Learning Another Language

You use both sides of your brain to learn a language. I find that knowing another language makes you a better writer. When you're first starting, you're struggling, and translating from your mother tongue to a new language, but as you get better, you will begin to think, and put sentences together, not in your mother's tongue, but rather in the new language.

So, why is this important? Because you're using your brain in a brand-new way. You're learning how people from a different culture think, and view the world. This makes writers multidimensional. 

For example, when I first moved to the U.S, I used to think in Farsi, and translate my thoughts to English. But after awhile, I began to think in English, and have a better understanding of the English speaking world. And the same thing with French. I no longer translate in my head from English to French. I simply think in French. 

I was on a tour once, when I was carrying a conversation with people from three different cultures, switching back and forth in my thoughts. These types of experiences allow my writing, and voice as a writer to be more unique. I am now able to put together my sentences, and use expressions that are different.

As you immerse yourself in various cultures, you add a new layer, a new depth in comprehending the world around you. People who only speak their mother tongue should experience this on their own to understand what I'm talking about. Once you do this, you'll find a new door to a new way of thinking. And if you took a language class in high school, that's even better because you have a base from where you can start.

I used to speak French long ago as a student living abroad, but my French is super rusty because I have no one to practice it with. So this year, I set some new goals, and one of them was to take a French conversation class at Alliance Française de Los Angeles on Santa Monica Blvd. If you live in L.A, and are interested in learning French, give it a try. I think that they may let you audit one class. 

The class that I'm taking is advanced French which starts next week every Wednesday for nine weeks in person from 2-3:30 p.m. What I like about their program is that sometimes they have access to events like a cultural exchange, a show or a movie screening. They also have online classes, and other levels. Since this is my first time in years, I'm not sure how difficult the advance class will be, but they told me that if it's too hard, I can switch to an intermediate class. 

FYI: I do not get paid to promote this school. There are other ones around, including community colleges. Choose what fits you, and your schedule.

Side note: I watch French movies, once with subtitles on, and repeatedly with subtitles off. I also listen to French Radio stations, and read French books when my time allows. My dad, who spoke five languages, taught me that these are some of the best methods to immerse yourself in another language. 

I don't speak like a native in English, Farsi, or French. I know this is unusual, but I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be able to speak like a native in any language, including my mother tongue. But I have no problem communicating with people, and that's what matters. 

 

The Marshes of Playa Vista

For decades, these marshes which were the habitat for various species, were damaged by developers. According to this article, the worse damage was done when they were building Marina Del Rey. 

Years later, developers and environmentalists butt heads over this area before apartment complexes, and businesses moved in what is today called Playa Vista. But the compromise was not an easy path. They even stabbed the city council member Ruth Galanter in her home, for wanting to protect the marshes.

Home to fishes, and wild life, this is an important birding area. On a day when the sun is out, and you're passing by, put away your cellphones, and you will hear the incredible voices of nature. 

Various bee species buzz around, and when there are too many, they put a yellow ribbon around a section, asking the public to be careful, especially if they're allergic to them. 

When I wear a yellow shirt, sometimes the bees land on my shoulder, and just sit there. Other times, they roam around my hair, smelling my conditioner. I keep telling them that I'm not a flower, but they don't listen 😄 

And on cool evenings, frogs and night creatures take over, making their voices heard. Unfortunately, there is not much left of these marshes, but I'm grateful for what is there and for the environmentalists who protect it. Now on to things built around the marshes...

I bumped into this pink trumpet tree, and had to take a picture. So, pretty.

4 p.m. Lunch at HomeState with a relaxed atmosphere, decent food, and good service. First time there. I got a potato Taco and mango green ice tea. 👍 Will try something else next time.

Coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee. When it comes to mixing espresso with almond milk, this place is the bomb. They have other locations, but I like this one. Rarely, a café or a restaurant gets this right, but this place knows exactly what they're doing. Will go back.

And if you don't know it already, I love, love, love sport cars, especially if they're stick shift, which I don't think this one is. My brother tells me to "grow up," you've past that age. He also tells me that I'm a woman, and not a man, and a Corvette is a "man's" car. But you know, I can't help it. This Corvette parked on the street, belonging to I don't know who, was hot hot hot, and I just had to take a photo. I cannot afford one, but I can always window shop. Right? 

Lunar Year 2026

For Chinese New Year, I decided to mozie on down to L.A's Chinatown. I asked my Chinese friend to help me out in navigating around all the closed streets and in explaining some of the traditions. 

This Lunar year is the year of "fire horse," and lasts for 16 days (Feb 17-March 3) until the Lantern Festival. Each Chinese zodiac sign comes with an animal sign, and each animal has five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water For example, a "fire horse" may have a different personality than the "earth horse".

After going round and round behind cars that were also looking for parking, we finally landed somewhere far, and headed downhill to the festivities. The crowds were considerate, and gave way to each other. The sound of drums, cymbals, and gongs drowned the voices of the crowd except for this crazy guy who wanted attention by yelling nonsense in our ears. The above video is the Lion Dance, supposed to bring good fortune, and ward off evil. Apologies for my hand in the video. The lion in front of me was waving their hand, and I was waving back.

The Golden Dragon is part of the Chinese mythology. It represents power, strength, prosperity and good fortune.

The lion dance with two performers is taxing on the body, especially if you're the end. This reminded me of a funny Lucy and Ethel Episode when they try on an Old Horse Costume, but neither one is willing to be the horse's end. 

Some people put money in Hongbao (Mandarin pronunciation) or Lai See (Cantonese pronunciation) which is a red envelope, to give to the lion. My Cantonese friend told me that sometimes the person holds the Lai See high, and the dancing lion jumps up and captures it, passing on good luck to the giver.

