More Portland Please

I came home for my spring break and am sad it's gone by so quickly. There's no place like home - especially when home is the majestic Pacific Northwest. I found this picture on my laptop, taken last year at Multnomah Falls in January and I'm posting it here as proof that Oregon is as beautiful as I believe it is:


Currently reading: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

Home Sweet Home

Today I moved into my new apartment.

Of course I use the term "moved in" liberally.

This is my first real apartment - until now I've only lived at home or in dorms. But, luckily I had my little asian mom to pass on the ancient rituals of breaking in new homes. Apparently the most sacred and crucial thing is that you must baptize your new home with lysol. We scrubbed the counters, microwave, fridge, floors, toilet, sinks and shelves, all to my mother's specification.

In fact, as my mom covered the bathtub with Comet cleaning powder, I started having flashbacks of Mommy Dearest. Luckily, there were no wire hangers present, only plastic -- and mom made sure I wiped those down too.

After all that I can't say it's really much of a "home" yet. Nothing inside but IKEA boxes and cleaning supplies.

Tomorrow is assembly day. I anticipate lost screws and cursing of the Swedes.

Until then, here's a photo from our drive down on the 395. Mono Lake covered in clouds:

Currently reading: Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

Superfluous

"Don't pointless things have a place, too, in this

far-from-perfect world?"

- Haruki Murakami (Sputnik Sweetheart)

Currently watching: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Returned and Overdue

Been back from London for a while and haven't bothered updating in a long time.

I guess you could say I've been using the holiday season to breathe. And oh the Oregon air is so sweet.

But now the holidays are over and I need to focus on writing final essays for the fall semester and finding a place in San Diego to live before I return in a couple weeks. Busy busy busy once again.

In the meantime, here are some more B&W from London:

And the lovely Paris:

But as the old saying goes, there's no place like home. Especially when you have netflix to catch up and relax with...

Movies Viewed While I've Been Home:

• In Theatres: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Nine
• At Home: Volver, La Dolce Vita, Before Sunset, 2 Days in Paris, Waterlilies and Obsessed

Tourist

Today I got to work on my "Things to See in London" list and visited Kensington. I managed to get through the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod's and Hyde Park.

I've been told by several people back at home that Harrod's is a must see in London and I can see why. I think the way I felt about Harrod's, is the same way I feel about London. It's big, beautiful and there's so many things to see but it's just too much for me.

It was nice to walk through Hyde Park after I got out of there. Autumn suits London.

Currently reading: The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

No Introductions Please

In the last stretch of post-reading week assignments. Currently I'm looking at the 250 pages I have left to read before class tomorrow, but I'd much rather be looking at this still:

Oh bella italia...

Currently reading: The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters

Currently listening to: As Time Goes By - Frank Sinatra