Working the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing

The Vans U.S. Open of Surfing is a 9 day event that takes place in Huntington Beach, California every year with the focus on surfing, skateboarding, and BMX. My love for surfing has grown in the past year and I knew I wanted to work the event as I had interned in the same office as IMG Action Sports last summer, who puts the event together.

When asked of my availability for the duration of the 9 days, I gave every possible hour I had open outside of my current summer work on campus. The thought of early mornings made me want to cry, but in the end, the early mornings were what I loved. Call-time was 5:15 every morning, meaning I had to wake up at 3:30 to give myself enough time to wake up, get ready, and make the 35-45 minute commute. They say that if you love what you do and the people you are surrounded by, work will never feel like work- that is exactly what my U.S. Open experience was. By the end of day 1, I loved it so much that I looked to get my work shifts covered for later on in the week. Working long hours from early in the morning, everyone became a family. Every person working the event was so lovely and made the mornings worth it and seem like nothing. It also helped that we got to see beautiful sunrises every morning along with all the surfers out in the ocean for their early morning surf sessions.

Up until now, I was never 100% sure of what I wanted to do once I graduate college. I have always said I wanted to work in sports, but was never sure of anything but that. Working the U.S. Open of Surfing not only made me want to work in the surf industry even more, but it really made me realize I want to work events in one way or another (related to sports of course). The U.S. Open was more than I could have wished for because I met so many wonderful people, got to step foot into an industry I am interested in working in, and most importantly, made good connections for my future.

The wonderful thing about volunteering through IMG Action Sports is that they also put together the Hurley Pro Trestles next month, which is a part of the ASP World Tour for both the men and women, so it opened up the door to possibly volunteering at that event. My hope is to volunteer a few days there, considering it is a much different event from the U.S. Open, focused solely on the surfing with lay days when the swell is down. I feel that working Trestles will give me an even greater feel for the surf industry and it will also be a chance to work alongside the wonderful people I met at the U.S. Open again.

Fingers crossed that everything works out. Follow your dreams. Take chances. And whenever possible, put yourself out there to meet the right people and make connections because you never know what can happen.

xx

Taking the Road Less Traveled

In America, it is as if our entire lives are pre-determined. You go to school, then a university, and either find a job after you graduate or go to graduate school to further your education then find a job. There is this idea of how our lives should go about, and anyone that takes a different route can be looked down upon. In the UK and most of Europe, taking a gap year between your high school years and university years is a common thing. What people decide to do with the gap year differs, but oftentimes what happens is that the person gets a job and works for the first 6 months then goes backpacking around the world the other 6 months. This concept has always intrigued me and only made me wish a gap year was accepted in the US. Taking a year off, whether it be before you enter university or after you finish university, is a big no-no here. People will try to tell you why it's not a good idea, telling you that you are risking your future by taking time to travel around the world.

So why go backpacking? For me, it's something that I have always wanted to do. Traveling the world and experiencing the many cultures that exist excites me. Is it the wrong thing for me to do? Maybe. But the way I see it is that I finish school a semester earlier than everyone, and since I am ahead of people my age in terms of my education, I might as well use those extra few months I gained thanks to APs and summer university programs to do what I want to do. When you graduate university and find a job, it becomes much harder to travel the world and see what it has to offer. I have long been a believer in doing what I want to do. That is easier said than done, but I like to believe that the past few years have made me more independent and headstrong. All I know is that if I don't go on this backpacking trip, I will regret it more than I will 'regret' not getting a job right after I finish university.

People say that backpacking is a life-changing experience. I have no doubt about that. My plan is to go backpacking by myself. There have been so many people I have told this to that asked why I am going by myself and if I am scared about the prospect of it. I grew up an only child, being independent, and loving being able to do what I want to do because I did not have to think about pleasing others all the time. Backpacking in Europe is the perfect scenario for me because it will help me grow even more, having to deal with things by myself, while being able to do things on my own schedule while meeting others along the way.

