Tonight I asked my mom about it again and she said she actually found a wooden comb while cleaning up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember where she had put it, so this sent us on a house-wide search for the elusive thing. As it turns out, she was referring to a smaller comb (the kind they give at hotels), which was sitting on the desk. Since I had already searched almost all of the house, I decided to keep going and flipped just about everything around. Then, I thought that I should check the pile of blankets and pillows on the bed upstairs, which I had used for awhile a couple of months ago.

Lo and behold, after lifting up a couple of blankets, I found it lying there, neatly hidden away! I’m really glad to have it back and will make sure to store it safely in my purse again. Yup, being stubborn does get me results.

Not long after, my phone slid off my desk onto our concrete floor at work.  The corner was cracked, so I went in to see if they could fix it up for me.  Lucky me, I got a friendly Genius in a good mood, so he took care of it for me.  I even blogged about that visit!  Unfortunately, it seemed that the sleekness of the phone made it prone to dropping, so it kept happening here and there.  One day I noticed that the metal part was splitting away from the plastic, revealing the inner workings of my device.  It was getting a little dusty in there, which was a concern.  I trotted back to the store and was once again given a new one.  This actually was kind of fortunate, since I was going to upgrade to an iPhone 4 and my dad was going to take my phone.  I certainly didn’t want to give him something all beat up, so I kept this one pristine!

I had barely gotten the iPhone 4 for a few weeks when I found that my mic wasn’t working and people couldn’t hear me.  For a phone, that’s a pretty big issue.  After all, the main function of the phone is to make phone calls…  So, I got a replacement and went on my way, but only for a month, when my camera stopped working and only showed me a black screen.  After this replacement, it looked like things would finally be ok.  It had been about a 4-month stretch of problems on a monthly basis, which finally ended in early October.

In mid-July, the Apple Store in Valencia was opening up.  With the promise of a free t-shirt, I was drawn to go to the grand opening.  While in line, I decided to take a few pictures with my phone, only to find that the app would try to open, crash the phone, and then restart it.  I tried again with the same result, so I tried a hard reset.  I got the same error, so at that point I was glad I was at the Apple Store, since I was going to need some help.  Guess what happened at my appointment?  After trying to do a reset via iTunes (and failing), my Genius got me a new phone.  Fancy that.  I was pretty happy since I’d started to get annoyed with the layer of oil that just didn’t seem to get wiped off my phone anymore.  A few taps would make my fingerprints stick and no amount of wiping seemed to slow that process.  Plus, I had dropped it a week or two earlier, chipping off a small part of the corner, so aesthetically my device was no longer in tip-top shape.

I’ve got just a few more weeks before my warranty runs out, and I am debating whether I should pay to extend it for another year.  I would definitely want to upgrade at that point, so I guess the question is if I can prevent any disastrous drops or breakdowns in the next year (or if I could deal with them until it was time for a new device).  I’d like to say I can, but I’m afraid that I’ll regret not paying for the extension.

 Armed with this criteria, I decided to do some shopping this weekend and came across a dark purple purse and a nice white one at Kohl’s.  I loved the color of purple purse, but it was a bit too long so the shape was kind of weird.  The white one looked really nice, but couldn’t fit my iPad in the center compartment that zipped up.  Other than that is was the perfect size and had all the compartments I was looking for, so I went ahead and bought it to give it a test drive.  I took these pictures to get Panda’s input and he pretty much thought the same thing, which gave me the final boost of confidence that I chose the right one.  And hey, if I changed my mind, I could always return or exchange it.  After all, Kohl’s has a pretty good return policy!

Then at work today, I asked the opinion of one of my coworkers and she brought to my attention a detail on the purse that makes it a little less classy.  I really love the triangular holes and the black stitching, but part of the silver lining looked cheap.  So, I decided to continue with my search and see if I could find something that would meet my needs better.  This time it also came down to two purses, one white and one purple.  I really liked the brightness of the white on the black and white one, but the design was too flashy and not at all like me.  On the other hand, the color of purple one wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy the shape and the middle divider was deep enough to hold my iPad and zip up.

