Happy 2012!

Another year gone, another year began.

How to start?

First of all, we started it right - with champagne in our hands. Sure, The Guy and The Kid had the non-alcoholic stuff, but I drank enough of the real thing for the three of us. Instead of staying in tonight, we opted to go out and celebrate with some friends. How's that for starting it right?

I'm actually looking forward to this New Year. I intend to kick ass and paaaaartaaay! Heh. Actually, I intend to kick ass and not party as much. Lots to get done this year that partying too much might just get in the way.

Anyway, here's to 2012. May it be good to all of us!

Interracial Marital conversations

When we got home from shopping, the kid excitedly showed her dad her new doll.

Him: "Why did you get her a white baby doll?"

Me: "Coz they are cheaper. The black dolls are not on sale."

Him: "What about the Asian baby dolls?"

Me: "They didn't have any. It's too exotic."

Bringing Spring To Me

Bringing Spring To Me, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

The trees are beginning to bloom in the northeast, and it's finally getting warmer outside. However, I'm in such a gloom lately - overwhelmed with a lot of things - that I could use anything to lift my spirits. Today, it's these magnolia flowers, clippings from my friend's tree.

Aren't they beautiful?

Kauai - Day 4, 5 and 6

We saw everything on the top half of our list, and we're running out of time. Instead of rushing to see everything else, we just decided to relax and enjoy the rest of the time we have left on the island. Afterall, if we see everything this time around, then it won't give me much reason to come back, soon, right?

Kauai perfect., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Hands down, my favorite photo from the trip. Our last night in Kauai, and this is the last shot I took of this magical place. With all its imperfections, it couldn't be any more perfect. This picture, and Kauai itself.

Day 4, 5 and 6 was like this:

Day 4

• Breakfast at Poipu Tropical Burgers - won't be going back
• Decided, for day 4, we'll stay local. Stay on Poipu beach, spend time at the pool
• Spouting Horn
• Bought the kid's 2011 ornament
• Poipu Beach - the kid LOVED it
• Ate Puka Dog for lunch
• Pool at the hotel
• Farmer's market - bought more fruit!
• Dinner at Merriman's - the husband liked it, I didn't
• Husband picked a banana from a tree for the kid

Day 5

• Breakfast at our room balcony - mango, caimito, papaya, pomelo, and star fruit, before we hit the road for some coffee and breakfast sandwiches
• Banana Joes - STRIKE 1. No ripe papaya means no smoothies.
• Guava Plantation - STRIKE 2 and replaced with a cafe. How sad is that?
• Beach by St. Regis in Princeville - STRIKE 3. No parking available.
• Anini beach - a great consolation for all those disappointment
• More bird chasing
• Dinner at Oasis. Best meal so far.
• Awesome sunset
• Finally, pointing out a sugar cane plant, still in the ground, to the husband and resisted every urge to just start hacking at the plant so he can have a taste of what its like fresh versus sitting in the refrigerator for days.

Day 6

• Last day...
• Breakfast at Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee company. We decided it was the best breakfast place we've been to on the island. No fuss.
• Back to Poipu beach and the pool where I discovered that my kid has no fear and complete trust on me and her dad, and wished I was the same...
• More Puka dogs
• More Papalani gelato. No, they still didn't have the sour cream flavor, and I was ok with that
• Drive to the airport for our flight out
• And, that was that.

I want to go back...

At the Spouting Horn Park, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Spouting Horn, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

"Banana, Daddy, banana. Please.", originally uploaded by gealouxy.

The Girl and Her Treasures, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Spotted Dove, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Itsy Bird, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

The story of the sour cream gelato., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

NO FEAR, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

She kept on wanting to swim away even though the water was way over her head. There were a few times when she jumped from the edge of the pool, she went under, and when her dad pulled her out, she screamed, "Again, Daddy, again!".

I just hope that her daddy will always be there to catch her when she falls, or pull her up when she's down.