I do hope that this culture sees the good in a gap year and how much it can help a person that does not exactly know what they want to do in the future or major in university. Taking a gap year does not make anyone lesser than others. In fact, I think it makes them greater as they have built these life skills that can be forever used. They have experiences that make them more open-minded and accepting.

You only have one life to live, so live it to its potential. Do the things that you want to do and makes you happy. Living a life according to the expectations of society will only guarantee you a dull life. Learn to stand up for yourself and your decisions.

xx

Hunter Hayes at the Santa Barbara Bowl

Want to know a weird fact? Considering the amount of times I have seen Hunter Hayes live, I have only seen him in Los Angeles once. Yup. Once. That would be the first time I saw him on his Most Wanted tour at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. Every other time, I have had to drive at least an hour or so. So where else have I seen him? Well, here's the list in the order of where I have seen Hunter live: West Hollywood, San Bernardino, East Rutherford, NJ, San Diego, Fullerton, San Diego, Ontario, Las Vegas, Costa Mesa, and now, Santa Barbara.

I was originally going to the show with a friend, but she ended up not going because of work. When I told my mom this, she decided that she wanted to come along to SB, so we ended up spending a night there. The weirdest part of the whole thing was that she drove me to and from the concert, since we took one car up to Santa Barbara. It took me back to the times before I had a car and had to be driven to concerts. The great thing about my mom wanting to come along was that we got to spend a nice 1.5 days in Santa Barbara.

Yummy açai bowl from Brasil Arts Cafe.

The concert itself was amazing as always. Hunter always bring the highest amount of energy the moment he steps on stage, and the greatest thing about his shows are that he always wants to tell stories and connect with the crowd. This time was no different. As much as he labels himself as this shy, awkward geek that just loves music, the shyness and awkwardness is not really detected while he's on stage. Okay well, maybe a little of the awkwardness comes out such as when he laughs at his own jokes and stumbles over words on how to say the right thing to relay what is in his mind.

Dan + Shay opened up the show for Hunter- crazy to think that they almost didn't make the show because of flight delays, but made it in time because they drove down all the way from SF. 

It felt like it had been forever since I last saw him perform a new song (well, to be fair it had been 10 months since I last seen him) and it was so great to see and hear him perform songs from his new album, Storyline. I do wish that he had performed at least one of my two favorite songs- Cry With You and In A Song. I can only hope that one of those songs are in his set list for the next time he tours and is in Southern California. Also to hoping that the West Coast is included in his next tour, considering it has been excluded the past two times.

I hope you liked the pictures! The next show I'm going to is HAIM, then Sam Smith, and hopefully Ed Sheeran in between along with Bastille.

xx

Time in the Mother Land

The truth is, whenever I am back in Japan, I don't really do anything. I there to visit family and maybe, just maybe, do something interesting. The past few years, my grandma has booked bus trips for the two of us to go somewhere, which is nice. My dad rarely ever has time for me, usually only time for dinner. The one positive that comes out of dinner with my dad is that we usually go to a nicer sushi restaurant, meaning good sushi. This time, yet again, he only had time for dinner, but we went some place else, having a traditional Japanese dinner. The food was good, and the place is known for having good food, but to be honest, I couldn't really compare it to anything else to say that it was the best food ever.

Unlike other times, my mom bought my ticket 2 weeks before I left LA, which meant that there weren't any bus trips open for my grandma to book. The community she lives in had a day trip planned to Kyoto, so she booked us for that trip. We went to a temple in Kyoto, Byodoin, which was in the process of being re-furbished, and had a chance to see a bit of the neighborhood nearby. I am guessing they are known for their tea, because all the shops sold tea, with green tea ice cream being the flavor of choice. 

 Traditional Japanese bento lunch. It also came with green tea soba. 

This store had green tea ice cream, on which they put some green tea powder on top, and while the powder some times made me cough a bit, it was so so good. 

