REPORTING FROM RIPON LIVE

Garage photo: Shows my Italian easel that we sold to our new tenants. I brought the other one in North Beach. Husband was so amused with my painting process in winter 2004. He bought each of us an easle (the cost was astronomical).

Relocation and city living makes one to learn to detach from material things. We had to leave this one easel as this won't fit inside our flat with all the other things we have there. Also, we have given a lot of our stuff at home- appliances, furniture, clothes, kitchenwares- for free to our neighbors in this old suburban neighborhood. Doing a yard sale is a lot of work and getting money for a bargain sale is not at all worth the time sorting out stuff to sell. And if other things were left from the sale, you need to find a space to keep them. So what the heck, we donated others as well to charity. Our pocket books did well. We set up husband's office table at the front yard and put on all our books and magazines. Just before noon time came, they were gone; likewise with the futon chair/bed, living room set, tables, pots and pans, you name it, we had them. They are gone!

We just didn't like the idea of paying a storage for things we are not using. It's like throwing away money. So we might as well set the line straight and discard whatever is not useful for us anymore and let others use and enjoy them as we did. We gave away toasters, too- some old style panini-maker (sandwich maker); blender, TV table set, bicycles, etc. We could have had a fortune but this is our way of moving on to a more minimalistic lifestyle- away from here, in the city we love- San Francisco.

Last week, I lost 5 lbs just by unpacking in North Beach! This week while here in Ripon, I know lost several pounds more. Why? Because when I went to our garage here in Ripon, I digged into the clothes husband and I left . I tried to fit into some and found my pair of Levi's jeans and I could get in it. It surely fits me well again! So-I wore it last night at the cinema! I am back to size 7. Junior. Levi's. Imagine? It's not even adult woman's size. Yabadabadoooooooo!

Since gaining weight the past months and years, I ballooned to size L petite from size M...but with my "FRENCH DIET" all is well now...I am still losing weight gradually! BTW, we sold our BOWFLEX MACHINE prior to our move in SFO. There was just no space for it in the city-life style we have now. Anyhow, for cardio-vascular exercise, we walk a lot. We will deal with our weightlifting after we have totally unpacked the boxes in our flat. This is all...5.20 AM, Friday...in Ripon! Adieu!

Summer Delights: BANANA POUND CAKE RECIPE

My niece, Little Ann asked me to give her an easy cake recipe so I have one here for her and for you all if you are into baking or are an afficionado when it comes to good eating.

Banana cake recipe is always the "neophyte baker's choice" to bake as it is easy to do, fun to prepare and a sure shot when it comes to result. Here goes:

BANANA POUND CAKE RECIPE

1 cup shortening
1/2 butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 ripe bananas ["lakatan" and mashed]
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

16 servings Change size or US/metric
Change to: servings US Metric***2 hours 5 minutes 45 mins prep***


PROCEDURE:

1. Beat shortening and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy.

2. Gradually add sugar, beating 5-7 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
4. Combine banana, milk, and vanilla.
5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
6. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
7. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or loaf pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake tests done.
9. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.


RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.recipezaar.com/32674

Walking Along Union Street

***Click photos to enlarge***


LEFT: Some photos taken on our way to the Saturday 5 PM mass yesterday. This is on Union Street, the main street from our alley where we walk through to get to Saints Peter and Paul Church which is right across the Washington Square.



RIGHT: The famous flag colors of Italy (red, white and green) as seen on each of the post in our neighborhood speaks of the mark of the Italian culture in the area.





LEFT: The Gelato (ice cream) House, our favorite place for the time being

Introducing: The Washington Square

Our park in the neighborhood...some useful information right here for you!

from www.deltainformation.com


Photos by Moi

This is one of the oldest parks in the city; public park since 1847 - has undergone many changes since then. Its current landscaping dates from 1955. You'll notice Saints Peter and Paul Church (the religious center for the neighborhood's Italian community) on the northwest end. Take a few moments to go inside and check out the traditional Italian interior. Note that this is the church in which baseball great Joe DiMaggio married his first wife, Dorothy Arnold. He wasn't allowed to marry Marilyn Monroe here because he had been divorced. He married Monroe at City Hall and came here for publicity photos.

Today the park is a pleasant place in which to soak up the sun, read a book, or chat with a retired Italian octogenarian who has seen the city grow and change. From here, you can see the famous Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill to the northwest.

