First Impressions

DIY House Lanterns

2012-02-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

I just have to share this post with you from Apartment Therapy on DIY House Lanterns. You basically take cutouts of old prints and make them into lanterns or night lights. I love this project because it is so charming and romantic, yet very simple. Just looking at the picture below, I can already feel myself getting swept into a dreamy fairy tale. It's just the type of project that captures the imagination!

The other nice thing about it is that you can make the lanterns out of supplies you already have in your home. For complete DIY instructions, find them at fellowfellow. But here's the gist of it: Simply find some vintage photographs of castles, chateaus, or cottages from old books or magazines. You could even print some off the Internet. Next, cut along the silhouette. Feel free to cut out any windows too. It will make it look like the light is actually glowing from within. Tape the outer edges together to make a stand-up cylinder. Then, just add a battery operated tea light inside. That's it! I think it would be cool to make a few of these and display them on a nice table as a vintage village.

Single Barrel

2012-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

A zesty orange refreshment, The Lion Tamer.

An evening trip to Single Barrel was my first foray into the world of Speakeasy bars, modeled after underground bars of the Prohibition era. Like Speakeasies of yesteryear, Single Barrel seems more like a secret hideout than the popular Yelp-worthy bar it is. With no flashy signs or neon lights to flag down your attention on the street, it's easy to miss. There is aptly just a single barrel hanging over the sidewalk awning-- sort of like a secret code!

A lot of other Yelp reviewers rightly mention the line outside. They only let people in as other patrons leave. Make sure your group is six or less. They're pretty strict about this. They want to keep the atmosphere classy and the noise level conducive to conversation. They also want to make sure everyone has a place to sit.

Be excited once you get to the head of the line because that is the only line you'll have to wait in all evening! None of the usual bar lines to get a drink, find a table, etc. The doorman may look like a 1920s gangster, but he's very friendly and never breaks character. He will give you a rundown of the rules:

1. No groups over six
2. Keep the noise level down
3. No gum
4. No smoking
5. Put cell phones on silent

He will ask if you've ever been to Single Barrel before and he will radio your party information to his colleagues downstairs to make sure the bartender is ready for you. Once you get the go-ahead signal, follow a red carpeted passageway to the basement. Once there, it'll seem like you stepped back in time or maybe onto the set of The Sting. With the dark, leathery decor and the bartenders clad in ties, suspenders and newsboy caps, I half expected Robert Redford or Paul Newman to hop the counter. There were exactly six in our group so our bartender asked us our drink preferences one by one. She custom made cocktails for all of us. I said I liked fruity, refreshing drinks in which I can't really taste the alcohol. She fired up a tasty orange treat called the Lion Tamer ($11).

All in all, this is a great place to go if you want to get away from the typical bar experience. So head on over to Single Barrel, and remember...speak easy!

A Shot of Strasbourg

2012-01-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

I was browsing an antique store yesterday when I found this framed painting of Strasbourg, the beautiful capital of the Alsace region in France I visited a couple of years ago. It's one of my favorite places. Quaint sidewalk cafes, cobblestone streets, and a laid back pace of life. I'd love to go back some day.

And here's a picture I took from the same angle as the painting, two years ago. Pretty cool, huh?

Date Night in the City

2012-01-23T23:27:00.000-08:00

Looking for a cute date place in the city? Get away from the bustle of downtown and grab the next cable car to Amelie. Tucked away on a dreamy street in Nob Hill, this über trendy French wine bar is the place to be! They offer a great selection of wine from around the world. Pair a nice glass of wine with a yummy cheese platter complete with cold cuts, honey, and different garnishes. Half the fun is trying the different combinations.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but I just wanted to give you all an idea of what you can look forward to. Going counter clockwise from the top left, we have camembert, du comté, du roquefort. On the right are jambon de pays and saucisson. In the middle are the different types of honey, apple slices, with the garnishes below. All of their cheese platters also come with La brea organic baguette. Bon appétit!

Special thank you to Guillaume for making that evening (and this blog post) come true!

Confessions of a Mall Worker

2012-01-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

Gentle reader,

As I may or may not have mentioned before [probably not.], I have in recent months delved into an enterprise which has its share of indescribable glory as well as its share of quiet suffering. I am, of course, referring to the world of retail sales.

To clarify, or perhaps confuse, it had been a secret girlhood dream of mine to work at the mall. I'm not sure just how to describe it. The chic woman clad in all black spritzing French perfume at oblivious passersby, the young 20-something spending an entire afternoon folding and refolding the same stack of flannel shirts, the aproned barista who openly scoffs at anyone ordering a venti-- these were the elite whom I secretly envied. They were the keepers of the perfume I was too young to wear, the clothes I was too broke to buy, and the caffeine I wasn't allowed to imbibe. They were wonderful and glamorous in every way, as if they were the brands they represented. The woman working at the perfume counter may as well have been a Parisian model saddled on the back of a Vespa, clinging to a glass of champagne in one hand and her chiseled boyfriend's waist with the other. The hipster probably spent every weekend holed up in a snowed-in log cabin with five of her co-ed friends, all sporting skinny jeans and burgundy cable-knit pullovers. The barista most likely spends her time writing novels on her laptop and arguing with her intellectual friends over the genius of Joyce.

And your point is...?, you may ask. Very well. My point is that all is not what it may seem! Please, hold your gasps of disbelief for later. What I mean to say is that being employed in the mall has its trials as well as its triumphs. You see, gentle reader, I myself have experienced the "other side of the fence," as they say. For the past six months, I have been working at the heart of a commercial center [which shall remained unnamed] as a sales consultant. Do not be fooled by the deceptively simple term "sales consultant." In reality, there is so much more to the job. We are not mere cashiers [no offense to cashiers], nor mere stock girls [no offense to stock girls]. We are also there to consult. We tell people they look wonderful wearing or standing next to our products. We say things like, "Perhaps blue is more your color," or "Those bring out the sparkle in your eyes beautifully," or "You know what would look great with that necklace? These fabulous earrings!". We assure people that our products are hygienic, hypoallergenic, and photogenic. We dissuade them from smashing our products with a hammer just "to see if they're durable." We also deal with the occasional unfortunate situation. We get yelled at when people try to return a product without a receipt. Really people, it's the universal policy. Have you really never made a purchase anywhere before? We get heavy sighs and eye rolls when we take a little longer than ideal to ring someone up. We get the dirty looks of parents when we have to ask their feral children not to climb onto the glass display cases.

And yet... there are the wonderful moments that make everything else worthwhile. It's the chance to see a mother helping her young daughter pick out the perfect pair of earrings for her junior prom. It's the chance to see a couple of best friends buying a matching set of BFF bracelets. It's also the chance to see a teenage boy choosing a heart necklace for his and his girlfriend's anniversary... six months in advance. In a world that can often seem harsh or selfish, it is a real privilege to witness these small acts of generosity, friendship, and love.

To conclude, there is a lot more to the realm of retail sales and shopping than meets the eye. Even in a place as inconspicuous as a shopping mall, one can catch a glimpse into the human heart. So the next time you're in the mall, have a quick look around and see what you can discover.

Love,
A Non-Disgruntled Worker

A Girl You Should Date

2011-12-14T23:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Gentle Readers,

I stumbled upon this entertaining post through a friend of mine. It is a little piece entitled "A Girl You Should Date" by Rosemarie Urquico. It rather charmingly suggests that girls who read make better girlfriends [and people as a whole] because they know how to use their imaginations to make life more interesting and they have a different way of seeing the world. It begins:

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve."

The article continues with a lighthearted but sincere litany of qualities that readers inherently possess, including the kind of joie de vivre that only comes through having lived centuries across different continents with only a paperback as a passport.

I imagine if you folks take a second to look over the article, I'll bet you will happily recognize that some of those qualities describe you. So while the title of this piece is "A Girl You Should Date," it could just as easily be entitled "A Boy You Should Date," "A Friend You Should Have," or "The Person You Should Be."

Teresa

December Act of Kindness

2011-12-06T19:24:00.001-08:00

As I rushed to the post office today with an armful of Christmas packages to mail, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to seal one of my packages with tape. My mistake. When I asked one of the post office employees if I could have a piece of tape for my present, he responded dryly that the tape he has does not work very well and the "recommends purchasing" a roll of duct tape they were selling for $4.

Not to be picky, but I think that the post office should, at the very least, offer a free piece of tape to customers. I mean, we do pay taxes. A little tape in exchange would be nice. Because of the long line behind me, I decided not to argue and to buy the tape reluctantly. Before I could do so, the lady behind me offered to let me use her roll of tape. "No sense in buying a whole roll!," she chirped cheerfully. I gratefully accepted and she was very gracious about it. It's nice to know that there are still kind people out there.

It's my boyfriend, Ryan

2011-11-29T21:44:00.001-08:00

Wouldn't you love to get this message from Ryan Gosling?

Hey girl. It's me, Ryan. I'm apparently having a really good year. I've had a few movies hit the theaters, did you catch any of them? I also broke up a street fight and inspired a protest when Bradley Cooper was chosen as People's Sexiest Man of the Year (no disrespect, he's a handsome gent). Anyway, some of my stylish outfits inspired this post. Enjoy.

--For more, check out the full post on Apartment Therapy.

It's A Small(er) World

2011-11-22T23:25:00.001-08:00

According to a new study done by Facebook and the University of Milan, the average number of acquaintances that separate any two people in the world is now 4.74 versus the original "six degrees of separation" theory originally proposed in 1967.

So congratulations! That means, that you are less than five degrees away from anyone on the planet including...

Hey, it's like riding the bus. You have to take the good with the bad...

Sassy Siri

2011-10-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

I Talked to Siri

2011-10-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I expressed my fear of the new Siri voice-recognition/life-planning feature of the iPhone 4S. I was scared of her power. Now, I'm not one who likes to be scared and remain scared. I always do my best to face any of my fears head-on, believing that most fear is bred from unfamiliarity.

So just like my previously conquered fears of riding the 22 Muni after dark without pepper spray or getting a cartilage piercing from a disgruntled teen mall employee, I manned up and confronted Siri at the downtown Apple store. I walked up to the iPhone table, where everything seemed harmless enough. For each iPhone 4S display, there was a companion iPad on which you could look up everything you need to know about the new iPhone. While I gingerly browsed the phone's new features, I heard a helpful Apple employee showing the customer next to me how to use Siri. I eavesdropped slyly as she explained to the gentleman that you just hold down the circular button to activate the Siri feature. You're then free to talk to her and ask her a question. Simple enough.

I held down the circular button just like the girl demonstrated. The screen pulled up the little purple microphone icon and it looked like it was waiting for me to say something. I felt like I was consulting a genie or a Magic 8 Ball. The pressure was on. Not sure what to ask, I blurted out the first question that popped into my mind: "Where is Samovar?" To clarify, Samovar was the tea lounge where I was going to meet my friend later on. Siri pondered my question and typed it out on the screen. She then [accurately] said there were three Samovar locations in the city. She pulled up Google maps, where she had already pinpointed all three locations.

Excited, I asked her a few more questions. Her accuracy rate of understanding my questions was about 80%. It was a noisy store, so that might explain why she misheard some of my questions. I had asked, "Where is the nearest BART?" She took my question as, "Why did we ever part?" Amusing. Meanwhile, the boneheads next to me were asking Siri stupid questions like, "Should I take my sweater off?" "Are you single?"

Ok. So Siri's not that scary. She seems harmless enough. At this point, she may not be smart enough yet to take over the world. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Siri: I'm scared of her.

2011-10-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Chances are, you've heard all the hype about the new iPhone 4S and its advanced voice recognizing personal assistant feature, called Siri. The feature exclusive to iPhone 4S purports to help you organize everything from personal contacts to daily schedules. You can tell Siri to text someone for you or you could ask her to look up traffic conditions. According to Mac, "Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back."

I guess my question is, does anyone else find this a little creepy? I mean, hasn't anyone seen Space Odyssey 2001 or Smart House or Wall-E? To be clear, I'm not anti-technology or anti-Apple. Before the haters hate on me, I am NOT a PC. I love my Apple products.

But for some reason Siri reminds me of Suri-- a sentient, seemingly harmless [even cute] secret genius who can actually control people's minds!

Jokes aside, even if Siri really is just a fancy app that has no capacity for actual thoughts, maybe we should think twice before we rely on one piece of technology to do everything for us. Are we so lazy that we don't even want to dial or text anyone anymore? Forget opening an actual dictionary. Forget typing anything into Google. Just whisper it to Siri and she'll give you all the answers.

