My Birthday On January 13th

My birthday this year was plain and simple except perhaps for the time I spent alone when I came to hear mass at noontime. Other than this, it was unique and quiet. Husband was out at work and I was at home, doing the office management. I realized that the older I get, simplicity works best for me. I don't expect outrageous gifts anymore. Things change when one matures.

When I was younger, I had secret wishes for extravagant desires. That is over now. Age gives wisdom and I believe I have it (laughs).

Still, I am touched when family and friends sent in their greetings by email, text messaging, snailmails, and overseas calls.

Really there is nothing much more memorable than being remembered especially when you are living overseas away from your nuclear family you originally came from.

Sunday before January 13th, husband and I decided to workout at the gym on California St. (24 Hour Fitness) after the 9 AM mass we attended at Notre Dame. We took our time and enjoyed our cardio, stretching plus weights routine. The finale was once again at the sauna where we were able to dedicate more time to enjoy the heat in this cold winter time. After that, we headed forth and walked from California St. to the Ferry building, wishing to see more of the farmers market. To our disappointment, there was no farmers market since it is winter. However, we thought there was one since the only way people in the Marina area could shop was through here. But we were mistaken. Nevertheless, the consolation was we were able to have some coffee and lemon scones at Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Moreover, my favorite upscale kitchen shop, SUR LA TABLE was open! There, I bought my alternative birthday gift. Yes! I had a choice and I selected one, a PASTA MAKER. It is an Italian brand, MARCATO and has an interesting features of four types to create from it, like spaghetti rotondi, lasagna, tagliatelle and taglierini.

Last year, in spring I think, husband bought me online, a RAVIOLI ROLLER from Canada. It was a perfect rolling pin because in one rolling, lots of raviolis are formed! However, the sad part was, at that time, I didn’t have yet a pasta maker so the dough made on my KITCHENAID STAND MIXER was manually rolled and it was thick. Ideally, it should be thin. And although it looked great, and tasted delicious, the individual ravioli was a disappointment for me. Now, with this PASTA MAKER, I expected better results doing raviolis and or other homemade pasta types!

At SUR LA TABLE, I was also able to purchase cake and cookie decoration stuff like colored sugars, confetti, and gel candies. I also bought a tart pan that opens at the bottom so when you serve the fruit tart, the shape of the pastry does not get cut off or distorted.

Husband’s original choice of gift for me was a personal computer, the latest mini PC of ACER and HP that I had been eyeeing for last year. I thought they were handy and practical to have, small and ready to travel with me any time and any where. So, he gave me this PC gift to choose from these two contenders. They were both cute and to my liking. But there was a catch. ACER was less than a pound in weight, while HP was a little more. Excellent. But the features were minimal except for its WI-FI go-getter, and that is it. I bailed out. Although it was designed primarily for someone on the go, still it was not perfect. There is not much to these new PCs. It has the basic word program and that is it. To utilize your media needs, you need to add the accessory DVD player which for me is a deal killer. Why design a tiny PC when you have to attach accessories and carry them with you? That's a bummer! So, I told LITTLE BOY BLUE that he could get me this mini PC next year or the year after when the industrial design/technology has already improved. Still, I was thankful for his thoughts.

For my birthday, we had dinner at home. I made eggplant parmeggiano and homemade Amish white bread. I didn’t even drink white wine as I had enough the past days. And the past evenings, we have been eating out a lot at the Italian restaurants here in North Beach. We also had our share of Chinese and Thai dinners, so for a break- on my birthday this year on January 13th, we dined at home minus the pictorial, cake and wine. But it was a day deserving of fond memories. In the evening, I still went on to volunteer and be at the Porziuncola Chapel, two blocks from my domicile, where I stay on to guard it and guide visitors and inform them about its origin and history as a replica of the original St. Francis of Assisi Chapel in Italy. That one is awesome. I have been there in the late 1990s. This one in SFO is a beautiful replica of it, ¾ in scale as compared to the original. But everything else is all there, an original rock from the chapel that St. Francis built is one highlight of it, the stones used are from Assisi, plus the woods, etc. I will write an entry on this later.

Thanks to you all who remembered my birthday: my family~ Philip and family, Franco my brother doctor who is in Tunisia as of this writing, presenting his paper at the World Health Organization conference for cancer pain management; to Balloon and Emilie, my loving sisters; to Tito and Celia, my brother and his wife; to my charming niece Ann, thoughtful as ever, to Emily Putnam, my friend in Florida; to Inday, my friend from my old neighborhood- who called me from overseas; to Lulay and Nikki; to Bernice my friend from Australia who texted me; plus-Ute, my German friend who sent in her birthday card greetings, one week in advance, and to my better half, of course~ who always is there for me in good times and bad times as well. All these people added spice on my natal day’s quiet ceremony. And before I forgot, there was Brenda in Egypt who sent in her ecard.

As simple as it is, it was colorful in my heart and eventful in terms of memories. Thank you all!