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Heart of Glass

Filed Under: Guilty Pleasures, Kewl! by miranda — 2 Comments
July 10, 2011

Yesterday was a day full of artistic creativity!

I managed to get a Groupon a few months back for a Glass Artist for a Day workshop held at the Art Glass Center of San Jose. I basically signed up for a 4-hour workshop that introduced me to 3 forms of glass art – torch, stained glass, and fusing – for half the price (via Groupon). I basically spent about an hour and 15 minutes per art form.

And I loved every minute of it! :-) I especially liked the torch and fusing forms of glass art. I started at the torch station, which allowed me to handled a blow torch to work glass tubes into a pendant. This one was probably the most difficult, because it required a lot of dexterity and coordination w/ your hands. Next in line was stained glass, where I wrapped pre-cut glass pieces w/ copper tape, and fused them w/ a soldering gun to create a hanging stained glass window decoration. I ended up w/ four diamond shaped glass pieces to create a bigger diamond shaped piece of stained glass. I didn’t particularly gravitate towards this form, because I had a bit of difficulty w/ the taping, and my soldering was very messy (guess I need to work on that), but I would love to create bigger pieces of stained glass, like a lamp shade, perhaps – a la Tiffany. And finally, at the fusing station – the easiest of the 3 art forms, IMO, I worked on a flat pieces of glass to create what would become a uniquely patterned plate. I don’t know how the plate will turn out – I get it next week, since the glass has to go through a couple of firings for the finished plate to emerge. However, I took some inspiration from Piet Mondrian for the pattern I put on the plate.

Methinks I’m going to start a new hobby sometime soon! God knows I already don’t have time to start one up – but I got lost in the whole endeavor while doing it…growing up, in my early teens, I always was fascinated by the glass makers I saw during our family trips – how they manipulated the glass to create fabulous pieces of art. Now I might embark on one of my dreams!

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Changes

Filed Under: Mi Vida Loca, Waxing Philosophical by miranda — Leave a comment
January 25, 2011

I really can’t quite put a finger on it, but deep down inside me, I feel that 2011 is going to be a year of dramatic change. Good change, mind you, not the bad change that people tend to fear.

For starters, I made it a goal to be more healthy this year and think about me for a change. Specifically, me not being a statistic, healthwise. I don’t want to be one of those peeps who’s diagnosed w/ type 2 diabetese. I don’t want to be one of those people who are constantly popping heart related drug medicines. I don’t want to get a heart attack. Geez – I already know people my age who’ve had attacks or bypasses. I don’t want to be included in that statistical group.

So, what did I do? I signed up at Equinox gym in San Mateo, to get back into Sheldon’s step class. I’ve realized that in the 6 years that I have not done step, I was miserable trying to do some form of cardio work in the gym. No other class could quite maintain my level of interest…but Sheldon’s did. Yes, it’s more expensive now to go to Equinox – but I am finally happy doing something that I love to engage in exercise-wise. Spending more on my happiness – and not to mention, my overall health – is going to save me more in the long run.

And guess what – the connections are coming back! I’m mildly surprised that once I started doing things, the steps of yore started to come back. Mind you, I still have to work on the timing – and of course, the stamina. But it’s all coming back – and I’m extremely excited! :-)

In addition – I’ve also signed up w/ a trainer at the gym – to help me get my weights workout going. Inasmuch as I’ve done this on my own in the past, this time, I feel I need help – cause it wasn’t sticking as much the past few years.

And it is making a difference already – I can feel it, even just doing two and a half weeks of training. I am sleeping better now. And I’m noticing I’m slowly reaching the next belt hole in my belt. Yay!

I see my trainer twice a week – Tuesdays and Thursday. And he is definitely pushing me, as well as teaching me some fine tuning – things that I would never learn – on my own. I’ve given myself a goal of losing 5 pounds a month – that’s 60 pounds for this year. That’s very doable – I think (and I hope :-) ).

In addition, I’ve started the ball rolling on the home renovation front. I finally found a contractor that I’m comfortable working with, and whose work I really like. I’ve seen the work that he did on the house of my bowling friend, Bob. His house turned out gorgeous – lots of detailed attention and awesome craftsmanship.

