Another Birthday dinner @ Piazza Pellegrini

I met up with my coworker from Hong Kong and she treated SQ and me to an Italian dinner at Piazza Pellegrini. This restaurant is located on Columbus Ave, in the heart of North Beach. Since it was a Wednesday night, we didn't have to wait for a table. We ordered a Pizza Margharita to share as appetitizer. The crust is very thin and it was pretty good. There were 6 generous pieces. However, the entrees were disappointing. Here are some of the entrees we ordered:

Fusilli con Pollo

Fettuccine with shrimp and peas, in a chardonnay saffron sauce

Angel Hair pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil

I must say that the food wasn't all that great. Very typical Italian, nothing extraordinary. None of us were wow'ed by our dishes. The food was a bit on the bland side - because I ended up having to sprinkle some salt over mine to get a little more taste out of it. Given our disappointment with our entrees, we didn't hand around for dessert.

Besides the food, we had a great time hanging out.

Birthday Dinner @ Chouchou

SQ and I enjoyed a nice and quiet birthday dinner yesterday. We dined at this lovely French bistro called ChouChou (pronounced Shoo-Shoo) in the Forest Hill area. It is a small quaint restaurant almost in the middle of nowhere but definitely worth trekking to. I ran across this place through a recommendation from a co-worker and it was a great restaurant indeed!! Service was great and the food ... it was Yum-Yum excellent! SQ ordered the prix fixe menu that came with a selection of appetitizers, entrees and dessert - all for only $25.95. He chose the Frisee aux Lardons (Frisee salad with poached egg and pancetta as appetitizer and I got the Sauteed escargots with garlic, butter, and puff pastry. Both were delicious. Sorry we both got so excited about the food that we forgot to take pictures of our appetitizers!

For entrees, I ordered the duck confit - shredded duck nestled inside the lightest, tastiest, thinniest fingerling potatoes I've ever had. Simply deleeessh!! SQ ordered the mussels with the side of shoestring fries. Mann, that bowl must have had 50+ mussels in there... they definitely didn't go cheap on the portions even though the mussels were part of the Prix Fixe menu. The broth that came with the mussels was excellent.

Then came the dessert. By this time, I was too full to have any - but since SQ's order came with dessert, we picked the Mixed fruit tart to share.

And mann o mann....I practically ate 1/2 of this tart even though my tummy was about to explode. It was soooo good!! The crust was thin and sugar-coated, which provided a great balance with the fruits. Excellent!! The dessert was my favorite even though I liked everything else too. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a non-pretendious French bistro that gives you all the things you're looking for - service, price, and great food!!

The Triplets

Not many people realize that I actually have a set of nephews/niece who are triplets. They are my husband's brother's kids. They were born in July 2005 and will be THREE years old in a couple of months! They were born weighing less than 4 pounds each, and a 2-1/2 months from full term. They stayed in the hospital for a few months until they were big enough to breathe on their own. Now, they are healthy toddlers who loves to take pictures & run around making a mess. They are a handful (literally!)

Their names from left to right: Albert, Alex, and Alisa (in that birth order too!). Obviously, they are not identical triplets, but faternal triplets. They look different from each other and definitely have their own personality as well!!

Can you guess who is the naughtiest one?

Greenest Cities in the U.S.

San Francisco got voted #2 as the greenest city by Popular Science. Portland, Oregon was #1.

The rankings were based on:

Electricity - cities score points for drawing their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric power, etc.

Transportation - points go to cities whose commuters take public transportation or carpool

Green living - cities earn points for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as devoting areas for green space, such as parks and nature preserves

Recycling and green perspective - measures how comprehensive a city's recycling program is and how important its citizens consider environmental issues.

Hopefully, as we continue to build awareness, San Francisco will get the #1 spot next year!

Haute Couture

During our World wide Fashion team meeting, my collegue based in Paris came in to do a presentation on Brands. She explained how difficult it is for a true luxury brand to balance between (1) maintaining the brand's image and heritage, and (2) renewing itself to evolve with modern times so it can always be fresh and set the trend. A brand is always constantly looking for ways to connect to the customers with their own uniqueness which won the hearts and following of these customers in the first place.

She did a case study on Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. It was a great presentation and intrigued me to further research on what these brands are all about. I ran across a BBC documentary on the internet named "The Secret World of Haute Couture." Haute Couture, according to Wikipedia, is a French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking," and refers to the creative of exclusive custom-fitted fashions. Apparently, there is a group of very very rich women who would make it a seasonal event to attend all the fashion shows by the most famous designers and then purchase that special piece. It will be only one produced in the world, custom-fitted to the buyer, of course. A blouse will normally costs $10,000 and a dress can $300,000 or upwards to $1 Million. Now, this is CRAZY!! Anyways, the BBC documentary is really interesting and worth a view if you have time.

Not branded!

Most often times than not, I feel that I'm working in the wrong industry. My Company is a retailer that only sells high-end products and nothing less. And when I say high-end products, I mean luxury goods that common folks could only aspire to buy but couldn't afford...brand names like Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes, Prada, and the list goes on and on. I am surrounded by brand names left and right, where a nice handbag costs at least $700, and a really nice one more than $3,000.

We recently sold a diamond-studded Hermes bag for $84,000 to a Black cardmember. Yes, it is crazy. Why would anyone spend so much for a handbag? Or a jacket? A watch for that matter? Well, obviously, someone understands why. They are our customers. They appreciate the brand names. I, on the other extreme end of the spectrum, am just a low-key gal who is (in present tense) never into brand names... I love simplicity and quite frankly, a good deal. I don't understand luxury. I don't understand brand names. To me, the handbags are just an item, a SKU on the selling reports, and nothing more.