Or maybe we should consider more closely how much of our personal information we want to pour into one device. While I'm in no way suggesting that the folks at Apple would use our information maliciously, one would wonder what could happen if all of that information fell into the wrong hands-- hackers, identity thieves, unscrupulous advertisers. There are a lot of unsavory characters out there who could benefit from knowing all the personal information we voluntarily feed our devices.

Thoughts?

Lego Monument

2011-09-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

Found on Piccsy.

Facebook Fabulous: It's Cus' They're Awesome Like That

2011-09-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Peruse your list of friends on Facebook and I bet you'll find those one or two people whose lives are Facebook Fabulous. You know the ones I'm talking about. With every wall post, profile picture, and status update so carefully chosen, it's easy to see why they're the envy of the social networking world. Their lives are more far more fabulous than we mere mortals could ever even dream of. Everyone knows them. Everyone wants to be their friend. They either have a whopping roster of over 5,000 friends to prove their popularity or a special hand-picked group of 50 to demonstrate selectivity. In any case, you should thank your lucky stars you made the cut.

Their listed interests include irony, Mayan art, and eclectic bands you've never heard of. Don't even try to decipher their favorite quotes. The references are way too obscure for you.

Browse their profile pictures and admire how 'counter-cultural' or 'bohemian' they are. How can they not be? Part of being Facebook Fabulous means being depicted in seemingly candid sepia-toned photos with that Brooklyn-circa-1962 vibe.

I guarantee that you'll find at least one Facebook friend who fits this description. And do you know why? It's cus' they're awesome like that.

Wish List: IKEA PS Laptop Workstation

2011-09-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm adding this sweet find to my wish list. It's the uber stylish and practical PS Laptop Workstation by IKEA for $59.99. Apparently it's super popular, but I've only just found out about it! It mounts easily to a wall and it comes with built-in cord control. It looks like the perfect solution for those of us who have space challenges. Plus, Apartment Therapy posted these awesome alternative uses for it! According to the post, you can also use the work station for the following hacks:

Vanity
Changing Table
Home Bar
Ironing Station
Garden Station

DIY Jewelry Board

2011-09-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

With some leftover material from previous projects, I made my own jewelry board. No more mislaid earrings for me!

Materials

Cardboard
Scrap fabric
Hot glue gun
Push pins
Wall hook

DIY E-Reader Cover

2011-08-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

I had my Nook for a couple of weeks, and I still hadn't found a cover I liked. Most of the ones they sell at Barnes and Noble are pretty plain and overpriced.

Well instead of spending $40 or more on a cover I didn't really like, I decided to make my own. I stopped by my local Jo-Ann Fabrics and picked up some material.

For my personalized e-reader cover, I needed:

Two different colors of fabric-- 1/2 yard each [although I bought one yard of each just in case]
One yard of elastic
One size 11 precision blade
One sheet of 6mm-thick foam
An iron-on applique [I chose a peacock to complement my turquoise fabric]

I already had some felt, cardboard, Velcro, and my hot glue gun at home, so I only spent about $20. I didn't have a pattern to follow, which meant I ended up winging it. After a couple hours of improvising, I'm very happy with my final product! My customized cover with padded interior has elastic to hold my Nook securely in place, plus a bonus pocket for papers and a little pocket in the spine for my pencil. And don't worry, when I close my cover, the pencil rests gently between the two pieces of foam so it won't scratch the screen.

For anyone with an e-reader or anyone thinking of buying one, consider checking out DIY options or Etsy before settling for a cover you don't absolutely love!

Nook Update

2011-08-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I've officially had 3 whole days with my new Nook Simple Touch and I love it! I had some problems initially with getting my WiFi to work at home. I just need to adjust the settings on my router. My solution in the meantime has been to download books using the free WiFi at work, and also downloading books to my Mac and syncing it to my Nook.

I currently have about 30 books in my 'library' [with a built-in capacity of 1,000 and option of additional SD card] and I happily haven't paid for a single one. What I love about the Nook [that isn't as readily available yet on the Kindle] is the freedom and ease with which I can get free books on other websites and borrow from public libraries. I can pretty much download any free book in ePub format. So far, my favorite free book site is Project Gutenburg. They have over 36,000 free books that have lapsed into public domain-- which translates into: Up for Grabs!

Among others, I have:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Divine Comedy by Dante
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchanan

Thanks Sam!

2011-08-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to my pal Sam for designing my new header! She's awesome!

Check out her super cute online shop Brainmade and her Tumblr Note to Sam!


Buy these handmade earrings here for only $5.

DIY Vintage Desk

2011-07-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

From Apartment Therapy

Here's yet another reblog from Apartment Therapy-- this time, a very cute DIY. For only about $55, some creative folks were able to turn an old desk and a collection of old frames into fab vintage desk space. Although the project was intended for a little girl's room, I'm totally swiping this idea when I get my own place!

New Crush

2011-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hunter Thomsen of We the Kings

Chicago Eats

2011-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Just got back this weekend from a whirlwind (literally) four-day trip to Chicago. There, my friend Ania showed me everything in the Windy City from the 110-story Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and Navy Pier to Millennium Park and the famous Bean. One of my favorite parts of the trip, or any trip for that matter, was sampling all the local food the city had to offer. While the city itself has a lot of touristy eateries, I also found that my two favorite food joints were actually tucked away in the suburbs.

If you're ever in the Chicagoland area, here are some awesome places you must try.

Johnnie's Beef- Elmwood Park
This place is a local legend. Located in the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park, this sandwich eatery is what I like to think of as a walk-through diner-- or a food truck without wheels, if you will. On any given day, I'm told that there's always a steady line of hungry locals wrapped around the building. I assure you, though, it's well worth the wait. Once inside, you're faced with an assembly line of blue-capped grilling maestros who will speedily serve you the best Italian beef sandwich you've ever tasted.

The line wraps around the block, but it's worth it.

The perfect combo of Italian beef, peppers and spices.

For less than $4, you get a handful of tender Italian beef with peppers and jalapenos stuffed into a roll. As someone, who is rather picky about eating beef, I now stand as a believer of Johnnie's. The things that usually stop me from eating slabs of beef like toughness and slimy fat are absent from a Johnnie's sandwich. All I can say is, go here!!! And pick up a refreshing side of lemon Italian ice while you're at it.

Hala Kahiki- River Grove
After a long day of sightseeing, this tiki bar is the perfect place to kick back and unwind over something fruity and potent. My recommendation is the famous Volcano, available to share in portions for two or up to six. The rum-based treat is served in a cute bowl, with a raised smoking volcano in the middle. Sip leisurely through long straws and enjoy for only $13.50 (the two-person portion). Unfortunately, I don't have a picture and I don't want to steal anyone else's. But you can see what it looks like here.

Gold Coast Dogs, Inc.- Chicago
This family-owned chain based in Chicago had a booth at the annual Taste of Chicago food fest, where I got to sample their famous Chicago style hot dog. Here's a fun fact for all of us who aren't native Chicagoans: Never ask for ketchup for your hot dog in Chicago. It compromises the quality of the meat. Ask for ketchup and you'll be marked as a tourist. A true Chicago style hot dog has yellow mustard, relish, chopped onions, peppers and a pickle.

With all the stuff they put on a Chicago dog, you won't notice the lack of ketchup.


A Gold Coast hot dog.

Favorite Freebies Friday: Bay Area Free Book Exchange

2011-06-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

In honor of the recession and my own brokeness (new word?), here's a new segment I'm calling Favorite Freebies Friday. Every Friday I'll share my favorite deals and bargains here. Some will be local to the SF Bay Area and some will be everyone with access to the Internet. If you have any suggestions, please pass them along. Without further ado, our first official Favorite Freebie is:

Bay Area Free Book Exchange-- El Cerrito, CA

Yes. Free.

What: Imagine walking into a bookstore and taking up to 100 books home without paying for them. Sound too good to be true? This is the fabulous concept behind the project known as the Bay Area Free Book Exchange. In 2009 a band of benevolent booksellers started this co-op to provide free books to their community. How does it work? People can donate books lying around their houses that they no longer need, and the store owners make them available for others to take home. The store owners pay the rent and utility bills by keeping a few of the donated books and selling them on Ebay.

Where: 10520 San Pablo Avenue; El Cerrito, CA 94530; (510) 705-1200

When: Open every weekend, Saturday and Sundays from 9am to 6pm.

Pottermore is Here!

2011-06-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

With only three weeks until the release of the very last Harry Potter film installment, it feels like the magical world we HP fans have loved for over a decade is coming to a bittersweet end. But fear not, fellow Potterheads! There is no need to go into HP withdrawal just yet!

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling announced today that she will be launching a brand new website called Pottermore with free online reading and other content available in October. According to a press release, the site will offer "extensive new material about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories." True to Rowling's style, she hasn't leaked much else about the site. Instead, we'll just have to be content imagining what magical things await us this autumn. Personally, I'm hoping for more background info on Snape and other members of the Order of the Phoenix!

You can pre-register for the site on Pottermore.com.

3 People to Avoid at the Club

2011-06-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

While it's fun to go out dancing with your friends, there are always a few people you may run into who can ruin your evening. Whether they spill their cocktail all over your new dress, leer at you disturbingly from across the room, or swing their sweat-matted hair in your face, here are my picks for the top three people you should avoid at the club. Happy clubbing!

The Thrasher
Crime: At any club, you'll find a few girls (or guys) whose flailing dance moves and open drinks render them a danger to any innocent bystanders. For some reason, these people never opt for the decent water bottle or narrow-necked Corona bottle, but instead order an obnoxiously staining Cosmo or JD and Coke.
Prime stomping grounds: On the dance stage, or the nearest amateur pole.
Defense: Don't fight it. Any struggle will just make it worse. Just push through and find another place to dance. Chances are, the perps are too drunk to know what they're doing.

The Lurker
Crime: No club would be complete without a few creepers standing around and leering at all the girls. Their stares can range from being slightly uncomfortable to downright disgusting.
Prime stomping grounds: The bar, the dance floors, outside the bathrooms... pretty much everywhere.
Defense: Never stay away from your herd of friends. Just like in the Serengeti, those who stray from the pack get picked off by predators.

The Sweater
Crime: These hard-core ragers like to shimmy up close to strangers even though they're practically soaked in sweat.
Prime stomping grounds: The middle of the dance floor, of course.
Defense: Pick a spot safely away from the mosh pit, and strategically place a safety buffer person between you and any offending wet mops.

Road Trip with the Girls

2011-06-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited about my mini-break with Karina, Tiffo and Sam to San Luis Obispo! It's a beautiful coastal town halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. My friends and I drove down to SLO last February for a weekend and we all agreed it would be fun to do it again. So, I'm looking forward to three days of sitting on the beach, Yelping, and spending more time with my oldest friends.

If you haven't already noticed, I love weird facts and random trivia. So to celebrate the start of our road trip, here are some did-you-knows about SLO!

SLO is home to the world's first motel, the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo
Actor Zac Efron was born in SLO
It was named the happiest city in America by Oprah

Post-grad updates

2011-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for hanging out these past few weeks. I know I haven't posted in a while, but the craziness of finals weeks has finally evaporated and is now but a distant memory. I thought it'd be nice to change things up today and post a video update. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Senioritis. It's Real.

2011-05-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Senioritis- n. A colloquial term used in the United States and Canada to describe the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college and graduate school careers. "I have a bad case of senioritis".

^{Here I am, the night before my very last day of college and the unmerciful blow of senioritis has struck me. Exactly one presentation and one exam stand between me and the end of my undergraduate career, but it seems like these two tasks are nearly insurmountable. I have three pages of handwritten study guide notes sitting just inches away from me, yet it they seem already to be fading into the background. All I can think of now is the sweet, sweet promise of graduation.}

^{Instead of studying this past hour, I have done the following:}

^{-Browsed through hilarious pictures at Awkward Family Photos}
^{-Re-tried on all my graduation garb}
^{-Re-watched the trailer to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2}
^{-Looked up the definition to senioritis}
^{-Written this blog post}

Rent-A-Friend

2011-04-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

What is friendship worth? Can it be quantified? Can you put a price tag on it? Apparently some social websites argue that you can. Through an informal discussion group of which I'm a member, I learned that there are services like Rentafriend.com that allow people to find and pay strangers to spend time with them. Users pay a monthly fee to become a member of the site, then they can solicit the friendship services of others who are willing to go out to dinner with them or perhaps visit a museum or park. Individuals who render their friendship services are free to dictate their own prices. Some charge per gig, some per hour ($10-$50 usually), and some do it for free as long as the other person pays for the dinner, drinks or activity.

Guaranteed 'friendship'?

