HOW GREAT IS YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY?

Mine Is Superb!

I have been using our North Beach Public Library since we moved here two months ago and I must tell you, it’s worth the 15-minute walk from my flat. Oh yes! I have been mostly borrowing books on "baking and cooking" and so far, I am delighted with the new readings and learning I am having from taking home these books from our library. I have made dinner using a recipe I fancied and made the authentic Spanish dish; "Paella" and I have tried another "Genoise White Cake" recipe most recently from the "How To Bake" book written by an Italian chef. With my time in my hands being a stay-at-home wife, I am able to schedule some afternoons to walk at the library and in doing so, I am discovering different baking techniques that I didn’t learn from my home economics classes since grade school to college. For instance, to increase the leavening power of eggs in baking sponge cakes, I learned that I could place the eggs in a bowl on top of a cooking pan with simmering water (to increase the volume of the eggs)! After which, one has to beat the eggs at the stand mixer and true enough, the volume increased! I did this two days ago and my sponge cake turned out to be so soft and delicious! This technique that I recently learned camefrom the book I borrowed from our library. So it's worth the time going there!

This morning, I woke up a half past seven; was happy to open my inbox and found out that the books I ordered from our library are now ready for pick up in the North Beach branch. Wow! FYI, library card holders here in CA may order books of their choice online if they are not available at their branch library. The San Francisco Public Library Website tracks down this request online and one could check availability of such and such books in all of their branches. Online, one can view where these books are available (i.e. CD, shelving, DVD, etc.) and its status is indicated as well if it is in or out at the moment in one branch. Once you have filled up the necessary details online (of course you need your library card number and PIN to do this), you'd receive an email if the book/s you ordered are available for pick-up. Otherwise, you have to check on their website for updates since reminders for due date of books and pick up dates for books ordered online are the ones given prompt importance for obvious reasons. As a borrower, you aught to give a dead line on up to when you want the library to search for the books of your choice. Here, the maximum time given is 6 months and a 10-day grace period is addressed to the borrowwer to claim the books for pick up once it has become available. Otherwise, the library staff would return them to the library branch where they originally came from. With this in mind, I was truly delighted to know my books are ready for pick up! I expected it to come several weeks from the time I went online a few days ago.

Those I ordered online are books authored by my favorite chef and TV personality named ALTON BROWN of "Good Eats" fame (in foodnetwork channel on cable TV) and on the net at www.foodnetwork.com. So do you order books online from your public library? You better do it if you want to enjoy the perks of living in your area since the county supports this and this is given to you for free for the tax you are paying the IRS annually! Personally, I am now careful about buying books- first, the cost these days is astronomical; second, there is no insurance that all recipes in the books are great and are easy to do; third, if these criteria are not clearly visible in what I am reading, I am not buying the book! And with this thought, I am just being practical and being smarter consumer! What I do instead is to photo copy those I find helpful in my daily kitchen routine and then return the books on due dates. To do the copying, I use our HP printer that has the capability to photo copy text and images aside from printing stuff programmed at the PC. Relative to borrowing books in our library, also I ordered the latest best selling book of James Patterson which is number 1 in New York Times' Best Seller list . FYI, I always consider feedback of editors from NY Times and Saturday Review as they are excellent literary critics. Anyhow, from my email I received this morning from our North Beach library, this information was written:

08-26-06
San Francisco Public Library Main Library, Civic Center
100 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102-4733

***my name and address written here***

21223027809675

The material(s) you have requested are now at the library shown below (next to "Pickup At") and will be held for you until the date indicated.

AUTHOR: Brown, Alton, Alton Brown's gear for your kitchen
CALL NO: 683.82 B8122a BARCODE: 31223050823203
LOCATION: MAIN - 4th Floor
PICKUP AT: NORTH BEACH BY: 09-05-06

AUTHOR: Brown, Alton, I'm just here for the food : food + CALL NO: 641.5 B8118i BARCODE: 31223050811075
LOCATION: PARKSIDE BRANCH
PICKUP AT: NORTH BEACH BY: 09-05-06

Isn’t this amazing?

Back in Ripon, I never tried ordering books online (***sulk**)! Why? I don't know. But may be because the walking distance to where I lived was not very conducive at all to me at that time (but- hey, it was also a 15-minute walk to and from the house to the library on Main Street)! It's a different ballgame now because of how different life is here in San Francisco. Taking a walk is never a bore because in my neighborhood lies the most picturesque landscape that once could ever hope for.

Now don't you wish you were living in San Francisco?

NOTE: When I am unable to upload photos it means that the blogger website is screwed up again. Yikes!

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

Across The Miles

August 18th: Happy Birthday Paco!!!

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

The Blood That Binds

From New York to San Francisco

Click photos * to enlarge*
Barely 5 years ago since we last met in Wackwack at my sibling's condo in the Philippines, Grace~my second cousin from my mother's side~ and I got re-connected some days ago via email, voice chat and photo sharing (on-line) which was quite awesome. Our cousin Pol from L.A. put us on track.

