Stu stu studioh!

Ah, home.

I love our little studio and have always wanted to post some pics of our place. Well, I finally found time last week (read: alone at home and BORED).

So without further ado...
(Yes, you need to click on the pic to lead you to other shots)

Goodbye Nelson... Hello Mr. Fong!

It's no secret: Bebs and I love good food and enjoy the thrill of discovering new restos, trying new dishes, AND finding that ultimate cheap dining experience.

For some time now, we have been a frequent patron of Nelson's, somewhat an underdog among Burlingame's row of upscale restaurants. The place isn't much of a looker... in fact, it isn't at all. It's a small graying Chinese joint where all Orientals, UPS delivery guys, and (some) Mexicans congregate for lunch. And why not? They boast of good authentic Chinese food in hefty portions, all for an average of $5.50 a meal. Trust me, that's a sweet deal in San Francisco. Not to mention your meal comes with a bowl of soup and a pot of jasmine tea. Sweet deal indeed.

So a few days ago Bebs and I head there for an early dinner (read: after-six diet), and there to greet us was an unusual letter taped to the glass door,

After 16 years of service to its Burlingame community,
Nelson's Restaurant finally closes its door on February 20, 2005...

My heart sank. Apparently, their landlord kicked them and the taco place to make way for Crate and Barrel. Now why would you do that?? There's a friggin Pottery Barn right across, there's surely no need for more overpriced kitchenware! Not when you need payday to afford the restaurants left in the strip! Chalk up another point to screwing the little guys again, why don't cha! Grrr.

Obviously, I was affected. A bit more than I should have been, maybe. D Day is in three days, so we plan to go there for our final meal and bid them all farewell. Ah, Burlingame. Though beautiful show rooms will soon replace the dirty white walls of Nelson's, I'm sure my dining experience won't ever be the same. Sniff, sniff.

Fast forward to the present.

So Bebs drove me to my errands (for work) today and we decided to have lunch at a Chinese place on Edgewater. Mr. Fongs. The place was even smaller than Nelson's. The tables were way flimsy, and ours was literally blocking half the door. My back and butt suffered the winter chill each time a customer came in, which was frequent. I saw a row of roasted ducks hanging on one of them steel rods so I ordered that, while Bebs got himself some Wonton soup, and pork and shrimp dumplings for appetizers.

I'm sorry, but after that meal, Nelson's was far from my mind. Hello Mr. Fongs! Wahooo! My roasted duck on rice was HUGE. And well worth the $5.95. Shrimp dumplings were juicy and bursting with shrimps, and Bebo's Wonton soup was, well... Let's just say I've never seen so many wontons in one bowl before. Haha!

Oh, how quickly we forget. hehe. Don't get me wrong though, I'll truly miss good ole Nelson's. But hey, if it's your time, it's your time!

Mr. Fongs will keep me company ;)

Toys for the big girls.

Man, I haven't even bought myself this dreamboat yet...


...They have to make a new new baby I gotta lust after!


Sigh. Sometimes I think life would be so much simpler if technology didn't have to outdo itself every few months.

Need a ride?

Such a great way to start the morning! I successfully drove halfway to work today and am just so pleased with myself I had to share it. hahah. I used to be so freaked out at the thought of driving alongside real drivers that my previous attempts were always in a state of panic.

...Ofcourse, I didn't mention that my office is literally only five minutes away from home. So if I drove halfway, that would really be only two minutes and a half of street time... Not to mention the route is almost always dead. But hey, give me a bone here and be proud just the same ;)

Thanks are in order to my new driving coach, Jackie, who took me out for practice last night and fed me some amazing pasta.

Now on to work..

Resolutions are good.

Document life. Take more pictures.

I've taken this personal resolution to heart, so since the start of the year I have been clicking away at just about anything. Life is short! There's a strange urgency to document 2005, so doggone it I'm filling up my picture database this year... and well, hone my skills while doing so.

Speaking of which, I got a call for a photo shoot last week from one of them Pinoy broadcast media moguls. Unfortunately the deal fell through, and though I was a little disappointed, I have resolved to be better at this craft so that I can eventually command my own rates. Ah yes, (shakes fist) the day will come when I will actually be paid good money to do something I love.

Relax... take more vacations... enjoy life.

In keeping with the aforementioned resolution and the new one directly above, we visited Vi Sattui in Napa last week for some wine and cheese. Check out ze pics.

Will post more pics in my next entries, so keep watch ;)