SVong-Along

From Bilbao I took a 5 hour train ride to Spain's capital- Madrid. I was only "moderately pumped" about Madrid, but Madrid was probably my favorite city during my two week Eurotrip; from the culture to the history it was fun and exciting- almost like a mix of NYC and Washington DC. The train station was a little crazy and reminded me of NYC's Penn Station- but luckily I was able to ask for help and hop in a train in a couple minutes to my hostel. After checking in, I walked a few minutes down various alleyways to get to my first destination: Museo Reina Sofia. The Reina Sofia is one of the Golden Triangle of Madrid's museum and features mostly contemporary art but also the famous Spanish artists Dali and Picasso. I spent 3 hours here, the museum was humongous and there was so much to see. The highlight was definitely "Guernica," (originally the primary reason I decided to stop in Madrid): this is a pic of a postcard- no pics of the real thing! ...

How much power does the Government have over us? Is the Government infringing on our rights to free speech and privacy in traditional forums of expressions such as colleges? My friend and classmate Nida Siddiqui addresses these questions in her law review article: "National Security Frat Party: Government Surveillance on College Campuses."  I downloaded it off SSRN, printed a copy, and finished the 20 pg paper during my 1 hour flight from Sacramento to Burbank. Nida's article is informative, interesting, and important. Right after the article introduction, Nida discusses the shocking history of college surveillance - the FBI (not full-blooded Ilocanos for my pin@y peeps) resorting to insane tactics that are crazier than some episodes of Scandal. My conspiracy theorist/speculative side was immediately hooked and my mind was blown at the crazy sh!t the FBI has done targeting college students that are reminiscent of Tiananmen. I never personally took a privacy class ...

I've been seeing a few "Memories" re: the 2013 LA Marathon, and I thought about you because you were one of the main reasons and inspiration for me to run it that year. I originally wanted to just do half marathons because of Lindsey Ngo running the Disney half, and never thought I would push my physical limits to (mostly) run 26.2 miles. Maybe that's also why I decided to read the Haruki Murakami book " What I Talk About When I Talk About Running ," which I think you would appreciate as a runner (and maybe you can copy some of his routes along the Meiji Jingu Gaien, though I have no idea how far away you are from there.) Or it might even inspire you to write about your own running journey [all in one story rather than scattered blog posts, or it could even be a blog post!] I can't believe it has been almost 6 years since the OC half (my first half ever), and although my cardio is unlikely to return to that level, it's great to see your physic...

Today I drove 6.1 miles after work to get fish tacos especial from Rubio's. As I sat in my car, I thought about whether the trek would be worth it and all the time in my life I have traveled a (probably) unreasonable distance just for food or drinks. Driving from UCLA (Westwood) to San Gabriel Valley (626) just to get Half & Half Teahouse Boba (23 miles one way)  Back in senior year of college when I was very into yolo-ing and fulfilling my Asian-foodie destiny, I would drive friends all the way across Los Angeles just for the best milk tea in town. Half & Half had the glorious brown sugar honey boba which was far superior to any boba in the Westside. Looking back, it's ridiculous that I would spend over an hour [total] driving just for boba, but it was just so hyped up and it really is  some of the best chewy pearls you can get on the planet. Driving from Davis to Vacaville for Olive Garden (18.4 miles on way)  I was on a budget in law school (and still p...