We’re still working out the plans and the kinks, but I feel that I’m moving forward with it. Yes, I’m scared as well, because it’s going to be somewhat of a big outlay of money. But in the end – it’s going to make the house more sellable – it’s a 1953 house, for goodness! Not that I’m going to sell it, mind you. I’ve lived here 10 years already – and I plan on living here a whole lot more…that is, unless something drastic comes my way (like maybe a move to Europe, hmm? ;-) Yeah, that’s somewhere in the back of my wishful mind….).

Those are the changes that are currently happening at the moment. But call it a hunch or my intuition – I feel there’s more. Specifically, something in the area of who I’m going to be or what I’m going to be, career-wise. I can’t quite put a finger on it. Mind you – I’m not changing careers, but I feel there’s going to be a tweak in the definition of what I envision myself to be, and it’s going to be a good thing, in the sense that it’s going to give me a lot more clarity, a lot more focus. Not that I lack clarity or focus right now – cause I know what I’m doing now is the right thing for me. Call it an enhancement.

Interestingly enough, last month, my fabulous soul sister/amiga, Rosie, went through an energy session w/ me, and interestingly enough, during the session, my spirit guides, if you will (for lack of a better word – I like to think of them as my patronus – Harry Potter style, eh! ;-) ) manifested themselves. I say guides, because I saw more than one animal. I saw 3 dolphins and 2 koi fish. In researching what these symbols mean, I found at that these deal w/ the letting go and trusting your feelings, and the feeling of emancipation as a result of enlightenment.

It’s eerie – because I think I unconsciously did just that when I decided to go to Equinox – I based my decision on my feeling that I was more happy doing step – and felt more healthy doing it. I finally let go of the thinking that the gym was expensive and not worth it.

Mind you – from a pure money perspective – it is expensive. But I’m very happy doing it now, and in the process, I’m getting my health back. The gym fee I’m paying doesn’t even come close to matching that!

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Cooking up a Storm

Filed Under: Mi Vida Loca, So Pinoy by miranda — Leave a comment
January 9, 2011

I’m exhausted. Good exhausted, mind you. I spent most of the day cooking up a storm. I wanted to prep my food for the week, so that I don’t end up eating crap when there’s nothing prepared or ready to cook when I get home late. It’s all part of my trying to get healthier in 2011.

I think, though, I kind of overdid it. I got a fresh crab and steamed it, so that I could get ready for that awesome roasted garlic crab (the crab season in SF is phenomenal this year, BTW – go get some if you haven’t!).

I also made paella negre w/ shrimp and green mussels (aka tahong aside from the squid. I can’t wait to pair it off w/ some garlic aoili! I’m saving this for tomorrow night!

I also made some sinigang (tamarind stew) but instead of using my favorite pork or beef cuts, I decided to go healthy and do a salmon version, with a few added extra green mussels that were leftover from the paella (I bought a pack of the mussels at the grocery, and halved them between the dishes). I’m saving this for sometime during the week.

I don’t think I’ll ever give up meat, but this week is a start – having more fish and seafood dishes. I still ended up w/ a couple of Pinoy-style pork chops marinating in the fridge, and a chicken breast brining (which I’ll be grilling and pairing w/ salads throughout the week). Oh, and I almost forgot – the meatloaf, all set in the pan, in the fridge, ready to cook.

Damn – that’s a lot of dishes. But hopefully it’s a start, and I get out of this funk, and break out of my cycle of eating fastfood (like McDonald’s or pizza) because it’s the convenient thing to do after a long day’s work.

Bring it on, 2011. I’m all ready for some radical changes in my lifestyle.

