Is Sinatra worth "East EL-EH" at night?

...depends on the song.

J.Soo had her 21st birthday at the London West Hollywood off of San Vicente and Sunset Blvd. A Gordon Ramsey "fine" dining experience was first, and then, the after party. I carpooled in a designer dress, got driven in a jag by a Persian in a skinny tie and a burgandy, or in some lighting arrangements purple, cardigan. A ritzy night it was to be.

I guess I didn't know the definition of ritzy entirely...or ravioli, for that matter.
Omid and I order the rather appetizing-sounding dish - Tiger Prawn Ravioli. At this point, all of us at the table are quite famished and are slightly gorging down the several servings of bread brought to us. Seaweed butter, anyone?


Our dinner arrives and our eyes widen.

Four dishes for the four of us, large white pristine plates, and a whole raviol-I in the middle. One whole ravioli...each. Josh and Albert's dishes were also incredibly weak-looking but I couldn't get over the one, just one, only one, ravioli.

"Is ravioli singular or plural?" Albert asked.

I don't think any of us knew.

It was a good raviol-i. Albert, according to Omid, ate his eel very slowly hoping it wouldn't finish. Denial, maybe? Josh was fine. Fine, fine, fine. He had a pretty filling creamy mushroom soup that all of us overlooked as we read the heavy dinner menu. Omid paced himself. Switched between eating a lot of bread and a tiny morsel of the raviol-i, you know, to make it last longer.

I ate the ravioli.

The Ramsey guy wasn't even there.

Dinner was done, still hungry but my, what an experience.

Josh, Omid, Albert, and I played monopoly. Contrary to money, property, and everything else that counts in monopoly , I thought I won - at heart.

...but the commute was the cherry on top.

We left 11:50ish.

Omid and I would have been fine on our way home. But you know, seeing the downtown lights, the 110 going through it, it's just all so tempting to drive through. And why not? The 60 hits the 110...somewhere. So we take the detour home.

And, of course, we play Sinatra's "That's Life" as we go through random traffic on the 110 seeing the lights and belting out the classic song. Sinatra songs at night get me a little too excited.

...We missed the 60 or the 10 or whatever it was we were supposed to take. Ugh! We exit.

Umm... where are we? past midnight? East LA???

Thankfully the CD with "Still Dre" was missing. I couldn't take any more ghetto traits at the moment, let alone a detour JUST for a song.

A decision was made to take the 5 N and then get on the 10E.
We soon find out .. there's only an interchange to the 10W. Fine, take that, exit, get on the 10E and BAM! It's a plan!

We get off the 10W... where's the 10E entrance?

Why are we surrounded by factory-looking buildings? No one's here. It's so quiet. So.... very, very quiet. There's only one other car on the road. What street are we on in East LA at night?

....

........

After turning and seeing this bridge I've never seen before and the area where some scene from Terminator was filmed, OLYMPIC! That's familiar!

Soto Street!!

"That hits the 10, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! We're parallel to the freeway."

Ah...finally.

Approx. 1:02 a.m. AND ring ring ring:
"Kinna, where are you???"
"I'm coming daddy, I'm on Chino Hills Parkway. We...got a little lost."
"We??"
"Yeah, I carpooled."
"Ok, just come home. We'll talk when you get here."

It's the perfect song for moments like these. Although....usually it's listened to either during or after the so-called "c'est la vie" moment, not before. Ah well, that's life.

Never trust a cheap burrito

Safia and I were hungry tonight, as usual, and didn't have many food options, as usual. We tried dormroomdeliveries.com but it was closed on Sunday. I know, I don't know of many online services that are closed - ever - but this one was.

ADVENTURE!

I hop in my car and we drive down Fig looking for, literally, any random place to grab something to eat. Keep in mind that it is the night before a crazy finals day and both Safia and I have procrastinated too much for our own good. So we're chop chopping this.

We find (after U-turning because we failed to find anything the first time) La Taquiza in itty bitty wee corner in the Pasta Roma shopping area next to the glamorous nail salon known as Glamorous Nail Salon where I occasionally get my nails glamoured, if you will.

Super sketchy. But hey, it's South Central, what do you expect?

