February 2006 Archives

Yup, it's just like being back in Uni again...

Before investing in purchasing guidebooks, best to hit the library...

It's cold here! It's been averaging 8-10 degrees in the daytime! It gets down to 2-4 degrees at night!! And no, I am NOT a weather wimp!

Of course, I wouldn't be complaining this much if I was, saaaaay, in New York City, Beijing, Tokyo (ahhh) or even in Zurich. These places are SUPPOSED to be cold!

But San Francisco dun usually get this kind of cold snap. It's been this way since mid January, save for a week of temperate weather when I got suckered into packing away the heavy duty down filled comforter because "it was warm". Five days ago, the heavy duty down filled comforter came back out.

So what's the big deal, you think. "Pile on more clothes or turn on the heat". First off, I need to buy some winter cold type clothes. The ones I have are too big (weight loss, yay). Will do that soon. Second, I've got a forced air furnace. Forced air is inefficent, dries you out and blows dust everywhere. Bad for allergies. And have you seen the price of natural gas lately??

People in Japan have the kotatsu to stay warm in winter (also got kerosene heaters that I'll never ever use). I got a fireplace.

Filled with Hot Wood! See?

Yeeeeeaaaah! Hot Wooooood!

While the deals are out there and you can still get discounts!

Speaking of impulsive travel trips, anyone out there been to Zurich?

Any advice? Because it costs US$450 to go out there on UA...and that's a deal.

Based on the blogs I regularly read, there's a general sense of apathy about VD (valentine's day) except for one lucky blogger who got an Ixus (but does it walk?) for her VD gift.

If you can't tell already, I too, fall under the "VD, so what?" crowd. So VD (or VN?), I had a small cook-over with a couple of frens (single too).

Since we are all guys, the menu was exceedingly simple:

Thick NY Steaks (two of us ate this)
Chicken Breast with salt and pepper with garlic inside (the other one ate that)
Angel Hair with olive oil and parmasian (all eat)
2001 Domaine La Roquette Chateauneufdepape (all drink, some more than others)

I should mention here that it was 10 degrees outside (with 5 degree wind chill) when I started the coals. It was soooo cold and windy, that the wind, instead of feeding the coals, was actually COOLING them!! But I WAS smoking a cigar while cooking, so I guess that's the trade-off. Pain vs. Pleasure.

For dessert, three bottles of nihonshu, one nigori (unfiltered). That's sake for the rest of you. See the bottles in the post below? Gone!

Then ended the evening, driving one of the guests home. Which means he drank most of the booze. Burrp.

Best thing was, with a good meal and good booze, no hangover!! *whispering*

Every neighborhood should have a Japanese grocery store!

Check out the stuff that you can bring home from it! The selection (if you can spot the hidden theme in the photograph) is almost as nice as the combini near the JR Station on the way back to the guesthouse...heh heh heh!

I went 65 years back in time tonight. Saw the Maltese Falcon in its entirety on the big screen. They were also showing Casablanca before that. Didn't make it there on time for that classic. Bummer.

-------------------------3 hours after the end of the movies---------------------

It's late. 0130. Cowboy Bebop is on Adult Swim.

And every time I see that opening on TV, I remember being in a small hotel room in Myung-Dong (Seoul) getting ready to sleep and seeing Cowboy Bebop. In Hangul.

Because that's the last time I saw Cowboy Bebop on a silver TV. Until tonight.