In fact, I don't even register what is "expensive" anymore. The other day, my collegue showed me a cute Chloe Lizard Paddington handbag and told me that the bag retails for $2,500. And my first response, "Only? Wow, what a deal!" In real life, I would NEVER imagine myself buying a $2,500 bag. But yet, I think at work, $2,500 seems like nothing. Money is no object. This dual reaction separates the "real me" and the "me at work." I find it odd... It's not reality.

Lowell High School Drama Class

On Sunday, SQ and I went to support Lowell High School's drama class's production of Les Miserables. It was weird stepping foot on my alma mater after so many years. I think I haven't never back to Lowell since I graduated, which is eh-em, 15 years ago! Although I only walked around the auditorium area, much of it was what I last remembered it to be. For example, the murals on the auditorium (aka Carol Channing Theater) were exactly the same. In fact, some of the paintings are still so vivid in my head. I remembered it. It was so odd - a feeling hard to describe. The courtyard is still the same - the same old benches - and same concrete walkway from the cafeteria to the library (where all the performances/events were held). Mann, it brought back a lot of memories...not good nor bad memories -- just the time spent there.

I was actually quite impressed with the Les Mis production! For a non-professional production, the set was nicely done. Majority of the students sang and acted beautifully -- and it was a 3 hour show!!! The orchestra also performed well! There were no shortcuts whatsoever. I thought it was excellent...and really have to give these students a big kudos for a job well done! Sunday was the last show (they did 4 total). The lower section of the auditorium was entirely filled. The upper section was empty. So my initial guess is that there must be more than 1,000 people. Tickets were only $10, so I guess it was worth the money - and a great way to show some support. At least these students are doing something positive.

Thai Massage

I went with my sisters to a Thai massage place this Saturday. We went to Suchada Thai Massage on King St. between 7th and 8th in San Francisco. It's a small, quaint place, but nicely decorated and clean. 1 hour traditional massages were only $60! What a deal! Compared to some of the other massages I've been to, $60 is really a good price.

I had my first Thai massage in Thailand, and I loved it. The good thing about Thai massages is that they don't use oils - but rather, the masseuse concentrates on pressure points and moving your body through the art of Yoga stretches. It is actually very comfortable...I especially like the hand and feet massages! They are the best!!

Lee Kum Kee Sauces

People often assume that because my husband is a better cook than I, he cooks. The truth is that I cook 4 days of the week. Once a week we go back to my parents' place and during the weekends, we go out to eat. In fact, my husband rarely cooks.
I am not a good cook, but I am able to put decent, edible meals on the table. I admit, a lot of times, I cheat. I take short cuts. I only do stir-frys and use prepared sauces. Thank goodness for prepared sauces!! In our world filled with long work days, I have no shame in using prepared sauces! One of my all time favorite is Lee Kum Kee's "Sauce for Fried Cod Fillet." It's a dark, soy-based sweet sauce. It is excellent for a lot of meats, but I like to use it with Sea Bass. It is super-easy!

After cleaning up the sea bass (I like to remove the skin & scales), lightly salt the fillet. Pan-fried in low heat until done. Remove sea bass onto a plate. Heat up the LKK sauce & add in green onions. Pour sauce over sea bass. And OMG! You have the BEST-tasting sea bass ever! It's delicious and the good news is that it NEVER fails! Better news is that you don't have to worry about how much sauce to use. The pouch is enough for 1 meal. No measuring at all!! All that convenience for only 89 cents. Genius!

P.S. I'll share more cheats later on!

Wild Parrots in San Francisco?

Since his new job is near Levi's Plaza, SQ told me that he "finally" saw the parrots today. I said "what are you talking about?" Apparently, even though I considered myself a San Francisco native, I didn't know that there are wild parrots living on Telegraph Hill in SF. I wikipedia'ed it and surely, there is a flock of Red-masked parakeets proved to be living there. They are probably descendants from escaped or released pets as this breed is originally from Peru or Educador. In fact, this homeless failed musician named Mark Bittner who fed and documented the parrots for over 6 years became an overnight hero, writer, and the subject of a documentary called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)." Interesting. Very interesting. Everday, I learn something new about this beautiful city I live in.

Macau

SQ and I took the ferry to Macau from Hong Kong China City in Kowloon. We got deluxe seats since the economy class seats were sold out. Upon arriving in Macau, we decided to hire a pedicab (aka a trishaw). The man pedaled to the more famous landmarks of Macau. We stopped by a few of them to take pictures. We visited the new Lisboa Casino, the Macau Tower, A-Ma Temple, and the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral just to name a few. New Lisboa Casino


The facade of St. Paul's Cathedral

There is something about Macau that I don't like. The air is polluted. The City is divided into the rich Stanley Ho family and everyone else. The casinos remind me of a cross between of Reno and Atlantic City. It tries too hard to be like Vegas, but just lacks the grandeur. We didn't get to go to the Venetian in Cotai - there may be our miss since I heard it is very upscale and huge. The gamblers there are very "mainland Chinese" so the atmosphere in these casinos comes with the throat clearing and the constant spitting. That never ceases to exist.


Overall thoughts: not impressed. Been there, done that. Time to move on.

Elements Mall in Hong Kong

My friend/co-worker, Sylvia brought SQ and me to check out Elements Mall when we were in Hong Kong. I was thoroughly impressed! This mall was built in conjunction with the MTR Company. The MTR Kowloon station is connected to the mall. It is, by far, one of the most luxurious malls I have seen. The mall has the most prestiguous brand lineup such as Prada, Gucci, Cartier, you name it. They even have an IWC boutique! Impressive! Of course, SQ, being the Architect he is, even noticed that the building materials were first class. This mall puts our little SF Center to shame. The mall itself is gigantic - separately into 5 wings : Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. They have beautiful sculptures representing these 5 elements. Sorry, I didn't take these pictures... courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Wood
Water
Fire

"Village" as I sound, even the restrooms were impressive! They are all nice, clean, and big! They have a cleaning lady inside to make sure the amenities are well stocked. And as you step outside between the Mens & Womens restrooms, there is a comfy seating area filled with newpapers & magazines AND an automated shoe-shine machine. How great is that?!

