Since I haven’t been around these parts lately, I want to share what’s been happening with life around my neck of the woods.
VERY GOOD:
Had a birthday (Thursday), took 2 days off giving me and the husband 4-day weekend. He treated me well for my birthday, exceeded all expectations. We don’t normally do a “big” thing for our birthdays. Dinner is the norm. However, for this birthday he pulled out all the stops. Flowers, cake, a sunset dinner Hornblower cruise around the bay, a beautiful sapphire ring, mani-pedi, massage, lunch at a Filipino restaurant in the Mission Distrit, a short road trip to Occidental, Bodega Bay, Tomales Bay, Olema, Pt. Reyes.
ALSO SO GOOD:
Friends came over the next day to share dinner at home. Got the very best scribbled b/day greeting from my favorite 7-year-old boy who we babysit. He decorated the drawing with kitty heads. He knows I’m a big cat person. His folks on the other hand gave me a wonderful set of jewelry. The mom knew I adore fashion jewelry and had asked me before where I shop for them. I really adored the gift. My other friend got me a wrap-around skirt, which would need a little bit of alteration, but I got the sewing machine for that. The night was wonderful. Filled with adult conversation and discussions from politics to culture to fashion and everything in between. It was as satisfying as the pesto pasta we had for dinner. The party broke at midnight.
On Saturday, we went to dinner with my two brothers, mom, and one sis-in-law at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place in El Cerrito. We ordered up a storm, got two dishes to go and only added up to $80. I chose the place because that’s my mom’s favorite spot and also wanted the family to know about this place. I think my sis-in-law is already making plans to bring people there. It’s a nice place to eat, if you don’t mind the nonexistent decor. Always I find my table the only non-Chinese when dining there. Talk about authentic dishes. They have for that day snails in black bean sauce that my brother adored. I scored big time there. It impressed him, because in restaurants like this you don’t want to see sweet and sour pork in the menu (although they have it).
On Sunday, we went to a friends’ wedding. We met the groom through church. We’ve been around them awhile, through the ups and downs, and we’re elated when they told us they are finally getting married. I didn’t do a church wedding because I am the type to shy away from spotlight. I don’t want the attention, but I enjoy going to parties like a wedding reception. The ceremony was casual, fun, and the priest was on top of his game and very funny. Honestly though, it was too casual for my liking.
The reception was held in Pleasant Hill and has an open bar. Truth be told I was hungry like a horse but threw caution to the wind and drank while munching on apps. I had three drinks (2 margaritas and a mojito) and didn’t feel buzzed at all. I guess the drinks were weak. The affair was catered but the bride and groom had requested that my husband make his famous cauliflower biryani and chicken kebab to supplement the food. The couple loved my husband’s cooking and so we both “slaved” at the kitchen Saturday evening and Sunday morning. It was all worth it when the caterer asked my husband after the dinner was served how he cooked his biryani and if he has a restaurant. High compliments, wow! My husband can really cook!
We were at the table with good friends of ours, a couple with their two kids, the younger one was one of the flower girls. She devoured every dessert and like any 5-year-olds has learned to manipulate people to get what she wants. She’s so adorable. I came to the table with my plate full of apps when she saw I had desserts. The girl immediately asked me where the dessert table was. She had more servings than I can ever count. Later her mom must have put out the stop sign on her dessert table trek so she asked me if she could go ahead and grab some dessert for me. Wise eh? I said go ahead, get me one and you can go and grab one for you too. She did. I let mine sit at my plate. I never intended to eat it. It was for her all along because I knew she would ask for it later on. And she did!!!!! I love that adorable girl.
Later, the mom texted me a picture of her and the brother all asleep in the car on the drive home. I’m glad she didn’t crash from sugar high that night and gave her folks a quiet Sunday night.
NOT SO GOOD
My reading has been derailed. First by a renewed attraction to Bejewelled Blitz and second by a new addiction to coloring these wonderful designs that are like zentangles. I have 2 books that I was reading simultaneously, but both are now waiting for whatever free time I’m going to have after all these hobbies.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Millie and Other Random Thoughts
Out of the blue I thought of Millie today. Who is Millie? I met Millie in college, freshman year. She’s one of the girls I hang out with. Since we were seated alphabetically (pathetic, right?) we always sit together, both of us have last names starting with M.
In college she wore her straight black hair short, an inch or two above shoulder with bangs. She wore red red lipstick on her nicely shaped lips. She also wore make-up, I thought too much for school setting. She kept her uniform (yes we did wear unis in university) above the knee, highlighting her beautifully-shaped legs, proportional for her short stature.
She was a Manilena, through and through. Okay to be more precise, she was from San Juan. One time we went to their house, I don't remember why.
Anyway, she belonged to the group of gals that I hang with on that freshman year. All of them are from the Metro area and I was the only one that’s from the province. I really felt like I was fresh off the boat for the most part whenever I was around them, or what we used to term, promdi (short for from the province).
She was very nice to me and she has that guile, womanly guile that only a Manilena would know at age 17. In my eyes she was mature beyond her years.
She moved away the next year. I heard she migrated to USA.
Years later, my bff from high school who also migrated to California was on the phone with me and out of nowhere she asked if I knew Millie. They bumped into each other in San Jose and they had me in common. Both of them shared individual experience of how we copied off each other during exams.
I really don’t have a reason for this post except that I realized that so many people come into our lives that are there only for a second or so. Then they’re gone forever. They move on to their own journey on this earth and our journey goes on without them.
Say for instance, all the people in all the classes I’ve been in the university. Out of a roomful of people, there’s one or two that would be important for a period of time, if not forever. What happens with the others?
I’ve lived in dormitories before. I’ve made life-long friends there. But there were more who I ate dinner with regularity and yet I cannot remember their names anymore. At one point in my life, I have shared a chuckle with so many people that have touched my life in some ways.
I don’t know what I’m talking about. But as I was looking at the photos of people I took in Venice, an idea is brewing in my mind. I think I’ll explore that idea further.
In the meantime, I wonder what happened to Millie. Would we recognize each other when we bump into each other? I could only wonder.
In college she wore her straight black hair short, an inch or two above shoulder with bangs. She wore red red lipstick on her nicely shaped lips. She also wore make-up, I thought too much for school setting. She kept her uniform (yes we did wear unis in university) above the knee, highlighting her beautifully-shaped legs, proportional for her short stature.
She was a Manilena, through and through. Okay to be more precise, she was from San Juan. One time we went to their house, I don't remember why.
Anyway, she belonged to the group of gals that I hang with on that freshman year. All of them are from the Metro area and I was the only one that’s from the province. I really felt like I was fresh off the boat for the most part whenever I was around them, or what we used to term, promdi (short for from the province).
She was very nice to me and she has that guile, womanly guile that only a Manilena would know at age 17. In my eyes she was mature beyond her years.
She moved away the next year. I heard she migrated to USA.
Years later, my bff from high school who also migrated to California was on the phone with me and out of nowhere she asked if I knew Millie. They bumped into each other in San Jose and they had me in common. Both of them shared individual experience of how we copied off each other during exams.
I really don’t have a reason for this post except that I realized that so many people come into our lives that are there only for a second or so. Then they’re gone forever. They move on to their own journey on this earth and our journey goes on without them.
Say for instance, all the people in all the classes I’ve been in the university. Out of a roomful of people, there’s one or two that would be important for a period of time, if not forever. What happens with the others?
I’ve lived in dormitories before. I’ve made life-long friends there. But there were more who I ate dinner with regularity and yet I cannot remember their names anymore. At one point in my life, I have shared a chuckle with so many people that have touched my life in some ways.
I don’t know what I’m talking about. But as I was looking at the photos of people I took in Venice, an idea is brewing in my mind. I think I’ll explore that idea further.
In the meantime, I wonder what happened to Millie. Would we recognize each other when we bump into each other? I could only wonder.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
One month later.....
Here I am nearly a month later. Honestly don't know how I was unable to post at all during that time when I was religiously and regularly posting in my other blogs.
I'm writing now and I still don't know what to write.
It's May now and April just flew by. The past month just seemed to be filled with activities, or you may call them chores :).