Immediately this notion of 'buying' friendship raised a lot of red flags for me. Should friendship be something that can be sold and bought? Although the service purports to help the friendless make new friends, isn't it a system that takes advantage of lonely people? And yes, I can already feel the hoards of people itching to disagree with me. They argue that as long as both people enter into the agreement understanding that it's a business deal, then the whole thing is fair. They might also say that the service is a good way for shy or busy people to make friends that they wouldn't otherwise be able to meet. Both arguments are valid.

However, I think the danger lies in how people may ultimately forget what true friendship is: a voluntary camaraderie between equals. No matter how much two people may end up liking each other in these rent-a-friend situations, there is still the voluntary element that is missing or distorted. Would the rented friend still spend time with the other person for free or if he/she had to pick up the tab? Given the nature of this paid service, probably not. Furthermore, the element of equality is also missing. When there is an exchange of money for services, the relationship is inherently unequal-- even if both parties agree to the terms. The person who holds the purse strings gets to delineate most of the terms and the employee can either agree or disagree. Especially in situations where the service rendered is the artificial enactment of a relationship, the rented party would likely feel an obligation to feign interest in the other person. After all, why would you pay money to spend the day with someone who won't at least pretend to enjoy your company?

More than just business?

I suppose it would be nice for lonely people to go out with others for a change. Yet somehow I can't shake the gut feeling that the fabricated rented friendship can potentially do more harm than good. Unlike prostitution [which I also disagree with], rented friendships have the danger of deceiving people into hoping for something more than they paid for. I think that in cases of prostitution and such, both parties are quite aware that no relationship will transpire out of their encounter-- unless you're Julia Roberts and Richard Gere or later Debra Messing and Durmott Mulroney. With rented friendships, on the other hand, I can see the potential for a lonely individual to rent a friend in the hopes that it will turn into a real friendship. And there are a handful of Hollywood movies that tell the fairy tale of paying someone for companionship or sex, and later developing a real relationship [And yes, I'm giving an accusing side-eye to teen films like Can't Buy Me Love (1987) and Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003)]. Or perhaps this predisposition to believe that you can manufacture friendship goes back to childhood. When we have imaginary friends as youngsters, don't we create conditions under which the 'friend' will like us no matter what? Even our childhood films support this idea. How many times do we re-watch Gepetto the clockmaker who, out of sheer loneliness, creates a wooden puppet and wishes that he become a real son? It's a nice story, but it's a fairy tale.

In reality, the prostitute won't want to be your girlfriend or wife. In reality, the wooden puppet doesn't become a real boy-- no matter how hard you wish upon a star. And in reality, your rented friend will probably think you're just a tad bit pathetic for not having any real friends.

What do you guys think?

Also check out, if you'd like, more thoughts on the nature of friendship.

Happy Birthday, Doris Day!

2011-04-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Happy 89th birthday to one of my favorite actresses/singers!

Coffee Shop Quest: Bazaar Cafe

2011-03-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wow. I am so on a roll. Just got back from my second stop on the Coffee Shop Quest. Yesterday was the Jackson Place Cafe, and tonight was the night for Bazaar Cafe in the outer Richmond-- the hippest place for live music in a super low-key setting. Bazaar is definitely a local's locale (ha, I'm easily amused).

From bazaarcafe.com

Enter from the alley side door and you'll find yourself in a cozy cafe with a relaxed San Francisco vibe. There are many little rooms plenty of space for corner tables. The long counter seems like a throwback to the diner counter of yesteryear with some beat-up vintage stool seating. The menu itself is pretty standard. Coffee, tea, beer, wine, bagels, and pastries made up the options. I think there was also some curry.

They have a busy calendar of events with performances, exhibits and workshops held every night. My friends and I luckily stumbled upon their Open Mic night. In the hour-and-a-half that we were sitting there, we saw almost a dozen acts ranging from guitar soloists doing laid-back Jack-Johnson-esque stuff to jazzy trios, there is quite a variety. There is a strict rule against performing covers of songs, so everything was original. It was splendid! The best part was that everyone seemed to know everyone else (the coffee shop version of Cheers), so every act got a lot of cheers and support.

My friend Nick discovers the alley entrance.

Bazaar Cafe

5927 California Street
San Francisco, CA

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes. A $5 minimum, or else a $.50 charge.

Price Range: I got a yummy giant chocolate chip cookie dipped in white chocolate for $1.75 and a so-so lukewarm medium decaf for another $1.75. Their coffee selections range from $1.50 for a small regular coffee to about $4 for the fancy stuff. Bagels are about $4, as is their bottled and canned beer.

Coffee: From my personal experience with the mediocre decaf and from the other reviews I've read on Yelp, coffee doesn't seem to be their strong suit-- a strange thing for a coffee place. A friend of mine ordered the hot apple cider, which I tasted and found quite enjoyable.

Ambiance: What this cafe lacks in superb food/beverage, it more than makes up for in its cool West Coast chill ambiance. The hardwood floors are scuffed and scratched with character, off-beat paintings adorn the walls, and garden gnomes and vintage musical instruments are scattered around for effect.

Seating: There are plenty of places to sit in each of their little rooms and nooks. There are also the three or four bar stools at the counter, as well as a table by the front window.

Reading Comfort: We were here on a Thursday Open Mic night, meaning that everyone's attention was focused on the performers. There is no laptop use allowed in the front room during performances. My friends say that it's a great place to read and study when there aren't performances in progress.

Rush Factor: Again, I have yet to read or study here, but my friends who frequent Bazaar say that they sit for hours studying during the day without feeling rushed out.

Verdict: If you come during the day, feel free to bring a book or laptop. If you come in the evenings, it's the perfect place for a relaxed and fun night out with friends during the week.

Insider Tips:

Use the side entrance
Look at the calendar of events if you want to watch something in particular, or just pop in and enjoy the surprise.
Don't talk during the performances-- people are very respectful and always give their full attention.
Order the chocolate chip cookie dipped in white chocolate. You won't regret it!
If you decide to perform for open mic night, remember the prohibition against covers. But you already knew that, right?

As always, please check out the quest page to track my progress and offer suggestions.

Coffee Shop Quest: Jackson Place Cafe

2011-03-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine, if you will for a moment, walking down a bustling street as busy as it is noisy. Whirring buses, honking taxis and the grating sound of construction work jackhammers fill the air as dozens of important people sharply dressed in their business attire impatiently shuffle past each other on their way to wherever it is they need to be. Fifty-story cement buildings stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the tight grid known as San Francisco's Financial District.

Now imagine that while you're walking down one of these busy streets, you notice a narrow brick alleyway-- so unassuming that it's easy to miss. If you pay enough attention and happen to notice the passageway, perhaps you'll decide to wander through it to explore. As you amble through the dimly lit (but surprisingly clean) brick corridor, you'll notice that it leads to a red brick-enclosed courtyard, in the middle of which appears what seems to be a mirage.

Photo from Yelp

It's a charming little brown kiosk with the word CAFE spelled out in large Parisian, Moulin-Rouge-esque lights. Welcome to Jackson Place Cafe, arguably the most easily-missed coffee shop in the city. It's a pocket of magic and quiet secretly tucked away in the middle of a busy city. The courtyard is lined with little offices and a lovely beauty shop, but the centerpiece of the little plaza is the Jackson Place Cafe.

The menu, hand-written in chalk of course, offers the usual fare: coffee, tea, bagels, panini, and pastries. I ordered a soy chai latte for $3 flat. Unfortunately, there was no option to pick sizes. I was a bit disappointed that it was so small. The latte was lukewarm, fluffy, and pleasant enough but nothing outstanding.

They had about seven or eight metal tables and plenty of chairs. I easily found a seat this afternoon because there were only a few other patrons. Jackson Place seems to attract busy office people seeking a quiet haven for their coffee breaks. I pulled out a book and sat only long enough to finish my latte. Hence, another addition to my Coffee Shop Quest. Also, check out my quest page to view a map of my progress.

Jackson Place Cafe

633 Battery St.

San Francisco

Accepts Credit Cards: No

Price Range: Around $3 for coffee; bagels ($2.50-$6.50), panini (about $7)

Coffee: I ordered a soy chai latte, which was light and very foamy. It wasn't unpleasant, but I was hoping for a little something better tasting (and bigger).

Prices: It was $3 for my drink. Typical San Francisco cafe price. I just wished they had bigger cup sizes.

Ambiance: Needless to say, the charming location and setting of Jackson Place can help make up for most, if not all, of its other shortcomings in price and taste. They even lined the courtyard with gas-lit orbs so you can pretend you're in a Dickens novel.

Reading Comfort: As an outdoor venue, it has plenty of natural lighting but you're at the mercy of the elements and whether the sun decides to come out (which is quite unpredictable in San Francisco). The seats are metal. Obviously not the most comfortable for long-term reading, but comfy enough for a quick coffee break or a chat with a friend.

Rush Factor: Due to the time of day I went (around 2 p.m. in the middle of the week), there weren't a lot of other patrons. I could've probably stayed for over an hour without buying anything else, if I wanted.

Verdict: Cute place to visit for the secret garden ambience; mediocre coffee and limited reading comfort

Dame Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

2011-03-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Official Search for The Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco (To Read and Study In)

2011-03-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Photo from Bloomberg.com

The other afternoon I found myself with a bit of free time and a sudden yen for a good cup of coffee. I thought it would be a great chance to try out a new coffee place and sit down to wade through some more of Anna Karenina (a huge, doorstop of a book to lug around!). So, I decided to Google "Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco to Read In." To my surprise, I couldn't find any comprehensive list. Of course, there are other places to read: parks, public transportation, shopping lines, BART stations, and even libraries (at least I think you're allowed to read in there). However, I have turned my attention to java huts in particular because if there are two things San Franciscans love, they are coffee shops and books. How is it possible then that I couldn't find a list of the best coffee shops in the city to sit down and read? Someone must do something about this, lest the world see us a illiterate non-coffee-drinkers.

Thus, I'm pleased to announce the official opening of The Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco (To Read and Study In) Quest! Similar to my ongoing Bookstore Quest to visit and document every independent bookstore in the city, my coffee shop quest stems from a personal passion/borderline obsession. This passion of course, is caffeine... and reading.

By no means do I consider myself a coffee connoisseur, but I do know the difference between a good cup of coffee and a bad one. I also know good reading ambiance when I see it. Hence, my personal ideal coffee shop to read in would have the following characteristics:

Good coffee-- You have to buy something to sit down, you might as well get something good!
A rather quiet setting-- I don't mind people chatting quietly with friends, but I like to avoid the noisy rush hours.
Ample lighting-- I prefer plenty of natural lighting, but decent lamps will do.
Comfy seating-- Enough said.
A 'No Rush' policy-- There's nothing worse than sitting at a cafe or restaurant and feeling like you're being 'rushed out' the moment you finish your meal. I like places that have friendly service but leave you alone to do your business.

Furthermore, every quest has to start somewhere. I'm getting my leads from none other than the forum where everyone's their own brand of expert: Yelp. To begin, I've been looking up coffee places rated 4 stars or above with a decent number of ratings. I jot down all the Yelp info in my little notebook and I'll rate them as I go along. Very scientific.

If you have any suggestions, please pass them along!

P.S. While I didn't find a comprehensive list of the best San Francisco coffee shops to read in, I did find a few interesting links. Enjoy!

The Top 10 Best Boutique Coffee Shops (in the country)
SF Weekly's The Best Place to Read the Sunday Paper (2003)
Mister Archer's Top Coffee Shops in San Francisco

Happy International Women's Day!

2011-03-08T17:13:00.000-08:00

To be honest, before this afternoon, I never even knew there was such a thing as International Women's Day. International Women's Day is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries including China, Afghanistan, Cuba, Uganda, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria, it is a national holiday. Men customarily give the women in their lives (wives, girlfriends, mothers, sisters, etc.) some flowers and chocolates. It's kind of like Valentine's Day, Part II. In Italy, women traditionally receive yellow mimosa flowers for the occasion. I only found out about the holiday today because my music and art professor is originally from Italy, and so she brought in little yellow mimosas for the girls in the class.

My professor gave out little yellow mimosas to the girls in our class.

Interestingly enough, today (March 8, 2011) is the 100th anniversary of the first International Women's Day. This is a holiday that directly honors half of the world's population, so why is it not a big deal here in the U.S.? If we, as a nation, consider ourselves leaders in promoting women's rights, why isn't this holiday better known in our country? It has been celebrated in other countries for the past century, so we can't say that it is just a new or passing trend. Neither can we say that we don't like holidays that honor particular groups of people, as evinced by Black History Month, Mother's Day and Father's Day. Why then, has this holiday been largely ignored in America? Why isn't more done to promote it? Do we consider ourselves so far along the road to gender equality that we can't be bothered to trifle with holidays such as this because we like to think that women are honored every day in our country? Is it a holiday only for "other countries" where women have historically enjoyed fewer rights than their counterparts in the U.S.?

