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7月18日 How Do You Grocery Shop?I have a strange feeling that my blog will soon turn into a blog discussing my impromptu grocery shopping habits and how well-intended purchases fall into sad disuse or, more accurately, unuse. Maybe I should seriously consider renaming my blog to "Grocery Shopping in the Silicon Valley..."
At any rate, I was once again grocery shopping at an ungodly hour on a weekday evening, in hopes of filling my empty refrigerator with some healthy items. While I was moseying around the gorcery store with my handy grocery basket, I noticed a lady whose arms were literally full of grocery items amd there was no basket nor shopping cart in sight. It reminded me of the good old days when I rejected all shopping assistance provided by the grocery store. Seeing the lady gave me a glimpse to how I must have looked like to other fellow shoppers.
I took the basket/cart-free approach because I dreaded having to lug all that heavy grocery to the second floor. This approached ensured that only a limited number of items would be purchased. The restrictions were simple to implement, only items that all fit within my two arms at the same time. With the finite amount of items, I could usually avail of the express line for shoppers with 9 items or less. Another perk right there! I also felt strangely proud of my self-discipline to grocery shop with no assistance. However, the downside of this approach is that it necessitated frequent trips to replenish the dangerously low level of inventory at home.
I slowly transitioned to the shopping basket when I began to buy multiple cartons of fluids, namely milk and orange juice. Since I already have the basket, I might as well just throw in some extra items to fill it up. My final surrender to the shopping cart occurred when I bought water from the supermarket. My biggest pet peeve about using the silly cart is that I become one of those people who crowd the store aisles. On a busy day, there could be many carts maneuvering through the store, adding to the human congestion already present. Also, because there is so much free space in the cart, I end up filling it up with unneeded items.
Although I reluctantly acquiesced to the shopping cart, I still dislike pushing that thing in the grocery store. You can say I have a love-hate relationship with the shopping cart. Of course, disposing of the shopping cart after loading your car with the purchased groceries always leaves me in a little moral quandary. Do I leave the shopping cart anchored to the curb, just like any heartless and selfish consumer? Or do I go the extra mile to push it all the way to its rightful resting place, the shopping cart line, usually found in the middle of the parking lot? 7月7日 Looking for a Brown Rice Sushi Roll...This weekend is turning out to be wonderfully low key -- meaning limited social engagements and a wide open calendar. After reluctantly agreeing to watch "Evan Almighty," I headed home with my iPod appropriately playing John Mayer's "Gravity" as my background music. The downside of having a slow weekend is identifying dining options. Busy weekends usually mean pre-set dining plans and although the selected restaurant may not necessarily be up to you to decide on, at least you'll be fed.
Well, this weekend is replete with flexibilities galore, leading to the eventual state of "uh...what am I going to do now?" It was way past dinnertime after the movie and I hadn't eaten so I decided to pass by the grocery store on my way home. I was in search for dinner options and I wanted Brown Rice Sushi Roll. My criteria was very simple, (1) brown rice: required, (2) roll contents: fexible. The only available option was brown rice eel sushi roll, already refrigerated. Cold eel is really not my ideal choice for food, so I passed. I chose rotisserie turkey breast instead. If you ever complained about how dry chicken breast is, turkey breast will succeed in convincing you otherwise. In short, dinner could have been more satisfying.
Besides the turkey breast, I left the grocery store with a healthy box of Kashi Go Lean cereals. I call it the Kashi Lean and Mean Cereal because its taste is how I imagine the flavor of dry dog food. Why subject myself to something like that bright and early every morning? I think it's the messages on the cereal box informing me of how much fiber and protein my body will benefit from by ingesting this one mean cereal. I am working hard to convince myself that if I eat it long enough, maybe I'll grow to like it -- just like all other things in life.
There's one more consumable purchased during this trip which I won't elaborate on. It's included in the picture below of the my late night dinner hunting results. Let me just say that it was like the turkey breast, not very satisfying either. Maybe it was produced in a bad year... 6月16日 Begging to Leave VoicemailPlaying phone tag can be irritating sometimes, but there are moments when you are just begging to leave a voicemail. As you dial that phone number, you're praying that the cell phone you're calling is either turnd off, ignored, or unheard. When that happens, you are blessed with the recorded message prompting you to talk after the beep.
With voicemail, you have the luxury of skipping the small talk and dive right into the main points of your message. The message may be somewhat annoying to deliver in "person" so voicemail provides a convenient escape from lame awkwardness. Of course, you have to take into account the message you are leaving. Typically, I am begging to leave voicemail when I'm replying to an invitation with a last-minute "Opps, sorry I can't make it!" Oftentimes, delivering this message in "person" requires you to give a valid reason. While most reasons provided are valid, there are those bordering on "I just don't feel like it..." and leaving a voicemail saves you from being badgered into giving in with a reluctant "Fine, I'll be there..."
