r|break: sunday morn fiber break for those moments when ...

... your gal pal (thanks reg!) hugs you across the miles, throws a few tunes your way, and ends a sentence with

"... he'd still be your bitch!"

and then proceeds with

"Get your ipod out and play some "Irreplaceable" or "If I were a boy" by that popular billionaire sistah. As a pino, I prefer Jasmine Trias "Excuses" as my cigarette smoking drive off song..."

so here go the links to the clips for each - in case you needed visuals (and audio) nudges about these tunes ... irreplaceable, if i were a boy, and excuses. and in the spirit of the brethren, here's jt's clip

thanks gal pal!

(yup, done.)

this time it's a l'il different

almost two years ago ... here is the attitude i was sporting. not-so-pretty, eh? kinda just wrong.

(only a few peeps will probably understand the complete picture of what this post is about - so for those few peeps - thanks for your patience, tolerance, and friendship.)

and yes, i ended up writing a story (my foreigner) about one of the events leading up to this unlady-like moment.

and just a couple of weeks ago ... turns out, a similar (but kinda different) opportunity for another unlady-like moment arose. and once again, yes, i ended up writing yet another story/prose (let me believe) during some angst - resulting and expressing self-awareness (to say the least) and (unfortunately) a bit of self-flogging, for a short period of time.

now ... i will admit, as i did to two of my gal pals, that i did as a scorpio does. and now - i am done. no excuses. i am not bitter. and i'd like to believe that i will continue to ditch any negative sentiments and adopt a more positive perspective on the recent events. in other words, i would hope to ditch saying, "... and i just want to punch him in the crotch and ..." or some other entertaining version of such a sentiment. the positive perspective? i like my decision.

or maybe ...
perhaps the psychic chord cutting helped, y'think?

pondering: what say you?

it has been a little bumpy ... good and not so good - over the past week, let alone the past couple of months. just this past week, thoughts swirling (repeatedly) in my head ... health of friends and family (and myself), work within the context of my passion about the environment and connecting people, evolving friendship/relationship with a man, excitement of reconnecting with friends from 20+ years ago, excitement of connecting with friends, financial outlook, and the small surprises and reminders that, perhaps, reconnecting with spirit allows life to be a more fulfilled life.

my daily reminder ... is my dear friend iris, who continues to grace people with her love. my thoughts of her are posted here. and when iris tells me of the surprises she has in her life - people donating unconditionally to her efforts for medical treatment, opportunities to sing for various congregations and non-profit organizations, a simple gesture of help from a salesperson - i am quickly reminded about life's possibilities.

writing calms and energizes my spirit and soul ... the kind of writing that helps me process life around me - the life that i know we create for our self. i don't write much. i dabble. and when a writing bug hits me - as it did two nights ago - i believe that i am being reminded of something ... what that something is? not as important as just acknowledging the little nudge.

two years ago, i wrote a story called my foreigner. and i acknowledge the experience i shared in my foreigner as an inspiration or motivation (or both) to write (again after several years of not writing). just two nights ago, i wrote a "letter" to myself (perhaps to my spirit and soul or - for my spirit and soul) - let me believe. and with this letter, i feel compelled to learn more about expression through writing.

what say you?

new foods, wines, and peeps ...

... and an additional 5+ lbs later - i survived (happily) yesterday's middle east feast held by home cook b.m. in the berkeley hills. YUM! so in this post (which also contributes to r|alex) ...

• e/m excerpts i received 2 weeks ago from my college friend, alison ... and
• about the wine we were served throughout our meal.
  

e/m excerpts ... middle east feast ... The market is shifting ... the farmer's market that is. good grilling tomatoes have made an appearance ... it's time ... because this menu is so popular ... two dates ... visual and gastronomic delights ... wine dinner parties ... consists of 3 courses ... first course is mezza ... almost all vegetarian, that, temporally speaking, takes up almost two thirds of the dinner ... over a two hour period ...with good wine and conversation ... in the middle east, mezza courses are made up of anywhere from 20 to 80 or more dishes ... ours will clock in at around a dozen ... labne ... mohammara ... odoriko tomatoes ... assorted pickles (including the quintessential turnip pickles), assorted marinated olives, several herbs (mint that one eats between nibbles to perfume and refresh one's palate), several marinated vegetable dishes ... fool ... other dishes ... constraint... table space ... dishes are all served at once on the table ... baba ghannooj - make it in the labor intensive way ... eggplants are mesquite grilled (... imparts the smoky flavor to the dish), and the eggplant pulp is then mixed with garlic, cumin, lemon juice, pepper, and a touch of yogurt using a wooden spoon as opposed of a cuisinart ... interesting texture instead of the baby food consistency ... from electrical blending ... meat course - lamb kebabs ... mixed with garlic, basil, and spices ... ground lamb ... coarser grind ... more toothsome and interesting in texture. (dessert was 2 cakes to celebrate a guest's bday and retirement!) ... feast ... complimented by tangy, crisp wines from Italy, the South of France, Spain, and Zinfandels from California.

