Temperatures hit a low at the beginning of the month in the Bay Area, with temperatures as low as thirty or so degrees in Santa Clara. It was cold! We cranked up the furnace and lit fires in the fireplaces… dug out the ol’ down comforters and fuzzy slippers. Fog loomed in our little cul-de-sac for entire days.

Then I went with my Mom, Dad and brother to Puerto Vallarta earlier this month, to be greeted by tropical temperatures (mid sixties at night to mid eighties during the day) and bright sunlight. It was perfect, actually… no rain and low humidity.

Back to the Bay Area to have Christmas with the rest of my family, which went great. I made some yummy Shrimp and Corn Croquettes for Christmas Eve dinner (which, I will add, I am probably going to be producing again for New Year’s Day). Mom produced way too much food once again, and we were eating all night.

More on Christmas later, though…

So, on Christmas Day, I spent the afternoon and evening travelling out to the Twin Cities of Minnesota to spend some time with K’s family. Now I’m in very cold weather, with snowfall happening on the day before I arrived. The temperatures have actually been rising since I arrived, with it now at twenty-six degrees as I type this (thank you, WeatherPop), and expected rises to the 40′s in the next few days. It’s actually supposed to snow again the day after I leave, so I am not going to be able to witness any snowfall here at all.

We’ll always have Tahoe, I guess. ^_^;;

I hope you are having a lovely holiday season. Thank goodness that the craziness of the season is over… this seems like a very lax time of year, when we can breathe a sigh of relief that the madness is done with and we can ring in the new year with a fresh start.

November and December are always mad crazy months. With the holidays and all, who has time for anything, really?

I’ve been crafting up a storm in preparation for the holidays since last month. Last night and today, I was working on our holidays cards on the ol’ Gocco.

I am also making some mini buttons, marble magnets and a slew of homemade bath products for presents. I do admit to a little bit of Christmas shopping… at least we do a “White Elephant” gift exchange for my extended family. I do love finding gifts for my immediate family, though. I like to think very hard about what they would enjoy and the expression on their face when they find out what I gave them. Good stuff.

We also have been fixing up the house in preparation for our winter party. Our latest addition is what I fondly call the “Moon Room”:

We are hoping to add some little glow in the dark stars to the wall with the moon on it. I wish we could paint the wall, but alas, the woes of renting.

Earlier today, I received this fortune cookie:

It is the quintessential fortune cookie, no? I also cringed a bit when I saw that they used Comic Sans for the font on these fortunes.

I am off on a trip with my parents and brother to Mexico within a few hours. I’m a bit anxious about leaving home in the midst of all the holiday preparation, but I’m confident that it will all be just fine. The house and the rest of the holiday duties are in the capable hands of K.

I think I need a bit of relaxation, anyway.

Hasta luego, kiddos!

We got to have dinner at Bobby Flay‘s new Mesa Grill at Caesars, which I will say is very tasty. As much as Flay annoys me (I simply cannot watch his shows because his voice alone is enough to make me cringe), I admit he makes some damn fine food. We shared a grilled shrimp & cilantro pesto quesadilla appetizer and a New Mexican spice rubbed pork tenderloin, both accented with smoky spices and well-crafted sauces. With the signature margaritas (K had an original, I had a white peach, both on the rocks), the meal was perfect. Although a wee bit pricey, sharing a meal is the way to go. I really do believe in sharing entrees because regular american restaurant portions are really too big for a single person. Plus, it makes pricier restaurants a bit more manageable for the rest of us.

I played a bit of progressive nickel slots this afternoon (yes, I’m being thrifty) and lost only $10. So far, so good. As fun and exciting as it would be to play a bit of hold ‘em or three-card poker here in Sin City, I am a bit concerned about seeing too much my money disappear way too fast. I prefer my regular kitchen table poker gang back home, for sure. It would be interesting to get that gang down here to take over one of these tables and play a few rounds. Some day, some day…

But we’d rather use our money right now for some good food and entertainment.

What I’m mostly excited about it seeing a show or two. We’re planning on seeing the infamous Blue Man Group at the Luxor as well as Penn and Teller’s newest show at the Rio. I am not interested at all in the Sirens show here at Treasure Island (which seems to be affectionately referred to as “TI” everywhere now… and I can’t shake the Texas Instruments connection). Even though it’s a free show, it really turns me off with its battle of the sexes theme. What ever happened to the good ol’ pirate show? This makes me sad.