I personally applaud this global endeavor to recognize and honor the contributions of women. Regardless of how far a country thinks it has come in advancing women's rights, I think it only fitting to join this global effort of promoting greater equality. Perhaps some suspect chauvinistic undercurrents at the root of this holiday. Perhaps the whole idea of men giving women presents for the mere fact that they are women is offensive to some. I happen to look at it as a great opportunity for us to honor women, on both the individual and state level. I think it's about time that governments begin to recognize officially the contributions of women to their families, to their communities, and to their nation. I'm also a proponent of measures that encourage men to express personal gratitude to their girlfriends, wives, mothers, and daughters. What I think is shameful is to treat these sweet and honorable gestures like attacks on womanhood. It's like holding the door open for someone who's walking behind you. You do it to be nice. You do it as a mark of respect and courtesy-- not as a malicious or condescending way to make people feel inferior.

If you have any ideas, thoughts, or other objections, please feel free to comment! In the meantime, happy International Women's Day!

UPDATE:
The priest who said Mass for us tonight was born and raised in Communist Poland. He recalls how everyone celebrated International Women's Day when he was growing up. The government would make it a point to emphasize that women have equal footing with men under the regime. He said they were told that women could have 'men's' jobs: pilots, truck drivers, police officers, etc. The priest also said that, on the individual level, men resisted this idea of equality because they were against everything the Communist government stood for and promoted-- even if it was a just cause. He said that men would refuse to help out around the house and stoop to do 'women's work.' In this sense, an unjust government promoting a just cause [regardless of the government's motives] resulted in individual instances of injustice. Interesting food for thought...

On Friendship

2011-03-04T00:03:00.000-08:00

What is the value of friendship? There are two articles I recently read that have prompted me to ask this almost deceptively simple question. One of my professors recommended these two articles as part of a small discussion group on the practice and value of friendship in the modern world.

One article, entitled America: Land of Loners? by Daniel Akst, discusses what our society needs to relearn about the value of friendship. True friendship often gets overlooked in favor of casual acquaintances and sometimes forcing closeness with a new friend too quickly can prevent it from developing into something deeper. Akst looks at the three types of friendships according to Aristotle:

Friendships of utility-- contacts you use to network or to get ahead in life
Friendships of pleasure-- drinking buddies, people with shared interests
Friendships of virtue (the highest form of friendship)-- true friends who only want what is the best for you in life; you both help each other become better people

The main difference between these three is that friendships of utility and pleasure [while nice to have], will end once their purpose is fulfilled. If you have a friend that you keep in hopes that he'll help get you a job, you won't need him anymore once you get the position. If you hang out with someone because they have fun jokes, you’ll have no reason to stay once they stop being funny. Of course, I'm not saying that friendships of utility and pleasure have to end after their function is gone, but I am saying that you need something more substantial than utility and pleasure to sustain the relationship long term.

Those are pretty cool classifications, aren't they? Ever since we studied these categories of friendship my freshman year in college, I've often thought about which friends of mine would fit into these types. I guess some people may find it insensitive or vulgar to classify friendships, but I think it's actually helpful. It requires you to take a closer look at your relationships and forces you to reevaluate what you put into them and what you get out of them.

Christine Rosen in her article, Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism asks the important question of whether technology and social media undermine our ability to know ourselves and relate to others in a meaningful way. She talks about Facebook and Myspace profile pages as the modern-day equivalents of posed oil portraits. Our social media pages reveal how we want to appear to the online world. Do we add casual acquaintances or random strangers as contact lists to make it look like we have hundreds of "friends"? Do we list obscure bands and artists in our About Me section to show how cool and alternative we are? Do we post group pictures of ourselves at crowded parties so that others will think we're popular? I admit that I've been guilty of some of this in the past. Who hasn't? What's the point of even having a Facebook if you're going to make it boring or make yourself look like a loser?

One of the main criticisms Rosen has about our increasing dependence on social media is that it threatens to affect or even replace our real-world friendships. She talks about how friends become a type of commodity. It encourages people to treat friends as collectors items. If someone adds you on Facebook as a friend, a typical response would be to post on their wall and say, "Thanks for the add!" When someone de-friends you, it's a huge deal... even if you never actually talked to that person. When someone first starts a Facebook account, one of the first things to be done is to add friends-- and a ton of them quickly. Nothing looks worse than looking at your own Facebook page to see that you only have 4 or 5 friends. Even if your Facebook account is brand-spanking-new, there's an expectation that you'll acquire a decent number of friends by the end of the week. About 50 or 60 would be pretty good for a first week, and if you're not up to 300 friends by the end of the month, then obviously something's wrong with you. Friendships end up being evaluated quantitatively, not qualitatively. Friends become status.

While most functioning people can discern the difference between virtual friendships and "real" friendships, it remains to be asked whether our online habits affect how we interact with others in real life. The raison d'être of social media is the convenience of "connecting" with others. It's so much easier to Facebook chat with someone than to visit them or even to pick up the phone and call them. It's easier to post a happy birthday on someone's wall than to send a card. While the convenience is fantastic a lot of the time, it can also make people too lazy to make an actual effort.

I think this is perhaps one of the basic foundations of true friendship: effort. It's the difference between going out of your way to have lunch with someone and just text blasting a "What're you up to?" message to all of your phone contacts. It's what shows you who really cares about you. These are the people who will take the extra time to listen to your problems, to cheer on your accomplishments, and simply to sit around with you doing nothing. I think one of the most insightful observations in Rosen's article is that online relationships reveal an avoidance of vulnerability, which is essential to true friendship. She writes, "Real intimacy requires risk-- the risk of disapproval, of heartache, of being thought a fool." I can't even remember all the times that I've made a fool of myself with my friends. We joke around, poke fun of each other, and even have serious moments of self-disclosure. I know a friendship is real when I can let my guard down around that person because I trust that he or she will have my best interest at heart and vice versa.

Real friends are hard to come by. As American critic John Leonard once wrote, “It takes a long time to grow an old friend.” True, but they’re worth the effort.

Don't Be Bitter: Valentine's Edition

2011-02-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

I took this photo in Rome last summer of a handsome man toting a

beautifully wrapped present in his motorcycle helmet.

I like to imagine that it was for his sweetheart!

Welcome to the Valentine's Day edition of Don't Be Bitter. Bouquets of imported flowers, heart-shaped balloons with cursive writing on them, cartons of nougat-filled chocolate, smiling stuffed animals clutching plush hearts, $4.99 bedazzled greeting cards expressing sentiments that compensate for the lack of originality... It's impossible to ignore that V-Day has once again graced us with its presence. This day dedicated especially to love is perhaps one of the most divisive secular holidays we have. It's more than political; it's personal.

If you don't have a Valentine, do NOT be that person who complains about how Valentine's Day is stupid, cliche, and commercial. Your bitterness and inability to be happy for others will only make it painfully obvious to the world why you are single in the first place. And who knows? You could be scaring away any secret admirer you may have.

If you do have a Valentine [you lucky duck, you!], don't make the mistake of appearing too happy in front of your single pals. Cut them some slack. I mean, there's no harm in celebrating what you and your oh-so-special-someone have together. But... try to be sensitive to your friends who may be less fortunate in the love department. And avoid false sympathy with an offhand remark like, "Yeah, he left me a box of chocolates and a handmade card on my doorstep this morning, and we're going out to dinner tonight at that place that requires making a reservation six months in advance, but it's no big deal. You're way better off single!"

With that tongue-in-cheek intro, I'd like to proclaim [if anyone cares] that I happily park myself in the pro-Valentine's Day camp. Year after dateless year, I can't shake off this awful optimism. I take a guilty pleasure in watching sweethearts shyly holding hands for the first time, people taking out their wallets at sidewalk flower shops to buy a bouquet of carnations, teenage boys walking out of stores with giant pink teddy bears and enough balloons to lift a house [pardon the Up reference]. These stolen little snapshots of people's lives represent the best of Valentine's Day: friendship, love, hope.

In honor of the universal cheesiness of February 14th, I suppose my stance on this whole love day thing can be expressed through a Meg Ryan quote from You've Got Mail:

Frank: What about you? Is there someone else?
Kathleen: No. No... but there's the dream of someone else.

Let's Take it SLO

2011-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

A Pismo Beach sunset.

This weekend marked my first visit ever to the beautiful central California coast town of San Luis Obispo. Sam, Chris, Tiffo and I all piled into a car and drove down to visit Karina, our super smart computer engineer friend studying there. I can't believe I'd never been to SLO before! The rolling hills, small-town charm and California laid-back feeling make SLO one of my new favorite places! Not to mention, the amazing (!!!) culinary offerings. Based on my couple of days touring the area, here are my new favorite SLO eats!

Baked Scallops California Roll at Shin's. Best sushi ever!

Basket of fries and BBQ sauce from Firestone.

The most amazing pulled pork BBQ sandwich ever! Also from, Firestone.

Yummy gum!...Just kidding.

Powell's Sweet Shoppe.

Chocolate covered crickets from Hotlix.

Cricket! I just closed my eyes and pretended it was a rice krispy.

Mailbox Treat!

2011-02-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I found a lavender-colored envelope sticking out of my mailbox. I eagerly snatched it and saw that it was a letter from my new pen pal, Astrid from Germany. The first things I noticed were the beautiful vintage style block stamp on the front of the envelope, depicting an elegant woman adorned with post marks, and the old-fashioned bird stamp seal on the back of the envelope. Upon opening the envelope I found a lovely letter tied up neatly with violet ribbon and sealed with a label of my name. Also inside the envelope were several paper snowflakes! I've never been sent snow before!

A special thank you to my new friend Astrid, first of all, for sending me this lovely letter and secondly, for giving me permission to share it with you!

Front view

Back view

The lovely letter itself, complete with snowflakes!

Love Letters

2011-01-29T23:20:00.000-08:00

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. ~Phyllis Theroux

It's no secret that I'm a fan of written correspondence. As much as I enjoy the convenience of email and the efficiency of texts, there's nothing quite so special as receiving a hand-written note. It means that the other person took the time to select stationary, write you a letter, stuff it in an envelope and send it to you. Moreover, I think it's quite meaningful to hold something tangible from a friend or loved one. It becomes a connection with you and that person, transcending time and distance. A letter's physical existence, relative to the digital existence of emails and texts, seems to give the written words a greater sense of permanence, as if the sentiments expressed in them will be timeless as well. You can reread them years later and still remember how you felt the first time you read them. Love letters in particular have the power to capture the intense ardor of one moment and make it last forever. Long after the lovers have gone, the written testaments of their affections remain.

My godmother's parents, 1929.

The reason why this topic has been on my mind is because I have just attended a memorial for my godmother's mom, who passed away this week at the age of 102. At the end of the prayer service, my godmother brought out a small rectangular box and announced to the small group gathered that she wanted to share something with us. Inside the box was a stack of old letters that were written by her father to her mother before they got married. Some of the letters dated back to 1928. The fine, rose-colored stationary were filled with words of ardent longing and devotion. As my godmother read aloud one of them, I couldn't help but think that they were words that every girl would want to hear from her suitor. Apparently, his efforts to win her heart worked. They had 10 children and were married for over 50 years before his death.

A Cricket in Times Square

2011-01-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

What's a better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than to curl up on the couch and read a good book? I'm in the middle of a few books right now, but I decided to pick up an old favorite. The Newbery Honor Award book, A Cricket in Times Square by George Selden is a lovely children's book about a cricket from Connecticut who accidentally ends up in the Times Square subway station. There, Chester Cricket befriends a fast-talking mouse and a street-smart cat as he helps bring success to a struggling family-owned news stand by playing his beautiful music.

The 150-page book is a quick read, but it has a lot of heart. It's a sweet story about friendship, sacrifice and delighting in life's simple pleasures. I confess, part of why I love this book so much is that it was one of the books my mothers used to read to me at bedtime. Every night after saying our prayers, she would tuck me in and would sit on the couch by my bed to read to me. It was always the best part of my day. So now, even in my 20s, I feel like I'm eight years old again. Funny how a good book can take you back. What are your favorite children's books?

Full Moon

2011-01-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

I glanced out my window tonight and noticed this lovely full moon over a glistening city of stars.

I think Pat Morita would be proud.

2011-01-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

I karate chopped this wooden board in half today. It was part of RA training. It was a pretty awesome feeling. I felt just like Ralph Macchio, except without the 80s cut-off tee.

