Monday Muse: Daniel Pink on Motivation

Side note: these are some of my current creative projects: weaving and Zen tangles

"Routine work can be outsourced or automated; artistic, empathic, nonroutine work generally cannot.  The implications for motivation are vast.  Researchers…have found that external rewards and punishments—both carrots and sticks—can work nicely for algorithmic tasks.  But they can be devastating for heuristic ones.  Those sorts of challenges—solving novel problems or creating something the world didn’t know it was missing—depend heavily on Harlow’s third drive…Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity; controlling extrinsic motivation is detrimental to creativity."

-Drive by Daniel Pink

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

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TGIF Drinks: Roasted Sesame Seed Infused Whisky

When you're flying United Airlines, do you pick up their inflight magazine that's tucked behind the barf bag and the safety instructions in the seat pocket in front of you? I usually don't.  But during my long flight back from Japan, I ran out of reading material, and so I read the May Hemispheres Magazine from front to back for the first time ever.  And I have to say, it's not a bad magazine.  They did a feature on Japanese whiskys and had a special recipe for a Roasted Sesame Seed Infused Whisky.  The recipe called for a specific whisky called Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky.  And though it's misleading, the whisky is not coffee flavored.  It's named that because they use a Coffey still imported from Scotland.  By itself this is whisky is pretty smooth (well ok, moment of honesty here, I'm not really a discerning whiskey drinker.  I only like whisky if it doesn't burn as it goes down the hatchet.  Lame, I know, but I'm working on it).  I didn't think I would find this Japanese brand whisky but the following week I just happened to pass a store called Epicurean Trader, in Bernal Heights, and they had it!  

If you live in the SF Bay Area, you need to visit this shop!  I think I already mentioned it once before, but this place is amazing.  It's all small batch artisanal food, carefully selected by an Australian couple.  And they have great taste!  Well when I found the Nikka Whisky there, I knew I needed to try the sesame seed infusion.

Sesame Whiskey recipe:

-4 cups Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky or any other whiskey you prefer

-1 cup white sesame seeds (ratio of spirits to sesame seeds can be changed according to aroma preference but 4:1 usually yields a pretty strong infusion)

Preheat a large frying pan over low heat and roast sesame seeds until golden brown (or until they glisten and start popping), about 2-3 minutes.  After roasting, let sesame seeds cool on a baking sheet.  Let it infuse overnight (or longer).  Once you get the desired flavor, strain through a fine mesh.  If you want a clearer whiskey then strain through a coffee filter.

Now just add some ice, or whiskey stones, sip and enjoy!  The sesame seeds adds an earthy flavor to the whiskey (and it still doesn't burn as it goes down).  So drink up and relax, the weekend is just starting!

Cooking with Chef Ryan: Porridge Pancakes and Paprika Sausage

One of the best things of having a chef as a good friend is that they don't mind cooking for you, even if that's their day job.  And they make delicious meals seem really fast, easy and simple.  My friend Ryan whipped up this brunch for us the other day of porridge pancakes with nectarine and sausage with herbs and smoked paprika (recipe below).

By the way this is Gibson, our friendly neighborhood kitchen stalker, peacefully waiting for anything that might fall on the floor.

For the sausage patties:

We used about 3/4 pounds of ground pork, 1 clove of garlic minced, salt and pepper, about 2 tsp of smoke paprika, fresh herbs (or you can use dried herbs but use a bit less) of sage, thyme, and rosemary of about 1 tsp total, and 1 tsp of brown sugar.

Mix all together and roll into small patties.  Heat oil in pan at about medium heat and cook until browned.

For the Porridge Pancake (This is adapted from a recipe found here)

Take yesterday's leftover hot cereal/oatmeal that's been refrigerated (probably works best with multigrain and thicker hot cereal mixtures as opposed to instant Quakers oatmeal).  Much like the sausage, flatten chunks into patties.  Lightly flour on both sides, heat some butter in the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side.  If you want it to be more like your usual pancake (i.e. a soupier batter), add the porridge to a bit of batter of flour and milk/yogurt.  Cook until golden brown on each side.