For today and tomorrow, K is in a conference, so I’ve been pretty much fending for myself. It’s kinda cool to wander around and people watch. Right now I am relaxing in our room overlooking the strip (yesterday we had a room on the other side of the building that overlooked a roof, and luckily they had us change rooms today. hooray!). It’s a very gray cloudy day, and it’s gloriously brisk out. The rain has been on and off all day, but I’m sure I can find more ways to get around without getting wet.

Oops! Just as I typed that, an incredible downpour just started. Awesome, I can barely see the buildings down the block. Gonna head down to Canter’s Deli for a munchie.

Ooh! Thunder!

The last time I was in Napa, I was attending the annual Mustard Festival with G. It was a lovely time, and I never really followed through with my vow to visit the area more often. It’s a long drive, almost 2 hours at best, so that unfortunately has always been a bit of a hurdle for me.

But this not this past Saturday, when we took a nice leisurely drive up to Napa, with a short stop in our old stomping grounds of Mill Valley for a quick bite for lunch. The ride was calm and relaxed on this nice summer day. It’s always a welcome change to see the long-stretching hills and watch the acres and acres of grape vines roll by my window.

We did not stop by any wineries this time, but did stop by COPIA, the center for wine, food and arts, in Downtown Napa. The last time I was there was on its opening day in 2001. K had never been there, let alone Napa itself! We enjoyed viewing art in the galleries, learning more about food history, food production and even a little bit of food science, and walking the bountiful “Edible Gardens” that lay right outside of the center. Unfortunately, we did not get to taste any wines or cheese, for they were having a special tasting event that required a separate fee.

That afternoon, we took some more drives through the wine country, traversing through Yountville, Oakville and St. Helena. Lots of natural beauty, and a TON of wineries that we vow to visit sometime in the near future. We satisfied a bit of curiosity for local history by visiting the Pioneer Cemetery in Yountville, which was founded in the mid-1800′s. It was certainly very interesting to piece together some fragments of the town’s history through its graves. This cemetery even housed ancient Indian burial grounds, and overlooked a beautiful hillside scattered with vineyards. I took a ton of photos, which are still awaiting to be downloaded from my trusty camera.

In the evening, the events came full circle. We had dinner at Mustard’s Grill in Yountville, a restaurant that I learned about on my Mustard Festival visit last year. We were not disappointed. I enjoyed their famous Mongolian Pork Chop with mustard sauce, mashed potatoes and red cabbage (with a glass of Edna Valley Paragon Pinot Noir), whilst Kev had the Ahi Tuna Sandwich with fries and a side order of goat cheese polenta (with I believe the Simpson Vineyard Miner Viognier). I can’t believe I ate the whole thing! Dessert looked wonderful (I must say that the chocolate tart with brown sugar ice cream was really tempting), but I couldn’t have possibly fit another bit in my stomach. Phew!

I do have a few “food for thought” posts mingling in my mind, inspired by this little trip, but I will save that for later this week, when I have a bit more time to ponder and collect my thoughts.

Hope your weekend went well, too!

I dunno if it means I’ve become more domestic, or maybe it’s just the artist in me wanting to get out more. I certainly don’t get to exercise my creativity enough in my day job, so of course, I must find some outlets. Maybe it’s also a desire to just do something “handy”… something with to get my hands dirty with.

It’s funny, though, because not too long ago, my mom, the “Filipina Martha Stewart” (as some friends have called her, but maybe it’s not so fitting these days because of recent events), called me “not so crafty”. Now, I’m not sure exactly what that meant… maybe she was just a fan of the Beastie Boys’ song, but I doubt it. I wasn’t exactly sure how to take this comment. I mean, sure, I wasn’t scouring flea markets for the latest Shabby Chic project materials, but I do disagree with her comment… I like to make stuff, I think I just like a different kind of craft.

The APE con really opened my eyes once again to the wonderful projects that can be done on limited budget and unlimited creativity. It was inspiring, to say the least. I’ve taken on a few more projects as of late, like more stencil cutting and t-shirt prints, mini-button production and the on-again, off-again darkroom project. I’m determined to get these things moving more than ever, and hopefully open up the door for more projects as a freelancer. I think I may go into producing promotional products for local artists and bands. That would be so choice.

Haha. I wonder of this qualifies me as a full-on Indie Snob. Hmm. Not that I look for a label…

But anyways, I think doing projects like these are good for me. I need to do more of them. The sheer satisfaction of seeing one finished DIY product completed does a whole lot more for me than a full day of regular work.

I will also add that Readymade magazine is an awesome publication for DIY’ers in a similar mindset. It’s also a great start if you are interested in doing some “crafty” things yourself. The fact that they featured one of my favorite new musical discoveries, Mates of State, in the most recent issue, was a bonus.

