We decided to go for dim sum at Sea Harbour in Rosemead. I was at Sea Harbour two years ago with my sister and I remembered it being quite decent. This time, however, we were in for a surprise.

The four of us were disappointed in the food quality at Sea Harbour. Maybe the place had went downhill since I was last here, what a shame. Maybe I shall head to Elite again next time I'm in town.

TCO seems very religious to me, well more so than I ever was anyway. I'm not very religious but I respect the idea. I believe that religion are embodied in the teachings and ideas. I don't believe I need to go to the extreme and shelling out monies hoping I'd "gain" more religion in me. If a person believes in his/her religion, as long as he/she believes it in his/her heart and soul, isn't and shouldn't that enough??? Many Buddhists now a days are not....hmm how should I say it...the true and genuine ones out there are becoming harder to find, almost like a needle in a haystack. The abundant ones are ones that only sees money signs.

We stopped at Hsi Lai Temple since TCO had never been there before.

After the temple, TCO's compromise was to take me to the Getty Museum. Little did TCO know that he was in for nice surprise, this was one of my favorite places to visit when I'm in CA. The view was breathtaking, TCO and I enjoyed our time here.

My faithfulness was as unthinking as your lapse. Of all the things I thought would go wrong, I never thought it would be that.

     "It was a mistake," you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you.

After lunch, I made my chauffeur take me to go get nuoc mia (sugarcane drink) at Nuoc Mia Vien Tay. It was a hot day and it was very refreshing to have fresh sugarcane drinks.

I forgot to mention that Day 1 in CA we did stop at Lien Hoa BBQ Deli to pick up some roast duck and pork as offerings to the OGs that we would meet up later that night. I didn't touch any of course but it did smell good coming from the bag.

So, after lunch at Huong Giang, we headed north to go to the beach. After the disappointment at Huntington Beach, we were hoping it would be nicer up north. I knew it would because I trust recommendations from Dein. We took the scenic route to Zuma Beach, it was really nice looking at the coast, the waves, the structural houses and buildings, the lush greens as we drove along on the road to our destination.

Zuma Beach was a nice change from HB, it was more quiet here. The water was cold but not freezing cold as in HB. The beach was cleaner and not as crowded. It was warmer here, the waves are calmer too. We really did enjoyed our time out here.

We attempted to get into Santa Monica to The Getty Museum during traffic, bad idea. We couldn't make it. Anyway, we were supposed to meet up with Dein in Ktown for some kbbq. Dein texted me to let me know that there was a bomb threat in downtown earlier in the day so there might be traffic, but we weren't in downtown so it wasn't so bad. I was really happy to see Dein, my snuggle bear, I always feel like he's a bear that will protect me.

I told Dein that I must, I MUST have the gopchang gui this trip or the whole trip is worthless to me, I've waited years for this. I came here for some gopchang gui and I better get some damn it! hahaha. Well, Dein didn't disappoint me. Dein had already put in the order for us by the time we arrived at the restaurant. Our server was this Korean auntie that was super nice to us. I really *HEART* good food and good company.

The offals were tasty and went really well with our cold beer. Out of the 3 cuts of offal, my favorite is of course the small intestine, it was crispy on the outside and soft bursting with flavorful on the inside. Dein ordered some kind of soju for us but I totally forgot the name.

When I talked to Dein earlier in the day, I told him I wanted intestine and that I also crave for gamjatang at Ham Ji Park. Dein texted me and asked, "You wanted to eat at both places tonight? O_O"
I told him, "yea.... if possible ^^"

I love how Dein aimed to please, kinda like me =). We went to Ham Ji Park and waited for 15-20 min. for a table. I got my gamjatang, but I forgot to take pics! I reused the photo from last year:

The chauffeur and I got into a slightly heated conversation in the car on our way back to the OC. There were tension between us, I wanted answers that were not and has not been cleared and the chauffeur refused to give me straight answers and downright avoiding the whole thing. It was frustrating for me because it confuses me and not to mention it can be hurtful in the running. I wish things were clear and laid out concisely. Ambiguous and vague answers are what I got. I'm not a very patient person when it comes to finding answers and resolutions. The "need to know" is intense, the need to know so I can see the future if there is any and make my choice. I can't make my choice without knowing, and without the answers I need, I won't know for sure.

I got back to the hotel. I went to bed feeling cold, empty, and sad. Most of all, confused.

The thing is, traveling with someone else is very crucial for me. It can be a total disaster, this has been tried and proven in past experiences (the cruise). I wish to travel with a companion that would enjoy exploring places and sampling different foods like me. Deep down, I've been wanting to experience all of these things with a significant other, if I do have one that is....*sigh* but things are never what you really wanted it to be. I try to make the best out of all situations, when it actually comes down to it, I'm pretty easy going. I guess one can say I'm usually a pleaser, I like to keep the peace, I could and have pushed aside my wants and needs for the other person's selfish needs. As long as they are aware that I've been accommodating and don't take me for granted then everything can be smooth sailing. I don't ask for a lot really, I just want to have a good time and good conversations that bounces back and forth.

Traveling alone is not bad either, but the nights are really long when I'm in the hotel room trying to kill time. I sometimes hate sleeping next to another person, especially one that makes me feel alone. I stared out into the darkness, my back was cold and empty. The other person was sleeping soundly and oblivious to everything else while I lay there in the darkness desperate for warmth, not from the room nor the temp but from the body (or lack thereof) fast asleep next to me. Traveling alone or with someone are both hard because the sense of loneliness and yearning are more acute, and therefore are felt more sharply. I may be suffering from slight insomnia, but the nights gets longer when I travel, my heart gets so restless, hence I usually like to exhaust myself during the day so I could hurry up and fall asleep as soon as I hit the sheets. Alas, it never happen like that to me, I hate those that can fall asleep within 20 seconds of hitting their heads on the pillow while I lay there in the dark getting haunted by my thoughts. It doesn't make a big difference really, at home or away from home, I always get restless at night, hence why I keep myself busy during the day. Although, it is nice at times to be traveling alone, during the day I shared all my time with others and by night fall I'd want my solitude.

After checking into the hotel, I was pretty hungry.  I headed over to Mitsuwa, which is about a block away from the hotel, and got my usual at Santouka, Shio Ramen combo with ikura-don.

After lunch, I went to Huntington Beach. We both thought the beach was crowded, the water super cold, and it was getting windy. Not to mention the whole beach was kind of dirty.

I think we ate at Claws that night, though I'm not 100% sure, forgot to take pictures. We ordered 4 lbs of crawfish in canon sauce, which I sampled only a few. Not a huge fan of crawfish at this place, they were tasteless and either were overcooked or too old. I got the sea snails in coconut sauce, it was kind of fun eating it but the sugary sweet coconut sauce makes me sick after awhile. The only thing I liked was the fresh coconut juice served in the actual coconut. After we finished drinking the coconut juice, the server brought it back into the kitchen to have it open for us so we could scoop out the flesh and eat it as our dessert.

Me two years ago at Redondo Beach. It was really cold and windy that particular day too.

Overall, I really did enjoy this trip. It could have been a bit better though if things went my way, oh well, beggars can't be choosers. I had a good time with nonetheless.