We order, get our food, go back. Approx. <15

I cut open my vegetarian burrito and BAM

BEEF galore.

WITW?!? I'm starving. I eat some of Safia's food and hop back into my trusted vehicle for some customer satisfaction.

I call La Taquiza aka La Stupida Ruina Ma Dinera to find out when they close. The woman hung up on me the first time I called. Bad connection, I guess. Bad impression, I know.

I arrive and tell the lady I got a meat-infused burrito when I requested a vegetarian one and rather than taking the food (uneaten) and the receipt (in tact), she questions my honesty.

"What?"

"I ordered a vegetarian and this one has beef in it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

(I was actually just guessing. You know, my burrito just looked kind of "beefy")

"I just cut it open and there's beef inside."

She opens the box, sees the very evident beef and without a word disposes of it and tells the guy what I assume to be a request to make a vegetarian burrito

Meanwhile, a girl I tutor at VPP, Toni, walks in with her mom. I talk, find out how she's doing, etc. Upon leaving with my "vegetarian" burrito the mother stops me and asks if I would do any one-on-one tutoring (for Toni).

I've been looking to tutor one-on-one!

Granted my burrito was disgusting and I strongly dislike La Taquizablahblah now, I guess it was meant for Toni and her mom to meet me at the shady corner restaurant where this man outside says "Baaaaye" to everyone as a disgruntled security man observes carefully.

It was inevitable, was it not?

Vroom vroom VRRROOOOOM...
I got a speeding ticket. :(

A series of ridiculous events - part III.2

Just when you think life couldn't get crazier... it does. 

Saturday night (after arriving home)

We get ready chop chop... CHOP CHOP. We, ummm, don't eat. I get gas. Some other creepy man comes up and asks for gas at Chevron and L.O.V.E is playing in the background at Chevron. Strange.

We get to UCLA and can't get into parking. I legitimately tell Safia that we should just forget this and go out together. I can't take this anymore. The Persian arrives, takes the wheel, finds us parking, we pay, we walk a LONG way to get to the theater, and BAM!
I give Omid this look and tell him to go inside and we'll meet him in there. Safia knows, SHE KNOWS.(FORGETFUL EVENT#4) I left the tickets in the car... in my bag... which I also forgot in the car - intentionally. I didn't think I needed it.

I RUN.
We get into the theater, sit, listen, enjoy Beethoven's Ninth (Ode to Joy). People who didn't know any better clapped in-between movements... ew. It ends, I enjoyed it. I needed some joy in my life at that point.

We're, obviously, starved at this point. The five of us decide to go to Zankou Chicken on Sepulveda. We turn right instead of left after exiting the 405. Minor mistake that veered us off course a little, but you know, at this point, we're used to it. No worries. None at all... 

We arrive finally and guess what?
The register reads in big red letters "No cash." Lucky for Safia and I, there was an ATM right behind us. After she withdraws some cash, we see the other register with its dinky little white sign, "Cash and credit card." %#@!*&
And another thing, we had to take it to go. What???
I don't want to tailgate at 11pm in my car at this sketchy location after BEING IN MY CAR FOR HOURS PRIOR.

We eat in Westwood in this patio area of an apartment. Good food. Good company. All going well. We go to Gypsy Cafe next - it was Safia's WISE choice. All was going well until I needed to use the restroom. Not that that was particularly bad, but I was looking at the door to get up and saw the guy at the door not letting this other guy in. A little tension? Kind of. A little push, a little shove and what else?

Restaurant guy slapped the other guy!!!
Huh? Did anyone else see that??

FIGHT.

Our table was pushed. Why, you ask? Well, we were kind of in the middle of it all, front row, VIP seats. Our table was right next to the door.

The guy wanting to get in gets pushed back by his friends, friends let him go, he kind of grabs a chair and throws it at the door hitting this girl.

WE NEED TO LEAVE.

The fight moved around our area, went briefly into the streets, punching heads and holding down to cars, a lot of men in the streets all getting involved, a friend trying to as well in his sweater and tie.

There's glass and coal and people and the guy  from the restaurant digging in his pocket. We run by the movie theater entrance to stay safe. Almost leave. Where's Omid!??! The men RUN past us, very close to Safia who thought she was safe. We run to the car, get in, and go!

