"killer, kait." @killerkait - Tumblr Blog

Things inspiring me right now:

1. Michelle Li in her HOKA shoes

2. The Sky Project: a film about Magda’s FKT attempt on the Tahoe Rim Trail

3. Cher's journey of resilience and love

4. Innovation happening right now: an editorial Teen Vogue photoshoot over Facetime. amazing.

#teen vogue #covid #hoka one one #sneakers #running #runner #tahoe #nature #running shoes #ultra runner #ultra #ultra running #fkt #fashion

(L to R, top to bottom)

1. @minamigesselmy’s OV uniform captured with her jumpsuit was around her ankles

2. Matcha chiffon via @zsubidu

3. India’s Hawa Mahal

4. (bb) tummy rolls

#inspo #india #hawa mahal #bodypositivity #self love #cake #matcha

Inspo lately

Inspo Lately

Pismo Beach, CA

A weekend with no real plans calls for a spontaneous road trip. Especially when your brother, currently in school in San Luis Obispo, has no plans aside from studying and job hunting, your boyfriend is on board, the weather forecast for Pismo all weekend is a sunny 75 degrees and your hotels tonight app is too easy to use.

John and I drove the scenic 101 to Pismo Beach and checked in to the Lighthouse Suites, a hotel on the beach with amenities like ping pong and a pool, and also a sentimental place for me as I often stayed there with my family growing up. My brother joined us and we walked along the beach toward the pier to get some food. After fish tacos and burgers, we settled back on the beach until the wind picked up, making the decision to walk back to the hotel pool an easy one.

After getting some sun at the pool, we made our way to another family favorite, the neighboring Ventana Grill, which has incredible views of the beach and neighboring hillsides, HOMEMADE TORTILLAS, as well as some great seafood and cocktail options. We put our name down and decided to wait outside with the view and I’m so glad we did. It was a treat to see a pod of whales off in the distance, traveling north along the coast. We watched them until we sat down for dinner.

I miss my brother so much. I miss all my family, really. My parents live up north since moving there about seven years ago, Neil lives in SLO, and Daniel, my other brother, lives outside of Dallas. It’s always the best to all be in the same place together, but even just spending time with Neil made me happy. Once he left to go home, I immediately missed him.

This morning John and I walked on the beach collecting sand dollars, something I look forward to when coming to Pismo, and soaked up more of the beach views before we packed up, checked out, and headed to Santa Barbara for the day. We indulged in more fish tacos and ceviche at Corazon Cocina and some pistachio ice cream, also inside the market. We attempted to walk off our lunch on State Street, enjoying the weather and some live mariachi music in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Now back home, looking at various takeout menus, deciding what to have for dinner, I feel so grateful for the weekend I had and for the people in my life. John and I both agreed this quick weekend trip is something we can and should take more often. Pismo was pretty perfect.

#pismo #pismobeach #centralca #california #beach #summer #travel #lighthouse suites #slo #sanluisobispo #santabarbara #sb #ucsb #state street #roadtrip

weekending/celebrating (in no particular order): - the beautiful wedding of my friends Ili & Simon - family time - John recovering from food poisoning - listening to great live music & everyone dancing - friend time - Papi appearing at grandma's Easter brunch & spending quite a while watching over everyone

urban sherbet 🍧 (at Pershing Square)

I heard this song a few weeks ago on KCRW while driving to work one morning. After asking Siri who sang it, I was happy to discover an artist I hadn’t yet heard of, Aquilo.

Not much to say other than oh my goodness, this British duo kill it and make such beautiful music that I like tend to lump into the ‘sad/sexy’ category along with bands like the XX.

So, if you’re in the mood for something sad, sexy, beautiful, new, or all of the above, give Aquilo a listen. Their track ‘You Won’t Know Where You Stand’ is my favorite of theirs & you can enjoy the live version video above.

#aquilo #new music

Solo in the Southwest

About six months ago, I embarked on my first trip through the Southwest. I’d found myself between jobs, with an entire week to myself & one night I opened google maps and mapped out what would be my route to see a number of landmarks for the first time (the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, White Sands National Monument & more). I realized I could probably hit up a lot of sights in about five days. One trip to trader joe’s and a Hertz rental car reservation later, I was kissing my boyfriend goodbye and heading out to my first stop of the trip: the Grand Canyon.

I drove for an entire day, feeling liberated and full of energy, blasting Beyonce’s Lemonade in the silver Chevy Spark I’d rented. This feeling carried me all the way to Arizona, where I encountered quite stormy weather: heavy rain & wind, hail… little tornado funnels? I was a bit terrified that something was going to happen to the little Spark and I and that the trip would be over before it even started. But by about 5pm, the skies had cleared & I’d made it to the Grand Canyon and I was struck by the massive, crowded, yet serene landscape. For the first of what would be many times on this trip, I was in total awe.

I wandered off from the crowds and found so much peace sitting alone, gazing into the vast open canyon. I didn’t want to leave, but to make it to Page at a decent hour, I left the canyon around sunset, glancing in my rearview to catch as much of the breathtaking view as I could.