A few hours ago we just had our first bbq. Had a few friends over and had a wonderful day. The day turned out to be a bit breezy, but nothing like breezy like yesterday. I overate again, lamb skewers, kebab, steak, korean bbq-marinated chicken wings,grilled veggies, potato salad, etcetera etcetera.
Yesterday we were invited to Fundraiser for a choral group. A friend of ours is a member of the group, we saw their concert last month, and so he paid for the whole table and invited couple friends of theirs. When we got invited I asked what the dress code was and I was told it's Cinco de Mayo so anything Mexican. Idiot me, I borrowed my mom's Mayan traditional dress and wore it for the fundraiser. On the drive to the venue I was having second thoughts. I knew right then that I made a mistake of dressing up. But we were too far from home to turn back and change. Besides I thought no one knows me anyway.
Well I was right, no body dressed up in Mexican attire. Well there was one. Everyone else was wearing casual dress. Anyway, our friend said to me, "You were not kidding, you do have a Mexican dress!"
Since it was a fundraiser, there were both a silent auction and a loud (live) auction in addition to a raffle. One from our table won in the raffle, after she proclaims she never wins in raffle (that is aside from the one she won at our church fundraiser). The one item I bid on silent auction I won because no one else wanted it. It was a handmade earring. The hubby bid on several items, but won a set of bone china tea set made in India.
Well I guess this is all for now. I'm all too preoccupied with planning our fall travel. BTW when we mentioned about our plans for fall, a couple who were in the bbq with us seemed to be interested in joining us. I like the couple, so it should be fun.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Starting the new year with some curries.
Sa Wad Dee is one of those cliched hole in the wall restaurant that seemed to be there forever. A no-frills Thai restaurant that is centrally located in busy San Pablo Avenue in Richmond, a few blocks from the El Cerrito Del Norte BART.
For the first dining out experience of 2014, it was Thai for lunch. A New Year's Day dining tradition that we started a few years ago that was initially composed of 5 people. As the years went on, there had been additions and subtractions to the members of the group.
This year there were 5 of us for lunch this year. The hubs is the one assigned to select the restaurant this year. We've thought about it for a half day and the choices boiled down to Mexican cuisine versus Thai cuisine. I think the reason behind the loss of Mexican cuisine is that the hubs is tired of the cuisine and he's afraid I'd fill up on the chips and dips. Well he's right of course.
It makes me happy to see small restaurants stay in business for long. Not an easy feat considering the Bay Area is full of many good restaurants. So I reckon Sa Wad Dee (a Thai greeting) is doing something right.
AMBIANCE:
The small restaurant is split in two set ups. The right side is where the traditional Thai seating is located. People sit on the floor with cushion to sit on. The left side is a regular booth and tables set-up. We chose to sit on the floor in the traditional Thai setting. The interiors is decorated with a few items/statues of Thai culture. Nothing fancy.
SERVICE:
Personally I felt it was a tad slow considering the restaurant wasn't full at that time. In fact at one time there were about 4 tables of diners at most including us. However, the wait staff is friendly, but not too chatty as well.
FOOD:
Since there were 5 of us, we ordered 5 different items to be shared. The order size is large enough for two people, or three people with bird appetites. In addition to the 5 items, we also asked for a side order of steamed rice (then ordered a second one later on).
Fried Tofu - appetizer - served with sweet chili sauce and cucumber salad. The crispy tofu was so good. One order is big enough for five people.
Potak - soup - sour soup similar to the Filipino sinigang. It came with mixed seafood. The broth was very comforting, it's something that would be perfect on cold days. A hit with everybody, just like the fried tofu.
Pumpkin Red Curry with chicken - on the special's menu. A tad sweet but the otherwise very good. Except that personally, I am not fond of curries in general. I find them way too sweet for my taste buds. Also a hit with everyone else.
Tofu Green Curry - a hit with everyone, especially me. I enjoy the green curry better than the red or the yellow curry. Less sweet than the red curry in my opinion.
Mung Sa Virut - stir fried noodles with black mushrooms and vegetables. Very tasty and flavorful. Someone in the group thought it could use more mushrooms, which I seconded.
Fried Banana and coconut ice cream - a perfect dessert. We ordered only one because we were all too full from all the curries. This one was the bomb. I loved the coconut ice cream, really perfect with the fried banana.
Including tip, each diner's share of the bill was $16.00.
(Photos courtesy of cell phone.)
For the first dining out experience of 2014, it was Thai for lunch. A New Year's Day dining tradition that we started a few years ago that was initially composed of 5 people. As the years went on, there had been additions and subtractions to the members of the group.
This year there were 5 of us for lunch this year. The hubs is the one assigned to select the restaurant this year. We've thought about it for a half day and the choices boiled down to Mexican cuisine versus Thai cuisine. I think the reason behind the loss of Mexican cuisine is that the hubs is tired of the cuisine and he's afraid I'd fill up on the chips and dips. Well he's right of course.
It makes me happy to see small restaurants stay in business for long. Not an easy feat considering the Bay Area is full of many good restaurants. So I reckon Sa Wad Dee (a Thai greeting) is doing something right.
AMBIANCE:
The small restaurant is split in two set ups. The right side is where the traditional Thai seating is located. People sit on the floor with cushion to sit on. The left side is a regular booth and tables set-up. We chose to sit on the floor in the traditional Thai setting. The interiors is decorated with a few items/statues of Thai culture. Nothing fancy.
SERVICE:
Personally I felt it was a tad slow considering the restaurant wasn't full at that time. In fact at one time there were about 4 tables of diners at most including us. However, the wait staff is friendly, but not too chatty as well.
FOOD:
Since there were 5 of us, we ordered 5 different items to be shared. The order size is large enough for two people, or three people with bird appetites. In addition to the 5 items, we also asked for a side order of steamed rice (then ordered a second one later on).
Fried Tofu - appetizer - served with sweet chili sauce and cucumber salad. The crispy tofu was so good. One order is big enough for five people.
Potak - soup - sour soup similar to the Filipino sinigang. It came with mixed seafood. The broth was very comforting, it's something that would be perfect on cold days. A hit with everybody, just like the fried tofu.
Pumpkin Red Curry with chicken - on the special's menu. A tad sweet but the otherwise very good. Except that personally, I am not fond of curries in general. I find them way too sweet for my taste buds. Also a hit with everyone else.
Tofu Green Curry - a hit with everyone, especially me. I enjoy the green curry better than the red or the yellow curry. Less sweet than the red curry in my opinion.
Mung Sa Virut - stir fried noodles with black mushrooms and vegetables. Very tasty and flavorful. Someone in the group thought it could use more mushrooms, which I seconded.
Fried Banana and coconut ice cream - a perfect dessert. We ordered only one because we were all too full from all the curries. This one was the bomb. I loved the coconut ice cream, really perfect with the fried banana.
Including tip, each diner's share of the bill was $16.00.
(Photos courtesy of cell phone.)
Monday, December 16, 2013
A week before Christmas
A week to go before Christmas and I find my energy level for the Holidays a bit down. Likewise my enthusiasm meter shows it's way down. I don't know what happens to me during this time of the year. I cannot seem to summon up enough energy, enough excitement, the same eagerness I once had for this holiday.
As our family had been doing for a few years now, what with the original nieces and nephews all grown and some have little kiddies of their own, we now only buy one present with a set price (usually $10) that would hopefully be gender neutral which we would number and then we'd pick out a number and we'd get the present with the corresponding number (like a white elephant thingy). Now if you pick the one you brought, you could pick another number. This way we can all cut down the cost of Christmas. Our family is big, and if we continued doing what we were doing before (buying each and everyone a present) well, it's crazy expensive. And completely unnecessary expenses, I might add. We all agreed that the adults (which now outnumber the kids) don't actually need anything, don't require presents at Christmas. So we all only buy one present, however, all the kids under 12 still get presents from everyone. After all Christmas presents are for kiddies, right?
That being said, trips to the stores/mall have been curtailed in half, or even less, especially since we almost always pick something up from the store all year round, or hit the buy button on websites for deals we see.
