The way the universe works ...

Chill out, Thyda. Chill. Out.

I have an uncanny ability to make not so stressful situations stressful. I can't really understand it myself so this is not something I can easily explain.

Move across country - check. Learn the streets of San Diego and become an official resident - check. Land a job - check. Move to LA for the job - not quite there yet.

I've been going at a 100 miles per hour since I've landed in Cali - can't seem to just relax and always on edge.

I'm a trained Change Agent and yet I am having the hardest time accepting and adapting to change. Go figure.

Why can't things just be easy? I find myself saying that a lot these days but I don't seem to realize that many things HAVE fallen into place and I've accomplished most of what I set out to do here in the last couple of weeks. Why am I such a crazy, controlling, perfectionist?

Truthfully, I can't sit still and it's tough trying to shut my mind off. Most people would enjoy the time off but me, I simply can't. I'm a planner, a doer, it's just how I function. I must be part of something, contribute to a larger cause and yes all of that will come but not quick enough. I need things to just happen, like finding the most perfect little place in LA.

This past weekend Chris and I went apartment hunting. Exciting, yes? No. It was the most grueling and exhausting experience ever! I've never rented before. After college I got on board with a fortune 50 company and immediately became a home owner. House hunting is somewhat different from apartment hunting, oh and the hunt being in LA didn't help much either.

Poor Chris, he had to put up with a very stressful me. When I'm stressed I get so completely frustrated and frazzled that any sudden movement or words will trigger a tude - not a good look. When I'm at this state just stay clear and let it pass.

The rental market in LA is huge. It's saturated with people from all over moving in and out that units go so quickly. Literally, you blink and it's taken. So even though the sign outside says Now Leasing call this # doesn't mean they have any units left. That is IF they answer the darn call!

Frustrating.

Location, location, location. The better the location, the higher the rent.

After awhile you start to get over the sticker shock. Even some of the run down apartments are asking for $1200 + a month for a 1 bed 1 bath unit. Um. Yea. Crazy. Pat said it best "You're not in Mooresville anymore, Thyda!" No kidding. Well played on the Wizard of Oz comparison - very fitting ;)

Great things came out of the hunt this weekend so it wasn't all stressful. I have a better understanding of where we'd like to live, what suits us and what doesn't. We drove around many different neighborhoods, did some research and talked to a few people... so all in all, it was a good trip. Yes, part of me was hoping to fall in love with a place, it happens to be move-in ready and I would sign papers this weekend; going back to San Diego knowing I've locked in on an apartment. I'm just crazy like that because when I want something to happen, I typically want it to happen now. Naturally. So it didn't happen that way and I'm okay with that.

I'm thankful that I've come this far and truly believe that things will continue to fall into place. It just has to. I believe the more steps you take the more the universe will conspire to assist you.

So on that note I'll leave you with the crazy things we see on the road. This is terrible but Chris and I like to play a little game called "Black, Mexican or Asian". Can you guess? ;)

transitions, transitions

I hope you had a great Easter. Ours was nice. We had a picnic at the park and enjoyed an incredible view of San Diego.

Easter weekend brunch was pretty fantastic too. We went to this place called the Tractor Room in Hillcrest (if you've seen any of my Instagram or Facebook posts you've notice that I butchered the name several times - just couldn't get it right).

I had the lamb scramble with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. It came with potatoes and fruit. Chris had the ginormous peach

and brown sugar flap jacks with a side of eggs and sausages. Talk about a breakfast of champions. We could barely put a dent in it. There was just way too much food, even for Chris to finish and that's saying a lot.

Nonetheless, it was quite enjoyable and I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area. We sat outside on the patio and did some people watching. Hillcrest has some interesting residents to say the least. It's a cool spot and high on our list of places to live in the Diego.

Speaking of places to live ...

Who moves across the country just to move again to another city? Me. It hasn't even been a month yet and I'm already preparing for another move. This one, not so huge and pretty mandatory.

I recently accepted a job offer but their corporate office is located in Pasadena. I start

at the end of the month (woo hoo) so we're on a hunt for an amazing apartment (just not in Pasadena).

My main focus this week was to get a California driver's license and register my tags. What a long (and expensive) process that was. Let's just say I'm glad it's over and done with. Now the wait begins.

After my trip to the DMV I decided to search for the nearest nail salon. My shellac nails after 3 weeks looked a hot mess and was in dire need of a fresh coat.

It's unlikely not to find a nail place, no matter where you are in the states, there's always one close by and of course I found one that suited my needs.