menu of wines served ... provided by the host (just typing from the little page found at our table seating ... so while we chatted, nibbled, and chewed, a l'il reading on the side -

• rueda superiore (2007) this spanish wine comes from a region that has been producing excellent whites recently. the vineyards range about 2000 fee in altitude. the cool evenings allow the grapes to gain good structure and acidity. rueda is made of the verdejo grape.
• cheverny, salvard (2007) this wine comes from the village of cheverny in the loire valley. it is made of 100% savuignon blanc. this is one of my favorite whites that kermit carries. it goes particularly well with white, tart, creamy foods like goat cheese. make sure you have a sip as you're eating the labne.
• corbieres, fontsainte (2007) aaaaaaaaaaaaaah ... time for a rosé. it is spring after all. this is not the greates rosé in the world (that would be domaine tempier's bandol), but it is really, really good. it is also very consistent from year to year and is quite elegant for such a moderately priced wine (or for a rosé for that matter).
  
• bierzo tinto, los bayos (2005) here's another spanish wine. the grape is mencia, which is exclusive to bierzo and galicia. bierzo is a wine that is going to appreciate in value over the next ten years. it is relatively unknown to most people now but that will change, as this wine is unique, elegant and delicious.
  
• saint joseph, richard (2005) the village of saint joseph, located in the northern rhone, is known for its read wines made of 100% syrah. saint joseph is lighter than some of its neighbors like cornas and hermitage. typically of syrah based wines, the nose on this wine displays wonderful pepper notes.
• zinfandel, amista (2005) this zin comes from a new winery in dry creek valley it is big and robust, yet balanced. even though i've designated it a waiting wine, you should save some to have with your first bitest of the kebab since it goes well with the tomato sauce. (check it out here )
  
• merlot, mietz (2000) a merlot? have i gone mad? well ... this is a really good aged merlot that i picked up a month ago at the winery. i think it will go well with the kebabs. mietz is known for its pinot noirs and merlots and is a great winerty to visit, especialy during the barrel tasting weekends, which are held the first two weekends of march.
  

so ... turns out there was one wine (and i'm certainly not a wine connoisseur) that i will not necessarily revisit, however, it was great to try, right?! and mind you, there were six others to enjoy!

anyway, with new foods, wines, peeps, and chit/chat - yesterday evening was a fabulous and memorable event. yum. (now time for a little extra calorie burning! phew!)

[oh! and with lots of leftovers,
i've bot lamb kebabs for lunch tomorrow;
likely won't be bringing the zin to work, though.]

r|chow: thai village cuisine

let's get this ball rolling again!!!

eating out - which i don't do much of - really - go figure. (i actually started cooking at home. yes. really. go figure.) in the 'burbs, the offerings are not of the variety i have been accustomed (as in SD), and i'm still getting acquainted with the dining options.

my goal is to find places within 10-miles of where i live (so i don't have to necessarily cross the bridges to palo alto or SF or drive up to oakland/berkeley, or drive down to - drive down somewhere). also, tho' i like my own cooking (because i have simple standards - not poison), it's a bit of a wah-wah-wah sometimes to be eating solo (tho' i gets me some good reading time and the cooking is fun!). so, making the best of it.

a recent outing this past weekend to a local thai restaurant ... thai village cuisine (yum-yum and good value, aka not at all spendy) is actually in my 'burb area, and it's pretty tasty stuff. there we just two of us - food buddy is a low to mild-medium spicy dude. (not a euphemism) i'm a medium to medium-high spicy chick. (not a euphemism?)

Cool Slideshows

my food buddy is gnawing on his beef satay (not a euphemism). i passed on asking him if he'd take a pic of me - he was grunting "mmmm" and catching his breath in between spoonfuls of the food. our first time here - some 'tame' stuff this time around -

• satay - grilled marinated beef or chicken on skewer, served with the famous thai peanut/cucumber sauce along with a slice of toast. (i don't remember the toast. maybe food buddy snatched it up early on.)
• mussaman curry - braised boneless beef short ribs chicken in a classic curry sauce with potatoes, onions, and roasted whole peanuts, garnished with crispy fried shallots.
  
• chicken dream - crispy deep-fried chicken & walnut mixed with our homemade creamy sauce.
• pad thai - the national pan-fried noodle dish with combination of shrimp, chicken, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, and crushed peanuts.

go. it's tasty. we'll be back.