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Random Reflections on the Elections

Filed Under: In Other News..., WTF? by miranda — 1 Comment
November 7, 2010

So, the midterm elections just recently ended. My mind is just a mess w/ so many things about it at the moment:

  1. Most Americans are so short sighted. How can one expect problems to be fixed in two years, when all the problems we’ve been facing are the result of the past 8 years (at least) of really bad policy.
  2. I have not heard any reasonable plan to address the ever growing deficit – by either party. Republicans (and the Tea Party) keep clamoring for tax breaks and less government. However, we’re in this mess now because deficit spending (a cornerstone of Reagan’s policies) keeps continuing to add to the deficit. Let’s not forget – Bush gave tax breaks and continued the war on two fronts. Where will the money to finance the war come from? Surely, not from all these tax breaks. Even w/ the tax breaks, I don’t see Republicans chopping off the big ticket items from the budget, where it matters most. Democrats spend, and yet, they have failed to put checks and balances in place, to insure that the spending is done prudently and judiciously. There’s little oversight involved.
  3. Speaking of oversight, what happened to banking and Wall Street reform? It seems that the reforms are still….toothless.
  4. I always thought that in elections, one chooses the best person qualified to lead. How come since the time I was able to vote, I feel that I’m always choosing the one that will do the least amount of damage? Thank God Jerry Brown got voted into office, cause Meg Whitman really scares me. Pouring all that money – and not really talking about issues head on – made me feel like she was just trying to buy her way into government.
  5. Talk about not really dealing w/ the issues – we just finished an election, and major issue of the day is the supposed $200 million a day for Obama’s trip to India. This has been debunked by all sides, and yet, I wonder why this is the first thing that has to be highlighted. We have a messed up economy, people. Deal w/ it – rather than your partisan politics.

I really don’t know where all this is going…but over the years, I get this feeling that I’m living in a banana republic once again. No single dictator, mind you. But a dictator in the form of a two-party system that’s horribly broken, and does not address the real issues and needs of this country. It’s the politics of sound bites at this point, and not of of country building and stewardship.

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In the Mood…

Filed Under: Uncategorized by miranda — Leave a comment
September 26, 2010

I haven’t been updating my blog at all for the past few months. I don’t know the reason why – but I just felt not writing at all. Nothing…nada.

Not that I didn’t – or don’t – have anything to say. A lot of ideas have been dancing in my head, and have been waiting for an outlet to come out. But I just decided not to.

But of late – that mood has been changing. There’s a slowly – but every increasing need – of wanting to write and express myself once more.

We’ll see. It could just be the Sunday night blues – me not wanting to go to bed yet, and just sitting here procrastinating by writing nothing.

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A Rose by Any Other Name…

Filed Under: Foodie, Pipo by miranda — Leave a comment
April 2, 2010

Filipinos culturally love nicknames. We’ve formalized it so much in our everyday lives that we hardly use our given names (aka what’s on our birth certificate), except in official looking forms that we carry (like passports, driver’s licenses) or fill out (job applications, bank account forms). I think this is something that we share culturally w/ our latin brethren.

I remember growing up every school year, during the first few days of school, our teachers would require us to fill in our details on a size 4 sheet of paper (a lined piece of paper 1/4 the size of a standard 8.5 x 11)…the standard questions would be asked: first name, last name, middle name, and always without fail – nickname. This would be the name that teachers – and everyone in the class – would use when addressing me. Growing up in the Philippines – everyone called me by my nickname – Jeff. Parents, family, classmates, etc.

When I moved to the US, this lack of a nickname was one of the big cultural shocks to me. I kept insisting people to call me Jeff, and yet, people would call me John – the first name that they would see on the form (and contrary to what people would think – Francis is not my middle name). The nickname would not stick. People couldn’t understand why I insisted on Jeff. And they would think I was snubbing them because I never answered when they yelled “John.” To this day – I don’t. I’m not trained to answer to that name – I hate it. ;-)

And so, that’s how JF was born – back in college. People had to have context – and I told them the true meaning of my name – that John Francis was my first name; and because it was too long, they could shorten it to JF.
They could make this connection much easier than me having to insist to call me Jeff and get all these quizzical looks that would invariably lead to a long winded conversation about culture and what not. Simply put, JF grew because of the need to simplify and not waste too much time on explanations.

