Author: aucolehadassah

I was reading old drafts. They go back to a year an a half ago.

There are (exactly) thirty and it was interesting to read back what was on my mind and how many developed thoughts were left unattended.

That’s what happens when writing isn’t much of a priority.

The topic of priorities has come up often lately and it’s safe to say that I’m rather content with mine: God, family, friends, school, work, the end kinda. Much and many have served as attempts at distractions. I’ve almost succumbed to a few. I haven’t.

It’s rather empowering. There’s definitely a ‘but’ in here.

As I write this, Reba and Boomers are chilling with me. It’s April 4th, 2017.

It’s a big month. It’s a very big month. It’s the month.

Caits and I are anxious but not anxious and putting everything through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. It’s. So. Hard. Priorities are being balanced while I’m mentally in 5 places, trying to be present in the moment, and appreciate what’s in front of me.

There’s much to be thankful for. As usual. As always. It’s overwhelming.

Oh, my office is moving downtown. That’s cool. I have a window, corner area to myself and a lot of my compadres are nearby. I’ll be two blocks from a good fried chicken place. And it’s cheaper to eat than at Mission Bay. I’ll miss being waterfront. It’ll be the first time in over a year that I’m not working at a waterfront building.

#spoiledpeopleproblems

I really want to do a recap post. I might try to do that after this month is over and my head has cleared but for now, I’ll push out some W H A C K and R A N D O M posts.

Thanks for chilling 🙂

 

I want to let you know that I almost wrote another angsty, wannabe sassy, life-is-so-hard-because-transfer-apps-are-so-ugh post and then I remembered that I recently had really good fried chicken which led me to think about the awesome fried chicken in the bay area and thus, I couldn’t put this off any longer.

Je vous présente chicken and waffles, chicken, and waffles

(HOHOHO NOT A LISTICLE WSUP)

Bless you for reading this.

As a foreward, chicken and waffles are part of a genre of food known as Soul Food. If you have yet to be acquainted with this gift that the south of north america has contributed to us northerners, get to know each other. I swear, your relationship with food will flourish in ways you didn’t dream were possible.

The greatest of all happens to be Brown Sugar Kitchen. Based in West Oakland, borderline Emeryville, is a quaint , red building on Mandela Parkway. I would often go with my lovely Sugar Blossom(whom I miss dearly). In order to avoid wait times( which I guarantee you will encounter), my parents would go for breakfast and write my name on the waiting list so by the time it was lunch, I would arrive with my lovely Sugar Blossom and together, we would dine after an eight to fifteen minute wait as opposed to the average ninety minute wait. That is not to say that the line isn’t worth it -because it most definitely is- I was given an opportunity and utilized it to its full potential( GRACIAS PARENTALS).

So, why them? Why is it #worththewait? Is it reason enough to go into West-Oakland?

Guys, Oakland is kinda the most rad place in the bay area so #plsbechill and just go ye.

Their chef, Tanya Holland, is a goddess of fried chicken mastery. After training at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in France, she came back to the US with a fire and reinvented soul food. Her fried chicken is marinated far in advance, giving every bite even and juicy flavor. The waffles are not sweet nor do they resemble the texture of the great, respected Belgian waffle. Rather, it is quite light with a bubbly crunch. The syrup is also not sweet and is apple in flavor. And before I get carried away with talking about the rest of your menu, I’ll move on…

TO-

Honestly, it’s hard to even try to compare to Brown Sugar Kitchen because everything is carried out with distinct and meticulous care.

BUT ANYWAY-

Hard Knox Cafe has locations on both Clement and 3rd. I’ve been to both buhahaha. Lucky you.

Personally, I go for the corn bread, ribs, and other menu items but their hours are significantly less limited as opposed to Brown Sugar Kitchen so if I really want the waffle and chicken, I’ll get it but it won’t be the same. It’s not the same because they do it classic. This is perfectly fine because they execute it well. But if you go, do yourself a favor and order the meats and corn bread as well as the chicken and waffle.