My favorite store though is a hip grocery store called ThreeSixty. They have a good selection of everything - including cooked food to go. They even have a booth specialized in selling bottled "leung cha." What a novel idea! Love it, love it, love it! Everything about this mall fascinates me although I must say that it's really meant for rich folks. Everything is the on pricier side, but it's definitely worth the time & the mile of window shopping!

Today I struggled to get out of bed to go to work. I feel very sluggish every weekday and dread going to the office to see what awaits me. Only when I think about when I will resign from this job, a smile lits up on my face. I know, it's quite pathetic. I look at the calendar today to figure out when is the best day to resign. I do want to stay to finish up the last round of orders, which is due May 23. So, late May. Close to my birthday... it will be my birthday present then. 8 years with this company...fast coming to an end (?).

SQ started his first day at the new company today. He said he spent the entire day reading through the employee handbook. Not much excitement. I told him he should be careful what he wish for. It's slow now, but enjoy it while it lasts... wait until all the work gets piled up and then, there would be no room to be bored.

Give It Back!

Japan is a land of vending machines. You can get almost EVERYTHING via a machine (Yes, even underwear!). It's all about "DIY and self-serve" as much as possible. Even in temples, there is a self-serve fortune-telling booth. It's not a hi-tech machine, but it is definitely do-it-yourself. Here are the basic instructions:

1. Pay 100 Yen into the slot
2. Pick up the steel container and shake it (eyes closed optional)
3. A long narrow wooden stick will come out naturally
4. Read the number written on the stick
5. Find the same number written on the one of the many drawers
6. Pick up your paper fortune
   

Ok, I tried it, and I got like the WORST fortune ever!! It said something like, "None of your wishes will come true. You will suffer in bad health. Your marriage will end in divorce." I mean I was literally DOOMED forever. But NO FEAR!! According to Japanese customs/traditions/legends, you can give your bad fortune back to the Gods! Simply tie the bad fortune on the wire shelves (to the right) and your bad fortune will be dissolved. Whewww! Thank goodness I am not cursed forever!!

Geisha Spotting

Having read "Memoirs of a Geisha," I have always been fascinated by this mysterious ancient Japanese profession. So, here we are in Japan, in Kyoto, in the Gion 祇園 district, on Hanamachi (花街)...why wouldn't we go spot some geishas out? Our tour guide told us that "real" geishas don't pose for pictures. They just go from one appointment to another, and is usually very fast doing so.


The Gion area is absolutely fascinating. It composes of 1 main street with many smaller alleys. The streets are all filled with small 2-story old Japanese teahouses. This is where the geishas entertain their guests. Apparently, fees for a geisha run about $400-500 USD for 3-4 hours or so. The geisha also has the power to say no to any appointments. Her outfit can cost over $10,000 USD. Her outfit, along with her head-dress, are indicators of how popular she is and how much she makes because these things don't come cheap.

So we were there at around 8pm - the perfect time as the geishas are usually wrapping up their duties. We were the papparazi for the night-- literally lurking in the dark to take pictures of the geishas! Remember they walk very fast from one destination to another - many times to a waiting car or taxi. And of course, our camera's flash wouldn't charge up fast enough... We will be like..."look, there's one. wait, she's gone...no, another one there..." In total, we saw over 10 geishas, but was only able to get a couple of shots. We were lucky to get this shot.



Overall, It was really really fun... but of course, to the geishas, we are probably the most annoying people EVER! What a great experience in our night of geisha-spotting!!

My Impression of Japan

Having just came back from a 9-day tour in Japan, I figured it would probably be best if I blogged on special aspects of the trip rather than describing all the what, when, and where - that would be way too boring. The first segment would be on "My Impression of Japan." I thought hard about how to best summarize my feelings about this place - took me a while, but eventually, I couldn't find better words than "Finding Perfectionism." In fact, I think their entire culture and life goal is all about being perfect.

While the Japan is globally well known to manufacture all the cool gadgets and advanced technologies, they are never the inventors of such things. The Japanese is known to "better" things, processes, and skills. They excel through improvement and enhancement, not creativity and inventiveness. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Always try to do better.

The Japanese people not only strive to be perfect, they love perfect things. Someone told me that in Japan, people don't believe in cheap prices. Quality comes with a price. Take these fruits for example. I took these pictures in a fruit store in Ginza. These mangoes were imported but only

the finest were selected. The strawberries were home-grown, but each was hand-selected and presented in its best shape and form. So look at the prices. Yep, quality things don't come cheap. A mango for $23 USD and a crate of strawberries for $126 USD. But these fruits are the best nevertheless.

I love Japan because in my opinion, it's almost perfect. People are so polite and friendly. They bow and say hello to you even when they don't know you. They try to make you feel comfortable and welcomed. In the service industry, people don't have a sense of entitlement. They don't expect tips. They serve you because it's their job. They are courteous and follow the law. They don't talk on the phone on the trains. They don't litter and the place is beyond clean, it's tidy. People walk on the left; there is order.
But unfortunately, being perfect isn't easy. There is a lot of pressure (self and society pressure) in this country. Anything less of perfect is not acceptable. It's a hard life there in that sense...but I think the good outweighs the bad. It's still a beautiful and friendly country.

Japan - Here we come!

On Tuesday, Mar 4, SQ and I leave for JAPAN! I am super excited!! This is the longest vacation since our honeymoon 4-1/2 years ago... After the house, the wedding, the surgery, the house renovation, we are finally making time to go on this long-overdue vacation.