After making it to Page, I used the handy Hotels Tonight app to find a decent place to stay. Hotels tonight actually played a big role in my trip as being a solo traveler, I was a little too scared to camp alone and found myself preferring the security of known & affordable hotel chains. I checked into my room & settled in for the night.

The next day I wandered through local shops checking out handmade turquoise jewelry and art. I couldn’t really stand being without AC for too long in the 104+ degree weather, so finding relief in art galleries was a must until later in the afternoon, when my Antelope Canyon reservation was scheduled. I booked my tour through Antelope Slot Canyon Tours & was very satisfied with the process from start to finish. After the truck ride out to the canyon, our guide took us through, telling us about the history & significance of the canyon, as well as the best angle to take certain photos:

Antelope Canyon was hands down, my favorite part of the trip. I was totally blown away by the canyon’s curves, colors & majesty. Once again, I was overcome with the feeling of awe, even more so than I’d felt the previous day, which I hadn’t thought possible. If you ever get the chance to explore Antelope Canyon, please do! You won’t regret it.

The next day, I was off to Santa Fe, New Mexico, but not without first stopping at the Insta-famous Horseshoe Bend which was about five minutes from my hotel. The site was covered with site seers like myself, trying to get the perfect shot.

After leaving Arizona and entering New Mexico, I was pleasantly surprised to see landscape resembling forests and mountains, which was something I didn’t expect. I made it to Santa Fe & quickly navigated myself to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The small, beautiful museum is a lovely tribute to the phenomenal artist and human. I enjoyed learning about her life, her struggles to overcome stereotypes, and finding the place that served as endless inspiration for her.

If I have a single regret from this trip, it would be not having taken the time to explore Santa Fe more. I was beginning to feel tired from the long hours of driving and a little anxious about leaving so early the next morning to hit up one more New Mexico stop before making my way to Phoenix. Early the next morning, It was off toward Las Cruces, to see the White Sands National Monument.

Likely the main reason I was inspired to take this trip in the first place, White Sands struck me as this magical, other-worldly place that had to be seen to be believed. For months prior, I’d poured over photographers’ images and geo-tagged photos on Instagram. I was so eager to get there, I got pulled over for speeding before I even left Santa Fe! Luckily the officer pardoned me and I was back on the road. I made my way into the park by the afternoon and became giddy at the site of the rolling white dunes. I drove through the curved road until I found a spot to pull over. Equipped with my phone and camelback, I ran into the crunchy sand, delighted by the texture & seeing the trail of my footsteps grow behind me. I was on another planet. The plants were like alien species and the sledding kids had also traveled from earth to enjoy the sites of this new planet.

Despite being so enthralled with White Sands, the heat was overwhelming and again, beginning to consider time, I packed up and hit the road again, this time, with Phoenix as the destination.

Phoenix was really only a stop since I thought driving through New Mexico and back to California in one day would have been too much. I stopped into a few thrift stores & checked into the gorgeous spa with numerous gardens and trails. As it cooled down in the evening, I wandered through the cacti garden to take in the last night of my solo trip as I would be meeting John in Palm Springs the next day.

I took this photo of the spark, so grateful she’d made it so far in one piece!

The next day, I took the 10 West back to California. It was a trip thinking that this highway would keep going until it ended, not far from my apartment in West LA. But for now, I was on it, in Arizona. It was on this leg of the trip, I made phone calls to my mom and grandma, letting them know where I’d been the whole week. I was so excited to tell them about all I’d seen an experienced, and reveal the detail that I’d done it all alone (it was a deliberate decision to wait until the end of my trip to tell them). I made it to Palm Springs on fumes, returning the little spark to her rightful owner, Hertz, at the Palm Springs airport.

I ubered back to the hotel, another Hotels Tonight find, and was beyond relieved/exhilarated/thrilled to have AC and a bed to crash on until John got there. The rest of Palm Springs was enjoyable & relaxing. We got to see the Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain, enjoy the company of a few coworkers also visiting the desert that weekend & we spent one night binge watching the first season of Stranger Things. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter reunion with my love after a solo week through the incredible Southwest.

After returning home, I started a new job. Empowered by all I’d seen & experienced, I was so glad I made the decision to roadtrip that week.

Now, six months later, and the last few weeks have been filled with so much personal, professional & political ups & downs that I find myself often daydreaming about the beautiful landscape, majestic canyons & breathtaking views of this trip. Above all, I remember the many times I felt in awe of the nature around me during my time in the Southwest. It’s something I don’t think I’ll ever forget and I can’t wait to experience these places again someday, either with loved ones or solo, once again.

Ronny Chieng reacts to Jesse Watters's stereotyping of Chinese Americans on "The O'Reilly Factor."

It's unfortunate that racist and ignorant commentary rarely gets as satisfying of a response as this. Thanks, Ronny Chieng & The Daily Show for doing so.