We drove up to The City in the early afternoon to mingle with the best and brightest independent artists and publishers from places near and far. There was so much to see, touch and read… and so much cool stuff to buy! The good thing about buying stuff at APE is that it’s mostly affordable stuff. Ah, the power of self-publishing.

As an added treat, I got to meet up with a handful of Killoggs peeps (see my post there for more), as well as Nicole & Brandon… and of course, I did my part and bought stuff from each one of them.

The weirdest thing to happen was to walk up to one of the tables (I unfortunately forget which one), to see the mailing list most recently signed by a friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in over 6 years! I looked all around immediate area to see if he was around, but had no luck. So if you’re out there, T.J. Walkup, shoot me an e-mail … it’s been a while!

Personally, the best thing to come out of going to APE was the flurry of creativity that was sparked by what I encountered there. So many ideas formed in my head that I want to get out on paper… or just get out, period. I am constantly frustrated by the lack of time that I seem to have to dedicate to this kind of thing. I have come to learn that it is more of a matter of making time for it. It’s way easier to hop on the computer, fire up the TiVo, or just plain veg out… especially when I have these long work days all the time. I figure, if I don’t have some sort of creative outlet, I’ll cease to exist. That’s right, I’ll just be some sort of mindless drone.

We all need a little art in our lives. Or a lot.

On this particular Monday, we had the day set aside to visit the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. It was a nice, uncrowded train ride to Mitaka, where we discovered the special bright yellow bus, adorned with Ghibli characters, to take us to the museum.

The museum was definitely something out of the whimiscal animated movies that Ghibli produces. Set within the lush, green setting of Inokashira Park, it seemed as if the museum was part of a garden… a living, breathing thing.

“Let’s get lost together!” exclaims the informational pamphlet we received from the front desk… and so it began.

Once inside, we were in awe. Detailed stained glass windows with characters from Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and more produced a spectrum of colors on the tiled floors. We received our theater tickets, which contained film strips from various Ghibli Films… each ticket is unique.

We wandered the rooms one by one, taking our time. Each exhibit was meticulousy crafted. There were many exhibits to show museum visitors a brief history of animation and the process of animation. There were many multi-planar displays, showcasing the beautiful technique that Miyazaki has mastered in animated filmmaking.

There were even some reconstructions of the animation studio, complete with Miyazaki’s messy desk.

This prompted K to say, “See? My desk’s not so bad compared to Miyazaki-san’s.”

I retorted with, “Well, once you direct a few animated features, I’ll excuse it.”

In the children’s play room, was a huge plush catbus from Totoro, in which many children screamed and jumped. There was also a ball pit, but not filled with regular plastic balls, but fuzzy little dust bunnies (Makkuro Kurosuke). I only wished I could jump in.

Right outside of the catbus play area, was a tall staircase leading to the roof, where a large reconstruction of one the robots from Laputa lived. The roof was landscaped and covered with a nice green garden. Many museum visitors lined up to have their pictures taken with the robot, myself included.

We also got to see a short animated film starring a swine version of Miyazaki-san, featuring the wonders of wing-powered flight. In the theater, we saw Kujiratori (The Whale Hunt) on the big screen… a charming short film about preschool children’s imagination leading them into an ocean adventure.

There was also a gorgeous bookstore inside of the museum, which we marvelled at the many publications within. Many art books, manga and fiction books. Unfortunately, we forgot to return later in our visit to purchase a book or two. The separate gift shoppe was extremely crowded, and I’m afraid I didn’t get to spend time gazing at everything I wanted to. We purchased a few trinkets (a Mei to Konekobasu soundtrack, stickers, buttons, a small stuffed kittenbus) and squeezed our way out of the store towards the cafe. The cafe was crazy crowded as well, so we did not get to sample any of the goodies there.

Unfortunately, photos are not allowed to be taken inside the museum, but I have a collection of photos from the day.

(Also, I have also found some photos from another visitor to the museum, who took a lot more that I did, here.)

Last Sunday, our main activity of choice was to head on out to Harajuku to peoplewatch the car-raaazy kids hangin’ around there.

We accidentally got off at the incorrect rail station (Yoyogi), which brought us to the northern entrance of Yoyogi Park. This led us to walk through the park to Harajuku, which turned out to be a very pleasant detour. Because of our mistake, we got to take a beautiful walk along meticulous gravel pathways shaded by tall trees, and took a side tour of the Meiji-Jingu Shrine. We happened to be just in time to witness a wedding procession (it took us a moment to realize what was going on). Little did we know that this day and this location were big for weddings… I think we witnessed four or five of ‘em going on. I marvelled at the elaborate costumes, although some couples chose more simpler clothing (but of course, still beautiful) for their big day.

