Recipe for Joy

The chill of a night air.

The overcast sky hiding the soft shimmering moon.

The solo string of outdoor lights that somehow, dimly yet barely, illuminate the whole back yard.

The top half of a lawn ornament flamingo teetering, nose-first, on said string.

The aftermath of two hastily drunk Moscow Mules.

The cool beer in my right hand.

The faint murmur of ambient conversation with the compliment of loud, live music -- 

   The talent. 

     The energy.

The fairy being handing me a beverage promising me, "It tastes good.

  Like juice."

The silhouettes of the two giant palms in the yard next door -- 

  The trunks so large it would take two of me to wrap my arms around them.

The company of friends and Phamily.

The hugs.

The soft blur resulting from the mixture of the vodka, Tecate and that fruity beverage.

The laughter.

The subtle tug of fatigue and a perfectly timed

  "What are your thoughts about heading home?"

The late night raiding of the refrigerator.

The purr of the fuzzy ball of fur.

The gentle slide from consciousness to slumber.

Joy.  

I Want to Go Home..

I want to go Home.

But Home is one of those undefined, 

  unknowable, 

    un-understandable

entities that I can't quite wrap my head around.

Home is a mess of unresolved altercations that I should have let go of years ago.

But that I still hold close to my chest

And shield my heart with them..

To keep anyone and everyone out.

Home is a wandering target.

Elusively changing location and slipping from

State

         To State.

Country

            To Country.

Home is full of strangers that I let fill my place when I refuse to take responsibility for my own emotional shortcomings.

I keep her at Plane's Distance.

Home is a current GPS coordinate.
And I've kept myself at 37 N/122 W for a long eight years.

Home is a swirl of feeling like I belong and feeling like I can lose myself in the crowd.

The friendly balance of being seen and unseen simultaneously.

I Want to go Home

But I also want to just 

Be

Here.

So here I'll stay.

Until Home makes sense again.

If I ever let it.

Walking.

Walking, to me, is reflecting.
Exercising.
Exploring.

Gaining a new vantage.
Getting a new perspective.

Finding greenery in the midst of the concrete jungle.

Finding beauty in the everyday.

Appreciating the warmth in the fog that envelopes me.

Stairs.

Yesterday began with a disastrous potato salad.

Josh, Goober and I sat on the porch with the sun on our backs and a smoothie between us, when suddenly, I realized the potatoes had been boiling too long. A salvage attempt was made but my mood was still sour.

To remedy this, a destination was picked and a walk began.
Objective: Golden Gate Heights. 4 miles and 760 feet elevation gain.
Strapped on a new pair of shoes to break in, grabbed water and a sweater. And we were off!

I guess I should have guessed by the MapMyWalk that I was going to be headed uphill. .. But, as we walked up 24th, the grade of the street kept catching me off guard. By the last block before we reached Market, I had to stop twice within a block to catch my breath and take in the views.

The walk took a twist. We snaked under, around and up to get to Market.

Market morphed to Portola and we followed them both, mirroring traffic, gaining elevation. Step after step, we traversed the saddle of Twin Peaks.

We left Sutro Tower behind us.

Above this crest, we were treated to a whole new section of the city. Everything got a little more suburban. There was space. There were driveways. There were yards.  Hell, we even saw this place that looked straight out of a movie -- discarded play bike turned over and left on the grass.

More steps, more incline, more up.

We made it now to a beautiful wooded area of SF. I marveled over and over that we were still in the city limits. The trees were large, old and looming. The streets winding. I got lost in the getting lost.

Then, as we turned a corner, we were greeted by a man and his Labrador. The pup was too excited to be there, tugging and pulling at his leash. Dog controlling owner. 

And we were there.

Beautiful, forested. Full of great vistas, shady benches and friendly dogs.

With a stop for a little bit of swinging, we pushed on a bit farther to what we learned was Grand View Park.  They weren't kidding when they named it!

And, as we descended the hill, we were treated to one final surprise. From our vantage, we saw many people taking photos on the stairs we were descending. It seemed curious, but not unusual.

Only when we turned around, did we discover the city's last present to us.

All in all, I am once again thankful that I live in a city that surprises me on a daily basis.

Thank you, San Francisco!

Awake.

I got sent home early today after only two hours on the clock. 

