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!