Every year I find the trek to Charleston to see family over the Christmas holidays to be too stressing and taxing on me. Besides the frenetic schedules and constant driving, there's always the issues of how much time to "allot" to each family. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so we do what we can.
This year was exceptionally quiet. My father is anticipating surgeries in the next couple of months and my mother is also having her complications associated with getting older. Everyone is I guess. They didn't even bother with putting up a tree this year because of all the work involved.
We started out trip staying with El's family and had dinner, opened presents and then went to bed. We skipped Midnight Mass this year. I was too wiped out from the drive to make it. It was the first time in how many years since I was little that we didn't go. I opted for bed. THe next morning we got up had brunch with her family and proceeded to my family's place.
We had lunch, chatted and opened more presents and unexpectedly I crashed out AGAIN. After snoozing on the couch for half an hour I woke up and it was time for dinner. Geez. We ate and went back to El's place. We hung out with her relatives and then went back to bed.
This year has been mentally and physically straining on El and I. Besides our regular day to day we also had to manage our fledgling catering business and cope with three back to back to back hurricanes. We barely have any time to ourselves and just relax. Next year I'll do better to make it different.
Back to Christmas...
I got sick. Ear infection, fever, etc. Couldn't sleep very well which made me very tired and irritable on the way back to Florida. And to boot there was another accident on I-95 which made our 6 hour trip into a 9 hour trip. It never fails during a holiday.
We got home late and fatigued. I felt bad for El who I know was tired, but I couldn't do anything. She had to unload most of the baggage. I just wanted to eat, bundle up and go to bed.
Today I decided to tough it out and go to work since I had alot of loose ends. Plus, El's relatives are here in Orlando today and may come by the house. Oh and El's birthday party is on New Year's Eve and I've still got a lot to do. I love this time of year.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
brownbag
It's no secret to most people thaat know me that I love to cook and aspire to one day open up our own restaurant/catering service.
My father is a fantastic chef and once made plans to open up something in Charleston, SC, but things happen and once we moved overseas his dream was never realized. I've decided to take up that dream in his honor.
Fast forward to my college years. To pay my way through art school I was lucky enough to be hired by a family owned restaurant, called The Lady and Sons. With no experience whatsoever I worked my way up from busboy to server to night manager and even asked to partner up with the owners to open a new restaurant in Savannah's sister city, Charleston! All in my first year working there!
Paula Deen and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, were very much like my family while I stayed in Savannah for 5 years while I attended school. I was truly lucky to work for such an amazing family who welcomed me in and put so much trust into someone who had no prior experience. When Paula initially asked me to open a new location in SC I was quite honored and shocked. Now you ask - who is Paula Deen? She is author of several Random House recipe books that are best sellers and featured frequently on QVC, New York Times, The Today Show amongst others. She also has a cooking show on the Food Network, called Paula's Home Cooking. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving family.
Unfortunately, I took the longer road to personal success and decided to pursue my career in graphic design in Florida. Quite happy with the progression of my design, the restaurant bug never left me. For almost a year now, I've introduced and managed a catering service, named brownbag. Once a week, I cater to The Golf Channel for a set number of people and feature all kinds of dishes. It can range from Italian to Japanese to American fare and so on. It's been a success. The response has been mostly positive and has only heightened my desire to begin our dreams of one day opening one of our own restaurants.
I realize it's hard work and the odds are against us that it'll be successful. If it fails it won't be for lack of desire or hard work. Today El and I decided to thank our "clients/guinea pigs" with a comped lunch. Today we featured our famous Chicken Chunk Sandwich on Marbled Rye or Wheat; a tossed salad with olive oil and vinaigrette; and a delicious homemade 15 bean soup - my first foray into soups. Everyting turned out awesome - the chafing dishes and pans were cleaned out! Sadly, the holiday season has taken a toll on us and we need some rest. Also because the recent hurricanes hurt Florida crops, produce is very pricey. I may resume brownbag in the Spring, but of course, nothing is for certain. Anyways, our customers deserved a little Christmas "thank you" for their support and interest so this was our way of saying so.
My father is a fantastic chef and once made plans to open up something in Charleston, SC, but things happen and once we moved overseas his dream was never realized. I've decided to take up that dream in his honor.
Fast forward to my college years. To pay my way through art school I was lucky enough to be hired by a family owned restaurant, called The Lady and Sons. With no experience whatsoever I worked my way up from busboy to server to night manager and even asked to partner up with the owners to open a new restaurant in Savannah's sister city, Charleston! All in my first year working there!
Paula Deen and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, were very much like my family while I stayed in Savannah for 5 years while I attended school. I was truly lucky to work for such an amazing family who welcomed me in and put so much trust into someone who had no prior experience. When Paula initially asked me to open a new location in SC I was quite honored and shocked. Now you ask - who is Paula Deen? She is author of several Random House recipe books that are best sellers and featured frequently on QVC, New York Times, The Today Show amongst others. She also has a cooking show on the Food Network, called Paula's Home Cooking. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving family.