DR. ARN IS BACK!

My friend ARN from my Brent days is back in California. She was formerly Miss Guam at the turn of the millenium. Apart from her good looks, Arn is also a Ph.D. holder and right now is doing her M.A. in Art Therapy in Belmont, CA. Whew! Anyhow, we'd meet two weeks from now. We had to set up another date instead of the agreed date tomorrow. Husband and I are quite busy with our relocation here in North Beach; all is still chaotic in our flat, it has to be sorted out ASAP. I am having a lot of hematoma due to the tripping I get from lack of walking space in our haven, for heaven's sake! We need to clean up our house as well in Ripon which is due for rental next Saturday so we are pretty pressured to do things by priority. Ayayay!!!

To ARN, sorry we can't meet you and MIKE in the city tomorrow but we'll make a nice get-together here in our "BISTRO" two weeks from now and hey, welcome back to you and MIKE!

Life In Our New Neighborhood In North Beach

Along Union, Grant and Cadell

In between unpacking and sorting out stuff in our new flat, I check my e-mails to know what is happening around my family and friends here and abroad. At home, now~in our flat~everything is still on a temporary basis as far as interior design is concerned. I have yet to strategically find the exact spot for each item needing such amount of space for aesthetic bliss and practical use of space. Right now, the microwave is resting on top of my bureau in our bedroom~ ooh-la-lah! And my piano is still at the garage downstairs! But the best part of it is having our Comcast cable working at last since last night after we relocated here last Sunday. It has been installed completely as of yesterday and with the DVR- Digital Video Recorder, husband was able to record one of our favorites, like Dr. Phil, for instance.

Last night, we went for a walk at the Washington Square (park), a block away from our flat. From there we moved around the North Beach area we were not familiar with yet. It was around 8.30 PM when we started sauntering and the city was just starting to come alive~wow! It was still bright at that time when the famous “San Francisco Fog” started dancing in the air and covering the clouds, it started to get dark gradually and then the temperature went down; gave us a chill; we had to get our pull-over back in our flat before heading for our walkathon or we'd freeze!

Most bistros and ristorantes were packed (can’t believe how much people patronize North Beach, indeed); a number of joints had live music; scents of freshly baked bread can be smelled from our kitchen in our flat up to the whole part of North Beach! Now we smile when we see people trooping this famous part of San Francisco (North Beach/ Little Italy) which is famous being the most European part of SFO. Now this is officially our “neighborhood" since June 18, 2006!

The Argentinean Steak House sits next to our building and next to it on the corner of Union and Grant is the Italian French Baker that husband loves to come to every morning to buy a roll of freshly baked French bread. We really love this neighborhood as everything has a homey touch in it and not at all commercialized. Near by is a delicatessen and close by is the gelato (Italian ice cream) house. There are boutiques for hats, necklace, specialized cake (i.e. art décor hand bag cakes), etc. And take note, at 7 A.M., 9 A.M. and 12:15 P.M., we hear the church bells ring to tell the city that the mass time is fast approaching! Isn’t that neat?

The local postal office is along the Washington Square. So we are really on a strategic area near everywhere! Last Tuesday was my first marketing day at Chinatown where I got a lot of fresh veggies and fruit in season (cherries, black berries, mangoes and bananas) for a reasonable price. Would you believe that a pound of freshly ground pork is only 89 cents? Where in the world can it be so good but only in Chinatown? I also bought freshly cut chicken! From our flat to Chinatown is just a 4-minute walk and I enjoyed my marketing time con cardio vascular exercise on the road!

On the other hand, husband and I have been able to regularly attend the noon time mass at 12:15 PM at our parish in Saints Peter and Paul Church (Catholic Church) since Tuesday this week and up until yesterday (husband was on a business trip so he was “absent” at church). Otherwise, he comes with me. This part of our life in San Francisco is what we dreamed about- of being able to nurture our spiritual/religious life by going to mass daily because of the short proximity of our home place to the church.

Well, this is all for now. I have to start yet with my unpacking routine once more. Until next blog, folks, goodbye. Ciao!

Relocation Photos- June 18

From Ripon to Little Italy (North Beach) ...we went to take a pictorial of our new flat before the moving crew brought our stuff. It was all so white.... then minutes later...all spaces were filled up!