We are going on a 9-day Japan tour, which visits places like Toyko, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. The tour is a bit on the expensive side...but the main reason why we took the tour instead of venturing out on our own is because we are both too damn lazy to plan the itinerary. SQ never likes to any sort of planning - because he thinks that things "just happens." YEAH RIGHT!! Me - I like to have things settled before getting there - i.e. rough itinerary, places to stay, etc. But I have just been too spoiled from traveling so much for work...because whenever I travel, everything is all taken care of for me! But now since I am traveling personally, I have to do everything myself. I seriously don't have the time and patience to research & figure out where to go, where to stay, what to do, what to eat, etc. so hence the tour. Yep, you can say that I'm buying the convenience!

After the 9 day Japan tour, we will stop over in Hong Kong for 4-1/2 days! I was in HKG for about 2 days last time for work, back in Oct 07. But SQ hasn't been there since Sept 03...it'll be nice to go back for a visit. This time, we want to stop by the Big Buddha and Macau, which we didn't get to do last time. I'm reserving 1/2 suitcase and at least 1 full day for shopping!!
Counting down...2 more days!!

Day at the Beach

'Though we live only 3 blocks away from Ocean Beach, we almost never go there. Majority of the time, it is way too cold. But today, the weather was a bit warmer, so SQ and Is topped by for a quick visit. We always have our beach towels/picnic blanket in our car trunk, so all of those came in very handy today. We stayed there for about 1/2 hour... it was nice - saw a lot of people taking a stroll and/or walking their dogs. When the wind picked up, we decided to leave.
On a nice day, which happens only a few times a year, it's quite nice to live so near the beach.

Today I welcomed the newest addition to the family...my nephew (no name yet!). He was born today, 02.28.08 at 2:54pm at CPMC. 8 lbs 1 oz. 21 inches. One day away from being a Leap Year baby.
Happy to be a 10th time aunt again!

'Til Death Do Us Part

"In sickness and in health, 'til death do us part" -- a very popular phase in marriage vows indeed. But what does it really mean? Today, I finally saw with my own eyes what these few words truly mean.

SQ and I went to a dim sum restaurant on Geary Blvd. To the left of us, at a nearby table was an elderly couple, enjoying their meal. Judging from their entirely gray hair, I think they must be over 70 years ago. The wife was confined on a wheelchair; the husband was fortunately still active and could move about with ease. As I glanced their way, I saw the husband feeding his wife - spoon by spoon. He cooled the hot soup, the hot dim sum, and gently spoon-fed the food to his wife. In between the feedings, the husband would grab a few bites for himself but quickly returned to tending his wife. Hardly any word was exchanged between them. As a bystander, I can't help but feel the tremendous love the husband had for his wife. His devotion and love for her put me in tears. After the meal, he paid, helped her put on her coat and scarf, thanked the waiters, and merrily wheeled her out of the restaurant. I felt such warmth seeing this couple and their beautiful story unfolding in front of me. Although she is confined to a wheelchair and may be suffering some unkown illness, she should be grateful that she has such a loving husband beside her.

This is in the truest state -- "In sickness and in health, 'til death do us part." It is indeed.

Today I had yet another frustrating day at work. But I am trying hard to NOT let it bother and/or stress me out. Today I am grateful for:

• the Mega Millions $10 winning ticket
• the ability to tie up my hair in a pony tail now
• the fact that the weekend is only 1 day away

Today I am thankful for:

1. the absolutely gorgeous and mild San Francisco weather which reminds me how lucky we are to live in the Bay Area
2. my caring husband who made me a lychee-coconut iced blend drink and fresh-squeezed orange juice because he knows that I love them
3. the fresh produce on Irving St. that sold for a relatively good price

Counting My Blessings

I have been so depressed, disappointed, negative, and upset lately that I have let those feelings take over me. I have been crying and feeling down almost everyday. I have come to realization taht can't live my life like this anymore. One time while browsing on the web, I ran across a blogger who would count her blessings everyday to create positive energy around her. So I am going to use the same method to make myself happy again.

Today I am grateful for :

1. a loving husband who is not only the love of my life but is my best friend

2. my in-house washer and dryer so I can do 3 loads of laundry without having to go anywhere

3. You Tube and all the Project Runway clips

4. Burger King fries

Southern BBQ : Memphis Minnie's

(a) (b)

After seeing "Memphis Minnie's" featured on PBS Check Please Bay Area, my hubby SQ and I decided to pay this place a visit. We got there aroun 6:30pm and the line to order food went out the door. All the tables were packed and we thought it may be better if we order take outs instead. So we stood in line, going through the menu. That kept us busy while waiting in line. We ordered the following 2 dishes:
(a) Meat Two way combo: St. Louis Pork Ribs and Santa Maria Tri-Tip Steak Plate. It comes with 2 sides and I chose potato salad and potlikker greens
(b) Meat Two way combo: Texas Big beef Ribs and Beef Brisket. 2 sides included Fries and Mac N Cheese

By the time we ordered, the tables emptied and we got seats right away. Then it was a wait for the food to come out. A couple right in front of us ordered To Go and they waited just as long... so there is really no shorter wait for take out. We got our food after 20 minutes or so. I must say that the food is overrated. The meats are dry and bland. You have to depend on pouring tons and tons of sauce (they have 3 for you to choose from) on the meats to get some flavors out of it. Quite disappointed. I've had better BBQ... but their business will probably continue to prosper because there is a niche of good ol' Southern soul food in the Bay Area. People tend to always associate old, funky places like these a gem. To me, it's one of those restaurants that I can say, "Been there, Done that." I can now move on.

What a shocker

What a shocker ... the death news of Heath Ledger. News has it that it was an "accidental" case of drug overdose (sleeping pills). I guess you can never know what combo of drugs can be deadly. What a shame. I thought he did an excellent job in "Brokeback Mountain." I really liked that movie. He was only 28 too... sad. Just sad.

