I've moved.

http://minimallyminimal.com

Little Tokyo

Went out to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles to work on a school project with some friends.

I've noticed that LA's first language is pretty much Spanish, so it's quite peculiar to see Japanese here.

You can totally tell that this isn't Tokyo. Something very American about this place.

Still, Little Tokyo tries very hard to appear Japanese.

The weather is now very "SoCal" here now. It's amazing how quickly winter ended.

Went to Pinkberry, which is founded in LA.

Pinkberry is eerily similar to the Korean frozen yogurt giant Red Mango. Starting to think it's a copycat - even the naming is done similarly.

Why does everyone around me use a BlackBerry? It's funny though, everyone that uses one is clearly wanting to switch.

Almost a Seoul-like mood here.

Starting to see less and less of America.

Can't miss a shoe shot.

I really want to hate Mini Coopers but I'm starting to slightly warm up to them. A lot of people that ride them are certainly annoying though (you know what I'm saying).

Little Tokyo is really little but the attention to detail is relatively authentic (unlike the ghetto LA Koreatown).

Called "Tokyo Villa". Looks like it would fit right into Ginza.

Heard a lot about Los Angeles' large variety of food trucks. Didn't try this though.

All of Little Tokyo is spotless, so people have created these small oasis of vandalism.

From an art gallery here.

Everything was street art influenced. Wait, is that a Dyson fan in the background?

Lunch was here.

I miss real ramen.

School "officially" starts on Tuesday for me. Won't be able to post as many photos but you'll probably see more sketches and other design work. Thanks for coming back guys.

From Beverly Hills to Pasadena.

As you guys may be aware, I am finishing my college education in very sunny California.

I've been driving my new Fiesta for nearly 2 weeks now. The car is brilliant so far.

Genuinely European look. Definitely not European environment.

The super thin grill.

Some of the materials in the inside are surprisingly nice. The dash is completely soft to the touch and Ford has intelligently put cushioning on all the areas you rest your arms. "Just slightly short of VW" is what I would call it. Those door handles are nasty plastic though. :(

It's got a 1.6L TI-VCT engine paired with a dual clutch 6 speed transmission which is giving me stunning gas mileage. It says 34.5mpg in this photo but recently, I've been getting 35~37 combined. In comparison, the Honda Fit gets 29 combined.

My only concern is the awkward shifting in lower gears. Ford claims that it "thinks like a manual but shifts like an automatic". I think it's a bit too hesitant and jittery in lower gears.

My favorite feature by far (other than good gas mileage) has got to be Ford Sync. I have it hooked up to my Zune and it's just what I've wanted. When you star up the engine and say, "Play artist, The Doors", and it'll do just that.

Because of Ford Sync's voice commands, these buttons are rendered almost useless.

The cup holders are rather small by the way. I only use them to hold my sunglasses and phone but I can see this being an issue for the American market.

The sunroof is perfect for California.

Yay.

Another neat feature of the Fiesta - a capless fuel filler.

I've been driving through some dusty areas and have noticed that the washer jets weren't functioning properly. Thought they were defective but the dealer just cleaned out the dust and also gave me a free car wash so I was pretty happy.

Gas guzzler vs gas sipper.

Paid a visit to Beverly Hills.

There is nothing I could possibly afford here.

Fun to just wander around though...

... cause you always come across a few surprises.

Holy shit.

Something I would never buy, even if I was filth rich, but still, has a powerful presence.

Best looking store here I think. As you can tell by the photos, it wasn't exactly "sunny" here in SoCal for the past few weeks.

Saw 7 Phantoms this day. This place is pretty crazy.

I'm still not used to seeing palm trees, something I only saw in calendars till now.

The Missoni store reminds me of Garosugil.

Yep, totally.

Went to this Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills called Il Pastaio. 

I don't know why they have so many waiters. There were at least 5 more.

Started with a caesar salad.

It was absolutely delicious; I recommend this place. The pricing is not bad too (though not somewhere you'd go daily), especially when you consider how expensive the neighborhood is. 

This must be Jurassic Park.

Also went to Hollywood. Whenever I see a Coffee Bean, I'm reminded of Seoul.

I'm sorry but there is nothing to see here.

Was rather disappointed but it's always easy to find small things of interest.

Liking the treatment of the signage at this Urban Outfitters. 

Because there was so little to see, I went to got see a movie and randomly found a Le Cordon Bleu.

Hollywood. 

This is my new school; Art Center College of Design. Founded in 1930.

The main building of the school is architecturally just a bridge, creating quite an industrial feeling to the school. I'm still in the orientation week and school hasn't started officially though.

Ready to start the year.