Thoughts of a 20-Something

2011-01-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

THE 20S ARE LIKE the stem cell of human development, the pluripotent moment when any of several outcomes is possible. Decisions and actions during this time have lasting ramifications. The 20s are when most people accumulate almost all of their formal education; when most people meet their future spouses and the friends they will keep; when most people start on the careers that they will stay with for many years. This is when adventures, experiments, travels, relationships are embarked on with an abandon that probably will not happen again.
- "What is it About 20-Somethings", Robin Marantz Henig for The New York Times

This past August, Robin Marantz Henig wrote an interesting piece for The New York Times called What is it About 20-Somethings? The article takes a fascinating look at a phenomenon that has been developing in American society for the past few years. More and more young adults, many of them recent college grads, seem to wait longer before completing the traditional 'milestones' of adulthood like establishing a career, marrying, buying a house and starting a family. These 20 somethings sometimes move back in with their parents, giving them more time to search for a job, or perhaps work and save money. Others travel the world, volunteer/ intern or apply to grad school.

While some theorists blame the recession, as a 20-something or member of Generation Y, I think it would also be helpful to look at the cultural and historical context. Perhaps we should start by looking at our grandparents' generation, those who matured into adulthood during WWII. This generation prided itself on hardiness and sacrifice. After all, it was what got them through the war. They had to mature quickly and when the war was over, they started their own families. Borne from this were the Baby Boomers who nobly wanted a better life for themselves and a better world for their children. This post-war generation is noted for its interest in social and cultural revolution. Freedom was the call to arms. Freedom in sex, relationships, politics and civic life. It was freedom from what they saw as the 'conformity' or discipline of their parents' wartime generation before them. As with any cultural changes, there are positives and negatives. Maybe out of these changes, grew (to some degree) a sense of entitlement that was passed onto us: Generation Y, also dubbed (or snubbed) by some of our elders as Generation Me.

Piano lessons, extra-curricular activities, study guides... from a young age, many of us (though I recognize not all) have been raised to expect eventual success out of life. We have been exposed to so many ideas, interests and pursuits, that it's almost intoxicating. We're told that, if we work hard and follow the predetermined path of success through high school and college to the workplace, that we can be the brilliant, clever, perfectly charming and successful adults we were meant to be. So, what do we do? We do what we're told. We go to our after-school activities and ace our SATs in high school, we study hard and land rewarding internships in college, graduate with honors and then... what? That's the ultimate question. What's next? According to the traditional road map of success, we have to check off the following boxes: land a dream job, find and marry the love of your life, own a house in the suburbs with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, procreate and shop at Banana Republic. It sounds lovely. But, like the article probes, why are so many of us putting it all off?

I think it's because we can. Those of us who belong to the group targeted by the article have a plethora of options. Why not? We graduate from a reputable institution with a somewhat useful degree and lo and behold-- there are no jobs to be had!!! We discover that the path to our dream job is fraught with numerous footfalls. It's either we're under-qualified or over-qualified. Perhaps we want to go back for some post-grad education, that will require even more money. Perhaps the perfect entry-level position requires us to move to another city or state, which requires money, which requires a job... and we're back to square one. Can you blame us if we consider moving back in with our parents in the meantime just so we can work hard and save up a bit before we venture out on our own? And if we want to pursue a second degree, I imagine it's quite difficult to balance school with the part-time job you'll need to get to pay for rent and your eventual student loans.

Perhaps I feel so passionately about the subject because I can so readily identify with my peers. While I don't condone self-entitled brats who waste hundreds of thousands of dollars of their parents' money on a degree they don't intend to use while they mooch off of their parents for the rest of their lives like overgrown teenagers, I would like to add a word of defense for those of us who actually plan on eventual independence. Although I don't pretend to deserve the advantages and privileges I've been given, I do want to strive at least to be worthy of my parents' generosity by making it on my own one day. Until then, I'm afraid I must continue relying on those who have helped me all along. Like Henig acknowledges, sometimes it feels like it's the only way we can achieve the dreams we were taught to build. What are your thoughts?

The King's Speech

2011-01-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

In The King's Speech, we get to see the ever-scrumdiddlyumptious Colin Firth play the courageous but troubled King George VI as he steps up to the throne to take his brother's place. George VI, or 'Bertie' to his family, is an intelligent and just man, plagued with a speech impediment. With the advent of the radio broadcast and a quickly developing war with Germany, Bertie must learn to overcome his stammer in order to address the nation and give his people a leader they can stand behind. Along with Firth, stars Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, the king's clever albeit unconventional (aren't they all?) speech therapist who gives the king the tools and the confidence he needs to find his voice. Helena Bonham Carter is brilliant as Bertie's caring wife, Queen Elizabeth. Jennifer Ehle (who played Lizzy Bennet to Firth's Mr. Darcy in the BBC's 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice) appears as Logue's wife.

There's a reason it's been nominated for seven Golden Globes this year, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Colin Firth is brilliant in every way. His fear and anxiety are almost tangible every time he steps up to a microphone and you nearly have to hold your breath until he manages to spit out the first few words. It's incredible to watch an actor famous for his eloquence and control, playing a role in which his character's speech is the one thing he has no control over. I think the best testament to Firth is that we can see him first and foremost as a human being-- a devoted husband, a loving father, a loyal brother and son-- then as a great king. It's a beautiful story that has a lot of heart and humor to it.

Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter.

A Card from a Dear Friend

2011-01-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of coming back to school for the new year was finding this lovely handmade card from my friend Christian in my mailbox. Plus, he was sweet enough to send a yummy bag of cinnamon spice tea. A beautiful card and a cup of hot cinnamon tea add just the right amount of warmth to a chilly January day!

Baby Hat!

2011-01-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

My cousin Evita brought her sweet baby Landon over to visit today and I finally got to give him the hat I made for him! He likes to play with the braids! Maybe I'll make a few more and take a few orders?

Do You Know What Looks Stupid but is Actually Funny?

2011-01-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

While there could be many different answers to the question above, the answer I was thinking about was Jack Black's new movie Gulliver's Travels. Before you have me hauled away to the nut house for poor movie taste, hear me out. It looks campy and awful, but it's unexpectedly funny. That's all I can say. Just watch it.

The Best of Both Worlds: Josh and Kanye

2011-01-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when the two worlds of adult contemporary and general foolery collide. Oscar and Grammy-nominated Josh Groban jammed out soulfully to entertainer (?) Kanye West's tweets on the show where insomniacs go to get their late-night giggles, Jimmy Kimmel Live. Words that should never have been uttered, typed or even thought were unjustly (but stylishly) crooned with the accompaniment of a grand piano. Click on the following link and you can soothe yourself to sleep with crusty gems like "Fur pillows are actually hard to sleep on." Josh Groban sings Kanye West's tweets.

This is Grammy material.

Dear John vs. The Notebook

2011-01-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is to compare and contrast things (it drives my sister crazy). It could be anything from books, tv shows, and movies to people, places, and ideas. As a self-professed film buff, I especially love to draw connections between movies I see.

Dear John (2010)


The Notebook (2004)

The other day, my sister and I watched the Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried movie Dear John (2010). The film was based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same title. It centers on the relationship of a young couple, torn apart by the war after 9/11. As the film progressed, I started noticing many similarities with another Nicholas Sparks novel-turned-film, The Notebook (2004). Being a nerd, I made a chart.

Spoiler alert!!!

	Dear John (2010)	The Notebook (2004)
Location Setting	South Carolina	South Carolina
Time Setting	Right before 9/11	Right before WWII
Girl's Social Status	Upper-middle class	Upper-middle class
Guy's Social Status	Lower-middle class	Lower-middle class
Length of Courtship	A couple of weeks	A summer
Girl Goes Away For	College	College
Guy Goes Away For	War	War
Mode of Communication	Letters	Letters
Time Apart	5 years	7 years
Complication	Another Guy	Another Guy

In sum, there are a lot of similarities between the two story lines, they are after all, written by the same guy. I'm a sucker for romantic movies so I liked these both, but I still think The Notebook is the better of the two. The characters have more depth and the actors have much more chemistry (thanks to the then real-life romance between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams). If you have nothing to do this New Year weekend, try cuddling up on the sofa and popping in one of these DVDs for a great afternoon in.

My 2010 in 30 Seconds

2010-12-31T20:56:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

This is What Christmas (Vacation) is All About

2010-12-28T23:29:00.000-08:00

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. ~Robert Orben

It's that brilliant time right smack dab between Christmas and New Year's. I don't know about you all, but I always find myself clinging to the last remnants of my Christmas spirit while desperately waiting for the new year to start. Frankly, I'm a little bit over 2010. Even though I have a crap-ton of work to do in the next couple of weeks, I admit I'm feeling rather lazy. It's the beautiful type of laziness that leaves me intoxicated with oversleep and sluggish with the knowledge that my Christmas vacation is about six weeks long.

Here is what my day consisted of: lunch with Karina and a day of movies. Thank God for Christmas break.

Guest Blogger: Heather from The Sunset Won't

2010-12-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Today's post will be from my special guest, Heather. She and I have been partnered up for a blog swap by 20 Something Bloggers. Heather's super cool and I'm sure you guys are going to love her post, so read on!

-Teresa

P.S. Definitely click on this image and check out Heather's blog, The Sunset Won't.

Blog Swap 2010

Theme: Action. What will you do next year that you've been putting off for too long?

First I want to thank Teresa for allowing me into her little piece of the blogosphere. This is the first Blog Swap event from 20sb that I’ve participated in and I’m really excited. Who am I? Well, my name is Heather and I blog over at The Sunset Won’t. I’m a recent college graduate, a building substitute teacher, who loves reading, chocolate and baking. I blog about my journey to live my life the best I can, lessons I’m learning and those I know that I still need to work on.

Don't put off until tomorrow that which can be done today. How many times have you heard it. Once? Twice? Dozens of times?

Making amends. Finishing school. Making your move. Working out. Big things, small things, it doesn't matter. They are things that are added to our to-do list and then somehow slip to the bottom. Bigger things. More important things get in the way. That's what I tell myself. I'm busy. I'll do it next month. It's not that big of a deal. I can live without doing it.

But can I? Ca3n you? What in your life have you been putting off for too long? What will you do in the next year that you have put haven't yet?

I have recently made a list of personal commandments that I am working on. Things like “Be Heather.” “Be in Awe.” “Let Go of Perfect.” “Enjoy the Ride.” Things that I have put off for far too long. Overall there are 10 of them. Ten big things that I need to work on. The last one is a question, “What are you waiting for?”

The perfect moment? It’s never going to arrive. The perfect scenario? It’s never going to act out the way you want it to. The perfect time. Well, you’ll be stuck waiting like Sonic the Hedgehog. There’s no ‘perfect’ sign on the clock. So we wait. And wait. And then we forget. Or we pretend we do.

So what am I going to do next year that I’ve put off too long? Living. That might sound ridiculous. I mean, I’m breathing. I work. I eat. I sleep. But that’s not enough. I want to really live. In every sense of the word. I want to to love a little stronger, trust a little deeper, share a little easier, live a little harder. I want to experience more, hesitate less. I want to be active, not passive in my own life.

I want to be in awe of the beauty around me. I want to let go of the need for everything to be perfect. I want to figure out who I am and then just be me. I want to try and forget what others think I should be doing and enjoy what is.

"Slip away and come watch the sunset."

'There are more calls to finish.'

"Those will wait. The sunset won't"

- The Guardian, Dee Henderson

This passage inspired my blog, it’s title and theme. There are always going to be things that seem urgent. That are more important. That push things that were high on my to-do list a little farther down. But I need to remember that sometimes those things can wait. That I have a life that needs to be lived, a world that needs exploring. Hopes and dreams that need attempting.

So, what are YOU waiting for?

Getting a Guy to Notice

2010-12-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

How do you get a guy to notice you? To make it absolutely clear, I'm in no way advocating the scary masochistic Stepford Wives mentality of doing whatever it takes to please a man, however, I think every girl who has ever hoped of finding a nice guy has at least thought about what it takes to get a guy to notice her.

Socially competent or just drunk off their faces? This is what you get when you Google "Bar Flirting."

So, what do men find attractive and what makes a guy approach a girl in a social setting? For our final project in my Nonverbal Communication class, my friends and I decided to study a topic that could have interesting implications for romantic relationships. We surveyed 64 men and asked them what physical qualities (more specifically clothing, makeup and hairstyle) they find most attractive in a woman. Then, we asked them which qualities would make them approach that woman.

Again, another note in my group's defense. We're completely aware that looks are not the most important thing in relationships, but given the nature of the bar interactions we were studying, looks are the first thing people tend to notice. Physical appearance can often spark the desire to begin an interaction, through which people can later learn more about each other.

