5 things you're grateful for... - 4/7/10

A wise friend posted on her blog that you should write down 5 things that you're grateful for each night as you recall back on your day, and that after a while, you'll see that there's a lot more to life than to focusing on the small tribulations or hurdles that may have clouded your day, week, month, or even year...they don't have to be big lofty things -- just whatever comes to mind.

I'm gonna give it a shot and start tonight. 5 things I was grateful for today:

1) the balmy, sunny NYC weather in April

2) George's health -- giardia be damned!

3) challah rolls from Meredith's Bread

4) flexi-straws: they make all drinks taste better, I swear

5) the simplicity of an egg.

Until tomorrow!

Something always brings me back to you.

It never takes too long.

...

Set me free. Leave me be.

I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity. - "Gravity" - Sara Bareilles

I used to think that life was made richer by all of our experiences, good or bad. That sadness or disappointment builds character. That every cloud had to have a silver lining.

But you know what? It's not a universal truth. My life was not made better. I wish I could just purge it, much like I would wipe clean a memory card of photos on my camera. But my mind, unlike a camera, still keeps every mental image intact. And while some images may fade as the days, months, and years go by, it takes but a split second to bring it all back to full-colour clarity. As if it happened yesterday.

16 Days "des plus brilliants exploits"

Tonight, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games come to a close in my beautiful hometown, Vancouver. These past 16 days were probably as dramatic and exciting as Vancouver, and indeed, Canada, has ever seen. I feel so blessed and excited that I was there for 11 out of the 16 days, to witness sports and Olympic history to be made. Being there during the Olympics has made me realize a few things about my country:

We are inclusive - Even at the Opening Ceremony, every effort was made to include everyone in the festivities--down to the individual audience members. Our audience kits made sure that we all had a part in one of the of biggest welcome parties we had ever hosted. The cauldron was lit by not one, but five Canadian athletes (Catriona Le May Doan finally got her chance tonight, natch).

We remember our roots - The Four Hosts First Nations were as much a part of the games as the rest of Canada, from playing host at the Opening Ceremony to designing the medals that now circle the necks of some 600 athletes. The Aboriginal Pavilion was probably one of the coolest among the provinces, and of course, the symbol of these games, an Inukshuk, come from the Inuit tradition. I'm so proud that our country took the time to recognize and involve those who were here before us.

We embody the Olympic spirit - It wasn't always about the gold. The nation carried Georgia and Joannie Rochette's respective grief as tragedy struck them during the Games. We applauded Slovenian skier Petra Majdic for her bravery and perseverance as she captured bronze even after breaking five ribs and suffering from pneumothorax. We applauded the opposing teams whether we won or lost. Oh, and we booed the dude who had the air horn during the gold medal men's curling tournament -- he sucked.

We love playing host - While in Vancouver, you could really feel the Olympic spirit permeate throughout the city. Everywhere you looked, people smiled and tried to be helpful even if it was the 18th time in the last hour that someone asked them how to get to the Skytrain.

WE ARE HOCKEY NATION - Nothing mattered more than today's gold. Now and forever.

I heart you, Canada. And way to rock, Vancouver 2010!!!

Vancouver 2010: the first 72 hours

Procrastinating on work, so I'm going to take a few moments to jot down thoughts about the first three days of the Olympics...

I've always been proudly Canadian, but to be honest, I don't think I really knew what being proudly Canadian truly meant until the last 72 hours. From watching to the Opening Ceremony live to seeing Alexandre Bilodeau win the first gold on Canadian soil (ever) on TV, my heart has been bursting with so much pride that I think I am oozing maple leafs out of my pores. There are no words to describe this entire Olympic experience (so far), but I will make a few observations...

