Thanksgiving 2010

I thought it was time for the family to get together for T-day. It has been over 15 years since we last celebrated Thanksgiving together. There was way too much food. I was a lot of work organizing the event but I think it turned out well. Everybody enjoyed themselves and it was a pleasant day.

More Noise in San Francisco!

Sunday.

• Dropped off HopAlong at the Airport
• Explored the newly gentrified Cortland Avenue with my friend Gina
• Had a picnic at Holly Park
• Climbed to the top of Bernal Hill
• Went to Union Square and saw Tango Dancers...

• Window shopping at Macy's
• Italian Pastries at North Beach...

• Received a text from HopAlong that he is on the last leg of his flight

Here We Go Again...

I hate this place. Craig's 6 week visit has come to an end and this is where say goodbye. No matter how many times we've replayed this scene, I can never get used to it. I tell myself it's no big deal but in reality I'm tearing up inside. Such as the story of long distance relationships.

The next time we see each other will be in 8 months. He has just started his computer course and will not be able to see me in 8 months. 8 months is the longest we've spent apart. It sucks.

On the bright side, I will be spending a lot of time in the city. I am shacking up at my aunt's house this semester. This will be really convenient for me as I don't have to commute back and forth everyday to school. This saves me a lot of time, money, and sanity. It also beats being stuck in the middle of boring surburbia where you need a car to get everywhere.

It's nice to know that I can just step outside the street and always have something to do and somewhere to go within walking distance! I miss living in the city.

Scenes From San Francisco: The Mission

A morning stroll on Mission Street. The Mission is the Hispanic district of the city.

If You're Going to San Francisco...

Funny Because It's True...

(image via)

One Year to Get San Francisco In Your Belly!

The 2010 Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die

People are Batshit Crazy

Yesterday, a man jumped from the ledge of the Forever 21 building at Powell and Market. Crowds of people were encouraging him to jump and he did. As he fell face on the cement, onlookers laughed and cheered. They then gathered around him taking pictures and videos?!?!? I bet most of those people were tourists! That's where crowds of them gather waiting for the cable car turnaround.

What the fuck is wrong with people? People are so sick!

What's with the Earthquakes?

On January 9th, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Eureka, Northern California. Thanks to retrofit building regulation codes, there wasn't any major damage. Buildings did not collapse, bridges were intact, and only minor injuries were reported. Although, 20 people out of a total population of 26,097 were displaced.

Last Tuesday, an earthquake hits Haiti with a magnitude of 7.0 on the richter scale. Haiti is devastated and in chaos. 100,000 or more presumed dead and buried under rubble. And thousands upon thousands are displaced and homeless. What is even more devastating is that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and do not have the means to rescue victims and rebuild.

As a native Californian, I can empathize. I experienced many earthquakes in my lifetime. I experienced the Loma Prieta earthquake in '89, 6.9 on the richter scale, not too far off from Haiti. And let me tell you, it was very scary! The earthquake in '89 was a reminder to us Californians that a big one can hit us at any time, and every tremor we felt from 1.0 and up was always a potential for "the big one" in the back of our minds. Before we'd just dismiss them, shrug it off and say, "Oh, well."

The only difference between Haitians and Californians is that Californians are prepared, our buildings are retrofitted, our roads have easy access to expert emergency and rescue crew, our water is hygienic and safe to drink, we have food, medicine, and temporary shelter available. HAITI DOES NOT!

I figure I can keep them in my thoughts and prayers but what good would that do? Well wishes sitting in my comfortable and safe computer chair won't help their situation which is what prompted me to donate to the redcross today.

If you're interested in lending a helping hand, here is a list of organizations accepting donations:

- InterAction has a list of agencies responding and how to donate to them. Find it here:http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti

- To donate $10 to the American Red Cross, text Haiti to 90999. The amount will be added to your next phone bill. The organization is also accepting donations through its International Response Fund,http://www.redcross.org

- To donate $5 to Wyclef Jean's Haitian Yele charity, text 501501. The money will be added to your next phone bill.

- To find out how to help the International Rescue Committee, visit http://www.theIRC.org or call toll free, 1-877-REFUGEE.

- To donate through Oxfam's emergency appeal, visit: http://www.oxfam.org.uk

R.I.P...So Sad To See You Go :(

Muni Lines that have been discontinued as of 12/5/09. It feels like I've lost long time family friends...

