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.)

The train was crossing the San Francisco bay underwater when I checked the concert tickets. It was the 5th time I checked them since we left Glen Park station. Row 124, seats 19 and 20. The seven minutes inside the transbay tube seemed forever.

It was a mistake the last time I hopped on a BART train going to the East Bay. The type of commuters should have given it away - most of them seemed almost ready for a prized nap. I only realized that I took the wrong train when it didn't make a stop in the next 2 mins but rather continued to accelerate on its way to the transbay tube.

The landscape was different this evening eventhough it was in the middle of the week. The ride was strangely noisy, people were chatting loudly and the majority, just like me, were not in their work outfit. Could it be that they were also going to the same place as I was?

I checked again for the tickets where The Police world tour is written. The Salvadoran made a signal the we were to get off on the next stop. Suddenly, I could feel the excitement build. I checked the tickets yet again.

~ral

Ethnic Dance in the City

- The dancers last night were amazing, weren't they?
- Yeah, they were all great.

It took us a while to find the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. We knew where the palace is but neither one of us knew the palace has a theater until yesterday. Good thing we arrived at the venue an hour before the start of the SF Ethnic Dance Festival. During the intermission, we learned that a bunch of ticket holders were late because of parking problems. We went to see the first of its three-weekend show.

- Which performance made an impression on you the most?
- Actually, they were all good. It is hard to compare them since they're ethnic dances.
- Fair enough. For me, the Middle Eastern belly dance impressed me the most. I also liked the acrobatic Chinese lion dance, and the Flamenco, and the Tahitian boys . You're right. It is difficult to pick a favorite since they represent different cultures.
- I thought the Mazatlán dancers performed like they are professionals. They must be.
- Yeah. I noticed that the dances from countries colonized by Spain incorporate tapping of the shoes as part of their dances, except the one from the Philippines.
- Ok, the Balinese dance was kindof slow.
- I thought so too. I think it is because their dance involves a lot of facial expression and hand movements. You have to seat really close to see what is really going on. The music was nice though.
- Isn't it funny that what I thought were Aztec warriors were really Tahitian dancers? The shells should have given it away.
- Yeah. I was worried that one of the coconut shells will fall from one of the female dancers.
- That would have been a performance!

~ ral



(The photo of the Palace of Fine Arts above was taken on a fog free Spring weekend in San Francisco's Marina District.)

Pensamientos sobre la semana pasada

BOB DYLAN BOOK. I got to Church and Market straight from work and twenty minutes earlier than what the Salvadoran and I had agreed to. I am meeting him with our friend E, who is also from El Salvador, for dinner. The hostess at Chow's wouldn't seat me until the whole group is present. She added my name to her list and then I walked to a nearby Aardvark bookstore and waited there instead. The bookstore is a couple of doors away from Chow's. From the sea of new and used books and magazines, I saw a paperback version of Bob Dylan's The Chronicles I as if the book has been waiting there for me. It was the last copy. I am no Bob Dylan fan but the first ten pages made me imagine his humble beginnings in glorious colors. I was immediately inspired. Hastily, I bought a copy. I managed to step out of the bookstore before the Salvadorans arrived with my impulse purchase hidden in my bag.

FARMER'S MARKET. We were out of grapefruit. This is what we normally use for our breakfast juice. We also use navel oranges when they're cheaper and plenty in the market. I used to think that we only drink freshly squeezed citrus juices to justify my buying of a juicer. Just like tasting the difference between freshly brewed coffee over instant, the juice out of the juicer is definitely better than the bottled ones. The camioneta where we get our oranges this time of the year no longer park next to the Glen Park BART station. They get the oranges from the valley and sell them for $3 per ten-pound bag. That's a lot of oranges! For now, our only choices are the neighborhood produce stores or the farmer's market. To the Ferry Building we went on saturday. I couldn't remember the last time we were there. We couldn't help but notice that half the people who go there nowadays are camera totting tourists. The sweet tasting organic navel oranges cost us almost a dollar each. Our consolation prize were the fresh olive baggettes, the dollar and fifty a bunch of basil, asparagus, chinese brocollli, and fresh chesses from the north bay. But for oranges, I think I'll go to the Mission produce stores next time.

DRAMA SERIES. I recently discovered the Audio Visual section of the Main Library. I generally checkout library items online to be picked up at the library's kiosk so I've never been to the physical shelves to leaf through the collections and look for the items myself. The AV section was not huge but big enough to contain cd, vhs and dvd collections Netflix might not have, especially rare classical music and foreign made movies. This is where I found Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. It is a BBC drama series set during England's Victorian era and in the same league as the movies Emma and Pride and Prejudice. I had to watch all four episodes all over again to comprehend some scenes that I missed because of my ear's inability to hear the old English drawl.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. Last year, we were debating whether to go to Montreal or NYC for a five day Memorial Day weekend getaway. We eventually went to NYC. This year, we were debating whether to go to Montreal or Mexico City. Mexico City won unanimously. Maybe Montreal for 4th of July?

~ral


(The photo above was taken 'discreetly' at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on a sunny Saturday in San Francisco.)