The moving truck after it loaded our stuff and my plants by the veranda; boxes from our Ripon home plus furnitures, etc, (we could hardly walk in our new flat as they are covered with boxes, furnitures, plants!). The piano as shown here was being carried on the stairs by 3 men but they needed one more guy to lend them a hand (obviously, the piano didn't go through one flight of stairs); the piano had to be brought to the garage downstairs...the owner of our flat (a Chinese man) was kind enough to offer us his garage. Survivor Moving promised to send a crew of 4 to have the piano be brought up in our flat.

We Made It!

Left Ripon at 12. 30 noontime today and arrived here in North Beach (SFO) at around 3 PM. The city was packed with people of different race and colors. It is North Beach Festival! Our movers left at 7 PM. Whew! More later! Tons to unload now. We slept at 2 AM last night and was up at 6 AM! Now the harder part is here...starting over...but it is fun! Photos later. Ciao!

RELOCATION BLUES: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall- Who's The Fairest Of Them All?

Today is our last day to pack. We are on the last leg of it and it seems the hardest- the packing of the smallest stuff one finds inside the drawer, this drives me nuts! We brought out stuff for other folks to use~ like my favorite mirror-I really like them- but we are downsizing and husband is not into yard-sale trance this year so I say adios
to them! Ouch! I'd miss them. We used to have one in our bedroom and one in the hallway.

Anyhow~in between packing, I was watering the plants, baking French bread and initially doing scrapbook- would you believe? Husband was in a state of panic. Ayayayayyyyy!!! He is methodical and works in one room finishes it off them zooms to the next. Am not like that- OY! Haha! I find creativity in chaos like in times of moving, relocating, packing and unpacking.

When I get bored in one corner of the house I am working on, I go to the next room and then I'd get back to where I was~ once I had satisfied my packing style. And when saturated with the whole scenario of packing stint indoor-I would go out and water the plants. Beat that? For me seeing the water calms me down. Husband feels like his knees go to a constant level of tremollo when I am like this. Haha! BTW...

LITTLE ANN asked, "Are you taking all your plants?"

My reply, "Oh yes~ they are ready to go tomorrow to North Beach!"

We Found Our Turf In North Beach (Little Italy)

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LEFT: The flag of Italy as seen here- is painted on all street posts thus it leads one to know he/she is in North Beach, a.k.a. Little Italy. Is there a beach in North Beach? No. None. There is no beach in North Beach.

When husband and I first started coming here last year, all at once- we fell in love with the place! We chorused to say on how fantastic it would be to live in this haven (if we could afford it-that is- ayayay)! And from that day on, we dreamed of living here and be a part of the montage of this beautiful neighborhood. Yes, we had taken ownership of this place- early on in our fantasy (***smile***) and in our hearts (***sigh***) and mind, we meditated and prayed all the time (and up until now) that we'd be given the chance to experience living in this location. And so far, we have been blessed! We are relocating here this Sunday! Back then (last year) all seemed to be far too remote but now it is not.

(SOLILOQUY: "Gee, am so ecstatic writing my journal...I still have to pack!!!" TRANSLATION: "I don't want to pack anymore, I just want to fly and be there in North Beach right now!!!)

Once we move here come Sunday, June 18, we will be called "San Fransicans" like the rest of the locals who live here. Our flat is located in between two churches: the shrine St. Francis of Assisi (this is not a regular parish- no baptisim, confirmation or wedding is held here) and the Saints Peter and Paul Church (this will be our parish).

Where is North Beach?
North Beach is the area in San Francisco that lies in the boarder between Broadway and Columbus Avenue and it is very close to the Chinatown district. If you are coming from Union Square (where Macy's is), North Beach is at the deeper end of it; a few blocks' walk to Ferry building and Fisherman's Wharf.


HOW DID WE GET SO LUCKY FINDING OUR PLACE?
Try www.craigslist.com It works! But you must be patient and diligent to deal with not-so-warm apartment owners, managers and real estate brokers. They rarely reply to emails or make return calls. But once in a blue moon you meet one who is good enough to make a return call. So last Saturday morning, when Mr. Ong called back Blue-Eyed husband (same day husband called, minutes later- actually), we were happy about it; went travelling all at once~ fronto style~ from Ripon to SFO. It was impromptu but worth it.

