Hey guys,

I’ve been quite distracted the last couple of weeks and didn’t really take the time to sit and write a new post. So, here I am, writing a post about my trip to LA that technically happened a month ago. 

But shshhh!!

This trip couldn’t have come at a better time. I wanted to get away from Vancouver for a quick minute. Don’t get me wrong, I like Vancouver, a lot actually, it’s just moving to an entirely new city by yourself is sometimes harder than it seems, and it can be quite lonely.

However, I do have my uncle around, which is great. It’s just he's my uncle and I'm me. 

Although, I did meet a few people since I arrived, I think it takes time to get acquainted. And, in all honesty, making new friends is tiring. I think at first, sometimes people don't always get me and when that happens I just don't don't bother explaining myself, which is entirely my fault. I don't have any excuses for that. 

At the same time, going through the same set of questions multiple times: Where are you from? Why did you move to Taiwan? What do you do for work? Why did you move to Vancouver, and so on… I can't...

That's the reason why this getaway was just what I needed.
I asked my manager for a day off, booked my plane ticket right there on the spot and I was off to LA the very next day.
Spontaneity is such a great thing.
A few hours later, I was landing at LAX airport where Danny was waiting for me in his Maserati.
You can definitely imagine how excited I was. Come on! A Maserati, really?
As we drove around a little, this guy decided to make a food stop…  maybe you can imagine where?
In & Out Burger.
I apologize in advance to all my Cali people, but I think In & Out isn’t that great. And really, their secret “Animal Menu” is not that special.
On the other hand, Shake Shack is way better. Their buttery buns and vanilla milkshakes...If only…
Okay! Okay! I’ll stop before I fly to NYC just for one!
As we arrived at our AirBnb, I literally sat on the sofa to devour my bugger (I was starving at the time), then talked about life for few minutes before passing out on the bed.
Next morning, I was up at 7a.m looking at the celling thinking whether I should go for a quick jog or not. I slowly moved out of bed (okay it probably took me 1 hour), I put on some Nike spendex, sneakers and I was out the door.
The weather was chilly but nice enough to enjoy a run by the beach. To my surprise, people were already playing beach volleyball, surfing, running, walking their dogs, biking, and what not. It was 8 AM on a Friday.


I think everyone was just on vacation and decided not to show up for work.
It was amazing!


After finishing my 4 mile run, I quickly showered and went on to explore the neighborhood.
I stopped by this cozy little hometown coffee shop and grabbed a Chai Latte on the venture.
Soon enough it was off to Santa Monica we go. Santa Monica is amazing. I like everything about it.
You can see the never-ending beach and boardwalk. People surfing all day, running, working out, and just enjoying life.
Then, there are bunch of little beach shops, cafes, restaurants, yoga studios and small town business around adding to the sense of community.
Later that night we ended up meeting our friends out for a nice, laid back dinner at a fine dining Italian restaurant.
We ordered a few bottles of wine, some appetizers and we let it all flow while we chatted. The food was delicious, it well-presented and did I say delicious already, because it really was!

As our deserts arrived, we enjoyed the rest of our dinner with some good stories that went on between them and our last meet up in Hong Kong. If you only knew some of those stories…

Saturday was an exciting day for me. You want to know why?
We went to the shooting range, that’s why. I was about to shoot some real guns. Not the fake one you find at a kid’s store or those BB guns. These were real, dangerous, scary guns.


Welcome to America! Literally…


A part of me was very excited, but also afraid, real guns ain’t no joke. I mean, someone can get hurt or die. Accidents do happen. The moment you touch that gun, anything after becomes your responsibility. That’s why there are important rules to follow.

Rule number 1: Never point the gun at someone.
Rule number 2: Make sure the gun is locked and you don’t have a finger on the trigger.
Rule number 3: Always be aware of your surroundings.

Once you understand those rules, Bang! Bang!
We spent the entire afternoon at the gun range, which was extremely tiring especially when its 100 F out.
We decided to finish the night at a nice Malaysian restaurant near the beach.
Then came my last day, started by my last morning jog by Manhattan Beach, I grabbed my usual Chai Latte and went for a long walk by the water. I watched a bunch of surfers ride their usual morning waves, people playing volleyball, soccer, everyone just enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
Once we were all packed up we did a quick stopped at the LA Lights Museum and grabbed a quick lunch in Koreatown for some of that good Korean BBQ.
Perfect way to finish my trip.


After eating more than my stomach could take, it was time for me to head back to Vancouver.
That day I almost missed my flight.  

I wish I didn’t have to go back so quickly, I would have loved to stay for a few more days by the beach, relaxing and getting my tan on before the first snow, but it was time for me to head back to Vancouver, and Danny to Taiwan.
Till next time LA!