Sunrise, Sunset

Champagne Tasting

Last night’s champagne tasting event was quite beloved. Besides the salsi bar (with its shocking result reversals!), the following were poured:

• J Cuvee 20 (brought by K, was the most popular)
• Moet and Chandon White Star
• Elliston (a welcome drink)
• Korbel Rouge (a surprising favorite as palate cleanser)
• Domaine Carneros Taittinger 2003 (starters)
• Roederer Estate Brut (before the actual tasting started)
• Bollinger Special Cuvee
• Moet and Chandon Brut
• Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin
• Veuve Cliquot Grande Dame (thanks D! what a surprise)
• Scharffenberger Brut (why did 6 people all have this great thought – more to pour around)
• Perrier Jouet
• Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose (S, this is new to me)
• Little Valley Raspberry (to clean up for dessert, which was Vince Arroyo port in chocolate cups – not anyone’s favourite)

Happy New Year to all who came and, if you still have a hang over, make a banana smoothie with milk and honey. Magic and healthy for you.

Tiger Watch

SF Zoo faces the prospect of fines and huge lawsuits from relatives of Carlos Sousa Jr who died after his throat was slashed by a 350 lb Siberian tiger that allegedly climbed over an enclosure wall that was lower than the US recommended minimum. His two friends, Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal, were released from hospital after being treated for gashes to the head and the arms. SF Zoo reopens on January 3 but it could lose its license. Basically – tiger escapes zoo, does what tigers do. Yet, something very fishy about this case.

You are thinking – what does PETA have to say?

Salsa Recipe

For tomorrow night, the salsi have to be just right as they have been increasing in specificity and popularity more than I had imagined. Plus, two shockingly hot salsi for O and M are being thought of.

Pico de Gallo

This is the basis for all further red salsi so I make a good batch of this and let it marinade overnight. This is a Mexican sauce. Finely dice 10 large Roma tomatoes. Finely dice one large white or yellow onion (yellow gives it colour). Sprinkle two tablespoons of sea salt flakes and stir until evenly mixed. Take four garlic cloves and smash up with the flat part of a chef’s knife to remove the skins, then mince with the sharp end and stir in to mix evenly. Now you will begin to smell quite atrocious. Deal with it. Cut two limes and ream the juice into the mixing bowl. Small bubbles will appear – this is “pico flaming”. Take freshly chopped cilantro.  This is a rate limiting step when you shop for fresh cilantro – smell it in the farmers’ market: cilantro smells Mexican and parsley smells Italian, know it well. Wash under running water, rinse and pat dry between tissues. Destem and chop as finely as you can without bleeding too much into the mixture. Stir again and then add a bit of smoked sea salt. Let this refrigerate over night.

Salsa Verde

This is the basis for all further green salsi. This is an Italian sauce. As this requires heat processing, you have to make this the afternoon of the party and let it cool down, settle in. It will degenerate rapidly so it cannot be stored for past three days despite vacuum sealing as it utilizes the aromatic volatile oils for its sharp tangy taste. Remove the husks of 15 tomatilloes and 3 large chillies. The type of chilli you use depends on how much heat you wish to generate. The following are rated in increasing order of heat index (using Scoville heat units): bell pepper (0, no heat but use it for the body of all the salsi; you can use red or orange bell peppers for red salsi); pepperoncini, they look like elongated bell peppers (100),  Anaheim pepper (500),  Poblano pepper (1000),  Rocotillo (1500),  Jalapeno (2500),  Habanero (7000),  Serrano pepper (10 000),  Aji pepper (30 000) and Thai pepper (50 000). There are higher rated peppers which I have never used. However, I have served soup with 0.1 mL of pure capsicum oil (15 000 000) - this is ridiculously expensive and I am bemoaning that I did not buy more of it in Italy. As you boil the chillis you choose in already hot water (use the hot tea dispenser for the right temperature), chop up some parsley (NOT cilantro), capers, garlic and onions. To this mixture ad olive oil and a bit of mustard. I cheat a bit by adding Roma tomatoes to the boiling water for more body and a bit of sweetness to the flavour. Remove the limp peppers with tongs and shock them in a mixing bowl with ice cold water (or, better, ice). Deskin the tomatoes (the pulp will be palm-numbingly hot) and add to the mixture. Don’t bother macerating. Blend in a food processor for desired consistency and let stand at room temperature for at least six (6) hours. Sometimes, I add a bit of slivered almonds or chopped walnuts for a crunchy flavour.