Ah – but mind you – Filipinos have more than one nickname! And therein lies the rub, the complication, and oh my, so much fun! :-) We use nicknames more than just informal names – nicknames are a term of endearment, that also signify the closeness and degrees of relationships. They are also given with some special meaning or assignation.

I have a lot of other nicknames. I have some that are only used by family and really close friends (aka, I consider them family). I have nicknames that only certain groups of friends use and know about. And these nicknames vary – depending on the group I’m with. Sometimes, these nicknames permeate, and influence/transfer from one group to another.

When I’m with my closest of friends – the ones who I’ve grown up with and have known since grade school – I’m known as Miranda – yes, the character from Sex and the City (and hence the name of this blog). Funny – there are 4 of us, and each of us actually represent one of the 4 archetype characters in Sex and The City. All 4 of us loved the show, because the characters mirrored our lives – a lot of times eerily – and funnily – coincidental (and I’m not sure if its due to the fact that all 4 of us are gay).

On my last trip to L.A., I earned a new nickname: Ms. G. :-) Why Ms. G, you ask? Well – put them together. What do you get? MSG. Yes, the food additive, the one that enhances the flavor of dishes galore, when used sparingly.

All my friends know I’m such a foodie – how I love to try out new restaurants, eat the food, and just comment on how good – or bad – it is. And they said, whenever I’m eating, and I enjoy it in such a way that it’s both funny and fun to watch. They say I’m in such ecstasy, savoring each morsel, each bite, each nuanced flavor. And so they started calling me MSG. And I was like – no, I don’t like that. Call me Ms. G instead. ;-)

And thus, Ms. G was born, and is now in the house! You’ll hear more soon and the food adventures of Ms. G! ;-)

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A Fiery Evening

Filed Under: Movies by miranda — Leave a comment
March 23, 2010

I’m probably one of the very few people who have not seen Avatar. Everyone has told me to watch it – especially for the special effects, and the great use of computers in moving the art of movies towards another direction.

I guess that’s probably why I haven’t really watched it – everyone says it’s great eye candy, but very few people really say anything…substantial…about the story. In fact, most folks who’ve told me to watch it say the story is very cliched and contrived. And methinks, is one of the reasons why it lost during Oscars night.

A really good movie that I saw last year was Up from Pixar Studios. Not only is the animation in this movie superb, but the story and character development was very well thought out and executed. It reeled me in – especially in the first twenty or so minutes, where I experienced a range of so many emotions – excitement, giddiness, curiosity, sorrow, despair. And to think, this is a cartoon! (Don’t worry about the despair, if you haven’t seen it – it’s end is very uplifting and life affirming.)

The story had a good point of view – whether you were an adult, or a child – and just envelopes you like a mother wraps her arms around her babe.

Well, tonight, I was lucky enough to see something, at the very least, it’s equal, if not better. Lucky for me, I was able to watch a premier of the new movie, How to Train Your Dragon.

Like Up, it has a very engaging story that swallows you in, involving you emotionally. It has characters so lifelike and nuanced in their expressions and mannerisms, that they become real. And it has a lot of heart – and realism – that draws out emotional investment on your part. And it isn’t your typical Hollywood movie – there are a few twists that one would never expect.

But surprising of all – for me, at least – is that this came from the animation division of DreamWorks. They’ve managed to match – dare I even say – exceed the gold standard (in my book), Pixar.

Yes, I’ve seen other DreamWorks animations in the past, but they were all fluff – a mindless piece of entertainment that was good for a couple of hours of laughs, nothing else. Pixar is and was always different – their movies, in my mind, always had substance, and always managed to stand the test of time – precisely because their movies engaged you at another level, where you get emotionally involved – no matter what age, or generation you are. I honestly think DreamWorks succeded this time around with this movie.

Pixar better watch what’s coming in their rear view mirror, if DreamWorks continues to churn out another of these gems.

(And thanks to work for giving me a wonderful freebie, aka, this premier, this Tuesday night!)