Here are some sample answers from our free-response section

What aspects of a woman's appearance are you most attracted to when you meet a woman at a bar?

Not whorish, slutty, or overdressed. Keep it casual.
Eyes, smile and a fit body.
Face, natural beauty (not makeup covered)
BOOBS!

If you have approached a woman at a bar/club/restaurant, what was your main motivation for doing so?

Because she looked happy and like she was having fun. She looked nice and not like a bitch.
To find out whether or not she's sane.
U never know where u will meet the right one [This one's my favorite!]
Blame it on the ah ah ah alcohol.

Here's a chart of the Likert scale responses.

From these answers, it appears as though men like it when women dress up, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will approach them. To test this out, my group members and I went out on the town to test it out. One night, we went out dressed casually in jeans, flats and casual tops. We got quite a bit of attention from the guys! We went out again to the same bar two weeks later on the same day of the week, this time dressed up a bit nicer in skirts and heels. The reactions we got were mostly creepy looks and not the kind of attention we wanted. Our survey answers seemed to be confirmed.

So what does this mean, ladies? It's always fun to dress up and go out with the girls, but don't think that dressing up alone will elicit positive attention from the guys. Oftentimes a nice smile and a bit of confidence can do the trick!

Nutcracker Season Premier at SF Ballet

2010-12-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight a few friends and I attended the season premier of the Nutcracker ballet in San Francisco. The San Francisco Ballet was the first company to bring the Russian-born Nutcracker to America. Going to see the Nutcracker is always a special event, especially here in the city, because it means the holiday season is officially upon us. A big portion of the audience is composed of families with young children dressed up in their best little suits and dresses.

The performances are held in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House across from City Hall. They always hook up a snow machine above the wreathed main entrance so that families will walk in amid a gentle flurry of snowflakes.

The production itself is quite breathtaking, from the beautiful costumes and sets to the talented dancers and of course, the timeless score by Tchaikovsky.

Wish List: Pride and Prejudice Sweater

2010-12-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

This little item combines my two favorite things: literature and snuggly warmth. I was browsing through Cool Hunting and I found this cute sweater from Out of Print. Maybe when the purse strings loosen up a bit, I'll do a bit of online shopping here. Or maybe, I'll just link this post to Santa.

Thank You, Rosa Parks.

2010-11-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the 55th anniversary of Rosa Parks' famous stand (or sit) against racism. When the then 42-year-old Rosa Parks (a black woman) boarded a Montgomery, Ala. bus and refused to give up her seat to a white man, she helped fire up a revolution that was already many years in the making. Her refusal to give up her seat and her subsequent arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Black people and all others who supported civil rights were tired of the systemic racial segregation laws in place at the time. They rallied together to boycott the Montgomery bus system-- a boycott that lasted over a year and ultimately ended in victory when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racially segregated bus laws unconstitutional. Her incredible courage and the courage of all those involved in the civil rights movement helped secure greater rights for generations to come. To Rosa Parks and those who stood by her, thank you.

The great Rosa Parks who sat down against racism.

A Quiet Sunday Night

2010-11-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

After a long weekend at home of eating, sitting around, and watching Elf and The Wizard of Oz half a dozen times, it's time for the sprint to the finish line. Last three weeks of school. Next on my to-read list is this tasty treat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Things, Part I

2010-11-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have many sweet memories of going to my grandmother's house every day after school and watching Oprah with her. The best episode of the year was always Oprah's Favorite Things, an hour of Oprah promoting products and giving them away to her studio audience. I don't know why I liked those episodes so much. It's not like I was the one getting a flatscreen tv or a Kitchen Aid mixer. I think half the fun was watching the audience jumping, screaming and weeping with excitement-- over a toaster or a set of scented candles. Well, if Oprah can have her favorite things, so can I. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of fancy things but what I do have are hobbies and fond memories. Here's a collage of my favorite things from this past year.

Now what am I gonna do with my life?

2010-11-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

Actually, I'm really excited for Will and Kate. Kate and Will. William and Katherine. Nice. They seem like really lovely people with uncommonly good sense. Plus, I think it's cool that they actually like each other. Best of luck to both of them.

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

2010-11-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

While on Facebook (don't judge), I saw that one of my friends (who shall remain nameless) was attending an event called "Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day." It piqued my interest enough that I clicked on the event. Apparently on December 8, about 42,000 people will pretend they are time travelers from either the distant past or the distant future. The idea is intriguing and I've already started thinking about what I would be if I participate... Maybe a friend of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century? Then again, 2049 AD isn't that far away.

What do you guys think? Here are the details:

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day (As described by Dresden Codak)

You must spend the entire day in costume and character. The only rule is that you cannot actually tell anyone that you are a time traveler. Other than that, anything's game.

There are three possible options:

1) Utopian/cliché Future - "If the Future did a documentary of the last fifty years, this is how badly the reenactors would dress." Think Star Trek: TNG or the Time Travelers from Hob. Ever see how the society in Futurama sees the 20th century? Run with it. Your job is to dress with moderately anachronistic clothing and speak in slang from varying decades. Here are some good starters:

- Greet people by referring to things that don't yet exist or haven't existed for a long time. Example: "Have you penetrated the atmosphere lately?" "What spectrum will today's broadcast be in?" and "Your king must be a kindly soul!"

- Show extreme ignorance in operating regular technology. Pay phones should be a complete mystery (try placing the receiver in odd places). Chuckle knowingly at cell phones.

2) Dystopian Future - This one offers a little more flexibility. It can be any kind of future from Terminator to Freejack. The important thing to remember is dress like a crazy person with armor. Black spray painted football pads, high tech visors, torn up trenchcoats and maybe even some dirt here or there. Remember, dystopian future travelers are very startled that they've gone back in time. Some starters:

- If you go the "prisoner who's escaped the future" try shaving your head and putting a barcode on the back of your neck. Then stagger around and stare at the sky, as if you've never seen it before.

- Walk up to random people and say "WHAT YEAR IS THIS?" and when they tell you, get quiet and then say "Then there's still time!" and run off.

- Stand in front of a statue (any statue, really), fall to your knees, and yell "NOOOOOOOOO"

- Stare at newspaper headlines and look astonished.

- Take some trinket with you (it can be anything really), hand it to some stranger, along with a phone number and say "In thirty years dial this number. You'll know what to do after that." Then slip away.

3) The Past - This one is more for beginners. Basically dress in period clothing (preferably Victorian era) and stagger around amazed at everything. Since the culture's set in place already, you have more of a template to work off of. Some pointers:

- Airplanes are terrifying. Also, carry on conversations with televisions for a while.

- Discover and become obsessed with one trivial aspect of technology, like automatic grocery doors. Stay there for hours playing with it.

- Be generally terrified of people who are dressed immodestly compared to your era. Tattoos and shorts on women are especially scary.

And that's it. Remember, the only real rule is staying in character and try to fit in. Never directly admit you're a time traveler, and make really, really bad attempts at keeping a low profile. Naturally, the dystopian future has a little more leeway. And for the record, I've already tried out all of these in real life, in costume. It is so much fun you want to pee yourself.

Victory!

2010-11-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

I was one of the lucky ones who got to see the World Series from a big screen in the Civic Center. Fifty-six years after winning our last title back when we were in New York, it has definitely been a long time coming. I think one of the sweetest moments of winning the World Series was seeing this man jubilantly hugging his elderly father and saying, "You've waited your whole life for this!"

Organized mayhem.

I love it when strangers have a reason to high-five!

Win.

A City United

2010-10-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

In a city with such a diverse population that encompasses every imaginable demographic, opinion and lifestyle, there's only one thing that brings us all together in that oh-so-special way: Baseball. It's not called America's National Pastime for nothing. Unlike American football and basketball (both great sports too), there's a unique kind of nostalgia, tradition and reverence that only baseball evokes. Here are a few photos in honor of tonight's Giants 4-0 victory over the Rangers in Game 4 of the World Series.

Monster Mash!

2010-10-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

No Halloween would be complete without the classic Monster Mash. Happy Halloween!

Lovely photography

2010-10-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Christian sent me this lovely photo in the mail yesterday. He was nice enough to let me share it with you all. It's a striking closeup he took of a mysterious marble statue. He took the picture years ago but only developed the film recently, so he doesn't quite remember where this was taken. I think the mystery of it adds a great element to the photo. Don't you think?

Lady Antebellum Concert Review

2010-10-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I know little to nothing about country music. I enjoy the occasional LeAnn Rimes or Patsy Cline song, but my playlist doesn't include much country. However, I've recently begun to listen to a great group called Lady Antebellum, the award-winning trio consisting of lead singers Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, along with guitarist Dave Haywood. When my friend Michelle invited me to go to their concert, she burned me a cd of their best songs. I instantly fell in love with them! I've turned their album into my official commute playlist. What I like about Lady Antebellum, besides the great vocals and instrumentals, are the thoughtful lyrics and catchy tunes. They're the kind of songs that are perfect for long drives down a stretch of lonely highway or for unwinding after a long day.

One of their most popular songs (and a personal favorite) is "Need You Now". With sultry vocals and a heartbreaking melody, it's hard not to love it. I think my favorite line is, "And I wonder if I ever cross your mind; For me it happens all the time." Nice. Who hasn't felt that way at one time or another?

Their concert tonight was one of the best I've ever experienced. David Nail was a great crowd-pleasing opener. He has this smooth, silky voice I could listen to all day. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing him headline. Later when it was time for the main event, everyone was on their feet chanting for Lady Antebellum. They performed their hits, one after another to an enthusiastic crowd. One of the highlights was Charles Kelley's soulful performance of "Hello World."

If you ever get a chance to see Lady Antebellum live, definitely go for it. If they ever come to the Bay Area again, I'll be sure to get a ticket. In the meantime I'll just put my iTunes playlist on repeat.

St. Jude

2010-10-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast day of one of my favorite saints, St. Jude patron of desperate cases (which explains why the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital chose him as their patron too). He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus who later preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia.

St. Jude is one of my favorites because I always feel like he has a special place in Heaven where he can whisper into God's ear on my behalf. Of course, I believe in praying to God directly but a little extra help can't hurt! So for all of you who may need a miracle or two, you know the one to talk to!

Oh and one more thing...

2010-10-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something extra before I go to bed. Good night beautiful world!

Rainy Days Are Here Again: Hurray for Autumn!

2010-10-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the first spell of rain we've had this season in San Francisco. And boy, did it mean business! It's not that it was heavy rain, but the combination of constant rainfall and pretty strong winds is enough to flip any umbrella inside-out. The nice thing about rainy weekends is the excuse to stay in. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of steady rainfall on my windowpane, and cuddling up with a cup of hot cocoa. It's the season to bring out warm slippers and cozy blankets, knitting projects and autumn cardigans. Autumn is here!

I think autumn might be my favorite season. You can walk anywhere without sweating up a storm or freezing your face off. You can pull out your favorite coats and knit hats, your best boots and softest scarves. Best of all, it's the perfect season to stay in and catch up on your reading list. For the next few weeks I'm reading: Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers, The Liar by Stephen Fry, and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. It's a nice mix, I think. What's on your reading list?

Holla Back the Recap

2010-10-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite some time since I've posted. Here's a recap of the craziness of the past couple of weeks: Yelp event at the Plant Warehouse and a weekend retreat at Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel.

Hong Kong Lounge

2010-10-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely day for dim sum at the Hong Kong Lounge with my friends Rebecca and Sarah. It's one of those places that gets extremely busy, even on a Tuesday morning. The three of us ordered so much food, but it only cost us $9 each with tax and tip.

Rebecca picking our dishes or doing hw?

Clockwise from left: Fried noodles, dumplings, custard buns.

Mochi, fried noodles, turnip cake.

Super scary fish in their fish tank!

And there's two of them!

Holstee Manifesto

2010-10-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Jenny Blake's fabulous blog Life After College, and I ran across her post on the Holstee Manifesto. Holstee is "dedicated to design with a conscience." All of their materials and messages have ethical values behind them. Here is their manifesto, designed by Rachael Beresh. I love it!

Blue Angels Fleet Week- San Francisco 2010

2010-10-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Fleet Week, honoring men and women in the armed services, has been a San Francisco tradition since 1981. A fleet of military ships dock in the bay for locals and tourists alike to see. The highlight of the week is always the air show by the Blue Angels, an elite U.S. Navy demonstration aerobatics squadron. They are famous for their daring barrel rolls, sudden dives, and close side-by-side passes.

The full air show will be on Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. For the best views go to the Marina or Pier 39.

