Los Angeles is one of the most bizarre places on Earth, and it has an equally singular smell. The clear, alluring track of its scent is arresting. There’s the ocean breeze from Santa Monica that can travel as far East as Silver Lake; a dry desert air that comes West over Downtown and South Central; the astringent balm of eucalyptus, pine, honeysuckle, and jasmine from the hills; and car exhaust from catalytic converters, which is, in its strange industrial way, beautiful. It’s like the jolt of a drug: shifting, comforting, cool like a blanket. The lonely smell of the marine layer burns off and you get this flashy perfume of hot asphalt, engines, and sun block that you can find nowhere but in L.A.

- GQ’s ‘Smelliest Cities on the Planet’

“nowhere but LA” … homesickness abounds

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European Financial Crisis

caroulemapoule:

I have 17,91 € to my name. I have 6 slices of bread, half a wedge of brie, 1L of Evian, a small bottle of merlot, some jam and 3 eggs. Once my French bank account starts functioning in 2 or 3 days, I won’t be such a pauper. Boy am I going to have myself a nice restaurant meal and some fine wine when that time comes!

My modish grand-little, living the dream in Poitiers…

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‘Hey Los Angeles, You Are So Beautiful’ by Colin Rich

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“I have six VPNs on my home computer. But I only try them to test which side wins: the GFW or the VPN.”

- 方滨兴, architect of the Great Firewall

USC VPN > GFW! Watch, this will be the very last Tumblr post I’m allowed in China =/

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Going to make this a quickie blog post, since I have work tomorrow (Sunday!) because of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Today I was invited to a Chili Cook Off by my new friend Paul, as you can see from the pictures above. It was so much fun being surrounded by rowdy Americans sporting their college gameday shirts — day drinking and chanting galore. One of the chilis featured Jim Beam, chocolate, Vegemite, cumin, lime juice, and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. And the proprietor kept offering shots of bourbon to everyone.

Overall, it was a fun experience and a reminder of just how international Shanghai has become in the past decade. If I ever need to feel at home, there is definitely something going on that will serve as a substitute.

I’m sad, though, that many USC games will be on at 4 am on Sundays my time! On weekends where I don’t have work, I will attempt to suck it up, go out on Saturday night and stay up until the game ends. Tonight, not so much. Beat the Gophers!

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Today is the first USC football game of the season, wish I could hop on a plane and fly to Hawaii to be there! I miss the feeling of baking in the sun, pumping my victory sign and cheering with friends. Homecoming or ND, gotta make it to one. Fight on!!!

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Everybody who goes to, wants to go to, has gone to, or is destined to go to USC should see this video. 1200+ views? Let’s make it a million.

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Kina Grannis - Valentine

USC grad Kina Grannis featured on YouTube. What a great music video concept, and doesn’t she have a perfect voice? Always exciting to see a fellow Trojan make it :)

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C’mon USC. I have faith in you. And so does Tina Brown.

C’mon USC. I have faith in you. And so does Tina Brown.

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Themed by: Hunson