THE ANTICIPATION AND THE GOOD KARMA LEADING OUR WAY

We finally found our haven in San Francisco. At the free way at a little past 11 AM, we were visualizing things. All we could say was, “Oooh, aahh, wow…Santa Banana! It’s going to be wonderful!”

Our ally is across NORTH BEACH PIZZA, raved about by food connosieurs and browers at yahoo as the best pizza in town and a must-see and must-eat-place-to-be when in North Beach. We are 4 minutes to everywhere we want to be: Chinatown (for all our food supplies and shopping needs); St. Peter and Paul Church (for the religious aspect of our lives), the Washington Square (for space and nature tripping) and The Condor House of Sea Foods (for dining and dancing). Parking space is close by, 2 blocks away, 4 minutes on foot. Cost is hefty and paid on a monthly basis. City living is costly~ one is paying for what it's worth ~a potpourri of things in living color but for us, it's worth it. Sure, there is a compromise of staying in a smaller living quarter versus staying in a larger house with a front and back yard. It is all a matter of taste and or and for us, San Francisco is just about it.

(***Click photos to enlarge***)


L to R: The Washington Park (see the Italian flag colors on the street post); husband pacing towards the ally where our flat is; our neighborhood cafe- filled with avid patrons watching people go by.
Left: the Washington Square and across it, the Saints Peter and Paul Church

Scrap Booking, Anyone?

My journey to scrap booking dates back when I was a little girl of 7. Mother made scrapbooks from scratch~ from found objects in her milieu and from photographs of her childhood up until the time she was a college editor in her university. This continued on until she married my father, had eight kids and became a grandmother to nine little darlings. She kept them coming and expanding through years of careful safekeeping. Time and again, she’d pull them out from her closet when she was spring cleaning and was getting rid of her clothes she didn’t fit in anymore. I, on the other hand would pick up one of her scrapbooks, check it out, see-look at its content, read a little bit, touch and smell those that appealed to me immensely then I’d sit down to take a look at them with some seriousness about what I was reading. Actually, the very sense that made me engaged to reading some of her scrapbooks were her sense of aesthetics. Whenever I found one to have some glitzy bit, I’d go back and forth to that page. I was a child and colors, shapes and texture valued more to me over written text. And in the midst of my reading, she’d always with eloquence that meant, ”Be careful!” And I'd always be obedient to do whatever pleased her~ because I didn’t want to be restricted in seeing her scrapbooks ever again!

My best memory of her scrapbooks was seeing my first baby footprints in blue ink! They were in the front page! Seeing them made me smile and sigh. Awh! And with that scrapbook, it also had clippings about my birth announcement in the 4 different national newspapers in the Philippines like The Daily Mirror, Manila Times and the Daily Bulletin~to name a few. You see, I was the much-awaited first-born daughter of my parents and in celebration of my birth arrival in fact, my paternal grandmother bought a German upright piano for me and announced,
"Someday, she is going to be a pianist!"

I was born after 5 boys and then two girls were born later~ 4 years after me and with an interval of a year and a half each of their birth arrival. So my birth order spoke lot about my birth history as I was the youngest progeny for a time until I became the eldest daughter in a row of three girls. From the perspective of the elders during my time, my coming to life was indeed significant~thus the scrapbook con baby book that father bought for me was very special. It is so special that it took many years before mother could hand it over to me like a fine diamond. Coming to America two and half years ago, I decided to take it with me and it sits right here in the dresser of my home in northern California.

Another feature of mother's scrapbook on me (it was HOME AND GARDEN BABY BOOK) was my first earring taped right there after my ears were pierced! They were the plaster band used by the doctor. I remember running to the living room of my parents' house upon seeing this to check out my photograph with my mother. And yes, I had them on in that photo! But through the years of occasionally peeking and inspecting this baby book, one time it just got lost. Mother did not get upset but took it all as a matter of fact. Some things just get lost. Period. Well, that was what she said without qualm. As for me, I felt bad knowing that my link to my earliest history was forever gone (sigh).

Mothers’ scrapbooks had every little thing that would make them special. In my perspective as a little girl of 7 and even now as a middle-aged married woman, they remain to be special, very personal and brought a lot of history behind them as her personal extension of who she is and who she was.

These scrapbooks she fondly calls, as her “MEMORABILIA” never fails to captivate us~ her 8 children and unknown to her, at an early age, she was teaching us the concept of creativity, posterity and sensibility. But I remember it quite vividly she said, "People with a lot of memorabilias speak a lot of their family origin, culture and life style." Looking back, I think she was absolutely right.