As I walked back at 7:45AM, my backwards commute was much brighter.  But the streets were still mostly empty and businesses still closed.  

For some reason, I was surprised that the Mission was still asleep.

Were you?

Only Pictures.

(Day 28: Only Pictures.)

Another day in the life.

 

 

 

 

 

Being Friendly.

(Day 26: Something You Read Online. Discuss, if You'd Like)

I read this other other day:
The Bold Italic - Is SF Friendlier Than the Midwest?

I found it interesting. Perhaps you might too if you are a transplant like me.

If not, maybe you will find it intriguing for other reasons.

It really made me think about the different kinds of friendships there are.

Read and discuss amongst yourselves. 

Oldies But Goodies.

(Day 21: A List of Links to Your Favorite Posts in Your Archive)

This was harder than expected.  I never seem to like anything I've written.. especially after the fact.  In addition, I decided to add a few posts from my other blogs.

1 - Pre-Traveling: First post on this blog. It's great to remember the feeling of giving up everything for the unknown.

2 - A Week in the Desert: Such an unexpected stop on my journey cross country. This first Burning Man experience will always hold a special place for me. So much so, that I am hesitant to go back and alter my perspective on it.

3 - Maui: Just love this collection of photos of my time here.

4 - I'm in Heaven: Ton Sai, Thailand. Truly heaven on earth. One of my favorite spots on Josh and my tour of Southeast Asia.

5 - Traveling: It is amusing to re-read this now. I like thinking about how I actually accomplished this. .. At least a little.

6 - Tropical Weather: I like the photo in the post and the musings. And I always miss these things.

7 - Red Walls, Aching Muscles: Being a tour guide was hard. But also, rewarding.

And from my other blogs:

1 - 4 Years and 2000 Miles Apart: Life in SF versus life in Maui

2- Lovesick for Wanderlust: Disjointed and strange, I think this accurately depicts my traveler's itch.

3 - 5-Hour Blink of an Eye: Being an adventure travel guide.

4 - Chronicles of Our Cat: I love my kitten.

Exploring.

(Day 6: Without answering with your job, how would you answer the question, "What do you do?")

What do I do? ..  
Hmm.. What do I do..?

I'd like to say .. I explore.

I try to do this as often as possible.. Though, maybe, some weeks are less exploratory than others.

While I haven't been out of the country in quite some time.. and, to be honest, only out of California a few times in the last a year .. my goal lately has been to explore our City as much as possible in the free time that I have. 

With the weather turning, Josh and I have taken to the heights of SF. There are so many untouched hills around us that have been preserved as parks which we can hike to the top of and soak in the Bay area. 

Take such examples:

Haight to Heights -- 5.5 miles, two peaks: Buena Vista (575 ft) and Corona Heights (520 ft)
A pretty walk with a nice stop in Hayes Valley for brunch and then two peaks I had never previously known of before. Lovely views of the city.

Almost to Twin Peaks -- 3.8 miles, two peaks: Tank Hill (650 ft) and Kite Hill (unknown height)
Feel like you might want to almost hike Twin Peaks but want to avoid tourists and cars and whatnot?  Great vista points and no bumping elbows!

Trusty Bernal -- 3.8 miles, 1.5 peaks: Holly Park (274 ft) and Bernal Heights (433 ft)
This is the standard everyday hill hike. The most bang for your buck: close and pretty steep. Plus, the most amazing views of everywhere in the city. Adding in Holly Hill adds distance and a new vantage. Worth it.

So.. I strive to explore not only my own city as the year slips by.. but hopefully more of the country and eventually (please sooner rather than later) more outside our borders.

Everything In Its Right Place.

(Day 2 of the blogging challenge)

Hmm.. Something I know a lot about or something I am good at.

This is a toughie.

I don't have a whole plethora of knowledge about one particular thing. .. . But that mural over there?  Oh, it was painted in the 1980's by a group commemorating the annual Carnivale celebration that San Francisco celebrates in May.  Why May instead of February or March as tradition dictates?  Because the City wanted to take advantage of the wonderful Spring weather.  Wouldn't want those scantily clad women freezing on those floats!  

