longest trip of my life.

Tokyo lights from above.

30 hours, 3 flights (Cincinnati -> Minneapolis -> Tokyo -> Ho Chi Minh), 2 books, 4 magazines, 400+ songs, countless naps and 1 lonely Christmas later, I've finally landed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and I'm 100% pooped.

These, plus an anthology of short stories and my trusted companions

Vogue, Time, Nylon & People kept me busy for 24+ hours of airtime...

Vonnegut gave me things to ponder... at least briefly.

Couldn't tell you what the most amusing part of my trip was... getting assailed for sympathy by a woman in the Cincinnati airport who got her elephant-sized bottles of lotion and perfume confiscated at security (which she made sure to tearfully emphasize was gifted to her by her thoughtful grandchildren; I commiserated but secretly laughed at her stupidity) or getting complimented on "finally getting my braces off" by an TSA official comparing me to my old passport photo (to which I replied, "we don't talk about that photo," and he responded, "trust me, I've seen a lot worse").

Excited to see more of Vietnam tomorrow-- all I've seen so far is masses of people hanging around on motorcycles...

travel tales!

I know it's been a while, but I'm off to Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong tomorrow morning and I'm going to try (key word here: try) to post photos/updates/stories if the time allows.

Get ready yallz.

i'm obese.

Me, basically.

I know it's been a while, but don't worry, kids! I'm still alive and kickin'-- albeit a little sick, tired and LOT rounder than before (Jeans are just... unpleasant. Looks like I'm going to be wearing leggings and stretchy pants for a while).

Let's just say October wasn't exactly a good month for my physical health. Not only did I dispose of all willpower and adopt animalistic eating patterns (why does Halloween, and the four weeks leading up to it, suddenly make you think it's OK to consume 5 candy bars a day?), an army of germs hacked into my system and produced a god-awful cold that's been plaguing me with coughs and sniffles for the past two weeks.

But it's November now, and I know it's going to be a good month. Because November offers the glorious promise of Thanksgiving break-- and most importantly, home. Not fake, temporary LA home, but good old Ohio home.

Oh corn fields, strip malls, suburbia and nippy weather. How I've missed you!

On another note, go watch Disney's A Christmas Carol (it's never too early for Christmas!) in 3D. The stunning visual experience alone is worth the ticket price, though the movie itself is super dark and actually really scary. You can read my review here... just ignore the ridiculous spelling error inserted in the first sentence by my editors (depection? The 'e' isn't even near the 'i' on the keyboard. Don't even get me started on my rocky relationship with the Daily Trojan...).

why i love LA... pt. 2.

Korean BBQ on wheels. Only in LA.

I had Kogi BBQ for the second time on campus today (free both times; the first for a Program Board promotion, today for the Arts Journalism Summit... yeah, the Korean BBQ gods love me) and have decided it is the most brilliant creation on this planet.

It's Korean BBQ with a Mexican twist-- your choice of barbecue short ribs, chicken, pork or tofu wrapped in tortillas and garnished with the most addicting combination of "Korean-style" salsa roja and vinaigrette, cilantro and onions. Basically, a fiesta in your mouth.

It's so good I haven't been able to think about anything else all day. Literally. I've been walking around in a Kogi-induced daze, the spirits of tacos long gone lingering on my taste buds and tormenting my soul. It's like I have one of those Big Boy thought bubbles over my head with nothing but Kogi BBQ in it. I want more Kogi, and I want it now!

Now I know what really fat people feel like after they finish whatever edible item they're consuming: Hopeless, desperate, confused.

I'm going to religiously stalk the truck on Twitter so I can be first in line the next time it's at SC.