Be that as it may, I still found myself at the stores this weekend, the horror! I was slated to pick up some clothes for moi. I don't normally shop much for clothes except that I had budgeted some money for clothes from my vacation fund. I had found some pants, work pants, that I kinda like, but when I saw the long line at the cashier, I didn't hesitate to leave them behind and march out of the store. Long lines and shopping chaos give me headache.
Also this weekend, our 2nd annual project for the homeless in the city went underway. On Saturday we filled Christmas sacks filled with goodies from toiletries to food and bible. The evening also consisted of dinner and caroling. A fun time. Sunday was when the gift sacks were distributed; however, we didn't go with the group to distribute. We had other things to do.
We had a heavy heart all weekend long, helping friends with relationship woes. It's really hard to keep a relationship going. It's true love is not enough to keep it going. So many little things required for a partnership to bloom and thrive and grow, things like respect, compassion, romance, trust, etc. It's hard when you are friends with both of them. It would be easier if you are friends with just one of them, then your focus and support is with the friend. The hubby and I were on call and we've been fielding calls all weekend long. I pray that they can find a solution that is right for both of them. It makes me sad to see a relationship crumble, especially when you don't see the crack forming right before your very eyes. You only become aware there's trouble when the whole darn building collapses. That's what happened here. The hubs and I look at each other in disbelief. We had NO clue at all.
As our family had been doing for a few years now, what with the original nieces and nephews all grown and some have little kiddies of their own, we now only buy one present with a set price (usually $10) that would hopefully be gender neutral which we would number and then we'd pick out a number and we'd get the present with the corresponding number (like a white elephant thingy). Now if you pick the one you brought, you could pick another number. This way we can all cut down the cost of Christmas. Our family is big, and if we continued doing what we were doing before (buying each and everyone a present) well, it's crazy expensive. And completely unnecessary expenses, I might add. We all agreed that the adults (which now outnumber the kids) don't actually need anything, don't require presents at Christmas. So we all only buy one present, however, all the kids under 12 still get presents from everyone. After all Christmas presents are for kiddies, right?
That being said, trips to the stores/mall have been curtailed in half, or even less, especially since we almost always pick something up from the store all year round, or hit the buy button on websites for deals we see.
Be that as it may, I still found myself at the stores this weekend, the horror! I was slated to pick up some clothes for moi. I don't normally shop much for clothes except that I had budgeted some money for clothes from my vacation fund. I had found some pants, work pants, that I kinda like, but when I saw the long line at the cashier, I didn't hesitate to leave them behind and march out of the store. Long lines and shopping chaos give me headache.
Also this weekend, our 2nd annual project for the homeless in the city went underway. On Saturday we filled Christmas sacks filled with goodies from toiletries to food and bible. The evening also consisted of dinner and caroling. A fun time. Sunday was when the gift sacks were distributed; however, we didn't go with the group to distribute. We had other things to do.
We had a heavy heart all weekend long, helping friends with relationship woes. It's really hard to keep a relationship going. It's true love is not enough to keep it going. So many little things required for a partnership to bloom and thrive and grow, things like respect, compassion, romance, trust, etc. It's hard when you are friends with both of them. It would be easier if you are friends with just one of them, then your focus and support is with the friend. The hubby and I were on call and we've been fielding calls all weekend long. I pray that they can find a solution that is right for both of them. It makes me sad to see a relationship crumble, especially when you don't see the crack forming right before your very eyes. You only become aware there's trouble when the whole darn building collapses. That's what happened here. The hubs and I look at each other in disbelief. We had NO clue at all.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Now That Thanksgiving is Over
But before that, let me tell you how Thanksgiving went. I took an extra day, Wednesday, so that I had a 5-day holiday, what fun, isn't it?
Spent the Wednesday tidying up the house, vacuum, sweeping, mopping, dusting, all the works. Each time there's an occasion I vow to regularly do a clean up like 2x a month just so the house is always "clean" and when big days come there's only a little bit of dusting or sweeping slash vacuuming to do; instead of this half-day affair. BUT it never happens. The other half of the day was spent chopping and slicing. I was tired.
Thankfully on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, there was very little thing to do. The turkey would go at the very last hour since we were deep frying it. Nope it is good deep fried. It's not our first time to do this. The skin is crispy, but the meat is super juicy. A crowd favorite.
The mashed potatoes were done the day before; just like the roasted veggies. Since we were deep frying the turkey we decided to do french fries and sweet potato fries.
We had 8 guests; not one is family, at least not by blood. Our family doesn't do a thanksgiving as a clan; we wait for Christmas to do that.
The toughest part of the preparation is not the cooking nor the cleaning; it's the digging up the boxes in the garage to find where the good china is. I wasn't going to serve dinner and use Dixie. In the same vein finding the good utensils was equally hard. Take it from me, mark your boxes accurately when packing for moving.
Anyway, we found the good set. We know that there's two sets because I bought two of them. However I could only find one set. It's a set of 8, good right since I have 8 guests. But that means we have to find something for me, the hubs and my mom to use. Long story short we found a way to complete our table setting.
Friday we stayed in bed till around 12 noon. I was dog tired from yesterday. When the party ended the clean up began and we didn't get into bed until way after midnight.
Initially planned on watching CATCHING FIRE; but when we eventually finished cleaning up from the party (putting back the china et. al.) it was an hour or so before the showing. We hit two stores just browsing. By the time we were driving to the cinema we noticed that the parking lot was so full we drove away and abandoned our plan of watching a movie.
On Saturday our friends took us to a seafood/sushi buffet. I know, more food, so soon after Thanksgiving. I don't know what's going on here.
Then we all went to Costco for a little shopping. We managed to get toys for little kids we have on our list.
Sunday we drove to Daly City to go to another seafood/sushi buffet. What's going on in here?
In recap, my five day holiday was more about food and not too much about shopping. Oh and I need a vacation from this one.
Kidding aside.....I am very thankful. I am blessed tremendously, more than I deserved.
Friday, November 22, 2013
It's About The Double Date and The Scenic Route
On Tuesday night the dinner with another couple finally happened. I honestly didn't think it would happen. Each time we bump into the couple we make cursory attempts at getting together. Anyway, it's nice. We spent a good evening with them. Except that they are so into PDA (public display of attention). So touchy, so feely-feely. One can easily tell they're not married, by the way they are pawing each other in public. :)
It's nice that we chose the Pear Street Bistro in downtown Pinole, not only for its proximity to both couple's homes (although the other couple's guy lives in another county), but also because I've been wanting to eat there. Apparently of the four of us, I'm the only first-timer in that restaurant that night. Pity that we didn't really explore the menu. Maybe next time I'll find another chance to eat here. For one the ambiance is suitably relaxing. The wait staff is there when you need them and invisible when you don't.
This week I've taken the "scenic route" to work. It's a lot longer in terms of miles but with the congestion in the freeways (the downside of living in the Bay Area) I have not choice. This route cuts through the hills and the road is flanked by trees, whose leaves are a-changing. It's curvy and rural.
At the end of the scenic drive I arrive just outside of Caldecott Tunnel in Berkeley and only a few miles/minutes away from my workplace in Oakland.
Taking this road is beneficial to my emotional health. Driving here is the opposite of taking the freeway that's always stop and go and most of the time is at stop. When I take this route, it feels like I'm on a roadtrip. This Tuesday I drove here and the weather was gloomy and gray. The fog floats on the top of the trees with the hills behind it. So pretty. On the part where it's curvy the fall leaves are in full display, I was so happy to be driving to work.
Speaking of commute to work; today happens to be one of most horrible Friday commute I've had in a while. I have taken the scenic route but was delayed significantly by a fender bender near the junction to 580.
I think I need a rootbeer float as a reward for enduring daily stressful commute to work. Happy weekend.
It's nice that we chose the Pear Street Bistro in downtown Pinole, not only for its proximity to both couple's homes (although the other couple's guy lives in another county), but also because I've been wanting to eat there. Apparently of the four of us, I'm the only first-timer in that restaurant that night. Pity that we didn't really explore the menu. Maybe next time I'll find another chance to eat here. For one the ambiance is suitably relaxing. The wait staff is there when you need them and invisible when you don't.