I used to take this bus all throughout my 4 years of high school when I lived on 44th Avenue. And you were HopAlong's favorite busline! Photo by munidave on flickr

My friends and I used to take this bus when we would hang out at Streetlight Records on Haight & Masonic. Photo by munidave on flickr

Sorry I never got to know you better. We only met once. Photo by Whole Wheat Toast on Flickr

You used to take us to Stonestown when my friends and I wanted to hang out at the mall. Photo by munidave on flickr

You dropped HopAlong and I at Alamo Square Park to see the Painted Ladies, the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum at Golden Gate Park. Photo by kodama(home) on flickr

You got me home safely after late night raves and concerts. Photo by Noelster on flickr

City Escape

On the ferry, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It's a rough life!

«More Pics..»

This is HopAlong enjoying the view

This is me cramming for an exam!

This goes to the Muni Streetcars

This is the new Whole Foods in Noe Valley

Stuffing our cakeholes at Barney's

This is Noe Valley at night

This is a billboard in Union Square of a famous Filipino boxer

This is holiday season in union square...

In Line for the Bus

Photo by Plomomedia on flickr

This is My Beautiful San Francisco in 1958

San Francisco 1958 from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.

I found this clip on a blog called SPOTS UNKNOWN, a blog about the forgotten places and people of San Francisco.

In the City All Day

Had to take the car into the city for repairs. After class, I headed to Market Street and watched some old men play chess. I ate sushi at the Westfield Center. Then I went to the mechanics and sat around, watched tranformers on the t.v. I studied. And I waited and waited and waited, and waited.

When the car was finally done, I drove down to the Ferry Building to get some ground beef from Prather Ranch. I got 5 lbs for $25! I twinged a little but certified humane, organic, grass fed local cows are worth it. Then I headed home in bumper to bumper traffic from the Bay Bridge all the way to Berkeley. Oh joy!

I have an exciting life.

Beautiful Bay Area Summer

Another Cloud Reel... from Delrious on Vimeo.

Celebrity Sighting!

What's going on here?

This afternoon I decided to treat myself to a nice lunch so after my exam I took the BART to the Embarcadero. While I was eating lunch al fresco, I saw a crowd of people gather at the plaza stage (see above picture). I thought nothing of it until the fat man with a black t-shirt and a red baseball cap spoke; promoting his new film and proselytizing about the evils of "Capitalism" (in the heart of SF's financial district watering hole that is the Embarcadero). Low and behold, I realized it was Micheal Moore, the infamous muckraking documentary filmmaker!

Here's me trying to bypass security to be a picture whore!

After his tirade, I went to the ferry building to pig out on mint chocolate chip gelato while enjoying the view of the bay...



I had two hours to kill until the next ferry out so I worked on my essay. I love my new netbook!...



Here's me again fondling my netbook on the ferry! Don't be "J"!...

BBC in San Francisco's Mission District

Stereotype much?

This is Civic Center and Little Saigon...

San Francisco's Civic Center is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas (Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza) and a number of buildings in classical architectural style. The Exposition Auditorium is the only remaining building from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The United Nations Charter was signed in the Herbst Theatre here in 1945, leading to the creation of the United Nations. It is also where the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco (the peace treaty that officially ended the Pacific War with the Empire of Japan, which had come to a close in 1945) was signed. It is designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The United Nations Plaza was created in 1975, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway was constructed under Market Street. The 2.6-acre (11,000 m2) pedestrian mall was designed by Lawrence Halprin. -Wikipedia

«Take a tour...»

This is a BART ticket...

...you use it to ride one of these all the way to Civic Center.

This is United Nations Plaza. Today is the arts and crafts market. Wednesdays and Sundays are the Farmer's Market.

This is the Asian Art Museum


This is where you read books and think.

This is the remaining exposition auditorium from the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Now it is a convention center.

This is City Hall

This is Herbst Theater where the United Nations Charter was signed. Now it is a place of performances and lectures

This is a sculpture

This is the opera house

This is the symphony hall

This is the State of California building.

This is where I saw a private screening of Food, Inc. (I had the whole theater to myself.)

This is self explanatory.

This is Little Saigon...

In early 2004, San Francisco officially designated Larkin Street between Eddy and O'Farrell streets as "Little Saigon" (Sài Gòn Nhỏ). Located in the Tenderloin district where 2,000 of the city's 13,000 Vietnamese-American residents live, the two-block stretch is more than 80% Vietnamese-owned. Unlike San Jose, with its larger ethnic Vietnamese population, the ethnic Chinese from Vietnam are well represented in San Francisco due to self-segregation. Banners and directional signs have already been posted. A formal symbolic entrance was erected in July 2008, akin to those for San Francisco's Japantown and Chinatown (albeit smaller). -wikipedia


This is the gateway into Little Saigon

This is the best place to get a Vietnamese sandwich in the city.









This is the place where I ate lunch

This was good and only cost $6.50!

This is why I'm obsessed about food

This is a buddha

...and this is rush hour!