Lastly, because I have to, 900 Grayson. I know, I know, I knooooowwww. Hype. So. Much. Stinkin. Hype. I, too, cry. The lovely Sugar Blossom and I made a single attempt here and while the service was abysmal, the “Demon Lover” as they call it, is pretty great. I think it’s because of the gravy and I’m a complete sucker for gravy.

It’s good gravy.

OK, so, those are my top three chicken avec waffle places.

Let’s move onto F R I E D C H I C K E N straight up list style

1. Bakesale Betty’s- it’s a sandwich and a good sandwich indeed
2. Brenda’s French Soul Food- classic
3. Miss Ollie’s- classic
4. The Bird- competitively good sandwich
5. Little Skillet- classic
6. Portal- GRAVY GOT ME LIKE
7. House of Chicken and Waffles- classic but I recommend the Oakland location seeing as Walnut Creek isn’t as authentic; ya feel me?

I changed my mind. Waffles need their own post entirely. There are too many great waffles and each need to be given justice.

No waffle left behind #vivelaWAFFLE

Ps this list is not comprehensive, definitive, nor is it of expert opinion

The listicles are on pause f y i

This post is a digression perhaps culminated from my current dilemma: APPLICATIONS

K cool

The transfer application is said to be a process rather than transaction of information. My brilliant counselor has put up with listening to me recount my experiences, accolades, and challenges. And with the new statement format, the UC system is requiring that I introduce myself in fewer than 350 words x4 prompts. She, like many, knows that even if I were to produce a bulleted sheet, I could not simply list everything pertinent to my current development in such a limited space.

But we’re gonna make it work. We have to make it work.

JESUS, GIVE ME THE WORDS TO SAY #takethewheel

Anyways, all of this recounting has led to a lot of reminiscing. I enjoy reminiscing especially, all things considered, life is great, God is good, and I’m truly blessed.

But even with that, I don’t believe I’ve ever expressed how much Jr High Girls and HS Girls Sunday School has impacted me so with that…

Let’s begin.

My room is packed with stuff and I can proudly say that after clothing, a plethora of learning materials make up the bulk of the stuff. I have my Bible, novels, poetry collections, notebooks of original work, a burn book, classical english literature, scientific notebooks, medical research notebooks, textbooks that were required to purchase, textbooks that I purchased out of my own volition, encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, binders filled with internship orientation information, illustrated atlas’s of the world, the universe, and the human body, chemistry for dummies, statistics for dummies, and most prized of all, binders with my old Sunday School outlines.

Prized? Ya don’t say.

Sunday School wasn’t simply a part of church. If you feel that way a) I am so sorry for you and b) you did Sunday school wrong. It was an event- totally completely and utterly lit with the level of turnt so high, we’d make any rager look dismal.

We took things to the next level in seventh grade when we, the students, transitioned from being prayer warriors(and spending 20-30 minutes on learning about each other’s lives to better pray for the entire classroom of girls so you better bet that we loved each other) to studying our butts off on doctrine, book studies, and character studies( SO LEGIT). The summer of our transition was our very first soul winning discipleship contest in our youth group and let me tell you, it was legendary.

We memorized around 8-12 verses per week. For testing, we would write them down, word for word, and turn them into our team leader. Each week would have a different theme and I distinctly remember the week on salvation, memorizing most of the Romans Road, and struggling with differentiating the references. After so many hours working with each other, testing each other as iron sharpeneth iron, we did it.

It wasn’t just the memory verses that gave us the opportunity to delve into the meat that is #TheWord but reading through the scripture with the outlines as references gave us such an in depth comprehension of #TheWord. Yes, it was a contest but I think we treated it as a training( like boot camp perhaps). Conveniently, a majority of us volunteered for VBS and took every available moment to study.

II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

That’s what we did. Call us crazy but staying at church on Sunday afternoons with our most caring teachers was legitimately fun. We may have used contests as an excuse for our competitive behavior but at the end of the day, we were learning and digesting and applying.

//And during the actual contests

//yo

//hell hath no fury like

//butthurt middle school girls getting whooped by the high school girls

//after gaining a significant lead the first half

//and then suddenly getting really humble really fast

Allow me to introduce you to the powerhouse aka my inspirations

TEAM HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BRIGADE OF POWAAAAAAAAHHH

Gloria, Diana, Lisa, Melanie, Lindy, Shirley

They knew… they knew every single time that they would win. It didn’t matter that at one point, we were 12 ahead. No. No no no no no.