Another scrapbook of hers that elicits such significant memory was about the cartoon characters in the early 1950’s that featured Lil’ Abner, Nancy, Sluggo, Aunt Fritzi and Henry.

I remember as well about how well my mother spoke of her mother’s scrapbook and with them she had her Betty Boop collection of the early 1920’s. Now isn't that something?

SKYPE: Way To Go For Free Calls Within The USA and Canada- TRY IT, IT WORKS!

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Yesterday morning, I was voice chatting online via yahoo instant messenger (yahoo IM) with my long time friend, CHAS NAVARRO, (faculty at the American School of Madrid) who is based in Madrid, Spain. All was okay until his voice got distorted and my voice was echoing right after I had spoken. It was a nuisance so he suggested I go to google and search for the SKYPE website. I did and was able to download the program while on chat with Chas.

Well, yes- calling is free locally here in America using the SKYPE VoiP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. Using SKYPE, voice chat was fantastic-we had great time talking; it was in synch with the webcam video that Chas invited me to view. It was on REAL TIME unlike the slowmotion speed you get when you use yahoo instant messenger when you are on webcam. Another interesting feature of SKYPE: its instant messenger box shows the person on webcam inside it, yahoo does not have this. Seeing the person to whom you are speaking with is interesting, especially when the figure does manifest from the messenger box. Similar to yahoo, SKYPE has the capabilities as well to provide its subscribers with multiple files individually- for webcam and chat (text). Delighted with this new technology called VoiP, I asked my husband to order a webcam for me (with mic and led night vision) online. All is done and delivery is due next week. Wow! That easy!!! He ordered in Ebay, brand new is reasonably priced. When it arrives next week, I can voice chat with webcam again with my family and friends! Our old webcam at home has its moments and has the tendency to freeze my laptop whenever I use it so I stopped using it since last year.

After my chat with Chas, I called Blue-Eyed husband via VoIP through my laptop. He answered my call but hesitated at first to do it, he said- because the caller ID that manifested was 000123456. Aha! If you think about it- Now who on earth would have that for a caller I.D.? But indeed, that is the number that registered! I tested and called my own cellphone and landline here at home and yes, oo123456 is the caller I.D. that recorded in reference to my call!

I told husband about the origin of my call which was via internet and he was amazed! He said the sound of my voice was just perfect-like it was coming from a regular phone- so it works! Now, If you want to try making free calls in the USA or if you are based in CANADA, try downloading the SKYPE software for free at www.skype.com

If you are living in Asia, you can also download it to chat by text or voice chat and use your webcam with ease. No hassle of loose connection, bad connection or no connection at all. The reception via SKYPE to voice chat or to make phone calls is quite clear! But if you want to call via VoiP from Asia to USA and vice versa, you need to purchase a phone card. The cost is a bit more expensive when converted in U.S. dollars. In this regard, I love my speedy phone card that husband orders online. It is cheap at 6 cents a minute to call Manila from Nevada, Oregon or California!

BTW, I almost forgot, the first overseas VoIP call I received was from my sister Balloon who lives with her artist husband Tito and their kids Paco and Muriel- in the Philippines. She called me one time using this technology months back, all the way from her home in Cavite. She mentioned that Globe Telecom in the Philippines offers this. I was amazed, I said "Wow! Hi-tech!" See? The Philippines may be a Third World nation but it is always abreast when it comes to information technology!

Life In Suburban Ripon

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One of my sisters asked me about how do we get rid of our trash in Ripon? Well, each Wednesday, the town truck picks them up. All household has two large black bin containers for this.

Today, I was lucky enough to have captured these scenes in photograph while I was having a drink at the kitchen this morning. When I heard the roaring of the truck's engine, I rushed to get my digital camera! Our house is in the corner street of Palm and Fourth Street so it is a strategic site to observe what's going on outside.

Well, I know some of you might wonder about the relevance of this littlest information I write in here. It is simply because I am a foreigner and many things done here in the US are not necessarily done or practiced in other countries. This page helps my family to have a glimpse of my daily life here in California. Questions? None? Good (*smile*).

