Feeling Down When I Should Be Up

Getting ready to go on a ten-day vacation to Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, B.C. On July 1, which is Canada Day, I’m scheduled to attend a parade and play in Gibsons, B.C., with some friends known as the “Lost Canadians.” My plans also include sightseeing, hiking, and of course checking out some good restaurants. The last time I was in Vancouver, I didn’t make it to Richmond, which supposedly is the largest Chinese area in Vancouver. I definitely will visit Richmond this time. It will be interesting to see how it compares with San Francisco and Hong Kong. Stay tuned for my report.

Before I go on vacation, work has a tendency to pile up, but this time seems worse than usual. Today was one t-o-u-g-h day at work. Even though I busted my neck to get a big project done, I got hassled over some little stuff. What did I do to deserve this? At a time when I should be feeling good about getting away for a few days, I’m feeling down instead!

The Juk’s on Me

Went trail jogging today with my two friends, W and B. We have been exercising together over lunch hour for years. Today, we took a longer route that we call “property line,” because it goes to the boundary of the park. It felt good to get out in the fresh air and to see the river scenery from up in the hills.

After returning from my exercise, I had a dessert that I especially like—黑米粥 (hak1 mai2 juk1) or 黑糯米粥 (hak1 lo3 mai2 juk1). Made with purple-colored rice (紫米) and coconut milk (椰汁), this dessert is the same consistency as regular 粥 (congee), but it’s served at room temperature rather than hot. It’s not easy to find黑米粥 in Chinese restaurants, and I wonder whether it actually comes from Hong Kong or Southeast Asia (Malaysia-Singapore). Does anyone know?

Wild about Chaozhou Food

Went to Peony Restaurant 牧 丹 閣 with friends on Sunday (June 19). Can you tell that it’s one of my favorites? This time it was for dinner, not yum cha 飲 茶. In addition to the regular weekend crowd, there also was a large wedding party, which made the place more packed and noisy than usual. Despite that, the service was pretty good. Manager Yeung 楊 took our order himself, which doesn’t happen very often. Here are the dishes we ordered:

蔥 爆 牛 肉 (beef with scallions)
馬 拉 棧 雞 蓉 茄 子 煲 (Malaysian hotpot with minced chicken & eggplant)
潮 州 煎 蠔 烙 (Chaozhou style fried eggs with oysters)
葡 國 咖 哩 雞 (Portuguese curry chicken)
潮 式 紅 燒 豆 腐 (Chaozhou style braised tofu)
桂 林 風 味 蝦 (Guilin style shrimp)

Of the many Chinese restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, Peony is the one that most reminds me of Hong Kong. One time, I was talking with the main chef, and he told me that the original Peony Restaurant was in Hong Kong but that it had gone out of business. I feel lucky to live in an area with Chinese food that can compare with Hong Kong’s.

Musical Surprise

Have you ever gone to a concert to see the main band and ended up liking one of the opening bands more? That never had happened to me before, but it happened on Friday night (June 17).

One thing that makes San Francisco so special is the local music scene. Friday night found me at The Fillmore, one of my favorite venues. I especially like two things about the Fillmore. The first is the layout–midsize, open dance floor in front of the stage, sparkling chandeliers, and ruby curtains. The second is the collection of posters and photos that line the walls reflecting the incredible history of all the famous bands that have played there. I feel excited every time I go to the Fillmore because I know that I will be able to stand real close to the stage.

What brought me to the Fillmore on Friday was the main act–the Del McCoury Band, one the best bluegrass bands in the U.S. I had seen them perform several years ago, and their high energy and virtuoso playing had blown me away. True to form, the Del McCoury Band put on a great show Friday night, playing many of their hits to an adoring audience.

But as good the main act was, what really blew me away was the second act–the Waybacks, a high energy, genre-defying, acoustic band from San Francisco. One minute I was hearing progressive jazz. The next minute it sounded like newgrass, Eastern European, or even Latin music. But whatever the style, the playing was tight, harmonious, and unbelievably skillful. Looks like I found myself a new favorite band right here in my own backyard!

Whenever I listen to Cantonese radio (星島中文電台) in the Bay Area, I try to listen to Cantopop songs from Hong Kong. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, one thing I really want to do is attend a Cantopop concert. Unfortunately, I don’t know that much about the Hong Kong Cantonese music scene. I enjoy a few songs by 王菲 (Faye Wong) and have heard that 容祖而 (Joey Yung) is real popular. All you Cantopop fans—what singer or concert would you recommend to me? If I want to hear the best that Hong Kong has to offer, who would it be? I eagerly await your recommendations.

Maintaining Sanity and Fitness

This week was a hectic one at work, mainly because I had an important board of directors meeting on Thursday evening (June 16). To take a break from the stress, I went out trail jogging over my lunch hour on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I typically jog about a mile to a park on the hill, hike the steepest slopes up to the ridge, jog along the ridge and downhill back to the park, and then jog along the street back to my office building. When I’m alone, I like to stop briefly at two special places up on the ridge to say prayers for the loved ones in my life. Working out (i.e., trail jogging, biking, etc.) is an important part of my life. Without exercise, my job stress (attorney) and my love of food would get out of control.

When I visited Hong Kong in 2001, I hiked a narrow, hidden trail from Bowen Road (半山區 寶雲道) up to Wanchai Gap (灣仔峡). Although not far from the highrises of Wanchai, the trail was very secluded and had great views. I didn’t see another person until I reached Wanchai Gap, where I jogged downhill back to Wanchai. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, I plan to try this trail again as part of my exercise program. Maybe I’ll see you on the trail.

Itching to Get Away

This is my inaugural post. After encouragement from my webfriends S and C, I have decided to take the plunge and start blogging. I hope that this augurs well both for my personal life and my professional life.

In San Francisco, right next to Chinatown, there is a well-known bar/cafe called Vesuvio. Every time I walk by there, I notice the colorful sign above the door that reads "We are itching to get away from Portland, Oregon." Well, San Francisco is one of the coolest places on this planet. So I definitely am not itching to get away from here. But there is a place that I am itching to get to–Hong Kong. If all goes according to plan, I will be studying Cantonese there from May to August next year.

Did a couple of short hikes on the weekend. Saturday (June 11), I hiked the Lafayette Ridge Trail and Briones Ridge Trail. This is one of the most peaceful, scenic hikes in the East Bay with lots of beautiful oaks and other trees and great ridgetop views. Enjoyed a post-hike dinner of 清 蒸 塘 虱 (ching1 jing1 tong4 sat1/steamed catfish) and 腐 乳 通 菜 (fu6 yu5 tung1 choi3/ong choy with bean curd). Sunday (June 12), I went to 飲 茶 (yam3 cha4) at Peony Restaurant 牡 丹 閣 in Oakland. Their 馬 拉 糕 (ma2 laai1 gou1), 蝦 餃 (ha1 gaau2), 曉 賣 (siu1 maai2) and 咖 哩 魷 魚 (ga3 lei1 yau4 yu2) are as good as any I've tasted. Finished up the day with a short hike at Diablo Foothills Regional Park. The buckeyes, with their dark green foliage and white flowers, were in full bloom. The rock formations as usual were spectacular. Right at the end of the hike, I saw an unexpected sight--a beautiful buck deer with velvet-covered antlers (two prongs). It looked like a reindeer and made me think of C.