absolutely in love...

i love my dog. 

and she really loves me.

which makes me love her even more.

purple hair... black hair.... 

unbrushed hair. she just doesn't care...

and i dutifully reciprocate...

i love, love, love my dog.

never forget you...

apparently this is very true... 

because one day this darn song was stuck in my head all day.

so i looked it up on YouTube and watched the video...

and then under the suggestions list

i came across this...

a whole show (Over The Rainbow) in which the winner got 
the leading role of Dorothy in the West End production of Wizard of OZ.
having finished airing over a year ago,
i must admit i had forgotten about this show.
but coming across the performance of Never Forget You & All That Jazz

 it led me to watching this...

which got me hooked all over again.. 

so i ended up watching the whole series in the course of one night. 
after hours of viewing the show from start to finish,

oddly enough, this is the song that got stuck in my head...

gah!!! how could i have forgotten about this show?
thanks goodness for YouTube eh?

i wish there was a company that offered a job 

where it required you to log countless hours browsing the site.

because if there were, they'd owe me a lot of over time pay.

------------------------------------

oh, just in case you're wondering who my favourite potential Dorothy was:

who was your Dorothy?

oh the comforts of tea...

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. 

~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. 

~Japanese Proverb

Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. 

~Henry Fielding,

"Love in Several Masques"

Harry found the [tea]... seemed to burn away a little of the fear fluttering in his chest. 

 ~J.K. Rowling

You can never get a cup of tea large

enough or a book long enough to suit me. 

~C.S. Lewis

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I've drank a lot of tea this week. 

Nothing mindblowingly (actual word? according to spell check NO!) 

new to announce here because I drink a lot of tea every week.... 

but I really, really, REALLY love, love, LOVE tea. 

So I thought you ought to know. I drink at least a pot and half of tea a day.

 Usually it's a minimum of two. My blood has been permanently inoculated 

with caffeine thanks to camellia sinensis assamica, more commonly known as Assam tea.

    

My day doesn't start nor end until I've had a proper cuppa.

It's my go to cure all for nearly every ailment, symptom and problem.

Headache? Hangover? Bad mood?

Insomnia? Depression? Stress? Hunger?

Cold? Cough? Cramps? Sore Throat? Flu?

Broken Heart? Exhaustion? Loneliness? Boredom?

Pick me up? Uncontrollable fit of giggles?

Uncontrollable stream of tears?

Need a remedy? Try a nice hot cup of tea.

In my case, scalding, strong, sweet, and milky.

Believe me, even if it isn't a permanent fix to whatever ails you,

it'll at least serve as a welcome respite. 

A perfect cup of tea is so comforting,

there are only a few situations in which a cup of tea can't help

and I really can't mention those without an "adult content" warning.

So let's NOT go there. 

I love tea. Full stop. 

friday fun days... friday pie days...

I had a very lovely Friday. I spent most of the time on my own, but I firmly believe that some of our best days are spent this way. I woke up naturally without an alarm, browsed some of my favorite blogs and then got ready for the day. I have yoga class every Friday this term from 10-12pm, so I spent those two hours stretching, breathing deeply and learning more about the practice. (Can I just say how glad I am to be taking this class and starting my weekend off in this manner? I haven't? Well I just want to say I'm incredibly glad to be taking this class, it's the best way to kick off my weekends!)

After class I headed off to Golden Gate Park. I was going to meet some folks to check out the Picasso Exhibit (fourth time for me) but they were running incredibly late. Rather than allowing their poor punctuality get the best of me, I decided to do some exploring in the park. I headed off towards Stow Lake and figured I could take a few snaps to kill some time. I'll be the first to admit that "being one with nature" doesn't really come naturally to me, so that fact that much of this part of the park is artificial (man made) is a fact that doesn't really bother me. I crossed a bridge that seemed Tolkien inspired (est. in 1893 apparently) and then I went on to circle the island aimlessly. At one point I came across some sort of blue bird and try as I may, I could not get a close up shot of it. Anytime I took a step towards its direction it flew off to hide. I probably dedicated a half hour attempting to do so, but sadly to no avail.