K’s camera battery ran out of juice right as we arrived in Harajuku, but luckily, we didn’t see any wacky teenagers hanging around yet… I think it was too early in the day for them (typical). We hopped back on the train to Shinjuku and let Kevin loose in Yodobashi Camera to find a new battery and swipe a few rolls of film (“a few” is obviously an understatement).

Back to Harajuku, to find the plaza filled with teens dressed in their Sunday best. The Elegant Gothic Lolita look seems to be the style of choice for most young women, although a smattering of Goth types and Punk types were amongst them… plus a few unclassifiable types. As an added treat, there was a rock band performing (“Vanilla Soup”?), complete with choreographed groupies. Off to the side, a performance artist writhed away to the tunes… perhaps to the music in her head? Incredibly entertaining stuff, these kids. Oh shoot, did I just say “these kids”? I’m starting to feel old…

We wandered the streets of Harajuku, checking out the trendy little shops that seemed to supply the wardrobes of these teenagers. I was excited to find a lot of cool sock stores, but alas, forgot to go back and stock up. Oh well, I still have a single pair of Rusu Sokusu in my drawer here at home. I do believe we took a long walk up Omote-Sando to Shibuya, where we strolled around a little more, mostly window-shopping and people-watching. I think my feet were forming blisters by now. Bah!

I honestly don’t remember much about the evening… I think I was dead tired and we ended up falling asleep with the intention of getting up later and wandering the nearby busy streets of Ikebukuro. That’s okay… we got an early start the next morning.

The entirety of my Yoyogi and Harajuku photos are available here.

We spent a chunk of the afternoon wandering around Shibuya, where we mingled in the massive crowds, and visited some pretty awesome stores with cool toys and bizarre fashions. K had to return to work in the late afternoon, so I was left to my own devices, and explored a little back in Ebisu… window shopping, stopping by the Saint-Germain Bakery (curry donuts! chizu chizu!), and stopping by the drugstore for some toothpaste and other boring things… but at least I got a glimpse of some Japanese candy (like Black Black Gum and Chocolate Collon).

On Saturday, we had a fun time in Asakusa. There are TONS of quaint local shops, restaurants, and arcades in the area leading towards the temple. After wandering the shops, sampling a freshly made senbei, and buying some entertaining Engrish-type shirts, we seeked out an Okonomiyaki restaurant along one of the main streets, as we had a craving that needed to be met. We struggled a bit with the menu as well as our Japanese language skills, but we managed to have a really tasty meal.

The temple is amazing, right in the middle of all this busy activity (including an amusement park right next to it!). It still maintains its beauty and integrity. A plethora of pigeons crowded the courtyards, hounding all of the tourists for purchased birdfeed. We witnessed some of the praying rituals at the temple (and of course, no cameras inside the temple itself), and marvelled at the architechture and sculpture all around.

Once again, it was time for a crowded and hot train ride back to the ryokan. I was pooping out pretty early every night… still jet lagged, perhaps?

The full collection of my photos from Asakusa are available here.

This being my first trip overseas, I learned the delights of long-distance air travel. Bad movies, painful knees, and noisy neighbors. After spending, oh, 18-20 hours in airports, airplanes, lobbies, and buses, I arrived at the hotel room that K’s company had put him in, located in Ebisu. After a well-needed shower (and discovering the washlet toilet), I pretty much passed out cold on the bed. It was probably around 7pm on Thursday night.

K arrived to fetch me at around 8:15 so I could join him and few co-workers at dinner, which he was sure I didn’t want to miss. He’s right, I didn’t… but I was so incredibly tired, it took a lot of coaxing (and patience on his part) to get me up and moving. We went to Szechwan Restaurant CHEN at the Cerulean Tower in Shibuya… which, you might guess, was owned by Iron Chef Chen Kenichi. I sleepily munched my way through at least 8 courses (I think it must have been 10), which I will add, were really awesome. Dishes worthy of an Iron Chef: Jellyfish appetizer, sashimi, Sparrow’s Nest Soup, tiny lobsters (with apples and chestnuts) in a cream sauce, Shark Fin & Crab Brain Soup, Szechwan Pork with caviar, and more… needless to say, we were thankful that the company was to foot the bill.

I passed out almost immediately after returning to the hotel, with a full stomach… happy that I was finally there, and a whole lot of fun awaited me in the coming days.