Since I didn't get to eat sushi with my dad, my grandma planned on taking me to eat some sushi. Because my cousin is busy with her part-time job, I had yet to see her, therefore my uncle proposed that we all go eat sushi so that I could see my cousins. While it was only for an hour or so, it was so nice to see both of my cousins and catch up. It's crazy to know that one of my cousins is now in college and the other is studying for high school. The great thing about Japan and its endless supply of fresh fish is the conveyer belt sushi restaurants that are $1 per plate.

Being as this is my last real summer break, I'm not exactly sure when I will be back in Japan again. I know I always say I don't like going back to Japan, but it's sad to think about not knowing when I will be back next. This winter, next summer, in a few years who knows. Hopefully my family can make a trip out to LA again in the near future.

Thanks for a good 1.5 weeks, Japan. 

xx

Home

Home: The place where one lives permanently.

The concept of home seems so easy, yet when I think about it, it is filled with uncertainty. Just like studying abroad changed my outlook on life and other ideas, it has also made me question where exactly home is to me. While the definition of home is a place where someone lives permanently, a home is more than that. You can have a home but not feel at home at the same time, while you can feel at home in a place that you do not live permanently.

The idea of home really struck me because I am currently in Japan, and when my grandma came to pick me up, she said “Welcome home.” That is the phrase she has always said to me when I return to Japan, but the truth is, Japan has never felt like home for me. I was born in Japan and spent six years of my life here, but I do not feel much connection to this country. There are aspects of me that make me stand out, showing that while I look Japanese, I am not from Japan; my beliefs and ideals are different from the Japanese, further creating a divide between myself and Japan. When it comes to the Olympics or the World Cup, I always root for the U.S. over Japan. I have never questioned it, and it has always been natural for me.

While the U.S. is home in the sense that it is where I live, that is not where my heart is. I dream of living in London, but I also dream of spending the rest of my life exploring the world, finding a home in each place I visit.

When I made a weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal during my time studying abroad, the guy working the front desk of the hostel I stayed at asked to see my passport when I checked in and asked where I was coming from. I told him that I came from London because I was studying abroad there but lived Los Angeles, and that I was born in Japan, hence my passport. If I remember correctly, he said something along the lines of how I'm very worldly and must enjoy travelling. As I told him where I was from, I realized that a simple answer of home did not exist. I have called all three places home at one point or another, but it only emphasized my lack of a definite home and what it means to me.

One semester remains between myself and the “real world”, where I hope to find a job that I am passionate about in a place that I can call home. The idea is very hard to imagine, especially when the only certain thing for me is the uncertainty that lies ahead and where I eventually want to settle and call home. All I can hope is that I eventually will find a place that I can truly call home and feel at home.

xx,

Aya

Playing Catch Up

When I started this blog, it was never my intention to go a long time without blogging anything. Yet that is what happened. The crazy amounts of school work caught up with me during my last month of school for the year, and to be honest, I didn't do anything too exciting. But I want to make sure that this isn't a blog that only documents the 'exciting' things I do, whatever that is or means, but also a place where I can write when I have inspiration. So hopefully, I won't go this long without posting again. In the mean time, here's a bit of review on what's happened in the past 1.5 months.

I'm a huge baseball fan, so not being able to go to the Dodgers' home opener was a huge bummer considering I have gone for the past three years. It actually took me a while to go to my first game of the season because the Dodgers' 2nd home stand wasn't for a while, but when I did go, it reminded me why I love the sport so much. I went to my second game, a Clayton Kershaw bobblehead night, a few days later as well. I saw something a few days ago, can't remember who it was by, but it said something along the lines of how baseball isn't just about all the big plays that happen, but rather the details and knowing the significance of the smaller parts that make the game exciting, and I found that to be so true. People probably find going to baseball games with me boring because I zone in so much. I really appreciate every aspect of the game, and I rarely find games boring. Sure, some games may be slow and some might find a game that is 0-0 boring, but I find excitement in that. It's definitely hard to go to games now when I'm trying to save up money to travel, but here's to an exciting 2014 baseball season!