After exploring Stow Lake for about an hour, I found myself still waiting for the folks with no concept of punctuality (I think that's going to be how I refer to them from now on). Not one to be easily dismayed, I made my way towards the Rose Garden which I had never been to anyway. I must say that the foggy & windy San Francisco summer probably doesn't lend itself to abundant lush rose gardens. Most of the beds looked past its peak, but there were enough blooms nonetheless to hold my attention. Keeping in mind that this isn't the garden at its best, I actually quite liked it. The smell of roses permeated the air and it was quite darling seeing all the (clearly labelled) different varieties. The garden reminded me of my grandmother (who was incredibly fond of roses) and I found myself wishing I had taken her here before she passed away.

After spending about a half hour here I finally got the call from the folks with no concept of punctuality. They had (finally) arrived and were just looking for parking. So I made my way towards the De Young Museum and waited.... and waited... and waited... About 15 minutes later I heard my name being called and was greeted by the site of the folks with no concept of punctuality. At this point I was famished and didn't really want to spend time with them. So I got them their tickets (as a member of the museum, tickets are either free or discounted for me) and bid my farewell. I headed off towards Peasant Pies on Irving Street to  grab some pies to take home. Once there I was feeling a little self indulgent, so I ended up walking away with 5 savory pies and 5 dessert pies. I then drove home excited to see my dogs and promptly warmed a few pies in the oven for a late lunch. Yes... I did just type a few pies. I ended up eating a Spinach Feta pie, half each of the Vanilla Flan and Chocolate Flan, and lastly my favorite from the lot, Blueberry Pear. I can eat this in less time than it takes for me to type supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Safe to say I was quite full afterwards. 

dinner parties...

It is my firm belief that impromptu dinner parties are the best kind of dinner parties. You know the sort; busy week, deadlines, stress… then out of the blue someone comes up with the brilliant idea of getting together. Somehow enough of you (if not all) have the same block of time free and you agree on a dinner party. Somebody brings wine, somebody brings dessert, and somebody brings appetizers. Voilà, you’re suddenly in for a night of great conversation and laughter over a relaxed meal with the people who know you most.

About a fortnight ago, my friends and I were having one of those dreadfully busy weeks. One friend was preparing for her wedding a week away, another was getting ready to go back to work having had the summer off, and I was getting ready to go back to school as well as finally tackling my ever growing to do list. The only time we had to converse was via twitter (hey! it’s like free texting!). One of my friends stumbled upon some wine bottles and decided to have people over for dinner. We all had the same block of time free and we all arrived promptly with our contributions in hand.

That night turned out to be a great one. We talked about the stresses and goings on in our lives, but we also manage to talk (among plenty other things) about the cartoons and shows we watched while growing up, reminiscing about a time loooong gone by.  Worth a mention as well was the delicious dinner menu! The night started with a bottle each of Chandon & Nero D’Avola happily consumed with cheese & crackers while my friend’s husband, the chef of the evening, busied himself in the kitchen. As the food came out, we all happily sat and promptly consumed everything in sight. 

Dinner Menu:

• Corn, Chanterelles & Morrells sauteed with thyme & cumin
• Asparagus pan roasted w/ red onions
• Roasted rack of Lamb
• Porterhouse Steak with sauteed mushrooms
• Baked Halibut stuffed w/ Shrimp
• Spring greens 
• Cantaloupe Ice Cream

the comfort of music...

HOME, by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

I remember this song when it first came out two years ago. Somehow, it had gotten buried in the music vault in my subconscious and I had completely forgotten about it. A good friend, one of my closest actually, re-introduced me to this track/band and thank goodness he did! Something about this track is just comforting… maybe it has to do with the fact that the lyrics are applicable to my relationship with said friend? (But that’s a whole other blog post I’ll delve into later.) Getting back on track… the lyrics are witty, simple & just plain wonderful. I love the whistling and the back & forth banter between the vocalists. This song not only comforts, it also puts a big smile on my face, always evoking the comforts of home.