Viral Video

From ew.com, the top viral videos of the year -

1. The Landlord
2. My Humps, an iteration by Ms. Alanic Morissette
3. Miss S Carolina Teen USA
4. Filipino prisoners perform “Thriller”
5. Backstreet Bird
6. Dramatic Prairie Dog
7. Keepon Keepin’ On
8. Clark and Michael
9. Baby Got Back, an iteration in the style of G&S
10. Star Wars trumpet solo, perhaps the most disturbing one of all

Lithium Batteries

With very little notice, the Department of Transportation has announced a change of what you can pack in your checked AND carry-on luggage effective Tuesday January 1. Remember some people are already en route and will not be completing journeys through that date. The rule pertains to rechargeable lithium batteies (primary lithium, lithium metal and lithium ion but does not specify if the commonly used lithium polymer is inclued):

• you cannot pack any loose or spare rechargeable lithium batteries in checked baggage any more
• you can carry loose spare rechargeable lithium batteries in carry-on baggage, subject to some limitations (which do not affect us unless you are carrying unusually high capacity industrial batteries) and in a manner to safeguard against short circuits (one battery per ziplocked bag)
• you can still have devices with normal sized batteries inside them either in checked or carry-on baggage

We are one month away from where Nepal was twenty years ago – I had to open all devices and toss all batteries of any kind while passing through Passport Control. Outside the hotels, battery sellers (?resellers) made brisk business.

Happy Christmas

Could anything be more annoying than when you wish someone a happy Christmas and, without missing a beat, they reflexively wish you back a happy Holiday. Why the pretense? It is sour enough that Easter break is egregiously “Spring Break” but Christmas? It is the secularization of America, the world even, at play.

Maxjet Culpa

RIP Maxjet

Light up

M and I drove around the subdivision looking at the award-winning private homes done up for Christmas. Inflatables, icicle lights are out. Snowglobes are becoming main stream. Ecosafe LED lights and automatically opening gifts with pop ups are in. 

Pinoy Thriller

1500 prison inmates at a Phillipino penitentiary thrill viewers.

Trip Tricks

From Trip Advisor, the year’s wackiest traveler comments -

• Not So Great Expectations
    “I could have done without the blood-stained mattress and the (actual)
    chunk of poop on my bedspread, but I didn’t expect the Hilton.”
• Rest in Peace
    “I spent the night in the (hotel) room and experienced a friendly spirit.
    This presence got into bed with me, an old lady, she was nice and I just
    patted her on the head and we had a comfortable restful sleep. I think I
    will ask for a different room next time.”
• Mime Over Matter
    “The neighborhood is filled with aggressive mimes, including one sitting
    on a toilet bowl (how creative). Room cards are changed for no reason and
    you cannot understand why you can’t get into your room. All in all it was
    a very unpleasant stay.”
• Deep Thoughts
    “Time could be spent pondering over the meaning of some of the many safety
    signs around the complex. Out of the several we managed to identify, the
    two we found to be of greatest use were 1. Not to step on any crocodiles
    whilst bare foot, and 2. No ugly, or spotty children to frequent the
    pool.”
• Is That Really What You Meant?
    “I echo the sentiments of the previous reviewer. The ambience is lacking
    to be sure, but the food is like angels copulating on your tongue.”
• Freezing Over
    “Sleeping in the street during a blizzard would be better than staying at
    this hell-hole. The place should be imploded.”
• No Accounting for Taste
    “Subject: Crab Trap Restaurant. We enjoyed our experience at the Crap
    Trap. The food is very good with nice size portions and reasonable prices
    (especially for the shore). The only down side is the wait.”
• A Sore for Sight Eyes
    “Food not special, and the couple that lives there with their dog is very
    ‘homey’ and ‘folksy’ types. Not for everyone. The premises are well kept,
    but some private parts we could see thru open door were not.”
• Leave It to Beaver
    “Imagine awakening at 4:00 am to the sound of loud footsteps in the
    stairwell, only to realize that someone is drunk and knocking on your
    hotel door saying, ‘Beaver…it’s me. Let me in, Beaver.’”
• The Last Laugh
    “In fact, I told the management there that I was putting a review on your
    website about their poor service and they laughed at me and said go right
    ahead, nobody reads the TripAdvisor site.”