This week I've taken the "scenic route" to work. It's a lot longer in terms of miles but with the congestion in the freeways (the downside of living in the Bay Area) I have not choice. This route cuts through the hills and the road is flanked by trees, whose leaves are a-changing. It's curvy and rural.
At the end of the scenic drive I arrive just outside of Caldecott Tunnel in Berkeley and only a few miles/minutes away from my workplace in Oakland.
Taking this road is beneficial to my emotional health. Driving here is the opposite of taking the freeway that's always stop and go and most of the time is at stop. When I take this route, it feels like I'm on a roadtrip. This Tuesday I drove here and the weather was gloomy and gray. The fog floats on the top of the trees with the hills behind it. So pretty. On the part where it's curvy the fall leaves are in full display, I was so happy to be driving to work.
Speaking of commute to work; today happens to be one of most horrible Friday commute I've had in a while. I have taken the scenic route but was delayed significantly by a fender bender near the junction to 580.
I think I need a rootbeer float as a reward for enduring daily stressful commute to work. Happy weekend.
Monday, November 18, 2013
This and That
It has been a busy few days. And I don't mean physically busy. I don't mean application of elbow grease. Just busy. Things around me are busy.
This weekend my aunt from Texas passed on. I found out on facebook. My relationship with that part of my family is sustained by facebook. It's sad I know but before facebook we hardly had any relationship at all. So yes, facebook made it better to communicate with relatives. When I told my mother, she said, "Oh no, we can't go right? Apparently all day Sunday her mind was filled with thoughts of this aunt and her husband, my uncle, my dad's younger brother. I think the spirit of my aunt was visiting my mom.
The news about possible turkey shortage spurred the hubs and I to run to the grocery store yesterday and grab a turkey before they run out. Funny I know. But it's better safe than sorry. The fact that we only have turkey once a year on Turkey Day makes the availability of the fowl on our table on that day much more important. I remember one year for Thanksgiving as we were shopping for turkey we saw a lot of goose. Every grocery store carried so many frozen goose that year. Since we were having turkey for thanksgiving we decided that we'd have goose for New Year's instead, ham was for Christmas. And so when we got back to the grocery stores after Christmas for goose, there were no more goose to be found. We drove around for goose but no goose. Since then, we vowed to buy something when we find it just to be on the safe side. However, we never attempted to serve goose after that failure.
There is another park in Pinole! I mean a park that I like to walk and bbq at. It's mind boggling how one can live in one place for decades and still find something new. I'll be back here bbqing in late spring through summer. It's a lovely spot and there's a walking trail that is perpendicular to the Pinole Creek. We weren't ready to walk the length of it but the trail from the park will definitely lead to the shopping center where there's Five Guys Burger and Jamba Juice, not to mention Chipotle and Peet's Coffee. Will take that walking trail another season.
I had a wonderful day yesterday. I made dinner plans for Tuesday with another couple, and the hubs and I went to dinner at friends' house. We got invited when the male friend mentioned he was making paella. His paella was excellent. He really has talent in the kitchen, I suppose that's why my hubs and him getting along so well. They both love to cook. I promised to have them for dinner someday (they've been to the house for 49ers watch party and bbq) where I'll have them sample Filipino cuisine.
I'm exerting immense patience by not putting up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to fail, because I really want it up by next week. What do you think, early tree up okay?
This weekend my aunt from Texas passed on. I found out on facebook. My relationship with that part of my family is sustained by facebook. It's sad I know but before facebook we hardly had any relationship at all. So yes, facebook made it better to communicate with relatives. When I told my mother, she said, "Oh no, we can't go right? Apparently all day Sunday her mind was filled with thoughts of this aunt and her husband, my uncle, my dad's younger brother. I think the spirit of my aunt was visiting my mom.
The news about possible turkey shortage spurred the hubs and I to run to the grocery store yesterday and grab a turkey before they run out. Funny I know. But it's better safe than sorry. The fact that we only have turkey once a year on Turkey Day makes the availability of the fowl on our table on that day much more important. I remember one year for Thanksgiving as we were shopping for turkey we saw a lot of goose. Every grocery store carried so many frozen goose that year. Since we were having turkey for thanksgiving we decided that we'd have goose for New Year's instead, ham was for Christmas. And so when we got back to the grocery stores after Christmas for goose, there were no more goose to be found. We drove around for goose but no goose. Since then, we vowed to buy something when we find it just to be on the safe side. However, we never attempted to serve goose after that failure.
There is another park in Pinole! I mean a park that I like to walk and bbq at. It's mind boggling how one can live in one place for decades and still find something new. I'll be back here bbqing in late spring through summer. It's a lovely spot and there's a walking trail that is perpendicular to the Pinole Creek. We weren't ready to walk the length of it but the trail from the park will definitely lead to the shopping center where there's Five Guys Burger and Jamba Juice, not to mention Chipotle and Peet's Coffee. Will take that walking trail another season.
I had a wonderful day yesterday. I made dinner plans for Tuesday with another couple, and the hubs and I went to dinner at friends' house. We got invited when the male friend mentioned he was making paella. His paella was excellent. He really has talent in the kitchen, I suppose that's why my hubs and him getting along so well. They both love to cook. I promised to have them for dinner someday (they've been to the house for 49ers watch party and bbq) where I'll have them sample Filipino cuisine.
I'm exerting immense patience by not putting up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to fail, because I really want it up by next week. What do you think, early tree up okay?
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A Weird Few Days
I've experienced something I don't recall having experienced before as a resident of this wonderful region. We have had a string of humid days. Humidity! It's here. In the Bay Area.
Humidity and I we don't get along well. I'm Miss Cranky Pants when humidity makes an appearance. And while I'm really brave vacationing at locations where heat and humidity is the norm, I can be assured that when the vacation ends I could go back to my drylandia.
But these past few days were crazy. So humid. My house was too hot and humid and it's not even that hot outside.
Anyway, because there is so much water in the air, our skies were so pretty, something like this. This picture was taken a few months back, but this cloudscape reminded me so much of what we had this weekend.
Changing topic here. I finally got a taste of Indonesian cuisine courtesy of PADI in Berkeley. Our dining group (for lack of better term) met up at the College Avenue location, the website said they have another one in San Lorenzo, and partake of the 12-course group meal. I really enjoyed a few of the dishes, but there is nothing that I would brag about here. My hubs on the other hand was really impressed.
Good food and good friends was a great way to end the holiday weekend. But that's not all.
After dinner we decided we wanted some ice cream for dessert, even though our 12-course meal included a delicious dessert.
So we bravely queued up at ICI, which against my better judgement turned out to be a good idea. I don't like lining up for anything, much less ice cream. But the ice cream was made in Berkeley, I don't know exactly if it's in this location, but it's artisanal and quite good.
They have different flavors everyday and from a list of about 6 on the chalkboard, I had a scoop of burnt caramel, which was quite subtle. I wanted a bit bolder caramel taste. The hubs had a scoop of ginger creme brulee; hardly brulee taste and very strong ginger taste, which overpowers the flavor. However, it was good.
So after 20 minutes in line our group of 9 including 2 kids had our scoops and ate them standing on the sidewalk chatting the night away.
It was about 9 pm and we thought we'd be able to go from Berkeley to cross the new span that night, but the bridge didn't open until after 10 pm so we just went home and got ready for another week of work.
It looks like our dining group is indeed going to do it monthly this time around. S reminded us that the last time we met up for dinner was some 6 weeks ago at Dixie; however, there were only 4 of us that were able to make it that time.
Now with all these eating (we didn't even bbq for Labor Day) I must do something about losing all these weight.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Camping Trip Reporting, etc.
The Sunday before yesterday, we set out to our camping trip. The 9:30 am meeting time wasn't met, as expected, but the delay was minimal. By 9:45 am we were leaving the cool breezes of the East Bay area towards the Sierra Nevada, in central part of California.
The drive was long. We gassed up at Costco in Richmond and that was the only time we gassed up again that day. We were driving a Prius so we had no worries on our part. I was worried about the other car, because it's a smaller version of an SUV.
Five hours later we were pulling up into our secluded cabin. The exhuastion from the long drive and the worries I had that we might have been lost despite following the direction carefully and aided by GPS dissipated the moment I stepped inside the cabin.