Big Band Music

Recently, I'm really diggin' Big Band music ... special thanks to Michael Buble for bringing the sexy back to this genre of music. I especially like the 1950s swing music - they're all easy-listening/"happy feet" music. Love the sound of trumpet and sax...makes me just want to get up and dance (even though I'm not a dancer and dance like Elaine on Seinfield, I still do it!

Each morning as I lay in bed, I ask myself whether I can call in sick today? I don't want to go to work. Every day, I drag myself to work, dreading to face what awaits me in the office. I am just sick and tired of the non-sense and fire drills that we have in our office on a daily basis. I hate my job.

Ahh...the internet is back!

Friday's storm and strong winds disconnected my telephone line this past weekend. In fact, the wire snapped from the street pole and ran across my neighbor's front yard. No telephone, no DSL, no internet. It's such a shame how dependent I am on the internet... so here is the story. I do everything online now, including paying my bills. In fact, I even get online bills, instead of the normal paper ones. So when my phone line went out, I couldn't find the Repair phone number to call!! Normally, one can find all the phone #'s on the bill, but since my bill was online, and I couldn't get online... you get the picture! So after a while, I somehow managed to find the number and went through the myriad of "options" (Press 1 for English, 2 for Espanol... Press 2 for Residential, 3 for Commercial, et, etc). The mechanical voice kept on reminding me that I can report repair problems ONLINE. Duh! I would if I could! Finally arranged for repair service without ever have spoken to a live human. Everything was automated. The tech came out yesterday and reconnected the wires. So now the internet is fixed!! YEAH!

Back to work tomorrow!

NOOOOO!!!! Couldn't believe that my extended holiday is finally coming to an end today. I return back to work tomorrow after 13 days of continuous days offs (including weekends of course). Actually, it is the best deal of vacation days... because I only used up 5 days of PTO to get a total of 13. I took 12/21, 12/26, 12/27, 12/28 and 1/2 off. That's because my company got generous this year and gave us Christmas Eve and New Years Eve as paid holidays. I guess it makes up for the many extra hours employees have to put in throughout the year.

2007 has finally come to an end. I don't have any extraordinary events in 2007, which actually can be a good thing. You know how the saying goes -- no news means good news.

I wish everyone a healthy and safe 2008!

Home Made Bouquet

Although the wedding is not until May, my sister, BT and her fiance went to SF City Hall on 12/28 to get married. They want to take advantage of the Health Care Open enrollment period for 2008 -- hence, the rush to register before their actual wedding.

She asked me to make a bouquet for her, and here is my work! Believe it or not, I bought these flowers at my local Safeway and for a grand total of $20!! I used a dozen of cream-colored long stem roses, white Astromerias(5 stems) and Hypericum Berries (5 stems) as filler flowers. I also made a matching boutinere. Making a bouquet is really easier than you think. Here are the steps:

1. Arrange the flowers to your liking and tie the flowers together with a rubber band


2. Wrapped the stems with a white 1-1/2 inch satin ribbon


3. Pin the ribbon ends with pearl-end pins.


4. Cut the stems off to reach your desired length


5. VOI-LA!! You're done!!

Could Not Ask for More

Don't you hate it when you have this song stuck in your head forever and you end up humming it every 2 seconds? Right now, that song for me is called "Could Not Ask for More," by Edwin McCain. Thank goodness it's a song that I like and not some jingle from an annoying commercial. This song is actually a very very sweet song... I've been to 2 weddings that the couples used it as their first dance.

Here are the lyrics...so it can get stuck in your head too.

Lying here with you
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I found all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more
Looking in your eyes Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything to me
These are the moments I know heaven must exist
These are the moments I know all I need is this
I have all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more
Chorus
I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
Every prayer has been answered
Every dream I have's come true
And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be
Here with you here with me
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life I've got all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more
Chorus
I could not ask for more than the love you give me
'Coz it's all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more I could not ask for more

Task Force

The thing about my company is that almost every issue leads to a creation of a Task Force of some sort. Every year, a third party consultant does an anonymous survey with some random employees about our Company regarding topics such as communications, compensation, and overall morale. This year, the survey results came back pretty negatively. So what happens? A task force is formed. The task force is basically a group of employees who get together on a regularly basis and try to problem-solve the issues. They come up with a bunch of recommendations, etc. I would say 90% of time, the recommendations never get executed. So basically, in my opinion, the task force is a big waste of time. It's formed for the sole purpose of proving that the company is trying. But in reality, everyone knows nothing ever changes with this company.

This week, another task force was formed. This one is an "Internal Communications" task force, which is to address how we can better communicate within the company, from the Corporate Merchandising office to the stores to Visual Merchandising to Consumer Marketing. How to get everyone calibrated on the same priorities and standards? The truth is everyone does their own thing -- trying to centralize how people communicate is too ambitious of a task in my opinion. I'm sure whatever "recommendations" the task force comes up with, will be put in the back burner 4-5 months from now.

Daiso Japan

This weekend, I brought SQ to the Daiso Japan store in Serramonte. Daiso Japan sells all sorts of houseware stuff, for cheap! Most items are priced at $1.50 each. It's kinda like your typical dollar store, except its much, much better. You get a lot more "choices" for the same product. For example, if you're looking for tape, Daiso offers over 20 different kinds. Everything is also nicely organized so it's easy to find.

It was SQ's first time there, so he was quite amazed. He spent literally 20 minutes in just the craft aisle! He picked up some wood chisels and a cutting board, all for $1.50 each. I had to 'scoot' him out of the store before he got a chance to see the hardware aisle...because it would have taken him 1 hour to get through that aisle! I have to agree, Daiso does offer a lot of good, cheap stuff!