I also had the chance to go to my very first hockey game, which was a Kings vs. Ducks playoff game at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. Go big or go home right? I'm actually watching game 7 right now! (Go Kings Go!) I have always enjoyed watching hockey during the Winter Olympics, and always told myself that I wanted to continue watching hockey, but I could never find it in me to keep up. Well, I think going to my first game changed that because watching a hockey game live is just so exciting (I'm sure the playoff atmosphere and the Kings vs. Ducks game with a TON of Kings fan in Anaheim added excitement) and it just got me hooked. Until recently, I've been very closed off with sports, appreciating different sports but not really getting into anything other than baseball. I love the feeling of getting into something new and everything that comes along with it.

Earlier this month marked the end of my first semester of senior year. I'm in the class of 2015, but I am a semester ahead in units, so rather than finishing in May 2015, I'll be done with school forever in December 2014! It was definitely a lot more work than fall semester, and a lot less exciting. It's a bit sad to think about fall semester because while abroad, all of us from LMU were so close, living together, but back at LMU, we're all back to our group of friends and we rarely, if ever, see each other. One of my best friends studied abroad in London in the fall as well, and since we are both Communication Studies majors, we had multiple classes together. I could not be any more thankful for that because I'm not sure if I would have survived without her in those classes. Our school has 'convo' every Tuesday/Thursday from 12:15-1:35, and it's crazy to think that LMU's last convo on the school year was our last convo together since she's only coming to school Monday/Wednesdays next semester while I'm on campus Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. Who would have known that orientation and the Jonas Brothers would bring us so close?

LMU's graduation was this past Saturday, and I went because one of my best friends was graduating. Crazy to think that four years has passed since I went to her high school graduation. And it made me realize I will be done with school in 7 short months, and will be walking in less than a year. The future and its uncertainty scares me, but I am excited to be done with school soon. 

And now, here we are, first full week of summer. It's blazing hot here in LA right now. I got to go to a Sound Clash taping, a new VH1 show, in which Ed Sheeran, Grouplove, and Sia performed. Next Tuesday, I'm going to the taping for The Voice finale in which Ed Sheeran, OneRepublic, Tim McGraw, and Coldplay are performing. I'm applying for summer internships and looking for summer jobs, because hey, I want to travel and I need to make some money. Here's to hoping something works out for me. 

xx,

Aya

How London Changed Me

It's been almost 3 full months since I have returned from my semester abroad and travelling. During my time abroad, I never really had the chance to realize the things I learned while there. Ever since setting foot back on U.S. soil, I have constantly thought about my experiences and the things I learned. In my eyes, studying abroad in London could have never been a bad experience because it was something I wanted to do for so long. Even with some of the expectations I carried, everything lived up to its expectations and went beyond what I hoped it would be. Not only did I grow and learn so much in those months abroad, but what I have now come to realize is how much my time abroad changed me.

Before the 3.5 months in London, I...

• Absolutely hated the rain, gloomy weather, and anything below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Never could imagine myself living somewhere outside of Los Angeles or London
• Had my heart set on working in the baseball industry once I graduate college

So how have I changed? 

1. I don't hate the rain or gloomy weather-- I actually love it. Warm weather isn't so bad, but it's safe to say that I would rather be somewhere that isn't so warm all the time. The reason why people from Southern California complain about "cold" weather is because we are never dressed for it. We all know that come noon, the sun will be out, bright and shining like it was always there. Being in London taught me to dress for the colder weather, making those temperatures seem like nothing. Some people might find it a hassle, but I loved being able to bundle up and wear my sweaters and beanies. 
2. I actually want to get out of LA once I graduate. I never though I would ever hear myself say that, but I want to see more of the world, not just by travelling but also by living in different places. My ultimate goal is to somehow get back to London and live there, but in between now and then, I want to get out of LA, wherever that may be. I want to be somewhere that gets cold, snows, and has actual seasons. There's just something about the fall leaves, snow in the winter, perfect spring weather, and actually appreciating the summer weathers and the times spent in the water. 
3. While I would still love to work in the baseball industry, that is no longer my priority. While some sports are not my cup of tea, my ultimate goal right now is to work in the sports industry. I'm not sure what exactly I want to do, whether it be athlete marketing or something to do with events within sports, but I'm open to whatever comes my way, especially if it's related to sports. A huge reason why I had this change in heart is because of my desire to someday live in London. While I was in London and even before I studied abroad, I was always asked if I would want to live in London, and my response was always "Yes, but I want to work in baseball so I can't really live in London.". The moment those words came out of my mouth when I was in London, it really made me think about what was more important to me: working in baseball, or living in London. Who knows what the future will bring and I don't want to put myself within a box, but as of now, I want to have the opportunity to return to London, and focusing on baseball will not allow me to do so.