For the nectarine compote:

3-4 ripe nectarines pitted and sliced, about 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup of water.   Mix the sugar and water together and heat until it starts to thicken.  Add the nectarine slices and cook for 3-4 minutes.  You don't want to cook it for too long since it's nice to for the nectarines to have a bit of a crunch (it goes well with the softer porridge pancake).

Now just add a bowl of fruit and/or some mimosas and you got yourself a good brunch!

Monday Muse: Peter Thiel on School

Photos from here

"More than anything else, competition is an ideology--the ideology-- that pervades our society and distorts our thinking. We preach competition, internalize it's necessity, and enact it's commandments; and as a result, we trap ourselves within it--even though the more we compete, the less we gain. This is a simple truth, but we've all been trained to ignore it. Our educational system both drives and reflects our obsession with competition. Grades themselves allow precise measurement of each student's competitiveness; pupils with the highest marks receive status and credentials. We teach every young person the same subjects in mostly the same ways, irrespective of individual talents and preferences. Students who don't learn best by sitting still at a desk are made to feel somehow inferior, while students who excel on conventional measures like tests and a assignments end up defining their identities in terms of this weirdly contrived academic parallel reality. And it gets worse as students ascend to higher levels of the tournament. Elite students climb confidently until they reach a level of competition sufficiently intense to beat their dreams out of them... For the privilege of being turned into conformists, students (or their families) pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in skyrocketing tuition that continues to outpace inflation. Why are we doing this to ourselves?"

Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future

By Peter Thiel, Blake Masters

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Everlane Petra Magazine Tote Review

When I was looking to buy this tote from Everlane, I searched the internet for product reviews but wasn't able to find many.  At least not for the Magazine tote in Gesso.  Everlane has three sizes for the Petra tote, and the Magazine size is the smallest.  But that doesn't mean it's small.  This tote fits a ton of things including my laptop, books, and all other things I need to carry, and I never once wished I had purchased the bigger size.  Gesso means "chalk" in Italian (the bag is made in Italy), and though it's more of a gray than a chalky color, I would say that's a good thing.  Here are all the other reasons why I LOVE this bag:

-Really thick and durable leather.  NO COLOR TRANSFER from jeans.  (This is a miracle for any lightly coloured bag.)

-The perfect size to fit a laptop and a textbook, along with your wallet, phone, keys and other necessities.  The bottom is reinforced with stitching inside and little legs on the outside so this bag can definitely handle heavy loads.

-Two very deep pockets with a snap closure on the inside so nothing falls out of these pocket.  I put my keys wallets, mints and all other small things in here and they don't fall out.

-Stain and smell resistant interior.  I'm taking a UC Berkley extension class (yay for continuing education) and on the second day I put a kombucha drink in the bag.  By the time I got to class I saw that the pink raspberry kombucha had leaked all over the inside of the bag.  If you have ever had kombucha, you know that it stinks!  (It's basically fermented tea).  So I was worried my tote would smell like kombucha forever, but I just wiped it up and the smell and stains were gone!  And it never stained to the outside of the bag.  

This bag isn't cheap but for the quality, good durable leather, I would say this bag is well worth the price and Everlane delivers on their promise of high-quality goods at decent prices.  This is probably the best light colored bag I've ever had and it's the perfect cool-toned neutral bag for the summer!

You can find the bag here and it comes in bright navy and black.  [This is not a sponsored post, though I wish it was.  I just wrote this because I really do love this bag!].

{edit: I just found out the straps are adjustable.  Just another reason to love this bag!}

How to adjust the straps

Also here's a look at the inside pockets.  The front and back sides are covered by another leather layer that the pockets are stitched onto, but the sides are suede (and did you see?  No kombucha stains, even on the suede.  I think it's because it's not a soft absorbent suede, it's a thicker semi-water repellant suede type material).