Safia, Caroline, and I went to bed around 3 something.

A custom ferris wheel, a bruin bonfire, fantastic fireworks, a cold King's game, free churros, terrible parking, a good game, a killer drive, a great concert, yummy food, fun company, a live Arab fight to top it all of.

What more could you ask for?

A series of ridiculous events - part III.1

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL.
Seriously
Seriously seriously, where do I begin? Where do I end? Does it end??
Saturday

GAME DAY.
Caroline, Safia, and I got an early morning start. We thought we had THE WHOLE DAY planned out - or at least, I did. Go to the game, tailgait, win the game, leave, get back, shower, get ready, leave for the UCLA orchestra concert, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, blah blah blah, fun fun fun.
Leaving at 10:30 with food and my gourmet, $7 bag of vegetable chips, we were off. We arrive at the Rose Bowl (my first time there) and park on a golf course. Enclosed in between cars at every imaginable angle thinking how the holy do we get out of here at the end? Whatever, game's first. Get the food, switch my bag - SWITCHED MY BAG, REMEMBER THE BAG. We walk about 5 minutes away from the car and...
(FORGETFUL EVENT #3) I left my ticket in my car. So we go back, come back, walk a million miles, get 2ND ROW SEATS at the game next to the band and enjoy the game. We were on two TV networks, but don't know which ones. We may have quite possibly looking like maniacs, but we are now celebrities, nonetheless. Upon leaving, I kind of fell. I don't know how, I just lost footing, it was a lot of stairs. But I looked like a wobbly, drunk girl, "that girl," who fell at the top of the stairs. My foot screws couldn't save me from the humiliation. "Is she ok?" I hear.
"SHE'S FINE!" - Caroline.

We take an alternative route back to the car.

BAD IDEA.

We must have walked at least a mile, maybe more, past really stupid, drunk, "horny" as Safia called them, university of classless americans that kept staring at us. The Walk of Hell.

We get in the car at 5:20. Umm... we have a concert at 8 to get to and we need to get back asap.
Our needs were not met, not by any means.
We LITERALLY moved 10 feet in about 45 minutes. When Omid texted us, "Any progress?", I told Safia not to respond because well, we had nothing to say.
Why was there no one delegating traffic??
Why was there no civility?? Are we all barbarians with no common sense??? I think so. Stupid Rose Bowl.
The thing is, no matter how hard I try to explain our situation to anyone, NO ONE will ever truly understand except for the three of us. One hour and we hadn't moved. We had places to go, people to see, food to eat, lives to live!! I almost cried, but didn't.

Then Maximus and I did it - with the approval of C & S. We cut across about 200 feet and MERGED into this lane and MERGED into another one. I let this other man MERGE in front of me and another one also MERGED without my approval. I MERGED again with the five lanes that were trying to MERGE into one. I didn't let the THIRD guy MERGE in front of me - WE HAVE AN ORCHESTRA CONCERT TO GO TO!!

I wish I could make this short, but I honestly cannot.

We drive up the hill, down the hill, around the hill and land at the 210.

WEST or EAST?
WEST OR EAST??

We go West.
Bad Idea.
We go back East.
Bad Idea.
We exit on Arroyo because that's where we came from. Safe bet, you know? 10 minutes down the street and about 1.5 hours after getting into our car initially, we arrive...

at the rose bowl.

Shoot me.

Caroline calls her sister for directions, I almost hang up on Omid after calling. Tension is rising! Cars are piling!! Our stomachs our growling!!!

We find Orange Grove (which hits the 110) PERFECT.

Right or Left?
RIGHT OR LEFT??

I go right after almost jerking left.
Cop behind me.
"PULL OVER! KIRAN, PULL OVER!!" - Caroline

GOD, NO. PLEASE NO!!!! I just got new insurance, it's much more expensive.. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The cop drives by after rudely looking at me and giving a brief sound of his siren.

We arrive at the 110 screaming, shouting, yelling, clapping with glee. Safia even takes a picture of the freeway sign. We couldn't ask for more or be happier. Right?

Turn onto the freeway and BAM

STOPPED TRAFFIC.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Life doesn't get more ironic, unpredictable, or ridiculous.