I recently started using Shellac and now I can't stop. For one, it lasts forever (forever being 2 to 3 weeks - that's an eternity for polish) and two, it's not something I can just remove on my own. It requires at least 10 to 15 minutes of soaking in acetone. Nail tech disclaimer: Do not peel the gel off! I repeat, do not peel. You may end up removing a layer off your nail bed causing it to thin out. Good to know since I did that with my very first shellac purchase. Some people chew their nails during stressful situations, I happen to peel off my nail polish - all due to the move. There's nothing worse than chipped polish.

Color choice: White.

Since I'm committed to keeping this color for 3 weeks, it had to be something I could live with for awhile. Plus white goes with everything.

Sometimes I wake up and can't believe I'm no longer in North Carolina. It's a surreal feeling. I have to get used to saying that I live here now ... here in California. It's kind of crazy.

Sushi, I love you

My second weekend in SoCal and all is well. Honestly, I am a little homesick and I miss my friends dearly but I think I'm adjusting, or at least I am trying.

One of the many reasons why I love California - the food. The weather is one thing, but the food ... oh the food. Just phenomenal.

I've gone through my 18 or so boxes but kept everything as is (no need to unpack, we may be moving sooner than later). Poor Chris, there's barely any room left between the living room and kitchen due to all my stuff. It's frustrating though because I can't seem to find what I need (or anything for that

matter). I should have been more strategic in my packing. Lesson learned.

So in the midst of looking for things to wear to dinner yesterday, I stumbled on a piece of jewelry I purchased back in February when I last visited Chris. Sad that I bought it 2 months ago and completely forgot all about it. I got it at Francesca's in Horton Plaza (downtown San Diego mall). The intricate details of this piece really caught my eye - a great statement necklace. I thought it would be fun to wear it with a simple white tee, skinnies and my favorite oversized sweater (it gets a bit nip in the evenings).

Chris has been dying to take me to this sushi place he and his friends discovered not too long ago. According to them the Love Boat has the best sushi in CA. So being the foodie that I am, I had to try it.

John, our sushi chef aka "the culinary artist" was such a sweetheart. I want to put him in my pocket and carry him every where I go. He was super friendly and quite the jokester.

Chris and his friends befriended him on their last outing so he knows all of them by name.

He started us off with a tuna and salmon salad. This was probably one of the best salads I've eaten. Seriously. It was good. It wasn't your typical Japanese style salad with ginger dressing. I can't determine what the dressing was but the fact that the tuna and salmon was so unbelievably fresh made it all the better.

Next up, Geoduck Clams. It was delicious, even though the clam itself did not look very appetizing post preparation. Google it when you get a chance. It looks like an organ I refuse to name (haha). Nonetheless, it was quite tasty. :)

Salmon niguiri and/or sashimi is a must when having sushi. It was especially delightful at Love Boat. Again, I can't stress enough how fresh the fish were. The salmon was so incredibly buttery and sweet, it literally melted in my mouth.

Since I'm the newbie of the group, the guys welcomed me with a Japanese sake oyster shooter. It was hard to take down in one shot considering everything in it, but your girl did it. Watching John make the drink was pretty awesome too. At the very bottom of the glass you'll find a quail egg (thought of you, Thyna). I typically don't do shots, but that concoction I'd take with no hesitation.

The guy's favorite dish of the evening ... Ama Ebi - also known as Sweet Shrimp sushi. The shrimp's head is lightly battered and fried (while still kicking and alive) served on a beautifully crafted platter with its tail served fresh over rice. Delicious and decadent.

Have I mentioned how much we love oysters? Yeah. We do. A lot. :-)

Love Boat, we love you.

Best sushi in CA - Yes. Best sushi I've ever had - Oh yeah.

LA Confidential

Driving to LA by myself for the first time was no small feat. I survived and kind of liked it.

My saving grace? Map Quest.

For those of you who have no sense of direction (like myself), I recommend downloading the MapQuest App (you won't regret it). It's FREE and in my opinion one of the best iPhone apps out there. Its ease of use and dependability is why I'm such a huge fan. I've tried other voice-guided GPS apps and haven't been pleased with any of them, especially the one I paid for (more of a reason why NOT to pay for apps).

2 reasons why I had to drive to LA earlier in the week. 1 - My final interviews with a potential employer and 2 - to celebrate my best friend's 30th Birthday. I'll have to elaborate on the interviews in another entry but just know it went extremely well. More to come, I promise ;)

Tini's Birthday was a success. We courageously explored LA together and had so much fun. It's been years since I've been to Santa Monica so it was nice walking the pier. Not much has changed.