Kauai - Day 3

Day 3, and I'm getting so used to being in Kauai. We now have a routine - wake up with the roosters, get dressed, hop in the car, breakfast, and then decide on which direction of the island to explore. Northeast. Today, we're heading northeast

Day 3 was like this:

• Skip the big breakfast - coffee, scones and croissants instead


• Fresh coconut, plucked from the tree, by the husband


• Banana joes smoothies


• Also bought some fresh banana and oranges to bring back to the hotel. This becomes part of the routine - find fresh fruit, bring back to hotel to snack on.


• Kilauea Lighthouse


• Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge


• Lunch at Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza


• Waterfalls x2: Wailua and Opaeka'a Falls


• Dinner at Kiibo - another hole in the wall. Food was ok, not going back.


• Stopped by saimin - smelled like chicken in there. Since the hubs doesn't eat chicken, and i wasn't up to smelling like chicken, and we just had dinner, we skipped the noodles (que horror!) and settled to just bring back some lilikoi pie.


• Turned in early, again.

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Taken from the Kilauea Lighthouse vantage point. Every white speck you see is some sort of bird. It would have been nice if we were closer. I imagine, though, that it would have smelled like a bird's ass as well. Also, I would have taken a picture of the lighthouse itself, except that it was under repair and, as a result, looked nothing like you'd write home about.

He climbed and took two coconuts for me to enjoy., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

He must really like me, this guy.

Banana Joe's in Kilauea, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

I was told that the best smoothie on the planet can be found here. I've never been to many places on the planet, but I can tell you that the smoothie - don't make the mistake of asking "What flavors are there?" as they only have one - was definitely awesome. Too good, in fact, that we drove back (our hotel was a good hour away) two days after to have more. Sadly, they didn't have any fresh papayas. So, no smoothie. Boo.

Purple flowers outside Banana Joe's, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

This bird has a Facebook page., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Her name is Daphne. And, she has some 80+ fans on her Facebook page. Quite friendly. At the Kong Lung Market Center in Kilauea - Kauai, Hawaii.

Some interesting flowers at the the Kong Lung Market Center area in Kilauea - Kauai, Hawaii.

A bud within a bud..., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Red orange cluster, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

What is it that makes a lotus so poetic on its own?, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Lobsterclaw Heliconia, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Another tree, even better than the first one., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

From lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel. On our way back, we saw signs for the Wailua and Opaeka'a waterfalls. So, we decided to go.

The sign says, "...people have been killed". Is it because of the slippery rocks, or the bullets that pierced this sign?, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

One of my guidebook said to ignore the warning sign: go ahead and climb down the waterfalls, if you dare. I told the guy he can try, and we'll wave to him from the top along with the rest of the tourists. He took one look down and assumed I was trying to get rid of him. Kauai, Hawaii.

At the Wailua Falls Lookout, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Wailua Falls, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Recognize it? Only if you watched Fantasy Island.

Twisted, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

An attempt for something artistic. Or, something. Whatever makes more sense. Taken while the guy checks out the route I wanted him to take down to the waterfall, just before he said "I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes here, and you're taking a picture???". He can be so dramatic sometimes.

Something simple, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Opaeka'a Falls, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

At the Opaeka'a Falls Lookout, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Two waterfalls in one day. It could be luck. Or, it could be Kauai.

Kauai - Day 2

Our 2nd day on the island and Kauai was taking me farther and farther from reality. I didn't think of work. I didn't think of home. I didn't think of anything. I was just there with the two people I love the most.

Day 2 was like this:

• Woke up early, again, at 530AM. The roosters were starting to grow on me.
• Breakfast at Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee company.
• Drove to the western side of the island this time where we passed by leftover sugarcanes swaying at the side of the road, and the Kauai coffee plantation. We were planning to stop by on the way back to the south side, but we chose to skip in favor of hanging out at the beach instead.
• Checked out Waimea Canyon from Waimea Canyon Lookout.
• Took our first - and only - family picture for this vacation.

Waimea Canyon, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

At the Waimea Canyon Lookout, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

• And then we headed to the Puu Hinahina Lookout.
• At this lookout, we chased chickens with the kid.
• She also sat high up on a tree for the first time.