However the real reason my friend shared this song with me is because this reminds him of his home, London. Unless you happen to have been under a rock with no internet access, you probably have heard about the recent London Riots. The riots have devastated the city as well as spurring a few others in cities within the UK. It is out of control. It is selfish. It is ignorant. It is without reason. It is uncalled for. It is a sad study of man at its worst. At this time you can still view smoke in the London skyline. Take a walk through the city and you see remnants of shops & people's livelihood destroyed. There's a melancholy about. People are walking around confused as to how all this could have escalated so quickly. Mostly however, people's spirits have been destroyed because their home, their city has been violated, not by outsiders, but by people who also claim to call this place home. I can't even begin to fathom what locals feel at this time. I can only hope for peace and their safety. 


Although I do not call London home, it has a very important place in heart. It is a city I often visit. It is my home away from home. My best friend, the closest thing I have to a soul mate lives there. It is the place of my dreams and my future. London is the city I hope to call my home someday soon. Whatever destruction may currently be found in the streets of London, it's appeal, it's charm & it's draw has not been lost nor diminished in my eyes. The reaction of locals affected by the riots alone has been quite inspiring. Grassroots clean up efforts organized via social networking sites like twitter & facebook (although we must keep in mind that the rioters also organized the same way) has inspired people, my friend included, to take a stand and help repair the city of London from all the senseless destruction. This massive outpouring of support, pride & defiance against odds is the true reflection of London. This is what Londontown is truly about. Established by Romans in 43 A.D., this city has repeatedly been burnt, blitzed & destroyed. But each time, out of the rubble, people have gathered & rebuilt, no matter how insurmountable the restoration.

If you are interested in helping, continually check the hashtag #RiotCleanup and #CatchaLooter on twitter to see what you can do. As my friend said (via twitter: @imjustabloke) after a day's worth of volunteering, "Incredibly touched by all involved in this morning's #riotcleanup. Come on Londontown, let's show em what Londoners are really about." & "Let's get back on our feet. Get involved with @riotcleanup. Let's show em who the true Londoners really are. #riotcleanup..."

classic rock nostalgia...

Classic rock is a dying genre. It is highly underrated and underappreciated. So to remedy that, I want to share one of the definitive (and my favorite) classic rock albums of all time, Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive!". This is a gem of an album if you haven't listened to it. One of the best selling live albums to date (as in EVER), this album was voted Rolling Stone's 1976 Album of the Year, as well as Billboard's number one album from the same year. So if you haven't heard of him, shame on you, but you probably have and just didn't know it. (Just google "Baby, I love Your Way" and you'll see.) Peter Frampton is English musician whose fame sky rocketed with this album's success. I share two of the lesser known songs here, but my favorite from the lot. Apart from his passionate vocals, Frampton is also a gifted guitarist (one of many instruments he plays) and his talent absolutely shines on these tracks. So please have a listen, share some of my classic rock nostalgia, and enjoy.

musings...

First of August, 2010

Taking a bike ride around the suburbs of Chicago I tried to focus on the beauty of my surroundings.  Despite the sweltering heat, the trees kept the green in their leaves, majestically standing tall, providing much needed shade.  Light filtered through the tall branches, creating a bouquet of patterns on the grey asphalt.  The warm light breeze seemed to be in sync with the gradual sloping roads. The wind blew as I struggled to pedal uphill and the wind rested when my legs stopped moving, allowing the downhill slope to carry us forward.  It was a beautiful morning, but my body felt uneasy. It took all the strength I could muster to hold back my tears. As if the weather sensed my uneasiness, the sky began to change, billowing grey clouds forming at a threateningly fast pace, the warmth gone from the breeze, a chill uncharacteristically present in the summer air.  Although an unsettling feeling began to grow, I couldn’t help but revel in the sudden change of weather. Rather than heading back home, I resolved to keep pedaling. The clouds now fully formed and a storm threatening to begin at any moment, I oddly felt comforted.  In the wash of grey and the promise of a thunderstorm hanging in the air, the early rays of sun retreated behind the clouds.  My tears that threatened to escape receded, my body content with the gloom.

-- 

quotes...

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.  

– Joseph Campell