Alt Summer 2015

So what is the Alt Summit?  In their own words: "The Altitude Summit is the premier business conference for pioneering and rookie bloggers and creatives in this space. It's a community of exciting, experimental and expressive thinkers, makers and entrepreneurs."

I would say that anyone who is interested in blogging, any other kind of creative career, or owns a small business would really enjoy this conference.  It was great being with women who are trying new things in the creative world.  I met illustrators, store owners, baby clothing producers, and bloggers of all kinds.

The conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Grand America Hotel.  

Candice from Handmade Mood

One of my favorite bloggers, Nicole, from Making It Lovely

I got to meet some of my favorite bloggers and it's nice to know they are as nice in person as they are in real life.  Here's a list of some of the seminars offered (I was only able to go to a third of them since they had three in each time slot):

-Tuesday: How to Write a Brand Deck; Blogging with Bracery; Finding your Special Sparkle; Pick Yourself

-Wednesday: Community Building; How to Successfully Pitch Content to Magazines and Television Shows; Launching a Product; Instagram: Grow your following; 5 Surefire Strategies to Exponentially Monetize Traffic; The Book Panel; How to Create an Online Course; Photoshop & Branding for Bloggers; Photography for Non Photographers

-Thursday: Taming the To-Do List; Adobe Illustrator 101; Photoshoot: from Concept to Styling to Shooting to Editing to Posting; Going from Blog to Brand; Everything you need to know to become a YouTube Star; Diversity in the Design & Lifestyle Blogging/Social Media World; Driving Traffic to your site: Pinterest & Facebook; Know your Google Analytics & Social Media Stats; Self-Management: Productivity, Energy & Work-Life Balance; Developing & Positioning your brand; Set Goals for your Business; Creative Collaboration

The closing keynote speaker was Guy Kawasaki, who I ever heard of before but apparently wrote this book:

The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users

For the whole speech and even afterwards I thought it was Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad book fame.  Nope, they're completely different people, just in case you were thinking the same thing.

So my final thought about this conference is this:  It was awesome and I'm going again in the winter!

Monday Muse: Ariana Huffington on Wisdom

I'm convinced of two fundamental truths about human beings. The first is that we all have within us a centred place of wisdom, harmony and strength. this is the truth that all the world's philosophies and religions whether Christianity, Islam, Judiasm or Buddhism aknowledge in one form or another: the kingdom of God is within you or as Archimedes said give me a place to stand and I will move the world. 

The second truth is that we are all going to veer away from that place again and again and again.  That's the nature of life. In fact we maybe off course more often than we are on course. The question is how quickly can we get back to that centred place of wisdom harmony and strength. It's in this sacred place that life is transformed from struggle to grace and we are suddenly filled with trust, whatever obstacles challenges or disappointments. 

-Ariana Huffington, Thrive

If you want to read the whole book, you can find it here (link to Amazon below):

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

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5 Things Friday

1) I am so proud of my friends Justin and David for making their first production of Downey Brewing Co's 80 IPA.  The beer was a really tasty classic IPA with just the right amount of hoppiness.  I can honestly say it is one of the best IPA's I've had in awhile.  And look at the beautiful label!  I can't wait to taste what these guys produce next!

2) I've started a new page on Temporary Housewifey!  It's a bags picture gallery.  Most of these pictures are already posted on Instagram but I thought it would be nice to have a space for them on my blog too.  I also have a travel picture gallery, which used to just be labeled images.  And did you guys notice I've changed the template so now I have a search function and an archives section on the right (it's below the posts when viewing in mobile).  Excited for all these changes and some new stuff coming to the blog soon!