LEFT: my former Mexican neighbor's house across our house along Palm Avenue. This is also situated on the corner street like ours; RIGHT: Sue's cute little house. I love the garage- look!
(click it to enlarge)

A Mexican man used to live and owned this house. He had several kids who were still living with him, one was in middle school, who walked to school daily- and when he was driving his used car, his boom box's music was so loud, Sue, my soft-spoken geriatric neighbor, would always call the town police to rescue her from all the noise coming from the next door house, this house! I always had a good laugh when she talks about this. She also hates this Mexican family's banana trees as they cover the perspective of her home! Anyhow...

The story goes...that our Mexican hero's wife dumped him, had an affair with another man, ran away with her lover then later divorced her Mexican husband and of late, was wanting to get the house where the poor guy lived in with his kids that she abandoned!!! Ay, caramba! Mamamia!!!! The poor fella, the stereo type victim of an unfaithful woman- is a hard working guy, was almost left frozen- in a state of shock, so I was told. But see- despite the fact that I rarely talk to anyone within the radius of my home, I still get some news from around- from Sue. So folks, you see, all is the same in the world. (TRANSLATION: people talk- neighbors spy, some speak loud and clear;others have the gift of tongue and know how to use the right vernacular and eloquence to make one to listen in myopia. Others are loud while a few are gentle, and speak in a whisper, like my favorite doting grandma neighbor Sue).


Our hero was such a wonderful man, so gracious and kind. He looked like Saddam Hussein with thick moustache. BTW, Mr. Mexican gave me banana trees two years ago. I used them in cooking "TORTA" (omelet) and also in ironing clothes (to make the iron slippery once it touches the fabric and it makes the clothes to smell good as well). This former home owner was so friendly; was the second one to welcome me inthis neighborhood; and always waved his hands whenever he sees me working at the yard. He was a sweetheart, indeed. He loved his place so much and cared for it like it was his baby. However, due to financial difficulties, he sold this place and relocated to Portland, Oregon where standard of living is not as much as it is here in California. Us- his neighbors-felt sorry when they moved because he really loved it here. I fondly remember those lunch times he'd come home for siesta and while watering the yard, he'd play his Mexican music- blaring loud like there is a town fiesta somewhere- to the horror of his next door neighbor, Sue (an old lady in her 70s), who I taught was a funny old woman with a poker face. Haha!

Now, the new owners- are in and they seem not to be good as Mr. Mexican in maintaining this place. But who am I to judge? Well, my only concern was the fact that the lawn was not regularly mowed nor the plants were watered daily. The white flowers that bloom in early spring that were so awesome and beautiful were withering easily due to lack of water intake daily. In fact, some neighbors have expressed this observation as well. If only the Mexican gentleman could see how his house is cared for (cared for????), he'd shake his head in disgust on why are some people cold and uncaring? So this is the story of this house on the corner of Palm and Fourth.

Well, in most of American states~in California, for instance and in Ripon in particular- people take pride in their homes! When a family is not able to mow their lawn, trim their hedge or water their plants, some old folks would pout and say, "Oh, they don't take care of their yard as much as we all do! What a shame! What a shame!!! Ayayay! There- that puts you in a perspective worth viewing from my vista. Well, in retrospect~ they just want to have a green earth where the air is fresh and clean, where aesthetics play an integral part in every day living. And who wouldn't like that?

Those Stubborn Stain In My Oven

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LEFT: bottom part of the oven after an overnight spray of Easy-Off: hard grease melted away like caramelized syrup; MIDDLE: the remnant of grease on paper towel. Oven interior must be rinsed with wet sponge and dried out with paper towel- use plastic gloves. I did- except for this pictorial.; RIGHT: The contrast of the door and the interior of the oven. The magic of EASY-OFF paid off! See photos below!


This morning I am going to talk about STAIN. Stain in the oven, that is. Do you bake? What- chicken? Cake? Bread? Cookies? Do you broil salmon?Well, whatever it is, after a while it leaves an ugly stain in the oven. If you bake as much as I do, it just gets compounded each time you bake. And even if you clean the oven with soap and water most of the time, the heavy rock-hard grease can't be removed easily. You need to use a special heavy duty oven cleaner.

Coming to America had made me come to enjoy baking once more, after many years of taking it for granted due to my hectic schedule as a career oriented person. Back then I had barely a time left to bake. Now, I have all the time todo it! As such, after sometime, the sparks of fat in the oven has left an ugly mark in all angles of my baking buddy; the black greasy and unsightly stain on top, side and the bottom of my oven has given it a lot of "character" and "life lines" so to speak. So after many months of postponement to make a spring cleaning of this wonder toy, I finally decided to do it today with an overture done last night.