The torn down theater?  It used to be one of the many single house theaters lining Mission Street.  Currently, it is to be remodeled and reborn as a new 5-screen cinema with hipster flair -- serving eclectic foods and alcohol akin to the new MBC and the forth-coming mini-golf course.  Next door, they are putting up more condos, though these promise to be affordable housing for those displaced by raised rent and higher cost of living.  The old theater across the street?  It will be resurrected as two things: a restaurant and gym -- hopefully somehow mixed together!

. ..  

So scratch that.  I guess there's no fountain of knowledge here.. 

But what am I good at?  .. .. . Also.. Long pause.

This may be a stretch and it also may be a slight form of OCD, but I'm organized as hell.  I am awesome at making sure everything is done, everything is clean and everything is in its right damn place.

So I make damn good coffee!  My station is clean, my stock is full.  I'm constantly aware of what my co-worker's need and what the store is wanting.  Your made-just-for-you cup of coffee?  I brewed that with just the right amount of beans, just the perfect amount of water, stirred and waited the exact amount of time.  Cream and sugar need adjusting?  No worries!  Hand that back and I'll make it just right!

So I give damn good tours!  My vendors are ready for us.  My route is set. My local lore is up to date.  I make sure the food we sample is something my taste buds crave on a regular basis.  I make sure I know what new murals are up and what's interesting about them.  I keep track of my monthly billing.  I keep track of my out of pocket expenses.  I keep track of how many people I show around -- what day it was, what they liked, what they didn't.  I learn from my experiences and I only get better.

My room is clean (read: presentable) and my home clutterless. Spreadsheets? I got that! Lists? Checked off and completed!

As for my life path. ... That still is unknown journey.  

Throw me a curveball; I got this.

250 Words of Me.

Here upon is the first entry in a void of blog-less days.  Here is the first of my May blog Challenge.  Here is: Describe yourself in 250 words.


Vagrant. Vagabond. Searching. Wandering.

I was born in the Philippines, adopted at 4 days old and whisked away to the States as a mere babe of 2.  I spent my childhood jumping home to home -- Wisconsin, New Delhi, New Jersey, Ohio, then suburbs of Chicago.  High school was fairly stable; 4 years at the same school -- made friends, explored the city, got really into music and the local scene, frequented used CD shops, basement shows and the Metro.  College took me to Wisconsin where I spent 3 years getting to know and breaking the heart of my first love.  A move to Madison turned me into a worker bee at a big time software company.  Two years later, my wanderlust itched and I sold my belongs to travel the US looking for a new home; cross-country in two months (more new friends, more new experiences), 3 months in SF, 3 months in Maui.  Then, in a whirl, it was back to Wisco for the love my life.. but when winter struck, he followed suit and left behind work/home to journey to SE Asia for a season.  Travel tired, we settled in San Francisco and here we have made our new life.  Here is where our home is: our kitten, our house, new/old friends, sun, city and adventure.  

Yet I am still wondering.. Where next?


Thanks to Natalie for the inspiration: Looking Through the Lens

long time, no update

yesterday was another beautiful example of why i love living in this city.

started the day off visiting fort point with vanessa. it's one of those random places that you wouldn't normally think of visiting.. but is really nice to check out once you're there. also, as a random bonus, there was a band dressed up in old military uniforms playing music in the middle of the fort.

the weather was sunny and pleasant all day.

saturday was also the brides of march. a conglomerate of men and women dressed in bridal attire hitting up stores and bars.

"BEWARE THE BRIDES OF MARCH!"

tropical weather.

the cold winds of winter are coming.
the city is cloaked in a layer of grey fog.





i miss the warmth of a tropical breeze.
i miss the sand between my toes.

hiking.

hiking involves a lot of walking uphill.

i always think that i really want to go go hiking but, upon reflection, what really i want is a scenic walk in the woods. i mistake those a lot.

that being said, i had a really good time hiking up at mount diablo. the park wasn't as green as i expected but it was a really nice park and a beautiful day so i was really happy to get out and enjoy the scenery.


on the way home, it was really cool to see the fog centered immediately over the city. there was this one cloud that looked like it was a wave folding in upon itself, crashing over and enveloping this one emerald green hill. the fold was almost frozen in time, so as we drove closer, we could see the inside of the "wave."

on the bridge heading back into town, i played tourist: camera out the window, taking pictures of us re-entering the fog.

animals.

the zoo's a pretty cool place.





.. self timer fail.