I bust out my reliable Sinatra CD, play track 15 - "That's Life" incredibly loudly, roll down the windows and sing my heart out as we drive 10 mph. Caroline's waving a USC pom pom out the window and Safia's taking pictures while texting Omid of our "progress," if you can call it that.
It's about 7:30/7:40 and the concert's at 8, remember?

We persist.

We take an alternative route suggested by a friend. 5s, 10w, 110s, home.
Well, the 10w isn't an option from the 5s. We realized this AFTER we get on the 10 East. Make a U-turn, go around, and finally arrive home at about 8:05/8:10. We got in our cars at 5:20.

Does the night end?
HAHA
Who am I kidding? It's just begun.

A series of ridiculous events - part II

You can never anticipate fun-filled weekends like this. I never thought this would escalate...

Friday

Well, my roommates and I went to pretty cool King's game - even though they lost. But we got VIP, so we enjoyed it either way. Our first hockey game! It's freezing inside. FA-REE-ZING. Wear socks, I speak from experience.
(FORGETFUL EVENT #2) And don't forget your brand-new phone inside because, well, it's a long walk to customer services and, you know, you may not get as lucky as I did and actually have someone turn it in.

The night was just beginning. AFTERWARDS, because the girls of 229 can't sleep early, we go over to campus for Save Tommy Night. What is that, you ask. Well...

Laser Tag
Velcro Wall
Bungee Run
Human Hamster Ball
Darts
Dunk-a-Bruin Tank
Money Booth
Gladiator Joust
Bungee Run

Free
21 Choices
Fatburger
Pasta Roma
2 for 1 Pizza
Cafe Cinecitta
Mikoshi
Panda Express

Entertainment
Sun From Shaddow
The Trojan Marching Band
DJ Raw
USC Competition Cheer
Outrage
Troy Tones
Socal Vocals
Break Thru
WCDT (Kid Power)
Fly Girls

...yeah. $52 grand better get me stuff like this and I'm going to milk SC for all it's worth!
But the night still wasn't over, much less the weekend. We watched the Little Rascals when we got back!

That wasn't saaannd, that was kitty litter - Porky
He took the best years of my life - Darla
Quick, what's the number for 911? - Buckwheat

Tell me you don't love that movie - especially since the Spirit of Troy makes an appearance in the fair scene. WHOO!!

Friday was over...but Saturday, oh SATURDAY, was still on it's way.

A series of ridiculous events - part I

I started this, if you can even count it as a legit blog, a couple of months ago...
then I abandoned it due to laziness. I didn't think I'd be back, but you know, it's days/events like the last few days/events I've had that just REALLY make you WANT to have a blog.
I might get lazy again, but for now, I'm wired.

Thursday:

I needed to pay the rent today. I didn't have cash or a check and refused to add an additional $30 to my already ridiculous rent by paying with credit card. So I decide to make a trip to good old Wells Fargo.
Problem.. there's only an atm on campus and I needed to deposit/withdraw too much money to trust an atm.
Simple, I'll just drive to DOWNTOWN.
(FORGETFUL EVENT #1) I go to my car from my apartment - five minute walk - and realize I left my keys in the apartment. UGH.
Whatever, I get the cash, come back, go to class, go back to the apt, give the money and BAM - "We don't take cash."

At this point I'm laughing.

I go BACK to downtown. The guy in the parking lot remembered me. And so did the nice, but so did the creepishly flirtatious bank manager. "Ah, well, you know, it's nice to see pretty girls like you around here."

GET THE MONEY ORDER (whatever that is) AND LEAVE.
+ $4 fee for money orders.

The evening was great though.

We, the Trojans, Pac-10 champs, finally know where our tuition money is going. Bonfires, music artists, fireworks, ferris wheels, laser tag, churros, sprinkles cupcakes, diddy riese's, and well, you know, massages.
Thursday night was Conquest! - the annual event/rally leading to our crosstown rivalry game with UCLA, aka four-letter word, as a friend calls it. So what does USC do??
They call in the Gym Class Heroes to perform with a backdrop of a Bruin burning in effigy and a customized ferris wheel. Oh yeah, there was also a rather impressive fireworks show.

WHAT A DAY!