Blue-eyed husband bought me the Easy Off (heavy duty cleanser for oven). Honestly, I didn't know there is such a thing until he said so. Surprise, surprise, surprise! He got me one (purchased when he went to the postal office yesterday) and surely-it worked like magic!

I sprayed it all over (I made sure the heating element was covered with newspaper) and voila, this morning- after several minutes of wiping, rinsing and drying time- my oven is sparkling clean! Well, I really don't know how it was before I came to live with Blue-Eyed Little Boy. As far as I know, this oven was not at any rate in its perfect stainless condition. Seemed like it had already been into several stages of of terrorist attack (ha-ha)! But with the help of EASY-OFF, it had been ressurected to live yet another decade of service to the next user!

It turned out well but not "too perfect" yet to my liking so I did a second round of spraying the chemicals this morning at 8 AM today. Finally, it was perfect. The ones left are actually the permanent abrasion on the oven.

Using the EASY-OFF, one has to wear long plastic gloves, as the chemicals are very strong and hazardous to one’s health. Be sure not to inhale it. I did last night, again-accidentally. Gosh, I had to ran away from the kitchen in speed seconds and take a deep breath at the sitting room to feel alive. Mamamia! It has a strong aroma and could be dangerous to one’s eyes and skin! Listen to this~ I had the initial mistake of wiping off the melted chunks of oily grease this morning with the paper towel without my gloves. This is bad!!! A little bit of the melted grease accidentally dropped in my hand and boy it hurt...ouch! I had to rush to the sink (thank God it was that close to the oven!) and turned on the tap to let the water to pass through the affected area. It got a bit red in such a short time. So be careful if you use this spray. Don’t be careless like me, ok? Actually, I was just excited to see the oven the morning after- to see if the grease really melted and it did!

NOTE: To my sisterettes, if you want me to bring home this Easy Off in December, let me know okay? (I just hope it doesn’t get confiscated in the check-in counter at the airport as anything in aerosol form is not allowed to be boarded for reasons that it could explode on high altitude).

Well, for someone like me who does a lot of baking on a daily basis, having used this Easy Off paid off. And surely it is manna from heaven, to see my oven like a young virgin once more- so immaculate and bellissima (very beautiful in Italian). Good day!

On Transitions: Packing Time When Moving Time Is Fast Approaching

How well do you pack your stuff if you were relocating?

Well, I, for one, am very systematic. I write on post-it paper whatever is inside the box I am working on at the moment. I do this then keep the list on file on my laptop. When all is done, I print the box number; items inside then tape it in the middle part of the box. I emailed the Blue-Eyed Spouse tonight about this and he had a good laugh! Is that funny? I don’t think so! He only meant to say that I am super organized. I just wanted everything to be sorted out well so when the moving day comes, the movers would know which box is fragile and those that are not. Also, to make things more compact as far as throw pillows and comforters are concerned, I shrink wrapped them so now they are compressed and shrank in smaller size than before! This I learned from moi husband. My training at home just comes out in times like this one. I am one of those who belong to the obsessive-compulsive personality group-who wants order in her universe. But I know people- my cousins- who are worse than I am. I'd say, I am a minor case here, a yet formidable combo of someone who wanted order and sense of aesthetics in her surroundings, in her undertakings.

I finished packing 14 boxes tonight. Started out early when I woke up at half past seven in the morning and went on with it till the Blue-Eyed Handsome fella went on his long haul drive for his business trip this week. Tonight it is 10: 47 P.M.and I just had dinner, finished the packing (at last for the mean time- Santa Banana!). So here I am doing my ramblings. The other linens, table runner and curtains are still in the dryer. Been waiting for them to dry then would fold them. Would pack them, too- but I'd do that tomorrow morning, or- may be I'd take a breather and do my scrap booking? I’d see how I feel...when tomorrow comes.

So far, some of the stress of moving is leaving my skin at this point in time since I started out the packing galore today. I felt like hey, I have started on and now I can see what needs to be done, discard and take with us in San Francisco.

