Anyway, that was so many moons ago, I have since then moved to a 1920′s brick building with moldings and crystal door knobs and drawer pulls. So much closet space but no bedroom ha ha, I was trying to be green. Whew, that was a lot of work, I have installed shelving, bore enough holes on the walls enough for it to crumble.  It was a great place, I had given up some furniture, replaced the sound system as the old one was so boomy, my mistake, I should have sprung for a Bose unit.

This itty bitty unit has a walk in closet too, so i installed a hanger bar and an extra shelf and, 2 smaller one to hold the “products.”  There is a closet for the jackets and purses, one for shoes, and one for the mounting kitchen gadgets. You can tell I am really glad that I moved, it is just so much fun with the way things are organized or the lack of it to do my work.

In a get together (gtg) with friends at my place, conversation led to eating etiquette, where flatware should be, etc., it dawned on me, are those really necessary. While we have to conform to the rules of civilized human beings, stressing it to the point that it ruins the moment ruins protocol the very thing that we want to conform too.. How ironic.

Sometimes, when we enjoyed being with someone or doing something, we tend to do it again hoping to capture the moment one more time. Sadly, the desired effect does not materialize, why do you think? Maybe the spontaneity is gone, that it becomes forced therefore the results are manufactured. I was friendly with a few folks once, I thought they were smart, confident, different, blah, it’s the same cookie cutter, insecure, trying to cover up their perceived imperfections. Doesn’t make it fun, because then actions are measured words tentative awaiting a reaction. Versus my lack of boundary, always wanting to elicit a response, a commitment to an idea, an opinion no matter how far-fetched is always appreciated rather than a silence that I can’t interpret.

Oftentimes it is not the material things that matter it is the inner peace that comes from contentment. I know, i know, someone will tell me, there is contentment if there is food on the table, clothes on our backs, and roof over our heads.  I don’t have an answer to that, why some folks are so challenged, maybe Lordy is trying to remind them something.

There are people who emphasizes our lack, lack of commonality,  creating a mal/discontent in our hearts and there are the ones who complements our existence that makes us better people.

These earthquakes are shaking my world he he.. did I tell you that I celebrated my 53rd birthday? My 50th I didn’t even bothered, I asked dear friends to donate to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

I didn’t feel justified in making a big deal of it, besides I was fresh from learning about humility .  So three years and several weeks to the day, I decided to have a little get together, I cooked up a storm, friends came.  The friends that I was hoping will come did.  See, there is a subculture here in California that invitees don’t confirm if they are attending, those who do don’t show up anyway.. ha ha..

Didn’t have a chance to take pictures, my place has several vases of fresh flowers, wow.. it’s amazing what flowers can do to a place. I had to rearrange the furnitures a little bit.

So, I would like to thank everyone who made my life as complete as it is now. I know you are a gift from Lordy, as you bring me joy.

Now, the technology has moved even further or is it farther, a deposit can be made without an envelope the machine accepts and counts the money or checks. Or an image of a check less than a thousand dollars can be uploaded over a smartphone and accepted and credit to an account. It is just great. Of course to be able to enjoy all these developments and conveniences of technology one has to give up a some privacy. Verifications, footprints of where you shop, where you eat, and all those tagging techniques that they use. Everything has a price, right.

Indeed, what we give up for such conveniences.

See yah..

Growing up in the Philippines we have the luxury of access to fresh sea foods. The ubas dagat was introduced to us by my brother. He worked for the Geological Company and was on assignment most of the time.

He was able try different cuisines, food culture, you in Asia we eat almost anything, don’t cringe now, you know the most expensive and delicious food are not just a blob of meat. . Salad would most of the time have vinegar or tomatoes and onions.

I would like to say that it reminds me of caviar, it pops when you chew on it such that the juices, which is a little sea tasting, with the tomatoes can be surprising. I know, I would always describe it as my taste buds is being assaulted by different flavors all at the same time, such that it feels like that my mouth is having a party.

A very good appetizer indeed. Best paired with grilled or fried fish or meat.

Courtesy of Alindog

I love mussels, such that there is a bar in my hood called Sidebar that I frequent because of their mussel Mondays. They do miss sometimes, like when their chef used a lot of Pernod such that the flavor is ruined and what I got was a bitter taste.

Speaking of Pernod, I first found out about this drink from the movie Gotcha! many years back, and I still remembered. Anthony Edwards was just starting then.

There are 2 kinds that I know of, there is the New Zealand one, which is black and the Italian which has a green edge like the one pictured above. This shell fish is very versatile, you can make soup, bake, grill, or add to sea food dishes, such as arroz valenciana and many others.

and this one from Sidebar

I remember the first time I had mussels was when Tatay brought some from the market, we wondered how different it was from the other sea shells that we had, and that started our love affair with mussels. Being from the Philippines and in the metropolitan area at that there is always the risk of getting sea food when there is a high pollution level such that consumptions of mussels is not permitted. They call it red tide, I guess, mercury levels were high that it is deemed to be a detrimental to one’s health.

Try some, if you haven’t.

It’s been a long time since I posted, not that there is nothing to write but there was no occurence, I realized that the fun in cooking is not as joyful as I thought it would be if i am only going to write about it and take pictures. Which, I did, I have so much to share. I think the major event was me moving to a 1920′s apartment building, it is a studio, probably rented to struggling immigrants at that time.  I love it, also love that it is close to whole foods, and a few steps to the Cathedral and my workplace.  Enormous closet space makes me organize, the downside though is that it doesn’t have a garbage chute nor an insinkerator, everything had to be bagged and brought down to the garage.

The lobby is just beautiful, the decor looked like it had a water fountain, with water gushing out of a lion head.  Now it is covered with dirt and a plant ib the middle. There are f posts and greenish brown ceramic tiles.. oh, i just love it.  I am waiting for my friends to let me take pictures of them in nice poses to include in my portfolio.

It’s been a year since Tatay passed, it was his birthday 2 days ago, when I was about to shed a tear, Lordy said to me, what is the grief for, he is with me now, if he was with you, you will be complaining about him anyway.  Waahhh, He is so right. I had to smile and acknowledge the truth abou that statement. As I said before, I am realizing that he tried to be a good Dad and he was successful because we turned out to be happy kids.

Work is still fun for me, I still enjoy going to work and actually delivering work products, I still work crazy hours, because I start late. A new a new employee/PM raised an eyebrow, when he was going out to lunch and I was just coming in.

Writing from a new mini with a miniature keyboard that I can’t figure out how to network with the momma puter, so I can’t attach pictures.

But I would like to say hello and perhaps pull posts from blogspot and post some of the old drafts.  Boy, we have a lot of catching up to do. Hope you’re doing well, dear readers.

Cheers!