Happy Lunar Year!

We walked north, away from the parade. The food stalls, quite good, are there only during the celebrations. They have everything from barbecue to Thai to falafel and so on...

Incidentally, I have no connection to the people showing up in my pictures or videos, and I don't focus on anyone specific in any of my pictures, ever. I'm more interested in the vibe when I video or take photos. So, unless I identify someone specifically, or write about them to explain, I have no idea who they are, just like this tall dude who was passing by in my video.

I got a crème brûlée Boba. Both the service and the drink were excellent. You have to mix it or the top part will taste flat.

We continued walking and ended up in a permanent section of Chinatown with shops, bakeries, and places to grab a bite.

Here, I was asking my friend how to say Happy New Year, but I did not fair well. I was able to say it correctly after I ended the video. I now know how to say, Happy New Year, and thank you in Cantonese. You could say that I'm now fluent in Chinese 😝

Jinju Silk Lanterns

My friend and I decided to check out Lights of Korea: Jinju silk lanterns exhibit at the Korean Cultural center. I was intrigued to see what it was all about.

What surprised me was the cultural oasis I was about to unveil. In all the years living in L.A, I had no idea this place existed, and I know so little about the Korean culture. I didn't know how rich their culture was as I went through another exhibit, before even getting to the lanterns.

The Seonbi principal shapes Koreans through five values: Discipline, Courage, inclusion, wisdom, and honor. Their belief is instead of elitism, "live for the benefit of all humanity," and that diverse cultures, and values coexist. Seonbi embraces empathy, harmony, and balance ⚖️. The first photo is about how Seonbi present themselves in public by wearing traditional clothes, and hat—"Proper behavior starts with proper dress code." The second pix is about what walking teaches you about life, staying on the path, and opening your mind to new ideas.

The above is the work of Hyungwon Kang, photojournalist, and visual story teller with decades of experience working for organizations such as the L.A Times, AP, and Reuters.

Chusa Kim Jeonghui, an artist and a scholar lived in exile because of his political views. The above is a picture of the letter he wrote to his wife, followed by a translation. He did not know that his wife had already passed away.

The hats, worn between late 1300s and early 1900s, and other items are made of horsehair. The hats called Gat, represented a satus symbol, mostly worn by aristocrats, noblemen, and scholars.

Heo Hyeong's folding screen "depicting plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo, symbolizes the four seasons.

Inspired by Sin Yunbok's art, "Portrait of a Beauty," the silk lanterns imitate these traditional dresses, Hanbok, which were made up of layers of clothing with vibrant colors. The lanterns were used in the 1300s as indoor/outdoor lighting and in ceremonies.

During the Japanese invasion of Korea in the late 1500s, people living in Jinju began lighting up the river with lights to stop the Japanese from crossing the river. These lanterns would also have writings on them for the residents to communicate with each other across the river, checking in on their families.

There were two big screens, displaying photographs about Korea, and their food culture. I was trying to film it, and talk to my friend who wanted to know where we should have dinner.

From there we went to BCD Tofu House. It has several locations. We went to the one on Wilshire in Koreatown. It was an authentic experience as most of the customers were Korean.

Korean restaurants usually serve complimentary warm Boricha—toasted barley tea with a nutty flavor, and small side dishes. To me, this tea tasted bland, and I gave the fishes to my friend. The small plate sitting next to the Cass beer was also a fish dish. My friend said that they were both really good and did not taste fishy.

I had the tofu bibimbap in a hot clay pot, and my friend, had the same with beef. Mine was yum. My friend said that the beef was a bit too chewy, but other than that, she enjoyed it. The Cass beer was excellent, and they gave us chilled glasses! Service was great. Do recommend, and I'll probably will go back and try something else the next time.

  

A perfect Day

One of my favorite places is Manhattan Beach because it has a small town vibe with a real sense of community. I used to come here often until tar balls—black goo from oil spills—covered the wet sand, sticking to my feet, making it difficult, and frustrating to get them off.

After a long absence, I went back to Manhattan Beach this week, and to my surprise, the water was clean, and there were no goo or crowds. In fact, there was hardly anyone there. Just miles and miles of walking path with a few people scattered here and there, spread across a long stretch of sand, a jogger or two passing by, and one person in a wet suit. It felt good to be there.

A picture is worth a thousand words. 

I felt a silent turbulence within me just like the waves in the ocean. I'm flying solo these days. No drama. No one to disappoint me, and no one that I could disappoint. Just me, myself, and I wrapped in my thoughts, trying to figure things out. I find that if I allow it, life will disappoint. It's best not to expect anything. 

"Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair." —Dhar Mann

It's difficult to find authenticity these days, both in life, and online. I have a handful of real friends, people that I have met in person, and have known for a long time, people who are worthy of my friendship, and who consider me worthy of theirs. Nowadays, I'm cautious about trusting people because people will tell you what you want to hear. It's best to watch someone's actions than to listen to what they say.

When I saw this Laughing Gull, it reminded me of me. Just staring out, meditating, and then flying away. Except that I can't fly away. It must be a great feeling to be able to fly away like that. 

Someone once told me that she learns most about herself when she is in a relationship. I'm the exact opposite. I learn most about myself, others, the world, and the universe by spending time alone. If you haven't already, try spending quality time with yourself, doing nothing. The revelation is incredible. So, yes. It was a perfect day, spending time alone. I know that it will take time for me to heal, to feel whole, to trust again, and to allow people into my life.  

Trust lost is a haunting specter, 

An empty space where love once dwelled.

How can one regain what is forever altered?

How can one heal when trust is felled?

                   —Unknown