The toughest thing to do today was packing the littlest of things in the kitchen to the largest of pots and pans! Tonight, I cooked pasta and I had no casserole cover to use (sigh) since I already packed them all (well, talking about austerity, suddenly it is here happening in my domain)! I only left out a casserole, tea pot, 2 plates, glasses for two, etc. Just the basics and all the rest are boxed now. Hahaha. Gosh, I need to rest my legs at the tub. They are aching and my sole feel like my weight was multiplied by two...they hurt quite a bit. Ouchhhhhhhhh! Aray!!!!!!!!! (in Filipino). Well...this is all. Night, night!

NOTE:

Living in different countries in the past had allowed me to be an “expert” in packing. I used to watch my packers and movers and all they did was to pack even the smallest item in a huge piece of craft paper. This way whether it is fragile or not, the huge bit of paper protects the item inside once folded a thousand times. Minus the craft paper they used for my stuff years ago, today, I used old newspapers (moi husband laughs at my “Third World mentality” where frugality is my nickname).

Little Boy Blue, being American was a former consumerist (or at least he tries not to be after living with me for sometime now). He was ready to buy tons of newsprint weeks ago-those that he thinks would be useful for all my packing needs. I said, “No-No-No-No-NO!!!Don't buy me those! I will do it my way and I need not spend a dime. Watch me do it!”

So today, I used old newspapers and magazines for packing. But Little Boy loves surprises and came home yesterday from Schemper’s Ace Hardware; brought me a huge box of wrapping paper (to my horror)! My teeth were gritting, my eyes-big, my mouth open and then he smiled and his strikingly blue eyes said, "I got you this babe..." Hmm....What else can I do? I thanked the thoughtful spouse but decided to keep the wrapping paper in his office; urged him to return it soonest as I have no use for them so long as I have my recycled newspaper, I am fine! So, he promised he'd return what he got at the hardware...what for? To save money-rahrahrah! And he had a good laugh!

Ciao!

My Blog is Number 8 in Top 1000 (FAMILY CATEGORY IN THE U.S.A.), Wow!

webstats4U reports as of 6 Jun 2006 17:46 hours
This is according to webstats4U survey. I was surprised to know this! Didn't even know I ranked high the previous weeks!

After reading this, you may want to drag your browser on the left side bar, go to the bottom of the icon of palm tree. Below it you'd see an icon of a check mark in light blue background color. Click it then you'd be taken to the site of westats4U. On its left hand side on the side bar, you'd see STARLIGHT IN HER EYES and it is underlined. Below it click FAMILY. And then you'd see the ranking of my blog. Tha't it. Thank you!
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Looking At Angelina and Brad's baby Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt's First Picture

After packing from early morning today up until now- 3. 19 PM, Tuesday, I decided to take a break and researched on the latest celebrity craze (online here in CA and beyond)... and it's here the most renowned baby of the year, SHILOH NOUVEL JOLIE-PITT. Read on below:


This is the real photo of baby Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.Getty images had the photos first & held an undercover bid for them & People Magazine won the bid for the photos for $4.1 Million!"We were sequestered into separate and un-air-conditioned offices," said one magazine editor, "The photos were shown to us around 10 p.m. to midnight, and then we had to submit bids by 6 a.m. Sunday morning. No one got any sleep at all, as it was a manic game of phone-tag to top each other's bids. I'm convinced it was Brangie's revenge on the weekly magazines."Hello Magazine has also published the photo & they have a cute Brad, Angelina & Shiloh cover. Hopefully more photos will be on the way ... I can't wait!p.s. All profits made from selling the photos will be given to charity

Information above was taken from: http://www.waleg.com/celebrities/archives/003906.html.

Now I am going to have a late lunch! I think the baby looks like Angelina with her trout fish lips, so famous worldwide for her pout. Baby Shiloh seems to have her mom's big eyes, too. I wonder how Jennifer Aniston is feeling right now? Well, at least her movie, "The Break Up" is number one and hit the 41 million mark on it first week of opening! Life's trade off- successful career, nigtmarish lovelife...ayayay!

Santana Row-San Jose, California 31 May 2006

Click photos to enlarge*

Below: The young female on the left, sporting a "Gothic Look" caught our attention! All other photos featured Agnes, Joy and moi in different moods :-)

Photos: Rosicrucian Center- San Jose, California

Click photos to enlarge*

Photos taken on May 31, 2006 (courtesy of Agnes Manlangit)