Felt like going home again. Six years ago I was here with family camping for two days. I loved it then, that's why we came back this time. I wished I came more often, but the long drive was a deterrent.
Our only goal was to relax, enjoy nature, especially the river. Just like the first time, we were the only people for miles, although we have seen the park ranger drive through and a truckful of hunters in their camo gear.
The river was a big hit with our friends and their two kids who are below 12 years old. The kids love water and they both are swimmers. The couple were impressed by the beauty of the surroundings, mountain on one side of the river, clear calm river full of boulders and the serenity and privacy of the beach.
For two days we lazed about the river, taking in the warm air, the cool water, the hot sand. We ventured for a mid-day hike/walk one day walking alongside the river. We collected recyclables (beer bottles, soda cans) and piled them up near the road for the park ranger to collect them. Some campers just don't care. They keep trashing, a pity.
At nite we played board and card games. We sipped champagne, chugged beer, cooked meat over the fire, roasted marshmallows and almost had diabetic coma from the smores.
On our last day we drove out to Kings Canyon/Sequioa National Park to see the giant trees. Made a lot of stop, took pictures with the trees, ogled the largest tree - General Sherman and enjoyed our last day with nature.
On the drive out of the park, our friends who were tailing us saw a bear cross the street. Apparently, the bear just let us pass before he crossed the street. How fun for the kids.
Long drive home again. Back in time for late dinner at 10 PM. Then work the next day.
ETC........
Grudgingly agreed to check out neighboring town's street festival yesterday. Was in no mood for this sort of thing. I was really lazy yesterday, but because of the marriage contract I signed years ago, I was legally bound to accompany the hubby to run errands. Wasn't too bad. I even liked the places we went - Fry's Electronics and the grocery store. In fact, he saw a smart phone that was within our price range and has all the "bells and whistles" of the other smart phones that cost over 4 times the price we paid (it was on SALE). So I was happy. That was why I relented to go to the street fair.
As with any street fair there was music, lots of food, and many items for sale. I lingered in the jewelry tent where my quest for an every day ring (read: fashion) continues. I tried every design, every stone, every type they have. Not one called out to me. My hubs found something so he has a souvenir.
There was a tent/stall that advertises coffee. We stopped there. We love coffee. WE got samples, they were good. The lady said it's direct sell coffee, just like Avon or May Kay. If I'm interested she'll be able to hook me up. I got her contact number. She gave me a packet of coffee to go. On the way back home I read the packet's ingredients. Not one of them is coffee or cacao. I will not contact her.
There were quite a few giveaways from here so I left very happy. My husband was gloating on the way home. He said the reason he always seem to drag me around is that I never want to go anywhere. Furthermore, he said if left alone, I'd choose to hang with my cats instead of going out to be with people. Boy, he knows me really well.
MORE ETC.....
I'm prepping for another trip. This time for about 2 weeks. I'm going to the beach. To beachcomb. Maybe have time to visit Mayan ruin.
The drive was long. We gassed up at Costco in Richmond and that was the only time we gassed up again that day. We were driving a Prius so we had no worries on our part. I was worried about the other car, because it's a smaller version of an SUV.
Five hours later we were pulling up into our secluded cabin. The exhuastion from the long drive and the worries I had that we might have been lost despite following the direction carefully and aided by GPS dissipated the moment I stepped inside the cabin.
Felt like going home again. Six years ago I was here with family camping for two days. I loved it then, that's why we came back this time. I wished I came more often, but the long drive was a deterrent.
Our only goal was to relax, enjoy nature, especially the river. Just like the first time, we were the only people for miles, although we have seen the park ranger drive through and a truckful of hunters in their camo gear.
The river was a big hit with our friends and their two kids who are below 12 years old. The kids love water and they both are swimmers. The couple were impressed by the beauty of the surroundings, mountain on one side of the river, clear calm river full of boulders and the serenity and privacy of the beach.
For two days we lazed about the river, taking in the warm air, the cool water, the hot sand. We ventured for a mid-day hike/walk one day walking alongside the river. We collected recyclables (beer bottles, soda cans) and piled them up near the road for the park ranger to collect them. Some campers just don't care. They keep trashing, a pity.
At nite we played board and card games. We sipped champagne, chugged beer, cooked meat over the fire, roasted marshmallows and almost had diabetic coma from the smores.
On our last day we drove out to Kings Canyon/Sequioa National Park to see the giant trees. Made a lot of stop, took pictures with the trees, ogled the largest tree - General Sherman and enjoyed our last day with nature.
On the drive out of the park, our friends who were tailing us saw a bear cross the street. Apparently, the bear just let us pass before he crossed the street. How fun for the kids.
Long drive home again. Back in time for late dinner at 10 PM. Then work the next day.
ETC........
Grudgingly agreed to check out neighboring town's street festival yesterday. Was in no mood for this sort of thing. I was really lazy yesterday, but because of the marriage contract I signed years ago, I was legally bound to accompany the hubby to run errands. Wasn't too bad. I even liked the places we went - Fry's Electronics and the grocery store. In fact, he saw a smart phone that was within our price range and has all the "bells and whistles" of the other smart phones that cost over 4 times the price we paid (it was on SALE). So I was happy. That was why I relented to go to the street fair.
As with any street fair there was music, lots of food, and many items for sale. I lingered in the jewelry tent where my quest for an every day ring (read: fashion) continues. I tried every design, every stone, every type they have. Not one called out to me. My hubs found something so he has a souvenir.
There was a tent/stall that advertises coffee. We stopped there. We love coffee. WE got samples, they were good. The lady said it's direct sell coffee, just like Avon or May Kay. If I'm interested she'll be able to hook me up. I got her contact number. She gave me a packet of coffee to go. On the way back home I read the packet's ingredients. Not one of them is coffee or cacao. I will not contact her.
There were quite a few giveaways from here so I left very happy. My husband was gloating on the way home. He said the reason he always seem to drag me around is that I never want to go anywhere. Furthermore, he said if left alone, I'd choose to hang with my cats instead of going out to be with people. Boy, he knows me really well.
MORE ETC.....
I'm prepping for another trip. This time for about 2 weeks. I'm going to the beach. To beachcomb. Maybe have time to visit Mayan ruin.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Happy Wednesday
Happy Hump Day!
I cannot wait for the weekend to come. The reason? I'm going camping, er cabining with friends. It's camping but we're going to be staying in a cabin. I've been to this cabin before with family several years ago. We had a blast, especially moi. I enjoyed its remote location, it's quiet surroundings, the fantastic river across the street with large boulders/river rocks where one can sit for hours while dangling feet in cold rushing river water. It's a perfect site for get-away. Get-away it is, 4 hours drive from home.
However, it is like 50 degrees warmer!!!!! Oh boy, I've seen the forecast. It's going to be 3 digit there all weekend long. I've known it to happen, but I'm sure the river water will cool us down. If that doesn't work, the cold beer and river water will do the job perfectly.
In other news, it won't be long before my next plane ride again. I am looking forward to this trip, in more ways than one. I'm not saying anything more until after the trip, but we will be away for roughly 2 weeks.
I cannot wait for the weekend to come. The reason? I'm going camping, er cabining with friends. It's camping but we're going to be staying in a cabin. I've been to this cabin before with family several years ago. We had a blast, especially moi. I enjoyed its remote location, it's quiet surroundings, the fantastic river across the street with large boulders/river rocks where one can sit for hours while dangling feet in cold rushing river water. It's a perfect site for get-away. Get-away it is, 4 hours drive from home.
However, it is like 50 degrees warmer!!!!! Oh boy, I've seen the forecast. It's going to be 3 digit there all weekend long. I've known it to happen, but I'm sure the river water will cool us down. If that doesn't work, the cold beer and river water will do the job perfectly.
In other news, it won't be long before my next plane ride again. I am looking forward to this trip, in more ways than one. I'm not saying anything more until after the trip, but we will be away for roughly 2 weeks.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Heatwave, bbq, etc.