3) And a large part of that is because of the Alt summit, which I attended Wednesday and Thursday this past week in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I'll write more about it in another post, but let me just say that if you are a blogger, small business owner, crafter, designer, etc. this conference is a necessity!  What I learned in 2 days here probably would have taken me months to learn on my own.

4) This is probably already old news for most of you, but I just saw this yesterday and I loved it.  I still get them mixed up (and even had a hard time figuring out who was who in the video below):

5) Currently on repeat:

Hope you all have a good weekend! 

Temporary Housewifey's Travel Guide and Travel Tips for Kyoto

So this is my last post about Japan, I promise, for those of you who are getting sick about me going on and on about a trip I came back from 2 weeks ago.  Because of the wonder of scheduled posting, as you read this I am actually in Salt Lake City, UT, at the Alt Summit (a blogger conference).  And then I'm on to LA so now I can go on and on about those trips next.  Anyway back to Japan.  Here is just a short summary of the things I recommend for anyone visiting Kyoto:

Stay:

I prefer the Hyatt Regency Kyoto because it's a beautiful place that really embodies the peace and sophistication of Kyoto.  It's located in a quiet part of town but there's still attractions right next door, Sanjusangendo (temple of 1000 Buddhas) and the Kyoto National Museum (where you can go to the museum cafe for breakfast at 9:15AM).  They also have a buffet breakfast that's pretty good, and if you have jet-lag I recommend just getting up, instead of tossing and turning in bed, and go to the breakfast early (like 6:30AM).  Then you might get window seat that looks down on their Zen garden.  It's worth it.  But if the Hyatt is not available, I would try any of the hotels around Kyoto station.  Kyoto Station is really the hub of Kyoto and you can really get anywhere from there whether by train or bus.  Plus there's lots of shops and restaurants there.

Shop:

-Walk around the Gion district and you might catch a glimpse of a geisha.  Also there's some cute stores and very old traditional Japanese houses there.

-For some more modern shopping, you can go to Shijo-dori.  It kind of feels like Tokyo shopping so if you don't care for crowds I would recommend shopping at:

-Kyoto Station underground.  Kyoto Station is huge with both an older and newer section and it's very easy to get lost (we did), so just be careful of the signs.  There are modern department stores as well as a lot of cute Japanese boutiques.

Some of the things I bought (not all bought in Kyoto but most of it was):

Top picture: bamboo grater brush (to get all those small bits of garlic, ginger, or daikon off your grater), bamboo tongs, Laduree macaroons (from Ginza, not Kyoto), fake lashes (I think Japanese brands are some of the best ones), prayer bead bracelet, little monk head dish, Comme de Garcons clover pouch, wooden animal spoons, Murakami can of candy, coffee scooper in the shape of a house, bamboo butter knife, and tape hook, a plastic hook that looks like a peeling piece of tape (I'm using one now and it's pretty cute).

Botton picture: Kyoto's special mochi dessert, wasabi doritos (they were yummy), my favorite brand of mints (they're small but powerful in a really easy to carry case), senbei from Fushimi Inari, spicy Kit Kats (they use togarashi, or Japanese chili pepper), and shrimp crackers.  

To do:

There are so many things to do/places to see in Kyoto.  This is just a short list but it's a good place to start.

- Fushimi Inari: If you can only go to one place, then I would say this is a must see.  This is the place with all the orange/red gates (cover photo, Kyoto Day 3).

- Kinkakuji: The golden pavilion (Kyoto Day 2)

-Ryo-an ji: The epitome of a Japanese rock garden (Kyoto Day 2)

-Sanjusangendo: Temple of 1000 Buddhas

-Kiyomuzu-dera: A beautiful large temple on the mountain built around a waterfall.  The waters are supposed to impart long-life and good luck if you drink it.  The last time I was in Kyoto, with Brian, we were there at the same time as a large tour group of Chinese tourists.  They were holding up the line to the waterfall because they were trying to bottle this stuff, as in squat on the floor as they tried to fill multiple small plastic bottles with an unwieldy water ladle.  Free souvenirs, I guess?

