gone there are Jackie Robinson, Ben Stiller, James Dean, and many more. On top of that, the school is located in California and if you like warm weather or love a fast pace environment, I highly recommend UCLA.

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a suburb of Los Angles that contains the Santa Monica Pier which is very well known. Also Santa Monica contains the Santa Monica beach along side the pier.

The summer of 2012 I visited the Santa Monica Pier. I remembered the ocean brought a bone-chilling breeze and I was the only one wearing a jacket (just to mention that it was in the middle of summer). Unfortunately we were too cold to swim there or even to stay on the beach, however we did do numerous fun things on the pier. On the pier are a couple of rides, only two of which caught my eye. The first one I went on was a roller coaster that seemed to be really scary but afterwards realizing it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

The other ride my sister and I rode on was the ferris wheel, which at the top over-looked the city. The view was breathtaking. Unfortunately at the time I didn't have a cell phone and my mom refused to give me the camera for the ride (needless to say I break things easily), so I wasn't able to take any pictures from the top.

Also on the pier are little benders where you can purchase snacks, ice cream, clothing, and much more. It's amazing to take a walk on this pier because you can see such diverse types of people from all over the world all coming to this one beautiful place. The items may be a little pricey so if you are planning to do a little shopping there, I would bring a little extra.

In addition to the greatness of the Santa Monica area, it also contains a wonderful beach. Since the beach is near the Los Angeles area, there are a large amount of people who go to this beach. California's weather is gorgeous all year-round so the beach is a very popular place to hang out.

If you ever find yourself in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend going to the Santa Monica pier. It's a fun and inexpensive experience even if you don't go on the rides there; it's fun to see everyone else go on them.

University of California (UC)

UC is the acronym for the University of California. It's broken into 10 different locations which are all in the sate of California (obviously) that are in the following cities: Berkley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbra, and lastly Santa Cruz. Now if you see UC in front of a city in California, you'll know it's a college.

In my blog I have already talked about one of the colleges (UCSD) and will talk about another one of the colleges listed (UCLA). It is a dream of mine to attend one of the two colleges because I've looked at the colleges via a triton tour and via internet tour and I just fell in love.

Both colleges are big universities, UCLA being the most well-known. There are people from all over the world who attend these large universities. I love diversity- diverse kinds of people, food, clothing, etc. So you can safely assume I would love those universities.

This accommodates all of California in case you didn't want to live in a larger city like Los Angeles or San Diego. Also if you want to live in the northern, eastern, western, or southern part of California, there is a college useful in that aspect.

I would recommend if you're not from in California but wanting to go to one of the schools listed above, to get good grades and participate in sports or clubs because out of state tuition is pretty expensive. On average the cost is about 50-60 thousand dollars for out of state tuition. However I highly believe it will be worth each dollar. :)

Coronado

Coronado has one of the prettiest beaches you will ever see. The water is crystal clear and the sand there is like walking on soft, heated pillows. Ocean water has a distinct smell that is indescribable. The ocean breeze makes it too chilly to not wear a cozy jacket or have a stylish body wrap. When the sun's out makes for a perfect day on the beach!

Along the coast of the beach, there are very beautiful, and highly priced homes. Driving on the road leading to the beach kept increasing in size and distinctively structured houses. My aunt pointed out a beautiful home that is owned by her doctor. She told me that abundant of the people there have high-paying jobs, like surgeons, doctors, lawyers, etc.

The city of Coronado is interesting because it's kind of an island that is connected by one of two ways: a highway and a bridge. Unfortunately there is still traffic there, and the times of noon and four are really bad. However it gives you an excuse to stare at the beautiful city.

When I visited last summer, I had the opportunity to walk around downtown, which was similar to downtown Iowa City like how all the stores are connected and it's easy to just walk store to store and absorb the city. My aunt showed my family and I her favorite place to eat there which is a place called Burger Lounge that is exclusively in California (More info on the Burger Lounge page).

