An Escape To La Jolla

Left L.A for La Jolla with my friend for an early birthday celebration. She wanted to try out Shiku Sushi that I raved about so much. We had no idea what traffic was going to be like. It took us about three hours. L.A is so unpredictable. But I just wanted to go somewhere for half a day. The potential of an escalated war between the U.S and Iran has been difficult to cope with.

We stopped at Shiku to grab lunch. My friend wanted to try everything on the menu because everything looked so good. But you know what they say, Your eyes are bigger than your stomach. We had my favorite—Agedashi Tofu which I wrote about the last time I was there, and Tofu Geisha, and Hippie Gangsta minus sundried tomato because they were out, but they replaced it with zucchini tempura.

We walked around a bit, and went inside the Valencia hotel. The staff there is so nice. The beautiful fresh flowers above decorate their lobby.

This fountain was so pretty that I had to take a shot.

There are a bunch of shops in this passage, but most were closed by the time we got there. La Dolce Vida restaurant looked interesting. We saw one or two coffee shops that were open till midnight which surprised us. We thought people in La Jolla go to bed early. Also, the area has so much variety from Japanese food, to Italian, to sea food, to Indian.

We wanted to go walking by the water, but it was starting to get dark. We found Coast Walk Trail and climbed for a bit.

The entire area is so lovely, and the water looks so clean.

There is a restaurant called Eddie Vic with an entrance from Prospect Street (I think). As you can see it has great views. We were debating as to what kind of food it served. It turned out that we were both wrong. It's a seafood and steak place, not Italian, and not Chinese 😄 After hanging around the area, we walked down and checked out the boutique hotels, quaint eateries and a small market. Then we climbed up, and headed back because it was getting late. We got back to L.A around midnight. It was a relaxing getaway. That's what I like about L.A. It offers so many places nearby and makes you feel like you're on a mini getaway. 

The Human Side of War

I'm tired and haven't been able to sleep much ever since Israel hit Iran on June 13, and assassinated their negotiator. I'm eventually going to post about as to why. I've been following it day and night, and have a good idea about what is going on. But this post is about the human side of war. It's about the civilians. It's about grandparents, fathers, mothers, children and extended families on both sides.

I'm not close to any of my family in Iran. In fact, I have not seen or talked to them in many years. But still, I'm concerned about them. So, I ask my brother, cousin, and extended family if they have any news. Is everyone okay? 

I also know people here who have friends, and relatives in Iran, as well as in Israel. Someone told me today that her family packed to leave the city of Tehran to a safer place. She said that her grandmother refused to leave because her pillow didn't fit in her suitcase, and she needed to have her pillow. They were all in a rush as they heard sounds of explosion from the surrounding areas. Even so, they made sure to find room for the pillow. Now, this may sound ridiculous to an outsider, but when you're in a situation like that, you're not thinking clearly. 

Another young Iranian told me that earlier they were talking to their friend in Israel. The friend was calling from a bomb shelter, scared. 

Someone else was texting back and forth with an ex Israeli boyfriend who used to be in the Israeli military, but was excused because of health reasons. She asked him about his family. He told her that they were okay, but he was concerned about his friends who were serving in the army. 

And this is just a small group of people that I know. On social media, I saw images of children buried under piles of rubble. Medics and journalists killed. Buildings destroyed. When something like this happens, tensions are high and you have to be careful about what you say or do. These wars are the result of decisions made by ruthless, morally corrupt goblins, and not by normal human beings. 

I see so many people on social media who cheer when the opposition loses their home or dies. But I'm here to say, don't cheer. Take heart. Both sides have families and people they love. War and devastation is tragic, and there is nothing there to cheer about. 

 

Trump vs. Elon

Although I used to teach cardio kickboxing as an aerobic exercise, I never liked watching boxing. But for some reason, I'm really loving watching this fight. You know which fight I'm talking about, right? As the s--- hits the fan, and everything unfolds, we can just sit back and enjoy the show. Two unconscionable power couple pretending that they care about the American public. We all know that it's all about money and control. It's scary what $300 million can do as Elon claims that he was the reason Trump got elected. If true, the rest of you who voted wasted your time. Perhaps by next election, it will take one billion or more to put a president in office. 

To be fair, Trump and Elon are not the only ones looking out for themselves. Just look into George Bush, Joe Biden, Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and the list continues. And then we have the oh so complicated tax laws. Each line is written into law in favor of those who wrote it—politicians and their wealthy supporters. And occasionally, an average American benefits from it, but only by chance, not by intention.

Next, let's have a look at the stock market. Years ago, you were able to make money if you studied corporations and their numbers, and learned about their board of directors and their business policies. Not anymore. Why? Because they manipulate it much more than they used to, making sure that their friends make money from it. You know what I mean. Just have a look at the recent insider trading. Add to that the crummy interest on savings and CDs, jacking up the prices for cost of goods, making it impossible for people to own things, and the promotion to spend, spend, spend. The truth is that they want Americans to barely make a living, and work like slaves until they hit the coffin.

Oh and let's not forget the cryptocurrency—decentralized, peer to peer money laundering—which is only affordable if you belong to the good old boy's club, you know, the friends of the people who run everything. So, forgive me if I sound callous, but I'm loving this fight. Why? Because it feels so damn good. 

Storms, rains, and Ventura

I haven't been feeling well lately, which means that I haven't been able to do much. But as the saying goes:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

                         —Unknown

So, I dug through past photos, found some from my visit to Ventura situated between L.A and Santa Barbara, and decided to make a post of it. It's a quiet area. People are nicer than people in L.A. No egos. No attitudes. Just kindness.

 

I was there back in 1872 before the storms damaged the pier. What? You don't believe that I am 200 years old? Okay, so I lied a little, but the way I've been feeling lately, I'm not far from it. Anyhow, it's been a while since I visited the Ventura Pier. I was there with a friend, and as the English saying goes, we had a jolly good time. There aren't a ton of things to do in Ventura unless you like surfing or swimming. I don't know how to surf, and although I do like swimming in the ocean, we were not dressed for it, and my friend didn't know how to swim.

We ended up spending half a day there. It was definitely worth the drive up. We started at Channel Island National Park visitor center. There are displays of Marine life, maps and information about the area, and a short film about the history of Ventura and the five islands with the voice of Kevin Costner which was a surprise.

You can then take the elevator up and enjoy beautiful views.

From there, we walked to not-to-be-missed Coastal Cone ice cream shop at Ventura Harbor Village. It can get super busy, but so worth the wait. Even though I do my best to stay away from junk food, this place has the best soft served hot fudge Sunday I have had to date in L.A and vicinity.

It was time to burn some of the calories we consumed. We had an enjoyable walk for miles and miles along the beach. You can bring your laptop and work on your writing or read that novel you've been meaning to finish. There are benches everywhere.

The Ventura Pier has great views as well, and there is a casual restaurant called Eric Ericssons Fish co which serves a decent fish and chips and beer among other things. You just go up to the counter and put in your order. Or grab a glass of wine, and a window seat at sunset with amazing views and pleasant atmosphere. You can also sit at a communal table which is what we did at dinner. People are friendly and you can carry on a nice conversation.