Between the light purple one from today and the white one I had purchased yesterday, I couldn’t decide which one was better, so I just got the purple one to give it a test run as well.  While I really like the shape of it, the external pockets, and the internal compartments, I love the look of a white bag!  We’ll see how this one feels as I use it tomorrow.  I was already noticing how much easier it was to have a purse closer to your body, rather than a huge hunk of a thing hanging down your shoulder.  As for the color, it’s not something a lot of people would choose and I am perfectly fine with that.  I don’t mind standing out in a crowd!

I’ve already switched everything over to the purple purse and I’m still having trouble deciding if I should just keep both, choose one, or keep looking. My coworker did mention going to the Fashion District, so if we can do that this weekend, I’d definitely be open to replacing these with something else that catches my eye.  It’s hard to know when something is good enough!  I can’t help but think of what there might be out there that I have not yet discovered.  If I don’t find something soon, I think that either of these purses would do the job just fine and I’d never know the better, so I won’t worry too much about it.

Oh, and all this has reminded me of why I’m never that interested in shopping!  A “quick” trip to look at some items quickly turns into an hour or two and next thing you know, the day is gone.

The first panel was enlightening and really highlighted the delicate balance between human service and machine assistance that is required in the medical field.  While technology allows more and more processes to become semi-automated, the human component becomes increasingly important to maintain.  After all, you don’t remember how nice a machine was to you – you remember how kind that nurse, doctor, or other staff were.  Parts of the talk were a bit lecture-y and it was hard to stay focused due to the intellectual nature of the topic, but overall I did enjoy and appreciate it.

During the lunch break, Panda and I headed over to the School of Engineering’s open house, where we saw some student exhibits, got some free swag, grabbed some snacks, and got a tour of the plasma lab.  It was my first time really exploring Engineering V and IV, and Panda got to show me some cool spots, like the second floor balcony area that I never knew existed.

After wandering around trying to decide on which place to eat lunch (we were given vouchers to choose our own meals this year), we came back for lecture number two on innovation.  The entire panel consisted of Disney employees, past and present, and each had prepared some sort of visual to share.  Definitely a completely different tone and vibe from the first panel.  While the talk itself was fun and lively, I didn’t understand the connection to UCLA or alumni day.  Whereas the first panel was addressing an issue that UCLA is deeply involved in and at the forefront of, this one struck me as almost a marketing pitch.  I didn’t feel like I learned much, but I guess it was more about being entertained.

Towards the end of the panel, during the question and answer session, the fire alarm went off in Ackerman Union, so we had to clear the space.  Panda and I wandered around enjoying strolling around campus and eventually ended up in Wilson Plaza, where breakfast and the opening ceremony had been.  Due to the fire alarm, the third panel was actually moved out here, so we were there when it began.  The motivation one seemed to pretty much just be about sports, so we decided to catch a tour bus and check out Westwood.  Unfortunately, we got in line too late to get a seat on atop the open-air bus, so we were stuck downstairs.  It was a pretty quick trip around our campus and the town; I really wish the bus had stopped in certain areas so the student volunteers could explain more about the new buildings and other changes to student life.

Soon enough, it was time for the closing speeches and dinner.  While we were eating, a random lady approached me asking if I spoke Chinese.  When she found that I did, she began to ask about the university.  It turns out she was scouting for her daughter, who will be applying in two years.  After a hearty conversation, Panda and I finished up our meals and went over to the registration tent to take a picture with Joe Bruin.  I had decided that I wanted to take the buckets used as centerpieces for the tables, so we walked around looking for an empty table so we could take the bucket without having to ask if someone else wanted it.

And that was it, the end to our very first UCLA Alumni Day together!  I’m sure we’ll find time back at campus more valuable the more time we spend away from it.  Still, not a bad start to what hopefully becomes a tradition for us.  Oh yeah, and apparently the world was supposed to end right around the time we were having dinner!  So much for that.

This guy was so eager to be petted he was coming out of the water!

They’re not just soft, they kind of feel… fluffy.

I quite like the cownose ones, probably because this one was super friendly.

Their little mouths are so cute! They look like a face themselves, but the eyes of course are actually on top. I believe those are the nostrils?

I guess the Ethiopian food we had earlier in the night weighed pretty heavily on me.  Then again, it was a lot!  If you’ve never tried Ethiopian before (at least the Americanized version that is available in the states – who knows what real Ethiopian is out there), you should really give it a shot.  One of my friends who went last night – I’ll call her Duchess – had eaten it once before (like me) and we both enjoyed our experiences.  So there we were, many moons later, taking some others out for their first experience.

