¡Qué relajo! in the city

¡Qué relajo! is an expression I hear from mijo* whenever I take over the kitchen on Monday evenings. It loosely translates to what a mess in English. First, this blog is not about this. This blog is about the storm that almost topple the pine tree in our backyard.Second, I only cook on Monday evenings because I work from home on Mondays and Fridays - but we seldom make dinner on Fridays. Third, I know that I don't owe anyone an explanation but let me do it anyway.

It is not that I am messy in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, I consider myself well organized when it comes to that. I just need room to move around when I cook, that's all. And the kitchen we have is a city kitchen. No aisle, we only have one sink, a big enough counter space, etc. We have to live in 'burbs to have my dream kitchen. Besides, breakfast, desserts and hors d'œuvre are my cup of tea.

He has another expression when he's really being teritorial of his kitchen especially the last time I made focaccia bread...

¡Qué dispije!

And that's what it looks like outside after Northern California got walloped by a hurricane-like storm a couple of days ago. I've never seen anything like it in my ten years of living here. A tree a couple of doors down got toppled. Dead leaves, branches, empty plastic bottles, small junk everywhere. Three blocks down the street close to the BART station, another tree got uprooted and it ruined the sidewalk around it.

During the storm, the power went out before noon. It was on a Friday so I was working from home and I had to call in to tell everyone in the office that I am unable to continue working because of the power outage and will just resume when the power is back. Almost half a million homes didn't power that day.

Major cabin fever at home because it was cold, dark, damp, and there was nothing to do. No tv, no wi-fi so no internet, and no music so we headed to the malls, where it is warm and lit and dry, as soon as the winds died down. To our surprise, the mall was crowded. People must have thought the same thing we did. We ended up seeing a good movie called The Orphanage. Later that day, I called our home phone and I got the phone's voicemail which means power is back in our neighborhood.

I'm just thankful that there wasn't a single damage in the house and our pine tree still stands. It was a fast moving storm so everything was quiet again after it left.

The city public works crew will have a busy time cleaning up the mess.

~ral

*In case you still don't know, mijo is a contraction of mi hijo. You know spanish, they make a lot of things sound cute. :)

(The photo above is a scene in the city's sleepy neighborhood of Glen Park.)

Kooza in the City

Amazing, heart stopping, sometimes bizarre. Those were the words I could think of while watching the Cirque du Soleil's new show Kooza inside the grand chapiteau. It was my and the Salvadoran's first Cirque show and we totally in awe. They come into town every year to perform through the holidays which I think is a nice treat.
These guys are amazing because the acrobatic acts were close to perfection as if they are already their second nature like walking down the stairs or typing on the keyboard or using chopsticks. My heart would skip a beat worrying the tightrope jumpers might miss their landing or the juggler would drop a ball. And the way the contortionists move and bend their bodies is so bizarre it is almost not human, at least to me. It was so unreal. How could they do those quick movements faster than the brain could cope with or execute those backbreaking moves in unison?
It is hard to decide which one is my favorite performance because they're all different and they're all without a flaw. The unicycle-duo could easily win at a salsa dancing competition with those graceful moves as if they are dancing on their feet. I also liked the fact that the clowns involve the audience in their pranks. If you don't like to be picked by the tricksters as an accomplice for a magic act, don't sit on the aisle.
Speaking of seats, we got a really great one considering it is a non-VIP ticket. The costumes are remarkable. Such an explotion of colors! I didn't know that the background music and songs are performed by a live band.
The only bad was that the popcorn was way too salty I thought I felt a surge in my blood pressure.
If I have another couple of hundred bucks to spare, I'd see them again.
I used to take pride that my job demands expertise and there's very little room for errors but I should think again. Maybe I'll take trapeze lessons next year? :)

~ral
(Taking pictures inside the Grand Chapiteau is prohibited so Cirque pictures for me. The photo above is the Holiday tree in San Francisco's Union Square)

Showing off in the city

The busboy's tshirt says Yo no soy feo. I wanted to showoff my broken Spanish to my friends who are in the town for a holiday so I playfully said No, no. La frase, no es cierta, referring to the words written across his black cotton tshirt. He gave me a smile while he cleaned up our table. Later, I realized that I had made a jerk out of myself because what I had said was not what I meant. Basically, his shirt says he is not ugly and I told him that is not true.

I've always had problems with double negative statements. I don't think it is a language thing because I also do it in my native language of Tagalog and Spanish is notorious when it comes to double negation. Even in computer programming languages where using negative conditions is considered a bad programming habit, I still have to sit down and draw a chart to clearly understand double negations when I encounter them.

As far as the busboy is concerned, he is far from being unfortunate looking, he could even be mistaken for an actor in a soap opera. I wanted to redeem myself that evening but that was the first and the last time I saw him. And the worst thing about this is, I was showing off to my friends!