Too bad that we don't have Muji (無印良品) in the Bay Area. That would be my favorite store!! Muji just opened a flagship store in New York. Maybe the next time I go to NY, I can find some time to sneak in there!!

The weather is getting cold. Today, I wore a turtleneck AND a sweater and it was just enough to get me comfortable. The sky is also turning darker earlier, which means that Fall is coming in full speed! I always feel nostaglic (and a bit sad) this time of year. Not sure why. I guess it's so close to the end of the year that makes me stop to realize that time passes by way too quickly. The same time last year, I remember being in Guam for work and telling other people that I will be gone for 6 weeks starting December 1st for my jaw surgery. I couldn't believe that I've had my jaw surgery for almost 1 year already! I am so happy that I did the surgery. It is one of the best decisions I've made.

Happy Birthday Hayden

Hayden with proud parents

Today is my nephew, Hayden's 1st birthday. We celebrated it with a party at Ryder Court Park in San Mateo. For parents looking for a fun place for their kids, Ryder Court Park is an excellent choice - it is a newly renovated park with nice grassy areas, picnic tables, and an aquatic playground, which is always popular among the children.

The park also has updated play structures as well as a nice trail along the shoreline. What a beautiful day to spend a day outdoors in the sun. Here are some pictures of my nephew - the birthday boy!!

A Tough Day

Today was a tough day at work. We got called into an early group meeting and our Prez made an announcement that some of the buying functions will be re-locating to Hong Kong, specifically the Watch & Jewelry, and Liquor & Tobacco teams.

About 4 years ago, our CEO, CFO and a team of execs relocated to HKG and established an executive office there. Since then, there had been an array of speculation that the SF merchandising office would soon move there. Years have passed and rumors soon subsided. But today, the news surprised us all. They are moving 2 out of the 4 categories to HKG.
What struck me hard are 2 things:

(1) Not too long ago (10 months to be exact) I WAS in the Watch & Jewelry team, which means if I HAD been still there, I could possibly (a) be asked to relocate to HKG, or (b) get laid off.

(2) Now that I am NOT in that team and unaffected by this move, I lose all my old friends and collegues. They will all be leaving soon and I am just so sad!

This is perhaps the 3rd major relocation announcement since I've been with the Company. Each time, the affected department is the exact one I WAS previously in. I don't know if I'm considered the "lucky one" who get spared of the relocation/lay off or the "unlucky one" who cursed the department.

The topic of the day is "would you move?" To be hired into our company, the first question the recruiter asks you if you are relocatable? If you are not, then you will automatically not pass the HR round. Yep, it is that simple. But you can say yes, but would you really move?? Would I move? I thought about it, and at this point in time of my life -- and if it is to Hong Kong, I would say yes. I really don't mind spending a few years in Asia, specifically HKG and China, and be part of the growing economies and experience the changes. I think it would be very exciting. But nope, not moving ... at least not yet.

End of August

Today is the last day of August. It's so hard to believe that we're stepping into Fall already. There is something about Fall that gets me a bit down. I don't know if it's because the sky turns dark earlier or the cold weather. Soon enough the orange pumpkins and brown leaves will show up in empty corner lots. And then in the blink of an eye, the Christmas trees. Another year, and another year older. Time just passes by too quickly.

Anniversary

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of our first date. I still remember what a disaster it was!!

July 28, 2000 landed on a Friday and SQ had previously asked me out on a date that Tuesday of the same week. He had made dinner reservations at Baker St. Bistro for 7pm. He was working in Alameda and living in Berkeley at that time, and I was living with my parents in the Sunset. 5:30pm - he called and said he was running late because he needed to finish some things for work before he could leave. 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 came and went. I was getting furious and really hungry. He ran late at work; he got stuck in traffic; he got lost on his way to my house. He finally arrived at 8pm. He brought me red roses. But what's the use? We blew our 7pm reservations at Baker St. Bistro. I was super hungry and we ended up going to Yummy Yummy, a local restaurant near my house, to eat Pho. Yep, a bowl of Vietnamese soup noodle - a $6 dinner. I got a stomach ache because I didn't eat at the time I should have eaten. I wanted to go home. He didn't know about my stomach ache and didn't want to end the date so early. He took me to Eclipse in downtown SF to have drinks. As we waited to get in, I revealed to him that my stomach really hurts. He drove me home. What a night. What a first date! Judging on how distratous our first date went, I sometimes wonder how we still ended up together?! But I am so glad that we did.

Dish #7 please

I went to San Jose this Saturday with 4 girlfriends - purpose was to look for bridesmaid dresses for IT's upcoming January wedding. But what is a trip down to SJ without a stop at a Vietnamese restaurant?? We stopped by lunch at Tay Ho, where they serve one of my favorite dishes, Banh Cuon. It is a steamed rice roll with ground pork inside, served with the veggies, the Vietnamese sausage, Cha Lua, and the Vietnamese fish sauce. It was soooo yummy, not to mention that I have been craving to eat this dish for a couple of weeks! In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to eat it again!!

SQ's birthday

Friday was my hubby, SQ's birthday. We celebrated the day with a nice dinner at Plumpjack Cafe on Fillmore and Steiner. We got there around 7pm and found a parking space right outside the restaurant! SQ ordered sea scallops for appetizer and the Rib Eye for his entree. I got the cream of corn soup and a Roasted chicken. Right as we were enjoying the food, Gavin Newsom walked in! He wasn't dining there, but walked into the rear of the restaurant (where we were seated) to wait for his takeouts. As you know, Newsom owns Plumpjack, so he was merely in his kitchen getting his dinner. He waited there and chatted with the staff for a while since the food wasn't ready. I took a few quick glances at him. He was well-dressed in a suit and tie, hair slicked back as usual, tall, and quite handsome. Ok, Ok, the birthday boy was handsome too.

