Catching the sunrise is always one of my favorite things, and I never realized how the rising sun creates an aura of somberness & petulant optimism until seeing the sun rise in such a metropolis. Waking up earlier has led me to healthier habits, which include a more regular meditation habit or doing at least a few yoga moves in the morning. Waking up earlier is also helping me focus on what I need to do, and has helped me find more reasons to live for. Have you tried to catch dawn at least once in your life? If not, you totally should. 

Over the weekend, boyfriend and I hiked to Griffith Park. We've decided to hike more regularly, especially since it's less hot in the winter. It's more difficult for me to work out in the winter just because it's colder and it's so much more tempting to cozy in with a soft comforter & sip hot chocolate. Hopefully, our regular hiking treks will help me stay in shape throughout the season of food.

I've posted about Moto Sushi before but when we came back this Sunday to celebrate being together for 26 months now but DAMN. As two, self-appointed sushi snobs, every single piece of nigiri blew us away. We ordered salmon (both regular & New Zealand salmon), yellow tail, two different preparations of red snapper, monkfish liver, uni, unagi & bluefin tuna. ALL OF THEM HAD FRESH WASABI AND I DIED.

I reiterate - every.single.nigiri.was.AMAZING. First world problems, we had difficulty choosing the last piece of sushi to imbibe upon. It's been our tradition to choose the best sushi as the last thing to eat in order to make the flavor in our mouth last longer.

For the most part, we've both chosen uni. Last Sunday was an exception because we chose the bluefin tuna. Fitting, I know, especially since the bluefin tuna had gold flakes on it. Yep, you read that right. It was such a satisfying dinner and while it was pricier than our usual sushi restaurants, it was oh-so-worth it. Rest assured, this is our monthly go-to now.

And by nothing, I mean no puns. I legitimately spent five minutes trying to come up with an original pun for September and failed. Fortunately, I have more than enough favorites to make up for it!

Eventrockit food market is a fantastic event that happens every other month and changes locations ever so often. They have new food vendors every event and some old favorites as well. We had some sushi + taco fusion and blue crab & avocado crostinis from Norigami. We both found the sushi tacos amazing while the crostinis were just okay. On the other hand, both the mango chili and a couple of delicious aguas frescas we ordered from a drink stand were delicious. We also ordered a plate of good Thai Garlic noodles from a Thai Truck (I forgot the name!).

We also ordered some authentic Belgian Waffles from Marcel Waffles for desserts. We got the Original Liege and Original Brussels waffles without any toppings. Out of the two, the Liege was definitely our favorite. Since my boyfriend is Belgian, I was also looking forward to his thoughts (we've been on a look out for authentic Belgian waffles for a while), and he thought it was definitely close to the waffles in Belgium

Recently, my coworkers and I went to Escape Room LA as part of the company's team building exercise. While in the waiting room, we played a couple of games. As we were ushered in and given our orientation, we were instructed to turn off our phones so no photos - le sigh. Our HR person chose The Theatre theme, and off we went! I managed to solve one puzzle and felt mostly confused half of the time. While it was definitely fun and thrilling, I'm not much of a puzzles person (even though I like my whodunits - weird, I know). My boyfriend would definitely enjoy "escaping" though, and while I'm not as good in it as he is, I look forward to coming back regardless.

We're not big fans of shabu shabu because most restaurants serve only meat with little to no options for paescetarians like us. However, Joon Shabu Shabu was different. They offered a good seafood plate that was more than enough to entice us. It had a few pieces of big scallops, salmon and shrimp. We were given an elaborate orientation on "how to of shabu shabu". It was quite an exciting experience. My only criticism would be that we left feeling a wee bit hungry, which is kind of unacceptable for the $50+ bill.

Out of sheer curiosity, we decided to try out Lola's Peruvian Restaurant and HOLY COW, it's amazing. We've been there three times in the last two weeks (yep, we're obsessed), and it never disappoints. We've had their salmon plate, seafood paella and seafood pasta. The salmon plate probably had the best grilled salmon I've had in my entire lifetime, and trust me when I say, I've had a lot. The seafood paella and seafood pasta were extraordinary as well.

Alfajores - Peruvian cookies

We also had the Lucuta ice cream, corn flan and alfajores, all of which we've never had before. Out of the three, the corn flan was probably my favorite, although they have all been gastronomically orgasmic. I can't wait to go to this place again!

As a lover of all things ice cream, it seemed a travesty not to try Flavors Creamery, the new gelato place in Glendale. It was cheap (I got a small size for only $2!), and while it didn't wow me, it was a good price for what I paid. Besides, the people were friendly and I prefer supporting mom and pop shops in lieu of big companies.

Granted, I've only been to three German gastropubs in LA but Wurstküche slays them all. Touting one of the best fries, bratwursts AND beer selection in the area (it has my favorite sour beer on tap!), this place has carved a place in my heart and decided to hibernate there. In fact, I've always regularly craved for a visit to this restaurant. It's quite a drive and the traffic is horrible, but it's forever worth it.

This street art I saw while we were stopped in traffic in Glendale. I love it not only because of my affinity for art but also because of my affinity for puns. I thought it was cute and witty, and definitely worthy of being on my September favorites!

Please play video before scrolling down.

Los Angeles is one of those cities you can't help but develop a love-hate relationship with, and this city, with its glamour and grime, changed my life in innumerable ways. 

I understand the stereotypical hate on Los Angeles - the hideous traffic that can double, nay triple, commute time if you happened to be extra unfortunate, getting more than your fair share of pollution, the slew of cliques that make socializing seem more like a jungle, the vapidity and superficiality of it all. But to loathe the city means to completely ignore the beauty you can unearth between the flaws, and aren't we all waiting for someone to find beauty underneath our imperfections?

I've been calling LA home for five years now and while I have yet to fully explore the city and all that it has to offer, I am continuously enamored with it. What with its wide array of food options, eclectic mishmash of art and culture and that feeling of being home yet having the independence to be whoever you want to be, Los Angeles is home.

A friend of mine, Lea, and I have been meaning to see each other for a while but just couldn't find ourselves in the same area at the same time. But she graduated from college recently, moved closer to my neighborhood and finally, after what seemed like forever, our schedules matched. 

On the day we planned to meet, the June Artwalk was also happening so I suggested we explore it instead of the stereotypical dinner and conversation. She let me know a few of her friends are coming along - the more, the merrier! We hit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) first since I felt that it's a good way to start an evening of art.

It was an enjoyable time as I got re-acquainted with some abstract artists I like and met a few new contemporary artists as well.

Heart and Mind by Elizabeth Murray

The Egg by David Altmejd

She's Egungun by Wangechi Mutu

One of the art works I fell in love with at the Artwalk.

A couple of us were famished after walking around MoCA so we decided to go to the Grand Central Market and enjoy the myriad of food choices there. Afterwards, we walked along Gallery Row to peruse artworks by local artists all while headed to The Last Bookstore. It's one of my favorite bookstores of all time, and for good reason. It houses a labyrinth teeming with books, vinyl, artworks and wonderful art installations. They also have poetry readings, book signings and music events from time to time. If you haven't been, you're missing out.

I also came across 37 collections of Sherlock Holmes stories for only $10, and it totally made my day! Arthur Conan Doyle is one of my favorite whodunit writers, and I think I've read most, if not all, of his Sherlock Holmes anthologies.

I had such a good time with Lea, Gina, Kathy & Fermin, and the fact that I was surrounded by wonderful art works just made the evening all the more great.