03/08/16-Tuesday at 10pm

I am so ecstatic to pronounce that I will be Biola’s next Sigma Senator for the school year of 2016-2017!! I can not begin to even describe how blessed and honored I am to serve on the Student Government Association! I have always had a place in my heart for student government and for empowering students, and now I get to do that for Biola. I hope to serve the Sigma community and honor God in this position. Thank you all for your support and votes! I couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Break Bread

03/06/16-Sunday

A couple days ago, Faeln saw an add for Break Bread located in Downtown Los Angeles at the Think Tank Gallery. “The basics: it’s 9,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling cake sculptures, a life-size ice cream truck with all of it products created completely in hyperrealistic watercolor, a Humanity themed bar and lounge, dining experiences by Feastly, a popup coffee shop by Stumptown, and nightly special events” (breakbreadla.com). I highly suggest that if you’re ever in the area to go check it out but warning, this exhibit ends March 16th!

“Scott Hoven’s ongoing series ‘Cakeland’ addresses society notions of comport, pleasure, celebration and their dark counterparts in the form of carefully crafted artificial cakes. Intended to at once attack and repel, each cake and installation engages the viewer’s emotion with the sense of imminent beauty and satisfaction, quickly followed by impending threat. Materials are chosen according to their own inherent beauty and/or violent. Beautiful fake fruit, switchblades, Swarovski crystals, stiletto heels, and taxidermy jaws are presented with fluffy, delicious looking fake frosting, piped through a pastry bag using traditional cake decorating techniques” (breakbread.com).

After, Fae and I decided to explore LA on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. We drove around, mostly because we couldn’t find parking, and stumbled upon a movie set. We rolled down our window to ask someone what was going on, but I guess everyone else was confused as well. We ended up parking and walking down the street on our way to go watch the recording, but were stopped by a giant crowd of people. Fae asked a man who seemed to be in charge what was happening. He told us, “DJ Khaled is shooting a movie, want to be in it?” So without a doubt we agreed and hopped in the big crowd of people.

When we finished, Fae and I stopped at a cute little Italian restaurant where we ate a salad and a sandwiches. Before leaving, however, I decided to try my first macaroon that was colored purple. And boy was it delicious! I guess you can say it was an interesting, spontaneous day full of new memories.

03/04/16-Friday

Fae and I set out at noon for an unexpected Friday. Last week I saw an advertisement that America’s Got Talent was coming to Los Angeles and that they were giving out free audience tickets. So of course I got Fae and myself tickets. When we arrived at the The Pasadena Civic, there was already a long wrapped around the corner. We stood in line for 20 minutes until we got to where they were handing out tickets (the tickets I got online didn’t have the seat number, but were assigned in person). Faeln, myself, and some other teenagers were pulled aside and given different tickets. It wasn’t until we were inside and getting seating that we noticed they gave the front row and closer seats to young, well-dressed girls. Being young, well-dressed girls, we got a very front row seat right behind the judges who we talked to all night. It was interesting watching all the different acts and talents. Make sure you watch for me and Fae on television when America’s Got Talent airs!!

Catch us in the front!

The Late Late Show

03/02/16-Wednesday

When class is canceled, Fae and I go to tapings of shows in Los Angeles because why not?! While in line waiting to enter the studio, I saw an old friend named Corbin Bricks who I ended catching up with while waiting. After a little over an hour, we entered the studio where Fae and I were seating in the FRONT ROW! And by front row, I mean the red chairs front row! If you don’t believe me, feel free to watch the episode where you’ll see us directly in the front. The MC of the night was so energetic and kept us laughing and smiling throughout the whole night. While in-between breaks, Reggie Watts throws out shirts to the audience that Fae and I ended up catching! We talked a little with James and also Lea Michele and Ginnifer Goodwin who were the guests of the night. The whole event was so surreal and a memory both Fae and I will NEVER forget

Bday

03/01/16-Tuesday

I just want to give a BIG shoutout to my friends and family for making my birthday one to remember! Not going to lie, 19 feels almost exactly like 18 but it’s okay! I had a wonderful birthday dinner with Raquel, Fae, Alexa, Lydia, and Christian where we went to BJ’s and ate too much food. On my birthday, I received packages and cards full of thoughtful messages and adorable gifts. After class I was surprised again to Alexa and Faeln having decorated the room, a pink cake, and other friends awaiting my arrival! I am truly blessed to have such amazing friends and family. Thank you all for making my day a perfect one!!

02/27/16-Saturday

As you know, Fae and I enjoy the outdoors more than anything. Today we woke up early and decided a walk in the park is exactly what we needed to start out our morning. It was a gorgeous, sunny day full of laughs and new memories.

Urth

Art Gallery

City Sunsets

LA

02/26/16-Friday

When thrifting, what better place to go than Los Angeles where you can find designer clothing for cheap! Lydia, Faeln, and I first stopped at Urth Cafe where we ate healthy, delicious meals including sandwiches, salad, and fruit. After, we set out to find some thrift stores. We ended up finding a whole street of thrift stores filled with beautiful clothes! On our walk back to the car, we stopped by a local art exhibit and then heading back to Biola where we saw the stunning, cotton-candy city sunset. Overall, it was a wonderful Friday with friends!