Mrs Vivian wouldn’t ever let them go down.

That isn’t to say we didn’t try. We had our noble efforts and quite frankly, I believe we had them scared for a second.

Allow me to introduce to you our powerhouse: ps we were actually babies with a lot of ambition and tenacity but unfortunately we never made the cut

Tiffany, Amy, Spring, Reba, Hannah, Cole

6×6 maaannnnnnn

Shout out to the guys for existing. Y’all never stood a chance.

 

I’ll be taking a turn as to the content on this blog. I’m debating on making it more life & style. By style, I mean awesome places to explore. By life, I mean food. Let’s be real. I’m probably going to focus on food.

Anyways, you’ve probably had enough with the introspective junk I’ve been posting or fed up with the sparse updates.

COMING SOON: Top 10- Chicken and Waffles

 

That’s right, y’all. I’m putting out another listicle.

Bite me.

The fall semester begins in a week. My class schedule is ish settled. My boss approved my work hours. I have the magic list of schools I’m applying for transfer.

Essentially, the world isn’t so bad.

That’s not what I want to talk about and I would like to begin by apologizing. This summer is and was spectacular. My only regret is that I didn’t document it. I didn’t record the countless nights where I was up until 2-3 AM doing homework or studying for two very different and information intensive courses. I didn’t write about the perils of commuting between two internships that were an hour apart much less waking up for them. Also, meeting a multitude of people that I know are influencing me and will impact the next chapter of my life, knowing that my first impression was subpar, is something I can’t redo. I can’t recall the levels of frustration I felt when I knew I wasn’t physically capable of giving my 120% to everyone that deserved 150%. It isn’t common knowledge that I’ve been walking over 6 miles on any given weekday.

But it all happened. I’m alive and doing quite well at that.

While I must say sorry for my lack of vivacity, you should all know that my heart was and is astounded by the generous care of everyone that has taught, guided, and even cherished me. I truly learned insurmountably. Everyone that I’ve had the pleasure of being around has been brilliant and I know that I’m beyond blessed that God bestowed countless opportunities on me.

I’m going to do a quick recap just so I don’t forget.. not that I could possibly forget but so much has happened and.. really.. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.

1. got an internship at my absolute favorite place on the planet( ps it’s waterfront)
2. operated the tallest crane at the 5th largest port in the United States( hint @ #1)
3. managed a team of incredible peers that interned in different departments for a three phase side project that we planned every single detail for including the schedule
4. grew to adore every single key leader that I had the pleasure of appointing for #3
5. managed/ transferred risk on a commercial level for an organization with three internationally impactful business lines
6. had two incredible supervisors that have guided and nurtured my interests in management
7. got a second internship that deals with impacting how people learn, is in the tech industry, and is also waterfront
8. am learning about a whole new world with people with completely different styles than anyone I’ve ever worked with before
9. have discovered that analytics are awesome because numerical values are everything
10. learning to write copy which may or may not be the most challenging thing on the planet because people can be so sensitive and even though it’s unnecessary you have to adapt to things because human beings control things aka the product’s market
11. lost a boss for the first time and it was significantly more heart wrenching that I could have ever anticipated
12. adjusting to a new boss and I’m tres excited to learn more from her
13. freaked out about absolutely anything and everything possible and guess what

God took care of it all

Down to the minute by minute days where I thought I was going to get a C in either class, then getting slapped with two A’s… like what?!?!?!?

I deserved F’s

F- even

It’s insane. Life is absolutely ridiculous sometimes and all I can do is stare incredulously at my monitor on most days. Those are the days when my email looks like an adult’s email. Those are days that I have resisted avec gusto. God is good and I’m just chilling.

Jokes.

The hustle c’est vrai.

Stay chill y’all.

This is an abridged guide to Firenze, Roma, and Milano created especially for Chief who is indeed perfect. This will be long, although abridged, filled with recommendations, tips, and places that I enjoyed.

