Surviving in Chicago

My family owns a restaurant in the Chicago area so my family and I spend every Christmas here. I fly out a week before Christmas and come back to San Francisco a few days into the New Year. So I am now here in Bloomingdale, Illinois trying my best to keep warm. It's below zero all day and am actually looking forward to single digit degree weather tomorrow. Who knew I would ever be relieved at the thought of 5 degree weather!

I like spending the winter here, but this current weather situation is pretty ridiculous for a San Franciscan like me. My regular weather pattern only varies +/- 15 degrees from 60. So I am trying to make the best out of it. Today, my parents had plenty of errands to run so I volunteered to watch (manage) the restaurant while they were gone. It's actually fun running the restaurant and it reminds me of my good ol' culinary days. Plus today was my mom's birthday so it's kidding her about her age. So, although slow and cold, it was a pretty good day.

Although a bit late for posting a Christmas wishlist, I thought I'd post a wishlist for 2009. So for those of you who follow my blog and know me... you have no excuse for a bad present!

• Copper Madeleine Molds
• Ticketmaster giftcards
• Burke Williams Spa giftcards
• Fingerless gloves
• 8/16gb Flash Drive
• Culture Shock series travel books... (Currently have Scotland)
• British Versio of the Harry Potter books... (Currently have Deathly Hallows)
• Mistral Lychee Rose or Melon Pear Shea Butter Soaps
• Novelty Socks
• Teapots
• Assorted Teas: I prefer black teas, especially with Assam tea leaves.
• Cookbooks (vintage, new, whatever....)
• Sugar Lychee or Sake Fragrances by Fresh
• Eye Shadow Brushes (Yes I have a ton, but I could still use some more.)
• Potted Herbs (The rarer the better, already have Basil, Oregano & Parsley..)
• Fleur de Sel
• Amber Jewelry
• All Natural Dog treats (Not for me, but my dogs)
• Mrs. Meyer's Cleaning Products Lemon Verbena Scent

It's a lot to list I know, but this is supposed to be my wishlist for the entire year of 2009.....

london, england

Remnants from the World Wars? 2008.

London Eye. Waste of money in my opinion. 2008.

So I really like tea. Tea Service at the Berkeley Hotel. 2008.

A gate at Buckingham Palace. 2008.

By St. Paul's Cathedral, can't remember what this is. Anyone know? 2008.

St. Paul's Cathedral. 2008.

I want to start by saying that London is my favorite city I've visited. Each time I visit, I love it more and more. So, just some of my favorite pictures...

Rome, Italy

Taken August 08, 2008. I was in Rome to attend a friend's wedding. The ceremony was a mix of American, Filipino and Italian Catholic traditions. The ceremony itself was followed by a drive around Rome on an air conditioned coach bus (I live in San Francisco remember..... I don't do too well in the heat.) This picture was taken at the reception site, a rooftop restaurant, directly across the street from the Roman Forums. It was a memorable and beautiful evening.

Favorite Tea Houses in San Francisco Area

http://www.tranquilitea.net/, located in the sleepy, coastal town of Pacifica.




http://crownandcrumpet.com/, located in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco.

Two very different approaches to tea, these are my favorite in the area, but the best experience I've had having tea was in London at the Berkeley Hotel (Pret-a-Portea.)



http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/

Phantom of the Opera, San Francisco Orpheum

I just got back home from an incredibly hectic day. I had work, then had to rush to buy dinner for my brothers, drop it off, got stuck in traffic, picked up my mom from work, then drove off to see my cousin before he left San Francisco for his flight home, followed by dinner with my mom in a bistro in Potrero Hill and then off towards the Orpheum to watch Phantom of the Opera. At this point I was sick of driving around, my feet hurt and was incredibly full from dinner, so I really wanted to be blown away by this show. It watched it a few years ago and was my first introduction to musical theatre. I don't remember who was in it, but I loved it. I then saw RENT's OBC (original broadway cast) just a few weeks after opening, thus cementing my love for musical theatre, but that's another blog...

