Renovatio

When you say "life", some will envision a single chain of events - with a single beginning and a conclusive end. They will see a unidirectional stream, from point A to B - an unobstructed sequence - constant and unbroken until its singular demise. But such individuals have surely been deceived, for the rest of us endure a more ruthless variation, are aware of a far crueler, recurring semblance of death: one that spares the body and repeatedly ravages the soul. Whether it is with betrayal or heart break, shame or rage, anguish or sorrow, our spirits are stabbed, beaten, and torn: ultimately consumed in unfortunate flame. And for an eternity, it may seem to have disappeared, lost to the cold brutality of the world - and perhaps it has. But from the gaping void of despair, a soul can be redeemed; from the depths of sorrow, a life can be rebuilt; and from the darkest of ashes, the dead can be reborn - again and again and again. For life is never one-dimensional. Rarely is it ever a straight and continuous line. It is an ever-shifting direction, a montage of failures and breakdowns, restarts and do-overs, conquests and upsets. It is the steady beat of our heart, the persisting rhythm of our enduring soul as we make our bittersweet journey through birth, death, and rebirth.

[fromtheashes]

06.10.2015

Today marks the end to yet another chapter in my life. It blows my mind that it’s already been a year and a half since I started at Saddleback Eye Center. It certainly hasn’t been the smoothest of rides, and I’ve definitely had my eyes opened to the many pitfalls and grievances of working in a healthcare setting, especially those that are unique to a private practice. I’ve had my fair share of the crazy, the unreasonable, and the overwhelming. And yet at the end of it all, all I can think about is how incredibly meaningful, in the purest sense of that word, this experience has been to me and to the way I’ve grown as a person over the last 17 months. And for that I am indescribably, unfathomably grateful. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’m going to miss it a lot and it saddens me to go. It was something that I was great at, something I worked at every single day to get to that level, with people that I have developed relationships with, whether I wanted to or not. And now the slate is wiped clean, and I am on to bigger and greater things. Goodbyes are always hard. I guess it’s been a while since I’ve said goodbye to people, knowing that there’s a good possibility that I’ll never see them again.

[fromtheashes]

05.02.2015 || Mt. Baldy Hike (Pt. II)

[fromtheashes]

This new year I've decided to start blogging again, again. Things have been going so great and dynamic and fast, I feel I haven't really had time to sit down and just sort of reflect on what's been going on, on what I've been doing, where I've been and what I've seen. So frantically caught up in trying to make sure I'm in the moment all the time, experiencing, perceiving, capturing. And yet as incredibly vibrant and as novel as these moments have been, they are regrettably just that, mere moments. Fleeting. Transient. Wisps in the great, gargantuan cloud of time. Which freaks me out a little bit. I don't know if it's normal to feel the looming weight of mortality this early on in your life, but I can honestly say that I do. I'm 22 years old and I find myself constantly thinking about how many things I haven't seen yet, all the people I haven't met yet, all the things I haven't done yet, and how there is a very high possibility that, for most of them, I never will. I guess traveling does that to you. When you catch a glimpse of something so infinitely, indescribably, breathtakingly beautiful, and you realize you've gone your whole life thus far without having seen it, or rather even known that it existed, it really gets you thinking, about just how many other equally beautiful things exist that you are at this very moment unaware of. 

[fromtheashes]

Chef (2014) Written & Directed by Jon Favreau 

Such a great movie.

[imadopted]

Mapping out the next day’s adventure.

[greaterland]

Iceland

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Kitchen Log: Chicken Tikka Masala Saturday, 8 March 2014

I've wanted to dabble in Indian cuisine for a while. With all its intricate spices and customary cooking techniques, I've come to the conclusion that if you can master Indian cooking, you could probably go on to cook anything else you want in life. With all the different ingredients, mixed together separately and then ultimately combined into one pot, I was left wondering how anyone was patient and savvy enough to determine such a perfect combination of so many different components--and very strongly flavored and scented ones at that. And I definitely had my doubts along the way. But somehow, as if by magic, everything just happened to meld so seamlessly and smoothly together--3 hours later. Needless to say, I'll probably leave Indian cooking to those that know it best. But I'm glad I tried it, and it turned out pretty great. [Recipe]

[fromtheashes]

Sam Smith | Nirvana (Acoustic)

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Kitchen Log: Braised Chicken Breast with Vegetable Ragout Wednesday, 5 February 2014

This is a recipe that I've been making a lot ever since I started working. Although it's technically a braised dish, it really doesn't take that much time to prep and cook. In my opinion, I think whenever possible, slow cooking is always the way to go. When something as dry and boring as a chicken breast can be coaxed to juicy perfection and gently pulled apart with a fork, all other arguments are invalid in my mind.

Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise Salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tbsp dried thyme 1 tbsp dried oregano 4 tbsp olive oil 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 2 whole carrots, peeled and diced 2 celery stalks, diced 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 bay leaves 1 tbsp dried thyme 1 cup dry white wine 1 container chicken broth (32 fl oz.)

Directions: 1. Mix flour, dried thyme, and dried oregano in a flat dish plate. Season chicken breasts to taste with salt and pepper and dredge in flour mixture until completely coated. Shake off excess flour. 2. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in pan and fry chicken breasts until golden brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and onto a plate to rest. 3. Add onion in same pan and sauté for about 2 minutes. Then stir in carrots and celery and cook until onions are soft. Add bay leaves, garlic, and remaining thyme. Sauté for another minute and season with salt and pepper to taste. 4. Deglaze pan with wine, scrape off brown bits at the bottom of the pan, then add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and add chicken breasts back in, making sure they are about halfway covered. 5. Let the chicken simmer until broth has reduced by half. Be sure to baste regularly. Once broth has reduced by half, turn chicken over and continue simmering until vegetables turn soft and broth is nearly gone.  6. Serve over rice or pasta. 

[fullheartedly]

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Marina Shifrin | An Interpretive Dance for my Boss

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My Week(s) in Picture: Weeks 3 & 4 (01/15-01/28)

- Cooking day with Joycelin L. - Night fishing on Newport Pier with Meggan W., Brian N., and Christine T. - Catching up with Kristine Q. at Torrey Pines Beach - Free Museum Day in Downtown LA with Joycelin L., Jon C., Kyle M., and Kellie L. (MOCA + California Science Center) - Hour-long wait for Japanese ramen and katsu bowl in Little Toykyo (Daikokuya)

[fromtheashes]

It's the great tragedy of loving, you can't love anything more than something you miss.

Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

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Visit Original Link

"This just might hurt a little, love hurts sometimes when you do it right, don't be afraid of a little bit of pain, pleasure is on the other side."

[fromtheashes]

Kitchen Log: Linguine with Clams in Beurre Blanc Sauce Wednesday, 15 January 2014

JL had a pretty horrible day so I decided it was time to break out the big guns and do what awesome friends do for each other on days like this and told her to come over and that I'd cook her dinner. She'd been telling me she'd been craving clams for a while so, for lack of a better idea, I went with a simple clam pasta. Little did I know, fresh Manila clams were nearly impossible to buy in the diverse marketplace that is Irvine, California. So I had to check three different grocery stores before I decided to go to the only place I could trust for such things, 99 Ranch Market. And of course they had them. A huge ghetto tank filled to the brim with these elusive bivalves. When I asked the man behind the counter if I could get 2lbs, he motioned for me to get it myself. So I took a janky pink plastic tub from the pile next to the tank, which still had some greyish-yellow water from god knows what in it, and scooped up what I thought was about 2lbs of clams while the little suckers kept spitting their poop water onto my pants. When I finally got home and made dinner, turned out JL's day had already turned around, and that her horrible day was actually just an ordinary day... But at least now I know where to get clams.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil 1 tbs unsalted butter 2 shallots, chopped finely 5 medium garlic cloves, crushed 1 lb dried linguine 2 lbs Manila clams, scrubbed clean and soaked in water for 10 mins 1 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 1/2 lemon, zested and squeezed for juice Salt and pepper, according to taste Directions: 1. Begin boiling water for pasta. 1. Heat butter with olive oil, to avoid burning, in large hot pan until mixture is bubbling. 2. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots are near translucent, without burning the garlic.  3. Drain clams and add to pan with white wine and cover for 10 minutes on medium heat, or until all clams open. Add parsley and both lemon juice and zest when done. 4. While clams steam, add salt and pasta noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente, soft on the outside and slightly firm on the inside. 5. Drain cooked pasta in colander and add straight to the rest of ingredients in the pan. Toss and serve.

[fromtheashes]

You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.

Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close