If you're lucky enough to leave a voicemail, you have to remind yourself to mention your name and time. On more than one occasion, I have left rambling voicemails and then upon hanging up, forgotten whether I mentioned my name or not. I hate those moments. I also check my cell phone to see the number of minutes and seconds I was on the phone, just to gauge the extent of rambling to which I had unwittingly subjected someone. 5月15日 Shopping for Baby PresentsMy friends may be late bloomers but right now, I am slowly but surely nearing the phase where adult birthday presents are no longer as important as baby related presents. Let's face it, I'd count myself lucky to be able to hang out with friends who are engrossed in the early stages of parenthood. Most young parents are too busy catering to the demanding but cute, and endlessly feeding and pooping machine. I distinctly remember a parent very succinctly describing the process as bootcamp. Those of us on the sidelines just pop in for occassional visits need to be equipped with proper offerings to the exhausted parents and the cute-as-a-button babies, in the form of presents, compliments, and secretly harbored sympathy/envy. To be well prepared for such a visitation, becoming comfortable with browsing in the baby department is gaining some importance. The first time I had to go to Baby Gap was over 6 years ago when I had to purchase something for my sister's friend's baby. Rather than being taken with the girly cutesy styles and boyish preppy knit vests, I thought I had set foot on an completely alien planet. Everything was shrunk and necessarily cute. Sizes were defined in terms of months. Fellow shoppers looked very different from me. I couldn't wait to get out of there with my purchase. Fast forward 6 years later, I am now going to Baby Gap to prepare for such visitations. Fortunately, that place no longer frightens me but entrances me. They've managed to successfully miniaturize adult clothing, add a little bit of cute, and sell it to loving parents/doting grandparents/clueless single friends of the parents to make a hefty profit. All this in the name of love and the continuation of one's familial lineage. Shopping for baby presents has its charms but is probably not recommended for adults of all ages. Judging by my first visit, I would sincerely advise slowly easing into it. Moving forward, I envision having to expand the gift options to learning materials for ABCs and baby's version of the Theory of Relativity, Lego blocks to stimulate the inner creativity, and board games to tackle real-world scenario/strategy. I'm sure all parents are expecting little Einsteins and Rembrandts to evolve from their precious gene pool. 5月14日 Voluntary Solitary DiningDining alone is something most of us try to avoid at all cost, for fear of looking like some complete loser, for a lack of a gentler term. Dining seems to be one of the many activities wherein company is just as important as food, if not more important. In fact, great company makes dull food taste better; or, dull company makes delicious food taste stale. I had the pleasure of dining solo this past weekend, due to my inability to find someone last minute to dine with. Everyone I knew was somewhere else far away, doing something else. Given all the driving one has to do in the Bay Area, which is nothing compared to LA, calling people up to dine at the spur of the moment does not yield very encouraging results or perhaps I do not wield sufficient social powers, I don't know. At any rate, I found myself standing in front of restaurant in a quaint neighborhood but dinner mate-less. I typically end up in this situation when travelling for work and having to eat out for every single meal. Over the years, I've been able to handle that better as I learned to regard it as an opportunity to experience an unfamiliar town. However, when faced with this exact predicament in the area I live in, I must say it is a little disconcerting because I would hope that I would have enough friends to go around, such that someone may just be as idle or disorganized about the weekend plans as me. Oh well, no such luck for me this weekend so I crossed my fingers for spontaneity to be my guiding light. The prospect of dining solo, though daunting, could not deter me from trying out a restaurant in Russian Hill. I was trying to find new yelping material. Brave though I was, I could not bring myself to take up a table so I opted for the bar instead. Being at a table by myself and surrounded by tables alive with animated conversation was definitely pushing the solitary dining beyond my comfort zone. The juxtaposition was more than I could handle. At any rate, I was armed with sufficient reading material, if I ever got bored. I thankfully had no use of it because the decor in the restaurant, the bar staff and my thoughts kept me well occupied. If I ever am in the mood to dine by myself, I'm sure I'd enjoy it more. 5月8日 Seasonal MemoriesWith the beginnings of the summer heat heralding the inevitable change in seasons, I am usually reminded of events last year or even prior years when the weather was similar. A more simplified version of this is probably memories evoked by scent. Walking past a bakery where the smell of a freshly baked cake reminds you of something your mother made. Or, the texture and flavor of some seafood remind you of your favorite childhood dish. Rather than focusing on just one single sensation, seasonally invoked memories