Last I was here posting is about a week ago. Here is a list of what's been happening around these parts:
***Had a heatwave that ran for a few days, nearly a week. It was really tough for us and the kitties too. Days like these are not too many where I live, but when they're here it just magnified the fact that the houses built in this neighborhood do not have airconditioning, and we need airconditioning. Yesterday, which the authorities on climate and weather say the hottest was actually the beginning of the cool down where I live. Of course the other areas of the Bay Area are slower in cooling down, at the same time more neighborhoods near the coast and the bay have cooled down earlier than us.
***Last Saturday mom gave me a pass. I was free to do as I please. She did not need my services to drive her to her errands for she already ran them with my brother the day before. And so free on Saturday morning? What to do? The hubby and I decided to go to brunch. We hardly have time to do brunch on the weekends because we're always busy, I'm busy with mom on Sat and it's church and other functions on Sunday. I wanted to go to Royal Cafe for some lipsmacking goodness of their scones and the lemon curd it comes with. However, the hubby did not want to drive that far, which I admit was a big turn off. Then I suggested we go to Suki's so I could have their pulled pork hash, which was really good the both times I had it. He, however, was always curious about Ember's, where the Men's Group of our church dines monthly. I went there a loooong time ago, over 10 years ago once and did not enjoy the experience. The hubster talked me into giving it another try since the last time I ate there was so long ago. They definitely had changed somehow right? So to Ember's we went. The place looked different, more airy and bright. I vaguely remember the old place I went to as very dark and crowded. The food was okay, nothing to get excited about. I had the corned beef hash and even though it's the canned variety, I enjoyed my dish. I was really craving for some hash. Also, I had some hash browns, which I can eat all by itself. The hubby had the Big Deal - an omelette with various meats and veggies and toast. He didn't finish his meal.
***Went to see WHITE HOUSE DOWN to flee the hots in the house. 2.5 hours of airconditioning and a movie sounds really perfect. What's more, the movie was really nice. I enjoyed the story, the acting and the actors. That Channing Tatum is surely a hunk. I'm starting to love him. The actor who played his daughter in the movie is equally a darling. Two thumbs up for White House Down.
***Our plum trees are full of fruits. We have our friends over for dinner and we asked if they could pick fruits for their weekly fruit allowance. I'm glad they did. I already picked two bagfuls of plums for my co-workers and the same for hubby's co-workers and still there's plenty left. The other plum tree is still waiting for its fruits to ripen. So blessed.
***Was supposed to go wine tasting over the weekend but has to postpone that. One of our friends was sick so we will just reschedule this.
***Got an invite to a bbq tomorrow, the 4th of July, over at the same friends who we were supposed to go wine tasting with. He's such a good cook so I cannot wait what he's going to grill. My hubs is bringing turkey kofta or something. We'll see.
Hah! That's all for now. In 2 week's time I have a camping trip with friends near Sequioa NP, so I'm getting really excited.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day
In the photograph, the grass is still green, now it's all brown and we saw signs of controlled burn. We even hiked higher, farther, and longer than ever. It was really a nice alternative to just sitting in the couch watching Lifetime Television for Women.
No kidding right?
So the 6 of us went from one hill to another enjoying a clear day giving us all access view of Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. What a nice day.
Then one time we went farther and knew we had to backtrack a bit because we went too far and our cars are like two hills away, hahahaha. But we didn't want to backtrack, because that's a long way. Instead there's a very steep short cut so we took it. I suck up my fear of heights, some of the trails are really narrow and one slip you'll tumble back down. We were high up there. I'm so thankful that my knees didn't wobble in fear. Well, it must have been the presence of 5-year-old boy J who made me summon some courage to finish the descent despite some scary patches in the trail.
We started at 4 pm, came down at 6 pm so that's a good two hours climbing. Then we decided to cool off a bit at the little beach nearby. It was 8 pm by the time we got home. A worthwhile Sunday it is.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Manic Monday
"It's 6 o'clock already and I'm just in the middle of my dream."
Well that was literally me this morning. I had back-to-back dreams one before the alarm clock sounded and another afterwards, when I decided to go back for the mandatory "5 more minutes" after one turns off the alarm clock.
Funny how our dreams come out. I find that in order for me to document them, I have to blog about them.
The first dream (I think both dreams are actually one dream combined) I was lunching with college gal pals. I saw Betchay, Doc Sheila. The table was full, so I suppose the whole gang was back together, except for Fe, who in the dream we phoned to tell her how we wished she was joining us for lunch.
Then the obnoxious, louder than necessary buzz of the alarm clock abruptly cut my luncheon date. It's amazing how blindly we find the source of noise in our half asleep state. As I was doing so, I had to pull myself upwards to reach the alarm clock and the familiar weight on top of my legs told me my little kitteh Emma had been sleeping on top my legs still. I am her bed. The movement did not bother the cat and I mumbled to no one in particular, "5 more minutes". That was at 7:00 AM.
Second dream I was meeting up with Pat and Gigi, girlfriends of mine from here that I met in another school setting, for dinner. I was aware that I just had lunch with my college "barkada". While we were getting settled in our table (love the cozy ambiance of the restaurant), here comes my college classmate Belle with her little boy Bryton. It made no sense at all. How could my college life fuse with my after college life. It's really interesting. It makes me want to read up more on dream interpretation.
When the dream ended, I woke up to find that the 5 minutes was actually 35 and so I jumped out of bed hoping that I wouldn't come in late today.
Some years ago, college to be exact, I was very interested in dream interpretation. I read up on it, although most of what I read I cannot remember now. In my early years after I moved to California, I spent a lot of time in bookstores with coffee shop inside of them and browse at all the dream interpretation books I could find on the shelves and over coffee and biscotti I would scan the pages. Nothing of that reading knowledge remains with me today.
I'll be blogging on my other site about my day trip on Sunday to a very interesting spot called vernal pools just outside of Sacramento.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Spring It Is
Our forecast for the entire week calls for 70s. All the way to Friday. Can you believe that?
I've brought a jacket, light one, yesterday and today just to be sure. I hate getting caught unprepared when suddenly the temp turns cold and I'm there freezing. Okay enough, it is exaggeration we all know it.
The weekend was also in the 70s. Two days I was weeding and planting. We planted the mesculun, which is the salad greens, and five tomatoes and lima beans. We also planted 4-5 strawberry plants.
The backyard is looking a bit better. The weeds keep growing, help! Anyhow, we've been doing a little at a time, but so far it's looking a lot better than before. Our rose bushes have new red leaves. I love it when the leaves are all red, they look so fresh and so vibrant. I don't mind the leaves turning green because I know the pretty blooms are coming soon.
Our cymbidiums are also blooming. Although unfortunately they were a bit neglected in the fall, so they are not as prolific as they can be in the past. I intend to remedy that this fall.
The weekend was also a time for friendship. On Saturday we had our monthly activity at church, this month it's a movie night. The night consisted of a spaghetti and salad dinner and a movie called HAPPY, which is a wonderful documentary that shows happy people and what makes these people happy. Incredible movie. You'll learn a lot, I sure did.
On Sunday we went out for lunch, after church, with a group of friends. We first went to an Indian-Pakistani restaurant, but we were too early. Then my hubby suggested we go to the Thai-Lao restaurant. They too were still closed, but we persuaded them to let us in and we'd wait until they officially open, which was 15 minutes away.
We chatted about politics and economy and the root causes of why people are happy - to tie in with the movie we watched the night before. We had wonderful array of curries and fried rice and eggrolls and other appetizers and of course pad thai.
I know we don't like to eat out two weeks in a row but it seems we have this time. It was unavoidable.
I started my third book, BRIDGET JONES DIARY, which is entertaining. I had lukewarm feelings about the movie, but I am loving the book so far.
I've brought a jacket, light one, yesterday and today just to be sure. I hate getting caught unprepared when suddenly the temp turns cold and I'm there freezing. Okay enough, it is exaggeration we all know it.
The weekend was also in the 70s. Two days I was weeding and planting. We planted the mesculun, which is the salad greens, and five tomatoes and lima beans. We also planted 4-5 strawberry plants.
The backyard is looking a bit better. The weeds keep growing, help! Anyhow, we've been doing a little at a time, but so far it's looking a lot better than before. Our rose bushes have new red leaves. I love it when the leaves are all red, they look so fresh and so vibrant. I don't mind the leaves turning green because I know the pretty blooms are coming soon.