I was lucky enough to watch and shoot this video of the rehearsal show today from a boat on the bay.

Guillero del Toro said hi to me!

2010-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well sort of. Pan's Labyrinth and The Orphanage writer and director Guillermo del Toro was in San Francisco last week to promote his newest vampire book The Fall. He was at the Kabuki Theater last Tuesday to talk about his new book and to sign copies for fans. I was supposed to go with my friend Rebecca but I had to back out at the last minute. Like a true friend, Rebecca went anyway and got Guillermo del Toro to sign a copy of his first novel for me. Rebecca said he was a very kind and engaging speaker. I wish I could have been there, but the next best thing is definitely getting an autographed and sketched copy of his book. Thanks again, Rebecca!

Saturday in Sausalito

2010-10-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend my family and I took a nice drive across the bridge to Sausalito, which is right across the bay from San Francisco. It's a cute little town that draws tourists from all over the world without losing its local charm. It's the perfect place to browse through interesting shops, to grab an ice cream cone, and to have a picnic by the bay.

One toy shop had a display of all my favorite childhood books.

Cute shops galore!

Sit by the fountain after a nice afternoon of shopping.

Or watch the ships sail into the harbor.

MTT Conducts the French Classics

2010-09-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

This post goes out especially to my friend Rebecca, who specifically requested it.

I don't pretend to be an expert in anything, especially classical music. However, I do love the San Francisco Symphony! I love everything about it: people dressing up and going out for an evening of beautiful music, the incomparable Davies Symphony Hall, the gifted musicians and... Michael Tilson Thomas, music director and conductor of the San Francisco Symphony.

Michael Tilson Thomas, music director and conductor of The San Francisco Symphony

Last night I got a ticket to see MTT conduct the French classics and I was lucky enough to score a seat behind the orchestra, so I was able to look down and see all the musicians below me and MTT facing me. I think the terrace seating is the best in the house.

He conducted Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole (1907), Debussy's Premiere Rapsodie (1911) with clarinet soloist Carey Bell and Fantaisie (1889-90) with piano artist Jean-Frederic Neuburger, and Berlioz's Scenes from Romeo et Juliette, Opus 17 (1840).

One of my favorite parts was watching Neuburger's hands flutter across the keyboard of the massive grand piano. His hands looked like excited butterflies chasing each other across a meadow. It was amazing!

If you want to check out their awesome podcasts, click here.

Buried Review

2010-09-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

There’s an old saying that some people can’t act their way out of a paper bag. One film star this adage definitely does not apply to is Buried star Ryan Reynolds. In fact, he can keep audiences interested for an hour and a half all without leaving a wooden box.

The concept of the new film Buried is simple: one man, one cell phone, and one lighter are buried together in a small wooden coffin somewhere in Iraq. The man must find a way to escape before oxygen runs out. The premise calls to mind Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, except the tone of Buried is much darker. Instead of a skilled martial artist expertly punching her way through a wooden coffin, we have an Everyman fighting to survive.

It is obviously a thriller about survival but the real mystery is, how good can a 95-minute film about a man in a box be? When the man in question is Ryan Reynolds, the answer is the $3.2 million price tag the film sold for at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The film centers on Paul Conroy (Reynolds), a civilian contract worker hired by the U.S. to drive supply trucks in Iraq. Insurgents attack his convoy, kidnap him, and knock him unconscious.

Buried opens disconcertingly with a completely black screen. As you sit in total darkness for the first few minutes, the only thing you’ll hear is the sound of grunting and labored breathing, setting the tone for the rest of the claustrophobia-inducing film.

Reynolds expertly conveys panic when he regains consciousness before futilely clawing, kicking and cursing at the lid of the coffin. As the gravity of the situation sinks in, a cell phone that his captors intentionally planted to communicate with him starts to ring. Paul learns that he is being held for a $5 million ransom.

Buried is basically a one-man show and the only moments we hear any interaction with other characters is when Paul uses the cell phone to call for help. One of the most effectively frustrating parts of the film is the amount of bureaucratic red tape Paul must get through in order to elicit help. Operators calmly ask him to describe the nature of his emergency and most don’t even believe him. At one point Paul angrily yells at a representative of U.S. Defense that help would come a lot faster if he were someone more valuable to the government. The accusation that the government only cares about diplomats, journalists, and other notable figures calls into question the ethics of diplomacy.

Overall the premise is so terrifying and the visual scope is so confined that it’s no surprise the film can get very heavy, especially towards the end as Paul begins to lose hope for survival. I think Buried is worth seeing just to watch Ryan Reynolds show off his ability to act out a broad spectrum of emotions without the help of any other visible characters. Arguably few other actors can do the same. If you do decide to watch the film, make sure you take someone with you. You’ll want someone to talk with about the ending!

12 Books for $12

2010-09-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

It's the best time of the year for San Franciscan book lovers-- September means it's time for the largest book sale on the West Coast! The 46th Annual Big Book Sale was held at Fort Mason this weekend by The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. It's a giant warehouse sale of books and media from all genres, and all proceeds benefit the San Francisco Public Library. Today was the last day of the sale, so everything was $1 or less! With over 300 tables and a selection of over 300,000 titles, book lovers from all over the Bay Area can come home with bags full of treasures.

So many books.

My friend Rebecca graciously poses for a picture.

My favorite section.

My loot! Clockwise from top left: Moas is My Washpot; Life of Jane Austen; Anna Karenina; By the Pricking of my Thumbs, Vanity Fair, Return of the Native, The Cricket in Times Square, Atonement, Cover Her Face; Secrets of the Rosary; Persuasion; The Age of Innocence.

Opera at the Ball Park

2010-09-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

After all these years of wanting to go to Opera at the Ball Park and not being able to go, I finally made it last night-- along with 32,000 other people! Opera at the Ball Park has become a San Francisco tradition, drawing thousands of people from all over the Bay Area. It is an annual event in which AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, opens up for a free simulcast (simultaneous broadcast) of whatever opera is playing at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. In other words, there's a live stream of the opera directly onto the ball park's jumbotron.

People can either sit in the stands or bring picnic baskets and blankets to sit on the field. It's perfect for families, couples, and groups of friends. Sports and fine arts don't usually get thrown into the same event, but Opera at the Ball Park shows that opera can still be relevant for people today. Last night's showing of Verdi's Aida was fantastic! Beautiful music, gorgeous costumes, and magnificent sets kept an audience of 32,000 enthralled for a whole three hours. That's quite an achievement.

Wish List: Mary Poppins Decal

2010-09-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the Geekery category of Etsy and I stumbled upon this awesome Mary Poppins laptop decal by MakeitMine. I'm still debating though if I should get it or not. Pros: it's cute and I like it. Cons: I'm worried I'll get tired of it and it'll end up being hard to remove from my Macbook. What do you guys think?

Sunset Over San Francisco

2010-09-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

Every year, a group of us gets together to climb the iconic towers of St. Ignatius Church. It's the heart of our campus and climbing to the top of one of the twin towers is always a highlight of the year. Saint Ignatius Church was opened in 1914 and was the largest church west of the Mississippi when it was built. It's quite beautiful. I am definitely getting married here.

Anyway, back to the tower tour. After climbing over 300 steps up a narrow spiral staircase, the views from the top of the 220-foot vista are amazing! To the south you can see Twin Peaks, to the east is the downtown skyline, to the north is the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the east is the pacific sunset.

The spiral staircase

It's a tradition to write your name on the door once you reach the top.

I even found my signature from two years ago.

This is one of my favorite drawings on the inside of the tower.

To the south is Twin Peaks.

To the east (ish) is the city.

Our Lone Mountain Campus.

To the east is the second tower and the sunset.

Inside Saint Ignatius Church.

St. Ignatius Church

Retreat

2010-09-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a weekend spiritual retreat with some of my good friends I've known since freshman year of college. Here are a few pictures from our weekend in Los Altos.

My friend Sarah and I wandered into town and found some boba.

A Sunny Day in San Francisco

2010-09-06T23:54:00.000-07:00

Snapshots of a city that is well-photographed

but easy to take for granted.

A sunny day in San Francisco

is a rare and beautiful occasion for celebration.

A city that is grounded in tradition

but thrives on the new and exciting.

It is vintage. It is hipster.

It is old school. It is indie.

This is San Francisco.

Bookstore Quest Update

2010-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

The Bookstore Quest background
It's been over two years since I started my goal to visit every independent bookstore in San Francisco and to write about them. As much as I love the seemingly unlimited selection and bargain prices that big chain retailers have to offer, I have a special place in my heart for the little, locally owned bookstores.

My bumper sticker. Some people eat local, I read local.

Why I Love Independent Bookstores

I love the little handwritten cards on book shelves with doodles on them and staff recommendations that go beyond the New York Bestseller List.

I love shop owners who know their customers by name.

I love a small but carefully considered selection of books that caters perfectly to its customers' tastes.

I love friendly employees who know their stock well and can thoughtfully recommend something fun or off-beat that would interest you.

I love opening an old book and finding someone else's bookmark or receipt tucked in between pages.

I love finding old books with worn covers and dog-eared pages that show the book has been loved and reread countless times.

Back to the Quest...
Admittedly, I've somewhat neglected my Bookstore Quest over the past couple of years because of busy schedules and lack of time. However when Bay Books in Concord (one of my favorite used bookstores) closed down after over 20 years, I was heartbroken and determined to start my quest where I left off.

So far, I have visited:

Green Apple Books on 6th and Clement
Forever After Books on Haight Street (which has since gone out of business; click on review to see why it wasn't a big surprise)
City Lights Books on Columbus
Booksmith on Haight Street

I'm proud to check off three more bookstores from my list today:

Borderlands Books on Valencia

Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Bookstore

From SanFranciscoDays.com

Borderlands specializes in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books. I don't normally follow these genres, but I couldn't help but go inside the store for a quick peek. The store has a reputation for selling a carefully chosen selection and its customers seem to appreciate it. I was only in the store for a few minutes, but I stayed long enough to overhear a conversation between two employees and a customer about a new book that came out. The conversation was passionate and well-informed. Bravo! I love it when bookstore employees actually know and care about what they're selling. These casual discussions between employees and customers show a dedication to customer service that bigger book retailers can't give.

The mission statement on their website begins: "We love books. They're our friends. Good books and bad books, 1st editions and beat up paperbacks. We love how they smell, how they feel, and the way they sound when you open them (A customer once said that he liked how they tasted. . . we watch him very carefully when he's in the store)." Right on.

Price: New books are retail price.
Selection: Specializes in fantasy, horror, and sci-fi.
Service: Employees are friendly and love to talk with customers.
Atmosphere: Warm, welcoming, and rather magical.

Modern Times Books on Valencia

"A progressive resource for the Bay Area-- A Neighborhood Bookstore for the Mission"

From MissionLocal.org

Modern Times has a bright and open layout with plenty of space for organized its bookshelves. Modern Times has a notably local and personal atmosphere. From the first glance at the its book selection, you feel called into action to change the world. While they have books from many different genres, they specialize in global, political, and social discourse. It's the kind of place you can go for a lively discussion or debate on how the world should be. From what I noticed, their prices matched the original marked retail prices. So if you're going to buy a book anyway, why not support a local bookstore?

Price: New books are retail price.
Selection: Special focus on social change.

Service: I only spent about ten minutes in there but I didn't have anyone approach me to ask if I needed help, nor did I see anyone else approached by an employee. I suppose their style is to let people explore on their own and help people only when they ask for it.

Atmosphere: Clean, organized.

Dog Eared Books (also) on Valencia

Eclectic and Local

From SanFranciscoDays.com

I suppose the best way I could describe Dog Eared Books is intimate and eclectic. It is the largest of its three associated bookstores in the Bay Area, in addition to Phoenix Books and Red Hill. I'll just add on what I write for my Yelp review of Dog Eared:

Any true book lover walking by can't pass up the chance to take a peek inside. Although the selection is rather limited due to space, the books they do have are well chosen. Also, they're fairly inexpensive compared to the other neighboring bookstores Modern Times and Borderlands. The discount cart of books on the sidewalk are all less than $5 I think. Many of the books inside are almost half off of the original retail price.

Price: Bargain.
Selection: Excellent. Check out the section on local interest.

Service: Friendly and welcoming. Employees go out of their way to help customers find what they need.
Atmosphere: Cozy, intimate and retro-vintage cool.

Happy September!

2010-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

We have officially started the 'ber months, although it definitely does not feel like it here in San Francisco, where we have late summers. The weather has been hot hot hot these past few days and I'm really enjoying the sunshine. In honor of September, I looked up a list of observances for the month of September. According to brownielocks.com (where you can find the complete list), September in the U.S. is...

