The CaltechY hosts a Friends Dinner once every quarter to thank its supporters and provide them with an opportunity to network with the Y's student leaders. Each event features one special speaker. In the past, there have been artists, professors, film makers and more. This time, it was one of…

I visited Amsterdam for a brief two and a half days during my vacation. There were a few landmarks and neighborhoods I wanted to checkout, but did not plan the visit in detail. As such, when it came down to destinations with ticketed entries, I had to skip most of…

Snowboarding with my friend Cecilia is an annual occasion when I go home for the holidays. Cecilia and I actually learned snowboarding a few years ago. We signed up for these intro lessons, but arrived at the slopes early and thought that we would try a run before the lesson…

Ice skating seems rather uncommon here in Southern California as there are only two year-round rinks within driving distance of Caltech. One is the Pasadena Ice Skating Center which is only minutes away, the other is the Santa Monica Rink which is way out west. The interesting thing is, the…

Every year, the Caltech Society of Women Engineers attends the National SWE conference to network with other SWE Chapters and to hustle for jobs. Last year, the event was in Minneapolis, and the year before in Austin. This time around, it's in Anaheim which is much more convenient for us.…

The Bishop prize is given for a cultural experience, so I am taking French classes at Alliance Française. The language school is a pretty big deal here, and has outlets around the world. I have to wake up at 7:30 every morning to get to class at 9:00. My classes…

It was a hot summer day with not much to do, so my friend Sarah and I decided to bike to Westfield Santa Anita, the nearest mall. It is 4.2 miles away, roughly 7 minutes by car and 24 minutes by bike. Before we left, we checked the route and…

What's better than the Color Run? The Glitter Run. I've been a huge fan of Color Run since high school and I have the pile of colorfully stained (aka ruined) shirts to prove it. This summer, the Caltech Center for Diversity held a lottery for free entrance to the Glitter…

Today we went to check out Nancy Silverton's other restaurant, Pizzeria Mozza. Osteria Mozza completely wowed us and we decided to try the other part of the Mozzaplex. Pizzeria and Osteria are right next to each other and the staff rotate between the two restaurants. Pizzeria is a lot more…

This week I went on a tour of Panavision, an equipment rental agency that specializes in anamorphic projection lenses. Their products have revolutionized filmmaking and Hollywood since the 1950s. They have locations across the world but they are headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA. We were able to get a tour…

I spent a lot of time binge watching shows on Netflix this summer. One of my favorite shows is Chef's Table. If you've seen the trailers or is a fan, you know why it's so enjoyable. The chefs are extremely passionate about their food, the quality and sourcing, and are…

Today I did the most millennial thing possible. We drove for an hour then waited in line for an hour just to eat the best toast in LA. Sqirl in LA is known for it's amazing breakfast/brunch dishes. The owner Jessica Koslow is a bit of a celebrity and has…

I need caffeine to be productive. It's a bad habit that I've developed since senior year of high school, but I need to fuel myself with tea and coffee to keep myself going throughout the day. During the school year, I have to have an Americano in the afternoon to…

If Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, then the Department of Motorized Vehicles (DMV) is the least. California has a very strong car culture due to the vast amount of sprawl from urban development. Most urban nodes are connected by freeways that are completely un-bike-able. The public transportation system…

A friend of one of the summer students came up from San Diego for the weekend and wanted to get a quick tour of LA so we decided to take him to Little Tokyo for an afternoon. Since 2013, LA has been in a ramen frenzy with new shops opening…

Since Subway's success way back in the early 2000s, everything is becoming customizable. Recently, custom burgers are all the rage with burger bars popping up all around town. The Counter is a chain located across America that also happens to have a location that is a 10 minute walk from…

One of the most exciting and delicious things about California is the wide spread availability of Poke. If you are a sushi fan, or have had it before, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you are unfamiliar, you should read this article by Eater. In short, it…

Have you ever wondered what Netflix would taste like as an ice cream flavor? Well according to Cool Haus, it is a "white cheddar popcorn-infused ice cream base withDoritos". It would seem that the owners of Cool Haus have synethesia because they have developed flavors for the Real House Wives,…