-Ginkakuji: Named the silver temple, but it's not.  I've never been there but I've heard people say it's pretty nice.

- Kyoto National Museum (pictured below): They have a great collection of ancient Japanese art, from Buddhist statues, to past Emperors' calligraphy scrolls, kimonos and Japanese ink paintings and it's all housed in their new modern and simple building.  They also still have exhibits in their original 1895 building (done in a very European style) if you're lucky enough to catch them.

-The Miho Museum: This is something I learned about after I came back so I never got a chance to go, but this will be #1 on my list of things to go to when I come back to Kyoto.  Thanks to my friend Colleen for the recommendation!

-Other museums/places that look interesting: Kyoto International Manga Museum (if you're into manga), Toei Uzumasa Eigamura (film set for traditional Japanese TV shows), and the Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.  These are all places I haven't yet been to, but might check out on my next trip.

The Kyoto National Museum with the modern building on the left and the original on the right.

To Eat:

I don't really have any food recommendations since I just mostly ate when and where it was convenient (and most of the time you can't really go wrong no matter which restaurant you pick).  But I would recommend:

-Dining al fresco at one of the many restaurants that line the Kamo river (Kamogawa) [talked about in Kyoto Day 1].  The view is beautiful and it was fun dining on traditional Japanese food Japanese style (aka on the floor) though you do have to constantly readjust so your legs don't fall asleep (picture above).

-Eating from the vendors outside of Fushimi Inari (great Japanese snack foods) and don't forget to get some senbei at the store near the train station (Kyoto Day 3)

Well that was a super long post but I hope anyone going to Kyoto in the future will find these tips useful!

Monday Muse: Amy Poehler on Career

I guess the Buddhists would call this idea healthy detachment.  Too often we are told to visualize what we want and cut out pictures of it and repeat it like a mantra over and over again....I am introducing a new idea.  Try to care less.  Practice ambivalence.  Learn to let go of wanting it.  Treat your career like a bad boyfriend.  Here's the thing.  Your career won't take care of you.  It won't call you back or introduce you to its parents.  Your career will forget your birthday and wreck your car.  Your career will never marry you.  Now, before I extend this metaphor, let me make a distinction between career and creativity.  Creativity is connected to your passion, that light inside you that drives you.  That joy that comes when you do something you love.  That small voice that tells you, 'I like this.  Do this again.  You are good at it.  Keep going.'  That's the stuff that lubricates our lives and helps us feel less alone in the world.  Your creativity is not a bad boyfriend.  Career is different.  Career is the stringing together of opportunities and jobs.  Mix in public opinion and past regrets.  Add a dash of future panic and a whole lot of financial uncertainty.  Career is something that fools you into thinking you are in control and then takes pleasure in reminding you that you aren't.  Career is the thing that will not fill you up and never make you truly whole....Ambivalence is the key to success.  You have to care about your work, but not about the result.  You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.

Yes Please

By Amy Poehler

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Where to eat: Japan Edition

One of the main reasons to go to Japan is to eat all the delicious food!  And you can never really go too wrong at most places in Japan since Japanese customers demand delicious foods.  I feel like the Japanese were the first real foodies, way before the US got on that bandwagon.  

This first restaurant I went to was near our hotel, the Niwa Hotel in the Kanda district.  My mom and I were watching a local Tokyo news segment when they coincidentally went around the Kanda district.  It featured this tempura place, which has been around for over 80 years.  The Kanda district was one of the few districts left undamaged after World War II and so there's a lot of great old restaurants and shops (see my post on the area around the Niwa Hotel).

I got the osusume (or the recommended dish) which was the tempura don (rice dish) with eel tempura.

We sat at the counter and chatted with the chef who is a big fan of Hawaii, a 7-time Hawaii marathon finisher (the guy on the left), and an avid fan of Jake Shimabukuro.