The place we went to was decided by a Tippr coupon that I bought a couple days ago, for a place called Little Ethiopia located in Little Ethiopia (hah!).  That’s a small strip out on Fairfax not too far from downtown LA.  It was a nice little place, though they had an entire room on the side that lay empty.  I guess when business was better they’d use both sides.  We ordered a veggie platter, tibs, and Little Ethiopian tibs.  The veggie platter had a variety of vegetables cooked in different sauces.  The tibs was chunks of beef and the Little Ethiopian tibs was those chunks of beef with potatoes and some other veggies mixed in.  Everything came out on a fantastically large tray lined with their special bread.

In the center is the Little Ethiopian tibs, the meat on either side is the tibs, and all those colorful splotches are part of the veggie platter!

The bread - spongy and slightly sour and very soft and supple!

Oh that bread!  When Duchess and I were trying to describe it on the drive over, the closest thing we could come up with was a sourdough pancake.  It’s a dense, spongy thing with a hint of sour and there’s something wonderful about it.  You use the bread to grab some of the veggies or meat and then eat it in a little morsel (at least we think that’s the right way to do it).  Oh yeah, the thing about Ethiopian food is that it’s eaten with your hands, much like Indian food is supposed to be.  And so we ate, getting basket after basket of bread until we were stuffed.  The waitress then came and offered us some second helpings for free, since they had a lot of excess in the kitchen.  We couldn’t resist and spent another half hour trying to finish it all.  By the time we left, I was so full I could hardly stand.

But our adventure wasn’t over!  We decided to go for dessert and ended up choosing Persian ice cream.  The first time I went, I got the orange blossom.  This time I was too full to get a serving myself, but I shared a white rose with Apprentice.  Yes, their ice cream flavors are very flower-oriented.  I feel like I’m eating a garden and it is the strangest sensation.  It turned out to be a nice complement to the food we had earlier and both were awesome cultural experiences for the newbies.  When I finally got home, it’s no wonder I lay on the bed to recover and ended up sleeping for the night.  Next time I want to deep sleep, I’ll make sure to get Ethiopian again.  :)

We spotted her so close to the sidewalk, munching away at something yummy.

She ignored us for a long time as she scavenged, but then the crinkling of the bag caught her attention.

She stared right at us when we pulled out a gummy bear from the bag.

She hopped up on the ledge and began to sneak over.

She came right up to the edge to see this wonderful piece of food.

She took the gummy bear straight from my fingers and began nibbling at it furiously.

I offered her some more tempting candy as she finished gobbling up the first.

She was really eager for these! What a hungry squirrel.

She put her paws on me to grab the red one, which fell. When she didn't notice where it landed, she went for the yellow one instead.

Her paws were so soft and slightly scratchy where the nails were. I want a pet squirrel!

Putting my board to good use!

Yesterday I hosted my very first Dinner for 12 Strangers!  I attended three while I was an undergrad (one each year except for the one that I was studying abroad) and I’ve wanted to host one since I graduated.  I finally got my own place this year and signed up as soon as I knew I’d have somewhere to host it.

As expected, scheduling conflicts led to quite a few cancellations from the students and faculty member slated to attend my dinner.  Between myself, my two co-hosts, and the 5 students who did manage to come out, we had a nice cozy party of 8.  My co-hosts and I prepared waaay too much food, but it’s all good since the students went home happy and well-fed.  I even had a bunch of disposable containers that they used to take some of the leftovers home.  :)

We spent most of the night playing an icebreaker game with M&Ms where each color represented some area of your life you’d share, such as family, career, aspirations, and hobbies.  You grabbed a small handful and for each color you had, you’d say something about that topic.  We decided to go one color at a time and then afterwards we’d reflect on what people said that stuck to us the most.  This got a lot of conversation going and kept us rolling into the night!  Next thing we knew, it was already 9 and the students started to head out.

I only wish I’d taken a group picture of everyone!  Otherwise the night was just great and I’m glad we were able to put this together.  I look forward to doing it again next year, if I have a place nearby.  :)