comprise of many little details that paint a full picture and ambiance. For me, leaving home early on a chilly weekend morning reminds me of the crisp spring air in Montreal when I hustled to my 8:30am classes. It's the same reflections I have when going to the driving range, which I have gone for a number of years already. I reminisce about my horribly embarrassing swings and discouragingly bad aim. I usually wonder what I was thinking then, to be going to the driving range so frequently. Trips to Portland during the gloomier seasons reminded me of the Pacific Northwest and how I wish for increased cloud cover and rain to make me happier. This glimpse of the ever expanding summer heat that will engulf us for the rest of summer reminds me of when I went out running last year, after being inactive in the outdoor sports department for a while. I remember my knees hurt after that first run, threatening my complete abandonment of that sport. I blamed it on my old runners. I have since changed it, but haven't put the new and improved shoes to test yet. Maybe I will try that again soon... 5月1日 Spontaneity That Pays OffWhen was the last time you did something completely unexpected and just flew by the seat of your pants? Most of us have the perception that a spontaneous activity must involve something extraordinarily and sensationally different from our routine. Otherwise, it's just another activity that blends in with the rest of our day. Over the years, I'm learning that "extraordinarily different" entails high expectations with regard to the outcome of the activity and if the expectations are not met, that activity leaves us feeling a bit let down. These days, letting go of these unnecessary expectations is required to enable spontaneity take its course. Too often, we over-plan and when the pieces don't fall precisely the way we want them to, the entire activity loses its attraction and consequently morphs into an ugly chore with less than stellar results.
Occasionally breaking the routine is equally important as adhering to one that keeps us sane. Routine serves its purpose of ensuring that the administrative aspects of our own survival are attended to. Breaking out of the routine serves as a means of stimulating our mind by introducing new ideas/concepts about the world around us. Basically, spontaneity takes us out of the mold that we are too comfortable to break out and shows how to enjoy what's outside our protective mold.
An example of spontaneity for me today was when a couple friends and I had dinner at a restaurant (primarily for yelping purposes.) Then, someone mentioned karaoke and we did just that. We goofed around at the karaoke place for a good hour and went home happily. Not much planning went into meeting up for dinner except setting the time and place. The rest just happened on a whim and to me, it is the "non-planning" that never loses its appeal in making spontaneity a huge success. 4月19日 Misc Catching UpI was just recently able to catch up on the unimportant routines in my life, especially those which took the backseat when work and allergies were in the forefront. 1. Yelp Reviews: I don't post daily reviews the way I used to because the novelty has possibly worn off. I would also say that it could also be because of Yelp's popularity, some places already have plenty of reviews and adding my two cents in the overflowing jarful of other two cents does not seem to make that much of a difference. I should probably be more selective about where I waste my time giving my 2 cents as well. 2. Yoga Classes: Well, I missed about 2.5 weeks of classes and cannot stretch the way I used to. Finally showing up again to class yesterday reminded me of why I look forward to these semi-meditative classes. However, the gym's distance from home and other weekend activities is a real deterrent to show up for the weekend classes. Trekking down south on the weekends is really not my idea of fun. I am seriously considering signing up for the Bikram yoga studio that is 10 minutes away from home. 3. Email Purging: Plenty of junk mail accumulated in my mailbox. Besides the obvious spam I receive, I usually keep emails to which I've willingly subscribed. Unfortunately, these emails about online specials are arriving on an almost daily basis rather than the expected weekly basis. I don't need to be reminded of every new item added to the clothing racks! Expired discount coupon codes and completed online sales notifications need to be taken care of. 4. Beauty Products, Again...: As I clean out my email, I chance upon a near-expiring 20% off coupon code from Crabtree & Evelyn. I know that there are some products from that store that I covet and wonder whether or not to indulge. Free time leads to idle thoughts about retail. Must resist! But that unforgettable lotion fragrance beckons me and the 20% coupon sweetly tempts my wallet. All rational thoughts are on the brink of taking flight out of the window. Help! 3月21日 Networking as an AdultI remember the time when I was in college and my conversations with people I met in class revolved around what majors we did, how easy/difficult homeworks were, and where our favorite local pubs were. The conversation starters didn't seem to induce judgement nor were they conversation killers. I wouldn't be turned off by someone who mentioned that they majored in English Lit or Biology. However, as an adult meeting other adults, I find that the rules of engagement have somewhat changed.