I have never seen so many people on the streets of Vancouver - Ever since I've lived here, there have been very few occasions (like Boxing Day) where the streets are literally teeming with people. But in the last few days, there have been people EVERYWHERE, at all hours of the day. Stores are open late, people are dancing on the streets, and the buzz in the air is just amazing. It almost feels like we live in big city. ;)

Aboriginal Peoples rock - I am so glad that VANOC has made a strong effort in promoting and highlight the Four Host First Nations (Squamish, Musqueam, Lil'Wat, Tseil-Waututh) who are as much the hosts of these Games as the city of Vancouver is. They have a beautiful pavilion, played a key part in the Opening Ceremony, and produced beautiful artwork. I hope the millions of visitors (and Canadians) will take the time to learn about their culture and contributions to our country.

Pins, pins and pins - I thought these were a Disney phenomenon, but pins are quite the hot commodity at the Olympics! Coca-Cola has a dedicated pin-trading area in their store, and every pavilion has pins available (if you know who to ask). I've only picked up a few so far, but have already been schooled on the difference between a pin and a button. Sheesh.

True North Strong & Free - I've been living in the US for so long that I'll admit to being slightly brainwashed by all of the American propaganda. It's been incredibly refreshing to come home and just soak up all things Canadian -- people here are unabashedly proud of the fact that we rock at curling (pun intended), that hockey is practically a religion, and that it's ok to be nice to perfect strangers and expect nothing in return. We're probably some of the best hosts you can find in the world today, and we're excited that everyone's in town to celebrate with us.

There'll always be naysayers - And as a counterpoint, there will always be people who are indifferent or even staunchly opposed to the Olympics. There are the people who find all the road closures and traffic change disruptive and annoying, and the protesters who think the best way to make a point is to knock over mailboxes and smash store windows. And to those people: i say, boo on you. Your mommies taught you better than that.

Tomorrow, we're off to Whistler to watch the women compete in luge. More to report when I get back...

With glowing hearts...

(written earlier on UA 170 from San Francisco to Vancouver)

7 years ago, our entire country held its breath as we waited to find out whether or not Vancouver would win the bid to become the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It seemed like only yesterday when we found out the good news and the country erupted in a wave of pride and elation unlike anything I've ever witnessed as a Canadian. Buildings started appearing, volunteers rallied, and the familiar five rings symbol began popping up everywhere. Tonight, I return home in preparation for the brightest spotlight that has ever shone on our beautiful city.

Over the next weeks, We'll welcome the world with open arms and let you in on our worst-kept secret -- that Vancouver is gorgeous, fun, and generally pretty darn awesome. We'll don as many red items as we can possibly can, and wave enough maple leaf flags to make you dizzy. And through it all, whether we win or lose, we'll be proud and excited that we all got to experience this together.

It's hard to describe the feeling I have right now, but perhaps the games' motto and a line from our national anthem best sums it up -- "With Glowing Hearts." I've never felt more proud to be Canadian.

Welcome to Vancouver. Bienvenue à Vancouver. We're happy to have you here.

On traditions...

I am one of those people who has always loved traditions. Call it boring, call it routine, but there's something very human and emotional about creating, keeping, and sharing traditions. Being back in SF reminds me of a lot of traditions that are now a part of my not-too-distant past, and how much life has changed even though I'm literally back here every other week. I may be physically here, but the traditions and routines that I've associated with this place have mostly been severed, and new ones are starting to form in NYC. I guess that's just another sign that SF is no longer "home"...

Reminiscing: 2009 in Food

I may not have traveled to too many places this year, but I sure as hell ate a lot. There were a lot of heavy hitters this year, and I'm always grateful that friends and family are there to share the bounty with me. Here are highlights of some of the restaurants I hit up there past year:

Momofuku Ssam Blue Hill at Stone Barn Cookshop L20 Pazzia Aziza
Fuki Sushi Dynasty The Jade The Spotted Pig dbBistro Moderne Santa Ramen
Spruce Ad Hoc Hog Island Oyster Company Commis SGD Tofu House GreensIno Sushi Alinea Out the Door Home Spruce Morimoto Chow Matsugen Le Bernadin

Cafe Boulud Tipsy Parson Kaygetsu A16 Barbuto La Mar Ubuntu

And here are some other food-related fun facts

Most consumed beverage - Quad soy lattes. Ack.