To begin: Firenze

This was technically home for a bit. That being said, I feel that I qualify as a basic expert if that is a level of anything. I might design a badge to make it official.

For Coffee

Ditta Artigianale is the place to be for a true coffee. The other little cafes don’t have much going for them. Ditta’s owner is a 3 time barista champion that values quality, aesthetic, and time making their two locations a fantastic place to drop by.

For Cannoli

You have two options and they distinctly differ. First is Don Nino which is a chain however, the Florence(literally by the Duomo) location is the best for cannoli. The ricotta flavor is strong however, it’s a bit sweet. What I find cool is that you can either get the basic, ricotta filling( my favorite) or pistachio filling. The toppings range from chocolate chips( you know this is what I stuck with), crushed hazelnuts( best value), crushed pistachios, and powdered sugar. The rival is Ara. Ara’s cannoli are less sweet but the ricotta is more diluted. I enjoyed the cannoli shell as well. It doesn’t overwhelm the palette with s u g a r but it isn’t authentic either. Ara also has amazing arancini balls and high quality gelato.

For Pizza

Again, two options. Il Pizzaiuolo or Gusta Pizza. Both are great but be cautious of your belongings when around the crowds. Some people are slick.

For Authentic Italian Cuisine

To eat like a local, you  must go to I Buongustai. It’s ran by sisters and gets very packed so be wary of lines. The line is worth it. Very worth it.

For Snacks

Two doors down from my old address, Panificio Brunori has fist size pizzas, amazing pastries, and all for about a euro, each. This was terrible to live next to because whenever I wanted something I could get it in under 2 minutes. They have a braided pecan pastry that changed my life.

For Cioccolata Calda

La Milkeria. The. End.

For Gelato

This is it. Florence is the city to be in for real gelato. This is your moment. Shine. To make this experience better, all the places that I am recommending are 1 euro per scoop. Visit them all. First, La Carraia. Go to the location that is 2 bridges from the Duomo. They have an amazing almond flavor. Next, Gelateria della Passera. This is my personal favorite and they make the absolute best nocciola( hazelnut) gelato. They put actual hazelnuts in it. They have other fragrant flavors so you might enjoy those as well. Gelato del Cantina has the best exotic flavors. They have a pineapple, mint, ginger flavor that is refreshing especially after walking everywhere. They have a location on the Arno River near Ponte Vecchio.

 gelato tip: if you can see it rising over a container, it is fluffed up with air and that is no bueno. Typically, you want to go for the stuff kept in a container like della Passera or del Cantina.

For Paninos

There are two places on via de Neri but honestly, I am not a panino fan so have at it.

THOU SHALT VISIT

Piazzale Michelangelo, the Rose garden, and the Iris Garden

Roma

I absolutely loved Roma and wish you the best on your visit. You will be tempted to get gelato but be warned, it will not hold a candle to the gelato in Firenze. At that rate, if you see a Grom, stick with that.

For the best Italian steak dinner of your life

Bella Napoli. Do come for dinner, it will be the best decision you’ll ever make. Another great place to go but is further from the city center( as in you should explore the area because it’s nice) is Da Enzo al 29( BOOK THE RESERVATION NOW OR WAIT FOR HOURS). Personally, Bella Napoli was better but Da Enzo is worth a visit.

For the best fresh made pasta of your life

Pastaciutta happens to be conveniently located next to the vatican museum. I went 3 times in 3 days. Yes, it is the best pasta of your life. It’s also 7 euro a plate. You’re welcome.

For the best breakfast pastries

Novecento Tredici has croissants so flaky that you’ll think you’re in paris.

For the best, most renown bakery

Biscottificio Innocenti was founded in 1920 with the original family still in ownership, running the shop. It’s in the same neighborhood as Da Enzo so you can make a night out of it.

Milano

It wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be but three places you must eat are

1) Princi

2) Eat me& Go

3) Pave

Enjoy!

It’s been a while.

Not really.. It’s been a few weeks. That’s forgivable.