There is also a park in Coronado that is just beautiful. The grass is a good dark green color and very thick making the ground as cushioned as carpet. Trees are plentiful where it' s not too difficult to find shade when it gets too hot. I was told that this park is filled every Sunday where bands and sermons go on, outside to enjoy California's beautiful weather. This park is for all ages, even young children can go, there is a playground where the kids can play.

In-N-Out Burger

An amazing fast food place in California is a place called In-N-Out Burger. Something interesting about this food chain- it's only in five states including: Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and lastly the majority of the stores are in California. I rarely eat fast food but I didn't hesitate to eat In-N-Out. I remember the first time I've tried it was the first time I went to Los Angeles back in 2012, my family and I had just gotten off of the plane and were starving. If anyone has been on a plane recently, you'd know how expensive it is, I'd rather spend 10 dollars at a nice restaurant instead of just a small bag of chips. Anyway, I've seen some YouTubers who have said great things about In-N-Out so I decided to give it a try.

The menu isn't too difficult, there's only a few items to choose from but most of the time there is at least a 10 minute wait to even order your food. Just to remind you all that it is a fast-food place, and you have to wait to even order. You may be thinking Just go through the drive-thru however that wait is always longer than the wait inside.

Their fries are one of the best I have ever had. They are crispy and stay that way even if you save them until after you finish your burger. Unlike McDonalds or Wendy's where they get soggy if you don't eat it within five minutes.

Their Animal (Style) Burger is literally one of the best burgers I've had. I guess you could compare it to a Whopper from Burger King, except better. There are onions, pickles, as well as some sauce that brings all the flavors together to satisfy the stomach. Every time I have gone to In-N-Out I've gotten that burger and truthfully I wouldn't have it any other way.

If You Want A Burger, Eat Burger Lounge

This is a place strictly in California where you can get organic burgers that are double the cost of a Big Mac from McDonalds. Honestly it's worth it though. The reason these burgers are so expensive is because they use free range cows and chickens which means they are able to eat and roam around before they are killed instead of farms where there are 3 cows in a stall, not having any room to move about.

You can tell from eating these burgers that the animals lived a pretty normal and joyous life, whereas at slaughter houses would stand on their own feces. The meat has more of a meat flavor, juicier than most other burgers, has a distinguishable texture that is evident the animals meat wasn't processed and or has added preservatives.

If you ever find yourself in either Los Angles or San Diego, I would highly recommend that you look up the nearest Burger Lounge. If a person who dislikes fast food likes a particular fast food, it must mean the food is delicious. Don't let the high cost through you off, trying new things is always good, right?

When I went to the one in Coronado, there was a long line, and more people in line than there were open chairs. You literally had to walk over by a table that looked about ready to get up and immediately sit down once the people who were previously sitting there gets up. If that doesn't tell you how good this place is, I don't know what will.

Beverly Hills

In the outskirts of Los Angeles is a town called Beverly Hills. I'm sure almost everyone reading this knows the stereotypical Beverly Hills that's just a bunch of rich people. There's more to this place than the people. For example if you walk on the streets, it's very scenic with beautiful palm trees in the median, luxurious cars, and unique stores.

In Beverly Hills there's a hotel (Beverly Hills Hotel) which I was fortunate to have taken a picture outside of the building. There's a beautiful garden next to very well taken care of grass See figure 1. With the limited amount of rain or precipitation  Southern California gets, it's amazing to see grass as green as the one at the Beverly Hills Hotel. All I can really say is that the Beverly Hills Hotel is a gorgeous sight to look at.

Side Note: Looking at these pictures makes me realize my family and I took pictures (yes more than one) outside of a hotel.. However you can't even deny that you wouldn't take a picture outside of a beautiful hotel.

Figure 1

The video above is a song by Weezer called Beverly Hills which I thought was relevant.