Unfortunately, I took the longer road to personal success and decided to pursue my career in graphic design in Florida. Quite happy with the progression of my design, the restaurant bug never left me. For almost a year now, I've introduced and managed a catering service, named brownbag. Once a week, I cater to The Golf Channel for a set number of people and feature all kinds of dishes. It can range from Italian to Japanese to American fare and so on. It's been a success. The response has been mostly positive and has only heightened my desire to begin our dreams of one day opening one of our own restaurants.
I realize it's hard work and the odds are against us that it'll be successful. If it fails it won't be for lack of desire or hard work. Today El and I decided to thank our "clients/guinea pigs" with a comped lunch. Today we featured our famous Chicken Chunk Sandwich on Marbled Rye or Wheat; a tossed salad with olive oil and vinaigrette; and a delicious homemade 15 bean soup - my first foray into soups. Everyting turned out awesome - the chafing dishes and pans were cleaned out! Sadly, the holiday season has taken a toll on us and we need some rest. Also because the recent hurricanes hurt Florida crops, produce is very pricey. I may resume brownbag in the Spring, but of course, nothing is for certain. Anyways, our customers deserved a little Christmas "thank you" for their support and interest so this was our way of saying so.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
"You like reaching into your pocket and only feeling your leg???"
-quoted from George Washington Duke, Promoter Extraordinaire, Rocky V
This time of year always puts a hurting on me financially more so than others I imagine. In addition to it being the holiday season, El is also a New Year's Eve baby. So she always makes out like a bandito this time of year - Christmas presents and birthday presents. Of course, I always try to get her something she'd like.
This year will be different in that I plan on hosting a shindig to celebrate New Year's Eve and her 33rd birthday. Friends and family will travel from around the country to help celebrate. Since I'm not making it into a gigantic extravanaganza, I plan on some really topnotch details.
Sample menu...
• Panko & Pisatchio encrusted Basa with a Ber Blanc sauce • Beef Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce • Crab Cakes in a Black Bean Salsa • Leche Flan topped with fresh berries • Chicken Chunk Finger Sandwiches on Marbled Rye • Pecan Encrusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish • Southwestern Chicken Eggrolls • Calamari with Marinara • and on and on
I also plan on serving only wines (Cabernets/Merlots, Rieslings, Chardonnays, Pinot Grigio) and some bubbly to toast off to. Mostly, it's wines El and I have sampled over the years and enjoyed.
Even the decor, which is themed, will be a secret until the evening of. I plan on having El take everyone out to a theme park (Disney or such) while I prepare the house for the festivities. All I can say is the event will be based on good fortune for the upcoming year.
I would've liked to have had all of our friends and family here as a mini reunion, but I realize this time of year is tricky as far as scheduling. Still a good many of them will make the trek. All of the repairs and updates to the house has, in a way, been in anticipation of this event. I know El didn't want to make a big deal out of her birthday, but slowly she is getting into it. I hope she and everyone else enjoys what I 've got planned out - she truly deserves it. All I know is it's a nice sized dent in the wallet...
This time of year always puts a hurting on me financially more so than others I imagine. In addition to it being the holiday season, El is also a New Year's Eve baby. So she always makes out like a bandito this time of year - Christmas presents and birthday presents. Of course, I always try to get her something she'd like.
This year will be different in that I plan on hosting a shindig to celebrate New Year's Eve and her 33rd birthday. Friends and family will travel from around the country to help celebrate. Since I'm not making it into a gigantic extravanaganza, I plan on some really topnotch details.
Sample menu...
• Panko & Pisatchio encrusted Basa with a Ber Blanc sauce • Beef Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce • Crab Cakes in a Black Bean Salsa • Leche Flan topped with fresh berries • Chicken Chunk Finger Sandwiches on Marbled Rye • Pecan Encrusted Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish • Southwestern Chicken Eggrolls • Calamari with Marinara • and on and on
I also plan on serving only wines (Cabernets/Merlots, Rieslings, Chardonnays, Pinot Grigio) and some bubbly to toast off to. Mostly, it's wines El and I have sampled over the years and enjoyed.
Even the decor, which is themed, will be a secret until the evening of. I plan on having El take everyone out to a theme park (Disney or such) while I prepare the house for the festivities. All I can say is the event will be based on good fortune for the upcoming year.
I would've liked to have had all of our friends and family here as a mini reunion, but I realize this time of year is tricky as far as scheduling. Still a good many of them will make the trek. All of the repairs and updates to the house has, in a way, been in anticipation of this event. I know El didn't want to make a big deal out of her birthday, but slowly she is getting into it. I hope she and everyone else enjoys what I 've got planned out - she truly deserves it. All I know is it's a nice sized dent in the wallet...
Monday, December 06, 2004
One down...
...six more to go!