That's the storefront.

Can't go to Japan without some ramen.  The best ramen I've had was this place in Shibuya, right next to Tokyu Hands (not pictured above).  It was filled with business men and construction workers (and zero women--it was one of those loud and rough lunch spots meant for a good quick meal, not a place for housewives to luncheon).  But that pic above is not from that place.  This is a ramen shop where housewives do luncheon, on the top floor of the Omotesando Hills mall.  It's called Ramen Zero for the supposed zero additives to the broth, but that also meant almost zero taste.  The noodles were good but I wouldn't recommend this place.  Go to Shibuya!

Sushi at a spot in Ginza.  It was alright, but to get the good stuff you might as well go to Tsukiji (it's nearby).

Every since I was a kid one of my favorite things about Japan is their dessert, from shaved ice to parfaits.  Before I would get the chocolate parfaits but now I almost always go for the matcha (green tea) flavors since you really can't get it better anywhere else.  

Shabu Shabu (hot pot Japanese style) was delicious (though not cheap, but it's worth trying).

This is in Kyoto, along the Kama River.  Nothing beats drinking and eating small plates of traditional Japanese food, alongside a river.  And the weather was perfect!

The dish above was roasted traditional Kyoto eggplant (which grows in a spherical shape, not the usually oblong shape), topped with miso and bits of ground beef.

Yaki onigiri

Salt chicken.  This dish was amazing!  The skin was super crispy while the inside was super moist. And not too salty either so you could really taste the chicken.  Best chicken I've had in years.

And some warabi mochi for dessert.

Another day, another dish of mochi.  This was inside the Kyoto Station, on the newly built side.  It's another ramen shop, but since it was hot we decided to get cold ramen noodles.

It was delicious!

They show the mochi cooking in the restaurant storefront.

Another day, and yet another mochi dish.  This one is also grilled but lightly covered in a sweet miso-like dressing. And this stand, along with numerous other food stands can be found in front of the Fushimi Inari temple in Kyoto (just wrote about this earlier this week).

We also had some fried chicken (so good!!!!).  Perfectly moist, crispy, and not overly doughy.

I had this matcha float perfection at the cafe in front of the Kyoto National Museum.  We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto (highly recommend it!) and the museum is right across the street.  We went there for a late breakfast (it opens at 9:15AM) and its the perfect spot to eat outdoors and look at the museum grounds.  It's just as good, if not better than the breakfast buffet in the hotel.

And my last meal out in Japan was at Tsukiji market, which is a MUST-GO for anyone visiting Tokyo.  The actual fish market will be closing down this year to make space for the Olympic Village for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  But rest assured all the outside stalls of food and shops will remain.  For now, you can still get a bowl of super  fresh raw fish, shrimp, and sea urchin for a pretty good deal (this is the kaizen bowl).  They have several of these stalls and they're all the same company so you can't miss it!!

Happy National Donut Day

Yep, it's that time of year again.  National Donut Day!  Oh never heard of it?  Me neither.  But if wikipedia is to be believed it started back in 1938.  Thank goodness I have social media to let me know about national celebrations of fried dough.  I celebrated National Donut Day a day early, by drinking some lovely Four Barrel coffee and enjoying my donut at Dynamo Donut's outdoor patio, which I also did not know existed for the almost 4 years I worked in the area.  I was in the area by chance, but I'm sure glad I got that donut  now (I was feeling a bit guilty at the time of consumption) because now I have pictures for National Donut Day #FatKidFTW

Traditional Japanese Restaurant Storefronts

Japanese restaurants really know how to put up a store front.  Even before you walk in, you begin the experience and you feel like the food will be amazing.  Don't these pictures of the restaurants make you want to eat there?

Kyoto Day 3, Fushimi Inari Taisha

One of my most favorite places to visit in Kyoto is Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrine famous for their thousand torii, or "gates".  Much like Antelope Canyon, you can't really take a bad picture here.  The grandeur of it all is breathtaking.