I never thought that studying abroad in London would change me, my outlook on life, and potentially my future so much. While these changes, particularly my thoughts on my future, scare me a lot, I'm so grateful for the changes I have been able to experience because I feel that it has broadened my view on life even more. It's almost as though I was stuck in a box before I left for London, and now I have broken free from that box since coming back from London. 

Who knew I would ever become a person that wants to get out of LA, love the cold and rain, and be okay not working in the baseball industry? Certainly not me. 

Cheers, 

Aya

Find What Motivates You

I've never been the one to go to the gym. Working out was never a term I used growing up because I always had soccer as my exercise. Playing soccer kept me fit with all of the practices and games we had. Once I quit soccer my junior year of high school, I lost 10 pounds within the next year because I lost my muscle mass. Going into college, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the gym on campus, but that lasted about a week. I just couldn't push myself to go to the gym even if it was for a couple days a week. Being indoors on a stationary object was pure torture for me. If I'm remembering correctly, the only time I went to the gym freshmen year was the first two weeks of the school year. Going into my sophomore year, I wanted to make it my mission to go to the gym a couple times a week; I chose days/times of the week that worked out wonderfully with my schedule and started taking spin class. If there is one thing I can sort of stand at the gym, it's spin class. Fall semester 2012 was great because I was able to keep up with going to the gym for quite a while. Then midterms and papers rolled around and the gym got pushed down on my to-do list. I was back to my old days of not going to the gym. I started going to the gym Spring semester 2013, but because the spin class took place during a time I had class, that was a no-go and it became even harder for me to go the gym. I managed to go a few days a week being on the spin bike for about 50-60 minutes then doing abdominal workouts. Once again, when midterms and papers came around, the motivation to go to the gym went out the window. As for this past semester, I didn't work out at all as I was in London and I didn't bring any workout clothes since I knew it would be a waste of space/weight considering I can't even make myself workout at home.

I am currently taking a Personal Health course that counts as my required science core. Earlier this semester, we had a small project in which we had to come up with a health related hypothesis that we would work on over the course of a few weeks and see if our hypothesis was true or not. I used this opportunity to do abdominal workouts within the project period to see if my abdominals would tighten. My plan included several abdominal workouts in which I would do three sets of each. The greatest thing that came out of the project was the satisfaction I got every night and the desire to continue the workouts. I never skipped a workout because I wanted to get a good grade and I wanted to see results. The last thing I expected was to continue with my nightly routine after I finished the project. I made it a routine to workout every night before I took a shower, and the routine still holds, over a month after my project was turned in. There have been a couple of days where I skipped the workouts, but each time I have felt guilt afterwards and it has only made me want to continue the workouts every day. Change does not come over night and I am starting to see the progress I have made, and it only motivates to keep going.

The great things about my nightly abdominal workouts are that 1) it doesn't require any extra materials other than workout clothes, 2) it can be done anywhere in your house, and 3) it doesn't take longer than 30 minutes.

The important things are setting achievable goals. As part of my project, we had to use S.M.A.R.T goals, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Using the S.M.A.R.T goals is really useful because it allows you to break down your goals and workouts, building up to your ultimate goal. If your goal is to run 5 miles under a certain time, that is not going to happen the first time if you haven't ran in a long time. By using the S.M.A.R.T goals, you break your goal down by starting off with running a certain amount a few days a week, allowing yourself to stop every once in a while; you build up by not stopping at all, then increase the distance amount, and so on. It will surprise you how having a specific, measurable, achievable goal can keep you motivated.