After the hurricanes there seemed to be an endless list of "to-do's" with the house. First and foremost was definitely going to be repairing my poor fence. After the storms posts were either snapped in half or bent downward. The entire thing had to be taken down and redone. I was able to take it down myself (heavy!), but once the reposting began it was ddefinitely the work of two men. Luckily, my buddy, Ed, offered one weekend to help out. Props to him! In four hours we managed to redo the entire left side of the house. Not bad considering it was our first time doing it and we had worked out a nice system that made it run smoothly.
This past weekend another buddy, Brian (aka Rick James, BITCH!), came over to help a brutha out so we could bang out the other side as well. Whew! What a load off my shoulders. Now I could concentrate on the other FIVE OR SIX projects to do outside. Bailey certainly appreciated it - he hadn't been able to run around without a leash for about two months. He spent the remainder of Sunday lounging in the grass as the sun dipped while I hammered on patch boards to fill gaps where they had flown off during the storms.
All that remains left to do is reshingle the roof (I'll get contractors to do this); repair, primer and paint the exterior the outside of the house (I can do this I think); landscape (Professionally-El's Christmas wish believe it or not); wire and mount two new light fixtures outside of the garage; redesign the toy/computer room and other various oddds and ends. Woo-hoo!
I did manage to install new chandeliers in the dining room and foyer a week ago, though. Yay!
After the hurricanes there seemed to be an endless list of "to-do's" with the house. First and foremost was definitely going to be repairing my poor fence. After the storms posts were either snapped in half or bent downward. The entire thing had to be taken down and redone. I was able to take it down myself (heavy!), but once the reposting began it was ddefinitely the work of two men. Luckily, my buddy, Ed, offered one weekend to help out. Props to him! In four hours we managed to redo the entire left side of the house. Not bad considering it was our first time doing it and we had worked out a nice system that made it run smoothly.
This past weekend another buddy, Brian (aka Rick James, BITCH!), came over to help a brutha out so we could bang out the other side as well. Whew! What a load off my shoulders. Now I could concentrate on the other FIVE OR SIX projects to do outside. Bailey certainly appreciated it - he hadn't been able to run around without a leash for about two months. He spent the remainder of Sunday lounging in the grass as the sun dipped while I hammered on patch boards to fill gaps where they had flown off during the storms.
All that remains left to do is reshingle the roof (I'll get contractors to do this); repair, primer and paint the exterior the outside of the house (I can do this I think); landscape (Professionally-El's Christmas wish believe it or not); wire and mount two new light fixtures outside of the garage; redesign the toy/computer room and other various oddds and ends. Woo-hoo!
I did manage to install new chandeliers in the dining room and foyer a week ago, though. Yay!
Although expensive and time consuming, I love working on the house. Strangely I find it relaxing, not to mention satisfying. El and I have managed to redo the outdoor patio where I laid out a porcelain tile floor, put up a bamboo ceiling, added new patio furniture, put a new light fixture, hooked up outdoor speakers to the family room sound system and installed some iron scrollwork planters. This was probably one of the most time consuming since I had never framed out a ceiling or mortared out tile before. After a couple weeks of researching and planning and I finally finished the job while our friend, Jen, was visiting.
Talk about obssessed, but well worth it. It's pretty serene outside on cool evenings sitting out here while El, Bailey and I take a breather from our schedules. It's nice to sit out at nights watching the go down and in the mornings walking Bailey and seeing all the various cranes and ducks in the pond feeding
After Rachel moved out we also redid the guest bedroom in a Hawaiian theme. Our anniversary trip there a couple of years ago allowed us to bring back some neat stuff - silkscreened sarongs, carvings, etc. My Uncle Rey got me some original drawings from the Phillippines a few years back that I had matted and framed. I've always wanted to put them up, but never had the right place for them. We also purchased a small chest of drawers and refinished it with a darker stain. Overall this has got to be one of the most relaxing and "quiet" rooms in the house.
In the guest bathroom we removed all the dark blue accents and instead replaced everything in brushed silver and white for a cleaner look. We added some other framed photos we picked up at various exhibtions and I installed a new wall fixture.
The last two rooms left to design were the master bed (shameful!) and my toy/computer room. Our trip to Japan let us FINALLY finish the master bedroom with a Japanese theme. While there we bought some silkscreened textiles, which I framed; a couple of Washi prints and I enlarged 10 photographs which I also framed and lined along the room. New drapes and lighting were added to make the room definitely more subdued.
Whew! Last is the computer room where I hope to begin making progress with and complete in the next two weeks. We plan on hosting a party for El's birthday and New Year's so it would be nice to bang out everything before then. Once the house is completed, then we can kick off the new year right.
The last two rooms left to design were the master bed (shameful!) and my toy/computer room. Our trip to Japan let us FINALLY finish the master bedroom with a Japanese theme. While there we bought some silkscreened textiles, which I framed; a couple of Washi prints and I enlarged 10 photographs which I also framed and lined along the room. New drapes and lighting were added to make the room definitely more subdued.
Whew! Last is the computer room where I hope to begin making progress with and complete in the next two weeks. We plan on hosting a party for El's birthday and New Year's so it would be nice to bang out everything before then. Once the house is completed, then we can kick off the new year right.
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