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Playing the Mandolin

Filed Under: Foodie by miranda — Leave a comment
March 22, 2010

I haven’t been inspired to cook in a while…as in really cook and whip up dishes out of ideas from my mind, or work up things after reading a cookbook. The past year to year and a half, I’ve sort of gone on auto pilot when it came to cooking.

I’m really not sure what caused it – maybe it’s because I’m always tired from the commute, maybe it’s just a lack of gusto. It seems that for the past year and half, I was just sort of cooking to eat something – no creative verve or anything like that.

The past few days I seem to have started again. I kind of whipped something up yesterday (Sunday) after having a recipe percolate in my head. The idea was spectacular – and downright mouthwatering when you start to think about it. But in the end, the execution wasn’t quite there. The dish had something missing – some kind of balance. It’s a start, and I hope to work on it till I get it just right (and will definitely post it online once I do).

This evening was no different – I had a pretty large radish and some carrots to boot, thanks to my mom – who left it to me since she and dad went on vacation. I was contemplating on what I wanted to do w/ the radish – I honestly cannot recall when I cooked radishes last – maybe back in college?

Anyways, the inspiration came to me after my mind made a connection to what I read last night – a pickling solution in one of the recipe books that I had recently acquired from the makers of Cooks Illustrated.

The basic recipe – pickled onions – called for a cup of white wine vinegar and half a cup of sugar, boiled. And when done boiling, pouring it over a chopped up, medium to large red onion to steep.

Instead of the onion, I used a combo of the radish and carrots. But rather than chopping it, I opted to use a neglected utensil that I had – the mandolin.

I took it out of the closet, rinsed it, and set it up. And I put the setting on very thin – almost paper thin, but not quite, and started passing the radish, then the carrots, through the mandolin’s slicer.

As I got into the rhythm of things, I started to really get into it – and noticed that my mood was getting lighter, and my mind was just racing w/ all these creative thoughts. Instead of doing the recipe as is, I put in regular white vinegar (since I wanted to experiment – and didn’t want to waste some white wine vinegar), the sugar – and for a twist, a quarter cup of mirin.

The whole using the mandolin sort of set me off on some sort of nirvana. I felt lighter, a happiness of sorts – while doing such a mundane thing as pickling radishes and carrots.

God – how I’ve missed cooking and being creative with it. And all from playing the mandolin tonight.

Needless to say – the pickles taste superb! :-)

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Kickstarting once again…

Filed Under: Uncategorized by miranda — 1 Comment
March 21, 2010

God – I can’t believe it’s been about 6 months since I last updated my blog. I haven’t been really in a writing mood in a while. Most of it is due to the fact that I have a lot of things that I’m juggling around…work, home renovation, learning new techie things, photography, etc.

Call it the ADHD in me (even though I have not been diagnosed w/ it). I just feel the need to be doing something.

Ah, well…let’s see how this lasts. I hope to at least kickstart this once again, now that I’m in a writing mood once more.

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Home

Filed Under: Wanderlust by miranda — Leave a comment
September 10, 2009



DSC_4858

Originally uploaded by Rice Bear

I’m finally home again, after spending 2.5 glorious vacation weeks in the Mediterranean! The vacation was definitely much needed, given that I’ve been slammed at work for the past few months (as seen by the timestamp of my last blog post prior to this one).

This vacation – comprising of a land tour of Italy, followed by a cruise to Egypt, Greece and other parts of Italy – was absolutely divine. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of – and am very blessed to have fulfilled. It was filled with adventure, laughter, a bit of drama here and there (had my wallet pickpocketed in Rome) – but most important of all – filled with friends and memories to treasure life by. And not just old friends like Leonel, Francis & Shannon, Tony & Ira, etc., but I managed to meet some really cool people once again, like Carl and Peter or Henry and Charlie.

The piece de resistance of the cruise – the main reason why I booked this – is a one day trip to Egypt, where I was able to see the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza – and was able to check off one more item in my list of things to do in life: set foot on Africa. I can now say I’ve been to 6 out of the 7 continents.

The only continent remaining – Antartica. And that is definitely on my plate for sometime in the near future!

In the meantime, I’m glad to be back home, and I’m thankful for all the blessings in my life.

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