I never thought that I would find a workout that I would find satisfying because I never had to think about working out when I was growing up. And now four years after I have quit soccer, I finally found something that keeps me motivated and wanting to workout every night. Working out doesn't have to have a grand goal of being able to run a 10K or being able to lift a certain weight. Ultimately, it is about staying fit and healthy and making sure that you are burning energy off. Plus, if you are doing some workouts everyday, it gives you a bit of an excuse to eat some junk food. Because lets face it, I could never give up junk food but knowing I will be raising my heart beat and working up a sweat each night makes divulging a little easier.

Below is the workout I do every night (3 sets of each):

• 30 Sit-Ups (I originally started with 20 for my project but increased to feel more burn recently)
• 25 Leg Lifts (Originally started with 15 for my project)
• 25 Russian Twists
• 1 Minute Planks (Regular and on my side-- originally started with 30 seconds, increasing by 10 seconds every 4 days during my project)
• Since I have stayed on 1 minute planks for quite a while now, I have made it harder by lifting my legs 20 times during each plank
• 25 Squats (Originally did wall sits for my project; increased squats from 20 to 25 recently)

I would say all together, this takes about 30 minutes. 30 minutes of your day really isn't a lot, and now that I am in the routine of doing it every night before I shower, I never forget.

I encourage everyone to find something you enjoy doing and create a routine for yourself so that it becomes second nature for you to workout on those certain days. If you enjoy it enough and have a set goal, working out isn't so bad.

Cheers,
Aya

A Little Bit of So(u)l, And A Whole Lot of Vang

It's currently Spring Break for me, which means a whole lot of sleeping in (not that I don't do that on a regular basis), applying for summer internships, and work. Oh and homework since some professors decided to be completely evil and give us homework-- kind of defeats the purpose of a break doesn't it? Over the weekend I worked 10 hours and from Thursday to Sunday, I will be working something along the lines of 20 hours, which means yesterday, today, and tomorrow are my days to relax and hopefully try to get some stuff done.

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to do a little day trip to Santa Barbara and a little Danish town north of SB called Solvang. If only day trips around here were easier like it is in the UK. I've lived in Los Angeles since I was 6, but I honestly cannot say that I have ever been to Santa Barbara. I know I have been in the areas nearby for soccer, but I don't think I have ever been to Santa Barbara just to hang out. The drive there made me realize that I should explore Southern California more.

Solvang, a Danish town about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, was the main reason for the day trip. To be completely honest, I was little underwhelmed. Sure, the town was cute with its Danish buildings which just made me miss Europe even more, but there wasn't much to do. It's kind of just a city to stop by if you're making the trip up north to San Francisco or making the trip down to Los Angeles. I wouldn't plan an entire day around it. The idea of it is nice, just like Little Tokyo or Little Italy, but Solvang is in the middle of nowhere and there really isn't much to do. I guess I just have to start planning my trip back to England and the many places in Europe I want to visit to get a real taste of Denmark.

After lunch and popping into all of the pastry shops, we decided to head back down to Santa Barbara. We didn't have a plan once we got there, so we parked near Stearns Wharf and just walked around. Something I have definitely missed about London/European cities is walking around town and exploring. I know that's something that can be done here, but we tend to drive everywhere we want to go, even if it's only 1 mile away, so it was nice to walk around aimlessly near the beach. We even stumbled upon the Amtrak Station (I could be wrong. But some kind of train station.) that just made me want to get on a train or plane and explore some place new. We wanted to go to this ice cream shop near by, because hey, I'm always down for ice cream, but it was impossible to find parking so we gave up and drove back to LA. Yay for no traffic and a wonderful sunset!

Tattoos on Tattoos

Just kidding. I only have two tattoos.

Forever can be a scary concept, and I guess that's why getting a tattoo can scare some people. A tattoo is permanent (unless you get laser removal but lets not think about that aspect too much) and the idea of getting something drawn/written onto you forever can be scary. Will you regret the tattoo you get? What if you end up not liking it?