Our cymbidiums are also blooming. Although unfortunately they were a bit neglected in the fall, so they are not as prolific as they can be in the past. I intend to remedy that this fall.
The weekend was also a time for friendship. On Saturday we had our monthly activity at church, this month it's a movie night. The night consisted of a spaghetti and salad dinner and a movie called HAPPY, which is a wonderful documentary that shows happy people and what makes these people happy. Incredible movie. You'll learn a lot, I sure did.
On Sunday we went out for lunch, after church, with a group of friends. We first went to an Indian-Pakistani restaurant, but we were too early. Then my hubby suggested we go to the Thai-Lao restaurant. They too were still closed, but we persuaded them to let us in and we'd wait until they officially open, which was 15 minutes away.
We chatted about politics and economy and the root causes of why people are happy - to tie in with the movie we watched the night before. We had wonderful array of curries and fried rice and eggrolls and other appetizers and of course pad thai.
I know we don't like to eat out two weeks in a row but it seems we have this time. It was unavoidable.
I started my third book, BRIDGET JONES DIARY, which is entertaining. I had lukewarm feelings about the movie, but I am loving the book so far.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
I'm back and ready to tell a story
I'm back from my 11-day vacation for 3 days now and I'm ready to tell a story. So grab a seat and get comfy. This could get long, very long.
Thanksgiving was a blur this year. I'm thankful for so many things, both the good and the bad that happened this year. The good brought joys to the heart and the bad always come with lessons in life.
Anyway, my plans for Thanksgiving initially were to have a simple Thanksgiving dinner at home. As a family, we don't normally gather for Thanksgiving, only Christmas. Hence I always invite people who have nowhere to go to for Thanksgiving. In the past I have a motley crew of guests.
This year though I was a bit hesitant to extend invitation to friends because I know that I would need to be rested on Thanksgiving because our vacation starts the day after Thanksgiving.
With that in mind I didn't send out any invites, but we had bought all the fixings for the meal including a 20-lb turkey. No way are we able to finish that just us, so I called brother #4 and invited him and his family over a few days before the holiday. I knew his family doesn't do anything on Thanksgiving. That is exactly the reason why I didn't extend an invite to my other family members especially brother #2 who always have a spread on Thanksgiving.
At the last minute however, brother #4 called to say that his daughter and her family are coming over for Thanksgiving and if we would be able to join them. My niece was sick and would need surgery a few days after Thanksgiving and because of this we couldn't say no. I told my brother that I have a whole Thanksgiving feast ready to cook. So I told him I'd cook everything (well technically the husband is the cook) in the house and haul it over his the day of. Furthermore I instructed him not to get any turkey because, well I have enough for everyone.
So that's how our thanksgiving played out. 3 out of 4 brothers came to lunch, we ate with gusto. I marveled at how my nephews seem to have mastered the art of baking. Joe made us wonderful cheese biscuits, he bragged courtesy of Food Channel. Brian made a delicious sweet potato souffle. Even my niece's 7-year-old daughter made a dish. Her contribution to the table was the cranberry sauce. We told her that this year is the beginning of a tradition. She would be expected to make the sauce every single year.
We made a quick exit after a few hours because we were going to have friends over for dinner. We have some food at home and our friends joined us for dinner. They do not do thanksgiving, it's a cultural thing I suppose.
On Friday, brother #3 drove us to the train station; instead of going all the way to the airport by car, we opted to take BART. It's easier that way. Our plane took off on time at 1 PM. After an hour and a half we were landing in picturesque Salt Lake City. It's gorgeous from up there. Another hour later, we were boarding our flight to New Orleans!. We arrived in N.O. around 10 PM, immediately boarded the shuttle to the car rental, chatted with friendly locals at the car rental place who pointed us to the best eats in town we have to try and then decided to drive on local streets instead of the freeway to our hotel because we were scouting for a grocery store. We found a Winn-Dixie (don't have it in Cali) and got some essentials - sunblock, conditioner, lotion, vodka :), and frozen food for dinner.
It was past 11 PM when we drove up to our hotel and checked in. We were surprised at how lovely our hotel was, better than we expected for the price we paid. The parking however was another story, because although they have a parking lot in the back, it fills out too quickly.
We were meeting our friends in New Orleans, they flew in on Thanksgiving from New Jersey. We planned to take this trip together, but didn't talk about the hotels we'll be staying. Turned out our hotels are next to each other. Go figure.
On Saturday while our friends took a segway tour of the city, we decided to do a DIY of the city. We went to the Garden District, drove around ogling beautiful houses, stopping at the famous cemetery and was tempted to join a tour currently in progress, but I didn't want to cheat. I told my husband that we'd shoot and then google for information later.
Afterwards we drove out some more discovering churches and parks and the riverfront shopping area including the Mardi Gras museum. We parked the car a few blocks away and met our friends at the riverfront mall food court. We shared lunch and hurricane (a cocktail muy delicioso), then walked from the Riverwalk to the Mardi Gras Museum, which is a few blocks away. Browsed there, went to the riverfront, took pictures, then decided to walk from the museum to where we parked our car. Turned out there was a thousand blocks from point A to B, however, New Orleans is a walker friendly town and there's plenty to see.
Eventually we got to our parking and we loaded up the car so we could drive them to the garage where they parked their car for the day. But we hit so much traffic that the guy decided to go on foot to fetch the car. He would drive the car to the hotel and we'll meet him there. From there we would take one car and hit the nightlife of French Quarter.
French Quarter is party central. In my humble opinion as a party pooper, it is crazier than Vegas. Bourbon Street filled with people, all with drinks in hand in party mood. We walked around until we found the brewhouse that was recommended to us. There was a wait of 20 minutes so we sat in the bar and ordered 2 of the beer tasting menu, 5 different beers. Then decided to get something else, a cheese plate. By this time we lost our appetites for what the brewhouse had to offer so we cancelled our seating, and moved to next door Hard Rock Cafe. I know it's not our style to eat here. But remember we were with another couple who love to eat here.
I was almost full from the beer and the cheese plate, so hubs and I decided to split an order of fish and chips.
We walked some more after the dinner and then time to go back to the hotel.
Sunday we were embarking on a Caribbean cruise for 7 days. Check in starts at noon. We woke up early to see the sights. Being a Sunday the streets of New Orleans were empty. We returned to French Quarter, went to the cathedral and Jackson Square, drove out to the riverfront and French Market, then plugged in the city park in our GPS and drove around the beautiful and spacious park with old oak trees that have long graceful limbs. We saw a wedding under a picturesque oak tree, very romantic.
Then the hubs dropped us off at the port while they returned the cars. This gave us girls a time to chat. Here's the deal. I've known this couple for a very short time. One day to be exact. I knew them for one day 3 years ago in another cruise. We went on a day excursion with them in Cairo visiting the pyramids. We were in the same Mediterranean cruise. That excursion consisted of 11 people including us, 9 of which are our facebook friends. So via facebook we kept in touch; hence we were able to plan this cruise with them.
Technically I don't know them, because I probably have exchanged a dozen words with them prior to this trip. But from the very beginning it seemed like we were old friends. There was no awkwardness, only catching up, can you believe that?
So the time we were waiting for the hubs to return, we chatted furiously and shared future travel plans.
The hubs returned and we got checked in without any hassle. Now off to the cruise.
Will tell you all about it soon. Needless to say, I need a vacation after the vacation because I'm very tired :)
Thanksgiving was a blur this year. I'm thankful for so many things, both the good and the bad that happened this year. The good brought joys to the heart and the bad always come with lessons in life.
Anyway, my plans for Thanksgiving initially were to have a simple Thanksgiving dinner at home. As a family, we don't normally gather for Thanksgiving, only Christmas. Hence I always invite people who have nowhere to go to for Thanksgiving. In the past I have a motley crew of guests.
This year though I was a bit hesitant to extend invitation to friends because I know that I would need to be rested on Thanksgiving because our vacation starts the day after Thanksgiving.