Can't afford to sponsor a torii?  Write your wishes on these mini gates and maybe the Shinto gods will answer your prayers.

You can hike through these gates for hours and it would probably look much the same (except the crowds will thin out).  But you don't have to go too far to get shots without people in them.

One of my favorite things about this place are the food stands right outside.  Grab some traditional Japanese mochi snacks (below) or get the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) which was perfect!

From the Fushimi Inari train station to the the shrine, there are several shops along the way.  The first senbei shop that you see (closest to the train station) is a 3-generation shop where you can see the current generation making the senbei using traditional irons over a stove.  His parents now are the salespeople and they were super friendly.  When we bought some senbei, they gave us a free sample from their imperfect senbei pile.  It was still warm and it was delicious!  I can't recommend this place highly enough.  Also if you don't know what senbei is, it's basically the original fortune cookie (tastes like the best fortune cookie you've ever had), but minus the fortune.  You can read up on the history here.

Monday Muse

Bear with me as I try a new type of possibly-cheesy semi-regular posting, which I'm calling Monday Muse.  Since I believe in the wisdom of books (ok sometimes it's just food for thought), but even I don't want to read the lengthy book review blog posts I've tried in the past, I'm going to share my favorite quotes from these books.  So for my first installment of Monday Muse I present Dr. Viktor E. Frankl: Holocaust survivor, psychologist, and celebrated author of Man's Search for Meaning.

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour.  What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment....One should not search for an abstract meaning of life.  Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.  Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.  Thus, everyone's task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.  As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presented a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed.  Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.  In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.

5 Things Friday

1) I had never heard of this movie before but it was pretty good: This is Where I Leave You.  It stars Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, the Philly governor from House of Cards and Adam from Girls (and there's also Tom's annoying friend from Parks and Rec and the older woman on Nashville and some other famous people).  The best things about this movie are the overall casting and the scenes with Tina and Jason (surprisingly I think this is the first movie they did together and they're so awesome together).

2) After watching the outrageousness that is the business of chicken farming (below), I've decided to a) buy chicken NOT produced by Pilgrim's, Tyson, Sanderson Farms, or Perdue; b) and instead buy chicken from Pitman Farms (aka Mary's Organic Chicken); and c) donate to small farms through BarnRaiser (crowd funding for farms and organizations promoting clean eating and responsible farming).

3) I really want to do a tour and tasting at St. George's Distillery in Alameda.  Anyone with me?

4)  And I found this amazing shop in Bernal Heights last week, which only opened about 2 months ago.  They sell small batch artisanal goods and I'll be doing a more thorough write-up of what they have and what I bought!  Shop there and then eat at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city, Vega!

5) Anyone else have Mad Men withdrawals?  It's not the best solution but try watching Happyish on Showtime.  Specifically, episode 4 which coincidentally not only aired on the same day as the Mad Men series finale but also reference the same Coke ad from 1976.  Just be prepared to endure some off the wall, truly crazy people delusions.  The modern ad man's world? Plus it stars the Steeve Coogan from The Trip (also a good watch).  

Kyoto Day 2

These pictures below were taken at the ending of the first day.  At night the riverside really starts to have an almost celebratory festival feel, with the lighted lanterns and people enjoying the outdoors.  

The next morning we had a breakfast buffet at our hotel. The above picture was the view from our window seat in the dining area.  A really tranquil view for eating!  The Hyatt Regency really is one of the best places to stay in Kyoto.

On the way to our first stop, I took a time to take a picture with the sidewalk since the tile work was so unique.  Also pictured below is my new favorite travel bag, my Mansur Gavriel bucket bag in canvas.  It can hold endless amounts of stuff.

First stop was Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavillion (that's the admission ticket above).  It was beautiful but the throngs of tourist and the fact that it was rebuilt in the 50's and then regilded in the 80's made it feel less historically accurate and more like Disneyland's Cinderella Castle.

