Little Forest (2018)

I've been meaning to jot something down here as you can see from the many attempts below:

But these are unfinished drafts and I may or may never get to these. We will see. Since the last time I've attempted to update the folks in the blogosphere, a lot has happened. Yes, I was in SF until the end of 2017, spent the holidays in Korea & Japan, and went back to NY. To be honest, the first couple months of 2018 were a blur because I was juggling many different things. I started interning full time, taking classes in the evening, serving more at church, all the while battling with NY's brutally long winter this time around. It zoomed by and to be frank, I was constantly exhausted physically and emotionally because I was always preparing for the next step, plan B, C, and Z. If year 1 in NY was exhilarating, exploring different neighborhoods, going to all the concerts and exhibitions the city has to offer, year 2 in NY was quite anxiety producing knowing that my time at school was coming to an end and that I had to find a different, a more permanent purpose to be in the city. I'll omit the details of the process, but now I'm back in sunny LA from Sunnyside, NY.

Recently I watched a movie called Little Forest (2018). It's originally a Japanese movie that was remade in Korea. The premise is quite simple. It's about a girl who was trying to make it out in Seoul but gets tired and hungry (quite literally) of the hustle and returns home in the countryside temporarily. I remember watching that movie at work when the day was slow wishing that was me. But now that I'm back in Westwood, a past home of 4 years, it somewhat feels similar. When I moved to NY, leaving behind the 4 years of life, friends, and memories, I was determined to make the move worth it. And in that determination, I decided to paint LA as a place I would never return to because I thought.. well I shouldn't, you know? If I was going to go back so easily, then why did I go through all the hassles of moving cross country, finding myself a new community, and learning to love this crazy city, NY? Anyways, to me LA was this ex-boyfriend you should never even entertain the thought of getting back together with and therefore I would always remind myself of the reasons why I disliked the city.

But here I am, back in Los Angeles, and it's not too bad. It's not as horrendous as I thought it would be. It's actually comforting to see the palm trees dance in the breeze. To be sunkissed every morning. And to rock my Birkenstocks all the time. But I do have to say, it is quite dejavu-like to be back, especially in Westwood. But I missed this. Calm mornings with Bruins lined up by the shuttle stop. Impromptu meals with my aunt and uncle. Good (Mexican) food. Friends who are a drive away, not a flight. And perhaps, maybe I needed this. A break and retreat from the city that never sleeps. I'm not sure if this will be a temporary move or a permanent one, but I'm ready to soak up all the sun and love from my home of many homes.

Little Forest (2018)