Longest meal - 4-hour dinner at Alinea. It started at 10 and wrapped up around 2 in the morning. Damn, I get tired just thinking about it.

Best in-flight meal - (no winner) - For the second year in a row, there have been no winners in this formerly-favourite category of mine. Domestic carriers suck.

Best dish - (3-way tie) "Deconstructed" pork belly at The Spotted Pig; Kobe Steak with "A1 steak sauce" powder at Alinea; "Off-menu" sea urchin pasta with caviar at Le Bernadin.
Best meal, period. - Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Nevermind that there was no menu. Nevermind that you order wine before you know what the heck you're going to eat. Flawless execution and fresher-than-fresh product makes the meal the best one I had all year.

Best "I'm surprised I'm full" meal - Dinner at Ubuntu, where everything was vegetarian. I still dream about their gnocchi "carbonara". Fake bacon never tasted so good.

Most elaborate meal - That would be, of course, Alinea. Did I mention it took 4 hours?

Best food with a view - Outstanding in the Field's meal at Half Moon Bay by Aziza chef Mourad Lahlou. Where else would your dinner be interrupted because the tide soaked a few guests and one woman "fell" in the water with her purse?

Best meal for watching food porn - Grab a seat at the Chef's Counter at Commis. You will never see tweezers the same way again.

Most overwhelming dining experience - My first-ever American Thanksgiving meal. Y'all are hardcore. There were 7 pies at the dinner I went to, which only had 14 guests.

Coolest fan-girl moment - meeting David Chang with George at work :)

Most overused protein - Pork belly

Most underrated protein - Tripe

Next protein to become overexposed in 2010: Beef cheek

And there you have it. Coming in 2010...Momofuku Ko (gotta get my act together), Momofuku chicken dinner, Manresa, Quince redux, modern, and maybe it's time to hit up Daniel?

Reminiscing: 2009 in travel

2009 was a decidedly aggressive year in travel for me -- not like the multi-country-hopping-in-5-days-esque craziness of yesteryear (oh yes, good ol' 2006) -- but in the sheer volume and repetitiveness of where I flew and how often I flew. If you watched Up in the Air, well, that was my life in 2009, minus the George Clooney and the sad middle American destinations. It's also the first year in probably a decade (!?) that I did not leave the continental North America. At all. And I still made it to 1K. Yes, that's how much I flew.

So here are 2009's (very short list of) cities in no particular order. Yes, this is really the whole list. Sad, eh (especially when compared to this)?

San Francisco Park City New York City Chicago Sacramento
Napa Los Angeles Beacon Vancouver

Miles flown - 113,570

Other ways to think about that how far that is - It's about halfway to the moon. Or 10 roundtrips to Hong Kong from the west coast. Or driving from SF to Mountain View and back, 1,419 times.

Most frequented route - No brainer on this one. JFK-SFO. And then in reverse. Every week for 6 months straight.

Shortest trip - 8 hours in LA. Took the 8pm flight from SFO, came back on the 6am flight the next morning. I didn't even touch the bed in my hotel room. The things we do for work.

Best frequent traveler perks - I get the same room at the Four Seasons every time, stocked with a fridge, humidifier, and all of the luggage & George's stuff that we store there permanently. They also give George bottles of Fiji Water. I get the same white Camry (not just the car type, but the actual car) from Hertz, even though I only paid for a Corolla.

Best frequent traveler perk that went away this year - Westin Heavenly Quilts on United's Premium Service flights in Biz & First Class. Apparently Westin ended the partnership. So now we're back to crappy blankets. Or bringing my own.

Weirdest thing I learned about airport security - They'll pat you down, and turn your stuff inside out, but they will never, ever touch your dog.

Worst travel experience - (Tied) Flying post-shoulder surgery with a giant sling that you can't take off or move. Dealing with the Canadian airport security post-Christmas terrorism attempt.