With that in mind I didn't send out any invites, but we had bought all the fixings for the meal including a 20-lb turkey. No way are we able to finish that just us, so I called brother #4 and invited him and his family over a few days before the holiday. I knew his family doesn't do anything on Thanksgiving. That is exactly the reason why I didn't extend an invite to my other family members especially brother #2 who always have a spread on Thanksgiving.
At the last minute however, brother #4 called to say that his daughter and her family are coming over for Thanksgiving and if we would be able to join them. My niece was sick and would need surgery a few days after Thanksgiving and because of this we couldn't say no. I told my brother that I have a whole Thanksgiving feast ready to cook. So I told him I'd cook everything (well technically the husband is the cook) in the house and haul it over his the day of. Furthermore I instructed him not to get any turkey because, well I have enough for everyone.
So that's how our thanksgiving played out. 3 out of 4 brothers came to lunch, we ate with gusto. I marveled at how my nephews seem to have mastered the art of baking. Joe made us wonderful cheese biscuits, he bragged courtesy of Food Channel. Brian made a delicious sweet potato souffle. Even my niece's 7-year-old daughter made a dish. Her contribution to the table was the cranberry sauce. We told her that this year is the beginning of a tradition. She would be expected to make the sauce every single year.
We made a quick exit after a few hours because we were going to have friends over for dinner. We have some food at home and our friends joined us for dinner. They do not do thanksgiving, it's a cultural thing I suppose.
On Friday, brother #3 drove us to the train station; instead of going all the way to the airport by car, we opted to take BART. It's easier that way. Our plane took off on time at 1 PM. After an hour and a half we were landing in picturesque Salt Lake City. It's gorgeous from up there. Another hour later, we were boarding our flight to New Orleans!. We arrived in N.O. around 10 PM, immediately boarded the shuttle to the car rental, chatted with friendly locals at the car rental place who pointed us to the best eats in town we have to try and then decided to drive on local streets instead of the freeway to our hotel because we were scouting for a grocery store. We found a Winn-Dixie (don't have it in Cali) and got some essentials - sunblock, conditioner, lotion, vodka :), and frozen food for dinner.
It was past 11 PM when we drove up to our hotel and checked in. We were surprised at how lovely our hotel was, better than we expected for the price we paid. The parking however was another story, because although they have a parking lot in the back, it fills out too quickly.
We were meeting our friends in New Orleans, they flew in on Thanksgiving from New Jersey. We planned to take this trip together, but didn't talk about the hotels we'll be staying. Turned out our hotels are next to each other. Go figure.
On Saturday while our friends took a segway tour of the city, we decided to do a DIY of the city. We went to the Garden District, drove around ogling beautiful houses, stopping at the famous cemetery and was tempted to join a tour currently in progress, but I didn't want to cheat. I told my husband that we'd shoot and then google for information later.
Afterwards we drove out some more discovering churches and parks and the riverfront shopping area including the Mardi Gras museum. We parked the car a few blocks away and met our friends at the riverfront mall food court. We shared lunch and hurricane (a cocktail muy delicioso), then walked from the Riverwalk to the Mardi Gras Museum, which is a few blocks away. Browsed there, went to the riverfront, took pictures, then decided to walk from the museum to where we parked our car. Turned out there was a thousand blocks from point A to B, however, New Orleans is a walker friendly town and there's plenty to see.
Eventually we got to our parking and we loaded up the car so we could drive them to the garage where they parked their car for the day. But we hit so much traffic that the guy decided to go on foot to fetch the car. He would drive the car to the hotel and we'll meet him there. From there we would take one car and hit the nightlife of French Quarter.
French Quarter is party central. In my humble opinion as a party pooper, it is crazier than Vegas. Bourbon Street filled with people, all with drinks in hand in party mood. We walked around until we found the brewhouse that was recommended to us. There was a wait of 20 minutes so we sat in the bar and ordered 2 of the beer tasting menu, 5 different beers. Then decided to get something else, a cheese plate. By this time we lost our appetites for what the brewhouse had to offer so we cancelled our seating, and moved to next door Hard Rock Cafe. I know it's not our style to eat here. But remember we were with another couple who love to eat here.
I was almost full from the beer and the cheese plate, so hubs and I decided to split an order of fish and chips.
We walked some more after the dinner and then time to go back to the hotel.
Sunday we were embarking on a Caribbean cruise for 7 days. Check in starts at noon. We woke up early to see the sights. Being a Sunday the streets of New Orleans were empty. We returned to French Quarter, went to the cathedral and Jackson Square, drove out to the riverfront and French Market, then plugged in the city park in our GPS and drove around the beautiful and spacious park with old oak trees that have long graceful limbs. We saw a wedding under a picturesque oak tree, very romantic.
Then the hubs dropped us off at the port while they returned the cars. This gave us girls a time to chat. Here's the deal. I've known this couple for a very short time. One day to be exact. I knew them for one day 3 years ago in another cruise. We went on a day excursion with them in Cairo visiting the pyramids. We were in the same Mediterranean cruise. That excursion consisted of 11 people including us, 9 of which are our facebook friends. So via facebook we kept in touch; hence we were able to plan this cruise with them.
Technically I don't know them, because I probably have exchanged a dozen words with them prior to this trip. But from the very beginning it seemed like we were old friends. There was no awkwardness, only catching up, can you believe that?
So the time we were waiting for the hubs to return, we chatted furiously and shared future travel plans.
The hubs returned and we got checked in without any hassle. Now off to the cruise.
Will tell you all about it soon. Needless to say, I need a vacation after the vacation because I'm very tired :)
Friday, October 5, 2012
Jampacked
The Bay is full of activities this weekend. The Giants are hosting the Reds for the NLDS, the 49ers are home against Buffalo, there's music in the streets at the Blues Festival, boats race in the bay for America's Cup, then the Blue Angels show their tricks in the sky. It's going to be a gridlock in the city and any attempts to go for any reason must be given much thought and planning. No driving should be considered for many reasons, among them that traffic in and to the city would be horrendous, parking spots would be ten times harder to find and of course that gas prices spiked 40 cents overnight. It's best to just take public transport instead of getting stuck in the middle of the freeway and miss all the action.
I have insanely scheduled something in the city for Sunday pm. I would have to cancel that.
I got a text from my friend; it actually went to my husband's phone, because we swapped phones right after coming back from our vacation in Asia. The message said (it was in Tagalog): Maria my mother has passed away. I will let you know of viewing times and dates. That's all. She/he did not say who was sending the message. The phone number was not familiar to me, although it's in the same area code as mine. I read the text as we were driving home from visiting an elderly friend of ours; she fell and was bruised all over. She lives alone and had to yell for her life. Luckily she lives near the golf course and golfers heard her screams from the backyard and she got help immediately - also there is a fire station at the bottom of the hill.
And so after the emotional visit to that elderly friend, I got another shocker. First off, I couldn't really tell who was sending me the message. Then by the process of elimination, I called the first one that entered my mind. I called not send a text. She replied and I couldn't recognize her voice for an instant and then I called her name. I was lucky I guessed right.
Her mother got beat by lung cancer, which metastasized, according to her. Boy I really hate that word, metastasis, metastatic, metastasized, in all its form. Anyway, the call was short and she was planning on the viewing and the funeral. Four days later I got another text informing me of the viewing time and date. It's going to be this Sunday evening. So many things happening this weekend.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Dinner and Philosophy
Was at dinner today with my dining club (well that's what we call it) 12 of us came today. The restaurant is inside a hotel and lakeside and only 5 minutes from where I work. We've been to different restaurants before but this is the first time we went to a place where there's a jazz group playing music. Before the musicians took to the stage and before we even got our order in, a dance instructor came up to us and asked if we'd be interested in learning swing dancing for free. So a few of us went up and learned a few dance steps. It was fun, it even made my hubby dance in public. He didn't, wouldn't dance, but he did today.
It was a long dinner, 3.5 hours. During dinner the musicians played. Older people went up to dance and they kept dancing while we kept talking. The service was slow, but the waiters were really nice and friendly plus we enjoyed talking anyway.
Then one of us said those old people have more fun than us. They keep dancing. He kept on talking about how younger people don't have clue. How we should seize the day and enjoy it. Because once we die what are we going to leave? Our computers and carbon footprint :)
Needless to say, there was some wine and beer on the table :)
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