Finally his food came and he walked out of the restaurant. It was one thing seeing Newsom on TV or in public event, but it's one thing seeing him in a private occasion. Odd. So we finished our food and shared an apricot tarte tartin. It was yummy.
Happy Birthday sweetie!

Family Camping

This past weekend, Sean and I went camping with my family at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenmore. It's located in the North Bay, about 7 miles away from Santa Rosa. It is a well-run and well-maintained campsite, with various hiking trails and beautiful scenery. They also have some modern conveniences such as a flushable toilet and running water. No showers though!


We drove there after work on Friday and got lost along the way. Nothing wrong with the directions given, it's just us. We weren't paying attention to the signs. We got there aroun 10pm - just enough time to set up tent!

The next morning, we did a short hike on one of many trails. We chose one that is well-shaded and not too long. This is one that is 1-mile long and shaded. It's pretty steep though as you can see in the picture. But it was good exercise. This hike is along a creek which also has a vista point of a waterfall. But too bad, it is dried up. We didn't see much water in the creek, nor any waterfall. We're definitely experiencing a drought this year.

After the hike, we went back to camp and grilled some hotdogs and hot links for lunch. Yum ! We rested a bit and played frisbees where we caught a record of 14 times without dropping the frisbee!! Yeah! That was tough! My sister MT created a scavenger hunt for us so we separated into teams for the challenge. We are graded for team work, creativity, and intelligence! And of course, our team won!!! We had to solve puzzles to get to the next clue, perform tasks and use our creativity to think of ways to accomplish the request. We are here brainstorming to solve the puzzles. We each won a gift certificate to Polly Ann Ice Cream!


After we were done with the game, we were hungry!! We cooked with our portable grill for our gourmet dinner! And I said Gourmet because we had chicken wings, steak, mushrooms, zucchini, and sea bass! It was delicious!! We were all so full!

Here is a picture with our tent, where we stayed for 2 nights. The ground was really hard because we didn't have mats. My back really hurts today, but it was still fun!

Group Shot (L to R):
Upper row: Ethan, Mary, Derek, Cindy, ME, and Sean
Lower row: Luck, Caitlin, Benny, Catherine, Bonnie, Carolyn, Cadence, and Crystal.
Missing from Picture: Herman and Evan

Pringles Reduced Fat Chips

Please, please take my advice: DO NOT BUY. It's not the same. 30% less fat, but 100% less the taste. Yuck.

Japanese anime

I think I've came to realize that no one reads my blog... but I guess that's OK. I tried putting a counter here once, but got too depressed to see that the only time it moved was when I logged on.




Anyways, I randomly looked into Japanese anime -- first on Wikipedia, and then watching the entire 6 episodes on You tube. This show is called I"S PURE. It's a sweet, romantic story about young love and crushes. The main character is the guy on top. He has a crush on the girl (pictured in the middle). Everytime he wants to tell her, he ends up saying something he doesn't mean. The gal on the bottom is his childhood friend, who went back to Japan to visit. And yes, you guessed it, she has a crush on him! Pretty interesting. The characters all have perfect features, why of course! Big eyes, nice skin, beautiful smile. It's nice to live in this fantasy world. I sometimes wish I can live in a fantasy world.

House Remodel II

Lesson learned this weekend: Too much variety = Bad idea.

My husband and I went to several construction stores along Bayshore on Saturday and were OVERWHELMED. There are so many tile choices out there - different manufacturers, materials, designs, colors, price ranges, etc. It is impossible to choose one. We finally decided to go to Home Depot and choose among the 9-10 styles they have there. We finally bought the American Marazzi tiles in Beige for the shower walls and a brown-tan-beige combo mosaic tile for the floor. I can't wait until I see the results!

We are also planning to replace all the doorknobs in our house so they all match with the new kobs that we have downstairs. We have a total of 12 knobs, not incuding the main entry! We bought the Pegasus solid brass round knobs in a satin nickel finish. Here is a before and after shot of our knobs!

The satin nickel finish makes our doors and overall look a little more modern. Plus, we have paint all over the old knobs. I know, little detail.

House remodel

When we first bought our 1-bedroom house 5 years ago, we know that we would need to eventually remodel the garage downstairs. Fast forward 5 years later to now, we are finally in the construction phase - or should I dare say that we're close to the end of construction. We are adding an additional bedroom, bathroom, utility room, as well as retrofitting the main garage area. And yes, all these are LEGAL. We got the permits for it, and will end up paying more in property taxes - but that's the trade off of going by the books.

It has been a 3 month ordeal so far... really hope to get everything done by June! Here are some pictures:


Mar 24, 2007.
Rough framing for the bedroom
Insulated floor, ceiling, and walls
Opened up an extra window to the backyard





Mar 31, 2007.
Re-routed and installed all new copper pipes throughout
New bathroom with customized shower stall
New tankless water heater






Apr 15, 2007
New Milgard double-pane windows installed in bedroom
New Milgard double-pane sliding door out to the backyard
Recess lights throughout

May 3, 2007
Photo is of customized shower pan
Built with layer of Durock Cement board for waterproofing
Porcelain tiles for the shower stall
Travertine flooring
Built-in case work for linens

x

May 20, 2007
Dryall all-round, including garage
Seismic upgrades, beam mounts
Solid bamboo flooring in bedroom & hallway

Badminton Sundays

I've been going to the Sunset Rec Center on Lawton 2 Sundays in a row now to play badminton. They have courts set up from 5:00-7:30 every Sunday evening. 5:00-6:00 is the family hour, so unless you have a kid under 18, you can not play. 6:00-7:30 is for everyone, so you basically sign up for 20 minute intervals of playing. The Sunday program is relatively new, because the Rec Center's badminton night is usually held on Thursday. They still have the Thursday badminton nights, so Sunday is an additional night. Sundays are definitely better for me since I don't have to rush leaving work and getting to the courts in time.

