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.