La Jolla, California

The La Jolla Cove is one of the fascinating places near the University of San Diego because of the fact there are sea lions in the cove and you can swim near those beautiful creatures. If you're anything like me and don't want to go in water, there are amazing photography opportunities. I tried taking a panorama, but a picture couldn't describe the beauty of this place. [In the photo below] You can see the little cliffs. Those little cliffs contains many cracks where the water eroded the rocks. In between the cracks you may find a little crab. Unfortunately we were running out of time and when I built enough courage to pick one up, we had to leave. It's beautiful to see such simple creatures living in their habitats. I spent a good amount of time just observing the tiny creatures to figure some interesting things that they do, like if you stick your hand in the water near them, they find a little hole in the rock and hide themselves in there. Seeing it happen is more fascinating rather than just reading it. If you ever find yourself around the La Jolla area, take a stop by the La Jolla Cove and witness the beauty firsthand. 

Near the cliffs theres a grassy area where bands come and perform, or where people can just sit under some trees and become one with nature. You can literally close your eyes and just be in a state of bliss because it's so peaceful. 

Even though this place is very touristy, if you're from the area, it's a nice place where you can bring your friends and hang out, or even take a study group there so you can take a break from the books and maybe take a swim or go cliff jumping. 

You can see a boat in the middle towards the left side, as well as some heads popping up from the water. This shows there are endless things to do in the La Jolla Cove.

Americana at Brand

There's a mall in Glendale, CA (suburb of Los Angeles) called Americana at Brand. It's basically a typical California mall- an outlet mall with clothing stores, shoe stores, an apple store, and restaurants, however this mall has a "dancing fountain". This water fountain plays music and is basically like the water speakers you can find in Spencers but in the fountain the water shoots out in various ways and heights to the different beats of the songs.

The dancing never stops, it's always mind-blowing. You may think that looking at water may get boring however a short clip from Igor Bondarev  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQEXswRCcVg) could prove you wrong. Just the different movements and lighting makes the fountain a great place to look a beauty without having to spend too much money or waste any energy. You can witness this beauty basically at any time of the day- either in daylight or night time.

I went to this mall right when the stores were about to close so it was that point of the day when the sun was setting and they turned on the lights to the fountain. The sight of the dancing fountain is unbelievable. This place should be on the list of things to see when you go to Los Angeles. It's costless yet worth seeing, who wouldn't want to dance with a water fountain?

University of California San Diego

As we get closer in graduating high school, many students our age may start to be thinking about what colleges to go to and where to look. A recent ranking showed the University of California San Diego as number one for the fifth year in a row. I was fortunate enough this summer to have visited this college and look at the campus and walk around it with a tour guide while she told us about what UCSD has to offer. It's about a 10 minute walk to the beach from campus (to the La Jolla Cove). 

An interesting fact about UCSD is a collection of six colleges- Earl Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt, John Muir, Revelle, Thurgood Marshall, and lastly Sixth college. On the tour, our guide made sure that you can major in all that UCSD has to offer at any of the colleges, however each of the colleges have different ways to earn your major, for example Warren focuses on three aspects- Social, Intellectual, and Professional compared to John Muir where they focus more on an individual and accommodate their work/study habits as well as their interests. 

On campus there are many restaurants/ fast food options, including a Burger King inside of the building. I ate at a Greek restaurant which I had a gyro (I must say it was pretty good). There's also a huge, eight story library which is designed to look like hands holding a book. My tour guide told us that the first couple levels are louder than the other levels so the best place to study is the eighth level in the library because it's extremely quiet. Near the library are two cool objects. One is a statue of Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Suess. That library was designed the way it was because of him so they made a statue in honor of him. The other cool object near the library is a tree known as 'The Singing Tree' that plays the most random noises and songs. 

Me on the stage where one of the head councils lectured to us about the qualifications they look for when they accept students to their university.  

About This Blog

California Love

This blog is going to be all things California including the gnarly beaches, amazing colleges, and lastly the breathtaking places in the lovely state. I recently visited California this past summer and absolutely fell in love with everything there, it's completely flawless. I couldn't sleep at night because all I wanted to do was explore everything California has to offer. I could tell you that California is even resplendent at night because if you go on the freeway, there are little reflectors on the road so the roads are pleasantly lit up.

"City of Lights" Image by DJ Murdok

As you can tell by the photo above is a picture of Los Angeles at night. You can see the beauty of all the tall buildings and how awake the California night is.