I haven't played badminton since high school, which is years ago. I am so rusty with my skills. Plus, I don't exercise on a normal basis whatsoever, so all the running around gets me panting in no time. But it's still fun. It's a form of exercising, in a fun way. I am less sore today than I was last week. That's always a good sign that muscles are being used...

Sur La Table

We finally ended our meetings on Thursday with a "team-bonding event," which is a cooking class hosted by Sur La Table. We got into teams and created one of the 5 designated dishes. The ingredients were half-prepared so all we needed to do was to finish up prepping and cook the meal. We then all ate each other's dishes. As fun as that sounded, after an intense 4 days of 10+ hour meetings, this is the LAST thing people wanted to do. Everyone was dead tired and hungry but we still had to "cook." I could tell that it was just something that people didn't want to do, but because we all had to be "PC," everyone just pretended to have had great fun. On the other hand, I must admit that the food turned out really good, mainly because everyone was so hungry by the time we ate (around 9:00pm). It was definitely a very long week.

It's Over

Whew!! I'm done with the presentation!! I tried to not get nervous until the very end. I could hear my voice crack and had to swallow to regain my normal voice back. I also spoke really fast and had to refer to my paper for the numbers. There are some words that I stumbled on, but it was good that I practiced a little bit beforehand. I didn't say some of the things I wanted to say. I think I was so nervous although people tell me that I wasn't. Only one person said I showed nervousness. I really hate giving presentations! I am so glad that I'm done. Now, I can sit back and relax a little bit for the remainder of the week. That's one of the good things about doing it first. Now it is other people's turn.

Presentations

I hate giving presentations, I mean I DEPISE giving presentations. I don't like it when I am at the center of attention. I don't like it when I'm the only one talking and all eyes are on me. The irony is that I am fine speaking out in a large group during a discussion. I am fine standing up to ask a question to the presenter in a large group. It just needs to be a two-way conversation. But when I'm the only one talking and other people are not responding but just staring at me, I totally FREAK OUT!! This is what happens: I stumble - my words come out sloppy and incoherent. I speak fast. I turn red. My legs shake. I get DAMN NERVOUS. It's written all over my face and my speech. I just don't have enough practice in giving presentations so I am very inexperienced.

So I have to give a presentation this Monday to 40-50 people, including very high-level people in my company. I am so stressed about it. I've been thinking about nothing but the presentation. I am so scared and nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach. Maybe I care too much. But then again, I don't want to end up looking like a fool. Why am I more nervous about this stupid presentation than going through jaw surgery? Dang it, it just doesn't make sense. I can't wait until this is all over. It would be such a sigh of relief. Hope I will do OK.

Executing my resignation

There are many times in my 7 years of working at this company that I think about quitting. Recently, it is more frequent than not. On my work roller coaster, I often go through valleys and peaks. Right now, I can only describe myself in the valley -- a deep valley. I find my current position so uninteresting, so unchallenging. I am damn bored. I've only been in this position for 3 months and I by no means know everything. But I'm still damn bored. I feel so sluggish and hate looking at the same stuff over and over. It's just unchallenging. So I have been thinking how the day would be when I turn in my resignation notice... how I would execute my resignation?? I will tell my boss first and then my assistant, and then down the list of people I like and hang out with first. I can already see people's reactions and their faces of shock. As in any gossip, the news of my resignation will fly in record speeds, so by this time everyone would have heard about it. Some nosy people will come to me and ask where I'm going. I might even get called in to the big boss's office to talk about why I'm leaving, where I'm going, and I should consider staying... but I would say no. My mind would have already been made up. My decision would be absolute, unwavering.

When will this day be??

My favorite Starbucks drink

I took a quick walk with my collegue during lunch today. It was such a warm day. Yep, one of those lazy Sunday afternoon feel. We went to Starbucks and I got an Iced Caramel Macchiato. It's my favorite iced coffee drink at Starbucks. In case you don't know, this drink is a creamy mix of vanilla and milk (whole milk please!) over ice, combined with espresso and topped with caramel sauce. It's a whopping 190 calories for a Tall, but it is SOOOO good, especially on a hot day like today. I love it when I suck up the caramel chunks. The sweetness of the caramel has just the right to balance the bitterness of the espresso. Yum!!

Bringing back old memories

Today is such a warm gorgeous day! Although we technically lost 1 hour of sleep but waking up to a beautiful, clear, sunny morning in the Sunset district is such a treat. We stayed in bed to watch our normal Sunday home improvement shows (i.e. PBS's "This Old House") before heading off to the newly renovated Westlake mall in Daly City.


You know how you always remember the good ol' days? Well, today, I remembered how great it was back in the college days, to eat at Strings Italian Cafe. They had one in Davis, in the Marketplace, near my apartment building. On special occasions, a bunch of us would go there for dinner and it would be the best meal ever. The entree comes with a soup or salad and fresh-baked bread. I love their bread the most, because it comes out like thin-crusted pizza, in a round pan, less the toppings of course. We all loved the food there. When you're in college, these restaurants are considered top-notch. The best thing out there. Of course, back then we've never heard of Chez Panisse, French Laundry, or Michael Mina, etc.

So, my husband and I went to Strings for lunch today. We were the first ones there, at um, 12:30. That was depressing. I ordered an Eggplant Parmesan which came with a side of Penne Alfredo (switched out to Penne Pesto). My husband ordered their "Award Winning Combo" which included Lasagna Pastry, Tortellini Alla Panna and Stuffed Mushrooms. The bread was still good although it is a bit thicker than I remembered them to be. The food wasn't as good as I remembered it to be, but it was still worth the trip out there to bring some old memories back.