As a professional, these conversations now revolve around the following:
1. What we do 2. Where we do what we do
3. How long we've been doing what we do, and sometimes
4. How long it takes to get to where we do what we do: I just love talking about that 101! 5. (Optional) Where and what we studied before we got to do what we do Sometimes, you barely started an abbreviated definition of #1 and the listeners' eyes begin to glaze over. Other times, when your enthralled listeners digested #1, your answer to #2 propels them to boredom-land because the name does not ring a bell and they're ready to move onto to speak with someone with a more branded association. If you get past #1 and #2, and the audience hasn't escaped into the crowd, #3 and #4 is just extra fodder for a hopefully lively conversation. If #3 and #4 don't do the trick, you always have #5 to fall back on. Taking a step back and watching this networking scene playing itself out, you really are left with something akin to a live key word search processed by the human minds under differing social expectations. Namedropping is a the reverse of key word search, in that the key words are deliberately provided to "assist" in your search process. I've been in a number of professional networking events, both fortunately and unfortunately for me. Some people definitely thrive in them because these events provide a medium of hopefully expanding people's social circle in a pseudo-sophisticated environment. I mean, you're not getting to know the person next to you chugging down the beer at some frat party. You're getting to know someone with a glass of wine in hand and some delicately adorned hors d'oeuvres nestled in a white napkin. Networking can be fun if you meet people with whom you share similar interests or common experiences. The best part is when you happen to meet cool people who aren't there specifically to get questions #1-5 answered and move on to the next person in line. In a discussion I had with a friend of mine regarding these networking activities, she wondered why it was so important to people to ask and/or answer these 5 questions I listed above. To her, the answers to these questions seemed to carry excessive weight in that it determined the verdict issued to you as a person -- whether or not you were worth spending the time networking/socializing with. Although I did agree with her sentiments, I honestly didn't know what questions to use instead. I couldn't very well ask a stranger in the networking event what his/her favorite color was, unless I was in a "What's Your Favorite Color" convention. In that case, my profession and related questions would certainly take a backseat. Maybe if I asked what their favorite color/cuisine was, the conversation would take a turn against usual key word search approach. Truthfully, I haven't grasped the secret to enjoying these "fun" networking events as I find them tiresome and the one-upping action that happens isn't quite my cup of tea. Maybe the secret is not caring what your audience thinks about you after responding to their probing questions... 3月14日 Grocery Shopping at 10pm on a WeeknightMost of us do our grocery shopping at more Godly hours such as on a weekend afternoon or on our way home after the an early day off work. I think everyone should try at least one full-fledged grocery shopping trip at 10pm on a weekday evening. I speak from experience because I've had the pleasure of doing that a few times. The upsides for such a trip are avoiding the weekend crowd, long lines at the cashier, and the sometimes empty shelves. You can actually enjoy some solitude as you leisurely read the sodium content of loaf of whole wheat bread. You could waltz right to the produce section without bumping into anyone (I've never done that, but it would be interesting to witness...) You wouldn't have to pick up People magazine and read it as you wait in line because there is...no line. It's during the evenings when they actually stock the shelves! So, you'd be in luck if they ran out of your favorite cereals during the day because they're stocking it in the evening. The downside is that the fresh meat/fish section as well as the deli tend to be closed by then. So would the pharmacy section and the dry cleaners. But, if you could take separate short trips for those tasks.
Usually those of us lingering in the grocery store at that 10pm either (1) are shopping for emergency/last minute items, (2) have an odd work schedule, (3) are too dead tired from a long day to care about checking off our grocery lists, or (4) have a super empty refrigerator and are scrounging for any viable food options as most restaurants aren't serving past 9:30pm. The eerie silence that is somewhat uncharacteristic of the usually bustling grocery store takes a little getting used it. At the same time, you can't help but wonder why the other people are in the grocery store doing what you're doing...even though you know all the reasons why it's OK for you to be shopping so late. For those in-and-out grocery shoppers who are done in an average of less than 15 minutes, I'm sure shopping at 10pm can get you out of the grocery in an unprecedented neck-breaking speed. 3月1日 Price of Working Long HoursI'm fortunate these days that I don't have to work irregular hours because I don't have to travel for work as much as I used to. Once you're stuck on the road, you're on the clock the moment you leave your home up until the moment you tuck yourself into the hotel bed. Don't forget that dining with your colleagues/clients is not really downtime. Non-travelling professionals work long hours depending on the phase of an internal project. Whatever the case may be, there is a price to pay for the extra hours dedicated to meeting deadlines. Of course, I'm not advocating sticking to a solid 9-to-5 routine and checking out once the clock strikes 5pm. We still have to pay our dues in the form of long hours, difficult projects/clients, or various challenges. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a sense of self-accomplishment and self-satisfaction. However, at some point in time, one has to know where to draw the line and acknowledge the unhealthy imbalance in one's life.