I am back in the United States of In n Out, amazing weather, and singing siblings. Yes, I’m riding high on the #westcoastbestcoast . It’s strange. As aforementioned in a previous post, I discussed how being away made me more thankful for what I do have. I have so much to be thankful for.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

– Terry Pratchett

So, I’m back. This is not to say that homehomehome is necessarily better because it isn’t. I’ve realized there is no “better”. It’s different than Italy, for sure. I don’t know how to articulate it yet but I am different. And while being away made me miss the idea of home, I am significantly more conscious of familiarity.

Familiarity: the quality of being well known; recognizability based on long or close association

Alone, familiarity can be comforting but it can also be a limiting reagent. It is based on multiple interactions with a common idea or experience. As far as limiting reagents are concerned, prior concepts or traits are expected as personality constraints and while some change is different, others are unwelcome. To sum it up, I am different but preexisting notions have me bound to expectations that discourage evolution.

Weird, right?

I want to react, respond, and be proactive in ways I’ve grown accustomed to but they’re not so much welcome. For example, with friends, they make references to something that you once thought was hilarious but, for some reason, isn’t the slightest bit comical anymore.

Dependence on familiarity can also cause apprehension towards difference and growth. As observed from my peers, the slightest change can cause a thousand adverse reactions. I’m not sure I like this.

But it’s human, instinctive, and I, too, am guilty of reacting poorly on countless occasions.

Enough with the negative. It’s good to be home. I love the familiar smells of the kitchen, familiar embracing of my family and close friends, and the familiar sun.

Speaking of sun, it was 75 degrees Fahrenheit at 9 AM today. How awesome is that?

ps i will upload UK photos eventually

 

The last two weeks were jam packed with final exams, final presentations, final meals, and arrivederci’s to go all around. Now, before I get all emotional or whatever, let me remind you that this was a semester abroad. That is, I was living in a foreign country for an extended period of time, sans what can be defined as familiar and comfortable.

But the gelato is something I got comfortable with quite quickly. That and the views.

S p e c t a c u l a r views and sunsets that spoiled me, daily.

But the views in California aren’t too shabby either.

Sure, I’m ready to go home. I miss my family and the bay area but not too much else. I realized that it is very possible to live abroad and I am looking forward to future opportunities to do so. It was a good experience. It was a learning experience with a minuscule curve. Here are some random moments from two weeks ago. We also went to Verona, Milan, and Lake Garda last week. Those photos came out excellent and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Bistecca Fiorentina @ Osteria Santa Spirito

I highly recommend the 4 cheese, truffle gnocchi

Reba and Michelle ❤

Boboli with the tuscan background #awe

fleur

Grace 🙂

We were happy that our final was over

Earth Day @ Uffizi

@ Piazzale Michelangelo

Finally caught a true golden hour(after a bajillion tries)

Sammi 🙂

I have a couple thousand more photos but I don’t feel like organizing and uploading them until I get back homehomehome. I’ll be catching up in installments considering that the wifi is weak sauce right now. I can’t even load things on youtube or spotify- it’s that bad.

Also

I left my peipei in Florence and it’s considerably colder in London #madregrets

 

But that was only because nobody told me that humidity and mosquitoes are honeymooners that can’t let go of each other. That sounds like common sense. Mosquitoes need still water or a heavy amount of water vapor in the air. In my defense, I’ve never really had to think about it. Hawaii, central, and south america are not all that humid so I’ve never been attacked in such a detrimental way.

It’s not even that sunny this week, nor is it warm enough to compensate for the torture that we’re going through.

CONTEXT This afternoon, I posted the most amazing selfie on snap chat which had the mosquito bites, on my face, dabbed in hydrocortisone. There are about 8 bites scattered over my face. I played with the hydrocortisone to make constellations because I could.

I know, very attractive. What can I say? I try.

Currently, I am bathing my once perfectly plump and soft cheeks in bug repellent.

I smell like eucalyptus which is not all that bad but I’m not the biggest fan of scents. I don’t ‘do’ perfume ( like ever) and scented lotion sometimes pushes the envelope.

Maybe if there was a melted cheese perfume, I’d consider it. That or costco pizza.

I could go for a slice right now.