Coolest place I visited - The town of Beacon in the Hudson River Valley, home to awesome art galleries, and the DIA:Beacon.

Cool places I was supposed to visit but didn't because of work - Japan, Helsinki, Stockholm, Madrid, Copenhagen, and Lisbon.

Best room service experience - Judy came over to the FS Palo Alto for a sleepover and we ordered some fries. They came cold (okay, lukewarm) so we asked for replacements, and the manager brought them up himself, on a silver platter, naturally.

Worst excuse for a hotel - Crown Cabana in Mountain View. The curtains had a binder clip on them to keep them closed, and the sink was about a foot too short for me, even though I'm only 5'4".

Coolest thing I did on a plane (or many planes) - Launched the first-ever inflight online scavenger hunt, Day in the Cloud, with Virgin America, and gave everyone free wifi for the day.

The first half of 2010 is looking a lot like a repeat of the last six months, but there are some exciting events ahead including Sundance and the 2010 Winter Olympics! Here's to friendlier skies and safe travels!

Reminiscing: 2009 in words

It wasn't quite an annus horribilis, but I'll be the first to admit that at times, it felt that way. 2009 has been a trying year, to say the least, and while there's a lot to be thankful for, I can't say that I'll miss it too much when it disappears in a few short hours. So to kickstart the annual "Reminiscing" series, here are the words to sum up 2009:

George - probably the most profound impact on my life this year came in the form of a now-9-pound fluffball named George. He's taught me a lot about life and the world: that pleasure can be derived from the simplest things, and there aren't too many problems in life that can't be solved by a nap or a nice long walk.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose - Yep, this one made it back on my list again this year, and then some. I know better now. Here's to a smarter, better 2010, without the same ol' drama of yesteryears.

Empire State of Mind - I know this song became every New Yorker's anthem this year, and in 2009, I became a New Yorker, too, sorta. There's still a lot to learn and love about this great town, and I hope to make more time for it in 2010.

Blessings - They come in all shapes and sizes...congrats to everyone who had babies, got married, got engaged, or were just plain blessed this year. Thanks for letting me share in your blessings and happiness.

Home is where the love is - Never felt more true than in 2009, where I basically became bicoastal/nomadic for 9 months out of 12. Not sure if there's any end in sight, but I'm grateful for the friends and family who continue to support and love me, even when I have no idea which time zone I'm in, or which "home" I'll be crashing at that night.

I think my personal theme for 2010 will be "starting fresh" -- in many, many ways. Au revoir, 2009, I don't think I'll miss you too much.

P.S. Stay tuned for Food and Travel reminiscing...

Snapshots in time, moments in memory

I am a trigger-happy person. (And no, I'm not referring to my shopping habits.) Ever since I owned any sort of camera, I have liked taking lots and lots of pictures of people, places, and moments. In college I had a wall filled with Polaroids -- the only rule about the Polaroids was that they had to have people in them; none of this fancy artistic wannabe stuff -- just pictures of mostly-happy, sometimes-intoxicated, shiny people. As I moved from dorm to dorm, the pictures followed me everywhere, growing as my network did in college. When I packed them away for good upon graduation, I noticed that many of those people in the pictures went away and became a figment of my college days as well.

Fast forward a few years and bring on my DSLR. Suddenly, every snapshot was about capturing the best and the most beautiful things that nature, foreign destinations, and restaurants had to offer. People were optional and often missing from entire albums. Vacations became another opportunity to capture that perfect shot, with the perfect light, and the perfect shadows...

But I've come to realize the world I see from behind the lens is nothing like the real one. We take pictures in an effort to remind ourselves of moments in time, and to encapsulate a moment for eternity. But our minds do a far greater job of capturing the essence of these moments -- the way the blood rushed to your cheeks, the coolness of the morning air on your bare skin, the warmth that you could only relive by closing your eyes. And remembering. Every vivid detail. And those are the memories you treasure the most.