September may be National Apple Month but don't accept food from strangers.

National Apple Month (So healthy)
National College Savings Month (Most us are already broke)
Library Card Sign-up Month (I'm all for library card patronage)
[Ovarian, Pediatric, and Prostate] Cancer Month (Good cause)
Pleasure Your Mate Month (Why September? If you've been neglecting them for the whole year, why start now?)
Shameless Promotion Month (I'm thinking both halves of the Gosselin disaster and anyone on The Jersey Shore)
Self-Improvement Month (Kind of a late check in on your New Year's resolutions)

How to Be Awkward

2010-08-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a really cool class this semester called Nonverbal Communication and today we were discussing unspoken behavioral rules that everyone just knows to follow. Apparently, if you want to be socially awkward:

Stare at people for prolonged periods of time.
After shaking someone's hand, keep holding on and similarly,

when people give you a casual hug, linger with your arms around them.
Cut in front of people waiting in line.
When speaking with someone, use unnecessarily long pauses between responses.

Close the gap between you and the person before you at the ATM.

When there are plenty of empty seats on the bus, sit directly next to a stranger.

These are just some of the many unspoken rules in our society that people may not consciously be aware of, but almost everyone follows. Many people aren't even aware that these rules exist until someone breaks them.

Socially Awkward Penguin

Our class assignment today was to get into small groups and wander around campus breaking these behavioral codes. For my experience, I went with my group to the school bookstore. I spotted a guy looking at the school planners. I decided with my group to break the unspoken rule about standing too close to strangers. I awkwardly made my way to where the guy was standing and I grabbed one of the planners so I could pretend to read it. He took a step backward and I took a step toward him. He took another step backward and I took another step toward him. All this was done without either of us looking up from the planners we were reading and with my group standing 10 feet away trying not to laugh at us. Finally, the guy threw the planner back onto the shelf and almost ran away to hide behind the textbook display. I felt kind of bad for freaking him out, but it was pretty funny at the same time. Thanks to this class, I'll definitely be more aware of these 'unspoken behavioral codes.' Maybe you should try breaking a few of these codes and see what people's reactions are. It's pretty fun.

Check out this Awkward music video by CollegeHumor.

Afternoon Tea with the Ladies

2010-08-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to meet up with my high school friends Sam, Karina, and Tiffany. We decided the best place for our reunion would be Lovejoy's Tea Room in San Francisco. I've only been to Lovejoy's once before, and was eager to go back. It's a cute, quaintly decorated tea room in the heart of the city. From the mismatched tea sets to the unique knick knacks, you'll feel like you stepped into your aunt's cozy living room.

Each of us ordered High Tea, which includes two sandwiches, coleslaw, organic spring greens, two scones, preserves, Devon clotted cream, two biscuits, and a choice of tea. The service is phenomenal! The ladies who serve there are experts on tea and they refresh your pot of tea every half hour. They stop by often and make sure that all their customers get what they need and feel welcomed. Expect to pay about $25 per person. It's a bit pricey, but it's worth the treat if it's a special occasion. Definitely stop by for a spot of tea if you're ever in town.

Maybe next time.

2010-08-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

At one point in our lives, we usually get asked the question, "What would you do if you won the lottery?" It's a simple question that often elicits responses such as, "I would buy a mansion," or "I would buy the luxury car I've always wanted," or "I would quit my job and travel all over the world." The last response is probably closest to my heart, but lately I think my answer would honestly be very different.

I only got one number out of six with my lotto ticket. Maybe next time.

I bought a lotto ticket on Tuesday, as I occasionally do when the jackpot's big enough [as if the usual $6 million is not enough]. I made sure to buy a ticket because the Mega Million lottery jackpot for Tuesday was $115 million!!! I thought to myself, even if I don't win the whole $115 million I would still be happy. If I had to share the jackpot with another winner, that would be ok too. What if I didn't hit the big jackpot, but instead only got 5 of the numbers? I could live with $100 grand.

Instead of wondering what I would buy if I won the $115 million jackpot, I began thinking about the minimum amount of money to make me happy. I know money can't buy happiness, but it would certainly relieve the headaches of so many people with financial burdens. I think of money as expensive Tylenol.

So how much would it take to make this headache of mine go away? I think I'd be happy just to pay off my $10,000 student loan. Not bad. Although, if I did win the $115 million I think I might be able to think of some fun ways to use it! [books, travel, 50 million cups of milk tea, House Seasons 1-6 on DVD, etc]

Tea for One... and a Bowl!

2010-08-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

I found these two items at our student store. It's a tea-for-one (tea pot + tea cup) and a vintage style cereal bowl. I'm such a nerd and I can't help it. So excited to use them!

My new tea-for-one and vintage Corn Flakes cereal bowl.

The Year of the Cat

2010-08-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

The theme for our residence hall this year is Dr. Seuss and our floor was lucky enough to get The Cat in the Hat. It's a lot of fun making posters and decorations for the hall when the theme is a childhood favorite. Here's what I have so far:

Sunday Afternoons

2010-08-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts about Sunday is the drive back into the city after a weekend at home. Every Sunday afternoon, instead of making me take the train, my parents drive me back to school. It's a nice leisurely drive and we just talk or listen to music. It's nice. These quiet, unassuming moments. It's so easy to take them for granted.

As we were sitting in traffic on the Bay Bridge this afternoon, it occurred to me that I should take a candid picture of my parents in an attempt to capture the moment. How many times have mom and dad cleared their weekend schedules just to drive me back to school? How many times did I sit in the back seat and was silently grateful for that moment? I don't know. I think life is just a series of these moments, pieces of a puzzle that interconnect to tell a story. Thus this picture on its own may seem unremarkable to most, but it is a little piece of me.

Inspirational Quote

2010-08-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

I know I've blogged about this before, but one of my favorite quotes is from Grey's Anatomy: "There is nothing worse than missing out on an opportunity that could have changed your life."

As I'm about to begin my fourth and final year as an undergrad, this quotation is beginning to mean more things for me. I think it's a message of encouragement-- to live freely and fiercely, without regret. It means trying new things and forging new relationships [or reconnecting with people you've lost touch with], all without fear of failure, rejection, or making a mistake. It's ok to make mistakes. I think in the end, more people regret chances not taken rather than failed attempts. So here's to taking chances!

Aloha, San Francisco

2010-08-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my friend Rita and I went to check out the 16th Annual San Francisco Aloha Festival over at the Presidio. One of my favorite parts about living in San Francisco is the amazing variety of events and festivals that are offered each year. Although this was my first time going to the Aloha Fest, I've heard that it always gets a really good turnout. Hosted by the Pacific Islanders' Cultural Association, the festival offers live musical and dance entertainment, Pacific-Island-themed merchandise, and delicious Hawaiian food. It's a very family-friendly event and people bring blankets so they can picnic in front of the entertainment stage.

While there, Rita and I made sure to try some Spam Musubi, which is like a giant sushi roll with grilled spam in it. And yes, it is as scrumptious as it sounds! We also bought some Hawaiian Shaved Ice, which is basically a snow cone [only the ice is shaved instead of crushed] in a cup and with the option of getting a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom. What's great about it is that by the time the ice begins to melt, the syrup would have trickled down on top of the vanilla ice cream at the bottom of the cup, turning it into tropical fruit flavored ice cream! Yum! At the festival, you get to choose two flavors from a whole menu of different choices. Rita got rainbow and I got passion fruit and piña colada with vanilla ice cream.

The festival is this weekend, from 10am-5pm and admission is free. So if you're in the city, I recommend you check it out!

I Heart SF

2010-08-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm about to admit something that's been a long time coming. I love San Francisco.

North Beach at night with a view of the Transamerica Pyramid.

I'm a Bay Area native and have been living in the city for the past three years. As a kid growing up in the suburbs forty minutes outside of San Francisco, I always looked forward to spending a day in the city. My favorite school trips were the ones that involved watching a Broadway show at the Orpheum Theatre, visiting the emperor monkeys at the San Francisco Zoo, or eating Boudin's clam chowder bread bowls at Pier 39. I loved being part of the Christmas shopping crowds in Union Square, browsing through the legendary City Lights Bookstore, and watching the Pacific fog envelope the towers of Golden Gate Bridge. For a small town girl like me, there was always something special and exciting about the city-- something new to see and try.

The city was a huge deciding factor when I chose to go to school here. I felt that living in the city would provide just the right amount of excitement a newly independent college student needs. I was right. I got everything I could hope for: an exciting night life, world-class cuisine, talented performers from every imaginable field and genre-- and all of this in a compact area of seven miles by seven miles.

I had to leave San Francisco last year to study in Oxford. As much as I love Oxford-- the history, the architecture, the academics, the libraries, and the people... I still felt a twinge of loneliness when I thought about my city by the bay.

Yesterday, I moved back to San Francisco. I'm now sitting at my old desk, in my old room, on the same floor I've been living on since freshman year. A lot of people told me that coming back to California after spending a year in Europe would make me bored and that I would miss traveling too much. While I do miss Oxford and all the good friends I made there, I feel anything but boredom now that I am back. Sure, everything is familiar. But it is also different. After venturing out of my little comfort zone and seeing a bit more of the world beyond, I'm beginning to see my corner of the world with a fresh perspective.

I love the seductive charms of Monte Carlo, the hot excitement of Barcelona, and the dreamy romance of Paris, but I have to say (with only a tiny hint of bias) that San Francisco combines all of these elements into one stylish and unique package. It's the city in which to make friends in Golden Gate Park or enjoy anonymity for day, to marvel at the cement skyline or take a boat onto the bay to watch the sunset melt on the horizon over the Pacific Ocean. It's the city in which to snap your fingers to easy jazz in the Fillmore or enjoy a quiet moment on top of Twin Peaks. I think the one thing you'll never be in San Francisco is bored.

Book Review: The Tenth Man

2010-07-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good summer read? So was I.

For vacation reading, I look for something fun and easy to read. I like stories that carry me away from the first page. That's why I was so excited to find a copy of Graham Greene's The Tenth Man at my local public library. What I love about Graham Greene is that he is an amazing storyteller. His stories are about ordinary, flawed human beings who struggle with their weaknesses in their attempt to do ultimately the right thing. Greene writes these stories with such care and detail that many of his novels have been easily adapted into films, including The End of the Affair, Brighton Rock, and The Quiet American. In fact Greene originally conceived The Tenth Man as a film script idea in 1937 and didn't publish it as a short novel until 1985.

The Tenth Man is particularly good for summer reading. It's only 150 pages long and it is quite action-packed. It tells the story of French prisoners of war held in German camps during WWII. After a crime is committed outside of the prison, the German soldiers announce that one in every ten men will be executed and that they must decide among themselves who will be sacrificed. In order to be as fair as possible, the men draw lots to see who among them will be shot. One of the men who draws a lot marked for execution is a rich lawyer. As he desperately tries to buy his life by bribing the other prisoners, he ultimately makes a deal that will change the course of life, not only for himself, but for many others.

It is a tale of selfishness and selflessness, fear and bravery, shame and redemption. There is love and romance, as well as hatred and violence... All in 150 pages. Not bad, right?

Back in the USA

2010-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. I'm back from my European vacation and I'm taking a quick break but I'll be back writing soon. Thanks for sticking around!

In memory

2010-06-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. My beloved grandfather passed away last week and I'm still having a hard time adjusting. In memory of him, I'll post one of my favorite pictures of us together.

Punting

2010-06-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

One of the things I had to try before leaving Oxford was punting. A punt is basically a flat-bottomed boat that you propel by sticking a long pole into the riverbed and pushing your boat forward. It's a lot of fun, but it takes quite a bit of skill and practice to steer.

"For either you look graceful or you look ghastly;

there is no middle way in punting"

-Dorothy Sayers, Gaudy Night

Punting is quite popular in Oxford and Cambridge during summer term and people often spend an afternoon on the river with their friends. It's common to bring a picnic lunch and a bottle of Pimms-- maybe even some relaxing music.

View from the bow. As you can see, there are a lot of other boaters on the river.

My friend Andrew is quite the expert punter.

I managed to steer us back to the docks without maiming anyone!

A yummy snack of crackers and humus.

This beautiful but overly aggressive swan followed us all the way down river.

San Francisco Out of Toothpicks?!

2010-06-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Scott Weaver with his 9' tall toothpick model of San Francisco. Photo from Apartment Therapy.

Just re-posting this from Apartment Therapy about Scott Weaver, who has spent 30 years building a model of San Francisco out of toothpicks. You can also place ping pong balls at certain points of the model and the balls will roll down the streets. Pretty cool. Check out the Youtube video here.