Grace or "Grasya" (pronounced as GRAAS-YAA) with her spouse Marty, live in New York. She married well and has a gentleman in Marty as her life partner. She sounded happy, confident and full of life. I am happy for her!

Grace is vivacious and a livewire (people who meet her and who'd meet me later would say we are somehow alike in personality~ayayay~ but of course, we are cousins)! Anyhow, while on chat last night (just before I started making dinner) she shared photos of our relations that I have not seen in years so it was lovely to see them again, even just in 2-D! BTW, Grace's dad and my mom are first cousins.

Indeed, technology works for a lot of us in this globe as modern technology re-unites lost souls, kindred spirits and brings back the perk of an overcast day so to speak, as it was for moi here yesterday. Ciao.

To Marty and Grace, cheers!

Impostors Come And Go

I have a regular impostor viewer who loves to pose as my niece Nikki. Tragic, isn't it?

This impostor signs up as well as "anonymous" in the short message box and guest book.

Well, if you got any sense at all and guts~why not come out in the open? Afraid? Geez... get a life!

Transitions:From Suburban Living (SL) To City Living (CL)

What does it take to survive and to live happily ever after in the city like San Francisco?

Well, one must have the drive to enjoy city life and have a good financial standing plus ~confidence, tolerance, social and cultural awareness, adventurous spirit, sense of humor, zest for life, open-mindedness and ability to synch with people from cross-cultural groups. Moving from suburbs to city means getting into a constant state of CHANGE and dealing with lots of it almost on a daily basis. But we are not complaining, we are learning!

Consider the following below in terms of comparison: city living versus suburban living:

1. SPACE- San Francisco is a dream city to live in and to be in North Beach is fantastic but still we have to deal with certain things that go with our transition...

Suburban Living (SL): big space, big house, big yard, 2 car-garage*
City Living (CL): small space, astronomical apartment rentals, potted plants, *no garage*

(monthly rental for parking space starts from $375.00 + for vans and $350.00 for cars!)

2. VEHICLE
SL: cars/vans are a-must to have to be able to travel, to shop, go to church, go to the gym, mall, etc.
CL: optional (public buses and cable cars are easily accessible in SFO, for yellow cabs-available by phone re: appointment).

[In our case, everything is just within walking distance to and from our flat to market (Chinatown), church, bistros, cafes, bars, park, postal office, library, museums, galleries, financial district, specialty boutiques, wharf, Pier 39, etc. So we walk all the time!]

3. MOBILITY
SL: long drive
CL: shorter drive

[Living in Ripon made me home bound mostly. Living in North Beach enables me to walk daily to different places I fancy at the moment as listed above. I am more independent in San Francisco more than when we were living in Ripon (suburbs). For moi espouse, his driving time is more bearable now (i.e. about an hour to an hour and a half to go to Napa Valley and he can be back home for supper! No need to stay in hotels for these trips].

4. LAUNDRY
SL: laundry room is part of the architectural design and all households have washers and dryers.
CL: in SFO, there are no washers and dryers in apartments due to the limitation of space therefore the cost of services at Laundromat could be high. Cost is paid by weight.

[We avail of the “wash and fold service” that is being managed by the Chinese entrepreneurs. We have never tried using the coin-operated washers as they take about 3 hours to finish the complete load of clothes (washing and drying). Ironing service is $3.75 for slacks and jeans for both for men and women; short-sleeved shirt is $1.50; long sleeved is $1.75].

On our first week here last month, we tried the ironing services and tested it- how it works, if it is any good at all, etc. So we had husband’s work shirt (long sleeved) and slacks ironed. We requested for a mild starch to be used. Guess what? When we got our laundry we had a good laugh! Husband’s shirt was super starched, super hard as steel! When he wore it he said it felt like a crisp piece of paper (haha) and we had a good laugh! Moreover, the pants could stand on its own! I told husband to be careful not to cut himself due to the crisp starch of his wardrobe! Anyhow, after this fatal experience, we changed Laundromat (this was along Union) and found a better one called May-Lee on Grant. But afraid to go through the same morbidity of the ironing experience we had, we decided just to avail the wash and fold services. I decided, I’d just iron Blue-Eyed-Lil-Boy’s work clothes…ayayay!

5. OVEN
SL: I had a nice big oven where it has a glass in the middle of the door- I could see what I was baking.
CL: I have a small 4-burner stove with oven underneath it and a broiler at the bottom. There is no way for me to see what I am baking. This oven/ stove goes with the apartment utilities.

Take note- one time I forgot to turn on the fan while broiling pork “liempo” (pork stomach- like the ham) and all of a sudden the fire alarm system was triggered! Boy it was so loud; it felt like it was going to break my eardrums! Poor husband, he had to excuse himself from his client (he was on the phone) to get rid of the batteries of the fire alarm system to shut it. The broiler was burning and I started to panic! Husband said to cool down.

“Get the FLOWERRRRR!”

“WHAT?” I asked him.

“FLOWER?" (He wante d me to get the orchid given by my gf Arn and I were just shocked. Flower to stop the fire? What the heck is that? I don't get it. Is moi husband going out of his head??? Tsk...tsk...tsk...”)