Outside of the temple were cute stores selling cute things.

Within walking distance is Ryoanji, a temple famous for it's Zen rock garden.  I think the idea is to quietly observe the garden in mediation, but I had the interesting experience of visiting during peak school field trip hours.  And so I was completely surrounded by middle school students who were incessantly counting the number of rocks out loud. They say that you can only really see 14 rocks from any one point on the veranda, but would be able to see the 15th after attaining enlightenment.  Guess I'm not enlightened yet since I only saw 14 rocks as well.

The other side of the veranda was equally beautiful.  Right around the corner was this lush green landscape, which I'm sure is even more gorgeous during the spring and autumn seasons.  It would be such a joy to be able to watch the changing of seasons from this place.

Inside the temple was one large room, with screen door dividers, so the whole space could be completely open to the outside.

The grounds surrounding the temple were also breathtaking.  Summer was in full force and there were just so many shades of green.

Except the one tree here that was confused and thought it might be autumn.  But it does give you an idea of what this place looks like during the fall months, all shades of red.

Thoughts on a Memorial Day Weekend

Last night we were driving home from a friend's house when we passed Golden Gate National Cemetery, a military cemetery in San Bruno.  It was a foggy night and from the freeway I could see a lone spotlight softly lighting up the waving American flag, which was doing a slow ripple with the wind.  

And it was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.  

I'm not what you would call a patriot and I don't usually feel American pride.  I also don't think America is the best country or that the American government always does the right thing.  But looking at that flag I felt a momentary keen sense of love for my country.  I love that American and Americans for the most part strive to be better or be in a better situation than they are currently in, and that there is hope that that's possible.  We are taught to believe that theoretically we could do anything and be anyone.  And even if this is not absolutely true, it's beautiful to live in a country where that could possibly be true.  And with these vague notions I begin to understand why some solders would give up their lives for our country.  And so on this Memorial Day I quietly thank not only my fellow Americans who lost their lives but also to my fellow American who are still actively serving our wonderful nation.

Kyoto Day 1

We got to Kyoto in the late afternoon, after catching an hour and 45 min ride on the Shinkansen (the bullet train).  California definitely needs to finish making the bullet train from SF to LA pronto!  It makes travel so much easier!  After checking into our hotel (my favorite is the Hyatt Regency Kyoto), we went to the downtown Gion district and had dinner by Kamogawa (the Kamo River).  During the summer seasons you can enjoy dining outside, Japanese style (aka sitting on floor) on large patios facing the river.  And that's exactly what we did!  (or you can always grab a beer and sit on the river banks, which you can see lots of people opted for as well).

The narrow alleys lined with restaurants...

...and shops selling Japanese ware for the tourists.

Al fresco dining!

Wouldn't be right to dine outside on a beautiful evening without beer!

Last day in Tokyo, Next stop Kyoto!

I'm actually already back in Japan but I'm behind on my posts, as usual.  I went over my data limit with the pocket wifi and hotel wifi reception was unreliable so I wasn't able to post fantastic (and large) photos like this, of my donut.

Mister Donut makes the hands-down best donut.  Since they're partially made with mochi rice flour, they're perfectly chewy.  Also, they aren't too sweet like American donuts.

No need to go to Paris for Laduree macarons.  Just go to the 2nd floor of Mitsukoshi in Ginza.  I don't know how they do it but their macarons are perfectly soft and crumbly without being mushy.

And this is my favorite place to rest and check email, the third floor of the Apple store in Ginza.  In the summer, it is the only air-conditioned and comfy-seated place (and the only place with free wifi) that won't kick you out.  I've seen guys take naps here while they wait for their wives to finish shopping.

And view from Grandma's house.  We had a family lunch there so I ended up shopping nearby.  Since Ginza is within walking distance from my Grandma's house we end up going there quite a bit.