The first thing to go with the imbalance is health -- you're taking shortcuts with your meals and sleeping less. Health is very important because if you're not in good health, the amount of effort you can contribute to your job dimishes. Before you know it, you're the bottleneck more than the facilitator. We all know to take our car in for regular oil changes to keep our car in good working order. Our health should have an even higher priority than our car maintenance schedule.
The second thing sacrified is our social existence. Now, it does not really end up being that severe, but it can be quite depressing. Dinner/lunch appointments are postponed or cancelled. Before you know it, you've been dropped from your friends' evite lists. It's not really a sign that you're no longer welcome, but it's just that your friends can't depend on you to make an appearance. Just in case you think you're just another name on the lengthy evite list, you're not. People actually want you to show up.
Sometimes just when you think working is difficult, you find out that living a balanced lifestyle is even more challenging. You can't be too relaxed but you can't be too stressed either. Striking that balance really requires plenty of self-awareness -- acknowledging compromises made and fully comprehending its costs. Unfortunately that comes in all shades of gray... 2月27日 Friendly NeighborsLiving in the Bay Area means that sometimes you're not fortunate enough to live close to your friends. For me, I have a cluster of friends living in South Bay and a handful in the City. In the beginning, I despised the thought of having to drive for 20-30 minutes just to meet friends in South Bay for lunch/dinner during the weekends because I already commuted there for work (against my will.) When my weekends were involved, I was always more selective about where I went because I could ultimately choose not to drive more than 10 minutes. If I were to see my friends at all, that meant that my friends would have to do more driving, which isn't entirely fair because they commute to work themselves. After these past few years, I've surrendered to the situation at hand and have been more open to driving around during the weekends. Recently, one of my closer friends told me that he and his brother had moved right into my neighborhood! How exciting! Not only is that a great convenience to have friends living closer by for SFO pick-up/drop-off duties, weekend carpooling, and quick bites at the neighborhood stops, it also means that I can trap my friend and his bro into playing Scrabble with me. Yes, I just used the word "trap" because I'm sure they're probably more preoccupied with their social lives than to play silly board games with me. Right when the awkward moment of "it's getting a little late..." strikes, I'll whip out the Scrabble board and assign seats at the dining table. It'll happen so quickly they won't be able to complete that sentence. But, in return, they'll have the pleasure of my absolutely divine company (a hard sell for some), pre-packaged dinner of sorts (canned soup, why not?), and googling words we make up out of sheer desperation for scores. That's what friendly neighbors are for...and maybe that's why my friends have been fortunate enough to live 20-30 minutes away from me... 1月19日 Turning 30I recently just turned 30, which is a landmark for all men and women. But, it seems to be a bigger deal for women as people generally believe this age affects a woman's overall attractiveness. Of course, I beg to differ... As one of my closest friends Vancouver emailed me her birthday wishes, she also asked me what my overall goals/plans are for such a "momentous" event of my life...and here's my email response to her: ------------------------------------------------------------------ "My 30th birthday celebration basically is composed of a dinner taking place this Saturday evening with my friends and a separate Vegas trip. I'm doing a joint birthday dinner with another girl, so that'll be fun. Then, next week, my silly friends and I are going to Vegas. I didn't plan anything that exciting, but while I was having dinner with my 3 guy friends and they decided that we all had to go to Vegas. So, it's me and 3 couples (1 married, 1 engaged, and 1 dating.) They asked me to bring someone and I'm like -- that's not necessary, just one please! I'm not interested in sharing a bed or coordinating shoe shopping activities with another individual, unless I'm related to them by blood. Birthday wishes -- I'd say I've decided to take men out of the equation for now. So, here goes... (1) Health: physical and mental health. So, definitely taking better care of my body (can't let the age show now!) and eating properly. (2) Develop a sound interest in other aspects of life to be come more well rounded (don't want to sound like dumb chick when I open that mouth!) (3) Save $$: Don't give in to Corporate America's attempts at robbing me blind in the mall, especially after they send me all the coupons and additional 60% off emails. Ultimately, as much of a rat race this world is, I will humbly admit that I'm part of it. So, here's my goal: When I walk into a room, I want people to look at me and think one of these three phrases: 1. "Whoa, she's 30? No way...." 2. "She leads such a fun life...I wish I could get rid of my husband/fiance/boyfriend and be free as a bird like her!" 3. "She's 30, single and happy? What's up with that?" -------------------------------------------------- To complete this post, I can't help by include a link to a recent NYTimes article about single women in America...just to drive a point home! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/us/16census.html?ex=1169787600&en=95bd532b164eb404&ei=5070&emc=eta1 |
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