“GIVE ME THE FLOWERRRRRRR!!!” “GIVE ME THE FLOWERRRRRRRRRRR YOU USE FOR BAKING PIES AND CAKES!!!”

Santa Banana! He meant “FLOUR” and not “FLOWER!” My Filipino ears told me otherwise and my phonetic interpretation made my brain to easily translate it as "FLOWER" and not as "FLOUR" [Now who said east-west marriage isn’t filled with surprises? Ehhhhhh?] **SIGH* *EYES ROLLING* *

6. FRIDGE
SL: Big ref
[We had a huge 2-door with icemaker and water dispenser plus separate door for freezer].

CL: We have a small ref (part of the apartment rental) that could stock quite a few items!

[When we arrived here on June 18, I utilized the whole fridge just storing the pickles, olives, capers and cheese! Hardly was there a space left for poultry and fish, veggies and fruits. Mamamia]!

7. CUPBOARD
SL: We had a lot of cupboards in Ripon, huge dress cabinets and stock room (garage)
CL: We downsized to the maxim upon arriving in our flat; gave away lots of our clothes to give space for the more practical ones we often use. We have a small dress cabinet (*sulk*)

I am good at utilizing space. I used the space under the bed, dresser, bureau, kitchen cupboard and made valance and placed them to cover the things I kept in them. Above the cupboard in our lil' kitchen, I made 2 sets of café curtain (used my sewing machine for this) recycled from my spring curtains (valance). Now all looks neat and organized!

8. DISHWASHER
SL: We had a nice Viking Dishwasher that is so quiet when it is working! We left it there in our house and our tenants are enjoying the comforts of easy living in the suburbs but we won’t exchange the fun and colors we have in North Beach!
CL: All is done manually.

9. COUNTER SPACE
SL: I had a huge counter space. I miss this especially when I am making dough for bread or pies!
CL: I have a tiny one but workable. I remove the dish rack each time I had to use the counter top but it works for me! Am still able to bake weekly!

10. BIRDS
SL: We had blue jays, bluebirds, sparrows, parakeets and finch birds coming daily for feeds
CL: I only see pigeons most of the time at the park and elsewhere…

I hear the birds from our veranda but I have not seen any of them yet.

11. PORCH
SL: We had a nice one where we used to eat, drink, watch people go by as we sit in our glider

CL: We have a veranda here and just enough space to fill in my plants.

12. MAILS
SL: There is a personal touch...small parcels, huge packages are delivered with warm smiles by the mail men or FedEx, USPS guys.
CL: We have locked mailbox at lower level of our flat where our names are indicated. The mailman opens it with his key and locks it after he's done. If we have a parcel from the postal office, we get a claim stab to pick it up (ayayay!). Occasionally, we are buzzed from downstairs otherwise, it rarely happens.

[We had a Filipino mailman named Rex Reyes who is so bubbly and kind. He always has a warm smile to everyone! One time, on my year 1 in Ripon, he gave us a small bag of "kalamansi" from his backyard! Since then, we've been friends with him. Here in North Beach there is a constant rotation of mailmen that I could hardly remember the last one's face who delivered our mail last week!]

13. LIBRARY
SL: We have one in Ripon but it seemed to be far from where our house is but indeed it is just like a 15-minute walk but we were not motivated to go there regularly.

CL: We love our North Beach Library. It is open even on Sundays!

14. MARKET
SL: We drove to Costco or Marval, Walgreens and Walmart to shop.

CL: We just walk to Chinatown for some fruits and veggies. I got there Mondays to do our weekly food supply. No need to drive. All is on foot here!

15. CHURCH
SL: It was a 15-minute drive to go to St. Anthony of Padua Parish from Ripon to Manteca.

CL: Saints Peter and Paul Church is so close to our flat we hear the church bells ring every hour!

16. PARK
SL: It is a 15-minute drive from our house to the park or riverside in Ripon.
CL: We are 4 minutes on foot to Washington Park.

17. BARS, CAFES, BISTROS
SL: Again, we have to make a drive to go to cofee house of our choice.
CL: They are our close neighbors!

Overall, we love our city~ where the aroma of freshly brewed coffee dances in the air- day in and day out~ where lots of tourists walk on different roads exploring our city...our neighborhood, looking for something old and something new.... we really love it here and we are still going through changes with our life style. Despite the small space there is in the city for city dwellers like us, there is nothing like it! It's fun, marvelous and awe-inspiring. Truly, this is where our heart is…!


San Francisco according to latest survey in northern CA is the number 1 city in the USA that is voted to be the most desired tourist destination of travelers around the globe.

North Beach Jazz Festival Photos

Sunday, 30 July 2006
Washington Square

I love jazz since I was in college...Oscar Peterson is my favorite...so I was delighted to know San Franciscans celebrate jazz annually in our neighborhood! Here are some photos taken last Sunday. Moi husband volunteered as a bar tender. He took these pix from his Treo phone. About 5, 000 people were present! I enjoyed it, had 2 glasses of beer, watched the free concert and ate Thai barbeque with rice and stir fried veggiesl. Yum-yum! More later. Ciao!

Click photos to enlarge*