At the Puu Hinahina Lookout for the Waimea Canyon, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Waimea Canyon from Puu Hinahina Lookout, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Roosters, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Roosters, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

• The kid saw her first waterfall, the Waipo'o Falls, at the unsigned Pu'u Ka Pele lookout.
• Lunch at the Shrimp Station. It was a dive, and the flies bothered me, but the food was decent. We ordered the shrimp burger and the shrimp taco and walked away very satisfied. I'd consider going back again. Sadly, I think the flies will still be there. If you don't mind swatting at them every five seconds, then do try it.

The Shrimp Station, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Red Hibiscus at the Shrimp Station, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

• Milkshakes at Koloa Mill.
• Pool and beach again.
• Dinner at Roy's where the kid ate edamame, seared ahi, crab cakes, salmon teriyaki, broccoli and rice. Next to us, two kids ate spaghetti - no sauce - with cheese. Was it my future staring me in the face? I hope not.
• Sleeping by 830PM.

Kauai - Day 1

After almost 20 hours of travel time, we reached Kauai at last.

Day 1 was like this:

Beach Girl, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

• Went to bed to the kid whispering "Mom, I want to go home".
• Woke up to sounds of the roosters, and to whispers of "Mom, hear that? Chicken!" at 5AM.
• Pleasant breakfast at Red Salt.
• Chickens - chics, hens and roosters! - all over the place!
• Long drive in the Mustang to the north side of the island, as far as the road took us, to Ke'e Beach.
• Exploring the Maniniholo Dry Cave.
• Seeing the kid enjoy the beach for the first time at the Ha'ena Beach Park.
• Lunch at the Hanalei Gourmet.
• Stops at two farmers market where sampled all sorts of fruits, and bought fresh fruits to snack on - mangoes, coconut, caimitos.
• Pointing out fruit trees I recognized from growing up in a tropical place.
• Being able to see my kid enjoy the same fruits I enjoyed when I was a kid.
• Hanging out at the pool with the kid, enjoying hearing her squeals of delight, which makes the "i want to go home" whispers fade away in a distance.
• Dinner at Red Salt, again, only this time wasn't as pleasant as breakfast. The kid was exhausted, and wasn't holding back in showing it - screams! whines! - and a DVF top completely ruined.
• Falling asleep at 10PM. Happy. Content.

A horse without a name, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Maniniholo Dry Cave, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Maniniholo Dry Cave, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Ha'ena Beach Park, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Daddy's Girl, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

On Relationships

There's always tomorrow., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Keeping a relationship together is like doing the number two: it should never be forced, and should just happen naturally.

Fortunately, when you get constipated, there's over-the-counter laxatives you can get.

Someone should come up with a laxative for relationships. So we can easily flush out people who are weighing us down.

Update: Pandesal

Tonight, I thought I failed twice..., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Update on the previous post:

They came out good! The first batch was better, obviously. What with the missing cup of flour in the second batch. But the cheese on top of the second one made it good as well.

I'll be making these again.

I hate baking!

Tonight, I decided to make pandesal (Filipino version of salt bread). A friend in New Zealand made some and posted the recipe on her blog. I got cocky. If she can do it, then I can to. So, I went out and bought yeast.

I followed the directions - and paused when it said to knead the dough. Uhhhh... how do you knead? Again, I got cocky and proceeded to "knead" the way I thought kneading is supposed to be done. I set the dough aside.

It said to leave it for an hour. So, I've got some time to kill.

I went on YouTube and decided to look up "how to knead".

And, boy, did I get it wrong.

So, I left the dough alone, willing it to effing rise. While it's sitting there, I decided to make ANOTHER batch. This time, I will knead it as YouTube has showed me. I followed the directions again, except this time, I'M A FULL CUP SHORT OF FLOUR.

[Insert screaming and grunting here]

I put the 2nd batch in another bowl, and will leave it alone to see if it does anything.

Two big IFs.

I mean, why fail only once per night, right?

I'll let you know how it goes.

Liar

I'm pretty sure, this is NOT good for me.

Or anyone, for that matter.

Nevertheless, happy Valentine's day.

Missing Grandaddy...

Wisdom over cake and candlelights, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

I posted this photo on December 16, 2007. Back then, Grandaddy was healthy and in pretty good spirit. He passed away last year, and it was a loss I took pretty hard. He was the kindest person I know, in the most sincere way.

This is the text that I posted with the photo. I miss him dearly.