Having her there was just awesome and I'm so looking forward to more friends visiting (yay, September w/Lele!). It really helps with the transition and reminds me of home.

Happy Birthday, Tini. May you have many, many more. Can't wait until our next BIG adventure. Love you!

A Groggy day in CA

First day in San Diego and I was greeted with the quintessential CA welcome. Tupac's "Picture me rolling". Compliments of the "Hook" - my welcome wagon.

I got off the plane after what felt like an eternity in the air with a squealing purse dog and had to be ready for another phone interview within 30 minutes of landing. I prepared myself to have the interview at the airport but luckily we arrived sooner than expected which gave me just enough time to grab my bag and head out to Chris'. My life here lately has been like this - grab and go.

I'm happy to report that the

interview went well and I've got 2 more on Monday (face-to-face). Fingers crossed.

So after a long day of flying and only having pistachios for lunch - I was starving. We both were, so we decided to go check out our friend's food truck near Balboa Park.

O'Neil and Leslie just started their food truck business (follow them @followgroggys) and I have to say it's pretty awesome.

Groggy's has a great menu full of "Fat" sandwiches which originated in Jersey and trust me it's not your average sandwich. Chris ordered his usual Bacon Blue Philly Cheese Steak while I tried the Fat Ron Burgandy.

It was a foot long with fries, their special mayo, lettuce, tomato, steak and dead in the center of this heavenly ensemble was a mozzarella stick. YUM.

So anyone that knows me know that I LOVE to eat. I would almost say that I live to eat. No joke. Can I just tell you that my first official day of living in SoCal was definitely not too shabby. Why you ask? Because folks, I was formally introduced to fried oreos! I know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing. I wasn't sure exactly what a fried oreo would taste like or how you would even fry one.

So I gave it shot and I certainly was NOT disappointed. OH EM GEE!

It tasted like a chocolate beignet (those of you who have been to New Orleans know what I'm talking about). UH-MAZING.

Not to mention I had a choice of dipping the oreos in either a caramel or white chocolate sauce. DELISH.

My belly was extremely happy and so was my heart.

I'm finally in Cali ... finally with my love :)

Happy is an under statement.

Farewell NC

Airport bound. Finally.

Since the day I decided to do this, you know make the move, I wondered what today would be like. The airport has been my second home for some time now. Flying back and forth every other month, a girl gets used to it. That's the kind of the life you live when harnessing

a long distance relationship. Each time I'm here, waiting to board, I know I'm about to reunite with my love, spend the weekend or so with him and come right back to NC. That's not the way it works today. I'm leaving NC, yes. But I won't be back for quite awhile. The thought is a bit frightening - not gonna lie.

The feeling I have right at this moment is indescribable. I am flooded with emotions, thinking back on the past few weeks. Man, I move fast. Kind of had to. I have to say though, I'm proud of all the steps I took to get here. It certainly wasn't easy and I had a lot of help. A lot.

When you're moving as fast as I was, you have very little time to think. In the past 2 weeks however, I had no choice but to reflect and it's been tough to say the least.

There's a lot of firsts for me and they say your first time is often the scariest. True statement.

I'm a virgin to moving. Yes, I moved here from Cambodia but that was years ago. I lived in Maryland for a year before moving to NC. Again, years ago. In my adult life, how many times have I moved or lived anywhere outside of NC? Zero.

So this is a pretty big deal for me and to think people do this all the time (Oy vey). I guess it gets easier. Right? Still waiting for the easy part to happen (I'll let you know when it does).

Eek. I'm watching a girl eat what I think are red and orange poblano peppers across from me. I thought she was munching on carrots but they're peppers! And she's Asian (insert Chris' laughter here). They look extremely hot - who munches on peppers as a snack? I'm waiting to see if she even flinches.

I digress. Boarding to Houston soon. Aircraft just arrived.

A few final thoughts before I board. My dear friends ... I hope you're reading this. My heart remains heavy. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. You've set the bar pretty high for Cali. I hope I'm lucky enough to find good people like you there. Please pray that I do.

Hugging my mom yesterday was so hard. I almost couldn't let her go as we've never been a part. As I've told her and many of you, although I'm moving and may seem far away. I'm not. I'll always be here in spirit and through all social media channels (yes, social media for those of you who aren't tweeting or on FB). At least you can keep up with me here :)

So my first public entry, not bad eh? Thanks for being on this new journey with me, I'm sure it will be an exciting one. Until next time!