Growing up, I never thought I'd get a tattoo. I remember as a little kid, the sound of the needle you can hear from outside the tattoo parlor scared me. Fast forward many years and I was set on getting tattoos. Four to be exact. Well, that was about three years ago. And lets just say that I don't even remember the idea of one of them so it obviously didn't mean as much to me as I thought it would. As for the two tattoos I have, I had thought about getting them for at least two years each. For some reason I currently have the itch to get another tattoo-- a small tattoo but I don't even know what I would want. I guess it's true when people say tattoos are addicting. I mean, I got my first tattoo in August and my second one in November.

So, here are my two tattoos.

Tattoo #1:

Yup. I'm a Harry Potter one. A huge one at that. I had tears while on the "knighbus" ride from Watford Junction to Leavesden Studios and started crying when I saw the Hogwarts model at Leavesden. I've sat on the idea of a Harry Potter tattoo since before Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out. Ideally, I wanted to get it that summer to signify the ending of Harry Potter and saying goodbye to my childhood years (I turned 18 that summer). On a side note, my birthday is July 31; aka J.K. Rowling's birthday and therefore Harry Potter's birthday (I think it was always meant to be). The idea of getting a Harry Potter was in my mind for so long, but I just didn't know exactly what I wanted. For quite a while, I sat on the idea of using the quote "We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.". Sirius Black is one of my favorite characters in the series and I just love the quote. The only thing that always crossed my mind was how long the quote is and where I would get it. I also thought about getting Expecto Patronum, because of what that spell means.
How I came to "mischief is never managed" is that I first settled on wanting to get mischief managed, and my best friend suggested mischief is never managed because it would be different yet it's still Harry Potter related-- and I absolutely loved the idea (obviously). Why mischief managed? Well Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book and the spell is obviously used in the book. Harry uses the spell once he's finished using the Marauder's Map so that it looks like a plain piece of parchment to anyone else; the spell signifies the momentary mischief being put away. Like I said, I wanted to get a HP related tattoo to signify the end of HP and my childhood years and I felt that mischief managed did just that. Harry Potter was (and is) a huge part of my life and childhood, and the end of Harry Potter happened to mark the end of my childhood. Harry Potter was my childhood, childhood is associated with mischief, so I guess you could say that saying goodbye to Harry Potter was like saying goodbye to mischief. But with "mischief is never managed", it says that 1) Harry Potter will always exist and be a part of my life and 2) Growing up doesn't mean the end of mischief.

Tattoo #2:

What is it? It's the geographical coordinates of London. (If you google the coordinates, it'll take you to right in front of Trafalgar Square because it is considered the center of London.) London has and will always be my favorite city in the world. I remember falling in love with England at the end of elementary school and always being fascinated with the country. London was the one place I always wanted to visit, and in 2008, I was able to do so as I spent two weeks in England. Being in London and England in general made me fall in love with the city and country even more. I'm not quite sure what it was that made England so fascinating to me, but maybe it was the combination of my love for soccer, interest in the monarchy, and the architecture. Either way, it's always been my favorite place in the world. When I found out about the concept of study abroad while in middle school, I knew that I wanted to study abroad in London once I got to college. Around the time I realized I wanted tattoos, I knew that I wanted to get a London/England related tattoo when I studied abroad in London; I just wasn't sure what I would get. Fast forward to spring semester of sophomore year when my dreams of studying abroad in London comes true as I got accepted into the program and I knew that I would be getting my tattoo the next semester.
Fall 2013 (last semester) was when I studied abroad in London. I went to London knowing I was going to get a tattoo while there, but I still didn't have a concrete idea of what I wanted to get. I contemplated getting the outline of England and potentially a heart where London is and also contemplated getting the silhouette of Big Ben, but neither felt right. Then within the first weeks of being in London, I decided to look for inspiration online and stumbled upon pictures of geographical location tattoos and instantly fell in love. There was no looking back and I knew that I was going to get London's geographical location as my tattoo-- something that was simple and just looked like numbers to people, but held a lot of meaning as I would potentially be the only person to know what it represented. I don't mind people asking what it is, and that's what I love. Until they ask, they don't know what is; until that point, me and a few of my friends are the only ones that know it represents London. To me, the tattoo represents my love of London, England, my favorite place in the world but also my time abroad. I got the tattoo in November, towards the end of my study abroad, and it sums up my experiences there. It was never my intention to get the tattoo and have it represent my time abroad. I wanted to get it in London because I wanted that special connection of getting my London related tattoo in London. But now, I get to see my tattoo every day and be reminded of not only the greatest and most amazing place in the world (to me), but also be reminded of the best 3.5 months in London.