I think I was more excited about our recent trip to NC than he was. It was his family that we went to visit but it was me that benefited from the long drive down. One afternoon was spent listening to Andrea Bocceli, Renee Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti, Charlotte Grace (prior to her pop crossover), and the likes, over coffee. Another was spent walking through the arboretum, taking a final look at the gardens before the frost wilt everything away.

And the meals, simple but delicious, were made even more special by the conversations that came with it. I couldn't help but smile at the exchanges between the three generations I was sitting with. I enjoyed listening to them banter with each other.

My most favorite during this trip? The couple of times I sat down with grandaddy and talked "photography". He's been taking excellent pictures way before most of us were born, yet he considers himself an amateur, still. Before we left, he sat me down once again and handed me an envelope with some of his most recent favorite shots. And then wished me luck with my new hobby.

I couldn't help but tear up a bit when he hugged me goodbye...

Reminders of summer...

Reminders of summer..., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

This past summer, the girl collected rocks from all over the yard, and maybe some from the neighbors as well. They are scattered about the house, and here are the ones resting by the kitchen window over the sink, overlooking our frozen backyard. I'm sure, like us, these rocks are longing to be outside in the warm sun. Soon enough... soon enough.

J E A N - G E O R G E S

Jean-Georges, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

It's not fair that I wrote about Daniel before I wrote about Jean-Georges. I mean, it is only my most favorite place to go to for lunch when I'm in New York City. I think, it's mostly because I'm being selfish. I don't want Jean-George to turn into one of those restaurants that everyone goes to. When a place becomes like that, quality suffers in while the restaurant tries to accommodate the masses. Not that Jean-Georges Vongerichten will ever let that happen. At least, I hope he won't.

Jean-Georges offers an option of two dishes from his lunch menu at a pre-fixe price. Most of the dishes are the smaller versions of what they offer for dinner. This in itself makes it an awesome deal, but what makes Jean-Georges' lunch really good is the fact that you're still getting a three Michelin star experience at the price of what those belt-pouch wearing tourists get for lunch at TGI Friday's.

Jean-Georges, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

I almost always get the Coach Farms Goat Cheese Gnocchi with caramelized baby artichokes in a lemon and olive oil emulsion. It's rich and I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack two hours after I eat it, but, trust me, it's delicious.

Foie Gras Brulee with rhubarb juice, pineapple raisins and sichuan peppercorn, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

The Foie Gras Brulee is addictive, but you can never have more than what they serve you. Especially if you're having the goat cheese gnocchi in the same meal. You'll really be in trouble then.

Jean-Georges - Parmesan risotto with mushroom and herbs., originally uploaded by gealouxy.

If you must have some real carbs, then the parmesan risotto is definitely a must. The citrus flavor will help cut through all the fat in the other dishes. It's not heavy at all, and tastes refreshing.

Jean-Georges - Parmesan Crusted Confit Leg of Chicken served on artichoke with a basil and lemon butter sauce, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

There are two things I never order when I eat out: salmon and chicken. I think I've only ordered chicken from Pio Pio - a friend served it for lunch and it was delicious. So, whenever I go to the restaurant, it's what I order and I douse it with that spicy Peruvian sauce. Anyway, we ordered the parmesan-crusted leg of chicken. I thought it was going to be boring, but the cheese crust and the lemony butter sauce put it to another level. The first time I ordered it wasn't the last time I had it.

Jean-Georges - Red Snapper crusted with nuts and seeds with sweet and sour jus, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

The snapper with nuts and seeds crust is another favorite. It's perfect - from the crust, to the fish, to the pearl onion and cherry tomatoes, to the light-in-texture-yet-rich-in-taste broth they pour around it. It's so delicious my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

They usually have four dessert combinations on the lunch menu. They are all good, but not as impressive as the main items on the menu. Most of the time, I usually just get my coffee and enjoy the house marshmallow, the macarons and the petit fours they serve in the end.

Jean-Georges - The Garden dessert, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Jean-Georges - Chocolate dessert, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Marshmallow lady at Jean-Georges, originally uploaded by gealouxy.

Jean-Georges - Petit fours, originally uploaded by gealouxy.