I've only been here a week but I already have some favorite spots in Berkeley. :)



1. Yoga To The People
64 Shattuck Square
Berkeley, CA 94704

Donation based, free and daily classes, relaxing atmosphere. I've been here twice already and I look forward to going back every week. They always end with scripture, maybe Ghandi, maybe Buddha, maybe even Martin Luther King. $2 mat rentals and $1 water bottles. Wheeeee!



2. Top Dog
2534 Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704

$3 hot dogs to die for. A lot of varieties, friendly servers. Open till 2am every day, and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. It looks small and crowded, but there is a guaranteed no waiting line. Famous in the area!



3. John's Ice Cream
2204 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

$1 scoop ice cream! Has a variety of ice cream flavors, between movie theaters... must try their fried ice cream..



4. Naan N' Curry
2366 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

All day buffet. Mango lassi = delicious. All-you-can-drink chai tea. Lots of indian food. Giant naans. I mean, GIANT. Go.



5. Cafe Milano
2522 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

There are five reasons why I love this place. Apple cider, blueberry muffins, large window seats, The Beatles and classical music.
Let me explain. The apple cider and blueberry muffins are DELICIOUS. Sitting and people watching at the big windows felt so European. The staff is very friendly. AND when I was there they were playing a classical music station. A cello rendition of The Beatles' Norwegian Wood came out and I just melted. Please go.



6. Cafe Strada
2300 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

White picket fences, white benches underneath pretty lighted overhanging trees. On the corner next to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Very relaxing place with a nice atmosphere.



7. Berkeley Pacific Film Archive
2575 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

$5.50 for UC Berkeley students, $6.50 for non UC Berkeley students, and $9.50 for adults.
This theater has cool, old films every night, ranging from 1945's Japanese films to immigrant documentaries. The current series include Akira Kurosawa Centennial and Modernist Master: The Cinema of Francesco Rosi. I'm shooting for the 5:00pm showing of the 1963 Italian "Hands over the City" tonight. :D



8. Memorial Glade
UC Berkeley Campus

I like to fall asleep here... I mean, meditate. But really, this is a good relaxing spot for homework and such. It's in between three beautiful libraries and you have a nice view of the Campanile. I recommend to you visit.



9. Tako Sushi
2379 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704

Really affordable sushi, the bento boxes are delicious as is the miso soup. Cute decorations and lighting. Tako means kite in Japanese. It also means butt in Swahili. True fact.



10. Love At First Bite Bakery
1510 Walnut Street, Suite G
Berkeley, CA 94709

Of course, I would post a cupcake store. $2.75 per cupcake. Super cute and oh-so-yummy. A little North of campus, but worth the walk. They have a ton of flavors everyday to choose from, ranging from chocolate maltball, matcha green tea, pumpkin bliss, and my favorite, red velvet.

So lately I've been on this jazz/classical/Romanian/French music kick. Actually, it's not a kick, it's more of like a, "well, if I listen to this often enough maybe the classiness and the French language will rub off on me..."
Obviously it hasn't, but the recent kick HAS opened me up to a lot of good music.
Oh... and once I find a job, I'm saving up to find an accordion tutor in Berkeley. Well, I kinda already found one, I just need the money to hire her. And, rent an accordion of course. ANYWAYS.

Beautiful artists that you should look into!

1. Jacques Brel



2. Billie Holiday



3. Chet Baker



4. Jo Basile & His Orchestra



5. Tin Hat Trio

I think we should revamp this again. Because I miss this...
So I'll first start off with saying: hello again!
I don't really know what to put as the first post (in a very long time), so maybe I'll just start off with a playlist of songs I've been into lately as well as a book or two and some films.

I mean, there's kinda no point to this blog.. I feel like tumblr has taken over and made everything simple (reblogging and such), but I don't get as much satisfaction out of that than I do actually writing and posting what's been on my mind. PLUS, I kinda get to stay in touch with Sami so that's always a good thing! :)

For the next post, I plan on writing (with pictures!) some places in Berkeley that are super dee-dooper fantastic that everyone should visit for food and fun. So stay tuned!

June playlist
1. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead
2. Oslo In The Summertime - Of Montreal
3. Some Constellation - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
4. My Moon My Man (Feist Remix) - Boys Noize
5. My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
6. Towards The Sun - Alexi Murdoch
7. Happy Hour - Tin Hat Trio
8. Leaves In The River - Sea Wolf
9. Comme Ci, Comme Ca, Tout Ca - Jo Basile & His Orchestra
10. Mightiest of Guns - A.A. Bondy
11. Feetlips - Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
12. I Wanna Know Now (Bob Marley/MGMT) - Xaphoon Jones
13. Candy Says - The Velvet Underground
14. Don't Let Me Fall In Love With You! - Teitur
15. For Emma (Bon Iver feat. Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Band, Version) - Justin Vernon
16. Mushaboom (w. Spleen, Feist cover) - Bright Eyes
17. My Melancholy Baby - Al Bowlly
18. Biggie Smalls - Starfucker
19. Cool Yourself - Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
20. La Llorna - Beirut

Uhhhhhh. I've been reading this for fun (and for information:)



I don't expect anyone to like it.. It's more of a textbook and research novel than it is an actual novel.

I'm also midway through Dave Egger's Zeitoun, which is fantastic. And I just finished Barbery's The Elegance of The Hedgehog which was a very fun read.. although the best book of summer so far has to be Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Glibert which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

As for movies:



Saw this yesterday. It's an Italian movie, a little slow (but hey, that's the beauty of foreign films). It's one of those movies where after you watch it, you feel really really really tired because the main character is really really really tired. And you also never want to grow old and die. It's one of those films.



Please, Please Me - Saw at the Sacramento French Film Festival. Honestly, one of my favorite foreign movies I have ever seen. (The other being Grave of the Fireflies... which isn't your typical cartoon.) It's ex the gushy smiley faces, and more about war and death and survival and love. It's semi-autobiographical, anti-war based, and was compared to Schnidler's List. The first time I watched this I was ten and I kinda just busted out crying. It truly initiated my interests in international relations, peace and justice. Just... just watch it.



Mmmm... that's it for now.