I should go to therapy.

~ral

(The photo above is the hotel area in downtown San Francisco from the city's Mission district.)

The ground shook, yet again

It was a little over 8 in the evening when I heard a cracking noise from below. Not downstairs, much deeper. I mean, beneath the house. I don't know why but that's always what I hear before an earthquake when I happen to be indoors. Maybe, in reality, they are preceded by an underground noise? In the past, earthquakes would occur without my knowledge in the middle of the day while I am at work or late at night while I am sleeping. I would just read about them in the paper the next day.

It must have been around intensity 5 in the richter which is probably already terrifying enough on the epicenter. The house made some creaking sound here and there. When I felt it, I stopped what I was doing not because I was scared but I was thinking what I would do next in case the shaking intensifies or it becomes prolonged. I was hoping that something wouldn't fall and break, like the skylights or the wine bottles. It turned out to be uneventful which is something to be thankful of.

Our wait continues for the Big One.

~ral

(The photo above is the city hall of San Francisco on a cool Northern California evening.)

Matcha in the City

I recently acquired a new drinking ritual. No, it does not involve alcohol but I know some of you wouldn't mind if it did.

I first heard of matcha from my small chats with a barrista at a Peet's. Matcha is a powdered green tea used in tea ceremonies, and as a flavoring in ice creams and other sweets. You have probably seen its instant, liquid concentrate version at a local coffee chain. For a newbie matcha drinker, I am more interested in the pure, powdered form.

Luckily, I was able to find some for sale in Lupicia at the San Francisco Center so I didn't have to go to a Japanese specialty store. I was told it comes in two types - thick and thin. I don't remember which one I took but it must be the one that costs less. :) Now I can enjoy the rich, creamy flavor of matcha at home. Although I must admit I need more practice in whisking the tea to create the foamy consistency typical in tea ceremonies and also to reduce the bitter green clumps in the blend.

Here's a recipe of Matcha Latte which I found online.
o Add about 1/4-13 teaspoon good quality matcha to a mug
o Add 1 or 2 teaspoons sugar or 1 or 2 packets of your favorite sweetener
o Add heated or steamed milk to the rim, stir
o Sprinkle with light coating of matcha
o Alternative - heat in microwave for approx. 2 mins, watching very carefully for the first sign of foaming, the remove)

This is like bringing tea drinking to a higher level and making me a more serious tea drinker.

~ral


(A picture of properly whisked matcha tea)

El Verano Ya Acabó

No le he escrito en poco tiempo porque yo era ocupado en mi despacho, en la casa y en mi vida personal.

Hay muchas cosas para hacer en la ciudad especialmente durante el verano - se pueden jugar al tenis, jardinería, ir las fiestas, ver los desfiles, al aire libre, ir a los parques, descansar en las playas, hacer las cortas viajes en lugares que cerca de aquí, y más. Por eso, me han gustado demasiado y no podía mantenerme en contacto con ustedes.

Por lo general, el verano fue lleno de accontecimientos. Yo ví Tony Bennett por la primera vez en Davies Symphony Hall con la mamá y hermana de mi cónyugue. Vimos también los musicales como Mamma Mia! en Septiembre y Avenue-Q en Agosto. El cuarto delpiso de abajo fue hecho y encontramos un inquilino ya. Bonds podía batir el record en béisbol que yo vendí los boletos y podía ganar dinero así. Tenía que viajar a Manila porque mijito compro algo - impetuosomente.

Los follijes han cambiado el color. Vuelve el frío en la madrugada y en el crepúsculo. El otoño esta aqui.

~ral

(En la foto es el mi amigo amistoso. Por supuesto, estoy sarcastico!)

I can hardly notice the seasons change in the city. Today was grey, cold, and drizzly. Eventhough it is already July, the temperature feels like it is only 10 degrees warmer than in December. My Saturday morning tennis match was cancelled again because the fog was so thick where I live, the courts in Glen Park canyon were wet as if it rained the night before.

Regardless of the climate, the first part of my summer has been busy so far. Pride, as always, was crazy and I'm glad it is over. We are having the downstairs renovated into a private office slash guest room with a full bathroom. It is exciting to see it take shape. I didn't enroll for the summer semester so I devote my time to reading, gardening, cooking, taking photos, and other things that put my creativity into use. Recently, I've been contemplating going back to school to get my MBA. It is becoming clear to me that a career in Information Technology is getting extinct at least here in Silicon Valley. Let's see if I am up to studying for the GMAT.

I have accrued over two weeks of vacation and for the first time, I don't have any idea how to spend them. I'd rather sleep in and spend time at home than take a fabulous trip.

I am trying hard to get excited about the All-Star Baseball being held here in the city. I guess I am not that much of a baseball fan afterall.

~ral

(A photo of the boutiful harvest of plums from our neighbor's tree where branches go over our fence.)