Regifting Day

Today is National Regifting Day (Thursday before Christmas). Oh come on. You do it too. 60% of regifters have their heart in the right place but 40% do it for US$! Most regifters have annual incomes between US$100 and 150K.

• Barely used is not the same as brand spanin’ new
• Do not regift items clearly purchased for you
• Do not regift handmade items from someone you know
• Do not use different sentimental criteria for regifts
• Do not give unused (lightly loved) gift cards
• Everything vintage is not gold
• Bestowing a white elephant regift out of spit is not cool
• Do not regift the original gifter. Sucks to be you.
• Ensure all original packing is intact
• Triple check all tell tale regifting signs
• Wrap it again like it is new
• Give with good intent
• Give it away anyway

1000 words

Mamma Mia

Then:

Now:

Barbie Girl

Then:

Now:

Canned Prosecco

Sign the end of the world is nigh #344

White Truffles

You know beautiful.

Affectionate Object

One shouldn’t be too hard on oneself when the object of one’s affection returns the favor with rather less enthusiasm than one might have hoped. Don’t fix your life so that you are left alone right when you come to the middle of it.

Travel Log

53 Places to visit in FY2008 as per the NY Times:

1. Laos:
2. Lisbon:
3. Tunisia
4. Mauritius
5. Maldives
6. Death Valley
7. Hvar
8. Puerto Vallarta
9. Mid-Beach, Miami
10. South Beach, Miami
11. Courchevel
12. Libya
13. Sylt
14. Prague
15. Quito
16. Liverpool
17. Playa Blanca, Panama
18. Alexandria
19. Mazatlan
20. St Lucia
21. Mozambique
22. Kuwait City
23. Verbier
24. Lombok
25. Detroit
26. Itacare, Brazil
27. Kilimanjaro
28. Algeria
29. Essauira
30. Las Vegas
31. Barossa Valley, Australia
32. Tokaj, Hungary
33. Iran
34. Tuscany
35. Anguilla
36. Bogota
37. Buenos Aires
38. Rimini, Italy
39. Malawi
40. Roatan
41. Easter Island
42. Virgin Gorda
43. Munich
44. Oslo
45. Northwest Passage
46. San Diego
47. Namibia
48. San Francisco
49. Malaga
50. Puerto Plata
51. Londontown
52. Viet Nam
53. New York

Brunch Dessert

Bun: slice halves of unglazed doughnut

Meat: thin slice of brownie

Cheese: film of white chocolate

French fries: mangoes

Ketchup: puree of strawberries, tangerine juice and acacia honey

Infamous Date

Mind Reader

Sad:

Happy:

Mind Reader

Then:

Yesterday:

Now:

Mind Reader

M could not recall the lyrics to “If You Could Read My Mind” and I could not recall how many iterations on LP and DVD there have been thus far. Too many to count, it turns out. The original is by Gordon Lightfoot.

If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
Just like an old time movie
‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well
In a castle dark or a fortress strong
With chains upon my feet
You know that ghost is me
And I will never be set free
As long as I’m a ghost
That you can see
If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
That kind the drugstores sell
When you reach the part
Where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
The heroes often fail
And you won’t read that book again
Because the ending’s just too hard to take
I’d walk away like a movie star
Who gets spurned in a three way script
Ends up number two
The movie queen to play the scene
A bringing all the good things out in me
But for now, love, let’s be real
I never thought I could feel this way
And I got to say
That I just don’t get it
I don’t know where we went wrong
But the feeling’s gone
And I just can’t get it back…
If you could read my mind, love
What a tale my thoughts could tell
 

London Bridge

Therefore this, you singer slash cow, is not London Bridge.

London Bridge

This is Tower Bridge. It is also a bridge in London but it is not London Bridge.

London Bridge

This is London bridge.

It was moved to Lake Havasu in Arizona.