02/20/16- Saturday

Woke up at 9, ate breakfast, and took off… again! We left at 10pm and arrived at salvation mountain at 3pm but not before we had a little road trip fun! While driving, we saw beautifully colored flowers so we stopped off to the side of the road several times and picked some flowers. While driving on Route 66, we noticed these rocks that people arranged to look like letters. So we thought, hey let’s do it! We pulled over and happened to find colored rocks that we made into “F + K.” Across the street, we saw this old gas stations with shoes hung over the top and walked over to check it out. We also saw a wall filled with graffiti and then decided to head back to the road.

After our little off the road adventures, we continued on to Salvation Mountain. We pulled into the parking lot around 3pm and quickly jumped out of the car. We began taking a million pictures while chattering about how magnificent this creation is. If you don’t know what Salvation Mountain is, here you go: Salvation Mountain was created by Leonard Knight which is found in the lower desert of Souther California in Imperial County just east of the Salton Sea. “Salvation Mountain is Leonard’s tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet power message… Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world.” It was truly a sight to see! I advice everyone to check it out and see it in person for yourself! ALSO, if you can see by my picture there is a yellow road leading to the top of the mountain that you can actually walk up! After an hour of filled camera rolls, exhausted feet, and newly made friends, we decided to head home. On the drive, we filled out the tank while also viewing dinosaur replicas (I have no idea what this was or why it was by a gas station but it was fun to look at). We pulled into the Biola parking lot at 7pm where we rushed to our rooms to unpack and eat some dinner.

I highly advice going on a road trip with a best friend. Fae and I had so much doing random things, sight seeing, and meeting new people. Yes, Canada was SO much fun, but we also enjoy a road trip every now and then because I believe it is a different traveling experience that everyone has to try!

Grand Canyon, AZ

Grand Canyon, AZ

02/18-19/16- Thursday to Friday

Faeln and I have been dying to go to the Grand Canyon, but things like school and homework have been getting in the way. We went online and decided to just pick a date and book a hotel. We were planning on leaving at midnight of February 18th, but instead decided to leave at 10:30pm so we could catch the sunrise at the Grand Canyon. We loaded up our bags and snacks and took off.

Faeln drove for the first two hours and then we switched. We continued to switch every two hours during the drive. Both Fae and I started off very awake, but we slowly began to get tired. Once it reached 4am and we were driving in the pitch black night… well now morning, we began to feel exhausted. We realized we had been driving all through the night, you know that time where you usually sleep, but we continued to fight through the tiredness. We drove into the park at 7am, parked, ran to where we could see the sunrising and gasped of disbelief. It was the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. You could see a bright yellow color peer from behind the multicolored silhouette of the canyon. I kept blinking as if I was gazing upon some kind of unreal picture.

After 30 minutes of just staring silently at one of God’s most beautiful creations, we set off to explore the rest of the park. We drove around and found another breathtaking spot to park at. Once we parked, we got out and followed a trail. After being in the windy, cold weather for a few minutes, I could feel my feet slowly freezing and my teeth chattering. We decided a warm break inside was needed so we entered a little store. There I bought a magnet and a postcard which, for those of you who don’t know, is my thing.

It was now about 9am and we hopped back in the car and continued on a route where we made several more stops. Every view, from all different angles, was incredible. Some say that they look at the Grand Canyon for a few minutes and were easily bored but not us. Fae and I could’ve stayed for hours just sitting in silence thinking the same thing, “Isn’t this just beautiful?”

After hours upon hours of sitting in the cold and staring at the most gorgeous national park we had ever seen, we headed out to our hotel. But since this is a road trip, we did make a couple stops here and there. First we stopped at a cafe outside of the park for some coffee (for Fae of course since coffee disgusts me) and a bagel. We also stumbled upon an area decorated as if we were in an episode of the Flintstones. When we arrived at the hotel at noon, we were told that we couldn’t check in until 2pm. Two hours to kill? We can do that. We drove to Flagstaff where we had lunch, walked around, and looked at little shops. After we headed back to our hotel where we took a well needed two hour nap.

For dinner, we decided to go local. We walked around the city and chose a cute little family owned restaurant. After, we looked at more shops and headed back to get a good nights sleep for another long day to come.

China Town in LA

02/13/16- Saturday

So this week, Fae and I explored China Town in LA to celebrate Chinese New Year with other Sigmericans. We took the two hour metro there and back, which was a first for us! Even though transportation was longer than expected, we still made the most of it! We all explored the area, bought some fun Chinese things, and threw confetti in the air because why not? Before leaving, Fae and I were determined to be in the parade so we decided to run in front of a float and start waving as if we were apart of it! Overall, it was culturally educational and fun!