Category: Slice of Life

Dinner at La Capilla

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO1000
 “Carnitas Enchiladas” Torrance, 2026

La Capilla has been one of our go-to Mexican restaurants for decades. It’s a family favorite, and tonight five of us went out for dinner. Every single one of us ordered something with carnitas. Our waitress noticed and said, “you guys sure love carnitas!” Yes we do. Yes we do. 😄

The second photo is me doing what I always do at the start of a Mexican meal. A chip with beans. It’s a silly tradition I have no plans of breaking. 🌮

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/30 sec, ISO2000
 “Chip and Beans” Torrance, 2026
Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO1600
 “Family Dinner” Torrance, 2026

Go Go Curry

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/120 sec, ISO125
 “Katsu Curry” Gardena, 2026

I met up with a friend for lunch today at Go Go Curry in the Gardena Tokyo Central. It was my first time trying the chain, and I have to say, it held up pretty well. I’m still a CoCo Ichibanya person at heart, but Go Go Curry is not bad! I’d go back. 🍛

Zento Signature

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO250
 “Zento Signature” Torrance, 2026

I made a quick trip to Kinokuniya today on a bit of a long shot, hoping to track down the Zento Signature pen. I honestly wasn’t expecting to find it, so I asked one of the clerks behind the counter. Turns out they had a few in stock, just not out on the floor. ✨ I looked at the silver one and decided to just go for it. It’s a little spendy for a gel pen, but it feels like a genuine buy-it-for-life situation. No rubber parts to degrade over time, and refill cartridges are easy to find. I’m already thinking about swapping the stock .7 mm Zento ink for a .38 mm One cartridge, which is my go-to ink.

I also picked up a multi-pen Juice Up with red, blue, and black inks, which means I can finally retire two separate pens for one sleek little thing. It’s so pretty too! 🖊️ Really happy with today’s stationery haul.

Dinner at Matsui Japanese Restaurant

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO200
 “Manager’s Special” Torrance, 2026

We had dinner tonight at Matsui Japanese restaurant, and it did not disappoint. 🍣 The food was genuinely good and the prices were surprisingly reasonable. You could tell just by looking around the room. Most of the diners were older, Hawaiian-style Asian, lots of flip-flops and casual clothes, the kind of crowd that knows where the real value is.

I went with the Manager’s Special, which turned out to be a popular call. I spotted at least three other diners ordering the same thing. It came with delicious tempura, several pieces of nigiri, a nice salad, and I chose soba over udon for the noodles. It was a lot of food and all of it was solid. Definitely a place to return to. 😊

Giveaway Book

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/50 sec, ISO1250
 “The Typing Lady” Cedar Park, 2026

A few weeks ago I won a book giveaway on Goodreads, and this morning it finally showed up at the door. The timing couldn’t have been better because I was flying to California this afternoon. I ended up spending the whole flight reading The Typing Lady by Ruth Ozeki and got through about half of it before we landed. 📚 I love it so far. I can’t wait to finish it!

Golden Field on the Lunch Run

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 9mm, f/2.8, 1/1500 sec, ISO25
 “Wildflowers” Cedar Park, 2026

On my lunch run today, I passed an open field covered in golden wildflowers. It stopped me in my tracks (and I had to take this photo). I love watching how this spot changes through the seasons. From March to July it’s actually a protected Monarch Butterfly habitat, so hopefully the butterflies remember it’s here and make a pit stop on their migration. It’s a good little field. 🦋🌼