So there it is. My two tattoos. I didn't write this to try to make people understand why I got my tattoos. I got these tattoos because they both mean something to me, and I don't need anyone's understanding or acceptance. It means something to me, and that's all that matters. But I wrote this because I often get asked what my tattoos are/what it means and I find myself having a hard time truly explaining the meaning. Truthfully, I don't think I ever can because it's something personal. People might understand, but they won't completely understand. And that's okay. I think that's what I want people to understand: no one gets a tattoo to please others. I say this because when someone asked me about my London tattoo, they said they wanted to get the stars on the Australian flag because they studied abroad there but didn't because people told them it was cheesy. In the end, it's their decision, but all I could think was how they shouldn't let other's thoughts make their decision for them. As long as it means something to you, that's all that matters.

So. Are you thinking about getting a tattoo? Do you have a tattoo? Let me know! Lets bond over some tattoos.

Cheers,
Aya

A Little Introduction

As my bio says, my name is Aya and I'm currently a junior at Loyola Marymount University. Although I'm a semester ahead so technically, I guess that makes me a first semester senior-- that's a scary thought. I was born in Japan and had travelled to Australia three times and Thailand once all by the age of six; probably the reason why I love travelling so much. I moved to Los Angeles two months before my seventh birthday and have lived here since. Most people are surprised when I tell them that I was born in Japan because I'm so Americanized. I have huge love for London and the UK in general, so much so that I have a London related tattoo that I got while studying abroad in London fall semester 2013. Yup! I have a tattoo-- two to be exact. But maybe that'll be a story for later.

I'm not quite sure if this blog will be focused on one thing. I originally thought about a travel related blog, but the truth is, I don't have the funds to travel on a consistent basis to make this a travel blog. So instead, I guess it'll be a blog that covers travel related subjects (both from my past experiences and hopefully future travels) as well as whatever exciting goes on in my life, whether it be my mental breakdowns thinking about my future, baking adventures, or the number of baseball games I attend each year. I guess my hope is to just consistently post and have something to look back on and in the process connect with others.

So what do I like? Well truthfully, I dread this question. But to list a few things, I love baseball and soccer, or just sports in general, binge-watching tv shows, theatre, reading, travel travel travel, baking, and drinking tea. What do I want to do in the future? Not exactly sure. For a long time I thought I wanted to do PR but I'm not so sure anymore. I'm looking towards something in baseball but at the same time looking for a way to go back to London. I've actually been looking into an abroad internship program for spring 2015, since I'll be finished with school by then but the thought of having to find a job in January 2015 scares me. I mentioned I studied abroad, and maybe that'll be a blog post I make later because lets be real, if there's ever any chance for me to talk about my study abroad, I'll take it. My favorite movie ever is The Sandlot and if The Sandlot didn't exist, it'd be The Social Network. I love British television and I probably watch more YouTube than normal. I think I need to put out there that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and will judge you based on what your favorite Harry Potter movie is (just kidding. sort of. not really.)

I'm not sure what else to write for now. But I'm actually really excited to start this blog, because if you couldn't tell, I have quite a few posts I want to write already. So here's to a wonderful adventure (of this blog).

Cheers,
Aya

(Here's a picture of me in Santorini-- a dream years in the making come true.)