So an understudy went on as the Phantom (Andrew Varela) this evening, but the rest of the leads were the same (Kyle Barisich and Trista Moldovan.) Act 1, scene 1 was okay for me, I really wanted Christine to shine in her "Think of Me" solo, but I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. Scene 2 seemed choppy, but mostly because I could vaguely make out what Meg was singing. Scene 3 was better, but I wasn't impressed by Raoul at all. Scene 4/5 was much better, and I actually like the way Christine sustained her notes at the end of "The Phantom of the Opera," but the scene before walking down the stairs seemed very fake, with a prerecorded quality to it. This was a scene I was looking forward to because I knew I would either like or hate the Phantom afterwards. I did like the Phantom and the quiet desperation in his voice. Considering he was an understudy, he did really well. "Music of the night" was nice and the scene that followed. Although at this point the show was really starting to show it's age. I was actually beginning to like the show and then scene 8 happened. The whole bit with the notes really annoyed because I couldn't hear everyone evenly, I don't know if it was their projection or sound mixing, but it was really bad. It sound so choppy and not cohesive at all. Scene 10 was much better, although I was really underwhelmed by Raoul and was beginning to strongly dislike the way the character was portrayed. I have to say that Christine hit the high "soar" note with just enough softness and strength in her voice. The best part though was the "All I ask of you reprise." I really felt for the Phantom.

Act 2, scene 1 was staged beautifully, the costumes were beautiful except for Christine's, I thought she looked ridiculous. Again, showing the shows age, since I can imagine that the dress was cute/attractive at some point. Scene 3 "Twisted Every Way" is one of my favorite bits in the show and I was happy with it. Scene 5, graveyard scene was acted and sung very beautifully. Christine and Raoul had great chemistry and I was just as frustrated as the Phantom when Raoul came in and ruined their moment. Scene 7/8 was beautiful and the Phantom's desperation and his love for Christine really moved me. I even had tears in my eyes at the end.

So all in all, I liked the Second Act and was underwhelmed by the First Act. I liked Christine, except for "Think of Me." Raoul, really did not enjoy, I zoned out at times, his voice and acting choices didn't endear the character to me at all. Maybe he just wasn't my cup of tea. The Phantom was consistently great, but was truly wonderful the 2nd act.

So quite a night. When I got home, I still had an online class quiz to take and the dogs to attend to. Which brings me to this blog, that I need to just submit what I have so far and end it here so that I may finally take that stupid online quiz......

San Francisco Weather

This morning I was watching the weather report and the weatherman had said to brace ourselves for the coldest morning yet and to make sure we bundle up…….. The low temp this morning was 49°. Having lived in the Chicago area off and on the past few years, this was just laughable! I know people who would go around wearing shorts and sandals if this happened in the winter time. I sometimes miss the experience of having all four seasons, but remembering how harsh true winters are, I’m glad to be living in San Francisco. Where else can we call 3 days of 80° weather a heat wave and weathermen warning us about the frigid cold 50° weather? If I wanted to see snow, I can drive a few hours to the mountains. If I wanted warm weather, I can just cross a bridge to get escape the fog. If I wanted to experience the fog, I can just open my window.

My favorite musical....

http://springawakening.com/
A musical that I can watch over and over again. The best score I’ve heard in a long time. Upon watching it for the first time, I became immediately obsessed. A real shame it’s closing on Broadway so soon. This isn’t a show that must be or needs to be described before watching. I actually think it’s best that you just go into the theatre with an open mind. The story, the music, the lighting, the choreography, everything is amazing. For those of you who have yet to experience this show, you must.

Afternoon Tea

I treated my friend to tea for her birthday this afternoon. Presenting our tier of treats.

quotes...

"Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given."

-Anton Chekov

An Introduction

I've been on the hunt for a site that's as computer friendly as possible. At the moment I maintain 3 blogs on 3 separate sites and I will eventually choose which one works best for me to solely maintain. If anyone ends up following this blog, I will be sure to notify you.

I started blogging mainly because I sleep late. I drink tea all day long and it keeps me up at night. So with a lot of spare time on my hands, I've started blogging. Now the following is a copy/paste of my introduction that I've used on other blogs. I apologize for the current lack of effort on my part. I will be sure to try a little harder on my future posts...

My name is Phoebe and I am 25 years old. I decided on creating a blog so that I may empty the thoughts in my head. I currently work full time and go to school part time. I eventually hope to attain a degree in Special Education (possibly Pyschology) in hopes of having my own classroom working with children with special needs. I currently work with kids with Autism and Mental Retardation, not as a teacher but rather as an instructoral’s assistant where I work with our students on a one on one basis. My job is hard, sometimes dangerous, but NEVER DULL.

I have quite an affinity towards the cultural arts, owning memberships to museums, theatres, etc. I have visited many museums in many countries. I have two dogs, the older of the two being my clear favorite. I play the piano and have an eclectic taste in music. I love to cook, which makes sense considering I did go to culinary school, only to discover that to preserve my love of cooking, I must not do it for a living. I am also a traveller. My favorite city being London, followed closely by Paris.

As time goes by I hope to elaborate on myself and my stories. Hopefully entertaining a few of you on the way.

Phoebe