Food and Friends

Apartment life means cooking so here are some photos of that, and also here are also some photos of some cool friends:

(I swear I still write posts... this is not becoming a 100% photoblog)

But for now, here's a chicken salad:

Here's black pepper salmon over rice:

Here's banana oatmeal cookies:

 Here's lemon pepper chicken breast over rice:

Here's kimchi fried rice made by chrse and rosie:

Here's A$AP Ferg on the glade with chrse and rosie because that's definitely something I do on a regular basis:

Bok choy with shrimp:

Racha's with rosie:

i luv pumpkins:

Chicken and mozzarella raviolis topped with green onion, with a side of garlic pepper chicken breast and vegetables:

Me in action at Grace's apartment:

Grace and I cooking a single noodle to share #collegelife:

Final product:

Artichoke and Spinach Dip at Jupiter's with Katrina, Christine and Grace!

PIZZA TIME

Bobo Drinks in mason jars with these cool peeps:

Apartment life is great because for me, it's a perfect balance of being with company and being alone with my own thoughts. I have the opportunity to cook my own meals, go to the gym regularly, and paint in my room. I am able to give myself the time I need to recharge from the day's work and on top of that, I get to choose when to interact with friends -- which means when I'm with them, I can give each moment 100% and can enjoy myself fully. Finally finding this balance in my personal life has given me confidence to tackle my classes this semester, and I'm ready for the upcoming challenges.

Anyway, my friends are really great: those who have stuck by me since high school and also the ones that I've met in college. I'm extremely lucky that these friends are all so down to earth and are completely comfortable being themselves in public, no matter how embarrassing. And I'm so glad that we haven't compromised our personalities or values -- sure we've grown as people, we've gotten to experience new things while in our respective colleges, but when it gets down to it, we've stayed true to ourselves. *insert cheesy line here* I'm also really proud of everything that my friends have accomplished so far -- whether it's simple things like eating healthier, or things like becoming presidents of the clubs they're passionate about, pursuing internships that inspire their creativity, being a part of organizations that allow them to grow as writers, artists, people, or just being happy with themselves. It's great to hear about what friends are doing and what they are exploring; it encourages me to try to be a better person as well.

Also, on an unrelated note, I've been writing letters to my mom every so often and have been keeping them in a small notebook. When it's done, I plan to have it filled with my ups, my downs and lessons I've learned along the way. I will be giving it to her either when it's full or at the end of the year. I regret not starting it earlier in my college career, but now's a good a time as any. I think recently (within the past year) is when I really (and I mean really) started to seriously appreciate my relationship with my mom, and I really hope I can demonstrate it more so she can be constantly reminded that she is loved.

All these five paragraphs start with the letter A.

And I hope this means I will be getting them as my letter grades at the end of the semester. One A for each class I'm taking.